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Scientists previously used helicopters to observe the Northern Residents and their endangered counterparts, Southern Resident killer whales. But research helicopters are expensive to operate. And because they’re noisy, they must maintain an altitude of 750 feet or greater to avoid disturbing the marine mammals. A quiet...
NOAA is deploying similar technology for measuring and counting penguins and seals in Antarctica and Steller sea lions in Alaska.
Both whale populations rely heavily on salmon—especially fatty and calorie-rich chinook—for their survival. But overfishing, pollution, and dams have vastly reduced fish stocks in recent decades. Some salmon populations are themselves endangered.
Southern Resident whales have suffered more severe declines than their northern counterparts. In the 1960s and ’70s, one-third of the wild population was captured or killed so the whales could be displayed at marine parks, according to the Center for Whale Research, a nonprofit based in Friday Harbor, Wash. The Souther...
More flights are planned, and not just for orcas. “Now we have a reliable, cost-effective, and noninvasive platform, I think there are many potential applications to fill key data gaps,” Durban said.
He stressed that the research team obtained all the necessary permits to conduct the aerial surveillance, and NOAA Fisheries has a message for amateur drone enthusiasts: Don’t try this at home.
“Whales are very sensitive to what goes on around them,” says NOAA’s website, which cautions that non-research drone regulations require an altitude of 1,000 to1,500 feet, depending on the species.
Play loose, defend with all you have, play with grit, be smart and make shots.
Tuesday night before a super crowd at the Rochester Community Center, 14th-seeded Merrimack High went four for five and fell just short, dropping a 45-37 decision to No. 3 Spaulding.
The heart, the defense, the effort et al, somehow despite some woeful offensive stretches, had Merrimack in position to tie late, twice in the final two minutes to be exact.
Trailing 40-37, Jack Tarleton lofted a dead-on three from the baseline that rattled two-thirds of the way down and finally caromed out.
The second Merrimack look wasn’t as good and with Spaulding in the double-bonus (of course!), the host Red Raiders pulled away to survive.
“Most any playoff game is a battle. We’ve been on the other end of it to, the 2-3-4 seed playing a team with nothing to lose,” said Goodridge. “They give you everything they’ve got. There was a lot of pressure on them. They’re expected to win.
“There was a little more urgency,” said Goodridge.
After the break, Jared Dyer scored nine of his 11 points, and Pat Yudkin had six of his game-high 13.
But the deficit was a tad much to overcome, under less than favorable conditions whistle-wise.
Spaulding was hit with a total of seven fouls on the night, sending Merrimack to the line for a total of four attempts. Meanwhile, the visitors were hit with 20 personals, plus a technical, leading to 20 Spaulding free-throw tries.
It is the 70th death anniversary of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Indeed he possessed a high degree of uprightness, honesty, courage and conviction and had impeccable and unmatched qualities of an inspiring leader. Owing to this, he envisaged an ideology of separate state for the Muslims of...
He wanted to free them from not only colonial rule but also wanted to give them a society where everyone could live with equality and prosperity; where justice, fraternity and education would be easily accessible to all and where the life and property of minorities were safeguarded.
Alas! This dream of our leader dashed into pieces as Pakistan is stranded in appealing dilemmas.
Today there is chaos and anarchy everywhere. The poor economic growth, dumpy health sectors and shabby education system are major issues we are facing.
In this so-called democratic government, minorities are persecuted and the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer.
Moreover, today Pakistan’s image is tarnished due its failure to clamp down on terrorism issues — they are ingrained in the basic fabric of our society.
In this juncture the best way to pay homage to Quaid is to adhere to his principles of faith, discipline and unity.
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government is taking a bold step towards freedom of speech by providing a Speaker’s Square at the Esplanade here for the public to air their views.
The square, which is located at the Millennium Square concrete stage near the seafront, is expected to draw social activists and members of non-governmental organisations to take the limelight and speak their mind.
Penang Local government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the public would be allowed to speak whatever they hold to be important every Wednesday and Sunday from 6pm to 9pm from May 9.
“It is for spontaneous demonstration of free speech as anyone can turn up unannounced and talk. Of course, you will have to wait until the person on the stage has finished before you go up to talk.
“There will be no PA system. So, those who wish to speak will have to bring their own equipment,” Chow said when contacted yesterday.
He said the state government hoped the square would serve as a new avenue for communication besides the use of SMSes, blogs, social networking sites and e-mail.
“Although our aim is to promote regulated freedom of speech, the public will have to be responsible on what they say.
“On one hand we may be promoting freedom of speech, but on the other, you still have to be mindful of the possible consequences,” he said.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia Penang branch coordinator Ong Jing Cheng said the idea for the Speaker’s Square was hatched when Universiti Malaya re-established its Speaker’s Corner in January.
“We are glad that the state government is taking the first move to encourage freedom of speech, which is a symbol of democracy, although we understand there are still limitations.
“We will inform the police in advance to avoid being arrested for illegal assembly. The stage is the best platform for us to speak out but police can still arrest us if anyone utters seditious remarks,” Ong said.
Describing the square as the “hardware”, he said he hoped the state government would go one step further by providing the “software” – freedom of information.
“We need information to analyse before we can comment,” he said, adding that a few members from Aliran, Sembang-Sembang Forum and Suaram would take the lead by speaking at the square this Sunday.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will officially launch the square tomorrow.
An alligator swims Friday, March 6, 2015, in the newly renovated Mississippi Delta Country exhibit at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tenn. Renovations to the exhibit included the addition of 13 small new alligators.
Download the Tennessee Aquarium's free app, which offers a schedule of events and programs, along with an interactive checklist of all the animals to see.
José is no longer the lone gator in the tank.
The Tennessee Aquarium has hosted one alligator at a time since it opened, but now the Delta Swamp exhibit is home to 13 male American alligators — and José is learning to share his newly revamped home.
"He has blended right in with the new alligators," said Dave Cheris, an animal care specialist at the aquarium. "He is becoming one of the pack."
Friday marked the grand opening of the aquarium's newly renovated Delta Country Alligator Bayou, which re-creates the feeling of being in a coastal swamp with overgrown vegetation and tree stumps. Visitors walking through the exhibit can watch the alligators during feeding time and as they lie in piles atop logs. The g...
A shack made of rustic wood rests on the far bank of the exhibit, and alligator trainers emerge from it twice a day to feed fish and rodents to the cold-blooded reptiles.
The new alligators aren't Jose's only co-inhabitants in the exhibit's three open-air tanks. There are turtles, more than 10 varieties of fish and an assortment of birds.
Ben Stenger, a senior aquarist, said he and his team have been working for months to diversify the fish species in the tanks.
"It's a true ecosystem," he said. "Some of the fish may get eaten, and others may not."
The new alligators are estimated to be about 6 years old, and are currently 3 to 4 feet in length. The amount they grow is correlated with their diet, said Sara Carlson, supervisor of animal programs and enrichment.
The aquarium is planning on balancing out the reptiles' diets to allow them to grow at least another foot in length at a healthy pace, she said.
Carlson has been working with the alligators in an off-site facility for a couple months, training and getting to know them before moving them to the aquarium.
"We have to always think about the alligators' experience," she said. "We tried to make the transition here as easy as possible for them."
Carlson said she and her staff became attached to the gators during the training process.
"These are not just scaly robots," she said, laughing. "They each have their own personality and [each trainer] definitely has their favorites."
Dave Collins, the aquarium's curator of forests, said he has been wanting to expand the alligator exhibit for some time. Years of planning have been devoted to the expansion.
Having only one alligator in the exhibit was not very exciting, Collins said, as the creature usually hid in the corner and wasn't sociable.
"Adding multiple young alligators will make the exhibit much more exciting," he said.
Thom Benson, the aquarium's senior marketing and communications manager, said he hopes visitors will enjoy this new exhibit, but also will learn something about these mysterious reptiles.
"A lot of people think of swamps as dark and scary places where people don't go," he said. "Now people get the chance to see these alligators and how intelligent and fun they are."
Animal programs and enrichment supervisor Sara Carlson feeds an alligator smelt Friday, March 6, 2015, in the newly renovated Mississippi Delta Country exhibit at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tenn. Renovations to the exhibit included the addition of 13 small new alligators.
"I thought if I made a headphone people forgot they were wearing, they would get into it for a longer period of time," Dowd said.
As technology improved, so did the headphones' signal strength and overall sound quality. With that, Dowd has been taking Silent Events on tour and stopping in nearly every state introducing people to the silent disco concept.
One of the first things people will notice about a silent disco is it's a unique experience where you, the audience, have more control. You may change the volume of the headphones and, in some cases, Silent Events will feature multiple DJs spinning simultaneously with multichannel headphones, giving you the choose of D...
"People think everyone's in their own little world ... but it's completely the opposite," Dowd said. "It ends up being really, really a lot more social than a club."
Silent Events will be bringing one of its productions to Cosmic Charlie's this weekend. While it won't feature simultaneous DJ play, local Lexington DJs and producers John The Baptist, Booty Sweat, Carl Calm and Ellie Herring will be performing sets.
Mark Evans, promoter for Cosmic Charlie's, said this would be the second Silent Event at the venue in less than a year. In addition to providing a switch-up to the venue's usual live music or traditional DJ sets, the silent disco allows listeners to fully take in every sonic nuance of what's being performed, he said.
"I love listening to an album with some good headphones and hearing some good deep sound that you can dance to," Evans said. "If anything, it makes it more music-focused."
Dowd said that no matter the nature of Silent Events, the success of silent discos is at a crossroads where technology, the popularity of dance music and a generation of listeners are converging.
"I don't think it's even 30 percent of what it will be one day," Dowd said. "I think the possibilities are endless."
Heavy rains this spring have raised water levels on the Missouri River, but officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it’s nothing they can’t handle.
May runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 110 percent of normal, while June rains increased flows on many tributaries.
Several tributaries of the Missouri are dumping water into the river, causing minor-to-moderate flooding from St. Joseph, Missouri, on to the south. Farhat is chief of Missouri River Basin Water Management for the Northwestern Division of the Corps, and says, so far, the system of dams and levees is handling the excess...
“We have the ability to deal with that type of rain and we have storage in the reservoirs,” Farhat says. “We’ll just manage the water that we have and as rains occur, we’ll just deal with it in the best way that we can to reduce the flood risk downstream.” At the current rate, she says the excess runoff is moving throu...
Farhat says she’s keeping in close contact with the National Weather Service and the Climate Prediction Center on what the summer ahead might hold for the Missouri River Basin.
“They’re looking for this wet pattern, particularly across the lower portion of the basin, so, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, to continue for the next month to three months, that it would be above normal,” she says.
The recent rains follow a very wet May. The state climatologist says any individual location in Iowa had between 20 and 25 days of rain during the month, roughly double the usual number of days.
Back in January 2013, Tom and Cinda Hicks got a lot of national attention when they enlisted Doug Newby to sell their 25-acre Crespi Estate (so named for its original owners, Italian Count Pio Crespi and his wife, Florence) in Preston Hollow for $135 million. But all that buzz didn’t attract a buyer.
Now Realtor Allie Beth Allman, a friend of the Hicks family, has the listing. Newby never put it in MLS, but Allman sure did, and this time the price tag is $100 million — still the most expensive in Dallas and one of the priciest in the nation.
Allman, also the listing agent on the historic Trammell Crow home, sold the estate to the couple back in 1997, before they began a massive multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion on one of the city’s most historical properties. The work took nearly three years and as many as 250 designers, builders and artisans to...
Recently I took a tour of the 28,000-plus-square-foot main house, as well as the 3,347-square-foot guest house and 4,836-square-foot recreation building, which is now being marketed as Walnut Place. The approach to the private gates of 10000 Hollow Way Rd. feels more like a drive through the French countryside to a fab...
It’s hard to believe this is just seconds from the Dallas North Tollway and less than 10 minutes from downtown.
The estate overlooks a forest of trees and a creek that runs through the property. There are meadows, trails, pond, rose and vegetable gardens, greenhouse, two courtyards lined with 16 magnolia trees each and tennis court. A helipad with a lighted landing pad is covered with grass when not in use to maintain the natura...
You enter the original Crespi estate, built in 1938 and designed by Maurice Fatio, through an ornamental steel front door. The addition — completed by Dallas builder John Sebastian under the guidance of noted New York architect Peter Marino — flows seamlessly. I’m told the Hickses didn’t just add more limestone to the ...
The formal dining room is generously sized, but not overly so, with oak chevron-patterned floors in a dark finish, which were imported from France. High-gloss lacquered walls have ornamental plaster accents.
The kitchen is surprisingly cozy for a home of this magnitude. It has antique terra cotta floors, European tiled backsplash, flawless cabinetry with glazed finish and commercial-grade appliances — including four ovens and a 10-foot La Cornue range that runs about $65,000.
Adjacent to the kitchen are the breakfast room and butlery. A nearby conservatory has limestone fireplace mantels and heated marble floors. A warm and beckoning family room has dark, wide-planked wood floors and concealed doors. The library, half of which was in the original estate, boasts paneling dating back to the 1...
The new living room is very spacious; it’s where the Hickses hosted an event for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani years ago, when he considered a run for the White House. The room overlooks a wooded courtyard with an elegant fountain.
The crown jewel of the second floor is the 3,000-square-foot master wing with separate his-and-hers bathrooms and dressing rooms.
The crown jewel of the second floor is the 3,000-square-foot master wing with entry vestibule and the Crespi Estate ribbon design on the doors. It has an antique fireplace surrounded by slate, as well as separate his-and-hers bathrooms and dressing rooms.
Her dressing room has mercury glass panels and pleated fabric closet doors to protect clothing, plus a personal study with an antique marble fireplace. His “spogliatoio” boasts hand-waxed Honduran mahogany paneling. The master suite also has a sitting area and a terrace.
There are more bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor, plus a laundry room. Up one more level are more bedrooms, exercise room, trophy room and three terraces.
The basement level contains several maintenance and storage rooms that run below the house and motor court, as well as a movie theater (not to be confused with the nearly full-sized theater in the recreation building) and a 500-bottle wine room kept at a constant 55 degrees. There are a total of eight spaces in two gar...
The recreational building is one of several ancillary buildings on the grounds. It has a 24-by-47 great room and commercial-grade kitchen. Because this complex is where the country club-sized pool and spa are located, there are both men’s and women’s changing rooms with lockers and showers.
The 19-seat theater has a reel projection room and concession counter for candy and popcorn. Framed jerseys hang on the walls, a reminder of when Hicks owned the Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Mesquite Championship Rodeo and the Liverpool F.C.
The two-bathroom guesthouse could also serve as a “business house.” It has a living room, formal dining room, office and full kitchen. Two full baths on the second story feature rare granites and marbles.
I asked Allman and her associate, David Nichols, the two things we all want to know: Is any of the artwork for sale, and where are the Hicks planning to go?
The art is definitely not for sale, I’m told.
Did Munroe Bergdorf not expect the digital inquisition?
Bergdorf was quick to try to play victim this morning, claiming that her appointment had ‘turned into nasty tabloid fodder, blown out of all proportion’. The Guardian was quick to endorse her victimhood, attributing her demise as a Labour adviser to ‘attacks in the tabloid press and by Conservatives over comments she h...
Let’s leave aside the issue of how much longer the Guardian is going to try to use ‘tabloid’ as a byword for what it sees as bigoted opinion when the paper is now manifested in the very same printed form, but it seems a little pointless in the Left moaning about the unfairness of trawling through someone’s past social ...

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