Thursday, December 29, 2016

She is beautiful.

December 27, 2016
By Kelli Steele

The Brandywine Zoo’s Amur tiger, Zhanna, (click here) is scheduled to be transferred to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo in New York early in January 2017, according to DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation in partnership with zoo officials and the Delaware Zoological Society.

The relocation is prompted by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan – a robust and scientific endeavor to manage the genetic diversity of captive species. Zhanna’s genetic profile and age make her a good candidate for breeding and consequently, for transfer to a zoo with a successful tiger breeding program.

“As an AZA Accredited institution, the Brandywine Zoo is committed to species conservation,” said Brandywine Zoo General Curator Lynn Klein. “We rely on the cooperation among zoos to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse population.”

Amur tigers are an endangered species, with fewer than 500 living in small populations in far eastern Russia and northeast China. The tigers are losing their habitat due to logging activities, human encroachment and poaching. The AZA supports habitat protection and anti-poaching programs and at the same time, also supports careful matching of breeding pairs in captivity within the AZA accredited facilities. Zhanna was born at the St. Louis Zoo and she is one of only 300 tigers in zoos accredited by the AZA....
2016/12/27
By Global Times in English

The Beijing Zoo (click here) has created a sperm bank for endangered animals in the hopes of preventing their extinction.
Workers at the 'Frozen Zoo' rush to collect sperm from animals immediately after they die so that they can be preserved in liquid nitrogen for later use.
"Once the animal dies, veterinarians inform zoo laboratory technicians as soon as possible to collect samples," said an zoo employee at a conference Friday.
So far zoo employees have successfully collected semen from a panda, a golden monkey, a white crane and a black-necked crane.
Only a tiger at the zoo failed to produce viable samples due to its advanced age.
"We periodically thaw the samples to check their vitality and condition," said the employee.
The zoo has yet to use the collected frozen sperm for artificial insemination, opting for samples from living animals, the employee said.
The Beijing Zoo joins a number of zoos across the world with sperm banks for endangered animals.
Over 40 years, the San Diego Zoo in California, US has collected more than 10,000 organic samples from over 1,000 different species.
In Japan, the Kyoto Zoo and Kyoto University opened a similar operation in 2013, that uses a special method to freeze dry sperm for later use. 
Beijing Morning Post

A rare Rothchild's giraffe is born and is doing well by standing a short time after birth.

28 December 2016
By Sarah Knapton

A rare Rothschild’s giraffe calf (click here for video) was born on Boxing Day at Chester Zoo.

The six-feet-tall youngster, which is yet to be sexed or named, arrived to first time mother Tula and father Meru at around 7am and was up on its feet just minutes later.

Rothschild’s giraffes are one of the most endangered subspecies of giraffe and one of the world’s most at risk species....

The Rothschild species (click here) are considered one of the tallest giraffes. They can be an astonishing 20 feet in height. They can also weight about 2,500 pounds with the males weighing more than the females by several hundred pounds. You will notice that the coloring of the Rothschild Giraffe is very unique when compared to the other species.

Their coat consists of dark patches and then areas of beige through them, almost like the sight of water running through a small creek. They have a brown and orange color to them that is very beautiful. Their markings are often along the lines of those as leopards. You will also notice that their markings stop at the top of their very long legs.

As that area of the body comes into the picture, their spots turn into speckles that get smaller and spread further and further apart. Everything from that point down is one of many different shades of white. For some of these animals, the pure white can start at the knee caps....

The IUCN Red List of this species of giraffe. (click here)

The ssp. of the species name is "subspecie" and is sometimes written "subsp."

President Obama has never been more correct, Russia is not trustworthy.

No one finds Donald Trump racist?

No one finds the profound disrespect Donald Trump exhibits to President Obama racist?

I do.

I also believer there is a strong probability of a nuclear release. The first strike will come from Russia while Donald Trump is lulled asleep by Russia's promises of riches. A President Clinton would not be asleep at the switch.

There are too many underlying tensions with Russia and China.

Moscow is playing both sides of the street. 

December 27, 2016
While Moscow supported the resolution, (click here) Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to Israel Alexander Dubrovin told Army Radio on Tuesday morning that his country tried to delay the vote but was opposed by the rest of the Security Council members....

I think Russia is confusing the global community for a reason. The Russian Deputy Ambassador is stating he tried to delay the vote to please Donald Trump. Russia supported the resolution, period. Playing games with the President Elect is the continued gaming Russia began with it's covert cyber connections with the Trump Organization when it was outlawed by sanctions.

Donald Trump wants to sooth over the idea he was a businessman when he was elected so any interest he and his family has in that business was understood when elected. Not. I haven't heard anyone I know say it is going to be interesting to watch the new President balance his responsibilities in the Oval Office with his business interests.

So, with Russia doing the bidding of Donald Trump at the United Nations' Security Council as a gesture of friendship, Russia's interference with the USA election to favor the outcome that occurred and it's aggression into Ukraine that escalated during the election process; one has to conclude there is a far greater premeditated agenda with Russia and it's hope to coddle the ego of Donald Trump.

Sorry, it just seems to scream traitor to me. I can't withhold a view about the power structure of the Oval Office. 

Try this on for size; Russia promised there would be no nuclear war if Donald Trump was elected, but, would occur if Hillary Clinton was elected. Russia should be running to the Oval Office to present non-proliferation to die for. Is that occurring? No. It isn't.

And by the way, if there was a real initiative for increased non-proliferation there would be far less tensions with Ukraine and a reason to return to peace between the two countries. 

Putin's justification for nuclear proliferation in fear of Ukraine, was to start an arms race with the USA to force every other nation in the world to surrender their nuclear capacity in recognition of their foolishness. Where has that ever worked?

One more time: I think Russia is confusing the global community for a reason.

I demand a return to Minsk II and a strong non-proliferation movement beginning with Russia. 

I think this is emblematic of the dual identity of Donald Trump.

I am going to refer to the 'walk through' about the first week of December, the President Elect corrected statements to the media made by his spokesman. It clearly illustrated to me there are two Trumps, the "media Trump" and the "Real Trump."

That paradigm is very dangerous. It allows people within Trump's inner circle to treat his image as a puppet. There are other people making statements about his view points not based in fact. It proved the only person that can be counted on to deliver the President-Elect's message is himself.

He has a very inflammatory inner circle of people running a forever campaign. This 'media front' can provide messaging to others, including his nominees only to be corrected when the President Elect speaks directly to the media. This structure will become untenable simply because the President Elect will be unable to comment as soon as a misstatement is made.

In this paradigm the image of the USA will take on a very different and misdirected path. The DNC can have spokespersons to answer all the controversy not addressed by the President Elect. This paradigm, however, will become equally untenable and a run away train. The DNC risks their own policies if it is always chasing Trump's propaganda machine.

His inner circle is carrying out an agenda different from that of the President Elect. He thanked a journalist in that early December walk through where she corrected the statement made by his media front. The statements by his media front are fraud. An inner circle's agenda will overtake the real Donald Trump and it allows for lies that will befuddle what is occurring in Congress. It is a negative spiral that will allow corruption to flourish.

December 29, 2016
By Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin and Arlette Saenz

President-elect Donald Trump today touted the creation of 8,000 jobs (click here) in the U.S., but the two companies involved in those plans say the positions are part of a Japanese technology company’s previous pledge to create 50,000 jobs in the country.

Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida today, Trump announced telecommunications company Sprint will bring 5,000 jobs “back” to the U.S. while technology start-up OneWeb would create 3,000 jobs here.

“I was just called by the head people at Sprint and they are going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States,” Trump said. "Also OneWeb, a new company is going to be hiring 3,000 people so that is very exciting.”

“Because of me they’re doing 5,000 jobs in this country,” Trump later said of Sprint’s decision.

Sprint and OneWeb tell ABC News the jobs Trump referenced are part of Japanese technology company SoftBank’s previously announced commitment to create 50,000 jobs.

On December 6th, Trump met with SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, who announced his company would invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 jobs. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal at the time, Son said the investment would come from a $100 billion investment fund SoftBank established with a series of partners, including Saudi Arabia’s government-owned investment fund....

The statements of Donald Trump having protected and created USA jobs are misleading. They are definitely misleading. It is possible, however, he believes the statements he makes provided by a misleading inner circle that is looking for opportunities for the forever campaign propaganda. 

It is completely possible for Donald Trump to make statements provided by his inner circle without realizing they are misleading statements. He may actually be a puppet in the propaganda he speaks.

So, while he points to protected and created jobs; it may be nothing more than misleading facts provided to him my his media front. 

I point to the power within the speeches to the American people when President Obama would enlist the people to write to their federal legislators. He would ask the American people to break a standoff between the Executive Branch and Congress. President Obama would have support to achieve the outcome he asked for with Congress. 

That power can be misdirected by the President Elect, either intended or unintended, as well. It is a problem. The USA can be blind to the truth by this paradigm. I think the DNC has to have a loud megaphone to provide the truth and a path forward established by the truth. The only clear path out of this mess is the truth and a strong DNC presence. The price to be paid is too high to accept passively all the lies and misleading statements by the Trump propagandists.

I have to point to the influence of White Supremacists within the Oval Office staff. There is also an increase in violence in the country. I don't believe in coincidence.

The Obama Administration should protect the country across the board before their term is concluded.

I find it alarming to realize the President Elect dismisses the intelligence in the USA. This would directly effect elections in the USA and shows Donald Trump will do anything to win an election, including lies that delude the electorate and now accepting the help of a foreign power to win his presidency. That is not someone that loves this country, but, wants the power of the USA to use for his own purpose.

Donald Trump has changed his direction on nearly every campaign promise he made to his constituency. He is not a moral man. He cares not about this country and it's people. He is a Republican hack that represents more of the establishment than any other president before him. "W" still holds the record for lies in entering Iraq to carry out an agenda that was to benefit cronies. People died in Iraq, including our soldiers, that should be alive today. Saddam Hussein was never that much of a threat to the USA and could have been dealt with differently. So, we'll see if Trump tops "W"s record.

The way in which Donald Trump disregards USA intelligence is very troubling.

December 29, 2016
By Dustin Volz and Joel Schetman

The Obama administration plans (click here) to announce on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into U.S. political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday....

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency and Office of Director of National Intelligence agree that Russia was behind hacks into Democratic Party organizations and operatives ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. There is also agreement, according to U.S. officials, that Russia sought to intervene in the election to help Trump, a Republican, defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Russia has repeatedly denied hacking accusations. Trump has dismissed the assessments of the U.S. intelligence community....