Poaching In Africa Is Still Prevalent

In 2011 alone there have been 23 black and white Rhinos killed due to poaching in both Zimbabwe's National Parks and private reserves. In response to this there have been 37 arrests of suspected poachers and illegal ivory dealers. With the lucrative Asian and Middle Eastern market present it's no surprise that poaching still exists in Zimbabwe. With poverty at its highest level in Zimbabwe people living on the outskirts of National Parks and animal reserves have the temptation to poach a Rhino and sell the ivory on to a dealer to make some quick money for himself and his family. There are very few job opportunities in Zimbabwe so in many cases it's a 'needs, must' scenario.

Efforts are being made by the wildlife authorities in Zimbabwe by devising new ways to tackle this on going problem. A solution to the problem lies in the Rhino's horn, so horn removal projects have been implemented across the country in aid of saving the Rhinos. By removing these magnificent creatures horns, poachers will have no value in taking a Rhino's life and may therefore leave them alone. The ivory will then stay with the authorities who will keep it under lock and key away from the poachers. Another method being implemented is poisoning the horn of the Rhino, not in an attempt to harm the animal but to poison the poacher and the ivory dealers once they get their hands on the tusk. Both these methods could prove to be a resounding success as it will make life a lot trickier for both the poachers and the ivory dealers.

In other African nations, poaching is still an issue but not to the extent of Zimbabwe. Many other countries including Kenya and Tanzania have employed more fully trained rangers to patrol National Parks in search of poachers, laying traps and snares to catch them. Kenya also hopes to purchase another 14 light aircraft to patrol National Parks and suspected poaching sites which will enable them to respond much more swiftly than they would be able to on foot. Ultimately to quell this problem there needs to be a more forceful ban imposed in Asia and the Middle East to cut off the buyers. As long as there is demand for the ivory I'm afraid there will always be people trying to supply them whatever the cost. Until that day comes the only thing authorities in Africa can do is to be vigilant and keep coming up with new ideas on how to catch poachers and ivory dealers.

Are you looking for an African adventure? If you are looking for top of the line African safari, or perhaps a high end Botswana Safari? then we are the people to come to.

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Still Fighting the Toxic Giant

A few years ago, USA Today did a two-page article about the problems faced by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in their battle to clean up a Superfund plant on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho. I am sorry to say the saga continues. This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued proposed rules that would let the company, FMC Corporation, bury its industrial poisons on site.

One of the areas at risk from the poisons is "the bottoms." It's low-land creeks and marshes that feed into Idaho's Snake River. It's world-class fishing. It's also home to Shoshone and Bannock people. Bands from our tribes have wintered there and been a part of this landscape for at least the last 10,000 years.

Ten thousand years.

I think of those three words and wonder what's in store for the next 10,000 years. The EPA and FMC are proposing a scheme to cover up fifty years of waste. One of the toxic chemicals left behind is elemental phosphorus or P4, a material that remains poisonous for 10,000 years.

The EPA and FMC want to cover up this industrial mess with dirt and hope for the best. Their proposed plan would rely on "natural attenuation" to neutralize and dilute the poisons as they work their way through the soil and groundwater. FMC will then make a futile attempt to capture remaining contaminants by pumping and treating some of the groundwater at the site boundary. So those industrial poisons will likely leach out over time into our bottoms lands, the aquifer and the Snake River system. Our region's waterways essentially become the company's toxic toilet bowl.

So we're asking EPA and FMC to take a closer look at cleaning the one area of the site that we know is especially dirty, where poisons have been detected in groundwater at 90 feet. The old furnace building area contains significant quantities of elemental phosphorus. This is common sense because a treatment plan that gets at the most contaminated area means less poisons will end up in our water.

As USA Today reported, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have mixed feelings about FMC because the company did create so many good paying jobs for Shoshone-Bannock tribal members, including three current members of the tribal council. The product from the plant, elemental phosphorus, is used in so many everyday products. We get that. But we also know, and have known for a long time, about the risky nature of those chemicals.

FMC says one of its corporate values is "to protect the health and safety of our employees, our communities and the public" and "to operate our facilities in a manner that prevents harm to the environment." This is a good value. One that I endorse. It's also why FMC should do the right thing here and clean up the most toxic area of the site before it leaves our region for good.

I want my children, and their children, to have the same pride in the Fort Hall bottoms, and East Idaho, that I do. We need to make the decisions today to make that possible for the years ahead. Make that the 10,000 years ahead.

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Dominant Emerging Payments Players Still Undetermined in the Mobile Payments Industry

Advances and technological developments have changed the way the world does business. More and more business is conducted on the internet, specifically on the World Wide Web. Some of the benefits of using the internet as a platform for conducting business are that it has hundreds of millions of users across the globe, it is readily available on a 24 hour basis every day of the week, it is a relatively low cost platform for trading and it has huge potential for future growth and development.

The last couple of years have seen new and emerging forms of payment that have been developed for use within the mobile payments industry as well as at point-of-sale in retail stores and other outlets. Most of these applications are used with mobile phone applications, and while they can be used to purchase products at the many online stores and businesses, they can also be used at physical stores, such as at the local mall. The benefit of these methods are that they are much safer than carrying cash, they are much faster and they also help in the management of money, compared with older payment methods.

A good example of these types of emerging payments are mobile payments. This is a form of payment that unites mobile phones and developments in electronic money movement in order to conduct commerce. SmartMoney is an emerging payments forum that is in use in the Philippines and has seen huge growth in usage and adoption in the mobile payments industry. Yet another important payments system is G-Cash. This is a form of payment that enables shoppers and customers at stores and retail outlets to make payments, not with cash or credit cards, but with mobile money via their mobile phones.

At present, very few retailers have the necessary software and hardware to support mobile payments. However, mobile service providers and their associates are working extremely hard on developing modern software and components that can be adopted for regular use at retail outlets. These platforms should be able to accept mobile payments and offer them as a payment option at these stores.

There are also financial organizations that have jumped on the bandwagon of mobile payments applications and have developed a platform that users of these systems can benefit from. First Data Compass can accept and process payments information from transactions conducted via services similar to those offered by PayPal's platform. They have streamlined these processes and have enabled their customers to readily manage processes such as customer service, client order processing and many other functions.

The world of emerging payments is a fascinating and fast-paced one; visit our website to find out more about how the mobile payments industry is developing.

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There's No Standing Still in Business!

Have you ever felt stuck or comfortable with where you are? I know there are times when you just want the world to stand still - just make it stop for a short while, so you can catch your breath and then carry on. Me, too. But not very often!

"Build this day on a foundation of pleasant thoughts. Never fret at any imperfections that you fear may impede your progress. Remind yourself, as often as necessary, that you are a creature of God and have the power to achieve any dream by lifting up your thoughts. You can fly when you decide that you can. Never consider yourself defeated again. Let the vision in your heart be in your life's blueprint. Smile!"

~ Og Mandino

One of the absolute best quotes I have heard, over the past 3 years, is 'It's all about progress, not perfection!" That quote was so freeing! It gave me permission to get going - get moving - get things done - get unstuck.

I am very proud of my successes over the past few years. I know that 'time is money'; however, I also know that time's a passin'! I'm not 35 years old anymore - I must hold the clear vision of what I want my life and my business to look like - stay focused - and take action. That is how I managed to take my business from zero to multiple 6-figures in this relatively short period of time.

Here's how I did it - and you can, too! I focused on creating a profitable business -

P - stands for purpose, passion, practical and profit. These are all important elements as you start up, and grow, a business.

R - stands for 'reason' - every morning when I get up, I remind myself about the 'why' of my business - the reason I am doing what I am doing. My 'reason' is to work with women entrepreneurs around the world to help them achieve financial freedom. Then they can create the business and the life of their dreams - they can be independent. (That was key for me after my divorce!).

O - stands for optimism. I have had some hard times over the past number of years. I have had financial, emotional, physical and mental challenges. It was essential that I stayed optimistic about my future - it would have been so very easy to just give up - to live with excuses as to 'why it was not possible' to achieve my dream. I set the intention to remain optimistic - no matter who and no matter what.

F - stands for family and friends! I have the best girlfriends in the world. And I have an 88-year old mother who believes in me, who supports me (emotionally) and who cheers me on - even though she really doesn't have an understanding of what I do, LOL! We are the average of the 5 people we spend time with - who is in your circle?

I - stands for initiative and investment - I take the initiative when it comes to growing my business - and I make significant investments in myself and in my business - those are all my responsibility and I take them seriously. Do you? No one else is going to do the work that it takes to help me attract clients, create products and services, make sales calls to grow my business - it's up to me! I intend to continue on this journey and create wealthy women leaders around the world.

T - stands for team - as I grow my business each and every year, it takes a team to support my dream and my work. I cannot do this alone - I must focus on my talent - and hire great people to be around me to keep it all humming.

YOU ARE IN BUSINESS TO CREATE PROFIT

When you make a decision to take your business seriously, to make some serious money and to create a significant profit - that's when you can transform lives and help to change the world.

'Making money' and closing the sale are not 'dirty words'. They are a lifeline and a life-saver to many people who are struggling and you (and I) hold the key.

This is a month of celebration for me. It is a milestone in my life as I turn 60 - and celebrate the successful and inspiring woman that I have become. I intend to continue for many years yet - I have a lot of work to do - there are many wealthy women leaders waiting to evolve and I know I am just one woman who can help to make that happen!

Pat Mussieux is fast becoming regarded as a highly valued Canadian mentor for women entrepreneurs taking her own business from zero to a multiple 6-figure home-based business in less than 4 years. Much of her success can be attributed to her expertise in marketing, mindset and money! Pat Mussieux is a business coach, author, speaker and radio host. You can reach her at http://www.wealthywomenleaders.com/

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