Kickstart your Brain with the 'The Mozart Effect'
For years, scientists have been studying how music affects the brain and its functions. Classical music, particularly songs by Mozart, has produced measurable results that have become known as “The Mozart Effect.” The theory, essentially, is that listening to the music of Mozart can improve your intellectual capacity. The question is, can listening to classical music make you more successful?If music improves cognitive functions, it is reasonable to believe you can reap those same rewards, leading to increased performance and efficiency at work. Increased efficiency means you get things done quicker. Finishing earlier means you have increased free time to put towards another assignment or to spend relaxing.
- Music Increases Cognitive Function: Several studies have shown cognitive improvements in those who listened to classical music prior to performing certain tasks or taking tests. Functions that demonstrated in increase in capacity included: Language skills, reading skills, spatial tasks, verbal communications, quantitative abilities, concentration, memory, and motor skills.
- Several studies of students preparing to take the SAT test compared test scores of those who listened to classical music prior to taking the test with those who did not. Those who preceded the test with classical music scored higher on the SAT than the students who did not.
- A study by the University of Washington showed that copyeditors who listened to classical music for 90 minutes while editing copy found 21% more mistakes than those who did not.
Improved Interpersonal Relations through Music: Listening to music not only improves functions within your brain, but music has also been shown to have a profound effect on mood. The style of music correlated with the mood experienced by the listener.Those who listened to music that was considered positive or upbeat were asked questions about their impressions of other people, and these individuals generally responded in a positive manner. Likewise, those who listened to music that was considered sad or depressing, and then were asked to form impressions of the same people as the first group, generally responded in a negative manner.This suggests that listening to music can have a profound effect on the way people view life and on their success in maintaining interpersonal relations. If listening to music that is considered positive or upbeat improves overall mood, it stands to reason that life will be viewed in a more favorable manner, and the listener will experience greater success in his relationships.Success in work and life can rely largely on our approach to each. With an improved outlook and a happier mood, we can achieve much more than if we proceed with negativity. Music and Healing: Researchers have studied the effects of music on patients that have had strokes, have epilepsy, or suffer from developmental disabilities. Those who had strokes were able to regain speech and language abilities much faster and more completely when music was incorporated into their recovery. Epileptics – even those in a coma – who were exposed to music showed a reduced incidence of seizures. Autistic children who had difficulty expressing themselves began showing great improvements once music was incorporated into their therapy.Evidence continues to surface reinforcing music’s positive impact on not only the human brain, but on overall health and well being. In addition to stimulating the mind, classical music can calm and soothe, thereby reducing stress. Stress is one of the biggest causes of illness, so it stands to reason that by reducing the amount of stress your body experiences, the healthier it will be. And the healthier you are, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. Companies Coordinate Song & Learning: As the benefits of incorporating music into our lives become more and more apparent, many universities, companies, and large corporations have begun including music in their training programs.The Shell Corporation, DuPont, and IBM, among others, have begun using classical music to compliment corporate training programs. The results have shown participants learn new material in about half the time and demonstrate increased retention. Improve Your Performance With Music: Music stimulates parts of the mind in ways never thought possible, having far reaching effects on brain function. Whether a temporary improvement caused by an increase in arousal or improvement in mood, or an actual raising of mental ability caused by neuron stimulation deep within the brain, you can incorporate music into your life to help you reach your goals faster and more easily. Making this one simple change is easy to do, yet can potentially have widespread benefits. Any increase in cognitive ability will help you complete your work more quickly and accurately, providing a positive impact on your career. Increased efficiency will provide you with more free time, which in turn can help you better achieve work life balance. Not to mention the positive change in mood, which gives you a happier outlook on life as a whole. So turn up the Mozart, and see where the music takes you.
2009年10月31日 星期六
Kickstart your Brain with the 'The Mozart Effect' - 真的有效嗎 XDDD
Kickstart your Brain with the 'The Mozart Effect' - 真的有效嗎 XDDD
Kickstart your Brain with the 'The Mozart Effect'
- Music Increases Cognitive Function: Several studies have shown cognitive improvements in those who listened to classical music prior to performing certain tasks or taking tests. Functions that demonstrated in increase in capacity included: Language skills, reading skills, spatial tasks, verbal communications, quantitative abilities, concentration, memory, and motor skills.
- Several studies of students preparing to take the SAT test compared test scores of those who listened to classical music prior to taking the test with those who did not. Those who preceded the test with classical music scored higher on the SAT than the students who did not.
- A study by the University of Washington showed that copyeditors who listened to classical music for 90 minutes while editing copy found 21% more mistakes than those who did not.
Improved Interpersonal Relations through Music: Listening to music not only improves functions within your brain, but music has also been shown to have a profound effect on mood. The style of music correlated with the mood experienced by the listener.Those who listened to music that was considered positive or upbeat were asked questions about their impressions of other people, and these individuals generally responded in a positive manner. Likewise, those who listened to music that was considered sad or depressing, and then were asked to form impressions of the same people as the first group, generally responded in a negative manner.This suggests that listening to music can have a profound effect on the way people view life and on their success in maintaining interpersonal relations. If listening to music that is considered positive or upbeat improves overall mood, it stands to reason that life will be viewed in a more favorable manner, and the listener will experience greater success in his relationships.Success in work and life can rely largely on our approach to each. With an improved outlook and a happier mood, we can achieve much more than if we proceed with negativity. Music and Healing: Researchers have studied the effects of music on patients that have had strokes, have epilepsy, or suffer from developmental disabilities. Those who had strokes were able to regain speech and language abilities much faster and more completely when music was incorporated into their recovery. Epileptics – even those in a coma – who were exposed to music showed a reduced incidence of seizures. Autistic children who had difficulty expressing themselves began showing great improvements once music was incorporated into their therapy.Evidence continues to surface reinforcing music’s positive impact on not only the human brain, but on overall health and well being. In addition to stimulating the mind, classical music can calm and soothe, thereby reducing stress. Stress is one of the biggest causes of illness, so it stands to reason that by reducing the amount of stress your body experiences, the healthier it will be. And the healthier you are, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. Companies Coordinate Song & Learning: As the benefits of incorporating music into our lives become more and more apparent, many universities, companies, and large corporations have begun including music in their training programs.The Shell Corporation, DuPont, and IBM, among others, have begun using classical music to compliment corporate training programs. The results have shown participants learn new material in about half the time and demonstrate increased retention. Improve Your Performance With Music: Music stimulates parts of the mind in ways never thought possible, having far reaching effects on brain function. Whether a temporary improvement caused by an increase in arousal or improvement in mood, or an actual raising of mental ability caused by neuron stimulation deep within the brain, you can incorporate music into your life to help you reach your goals faster and more easily. Making this one simple change is easy to do, yet can potentially have widespread benefits. Any increase in cognitive ability will help you complete your work more quickly and accurately, providing a positive impact on your career. Increased efficiency will provide you with more free time, which in turn can help you better achieve work life balance. Not to mention the positive change in mood, which gives you a happier outlook on life as a whole. So turn up the Mozart, and see where the music takes you.
惡靈古堡 2 –啟示錄 - 第一句實在是寫得太好了。 Jill 真辣呀。
惡靈古堡 2 – 啟示錄
在這種殺戳戰場穿這麼少的衣服，導演真是太服務觀察了啊~
有看過第一集的人都知道會出第二集，因為結尾的地方都挑明了說要啟動某一個叫 Nemesis 的計劃；而在第二集中，片頭說明了 T 病毒的散佈狀況已經到了 Umbrella 公司無法控制的程度，他們開始撤離重要工作人員，而且把整座城市給封鎖起來不讓裡面的人員外出，包括當地警方人員和 Umbrella 派駐當地的傭兵。只不過，這個撤離的工作出了點狀況，有一個科學家 Ashford 的女兒 Angela 被留在市區內，Ashford 想要救 Angela 出來，只好自力救濟，但是他自己行動不便，只好想辦法透過監視系統尋找城內有能力的人，以逃離城市作為交換條件。Alice 從醫院裡醒來的時間正是 Umbrella 公司開始封城的時候，此時城內已經是活死人橫行，只有少數人還在負隅頑抗，包括當地警方的 Jill Valentine 和 Peyton Wells，他們和一個記者 Terri Morales 同行，另一批是 Carlos Olivera 為首的 Umbrella 傭兵小隊，以及一小群 STARS (警方快速反應部隊)，他們救了一個平民 L.J.。在這情況下，Umbrella 公司決定要啟動 Nemesis，這時我們可以看到原來 Nemesis 是一個看起來相當強壯 (且邪惡) 的戰士，很顯然就是上一集的 Matt，Umbrella 似乎可以透過某種機制觀察 Nemesis 的行為，而且可以下精確的指令，例如說他在幹掉 STARS 的時候 L.J. 竟然可以毫髮無傷地離開…
Alice 在教堂救了 Jill 一行人，但是走到一半就碰到 Nemesis，他馬上發現情況不妙，想叫大家快閃的時候已經來不及，Peyton 第一個就被幹掉了，為了救其他人，Alice 衝向 Nemesis，一陣攻擊後發現火力遠遜，危急之下也只好快閃；Jill 和 Terri 在逃離 Nemesis 後決定要趕快去找到 Angela 逃離此城，路上接了 L.J.，在 Ashford 的指引下來到學校救出了 Angela，而且和 Carlos 和 Alice 會合了。
Alice 看到 Angela 之後的對話，揭露出了驚人的祕密：原來 T 病毒的本性是讓死掉的細胞復活，而這原本是用來治療 Ashford 家的遺傳病所用，他還同時開發出了病毒抗體，目的是控制 T 病毒不致失控；至於 Alice 則是被 Umbrella 公司抓去做活體實驗，他本身的細胞已經產生了突變，雖然也感染了 T 病毒，但是只有無限再生的優點而沒有嗜血等等副作用。
Ashford 指引他們前往市政廳，那裡有架準備起飛的最後直昇機，不過沒想到這一切都是 Umbrella 公司所安排的陷阱，在那兒等著他們的除了直昇機外，還有已經被抓的 Ashford 和 Umbrella 高層，當然還有 Nemesis；原來，Alice 和 Nemesis 都是 Umbrella 公司的實驗品，一個是肉體極限強化的版本，另一個是破壞力、敏捷度、思考能力並重的平衡版本，他們想知道哪一種比較強，所以安排了這場決鬥。決鬥的最後是 Alice 勝出，但是他完全不想和 Umbrella 公司合作，於是 Umbrella 決定把所有人幹掉；在這電光石火的一瞬間，Nemesis 似乎恢復人性救了 Alice，Jill 和 Carlos 等人也掙脫手銬來了一次大反攻，一陣亂鬥後 Nemesis 為了救 Alice 而犧牲自己，剩下來的 Alice、Jill、Carlos、L.J.、Angela 坐上直昇機逃開，只可惜沒走多久就發生 Umbrella 公司引爆核爆，Alice 為了救 Angela 受了重傷，後來又被 Umbrella 公司帶回實驗室…
最後一幕是 Alice 在休養過後恢復元氣，而且他不只是恢復而已，能力又進一步提昇，已經可以透過閉路電視的監視系統讓警衛七孔流血而死；實驗室的大頭目似乎有意讓他離開，特意交待大門守衛放行 Alice 和後來接應他的 Jill 等人，接下來他就說要啟動 Alice 計劃，似乎是 Alice 的所有知覺都會透過衛星轉送給 Umbrella 公司，顯然，接下來的部份就是第三集的故事了吧…
via blog.ijliao.info
2009年10月30日 星期五
趙小蘭：25年前就注意馬英九-這個年輕人長相出眾，「很有潛力」 大概原本是要收女婿吧？
趙小蘭：25年前就注意馬英九
更新日期:2009/10/27 02:57 仇佩芬／台北報導中國時報【仇佩芬／台北報導】
美國前勞工部長趙小蘭（Elaine L. Chao）昨天拜會外交部長楊進添。雙方除了就台灣外交政策簡單交換意見之外，趙小蘭還提起廿五年前認識馬英九的往事，說當時她的父親就認定這個年輕人很有潛力，要她「好好注意他」。
楊進添在接見趙小蘭時特別提到，馬英九總統的活路外交政策使台灣對外關係有更大空間，兩岸關係的改善也對台灣拓展外交有所助益。趙小蘭除肯定活路外交政策對促進亞太區域安全有重要意義，更興緻勃勃地說，廿五年前她就認識馬英九總統，當時他是故總統蔣經國的秘書。他們剛認識時，她的父親就對她說，這個年輕人長相出眾，「很有潛力」，要她好好注意他。後來馬英九果然在仕途上有所發展。
趙小蘭是美國首位亞裔女性閣員和華裔部長，也是美國前總統布希八年任期中，唯一做滿任期的部長。
曹錦輝若涉假球案 不可能重返MLB-Yahoo!奇摩新聞
曹錦輝若涉假球案 不可能重返MLB
更新日期:2009/10/30 16:59
（中央社記者黃兆平紐約29日專電）中華職棒扯出假球案，兄弟象隊投手曹錦輝動向受關注。美國職棒大聯盟對簽賭、放水、打假球規定嚴格，一經調查證明曾有涉嫌的球員，終生不得任用。
一位球評說，大聯盟雖未明文規範外國球員在其國內聯盟打假球是否等同處理；但若有犯罪事實，或有刑責紀錄，外國球員要想獲得美國工作簽證，可能性不高。
熟悉美職棒人士指出，未來即使證明曹錦輝與打假球案情無關，重點在於還是要有美職棒隊願意給他新合約。小曹才可能重返大聯盟。
中職打假球案繼續發展，雖然曹錦輝已被飭回，但兄弟象領隊洪瑞河已表明，將不再與他續約。
球迷關心曹錦輝未來動向，他的經紀人指稱，曹可重返美國職棒。在曹錦輝離開堪薩斯州皇家隊返台前代理他的經紀公司認為，以曹錦輝目前的投球實力，若能證明他與打假球無關，重返美大聯盟並非不可能。
但事實上，曹錦輝在中職一年來取得八勝八負的戰績，3.94的防禦率，表現並不算突出，只是靠「大聯盟返國」這塊招牌，對票房有相當程度的助益，但如今又扯上打假球，美國大聯盟球隊除了考慮球技，對球員的形象也相當重視，因此，是否會考慮招募曹錦輝還有疑問。
曹錦輝曾效力於道奇隊及皇家隊，因手傷困擾遭皇家隊提早釋出為自由球員，因無球團與他簽合約後返台發展；這次疑涉打假球案，對他職棒生涯又是一大打擊。981029（中央社資料照片）
中科四期廢水 環評:排放河岸-Yahoo!奇摩新聞
中科四期廢水 環評:排放河岸
更新日期:2009/10/31 00:01中科四期二林園區開發案經過半年多審查，原本行政院長吳敦義承諾，要將廢水排到出海口3公里外的外海，但環評大會完全推翻這項決策，恢復到最初排放到濁水溪或舊濁水溪河岸的方案。
中科四期開發案，五度叩關才通過專案小組審查，30日進入環評大會審查，環評委員個個面色凝重，仔細審查每個細節，彰化縣長卓伯源親自揮軍北上，到環保局專案報告，二林開發案的廢水排放問題總是引發討論，卓伯源一方面請大家為環評放心，一方面也為開發案抱屈，話鋒一轉，卓伯源更強調彰化縣未來要發展，絕對不能沒有中科四期科學園區。
中科四期二林園區開發案經過半年多審查，廢水排放再度大逆轉回到最初的提議，如果順利半年內如果能動工，5年後就能完工。(民視新聞 陳韻平、宮仲毅台北報導)
中科環評有條件通過 卓伯源:經濟環保雙贏 － 這就是為什麼去年彰化縣海岸在國家重要溼地中排不進去的原因。
中科環評有條件通過 卓伯源:經濟環保雙贏
更新日期:2009/10/30 22:19
（中央社記者吳哲豪彰化縣30日電）中科4 期二林基地環評今天有條件通過，彰化縣長卓伯源透過縣府發布新聞稿說，感謝環評委員為彰化創造經濟與環保雙贏，讓彰化縣邁進一大步，從農業大縣變成光電科技大縣。
行政院環保署環評委員會今天有條件通過中科4 期二林基地開發計畫，初步同意中科將放流水排放至舊濁水溪或濁水溪河岸；中科若打算改採海洋放流管排放至舊濁水溪或濁水溪出海口，需先通過環境影響差異評估。
彰化縣政府指出，卓伯源感謝環評委員為彰化縣創造環保與經濟發展雙贏，從農業大縣往光電科技大縣邁進，也代表彰化縣百年蛻動的契機即將啟動。
卓伯源強調，就任縣長後，就把扶植農漁業發展以及傳統工業升級作為最主要的產業政策，科學園區的設置是彰化縣產業轉型和升級的重大契機。
卓伯源表示，尤其在台中縣市合併後，彰化縣需要國家級重大建設以及新興科技產業的進駐，來加速內在產業結構的調整，不然彰化縣在自然資源有限的發展條件下，將淪為次等縣。981030
（中央社資料照片）
〈CPBL〉兄弟快斬4球員 曹錦輝確定不續約 - 唉。
〈CPBL〉兄弟快斬4球員 曹錦輝確定不續約
更新日期:2009/10/30 18:01記者:曹玉炯針對兄弟象隊涉及打假球事件，今天(30日)領隊洪瑞河作出立即的行動：開除坦承放水的4名球員，至於眾所關注的曹錦輝則是不續任，總教練中入伸也比照辦理。
截至目前為止，承認收錢打假球的兄弟球員計有王勁力、吳保賢、朱鴻森、李濠任，對此洪瑞河在得知消息後立即宣布開除這4位球員，根據聯盟的規章，這4人永不錄用，棒球生涯至此劃下句點。
曹錦輝部分，由於他與「雨刷」的多次會面，洪瑞河決定未來不再續約；總教練中入伸也因曾與莊宏亮會面過，即便中入伸表示會面與假球案毫無關聯，但洪瑞河認為事件演變至此總教練必須負起責任，因此要求中入伸解職。
其他交保候傳的郭一峰、黃正偉、買嘉瑞、黃榮義，球團立場是立即禁賽停薪，待司法判決後再決定如何處置這些球員。
上述開除球員立即搬出宿舍，而根據洪瑞河與黃正偉、買嘉瑞面談後，認為這2人是遭到檢方的誤解，宣示他們可繼續留在球團。
2009年10月29日 星期四
農委會堅決不開放基改稻米進口(農委會)
農委會堅決不開放基改稻米進口 文號：5648 98年10月28日
有關報載「擬開放美國基因改造稻米」乙事，農委會嚴正表示，雖然我國加入 WTO 承諾進口稻米數量，但為維護我國生產環境暨確保產業發展，從未許可或規劃進口含基因改造食米。
農委會說明，衛生署依據食品衛生管理法第十四條規定，預告「增列基因改造稻米、木瓜及其他未特別指定之基因改造食品，應向衛生署辦理查驗登記」，應係該署將該項基因改造產品納入食品安全評估之前置作業，並不表示已經許可進口基因改造食品或許可在國內種植基因改造作物。
農委會進一步說明，基因改造作物須經農委會田間生物安全評估及衛生署食品安全評估，通過前揭兩項嚴格審查後，方取得許可於國內種植、推廣或銷售。目前農委會尚未許可任何基因改造作物於國內種植。
農委會強調，目前不能進口基改稻米，政府採購進口食米招標文件亦明確規定不得含基改成分，且基於國內生產環境與消費者權益，農委會表示，不會開放基改稻米，且國內目前未通過或核准任何一項基改稻米種植。未來基因改造作物發展以非食用作物為優先。
via coa.gov.tw
A Language of Smiles - Olivia Judson Blog - NYTimes.com
A Language of Smiles
Say “eeee.” Say it again. Go on: “eeee.”
Maybe I’m easy to please, but doing this a few times makes me giggle. “Eeee.”
Actually, I suspect it’s not just me. Saying “eeee” pulls up the corners of the mouth and makes you start to smile. That’s why we say “cheese” to the camera, not “choose” or “chose.” And, I think, it’s why I don’t get the giggles from “aaaa” or “oooo.”
The mere act of smiling is often enough to lift your mood; conversely, the act of frowning can lower it; scowling can make you feel fed up. In other words, the gestures you make with your face can — at least to some extent — influence your emotional state.
(The notion that facial expressions affect mood isn’t new. Edgar Allan Poe used it in his story “The Purloined Letter”: one character reports that when he wishes to know someone’s mind, he attempts to compose his face to mimic the expression of that someone — then waits to see which emotions arise. And the idea was developed, in different ways, by both Charles Darwin and William James. But telling stories and developing arguments is one thing. Showing, experimentally, that making a face can make a mood is harder; it’s only in the past 30 years or so that data have started to accumulate.)Exactly how frowns and smiles influence mood is a matter of debate. One possibility is classical conditioning. Just as Ivan Pavlov conditioned a dog to associate the sound of a bell with the expectation of food, the argument goes, so humans quickly come to associate smiling with feeling happy. Once the association has been established, smiling is, by itself, enough to generate happy feelings. Another possibility is that different facial gestures have intrinsic properties that make them more or less pleasant, perhaps by altering the way that blood flows to the brain.
But here’s what interests me. As anyone who has tried to learn a foreign language will know, different languages make you move your face in different ways. For instance, some languages contain many sounds that are forward in the mouth; others take place more in the throat. What’s more, the effects that different languages have on the movements of the face are substantial. Babies can tell the difference among languages based on the speaker’s mouth movements alone. So can computers.
Which made me wonder: do some languages contain an intrinsic bias towards pulling happy faces? In other words, do some languages predispose — in a subtle way — their speakers to be merrier than the speakers of other languages?
As far as I can tell, no one has looked at this. (It doesn’t mean no one has; it just means I haven’t been able to find it.) But I did find a smidgen of evidence to suggest the idea’s not crazy. A set of experiments investigating the effects of facial movements on mood used different vowel sounds as a stealthy way to get people to pull different faces. (The idea was to avoid people realizing they were being made to scowl or smile.) The results showed that if you read aloud a passage full of vowels that make you scowl — the German vowel sound ü, for example — you’re likely to find yourself in a worse mood than if you read a story similar in content but without any instances of ü. Similarly, saying ü over and over again generates more feelings of ill will than repeating a or o.
Of course, facial gestures aren’t the whole story of emotions; moreover, languages can potentially influence emotions in many other ways. Different languages have different music — sounds and rhythms — that could also have an emotional impact. The meanings of words may influence moods more than the gestures used to make them. And just as the words a language uses to describe colors affects how speakers of that language perceive those colors, different languages might allow speakers to process particular emotions differently; this, in turn, could feed into a culture, perhaps contributing to a general tendency towards gloom or laughter.
Separating these various factors will be difficult, and the overall impact on mood through the facial gestures of a language may well be small, if indeed it exists at all. Nevertheless, I’d love to know whether some languages, by the contortions they give the mouth, really do have an impact on their speakers’ happiness. If it turns out that there is a language of smiles, I’d like to learn it. In the meantime: have a giggle with “meeeeeee.”
Migratory Route Of Eleonora's Falcon Revealed For First Time
Migratory Route Of Eleonora's Falcon Revealed For First Time
ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2009) — Satellite tracking has allowed a research team to uncover the mysteries of the migration of Eleanora's falcon for the first time. In total, the bird flies more than 9,500 kilometres across the African continent from the Balearic and Columbretes Islands before reaching the island of Madagascar. Some of the previously-obscure secrets now revealed by the scientists show that these falcons migrate by both day and night, and cross supposed ecological barriers such as the Sahara Desert.
See also:Until recently, the scientific community had almost no knowledge of the biology and life strategies of Eleanora's falcon (Falco eleonorae), a migratory bird of prey with low population numbers that nests on marine islands. However, researchers from the Universities of Valencia (UV) and Alicante (UA) tagged 11 individuals (7 adults and 4 chicks) in the colonies of the Balearic Islands between 2007 and 2008 and in the Columbretes Islands in the province of Castellón in 2008, with a further five individuals tagged in 2009.
"This represents a landmark in the study of this species, because to date nobody had been able to catch any Eleanora's falcon individuals and tag them using satellite technology anywhere in their colonies in the western Mediterranean," Pascual López, a researcher at the UV and lead author of the study, which has been published recently in the journal Zoological Studies, tells SINC.
The tagged falcons started their migration of more than 9,500 kilometres in the autumns of 2007 and 2008, travelling from the Balearic Islands to Madagascar. The new discovery made by this study was that the falcons do not fly over the waters of the Mediterranean and along the East African coast, but instead cross straight over the African continent.
The satellite tracking data have also shown that "Eleonora's falcons can migrate by both day and night (a new discovery among birds of prey of their genus), and cross supposed ecological barriers such as the Sahara Desert, the Equator and extensive stretches of open sea in the Indian Ocean," points out López.
During the two-month migration undertaken by the falcons in order to winter in Madagascar, the biologists received hundreds of position signals for the adults (throughout 10 countries) and the juveniles (in 14 countries). Their migratory route to return to Europe in the spring once again crosses the African continent, "but they follow a completely different path from that used for the autumn migration, flying for more than 1,500km non-stop over the Indian Ocean from Madagascar to Somalia, a phenomenon that has never before been described in birds of prey of this genus, and which pushes them to the limits of their physiological capacity ," says the researcher.
A very special bird
Some of the peculiarities of this bird of prey, which migrates over long distances and evolved only recently, include "a reproductive cycle adapted to the migration of other bird species, starting at the end of the summer and not in the spring (the latest among all European birds of prey). This makes it a model organism for looking into questions about its phylogeography and evolution," adds López, who also wants to find out how the Eleonora's falcons manage to navigate during such a long journey.
Eleonora's falcon was named after Giudicessa Eleonora de Arborea (1350-1404), a Sardinian princess who fought for Sardinia's independence from the Kingdom of Aragon, and who drafted the first laws in Europe protecting birds of prey.
Journal reference:
- López-López, Pascual; Limiñana, Rubén; Urios, Vicente. Autumn Migration of Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae Tracked by Satellite Telemetry. Zoological Studies, 48(4): 485-491, julio de 2009
via sciencedaily.com
AK-47步槍發明人慨嘆 發明淪為犯罪工具-
AK-47步槍發明人慨嘆 發明淪為犯罪工具
更新日期:2009/10/28 00:47
（路透俄羅斯克利摩夫斯基26日電）卡拉希尼柯夫突擊步槍的發明人卡拉希尼柯夫（Mikhail Kalashnikov）在過90歲生日前，只有一個大遺憾，他說：「看到各種各樣犯罪的份子用我的武器開火，對我來說真是痛苦。」
性能犀利的卡拉希尼柯夫突擊步槍（Kalashnikov，又稱AK-47）於1947年問世後，已變成從賴比瑞亞到阿富汗的好戰份子和叛軍，以及幫派混混和毒品走私販子的最愛。
卡拉希尼柯夫對俄羅斯的奉獻，使他成為一名英雄，他下月即將來臨的90歲生日將是一場國家盛會。
他的發明受到從亞洲到拉丁美洲的革命運動愛用，但對革命份子的西方敵人來說，卡拉希尼柯夫是一種殺戮武器的發明人。
他在一項對俄羅斯軍火商及武器設計家的會議上發表的錄影帶演說中強調，他從沒想到他的發明會普及全球。這項會議在莫斯科郊外一處高度機密的蘇聯時期的武器測試基地舉行。
他面露疲態，濕著雙眼說：「我發明這個武器的初始用意是為保衛我們的祖國。」
卡拉希尼柯夫突擊步槍在二次世界大戰後誕生，當時蘇聯軍隊情況艱困，而氣動式的卡拉希尼柯夫突擊步槍製作簡單，維修也容易，變成最成功的武器之一。
身著將軍迷彩服的卡拉希尼柯夫說：「當我年輕的時候，我不知從何處讀到：全能的上帝說『太複雜的總是不必要的，有需要的通常是簡單的』」。
「這於是成為我一生的座右銘，我一直在發明簡單且可靠的武器，保衛祖國國界。」
卡拉希尼柯夫驕傲地說：「掛著我名字的武器目前廣泛在55個國家使用。」他目前仍是製造卡拉希尼柯夫突擊步槍公司Izhmash的首席武器設計師。
在卡拉希尼柯夫突擊步槍問世60年以來，大約已有1億支步槍出廠，但是僅約半數是符合俄羅斯標準品質的授權產品。中央社
2009年10月26日 星期一
狂牛病與庫賈氏症 by 《Meme -- 教學與反省》
狂牛病與庫賈氏症
今天自由時報上有一篇讀者投書：『我的朋友得了狂牛症』，作者希望藉由他的朋友的遭遇來抗議政府開放美國牛肉進口的政策。
其實，吃『得了狂牛症牛隻的肉』會不會造成人類的病變一直都有許多爭議。在美國有一些科學家建議還是少吃為妙，因為誰也說不得準。這些科學家因為得罪相關的利益團體，許多人視這些科學家為眼中釘，欲除之而後快。
2006 年時有位研究狂牛症的科學家與家人在自家門口被埋伏的歹徒射殺，全家無一倖免。而在這之前已有其他三位研究狂牛症的科學家遇害。所以這個爭議不是祇有在台灣發生，在美國也是意見紛雜 (註一)。
但是無論如何，自由時報的這篇讀者投書還是有問題的，因為他的朋友得到的庫賈氏症 (CJD) 可能與牛肉一點關係都沒有，而單純是個人基因病變所致。
先來談一談狂牛病與 CJD。
這兩種疾病都是神經系統的病變，得病者腦部會呈現如同海綿一樣的空洞狀，並在發病後不久死亡。這兩種疾病如此相似，得病者遭受許多折磨，但科學家一直找不到病因所在。
CJD 患者的腦部，有許多澱粉狀的沉澱，並出現海綿狀空洞 (圖片來源)
後來 Stanley B. Prusiner 經過幾十年的研究發現狂牛症與 CJD 的病因並不是病毒或細菌，而是由一種稱為 Prion 的蛋白質所造成的疾病。這是人類所知的第一個由蛋白質造成的疾病。Stanley B. Prusiner 也因為 Prion 的研究得到 1997 年的諾貝爾生理醫學獎。
Stanley B. Prusiner 領取諾貝爾獎 (圖片來源)
我們每個人的體內都有一種叫做 Prion 的蛋白質，它在細胞內生產後會被送到細胞膜上展現生理機能。不過，有些個體因為基因突變的關係，讓細胞生產出不正常的 Prion 蛋白質。這些因為基因突變所造成不正常的 Prion 蛋白質就是狂牛症與 CJD 的初始起因，狂牛症是牛的 Prion 病變；CJD 是人類的 Prion 病變。
圖左：正常的 Prion 蛋白質；圖右為不正常 Prion 蛋白質 (圖片來源)
正常的 Prion 蛋白質在使用一陣子之後會有損傷並被細胞分解掉，細胞再產生全新、完整的 Prion 蛋白質來替代。但是基因突變產生的不正常 Prion 蛋白質沒辦法被我們的細胞所破壞，使得不正常蛋白質在組織中逐漸累積 (舊的不去，新的一直來)，最終將細胞撐破，造成細胞死亡。
可怕的是，不正常蛋白質還具有感染力，當它與正常 Prion 接觸會使正常 Prion 形態發生改變，也成為不正常的 Prion，這樣的過程經過幾次後，體內不正常的 Prion 數量呈等比級數的增加而變得非常多量，如果這些 Prion 累積在腦部細胞，就造成許多腦細胞的死亡，腦部變成類似海綿的空洞狀組織，這就是 Prion 造成神經病變的原因。
正常的 Prion 蛋白質 (PrPc) 被致病性 Prion (PrPsc) 影響，也成為致病性 Prion (圖片來源)
不過，如果祇是單純的基因病變所造成，狂牛症應該比例很少才對，畢竟會發生基因病變的機會不多。但是為什麼會有這麼多狂牛症牛隻呢？
後來發現，原來是在牛的飼料中加入了羊骨粉，很不幸的，這些羊骨之中，有一些來自於得到羊搔症 (羊的 Prion 疾病) 的羊隻，更不幸的是，羊搔症 Prion 與牛隻的 Prion 結構很類似，可以誘發牛隻的正常 Prion 改變為不正常 Prion，造成吃過骨粉的牛隻大量發病，這是狂牛症大量發生的原因。
致病性 Prion 具有抗酸、抗鹼、抗熱的特性，加熱至 300℃ 以上仍然不受破壞；一般蛋白質在 65~80℃ 就被破壞掉了。因為它抗酸、抗鹼、抗熱的特性，所以羊骨製成為骨粉的過程沒辦法破壞它，而使它可以感染牛隻。
那麼 CJD 呢？目前知道 CJD 的發病途徑有三種，第一類就是前面所說的基因突變，這個比例比較低，每百萬人約一人會因為自然的基因突變而得到 CJD；第二種途徑是經由遺傳所得，CJD 的患者中約有 10% 是因為遺傳到父母親的突變基因而發病；第三種發病原因是與患者使用了相同的器械，經由傷口、血液傳染到不正常的 Prion 蛋白。
由這三類發病途徑可知，前面所提到的投書作者的朋友可能與狂牛症牛隻一點關係也沒有，純然祇是自身突變、遺傳所致。
不過，牛隻的 Prion 會不會造成人類 Prion 變成不正常的呢？目前是說因為兩者的構成不太相似，比較不會像羊傳染給牛這樣由牛傳染給人，但是也沒人敢 100% 保證就是了。
註一：一些研究指出，Prion 的疾病可以由羊傳染給牛；牛可以傳給人；人可以傳給老鼠。
延伸閱讀
2009年10月25日 星期日
中國家電下鄉騙很大／台商彩電 9個月只賣1台 - 想必是手工打造
中國家電下鄉騙很大／台商彩電 9個月只賣1台
今年一至九月中國家電下鄉、台商銷售情況 中國廠獨吞 台商剩零頭
〔編譯盧永山／綜合報導〕中國「家電下鄉」政策叫得震天價響，實施迄今，台商看得到卻吃不到，證明馬政府和親中媒體先前說中國家電下鄉可為台灣創造龐大商機，根本是吹牛！
中國商務部公布資料指出，今年一至九月家電下鄉共銷售各類產品二○八二萬台，總銷售金額達人民幣三八八億元（台幣一八四○億元），僅有櫻花、宏碁、華碩和明基等四家台商分到「零頭」。
中國擴大內需的龐大商機，幾乎全被中國廠商獨吞，台商只分到零頭。今年一至九月，櫻花賣出二七七一台熱水器，宏碁電腦賣出一一一九台電腦，華碩電腦賣出一三三三台電腦，明基更只賣出一台彩電，總計四台商的銷售金額為台幣近五千四百萬元。
馬頻畫大餅 牛皮都吹破
中國去年十二月推出家電下鄉政策，預計實施四年，中國政府宣稱可創造台幣四．四兆元商機，當時馬政府和親中媒體為中搖旗吶喊，稱家電下鄉台灣也能分到大餅，結果證明根本是騙很大。
根據統計，今年一至九月中國家電下鄉冰箱共銷售一○六五萬台，青島海爾就佔了三十四％，合肥美菱也佔九．七％。
在電腦部分，今年一至九月中國家電下鄉電腦共銷售五十七萬八千六百台，聯想集團佔二十九．五％，海爾信息佔二十六．二％，方正科技佔十八．五％，同方股份佔十．六％，中國這四大廠商就吃掉近八成五的市占率，台灣的宏碁電腦和華碩電腦僅佔○．四％。
中國商務部表示，八月和九月家電下鄉銷售連續兩個月下滑，為了提振終端市場買氣，考慮取消家電下鄉的價格上限，讓廠商、經銷商和農村消費者有更多選擇空間，但中國農村消費者的購買力可能是最大問題。
為杜麗華助選 馬：蘇花替年底前一定動工-問題，台灣因為急躁決策所造成的「馬失前蹄」，以及環境破壞而「馬革裹屍」的教訓，難不成還擋不了所謂的「老馬識途」、更祝福他因為「馬英九�
為杜麗華助選 馬：蘇花替年底前一定動工
更新日期:2009/10/25 18:35
2009年10月23日 星期五
大人強拉劈木 5歲童被甩飛嚇傻- 銬，這明明是瘋了嘛。
大人強拉劈木 5歲童被甩飛嚇傻 2009/10/23 12:00 許文男 報導 地區：高雄市報導 字級
號稱可以激發潛能的麥得機構，逼孩子吞火疑似虐待兒童，連續好幾天引起軒然大波，十月二十二日華視新聞獨家紕漏，麥得讓五歲小朋友空手劈木板，小男孩痛得哇哇大哭，才五歲的小男孩，怎麼可能有這麼大的力道空手劈木板呢？其實根本是大人硬推孩子的手，木板才斷的，小朋友甚至整個人被大人的力道甩了出去，說穿了，劈材的是大人，不是小朋友。
五歲的小弟弟，被大人硬逼著要空手劈材，但是這小小的手、小小的身子骨怎麼可能做的到，小朋友用盡全力推了一次木板沒動靜，但後方的講師要他不准放棄，他只好再來一次，這種力道木板怎麼可能擊破，小弟弟根本不想再痛了，但講師立刻抓住他的小手，用力打向木板，木板是破了但小弟弟也整個飛出去，這個五歲小朋友也能劈材的畫面引起全場歡呼，但真的是這樣嗎？
當時講師用手抓住了小朋友的手，然後緊緊握拳甚至包住小孩的手，是大人的力氣擊破了板子，小朋友整個人是被推飛出去的，無辜的他根本嚇傻了，還不知道剛剛發生什麼事情，只知道台下一陣喝采，連爸爸媽媽都衝上來摸摸他，想哭但又不敢哭，只能用好痛的小手連續兩次默默把眼淚擦掉，畫面說明一切，這不是神力而是謊言。
via news.cts.com.tw
2009年10月22日 星期四
環境影響評估法
名 稱： 環境影響評估法 (民國 92 年 01 月 08 日 修正) 第 一 章 總則 第 1 條 第 2 條 第 3 條 第 4 條 第 5 條 第 二 章 評估、審查及監督 第 6 條 第 7 條 第 8 條 第 9 條 第 10 條 第 11 條 第 12 條 第 13 條 第 13- 1 條 第 14 條 第 15 條 第 16 條 第 16- 1 條 第 17 條 第 18 條 第 19 條 第 三 章 罰則 第 20 條 第 21 條 第 22 條 第 23 條 第 23- 1 條 第 24 條 第 四 章 附則 第 25 條 第 26 條 第 27 條 第 28 條 第 29 條 第 30 條 第 31 條 第 32 條
via law.moj.gov.tw
黑牌潛能營 逼童吞火練膽 - 這些家長是白吃嗎？乾脆跟我去出野外好了 XDD
潛能營 逼童吞火練膽
更新日期:2009/10/22 02:37 黃文博／台南報導中國時報【黃文博／台南報導】
數十菁英家庭為激勵下一代，半年花卅萬元，送進軍事化訓練補習班，練勇氣，燙傷嘴，若違規，洗冷水…
台灣教育競爭激烈已達病態程度？數十位醫生、老師、公務人員等中上家庭，為激發小孩潛能達到資優程度，竟花費數十萬元，將小孩送去未立案的補習班接受體罰等軍事化教育；而入門第一課竟是吞火學勇氣，家長還在場拍手叫好，後來發現不對，昨天集體站出來舉發。
南市議員蔡旺全和十多位家長指控，根據市府資料，位於仁和路的「麥得國際心智研究機構」，登記的是麥得企業管理顧問社，並不是立案的補習班；但最近一兩年，該機構以曾經上過電視的李寧催眠課程為號召，強調「照相記憶法」和「心智訓練」的軍事化訓練，吸引了數十位家長為孩子報名。
一位醫生現身說法，會讓孩子參加這種訓練，說起來他們自己也覺得很慚愧。他們十之八九都是醫生、老師和公務人員的家庭，每半年至少得花費卅萬元，單獨接受心理輔導，兩小時要六千元的諮商費，每個家長的共同想法，都是望子成龍、望女成鳳，希望自己小孩能激發潛能成為資優生，所以才會上當。
這場控訴記者會在台南市議會舉行時，家長放映他們拍攝的錄影帶，自稱是催眠大師的李寧，授課的入門是要六到十多歲的兒童，不分性別學吞火把，李寧帶動高喊「所向無敵」，學童呼應回喊「勇者無懼」，然後就真的把火吞滅。
畫面放映結束，立刻有家長哭泣，說他的小孩，就是因為吞火，嘴巴被燙傷，但當時因為錢已經繳了，不知自己怎麼沒有立即發現可疑，加上補習班會威脅小孩，所以他們在補習班被體罰的事，回家都不敢向家長講。
麥得的上課方式，都是利用寒暑假採四天三夜、七天八夜教化方式居多，所以家長根本無法立刻看出自己子女遭受虐待。一位家長出示國中女兒親自寫的感想，說上課如果沒照規定，經常罰起立蹲下一千下，洗冷水澡三分鐘、交互蹲跳、用棍子打、冷潮熱諷等軍事化管理。
南市府建設處表示，麥得根本不是補習班，看起來就是詐騙集團，將聯合各單位依法究辦、連續處罰。
麥得心智研究機構昨天則不願意對家長的指控回應，公司小姐面對大批查詢媒體，一再強調聯絡不到老闆，他們不能替公司發言。
2009年10月21日 星期三
自由電子報 - 中科四期廢水 不排濁水溪
中科四期廢水 不排濁水溪擬導入國光石化 或排外海〔記者黃維助、劉力仁、林國賢、吳為恭、顏宏駿、蘇金鳳／綜合報導〕對於中科四期廢、污水排放爭議，行政院長吳敦義昨天接見雲林縣長蘇治芬等人時允諾，配合國光石化的建廠，可考慮將處理過的十三萬噸廢、污水引導進入國光石化，或排入外海。
吳揆強調，中科四期廢水不會排入濁水溪或舊濁水溪，雲林縣及彰化縣民眾可以放心。但雲林縣環保聯盟常務理事林進郎表示，一旦有污染，即使在外海，經過食物鏈循環，最終受害恐怕還是人類。彰化縣反中科四期自救會發言人周明文也說，這將是彰化縣沿海養殖漁業的災難，因為有毒廢水隨著海洋洋流的移動，勢必影響蚵的生長。
立委劉建國與民進黨彰化縣長參選人翁金珠都表示，政府一定要跟居民溝通，取得鄉民同意才可施工。
環團︰流入外海 養殖業一樣受害吳揆指出，中科四期廢、污水排放問題，原先協調方案就是不污染濁水溪及舊濁水溪，廢、污水經處理之後，幾乎等於歐盟最高排放標準，已非廢、污水了。吳揆強調，本來排放管線是延長至入海口，經討論後，放流點將經由低潮線起算加長三公里的排放管排放至海域，等於海洋放流的觀念，而延伸管線增加的經費，業者也願意吸收。
吳揆也指出，配合國光石化的建廠，可考慮將中科處理過的十三萬噸廢、污水引導進入國光石化，因為國光石化一天就需要高達四十萬噸的用水，如果可供國光石化運用，則可以接管方式送達。
環保署綜合計畫處長葉俊宏表示，外海放流是一項比排放舊濁水溪標準更高的放流水處理方式，不需要重啟環評程序。
至於放流水全回收供國光石化再利用的可行性等，這些要求較環評專案小組可接受方式標準更高，環保署樂觀其成。
中科管理局長楊文科表示，由國光石化再利用是雙贏，但目前國光尚未興建，因此將請顧問公司規劃拉長管線到外海三公里的方案，估計成本將由原來的三十四億元增加到五十億元，工期預計二至三年。
Beijing’s Air Is Cleaner, but Far From Clean - NYTimes.com - 我喜歡這個標題。
Beijing’s Air Is Cleaner, but Far From Clean
Du Bin for The New York TimesBLUE-SKY DAY Tourists enjoying one of the better days for air quality in Beijing. There were 221 such “blue-sky days” this year through September, a city record since the index began in 1998.
BEIJING — This city’s network of arterials, five ring roads that are fed by nine more freeways, is barely two decades old, but it is already sclerotic. Roughly four million vehicles clog Beijing roads, seven times the number about 15 years ago. On any given day, another 1,500 new vehicles join the crush.
Skip to next paragraph
Peter Parks/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesHAZY OUTLOOK The highway system of Beijing is often clogged, despite measures to limit the number of vehicles in use and to replace older models with cleaner, more fuel-efficient ones.
So it is no surprise that Beijing has some of the worst air pollution of any big city on earth.
No, the surprise is this: Beijing’s air is actually getting cleaner.
China may have a hard-earned reputation for long-neglected and fearsome environmental problems, from poisoned rivers to chemical-belching smelters. But the nation’s capital, Beijing, is trying hard to clean up its dirty air.
The results show up not only in recent pitch-perfect October days, but in the data that for years have presented a bleak picture of pollution here.
Through September, the government counted 221 days in which the 0-to-500 pollution index — the lower the number, the better — was below 101. It was the greatest number of “blue-sky days,” as the city calls them, since daily measurements were first published in 1998.
At the same time, the city has recorded only 2 days with dangerously high air pollution. That is the lowest number in a decade, and fully 17 days fewer than were logged in the same period in 2000.
Outside experts caution that the city’s measurements are not just imprecise — they do not measure the tiniest particulates that are most damaging to lungs, for instance — but potentially misleading.
The government index is a 24-hour average of readings from monitors citywide. In contrast, a single monitor operated by the United States Embassy in downtown Beijing, where traffic is heavy, consistently reports less healthy air conditions than the official index.
And Beijing’s air remains far from pristine by any measure. The average concentration of particulates in city air during 2008, for example, was six times the ideal standard recommended by the World Health Organization. Indeed, Beijing has yet to meet the W.H.O.’s interim air standards for developing countries — or even the less stringent standards posted by China’s national government.
Yet if the air remains bad, experts say, the trend toward clearer skies is both steady and undeniable.
“For those of us who have been monitoring air pollutants for about 10 years, we see a clear reduction in pollution,” Zhu Tong, a professor and air pollution scientist at Peking University’s College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, said in an interview.
In the past decade, in fact, authorities have moved against air pollution problems with a tenacity that some environmentalists in developed nations, pitted against industry lobbyists and balky political machinery, can only envy.
Consider: since 1999, the city has ratcheted up its new-car emissions standards from nonexistent to the level of Euro IV, the same clean-tailpipe requirements that are now enforced across the European Union nations. The rest of China will move to Euro IV next year.
With the switch to Euro IV, Beijing environmental officials last year ordered a 90 percent reduction in the sulfur content of gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as significant new cuts in polluting compounds like benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline.
Nor is that all. More than 4,100 of the 20,000 city buses run on clean-burning compressed or liquefied natural gas — the largest such fleet in the world. The Beijing subway system, currently about 125 miles of tunnels and overhead tracks, is undergoing a breakneck expansion that will nearly triple its length in the next five years.
Nor is that all, either. Before last year’s Olympics, the government imposed a regimen based on even and odd license-plate numbers that effectively banned half of all private automobiles from the road on weekdays. Officials — and the public — liked it so much that a modified version, banning one in five cars, is now a permanent rule.
The city also bans heavy trucks from entering the city during the day; after dark, the 18-wheelers can be seen lining up on suburban freeways, waiting for permission to enter. The oldest, dirtiest automobiles — called “yellow-label” cars, after the sticker glued to their windshields — are banned from the center city altogether.
And in July, 11 national government ministries took a leaf from the Obama administration’s Cash for Clunkers program and began offering rebates of $440 to $880 to people who trade in old high-pollution cars and trucks for new ones. Officials estimate that the program will sweep about 2.7 million dirty autos from the roads nationwide.
Impressive as all that is, it may not be enough. While Beijing’s air is cleaner now than in the recent past, the improvements have been largely, though not totally, offset by a sevenfold increase in the number of vehicles since 1993.
Next Page »
- 1
- 2
Li Bibo and Zhang Jing in Beijing contributed research.
via nytimes.com
The fight against Malta's illegal bird hunt - 這篇可以拿來跟墾丁捕候鳥的新聞比較。
The fight against Malta's illegal bird hunt
Malta is an important way-point for birds migrating between Europe and Africa. But the spring and autumn migrations attract illegal hunters, who pick off the birds as they fly overhead. There has been a huge rise in illegal hunting in recent years, prompting conservationist group BirdLife Malta to set up camps to deter illegal hunters. Volunteer Steve Butler reports on his experiences at this year's camp.
One morning the bodies of 201 protected birds were discoveredIt's 0545 and I am sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a valley at Mtahleb with my team of fellow volunteers, waiting for the sun to rise.
I strain my eyes to distinguish the figures moving around in the darkness of the surrounding countryside.
As we listen to the dogs barking and the sound of gunshots echoing around the hills, we wonder how the hunters can see the birds at this hour, never mind shoot them.
In the first light we start to discern the hunters' dogs running in and out of the bushes to flush out quail and turtle dove. One is successful: a turtle dove leaves the tree, we hear shouting and see a hunter raise his gun towards the bird which has flown directly in front of us.
In Malta, hunting licences allow the shooting of turtle dove, quail, woodcock and duck. There is a loud gunshot and we instinctively drop to the floor. As the bird plummets and lead rains down beside us, we wonder if it was skill or fluke that prevented the hunter from shooting one of us by mistake in his frenzy to kill the bird.
The sound of lead periodically sprinkling down around us throughout the early morning is quite unnerving and we are pleased when the sun has finally risen.
Black storks downed
I pack away my binoculars and prepare to head back to camp for breakfast. It has been an uneventful morning for my team - no illegal hunting activity and no protected species to record.
On other days, we are fortunate enough to see the migration of many birds of prey - including kestrels, honey buzzards and marsh harriers - as well as large flocks of herons and even the occasional black stork.
The birds follow three main paths to migrate between the continents:
- East over the Bosporus and Turkey
- West over Gibraltar
- South over Italy and the central Mediterranean islands, including the Maltese archipelago
Sadly during my volunteering, I have witnessed many protected birds being shot down by Maltese hunters.
Volunteers at the camp monitor the migration of birds and illegal huntingThe previous morning we had uncovered the bodies of 201 protected birds in the Mizieb woodland. We then failed to protect two black storks.
We made our presence known, but the hunters clearly felt the storks were a prize worth the risk.
With every hillside lined with hunters, the large, majestic birds did not stand a chance as they slowly circled overhead, looking for a spot to roost for the night.
Three extinct species
Despite these setbacks, I feel as volunteers, we do make a difference to the problem of illegal hunting in Malta.
There are many situations in which I think if we were not here in our bright red BirdLife shirts, these special birds would almost certainly have been killed.
"While BirdLife's position is not anti-hunting, there is a very serious problem with illegal hunting in Malta, which dates back many years," says Geoff Saliba of BirdLife Malta.
The Maltese archipelago is on one of three main migration routes"Three species have gone extinct in the Maltese islands as a result of illegal hunting - the peregrine falcon, the barn owl and the jackdaw."
One legal hunter (who asked not to be named) has spoken out against illegal hunting in Malta.
"Illegal hunters are destroying the sport I have enjoyed since a child with my grandfather and father," he says.
He adds that the illegal shooting of birds he witnesses on a daily basis is "heartbreaking".
"The youngsters that are doing this do not understand hunting, it is not in their blood, they just want to shoot at anything that flies," he adds.
"Sometimes you see them chasing protected birds in their cars or on motorbikes."
Bird cemetery
The unnamed hunter feels the government needs to make more effort to eradicate illegal hunters by taking measures such as confiscating gun licences.
Volunteers are unable to stop many hunters from shooting the birdsA recent ruling by the European Court has criticised the Maltese government for allowing the hunting of dove and quail during the spring seasons of 2004 - 2007.
The ruling, which has been welcomed by BirdLife, stated that the Maltese government was at fault for not complying with EU birds' directive.
Throughout this autumn's bird migration, even in light of the discovery of the well-publicised "bird cemetery" in Mizieb, the shooting of the black storks and numerous other protected species, the Maltese government has so far failed to comment.
With under-resourced law enforcement and a culture of fear amongst those against illegal hunting, it seems that, for the time-being, BirdLife Malta and its international volunteers could be the birds' best hope.
via news.bbc.co.uk
Turtles prefer the 'city life' - 最近烏龜是Mac聚會的重要話題之一
Earth News reporter
Suburban survivor, the eastern long-necked turtle
Urbanisation has long been at odds with wildlife.
However, scientists have found a turtle that does better in a suburban habitat than it does in nature reserves.
Eastern long-necked turtles living in the suburbs of Australia have larger home ranges and cope better with periods of drought.
The reptiles also appear to grow and survive better, suggesting suburban environments may sometimes be superior places to live than natural ones.
Scientists have published the findings in the journal Biological Conservation.
Suburban landscapes, despite their many challenges, may be higher quality habitats than nature reserves for turtles
Dr John Row
University of Canberra, AustraliaEastern long-necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis) are common across much of south eastern Australia.
They are carnivorous, feeding on fish, frogs and crayfish and can be found in many freshwater habitats in the wild and in towns and cities.
However, throughout the world urbanisation can be damaging to many animals, resulting in loss of habitat and the disappearance of species.
So the researchers examined how the long-necked turtle responds to urban living and drought.
They did this by comparing turtles that lived in the suburbs of Canberra, Australia to those in adjacent nature reserves.
What they found surprised them.
"We expected suburban turtles to move around less than those on the nature reserves in response to the many threats that suburban turtles could encounter, but we found the opposite," says Dr John Roe, a member of the research team from the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra, Australia.
"Suburban turtles travelled longer distances and occupied home ranges nearly three times larger than turtles in the nature reserves," he says.
Long-necked commuter
The researchers attached miniature radio transmitters to the turtles in each habitat and followed their weekly movements over the course of a year.
Both turtle populations made long journeys of up to two and a half kilometres between bodies of water.
Staying cool in suburbia?"Given their extensive movements, we expected that suburban turtles would have a high rate of encounters with vehicles on roads, and thus fewer would survive," Dr Roe says.
"Despite this, suburban turtles did not suffer appreciably higher mortality than their counterparts on reserve lands, only one of our 36 radio tracked turtles was hit by a vehicle," he told BBC News.
Vegetated drainage lines and drainage culverts running under roads in the suburbs of Canberra protected the turtles.
"The vegetated drainage lines and culverts allowed the turtles to move about and use the landscape in normal ways, which reduced their exposure to urban threats and allowed them to avoid suffering from excessive road mortality," Dr Roe explains.
Suburban oasis
The turtles' responses to drought also surprised the team.
Turtles in the nature reserves responded to the drying up of the wetlands by estivating, lying dormant buried under leaf litter.
However, suburban turtles did not need to.
Dr John Row
University of Canberra, Australia"Water bodies are often incorporated into urban design for the purposes of storm water removal and retention," Dr Row says.
So "suburban water bodies remain flooded, allowing turtles to maintain aquatic activities throughout the drought."
That means turtles living in towns and cities are immune to the worst effects of prolonged drought, which can deplete wild turtles' energy and water stores.
"It appears that the suburban landscapes, despite their many challenges, may be higher quality habitats than nature reserves for turtles during drought," Dr Row says.
Life in the suburbs
Dr Row also has evidence suggesting that suburban turtles outperform their counterparts on nature reserves in other aspects of their life history.
"We have additional data that demonstrates higher population abundances, growth rates, and evidence of at least equivalent recruitment from reproduction in suburban turtles," he says.
Dr Row hopes to continue the research to see if this trend is represented over the turtles' entire life span.
He also hopes to monitor the turtles' response to the frequent droughts that are gripping much of Australia whilst exploring how suburban areas, road design and urban planning may effect them.
"It would be interesting to determine whether well-designed urban areas hold any promise as long term drought refuges for some turtle populations."
via news.bbc.co.uk
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)