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UK Boosts Fight Against Wildlife Trade
Source: Newvision.co.UG
By Samuel Sanya
The UK government has put together a £10m (sh41b) fund to fight illegal wildlife trade in developing countries such as Uganda in a bid to fight corruption and improve tourism earnings.
The fund will finance activities at government level, charities and non-government organisations. Wildlife trafficking is estimated to be worth at least £12b (sh48 trillion) annually and is a constant threat to the tourism sector as it depletes wildlife in game parks.
Recently, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) joined a multinational move to stamp out of trafficking of elephant ivory, rhino horns, big cats, great apes and reptiles.
Funding from the DFID programme will bolster on-going efforts to protect Uganda's wildlife by providing training and specialised equipment and by raising awareness of the impacts and economic losses caused by wildlife crime to curb illegal wildlife demand.
"Poaching devastates livelihoods and sustainable communities as well as endangering the existence of these wonderful animals," Owen Paterson, the UK government Environment Secretary said in a statement.
"We must work together with other countries to stamp it out by stopping demand, improving enforcement and by helping communities develop sustainable economic activity,
"The wildlife in areas where this is already being done becomes a valued and protected community asset so both the wildlife and the community benefit," he added.
Paterson noted that heavily armed poachers and organised criminal networks are destroying some of the world's most iconic species and posing a threat to security in rural African communities.
Revenues from tourism hit sh2.7trillion last year. Many tourists trek to Uganda to view the unique landscapes, lakes, and unique mammals such as the mountain gorillas, monkeys, rhinos, African elephants, lions and chimpanzees. More....
The Horror of Suburbia's Squalid Pet Monkey Trade: Thanks to Stars like Justin Bieber the Animals are All The Rage, but Behind the Fad is Shocking Cruelty
By Lorraine Fisher
Outside, a frost has hardened the suburban back lawn to a square of brittle mud and concrete.
From inside a cage in the garden, two little monkeys survey this sorry landscape with bored, expressionless, yet disturbingly human eyes.
The balmy, verdant jungles of their native South America are a very long way away.
This is their life, shut outside a house in the West Midlands 24 hours a day. There's nothing for these marmosets — typically sociable, playful, curious and intelligent animals — to do, not even a toy to play with.
Inside the house in Walsall, the monkey couple's four-month-old son is faring a little better. At least he is kept in the warm.
He spends his days in the living room, while his owners, Keith and Sue Watkins, 'humanise' him to prepare him for sale.
Albert — as they've called him — is at least allowed out occasionally and has a few plastic toys to play with.
Meals also punctuate the boredom: he is usually given fruit, but sometimes gets some chips to nibble on and a bottle of Fruit Shoot for a 'treat'.
It's quite a departure from a marmoset's diet in the wild, where they eat plant gums, fruit, flowers, insects and other small animals — even snails or lizards.
Animals such as Albert are among thousands of wild monkeys being bought and sold in Britain as part of a growing trend for keeping them as pets.
Surprisingly, the breeding and selling of small monkeys such as marmosets, tamarins and squirrel monkeys is legal in Britain. You don't even need a licence.
Because of a lack of regulation, it's not known how many monkeys are kept as pets in the UK. More....
World's Cruellest Zoo: Shackled Elephants, Starving Camels, 150 Pelicans Crammed Into One Cage - and a Death Toll that Rises Daily
By Richard Shears
The young elephant has tugged at his shackled hind leg so often that the manacles have cut through the flesh, leaving it raw.
Not that freeing himself would help. A chain on his left front leg means he can move neither forwards, backwards nor sideways.
The elephant's owner has tethered the youngster because he prefers to tend to his small shop in the grounds of the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia.
Money comes first. And so, day after day, week after week, the elephant stands there, being released from his chains only at the end of each day.
Anyone finding the scene depressing, and who turns away to look for more happy animals in the zoo would eventually leave, as I did, utterly depressed.
Surabaya Zoo has been branded the worst in the world and when I walked through this animal torture ground I was left in no doubt its reputation was well earned.
I live near Sydney harbour where it is a joy to watch pelicans gliding low across the waters of Blackwattle Bay. But at the Surabaya Zoo I could only shake my head in despair at the sight of more than 150 pelicans jammed into a cage, trying to share a small pool of water, so tightly packed that they could not even spread their wings, let alone fly.
'How many pelicans does this zoo need?' I asked a keeper. 'They're not endangered. There's no need to keep this many penned in.' He knew what I said, but I received only shrugs.
Each step took me through a macabre animal dungeon. While I saw dishes of chopped vegetables for the primates, the ribs of several large animals could be seen. One camel in particular appeared appallingly thin. A capuchin monkey I came across appeared to almost plead to be released.
In another cage, a sad rhinocerous hornbill looks up at the blue sky, trying to take off from its perch, but there is no room to flap its wings.
Well over 50 animals have died here in the past three months, says Tony Sumampau, a former member of the zoo's temporary management team, who had finally left in despair. More....
What Illegal Animal Trafficking? Ministry's "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" Response
Out of sight, out of mind…It's sort of a mantra in Armenia, especially among government agencies.
Take the case of the Ministry of Environemnt and its attitude to an endangered African bonobo monkey that recently showed up as an attraction in a local restaurant.
Hetq broke the story on November 28, when we attempted the follow the trail of how a bonobo made it to the newly opened Jambo Park in Kotayk Province.
Native to the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the species was listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List in 1996, and is threatened by habitat destruction and human population growth.
The export, sale or transport of rare animals is regulated by the CITES (the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which Armenia signed on to in 2009.
In Armenia, the Ministry of Nature Protection (MNP) is tasked with seeing that the obligations of the convention are adhered to. But it seems that the MNP isn't losing any sleep over the Jambo Park bonobo or interested in how it got to Armenia.
Artyom Vardanyan, the owner of Jambo Park, claims he purchased the monkey legally. When we pressed Vardanyan on the matter, he directed us to Artur Khachatryan, from whom he allegedly "leased" the animal.
Khachatryan claims the monkey wasn't taken from the wild but was captive bred In Guinea. Our colleagues in Guinea now tell us that there is no such facility in Guinea.
So what was the response of the MNP to our inquiry?
Basically – out of sight, out of mind…
The MNP states that it had never received a claim to import monkeys into Armenia and that it has never issued any such permits. In particular, the ministry claims it never received a filing to have our bonobo and four other chimpanzee species to be registered in the CITES accounts. More....
Elephant Appeal: UK Pledges £10m to Fight Illegal Wildlife Trade
By Tom Bawden
The UK Government has vowed to clamp down on the soaring trade in illegal wildlife products such as rhino horn and elephant ivory, pledging £10m to fight a crime offering "low risk and high rewards".
Illicit trade in wildlife has exploded into a $19bn (£11.6bn) global criminal enterprise, driven by newly-rich Asian consumers who aspire to a luxury lifestyle through status symbols such as ivory goods, as well as exotic pets, such as monkeys, and meats, such as anteater.
The vacuum of demand has been filled by organised criminals who can make a fortune with relatively little risk of conviction and who are threatening government stability and national security in some of the worst-hit areas in Africa, pressure groups say.
A combination of high prices, weak laws, poor enforcement and relatively short sentences, has made poaching far more attractive to criminals, they say.
The Government clampdown will see the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) join forces for the first time.
Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, said: "Poaching devastates livelihoods and sustainable communities as well as endangering the existence of these wonderful animals. We must work together with other countries to stamp it out by stopping demand, improving enforcement and by helping communities develop sustainable economic activity."
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: "By working with Defra to tackle the illegal wildlife trade we are helping to improve the economic opportunities of the poorest people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. This fund will also help stop corruption fuelled by the illegal trade."
Funding will be awarded to support action in developing countries that reduces the "opportunity and incentive" to poach. It will also be used to provide training and equipment to help law enforcement. Some of the budget will fund a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of wildlife crime, which the World Wide Fund for Nature says appears to fund terrorist cells in unstable African countries, with the criminals often using the same networks as other illegal trades, such as drug trafficking.
The £10m fund is being made available as David Cameron prepares to host in London the highest-level global summit to date on combating illegal wildlife trade. The summit in February aims to produce an unprecedented political commitment and an action plan.
Kenya: Scientists Deny Mistreating Lab Monkeys
Source: AllAfrica.com
By John Muchangi
A Kenyan research institution that uses captured baboons has rejected allegations that the animals are being mistreated.
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection has sensationally claimed that Institute of Primate Research has "imprisoned" the wild baboons in tiny cages for tests that are "highly invasive, cause immense suffering and are even fatal."
IPR, Kenya's biggest primate research centre, said the accusations by the British NGO are "patronising and insulting."
Its Karen facility holds about 13 baboons for research on malaria, in-vitro fertilisation, and intra-uterine contraceptive devices.
The animal rights group claimed that the female baboons have been used to study endometriosis which causes painful periods in women. They allegedly had their cervix stitched shut while others had parts of it removed for analysis.
They also claimed that Belgian researchers forced baboons to chew Miraa to test its effects on male fertility.
"Once a week blood samples were taken under sedation and electrodes inserted into their rectums to force ejaculation," claimed the report entitledCaptive cruelty.
IPR director Dr Thomas Kariuki dismissed the claims saying the scientists follow ethical scientific protocols.
The institute collaborates with foreign scientists vetted by public bodies including the National Commission for Science and Technology.
Dr Kariuki said it is well-established scientific practice to use animals to study human diseases and test medical products before using them on people.
"How can it be wrong to use 20 wild-caught animals to test a malaria vaccine that potentially could save the lives of 600,000 children that die of malaria in Africa every year," he asked. More....
Tranquil East Texas Sanctuary Respects Animals
Source: YourHoustonnews.com
By Kelly Gooch
Catherine the rhesus macaque monkey was not in the best shape when she came to the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch.
The 18-year-old was more than 40 pounds. Her previous owner allowed her to eat a poor diet and a lot of human food, which led to obesity, said Ben Callison, director of the sanctuary. But through some love and attention, he said she was able to lose weight.
Now, Catherine is among the many animals that enjoy the sanctuary's tranquil surroundings. Animals there include horses, bison, chimpanzees, ostriches, pigs, sheep, monkeys and iguanas.
Noelle Almrud, director of animal care at Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, said most of the animals there have had terrible lives, but the sanctuary is able to offer respect and quiet.
Callison said the sanctuary's mission is not to be an entertainment venue but rather a facility for education.
"We want to make sure these animals can tell their story," he told the Tyler Morning Telegraph (http://bit.ly/1bBaivT).
The Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch was founded in 1979 and started with burros from the Grand Canyon that were going to be exterminated, Callison said. Horses, primates, exotic animals and farm animals followed. Nim Chimpsky, a famous chimpanzee who knew sign language, even lived there for years, according to the sanctuary website.
Today, the sanctuary, which is an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States, has 1,310 acres with more than 1,000 animals.
Callison said hundreds of equine are on the property, and once the animals are at the sanctuary, they are there for life.
"He wanted to create a place where animals could come and live out their life and never have to worry about anything again," Callison said of Amory. More....
Jakarta and Other Indonesian Cities Move Against Monkey Acts
By Merritt Clifton
It's curtains for street corner monkey acts in northwestern Java, hopes Jakarta Animal Aid Network founder Femke Den Haas. Locally called topang monyet, meaning "masked monkeys," the acts have proliferated over the past decade, becoming a JAAN campaign target in 2009.
Crackdowns ordered by Jakarta governor Joko Widodo and Surakarta mayor F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo in late October and early November 2013 sent some monkey handlers into hiding. Others collected compensation of about $90 per monkey surrendered to wildlife officials and hoped that official pledges of job training for former handlers would be fulfilled.
"Tied to leashes and forced to wear doll masks and beg for money as they totter along on their hind legs, the performing monkeys have long been a common sight in Jakarta," reported the South China Morning Post. "But in recent years authorities and animal-rights groups have been stepping up efforts to crack down on the practice. Widodo has now announced a plan to get the animals off the streets by 2014."
Jakarta code enforcement officers during the last week of October 2013 impounded 22 monkeys. The monkeys were to be quarantined by the Jakarta Marine & Agriculture Agency, preliminary to transfer to the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta.
The monkeys "were stressed. Some tried to attack and some recoiled when we approached them," city veterinarian Valentina Aswindrastuti told the South China Morning Post. "They also had swollen gums and rotten teeth."
Some handlers contended that the monkeys had cost them as much as $135 apiece, far less than the offered compensation, but Jakarta Public Order Agency chief Ipih Ruyani said topang monyet monkeys actually sell for $20 to $30.
"We estimate that there are 60 exploited monkeys in the capital, mostly in North and East Jakarta," Ipih Ruyani told Sita W. Dewi of the Jakarta Post.
JAAN had projected that there might be from 200 to 350 topang monyet monkeys in Jakarta, but many may have been abruptly hustled away to other cities. More....
Serengeti's Animals Under Pressure
Source: Sciencecodex.com
Tanzania has one of the fastest growing human populations in the world. But even if there are places where the population density isn't yet that high, the number of conflicts between humans and other species is expected to rise as pressure on land areas grows.
Angela Mwakatobe, who recently defended her PhD at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, has studied villages at various distances from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to see how people interact with the wildlife and the best ways to protect both.
The buffer zones around Serengeti and Tanzania's other national parks are subject to certain rules. Here, human activity is only allowed if it benefits both the environment and local communities.
Schools and water wells
"Farmers living close to Serengeti National Park get training on how to handle and protect the wildlife in the area, and are also given the sense that this is important to themselves as well," says Mwakatobe.
The locals are compensated in the form of community investments, such as schools and water wells. Twenty-five percent of the income from the parks is fed back into local communities, and local authorities are supposed to distribute these benefits among the residents.
Not surprisingly and in spite of these efforts, there are clashes between villagers and wildlife in the settlements close to the national park.
But even 80 kilometers (49 miles) away from the border there are conflicts between humans and animals, her research shows.
For that reason Mwakatobe thinks that education and support are also important for people even further away. The conflicts arise over attacks on wildlife, raids on crops, disease and use of bushmeat.
Enclosures and guard dogs
Attacks on livestock and crop raids are more common the closer villages are to the national park. In general, people who keep livestock in the villages located close to the protected areas are on constant guard with arrows and spears while their animals are out grazing. More....
Tiny Monkey Kept in Filthy Birdcage is Rescued from Abusive Owner after He Took it To Pub and Posed with it On His Shoulder
By Nick Enoch
A man is facing jail for causing unnecessary suffering to a marmoset - after he was caught taking it to the pub.
Richard Walton, 32, kept three-year-old Milo in a faeces-covered birdcage where he had little daylight and no toys to play with.
Walton, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, had already been banned from owning animals for two years for neglecting a dog which had claws so overgrown it couldn't walk.
When he started taking Milo to his local pub on a lead, concerned drinkers informed the RSPCA.
The common marmoset was so badly malnourished and deprived of sunlight that he weighed the same as an orange when he was rescued, and was developing the bone condition rickets.
Instead of feeding him a varied diet of fresh and dried fruit, vegetables, seeds and vitamin-enriched baby food, Walton gave Milo only cherries and grapes.
Walton pleaded guilty to two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court and will be sentenced in January.
In their natural home in the Brazilian rainforest, marmosets are highly social creatures who mate for life and live in tight-knit family communities.
But Milo lived in isolation in his cage apart from when he was taken to the Portsmouth Arms in Basingstoke, where Walton would pose with his pet on his shoulder.
The RSPCA was alerted after receiving a tip-off that heavily tattooed Walton had taken him to the pub on at least two occasions. More....
Iowa Animal Control Officials Seek Sanctuary for Chompey the Alligator
Source: Timesfreepress.com
Animal control officials in the Iowa city of Waterloo are seeking a new home for a baby alligator named Chompey.
A resident of the eastern Iowa city of about 68,000 people bought the alligator after spotting an online advertisement, but he later learned state law does not allow people to keep alligators or other exotic animals, The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported (http://bit.ly/J7SVtu ) Monday.
The resident turned the gator in to animal control officials, who kept the creature in an aquarium while figuring out what to do with it. Then the gator started snapping and making noises.
"He was really kind of cute, but he was also kind of naughty," said Maria Tiller, Waterloo's code enforcement forewoman. "I didn't want him in my office anymore."
The alligator was moved to the Pawsitive Pet Care, a veterinary center, where staffed dubbed the animal "Chompey." The alligator then was sent to a herpetologist in Des Moines, where the animal's being held in quarantine while staff seek a sanctuary in a warmer climate for Chompey.
Josh Colvin, who heads animal control for Animal Rescue of Iowa, said alligator reports have dropped since the state ban on exotic animals was approved in 2007. Still, he said, people occasionally drop off gators.
"They just don't realize they are going to grow up and get big," Colvin said. "The unfortunate part is that people don't think it through, and then animal control has to pick up the pieces."
Iowa law also bans residents from owning lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, ocelots, elephants, bears, monkeys, crocodiles and some snakes. Exceptions can be made for zoos, circuses, fairs, animal shelters, veterinarians and researchers.
Crocodiles in Croydon, Lemur in Tooting — Met Shock at Wildlife Crime
Source: Standard.co.uk
By Justin Davenport
The shocking scale of wildlife crime in London ranging from the trapping of songbirds to trading in illicit ivory is revealed in a new report today.
A charity which works with the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit has produced the first detailed picture of crimes against animals in the capital.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals, which part funds the unit, says wildlife crime now ranks among trafficking in drugs, arms and humans in terms of profits.
The global illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be £12 billion a year.
In London, the charity says it has evidence of organised crime gangs smuggling endangered species into the UK while exotic animals are often rescued after being abandoned by owners.
The Met's wildlife crime unit has seized more than 30,000 items from endangered species since 1995 and deals daily with reports ranging from destruction of habitats to deliberate cruelty to animals.
The WSPA study, entitled The Victims of Wildlife Crime, reveals crimes in London including:
Small songbirds caught illegally for sale by leaving glue traps in gardens.
Badgers being illegally shot, snared, poisoned, baited and their setts damaged in railway embankments and overland sections of the Tube.
Foxes being shot at with airguns or deliberately poisoned.
A haul of illegal ivory seized from a Portobello Road trader.
The discovery of two West Africa dwarf crocodiles in cramped tanks in a flat in Croydon. More....
Man Faces Jail for Animal Cruelty After Taking his Pet Monkey To the PUB
Source: Mirror.co.uk
By Vicky Smith
He had already been banned from owning animals for two years for neglecting a dog which had claws so overgrown it couldn't walk.
When he started taking Milo to his local pub on a lead concerned drinkers informed the RSPCA.
The common marmoset was so badly malnourished and deprived of sunlight that he weighed the same as an orange when he was rescued, and was developing bone condition rickets.
Walton, of Basingstoke, Hants., pleaded guilty to two charges causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at Basingstoke Magistrates Court and will be sentenced in January.
The RSPCA was alerted after receiving a tip-off that heavily tattooed Walton had taken him to the pub on at least two occasions.
After he was rescued, Milo was taken to Monkey World animal sanctuary in Wareham, Dorset, where he has now returned to full health.
Director Dr Alison Cronin said: "In the wild, they come from Brazil and live in extended family groups.
"They are a species of marmoset that mate for life, and almost always have twins, and the male is very important to the family group, because they help care for the infants. More....
Considering the Humanity of Nonhumans
Source: NYtimes.com
By James Gorman
What is a person?
"Beings who recognize themselves as 'I's.' Those are persons." That was the view of Immanuel Kant, said Lori Gruen, a philosophy professor at Wesleyan University who thinks and writes often about nonhuman animals and the moral and philosophical issues involved in how we treat them.
She was responding to questions in an interview last week after advocates used a new legal strategy to have chimpanzees recognized as legal persons, with a right to liberty, albeit a liberty with considerable limits.
The Nonhuman Rights Project, an advocacy group led by Steven M. Wise, filed writs of habeas corpus in New York last week on behalf of four captive chimpanzees: Tommy, owned by a Gloversville couple; two at Stony Brook University; and one at the Primate Sanctuary in Niagara Falls. The lawsuits were dismissed, but Mr. Wise said he planned to appeal.
He believes that the historical use of habeas corpus lawsuits as a tool against human slavery offers a model for how to fight for legal rights for nonhumans.
His case relies heavily on science. Nine affidavits from scientists that were part of the court filings offer opinions of what research says about the lives, thinking ability and self-awareness of chimpanzees.
Mr. Wise argues that chimps are enough like humans that they should have some legal rights; not the right to vote or freedom of religion — he is not aiming for a full-blown planet of the apes — but a limited right to bodily liberty. The suits asked that the chimps be freed to go to sanctuaries where they would have more freedom.
Richard L. Cupp, a law professor at Pepperdine University in California who opposes granting rights to nonhuman animals, described the legal strategy as "far outside the mainstream." He said in an email, "The courts would have to dramatically expand existing common law for the cases to succeed."
Lori Marino of Emory University, who studies dolphins and other cetaceans and is the science director of the Nonhuman Rights Project, said it "is about more than these four chimpanzees." Mr. Wise, she said, "sees this as the knob that can turn a lot of things. It's potentially transformative." More....
Strict Law Enforcement Needed to Protect Endemic Species
Source: TheJakartapost.com
By Syamsul Huda M. Suhari
The North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Center's (BKSDA) Gorontalo section has urged the North Sulawesi provincial administration to issue a special bylaw to curb the widespread culinary trade in protected wildlife.
Gorontalo BKSDA head Hendrik Rundangan said the bylaw was necessary given the rate of wildlife poaching, which was especially high among protected and endemic species.
"The meat of the endemic babirusa, anoa and Sulawesi monkey is traded freely, especially at the Langowan market in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, some 500 kilometers from Gorontalo," Hendrik said recently.
He said most animals sold at the Langowan "extreme culinary" market came from conservation areas in Gorontalo, such as the Nantu Wildlife Refuge.
Additionally, according to a BKSDA study, meat from other species sold at the market came from as far away as South Sulawesi and Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi.
He said poachers smuggled the meat in boxes filled with ice by private car, eluding authorities. "This is a new mode of operation. Previously, smugglers transported the animal carcasses by pickup truck," said Hendrik.
The rate of poaching usually increases ahead of Christmas and New Year, as residents of North Sulawesi eat exotic wildlife meat as a tradition to celebrate the holiday season.
If a bylaw was issued, Hendrik said, the provincial administration could deploy police to raid poachers.
Hendrik said his office did already have laws governing poaching, such as Law No. 5/1990 on natural resource conservation, but they were ineffective. More....
Poachers Enjoy Free Run Despite Prohibitory Laws
Source: E-pao.net
In spite of a number of laws and rules which prohibit poaching and trading wildlife and wildlife products, poachers literally enjoy a free run in Manipur with a variety of wild animals either alive, slaughtered or cut into pieces and sold openly at major market places of the hill districts.
Wild animals are sold abundantly in the markets of Ukhrul district headquarters every day.
Even as wild animals are sold right in front of the Ukhrul DC office, no law enforcing agency speaks a word against it, forget about taking action.
Incidentally, Ukhrul district is home to Nongin, the State bird of Manipur.
It is not only the poachers who are at fault.
A large number of people are also culpable for the wild animals and their products sold illegally in front of all Government authorities are always in great demand.
A variety of wild animals including deer, wild pigs, wild fowl and monkeys are sold openly at the wooden stalls opened beside the entrance gate of 6th MR complex and opposite to the Ukhrul mini secretariat.
MR personnel as well as other Government officials came and enquired about the prices of wild animals sold there but they never said that it was illegal to kill or trade wildlife or wildlife products.
Wild fowls put on sale amid common vegetables like mustard, cabbage, peas, yongchak etc were sold within minutes and there was no time for bargaining.
Two women were also seen selling deer and wild pigs after dressing them then and there as if everything is okay.
It appears that most of the wild animals sold in Ukhrul markets were hunted using guns.
According to environmentalist Dr Kh Shamungou who is also a member of the IUCN's Deer Survival Commission expressed strong suspicion that licensed guns issued to hill people by the Government for self defence are being used for hunting wild animals.
It is crucial for the Government to take up necessary steps so that all the hill people are aware of the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, he added.
Aceh Protected Forest
Source: Endangeredliving.com
I have been working on an independent project where I have been evaluating a series of protected areas around the world that are home to a variety of species of primates. I am doing so to evaluate what exactly is going wrong in these parks in comparison to some protected areas that are not overrun with illegal hunting, logging and development. One of the 'parks in peril' that I am examining is the Aceh Protected Forest. This forest is in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra which is being degraded at an alarming rate. Take a look at some of the information I've found.
Primate Species in Aceh:
According to Orang Utan Republik Foundation, an educational conservation foundation working to preserve Indonesia's endemic wildlife there are roughly 13 species of primate found in Borneo, all of which reside in the Aceh National Forest. The species known are: Pongo abelii (Sumatran orangutan), H ylobates larvestitus (white- handed gibbon), H ylobates agilis (agile gibbon), Symphalangus syndactylus (Siamang), N asalis larvatus (proboscis monkey), Macaca nemestrina (pig tailed macaque), Presbytis rubicunda (maroon langur), M acaca fascicularis (long tailed macaque), T rachypithecus cristatus (silvery lutung), Presbytis thomasi (Thomas's Langur), Presbytis melalophos (Sumatran surili), N ycticebus coucang (Sunda slow loris), and T arsius bancanus (Horsfield's tarsier).
A Description of the Protected Forest:
The Aceh Protected Forest takes up about 3,795,180 ha. It is considered to be the most bio- logically diverse location in Asia Pacific, although hundreds of hectares are being cut down daily to make way for international palm oil companies, mining companies, and to be used for paper. The forests are home not only to the endangered Sumatran orangutan, but also the Sumatran orangutan, Javan rhino, and the Sumatran elephant. But even with the vast amount of endangered species found already millions of hectares have been cut down and the Indonesian government is threatening to strip 1.2 million hectares of the forest of it's protected status.
Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world, behind India and the United States of America. It's population is about 241 million people with a $1.1 trillion GDP. Industry makes up 47% of the GDP compensation with Indonesia's main industries being petroleum, min- ing, and rubber. The country also relies heavily on its agricultural exports including palm oil, which is the most detrimental to the forests of Indonesia. 90% of Indonesia's rain forests have been cleared for palm oil plantations. More....
Drexel Grad Student Has one of the 'Worst Jobs in Science'
Source: Drexel.edu
By Alissa Falcone
Jake Owens wasn't surprised that his stint collecting data from an African bush-meat market was named one of the "worst jobs in science" in the November issue of Popular Science magazine.
"It was definitely one of the worst working experiences I've ever had," he said. "There is nothing good about working in a bush-meat market."
The environmental science PhD candidate isn't exaggerating.
For one month in 2010, Owens spent eight hours a day sitting at an illegal bush-meat market in Equatorial Guinea where merchants sold meat from endangered primates and other exotic animals. Owens wanted to use hair and tissue samples from the monkey meat to learn ecological information about a little-known primate species on Bioko Island, an island off Africa's western coast, and determine if the samples could help to identify poaching "hot zones."
Problem was, he didn't want to pay for the meat or do anything else that would promote illegal business. His solution? Befriend four youths who charged shoppers a very small amount of money to burn the hair off or cut the scales off of the meat they had just purchased from the venders.
The middle school- and high school-aged boys were friendly toward Owens because of their love of American rap artists such as Lil Wayne, so they let him collect samples from the meat they were given.
Others at the market were not as friendly, and it wasn't just because Owens was spending all day at the market without buying anything. Owens represented someone who wanted to put an end to their livelihood of selling illegally procured animals, which is why they tried to threaten him by hitting him with brooms, spitting at him, and getting too close with blowtorches and machetes.
"Basically they would wave them at me to tell me to go away, and when I was actually collecting the samples, the guys working around would scrape the burnt hair, scales, porcupine quills and blood off the carcasses, which would fling on me," he said.
Owens saw the experience as a way to be outside and interact with the environment and the animals he wants to learn about so he can help others with research and understanding.
"Field work can be rough, but there are benefits to it," Owens said. More....
Monkey Holiday Photos Support Animal Cruelty
Source: Smh.com.au
By Tim Barlass
Have you ever seen been offered the chance to have a holiday snap taken with a cute monkey?
Did you post the image on Facebook or ''like'' a similar picture on a friend's page?
Then consider this message from the British animal charity Care for the Wild International: in doing so you have made the animal trade more lucrative and ''liked'' animal abuse and cruelty.
The real story behind the happy monkey snap is that the tourist stunt is contributing to the decline of many primates. The animal was most likely taken from his family at a tender age and his mother inevitably killed.
The monkey would have had his teeth and claws ripped out to ensure he did not scratch or bite during the photo shoot.
Considered a working animal, not a pet, the source of revenue is ultimately dumped or killed when it is deemed no longer cute enough to be in front of the lens.
The charity's chief executive Philip Mansbridge said it was easy to get caught up in the moment when on holiday, so having a photo taken with a cute wild animal may seem like a good idea. But if people knew the true story behind these animals then they would learn to say no.
''If you see a wild animal that isn't in the wild, then it's time to ask questions,'' Mansbridge said. ''If it's a young animal, where's its mum? Why is it so tame?''
The World Wildlife Fund estimates that the population of chimpanzees in the wild could be as low as 172,000. Chimps, officially ranked as endangered, have already disappeared completely from four countries.
Lou Grossfeldt, supervisor of primates at Taronga Zoo said baby chimps may look gorgeous but they were also vulnerable.
''By the time they reach five years of age, these animals are incredibly strong and powerful and they need to be tied up. More....
Of Tiger and Lion Bones and the Legalizing of the Rhino Horn Trade
By Karl Ammann
At the CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP16) in Bangkok earlier this year, I attended a press conference where the South African Minister for the Environment announced that South Africa had tried a wide range of measures to curtail rhino poaching, but she confirmed that so far they had failed and it was now time to look at the option of legalizing the trade. This proposal will result in a heated debate for months or years to come. Discussions will be very polarized with neither side willing to make compromises on what they see as core principles.
I have visited several ranches in South Africa and seen happy, live rhinos enjoying what to me looked like a good quality of life. It made for a pretty convincing argument that having a dehorned rhino grazing with its calf is a better option than an orphaned calf trying to suckle on its slaughtered mother.
However, on my last trip to Laos and Vietnam, in October this year, I once again investigated the trade in tiger bone—another traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) product in the same league as rhino horn—and I found a situation that might have relevance when discussing the proposed legalizing of the rhino horn trade.
First, a bit more background on the tiger bone/cake trade, a demand which is most pronounced in Vietnam with tiger wine being the Chinese equivalent.
In 2010 a group of Vietnamese journalists managed to get into one of the biggest tiger farms in Laos. They reported that a tiger carcass was selling for $140 a kilogram. The buyers, usually from China or Vietnam, choose a live tiger and then pay per kilogram after the cat has been shot or electrocuted. Seven to 10 kilograms are deducted from the weight for the intestines. The price in 2010 per kilogram was quoted $140 per kilogram for cats above 100 kilograms, a little less for tigers below that. In October this year, a Swiss print journalist and myself managed to get a Vietnamese investigator to visit the same farm and film with a hidden camera. In 2010 the Vietnamese writers mentioned a stock of 100 tigers. Now the farm has over 300, plus some bears and clouded leopards. The farm is also being expanded to hold about 700 tigers. This will be achieved with breeding and importing other captive borne tigers, mostly from Thailand and Malaysia. Plus there are new such farms being set up. All of this is illegal under CITES resolution (14.69) passed in 2012 and stating:
"Parties (to the convention) with intensive operations breeding tigers on a commercial scale shall implement measures to restrict captive populations to a level supportive ONLY FOR CONSERVING WILD TIGERS. Tigers should not be bred for their parts or derivate."
There has never been a valid explanation how tiger farming in any form will support the conservation of wild tigers since they cannot be reintroduced into the wild. Commercial captive breeding might be viewed as having the potential to satisfy demand and bring down prices of tiger parts and as such taking the pressure of the wild populations, however that seems not to be what is advocated with the above notification. More....
European Vets Advocate Restrictions in Exotic Pet Keeping
Source: Bornfree.org.uk
This week, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), representing veterinarians from 38 countries, have called upon the governments of European nations to restrict the keeping of exotic animals as pets. Whilst dogs and domestic cats may be the most conventional and numerous companion animals, or 'pets', wild animals, such as snakes and lizards, parrots and even meerkats and monkeys, are increasingly in demand across homes in Europe. Wild in nature and often unpredictable, these animals not only require specialised care, but they are potentially dangerous to people, can inflict severe physical injury and transmit harmful diseases. If abandoned, or if they escape, they can pose a threat to the natural environment.
Concerned by the growing demand for exotic animals as pets and the risks to both animals and the public, as well as the increasing demand placed on the veterinary profession to diagnose and treat exotic illnesses, the FVE is advocating the establishment of ' Animal Lists' that restrict and in certain cases, prohibit the keeping of some animal species.
Christophe Buhot, President of the FVE explains, "Veterinarians in Europe are increasingly concerned about the surge in wild and exotic species being kept in the homes of European citizens. People are buying these animals, often without a thought given to their biology, behaviour or living requirements and, unsurprisingly, some of these animals soon become ill, or even die. In addition, some of these animals might even pose a health or safety risk to their keepers. The expectation on veterinary professionals to provide species-specific information and advice accordingly, is high, but, some of these animals are simply not suitable to be kept." Dr Buhot concludes, "In order to avert the suffering of animals, and these very real threats to the welfare of the public, our members are calling for limitations in exotic animal keeping as the most viable solution."
Veterinarians are dedicated to actively promoting health and welfare for animals and humans and FVE strongly wishes to collaboratively work with all stakeholders and EU Institutions towards those objectives. Two European countries, Belgium and the Netherlands, have already established a 'positive list' of mammals, clarifying which animal species are permitted to be kept by private individuals. The positive list has been incorporated in their national legislation and forms the basis of regulations relating to the import and keeping of these species in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is hoped that other European countries will follow. More....
Animal Trafficking in Colombia a $17M Industry: Wildlife Group
Source: Colombiareports.co
By Andrew Wight
Animal trafficking is now the fourth-largest illegal industry in Colombia, after drugs, guns and human trafficking, reported RCN Radio on Tuesday.
The industry, based primarily on the trade of live monkeys, turtles and reptiles, is now worth $17 million each year, according to the Rescue and Rehabilitation of Wild Animals Unit (URRAS), a Colombian NGO.
Last year alone, Colombian authorities rescued a reported 46,000 illegally trafficked animals.
URRAS director Claudia Brevia explains that the industry is diverse. Parrots, macaws and monkeys are the most vulnerable animals in the live trade. Deer, tapir and peccaries, meanwhile, are poached for their meat, while alligators and caimans hides are valuable trade commodities, and iguana and turtle populations are pillaged for their eggs.
"The main problem of wildlife trafficking in the country is that there is [domestic\ demand. On many occasions, the people buying the animal believe they are rescuing or helping those animals."
"Meanwhile the animal traffickers make money, the habitat disappears and so do the species."
Brevia said trafficking is a problem across Colombia, from the sub-tropical pacific coast, to the Andean mountains, to the eastern plains and the Amazon River Basin.
Links to Drugs Worldwide illegal animal sales bring in some $20 billion a year, according to Interpol estimates, making it the third largest illicit trade in the world after drug and weapons.
According to crime analysis site Insight Crime, the same routes used by drug smugglers transporting narcotics to the U.S. and Europe are also frequented by Colombia's animal traffickers.
Drug traffickers supplement their profits by taxing animal smugglers in exchange for using the same smuggling routes, and may even use the animals to help hide narcotics shipments. More....


Nahid is currently employed as a Visiting Fellow at University of Oxford, Sustainable Urban Development Programme. Nahid received Advanced Postdoc Mobility Fellowship Award from Swiss National Science Foundation to work on integrating urban form and sociotechnical potentials of decentralised energy supply. Nahid was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB - EPFL) where she led the Complex Urban Systems Group. At the EPFL, Nahid was involved in teaching of the two following courses: "Technical Ecology of Human Communities" and "Urban Neighbourhoods, Infrastructures and Sustainable Development" as well as co-supervising semester and master projects and PhD theses. Before joining EPFL, Nahid finished her PhD at University College London (UCL) in 2013. Nahid is a multi-disciplinary scholar whose research focuses on the urban renewable energy challenges and transitions toward a sustainable urban development. Nahid's research lies on the interface of engineering and social sciences, and focus on integrating qualitative and quantitative as well as data-driven approaches of analyzing renewable energy resources in the urban areas.
•	Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., Upadhyay, G., Assouline, D., Kämpf, J., Scartezzini, J.L., 2016. Effects of urban compactness on solar energy potential. Renewable Energy 93, 469-482. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A.,Scartezzini, J.L., 2015. Statistical- physics modelling of the built environment in relation to urban ecology. Ecological Modelling,307, pp. 32-47. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., French, J., 2015. CO2 emissions in relation to street-network configuration and city size. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 35, 116-129. Mohajeri, N., Poursistani P., Poursistani. P., Gudmundsson, A. 2015. Quantitative analysis of structural changes during rapid urban growth. Journal of Urban Planning and Development (American Society of Civil Engineering). DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000213,pp.05014014-1,10. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2014. Street networks in relation to landforms: implications for fast-growing cities. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 24 (2), pp. 363-381. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2014. Analysing the variation in street patterns: implications for urban planning. Journal of Architectural and Planning Research 31, 112-127. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2014. The evolution and complexities of urban street networks. Geographical Analysis 4, 1-23, doi: 10.1111/gean.12061. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2014. Quantifying the differences in geometry and size distributions of buildings within cities. Nexus Network Journal: Architecture and Mathematics Online 16(2),417-436. Gudmundsson, A., Mohajeri, N., 2013.Entropy and order in urban street networks. Nature Scientific Reports, 3, 3324, DOI: 10.1038/srep03324. Mohajeri, N., French, J., Gudmundsson, A., 2013. Entropy measures and street-network dispersion: examples from coastal cities in Brazil and Britain. Entropy, 15(9), pp. 3340-3360. Mohajeri, N., French, J., Batty, M., 2013. Evolution and entropy in the organisation of urban street patterns. Annals of GIS, 19, pp.1-16. Gudmundsson, A., Mohajeri, N., 2013. Relations between the scaling exponents, entropies, and energies of fracture networks. Bulletin of the Geological Society of France, 184 (4), pp. 377-387. Mohajeri, N., 2012. Effects of landscape constraints on street patterns in cities: example from Khorramabad, Iran. Applied Geography 34, pp.10-20. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2012. Entropies and scaling exponents of street and fracture networks. Entropy 14, pp. 800-833. Mohajeri, N., Longley P., Batty M., 2012. City shape and the fractality of street patterns. Quaestiones Geographicae 31, pp. 29-37. Habib, F., Etesam, I., Ghoddusifar, H., Mohajeri, N., 2012. Correspondence Analysis: A New Method for Analyzing Qualitative Data in Architecture. Nexus Network Journal: Architecture and Mathematics 14, pp. 517-538. Mohajeri, N., Amin Gh., 2010. Railway station site selection using analytical hierarchy process and data envelopment analysis. Journal of Computers and Industrial Engineering 59, pp.107-114. Safaee, M., Mohajeri, N., Aghili, A., 2007. The effect of underground development on the rehabilitation of historical urban places, Tehran- Iran. National Technical University of Athens, pp.309-315.
Complex Urban Systesms: Title: 'City shape, entropy, and street networks', August 2013, University College London, Geography Department/CASA. Supervised by Professors Jon French and Michael Batty. Viva examination outcome: Pass. Excellent, no thesis changes requested. Examiners: Prof. Sir Alan Wilson and Prof. Peter Allen. Urban Design: Title: 'Fractal City - the Language of Nature in Urban Design',February 2007, Azad University of Tehran-Iran, Science and Research Branch, Department of Art and Architecture.
Mohajeri, N., 2011. Book review: Spacematrix: Space, Density and Urban Form. Journal of Environment and Planning B-Planning & Design 38(3), pp. 367-568.
Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., Kunckler, T., Upadhyay, G., Assouline, D., J.L. Scartezzini. How street canyon configuration control the accessability of solar energy potential. Abstract and paper. International Conference PLEA (Cities, Buildings, People :Towards Regenerative Enviornmnets ) 2016 July 11-13 USA. Mohajeri,N., Assouline,D., Guiboud,B., Scartezzini, J.L. 2016. Abstract and paper. Does roof shape matter? Solar energy integration on roofs. Abstract and paper. International Conference on Systems Thinking for the Built Environment, ETH Zurich June 13-17. Mohajeri, N., 2015. Invited talk. Urban desnity and solar energy. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), School of Architecture, Switzerland. Mohajeri, N.,Scartezzini, J.L., 2015.Invited talk. An overview on future energy efficient buildings & districts in Switzerland (SCCER - FEEEB&D). Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Energy Center. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A.,Scartezzini, J.L., 2015. Talk and paper. Expansion and densification: linking urban form to cology.International Conference on Future Buildings & Districts Sustainability from Nano to urban Scale (CISBAT), 9-11 September, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., Upadhyay, G., Assouline, D., Scartezzini, J.L., 2015. Talk and paper. Neighbourhood morphology and solar irradiance in relation to urban climate. International Conference on Urban Climate jointly with 12th Symposium on the Urban Environment, 20-24 July, Toulouse, France. Assouline, D., Mohajeri, N., Scartezzini, J.L., 2015.Talk and paper. Semi-supervised learning methodology for estimating roof-top photovoltaic solar energy potential in Switzerland.International Conference on Future Buildings & Districts Sustainability from Nano to urban Scale (CISBAT), 9-11 September, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., J. French., Scartezzini, J.L., 2015.Talk and abstract. How green are British cities? Scaling relations and CO2 emissions 4th annual symposium on Applied Urban Modelling: Green Cities. Cambridge University, UK, 24-26 June 2015 Mohajeri, N., 23 June 2015. Invited talk. Impacts of urban spatial structure on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions Imperial College London Mohajeri, N., 22 April 2015. Invited talk. Building sustainable cities EFPL - School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering Mohajeri, N., 29 January 2015. Invited talk. Energy and building forms Energy and Climate Change Division (ECCD), Southampton University Mohajeri, N., 23 January 2015. Invited talk. City development, urban configuration and energy efficiency Future Energy Efficient Building & District (SCCER), ETH Zurich, EPFL, Luzern and Geneva Universities at Reka Holiday Village Mohajeri, N., 22 September 2014. Invited talk. Sustainable Urban Design, ARCHI - Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University Mohajeri, N., 09 September 2014. Invited talk. Complex Built Environment Systems University College London, Faculty of the Built Environment, The Bartlett School Mohajeri, N., 06 May 2014. Invited talk. Quantitative Methods and Visualisations Techniques in Urban Studies (Spatial Data Analysis), London School of Economics and Political Science, LES Cities Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, Scartezzini, J.L., 2014. Abstract and talk. Analysing and modelling the growth and efficiency of urban Transportation infrastructures. Symposium on Applied Urban Modelling - Planning Urban Infrustructure - Univresity of Cambridge, 1-3 April, Cambridge, UK. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., Kämpf, J.H, Scartezzini, J.L., 2014. Paper and talk. Visualizing street orientation and solar radiation in relation to complex topography. EuroGraphics Digital Library,Workshop on Urban Data Modelling and Visualisation - DOI: 10.2312/udmv.20141070, 6 April, Strasburg, France. Mohajeri, N., 6 December 2013. Talk. The Evolution and Complexities of Urban Structure. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB), Switzerland. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2013. Abstract and talk. Entropy and street-network efficiency. RGS-IBG Annual International Conference on Transport and Energy. 28-30 August 2013, UK. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2013. Talk and paper. The evolution and complexities of Urban street networks. ICA Workshop on Street Networks and Transport. 23-24 August 2013, Dresden-Germany. Mohajeri, N., 15 July 2013. Invited talk. Transport networks and energy efficiency. University College London, the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, Energy Institute, UK. Mohajeri, N., 10 June 2013. Invited talk. Street mobility and accessibility. University College London, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering, UK. Mohajeri, N., 30 May 2013. Invited talk. Spatial configuration of street networks and their efficiency. University of Glasgow, UK. Mohajeri, N., 18 January 2013. Invited talk. Urban form, entropy, and energy. University of Cambridge Department of Architecture, UK. Mohajeri, N., 17 July 2012. Invited talk. Cities, entropy, and information. SENSEable City Laboratory Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT), USA. Mohajeri, N., Gudmundsson, A., 2012. Abstract. Textural differences in street patterns of Iranian cities. International Conference on Urban Change in Iran, University College London (UCL). London, UK Poursistani P., Mohajeri, N., Poursistani. P., 2012. Abstract and poster (poster competition winner). Urban texture and geometric differences between the old and new parts of cities. International Conference on Urban Change in Iran, University College London (UCL).London, UK. Mohajeri, N., 2012. Talk. City shape, street networks, and entropy Mini Conference, University College London. London, UK. Mohajeri, N., 2011. Proceedings paper and poster. How landscape constraints control the shapes and street patterns of cities. 13th International Conference on Computers in Urban Planning and Urban Management (CUPUM) Alberta, Canada. Mohajeri, N., 2011. Abstract and talk. How landscape constraints control the geometric evolution of cities. 18th International Seminar on Urban Form and the Post-Carbon (ISUF) Montreal, Canada. Mohajeri, N., 2011. Talk. How landscape factors control the shapes and street patterns of cities. Presentation in UCL Geography Department, University College London. London, UK Mohajeri, N., 2011. Talk. Effects of external constraints on the general shape and internal geometric patterns of cities. Presentation in UCL Centre for Advanced Special Analysis (CASA), University College London, London, UK Mohajeri, N., 2011. Talk. Effects of landscapes on city shapes and street patterns. Presentation in Construction Engineering Organization Kerman, Iran. Longley P., Batty M., Mohajeri, N., 2010. Talk. Fractal cities: modelling growth and dynamics with new digital data infrastructures.1st international conference on cities and their growth: sustainability and fractality Poznan, Poland Mohajeri, N., 2010. Talk. External constraints, city shape and street patterns of cities. Presentation in Centre for Advanced Special Analysis (CASA), University College London London, UK Mohajeri, N., 2010. Talk. Visualising changes in city street patterns. Presentation in UCL Bartlett school of Architecture, University College London London, UK Mohajeri, N., Longley P., 2010. Abstract and talk. Visualising street pattern variations within cities. RGS-IBG Annual International conference. London, UK. Mohajeri, N., 2008. Proceedings paper and talk. Spatial organization and economic analysis in sustainable transit oriented development, Iran. 1st International Conference on Underground Spaces: Design, Engineering and Environmental Aspects Wessex Institute of Technology, New Forest, UK. Safaee, M., Mohajeri, N., Aghili, A., 2007. Proceedings paper and talk. The effect of underground development on the rehabilitation of historical urban places, Tehran- Iran. 11th International Conference on Underground Spaces, Athena, Greece. Mohajeri, N., 2006. Abstract. Insulator products and new sustainable approach in the insulation industries, Printed in proceedings of the 5th conference on fuel conservation in building Iran-Tehran. Sattarzadeh, D., Mohajeri, N., 2004. Abstract and talk. Qanat or Kariz and its effect on the morphology of Islamic cities case study: Yazd city. International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF), Newcastle, UK.
PhD project (Co-supervisor): (i)Geo-Dependent Energy Supply in Relation to Urban Form, Funded by SCCER Master projects: (i)Eco-District and Energy Planning (ii)A Parametric Facade Design for Improving Daylight Performance (iii)Roof-shape complexity: An urban-scale classification of roof geometries for solar energy applications (iv)How street configurations control solar energy potential? Semester projects: (i)Urban configuration and renewable energy (ii)Urban metabolism of Fribourg: From energy flows to energy management Bachelor projects: (i)Renewable Energy and Urban Form (ii)Urban Energetics and Spatial Data (iii)Renewable Energy and Built Form Winter School EUROTECH, Feb 2015: Teaching two lectures in the Winter School EUROTECH Feb 2015: "Integrated Urban Energy Systems Design". Course title: Energy- Efficient Urban Configurations: Theory and Application.
How do different urban forms relate to energy consumption and renewable energy supply (e.g. solar energy)? The aim is to explore the effects of different urban configurations including compact/dispersed on the energy use and microclimate. A further aim is to assess the contribution of different urban forms to sustainability, and to provide a framework for eco-cities (e.g. green infrastructure, high density, mixed land-use, ecological and cultural diversity, and passive solar design). To quantify the complexities of urban forms in relation to energy use and their sustainable development, the following methods are used: (i) Urban entropy analysis, (ii) Statistical methods, (iii) Methods adapted from physics and engineering (such as statistical physics/information theory), (iv) GIS and spatial analysis.
We live in a data-driven world and many scientific sub-disciplines have become largely data-driven, including aspects of social science, urban science, and energy management. The aim is to collect different types of energy data (satellite data, estimated and measurements data, etc.) and multi-scale urban data (neighborhood level, city and regions), as well as real time datasets - big data – so as to discover patterns in large data sets and propose new ways to map, visualize, and analyze them (average trends, statistical characteristics, deviation from average, and changes over time). GIs and geo-statistical tools, machine learning (e.g. SVM)and data mining techniques can be used so as to analyse urban data and identify the current renewable resources as well as to make predictions or future decisions.
3. Le Temps. Comment agrandir une ville sans faire trop de dégâts (City expansion without negative environmental impact)? Published in Le Temps, interviewed by Nic Ulmi, 2 September 2015.
Chief Editor: Professor Nyuk Hien WONG, National University of Singapore,Singapore.
Chief Editor: Professor Marina Alberti, University of Washington,USA.


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KABUL – Senior Afghan politicians, including former president Hamid Karzai, have strongly lambasted the Taliban's announcement of spring offensive, calling it an attempt to sabotage the ongoing peace process.
A day earlier, the Taliban announced the launch of their spring offensive codenamed Al Fatah, across the country, drawing strong criticism from the US envoy for reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan government and NATO resolute support mission.
A statement from Hamid Karzai's media office said the former president was saddened by the Taliban's announcement. It quoted Karzai as calling the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan as an imposed war that served the interest of outsiders.
He said on both sides only the Afghan were killed and maimed and the conflict only offered destruction and devastation and nothing else.
Karzai urged all the warring sides that instead of waging fresh violence, they should focus all their efforts and energy on ceasing the bloodshed and bringing peace and stability to the war-torn nation.
In his reaction to the Taliban's announcement, Senate chairman Fazl Hadi Muslimyar said the Afghan government not only offered conditions-free talks but also accepted all conditions of the Taliban for peace in the country.
He said President Ghani even offered the Taliban to open their political office inside Afghanistan because the Afghans were desperate for peace which was their long standing demand.
Muslimyar asked the Afghans to stand united in their efforts to frustrate the nefarious designs of the Taliban and stand shoulder to shoulder with their security forces.
He said the Afghan defense and security forces were fully capable and equipped with modern weaponry to frustrate the enemy's designs.
Muslimyar told the international community and foreign forces that the Taliban had always wished to deprive the Afghans of having a peaceful life and an organized system.
Meanwhile, presidential candidate Hanif Atmar said the Taliban's announcement of their spring offensive was condemnable because the Afghans had launched their peace campaign with new hopes.
He asked the Taliban not to alienate themselves from the Afghans whose hopes for peace had increased.
He said the Taliban should not act against the ongoing peace process and factors that the rebels deemed behind the continuation of war could be resolved through talks.


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Moorsholm
The myths, legends and folk stories about the origins of Freebrough Hill - but what is it?
From man-made burial grounds to King Arthur's final resting place, Teessiders have come up with - and been told - plenty of folk tales
Mike BrownSenior Reporter/Content Editor
Freebrough Hill (Image: Teesside Live/Katie Lunn)
Everyone who has driven the Moors Road has asked the same question - what is that dome-shaped hill?
Located just south of Moorsholm , on the way to Whitby , lies Freebrough Hill.
A rounded dome which is used for grazing sheep, the 246m-high hill sticks out on the landscape - and has sparked debate from locals, anyone that's ever driven past it.
Generations of children have been told different stories by mischief-making parents - with a number of theories floating about.
Is it a man-made burial mound? Were victims of the Plague buried beneath it? Is it King Arthur's final resting place?
There's some wild theories
It certainly sparked debate online, with members of the Guisborough News and Views Facebook page sharing their folk tales and myths about Freebrough.
Nicknamed "death hill" by some after those foolhardy souls who've ventured up it with a sledge in the snow, other stories allude to a supposed grisly past in which dead bodies were buried beneath it. That particular myth stretches back to account for the last 1,500 years - some believe it was a Roman burial ground, with everything in between through to being used to dispose of those who died of Plague during the Black Death.
Others say the hill is "too smooth and rounded" not to be man-made.
The curious history of an 'abandoned' Teesside village - complete with church, gravestones and cottage remains
One poster wrote: "Old local tale that if the sheep are near the top means fine weather ahead if near the bottom weather worsening."
Another poster had a wonderful family story: "My grandad used to call it O'baldy, and if you didn't have your seatbelts on when we drove past the baldies that lived behind would come chasing after you."
Others said it was known as a "giant's belly", while one poster's story was that it was a leftover mound of earth thrown by a giant, leaving the Hole of Horcrum behind.
People left rubbish and broken sledges after sledging in February, 2013 (Image: Evening Gazette)
Consensus opinion
The consensus opinion is that the hill was actually formed by glacial erosion - with 19th Century excavations said to have confirmed this.
The stone it is made from is said to be the same as Roseberry Topping , with the softer ground around the hill eroding away when the glaciers receded, leaving Freebrough behind.
Paul Walker, posting online, said: "Although it looks man-made it is a natural feature. A grave was discovered on its side in the 19th century and there are earthworks and barrows surrounding it."
And along with many, Mr Walker wrote that the legend of King Arthur has been linked to Freebrough "along with virtually every other mound in Britain...!"
This Teesside seven-year-old explores abandoned buildings - and documents it all on social media
King Arthur's resting place
Steve Kay, a veteran independent councillor from Moorsholm, is well aware of the many stories told about the hill.
He said: "Freebrough Hill arouses our curiosity because its symmetrical, rounded shape makes it appear man-made."
Cllr Kay claims the hill is "probably named after the Norse goddess, Freya" as nearby Roseberry Topping was known as "Odin's Hill".
Researching the subject, he found that many of the common legends probably derived from the 18th Century - explaining how Thomas Pennant declared Freebrough a "colossal burial mound".
Another theory was that the hill "was one of the greatest Celtic remains Britain can glory in" and was modelled on Silbury in Wiltshire.
Other experts thought Freebrough was a druid place of worship, while others said it was a centre for legal disputes to be settled.
Cllr Steve Kay at Freebrough Hill
But Cllr Kay said the "most extravagant claim" came from John Hall Stevenson of Skelton Castle, who raised speculation to fever pitch when he referred to Freebrough Hill as "immortal Arthur's tomb".
"No doubt, he wanted to publicise his own locality, but he may also have thought that the largest, apparently man-made, mound in the country must be the resting place of the greatest of all kings; a king whose legend is central to English medieval literature and chivalric codes, and which has survived to this day," wrote Cllr Kay.
"As a child I was fascinated by the stories of King Arthur because my namesake, Sir Kay, Arthur's foster brother, plays a leading, though not completely honourable, role in them. When Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, showing he is the rightful king, Sir Kay won't believe him. Instead, Sir Kay puts it back, and has a go himself. Of course, he fails and is finally obliged to acknowledge that Arthur is the one true king.
"Sir Kay becomes a Knight of the Round Table and, thankfully, remains loyal to Arthur."
But Cllr Kay acknowledges that despite the romantic story, geologists have found that Freebrough is a piece of hard rock "smoothed into its 'unnatural', distinctive shape by a glacier in the ice age".
The curious outlaw history of Tees beauty spot Gibson's Cave
Another theory?
John Walker Ord, writing in the 'History of Antiquities in Cleveland', said that for the hill to be man-made would be unfeasible - due to the enormous work it would have taken to build.
John Roberts, of the Skinningrove Local History Group, said he was well aware of the "harmless" myths and folk stories.
"My understanding is that the consensus opinion is that Freebrough Hill is a completely natural feature on the landscape," he said.
"I think there have been excavations into the hill in the past. It's used for grazing sheep, but you can see the marks on the hill, which is actually on private land although I know lots of people will have climbed it."
(Image: Teesside Live/Katie Lunn)
However an essay by Marjorie Brookes, which won the 2007 JT Packett Prize and was published in the Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society's Autumn 2008 bulletin, offers another theory entirely.
She advances the possibility that Freebrough Hill was in fact built by the Romans as a beacon signal point, to relay signals from the signal station at Huntcliff - as the Yorkshire coast was hugely important in defending Roman Britain from the Saxons.
It would also have acted as a natural orientation point.
Marjorie says the grass on the hill changes colour around a third of the way up, which could be from soil used to heighten it - taken from nearby fields.
But whatever the truth - Freebrough Hill is sure to be a talking point for centuries to come.
Behind the scenes with a Teesside medium - bizarre readings, threats and predicting the lottery
The incredible story of the Saltburn lass who discovered a planet
Saltburn and East Cleveland
CoronavirusKey dates between now and December for coronavirus lockdown rules and vaccine rolloutWhen decisions will be made on lockdown measures and key dates for the vaccine programme
Covid rules at B&Q, Wilko, Wickes and Home Bargains after supermarkets enforce mask wearing
CoronavirusIt's not just supermarkets which have drawn up rules for shoppers in light of the latest lockdown


I had that same conversation, about where "everything was" with my dad a couple of years ago right before he had his bypass surgery. Talk about a buzz kill.
My father in law started having those conversations with my partner last summer…. over and over until he passed in October. And these family chains can be so wild, crazy, and intermixed. You gotta love family…if nothing more than entertainment value.


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text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Text;
using Mono.Cecil;
using Mono.Cecil.Cil;
using Mono.Cecil.Rocks;

namespace Stiletto.Fody.Generators
{
    public abstract class Generator
    {
        private readonly ModuleDefinition moduleDefinition;
        private readonly References references;

        public ModuleDefinition ModuleDefinition
        {
            get { return moduleDefinition; }
        }

        protected References References
        {
            get { return references; }
        }

        protected Generator(ModuleDefinition moduleDefinition, References references)
        {
            this.moduleDefinition = Conditions.CheckNotNull(moduleDefinition, "moduleDefinition");
            this.references = Conditions.CheckNotNull(references, "references");
        }

        protected TypeReference Import(TypeReference t)
        {
            return ModuleDefinition.Import(t);
        }

        protected MethodReference Import(MethodReference m)
        {
            return ModuleDefinition.Import(m);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Imports a method of a generic type.
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>
        /// Returns an imported method with the given generic arguments applied to the declaring type.
        /// </returns>
        /// <param name="t">The type declaring the desired method.</param>
        /// <param name="predicate">A predicate identifying the desired method.  Must match one and only one method.</param>
        /// <param name="genericArguments">The generic arguments to be applied.</param>
        protected MethodReference ImportGeneric(TypeReference t, Func<MethodDefinition, bool> predicate, params TypeReference[] genericArguments)
        {
            var gt = t.MakeGenericInstanceType(genericArguments);
            return ModuleDefinition
                .Import(gt.Resolve().Methods.FirstOrDefault(predicate))
                .MakeHostInstanceGeneric(genericArguments);
        }

        public abstract void Validate(IErrorReporter errorReporter);
        public abstract TypeDefinition Generate(IErrorReporter errorReporter);
        public abstract KeyedCtor GetKeyedCtor();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Five school girls from Kenya: Stacy Owino, Cynthia Otieno, Purity Achieng, Mascrine Atieno and Ivy Akinyi, will be Africa's only representatives at Technovation in California next month.
A competition where girls aged 10 to 18 develop mobile phone apps to end problems in their communities for a chance to win $15,000. The Kenyan team have designed an app for young women at risk of Female Genital Mutilation.


text:
Frequency of premenstrual anxiety, mood swings a public health issue, study finds
Premenstrual mood swings and anxiety are so common – experienced by more than 64% of women – that they represent…
By Staff , in Obstetrics/Gynecology , at September 14, 2022 Tags: female health, menopause, menstrual cycle
Premenstrual mood swings and anxiety are so common – experienced by more than 64% of women – that they represent a "key public health issue globally," according to a new UVA Health study.
The UVA Health study found that most women have premenstrual symptoms every menstrual cycle, and those symptoms regularly affect their day-to-day lives. One of the most common symptoms, regardless of age, is mood swings or anxiety, the researchers found. At least 61% of women in all age groups surveyed reported mood-related symptoms every menstrual cycle, which the researchers say suggests "that premenstrual mood symptoms are a key public health issue globally."
"Our study demonstrates that premenstrual mood symptoms are incredibly common worldwide," said Jennifer L. Payne, MD, the study's senior author and director of the Reproductive Psychiatry Research Program at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "More important, a majority of women reported that their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life at least some of the time."
Better Understanding Premenstrual Symptoms
To better understand the type of premenstrual symptoms women experience and how those symptoms affect their daily lives, the researchers analyzed more than 238,000 survey responses from women ages 18-55 from 140 countries on the Flo app, which helps women track their menstrual cycle or track their mood or physical symptoms during and after pregnancy.
The most common symptoms reported were food cravings, experienced by 85.28% of the women surveyed, followed by mood swings or anxiety (64.18%) and fatigue (57.3%), according to researchers from the UVA School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University and Flo Health. Among the study respondents, 28.61% said their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life during every menstrual cycle, while an additional 34.84% said their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life sometimes.
"The incidence of reported premenstrual mood and anxiety symptoms varied significantly by country from a low of 35.1% in Congo to a high of 68.6% in Egypt," Payne said. "Understanding whether differences in biology or culture underlie the country level rates will be an important future research direction."
A group of symptoms – absentmindedness, low libido, sleep changes, gastrointestinal symptoms, weight gain, headaches, sweating or hot flashes, fatigue, hair changes, rashes and swelling – was significantly more frequent among older survey respondents, the researchers found. The increase in physical symptoms among older survey respondents "makes sense," the researchers said, as many of these symptoms are associated with perimenopause, a transition period to menopause marked by irregular menstrual cycles.
Payne is hopeful that this survey data will help women get better care by making healthcare providers more aware of how frequently these symptoms – especially anxiety and mood-related symptoms – occur.
"There are a number of treatment strategies that are available to treat premenstrual symptoms that interfere with a woman's every day functioning," she said. "Increasing awareness of how common these symptoms are, and that if they impact functioning that there are treatments available, will help women improve their quality of life."
Findings Published
The researchers have published their findings in the Archives of Women's Mental Health. The research team included Liisa Hantsoo, Shivani Rangasawmy, Kristin Voegtline, Rodion Salimgaraev, Liudmila Zhaunova and Payne. Payne holds a patent titled "Epigenetic Biomarkers of Postpartum Depression."
This article is based on a press release from the University of Virginia Health System.
The team at The Medical Dispatch
https://themedicaldispatch.com
Higher physical activity is associated with a better metabolic health risk factor profile in menopausal women A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä in the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences shows that menopausal transition......
Telehealth proves effective in treating some symptoms of menopause, but not all The explosion of interest in women's health has led to rapid growth in the relatively new FemTech industry. This trend,......
Foot massage effective in improving sleep quality and anxiety in postmenopausal women The therapeutic benefits of massage have long been recognized. A new study suggests that foot massage, in particular, can help......
For women, greater exposure to estrogen in life may protect brain regions that are vulnerable to Alzheimer's The drop in estrogen levels that occurs with menopause brings declines in the volumes of "gray matter," the cellular matter......
New theory may revolutionize treatment of endometriosis Endometriosis, a disease found in up to 10 per cent of women, has been enigmatic since it was first described.......
Radiofrequency ablation of the endometrial tissue reduces excessive menstrual bleeding Benign tissue formations in the muscle tissue of the uterine wall (fibroids), polyps or endometriosis may cause excessively heavy and......
New study debunks the assumption that menstrual cycles disqualify women from exercise research Peruse any women's magazine, and you'll likely find advice on how to boost workouts. But what many don't realize is......
Women burn fat even after menopause The estrogen deficiency following menopause is thought to impair women's ability to use fat as an energy source. A study......
Causes of higher risk of stress fractures in female runners Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise, enjoyed by a broad range of age groups and skill......
Does what you drink affect your risk of urinary incontinence? Urinary incontinence affects nearly 20% of women aged older than 50 years. Many factors can influence a woman's risk of......
Telehealth proves effective in treating some symptoms of menopause, but not all
The explosion of interest in women's health has led to rapid growth in the relatively new FemTech industry. This trend,…
Radiofrequency ablation of the endometrial tissue reduces excessive menstrual bleeding
Benign tissue formations in the muscle tissue of the uterine wall (fibroids), polyps or endometriosis may cause excessively heavy and…
New theory may revolutionize treatment of endometriosis
Endometriosis, a disease found in up to 10 per cent of women, has been enigmatic since it was first described….
Mapping endometriosis: a vast cellular atlas is created
Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have created a unique and detailed molecular profile of endometriosis to help improve therapeutic options for the…
Peruse any women's magazine, and you'll likely find advice on how to boost workouts. But what many don't realize is…
Banana peels make sugar cookies better for you
Using running to escape everyday stresses may lead to exercise dependence instead of mental wellbeing
New test could detect Alzheimer's disease 3.5 years before clinical diagnosis
40-year follow up shows significant reduction in death rates after bariatric surgery
Stopping a rare childhood cancer in its tracks
Commonly used antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV and hepatitis B reduce immune cells' energy production
False confidence in blood pressure knowledge undermines intentions to seek care
Sugary drinks tax may have prevented over 5,000 cases of obesity a year in year six girls alone
New zinc finger model shows promise for gene therapy
Failed Alzheimer's drug that boosts effect of radiotherapy to be tested in humans this year
Sleep disorders in parents and children associated with more parental stress, study finds
Traffic pollution impairs brain function
Altered speech may be the first sign of Parkinson's disease
Targeted test for antibiotic resistance in clinical Enterobacter species
Getting kids back to school sooner after a concussion can mean a faster recovery
How Huntington's disease affects different neurons
Researchers uncover a connection between multiple sclerosis lesions and depression
How pancreatic cancer defies treatment
Oversensitive sensory neurons can cause joint deformities
Chromosomal testing expands options for exploring causes of SIDS


There is no guarantee that any of the six will be selected, though at least one player has been taken the past four years, including Terrelle Pryor and Josh Gordon, who was selected by Cleveland in the second round of last July's supplemental draft. The former Baylor Bear, whom many projected as a sure-fire pick when last year's class was announced, had a productive rookie season, finishing with 50 receptions for 805 yards and five touchdowns.
These losers hardly ever pan out. Yeah, Brooks is playing well, but he' s ticking time bomb.
They definitely come with a lot of baggage. It's best to just stay away from them.
Ten of the 41 players chosen in the supplemental draft since its inception in 1977, when the Seattle Seahawks tabbed Notre Dame running back Al Hunter with a fourth-round choice, never played a regular-season snap. Nineteen either never did (before their retirements) or never have started in a regular-season contest. The most recent four players selected in the supplemental draft -- defensive linemen Jeremy Jarmon (Washington, third round, 2009) and Josh Brent (Dallas, seventh, 2010), Unga, and quarterback Terrelle Pryor (Oakland, third, 2011) -- have accumulated one start among them.
If Miami is going to roll the dice on a player & this guy is not in the Sup draft.
Colonial Athletic Association football. Preseason All-American right tackle Michael Bamiro's request for an extension of his eligibility recently was denied by the NCAA, according to school officials, and the 6-8, 335-pound prospect is headed to the NFL as a free agent.
Bamiro, who has retained agent Billy Conaty and is preparing for a private workout Thursday for NFL scouts, said the eligibility issue came as a "huge surprise" to him when he first learned about it in late May. He had received his bachelor's degree in journalism and was expecting to return to Stony Brook as a graduate student for his senior season.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Cris Carter was selected in the supplemental draft, so they aren't ALL misses.
so they aren't ALL misses.
I don't believe anyone here said they are ALL misses, but it proves my point. Most of these guys are a joke, you're going back to '87 to find a player...lol. Not worth wasting a pick.
Generally they are not talented players or they are but just not hard workers.
But it did take Cris Carter to be on his second team to "fix" his life.
Eagles drafted him in Supplemental Draft and Buddy Ryan cut him when his character became an issue. He then went on to Minnesota and had a Hall of Fame career.
Kosar was also a Supplemental Pick. But there haven't been many winners over the years.
On the other hand, there is no reason why you can't take one these guys with next year's 7th round pick. Gotta take some chances. You never know!!!!
After some research. We do not have to go back that far.
Ahmad Brooks was an All-Pro for the San Francisco 49ers in 2012, a supplemental draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006.
DT Jamal Williams (1998) was named to the Pro Bowl.
Chris Carter didn't overcome his troubled ways until he went to his second team (Vikings).
Eagles drafted him in Supplemental Draft and Buddy Ryan cut him when his character became an issue.
Chris Carter? You mean the guy that won one last game for the Vikings in 2002?
And my point is proven by 32 NFL teams.
Now, that's telling when a team will not even use a 7th round pick on any of them. Did any of them get picked up as a free agent?
Twenty-two teams attended Bamiro's pro day, with the Miami Dolphins reportedly staying in the mix until the end. Garafolo writes that Bamiro didn't get much of a signing bonus, but a portion of his salaries were guaranteed for the next two years. That's a sign that Bamiro could make the team.


text:
require 'spec_helper'

describe Zebra::Zpl::Qrcode do
  it "can be initialized with the scale factor" do
    qrcode = described_class.new scale_factor: 3
    expect(qrcode.scale_factor).to eq 3
  end

  it "can be initialized with the error correction level" do
    qrcode = described_class.new correction_level: "M"
    expect(qrcode.correction_level).to eq "M"
  end

  describe "#scale_factor" do
    it "raises an error if the scale factor is not within the range 1-99" do
      expect { described_class.new scale_factor: 100 }.to raise_error(Zebra::Zpl::Qrcode::InvalidScaleFactorError)
    end
  end

  describe "#correction_level" do
    it "raises an error if the error correction_level not in [LMQH]" do
      expect { described_class.new correction_level: "A" }.to raise_error(Zebra::Zpl::Qrcode::InvalidCorrectionLevelError)
    end
  end

  describe "#to_zpl" do
    let(:valid_attributes) { {
      position:         [50, 50],
      scale_factor:     3,
      correction_level: "M",
      data:             "foobar"
    }}
    let(:qrcode) { described_class.new valid_attributes }
    let(:tokens) { qrcode.to_zpl.split(/(\^[A-Z]+|\,)/).reject{ |e| ['', ',', nil].include?(e) } }

    it "raises an error if the X position is not given" do
      qrcode = described_class.new position: [nil, 50], data: "foobar"
      expect {
        qrcode.to_zpl
      }.to raise_error(Zebra::Zpl::Printable::MissingAttributeError, "Can't print if the X value is not given")
    end

    it "raises an error if the Y position is not given" do
      qrcode = described_class.new position: [50, nil], data: "foobar"
      expect {
        qrcode.to_zpl
      }.to raise_error(Zebra::Zpl::Printable::MissingAttributeError, "Can't print if the Y value is not given")
    end

    it "raises an error if the data to be printed was not informed" do
      qrcode.data = nil
      expect {
        qrcode.to_zpl
      }.to raise_error(Zebra::Zpl::Printable::MissingAttributeError, "Can't print if the data to be printed is not given")
    end

    it "raises an error if the scale factor is not given" do
      valid_attributes.delete :scale_factor

      expect {
        qrcode.to_zpl
      }.to raise_error(Zebra::Zpl::Printable::MissingAttributeError, "Can't print if the scale factor to be used is not given")
    end

    it "raises an error if the correction level is not given" do
      valid_attributes.delete :correction_level

      expect {
        qrcode.to_zpl
      }.to raise_error(Zebra::Zpl::Printable::MissingAttributeError, "Can't print if the error correction level to be used is not given")
    end

    it "contains the barcode command '^B'" do
      expect(qrcode.to_zpl).to match /\^B/
    end

    it "contains the X position" do
      expect(tokens[2]).to eq "50"
    end

    it "contains the Y position" do
      expect(tokens[3]).to eq "50"
    end

    it "contains QR code type" do
      expect(tokens[6]).to eq "^BQN"
    end

    it "contains the scale factor" do
      expect(tokens[8]).to eq "3"
    end

    it "contains the error correction level" do
      expect(tokens[9]).to eq "3"
    end

    it "contains the data to be printed in the qrcode" do
      expect(tokens[11]).to eq "foobar"
    end
  end
end


Discovered on April 9, 1780 by Charles Messier.
April 9, 1780. 68. 12h 27m 38s (186d 54' 33") -25d 30' 20"
Connoiss. 68 [M 68 = NGC 4590] is "A beautiful cluster of stars, extremely rich, and so compressed that most of the stars are blended together; it is near 3' broad and about 4' long, but chiefly round, and there are very few scattered stars about."
This oval cluster is also approaching to the globular form, and the central compression is carried to a high degree. The insulation is likewise so far advanced that it admits of an acurate description of the contour.
"1786, 1789, 1790, 20 feet telescope. A cluster of very compressed small stars, about 3 minutes broad and 4 minutes long. The stars are so compressed, that most of them are blended together."
Probably the stars of this cluster might be perceived by a 10 feet telescope, so that the profundity may be of the 344th order.
A large round nebula on Hydra's body, under Corvus, discovered in 1780 by Méchain [actually Charles Messier]. In 1786, Sir William Herschel's powerful 20-foot reflector resolved it into a rich cluster of small stars, so compressed that most of the components are blended together. It is about 3' broad, and 4' long; and he estimated that its profundity may be of the 344th order. It is posited nearly mid-way between two small stars, one in the np [NW] and the other in the sf [SE] quadrant, a line between which would bisect the nebula. It is very pale, but so mottled that a patient scrunity leads to the inference, that it has assumed a spherical figure in obedience to attractive forces. Differentiated with Beta Corvi, from which it bears south by east, within 3 deg distance.
John Herschel (1847): h 3404.
h 3404 = M. 68.
Sweep 689 (March 22, 1836).
Glob. Cl.; irr R; g b M; diam in RA = 12...15 sec. All clearly resolved into stars 12 m; very loose and ragged at the borders.
Globular Cluster; irregularly round; gradually brighter toward the middle; diameter in RA = 12...15 sec [3.0 .. 3.75']. All clearly resolved into stars of 12 m; very loose and ragged at the borders.
John Herschel, General Catalogue: GC 3128.
GC 3128 = h 3404 = M68.
Glob. Cl.; L; eRi; vC; iR; rrr; st 12, red. 4 observations by W. & J. Herschel.
Globular cluster; large; extremely rich; very compressed; irregularly round; well resolved; stars of 12th magnitude, red.
NGC 4590 = GC 3128 = h 3404; M 68.
Globular cluster, large, extremely rich, very compressed, irregularly round, well resolved, stars of 12th magnitude.


text:
The Story of the Great Prince Oribeau (The Fay Ouroucoucou 1)
by Nicolas-Edmé Restif de la Bretonne
cover by Mike Hoffman
"I am a fay, and unfortunate, in spite of my power, for having always resisted amour. I refused to marry the genius Perforimoth the Black!"
US$ 39.95 /GBP 28.99
Nicolas-Edmé Restif de la Bretonne (1734-1806) produced over 180 books, totaling some 57,000 pages, many of them printed by his own hand, on almost every conceivable subject. Praised in Germany, he was mostly forgotten in France until being rediscovered by the Surrealists in the early 20th century. Several of his most important works are being presented here for the first time in English.
The Story of the Great Prince Oribeau, King of Mommonia, in the country of Evinland, and the Virtuous Princess Oribelle of Lagenia; extracted from the ancient annals of Ireland and recently translated into French by Nicholas Donneraill of the County of Cork, descendant of the author, to use its full title, was first published in four volumes in 1785
In addition to narrating the educational journeys of Prince Oribeau and his mentor O'Barbo, the book features three separate fairy tales, "Mellusine", "Sireneh" and "The Fay Ouroucoucou," connecting the genealogy of the fay to the imaginary history of the story, and the known history of the world, in a fashion that is as ambitious as it ultimately becomes ambiguous.
The book also provides a detailed account of the metaphysics of Faerie, explaining its location and its contiguity with the perceived world. "Mellusine" and "Sireneh" are transfigurations of well-known legends, while "The Fay Ouroucoucou" is an allegorical apologue similar to the dream stories of Louis-Sébastien Mercier.
Les Veillées du Marais ou Histoire du grand Prince Oribeau Roi de Mommonie, au pays d'Evinland & de la vertueuse Princesse Oribelle de Lagenie (1785)
Introduction, Afterword and Notes by Brian Stableford.