Protesters block the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv to call for a ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages. Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA
Category Archives: News to use
Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works
CITES halts Ecuador’s shark trade; trafficking persists amid lack of transparency – Stigmatis News
- Ecuador is one of the top exporters of sharks in the world.
- In February, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) suspended commercial trade in sharks and rays from Ecuador, after the country had failed to take measures to guarantee sharks were being fished sustainably.
- Protected species from Ecuador enter Peru through the cities of Tumbes and Piura. The fins are then sent to Asia, but the meat is sold in local markets.
- A lack of transparency has made it difficult to stem this criminal trade, according to experts consulted by Mongabay Latam.
Illegal trafficking of shark fins and bodies from Ecuador to Peru has gone on for years.
On Feb. 6, Ecuador announced measures to restrict fishing of these animals. The announcement came in response to an ultimatum given in November 2023 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) demanding the country take measures to guarantee sustainable shark fishing. This followed CITES’ findings of a series of irregularities in shark trading, primarily discrepancies in the import and export numbers of fins reported by Ecuador and Peru.
Ecuador had until the end of March to respond satisfactorily to the requirements imposed by CITES, otherwise the exportation of sharks and rays would be suspended. But since CITES’ ultimatum, there were at least three seizures of exports on the border with Peru. On March 11, after this story was originally published on Mongabay Latam on Feb. 21, CITES made good on its threat and suspended commercial trade in sharks and rays from Ecuador.
According to experts consulted by Mongabay Latam, a lack of transparency has made it difficult to stem this criminal trade.
Source: CITES halts Ecuador’s shark trade; trafficking persists amid lack of transparency – Stigmatis News

The Incredible Shrinking Family? | From Behind the Pen
Image Credit: Quang Nguyen Vinh
As I was flipping through an old family album after working on our family’s genealogy tree, I noticed as I branched out to the hierarchy chart of my generation, that so many of us had 0-2 offspring when our parents came from a family of 10-13 siblings. I thought about one of my high school classmates who everyone was astonished had 22 siblings when the rest of us had 2-4. There are about 8 billion people in the world (according to 2022 stats) and it was a little over 2.9 billion people when I was born. Is this increase a residual effect from the multiple births stemming from our foreparents’ time?
When discussing this observation with some from my generation, we decided that they (our grandparents in particular) really didn’t have a lot to do back then than to procreate. I guess that was their entertainment. There weren’t TV sets, computers, digital games, or many educational opportunities that would distract them from their baby-making extracurricular activities as we have today.
When I think about the attendance of our family reunions past compared to our family reunions present, the numbers are staggeringly lower. Back then, the houses of most of our relatives were not that big considering the size of gatherings, but there was always plenty of food, lots of folding tables and chairs, and always extra room on the front porch and in the front yard if needed. I remember those days and they hold some of the best memories. No one complained about being uncomfortable because there was always nonstop conversation between bites of deliciously prepared 5-star food from our family cooks. It’s kind of sad to see that the branches of our family trees are now more shallow than before, for numerous reasons, and it’s a little sad because it feels a little lonely since most of our matriarchs and patriarchs have passed away.
Image Credit: Rajiv Perera
I suppose our current lifestyles and relationships play a role in modern family sizes. I think we have so much going on nowadays that creating a bigger family isn’t as important on the priority list as other things, like careers, traveling, trying to make ends meet, or owning your own business. Yep, times have certainly changed and these are the signs of the times that have become our new normal. Some people feel they got lost in a big family, and perhaps they may be right. But, perhaps my age makes me think that the nostalgia big families once gave us, encompassed a sense of belonging, love, and security. That’s something I kind of miss.
Image Credit: Craig Adderley
Source: The Incredible Shrinking Family? | From Behind the Pen
▶︎ KIDS | Noga Erez – Bandcamp

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Digital Album
Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Source: ▶︎ KIDS | Noga Erez
Irán intensifica represión contra las mujeres – Stigmatis
En las últimas semanas, han circulado por las redes sociales iraníes numerosos informes sobre violencia excesiva contra las mujeres. Muchas han compartido sus experiencias de detenciones y multas.

Las autoridades iraníes están intensificando las patrullas callejeras en un nuevo intento de reprimir a las mujeres que se niegan a seguir los estrictos códigos de vestimenta islámicos. En el marco de esta nueva campaña denominada “nour” o “luz”, respaldada por el líder supremo, el ayatolá Alí Jamenei, la “policía de la moralidad” sale a buscar mujeres que se nieguen a llevar el hiyab, o pañuelo en la cabeza.
Source: Irán intensifica represión contra las mujeres – Stigmatis
Joie de vivre

La joie est à vivre ici et maintenant. O teu maior tesouro és tu. Filipa Moreira da Cruz
Joie de vivre
Beetleypete’s Classroom: Lesson Six

Turn off your phones please, no cheating! CLASS DISMISSED.
Beetleypete’s Classroom: Lesson Six
Icy Watermelon Margarita

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Time To Eat: Icy Watermelon Margarita! A friend once told me, “Every good gathering begins with a cocktail, …
Icy Watermelon Margarita
#30

Nos trinta anos já chego.Me aperta o botãoE acelera o coração. Nos trinta já chegoCom tanta emoção. De viver, crescerDe apenas sobreviver. Aos 30 já …
#30
Streetart – Hayden Dewar @ Melbourne, Australia

Title: Navigating through time Location: Footscray, Melbourne, Australia Artist: Hayden Dewar For: Arts and Culture Maribyrnong, City of Maribyrnong …
Streetart – Hayden Dewar @ Melbourne, Australia



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