I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis.
I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God.
I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree.
Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons.
I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA.
While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon..
In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God.
We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987).
From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting.
Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.
I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects.
In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston.
In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018.
Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia.
In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey.
As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova.
Love and God Bless,
Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi
After a month of relative peace during the ceasefire (although attacks still continued, especially in northern Israel), the bomb shelters have been reopened in preparation for the return of open war. The demonic Jew-hatred that drives the leaders of Iran is not satisfied with death and destruction of thousands…they want Israel completely destroyed. We have received a generous matching gift challenge that will double your gift to help twice as many people—so please be as generous as you can when you send your gift today.
The situation is urgent. So many people have lost homes, family members, and even everything they owned in the missile attacks. I’m thinking about families like the Cohens. They buried six family members on the day their son was supposed to have his bar mitzvah. We helped them with the medical bills, buying clothing, and more, and they were so grateful. But there are so many others in urgent need.
The people of Israel are suffering greatly right now, and while they need our prayers, they also need our help. Together we are answering the command of God, “Comfort ye My people.” Together we are telling, and more importantly showing, the people of Israel that they are not alone. Please send your most generous gift today and share this with everyone you know.
Your support of the Friends of Zion today allows us to comfort the people of Israel who have survived the terrorist attacks, minister to the families of the hostages, continue to purchase and deliver food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities of life for the poor Holocaust survivors and refugees of Ukraine, continue to operate the Friends of Zion Museum, and to meet urgent humanitarian needs among the poor Jewish people living in Israel. Thank you so much for being part of this vital worldwide prayer movement.
Our thoughts…this bottle represents the pinnacle of Chianti classification, a true Gran Selezione crafted exclusively from estate-owned fruit, aged a minimum of 30 months, and produced from low-yield vineyards for maximum concentration and character. Ruffino helped introduce American drinkers to the concept of reserve-level Chianti—and moved it beyond the iconic straw basket into the realm of world-class fine wine. In the glass, it shows a deep ruby color with garnet hues and an unmistakably Tuscan bouquet of violet, cherry, and plum, layered with chocolate, cinnamon, and clove. The palate is both powerful and refined, with beautifully integrated tannins and vibrant fruit wrapped in spice, leading to a long, elegant finish marked by notes of coffee and dark chocolate.
95 points – James Suckling
“An elegant and forthright Gallo Nero with a precise nose of red cherries, eucalyptus and licorice with balsamic nuances. A lush and supple palate with a full body and dense, velvety tannins that are precise and spicy. Crisp yet integrated acidity in the finish. Savory aftertaste. Drink or hold.”
About the Winery…Ruffino is one of Tuscany’s most historic and influential producers, founded in 1877 and instrumental in bringing Chianti to international prominence—especially in the United States. The estate helped elevate the reputation of Chianti from its humble beginnings in straw-covered bottles to a globally respected fine wine category, pioneering quality-focused production and reserve-level expressions. Today, Ruffino remains deeply rooted in Tuscany, sourcing from estate vineyards across the region and continuing a legacy of combining tradition with modern precision to craft wines that reflect the authenticity and elegance of Chianti Classico.
Quantities are limited, so order now for this special…
Two of our latest collections are now available in-store at State Forty Eight.
Our National Parks Collection is all about getting outside, appreciating what’s around us, and representing the places that make Arizona special.
Our military-inspired collection is a simple, thoughtful way to wear respect—created for those who feel connected to the meaning behind it.
Both are now ready to see, feel, and try on in person.
If you’re nearby, come through and spend some time with us. We’ve been continuing to make improvements to the space and experience every week, and we’d love for you to check it out.
Prefer to shop from home? You can still grab your favorites online while supplies last.
Whether you’re picking up a gift or just adding something you’re proud to wear, we’re grateful you choose to do it with us.
Thank you for continuing to support a hometown brand that’s built on love for Arizona and the people in it.SHOP NOW
Love New Times? Thanks to a recent Google update, you can now select us as a preferred source to see our stories first in search results. Thank you in advance for your ongoing support of local journalism.
Love New Times? Thanks to a recent Google update, you can now select us as a preferred source to see our stories first in search results. Thank you in advance for your ongoing support of local journalism.
Shooting. They call it “sport”. Dress it in the language of tradition, countryside stewardship, and conservation. Wrap it in tweed and tie it with the reassuring ribbon of British heritage.
But what Protect the Wild’s investigators found behind the gates of a British farm tells a very different story – one the shooting industry has spent decades and millions of pounds keeping hidden from public view.
Earlier this evening ITV aired footage from our undercover investigation. We are very grateful they listened to us, looked at our evidence and decided to cover it.
If you missed it or would like to watch again, here it is:
The shooting industry produces tens of millions of pheasants and Red-legged Partridges every year for the gun. Birds are crammed into wire pens, unable to express natural behaviours, suffering injuries that go untreated, living short and brutal lives from hatchery to gun barrel. The scale is staggering. The indifference is worse.
The footage is shocking. Distressing. Already, the reaction has been one of shock and disgust from ordinary people across the country seeing, for the first time, what is done to prepare living creatures for “sport”.
We’ve been receiving emails from people who knew things were bad – just not THIS bad.
But it was far from the worst of it. It was just a few minutes. A glimpse. What ITV showed was just a fraction of the evidence we collected.
We recorded hundreds of hours. Multiple breaches. Across many farms.
“…Sounds cruel…”
Over the past 12 months, Protect the Wild’s undercover investigators placed hidden cameras at half a dozen farms across the UK. What we recorded over months and months of painstaking work tells the same story everywhere we looked.
Suffering on an industrial scale.
The shooting industry has spent years selling the public a lie. That it cares. That ‘welfare’ is baked into the operations.
Heart of England scrambled to release Facebook post just after the broadcast claiming “Welfare is at the heart of everything we do.”
Nonsense! It is part of a sprawling, greedy industry that has normalised mass suffering.
This is big business, operating in plain sight, propped up by decades of countryside mythology and political cowardice. Politicians from the current Labour government actually describe this system as ’sustainable’.
Over the coming months, Protect the Wild will be releasing many more findings from this investigation.
We will be documenting the conditions, the cruelty, the casual suffering treated as an acceptable cost of doing business.
We will be examining the legal frameworks that allow this industry to operate in ways that would be unacceptable in any other context.
We will be asking why birds that would be protected under animal welfare law in almost every other setting are excludedthe moment they become “game.”
“…high welfare standards…”
The industry’s response to ITV’s programme on our investigation was just what we expected: denial, deflection, and a shrug of the shoulders.
But this isn’t about a few rotten apples. We found pain and suffering everywhere we looked.
The shooting industry has friends in powerful places. It has lobbying groups, friendly ministers, and a carefully curated public image built on country fairs and charity shoots.
What it does not have – what it has never had – is a convincing answer to the question of how what our cameras recorded can be described as anything other than industrialised cruelty.
The birds you saw on ITV last night have no voice. The investigators who risked their safety to expose this have given them one. And we at Protect the Wild will not stop until the full picture is understood, the public debate is had, and those responsible are held to account.
Please share this article. Share our socials. Follow us for updates.
We are at the beginning of something. Months of undercover work. Hundreds of hours of footage. Farms across the UK exposed. And we are only just getting started.
But investigations alone do not end industries. People do.
We are asking you to become a Game Changer. To stand with us as we take this fight forward, week by week, piece by piece, until the public, the media and the politicians can no longer look away. The first 500 people to sign up will receive a limited edition pin badge.
At a time when heat, drought, and wildfires are shattering records across the central and western United States, people and birds need reliable water supplies now more than ever. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Cooperative Watershed Management Program has assisted communities across the western United States in their efforts to restore and improve their watersheds.
For more than a decade, projects supported by this program have reduced risks from drought, wildfire, and flooding; supported restoration work that enhances water quality and reliability; and bettered local economies through water improvements.
Birds and communities depend on healthy watersheds for sustenance and habitat. Community-led projects funded by this program have improved habitat that benefits hundreds of bird species including the Northern Yellow Warbler, Bell’s Vireo, and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, along with species residing in and migrating to Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories.
Love New Times? Thanks to a recent Google update, you can now select us as a preferred source to see our stories first in search results. Thank you in advance for your ongoing support of local journalism.
Most of the world stood by in silence as the Holocaust took place. Today, serious efforts are underway to repeat that tragedy. The great goal of the Jew-haters is to finish the job that Hitler started. We must not be silent, and we are asking you to raise your voice in support and defense of God’s Chosen People right now. Together we are telling, and more importantly showing, the people of Israel that they are not alone. We have received a generous matching gift challenge that will double your gift to help twice as many people—so please be as generous as you can when you send your gift today.
Your support of the Friends of Zion today allows us to comfort the people of Israel who have been devastated by the war, continue to purchase and deliver food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities of life for the poor Holocaust survivors and refugees of Ukraine, continue to operate the Friends of Zion Museum, and to meet urgent humanitarian needs among the poor Jewish people living in Israel.
Thank you so much for being part of this vital worldwide prayer movement.DONATE NOW
Weekly Prayer Service
Pray with us for Israel and submit your prayer requests.
“Lord, the beautiful city of Jerusalem is under attack today from every side. Defend Your Chosen People and their capital from political, military and economical threats and give victory to those who fight the evil forces arrayed against Jerusalem.”
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. Psalm 48:2
Join with us and millions of others around the world in prayer for Israel:PRAY WITH US
ADL report says 2025 one of most violent years for American Jews
( May 6, 2026 / JNS ) Although incidents of Jew-hatred declined overall in the United States in 2025, last year was one of the most violent years for Jews in the country, according to a new audit published by the Anti-Defamation League. READ MORE
Is Trump’s war ‘America First’?
More than a million Americans live in the Middle East today. They reside, work and raise families in a region where the Iranian regime has openly threatened the United States for more than four decades.READ MORE
Stay Connected
There is no better way to keep up with what is really happening in Israel and the world—the truth the liberal media won’t tell you—than with the redesigned and upgraded FOZ app. We have prepared this app to allow us to stay in touch with you and provide the most up-to-date news and prayer requests. This powerful tool will help you shape and focus your prayers, receive updates from Dr. Evans, and so much more. It is a must-have for every friend of Israel.APPLE APP ANDROID APP DONATE NOW
– Ans. He pitched with 4 toes missing from his left foot as a result of a mining accident.
– #1 In his 1st game of the season, 14-Apr-1933, with 3 runners on base, Ruffing homered off Boston’s Bob Weiland. He & only 3 other NYY pitchers have hit grand slams: Spud Chandler, Don Larsen & Mel Stottlemyre.
RJ Hamster 