EXTINCTION AND A SICK COURTHOUSE AND A LATE EMAIL ON THE GERSTEN MESS

GORILLAS HEAD RACE TO EXTINCTION

Our BBC carried this disturbing REPORT


The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has identified more than 16,000 species threatened with extinction, while prospects have brightened for only one.

Governments have pledged to stem the loss of species by 2010; but it does not appear to be happening.

This year's Red List shows that the invaluable efforts made so far to protect species are not enough," said the organisation's director-general, Julia Marton-Lefevre.
"The rate of biodiversity loss is increasing, and we need to act now to significantly reduce it and stave off this global extinction crisis.

One in three amphibians, one in four mammals, one in eight birds and 70% of plants so far assessed are believed to be at risk of extinction, with human alteration of their habitat the single biggest cause

In Borneo, home to the second orangutan species, palm oil plantations have expanded 10-fold in a decade, and now take up 27,000 sq km of the island. Illegal logging reduces habitat still further, while another threat comes from hunting for food and the illegal international pet trade.
So fragmented have some parts of the Bornean forest become that some isolated orangutan populations now number less than 50 individuals, which IUCN notes are "apparently not viable in the long term.


For us in South Florida the report contained this disturbing news on coral reefs:

This is the first time we've assessed corals, and it's a bit worrying because some of them moved straight from being not assessed to being possibly extinct," said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of IUCN's species programme.

We know that some species were there in years gone by, but now when we do the assessment they are not there. And corals are like the trees in the forest; they build the ecosystem for fish and other animals.



Rumpole says: Right after the issue of innocent people languishing in prison, this is what keeps us up at night when we aren’t drinking.

NEW LOOK- SAME OLD RUMPOLE:

Longtime and careful readers of the Blog may note we have tweaked the look of the blog. We have had very very bad experiences working with Google Blogger. Therefore, we proceed at a snails pace lest (there’s that word again) we screw it up and lose everything. The Broward Blog on the other hand has upgraded their blog to include new features like music! There was a question in the comments section as to what music we would choose, and our initial choice was Badlands by Springsteen, followed by I am An Innocent Man, by Billy Joel. What would your blog song be?


SICK COURTHOUSE

Check out the Federal Blog (the new place for the link is on the top, under “Our Favourite Blogs) and read the article on the Sick Federal Courthouse. The Dyer Federal Courthouse has been found to have significant amounts of mold. There is an especially high concern about the effects of the mold due to the untimely and surprising death of our friend, colleague, and Federal Magistrate Ted Klein. Everyone who knew Ted knew that he was a vigorous man who jogged regularly and took excellent care of his health. His surprising death to a lung infection of some sort (we do not know the details) has led to some to the conclusion that the courthouse may have tragically contributed to Magistrate Klein’s early death. In any event, the Federal Blog has the DBR article by Julie Kay, who reports that Chief Judge Moreno has commissioned a new study on the possible health effects of the mold in the courthouse.

Rumpole says: This is too serious an issue to throw federal money at for a new study, and then wait around and debate the findings. Close that courthouse NOW. Do not require people to work in a place that may be harming their health. If it is found out that the mold is a serious health issue, then it would be too late to reverse the damaging health effects on those who work there.

See You In Court, hopefully not Mag court.


PS. We received this late email. Now I am not going to blow this one. I have read it carefully. The following is an email about former Commissioner Joe Gersten (no i).
(whew. Got it right).

Anonymous wrote:

Read the House Committee on Government Reform report on the Gersten case and reconsider your remarks, Rumpy. Gersten was never a "fugitive" in a civil contempt case. The state attorney's office ignored exculpatory evidence, including a false murder accusation against Mr Gersten in the shooting death of the transvestite prostitute 'Champagne', suborned by hooker Claudia Lira.When Kenneth Elswick was pulled over while driving Gersten's Mercedes the arresting officer (the late Mr Garcia) claimed he stopped the vehicle because the tags were on the stolen vehicle 'watch list';this was not possible due to the fact that Elswick had changed the license plates that morning as evidenced by the impound records. After arresting the car thieves, Officer Garcia spent the afternoon driving around town, all the while using the car phone to call some of the same numbers the crooks had used when they were in possession of the vehicle; interestingly, though not immediately germane, Officer Garcia was arrested later that evening when he approached an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute in a sting operation. Kenneth Elswick was never charged with any crime in connection to the case, not even when wiretap on Mr Gersten's phone recorded his offer to Joe to change his story for ten thousand dolars. A neighbor walking her dog saw Joe's car in his driveway at the time that the prostitutes claimed they were 'partying' with him. Claudia Lira told Wayne Pearce that she had been paid $400 by 'the FBI' to get Joe into trouble. All drug tests on Joe, including hair testing, were negative. I could (and will) go on and on. Some of your statements border on the libelous.

Rumpole replies: True or false- Gersten is a fugitive from prosecution in Miami? Or is it that having had some shrimp on the barbie he just can't bear to leave Australia? Maybe the Dingo ate his airline ticket!!!!???

As to the rest of the information in the email, we think we have seen this before, and you left out some information: What about the guy who opens and closes the umbrella, on a perfectly clear warm day while the Gersten motorcade drives by? Why were there known french hit men in town, and by the grassy knoll when Gersten's car was stopped? And what about the film shot by Abraham "El Flaco" Zapruder which was taken immediately into custody by the same city of Miami Police officers and to this day has never been revealed? A rush to judgment I say. A conspiracy well beyond what our little minds could ever comprehend.