#10% of ireland is forestry

[thehappybroadcast]

The area of woodland is about 3.19 million hectares, according to the Forestry Commission. This represents 13 per cent of the land area, or 10 per cent in England, 15 per cent in Wales, 8 per cent in Northern Ireland and 19 per cent in Scotland. That is up from 5 per cent nationwide in 1919, when the commission was established, and is equivalent to levels of cover during the Middle Ages, which ranged from 15 per cent of England at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, to 6-10 per cent by 1300. Cover in Scotland is considerably higher than in medieval times, when about 4 per cent of the country was wooded. The Forestry Commission was established to respond to the crisis by creating state-owned woods and forests and promoting forestry. Early schemes included the first planting in 1926 of Kielder Forest in Northumberland, which became the largest man-made forest in England. In 1956 the commission planted its millionth acre. Source: The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/woodland-back-to-medieval-levels-j097fqtkw

[thegrandimago]

Humans have long believed that planting trees, any kind of tree, anywhere, is good, something Mother Nature cries out for, something that might even solve our climate crisis. Tree-planting initiatives proliferate: the Bonn Challenge, Trees for the Future, Trees Forever, the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami, Plant a Billion Trees, 8 Billion Trees, the Trillion Tree Campaign, the One Trillion Trees Initiative, to mention just a few.

The passion for planting trees comes partly from the fact that, in some places, they sequester carbon. This has been broadly interpreted to mean that festooning the Earth with trees will solve the problem of climate change, which is why tree-planting programs are so popular with carbon polluters seeking to avoid cleanup costs. President Donald Trump, for example, instantly embraced the One Trillion Tree Initiative launched in January by the World Economic Forum, pledged U.S. participation, and then gushed about it in his State of the Union address: “To protect the environment, days ago, I announced that the United States will join the One Trillion Tree Initiative, an ambitious effort to bring together government and the private sector to plant new trees in America and around the world.”

Planting trees can be beneficial, especially in countries where predatory logging and other land abuse has destroyed soil stability and deprived people of shade, clean water, fish, and fruit. But such initiatives are the exception. Mass plantings are apt to do more harm than good. And it’s nearly impossible to distinguish decent projects from bad ones.

First there is the problem of duplicity, not unusual among tree-planting outfits. Consider Plant for the Planet, the organization behind the Trillion Tree Campaign. In March 2019, the German newspaper Die Zeit revealed that the group’s website was rife with untruths. For example, one person—a “Valf F.” from France—was reported to have single-handedly planted 682 million trees.

The other, larger problem is the ecological havoc tree planters can wreak if they are not careful. Few divulge what species they plant. Fewer still commit to planting only native species. Those who do commit are apt to plant monocultures, which are nearly worthless to wildlife and vulnerable to disease, insects, and wind. Forests are complex machines with millions of meshing parts. You can’t plant a forest; you can only plant a plantation.

Trees planted in wrong places, particularly places that are naturally treeless, do more harm than good and trash native ecosystems. Prairies, for example, provide important habitat for all manner of wildlife. But ever since European settlement, Americans have been destroying them with trees. When J. Sterling Morton moved to Nebraska from Michigan in 1854, he decided that Mother Nature had gotten it all wrong. In due course he called forth “a grand army of husbandmen … to battle against the timberless prairies,” and on April 10, 1872, established the first Arbor Day. Twenty-four hours later, Nebraskan prairies had been degraded by roughly 1 million planted trees.

Tree planting, especially on Arbor Day, became a national obsession. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Arbor Day, the Nebraska-based Arbor Day Foundation was formed. It hasn’t deviated far from Morton’s mindset. Join and you can receive 10 free Colorado blue spruce seedlings with instructions on how to plant them. This would be fine if you live in the central or southern Rockies. But everywhere else, these trees are aliens.

Illustrating the extent of our current tree-planting craze is the recent marketing of biodegradable coffee cups impregnated with tree seeds. Not only do they encourage littering, but they guarantee that wrong trees will be planted in wrong places.

But such slapdash planting is an American tradition. In 1876, possibly inspired by Arbor Day, a man named Ellwood Cooper sought to improve his 2,000-acre, mostly treeless ranch near Santa Barbara, California, with 50,000 eucalyptus seedlings. They shot up 40 feet in just three years, an unheard-of growth rate for which they became known as “miracle trees.” Eucalyptus trees are not native to California.

Shortly thereafter, the University of California and the state Department of Forestry distributed free eucs for everyone to plant. Prairies, chaparral, and cutover forestland were jammed full of these aliens. One hundred years after the first Arbor Day, 271,800 acres of eucalyptus had been planted in the U.S., 197,700 of them in California.

When I inserted my arm into euc leaf and bark litter in Bolinas, California, I couldn’t touch the bottom. That’s because the microbes and insects that eat it are in Australia, not California. Native plant communities can’t survive in these plantations because eucs kill competition with their own herbicide, creating what botanists call “eucalyptus desolation.” Eucs evolved with fire and prosper from it. Their tops don’t just burn; they explode. Living near them is like living beside a gasoline refinery staffed by chain smokers.

But eucs remain popular in California. They’re still being planted. And agencies seeking to protect the public and recover native ecosystems by razing eucs inevitably face the fury of eucalyptus lovers who have, for example, accused them of being “plant Nazis.”

According to a mantra heard for more than three decades, trees are good, even if they disrupt native ecosystems, because they can serve as carbon sinks. In 1988, the then–113-year-old American Forestry Association (now American Forests) initiated its Global ReLeaf campaign under the shibboleth“Plant a tree, cool the globe.” Too bad it’s not that simple. A study led by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory concludes that any carbon sequestration benefit from trees planted much north of Florida is more than offset because solar heat absorbed and retained by the trees makes the climate warmer.

The notion that any significant percent of the carbon humanity spews can be sucked up by planted trees is a pipe dream. But it got rocket boosters in July, when Zurich’s Crowther Lab published a paper, in Science, proclaiming that planting a trillion trees could store “25 percent of the current atmospheric carbon pool.” That assertion is ridiculous, because planting a trillion trees, one-third of all trees currently on earth, is impossible. Even a start would require the destruction of grasslands (prairies, rangelands, and savannas) that reflect rather than absorb solar heat and that, with current climate conditions, are better carbon sinks than natural forests, let alone plantations. Also, unlike trees, grasslands store most of their carbon underground, so it’s not released when they burn.

The Crowther paper horrified climate scientists and ecologists, 46 of whom wrote a rebuttal, explaining that planting trees in the wrong places would exacerbate global warming, create fire hazards, and devastate wildlife. They rebuked the authors for “suggesting grasslands and savannas as potential sites for restoration using trees” and for overestimating by a factor of 5 “potential for new trees to capture carbon.”

Tree plantations are already destroying natural areas that are far more efficient at storing carbon—wetlands, for example. When organic detritus is trapped underwater it can’t release carbon because there’s no oxygen for decomposition. Carbon sequestration efficiency of coastal wetlands (marshes, mangroves and seagrasses) actually increases with global warming because, as sea levels rise, more and more storage space for detritus becomes available.

Ill-conceived tree plantings can dewater wetlands. Consider the yet-to-be-launched initiative to plant 2.4 billion trees in India’s Cauvery River basin, which is the brainchild of the Isha Foundation, based in Coimbatore, India. Leonardo DiCaprio, whose foundation is a major backer, received a letter in September from 95 of India’s environmental and public interest groups that cited litigation against the plan. It read in part: “Biodiversity, forests, grasslands and the massive deltaic region that this river nurtures would be devastated. … It appears to be a programme that presents, rather simplistically, that the river can be saved by planting trees on banks of her streams, rivulets, tributaries and the floodplains … a method that promotes a monoculturist paradigm of landscape restoration which people of India have rejected long ago.” The Isha Foundation dismissed the letter as an attempt “to gain publicity.”

Similarly, in September Ireland committed to planting 440 million trees as part of its Climate Action Plan. Many of them will be commercially valuable Sitka spruce from North America’s Pacific Northwest. When they’re harvested, sequestered carbon will spew back into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, these aliens will be drying up wetlands, increasing global warming by absorbing and retaining solar heat, and, as the Irish Wildlife Trust warns, speeding extirpation of fish and wildlife (ongoing because of previous alien-tree plantings).

The notion that tree planting is an elixir for what ails the earth is as popular with polluters as it is with nations, a fact that spawned the “carbon offset industry.” Polluters hire third parties—often unseen, uninterviewed, and in other countries—to plant any kind of trees, anywhere. For instance, in November, EasyJet announced that it will spend $33 million for tree planting and other carbon-reduction schemes, supposedly rendering itself the first airline to offset all its CO2 pollution. In February Delta Air Lines pledged to zero out its carbon emissions by spending $1 billion over the next decade. While it was vague on how this will be accomplished, tree planting is reportedly part of the strategy.

Carbon offsetting has been likened to “indulgences,” the forgiveness notes hawked by the pre-Reformation Catholic Church—go and sin no more unless, of course, you pay us off again for future sins. Also, hired tree planters frequently charge for trees that would be planted anyway or pocket the money and plant nothing.

According to Kevin Anderson, professor of energy and climate change at the U.K.’s University of Manchester, the entire carbon offset industry is a “scam.” In 2019, after two decades of carbon offsetting, CO2 levels peaked at the highest levels in recorded history.

Carbon offsetting might work if polluters paid parties to protect existing forests and maybe also restore wetlands and grasslands by cutting planted and invading trees. On 400,000 acres in Montana, the American Prairie Reserve recovers native prairie by razing alien Russian olive and Chinese locust trees and reseeding bare, abandoned cropland with a native prairie mix.

The same restoration is done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at national wildlife refuges such as Bowdoin and Medicine Lake, both in Montana. “I have old photos showing settlers out on the prairie, and there’s not a single tree in the background,” says Neil Shook, who manages these two refuges. “Now the same places are littered with trees. By cutting trees we’re seeing increases in prairie vegetation and grassland songbirds. But people are still planting Russian olives. Right outside our boundaries you can see what will happen if we don’t cut. That private land is just full of trees.”

Thanks to aggressive tree removal by the USFWS at Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa, prairie-dependent plants, birds, and mammals are surging back. For years, tree lovers have railed at Union Slough managers, accusing them of such malfeasance as “arboricide.” But as the refuge presses on the noise fades.

Reform seems to take two steps back and three forward. “We’re pushing hard for San Francisco to plant native trees that will bring wildlife into the city and link it with our parks,” remarks Jacob Sigg of the California Native Plant Society. “But the old-boy network plants non-natives and is deaf to our arguments. Planting any trees anywhere sends chills down my spine. I do see progress, but then I hear some prominent person talking about planting a ‘trillion trees.’ ”

Sigg brightened when I asked about Angel Island. It had been blighted by eucalyptus desolation when I’d seen it. Now, he reported, virtually all the eucs have been cut and chipped, and native grasslands and scrub oaks have recovered. The California Department of Parks and Recreation had not been deaf to the society’s arguments. In the face of savage bullying from groups like POET (Preserve Our Eucalyptus Trees), it stood tall.

I think the great landscape photographer Ansel Adams put it best when he helped run tree-planting Boy Scouts off the prairie in what’s now the Golden Gate National Recreation Area: “I cannot think of a more tasteless undertaking than to plant trees in a naturally treeless area, and to impose an interpretation of natural beauty on a great landscape that is charged with beauty and wonder, and the excellence of eternity.” Treeless landscapes are not only natural, in many cases—they’re better for the Earth, too. 

[chaletnz]

Ring of Kerry tour

On my middle day in Cork, a grey sky between two sunny days, I woke up early to walk into the city to a small cafe called Filter. I was one of the first customers for the day and chatted to the barista over his customised Black Eagle coffee machine as he made my flat white and recommended places to job hunt in Galway. I wanted cash for my tour and visited 3 ATMs that only had €50 bills and nothing smaller, luckily the 4th ATM had €20s but not a €10 in sight!

The tour guide was named Marie, a soft spoken, mid 40s, stocky woman who would be taking us through the Ring of Kerry today. As we drove out of the city we learned that Cork was named by St Finbarre and translates from Irish (Gaelic) to mean "marshy land". Cork city is home to 125,000 people, however the county is home to 400,000 and is the second largest county in Ireland. Strangely enough, the Cork harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney. Our tour would trace the River Lee all the way back from Cork to its roots in county Kerry. Ireland experiences 30% more rainfall on average than any other country in Europe hence the nickname the Emereld Isle. A big dairy country, 40% of Ireland's exports are comprised of dairy products and have created over 400,000 jobs. After an hour or so we arrived in Killarney which is the tourist town at the entrance of the national park. Although it began to drizzle lightly I loved walking around and looking at all the small shops and admiring all the shiny coffee machine investments made in the cosy cafes. I couldn't resist a flat white and French toast with bacon at the Curious Cat cafe. They had a Black Eagle there too and yet I was the only person in the cafe the entire time! Back on the bus our drive began on the Ring of Kerry passing by the Hotel Europe and Michael Fassbender's home. The first notable town we passed through was Killorglin which hosts a street festival each year to celebrate a goat called King Puck (how quirky) and shortly afterward we arrived at the bog village. Bogs indicate watery land and grow rushes which are used to craft the St Brigid's Cross originally used to protect houses from fire. Nowadays people just peddle them to tourists and it made sense as the bog village and pub was a total tourist trap. We were all invited in to use the bathrooms and conveniently inside was a table lined with shots of Irish whiskey and bartenders ready to make Irish coffees for extravagant prices. Marie learned that somehow we had accidentally left 2 people behind in Killarney and after making arrangements for them we carried on driving to the Caragh Bridge scenic lookout and the Dingle Peninsula lookout. Both were impressive but grey skies disappointed us. We passed Daniel O'Connell's birthplace Caherciveen and his namesake memorial church, the only one in Ireland not named after a saint. O'Connell was a Catholic member of parliament representing the rights of Catholics in Ireland. We stopped for lunch in Waterville, the holiday destination of Charlie Chaplin, and the sun came out for a brief time while we watched the waves and wandered around. After lunch we reached the Ring of Kerry lookout point that was so windy I could barely open me peepers. It was top-of-Icelandic-waterfall level wind! I was very interested to learn that in the 1900s there was only a 1% forestry cover in Ireland, compared to 11% at present day. 1900s Ireland must have looked similar to present day Iceland with 1.5% cover. We took a short rest in Sneem for an ice cream as it is apparently a popular spot for just that! We drove om past several lookout points without stopping until eventually our driver pulled in so we could take a glimpse of Muckross Lake and Lough Leane at Ladies View before arriving back into Killarney National Park and visiting the Torc Waterfall in the middle of a mossy forest. This concluded our tour and we were subjected to the hits of ABBA and Rod Stewart for the next hour or so on the bus until we arrived in Macroom and I hopped off early to grab a bite with one of my old colleagues from Amsterdam, Fionn, his partner Danielle, their baby son Harry and dog Chica. We ended up at Val's fast food diner as it was the only place open and I enjoyed a Philly cheesesteak (Macroom castle was the home of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in the USA hence the connection!) and the Irish family shared some fish and chips. Later we took Chica out for a run around in the woods and then Fionn drove me back to Cork.

[earaercircular]

Beware of the future: the waves of the circular economy

Since 2020, apparently there have been setbacks in material recycling economies, as cardboard continues to gain ground.

The circular economy sounds great: designs and production, distribution and consumption processes that avoid generating pollution and minimize waste, especially hazardous or non-degradable waste. But it is not a fashion or ideology, but a necessity. Whereas the linear economy (extracting natural resources, processing them, using them and discarding them) can also be considered as an economy of waste resulting from the consumer boom of recent decades. Inevitably these two types of economy will exist in parallel, but the question is in what proportions. If the circularity of the economy does not increase rapidly, waste management –with its implications for air, land and marine pollution– will be an increasingly pressing problem and one that we will transfer to future generations.

The percentage of recycled materials in final consumption serves as an indicator of circularity. In the European Union, during the first 20 years of this century, the recycling rate doubled, but without having reached an average of 15% –compared to a world average of around 10%–, so there was still a long way to go. Statistics also point to large differences in circularity between countries, even within the EU: the Netherlands, France and Italy are significantly above average; Spain and Austria, slightly below, and in the bottom, Portugal and Ireland (which do not even reach 5%).

Progress had started with local government programs for paper and glass recycling and expanded to other small packaging containers another types of  packaging, reflecting emerging consumer preferences and awareness of the harmful effects of plastic waste. But since 2020, with the pandemic, there has been a change in priorities, hygiene and distancing once again prevail over sustainability. In addition, the confinements stimulated online purchases by atomising distribution by delivering orders at home, thus increasing the demand for packaging. The combined effect has been a decline in the relative weight of the circular economy.

Cardboard and paper are both a sustainability problem (especially due to their forestry impact) and an opportunity for circularity. 80% of the products sold in Europe and the United States are in cardboard packaging and everywhere the consumption of cardboard is growing faster than the GDP. There are no statistics on this, but Amazon is probably responsible for a good part of the increase in that ratio. It is also where more circular progress had been achieved: in the European Union in 2019 more than 80% of cardboard packaging was recycled (with differences: Denmark and France recycle close to 90%, but Spain just over 70%) and In the United States, in 20 years, the recycling of cardboard had gone from one to two thirds. Since 2020, however, there seems to have been setbacks in recycling, while cardboard consumption continues to grow.

The greatest challenge, surely, is presented by plastic, whose recycling rate does not even reach 25% in the best cases (in the United States, for example, it is around 10%). Plastic seemed like a great discovery and its use has spread rapidly for reasons of hygiene, comfort, low cost and presentation versatility. The low cost, of course, is because it does not include its harmful effects.

The global average of plastic waste is dangerously close to 100 kilograms per person per year. And their impact accumulates, since, not being degradable, they continue to pollute everywhere and to harm animals of all kinds. A large proportion of plastic waste ends up in the sea where it is estimated that there are 150 million tons circulating, both in situations similar to the great accumulation of garbage in the Pacific (between California and Hawaii) and in the form of microplastics that marine fauna ends up swallowing unable to digest them.

Obstacles to plastic recycling range from technical to aesthetic. Technically, the different types of plastic containers require different treatment, and some still cannot be processed at viable costs. Aesthetically, by incorporating recycled material, the resulting plastic takes on a greyish colour that does not meet consumer expectations or the brand image that companies want to convey. As individuals we should be willing to accept less whiteness for the sake of sustainability, but it seems that is not yet the case.

Attempts to increase the circularity of the economy have been disappointing because many programs were based on very optimistic assumptions of logistical-financial feasibility and perhaps also because they involved decisions from above. The dynamic is changing and the setback due to the pandemic is expected to be transitory. Along with greater momentum from governments at all levels, there is much more pressure from below, both from activists focused on specific situations (plastic and fish, for example) and from the general public, including indirect impacts on companies who see their reputation at risk if they do not act to increase the circularity of their processes, products and services. Increasing circularity and reducing waste is a bumpy but unavoidable journey.

Source

Enrique Rueda: Ojo con el futuro: las ondas de la economía circular, in: El Pais, 7-9-2022 ,https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/09/06/opinion/1662478099_361045.html

Enrique Rueda is a senior researcher at EsadeGeo[1], Esade[2]'s Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics

[1] In 2010, Esade launched its Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics, EsadeGeo, chaired by Dr. Javier Solana, former EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy. The Centre performs research on economic globalisation and its interactions with geopolitics and global governance, creating knowledge on the links between business, economic and social leadership, social realities, and global governance. https://dobetter.esade.edu/en/author/esadegeo

[2] ESADE Business School is a private college and graduate school located in Barcelona, Spain. It is part of ESADE (Catalan: Escola Superior d'Administració i Direcció d'Empreses) and associated with Ramon Llull University. ESADE has been awarded the triple accreditation by EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA, and is ranked among the world's top business schools and law school programs by the Financial Times, The Economist, Forbes, QS World University Rankings and more.

[lindoig1]

Northern Ireland

Wednesday Day 76

Packed up and drove to the ferry terminal to take us to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We were first in line so when we could drive aboard, our nose was right up against the doors and we were the first vehicle off the ship. Belfast is a big city and Heather wanted to buy some wool and needles so she could do some knitting, but the traffic and the absence of parking in the city centre thwarted us so we just got back on the motorway and headed for the Causeway Coastal Route. We couldn’t find many places to pull off the road to catch our breath until we got to Whitehead, a pretty little town with a parking area adjacent to the beach - just the railway between the parking area and the sea. We made ourselves a cuppa and I explored the area a little. It was near an early quarry and the workers from those bygone days had let their gardens go wild so the whole quarry area was a riot of colour - cornflowers, buddlia, wild roses, yellow and white daisies, fuscias and heaps more, all in flower and blazingly bright in the sunshine. Heather explored a bit with me too. The quarry was allegedly home to many species of birds, including about 10 I have not seen so I went wandering and had high hopes - but saw nothing except sparrows and starlings.

We continued on our way and decided to make camp a little after 4pm, but the first two places were ruled out for various reasons and we went on to one at Cushendal. Unfortunately, the GPS couldn’t find it and took us inland to a different one. Again, the GPS took us a long way away from any parks at all, but we had seen a sign for one in a State Park as we went along. Very confusing signage, but we finally arrived still unsure if we could get past the boom gates until a lady showed us how to get in and said the ranger comes around in the evening to collect the money. We are waiting for him now and still don’t know how much it will cost us. It is a very nice place though with huge hills and valleys around us very quiet and the ablution block is probably the best I have seen anywhere.

Thursday. Day 77

We are now on our way again and still solvent. None of the van parks are cheap, average probably around $A45 a night and last night was no different. The park was associated with a huge picnic ground and car park, with several long nature walks starting from there. It also has a coffee house and shop and an excellent free exhibition pavilion managed by the Forestry Service and giving a mountain of information about the local birds and animals, geology, history, culture and so on. We spent an hour in it before hitting the road this morning and it was both entertaining and informative.

We were driving the Giant Staircase Coastal Scenic Route and it was spectacular. We only stopped at a few places, but the road follows the coast, in some places for kilometres only a metre from the sea with great beaches and rocky outcrops, little bays and quaint villages. In other places, it rises high above the coast with craggy mountains looking down on idyllic fields, stone villages and the odd castle, almost all in ruins. Everything is green - the Emerald Isle is for real and smothered in places with wildflowers. We called in at several places for a look and some photos, but the target for most people is the Giant Staircase and that was just too hard for us. There were people everywhere and all the car parks were full for kilometres around so in the end, we didn’t even stop. But we saw many other wonderful things along the coast, beautiful memories the images of which will stay with us.

We had a bit of trouble finding a van park again, but ended up at a huge one in Benone with ablution facilities about as good as last night’s.

[sussex-nature-lover]

Tuesday 16th February 2021

Normal Service and some Out of the Ordinary News

I’ve got to say that I don’t quite know where my head is at lately, let’s blame disturbed sleep shall we - might as well. I’ve been doing my customary waking around 2-3am and then napping, waking again around 5-6ish for the day and watching the cricket, which has taken up the best part of the morning. Although that makes the days seem long, they’ve been full and my blog has ended up being written piecemeal here and there and then being rather last minute. Inevitably errors occur when you write that way and I haven’t made the time to read through properly before pressing post. Usually I’m fairly meticulous, but I’ve ended up rushing, so I’ve resolved to do better. Side-note to both my football and the England crickets teams, you should do the same. Liverpool FC play tonight in Hungary, 8pm our time should you need to know (Champions’ League)

Yesterday was a very dull and grey day, cold, but not nearly as cold as of late. We had to go out to the Pharmacy and so took the car on a run just for the sake of keeping it in action.

We came back via the village where the younger Ms NW went to school and it was a very neat little journey. The hedges have had a really good cut.

It was just around this point in the lane where Crow and I did our second synchronised Woaaaaaa Woaaaaaaa of the week so far - that always makes us laugh. The first had been at a low level swoop behind our top shrubbery bed - couldn’t see what it was, but we thought it was the Buzzard. Yesterday it was an absolutely gorgeous Kestrel that flew from one side of the lane across the front of the car and off into the distance. We saw enough to register the lovely markings and beautiful chestnut colouring. I took a few other pictures of some nice looking cows and a field absolutely covered by Seagulls but to be honest they’re not all that exciting, so I’ll just leave the thoughts there.

What was exciting yesterday and I’ll go so far as to say, terribly exciting, was a brand new bird in the garden. Seriously, I can hardly believe it, so settle down and enjoy with me one of the most delightful and tiniest birds we’ve had here.

Let me set the scene, I was standing at the sink under the window, just pootling about and tidying things and a bright flash of red took my eye. I presumed Goldfinch, which would’ve been unusual as it’s been a while. But no, it wasn’t that pillar box type of red, it was more a deep and bright ruby pink. Chores abandoned and camera at the ready I took as many photos as I could considering that A) it was quite poor light and it was drizzling and B) this little bird hardly stayed still. Suffice to say I have A LOT of very blurry pics.

Enough introductory waffle, this is what I saw

Ladies and Gentlemen, a Redpoll. I have to say that its Latin name is absolutely charming.  Carduelis cabaret. Isn’t that wonderful? It certainly lives up to that descriptor in my opinion, as every angle is a feast for the eyes.

Wikipedia says

The genus name Acanthis is from the Ancient Greek akanthis, a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird, and cabaret is the French name for a type of finch

That turns out to be somewhat disappointing really. I prefer to stick to my imaginary idea of them being an actual theatre show-stopper. 

Anyway after establishing the Redpoll bit, as so often in the birding world (and the rest of the natural world to be fair) it all gets rather complicated.

For size perspective: House Sparrow and Redpoll. I said they’re tiny didn’t I

The full name for this species is actually the Lesser Redpoll, as relatively recently (year 2000) it was classified as a separate species from the very similar Common Redpoll (also called the Mealy Redpoll) which, despite the name, is not common in the UK at all. 

Lesser Redpolls breed in the UK, whereas Common Redpolls are winter visitors only and generally just to the eastern side of the UK. There are subtle differences only between the two species, but it is the Lesser Redpoll that’s much more likely to be seen in gardens across the UK.

I’ve put a really excellent video towards the end of this blog which should make things clearer.

As you can tell from the shape of the bill, Redpoll is a Finch, a small Finch. This is particularly interesting as I keep bemoaning how we lack Finches here and yet last year we saw more Goldfinch in the garden than we ever have before; not big numbers, but more frequent visits. We had the return of a Greenfinch and evidence they’d had young and of course, lately a male Chaffinch has been here a lot. Apparently Redpoll will often flock with Siskin - another relatively common bird, but again, one we’ve not spotted in our garden. There’re probably loads in the woods who only come to the garden when we turn our backs!

SIZE GUIDE:

1.5–12.5 centimetres (4.5–4.9 in) long with a wingspan of 20–22.5 centimetres (7.9–8.9 in) and a weight of 9–12 grams (0.32–0.42 oz). The bill is short, conical and sharply pointed and is pale yellow with a dark tip.

Little Lesser Red Poll making the distant Robin look huge

Obviously all the information I have is collated from various searches I made on the internet: I read that the UK population of this lovely bird went into rapid decline since the 1970s and now stands at about 10% of the known figures at that time. There is no sound evidence currently available as to why, but studies have focused on the reduction in young forestry plantations, especially non-native Conifers (a favoured nesting location) and possibly a lessening of Birch trees. To counter that though, I have also read that since around 2010 there has been a marked increase in sightings in gardens. In the Spring the Redpoll will feed on insects and source caterpillars for its young, but in the Autumn and Winter it’s a seed eater, particularly enjoying the fine Niger seed which is suited to its small beak. It seems more people are feeding the birds in their gardens and Niger seed in particular is being employed more frequently as it attracts the colourful little birds.

Lesser Redpoll GB breeding population was estimated at around 220,000 breeding pairs (2016) but they are doing particularly well these days in N Ireland which boasted an additional 40,000 pairs.

 The species is now listed as red status in the UK (see below)

Absolutely beautiful from every angle

You can just make out a small black bib in the photo above and from what I’ve read this is a male bird already displaying breeding colours, as seen by the extremely red-pink breast. It could be said it’s fairly ahead of the game with its timing.

More information from an outside source Here (pdf) which is a British Birding Association article from 2010 with some excellent photographs.

LISTING STATUS EXPLAINED:

The Red Listed birds are not necessarily terribly low in number -  for example the Common House Sparrow. Starling and Song Thrush are in this category because of population decline.

Red List Criteria

Globally Threatened

A Serious Population Decline In The UK Between 1800 And 1995

A Decline Of At Least 50% In The UK Breeding Population Over The Last 25 Years Or Over A Longer-Term Period

A Contraction Of At Least 50% In The UK Breeding Range Over The Last 25 Years Or Since 1969

The RSPB say

"We use the red list to prioritise our action. We use it to identify which species need help immediately and take action. So, if there is research to do to find out what the problem is, and how to tackle it, then we’ll do that, then once we know what needs to be done to help them we’ll get on with it, whether it’s land management, species recovery projects or lobbying government.

"Prioritising is vital as we don’t have money and resources to work on everything, even within the red list we can’t prioritise action for all 67 species. In some cases we have to just keep a watching brief on a species until we have more resource to take action."

"The first step is considering what to do in your own outdoor spaces to create better habitats for wildlife. Those who have a garden could consider wildlife friendly gardening - create a pond, plant pollen rich flowers, or plant shrubs with berries for birds.

"Most of the data we use is collected by volunteers –if you know a little bit about birds you could get involved in data gathering with monitoring schemes, such as those run by the BTO in partnership with the RSPB."

I’m going to have a think about what projects we can embark on this Spring to help our garden birds even more and then, well, who knows what species might turn up. Even after 20 years here, there’s something to marvel at every single day.

WHAT ELSE DID I LEARN TODAY?

Mount Etna has erupted. If you look at this Twitter thread you can see photos and video

LINK

[isuperbinternetcollectorus]

Agriculture Analytics Market Size, Share and Global Market Forecast to 2025 : MarketsandMarkets

According to market research report on "Agriculture Analytics Market by Application Area (Farm Analytics, Livestock Analytics, and Aquaculture Analytics), Component (Solution and Services), Farm Size (Small, Medium-Sized, and Large), Deployment Type, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025",  published by MarketsandMarkets™, the global Agriculture Analytics Market size is expected to grow from USD 0.8 billion in 2020 to USD 1.4 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.2% during the forecast period..

                                       Browse and in-depth TOC on “Agriculture Analytics Market”

211 – Tables

52 - Figures

249 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=255757945 The growing trend of digitization and risk assessment and rising demand to improve agricultural supply chain management due to the COVID-19 pandemic driving the adoption of the Agriculture Analytics Market.

Increasing use of data by farmers to know more about their farms, and crops driving the adoption of managed services segment of agriculture analytics platforms during the forecast period

The growing need to outsource field related operation owing to a shortage of labor is expected to drive the growth of the managed services in the Agriculture Analytics Market. Managed service providers use their powerful analytical tools to collect, process, and analyze data to provide valuable insights to farmers. By these actionable insights, farmers can forecast their crop production, improve crop cultivation, and make better decisions.

Rising need to secure data by large farms to drive the demand for on-premises to hold a larger market size

Data security concerns among the end-users is contributing to the higher adoption of on-premises agriculture analytics solution globally. The on-premised agricultural analytics solution is majorly deployed by the large farms as it has better ability to invest. Moreover, large farms have wide variety of business segment with serving to broader geographical reason; hence data security is of utmost importance.

Get Special Pricing on Bundle Reports: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/RequestBundleReport.asp?id=255757945 North America to dominate the market during the forecast period  

North America is estimated to account for the largest share of the market in 2018. The region comprises developed countries, such as the US and Canada, and is considered the most advanced region in terms of adopting digital technologies. The majority of farmers or growers in the region have deployed agriculture analytics solutions to optimize livestock, farms, orchid, forestry, horticulture and aquaculture farming.  Moreover, the North American region exhibits a wide presence of key industry players offering agriculture analytics solutions and its financial position enables it to invest majorly in the leading tools and technologies for effective business operations.

The major vendors covered in the Agriculture Analytics Market include Deere & Company (US), IBM (US), SAP SE (Germany), Monsanto (US), Oracle (US), Accenture (Ireland), Iteris (US), Taranis (Israel), Agribotix (US), Agrivi (UK), DTN (US), aWhere (US), Conservis Corporation (US), DeLaval (Sweden), FBN (US), Farmers Edge (US), GEOSYS (US), Granular (US), Gro Intelligence (US), Proagrica (UK), PrecisionHawk (US), RESSON (Canada), Stesalit Systems (India), AgVue Technologies (US), Fasal (India), AGEYE Technologies (US), HelioPas AI (Baden-Württemberg), OneSoil (Belarus), and Root AI (US).

Get 10% Customization Research Report @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=255757945

About MarketsandMarkets™

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 Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets™ are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model – GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets™ now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets™ is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

 MarketsandMarkets’s flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

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Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/agriculture-analytics.asp Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/agriculture-analytics-market-255757945.html

[aare-babatunde]

*Tinubu is not coming to unite Nigeria:*

In the United States of America, African Americans and Caucasians are not united; in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Scottish and the English are not united. So, therefore, Tinubu is not coming to unite Nigeria.

In the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the regions generated their own power supply. So, therefore, Tinubu is not coming to give us uninterrupted power supply.

Tinubu is coming to restructure Nigeria back to the agreed ethnic/linguistic regional system of government.

Tinubu is coming to ask everyone, including the Yoruba, the Ibo, the Hausa/Fulani, the Kanuri, the Ijaw and the good people of the Middle Belt to go and develop their respective corners of Nigeria.

Under the Tinubu's presidency, the Ibo will generate their own power supply; the Yoruba will run their own health care; the Hausa/Fulani will generate and spend their own taxes; the Ijaw will control their own natural resources; the Middle Belt will manage their own security agencies and the people of Kanuri land will control everything in their region.

Tinubu is, therefore, coming to make Nigeria great by upholding the agreed 1959 constitution as amended in 1963, that would be re-enacted and amended during his presidency to enshrine for a secession clause and power sharing between the Federal Government and the Regional Governments as follows:

*The Powers of the Federal Government of Nigeria:*

1. Print money.

2. Regulate trade between regions, and international trade.

3. Make treaties and conduct foreign policy.

4. Provide an army and navy.

5. Establish post offices.

6. Control immigration.

7. To make laws necessary and proper to carry out these powers.

*The Power of the Regional Governments of Nigeria:*

1. Issue licenses.

2. Regulate trade within the region.

3. Conduct elections.

4. Establish states.

5. Establish local governments.

6. Maintain law and order.

7. Provide health and social services.

8. Provide housing.

9. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

10. Education and training.

11. Environment.

12. Land use planning.

13. Sport and the arts.

14. Transportation.

15. Taxation.

16. Ratify amendments to the Federal Constitution.

17.Through the regional constitution, the regional governments may exert powers the Federal Constitution does not delegate to the Federal Government.

*Note that most propaganda against Tinubu are coming from the Ibo. This was the same way they were all out against Awolowo, Abiola and Falae and every other Yoruba leader. They are frightened about the end of the unitary system. Some crazy Yoruba liberals in the PDP-Yoruba expect us to join hands with the Ibo to destroy our own Tinubu. It won't happen.*

Adeyinka Grandson.

President of the YYF.

[ravenmacduff]

10 goals for 10 years

@thatenglishchap tagged me in this thing where I gotta list ten goals for ten years. And well I guess I am a nerd so I am going to do it

- Finish my Masters in Forestry Science

- Start and finish a PhD probably also forestry related

- Travel outside of the country/ continent more. Next goal is Ireland

- Be consistently in the same city as my partner

- I am going to agree with Thatenglishchap here and say love and learn to take care of my body more

- Become and expert in my field (which is actually climate change, but falls under forestry)

-Purchase and modify a car with my brother maybe

- Do a major canoe trip

-Which brings me to spend more time camping

-Oh finally get my first tattoo

As the rules are I gotta tag some peeps so @mira-weasley, @lala-oopsy, @squashsplat, @calibornsmainsqueeze and @flawlesschowchow

[upshotre]

Mixed reactions as Buhari vows to rebuild Nigeria, renames stadium after MKO

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday honoured the winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election, the late Chief MKO Abiola, by renaming the Abuja National Stadium after him. The President said this in a speech he read at the first National Democracy Day celebration in Abuja, stating that he approved June 12 as the nation’s Democracy Day as part of the healing and reconciliation efforts for the annulment of the presidential election. He also said with purposeful leadership, the Federal Government could move 10 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, said it was sad that the country was celebrating Democracy Day under Buhari, whose policies they claimed negated the June 12 spirit and ideals of the late Abiola. They said the Buhari administration had desecrated all the nation’s democratic values and despoiled the electoral processes just to have itself in office But in Abuja on Wednesday, Buhari honoured Abiola at the event witnessed by some of the children of the late politician, including Kola and Hafsat. Also at the event were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, service chiefs, President of Rwanda, Gambia, DR Congo, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Namibia and Senegal. Among other dignitaries that also witnessed the event were representatives of the governments of Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Iran, Benin Republic, Ireland, Egypt, India and Niger. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi were some of the invited monarchs for the ceremony. Apart from honouring Abiola, the President also addressed diverse national issues and unfolded his government’s agenda on insecurity, economy and social security initiatives in the next four years. Buhari said, “As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and conferred on the late Chief MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe national honours, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. “The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential election of that year. Today, I propose the renaming of the Abuja National Stadium. Henceforth it will be called Moshood Abiola National Stadium.” Buhari noted that terrorism and insecurity had become worldwide phenomena, noting that even the best policed countries were experiencing increasing incidents of unrest. He however said the security challenges facing the country were being met with superior strategy, firepower and resolve. According to him, most of the instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were sponsored or incited by ethnic, political or religious leaders, who he claimed, hoped to benefit by exploiting divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening the country. The President said, “When I took the oath of office on May 29, 2015, insecurity reigned. Apart from occupying 18 local governments in the North-East, Boko Haram could at will attack any city including the Federal Capital Territory, could threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and the Police headquarters in Abuja. “Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment and improved local intelligence. We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve.” Buhari said as the chairman of ECOWAS, he would host a regional security summit of heads of states in the Sahel to develop a joint strategy to address security challenges in the region. The President added that Nigeria had all ingredients to become a world leader. “We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate. However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in agriculture, livestock, forestry and mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage. “What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds,” he added. On the fight against corruption, Buhari said a lot of progress had been made, stressing however that corruption had found a way of fighting back. He said, “At the heart of inequality and insecurity, is pervasive corruption. When we took office we realised that if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back – and we have seen this at all levels. For Nigeria to progress, a collective resolution to address corruption and foster broad-based prosperity is required to create a country that is not only for a few privileged, but for all Nigerians.” He said the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, which he claimed was the gauge of manufacturing activity in the country, had also risen for 26 consecutive months since March 2017. This, he said, indicated continuous growth and expansion in the manufacturing sector. Buhari however bemoaned the poor condition of roads leading to the nation’s seaports, which he said, had affected productivity. He said, “It still takes too long for goods to clear at our seaports and the roads leading to them are congested. It still takes too long for routine and regulatory approvals to be secured. These issues affect our productivity and we are committed to addressing them permanently.” According to the President, the new mandate that Nigerians gave him through the last election had revived the will to rebuild and reposition Nigeria through collaboration with states, council areas, legislators and diplomatic corps. He also noted that Nigeria would improve on initiatives to reduce reliance on imported products and grow local production. Buhari said, “For small-scale enterprises in towns and cities, we shall expand facilities currently available so that we continue to encourage and support domestic production of basic goods and reduce our reliance on imported goods. “For the next four years, we will remain committed to improving the lives of people by consolidating efforts to address these key issues as well as emerging challenges of climate change, resettling displaced communities and dealing decisively with the new flashes of insecurity across the country, and the impacts on food scarcity and regional stability.” Buhari said over the next four years, his government would assemble a strong team to implement its transformative plans in education, health, power, road construction and other sectors. He said, “We will see significant focus, resource and where necessary reform, in tertiary and technical education to reposition Nigeria’s workforce for the modern technological age. We will accelerate investments in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare programmes.” Read the full article

[reseau-actu]

China has reportedly reassigned over 60,000 soldiers to plant trees in a bid to combat pollution by increasing the country's forest coverage. 

A large regiment from the People's Liberation Army, along with some of the nation's armed police force, have been withdrawn from their posts on the northern border to work on non-military tasks inland.

The majority will be dispatched to Hebei province, which encircles Beijing, according to the Asia Times which originally reported the story. The area is known to be a major culprit for producing the notorious smog which blankets the capital city.

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.

From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

Air-Ink: company creates ink from air pollution

The idea is believed to be popular among members of online military forums as long as they can keep their ranks and entitlements. 

It comes as part of China's plan to plant at least 84,000 square kilometres (32,400 square miles) of trees by the end of the year, which is roughly equivalent to the size of Ireland. 

The aim is to increase the country's forest coverage from 21 per cent of its total landmass to 23 per cent by 2020, the China Daily newspaper reported. 

Read more

Zhang Jianlong, head of China's State Forestry Administration, said by 2035 the figure could reach as high as 26 per cent.

Shape Created with Sketch. World news in pictures

Show all 50

left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch.

Shape Created with Sketch. World news in pictures

1/50 19 April 2019

Ultra-Orthodox Jews burn leaven in the Mea Shearim neighbourhood of Jerusalem ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover, in Jerusalem

Reuters

2/50 18 April 2019

Christian worshippers take part in the procession of the holy Thursday, during the Catholic Washing of the Feet ceremony on Easter Holy Week, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's old city

EPA

3/50 17 April 2019

A young girl runs past UWSA military contingents before a parade held to mark the 30th anniversary of Wa State in Panghsang, also called Pang Kham of autonomous Wa region, north-eastern Myanmar. Wa declared itself as an independent State on 17 April 1989. Although the government of Myanmar does not recognize the sovereignty of Wa State, Myanmar military has adopted a ceasefire with the state since 9 May 1989. Wa State has been notorious for drug smuggling in the Golden Triangle of the last 30 years, although it declared its region a drug-free zone in 2005

EPA

4/50 16 April 2019

Firefighters spray water as they work to extinguish the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The huge blaze that devastated the cathedral is "under control", the Paris fire brigade said early on April 16 after firefighters spent hours battling the flames

AFP/Getty

5/50 15 April 2019

Smoke and flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris

AFP/Getty

6/50 14 April 2019

Indonesian soldiers and police at a general security roll call for the upcoming general elections in Jakarta. Some 192 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot in the world's third-biggest democracy, with a record 245,000 candidates vying for positions from the presidency and parliamentary seats all the way down to local council jobs

AFP/Getty

7/50 13 April 2019

Hindu devotees throw holy flammable powder onto a fire as they perform rituals during Gajan Festival celebrations in Kolkata. The festival falls on the last day of the Bengali calendar which also coincides with the birth of Lord Shiva, according to Hindu mythology

AFP/Getty

8/50 12 April 2019

A woman visits the exhibition 'Mirrors: In and Out of Reality' in Barcelona, Spain. Maths, physics and photonics melt in this exhibition presented by Cosmocaixa in which visitors can enter a big kaleidoscope to walk through and experience with the effects and particularities of mirrors. The exhibition will be open to public until 6 June 2019

EPA

9/50 11 April 2019

Voters line up to cast their votes outside a polling station during the first phase of general election in Alipurduar district in the eastern state of West Bengal, India

Reuters

10/50 10 April 2019

The first ever photo a black hole, taken using a global network of telescopes, conducted by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project, to gain insight into celestial objects with gravitational fields so strong no mater or light can escape

Event Horizon Telescope/National Science Foundation/Reuters

11/50 9 April 2019

Sudanese protesters chant slogans as they rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum. Sudan's police ordered its forces to avoid intervening against protesters as three Western nations threw their weight behind demonstrators' demands for a political transition plan in the country

AFP/Getty

12/50 8 April 2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel plays with a handball given to her by the German Handball Federation's president as she received the German national handball team at the Chancellery in Berlin

AFP/Getty

13/50 7 April 2019

People hold candles as they attend a night vigil and prayer at the Amahoro Stadium as part of the 25th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide, in Kigali, Rwanda. April 7 begins 100 days of mourning for more than 800,000 people who were slaughtered in a genocide that shocked the world, a quarter of a century on from the day it began

AFP/Getty

14/50 6 April 2019

A portion of the field of 1,500 participants begins the trek to the highest point over the Florida Keys Overseas Highway's longest span during the Seven Mile Bridge Run Saturday. The event features entrants running a course over the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and helps to raise funds for local youth athletic programs

AFP/Getty

15/50 5 April 2019

A refugee father and son lie on railway tracks to prevent a train from leaving a station during a protest in Athens, Greece. Dozens of migrants staged a protest in Athens central train station disrupting all railway services in the hope they will be transported to the Greek border and join other refugees attempting to follow a 2016 migration route towards northern Europe

Getty

16/50 4 April 2019

Security agents and police officers hold back migrants during the evacuation of a makeshift camp at Porte de la Chapelle, in the north of Paris. More than 300 migrants and refugees were evacuated on early April 4 from a makeshift camp to accomodation structures

AFP/Getty

17/50 3 April 2019

An Alexandra township resident gestures and they part is clashes with the Johannesburg Metro Police, South Africa during a total shutdown of the township due to protest against the lack of service delivery or basic necessities such as access to water and electricity, housing difficulties and lack of public road maintenance

AFP/Getty

18/50 2 April 2019

Children eat next to the debris of damaged homes at Purainiya village in Nepal's southern Bara district near Birgunj, following a rare spring storm. The freak storm tore down houses and overturned cars and trucks as it swept across southern Nepal killing at least 27 people and leaving more than 600 injured

AFP/Getty

19/50 1 April 2019

A forensic expert works next to the remains of a small plane that crashed near Erzhausen, Germany. Natalia Fileva, chairwoman and co-owner of Russia's second largest airline S7, died when a private jet she was in crashed near Frankfurt on Sunday, the company said

Reuters

20/50 31 March 2019

Ukrainian comic actor and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivers a speech following the announcement of the first exit poll in a presidential election at his campaign headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine

Reuters

21/50 30 March 2019

Catalan pro-independence protesters throw rocks during a counter-demonstration against a protest called by Spanish far-right party Vox against the Catalan independence push in Barcelona. Polls suggest Vox, which campaigns against illegal immigration and "radical" feminism, will become the first far-right party to win seats in the Spanish parliament since the late 70s and could emerge as a kingmaker in Spain's increasingly fragmented political landscape

AFP/Getty

22/50 29 March 2019

Protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika continue in Algeria despite the announcement on 11 March that he will not run for a fifth Presidential term and postponement of presidential elections previously scheduled for 18 April 2019 until further notice

EPA

23/50 28 March 2019

Firefighters on ladders work to extinguish a blaze in an office building in Dhaka after a huge fire tore through it, killing at least five people with many others feared trapped in the latest major fire to hit the Bangladesh capital

AFP/Getty

24/50 27 March 2019

A Palestinian protester moves a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

Reuters

25/50 26 March 2019

Palestinians sisters girls look at a destroyed Hamas site close their family's destroyed house after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. According to reports, Israel continued to launch air strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight after a rocket allegedly fired hit a house near Tel Aviv in central Israel injuring at least seven people

EPA

26/50 25 March 2019

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold up a proclamation recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights as Netanyahu exits the White House

Reuters

27/50 24 March 2019

Abounded vessel Hagland Captain in anchor in the same area as the cruise ship Viking Sky, which had problems on March 23 during the storm over the west coast of Norway at Hustadvika near Romsdal

AFP/Getty

28/50 23 March 2019

Chris Pratt gets slimed while accepting the Best Butt-Kicker award for "Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom" at the Kids Choice Awards

Reuters

29/50 22 March 2019

An aerial view shows damaged buildings after an explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng in China's eastern Jiangsu province. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered local governments to prevent any more industrial disasters after a chemical plant blast left 47 people dead, injured hundreds and flattened an industrial park in the latest such catastrophe to hit the country

AFP/Getty

30/50 21 March 2019

A child is transported on a fridge during floods after Cyclone Idai, in Buzi, outside Beira, Mozambique

Reuters

31/50 20 March 2019

Indian Hindu devotees are sprayed with coloured water as they celebrate the Holi festival at the Kalupur Swaminarayan Temple, in Ahmedabad. Holi, the popular Hindu spring festival of colours is observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month

AFP/Getty

32/50 19 March 2019

Shards of ice pile up on Lake Michigan along the South Haven Pier

Kalamazoo Gazette/AP

33/50 18 March 2019

Emergency services stand at the 24 Oktoberplace in Utrecht where a shooting took place. Several people were wounded on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht, with local media reporting counter-terrorism police at the scene. "Shooting incident... Several injured people reported. Assistance started," the Utrecht police Twitter account said. "It is a shooting incident in a tram. Several trauma helicopters have been deployed to provide help."

AFP/Getty

34/50 17 March 2019

Coffins of victims of the crashed accident of Ethiopian Airlines are gathered during the mass funeral at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The crash of Flight ET 302 minutes into its flight to Nairobi on March 10 killed 157 people onboard and caused the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft model involved in the disaster

AFP/Getty Images

35/50 16 March 2019

Brenton Tarrant, the man charged in relation to the Christchurch massacre, makes a sign to the camera during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court. A right-wing extremist who filmed himself rampaging through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city of Christchurch killing 49 worshippers appeared in court on a murder charge. Australian-born 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant appeared in the dock wearing handcuffs and a white prison shirt, sitting impassively as the judge read a single murder charge against him. A raft of further charges are expected

AFP/Getty

36/50 15 March 2019

An injured person is loaded into an ambulance following a shooting at the Al Noor mosque in New Zealand. At least 49 people have been killed and dozens more are seriously injured after shootings took place at two mosques in Christchurch. Police have arrested an Australian citizen – a 28-year-old man – and another three people, following the second shooting

Reuters

37/50 14 March 2019

Relatives of crash victims mourn and grieve at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, south-east of Addis Ababa. The French air accident investigation authority said that it will handle the analysis of the black boxes retrieved from the crash site and they have already arrived in France but gave no time frame on how long the analysis could take

AP

38/50 13 March 2019

Men carry a child who was rescued at the site of a collapsed building containing a school in Lagos, Nigeria

Reuters

39/50 12 March 2019

A crab stuck in plastic in Verde Island Passage, Philippines. According to data from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Filipinos dispose 163 million pieces of single-use plastic sachets daily. An underwater exploration conducted by Greenpeace in Batangas, found single-use plastic sachets between, beneath, and on the corals and seabed of Verde Island Passage, the epicenter of marine biodiversity in the world

EPA

40/50 11 March 2019

Representatives of bereaved families from the affected prefecture offer flowers at an altar for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster during the 8th national memorial service in Tokyo on. On March 11, 2011 a devastating 9.0-magnitude quake struck under the Pacific Ocean and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and claimed thousands of lives.

AFP/Getty

41/50 10 March 2019

South Sudanese Catholic faithful believers attend a church service in Udier town

AFP/Getty

42/50 9 March 2019

Activists of Ukrainian nationalist parties scuffle with police officers during a rally to demand an investigation into the corruption of Ukraine's armed forces officials, in Kiev

Reuters

43/50 8 March 2019

Algerian protesters demonstrate against their ailing president's bid for a fifth term in power, in Algiers

AFP/Getty

44/50 7 March 2019

French gendarmes arrive for evacuation as prison guards block the entrance to the penitentiary center of Alencon, in Conde-sur-Sarthe, northwestern France, two days after a prison inmate seriously wounded two guards in a knife attack before being detained in a police raid. - The prison of Alencon / Conde-sur-Sarthe, where two guards were seriously stabbed on March 5 by a radicalized detainee, was blocked again on March 7 by about a hundred prison guards.

AFP/Getty

45/50 6 March 2019

Hindu devotees participate in a traditional activity known locally as "Perang Api" or fire war one day ahead of Nyepi in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. Devotees in Indonesia will celebrate Nyepi day or the "Day of Silence" on March 7, the first day of the Saka Lunar calendar

AFP/Getty

46/50 5 March 2019

Time exposure photo shows a series of lightning strikes over Santa Barbara seen from Stearns Wharf in the city's harbor. The storm soaked California and could trigger mudslides in wildfire burn areas where thousands of residents are under evacuation orders, authorities warned

Santa Barbara County Fire Department/AP

47/50 4 March 2019

Members of Unidos da Tijuca samba school perform during the first night of Rio's Carnival at the Sambadrome

AFP/Getty

48/50 3 March 2019

The SpaceX team in Hawthorne watches as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with the International Space Station's Harmony module. SpaceX's new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, acing its second milestone in just over a day

Nasa/AP

49/50 2 March 2019

US Senator Bernie Sanders (centre) waves to supporters at a rally to kick off his 2020 US presidential campaign, in the Brooklyn borough of New York

AFP/Getty

50/50 1 March 2019

Destroyed and deserted buildings are seen at the scene of ongoing fighting between Somali soldiers and al-Shabab fighters in Mogadishu, Somalia. Somali security forces have been exchanging gunfire with gunmen holed up in a building since previous night when a suicide car bomb exploded nearby

EPA

1/50 19 April 2019

Ultra-Orthodox Jews burn leaven in the Mea Shearim neighbourhood of Jerusalem ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover, in Jerusalem

Reuters

2/50 18 April 2019

Christian worshippers take part in the procession of the holy Thursday, during the Catholic Washing of the Feet ceremony on Easter Holy Week, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's old city

EPA

3/50 17 April 2019

A young girl runs past UWSA military contingents before a parade held to mark the 30th anniversary of Wa State in Panghsang, also called Pang Kham of autonomous Wa region, north-eastern Myanmar. Wa declared itself as an independent State on 17 April 1989. Although the government of Myanmar does not recognize the sovereignty of Wa State, Myanmar military has adopted a ceasefire with the state since 9 May 1989. Wa State has been notorious for drug smuggling in the Golden Triangle of the last 30 years, although it declared its region a drug-free zone in 2005

EPA

4/50 16 April 2019

Firefighters spray water as they work to extinguish the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The huge blaze that devastated the cathedral is "under control", the Paris fire brigade said early on April 16 after firefighters spent hours battling the flames

AFP/Getty

5/50 15 April 2019

Smoke and flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris

AFP/Getty

6/50 14 April 2019

Indonesian soldiers and police at a general security roll call for the upcoming general elections in Jakarta. Some 192 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot in the world's third-biggest democracy, with a record 245,000 candidates vying for positions from the presidency and parliamentary seats all the way down to local council jobs

AFP/Getty

7/50 13 April 2019

Hindu devotees throw holy flammable powder onto a fire as they perform rituals during Gajan Festival celebrations in Kolkata. The festival falls on the last day of the Bengali calendar which also coincides with the birth of Lord Shiva, according to Hindu mythology

AFP/Getty

8/50 12 April 2019

A woman visits the exhibition 'Mirrors: In and Out of Reality' in Barcelona, Spain. Maths, physics and photonics melt in this exhibition presented by Cosmocaixa in which visitors can enter a big kaleidoscope to walk through and experience with the effects and particularities of mirrors. The exhibition will be open to public until 6 June 2019

EPA

9/50 11 April 2019

Voters line up to cast their votes outside a polling station during the first phase of general election in Alipurduar district in the eastern state of West Bengal, India

Reuters

10/50 10 April 2019

The first ever photo a black hole, taken using a global network of telescopes, conducted by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project, to gain insight into celestial objects with gravitational fields so strong no mater or light can escape

Event Horizon Telescope/National Science Foundation/Reuters

11/50 9 April 2019

Sudanese protesters chant slogans as they rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum. Sudan's police ordered its forces to avoid intervening against protesters as three Western nations threw their weight behind demonstrators' demands for a political transition plan in the country

AFP/Getty

12/50 8 April 2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel plays with a handball given to her by the German Handball Federation's president as she received the German national handball team at the Chancellery in Berlin

AFP/Getty

13/50 7 April 2019

People hold candles as they attend a night vigil and prayer at the Amahoro Stadium as part of the 25th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide, in Kigali, Rwanda. April 7 begins 100 days of mourning for more than 800,000 people who were slaughtered in a genocide that shocked the world, a quarter of a century on from the day it began

AFP/Getty

14/50 6 April 2019

A portion of the field of 1,500 participants begins the trek to the highest point over the Florida Keys Overseas Highway's longest span during the Seven Mile Bridge Run Saturday. The event features entrants running a course over the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and helps to raise funds for local youth athletic programs

AFP/Getty

15/50 5 April 2019

A refugee father and son lie on railway tracks to prevent a train from leaving a station during a protest in Athens, Greece. Dozens of migrants staged a protest in Athens central train station disrupting all railway services in the hope they will be transported to the Greek border and join other refugees attempting to follow a 2016 migration route towards northern Europe

Getty

16/50 4 April 2019

Security agents and police officers hold back migrants during the evacuation of a makeshift camp at Porte de la Chapelle, in the north of Paris. More than 300 migrants and refugees were evacuated on early April 4 from a makeshift camp to accomodation structures

AFP/Getty

17/50 3 April 2019

An Alexandra township resident gestures and they part is clashes with the Johannesburg Metro Police, South Africa during a total shutdown of the township due to protest against the lack of service delivery or basic necessities such as access to water and electricity, housing difficulties and lack of public road maintenance

AFP/Getty

18/50 2 April 2019

Children eat next to the debris of damaged homes at Purainiya village in Nepal's southern Bara district near Birgunj, following a rare spring storm. The freak storm tore down houses and overturned cars and trucks as it swept across southern Nepal killing at least 27 people and leaving more than 600 injured

AFP/Getty

19/50 1 April 2019

A forensic expert works next to the remains of a small plane that crashed near Erzhausen, Germany. Natalia Fileva, chairwoman and co-owner of Russia's second largest airline S7, died when a private jet she was in crashed near Frankfurt on Sunday, the company said

Reuters

20/50 31 March 2019

Ukrainian comic actor and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivers a speech following the announcement of the first exit poll in a presidential election at his campaign headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine

Reuters

21/50 30 March 2019

Catalan pro-independence protesters throw rocks during a counter-demonstration against a protest called by Spanish far-right party Vox against the Catalan independence push in Barcelona. Polls suggest Vox, which campaigns against illegal immigration and "radical" feminism, will become the first far-right party to win seats in the Spanish parliament since the late 70s and could emerge as a kingmaker in Spain's increasingly fragmented political landscape

AFP/Getty

22/50 29 March 2019

Protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika continue in Algeria despite the announcement on 11 March that he will not run for a fifth Presidential term and postponement of presidential elections previously scheduled for 18 April 2019 until further notice

EPA

23/50 28 March 2019

Firefighters on ladders work to extinguish a blaze in an office building in Dhaka after a huge fire tore through it, killing at least five people with many others feared trapped in the latest major fire to hit the Bangladesh capital

AFP/Getty

24/50 27 March 2019

A Palestinian protester moves a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

Reuters

25/50 26 March 2019

Palestinians sisters girls look at a destroyed Hamas site close their family's destroyed house after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. According to reports, Israel continued to launch air strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight after a rocket allegedly fired hit a house near Tel Aviv in central Israel injuring at least seven people

EPA

26/50 25 March 2019

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold up a proclamation recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights as Netanyahu exits the White House

Reuters

27/50 24 March 2019

Abounded vessel Hagland Captain in anchor in the same area as the cruise ship Viking Sky, which had problems on March 23 during the storm over the west coast of Norway at Hustadvika near Romsdal

AFP/Getty

28/50 23 March 2019

Chris Pratt gets slimed while accepting the Best Butt-Kicker award for "Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom" at the Kids Choice Awards

Reuters

29/50 22 March 2019

An aerial view shows damaged buildings after an explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng in China's eastern Jiangsu province. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered local governments to prevent any more industrial disasters after a chemical plant blast left 47 people dead, injured hundreds and flattened an industrial park in the latest such catastrophe to hit the country

AFP/Getty

30/50 21 March 2019

A child is transported on a fridge during floods after Cyclone Idai, in Buzi, outside Beira, Mozambique

Reuters

31/50 20 March 2019

Indian Hindu devotees are sprayed with coloured water as they celebrate the Holi festival at the Kalupur Swaminarayan Temple, in Ahmedabad. Holi, the popular Hindu spring festival of colours is observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month

AFP/Getty

32/50 19 March 2019

Shards of ice pile up on Lake Michigan along the South Haven Pier

Kalamazoo Gazette/AP

33/50 18 March 2019

Emergency services stand at the 24 Oktoberplace in Utrecht where a shooting took place. Several people were wounded on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht, with local media reporting counter-terrorism police at the scene. "Shooting incident... Several injured people reported. Assistance started," the Utrecht police Twitter account said. "It is a shooting incident in a tram. Several trauma helicopters have been deployed to provide help."

AFP/Getty

34/50 17 March 2019

Coffins of victims of the crashed accident of Ethiopian Airlines are gathered during the mass funeral at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The crash of Flight ET 302 minutes into its flight to Nairobi on March 10 killed 157 people onboard and caused the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft model involved in the disaster

AFP/Getty Images

35/50 16 March 2019

Brenton Tarrant, the man charged in relation to the Christchurch massacre, makes a sign to the camera during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court. A right-wing extremist who filmed himself rampaging through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city of Christchurch killing 49 worshippers appeared in court on a murder charge. Australian-born 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant appeared in the dock wearing handcuffs and a white prison shirt, sitting impassively as the judge read a single murder charge against him. A raft of further charges are expected

AFP/Getty

36/50 15 March 2019

An injured person is loaded into an ambulance following a shooting at the Al Noor mosque in New Zealand. At least 49 people have been killed and dozens more are seriously injured after shootings took place at two mosques in Christchurch. Police have arrested an Australian citizen – a 28-year-old man – and another three people, following the second shooting

Reuters

37/50 14 March 2019

Relatives of crash victims mourn and grieve at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, south-east of Addis Ababa. The French air accident investigation authority said that it will handle the analysis of the black boxes retrieved from the crash site and they have already arrived in France but gave no time frame on how long the analysis could take

AP

38/50 13 March 2019

Men carry a child who was rescued at the site of a collapsed building containing a school in Lagos, Nigeria

Reuters

39/50 12 March 2019

A crab stuck in plastic in Verde Island Passage, Philippines. According to data from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Filipinos dispose 163 million pieces of single-use plastic sachets daily. An underwater exploration conducted by Greenpeace in Batangas, found single-use plastic sachets between, beneath, and on the corals and seabed of Verde Island Passage, the epicenter of marine biodiversity in the world

EPA

40/50 11 March 2019

Representatives of bereaved families from the affected prefecture offer flowers at an altar for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster during the 8th national memorial service in Tokyo on. On March 11, 2011 a devastating 9.0-magnitude quake struck under the Pacific Ocean and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and claimed thousands of lives.

AFP/Getty

41/50 10 March 2019

South Sudanese Catholic faithful believers attend a church service in Udier town

AFP/Getty

42/50 9 March 2019

Activists of Ukrainian nationalist parties scuffle with police officers during a rally to demand an investigation into the corruption of Ukraine's armed forces officials, in Kiev

Reuters

43/50 8 March 2019

Algerian protesters demonstrate against their ailing president's bid for a fifth term in power, in Algiers

AFP/Getty

44/50 7 March 2019

French gendarmes arrive for evacuation as prison guards block the entrance to the penitentiary center of Alencon, in Conde-sur-Sarthe, northwestern France, two days after a prison inmate seriously wounded two guards in a knife attack before being detained in a police raid. - The prison of Alencon / Conde-sur-Sarthe, where two guards were seriously stabbed on March 5 by a radicalized detainee, was blocked again on March 7 by about a hundred prison guards.

AFP/Getty

45/50 6 March 2019

Hindu devotees participate in a traditional activity known locally as "Perang Api" or fire war one day ahead of Nyepi in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. Devotees in Indonesia will celebrate Nyepi day or the "Day of Silence" on March 7, the first day of the Saka Lunar calendar

AFP/Getty

46/50 5 March 2019

Time exposure photo shows a series of lightning strikes over Santa Barbara seen from Stearns Wharf in the city's harbor. The storm soaked California and could trigger mudslides in wildfire burn areas where thousands of residents are under evacuation orders, authorities warned

Santa Barbara County Fire Department/AP

47/50 4 March 2019

Members of Unidos da Tijuca samba school perform during the first night of Rio's Carnival at the Sambadrome

AFP/Getty

48/50 3 March 2019

The SpaceX team in Hawthorne watches as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with the International Space Station's Harmony module. SpaceX's new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, acing its second milestone in just over a day

Nasa/AP

49/50 2 March 2019

US Senator Bernie Sanders (centre) waves to supporters at a rally to kick off his 2020 US presidential campaign, in the Brooklyn borough of New York

AFP/Getty

50/50 1 March 2019

Destroyed and deserted buildings are seen at the scene of ongoing fighting between Somali soldiers and al-Shabab fighters in Mogadishu, Somalia. Somali security forces have been exchanging gunfire with gunmen holed up in a building since previous night when a suicide car bomb exploded nearby

EPA

"Companies, organisations and talent that specialise in greening work are all welcome to join in the country's massive greening campaign," he said.

"Cooperation between government and social capital will be put on the priority list.”

Samuel Osborne @SamuelOsborne93 Source: The Independent

[williamemcknight]

Announcing new MultiOne Partner for the South West

Leading British importer of multifunction loaders MultiOne UK, announces a new partnership in the South West region. With immediate effect, Machine Serve will offer specialist support, servicing and maintenance for MultiOne users. Based in the centre of Devon, Machine Serve are well positioned and equipped to support the South West Region.

Designed and manufactured in Italy, the MultiOne mini loaders has been sold globally for 18 years by MultiOne SRL who have pioneered a complete range of multifunction loaders with advanced hydraulics, innovative design and Kubota & Yanmar engines.

Based near Chulmleigh, Devon, Machine Serve has over 30 years engineering experience in plant, agricultural machinery and telescopic handlers, and is the ideal partner for MultiOne UK in the South West.

Machine Serve is well recognised in the South West as handler and hydraulic specialists to both the plant and agricultural sectors, representing names like Dieci, ArmaTrac, Hanix, Yanmar, and much more. Phil Davey and his team offer a wide range of machinery to purchase for Farmers, Construction Professionals, Landscapers, Events & Leisure companies.

Phil Davey – MD at MachineServe said: “Machine Serve is well positioned to support MultiOne UK with new and existing customers in our area.”

Phil added: “The MultiOne loaders attracted our attention initially because of their quality and design. After using the machine it was the whole concept with the huge range of attachments and wide range of machines that drew us to MultiOne, we knew it would suit our customers bases desire for quality and support.”

This partnership strengthens the MultiOne representation in the South West which already includes East Midlands, Yorkshire & The Humber, North West England, South East and Northern Ireland.

Steve Hadfield, managing director of MultiOne UK, said: “This is exciting news for MultiOne and ensures we maintain support across the South West of the UK. Phil and his team at Machine Serve are well equipped to supply, service and maintain multifunction loaders.”

The demand for MultiOne mini loaders has increased over the last 12 months mainly due to the MultiOne unique benefits such as the 170 attachments available, it’s impressive power, performance and the ability to manoeuvre in hard to get places.

The MultiOne range extends over 25 different models offering a wide range of working weights from the 12hp (tipping load of 250kg) of the MultiOne Baby 1 Series to the 78hp (with a max lifting capacity of 2700kg) of the Powerful MultiOne 10 Series.

As with the competition in this sector, the MultiOne offers innovative solutions for those looking to maximize productivity in every industry from agriculture, construction, forestry, maintenance and greencare.

With over 170 attachments available that can be changed within a matter of seconds, it ensures a solution is at hand for every task at a drop of a hat. Dig, Mow, Lift, Mix, Scrape, Carry, Trench, Plough, Grab, Sweep, Wash, Rake, Spray and much much more. Expensive labour costs are also reduced by mechanising a vast array of jobs. Hydraulic quick coupling systems are standard on all loaders providing effortless change over of attachments. This certainly provides One Total Solution. MultiOne was recently voted “Best in Class Tool Carrier” by Farmers Guardian magazine.

To request a MultiOne demonstration, or for more information how the MultiOne can save you time and money, please contact the MultiOne team at 0870 225 5554.

[callanee]

1. Name

Calanee

2. Nicknames

Clne, Bee, Beehive, Alex, Cye, Cido, Gaylord Buttermilk

3. Zodiac Sign

Taurus

4. Height

5'0

5. Languages?

English, learning German, ASL, and Irish Gaelic

6. Nationality?

American

7. Favorite Season?

Autumn, although we don't get much of one in Texas

8. Favorite Flower?

Ivy or Clover

9. Favorite Scent?

Any kind of Hardwood Tree

10. Favorite Color?

Blue, black, and green

11. Favorite Animal?

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches or Vultures

12. Favorite Fictional Characters?

Dirk Strider (Homestuck)

Horatio (Hamlet)

Klaus (Umbrella Academy)

Klaus (Klaus)

Micheal (Roswell NM)

Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

13. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate

14. Average Sleep Hours?

2-5, I dont sleep for shit

15. Dog or Cat Person?

Both, just an animal person in general

16. Number of Blankets you sleep with

5 or 6

17. Dream Trip

Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Morocco

18. Blog established

2011 or 2012 I think?

19. How many followers?

639

20. Random Fact

I plan on double majoring in Biology and Forestry in college

Tagging: @youcantstopthisname @roswyrm @psychostarkid @any of my mutual I apparently only know 3 of your @s

Tagged by @willowaudreykeyes.

RULES: Answer these 20 questions and tag 20 other bloggers you want to get to know better

Name: Ally

Nicknames: Al, Foxy, Aunt Foxy, Moon Moon,

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Height: 5′6 (167cm)

Languages: Swedish, English, some German, tiny bit of Japanese

Nationality: Swedish

Favourite Season: Winter or Fall, not to hot, no annoying bugs.

Favourite Flower: Ivy, Golden rain tree, 

Favourite Scent: Uh.. the scent of earth after rain.

Favourite Colour: Greens

Favourite Animal: Fox, Birds of Prey, cats, 

Favourite Fictional Character(s): … oh boi… Deceit (Sanders Sides) Keith (Voltron) Zoro (One Piece)

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Tea or hot chocolate.

Average Sleep Hours: 7-10 i think

Dog or cat person: Cat.

Number of Blankets You Sleep With: One and two plaids.

Dream Trip: Scotland, Ireland, Japan.

Blog Established: Oh… hm.. 2 years ago i think.

Followers: 5 114

Random Fact: I’m pretty much a au generator…

tagging whoever wants to do this

[captawesomesauce]

                                                                   20 followers I’d like to get to know!                                                        

Tag 20 amazing followers you would like to get to know better. I was tagged by @unadulteratedwordnerd and a few others but I finally have time to do one of these! (aka... I’m taking a break from my homework!)

blogs: just this one​

Name or nicknames: Mike, Mountain, Mr Transfer

Preferred gender: I’m Male

Star sign: I am Cancer

Height: 5′7, not the tallest, not the shortest

Sexual orientation: Women who are happy

Hogwarts house: Unknown.

Favorite color: Blue. I’m always attracted to shades of blue

Favorite animal: Hmmm... I am such an animal lover I can’t really pick! I wish there was something that I could say is just my favorite so that you’d see it and know, “OH! Mike would love that!” but yeah... that’s not really my thing. Maybe Cuttlefish.. I really do love cuttlefish.

Average Hours of sleep: As @brainsludgemissives and any other nightowl friend I have on here can attest... I really rarely sleep. Maybe 3 to 4 hrs on a good night, or just naps here and there. I suck at sleeping. I mostly just sit in my chair all night and rock Mystic and let him sleep... for like... 16 hrs straight. Funny thing though, it’s not insomnia, it’s not my mind is racing, it’s not any of that stuff... I just hate to lay in bed alone. I hate to sleep alone, so... i just don’t sleep. Give me a GF to hold and lay next to and boom... I’ll sleep 8-10 hrs a night easy! lol

Cat or Dog person: I’m both... kinda. I love the freedom of a cat, where you can be gone a few hours, or a couple of days and it’s fine... but I love the fact that you can take a dog outside with you which is rare for cats. Maybe some day I’ll get a dog... we’ll see.

Favorite fictional characters: Arthur Dent... I identify with him so much and I’m so glad I read the Hitchhikers guide series growing up cause it helped in so many ways to deal with the crazy shit my life has been.

Number of blankets sleep with: I have a big bed... and 0 blankets. I have one small little throw blanket thing that I toss over my legs when mystic wants to be a crotch cat, but... I’m a warm guy and since I sleep so rarely, it’s just easier to plop down in bed, sleep, and get up.

Favorite singer/band: Danny Elfman/Boingo. Look, I love a lot of music, from the Ramones to the Cure, Bahaus to Husker Du, Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead.... but Boingo is above them all. Boingo was the soundtrack to my life, and as I got older and faced harder times, their music matched it and became heavier, darker, and harder. Those last two albums meant so much to me when they came out and still do.

Dream trip: The UK and Ireland. I need to see Hadrians wall some day, walk along the battlefields of Bannockburn and Stirling Castle. Some day!

Dream job: I would have said GIS analyst for an intelligence agency, or Fire GIS tech for a fire/forestry department. Now... with my health and eyesight the way it is... I don’t even fucking know anymore :(

when was this blog created: April 2012!

current number of followers: just a tad over 4k

when did your blog reach its peak: the Cat beard fucking post!

What made you create this blog: I had had a work/photography tumblr that was going rather well but I met a gal, she had a personal tumblr, so I made a personal one too to get to know her better and interact and all that. She turned out to be a fucking drunk and drug addict but I really enjoyed being on here .. sans her :)

Okay, fun part: Tagging! I tag everyone who has followed me in the last month!! A lot of new faces there so.... say Hi and do this :)

Have fun, everyone!

[sciencebulletin]

Scientists find genes to save ash trees from deadly beetle

An international team of scientists have identified candidate resistance genes that could protect ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a deadly pest that is expected to kill billions of trees worldwide. In the new study, published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers from Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, sequenced the genomes of 22 species of ash tree (Fraxinus) from around the world and used this information to analyse how the different species are related to each other. Meanwhile, collaborators from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service in Ohio tested resistance of over 20 ash tree species to EAB by hatching eggs attached to the bark of trees, and following the fate of the beetle larvae. Resistant ash trees generally killed the larvae when they burrowed into their stems, but susceptible ones did not. The research team observed that several of the resistant species were more closely related to susceptible species than to other resistant species. This meant the UK-based genome scientists were able to find resistance genes, by looking for places within the DNA where the resistant species were similar, but showed differences from their susceptible relatives. Using this novel approach, the scientists revealed 53 candidate resistance genes, several of which are involved in making chemicals that are likely to be harmful to insects. The findings suggest that breeding or gene editing could be used to place these resistance genes into ash species currently affected by EAB. EAB has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America over the last 10 years. Whilst individual ash trees can be protected by using insecticides, the only long-term solution for saving American ash populations is to breed trees with resistance to EAB. The beetle is also a threat to European ash populations. It was discovered near Moscow around 15 years ago and has now spread into Ukraine. In the study, the US researchers found that European ash was more resistant to EAB than the North American species. However, European ash trees are already affected by an epidemic of the fungal disease, ash dieback, and experts are yet to understand how the two threats might interact. The study also involved colleagues from the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and the Teagasc Forestry Development Department, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Dr. Laura Kelly, an academic visitor at Queen Mary, Research Leader in Plant Health at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and first author of the study, said: "Ash trees are key components of temperate forest ecosystems and the damage caused by EAB also puts at risk the many benefits that these forests provide. Our findings suggest that it may be possible to increase resistance in susceptible species of ash via hybrid breeding with their resistant relatives or through gene editing. Knowledge of genes involved in resistance will also help efforts to identify trees that are able to survive the ongoing threat from EAB, and in turn, could facilitate restoration of ash woodlands in areas which have already been invaded." Professor Richard Buggs, Professor of Evolutionary Genomics at Queen Mary and Senior Research Leader in Plant Health at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said: "The emerald ash borer has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America since it was accidentally imported to Detroit from Asia in wooden packaging. The beetle is now spreading across Europe, where we don't yet know how it will interact with the invasive fungal pathogen causing the ash dieback epidemic. We need to be prepared to take decisive action to stop the spread of pests and pathogens that damage trees and the natural environment, as well as pathogens that attack humans." Dr. Jennifer Koch, Research Biologist with the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, said: "These candidate resistance genes, once validated, have the potential to greatly expedite the breeding process and the production of improved planting stock for restoration of forests and landscapes decimated by EAB." Professor Melanie Welham, BBSRC's Executive Chair, said: "These significant research findings demonstrate the importance of international collaboration to further fundamental knowledge of pathogen biology. By having a better understanding of the implications of tree diseases globally we are able to ensure appropriate approaches to their management." Provided by: Queen Mary, University of London More information: Laura J. Kelly et al. Convergent molecular evolution among ash species resistant to the emerald ash borer. Nature Ecology & Evolution (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1209-3  Image Credit: CC0 Public Domain Read the full article

[switchboardinstallation-blog]

10 Hot Home Remodelling Tips

Another reason to use one is when you have to get a summary of local garden centres or forestry commissions from which you can buy your family Christmas bush. I consider cows Find Best Local electricians as roads and sheep in the fields. Of Kaitlin trying to ride a horse in our front paddock and of Jack to be able to walk in our forever muddy back plot.I think of these things more frequently as time passes, remember them and appreciate them. And, as a result, appreciate Ireland more, too, the Ireland after dark fabled Celtic Tiger and also the current economic calamity. As a student your job is to find as almost as much ast you can from school and off your journeyman electrician who more than likely will become your trainer. To many people wonder how long a typical apprenticeship holds up. The answer is about 3-5 many decades. Why so long? It's quite simple really. Electricity is Harmful! In order to understand it and safe around it you should have 3-5 many years of experience addressing it and around the software. First things first, you need to do will need a drastic remodel. If you're sure you need something different, then be brave and attempt to change. Otherwise, schedule a scheduled appointment somewhere to find a trim! 17. Water Lines: tend to be they made from? Are there signs More details ? Will be the water pressure acceptable? Often you could have some regions of the park where the pressure significantly lower next the rest. If yow will discover one consider hiring an electrical contractor that is bonded. A bonded electrician pledges for the task right, promptly the period or you are paid for your work. This is a Local electricians Melbourne nice insurance protection to have in case the person you choose is not 100% recommended. 33. Security Deposits: get yourself a certified report on Security Deposits from proprietor. If later on, someone states to have an initial deposit that isn't on that list you have it in writing from the owner.