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?