Simon Aspinall, a leading environmentalist and author of books related to research on and protection of wildlife in the UAE, died at his home in Norfolk, England on October 31 after a valiant struggle against motor neurone disease. He was 53.
Mr Aspinall came to the UAE in 1993 to work at the National Avian Research Centre, now part of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) after working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Nature Conservancy Council and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Throwing himself into field research, he soon joined the Emirates Bird Records Committee. He quickly began publishing, and by late 1994 he had written or co-authored 10 papers and book chapters, including the UAE chapter in BirdLife International's Important Bird Areas in the Middle East, establishing the Emirates on the map of regional ornithology. In 1996, came his first book, Status & Conservation of the Breeding Birds of the United Arab Emirates.
In 1997, he struck out on his own as an ecological consultant. He also led studies for the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey,or ADIAS, relying on his keen eye to identify many new archaeological and fossil sites.
As environmental surveys became increasingly a matter of standard practice, Mr Aspinall rapidly built up his consultancy business, working with BirdLife International and Unesco on plans for nature reserves and biosphere reserves in Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq.
But his primary interest remained birds. In the last two years alone, his books included a third edition of Breeding Birds of the UAE, and, with colleagues, the highly-acclaimed second edition of Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East, the official Checklist of the Birds of the United Arab Emirates, Birds of the UAE and, to be released this month, the Field Guide to the Birds of the United Arab Emirates. All were sponsored by EAD.
More than an author, Mr Aspinall was also a relentless observer. He was the first person to have recorded 400 bird species in the UAE, out of a current total of 448, and was the finder of first record for a remarkable 23 species.
Mr Aspinall was never, however, interested only in birds. He was fascinated by terrestrial ecology and by palaeontology; he made several major Late Miocene fossil finds in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region. And this led to more books. In 2004, he was co-editor of Jebel Hafit – A Natural History, followed the next year by another joint production, The Emirates: A Natural History.
His books and more than 100 reports and papers have done much to introduce the country’s environment to an international audience. In 1997, with most of his career in the Emirates ahead of him, he was presented with the Sheikh Mubarak bin Mohammed Award, the UAE’s premier environmental award. And as an engaging and inspiring colleague in the field, he was ever ready to share his expertise with others.
Increasingly crippled by disease, Mr Aspinall last visited the UAE last November. He remained actively engaged, however, completing his UAE Field Guide in August, serving on the bird records committee until September .
In her introduction to the Field Guide to the Birds of the UAE, the Secretary General of EAD, Razan Al Mubarak, pays this tribute: “I take particular pleasure in acknowledging the contribution made by Simon Aspinall over the last two decades to studies of the UAE’s environment ... His books on the topic, including this one, provide the foundations on which others will be able to build for many, many years to come.”
Other tributes have come from senior UAE officials, conservation organisations throughout the region, from bird watching friends and from those inspired by his books and his conservation efforts.
“We are lucky that we had someone like him,” the Emirati birdwatcher Khalifa Al Dhaheri said recently. “We are proud that he dedicated himself to document the wildlife of the UAE. RIP, Simon.”
He never married and is survived by his parents, Jack and Sylvia, his brother, Richard, and his sister-in-law Marsailidh.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
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Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
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The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
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Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
