%Florida officials will keep the panther on the #endangered species list; #Florida commissioners to vote on a draft #policy paper to assist #panther #rehab soon.% - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/florida-panther-endangered-september-101/

The endangered panther’s numbers have been thriving in southwest Florida in recent decades thanks to diligent conservation efforts and public support, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). However, officials at FWC have no plans to remove the panther from the endangered species list at this time, and Florida commissioners will vote on a draft policy paper regarding the next step for panther rehabilitation this September. The original draft of this policy was put forward this June, but was set aside for the time to allow the FWC to review data and give thorough input regarding the panther’s endangerment level.

ENDANGERED STATUS OF PANTHERS IN QUESTION

The FWC recognizes that panther numbers are improving and states that it will reflect on federal criteria regarding the panther’s endangered species status. The new version of the draft stresses the importance of protecting the panther’s natural habitat — specifically southwestern Florida — where most of the panthers are currently concentrated. However, the federal objective has been to work towards building panther populations beyond this area alone. The policy paper seeks to determine what specifically the state agency will be responsible for versus the federal government regarding panther protection and recovery.

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

The species was officially listed as endangered in 1967. At the time, there were a mere 30 adult documented panthers living; current numbers suggest that there are 180 adult panthers in Florida population.

While a great improvement, Florida conservationists say that panther rehabilitation efforts are still absolutely crucial. Some Florida citizens are concerned that growing numbers in the panther population has led to an increase in safety issues. However, the FWC stresses the importance of public awareness in guaranteeing that the Florida panther remains alive and well.

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

A successful increase in panther numbers naturally results in more “conflicts” with the human population, says FWC deputy director Kipp Frohlich. Claims that the current panther population is a burden to residents due to conflicts such as road accidents and loss of livestock were redacted when the draft was revised for the upcoming vote. For now, the FWC hopes to continue efforts in broadening the species’ population’s numbers, while not necessarily expanding into new territory. The next step for the Florida panther relies on next month’s vote.

Florida Panther Policy Faces Upheaval this September

You"ll want to know this if your #mobile service provider happens to be #AT&T. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/att-has-been-helping-the-nsa-spy-on-internet-traffic-333/

Some newly disclosed documents, dating from 2003 to 2013, cite that the telecom company, AT&T, has been helping the U.S. NSA to spy on the Internet traffic passing across the United States. The topic was first brought to light by the former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden and started a huge debate about individuals’ privacy.

WHAT’S NEW?

The New York Times reported on Saturday that AT&T gave technical support to the National Security Agency, after carrying out an undercover court order, which gave permission to the government of the United States to intercept all web communications of the company’s customers in the United Nations.

HOW DID THAT HELP THE NSA?

Also, the telecom giant helped the spy agency with a series of classified activities, and the documents describe the connection between the NSA and AT&T as “a partnership and not a contractual relationship.” The telecom company helped the NSA to organize and carry out surveillance of international web communications that weathered through junction networks in the United States, and according to the NSA document, AT&T has been providing access to other telecoms and Internet Service Providers as well.

The reason why this access provided is extremely important is because a huge amount of the world’s web communication is transmitted through U.S. cables. The surveillance equipment that AT&T installed in, at least, 17 of its Internet hubs in America is located far away from Verizon’s equipment, and the first who tried the new technology were the company’s engineers.

AT&T’S COMMENTS

The Times report that in 2011 AT&T started giving the agency access to more than 1.1 billion private cellphone calls on a daily basis, in order to prepare for the 9/11 10th anniversary, as the document cites.

AT&T spokesman, Brad Burns, was asked to comment on the New York Times report and he chose to respond by an email to Reuters, saying that the company provides selected information to investigating authorities, only when a person’s life is in danger and time is valuable: “For example, in a kidnapping situation we could provide help tracking down called numbers to assist law enforcement,” he continued.

Burns added that the company has nothing more to report.

AT&T Has Been Helping the NSA Spy on Internet Traffic