Robber fly - Nature photographer Thomas Shahan specializes in amazing portraits of tiny insects. It isn't easy. Shahan says that this Robber Fly (Holcocephala fusca), for instance, is "skittish" and doesn't like its picture taken.

Nature by Numbers (Video)

"The Greater Akashic System" – July 15, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: Lightworkers, Intent, To meet God, Past lives, Universe/Galaxy, Earth, Pleiadians, Souls Reincarnate, Invention: Measure Quantum state in 3D, Recalibrates, Multi-Dimensional/Divine, Akashic System to change to new system, Before religion changed the system, DNA, Old system react to Karma, New system react to intent now for next life, Animals (around humans) reincarnate again, This Animal want to come back to the same human, Akashic Inheritance, Reincarnate as Family, Other Planets, Global Unity … etc.)

Question: Dear Kryon: I live in Spain. I am sorry if I will ask you a question you might have already answered, but the translations of your books are very slow and I might not have gathered all information you have already given. I am quite concerned about abandoned animals. It seems that many people buy animals for their children and as soon as they grow, they set them out somewhere. Recently I had the occasion to see a small kitten in the middle of the street. I did not immediately react, since I could have stopped and taken it, without getting out of the car. So, I went on and at the first occasion I could turn, I went back to see if I could take the kitten, but it was to late, somebody had already killed it. This happened some month ago, but I still feel very sorry for that kitten. I just would like to know, what kind of entity are these animals and how does this fit in our world. Are these entities which choose this kind of life, like we do choose our kind of Human life? I see so many abandoned animals and every time I see one, my heart aches... I would like to know more about them.

Answer: Dear one, indeed the answer has been given, but let us give it again so you all understand. Animals are here on earth for three (3) reasons.

(1) The balance of biological life. . . the circle of energy that is needed for you to exist in what you call "nature."

(2) To be harvested. Yes, it's true. Many exist for your sustenance, and this is appropriate. It is a harmony between Human and animal, and always has. Remember the buffalo that willingly came into the indigenous tribes to be sacrificed when called? These are stories that you should examine again. The inappropriateness of today's culture is how these precious creatures are treated. Did you know that if there was an honoring ceremony at their death, they would nourish you better? Did you know that there is ceremony that could benefit all of humanity in this way. Perhaps it's time you saw it.

(3) To be loved and to love. For many cultures, animals serve as surrogate children, loved and taken care of. It gives Humans a chance to show compassion when they need it, and to have unconditional love when they need it. This is extremely important to many, and provides balance and centering for many.

Do animals know all this? At a basic level, they do. Not in the way you "know," but in a cellular awareness they understand that they are here in service to planet earth. If you honor them in all three instances, then balance will be the result. Your feelings about their treatment is important. Temper your reactions with the spiritual logic of their appropriateness and their service to humanity. Honor them in all three cases.

Dian Fossey's birthday celebrated with a Google doodle

Dian Fossey's birthday celebrated with a Google doodle
American zoologist played by Sigourney Weaver in the film Gorillas in the Mist would have been 82 on Thursday (16 January 2014)

Thursday, April 15, 2010

SBY’s New Strategy on Illegal Logging is an Improvement, Say Indonesian Green Activists

Jakarta Globe, Fidelis E. Satriastanti, April 14, 2010

There have been few convictions among hundreds of cases since the president’s first call to stamp out illegal logging in 2005.  (Antara Photo)

After deriding President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s call to go after the “mafia” involved in illegal logging last week, some environmentalists are now applauding his decision to assign the Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force to help tackle the issue by targeting legal system flaws that block convictions.

“Illegal logging is a serious crime, meaning that it’s an organized crime,” said Rhino Subagyo, executive director of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law. “It has very complex elements, including corruption, money laundering and environmental disasters. It cannot be handled just by one institution, like the KPK [Corruption Eradication Commission], because they are only equipped to deal with corruption issues.”

In 2005, Yudhoyono issued a presidential instruction involving 12 ministries, the Attorney General’s Office, National Police, Army, State Intelligence Agency (BIN), governors and district heads. The instruction was meant to herald the start of a concerted campaign against illegal logging, but resulted in few convictions among hundreds of cases.

Critics took his April 7 announcement as a sign that his previous efforts to halt illegal logging had been a complete failure

“There’s nothing wrong with the instruction as it had a good purpose: To ensure his subordinates coordinated with each other to make sure the massive policy movement supported the action. But its implementation turned out to have little effect because too many conflicts of interest between sectors and ministries caused them to only halfheartedly [execute the instruction],” Rhino said.

One of the most visible examples of lack of coordination and conflict of interest, Rhino said, was when the police closed active investigations into 13 major pulp and paper companies in Riau that were allegedly committing serious violations.

“That is a blatant example of a dispute between the forestry ministry and police,” Rhino said.

Indonesia currently has about 10 percent of the world’s remaining rainforests, but officials estimate the country has lost over 10 million hectares to illegal logging. Indonesia Corruption Watch estimates state losses from the practice could be as high as Rp 30 trillion ($3.33 billion).

Hariadi Kartodiharjo, a forestry expert at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, said the missing link in addressing illegal logging lies in the justice system, where the Ministry of Forestry rarely wins cases.

“We already have the institutions who are in charge, but they don’t effectively work because there’s something wrong in the legal process, including at regional levels,” Hariadi said, adding that the country’s legal system has not revised its burden of proof requirements for environmental and forestry cases, making it difficult to obtain convictions against large-scale illegal logging enterprises.

“Illegal logging cases are treated like regular criminal acts, where they require eyewitnesses to really see that someone chopped down the trees. It’s obvious that there is a gap [in the law] between everyday rationality and legal rationality. You can’t eradicate illegal logging within the conventional system,” he said.

However, Hariadi said, the task force should not busy itself with policy matters, which are supposed to be the domain of the government, including permit issues, but should rather focus on aggressively targeting illegal logging’s major players.

“Just use intelligence data and information and aim at one big target, whether in Sumatra, Papua or Kalimantan, because many players in illegal logging are actually the [legitimate companies], considering that it’s actually an expensive business that only those with lots of money are able to join in,” he said.

Mas Achmad Santosa, a member of the anti-mafia task force, said the team was assigned to fight organized criminals operating in the forestry sector, meaning that they will be working in the context of legal enforcement.

“We will be there to help ministries to deal with the ‘bottleneck’ concerning plenty of failed illegal logging cases as a result of the legal process. Our job is to seize on any indications that those failures are being caused by case brokers,” Mas said.

No comments: