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Proposed Rule
Document Details
Document Statistics
Published Document
Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
Proposed rule.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to amend 50 CFR 16.13 to add snakeheads (family Channidae) to the list of injurious fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. This listing would have the effect of prohibiting the interstate transportation and importation of any live animal or viable egg of snakeheads into the United States. The best available information indicates that this action is necessary to protect the wildlife and wildlife resources from the purposeful or accidental introduction and subsequent establishment of snakehead populations in ecosystems of the United States. As proposed, live snakeheads or viable eggs could be imported only by permit for scientific, medical, educational, or zoological purposes, or without a permit by Federal agencies solely for their own use; permits would also be required for the interstate transportation of live snakeheads or viable eggs currently held in the United States, for scientific, medical, educational, or zoological purposes.
Comments must be submitted on or before August 26, 2002.
Comments may be mailed or sent by fax to the Chief, Division of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Start Printed Page 48856Drive, Suite 322, Arlington, VA 22203, FAX (703) 358-1800. You may send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to: firstname.lastname@example.com. See the Public Comments Solicited section below for file format and other information about electronic filing.Start Further Info
Kari Duncan, Division of Environmental Quality, Branch of Invasive Species at (703) 358-2464 or email@example.com Further Info End Preamble Start Supplemental Information
The purpose of this proposed rule is to prevent the accidental or intentional introduction of snakeheads (family Channidae) and the possible subsequent establishment of populations of these fish in the wild. The Fish and Wildlife Service is initiating this proposed rule based upon information we have obtained that indicates that snakeheads may be injurious to the wildlife and wildlife resources of the United States.
Description of the Proposed Rule
The regulations contained in 50 CFR part 16 implement the Lacey Act (18 U.S.C. 42) as amended. Under the terms of the law, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to prohibit by regulation certain activities involving wild mammals, wild birds, fish (including mollusks and crustaceans), amphibians, reptiles, and the offspring or eggs of any of the foregoing, that are injurious to human beings, to the interests of agriculture, horticulture, or forestry, or to the wildlife or wildlife resources of the United States. The lists of injurious wildlife species are at 50 CFR 16.11-15. If snakeheads are determined to be injurious, their importation into, or transportation between, States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States by any means whatsoever is prohibited, except by permit for zoological, educational, medical, or scientific purposes (in accordance with permit regulations at 50 CFR 16.22), or by Federal agencies without a permit solely for their own use, upon filing a written declaration with the District Director of Customs and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Inspector at the port of entry. In addition, no live snakeheads, progeny thereof, or viable eggs acquired under permit could be sold, donated, traded, loaned, or transferred to any other person or institution unless such person or institution has a permit issued by the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The interstate transportation of any live snakeheads or viable eggs currently held in the United States for any purposes not permitted would be prohibited.
Two genera are currently recognized in the family Channidae. They are Channa (snakeheads of Asia, Malaysia, and Indonesia) and Parachanna (African snakeheads). Synonyms include Bostrychoides, Ophicephalus and its misspelled form Ophiocephalus, and Parophiocephalus. Although 86 species and 4 subspecies have been described (Eschmeyer, 1998), current taxonomy is in flux with approximately 28 species recognized as valid (Musikasinthorn, 2001; Table 1). Because their morphology is very similar, it is very difficult to differentiate among species of snakeheads. Juvenile and adult color patterns are often quite different (Day, 1875; Lee and Ng, 1991, 1994), and some are quite variable in size and color, and may represent species complexes. A taxonomic revision of the family, expected to be published within the next two years, will likely result in additional species being recognized as valid and perhaps new species described.
|Channa amphibeus (McClelland, 1845)—no common name known
|Channa argus (Cantor, 1842)—northern snakehead
|Channa asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758)—Chinese snakehead
|Channa aurantimaculata Musikasinthorn, 2000—no English common name; naga-cheng (Assam, India)
|Channa bankanensis (Bleeker, 1852)—Bangka snakehead
|Channa baramensis (Steindachner, 1901)—Baram snakehead
|Channa barca (Hamilton, 1822)—barca snakehead
|Channa bleheri Vierke, 1991—rainbow snakehead
|Channa cyanospilos (Bleeker, 1853)—bluespotted snakehead
|Channa gachua (Hamilton, 1822)—dwarf snakehead
|Channa harcourtbutleri (Annandale, 1918)—Inle snakehead
|Channa lucius (Cuvier, 1831)—splendid snakehead
|Channa maculata (Lacepede, 1802)—blotched snakehead
|Channa marulius (Hamilton, 1822)—bullseye snakehead
|Channa maruloides (Bleeker, 1851)—emperor snakehead
|Channa melanoptera (Bleeker, 1855)—no common name known
|Channa melasoma (Bleeker, 1851)—black snakehead
|Channa micropeltes (Cuvier, 1831)—giant snakehead
|Channa nox (Zhang, Musikasinthorn, and Watanabe, 2002)—no English common name
|Channa orientalis Schneider, 1801—Ceylon snakehead
|Channa panaw Musikasinthorn, 1998—no English common name; ng panaw (Myanmar)
|Channa pleurophthalmus (Bleeker, 1851)—ocellated snakehead
|Channa punctata (Bloch, 1793)—spotted snakehead
|Channa stewartii (Playfair, 1867)—golden snakehead
|Channa striata (Bloch, 1797)—chevron snakehead
|Parachanna africana (Steindachner, 1879)—Niger snakehead
|Parachanna insignis (Sauvage, 1884)—Congo snakehead
|Parachanna obscura (Günther, 1861)—African snakehead
Snakeheads have distinctive morphological features as follows: Long, almost cylindrical body; long dorsal and anal fins, and all fins supported only by rays; large scales on head, somewhat similar to the large epidermal scales on the heads of snakes (hence the common name, snakeheads); eyes dorsolateral (back and side) and located on the anterior portion of the head; tubular, anterior nostrils; pectoral and caudal fin margins rounded; large mouth with protruding lower jaw; lower jaw always toothed, and prevomer and palatines often toothed; some lower jaw teeth canine-like, and canines present or absent on prevomer and palatines; most species with pelvic fins present; and ventral aorta typically divided into two portions, one serving the gills and the other the suprabranchial (above the gills) chambers. Suprabranchial chambers of Channa are non-labyrinthic (complex system of paths/tunnels), and made up of two plates, one formed by the first epibranchial (above the gills), the second from the hyomandibular; those of Parachanna consist of a single cavity with elements from the epibranchial of the first gill arch and hyomandibular absent.
Two larger snakehead species, Channa marulius and C. maruloides, superficially resemble the native bowfin, Amia calva, in that all three are elongated fishes, have long dorsal fins, tubular nostrils, and an ocellus Start Printed Page 48857(eyespot) at the base of the upper portion of the caudal fin. The bowfin, however, has its pelvic fins in a more abdominal rather than thoracic or anterior-abdominal position, and the anal fin is not elongated. Moreover, the bowfin does not have a rosette (circular arrangement) of enlarged scales on top of the head.
Species and species complexes of the genus Channa are native from southeastern Iran and eastern Afghanistan eastward through Pakistan, India, southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Sumatra, Indonesia, and China northward into Siberia. Of the currently recognized 25 species of Channa, 9 species and representatives of 4 species complexes occur in peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and/or Indonesia. Of the same 25 species, 16 species and members of 5 species complexes are tropical to subtropical; members of three species complexes are temperate; and one species is temperate to boreal and can live beneath ice in the northern portion of its range. The three species of Parachanna are native to Africa and are tropical.
Snakeheads are considered as non-ostariophysan primary freshwater fishes (Mirza, 1975, 1995), meaning they have little or no tolerance for seawater. Habitat preferences vary by species or species complex, with a majority occurring in streams and rivers. Others occur in swamps, rice paddies, ponds, and ditches. All can tolerate hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions because they are airbreathers from late juvenile stages. Where known, pH range, varies by species with one (Channa bankanensis) preferring highly acidic (pH 2.8-3.8) waters. At least three species are tolerant of a wide pH range; C. gachua, C. punctata, and C. striata survived for 72 hours at pH levels ranging from 4.25 to 9.4 (Varma, 1979).
Spawning seasons vary by species. While information on reproductive biology of many species is lacking, several conclusions can be drawn from those for which this information is available. Breeding in several species occurs primarily in summer months (June through August), and in at least two (the Channa striata species complex and C. punctata), breeding pairs can be found throughout the year. Some species spawn twice each year. Okada (1960) reported that female northern snakeheads, C. argus, are capable of spawning five times per year. There are several reports that when snakeheads pair, the pair remains monogamous for a spawning season, perhaps longer, but a pair may not mate for life.
Snakeheads build nests by clearing a generally circular area in aquatic vegetation, often weaving the removed vegetation around the centrally cleared area. This results in a vertical column of water surrounded by vegetation. One species (C. punctata) prepares elaborate tunnels through vegetation leading into the nest column. At time of spawning, the male and female move upward into the central region of the nest column. The male entwines his body around that of the female, with some species appearing to "dance" in the water column as eggs are released and fertilized (Breder and Rosen, 1966; Ng and Lim, 1990). Eggs are buoyant, rising to the surface of the nest column, where they are vigorously guarded by one or both parents. Snakeheads in two species complexes (C. gachua and C. orientalis) are mouthbrooders, with the male being the mouthbrooder of fertilized eggs and, later, fry. Most snakeheads, however, are not mouthbrooders, but one or both parents guard their young vigorously; one species (C. micropeltes) reportedly attacked and in some instances killed humans who approached the mass of young (Kottelat, 1993). Thus, parental care, whether by mouthbrooding or guarding, is a behavioral characteristic of snakeheads. Successful spawning in the absence of vegetation has also been reported for three species of snakeheads (Parameswaran and Murgesan (1976b).
Fecundity and Early Development
There is limited information on fecundity (capacity to produce offspring) except for those snakeheads of commercial importance. Nevertheless, that information shows a pattern that likely applies to the entire family Channidae. Smaller species, such as Channa gachua and C. orientalis, produce few oocytes or unfertilized "eggs" (about 20 when sexual maturity is first reached and later up to 200; Lee and Ng, 1991, 1994). Both are considered to be "species complexes" and one or both "species" contain mouthbrooding adults; low fecundity is a general rule among mouthbrooding fishes (Breder and Rosen, 1966). Fecundity increases greatly in larger snakehead species and appears to follow increasing body length. For example, Quayyum and Quasim (1962) recorded fecundity ranging from 2,300—26,000 oocytes for C. striata, increasing in number with increasing body length. The bullseye snakehead, C. marulius, the largest species of snakehead, has been reported to produce approximately 40,000 oocytes (Jhingran, 1984). Frank (1970) reported that the northern snakehead, C. argus, produced approximately 50,000 oocytes (Frank, 1970). Frank's data came from Nikol'skiy (1956) who recorded fecundity of 22,000-51,000 in northern snakehead from the Amur basin. Dukravets and Machulin (1978) gave fecundity rates of 28,600 to a high of 115,000 for northern snakehead (probably from Yangtze River stock) introduced to the Syr Dar'ya basin of Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan. They also noted that, although the growth of northern snakehead is slower than that reported for this species from the Amur basin, growth rates from both stocks become equal once sexual maturity is reached.
Oocytes, when released from the female parent, are small, ranging from approximately 1 mm to slightly over 2 mm in diameter, depending on species. Fertilization takes place by the male releasing milt (sperm) on the oocytes (or eggs) as they emerge from the female. Eggs contain an oil droplet within the yolk mass, which causes them to rise to the surface. Development time to hatching varies with water temperature and, to a lesser extent, with the species involved. For example, hatching occurred in 54 hours at 16-26°C and 30 hours at 28-33°C in Channa punctata (Khan, 1924). In the northern snakehead, C. argus, eggs hatch in 28 hours at 31°C, 45 hours at 25°C, and 120 hours at 18°C.
Early Life History
In general, newly hatched fry, depending on species, are about 3.0—3.5 mm in length. Following yolk absorption, snakehead fry begin feeding on zooplankton. Fry typically remain together until they reach early juvenile stage, guarded by one or both adults, or until they can fend for themselves (Lee and Ng, 1994). Late juveniles of the giant snakehead, Channa micropeltes, school and feed in packs (Lee and Ng, 1991). Although there are few reports of early life history except for species of commercial importance, it appears that, as larval snakeheads mature to early juvenile stages, the diet changes to small crustaceans and insects, particularly insect larvae. Presence of phytoplankton, plant material, and detritus in the digestive system of young snakeheads, as well as adults, appears to occur from incidental ingestion.
Respiration and Overland Migrations
Snakeheads are highly evolved airbreathing teleostean (bony) fishes, and many are capable of overland migration by wriggling motions (Lee and Ng, 1991; Berra, 2001). They possess suprabranchial (above the gills) chambers for aerial respiration, and the ventral aorta is divided into two Start Printed Page 48858portions to permit bimodal (aquatic and aerial) respiration (Das and Saxena, 1956; Graham, 1997). The suprabranchial chambers become functional during the juvenile stage of growth (Graham, 1997), following which some species of snakeheads are obligate (limited, bound to a restricted environment) and others are facultative (optional, ability to live under varied conditions) airbreathers. In Channa, the chambers open into the pharynx through inhalent openings. The chamber lining contains respiratory "islets" with vascular papillae. The chambers can be filled with air or water. In addition, in C. striata, there are also vascular structures in the mouth and pharynx that can be utilized for respiration; these, however, can be retracted into depressions to prevent damage when feeding (Munshi and Hughes, 1992).
Some channids, perhaps all, have a circadian rhythm in oxygen uptake. Channa marulius, for example, showed a peak in oxygen uptake at night. C. striata and C. gachua peaked in early night hours, and C. punctata at dusk (Munshi and Hughes, 1992). Munshi and Hughes (1992) attributed these rhythms to evolution in swamp ecosystems (i.e., the rhythm is a property of the ecosystem).
It is unknown how many species of snakeheads are capable of overland migrations, but several are known to do so. These migrations from drying habitats in search of those with water are probably driven by instinctive behavior. Overland migrations likely apply to those species whose native range is subject to seasonal dry/wet (or monsoonal) conditions (encompassing much of western to southeastern Asia, where a majority of snakehead species exist).
Hypoxic Survival
Snakeheads are either obligate or facultative airbreathers. Therefore, survival in hypoxic waters is not problematic to these fishes. When prevented from access to the surface, adult snakeheads will drown due to lack of oxygen (Day, 1868, Lee and Ng, 1991). Moreover, snakeheads can remain out of water for considerable periods of time as long as they remain moist. Some snakeheads, especially Channa striata, can bury themselves in mud during times of drought (Smith, 1965). They are known to secrete mucus that helps to reduce desiccation and facilitates cutaneous breathing (Mittal and Banerji, 1975; Lee and Ng, 1991). Fishers in Thailand are aware of this habit and, during drought periods, will slice into the mud until they locate the fish (Smith, 1965).
For larger species of snakeheads such as Channa marulius, young are facultative airbreathers and adults are obligate breathers (Wee, 1982), but all species are airbreathers.
Life Span
No specific information on life span can be found in the literature. Nevertheless, one species (C. marulius) is reported to reach a total length of 1.8 meters in Maharashtra State, India (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992), indicating a relatively long life span. Smaller snakeheads, such as members of the C. gachua and C. orientalis species complexes, may not live for more than a few years. Most larger snakeheads are reported to reach sexual maturity in two years, after which growth slows but fecundity increases with increasing size.
Feeding Habits
There are few studies of feeding habits of snakeheads. For those species studied, following yolk-sac absorption, snakehead fry feed mostly on zooplankton. As juveniles, they feed on insect larvae, small crustaceans, and fry of other fishes (Munshi and Hughes, 1992). What is universal in reports of adult feeding habits is that snakeheads are predators with many species showing a preference for other fishes, although they may also consume crustaceans, frogs, smaller reptiles, and sometimes birds and small mammals. Under conditions of food deprivation, snakeheads can become cannibalistic on their own young. The piscivorous (fish-eating) nature of snakeheads has led to the use of some species (C. striata and C. micropeltes in particular) to control tilapia populations in aquaculture.
Associated Diseases and Parasites
Investigations of diseases and parasites of snakeheads concentrate on those species of importance in aquaculture. Bykhovskaya-Pavlovskaya et al. (1964) cited Channa argus as hosting 18 parasite species (Table 2). Two of the same parasites listed by Bykhovskaya-Pavlovskaya et al. (1964) were reported from the digestive tracts of northern snakeheads from Kyungpook Province, Korea, from 115 specimens collected between 1995 and 1997. The trematode Azygia hwangtsinyi was found in 47% of the samples and the nematode Pingis sinensis in 73%.
|Host issues
|Other fishes affected
|Myxidium ophiocephali
|gall bladder, liver ducts
|Zschokkella ophiocephalli
|kidney tubules
|Neomyxobolus ophiocephalus
|gill filaments
|Mysosoma acuta
|gill filaments
|crucian carp.
|Myxobolus cheisini
|gill filaments
|Henneguya zschokkei
|gills, subcutaneous, musculature
|salmonids (tubercle disease of salmonids).
|Henneguya ophiocephali
|gill arches, suprabranchial chambers
|Henneguya vovki
|body cavity
|Thelohanellus catlae
|Gyrodactylus ophiocephali
|Polyonchobothrium ophiocephalina
|Cysticercus Gryporhynchus cheilancristrotus
|gallbladder, intestine
|cyprinids, perches.
|Azygia hwangtsiui
|Clinostomum complanatum
|body cavity
|Pingis sinensis
|Paracanthocephalus curtus
|cyprinids, esocids, sleepers, bagrid catfishes.
|Paracanthocephalus tenuirostris
|Start Printed Page 48859
|Lamproglena chinensis
Literature on parasites of snakeheads includes numerous descriptions of new species, not detailed herein, but indicates that most studies concentrate on cultured fishes such as Channa argus, C. punctata, and C. striata. The potential threat of these parasites to native North American fishes has yet to be examined.
A disease that received broad attention is epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) that causes high mortality in snakeheads, particularly Channa striata and C. punctata under intensive culture. EUS involves several pathogens, including motile aeromonad bacteria (eg., Aeromonas hydrophila, A. caviae, Pseudomonas fluorescens; Prasad et al., 1998; Qureshi et al., 1999), a fungus Aphanomyces invadans (considered a primary pathogen; Mohan et al., 1999; Miles et al., 2001), and perhaps a rhabdovirus (Kanchanakhan et al., 1999; Lio-Po et al., 2000). Another bacterium, Aquaspirillum sp., has also been implicated in the disease (Lio-Po et al., 1998). EUS may have originated in India in the 1980s, but has since been found in Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines with outbreaks reported from all these areas during the 1990s. Snakeheads are not the only fishes affected by this disease. It is also known to occur in airbreathing catfish (Clarias), the bagrid catfish genus Mystus, two cyprinid genera (Cyprinus and Puntius), mastacembalid eels (Mastacembalus), and the nandid genus Nandus in India (Mukherjee, 1998). In Thailand, it has been found in giant gourami (Osphronemus gouramy) and climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) during an outbreak in 1996-1997 (Kanchanakhan et al., 1999).
History of introduction in the United States: Four species of snakeheads (Channa argus, C. marulius, C. micropeltes, and C. striata) have been recorded from open waters of the United States (California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island), and two have become established as reproducing populations. At least 13 States prohibit possession of live snakeheads (Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington) and there has been illegal activity, confiscations, citations issued, or investigations initiated in six of those States within the past two years (Alabama, California, Florida, Kentucky, Texas, and Washington).
An established population of the bullseye snakehead, Channa marulius, was discovered in residential lakes and adjoining canals in Tamarac, Broward County, Florida, in 2001 (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2001). It is unknown how long this species has occupied these waters, perhaps several years, but both juveniles and adults have been collected, which indicates reproductive success. This species is the largest of snakeheads, with adults commonly reaching lengths of 120-122 cm (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992). It has been reported that in Maharashtra State, India, it can reach a length of 1.8 m and a weight of 30 kg (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992). A length of 30 cm can be reached in one year (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992). The pathway of the introduction to Florida is unknown. The species may have escaped from a fish farm (although there are none known in Tamarac), been purposefully introduced to establish a food or aquarium fish resource, or they may have been introduced by aquarists. Tamarac is located just east of Water Conservation Area II, north of Everglades National Park, and interconnected canal systems lead into this area. Nevertheless, there are water control structures on canals leading into Water Conservation Area II that would have to be open to allow this snakehead access to that area. It is likely that C. marulius will expand its range in peninsular Florida as its native range includes tropical to temperate climates. The bullseye snakehead is considered predacious (Jhingran, 1984; Talwar and Jhingran, 1992), especially on other fishes (Schmidt, 2001).
The northern snakehead, Channa argus, is also reported from Florida waters. Two individuals were caught in the St. Johns River below Lake Harney, Seminole and Volusia counties, in 2000. Unconfirmed reports indicate three additional individuals having been caught nearby. An attempt to collect additional specimens by U.S. Geological Survey personnel by electroshocking was unsuccessful, but will be repeated in 2002. Until reproduction has been confirmed, the species is considered present but not established. This species is not involved in the aquarium fish trade, but is sold in live food fish markets as a food fish. The most likely pathway is introduction of live food fish, perhaps to establish a local source. The northern snakehead is sold in live food fish markets and some restaurants in Boston and New York, where snakeheads are legal. Live C. argus were confiscated in Washington (100 individuals, alive on ice, destined for the international district of Seattle), a market in Houston, Texas (Howells et al., 2002), markets in Miami and Plantation, southeastern Florida, in 2001, and in Orlando, Florida, in March 2002, all indications of the availability of this species in States where possession is illegal. Moreover, a few U.S. aquarium fish retailers sell snakeheads via the Internet. USGS scientists purchased three species from a reputable dealer in Rhode Island, who first requested a copy of the State permit that allowed USGS to possess the fish in Florida. Private purchases can also be made through several Internet "chat rooms" where possession of permits is not discussed.
California Department of Fish and Game personnel collected a snakehead while electrofishing in a reservoir, Silverwood Lake, in 1997. Silverwood Lake is in the Mohave River drainage, east-northeast of Los Angeles and north of San Bernardino in the San Bernardino Mountains. The specimen was subsequently frozen and later discarded (Camm Swift, pers. comm.). It was identified as Channa argus (John Sunada, pers. comm. to W.R. Courtenay, Jr.). It is believed that the fish got in the lake from the California Aqueduct that runs from the San Joaquin River south of Stockton into Lake Silverwood, one of several reservoirs that serves Los Angeles.
The chevron snakehead, (Channa striata) has been established on Oahu, Hawaii, since the late 1800s and was introduced from southern China (Herre, 1924). For whatever reasons, it does not appear to have been introduced to other Start Printed Page 48860waters of Hawaii and is confined to reservoirs on Oahu (Maciolek, 1984). In addition, the species is now being cultured as a food fish on Oahu. This species is regarded as carnivorous with a preference for other fishes (Moshin and Ambak, 1983; Conlu, 1986). Lee and Ng (1991) described it as a territorial ambush feeder. It is also used to control tilapia populations in the Philippines (Conlu, 1986).
Two adults and eight juveniles of Channa argus were found in a pond in Crofton, Anne Arundel County, Maryland in late June and early July 2002. The adults are known to have over-wintered in the pond. The fish were purchased from a live food fish market in New York City, transported to Maryland, and kept in an aquarium, and two fish were released into the pond in 2000. This species appears to be the most common snakehead available in food markets and restaurants as a live food fish.
New England States
A specimen of the northern snakehead, Channa argus, was collected in October 2001 from Newton Pond, Sudbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts, by Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel. The likely source is from live food fish markets. It is capable of establishment in most fresh waters of the United States. Okada (1960) reported adults as voracious feeders, particularly on other fishes.
Specimens of the giant snakehead, Channa micropeltes, have been collected from open waters in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island (Courtenay et al, 1984; Fuller et al., 1999). This tropical/subtropical species could not become established in those temperate waters. Juveniles of the species are cardinal red with two dark stripes on either side of the body, and sold by aquarium fish retailers as red or redline snakeheads. Aquarist-oriented web sites note that this species requires much animal food and that growth is rapid. These sites often advise that, once these fish reach approximately 15-20 cm in length, no more than one individual should be kept in a single aquarium because they are aggressive predators. The pathway into these New England States was likely aquarists who released their "pets" when they grew too large for their aquaria and/or because it was too costly to feed them. Releases of this species into subtropical waters in southern Florida or Hawaii could lead to establishment of this snakehead, regarded as the most predaceous channid and known to have attacked humans (Ng and Lim, 1990; Lee and Ng, 1991; Kottelat et al., 1993).
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement data, 16,554 individuals or 20,527 kilograms of all species of snakeheads were imported into the United States between 1997 and 2000 at a declared value of $85,425 (records of imports report numbers of individual fish OR weight in kilograms). Importations of snakeheads into the contiguous United States do not appear to represent a significant portion of live fish imports at present. However, from the raw data, it is clear that the trend has been upward in recent years.
Snakeheads have been imported into the United States for two purposes: As aquarium fish and for use as food. In Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand and Malaysia, and to a lesser extent in Japan, there are developing recreational fisheries for the larger snakehead species (see http://www.fishingasia.com as an example).
Several species of snakeheads are listed on aquarium fish websites. Some of these entries are for information purposes and a few others list fish for sale. The most popular species are, in order of importance and availability: Channa micropeltes, juveniles sold as red or redline snakehead; C. marulius, juveniles sold as cobra snakehead; C. bleheri, sold as rainbow snakehead; C. barca sold as barca or tiger snakehead; C. gachua sold under a variety of names; and Parachanna africana, juveniles sold as African snakehead. Some are cultured and others are captured from the wild. Rarely does one see listings for C. asiatica, C. orientalis, C. pleuropthalma, C. punctata, or C. stewartii. This is somewhat surprising because several are attractive aquarium fishes, and they can be purchased from dealers in southeast Asia via the Internet. Channa bleheri, C. gachua, and C. orientalis are small snakeheads, unlike C. micropeltes and C. marulius that grow quickly to large sizes. All but the smallest snakeheads are unsuitable for community tanks, and even they may kill other fishes in aquaria. Larger snakeheads require very large aquaria and must be kept alone. The number of aquarium hobbyists interested in keeping snakeheads appears to be small, and snakeheads represent a minor component in the aquarium fish industry (Marshall Myers, pers. comm. to J.D. Williams).
Conversely, use of snakeheads as food fishes is growing in the United States (Table 3). Live snakeheads of the larger species can be purchased in live food fish markets and in some restaurants in States where these fishes are not prohibited, but they are also appearing in markets in States where possession is prohibited (Howells et al., 2002). Some restaurants display live snakeheads in aquaria, a common practice where these fishes are native, allowing customers to choose a fish to be prepared for a meal. This is reminiscent of many U.S. seafood restaurants where one can select a lobster to be cooked from an aquarium.
During FY 1999, the USDA Small Business Innovation Research Program funded a Phase II project to the Hawaii Fish Company of Waialua, Hawaii, to develop commercial culture of the chevron snakehead, Channa striata. It is now being cultured in Hawaii as a food fish.
|Channa argus **
|Channa maculatus
|Channa marulius
|Channa micropeltes ***
|Channa punctata
|Channa striata *
|Parachanna africana
|Parachanna obscura
|* Species most widely cultured for food. Also being cultured in Hawaii.
|** Second most important species cultured for food.
|*** Appears to be the most important species cultured for the aquarium fish trade.
Although several snakehead species may be found for sale alive in live food fish markets, the most available species is the northern snakehead, Channa argus. It is being sold in Boston and New York City, where snakeheads are legal. Through confiscation by State fish and game personnel in 2001, it has also been found in the live food fish trade of three States (Florida, Texas, and Washington) where possession of snakeheads is prohibited. The northern snakehead is able to tolerate a considerable temperature range, from warm temperate to boreal climates, where this species can live under ice. Additionally, its airbreathing capabilities enhance its transport and marketing. Marketing and customer preferences, however, are not synonymous. For example, persons of southeastern Asian descent prefer chevron snakehead, C. striata, above any other species. It is currently being cultured in much of southeastern Asia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Start Printed Page 48861
Potential Range
Temperature is the most important environmental factor that would determine potential range of snakeheads in the United States. Because there are few data providing thermal tolerance ranges for snakeheads, potential range must be inferred from distribution within native ranges. The family Channidae contains nine species that are strictly tropical, and if introduced, would survive in the warmest waters such as extreme southern Florida, perhaps parts of southern California, Hawaii, and certain thermal spring systems and their outflows in the American west. Another four can be considered tropical to subtropical, indicating a similar potential range of distribution as for tropical species but with a greater likelihood of survival during cold winters and more northward limits. One is subtropical. Another 12 (4 of which appear to be species complexes) snakeheads can tolerate tropical or subtropical to warm temperate conditions, indicative of species that could survive in most southern States. One is warm temperate, and another warm temperate to cold temperate (Channa argus with a temperature range of 0->30° C).
In summary, there are few waters in the United States or territories of the United States that, based on temperature, would preclude some member(s) of the family Channidae from becoming established.
Need for Proposed Rule—Environmental Consequences
Factors That Contribute to Injuriousness
The likelihood of release or escape of snakeheads is high. One species, Channa striata, was released and became established in waters of Oahu, Hawaii, before 1900. It was likely introduced as a food fish. A second species, Channa marulius, is a recent introduction to southeastern Florida (Broward County) and has also become established. The pathway for this introduction was release of either food or aquarium fish. Two specimens of Channa argus were caught in the St. Johns River near Sanford, Florida, and three more were alleged to have been caught at or near the same location. This species is available only through live food fish markets. The same species was captured from a pond in central Massachusetts in October 2001. The snakehead captured in Lake Silverwood, California, was also C. argus. Two adults and eight juveniles of C. argus were collected from a pond in Crofton, Maryland, in June and July 2002. Individual specimens of Channa micropeltes were caught in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in past years, the source of which were most likely aquarium fish releases. Those New England States are temperate and could not support establishment of this tropical/subtropical snakehead.
Escape from culture has resulted in establishment of other nonindigenous fishes. If, however, these fish are being shipped to markets in other States, release of live food fish becomes a viable pathway for introduction of this species and they could become established from Florida to or above the U.S.-Canadian border and in many territories of the United States.
If snakeheads escaped, or were released into the wild, the likelihood that they would survive and/or become established with or without reproduction is dependent upon the species of snakehead involved and the location of the release. Waters of southern Florida, Hawaii, the Caribbean territories, and certain thermal springs in the western United States are suitable for survival and establishment of probably all tropical/subtropical to warm temperate snakehead species. That Channa striata has been established for over a century in Hawaii and, more recently, C. marulius has become established as a reproducing population in southeastern Florida is indicative of the likelihood of survival and potential for establishment of snakehead fishes. Although C. striata is largely confined to reservoirs on Oahu, C. marulius has ample opportunity to expand its range in southeastern Florida through the large network of interconnected canals and Water Conservation Areas to the west of the metropolitan areas. The native range of this species extends above 30° N.
The availability of Channa argus in live food fish markets raises the probability that this species will be released into open water. Moreover, its native range extends from the Yangtze basin in central China northward into the Amur basin and some of its northern tributaries. Its lower thermal limit is 0° C. That two documented specimens were captured by angling from the St. Johns River near Sanford, Florida, and another taken by electrofishing in a pond in central Massachusetts is evidence that this fish is being released.
The likelihood and magnitude of spread would be high for all species within their thermal limits. Both the northern snakehead, Channa argus, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, the blotched snakehead, C. maculata, expanded their ranges of distribution from sites of initial introduction in Japan. Since introduction of the northern snakehead into the Aral Sea basin in the 1960s, there has been a dramatic range expansion in waters of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Range expansion also occurred in the Philippines following introduction of the chevron snakehead, C. striata. As discussed above in the Biology section, there are few waters in the United States or territories of the United States that, based on temperature, would preclude some member(s) of the family Channidae from becoming established.
At all life stages, snakeheads will compete for food with native species. As discussed above in the Biology section, snakehead fry feed on zooplankton; juveniles feed on insect larvae, small crustaceans, and fry of other fishes; and adults are predators, feeding on other fishes, crustaceans, frogs, smaller reptiles (snakes, lizards), and sometimes birds (particularly young waterfowl) and mammals. Through predation, ecosystem balance could be modified drastically should snakeheads become established in waters with low diversity of native fishes and low abundance or absence of native predatory species.
While the potential for snakeheads to transfer pathogens to native wildlife is largely unknown, all snakehead species examined are host to at least several species of parasites. At least two snakehead species, Channa punctata and C. striata, are susceptible to epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), a disease believed to be caused by several species of bacteria, a fungus, and perhaps a retrovirus, under intensive culture conditions. EUS is not specific to snakeheads and has affected other fishes, such as clariid catfishes, bagrid catfishes, two cyprinid genera, mastacembalid eels, and a nandid fish in India; in Thailand, it has been found in giant gourami and climbing perch. There have been no studies undertaken to examine transfer of parasites or diseases to native North American fishes.
Due to the highly predatory nature of snakeheads, the likelihood and magnitude of effect on threatened and endangered species is high. Of all the taxa listed as endangered or threatened in U.S. aquatic habitats, 16 amphibians, 115 fishes, and 5 of the 21 crustaceans (the surface-dwelling crayfish and shrimp) would be the most likely to be affected. Based on habitat requirements and life history, fishes are more likely to be affected by introduced snakeheads than amphibians and the surface-dwelling crustaceans. Nonetheless, the possibility of an additional nonindigenous predator in the aquatic Start Printed Page 48862community with any listed amphibian or crustacean would constitute a threat.
In the western United States, habitat requirements of listed fishes range from steep-gradient, coldwater mountain streams, lower-gradient large desert rivers, to thermal (warm) springs in desert areas. Eastern fishes likewise occupy a variety of habitats, including springs, creeks, large rivers, and the Great Lakes. One or more species of snakeheads would be capable of living in any of the above habitats. Since all snakehead species prey on fish, to a greater or lesser extent, all of the fishes listed as endangered or threatened would be vulnerable to predation at some stage in their life history. The degree of threat would vary from extremely high for any species of snakeheads introduced in relatively small, isolated habitats, such as desert thermal springs and their outflows in the American southwest, to somewhat less in steep-gradient coldwater mountain streams. Based on the food habits and habitat preferences of snakeheads, it is likely to invade the habitat, feed on, and further threaten Federally listed freshwater fishes. Snakeheads are likely to also further threaten numerous other potential candidates for Federal protection.
The likelihood that one or more species may be placed in danger of extinction or become endangered within the foreseeable future as a result of introduction/establishment is high. The introduction of a small number of individuals (<5) into isolated spring habitats could result in the extinction of endemic spring-adapted fishes or crustaceans. The snakeheads would not have to establish a reproducing population to reduce or eliminate a fish or crustacean species confined to a small section of a stream or isolated spring habitat. A small number of snakeheads introduced, but not established, in a stream or lake would likely have less of an impact. However, any snakehead that becomes established in a water body would represent a significant threat and could potentially put any listed amphibian, fish, or crustacean at risk of extinction.
The likelihood and magnitude of ancillary wildlife resource damage due to control measures is high. Chemical control using rotenone or other similar toxins would likely be damaging to non-target organisms.
Only one species of snakehead, Channa micropeltes, a tropical/subtropical species, is reported to have attacked human beings. There have been reports of human deaths as a result. All such incidents apparently happened when humans approached a nest or group of young, and attacks were perpetrated by guarding adults. Therefore, the likelihood and magnitude of direct impacts on human beings is low.
Factors That Reduce or Remove Injuriousness
The ability and effectiveness of measures to prevent escape or establishment of snakeheads are low. As discussed above, the pathways for introduction include intentional and unintentional releases from the live food fish trade and aquarists. All but the smallest snakeheads are unsuitable for community tanks, and even they may kill other fishes in aquaria. Some outgrow their tanks, and the tendency of aquarium hobbyists has been to release fish into open waters rather than killing a pet (Courtenay and Hensley, 1980; Courtenay and Stauffer, 1991; Courtenay and Williams, 1992; Courtenay, 1993; OTA, 1993). The availability of live snakeheads increases the probability of introductions to create localized sources of live fish for live food fish markets and probably encourages some entrepreneurs to consider culturing these species within the continental United States. Additionally, the likelihood of individuals traveling relatively short distances over land or being swept into other water bodies by flooding is high.
The ability to eradicate or control snakehead populations depends on where they are found. If established in large lakes or river systems, eradication and/or control is expected to be nearly impossible, and they would likely become permanent members of the fish community. Control in smaller water bodies depends upon the amount of vegetation, the accessibility to the water body, and the effectiveness of the control methods. When a population is discovered, it is typically too late for removal unless the population is isolated. Additionally, controlling the spread of pathogens once they have been introduced in the wild is practically impossible.
There is no known method of removing all snakeheads following introduction. Piscicides work by preventing fish from removing oxygen from the water. Chemical control using rotenone and similar toxins would likely be ineffective to airbreathing snakeheads and damaging to nontarget organisms except in closed situations. Electrofishing and netting may provide some level of control of snakehead populations; however, eradication using these methods would be too selective on size classes to remove a population of snakeheads.
Since effective measures to eradicate, manage, or control the spread of snakeheads once they are established are not currently available, the ability to rehabilitate or recover ecosystems disturbed by the species is low. Significant risks associated with snakehead release relate to endangerment and extinction of native amphibians, fishes, and crustaceans. Re-establishment of extirpated populations, if biologically possible, would be labor and cost intensive and would depend on eradication of snakeheads within those habitats.
Because snakeheads are likely to escape or be released into the wild; are likely to survive or become established if they escape or are released; are likely to spread since there are no known limiting factors; are likely to compete with native species for food; may transmit parasites to native species; are likely to feed on native species, which will negatively affect native fishes, amphibians, crustaceans, birds, small reptiles, and small mammals; and because it will be difficult to prevent, eradicate, manage, or control the spread of snakeheads; and because it will be difficult to rehabilitate or recover ecosystems disturbed by the species, the Service finds snakeheads to be injurious to the wildlife and wildlife resources of the United States.
Required Determinations
Paperwork Reduction Act
Currently we have approval from OMB to collect information under OMB control number 1018-0092. This approval expires July 31, 2004. We may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless we display a currently valid OMB control number.
Regulatory Planning and Review
In accordance with the criteria in Executive Order 12866, the Office of Management and Budget has determined that this rule is not a significant regulatory action.
(a) This rule will not have an annual economic effect of $100 million or adversely affect an economic sector, productivity, jobs, the environment, or other units of the government. A cost-benefit and economic analysis is not required.
The net economic effect of prohibiting the importation of snakeheads is difficult to determine because of the minimal amount of data available for a relatively new species to the import trade. There is a trade-off between damage avoided by not letting snakeheads get into U.S. water bodies Start Printed Page 48863and the economic benefits received by fish markets and aquarium owners who want to own the species. Since only $85,000 worth of snakeheads were imported during the four-year period between 1997 and 2000, and the potential damage that could be done by snakeheads if they get into U.S. waters would be in the millions of dollars from the loss of native species, including threatened and endangered species, this rule will have a net positive benefit. The dollar amount of imported value is not the net economic value of this fish, but the relatively small amount of imported value compared to environmental damage avoided by prohibiting these species is convincing that this rule will not have a major negative economic effect.
(b) This rule will not create inconsistencies with other agencies. This rule pertains only to regulations promulgated by the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Lacey Act. No other agencies are involved in these regulations.
(c) This rule will not materially affect entitlements, grants, user fees, loan programs, or the rights or obligations of their recipients. This rule does not affect entitlement programs. This rule is aimed at regulating the importation and movement of non-indigenous species that have the potential to cause significant economic and other impacts on natural resources.
(d) This rule does not raise novel legal or policy issues. No previous listings of wildlife as injurious have raised legal or policy concerns.
Regulatory Flexibility Act and SBREFA
This rule will not have a significant economic effect on a substantial number of small entities as defined under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). A Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required. Accordingly, a Small Entity Compliance Guide is not required. The rule is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 804(2), the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. This rule will not have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, and does not have significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises.
No individual small industry within the United States will be significantly affected if snakehead importation and interstate transport are prohibited. Live food fish markets, restaurants, and aquarium hobbyists are the entities most likely to be affected by this rule. The number of aquarium hobbyists interested in keeping snakeheads appears to be small, and snakeheads represent a minor component in the aquarium fish industry (Marshall Myers, pers. comm.. to J.D. Williams). With only 16,554 individual snakeheads imported over four years and most of these going to restaurants for human consumption, the number of entities engaging in selling and buying these fish is very small. There is no recreational fishery for these species. The number of entities involved in the trade of these species is not known, but it is assumed to be very small because of the small number of these fish imported. This rulemaking will have the indirect effect of protecting native fishes, amphibians, and crustaceans from the intentional or accidental introduction of snakeheads into U.S. water bodies. The snakeheads would likely devastate many native wildlife populations if introduced into a waterway. It is very unlikely that this rulemaking will affect a substantial number of small entities and those entities affected will not be significantly affected because of the very small numbers of these fish imported. This rulemaking, by protecting the environment from the spread of a nonnative species that would devastate native fishes, amphibians, and crustaceans, will indirectly work to sustain the economic benefits enjoyed by numerous small establishments engaged in the recreational fishing industry, among others.
This rule will not cause a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, Federal, State, or local government agencies, or geographic regions. This rulemaking will not affect costs or prices for any fish species other than snakeheads. If the species are found injurious, and importation and interstate movement are banned, the maximum loss would be approximately $22,000 per year to the few entities that deal in these species.
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
In accordance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), the rule will not "significantly or uniquely" affect small governments. A Small Government Agency Plan is not required. The Service has determined and certifies pursuant to the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act that this rulemaking will not impose a cost of $100 million or more in any given year on local or State governments or private entities; will not produce a Federal mandate of $100 million or greater in any year and therefore, is not a "significant regulatory action".
In accordance with Executive Order 12630, the rule does not have significant takings implications. A takings implication assessment is not required. This rule will not impose significant requirements or limitations on private property use.
In accordance with Executive Order 13132, the rule does not have significant Federalism effects. A Federalism assessment is not required. This rule will not have substantial direct effects on States, in the relationship between the Federal Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. Therefore, in accordance with Executive Order 13132, we determine that this rule does not have sufficient Federalism implications to warrant the preparation of a Federalism Assessment.
Civil Justice Reform
In accordance with Executive Order 12988, the Office of the Solicitor has determined that the rule does not unduly burden the judicial system and meets the requirements of sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of the Executive Order. The proposed rule has been reviewed to eliminate drafting errors and ambiguity, was written to minimize litigation, provides a clear legal standard for affected conduct rather than a general standard, and promotes simplification and burden reduction.
We have reviewed this rule in accordance with the criteria of the National Environmental Policy Act and our Departmental Manual in 516 DM. This rule does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. An environmental impact statement/assessment is not required. The action is categorically excluded under the Department's NEPA procedures (516 DM 2, Appendix 1.10), which apply to policies, directives, regulations, and guidelines of an administrative, legal, technical, or procedural nature; or the environmental effects of which are too broad, speculative, or conjectural to lend themselves to meaningful analysis and will be subject later to the NEPA process, either collectively or on a case-by-case basis.
Tribal Consultation
In accordance with the President's memorandum of April 29, 1994, "Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal Start Printed Page 48864Governments" (59 FR 22951), Executive Order 13175, and 512 DM 2, we have evaluated potential effects on Federally recognized Indian tribes and have determined that there are no potential effects. This rule involves the importation and interstate movement of live snakeheads.
Effects on Energy
On May 18, 2001, the President issued Executive Order 13211 on regulations that significantly affect energy supply, distribution, and use. Executive Order 13211 requires agencies to prepare Statements of Energy Effects when undertaking certain actions. Because this proposal is intended to prevent the accidental or intentional introduction of snakeheads and the possible subsequent establishment of populations of these fish in the wild, it is not a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866 and is not expected to significantly affect energy supplies, distribution, and use. Therefore, this action is a not a significant energy action and no Statement of Energy Effects is required.
This notice solicits economic, biological, or other information concerning snakeheads of the family Channidae. The information will be used to determine if this family of fishes is a threat, or potential threat, to those interests of the United States delineated above, and thus warrants addition to the list of injurious fish in 50 CFR 16.13.
Public Comments Solicited
Please send comments to Chief, Division of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 322, Arlington, VA 22030. Comments may be hand delivered or faxed to (703) 358-1800. If you submit comments by e-mail, please submit comments as an ASCII file format and avoid the use of special characters and encryption. Please include "Attn: [RIN 1018-AI36]" and your name and return address in your e-mail message. Please note that this email address will be closed at the termination of this public comment period.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. In some circumstances, we would withhold from the rulemaking record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us for to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. Due to the highly predatory nature of these fishes and the inability to control them and therefore the need for rapid regulatory action, the public comment period has been limited to 30 days.
Clarity of the Rule
Executive Order 12866 requires each agency to write regulations that are easy to understand. We invite your comments on how to make this rule easier to understand including answers to questions such as the following: (1) Are the requirements in this rule clearly stated? (2) Does the rule contain technical language or jargon that interferes with the clarity? (3) Does the format of the rule (grouping and order of sections, use of headings, paragraphing, etc.) aid or reduce its clarity? (4) Is the description of the rule in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of the preamble helpful in understanding the rule? What else could we do to make the rule easier to understand?
Send a copy of any written comments about how we could make this rule easier to understand to: Office of Regulatory Affairs, Department of the Interior, Room 7229, 1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20240. You may also e-mail comments to email@example.com.
References Cited
A complete list of all references cited in this rule is available upon request from the Division of Environmental Quality (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section).Start List of Subjects
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 16
- Fish
- Imports
- Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
- Transportation
- Wildlife
Accordingly, we propose to amend part 16, subchapter B, of Chapter I, Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations as set forth below.Start Part
1. The authority citation continues to read as follows:
2. Amend § 16.13 by revising paragraph (a)(2) to read as follows:
(a) * * *
(2) The importation, transportation, or acquisition of any live fish or viable eggs of the walking catfish, family Clariidae; live mitten crabs, genus Eriochei, or their viable eggs; live mollusks, veligers, or viable eggs of zebra mussels, genus Dreissena; and any live fish or viable eggs of the snakehead, Family Channidae, is prohibited except as provided under the terms and conditions set forth in § 16.22.
Dated: July 22, 2002.
Paul Hoffman,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 02-19016 Filed 7-25-02; 8:45 am]


text:
Barcelona in HDR timelapse
This is the story of Samuel Stonehill, a time-lapse film-maker who set out into the world with nothing but his kit and a whole bunch of enthusiasm. Today he is travelling with his partner Sabrina and their baby son Esteban. Together they are creating moving time-lapse! Please enter your email address below to receive weekly updates on their journey & time-lapse films. You can travel the world forever like them if you want to. The secret is within this website :)
wow, that is so beautiful
love Cat Meakin

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Investors Seek to Split J.P. Morgan Top Posts
Nonbinding Proposal From Union, Pension Funds Aims to Separate Chairman and Chief Executive Roles Held by Dimon
Some investors are calling for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to split the chairman and chief executive posts held since 2006 by James Dimon, citing concerns over a trading fiasco that saddled the company with more than $6 billion in losses.
A big public employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and pension funds in Connecticut and New York are backing the nonbinding resolution asking the largest U.S. bank by assets to name an independent chairman for its board. The proposal, which Afscme...


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Glow Perfect Hue 9
Regular price $36.00
Glow Perfect is a lightweight, buildable tinted moisturizer with a satin finish. This skin nourishing formula is natural-looking and gives the skin a healthy glow.
- Skin brightening vitamin C
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- Broad spectrum SPF 25
- Suitable for all skin types
- Dermatologist tested


text:
From a press release we just sent out:
Insurance companies are facing growing scrutiny over their preparedness for climate change, an issue that could potentially affect insurance affordability and availability.
"I'm very pleased to see more states joining this effort," said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. "Being prepared is clearly in the best interests of both insurers and the families and businesses they insure."
Last year, insurance regulators in Washington, California and New York surveyed major insurers about what steps they're taking to address risks to their underwriting and investment portfolios.
This year, regulators in Connecticut and Minnesota have also joined the survey.
"Climate change is a potential game-changer for insurers," said Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. "We want to make sure that this issue is on their radar."
Climate change poses a double challenge to insurers. Extreme weather events and droughts, for example, can sharply increase claims. Climate-related issues could also have a significant effect on insurers' investments, potentially affecting their long-term ability to pay claims.
"Unprepared insurers are much more likely to simply pull out of markets, leaving homeowners and businesses struggling to find alternative coverage," said Kreidler, who chairs the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' working group on climate change. "And when insurers abandon a market, government tends to end up as the insurer of last resort."
Kreidler's office has been surveying insurers on this issue since 2008.
"I wish some companies were further along," said Kreidler, "but I'm encouraged to see that a growing number of companies are taking steps to incorporate climate change into their risk modeling and investment considerations."
For a look at past surveys and responses for Washington, California and New York, please see California's Climate Risk Disclosure Survey web page.


text:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Police say a car crashed through a fence at a US Airways maintenance facility at the Philadelphia International Airport, narrowly missing a parked plane.
Authorities say the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and that no one was hurt. Airport officials say no flights were affected.
Investigators say the driver lost control and went through the fence. The car ended up stopping a few feet from an Airbus 320 in the maintenance facility area.
Accident investigators were on the scene, trying to determine exactly what happened. Police say they don't know how the driver lost control, but that she is not expected to face charges in the incident.


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Seattle University School of Law has four official student-run journals. The students' participation in the writing assignments and the editorial process required by the journals is designed to improve writing skills and research techniques and to instill self-discipline and analytical proficiency through the hard work required to publish quality research works.
The AILJ is an academic collaboration among students, faculty, and practitioners. AILJ is designed to fill a critical gap in the amount of current scholarship available to those interested in the rapidly developing field of Indian law.
SJTEIL is in the process of updating its university backed Digital Commons URL, which should be completed by the start of the 2019-2020 academic year.
The SJSJ is a peer-reviewed, student-edited journal that was founded in 2001 to promote critical interdisciplinary discussions on urgent problems of social justice, including exploring the often-conflicting meanings of justice that arise in a diverse society.
Law Review is a legal periodical that publishes research by legal scholars and provides valuable educational experiences for the student members. The Law Review strives to publish articles that will be useful research tools for students, attorneys, judges, and legal scholars, and to provide commentary on issues that will facilitate growth and development of the law.


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About Us
Transition 101
Transition Towns
Knowledge Hub
Vandana Shiva visited my neighborhood last week. That single sentence in itself continues to be absolutely amazing to me.
Dr Shiva was invited to Los Angeles to receive the Doshi Bridgebulider Award at Loyola Marymount University. She gave a lecture for the University midday, which I could not attend. In the the evening she gave a talk to a packed-beyond-capacity lecture hall. Despite the university setting, easily a quarter of the attendees were environmental, political or Transition activists, many of whom I knew through activities of Transition Los Angeles.
Midday, between lectures, we were deeply honored as Dr Shiva's LMU hosts brought her to tour "our" garden -- the food garden our Transition initiating group built mere blocks from my house. Together we shared a chayote from our massive vine, with Dr Shiva lightheartedly speculating what it might be like with a certain masala sprinkled on it. We showed her our rainwater harvesting operations and told her about the Seed Library that is being started in Los Angeles. And we explained how our garden -- built on the property of a small church -- grows food for the needy, meanwhile becoming a teaching garden from which we teach classes in how to grow food in an urban setting. Later that evening I was thrilled to hear her mention our garden within the context of her lecture.
While waiting for Dr Shiva's arrival I had been shelling some heirloom Christmas lima beans. Someone scooped these up and handed them to her. She turned them tenderly in her cupped hands admiring their spectacular colors. She said she had begun saving kidney beans -- and soon discovered more than 70 varieities. She spoke of India's 3,000 varieties of rice -- she's growing out more than 300 of them on her farms.
I asked her about rice and water requirements. With a warm and delightfully friendly laugh, she shattered the mythology we have been lead to believe. More than 70% of those rice varieties do not need to be flooded. She told me there are rice varietites for drylands, drought-resisitant rice varieties, and varieties which are planted with the rhythm of the seasonal rains.
We can not get these here, I told her. "Then we need to start sewing them in the hems of our dresses," she replied, fingering the magenta trim of her sari. Many of the heirloom seed varieities we have in the U.S. came to this country that way. Seeds of food plants were once so precious and valuable that the people carefully brought seeds with them as they migrated to a new continent.
Perhaps, given the fact that Dr Shiva was coming only to L.A. and to Pittsburgh, I should have prepared a list of questions from the Transition movement to ask her, to create some sort of rich dialog. After all, when world-class guests visit Totnes, Rob Hopkins seems to have a well-considered list of interview questions ready, after which he publishes the interview to his blog. But on the other hand, some pretty wonderful things happened.
A student interviewed Dr Shiva in our garden for an Asian students' publication. Meanwhile, a few of us quietly weeded the seedling beds beside her. We helped each other learn to identify the baby plants. We tasted sprouts and composted weeds, all the while surrounded by the deep wisdom of Dr Shiva's interview responses. Perhaps, rather than lack of preparedness, it was a case of teamwork. The interview happened. Meanwhile, rather than a high-pressure scurry to extract some "thing-ness" of an interview to post here, we had a chance to Be. How often do we really take a chance to Be in our gardens or in the presence of such an august personality. It was restful and deepening and meaningful and rich.
I came away with a sense of the deep preciousness of true seed, our food heritage, a sacred gift from generations of seed savers. That to truly grow a garden means to become involved with the seed and to know its provenance -- Where does your food come from, really? What are its ancestors, its history? In my mind, post-Dr Shiva's visit, grabbing tainted seed packets from the Big Box store barely counts as gardening food, it is still very much hooked into that dreadful broken agribusiness system. It is only part-way to the goal.
Dr Shiva's evening lecture focused on biodiversity. Her opening comments were that we have been convinced by the corporate business world that what is "real" is the existence of a thing, the quantity of things. That qualitites such as feel, taste, smell, we have been told do not matter. And in that small shift has begun the undoing of biodiversity.
One of Dr Shiva's stories that stuck with me was that before the age of plastic, each woman -- no matter how poor -- had at least one cooking pot or food storage vessel, and they were beautiful, pounded metal. Now women are being persuaded to give up that "old" pot and use plastic. My interpretation: we might now have "more" but are we truly richer?
Dr Shiva had plenty of comments about economics sprinkled throughout her talk:
These comments hit me personally since so much of my life -- gardening food, homeschooling my children, building gardens and community networks with volunteers -- is all within the "does not count" non-monetary economy.
In the context of my recent thoughts and writings about how to achieve Economic Resilience, this statistic is of huge importance. Here in the U.S. we so easily lose sight of it, thinking we have to have a "job." But vast numbers of people around the world (as well as most of our ancestors) didn't earn their livelihood from a corporate paycheck. As we move into a more Resilient local economy, the concept of "jobs" will probably become an antiquated concept.
Of all the things Vandana Shiva said, the comments that had the biggest impact on me personally were in the final question of the night, during the Q&A portion of her public talk. Someone asked "if you could say something to the Occupy movement what would you say?"
Vandana Shiva flashed her brilliant and embracing laughing smile, a smile that hooks right into your heart and you can't help but feel the connection. She replied: "I'd tell them, Occupy your Life."
She reminded us how Gandhi had the symbolic actions -- sitting in protests -- but with that he also had the cotton -- the tangible actions. Dr Shiva said that along with the protests, people need to grow food, to build connections within their communities, to make changes in their lives.
Vandana Shiva's phrase "Occupy your Life" lingered with me for many days as I went about my business. As the phrase deepened and spread within me, it began to take on other dimensions, such as something akin to the Buddhist sense of appreciating the present moment: Occupy the moment as I was weeding the garden. Occupy the moment as I made a salad from the diverse heirloom tomatoes of my harvest. Occupy the moment giggling with my daughter. The portions of my lifetime spent frustrated in traffic revealed their misguidedness and meaninglessness.
All of the statements Dr Shiva had made about what is real and what counts became rolled up in that one phrase -- Occupy your life -- do the things that really count. It is when we do the things that really count -- when we save seed, when we cook and eat food that we know where it has come from, when we break bread in kinship with others, when we give and trade from the bounty of what we have created with our own hands -- when we Occupy our lives, therein is the moment when we begin to reclaim the diversity, we begin to make the change.
There are many videos of Vandana Shiva on YouTube. I enjoy this one and it parallels the broad spectrum of her Los Angeles talk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9K0cZGQgHA
Over the past few decades we have become a nation of outsourcers. Just as the giant corporations outsourced manufacturing and jobs to overseas, in our personal lifestyles we have outsourced the basic skills of daily living (often to those same giant corporations). We have given our lives over to reliance on giant systems -- systems that are driven by the 1%, by the easy credit of Big Banking, and cheap oil. The resulting dependence has left us feeling disempowered, has created a dependence on high cash flow, and has left us vulnerable.
Skills our great grandparents knew as essential, most of us barely know how to do. For skills like growing food, cooking, food preservation, sewing clothes, basic building, basic medicine, we now turn to corporate interests. In fear, we tell each other one must use a "skilled professional."
It is time to "Occupy our Lives." Time to participate in the other half of Gandhi's model. Time to take back those portions we outsourced to the broken system. It's time to take back the basic skills of daily life into our own hands. This action is protest, it is survival technique for hard times, and it is preparation for the dawning post-petroleum era. But it also brings with it that clean, fulfilling feeling of self-sufficiency, pride in accomplishment, and wholesome living. "Occupy Your Life" is call to take it back.
1) Take back your food. Every dollar you spend to Big Agribusiness -- every dollar you spend at Big Box stores or conventional grocery stores -- reinforces, supports, and endorses the horribly broken system Vandana Shiva campaigns against. Instead, buy from farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) as often as possible -- they're much more likely to be growing more sustainably. Keep your local farmer in business. As peak oil unfolds, we need that local food production up and running, in close proximity to the urban centers where the people are. Also, learn how to grow food yourself. Fill every nook and cranny of your cityscape with food production.
2.) Take back your money. As you join the Move Your Money campaign to quit the Big Banks, get vocal. Urge your community bank or credit union to invest in our future -- to invest in, support and promote local projects which better prepare your neighborhood for post-petroleum lifestyles. Additionally, realize that the U.S. dollar is not the only way to achieve transactions between people. Barter, time banking/LETSystems, sharing arrangements, and gift cultures are a few of the many ways to get our needs met without U.S. dollars. Diversity is necessary in our money supply too!
3) Take back your health care. Learn the skills of basic wellness, yourself, without reliance on Big Pharma, the health insurance racket, nor AMA approval (a form of branding, of fear-based control, and a way of limiting the market solely to insiders). Learn the skills of traditional healing modalities and practice them with your family.
4) Take back your livelihood. The hours of your working day, your time, are the very fabric of your life. If the crumbling conventional economy has already unseated you, become part of the new future. Take Vandana Shiva's examples to heart -- most of the world does not depend on corporate jobs for their living. What are your skills? In your times of unemployment or underemployment -- or in your leisure time -- what new skills can you pick up which better prepare you, your family, and your neighborhood for a powerdown future? As we localize our economies with the end of cheap oil and easy credit, what basic goods or services can you provide for your local community? What need can you fill?
5) Take back your value system. Reclaim feel, taste, smell, as valuable attributes. That hard, red, round thing from Costco or WalMart doesn't count as a tomato. Mere count or thingness isn't where it's at anymore. Allow your inner sense of "right" to overcome the advertising slogans of Wall Street. We certainly aren't experiencing "better living through chemicals"! Reclaim environmental stewardship, social equity, and deep satisfaction.
Yes, by the counting system created by Wall Street and the 1%, many of the practices I'm suggesting won't seem to measure up. They won't count on your bottom line nor on your income tax return. But they'll count in your heart, in your soul, in your sense of justice and of satisfaction with life.
It's time to figuratively "sew seeds into the hems of our dresses." Time to gather up the attributes of what is precious about life, to capture that vast diversity, and carry it with you as we journey to new frontiers -- as our society moves into a new era.
Joanne Poyourow is part of the Transition movement in Los Angeles. She is the author of three books, including "Economic Resilience: What we can do in our local communities." The full text of "Economic Resilience" can be read online at http://EconomicResilience.blogspot.com


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Builder Extensions: Applying Extensions
There are two ways to apply an Extension.
Via the Layouts Tab
When creating (or editing) a Builder Layout, you can choose to apply an Extension in the Layout Settings.
Via the Views Tab
While Creating (or editing) a View, you can apply an Extension to the View.
See also
- Introduction
- Video Overview
- Featured Image Grid & Showcase
- Featured Image Slider
- Magazine Layout
- Portfolio Layout
- Teasers Layout - Image Left
- Teasers Layout - Image Right
- Applying Extensions
- Customizations


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President Bush has designated Deanna Tanner Okun, a Republican of Idaho, for a second term as Vice Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Okun will assume the Vice Chairmanship tomorrow for the term June 17, 2004, through June 16, 2006.
Okun served as Chairman of the ITC from June 17, 2002, through June 16, 2004. She previously served as Vice Chairman of the ITC from June 17, 2000, through June 16, 2002. She has served as a Commissioner since January 3, 2000. She was appointed by President Clinton for the Commission term that will expire on June 16, 2008.
Prior to her ITC appointment, Okun served as counsel for international affairs to Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) from 1993-1999, where she was responsible for the international trade issues with which the Senator was involved as a member of the Senate Finance Committee. She also handled international energy and foreign relations issues for the Senator, in his position as Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Earlier, Okun served as a legislative assistant to Senator Murkowski, responsible for his Foreign Relations Committee work, with an emphasis on East Asian affairs. Prior to her work with the Senator, Okun was an associate attorney and member of the International Trade Group at the Washington, DC, law firm of Hogan & Hartson. Earlier in her career, Okun was a research associate specializing in trade at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC.
Okun holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with honors from Utah State University and received her J.D. with honors from the Duke University School of Law. She is originally from Paul, Idaho. Currently, she resides in McLean, Virginia, with her husband, Bob Okun, and two daughters, Rachel and Kelsi.
The ITC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. Commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for nine-year terms, unless they are appointed to fill unexpired terms. The Chairman and the Vice Chairman are designated by the President for two-year terms in those positions.


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Brotha Lynch Hung - Meat
The first chapter of Brotha Lynch Hung's mini-movie featured at coathangastrangla.com . Album "Dinner and a Movie" available 3-23-10. Presale available now at strangemusicinc.net. Executive Producer: Travis O'Guin.
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MONTREAL — A small group of Université de Montréal (UdeM) students from disciplines as diverse as political science, anthropology and education began studies Jan. 22 on a subject of common interest: the Jews of Quebec.
The UdeM's theology and science of religions department has launched a course, the first of its kind at a francophone university, that asks the question: Who are the Jews of Quebec?
Taking the form of a multidisciplinary seminar, the course was limited to 15 students. They can earn three credits by the time it concludes in May.
"Culture et experience juives au Québec," as it is titled, was created and is being taught by Jean Duhaime, a theology professor specializing in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Judaism, with his colleague Alain Gignac, whose sphere is Christianity's New Testament.
The professors believe the Jews of Quebec are often misunderstood, and they hope this course will promote greater openness to the community and dialogue with its members.
They start from the premise that Jewish identity is varied and complex, with religious, cultural and philosophical elements, and that Jewish communities interact with and participate in the evolution of the societies they live in, Quebec being no exception.
The course examines how Jews have fared in this province, particularly within the francophone context. The students are looking at the origins and composition of the province's Jewish communities (the plural is used) today, and how they fit into Quebec's vision of vivre ensemble.
Guest lecturers are University of Ottawa history professor Pierre Anctil, an expert on the Quebec Jewish community, in particular its Yiddish culture; Yolande Cohen, a Université du Québec à Montréal history professor with expertise on Sephardim; former Canadian Jewish Congress Quebec president Victor Goldbloom, the province's first Jewish cabinet minister; the UdeM's Marie McAndrew, a professor of intercultural education and the Canada Research Chair in Ethnic Studies; Samuel Mercier, a graduate literature student who is doing his doctorate on Mordecai Richler; and Chantal Ringuet, who has done post-doctoral research in Canadian Jewish studies and is the author of A la découverte du Montréal yiddish."
All of these lectures are open to the public.
"We sometimes think that Jews are recent immigrants," said Duhaime, a veteran of interfaith dialogue. He wants to set his students straight by reminding them that "the first Jews arrived with the British troops in the 18th century."
He does not shrink from facing the antisemitism that pervaded Quebec's elite and political class, especially before World War II. But the current atmosphere, he believes, is a desire for rapprochement, despite the opposition to Israeli policies among some Quebecers.
"We still strongly associate [Jews] with the anglophone community, but about 40 per cent of them are francophones, of which a good part come from the Maghreb," Gignac noted. "They are very open to the Quebec reality and are more and more fostering exchange and integration initiatives."
His 15 years of Christian-Jewish dialogue, Duhaime said, "has permitted me to appreciate a little more [the community's] diversity and dynamic contribution to Quebec society.
"In the context of today's religious and cultural pluralism, it seemed to me useful to deepen and to share this experience."
He adds, "It must not be forgotten that the Jewish and Christian cultures have a common base, at least in the sacred texts. We share the same book which Christians call the Old Testament and Jews the Tanach or Hebrew Bible."
Students are expected to produce a research paper to be delivered orally toward the end of the course, as well as submitted in written form.
The upcoming public lectures scheduled so far are: Feb. 5, Yolande Cohen; Feb. 19, Pierre Anctil; and March 12, Marie McAndrew, all at 4 p.m. at the UdeM's Pavillon Marguerite d'Youville, 2375 Côte Ste. Catherine Rd.
Cohen will speak about Jewish immigration from North Africa to Canada, particularly Quebec, in the 1960s following the end of European colonization. The arrival of these Sephardi Jews, mostly Moroccans, she argues, profoundly changed the Montreal Jewish community.
She will look at the Sephardi community's evolution and the challenges it faces today, contrasting its situation with the community in France.
Anctil, who has translated into French works of Canadian Yiddish literature, will analyze Jews' responses to how Quebec is dealing with an increasingly pluralistic population, and particularly religious minorities.
McAndrew will be joined by postdoctoral researcher Sivane Hirsch and Geneviève Audet of the Commission scolaire Marguerite Bourgeoys. They will present the results of a recent exchange project between Jewish and other young Quebecers, and the need for teacher training and educational materials on this subject.
In the inaugural public lecture, Goldbloom stressed that Jews have been part of Quebec society for 250 years and, while predominantly English-speaking, have generally come to terms with living in French.


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Calendar | Community
| Family & Friends in the Armed Forces
| Milestones
Community Action |
Humane Society | YMCA
Jaycees serving Lincoln and surrounding communities
Send a link to a friend
14, 2014]
Looking for a way to make a
difference in your community? Maybe you have wished that you could
join forces with other like-minded adults in raising funds and
accomplishing worthwhile community projects.
The Lincoln
Jaycees work year-round and place particular emphasis on enhancing
the lives of local children. The organization hosts various
community and fundraising projects. In 2014, the project list
includes participation in the Logan County Relay For Life, Lawnmower
Clinic, Easter Egg Hunt, Haunted House and Angel Tree.
Where many hands join together, light is the burden and much
achieved. The Lincoln Jaycees are a great group of people that are
welcoming new members to help fill dreams. Just show up at one of
the Lincoln meetings or events, or express your interest through the
online website, and you'll be on your way to becoming a proud
Lincoln Jaycee.
Meetings are on the third Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. at the
Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. Chicago St.
About Jaycees:
(Copied from
http://lincolnjaycees.com/about-2/ )
To provide
development opportunities that empower young people to create
positive change
To be the leading
global network of young active citizens
[to top of second column]
We Believe:
That faith in God gives meaning and purpose to human life
That the brotherhood of man transcends the Sovereignty of Nations
That economic justice can best be won by free men through free
That government should be of laws rather than of men
That Earth's great treasure lies in human personality
And that service to
humanity is the best work of life
Jaycee history
Henry Giessenbier
founded the Jaycees in 1920, with 3,000 members, in St. Louis,
Missouri. It was Henry's vision to provide young people with
opportunities which they had little or no access to otherwise
attain. He believed that young people could change the world. He was
His theory was
simple – to offer leadership opportunities to young people, giving
them hands-on experience through serving the community. That concept
has never wavered.
Jaycees / LDN]
Lincoln Jaycees:
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|Do you know where your variables are?
Re^5: Using the Large Hadron Collider is likely to produce ...by zentara (Archbishop)
|on Oct 05, 2008 at 12:09 UTC ( #715426=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
see a phallic doughnut/doughnought or donut
Uh, that would be the Large Hermaphrodite Collider, which is being run in our parallel universe..... both LHC's have a f**king good time when run simultaneously.
Hint: Look at the donut from it's sideview, the hole dissappears and it becomes phallic.
I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth Remember How Lucky You Are
In Section Past Polls


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This little slice of Americana comes to you from the King of Prussia Mall, right off the Pennsylvania Turnpike about 20 miles west of Philly. There's a "Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery" there. A fitting name.
To be sure, the cinematography on this one is horrendous. However, seconds eight through 15 are an adequate scene setter for 0:21-0:28 and 0:50-0:52 in which the world gets to see 1) how an obese scorpion would fend for itself on an angry desert floor against an obeser scorpion and 2) how it would shimmy itself up after getting pantsed. Grey hooded sweatshirt blocks the view at the perfect time, one has to assume.
Weave remnants enter the frame around 1:30, which is always a plus, while a lean, mean rental-security machine restores nothing-to-see-here order about 20 seconds later. "It's hood up in KOP, dawg. It's hood. Oh Lord, ghetto children, I swear," our trusty narrator concludes. He's too quick to judge.
Anyway, here's the rest of the Tuesday Night Fights undercard:
• Dos young latinas use fists to settle an undefined score.
• Awesome ghetto laundromat fight interrupted by rimjobeteer who decided it was funny to dance in front of the footage. It wasn't. But, we'll always have the first 30 seconds.
• They got knocked the fuck out. One right after the other. By the same fist.
• North Philly street fights. With boxing gloves! And passing cars!!
• Smoky fender bender ends in fist- and kickicuffs.
• Ladies fight on the subway in Brooklyn. What what.
• Writes the videographer of this white-trash extravaganza, "Everyone in this video is 18 or older and this took place in a private residence, no crimes were committed." Except simple assault. And having a really fucking annoying voice.
• This one's titled, "1 guy Fights Entire party Fueld by Jagermeister and COPS."
• Oh look: "Sports broadcaster attacks co-host over racial slur at national tv taping at Club Amnesia NYC."
• And finally, This is what happens when you're "headed to the crib after performing at Cafe Lura up North, me and some of the guys stopped at the gas station to get some cigarillos, and what do ya know? Some chicks was in the gas station gettin it crackin."


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This function takes a string and returns a copy with all occurrences of http:// and https:// removed. The string, "Please visit http://example.com to find out more" would convert to "Please visit example.com to find out more". Generally this is more compact as the http:// is redundant when you are obviously referring to a URL.
Optionally, this function can also strip the www subdomain by passing true as the second parameter. It's set to false by default as example.com and www.example.com could theoretically contain different websites.
- function stripHttp(string:String, stripWWW:Boolean = false):String
- {
- var s:String = string;
- var regexp:RegExp = new RegExp(!stripWWW ? "https*:\/\/" : "https*:\/\/(www\.)*", "ig");
- return s.replace(regexp, "");
- }
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text: ©2012-2019 Freepricecompare.com. broadband, mobiles, banking, insurance, travel and energy utility comparison. RBH LONDON LTD t/a FreePriceCompare.com whose registered office is at 17 Park Road, High Barnet, Barnet, England, EN5 5RY. FreePriceCompare.com is a trading name of RBH LONDON LTD and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under Firm Reference Number (FRN) 658035. You can check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA website


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Associate Dean, Division of Professional Studies
Associate in Science Degree, Transfer Program
For students who want to earn a bachelor's degree in business, economics, accounting, marketing, finance or management, this program is designed to match the courses they would be taking as a freshman and sophomore at a four-year college. A faculty adviser and Advising & Counseling Services will help in selecting electives and making the transfer to a four-year college at the end of the sophomore year. Many students also take jobs after earning this degree and finish their bachelor's degree on a part-time basis.
Graduates are prepared to transfer to a business or accounting program leading toward a baccalaureate degree; apply the fundamentals of their chosen specialization; show an understanding of the ethical, social responsibility and legal foundations of business; use basic computer software packages; communicate effectively; demonstrate good reasoning, critical thinking and analytical skills; work effectively in a group setting; and apply a broad-based liberal arts education to multiple applications and transfer programs.
The State University of New York (SUNY) requires students who intend to receive a bachelor's degree from a SUNY college to complete at least 30 credit hours in specific general education areas. Students in this program who plan to transfer to a SUNY college can meet 21 credits of the general education requirement. For more specific information about this requirement, refer to SUNY General Education Requirement and see an adviser.
High school or equivalent preparation required: Two years of college preparatory mathematics including algebra and either geometry or intermediate algebra. Students who don't have this preparation will be able to get it here, but it may take longer to complete the program.


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We make sure that each patient is consulted prior and during treatment
to insure proper use of equipment and medications. Prescriptions
faxed to the pharmacy will be shipped overnight to the patient,
usually the next day...
Sinusitis affects more than 37 million Americans and yet there
are still misconceptions about this disorder. Its symptoms
like cough, fatigue, nasal stuffiness, headache, thick yellow
or green stuff that runs from the nose or down the throat
confuses it with common cold.
Normally, mucus accumulating in the sinuses drains into the
nasal passages. Because of the common cold or allergy attack,
your sinuses become inflamed and are unable to drain.
Intense pain results from the pressure on the sinus wall which
is caused by the trapped air within a blocked sinus.