Lifeline for Eastern Chimps
Our closest relatives the primates are living in peril due to our actions. Mostly due to habitat
degradation and other illegal activities. One such population of primates are the eastern
Chimpanzees. Eastern Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii is currently classified as
Endangered on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species™, and lives in the Central African
Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and
Zambia. Eastern chimpanzees share an estimated 98 per cent of genes with humans and are
among the best studied of the great apes.
However ninety six percent of these known populations which includes some 50,000 individuals
could now be protected with a new 10 year joint action plan developed by East and Central
Africa to save these chimps from habitat loss, disease, illegal capturing etc.,
In addition to targeting two of the greatest threats to the species, illegal hunting and trafficking,
other objectives include reducing the rate of forest loss in chimpanzee habitats; increasing
knowledge of chimpanzee distribution, status, and threats; improving the understanding of health
risks to chimpanzee populations, including human-transmitted diseases; increasing community
support for chimpanzee conservation; and, securing sustainable financing for chimpanzee
conservation units.
|
Greening Blue Energy
With the Gulf of Mexico Oil spill disaster and the imminent dangers of climate change due to
the use of fossil fuels, more and more developed nations are looking into ways and means
of mitigating these disasters in the future which in turn has accelerated the rush to search for
alternatives energy sources.
One such move that did see light a few months ago was the development of offshore wind
farms in the EU mainly the UK. However experts warn this rush to harness blue energy should
be green in effect so as not to threaten the already vulnerable marine habitats and their
occupants.
Offshore wind energy development in the European Union is accelerating and could potentially
supply between 12 and 16 percent of the EU’s electricity by 2030, the equivalent of 25,000 wind
turbines. Other countries and regions, such as the US, Japan, India and Eastern Africa are also
exploring the possibility of adding offshore renewable energy to their energy mix.
Electricity produced from wind farms helps combat climate change by avoiding greenhouse gas
emissions and toxic pollutants associated with fossil fuels. Offshore wind farms can also provide
advantages for local wildlife through the establishment of 'no fishing zones' and the creation of
artificial reefs where marine species can thrive.
But if not properly planned and managed, the installations can adversely affect marine
biodiversity. A newly released report highlights issues such as habitat loss for birds and sea
creatures, potential collisions with wind turbines, deviation of the migratory routes of birds and
whales, noise and electromagnetic disturbance and navigational hazards for ships.
|
Garden Delights
As space for human habitation, space for their livestock to graze and space for cultivation runs
out dramatically, it seems the tiniest bit of land is invaluable when it comes to making the best
use of the land available.
If growing your own food is difficult in the little space you do have because the soil in your
area isn’t productive fertilizer needs to be used. Use of raw veggie scraps and eggs shells are
amongst some of the best home made organic fertilizer that is readily available. Also the use of
grass clippings from the lawn and raked up leaves are great forms of fertilizer which in return
reduces the waste sent to the garbage bins for disposal.
Then comes the problem of pests. Variety is the spice of life and the best solution to keep pests
to a minimum with out the use of pesticides is to have avariety of plants in the garden. The
pests that like to eat some plants usually end up being food for the pests of another plant. The
natural diversity usually balances out in the end. To keep some pests away from your garden
try natural deterrents such as planting marigolds around the border. Marigolds have a smell that
repels pests like aphids and keeps bunnies away too. The placement of what you plant can also
get rid of nasty pests the natural way. Planting certain plants beside each other can help both
plants.
For more information about companion planting visit http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/compplant.html and http://www.lisa.hafey.org/Companion_Planting.html. The best way to water your garden without wasting too much water is just let it rain.
Unfortunately that’s not always an option especially in dryer climates and times of year, so
making the most of the times that it does rain is a good idea. To do this you can use rain barrels
to catch the run off from your roof, and just gather water in general to use for dryer times.
After all that hard work it will be great to sit down to a nice salad picked right from your own
garden. Becoming more self sufficient is a great way to help out the environment and reduce
greenhouse emissions. If most of the food you eat is coming from your backyard it will greatly
reduce the amount of food being shipped from all over the world. If a garden isn’t possible for
you try buying local produce.
|
Sunny side Up
Prism Solar Technologies in New York has developed of-concept solar module that uses
holograms to concentrate light,
possibly cutting the cost of solar
modules by as much as 75
percent, making them competitive
with electricity generated from
fossil fuels.
 Currently, the
approach to overcoming this cost
factor of silicon-based solar panels
is to concentrate light from the
sun using mirrors or lenses,
thereby reducing the total area of silicon needed to produce a given amount of electricity. But
traditional light concentrators are bulky and unattractive — less than ideal for use on suburban
The system needs 25 to 85 percent less silicon than a crystalline silicon panel of comparable
wattage, because the photovoltaic material need not cover the entire surface of a solar panel.
Instead, the PV material is arranged in several rows.
A layer of holograms — laser-created
patterns that diffract light — directs light into a layer of glass where it continues to reflect off the
inside surface of the glass until it finds its way to one of the strips of PV silicon. Reducing the PV
material needed could bring down costs by more than half.
|
|
Irish Wolfhound dogs have a short lifespan and live about 7-8 years.
In the United States, every year about 15 people die from dog bites.
In 2002, dogs have killed more people in the U.S. than the Great White shark has killed in the past 100 years.
If you were to remove the scent receptors from a dog's nose and lay them out flat, they would cover an area greater than the dog itself.
Dogs can be trained to detect an upcoming epileptic seizure.
Dalmatian puppies do not have any spots on them when they are born. They actually develop them as they get older.
Border collies are the most intelligent breed of dog.
Bloodhounds have been used since the 1600's for tracking criminals.
Approximately 87% of dog owners say that when they watch T.V. their dog curls up beside them or at their feet.
An average city dog lives approximately three years longer than an average country dog.
There is a doggy disco held in Italy every year where owners can dance with their dogs.
The largest dog in the world is the Irish Wolfhound.
The dumbest dog in the world is the Afghan Hounds.
Wierd Dog Facts
1. It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
2. Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas
3. A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100 mile Appalachian Trail
4. If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!
5. Dogs' only sweat glands are between their paw pads
6. Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age
7. The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears
8. Teddy Roosevelt's dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador's pants off at the White House
9. President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her
10. Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands
11. In Roman times, mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights
12. The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs
13. A dog's mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch
14. ... with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per square inch.
15. A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human
16. The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world
|
