:Where Worklife Matters

Though not as developed as Bequia, Clifton Harbor has
stores, water, ice, etc. It’s also the last chance to clear
customs and immigration when heading south from the St.
Vincent territory to Carriacou which is part of Grenada. The
dock isn’t much. It’s easier using the dinghy or water taxi
from the anchorage unless you have to take on water. The
customs and Immigration offices are at the airport, which is
a short walk from the harbor.

One of the best secrets of Union Island is Chatham Bay
around the other side from Clifton. It’s back to nature there
with far fewer visitors than the Tobago Cays. There’s only
one water taxi called “Shark Attack”. James, the operator
also makes carvings out of local wood there. The snorkeling
was excellent despite an algae bloom. There were eagle
rays, a nurse shark trying to hide in the algae and an 18 inch
fish called a flying gurnard that shuffles along the sand and
spreads it’s huge pectoral fins like wings when startled. We
were more startled than the fish to see the display.
The next stop was Canouan Island but not before putting
Paul in charge of the passage and having him also do his
man overboard drills. Bareboat Charter students are
required to demonstrate two different return methods to
complete the standard. Paul did three… a quick stop, a gybe
and a figure eight.

The Moorings is now operating at the Tamarind Resort in
Charlestown Bay. I ran into Michael Schantz, the CFO of The
Moorings who told me about plans to develop a marina with
a breakwater to make boarding the boats there easier
than it is with the pier now in use. Canouan is in a nice
location in the middle of The Grenadines and can be
reached on an American Eagle flight from San Juan. We
had dinner at one of the Tamarind Resort restaurants,
which has a wood fired pizza oven. The pizza and calzone
were great.

It was a close hauled sail from Canaoun back to Bequia to
position ourselves for a morning return the next day to
Sunsail. There was a fresh breeze of at least 20 knots so
we double reefed. It would have been perfect except
that I neglected to check the hatch over my forepeak cabin. I
had earlier dogged the hatch in the upper position to let in
some air so everything in the cabin became very wet by the
time we discovered the situation in Bequia. Fortunately, it
was a sunny afternoon so we were able to get the cushions
dried out. Also, Daffodil was there to take our wet linens and
laundry to wash, dry and bring back before dinnertime. It
was a bargain at $10 U.S. for each 10 pounds of laundry…
weighed dry, not the way we gave it to them.

The final passage was a relatively short beat of 8 miles back to Blue Lagoon in St. Vincent. We left early in order to
get the boats back in time to check in, have lunch and make
a 2:10 p.m. flight back to Barbados, the connection point for
St. Vincent instead of San Juan. Sunsail was very efficient in
helping us get checked in and there was plenty of time to
spare. We spent the night in Barbados at a beautiful beach
hotel. Then, the flight in the morning got us into San
Francisco by 5:00 p.m. via a Miami connection.

All in all it was an excellent trip with everybody agreeing that
it would have been nice if we’d had a few more days. That’s
the way I like it to go. Of course, I’ll be doing another trip in
just a few months. Our Tahiti trip is in September. That’s
why my job is the best job in the world.

Bob has been organizing and leading group bareboat
charter trips since 1987 and is currently doing 2 trips a
year to locations in The South Pacific, Sea of Cortez,
The Caribbean, and The Mediterranean. (Destinations
vary annually based on active interest) You may contact
him at bob@spinnakersailing.com
or visit Spinnaker Sailing at
http://www.spinnakersailing.com.

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Before you apply for a job on a cruise ship, or take your application any further, you should think carefully about exactly what it is a potential cruise line employer is looking for.

This has two benefits: firstly, it will help you decide if the job is really for you and secondly, it will help you decide how to put over your own personal skills and qualities to best effect.

Let’s take a look at exactly what cruise line employers are looking for in a potential candidate.

* Experience

Don’t worry, this isn’t always a necessity! There are plenty of positions onboard where you don’t need any experience whatsoever. But having some kind of land-based experience in your desired job is always going to be an advantage. Cruise line employers especially like people who can show a broad range of experience. For example, if your job involves contact with the public then experience of serving the public in several ways will be an advantage.

* High Standards of Service

All functions on board cruise ships are carried out to a high standard. So it is important that you can carry out your work to a high standard. For example, service in the Hotel, Catering and Bar Department is usually similar to that in a four or five star hotel.

* Professionalism

It is important to be professional about your work. That is, you need to take pride in your work and in achieving excellent results every time. This is not always easy when you are working long hours in a fast paced environment.

* Reliability

This is a big concern for most cruise lines. Interviewers are very wary of recruiting new crew members whom they suspect might ‘jump ship’ in an exotic port when the novelty wears off! They need to satisfy themselves that you will stay for the full duration of your contract (typically 6 months).

Obviously, once you have joined a ship you cannot easily be replaced in a foreign port, and the expense and hassle involved is something they really don’t want. You must give the clear IMPRESSION that you are highly reliable and have every intention of sticking out your contract. And preferably intend on making this a long-term career move. In other words, don’t make them think that you are just going to ‘give it a go’.

* High Standards of Presentation

It is very important that you are immaculately turned out when you work onboard a ship. This applies particularly to crew who have contact with the passengers but also to behind-the-scenes crew too, to a lesser extent. Again, if you consider that many cruise ships operate to the same standards of service as a top-class international hotel then you will get an idea of the sort of people the employer is looking for.

* Enthusiasm

You really do need to show that you are hard working and energetic. Shifts onboard can be much longer than on dry land. In particular, you certainly wouldn’t want to give the impression that you are a nine-to-five type person and couldn’t bear the thought of working weekends!

* A Cheerful Personality

You may find this a strange quality for a cruise ship employer to place much importance on, but they do. Obviously, working in the confines of a ship - and living onboard too - can be quite stressful and demanding. But since many of the passengers have paid a lot of money for their cruise, it’s very important that the crew are pleasant and professional with them. It is equally important that you are fairly cheerful and easy going off-duty so that you can do your job professionally when you are on duty.

If you bear in mind what the employer is looking for at all stages of your application - then you will be doing a great deal to boost your chances of getting a cruise ship job.

Copyright 2006 Neil Maxwell Keys

Neil Maxwell-Keys is THE cruise ship jobs expert and best-selling author of “Get a Cruise Ship Job: How to Get a Job on a Luxury Cruise Ship - Quickly and Easily!” You can get his FREE mini-course by visiting: http://www.GetaCruiseShipJob.com

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In Catania, in a marvellous corner that combines history, art, folklore, Mediterranean smells and tastes you’ll find “Bed and Breakfast Bellini”. Placed in the area of high cultural and historic value nearby the baroque centre that recently has been added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage.

The bed and breakfast Bellini is located inside a palace from the early 800 (Palazzo Auteri) that has recently been restored and is once again in a splendid antique style. The hotel is located along the via Crociferi which is the most beautiful street in the Baroque world.

It’s possible to reach the archaelogical zones by foot, as well as the most famous and important monuments and streets in the city. Some examples of the wonderfulness you can admire in Catania are; the cathedral, The Theater Massimo Bellini, la Plaja and other interesting monuments. 10 minutes from the airport, the train station and the busstation you can visit the Etna park, the zoo park of Sicily and it’s also possible to depart to any of the major sicilian cities such as: Syracuse, Palermo, Agrigento, Trapani and Messina. You can also reach Taormina in only 30 minutes.

Your breakfast will distinguish itself from others by the genuine and typical products that are all from biological agriculture. To make your stay comfortable and magic the rooms are accurately furnished in the old style and the warm welcoming from the hosts Lorenza and Ugo will surely contribute.

If you are interested in a cheap hotel in Catania, pls visit our catalogue of Hotels all over Italy, where you can find also a wide range of Bed and Breakfast in Rome and Hotels in Florence, from cheap to luxury, togheter with Hotels all over Tuscany

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To put it simply for you!

It goes faster! Say 25%-50% faster than a comparable cruising monohull.
Due to it’s draft, the yacht has a lot more water to use! How’s 1.5′ - 4′?
The vessel is more stable! Much more than 5 degs. heel and something is wrong!
It’s safer for quite a few reasons - lack of crew fatigue, unsinkability, etc.!
It’s just more fun!

Twin-hulled sailing and Powerboat Catamaran manufacturer steathyachts developed for sport and recreation.

The U.S. designer of America’s Cup boats Nathanael Herreshoff designed and built catamarans in the 1870s that sailed so successfully against monohulled boats that they were barred from organized racing. Production of the current form of catamaran, which averages about 12.2 m (40 ft) in length, began in the 1950s. The early catamarans tended to have difficulty coming about when sailing to windward, but later designs overcame this. The catamaran remained difficult to right after capsizing, however. Smaller catamarans raced successfully against monohulled boats in 1959, and international competition began in 1961 between the United States and Great Britain, the latter winning through 1968. Thereafter, Danish and Australian boats also competed, the Australians dominating. Catamarans are very fast boats, achieving speeds of 32.19 kph (20 mph). The addition of engines also made the catamaran a popular motor-cruising boat.

Early catamarans were up to 21.3 m (70 ft) long, originally paddled by many men, and used for visiting, in war, and in exploration. Especially after the sail was added, voyages of more than 3,704 km (2,000 mi) were made.

These are few Powerful Yachts which are revolutionary hydrofoil based Sport 6.5 Hydrofoil Power Boat, Sport fishing 8 Inflatable Hydra Sport Boats, 420 Sport Boats which are High Performance Hydrofoil Supported Catamarans, These revolutionary Hydrofoil supported Catamaran semi-rigid inflatable boat is capable of speed, comfort and fuel efficiency that exceeds anything in its class. The PowerSport 6.5 hull is an asymmetrical catamaran designed hulls supported by two inflatable demi-hulls which enables it to float and run on any kind of water with ease.

Sunny Hoggard expert sailing and consultant for
http://www.stealthyachts.com (Powerboat Catamaran manufacturer) writing articles for novice sailors and helping them know more about sailing & sail boats.He can give you any kind of help related to sailing like buy power catamarans.

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When it comes to compressed gases, there is often confusion over the difference between industrial gases (sometimes referred to as commodity or bulk gases) and specialty gases (sometimes referred to as cylinder gases, although industrial gases can also be supplied in cylinders). The Compressed Gas Association (CGA), who sets standards to which suppliers of all types of compressed gases conform, defines its mission as being “dedicated to the development and promotion of safety standards and safe practices in the industrial gas industry.” In a broad sense, in that most compressed gases are used for some sort of industrial application, all could be considered to be industrial gases. So to define the true difference between industrial gases and specialty gases, one must look beyond the application to other factors such as complexity, level of purity and certainty of composition.

According to the CGA compressed gases are often grouped into five loosely defined families: atmospheric; fuel; refrigerant; poisonous; and those having no obvious ties to any of the other families. Assignment to these families is somewhat arbitrary and typically based on the origin, use or chemical structure of a gas. Specialty gases can belong to any of these five families. Essentially, they are industrial gases taken to a higher level. The dictionary describes one of the definitions of the word specialty as: an unusual, distinctive, or superior mark or quality. Specialty gases then, can be defined as high-quality gases for specific applications that are prepared using laboratory analysis and other preparation methods in order to quantify, minimize or eliminate unknown or undesirable characteristics within the gas. Regarding specialty gas mixtures, precise blending is also necessary to achieve very specific concentration values for the components contained within the mixture.

Specialty pure gases Pure gases are considered to be specialty gases when they are used as support gases for laboratory instruments such as chromatographs, mass spectrometers and other various types of analyzers and detectors. Manufacturers of these types of highly sensitive instruments normally specify the purity level of pure gases to be used with their instruments. For example, high-purity, moisture-free helium is often used as a carrier gas in these instruments. When unwanted impurities are present, performance of a laboratory instrument may be compromised, or the instrument itself may be damaged. A good rule of thumb is, when purity (sometimes as high as 99.9999%) and/or quantification of trace impurities is an issue, a pure gas is considered to be a specialty pure. Specialty pure gases are used in the manufacturing of semiconductors and other closely controlled applications as well. They may also be used to assess and monitor the integrity of a bulk pure gas. Carbon dioxide is a good example. Beverage-quality CO2, as used in the manufacture of soft drinks, can be classified as being more of a bulk-type gas because it is used in large quantities. However, because purity is a health concern, a specialty pure CO2, in which all trace impurities have been carefully quantified, is needed to calibrate instruments used to monitor the purity of the bulk CO2.

Specialty gas mixtures Many specialty gases are actually gas mixtures that contain individual components. They are frequently used with various types of analyzers for process control and regulatory compliance. Some specialty mixtures are somewhat “standard” and may contain only three or four components, such as nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide mixtures that are used by utility companies to calibrate Continuous Emissions Monitors (CEMs). Others may be quite complex, containing as many as 30 or more components. Usually, a specialty gas mixture is prepared using a Standard Reference Material (SRM) in order to validate accurate measurement of the mixture’s components. This provides what is known as traceability to a known measurement standard from a recognized metrology institution such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Specialty mixtures typically have components measured in percentages, parts-per-million and parts-per-billion.

Laboratory analysis to quantify all components and impurities in a specialty mixture is nearly always critical. A formal document known as a Certificate of Accuracy or Certificate of Analysis is provided for each cylinder containing a specialty mixture, and also for some specialty pure gases. This certificate specifies the concentration values for all contents, as well as other important information such the method of blending, type of laboratory analysis and reference standard used to prepare the mixture and expiration date. Expiration date refers to the length of time the components of a mixture remain at their certified concentrations within the specified tolerances. Depending on the stability of the components, shelf life can vary from as little as six months to two years or more. Special cylinder preparation processes, such as Scott’s Aculife cylinder inerting treatments, can be used to condition cylinder interior walls in order to extend a mixture’s shelf life.

Specialty gases are typically not used in nearly as large a quantity as industrial gases and are supplied in steel or aluminum high-pressure cylinders containing up to 3000 pounds of pressure per square inch/gauge (psig). Hence, they are sometimes referred to as cylinder gases or bottled gases. The cylinder itself is typically not included in the price of the specialty gas it contains and must be returned to the gas supplier when the gas has been depleted. A nominal monthly cylinder rental is usually charged until the cylinder is returned. Many specialty gases are also available in small, portable and non-returnable cylinders such as Scott’s SCOTTY Transportables. Other specialized containers include lecture bottles that are often used in laboratories and floating piston-type cylinders that are used to contain volatile liquid phase mixtures.

The cost of specialization Due to blending technology, cylinder preparation, laboratory analysis and statistical quality control necessary to produce specialty gases, cost is much higher than for lower grade industrial gases. An A-size cylinder containing 218 cubic feet of a low grade of helium suitable for filling party balloons might cost little more than $50. The same cylinder containing 99.9999% pure research grade helium, with a total impurity of less than one part-per-million (1 ppm), would cost about $500. That’s still a bargain considering 144 cubic feet of a three-component EPA Protocol mixture having an analytical accuracy of 1% may cost as much as $1,500. As with any other specialized product, the end cost of a particular specialty pure or gas mixture is largely determined by the degree of difficulty and complexity involved in its preparation.

Considerations when purchasing specialty gases Purchasing specialty gases can be a daunting task. Because of today’s bottom line-oriented business climate, one might consider selecting a specialty gas product based strictly on price. Be careful! While in some cases organizations such as the EPA may dictate minimum accuracy and manufacturing processes for certain gas mixtures, there are few industry-wide standards for specialty gas quality. Blending, analytical and cylinder preparation procedures vary between suppliers of specialty gases. Moreover, suppliers do not always use common nomenclature when describing their products. Even when product names are the same, the characteristics of the gases can be quite different. The best advice is to carefully evaluate your application needs before purchasing. Then talk with a specialty gas expert to be sure you fully understand how the characteristics of a particular pure gas or gas mixture will either meet or possibly compromise your application. Remember also that most specialty gases require the use of specialized delivery equipment that is constructed of materials that will protect gas purity and integrity.

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I attended the June 2005 ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) meeting and technical conference in Denver, CO. One of the things I always like to do at these technical conferences is attend the session devoted to an update of the current issues impacting our industry. This time there was a session devoted explicitly to global climate change. I got to the huge ballroom early so I could get a good seat for the presentations and as the first speaker took the stand, frankly I was shocked to look around and count less than 50 people in attendance. Clearly our industry is not taking the issue of global climate change very seriously. Now, if you are my age, you remember the scientific warnings in the 60’s about the coming ice age. So I’ll admit I have been somewhat slow to warm to the idea of global climate change (formerly called global warming, pun intended). But, as time goes by better data and more research support the prediction of increasing global temperatures. This global temperature increase as the result of greenhouse warming has a potentially devastating impact on global climate. Therefore, we should all take the issue very seriously and at a minimum monitor very closely the private and public policies of the US and countries around the world. I forecast that as the science becomes clearer in “the next few years”, this issue will have a major impact on each of us personally and on each of our businesses and the products we design and manufacture.

The difficulty is defining “the next few years”. What is the timeframe we should be concerned about? There is one timeframe already defined by the Kyoto protocol. And that timeframe is now - we are already behind. Of course, the US has not signed up to adhere to the Kyoto agreement, so that doesn’t really concern us. Or does it? These decisions are too often politically motivated more than scientifically motivated. We all know that our commitment to the Kyoto agreement could change with the next presidential election. That is in November 2008 - a little over three years away. President Bush has been very consistent in his position and policy relative to climate change. But, even though many people seem unaware, we do have an official US policy regarding climate change. Basically it calls for an 18% reduction in the rate of increase of greenhouse gas emissions. See the links at the end of the article for more information on US policy. The policy also calls for a reevaluation of our progress relative to our reduction goal in 2012. Given the interest I see in our industry and other industries, I think it highly likely that we will come nowhere near that 18% reduction in the rate of growth, let alone actually reduce emission levels like most of the rest of the world is calling for. That being the case, it is not unreasonable to expect a new and much tougher policy on emissions on or before 2012, only seven years from now. So I think that reasonably defines “the next few years”. If you aren’t going to retire before 2012, then you can expect a great deal of pressure on you, your products and your business to reduce emissions in the next three to seven years. Given the life cycle of most products, three to seven years goes by in a hurry.

At the very least be an informed business leader and informed citizen. Make up your own mind about the validity of the data and the likelihood, timeframe and severity of impact on your business. Hopefully the next time you have the opportunity to hear some of the world’s foremost experts speak on global climate change, like I had in Denver, the room won’t be empty.

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Mimiwhangata, Northland from Emma Neill

* As at 07-Nov-05, 31 birds (14 ad F; 7 ad M; 6 juv F; 2 juv M; 2 unk sex juv) are fitted with transmitters. * Juveniles: 10 juveniles of the 2005 season have been radio-tagged so far, with more broods coming of age over the next two months. * Deaths: no deaths of the radio-tagged sample have occurred since the end of June 2005. * Breeding season: 25 breeding attempts recorded from 23 pairs, of those attempts, one nest was preyed on.

Okiwi, Great Barrier Island from Joanna Sim As at the beginning of November there are 54 birds fitted with transmitters (26AF, 12AM, 12JF, 4JM). Of these, 16 are missing which are a combination of suspected transmitter or battery failure and possible movement out of the basin. An aerial flight is planned soon to search specifically for these birds. James Fraser has been out recently to attach transmitters to juveniles and is also scheduled to come out for another transmitter attachment trip later this month to boost the numbers.

Two pateke with transmitters have died since July. Both birds died during the day but at this stage it is unclear what killed them. A duckling was seen in the claws of a pukeko in Okupu (further down the island) that had been decapitated - all birds have been sent off to Massey to ascertain cause of death. In addition 3 more un-transmittered birds have been found run over, one on Mabeys Road and two on Aotea Road.

At present there are no monitored females sitting on nests. Since July, there have been 7 failed breeding attempts, 2 unknowns and 6 successful nesters of which all still have broods. They range from 3 - 12 weeks old.

Monthly counts have been undertaken with increasing numbers at all sites recorded so far as post breeding females and juveniles move to these areas.

Craig has caught 25 cats for the months August - October & is continuing to survey & control for rabbits & pukekos.

Port Charles from Jason Roxburgh, Lettecia Williams, & Rebekah Caldwell

Predator Control: Since the last Roundup, the trapping has caught: * Kill traps: 2 Cats * Live traps: 1 Possum, 3 rats, 1 Banded Rail (in a cage trap) and… 14 Hedgehogs!

Monitoring: Since the May 19 release there have been 12 deaths of monitored birds (9 x 2005 released birds, and 2 x 2004 released birds). Of the 2005 released monitored birds there were: * 3 vehicle deaths * 5 predation deaths * 1 unknown death (found buried in creek) This means there are now 31 (78%) of the monitored 2005 release birds still alive. In late October we removed transmitters from 2 released birds due to transmitter attachment problems. Apart from that we’ve had no further transmitter or harness failures, so know the whereabouts of all the monitored birds

Breeding Season: There are a lot of almost fledged Pateke around, and several of the broods Rebekah has been following will fledge 100% of the ducklings hatched. Three nights spent out with James Fraser and dog Percy netted 34 birds. Twenty of these were fledglings, all of which were large enough to take leg bands, but only nine were large enough to take transmitters. This is part of a shift in our monitoring toward following ducklings through to their first breeding. Vehicle Deaths: A hazing fence has been erected to stop Pateke crossing the road from the release site into one of their favored feeding paddocks, forcing them to either fly over, or use the culvert under the road (see attached photos). This has meant there have been no vehicle deaths on that stretch of road since the fence was erected. Negotiations continue with the District Council to replace the two culverts under Carey Rd.

Rebekah and Lettecia continue to advocate strongly with residents and visitors about Pateke, especially asking people slow down and be careful while driving. As mentioned above, we continue to have vehicle related deaths, though the numbers are reducing around Port Charles.

TiriTiri Matangi from Barbara Walter

It is hectic here so many visitors so it is great that they get to see Jemima and Ossie at the Wharf Dam. We were on leave when the last round up was done. April time nearly all of our dams were dry and apart from Jemima and Ossie at the Wharf Dam and Finn at Lighthouse Valley Dam most of our ducks disappeared One of our males, Ralph from the N.E. Bay Dam was sighted Gulf Harbour Golf Course Dam. As the dams filled our teal were all seen again (this is of our monitered pairs) including Ralph seen at Gulf Harbour. Wharf Dam Jemima and Ossie 31.8.05. 3 ducklings which disappeared 4 days later. They take them up to Wattle Valley at nighttime instead of taking them a short distance to the short grass area. She is now sitting again. Lighthouse Valley Dam Finn and Britannia 19.9.05 she appeared near the Bunkhouse Dam a long way from the L. H.Valley Dam, with 2 ducklings. Finn was on the dam with another female.Two days later she was back with Finn on the L.H.Valley Dam but no ducklings. Fishermans Bay Dam Daisy and Ruan Nil happening. Daisy getting older ?Ten years old. N.E. Bay Dam Connie and Ralph Connie sitting at present, due ? 24. 11. 05. Bush 21.Dam Rose and sometimes Ralph! Nil happening she is also ?Ten years old Bunkhouse Dam Finn and 2other females! So we have Finn and Ralph sharing their favours! We have had 2 other males on the Bunkhouse Dam but Finn chased them away.

Brown Teal Conservation Trust from Neil Hayes

A pretty satisfactory breeding season so far, with two broods reared - one of five and one of seven. Five hatched and reared by our old pair and seven hatched and reared by our new pair, in their first season - this pair having been flock-mated in the BTCT’s new aviary. This is the aviary built with financial assistance from the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust. The BTCT is hopeful that Massey University will soon find a student to work on the brown teal diet research programme in 2006. Sue Moore has already done much work in this area and further applied research into brown teal diet will provide vital additional information at specific key sites - and information necessary for survival of the species - and for the critical evaluation of proposed release sites for captive reared birds.

Fund raising to assist this research is ongoing and we take this opportunity to thank all members and supporters who have contributed to the research fund.

Our good friend, Janet Marshall - New Zealand’s leading waterfowl artist - has generously offered to paint brown teal, especially for the BTCT to use as a fund-raising exercise. Initial thinking is that we should produce a BTCT promotional greetings card from the painting and then to either auction or tender the original. This is a magnanimous gesture and we are extremely grateful to Janet. We will keep you informed of developments.

Karori Wildlife Sanctuary from Neil Anderson

Late August saw 2 new clutches on the Taylor Wetland and lower lake but survival has been low with only 3 of 7 and 1 of 5 respectively, coming through.

In October 2 clutches appeared on the top dam and with one of these at least survival has been once again low with only 1 of 5 still around. This is however something of an achievement for this pair who are notoriously poor parents having lost every member of their previous 2 clutches. The other hatch was 6 from a previously very successful pair adjacent to the creeks at the south end of the dam. The female and ducklings have not been seen for a while however but the indications are that she may have taken them back up into the creeks where her previous clutch was raised. The male meanwhile has stayed on the dam having paired up with a new young female.

Elsewhere, our most successful pair on the top dam would appear to be nesting once again as are the lower lake south end pair whose juvenile has recently fledged. A new young pair has formed at the north end of the lower lake and may well have started breeding. If this is the case this will signify a distinct new territory which will bring the number on the lakes and wetlands up to 6, a likely maximum carrying capacity for these areas. We have recently picked up another pair at the south end of the valley which contains some excellent habitat but as yet have been unable to identify them.

Other individual birds continue to come and go in the regularly monitored areas of lakes and wetlands with some birds not being seen for many months at a time, there being plenty of opportunity to secret themselves away from view. The 3 juveniles fitted with transmitters continue to be picked up although only one is regularly seen in person.

We have recently begun to reduce the amount of supplementary feeding provided in our main breeding territories and it will be interesting to note any alteration in productivity or visibility.

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Technology executives are betting that consumers will soon radically alter how they make calls forever lessening the need for a phone line from a old school telecoms company. VoIP essentially turns telephone calls into data which is transferred via an IP network, and due to this simplicity the future for VoIP seems pregnant with possibilites.

From when we were first introduced to VoIP through Skype in the early days the industry has been on fire. Google has entered the VoIP market with an IM and voice application and is testing a wireless customer service that could help it deliver phone and information services to wireless devices.

The electronics companies are already beginning to launch dual purpose products such as digital cameras that appear to be a normal digital camera but when a person slides the back of the camera down, there’s a keypad for making calls. Memory sticks that store from 64 megabytes to 1 gigabyte preloaded with a softphone are also now available. They come with a microphone and earphones.

Companies such as Google, Yahoo, and EarthLink have already played around with such technology. Last autumn Yahoo added improved VoIP calling to its Yahoo Messenger. Google has also released Google Talk. AOL announced it would be providing a VoIP service called TotalTalk. AOL’s TotalTalk will essentially let people replace their traditional landlines. It has advanced communication features, such as unified voice, e-mail and instant messaging, and call-management.

Its probably accurate to say the phone companies will face a challenge with these drastic changes emerging with VoIP technology.

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Recycle Cell Phones
Technological advancements providing users with improved reception through integrated antenna systems, reduced size and weight of cell phones, along with numerous feature sets, and storage improvements have caused the bulk of cellular phone users and enthusiasts to upgrade to new and improved handsets. The low cost of cell phones and the added technological improvements mean that the majority of cellular phone users are on their 2nd or 3rd generation hand set.

Environmental Concerns
What many don’t realize is that in many cases, the materials used to construct cell phones are toxic. Toxic elements found in many of today’s cell phones can include arsenic, in semi-conductors and lead in the solder material. While the materials in a single phone are minimal consider the number of discarded cell phones in the relatively short time the technology has been available. The placement of these devices in landfills will cause long lasting damage and harm to the environment.

Recycling aged wireless equipment is a sensible alternative. Valuable materials can be recovered from used wireless devices in a number of different ways. In some cases, certain components may be separated by manual or simple mechanical means. The components can often be reused or melted down for alternative uses.

Cell Phone Disposal - What Options Exist?
Cell Phone Disposal - What Options Exist? The cell phone industry, understanding concerns related to the disposal of cell phones and PDAs have created alternatives to both refurbish and recycle the materials in older style cellular phones.

Wireless Recycling - http://www.wirelessrecycling.com - ReCellular Inc. is the largest recycler and reseller of used wireless phones and accessories in the wireless industry. A pioneer in charitable recycling arrangements, ReCellular has well-established partnerships with Easter Seals, the March of Dimes, and National Organization on Disability, Goodwill Industries, and The Body Shop. In addition, over 2,000 grassroots organizations from Boy Scout troops to religious organizations around the country work to collect wireless phones to support their philanthropic efforts. Charities can raise funds by increasing community awareness and acting as a wireless collection center.

Wireless Foundation - http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/DonateaPhone/index.cfm - Wireless Foundation refurbishes and provides cell phones to victims of domestic violence so that they can be used in the event of an emergency. The Call To Protect campaign also collects wireless phones to benefit victims of domestic violence. Proceeds from the sale of phones help fund agencies that fight domestic violence and are used to support educational efforts of the Wireless Foundation. Other phones are refurbished and become lifelines for domestic violence victims when faced with an emergency situation.

Recycle Wireless Phones - http://www.recyclewirelessphones.com - Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA*) and its member companies are committed to the goal of sustainable development and the environmentally sound management of their wireless products at end-of-life. Through its Wireless . . . The New Recyclable program, CTIA is educating the public on the options available for properly recycling used wireless devices. The program seeks to promote the collection of used wireless devices and ensure that collected wireless products will be managed properly. The site provides a directory of collection options.

AT&T Wireless - http://www.attwireless.com/our_company/cares/recycle_program.jhtml - Through the AT&T Wireless Reuse & Recycle program, consumers are invited to bring unwanted wireless phones, accessories and batteries (regardless of the manufacturer or carrier) to an AT&T Wireless retail store for recycling. AT&T Wireless is the first wireless carrier to partner with Keep America Beautiful, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that focuses on waste impact minimization, litter prevention, beautification, community improvement and improvement of public places. Proceeds from the recycling of wireless phones, batteries and accessories are donated to Keep America Beautiful.

Call2Recycle - http://www.call2recycle.org/ - RBRC’s Call2Recycle program collects used cellular phones to benefit the environment and charitable organizations. With the help of consumers and 30,000 participating retail locations, RBRC’s do their part in helping to keep cell phones out of the landfills.

HopeLine - http://www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline - The HopeLine phone recycling program is an exclusive program that uses wireless services and equipment to assist victims in emergency domestic violence situations. HopeLine collects wireless phones that are no longer being used. The used phones are either refurbished and recycled or sold. With the funds raised from the sale of the refurbished phones, Verizon Wireless purchases wireless phones and donates airtime to victims of domestic violence through human services and law enforcement agencies.

About the Author

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.small-business-software.net

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There are loads of ways of seeing the future like tarot readings and presently magnificent psychic Anne Jirsch has discovered future life progression. This technique is relatively unheard of. The marvellous method is attainable to everyone who can be hypnotised. You can expect to go into a deep trance state and this will probably happen through hypnosis and you might be directed to go forward into your future like 6 tens years.

Future life progression, aka FLP, is the opposite of past life regression, aka PLR, you might often go directly to a future life progression therapist or you could find a future life mp3 from the internet and do it yourself. Future life sessions allow you to see the future destiny with your very own eyes and help you acquire a wonderful destiny. You will probably use this eye-opening method to pick up your husband or unearth future destiny trends in the workplace. Learn Tarot Cards online with Anne Jirsch.

Anne Jirsch began her fantastic career as a tarot card psychic in England and has a career spanning over eighteen years. The stunning future details that Anne gets for her customers has made Anne one of the most likeable tarot card readers in the United Kingdom. Anne has gave FLP sessions to famous people for a myriad of years and has an extensive client base in the UK and North America.

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