A Flash Protest was held at Christopher Newport University calling for the Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell added by: Michael_Santivasci
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Scientists: Serengeti on road to ruin http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/09/21/serengeti.migration.threat.road/index… Photo: Conservationists say a proposed new road through the Serengeti National Park will disrupt migratory patterns of wildebeests Serengeti on road to ruin, scientists warn By Matthew Knight for CNN September 21, 2010 11:07 a.m. EDT London, England (CNN) — Plans to build a highway through Tanzania's Serengeti National Park will destroy one of the world's last great wildlife sanctuaries, a group of conservation experts has warned. Writing in the journal Nature, 27 scientists have called for a re-think on a proposed 50 kilometer (31 mile) road which they say will cause “environmental disaster.” Under plans approved by the Tanzanian government earlier this year, the trade route would bisect a northern part of the park, forming part of the 170 kilometer-long Arusha-Musoma highway slated to run from the Tanzanian coast to Lake Victoria, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Construction is expected to begin in 2012. In “Road will ruin Serengeti,” lead author Andrew Dobson, professor at the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University, says laying a track across the park would disrupt the annual migratory patterns of tens of thousands of zebras and gazelles, and 1.3 million wildebeest. Using computer simulations the scientists estimate that if the wildebeests' access to the Mara river in Kenya is blocked their numbers “will fall to less than 300,000.” The ecosystem could flip into being a source of atmospheric CO2 –Scientists writing in 'Nature' “This would lead to more grass fires, which would further diminish the quality of grazing by volatizing minerals, and the ecosystem could flip into being a source of atmospheric CO2,” the scientists said. In addition to simulations, the scientists also cite the experience of other park ecosystems where large mammal migration has been hindered by roads and fences. In Canada's Banff National Park in Canada, “habitat fragmentation” has led to the “collapse of at least six of the last 24 terrestrial migratory species left in the world.” In Africa, the ecosystems of Etosha National Park in Namibia and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in Botswana have collapsed to “a less diverse and less productive state,” the scientists said. Scientists say a different route running south of the Serengeti should be considered to preserve the 1.2 million hectare UNESCO World Heritage Site. This alternative route could utilize an existing network of gravel roads and would only be 50 kilometers longer than the proposed northern route, the scientists said. While they acknowledge that Tanzania needs improved infrastructure to facilitate economic development, they argue that the road would damage wildlife tourism — “a cornerstone” of the country's economy which was worth an estimated $824 million in 2005. The Nature article adds weight to the growing pressure on the Tanzanian government to reconsider its position regarding the road. Last month, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Zoological Society of London voiced their concerns and campaigns against the highway are gaining support on social networking sites Facebook (“Stop the Serengeti Highway”) and Twitter (“SaveSerengeti”). Earlier this year, Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete tried to placate opponents of the project by announcing that the section of new road running through the Serengeti would not be tarmacked. “I am also a conservation ally and I assure you I'm not going to allow something that will ruin the ecosystem to be built,” President Kikwete said in an address to the nation in July. added by: EthicalVegan
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Bombers Kill at Least 50 (Including Foreigners) in Attacks in Uganda Capital By JOSH KRON Published: July 11, 2010 KAMPALA, Uganda — At least three bombs exploded Sunday in a synchronized attack on large gatherings of World Cup soccer fans watching the televised final on outdoor screens in this normally peaceful capital, turning a boisterous night of cheering into scenes of death and panic. The police and witnesses said more than 50 people were killed including some foreigners, among them at least one American. Marc Hofer/Associated Press Photo: A man attended to an injured woman after a bomb went off in a restaurant in Kampala’s Kabalagala district on Sunday. People carried an injured man at the Mulago Hospital in Kampala on Sunday. The bombs struck at 10:30 p.m. local time in the middle of the match between Spain and the Netherlands under way in South Africa, hitting a popular Ethiopian garden restaurant and a large rugby field in a different Kampala neighborhood where hundreds of people had massed to watch the game. Ugandan police officials said they suspected that the Shabab, a militant Islamic group in nearby Somalia, might have been behind the bombings. If so, it would be that group’s first attack outside Somalia. But the police said it was premature to draw conclusions. “We can’t rule anything out,” said Kale Kayihura, Uganda’s police inspector general, at the scene of one of the attacks. “This was obviously terrorism, from the way it was targeted at World Cup watchers in public places.” Joan Lockard, a spokeswoman at the American Embassy in Kampala, confirmed that at least one American was killed. She did not identify the victim. Local journalists at a major hospital said an unidentified number of American citizens were among the wounded. The Shabab group, one of the more fearsome militias vying for power in Somalia, bans music, dancing and sports, has links to Al Qaeda and has repeatedly threatened targets in Uganda as well as in Burundi because both countries contribute to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, a lawless nation in the Horn of Africa. The police said other suspects were former rebels in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo with connections to Uganda. The Ugandan capital is relatively safe and relaxed compared with other big cities in Africa, and such bombings are extremely rare. But the city turned tense and fearful early on Monday, as military vehicles and ambulances screeched through the streets and Kampala’s bars and discos emptied. At the Ethiopian restaurant that was attacked, an outdoor cafe with lawn tables known as the Ethiopian Village, soldiers and onlookers watched side by side as rescue crews extracted the dead and the wounded from the wreckage. The police said the bomb appeared to have been placed under a dining table where a group of foreigners, including some Americans, had been sitting. At least 15 people were killed in that blast, police officials witnesses said. “It was so loud,” said a woman named Mami, one of the owners of the restaurant, which had become popular with soccer fans because it showed the games on an outdoor screen. “I am so confused. My God. My God. My God.” At the rugby field where fans had gone to watch the final game on a large screen, police and witnesses said they counted at least 44 bodies. Lines of chairs had been blown apart. One middle-aged woman sat dead, her head hung back, blood dripping. “We were just watching football when the two bombs went off,” said Brian Bomakech, a Ugandan fan at the field. “So many people were hurt, so many people have died.” In Mogadishu, the Somalian capital, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, a Shabab commander, was quoted by The Associated Press early Monday as saying he was happy with the attacks in Uganda. The sheik refused to confirm or deny any responsibility by the Shabab. “Uganda is one of our enemies,” The A.P. quoted him as saying. “Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah’s anger be upon those who are against us.” The bombings came two days after another Shabab commander, Sheik Muktar Robow, called during Friday Prayer in Somalia for militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi. In Washington, a White House spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said late Sunday that the United States was prepared to provide assistance to Uganda. “The president is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks, and sends his condolences to the people of Uganda and the loved ones of those who have been killed or injured,” he said. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/07/12/world/12uganda1/12uganda1-hpMediu… added by: EthicalVegan
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