can remember in the year of 1975, when my children were still in grade
school and playing with blocks on the living room floor, that seemingly
marvelous news came over the television with full color images of
the miracle of the Mexican Migration point for all the eastern North
American Monarch Butterflies located in Michoacan, Mexico. This was
amazing news. Who knew that Butterflies migrated, let alone that nearly
billions of them converged in a single forested area. Dr. Frederick
Urquhart knew, but he couldn't find where all the Monarch butterflies
disappeared to until two of his volunteers, Ken Brugger and Catalina
Aguada found the eighth wonder of the world on remote mountain top near
the residence of the Purépecha Indians.
Since that time, Mexico has made efforts to preserve the habitat of the
Monarch's winter hibernation spot, and have made logging in the area
illegal. In 1980, President Lopez Portillo issues presidential decrees
declaring protection of the butterflies all across the nation.
More than 139,000 acres with oak, pine-oak, pine, and oyamel fir forests
have been made a reserve and two buffer zones. Unfortunately, the local
peoples still log the areas even at great risk and government control,
as is often the case in Mexico, has been spotty. In resent years, single
events have killed off millions of the insects at once, and they're
future well-being is dependent on an intact sizable forest that can
sustain a microclimates that the Monarch Butterfly needs to survive.
Here is a quick survey of interesting websites that describe the Monarch and its Migration.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/bugs-kids/monarch-butterflies-kids/
http://video.pbs.org/video/1063682334/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mexico/themonarchbutterflyreserve.html
http://www.monarchmonitoringproject.com/
Monarch Watch
this final coin, perhaps the most elegant of the set, was minted proudly
in the Mexican City Mint, 30,000 proof coins of a heafty 31.103 grams
of 0.720 silver. It is a 100 Pesos denomination
Check it out !!
Complete Set
Avoid Gijs Henzen, owner of Munthandel G. Henzen - Antisemetic Facists
Munthandel G. Henzen's (MA Shops) owner Gijs Henzen, is an AntiSemetic Fascist
The company, Munthandel G Henzen is a prominent dealer of international and
ancient coins on the internet, commonly known as MA Coins. It is owned by
Gijs Henzen.
He is a passionate anti-Semite who supports Hamas and
the virulent and genocidal Islamic organizations such as the Muslim
Brotherhood, and Hezbollah that wants Jews dead.
He perpetrates lies and classical antisemitic troupes. He has Jewish blood on his hands.
Henzen identifies as a "human rights advocate" who views the world through a lens of anti-imperialism. In this framework, he views Israel not as a sovereign nation of a displaced people, but as a "colonial project."
- He utilizes inversion rhetoric, where he compares Israeli actions to those of historical oppressors (including the Nazis).
- By claiming Zionism is the "greatest enemy of Judaism," he attempts to resolve the contradiction that Zionism is central to Jewish identity ,and has always been so, by essentially telling Jewish people what "true" Judaism should look like.
- His blog posts suggest he views himself as a lone voice of truth against a "corrupt" world. By grouping Netanyahu with Putin and Xi Jinping, he frames his hatred as a universal "opposition to tyranny."
- His specific focus on Israelis as "masters of torture" goes beyond political disagreement and taps into ancient blood libel tropes--the idea that a specific group has an inherent, unique cruelty or a "thirst for blood."
- He appears to be a proponent and influenced by radical political indoctrination. He has adopted a worldview where the "Zionist" is the ultimate villain, and in his mind, he is attacking an ideology, even though his language characterizes an entire ethnic and national group in ways that are indistinguishable from traditional antisemitism.
It is a moral imperative to remain clear of him and to do no business with this Nazi.
If you are Jewish, double down on that. The life you save might well be your own.
The Safir Family Internet Coin Library: Foriegn Coins.
Several mints from around the world make exciting coin designs in circulating alloys, silver and gold. Among my favorites are the Perth Mint in Austrailia which produces a variety of coins for nations mostly through out the Pacific Rim. The Neatherlands has also produced some interesting designs, and several private US based mints have produced foreign currency on contract, include the Franklin Mint which has produced many Israeli Coins.
Our interest in foreign coins has been nominal but rapidly growing as it seems that US designs are so stuck in the mud. Also, foreign mints are creating bold new designs with color and bimetal designs that are both eye catching and fun.
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