Lights! Camera! Bears oh my!

Scientists have been using a technology that has enabled them to study elusive species that were once thought to be extinct.  The technology is simple, inferred camera traps.  Actually the true name of the camera is the humble. "The humble camera trap — an automated digital device that takes a flash photo whenever an animal triggers an infrared sensor..." (1)

Some of the species that are being photographed are the Amur leopard (with only 30 individuals left in the wild), the Javan Rhino (the world's rarest rhino), and some Sumatran tigers. 

Why is this important?  The cameras provide evidence that these animals still exist.  Conservationists are using this technology to track individuals to survey whether or not the populations are increasing or decreasing.  They can use past data to figure whether the population is dropping due to weather, deforestation, poaching, over hunting of prey, or diseases.

I would like to test this camera in my backyard.  We have a large pack of coyotes that are causing damage to the local population of rabbits, other small mammals, and in turn is causing a drop in the population of red tailed hawk.  I want to be able to present visual data that they are a large pack and should be relocated.  They lost there territory due to construction.  I want to show the town the damage they cause when they disregard the presence of local species.


Sources:
1.) http://e360.yale.edu/feature/camera_traps_emerge_as_key_tool_in_wildlife_research/2469/

 2.) http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=SM1&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1920&bih=859&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=hP013jP0EQiS3M:&imgrefurl=http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/07/sumatran-tiger-cubs-frolic-in-dublin.html&docid=w3HaBJ9UJ0igaM&imgurl=http://www.zooborns.com/.a/6a010535647bf3970b0115724a0841970b-800wi&w=489&h=420&ei=e53fTr7hN4LW0QHKo6yjBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=830&vpy=518&dur=557&hovh=208&hovw=242&tx=108&ty=162&sig=113131952548967410107&page=1&tbnh=146&tbnw=192&start=0&ndsp=33&ved=1t:429,r:28,s:0

3.)http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5DWxKIxXLjvsb3bi9a5fqmldWvfsW8UpapNMaY6YrqVH_VSwGwmPdclymy93ak5T5vrLbQKPP-epyrWK411COxw4m5936XHToSVkVqdaNDiZhtUnoRRaJ80bfqqNilNsVWi48adlMw/s1600/Javan-Rhino.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wallpapers-animal.blogspot.com/2009/11/javan-rhinoceros.html&h=335&w=500&sz=35&tbnid=n3ztvhQMsFfXmM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=134&zoom=1&docid=2BZBHHKbpQlPmM&sa=X&ei=WZ3fTqnHDaPZ0QHmrvShCg&ved=0CEEQ9QEwAg&dur=384

4.) http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Leopard_in_the_Colchester_Zoo.jpg/275px-Leopard_in_the_Colchester_Zoo.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amur_leopard&h=206&w=275&sz=19&tbnid=lktMUkkleHbqSM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=130&zoom=1&docid=PIoep16qUxUukM&sa=X&ei=A6HfTt-UJ6f10gHbvaiJBw&ved=0CFAQ9QEwBA&dur=806

Horse for Dinner?

       Recently President Obama lifted the ban on slaughtering horses for meat processing.  I am an animal lover and I find this appalling.  I understand the importance of the meat industry, I was once an Animal Science major and it was expected we respect the killing of livestock to support a way of life.  Still, it does not change how I feel about horse meat. 

        Just as I view dogs as man's best friend, I view the horse as much as a loyal companion.  Horses are used for so many good things ranging from therapy for special needs children to pulling carriages and carts for farming.  I understand that when a horse gets older to euthanize is expensive; I had to put down a couple pets in my past.  However, this does not excuse the fact that these beautiful animals, which should be left wild, should be mass slaughtered.  Okay so may I am contradicting some of what I am saying, but this subject is too sensitive.  It is one of those topics that get brought up into conversation and then quickly dropped because no one wants to risk saying something that makes them immoral. 

        I just know that my vote is against lifting the ban, though my voice is part of the minority of those who favor horses as a pet over something that will end up on my dinner plate.

       

http://dailycollegian.com/2011/12/05/eating-horses/

Money vs. Nature

I recently read an article that spoke of wolves being slaughtered in hopes to safe a species of caribou.  Truthfully I think it is a load of crap that the naturalist believe removing a top predator will help the numbers of caribou increase.  What I failed to mention was in Canada, where this is happening, there is an increase in the development of tar sands and oil and gas fields that are encroaching on the caribou's habitat. The people in charge believe that by removing wolves the caribou will come back. Unfortunately they are messing with the nature of things.

Canada spent over $1 million to poison and snipe from the air wolves, killing over 500 of these beautiful animals.  I find this to be down right appalling.  If I were able to do something, raise awareness...anything to help the wolves I would. Where to start is the question?

The article can be found at: 

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/alberta_canada_energy_boom_places_wolves_in_the_crosshairs/2459/

Mourning Steve Jobs

According to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL there will be an private invite-only memorial service for the late Steve Jobs.  Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Inc. and a genius when it came to technology.  His visions for the future opened up doors for not only his company, but other electronic companies such as telephone servers.  The iPod and iPhone alone have been one of the biggest forms of success that Apple has had.  The ingenuity that Steve Jobs brought to his work was "outside the box".

The memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 16, 2011 at the Stanford University campus. 

Apple will also be hosting "an event for Apple employees to celebrate Mr. Jobs's life at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 19". 

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204002304576631531431248662.html#ixzz1at2A2yD2

"Texting while driving draws few citations"

Texting has always been an issue while driving because it "impairs" the driver. When a driver is distracted in any way they can be harmful to others and themselves.  This is a lesson we learn the first time behind the wheel.  I was always taught to be cautious of other drivers because you do not know what they are doing.  The unpredictable nature that can arise from driving is intimidating, but should be respected.  Now that cell phones have become huge, so has texting and people text while driving.  I will admit that when I drive the ONLY time I text is when I am at a stop sign or a spot light.  This way I can concentrate on what is important when I am driving...seeing the road. There have been laws out against driving and having your phone out, but according to the Boston Globe not may citations have been given.  Since the ban took effect on Sept. 30, 2010, police have been writing one texting ticket for every 200 speeding tickets said in the Boston Globe.  The Boston Globe also said three drivers in Massachusetts, on average, get ticketed for texting each day - a drop in the bucket in a state with 4.7 million licensed drivers and more than 75,000 miles of road.

In Tennessee they are have similar issues; yet their ban was put into place on July 1, 2009.  According to the TriCities News since January of this year, troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol have issued 47 tickets statewide, Tennessee Department of Safety Public. Also said, Texting while driving tickets are considered non-moving violations, which means violators do not receive any points on their driver's record. However, people who break the law do have to pay a maximum fine of $50.

Of the 34 states with texting bans, 25 continue to allow handheld phone use for dialing and talking in the car, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, a national organization that supports state highway safety agencies (Boston Globe).

I find a lot of these facts to be very interesting.  I knew that regulating texting while driving would be difficult for police officials.  I was once pulled over because an officer thought I was texting.  He said he saw me looking down a lot while driving beside me, but in fact I was messing with my radio/ipod. My phone had been off at the time, but as you can see it is very hard for officers to tell whether or not someone is in fact miss using their phone and endangering others. 

I find that the Boston Globe has more statistics and facts about this situation, whereas the Super Lawyers web-page is all about "helping" you out once you have committed the crime of illegal phone use.  The other web-page is more about a particular state and how they deal with the ban.  I enjoyed once again reading the Boston Globe over the other sites.

Sources:

http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2011/10/08/texting-while-driving-draws-few-citations/yaEiTdL0FDPYBShMSp5zJK/story.xml
http://www.textingaccident.com/2010/08/few-tickets-given-since-enforcing-texting-while-driving-ban/
http://www2.tricities.com/news/2010/apr/23/texting_while_driving_ban_results_in_few_tickets-ar-234929/

"Cain says he should have spoken up for gay soldier:"

THE BOSTON GLOBE vs FREE REPUBLIC

The Boston Globe

The article written by Douglas Birch flows very nice from beginning to right about the end.  The lead is good with giving the who, what, where, and when.  How did this get started? Well what is the article about?

The article in question is about Republican Presidential hopeful Herman Cain.  When he spoke at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans on June 17, 2011.  

At this confernace the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy was brought up and a gay soldier that had served in Iraq was booed off the stage, while Cain said nothing.  'Separately, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that the GOP candidates at the debate should have defended the soldier. ‘‘The fact is we should honor every man and woman who is serving in the military and should in no way treat them with anything but the highest regard,’’ he told CBS’ ‘‘Face the Nation.’''

Free Republic

**This website is a Republican blogging website.  On the page this article is located, this website is asking for money to "Fuel the tank".  

Back to the news about Cain...

On this website bloggers responded negatively to Cain's actions. Below are some of the responses he got:

-"First he plays the Race Card, now the Gay Card."

-"It's becoming clearer everyday that Cain's endorsement of Romney was no fluke.I'm done with Cain...and disappointed."

Also as I read more about what ppl are saying on the blog I am starting to notice how different I am with my views verses their views on the matter. 

The article on this website is not in full as it is on The Boston Globe.  I think that this was done intentional so that only key points were highlighted. Such as this "short" article only focus' on what Cain said and no one else. Though thinking from the poster of this blog I can see how he/she was selective with choosing what to post so that they could manipulate someone's opinion on an other. 

Still I would have to say that I still prefer The Boston Globe over this blogging website.  Newspaper, either digital or not, still have news for both sides of political issues and from there you can make your opinion.  Most of the time articles are not bias.

The Boston Globe wins!

"Yemeni Forces Open Fire, Killing at Least 20 Protesters"

The New York Times vs. Frum Forum

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/world/middleeast/yemeni-forces-open-fire-killing-protesters.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hphttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7362261982464633559&postID=5427167060135128312

http://www.frumforum.com/yemeni-troops-fire-on-protesters

The New York Times:

I read this article with an open mind and found that it was way more in detail, more factual, than the article done by Frum Forum. The photograph listed with the article is powerful because it shows the sheer mass of people that were injured during the attack on the protesters. The eyes of the medical personal give a look of concern, mixed with anger. Moving onto the article, I enjoyed the lead except for the word "here". If the date-line was not there how would you know where "here" was?  I feel that there could have been more of a blind lead going into the article. Maybe say something like: "Security forces critically injured and killed over a dozen Yemeni demonstrators on Sunday, in one of Yemen's worst violence against protesters in the capital since early spring".  I feel something along those lines would be better than what the reporter wrote. 

About the story, I am confused as to what is really going on in Yemen.  This is the first time I have heard anything on this situation. Why is not the United Nations stepping in to aid with medical needs and coordinate a peace treaty or something?  I know that world issues are much more complex than a simple peace treaty, but what is being done by other governments to insure than innocent lives are not being stolen. Everyone has the right to protest, but that does not give the government the right to shoot people down like birds from the sky. I would like to hear a follow-up story on this situation because I am now genuinely concerned what happens to the people of Yemen.

Frum Forum:

The article off the bat is way too short to give any sort of relevant detail, however this article does mention in more depth the type of action the protestors did. According to this article the protestors used “molotov bombs and rocks” against the police.  The article also gives a number of “at least 120 were wounded”.  The photograph for this article shows more anger than it does sympathy to the protestors. I find this interesting because this article in my opinion should be more about the deaths of the protestors rather than showing their anger.  

Overall I enjoyed reading The New York Times version of the situation verses that of the Frum Forum.  For something this important I feel there needs to be more detail and factual evidence to back up claims.