Daily Archives: June 21, 2015

One of San Diego’s oldest residents has died.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Galapagos tortoise known as Speed has been euthanised at an estimated age of more than 150 years.
Speed had been living at the San Diego Zoo since 1933.
He was brought to California as part of an early effort to preserve the endangered species from the Volcan Cerro Azul Island of the Galapagos Islands, off Ecuador.
The massive tortoise had been in geriatric decline for some time.
Keepers treated his arthritis and other maladies with medication, hydrotherapy, physical therapy and acupuncture.
Speed was known in his younger years as an alpha male who would butt heads with other males in dominance skirmishes.
Thirteen Galapagos tortoises still remain at the zoo.

source:theherald.com.au

ALLAN Deith had just stepped outside into the backyard when he spotted it. A five-metre deep, two-and-a-half metre wide gaping hole had opened up in the grass.
‘‘I went over to have a look, but when I couldn’t see the bottom I backed off,’’ the 89-year-old said.

He retreated to the safety of his North Lambton home and told his wife Lola, 84, what he had discovered.

‘‘He looked like he was in shock, his face was pale,’’ Mrs Deith said.

‘‘I thought it must be a big hole.’’

The large sinkhole, which appeared unexpectedly about 2pm on Friday, is believed to be the result of mine subsidence in the area.

The State Emergency Service were called and roped off the hole before the Mine Subsidence Board arrived to investigate.

‘‘A Mine Subsidence Board representative showed us the map of where the underground mine is and we are just on the edge of it,’’ Mrs Deith said.

‘‘We’ve been told that its close to the house so be prepared for anything. ‘‘But they think it is going away from the house and towards the fence.’’

See your ad here
The hole was covered with timber on Friday night and will is expected to be filled in on Saturday morning.

Mrs Deith said she was told by the Mine Subsidence Board that recent rain and the April storms may have contributed to loosening up the soil.

The appearance of the hole comes after two sinkholes appeared within hours of each other at Swansea Heads in May last year. That site was also over the top of an abandoned underground mine.

source:theherald.com

SHOCKING vision of men “surfing” a rare whale shark has angered conservation groups and sparked calls for legal action to be taken against the “idiots” in the video.

The horrifying clip posted online earlier this week shows a group of men standing on the protected animal’s back and they are pulled along by a rope attached to a boat where others laugh at the spectacle and film.

The vision continues for several minutes as the two men taunt the shark as it continues to follow the boat after they climb off its back.

The harmless shark follows the boat for several minutes. Pic: Marine Connection

London-based marine wildlife group Marine Connection brought the “unbelievable” footage to attention, posting the clip online with the caption “wildlife harassment is never a laughing matter”.

“What a sad reflection on their attitude to wildlife when, instead of considering themselves fortunate to see this majestic creature in the wild, they choose to participate in a stupid stunt like this,” the group says of the “surfers”.

“These guys should be charged.”

Since the group drew attention to the men’s “arrogant” and “stupid” actions, wildlife lovers have reacted with disgust.

“Morons, it’s time people had more respect for other forms of life — disgusting,” one commenter wrote.

“Dumb f***s, too bad it wasn’t something with really big, sharp teeth … and lots of them,” said another.

“I have been diving and searching for these fabulous animals, unfortunately I was never lucky enough to see them. These brainless men clearly didn’t realist how lucky they were.”
Whale sharks are internationally recognised as a protected species.

Whale sharks are internationally recognised as a protected species. Source: Facebook

Whale sharks are listed internationally as a protected species, and recognised as vulnerable and non-threatening to humans.

It is unclear where the footage was taken, but Marine Connection believes it may have happened off Venezuela.

source:news.com

THE price and quality of fruit and vegetables for Australian consumers could get better with reports German discount supermarket ALDI will ship produce direct to its stores.

Seven Fields Pty Ltd owner Greg McMahon, who sells oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits and mangoes to ALDI already through distributors, told Reuters the supermarket has plans to set up a new distribution network to allow it to deliver from field to store.

“It’s not good news if you’re Woolworths and Coles. I think they’re scared already,” he said.

The move would be a blow to Australia’s major retailers who hold fruit and vegetables as central to their offering.

ALDI declined to comment on the plans but a spokeswoman for the company said a direct model would “provide efficiencies for our suppliers and values for our customers”.

“As such, ALDI will continue to explore a variety of supply chain models,” she said.

The family-owned German company has proved popular since revamping it’s Australian presence and is expected to continue to put pressure on Coles and Woolworths.

It comes amid speculation another German discount chain Lidl, which recently won grocer of the year in the UK, could open in Australia after applying for trademark protection and inquiring about logistics.

Ratings agency Moody’s told AAP this week a move by Lidl would threaten the billions in profits Coles and Woolworths reap in each year due to their dominance in the sector.

Senior analyst Ian Chitterer said the brand would probably cut prices forcing the others to follow suit.

“Woolworths and Coles will need to follow Aldi’s price reductions on their private-label products to maintain the gap and this will ultimately lower profitability because the volume of goods sold would remain broadly constant,” Mr Chitterer wrote in a report this week.

Moody’s estimates show Woolworths and Coles control more than 60 per cent of Australia’s grocery sector. Aldi has gained around 11 per cent which is expected to grow.

“We believe that if Lidl enters the market, the two competing discounters can increase their combined market share toward 20 per cent over the next five to seven years,” Mr Chitterer said.

This week Woolworths Chief Executive Grant O’Brien said he would step down after downgrading the company’s profit guidance by $300 million and axing 1200 jobs.

source:news.com

Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras is willing to appear before Parliament’s institutions committee following the panel’s decision to summon him to testify in connection with the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal but not on Monday, as requested, because emergency talks on Greece will require him to be on standby, sources close to Stournaras indicated over the weekend.

According to those sources, Stournaras cannot appear before the panel on Monday as he will need to be monitoring the progress of an extraordinary Eurogroup summit in Brussels, followed by a meeting of eurozone leaders and an emergency session of the governing council of the European Central Bank to discuss the state of Greek banks.

The panel decided to call Stournaras, at the recommendation of House Speaker Zoe Constantopoulou, as he signed an out-of-court settlement with the German firm during his stint as finance minister in August 2012.

source:ekathimerini.com

Greece faces another critical week as eurozone finance ministers and leaders gather in Brussels on Monday for successive summits aimed at resolving deadlocked negotiations between the Greek government and its creditors that have fueled fears about a possible Greek default and exit from the eurozone.

An extraordinary Eurogroup is to convene first before Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faces his 18 eurozone peers.

According to European Commission sources, Tsipras will be presented with two options: to either accept the reforms proposed by Greece’s creditors, potentially with some Greek amendments, or to prepare his country for a default. If Tsipras is willing to compromise, it is expected that the creditors will extend Greece’s bailout program and probably make a commitment to discuss debt relief.

Talks are likely to continue beyond today as technical details cannot be thrashed out at the top political level. But sources indicate that Tsipras could be ready to accept a compromise, with amended proposals on value-added tax and even possible pension reforms in exchange for a firm commitment from creditors on debt relief and a growth-boosting package.

Government officials were locked in talks over the weekend in a bid to finalize Greece’s revised proposals. Several cadres sought to appear upbeat on Greece’s prospects. State Minister Alekos Flambouraris told Mega TV the government was considering several concessions, including curbing early retirement schemes. “Work is being done to see where we can converge, so we achieve a mutually beneficial solution,” he said.

As concerns mount about deposit outflows from banks amid the growing uncertainty, another state minister and close aide to Tsipras, Nikos Pappas, told CNN that “deposits are safe,” following the European Central Bank’s intervention at the end of last week.

Meanwhile, in an article published in the Irish Times on Saturday, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis complained that Greece’s proposals at last week’s Eurogroup were “met with deafening silence.” Most participants, he claimed, “ignored our proposals and reiterated the frustration of ministers that Greece had… no proposals,” Varoufakis wrote.

source:ekathimerini.com