FINN(COM) DAILY RECORD: MONDAY, 22 AUGUST 2005

 

Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)

 

Websites:  http://www.falklandnews.com. http://www.tristantimes.com, http://www.the-islander.org.ac, http://www.sartma.com, http://www.news.co.sh

 

CONTENTS

Section 1:  Articles by FINN

                  Calling the Falklands Article

 

Section 2:  Falkland Wool Growers Report

 

Section 3:  Announcements

 

Section 4: FIRS News Direct

 

TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE OZONE HOLE

 

By J. Brock (FINN)

 

With the reports of the sun reaching below the Antarctic Circle comes the annual warning about  protection from the dangerous UV that that comes from the sun during this time of the year.  It is expected that Ozone’s danger will be prevalent in the Falklands between mid August and the end of November this year but due to the recent sunlight on the continent, the size of the hole and the duration of depleted Ozone is not known yet.  That calculation, however, is due shortly.

 

There will be regular UV announcements during local weather forecasts, so precautions should be taken.  Sun glasses should be used during really bright days and sunscreen should be used on exposed skin.  There are a wide variety of products available locally but the higher the protection value, the better, especially if you are in the sun all day.

 

Fortunately, it is not warm enough in the Falklands to do a lot of sunbathing.  It is not recommended during times when the Ozone hole is above the Falklands.

 

GLOBAL WARMING ON THE OTHER END OF THE EARTH

 

By J. Brock (FINN)

 

Interested people will be able to tell you the affects of global warming on the Antarctic ice sheet and some of the consequences we are experiencing right now.  However, on the other end of the earth in the high latitudes the same problem occurs but with different effect.  The impact of global warming in the north happens on the land, where tundra thaws earlier in the year thus changing the migratory patterns of animals that inhabit the land in the Arctic summer.  Plants are blooming earlier in the season, affecting the food sources of other animals. Some environmentalists warn that the ice sheet over the Arctic ocean could be gone within a century.

 

Ministers from 25 countries are attending a four-day conference on global warming held in Western Greenland at Disko Bay, 250km north of the Arctic Circle.  The purpose is not only to discuss global warming but to show the ministers first hand what it is doing to Greenland’s ice sheet.  With this in mind, the ministers were taken to the Ilulissat Ice Fjord, a World Heritage Site, and shown the extent of the melting and some of the environmental damage already caused by global warming in the region.

 

Greenland is a Danish Overseas Territory and their Minister for the Environment, Connie Hedegaard in her welcoming remarks said, “Climate change is not a theoretical threat.  We can already feel it in Greenland’s fragile nature.”

 

The informal conference will help ministers prepare for the 11^th United Nations Climate Conference that will take place in Canada in December.  During that conference all of the aspects of Global warming, including environmental damage it causes at the equator, will be discussed.

 

 

BEACHED WHALES: A LESSON FOR THE FALKLANDS

 

A Report for BBC World Service “Calling the Falklands” by Deborah Vogel (DV) 19/08/05

 

A few days ago volunteers form an organisation which has worked with Falklands Conservation put their skills to the test. In rescuing beached Whales on England’s South coast.  It was, in fact, a simulated exercise in how to deal with a mass stranding, held by the group, British Divers Marine Life Rescue.  They are divers and increasingly the 2.5 thousand members are being called upon to help beached Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises around the British Coast.  It was a couple of years ago that their chairman, Alan Knight (AK), visited the Falklands on a Shackleton Scholarship to pass on some of their skills.  He told Dee Palmer (DP) that last Sunday’s very realistic exercise was the culmination of their UK training programme.

 

AK:  What we do initially is to train people to a status of Marine Mammal Medic.  That’s a one-day course, where we do three lectures and a practical in the afternoon.  And, it’s pretty unique because we have special equipment that allows us to lift Whales in water, so it’s got lifting bags.  And, we have to train people to do that.  We use life-sized models of Whales, which are filled with water.

 

DP:  Like the equivalent of big blow-up models.

 

AK:  Well that’s - the Pilot Whale itself looks like a pilot Whale.  And, it’s quite incredible when we do these exercises on the beach we get people coming up in tears and asking how the animal is.  We’ve even had e-mails since the weekend from people just asking whether we managed to successfully re-float the Whales they had seen on the beach.  So they are very lifelike and what you try and do is after the original calls that people do, we invite them to a mass stranding exercise, where we put three Whales and two calves, in this case, on the beach and we actually did this at the weekend in Sussex.  We put them on the beach when the tide went out.  The volunteer medics have to look after the animals in a real life situation, right the way through the day until the tide came back in and they could be re-floated.

 

DP:  So, how did the exercise go at the weekend?

 

AK:  It was extremely successful.  We had 40 medics turn up.  We had lots of people watching.  We had the Coast Guard, the RSPCA and all sorts of other groups got involved.  And, it’s very exciting to see that people who are actually in the thick of it have to think very fast and very clearly.  And, it’s important for us to go through these training measures to make sure that they understand exactly what they can and can’t do.  So, we managed to cover all the tops that we wanted to and I was delighted that all of the medics really did perform exceptionally on the day.

 

DP:  And, did you get the Whale and her two calves re-floated?

 

AK:  Yes.  In fact, we went through several different scenarios.  We actually put the calves with a male and you can actually sex the models.  We found that the calves were the males and they had to move the calves over to the females.  There were two females so we had to figure out which was the mother and which was the grandmother.  And, we had to euphonise that one and we had to do it on a Sunday.  It is really difficult because you have to find out where to get the drugs from, how to do it and how to actually re-float the animals in a real situation.  I would say it was very successful.

 

DP:  It sounds like it was a very realistic training exercise that really would prepare people to deal with the situation if they have to.

 

AK:  The only problem we have, of course, is that we are on real nice black sand and we can roll the animals and get them into the stretchers that are attached to the pontoons and then we re-float them.  In a perfect situation that is fine.  But in real life you tend to get them in either thick mud.  We had one a few years ago where a Minki Whale was on the River Mersey and we were up to our chest in mud and had to be lifted out by cranes in order to actually make sure that we didn’t disappear as well as the Whale.  Down in Cornwall we had one last year that came up on a rocky shore and we couldn’t roll the animal into the stretcher, so in real life, you have to take it as it goes.  What we try and do is simulate as near as we can, all of the various scenarios that our medics will be up against.

 

DP:  As you indicate, they probably will have to find solutions to problems as they arise. 

 

AK:  I think it’s true to say that we do train them into thinking that nobody is an expert in this game.  Every situation is different and they really have to think on their feet.  Generally, the more of these courses we do, the more confident, I feel, that we really can come up with the answer and save them.

 

WOOL REPORT: for the week ending Friday 19^th August 2005

 

Auctions

 

Starting the week at 706 A cents, the Australian Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) lost a cent on Tuesday, drifted eight cents on Wednesday before gaining a cent on Thursday.  The EMI thus closed the week down eight cents at 698 A cents.

 

In New Zealand the tone was described as subdued with 17% passed in.  “A combination of increased supply and lack of demand saw prices drop from 2.5% to 5%”.

 

No auctions in Britain and South Africa this week.

 

Currencies

 

The Australian dollar was trading weaker against the pound at A$2.38/£ with the result that currency factors compounded the drift in Australian wool markets this week.  The Australian dollar apparently weakened partially as a result of reduced demand for Australian ores and metals.

 

The New Zealand dollar was trading at a continued weak level of 2.58 NZ cents/£, yet its strengthening against the US dollar is testing New Zealand wool auctions.

 

Background

 

The European holidays continue around the continent resulting in limited activity.  Most companies will be fully operational in about a fortnight, after the last of the Bank Holidays.

 

Chinese exports into Europe have reached quota ceilings in some products.

 

FWG Agency

 

Against the current, subdued market background we have established substantial areas of demand for several speciality types, various oddments and this week, we made favourable contracts for fleece wool in the range 26 to 30.4 microns.

 

With Best Wishes, Robert

 

 

Section 3:

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 

FIC HOMECARE will be closed for stocktaking from the 27^th of August until completion.  FIC HOMECARE apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

A three bedroom house is available to rent for a minimum one-year lease.  For further details, phone Keith on 32246.

 

 

Section 4:

 

FIRS NEWS DORECT: 22 AUGUST 2005

 

Compiled by Amy Johnson (AJ) and Stacy Bragger (SB)

 

ROTHERA MEDI-VAC:

 

The Dash - 7 Aircraft is due into Stanley Airport this afternoon, according to Amanda Lynus from BAS.  The Aircraft will be leaving for Rothera Base, hopefully tomorrow or the day after, weather permitting.  A person at the base suffered an accident recently, which wasn’t serious and will be medi-vaced to Montevideo as a precaution.  Amanda says that the patient is stable and comfortable and that BAS has decided to fly him to Montevideo as they don’t wish for his condition to deteriorate. 

 

STANLEY ARMS FUNDRAISER:

 

The Stanley Arms held a fundraising quiz on Friday night.  I spoke to Odette Bonner (OB), Stanley Arms Manager, who told me more about it.

 

OB:  This month’s fundraiser was for the Stephen Jaffray Memorial Appeal.

 

SB:  How much was raised?

 

OB:  We raised £212.60.

 

SB:  Was there a good turn out as well?

 

OB:  We had nine teams in total and I think everybody had a good time.  I think we’ve only one quiz night left this. year.  We really need to thank Nikki Morrison, our quiz host because she has been doing this every month this year and she does get paid for it.  Without her these fundraisers would be impossible.

 

SB:  The last quiz night this season will be held on the 30^th of September and will be in aid of Combat Stress.  If you would like to enter a team or make a donation, please contact Odette.

 

POLICE NEWS:

 

It’s been a quiet weekend with only one incident to deal with.  On Friday evening Stanley Police Station received a report of a traffic accident in the Capstan Car Park.  It was decided that the incident would be dealt with through insurance.

 

INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE:

 

Last night saw two more matches played in the Indoor Football League.  In the first game, the Nonamers lost to Lots a Leftovers and in the second game, the Leftovers suffered their first defeat to Braggers’ Boys.  The score was 14 - 11.  Leftovers and Braggers Boys are now both joint top of the league.