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Comissão Mista Permanente sobre Migrações Internacionais e Refugiados (CMMIR) realiza audiência pública remota para debater sobre as políticas de acolhimento de refugiados afegãos no Brasil.
Painel exibe senadora Mara Gabrilli (PSDB-SP) em pronunciamento via videoconferência.
Foto: Edilson Rodrigues/Agência Senado
From left to right:
Luis Almagro, OAS Secretary General
Wilfred Elrington, Attorney General, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize
Juan Anibal Barría, Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS
Sandra Jovel, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala
Nestor Mendez, OAS Assistant Secretary General
Date: January 31, 2018
Place: Washington DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Simon McDonald and Permanent Under-Secretary at the UK Department for International Development Mark Lowcock met with Hon. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. They discussed progress on reconciliation, anti-corruption and UK assistance for reconciliation and reform.
Joaquín Maza, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the OAS
Date: September 6, 2013
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense General Warakiat Rattananont and others (not pictured) watch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., May 10, 2022. While at ANC, participated in a Public Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)
Carmen Luisa Velásquez, Ambassador, Alternate Representative of Venezuela to the OAS
Date: July 29, 2015.
Place: Washington, DC.
Credit: Maria Patricia Leiva/OAS
The Artifact Hunt
Permanent Gridwide Hunt!
One of 8 gifts in the 3x3 Puzzle Lockbox set out for you to crack at The Stringer Mausoleum. There is also lindens to be won at this box too!
Play the lockbox game, win a prize!
Click on the sign above the Lockbox to get you started and info on where to gain your hud. You need it to play the game
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lunaria%20Isle/224/165/46
If you have any question, feel free to ask here. I will be putting up some updated instructions on the Second Life Syndicate Website sometime soon, but until then I can field questions here.
A tomb guard from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment expresses thanks for the participation of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense General Warakiat Rattananont (left) and Thai General Nothapol Boonngam (center) in a Public Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., May 10, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense General Warakiat Rattananont (right) presents a gift to the unknown soldiers (received by Karen Durham-Aguilera (left), executive director, Army National Military Cemeteries) in the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., May 10, 2022. While at ANC, Rattananont viewed the Changing of the Guard and participated in a Public Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)
From left to right:
José Miguel Insulza, OAS Secretary General
Niermala Badrising, Chair of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Suriname to the OAS
Albert R. Ramdin, OAS Assistant Secretary General
Carmen Lucía de la Pava, Chief of Staff to the OAS Assistant Secretary General
José Salazar, Secretary, General Committee of the Permanent Council
Date: February 27, 2015
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Maria Patricia Leiva/OAS
Volkswagen’s latest “1-liter” car
*** 1 liter of fuel needed to travel 100 kilometers (235 mpg) ***
E N G I N E
* 0.8-liter turbocharged, intercooled DOHC 8-valve diesel inline-2 (circa 47 CV)
* permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor assist (circa 27 CV)
* combined power rating circa 60 CV
T R A N S M I S S I O N
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
P E R F O R M A N C E
0 to 100 km/h: 11.8 sec
400 m (standing ¼-mile): 22.0 sec
Top speed: 160 km/h (limited)
Duly Brutus, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the OAS
Date: January 15, 2014
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Pete Waterman's small ex-GWR prairie, 5553 hauls a mixed permanent way and general goods train from Minehead to Dunster during the West Somerset Railway's Spring Steam Gala yesterday.
Pedro Vergés, Chair of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Dominican Republic to the OAS
Date: March 28, 2014
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
From left to right:
Albert R. Ramdin, OAS Assistant Secretary General
Neil Parsan, Chair of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the OAS
Date: April 22, 2015
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
From left to right:
Jean Michel Arrighi, Secretary for Legal Affairs of the Organization of American States
Nestor Mendez, OAS Assistant Secretary General
Elliston Rahming, Chair of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Bahamas to the OAS
Gonzalo Koncke, Chief of Staff of the OAS Secretary General
Date: July 13, 2016
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Leonidas Rosa Bautista, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Honduras to the OAS
Date: May 7, 2014.
Place: Washington, DC.
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Duly Brutus, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the OAS
Date: September 20, 2013
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Due to works between Piccadilly Station and the Piccadilly Gardens junction, Ashton under Lyne trams terminated at the outbound platform of Piccadilly Station and Eccles trams terminated at Victoria Station, running via Market Street.
Tram 3087 turns from Market Street into Piccadilly Gardens on the revised Eccles service.
Comissão Mista Permanente sobre Migrações Internacionais e Refugiados (CMMIR) realiza audiência pública interativa para debater o futuro da Operação Acolhida.
Mesa:
analista de Relações Institucionais e Sustentabilidade do Serviço Jesuíta a Migrantes e Refugiados do Brasil (SJMR), Marcelo Lemos;
assessora especial para o chefe de missão da Organização Internacional para as Migrações (OIM), Socorro Tabosa;
presidente da CMMIR, deputado Túlio Gadêlha (Rede-PE);
terceira-secretária do Ministério de Relações Exteriores (MRE), Anna Paula Ribeiro Araújo Mamede;
chefe da Delegação Regional do Comitê Internacional da Cruz Vermelha (CICV), Alexandre Formisano.
À bancada, senador Paulo Paim (PT-RS).
Foto: Geraldo Magela/Agência Senado
Roy Chaderton, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the OAS
Date: July 8, 2015
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Maria Patricia Leiva/OAS
Emilio Rabasa Gamboa, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS
Date: March 30, 2015
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Juan Pablo Lira, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS
Date: March 13, 2015
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Emilio Rabasa Gamboa, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS
Date: January 31, 2014
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Andrés González Díaz, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS
Date: April 15, 2015
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Maria Patricia Leiva/OAS
Nestor Mendez, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Belize to the OAS and Candidate for Assistant Secretary General
Date: March 04, 2015
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Maria Patricia Leiva/OAS
The European herring gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull, up to 66 cm (26 in) long. Common in coastal regions of Western Europe, it was historically more abundant. It breeds across Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltic states. Some European herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate further south in winter, but many are permanent residents, such as in Ireland, Britain, Iceland, or on the North Sea shores. They have a varied diet, including fish, crustaceans, as well as some plants, and are also scavengers, consuming carrion and food left by or stolen from humans.
Taxonomy
Their scientific name is from Latin. Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird and argentatus means decorated with silver.
The taxonomy of the herring gull/lesser black-backed gull is contentious, with different authorities recognising between two and eight species
This group has a ring distribution around the Northern Hemisphere. Most adjacent populations interbreed; however, adjacent terminal populations do not.
The Association of European Rarities Committees recognises six species:
European herring gull, L. argentatus
American herring gull, L. smithsonianus
Caspian gull, L. cachinnans
Yellow-legged gull, L. michahellis
Vega gull, L. vegae
Armenian gull, L. armenicus
Subspecies
L. a. argentatus – Pontoppidan, 1763, the nominate form, sometimes known as the Scandinavian herring gull, breeds in Scandinavia and northwestern Russia. Northern and eastern populations migrate southwest in winter. It is a large, bulky gull with extensive white in the wingtips. The outermost primary, p10 often has a large white spot (called a mirror) that extends to the wingtip. The bill is longer and forehead flatter than argenteus.
L. a. argenteus – Brehm & Schilling, 1822, sometimes known as the Western European herring gull breeds in Western Europe in Iceland, the Faroes, Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Many birds are resident while others make short-distance migratory journeys. It is smaller than L. a. argentatus with more black and less white in the wingtips (p10 mirror is distinct from the white wingtip spot) and paler upper parts.
These taxa are classified as subspecies of Larus argentatus by some authorities such as the American Ornithologists' Union and Handbook of the Birds of the World. Others such as the Association of European Rarities Committees, British Ornithologists' Union, and the International Ornithological Union now regard them as one or two separate species.
L. (a.) smithsonianus, the American herring gull, breeds in Alaska, Canada, and the Northeast United States. Many birds migrate southwards in winter, reaching as far as Central America and the West Indies. Immature birds tend to be darker and more uniformly brown than European herring gulls and have a dark tail.
L. (a.) vegae, the Vega gull, breeds in northeastern Siberia. It winters in Japan, Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan.
Several other gulls have been included in this species in the past, but are now normally considered separate, e.g. the yellow-legged gull (L. michahellis), the Caspian gull (L. cachinnans), the Armenian gull (L. armenicus) and Heuglin's gull (L. heuglini).
Description
The male European herring gull is 60–67 cm (24–26 in) long and weighs 1,050–1,525 g (2.315–3.362 lb), while the female is 55–62 cm (22–24 in) and weighs 710–1,100 g (1.57–2.43 lb). The wingspan can range from 125 to 155 cm (49 to 61 in). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 38 to 48 cm (15 to 19 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.5 cm (1.7 to 2.6 in) and the tarsus is 5.3 to 7.5 cm (2.1 to 3.0 in). Adults in breeding plumage have a light grey back and upper wings and white head and underparts. The wingtips are black with white spots known as "mirrors". The bill is yellow with a red spot and a ring of bare yellow skin is seen around the pale eye. The legs are normally pink at all ages, but can be yellowish, particularly in the Baltic population, which was formerly regarded as a separate subspecies "L. a. omissus". Non-breeding adults have brown streaks on their heads and necks. Male and female plumage are identical at all stages of development, but adult males are often larger.
Juvenile and first-winter birds are mainly brown with darker streaks and have a dark bill and eyes. Second-winter birds have a whiter head and underparts with less streaking and the back is grey. Third-winter individuals are similar to adults, but retain some of the features of immature birds such as brown feathers in the wings and dark markings on the bill. The European herring gull attains adult plumage and reaches sexual maturity at an average age of four years.
At least in the south-west part of the Baltic Sea and surrounding areas, the European herring gull (L. argentatus) actually can be seen with yellow legs. They are not considered as a subspecies, since they regularly breed with grey/flesh-coloured legged herring gulls. The offspring may get yellow or normal-coloured legs. They must not be confused with the in general yellow-legged gull (L. michahellis), which are more common in the Mediterranean area, but single birds may reach more northern seas.
Similar species
Adult European herring gulls are similar to ring-billed gulls, but are much larger, have pinkish legs, and a much thicker yellow bill with more pronounced gonys. First-winter European herring gulls are much browner, but second- and third-winter birds can be confusing since soft part colours are variable and third-year herring gull often show a ring around the bill. Such birds are most easily distinguished by the larger size and larger bill of European herring gull.
The European herring gull can be differentiated from the closely related, slightly smaller lesser black-backed gull by the latter's dark grey (not actually black) back and upper wing plumage and its yellow legs and feet.
The smaller silver gull is largely confined to Australia.
Voice
Herring gulls are noisy, gregarious birds with distinctive vocalisations. Their loud, laughing call is particularly well known, and is often seen as a symbol of the seaside in countries such as the United Kingdom. The European herring gull also has a yelping alarm call and a low, barking anxiety call. The most distinct and best known call produced by European herring gulls – which is shared with their American relative – is the raucous territorial 'long call', used to signal boundaries to other birds; it is performed by the gull initially with its head bowed, then raised as the call continues.
European herring gull chicks and fledglings emit a distinctive, repetitive, high-pitched 'peep', accompanied by a head-flicking gesture when begging for food from or calling to their parents. Adult gulls in urban areas also exhibit this behaviour when fed by humans.
Behaviour
European herring gull flocks have a loose pecking order, based on size, aggressiveness, and physical strength. Adult males are usually dominant over females and juveniles in feeding and boundary disputes, while adult females are typically dominant when selecting their nesting sites.
The European herring gull has long been believed to have extremely keen vision in daylight and night vision equal or superior to that of humans; however, this species is also capable of seeing ultraviolet light. This gull also appears to have excellent hearing and a sense of taste that is particularly responsive to salt and acidity.
Parasites of European herring gulls include the fluke Microphallus piriformes.
Distribution
Ireland: Copeland Bird Observatory, Co Down.
Britain: Since 2009, herring gulls in the United Kingdom have been on the red list of birds of conservation concern, including County Durham.
Europe: Recorded from all the coasts of Europe including the Mediterranean and occasionally inland.
North America: A permanent resident in the Carolinas.
Diet
These are omnivores and opportunists like most Larus gulls, and scavenge from garbage dumps, landfill sites, and sewage outflows, with refuse comprising up to half of the bird's diet. It also steals the eggs and young of other birds (including those of other gulls), as well as seeking suitable small prey in fields, on the coast or in urban areas, or robbing plovers or lapwings of their catches. European herring gulls may also dive from the surface of the water or engage in plunge diving in the pursuit of aquatic prey, though they are typically unable to reach depths greater than 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) due to their natural buoyancy. Despite their name, they have no special preference for herrings — in fact, examinations have shown that echinoderms and crustaceans comprised a greater portion of these gulls' stomach contents than fish, although fish is the principal element of regurgitations for nestlings. European herring gulls can frequently be seen to drop shelled prey from a height to break the shell. In addition, the European herring gull has been observed using pieces of bread as bait with which to catch goldfish. Vegetable matter, such as roots, tubers, seeds, grains, nuts, and fruit, is also taken to an extent. Captive European herring gulls typically show aversion to spoiled meat or heavily salted food, unless they are very hungry. The gulls may also rinse food items in water in an attempt to clean them or render them more palatable before swallowing.
European herring gulls may be observed rhythmically drumming their feet upon the ground for prolonged periods of time in a behaviour that superficially resembles Irish stepdancing, for the purpose of creating vibrations in the soil, driving earthworms to the surface, which are then consumed by the gull. These vibrations are thought to mimic those of digging moles, eliciting a surface-escape behaviour from the earthworm, beneficial in encounters with this particular predator, which the European herring gull then exploits to its own benefit in a similar manner to human worm charmers.
Whilst the European herring gull is fully capable (unlike humans) of consuming seawater without becoming ill, using specialized glands located above the eyes to remove excess salt from the body (which is then excreted in solution through the nostrils and drips from the end of the bill), it drinks fresh water in preference, if available.
The opportunistic diet of the herring gull has consequences for egg traits. A study found that larger eggs were laid in colonies where females consumed either a higher proportion of marine resources or terrestrial resources; smaller eggs were laid in colonies where females had an intermediate diet. In colonies where females consumed more marine items, they also laid eggs with higher maculation (intensity and size of spots) compared with colonies where females mainly consumed terrestrial food.
Courtship and reproduction
When forming a pair bond, the hen approaches the cock on his territory with a hunched, submissive posture, while making begging calls (similar to those emitted by young gulls). If the cock chooses not to attack her and drive her away, he responds by assuming an upright posture and making a mewing call. This is followed by a period of synchronised head-tossing movements, after which the cock then regurgitates some food for his prospective mate. If this is accepted, copulation follows. A nesting site is then chosen by both birds which is returned to in successive years. European herring gulls are almost exclusively sexually monogamous and may pair up for life, provided the couple is successful in hatching their eggs.
Two to four eggs, usually three, are laid on the ground or cliff ledges in colonies, and are defended vigorously by this large gull. The eggs are usually olive-brown in colour with dark speckles or blotches. They are incubated by both parents for 28–30 days. The chicks hatch with their eyes open, covered with fluffy down, and they are able to walk around within hours. Breeding colonies are preyed upon by great black-backed gulls, harriers, corvids and herons.
Juveniles use their beaks to peck at the red spot on the beaks of adults to indicate hunger. Parents then typically disgorge food for their offspring. The young birds are able to fly 35–40 days after hatching and fledge at five or six weeks of age. Chicks are generally fed by their parents until they are 11–12 weeks old, but the feeding may continue for more than six months of age if the young gulls continue to beg. The male feeds the chick more often than the female before fledging, with the female more often feeding after fledging.
Like most gulls, European herring gulls are long-lived, with a maximum age of 49 years recorded. Raptors (especially owls, peregrine falcons, and gyrfalcons) and seals (especially grey seals) occasionally prey on the non-nesting adults.
In the UK, the species, when taken as a whole, is declining significantly across the country, despite an increase in urban areas. The UK European herring gull population has decreased by 50% in 25 years and it is protected by law: since January 2010, Natural England has allowed lethal control only with a specific individual licence that is available only in limited circumstances. Natural England made the change following a public consultation in response to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 2009 placing the species on its 'Red List' of threatened bird species, affording it the highest possible conservation status. (Previously, killing the species was allowed under a general licence obtainable by authorised persons (e.g. landowners or occupiers) under certain circumstances (e.g. to prevent serious damage to crops or livestock, to prevent disease, or to preserve public health or safety) without requiring additional permission beyond the general licence.)
The European herring gull is an increasingly common roof-nesting bird in urban areas of the UK, and many individual birds show little fear of humans. The Clean Air Act 1956 forbade the burning of refuse at landfill sites, providing the European herring gull with a regular and plentiful source of food. As a direct result, European herring gull populations in Britain skyrocketed. Faced with a lack of space at their traditional colonies, the gulls ventured inland in search of new breeding grounds. Dwindling fish stocks in the seas around Britain may also have been a significant factor in the gulls' move inland.
The gulls are found all year round in the streets and gardens of Britain, due to the presence of street lighting (which allows the gulls to forage at night), discarded food in streets, food waste contained in easy-to-tear plastic bin bags, food intentionally left out for other birds (or the gulls themselves), the relative lack of predators, and readily available, convenient, warm and undisturbed rooftop nesting space in towns and cities. Particularly large urban gull colonies (composed primarily of European herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls) are now present in Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucester, Swindon, London, and Aberdeen.
Where not persecuted, herring gulls can become tame in the presence of humans, and may live in proximity to certain humans they learn to trust, and may occasionally enter buildings to receive or steal food.
The survival rate for urban gulls is much higher than their counterparts in coastal areas, with an annual adult mortality rate less than 5%. Also, each European herring gull pair commonly rears three chicks per year. This, when combined with their long-lived nature, has resulted in a massive increase in numbers over a relatively short period of time and has brought urban-dwelling members of the species into conflict with humans.
Once familiar with humans, urban European herring gulls show little hesitation in swooping down to steal food from the hands of humans, although a study conducted in 2019 demonstrated that some gulls are more averse to snatching food in proximity to humans if the experimenter made eye contact with the bird. During the breeding season, the gulls also aggressively 'dive bomb' and attempt to strike with claws and wings (sometimes spraying faeces or vomit at the same time) at humans that they perceive to be a threat to their eggs and chicks—often innocent passers-by or residents of the buildings on which they have constructed their nests. Large amounts of gull excrement deposited on property and the noise from courting pairs and begging chicks in the summer is also considered to be a nuisance by humans living alongside the European herring gull.
Nonlethal attempts to deter the gulls from nesting in urban areas have been largely unsuccessful. The European herring gull is intelligent and will completely ignore most bird-scaring technology after determining that it poses no threat. Rooftop spikes, tensioned wires, netting, and similar are also generally ineffective against this species, as it has large, wide feet with thick, leathery skin, which affords the seagull excellent weight distribution and protection from sharp objects (the bird may simply balance itself on top of these obstacles with little apparent concern). If nests are removed and eggs are taken, broken, or oiled, the gulls simply rebuild and/or relay, or choose another nest site in the same area and start again.
Man-made models of birds of prey placed on top of buildings are generally ignored by the gulls once they realise they are not real, and attempts to scare the gulls away using raptors are similarly ineffective. Although they are intimidated by birds of prey, European herring gulls, in addition to being social birds with strength in numbers, are large, powerful, and aggressive as individuals and are more than capable of fighting back against the potential predator, particularly if they consider their chicks to be at risk; in fact, the gulls may actually pose a greater threat to a raptor than vice versa. European herring gulls are also naturally accustomed to predators (such as skuas and great black-backed gulls) living in the vicinity of their nest sites in the wild and are not particularly discouraged from breeding by their presence.
War Years Remembered is not a state-run museum. Due to the various lock-downs over the past year the museum has suffered greatly, with almost all of our annual income lost. All through lock-down the team at War Years Remembered has continued to support anyone requiring research from documentary makers and authors to families and veterans, all for free.
Our long-term goal for War Years Remembered is to find a permanent home and seek accredited museum status. Our dream is to become a major attraction that will provide an enjoyable, interesting and educational experience to all who visit.
We are fighting to survive the Covid-19 pandemic but we need your help. To survive and remain in our present location, we currently need to raise £50,000. With this money we can continue our vital work in remembering our veterans and the collection will be preserved for the education of future generations.
We were inspired by our late veteran 'Captain Tom' and our younger volunteers came up with the idea to walk 'in the footsteps of heroes'. So, over the coming weeks we will be using treadmills to walk 602 miles, the distance from our museum in Ballyclare to the beaches of Normandy, a journey undertaken by so many young men and women who fought in the Second World War. We will be posting regular updates on our progress and we hope you enjoy watching our journey.
Please give what you can, please help save War Years Remembered.
Edgar Ugalde Álvarez, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the OAS
Date: January 31, 2014
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS