Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Screw giving people the benefit of the doubt. Nine out of ten times the person is guilty of what they are accused!

(Note: this is an observation, not a statistic. Also, in political circumstances it more like five to five because half the time they're just trying to get rid of the opposition.)

We were walking through Bangkok airport and at the baggage claim the tv has a slide with a slow loris saying 'Stop Wildlife Trafficking' or something along those lines. And it made me think. (No seriously, I do that.)

I mean, how often do you think someone who traffics wildlife actually gets caught? Looking around, even in the middle of the night, I could see several people who looked suspicious. Of course, you can't just go all Homeland Security on them without warrant in a foreign country. So that day, through that airport, I bet hundreds of animals were tortured in bags everywhere.

And I mean, they threaten you, they really do. 'You will be caught.' 'Fines of up to -insert number here-!' 'Jail time.' Yeah right. They made a big deal out of it when Wong served 6 months. That's it! Of course I wonder why after all these years and all this awareness, we still can't control the Illegal Wildlife Trade. But then I remember we can't even get our economies or governments in order because we're all so in love with buying cheap low quality goods of China and these ghostly investors who have priority over everyone else.

After that, I just think about how screwed all the normal people and animals are.

The Yellowstone River is...Black?

Ya know, lately I've been hearing a lot of complaining about negative people. So this morning I decided to try to make this next post positive.

'Try' being the key word. I didn't get that far. But then again, this blog wouldn't be what it is without my constant ragging cynicism.

So I picked up this story. I'm sure a lot of you have heard about that lovely ExxonMobil spill into the Yellowstone river in Montana.

Feels like a cheap attempt at replicating the BP spill into the gulf last summer. I mean, no one can deny the investment appeal of a giant corporation trying valiantly to cover their butts and pretend to care about the environment, meanwhile laundering money pointlessly and leaving it to independent organizations and charities to do all the work. Right?

Right. The quarterly and annual profits actually went up after the spill. We're so environmentally friendly, we give them more money after we realize just how wholly incompetent they are. And we don't even make them pay half of what they owe for their stupid, stupid stunt. Not even half. I assure you they have the kind of dough to pay it off easily. About a year after the oil spill, though, we hear nothing of what is still happening under the water at this very moment.

BP aside, Exxon is probably cashing in as we speak. Why, the governor of Montana even accused them of lying about statistics. All the better! Think of the kind of media exposure this gives them? For free?

What to me is the most amazing thing about this spill, however, it how Mr. Governor is handling it. Apparently, this guy actually studied soils and ag., so he knows what he's talking about. A first! And he's even going as far as to say that the data he receives and what he really sees don't match up. He's not trying to cover it up - he went on CNN and said plain enough that either they're really incompetent (unlikely for such an enormous corporation), or what they're telling us is straight up BS.

But who in the media doesn't enjoy some good ol' BS? That's what it's all about, after all.

The Imporant Things In Life

I was listening to an interview with this famous Thai philosopher, and he mentioned that people tend to overlook what they really need most in favor of material things that get them nowhere.  He said poor people can be happy if they choose to be happy with what little they have – he said most people that toil away in cities are never satisfied with what their lives come to.

This guy basically gave up everything to go live a life of nothingess in fields and on farms. And he said he was happier because he could really breathe. Away from material things he could be free, supporting himself like others by catching fish in the river and eating rice he grew himself. He asked people to think about all the people who lived like this who were displaced into urban areas to make way for dams and other good-for-growth type projects.

But I think the most interesting thing he said was that people have to not only learn to breathe and find inner peace and happiness (not Kung Fu Panda style, mind you), but learn when to say no. Sometimes it's good to say no to economic growth and stay where you are, in head of better things. There's more to life than fancy cars and big houses, and capitalism only wants you if you're planning to consume consumer consume. So why do that when you can be just as happy with what you already have?

I mean, think about what you really need. Food and water, you can go a week without. A home is superfluous. You need air! If we continue to pollute the world and run it into the ground, though we may have all the SUVs and crap in the world, will we be able to even live?

Hallways in the Rainforest

Panthera is crazy.


Tiger Corridors from Panthera Cats on Vimeo.

If they honestly believe that their dream of a 'tiger corridor' will ever be fully realized... they'll be dreaming for a loooong time. I believe that's what we call a coma?

That aside, I think it's great that they're trying to do this. It really does take some guts to go out lobbying for wildlife in countries ranging from India to Burma to Indonesia. These are countries so focused on following in the footsteps of great countries like Britain and the USA economically, and are really uninterested in anything that doesn't involve getting handphones and cable tv to their entire populations. Note that Britain ran out of its own forests in about the 1700's, if not before then. The need for resources is what triggered the whole 'colonialism' thing. So if we all follow the wonderful examples given to us by our European powers, what are the Asians going to colonize for their resources? Antarctica? Mars, perhaps? You tell me.

I mean, Panthera really is making progress. Just r e a a a a l l y....reaaallly....r e aaaaa l y s l o o o o o o o o o o o o o w w w l l y y y. Of all places, they managed to secure a whole valley in Burma! Again with these military regimes caring about the environment.

I don't get it.

In a way, though, I do. I had this conversation once with somebody, and they pointed out that in a place where the people are controlled so much, things like poaching and logging are much easier to monitor. I'm not saying we should all revert to communism, but it might help if we plan on doing anything about nature. Oh, that's right, I forgot. We don't have any plans of doing anything about conserving nature.

And lastly...how are the tigers going to know it's a corridor? I get the feeling a "tigers this way please" sign isn't going to work on them. I believe this is a concept that will be interesting to see play out. Between the tigers going the wrong way and the people throwing fits, I don't know which will prove worse to watch.

Naughty Barbie

Came across this and it made me lol. At least someone's ashamed of Barbie's bad habits....

Just, how many of donations do you think went to making this video?

Realizations of the Deep Jungle

I was watching Deep Jungle on tv the other day. And for once, a tv show actually made a point.

They were simply pointing out what caused the end to great empires and cities, like Angkor Wat. I mean back in the day, that place was booming. At 1000 square kilometers, you can imagine. That's bigger than NYC.  But what could cause the fall of such an empire?

Unsustainable expansion.

But development is inevitable, you shout. Wrong. We don't have to develop, aka continuing to destroy nature. It's just required to uphold the Ponsey(?) schemes we call economies. It eats growth - once there is no more capacity for growth, it collapses. Same exact concept here. They continued to cut down forest, farm and use the wood. They didn't know that there wasn't an endless supply of forest. They honestly didn't know any better when they decimated their landscape, and then Nature said 'You went too far' and the jungle reclaimed everything until about 400 years ago. I guess that's one point for the jungle.

See, my problem with this here is that in this 'information age' we know exactly what we are doing to the environment. We've known for years - it's not something new. We're not living thousands of years ago in the jungle without any thought of long-term consequences.

Yet we have the gall to call things like the manufacturing of endless cheapo goods in China, or the development of coastlines in south east asia 'progress'. But in our minds, we have not progressed from thousands of years ago. At least not all of us.

And in the end, this show points out, that us people...we think we're all just so different from the creatures that live around us. And we are, I guess. Just not in the way we thought. We're the only species on this earth with the capacity to save other species.

The question is, will we?

...by the looks of things, I think not. We're just heading toward being one big giant Angkor Wat. We're all gonna starve to death. :|

Asiatic Cheetahs

Asiatic cheetahs. They’re pretty different from their African cousins – for a start, they’re a heck of a lot furrier! They’ve got a sturdier build and much thicker neck, and strangely, a smaller head. Their coats, to me at least, seem darker and/or drabbier, but not in a bad way. In the blending-into-this-endless-sand kind of way.

Well isn't it cute? More pics at http://www.payvand.com/news/10/feb/1266.html

These are the animals that the Persian Empire and such used to train to hunt gazelles, back then aka dinner. These are animals that used to support entire empires, not 200 or 300 years ago. In all our gratitude, we have almost exterminated all of them, leaving a total population of about 60-100.

In Iran, no less. What makes this worth mention, though, is that President Ammacrazynutjob has actually taken action, and the country is currently running a decent breeding, studying and rehabilitation project, which has been doing well in its infancy (10 years old this year). I mean, the president didn’t have anything to do with it directly, but the fact that this project is allowed to operate and is well funded shows good for the guy. You know, even if he is the oppressive radical type that seems to abound in the region.

It's just that...if Iran can do it, anyone can. Seriously.

Check out the Iranian Cheetah Society's website. Seems pretty legit, no?

Highways, Highways, Highwaaaays!

World leaders may not agree on matters of diplomacy and fair governance, but they can agree on one thing. The world needs more highways! Whether it's Crazy Castro or Slippery Singh, they've all come to the same consensus. If you have nothing, this is aimed at you, for your benefit. We're gonna build highways through some of the world's most iconic places!

For what, you might ask? Money, of course. AKA development, for those of you still working out what the politically correct are really saying. 

You may not have plumbing, or a clean place to sleep. But rest assured, at this very moment your government is working on getting you your very own handphone. You might even get a car if you're lucky. 

A place to live is not included in this one-time only deal.

Sign up now! All that it will cost is just some old nature reserves that no one cares about anyways.

...Alright. Cheesy advertisement aside, I'm not kidding. We all know our governments are just the bee's knees, but really. 

Tanzania is currently in the process of trying to build a major highways through the Serengeti. Smart economic move, right? Wrong. About 30% of the Tanzanian economy is generated from tourism directly related to the Serengeti. Just to 'connect' the other side of the country, to which there is a road just a wee bit south of there. Go to http://www.savetheserengeti.org/ for more info. Note that I am encouraging you to do it outta good will, not because I'm just advertising and such. 

Next. Cuba. Not much to know about this one internet wise, because of the whole communist though-shalt-not-pass thing. So I mean there's very little to know. Just the usual, mining and oil-drilling companies are trying to sink their teeth into Cuban resources, conveniently placed right near one of the last strongholds for Cuban Crocodiles. And naturally, we need a four-lane highway to make that crap easier for them poor corporations. 

What might seem more relevant to this blog is the Indian catastrophe. Among other ludicrous plans for the country, they've decided that a 4-lane highway bordering one of the best know NP's was in order. They plan to change this muddy lane that is commonly accessed by some of the 30 tigers that are part of Corbett National Park into a lively industrial highway. Because their consumerism-based economy will start going back downhill if they don't keep the cash flowing. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=200250880021416&set=p.200250880021416&type=1&ref=nf As the caption finishes, "We need no external enemies. India has effective plans to destroy itself."

What Have Numbers Got To Do With It?

Just some numbers I've come across lately that are rather interesting.
We'll start with this. I was curious the other day, after some conversations with the parentals. And I found this.
http://www.earthsendangered.com/list_html.asp
When you eventually find your way to the bottom of this enormous list, you will find the total number of endangered animals. As of today, there are 10,801 endangered animals on the planet.
10,801!
Now while you think about that figure.
Think about the money spent on that so-called 'World Tiger Summit' last November. Basically, they spent around USD 1.4 million of taxpayers' money so that they can sit happily in an air-conditioned room in a fancy hotel in Russia and use flowery, useless language about all the wonderful things they're doing for conservation.
USD 1,400,000
Granted, I don't buy it. They were underestimating to make us feel better about it, surely.
And, surprise surprise, world tiger populations remain at an all time low of 3,200 at the highest estimation. Woohoo. That's one tiger for approximately every 2,117,261 people.
1 tiger: 2,117,261 people
Sorry, I'm enjoying pointing this out a little too much. But yeah, just some food for thought.
Maybe if we divide each tiger into 2,117,261 little bits all our problems would be solved. No more tigers to 'harass' everyone, and we all get to try our hand at this amazing chinese medicine stuff. All 0.000000000004 grams of it!

P.S. Note the sarcasm while reading that last little bit.

The Importance of Data

:D Need I say more?

Tigers vs. People

How is it that, no matter the circumstances, the animals are always the ones who are at fault? Humans are always the victims. When a tiger kills a human, much more effort is taken to catch that tiger and kill it, compared to the lame attempts to capture poachers and animal abusers, with even more lenient sentences. Tigers are not the only carnivores that suffer from this kind of treatment.

For every shark that kills a human, a human kills around 250,000 sharks. Fair, huh? Even the most common of sharks are at risk because their fins are ‘good to eat’. Just like tiger…er…parts…are good for libido. And bear bile cures heart disease. You can’t believe everything people believed hundreds of years ago, whether it’s to preserve culture or not. Some of it is just plain bogus! And I mean, who in their right minds wants to put that sort of stuff in their mouths anyway?

Still, I think people look past basic facts to make themselves feel better. Don’t get me wrong, I feel sorry for the villagers who’ve lost family members…oh wait, sorry, the people the tigers killed were illegal deforesters. It seems fair enough that the tigers want these people out, you would want someone out of your house if they just knocked down the door one day and started removing your couch and dresser and raided the kitchen. And kept doing it!

People are angry at starving tigers, who, without any other source of food, attack livestock and people. Well it’s not the tigers’ fault humans have not only destroyed their habitat, but depleted their food source. Have some sense, it’s a food chain, can’t be that hard to understand. Here, I’ll illustrate a really bare-as-bones version.

Alright, so what’s really happening is that the humans come, kill the plants, and then kill the quiet cute herbivores. What’s left for the tigers to eat?

That’s right kids. Nothing.

AND YOU WONDER WHY THEY’RE KILLING PEOPLE?