Zoom Fatigue is Real, According to Brain Scans

Zoom fatigue is real.

 

Using brain and heart scans, researchers say they've found neurological evidence that videoconferencing tools are more exhausting than face-to-face events. 

 

In October, a team of Austrian researchers published a study in Nature, which observed 35 university students by measuring their brain and heart activity with electrodes attached to their head and chest while they attended a 50-minute lecture. Eighteen students attended the lecture in-person, while the remaining 17 watched it over a video conference.

 

Participants' brain and heart readings indicated that videoconferencing caused higher levels of fatigue, sadness, and inattentiveness than did in-person lectures.

 

While this study has its limitations, such as the small sample size, it does add to the body of scientific literature on the impact of the more or less intensive use of video-conferencing tools. 

 

Psychologists and specialists agree that this technology disrupts concentration and the natural flow of exchanges, as it leaves little room for spontaneity. Added to this is the stress induced by seeing all those images of people on screen. The increase in the number of participants considerably reduces the size of these faces, which could create a certain discomfort or even a desire to escape.

 

"Based on our research results, we recommend a break after 30 minutes, because we found that with 50 minutes of videoconferencing, significant changes in physiological and subjective fatigue could be observed", Rene Riedl (right), a professor at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and one of the study authors, told science news outlet IEEE Spectrum.  

 

All in all, the researchers do note that it is unrealistic to completely abstain from videoconferencing. Still, they say these findings suggest that videoconferencing should be viewed not as a wholesale substitute for face-to-face communication, but as a complementary tool.

 

What sets their findings apart, they added, is that past research on Zoom fatigue has been dependent on participants self-reporting their level of exhaustion in questionnaires.

 

For example, a 2021 study by Gothenburg and Stanford researchers that involved 2,724 respondents found that longer Zoom meetings weren't the only causes of fatigue. Simply disliking using Zoom was also linked to being exhausted by it. [Refer to "Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue Scale", Fauville G; Luo M; et al, Computers in Human Behavior Reports, Volume 4, August–December 2021, 100119].

 

Videoconferencing tools such as Zoom took off after the Covid pandemic shut offices and led to more than 40% of the US labor force working from home full-time in 2020. 

 

However, Zoom fatigue may not be as widespread as it seems. A Pew Research Center study surveying 10,000 workers in October 2020 found that fewer than four in 10 said they were worn out by videoconferencing.

 

A follow-up study conducted in January 2022, involving a similar number of respondents, found that figure dropping to about one in four workers saying they were worn out.

Shrek Looks Scary in The Original Film Test Footage From 1995

Many Shrek fans know Chris Farley was originally tapped to voice the big green ogre. Mike Myers only took over the role after Farley passed away. 

 

Lots of viewers also know Myers’ first attempt at the character sounded very different. The Austin Powers star recorded his lines with a Canadian accent before redoing the entire part with Shrek’s signature Scottish one. Clearly it was a good choice, since it launched a billion-dollar franchise. 

 

But few people realize just how different Shrek once looked, too. In fact, the original take on Shrek has a longer face, a bigger nose, and even gnarlier teeth. He’s a lot more like the type of creature you’d expect to see in a story where the ogre is the terrible monster rather than the lovable hero. 

 

New Zealand Seems Addicted to Cigarette Taxes

New Zealand had planned to restrict the sale of cigarettes to tobacconists and regulate the amount of nicotine in them. 

But now, the country's new government are scrapping the plans. Tax revenue from cigarette sales will let them balance the books on tax cuts elsewhere.

On Saturday, the newly-minted finance minister, Nicola Willis (left), said the measures will be axed before March 2024.

But public health experts have expressed shock at the policy reversal, saying it could cost up to 5,000 lives a year, and be particularly detrimental to Māori, who have higher smoking rates. 

"This is major loss for public health, and a huge win for the tobacco industry – whose profits will be boosted at the expense of Kiwi lives", said Prof Lisa Te Morenga, the chair of non-government industry group Health Coalition Aotearoa. 

Te Morenga highlighted modelling that showed the regulations would save $1.3 billion in health system costs over the next 20 years, if fully implemented, and would reduce mortality rates by 22% for women, and 9% for men.

Two late goals by Lazio earned the Serie A side a 2-0 home win over bottom side Celtic in Champions League Group E yesterday – therefore, ending the visitors' qualification hopes. 

And it means Celtic's meeting with Feyenoord in Glasgow in two weeks will be a dead rubber for both sides (Atletico Madrid beat the Dutch 3-1 in Rotterdam yesterday) as well as the Scottish champions' final continental game of this term.

Keep Silent About Corruption

[V]ladimir [Z]elensky (right) allegedly ordered Ukrainian journalists to avoid reporting on corruption, the editor-in-chief of the Zerkalo Nedeli (‘Mirror of the Week’) news outlet had claimed.

 

The Ukrainian president reportedly made the request after the country's press published reports about inflated food prices paid by the country’s armed forces. 

 

According to Ukrainian media reports, including Zerkalo Nedeli, the Defense Ministry had been buying food and clothing for its service members at prices two to three times higher than the market price. E.g., the ministry paid up to 17 hryvnia ($0.47) for a single egg and 22 hryvnia ($0.60) for a kilogram of potatoes, while the average prices for those goods at stores in Kiev at the time were about seven hryvnia ($0.19) and eight hryvnia ($0.22), respectively. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The issue of corruption in Ukraine has repeatedly been brought up by journalists and officials, both within the country and in the West. In October, the former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, emphatically stated that Ukraine will likely be unable to join the EU anytime soon because it is “corrupt at all levels of society”. And he also urged Brussels not to make any “false promises” to the Ukrainian people who are already “up to their neck in suffering”.

 

Ukraine has for years been seen as among the most corrupt countries in Europe and was ranked 116th out of 180 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for 2022.

Wisconsin's Satanic Christmas Tree

Christmas won't be the same in Ashwaubenon, a suburb of Green Bay in the US state of Wisconsin. 

 

An annual event that showcases uniquely decorated Christmas trees and hosted by a museum has come under the spotlight. It does not only feature the traditional Christmas trees, but there are those dedicated to music stores, the trucking industry, pet crematories, health insurance companies, gender diversity, radio stations and behavioral pediatrics. [Note: Each organization that participates sponsors a tree that costs anywhere from $75 to $150 and they can decorate it however they see fit, so long as they don't promote violence, sexual content, and alcohol and drugs].

 

And among the 66 uniquely decorated exhibits displayed at the National Railroad Museum’s "Festival of Trees" (November 15-December 31, 2023), one tree stands out, really stands out. 

 

This tree is adorned with red ornamental pentagrams and upside-down crosses. And pays festive homage to Beelzebub. It is sponsored by Wisconsin's Satanic Temple – in fact, one of 60 trees with no explicit Christian overtones.

 

As expected, there were protests but museum CEO Jacqueline Frank brushed them off. "We have six Christian-related groups that have trees up this year, but it's mostly businesses and nonprofit organizations", she told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "We have everything from a tree with hardware on it, a tea tree, we have a Lego tree. It's a lot of different organizations promoting their business".

 

She declared that the goal is to be inclusive and “provide dignity for everybody”. 

 

The Satanic Temple’s Wisconsin chapter too responded. Like many modern satanist groups, they say they don't actually believe in the devil, much less worship him. 

 

On Facebook, they claim that they consider Satan “more of a literary character we admire and a mascot”.

 

“Tree decorating is a fun and rewarding holiday tradition with roots in paganism”, a message from the group reads. “We decorated the tree to celebrate our own winter holiday, Sol Invictus, and in the spirit of religious plurality and togetherness with other world religions that have holidays around this time of year”.

 

As far as Frank is concerned, she will not reject an organization simply because they go against certain values or ways of life, traditional or not.

 

"There was no hesitation. We're not a religious organization. We focus on trains", Frank insisted. "And honestly, the Christmas tree is used by so many different secular and religious organizations. All we're doing is putting up decoration in that room".

 

And for good measure, she added that even Jewish and Muslim organizations are more than welcome to apply to be part of the Festival of Trees, even though these religions don't celebrate Christmas. 

Authentic's The Word in 2023

According to Merriam-Webster, America's oldest dictionary, "authentic" is the top word of 2023. 

 

The dictionary publisher said it saw a "substantial increase" in online searches for it this year. The interest was "driven by stories and conversations about AI [artificial intelligence], celebrity culture, identity, and social media". 

 

They didn't mention it but the word is important to us who do public speaking. It's really important to be authentic when we speak. After all, authenticity is what allows your audience to connect with you during your speech. 

 

From "The Diamond in Your Speech", Ahmad Fakhri & Victor Ong, 2022, page 102:

 

"...your speech is never about you. If it is, that will be the quickest way to lose an audience.

 

Focus on your audience, meaning, you are supposed to deliver an audience-centric message with your listeners anchored firmly in the heart of that message.

It is about showing your listeners your true self through your voice and through your words.

Know that when you are authentic, it means you are willing to share the real you with us – the good and the bad – and that is when you stand out.

That is what sets you apart from the rest of the world. And that makes us interested in you, flaws and all.

 

Be genuine. Be heartfelt. Be true to yourself. That is what being authentic is. After all, authentic speakers are in the moment".

 

And, brands, social media influencers and celebrities also popularised the word, including Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), who has said people should be more "authentic" on social media.

Joe Biden's Gaffe Cartoons

My favorite selection of Joe Biden's gaffe cartoons.

 

Hearing of MH370 Lawsuits in China

Today, the Chaoyang District People’s Court in Beijing, China begin hearing lawsuits over the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. 

 

The aggrieved families of the Chinese passengers on the ill-fated flight had sued the airline, Allianz, their insurer, Boeing and Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer of the plane’s engine – companies they believe should be held responsible under Chinese law for damage occurred during transportation. Their demands include compensation, a formal apology, and the resumption of psychological assistance to family members, as well as the creation of a fund to continue searches for the plane. 

 

About 40 Chinese families are taking these companies to court with varying but largely overlapping appeals, with hearings expected to last until December 05. Of the more than 200 people aboard the flight that disappeared from radar on March 08, 2014, 153 were Chinese nationals. 

 

It is unclear what enforcement power the Chinese court can wield over the defendants if they rule in favor of the plantiffs. All of them are international companies headquartered outside China, though Malaysia Airlines, Boeing and Roll-Royce have offices in China. 

 

Similar cases brought in the United States by the victims’ families have been dismissed on the grounds that these lawsuits should be handled by the Malaysian legal system.

The war with Hamas is costing Israel at least $269 million a day and is expected to hit the country’s economy harder than previous conflicts, ratings agency Moody’s have said in a report based on Israeli Finance Ministry estimates. 

 

The overall cost of the war could reach as much as 200 billion shekels ($53.5 billion), nearly 10% of GDP, threatening Israel’s economic future, the Moody’s report revealed this week, citing data from the Institute for National Security Studies.

 

“The severity of any damage to the economy will depend – to an important extent – on the length of the military conflict but also on the longer-term prospects for Israel’s domestic security situation”, Moody’s senior VP Kathrin Muehlbronner said. 

 

For Israel, much of the economic shock will come from reduced investments, disruptions in the labor market, and slowing growth of productivity, economists warn. 

 

A looming economic downturn prompted Moody’s to revise downwards their growth forecast for the Israeli economy from the 3% previously expected to 2.4% this year. In their grim 2024 outlook, the ratings agency see GDP contracting by about 1.5%. 

 

The agency, which placed Israel’s A1 credit rating on review for a possible downgrade, also predicted that a prolonged conflict would force the government to spend billions of shekels on defense, including the wages of thousands of drafted reservists. Massive spending will also include funding for compensation for war-affected businesses and the reconstruction of devastated communities. Meanwhile, state revenues, mainly tax income, will continue to slump as consumption, among other demand factors, is plummeting, with the absence of around 18% of Israel’s workforce during the war.

 

Economically considered, war is bad for a country's economy.

The Saddest Video Of Ukrainian Soldiers You’ll Ever See

This is an excellent follow-up to my blog post “The Ukrainian Soldier's Average Age Is Older Than 40” published on November 15, 2023. 

The video below showed a woman walking up and down the aisle of a theater singing to Ukrainian soldiers who filled the seats. Except the solders all appeared to be 50 years old or even older. They all had weary looks on their faces. And they appeared to be drearily disinterested in the singing and paying virtually no attention to the singer.

 

It’s sad and funny at the same time! 😩😒😁

 

Ukraine is a real basket case! 

Really, there is no excuse for Celtic to manage only a 1-1 draw against Motherwell yesterday. 

David Turnbull's penalty in the 86th minute, awarded after a VAR review, looked like it would consign his former club to defeat. But the visitors, who traveled to Celtic Park without a win in nine games, threw bodies forward and scored with their only second-half effort four minutes later.

Celtic had enough opportunities to win the game – the league leaders had more than 80% of the ball and two penalties – and still not to come away with three points is disappointing. It was a similar story against St Johnstone earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, Manchester City failed to equal the English top-flight record of 24 straight home wins in all competitions as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool. 

 

In a game that did not touch the heights of previous encounters between the main domestic powers of recent times, the Citizens led in the twenty-seventh minute when they were the beneficiary of Liverpool keeper Alisson's poor clearance.

 

But Trent Alexander-Arnold arrowed home brilliantly in the 80th minute to earn the Reds a precious point. 

 

To be sure, Liverpool were nowhere near their best – and so, they are definitely the happier of the two teams because they came from behind to salvage a point at the home of the champions. I don't know about the others but getting a draw with such poor playing is definitely a win in my book.

 

 

Malaysia's Opposition Still Aspire to Topple Government

On the Malaysian political scene, the opposition are still harboring aspirations of taking down Anwar Ibrahim's unity government.

 

Bersatu sec-gen Hamzah Zainuddin (left) yesterday maintained that the government haven't got a majority, and so, they can be toppled. 

 

[Note: This is, in spite of four opposition MPs, i.e. Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan) and Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar ) – all from Bersatu – had pledged their support for the current government]. 

 

And to drive home his point, Hamzah claimed that the present government only have a 36.1% approval rating, whereas Perikatan Nasional, of which Bersatu are a member, had 49.3% when they were in power. 

 

Derek Chauvin (left), the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted in the 2020 murder of George Floyd, was stabbed Friday in a US federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.

 

The office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison which prosecuted Chauvin in the Floyd case, said early Saturday they were notified of the assault and was told Chauvin is in stable condition. 

 

“I am sad to hear that Derek Chauvin was the target of violence”, Ellison said, according to the statement provided to CNN. “He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence”. 

 

Chauvin, who is white, is serving multiple sentences for the black man's death, which triggered massive protests against police brutality and racism.

Sanctions Don't Ruin Russia; They Impoverish Europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russia has faced massive and unprecedented economic sanctions from the West over the Ukraine conflict since last year, pushing the economy into a 2.1% contraction as of the end of 2022, as per RT News on November 24. 

 

However, the Russian Finance Ministry and the European Commission have both predicted positive GDP trends for Russia for this year, forecasting growth rates of 3% and 2% respectively.

 

Even The Guardian reported on Thursday that Russia's economic growth is now projected to outpace that of the Eurozone, citing investment firm Amundi. According to the company’s forecast, Russia’s gross domestic product will grow by 1.5% in 2024; in contrast, the Eurozone economy is set to expand by a mere 0.5% next year. 

 

Amundi CIO Vincent Mortier highlighted that after losing access to Western markets, Russia successfully reoriented most of its trade to its BRICS partners and countries such as Türkiye and Kazakhstan, which have greatly benefited from the boost in trade with the sanctioned country.

 

French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Thierry Mariani had even pointed out on November 18 that the sanctions against Russia had been intended to “ruin” its economy, but “on the contrary, they impoverish us”. As geopolitical dynamics continue to evolve, his perspective adds a nuanced layer to the ongoing discourse on the efficacy and consequences of sanctions against Russia.

 

The West forget that Russia is just too big to fail!

 

People, please let [V]ladimir [Z]elensky know that the West are getting fed-up with his unceasing demands for money and arms! He doesn't seem to get the message that they are abandoning him!

 

He must know the West already know that Ukraine is finished!

German Court Brand Letzte Generation a Criminal Organization

 

"Letzte Generation" (Last Generation), a climate activist group have been designated as a “criminal organization” by Germany's Munich Regional Court, which announced the ruling on Thursday after considering ten complaints from the climate activists over searches and seizures. 

 

The court dismissed the complaints, ruling that the Last Generation meet the requirements to be considered an organized crime group – arguing that committing crimes does not necessarily need to be the only purpose of a group to be designated as such.

 

The court said the group’s activities, including disrupting traffic and damaging property, constitute a significant threat to public safety and order. 

 

The Last Generation emerged in August 2021. Their first major action was a hunger strike by seven activists, demanding a public conversation on climate with the then-candidates for the country’s elections to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor. Weeks into the campaign, Olaf Scholz, the current Chancellor, agreed to a sit-down, though the activists were far from satisfied with his climate plan.

 

These days, the group have organized marches and rallies demanding the country eliminate all human-caused emissions by 2030, two decades earlier than the 2050 goal that underpins most international climate negotiations. They’re also known for gluing themselves to roadways to block traffic, throwing paint on public monuments, and, most memorably, hurtling mashed potatoes on a painting by Claude Monet at Museum Barberini in Potsdam (the painting wasn’t damaged). 

 

Those are similar to the tactics being employed by other new, radical climate activist groups in the UK (e.g. Just Stop Oil) and across Europe. Members of the Letzte Generation say those actions are necessary to draw attention to the urgency of the climate crisis (though there are other climate groups that disagree). 

 

The methods have divided, and in some cases infuriated, the German public. Motorists trapped behind blockades have assaulted demonstrators. In July, in Stralsund in northern Germany, a truck driver reportedly attempted to run them over.

 

Still, I reckon branding this climate activist faction a criminal organization is not going to deter or cow them. They're already seeing it as a state effort to quell peaceful protest to oppose what they frame as a suicidal lack of government climate action.

The Diamond's New Challenge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, we’ve sold 1,003 books todate and we’re now down to 497 copies of “The Diamond in Your Speech” – given that we have piles of books from our third print that we will want to finish off. 

 

There's no rush because we're not in a race. We're just gonna take it at our own pace. Forward is forward.

 

FYI, most of our book sales are from within Malaysia – but we're happy too that we have made some sales in overseas markets that included Singapore, Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Papua New Guinea, India, China and UK. And we're pretty sure the list of countries will expand.

Ahmad Fakhri & Victor Ong's 1000-book Milestone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE DIAMOND IN YOUR SPEECH HAS SOLD ONE THOUSAND COPIES! Yabba-dabba-doo! 

We reached this meaningful milestone in 620 days. Well done, Ahmad Fakhri and Victor Ong! You should give each other a big pat on the back! 

And yes, a big thank you to everyone because the truth is, you made it possible!

 

 

More Americans Own Guns Than Ever Before

Gun ownership has reached a record high among US voters, according to an NBC poll published Tuesday. 

 

More than half of respondents (52%) reported that they or someone in their household owned a gun. That percentage is the highest since NBC began asking the question in 1999. 

 

Gun ownership rates have risen rapidly over the past decade, the poll suggests, with just 42% of those surveyed in 2013 claiming they or another household member possessed a firearm. That number was up to 49% by 2019. 

 

Attitudes were split about gun control, with 47% stating they believed the government would go too far in restricting Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms, while 48% said they feared the government would do too little to regulate firearms. 

 

With personal safety topping the list of reasons Americans give for owning a gun, surging violent crime rates across the nation are believed to have contributed to the increase in firearm ownership. A 2021 Gallup poll found 88% of respondents said they owned a gun “for protection against crime”, a significant increase over the 67% who answered similarly when the question was asked in 2005. 

 

The US has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world and is the only nation known to have more guns than people, according to Swiss research project the Small Arms Survey. It also has the highest rate of gun homicides.

 

It is a sad fact that guns are deeply ingrained in American society. Therefore, expect gun deaths and more gun deaths.

 

Shoot-'em-up Walmart

Gun violence in the United States is, of course, very common. But I am realizing that Walmart is becoming a veritable shoot-'em-up. 

 

A shooter, identified by police as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones, on Monday, opened fire at a Walmart in Beavercreek, a town of about 50,000 in the Dayton metropolitan area in Ohio and wounded four people before killing himself. Three of the victims are in critical condition, while the fourth person sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to CNN. 

 

This came one day after 29-year-old Saina Fa’atoafe fatally shot a Walmart woman employee in the parking lot outside the store in south Anchorage, Alaska before taking his own life.

 

Out of curiosity, I combed local US news on the Internet and found these headlines:

• "Woman charged after man shot in Prattville Walmart parking lot", WSFA 12 News, October 23, 2023.
  
• "Deadly Florida City Walmart shooting, three men charged", CBS News Miami, July 20, 2023. 
  
• "No suspect in custody after shooting at Lenoir City Walmart, no injuries reported", WBIR, June 20, 2023.
  
• “Man injured after shooting outside Columbia Walmart”, WACHFox, March 06, 2023.
• “Police looking for a man accused of assault at Chandler Walmart”, AZ Family, March 05, 2023.
• “Police: Man arrested for terrorizing after pulling gun out in Walker Walmart, sending shoppers into panic”, WBRX, March 05, 2023.
• “East Memphis Walmart shooting: Gunshots fired inside store, suspect fled, police say”, Fox News, February 25, 2023.
• "Man who killed 23 at El Paso Walmart pleads guilty to hate crimes", El Paso Matters, February 08, 2023. [Add info: Twenty-four-year-old Patrick Crusius killed 23 people and injured 22 others in the August 03, 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Seeking to kill Hispanic people, he drove more than 650 miles from the Dallas area to carry out the massacre in a city near the US-Mexico border].
• "Ex-employee opens fire at Indiana Walmart, injuring at least 1, police say; suspect killed", USA Today, January 20, 2023.
• "6 victims shot and killed in a Virginia Walmart include a 16-year-old boy, authorities say", CNN, November 23, 2022.
  

I know that Walmart stores are in almost every city and town in the United States, therefore, it's not surprising the popular, 24-hour discount stores have seen their share of violent crime, including shootings. 

Anyway, in 2023, there has been 36 mass killings from guns as of November 20, according to data collected by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. [Note: There is no one definition for a mass shooting. The database sourced here totals mass killings, involving any weapon, in which four or more people are killed, not including the perpetrator]. 

From the shootings this year, 189 people have been killed – more people so far than every year prior. 

2022 counted 186 people killed from these mass shootings. Now, 2023 has surpassed that record when on November 18, a man in Memphis killed four women. Shortly before that on October 25, a man in Lewiston, Maine, killed 18 people and injured 13 more in a bar and bowling alley. 

I'm pretty sure there will be more mass shootings before the year comes to a close. I'm expecting a blood-stained 2023!

Green Iguanas Roam Wild in Thailand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The importation of all species of iguana into Thailand has been banned, effective last Friday, after many green iguanas (Scientific name: Iguana iguana) have been sighted roaming free in the countryside, raiding farms and damaging the local environment.

 

Atthaphon Charoenchansa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, signed the edict last Friday. 

 

The edict states that many iguanas have been seen in the wild, especially in Phatthana Nikhom district of Lopburi province. and their numbers have increased rapidly, which may threaten the environment, the ecological system and farmland. No permits will be granted for the import of any iguanas, to control the population in the country, until there is a change in the situation, according to the edict. 

 

Environmental concerns have been raised over the activities of the herbivorous lacertilians, which are thought to be pets that have either escaped or been deliberately released into the wild.

 

Last week, the public who have iguanas in their possession were told to notify the department. So far, 244 owners of green iguanas with a total of 3,419 animals have been reported, with the province of Chonburi having the highest number with 982 animals.

 

It was said on Tuesday that 134 iguanas had been captured in Pattana Nikom district, Lopburi, around 160 kilometres north of Bangkok. A further six were discovered in Udon Thani, in the country’s northeast, and 23 more elsewhere in Thailand.

 

However, specialists claim that Thailand possesses native lizards with green skin that resembles the green iguana. It is known as the “Takong” or Chinese water dragon (Scientific name: Physignathus cocincinus).

 

According to Dr. Jessada Denduangboriphan, lecturer at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, this may lead to the misunderstanding that “Takong” is a “green iguana” and so capture or injure it.  In Thailand, Chinese water dragons are protected wild animals that are on the verge of extinction, but iguanas are controlled animals. As a result, people should be cautious and thoroughly check.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written Reprimand for K9 Officer

A written reprimand was purportedly issued to Officer Zoro. I was alerted only today about this case – a November 11 posting on the Facebook page of the Wadsworth Police Department in Medina County, Ohio in the United States.

 

Methinks, the doggo has been treated unjustly. 

 

And so, I would like to file a grievance on behalf of Officer Zoro. 

 

He was only doing his job. It was the skunk (Family: Mephitidae) who assaulted Officer Zoro in the first place!