Jaw-Dropping Surprise

An African leopard in northern Kenya seems to be amazed by a camera trap in a recent picture. The big cat is one of several species spotted during a survey of the coastal Boni–Dodori forest, which lies between the Tana River and the Somali border.

Recent security improvements allowed conservationists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS), Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT), and National Museums of Kenya to set up the camera trap survey in the largely inaccessible region.

The traps captured plentiful images of a rare antelope—the Aders' duiker—as well as shots of African wild dogs, elephants, and aardvarks, to name a few. The Boni-Dodori forest had previously yielded other surprises, including a potentiallynew species of elephant shrew announced in 2010.

However, the wildlife-rich forest may quickly be lost as development and agriculture sprout along the Kenyan coast, according to ZSL.

Marpol

Technically, Marpol 73/78 is a combination of the two international Marpol treaties which came into being in the year 1973 and 1978. The first treaty that came into force in the year 1973 prevented pollution by oil, chemicals and hazardous substances in packaged form. However, the people involved revised the treaty because of the series of tanker accidents that took place between 1976 and 1977. The new Marpol treaty was then re-adopted in February 1978.

Chicago

Chicago is the dynamo of America’s Mid West, a hard-working, hard-playing enclave where skyscrapers sprout from the ground, lively bars and restaurants dot almost every corner, and pockets of culture nestle on streets where a busy populace goes about its business. So how to spend your time when you arrive in the Windy City?

Austria’s capital city, Vienna is the country’s biggest city and the most popular in the country for tourists. Once the capital of the mighty Hapsburg Empire, it’s an UNESCO World Heritage site full of opulent palaces, ornate churches and comprehensive museums that exist side by side with the more modern city. Vienna isn’t a bargain destination, but there are some ways to cut costs while still enjoying all the riches of this majestic city. Here’s how.

Take public transport

Vienna’s public transit system is efficient and affordable and consists of rail, commuter rail, underground, trams, and buses. Single rides will only set you back about 2 euros, and passes for 1, 2, 3 and 7 days are available. You can enjoy unlimited rides across the network for just 14 euros from Monday to Sunday.

Eat at the markets

Vienna is home to 26 permanent open-air markets, the most popular of which is Naschmarkt. Stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, pastries and meats, and you’ll eat well on the cheap. Other popular and inexpensive dining options are snack bars where you can find pizza, kebaps, Austrian sausages and hot dogs. Or try a biergarten for heaping platters of Viennese sausages and sauerkraut served with overflowing beer steins.

 

Empires

"Empire had the better ending. I mean, Luke gets his hand cut off, finds out Vader's his father, Han gets frozen and taken away by Boba Fett. It ends on such a down note. I mean, that's what life is, a series of down endings. All Jedi had was a bunch of Muppets."
- DANTE (Brian O'Halloran) in Clerks (1994)

Poem

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10