Thursday, April 14, 2011

Lay Lady lay ... record-breaking osprey does it again with egg #59

A venerable osprey that has already set records for breeding success has delighted conservationists and bird lovers by laying her 59th egg, confounding fears she might never breed again.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust said that Lady, a 26-year-old osprey nesting at the Lowes wildlife reserve in Perthshire, had laid her first egg of the breeding season after her latest mate returned to their nest.

Spotted protectively hunched over an egg at 13.34 pm by Scottish Wildlife Trust staff, the osprey and its eggs are now the subjects of a 24-hour nest stakeout, funded thanks to and SITA Tayside Biodiversity FundPeople’s Postcode Lottery, to keep the birds and their eggs safe from wildlife crime.

Anna Cheshier, the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Perthshire Ranger, said: “To see eggs on the nest again is simply remarkable. Osprey’s live an average of eight years and are estimated to produce 20 eggs during that time. Producing 59 eggs over 21 consecutive breeding years makes her an incredible specimen of the bird world.

“Ospreys were nearly extinct in the UK in the early 21st century after facing persecution, and the birds and eggs are still at risk from wildlife criminals and egg thieves. Thanks to funding from SITA Tayside Biodiversity Fund and People’s Postcode Lottery, and help from volunteers, we will watch over these ospreys day and night and hope to see chicks hatch in around five weeks.

“If chicks successfully hatch from the eggs, this osprey will have produced 50 chicks, an incredible contribution to the recovering osprey population breeding in Scotland. We hope to raise enough money to track these chicks using satellite tags this year, to find out about their inherited migration path and learn useful information which could help protect ospreys during migration.

"Until the eggs hatch, we will watch on as our female osprey incubates the eggs, while her mate occasionally takes a turn during daylight hours. He also has the role of catching fish to feed the pair."

Ospreys normally lay two to four eggs per season, so the reserve is hoping for at least one further egg to be laid, with the first chick expected within a week. The drama is being streamed live around the world, with a "nest cam" trained on the eyrie.

Lady (at left with first egg) broke another record last month when she returned for her 21st season at the Lowes reserve from a 6,000-mile round trip to winter in Gambia. After surviving a difficult summer when she fell seriously ill from dehydration and starvation, the trust feared she was unlikely to return home.

With the completion of this current grueling 3,000-mile migration from her wintering grounds in West Africa to her summer breeding territory at Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire, she has now traveled a total distance equivalent to around halfway to the moon.

Most ospreys live to be eight or 10 in the wild, producing up to 20 eggs; Lady is now 26 and has bred 48 surviving chicks. That total means she is now one of Britain's most important birds of prey, a matriarch playing a significant role in propping up the species' numbers.

Persecuted to extinction as a breeding bird in the UK in 1916, the osprey recolonized naturally in the 1950s but remains one of the UK's rarest birds of prey (at left Lady with egg). It is less common than the golden eagle, with an estimated 200 breeding pairs around Britain.

Source:
London Guardian,"Lay Lady lay ... record-breaking osprey does it again with egg #59", by Severin Carrell, accessed April 13, 2011
BBC, "Oldest osprey 'Lady' lays 59th egg at Loch of Lowes", accessed April 13, 2011
Walk Highlands, "Oldest Osprey lays 59th egg", accessed April 13, 2011
Scottish Wildlife Trust, "Oldest Osprey lays 59th egg", accessed April 13, 2011

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Short Christian devotionals or writings or sermons for encouragements

Believer Encouragements

Taken from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 14 April, Evening

“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him.” - Isaiah 3:10

It is well with the righteous ALWAYS. If it had said, “Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in his prosperity,” we must have been thankful for so great a boon, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a gift from heaven to be secured from its snares: or if it had been written, “It is well with him when under persecution,” we must have been thankful for so sustaining an assurance, for persecution is hard to bear; but when no time is mentioned, all time is included. God’s “shalls” must be understood always in their largest sense. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of evening shadows until the day-star shines, in all conditions and under all circumstances, it shall be well with the righteous. It is so well with him that we could not imagine it to be better, for he is well fed, he feeds upon the flesh and blood of Jesus; he is well clothed, he wears the imputed righteousness of Christ; he is well housed, he dwells in God; he is well married, his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ; he is well provided for, for the Lord is his Shepherd; he is well endowed, for heaven is his inheritance. It is well with the righteous-well upon divine authority; the mouth of God speaks the comforting assurance. O beloved, if God declares that all is well, ten thousand devils may declare it to be ill, but we laugh them all to scorn. Blessed be God for a faith which enables us to believe God when the creatures contradict him. It is, says the Word, at all times well with thee, thou righteous one; then, beloved, if thou canst not see it, let God’s word stand thee in stead of sight; yea, believe it on divine authority more confidently than if thine eyes and thy feelings told it to thee. Whom God blesses is blest indeed, and what his lip declares is truth most sure and steadfast.

Taken from Charles H Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 14 April, Evening

On this site you can also find: Encouragements for Christian / Christian encouragements / Encouragements Quotes / Poem encouraging believers / Christian encouragement quotes / simple Christian sermons on encouragement / christian encouragements / biblical sermon on encouragement / Christian bookmark templates / 2010 Christian calendar template / Free printable Bible quotes / Free encouraging sermons / Biblical verse of encouragement for the believers and sermons / Free Christian encouraging images / Free christian encouraging pictures /  Christian encouragements phrases

Orgasm for Relief of Restless Legs Syndrome: A Case Study



What is restless legs syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder characterized by throbbing, pulling, creeping, or other unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable, and sometimes overwhelming, urge to move them. Symptoms occur primarily at night when a person is relaxing or at rest and can increase in severity during the night. Moving the legs relieves the discomfort. Often called paresthesias (abnormal sensations) or dysesthesias (unpleasant abnormal sensations), the sensations range in severity from uncomfortable to irritating to painful.
RLS is a relatively common movement disorder that affects ~2.7% of the population (Earley & Silber, 2010). RLS might be related to dysfunction in basal ganglia circuits that use dopamine, which is needed to produce smooth, purposeful muscle activity and movement. Disruption of these BG circuits can produce involuntary movements. Thus, dopaminergic drugs such as pramipexole and ropinirole are often used for treatment, but these medications can produce unwanted side effects.

A case study in the journal Sleep Medicine (Marin et al., 2011) reported on a patient who found his own method for the relief of his persistent RLS:
Sexual intercourse and masturbation: Potential relief factors for restless legs syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a distressing neurologic condition characterized by urgency to move the legs usually associated with unpleasant sensations in the lower limbs. The symptoms are worst at night and at rest, and patients must move their legs or walk to get relief from their symptoms. Herein, we report a 41-year-old man with a history of severe RLS for 10 years causing him difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. He fulfilled the four essential criteria established by the International RLS Study Group and he scored 32 in the International RLS Rating Scale. The patient reported that he would get complete relief from RLS symptoms, granting him a normal sleep following sexual intercourse or masturbation. Pramipexole was introduced 2 h before bedtime with significant improvement of RLS symptoms, but whenever he was without medication, he returned to sexual behavior to get relief from RLS symptoms.

There are anecdotal reports that sexual activity and orgasm may relieve RLS symptoms, although in some cases sexual activity may worsen RLS. One may speculate that the release of orgasm-related dopamine and opioid may play a role in the relief of RLS symptoms. Additionally, there is a previous report of a RLS patient showing repetitive, rhythmic pelvic body movements resembling coital behavior at the wake–sleep transition.

References

Earley CJ, Silber MH. (2010). Restless legs syndrome: understanding its consequences and the need for better treatment. Sleep Med. 11:807-15.

Marin, L., Felicio, A., & Prado, G. (2011). Sexual intercourse and masturbation: Potential relief factors for restless legs syndrome? Sleep Medicine, 12 (4) DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2011.01.001



Short Christian devotionals or writings or sermons for encouragements

Believer Encouragements

Taken from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 14 April, Morning 

“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head.” - Psalm 22:7

Mockery was a great ingredient in our Lord’s woe. Judas mocked him in the garden; the chief priests and scribes laughed him to scorn; Herod set him at nought; the servants and the soldiers jeered at him, and brutally insulted him; Pilate and his guards ridiculed his royalty; and on the tree all sorts of horrid jests and hideous taunts were hurled at him. Ridicule is always hard to bear, but when we are in intense pain it is so heartless, so cruel, that it cuts us to the quick. Imagine the Saviour crucified, racked with anguish far beyond all mortal guess, and then picture that motley multitude, all wagging their heads or thrusting out the lip in bitterest contempt of one poor suffering victim! Surely there must have been something more in the crucified One than they could see, or else such a great and mingled crowd would not unanimously have honoured him with such contempt. Was it not evil confessing, in the very moment of its greatest apparent triumph, that after all it could do no more than mock at that victorious goodness which was then reigning on the cross? O Jesus, “despised and rejected of men,” how couldst thou die for men who treated thee so ill? Herein is love amazing, love divine, yea, love beyond degree. We, too, have despised thee in the days of our unregeneracy, and even since our new birth we have set the world on high in our hearts, and yet thou bleedest to heal our wounds, and diest to give us life. O that we could set thee on a glorious high throne in all men’s hearts! We would ring out thy praises over land and sea till men should as universally adore as once they did unanimously reject.

“Thy creatures wrong thee, O thou sovereign Good!
Thou art not loved, because not understood:
This grieves me most, that vain pursuits beguile
Ungrateful men, regardless of thy smile.”

Taken from Charles H Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 14 April, Morning

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Antarctic Penguin Population Declines with Krill

Two species of Antarctic penguins have declined sharply over the past 30 years as their chief food source has been devastated by a combination of other predators, over-fishing, and rapidly melting sea ice caused by global warming, according to a new study released here Monday by the National Academy of Sciences.

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and adjacent Scotia Sea support abundant wildlife populations, many of
which were nearly wiped out by humans. This region is also among the fastest-warming areas on the planet, with 5–6 °C increases in mean winter air temperatures and associated decreases in winter sea-ice cover. These biological and physical perturbations have affected the ecosystem profoundly.

One hypothesis to explain the declining numbers of "ice-loving" species is the “sea-ice hypothesis,” which proposes that reductions in winter sea ice have led directly to declines in “ice-loving” species by decreasing their
winter habitat, while populations of “ice-avoiding” species have increased. However, 30 years of field studies and recent surveys of penguins throughout the WAP and Scotia Sea demonstrate this mechanism is not controlling penguin populations; populations of both ice-loving Adélie (at left) and ice-avoiding chinstrap penguins have declined significantly.

An alternative, more robust hypothesis that attributes both increases and decreases in penguin populations states that changes in the abundance of their main prey, Antarctic krill is the most likely causation. Unlike many other predators in this region, Adélie and chinstrap penguins were never directly harvested by man; thus, their population trajectories track the
impacts of biological and environmental changes in this ecosystem. Linking trends in penguin abundance with trends in krill (at right) biomass explains why populations of Adélie and chinstrap penguins increased after competitors (fur seals, baleen whales, and some fishes) were nearly extinguished in the 19th to mid-20th centuries and currently are decreasing in response to climate change.

Based on studies of Adelie and chinstrap penguins and the ecosystems that have sustained them dating back to the 1970s, the report found that dramatic declines in krill, the shrimp-like creatures that depend on sea ice for reproduction, are chiefly responsible for the more than 50- percent plunge in the flightless birds' populations in the South Shetland Islands.

Krill form the basis of the marine food web, supporting organisms ranging from fish and penguins to whales. Krill feed on phytoplankton -- basically, ice algae -- that grow lushly on the undersides of ice floes.

Krill are tiny crustaceans, specially adapted to graze for the tiny plants among the ice crystals. But in the last few decades, winter ice has formed later in the season and has covered less area and spring melt comes earlier. Without ice, krill's feeding is disrupted and populations fall.

The Adelie penguins, which favor sea-ice habitat during the winter, have
declined at a 2.9 percent rate a year over the last decade, while chinstrap penguins, which favor open water, have declined by an even greater 4.3 percent annual rate over the same period, according to the study.

Previously, some scientists had predicted that the decline in sea-ice habitat in the Antarctic caused by warming air and water temperatures would have a more negative impact on the Adelie penguin populations given their greater dependence on sea ice as a habitat.

Under that so-called "sea-ice hypothesis", the chinstrap penguins were expected to increase their population, at least relative to their Adelie cousins.

But the study found that the abundance – or lack – of krill appears to be playing a greater role in reducing the two species' populations.

Krill feed on photoplankton (right) that thrive under sea ice. According to other recent studies, the krill population in the Southern Ocean has declined by as much as 80 percent since the 1970s.

"For penguins and other species, krill is the linchpin in the food web," according to Dr. Wayne Trivelpiece, the lead author and a seabird researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division.
"Regardless of their environmental preferences, we see a connection between climate change and penguin populations through the loss of habitat for their main food source," he said. "As warming continues, the loss of krill (left) will have a profound effect throughout the Antarctic ecosystem."
The Antarctic is among the fastest warming ecosystems on Earth. Mean winter air temperatures have increased by five to six degrees Centigrade since the 1970s.

The warming has reduced both the extent and duration of winter sea ice on which photoplankton and thus krill - and ultimately penguins -
depend.

"If warming continues, winter sea-ice may
disappear from much of this region and exacerbate krill and penguin declines," according to the study. (At right: cloud of krill)

The decline in krill, however, is not due to the disappearance of sea-ice alone, according to the report, which also cited commercial fishing for krill by specialized trawlers beginning nearly 40 years ago and growing competition for krill by recovering whale and fur seal populations.

Indeed, populations of both Adelie and chinstrap penguins grew steadily between the 1930s and the 1970s as a result of the losses sustained by the two sea mammals hunted by humans.

"Penguins are excellent indicators of changes to the biological and environmental health of the broader ecosystem because they are easily accessible while breeding on land, yet they depend entirely on food resources from the sea," according to Trivelpiece.

"In addition, unlike many other krill-eating top predators in the Antarctic, such as whales and fur seals, they were not hunted by humans," he said. "When we see steep declines in populations, as we have been documenting with both chinstrap (right) and Adelie penguins, we know there's a much larger ecological problem."

Fewer of the juvenile penguins survive what scientists call their
"transition to independence" because there isn't enough krill to go around, according to a study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academic of Sciences.

The study found only 10 percent of young penguins (at left: young penguins with adult chinstrap penguin) survive the first independent trip back to their colonies from their winter habitat, said lead author Wayne Trivelpiece, a sea bird expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division.

When the study began, back in the mid-1970s, the chances that a two-to-four-year-old penguin would survive the trip was about 50 percent

Trevilpiece stated, "What's changed is young penguins surviving their
transition to independence," he said. "They're no longer able to do that anywhere near the way they used to do, and we think that's directly related to the fact that there's 80 percent less krill out there now."

The study was funded in part by the Lenfest Ocean Program, which supports research on the global marine environment.

Source:
IPS News,"Antarctic Penguin Population Declines with Krill", by Jim Lobe, accessed April 12, 2011
William's Page, "Fact pictures of penguins", by William, accessed April 12, 2011
Reuters, "Fewer penguins survive warming Antarctic climate", by Deborah Zabarenko, accessed April 12, 2011
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the US, "Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica", by Wayne Z. Trivelpiece, et. al, accessed April 12, 2011

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Short Christian devotionals or writings or sermons for encouragements

Believer Encouragements

Taken from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 13 April, Evening

“And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt- offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” - Leviticus 1:4

Our Lord’s being made “sin for us” is set forth here by the very significant transfer of sin to the bullock, which was made by the elders of the people. The laying of the hand was not a mere touch of contact, for in some other places of Scripture the original word has the meaning of leaning heavily, as in the expression, “thy wrath lieth hard upon me” (Psa_88:7). Surely this is the very essence and nature of faith, which doth not only bring us into contact with the great Substitute, but teaches us to lean upon him with all the burden of our guilt. Jehovah made to meet upon the head of the Substitute all the offences of his covenant people, but each one of the chosen is brought personally to ratify this solemn covenant act, when by grace he is enabled by faith to lay his hand upon the head of the “Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.” Believer, do you remember that rapturous day when you first realized pardon through Jesus the sin-bearer? Can you not make glad confession, and join with the writer in saying, “My soul recalls her day of deliverance with delight. Laden with guilt and full of fears, I saw my Saviour as my Substitute, and I laid my hand upon him; oh! how timidly at first, but courage grew and confidence was confirmed until I leaned my soul entirely upon him; and now it is my unceasing joy to know that my sins are no longer imputed to me, but laid on him, and like the debts of the wounded traveller, Jesus, like the good Samaritan, has said of all my future sinfulness, ‘Set that to my account.’“ Blessed discovery! Eternal solace of a grateful heart!

“My numerous sins transferr’d to him,
Shall never more be found,
Lost in his blood’s atoning stream,
Where every crime is drown’d!”

Taken from Charles H Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 13 April, Evening

On this site you can also find: Encouragements for Christian / Christian encouragements / Encouragements Quotes / Poem encouraging believers / Christian encouragement quotes / simple Christian sermons on encouragement / christian encouragements / biblical sermon on encouragement / Christian bookmark templates / 2010 Christian calendar template / Free printable Bible quotes / Free encouraging sermons / Biblical verse of encouragement for the believers and sermons / Free Christian encouraging images / Free christian encouraging pictures /  Christian encouragements phrases

Short Christian devotionals or writings or sermons for encouragements

Believer Encouragements

Taken from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 13 April, Morning 

“A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me.” Song of Solomon 1:13

Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness, its healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice. But why is he compared to “a bundle of myrrh”? First, for plenty. He is not a drop of it, he is a casket full. He is not a sprig or flower of it, but a whole bundle. There is enough in Christ for all my necessities; let me not be slow to avail myself of him. Our well-beloved is compared to a “bundle” again, for variety: for there is in Christ not only the one thing needful, but in “him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,” everything needful is in him. Take Jesus in his different characters, and you will see a marvellous variety-Prophet, Priest, King, Husband, Friend, Shepherd. Consider him in his life, death, resurrection, ascension, second advent; view him in his virtue, gentleness, courage, self-denial, love, faithfulness, truth, righteousness-everywhere he is a bundle of preciousness. He is a “bundle of myrrh” for preservation-not loose myrrh to be dropped on the floor or trodden on, but myrrh tied up, myrrh to be stored in a casket. We must value him as our best treasure; we must prize his words and his ordinances; and we must keep our thoughts of him and knowledge of him as under lock and key, lest the devil should steal anything from us. Moreover, Jesus is a “bundle of myrrh” for speciality. The emblem suggests the idea of distinguishing, discriminating grace. From before the foundation of the world, he was set apart for his people; and he gives forth his perfume only to those who understand how to enter into communion with him, to have close dealings with him. Oh! blessed people whom the Lord hath admitted into his secrets, and for whom he sets himself apart. Oh! choice and happy who are thus made to say, “A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me.”


Taken from Charles H Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 13 April, Morning

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Declining mangroves shield against global warming

Mangrove forests in tropical regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans store more carbon than previously recognized, according to a study published April 3, 2011 in Nature Geoscience. The findings indicate that much of the carbon in such forests is found in the surrounding soil, which is rich in organic material. Destruction of these tropical coastal woodlands accounts for about 10 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation, the second largest source of CO2 after fossil fuel combustion, the study found.

Although carbon reserves in other types of tropical wetland forest have been assessed, the amount of carbon in mangroves has been largely ignored, even though they are present in more than 100 countries. For example, it is estimated that clearing of tropical peat lands, which also contain carbon-rich soils, produces about a quarter of all deforestation emissions. The extent of mangrove forests has declined by as much as 50% over the past half century because of development, over-harvesting and aquaculture, so estimating their carbon reserves will be important for future strategies to reduce climate change.

Mangroves -- whose twisted, exposed roots grace coastlines in more than 100 countries -- confer many benefits on humans living in their midst in addition to their storage of carbon.

The brackish tidal waters in which the trees thrive are a natural nursery for dozens of species of fish and shrimp essential to commercial fisheries around the world. Mangroves, also, offer protection from deadly storm surges from hurricanes and cyclones. Cyclone Nargis, which killed 138,000 people in Myanmar in 2008, would have been less deadly, experts say, if half the country's mangroves had not been ripped up for wood or to make way for shrimp farms. Overall, mangroves benefit the ecosystem by about 1.6 billion dollars a year.

Mangroves can sequester more carbon than an average tree in a tropical rainforest because of the soil they grow in. Mangroves grow in deep soils that are on average five times larger than other forests soils in the tropics, as well as in temperate and boreal regions. Tidal water buries organic and inorganic material in this soil, which due to low-oxygen conditions stores carbon more efficiently than other forest soils.

To estimate the abundance of carbon in mangroves, lead investigator J. Boone Kauffman, an ecologist at the Northern Research Station of the US Forest Service in Durham, New Hampshire, and his team sampled 25 mangrove sites across a broad territory of the Indo-Pacific region that included Micronesia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. This area spans 30 degrees of latitude and 73 degrees of longitude and represents about 40% of the global area covered by these trees. Mangroves grow in 118 countries, but the region the scientists chose has the greatest mangrove area and diversity.

Sludge stores


Kauffman and his team assessed above-ground and below-ground carbon pools in mangrove sites occupying estuaries and oceanic settings, such as island coasts. They found that these forests hold much more carbon than do boreal, temperate or tropical upland forests — especially in an organic-rich 'muck layer' of soil more than 30 centimeters below the surface. The trees stored atmospheric CO2 just as well as land-based tropical forests, and below the water line, they were even more efficient, hoarding five times more carbon over the same surface area.

The team found that this underground layer is thicker in mangrove forests in estuaries than in those near the ocean, accounting for more than 70% of total carbon stores in estuarine mangroves and upwards of 50% in those in oceanic zones.

By combining their findings with global data, the researchers predict that worldwide carbon reserves in mangrove forests may be as high as 25%
of those in tropical peat lands, and at the current rate of annual clearance, emissions from mangrove destruction could reach 40% of those from the clearing of peat lands.

"Mangroves are among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics," Donato and his colleagues said in the study, published in Nature Geoscience. "Our data show that discussion of the key role of tropical wetland forests in climate change could be broadened significantly to include mangroves."

Branching out

"This paper represents an important step forward in quantifying and understanding the significant pool of carbon in mangrove ecosystems," says Shimon Anisfeld, an expert in coastal ecology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

However, the numbers still only represent rough estimates, owing to a lack of information about geographic variation in soil depth, the relative area of mangrove forests in estuaries compared with those near oceans, and the effect of land-use changes on carbon release from soils. They may even be overestimates, because "the authors seem to have sampled some of the largest, most robust stands around," says Thomas Smith, an ecologist at the US Geological Survey in St Petersburg, Florida.


Still, the study could have a substantial impact on conservation efforts around the world, says Gail Chmura, an expert in coastal ecosystems at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. "Hopefully, it will help arguments to extend REDD+ to mangroves," she says, referring to an international plan to pay developing countries to preserve forests in a bid to help reduce global carbon emissions.

Robert Jackson, an ecologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, agrees with Chmura, adding: "Mangrove forests are important for diversity, for coastal stability and for carbon, based on this paper. It gives another justification for preserving mangrove forests."

Daniel Murdiyarso, Senior Scientist at The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), a co-author of the paper on mangroves and carbon sequestration, said, "There is a lack of awareness of the full implications of mangrove loss for humankind. " Murdiyarso adds "There is an urgent need for governments to acknowledge their importance and develop better policies to ensure their protection." (At left: roseate spoonbills roosting in mangroves)

Currently, less than 7% of the world's mangroves are under legal protection.


Source:
AFP,"Declining mangroves shield against global warming", accessed April 7, 2011
Nature,"Carbon-rich mangroves ripe for conservation",by Janelle Weaver, accessed April 7, 2011
Mongobay.com,"Vanishing mangroves are carbon sequestration powerhouses", accessed April 7, 2011
IOL Scitech,"Mangroves store climate-warming carbon", accessed April 7, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Short Christian devotionals or writings or sermons for encouragements

Believer Encouragements

Taken from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 12 April, Evening

“The king’s garden.” - Nehemiah 3:15

Mention of the king’s garden by Nehemiah brings to mind the paradise which the King of kings prepared for Adam. Sin has utterly ruined that fair abode of all delights, and driven forth the children of men to till the ground, which yields thorns and briers unto them. My soul, remember the fall, for it was thy fall. Weep much because the Lord of love was so shamefully ill-treated by the head of the human race, of which thou art a member, as undeserving as any. Behold how dragons and demons dwell on this fair earth, which once was a garden of delights.'
See yonder another King’s garden, which the King waters with his bloody sweat-Gethsemane, whose bitter herbs are sweeter far to renewed souls than even Eden’s luscious fruits. There the mischief of the serpent in the first garden was undone: there the curse was lifted from earth, and borne by the woman’s promised seed. My soul, bethink thee much of the agony and the passion; resort to the garden of the olive-press, and view thy great Redeemer rescuing thee from thy lost estate. This is the garden of gardens indeed, wherein the soul may see the guilt of sin and the power of love, two sights which surpass all others.

Is there no other King’s garden? Yes, my heart, thou art, or shouldst be such. How do the flowers flourish? Do any choice fruits appear? Does the King walk within, and rest in the bowers of my spirit? Let me see that the plants are trimmed and watered, and the mischievous foxes hunted out. Come, Lord, and let the heavenly wind blow at thy coming, that the spices of thy garden may flow abroad. Nor must I forget the King’s garden of the church. O Lord, send prosperity unto it. Rebuild her walls, nourish her plants, ripen her fruits, and from the huge wilderness, reclaim the barren waste, and make thereof “a King’s garden.”

Taken from Charles H Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 12 April, Evening

On this site you can also find: Encouragements for Christian / Christian encouragements / Encouragements Quotes / Poem encouraging believers / Christian encouragement quotes / simple Christian sermons on encouragement / christian encouragements / biblical sermon on encouragement / Christian bookmark templates / 2010 Christian calendar template / Free printable Bible quotes / Free encouraging sermons / Biblical verse of encouragement for the believers and sermons / Free Christian encouraging images / Free christian encouraging pictures /  Christian encouragements phrases

Short encouraging Christian devotionals or writings or sermons for encouragements

Believer Encouragements

Taken from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 12 April, Morning 


“My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” - Psalm 22:14

Our blessed Lord experienced a terrible sinking and melting of soul. “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” Deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials; all besides is as nothing. Well might the suffering Saviour cry to his God, “Be not far from me,” for above all other seasons a man needs his God when his heart is melted within him because of heaviness. Believer, come near the cross this morning, and humbly adore the King of glory as having once been brought far lower, in mental distress and inward anguish, than any one among us; and mark his fitness to become a faithful High Priest, who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Especially let those of us whose sadness springs directly from the withdrawal of a present sense of our Father’s love, enter into near and intimate communion with Jesus. Let us not give way to despair, since through this dark room the Master has passed before us. Our souls may sometimes long and faint, and thirst even to anguish, to behold the light of the Lord’s countenance: at such times let us stay ourselves with the sweet fact of the sympathy of our great High Priest. Our drops of sorrow may well be forgotten in the ocean of his griefs; but how high ought our love to rise! Come in, O strong and deep love of Jesus, like the sea at the flood in spring tides, cover all my powers, drown all my sins, wash out all my cares, lift up my earth-bound soul, and float it right up to my Lord’s feet, and there let me lie, a poor broken shell, washed up by his love, having no virtue or value; and only venturing to whisper to him that if he will put his ear to me, he will hear within my heart faint echoes of the vast waves of his own love which have brought me where it is my delight to lie, even at his feet for ever.


Taken from Charles H Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 12 April, Morning 

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Shrinking Lake Chad turning farmland into desert

Lake Chad is shrinking rapidly, threatening the millions of people who depend on it for their survival. The shrinking of Lake Chad, which is bordered by 4 African countries (Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad), is already an ecological catastrophe and it is fast becoming a very human disaster as well. But some locals are fighting back in a bid to preserve their way of life.

The 30 million people who live in the lake region are being forced into ever-keener competition for this vital and disappearing resource. The drying-up of the lake water and deterioration of the production capacity of its basin have affected all the socio-economic activities, leading to internal exodus and increased pressure on the natural resources and conflicts between the populations. In addition to the approximately 60% decline in fish production, there has been degradation of pasture lands, leading to shortage of dry matter, reduction in the livestock population, and threat to biodiversity.

From droughts causing bad harvests, to floods destroying farms and homes, life in Africa's Sahel belt (bottom left) can be a constant struggle.

The arid belt of land stretches from Senegal in the west, all the way across the continent to Ethiopia in the east. With the Sahara to the north, and the savannah to the south, it's a region that experiences extreme dry and wet seasons.

In the middle of it all is Lake Chad, the most reliable resource in this region of shifting extremes. More than 30 million people depend on the freshwater lake for their survival.

But it's been shrinking over the past 50 years and satellite images show it is now just a twentieth of its former size.

Huge expanses of water are now nothing more than a series of ponds and islands, and the once-fertile land that surrounds the lake is now dusty and barren. (Left: satellite view of Lake Chad; for larger image click on the image itself).

"If there are solutions we must find them," said Farid Dembell, from the Society for the Development of Lake Region.

"The lake is in the process of disappearing and the lake feeds many people, not just here but in other countries like Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger," he continued. "They are all people who live on Lake Chad." (Right: fishing boats lie idle)

The way of life in this area stretches back centuries and many earn a living fishing in the lake. Locals report that they are catching less fish and the ones that they do catch are smaller than they used to be. The fittest fishermen are fleeing the shores of Lake Chad: Adamu Modu, a young fisherman, is joining a stream of able-bodied men heading south to find work in the southern part of the country.

"I am now relocating to Ibadan in the south, where fish is abundant, to continue my fishing so that I can make my life better," the 25-year-old says.

"We used to catch plenty of fish here. A fisherman used to catch fish amounting to 3,000 naira (equivalent of $200) in a single day, but now our catch is reduced to 750 naira a day, or even less."

The decades-long shrinking of one of Africa's largest lakes is driving people like Modu south. Women and children are becoming a majority in villages like Modu's home, Doron-Baga, on Lake Chad's Nigerian shore. (At right: bringing home water for drinking from Lake Chad)

The reduced profit from fishing led Ramatu Abdullahi's husband to leave town three months ago, also heading south, promising to send money home to help her to care for their four children. The migrants who don't find work fishing elsewhere will likely end up as petty traders or manual laborers in big cities like Ibadan or Lagos; few will make enough money to adequately support the families left behind.

Abdullahi is not sitting in idle hope in Doron-Baga, but the yield from her farm is also under pressure.

"Desert keeps encroaching on farm lands. As the water recedes, sand from the Sahara takes over in its stead," she says, pausing from weeding her vegetable plot. "It has been a battle for survival. When I realized that my harvest from rain-fed farming was steadily declining, I turned to irrigation, but the yield is also not encouraging." (Right: farmers plant crops in dried up areas of Lake Chad).

A declining stock could have devastating consequences far beyond the water's edge, says Yakowra Mallom, from UNICEF.

"At the start we didn't know anything about the problem of malnutrition," she said. "But now the figures are enormous. The children are all malnourished. There are no more fish. There's no more milk, no maize, no vegetables or cereal."

Local communities say the changing weather is the biggest reason for the shrinking of the lakes shores. The necessary irrigation of farming land has also been a factor.

But some people are making efforts to save their livelihoods.

A small local group is trying to save the surrounding land by planting trees in the villages that have been worst affected by desertification. If they cannot bring back the lake, they hope there will at least be workable land.

Saleh Sagoubi heads up the Tree Planting Association, a volunteer organization that has around 50 young members.

"I was born here and I grew up here," he said. "I want the lake to come back, not just for me, but for the children of the future."

Sagoubi blames climate change for turning much of the once-fertile land of the Sahel into desert. His group is trying to hold back the Sahara with a "great green wall" of drought-resistant trees.

Faidherbia Albida (left) is one of the fastest growing indigenous trees from Africa to Australia. It is deciduous and can grow up to 30 m [100 ft] tall. It is one of the best drought-tolerant trees and it can survive occasional frost [up to 5 days per year]. The tree can survive in a wide range of conditions and is suitable for planting across the continent. In many arid African nations it is illegal to indiscriminately cut them down.

It is a valuable tree for game and domestic animals. It is mostly browsed by elephants, giraffe, kudu, nyala, and impala. This plant loses its leaves in summer, thus providing fodder for the animals during winter months. The leaves are nutritious, the seeds have high protein content and the pods are high in starch.

In addition to the obvious benefits that the Faidherbia Albida trees would provide, there is also the benefit of a variety of medicinal applications. The tree is used for the treatment of respiratory infections, for malaria and fevers. It is also useful in treating diarrhea and other digestive problems. The bark is used as an antiseptic in dental hygiene and its extract is employed in the treatment of toothache. The extract is also used to treat ocular infections in farm animals.

"To stop the Sahara we must make lots of effort day and night -- we must work," he said. "The desert will be stopped one day by trees; they are our weapons of mass destruction."

Source:
Cable Network News,"Shrinking Lake Chad turning farmland into desert ",reported by Isha Sesay, accessed April 6, 2011
IPS News, "Lake Communities Left High and Dry", By Mustapha Muhammad, accessed April 6, 2011

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Short encouraging Christian devotionals or writings or sermons for encouragements

Believer Encouragements

Taken from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 11 April, Evening


“Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.” - Psalm 25:18

It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins-when, being under God’s hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain, but remember our offences against God. It is well, also, to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to God that David carried his sorrow: it was to God that David confessed his sin. Observe, then, we must take our sorrows to God. Even your little sorrows you may roll upon God, for he counteth the hairs of your head; and your great sorrows you may commit to him, for he holdeth the ocean in the hollow of his hand. Go to him, whatever your present trouble may be, and you shall find him able and willing to relieve you. But we must take our sins to God too. We must carry them to the cross, that the blood may fall upon them, to purge away their guilt, and to destroy their defiling power.

The special lesson of the text is this:-that we are to go to the Lord with sorrows and with sins in the right spirit. Note that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, “Look upon mine affliction and my pain;” but the next petition is vastly more express, definite, decided, plain-”Forgive all my sins.” Many sufferers would have put it, “Remove my affliction and my pain, and look at my sins.” But David does not say so; he cries, “Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not dictate to thy wisdom. Lord, look at them, I will leave them to thee, I should be glad to have my pain removed, but do as thou wilt; but as for my sins, Lord, I know what I want with them; I must have them forgiven; I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment.” A Christian counts sorrow lighter in the scale than sin; he can bear that his troubles should continue, but he cannot support the burden of his transgressions.


Taken from Charles H Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, 11 April, Evening

On this site you can also find: Encouragements for Christian / Christian encouragements / Encouragements Quotes / Poem encouraging believers / Christian encouragement quotes / simple Christian sermons on encouragement / christian encouragements / biblical sermon on encouragement / Christian bookmark templates / 2010 Christian calendar template / Free printable Bible quotes / Free encouraging sermons / Biblical verse of encouragement for the believers and sermons / Free Christian encouraging images / Free christian encouraging pictures /  Christian encouragements phrases