Rivers State News

Hairy, Sticky Leg Pads are In: How Different Spiders Hunt

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:09:17 +0000

Spiders are everywhere (Arachnophobes, stop reading now). They’re among the most successful predators on earth today and colonize nearly every terrestrial habitat (that is, not just ceiling corners and under beds), and occasionally do so in numbers large enough to take over small islands. Spider silk may be strong enough to stop a speeding train and some webs, ten times stronger than Kevlar, can be large enough to cross rivers in tropical rainforests.

But more than half of today’s spider species don’t rely on webs or silk to capture their prey. Instead, these hunting spiders have evolved hairy adhesive pads on their legs to grab and hold struggling prey down, according to the results of a recently published PLOS ONE study. The adhesive pads, called scopulae, were commonly seen in many spider species but what wasn’t clear until now was whether they were found in all species, or more likely to occur in hunting spiders.

In this study, researchers used a phylogenetic analysis of spider family trees to correlate different species’ prey capture strategies with the presence or absence of adhesive pads on their legs. They found that the majority of spiders were either web builders or free-ranging hunters, and the latter were most often found to have adhesive hairs on their legs (Apart from these two, at least one rare variety may be mostly vegetarian). Nearly 83% of hunting spiders had adhesive bristles on their legs (compared with 1.1% of web-building varieties). Most of these hunters had either not developed silk-dependent strategies to capture prey, or abandoned web-building for hunting.

Why would so many spiders abandon an obviously successful way to catch prey? Web-building is a useful way to trap insects and some small mammals, but even to a spider, silk is expensive. Creating a web requires work, damages caused by prey or people need frequent repairs, and certain kinds of webs can require large amounts of silk to be effective. The classic orb-web (seen in the picture here) radically reduced these costs, which may be why the spiders that make these are particularly common. However, this new study reveals that hunting has proved at least as successful a strategy as web-building to more than half of today’s spiders.

Bristly scopulae on hunting spiders’ legs have played a big part in this, enabling spiders to grasp and hold on to struggling prey. The thin bristles on scopulae come in many shapes and forms, and also contribute to these spiders’ mad climbing skills. Read more about which spiders evolved these bristles or learn about other arachnid research published in PLOS ONE here.

Citations: Gregorič M, Agnarsson I, Blackledge TA, Kuntner M (2011) How Did the Spider Cross the River? Behavioral Adaptations for River-Bridging Webs in Caerostris darwini (Araneae: Araneidae). PLoS ONE 6(10): e26847. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026847

Rogers H, Hille Ris Lambers J, Miller R, Tewksbury JJ (2012) ‘Natural experiment’ Demonstrates Top-Down Control of Spiders by Birds on a Landscape Level. PLoS ONE 7(9): e43446. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043446

Wolff JO, Nentwig W, Gorb SN (2013) The Great Silk Alternative: Multiple Co-Evolution of Web Loss and Sticky Hairs in Spiders. PLoS ONE 8(5): e62682. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062682

Nyffeler M, Knörnschild M (2013) Bat Predation by Spiders. PLoS ONE 8(3): e58120. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058120
Images: Foot of the little jumping spider Euophrys frontalis, credit Jonas Wolff; varied shapes and sizes of bristles on scopulae from pone.0062682; spider web on plant by mikebaird

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Nigeria: Insurgents Fight With Libyan Weapons

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:09:07 +0000

Abuja — The troops deployed to flush out Boko Haram insurgents from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, yesterday, encountered intense resistance from sect members who were armed with sophisticated weapons from Libya.

This came as the National Assembly, yesterday, endorsed the proclamation of a state of emergency in the three states by President Goodluck Jonathan.

A senior military official told The Guardian of London that “they (Islamist militants) have been putting up fierce resistance and they are very, very well-armed with weapons from Libya.” He said most of the militants who have waged a bloody four-year battle to create an Islamist state had scattered across the semi-desert borders.

A renewed military campaign, including aerial bombardments of Boko Haram training camps in the three states declared under emergency rule this month, has led to the capture of almost 200 militants and the death of dozens in a week, according to the military. In one raid, a helicopter gunship was hit by anti-aircraft and anti-tank fire, a military source said.

However, a resident of the besieged states said:”It’s only by the goodwill of soldiers and by virtue of my position that I was able to leave the city. All the entry points to and from Maiduguri are blocked by the military but they let me through.”

Outside the city walls, he said, trucks carrying food and market produce were lined up awaiting entrance.

“We have been used to seeing soldiers and checkpoints for the past two years in Maiduguri, but it is having a real impact on the economic activity,” he added.

In Maiduguri, where militants are deeply enmeshed in the population, soldiers carrying out house-to-house searches after placing a 24-hour curfew in some neighbourhoods discovered stockpiles of weapons including rocket-propelled grenades, a defence spokesperson said.

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Kenya: A Country Held for Ransom

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:51:06 +0000

Nairobi — Gangs in Kenya Have Realised That Every Family, No Matter How Poor, Will Give Everything It Can to Stay Whole, Sparking a Rising Trend of Kidnappings for Ransom. the Crime, and the Public’s Reaction to It, Have Left Police At Something of a Loss, and Kenyans Scrambling to Stay Safe.

You’re alone in your house, in your bed where you fell asleep to the gentle sound of rain on your roof. It’s the middle of the night, and you’ve been sleeping peacefully, feeling safe because it’s your home, where you’ve lived for years. Then you wake up, heart pounding. That was glass breaking, there’s no doubt. Did you dream it? No, there’s more sounds coming from the window, a metallic clang. There’s someone there, and they’re going to get into your house. The glass is broken and now they’re cutting the grill. You want to run, but it’s too late, there’s probably someone at the door. Your heart is beating out of your chest and you can’t catch your breath. Why is this happening to you? You try to calm down, as men come into your room.

You don’t want to give them a reason to hurt you. They’re going to take your belongings, but you want to live through the night. Then they come at you, and you are told that you’re going with them.

It is heart-stopping terror, a worst nightmare come true for victims and their families, and it was exactly what Mary Wanjiku Kuria went through in late October 2012. The 64-year-old granny was sure it was a robbery; thugs had recently taken to breaking into homes in her neighbourhood, Kongo-ini village, in Murang’a County. But instead of taking her things they tied her hands and bundled her into a waiting vehicle. Under the stealth of a power blackout and a thunderstorm, they also tied up the house help and left her behind before speeding off with the elderly woman. Unspeakably frightened and not knowing what would happen to her next, she prayed that it would be over soon. What followed was a 10-day ordeal that also left her family agonising as the abductors demanded KSH 1 million in ransom. Welcome to the world of kidnapping, a newly popular form of crime that has left police baffled, families desperate and Kenyans feeling insecure.

*MODUS OPERANDI *

Kidnapping in Kenya, while a serious threat since 2009, came into its own in the last months of 2012. Previously, people were carjacked and forced to get money for their captors. Now, people are taken and held while their families and friends scramble to raise astronomical ransoms. Since 2009 police statistics show a disturbing increase in the number of kidnappings taking place in and around Kenya.

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Africa: Africa’s GDP Conundrum

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:09:29 +0000

The economic performance of sub-Saharan African countries in recent years has been widely documented, and praised. Analysts and commentators regularly posit that after weathering the global economic downturn commendably, Africa is poised to become the next growth miracle. An over-reliance on weak empirical data –specifically gross domestic product (GDP) estimates – characterises such narratives. Any assessment on the continent’s economic prospects must consider whether or not there has been a real structural change in African economies since the 1990s. Current GDP estimates for the African continent offer little insight into this complex question.

In this interview Morten Jerven, author of “Poor Numbers: How we are misled by African development statistics and what to do about it” discusses some of these issues, and suggests ways in which more accurate data about the continent’s economic performance can be gathered.

Why do governments, international agencies and NGOs rely so heavily on gross domestic product (GDP) as an indicator for economic development in Africa?

GDP is an ordering mechanism. The comparability of data is a central concern for international financial institutions that administer economic governance. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund – and also many of the United Nations agencies – desire a global standard which allows for the categorisation and ranking of countries according to their wealth. It also enables these organisations to distribute shares and votes accordingly and to allocate development assistance to nations fairly.

Why is it important not to take GDP at face value?

The basic problem is that GDP assumes the necessary information to calculate accurate estimates exists, and that it is available consistently over time. Of course, there is always some information missing in any GDP estimate. The validity of GDP data is always an issue. But this validity problem is most acute in the poorest countries. As a result, we know much less than we think we do about the economic situation of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

What is a base year, and why is it so important?

The base year is the benchmark for financial calculations used in an index, or in this case, when computing the GDP of a nation. It is of critical importance because it determines the year in which prices are held constant, enabling statisticians to distinguish economic growth from inflation or price increases. The weighting of a sector relative to the whole economy is also established in the base year.

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EFCC Press Release: EFCC Docks Emmanuel Ayoola for N8m Dud Cheque

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:09:26 +0000

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday May 21, 2013 arraigned one Emmanuel Ayoola Oserin, before Justice R.I. Ahiakwo of the State High Court, Port Harcourt on 2-count charge bordering on fraudulent issuance of dud cheques.

The accused who is the Managing Director of Topsham Nigeria Limited and Mcmalay Integrated Nigeria Limited allegedly issued two cheques for N8m (eight Million Naira) in favour of Resort Savings and Loans Plc but were returned unpaid upon presentation due to insufficient funds in his accounts. The cheques were meant to settle an overdraft facility which the accused person obtained from Resort Savings and Loans Plc to finance a job with Shell Petroleum Development Company in 2010.

Emmanuel pleaded not guilty to the charge.

One of the charges reads in part; “that you Emmanuel Ayoola Oserin being the Managing Director of Topsam Nigeria Limited on or about the 23rd day of March, 2011 at Port Harcourt in Port Harcourt Judiciary Division of the High Court of Rivers State did fraudulently issue a First Bank Plc cheque, no 0043425886 dated 23rd day of March 2011 in the sum of Six Million Naira (N6,000,000.00) in favour of Resort Saving Loan Plc in the name of your company Topsam Nigeria Limited which was to settle your financial obligation with the said Resort Savings Loan Plc and when the said cheque was presented for payment within three months of its issue, it was dishonoured due to in sufficient funds standing to your credit and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1)(a) and (b)(i) (ii) of the dishonoured cheques (Offences) Act Cap D11 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation) 2007”.

Justice R.I. Ahiakwo granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) and two sureties in like sum. The sureties who must be resident within the jurisdiction of court, must own a property within Port Harcourt City valued at not less than N10, 000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) .

The case was adjourned to July 31, 2013.

Wilson Uwujaren

Ag. Head, Media Publicity

22nd May, 2013

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Liberia: Press Union of Liberia

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:08:45 +0000

Fellow Colleagues, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the events of the last 18 days have been well documented.

On May 3, 2013, members of the Liberian media assembled in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County to observe World Press Freedom Day, a day declared by the United Nations to remind member states about the need for a free, independent and pluralistic media. But it was also to pay tribute to journalists and media workers who were killed in the performance of their trade.

Ever since this day was adopted, compliant member states of the UN who believe in the principles of the free media have used the day to recommit their governments to press freedom and take actions to ensure the protection of journalists and the unhindered access to information.

Our country has made great efforts at media pluralism, but it remains grossly poor and reluctant in supporting media independence and the safety of journalists. There are ample empirical evidence to show the scale of attacks and threats against journalists committed mostly by people in uniforms (security forces). And all these attacks against the media have sadly passed with impunity. Not one of these attacks has ever been investigated by our government with the view to punishing perpetrators.

We refer you to the attack on October 12, 2012 by Police Director, Chris Massaquoi against reporter George Borteh of the New Republic Newspaper, who was detained and his camera seized for simply taking the Police Director’s photo. We refer you to the Christmas night detention of reporter Abraham Morris of the In Profile Daily Newspaper by a junior officer of the police identified as Sonny Wilson. Morris slept in jail for simply asking the police officer to dim his motorcycle light that was pointed in his [Abrharam's] face. We also refer you to the smashing of the television camera of a Clar TV reporter Victor Dorbor by a Monrovia city Police officer on February 26, 2013 and the aggression against several journalists on that same day, when some angry youths attempted to effect what they called “citizens’ arrest” of the former Mayor of Monrovia, Mary Broh This is just to name a few. ‘Journalists are not whipping boys and girls!’

Fellow Liberians, one of the core objectives of the Press Union of Liberia is to provide protection for journalists in the discharge of their duties. As a consequence therefore of the increasing aggression against journalists without redress from our government, we decided, with the approval and support of UNESCO, to invite key security institutions of government, to celebrate World Press Freedom Day with us in Buchanan. The objectives were to reinforce awareness on the need for media freedom access to information and safety of journalists, as well as to create a platform where both journalists and security personnel would appreciate each other’s roles and responsibilities in consolidating the peace in our country.

Culled from :Here