"Only when the last tree has been cut down; only when the last river has been poisoned; only when the last fish has been caught; only then you will find that money cannot be eaten." -- American Indian proverb
Powdered rhino horn. Sliced manta ray gills. One ounce black bear bile. Shaved turtle shell.
What looks like a recipe for a witch's vile brew is in fact a list of ingredients used in various traditional Oriental medicines. Despite all evidence to the contrary, too many people believe that these ingredients will increase virility, boost the immune system, or cure any number of ailments. As a result, many species are at high risk of becoming extinct due to poaching.
The black market for rhino horns alone has caused the population to plummet by 90% over the past 40 years. The animals that remain in the wild are in protected reserves, but even then they aren't safe. Conservationists have been forced to take drastic measures to protect the animals, including:
Posting armed rangers to guard the animals 24 hours a day. Unfortunately determined poachers will not hesitate to bribe or even kill the guards in order to get their booty.
Hiring professional veterinarians to safely remove the rhino's horns to lessen the animal's appeal.
Injecting a toxic solution into the rhino's horn that turns it pink. It doesn't affect the animal, but if the pink horn is ingested it causes severe gastrointestinal distress.
Rhinos aren't the only animals in need of protection. Elephants, narwhals, and walrus are constantly targeted for their tusks despite an international ban on ivory. Sharks are dying by the millions because their fins are chopped off to be used in soups. Many types of whale are being hunted illegally. Tigers are sought for their skins and bones.
What's worse is that the media contributes to the problem. It upsets me greatly to see news stories like "This rare animal was thought to be gone but it has been seen HERE". What that does is paint a huge target on the animal and its habitat. Not only will scientists and animal-watchers descend on the area but poachers will also, endangering the animal even more. If an extremely rare animal is found it should be left in peace, its habitat kept secret if possible, so hopefully it will be able to propagate.
It has been estimated that over 1800 species of plants and animals worldwide are endangered because of human activity. Once they are gone, they are gone forever. More people and governments must take action to quell the senseless slaughter of creatures that have just as much right to exist as we do.
I hope that my grandchildren will be able to see a real rhinoceros or elephant, not just a model of one in a museum or a picture in a book.
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Thursday, 6 June 2013
People Forget the Bad Stuff
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." -- Winston Churchill
How soon people forget.
Today is June 6th. 69 years ago today, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy.
Where are the commemorations?
My local newspaper had nothing this morning, so I looked online and what I found was disheartening. No Google Doodle. A blog about the Battle of Stony Creek that occurred on the same date in 1812. A slide show of 29 photos on Yahoo News Canada. A short video on the CTV News web site.
I finally found stories on the CBC web site and Yahoo Canada News by searching for "D-Day", and both articles were posted only three hours ago - as if the subject were an afterthought. The only mention on the CBC main page itself is a tiny photo that links to the original radio broadcast of the invasion.
The only site that seems to be giving the event any decent coverage is CNN.
It's an insult to all who fought and died that day.
How soon people forget.
Today is June 6th. 69 years ago today, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy.
Where are the commemorations?
My local newspaper had nothing this morning, so I looked online and what I found was disheartening. No Google Doodle. A blog about the Battle of Stony Creek that occurred on the same date in 1812. A slide show of 29 photos on Yahoo News Canada. A short video on the CTV News web site.
I finally found stories on the CBC web site and Yahoo Canada News by searching for "D-Day", and both articles were posted only three hours ago - as if the subject were an afterthought. The only mention on the CBC main page itself is a tiny photo that links to the original radio broadcast of the invasion.
The only site that seems to be giving the event any decent coverage is CNN.
It's an insult to all who fought and died that day.
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Endangered Bees
We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne. -- Marcus Aurelius
In September of 2011, millions of bees in Florida's Breward County mysteriously died in one day. Local farmers and beekeepers suspected that pesticide spraying was to blame.
In March 2012, an Illinois beekeeper's hives were illegally seized and destroyed by the Department of Agriculture, who claimed that the bees were infected with a disease. The farmer insisted that his bees were healthy and the only reason they were taken was because he had been researching the effects of the pesticide known as Roundup.
The agricultural giant Monsanto has been suing farmers to protect their "patented seed technology"; all because honeybees land on Monsanto’s genetically-modified crop fields and cross pollenate them with the organic plants at the farmers' fields nearby.
In April 2012 Monsanto bought out a research firm that specialized in bee disorders, for the apparent purpose of using that research to deny any link between genetically-modified crops and the honeybee decline.
All of the above cases, and more, make it clear that corporations are taking more aggressive and even illegal actions to control our food supply. Even honeybees are considered a threat, to the point where bees are actively being exterminated despite warnings from the scientific community that pollination is vital to our crops and to humanity's well-being.
Many environmentally conscious groups are advocating the use of yards as personal farms; their motto being "Grow food, not lawns". Unfortunately there are municipalities that have bylaws requiring grass to be planted, and hefty fines have been levied against homeowners who grow vegetables on their property. So it's a good idea to check first.
I for one am thinking about turning my back yard into a vegetable garden. Wish me luck.
In September of 2011, millions of bees in Florida's Breward County mysteriously died in one day. Local farmers and beekeepers suspected that pesticide spraying was to blame.
In March 2012, an Illinois beekeeper's hives were illegally seized and destroyed by the Department of Agriculture, who claimed that the bees were infected with a disease. The farmer insisted that his bees were healthy and the only reason they were taken was because he had been researching the effects of the pesticide known as Roundup.
The agricultural giant Monsanto has been suing farmers to protect their "patented seed technology"; all because honeybees land on Monsanto’s genetically-modified crop fields and cross pollenate them with the organic plants at the farmers' fields nearby.
In April 2012 Monsanto bought out a research firm that specialized in bee disorders, for the apparent purpose of using that research to deny any link between genetically-modified crops and the honeybee decline.
All of the above cases, and more, make it clear that corporations are taking more aggressive and even illegal actions to control our food supply. Even honeybees are considered a threat, to the point where bees are actively being exterminated despite warnings from the scientific community that pollination is vital to our crops and to humanity's well-being.
Many environmentally conscious groups are advocating the use of yards as personal farms; their motto being "Grow food, not lawns". Unfortunately there are municipalities that have bylaws requiring grass to be planted, and hefty fines have been levied against homeowners who grow vegetables on their property. So it's a good idea to check first.
I for one am thinking about turning my back yard into a vegetable garden. Wish me luck.
Friday, 24 May 2013
Ni-hao America
Learn without thinking begets ignorance. Think without learning is dangerous. -- Confucius
These days many of our consumables, from clothing to electronics, are manufactured in Asia under conditions that are considered highly unsafe but are tolerated because of lower production costs. In the end it is the workers and little people who suffer.
That suffering is being felt on both sides of the ocean now, because of shady business practises and contaminated goods. Just this morning, quality concerns with a Chinese producer of acetaminophen have prompted a recall of four fever medications for children. Earlier in the week, batches of honey produced in China were subject to recall due to chemicals in the honey.
From time to time we hear about childrens' toys or jewelry made in China that contains lead or other harmful substances. And we can't forget the 2008 incident in China where over 50,000 babies were hospitalized because of infant formula adulterated with melamine. And this despite a melamine ban that had been imposed the previous year!
Who puts PLASTIC in foodstuffs? Who puts TOXINS in childrens' toys? The answer: people who care about money more than they care about people's health. So a few children die from their products... there are too many people in the world already, right?
We need to pay closer attention to these things.
Since I don't grow my own food I am becoming increasingly careful about what I buy and where it originated. For example, pick up two otherwise identical cans of fruit salad and look at the labels. One says Made in U.S.A. and the other says Made in China. The U.S.-produced one will most likely be at least 50 cents more expensive, but I would prefer to pay that extra 50 cents to be assured that the contents are safer.
Typically I avoid fresh produce that does not originate in North America. But that is no guarantee. Those California strawberries might have been treated with waxes or sprays so they don't ripen before they reach a market in Canada. That batch of bell peppers from Mexico might have been irrigated with contaminated water. I have even seen reports of merchants openly spraying produce displays with insecticide to keep fruit flies away. And washing produce before eating it doesn't always remove contaminants since the plant absorbs everything from the environment.
Some people have said that the only way to make a difference is to boycott Asian products. Realistically that probably won't work, because we depend too much on products from overseas. Take a look at the label of almost anything you see and it will be marked as made somewhere in Asia. Even the winter boots I bought last year, an expensive brand that was marketed as Canadian, had a tiny label inside them that said Made in China. No wonder they didn't last; the quality of Chinese-made goods is abysmal.
There is a need for clear regulation in these industries, and it must be consistently enforced. And we need to start shifting production back here. For the jobs, for the economy, and for the safety of millions of people.
These days many of our consumables, from clothing to electronics, are manufactured in Asia under conditions that are considered highly unsafe but are tolerated because of lower production costs. In the end it is the workers and little people who suffer.
That suffering is being felt on both sides of the ocean now, because of shady business practises and contaminated goods. Just this morning, quality concerns with a Chinese producer of acetaminophen have prompted a recall of four fever medications for children. Earlier in the week, batches of honey produced in China were subject to recall due to chemicals in the honey.
From time to time we hear about childrens' toys or jewelry made in China that contains lead or other harmful substances. And we can't forget the 2008 incident in China where over 50,000 babies were hospitalized because of infant formula adulterated with melamine. And this despite a melamine ban that had been imposed the previous year!
Who puts PLASTIC in foodstuffs? Who puts TOXINS in childrens' toys? The answer: people who care about money more than they care about people's health. So a few children die from their products... there are too many people in the world already, right?
We need to pay closer attention to these things.
Since I don't grow my own food I am becoming increasingly careful about what I buy and where it originated. For example, pick up two otherwise identical cans of fruit salad and look at the labels. One says Made in U.S.A. and the other says Made in China. The U.S.-produced one will most likely be at least 50 cents more expensive, but I would prefer to pay that extra 50 cents to be assured that the contents are safer.
Typically I avoid fresh produce that does not originate in North America. But that is no guarantee. Those California strawberries might have been treated with waxes or sprays so they don't ripen before they reach a market in Canada. That batch of bell peppers from Mexico might have been irrigated with contaminated water. I have even seen reports of merchants openly spraying produce displays with insecticide to keep fruit flies away. And washing produce before eating it doesn't always remove contaminants since the plant absorbs everything from the environment.
Some people have said that the only way to make a difference is to boycott Asian products. Realistically that probably won't work, because we depend too much on products from overseas. Take a look at the label of almost anything you see and it will be marked as made somewhere in Asia. Even the winter boots I bought last year, an expensive brand that was marketed as Canadian, had a tiny label inside them that said Made in China. No wonder they didn't last; the quality of Chinese-made goods is abysmal.
There is a need for clear regulation in these industries, and it must be consistently enforced. And we need to start shifting production back here. For the jobs, for the economy, and for the safety of millions of people.
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Classic Playthings
"You will always be your child's favorite toy." -- Vicki Lansky
We have a large orange telephone-shaped plushie that has a huge smile on the front. It was originally mine - a gift from my older brother when I was about four, and I referred to it as my "long distance telephone". I thought of it today when I saw a commercial for yet another inane comic book-inspired plastic gizmo, and wondered how many young people will keep their possessions in good condition and pass them on to their own kids?
Most of my own childhood toys and stuffed animals were given to my young nephews before I moved away from home. However I kept a few very special items that include the plush telephone, a set of plush Ninja Turtles, a pair of maracas that I had bought with my own money on a family vacation to the Bahamas, and a framed whimsical print of a tiger with an owl sitting on its tail by an artist named Margot Johnson. These are now on prominent display in our daughter's room.
Classic playthings such as unique stuffed animals, hand-made dolls, and wooden blocks are becoming increasingly rare. Take a look at almost any children's toy now and it will be made mostly of plastic, and might contain some kind of electronic component that flashes lights and makes sounds. We all know that plastics are made from oil. Electronics contain gold and other valuable elements that are necessary for their function. These substances are removed from the ground in vast quantities every day to create make mundane objects, including childrens' toys. However those same substances are finite. Should people really continue to use vast quantities of limited resources to make flashy toys for children, toys that might end up in a landfill somewhere when they break because it's next to impossible for the average person to fix them?
Read "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas and you'll find that many children were happy with hand-crafted wooden toys and cloth dolls (plus treats of fruit and candy). They didn't need fancy accessories to make their own fun. Even today, there are kids who can find more fun with a cardboard box than with most other things. So why do we continue to bombard children with advertisements featuring the latest moulded plastic figurine to roll off a mechanized assembly line?
Never mind, I know the answer. Money. Plus harried parents who are too quick to satitate their kids' desire for instant gratification. It all reminds me of the scene from the film 'Babe' where the grandfather has made a beautiful doll house by hand, only to be tearfully told by the child that she wanted 'the one on the television'.
One day the oil will run out, and people will be far too occupied with survival than with plastic toys.
We have a large orange telephone-shaped plushie that has a huge smile on the front. It was originally mine - a gift from my older brother when I was about four, and I referred to it as my "long distance telephone". I thought of it today when I saw a commercial for yet another inane comic book-inspired plastic gizmo, and wondered how many young people will keep their possessions in good condition and pass them on to their own kids?
Most of my own childhood toys and stuffed animals were given to my young nephews before I moved away from home. However I kept a few very special items that include the plush telephone, a set of plush Ninja Turtles, a pair of maracas that I had bought with my own money on a family vacation to the Bahamas, and a framed whimsical print of a tiger with an owl sitting on its tail by an artist named Margot Johnson. These are now on prominent display in our daughter's room.
Classic playthings such as unique stuffed animals, hand-made dolls, and wooden blocks are becoming increasingly rare. Take a look at almost any children's toy now and it will be made mostly of plastic, and might contain some kind of electronic component that flashes lights and makes sounds. We all know that plastics are made from oil. Electronics contain gold and other valuable elements that are necessary for their function. These substances are removed from the ground in vast quantities every day to create make mundane objects, including childrens' toys. However those same substances are finite. Should people really continue to use vast quantities of limited resources to make flashy toys for children, toys that might end up in a landfill somewhere when they break because it's next to impossible for the average person to fix them?
Read "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas and you'll find that many children were happy with hand-crafted wooden toys and cloth dolls (plus treats of fruit and candy). They didn't need fancy accessories to make their own fun. Even today, there are kids who can find more fun with a cardboard box than with most other things. So why do we continue to bombard children with advertisements featuring the latest moulded plastic figurine to roll off a mechanized assembly line?
Never mind, I know the answer. Money. Plus harried parents who are too quick to satitate their kids' desire for instant gratification. It all reminds me of the scene from the film 'Babe' where the grandfather has made a beautiful doll house by hand, only to be tearfully told by the child that she wanted 'the one on the television'.
One day the oil will run out, and people will be far too occupied with survival than with plastic toys.
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