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As Pioneer High School students exited their classrooms for lunch on Thursday, they noticed something different: a clothesline with hundreds of socks, 1,095 to be exact, was stretched across the quad.
The socks of various colors, patterns, and sizes represent the estimated 1,095 people who die each day due to tobacco-related diseases in the United States.
According to Keri Hess, outreach specialist for the Yolo County Health Department, the socks are different on purpose because tobacco-related diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease affect everyone. Hess works with youth in the county, educating them about tobacco.
Hess was assisted by a dozen Pioneer students, who helped set up the clothesline display, games and artificial "healthy" and "smoker"s" lungs to teach other students about the risks of smoking. Students carried their lunches to the booth and asked their classmates about the socks, and participated in the games, including guessing the number of cigarette butts in a jar.
The event was put on for National Kick Butts Day, an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco, which takes place on March 19. Pioneer celebrated on the following day because Wednesdays are minimum days in the district.
In California alone, tobacco use claims 33,900 lives and costs $13.3 billion in health care bills each year and 13.8 percent of the state"s high school students smoke.
Junior Lissette Lopez admits that some of her peers smoke cigarettes, and said that she hopes the sock display will help those students think about the risks involved.
"It is hard for people to quit smoking," she said.
Lopez was one of the handful of students who volunteered at the event, asking students tobacco-related trivia questions for prizes. She said that the main reason she wanted to volunteer is because her uncle smokes, and she has witnessed how smoking has affected him.
Each year, smoking kills 480,000 people in the U.S. and costs the nation at least $289 billion in health care bills and other economic losses, according to the most recent Surgeon General"s report. This year"s report highlighted the 50th anniversary of the historic 1964 Surgeon General"s report that linked smoking to lung cancer and other diseases for the first time.
Also stated in the report, without urgent action to reduce smoking, 5.6 million U.S. children alive today will die prematurely from smoking-causing disease. That includes 441,000 children in California alone.
Follow Sarah Dowling at twitter.com/woodlanddowling


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Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Monday June 18, 2012 7:30 pm
Microsoft Surface video introduction
Posted by Andru Edwards - Categories: Handhelds, Microsoft, Videos
Now that Microsoft has revealed its plan to do battle in the tablet market, Microsoft Surface (as well as its super-cool accessories, the Touch Cover and Type Cover,) we thought you'd appreciate a look at the teaser video that Microsoft put together to unveil the product. Check it out after the break.
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subset: commoncrawl


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[Labrador] is not used in Cartier's narratives, though it appears in the title of the 1598 edition of his first narrative. It is supposed to have been added by the translator. There are, at least, six theories as to the origin of this word. [W.F. Ganong, "The Cartography of the Gulf of St. Lawrence," 1887]
He lists as "The generally accepted and altogether probable one" that "it was originally 'Terra Laboratoris,' land of the laborer because Cortereal brought fifty men thence to Europe, who were described as well fitted for slaves. This is sustained by all the evidence of old maps." Gasper Cortereal was a Portuguese navigator who explored the coast for the Portuguese crown in 1500 and brought home captives. He returned for more in 1501, but was never heard from again. But a Portuguese map of 1520 has the name Lavrador applied to Greenland, while the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland is called Bacalhaos, which is "codfish" in Basque. Another theory [Room] is that the sense of the name is "landholder" and is a reference to 15c. Portuguese explorer João Fernandes, who was a landholder in the Azores. The breed of retriever dog so called from 1815. Related: Labradorian.


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The State Agora had a more ceremonial character than the agora used for slave trade. At the eastern side stands a so called emperors' hall, as 20 copies of Greek statues were found here, amongst them Antoninus Pius. This is related to the fact that the town received the status of Neokoros, a city of imperial cult. What you see is essentially a wall with niches and some decoration, but one should realize this was a hall with a ceiling, the wall being its eastern side. The agora had a building at its centre, its purpose is unknown.
For any use: see my Profile. NOTE: Many of my pictures are in sub-galleries (some within another, their name is in bold print)!


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It looks like your browser is out of date.
To use all features of KLM.com safely, we recommend that you update your browser, or that you choose a different one. Continuing with this version may result in parts of the website not being displayed properly, if at all. Also, the security of your personal information is better safeguarded with an updated browser.
For many, Guayaquil is the starting place of a trip to the Galápagos Islands, one of the most fascinating archipelagos in the world. The islands are home to unique iguanas, flamingos and penguins. Rare turtles, sharks and sea horses live in the local waters. Diving will be an unforgettable experience.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) made some remarkable discoveries on these islands in the Pacific Ocean. His world famous theory of evolution was formed here. And this destination is still a favourite among many nature lovers, who are happy to don a pair of binoculars and spend days exploring the inhabited and uninhabited islands. Although some islands are off limits to visitors, many can be toured with an experienced guide. They will lead you around, pointing out the unique features of the animals and sharing fascinating stories about this ancient environment.
Each island of the Galápagos archipelago has its own one-of-a-kind residents. So no matter which island you visit, there will be plenty to see. The friendly Galápagos turtle, giant turtles that weigh up to 250 kilos, will patiently pose for a picture. The small penguins that inhabit these islands are the most northern living penguins in the world. This is remarkable because penguins usually live in much colder climates. On the white beach of Bahía Tortuga you can snorkel with them. And although anywhere else in the world cormorants can fly, the birds here have wings that are too small to take flight. So they waddle around on the ground. Look up to spot the large frigate birds. Their wing span is up to 2 metres and the male birds inflate their red chest into a huge balloon to seduce the female. The mating ritual of the blue footed booby is also very amusing. The male will arrogantly toss back his head and march around on his chunky blue feet. Does the female copy his behaviour? If she does, then he knows he has found a mate.
The Galápagos Islands consist of 19 large and 40 small volcanic islands. These are located 1000 kilometres from the South American mainland; unlike most islands, these rose up from the sea and have never been connected to the mainland. Because of this remote location, the animals have never interacted with other species and have undergone their own evolution. This is what Darwin discovered. By studying 13 different finches (now named Darwin's finches), Darwin confirmed his theory. At the Charles Darwin Research Station on the island of Santa Cruz, you can learn everything about his important discoveries. You will also learn that there are no large predators on the islands. The buzzard is at the top of the food chain, so the large biodiversity has remained intact. Due to the lack of predators, the animals are also unusually tame and not afraid to be approached by visitors.
Most visitors to the Galápagos Islands fly from Guayaquil to one of the larger inhabited islands and then take a boat to spend a few days or a few weeks in the region. Please note: every visitor must pay a 100 dollar entry fee, which is used for nature conservation. You can opt to stay on a boat or on some of the islands. Both options offer a variety of accommodations, ranging from camp grounds to luxury hotels. Another alternative is to spend some time volunteering, for example by reforesting the farmland on San Cristobál Island. As a volunteer you will help to replace non-native plants with young bushes and trees that are indigenous to the island.
Galápagos Islands


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Our annual Charity event is finally here folks! Feeling heroic or villianous?? Sign up for a week of fun and revelry from 8th - 14th Feb 2010 and all in the name of Charity of course!
The entry fee includes entry to all Kite Events, Kite service, the North Demo day and a goodie bag including North T shirts and all sorts of nice Kenyan stuff too!
See the full itinerary for Prosurf Extreme's Kitesurf Charity Event 2010 and make your entry now!
Check out the Prosurf Image Gallery of last year's goings on!
How does a week at Nyali International Beach Hotel sound with FREE bed and breakfast?! Amazing!? If you are a pro kiter, or up and coming pro kiter, we have a few places left!
So hurry and contact us today and find out if YOU qualify and next week you could be in warm tropical waters with a 25 knot wind off the coast of Kenya!


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- Approximation (1)
- Continuous Location (1)
- Finite Dominating Sets (1)
- Greedy Algorithm (1)
- Grid Graphs (1)
- Polyhedral Gauges (1)
- Sandwich Algorithm (1)
- cancer (1)
- center and median problems (1)
- inverse mathematical models (1)
Faculty / Organisational entity
- Fraunhofer (ITWM) (3) (remove)
Finding "good" cycles in graphs is a problem of great interest in graph theory as well as in locational analysis. We show that the center and median problems are NP hard in general graphs. This result holds both for the variable cardinality case (i.e. all cycles of the graph are considered) and the fixed cardinality case (i.e. only cycles with a given cardinality p are feasible). Hence it is of interest to investigate special cases where the problem is solvable in polynomial time. In grid graphs, the variable cardinality case is, for instance, trivially solvable if the shape of the cycle can be chosen freely. If the shape is fixed to be a rectangle one can analyse rectangles in grid graphs with, in sequence, fixed dimension, fixed cardinality, and variable cardinality. In all cases a com plete characterization of the optimal cycles and closed form expressions of the optimal objective values are given, yielding polynomial time algorithms for all cases of center rectangle problems. Finally, it is shown that center cycles can be chosen as rectangles for small cardinalities such that the center cycle problem in grid graphs is in these cases completely solved.
For some decades radiation therapy has been proved successful in cancer treatment. It is the major task of clinical radiation treatment planning to realise on the one hand a high level dose of radiation in the cancer tissue in order to obtain maximum tumour control. On the other hand it is obvious that it is absolutely necessary to keep in the tissue outside the tumour, particularly in organs at risk, the unavoidable radiation as low as possible. No doubt, these two objectives of treatment planning high level dose in the tumour, low radiation outside the tumour have a basically contradictory nature. Therefore, it is no surprise that inverse mathematical models with dose distribution bounds tend to be infeasible in most cases. Thus, there is need for approximations compromising between overdosing the organs at risk and underdosing the target volume. Differing from the currently used time consuming iterative approach, which measures deviation from an ideal (non-achievable) treatment plan using recursively trial-and-error weights for the organs of interest, we go a new way trying to avoid a priori weight choices and consider the treatment planning problem as a multiple objective linear programming problem: with each organ of interest, target tissue as well as organs at risk, we associate an objective function measuring the maximal deviation from the prescribed doses. We build up a data base of relatively few efficient solutions representing and approximating the variety of Pareto solutions of the multiple objective linear programming problem. This data base can be easily scanned by physicians looking for an adequate treatment plan with the aid of an appropriate online tool.
It is well-known that some of the classical location problems with polyhedral gauges can be solved in polynomial time by finding a finite dominating set, i.e. a finite set of candidates guaranteed to contain at least one optimal location. In this paper it is first established that this result holds for a much larger class of problems than currently considered in the literature. The model for which this result can be proven includes, for instance, location problems with attraction and repulsion, and location-allocation problems. Next, it is shown that the approximation of general gauges by polyhedral ones in the objective function of our general model can be analyzed with regard to the subsequent error in the optimal objective value. For the approximation problem two different approaches are described, the sandwich procedure and the greedy algorithm. Both of these approaches lead - for fixed epsilon - to polynomial approximation algorithms with accuracy epsilon for solving the general model considered in this paper.


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Vacation Week: Jenni
December 29, 2008
DMCA Notice: If you own the copyright to any picture and
wish to receive credit or have it removed, please contact me and I will respond promptly.
I will not respond to third-party requests, hearsay, or assumptions—only to the legitimate copyright holder. - Nick


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One in four children have back problems because of heavy school bags, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The story is based on a Spanish study of over 1,400 schoolchildren. It found that over half the children had backpacks exceeding 10% of their body weight. The study also found that those carrying the heaviest backpacks had a 50% higher risk of back pain than those carrying the lightest, and a 42% higher risk of diagnosed back problems, although this last result was not statistically reliable.
While the weight of schoolbags can be a concern to parents, this particular research has several limitations that make its results questionable. In particular, it did not properly take account of other factors which might contribute to back problems in children, including a sedentary lifestyle and poor muscle tone.
Surveys done in the UK have found that nearly half of all teenagers have had occasional backache from poor posture, carrying overloaded bags and leading a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. Children should wear a well-designed backpack and be encouraged to exercise regularly, which will improve their muscle tone.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The researchers did not indicate whether or not they received external funding.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.
The Daily Telegraph's opening paragraph suggesting bag weight was the source of back pain for one in four children was misleading. The study found that those who carried the heaviest rucksacks had a higher risk of back pain than those who carried the lightest. It did not show that their back pain caused by heavy rucksacks. This back pain could be due to many other factors, involved including a sedentary lifestyle.
As the study authors point out, a sedentary lifestyle and poor muscle tone is possibly the most important factor associated with back pain in children.
What kind of research was this?
This was a cross-sectional study looking at whether backpack weight is associated with back pain and longer-term back disorders in schoolchildren. A cross-sectional analysis looks at factors at a single point in time, and can only provide a 'snapshot' of health and lifestyle factors. As it does not follow people up over time, it cannot show that lifestyle factors lead to particular health outcomes.
The authors point out that back pain among schoolchildren is thought to be associated with a sedentary lifestyle and poor muscle tone. However, school backpacks have also been associated with back pain and it is thought they can create back disorders in adult life. Experts advise that schoolchildren should not carry loads exceeding 10% of their bodyweight.
What did the research involve?
The researchers initially recruited 2,135 pupils aged between 12 and 17, drawn from 11 schools in a province in north Western Spain. Of this number, their final analysis included 1,403 (65.7%). It is not clear why so many participants were excluded.
The children were weighed twice: once with the rucksack or backpack they normally carried but without coats and other items likely to add weight, and a second time without their rucksack. Their height was also measured and information was obtained from a questionnaire given to the children's teachers and parents about their lifestyle, in particular, frequency of sports activities at school, and how long they were sedentary at home.
The researchers also collected data on the presence of any back disorders previously diagnosed by a doctor (such as scoliosis – curvature of the spine) and whether the children had experienced back pain for more than 15 days in the previous year. It appears that the medical information came from parents or from the children, rather than their doctors.
Schoolbag weights were divided into four ranges by weight (quartiles) and the data analysed to investigate any association between the different quartiles and the reported presence of back pain for more than 15 days. A separate analysis was carried out on the association between schoolbag weight and the presence of a diagnosed back condition.
The researchers also compared the characteristics of the children who were excluded from the study and those included in the final analysis, to ensure they minimised any risk of bias. They adjusted their results for gender, age, body mass index (BMI) and sports activities. The question about sports did not look at how much sports children undertook but only whether they performed some type, recorded simply as yes or no.
What were the basic results?
The average age of participants was 14 years. Of the included children, 92.2% used a backpack with two shoulder straps and the average weight of their schoolbag was 7kg.
Further analysis revealed that:
- 61.4% of children had backpacks exceeding 10% of their bodyweight
- 18.1% carried backpacks exceeding 15% of their bodyweight
- 25.9% reported to have had back pain for more than 15 days in the previous year
- the most frequent diagnosed back disorder was scoliosis (70% of conditions reported)
- children carrying school bags in the heaviest quartile had a 50% higher risk of back pain for more than 15 days than those whose bags were in the lowest quartile (odds ratio [OR] 1.50, confidence interval [CI] 95% 1.06 to2.12)
- there was a non-significant association between carrying bags in the heaviest quartile and a higher risk of long-term back conditions (OR 1.42, CI 95% 0.86 to 2.32)
- girls had a higher risk of back pain than boys
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers say carrying heavy backpacks increases the risk of back pain and possibly of back disorders. They point out that the excessive backpacks carried by many children would not be allowed for adults in employment. Parents and schoolchildren should be strongly advised about the risks posed by heavy schoolbags, they add.
This study has several limitations:
- it had a cross-sectional design (that is, it looked at factors at a single point rather than over time) meaning it cannot tell us whether carrying heavy rucksacks resulted in the development of back pain
- it relied on parents or children remembering how often they had experienced back pain over the previous year, and whether they had been diagnosed with a spinal disorder, which introduces the possibility of a reporting error
- it did not take account of other factors which might cause back pain or spinal disorders, including poor physical fitness, poor posture and structural back problems
- although researchers asked how often children were engaged in sedentary activities, they do not seem to have taken account of this as a possible factor associated with back pain
- they did not look at whether children wore their backpack on one shoulder only, which could have contributed to risk of back pain
Also, the absolute differences in risk of back pain between children carrying the heaviest bags and those carrying the lightest was quite small: nearly 30% of those carrying the heaviest bags had back pain compared to 22.8% of those with the lightest bags. Also, the risk of a back disorder associated with the heaviest rucksack was not statistically significant.
That said, the study raises the important issue of back pain among children. Nearly half of all teenagers in the UK have had occasional backache associated with poor posture, carrying overloaded bags and leading an unhealthy lifestyle. Backpacks worn by children should be well-designed, appropriately adjusted and worn over both shoulders to balance out the weight. Heavy satchels and shoulder bags are best avoided.
Building strong back muscles is important too and children should be encouraged to exercise regularly, in line with current activity guidelines for children.
- Rodríguez-Oviedo P, Ruano-Ravina A, Pérez-Ríos M et al. School children's backpacks, back pain and back pathologies. Archives of Disease in Childhood, Published Online First March 10 2012
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No texting and driving advocates will be happy with this update from Apple's newest iOS feature.
While revealing some of the new tech at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Apple revealed that iOS 11, when it comes to iPhones and iPads, there will be a new feature that will include a "Do Not Disturb While Driving" mode that can be turned on, according to USA Today.
The features also include that you can tell your phone who your favorites are, and if they text you, it will send them an automated reply saying that you are driving and will answer them when you arrive.
carandbike on Twitter
@Apple iPhone gets 'Do Not Disturb While Driving' feature to avoid distractions: https://t.co/wfvCjSQMm6
This will be a new step into the ways of safety, muting notifications while you are driving your car. It is unclear at this time whether this function will stop you from utilizing Streaming Services while you're mobile, because some reports, like the one on WXYZ, say that the iPhone screen will be locked and will prevent drivers while using their apps while driving. Passengers who are not driving will have the ability to turn this feature off, but if you know the human condition of being connected, you know many people will turn that function off to use their devices.
Apple CarPlay will still be functional, according to WXYZ.
Other features to note from Apple can be found on their Newsroom site here, including the introduction of HomePod, and the new features on the iPad and iPhones in the coming updates.
GALLERY: Highlights from WWDC 2017
Amy Cooper is the type of journalist that when asked "What do you bring to the table," she replies "I am the table.


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Mitt Romney's campaign has already begun going full throttle employing Ann Romney as a campaign weapon, the day after she was attacked by Democratic consultant Hilary Rosen.
Shortly after Ann Romney appeared on Fox News this morning, the Romney campaign held a conference call on the "failure of women in the Obama economy." In the aftermath of Rosen's comments, in which she criticized Ann Romney for never working "a day in her life" as a stay-at-home mother, the call quickly changed tone.
It served as a way for Republicans to launch an all-out assault on Democrats, who have promoted the notion that Republicans are engaging in a so-called "War on Women." And it served as a way for Republicans to broaden their attack, as they attempted to generalize Rosen's comments to Democrats' and President Barack Obama's economic policies not working for women.
Here's an example of how nuclear Republicans are already going with this: Cynthia Lummis, a U.S. Rep. from Wyoming, said that Obama was using a "surrogate" in Lummis because he did not want to say the statements himself.
"They're using surrogate women — including Hilary Rosen, who is a paid spokesperson — to deliver messages about Republicans that the president does not want to deliver himself," Lummis said. "But quite clearly, her remarks are reflective of the message that the political machine within the White House intends to put out."
Lummis was responding to a question from a reporter that asked why the Romney campaign and Republicans have been eager to push Rosen as an "adviser" to Barack Obama. This is because, in essence, Republicans are eager to disregard fact: Rosen is not an Obama adviser, she is not a paid consultant, and she can't even be a paid consultant, according to The Washington Post.
Lummis was pressed on the point, with a follow-up question asking if she really bought into the "paid consultant" bit.
"It's hard for me to believe that Hilary Rosen, who has visited the White House 35 times recently, and advises on message, would make remarks like that in a ... freelancing way. Message is, among other things, disciplined when it comes to who will deliver the message and what the message will be. I don't believe that Hilary Rosen was speaking in a manner that would indicate she was absolutely freelancing.
Lummis' comments served as the most attention-grabbing attack on the White House, which later in the day refuted Rosen's comments. Rosen has also now formally apologized.
On the call, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers attempted to broaden the conversation to focus more on the original topic of the call — the economy for women under the Obama administration. But she was able to tie in a reference to Rosen's comments.
"We want to point to the administration's policies that are impacting all women, whether they're stay-at-home moms or working moms," McMorris Rodgers said.


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Justin Bieber Personal Videos Leak, Thief Threatens to Release More Footage
Sorry Justin Bieber. It looks like the worst is yet to come.
After a nude picture, allegedly of Bieber, surfaced yesterday, the internet has run amuck with Beliebers defending their true love's honor along with naysayers who don't believe the picture is in fact of the Biebs himself. Of course, there are a select few who believe it's him in the picture because otherwise, there wouldn't be so many stories!
Well, now the laptop snatcher is at it again. A Twitter user by the name of @gexwy has released video footage from the stolen laptop of Bieber pranking his crew members and greeting fans when he was still a youngster. The anonymous user also sent a clip of a video to Perez Hilton of a "wild pool party;" the full video of this is said to be set for release at noon today.
Ruh roh.
@gexwy also posted kind of cryptic messages regarding the entire incident, because, well, why not? "Good job with the password protected @justinbieber. Weak," wrote the user. "TOMORROW. u've been warned. should of listened," he/she added. Uh, someone needs to go back to grammar school.
But leave it to Bieber to be undeterred by the entire thing. "No matter what you have and what you post tomorrow i know my fans wont leave me. screw it. #toostrong," wrote the singer, to which of course, the anonymous person responded with, "haha. that is what u think. we will see tomorrow at NOON. last chance."
In one of @gexwy's final tweets, he offers quite the chilling message to the Biebs' fans, writing, "And the rest of u can just shutup. u have no idea what i have and when u see tomorrow u will feel different."
It should also be noted that this anonymous Twitter person has over 62,000 followers. We're assuming most of them are Beliebers.
Watch Leaked Videos of Justin Bieber


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The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) obtained elevation data on a near-global scale
to generate the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of Earth. SRTM consisted of a
specially modified radar system that flew onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour during an 11-day mission in
February of 2000. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA),
NASA, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). There are three resolution outputs available,
including 1 kilometer and 90 meter resolutions for the world and a 30 meter resolution for the US. GLCF serves the main USGS
editions, plus has 'enhanced' editions as well as provides editions in WRS-2 tiles to approximate Landsat scenes.
Citation Format: Author (Publication Date), Collection Name, Image Name, Processing Level, Publisher, Publisher Location,
Product Coverage Date.
Citation Parameters Example:
Full Example Citation: USGS (2004), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, 1 Arc Second scene
SRTM_u03_n008e004, Unfilled Unfinished 2.0, Global Land Cover Facility, University of Maryland, College
Park, Maryland, February 2000.
Use is free to all if acknowledgement is made; effectively held by University of Maryland; but
ultimately held by US public.
Source for this data set is the Global Land Cover Facility, www.landcover.org.
GLCF is shutting down its services ... (read more)


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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — The New York Knicks will have to do without their defensive center of attention for at least the next four to six weeks now that Tyson Chandler is sidelined with a broken fibula.
Chandler's situation is just the latest reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in the NBA when injuries are involved, the injury bug does not discriminate, never has and never will.
The same can't be said of Richie Incognito of the Miami Dolphins, whose suspension for allegedly hazing and bullying a teammate (Jonathan Martin) sparked our conversation about locker room culture and the reform the NBA underwent in the aftermath of the Gilbert Arenas–Javaris Crittenton affair in Washington.
Rounding out the list of hot topics and other issues discussed on Episode 136 of the Hang Time Podcast is our early look and fantastic conversation with producer/director/Michigan Man/Grantland contributor and Sundance Film Festival sensation Davy Rothbart, who joined us to discuss what is being touted as the best sports documentary to hit the circuit in years.
Medora is the gut-wrenching and heartwarming story of a resilient high school basketball team in the small and struggling town of Medora, Indiana. Billed as an incredible "underdog story" with a "Hoosiers" feel, the film is produced by Hollywood heavyweights Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) and Stanley Tucci (Hunger Games).
The film hits theaters in New York and Los Angeles Friday Nov. 8 and November 12th on VOD and iTunes, opening in select theaters across the country throughout November.
You get all of that in addition to Sounds of The Game and the first installment of Braggin' Rights on Episode 136 of the Hang Time Podcast featuring Davy Rothbart:
As always, we welcome your feedback. You can follow the entire crew, including the Hang Time Podcast, co-hosts Sekou Smith of NBA.com, Lang Whitaker of NBA.com's All-Ball Blog and renaissance man Rick Fox of NBA TV, as well as our new super producer Gregg (just like Popovich) Waigand and the best engineer in the business, Jarell "I Heart Peyton Manning" Wall.
– To download the podcast, click here. To subscribe via iTunes, click here, or get the xml feed if you want to subscribe some other, less iTunes-y way.


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District Commissioner
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
(Difference between revisions)
(→Commissioner Awards)
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*[[Scouter's Key]]
*[[Scouter's Key]]
*[[Distinguished Commissioner Service Award]]
*[[Distinguished Commissioner Service Award]]
== See also ==
== See also ==
Revision as of 00:02, February 17, 2009
District Commissioners are approved and appointed by the council executive board, with the concurrence of the Scout executive, on the recommendation of the district nominating committee.
|District Commissioner
Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. Commissioners help maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America. They also oversee the unit charter renewal plan so that each unit reregisters on time with an optimum number of youth and adult members.
District commissioners should—
- Be widely respected in the community
- Be an enthusiastic leader of adults
- Have the ability to recruit a complete team of commissioners for their districts
- Have the ability to guide and motivate commissioners to visit units regularly, identify unit needs, and help unit adults to meet needs
- Be a role model of Scouting ideals
See the Commissioner Fieldbook and Commissioner Administration for more details on commissioner criteria and responsibilities.
Commissioner Awards
- Arrowhead Honor
- Scouter's Key
- Distinguished Commissioner Service Award
- Doctorate of Commissioner Science Award


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Fed concerned about suspicious gold trading
WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve is concerned about suspiciously heavy trading of gold futures after its meeting last week that may have been triggered by a premature release of market-sensitive information.
In a statement, the central bank said Tuesday that news organizations that receive embargoed information from the Fed agree to withhold information until the time set for its release. The Fed statement said, "We will be conducting follow-up conversations with news organizations to ensure our procedures are completely understood."
After the meeting, the Fed said it would hold off on slowing its $85-billion-a-month in bond purchases. That surprised markets and led to a day of record highs on Wall Street.
- Dow, S&P rocket to new records on Fed decision
- With economy weak, Fed delays move to withdraw stimulus
- Why did the Fed delay tapering of bond purchases
Trading in financial markets is now dominated by automated computer systems, which make trades in tiny fractions of a second that can lead to millions of dollars in profit. Receiving the data early - even by a few milliseconds - can give an unfair advantage to some firms.
The security of sensitive, market-moving information has become a concern for federal officials. Possible leaks of government data have already led the Labor Department to tighten its procedures for distributing information early to reporters, including the closely monitored monthly employment report.
Labor also revoked early access for some media organizations.
The Fed also operates media lock-ups when its policymaking committee meets eight times a year, although the procedures are less strict than at Labor and the Commerce Department.
Labor and Commerce officials hold lockups in secure facilities and control the Internet and phone lines. When lockup begins, the connection is shut off for 30 to 60 minutes and reporters receive the embargoed information. Officials turn phone and Internet lines back on when the lockup ends.
Reporters are prohibited from bringing cellphones into the lockups. Labor is even more strict. It recently installed lockers outside the room where reporters must stow all personal items - including their pens and calculators.
Fed officials work on an honor system. The Fed's policy statement is distributed 10 minutes early to reporters at their desks in the press room at Treasury. Internet and phone lines are not disconnected, and cellphones are not collected. The Fed has similar procedures for a separate lockup held at its headquarters.


text:
Three explorers became lost in the jungle and wandered for days
with no food and little water...
One day, just as they were finally about to give up, they
crawled into a clearing and there right in front of them stood a
Cannibal's Restaurant.
Out front near the entrance was a large menu board. With the
little energy they had left, they dragged themselves across the
clearing and looked up to see the following menu:
"Par boiled Priest $12.00
Roast Lion Hunter $14.00
Steamed Politician $198.50"
They struggled into the establishment, dragged themselves to a
table, and a waiter came to take their order. Before they ordered,
one of the explorers asked the waiter, "Can you help me understand
your menu? The first two items are priced about the same, but the third
item, the politician, is priced so much higher. Why is that?"
"Are you kidding?" replied the waiter. "Did you ever try to
CLEAN one of those suckers?"


text:
When making decisions related to hot, dry conditions, one must ignore the rain that's fallen during the past few days. It certainly hasn't been uniform in its amount, nor will it have much effect on the drought overall.
Still, it seems almost ironic that in the same Ellis County commissioners decided to change course and ban the sale and discharge of fireworks for the upcoming Fourth of July celebrations -- rain came down in sheets atop the very building where the decision was made.
The moisture amounts, however, vary widely across the county. The downpour late Tuesday most people in Hays experienced resulted in close to 2 inches of much-needed rain. Yet merely 5 miles outside of the city limits, precipitation was being measured in just hundredths of inches.
In short, we are not close to breaking the strong grip the current drought has on the region.
And we must give credit to the county commissioners for recognizing what Hays, Ellis, Schoenchen and Victoria already knew: Conditions are not favorable for fireworks this year.
"It's just too risky with the dryness we have," said Victoria Mayor Curtis Unrein after that city's decision.
"The recent hot weather, and fires going on in the area, and looks like it will be hot again -- no light at the end of the tunnel," said Ellis Mayor Lyle Johnston in justifying their ban.
"Do we want a multitude of people out there, get in a stubble field, and it burns somebody's farm down?" asked Ellis County Emergency Management Director Bill Ring recently.
County Commissioner Barbara Wasinger was on the side of caution when casting the only vote against fireworks during a May meeting. This week, commissioners Dean Haselhorst and Swede Holmgren reversed their votes to make it unanimous.
"We have to think beyond the moment," Holmgren said. "Fourth of July is our country's independence, and it is a hoorah celebration. But we have to think of the consequences of what we're doing."
Consistency is good as well. While Mother Nature might decide rain won't fall evenly across Ellis County, the various governmental bodies certainly can have uniformity when deciding safety issues such as fireworks. With the county commission's decision, we can at least have that.
Editorial by Patrick Lowry


text:
Re: RPG: Jedi Purge
It seemed that Dah'lei and Deilor had managed to outrun Skywalker for now, but at what cost? Dah'lei had felt the deaths of the younglings through the Force.
"We've got to keep going Deilor," said as if knowing what she was thinking.
"Perhaps we should go to the lower levels? I think all the higher ones will be covered." Dah'lei suggested.
Deilor nodded, "Good idea Padawan. We might be able to hide amongst the people in the lower levels."
Dah'lei felt a shiver run through her body, the Force always felt tainted the lower you went on Coruscant.


text:
|Winnebago County Sheriff's PoliceNews Media Release
|News Release Number2011-021
|Information: MISSING PERSON
|Date: 7-25-11
|Time: 7:30a.m.
|Page of 1
Jonathan Anthony Williams ( black/male DOB 9-17-85) is missing. He was last seen on Saturday 7-23-11 during the evening hours while tubing on the Kiswaukee River with a friend. Williams had entered the river with his friend at approximately 1500hrs near Bauman Park in Cherry Valley. They each had a tube, along with a third tube with a cooler. At some point they separated and the friend exited the River near Kiswaukee Forest Preserve, after he lost sight of Williams. Williams was reported missing later that night by family and friends. A search of the Kiswaukee River has been conducted by air and boat (Cherry Valley Fire Department boat) and there was no sign of Williams or his tube, which was described as red and yellow. Anyone with information on Williams is asked to call the Winnebago County Sheriff's Police Detective Bureau (815/3196400). A photo of Williams accompanies this release.


text:
Fishing close to home provides great option
Those trying to plan an early summer vacation may want to remember that there are some excellent fishing destinations close to most of the states metro areas.
Oklahoma has a tremendous number of lakes, and they not only provide great places to camp or relax, but they also can provide some great family fishing as well. Right now is an excellent time to be fishing for bluegill and black bass, so plan an outing to a local lake and get in on some of the action.
"Bluegill and other sunfish should be active all across the state right now," said Barry Bolton, assistant chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "Sunfish usually begin spawning in mid-to-late-May and will continue to spawn into June. When they are on their spawning beds, it is hard to beat the action they can provide for the entire family.
"Sunfish often spawn on shallow gravel or vegetated banks, and it doesn't take very sophisticated equipment to fish for bluegill. In fact, a cane pole with a little line on it will do. The feisty fighters will strike about any small lure or bait while they are spawning so you can enjoy a good outing for just a small amount of money."
Bolton added that sunfish are common in every lake in the state. Many lakes also have bank access so anglers don't have to worry about fitting the entire family in a boat for an enjoyable outing. Another species that can be caught from the bank at many lakes across the state is the largemouth bass.
There is excellent bass fishing all across the state. The Wildlife Department does electrofishing surveys at many of the lakes every year and compiles the data from their surveys into an anglers guide. The anglers guide is available in the March/April issue of Outdoor Oklahoma and can be purchased at any Department installation.
"It is very common to find largemouth bass feeding in shallow water during the early morning or evening hours, and you will often catch them while you are fishing for sunfish," Bolton said. "Anglers may enjoy good action on a variety of top water lures, shallow running crankbaits and on spinner baits. It may be a little more expensive to fish for bass, but you don't have to spend a lot to catch a good mess of fish.
"The best places to fish this time of year is around structure and off shallow points. Anglers may also have good luck around structure in a little deeper water during the heat of the day."
Fishing with the family and friends can be a great way to spend a vacation. It is fun and relaxing and allows every one the opportunity to connect to each other. Many lakes are located in the most scenic areas the state has to offer, so there isn't any reason not to get out and enjoy them.
To get a jump on the action for both species, be sure to get a copy of the 2001 Anglers Guide, as well as a copy of the 2001 Fishing Guide for information on statewide and area regulations. The regulations are also available on the Department's Web site. To download them or to find out more about fishing in Oklahoma, go to www.wildlifedepartment.com.
Oklahoma's Top Five Sunfish Hotspots: Eucha, Greenleaf (northeast), American Horse (northwest), Holdenville (southeast), Elmer Thomas (southwest)
Oklahoma's Top Ten Largemouth Bass Best Bets: Grand, Eucha (northeast), American Horse, Etling (northwest), Broken Bow, Raymond Gary (southeast), Ellsworth, Taylor (southwest), Konawa, McGee Creek (central).
Oklahoma Aquarium construction begins
Construction should begin soon for the Oklahoma Aquarium, which will be opening on the banks of the Arkansas River in Jenks during the summer of 2002.
The aquarium will be located on 34 acres and will display and provide education about thousands of aquatic animals, as well as opportunities for hands-on aquatic education at facility wet labs.
"We're moving along," said Doug Kemper, director of the Aquarium. "Everything is going well. It is exciting."
Kemper added that the site has been cleared and workers will be pouring the concrete slab for the $15 million nonprofit aquarium in early June. The 60,000 square foot facility will feature more than 200 exhibits including the Karl and Beverly White National Fishing Museum. The Museum will house one of the most comprehensive antique tackle collections in the world. The collection is worth about $4 million and is comprised by about 30,000 artifacts.
Other exhibits will showcase both fresh water and salt water animals including turtles, sharks, piranhas and Oklahoma's 240 native fish. Several piranha and other salt water fish species have already arrived in Oklahoma and are becoming acclimated in a holding facility.
The majority of the funding for the aquarium will come from revenue bonds with the remainder coming from loans, grants and donations. The aquarium recently received its first "giant" donation of $1 million from the families of brothers Ray and Robin Siegfried. Ray is the chief executive officer of the NORDAM Group, and Robin is president for the enterprise group for NORDAM, a Tulsa-based aerospace company.
"I think it's significant," Kemper said. "It paves the way for others to follow. I think other donors will jump on the bandwagon when they have leadership like that."
For more information about the Oklahoma Aquarium go to www.okaquarium.org
Maguire confirmed as commissioner
Mac Maguire, an avid quail hunter and angler from Oklahoma City, was recently confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate as the Wildlife Conservation Commission's District 5 representative. Maguire will serve an eight-year term beginning July 1, 2001.
Gov. Frank Keating appointed Maguire to replace Commissioner Mark Patton for the Commission district that includes Logan, Oklahoma, Cleveland, McClain, Garvin, Murray and Payne counties. Founder and current president/CEO of Maguire Brothers, Inc., he is a lifelong Oklahoma City resident who graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with an economics degree. Primarily a construction company involved in commercial and residential reconstruction for insurance companies, Maguire Brothers, Inc., was founded in 1964 and has expanded to include divisions involved in both construction and repair of transmitter towers throughout the nation.
Maguire enjoys both hunting and fishing, but said that he is especially fond of hunting upland game. He owns a small hunting and fishing retreat near Chandler, but has traveled all over North and South America pursuing his passion for the outdoors.
"I love it all, but quail hunting is my first passion," Maguire said. "Oklahoma is blessed with some great outdoor recreation, and I will endeavor to see that these opportunities continue in the future."
In addition to his outdoor experience and interest, Maguire has extensive financial experience, serving on numerous bank boards and related posts. He has served as past chairman of the Oklahoma County Finance Board, treasurer for the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, and while mayor of Nichols Hills he chaired the Nichols Hills Municipal Authority.
The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC). The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the ODWC, and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate.
New wildlife laws enacted
Several new wildlife laws were passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, but the biggest news of this year's legislative session was that for the third straight year, no additional fish and wildlife funding was approved.
House Joint Resolution 1008, which started in the House as a bill calling for a vote of the people to earmark some of the state sales tax revenues paid on hunting and fishing gear to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, was held over in a joint House/Senate conference committee. The Senate version also called for a vote of the people, but it specified establishing a one-and-a-half cent sales tax increase on hunting and fishing gear, with those proceeds going to the Wildlife Department. Similar funding bills have met similar fates over the last three legislative sessions.
"Without new funds, we simply cannot offer wildlife enthusiasts the services we think they deserve," said Richard Hatcher, the Wildlife Department's assistant director. "Ultimately, inflation and rising operating costs will further erode current programs and services. We will do everything we can to ensure the best service possible, but we also have to maintain our fiscal integrity."
Hatcher said that one minor measure relating to the Departments finances did pass, that being Senate Bill 480 by Frank Shurden of the Senate and Dale Smith of the House. The bill authorizes the Department to charge a $5 per person, per year, application fee for anyone applying for the agency's controlled hunts. The controlled hunts program, which allows hunters to apply for unique, controlled access hunts on select Department-owned or managed areas, is popular among hunters but costly to administer.
The $5 application fee could raise funds that will help ensure these hunting opportunities continue to be available through a drawing system. The Department also will be looking at modifying the system to improve applicants' opportunities to be drawn. Public hearings will be held later this year to explain how the system works, and discuss possible future improvements.
House Bill 1375 by Bob Plunk of the House and Shurden of the Senate sends to a vote of the people a provision to require initiative petitions prosing a legislative measure to abolish any method, practice or procedure for hunting, fishing, trapping, or to abolish any occupation or sporting or other entertainment event involving livestock, fowl, fish or other animal contain signatures of 15 percent of registered voters, rather than the eight-percent requirement currently in place. This measure is slated to be on the November 2002 statewide ballot.
Other new laws enacted include:
Senate Bill 477 by Shurden and Smith (Dale). The law requires the Wildlife Conservation Commission to promulgate rules to sell hunting and fishing licenses via the Internet. Bill is effective Nov. 1, 2001.
House Bill 1262 also by Smith and Shurden. It adds the Wildlife Department to the state's Geographic Information System (GIS) Council. Bill is effective immediately. GIS is a computer-based system that will better allow wildlife professionals to use spatial data such as maps of rivers, habitat types, roads, etc. Through GIS technology, a biologist can plot habitat changes, evaluate management techniques before undertaking them, and identify areas needing management attention.
Several bills pertaining to outdoor recreation were not passed in the final days of the session, but could be considered when the Legislature reconvenes next year. They include:
House Bill 1382 by Terry Matlock of the House and Jeff Rabon of the Senate. This bill would have changed quail season to Dec. 1 through Feb. 28 for all areas east of the Indian Nation Turnpike and south of I-40, and west of I-35 and south of I-40.
Several bills relating to limiting landowner liability as it pertains to outdoor recreation were not adopted, including SB 543 by Brad Henry.
When the Legislature is in session, log on to www.wildlifedepartment.com for an up-to-date bill tracking summary. The page also provides links to the State Legislature's Web site.
Conservation groups help fund elk project
Two conservation groups, NatureWorks, Inc. of Tulsa and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, have pledged nearly $40,000 to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) to conduct broad-based research on elk in southwest Oklahoma. Beginning this fall and winter, ODWC biologists and the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Oklahoma State University will begin capturing elk and affixing radio-telemetry collars to track their movements. The research area includes portions of Comanche, Caddo and Kiowa counties on lands adjacent to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge.
It is believed that some 150 to 250 elk inhabit private lands near the Wichita Mountains refuge, figures which the study hopes to confirm. Although the Oklahoma prairies were once home to extensive herds of elk, they, along with the buffalo were eliminated by market and subsistence hunting by the 1880s. In 1907, restoration efforts began with the relocation of four elk from Yellowstone National Park to the Wichita Mountains Refuge. Today, the Refuge is home to some 700 elk. Biologists hope to capture up to 20 elk, primarily females, beginning this fall or winter. Each elk will then be fitted with a radio collar which does not affect the elk's ability to survive, but allows biologists to track it's daily movements.
Over the years, elk have left the Wichita Mountains Refuge and have established small populations on adjacent private lands. According to Rod Smith, southwest regional wildlife supervisor for the Wildlife Department, research is needed to answer several questions.
"We really know very little about the elk herd on private lands near the Wichita Mountains refuge, " he said. "This research is going to give us not only an accurate measure of how many elk live on private lands, but it's going to tell us how much the elk move and what kinds of habitat they are using. We're also going to learn how many elk are migrating back and forth from the refuge and other aspects such as calf production and the age structure of the population."
Smith explained that the research project is needed to better manage the elk population on a sustained basis. This philosophy represents a shift in the Department's previous strategy of eliminating or significantly reducing the elk population outside of the Wichita Mountains Refuge.
"Attitudes toward elk have really changed in recent years among private land owners," Smith said. "Back in the 1970s and 80s, most private landowners considered elk a nuisance and feared they would depredate crops or carry diseases to cattle. While this still concerns a few people, most landowners have not seen any significant problems as the result of elk on their property.
"Whether they enjoy the opportunity to harvest an elk during some of the private lands hunts that have been authorized, or just because they enjoy watching them on their property, the majority of landowners around the refuge have embraced the idea that elk are okay," Smith added.
Since 1977, the Department has authorized periodic hunting seasons for elk outside of the refuge. The hunts were authorized in order to reduce landowner complaints of crop depredation. However, officials with the Department say that any future hunting of elk on private lands will be to maintain the elk population on a sustained basis. According to Alan Peoples, chief of Wildlife Division with the Department, public sentiment and the difficulties of totally eliminating the non-refuge population led to a shift in philosophy.
"The area outside of the refuge is extremely rough and brushy," he said. "Despite authorizing hunts to eliminate the population, there was always plenty of hiding places for elk to evade hunters. Also, there is a growing number of landowners who either did not hunt the elk on their property or didn't harvest as many animals as they could have. These two factors along with a growing appreciation for elk has led us to manage them on a sustainable basis. Elk, after all, are a native Oklahoma species, and the fact that they inhabit private lands shouldn't change our management philosophies any more than it does for other species such as white-tailed deer or quail."
NatureWorks, Inc., a Tulsa based conservation group has contributed $10,000 to the project from funds generated through their very popular Wildlife Art Show held each March in Tulsa. Additionally, nearly $30,000 has been pledged through the national headquarters and Tulsa chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The Elk Foundation, based in Missoula, Montana, is devoted to elk restoration and habitat conservation in North America.
"Research projects of this scope can be quite expensive, in fact this four-year study is expected to cost upwards of $158,000," said Peoples. "With the gracious donations made by these two groups however, we will be able to match their seed money with federal matching grants through the Wildlife Restoration Program. Without valuable partners like NatureWorks and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, there would be no financial means for the Department to accomplish such an ambitious project."
Conoco donates printing to ODWC
They are coming soon to a Conoco store near you.
"They" are the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's newly-updated Outdoor Store Brochures, and thanks to a generous donation of printing services from Conoco, they will be available from Department installations and Conoco stores across Oklahoma.
Conoco Inc., recently agreed to donate $25,000 to the Wildlife Department in printing and materials for the brochure and four other Department products.
"We are very happy to continue this excellent relationship with Conoco," said Nels Rodefeld, information and education assistant chief for the Department. "They have helped us produce several products over the past few years, and have made a significant donation for printing products this year. The Department would have a very hard time producing these products without their donation."
Conoco is donating $7,000 in printing to produce the Outdoor Store brochures. It will also donate printing and materials for a winter bird poster, a hunting season poster, a hunting season wallet card and a Wildlife Activity Book for children. The Outdoor Store Brochure contains any product that may be purchased from the Wildlife Department as well as an order form for purchases.
"The most significant contribution is printing support for the Wildlife Activity Books," Rodefeld said. Conoco is donating about $11,000 toward a product that many kids will be able to enjoy and they'll learn about fish and wildlife conservation in the process."
Rodefeld added that the hunting season poster is also very popular and has become a collector's item for some. The hunting season wallet card is a handy reminder of hunting season dates for the state's sportsmen.
To find out more information about the Wildlife Department or about products available through the Department's Outdoor Store, log onto the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com
Scissortail Celebration a Success
Planning and coordination efforts paid off on May 12th for the organizers of the Scissortail Celebration - a migratory bird extravaganza honoring the 50th anniversary of our state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.
Representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK), and the staff of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden gathered at the Zoo to honor the scissortail and other migratory birds as part of this year's International Migratory Bird Day.
"The Scissortail Celebration was a real hit, and an overall great day," said Melynda Hickman, biologist with the Department's Natural Resources Section. "Perhaps the highlight of the day was the scissortail kite design contest, and 68 kites were entered from all over the state. There were 15 winning kites and they will be displayed this summer at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman."
Winners in the kite design contest received gift certificates donated by Wild Birds Unlimited or received a bird-related gift from the Wildlife Department. The grand prize was a signed and numbered print of a pair of scissortails dueling for a moth, donated by artist John Boutwell.
In addition to the kite design contest, a "migration station" was set-up, where kids could learn how to eat like a bird, how to fold origami scissortails, and how to make their own miniature kites. The migration station was a fun and very successful way of reaching a lot of people, added Hickman. In all, about 5,000 kids and adults visited the area and learned about migratory birds.
To further commemorate the 50th anniversary of the scissortail, an official governor's proclamation recognizing May 12th as "Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Day" was signed prior to the event and was on display at the migration station for all to see. Other events surrounding International Migratory Bird Day at the Oklahoma City Zoo were the annual "Ostrich egg breakfast" sponsored by the Oklahoma Zoological Society (OZS), and the OKC Zoo's own annual "Zoolympics" - a fun and educational exploration of the animal world for kids.
Two new products have been produced by the Wildlife Department to help celebrants remember the Scissortail Celebration for years to come. They are an attractive blue and white ceramic mug and a vehicle decal, both of which display the distinctive logo created for the event. These products are still available while supplies last through the ODWC Wildlife Diversity Program - 405/521-4616. More information about these products and photos of the Scissortail Kite winning designs are available on the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com
Scissortail Kite Winners:
Grand Prize: Wellston Elementary Mrs. Buckley's 2nd Grade Class, Wellston
1st & 2nd Grade Category:
1st Place: Wellston Elementary Mrs. Buckley's 2nd Grade Class, Wellston
2nd Place: Paige Shelby, Oklahoma City
3rd Place: Kristella Sallee, Norman
3rd & 4th Grade Category:
1st Place: Payne County Audubon Society Youth Group, Stillwater
5th & 6th Grade Category:
1st Place: Kyle Currey, Norman
9th & 10th Grade Category:
1st Place: Troy Freeborn, Guthrie
2nd Place: Ashley Herrera, Guthrie
3rd Place: Sandie Spradling, Guthrie
11th & 12th Grade Category:
1st Place: Dietrich Hayes, Guthrie
2nd Place: Callie Eiegelgruber, Guthrie
3rd Place: Jamie Spradling, Guthrie
Adult Category:
1st Place: E.W. Redman, Tulsa
2nd Place: Dave Young, Owasso
3rd Place: Richard Dermer, Stillwater
All Recycled Materials:
1st Place: Michael Miles, Guthrie
Some categories had a limited number of entries. 1, 2, and 3 place finishes were awarded when number of entries allowed.
Plan an outing during free fishing days
Fishing across the Sooner State has never been better and the places to fish are endless, so state officials are encouraging everyone to plan an outing to the lake for June 2 and 3 - free fishing days in Oklahoma.
"We want everyone to have an opportunity to go fishing," said Kim Erickson, fisheries chief for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "It is a great activity for families and friends because it allows people to connect to one another. One of the reasons we offer free fishing days is to allow the entire family to get out for a fishing trip together."
During the June 2 and 3 free fishing days, a regular state fishing license is not required. The days occur during National Fishing and Boating Week, June 1 - 10, and it should be a great time to get out because many species are very active in early June, Erickson added. Crappie, bass, catfish and bluegill are just a few of the species that can be found across the state and may provide great family fishing fun.
Those headed out for a trip will want to pick up a copy of the 2001 Oklahoma Fishing Guide because all other statewide regulations apply and local permits will still be required. Fishing Guides are available at Department installations and hunting and fishing license dealers across the state. The regulations are also available on the Department's Web site as well as information about fishing in Oklahoma and fishing reports from across the state. To log onto the Wildlife Department's Web site, go to www.wildlifedepartment.com.
Go fishing and boating this summer
Summer is here and there is no better way to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days than to take a trip to the lake.
That is why the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) are celebrating National Fishing and Boating Week during the first week in June.
"National Fishing and Boating Week will start June 1 and will run through June 10," said Barry Bolton, assistant chief of fisheries for the Department. "We have a tremendous amount of water in Oklahoma and we want to remind everyone that time spent on the water can connect people. What better way to spend a nice summer day than to spend it fishing and boating with family and friends.
"We also want to remind everyone that Oklahoma will have free fishing days June 2 and 3. During those two days, a regular state fishing license is not required to fish in Oklahoma. This should give families a great opportunity to get out and fish together."
To help promote National Fishing and Boating week, the RBFF is running a "Water Works Wonders" campaign. The national campaign is designed to raise awareness about fishing and boating and locations where such activities can occur.
As part of that campaign, fishing and boating events and activities available in the Norman and Muskogee areas are being highlighted through local media outlets and on the Department's Web site. But opportunities for fishing and boating are abundant statewide, Bolton said.
Oklahoma has an endless supply of water for families to enjoy, whether they are headed fishing, skiing or just out for an evening cruise around the lake. To find out more about fishing and boating opportunities in Oklahoma or more about National Fishing and Boating Week, go to the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com . Information is also available at www.nationalfishingandboatingweek.com and the RBFF Web site at www.waterworkswonders.org.
Look for an aquatic event near you
Want to learn how to fish? Want to learn about Oklahoma's aquatic resources?
Now is the perfect time to do so and there are a number of events happening this summer to help you out.
The events are scheduled across Oklahoma beginning with National Fishing and Boating Week, June 1 through June 10. Oklahoma's free fishing days are June 2 and 3, and during those two days a regular state fishing license is not required. Other events include fishing clinics sponsored by various groups and agencies including the Wildlife Department.
"There are a lot of fishing clinics and derbies scheduled throughout the summer," said Damon Springer, aquatic resources coordinator for the Wildlife Department. "There are some age restrictions on some of the clinics and pre-registration is often required. But, all the clinics are free, open to the public and are conducted under adult supervision.
"The clinics are a lot of fun for the kids and are a valuable tool for teaching youth about our aquatic resources. Information about the clinics is available on our Web site, and we will be updating the site as we gain information about additional clinics that aren't on the schedule right now."
Springer said fish Identification, angler ethics, water safety, casting and knot tying are just a few activities kids can learn at fishing clinics. Another way to learn about aquatic resources is to get out and enjoy them. Oklahoma is blessed with a tremendous amount of aquatic resources, and no matter where one lives in the state, fishing fun is always close at hand.
To find out more about fishing opportunities in Oklahoma, Oklahoma's free fishing days, or more information about fishing clinics and other events happening across the state, log on to the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
Aquatic Events
Phone #
June 2 Fishing Clinic Lake Thunderbird Julie Tarver 405/321-4633
June 2 Fishing Derby Tishomingo NFH USFWS 580/383-5463
June 9 Fishing Clinic Spring Lake,OKC Bob Martin 405/755-4014
June 16 Fishing Clinic Dolese Park, OKC Bob Martin 405/755-4014
June 16 Kids We Care Arcadia Kids Pond Rusty Minnick 405/844-2273
June 16 Fishing Clinic Greenleaf State Park Steve Evans 918/487-7125
June 26 Honor Heights Muskogee Kim Unger 918/684-6395
June 29 Cane Pole Fishing Lake Thunderbird Julie Tarver 405/321-4633
June 30 Fishing Clinic Spring Lake, OKC Bob Martin 405/755-4014
July 10 Honor Heights Clinic Muskogee Kim Unger 918/684-6395
July 14 Fishing Clinic Dolese Park, OKC Bob Martin 405/755-4014
July 14 Catfishin' at night Lake Thunderbird Julie Tarver 405/321-4633
July 21 Fishing Clinic Spring Lake, OKC Bob Martin 405/755-4014
Check out www.wildlifedepartment.com for more information and updated events.
Governor's Proclamation designates celebration
The scissortailed flycatcher was designated Oklahoma's state bird 50 years ago.
A Governor's Proclamation, declaring May 12 as Scissortailed Flycatcher Day, was presented to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission as part of the anniversary celebration.
A Scissortail Celebration is scheduled for May 12 at the Oklahoma City Zoo to commemorate the 50 anniversary of the designation. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will join in the celebration, which will begin with an early morning bird count and will continue with various activities throughout the day.
The scissortailed flycatcher is a neotropical migrant, which means it resides in Mexico or Central America but migrates to the United States to nest. The Sooner State is in the center of the birds breeding range, which covers Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Scissortailed flycatchers arrive in Oklahoma every year in April and will reside and raise young in the state until September or October before migrating south for the winter months.
The scissortail is one of only two neo-tropical migrants to be designated as a state bird. There are approximately 74 neo-tropical migrants in Oklahoma, but without a doubt, the scissortail is the most recognizable.
Hunters set new on-line record
The May 4 application deadline for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's controlled hunt drawing has passed, leaving a new record for the number of hunters applying on-line in its wake.
"As of midnight Friday, when we stopped accepting applications, more than 37,000 applications had been submitted over the Internet," said Melinda Sturgess, chief of administration for the Wildlife Department. "That will probably equate to around 60 percent of the total applications submitted. The popularity and success of this service is incredible. It's a real testament to the functionality and convenience of the Internet."
Sturgess said that by allowing hunters to apply for the controlled hunts through the Department's web site, the agency has saved about $20,000 in data entry costs. Wildlife officials implemented the on-line service last year, believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Almost 45 percent of the applications were registered through the Internet during the inaugural year.
"Because it's so easy and is virtually foolproof, we believe the Internet may all but eliminate traditional hardcopy applications," she said.
The Wildlife Department's web site, which can be accessed by logging on to www.wildlifedeparment.com, is updated daily and offers outdoor enthusiasts almost unlimited information on hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and current conservation news from around the state. In addition, the site offers numerous links to other outdoors-related sites.
Commission looks for one-time appropriation
At its regular May meeting, held May 7 in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission discussed the status of House Joint Resolution 1008, a bill designed to provide additional funding for fish and wildlife conservation, and without voting, decided to pursue a one-time Legislative appropriation to address funding of capitol needs such as vehicles and equipment, rather than push for the passage of HJR 1008.
The bill, which is now in a joint House/Senate conference committee, originally called for earmarking 25 percent of the current state sales tax paid on outdoor recreation equipment. In the Senate, however, the bill was re-written to call for a one-and-a-half cent sales tax increase on outdoor recreation equipment, with those funds earmarked for wildlife conservation. Both versions of the bill would require passage of a state question in the 2002 general election.
Commission Chairman Harland Stonecipher said the Senate leadership remains resolved not to earmark existing sales tax revenue, and a recent survey by the Department showed only a little more than half of the hunters and anglers questioned supported an increase in the current tax.
"I think we could assume there would be even less support among the general public for the new tax," Stonecipher said.
With the general concurrence of other Commission members, Stonecipher encouraged Commissioners and Department officials to express a desire for a one-time appropriation from the Legislature, and to ask Legislators not to send the version calling for a tax increase to a vote of the people. Commissioners Bill Crawford and Vyrl Keeter echoed Stonecipher's comments, saying they did not think the tax increase would pass either, and that the Department would be better off seeking a one-time appropriation so the agency wouldn't have to cut services in the short term, and could fund needed equipment purchases.
Stonecipher also encouraged fellow Commission members to visit with Legislators regarding House Bill 1382, a measure that calls for a Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 quail season over most of southern Oklahoma. No public hearings have explored the general sentiment for such a change, he said, and he encouraged the Legislature to hold on a final decision for a year, during which time hearings could be undertaken to determine support or opposition to the concept.
In other business, the Commission learned that the Wildlife Department's Web site has received more than one million hits in the last year. According to some methods for measuring Internet traffic, the number could be as high as six million, said a Department representative.
"The opportunities are infinite, and we believe we can be the number one source of hunting and fishing information for our constituents," said David Warren, information and education chief for the agency. "There will be challenges, but we are very excited about this new and developing method of communicating."
Warren told Commission members that although the Internet can be intimidating, the Department's position will be one that endeavors to best serve constituents through an open, inclusive approach. He added that key features to be added to the Department Web site include on-line license and product purchasing, a chat room and bulletin board, photo galleries, maps of lakes and public hunting areas, plus links to outdoors-related sites of interest to Oklahoma sportspeople.
Also at the May meeting, a representative of the Governor's office presented the Commission with a proclamation designating May 12 as Scissortailed Flycatcher Day in Oklahoma. The scissortail was designated the official state bird of Oklahoma 50 years ago, and is one of only two state birds that are neotropical migrants. A neotropical migrant is a bird that lives in Mexico or Central America, but travels to the U.S. to breed.
In other business Harold Namminga, federal aid coordinator for the Department, told the Commission about a one-time federal grant of $736,095 that will be used to undertake conservation efforts, conduct education and outreach, and develop recreational opportunities. A focus of the funds, said Namminga, will be a high-profile conservation and education project involving all of the wildlife species in the short- and mixed-grass prairie regions of western Oklahoma. The funds, which will require a state match of almost $250,000, were part of a $50 million one-time appropriation by Congress, to be used by state fish and wildlife agencies for a diverse array of wildlife initiatives, including those targeting nongame species.
Also at the May meeting:
Commissioners voted to accept a bid of $1,015 for leasing 10 acres of mineral rights on Department-owned property in Beaver County; and
Approved an emergency housekeeping measure designed to bring previously adopted rules governing noxious aquatic plants into compliance with state statutes.
Two Wildlife Department employees were recognized at the May meeting for their outstanding tenure with the agency. Game Warden Supervisor Dick James, from Woodward, was recognized for his 35 years of service to the Department, while Mackie Fairfield, an information and education clerk, was acknowledged for her 20 years of service.
The Commission's regular June meeting will be held Monday, June 4, at 9 a.m. at the Wildlife Department's headquarters in Oklahoma City.
Hunters set new on-line record
The May 4 application deadline for the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservations controlled hunt drawing has passed,
leaving a new record for the number of hunters applying on-line
in its wake.
As of midnight Friday, when we stopped accepting applications, more than 37,000 applications had been submitted over the Internet, said Melinda Sturgess, chief of administration for the Wildlife Department. That will probably equate to around 60 percent of the total applications submitted. The popularity and success of this service is incredible. Its a real testament to the functionality and convenience of the Internet.
Sturgess said that by allowing hunters to apply for the controlled hunts through the Departments web site, the agency has saved several thousand dollars in data entry costs. Wildlife officials implemented the on-line service last year, believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Almost 45 percent of the applications were registered through the Internet during the inaugural year.
Because its so easy and is virtually foolproof, we believe the Internet may all but eliminate traditional hardcopy applications, she said.
The Wildlife Departments web site, which can be accessed by logging on to www. wildlifedepartment.com, is updated daily and offers outdoor enthusiasts almost unlimited information on hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and current conservation news from around the state. In addition, the site offers numerous links to other outdoors-related sites.
Department monitoring largemouth bass virus
Fisheries biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will actively monitor lakes known to have the largemouth bass virus (LMBV) this summer, the time when the disease has occurred most frequently in the past.
"We want to reassure anglers that while we are concerned about the LMBV and will continue to monitor the situation, there are no bass virus fish kills occurring now and the virus is not a reason to cancel any fishing trips," said Kim Erickson, fisheries chief for the Wildlife Department. "Although some of the bass in certain Oklahoma lakes are carrying the virus, populations are in good shape overall, and fishing is good to excellent in most places. Additionally, the presence of the virus poses no threat to human health if fish are properly prepared and consumed."
Erickson noted that based on previous experiences fisheries professionals believe the LMBV will not cause long-term damage to bass populations. To date, LMBV has been found in Lakes Tenkiller, Grand, Ft. Gibson, Hudson, and most recently, Lake Texoma. In the case of Texoma, Texas Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologists recently sampled largemouth bass in the 89,000-acre border lake and determined that eight percent carried the LMBV.
"What we now know is that this virus is not always a major problem and that it's not always lethal to fish," Erickson said. "It's just out there in the environment, and when conditions get right we may have some fish die. We're not certain, though, what it is that actually triggers the virus into becoming the disease. It some cases it may be so minor that anglers don't even notice, but when it impacts a fishery like Lake Tenkiller, it gets noticed."
According to Auburn University scientist John Grizzle, LMBV is one of more than 100 naturally occurring viruses that affect fish but not warm-blooded animals. Its origin is unknown, but it is related to a virus found in frogs and other amphibians and almost identical to a virus isolated in fish imported to the United States for the aquarium trade.
Although the virus apparently can be carried by other fish species, to date it has produced small numbers of deaths only in largemouth bass. Researchers have discovered that LMBV can stay alive in water for at least three to four hours. This suggests that anglers could unknowingly transport the virus in a livewell, bait bucket or in bilges. Bass can contract the virus from contact with other fish, but it is still not known how the virus is activated into a fatal disease. Most importantly, there is no known cure or prevention for LMBV.
The disease first gained attention in 1995, when it was implicated in a fish kill on Santee-Cooper Reservoir in South Carolina. Since then, the virus has been found in water impoundments throughout the South and portions of the Midwest. The virus has been detected in bass that show no signs of illness, which suggests that some fish might be infected but not ever become sick.
Biologists are uncertain about how long the virus has been present in Oklahoma waters, but the pattern suggests that unusually hot summer temperatures were a catalyst in the die-offs. The good news, Erickson noted, is that although angler catch rates, particularly for large fish, decline for a short period of time following an LMBV-related fish kill, they usually recover within a year or two.
"Because the virus appears to strike a fishery and move on, answers to the LMBV mystery have been hard to find," he said.
For more information on largemouth bass population surveys conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, or for a weekly fishing report, log on to the Department's website at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
LMBV questions and answers
Question: Where did LMBV come from?
Answer: LMBV is one of more than 100 naturally occurring viruses that affect fish, but not warm blooded animals. The origin is unknown, but it is related to a virus found in frogs and other amphibians and nearly identical to a virus isolated in fish imported to the U.S. for the aquarium trade.
Question: When was LMBV first discovered?
Answer: LMBV first gained attention in 1995, when it was implicated in a fish kill on Santee-Cooper Reservoir in South Carolina.
Question: Where has LMBV been found?
Answer: LMBV has been found in 15 states. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Question: How many lakes have experienced fish kills due to LMBV?
Answer: Fish kills attributed to LMBV have been confirmed in nearly 20 locations since 1995.
Question: How do you test for LMBV?
Answer: Testing for LMBV is very difficult because the fish must still be alive when a sample is taken. Anglers who see fish dying are asked to contact the regional fisheries office near them.
Question: Are infected fish safe to handle and eat?
Answer: They are safe to eat. LMBV is not known to infect any warm-blooded animals, including humans. Thoroughly cook fish that you intend to eat. Fish that are dead or dying should not be used for human food, regardless of the cause of the illness.
Department's Web page provides wealth of info
Oklahoma is blessed with thousands of surface acres of water and amazing angling opportunities.
Whether fishing alone or with family or friends, no matter where one is located in the Sooner State, good fishing can be found close by, and anglers can get a jump on the action by checking out the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's website at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
"This is a great time to be outdoors and enjoy a fishing trip," said Nels Rodefeld, Information and Education Division assistant chief. "We hope sportsmen everywhere can get out for their own fishing expedition. We also want our anglers to know that there is some great information at their disposal on the Department's website.
"We provide anglers fishing regulations, a weekly fishing report and answers to frequently asked questions about fishing and license requirements. There are also fishing facts and information available on record fish."
The website offers other valuable information as well, Rodefeld added. The site offers substantial information about fisheries management in Oklahoma, including biologist tips and best bets for many species.
Trout anglers can use the site to gain information on the Department's trout areas and regulations. Information about trout fishing includes descriptions on how to reach trout areas and stocking information for each area.
Those interested in planning an outing to area lakes will want to check out the site before heading out. There they will find links that provide current weather forecast and the most up-to-date information on lake levels and conditions.
Other items of interest currently available on the site include links to information about the Largemouth Bass Virus, the West Nile Virus and to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation's "Water Works Wonders" campaign.
"We believe the site offers something for every angler," said Rodefeld. "We are always working to improve the site, and we hope that every sportsman will take advantage of the information we can offer them through it."
Don't try to save young wildlife
Many of Oklahoma's wildlife species have young during the late spring and early summer, and those spending time outdoors will probably encounter some young wildlife that appears alone or abandoned.
The best action to take in that situation is to keep your distance and leave these young creatures alone.
Birds and squirrels can be blown out of their nest in storms, and although they appear alone and helpless, the parents will often find these youngsters and care for them wherever they might be. It is very common for small wildlife to become separated from their nest and siblings, but probably the most common wildlife found alone is white-tailed deer fawns.
"If you see a fawn without its mother, don't worry," said Mike Shaw, Wildlife research supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "The parent is nearby. She's just waiting for you to leave so she can move her fawn off to safety.
"Attempting to "save" the fawn can actually compromise the fawn's ability to survive in the wild by separating it from its mother. Don't be tempted to rescue a newborn fawn because you think it's abandoned. Take photographs, if you wish, but don't linger too long, and do not touch or attempt to touch the animal."
In Oklahoma, most fawns are born in May and June, and start becoming visible in mid to late June. They are born in a relatively short time frame as part of a phenomenon called, "predator swamping." By birthing most of their fawns in a narrow time window, white-tailed deer ensure their overall survival by "swamping" the woods with more fawns than predators could possibly consume.
Predators will eliminate some deer, of course, but the overwhelming majority will survive until they are able to fend for themselves. While coyotes do not kill a significant number of adult deer, they will consume fawns whenever possible. This is especially true during the first few weeks of a fawn's life when it is unable to travel with its mother. But, does are very protective of their fawns and will often try to distract predators from their fawns.
"When a doe senses danger, she will hide the fawn and then travel a short distance to attract attention away from the fawn," Shaw said. "The doe will usually keep the fawn within sight and will gather the fawn up once the danger has passed. The fawn may appear to be alone during this time but it really isn't, so, if you see a fawn that appears to be alone, leave it alone, because nature is always an animal's best defense."
For more information about wildlife or about wildlife watching opportunities, log onto the Department's website at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
Committee hopes to increase quail populations
Oklahomans love quail hunting, and Oklahoma has traditionally had some of the best quail hunting in the country. That is why the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation as well as hunters are concerned about decreasing quail populations.
Quail experts from across the state are joining together to address those concerns through a long-term management plan.
The "Oklahoma Quail Initiative" is a plan being devised by a committee made up of several different agencies and conservation groups. The committee members are from the Wildlife Department, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Oklahoma State University, OSU Extension Service, the Noble Foundation and Quail Unlimited.
"We wanted to assemble the best and brightest quail minds to develop a plan of action to head off the quail decline and to restore quail numbers to a more appropriate level," said Mike Sams, upland game biologist with the Wildlife Department. "We have some of the top respected quail experts in the nation right here in Oklahoma. We are calling on their knowledge and experience to guide this initiative in the right direction."
The first action for the group was to meet and discuss what quail programs and projects already exist here in the state. That list was surprisingly large. Overall, these programs have seen varying success due to funding and publicity.
The goal of the Oklahoma Quail Initiative is to make a difference statewide. That is a large goal, especially since Oklahoma is so diverse. The state has more eco-regions than nearly any other state. That means lots of different habitats and lots of different management strategies to consider.
But all the experts agree, that in order to increase quail populations across the state there has to be a restoration of natural habitats.
"Habitat is the key," added Sams. "If the components of habitat - food, water and cover are abundant then Mother Nature will take care of the rest. Quality habitat will also help decrease the affects of predation on quail populations."
"The research is overwhelming. Populations can not increase if there isn't enough quality habitat for them to disperse into. Stocking captive raised birds does not help either. It is very simple, you have to have good habitat before you can have quail."
One problem facing biologists is that for habitat restoration to be effective in the long term, large tracts of habitat must be restored. Research shows that restoration on small, separated acreages by themselves, has little effect on quail populations. If you can tie these small tracts together into tracts of thousands of acres, then you stand a good chance in a substantial increase in populations.
Funding the initiative is another dilemma. There has to be enough funding available for the effort to occur statewide. In this time of downsizing and budget restraints, finding the necessary funding for such a project has to be considered in the plan.
Time is of the essence. Present populations could be in better shape if the plan would have been initiated several years ago. But it is hard to see a problem developing when pockets of great quail hunting still exist. The group realizes this urgency and hopes to have a plan finalized this year.
Oklahoma is not the only state facing a dwindling quail crop. Several other states have developed similar plans to deal with the downward spiral of bobwhite quail. Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, just to name a few, have all started similar Initiatives to confront the problem.
Fortunately, Oklahoma still has decent populations of bobwhite quail, and with the development of this plan, our hunters will hopefully enjoy the thrill of a covey rise well into the future. Those interested in learning more about Oklahoma's quail can log onto the Department's website at www.wildlifedepartment.com.


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Contact: Jerry Horn, Priests for Life, 540-220-0095
AMARILLO, Texas, Sept. 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today commented on the announcement that a Pennsylvania abortionist, Harvey Brookman, has lost his medical license due to unprofessional conduct.
"The case of the Pennsylvania abortionist is only the latest problem for the abortion industry," stated Fr. Pavone. "This summer alone, abortion clinics have been shut down in Ohio, Florida, and other states for rules violations. Priests for Life urges voters to ask candidates what they are willing to do to stop abortion clinics from harming the women they claim to serve."
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.


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OSHA fines UP Company $2800 for summer deaths at Tomahawk plant
Submitted: 01/17/2013
- Last summer two men died in a Tomahawk manufacturing plant. Now, an Upper Peninsula company is being punished for it. Dustin Hale and Dennis Gougeon were killed after being hit by fly ash at the Packaging Corporation of America plant in Tomahawk July 17th. The men were cleaning contractors working for Inland Systems of Ontonagon, Michigan. OSHA gave Inland Systems a serious citation. The government agency says Inland Systems failed to provide proper protection and training for the workers. They've been fined 28-hundred dollars. Inland has indicated they're willing to accept responsibility, and will need to take action to correct problems in protection and training.
Written By: Ben Meyer
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