Scotland denies bail to terminally ill man convicted of Lockerbie bombing
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Saturday, November 15, 2008
Scotland has refused bail to the Libyan man convicted of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 despite his terminal cancer, as he can receive treatment in prison. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi was jailed in 2001 for the 1988 bombing of the transatlantic airliner, killing 270 people, but is seeking to have his conviction overturned.
Minutes after Edinburgh’s Appeals Court rejected bail on compassionate grounds Jim Swire, spokesman for the victim’s families who lost his daughter in the disaster, complained about the ruling. “It has never been a goal of our group to seek revenge,” said a lawyer outside the court reading from his statement. “The refusal of a return to his family for a dying man whose verdict is not even yet secure looks uncomfortably like either an aspect of revenge — or perhaps timidity.”
Al-Megrahi, a former intelligence officer, is 54 and serving a minimum of 27 years for the bombing. He has advanced prostate cancer which is spreading through his body. His request for bail was rejected by Lord Hamilton, Scotland’s head judge, who said that as doctors say he could live a few more years he should not be released unless and until after his appeal succeeds or his condition worsens.
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Some other doctors give his time as just months, as the cancer has reached his bones. Hamilton however said that palliative hormone treatment could prolong his life. Hamilton also said Al-Megrahi was not suffering “material pain or disability”.
The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission ruled last year that the conviction may be a miscarriage of justice. It said there was significant doubts to be raised over several key pieces of evidence in the original trial.
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- Marc Ching
Field guides to our rescue
by
Jacques Habra
One of the inevitable parts of our travel kits are field guides and NIMS guides. These tiny but not to be ignored pocket books give us quick knowledge about a particular species of plant or an animal that we seem to be interested in. Its generally used by tourists to identify animals or plants that may look alike but are not closely related.
These small light weight books contain lot of valuable information, photos and maps that can help us lead to our animal or plant we want to reach, their primary habitats, their description, their food habits, migration etc. Just by flipping few pages we can unravel a whole lot of animal secrets weve always been dying to find out.
Normally field guides are mostly dealing with plants and animals but other than this there are also field guides who help in identifying rocks, footprints, minerals, clouds, stars and planets and plenty of other things of interest. So if you are a nature lover then filed guides have surely been a trip a part of your trips at some point or the other.
Not only do we find conventional field guides for every particular species of animals but we also have specialized field guides which include guides to habitats like deserts, coastal regions, forests, wetlands, guides to activities like wild life photography, hiking, eco-tourism and guides to conservation, endangered species and threatened communities.
Finding an unknown species name in a field guide does not necessarily mean that every time youre flipping pages you slog to find the unknown animal or plants description.
These guides are arranged so methodically that each time we want to get any information we get to the point right away-
According to physical characteristics-
For instance a field guide to trees might group its species according to whether leaves are attached to trees singly, in pairs or in groups.
According to whats related to what-
For instance bird field guides nearly always group together birds that belong to the same order (duck order, owl order or perching bird order)
Its totally up to you to choose which order you prefer the most. Generally for amateurs its better to go with a field guide according to physical traits and for professionals to choose field guides arranged taxonomically.
Online field guides:
The internet also has available to us a whole new face of field guides at click of a button with high-quality graphics and lot more interactivity compared to the old pocket book
For more information on using and buying
Field guides
and/or
NIMS guides
, please visit InformedGuides.com. InformedGuides.com also provides information on emergencies, emergency response and disaster management.
Article Source:
Field guides to our rescue}
Saturday, September 17, 2005
The Spanish word “tortuga” means “turtle.” But in the wake of the New Orleans disaster, the USS Tortuga is helping other animals.
For nearly two weeks now, sailors from Tortuga’s repair division have devoted much of their time during this disaster relief operation to ensure the health and comfort of displaced pets.
September 4th, just after the ship moored to a pier at Naval Support Activity (NSA) New Orleans, HT1(SW) Mark Hanley and DC1(SW) Antony Graves gathered materials from the repair shop on board to construct a kennel along the levee. The facility they made soon became a popular shelter for the homeless animals of the storm.
Tortuga’s search and rescue team brought aboard more than 170 displaced citizens during this past week, providing them with food, water, medical aid and a place to sleep.
Tortuga’s makeshift kennel, named ‘Camp Milo & Otis,’ has housed as many as 90 dogs, eight cats, one rabbit, one guinea pig, a pair of parakeets and a flightless pigeon during the past week of operation.
Currently, there are 14 dogs that remain in Tortuga’s care, as many of the other pets have been taken to animal shelters in the area for extra medical attention, or been claimed by their owners upon arrival to Tortuga. The pets that Tortuga has registered have all been in the hands of professional veterinarians assigned to provide expert medical attention to the members of Camp Milo & Otis.
Dr. Kelly Crowdis and Dr. Latina Gambles, both from Tuskegee University and Christian Veterinary Missions, have treated many of the pets for infection, dehydration, malnourishment and broken bones at the Camp during the past week.
“The animals were bathed and assessed before physical interaction with the sailors,” said Dr. Crowdis. “They’ve been given immunizations, antibiotics and medications based on their medical needs.”
Dr. Crowdis added, “What these sailors have done on their own has been such a heart-warming thing. As an animal lover, it is so comforting to know that everyone cares about the animals in addition to the human lives rescued from the storm. I’m very pleased with these guys for taking the initiative to construct this kennel.”
Graves, Hanley and other members of their division have consistently bathed, fed, walked and given special attention to every dog, every day.
“We play with them,” said Hanley. “We take them out of their kennels to give them attention every day. And we’ll continue to do that for as long as our ship’s mission keeps us here.”
September 11th, the Agricultural Center at Louisiana State University donated supplies to “Camp Milo & Otis” in support of Tortuga’s efforts to help the animal victims.
”We got medical supplies, bowls, food, cages, leashes, collars, toys, cat litter and cleaning supplies from these people yesterday,” said Graves. “It’s nice to know that so many people out there have heard about what our ship is doing, and responded by donating so much to support us the best they can.”
A photo gallery of unclaimed pets is on the USS Tortuga’s web site.
As part of disaster plans, the Department of Homeland Security has also deployed Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams to provide medical care to pets and livestock, as well as provide any needed veterinary medical care for search and rescue dogs.
There are over 3,850 animals being sheltered around the state. If someone is looking for a pet they should contact their nearest Humane Society or go online to http://www.petfinder.org// . More information is also available at http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu//.
