text:
These regulations are administered in the Ministry of Fisheries.
Pursuant to section 297 of the Fisheries Act 1996, Her Excellency the Governor-General, acting on the advice and with the consent of the Executive Council, makes the following regulations.
1 Title
2 Commencement
3 Particulars to be shown in Annual Catch Entitlement Registers
(1) These regulations are the Fisheries (Registers) Amendment Regulations 2005.
(2) In these regulations, the Fisheries (Registers) Regulations 20011 are called "the principal regulations".
"the principal regulations"
These regulations come into force on 1 October 2005.
Regulation 5(2)(d)(i) of the principal regulations is amended by inserting, after the word "return", the words "or a monthly harvest return".
"or a monthly harvest return"
Diane Morcom,
Clerk of the Executive Council.
This note is not part of the regulations, but is intended to indicate their general effect.
These regulations, which come into force on 1 October 2005, amend regulation 5(2)(d)(i) of the Fisheries (Registers) Regulations 2001 to refer both to a monthly harvest return and a monthly harvest return amendment.
Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989.
Date of notification in Gazette: 30 June 2005.


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Troy Davis Case in Georgia Rekindles Debate Over Death Penalty
Read the Transcript: http://to.pbs.org/oldQW5 A parole board in Georgia has rejected clemency for inmate Troy Davis, who is slated to be executed Wednesday. Uproar over the case has revived questions about how the death penalty is applied. Gwen Ifill talks to The Heritage Foundation's Charles Stimson and Vincent Southerland of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Length: 12:36

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Boring Question
Don't all race into the thread at once!
I have a cheque.
I cannot get to the bank.
Can I send said cheque in the post to my local bank with just a letter expressing where I want the cheque to be deposited?
Ala - 'Please pay this cheque into my savings account sort code: blah account no: blah' ?
Someone says yes
Someone else reckons I need a payment slip but I can't get a payments slip because I can't get to the bank, duh.
Have you not got a cheque book with payment slips?
Also, if you post it it will takes days to arrive, surely you can get to a bank quicker?
Should be some paying in slips at the back of the cheque book?
The cheque isn't from me though.
It's from HMRC to me.
I don't work in town so I don't know how I could get to a bank quicker.
You do realise if you post something first class it generally arrives the next day?
I had the same thing with HMRC coincidentally
I did post the cheque to my bank with account details, but only after phoning them to check that was ok - why not give them a bell?
I suppose I could phone the local branch.
Yeah, I'll try doing that.
Go on Saturday morning
ps I HATE CHEQUES
It's pretty bad if you can't get to a branch of your bank ever.
Our Barclays has these machines now where you put your card in and then post the check in and it prints you out a receipt with a tiny picture of the cheque. Cool.
The ones with a keyboard
They're top them, went in to transfer some money into my missus' account and went into every option. It's like having a computer set up for online banking in store but fancier.
hmbc has had that for at least 5 years
i bank with neither barclays nor hmbc
Alright pal
Some of us don't have time to go look at machines in banks everyday
You can fill out a slip at the bank and put it into a "post box"
within the bank especially for cheques. You don't have to queue. Cheques are valid for six months. No hurry unless you need the funds quickly.
- TheoGB this'd this
- Jordan_229_2, Garrincha, bowiecokemirror, and leopardprint this'd this
someone on twitter yday
said that they really liked cheques and would miss them.
hipster nostalgia for financial transaction vectors. GET. FUCKED.TheoGB, ma0sm, alcxxk, and nice_squirrel this'd this
I'm not sure books can really be considered a definitely awful way of consuming the written word
with zero redeeming features, can they?
or vinyl
or even worse: cassettes!
I got a £50 cheque from my Mum for my birthday in June
It's been in my purse ever since as I don't live near a branch of my bank any more. There's a branch near work but it has rubbish opening hours. I should just go along sometime, but now I've left it so long I feel guilty as it'll mean £50 coming out of my Mum's account when she's not expecting it. I could just tell her, but then she'll know I haven't done it yet and think I'm being financially irresponsible...
I know I'm totally overthinking this.
your sort are the reason why cheques dont work
You have a responsibility to pay the cheque in within say 7 days. Don't just sit on that shit. Pffffft!
Actually the whole debit card thing works similarly.
My mate went overdrawn once because 5 months earlier she bought a coat from TopShop. When it came to their 6 month review thing they discovered that payment hadn't worked at the time (technical fault; she had the money at that time, hence buying the coat).
So they just re-ran the transaction, as was their right, and took the money when she was much poorer and put herself overdrawn. Naturally the bank couldn't give a flying fuck.
I used to just not pay in cheques mum gave me if I could afford not to as I knew she needed the money more. She obviously never kept track of them on her statement.
I think I'll just let it go. She'll have forgotten about it now, and just assumed I paid it in back then.
I did this with a cheque from my aunt and uncle once
they started sending me money in the post after that :(
I had this once
Except with a £5,000 cheque from my Grandfather to pay off my student loan, which I 'put somewhere safe' i.e. lost in my house. I left it about three months and then had to have a really embarrassing conversation which made me look both ungrateful and stupid.
If only there was some office nearby, perhaps one dealing in post,
that has arrangements with nearly all high street banks to deposit cheques on their behalf. If those places existed, perhaps you could try them. Alas.
If I can't get to the bank, it might be highly probable that I also can't get to a post office
Sarky boots.
This. Also, the post office doesn't take cheques for RBS, so it's no use to me
I don't think they take Nationwide ones either, or a few others.
Theres a little metal box thing next to alot of banks
Where you just shove the cheque and a note in an envelope. Thne they put it in the next day.
I think you'll find her issue is getting to the bank. Not waiting to cash it in when she gets there.
My issue is actually getting to the bank during opening hours.
So this post is actually helpful, thanks S_A_D!
A friend in America told me that he can photograph his cheques and send those photos in an email to his bank
and that's all they need to cash the cheque. I want to believe this is real.
I saw an advert for this service when I was in the US recently
I didn't read the small print, but the ad certainly implied you could just upload a photo. I assume you have to follow it up by sending the cheque in the post or something.


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Man who killed 79 piglets in belly flop video is jailed
A Spanish farm worker who shared a video of himself diving onto a pen of piglets, killing dozens, has been jailed for 15 months for aggravated animal abuse.
It is believed 19 piglets were crushed immediately and a further 60 were put down because of their injuries.
Police said the man, aged 19 at the time, dived into the pen three times.
The man, and a colleague who filmed the incident, were ordered to pay €60 (£54; $70) each per pig.
The fines - a total of €4,470 (£4000; $5300) each - were paid to the farm.
Both men were also banned from working with animals for three and a half years.
The pigs were aged between 19 and 27 days old and were being transferred to a weaning room when the incident took place in January 2016 in Huércal-Overa, Almería.
The video was shared widely on web messaging service Whatsapp.
Spanish police released graphic photographs of the crushed pigs.
"I had no intention of causing any injuries, I did not kill any animals, I was smaller, I was 19 years old and I jumped on the animals but they moved away," the defendant, known only by his initials DAA, said.
DAA said his colleague did not know what he was about to do when he asked him to film it.
The judge said the man treated the pigs like a trampoline or swimming pool when he jumped on them, local media reported.
DAA apologised to the farm, but labelled the incident "childish antics" and denied that any pigs died.
The defence claimed that police photographs showed animals younger than the pigs in the video.
The farm's vet disputed DAA's statements.


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By Olayinka Latona, Charlyne Ikpe, Busola Likolo & Gabriel Olawale
As part of measures to promote healthy living among its staff, management of Vanguard Media Limited yesterday held a 10 kilometre walk tagged: "Vanguard Walks for Life". The activity which kicked off from the corporate Head office of Vanguard took participants around Kirikiri area to Mile 2 and ended up at the Organisation's office.
The walk, sponsored by Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nestle Foods, Nigeria and Red Star Express witnessed over 50 participants, including members of the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Police Force and several others who joined along the way.
Vanguard's Deputy Administrative Manager, Mr.Hassan Balogun described the walk as an initiative of the company's Corporate Affairs Department and also an extension of Vanguard's comprehensive health programme in ensuring that the staff lives healthily.
Balogun observed that the Vanguard Walk for Life exercise is an extension for total wellness among the staff
"Covering about 10 kilometers is a way of exercising our body and being an inaugural one, I believe that the subsequent walks will attract more people to participate and it will be a continuous exercise in the company. What we have just done today is an aggregation of added value to what we have been doing in ensuring that our staff lives a healthy lifestyle."
It is Vanguard's own contribution to ensuring a healthy workforce.
You will recall that yesterday we organized an enlightenment programme tagged "National Cancer Awareness" but this one that we just did covering about 10 kilometers, is a way of exercising our body. It is an inaugural one and we promise that subsequently it will be more encompassing.
In attendance for the FRSC, Deputy Route Commander, RS2.13 Apapa, Mr. Chigbo Bartholomew who commended the effort of Vanguard in organising such walk, said the FRSC was not only after traffic but also conscious of health alertness of the masses.
He further urged stakeholders, organizations and individuals to organised such walks saying walking is the simplest form of exercise that can be easily done at one's convenience and with a wide range of benefits such as reducing blood pressure, improving the mood, as well as staying strong and fit.
"We appreciate the effort of Vanguard Newspapers in organising this walk and being that Road Safety is always conscious of anything that needs to do with health because without walks like this, an individual will not be healthy physically and mentally. For health alertness and maintaining orderliness on our roads there is need to partner with Vanguard Newspapers."
In his contribution, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Lanre Ogunnowo of the Kirikiri Police Command noted that generally, walking as a form of exercise is good. "As for me, the nature of my job does not give me much time to exercise, but this walk serves as an opportunity for me and I will like to encourage Vanguard not to relent in such initiative."


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The Best Mystery/Crime Novels of 2005
The following is a list of 2005 titles which have garnered excellent reviews from critics, booksellers and library journals.
The purpose of the list is to make available to you, the reader, current information of what books are generally considered to be among the best of the year. If you are so inclined to vote for fan awards such as the Barry Awards, the Anthonys, the Agathas and the Macavitys, then this list will give you a head start.
If any of the following novels received a glowing review in Deadly Pleasures, or a starred review in Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist or Library Journal, it is indicated at the end of each entry with the abbreviations of the periodicals which gave such reviews.
Looking for good recommendations for paperback purchases or good all-around recommended reading lists? You may want to look at:
DP List 2004
DP List 2003
DP List 2002
DP List 2001
DP List 2000
**SEE ISABELLE RUN, Bloom, Elizabeth (Beth Saulnier) (Mysterious $22.95). Combining thrills with attitude, this novel follows a jilted bride uncovering sinister secrets at a multimedia empire. Booklist & LJ
**BLOODLINES, Burke, Jan (Simon & Schuster $24.95). Reporter Irene Kelly covers the groundbreaking of a shopping center--and the discovery of a buried car containing human remains. Old cases are resurrected, and new dangers arise as she pursues a story that may end her career--and her life. PW
**ONE SHOT, Child, Lee (Delacorte $25.00). Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: "You got the wrong guy." Then he says: "Get Reacher for me." LJ & DP
**THE INNOCENT, Coben, Harlan (Dutton $26.95). An electrifying thrill-ride of a novel that peeks behind the white picket fences of suburbia, The Innocent is at once a twisting, turning, emotionally-charged story, and a compelling tale of the choices people make and the repercussions that remain. Kirkus, Booklist & DP
**SYMPATHY BETWEEN HUMANS, Compton, Jodi (Delacorte $22.00). In the powerful sequel to The 37th Hour, Compton's Detective Sarah Pribek is drawn into a new investigation even as she is haunted by the case that changed her forever. LJ & DP
**THE CLOSERS, Connelly, Michael (Little,Brown $26.95). Harry Bosch returns to active duty with the LAPD to work along side his former partner in the Cold Case division ("The Closers"). They catch a break on their first case – recent DNA analysis has found a match to murder evidence in an unsolved case of a young girl long dead. Booklist & DP
**THE FORGOTTEN MAN, Crais, Robert (Doubleday $24.95). In his major "New York Times" bestseller The Last Detective, Crais returned to his signature characters, private investigator Elvis Cole and partner Joe Pike. Now, after scratching the surface of Cole's troubled past, Crais returns with a stunning suspense novel that leads to the dark secrets of Cole's own life. Kirkus & LJ
**JASS, Fulmer, David (Harcourt $23.00). In the rowdy red-light district of Storyville, four players of the new music they call "jass" have turned up dead. When Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr begins to investigate, he discovers every victim once played in the same band, and the only one left alive has gone into hiding. LJ & DP
**A WINDOW IN COPACABANA, Garcia-Roza, Luiz A. Holt $23.00). A ruthless group of corrupt cops is playing a lethal game of cat and mouse in the latest installment in the seductive best-selling Brazilian crime series Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. Kirkus, Booklist & DP
**WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS, George, Elizabeth (HarperCollins $26.95). When an adolescent boy's nude body is found mutilated and artfully arranged on the top of the tomb, it takes no large leap for the police to recognize the work of a serial killer. The case goes to New Scotland Yard Acting Superintendent Thomas Lynley, who must pursue the killer despite a devastating tragedy within the department. Booklist & PW
**AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES, Greenwood, Kerry (Poisoned Pen, $24.95). Searching for the murderer of a famous author, sassy Phryne goes undercover--and is up to her ears in fashion gossip and office politics.... Phryne Fisher is asked to investigate the puzzling death of a famous author and illustrator of fairy stories. To do so, she takes a job within the women's magazine that employed the victim and finds herself enmeshed in her colleagues' deceptions. But while Phryne is learning the ins and outs of magazine publishing first hand, her personal life is thrown into chaos. Impatient for her lover Lin Chung's imminent return from a silk-buying expedition to China, she instead receives an unusual summons from Lin Chung's family followed by a series of mysterious assaults and warnings. - Publisher Marketing. BL & DP
**VALLEY OF BONES, Gruber, Michael (Morrow $24.95). Gruber explores the nature of faith and madness in this brilliantly conceived follow-up to Tropic of Night, his dazzling debut thriller novel. Kirkus, PW, LJ & DP
**THE DEVIL OF NANKING, Hayder, Mo (Grove $24.00). Spine-chilling characters take readers on an electrifying ride deep inside the secret history of one of the 20th century's most brutal events--the Nanking Massacre in 1937--as a young Englishwoman obsessively searches Tokyo for film footage of the massacre and its survivors. Published in the U.K. as Tokyo. PW, Kirkus & DP
**THE CRIME TRADE, Kernick, Simon (St. Martin'sMinotaur $24.95). When Operation Surgical Strike, a police sting designed to catch Colombian drug traffickers, goes horribly wrong, suspicion quickly falls on one of the police officers involved: "Stegs" Jenner. Stegs is no ordinary cop. Something of a maverick, he has in the past played the role of a criminal just a little too well. Now suspended from duty, and with his close friend killed in the shoot-out, he determines to go at it alone. Kirkus & DP
**DATING IS MURDER, Kozak, Harley Jane (Doubleday $19.95). With Dating Is Murder, Kozak delivers another sparkling treasure, a laugh-out-loud funny, literate mystery for readers of Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton, and for Kozak's own growing legion of fans. Kirkus, PW & LJ
**BLOOD FROM A STONE, Leon, Donna (Atlantic $23.00). The victim, a Senegalese street vendor, is shot, assassination style, as he peddles fake handbags to tourists. The murder brings out the latent racism of the locals, and as Brunetti attempts to come to terms with his own feelings about the immigrants, he realizes that the crime is only the tip of an iceberg that he will never be allowed to explore. Kirkus, PW & Booklist
**BEFORE THE FROST, Mankell, Henning (New Press $24.95). Already an international bestseller, Before the Frostinaugurates Mankell's new mystery series about Linda Wallander, daughter of Inspector Kurt Wallander, and also features Stefan Lindman of The Return of the Dancing Master. Booklist & DP
**ALICE IN JEOPARDY, McBain, Ed (Simon & Schuster $25.00). Since her husband's tragic death, Alice Glendenning has struggled to maintain a normal life. Things turn nightmarish when her children disappear, and the ransom demand is identical to the amount due from insurance after her husband's death. Kirkus, Booklist & PW
**IN THE COMPANY OF CHEERFUL LADIES, McCall Smith, Alexander (Pantheon $19.95). This time around, the charming and ever-resourceful Precious Ramotswe finds herself overly beset by problems. She is busier than usual at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, when a strange intruder in her house forces her to confront a painful secret from her past. Booklist, Kirkus & PW
**NIGHTCRAWLERS, Pronzini, Bill (Forge $24.95). Pronzini's "Nameless" detective has become one of the longest-lived, and most highly praised private investigators in the annals of American crime fiction. Nightcrawlers finds Vanessa kidnapped during an investigation and carried to a house in the woods. The clock is ticking and it is a race against time for "Nameless" and Jake. PW & DP
**FLESHMARKET ALLEY, Rankin, Ian (Little Brown $22.95). An illegal immigrant is found murdered in an Edinburgh housing scheme. Rebus is drawn into the case, but has other problems: his old police station has closed for business, and his masters would rather he retire than stick around. But as Rebus investigates, he must deal with the sleazy Edinburgh underworld, and maybe even fall in love. Booklist, Kirkus & DP
**STRANGE AFFAIR, Robinson, Peter (Morrow $24.95). Murder cuts close to home for Inspector Banks in this powerful new tale of suspense from "a gifted creator" ("Boston Globe") PW
**THE HEARTBREAK LOUNGE, Stroby, Wallace (St. Martin's Minotaur $22.95). Ex-state trooper Harry Rane, who first appeared in Stroby's brilliant debut novel, The Barbed-Wire Kiss, becomes caught up with Nikki Ellis, a woman desperate for help. Her ex, Johnny Harrow, has just been released from prison, and he's on his way to settle his accounts. Kirkus
**MR. LUCKY, Swain, James (Ballantine $19.95). Gambling fraud investigator Tony Valentine looks into a gambling winner who just may be "lucky." Great series. Kirkus & DP
**NICKEL PLATED SOUL, Tierney, Ron (Severn $27.95). 70-ish Indianapolis P.I. Deets Shanahan is back with an intriguing case: Hugh Dart has served his 35 years for the killing of his wife and he now wants Deets to find her – he's convinced that she is still alive. Booklist & DP
**COLD TREACHERY, Todd, Charles (Bantam $25.00). December, 1919: Deep in England's frozen Lake District, constables discover a scene of unimaginable carnage: the bodies of five family members splayed across a bloodied cottage kitchen. Somewhere amidst the peaks and valleys of this beautiful country lurks a murderer who considers so much spilt blood the least of his revenge. PW
**WATCH YOUR BACK!, Westlake, Donald (Warner $24.95). After a year on the lam, the return of bumbling thief Dortmunder is a cause celebre. Kirkus, Booklist & PW
**VANISHED HANDS, Wilson, Robert (Harcourt $25.00). Javier Falcon begins to investigate a case with no solid evidence when suddenly, in quick succession, two suicides occur. Left to discover what made life so unbearable for these victims, Falcon's task is to find the connection--or were they murdered? British title: The Silence and the Damned. BL & DP
**THE GEOGRAPHER'S LIBRARY, Fasman, Jon (Penguin $24.95). This brilliant debut novel takes a young reporter from his small-town paper to the heart of an international smuggling ring, centuries old, that amasses the alchemical artifacts that lead to eternal life. Kirkus
**RUN THE RISK, Frost, Scott (Putnam $19.95). Los Angeles homicide detective Alex Delillo works a case that chills her from the start: a small-time shopkeeper is shot to death. Then a rare, untraceable explosive ignites in a bungalow, hurling the front door across the yard. Finally, a teenaged girl goes missing, her car window smashed, her keys still in the ignition. Even before they tell her, Detective Delillo knows that this girl is her daughter. Kirkus
**CAST OF SHADOWS, Guilfoile, Kevin (Knofp, $24.95). When the teenage daughter of a leading fertility specialist is brutally murdered and her father uses his professional skills and a bit of DNA extracted from the death scene to create a copy of her killer. Unlucky, unlikely Justin Finn is the result of Dr. Davis Moore's faith that one day he'll look into the eyes and soul of the man who raped and strangled Anna Kat
**YEAR OF THE HYENAS: A Novel of Murder in Ancient Egypt, Geagley, Brad (Simon & Schuster, $23.00). In this evocative murder mystery set in ancient Egypt, an empire's sumptuous glory and intrigue blend seamlessly with timeless themes of greed, ambition, and crimes of passion. LJ & DP
**7000 CLAMS, Irby, Lee (Doubleday, $23.95). Frank Hearn is a down-on-his-luck bootlegger and bruiser looking for the big score in 1920s America. When he loses a shipment of top-quality booze to a double-crossing thief, Frank hunts him down, roughs him up, and finds something that catches his eye. What at first appears to be a scrap of paper is actually a handwritten and unmistakably authentic IOU for $7,000, signed by Babe Ruth.
**COLD DISH, Johnson, Craig (Viking, $23.95). When Cody Pritchard is found dead near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Sheriff Walt Longmire and the general population of Absaroka County are inclined to think it's a hunting accident. But two years earlier Cody was one four high school boys convicted of brutally raping Melissa Little Bird, a young Cheyenne girl with fetal alcohol syndrome. The boys were guilty but let off with suspended sentences. Was this a revenge killing?
**THE SUSPECT, Robotham, Michael (Doubleday $24.95). Psychiatrist Joe O'Loughlin's comfortable life begins to crumble when he is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and becomes a suspect in a brutal murder case. Kirkus, LJ, Booklist & DP
**CUTTING BLADES, Blake, Victoria (Orion, £12.99). P.I. Sam Falconer is asked to investigate the disappearance of a talented young rower for Oxford University. She hopes the case will take her mind off of family matters: her father, whom she had thought long dead, has popped up in her life. And there are men trying to kill him to bury secrets about his participation in assassinations of Irish citizens.
**A GOOD DAY TO DIE, Kernick, Simon (Bantam Press, £12.99, June, 2005). When ex-cop Dennis Milne (from The Business of Dying) -- now living under an assumed identity in the Philippines - hears that his old friend and colleague Malik has been gunned down in a restaurant, he decides to go back to the violent city he once called home, and bring the murderer to book. Kernick is the next big star to come from the U.K.
**THE FIELD OF BLOOD, Mina, Denise (Bantam Press, £12.99). When Brian Wilcox is found brutally battered to death next to a suburban railway line in Glasgow, it is assumed that the toddler is the victim of a predator. Instead the police are led to the doors of two 11-year-old boys.
**UNKNOWN SOLDIER, Seymour, Gerald (Overlook $24.95) Intelligence agents hunt for the world's most lethal terrorist in this thrillingly suspenseful novel from a master of espionage fiction. LJ, Kirkus & DP
** PRINCE OF FIRE, Silva, Daniel (Putnam, $25.95). Art restorer and sometime spy Gabriel Allon. is back in Venice, when a terrible explosion in Rome leads to a disturbing personal revelation: the existence of a dossier in the hands of terrorists that strips away his secrets, lays bare his history. Hastily recalled home to Israel, drawn once more into the heart of a service he had once forsaken, Gabriel Allon finds himself stalking an elusive master.


text:
Dick DeVos and his wife Betsy have always upheld their reputation for generosity, but everyone has always wondered just how much have they truly given to their community? In light of the recent confirmation hearings regarding Betsy DeVos's appointment to Secretary of Education, the DeVos's made known that they have given around $139 million in their lifetimes. While both Dick and Betsy have avidly supported and have been active in the Republican Party, less than half of their contributions have gone to political candidates. They have supported many politically conservative organizations such as Heritage Foundation, Hudson Institute and have given to many private and charter schools across the state. They've also given to local churches, museums and children's hospitals.
Dick DeVos has impacted the Grand Rapids, MI area throughout his business career. He first worked for his family's company Amway Corporation, a multilevel marketing firm that his father Richard DeVos Sr. had started along with Jay Van Andel. This company sells products to independent business owners who resell them for a profit. Dick DeVos later became Chairman of The Windquest Group, a company based in Grand Rapids that has investments and controlling shares in local Michigan businesses based in alternative energy, household storage, clean water and venture capital suppliers. Just recently they acquired a Holland, MI brewing company.
Dick and Betsy became very passionate about reforming education in Michigan after seeing the situation in many inner city public schools, and wanting to give other families the chance to attend the private schools they had sent their children to. They founded the Education Freedom Fund as a scholarship provider as part of the Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation. They once tried to pass legislation allowing for private school vouchers and tax credits but it came up short. They later started a charter school with a curriculum in aircraft flight and mechanics called the West Michigan Aviation Academy.
Dick DeVos has helped build areas of downtown Grand Rapids as a member of Grand Action Committee. He and Betsy also made a generous contribution to the Kennedy Center's Institute for Arts Management which was subsequently renamed to the Dick and Betsy DeVos Arts Management Institute. Dick also ran for governor in the 2006 Michigan gubernatorial race but fell just short to Jennifer Granholm. He continued to be active in politics and helped get a right-to-work law passed just 6 years later. He also authored the book Rediscovering American Values.


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Rodents - Diseases
What are some of the common diseases of pet rodents?
Common conditions of pet rodents include respiratory diseases, anorexia and lethargy, overgrown teeth, and tumors.
What are the signs of these diseases?
Respiratory infections are commonly seen in pet rodents. Signs include nasal and/or ocular (eye) discharge in mild infections, and wheezing, coughing, and open-mouth breathing in severe infections (pneumonia). Animals with pneumonia often stop eating and become lethargic. Bordetella is one such bacterial organism that causes respiratory infections in guinea pigs and can prove fatal if not treated promptly. Since rabbits carry this organism without showing signs of illness, it is recommended that rabbits and guinea pigs not be housed together. In mice and rats, respiratory problems are often caused by an organism called mycoplasma, which can cause many respiratory signs and often leads to chronic respiratory disease. Other infectious agents, such as Pasteurella and Streptococcus bacteria, can also cause pneumonia. Regardless of the exact cause of respiratory disease in pet rodents, respiratory infections are relatively common. Anything that predisposes the pet to a respiratory infection (such as dusty cage litter, irritating aromatic cedar chips or high levels of ammonia from urine accumulation in dirty litter or a dirty cage) should be corrected to lessen the incidence of respiratory problems.
"Anything that predisposes the pet to a respiratory infection (such as dusty cage litter, irritating aromatic cedar chips or high levels of ammonia from urine accumulation in dirty litter or a dirty cage) should be corrected to lessen the incidence of respiratory problems."
Anorexia and lethargy are among the most common signs seen in sick pet rodents. Unfortunately, while this type of complaint does confirm that SOMETHING is wrong, it does not tell your veterinarian WHAT is wrong. ANY disease can cause an animal to feel ill. As with other exotic pets, the sooner a sick rodent is seen and treated by a veterinarian familiar with rodents, the better the prognosis (chance of cure).
All rodents have teeth that grow continuously throughout their lives. Occasionally these teeth grow too long and cause pain, which often makes the pet stop eating. Sometimes you might see your pet drooling or it may have a constantly wet chin ("slobbers"). The front teeth or incisors are most frequently the problem, and their excessive length is interfering with eating and grooming. Sometimes, guinea pigs, chinchillas and rabbits (although rabbits are technically lagomorphs, not rodents, they do have teeth that grow continuously) suffer from overgrown molars or back teeth, which make eating challenging or even painful.
Cancer is often seen in pet rodents, most commonly as external tumors. Mammary (breast) tumors are probably the most common type of cancer seen especially in rats and mice. Amazingly, breast tissue in these pets covers most of the underside of the body, so breast cancer can appear anywhere from the neck to the groin! Mammary tumors can grow rapidly. They can become so big that some veterinarians have surgically removed rats from tumors! Fortunately, most mammary tumors are benign and survival after surgery is good. Rodents can get many other types of tumors, but most of these are less common.
How are rodent diseases treated?
Respiratory diseases are easily diagnosed based on clinical signs. Radiographs can be used to confirm a diagnosis. With infectious diseases, antibiotic treatment is indicated. Supportive care in the hospital, including force-feeding and fluid therapy, may be needed for pets with serious infections such as pneumonia.
Anorexia and lethargy are signs of disease and not diseases per se. Successfully treating rodents with anorexia and lethargy requires an accurate diagnosis. X-rays, blood tests, cultures or other tests may be employed to facilitate an accurate diagnosis. If an owner is not willing to do these tests then treatment is aimed at supportive or palliative care, which means managing the problem without treating the underlying cause.
Regardless of any signs of disease in your pet rodent, pet store antibiotics are ineffective against diseases of pocket pets and should NEVER be used. They are often drugs not used by veterinarians. Treating a disease or health problem based on advice from well meaning, big-hearted people who are not veterinarians and who do not possess proper training may prolong the disease and hasten the animal's death.
"Pet store antibiotics are ineffective against diseases of pocket pets and should NEVER be used."
Overgrown teeth need to be trimmed. Trimming the incisors is often done under anesthesia with a grinder. In the past, nail clippers or wire cutters were used to trim teeth without anesthesia, but often these techniques resulted in broken teeth, leading to more problems. The diagnosis of overgrown molars (back teeth) usually requires anesthesia, a thorough oral examination and radiographs (X-rays). Treatment requires trimming or filing of the molars (which is often difficult) under anesthesia. Dental disease can often be prevented by maintaining a proper diet and offering something for the pet to chew, such as a block of wood.
Tumors are removed surgically under anesthesia. Intra-abdominal tumors can often be removed, but the procedure is more invasive and challenging than for removal of external tumors. The smaller the tumor and the earlier it is removed, the easier the surgery.
How can I tell if my pet rodent is sick?
Signs of disease in rodents are sometimes specific for a certain disease. Most commonly, however, signs are vague and non-specific, such as a rodent with anorexia (lack of appetite) and lethargy, which can be seen with many diseases including pneumonia, cancer, and even kidney or liver failure. ANY deviation from normal is a cause for concern and your rodent requires immediate evaluation by your veterinarian.
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