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Moderated by the Chief of UN Women's Civil Society Section, Lopa Banerjee, participants in the HeForShe conversation discussed how effective policies and measures to promote gender equality have been in transforming gender relations, what challenges remain and how male leaders can be more strategic in moving the agenda forward.
Panelists: Henry Mac-Donald, Permanent Representative of
Suriname to the United Nations, New York;
Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace
International; Dakshita Wickremarathne, youth leader from Sri
Lanka and member of UN Women Global Civil Society
Advisory Group; Bharath Sesha, President of DSM in India;
Janet Menzies, Program Manager and Secretariat of
the Male Champions of Change, Australia; and Moderator:
Lopa Banerjee, Chief, Civil Society Section, UN Women
Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/11/executive-directo...
Photo: UN Women/Tushar Mehra
Moderate coverage. Fully lined. Adjustable back hook closure, and includes a removable wide tie strap. High waist banded bottom. Made by quality fabrics, Sexy Flowery Bandeau Top provides a smooth silhouette with a silky-soft feel.
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
Moderate, early Sunday evening traffic on Lake Shore Drive, looking south from the pedestrian bridge in Lincoln Park. This vantage point is just a couple minute walk from Grant's statue, as (partially) shown in the photo below. Lake Michigan is just out of view to the left.
Corner State and Van Buren
Unusual - Moderate Proced
RESTAURANT - COCKTAIL LOUNGE
Continuous Entertainment
No Minimum or Cover Charge
NO CABARET TAX
until 2 A.M.
Catch the "Swing Shift"
FAMOUS FOR FOOD
This ad ran in the August 19, 1944, issue of "This Week in Chicago", a small pulpy booklet aimed at the conventioneers in town who were on their own and looking to be tantalized by exotic food and women.
Panellists L-R Remy Rioux, Makhtar Diop, Sri Mulyani Indrawati and moderated by Professor Lord Stern of Brentwood speaking at the Presidency Event at the SEC; 4th High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance at the SEC, Glasgow. 03/11/2021. Photograph:Karwai Tang/ UK Government
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
Volunteer nurse Sinnah Conteh records personal details of Isatu Sisay, 9 months old, suffering from moderate acute malnutrition at the Binkolo health facility, Safroko Limba chiefdom, Bombali district, Sierra Leone on March 31, 2017. Community health worker Osman S Koroma, 23 years old met with Isatu’s mum Kadiatu Koroma, 26 years old, the day before during a mother's group that meets weekly and measured the forearm of Isatu, observing that she is on the spectrum for moderate acute malnutrition. He refers Kadiatu to take her baby to the closest health facilities. Kadiatu has given birth three times, two of which she did at home because she was not aware of the dangers of home delivery and the benefits of giving birth at a health center. That changed when a CHW was recruited in their village. “I decided to give birth to the twins at a health center because of the sensitization I got from Osman. He monitored me to the last moments of my pregnancy. I practiced exclusive breastfeeding because he took his time to really explain to me how my child will benefit from it,” she said. During one of Osman’s routine visits, he found out that one of the twins was moderately malnourished and he referred her to the Binkolo Community Health Center, where she is receiving treatment.
The live debate will be moderated by TV anchors Markus Preiss (ARD WDR), Emilie Tran-Nguyen (France Télévisions) and Annastiina Heikkilä (Yle) and broadcast by the EBU's public service media members and others throughout Europe.
Speaking order for lead candidates is:
*Nico CUÉ, European Left (EL)
*Ska KELLER, European Green Party (EGP)
*Jan ZAHRADIL, Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE)
*Margrethe VESTAGER, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
*Manfred WEBER, European People’s Party (EPP)
* Frans TIMMERMANS, Party of European Socialists (PES)
This photo is free to use under Creative Commons license CC-BY-4.0 and must be credited: "CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2019 – Source: EP". (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) No model release form if applicable. For bigger HR files please contact: webcom-flickr(AT)europarl.europa.eu
Moderated by John Podesta
White House Counselor
His Excellency Macky Sall
President, Senegal
The Honorable Tom Vilsack
United States Secretary of Agriculture
Mr. James C. Borel
Executive Vice President, DuPont
Dr. Sipho Moyo
Africa Director, ONE
(Robb Hohmann / USAID)
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a moderated panel discussion on “Visions for Ukraine” with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Munich, Germany, on February 18, 2023. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]
Moderated by Eduardo Diaz, director of the Smithsonian Latino Center, a panel discusses baseball as a social and cultural force within Latino communities across the nation. The panelists include Adrian Burgos of the University of Illinois, Jose Alamillo and Cesar Caballero of California State University, and Sarah Gould and Priscilla Leiva of the University of Texas.
“Latinos and Baseball: In the Barrios and the Big Leagues” is a multi-year community collecting initiative at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in collaboration with the Smithsonian Latino Center. The initiative focuses on the historic role that baseball has played as a social and cultural force within Latino communities across the nation and currently includes eight partner organizations across the U.S. as well as a number of Smithsonian outreach divisions.
The project is designed to build on a growing body of original research, oral histories, and collections by and with Smithsonian partners to document the impact Latino communities have had on American history and culture through the lens of baseball. Baseball has been and continues to be an important means for celebrating national and ethnic identities, building communities, and negotiating race and class relations in an increasingly globalized world.
"Latinos and Baseball" launched on October 15, 2015, with an even program featuring a panel discussion, objects out-of-storage and book signings at the National Museum of American History. It was followed on October 16 by a working session including the museum and partner organizations.
Partners currently include: California State University, Channel Islands, Channel Islands, Calif.; John M. Pfau Library at California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, Calif.; Institute of Texan Cultures at the University of Texas, San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles, Calif.; Los Magnificos Film, LLC, New York, NY; Syracuse University, La Casita Cultural Center, Syracuse, NY; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana Champaign, Ill. and the Colorado/Wyoming based traveling exhibition, “Sugar Beet Fields to Field of Dreams, 1920s-1960s, Mexican/Spanish Contributions to America’s Favorite Pasttime.” To explore how to become a partner in the baseball initiative, individuals and organizations may e-mail NMAH-latinobaseball@si.edu
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
Secretary Walker moderated an engaging panel discussion on the Future of STEM in Health Care during the STEM Council’s STEM Symposium on May 2 at Delaware State University in Dover. “I see STEM everywhere and in everything,” Dr. Marsha Horton, dean for DSU’s College of Education, Health and Public Policy, told the more than 150 students in the audience. Across the country, there are more than 4.5 million unfilled STEM positions in all fields.
“Most people think of health care in a hospital as doctors or nurses … however, there is a support mechanism that cares for your family and friends,” said Michael Maksmow, vice president and chief information officer for Beebe Healthcare. And information technology is behind much of that support – from keeping the lights and HVAC systems working, to analyzing clinical data, to biomedical engineering.
Secretary Walker, who is a board-certified family physician, told the students that she and Regina Sims Wright, associate dean for diversity at UD’s College of Health Sciences, both participated in FAME, a Delaware nonprofit that prepares and motivates students, especially minorities and girls, to pursue college degrees and careers in STEM. Because of FAME, Secretary Walker said she got a full scholarship to UD to study chemical engineering and spent summers working at Merck. “Chemical engineering is not the easiest way to get to med school,” the Secretary said.
Dean Wright said her PhD is in psychology and she has used that degree to pursue research, including cardiovascular health and cognitive function in older adults. She urged the students to consider STEM-related research and teaching as potential careers. “Diversity is really important,” Secretary Walker added. She said there weren’t enough minority professors for her to look up when she was in college, medical school and graduate school.
Dean Horton said the look and the process of health and allied sciences are changing, and a different skill set will be needed in the next generation. As an example, she asked Dr. Chris Mason to tell the students about research he is doing with Dr. Von Homer on biomechanics and motion analysis and applying it to professional athletes to help reduce injuries. The researchers demonstrated how they are collecting data using sensors that connect to a subject’s legs and feet and that mirror the person’s movements onto a nearby computer.
To read more about DSU’s Kinesiology program:
cehpp.desu.edu/departments/public-allied-health-sciences/...
To read more about FAME:
To read more about the Delaware STEM Council:
On 9 May 2015, the European Union celebrates Europe Day in its Member States and around the world. To mark the occasion, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz and Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission (HRVP) will open the EU Pavilion of EXPO Milan and exchange views with over 1 000 citizens to hear their ideas and views about the EU.
How sustainable can our future be? What is the EU role in promoting a safe and efficient use of natural resources? The Citizens' Dialogue will showcase how the EU takes up these challenges.
The theme of the World Expo 2015 in Milan Expo, "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", is of crucial importance for the European Union.
Following a flag-raising ceremony with the EU anthem to mark the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, President Schulz and HR/VP Federica Mogherini, will exchange views with students and EXPO visitors on how the EU should look in the future, how it can face the challenges of sustainability and what its role in the international arena should be. They will discuss on the European Union, its policies regarding sustainability, and the role of Europe in the world.
The debate will be moderated by Monica Maggioni, Director of RaiNews24. Citizens can debate in person or submit comments using the Twitter hashtag #EUdialogues.
After the Citizens' Dialogue, President Schulz and HR/VP Mogherini will officially open the EU Pavilion.
Citizens' Dialogues webpage: ec.europa.eu/citizens-dialogues/
European Parliament website: www.europarl.europa.eu
After Flickr moderated my account without any previous warning (it is my good luck that they still don't have a switch for my life), because I posted some nude photos without designation "moderate", they told me »A good rule of thumb is, bare breasts and bottoms are "moderate".«. After that I asked them whether it is all right if I cover the bare breasts and bottoms with black stripes instead to mark these photos as "moderate", and they told me »The best places to refer for clarification on what is and is not allowed are the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use. We cannot reinterpret these documents but staying within the letter and spirit of these terms and guidelines...«.
In "Community Guidelines and Terms of Use" it is said: »If you would hesitate to show your photos or videos to a child, your mum, or Uncle Bob, that means you need to set the appropriate content filter setting. If you don’t, your account will be moderated and possibly deleted by Flickr staff.»
So, there is some contradiction in this: on one hand they expect us to behave on our own moral principles ("to show your photos or videos to a child, your mum, or Uncle Bob"), and on the other hand if we do this (as I did) they react on basis of their own moral principles.
My conclusion is that this way of putting things conceals direct censorship, and that from auto-censorship they expects even stronger effect. It's a bit Orwellian (or like in movie "Brazil").
But the main reason why I insist on this is a very practical: I want my local community see these nudes, and many of them are not the members of Flickr. If I designate such a photos as "moderate" they will not be able to see them.
I still have not received a response from the Flickr staff whether it is okay if I cover the delicate parts of the body with a black stripes instead to mark these photos as "moderate" .
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Ben Browder(Cameron Mitchell), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Christopher Judge (Teal'c), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer) and Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken moderates a G20 Summit session alongside President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., in Rome, Italy, on October 31, 2021. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a moderated panel discussion on “Visions for Ukraine” with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Munich, Germany, on February 18, 2023. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]
Moderated High-Level Policy Session 4: Enabling Environment
Ms. Lynn St. Amour, 2016-2017 Chair of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG)
©ITU/R.Farrell
The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body length is around 24–35 cm (9.4–13.8 in), and the weight is typically between 0.62 and 0.97 kg (1.4 and 2.1 lb). The coat is light grey to yellowish-brown with alternate, poorly-defined light and dark bands on the back. Meerkats have foreclaws adapted for digging and have the ability to thermoregulate to survive in their harsh, dry habitat. Three subspecies are recognised.
Meerkats are highly social, and form packs of two to 30 individuals each that occupy home ranges around 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) in area. There is a social hierarchy—generally dominant individuals in a pack breed and produce offspring, and the nonbreeding, subordinate members provide altruistic care to the pups. Breeding occurs around the year, with peaks during heavy rainfall; after a gestation of 60 to 70 days, a litter of three to seven pups is born.
They live in rock crevices in stony, often calcareous areas, and in large burrow systems in plains. The burrow systems, typically 5 m (16 ft) in diameter with around 15 openings, are large underground networks consisting of two to three levels of tunnels. These tunnels are around 7.5 cm (3.0 in) high at the top and wider below, and extend up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) into the ground. Burrows have moderated internal temperatures and provide a comfortable microclimate that protects meerkats in harsh weather and at extreme temperatures.
Meerkats are active during the day, mostly in the early morning and late afternoon; they remain continually alert and retreat to burrows when sensing danger. They use a broad variety of calls to communicate among one another for different purposes, for example to raise an alarm on sighting a predator. Primarily insectivorous, meerkats feed heavily on beetles and lepidopterans, arthropods, amphibians, small birds, reptiles, and plant material in their diet.
Commonly living in arid, open habitats with little woody vegetation, meerkats occur in southwestern Botswana, western and southern Namibia, and northern and western South Africa; the range barely extends into southwestern Angola. With no significant threats to the population, the meerkat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Meerkats are widely depicted in television, movies and other media.
Etymology
The word 'meerkat' derives from the Dutch name for a kind of monkey, which in turn comes from the Old High German mericazza, possibly as a combination of meer ('lake') and kat ('cat'). This may be related to the similar Hindi: मर्कट (markat, or monkey), deriving from Sanskrit, though the Germanic origin of the word predates any known connections to India. The name was used for small mammals in South Africa from 1801 onward, possibly because the Dutch colonialists used the name in reference to many burrowing animals. The native South African[clarification needed] name for the meerkat is 'suricate', possibly deriving from the French 'surikate', which in turn may have a Dutch origin. In Afrikaans the meerkat is called graatjiemeerkat or stokstertmeerkat; the term mierkatte or meerkatte can refer to both the meerkat and the yellow mongoose (Afrikaans: rooimeerkat). In colloquial Afrikaans mier means 'ant' and kat means 'cat', hence the name probably refers to the meerkat's association with termite mounds.
Taxonomy
In 1776, Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber described a meerkat from the Cape of Good Hope, giving it the scientific name Viverra suricatta. The generic name Suricata was proposed by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1804, who also described a zoological specimen from the Cape of Good Hope. The present scientific name Suricata suricatta was first used by Oldfield Thomas and Harold Schwann in 1905 when they described a specimen collected at Wakkerstroom. They suggested there were four local meerkat races in the Cape and Deelfontein, Grahamstown, Orange River Colony and southern Transvaal, and Klipfontein respectively. Several zoological specimens were described between the late 18th and 20th centuries, of which three are recognised as valid subspecies:
S. s. suricatta (Schreber, 1776) occurs in southern Namibia, southern Botswana, and South Africa.
S. s. majoriae Bradfield, 1936 occurs in central and northwestern Namibia.
S. s. iona Crawford-Cabral, 1971 occurs in southwestern Angola.
Phylogeny and evolution
Meerkat fossils dating back to 2.59 to 0.01 million years ago have been excavated in various locations in South Africa. A 2009 phylogenetic study of the family Herpestidae suggests it split into two lineages around the Early Miocene (25.4–18.2 mya)—eusocial and solitary mongooses. The meerkat belongs to the monophyletic eusocial mongoose clade along with several other African mongooses: Crossarchus (kusimanse), Helogale (dwarf mongoose), Liberiictis (Liberian mongoose) and Mungos (banded mongoose). The solitary mongoose lineage comprises two clades including species such as Meller's mongoose (Rhynchogale melleri) and the yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata).
Characteristics
The meerkat is a small mongoose of slim build characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail and a brindled coat pattern. It is smaller than most other mongooses except the dwarf mongooses (genus Helogale) and possibly Galerella species. The head-and-body length is around 24–35 cm (9.4–13.8 in), and the weight has been recorded to be between 0.62–0.97 kg (1.4–2.1 lb) without much variation between the sexes (though some dominant females can be heavier than the rest). The soft coat is light grey to yellowish brown with alternate, poorly-defined light and dark bands on the back. Individuals from the southern part of the range tend to be darker. The guard hairs, light at the base, have two dark rings and are tipped with black or silvery white; several such hairs aligned together give rise to the coat pattern. These hairs are typically between 1.5 and 2 cm (0.59 and 0.79 in), but measure 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) on the flanks. Its head is mostly white and the underparts are covered sparsely with dark reddish-brown fur, with the dark skin underneath showing through. The eyes, in sockets covering over 20% of the skull length, are capable of binocular vision. The slim, yellowish tail, unlike the bushy tails of many other mongooses, measures 17 to 25 cm (6.7 to 9.8 in), and is tipped with black. Females have six nipples. The meerkat looks similar to two sympatric species—the banded and the yellow mongooses. The meerkat can be told apart from the banded mongoose by its smaller size, shorter tail and bigger eyes relative to the head; the yellow mongoose differs in having a bushy tail and lighter coat with an inner layer of yellow fur under the normal brown fur.
The meerkat has 36 teeth with the dental formula of
3.1.3.2
3.1.3.2
It is well adapted for digging, movement through tunnels and standing erect, though it is not as capable of running and climbing. The big, sharp and curved foreclaws (slightly longer than the hindclaws) are highly specialised among the feliforms, and enable the meerkat to dig efficiently. The black, crescent-like ears can be closed to prevent the entry of dirt and debris while digging. The tail is used to balance when standing upright. Digitigrade, the meerkat has four digits on each foot with thick pads underneath.
The meerkat has a specialised thermoregulation system that helps it survive in its harsh desert habitat. A study showed that its body temperature follows a diurnal rhythm, averaging 38.3 °C (100.9 °F) during the day and 36.3 °C (97.3 °F) at night. As the body temperature falls below the thermoneutral zone, determined to be 30–32.5 °C (86.0–90.5 °F), the heart rate and oxygen consumption plummet; perspiration increases sharply at temperatures above this range. Additionally, it has a basal metabolic rate remarkably lower than other carnivores, which helps in conserving water, surviving on lower amounts of food and decreasing heat output from metabolic processes. During winter, it balances heat loss by increasing the metabolic heat generation and other methods such as sunbathing.
Ecology and behaviour
The meerkat is a social mammal, forming packs of two to 30 individuals each comprising nearly equal numbers of either sex and multiple family units of pairs and their offspring. Members of a pack take turns at jobs such as looking after pups and keeping a lookout for predators. Meerkats are a cooperatively breeding species—typically the dominant 'breeders' in a pack produce offspring, and the nonbreeding, subordinate 'helpers' provide altruistic care for the pups. This division of labour is not as strictly defined as it is in specialised eusocial species, such as the breeder-worker distinction in ants. Moreover, meerkats have a clear dominance hierarchy with older individuals having a higher social status. A study showed that dominant individuals can contribute more to offspring care when fewer helpers were available; subordinate members increased their contributions if they could forage better.
Packs live in rock crevices in stony areas and in large burrow systems in plains. A pack generally occupies a home range, 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) large on average but sometimes as big as 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi), containing many burrows 50 to 100 m (160 to 330 ft) apart, of which some remain unused. A 2019 study showed that large burrows towards the centre of a range are preferred over smaller ones located near the periphery; this was especially the case with packs that had pups to raise. A pack may shift to another burrow if the dominant female has little success finding prey in an area. The area near the periphery of home ranges is scent marked mostly by the dominant individuals; there are communal latrines, 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) large, close to the burrows. Packs can migrate collectively in search of food, to escape high predator pressure and during floods.
Meerkats are highly vigilant, and frequently survey their surroundings by turning their heads side to side; some individuals always stand sentry and look out for danger. Vocal communication is used frequently in different contexts; for instance repetitive, high-pitched barks are used to warn others of predators nearby. They will generally retreat to their burrows for safety, where they will remain until the danger is gone. They stick their heads out of burrows to check the area outside, still barking. Mobs of meerkats fiercely attack snakes that may come near them. Raptors such as bateleurs, martial eagles, tawny eagles, and pale chanting goshawks are major aerial predators; on the ground, meerkats may be threatened by bat-eared foxes, black-backed jackals, and Cape foxes.
Social behaviour
Encounters between members of different packs are highly aggressive, leading to severe injuries and often deaths; 19% of meerkats die by conspecific violence, which is the highest recorded percentage among mammals. Females, often the heaviest ones, try to achieve dominance over the rest in many ways such as fierce competition or taking over from the leader of the pack. A study showed that females who grew faster were more likely to assert dominance, though males did not show such a trend. Males seeking dominance over groups tend to scent mark extensively and are not submissive; they often drive out older males in a group and take over the pack themselves. Subordinate individuals face difficulties in breeding successfully; for instance, dominant females often kill the litters of subordinate ones. As such, subordinate individuals might disperse to other packs to find mates during the breeding season. Some subordinate meerkats will even kill the pups of dominant members in order to improve their own offspring's position.[30] It can take days for emigrants to secure entry into other packs, and they often face aversion from the members. Males typically succeed in joining existing groups; they often inspect other packs and their burrow systems in search of breeding opportunities. Many often team up in 'coalitions' for as long as two months and travel nearly 5 km (3.1 mi) a day on twisted paths. Dispersal appears to be less common in females, possibly because continuing to stay within a pack can eventually win them dominance over other members. Dispersed females travel longer than coalitions, and tend to start groups of their own or join other similar females; they aim for groups of emigrant males or those without a breeding female. Subordinate females, unlike subordinate males, might be ousted from their packs, especially in the latter part of the dominant female's pregnancy, though they may be allowed to return after the birth of the pups.
Burrowing
Meerkat burrows are typically 5 m (16 ft) in diameter with around 15 openings, though one of dimensions 25 by 32 m (82 by 105 ft) with as many as 90 holes has been reported. These large underground networks comprise two to three levels of tunnels up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) into the ground; the tunnels, around 7.5 cm (3.0 in) high at the top, become broader after descending around a metre. The entrances, 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter, are created by digging at an angle of 40 degrees to the surface; the soil accumulated as a result can slightly increase the height of burrow sites. 'Boltholes' are used for a quick escape if dangers are detected. While constructing or renovating burrows meerkats will line up to form a continuous head-to-tail chain, break the soil into crumbs with their foreclaws, scoop it out with their forepaws joined and throw it behind them between their hindlegs.
Outside temperatures are not reflected at once within burrows; instead there is usually an eight-hour lag which creates a temperature gradient in warrens, so that burrows are coolest in daytime and warmest at night. Temperatures inside burrows typically vary between 21 and 39 °C (70 and 102 °F) in summer and −4 and 26 °C (25 and 79 °F) in winter; temperatures at greater depths vary to a much lesser extent, with summer temperatures around 22.6 to 23.2 °C (72.7 to 73.8 °F) and winter temperatures around 10 to 10.8 °C (50.0 to 51.4 °F). This reduces the need for meerkats to thermoregulate individually by providing a comfortable microclimate within burrows; moreover, burrowing protects meerkats in harsh weather and at extreme temperatures. Consequently, meerkats spend considerable time in burrows; they are active mainly during the day and return to burrows after dark and often to escape the heat of the afternoon. Activity peaks during the early morning and late afternoon. Meerkats huddle together to sleep in compact groups, sunbathe and recline on warm rocks or damp soil to adjust their body temperatures.
Meerkats tend to occupy the burrows of other small mammals more than constructing them on their own; they generally share burrows with Cape ground squirrels and yellow mongooses. Cape ground squirrels and meerkats usually do not fight for space or food. Though yellow mongooses are also insectivores like meerkats, competition for prey is minimal as yellow mongooses are less selective in their diet. This association is beneficial to all the species as it saves time and efforts spent in making separate warrens. Many other species have also been recorded in the meerkat burrows, including African pygmy mice, Cape grey mongooses, four-striped grass mice, Highveld gerbils, rock hyraxes, slender mongooses, South African springhares and white-tailed rats.
Vocalisations
Meerkats have a broad vocal repertoire that they use to communicate among one another in several contexts; many of these calls may be combined by repetition of the same call or mixing different sounds. A study recorded 12 different types of call combinations used in different situations such as guarding against predators, caring for young, digging, sunbathing, huddling together and aggression.
Short-range 'close calls' are produced while foraging and after scanning the vicinity for predators. 'Recruitment calls' can be produced to collect meerkats on sighting a snake or to investigate excrement or hair samples of predators or unfamiliar meerkats. 'Alarm calls' are given out on detecting predators. All these calls differ in their acoustic characteristics, and can evoke different responses in the 'receivers' (meerkats who hear the call); generally the greater the urgency of the scenario in which the call is given, the stronger is the response in the receivers.
This indicates that meerkats are able to perceive the nature of the risk and the degree of urgency from the acoustics of a call, transmit it and respond accordingly. For instance, upon hearing a terrestrial predator alarm call, meerkats are most likely to scan the area and move towards the source of the call, while an aerial predator alarm call would most likely cause them to crouch down. A recruitment call would cause receivers to raise their tails (and often their hair) and move slowly towards the source.
The complexity of calls produced by different mongooses varies by their social structure and ecology. For instance eusocial mongooses such as meerkats and banded mongooses use calls in a greater variety of contexts than do the solitary slender mongooses. Moreover, meerkats have more call types than do banded mongooses. Meerkat calls carry information to identify the signaling individual or pack, but meerkats do not appear to differentiate between calls from different sources. The calls of banded mongooses also carry a 'vocal signature' to identify the caller.
Diet
The meerkat is primarily an insectivore, feeding heavily on beetles and lepidopterans; it can additionally feed on eggs, amphibians, arthropods (such as scorpions, to whose venom they are immune), reptiles, small birds (such as the southern anteater-chat), plants and seeds. Captive meerkats include plenty of fruits and vegetables in their diet, and also kill small mammals by biting the backs of their skulls. They have also been observed feeding on the desert truffle Kalaharituber pfeilii. Meerkats often eat citron melons and dig out roots and tubers for their water content.
Mongooses spend nearly five to eight hours foraging every day. Like other social mongooses, meerkats in a pack will disperse within 5 m (16 ft) of one another and browse systematically in areas within their home range without losing visual or vocal contact. Some individuals stand sentry while the rest are busy foraging. Meerkats return to an area only after a week of the last visit so that the food supply is replenished sufficiently. They hunt by scent, and often dig out soil or turn over stones to uncover hidden prey. Meerkats typically do not give chase to their prey, though they may pursue geckos and lizards over several metres. Food intake is typically low during winter.
Reproduction
Meerkats breed throughout the year with seasonal peaks, typically during months of heavy rainfall; for instance, maximum births occur from January to March in the southern Kalahari. Generally only dominant individuals breed, though subordinate members can also mate in highly productive years. Females become sexually mature at two to three years of age. Dominant females can have up to four litters annually (lesser for subordinate females), and the number depends on the amount of precipitation. Mating behaviour has been studied in captive individuals. Courtship behaviour is limited; the male fights with his partner, getting hold of her by her snout. He will grip the nape of her neck if she resists mounting, and hold her down by grasping her flanks during copulation.
After a gestation of 60 to 70 days, a litter of three to seven pups is born. Pups weigh around 100 g (3.5 oz) in the first few days of birth; the average growth rate for the first three months is 4.5 g (0.16 oz) per day, typically the fastest in the first month. A 2019 study showed that growth and survival rates of pups might decrease with increase in temperature.
Infants make continuous sounds that resemble bird-like tweets, that change to a shrill contact call as they grow older. Young pups are kept securely in a den, from where they emerge after around 16 days, and start foraging with adults by 26 days. The nonbreeding members of the pack help substantially with juvenile care, for instance they feed the pups and huddle with them for warmth. A study showed that nearly half of the litters of dominant females, especially those born later in the breeding season were nursed by subordinate females, mostly those that were or recently had been pregnant.
Sex biases have been observed in feeding; for instance, female helpers feed female pups more than male pups unlike male helpers who feed both equally. This is possibly because the survival of female pups is more beneficial to female helpers as females are more likely to remain in their natal pack. Some helpers contribute to all activities more than others, though none of them might be specialised in any of them. Sometimes helpers favour their own needs over those of pups and decide not to feed them; this behaviour, known as "false-feeding", is more common when the prey is more valued by the meerkat.
The father remains on guard and protects his offspring, while the mother spends a lot of time foraging to produce enough milk for her young. Mothers give out shrill, repetitive calls to ensure their pups follow them and remain close together. Unable to forage themselves, young pups vocalise often seeking food from their carers. Like many species, meerkat pups learn by observing and mimicking adult behaviour, though adults also engage in active instruction. For example, meerkat adults teach their pups how to eat a venomous scorpion by removing the stinger and showing the pups how to handle the creature. The mother runs around with prey in her mouth, prompting her pups to catch it. Pups become independent enough to forage at around 12 weeks of age. Meerkats are estimated to survive for five to 15 years in the wild; the maximum lifespan recorded in captivity is 20.6 years.
Females appear to be able to discriminate the odour of their kin from that of others. Kin recognition is a useful ability that facilitates cooperation among relatives and the avoidance of inbreeding. When mating occurs between meerkat relatives it often results in negative fitness consequences (inbreeding depression), that affect a variety of traits such as pup mass at emergence from the natal burrow, hindleg length, growth until independence and juvenile survival. These negative effects are likely due to the increased homozygosity or higher genetic similarity among individuals that arise from inbreeding and the consequent expression of deleterious recessive mutations.
Distribution and habitat
The meerkat occurs in southwestern Botswana, western and southern Namibia, northern and western South Africa; the range barely extends into southwestern Angola. It lives in areas with stony, often calcareous ground in a variety of arid, open habitats with little woody vegetation. It is common in savannahs, open plains and rocky areas beside dry rivers in biomes such as the Fynbos and the Karoo, where the mean yearly rainfall is below 600 mm (24 in). The average precipitation reduces to 100 to 400 mm (3.9 to 15.7 in) towards the northwestern areas of the range. It prefers areas with short grasses and shrubs common in velds, such as camelthorn in Namibia and Acacia in the Kalahari. It is absent from true deserts, montane regions and forests. Population densities vary greatly between places, and are significantly influenced by predators and rainfall. For instance, a study in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, where predation pressure is high, recorded a lower mean meerkat density relative to a ranch with lower occurrence of predators; in response to a 10% decrease in rainfall over a year, the density fell from 0.95 to 0.32/km2 (2.46 to 0.83/sq mi).
Threats and conservation
The meerkat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List; the population trend appears to be stable. There are no significant threats except low rainfall, which can lead to deaths of entire packs. Research has shown that temperature extremes have negative impacts on Kalahari Desert meerkats. Increased maximum air temperature is correlated with decreased survival and body mass in pups, perhaps as a result of dehydration from water loss during evaporative cooling or decreased water content in food, or from the heavier metabolic costs of thermoregulation on hot days. Higher temperatures are also associated with increased rates of endemic tuberculosis infection; this may be due to decreased immune function resulting from physiological stress, as well as increased male emigration rates observed during heat waves.
Meerkats occur in several protected areas such as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Makgadikgadi Pan. The Kalahari Meerkat Project, founded by Tim Clutton-Brock, is a long-term research project run by four different research groups that focuses on understanding cooperative behaviour in meerkats. It began in the Gemsbok National Park but was shifted to the Kuruman River Reserve in 1993.
In culture
Meerkats are generally tame animals. However, they are unsuitable as a pet as they can be aggressive and have a strong, ferret-like odour. In South Africa meerkats are used to kill rodents in rural households and lepidopterans in farmlands. Meerkats can transmit rabies to humans, but yellow mongooses appear to be more common vectors. It has been suggested that meerkats may even limit the spread of rabies by driving out yellow mongooses from their burrows; meerkats are generally not persecuted given their economic significance in crop protection, though they may be killed due to rabies control measures to eliminate yellow mongooses. Meerkats can also spread tick-borne diseases.
Meerkats have been widely portrayed in movies, television and other media. A popular example is Timon from the Lion King franchise, who is an anthropomorphic meerkat. Meerkat Manor (2005–2008), a television programme produced by Oxford Scientific Films that was aired on Animal Planet, focused on groups of meerkats in the Kalahari that were being studied in the Kalahari Meerkat Project. Meerkats populated an acidic floating island in the 2012 film Life of Pi.
Jochen Flasbarth moderating at the Presidency Event; 4th High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance at the SEC, Glasgow. 03/11/2021. Photograph: Karwai Tang/ UK Government
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a youth moderated discussion on democracy and human rights, in Paris, France on June 25, 2021. [State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]
I picked up two of these lenses. One from a garage sale for $5 (moderate wear and oil on the aperture blades) and one from eBay for $35 (great condition with slight oil on the blades). I disassembled each lens and cleaned the aperture assy with a Naphthalene bath (this fixed the sluggish/oily aperture assy) and then combined the best parts. Of course I topped it off with a finely machined MD to EOS adapter from Jim Buchanan. This is a gem of a lens, but boy would I love to have the 1:1.2 version.
Right now I have infinity focus adjust to a mere 15ft because beyond that adjustment the rear element group assy blocks the mirror movement in my Canon 5D Mark II. Since both lenses have very good rear element assys I plan to turn off about 2mm of the rear circumference area of the element group (the metal housing, not the glass) in hopes to bring me closer to infinity focus. Right now 15ft is a little close for comfort…I would like to achieve at least 25ft.
Initial tests here all at f/1.4. Now that I have my EG-S super precision focus screen installed and my focus screen shims calibrated I can attain critical focus at shallow apertures much easier. I think the test results are more than satisfactory. The CA is kept at a minimum which is often a problem at these shallow apertures. The center of frame sharpness at 1.4 is decent and at f/2 the sharpness extends much further to the edges.
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** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer), Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard), Charlie Cohen (senior executive VP, MGM Studios) and Nora O’Brien (VP, original programming, SCI FI) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
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Moderate Seeing - Syrtis Major, Sinus Sabaeus and Sinus Meridiani visible and Polar Hood visible. Celestron C8 SCT , Televue Powermate 2.5X, ZWO ASI 662MC, recorded in Firecapture. Processed with Pipp, Autostakkert AS!2, Registax, Lightroom. First Clear night since 11/11/2022. Tornadoes tonight 11/29/2022. Alabama weather!
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a U.S.-German Futures Forum Moderated Discussion with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Munster, Germany on November 3, 2022. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]
Clinton High School Production of Beauty and the Beast
Rachel Winter as Babette
Matt Espey as Maurice, Belle's father
Image by Lauri M Shemwell
** Moderated by Gary Jones (Walter Harriman) with Ben Browder(Cameron Mitchell), Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter), Christopher Judge (Teal'c), Robert Cooper (executive producer/writer) and Martin Wood (Director/Supervising Producer) **
Check out my Blog on info of my Comic Con trip.
Microaneurysms (small, round 'dots') and haemorrhages (larger, uneven 'blots'). An example of moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
Photo: ICEH.
Published in: Community Eye Health Journal Vol. 24 No. 75 SEPTEMBER 2011 www.cehjournal.org
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a moderated panel discussion on “Visions for Ukraine” with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Munich, Germany, on February 18, 2023. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]
Panellists L-R Akinwumi Adesina, Yannick Glemarec with Jochem Flasbarth moderating at the Presidency Event; 4th High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance at the SEC, Glasgow. 03/11/2021. Photograph: Karwai Tang/ UK Government