Jasper asked that I share my thoughts on his blog today. He knows I've been out taking pictures of bees and other insects lately. He thought his readers might enjoy the images and my message.

I've written about my passion for photography before. It's an amazing experience to love how you spend your time.  When I study life from behind my camera lens, I get transported into a new, and incredibly fascinating world. I start to see the blades of grass and leaves differently; more from the view of my main character, whomever that happens to be on a given day.  Yesterday, my star characters were several ladybugs. Until yesterday, I'd only photographed a ladybug one time just a few weeks ago. On my new page called INSECT PHOTO JOURNAL you will find many more photos of these curious, little beauties in all sorts of scenes.

 Doing macro photography is probably similar to exploring life beneath a microscope, only it doesn't go nearly as deep as that. Nonetheless, it's an extraordinary world to observe, and from the time I'm focusing my lens until I leave, I feel a part of something special. I get to experience a part of life often revealed only in books or documentaries. 

Photography has many highs. There's the high of being in the field, out there camera hunting ready to capture an unexpected moment in time for eternity. Then there's the rush of focusing just so and clicking away. Following the character from one scene to the next is mesmerizing. Then there's the ride home with the camera full of potential glory. It's a rush every single time. When I get home, I greet my kitty, and head straight for my computer where I begin the next rush: downloading the images. And finally, there's the sweet of all sweets when I get to see hundreds of moments in time captured by the marvel of a camera, and when the timing is perfect along with the lighting and focus and angle, I get the best rush of all - a photograph to cherish and share.  I wouldn't sell my passion for a million dollars -- or for any amount of money.  

For a 'starving artist', I'm happy getting to do what I do. This kind of passion is priceless.

One last commentary ... 
It's amazing to get up close to the insect world and see them react and interact with me. They aren't oblivious to humans at all. They are very aware of sounds and movement, and some are aware of scent. The more I discover and learn about all forms of life, the more connected I feel to the world, and the more precious I view all life. 

When I tromp across grass and through the weeds, I'm aware I'm entering the world where so many insects make their home and are carrying on their business of living. It's made me more conscious of how everything is interrelated. I tread more lightly now; more mindfully. 

 Prop B or The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act was passed by voters in Missouri. Now legislators are working to repeal the newly passed law and they are misrepresenting the facts to constituents and their colleagues. There was no "compromise" on B. It has been REPEALED. Watch the champion of this repeal spread his lies in this video. Senators voted to keep Missouri the Puppy Mill Capital by striking the most basic of provisions from Prop B including: continuous access to water, one annual physical exam by licensed veterinarian, any rest between breeding cycles, increased space requirements that would allow a dog to take steps and move about, protection from harsh elements of the outdoors and temperatures. Please watch this video and get the facts straight before the Missouri house votes this week to support the vote of the senate and take Missouri back to the dark ages for these voiceless dogs.
source: http://www.allvoices.com/news/8786596/video/77670010-factsonb-mov

Take Action!

Please call Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and politely and respectfully ask him to veto the legislation to repeal Prop B, even if you are not from Missouri. You can also go to the Governor's website and send him the message there!

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon's Office
Phone: (573) 751-3222
EMAIL

source: source of this posting: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=canned%20bear%20hunts&view=detail&id=FC98950B49C6FE6AF45792C4C3B806D98ED41AC9&first=0

Baby leopards, a bear, panthers, and monkeys were drugged and packed in suitcases for travel from  Thailand to Dubai. Undercover animal trafficking agents made the bust at Bangkok's International airport and arrested the 1st class traveler who was a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen. 

Reported by AP: "It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before," Galster said. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases."

I tire of hearing all the bad stuff. I know others do too. So many people want things to change, but it seems impossible sometimes. The greed and the evil, and the abundant ignorance on this planet can overwhelm even the strongest of heart. So here's a little light, maybe just a pin hole, but at least it's something to shine on the dark world of animal trafficking. Story below.

March 29, 2011
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hundreds of police raided illicit markets to crack down on the lucrative trade in wild animals and rare flowers, arresting 15 traffickers across Mexico this weekend in one of the biggest swoops of its kind.

Rich in flora and fauna, Mexico is a major hub for animal trafficking where locals buy lizards, macaws and tropical fish in city markets and smugglers move endangered species across the country's border with the United States.

In three days of raids, authorities netted 4,725 wild plants and animals -- 113 different species -- including 762 parrots and other types of birds and 67 reptiles.

The operation also found more than a dozen threatened mammals like wild boars, white-tailed deer and three tiny puma cubs in a cardboard box in a warehouse in southern Mexico.

"This is the first operation like this on a national scale," Environment Minister Juan Elvira said on Monday. "We recovered 3,500 trafficked orchids, that's a record."

Animals and plants sold on the black market cost just a fraction of the price of legal breeds, and more than 90 percent of them sold unlawfully die in transit, authorities said.

Interpol estimates the global illegal trade in live species and animal parts to produce luxury goods, medicines or folk remedies like aphrodisiacs is worth up to $20 billion a year.

TAKE ACTIONPetitions by Change.org|Get Widget|Start a Petition »Officials could not put a value on the animals and plants recovered but said the aim was to reverse the harm caused by taking protected species out of their natural environment.

"We recovered 377 parrots from Oaxaca state. These little animals can be sold for up to $50 each so we're talking more than $18,000 in just one case," said Hernando Guerrero, the head of Mexico's environmental protection agency PROFEPA.

Traffickers approach poor indigenous farmers, many of whom do not know what the species are worth, and pay them a few pesos to collect them from the jungle, said Elvira.

"They are taking advantage of this population," he added.

Most of the species are sold locally but the United States is also one of the largest markets for banned pets and animal products, making Mexico a busy corridor smuggling species from across Latin America and other parts of the world.

Mexican drug lords have been known to collect animals like big cats as trophy pets or hide narcotics in wildlife cargo.

In June, a Mexican was caught in the capital's airport after arriving from Peru with 18 tiny endangered monkeys stuffed in socks and strapped in a girdle around his waist.

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: Reuters Environmental Online Report

Three Alaskans accused of trafficking in walrus tusks
Source: Scientific American

Three Alaskans have been indicted on charges of trafficking in hundreds of pounds of walrus tusks taken from a remote Eskimo village in exchange for such items as cash, guns and marijuana, prosecutors said on Thursday.

April 28, 2011
By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Three Alaskans have been indicted on charges of trafficking in hundreds of pounds of walrus tusks taken from a remote Eskimo village in exchange for such items as cash, guns and marijuana, prosecutors said on Thursday.

The case against the three individuals, which also includes accusations of illegal sales of walrus bones and polar bear hides, marks Alaska's biggest case of illegal trafficking in wildlife contraband in years, said Yvonne Lamoureux, an assistant U.S. attorney.

Jesse Leboeuf and Loretta Sternbach, both of Glennallen, Alaska, and Richard Weshenfelder of Anchorage pleaded not guilty on Thursday. They were arrested earlier this week.

The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, said they began trading last summer for the animal parts from Savoonga, an impoverished Yupik Eskimo village on a remote Bering Strait island.

In addition to offering cash, firearms, ammunition and drugs in exchange for the ivory and hides, the defendants also traded away snowmobiles, prosecutors said. The three also are accused of conspiring to sell the ivory and animal parts over the Internet.

Federal laws forbid commercial trafficking in raw animal parts from protected species, such as Pacific walruses and polar bears. Polar bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and the Pacific walrus is a candidate for listing. Bothanimals are considered imperiled by the decline of Arctic sea ice.

Leboeuf was charged with seven counts of trafficking in animal parts and three gun violations and he faces a maximum of 65 years in prison if convicted. Sternbach is charged with seven counts of trafficking in animal parts and two firearms offenses and faces up to 55 years in prison.

Lamoureux described them as a dangerous couple who shared a house full of guns, marijuana, coca plants and other contraband.

Weshenfelder, who prosecutors say remained in Anchorage and helped arrange sales, is charged with conspiracy to traffic in animal parts and faces a maximum sentence of five years.

The arrests capped a nine-month investigation in which authorities seized 1,000 pounds of raw ivory -- believed to have come from at least 100 walruses -- and other contraband such as whale baleen and teeth and polar bear hides.

In a similar case in Oregon, state police there said on Thursday they had arrested six men and three women charged with racketeering in connection with an alleged wildlife poaching operation.

The nine defendants in that case are accused of illegally killing some 300 deer since 2006 in central Oregon. State police said they seized 1,600 pounds of illegally processed game meat, plus 18 rifles and 108 sets of antlers.

(Additional reporting by Dan Cook in Portland; Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Steve Gorman)

Source of walrus photo: http://www.historicalstockphotos.com/details/photo/1716_walrus_tusks.html