As an aquarium professional I would like to discuss the pressure our hobby as put on the world’s reefs and what we can do to minimize damage. First and foremost we must promote responsible reef keeping by learning and researching these wild animals we wish to care for out of their natural environment. Management through collector and consumer education as well as captive farming and aquaculture we can make this hobby sustainable.
The aquarium hobby is a complex hobby to say the least; this makes research the most important component in this hobby. The net is full of resources that will help you in your decision of your newest animal you want to add to your aquarium. For Details go to www.positive-idea.com. There are many things you need to ask yourself when you are adding a new animal to your reef.
1. Are my current animals compatible with this new addition? 2. How difficult or sensitive is the new animal to water conditions. 3. What is the success rate of this animal in captivity? Does keeping them in an aquarium cut their life span in half? (In the wild Mandarins live to be 15 years old, in captivity most don't live over 2 years.) 4. What are this animal’s food requirements, water temperature, or salinity etc? 5. Are you purchasing this animal from a responsible store or supplier (Stay away from stores that will just sell you a fish to make a sale, or sell corals that they know don't survive in captivity for long periods of time.)
These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before making the purchase of a new animal.
Next I want to get into the subject of Captive bred fish and Aqua cultured corals. This to me is a very important role in the aquarium industry. Not only do some of the most beautiful prized and most expensive pieces of coral come from aquaculture, they also are adjusted to the life in an aquarium through generations of captive flagging.
There are more reasons to aquaculture than I can think of but here are a few reasons.
1. You can do this at home! Many people pay their hobby expenses or make a living from selling their aqua cultured corals. 2. Wild corals generally come with parasites or foreign animals you don't want in your aquarium. 3. Wild colonies will be shipped in unhealthy and for the most part will not adjust well to your aquarium causing lack of color and health as well as death. 4. Aquaculture put less stress on the world’s reefs. Although some countries like the Filipino government has failed to protect its coral reefs and ornamental fish this doesn't mean we can't prevent further destruction by sustaining our own captive inhabitants. 5. Less costly. Most aquaculture corals are less costly than a wild caught animal as they don't have to travel as far and aren't imported.
Finally the last thing we can do to promote the health of world reefs and maintain a sustainable marine aquarium trade is to educate the consumer and collector. For more details you can login towww.change-ur-mind.com. Organizations like Reef Check and MAC challenge hobbies and collectors to maintain standards and care of ornamental marine life. Education to consumers and collectors will help the effort worldwide for a sustainable aquarium industry.
While surfing the 'net, I came across a report about the reduction of identity theft and identity fraud. Obviously, it caught my attention. Following, in part, is that report which was produced by Javelin Strategy & Research, and co-sponsored by CheckFree Corporation, Visa Card, and Wells Fargo & Co.
While identity theft remains a multi-billion-dollar problem for businesses, organizations, and individuals, incidents of the fraud dropped significantly last year, according to a report.
Identity fraud occurring in the United States declined in 2006 by 12 percent over the year before, from $55.7 billion to $49.3 billion, according to the third-annual survey by Javelin Strategy & Research. The survey, which involved 5,000 telephone interviews, estimated the number of victims dropped for the fourth consecutive year by about 500,000 to 8.4 million persons.
Researchers attributed the decline to better consumer education and awareness and increased use of online banking and financial sites that allow closer monitoring of accounts. "Businesses are doing a lot more, law enforcement is doing more, and so are consumers," said James Van Dyke, president of Javelin, a research company in Pleasanton, Calif., specializing in financial services and payments.
Tena Friery, research director at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer organization in San Diego, said she was surprised by the size of the decline but said there is much greater public awareness. "We still have a long way to go," she said.
According to the report, there was a significant reduction in fraudulent new-account openings, traditionally one of the most common kinds of fraud. It occurs when a criminal uses a victim's personal data to open a new account.
The survey also found that it takes on average less time and expense to resolve a fraud case than last year. When fraudulent accounts are opened, the average fraud amounts dropped from more than $10,000 in 2005 to $7,260 in 2006. Resolution times dropped from an average of 25 hours in 2005 to five hours in 2006.
Van Dyke said one reason the numbers are down is that businesses are "screening account applicants much more closely." Individuals and consumer groups have long argued that extra screening was needed because conflicting application information, such as two addresses, could indicate identity fraud.
One group that isn't doing better, according to the report, is 18- to 24-year olds. This age group was more likely to become a victim of identity theft than other age groups. (See sure to read my related article, Your Child's First Year at College: Prime Target for Identity Theft?.)
The report references offline criminal activities; however, I do believe that incidents of identity theft have remained unchanged online. One example is stated above, with cybercriminals targeting recent high school graduates and college freshmen.
Unfortunate victims, these graduates and college freshmen provide extremely lucrative opportunities for the cybercriminals to obtain their personal information. Even before they start their first careers, these graduates and college students will, most likely, be crippled by identity theft.
To protect yourself, you need an internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!
Because cybercriminals are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their operations, they are real threats to your personal security and privacy. Your money, your computer, your family, and your business are all at risk.
These cybercriminals leave you with three choices :
1. Do nothing and hope their attacks, risks, and threats don't occur on your computer.
2. Do research and get training to protect yourself, your family, and your business.
3. Get professional help to lockdown your system from all their attacks, risks, and threats.
Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!
? MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, The Internet Safety Advocate and Educator
Both Amanu & The Internet Safety Advocate are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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The Internet Safety Advocate has sinced written about articles on various topics from Network Marketing, Online Security and Parental Care. Etienne A. Gibbs, Independent Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, malware, hackers, and other cybercrimes a. The Internet Safety Advocate's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.