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Marshals And Bureau Of Prisons Are Trying To Break My Hunger Strike
Attorney Carmen Ortiz and her cybercrime chief, Adam J. Bookbinder, whose office prosecuted Internet innovator and activist Aaron Swartz, culminating in his suicide. Gottesfeld is accused of knocking Boston Children's Hospital off the Internet in the defense of abused patient Justina Pelletier. Marshalls had ordered my transfer to a facility in New York that was better equipped to handle my medical condition. At that point I had gone about four days without any fluids whatsoever and to make my wishes and refusal to provide medical consent crystal clear, I had written "No IV DNR" on the inside of both my elbows. Hey, if the DOJ wanted to allow notorious federal prosecutor Carmen Ortiz and her lackeys, to keep holding me because I tried to protect innocent, learning disabled teenager Justina Pelletier from abuse, torture, and an agonizing death, then I wanted to make sure they were fully committed to backing Ortiz up as she makes a pet toy and total mockery of our justice system yet again. After all, when Justina was suffering, Ortiz's office couldn't be bothered to even make a phone call to inquire as to whether her civil and human rights were being upheld (and they weren't). But I digress, I was not allowed to call my wife before the prison transfer, but I was promised I'd be able to call her upon my arrival.
Dubious, but still hopeful the move was a sign of the increasing pressure of my very public hunger strike. I'm cuffed, shackled, and loaded into a van with an unusually heavy complement of three officers for one inmate. On the way, they refused to stop and get food for themselves even when I told them I wouldn't mind and that I could no longer simply just return to eating normally when I wished. You see, word of the cause I'm fighting for had gotten around to some of the Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet diamond replicas staff and I had actually discussed it with the sergeant in charge of my transport in detail before.
"We're not doing that to you," he told me.
Shortly into the trip, mystery set in. Everyone in the van had assumed that "facility in New York" meant MDC Brooklyn, which would have been the usual next stop in the federal prison system. However when the officers put the address into the GPS, it was on Manhattan Island. The sergeant made a phone call to confirm the location and told me that in all his years he'd never heard of The Federal Bureau of Prison's "MCC New York," our apparent destination.
Once inside, the transporting officers explain the situation with the hunger strike and hand the receiving desk my considerable pile of casework. It's the last time I'd see entire reams of legal papers and reference books before they go missing, directly afterwards.
I'm brought to a supply room and "stripped out." While I'm undressing, squatting, spreading my gluts, and coughing, the guard watching me notices the writing on my arms and asks about my strike. I give him the basic gist, loaded with the words "allegedly," "supposedly," etc., that our lawyers all tell us to use in here. I refer him to my Huffington Post articles as my throat is dry and I've tired of explaining this whole travesty over and over again: from the troubled teen industry, to Justina Pelletier, Carmen Ortiz, the CFAA, and Aaron Swartz. He's upset though, it seems he wants a confession.
Is he an FBI agent? Is he looking to earn his way there? I note the name embroidered on his shirt. It could easily be made up for all I know. I dub him "The Interregator."
After that awkward moment I'm put in a waiting room with an emaciated looking man from Africa. He was clutching his hand and wincing. We speak briefly and it turns out we're both on hunger strikes, but he's also on trial. His hand, had been, slammed in a door by a staff member, a supposed "accident." However when I later heard them speak of how "he'll learn," and laugh, I had my doubts.
Suddenly, the holding cell opened to reveal a large guard gratuitously eating pizza. It seemed he was intentionally being noisy and he definitely overplayed the role of savoring his meal. The pizza smelled good, but his attempt belied a fundamental misunderstanding of how long term hunger strikes work.
With a devious grin, he asked me, "Do you want to smell this pizza?"
"I already can. No, thank you," I reply.
About two weeks into my hunger strike, and for the first time I can remember, my sinuses completely cleared and my sense of smell heightened beyond my wildest imagination, an apparent survival mechanism to help find sustenance when the body is facing starvation.
The guard closes the door. My African companion and I exchang glances, shake our heads, and laugh. I lay down on the hardwood bench. Exertion is the enemy, and I'll take all of the rest I can get before trudging wherever else they are going to shuffle me.
Time passes quickly and quietly. About an hour and a half later, they summon me for the intake screening. I hadn't been mistreated there yet, so I cooperate.
They take my blood pressure sitting, standing, and laying down, as well as my blood glucose, oxygen saturation, and pulse. They do their customary TB test and then take my weight for Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet gold high imitation cheap the first time in three days without fluids. My last measure had been 171 pounds, down from where I had started my strike at 204. I weigh in at 158 pounds almost the entire recent 13 pound drop was due to dehydration.
When I go back out to the receiving desk, the staff asks me to confirm how long I had been on the strike.
"October 3rd" I tell them. They are surprised.
"You haven't eaten anything?" they ask.
"I was taking some fluids until a few days ago: water, Gatorade, occasionally chicken broth, and "Jell O." (You may be surprised, as I was, to hear that medically speaking "Jell O" is a clear fluid.) "No solid food."
"The Interrogator" calls me a "fraud" and says, "That's not a hunger strike," and tells them to be sure to turn off the water in my cell. I briefly think about responding that I'd like to see him do what I had and then I'd be happy to discuss what exactly does and does not constitute a hunger strike, but think better of it. I ask to call my wife, and am told I'll have to speak to my unit staff about it, but that I should be able to make "some" calls with the lieutenant.
From there, I am in handcuffs once more, and brought to the "Special Housing Unit," or "SHU" (pronounced like "shoe,") a modern euphemism for solitary confinement. I'm "stripped out" again. and changed from brown clothes to orange, before being re cuffed. When in the SHU, you're always cuffed outside your cell. You have to stand with your back to the door and place your hands through a slot before and after leaving so they can take the cuffs on and off. It's dehumanizing. No matter what any prison official tries to tell you about other reasons, that's exactly the point.
On the walk to my new abode they ask me if I want writing paper and envelopes. I don't know if mine have survived the trip and their processing so I say yes. When we arrive at my cell, my escort throws best high imitation Van Cleef & Arpels clover bracelet them all over the place before sarcastically saying, "Sorry."
Early the next morning I'm brought to medical for the end of the intake process. I'm paraded through a conference room full of men in white coats looking at me like I'm a zoo exhibit. I'm still in orange clothes and cuffed behind my back.
"I'll see him in here," one of them said as he stands up and leads my escorts to an exam room, with me in tow. His coat said "Dr. Anthony Bussunich." He reminds me of the pointy haired boss in Dilbert, and I'm soon to discover it's a more fitting simile than I initially thought.
He turns on a digital scale and tells me to hop on.
I tell him that I will not consent to any medical procedures, as long as, I am handcuffed, being kept in the SHU, and being prevented from speaking to my wife. The conversation goes back and forth, going nowhere, with him citing Bureau of Prisons policy, that hunger strikers are kept in the SHU, and me vigorously asserting my right to decline all medical intervention.
He tries to scare me. First, he goes over the dangers, of the hunger strike, and especially the stoppage of fluids. I'm familiar with all of that and un phased.
Then he tells me that once I pass out, they'll be allowed to hydrate me to keep me alive. I inform him I have a DNR, health care proxy, and living will; that my wife has very specific instructions and that she knows whom she married. Technically, he is right, but ethically it's a much foggier area and I'm sure he knows this. It's a tense conversation between us, we're like oil and water.
Attorney Carmen Ortiz and her cybercrime chief, Adam J. Bookbinder, whose office prosecuted Internet innovator and activist Aaron Swartz, culminating in his suicide. Gottesfeld is accused of knocking Boston Children's Hospital off the Internet in the defense of abused patient Justina Pelletier. Marshalls had ordered my transfer to a facility in New York that was better equipped to handle my medical condition. At that point I had gone about four days without any fluids whatsoever and to make my wishes and refusal to provide medical consent crystal clear, I had written "No IV DNR" on the inside of both my elbows. Hey, if the DOJ wanted to allow notorious federal prosecutor Carmen Ortiz and her lackeys, to keep holding me because I tried to protect innocent, learning disabled teenager Justina Pelletier from abuse, torture, and an agonizing death, then I wanted to make sure they were fully committed to backing Ortiz up as she makes a pet toy and total mockery of our justice system yet again. After all, when Justina was suffering, Ortiz's office couldn't be bothered to even make a phone call to inquire as to whether her civil and human rights were being upheld (and they weren't). But I digress, I was not allowed to call my wife before the prison transfer, but I was promised I'd be able to call her upon my arrival.
Dubious, but still hopeful the move was a sign of the increasing pressure of my very public hunger strike. I'm cuffed, shackled, and loaded into a van with an unusually heavy complement of three officers for one inmate. On the way, they refused to stop and get food for themselves even when I told them I wouldn't mind and that I could no longer simply just return to eating normally when I wished. You see, word of the cause I'm fighting for had gotten around to some of the Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet diamond replicas staff and I had actually discussed it with the sergeant in charge of my transport in detail before.
"We're not doing that to you," he told me.
Shortly into the trip, mystery set in. Everyone in the van had assumed that "facility in New York" meant MDC Brooklyn, which would have been the usual next stop in the federal prison system. However when the officers put the address into the GPS, it was on Manhattan Island. The sergeant made a phone call to confirm the location and told me that in all his years he'd never heard of The Federal Bureau of Prison's "MCC New York," our apparent destination.
Once inside, the transporting officers explain the situation with the hunger strike and hand the receiving desk my considerable pile of casework. It's the last time I'd see entire reams of legal papers and reference books before they go missing, directly afterwards.
I'm brought to a supply room and "stripped out." While I'm undressing, squatting, spreading my gluts, and coughing, the guard watching me notices the writing on my arms and asks about my strike. I give him the basic gist, loaded with the words "allegedly," "supposedly," etc., that our lawyers all tell us to use in here. I refer him to my Huffington Post articles as my throat is dry and I've tired of explaining this whole travesty over and over again: from the troubled teen industry, to Justina Pelletier, Carmen Ortiz, the CFAA, and Aaron Swartz. He's upset though, it seems he wants a confession.
Is he an FBI agent? Is he looking to earn his way there? I note the name embroidered on his shirt. It could easily be made up for all I know. I dub him "The Interregator."
After that awkward moment I'm put in a waiting room with an emaciated looking man from Africa. He was clutching his hand and wincing. We speak briefly and it turns out we're both on hunger strikes, but he's also on trial. His hand, had been, slammed in a door by a staff member, a supposed "accident." However when I later heard them speak of how "he'll learn," and laugh, I had my doubts.
Suddenly, the holding cell opened to reveal a large guard gratuitously eating pizza. It seemed he was intentionally being noisy and he definitely overplayed the role of savoring his meal. The pizza smelled good, but his attempt belied a fundamental misunderstanding of how long term hunger strikes work.
With a devious grin, he asked me, "Do you want to smell this pizza?"
"I already can. No, thank you," I reply.
About two weeks into my hunger strike, and for the first time I can remember, my sinuses completely cleared and my sense of smell heightened beyond my wildest imagination, an apparent survival mechanism to help find sustenance when the body is facing starvation.
The guard closes the door. My African companion and I exchang glances, shake our heads, and laugh. I lay down on the hardwood bench. Exertion is the enemy, and I'll take all of the rest I can get before trudging wherever else they are going to shuffle me.
Time passes quickly and quietly. About an hour and a half later, they summon me for the intake screening. I hadn't been mistreated there yet, so I cooperate.
They take my blood pressure sitting, standing, and laying down, as well as my blood glucose, oxygen saturation, and pulse. They do their customary TB test and then take my weight for Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet gold high imitation cheap the first time in three days without fluids. My last measure had been 171 pounds, down from where I had started my strike at 204. I weigh in at 158 pounds almost the entire recent 13 pound drop was due to dehydration.
When I go back out to the receiving desk, the staff asks me to confirm how long I had been on the strike.
"October 3rd" I tell them. They are surprised.
"You haven't eaten anything?" they ask.
"I was taking some fluids until a few days ago: water, Gatorade, occasionally chicken broth, and "Jell O." (You may be surprised, as I was, to hear that medically speaking "Jell O" is a clear fluid.) "No solid food."
"The Interrogator" calls me a "fraud" and says, "That's not a hunger strike," and tells them to be sure to turn off the water in my cell. I briefly think about responding that I'd like to see him do what I had and then I'd be happy to discuss what exactly does and does not constitute a hunger strike, but think better of it. I ask to call my wife, and am told I'll have to speak to my unit staff about it, but that I should be able to make "some" calls with the lieutenant.
From there, I am in handcuffs once more, and brought to the "Special Housing Unit," or "SHU" (pronounced like "shoe,") a modern euphemism for solitary confinement. I'm "stripped out" again. and changed from brown clothes to orange, before being re cuffed. When in the SHU, you're always cuffed outside your cell. You have to stand with your back to the door and place your hands through a slot before and after leaving so they can take the cuffs on and off. It's dehumanizing. No matter what any prison official tries to tell you about other reasons, that's exactly the point.
On the walk to my new abode they ask me if I want writing paper and envelopes. I don't know if mine have survived the trip and their processing so I say yes. When we arrive at my cell, my escort throws best high imitation Van Cleef & Arpels clover bracelet them all over the place before sarcastically saying, "Sorry."
Early the next morning I'm brought to medical for the end of the intake process. I'm paraded through a conference room full of men in white coats looking at me like I'm a zoo exhibit. I'm still in orange clothes and cuffed behind my back.
"I'll see him in here," one of them said as he stands up and leads my escorts to an exam room, with me in tow. His coat said "Dr. Anthony Bussunich." He reminds me of the pointy haired boss in Dilbert, and I'm soon to discover it's a more fitting simile than I initially thought.
He turns on a digital scale and tells me to hop on.
I tell him that I will not consent to any medical procedures, as long as, I am handcuffed, being kept in the SHU, and being prevented from speaking to my wife. The conversation goes back and forth, going nowhere, with him citing Bureau of Prisons policy, that hunger strikers are kept in the SHU, and me vigorously asserting my right to decline all medical intervention.
He tries to scare me. First, he goes over the dangers, of the hunger strike, and especially the stoppage of fluids. I'm familiar with all of that and un phased.
Then he tells me that once I pass out, they'll be allowed to hydrate me to keep me alive. I inform him I have a DNR, health care proxy, and living will; that my wife has very specific instructions and that she knows whom she married. Technically, he is right, but ethically it's a much foggier area and I'm sure he knows this. It's a tense conversation between us, we're like oil and water.
Natalee Holloway's father opens up about new lead
Holloway was last seen leaving a nightclub with three men two brothers and Joran van der Sloot, then 17.At first, they told police they dropped Holloway off at her hotel. Then, the brothers said they took Holloway and van der Sloot to a different hotel. Van der Sloot said he left Holloway on the beach.Hundreds of tourists and locals joined the search for Holloway. For months, international media covered the case.Natalee Holloway declared legally deadHolloway recently got a tip from a man claiming to have witnessed van der Sloot carrying Holloway's body on the night she disappeared. Years ago, Dave Holloway received a call from the alleged witness, Jurrien de Jong, asserting his daughter was not in the ocean, but on land. Holloway originally brushed aside the call, one of many he received at the time from people claiming to know where is daughter was.Holloway recently sat Van Cleef & Arpels Perle bracelet gold replica down with CNN's Martin Savidge in Meridian, Mississippi, to talk about the latest development and his daughter. Below is a portion of that interview, edited for brevity and clarity.CNN's Martin Savidge: What did de Jong describe in his conversations with you?Holloway: He says that a car pulls up and Joran and Natalee get out of the vehicle. This is on May 30, (2005) and this vehicle pulls into the parking lot at the Marriott hotel, and you can see a construction site and you can see the Holiday Inn . and this area is enclosed with a chained fence. He says that Natalee says, "Well the gate's locked," and (Van der Sloot) says something about, "Well I know a trick," and somehow he, I guess, unwraps the chain and they go in .Then he sees them go across the construction site, and they get up on the platform, which I presume to be the foundation of the Spyglass Tower, and they run up to an area that's got half of a stairway built and they go up that and he loses sight of them. Then, approximately five minutes later he says they emerge with Joran carrying Natalee in his arms and apparently he knew that she was not living. He put her down on the concrete slab and then jumped down off of it and put her body down on the ground and then went and dug Van Cleef & Arpels replicas an opening under the slab and then put her body in it and then covered it back up and walked out.Dave Holloway: I can tell you for a fact. I was there on June 1, and there was definitely construction in that area. June Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet perle diamond imitation 1, 2005, because it was all chained up. And that's one of the areas we never searched because we assumed it's locked up and secured at all times, and they have construction workers there on site. It was something we assumed that that would never need to be searched and it wasn't.Savidge: What changed your perception of de Jong and his story?Holloway: Well I kept looking at it and looking at the facts and what he said, and I thought, man, I can't go here because I've gone through so many of these where they had details and facts and it turned out to be nothing. I called TJ Ward, (a private investigator), and said, "TJ I need a second opinion on this guy."I said, "Can you look at this guy and talk to him and see what you think?" and so he did, and a couple of days later he called me back and said, "Hey, Dave, the guy passed this voice analysis test."
Holloway was last seen leaving a nightclub with three men two brothers and Joran van der Sloot, then 17.At first, they told police they dropped Holloway off at her hotel. Then, the brothers said they took Holloway and van der Sloot to a different hotel. Van der Sloot said he left Holloway on the beach.Hundreds of tourists and locals joined the search for Holloway. For months, international media covered the case.Natalee Holloway declared legally deadHolloway recently got a tip from a man claiming to have witnessed van der Sloot carrying Holloway's body on the night she disappeared. Years ago, Dave Holloway received a call from the alleged witness, Jurrien de Jong, asserting his daughter was not in the ocean, but on land. Holloway originally brushed aside the call, one of many he received at the time from people claiming to know where is daughter was.Holloway recently sat Van Cleef & Arpels Perle bracelet gold replica down with CNN's Martin Savidge in Meridian, Mississippi, to talk about the latest development and his daughter. Below is a portion of that interview, edited for brevity and clarity.CNN's Martin Savidge: What did de Jong describe in his conversations with you?Holloway: He says that a car pulls up and Joran and Natalee get out of the vehicle. This is on May 30, (2005) and this vehicle pulls into the parking lot at the Marriott hotel, and you can see a construction site and you can see the Holiday Inn . and this area is enclosed with a chained fence. He says that Natalee says, "Well the gate's locked," and (Van der Sloot) says something about, "Well I know a trick," and somehow he, I guess, unwraps the chain and they go in .Then he sees them go across the construction site, and they get up on the platform, which I presume to be the foundation of the Spyglass Tower, and they run up to an area that's got half of a stairway built and they go up that and he loses sight of them. Then, approximately five minutes later he says they emerge with Joran carrying Natalee in his arms and apparently he knew that she was not living. He put her down on the concrete slab and then jumped down off of it and put her body down on the ground and then went and dug Van Cleef & Arpels replicas an opening under the slab and then put her body in it and then covered it back up and walked out.Dave Holloway: I can tell you for a fact. I was there on June 1, and there was definitely construction in that area. June Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet perle diamond imitation 1, 2005, because it was all chained up. And that's one of the areas we never searched because we assumed it's locked up and secured at all times, and they have construction workers there on site. It was something we assumed that that would never need to be searched and it wasn't.Savidge: What changed your perception of de Jong and his story?Holloway: Well I kept looking at it and looking at the facts and what he said, and I thought, man, I can't go here because I've gone through so many of these where they had details and facts and it turned out to be nothing. I called TJ Ward, (a private investigator), and said, "TJ I need a second opinion on this guy."I said, "Can you look at this guy and talk to him and see what you think?" and so he did, and a couple of days later he called me back and said, "Hey, Dave, the guy passed this voice analysis test."
ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States
AbstractAnthropogenic threats, such as collisions with man made structures, vehicles, poisoning and predation by domestic pets, combine to kill billions of wildlife annually. Free ranging domestic cats have been introduced globally and have contributed to multiple wildlife extinctions on islands. The magnitude of mortality they cause in mainland areas remains speculative, with large scale estimates based on non systematic analyses and little consideration of scientific data. Here we conduct a systematic review and quantitatively estimate mortality caused by cats in the United States. We estimate that free ranging domestic cats kill 1.3 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 22.3 billion mammals annually. Un owned cats, as opposed to owned pets, cause the majority of this mortality. Our findings suggest that free ranging cats cause substantially greater wildlife mortality than previously thought and are likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for US birds and mammals. Scientifically sound conservation and policy intervention is needed to reduce this impact.IntroductionDomestic cats (Felis catus) are predators that humans have introduced globally1,2 and that have been listed among the 100 worst non native invasive species in the world3. Free ranging cats on islands have caused or contributed to 33 (14%) of the modern bird, mammal and reptile extinctions recorded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List4. Mounting evidence from three continents indicates that cats can also locally reduce mainland bird and mammal populations5,6,7 and cause a substantial proportion of total wildlife mortality8,9,10. Despite these harmful effects, policies for management of free ranging cat populations and regulation of Knockoff hermes gold bracelet pet ownership behaviours are dictated by animal welfare issues rather than ecological impacts11. Projects to manage free ranging cats, such as Trap Neuter Return (TNR) colonies, are potentially harmful to wildlife populations, but are implemented across the United States without widespread public knowledge, consideration of scientific evidence or the environmental review processes typically required for actions with harmful environmental consequences11,12.A major reason for the current non scientific approach to management of free ranging cats is that total mortality from cat predation is often argued to be negligible compared with other anthropogenic threats, such as collisions with man made structures and habitat destruction. However, assessing the conservation importance of a mortality source requires identification of which species are being killed (for example, native versus non native invasive species and rare versus common species) in addition to estimation of total numbers of fatalities. Estimates of annual US bird mortality from predation by all cats, including both owned and un owned cats, are in the hundreds of millions13,14 (we define un owned cats to include farm/barn cats, strays that are fed by humans but not granted access to habitations, cats in subsidized colonies and cats that are completely feral). This magnitude would place cats among the top sources of anthropogenic bird mortality; however, window and building collisions have been suggested to cause even greater mortality15,16,17. Existing estimates of mortality from cat predation are speculative and not based on scientific data13,14,15,16 or, at best, are based on extrapolation of results from a single study18. In addition, no large scale mortality estimates exist for mammals, which form a substantial component of cat diets.We conducted a data driven systematic review of studies that estimate predation rates of owned and un owned cats, and estimated the magnitude of bird and mammal mortality caused by all cats across the contiguous United States (all states excluding Alaska and Hawaii). We estimate that free ranging domestic cats kill 1.3 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 22.3 billion mammals annually, and that un owned cats cause the majority of this mortality. This magnitude of mortality is far greater than previous estimates of cat predation on wildlife and may exceed all other sources of anthropogenic mortality of US birds and mammals.ResultsThe magnitude of bird mortality caused by cat predationAfter excluding studies that did not meet a priori inclusion criteria designed to increase the accuracy of our analysis, we developed probability distributions of predation rates on birds and mammals. We combined predation rate distributions with literature derived probability distributions for US cat population sizes, and we also accounted for the proportion of owned cats allowed outdoors, the proportion of owned and un owned cats that hunt, and imperfect detection of owned cats' prey items.We generated an estimated range of bird and mammal mortality caused by cat predation by incorporating the above distributions including separate predation rate distributions for owned and un owned cats and running 10,000 calculation iterations. We augmented US predation data by incorporating predation rate estimates from other temperate regions (Supplementary Table S1). For birds, we generated three US mortality estimates based on predation data from studies in: (1) the United States, (2) the United States and Europe and (3) the United States, Europe, and other temperate regions (primarily Australia and New Zealand). Owing to a lack of US studies of un owned cat predation on mammals, we estimated mammal mortality using data groupings 2 and 3. We based all other probability distributions on US studies (distribution details in Table 1; data in Supplementary Table S2). We focus interpretation on the estimate generated using US and European predation data because it is the lowest value. Furthermore, this estimate is more likely to be representative of the US than the estimate based on incorporation of data from Australia and New Zealand, where the wildlife fauna and climate are less similar to the United States. We estimate that cats in the contiguous United States annually kill between 1.3 and 4.0 billion birds (median=2.4 billion) (Fig. 1a), with 69% of this mortality caused by un owned cats. The predation estimate for un owned cats was higher primarily due to predation rates by this group averaging three times greater than rates for owned cats. (b) Probability distribution of estimated mammal mortality caused by all free ranging cats in mainland areas of the contiguous United States.The magnitude of mammal mortality caused by cat predationOur estimate of mammal mortality was robust to the choice of predation data as evidenced by a 1.6% difference between the two median estimates (Table 2). We focus interpretation on the lower estimate, which was based on United States and European predation data and US values of other parameters. We estimate annual mammal mortality in the contiguous United States at between 6.3 and 22.3 billion (median=12.3 billion) (Fig. 1b) with 89% of this mortality caused by un owned cats. The estimate that incorporated European data (but not data from Australia and hermes mens bracelet fake New Zealand) may be slightly lower because wildlife across much of Europe were historically exposed to predation by a similarly sized wild cat (Felis sylvestris) and, therefore, may be less naive to predation by domestic cats. However, it is unlikely that European wildlife have fully adapted to the unusually high densities of domestic cats in much of this continent9.Factors explaining estimate uncertaintyFor both birds and mammals, sensitivity analyses indicated that un owned cat parameters explained the greatest variation in total mortality estimates (Fig. 2). Un owned cat population size explained the greatest variation in mortality estimates (42% for birds and 51% for mammals), and the un owned cat predation rate explained the second greatest variation (24% for birds and 40% for mammals). The only other parameters that explained >5% of variation in mortality estimates were the owned cat predation rate on birds (16%) and the correction factor for imperfect detection of owned cats' prey items (8%).DiscussionOur estimate of bird mortality far exceeds any previously estimated US figure for cats13,14,16, as well as estimates for any other direct source of anthropogenic mortality, including collisions with windows, buildings, communication towers, vehicles and pesticide poisoning13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21. Systematic reviews like ours, which includes protocol formulation, a data search strategy, data inclusion criteria, data extraction and formal quantitative analyses22, are scarce for other anthropogenic mortality sources.21 Increased rigour of mortality estimates should be a high priority and will allow increased comparability of mortality sources23. Nonetheless, no estimates of any other anthropogenic mortality source approach the value we calculated for cat predation, and our estimate is the first for cats to be based on rigorous data driven methods. Notably, we excluded high local predation rates and used assumptions that led to minimum predation rate estimates for un owned cats; therefore, actual numbers of birds killed may be even greater than our estimates.Free roaming cats in the United States may also have a substantial impact on reptiles and amphibians. However, US studies of cat predation on these taxa are scarce. To generate a first approximation of US predation rates on reptiles and amphibians, we used the same model of cat predation along with estimates of cat predation rates on these taxa from studies in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We estimate that between 228 and 871 million reptiles (median=478 million) and between 86 and 320 million amphibians (median=173 million) could be killed by cats in the contiguous United States each year. Reptile and amphibian populations, and, therefore, cat predation rates, may differ between the regions where we gathered predation data for these taxa and the United States. Furthermore, reptiles and amphibians are unavailable as prey during winter across much of the United States. Additional research is needed to clarify impacts of cats on US herpetofauna, especially given numerous anthropogenic stressors that threaten their populations (for example, climate change, habitat loss and infectious diseases) and documented extinctions of reptiles and amphibians due to cat predation in other regions4,24.The exceptionally high estimate of mammal mortality from cat predation is supported by individual US studies that illustrate high annual predation rates by individual un owned cats in excess of 200 mammals per year6,25,26,27,28 and the consistent finding that cats preferentially depredate mammals over other taxa (Supplementary Table S1). Even with a lower yearly predation rate of 100 mammals per cat, annual mortality would range from 3 8 billion mammals just for un owned cats, based on a population estimate of between 30 and 80 million un owned cats. This estimated level of mortality could exceed any other direct source of anthropogenic mortality for small mammals; however, we are unaware of studies that have systematically quantified direct anthropogenic mortality of small terrestrial mammals across large scales.Native species make up the majority of the birds preyed upon by cats. On average, only 33% of bird prey items identified to species were non native species in 10 studies with 438 specimens of 58 species (Supplementary Table S3). For mammals, patterns of predation on native and non native species are less clear and appear to vary by landscape type. In densely populated urban areas where native small mammals are less common, non native species of rats and mice can make up a substantial component of mammalian prey29. However, studies of mammals in suburban and rural areas found that 75 100% of mammalian prey were native mice, shrews, voles, squirrels and rabbits26,30,31. Further research of mammals is needed to clarify patterns of predation by both owned and un owned cats on native and non native mammals, and across different landscape types.Sensitivity analyses indicate that additional research of un owned cats will continue to improve precision of mortality estimates. Our finding that un owned cat population size and predation rate explained the greatest variation in mortality estimates reflects the current lack of knowledge about un owned cats. No precise estimate of the un owned cat population exists for the United States because obtaining such an estimate is cost prohibitive, and feral un owned cats are wary of humans and tend to be solitary outside of urban areas. In addition, human subsidized colonies of un owned cats are maintained without widespread public knowledge. For example, in Washington DC alone there are >300 managed colonies of un owned cats and an unknown number of unmanaged colonies. Population size estimates can be improved by incorporating observations of free ranging cats into a wildlife mortality reporting database23.Context for the population impact of a mortality source depends on comparing mortality estimates to estimates of population abundance of individual species. However, continental scale estimates of wildlife population abundance are uncertain due to spatio temporal variation in numbers. For mammals, clarification of the population impacts of cat predation is hindered by the absence of nationwide population estimates. For all North American land birds, the group of species most susceptible to mainland cat predation (Supplementary Table S3), existing estimates range from 10 20 billion individuals in North America32. A lack of detail about relative proportions of different bird species killed by cats and spatio temporal variation of these proportions makes it difficult to identify the species and populations that are most vulnerable. The magnitude of our mortality estimates suggest that cats are likely causing population declines for some species and in some regions. Threatened and endangered wildlife species on islands are most susceptible to the effects of cat predation, and this may also be true for vulnerable species in localized mainland areas5 because small numbers of fatalities could cause significant population declines. Threatened species in close proximity to cat colonies including managed TNR colonies11,12 face an especially high level of risk; therefore, cat colonies in such locations comprise a wildlife management priority. Claims that TNR colonies are effective in reducing cat populations, and, therefore, wildlife mortality, are not supported by peer reviewed scientific studies11.Our estimates should alert policy makers and the general public about the large magnitude of wildlife mortality caused by free ranging cats. Structured decisions about actions to reduce wildlife mortality require a quantitative evidence base. We provide evidence of large scale cat predation impacts based on systematic analysis of multiple data sources. Future specific management decisions, both in the United States and globally, must be further informed by fine scale research that allows analysis of population responses to cats and assessment of the success of particular management actions. We are not suggesting that other anthropogenic threats that kill fewer individuals are biologically unimportant. Virtually nothing is known about the cumulative population impacts of multiple mortality sources. Furthermore, comparison of total mortality numbers has limited use for prioritization of risks and development of conservation objectives. Combining per species estimates of mortality with population size estimates will provide the greatest information about the risk of population level impacts of cat predation. Although our results suggest that owned cats have relatively less impact than un owned cats, owned cats still cause substantial wildlife mortality (Table 2); simple solutions to reduce mortality caused by pets, such as limiting or preventing outdoor access, should be pursued. Efforts to better quantify and minimize mortality from all anthropogenic threats are needed to increase sustainability of wildlife populations.The magnitude of wildlife mortality caused by cats that we report here far exceeds all prior estimates. Available evidence suggests that mortality from cat predation is likely to be substantial in all parts of the world where free ranging cats occur. This mortality is of particular concern within the context of steadily increasing populations of owned cats, the potential for increasing populations of un owned cats12, and an increasing abundance of direct and indirect mortality sources that threaten wildlife in the United States and globally.MethodsLiterature searchWe searched JSTOR, Google Scholar, and the Web of Science database (formerly ISI Web of Science) within the Web of Knowledge search engine published by Thomson Reuters to identify studies that document cat predation on birds and mammals. We initially focused this search on US studies, but due to a limited sample of these studies, we expanded the search to include predation research from other temperate regions. We also searched for studies providing estimates of cat population sizes at the scale of the contiguous United States and for US studies that estimate the proportion of owned cats with outdoor access and the proportion of cats that hunt wildlife. The search terms we used included: 'domestic cat' in combination with 'predation,' 'prey,' 'diet,' 'food item' and 'mortality'; all previous terms with 'domestic cat' replaced by 'Felis catus,' 'feral,' 'stray,' 'farm,' 'free ranging,' Hermes Collier de Chien Bracelet replica and 'pet'; 'trap neuter return colony'; 'TNR colony'; and 'cat predation' in combination with 'wildlife,' 'bird,' 'mammal,' and 'rodent'. We checked reference lists of articles to identify additional relevant studies.Classification of cat ranging behaviourWe grouped studies based on the ranging behaviour of cats investigated. We defined owned cats to include owned cats in both rural and urban areas that spend at least some time indoors and are also granted outdoor access. We defined un owned cats to include all un owned cats that spend all of their time outdoors. The un owned cat group includes semi feral cats that are sometimes considered pets (for example, farm/barn cats and strays that are fed by humans but not granted access to habitations), cats in subsidized (including TNR) colonies, and cats that are completely feral (that is, completely independent and rarely interacting with humans). We did not classify cats by landscape type or whether they receive H bracelet replica food from humans because the amount of time cats spend outdoors is a major determinant of predation rates33,34 and because predation is independent of whether cats are fed by humans6,34,35.Study inclusion criteriaStudies were only included if: (1) they clearly reported cat ranging behaviour (that is, a description of whether cats were owned or un owned and whether they were outdoor cats or indoor outdoor cats), and (2) the group of cats investigated fit exclusively into one of the two groups we defined above (that is, we excluded studies that lumped owned and un owned cats in a single predation rate estimate). For some studies, we extracted a portion of data that met these criteria but excluded other data from cats with unknown ranging behaviour. We only included mainland and large island (New Zealand and United Kingdom) predation studies, because cat predation on small islands is often exceptionally high36,37 and focused on colony nesting seabirds38. We excluded studies from outside temperate regions and those with predation rate estimates based on fewer than 10 cats, 39. (For a list of all included and excluded studies, see Supplementary Table S1).Data extraction and standardization of predation ratesMost studies report an estimate of cat predation rate (that is, daily, monthly or annual prey killed per cat) or present data that allowed us to calculate this rate. When studies onl
AbstractAnthropogenic threats, such as collisions with man made structures, vehicles, poisoning and predation by domestic pets, combine to kill billions of wildlife annually. Free ranging domestic cats have been introduced globally and have contributed to multiple wildlife extinctions on islands. The magnitude of mortality they cause in mainland areas remains speculative, with large scale estimates based on non systematic analyses and little consideration of scientific data. Here we conduct a systematic review and quantitatively estimate mortality caused by cats in the United States. We estimate that free ranging domestic cats kill 1.3 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 22.3 billion mammals annually. Un owned cats, as opposed to owned pets, cause the majority of this mortality. Our findings suggest that free ranging cats cause substantially greater wildlife mortality than previously thought and are likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for US birds and mammals. Scientifically sound conservation and policy intervention is needed to reduce this impact.IntroductionDomestic cats (Felis catus) are predators that humans have introduced globally1,2 and that have been listed among the 100 worst non native invasive species in the world3. Free ranging cats on islands have caused or contributed to 33 (14%) of the modern bird, mammal and reptile extinctions recorded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List4. Mounting evidence from three continents indicates that cats can also locally reduce mainland bird and mammal populations5,6,7 and cause a substantial proportion of total wildlife mortality8,9,10. Despite these harmful effects, policies for management of free ranging cat populations and regulation of Knockoff hermes gold bracelet pet ownership behaviours are dictated by animal welfare issues rather than ecological impacts11. Projects to manage free ranging cats, such as Trap Neuter Return (TNR) colonies, are potentially harmful to wildlife populations, but are implemented across the United States without widespread public knowledge, consideration of scientific evidence or the environmental review processes typically required for actions with harmful environmental consequences11,12.A major reason for the current non scientific approach to management of free ranging cats is that total mortality from cat predation is often argued to be negligible compared with other anthropogenic threats, such as collisions with man made structures and habitat destruction. However, assessing the conservation importance of a mortality source requires identification of which species are being killed (for example, native versus non native invasive species and rare versus common species) in addition to estimation of total numbers of fatalities. Estimates of annual US bird mortality from predation by all cats, including both owned and un owned cats, are in the hundreds of millions13,14 (we define un owned cats to include farm/barn cats, strays that are fed by humans but not granted access to habitations, cats in subsidized colonies and cats that are completely feral). This magnitude would place cats among the top sources of anthropogenic bird mortality; however, window and building collisions have been suggested to cause even greater mortality15,16,17. Existing estimates of mortality from cat predation are speculative and not based on scientific data13,14,15,16 or, at best, are based on extrapolation of results from a single study18. In addition, no large scale mortality estimates exist for mammals, which form a substantial component of cat diets.We conducted a data driven systematic review of studies that estimate predation rates of owned and un owned cats, and estimated the magnitude of bird and mammal mortality caused by all cats across the contiguous United States (all states excluding Alaska and Hawaii). We estimate that free ranging domestic cats kill 1.3 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 22.3 billion mammals annually, and that un owned cats cause the majority of this mortality. This magnitude of mortality is far greater than previous estimates of cat predation on wildlife and may exceed all other sources of anthropogenic mortality of US birds and mammals.ResultsThe magnitude of bird mortality caused by cat predationAfter excluding studies that did not meet a priori inclusion criteria designed to increase the accuracy of our analysis, we developed probability distributions of predation rates on birds and mammals. We combined predation rate distributions with literature derived probability distributions for US cat population sizes, and we also accounted for the proportion of owned cats allowed outdoors, the proportion of owned and un owned cats that hunt, and imperfect detection of owned cats' prey items.We generated an estimated range of bird and mammal mortality caused by cat predation by incorporating the above distributions including separate predation rate distributions for owned and un owned cats and running 10,000 calculation iterations. We augmented US predation data by incorporating predation rate estimates from other temperate regions (Supplementary Table S1). For birds, we generated three US mortality estimates based on predation data from studies in: (1) the United States, (2) the United States and Europe and (3) the United States, Europe, and other temperate regions (primarily Australia and New Zealand). Owing to a lack of US studies of un owned cat predation on mammals, we estimated mammal mortality using data groupings 2 and 3. We based all other probability distributions on US studies (distribution details in Table 1; data in Supplementary Table S2). We focus interpretation on the estimate generated using US and European predation data because it is the lowest value. Furthermore, this estimate is more likely to be representative of the US than the estimate based on incorporation of data from Australia and New Zealand, where the wildlife fauna and climate are less similar to the United States. We estimate that cats in the contiguous United States annually kill between 1.3 and 4.0 billion birds (median=2.4 billion) (Fig. 1a), with 69% of this mortality caused by un owned cats. The predation estimate for un owned cats was higher primarily due to predation rates by this group averaging three times greater than rates for owned cats. (b) Probability distribution of estimated mammal mortality caused by all free ranging cats in mainland areas of the contiguous United States.The magnitude of mammal mortality caused by cat predationOur estimate of mammal mortality was robust to the choice of predation data as evidenced by a 1.6% difference between the two median estimates (Table 2). We focus interpretation on the lower estimate, which was based on United States and European predation data and US values of other parameters. We estimate annual mammal mortality in the contiguous United States at between 6.3 and 22.3 billion (median=12.3 billion) (Fig. 1b) with 89% of this mortality caused by un owned cats. The estimate that incorporated European data (but not data from Australia and hermes mens bracelet fake New Zealand) may be slightly lower because wildlife across much of Europe were historically exposed to predation by a similarly sized wild cat (Felis sylvestris) and, therefore, may be less naive to predation by domestic cats. However, it is unlikely that European wildlife have fully adapted to the unusually high densities of domestic cats in much of this continent9.Factors explaining estimate uncertaintyFor both birds and mammals, sensitivity analyses indicated that un owned cat parameters explained the greatest variation in total mortality estimates (Fig. 2). Un owned cat population size explained the greatest variation in mortality estimates (42% for birds and 51% for mammals), and the un owned cat predation rate explained the second greatest variation (24% for birds and 40% for mammals). The only other parameters that explained >5% of variation in mortality estimates were the owned cat predation rate on birds (16%) and the correction factor for imperfect detection of owned cats' prey items (8%).DiscussionOur estimate of bird mortality far exceeds any previously estimated US figure for cats13,14,16, as well as estimates for any other direct source of anthropogenic mortality, including collisions with windows, buildings, communication towers, vehicles and pesticide poisoning13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21. Systematic reviews like ours, which includes protocol formulation, a data search strategy, data inclusion criteria, data extraction and formal quantitative analyses22, are scarce for other anthropogenic mortality sources.21 Increased rigour of mortality estimates should be a high priority and will allow increased comparability of mortality sources23. Nonetheless, no estimates of any other anthropogenic mortality source approach the value we calculated for cat predation, and our estimate is the first for cats to be based on rigorous data driven methods. Notably, we excluded high local predation rates and used assumptions that led to minimum predation rate estimates for un owned cats; therefore, actual numbers of birds killed may be even greater than our estimates.Free roaming cats in the United States may also have a substantial impact on reptiles and amphibians. However, US studies of cat predation on these taxa are scarce. To generate a first approximation of US predation rates on reptiles and amphibians, we used the same model of cat predation along with estimates of cat predation rates on these taxa from studies in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We estimate that between 228 and 871 million reptiles (median=478 million) and between 86 and 320 million amphibians (median=173 million) could be killed by cats in the contiguous United States each year. Reptile and amphibian populations, and, therefore, cat predation rates, may differ between the regions where we gathered predation data for these taxa and the United States. Furthermore, reptiles and amphibians are unavailable as prey during winter across much of the United States. Additional research is needed to clarify impacts of cats on US herpetofauna, especially given numerous anthropogenic stressors that threaten their populations (for example, climate change, habitat loss and infectious diseases) and documented extinctions of reptiles and amphibians due to cat predation in other regions4,24.The exceptionally high estimate of mammal mortality from cat predation is supported by individual US studies that illustrate high annual predation rates by individual un owned cats in excess of 200 mammals per year6,25,26,27,28 and the consistent finding that cats preferentially depredate mammals over other taxa (Supplementary Table S1). Even with a lower yearly predation rate of 100 mammals per cat, annual mortality would range from 3 8 billion mammals just for un owned cats, based on a population estimate of between 30 and 80 million un owned cats. This estimated level of mortality could exceed any other direct source of anthropogenic mortality for small mammals; however, we are unaware of studies that have systematically quantified direct anthropogenic mortality of small terrestrial mammals across large scales.Native species make up the majority of the birds preyed upon by cats. On average, only 33% of bird prey items identified to species were non native species in 10 studies with 438 specimens of 58 species (Supplementary Table S3). For mammals, patterns of predation on native and non native species are less clear and appear to vary by landscape type. In densely populated urban areas where native small mammals are less common, non native species of rats and mice can make up a substantial component of mammalian prey29. However, studies of mammals in suburban and rural areas found that 75 100% of mammalian prey were native mice, shrews, voles, squirrels and rabbits26,30,31. Further research of mammals is needed to clarify patterns of predation by both owned and un owned cats on native and non native mammals, and across different landscape types.Sensitivity analyses indicate that additional research of un owned cats will continue to improve precision of mortality estimates. Our finding that un owned cat population size and predation rate explained the greatest variation in mortality estimates reflects the current lack of knowledge about un owned cats. No precise estimate of the un owned cat population exists for the United States because obtaining such an estimate is cost prohibitive, and feral un owned cats are wary of humans and tend to be solitary outside of urban areas. In addition, human subsidized colonies of un owned cats are maintained without widespread public knowledge. For example, in Washington DC alone there are >300 managed colonies of un owned cats and an unknown number of unmanaged colonies. Population size estimates can be improved by incorporating observations of free ranging cats into a wildlife mortality reporting database23.Context for the population impact of a mortality source depends on comparing mortality estimates to estimates of population abundance of individual species. However, continental scale estimates of wildlife population abundance are uncertain due to spatio temporal variation in numbers. For mammals, clarification of the population impacts of cat predation is hindered by the absence of nationwide population estimates. For all North American land birds, the group of species most susceptible to mainland cat predation (Supplementary Table S3), existing estimates range from 10 20 billion individuals in North America32. A lack of detail about relative proportions of different bird species killed by cats and spatio temporal variation of these proportions makes it difficult to identify the species and populations that are most vulnerable. The magnitude of our mortality estimates suggest that cats are likely causing population declines for some species and in some regions. Threatened and endangered wildlife species on islands are most susceptible to the effects of cat predation, and this may also be true for vulnerable species in localized mainland areas5 because small numbers of fatalities could cause significant population declines. Threatened species in close proximity to cat colonies including managed TNR colonies11,12 face an especially high level of risk; therefore, cat colonies in such locations comprise a wildlife management priority. Claims that TNR colonies are effective in reducing cat populations, and, therefore, wildlife mortality, are not supported by peer reviewed scientific studies11.Our estimates should alert policy makers and the general public about the large magnitude of wildlife mortality caused by free ranging cats. Structured decisions about actions to reduce wildlife mortality require a quantitative evidence base. We provide evidence of large scale cat predation impacts based on systematic analysis of multiple data sources. Future specific management decisions, both in the United States and globally, must be further informed by fine scale research that allows analysis of population responses to cats and assessment of the success of particular management actions. We are not suggesting that other anthropogenic threats that kill fewer individuals are biologically unimportant. Virtually nothing is known about the cumulative population impacts of multiple mortality sources. Furthermore, comparison of total mortality numbers has limited use for prioritization of risks and development of conservation objectives. Combining per species estimates of mortality with population size estimates will provide the greatest information about the risk of population level impacts of cat predation. Although our results suggest that owned cats have relatively less impact than un owned cats, owned cats still cause substantial wildlife mortality (Table 2); simple solutions to reduce mortality caused by pets, such as limiting or preventing outdoor access, should be pursued. Efforts to better quantify and minimize mortality from all anthropogenic threats are needed to increase sustainability of wildlife populations.The magnitude of wildlife mortality caused by cats that we report here far exceeds all prior estimates. Available evidence suggests that mortality from cat predation is likely to be substantial in all parts of the world where free ranging cats occur. This mortality is of particular concern within the context of steadily increasing populations of owned cats, the potential for increasing populations of un owned cats12, and an increasing abundance of direct and indirect mortality sources that threaten wildlife in the United States and globally.MethodsLiterature searchWe searched JSTOR, Google Scholar, and the Web of Science database (formerly ISI Web of Science) within the Web of Knowledge search engine published by Thomson Reuters to identify studies that document cat predation on birds and mammals. We initially focused this search on US studies, but due to a limited sample of these studies, we expanded the search to include predation research from other temperate regions. We also searched for studies providing estimates of cat population sizes at the scale of the contiguous United States and for US studies that estimate the proportion of owned cats with outdoor access and the proportion of cats that hunt wildlife. The search terms we used included: 'domestic cat' in combination with 'predation,' 'prey,' 'diet,' 'food item' and 'mortality'; all previous terms with 'domestic cat' replaced by 'Felis catus,' 'feral,' 'stray,' 'farm,' 'free ranging,' Hermes Collier de Chien Bracelet replica and 'pet'; 'trap neuter return colony'; 'TNR colony'; and 'cat predation' in combination with 'wildlife,' 'bird,' 'mammal,' and 'rodent'. We checked reference lists of articles to identify additional relevant studies.Classification of cat ranging behaviourWe grouped studies based on the ranging behaviour of cats investigated. We defined owned cats to include owned cats in both rural and urban areas that spend at least some time indoors and are also granted outdoor access. We defined un owned cats to include all un owned cats that spend all of their time outdoors. The un owned cat group includes semi feral cats that are sometimes considered pets (for example, farm/barn cats and strays that are fed by humans but not granted access to habitations), cats in subsidized (including TNR) colonies, and cats that are completely feral (that is, completely independent and rarely interacting with humans). We did not classify cats by landscape type or whether they receive H bracelet replica food from humans because the amount of time cats spend outdoors is a major determinant of predation rates33,34 and because predation is independent of whether cats are fed by humans6,34,35.Study inclusion criteriaStudies were only included if: (1) they clearly reported cat ranging behaviour (that is, a description of whether cats were owned or un owned and whether they were outdoor cats or indoor outdoor cats), and (2) the group of cats investigated fit exclusively into one of the two groups we defined above (that is, we excluded studies that lumped owned and un owned cats in a single predation rate estimate). For some studies, we extracted a portion of data that met these criteria but excluded other data from cats with unknown ranging behaviour. We only included mainland and large island (New Zealand and United Kingdom) predation studies, because cat predation on small islands is often exceptionally high36,37 and focused on colony nesting seabirds38. We excluded studies from outside temperate regions and those with predation rate estimates based on fewer than 10 cats, 39. (For a list of all included and excluded studies, see Supplementary Table S1).Data extraction and standardization of predation ratesMost studies report an estimate of cat predation rate (that is, daily, monthly or annual prey killed per cat) or present data that allowed us to calculate this rate. When studies onl
Pont Alexandre and Rezorbi die to mar opening day
Pont Alexandre was trained by Willie Mullins for owner Rich Ricci, who had an otherwise unparalleled day of success winning the Champion Hurdle with Annie Power, the Arkle with Douvan and the Mares' Hurdle with Vroum Vroum Mag.
Since finishing third to The New One in the 2013 Neptune Hurdle, Pont Alexandre had been off the track for two years but had managed three races this season and was well fancied for the four mile National Hunt Chase.
"He hermes gold bracelet fake was a lovely big, old fashioned chaser and the type that had a laid back personality. I thought I had him back this season and he will be sorely missed at the yard."
The Govaness was in the process of running an excellent race in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle for Dr Richard Newland, looking sure to be placed when she suffered a fatal fall at the last flight.
Jonjo O'Neill's Rezorbi was having just his second run for new connections in the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase since joining from France when he fell two out and was humanely destroyed. Our thoughts are with the owners, trainers and all the staff who have cared for these horses.
"The BHA works closely with Cheltenham, and indeed all British racecourses, to ensure that the highest possible standards of welfare are in place at all fixtures. Each of the horses injured today were attended to promptly and received a high standard of professional veterinary care from the team at Cheltenham Racecourse.
"We record and monitor all injuries and fatalities that occur on the racecourse to provide a benchmark from which the industry continually strives to reduce injury rates. Over the last 20 years, the equine fatality rate has fallen by a third hermes clic h bracelet replica and in 2015 was the lowest on record, falling to just 0.18 per cent of runners."
One animal rights group criticised Channel 4's coverage of the injured horses.
Animal Aid's Dene Strensall said: "It was particularly sickening hermes bracelet imitation that Channel 4 conspicuously failed to mention, as they finished broadcasting, that at least one serious injury had happened. Any self respecting human being should condemn the use of animals in this way."
In response, a Channel 4 Collier de Chien hermes bracelet copy spokesperson underlined the nature of the injuries to The Govaness were not confirmed until its afternoon show was off air, while the other two races were not covered live, saying: "We extend our sympathies to all connections.
"We weren't given confirmation until we were off air and it is not our protocol to speculate.
"The other two incidents happened off air and we again extend our condolences to connections.
"Our highlights programme has taken into account the incidents of the day with care and consideration."
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Pont Alexandre was trained by Willie Mullins for owner Rich Ricci, who had an otherwise unparalleled day of success winning the Champion Hurdle with Annie Power, the Arkle with Douvan and the Mares' Hurdle with Vroum Vroum Mag.
Since finishing third to The New One in the 2013 Neptune Hurdle, Pont Alexandre had been off the track for two years but had managed three races this season and was well fancied for the four mile National Hunt Chase.
"He hermes gold bracelet fake was a lovely big, old fashioned chaser and the type that had a laid back personality. I thought I had him back this season and he will be sorely missed at the yard."
The Govaness was in the process of running an excellent race in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle for Dr Richard Newland, looking sure to be placed when she suffered a fatal fall at the last flight.
Jonjo O'Neill's Rezorbi was having just his second run for new connections in the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase since joining from France when he fell two out and was humanely destroyed. Our thoughts are with the owners, trainers and all the staff who have cared for these horses.
"The BHA works closely with Cheltenham, and indeed all British racecourses, to ensure that the highest possible standards of welfare are in place at all fixtures. Each of the horses injured today were attended to promptly and received a high standard of professional veterinary care from the team at Cheltenham Racecourse.
"We record and monitor all injuries and fatalities that occur on the racecourse to provide a benchmark from which the industry continually strives to reduce injury rates. Over the last 20 years, the equine fatality rate has fallen by a third hermes clic h bracelet replica and in 2015 was the lowest on record, falling to just 0.18 per cent of runners."
One animal rights group criticised Channel 4's coverage of the injured horses.
Animal Aid's Dene Strensall said: "It was particularly sickening hermes bracelet imitation that Channel 4 conspicuously failed to mention, as they finished broadcasting, that at least one serious injury had happened. Any self respecting human being should condemn the use of animals in this way."
In response, a Channel 4 Collier de Chien hermes bracelet copy spokesperson underlined the nature of the injuries to The Govaness were not confirmed until its afternoon show was off air, while the other two races were not covered live, saying: "We extend our sympathies to all connections.
"We weren't given confirmation until we were off air and it is not our protocol to speculate.
"The other two incidents happened off air and we again extend our condolences to connections.
"Our highlights programme has taken into account the incidents of the day with care and consideration."
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On Adblock click "Don't run on pages on this domain".
If you are Private Browsing in Firefox, "Tracking Protection" may cause the adblock notice to show. It can be temporarily disabled by clicking the "shield" icon in the address bar.
old boy being dragged kicking and screaming into van on July 4
Although no missing children have been reported police say they have credible evidence to believe it was a kidnapping.
'We have a 24 hour emergency operation command center set up to fake hermes H bracelet black deal strictly with this case,' Captain Jeff Pearce, of Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office, told ABC News.
The bicycle the child, who appeared to be about 12, was allegedly riding has been found by police, but they have not yet found the blue work van he was dragged into.
'A witness called Collier de Chien hermes bracelet copy 911 after
they saw a boy kicking and screaming for help and resisting a man who
was trying to put him in a blue construction van,' Captain Pearce said.
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Although no missing children have been reported police say they have credible evidence to believe it was a kidnapping.
'We have a 24 hour emergency operation command center set up to fake hermes H bracelet black deal strictly with this case,' Captain Jeff Pearce, of Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office, told ABC News.
The bicycle the child, who appeared to be about 12, was allegedly riding has been found by police, but they have not yet found the blue work van he was dragged into.
'A witness called Collier de Chien hermes bracelet copy 911 after
they saw a boy kicking and screaming for help and resisting a man who
was trying to put him in a blue construction van,' Captain Pearce said.
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Marcos jewelry being appraised ahead of possible auction
Christie auction house appraiser David Warren examines a set of jewelry from Roumeliotes Collection, one of three sets of the Marcos Jewelry Collection, during appraisal at the Central Bank of the Philippines Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015 in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government is having millions of dollars' worth of jewelry seized from former first lady Imelda Marcos appraised Tuesday ahead of a possible auctioning of the collection. The jewelry was seized when Marcos' family fled to Hawaii in 1986 following a revolt that ended her husband's two decades in power. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippine government is appraising the dazzling jewelry collection seized three decades ago from Imelda Marcos, the former first lady famous for her massive stash of shoes, as it decides what to do with the jewels one expert compared to those owned by royalty.
The jewelry was seized when dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family fled to Hawaii in 1986 following a popular revolt that ended his two decades in power. The pieces include a barrel shaped diamond worth at least $5 million and a Cartier diamond tiara that likely multiple times more valuable than the previous estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
The Marcos family allegedly amassed billions of dollars worth of ill gotten wealth, and the dictator widow, now 86 and a member of Congress, became known for excesses, symbolized by her huge shoe collection and staggering jewelry.
The jewelry collection, comprising three sets seized in various locations, was valued at $5 million to $7 million when it was last appraised in 1988 and 1991.
The collection is being appraised by Christies and Sotheby auction houses this week before the government decides whether to auction it, he said, calling the collection a physical manifestation of excesses during the Marcos regime while many Filipinos suffered in poverty.
Putting the fake Cartier love ring jewelry in a museum or an exhibit has been suggested. The jewels imitation Cartier love yellow gold ring have been stored in a vault at the Philippine central bank for nearly 30 years.
I didn know where the collection came from, I would probably say it could have come from a royal person, said David Warren, who headed a Christie auction house team that inspected the jewelry. He said the extensive collection includes very rare and exceptional pieces.
A 25 carat Indian pink diamond probably cut in the 18th century and worth at least $5 million was newly discovered to be part of the collection. Cartier ring wedding ring replica It was previously listed as crystal and may have not been shown to appraisers, Warren said. Marcos briolette cut or barrel shaped pink diamond is from India famous Golconda region, which produced rare finds like the Hope Diamond and a 500 carat diamond that is part of the British crown jewels.
Pink diamonds are very rare. Warren said a 16 carat vivid pink diamond was sold by Christie this month in Geneva for $28.5 million.
The provenance of the jewelry could radically increase prices should the pieces be auctioned, Warren said.
Jewelry pieces held up for photographers Tuesday by customs employees who removed them from plastic wrappings included various necklaces with diamonds ranging from the size Cartier replica ring of corn kernels to fat almonds, strung together like a lei of mini chandeliers.famous fake cartier rose bracelet Galvanized steel You should have it Let's more familiar in regards to its detailed
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Christie auction house appraiser David Warren examines a set of jewelry from Roumeliotes Collection, one of three sets of the Marcos Jewelry Collection, during appraisal at the Central Bank of the Philippines Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015 in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government is having millions of dollars' worth of jewelry seized from former first lady Imelda Marcos appraised Tuesday ahead of a possible auctioning of the collection. The jewelry was seized when Marcos' family fled to Hawaii in 1986 following a revolt that ended her husband's two decades in power. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippine government is appraising the dazzling jewelry collection seized three decades ago from Imelda Marcos, the former first lady famous for her massive stash of shoes, as it decides what to do with the jewels one expert compared to those owned by royalty.
The jewelry was seized when dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family fled to Hawaii in 1986 following a popular revolt that ended his two decades in power. The pieces include a barrel shaped diamond worth at least $5 million and a Cartier diamond tiara that likely multiple times more valuable than the previous estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
The Marcos family allegedly amassed billions of dollars worth of ill gotten wealth, and the dictator widow, now 86 and a member of Congress, became known for excesses, symbolized by her huge shoe collection and staggering jewelry.
The jewelry collection, comprising three sets seized in various locations, was valued at $5 million to $7 million when it was last appraised in 1988 and 1991.
The collection is being appraised by Christies and Sotheby auction houses this week before the government decides whether to auction it, he said, calling the collection a physical manifestation of excesses during the Marcos regime while many Filipinos suffered in poverty.
Putting the fake Cartier love ring jewelry in a museum or an exhibit has been suggested. The jewels imitation Cartier love yellow gold ring have been stored in a vault at the Philippine central bank for nearly 30 years.
I didn know where the collection came from, I would probably say it could have come from a royal person, said David Warren, who headed a Christie auction house team that inspected the jewelry. He said the extensive collection includes very rare and exceptional pieces.
A 25 carat Indian pink diamond probably cut in the 18th century and worth at least $5 million was newly discovered to be part of the collection. Cartier ring wedding ring replica It was previously listed as crystal and may have not been shown to appraisers, Warren said. Marcos briolette cut or barrel shaped pink diamond is from India famous Golconda region, which produced rare finds like the Hope Diamond and a 500 carat diamond that is part of the British crown jewels.
Pink diamonds are very rare. Warren said a 16 carat vivid pink diamond was sold by Christie this month in Geneva for $28.5 million.
The provenance of the jewelry could radically increase prices should the pieces be auctioned, Warren said.
Jewelry pieces held up for photographers Tuesday by customs employees who removed them from plastic wrappings included various necklaces with diamonds ranging from the size Cartier replica ring of corn kernels to fat almonds, strung together like a lei of mini chandeliers.
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Natalie Allman who was tortured is forced to write to her attacker or face jail
Mother who was tortured for seven hours and slashed across the throat in front of her sons by her ex boyfriend is forced to write to him in prison and give him updates on his kids or face jail herself
Natalie Allman, 29, was battered with a dumb bell by Jason Hughes, 42TA soldier Hughes also slit her throat in 2012 attack to make her look 'ugly'Their twin boys saw the attack, and were found covered in blood by policeMs Allman must send Hughes updates on boys under parental rights lawsIf she does not she could be held in contempt of court and jailedBy
Nazia Parveen for the Daily MailMAINTAINING CONTACT: SECTION 8 OF THE CHILDREN ACT 1989 Section 8 of the Children Act 1989 deals with the arrangements for children after the break down of their parents' relationship.
Should a disagreement arise between the parents, they can apply to the court for a residence or contact order to be drawn up in respect of their children.
A contact order requires the parent, or other person, who the child lives with to allow a named individual to have contact with the child.
It is usually used to maintain the child's links with both parents after the end of their relationship.
This contact can be 'direct', meaning it is face to face, 'indirect', which may involve telephone calls, emails or letter; supervised by a third party; or the child may be able to stay overnight with the person named in the order.
The order would usually define the frequency, duration, time and place of the visits, or the nature and frequency of contact necklace van cleef arpels replica by telephone, letter or other means.
Sometimes the parent the child lives with may also be required to provide school reports or other information on their son or daughter.
If the order is breached, a court has the power to impose a fine of up to 2,50029 or a custodial sentence of up to replica van cleef blue necklace two years.
Hughes, 42, was jailed for nine years in 2012 following the brutal attack at the couple's home in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, the year before.
He had flown into a jealous rage when Miss Allman dumped him just two months before they planned to marry, telling Hughes that she was seeing somebody else.
The former reservist, who had an alcohol addiction, attempted to smother her with a pillow before repeatedly bludgeoning her with a dumb bell and slashing her throat.
Hughes, who was trained to use bayonets and knives in the Army, only let Miss Allman call an ambulance after seven hours. Officers arrived to find their terrified sons, then two, in bed with their mother covered in blood.
Miss Allman suffered horrific wounds and needed cosmetic surgery on her throat, but later rebuilt her life and had another child with a new partner.
But in January last year Hughes applied for a residence and contact order under the Children Act of 1989, demanding six letters a year as well as phone calls.
Despite spending 3,000 fighting the order, a judge ordered Miss Allman to send three letters a year on the children's school progress, health and emotional development or face a fine or jail.
Hughes was given permission to send them one letter a year as well as cards at birthdays and Christmas.
Miss Allman said she is sickened by letters she has already received from Hughes, which she says describe how he is allowed to play on an Xbox games console and work as a bee keeper. She has been told to keep them in case the boys want to read them one day.
She said: 'I couldn't believe it.
'I could end up being split up from my children and sent to prison when he was the one who attacked me. I'm the one being treated like a criminal.'
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Mother who was tortured for seven hours and slashed across the throat in front of her sons by her ex boyfriend is forced to write to him in prison and give him updates on his kids or face jail herself
Natalie Allman, 29, was battered with a dumb bell by Jason Hughes, 42TA soldier Hughes also slit her throat in 2012 attack to make her look 'ugly'Their twin boys saw the attack, and were found covered in blood by policeMs Allman must send Hughes updates on boys under parental rights lawsIf she does not she could be held in contempt of court and jailedBy
Nazia Parveen for the Daily MailMAINTAINING CONTACT: SECTION 8 OF THE CHILDREN ACT 1989 Section 8 of the Children Act 1989 deals with the arrangements for children after the break down of their parents' relationship.
Should a disagreement arise between the parents, they can apply to the court for a residence or contact order to be drawn up in respect of their children.
A contact order requires the parent, or other person, who the child lives with to allow a named individual to have contact with the child.
It is usually used to maintain the child's links with both parents after the end of their relationship.
This contact can be 'direct', meaning it is face to face, 'indirect', which may involve telephone calls, emails or letter; supervised by a third party; or the child may be able to stay overnight with the person named in the order.
The order would usually define the frequency, duration, time and place of the visits, or the nature and frequency of contact necklace van cleef arpels replica by telephone, letter or other means.
Sometimes the parent the child lives with may also be required to provide school reports or other information on their son or daughter.
If the order is breached, a court has the power to impose a fine of up to 2,50029 or a custodial sentence of up to replica van cleef blue necklace two years.
Hughes, 42, was jailed for nine years in 2012 following the brutal attack at the couple's home in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, the year before.
He had flown into a jealous rage when Miss Allman dumped him just two months before they planned to marry, telling Hughes that she was seeing somebody else.
The former reservist, who had an alcohol addiction, attempted to smother her with a pillow before repeatedly bludgeoning her with a dumb bell and slashing her throat.
Hughes, who was trained to use bayonets and knives in the Army, only let Miss Allman call an ambulance after seven hours. Officers arrived to find their terrified sons, then two, in bed with their mother covered in blood.
Miss Allman suffered horrific wounds and needed cosmetic surgery on her throat, but later rebuilt her life and had another child with a new partner.
But in January last year Hughes applied for a residence and contact order under the Children Act of 1989, demanding six letters a year as well as phone calls.
Despite spending 3,000 fighting the order, a judge ordered Miss Allman to send three letters a year on the children's school progress, health and emotional development or face a fine or jail.
Hughes was given permission to send them one letter a year as well as cards at birthdays and Christmas.
Miss Allman said she is sickened by letters she has already received from Hughes, which she says describe how he is allowed to play on an Xbox games console and work as a bee keeper. She has been told to keep them in case the boys want to read them one day.
She said: 'I couldn't believe it.
'I could end up being split up from my children and sent to prison when he was the one who attacked me. I'm the one being treated like a criminal.'
Most watched News videos EXCLUSIVE: Ariana Grande plane arrives back in the US Homeless man describes how he helped after Manchester attack Eye witness describes spotting the vca imitation necklace Manchester attacker Moment bomb explodes at Ariana Grande concert Forensic officers raid of Manchester suicide bomber Man is arrested by police outside Buckingham Palace Blood seen dripping from victim leg after Manchester Threat level now CRITICAL: PM raises terror level Armed police prepare to raid of Manchester suicide bomber Huge tailbacks on M6 as police after crash between lorry and car Sickening video warns of more attacks after Manchester Mum of Manchester attack victim Georgina Callander releases balloons
Help for the homeless heroes: Millionaire West Ham owner. The schoolgirls massacred by ISIS coward: Five teenagers. Was bomber's family in global terror network? Killer. 'Our little princess has been so lucky': Father's joy as. Britain on lockdown: Army deploys 1,000 heavily armed. Mother of child actress pictured hugging a female police. Grisly photos of scorched remnants of suicide bomber's. Horror on the M6: Lorry driver is arrested after four. Heartwrenching scenes as the mother of 15 year old. Tourists watch in horror as armed police arrest man. Aaron Hernandez's hell behind bars: NFL star killed. More than 24 hours on, desperate families still search. Comedian Jason Manford deletes Twitter after being. BREAKING NEWS: My son is innocent, insists father of. White women's burrito shop is forced to close after. 'I won't forget what you said!' Trump tells Pope after. Melania and Ivanka wear black veils to meet the Pope at. Bomber from a red brick semi who 'knew an ISIS. MOST READ NEWS Previous.
My little Einstein
One sunny afternoon this past February, I found myself waiting with my 5 year old son, Jack, and his friend Oliver outside a lecture hall at Stanford University. Over the many years my husband and I struggled to conceive a child, I allowed myself plenty of parenting fantasies, but taking a 5 year old to the 41st Annual Linus Pauling Lecture was not one of them.
Graduate students streamed by us clutching coffee cups. up," I chirped to the boys, who were stuffing their mouths with oatmeal cookie. The absurdity of the situation kicked van cleef necklace replica my voice up an octave. "Now, who has to go potty?"
Like a lot of first timers, my husband, Brian, and I went into parenthood with a plan. Ours was to give Jack an unhurried childhood (though Jack is not his real name). Both teachers, we distrusted the amped up achievement culture in affluent communities like ours, with its tendency toward high pressure schools, anxious parents and stressed out kids. Yes to mud pies and bubbles, we vowed; no to flashcards and Brainy Baby preschools. What mattered was letting Jack figure out what he liked and helping him do that. "I don't care if he ends up a surfer living out of the back of his van," Brian said.
It quickly became clear that what Jack liked no, loved was academics.
At 2 he refused to leave the library until he had arranged all the giant magnetic letters, upper and lowercase, in alphabetical order. I practically had to drag him to the playground. I doled out computer time sparingly, ambivalent about this new development, until I realized he was teaching himself to read. and world geography and after that, astronomy. He still slept in Pull Ups but could tell you all about black holes, spiral galaxies, red hypergiants and brown dwarves.
People often asked how we "got" him to do these things. I'd smile and shrug, but the question made me uncomfortable. We weren't pushing him. He was pushing us. Daily, Brian and I exchanged incredulous looks over Jack's head: Did you hear what he just said? Where did he learn that? A family member put it succinctly. "You know he's the kind of kid who's going to go to college at 13, don you?" We didn't know. Or else we kind of did, but to admit that went against every egalitarian bone in our bodies. Jack was smart, we told ourselves, but so were a lot of people. He was also just a kid, and what kids needed was time and space to play.
Play based preschool was a no brainer, and the one we found felt like Shangri La to us, with its wooden toys, huge sand pit, and vast green yard to explore. It was perfect, except that Jack hated it. At pickup, I'd find him pacing alone under the trees, talking to himself, dark circles under his eyes. The hippie kindergarten, with its emphasis on yoga and meditation, was no better. After a few months, Jack curled himself into a naked ball, wouldn't get dressed for school. He developed insomnia and an array of nervous tics. Our funny, upbeat boy was fading before our eyes. "When are they going to teach me something I don't already know?" he pleaded.
Finally we hired a silver haired woman to assess Jack. She confirmed what we had begun to suspect: Jack was more than just smart. The term of art is "profoundly gifted." The last thing you want to do with kids like these, she said, is to try and hold them back. Mental challenge is their oxygen. Confirming the true extent of Jack's intellectual potential was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying, validating both our secret pride and a long list of worries: his anxiety, his difficulty making friends, his out and out difference from other kids. The news sent my parental compass spinning. Slower is better had been our true north. Now I didn't know which way to go.
The silver haired woman connected us with Oliver, another little boy in the neighborhood fluent in supernovas and subatomic particles. His mom, Kristen, and I set up weekly play dates, thrilled to find someone else in the same boat. The boys bonded immediately, rolling Play Doh into comets and neutron stars while Kristen and I compared notes. They, too, had once tried to slow Oliver down, limiting his access to certain subjects for fear he was becoming obsessed. Like Jack, he'd responded by shutting down. These days she followed his lead, helping him pursue his many interests from origami to quarks to viruses. "I don't want to keep him from learning opportunities just because they're not age appropriate," she said in her levelheaded way.
Having stepped through the looking glass, this no longer sounded like sacrilege. I, too, was through with holding Jack back in the name of protecting him. But the Linus Pauling Lecture? It was Kristen's idea, and I wasn't at all sure. It seemed vaguely ridiculous to take two kindergartners to a lecture meant for adults, no matter how bright they were. "Open to the public" couldn't possibly mean us.
I'm still not quite sure why I said yes. Maybe it was my reluctance to make waves in a new friendship. Maybe it was the simple desire for something different to do on an ordinary Tuesday. And maybe a genuine question was beginning to shake loose from all my former certainties. What did Jack really need? Did I even have any clue?
On the day of the lecture, Kristen's baby sitter canceled, and she had to stay home with Oliver's little brothers. I was on my own, banking on a big, dark lecture hall where a kooky lady with two 5 year olds wouldn't be quite so conspicuous. No such luck. The auditorium was tiny, the lights bright. As soon as we walked in, I could feel my face heating up. "This way, guys," I whispered, hunching down the aisle. There were only two seats left together, down in the third row.
A bearded man at the podium was detailing Dr. Harrison's curriculum vitae. I sat us down quickly and pulled Jack onto my lap, afraid to look to either side. Jack began kicking the seat in front of him and flinging his arms out to the sides. "Is this the lecture?" he asked in a loud whisper.
"Shhh," I said, wrapping my arms around him straitjacket style. This was a bad idea.
Oliver's voice was equally loud. "They are going to turn the lights off and then they are going to have slides." It seemed replica van cleef jewelry odd that no one around us was glaring or even glancing our way.
At last the room darkened and what looked like multicolored Koosh balls appeared on an overhead screen. The boys craned their necks to read words like and Their bodies went utterly still.
"This structure," Dr. Harrison pointed to a swoopy pattern of elegantly intertwined green strings, "is called the jelly roll Beta barrel." Oliver's eyes were locked on the screen.
"This lecture is great!" Jack called out, bucking on my lap. "It's so interesting!" I was stunned. He really meant it. A few minutes later, he started flinging both arms up in the air over and over again, brushing me on either side of head. I pulled his arms down again and again.
"Jack, stop," I finally hissed. It was time to go.
"Mo om," he complained in a loud, injured voice. "I was trying to hug you." And then I got it. He was feeling grateful. The fact that I'd brought him here made him feel understood.
In the lobby on the way out, a stocky Asian man stopped us. Uh oh, I thought. Here it comes. But his face was friendly, his voice a bit nervous. "Can I ask why you brought the kids today?" he said.
"Well," I said, not sure how much to reveal. "They're very bright, and this one," I gestured at Oliver, "is especially interested in viruses." A few feet away, Jack was making a pig face by pressing his nose against a glass replica mini van cleef necklace door.
"I brought my twin boys," he said. "They're 8. They got perfect scores on the SAT."
"Wow," I said, not sure what else to say.
He was thinking of starting a school, he said, for children to work on Nobel problems. He scribbled his email on a scrap of paper. Anxiety rose off him like steam. I took it and thanked him, my head spinning.
Outside, the air was a huge relief. The boys broke into a run, chasing each other across the grass. "Jelly roll Beta barrel!" Oliver yelled, and Jack yelled it back. He seemed as happy as I ever seen him.
I was still holding the man's number. I didn't plan to call. Whatever was in our future, I doubted it was his Nobel school, though in my hand the slip of paper felt like a ticket, one for a journey I'd never imagined.
As for the needle on my compass, it had started to shift. No longer could I find my way with theories and plans.
The way forward was uncertain, the future unclear. Only one thing was sure: True north was this boy I loved, now drunk on higher learning and rolling with his friend on the green, green grass.
One sunny afternoon this past February, I found myself waiting with my 5 year old son, Jack, and his friend Oliver outside a lecture hall at Stanford University. Over the many years my husband and I struggled to conceive a child, I allowed myself plenty of parenting fantasies, but taking a 5 year old to the 41st Annual Linus Pauling Lecture was not one of them.
Graduate students streamed by us clutching coffee cups. up," I chirped to the boys, who were stuffing their mouths with oatmeal cookie. The absurdity of the situation kicked van cleef necklace replica my voice up an octave. "Now, who has to go potty?"
Like a lot of first timers, my husband, Brian, and I went into parenthood with a plan. Ours was to give Jack an unhurried childhood (though Jack is not his real name). Both teachers, we distrusted the amped up achievement culture in affluent communities like ours, with its tendency toward high pressure schools, anxious parents and stressed out kids. Yes to mud pies and bubbles, we vowed; no to flashcards and Brainy Baby preschools. What mattered was letting Jack figure out what he liked and helping him do that. "I don't care if he ends up a surfer living out of the back of his van," Brian said.
It quickly became clear that what Jack liked no, loved was academics.
At 2 he refused to leave the library until he had arranged all the giant magnetic letters, upper and lowercase, in alphabetical order. I practically had to drag him to the playground. I doled out computer time sparingly, ambivalent about this new development, until I realized he was teaching himself to read. and world geography and after that, astronomy. He still slept in Pull Ups but could tell you all about black holes, spiral galaxies, red hypergiants and brown dwarves.
People often asked how we "got" him to do these things. I'd smile and shrug, but the question made me uncomfortable. We weren't pushing him. He was pushing us. Daily, Brian and I exchanged incredulous looks over Jack's head: Did you hear what he just said? Where did he learn that? A family member put it succinctly. "You know he's the kind of kid who's going to go to college at 13, don you?" We didn't know. Or else we kind of did, but to admit that went against every egalitarian bone in our bodies. Jack was smart, we told ourselves, but so were a lot of people. He was also just a kid, and what kids needed was time and space to play.
Play based preschool was a no brainer, and the one we found felt like Shangri La to us, with its wooden toys, huge sand pit, and vast green yard to explore. It was perfect, except that Jack hated it. At pickup, I'd find him pacing alone under the trees, talking to himself, dark circles under his eyes. The hippie kindergarten, with its emphasis on yoga and meditation, was no better. After a few months, Jack curled himself into a naked ball, wouldn't get dressed for school. He developed insomnia and an array of nervous tics. Our funny, upbeat boy was fading before our eyes. "When are they going to teach me something I don't already know?" he pleaded.
Finally we hired a silver haired woman to assess Jack. She confirmed what we had begun to suspect: Jack was more than just smart. The term of art is "profoundly gifted." The last thing you want to do with kids like these, she said, is to try and hold them back. Mental challenge is their oxygen. Confirming the true extent of Jack's intellectual potential was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying, validating both our secret pride and a long list of worries: his anxiety, his difficulty making friends, his out and out difference from other kids. The news sent my parental compass spinning. Slower is better had been our true north. Now I didn't know which way to go.
The silver haired woman connected us with Oliver, another little boy in the neighborhood fluent in supernovas and subatomic particles. His mom, Kristen, and I set up weekly play dates, thrilled to find someone else in the same boat. The boys bonded immediately, rolling Play Doh into comets and neutron stars while Kristen and I compared notes. They, too, had once tried to slow Oliver down, limiting his access to certain subjects for fear he was becoming obsessed. Like Jack, he'd responded by shutting down. These days she followed his lead, helping him pursue his many interests from origami to quarks to viruses. "I don't want to keep him from learning opportunities just because they're not age appropriate," she said in her levelheaded way.
Having stepped through the looking glass, this no longer sounded like sacrilege. I, too, was through with holding Jack back in the name of protecting him. But the Linus Pauling Lecture? It was Kristen's idea, and I wasn't at all sure. It seemed vaguely ridiculous to take two kindergartners to a lecture meant for adults, no matter how bright they were. "Open to the public" couldn't possibly mean us.
I'm still not quite sure why I said yes. Maybe it was my reluctance to make waves in a new friendship. Maybe it was the simple desire for something different to do on an ordinary Tuesday. And maybe a genuine question was beginning to shake loose from all my former certainties. What did Jack really need? Did I even have any clue?
On the day of the lecture, Kristen's baby sitter canceled, and she had to stay home with Oliver's little brothers. I was on my own, banking on a big, dark lecture hall where a kooky lady with two 5 year olds wouldn't be quite so conspicuous. No such luck. The auditorium was tiny, the lights bright. As soon as we walked in, I could feel my face heating up. "This way, guys," I whispered, hunching down the aisle. There were only two seats left together, down in the third row.
A bearded man at the podium was detailing Dr. Harrison's curriculum vitae. I sat us down quickly and pulled Jack onto my lap, afraid to look to either side. Jack began kicking the seat in front of him and flinging his arms out to the sides. "Is this the lecture?" he asked in a loud whisper.
"Shhh," I said, wrapping my arms around him straitjacket style. This was a bad idea.
Oliver's voice was equally loud. "They are going to turn the lights off and then they are going to have slides." It seemed replica van cleef jewelry odd that no one around us was glaring or even glancing our way.
At last the room darkened and what looked like multicolored Koosh balls appeared on an overhead screen. The boys craned their necks to read words like and Their bodies went utterly still.
"This structure," Dr. Harrison pointed to a swoopy pattern of elegantly intertwined green strings, "is called the jelly roll Beta barrel." Oliver's eyes were locked on the screen.
"This lecture is great!" Jack called out, bucking on my lap. "It's so interesting!" I was stunned. He really meant it. A few minutes later, he started flinging both arms up in the air over and over again, brushing me on either side of head. I pulled his arms down again and again.
"Jack, stop," I finally hissed. It was time to go.
"Mo om," he complained in a loud, injured voice. "I was trying to hug you." And then I got it. He was feeling grateful. The fact that I'd brought him here made him feel understood.
In the lobby on the way out, a stocky Asian man stopped us. Uh oh, I thought. Here it comes. But his face was friendly, his voice a bit nervous. "Can I ask why you brought the kids today?" he said.
"Well," I said, not sure how much to reveal. "They're very bright, and this one," I gestured at Oliver, "is especially interested in viruses." A few feet away, Jack was making a pig face by pressing his nose against a glass replica mini van cleef necklace door.
"I brought my twin boys," he said. "They're 8. They got perfect scores on the SAT."
"Wow," I said, not sure what else to say.
He was thinking of starting a school, he said, for children to work on Nobel problems. He scribbled his email on a scrap of paper. Anxiety rose off him like steam. I took it and thanked him, my head spinning.
Outside, the air was a huge relief. The boys broke into a run, chasing each other across the grass. "Jelly roll Beta barrel!" Oliver yelled, and Jack yelled it back. He seemed as happy as I ever seen him.
I was still holding the man's number. I didn't plan to call. Whatever was in our future, I doubted it was his Nobel school, though in my hand the slip of paper felt like a ticket, one for a journey I'd never imagined.
As for the needle on my compass, it had started to shift. No longer could I find my way with theories and plans.
The way forward was uncertain, the future unclear. Only one thing was sure: True north was this boy I loved, now drunk on higher learning and rolling with his friend on the green, green grass.
Nursing Backlog Hits California Community fake hermes bracelets Colleges
California, like many states, is suffering a shortage of nurses. How short? Ten thousand vacancies and counting. But the problem is not a shortage of people who want to be nurses. Most are trained in the state's community colleges.
And as Elaine Korry reports, these nursing programs are forced to turn away thousands of qualified students every year.
ELAINE KORRY: The Nursing Skills Lab at Contra Costa College, a community college east of San Francisco. This looks like a real hospital ward, complete with high tech instruments and monitors. But instead of real patients, the beds are filled with life sized mannequins used by students to practice procedures.
Mr. SEAN MCNEAL (Registered Nurse, Contra Costa College): Put your hand on the catheter tip. OK.
KORRY: A half dozen students are huddled around instructor Sean McNeal, learning how to delicately insert a catheter.
Mr. MCNEAL: Advance it how much further?
KORRY: These students are a highly selective group, the rare ones who were accepted into this two year associate degree program. Once they graduate, they'll sit for the state licensing exam to become registered nurses.
It's a goal Kimberly Hall(ph) thought she'd never achieve.
Ms. KIMBERLY HALL (Nursing Student): I felt it was near impossible.
Ms. HALL: I was getting ready to give up.
KORRY: Hall is finally in but only after three miserable years of waiting. The problem was never her grades, says Hall, replica hermes bracelet enamel but a simple lack of space.
Ms. HALL: You have 300 people applying for 30 spots. And rejection letter after rejection letter, it starts to wear on you after awhile.
KORRY: California has 75 community college nursing programs, and every one of them is full. Many have a three or four year waiting list. Many have a three or four year waiting list. Others, including Contra Costa, rely on a lottery system, which requires applicants to reapply every year.
Ms. LISA HILL(ph): There they are: transcripts, applications, notes, ready to reapply for next fall.
KORRY: Lisa Hill has taken that advice to heart. College application season just ended, and Hill has a thick folder of forms to show for her efforts. She's been inching toward nursing school for years, having aced all her prerequisite courses at Contra Costa and then applying to the nursing program last year.
The school accepted 70 students, including a dozen who made it onto the alternate list. Hill was unlucky number 13.
Ms. HILL: When I didn't get in, it was just it was a shock, really. I was devastated.
KORRY: For now, Hill's vocational dream is replica hermes clic h bracelet stalled.
Ms. HILL: I heard, wow, what a great career to get into; the population is getting older, there's going to be a need for nurses, nurses are retiring.
KORRY: And so, Hill won't give up. At less than $5,000, a community college nursing degree is a true bargain. And California is trying to address the backlog. Hill does have another option: She could attend a private nursing program at a for profit school, such as the University of Phoenix.
In recent hermes bracelets replica years, market based or proprietary programs have moved in to fill the gap left by overwhelmed state schools. That should surprise no one, says California's Community College vice chancellor, Jose Millan.
Mr. JOSE MILLAN (Vice Chancellor, California Community College): If I were in the position of a proprietary school, I'd take a look at those same numbers that you're looking at: huge demand, not enough supply. And I'd say, ah, here's an opportunity. And I'd offer the same thing at a high cost.
KORRY: Nursing is an expensive program to run, what with low faculty ratios and high tech lab requirements. So for profit schools do cost more up to 10 times more than a state school.
Lisa Hill says she hates the idea of running up a huge debt. But if she doesn't get into a public program soon, she may not have a better choice.
For NPR News, I'm Elaine Korry.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary.
California, like many states, is suffering a shortage of nurses. How short? Ten thousand vacancies and counting. But the problem is not a shortage of people who want to be nurses. Most are trained in the state's community colleges.
And as Elaine Korry reports, these nursing programs are forced to turn away thousands of qualified students every year.
ELAINE KORRY: The Nursing Skills Lab at Contra Costa College, a community college east of San Francisco. This looks like a real hospital ward, complete with high tech instruments and monitors. But instead of real patients, the beds are filled with life sized mannequins used by students to practice procedures.
Mr. SEAN MCNEAL (Registered Nurse, Contra Costa College): Put your hand on the catheter tip. OK.
KORRY: A half dozen students are huddled around instructor Sean McNeal, learning how to delicately insert a catheter.
Mr. MCNEAL: Advance it how much further?
KORRY: These students are a highly selective group, the rare ones who were accepted into this two year associate degree program. Once they graduate, they'll sit for the state licensing exam to become registered nurses.
It's a goal Kimberly Hall(ph) thought she'd never achieve.
Ms. KIMBERLY HALL (Nursing Student): I felt it was near impossible.
Ms. HALL: I was getting ready to give up.
KORRY: Hall is finally in but only after three miserable years of waiting. The problem was never her grades, says Hall, replica hermes bracelet enamel but a simple lack of space.
Ms. HALL: You have 300 people applying for 30 spots. And rejection letter after rejection letter, it starts to wear on you after awhile.
KORRY: California has 75 community college nursing programs, and every one of them is full. Many have a three or four year waiting list. Many have a three or four year waiting list. Others, including Contra Costa, rely on a lottery system, which requires applicants to reapply every year.
Ms. LISA HILL(ph): There they are: transcripts, applications, notes, ready to reapply for next fall.
KORRY: Lisa Hill has taken that advice to heart. College application season just ended, and Hill has a thick folder of forms to show for her efforts. She's been inching toward nursing school for years, having aced all her prerequisite courses at Contra Costa and then applying to the nursing program last year.
The school accepted 70 students, including a dozen who made it onto the alternate list. Hill was unlucky number 13.
Ms. HILL: When I didn't get in, it was just it was a shock, really. I was devastated.
KORRY: For now, Hill's vocational dream is replica hermes clic h bracelet stalled.
Ms. HILL: I heard, wow, what a great career to get into; the population is getting older, there's going to be a need for nurses, nurses are retiring.
KORRY: And so, Hill won't give up. At less than $5,000, a community college nursing degree is a true bargain. And California is trying to address the backlog. Hill does have another option: She could attend a private nursing program at a for profit school, such as the University of Phoenix.
In recent hermes bracelets replica years, market based or proprietary programs have moved in to fill the gap left by overwhelmed state schools. That should surprise no one, says California's Community College vice chancellor, Jose Millan.
Mr. JOSE MILLAN (Vice Chancellor, California Community College): If I were in the position of a proprietary school, I'd take a look at those same numbers that you're looking at: huge demand, not enough supply. And I'd say, ah, here's an opportunity. And I'd offer the same thing at a high cost.
KORRY: Nursing is an expensive program to run, what with low faculty ratios and high tech lab requirements. So for profit schools do cost more up to 10 times more than a state school.
Lisa Hill says she hates the idea of running up a huge debt. But if she doesn't get into a public program soon, she may not have a better choice.
For NPR News, I'm Elaine Korry.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary.
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