Rapid changes in the vegetation of a shallow pond in Epping Forest, related to recent droughts

Over much of Britain, 1995 and 1996 have been perceived as drought years. To evaluate the impact that local climatic conditions are having upon successional changes in higher vegetation (macrophytes), Speakmans Pond in Epping Forest was surveyed and mapped in 1996. The results are related to previous vegetation surveys carried out in 1989 and 1991. In 1989 the dominant marginal vegetation was floating sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans, which also covered a major part of the main body of the pond. Other abundant species included soft rush Juncus effusus, reed mace Typha latifolia and yellow flag Iris pseudocorus. A small (central) area of open water contained bladderwort Utricularia vulgaris and white water-lily Nymphaea alba. A similar plant coverage was found in 1991, with a dominance of floating sweet-grass along the shallow eastern edge. A marked change in the pond was found during the 1996 survey of vegetation in July, when the pool was dry. The major plant cover now consisted of creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera, with isolated clumps of Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus around the edges; both are terrestrial grasses found on land surrounding the pond. Rushes (Juncus) had increased their distribution round the margins of the pond, and the patch of yellow flag noted in 1989 and 1991 was not found in 1996. The deeper trenches were also dry, but a small patch of white water-lily remained adjacent to one of the trenches

Covenant loyalty and the goodness of God: a study in the theology of James

The problem of what, if anything, brings continuity of thought to the exhortations found in the New Testament Letter of James has perplexed, and continues to perplex interpreters of this letter. Indeed, for Martin Dibelius the literary character of this letter provided no opportunity for the development, or elaboration of religious ideas. In view of this fact, Dibelius concluded that the Letter of James has no theology. In this present consideration of James, it is demonstrated that Dibelius' view of James as lacking a developed theology is quite mistaken. In contrast to Dibelius' opinion, James' employment and development of convenant thought provides the letter with continuity of thought, as the author uses it to challenge the 'defective' theology of the implied audience, whilst establishing his own alternative theology. The thesis proceeds by examining three aspects of covenant thought (God's character, the nature of the convenant relationship, and the threat of assimilation) in the context of the Old Testament and other Jewish sources. Then the indictment of the implied audience, found in Jas 4:1-6, is considered in order to establish whether or not covenant thought is a significant factor in James' theology. This consideration establishes that James employs and develops covenant thought, and on this basis the following chapters proceed to investigate the role this ideology performs in the exhortations of Jas 1-2. Finally, a summary analysis of the remainder of the letter (3:1-18; 4:7-5:20) confirms that covenant thought is influential throughout the whole letter. Consequently, it is evident that covenant thought performs a significant role in the theology and ethics of the Letter of James as he seeks to combat the 'defective' theology of the implied audience whose unfaithfulness is related to their misunderstanding of both God's character and their relationship to him

Dark Continent

Dark Continent is a collection of poetry centering on a concurrent chronology of the poet and a fictional character named Mandrake, who is an expression of the poet’s psychic territory. This work explores the nature of growing up in Zimbabwe, the duality of the self, the self in relation to danger, and how the self can be lost within the larger continent of the psyche. The work employs both formal and free verse structures, which serves to heighten the duality of the perception of the speaker in relation to the idea of tradition