Rupunini explorers

In October a team of scientists and students headed into the Rupunini. According to this report by Dr.

Andrew Short of the University of Kansas the aim was to:

'to conduct a rapid biological assessment of the Rupununi Savannah, a sprawling tropical grassland peppered with rock outcroppings and forested mountains.'

This first report describes their plans.

A followup report describes their trip inland and starting work. Dr Short comments:

'Over the next two weeks, we'll sample rivers, streams, and lakes across the southern Rupununi. Combined with the data gathered by the water quality and fish teams, we can generate a holistic picture of the health of the region's watershed.'

Hopefully there will be another report soon.

ITCZ arrives with record rainfall

On November 27th Georgetown experienced severe flóoding as intense rainfall began in the very early morning and lasted for about 6 hours. Away from the capital rainfall was less.
According to the Hydrometeorological office as reported in the Chronicle the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) "shifted from its last position, to about 6 degrees North of the equator bringing it directly over Guyana's Coast."
And

"This 6 hour rainfall of 128.9mm or 5.1 inches which was recorded at the Botanical Gardens was the highest recorded data analysed for Georgetown since 1892... This morning's rainfall had an intensity of 21.5mm per hour, compared to 6.9mm per hour in 2005".

Where I live some 10km away the rain was heavy but not unusual for the season.

Modern slavery

Slavery is still with us. A BBC news item on a report just out describes the current stare of affairs:
Nearly 30 million people around the world are living as slaves, according to a new index ranking 162 countries.
The Global Slavery Index 2013 says India has the highest number of people living in conditions of slavery at 14 million.
But Mauritania has the highest proportional figure with about 4% of its population enslaved.

Guyanese author writes fantasy novel

The book: The Cripple and the Staff .

Author: M M Mancey available at Amazon (print and ebook).

Let me confess some bias here - the writer is my daughter. However it is a good read, better than many a fantasy book I have read over the years.
It does have some good reviews too. I only wrote one of them... An excellent first book. Needless to say there are very few Guyanese writers of fantasy or science fiction.

Belief in God Can Improve Mental Health Outcomes

A thought-provoking item but no surprise to those with a spirtual orientation:

" A new study suggests belief in God may significantly improve the outcome of those receiving short-term treatment for psychiatric illness."