On patrol with a shark ranger in Indonesia

Conservation International works with Indonesian children to help them learn how to protect the most diverse underwater region in the world. ?NBC News' Richard Engel reports.

By Ed Flanagan, NBC News

RAJA AMPAT, Indonesia ? The remote Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat is home to an underwater treasure trove of coral reefs and tremendous biodiversity, miles away from polluted urban centers and human encroachment.

The faraway islands in Western Papua, regarded by many marine experts as having the potential to help restore the world's ailing coral reefs, are vulnerable to the unchecked exploitation of a lucrative treasure that is rapidly disappearing from Indonesia's waters: sharks.

China's growing appetite for the de rigueur shark fin soup has attracted fishermen from elsewhere in Indonesia and Southeast Asia to the waters around Raja Ampat's 1,500 islands.

Alarmed, conservationists and local villagers worked together to create the Misool Eco Resort and Conservation Center in 2005, establishing a 165-square-mile "No-Take Zone" that banned fishing.

Related content:
PhotoBlog: Raja Ampat archipelago: The world's last paradise
Understanding the beauty and diversity of Raja Ampat, aka 'Underwater Eden'?
Scientists rush to save manta rays, the 'pandas of the ocean'

When a neighboring village requested to take part, the area was expanded to 472 square miles, roughly the size of the city of Los Angeles.

The Misool team also recruited a group of rangers to help patrol the waters for illegal fishermen. Earlier this year, NBC News had an opportunity to go on patrol with Abdul Razak Tamher, 31, one of the first rangers.

Q: Before 2005, what were shark and fish stocks like in this area of Raja Ampat?

A: Before 2005, one of the main occupations of the people of my village was fishing. That's what we did every day and one of the big things fished were sharks. By the 2000s there were very few sharks left in the area, but in the 1980s and 90s when I was fishing there were lots of sharks. A lot of people used dynamite and potassium cyanide for fishing.

Q: So did villagers in Misool know they had to change the way things were done?

A: At that time, people here really didn't think much about shark or marine conservation. We didn't know shark fishing was illegal (prior to the formation of the No-Take Zone in 2005, the local governor had actually signed a law against shark fishing) because nobody from the government came out here to tell or educate us that it was illegal and bad for the ecology to fish sharks.

It was really through the efforts of the resort to educate the village about the importance of sharks and protecting the marine environment that we saw the importance of it and began to appreciate the natural beauty ourselves. Now if people from my village hear of a shark fishing boat coming into this area, they get really upset.

NBC News' Richard Engel talks to a Conservation International scientist as he identifies a new species of fish.

Q: Is conservation a completely foreign idea here? Isn't there a long tradition of seasonal fishing and spiritual beliefs around protecting certain animals?

A:?We've embraced principles of conservation since the beginning of our culture. They were simple ideas, but they still worked for us. For example, we would harvest clams from the ocean for six months, then depending on the ocean conditions, we would close that area for sometimes up to a year before harvesting again.

Many of the original families in this area are forbidden to eat different sea creatures like sharks or turtles or other kinds of fish. In each case, there is a reason why each family respects and protects a certain animal. It could be that a family member or fisherman generations ago was rescued by that species or guided to land at a time of need. Many still believe that if someone in the family breaks this taboo, they will get sick or something bad will happen.

Q:?In 2006, the rangers were formed with just five of you and a few of you were actually former shark fishermen. What made you make such a dramatic change in your life?

?A:?I personally wasn't involved in shark fishing, but other original rangers that were here in the beginning and their village elders were shark fishermen. Even though they were shark fishermen and lived off the harvest of the ocean, they realized that they needed to preserve this area and the marine life for future generations to come.

Many of us felt ? and still feel today ? that if we told our children or grandchildren that there were lots of fish and sharks in the sea around these islands and they went there and saw none they would think that we were liars and we just couldn't allow that to happen.

Q:?What was it like in the early days with the rangers?

A:?The rangers weren't really effective until 2009 because at that time there was only one speed boat that was always busy getting lumber for the construction of the resort. So we would only go out if we saw an illegal boat go past the resort. From 2006-2009, we went out almost every day. In the months of June and July, the area was choked with shark finning boats from as far away as Java that cast long lines with sometimes 1,000 or 2,000 hooks to catch sharks.

To expel the foreign boats, it wasn't a problem. We would just go up to the boats and tell them leave and they would go. Local fishermen were tougher. Most of the problems had to do with local fishermen not agreeing with the contract we signed with Misool Eco Reserve to create the no-take zones or claiming they were not around when the contract had been reached. They would also say we have it easy since we work as rangers and make a lot of money, so we don't need to fish like they did.

Q:?How soon after the reserve formed did you start to see results from the sanctuary?

A:?After two or three years, I started to see a lot of sharks in the lagoons and my friends who went diving began to see more fish. There were just some researchers here in Misool who were shocked by the amount of fish who were in the protected areas. The results have just been amazing.

Q:?How have the villages in the area adapted to the sanctuary?

A:?In the beginning, there were a lot of problems with the villagers not understanding the rangers' mission. The most important thing we did to get people behind us was to use Adat, or traditional Papuan village law. This was done by developing a close relationship with the ancestral village head, as he holds the power of the village and so people will listen to what he says. If we didn't have the village head, then it would have been difficult to enforce the rules of the sanctuary.

Q:?What's next for the rangers in the coming years?

A:?We all hope the ranger patrol can continue forever and that we have the resources to keep recruiting young people from the villages to the patrol. We now have three ranger stations built and we hope to have three rangers in every station with small, fuel-efficient boats that can be used to spot illegal fishermen and intercept them until support can show up.

The other big problem we'd like to fix is communication. Radio communication in this region of Raja Ampat is difficult because all the radios we have now are line-of-sight and the islands interfere with signal within short distances. The plan is to build a main radio/repeater station that will cover the entire area so that there is clear contact throughout the sanctuary.

To donate to the Misool ranger patrols, click here.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/24/15387873-on-patrol-with-a-shark-ranger-in-indonesias-marine-treasure-trove?lite

2012 pro bowl postsecret ufc on fox 2 supercross christina aguilera etta james funeral sundance film festival victoria azarenka

Violin bow maker keeps his craft alive

7 hrs.

Matt Rivera

In a small, sun-drenched studio outside of Boston, Benoit Rolland runs his hand over thin, dark planks of wood. He taps them to demonstrate how the percussive sound of each species varies. The pitch is higher in one plank, the reverb more durable in another.

By his count, Rolland is one of only a handful of people in the world who makes custom bows for violins, violas and cellos. It?s a traditional kind of work ? another Frenchman, Fran?ois-Xavier Tourte, settled the form of the bow in the 18th century, and most bows today are based on this design.

Though Rolland?s name might not?be widely known, his bows are played on instruments with recognizable names like Stradivarius and Guarneri. Rolland has been making custom bows since the early '70s, and today he can produce as many as 30 in a year, selling them for up to $15,000 apiece.

In almost any other field, a machine would have replaced his job, but his clientele are the professional musicians who travel the world performing at the top of their field.

Befitting such an expensive piece of equipment, Rolland?s process for designing a bow is very specific. It begins with a private audience.? If a customer lives abroad, he asks for them to send an audio recording.

?After a small while, I?m able to guess the bowings,"?Rolland said. "And then the fingerings. And the fingerings are very important, because they are linked to the bowings. And the bowings are linked to the fingerings.??

"It's a circle,"?Rolland explains. "When I can get into that circle, I have a fair idea of who I?m working for.?

After listening to the performer, Rolland chooses a specific wood and works up a design that accommodates their strengths and weaknesses. He prefers to use a species of Brazilian wood called pernambuco,? celebrated for its tone, strength and longevity.

Unfortunately, pernambuco is an endangered species, and it?s impossible to buy more of the rare timber.

Rolland has a stockpile of the wood that he hopes will last the rest of his life, but anticipating the eventual disappearance of pernambuco, he began experimenting with alternative materials. In the 80s, he was one of the first people to create a bow from carbon fiber.

Unlike the warm sound of a wooden bow, Rolland says, ?Carbon fiber conveys a very fast vibration. It?s not an advantage. We have to damp the vibration a little bit to give more warmth through the sound.?

His innovations have won him recognition. In October, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, also known as a ?Genius Award,? for the improvements he has made to the enduring wooden stick.

One of his recent changes to bow design was to slightly alter the angle at which the bow hair sits on an instrument, yielding greater sound and improved control.

?I do not plan nor intend to change the sound of the violin, otherwise it wouldn?t be a violin anymore," he says. "But, you know, violin playing is very difficult.?

When asked what he has in store, he demurs. ?I have several inventions that are cooking,"?he says with a grin. "I don?t say that because I?m French. ?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/modern-world-violin-bow-maker-keeps-his-craft-alive-1C7206756

reggie mckenzie epiphany exorcism jersey shore season 5 mark driscoll unemployment rate unemployment rate

Home affordability improves in Canada | Mortgages & Real Estate ...

TORONTO ? Royal Bank says the cost of home ownership became more affordable in the most recent quarter due to a modest decline in home prices and gains in Canadian household incomes.

RBC?s affordability index for a detached bungalow stood at 42% of income nationally in the second quarter.

That means an owner would need to spend 42% of pre-tax annual income to pay for mortgage payments, utilities and property taxes ? one percentage point lower than in the third quarter of 2011.

The index fell even more for two-storey homes, by 1.2 percentage points to 47.8% and eased 0.6 percentage points to 28% for condos.

The bank, which publishes the index on a quarterly basis, says ultra low interest rates have been the key factor in keeping affordability levels from reaching dangerous levels in recent years.

Despite the recent improvement in affordability, RBC said the amount of income to service home ownership costs continues to be higher than long-term averages.

RBC notes that Canada?s housing market cooled further in the third quarter, partially because of the effects of a fourth round of rule changes to government-backed mortgage insurance.

The bank expects the negative effect of the changes on home sales will ease by the end of the year and that resale activity will stabilize next year.

The July-September quarter fully reversed the mild erosion in affordability that occurred during the first half of 2012, said RBC chief economist Craig Wright.

?The broad affordability picture has been somewhat stationary over the last two years, alternating between periods of improvement and deterioration, resulting in an affordability trend that is, on net, essentially flat,? Wright said.

Wright expects the Bank of Canada to begin raising its overnight lending rate for banks ? which affects bank?s prime lending rates ? from the current 1% in the second half of next year, assuming the euro crisis remains in check and U.S fiscal issues are addressed.

?This, along with the expected continued growth in household income, will lessen the risk of marked erosion in affordability,? he said.

Despite the recent improvement in affordability, RBC said the amount of income to service home ownership costs continues to be higher than long-term averages,

As is often the case, Vancouver?s extremely expensive real-estate skewed the national figures.

?The cost of owning a home took a smaller bite out of household pocketbooks in the third quarter as home prices fell ? most notably in the Vancouver area, though it remains the least affordable market in Canada by a wide margin,? explained Wright.

The index in Vancouver stood at 83.2% of income, followed by Toronto at 52.4%, Montreal 40.2%, Ottawa at 38.7%, Calgary at 38.3% and Edmonton at 31.1%.

?

?

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2012/11/22/canadian-homes-are-getting-more-affordable/

earthquake bay area clear channel drexel dale george will obama birth certificate nick cannon

Good Ways To Begin Receiving A Pay Day Loan | Finance on ...

urgent payday loans online Get pay day advance in Jacksonville, FL by using urgent $ 400 payday loans online no faxing .

Monetary difficulties can sometimes require quick consideration. Only if there were some kind of personal loan that folks might get that made it possible for these people to get money easily. Luckily, this type of personal loan does can be found, and it?s referred to as the payday loan. The next post contains all kinds of assistance and recommendations on payday loans that you could need.

Reduce your payday loan borrowing to 20-five percent of the full salary. A lot of people get financial loans for further money compared to they could at any time dream about paying back in this particular short-term trend. By acquiring merely a quarter in the salary in personal loan, you are more likely to have sufficient money to pay off this personal loan whenever your salary eventually will come.

Numerous payday loan businesses usually do not supply you with the option of make payment on entire personal loan again at the same time. They put you on an automated repayment schedule which you owe curiosity on. Never ever go along with a loan company like this. Make sure that you find a business that allows you to spend them in a single lump sum payment.

When you are accomplishing your application for payday loans, you are delivering your individual details over the internet to an unknown location. Being aware of it might enable you to protect your information, much like your sociable security amount. Do your homework regarding the loan company you are looking for prior to, you send out anything over the web.

Ease your anxieties about lack of equity by using a payday loan. Most loan companies would love you to pledge some resource which you personal when borrowing money, so that they have some thing to adopt if you cannot pay back the borrowed funds. Pay day loans, despite the fact that only accessible in small amounts, give funds without the need of equity. Consequently, even though you do not have resources to pledge, you can still get a payday loan when you really need a single.

Should you not have adequate money on the examine to repay the borrowed funds, a payday loan business will inspire anyone to roll the quantity more than. This only is good for the payday loan business. You will turn out trapping yourself and do not having the capacity to pay back the borrowed funds.

Obtaining a faxless payday loan may seem like a simple, and good way to find some good money in your wallet. You ought to avoid this sort of personal loan. Most loan companies require you to fax documents. They now know you are reputable, and yes it will save you them from accountability. Anybody who will not would love you to fax anything might be a scammer.

Make sure that your payday loan arrangement is English language. Some rogue payday loan businesses publish their personal loan contracts in a unfamiliar vocabulary, as a way to secret clients into agreeing to negative terms. Consequently, it is crucial which you make sure that you understand all the written text presented on the payday loan agreement prior to signing it.

An integral idea for anyone trying to get payday loans is just not to rest on the application. Telling lies on the application could possibly be attractive to get that loan authorized or possibly a better loan amount, however it is, in reality, scam, and you may be charged criminally for it.

Look at simply how much you truthfully require the money that you are considering borrowing. Should it be something that could hold out until you have the cash to acquire, put it away from. You will likely find that payday loans will not be an affordable solution to get a large Television set for a football video game. Reduce your borrowing through these loan companies to urgent situations.

When the Better Organization Bureau is in your area, talk to them. They are bound to have lots of details and reviews about all the paycheck loan companies in your area. It is possible to easily discover which enterprises are the best versions to deal with in this particular discipline about your neighborhood and place.

Hopefully, this content you merely study has provided you some very helpful ideas, along with a more clear concept of the method that you need to proceed. If you are planning to obtain a payday loan, you must make sure you know all the facts and precisely what you will be signing up for.

Source: http://www.mandarinmnemonics.com/good-ways-to-begin-receiving-a-pay-day-loan/

Colorado fires supreme court summer solstice Summer Solstice 2012 Waldo Canyon fire nba finals K Michelle

Suggestions about Satellite Cell phones

In our modern day world there are many types of modern-day communication and that includes both mobile devices, satellite telephones, and the mixture cell phone satellite services.

Mobile phones work throughout North America, The japanese, Europe, and also China. The largest challenges tend to be that distinct areas of the globe use distinct cell phone specifications. For example throughout Europe GSM Nine hundred is the common but in the US it is portion analogue and portion digital, and also Japan employs PDC.

If that?s not enough there are all kinds of confusion throughout plans within the same region. And then there are the difficulties with voice mail and paging. There?s also all kinds of possibilities when it comes to telephones. ? different sizes, different designs, and different accessories.

Four guests looking for mobile service throughout China and also Europe normally cost about $50 for the 1st week and also slightly significantly less there after. You?ll either need to have a GSM phone and you will need to lease a Sim. Your regular program should have an email finder service for rerouting your own GSM calls when you activate the idea in the country you?re visiting.

In the event it all looks confusing and/or expensive then have you considered a satellite phone. You can purchase or lease a satellite phone and you may choose between local and global coverage. If you?re going to be touring many different countries you should consider the global coverage.

Just what exactly does the satellite phone offer you ? Nicely it?s very comparable to cellular insurance coverage but its far better and there are no dead spots, no fallen calls, when you are looking at those rural areas out in the wilds you can still communicate with friends and family and may there become an emergency you will get help way too.

Satellite connection involves lower orbiting satellites the orbit the planet earth. Vendors like Telital, Qualcomm, and Ericcson are offering to you both equipment and handsets. These phones operate in two distinct modes.

Like a mobile cell phone it will look for a service in one of the land based networks that other cellular phones use. Then if mobile service is not available it will rebound you up to satellite service. His can be very convenient simply because you need only one particular phone to pay for all of your connection needs.

This can be common apply within China and The japanese. It?s called the general public switched telephone network as well as PSTN. It is appropriate for several solutions and several engineering. It triumphs over compatibility conditions have normally been an issue.

The speedy changes in technologies are making it more difficult to look at long term solutions nevertheless it always really helps to have an idea of where we?re and where were going and also cell phone satellite services are very going to are more common within the next few years.

In fact it?s a win-win situation for everyone. As well as the more it will become available and also used greater affordable it will become. Keep your possibilities open don?t forget that cellphone satellite services are certainly one of these options.

Leah Sullivan has been a professional psychologist in over Twelve yrs & has learning perfect ideas in Isatphone pro in part of his involvement with New Industries Group ,a new creative team for creative persons. Learn All about his website to read more about his Iridium 9555 studies over the years.

Source: http://www.pt286.com/suggestions-about-satellite-cell-phones

tim ferriss wmt human nature arkansas football blackhawks howard johnson levon helm

What's the Difference Between Angels and Venture Capital?

Critically-acclaimed bestselling business author

by Kim Lavine

There is a big difference between VC and Angels. Do your homework and get it right if you want money--starting with these basics...

What is a Second-Stage or Mid-Tier Company?

In general, a company is second-stage if it is:

• privately held
• past the start-up stage
• facing issues of growth rather than survival
• employing six to ninety-nine full-time employees
• generating between $750,000 and $50 million in annual revenue or has that amount of working capital in place from investors or grants

What is Mezzanine financing?

• Mezzanine financing is not a loan but second-stage investment by individuals, usually secured by equity-based options like warrants, which can be converted to stock.
• Mezzanine financing is a debt only in the event of a company?s bankruptcy, when the investors take priority over original owners in the repayment of debt.
• Typically a business only pays annual interest on money loaned to it through mezzanine financing until warrants are converted into stock.
• In bigger deals, mezzanine financing can be any late-stage investment by VC or Angels somewhere between start up and going public. ? Banks do not provide Mezzanine Financing.

What are Angel Investors?

• Angel Investors have to be certified by the SEC to be "high net worth individuals" with minimum liquid assets (cash) of $2,000,000 and minimum average salaries of $250,000 a year.
• They are private investors who specialize in high-growth fields and involve themselves directly in management of the endeavors they fund, usually forming "strategic alliances," where they merge their resources/experience/companies with that of a fledgling company on the cusp of exponential growth, while reaping financial returns much higher than any other traditional investment vehicle typically available.
• Angels fund thirty to forty times as many companies as venture capitalists every year.

What is Venture Capital?

• Private equity?money?that comes from investors willing to risk capital on more speculative ventures.
• Usually reserved for second-stage companies in a high growth mode, or start-ups with an exceptionally strong business plan.
• A typical venture capital investment usually requires sale of 25 percent to 55 percent of the company to investors.
• Some VC firms have the money, and some are brokers who raise it.

What?s the Difference Between Angels and Venture Capital?

• Angels typically have a more patient exit strategy with a mandate to invest in businesses in their communities to foster economic growth and development.
• Venture Capitalists are concerned with only one thing: the bottom line.
• Sometimes Angels and VC are one in the same, moving from their own personal VC firm to their Angel group in one afternoon.

Do your homework

Research the people you are working with as well as you can. The best way to get information on these people is to talk to your SBDC counselor, who is usually connected to many business leaders in the community.

• Some VC firms don?t actually have money, but are more like brokers who have the connections and know how to get it.
• Don?t expect to get names, business cards or contact info on individual Angels as you would VC firms.

Use every opportunity you have to get face-to-face with Angels to your fullest advantage.

continued tomorrow...

?An Excerpt from MOMMY MILLIONAIRE

Updated version of the Critically-Acclaimed, Bestselling Book

Read more in the newly updated Platinum Version of MOMMY MILLIONAIRE Available for immediate download by eBook or PDF. Filled with all kinds of bonus materials including document templates, updated tips and the real skinny on what went down since I wrote this book.

Do You Have a Million Dollar Idea?

Break Down the Doors of Big Retail with Kim LavineTurn it into a Million Dollars with BREAK DOWN THE DOORS OF BIG RETAIL. New session starting soon. Hurry--sessions sell out quickly.

Whether you're just looking to get started, or to raise a million dollars, you can save time and money by? taking advantage of the expertise I've developed at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars over the course of years to reach your personal dream of business success.

Source: http://www.mommymillionaire.com/home/whats-the-difference-between-angels-and-venture-capital.html

watchmen hitch justin beiber lamar odom perfect game jon jones vs rashad evans results justin bieber

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10th Anniversary Edition arrives on iOS December 6th

With Rockstar Games having already announced the eventual arrival of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on iOS, they've now outlined the full details including official release date and pricing.

Rather than just releasing an unmodified version, Rockstar Games will be releasing a revised Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and dubbing it the 10th Anniversary Edition. Thanks to the celebratory nature of this release, they've gone ahead and gave it some special love and attention:

This 10th Anniversary Edition brings the full experience of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to mobile devices, with native high-resolution graphics and several enhancements unique to the iOS and Android platforms including updated character models and lighting effects, new and more precise firing and targeting options, a fully customizable control layout and native support for Retina display devices.

If you've been waiting for this one, your wait will soon be over. Rockstar Games has announced pricing as well, which is set at $4.99 when it arrives in the App Store on December 6th, 2012.

Source: Rockstar Games

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/3xnYoTfPRSI/story01.htm

bachelor pad bachelor pad FedEx Green Coffee Bean Extract september 11 adam levine 9/11 Memorial