Did You Know...

All About the Lipizzaner horse

2012-03-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

LIPIZZANER

STUD FARM IN LIPIZZA

DRESSAGE - SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL

Lipizzaner horses

Of all the horse breeds in the world, the Lipizzaner is perhaps the most graceful. In fact, with its ability to "dance," the breed is often known as the "ballerinas" of horses. The Lipizzaner is an old breed of horses and can be traced to AD 800. The amazing success story began with equines known as Barbs. The Moors brought the Barb horses in the 7th century to Spain and bred them with the Spanish native studs, the Andalusian horses, and Iberian horses.

In the 16th century, the Habsburgs ruled Spain and Austria. A powerful but agile horse was required for military purposes and for the growing fashion of riding schools for the nobility. In 1562, the Habsburg Emperor Maximillian II brought the Andalusian horses to Austria and started a court stud at Kladrub in 1580. His brother, the Archduke Charles II, started a stud in Lipizza (Lipica) in today's Slovenia, from which the breed got its name.

Both studs were bred with the native Karst (Kras) horses and followed on with the now extinct Neopolitan from Italy and other Baroque horses. The breeding stock was exchanged between the two breeding studs. Kladrub produced heavy carriage horses, while Lipizza produced riding and light carriage horses.

During 1572, the Austrian Emperor insisted the now-famous Spanish Riding Hall be built, and it is the oldest in the world. The Spanish Riding School, located in Vienna, Austria, was named after the original Spanish heritage of the horses. The famous Spanish Riding School displayed highly trained Lipizzaner stallions in public performances, showing classic dressage movements and training. In 1729, Charles VI built the Winter Riding School in Vienna. Completed in 1735, the institution can still be seen today.

One interesting and amazing fact is that the Lipizzaner horse is born completely black and becomes white after about two years. These horses have an elegant - almost delicate - appearance, yet they're incredibly powerful. They have good bone and dense muscle, along with clean, straight legs.

The Lipizzaners experienced quite a lot of relocations due to wars. In March 1797, during the First War of Coalition, the horses were evacuated from Lipizza. During the journey, sixteen of the mares foaled. In November of 1797, they returned, but the stables were ruined. In 1805, they were evacuated again because Napoleon invaded Austria. The horses were kept in hiding for two years.

After the Peace of Schoenbrunn (Austria) in 1809, the horses were evacuated three times because of the unsettled times of Austria. A lot of the horses were lost, along with the stud books prior to 1700. The horses returned to Lipizza in 1815 and remained there until the beginning of the 20th century.

In the First World War, the Lipizzaners were placed in Laxenburg and Kladrub. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up, and Lipizza became part of Italy. The animals were divided among stud farms in Austria, Italy, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia. Austria kept the stallion from the Spanish Riding School and some breeding stock. In 1920, a breeding stud was allocated in Piper, Austria.

During World War II, high ranking Nazis transferred Europe's Lipizzaner breeding stud to Hostau, Czechoslovakia. The stallions for the Spanish Riding School were transferred to St. Martins, Austria, when the bombing neared Vienna in 1945. Therefore, Colonel Alois Podhajsky prevented the breed being destroyed. In the spring of 1945, the horses in Hostau were in danger from the approaching Soviet Army, to be slaughtered and eaten as horse meat.

The rescue came from the US Third Army commander, Colonel George S Patton. The army was stationed near St. Martin, and they heard that the Lipizzaners were nearby. Patton, like Podhajsky, was a horseman and competed in the Olympic Games; therefore, he was aware of the quality of these horses.

On May 7, 1945, Podhajsky put on a show for Patton and Undersecretary of War Robert Patterson. Podhajsky requested that Patton give the horses US protection. At the same time, the Third Army's US second Cavalry's commander, Colonel Charles Reed, discovered the horses in Hostau, along with 400 Allied prisoners of War. "Operation Cowboy" resulted in the recovery of 1200 horses, including 375 Lipizzaners. Patton heard of the raid and made Podhajsky fly to Hostau.

On March 12, American soldiers were riding, trucking, and herding the horses for 35 miles across the border to Kotzrinz in Germany. The Lipizzaner were settled in temporary shelters in Wimsbach until 1952. Then they were returned to Piper. The stallions returned to the Spanish Riding School in 1955.

In 2005, the Spanish Riding School celebrated the 60th anniversary of Patton's rescue by touring the United States. There was also a film made by Disney calledThe White Stallion.

All About the Trakehner Horse

2012-03-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

TRAKEHNER DRESSAGE

Horse breeds: Trakehner

Of all horse breeds, the Trakehner is one of the most prized for show jumping and dressage. In fact, these warmbloods seem to have been designed with these two disciplines in mind. The Trakehner has an overall rectangular body, with a medium to long back and sturdy legs. They have an incredible sense of balance, along with strong, muscular hindquarters. These horses are smart, too, and they take well to training. The Trakehner has risen from its military past and has performed amazingly well in the show ring.

The Trakehner's history dates back to the Middle Ages, when knights in the Baltic region used them as war horses. The Teutonic Knights discovered the native Schwaikerpferd horses in the 13th century during their crusades against the Prussians. They were small primitive horses. The knights bred them for the military. The Ostsiedlung (east settlement) farmers used the horses later for light utility work.

HOUSE IN TRAKEHNEN - PRUSSIA - NOW POLAND

King Friedrich William I of Prussia started the main stud Trakehner in 1732, in Trakehnen in East Prussia (now Yasnaya Polyana, Russia). The forest was cleared between the river Pissa and Stallupoenen and Gumbinnen. In 1739, the king gave the stud to crown prince Friedrich of Prussia, who sold stallions to get money. When the king died in 1786, the horse became a state property and was named Koeniglich Preussisches Hauptgestuet (royal Prussian main stud) Trakehnen.

From 1817-1837, Arabian, Thoroughbred, and Turkish blood was added to the stud's line. A Thoroughbred named Perfectionist, by Persimmon, won the Epson Derby and St. Leger in 1896. He sired the great Trakehner stallion, Tempelhueter, and most of today's Trakehners can be traced back to this source. Arabian blood was introduced to off-set some of the flaws seen in Thoroughbreds.

East Prussian farmers brought their mares, known for their hardiness, to Trakehner stallions. Trakehners developed into much sought-after army remounts because they were sure footed, intelligent, and athletic. By 1918, 60,000 mares were being bred to Trakehner studs each year.

After the Treaty of Versailles, the breed was again changed to produce farm horses. Trakehners were interbred with Ararad, Dampfross, Hyperion, Pythagoras, and Tempelhueter. The resulting offspring possessed much substance and bone, yet were refined and elegant.

In the 1920s and 1930s, you could see the Trakehners' real performance. They won gold and silver in two Olympics and won nine times the Czechoslovakia's notoriously challenging steeplechase. By the 1930s, the breed was really catching on, and there were about 10,000 breeders and 18,000 registered mares.

Trakehners were used in World War II, making a return to their cavalry past. When the Russians appeared, causing flight and expulsion, the breed was nearly destroyed. The main studs and their handlers were allowed to evacuate on 17 October, 1944. Their escape to the West sent the horses on a dangerous journey that caused the deaths of many horses. They had to cross the frozen Vistula Lagoon, with very little food and no shelter. While on the ice, they were bombed, and only a small number of horses made it. The horses which were left behind were bred into the Kirov, Mazury, and Pozan horse breeds, and then into the Wielkoposki. After the war, from the tens of thousands of Trakehners, only 600 broodmares and 50 stallions were left.

The last original Trakehner died in 1976 in Gilten. He was 35 years old. Since then, the Trakehner has often been used for crossbreeding. Trakehner blood can refine and improve other horse breeds, especially mounts intended for jumping and dressage. These two disciplines are very demanding of their equine participants, and the Trakehner fits the bill nicely.

All About Shire Horses

2012-03-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

SHIRE HORSE

Draft horses - draft horse breeds

The Shire horse is a pure draft horse. It is the tallest of all horse breeds. A stallion may stand 18 hands (180 cm) tall and weigh just short of a ton (910 kg). Shire horses are built for power, with broad chests, dense hindquarters, and short backs. Fortunately for owners and handlers, the Shire has a wonderful temperament. In fact, they're often referred to as "gentle giants." Shires often hold the record for the largest individual equines in the world. The world record holder until 2001 was a Shire named Goliath. The gelding stood 76 inches tall at the shoulder. Sadly, Goliath died in 2001.

The Shire horse and its close relative, the Clydesdale, were brought to England by William the Conqueror with the Norman Conquest in 1066. They served as mounts for heavily armoured knights. Only stallions were brought over carrying knights, and it is assumed that they were bred with the native mares.

Once the war was over, farming needed to be resumed full time. Although oxen were generally used for farm work until the 18th century, horse was frequently used for ploughing, dray, and other heavy pulling. History reveals that the draft horses were sold in Smith Field Market in London as early as 1145.

King John imported 100 horses of large stature from the low country. Robert de Bruce rode a palfrey in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The English knights realized that a lighter, and therefore more flexible, horse was better in battle. As a result, they started to change the breeding into a lighter, more agile, horse.

The Great English Horse became important again during the reign of King Henry VIII, and stallions under 15 hands were not allowed to breed. In the late 16th century, when gunpowder was invented, the days of the Great Horse ended. Knights and armour became obsolete.

Oliver Cromwell's cavalry used lighter horses, and the Great Horse was once again used for ploughing and draught work. It was also used a lot for stagecoaches.

The Shire horse was on the decline and there were only a very limited number left. Now they are again on the rise, used for breeding heavier hunters by crossing them withThoroughbred mares. They are also seen in Draught or draft horse competitions worldwide. Other than their amazing size, Shire horses are admired because of their personalities. They're intelligent and easy to train. Also, the horses actually seem to enjoy it.

Prince Harry Joined the HALO Trust

2012-03-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

PRINCE HARRY'S VISIT TO THE HALO TRUST IN MOZAMBIQUE

Prince Harry, the second son of Princess Diana, seems to get into his mother footsteps. It seems that he found his vocation. He is already running an orphanage and schooling in Lesotho, one of the poorest countries in Africa.

Now, he decided to join The HALO Trust which is heavily involved of clearing landmines and getting them banned. Prince Harry turned out to be a great person now and I am sure Princess Diana must be pound of both of her sons.

It was Princess Diana's last involvement. She travelled to many places and visited the victims. To highlight the danger she went through a minefield.

Princes Harry now highlighted the danger and terrible injuries, if not death, caused by landmines. He made a two-day' visit to Africa. This reminds us of his mother controversial trip to an Angolan minefield in 1997. This charity which is clearing mines in former war zones, long after the war is finished, was brought to the world's attention by Diana in 1997. The same year she died.

At that time the Conservatives called her a 'loose cannon'. Princess Diana tried desperately to get all landmines banned after seeing first hand what it can do to people. Britain agreed to outlaw the device a few months after her death.

Michael Mansfield QC suggested that Diana could have been killed because she drew the full attention to the damaging effect and her campaigning to have them banned international. Mr Mansfield QC is Mr Al Fayed lawyer and represented him at the inquest into the deaths of Diana and Dodi.

Harry also met amputees and pointed out to the world that they still fall victims to mines laid 30 years ago in Mozambique. He went to the Tete province to support and find support for The HALO trust. The details of Prince Harry's visit were kept secret until it was over.

The HALO trust released pictures after that and used it in a publicity campaign to raise money. The trust spends £1.9million a year to clear all Mozambique's mines by the international deadline of 2014. They hope that they could double their spending if they could raise more money.

Harry, who had military training, watched those experts painstakingly working with a metal detectors and hand tools to clear the anti-personnel mines. Harry detonated devices himself after a basic training.

Around the Cahora Bassa dam hundreds of families live in 10 villages. Within feet of those villages is an area of an unfenced mine belts. It contains 30,000 explosive devices. There the prince met children and adults maimed for life. A 14 year old child lost a leg 18 months ago while herding cattle.

Harry spent the night in a tent. He wants to continue his mother's legacy, supporting the work of the charity.

HALO’s chief executive Guy Willoughby said: "His mother was brilliant at getting the profile of the risk of mines globally recognises. Prince Harry clearly wishes to follow her magnificent example and is supporting The HALO Trust in its mission."

St. James's Palace stated that Prince Harry was extremely impressed by the work he saw being undertaken by The HALO Trust team. He has heard many times from his mother and saw during his military career of the devastation landmines cause.

Stories from the Titanic

2012-03-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Stories from the Titanic

TITANIC WAS ON FIRE BEFORE SAILING

The Titanic was on fire when it left Southampton on April 2, 1912. It is thought the fire burned for 11 days in the coalbunker and the bulkhead was red hot and warped but watertight.

TITANIC NEARLY CRASHED BEFORE SAILING

Second Office Lightoller wrote in his memoirs: “Before she cleared the dock we had a striking example of the power that lay in those engines and propellers. The Oceanic and St Paul were moored to the wharf alongside each other. The terrific suction set up in that shallow water simply dragged both liners away from the wharf. The St Paul broke adrift altogether. It looked like nothing could save the St Paul crashing into the stern of the Titanic. In fact, it was only Captain Smith’s experience and resource that saved her.”

RMS TITANIC PROPELLERS

Before the sinking of the Titanic there were no searchlights on ships. At the fatal night there was no moon and it made the icebergs invisible. After the disaster searchlights on ships became the law.

The night before the disaster, wireless operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride repaired the damaged transformer and then had to catch up with the backlog. It is thought they have missed the vital message at 9.40pm. It came from the ship Mesaba: “Saw much heavy pack ice, and great number of large icebergs. Also field ice.” It took two hours from the sent message till the ship crashed.

Second Officer Lightoller wrote later in his memoirs: “The position this ship gave was right ahead of us and not many miles distant. The operator who received was busy at the time and he put the message under a paperweight at his elbow, just until he squared up what he was doing and he would have then brought it the bridge. That delay proved fatal.”

Second Officer Lightoller stopped men and boys from getting into the lifeboats in spite of some being half empty. The operation to abandon ship was totally disorganised. Despite a shortage of lifeboats because the Titanic was claimed as unsinkable, if properly handled there would have been enough for 1,178 people from the 2,223 people on board. It is known that lifeboats lowered two-third empty. Lightoller also refused the richest man Colonel John Jacob Astor to accompanying his pregnant wife even so the lifeboat was almost half empty.

At around 1am officers were given firearms. First Officer William Murdoch shot one or two passengers trying to climb into the last boat although there was space there. Then he shot himself.

Chief baker Charles Joughin survived in the freezing water the longest. He swam about two-and-half hours. He drank whisky when the ship struck the iceberg and with that he survived the longest in the water.

On May 13, 1912 a boat was found with three dead bodies in it. Fifth Officer Lowe set the boat adrift on the fatal night after taken the passengers who were alive into his own boat. At the inquest he stated that it was heartless to do so but he was interested in saving lives. One of the dead people was Thomson Beattie but the others were never identified.

Titanic's famous passengers Mr Astor/Mr Goldsmith

2012-03-09T09:12:00.001-08:00

The event of the sinking of the Titanic still occupies us today. The fact that it was on its maiden voyage and highly acclaimed to be ‘unsinkable’ but the worst happened. The high number of lives being lost was 1,517. The shortage of lifeboats and still further being launched not fully occupied caused even more death. A captain who refused to take notice of a warning of icebergs. The desperate call to nearby ships but being ignored.

Adding all this to a passenger list of wealthy and well known names. Because it was claimed to be unsinkable and its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York the first class was fully occupied with Edwardian high society. Many people couldn’t get a passage any more. The second class was the respectable bourgeois passengers. In the steerage were a very mixed group of people dreaming of a new life in America. Despite of money, breeding and boundaries they mostly showed the same courage on that fatal night.

The most riches and famous name was John Jacob Astor IV. He returned from his honeymoon in France and Egypt with his second wife Madeleine. He was 47 and she was 19. Before his marriage he was criticized and looked down for divorcing his first wife. They were hoping, on their return, they would be accepted back into society again. His valet, Madeleine's personal maid, a nurse and their family pet were on board. Of course, they had first-class facilities which were mind-blowing and it included a ”parlour suite” stateroom. The Astors also had luxurious lounges, reception areas, a Parisian café and palm court with music serenading them and all to be enjoyed. At the Jacobean-style dining room there were oysters and foie grass served. For them it was home from home.

The Astors, so it was noticed, kept to themselves and a low profile.

On the fourth day the Titanic at 11.40pm struck the iceberg. It ripped the starboard side and flooded six compartments. At midnight Captain Smith gave order to abandon ship. As always women and children go first into the lifeboats. It had been stated that Madeleine Astor gave here fur lined shawl to a third-class passenger to keep her child warm.

As it is known the boarding of lifeboats was completely disorganised. It was 2am when Madeleine Astor, unwillingly, boarded the boat with her maid and nurse. Since, again, it was only two-third full Mr Astor asked if he could accompany his highly pregnant wife. He was refused. The last words to his wife were that the sea is calm and she would be all right. He would see her in the morning in New York. That was the last Madeleine saw of him.

As Mr Astor stepped back from the rails he noticed an eleven-year old boy. He quickly put a girl’s hat on him and lifted him into the boat.

At 2.20am the Titanic lifted her stern and sunk into the ocean. Many people were floating in the icy waters after that but died within 20 minutes of hypothermia.

A week later his body was recovered by a ship and he had $4,000 on him. He never used his status or wealth to safe his life. The sacrifices of tycoons and millionaires from the first class became known and to be admired.

However, the third class passengers were just as courages and self-sacrificing but not so much in the headlines of newspapers. Yet for the survivors it was far harder to carry on in a foreign land with hardly any money to house and feed them.

The family Goldsmith travelling in third class. The father Frank Goldsmith, 33, his wife Emily and nine-year old son Frankie from Stood in Kent. They were going to Detroit where they had relative. They lost a younger son Bertie to diphtheria a year before. With them were two friends Tom Theobald and Alfred Rush celebrated his 16^th birthday and put on long trousers.

Son Frankie enjoyed his stay on board and had good games with other boys.

Nobody would have thought that this magnificent luxurious line would sink and especially so quickly. When it struck the iceberg Frankie and his mother went into the lifeboat. They were joined by women and children from the third class, many of them Lebanese. Father Frank kissed his wife and son and told them that he would see them later. Tom who came with them took off his wedding ring and said to Emily: “If I don’t see you in New York will you see that my wife gets it.”

When they lowered the boat and there were no more women and children left a middle-aged man jumped into it. He was Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star, which owned the Titanic. For the rest of his life he was marked as the coward of the Titanic.

As the boat pulled away there was soon a crashing noise and Emily held Frankie’s head to prevent him seeing it as the ship went down. His father’s body was never identified.

Frankie worked in Detroit as a milk cart driver and lived near the Detroit Tiger Baseball Stadium. When he heard the crowd roaring it brought back the memories of the roar from people when the ship went down. It stayed with him for the rest of his life.

The terrible tragedy was that most of the people could have survived if there were enough lifeboats to take the 2,223 passenger off the ship and also the existing lifeboats should not have been launched three-quarter full. Despite all the ifs and should have been the two men being miles apart in wealth and class were both gentlemen and kept their dignity till the end. They never pushed or pleaded.

Amazing Facts About the Titanic

2012-03-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

See all 5 photosRRR R

RMS TITANIC

The amazing fact about the Titanic is that it was predicted 14 years before it happened. Author Morgan Robertson wrote a novella in 1898. It was called 'Futility Or The Wreck Of The Titan'. He wrote a story about a super liner called Titan which hit an iceberg and sank. It happened in April in the night. He also wrote that it was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men. It had watertight compartments and was thought to be unsinkable. He even mentioned how many passenger going to die and there won't be enough lifeboats. Did he have a premonition? Or was he told by a powerful source to prevent such a major disaster? Yet, nobody took any notice.

CAPAIN E J SMITH OF THE RMS TITANIC

Apparently the Titanic was on fire when she left Southampton on 2 April, 1912. The fire was in the coal bunker and it is stated that it could have burned for 11 days. After three days at sea the fire was put out. The bulkhead was red-hot and warped by the fire. It is assumed that it probably remained watertight.

The Titanic nearly collided with another ship when she left Southampton. The ship's Second Officer Charles Lightoller wrote in his memoirs that before she cleared the dock we experience the power of those engines and propellers. The Oceanic and St Paul were moored to the wharf alongside each other. The terrible suction set up in that shallow water simply druggedboth great liners away from the wharf. The St Paul broke adrift altogether. It looked like she was going to crash into the Titanic's stern. Only the Titanic's Captain Smith's experience and knowledge saved her.

On the fatal night, the wireless operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride had repaired the damaged transformer for six hours. Before the collision they were trying to clear the backlog. They most definitely missed the message at 9.40pm from the ship Mesaba with the warning: "Saw much heavy pack ice, and great number large icebergs. Also field ice."Two hours later the chip crashed.

Second Officer Lightoller stated in his memoirs that the position this ship gave was right ahead of us and not many miles distant. The operator who received it was busy at the time and he put the message under a paperweight at his elbow. When he caught up with the backlog, he then would have brought it to the ridge. That delay proved fatal.

Micheal Navratil was on that ship. He kidnapped his two sons, Michael three and Edmond two, because of a custody battle His plan was to set up a new life in America. As the ship sank he dressed up his two sons and put them on the last boat. It was the last they saw of him. They could not speak a word of English. Margaret Hays, a survivor, took them to her New York home. Eventually, their mother recognized them and sailed back to Europe on the Oceanic.

TITANIC'S GYMNASIUM

THE FIRST CLASS GRAND STAIRCASE

The myth that Catholic workers at Harland and Wolff sabotaged the Titanic was not true. Rumors supposed to have been circulated that the Titanic's hull number was 3909 04 which spells 'No Pope'. It proven wrong because the hull number was 401 and a Board of Trade registration number was 131,428. At that time the Protestants-Catholic relations were bad in Ireland and the shipyards were in a Protestant area of Belfast.

Another story was about a Mummy on board which could have brought bad luck but that was never proven. Apparently, a journalist W T Stead made the story up and told some passengers on the Titanic. He claimed four Englishman bought a mummy in Luxor. They had bad luck ever since. Stead drowned but Fredric Seward who was the only survivor of the dinner party told the story later.

Searchlights would have given the lookouts a better view. They were steaming through a large ice field. However, the calm, moonless conditions made the icebergs invisible. After this disaster, searchlights were fitted on all large ships.

Second Officer Lightoller prevented men and boys from entering boats, even if they were only half full. He also refused Colonel John Jacob Astor, the richest man in the world, who asked to accompany his pregnant wife, Madelaine, even so the lifeboat was half full.

Chief banker Charles Joughin was drinking whisky as the ship foundered. He manage to swim in the freezing water for at least two-and-a-half hours. He also had several layers of clothes and that could have save his life. He survived far longer than any body else in the water.

ANNA BLISS MEMORIAL GARDEN

All About Hanoverian Horse Breed

2012-03-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

HANOVERIAN HORSE

Warmblood breeds

The Hanoverian is one of the most popular of the warmblood horse breeds. The Hanoverian actually began with George II, king of England. Not only was George the ruler of England, he was also the Duke of Hanover, Germany. In 1735, he started a stallion facility in Celle, Saxony, known as the State Stud at Celle. There, he kept stallions that excelled as work horses, cavalry mounts, and coach horses. The studs were bred with local mares, which included introducing new blood into the local equine populations, from Andulusian, Cleveland Bay, Thoroughbred, and Holsteiner stock. The resulting Hanoverians became popular as coach horses with the wealthy, and as mounts for the military.

A Law was passed in 1844 that only stallions that were passed by the commission were allowed to be used for breeding. Breeders start to produce a coach and military horse, and a stud book was started in 1888. From then on, the Hanoverians were just about the most popular horse breed for coach and military work in all of Europe.

After the First World War, the demand for military horses fell, and the Hanoverians were bred for general agricultural work. Once World War II ended, the demand for sport horses and general riding horses required that the breed adapt to these new demands. As a result, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and Trakehners were used to give the Hanoverian horse more refinement. If you have a good eye for horseflesh, you can see evidence of Thoroughbred breeding in the Hanoverian's body and legs, and its Arabian ancestry is obvious in the Hanoverian's head shape.

Most Hanoverians are around 16 hands tall, but slightly smaller and slightly larger individuals are also common. Hanoverians are powerfully built, with elastic gaits and excellent balance. In temperament, a Hanoverian should be calm, willing, and able to handle stressful situations with ease. Because of this, along with the breed's superior athleticism, Hanoverians can often be seen in show jumping, eventing, and dressage.

The Hanoverian's popularity and success is largely because of rigorous selections, a large breeding stock, and constant tweaking and improvements in the breed. For example, the Hanoverian horses' well kept records help breeders to follow the bloodlines over many generations, which helps to match the best stallion and mare. The strict selection makes sure the Hanoverians are athletic and good jumpers, for show jumping and eventing, with the gaits and agility neccessary for dressage.

All About the Paso Fino Horse

2012-03-08T05:47:00.002-08:00

PASO FINO STALLION

The Paso Fino is a beautiful horse breed with a distinct and unforgettable movement. The very name Paso Fino means "fine steps." These steeds seem to almost float as they prance along. This is a natural-gaited light horse that has been imported to the Caribbean from Spain.

A Spanish land owner bred them in Puerto Rico and Colombia from Barb, Spanish Jennet, and Andalusian horses. The combination of horse breeds resulted in a mount that proved to be useful on plantations for a comfortable ride. The heritage comes from Per Paso, the American Mustang, and Colombian-Spanish horses.

Horses from Puerto Rico and Colombia, along with Paso Finos from Cuba and from European countries, have been interbred many times in the US to produce the modern American Paso Fino show horse.

In 1493, Christopher Columbus brought from Spain to the Americas twenty horses and five mares to the isle of Borinquen at the Bay of Aquada (Anasco). In May of 1509, the governor of the island, Juan Ponce de Leon, took horses from his Hacienda to Puerto Rico.

It had been said that they have not a trot or gallop, but a type of pace (Andadura). The gait is so precipitated the eye can't follow the movement of the legs.

Ramirez de Arellano, at the beginning of the American invasion in Puerto Rico, found that the Paso Fino was perfect in transport work as well as in agricultural work.

The legendary Paso Fino 'Duce Sueno' was born in 1927 in Guayama and influenced the breeding of the modern Puerto Rico Paso Fino.

In 1943, The Federation of the Specification of Paso Fino Horses of Puerto Rico was established, and the breed was specified.

In 1947, Gustavo A Ramirez de Arellano wrote, "At present, the descendants of the famous stud "Dulce Sueno" are the ones that have the most obtained titles and trophies."

The introduction of Paso Fino to the US began in 1950. The armed services stationed in Puerto Rico bought Paso Finos and brought them back with them.

Ranchers went to Colombia to buy cattle and also brought Paso Fino horses to the USA. The two types of horses are still bred separately in the USA to keep the purity of the blood. It also gets crossbred to get the best horses of both strains of Paso Fino.

Under the Paso Fino Horse Association, regulations are strictly followed in the USA and overseas, making sure the bloodlines are kept pure. However, the Colombian bloodline increased significantly over the Puerto Rico bloodline, and it is therefore under preserved breed status.

The Puerto Rico Paso Fino is known for its fine, delicate step which is quite different to the Colombian Paso Fino, which has a rapid, piston-like action.

All About Clydesdale Horses

2012-03-08T04:42:00.000-08:00

CLYDESDALE HORSE

Draft horses - draft horse breeds

The Clydesdale is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds. Clydesdale horses are a heavy breed and were originally bred in Clydesdale, a government district in Scotland. They are used purely for pulling heavy loads for industrial and urban settlements. The breed is around 300 years old, and you could still see them in the 1960s, pulling heavy carts of milk and vegetables.

A Clydesdale typically stands between 16 and 18 hands at the withers and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. They have an arched neck, long legs, and good withers. They also display a striking leg movement, with an active lifting of the hooves. The coat of a Clydesdale might be roan, bay, grey, black, chestnut, skewbald, or piebald. White markings on the legs, body, and face are common. Clydesdales are very intelligent and are fairly easy to train. They're generally considered to be gentle, but they're often more spirited and lively than some of the other draft horse breeds.

How was the Clydesdale breed developed? The breed came about as a result of Flemish stallions being brought to Scotland, where they were bred with native mares. By 1826, the term "Clydesdale" was being used to describe the horses, and a registry was established in 1877, the Clydesdale Horse Society of Scotland.

Originally, there were around 140,000 Clydesdales in Scotland, but by 1949, only 80 were left. In 1975, they were classed as a Rare Breed by the Rare Breed Survival Trust. However, their popularity grew again, and the population went up to 500.

They were exported to the Commonwealth, South America, Russia, the European continent, Canada, and the United States. In 1879, the American Clydesdale Association was formed. In the US, they became famous for advertisements for various beer brands. The famous Budweiser Clydesdales have become a part of Americana, and they can be seen in television commercials, in parades, and at special promotional events.

Clydesdales are now numerous in the United States, and at the last count, there were 600 foals. Sometimes Clydesdales are crossed with other horse breeds to add size, power, and durability. In the US, the Clydesdale is sometimes crossed with the Thoroughbred to create heavier hunter-jumpers. Clydesdales have also been crossed with Dales ponies and Irish draft horses, and the breed was instrumental in the creation of the Gypsy Vanner horse and the Australian draft horse.

World Cup, Football and Football Rules

2012-03-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

With the European Cup coming up and the qualifying games are being played, the tension is mounting. The Premier League, this year, is fought harder and more determined than ever before. The eyes are all on football. It is such a beautiful game.

It was and is always assumed football was invented in Britain. However, the rules we still have today derived from a number of ball games from ancient societies in Greece and China. It was first introduced to Britain by the Romans in the 1st century AD. Nowadays, the South American People and the Italians are still the finest football players.

During the Middle Ages it was a very different game. Hundreds of men scrambled the ball through the streets. They used hands and feet and fought savagely. Too many serious injuries were caused. King Richard II and Henry IV were amongst many English kings to ban the game.

At the beginning of the 18th century every English public school played according to their own rules. When the pupils went to the University they were confused. Cambridge University students started to set up the first common rules in 1848.

In 1863 the Football Association was established and they organized the game in England. A great influence was made on the code approved and used world-wide. The International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) is responsible for promotion, overseeing international games and making sure of a friendly relationship between FA’s member

BILLY WRIGHT - ENGLAND

MATT BUSBY - ENGLAND

PELE- BRAZIL

A football game is played between two teams and over 90 minutes with a 15 minutes break at half-time. One team has to score more goals than the other, either kicking or heading the ball into the other team's net. The players are not allowed to use their hands, apart from the goalkeeper. At the beginning a coin is tossed, heads or tails is named, and the winner of it kicks off.

THE TEAM

A team has 11 players (10 players and one goalkeeper) but it can be played with a smaller number, like five-a-side. An agreed number of players are used as substitutes, either for injured players or up to three replacements for other players on the field.

GOALKEEPER

Each team has a 'gaolie' who is in between the goalpost and prevents the ball to enter the net.

DEFENDER

Defender's job is to stop the ball going anywhere near the goal and/or taking the ball away from the opposite team's player which is called tackling.

FORWARD

Forward or attackers or strikers, are always the stars of the game because they eventually shoot the goal. The forward runs with the ball, which is called dribbling, and tries to get past the other team defence to put the ball into the net.

MIDFIELDER

Midfielders are a between a defender and forward. They can tackle the other team's player or dribble with the ball to pass it on to their forwards or shoot the goal himself.

The ball must be made of leather or any safe material. The diameter between 0.68m and 0.71m and weight between 346g and 453g at the start of the match. It can be changed during the game but only with the referee's approval.

REFEREE

The referee and two linesmen make sure that the rules are kept. The referee's decision is final and it is not allowed to be argued with. He blows the whistle to stop the game when he sees a foul or unfair play.

He also shows a yellow card to the player who committed a minor foul, brought a player down from the other team. A red card if it is a bad foul such as the other player got insured or got brought down in the penalty box. A read card if a player already had a yellow card and committed then another foul. Two yellow card results into one read card. If a player had a red card, he is sent off and the team has to play with one player less.

The referee gives a free kick against the other team who broke the rule. It is taken with no interference from defenders but a line is built by players of both teams on the penalty box. The players usually strike it with great power to score a goal.

A penalty, which is given by the referee, where a player can shoot from 11m with only the goalkeeper in the goal. This only occurs when a player commits a foul on a player of the opposite team. In the penalty box which is in front of the goal.

LINESMEN

The linesmen are there to see things which the referee misses. They also put the flag up when the ball leaves the pitch and which of the teams shot it out. Then an opposite team player throws the ball in.

A very difficult decision is too made if it is off-side. This happened when one player passed the defence of the opposite team and is nearer their goal.

If there is a foul the referee shows a yellow card, to warn the player. If the player gets another yellow card he will automatically get a red card and is send off. The team is not allowed to substitute the layer. The red card can also be given straightaway when a player insured a player from the opposite team severely.

EXTRA TIME AND PENALTY SHOOT-OUT

When in very important matches, like finals, the score is equal like 0-0, 1-1, 2-2 an extra 30 minutes is put on with a break of 5 minutes at half-time. This time the teams are not allowed to leave the pitch. If there is still no winner, both teams have to have a penalty shoot out. It means one player stands in front of the other team goalkeeper and tries to shoot the ball in. The most goals one team have scored are the winners. It is usual 6 penalty shoots each team. The team can choose who shoots.

CAREER OF PLAYERS

There are armature leagues, when clubs play for trophies but the player does not get paid. The semi-professional footballer receives a small fee for playing but still has to have another job. This can give the player a chance to turn professional. After that the player earns a wage by competing in the championships or cups leagues. From there he can get into the best clubs in the world.

PELE

The world famous Brazilian striker Pele played for his country at the age of 16 and now holds a record to be the only player to have appeared three times in the winning World Cup Brazilian team. He also has an unbelievable record of scoring 1283 goals in his career. Yet he is one of the very few who was and is a gentleman. He never became big-headed which is admirable. If he did at least he would have had a reason.

WORLD CUP

The high-light of football is the World Cup and every four year over 100 national teams compete to qualify. It is held in a different country every time. European and South American teams are dominant. The Cameroon, Nigerian and South Korean team won the heart of the crowd with their entertaining and tough performance.

The World Cup, Football and Football Rules are important to enjoy such a beautiful game

Lawrence of Arabia

2012-03-07T10:59:00.001-08:00

T. E. LAWRENCE

He was known as 'Lawrence of Arabia' but his real name was Thomas Edward Lawrence. He was born in 1888 in Wales and died in a motor cycle accident in 1935; trying to avoid to boys on their bikes coming towards him.

His father Sir Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman but left his wife for his daughter's governess. They never married but had five illegitimate sons. Thomas F Lawrence was the second son. The family lived in Oxford under the name of Lawrence. Thomas attended the Oxford High School of Boys. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford.

Summers 1907 and 1908 he toured France by cycle and collected photos, drawings of castles dating from the medieval period. Summer 1909 he went on a 1000 miles walking tour to visit the crusader 's castles in Syria. He received a First Class Honours for his thesis 'The influence of the Crusaders on Europe Military Architecture'

LAWRENCE AT AQABA 1917

LAWRENCE BIRTHPLACE

1910 He was offered to become a practicing Archaeologist in the Middle East in December. He sailed to Beirut and was working on a site at Carchemish, north Syria. Since the site was near the Turkish border, Baghdad Railway, the information was of importance to the military intelligence.

1911 British military send Leonard Wolley and Lawrence officially as archaeologists to map the Negev Desert, especially the water holes. It was of strategically importance because Ottoman had to cross Negev Desert to attack Egypt in case of War.

He was a British Soldier and worked as an archaeologist in the Near East. The name 'Lawrence of Arabia' came from organising the Arab revolt against the Turks in the First World War.

By the outbreak of the First World War Lawrence had extensive knowledge of the territory within the Ottoman Empire.

Lawrence wrote a book called 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom' and published it in 1926. He recalled the events and his adventures during the revolt. Apparently Lawrence was known as a shy man but these exploits definite made him a popular public figure.

After the war Winston Churchill made him his adviser in the new Middle Eastern Department. He withdrew from public life.

He enlisted in the Royal Air Force under the name of John Hume Ross as a mechanic. After that he joined the Tank Corps under the name of T E Shaw in 1923. Lawrence returned to the RAF in 1925.

Lawrence loved riding his motor cycle and was known for racing around in the English countryside. He was killed in a motor cycle accident, which is also shrouded in mystery, at the age of 47 in 1935. One story is, he tried to avoid to boys on their bike cycling side by side and were coming towards him and he went down a slope at the side of the road.

1962 a film was made 'Lawrence of Arabia' with Peter O'Toole and Anthony Quinn.

A Sport Called Curling?

2012-03-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

There is a bit of confusion over who invented the sport of curling and where.

The winter-sport called curling was first mention in 1838 and the first curling .club was established in Edinburgh. Scottish people claim that they invented the sport. However, it was discover that the game was around much longer. In a painting by the Flemish master Pieter Bruegel named 'Hunters in the Snow' in 1565, it shows a curling match was going on in the background.

Apparently the curling sport was in existence since the 16th century in Scotland. A curling stone was discovered in a pond with the description of 1511, when the pond was drained in Dunblane, Scotland. Kilsyth Curling Club was the first club in the world establish in 1716 and it still exists today. There is also the old purpose-built curling pond at Colzium.

CURLING MATCH AT EGLINGTON CASTLE, AYRHSIRE, SCOTLAND 1860

OLD-STYLE CURLING STONE

CURLING STONE OR ROCK - MADE OF GRANITE

The word curling first appeared in a poem by Henry Adamson in 1820 in Perth.

Curling supplies

To begin with there were simply flat-bottom rocks from the river and you had no control over it.

A record exists in Darvel, East Ayrshire, that the weavers used their heavy stone weights from the beams. They fitted a detachable brass handle. The wife kept it on the mantelpiece and polished it.

Outdoor curling game was played between the 16th and 19th century. The home of the World Curling Federation is in Perth, Scotland. The Game was taken to Canada by Scottish immigrants. The Royal Montreal Curling Club established in 1807 and is the oldest and still active in North America.

From the 1830 the game was introduced to the USA and it spread to Switzerland and Sweden by the end of the 19th century. Nowadays, it is played in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China and Korea.

The International Curling Federation is holding an annual World Championship but it is won mostly by Canada.

The so-called 'bowl' is a round stone with a curved handle. The rink is 42m long and the curlers skim it along on ice. The aim is to get the bowl as closed or closed to the target (house) which consists of a set of circle on the ice.

Curling rules

The team consists of four players and a point is scored when one of their stones ends up closest to the house's centre (tee). They will also score another point for their stone when it is nearer the tee than their opponents' best try.

This curling game has also the name of 'roaring game' because when stone is skidding along on the ice you can hear a rumbling. When you watch a curling game you can see them frantically sweeping in front of the bowl. The reason for that is to ensure the surface is smooth to enable the bowl to get as closed as possible to the tee.

All about Computer Cops

2012-03-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Through high technology the computer cop was born and continues to increase. It is this computer technology which enables the police to catch the criminals so quickly.

A fine example is, during the recent riots in Britain, the first pictures of the suspects came through, while the looting was still going on. In the following hours, hundreds of pictures were sent to police websites and from there to the photo-sharing website Flickr which gave exposure to millions.

Thugs who thought they would get away with it were caught in no time at all. Technology also enabled the computer cop to filter through the social networking sites. Rioters, who used it to organize looting, it turned against them.

Previously to this high technology, police would have to pull in thousands of suspects and it would have taken weeks if not months to take statements, check them through and find the guilty ones. Today with the Law Enforcement Computers it cut this lengthy work down to almost nothing. Furthermore, they have the evidence on cop software which hardly can be argued with.

Nowadays, computers in law enforcement give almost an instant result. Already there were 3,000 arrests within a week. In the aftermath of those riots, police were given keyboards which will be as affective as truncheons and the result will be quicker.

CCTV used to send grainy pictures and had to be re-loaded with films. Computer experts achieved pin-sharp images and they are sent out 24-hours. CCTV network is also increasing like the computer cops. There are around 1.8 million cameras in the UK constantly recoding all the movements. According to the police they record everyone about 70 times a day. Civil rights groups estimate that it is 300 in central London.

As a matter of fact, Britain has more than any other European country. Campaigners for privacy are not happy but it is better to be safe than sorry. It is a great help to the police to catch the criminals and with delivered digital photographs it is not possible to plead not guilty.

In London alone 500 computer cops are working through the 20,000 hours of CCTV footage to identify the people who were looting and burning. There is also another great technology which enables the police to "back-tracking". It means it follows a suspect when he/she moves around different locations.

Another advantage of a new technology gives police information of criminals who covered their faces with a hoods, cloths or masks. This new technology has face recognition and cuts through all these disguises. The police must have been in their delight having received this technology.

One fine example was the nail-bomber. When the experts sifted through the debris, they found a fragment of the holdall. With that evidence they went through the images and identified a suspect carrying a bag prior to the attacks.

The security industry is now so highly sophisticated that their cameras, when filming sports events, are capable of tracking brand logo on your clothing.

A CCTV expert stated that the technology is getting better and better. The latest cameras are producing broadcast standard digital images. CCTV has also a higher capacity than the previous ones.

One mystery will remain a secret. Blackberry supposed to be encrypted and untraceable but they were intercepted by the police. Because of this assumed security, Blackberry was used by gang members sending messages to their members by the scores.

The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) was established four years ago. It is purely there to reinforce law and order through new technology. It is training officers to find information from laptops, mobiles, sat-naves, loyalty cards, PlayStations and other devices. They also can track criminals from contacts and records of voice-mails, texts, calls received and made. Great treasure chests were found during the riots when the police seized mobile phones.

The NPIA was also part of the development of a mobile fingerprinting device. It is now used by 28 police forces. The gadget brings the result within two minutes. It is very useful for the officers on the beat.

Roadside cameras are also a great help to identify number plates of stolen cars or cars which had been part of a crime scene. This wonderful invention takes five seconds to alert the nearest police station or patrol. That system enables the officers to follow the suspicious vehicles from one camera to the other. They are a great time saving devices.

SUMMARY:

However, in spite of all these great computer law enforcement computers, CCTV, computer cops, computer expert and technology there is still a need of policemen on the streets. Technology, in the 21st century, only cuts a lot of time, hard work and enables the police to bring the criminals quicker to justice.

Although, it can't prevent the crimes but at least the criminals are caught in no time at all. Hopefully, it will sink in, in a criminal's mind, that there is no or little chance to escape. The great work which 'Big Brother' has done catching these rioters and looters quick and it should be a good lesson.

Never mind the Privacy Campaigners. They should think about what would happen if all these technologies were not about. From a start the police would not be able to cope with the crime wave these days with the methods of the olden days.

All is needed now to get the justice right and give these criminals the punishment they deserve.

How the Police Force Started?

2012-03-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

MOUNTED ENGLISH POLICE OFFICER

The beginning of today's police force took place in 1740. They were civilian officers who maintained public order, safety and enforced the law. These civilian officers were called Bow Street Runners in London and responsible to catch thieves

In 1796 the French ministry of police were founded and properly organised by 1800.

In 1814 Sir Robert Peel established the first professional British force. They were called either 'peelers' or 'bobbies'

In 1829 Peel founded the London's Metropolitan Police Force. This police force was also introduced in other British cities.

European countries establish the French way of a national police force. The developing countries of Africa and Asia also copied the French national police force.

Countries like Australia, USA and Canada copied the British way of a local police force.

In 1842 the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was introduced which is a division of London's Metropolitan Police. It was the first non-uniformed detective unit.

1850 English police were uniformed and paid regular salaries. Their duty was not only crime prevention by patrolling, they had to light the street lamps, call the time and watch for fire.

1908 saw the Federal Bureau of Investigation established in the USA. It was a detective agency under national control.

Britain was the only country for a very long time where the police did not carry guns and confronted any criminal literally with bare hands. The police had such a respect that if any criminal insured or shot a policeman the underworld exposed that criminal. It was a sad day when the government armed the police. Ever since it is getting worse and the criminals don't think nothing of shooting anybody as well as a police officer.

Improvement of the Environment

2012-03-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

For once I can report some good news. It had been stated that a record number of trout and salmon are returning to English rivers. A sign that pollution of the water is getting less. Therefore, the campaign of reducing waste and reducing pesticides are showing a result and were worth every effort.

There is a huge amount of sea trouts in the Thames and Tyne. These rivers also show a healthy stock of salmon.

The river Mersey was so polluted that at some stretches it caught fire. Now the Environment Agency states that the Mersey is at its cleanest for a century.

The Environment Agency reported that the quality of river water has risen for the 20th successive year and 70 per cent of rivers are classed as 'good' or 'very good'.

The success was due to further investment by water companies, polluters being prosecuted and farms reduced their pesticides which used to flow into rivers via rain and small streams.

The best record of improvement has the river Tyne; 50 years ago there were no salmon and sea-trout. Now it shows a record of more the 15,000. This is the highest so far, since record began.

However, Sarah Oppenheimer, a water expert for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds states that the agency has to do more. She said: "If the health of all wildlife in our rivers is considered, then only about a quarter meets the European standard of 'good status' - the measurement for all countries in the European Union.

ELSA - The Famous Lioness

2012-03-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

JOY AND THE THREE CUPS

It was the famous lioness Elsa which changed our outlook about wild animals. Until then and for decade’s way back, it was the great white hunter daring to confront wild animals and shooting them. After that a picture being taken and mostly with one foot on the dead animal lying in front of him. They didn't talk about the native driving the wild animal towards him. They didn't talk about the many guns besides him in case he missed. In other words the animal had no chance.

In January 1961, Elsa died of tick fiver and it is her 50th anniversary this year. For George Adamson it was the worst thing to see his beloved lioness Elsa being a victim of tick fever. He put Elsa on his camp bed and her head on his lap hoping that his wife Joyce would come back in time with a vet from Meru National Park.

George wrote later into his diary: "She sat up, gave a most heartrending and terrible cry and fell over. Elsa was dead. My Elsa gone, Gone, the most wonderful friend and part of my life that nothing can replace." She was only five years old.

GEORGE ADAMSON

Elsa became famous because she was the first lion raised by hand and successfully released into the wild. She bred in the wild. Joy Adamson told her story and it became a bestseller in 1960 'Born Free'. It caught the imagination of the world and was translated into 25 languages immediately. Six years later a film was made starring Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Traverse. The film was a great success. It also affected Virginia McKenna and Bill Traverse and they established an international wildlife charity called Born Free Foundation.

Elsa definitely altered the people's outlook. She gave us a great awareness of animals and that there are beautiful and have a personality. They are there to be protected and not just something to shoot. In Adamsons' home video footage you can watch Joy putting her arms around Elsa, Elsa nuzzling up to her, playing or lazing in the shade.

George Adamson found Elsa in 1956 when he was a gamekeeper and had to go after a man-eating lion. It had attacked and killed villagers in Northern Kenya. During his tracking the man-eater he was charged by a lioness and had to shoot it dead. Soon he discovered her three orphaned cubs and took them home as a present for his wife.

Later on they sent the more aggressive cubs to a zoo but the weakest they kept and called it Elsa. Then began a love affair which never ended. Apparently Joy had three miscarriages and longed desperately for children. She gave every once of love to Elsa. Because the Adamsons loved her so much they realized that she would never have a full life of a lioness unless they released her back into the wild.

They were determined that Elsa would not go to a zoo and therefore made every effort to train her that she could survive in the wild. They were aware that it was no easy task and George wrote in his diary that it was heart-breaking to leave Elsa in the bush. It was like leaving you child. The heart-break did not improve because when they went back Elsa was overjoyed to see them again.

When they went back after a period of six weeks they spotted her near the river. When they called her they noticed that she was a mother of three cubs. George said later. "That this was the greatest sight of our life."

This great achievement made Joy to write about Elsa in 1960. A year later Elsa returned to her adopted parents and must have known that she was dying. By that time Elsa already changed the opinion of millions of people about wild animals.

The BBC made a documentary to celebrate Elsa 50th anniversary. The documentary emphasized that conservation work is more important than ever. Today there are only about 2,000 lions left in Kenya which is a 90 per cent drop from the time when Elsa lived and died. There are only 30,000 left in the world.

The documentary also points out not to get fond of wild animals and trying to keep them as pets. When they filmed 'BornFree' they didn't want to use circus lions and used wild ones. However, during filming one knocked McKenna down and chattered her ankle. Another one held her in a very dangerous clinch until George - the film's chief adviser - helped. As lovely, cute and cuddly they look, they are wild animals.

However, re-introducing hand reared lions into the wild was not always successful. George released three of the lions used in the filming with the hope of getting them back into the wild. In March one of the lions attacked a game wardens' son and later killed one of George's own assistants.

After all their hard work and in spite of their dedication of George and Joy, their lives came to violent ends. It was at the hand of men and of their fiercely protection of the animals they loved so much. In 1980 Joy was shot dead by a former assistant she had fired. In 1989 George was killed by poachers. He asked to be buried in the same grave as of his lion Boy. When Joy was killed before him, George scattered the ashes over the grave of her beloved Elsa.

ELSA'S GRAVE

All About the Tapir - An Endangered Species

2012-02-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

TAPIR BRAZIL

The Tapir belongs to the family of equids which includes horses, rhinos, asses and zebras. However, the tapir was the first of the family and yet they are amongst the most primitive of all the world's mammals. They hardly changed since they evolved 55 millions years ago. The first tapir lived in North America and from there it spread all over Eurasia. These two regions were the most populated by the tapir over all the millions of years. After the last Ice Age, 15,000 years ago, none of the tapir lived there again.

The Rhinos evolved from the tapirs about 40 million years ago. There were three original families of tapirs but only one survived and this is the only family in which some of them have horns.

The long stocky body of the tapir is supported by short limbs. Its rather small with immobile ears, a short neck, very short tail and the rump little higher than the shoulder completes the description of the tapir. The streamline body which is slightly narrower in the front helps to push through the tense forest. The head has a short fleshy trunk coming from the nose and a slightly enlarged upper lip with the nostrils at the end.

The American species have a longer one than the Malaysian tapir. It uses it to smell and also to pull the shoot and leaves and put it into its mouth. Their eyes are small and set deep into their socket to prevent any damage from branches or thorns. Their eyesight is not very good and not important since they are nocturnal animals. Their hearing is good and their sense of smell even better.

Tapir's skin is tough and covered with very little hairs except the mountain tapir which has a thick coat for protection against the cold.

There are four species of tapir. Three live in Central and South America and one in southeast Asia. Baird's tapirs live in a variety of habitats such as woodland, mangrove, swamps and tropical forests. They spread from southern Mexico to Ecuador. However, it has been noted that their numbers decline and are only found in fragmented areas.

The mountain tapir which is also called the woolly or Andean tapir, is the world's smalled and rarest tapir. Its much thicker coat of hair is protecting it from the cold of the Andes mountains. It lives in forest which are often misted over and at a height of 4500m. Only small numbers are known to exist in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. It is assumed, also in west Venezuela.

TAPIR BABY

BAIRD'S TAPIR

MALAYAN TAPIR

MOUNTAIN TAPIR

The Brazilian tapir, also called South American tapir, is to be found from Colombia, Venezuela to Paraguay and Brazil. It lives in woodland and grassy areas any-where near a permanent water supply.

The largest of the tapir is the Malayan one. It also is coloured with great wide belt of white and the rest is a black body.

They have a habit to walk with their snout on the ground. It is assumed that they trying to smell either other tapirs or enemies. During the day it hides in shrubs or thickets and comes out at night to feed on vegetation in shrubberies or grassland not far from the river banks.. It feeds on grasses, leaves, aquatic plants, buds, twigs and fruits of low growing shrubs. The preferable food is green shoots.

The tapir is a great swimmer and diver. It is a great deal in rivers and feeds on aquatic plants or wallows in mud to rid itself of parasites. It also can climb river banks and steep mountainsides. Apart from the mating season the tapir is a solitary animal.

They breed at any time in the year. Each female giving birth to one calf every one and a half to two years. When they court they make such a racket with shrill whistles and wheezing sounds. They stand head to tail, sniffing each other's part. During this they revolve in circles, faster and faster.

The baby is born in a secure lair. When they are newly born they all have dark-reddish-brown coat with yellow stripes and spots. This gives them a camouflage against the dappled light and shade of the forest. These stripes and spots begin to fade at the age of two months. When it is six months old it has the parent coat. Soon after, it leaves its mother and reaches maturity in about two to three years time.

The danger the tapir faces is its dwindling habitat by logging for growing crops or ranching cattle. Also dams can break and flood the area. Hunters are shooting it for sport or meat or the high-quality leather which they get from the thick skin. All species of tapir are threatened of extinction. The only hope for these mammals is to be in large nature reserve to be able to survive. The most threatened species are the mountain tapir and Baird's tapir.

It has to be emphasized that these animals were around for about 55 million of years and we managed to drive them to extinction within not even a 100 years. It is not only the tapir, it is happening with everything and anything if we would stop and look at it. On a whole it has nothing to do with pollution -- it is G R E E D.

All About the Grizzly Bear

2012-02-24T11:30:00.001-08:00

GRZZLY BEAR

The grizzly bear is also known as the American brown bear. Later on they were copied as Teddy Bears.

What do Grizzly Bear eat?

The grizzly bear either eats itself to enormous weight or it starves almost to nothing. In summer and autumn they build up their body fat on fish, carrion, ripe fruit, nuts and berries. The following three months the bears hibernate and nurse their young. Their weight drops by a quarter. The cubs are born blind, naked and weigh 500 g. The female has cubs every other year and could produce one to four cubs but mostly two. The mother defends its cubs fiercely if she thinks they are threatened

Grizzly bears mate during spring and early summer and the fertilised egg starts to grow almost immediately. Then it stops, being no more than tiny ball of cells. It moves freely and stays like that for about 5 months. When she is getting ready for hibernation in October and November it starts to grow again. All this is to make sure that the female grizzly eats as much as possible and build up her fat store which is necessary for her and her cubs to survive the lean period of the winter.

When they emerge from their den in the spring the young cubs start to play games. Young bears love chasing each others, having a wrestling match and trying to stalk each other. These games are necessary for young cubs to learn to survive later in adult life and also to build up their strength.

Their mother also teaches them to find food. Mother introduces them to fish when she takes them to the river in the summer and shows them to catch the salmon when they head up streams to their breeding ground.

Mother also has to teach them to be independent. After she has given her cubs all the loving care, one day the mother chases them up the tree as she always done when there was danger. This time it is different because she walks away. She makes them understood they have to face the world on their own.

This must seem cruel after all the love and devotion she gave them. However, when they manage to survive they must leave their mother and their mother's territory because they would all end up with food shortage. If that happened mother and cubs would not survive. They have to go and find a territory of their own to make sure a good breeding continues.

To mark their boundaries of their territory the grizzly bear rolls in its urine. When they go up and down their path from their den to the feeding ground, they stand on their hind legs and rub against trees this leaves their scent and hairs as their mark. The odour stays there for a long time and it gives information of the status, sex and even the mood the animal was in.

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Why are Grizzly Bears endangered?

For a long time the grizzly bears were heavily hunted for their furs. This has been now reduced by putting the bears under protection but the damage was almost done. The other reason for the grizzly bear being endangered is the loss and still losing their habitat. The bears do need a huge territory and when the new offspring emerges and leave their mothers they need to find a new territory. Therefore, cutting forests down so drastically does not help the grizzly bears to increase their numbers.

These are facts about the grizzly bears which have to be faced to prevent the extinction of this magnificent animal.

Tribute to Rupert Bear

2012-02-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

The Canadian

The Canadian press baron Lord Beaverbrook noted, at that time, all the other newspapers had some cartoon characters to entertain the children. He demanded from his staff to invent a cartoon character for his paper. Everybody in Fleet Street knew that when Lord Beaverbrook wants something it has to be produced promptly.

Several tried but were not successful. Herbert Tourtel, a paper's sub-editors, suggested his wife Mary. She won a scholarship at the art school and just graduated. The American editor RD Blumenfeld agreed to it.

On 8 November 1920 the first part of Mary Tourtel's serial appeared. It was a single framed drawing of a little bear with a scarf, sweater and checked trousers. His mother sent him to the market to buy honey, fruit and eggs.

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Rupert was told not to stray when his mother sent him to the market. He didn't listen and got lost. From thereon he battle with ogres, giants and monsters. Various animals led by the Wise Old Goat.

Mary Tourtel was drawing the strip till 1935. She had to give it up because her eyesight was failing. As a retirement gift she received royalties from her reprinted work. Her place was taken by Alfred Bestall who was a bachelor and son of Methodist missionaries. He worked previously for Punch and Tatler but found it a taunted task because of the influence over children.

Canterbury is Mary Tourtel's birthplace.

Ninety years on Rupert is still loved by everyone. His annuals are still bestsellers and rare vintage copies selling up to £20,000. He is introduced to the next generation of pre-school children. The Rupert Bear museum in Canterbury celebrated the 90th anniversary.

Bestall's workload was huge because of the popularity of his little bear. There were annuals, quarterly booklets and two pictures a day for the paper to be done. Each picture took about three hours to draw. If he was ill or went on holiday he had to draw nine hours a day just to keep up with it. His god-daughter Caroline Bott brought out a biography called 'The Life and Works of Alfred Bestall' to coincide with the 90th anniversary edition.

He drew the daily strip till 1965 and went on producing covers for annuals till 1973. He received the MBE in 1985. He died at the age of 92 in 1986.

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Bobsleigh

2012-02-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

The Bobsleigh is for people who really like to live dangerously. You hurdle down iced concrete tubes. You can do it either flat on your back or back sardine-like-packed in a flimsy vehicle with brakes which you are not allowed to use it. Will that be your way of fun?

British tourist in Switzerland had a bright idea to race down a snow-covered Alpine road, in the 19th century. This humble beginning started off today's exhilarating and dangerous winter sport. It developed into three categories; luge tobogganing, Cresta tobogganing and bobsledding or bobsleigh.

If you ride a sledge down on a snowcovered surface, you are tobaggoning. As a sport it has developed into two types, the luge and cresta tobogganing. It involves to ride down a purpose built track on a small sledge or sleds.

BOBSLEIGH IN DAVOS 1910

EAST GERMAN BOBSLEIGH OLYMPIC TEAM IN 1951

Luge sleds are made of fibreglass with steel runners. In supplying pressure with the shoulder, hands and feet on the luge the riders steer it. It has no brakes and would you be surprise if I tell you that they have to wear crash helmets. Riders can wear knee and elbow protectors but it is not compulsory. The sitting position is compulsory at the start but then they lie flat to get the maximum speed. The riders have to have iron stomach muscles to stand all this. Iron nerves and a good insurance policy is something else. The speed is 105 km/h which leaves you with a prayer and aerodynamic elasticated suit from here to eternity.

The Cresta or skeleton toboggan makes a difference from lying on your back and hurtling feet first or lie on your stomach and meeting St Peter on the gates face first. Cresta was first in the international sport.

If you don't like any of these and decide bobsledding which isn't much better but a lot faster. You have the weight of four athletes which helps to a speed of 160 km/h. One good thing it has brakes but in competitions you are not allow to use them. If you use them in emergency, you are automatically disqualified.

Today's bobsleighs are highly sophisticated, streamlined to tenth of a mm and made of steel, fibreglass and aluminium. They have mechanical brakes and steering.

The tracks are purpose built ice-runs and banked bends. The international competitions have 15 bends and straight runs with high banked walls to keep the sled in. Racing in the Olympics demands four runs, each team, and the team with the lowest aggregate time wins.

Teams are two or four men. Their strength and stamina is vital. The flying man-powered start is very decisive for good timing. They have agility for hopping in quickly and crouch down low. They have to lean at the precise moment on each bend. The man in the front steers and the brakeman, at the back, is responsible for checking skids and brakes at the end of the run.

For a maximum weight for a two-man bob has to be 390 kg. The maximum for a four-man bob has to be 630kg. If the weight has not been achieved ballast may be added.

Until 1992, men were mad enough to enter this dangerous sport. Now women's teams are trying to enter and compete in the Olympics.

Bob runs have to be 1500m long the least and 15 banked curves with various levels of difficulty. Don't worry; you won't miss your lunch or dinner because it only takes 60 seconds from start to finish.

Do you remember the film 'Cool Running'?

The true story is that a Jamaican failed to enter the national Olympic team. He decided to train people for a team to bobsleigh on the local beach. Unbelievable he succeeded and his team competed in the 1988 Olympics.

Peter van der Zeil lived in a no-snow area in Cheshire. He built a wooden ramp from the roof of his shed to the end of their lawn. Then he attached skateboards to his bobsleigh and practise and practise. He wanted to enter the Olympics for his mother's country which was Sri Lanka. Disney never got to hear about this attempt.

Next time I watch the Winter Olympics I should appreciate more what these men doing for their country.

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HARRODS - LONDON - The World's Famous Corner Shop

2012-02-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

Harrods, the world's most famous corner shop started its life with Charles Henry Harrod at 4 Cable Street in the grim East End. It definitely wasn't a glorious start for the world's most famous shop.

Charles Henry Harrod first opened a whole sale grocery in Cable Street where later on Jack the Ripper had his stomping ground. When the East India Company lost its monopoly on tea pricing in the 1830s, Harrod took the chance. Later on, he moved to the City of London in 1849. In the same year he bought the lease for a one room shop at 8 Middle Queen's Buildings for groceries. These places were later redesigned and call 105 Brompton Road. At that time it was a semi-rural Knightsbridge. He moved there to escape the filth of the city and to start retailing.

He was very fortunate it was at the time of the Great Exhibition in nearby Hyde Park in 1851. The business was booming because of the many visitors coming in. However, the son, Charles Digby Harrod, was really the one to build up the business and turned it into a smarter retailing shop

In 1861 he bought the shop from his father. At that time, wealthier people moved into the area. All other grocers offered credit. Harrod, Jnr advertised all his good for cash, free delivery, and a lower margin of profit.

He was running a risk but it worked. The adverts brought the customers and they appreciated the quality of the goods. He paid his debts to his father within three years. He extended the premises by building a roof over the garden of 105 and bought 101 and 103 including a large piece of land behind these premises. By 1883 he extended his store into six departments which were food and household items. He had 200 sales staff

HARRODS 1909

HARRODS 2009

On 6th December 1883 Harrod's shop caught fire. Everything was destroyed and the worst of it all the Christmas orders which had been already parcelled. Instead of sitting back and bemoaning his great disaster and it was. Harrod turned it into an advantage. He made sure that every Christmas order was delivered and with that he had great press coverage. He had a bumper Christmas trade coming from all that publicity.

It also gave him the chance to build a much grander building. Harrods began to give credit to its most famous customers like Oscar Wilde, the actresses Lillie Langtry and Ellen Terry.

The Harrod’s family sold it and in 1889 the store became a public company. New departments and a bank as well as an estate agent were added. In 1894 the first "winter clearance" was held. In 1898 the world's first escalator was built there and on top to revive queasy shoppers a tot of brandy was handed out.

In 1901 a massive renovation took place. The frontage was given swags, cherubs and pilasters and on top a magnificent baroque dome. This dome only contained a water tank. The interior was decorated with Royal Doulton tiles and rococo plasterwork done by nobody less than Parisian craftsmen.

Since Harrods takes pride in stocking everything 'from a pin to an elephant' Ronald Reagan rang up and asks, "Do you sell elephants?" The reply came back, "Would that be African or Indian, sir?"

Harrods was owned by the House of Fraser. In 1985 it was sold to the Egyptian brother Al Fayed. At the time of take-over Mohamed Al Fayed commissioned a £300million refurbishment plan which included £20million Egyptian escalators. He also made an Egyptian cobra guard a £60,000 jewel-encrusted sandals and at the same time opera singers performed arias on the escalators.

Even so it is a great tourist attraction it still makes sure that it keeps the aura of luxury by maintaining strict dress code. Jason Donovan, Kate Winslet and the highest paid footballers of the Ukraine are only a few of the number who have failed to get past the doormen.

MEMORIAL OF PRINCESS DIANA AND DODI IN HARRODS

Today, the world's most famous corner shop has more than a million square feet of selling space. It has 330 departments and attracts many famous people. The singer Katherine Jenkins opened the world most famous sales.

Harrods had not been exempt from tragedy. In 1993 a car-bomb attack by the Provisional IRA killed six people. One of them was a young Daily Express journalist Philip Geddes.

In 1997 Harrods went into history when Princess Diana and Mr Al Fayed eldest son Dodi were killed in a so-called car accident in Paris.

Mr Al Fayed sold the store to the ruling family of the Gulf emirate of Qatar for a £1.5billion. Rich tourists and a weak pound had a sales hit of a record of £752million in the year to January 2009.

As Charles Digby Harrod found out and so will the new store owners that it won't take long to recover the cost

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HAMLEYS - LONDON - The World Famous Toy Shop

2012-02-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hamleys in London, the famous toy shop celebrated its 250th anniversary this year, 2010..

William Hamley a man from Bodman in Cornwall, South England started a toy shop called Noah's Ark in High Holborn, London, in 1760. It began with Noah's Ark, a wooden model of the biblical vessel including the animals. It was straightaway in demand by well to do people and, of course, in those days children were only allowed to play with it on Sunday.

After a while William Hamley renamed the shop Hamleys.

When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, Hamleys was well established. Toys like pull along wooden cats on wheels, jack-in-the-box and tumbling clowns with lead bases were very famous.

THE BEGINNING OF HAMLEYS

HAMLEYS VARIOUS TOY'S DEPARTMENT

At the beginning of the industrial revolution, urbanisation and growth of prosperity, many businesses started to make toys. Slowly the children received more toys and their childhood extended which then increased the toy market.

By the end of the 18th century toys were not only bought by the very rich but also by the well to do middle class. To meet the demand for toys, Hamleys, opened a new branch in Regent Street in 1881.

Another Hamley, William Henry (1843-1916) got involved into the toy market and started fun novelties such as exploding cigars, rubber noses and boxes of sneezing powder. In 1900 Hamleys launched a new craze of the game: ping-pong. By now the shop became so famous that it was enough to address your letter just with Hamleys and it got to the destination.

The shop faced hard times during the First World War when foreign toys were banned. Germany was the world's No. 1 toy maker. However, the British-made teddy bears, khaki-wearing dolls, all-British clockwork submarines and toy tanks filled the empty shelves.

It still wasn't over yet for the survival of Hamleys. They still had great problems; even so the Meccano and soft toys of Dismal Desmond dogs were popular. In 1931, Hamleys was forced to close the doors for a brief time.

Walter Lines, chairman of the Tri-ang company, bought Hamleys and was able to attract more customers. New toys came on the market like Monopoly and the grace for Mini-brix (rubber building blocks). In 1938, Queen Mary rewarded him with granting Hamleys the Royal Warrant.

The store in Regent Street was bombed five times in the Second World War. The toy manufacturers were made to produce toys which were for the war. The staff of Hamleys would not give in and they wore tin hats and served the customers at the shop's entrance.

After the war ended there was an economic struggle. In 1951 the Festival of Britain really started Hamleys up again with the store's Grand Doll's Saloon and great variety of model railways. The introduction of plastic products, especially Lego in the Fifties, boosted the toy market. It followed by Space Hoppers, Chopper bicycles, Action Man, Barbie and games consoles.

After 250 years Hamleys is the flagship, an institution and London's landmark. Nowadays, it has seven floors in Regent Street and attracts five million visitors a year. It houses 10,000 different toys, 450,000 items in all are on display. It plays host to prime ministers and princes. It is the first place Hollywood stars go when in London. It had starred in feature films, such as Alex Rider thriller Storm-breaker. The author of Alex Rider said that he often went to Hamleys.

Children can go there and play with the toys. They were streaming into Hamleys for 250 years and as long this store of dreams remain, the magic will live on.

At Christmas time there is a Christmas Grotto where children can meet Father Christmas and the whole store is decorated. For children it is a Christmas wonderland. Everywhere there are toys with which they are allowed to play. Even for grown-ups it is an experience you will never forget.

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Giant Panda the Most Endangered Species

2012-02-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

GIANT PANDA

The Giant Panda is definitely one of the most endangered species. The decline of the number of Giant Pandas has many reason. These reasons also count for many other endangered species.

First and most of all is the loss of habitat. Since the Giant Panda lives in bamboo forests of China and they were reduced by logging and cutting down the bamboo, the Giant Panda's territory is drastically reduced. Furthermore, the bamboo forest exists now are only in small batches and this creates problems with breeding. One problem that the Giant Panda population is restricted to just the few living within that territory. The other problem of inbreeding eventually arises. This can cause an awful lot of problem. Inbreeding can create health problems in a wide variety but also innate genes which will be a loss for future generations.

PANDA IN THE WILD

BABY WEIGHS AT BIRTH 100-200 g MEASURES 15-17 cm

It is estimated that there are only a 1000 pandas living in the wild. It is established that no more than 100 pandas living in a single forest. Opening up the forest for agriculture had a terrible impact on the pandas' territory.

China introduced the death penalty to anyone poaching Giant Pandas. A pelt can fetch a very high price. However, in spite of facing the death penalty it didn't deter poacher.

Another problem has the panda itself. Pandas were original carnivores but they evolved to almost exclusively to a diet of bamboo. Apparently, their digestive system has not changed to their diet sufficiently. Therefore, the pandas have to eat his whole waking hours to get as much nutrients from the bamboo to survive.

Then there is another problem which concerns the bamboo itself. Large areas of bamboo will flower every 15-100 years and then die off. During this time pandas have to go to areas where the bamboo is not flowering. Sometimes they have to move to lower altitudes and there they have to face humans as well as fragmentation. The panda is a very shy and solitary animal. All these conflicts do not help to preserve the species in the wild.

The female pandas give birth to one cub every other year and this also doesn't help to increase the population.

There are two kinds of pandas. The giant panda and the red panda and they are of the Ailurinae family. However, some scientist believes the Giant panda is a close relative to the bears and the red panda belongs to the raccoon family. The only thing they got in common is an extra thumb and also enlarged wrist to grip onto their vegetarian food.

The Giant Panda has all the body of a bear and lives in the mountain forest of China. Even so it eats mostly vegetation like bamboo, bulbs, roots and grasses it does go, some times, back to his carnivorous habits and eats carrion and bamboo rats. It sits up to eat and hold the bamboo with his thumb. Even it has a muscular oesophagus and tough stomach; it has poor digestion because of the bamboo splinters. It has to eat large quantity to get all the nutrients.

RED PANDA

RED PANDA PUPS PLAYING

RED PANDA

The red panda which is much smaller has a rich chestnut red coat. It has a cat-like appearance and a bushy tail. It territories are in Nepal, India, Burma (Myanmar) and China. It feeds at night and it is assumed that it eats up in the tree. The females give birth to two blind young ones in a hollow tree. Males do not help. The young ones are ready to mate at 18 months.

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Canada - A World Leader

2012-02-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

The name Canada comes from an Iroquoian word and it means village or community. The Iroquois are a native tribe of North America and controlled the area during the 18^th century.

Canada is a massive country. It is the world’s second-largest and has huge natural resources plus it is highly industrialized. The people enjoy a high standard of living and have awe-inspiring scenery.

The size of Canada crosses five time zones. The country stretches from the North Pole and half-way to the equator. The size of it is 1.7 million sq km which includes the Arctic Islands and other coastal island. It is right across North America.

In the north is the Arctic Ocean; Alaska on the north-west side; The Atlantic Ocean on the east; the USA in the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

TUNDRA

Travelling to the north there are the Arctic islands and the tundra. The more you move south Canada become forests with lakes and vast flowing rivers. Even further south the country changes into prairies.

Geographically Canada has five regions, apart from the Arctic. The Canadian Shield is the largest. It is a huge horse-shoe shaped area surrounding the Hudson Bay. The other two regions are in the east and are the Appalachian region and Great Lakes-St Lawrence lowlands. In the west of the Canadian Shield are the Interior Plains and it is the country’s most fertile soil. The last one is the Cordillera where the Rocky Mountains are and the highest is Mount Logan at 5951m.

BANFF - THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Canada has many lakes and rivers. There is Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, and Lake Winnipeg to name just a few. These three great lakes are drained by the St Lawrence River. The other great rivers are the Ottawa and Mackenzie. A very famous sight is the Niagara Falls in Ontario with a height of 50m. It is a great tourist attraction.

Since Canada is such a huge country it also means that the climate varies widely. It stretches from Arctic conditions to milder climate in the south. On a whole the climate is snowy cold winter and hot summers. In the Cordillera is a dry, west wind which moderates winter conditions in the Rockies and it is called Chinook.

Canada is a leading export nation. It supplies to the USA 80% and the USA imports two-thirds to Canada. Canada’s industry consists of manufacturing transport equipment, food, machinery, paper, chemicals and metals. Their workforce is 42% of trade and service; 25% manufacturing and industry; 7% of public administration and 4% of agriculture, forestry, fishing and trapping.

The country has a great wealth of natural resources. They are zinc, gold, silver, oil, natural gas, cobalt and uranium. It is also the world’s largest supply of hydro-electric power.

The tourists are encouraged by the annual Calgary Exhibition and Stampede which is world famous. Furthermore, there are the national parks of Jasper and Banff. Banff alone has over 4 million visitors a year.

In spite of Canada has only 5% agricultural land, it is an important export. Canada supplies 20% of the world wheat grown in the prairies. In the west of Canada are the cattle ranches with 15 million cattle. The arable farms growing cereal crops, fruit, and Soya beans. 14% of the exports are forests products. The world’s newspaper comes mostly from Canadian forests.

The commercial fishing which is over half century old and the catch comes from the north-west Atlantic and the north-east Pacific. It is cod, herring, salmon, flounder, lobster, scallops, crab and redfish.

Fur-trapping was an important export but it declined because of loss of demand.

FEDERAL POLITICS

Canada is a federal union. The power is shared between central and provincial governments. The head of state is the governor-general who represents the British monarch. Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth. Since the 1982 Constitution Act has now complete authority. The Parliament has two chambers. There are a 295- member of House of Commons and a 112- member senate. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the people over 18 years. They stay for a maximum of five years. Senators are chosen by the government and can stay in office till the age of 75.

Canada is divided into 10 provinces and two territories. A third territory was created in 1999 for indigenous Inuit population. Each province is governed by its own premier. The territories are governed by federally appointed commissioners.

FROM THE ICE AGE TO THE PRESENT DAY

Mongoloid people arrived in North America in the Ice Age. They split up, eventually, into various tribes. Just to name but a few were the Cree, the Blackfoot and the Iroquois. The European arrived in 16^th century and Jacques Cartier claimed Canada for France in 1534. By 1608 there was a French settlement in Quebec.

From there on the native people were diminishing. The reasons were European diseases and alcohol abuse. In 1867 Britain won Canada from the French and it became a British Dominion.

At the beginning of the 20^th century Canada become one of a top manufacturing and trading nation and because of that won its independence.

Originally, the government was either Liberals or Progressive Conservatives and the New Democrats as a third party. In October 1993, there were two new parties gaining power. One was the Conservative Reform Party and the other the Bloc Quebecois. They want independence for Quebec.