The uppermost Albian and lowermost Cenomanian succession at Abouda Plage, north of Agadir, in the Agadir Basin, western Morocco, is described in detail, and ammonites, microcrinoids and planktonic foraminifera are recorded and illustrated. The lower part of the Aït Lamine Formation yields ammonites indicative of the Pervinquieria (Subschloenbachia) rostrata and P. (S.) perinflata ammonite zones, and the Thalmanninella appenninica planktonic foraminiferan Zone. The base of the Cenomanian is identified at 42.2 m above the base of the Aït Lamine Formation, based on the lowest occurrence of the planktonic foraminiferan Thalmanninella globotruncanoides Sigal, 1948. Lower Cenomanian ammonites of the Graysonites adkinsi Zone enter 3 m higher in the succession. Microcrinoid zones AlR11 and AlR12 are identified in the Upper Albian, and the base of the CeR1 Zone coincides with the lowest occurrence of Cenomanian ammonites. The ammonite and microcrinoid occurrences and detailed distributions are very similar to those found in north central Texas, which, in the Cenomanian, was 5,300 km to the west. The new records suggest that the G. adkinsi Zone is equivalent to the uppermost (Lower Cenomanian) part of the Pleurohoplites briacensis Zone of the Global Stratotype Section for the base of the Cenomanian stage. An hiatus, of global extent, immediately underlies the base of the G. adkinsi Zone and is represented in the Agadir Basin by an erosion surface containing bored and encrusted hiatus concretions.

The late Trappist monk and prolific author, Thomas Merton, was intensely concerned with the self – or to be more precise, with the desire to break free from the tyranny of the self he took to be his identity. His early years in France and England were marked by a sense of loss and dislocation. After leaving Cambridge for Columbia, his subsequent life in America and decision to be baptised a Catholic at the age of 23 eventually led to his taking vows as a Cistercian monk. On taking the name Frater Louis, the ‘world’ with all its temptations and unresolved issues had been left safely behind along with his old identity. Or so he thought. In fact, Merton’s years as a Trappist led to a best-selling autobiography written under obedience to his abbot and many more books to follow. Compared at the time of its publication to St Augustine’s Confessions, the autobiography led to his international renown as Thomas Merton. He voiced his disquiet over what he called ‘this shadow, this double, this writer who […] followed me into the cloister … I cannot lose him.’ In time, Merton came to the realisation – through the lived experience and voracious reading of the Bible, St Augustine, the mystics, the individuation process propounded by Jung, Zen Buddhism and others – that the ‘self’ he was trying to escape was, in fact, largely a ‘false’ self driven by the ego. This paper traces Merton’s journey from that self to the authentic self which is found in God, and in transcendence. Obsession with ‘the self’ as understood in the 21st century makes the study of Merton’s path to selfhood much more vital. The advent of the ‘Selfie’, the self-promotion that social media afford and the examples of narcissistic individuals in positions of power give the lie to the lives in which self-consciousness is confused with self-realisation. Nothing, as Merton discovered, could be further from the truth.

The use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to control insect pests has already been established in various agronomic and forest crops. It is a bacterium that does not pollute the environment, is safe for mammals and vertebrates, lacks toxicity to plants and specifically targets insects. To date in-depth studies have not been conducted about the use of Bt to control the main pest of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) and other Meliaceae species, the Hypsipyla grandella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Therefore, this study aimed to test the pathogenicity of Bt strains on H. grandella caterpillars, as well to determine the lethal concentration required to kill 50% of the population (LC50) of the most promising strains. Ten strains of Bt toxic to lepidopteran proven in previous trials were used and these were incorporated into a natural diet with mahogany seeds to check their mortality. The LC50 of the top five strains was determined. The results indicate that H. grandella is highly susceptible to Bt toxins and the S1905 strain is highly toxic. Therefore, the use of Bt strains may be a tool to be incorporated into the integrated management of this important pest.

The coastal regions of southwest India which falls in the tropical regime, have witnessed many transgression-regression events and climatic extremes in the Quaternary Period. A core, 15 m long, was recovered from the floodplains associated with a typical backwater body (lake) in the southwestern coast of India. The granulometric analysis proved dominance of sand and silt fractions and extremely high energy conditions over the entire core. The TOC/TN ratio indicated a domination of the C4-type over the C3-type plants in the lower half of the core, suggesting a warm climate. The C3-type plants prevail in the upper part of the core, thus reflecting cool and wet environments. Extremely low values of TOC/TN ratio (0.33% to 10%) of the core indicate short periods of very high rainfall events and the rapid influx of nutrients to the basin and the eutrophication of the basin. The presence of slightly brackish, brackish/marine and marine benthic foraminifers at 12.5–9 m depth indicates episodes of transgression and regression. The derived AMS radiocarbon dates suggest the Marine Isotope Stage 3 for the lower part of the core.