Conference quark::human_relations-v1

    
    
    This is not a new situation.  In fact, thanks to public and
    political pressure, the problem is actually being addressed.
    New nets are being experimented with, as well as other devices.
    
    Additionally, it's not just dolphins that are dying (although
    their mortality rate is high, because they frequently swim with
    tuna fish schools).  Sea turtles are in danger of becoming ex-
    tinct because of the high incidence of being caught in nets.
    Other sea mammals are also dying needlessly.
    
    While we're on the subject-the ocean and it's inhabitants are
    rapidly being destroyed by man and his byproducts.  Plastic
    waste (plastic 6-pack rings from soda and beer cans especially)
    cause the death and suffering of countless birds and sea mammals
    annually.
    
    What's the solution?  Well, boycotting ocean caught fish might
    have some impact, as long as you notify the companies and countries
    involved of your action.  Political pressure would have a greater
    impact.  Write to your state representatives.  Tell these reps
    what you object to, what action you expect to be taken, and ask
    how they are helping to resolve the problem.  Ask them how they
    are representing you (that IS their job).
    
    Support Green Peace and other animal welfare groups.  Learn to 
    be more ecology minded.  (ie, don't buy 6 packs with plastic rings)
    
    On a side note, plastic waste has gotten a lot of bad press lately.
    Not only is it polluting our oceans, our landfills are also filling
    up at an alarming rate.  New biodegradable plastics are being ex-
    perimented with, and are on the market in some areas (including
    degradable disposable plastic diapers and trash bags).  Check your
    shopping habits...when you buy produce at the market, do you auto-
    matically reach for a plastic bag?  Most markets have brown paper
    available in the produce area also.  Switch to paper.  Most of your
    produce will stay fresh longer in paper, and you'll be doing a small
    part to cut down on the plastic pollution.  If your particular store
    doesn't offer paper in the produce section, talk to the store manager
    about correcting the situation.
    
    Deborah
    
    

a good example of a good special interest group which anyone is free to
participate in or not.

But how is this a HUMAN_RELATIONS topic?  Wouldn't HYDRA::HOLISTIC be a better
place? 

Jim. 

    RE - Jim
    
    This is a HUMAN_RELATIONS topic in that it deals with how humans
    relate to the world and the other life in it......how some humans
    don't even stop to consider the impact of what they do today that
    will effect the world tomorrow.
    
    Will the great-grandchildren of today be able to walk in green meadows
    and smell the fresh air beneath a bright blue sky?  Will they see
    a butterfly fluttering in natural surroundings?  Will they see a
    baby harp seal snuggle close to its mother?  Will they see a timber
    wolf stalking prey?
    
    Will they see a dolphin jump playfully from the ocean waves?
    
    And, if not, will it be OUR fault?
    
    :-(
    
    Carol
    

    
   "Will they see a
    baby harp seal snuggle close to its mother?  Will they see a timber
    wolf stalking prey?"

    I sure hope they see it tomorrow because I've never seen it today..
    (in person that is).. ;')
    
    Seriously, biodegradable packaging regarding the ocean is the only
    way to go. I read an article in TIME magazine on the polluting of
    our oceans. It was horrible, I forget how many THOUSANDS of TONS
    of plastic waste the merchant and navy fleet dumps over board on
    a daily basis, but it was an exorbitant amount...
    
    Brian

        Isn't it amazing the way that the public will spend time catching
    the news and reading the papers to see how three whales trapped
    in the ice are doing.  They supported the enormous cost of freeing
    them and the cost of covering the "event".  Yet most of these people
    won't take the time to cut the rings of the 6-pack holders or ask
    for paper instead of plastic at the grocery store.
    
        I'm not perfect, but at least I'm doing a few things.
    
        Try reading WASHDC::ENVIRONMENTAL_ISSUES for more topics related
    to the environment.  Hit the Select key, or KP7 to add it to your
    notebook.
    
    ASP

	It is pretty sad how man is killing off the dolphins, 
and all the other animals (except cockroaches) in the world 
slowly but surely.  Actually, not even that slowly.  And, I 
imagine, in another hundred years or so when we start running low 
on oxygen because we've cut down all of the trees to make paper 
products and clear land for growing food, the rest of the worlkd 
will suffer much faster than it has been.  The CO2 levels will 
explode upward, the O2 will drop, and that's all she wrote.

But that seems to be cultural type of thing, in that man has done 
stuff like this through out history, but in some cases was able 
to catch himself at the last minute.  I hope that eventually 
everyone will realize that WE (as humans, and the only ones on 
the planet capeble of righting our wrongs) must change our 
attitudes, work harder towards more posiotive goals, and consider 
not just ourselves, but the entire ecological system of this 
planet.

mike

    I've started (in the past 5 years) to think more about plastic.
    I now save all reusable plastic bags and use them until they're
    no longer reusable.  I've had to purchase far fewer plastics
    since I started doing that - a double benefit!  I just started
    clipping up all the 6-pack rings we get, even though our trash
    goes to a landfill.  You just never know.  And I try to get
    paper bags instead of plastic, or at least the decomposable 
    plastic.  There are things that even a non-activist person
    can do.
    
    As an aside, about 6 months ago I was driving home from work
    through the center of Merrimack, NH, when I noticed lots of cars
    swerving to avoid something in the road.  When I got to the spot,
    I saw a large (8-9" diameter shell) land turtle walking across the
    road.  Hoping to save him from being squished, I stopped my car,
    got out, and picked him up only to find that the reason he was going
    so slowly was that there was a plastic bag wrapped around his
    neck.  Well, I brought him across the road, set him down, and
    removed the bag.  He twisted his neck around to look at me,
    then walked away at a brisk pace.
    
    It made me sad to think of how many people had gone around this
    poor guy.  If I hadn't stopped, would anyone?  And I got honks
    and jeers for stopping, from folks who would rather have gunned
    down the road.
    
    As a more positive aside, last night's Christian Science Monitor
    had an article on how some South American countries are, despite
    their debt and poverty, trying to save their jungle.  
    
    --Louise

    I guess I'm like a lot of other GUILTY people who just never realized
    the damage that my carelessness might cause. I'm going to start
    clipping the plastic 6 pack rings, and asking for paper bags at
    the store.
    
    In reading the report of the turtle that was saved up in N.H., I
    recalled something I saw in Hudson, Ma. last summer. A friend and
    I used to take long walks at lunch time, and happened to be walking
    past one of the lakes near the DEC plant when a very strong odor
    of decay disturbed our relaxing walk. As we walked along we saw
    what caused it. It seems that some enterprising soul found a way
    to get rid of his/her unwanted tire. They threw it into the water,
    and a hugh turtle must have tried to go through the opening and
    got stuck. Not only do we destroy the beauty around us, but we also
    destroy the animals and each other too. Maybe it's time we all started
    to look at the things we probably have done for years without a
    second thought. Maybe it's not too late???
    
    Nils

    
    < Note 667.5 by WEA::PURMAL "Spilt forth like playful whales" >
                        -< Hell yes it makes me angry! >-

>        Isn't it amazing the way that the public will spend time catching
>    the news and reading the papers to see how three whales trapped
>    in the ice are doing.  They supported the enormous cost of freeing
>    them and the cost of covering the "event".  Yet most of these people

    Worse yet, despite all of the (tra la la) public support and sentiment
    and international cooperation and the enormous cost incurred..blah
    ...blah..blah.. to free those whales they'll probably end up on
    a shelf in some 'posh' boutique in the form of perfume.... Sorry,
    I know it's gruesome, but it had to be said.. This topic should
    have been titled 'The Killing of Nature'. The atrocities of man
    continue.........
    
    Brian
    

    Along the same lines
    
    man's supposed superiority to animals
    
    my religion does/did not spend much time on the concept of
    afterlife.  But, the idea I have of other religions' afterlife
    concepts is that it's only for people, since animals don't 
    have souls in most religions.  Except hinduism.  Anyhow, I
    was thinking, isn't that ridiculous?  To think that we are
    the only ones our god cares about?  To think that god would
    rather have us humans up in heaven with him, rather than a
    cat or mouse or woodchuck (wellll, I can understand about the
    woodchuck, but the cat?)
    
    What does it do to people's relations to other creatures, to think
    that people are, by creation, so superior?  How about, what does
    it do to people's relations to other people to think that only
    THEIR religion has the proper entrance requirements for heaven?
    (This *is* the HR file, after all, so I'd better end on a human
    to human interaction level, so the note is legitimate...;-))
    
    --Louise
    

'why is man supposed to be the only one in heaven?'

Because man is the one who ate of the Tree of Good & Evil (Knowledge).
Man was the only one created in God's image...
In short, man's awareness is an order of magnitude higher then animals...

The animals?  Well, Earth is their heaven, if we don't make it hell first... :-(

Jim.

    
    In case anyone is wondering, albacore (caught off the Mendocino
    coast) is caught with long lines, which *do not* pose any threat
    to sea mammals. 
    
    The people who feel strongly about this should know that this
    boycott is hurting the longline fishing industry in California while
    leaving the Japanese, Mexican, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and other 
    offending fishing fleets untouched.
    
    Besides the albacore product is the best quality of all the tuna
    products.

    re: .12
    
    Do you happen to have a list of all the fish now currently packeged
    as "tuna" ? The last recall I have is that its something like six
    varieties, of which Albacore is one.
    
    re: .0
    
    Bread and Circus ?
    
    This food store frequently advertises on WCRB. One advertising
    technique they use is the "extensible facts" and Red Herrings (from
    Logic and Argument techniques). 
    
    Translation: It seems to me that capitalize on Humans ability to use
    logic, and by taking a small piece of scientific fact, extend it beyond
    factual limits to promote their products. 
    
    This type of advertising is widely used to promote cigarettes,
    perfumes, chic clothing, the whaling industry, and various other
    industries who have something WE (moi', aussi) should believe, so that
    THEY can sell their products to US. 
    
    One of my pet peeves (pun intended) is the wholesale slaughter of mules
    promulgated by one of the LEADING conservation groups, based on the
    assumption that since they were not native to Death Valley; they should
    be removed. 
    
    One of their arguments was that mules made water holes non-potable for
    human consumption. Since the organization is run by HUMANS,and not
    mules, the logic should be self evident. 
        
    Bob

    
    >Do you happen to have a list of all the fish now currently packeged
    
    ...(checking my back pocket)... No, I don't. Off the top of my head
    I can think of yellowtail, yellowfin, bluefin, water pack, oil pack...