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Teen sisters among a rare breed of falconers
Teen sisters among a rare breed of falconers
Stephanie Thomson, 17, with her red-tailed hawk, during a falconry session in Brownsburg, Ind., on Jan. 10, 2015.(Photo: Robert Scheer, The Indianapolis Star)BROWNSBURG, Ind. — The hawk sat high in the tree, still and watchful.Below, three girls, a mother and a father slowly walked through a vacant lot tucked between homes, strip malls and apartments.In a rough line, the Thomson family pushed through dense brush, tree shoots and bramble vines that grabbed on to clothes and skin.The hawk in the tree, a young male red-tail named Criere, belongs to Stephanie, the oldest of the girls.The 17-year-old and her 15-year-old sister, Caroline, are among a very small and dedicated group of people who practice falconry, the state- and federally regulated sport of hunting with raptors. There are just 85 licensed falconers in Indiana and 3,800 falconers nationwide.In Indiana, Stephanie and Caroline Thomson are among the youngest.As the family walked, every so often, one of them would whack a snow-covered pile of brush or sticks with what looked like an old ski pole.Suddenly, all the commotion did its job, and a cottontail rabbit jolted out from a hidden hole."Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" Stephanie shouted, her voice pitched with excitement as she hoped to catch the attention of the bird and direct it to the speeding bunny.But Criere didn't need prompting.He came rocketing down from its perch, a missile of feathers, talons and a razor-sharp beak. The rabbit let out frightened scream as the hawk clobbered it on the snow.Stephanie and Criere had been training for moments like these since she trapped the young bird from the wild in the fall of 2013.'These are still wild animals'Caroline's bird, a female red tail that she named Drea, was trapped at the same time.In Indiana, it's legal to acquire a wild bird and hunt with it.Indeed, trapping your hunting partner is what Indiana wildlife officials say an apprentice falconer is legally required to do to enter the world of falconry, a term that applies to keeping and hunting with raptors such as eagles, hawks, falcons and owls.But to call what the Thomson teens and other falconers do a "sport" or even "pet ownership" doesn't do justice to the relationship between the handlers and their birds. Nor does it cover the responsibilities to which these teenagers have committed.For one, while a bond exists between the girls and their hawks, the affection the girls feel for their birds doesn't get shared."They would be the worst pet ever, I tell you," Stephanie said. "These are still wild animals."Adds Caroline: "We're good hunting partners. We're not really good buddies."'A good responsibility'This is why it's imperative for the girls to immediately retrieve their birds if the hawks make a kill. If the hawks' appetites become satiated, they're apt to fly off and abandon their handlers.So food plays a key role during bonding, training and hunting. The girls weigh the birds to make sure they are healthy, and feed them some of the rabbits they might have killed during one of their frequent hunting trips.Caroline Thompson"It's not like 'Awww, I love you.' It's 'I love your food.' " Stephanie said. "It's not like a personal relationship, and they fly to you because you've had them for so long, and you're nice to them. It's like, 'You have food. I know I can get it from you and no one else is going to give it to me.' "Dianne Moller, a spokeswoman for the North American Falconers Association, said there's a reason there are fewer than 4,000 falconers nationwide. She said the time commitments of caring for a raptor isn't for everyone."Some have this romantic notion that it's something glamorous," she said. "They don't realize the perpetual responsibility and daily devotion. A gun hunter puts their gun away in the closet at the end of the season, but a raptor has to be taken care of."But that's part of the appeal for the Thomson girls."It's good responsibility," Stephanie said. "I love it."Discovering a lifestyleThe family loves birds and is a frequent visitor of the Eagle Creek Park's ornithology center. So when they found out there were a pair of falconers at their church, they were intrigued. One took the girls out hunting with his hawk.The hunter, Edwin Brochin, a state-licensed, master-class falconer has been hunting with raptors for 13 years. He offered to mentor them on the spot."They've really not let me down," said Brochin, who keeps a Cooper's hawk, a Finnish goshawk and a red tail. "They've outdone a lot of seasoned veterans in the sport in just their first and second years."They needed to jump through more than a few regulatory hoops to become falconers.Before the girls could trap their birds, an Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officer did an inspection to ensure they had the equipment needed to safely and comfortably house, move and hunt with the birds.Brochin had to agree in writing that he would sponsor them while they're in an apprenticeship program, which lasts at least two years.They also had to pass a state falconry test before they trapped their birds, which are fitted with a state-issued leg band.The girls say they helped build equipment, such as outdoor aviaries for the birds — known to falconers as "mews." And they paid for most of the equipment with babysitting money they'd been saving for years.Acquiring a bird
Catching their birds wasn't easy.The girls used a mesh wire cage covered in hundreds of noose-like snares of fishing line. Inside, went a live quail. The girls placed the cage in a field and waited for a bird to pounce on the cage and get its talons snared in the line.Only juvenile red tails still too young to have their trademark red feathers can be nabbed. Adult birds, by law, must be set free.Then came hours and hours of training to ensure the birds were comfortable standing on the girls' thick leather gloves and that they would come to a whistle or a meat-baited, bird-shaped lure flung on a leather tether.The Thomson girls says being home-schooled by their mother, Kim, has helped immensely. It's given them more time to spend hunting and caring for their birds.Falconry has become a part of their biology curriculum. Cleaning rabbits is a poignant anatomy lesson.Meanwhile, the Thomsons have taken to falconry so much they've adopted the terminology.When asked if the girls have any older siblings, father Robert Thomson, finance director for the Indianapolis Airport Authority, says: "Two of them have fledged."Adds their mother Kim Thomson: "We have three nestlings."'Not catching'The Thomsons also have turned hunting into a family outing, one where everyone participates, including little Lauren who helps thump brush to get rabbits to move for the birds.On the recent hunt that included a shrieking bunny, the cottontail escaped before becoming a meal, leaving a clump of brown fur in the snow.No cottontails died that day in spite of the hawks making several dive-bombing attempts.But that, says Stephanie, is part of the experience."It's called 'hunting' not 'catching.' " she said. "Sometimes we've been out for an hour and had two rabbits, and we went home. Sometimes we went for five hours, and we got nothing."Not to worry about Criere's hunger pangs. The girls always carry raw rabbit pieces in a leather bag at their waists.After the hunt, he sat on her leather glove, shredding a rabbit haunch. He gulped it down greedily.Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah dead at 90Jan 23, 2015
Hadi: P'raya tempatan undang 13 Mei
Hadi: P'raya tempatan undang 13 Mei
PAS menyanggah hasrat sekutunya DAP untuk mengadakan pilihan raya tempatan atas alasan ia berpotensi menyebabkan peristiwa berdarah 13 Mei 1969 kembali berulang.
Pendirian itu dibuat oleh Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.
"Pilihan raya majlis perbandaran seperti diperjuangkan DAP adalah kembali kepada kesilapan, kerana hanya melihat kepada aspek penduduk bandar sahaja untuk menang pilihanraya dalam jangka yang sangat pendek.
"Apatah lagi apabila kita melihatnya dari aspek perkauman yang boleh mencetuskan jurang dan polarisasi serta ketegangan di antara penduduk bandar yang bermajoriti kaum Cina yang sangat besar," kata Hadi.
Secara berkias, Hadi membayangkan yang pilihan raya tempatan akan memberikan kemenangan buat satu kaum dalam masyarakat berbilang kaum.
"Kita tidak seharusnya melihat kemenangan politik dan penguasaan ekonomi untuk satu pihak dalam masyarakat majmuk.
Lebarkan jurang masyarakat
"Kita tidak seharusnya mengusulkan sesuatu yang boleh menjadi cetusan ke arah ketidakstabilan, melebarkan jurang masyarakat desa dan bandar.
"Yang paling menakutkan kita ialah ketegangan seperti ini boleh menjadi 'api dalam sekam' untuk mengulangi peristiwa 13 Mei yang wajib dianggap titik hitam dalam sejarah negara," kata Hadi.
Hadi menegaskan bahawa orang Melayu, India dan Orang Asli di kawasan luar bandar tidak sepatutnya dipinggirkan.
"Kita perlu melihat semua kalangan dan arah, temasuk Melayu di kampung, India di estet, Orang asal dalam kawasan paling pedalaman dan kaum yang paling kecil haram dipinggirkan daripada peranan memakmurkan bandar.
"Wajib disatukan dalam titik persamaan, saling mengerti dalam bertolak ansur dan bermaaf-maafan dalam perkara yang berbeza, berlaku adil terhadap semua," katanya lagi.
Tentangan PAS ke atas hasrat DAP untuk melaksana pilihan raya kerajaan tempatan itu timbul susulan tentangan keras DAP ke atas pelaksanaan hudud.
DAP memberi alasan, pelaksanaan hudud tidak pernah dipersetujui dalam kerangka bersama Pakatan Rakyat.
Court allows Saiful’s application to amend statement of claim – Bernama
Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan said he had endured physical trauma and agony since 2008 as a result of being sodomised. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 23, 2015. The High Court today allowed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's former personal aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's application to amend the statement of claim in his RM50 million suit against his ex-boss.Judicial commissioner Azizul Azmi Adnan made the decision in chambers after hearing the submissions from both counsels, namely Zamri Idrus, who represented Saiful, and Shahid Adli Kamarudin, who represented Anwar.Speaking to reporters later, Zamri said the court also ordered Anwar to file his amended statement of defence before February 23.The court also set March 13 for case management.On January 16, Saiful filed an application to amend his statement of claim to add more details regarding Anwar's alleged defamation accusation against him for his police report on sodomy six years ago.On June 23 last year, Saiful, 30, filed the suit seeking RM50 million in damages, citing physical trauma and agony since 2008 as a result of being sodomised by Anwar.In his statement of claim, Saiful said Anwar had accused him of defaming and conspiring against him with his police report alleging sodomy on June 28, 2008.Saiful added that he had never lied in the police report about being sodomised by Anwar, and that the last sodomy incident took place on June 26, 2008 at Unit 1151, Desa Damansara Condominium, Jalan Setia Kasih.The plaintiff said he was looked down on by the community who believed Anwar's allegations against him and ridiculed him in social websites.Anwar in his statement of defence filed on October 8 last year denied sodomising Saiful and said the allegations were false. – Bernama, January 23, 2015.
Southeast Asia needs regional aviation regulators, says AirAsia chief
AirAsia's group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes wants regional aviation regulators for Southeast Asia. His suggestion comes after Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed on December 28. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 23, 2015.Southeast Asia needs regional aviation regulators to streamline a fragmented safety framework and ensure common standards for aircrew training in the booming industry, AirAsia's group chief executive officer said.The patchy airline safety record of Indonesia, the largest country in the region, has been in the spotlight after Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java sea on December 28, killing all 162 people on board.The Association of Southeast Nations (Asean) has no regional agencies overseeing aviation safety or co-ordinating air traffic control, unlike the more developed European market."It's time for Asean institutions to step forward, for commonality and for standardisation, and for quality," AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes told Reuters in a television interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos today.Though the cause of the AirAsia crash is still unknown, aviation experts have seized on the incident to point to the region's congested skies and patchwork of differing safety standards."We should have one Asean regulator for air traffic, one Asean safety standard, one pilot training qualification, so there will be mobility of workforce," Fernandes said."So Asean is not just about Open Skies, it's about having some Asean standardisation and institutions to further advance the Asean aviation industry."Asean is pushing ahead with plans to establish a single aviation market, or "Open Skies", by 2015, which will allow its members' airlines unfettered access to each other's markets.But the group, whose 10 member states range from developed Singapore to impoverished Myanmar, has made scant progress on adopting uniform technical and safety operating procedures.Apart from Indonesia, AirAsia operates a series of minority-owned affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India. This allows it to get around foreign ownership rules.The growth of the middle class in Southeast Asia has pushed the likes of Malaysian-listed AirAsia group and Indonesia's privately owned Lion Air to place record orders with plane-makers Boeing and Airbus as they bet that low fares will prompt more of the region's 600 million-strong population to take to the skies. – Reuters, January 23, 2015.
After ex-home ministers deny FBI letter, PKR asks if Zahid is first to act
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang believes local government elections can lead to racial discord. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 23, 2015.In PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's worldview, punishments like chopping off hands and stoning for crimes are par for the course but taxpayers cannot elect local government representatives because it can lead to racial discord.He also subscribes to the view that most Malays still remain in rural and semi-rural areas while the Chinese are the majority in urban areas, if his comments against the DAP's proposals to have the third vote is anything to go by."What more when we look at it from a racial aspect which could cause the gap to widen and polarisation to happen, as well as tensions between residents in a town with a Chinese majority."Just compare the RM250 million annual income of a local council in Selangor with the RM50 million of another local council in the same state where the majority is of a different race," Hadi said."We should not see political victory and economic power as being for one race only in a multiracial society."We should not support something that can be a catalyst for instability, or something that would widen the divide between urban and rural communities, and more frighteningly, something that could result in a repeat of the May 13 riots that is a black mark on our country's history," he said.Really? This from the leader of a party that once pushed for an Islamic welfare state as its mission in the last general election, only to once again go back to insisting on hudud for the only state it runs.Is it any wonder that PAS can only be one-term governments in other states than Kelantan? It's insistence for "divine" punishments over taxpayers' rights is a turn-off, even for urban Malays in Terengganu where it ruled for one term from 1999 and Kedah from 2004.From Hadi's comments, one can only surmise that he is not above canvassing for votes among all races but will cite racial factors to deny something as democratic as choosing one's own local government.Or is he against the DAP's proposal for the third vote because that party is against PAS's push for hudud? It this a case of tit-for-tat between the two allies in Pakatan Rakyat (PR)?Perhaps Hadi should get up to speed on the fact that more Malays are now in urban areas, and that urbanisation has spread to more areas in Malaysia – even his sleepy fishing village of Marang in Terengganu.And that local government elections and policies cut through race and religion – it is about services and facilities, and planned development rather than a case of racial supremacy.If one didn't know better, Hadi sounds more like an Umno man rather than a PAS politician who talks about Islam rather than race.Hadi's view reflects that of a man and politician still stuck in the race-and-religion divide, the urban-rural gap politics of a developing Malaysia. But this is Malaysia of the 21st century where Malaysians of all stripes just want a government that represents their wishes.After all, the PR alliance has agreed on local government elections but not hudud.If Hadi truly believes that Malaysians want hudud, why can't he see that they also want local government elections. Or, at the very least, put it to vote in Parliament – the same way he wants hudud to be debated.But, Hadi rather take potshots from his fishing village home and be content with preaching from the pulpit every Friday, instead of confronting his allies in a PR leadership meeting and thrash out all issues.If that is the case, PAS has to review its options of whether to remain in PR. It cannot have a village ustaz leading a party of scholars and professionals in the 21st century. Malaysia deserves better politicians than those who just harp on racial discord as a reason not to have more democracy. – January 23, 2015.
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