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Go Back: Home > Earth Island Journal > Issues > Winter 2013 > Features
Heart of Darkness
For centuries the people of the Faroe Islands survived by hunting whales. In the twenty-first century, the tradition persists – not only because some people there like to eat whales, but because they enjoy killing them.
Helgi and Ívun Lervig seemed suspicious of us as soon as they opened their door. Their wariness likely had something to with the fact that we had rung their bell well past midnight, in the middle of a tremendous rainstorm. Also – though the couple has been renting part of their home to travelers for years – they rarely receive visitors in November. Few tourists choose the cold, dark North Atlantic winter as the time to make an excursion to Tórshavn, capital of the isolated Faroe Islands.
FaroeIslandsPhoto.com / Kasper Fiil Solberg
The following morning, standing in their living room surrounded by folk-art paintings of Faroese fjords, the Lervigs asked us why we had come. I told the truth, and confirmed their suspicions. I said I had traveled to the Faroe Islands with my husband, Ric O'Barry (the former Flipper trainer who was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove), to investigate why the Faroese continue to hunt whales despite the practice's apparent cruelty and even though the whale meat is contaminated with mercury and other heavy metals. My answer was met with a wall of silence. For a moment I thought the couple might ask us to leave. Then Helgi, the husband, smiled and said, with what I soon learned was typical Faroese hospitality: "That's interesting. Let's talk about it."
Helgi led me into their cozy kitchen and we sat down at a wood table. The walls were covered with framed photographs: family outings in the mountains, children playing on boats, Christmas mornings. The couple is in their sixties and both of them are retired. I asked if they knew about the health warnings concerning whale meat and, if so, why they still ate it. Helgi, a tall, heavyset man with bright blue eyes, was quick with a response: "Because it tastes so good!" He said he had heard about the toxins in the whale meat, then added, "But we don't want to hear it." He covered his ears with his hands in a pantomime of willful ignorance.
His wife Ívun chimed in: "So many foods are unhealthy today, what difference does it make? Besides, how are we supposed to turn down a free meal?"
The distribution of pilot whale meat and blubber in the Faroe Islands follows specific rules laid out in the early nineteenth century and little changed since. Anyone who participates in a hunt is entitled to a free share of the catch. Each person can claim only one share even if he has participated in more than one aspect of the hunt – the corral at sea, the actual kill, the hauling of dead pilot whales onto land, the butchering. In Tórshavn, home to about 20,000 people, those who want a share of the catch need to sign up for it, as there is not enough for everyone.
Whale hunters in the Faroes insist the hunt is noncommercial; "no one profits from it" is the common refrain. But pilot whale can be found for sale in at least one Tórshavn supermarket, and you can also buy pilot whale at a fish stand at the town's harbor. On a Craigslist-like Faroese Facebook group called Rótikassin (which translates roughly as "jumble sale") pilot whale is listed for sometimes-substantial amounts of money. At one point last summer, a group member offered 60 liters of pilot whale blubber for $400.
The fact that people are paying to eat whale meat and blubber seems surprising given that the European Union and Faroese health authorities have warned that consumption is dangerous to human health.
Many toxins build up in an animal's body as you ascend the food chain. This bioaccumulation reaches dangerous levels in top predators such as pilot whales. In 2008, the chief physician for the Faroese Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, Pál Weihe, and the islands' chief medical officer, Høgni Debes Joensen, warned that pilot whales are contaminated with dangerously high levels of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as DDE, a breakdown product of the insecticide DDT.
In a press statement issued in 2008, they wrote: "The latest analyses show that the mercury concentration of pilot whale remains high, with an average of about 2 micrograms per gram. In the EU, the highest limit value of 1 microgram per gram is only applicable to the most contaminated species of fish. This limit is exceeded by most pilot whales." The physicians noted that mercury and PCB exposure contribute to Parkinson's disease in adults, impaired immunity in children, and compromised fetal development. "It is recommended that pilot whale is no longer used for human consumption," they warned.
The Faroese government chose not to follow the doctors' recommendations. In June 2011, however, the Faroese Food and Veterinary Agency urged limited consumption of one meal of pilot whale meat and blubber per month for adults weighing 70 kilos (about 150 lbs). Special recommendations were issued for women and girls, who were told to refrain from eating blubber as long as they plan to have children and to not eat whale meat while pregnant or breastfeeding. The kidneys and liver of pilot whales should not be eaten by anyone, the agency said.
The Lervigs said they follow these recommendations and don't plan to cease consuming whale meat. "We are at the age where it doesn't matter much what we eat," Helgi said. He stood up and fetched two plastic bags from the freezer. The bags contained meat and blubber from hunts in 2010. Helgi got a sharp knife from a drawer and began to cut through the raw meat. When he offered me a piece, I declined.
Helgi shrugged. "For centuries the Faroe Islands were cut off from the rest of the world due to our remote location, and we have had to become self-sufficient in order to survive," he said. He pointed out that the Faroese raise livestock, namely mountain sheep, and both he and Ívun said they would never dream of eating meat from industrialized factory farms on the European mainland. For the Lervigs, it seemed, whale meat is the ultimate comfort food, the food they grew up with, and it appears more wholesome than other options, even if it is contaminated. Helgi said, "Hunting and eating pilot whale is part of who we are."
This is a Faroese mantra. In May 2012, the Faroese Prime Minister's Office, in response to consistent international pressure to halt the hunt, released a statement, saying: "Both the meat and blubber of pilot whales have long been – and continue to be – a valued part of the national diet."
Fair enough, in a way. Each nation has its own peculiar food traditions, after all. But – as I was to learn during that November visit and a follow-up trip Ric and I made in the summer of 2012 – the Faroese tradition goes beyond just eating whales. For many people, the national self-identity is really about killing them.
The Faroe Islands form an archipelago of 18 islands located about halfway between Iceland and Norway. It's a rugged place of deep fjords and rocky coastlines, turbulent rivers and waterfalls. The weather is unpredictable. One moment the sky is clear blue, with brilliant sunshine that makes the traditional grass-roofed houses look like they were drawn in Technicolor; the next minute the pastures and narrow sounds are swallowed in a thick fog that turns the world white. The summers are cool and often overcast, but the winters are surprisingly mild thanks to the Gulf Stream. No matter whether it's clear or cloudy, the wind never seems to stop.
The scant 50,000 people who inhabit the islands are descended from Norwegian Vikings. They speak a kind of Old Norse that is most similar to Icelandic. The islands have been a part of the Danish kingdom since 1386 and most people also speak Danish. The Faroese gained self-governance in 1948, though Denmark continues to manage the islands' justice system and foreign affairs. The Faroese have autonomy in all other matters and are not part of the European Union.
"I guess you could say
we all go a bit mad."
It is impossible to go anywhere on the islands and be more than three miles from the sea, and the Faroese culture has always revolved around fishing. Even today, fishing is the foundation of the nation's economy, accounting for 95 percent of exports and nearly half of its GDP. Commercial fishing boats trawl the North Atlantic for cod, haddock, and pollock. The country also has developed a sizable salmon farming industry. Although the Faroese eat mostly meat, festivals and holidays are incomplete without dried fish and pilot whale.
The type of pilot whale hunted in the Faroe Islands is the long-finned species (Globicephala melas) that inhabits the North Atlantic. It is a wide-ranging, toothed whale that belongs to the dolphin family and which, among dolphins, is second in size only to the orca. The pilot whale has a stocky body with a prominent melon-shaped head and no discernible beak. Its dorsal fin is backswept and it has long, sickle-shaped pectoral fins. The males can reach lengths of 25 feet and weigh up to 5,000 pounds; females reach 19 feet in length and weigh about 3,000 pounds.
Pilot whales live in matriarchal pods that usually include about 50 individuals. At times, pods join together to form herds of up to 1,000 animals. They are opportunistic feeders and will eat a variety of fish. Their preferred food is squid, and the animals will migrate long distances as they follow squid schools. The Faroese know this, and as summer approaches the Faroe Island hunters start to be on the lookout for the squid runs that will be accompanied by pods of pilot whales.
The Faroese have been hunting whales since Viking settlers arrived on the islands. Written accounts of the whale hunt go back as far as 1584, and the Faroese have recorded the exact number of whales killed each year since 1709. Mortan Johannsen, a retired fishing captain who still works as a fishmonger, said the killing of whales is the very symbol of Faroese-ness. "I was born and raised in the Faroe Islands and have participated in the pilot whale kill since I was 13 years old," he told me. "Pilot whaling has shaped us into the people that we are today."
The mechanics of the hunt have changed little over the centuries. When a pod of whales is spotted near the shore, the news spreads quickly through the islands. The Faroese have a specific word to express a pilot whale sighting – grindaboð. Writing in 1943, a British soldier named Sidney Norgate described the communal rush of energy that comes with the grindaboð: "The presence of a herd of whales near the islands sends a vibrant thrill of excitement from one village to the next. Fires are lit on the hugest peaks and the cry of 'Grindaboð, Grindaboð' is taken up – it reverberates through the fjords and echoes in the chasms. The women chatter excitedly – the children dance and the men push out their boats." Today the Faroese use cell phones to spread the word of a whale sighting. But the excitement is the same. "By the sound of that word – grindaboð —we all go into a bit of frenzy," Helgi told me.
The fishermen then gather their boats into a small armada for the hunt. Positioning their boats in a semi-circle behind the pilot whales, the fishermen start to drive them toward the shore. Stones attached to fishing lines are thrown into the water to push the whales into bays or fjords where the whales beach themselves. One pilot whale hunter, a Faroese named Jens Mortan Rasmussen, told me that the animals are in a state of utter panic the moment they strand, as they find themselves unable to swim – and thus unable to escape. "That's when they realize they have lost all control," he said.
Teams of men and teenage boys stationed on the beach then wade into the surf and begin to kill the animals. The slaughter also has its own word: grindadráp. The shore teams slice into the whale's spine, severing its main artery and, in the process, sending vast amounts of blood into the water. Often, the whales do not strand as planned, and the men have to haul them into shallow water. The traditional tool for doing this is an iron hook called a sóknarongul. The hunters jam the hook into the pilot whale's head until it is fixed in the animal's flesh and then drag it ashore.
During a hunt every member of the herd is killed, including calves and lactating and pregnant females. The sea is stained red by the time the killing is over.
In his excellent book Pilot Whaling in the Faroe Islands, Jóan Pauli Joensen includes a vivid description of the killing scene:
The whales were in dire trouble. In water too shallow for swimming they rocked and rolled without control. Their great tail-flukes reared many feet into the air as some of them caught their heads among the rocks.… They squealed in their agony beneath the reddening waters, their cries – like plaintive, pathetic whimpers – only just audible to those watching from the quay.… Within a few minutes of the start of the kill the harbor was a scene of gory madness and carnage, and the strong smell of blood filled the air.
Today's whale hunters might take advantage of technologies like cell phones and underwater sonar, but the communal atmosphere of the event is the same as it has always been. It is not unusual for several hundred men to participate, and for an equally large number of onlookers to watch. Sometimes schools are shut down as teachers rush to the shoreline, occasionally with their students in tow. It's not unusual to see children playing on whale carcasses after the slaughter. When I asked pilot whale hunters why the hunt is an important part of their culture, I always received some version of the same answer: "It's what has kept us together for centuries."
FaroeIslandsPhoto.com / Kasper Fiil Solberg
And yet it seems to me that there is something else at work, something darker. In our conversation, Helgi Lervig confirmed my hunch that the continued excitement for the hunt is about more than tradition, a gory version of Christmas, say. Lervig no longer participates in the killing. But in his younger years he responded to the grindaboð by racing to the bay where the slaughter was to take place. His eyes lit up as he told me about hunts of the past.
"It gets the adrenalin going, and everyone rushes to the fjord to be a part of it," he said. "I guess you could say we all go a bit mad."
The gruesome spectacle of the grindadráp has, not surprisingly, sparked international campaigns to halt the hunt. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has targeted the practice, as has the Environmental Investigation Agency and Earth Island Institute's International Marine Mammal Project (which employs my husband). Whale lovers have launched multiple online petitions to stop the practice. So far, though, the campaigns have had little effect.
The Faroese have made one small change to their tradition by restricting use of the sóknarongul. In 2001 the local government encouraged hunters to replace the sharp hook with a blunt one that can be used to drag the whales ashore by their blowhole. In an interview posted online, Faroese veterinarian Jústines Olsen explains how the new tool is supposed to be more humane: "It can be inserted into the air sac without wounding the whale, and the whale can then be easily guided in the desired direction."
When I asked a hunter about Olsen's description of the blunt hook, he laughed. "These are very big and heavy animals," the hunter said. "There is no way to easily guide them anywhere." The man (who like many hunters was happy to talk but wouldn't allow for me to print his name) went on to say that the blunt hook was only introduced to make the hunt look less brutal to outsiders. He said the sóknarongul is still used whenever the blunt hook can't get the job done.
photo Finur Justinussen
Whale hunter Jens Mortan Rasmussen confirmed this. "The blunt hook has not made the slaughter any easier, and whenever the pilot whales are in such deep water that we can't get to them, we use the iron hooks." I asked him if he ever considers the torment of the pilot whales as they are stranded and then sliced open. "I don't think of it," he said. "I just don't put myself in their place."
A lack of empathy toward the animals was typical among the hunters I spoke with. "I don't view animals as being capable of feeling any emotion," another hunter told me.
Eventually I started to think that perhaps the Faroese' excitement for the grindadráp occurs, not in spite of the gore, but because of it. The whale hunt, it seems, is a way for the Faroese to channel the rage that some men feel – kind of like an especially bloody, Nordic version of American football.
A cab driver in Tórshavn confirmed as much when he told me: "I can be sitting with friends at my house, having a peaceful and quiet conversation about some ordinary subject. Then all of a sudden I receive a phone call: Grindaboð! That very moment, all I think of is to change my clothes as fast as possible and run down to the shore. It's as if my roles change in a split second, from that of the civil host having an ordinary conversation to a fierce and fearless hunter."
A sales assistant at an electronics store in Tórshavn said the same thing. "Selling computer games and electronics is not exactly what I thought I'd end up doing, but here I am," he said. "There is nothing exciting about my job, and joining in the pilot whale kill is a way for me to make up for that. The atmosphere at the kill is incredibly intense and electrifying, and I enjoy being a part of it. For a brief moment I feel vibrant and alive."
For many Faroese men, the thrill of the hunt is a form of escape, a dramatic interlude from the banality of modern society. The hunt transforms an ordinary day into an epic struggle between life and death. The barbaric practice persists not just because it feeds the Faroese people, but because it feeds people's desire for something primal, something visceral.
Heðin Mortensen, the mayor of Tórshavn, took the time to explain this to me further. Mortensen takes great pride in his duty to distribute whale meat and blubber to the public after a hunt and, despite the health warnings, remains an enthusiastic proponent of the grindadráp. When I asked him to discuss the importance of the hunt, he responded with a single Faroese word: Innløgumaður. He told me that it translated into "a real man."
"A fine innløgumaður is a man who gets the food on the table," Mortensen said. "He takes pride in his responsibility as a provider and lives up to it by participating in the pilot whale kill."
One hunter put it to me even more plainly: "Standing waist deep in the reddening water reminds me of my background, and of my value as a man."
Given the intimate connection between Faroese identity and the pilot whale hunt, it's not surprising that the Faroese are cautious when talking to outsiders about the tradition. Those Faroese who are opposed to the practice are willing to discuss the issue with foreigners, but they do so in hushed voices. I met one girl in her twenties, a clerk at a Tórshavn bookstore, who spoke passionately about the suffering of the whales during the killing. But as we talked she lowered her voice, and kept looking over her shoulder to make sure we were not overheard. "A lot of people react to my views by accusing me of being disloyal to Faroese culture," she explained.
Despite the cultural prohibition against criticizing the grindadráp, local opposition to the hunt appears to be on the rise. During my second visit to the Faroe Islands, I was approached by locals who oppose pilot whaling and are not afraid to say so publicly. One of them is Ingi Sørensen, a professional diver and underwater photographer who is fiercely against the slaughter. Sørensen has created a Facebook group called Faroese Against Pilot Whale Hunting. So far, the group has about 220 members. "I wanted to create a forum where those in the Faroe Islands who oppose the pilot whale slaughter can gather and share their thoughts freely and without fear," he told me. "There is no justification to wipe out entire schools of pilot whales, and the much-used argument of maintaining the hunt as a Faroese tradition has no validity."
According to Sørensen and other opponents of the hunt, there is a generational divide among Faroese on the issue. Older people cannot imagine the Faroe Islands without the pilot whale hunt. Many younger people are ambivalent about the tradition; to them it seems an anachronism. "Pilot whales have kept us alive for centuries," Sørensen, 52, said. "They have saved us from starvation. Today, their meat is so toxic our own health authorities tell us it's too dangerous to eat."
A woman in her twenties who wanted to remain anonymous told me: "I feel that pilot whaling is becoming a huge cultural burden on the young people here. We are told that pilot whaling is an important part of our culture, and one that we need to keep alive. But pilot whaling is not a cultural aspect that I have an interest in maintaining."
photo Finur Justinussen
Beyond the generational divide, there is also a gender gap when it comes to the hunt. Women, especially young mothers, are not enthusiastic about feeding their families meat known to contain dangerous toxins. Dr. Pál Weihe, coauthor of the 2008 statement about contaminants in whale meat, is convinced that the hunt will end in the not-too-distant future.
"Women make up a significant part of the family, and as soon as they limit their intake of pilot whale, things will start to happen," Dr. Weihe told me during a conversation in his office. "Women carry the tremendous responsibility of ensuring the health of children to come and therefore filter out any arguments of history, culture, and politics. They have a lot to say about a family's diet, and we will see a drastic reduction in the consumption of pilot whale overall."
Aggi Ásgerð Ásgeirsdóttir is one of those women who refuse to serve pilot whale meat to her family. An artist and a mother of three, Ásgeirsdóttir lives in a classic Faroese wooden house on a hill overlooking Tórshavn – the kind of place that could be a postcard for Faroese culture. But she has no interest in participating in the tradition of the grindadráp. "We don't depend on pilot whaling for survival any longer," she said. "The opposite is true: To ensure our own health, and the health of generations to come, we need to stop viewing pilot whales as a food source."
Ásgeirsdóttir told me she has many friends who share her views. "In the Faroe Islands, we often ask each other, 'Do you eat pilot whale?' in much the same way others might ask, 'Do you smoke?'" She then added: "The pilot whale slaughter is not a part of my identity. Times have changed. Our habits, our culture, and how we perceive Faroese identity need to reflect that."
Listening to Ásgeirsdóttir and other young women, it seemed that a quiet rebellion is occurring in the Faroe Islands. There is no open, organized boycott against whale meat. But an underground, unheralded dinner table revolt is happening across the archipelago as young women refuse to eat whale meat themselves or feed it to their children. This reminds me of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata. In that story the women of Greece refuse to have sex with their husbands as a way of protesting the never-ending Peloponnesian War. A similar gender-based revolt is occurring in the Faroes – only in this case it is a protest against the war on whales, and in place of a sexual revolution there is a culinary one. Once again, women hold the key to halting the killing.
Traditions are like chains: It only takes a break in one link to demolish the whole thing. This is about to happen to the whaling tradition in the Faroe Islands. During my time there, I spoke to many people – both men and women – who eat whale meat and blubber themselves but won't feed it to their children. Eventually, then, a new generation will come of age that does not have a taste for pilot whale meat. It is to be hoped that they will lose a taste for the killing as well.
Helene Hesselager O'Barry is a Danish animal rights activist and writer.
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I have an entirely different view. I am certain the animals being driven ashore are injured and will never survive more than a few weeks after reaching the Faroe Islands. I see nothing wrong with harvesting this meat. Furthermore, the mercury content of pilot whales is an entirely different mercury than the toxic metal.
By Capt. David Williams on Sat, August 19, 2017 at 8:49 pm
Noticing, and opposing, whaling in the Faroe Islands is hardly very original.
Did you notice that the Faroese kill sheep in their cellars, often with a knife? That they wring the necks of guillemots with their bare hands? That children in the Faroe Islands are abused, physically, mentally and sexually as we write? Would you start activism and write blogs against this?
By Jongerd on Thu, February 09, 2017 at 3:44 pm
What do you expect? they live on islands with nothing but sheep, fish, and rocks. They Need this stuff to remain healthy. It would be better if they killed less, but to cut out whaling from their lives is throwing culture AND health of theirs out the window. Besides, while I am no vegetarian/Vegan/give-a-kiss-to-Mother-earth-person, I will say that you ninnies might as well stop killing pigs, who have as much intelligence as whales. Besides, these whales are common.
In other words, don't judge a person just because they whale. they have good reasons, unless one of them kills them senselessly, and for no point whatsoever.
By Joseph Vinegar on Mon, December 26, 2016 at 1:25 pm
I am going to take a neutral stance on this, but I think alot of people fail to realize that we are a part of the food web, and we wouldn't be where we are at as a species had we not started as hunter gatherers, and began to domesticate wild animals for food, and labor. We are not that far removed from that. We may be morally opposed to hunting wild animals, but we evolved to be omnivores. . . we're not above predation of any species in general. No one thinks twice about a shark eating a seal, or a bird eating a fish, but the minute we see someone following a traditional form of hunting, fishing, etc. its seen as savage and troglodytic. . .
News flash, if we would live within the means of the food chain, nature has her own checks and balances. . . species come and go all the time. They have for millions of years. Instead, we trash the ecosystems doing what we feel is morally superior. The planet, as a collective, can only handle so much before the system breaks down. . . we aren't forever, nor is any other species. . . if we lived sustainably things would be way, way different. We're effectively affording our own extinction by doing the very things that we see morally superior.
WE broke the system, and we're going to end up on the wrong side of those checks and balances. . . We don't need to be going after the little guys doing a traditional hunt, even if its sold locally, which it seems to be (bartering, etc). We need to go after the ones who are emptying out entire ecosystems of their biodiversity into factory ships, and cherry picking what they want, and dumping tons of dead bycatch (including species who were fished specifically for their lucrative body parts, and tossed back still alive to asphyxiate) back in the ocean because it's not profitableWe need to look in the mirror, and stop living beyond the Earth's means, especially in the name of being morally superior. We, as a society aren't hunting for sustenance, we're hunting for money, industrialization, etc, and we aren't above falling victim to the very thing we're trying to conquer, and taking millions of species along with us the way so many species have gone before.
By Morgan Laroche on Sun, December 13, 2015 at 7:19 pm
I happen to agree with everything Mrs. Barry has to say. It is good to read something that describes the people and their actions. Some interesting facts come out and I appreciate them.
Brava, Mrs. Barry!
By Evy Schaeffer on Fri, August 14, 2015 at 7:50 am
its better to stop killing whales and dolphins.we can save them their lives.You know God created in this animals.thats why God put here animals.U know that God cant teach us about this killing.this is violently killings.God show us to love their animals.
By esther lyn Cordova on Thu, August 13, 2015 at 6:58 am
Just a definition-check: "bioaccumulation" in "Many toxins build up in an animal's body as you ascend the food chain. This bioaccumulation reaches dangerous levels in top predators such as pilot whales" should be "biomagnification".
Bioaccumulation is the build-up of toxins in one specie, while biomagnification is the build-up of toxins going up the food chain.
By Eileen on Fri, June 19, 2015 at 5:51 pm
The article was well done and tried to be impartial, however, the truth was evident, that it( the grind) is no longer a need for food rather than a need to kill - to get into the whole blood lust to lighten the whole boringness of their lives. Extremely enlightening but so very sad in this time of our world's progression. I hope that Faroese will listen to the words of saner minds (even in their own midst. May God help you find a better way. I will pray for you.
By Jane Arkell on Wed, September 03, 2014 at 10:02 am
Wonderful, respectfully done article Helene. I follow your husband Rick and his fight for the dolphins.Though it is hard by times, we really must keep level heads about this issue and be able to sit down and have mature discussions with people of other cultures as you have done.People will always disagree about something, but it is nice to see that there are Faroese people who can look at all the angles of this that don't agree with anymore with the "tradition" and see it for what it is : to behave in an uncivilized manner with no empathy for the lives they are taking in that manner. It actually takes more of a man to say enough! and walk away. To not throw that first punch and walk away. The die hards will always exist there and will never be willing to see another side .
By Valerie Myra on Tue, August 12, 2014 at 1:21 pm
I need to ask: Who are we to judge which animals are not intelligent and beautiful enough that they will get a pass? Does one go "Hmm, you look terrible and quite dumb. You might kill it for food"..?
Many seem to forget about other animals that live their whole lives in captivity with just enough space so they can take a dump while these islanders take what travels by, which has lived freely their entire lives. It's not just their whaling but their sheep live in the mountains. I'm sorry, but I do not see the "barbarism" cause it looks to me as if they are more respectable towards their food than all these commercial food companies and therefore the rest of the world could learn a thing or two from what is going on on those islands.
If you're a meat eater that just doesn't accept that the Faroese kill and eat these whales then your argument is invalid. You do not get to tell a nation what to eat and what not to eat.
If you're a vegan then fine. But I would need to ask you this: Do you think there would be enough food for 7.245 Billion people on this planet if we all became vegan?. If not, then what should be do? Should we let some of the population starve to death or should we kill some animals for food? And if so, then which animals would you find to be ugly and dumb enough that you would see them unworthy to live?
By Kaj Olsen on Mon, June 23, 2014 at 5:46 am
There is only one cause that pilot whales are killed there, it's because of food and not fun, sport or profit. Please read the real facts: http://whaling.fo/Default.aspx?ID=13755
Pilot whales are not dangered. Regarding to NAMMCO it's 128.000 in the Iceland-Faroese area and total number killed in average pr. year is 800. Reproduction rate is almost 4.000.
By JA on Mon, June 23, 2014 at 1:32 am
I want to thank you for writing such a beautiful article.
When I first saw the pictures which were posted on Facebook I wanted to see if this was a real tradition or just another exaggerated Facebook post, my findings horrified me that this in fact was a practice the Faroe people have kept as a tradition for centuries.
I then came across an article which was written by am Romainian woman who has settled her life on one of the Faroe Islands.
In her article she tried to justify this was solely for food as the Faroe people had not other resorces.
When bloggers approached her about the mass amouts of Pilot Whales being slaughter and the high levels of Mercury in the meat making it unsafe to eat. She went on to talk about tabacco and aspatine etc… To which I might add has no relevancy to the questions being asked,"why they c slaughter the amounts of Pilot Whales they do?"
Still avoiding the questions; as it was apparent she had no real answers, she became emotional, started to insinuate people were lacking a brain, calling them stupid arrogant and aggressive. Liturally telling one Blogger "THEY SUCK"
Therefore I was happy to read your article as I found it to be far more informative than the Writer who actually lives on the Faroe Island.
If you would like to take a moment and read this blog I would love to here your thoughts and maybe even comments with this writter.
Again thank you for putting in so much time to reseach this unnecessary tradition. I do hope the Faroe People will join the 21st Century and create new more conventional traditions.
By Bonnie on Fri, January 31, 2014 at 8:32 am
The mention of pilot whale meat and blubber being offered for sale in the Faroe Islands is not hogwash. We found it for sale at a fish stand by the harbor in Torshavn and online.
Best regards,
By Helene OBarry on Wed, January 29, 2014 at 9:38 am
the selling of whale meat and blubber is pure hogwash, the fact is that it is illegal to sell blubber and whale meat, but it is not illegal to give it away, and i am often at the supermarket and have never seen a single any whale meat for sale only for free and as small samples.
P.S. i live in the Faroe Islands so i am pretty sure i know a little more about this subject then you do
By Teitur allan dam jacobsen on Wed, November 27, 2013 at 12:29 pm
The people who participate in this hunt are cowardly sadists with their heads tucked comfortably up their own asses. Cruelty to any sentient being in the name of culture, tradition, or religion should never be accepted. If the human race is going to move forward in the direction of empathy and compassion then these repulsive little blemishes of culture and tradition, no matter where they are happening, need to be left in the past where they belong.
By Ashley on Tue, September 03, 2013 at 8:25 pm
Thank you for writing such an intelligent, well-researched article
that captures with its broad sweep and specific, revealing language
the psychological as well as historic nature of the problem.
Not many reporters are able to do this. It is writing at its best.
By Irene Muschel on Mon, September 02, 2013 at 6:34 am
Extremely well written and highly informative! Thank you for such an in depth report on what you experienced! Very interesting!
By Therese Burchianti on Fri, August 30, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Great article that takes into account the complexity of tradition. Though you are an animal rights advocate, Helene, it was thoughtful of you to look into the possible spiritual value of this practice:
"a form of escape, a dramatic interlude from the banality of modern society. The hunt transforms an ordinary day into an epic struggle between life and death. The barbaric practice persists not just because it feeds the Faroese people, but because it feeds people's desire for something primal, something visceral."
I'm also an animal rights activist, but when I read those lines I recognized a desire that I too have—the "desire for something primal, something visceral."
This makes me wonder how this need can be fulfilled without the practice of killing whales, which I'm absolutely opposed to, by the way.
It was interesting that you mentioned football. Do sports have much place in the Faroe islands? ... because this whale killing is essentially that. What new traditions can come about that don't involve killing?
And lastly, thank you so much for taking a look at how gender factors in. Most writers would've written this article completely ignoring that the whole killing ritual is performed by men, and without taking a look at why that might be.
By Holly Haworth on Wed, January 02, 2013 at 11:35 am
Excellent article! I'm so glad to see this connection between machismo (being a real man) and killing animals. It's true in many of the hunting (and trapping) communities here as well - it's not about feeding families, or even maintaining traditions. Bravo to you for revealing this so well!
By marybeth holleman on Wed, December 19, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Well written. Honest, brutal, but with much hope. I truly believe the fate of the world lies with in the feminine energy and goddess in each one of us women. We carry the empathy that can save the world from destruction.
"If you talk to the animals they will talk with you. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them and what you do not know you will fear. What one fears, one destroys" Chief Dan George
With out fear, I join you and many others in the hopes that our voices will someday be loud enough to say ENOUGH! and the killing will stop. Thank you to your and your husband for all you do.
By Stephanie Neimiller on Tue, December 11, 2012 at 8:15 pm
this is so heartbreaking, thank you Helene and Ric for your love and devotion to these beautiful creatures.
By Pam North on Mon, December 10, 2012 at 10:45 am
Thank you for taking the time to explain their hunting ritual. Your straightforward observations and journalistic style provide a sense of being there. There was hope in the final sections in that women in this far away world will make the difference in what they choose to feed their families.
By Diana on Wed, December 05, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Excellent article Helene, thank you for writing it all so clearly. I share you hope that this practise will die out with a new generation.
By Louise Mary Badger on Wed, December 05, 2012 at 3:55 pm
El hombre no creó la trama de la vida, es sólo una fibra de la misma. Lo que haga con ese ese tejido, se lo hace a si mismo… Si los hombres escupen en el suelo, se escupen a sí mismos, no se hagan este mal, porque la vida y la naturaleza no se queda con nada.
By catalina lopez cifuentes on Wed, December 05, 2012 at 9:15 am
Harrowing article, they may well stop eating the meat but i doubt that the kill with all of the ;power' it brings, will cease
By Val on Wed, December 05, 2012 at 9:09 am
Excellent report, Helene. With heart and devotion. Thank you.
By Hans Peter Roth on Wed, December 05, 2012 at 1:57 am
So pleased this article came my way today. I was totally engrossed. I follow many groups and share information re the capture,slaughter,cruelty and captivity of these magnificent beings. Great to read this article from Ric O'Barrys wife,as im a huge fan of his since watching "The Cove" a few years back. Thanks : )
By Peni Edwards on Tue, December 04, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Please end this senseless slaughter and pay for your food instead of stealing our natural resouces
By James Davidson on Tue, December 04, 2012 at 6:54 pm


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Wayne County, West Virginia Genealogy
United States West Virginia Wayne County
|Wayne County, West Virginia
Location in the state of West Virginia
Location of West Virginia in the U.S.
|County Seat
- 1 County Courthouse
- 2 History
- 3 Places / Localities
- 4 Resources
- 5 Societies and Libraries
- 6 References
County Courthouse
Wayne County Courthouse
700 Hendricks Street
Wayne, WV 25570
Phone: 304-272-6371
County Clerk has bird and death records from 1853
Marriage records from 1854
Probate and Land Records[1]
The county is named after Revolutionary War General "Mad" Anthony Wayne (1745-1796).[2]
Parent County
1842--Wayne County was created 18 January 1842 from Cabell County.
County seat: Wayne [3]
Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Wayne County boundary changes.
Record Loss
Places / Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
- Boyd County, Kentucky
- Cabell
- Lawrence County, Kentucky
- Lawrence County, Ohio
- Lincoln
- Martin County, Kentucky
- Mingo
- Bloss Cemetery, Lavalette
- Old Crescent Hill Cemetery, Ceredo
- Mays Cemetery, Lavalette
- Queen's Ridge Cemetery
- Strother Cemetery, Hubbardstown
- Find a Grave Wayne County, West Virginia
- Morris Funeral Home
For tips on accessing Wayne County, West Virginia Genealogy census records online, see: West Virginia Census.
Wayne County, Transactions West Virginia Deeds
Local Histories
West Virginia Archives
A Brief History of Buffalo Creek Community, Wayne County ,West Virginia. Morgantown, West Virginia, Agricultural Extension Division, 1925. (On-line version)
Xwv 1. Agr 3. 2: B78.
Comstock, Jim. Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia. Richwood, West Virginia, Jim Comstock, 1973.
975.4003 H259 v.7.
Darby, Erasmus Foster. App Queen Day: Being an Eyewitness Account of How This Great Schoolmaster is Honored Each Year in Wayne County, West Virginia. Chillicothe, Ohio, Dave Webb, 1955.
398.22 D24a Pam.
_________________. Spot the Great Red Nosed Hound of Sugar Tree Hollow. Chillicothe, Ohio, Dave Webb, 1954. 636.7 D34s Pam.
Kirby, Wesley D. History of Wayne Community Wayne County West Virginia. Morgantown, West Virginia, Agricultural Extension Division, 1926. (On-line version)
Xwv 1. Agr 3. 2: K5.
McClintic, Elizabeth Knight. Ceredo: An Experiment in Colonization. s. l., n. p., 1937. 917.5447 M126.
Osborn, Lucian W. History of East Lynn Community Wayne County West Virginia. Morgantown, West Virginia, Agricultural Extension Division, 1927. (On-line version)Xwv 1. Agr 3. 2: O8.
A Pictorial History of Wayne County. Kenova, West Virginia, Wayne County Historical Publications Inc., 1988. 975.447 W359p.
Taylor, Mildred. History of Wayne County, West Virginia. Wayne, West Virginia, n. p., 1963. 975.447 T244.
Thomas C. W.History of Ceredo and Kenova. s. l., n. p., @1958. 975.447 T482 Pam.
Varney, Carl E. Birch Bark and Sassafras Tea. Crum, West Virginia, @1976. 917.5447 V318.
Williams, John Alexander. "A Note and Documents on the Wayne County Shooting Incident During the Election Campaign of 1894." West Virginia History, Charleston, West Virginia, Department of Archives and History, 1971-72. Arc 1. 4:33.
1850 Map of Virginia and West Virginia
Wayne County, West Virginia Map
Civil War
Regiments. Service men in Wayne County, West Virginia Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Wayne County, West Virginia Genealogy:
- - 1st Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry) (Confederate). Companies A, C, and G.
- - 2nd Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry) (Confederate). Company H.
- - 4th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company G.[4]
- - 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company K (Fairview Rifle Guards aka Sandy Rangers).[5]
- - 16th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Companies E, G, and H.[6]
- - 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company A (Witcher's Company Virginia Mounted Rifles).[7]
- - 45th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (K).[8]
Records and histories are available, including:
- Wayne County, West Virginia Civil War
- West Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
- 8th Virginia Calvary
West Virgina, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991
Wayne County, West Virginia Will Books 1843 - 1968
West Virginia Will Books
Vital Records
West Virginia Vital Records: Birth, Death, Marriages
- 1853-1863 - Virginia Marriages 1853-1863 (Ancestry) ($).
Societies and Libraries
Historical Societies
Wayne County, West Virginia Public Library
Ceredo-Kenova Memorial Public Library
Wayne County Geenalgoical and Historical Society
Cabell - Wayne County Historical Society PO Box 9412 Huntinton, WV 25704
KYOWVA Genealogical Society P O Box 1254 Huntington, WV 25715
Kentucky Ohio West Virginia Genealogical Society
Family History Centers
- Huntington West Virginia Family History Center
- Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
- Wayne County, West Virginia Biographies
- Web Sites
- Wayne County, West Virginia Communities
- Wayne County, West Virginia Wikipedia
- Family History Library Catalog
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wayne County, West Virginia. Page 746 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ "Anthony Wayne," Wikipedia.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ The Virginia State Line: Organizational Structure of the Virginia State Line, Ranger95.com, accessed 11 June 2012.
- ↑ Jack L. Dickinson, 8th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1986). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 25.
- ↑ Jack L. Dickinson, 16th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1989). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 60.
- ↑ Scott C. Cole, 34th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 94.
- ↑ Jeffrey C. Weaver, 45th Battalion Virginia Infantry, Smith and Count's Battalions of Partisan Rangers (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1994). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 102.


text:
Submission to the CNSC, May 2013
Sierra Club Canada and the Ontario Chapter have submitted a detailed report on the Pickering Nuclear Station request for permit extension to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Our research has identified several reasons why closure of the plant should begin immediately.
Some key points from the report:
- Pickering Nuclear caused a nearly 20 percent increase in collective worker radiation exposure in 2012.
- OPG admits that planned outages, opening of radioactive systems for maintenance work and decommissioning operations will increase the exposure of workers to tritium.
- CNSC's staff view an environmental assessment of this proposed activity is not required under the current Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. That Act came into force on July 6, 2012, yet OPG's application is dated July 4, 2012. The OPG Application is therefore subject to the more comprehensive 1992 Act in force at the time.
- The 2012 Ontario Energy Board report states: "the Pickering A and B plants have among the worst, and on some measures the worst, operating measures" among nuclear generating stations worldwide.
- OPG admits that measures to mitigate aging reactor components, with adverse impact on safety margins and reactor operations, are not always available or are too costly. Without being able to identify committed mitigation measures, the CNSC would be remiss in its legislative duty to approve the application.
- Pickering's concrete aggregates require reexamination: Pickering's concretes were designed back in the 1980s, similar to the when Seabrook Station in the United States (where ASR occurred due to its original aggregates from construction) was built as well. ASR damage to concrete containment structures may lead to radiation leakage to the atmosphere and water.
- Incomplete VBO inspection: In the event of a rupture in the piping in any of Pickering's reactors, steam from the break would be automatically sucked into the Vacuum Building and condensed into water – preventing the release of emissions and other damage due to steam pressure build-up. Incomplete VBO inspection raises concerns in structural safety and unforeseen concrete degradations. Only 2 out of 8 areas were fully inspected for the underwater concrete integrity of the common intake duct structures. Concrete degradation has already been discovered at Unit 7.
- CNSC's radiation protection standard for tritium is two to three times less protective than what is achievable in other jurisdictions.
- Canadian health agencies and radiation regulators consider the public dose limit of 1 mSv tritium per year is not dangerous, despite the science.
- While Sierra Club Canada maintains there is no safe exposure to tritium, the Canadian exposure limit should be tightened by a factor of 3 to reflect current scientific evidence.
- 2009 UK studies show all children receiving about 1 mSv of gamma radiation from background radiation each year results in their leukemia risk being increased by 12%.
- Despite the growing body of scientific evidence, CNSC and its staff act contrary to the public interest by not acknowledging this evidence and by failing to apply the precautionary principle in the regulation of radiation limits.
- A growing body of evidence in Ontario recommends the tritium limit in drinking water be set at 20 Bq/L.
- The best way to avoid unnecessary and unreasonable exposure to tritium is to begin the early and orderly decommissioning of Pickering Nuclear now.
- The last Environmental Assessment was done in 2007 and failed to consider Pickering Nuclear as a source for transboundary pollution and the possible application of the 1991 Canada-US Air Quality Agreement.
- Should the CNSC approve the application, Canada may be out of compliance with the Agreement for failing to provide notice and to conduct an EA.
- SCC is calling on the International Joint Commission to reestablish the Nuclear Task force to produce a report on nuclear issues, including on comparative radiation protection standards, and an inventory of all proposed licensing applications.
View the slide presentation
Read the full report


text:
Spring Cutback is a monumental task – one that took us 1,200 hours to complete last year. This year, we have twice as much work to do. The High Line doubled in length when the new section opened last June, giving us one mile of parkland with more than 100,000 plants to prepare for spring this year.
The High Line's unique design, with gravel mulch and railroad tracks running through the planting beds, makes it impossible to use power equipment to cut back the plants. It is for this reason that Spring Cutback is an all-hands-on-deck scenario, requiring the hard work and dedication of our entire staff and many volunteers over the course of six weeks.
Today we get to know one of our most dedicated volunteers, Pat Jonas, who has been working side-by-side with our gardeners on various projects for more than a year, and joins us again this season to lend a hand with Spring Cutback.
Since she started with us last season, Pat has dedicated at least six hours a week to help the High Line Gardeners with pruning, weeding, mulching, and plant record keeping. With many years of horticulture experience and a passion for volunteering, Pat has proven herself to be a valuable asset to our team.
"It is a true pleasure to work with Pat Jonas. Not only does she have a natural talent for working in the field to help keep the plantings healthy and beautiful, but she is also an amazing resource for horticultural information that we use on a daily basis. I feel very lucky to be able to work with her," says Johnny Linville, Horticulture Foreman at Friends of the High Line.
Friends of the High Line: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Pat Jonas: I have been growing plants most of my adult life, but I made my first garden in the ground in Chicago, where I discovered plants like prairie smoke (Geum triflorum), which can be found on the High Line in the Chelsea Grasslands and Wildflower Field. When I returned to New York, I brought my enthusiasm for the simple beauty, adaptability, and toughness of prairie plants to my Chelsea rooftop garden, which I have been cultivating for the past 23 years.
My Chelsea garden was one of the touchstones for the weekly gardening advice that I contributed for four years to the "Cuttings" column in The New York Times. I was also a regular contributor to Plants and Gardens News, and I have lectured on botanical art for public gardens, horticultural organizations, and plant societies. I have served on the boards of the American Society of Botanical Artists and Metro Hort, and I am a current member of Wave Hill's Friends of Horticulture Committee. I have also curated exhibitions of botanical art and I am chair of the Exhibitions Committee of the American Society of Botanical Artists.
Why did you want to get involved with Spring Cutback?
[Spring Cutback] is a wholehearted, physical way to celebrate the imminence of spring. The scale of the effort can't be matched in most private gardens, and it's a great way to connect with other gardeners.
Was there anything about volunteering at the High Line during the Spring Cutback that surprised you?
The mobilization of so many people over such a short time to accomplish so much is amazing. There's a feeling of community that surrounds this work.
What has been your favorite part of volunteering during High Line Spring Cutback?
There's a thrill when spring bulbs are revealed as we cut back grasses and other perennials. In some cases the growth is just beginning to emerge and it is easy to overlook. As we were working together near the 10th Avenue Square in early March, [High Line Gardener] Kyla Dippong identified the tips of leaves just poking through the leaf litter and the two of us stood there imagining shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia) in flower in May. This charming native in the primrose family was once abundant in the East and Midwest but is now on many endangered lists, so seeing it on this trail in the sky is particularly poignant.
What has been the most challenging part of volunteering at the High Line?
After a winter of comparative physical inactivity, I need to remind myself to be smart about full tilt gardening. It's great to get outside, but it's a challenge to keep up with High Line Gardeners.
What have you learned during your time here?
For plant geeks like me, there is always something to learn: new plants, new varieties, and better ways to garden. The High Line has an amazing team of talented horticulture professionals who are generous with their knowledge.
What is your favorite area of the High Line? Why?
In addition to the plants, I think it is the entire kinetic experience that makes the High Line such an exciting urban landscape, so it is impossible for me to say that one area is my favorite. It's a bit like asking which note in a musical composition is a favorite – I truly enjoy the park as a whole.
Complete the following sentence: "I volunteer with Spring Cutback [because]…"
. . . it's my neighborhood park and a privilege to be part of it. Also, I love sharing my enthusiasm for this place with visitors from all over the world who stop to express their admiration or ask questions. It's like nothing I have ever experienced.
Thank you to Pat and to all of our volunteers who've made this year's Spring Cutback possible. We couldn't do it without your contributions!


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64 churches, 500K meals
In the time it takes to read this sentence, one child will have died from starvation.
That's the message area churches want to spread as they prepare to package 500,000 meals for impoverished communities around the world.
Sixty-four churches from Catawba, Iredell and Alexander counties agreed to participate in the Stop Hunger Now campaign, which provides low-cost, nutritious meals for children in countries such as Japan, Haiti and Honduras.
Each meal costs 25 cents, which means the churches in the Statesville District of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church need $125,000 to meet their goal.
"With economic times the way they are, we don't know how much church members can donate, even if they want to," said Susan Reinhardt, a member of First United Methodist Church in Newton and a volunteer for the project.
So, churches involved in the project are calling on other civic groups, Boy Scout troops and volunteers to help assist raising the money and supporting the mission to package 500,000 meals.
"This is one small part; this is our contribution," said Pete Ross, one of the project's coordinators from Bethel Methodist in Longview. "This is what our district took on to change not only a child's life, but the volunteers' lives, as well."
Since the project started in January, Ross said he's noticed that he pays more attention to the small things in life and is more aware of the hardships others face around the world.
Reinhardt agreed.
"This is a cause that is getting into the heart of our people," she said.
The churches will come together May 14, dubbed Change the World Day, to package meals at locations in Newton and Statesville. Catawba County volunteers can come to the Newton Armory located off U.S. 321 to participate in one of three shifts.
Reinhardt and Ross estimated the churches need about 2,000 volunteers to assist with the packaging process.
"There's a lot more involved in it than just packaging," Ross said. "Each station has a different job."
Ross said the packaging event is a great opportunity for Boy Scouts trying to earn their Eagle Scout rank or school civic clubs hoping to earn service hours.
Volunteers will take the raw materials used in the meals, like rice and minerals, and put them into sealed bags for distribution. The food is easily transported and has a long shelf life that prevents it from being spoiled during transit.
Stop Hunger Now allows its volunteers to choose where in the world their packaged meals are sent, but the 64 churches chose not to specify an exact location.
Reinhardt said the churches simply want the food to go "where it's needed."
Once the meals reach their destinations, they are sent to schools to encourage children to attend and get an education. Other organizations have partnered with Stop Hunger Now to provide clean water needed to make rice meals.
According to the Stop Hunger Now website, the organization packaged more than 370,000 meals this week, bringing the total meals packaged to more than 40.6 million.
To volunteer, donate or be part of the churches' Stop Hunger Now project, contact Ross at (828) 320-7613 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Switch option for energy customers
Tens of thousands of struggling households who owe money to their energy supplier will be freed up to switch to cheaper deals as part of a raft of new measures.
The biggest six energy suppliers - British Gas, EDF, Eon, SSE, Scottish Power and npower - will allow customers on pre-payment meters with debts of up to £500 to switch from November 1 in a bid to help them cope with utility prices which have jumped sharply in recent years.
Currently, only customers with debts of £200 or less are allowed to switch.
There are some 320,000 gas and 315,000 electricity customers with pre-payment meters who owe money to their supplier, according to energy regulator Ofgem, and it is thought tens of thousands will be helped by the move.
In most cases they racked up the debts when they were allowed credit and were slapped with pre-payment meters as part of a repayment plan.
The increase in the threshold at which customers can switch will be backed by a drive from suppliers to raise awareness of switching and making it easier to switch.
The latest initiative is part of Ofgem's push to encourage suppliers to work more effectively with households to resolve debt issues and use disconnection as a last resort.
Ofgem is due to report figures next week that will show a 59% fall in the number of people disconnected from their gas supply and a 54% drop in electricity disconnections, partly as a result of people being given more time to repay debts.
However, the average amount of debt people are repaying on their gas accounts rose to £371 in 2011, up from £339 the previous year. Meanwhile, the average electricity debt fell slightly to £357.
Sarah Harrison, senior partner for sustainable development at Ofgem, said: "We welcome the significant falls in the number of households being disconnected, but Ofgem remains determined to ensure suppliers continue to focus on helping consumers manage their energy bills and reduce their debt."


text:
A luxurious Vail Village Ski Chalet with thoughtful finishes and decor throughout painting a beautiful picture of spending valued time with friends and family after a day on the slopes. Rich wood and stone used throughout. Ample and open living spaces. Picturesque setting surrounded by mature pines. A quick and scenic walk alongside Gore Creek brings you to the activity of Vail Village. New master suite and library add to the elegance. Wine cellar, large bunk/play room and fun family room.
Charming, pedestrian friendly Vail Village has everything you could need or want right at your fingertips. The heart of Vail is located at the base of the ski mountain, home to Gondola One, and has undergone a great transformation with the renovation and construction of dozens of properties. The Village, with its heated cobblestone streets and quaint European architecture, invites you to discover world-class fine dining, art galleries, local boutiques and luxury retail. In addition to the tremendous variety of shopping and dining, Vail Village hosts sporting and cultural events, festivals, and concerts year-round. These include the Burton US Open, The GoPro Mountain Games, Gourmet on the Gore, Sunday Summer Farmer's Markets, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Vail International Dance Festival and free winter and summer outdoor concert series at the stunning Solaris Plaza.
The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Resort Data Exchange program of the Vail Multi List Service Inc. and Mountain Region Multi List Service. Real estate listings belonging to brokerage firms other than Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate are marked with the RDX logo or icon. The detailed information about them includes the listing brokers name.
Copyright © 2018 Vail Multi List, Inc. (VMLS). The information displayed herein was derived from sources believed to be accurate, but has not been verified by VMLS. Buyers are cautioned to verify all information to their own satisfaction. This information is exclusively for viewers' personal, non-commercial use. Any republication or reproduction of the information herein without the express permission of the VMLS is strictly prohibited.
Listing courtesy of Slifer Smith & Frampton/Bridge


text:
Monday , May 14, 2018 - 7:10 PM3 comments
OGDEN — An Ogden couple accused of killing their daughter in 2017 both formally pleaded not guilty Monday in connection to aggravated murder charges.
Miller Costello, 25, and Brenda Emile, 23, who are charged with killing 3-year-old Angelina Costello, appeared in Ogden's 2nd District Court with their attorneys.
Costello's attorneys — Randy Marshall and James Retallick — allowed the court to bind over their client to trial. One of Emile's attorneys, on the other hand, argued there was no definitive evidence to suggest Emile could be charged with aggravated murder.
Martin Gravis, one of the two attorneys representing Emile, said there was no definitive physical evidence to prove she caused the death or was an accessory to the death of her daughter.
RELATED: Ogden 3-year-old's death a 'horrifying story' of parental abuse, prosecutor says
Judge Michael DiReda rebuffed the notion and pointed to the makeup Emile put on the child's body to conceal injuries that investigators found during the child's autopsy.
Early in the case, Emile told police she put the makeup on the child in order to hide her injuries from other children. Emile also said that a large burn found on Angelina's chest was caused by a sparkler and happened over the Fourth of July.
In a February preliminary hearing, a prosecutor asked the forensic pathologist who conducted the child's autopsy if a sparkler could cause a wound that large; he said it was not possible.
RELATED: Medical examiner says Angelina Costello had brain hemorrhages, cigarette burns
When DiReda asked Gravis about the lack of food provided to the child, shown in videos found on the defendant's phone, Gravis said starvation did not cause the child's death.
DiReda ultimately found probable cause to bind over Emile to trial for aggravated murder. He also concluded that both Costello and Emile will be held without bail in the Weber County Jail while they await trial.
Both defendants in the case are eligible for the death penalty, and prosecutors have yet to file paperwork saying if they intend to seek capital punishment for both Costello or Emile in the case.
The next scheduled court appearance for Costello and Emile will be a disposition hearing that will take place July 19 in Ogden's 2nd District Court. No trial dates have been scheduled in connection with the case.
Contact reporter Jacob Scholl at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter @Jacob_Scholl.
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Included are images of Pancho Villa; Cecil B. DeMille; and the Duke and Duchess of Alburquerque, Spain, arriving at the Albuquerque Municipal Airport for the "Enchantarama" celebration in 1956. Kelly calls the site—which also has video, music and an array of documents—an "interactive way that everybody in New Mexico can join in a discussion about New Mexico history." He adds that it serves both as a fun tool for looking into the state's past and as a place where students and educators can post and discuss academic papers and topics.
Kelly launched the site about half a year ago in anticipation of the 2012 100th anniversary celebration. "What we wanted to do was have all these resources for folks as they're developing their centennial year projects," he says. Here are some standout images from the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History's collection, curated by photo archivist Glenn Fye. See the whole project at nmstatehood.unm.edu


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Also, as I am in this career transitional phase from the Information Technology field over to genealogy with an emphasis on technology and social networking, I want to be able to look back and say, "so that's where all that time went!" Yeah, right. So here goes.
- Woke up at 7:00 am after only 3.5 hour sleep. I was on a tear researching a friend's Jewish genealogy as a pro bono project.
- Published the New Genealogy Blogs post for the week over at GeneaBloggers which was sitting ready to go in draft mode. Fourteen new blogs this week with some great new areas covered such as Latvian genealogy.
- Went through almost 200 blog posts from genealogy blogs during the day on Google Reader. Also covered another 50 blog posts in the tech blogs - weekends are the slowest time for tech postings since much of them tend to be "breaking news" developments about technology.
- Worked another 4 hours on my friend's genealogy. If anyone has surnames Wiseblood, Herzfeld, Bornstein or Siegel/Siegal or knows of any variations please email me. I think I've gone as far as I can using online resources and will need to visit The Newberry Library this week.
- Went out for Ethiopian food and beer with my friend Erica - a short walk from my home. Came back to an email from my cousin Wendy who was upset about a cemetery visit that afternoon. It appears that all markers for a set of her ancestors had been removed. She asked if I could do some research on this particular cemetery and ask my "cemetery friends" as she put it if they had any ideas as to why and how this happened.
- Wrote my SNGF - A Family's Increase post which was fun. For some reason I thought Grandma and Grandpa Austin had more descendants than just 87 - I think I need to contact living relatives and root out some more. I also did the SNGF roll-up over at GeneaBloggers.
- Well I'd like to say the day ended at 11:30 pm having had little sleep . . . but no. Got hooked on PBS and next thing I knew it was 5:00 am and the American Masters: Joan Baez special had just ended. Off to bed!


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Natural stone like marble & granite comes in a variety of shades, sizes, shapes and textures. Generally, we stock tiles in 4 x 4, 12 x 12, 12 x 24, 18 x 18, 24 x 24, not to mention our extensive collection of fine natural stone mosaics and borders. Additional sizes are always obtainable as well. Aside from tiles, we also carry pre-fabricated countertops, which come to the customer as a standard size, ready to be installed in virtually anyway. Along with the pre-fab countertops, we also carry matching center islands, back splash and slabs. This makes remodeling both quicker and a little more financially sound. Of course not all jobs have the requirements of pre-fabricated material… That's when we have the means and capabilities to accommodate any custom countertop job.
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Does no one read books any more?
Perhaps someone could explain the great benefit of having a systematic theology in electronic format?
I mean, I do understand if a work is out of print, but other than that is there a reason?
It would be wonderful to have my entire library searchable at my fingertips, but is that reasonable?
~Feeling old fashioned today it seems....
It's probably not reasonable to have an entire library searchable at your fingertips, but however unreasonable it seems today, it seems more and more like a possibility in the future. Just think of things like Google Book Search and Electronic, Searchable books on Amazon. Now for many books you can get an online searchable version that you can annotate for just a few dollars more. I can see that becoming more and more common as we become more technology-driven. Whether it's a good thing or not is up for debate. I think it could be a good thing (like the printing press) but with potential for very negative consequences (as the printing press has been used to spread all kinds of terrible and wicked magazines and other types of material).
For me, the reason I would want a systematic theology or other works like that (Edwards' Works for example) is for ease of access. If I'm reading through the systematic theology, I'd usually prefer the physical book. If I'm doing research on a topic, it's much quicker for me to look it up on the computer, especially with Scripture hyperlinks, dictionaries, and other reference materials readily available to cross reference. So for me, it boils down to what I'm doing with a particular work. For reading I'd rather have the book, but for research most of the time the electronic format is preferable. Good, thought-provoking question!


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There are a lot of things wrong with the way we build our cities, and in these hard times, there is a lot wrong in the way we are rebuilding them, or unbuilding them as the case may be. These activists were out the other night trying to stop the demolition of 41 historic buildings in Brantford, Ontario, that are coming down because some people think that this is better than trying to fix them. But fixing them is greener, and just one of many things we could do to make our cities and buildings better, more efficient and healthier.
1. Ban Demolition
"Every brick in building required the burning of fossil fuel in its manufacture, and every piece of lumber was cut and transported using energy. As long as the building stands, that energy is there, serving a useful purpose. Trash a building and you trash its embodied energy too."
Big Steps in Building: Ban Demolition >
2. Ban Formaldehyde
As we know courtesy of FEMA's optimization experiments, Formaldehyde exposure is not a good thing. It gets worse; a new study links it to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. As we know courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency, energy efficiency is a good thing, which is why they promote Energy Star houses, which have effective insulation, high-performance windows and tight construction. If you are going to have a tightly sealed, energy efficient house, it should be a healthy one.
Big Steps In Building: Ban Formaldehyde >
3. Put Solar Hot Water Heaters on Every Roof
How dumb is this? Use coal to boil water. Use steam to spin turbines and run generators to make electricity then transport it long distances to connect to a coil at the bottom of a tank- to make hot water. Solar hot water panels are dumb simple too — they're often just a box with a glass lid with black pipes in it. You can even build them yourself. Others types, like evacuated tube collectors, are more efficient if more expensive. Chinese manufacturers are cranking them out by the millions — so why doesn't every house have them?
Big Steps in Building: Put Solar Hot Water Heaters on Every Roof >
4. Install Gray Water Recovery Everywhere
For many people gray water re-use is, well, a gray area. However it has been thoroughly studied and documented, and is accepted in the IPC, or International Plumbing Code. Most municipalities use this or the Universal Plumbing Code, (UPC) as their standards (although neither is international or universal, but that is an aside). According to Ecospace:
The details: Basically what the IPC is now saying is that water coming from bathtubs, showers, lavatories (read sinks), and clothes washers are no longer required to discharge into the sewer main. This gray water is now considered collectable for the use of flushing toilets, (and subsurface landscape irrigation) if the proper procedure is followed.
Big Steps in Building: Install Gray Water Recovery Everywhere >
5. Plant a Tree
A deciduous tree planted on the south side of a house is the ultimate passive solar system; it shades in the summer and lets the sun through in the winter. Let's use this time-out in the housebuilding industry to develop codes and bylaws that make appropriate tree planting part of the requirements for the construction of any home.
Big Steps in Building: Plant a Tree >
More Big Steps in Building:
6. Make Natural Ventilation Mandatory
8. Change our Building Codes from Relative to Absolute


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As if we needed another reason to save the High Line at the Rail Yards.
A friend of the High Line recently sent us a rather mysterious tip that we had to go check out Nest Interiors (172 Ninth Avenue), in Chelsea. Not knowing quite what to expect, we wandered in and were met with an eyeful: a triptych of male nudes, apparently shot in warmer weather on the northern section of the High Line.
Check out photographer Kevin McDermott's Web site for the originals, sans red bar. (It's a flash site, so go to "Nudes".) NSFW, unless you work here.
{Now for a stern warning that both nude and clothed trespassing on the High Line is illegal. Trespassers are subject to arrest and prosecution.}
David Beckham, looks like you've been outdone.


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At 18, Nick Montoya, a member of the Taos Pueblo, exuded health, he says. But that changed after a year of duty in Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange. Since 1969, Montoya has dealt with post-traumatic stress, alcoholism, depression, diabetes, kidney disease, a heart attack and, last September, open-heart surgery. Disappointment, frustration, disgust and anger are some of the words that Montoya uses to describe how he feels about the health services he's received since he was a young man.
Montoya says that his health problems sometimes worsened because of bureaucratic hold-ups and gaps in services. This happened even though the federal government promised him and all other Native Americans health services as part of peace treaty agreements.
"Early on, I would go to Indian Health Service and they would say, 'You're a vet; go to the Veteran's Administration.' Then, I'd go there and they would say, 'Go to the Indian Health Services,'" he says. The New Mexico Indian Council on Aging (NMICoA) Health Committee, a group advocating for quality health services for Native Americans, has been bringing state and national attention to how incompetent and inadequate health services have contributed to the alarming health problems that are tearing relentlessly through Native American communities. According to a 2009 report by the National Indian Health Board, 13 percent of Native American deaths occur in those younger than 25, a rate three times higher than the rest of the US population, and Native American youths are twice as likely to commit suicide. Compared with other population groups, Native Americans are 550 percent more likely to die from alcoholism, 200 percent more likely to die from diabetes and 150 percent more likely to suffer accidental death. Tribally enrolled Native Americans make up 9.4 percent of the total population of New Mexico.
In February, the New Mexico Human Services Department unveiled a proposal to address the problem of inadequate health care for Native Americans. But critics say HSD's proposal is flawed and that the state's public hearing process failed to incorporate meaningful input from Native American tribal governments.
Delivering health care to Native Americans is a federal treaty obligation, Dr. Ron Lujan, a retired surgeon and an NMICoA spokesman, explains. Health care and education were promised to tribes when they were forced onto reservations at the end of the Indian wars in the late 1800s. To honor the agreements, the US government built Indian hospitals and clinics throughout the country. But over time, the funding for IHS—the federal agency charged with providing health care to Native Americans—drastically decreased, Lujan says, forcing people to wait months, if not years, for surgeries and exams.
"More and more in this day and age, rather than Indian Health Service living up to the level of private sector medicine, we are falling back," Lujan says. "It is becoming more and more a basic primary care delivery system. Indian Health Service hospitals no longer have intensive care units, obstetric services, X-ray services, CT scans or MRI scans. A lot of these cancers that could be detected early are not being detected."
As federal services and funding for health care went steadily downhill, Native Americans were encouraged to sign up for Medicaid, a state-administered federal health program for people living at or below the poverty level ($1,863 a month for a family of four). Approximately one-fourth of the Native American population qualifies for Medicaid, but many Native people don't know it; 33 percent of Native Americans lack any kind of health insurance.
At a Feb. 21 press conference in Albuquerque, Sidonie Squier, the New Mexico Human Services Department Secretary, rolled out her proposal for improving the health options for the state's poorest people: a Medicaid reform plan called Centennial Care. The plan has been in development since the Medicaid modernization process began last summer, with a series of public hearings and work groups led by HSD and Alicia Smith and Associates, a Washington, DC-based health policy group. (The state paid $1.7 million for ASA's services.)
Although Medicaid recipients worried that the proposed plan would alter their eligibility or benefits, it does not, nor will providers receive rate reductions. Other proposed changes aim to increase health literacy and responsibility by providing incentives such as gift cards. In some cases, co-pays will be required in order to discourage emergency room use for nonemergency care. As a way to reach rural communities, Squier has also proposed an extended version of Project ECHO, the University of New Mexico's telemedicine system.
None of these changes came as a surprise to advocates like Quela Robinson, a staff attorney for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. What did was a proposal requiring Native Americans to join one of the state's managed care organizations—private, for-profit, national companies such as Lovelace and Presbyterian. Once an MCO lands a state contract, it subcontracts out for services to doctors or health clinics located in towns like Grants, Gallup, Farmington and Albuquerque—miles away from tribal homes. Under the current Medicaid program, Native Americans can opt out of joining an MCO and use a private provider. Lujan says many Native Americans choose this option because they receive better services.
"They want services in their own language and from people who are familiar with their tribal communities," Olivia Ortiz, a translator for Acoma Pueblo elders who speak the Keres language, explains. Communication between tribal elders and MCOs is often difficult, she adds; most MCOs use the internet to communicate their services, and many tribal people don't have internet (or even phones) to find a provider or to participate in ongoing health discussions. (Roughly 30 percent of Native Americans do not have phones, and more than 90 percent don't have access to the internet, according to national reports.)
The proposed plan also presents another hurdle: Under Centennial Care, MCOs will be required to contract with tribal programs.
"We believe that our system of coordinated care will make sure that [Native Americans] not just get the services, but the outcomes they need to benefit them," Squier said at the press conference.
But Paul Fragua, chairman of the Jemez Pueblo Health Board, told SFR during a break at the Feb. 23 NMICoA meeting that such a system could be problematic for Jemez Pueblo.
"We already are self-managing. We design and direct our own programs. Under this plan, tribes will have to deal with at least two middlemen," Fragua explained. Holding up a $1 bill, he asked, "How much of this will really trickle down to Indian programs after the state and the MCOs get their cuts? Not much."
Rather than being forced to add a bureaucratic layer, Fragua says, "We would like to see the federal dollars come [directly] to the tribes instead of going through the middle men. We can provide better services to our community."
Squier, however, says the state has no choice.
"There is one reason we are doing this: Native Americans have the largest health disparities in the state compared to any other population in New Mexico," Squier said at the press conference. "The sad truth is that this disparity is getting larger and larger and not smaller and smaller. Whatever they have been doing, it's not working."
But even if the state's hand was forced, many critics say tribal leaders weren't sufficiently involved in the process of creating a new system.
Tamaya Pueblo Tribal Councilman Manuel Cristobal, also a member of the NMICoA, says the proposed mandate that Native Americans join MCOs was decided upon without full tribal discourse and agreement with New Mexico's tribal leadership.
"There was none. It was misleading," he says, referring to the references to tribal consultation in the Centennial Care plan. Only one of 20 pueblo governors and two lieutenant governors attended an Aug. 3 tribal-state consultation, he notes; the meeting was held during a time of pueblo traditional activities.
Shelly Chimoni, former head councilwoman for Zuni Pueblo, says the state even got one pueblo governor's name wrong in the Centennial Care plan.
"They refer to Gov. Lujan of the Laguna Pueblo. There is no Governor Lujan," she says. (The governor of Laguna is Richard Luarkie.)
Cristobal adds that the state has so far failed to address the issues in a way that would work for tribal people. Issues brought up at NMICoA meetings include, but are not limited to, accessible health, medical and dental services, along with long-term care, education, in-home care, outreach, prevention, translation services, veterans' services and direct funding from the federal government. How these services are delivered requires tribal leadership consensus demonstrated in the form of a jointly signed tribal resolution, he says.
Squier has said there is still time for tribes to provide input into the plan. She has scheduled a second tribal-state consultation for March 20 at the All Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
But critics say inviting 22 Native American tribal leaders—each of whom has the responsibility to govern a sovereign nation—to a one-day session to decide on health policy is too little, too late. Like the leaders of other sovereign nations such as France or Germany, tribal leaders have a host of pressing issues before them: public safety, water, land, taxation, utilities, housing, environment, social services, health and elder care. Their nations are also unique; no single health plan is likely to work for all of them.
"It's impossible," Cristobal says. "This is medical genocide. They are trying to break up the tribes. In the spirit of Popé, now is the time for the pueblo leadership to unite," he says. (Popé led the Pueblo Revolt against Spanish invaders in 1680.)
The best way to improve Native American health care, Cristobal says, requires a more individualized approach. Rather than imposing a top-down plan, he says, the state should sit down with each tribal leader to find out what will work for each individual community.
While the fight for Native American health care improvement goes on, Montoya's health is failing. We are sitting in the dining area of his home in Isleta Pueblo. The walls are covered with collage-type artwork he's created using a mixture of paintings and cutouts from magazines. He says the artwork helps him to keep going even on days like this. He has just come back from a dialysis treatment, which he receives three times a week for four hours a day at the Fresenius Medical Care Dialysis Center in Albuquerque. It has left him feeling very weak. He points to a place on his arm where needles have been inserted so many times that the vein collapsed. He's now on a list for a kidney transplant.
The state of New Mexico has submitted the proposed Centennial Care plan to the federal government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. After a negotiation period, the state will request proposals from interested health care providers and award contracts by September 2012, with programs going live by September 2013.
Indian Health Service is in the process of reviewing the state's proposal. Capt. Russel Pederson writes in an email to SFR that IHS is analyzing the Centennial Care information released by the state. "Indian Health Service in partnership with pueblo and tribal leadership will assess the impact of this plan on the Indian health system," Pederson writes.


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Police say one man died and another man was hospitalized after their car plunged into a Philadelphia river when the driver accelerated in the wrong direction by mistake.
Officials say the vehicle went into the Schuylkill River just after 5 p.m. Tuesday northwest of the city center.
Police said the two were trying to leave a parking lot but the driver mistakenly put the vehicle in drive rather than reverse and accelerated, causing the vehicle to enter the water
A police spokeswoman says a 30-year-old passenger was able to get out of the car and is in stable condition at Hahnemann Hospital. But the 31-year-old driver, Devon Womack, was later pulled from the water by divers and was later pronounced dead shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday at the hospital.
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