Spotlight on the Rideau

Supposedly there is such a thing as giant shrimp. Not just the jumbo sized one we buy at the grocery store. But these shrimp are more like lobsters in size and they are dark in colour with long appendages and legs. These huge creatures are invading, although we have told not to be alarmed.

The increase of the population of these gigantic creatures has increased 10 times in the past year. These findings come from The U.S. Geological Survey. In 2010, there were 32 of the crustaceans, in 2011, there were 331 reported. Another thing about these critters is that they eat each other, so their increase in numbers may not be that big of an issue unless they eat up the smaller shrimp that we consume. They have been seen in waters from Texas to North Carolina. Watch out east coast.

So what are these things being dubbed? They are a type of tiger prawn, which are served in restaurants everywhere. Texas Sea Grant Extension Service’s Tony Reisinger says that the shrimp are so large that they actually consume other shrimp. Cannibalistic Tiger Prawns are what we are seeing.

The massive Tiger Prawns are black and white striped ocean critters and have shown up on the Gulf of Mexico and the south-east coast. They weigh up to a quarter pound, and unlike their cousins, are 13 inches in length. That’s over a foot long!

Where did these animals come from? Like most other invasive species, they are native to Asia. The researchers in the field are worried that the Prawns may begin to gobble up other species of shrimp and they also fear the Prawns will spread disease to other shrimp. This could be a serious hazard to consumers.

The sudden and sharp increase in the giant prawn population bothers marine ecologist, James Morris. He says that the population indicates a true invasion. He is studying the influx at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research.

No one knows how exactly the Prawn species was introduced into unites States’ waters, but carrying currents or breeding in local waters may have something to do with it. Although scientists say not to be alarmed, they are saying that the Tiger Prawn are not welcome in U.S. waters. The introduction of this species presents a potential upset for a very fragile ecosystem. We already have so many marine invaders.

Also, the numbers of the Prawn are probably higher than recorded. The more fisherman are likely to see them, the less likely they are to report them, so this puts a damper on research. The USGS is looking into the shrimps’ DNA to find out where it came from exactly and asks that anyone who finds one to report it immediately.

In the year 2012, Jeremy Lin has swept the world by storm. Ever since he showcased his basketball prowess, the word “Linsanity” has been a household name all over the world over night. Now, Lin is considered as one of the best breakout rookies of the 2012 NBA season. Lins global fame made the Chinese and other people of Asian descent proud of his achievements and sudden rise to fame. The Linsanity fever is highly comparable to the hype that fellow Chinese basketball star Yao Ming enjoyed when he joined the NBA.

Lin was born on August 23, 1988 in Los Angeles, California and was raised in Palo Alto. Lins parents emigrated from Taiwan to America in the 1970s. Jeremy Lin also has two siblings, an older brother named Josh and a younger brother named Joseph. Lins father taught his sons how to play the hoops at the local YMCA.

Standing at a staggering 6 feet 3 inches, the Chinese basketball sensation from Los Angeles, California is a force to reckon with. Lin, after graduating high school with no any athletic scholarship offers as well as being undrafted out of college, then acquired a contract with Golden State Warriors, his hometown team. Jeremy Lin is now one of the few Asian Americans in the entire history of the National Basketball Association as well as the first American player in the entire league to be of Taiwanese or Chinese descent.

In his high school days, Lin showcased excellent basketball skills and took on the position of team captain for the Palo Alto High School in the years 2005-2006. Lin led Palo Alto High School to an impressive 32-1 record. Additionally, Lin was also named as the All-State and Northern California II player sporting a record of 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 5.0 steals and 7.1 assists.

In his pre-college days, Lin sent out his resume and several DVDs highlighting his basketball skills to all the Ivy League Schools in California. He also sent his tapes to the two of his dream schools, UCLA and Stanford University. The Pac-10 schools considered him, however, only Brown and Harvard were the ones who only guaranteed the young Jeremy Lin a spot in their team. To cut a long story short, Lin ended up playing for Harvard. Lin carried Harvard to several victories. He also ended his basketball career in the Ivy League with an impressive record of 1450 points, 400 assists, 450 rebounds and 200 steals making him the first ever Ivy League play to accomplish such a feat.

Now, with the NBA and playing for New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin started a new era in the modern day basketball. Although Lin is just budding rookie, most people expect him to be more polished player in the near future. And who knows? He might be the next Asian NBA legend!

Like the rest of the USA, we on the Rideau will soon have restrictions lifted on us with regard to certain online activities including poker and casino games, as a result of a forthcoming ruling from the Obama administration.

However, Reuters point out that this ruling could be at risk if a future president elects to reverse it.

Obviously the ruling opens up a whole world of opportunities to online game players. Whether you feel this is a good or bad thing from a social perspective, this will obviously be good for the nation’s economy as it will generate millions more in tax revenue which hopefully will be re-invested in projects which might benefit communities such as ours.

Although not everyone wins at online gaming, some people do, which means it can potentially be good for the individual. We’ll also have the opportunity to make money from various bonuses which players in other countries such as the UK have been enjoying for years.

How do these work? Well, the party poker bonus is a good example. It gives you the opportunity to get $500 free chips which can potentially be used to make a profit. Poker is a popular sport which we can watch on TV, play in Vegas – so why can’t we play it online? Well, now we can.

With regard to our community, I cannot see why this legislation would have any negative effect and as I mentioned earlier, the more tax dollars that go into our economy from the online gaming companies, the better off our nation should be.