Whale killings

"There are over 80 species of cetaceans, a group made up of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Despite many protections including a moratorium on whaling since 1986, many species of cetaceans continue to be threatened – with some on the verge of extinction"

The world's great whales were hunted to near extinction in the previous century, and despite a global moratorium on commercial whaling, several countries continue to whale commercially - Norway and Iceland using objections to the moratorium, Japan under the guise of 'scientific research'.

(from WWF)

Despite a global whaling ban, the survival of whales, dolphins and porpoises continues to be threatened by commercial trade, pollution, over-fishing and depletion of the ozone layer.

Japan is the main trading culprit. The country’s government continues to authorize hunting of more than 1,000 great whales a year – under the guise of “scientific whaling.” It also has regularly authorized the annual killing of an estimated 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and small whales – collectively known as small cetaceans – in poorly regulated and unsustainable coastal hunts. The meat is then sold to supermarkets and restaurants across the country.

(source: extract from http://www.eia-global.org/species_in_peril/whales_dolphins_purposes.html)

Whale killings


Aftermath of a Japanese whale hunt




Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales. Industrial whaling emerged with organised fleets in the 17th century; competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the introduction of factory ships along with the concept of whale harvesting in the first half of the 20th century.

As technology increased and demand for the resources remained, catches far exceeded the sustainable limit for whale stocks. In the late 1930s more than 50,000 whales were killed annually and by the middle of the century whale stocks were not being replenished. In 1986 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling so that stocks might recover.

While the moratorium has been successful in averting the extinction of whale species due to overhunting, contemporary whaling is subject to intense debate. Pro-whaling countries, notably Japan, wish to lift the ban on stocks that they claim have recovered sufficiently to sustain limited hunting. Anti-whaling countries and environmental groups say whale species remain vulnerable and that whaling is immoral, unsustainable, and should remain banned permanently.

Whaling began in prehistoric times and was initially confined to (near) coastal waters. Early whaling affected the development of widely disparate cultures—such as Norway and Japan. Although prehistoric hunting and gathering is generally considered to have had little ecological impact, early whaling in the Arctic may have altered freshwater ecology. The development of modern whaling techniques was spurred in the 19th century by the increase in demand for whale oil, sometimes known as "train oil" and in the 20th century by a demand for margarine and later meat.

Whale oil is little used today and modern commercial whaling is done for food. The primary species hunted are the common minke whale and Antarctic minke whale, two of the smallest species of baleen whales.

(source: extract from wikipedia)

Traditional whaling is mainly at coastal areas and for own consumptions by indigenous peoples for oils and meats, it was sustainable. But modern whaling is now mainly for food, commercially for global market, and there is the problem of overhunting merely for profits, causing much ecological problems.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC)

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up under the ICRW to decide hunting quotas and other relevant matters based on the findings of its Scientific Committee. Non-member countries are not bound by its regulations and conduct their own management programs.

The IWC voted on July 23, 1982, to establish a moratorium on commercial whaling beginning in the 1985–86 season. Since 1992, the IWC's Scientific Committee has requested that it be allowed to give quota proposals for some whale stocks, but this has so far been refused by the Plenary Committee.

At the 2010 meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Morocco, representatives of the 88 member nations discussed whether or not to lift the 24 year ban on commercial whaling. Japan, Norway and Iceland have urged the organization to lift the ban. A coalition of anti-whaling nations has offered a compromise plan that would allow these countries to continue whaling, but with smaller catches and under close supervision. Their plan would also completely ban whaling in the Southern Ocean. More than 200 scientists and experts have opposed the compromise proposal for lifting the ban, and have also opposed allowing whaling in the Southern Ocean, which was declared a whale sanctuary in 1994. Opponents of the compromise plan want to see an end to all commercial whaling, but are willing to allow subsistence-level catches by indigenous peoples.

Stop eating whale meat if you are not indigenous peoples who traditionally depended on whale oils and whale meat. If you are not whale meat eater, then do not start it..... Save our whales...

Further readings

1. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) official website, http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission/iwcmain.htm
2. EIA in the USA, http://www.eia-global.org/species_in_peril/whales_dolphins_purposes.html
3. Whaling, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling
4. Japan Whaling Association, http://www.whaling.jp/english/
5. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/

Children of Tsunami

‘Build back better’ has made concrete improvements for children five years after the tsunami

Still remember Tsunami, in 2004, boxing day

A natural disaster that hit the world, and it happen in places close to you. It was shock, it was unbelievable.... no one was prepared, or warned of the coming disaster...

Some were talking about environmental protection; Mangrove Swamp, Coral, and all the marine and nature protection....

Some have just had their Christmas Eve parties, and Christmas celebration.....joy become sadness.....

It happen in Penang, Phuket Island, Bandar Acheh; Sri Langka, Burma, India.....

It was Tsunami , Tsunami of Indian Ocean.....in 2004 Boxing Day. This is the 5th years from the disaster.

The Tsunami
On the morning of 26 December 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter Scale originated about 150 kilometres northwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. This massive tremor distorted the ocean floor, forcing the overlying water into waves as high as 25 meters (80 feet), and propelled them towards coasts in all directions along the Indian Ocean rim. This covered coastal countries of Asia and Africa.

This was a ‘Tsunami.’ A Japanese word, ‘Tsunami’ means ‘harbour wave.’ It refers to a wave in an ocean or lake that is created by an underwater event.

Much of the tsunami’s devastation was on the coasts of South Asia and South East Asia – with India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand suffering the most damage. Many coastal villages and towns in these countries were completely destroyed or badly damaged. Among the other affected countries were Malaysia, Maldives and Myanmar in Asia, and Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania in Africa.

Being responsible for over 300,000 deaths and millions of displacements, the 2004 Tsunami was one of the worst known natural disasters of all time. It tore through whole seaside communities and often devastated them irreparably. Despite help from all over the world, many of those affected are still trying to rebuild their shattered lives.

(http://www.childrenoftsunami.info/)

What is Children of Tsunami
Children of Tsunami is an Asia Pacific regional communications initiative tracking how ordinary people rebuild lives and livelihoods after the Asian tsunami disaster.

It is originated, coordinated and managed by TVE Asia Pacific, a regionally operating not-for-profit media organisation engaged in communication for sustainable development.

Asia’s recovery process is being captured through the experiences of eight children and families. This will be done through monthly visits to the same families throughout 2005.

We are covering the four most highly affected countries: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In each country, locally based film-makers and journalists will be researching, filming and editing the stories.

Children of Tsunami is a truly multimedia project, with customised outputs on broadcast television, video, web and print media.

These media products will reach wide and varied audiences throughout Asia Pacific, as well as in Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. We hope to engage TV audiences, educational users and civil society networks.

Children of Tsunami: No More Tears: A documentary film

Children of Tsunami: No More Tears is a documentary film that shows the lives of eight children in four Asian countries during the year following the Indian Ocean tsunami that hit South and Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004.

The film was shot in eight locations in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand and shows three girls and two boys aged eight to 16 yearsfrom different backgrounds and nationalities. All the children are from average families affected by the disaster in different ways: some lost their loved ones; others lost their homes and property or were thrown out of their jobs.

The film was one of several media outputs of the Children of Tsunami media project launched by TVEAP Asia Pacific, a non-profit media foundation.

They have never met each other. Some have never travelled beyond their native village. On December 26 2004, the sea rose and rose and took everything they cherished.

Documented over the year, locally-based filmmakers returned to Asia's battered coasts in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand to track the healing and the hurt through the eyes of children.

Asia's recovery process from the tsunami is being captured through the stories of three girls and two boys aged 8 to 16 years.

Of different races, worshipping different Gods, they live on different shores in different countries. They are the tsunami generation, sharing the vulnerability of a child and the legacy of the tragic tides.

Young survivors of the Asian tsunami let us into their lives to personalise the mass of statistics, aid pledges and recovery plans. "Children of Tsunami" is a tapestry of intimate stories, woven by voices of individual and collective resilience, heroism and recovery

The eight children featured in Children of Tsunami project were: Selvam (13) of Tamil Nadu, India, Mala (11) also of Tamil Nadu, India, Putri (8) of Aceh, Indonesia, Yenni (15) also of Aceh, Indonesia, Heshani (13) of Matara, Sri Lanka, Theeban (14) of Sri Lanka, Bao (16) of Phang Nga, Thailand and Beam (8) of Phang Nga, Thailand.







Remember these children.....5 years later...

NEW YORK, USA, 22 December 2009 - Building back better has been the mission of UNICEFs recovery work in the countries that were devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami five years ago.

Some 230,000 people perished in the tsunami on December 26, 2004, which also washed away homes, schools and communities - many of them already poor and remote. In the years since, the task of rebuilding after the tragedy has been viewed as an opportunity to bring improved social services, clean water, and sturdier schools to the tsunami-affected areas.

To give children a much-needed head-start in life, UNICEF and its partners have - in the past five years - built nearly 100 health centres, equipped more than 7,000 health centres, and trained some 60,200 healthcare workers.

UNICEF has also supported campaigns for mass vaccination, mosquito net distribution and nutritional monitoring.

Though the five-year anniversary of the tsunami will bring much sadness to the Indian Ocean region, the massive recovery efforts in education, health and sanitation will ensure that those who were affected will also have a bright future to look forward to.

(source: http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_52239.html)



(source: UNICEF)

Switch off the computer while not in use

If you support Earth Hour,then the next step to continue the noble purpose, is to switch off the computer while not in use or overnight.

The 2009 PC Energy Report revealed that all the power wasted while computers are sitting idle on overnight mode added up to US Dollars $2.8 Billion wasted on excess energy cost each year in USA alone; it is 300 million sterling pounds for UK, and 918 Million Euro for Germany.... and there are many countries,like Japan, India, China ..... imagine the excess energy cost globally?

It was reported by the CEO of IE Mr Sumir Karayi, if all the world's 1 billion PC were powered down for just one night, it would save enough energy to light up New York City's Empire State Building for more than 30 years... it is an amazing figure(visit www.1e.com). You can download the report. IE is the market leader in PC Power management software.

The PC will function better, if we start the PC regularly; and nightly shutdown will avoid the sudden reboot during the day while you are in most productive hours.

It is time we support another good act, switch off the computer for 1 hour.

Computer Hour, shut down computer for one hour. Why not?