Russ McCutcheon

When I was a little girl, I wanted a pet tiger a desire I attribute entirely to Princess Jasmine from Disneys Aladdin. Her large feline companion, Raja, seemed to be perfect. He was exciting, cuddly, cute, protective, empathetic, and sweet. The ideal animal friend.

However, Raja was also a fictional cartoon character. I grew out of it. No matter how many Animal Planet specials I see with adorable infant wild critters, I force myself to remember that they are, in fact, wild. Im not equipped to take care of them, unless you count the fact that many of those beasties would probably make a good meal out of me.

Now, the extent of my pet-extravagance entails a cat (not a tiger) named Zip, two Australian shepherds named Foster and Wallaby, and a rescued West Highland terrier named Clover. They are certainly not as glamorous as a tiger. My cat may be fat and lazy and my dogs may love to howl themselves hoarse at passing ambulances, but at least they arent harboring a latent desire to rip my face off that I know of.

Not everyone shares my contentment with plain old domestic pets. Some people dont want to go all the way to the zoo or a wildlife preserve to see exotic animals. They would rather look out their windows from a safe distance to see bison, tropical birds, monkeys, and all manner of other creatures in their own backyard.

As exotic pet ownership continues to grow, so do my concerns for the animals being taken home.

Unfortunately, there is no concrete definition of exotic pet, which can make the issue even more muddled. Some interpretations are broad enough to include pet store staples such as Guinea pigs, ferrets, and rats. Others try to limit the meaning to animals that were more recently in the wild. Still others use exotic to mean any animal that hasnt been fully domesticated, but complete domestication can take generations upon generations and there is no standard definition in this case either. Domestic dogs and cats as we own them now have taken thousands of years to get to this point. More commonly, the colloquial usage seems to basically refer to any animal you cant readily buy at your local pet store.

On this weeks Special Report we profile two women dedicated to some of the most gruelling disciplines in sport.

Katie Taylor is the three time amateur world champion in womens boxing – and she likes nothing better than sparring against the men.

Meanwhile, World Championship silver medallist Nicola Sanders wants to make Team GBs 400m squad, but injury has plagued her preparations.

Katie and Nicola are both part of the Sky Sports Scholarships scheme, which aims to help athletes reach their potential on the international stage.

Check in with Special Report this Monday at 7.30pm Sky Sports News HD to find out how they are getting on.

Missed last weeks show or want to watch it again? Catch The Billionaires Club on Sky Anytime.

To find out more about the Sky Sports Scholarships scheme, click here.

During his first 100 days in office, Streetsboro Mayor-elect Glenn Broska plans to focus on community building.

He said he wants to develop working relationships with the school, business and churches in town. By reaching out to organizations in the community, Broska hopes to develop a working network of potential volunteers who can help with city projects.

Im looking for leaders, he said. When I find leaders, I know I can utilize them to help the city move forward.

Broska said hes already developed relationships with leaders within the PTA and Peoples Alliance for Streetsboro Schools who can help spread enthusiasm and support for plans.

The more we get buy-in from the community, the more people who are involved, the more people will want to be involved, he said.

Broska said he already has talked to Superintendent Bob Hunt to see what we can do together as a team, not only to improve the schools, but also to improve the community.

He also wants to develop strong ties to the citys business community, with Geis Co. and other business leaders who can help support initiatives the city takes on.

Im a firm believer in communicating with business leaders within the business community and getting their ideas about how we can help them and how they can help us, Broska said.

One of the initiatives that would require support and enthusiasm is a potential new city hall and municipal complex, which will be studied in greater detail during a feasibility study in the coming year.

I dont know what theyre going to come up with (in the feasibility study), said Broska. In my opinion, I feel our current city hall is not adequate for what we need to do.

Selling the current City Hall property on SR 43 near the center of town could help fund a new city hall, which Broska said he envisions on the city-owned property just west of Target on SR 303.

Why dont we start acting like a city of 16,000 and erect a building that is functional and appealing but not ornate? he asked. We can make it better for our seniors, and we can make it better for our workers. I feel that putting a new city hall in the area by the Beck property and then having that property surrounded by a park would go a long way toward beautifying our city.

Broska said he plans to take time to share his vision for the city with department heads and work to create a positive environment at City Hall.

I want to get to know the (city) department heads and speak with them as far as my vision and the direction I want to see things take and make sure theyre on board, he said, adding he has no plans to replace any of them. Were a business that provides a service. The way to provide the best service is to motivate people and keep morale high.

On the economic development front, Broska said he plans to continue pursuing plans by unnamed developers to renovate the old Walmart store as a recreation facility, featuring a variety of indoor and outdoor amenities.

If that plan comes to fruition and a tenant is found for the anchor unit at Market Square Plaza, now empty but leased by Giant Eagle, business could be jumpstarted in the immediate area.

Im going to talk to Kohls; Im going to talk to Marshalls, he said. If we get that anchor tenant, were going to be bringing more people in from around the area.

Broska also said he plans to approach hotels, pitching plans for a convention center and fine dining restaurant, both of which he said are badly needed in the city.

We have nine or 11 hotels and not one of them has a meeting room that holds more than 75 people, he said, explaining the facility would provide a venue for business meetings, community events, weddings and other functions that currently take residents and business leaders outside of Streetsboro.

These first 100 days are going to be these ideas to paper and putting them in the hands of people to pursue them, he said.

Beijing, Nov. 25 (CNA) Food shops on Beijings Taiwan Commercial Street remained closed Friday despite an earlier announcement that they would resume operations that day. There are more than 20 shops at the Taiwan Night Market area in the commercial street complex, but business has been poor, as it is situated in a remote suburb of the sprawling capital.

The shops suspended operations a week earlier in the midst of a dispute between the vendors and the operator of the night market. Chinese agencies in charge of Taiwanese affairs have intervened in the dispute, and Beijings Taiwan Affairs Office announced Thursday that the night market would resume operations the following day. However, a CNA reporter found that the shops remained closed. One disgruntled visitor showed a voucher he had bought on a previous occasion and asked indignantly: How can I get my money back? The failure to reopen was apparently the result of a deadlock between the vendors and the operator, Chen Kuo-yuan, a former secretary-general of the Beijing Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises. Vendor Tian Shumin said the revenues from the night market are collected by Chen and that he should return at least 73 percent to the vendors every two weeks. But payments since June were delayed and there were no payments at all after the long holiday in October in celebration of Chinas national day. The vendors estimated that the backlog of payments amounts to nearly 500,000 yuan (US$78,330). Chen refused to comment, saying he was too busy clearing the site in preparation for reopening. (By Chou Kuo-chiang and Lilian Wu)

Two Bainbridge Island police officers received disciplinary action in the wake of separate investigations that have resulted in one officers suspension and another resigning.

Police Officer Scott Weiss, president of the Bainbridge Island Police Guild, has filed a grievance of his current suspension of 160 work hours without pay after an investigation revealed he was involved in surveillance of a City Council member for personal reasons. The suspension does not affect his current standing as the president of the police guild.

In a separate action, Police Officer Michelle Vollmer, the guilds secretary, resigned in lieu of termination after an investigation pertaining to her surreptitiously recording a meeting between City Manager Brenda Bauer and members of the police guild.

We believe we have a very good police force … they work hard, Bauer said. If there are people who make mistakes they will be held accountable. If there are people who arent a good fit, there will be consequences.

Surveillance allegations

Weiss was alleged to have followed and surveilled Councilor Kim Brackett after a council meeting. According to the notice of discipline memorandum issued to Weiss by Bauer and Police Chief Jon Fehlman, the allegation was found to be sustained and he was suspended from Nov. 9 to Dec. 2.

The action was based on information brought forth during an investigation by the Washington State Patrol Investigative Services Bureau — an investigation that was held at the request of Fehlman.

Fehlman said he overheard Brackett’s allegations last February during a council meeting, and again during conversations outside the council chambers, and was personally prompted to request the investigation by WSP.

On Oct. 12, 2010, the council held an executive meeting that dealt with the city’s budget, and included councilors Brackett and Bill Knobloch, and Weiss, who attended in the interest of the police guild.

Knobloch had invited Brackett to his home for tea with his wife after the meeting. On her way to Knobloch’s home, Brackett noticed Officer Weiss in his patrol car in the City Hall parking lot as she exited. She told investigators that he remained behind her car as she drove along Winslow Way toward State Route 305, where traffic from a ferry had just been released. She lost track of Weiss at that point.

Later that week, an online comment posted on a Bainbridge Island Review article (“City cuts service groups’ funding out of budget,” Oct. 14, 2010) under the pseudonym “Hunter,” detailed Brackett’s location on the night of Oct. 12, including: “…Kim Brackett went straight to Bill Knobloch’s house after the council meeting. No doubt to commiserate and plan the attack to try amp; sway or undo the council decisions.”

During the investigation it was discovered that “Hunter” is Weiss, who admitted to using the alias when making online comments. As “Hunter,” Weiss had been commenting on a number of online articles, many regarding criticism of the city.

Weiss told investigators he knew Brackett’s location because he patrolled the neighborhood where Knobloch lives later while on duty, and noticed her car. He denied following her to the residence directly after the council meeting.

The investigation took into account police records indicating the whereabouts of Officer Weiss and concluded that the only time he could have patrolled Knobloch’s neighborhood was immediately after the meeting when Brackett was driving there. The notice of discipline states that this conclusion was consistent with the police officer’s online comment claiming knowledge that Brackett went “straight” to Knobloch’s home after the meeting.

“Because of the powers that we grant to police officers, we hold them to a very high standard of conduct,” Bauer said. “And generally, Bainbridge Island police officers perform to that high standard. In cases where that is not true, as with any employee, we will hold the employee accountable.”

The issue of Weiss commenting online under the alias “Hunter” was included in the investigation due to allegations that they may have constituted harassment.

“I think he’s harassing me…” Bracket told investigators. “…primarily through the blogs.”

Investigators found no direct or indirect contact between Brackett and Weiss, and concluded that they did not find any blog posts that could be considered threatening.

The investigation was concluded on June 8, after which the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office declined to prosecute the case, concluding that Weiss’ actions did not constitute criminal activity. The WSP then ran a second investigation which looked into whether Weiss’ actions violated the police’s cannon of ethics and the General Orders Manual.

Based on WSP’s report, the citys disciplinary notice stated Weiss violated four standards of the Bainbridge Island Police General Orders Manual Canon of Ethics, as well as being cited for violating standing orders regarding unbecoming conduct, violation of rules and courtesy, of the general orders manual.

Fehlman said Weiss, who has not responded to email and phone requests from the Review, has filed a grievance to the disciplinary action through the collective bargaining agreement between the city and the guild.

Fehlman will have 10 days after receiving Weiss’ written grievance to conduct a meeting on the matter and then 15 days after that to make a decision.

Surreptitious recording

Officer Vollmer resigned in lieu of termination on Nov. 7, a day before her disciplinary hearing.

The incident that resulted in her resignation stems from a meeting on Sept. 12 in Bauer’s office with Weiss, guild treasurer Mo Stich and Vollmer, the guild’s secretary. The meeting’s purpose was to address a press release from the city containing statements the guild felt were possibly inaccurate and did not favorably reflect upon the organization, according to Stich’s testimony to investigators.

After the meeting, Vollmer revealed to Weiss and Stich that she had used a tape-recorder during the meeting and planned to use the tape when typing up a summary of the meeting for the guild. Weiss and Stich informed Vollmer that despite the intent for personal use, all parties must be aware of the recording and her actions were therefore illegal.

Washington law requires that all parties are aware and consent to any recording private communications including private conversations or meetings such as between the guild and the city manager.

The three officers informed Chief Fehlman the following day, who in turn reported the incident to Bauer. Vollmer was immediately placed on administrative leave while an investigation was conducted by the Lynnwood Police Department.

“There’s a violation of law on the outside, but whether there was intent to break the law, I do not believe so,” Stich said in her testimony to investigators. “I really don’t believe there was an intent there to break the law.”

A report of the investigation was turned over to the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office, which declined to prosecute the case after finding that there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal act beyond a reasonable doubt.

Due to her role as a victim in the situation, Bauer was not involved with the disciplinary action toward Vollmer. Deputy City Manager Morgan Smith and Chief Fehlman tended to the investigation and course of discipline.

“There are some very talented, kind hardworking officers in the police department,” Bauer said. “In addition we will hold people accountable.”

Contact Bainbridge Island Review Staff Writer Richard D. Oxley at roxley@bainbridgereview.com or 206-842-6613.

Comment on this story.

How did it get to this?

After Qantas grounded its world-wide fleet on October 29, 2011, Fair Work Australia convened a full bench of three members who listened to submissions from the parties, working late into the night on that Saturday and Sunday. Then FWA determined that Qantas and the three unions that were in dispute with it should terminate all industrial action. FWA awarded the parties in dispute a period of 21 days in which to try to negotiate settlements. The parties were obliged to engage in bargaining in good faith.

That deadline passed at midnight on Monday, so the parties now move to binding arbitration determined by the FWA. Such settlements could last for up to four years.

What happens in arbitration?

In the next few days, with FWAs help, Qantas and the unions will work through which aspects of the disputes have already been mutually agreed and which would be determined by arbitration. The arbitration process could be accelerated if the parties could narrow down which issues remain to be arbitrated, that is decided by FWA.

Nonetheless, in view of the complexities of this case, the arbitration process is not likely to be concluded until 2012. The FWA determinations are not entirely predictable, except that it is unlikely that FWA will award a complete victory to any party.

Qantas seems to be assuming that FWA would not make decisions that would seriously encroach on what employers refer to under such headings as business decisions and managerial prerogatives. These might include which work is conducted, by whom and in which country that work is performed. Qantas see its proposals to outsource more work and establish more subsidiaries overseas as falling under such headings. This is why Qantas generally seems to be less concerned than some of the unions about the possible outcomes of the arbitration process.

Nevertheless, FWA will no doubt listen to lots of submissions from the parties including expert witnesses and allegations that some of the earlier bargaining was not being conducted in good faith.

In the meantime, the challenge for all the parties is to rebuild trust, to restore good working relationships and to rescue Qantass reputation with its staff, customers, the government and other stakeholders.

Could there be further industrial action?

While arbitration is proceeding, there should also be no discrimination again those who were involved in the earlier industrial action. These parties are not allowed to take part in further industrial action.

But this ban on further industrial action does not apply to overseas unions. This could be a vulnerability for Qantas, since it is possible that the London-based International Transport Workers Federation of unions might campaign further against Qantas.

The ITF was a key player in the waterfront dispute in the late 1990s. The ITF recently coordinated union members from around the world staging protests on 16 November 2011 to show their solidarity with Qantas workers who are in dispute. Protesters gathered outside the Australian High Commission in London as part of this Qantas action day, to demonstrate support for airline staff engaged in this dispute in Australia.

How did all this start?

Qantas was founded in 1920 in Queensland, in outback Australia. It is now one of the oldest airlines in the world. Qantas grew to become one of Australias most famous brands, with a great reputation and its largest airline (the national flag carrier) and is one of the few airlines that flies to all inhabited continents. Qantas was owned by the Australian government for many years, until it was fully privatised in 1995.

Much more recently, the unions that represent three important categories of Qantas staff had been trying to negotiate with Qantas new enterprise bargaining agreements: the Transport Workers Union of Australia, the Australian and International Pilots Union and the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association. The issues differ in each case, but all include the levels of pay and aspects of outsourcing and job security.

After many negotiations between Qantas and of these three unions, each union balloted their members then deployed relatively mild industrial-relations sanctions. These were lawful forms of protected industrial action.

In retaliation, on October 29, 2011, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce made the radical decision to ground Qantass worldwide fleet immediately. He also announced that two days later, Qantas would lock out its staff who are represented by the three unions involved. These workers would not be paid while locked out.

This tactic threatened to damage Qantass reputation. It disrupted many of its customers and its workforce. But Alan Joyce held that he had no alternative. His aim was to trigger government intervention.

In my view he could have achieved the same outcome in other ways. However, his tactic appeared to succeed because it precipitated a national crisis, since Australia is a large island continent, which depends on airlines to transport people and goods to overseas destinations and within Australia. Unfortunately, Australia does not have high-speed rail or road connections between its major cities. Therefore, the federal government asked its agency, FWA, to intervene immediately.

The role of Fair Work Australia

FWA is the national workplace-relations tribunal. It is impartial and sometimes called the industrial-relations umpire. Its decision to terminate industrial action by the unions still faces the possibility of a legal challenge by two of the unions: the Australian and International Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. However, Qantas and the federal government are strongly opposing any such legal challenge.

Some commentators have observed that FWA is a relatively new institution (it was born on 1 July 2009) and that this is its biggest test so far. Although FWA is only two and a half years old, it has much experience on which to draw.

Its predecessor institutions include the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. FWA inherited all of the AIRCs rich expertise. Its members are well versed in dispute settlement. Before being appointed to FWA or one of its predecessor institutions; most FWA members had worked as industrial-relations practitioners, either as officials of unions, employers, governments or in the field of industrial law. So it is not necessary to worry about FWAs skills in this field.

Greg J. Bamber is a professor with the Department of Management at Monash University, and co-author of Up in the Air: How Airlines Can Improve Performance by Engaging their Employees.

This article first appeared on The Conversation. Reproduced with permission.

Mother of two Alex, who lives on Burnham Road in Epworth, only joined the Early Years Register in 2011 but has already impressed government inspectors with her work.

The Ofsted report highlighted that she has established excellent working relationships with parents, working extremely closely with them to ensure children’s individual needs are very well met.

Inspectors said: “She provides a broad range of interesting, exciting and challenging learning opportunities for each child, enabling them to make outstanding progress in their learning and development. “Safeguarding children is given the highest priority by the childminder; she has thorough risk assessments for the premises and outings to ensure the safety of children at all times. The childminder organises her day totally around the needs of the children, promoting an ethos where children are warmly welcomed and valued as unique individuals. The environment is organised in a highly effective manner and all resources are of excellent quality.”

Alex told the Bells/Advertiser: “After having my own children I felt deeply and passionately that childcare was where my heart lay and I began a journey, changing careers and returning to education to learn much about children’s learning and development.

“I worked hard and feel elated at the outcome. I now feel more than confident that the children in my care will benefit and reach their full personal potential.”

Alex is also a member of the National Childminding Association and registered on to Step one of the North Lincolnshire’s Steps to Quality assurance scheme for childcare providers.

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On Nov. 2 a skunk from Butler County tested positive for rabies at the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory in Manhattan.

The skunk was submitted by Dr. Davy Harkins from the El Dorado Animal Clinic in El Dorado.

This is the first case in Butler County and the 29th case in Kansas in 2011. This years positives include 23 skunks, three bats and three cats. In 2010 there were 58 animals testing positive in Kansas. The animals testing positive in 2010 included 39 skunks, five cats, three dogs, five cattle and six bats.

The risk of exposure to rabies is real, but the disease is preventable in both humans and domestic animals. In the US, there are around 7,000 animal rabies cases diagnosed every year. In the Midwest, skunks and bats are the main sources and the most common animal species positive for rabies.

Domestic pets and livestock can be infected from exposure to these wildlife sources of rabies. Rabies prevention consists of vaccinating domestic animals, education of humans to avoid exposures, and providing exposed persons with prompt post-exposure rabies prophylaxis. The World Health Organization reports that about 50,000 people die of rabies infection world-wide every year.

The K-State Rabies Laboratory offers these tips to prevent rabies:

Have your veterinarian vaccinate all dogs, cats, ferrets, horses and valuable livestock against rabies.

If bitten by an animal, seek medical attention and report the bite to your local public health department or animal control department immediately.

If your animal is bitten, contact your veterinarian for advice.

Do not handle or feed wild animals. Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home.

If wild animals appear sick or injured, call animal control or an animal rescue agency for assistance.

Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.

If you have additional questions, contact your veterinarian, local or state health department, or the K-State Rabies Laboratory at 785-532-4483 or visit www.vet.ksu.edu/rabies, www.cdc.gov or www.worldrabiesday.org.

A badger has died and another is critically ill at a Surrey wildlife hospital after both animals drank anti-freeze.

The Wildlife Aid Foundation, based in Leatherhead, has issued warnings about the dangers of anti-freeze to wildlife, domestic pets and small children.

Charity founder Simon Cowell said the incidents appeared to be accidents and not deliberate poisonings.

But he said anyone who spilt anti-freeze should clear it up immediately.

He added that anti-freeze was a danger to domestic pets as well as wild animals and three or four licks of anti-freeze, which tastes sweet, could kill a dog or cat.

Children were also at risk because ingesting 10ml of liquid anti-freeze could be fatal, he said.

Both badgers were taken to the charitys hospital in Randalls Road.

James Might has sold plenty of jewelry and art during the holidays, but having a store in a quaint shopping district makes it a much more enjoyable experience for him.

Might, who owns Renaissance Celebration in Fairhaven, has sold a vast array of art for about 30 years, with several of those years in a mall setting. The quaintness of the shopping district is one of the reasons hes enjoying the holiday season, but its also the attitude of everyone he sees when they walk into the store.

People are so much more relaxed (than at a mall) and its less frantic, Might said. When I get off work and close the store for the evening, I still find myself enjoying Fairhaven. Im so glad I found Fairhaven after being in the malls.