tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53177865701120622902024-02-19T03:43:53.009-05:00Speck On A DotConversations about earth creatures, the environment and the Universe we're a tiny part of.Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-90517425455180209312015-07-24T10:38:00.003-04:002015-07-24T14:22:56.047-04:00Lost Instincts, Domestication, the new Evolution of Migratory Geese<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1zpPwno_W_CkfTirtUArU77TrVUsWN6XmzTuFtn8-F_cIa8v1b1nMS-UQ6Lnza41AHvzlEiadt5CAM2IRdymJ-41kM0OaQUM7-SGBeBWfZ3SbIGaFMiGLINuKlexA6WMIul-bZuUaRpo/s1600/20150717_111010.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Changed Migratory Behavior of Candaian Geese" border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1zpPwno_W_CkfTirtUArU77TrVUsWN6XmzTuFtn8-F_cIa8v1b1nMS-UQ6Lnza41AHvzlEiadt5CAM2IRdymJ-41kM0OaQUM7-SGBeBWfZ3SbIGaFMiGLINuKlexA6WMIul-bZuUaRpo/s320/20150717_111010.jpg" title="Canadian Geese in Urban Areas" width="320"></a></div>
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<br>In the past few years there's been a growing number of increasingly strident petitions in our local community about the "infestation" of Canadian Geese. The complaint - they're everywhere, they make a mess of our nice clean paved sidewalks with their droppings, they pose a danger to kids, pets etc. etc.Some have even called Animal Control to come take the birds away. To no avail. The birds are here more frequently, stay longer and are growing in numbers.<br>
<br>What got me curious, was the recency of this phenomenon. The area around here has been inhabited by species homo sapiens for many decades, and I myself dont remember this being an issue a few years ago, so why this sudden outcry?<br>
<br>So of course I started researching it. And figured out that it's happening because of marked changes in the geese's behavior. And what caused that you may ask? Wait ...take a wild guess... surprise, surprise, WE DID!<br>
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Canadian Geese as the name implies were native to Canada and the extreme north eastern territories of the US. Wild geese would spend their summers in their native habitat, where they bred and lived until their goslings were able to fly. They spent those months close to natural water bodies that they could escape to, if threatened by predators like foxes, bears, wolves etc. It was also when these herbivores found abundant food supplies. Come the fall, following their instinct they would fly south to avoid winter food shortages.<br>
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Now all of that has changed - <br>
1. Global warming has changed the patterns of freezing winters in the north. Since many areas have become warmer, in some cases by as much as 5 degrees, Geese don't need to fly as far south as they used to.<br>
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2. As more of the wilderness was lost to development, most of their natural predators have been killed or restricted to very isolated pockets. Since there is less fear from them, and there are more artificial water bodies everywhere (should they need to escape), they can land and live anywhere their heart desires.<br>
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3. The growth of suburban areas with parks, golf courses and cultivated vegetation has created a year round source of food, again making migration unnecessary.<br>
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Most importantly, many of the geese we see today, may not be wild Canadian geese at all. In the mid part of the 20th century, this species was almost extinct. Overhunted by humans for meat and their soft down, only a small group of the original breed struggled to survive. So the government swooped in, moved them into protected areas and started breeding them in captivity to bring their numbers back up.<br>
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Even though the goal was to reintroduce them to the wild, over the course of a few generations, all their natural instincts - to migrate north or south, where their original breeding grounds were, etc. - started fading slowly. The very hospitable conditions created by human settlements, no predators (even human ones, since hunting is restricted), plentiful food and water set the seal on their memory loss.<br>
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What we are left with now is a "human aware", non indigenous bird that continues to breed at an accelerated pace and is changing the environment wherever it goes. And this is just one bird species. There are hundreds of other species of living organisms - plant, animal, even single cell, that are also metamorphosing as they adapt to the changing conditions caused by human development.<br>
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The question is, what will the future of this planet be when all these changes accelerate and come together? A new state of balance that is yet to be established or an imbalance that will lead to destruction?<br>
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Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-34819927302899969742015-07-10T10:57:00.003-04:002015-07-10T10:57:50.165-04:00Tiger Conservation in India, The Case for Government Involvement in Species Protection.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: normal;">Photo courtesy National Tiger Conservation Authority / Project Tiger, India</span></td></tr>
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In my opinion one of the key success factors in conservation efforts is the role of government, as illustrated by the Tiger conservation effort in India. "Whoa, whoa, hang on there," you say... "what are you about, complimenting the government for anything, especially something that is not self-serving? are you crazy? or worse yet a government stooge?" But I assure you I'm neither, I just believe in giving credit where credit is due.<br />
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Let me backtrack a little so I can tell you how I formed this opinion, and hopefully you'll see things my way.<br />
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When I was in India a few months ago, I saw several stories in the media about the successful resurgence of the wild tiger population, a species that was close to and is still on the brink of extinction across the world.<br />
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Here are some stats to understand how dire the situation is -<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square; margin-left: 1.5em; text-align: left;">
<li>Over the last 100 years, the global tiger population in the wild has dropped by 97%, from close to 100,000 to a mere 3200 today. *</li>
<li>In fact of the 9 originally identified subspecies of tigers, three - Bali, Caspian and Javan - became extinct in the 20th century. **</li>
<li>India has traditionally been home to about 40% of all wild tigers, What was 40,000 a century ago dropped to an estimated 1,827 in 1973. (these numbers are disputed, some claim the number was as low as 268, suffice to say it was very low)</li>
</ul>
The primary threats to tigers are the same as those faced by other species and are all man made.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square; margin-left: 1.0em; text-align: left;">
<li>Habitat loss - Tigers have lost over 93% of their habitat to human development, leading to fragmentation of the species in small pockets, surrounded by human habitation. This in turn leads to way too many incidents of human-animal conflict and often their death.**</li>
<li>Poaching continues to be one of the deadliest and most challenging threats to tigers. Almost every part of the tiger - skin, bones, even blood is in high demand especially in Asian countries where they are believed to have medicinal properties.</li>
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Conserving the species is all about mitigating these threats and this is where I think having government oversight or even just active involvement is key. In 1973, the Indian Government launched "Project Tiger", which was governed by the <a href="http://projecttiger.nic.in/Index.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">National Tiger Conservation Authority</a>, which is part of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate change. Since its creation, Project Tiger has had some ups and downs in its achievements, but more recently, the tiger numbers have been growing steadily, with a reported count of about 2,226 in 2014<br />
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They have combated habitat loss by expanding the number of tiger reserves from 9 at inception to 47 today. Additionally they created corridors that connect the reserves and allow unrestricted movement of the animals across, a key behavior of tigers that in the past led them into great danger. This type of commitment of land is only possible with the power of the government. They have relocated human populations and seized private land where needed for the effort, something private organizations have little control over and have to fight almost unwinnable battles to get implemented in other countries or for other species in India.<br />
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While poaching continues to be a big concern, the government has also paid for and equipped a trained forest patrol staff to monitor the reserves and dissuade poachers. Again a fairly daunting task for private non profits to fund and manage, is made easy by political will.<br />
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Now don't get me wrong, I don't think that Government involvement is the cure all, nor do I think that the current level of effort put in, is either comprehensive, or optimized. But I do believe that the small wins in India shine a light on the importance of political involvement to facilitate the process. Governments of other countries, like China, Russia, and Laos are seeing the results of this initiative and reaching out to Indian authorities for advise on managing their own conservation efforts.<br />
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If governments across the world would all sign up to make wildlife and environment conservation a priority, maybe all those little shining lights of success will eventually light up the whole planet.<br />
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Sources<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* <i>http://www.savetigersnow.org/problem</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>http://www.panthera.org/species/tiger</i></span></div>
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Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-32953821490933586552015-07-03T10:22:00.002-04:002015-09-22T17:01:17.849-04:00Human settlements come at the cost of habitat loss for ALL creatures.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtQtGEpsljOGI-59Ri05j9uXVlvAtkAfIRRcr1Z8pHI5Wa-AhwaQ3fW1c-8ekT16bBGBcJ2Ov7vqannXJw0_6eikIkas5jwPnEes95KBpFZoakh7MlHq2ONgtW0h5Y0Xe6WNSakYDLBf1/s1600/bugX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="insects and small creatures displaced by human development" border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtQtGEpsljOGI-59Ri05j9uXVlvAtkAfIRRcr1Z8pHI5Wa-AhwaQ3fW1c-8ekT16bBGBcJ2Ov7vqannXJw0_6eikIkas5jwPnEes95KBpFZoakh7MlHq2ONgtW0h5Y0Xe6WNSakYDLBf1/s320/bugX.jpg" title="No more bugs" width="320" /></a></div>
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A sudden screech..."Eeeek!", followed by a vigorous flailing of arms or stomping of feet... now that would be the normal reaction. Instead this morning I gently picked up in my hands and saved two "ugly" brown bugs while swimming laps in our pool. I see them often, struggling to get out of the water before they drown. I know many who see me doing it probably think I'm crazy. My response to anyone who would ask; not that anyone does, they just stare at me weirdly and look away, probably wondering when the men in the white coats are coming to take me away to a padded cell; is because they matter, and <b>because we owe it to them</b>.<br />
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Here's another similar story I saw on the news today, yesterday, almost everyday. A local reporter interviewing a panicked family as they recount the fear of what they experienced. A bear/coyote/deer broke into their backyard/house/garbage, scaring the kids and causing general panic until help arrived in the form of uniforms with tranquilizer guns/traps etc.The news segment commentary usually includes a reference to the growing number of animal incursions into human habitats.<br />
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Now you may ask, what could possibly be similar about these two stories, one about brown creepy crawlies drowning, and another about large "scary" forest mammals intruding into someones backyard.I say everything...! These stories and many others I hear and see every day astound me in their illogicality and factual inaccuracy.<br />
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Because the real story as I see it, is as follows -" <i>humans raze local forest, grassland, or undergrowth; displacing or destroying millions of living creatures in the process and then complain when those same creatures try to return to their original homes/hunting grounds/food stores</i>".<br />
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Animals, insects, all creatures follow a natural and habitual path everyday. When they wake up, they usually go to the same places seeking food, water, mates or just a cool place to nap. When we destroy that place that is so familiar to them, they can't just say 'oh well, lets make a detour' and find another spot. They are driven by instinct to go back there, only to face unknown dangers like cars, weapons and physical violence sometimes even leading to death.So those brown bugs I save every day, that black bear rifling through your garbage, the geese nesting in the local park, they are all following their instinct to return to what was once a familiar part of their natural habitat, only to fall into man made swimming pools, stumble confusedly into unfamiliar human structures, get yelled at, attacked, and more.<br />
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Imagine what your reaction would be if
suddenly one
road on your regular route to work was shut down... denial, anger, maybe
even a desperate hope that if you keep going it won't be true. Not so
fun hunh? Now
think about that being a frequent and permanent change to many roads on
your way and you having to figure out a new path every time. <br />
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The fact is, that these creatures that we find so disruptive are the original inhabitants of this planet, many of them have been around millions of years. We as humans are the newbie squatters, usurpers ... whatever you may call it. While clearly we need the space to support the growing population, maybe we can treat that space with respect, understanding, and concern for the creatures who have always ,and still do live there. And next time one of them wanders into our path, maybe we acknowledge their right to be there, help them find a new path and thank them for giving up their home for us.</div>
Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-5252604427276370582015-06-14T17:37:00.002-04:002015-06-14T17:37:59.620-04:00The Case for Verticalization<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGYEFibBAmvvTghdwTL1mX_ilrPkPv48prJQKmk9S6ncjx2XTat6mm_7q4YxI0JIhBoKRRaF9ixsVF0S5noEmpbaAcSoKtcRv-eL5WX-4N1Z_6zHeRWUjfqZyOXiO0dM-LKz8XVFa3J_A/s1600/20130913_184624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New York Skyline" border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGYEFibBAmvvTghdwTL1mX_ilrPkPv48prJQKmk9S6ncjx2XTat6mm_7q4YxI0JIhBoKRRaF9ixsVF0S5noEmpbaAcSoKtcRv-eL5WX-4N1Z_6zHeRWUjfqZyOXiO0dM-LKz8XVFa3J_A/s320/20130913_184624.jpg" title="A symbol of verticalization - NYC" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was in India a few weeks ago, home with my family, which came with so many simple pleasures; being pampered by mom's cooking, dad's chauffeuring, and a nostalgic sense of freedom from having grown up on those streets. It also came, however, with some jarring moments of shock and unfamiliarity at the rapidly growing & congested skyline. What used to be a sprawling green city of well to do retirees, was now a "bursting at the seams" urban behemoth.<br />
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Walking through once familiar streets, suddenly everything looked different. The population explosion as a result of rapid economic growth, meant that space was at a premium and beautiful sprawling bungalows with large natural gardens and orchards were being replaced by tall, narrow concrete apartment buildings and commercial structures. While nostalgia bemoans these changes, missing the charm and the space that once was, the practical conservationist applauds the long reaching benefits of such vertical growth.<br />
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Verticalization is an urban planning system characterized by a focus on expansion of high rise structures, creating a dense vertical ecosystem. Development experts and conservationists alike support this approach to the growth of infrastructure and habitation for the rapidly growing global population.</div>
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The rationale is pretty simple -</div>
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1. Vertical growth reduces the need to destroy or encroach on forests, wilderness and other natural ecosystems. </div>
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2. It protects existing farmland that is urgently required to support the growing population.</div>
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3. Because of the population density per square foot and the resulting growth in mixed use spaces (residential, commercial, retail etc.all in one space), travel is minimized or made more efficient and therefore less energy intensive. High rises in many large cities now boast rooftop gardens, greenhouses and even vertical farms, that increase the independence and efficiency of the space used.<br />
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Over the past few decades, there has been a drastic and noticeable shrinking of natural ecosystems. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that every year we cut down forests, with a cumulative area equivalent to the size of Greece. Here are some additional stats -<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The World resources Institute estimates that only 15% of forest ecosystems on the planet remain intact. </li>
<li>An alternate perspective from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, in a <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217192745.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">global map</a>
published in the World Bank’s World Development Report 2009, finds that
only 10% of the world's land area can truly be classified as remote.
Ninety percent of the earth's land mass is within 48 hours travel radius
from a large city. Wilderness untouched by humans is restricted to the
most inaccessible areas like Antarctica, the highest peaks in Tibet etc.</li>
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But why is this important?<br />
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Scientists across the world are in agreement that the rapid loss of natural ecosystems, and climate change, which is further destabilized by deforestation and ecosystem destruction, will lead to a drastic reduction in earths biodiversity. This in turn will lead to a severe impact on the resources we depend on to support life - fisheries, forests, access to clean water and more. It is a documented fact that all populations of living things are interrelated, and a severe impact on any one, will have a cascading impact on others around it. The World Resources Institute also reports that more than 1 billion people <a href="http://www.forestpeoples.org/sites/fpp/files/publication/2012/05/forest-peoples-numbers-across-world-final_0.pdf">depend</a> on forests for their livelihoods. <br />
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If we don't start to think vertical, and not horizontal, growth, we will soon be left with no forests, coral reefs, or prairie land left uninhabited and untouched. Just more s<span style="font-family: sans-serif;">quare borders, divisions and subdivisions, perfectly manicured soulless lanscaping, interspersed with highways, malls and tech parks...I</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"> </span>for one would hate to live on such a homogenized, cookie cutter planet. And more importantly...should that be allowed to happen, the impact on the future of the human species will be significant and irreversible. </div>
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Speckonadothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05577434920306375176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-80498081068735837142015-04-27T10:59:00.002-04:002015-04-27T17:06:51.383-04:00The Commoditization of Killing - Canned Lion Hunting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-q9D0aFK3VqQJC6damtWNfDQfdXn9wsLqW6gDWhp6zZ7zu1zYVCJKUe4SfQ5AQTrGS4W7x9U15wR7wM8UAc2zCx40vxeQUk4B-scC2ILnfGyPZo_iRy2wd-4TuJcnk0YZUdsYFPDJK6r/s1600/7917234656_23ddd257a8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Canned Lion Hunting" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-q9D0aFK3VqQJC6damtWNfDQfdXn9wsLqW6gDWhp6zZ7zu1zYVCJKUe4SfQ5AQTrGS4W7x9U15wR7wM8UAc2zCx40vxeQUk4B-scC2ILnfGyPZo_iRy2wd-4TuJcnk0YZUdsYFPDJK6r/s1600/7917234656_23ddd257a8.jpg" height="214" title="Lions in Africa" width="320"></a></div>
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Wildlife hunting in Africa is suddenly big news. Thanks to a <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ricky-gervais-tweet-tv-huntress-rebecca-francis-giraffe-photo-sparks-online-fury/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tweet by Ricky Gervais</a> (albeit almost 5 years late) about Rebecca Francis and her killing of a giraffe in 2010, and followed closely by <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/03/26/this-hunter-wants-an-endangered-rhinos-head-as-a-trophy-looks-like-hell-get-it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">news stories </a>of the US's approval of a black rhino hunting license won in a Dallas auction last year, there's now a spotlight on the issue of trophy hunting. While this controversial subject and its often misleading claims to helping conservation efforts is getting its day in the sun, there is another more deadly practice hiding and growing in the shadows in Africa - <b>Canned Lion Hunting.</b><br>
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Peter Barkham of the Guardian likens canned lion hunting to "shooting fish in a barrel". Adult lions raised in captivity and often drugged, are released into an enclosed area, with no room to run. Hunters, on the back of pick up trucks are able to pick them off with almost guaranteed success. I say almost, because even with all the odds stacked in favor of the hunter, amateurs often miss, just wounding the lions and causing a slow and agonizing death.<br>
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This inhuman and unfair sport is a rapidly growing business in South Africa, with revenue in 2012 estimated to be as high as $70 million. At last count there were over 160 lion farms or ranches focused on canned lion hunting and associated industries. They start by capturing lion cubs and then breeding them. Not unlike factory farms for food animals across the world, female lions are separated from their cubs within an hour of birth to quickly retrigger their fertility and ability to breed repeatedly. Cubs are raised in crowded pens and are brought out only to interact with humans in the form of tourist attractions like "petting and walking with lion cubs". An additional source of revenue, these attractions are also used as false claims towards conservation efforts, often misleading volunteers into working on the farms for free.<br>
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If it isn't enough that the lions are exploited at every stage of their life for profit, ranchers have found ways to monetize them further even in death. Once the lion is killed, hunters mostly take the head and sometimes the skin of the adult as trophies. The bones of the animal left behind are sold to Asian markets, where big cat bones are still considered to have medicinal properties, creating a vicious cycle of demand and supply with no end in sight.<br>
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Lion numbers in the wild are declining rapidly; from over 450,000 in Africa in the 40's to an estimated 20,000 today, the species is on a very dangerous path to extinction right now. More critically the practice of canned lion hunting has shifted the proportion of captive vs. wild lions to almost 3:1. In the US, which is the single largest importer of wildlife and animal trophies, the African wild lion is not on the endangered species list. As a result not even the limitated licensing and oversight policies that are part of the endangered species act, apply to lions and the practice continues unabated. Many African countries too are complicit, by legalizing the industry and those involved. While policymakers and citizens in countries like the UK & Australia are taking action through policies again Canned Lion Hunting, it woukd take significantly more widespread international understanding and support to end this despicable practice.<br>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/81478117@N00/7917234656" style="font-size: x-small;">photo</a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> via </span><a href="http://photopin.com/" style="font-size: x-small;">photopin</a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" style="font-size: x-small;">(license)</a></div>
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Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-57900182749422942582015-04-22T15:36:00.001-04:002015-04-22T15:36:51.575-04:00Celebrating Earth this day... almost speechless!Today is Earth Day (if you didn't already know that). It felt important that I say something. But after thinking about it a while I realized I couldn't possibly say it all in one post. In fact, if anything, this entire blog and all the posts I write are a celebration of Earth Day. Every day is Earth Day on www.speckonadot.com.<br />
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So I decided instead to dedicate this post to showing you why its so important to celebrate and protect the earth. Every time we travel, my family asks for pictures of my husband and I. Usually that's a tough task, because we almost never take pictures of ourselves. For us, its all about the space we're in and celebrating its uniqueness. Now I can put all those pictures to work, to share the beauty I see everyday, all around me.<br />
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Here's the earth in all its glory - sunrise to sunset, seasons changing, creatures big & small. After seeing this, how could you not want to have it live on forever....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiTCzj_H_qn7M_aLrvt208uY0akqx99ZbXfJ-1rUlMl8ZqJHQrCpYHy7dcf3gJjx7EhAXp9z8-bq7nrw0o2dV9swtqCIBXkRwKQQwbvmXxlthC20sx265W7gZivMSJP7ybgiGsnEdpuyn/s1600/1Dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunrise over the Freedom Tower" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiTCzj_H_qn7M_aLrvt208uY0akqx99ZbXfJ-1rUlMl8ZqJHQrCpYHy7dcf3gJjx7EhAXp9z8-bq7nrw0o2dV9swtqCIBXkRwKQQwbvmXxlthC20sx265W7gZivMSJP7ybgiGsnEdpuyn/s1600/1Dawn.jpg" height="240" title="Sunrise over the Freedom Tower" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dawn of a new day, sunrise over the Freedom Tower</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qxuJ38Q0NHZdZVoLuv-KZnFM9OvjDvSK_qPlXzQj_p9OmREMFUaTobw1MlIKLKmZfhW4xJnimlsiel0FE0sKVp7bFxW6DKKnjHwrp-i4W98ZIi8kUM1BgIX7VaOXiCiqy3XX50okYhfk/s1600/1e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Birds nest with egs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qxuJ38Q0NHZdZVoLuv-KZnFM9OvjDvSK_qPlXzQj_p9OmREMFUaTobw1MlIKLKmZfhW4xJnimlsiel0FE0sKVp7bFxW6DKKnjHwrp-i4W98ZIi8kUM1BgIX7VaOXiCiqy3XX50okYhfk/s1600/1e.JPG" height="240" title="New Life Begins" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">New Life Begins</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizl4Zrjc0pW1TpLRoONv_lmKA53kGt4DKdb6I2eagksoJfXOnqazgRfj5SwErnOnEukNqwNzJG3YPMzxdBXvCOMpZuYBuGFkDPKunCprEEh0UcyXyZA9lZfc8x7g-fwO8Gls02qr-8k45a/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Baby birds just hatched" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizl4Zrjc0pW1TpLRoONv_lmKA53kGt4DKdb6I2eagksoJfXOnqazgRfj5SwErnOnEukNqwNzJG3YPMzxdBXvCOMpZuYBuGFkDPKunCprEEh0UcyXyZA9lZfc8x7g-fwO8Gls02qr-8k45a/s1600/2.jpg" height="229" title="Baby Birds in nest" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">First peek at the world, wheres mommy, I'm hungry...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XlASasEEDykT7iwV6z6w-zIpyUG8w8wEhBIE_vKSEmWOCy3gRokwKWL8O-yBPma0EuL0D9ZrDZFpgVOM9SvObxEKWLn-91i37z0M2jfpPg2WY5Wn6Yp4nu22Vw4lqz7vUMJ-QInw0vXu/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Iguana in the sun" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XlASasEEDykT7iwV6z6w-zIpyUG8w8wEhBIE_vKSEmWOCy3gRokwKWL8O-yBPma0EuL0D9ZrDZFpgVOM9SvObxEKWLn-91i37z0M2jfpPg2WY5Wn6Yp4nu22Vw4lqz7vUMJ-QInw0vXu/s1600/3.JPG" height="239" title="Iguana in the Sun" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Iguana Getting some Sun, let's be very clear who's king here.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBlzHhuFLGr5ZfggZMYO5XouIjd0Ea7bmyHHpgo8-W2UNcVvu1Bph0Zx3YDi5FRqhaoKPYIxDcUJ9jnSntMzvajVxg6dLCCnlJ6OGDz5Wnt_qGCAAivHD8dn2EoQC3dks68aIDeuc_aFC/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Malachite butterfly" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBlzHhuFLGr5ZfggZMYO5XouIjd0Ea7bmyHHpgo8-W2UNcVvu1Bph0Zx3YDi5FRqhaoKPYIxDcUJ9jnSntMzvajVxg6dLCCnlJ6OGDz5Wnt_qGCAAivHD8dn2EoQC3dks68aIDeuc_aFC/s1600/4.JPG" height="200" title="Malachite Butterfly" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Malachite spreading its wings, getting ready to feed on the sweetness</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKcdpptZEk6MAnMFryCFoW3Y9d0c-EfTYBGmGl8OKV-TZp7jDGAs2BOx_HB-o-Zp6laloLtR3DDIFH5oYQjyYmU-YVdc3dN4x9rFyhzOmzdrQgx1xNI_rXEykxgHblemVGXsBZbTRpFb2/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="South American Parrot" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKcdpptZEk6MAnMFryCFoW3Y9d0c-EfTYBGmGl8OKV-TZp7jDGAs2BOx_HB-o-Zp6laloLtR3DDIFH5oYQjyYmU-YVdc3dN4x9rFyhzOmzdrQgx1xNI_rXEykxgHblemVGXsBZbTRpFb2/s1600/5.JPG" height="226" title="South American Parrot" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">South American parrot flutters its wings to warm them up for the day</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-EY8NrQbINge0giAlC2A75j5gfFRdozL_QOmnEiw9_WEIxsQyaRH0inDoIMVBprsIqNvHvyUZhz3kLzCEnzDyF5vshNShMRxv7aOae80NAQEos9kbbVM3IgAEvzNBmqADtjOaZyuEfG_/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Caterpillar" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-EY8NrQbINge0giAlC2A75j5gfFRdozL_QOmnEiw9_WEIxsQyaRH0inDoIMVBprsIqNvHvyUZhz3kLzCEnzDyF5vshNShMRxv7aOae80NAQEos9kbbVM3IgAEvzNBmqADtjOaZyuEfG_/s1600/6.JPG" height="239" title="Caterpillar" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beautiful to beauty... Caterpillar to a butterfly</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH73mHtiBUyQIvOKgMZlghJ85CwH7naHRpB0D1uDala7N9vYgEj3lGlELUWVygzM_x37Kr0lzxrtAMH8quwwJ_ilbO74BDQmXdQOLXL6dCJnJ1F3NJ9rRvkgRmwnBMseoa_2ee8fR_P6g/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cirrocumulus clouds, Manhattan skyline" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH73mHtiBUyQIvOKgMZlghJ85CwH7naHRpB0D1uDala7N9vYgEj3lGlELUWVygzM_x37Kr0lzxrtAMH8quwwJ_ilbO74BDQmXdQOLXL6dCJnJ1F3NJ9rRvkgRmwnBMseoa_2ee8fR_P6g/s1600/8.jpg" height="240" title="Cirrocumulus clouds, Manhattan skyline" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cirrocumulus clouds in a fall sky reaching out long fingers towards Manhattan</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_gV3Bu7p1-Z_yd0wcuU17Id1SVXdjdYPrqWLKd7IaBz7iEuUdOxVVrzzF0W6RvsERVG-8NmigKej5P_1tnV-eKwL6Q2Cs25ES-qwZ622WLg5QAT2b5LR5XWvtR30kgE11rJwxDSq265p/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Altocumuls clouds - Hawaii" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_gV3Bu7p1-Z_yd0wcuU17Id1SVXdjdYPrqWLKd7IaBz7iEuUdOxVVrzzF0W6RvsERVG-8NmigKej5P_1tnV-eKwL6Q2Cs25ES-qwZ622WLg5QAT2b5LR5XWvtR30kgE11rJwxDSq265p/s1600/10.JPG" height="239" title="Altocumuls clouds - Hawaii" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">So many shades of Blue and white, who would have thought...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5boqEMa-zpGhq_9X5lPzWSByHSK4oPzOtpIlw-9yziIRHBeosBIbzIc577orpJkxcWGbdQSol1aaF-n6Xce55p6c5Q_y7CNtL2nYxN2MYyTJAhk1AS4LBuvLU-Upg7SaiJLJrd8UD0a06/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Yellow-throated Euphonia" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5boqEMa-zpGhq_9X5lPzWSByHSK4oPzOtpIlw-9yziIRHBeosBIbzIc577orpJkxcWGbdQSol1aaF-n6Xce55p6c5Q_y7CNtL2nYxN2MYyTJAhk1AS4LBuvLU-Upg7SaiJLJrd8UD0a06/s1600/11.JPG" height="247" title="Yellow-throated Euphonia" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wait....don't move.... is that....LUNCH!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3ak4IXGYsnukHLmvCXCokLcYqHLtMP7Svub3Rn9GOAIbjon05Rnj3h9abQY620fDAZXe8H_xyurqXYdD3lU26bMp2TGiIg4gZRU4Qj0PDZ9aQry1ax3xCuP6iUaiHJrxUcI7xmhVPCFZ/s1600/12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Howler Monkey" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3ak4IXGYsnukHLmvCXCokLcYqHLtMP7Svub3Rn9GOAIbjon05Rnj3h9abQY620fDAZXe8H_xyurqXYdD3lU26bMp2TGiIg4gZRU4Qj0PDZ9aQry1ax3xCuP6iUaiHJrxUcI7xmhVPCFZ/s1600/12.JPG" height="239" title="Howler Monkey" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Napping in the afternoon sun</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6jG5WZ8J0otn7cq9dnEBqAggiIlY2_oEZJo5jJmXE9RsNN2NVSDjiYVKiBlWbd2df6-eV-bLqF5CYz2tHxIxBVLI3w_Uc0WfuzgoFmVeXnDFBDrSyZnlcYu0cObmAp71Hl6JQJ7weQM_/s1600/13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Java Sparrows" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6jG5WZ8J0otn7cq9dnEBqAggiIlY2_oEZJo5jJmXE9RsNN2NVSDjiYVKiBlWbd2df6-eV-bLqF5CYz2tHxIxBVLI3w_Uc0WfuzgoFmVeXnDFBDrSyZnlcYu0cObmAp71Hl6JQJ7weQM_/s1600/13.JPG" height="240" title="Java Sparrows" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunbathing</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJiHveO-Yh5EC72U-16qPp2mi9zrF0AmyXwmwcGPOq9YkobDFLFhzgKqo7xcf_rgSFxCeFd_Vpjnipx9ulSi_xv-KABAy6EMdwghhmDv276dAbfayUhclDWWR9Vv_8yEiPO7XPviCRSQ3/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fungi in Cloud Forest" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJiHveO-Yh5EC72U-16qPp2mi9zrF0AmyXwmwcGPOq9YkobDFLFhzgKqo7xcf_rgSFxCeFd_Vpjnipx9ulSi_xv-KABAy6EMdwghhmDv276dAbfayUhclDWWR9Vv_8yEiPO7XPviCRSQ3/s1600/14.jpg" height="240" title="Cloud forest Fungi" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A beautiful symbiotic partnership</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL_Kd2BAjeo_AGypEa-4AKevOshvPfzTTm6RwzoUz0YskhtV1N_4bwz3YHkNURx0woKVwJNYWFC9-XjPkrgJ3jDD4pxJ21edz2gFRVFCEmO9TokGe9WNJVROKw64JlrNL6g6-9QgxjETz/s1600/15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pacific Dolphin" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL_Kd2BAjeo_AGypEa-4AKevOshvPfzTTm6RwzoUz0YskhtV1N_4bwz3YHkNURx0woKVwJNYWFC9-XjPkrgJ3jDD4pxJ21edz2gFRVFCEmO9TokGe9WNJVROKw64JlrNL6g6-9QgxjETz/s1600/15.JPG" height="224" title="Pacific dolphin" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dolphin in the ocean, still friendly and curious...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZflHA2VytPVf4G2zu4DbNoYSn9Tgp_j3lwWAEXQuF0akNrK_AwqLxFo0e4JGfXHDJQY4MI6RQmxQW6UroKfpPKYlA6mlr_Hx5pFOPZDzl1HQVSH2KiVhFD5boQHpsu3lu_0PNb_TCr8Ex/s1600/16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunset over ocean" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZflHA2VytPVf4G2zu4DbNoYSn9Tgp_j3lwWAEXQuF0akNrK_AwqLxFo0e4JGfXHDJQY4MI6RQmxQW6UroKfpPKYlA6mlr_Hx5pFOPZDzl1HQVSH2KiVhFD5boQHpsu3lu_0PNb_TCr8Ex/s1600/16.JPG" height="240" title="Sunset over ocean" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunset on the Western Shore</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWY0Gt0KnUEuPu1vXFY-xtF7pUj0tfUwCfx54LtLKCspK6ctXJwXvYpr1BeOFXkSVtgC7Wry2OZGRmshJNzmosSb7nsoathvm8ACIogzd_XKOoBG08N0NWXBTS7as1b0Y2iRdrOXXqrom/s1600/17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunset over ocean" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWY0Gt0KnUEuPu1vXFY-xtF7pUj0tfUwCfx54LtLKCspK6ctXJwXvYpr1BeOFXkSVtgC7Wry2OZGRmshJNzmosSb7nsoathvm8ACIogzd_XKOoBG08N0NWXBTS7as1b0Y2iRdrOXXqrom/s1600/17.JPG" height="320" title="Sunset over ocean" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The colours!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpVHyh6UtcSZDShIczZ7kpTPCzZGHF1-aWpK1iHL9PuWIJ6DmH67NVnJLGNqdadRmA_z-4CEBMBkaoZuYqymA9jsdzlzB9tsAT3DVJMid4c6YyTtVtea-vY3RouSJiNrh66lrXhiN3Lma/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Storm clouds over Manhattan Skyline" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpVHyh6UtcSZDShIczZ7kpTPCzZGHF1-aWpK1iHL9PuWIJ6DmH67NVnJLGNqdadRmA_z-4CEBMBkaoZuYqymA9jsdzlzB9tsAT3DVJMid4c6YyTtVtea-vY3RouSJiNrh66lrXhiN3Lma/s1600/18.jpg" height="240" title="Storm clouds over Manhattan Skyline" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Storm Clouds Brewing</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W2qodbHWWrQMoChyIeHL7AuNFFWjg7pL5tZrAi2wkmplSL2JiKZzrJWGy_JpYqyHhl84PXiY1_FgQl9T0XzhTmQ40_C-EkUMDK2SpRbEJXRQ-BkjQVZymBN9D5mlIGWQ_hMu8cIcQSS0/s1600/19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Centipede" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W2qodbHWWrQMoChyIeHL7AuNFFWjg7pL5tZrAi2wkmplSL2JiKZzrJWGy_JpYqyHhl84PXiY1_FgQl9T0XzhTmQ40_C-EkUMDK2SpRbEJXRQ-BkjQVZymBN9D5mlIGWQ_hMu8cIcQSS0/s1600/19.JPG" height="232" title="Centipede" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I could do with so many legs... WOW</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSY2cgD34EVcuOZc0yuHCgumZfScHnwXrMZM0yzpgM7DC-w0EY-5iikHPGiXPKHNOnm33wTVm95ZamWYOOrFo9ePWp6-QmqAi2U4cLl7xM-bemHxNBKjxc9inq3_SfdS6_MUWpg7JY-oI6/s1600/20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Red crested Cardinal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSY2cgD34EVcuOZc0yuHCgumZfScHnwXrMZM0yzpgM7DC-w0EY-5iikHPGiXPKHNOnm33wTVm95ZamWYOOrFo9ePWp6-QmqAi2U4cLl7xM-bemHxNBKjxc9inq3_SfdS6_MUWpg7JY-oI6/s1600/20.JPG" height="251" title="Red Crested Cardinal" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Crowning Glory</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-63goUOyNIODzQcQRf3N8BizeDeaHrJfsvfOC9nNntzTfEkgoqYV1OGhRkMgT07_bR0fh5CuvKIu3ckedjn2h3lQc3r6jGZ50o_V2zR9GFNlvqALvWyo3JG0e03PHyWOiwByWGzJuJ4J/s1600/21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fish in shallows" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-63goUOyNIODzQcQRf3N8BizeDeaHrJfsvfOC9nNntzTfEkgoqYV1OGhRkMgT07_bR0fh5CuvKIu3ckedjn2h3lQc3r6jGZ50o_V2zR9GFNlvqALvWyo3JG0e03PHyWOiwByWGzJuJ4J/s1600/21.JPG" height="240" title="Fish in shallows" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shallow water school of fish</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4rY_jhrCmqlXIeAh-3vIzEyeX-_dh58itIRbbpTg6tRv2Y06lh96ghfFav2nYip9f8NmPyD6KKabuvsSld2Y9kNBPGO482OVuYdZ1Hse7tZJ7_unNnRFLv44uZy2ZPx_I9RW5b7vZToC/s1600/22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Squirrel eating" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4rY_jhrCmqlXIeAh-3vIzEyeX-_dh58itIRbbpTg6tRv2Y06lh96ghfFav2nYip9f8NmPyD6KKabuvsSld2Y9kNBPGO482OVuYdZ1Hse7tZJ7_unNnRFLv44uZy2ZPx_I9RW5b7vZToC/s1600/22.JPG" height="240" title="Squirrel eating" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Too busy eating to run from the two legged monsters</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNOH6rNyskB11mT7Tt9-2nu9plbi5S5X91ovfu3Yvt6Jy8N-Ru3i6ZwrW4HfIJRb89MCiWtyph7_LQ4NFv_VjONMHAKaXr7r1M0vuSJT1ytaZlQ-GgE68jSmMHJKMNxQUuaxN2MUlya_m/s1600/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fall Colors" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNOH6rNyskB11mT7Tt9-2nu9plbi5S5X91ovfu3Yvt6Jy8N-Ru3i6ZwrW4HfIJRb89MCiWtyph7_LQ4NFv_VjONMHAKaXr7r1M0vuSJT1ytaZlQ-GgE68jSmMHJKMNxQUuaxN2MUlya_m/s1600/24.jpg" height="254" title="Fall colors Northeast" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fall colors, seasons change</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iiS3tWnF5oHtUHLedjhY-i9ZvjcHyBcgQWCUtVO2ukMQ4HVLMsA2xqxj5tno81_r6qgKJi-fhs3cX0XuHgt5eCwpfFFtuDrNNm0pXe08RGn16oGgeBFdmK6RBHb7O0tNSsV30hMHlBB0/s1600/25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Spider on glass" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iiS3tWnF5oHtUHLedjhY-i9ZvjcHyBcgQWCUtVO2ukMQ4HVLMsA2xqxj5tno81_r6qgKJi-fhs3cX0XuHgt5eCwpfFFtuDrNNm0pXe08RGn16oGgeBFdmK6RBHb7O0tNSsV30hMHlBB0/s1600/25.JPG" height="236" title="Spider on glass" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sheer Beauty, in the details</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvRbVFlgwp8J2bx1iGneA3H3WiwltClOWdKif_adJapdfUsGpQO3HxFMCF83GErvtmUqR7tlfpmrGf_AEJKMBkwJyWcIMaUOe6100A9hZRsEzgDeDiH0nWCsf7kjMO11HKTO7eOKwVkmC/s1600/27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Seagulls on Ice" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvRbVFlgwp8J2bx1iGneA3H3WiwltClOWdKif_adJapdfUsGpQO3HxFMCF83GErvtmUqR7tlfpmrGf_AEJKMBkwJyWcIMaUOe6100A9hZRsEzgDeDiH0nWCsf7kjMO11HKTO7eOKwVkmC/s1600/27.JPG" height="240" title="Seagulls on Ice" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Seagulls on ice shelf</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02QwFoCNpGkgLDJ3FmmTreyUjZeQchGgFT-DqKL7znqz4AUmhJmxIsrc5TV7KNgAiNYzjtpAT_kndElHQwc8petFZgi3OcBlevpvD2amOxPy2J_WQvqVQ8g_QLFNIbPl0PJCjSXag1Lbj/s1600/28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Snow on tree branches" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02QwFoCNpGkgLDJ3FmmTreyUjZeQchGgFT-DqKL7znqz4AUmhJmxIsrc5TV7KNgAiNYzjtpAT_kndElHQwc8petFZgi3OcBlevpvD2amOxPy2J_WQvqVQ8g_QLFNIbPl0PJCjSXag1Lbj/s1600/28.jpg" height="217" title="Snow on branches" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">frozen water lacing all visible surfaces</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUNbA0vTME3nJYM4EeZEll3vW0jFlhL8VEVhyphenhyphenL-XSWFJ7XsyMMMUeDcq2HZBt0qXJURNsDHn5Dy_5Aa0prJnj0hIvR_7kUesVLXhCH3KNADfyBEy-sRfMUI1xRmywDMOWDdIdhG_FKpeZ/s1600/29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Antarctic penguins" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUNbA0vTME3nJYM4EeZEll3vW0jFlhL8VEVhyphenhyphenL-XSWFJ7XsyMMMUeDcq2HZBt0qXJURNsDHn5Dy_5Aa0prJnj0hIvR_7kUesVLXhCH3KNADfyBEy-sRfMUI1xRmywDMOWDdIdhG_FKpeZ/s1600/29.JPG" height="240" title="Antarctic Penguins" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The most beautiful swimming birds, highly endangered by the rising temperatures</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Speckonadothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05577434920306375176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-23503912046552813782015-04-16T18:37:00.001-04:002015-04-16T18:37:40.114-04:00Last Rhino Standing... <p dir="ltr">If there was ever any question about why saving the Rhinos was so important, the story out on major news channels recently, should eliminate all doubt.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There is only one... count that... just one male northern white rhino left in the entire world. In fact there are only 5 of the species left in total, two females in zoos in the US and Czech Republic and 2 other females who live with Sudan, the single bull at a conservancy in Kenya.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The situation is so dire, that Sudan, the bull, and his two female comoanions are under 24 hour armed guard and wear monitors to prevent poachers from getting to them. Demand for rhino horn, which is believed to have medicinal properties, continues to grow, and is estimated by some experts to be worth more than drugs.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition to protecting him for as long as needed, frantic efforts are underway to help the two females breed. With age and urgency be in a factor, alternative options like in vitro fertilization and surrogacy with a different white rhino species are also being concerned.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A few people asked me after my post two weeks ago, why I was focused on rhino poaching and conservation. While I am passionate about the conservation of every species big or small, this news more than ever, makes the emphasis on the rhino necessary. If we all don't wake up and collectively care enough to take action soon, this very visible species will be extinct in the next few decades. If we don't start taking a stand now,  what happens to all the other not so prominent or well known animal species then?</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX66TCyHoIX6PRZ8LSuUMc7RlAtOvYkBGgk3NRbrqSAVNAwygFYR0ZTHTNUxLLWUTyqvLu2908O3InjqHqa0K26WkcWBQXAxdlx3n3_Xe6wz1yV9wsV-mHsQYQ2GSiYgmNSM37ENzp7Tx/s1600/94007-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX66TCyHoIX6PRZ8LSuUMc7RlAtOvYkBGgk3NRbrqSAVNAwygFYR0ZTHTNUxLLWUTyqvLu2908O3InjqHqa0K26WkcWBQXAxdlx3n3_Xe6wz1yV9wsV-mHsQYQ2GSiYgmNSM37ENzp7Tx/s640/94007-11.jpg"> </a> </div>Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-11674798902561745452015-04-14T10:40:00.000-04:002015-04-15T16:38:20.514-04:00Saving Trees to be trees... and not a landfiller!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwQUVWTH-B31UhlooKTf9PbF5p-84Fkiyw5LqHai079nfYeN4IOGZE40x1XSCEd6-o5Aw-Bw8hLgT1oANB0yBc9XAsZ2E0JViJllITcTxw_yP3EV5qOjvRc5r9V9HMlNNJOyNbZPUltQn/s1600/Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Saving Trees by reducing paper consumption" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwQUVWTH-B31UhlooKTf9PbF5p-84Fkiyw5LqHai079nfYeN4IOGZE40x1XSCEd6-o5Aw-Bw8hLgT1oANB0yBc9XAsZ2E0JViJllITcTxw_yP3EV5qOjvRc5r9V9HMlNNJOyNbZPUltQn/s1600/Tree.jpg" title=""></a></div>
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Here's a pop quiz for you - which of the two scenes below do you think is more likely? <br>
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Scenario 1 - I open everything I get in the mail, and suddenly I am a happier person, paying lower interest, owning a better home (after selling the one I'm living in at an unbelievable price), have a home full of great stuff, bought with shiny new plastic, be better educated, and more relaxed.<br>
Or Option 2 - I yank my hair out in frustration at, the hours wasted ripping open bulky envelopes to make sure there's no personally identifiable info, a slew of paper-cuts crisscrossing my tough skin, a new batch of recycling every day, and a sinking feeling at the backlog of other chores. Any guesses?<br>
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I know that to many of you, a version of option 2 hits close to the mark, frustration at the volume of junk mail we receive daily is a common complaint, yet, they keep coming, everyday in the mail. Fat, glossy, window envelopes, with sometimes too much knowledge about our lives (it's scary how easy it is to get that data) or names spelled wrong, or worse yet, addressed to Resident or current postal customer. Catalogs, that are probably best used as weights in a home gym, for things we wouldn't know what to do with! And at what cost?<br>
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I wanted to know, so I did some digging around and read multiple sources of info online, here's what I found - <br>
<ul style="list-style-type: square; margin-left: 2.5em; text-align: left;">
<li>Each US household receives an average of 16 pieces of junk a week, some as much as that in a day. Did some quick math and that is the equivalent of <b>one tree worth of junk mail every year</b>. </li>
<li><b>Only 50% of junk mail</b> received is recycled, which means that about 50 million trees are effectively cut down and thrown away every year. </li>
<li>In addition, the junk mail industry uses about <b>28 billion gallons of water</b> every year to produce all that waste (Californians could probably find better use for that, on luxuries like baths, flushing toilets and feeding livestock)</li>
<li>Paper production is the 4th largest consumer of energy and the 3rd largest industrial polluter </li>
</ul>
In addition to junk mail, global consumption of paper has grown by about 400% in the past 40 years.<br>
<ul style="list-style-type: square; margin-left: 2.5em; text-align: left;">
<li>The US with only 5% of the worlds population is the largest consumer, responsible for 30% of paper consumption. </li>
<li>40% of the worlds harvested trees are used for paper production. </li>
</ul> <br>
And as with so many things, a lack of knowledge seems to be the biggest factor (or so I choose to believe). I had a conversation at work recently, with a couple of young colleagues. They were reviewing a presentation with me and printed out the 30 page document in single page full color, times 3. Despite telling them I disliked printed material, they not only printed out the original, but after my feedback, they ripped up the copies and printed out the corrected version too. So I stopped them and started explaining why it was important that they try and minimize their use of paper, when one of them said - "but don't they grow trees on farms now for paper, so no forests are getting destroyed?"<br>
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Here's the problem - while its true that an increasing amount of the worlds paper needs are being sustainably manufactured (approximately 35% comes from recycled material), the majority of it does come from tree farms or plantations. Althought, that may sound like an acceptable solution, here's the downside - tree farms or plantations are created by clearing out vast tracts of native forests. Also, tree farms are most efficient as "monocultures" where only the type of tree required for mass production is grown, this in turn depletes the soil of its nutrient diversity and contributes to habitat loss and risk of extinction for native species of plants and animals<br>
<br>
So what can you do about it? Reducing the demand for paper is one first step that everyone can contribute to. While there are a ton of resources online to help you reduce your paper footprint, here are quick tips to start NOW -<br>
<ol style="margin-left: 2.5em; text-align: left;">
<li>To stop getting junk mail you can start by signing up at <a href="https://www.dmachoice.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.dmachoice.org/ </a>to have Direct Marketers delete you from their list. You can also in some cases contact companies that mail you directly (like the email unsubscribe option). It may take a bit of time to do this, but in the long run you'll be saving yourself time, energy and TREES.</li>
<li>Change all your bills to paperless, all the energy companies, banks etc, offer that option</li>
<li>Don't print! if you can view something on a screen or projector do so. If you have to, print on both sides and if not, don't throw away the material when done, use the back for notes, to-do lists etc. </li>
<li>Use an app for shopping lists, or if you're old school like me, write it on a dry-erase white board and take a picture. </li>
<li>At home, use rags and cloth napkins instead of paper towels.</li>
</ol> <br>
Most importantly, as with everything that's possibly bad for us or the environment, stop and think every time you reach for something paper. Do I really need this? Or can I try and save another tree to produce oxygen for me to breathe, beauty to amaze me and a home for all the unique little critters that make this such a beautiful planet? <br>
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Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-41923580304036905032015-04-03T10:24:00.003-04:002015-04-14T11:47:28.492-04:00Countdown to another dead Rhino, 8....7....6....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpYUvSZWuSGnQZwklThyDIHXfFS2xoMMLn0Y7wsg-uqp9iGxO-Qw4JHrsEdf7gpWOaWpRqrJzoRhaVNIBEwZnzLdVXAielIChq728JBNG_96WKX-HAZ9m_a56Aqmx0B4pAdODqTNZ0fKQ/s1600/rhinos-382401_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpYUvSZWuSGnQZwklThyDIHXfFS2xoMMLn0Y7wsg-uqp9iGxO-Qw4JHrsEdf7gpWOaWpRqrJzoRhaVNIBEwZnzLdVXAielIChq728JBNG_96WKX-HAZ9m_a56Aqmx0B4pAdODqTNZ0fKQ/s1600/rhinos-382401_640.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Did you know that while you're going about your 8 hour work day, somewhere in the wilds of Africa, another Rhino is being killed and viciously mutilated? Or that someone in China is stirring rhino horn powder into a drink, while others look on in admiration and envy?</div>
<div>
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I didn't...until now!<br />
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<div>
In my ongoing evolution as a writer and a quest for more experience, I volunteer at a few nonprofits
to help with their communication needs. I recently connected with and did a little
work for a nonprofit called <a href="http://www.nikela.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nikela</a>, a completely volunteer run public charity
that is an incredible example of how people with passion and belief in a cause
but limited funds can still make an impact in the world. <span style="font-family: sans-serif;">Started in 2010 by Margrit & Russ Harris, driven by a desire to support the extraordinary people trying to preserve African wildlife, Nikela helps by </span><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: sans-serif;">
“telling stories, raising some funds and doing what we can to support those who give their all to stop the rhino poaching, curb the escalating wildlife trafficking industry and end canned lion hunting”</blockquote>
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My first assignment with this unique organization was to write a blog post about one of
the Ebooks that Nikela publishes to raise awareness about wildlife conservation. I went into it concerned about the technical aspects of how I was going to write this piece - absorbing all the information, summarizing and then highlighting the most compelling parts of it, but one minute into my first reading of it and I was hooked! The new challenge? - how to do justice to an incredible story of heartbreak, hope and commitment to a seemingly unwinnable fight.</div>
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<![endif]-->The eBook -Wildlife Ranger, Volume 1 is the first in a series that chronicles the dramatic, compelling, and gut wrenching
experiences of Peter Milton, a wildlife ranger in Northern Mozambique, on his
quest to save the Rhino from poachers and crime syndicates.<br />
<br />
The stories in this first volume cover a gamut of experiences of Peter and the team at SPOTS (Strategic Protection of Threatened Species), from using stealth teams and customized high tech UAV's to hunt down poachers (007 would not feel out of place in this scenario, BTW), to losing their base of operations to a mercenary local farmer and bonding with a young rhino bull in their new home base. There are also beautiful moments when the team pauses to appreciate and surround themselves with the natural beauty and indigenous flora and fauna. </div>
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While being absorbed and entertained by the tales of this dedicated group, it's easy to forget the dangers inherent in this work and the heartbreak that comes with failure. The book delivered on its goal however, making me pause to research all the issues surrounding Rhino poaching and conservation efforts.<br />
<br />
Here's a summary - Rhino poaching is driven by a market for their horns, south east Asia being the primary destination. While in many cultures the powdered horn is considered to have medicinal properties, in more and more areas, consuming rhino horn powder in drinks is considered a status symbol. To feed this seemingly unstoppable demand, in just the first 2 months of this year, in South Africa alone, <b>49 rhinos </b>have been poached and a total of <b>1215 rhinos killed in 2014, </b>that was one every 7.2 hours<b>. </b></div>
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To put this in greater context, at the beginning of the 20<sup>th</sup> century there were 500,000
rhinos across Africa and Asia. This fell to 70,000 by 1970 and further
to just 29,000 in the wild today. Large-scale poaching of the now critically endangered black rhino
resulted in a incredible 96% decline from 65,000 individuals in 1970 to
just 2,300 in 1993. It is in large part due to the dedicated efforts of conservationists like Peter Milton and local programs across Africa that some of these numbers have stabilized and even grown. However, t<span style="font-family: sans-serif;">he ever increasing rate of poaching is winning right now, and makes the threat of Rhino extinction in the very near future dangerously and devastatingly likely. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif;">You may say, why the Rhino? I say because they are unique, gentle herbivores that have as much right to this planet as we do. Because too few seem to care about their place in preserving the indigenous ecosystem. That the rhino is one of many other endangered species, whose potential extinction brings us further down the road to our own destruction. And if the rhino doesn't touch your heart, choose another... There are so many species on the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=desc&sort=extinction_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">endangered species list</a> (way too many if you ask me) and while it can seem overwhelming to try and save them all, its easy to pick one, any one that speaks to you and start there.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><b>Here are some resources if you'd like to help - </b></span><br />
<ol style="margin-left: 2.5em; text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">Read the ebook that triggered this post - </span><a href="http://www.nikela.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/WILDLIFE-RANGER-Peter-Milton-SR-MH-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Wildlife Ranger, Volume 1</a> (opens as a .pdf)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">Donate or volunteer with Nikela, or read other ebooks - <a href="http://www.nikela.org/donate/">http://www.nikela.org/donate/</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"> Find other causes that you would like to support - World Widlife Fund is still the best single source - <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species">https://www.worldwildlife.org/species</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">If you'd like to volunteer your time to one of these causes (from any part of the world) <a href="http://www.volunteermatch.org/">http://www.volunteermatch.org/</a></span></li>
</ol>
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Speckonadothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05577434920306375176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-61791493214576837102015-03-24T17:12:00.001-04:002015-03-25T11:32:11.918-04:00One step forward... two back?<br>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I often liken myself to a pack mule, a description my husband reluctantly agrees with… but before you start picturing a frail skinny creature, slave to a cruel overlord or the clichéd woman with a large handbag filled to bursting with a gazillion whatchamacallits and doodads let me clarify. That is how I look when I return from a list checking, efficient and comprehensive multi-store weekly grocery run. I hang my genetically broad shoulders (I kid myself by chalking it up to years of swimming) with 4, 5 and sometimes 6 reusable fabric bags, in a myriad of colors, filled to the brim with all the fuel needed to keep those shoulders and the body they're attached to, healthy for the next shopping trip. To maintain this self-perpetuating cycle, I keep reusable bags everywhere I might possibly need it - in the car, at home, in my handbag - so I never have to use one of the supermarket bags.<br><br>Why do I put myself through that you ask? When I could just grab a bag at the store as I needed it. Let me tell you why...<br><br>Plastic bags are not only ugly and environmentally unfriendly when manufactured but with less than 0.5% of them recycled most end up littering streets, clogging landfills, scattered through the wilderness and most critically in water. With about 10% ending up in the ocean, plastic bags are the second highest form of garbage found in the ocean (after cigarette butts). In 2010, a gray whale that was beached and died in Seattle was found to have more than 20 plastic bags in its stomach. One in three leatherback sea turtles have plastic in their stomach, most often a plastic bag. Every year about 100,000 turtles, whales, birds and other marine animals die after consuming plastic bags they mistake as food or from getting entangled in them. And if that doesn't tug at your heart strings and make you think differently, let’s see if we can get to you through your stomach. All those low-density polyethylene, petroleum based products break down and release toxins into the seawater which find their way to most marine life, including fish, and from there to your plate. YUM!<br><br>Still in doubt about how bad this is? Let me give you some facts to outline the magnitude of the issue. Consumers in the US alone go through about 100 billion plastic bags a year and a staggering 1 trillion worldwide, that's about 150 bags per person per year. The manufacturing process for these bags consumes about 4.5 times the amount of energy as a reusable/green bag yet plastic bags take up to a 1000 years to degrade; and even then, they only break down into smaller components, which are still toxic and contaminate the soil, waterways and the air.<br><br>That's why I was so excited in September 2014, when California passed a new law, banning stores from giving out those awful, flimsy single use plastic bags to shoppers for free. Instead stores would charge an extra 10c per bag (paper or plastic) that the customer used, hopefully encouraging more people to quit the plastic habit and switch to reusable bags. While clearly not the solution to all environmental challenges this law would have been the first statewide ban in the US and could have been a key first step in reducing the environmental impact of human waste.<br><br>Other places that have enforced similar laws have seen the use of plastic bags drop significantly ... up to 95% in Ireland's County Cork and over 60% in Australia. Complete and partial bans are also in place in countries like Rwanda, Italy, Mauritania, India, China and at least 12 more. The funny thing is that more than a 100 local cities and towns in California including SFO already have bans in place. Other cities in the US including Portland OR, Boulder CO, Austin TX and many more have had bans in place since as early as 2007.<br><br>Imagine my disappointment then, when in February this year, the pro plastic bag lobby, managed to get 110% of the signatures needed to overturn the ban and put it to a vote by Californians in 2016. So it goes on hold...! The arguments against it range from job loss for those currently in the plastic industry (the CA law provides financial assistance for just such an outcome) to the surcharge being a "tax" on consumers that would only benefit stores.<br><br>Even some conservationists argue that a plastic bag ban wouldn't really make a big dent in the overall environmental impact, that paper bags were just as dangerous and encouraging the use of reusable bags was only one part of the solution; a more significant cultural shift away from a use & throw mentality was necessary.<br><br>While I agree that more far reaching and broad changes are required to halt or even reverse the impact of modern civilization on the environment than this one little change, would we not all sleep with slightly fuller hearts and healthier bellies when one less animal was poisoned or choked to death by a throwaway, hazardous and completely unnecessary plastic bag?<br></span></span>Speckonadothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05577434920306375176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-3714225934409638762015-03-10T12:02:00.001-04:002015-03-23T07:49:24.039-04:00For love of all things furry and beautiful<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I am one of those weird
exceptions who usually enjoys riding the subways ... even in NY. Fascinated by
the idiosyncrasies of other passengers, astounded by the talent of the subway
performers, not even the pervasive smell of damp, urine and a frequent
sardine-like sensation can get me down.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But come the winter, the smile
more frequently turns to a frown, there's a drumming in my ears and a cacophony
of angry thoughts and pain. Its not the freezing cold, the wind, the damp
tunnels or the icy stairs that does it, but something far more primal.... the
re-emergence of fur - not on a cuddly dog in a sweater and rubber socks with
its leash all tangled up with its owners feet, or a cat curled up in the corner
of its carrier shooting warning glances at the big clumsy two legged beings
around her - but fur ripped off the bodies of its owners to create coats,
stoles, hats... whatever. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Those are the times I fervently
wish that we didn't live in such a so-called "civilized" world, where
honesty often gets you a punch in the nose or spit in your face (is that just a
NY thing?), or I would walk up to the person wearing it, bite my tongue and ask
them "politely" if they knew it was made at the cost of several
innocent animals, bludgeoned till immobile, often skinned alive, left to die
bleeding slowly like nothing more than trash.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">There is information all over
the internet detailing these unconscionable rituals of cruelty, in fact I
received an update last week about the harp seal hunt coming up shortly in
Canada - an annual ritual where "<i>Every year, when the time is
"right"....a few hundred to a few thousand Canadian fishermen find
their way to the floes and proceed to club, bludgeon, shoot, and skin tens to
hundreds of thousands of harp seals. About 95% of the seals killed in the
commercial seal 'hunt' are 3 weeks to 3 months old. See more at: <a href="http://www.harpseals.org/about_the_hunt/index.php#sthash.s5RQTsWI.dpuf">http://www.harpseals.org/about_the_hunt/index.php#sthash.s5RQTsWI.dpuf</a>".
</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Babies that have barely even
lived, killed<i> </i>to adorn the body of a human.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">And the stories go on... the
PETA site and the Humane Society are peppered with stories about fur farms in
China, and multiple gruesome videos of mass killing of foxes, muskrats, beavers
and more ... all to feed the ever growing market for furs. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">However, beyond the inhumanity
of the acts itself, this practice has more far-reaching consequences. The
seemingly insatiable demand for these skins is leading to a steady dwindling of
many of these species in the wild, or the introduction of non-indigenous
species into "farms" which leads down two equally undesirable paths -
the continued <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=desc&sort=extinction_status" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">extinction</a>
of many beautiful and unique creature from this planet, or the increasing
instability in the earth's natural ecosystem.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Given all these consequences, what rationale could
justify the purchase of or the wearing of a fur?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> For warmth? fashion? ....when
there are so many great man-made options out there that are cruelty free, comfy
and stylish, not to forget good old layering up. And really can any fashion
trend justify being complicit in death and destruction of this magnitude? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But I'd like to believe that a
big part of it is just sheer ignorance or thoughtlessness. We need to start
more conversations and get the message out more widely. I'm starting with this
post, but I'm going to find more active ways to get involved and if you're a
like-minded soul, PETA has some great suggestions on getting involved in
the cause and info on talking to people about fur <a href="http://www.peta.org/action/say-someone-wearing-fur-video">http://www.peta.org/action/say-someone-wearing-fur-video</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Let’s act now, before we lose
more and more of our humanity, and in doing so destroy so much that is unique
and beautiful about this planet.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
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Pallavi Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049414820479600362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317786570112062290.post-69826076869556346962014-09-02T10:27:00.001-04:002015-03-24T17:06:16.639-04:00From one Speck to all the others...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWu4HZaKyII7SJ1eh4XlWKJgC8Pc_CD-v39ZUzbZ3u6eAwdd3v_Dnt5jAnZwJ8zPUGAfUZlxQ9vpSKc2isaP_08wUg7JVoliBST5OO4_Z6tTQQ7Hbh1pgulKTj2ct77F9IviMN1-4p353f/s1600/1541584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWu4HZaKyII7SJ1eh4XlWKJgC8Pc_CD-v39ZUzbZ3u6eAwdd3v_Dnt5jAnZwJ8zPUGAfUZlxQ9vpSKc2isaP_08wUg7JVoliBST5OO4_Z6tTQQ7Hbh1pgulKTj2ct77F9IviMN1-4p353f/s1600/1541584.jpg" height="284" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After almost 20 years, I’m giving writing another shot. It has always been
my dream to be a writer, of course winning the Nobel prize for Literature and
every other prize in writing simultaneously, features vividly in many episodes,
but I’d be happy to just have a few friends read and join the conversation with
me.<br />
<br />
Having studied literature and journalism in college, competed in local and
national writing competitions in India (and sometimes winning) and continuing
to devour books like they were on the brink of being snatched away, that would
seem like an easy and natural transition. Not so much….my days so far have been
occupied with treading a well-worn path: college, a corporate career, moving countries
etc. etc…. and writing of any kind was limited to (in fact was preferred to be
in) bullet points, PowerPoint presentations and of course way too many
signatures.<br />
<br />
Call it a mid-life crisis, or just an inspired choice but I finally decided
to make the time to focus on some of my passions – writing, creatures big and
small (primarily of the non Homo Sapiens variety), this beautiful planet we
live on and what makes it tick, or as we’re seeing more often now, what stops
or slows down the ticking.<br />
<br />
I struggled for way too long with how to combine all these ideas into one conversation,
but then I fell back upon one of the most relevant quotes from an inspirational
person. Hence this blog<br />
<br />
To the people and the show, reinvented this year, who truly got me off my
rear and to the keyboard….Thanks Carl Sagan, Neil De Grasse Tyson and the
Cosmos from one little Speck on the Pale Blue Dot<br />
<br />
<i>“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it
everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every
human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our
joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and
economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward,
every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant,
every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child,
inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt
politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and
sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust
suspended in a sunbeam."</i><br />
<br />
―
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10538.Carl_Sagan">Carl Sagan</a>,
<i>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1816628">Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space</a></i><br />
<br />
<i>Go to this page to read the full quote - <a href="http://www.speckonadot.com/p/the-universe.html">http://www.speckonadot.com/p/</a>the-universe.html </i></div>
Speckonadothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05577434920306375176noreply@blogger.com0