Volucella inanis
Volucella pellucens
Cannon A640
Volucellas, Beford Purlieus
Many insects at Bedford Purlieus in the heat today including these two large hoverflies.
Volucella inanis
Volucella pellucens
Cannon A640
Volucella inanis
Volucella pellucens
Cannon A640
Congo Peace Accords Mean Nothing To Victims
Blood continues to flow six months after the signing of a peace agreement that was intended to stop the horrendous violence in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a newly-formed coalition of 64 aid agencies and human rights groups. The new Congo Advocacy Coalition was created to focus attention on the protection of civilians as part of the peace process in eastern Congo.
Ongoing fighting and violence against civilians has forced at least 150,000 people to flee from their homes since the Goma peace agreement was signed on January 23, 2008, according to the coalition's first report. Those newly displaced add to the 1 million refugees from earlier waves of violence in North and South Kivu. UN officials reported at least 200 ceasefire violations between January and July.
The most affected territories are Rutshuru and Masisi in North Kivu, where many displaced people found shelter with host families, receiving only minimal food and assistance, while others fled to displacement camps. The coalition reports that acute malnutrition rates have reached an alarming 17 percent in some areas, well above emergency levels.
Women and girls have been harshly victimized by the continued violence. More than 2,200 cases of rape were recorded in the month of June 2008 in North Kivu province alone, according to the coalition, and this number probably represents only a small portion of the total. At least 200 civilians have been killed in the violence.
Humanitarian agencies trying to expand programs since the signing of the peace agreement have been plagued by increased attacks by armed groups and unidentified bandits. At least 36 attacks were recorded since January 2008, the majority of them ambushes at gunpoint as humanitarian staff attempted to reach vulnerable populations. In the past few weeks, attacks against humanitarian staff on the main road to Masisi town have severely hampered assistance to over 186,000 people.
UN peacekeepers have deployed some 10,000 troops between fighting parties in North and South Kivu, but they are greatly outnumbered and thinly spread.
The Goma agreement was signed by 22 armed groups and the Congolese government. It followed a November, 2007, agreement between the governments of Congo and Rwanda known as the Nairobi Communiqué, which sought to address the issue of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan armed group based in eastern Congo.
The agreements were supposed to form the basis for the Congolese government's peace program in the eastern provicnes, but have largely been ignored by the alphabet soup of militias, army factions, guerilla bands, and outright criminal enterprises terrorizing the region. It's a humanitarian nightmare that may never end.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
Ongoing fighting and violence against civilians has forced at least 150,000 people to flee from their homes since the Goma peace agreement was signed on January 23, 2008, according to the coalition's first report. Those newly displaced add to the 1 million refugees from earlier waves of violence in North and South Kivu. UN officials reported at least 200 ceasefire violations between January and July.
The most affected territories are Rutshuru and Masisi in North Kivu, where many displaced people found shelter with host families, receiving only minimal food and assistance, while others fled to displacement camps. The coalition reports that acute malnutrition rates have reached an alarming 17 percent in some areas, well above emergency levels.
Women and girls have been harshly victimized by the continued violence. More than 2,200 cases of rape were recorded in the month of June 2008 in North Kivu province alone, according to the coalition, and this number probably represents only a small portion of the total. At least 200 civilians have been killed in the violence.
Humanitarian agencies trying to expand programs since the signing of the peace agreement have been plagued by increased attacks by armed groups and unidentified bandits. At least 36 attacks were recorded since January 2008, the majority of them ambushes at gunpoint as humanitarian staff attempted to reach vulnerable populations. In the past few weeks, attacks against humanitarian staff on the main road to Masisi town have severely hampered assistance to over 186,000 people.
UN peacekeepers have deployed some 10,000 troops between fighting parties in North and South Kivu, but they are greatly outnumbered and thinly spread.
The Goma agreement was signed by 22 armed groups and the Congolese government. It followed a November, 2007, agreement between the governments of Congo and Rwanda known as the Nairobi Communiqué, which sought to address the issue of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan armed group based in eastern Congo.
The agreements were supposed to form the basis for the Congolese government's peace program in the eastern provicnes, but have largely been ignored by the alphabet soup of militias, army factions, guerilla bands, and outright criminal enterprises terrorizing the region. It's a humanitarian nightmare that may never end.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds
Three garden firsts and a White-point
Bit busy last night with 178 moths of 66 species incl 3 garden firsts (*) and only my second ever White-point.
White-point Mythimna albipuncta
Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella
Plutella porrectella
Lunar-spotted Pinion Cosmia pyralina
Dusky Sallow Eremobia ochroleuca
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua fimbriata
*0263 Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella) 1
0411 Argyresthia goedartella 1
0424 Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) 4
0465 Plutella porrectella 1
0779 Bryotropha affinis 2
0789 Bryotropha domestica 2
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 1
0898 Limnaecia phragmitella 1
*0964 Cochylis dubitana 2
0966 Cochylis atricapitana 1
0972 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis heparana) 2
0980 Variegated Golden Tortrix (Archips xylosteana) 1
0994 Clepsis consimilana 2
1010 Red-barred Tortrix (Ditula angustiorana) 1
1016x Cnephasia sp. 6
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 1
1159 Holly Tortrix (Rhopobota naevana) 1
1202 Eucosma obumbratana 1
1205 Bud Moth (Spilonota ocellana) 4
1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 4
1316 Catoptria falsella 1
1332 Scoparia subfusca 1
1338 Dipleurina lacustrata 1
1398 Phlyctaenia coronata 1
1405 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) 1
1413 Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) 4
1424 Endotricha flammealis 1
1428 Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella) 1
1439 Trachycera advenella 2
1646 Oak Hook-tip (Drepana binaria) 1
1651 Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata) 1
1708 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata) 1
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) ab. remutata 18
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) typical 5
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 1
1726 Large Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe quadrifasciata) 1
1851 Golden-rod Pug (Eupithecia virgaureata) f. Nigra 1
1884 The Magpie (Abraxas grossulariata) 2
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 2
1931 Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) typical 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 2
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 1
2035 Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex) 1
2044 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) 3
2044 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) ab. stramineola 1
2050 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) 7
2064 Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 2
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 5
2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 3
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 1
2128 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum) 3
2154 Cabbage Moth (Mamestra brassicae) 1
2194 White-point (Mythimna albipuncta) 1
2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 2
*2319 Lunar-spotted Pinion (Cosmia pyralina) 1
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 26
2322 Light Arches (Apamea lithoxylaea) 1
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 3
2341 Cloaked Minor (Mesoligia furuncula) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 5
2352 Dusky Sallow (Eremobia ochroleuca) 3
2381x The Uncertain/The Rustic (Hoplodrina alsines/blanda) 13
2434 Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis) f. aurea 1
2489 The Fan-foot (Herminia tarsipennalis) 1
Cannon A640
White-point Mythimna albipuncta
Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella
Plutella porrectella
Lunar-spotted Pinion Cosmia pyralina
Dusky Sallow Eremobia ochroleuca
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua fimbriata
*0263 Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella) 1
0411 Argyresthia goedartella 1
0424 Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) 4
0465 Plutella porrectella 1
0779 Bryotropha affinis 2
0789 Bryotropha domestica 2
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 1
0898 Limnaecia phragmitella 1
*0964 Cochylis dubitana 2
0966 Cochylis atricapitana 1
0972 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis heparana) 2
0980 Variegated Golden Tortrix (Archips xylosteana) 1
0994 Clepsis consimilana 2
1010 Red-barred Tortrix (Ditula angustiorana) 1
1016x Cnephasia sp. 6
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 1
1159 Holly Tortrix (Rhopobota naevana) 1
1202 Eucosma obumbratana 1
1205 Bud Moth (Spilonota ocellana) 4
1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 4
1316 Catoptria falsella 1
1332 Scoparia subfusca 1
1338 Dipleurina lacustrata 1
1398 Phlyctaenia coronata 1
1405 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) 1
1413 Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) 4
1424 Endotricha flammealis 1
1428 Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella) 1
1439 Trachycera advenella 2
1646 Oak Hook-tip (Drepana binaria) 1
1651 Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata) 1
1708 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata) 1
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) ab. remutata 18
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) typical 5
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 1
1726 Large Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe quadrifasciata) 1
1851 Golden-rod Pug (Eupithecia virgaureata) f. Nigra 1
1884 The Magpie (Abraxas grossulariata) 2
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 2
1931 Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) typical 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 2
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 1
2035 Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex) 1
2044 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) 3
2044 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) ab. stramineola 1
2050 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) 7
2064 Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 2
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 5
2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 3
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 1
2128 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum) 3
2154 Cabbage Moth (Mamestra brassicae) 1
2194 White-point (Mythimna albipuncta) 1
2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 2
*2319 Lunar-spotted Pinion (Cosmia pyralina) 1
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 26
2322 Light Arches (Apamea lithoxylaea) 1
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 3
2341 Cloaked Minor (Mesoligia furuncula) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 5
2352 Dusky Sallow (Eremobia ochroleuca) 3
2381x The Uncertain/The Rustic (Hoplodrina alsines/blanda) 13
2434 Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis) f. aurea 1
2489 The Fan-foot (Herminia tarsipennalis) 1
Cannon A640
Moths
Haven't been doing much mothing recently and the weather has been poor until recently. Things have picked up this week though and this Magpie in the garden trap was quite smart. The Burnet was at Maxey GP.
The Magpie Abraxas grossulariata
Six-spot Burnet Zygaena filipendulae
Canon Powershot A640
The Magpie Abraxas grossulariata
Six-spot Burnet Zygaena filipendulae
Canon Powershot A640
Prison Life (Or Death) In Congo
Life in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is tough, so it’s hard to imagine what it’s like trying to survive in prison. MONUC, the UN peace-keeping mission to the Congo, recently reported that at least 26 prisoners have died this year from severe and acute malnutrition in just one institution, the Mbuji Mayi central prison, in Kasaï Oriental province where much of Heart of Diamonds is set.
The prison houses 425 prisoners in a facility originally designed for 200. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions exacerbate health problems in prisoners who are fed less than once a day. MONUC has been providing a weekly water and twice-weekly corn ration to the prison on an emergency basis, but says it can’t continue indefinitely. Making matters much, much worse is that public hospitals won’t accept even the most dangerously-ill prisoners because they can’t pay for their medical care.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
The prison houses 425 prisoners in a facility originally designed for 200. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions exacerbate health problems in prisoners who are fed less than once a day. MONUC has been providing a weekly water and twice-weekly corn ration to the prison on an emergency basis, but says it can’t continue indefinitely. Making matters much, much worse is that public hospitals won’t accept even the most dangerously-ill prisoners because they can’t pay for their medical care.
"Our concern is even greater as we noted that among these deaths, many of them are defendants, who are therefore presumed innocent because they have not been judged due to the slowness of the legal process," says MONUC Mbuji Mayi Human Rights Officer Assiongbon Tettekpoe.In a place where even ordinary citizens sometimes scramble to provide the basic necessities of life, the bottom rungs of society stand no chance of survival.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds
Maxey Insects
Some recent lepidoptera from the Etton Road site.
Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae
Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris - note pale undersides to antennae
Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola - note dark undersides to antennae
Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
Canon Powershot A640
Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae
Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris - note pale undersides to antennae
Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola - note dark undersides to antennae
Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
Canon Powershot A640
Congo Violence Brings Starvation
Peace accords were signed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in January this year, but violence continues to destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The UN World Food Program (WFP) warned in July that the agency’s resources were being stretched beyond its capability by refugees forced from their homes by the ongoing guerilla action.
North Kivu province has been particularly hard hit, with at least 100,000 people forced from their homes in Rutshuru district alone, bringing the total displaced in the province since March 2007 to over half a million. Impromptu refugee camps spring up overnight, mostly without supplies or assistance..
The WFP reports it has already cut rations in half to some displaced people camped close to the provincial capital Goma, in an effort to stretch supplies for those in most desperate need at the heart of the mountainous hinterland. The organization says it needs to distribute 10,000 tons of food per month, a gargantuan task given the tinderbox nature of the region, extremely limited transportation infrastructure, and world food prices.
Many of the refugees are farmers in the region’s breadbasket. Their displacement has caused food prices to spike in urban areas that rely on the hinderlands for their food supply.
Malnutrition threatens the lives of thousands of children. The WFP says their surveys in the Masasi and Rutshuru districts show rates for acute malnutrition of over 17 percent.
Complicating the situation is the continual harassment by armed groups that live off the countryside by looting household food supplies, steal or destroy farm equipment, and rape or kidnap women trying to cultivate their fields. Many of the displaced families have now missed three successive planting seasons.
The WFP says it plans to spend US$142 million for its operations in the eastern DRC during the next year. The United States ($62 million), European Commission ($25 million), UN CERF ($16 million), France ($8.7 million), Canada ($6.4 million), Belgium ($6.2 million), Japan ($5 million), Norway ($3 million), Switzerland ($ 2.5 million), and Germany ($1.1 million) have stepped up to the plate, along with Greece, Luxembourg, Korea, Spain, Finland, and Poland.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
North Kivu province has been particularly hard hit, with at least 100,000 people forced from their homes in Rutshuru district alone, bringing the total displaced in the province since March 2007 to over half a million. Impromptu refugee camps spring up overnight, mostly without supplies or assistance..
The WFP reports it has already cut rations in half to some displaced people camped close to the provincial capital Goma, in an effort to stretch supplies for those in most desperate need at the heart of the mountainous hinterland. The organization says it needs to distribute 10,000 tons of food per month, a gargantuan task given the tinderbox nature of the region, extremely limited transportation infrastructure, and world food prices.
Many of the refugees are farmers in the region’s breadbasket. Their displacement has caused food prices to spike in urban areas that rely on the hinderlands for their food supply.
Malnutrition threatens the lives of thousands of children. The WFP says their surveys in the Masasi and Rutshuru districts show rates for acute malnutrition of over 17 percent.
Complicating the situation is the continual harassment by armed groups that live off the countryside by looting household food supplies, steal or destroy farm equipment, and rape or kidnap women trying to cultivate their fields. Many of the displaced families have now missed three successive planting seasons.
The WFP says it plans to spend US$142 million for its operations in the eastern DRC during the next year. The United States ($62 million), European Commission ($25 million), UN CERF ($16 million), France ($8.7 million), Canada ($6.4 million), Belgium ($6.2 million), Japan ($5 million), Norway ($3 million), Switzerland ($ 2.5 million), and Germany ($1.1 million) have stepped up to the plate, along with Greece, Luxembourg, Korea, Spain, Finland, and Poland.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds
Africa Will Save Zimbabwe
Despite popular opinion—including that of the NY Times and George Bush—the United States should butt out of Zimbabwe. There are numerous reasons, but the most important one is that Africans can and should settle their own affairs.
Perfectly and quickly? Of course not. To our satisfaction? Highly unlikely. But, given time and support instead of demands and threats, the nations of Africa are finding their own solutions to most of the difficult problems posed by independence in other parts of the continent. Zimbabwe is no different.
Russia and China had their own reasons for vetoing the U.S.-sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Robert Mugabe and his government, but there are several other points that should be kept in mind as we decry their actions:
There is plenty of strong opposition to Mugabe among the nations of Africa. Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone have all denounced the sham election and spoken out for the rule of law to be established in Zimbabwe. Botswana has even increased its troop positions along the border. If George Bush and his unlikely partner the NY Times would stop treating them like children, the Africans will solve their own problems.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
Perfectly and quickly? Of course not. To our satisfaction? Highly unlikely. But, given time and support instead of demands and threats, the nations of Africa are finding their own solutions to most of the difficult problems posed by independence in other parts of the continent. Zimbabwe is no different.
Russia and China had their own reasons for vetoing the U.S.-sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Robert Mugabe and his government, but there are several other points that should be kept in mind as we decry their actions:
1. U.S. coercion does more harm than good by confirming in Mugabe’s supporters’ minds (and others) that the opposition party, MDC, and especially its presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai are tools of white colonialists. Whether they are or not is not relevant. Quite frankly, when Tsvangirai pleaded for help after withdrawing from the election—all but asking for whites to invade Zimbabwe to put him in office—he lost his street cred.The biggest single reason for the U.S. to back off is that the continent’s nations have overwhelmingly told us to. The African Union and Southern African Development Community denounced the U.N. resolution before it was vetoed. South Africa, the regional leader and country most affected by the crisis, is particularly vehement in telling the U.S. to mind its own business.
2. The fact that the U.S. has nothing to say about equally-tyrannical leaders like Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos belies our statements that Mugabe must go because he rules without the consent of the voters.
3. U.S. interference polarizes the regional governments that are most likely able to broker a deal. Governments that align themselves with the U.S. position look weak in the eyes of their own people. They also are pulled farther away from regional powers who openly resent U.S. intrusion, making it more difficult for them to form a united front to pressure Mugabe to step down or form a unity government. It’s hard to overstate the amount of resentment toward white powers that exists in many quarters.
There is plenty of strong opposition to Mugabe among the nations of Africa. Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone have all denounced the sham election and spoken out for the rule of law to be established in Zimbabwe. Botswana has even increased its troop positions along the border. If George Bush and his unlikely partner the NY Times would stop treating them like children, the Africans will solve their own problems.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds
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