alas ... a leisure stroll on one hot afternoon at the curve with Sis landed us at the MPH store. we were there to get some gift wrappings for Yang initially, but then we thought, since we were already there, might as well browse around the store.. indeed we were both insipid creatures when it comes to bookstore trawling... but hey, when you actually do take some time going through the shelves, you're bound to knock into something you like!
and i happen to come across this baby... yea, that's how i'd like to describe it..
the Asian Geographic edition #3/2009 ~ the GREEN EDITION. the cover did nothing less in capturing my attention, any images or words cast on a white background almost always does its thing for me. but more importantly, the word GREEN EDITION did the utmost of all...
this was the first time i came across this mag.. One part of me was being very curious on what they'd to say about all the old and new enviro issues plaguing us.. was especially interested on what "tiny" asia could do in terms of its efforts and tech. One other part of me was being very cautious on spending (again) on mags that look good but lay untouched on my desk after some few flip throughs...
"what do you think about getting a mag that's gonna cost me rm12?"...
"rm12? what's it about?... the Green Edition huh? i'd say you get it!"...
=P... i luv shoppin with sis... O~ the liberty of it all... lols....
of course, the photos display as i flipped through the pages didnt help less... i knew the mag would be a great read..!
and i'm glad that this edition did not disappoint. there werent really many (or any at all?) advertorial pages like other mags would have; .. each page was filled with very informative articles, one after the other.. peppered throughout with beautiful photographs of places beyond our normal means. and all these i assume, engineered painstakingly by AG's own editorial team and team of contributors.
well, not really an avid tree-hugger, but i am at the very least, somewhat concerned about our lil' ball of earth... and this, sortof really caught my thoughts...
http://www.whalesharkpetition.com/this being a singaporean publication although covering the whole of asia... things most dear to the heart would obviously come from their very own backyard...
"Resorts World at Sentosa wants to import whale sharks for the attraction and entertainment of visitors. Whale sharks are vulnerable to extinction and have never done well in captivity. They can grow as large as two city buses, migrate thousands of kilometers in the wild, and live up to a hundred years. It is just plain cruel to keep them in glass cages.
Whale sharks have never fared well in captivity. Two whale sharks died within five months of each other at the Georgia Aquarium.
Write to the Minister of National Development, the Singapore Tourism Board and Resorts World at Sentosa before this tragedy happens on our shores."
looking at the hit rate counter... showing an impressive 10,141 hits at that moment in time, shows just how easily moved people are with enviro-causes like these. everyone wants to help out and 'do their little part'. not much effort were really required in "signing" this petition online... in fact, they even had a template ready for you. just fill in the necessary valid IDs and hit Go!
but then, wait just a minute. as you read along, you'd find that AG wasnt at all that biased. they do play it fair, by having a link right there and then to show at least, the other side of the story.
seems this resort entity had submitted the shark display as one of its attractions during its bid to win the IR (integrated resort) project on Sentosa way back in '06.
so... hmmhmm. when seemingly irrational ideas like keeping a whale shark in captive come all backed-up with some seemingly rational logics of upholding the integrity of a successful bid (not withstanding the legal aspects involved), how do you choose what to do? ... To send or not to send? and it being a marine life park project, they should have some terrific teams of marine-life professionals monitoring the exhibits right?~ and if we were to feel so strongly about viewing a whale shark through some glass displays, well then what would you have to say about viewing the white (almost) resident polar bear at the Singapore Zoo? or the spotted leopard in the pathetic steel cage covered with pathetic green foliage? or those thirsty looking camels on our own backyard... at the A'Famosa safari park?
well, as of the time the website was visited, the resort entity were still in stages of 'being finalized and options being explored'.
so we dont know yet whether we'll be able to see some whale sharks soon at the up and coming new IR across the straits... but i guess it's comforting enuff to know that efforts -regardless of whether they would end up as a lost cause-, are still being actioned by a bunch of driven enthusiasts.
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and oh, by the way folks, it's World Environment Day this June 5th.
i luv Earth.. woohoo~!
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another itch scratched...
yahaha!
ReplyDeleteshall i put my 'fun' away for the
World Environment Day, tmrw?
hehehe...