The worst plastic, from both an environmental and health points of view, is polyvinyl chloride or PVC. According to Greenpeace International, the list of uses for PVC is endless because it is one of the most widely used plastics. It is found in a wide variety of products, such as food packaging, children’s toys, plumbing, building materials, medical devices, household items, even fashion. Most people might not know, however, that the production of PVC creates and releases one of the most toxic chemicals – dioxin.

Dioxin is an unwanted by-product of incineration and some industrial processes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States has classified it as a dangerous chemical and serious public health threat. It has been found to suppress the immune system, cause cancer, increase the risk of diabetes, cause birth defects, and affect the neurological system. PVC is poisonous and an occupational hazard to its manufacturers/makers, toxic to the environment, and ultimately less recyclable.
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Sometimes, a busy life and an equally attention providing lifestyle can make one seek solace in things that are more mundane and banal. Take the example of Leonardo DiCaprio. He recently admitted that he would like to settle down and take a break from it all. In fact, the guy has been so much under the spotlight that he probably needs to become a hermit. Leo is tired of traveling around the world and living on the movie sets and he feels that he has lost the meaning of life and what it is like to get married, have a family and settle down.

He has been dating the Israeli model Bar Rafaeli on and off and he has many a times spoken against marriages. However, the fact that now he is interested in settling down suggests something else about marriage and the institution of family. It could be a refuge where you take rest and relax, after having loads of fun elsewhere. In fact, it has been proven scientifically that those that have been professionally, sexually and socially active in their younger days look for the quiet and calm a marriage and family provides.

It must have something to do with our evolutionary process. Propagate the genes as much as possible when you are young, and once you get old, you will need to relax and be at home and make way for younger genes.

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Via: IMDB

If you had been wondering from where all the heroin of the world comes, it must not be too difficult to guess. It’s from the most troubled nation on earth, Afghanistan. The country depends literally on the money that comes from the sale of homegrown opium and poppy and also the derivatives like heroin and morphine. These narcotics make way to Western Europe through the neighboring Tajikistan.

Just 13 hours ago, many afghan smugglers were killed in a shootout in Tajikistan when they were caught red handed smuggling heroin into Tajikistan’s borders. These drugs after reaching France, Germany and elsewhere, are sold at exorbitant prices. What I fear is that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan has actually encouraged the Afghan opium farmers to grow more as lawlessness has increased many folds after the Americans have entered.

Only through proper negotiations with the U.N. and afghan government can the drug route and trade be blocked. I wonder how things will go in the near future. Though listening to the news of the smugglers being shot dead isn’t a very pleasant one, it may just have the right thing to do, for the Tajik forces, whose land is being used as a transit for drug delivery to Europe.

Via: AfghanConflictMonitor

A lot has been said and done about drug users and addicts. However, we fail to realize that behind all the drug abuse and addiction issues lies a story, a human story that is often untold and seldom heard. Most drug users face not only bias and prejudice but also self-hatred and depression. Lack of proper support groups, social stigma and other problems are enough to make sure a drug user goes ahead and finds solace in the very drugs that have consumed his or her life.

In my opinion, labeling someone who abuses drugs as an addict or a drug abuser must be avoided at any cost and it must be made sure that the addict receives proper detoxification and rehab. However, the interest on the part of the user also matters a lot. A drug user usually suffers from various other mental disorders such as borderline personality disorder, psychosis, depression and others. Finding the root cause of these mental ailments and coming up with a plan to detoxify the person is a better idea than just going ahead with the rehab and detoxification process.

In my opinion, the growing problem of drug usage can only be controlled through awareness campaigns, support systems and timely psychological interventions. Moreover, the society has to be open minded and friendly enough to accept slight deviations in a person.

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Via: ADreamForABetterworld

Until now, we all have been contended with Google’s simplistic approach to web designing and have come to get quite used to its no-fuss style. This Tuesday however, Google introduced a product developed in Google Labs, which is an antithesis of its image so far. It’s Lively! Yes, the product is named Lively (www.lively.com) and was headed by Niniane Wang (an engineering manager inside Google).As the name suggests the product is after all very colorful and full of life. Lively is an online tool. It allows users to have text-based conversations with friends, distant relatives and other internet users in virtual chat rooms. The USP being its facility for users who can embody themselves as cartoonish avatars (something that Yahoo! Messenger launched in form of Yahoo Avatars and became a hit with young crowd). This new feature was officially announced on Google’s blog and I think for its discreetness many of you might still not be aware of its presence.

Until now, internet chatting has been predominantly two-dimensional. Lively – as a medium offers the 3D experience of chatting with a range of cool and hep avatars at your mouse’s click. Also, the virtual chat rooms on Lively can be handpicked and designed by the user him/herself and these rooms can be added to any blog or Web site. One can design one’s own virtual environment by picking up Photos from Google’s Picasa. What’s more? The text appears inside cartoon-style bubbles atop the avatars giving the whole chat a comic-book feel aswell. At any given time, upto twenty people can occupy a chat room. Lovely! Or may I say Lively! Readers, I shall be using an avatar, which resembles the Swan Princess; what about you guys?�

Via NYTimes

Iceland- the country known for its glaciers and whaling practices is not set to become a pioneer in sustainable and eco-friendly practices. According to Iceland Review reports, the country will soon come up with a ‘green map’. The latter will inform locals and tourists about eco-friendly places, environmentally-certified products and services available in Iceland.

The ‘green map’ will be developed by University of Iceland Tourism Department in association with website natturan.is (natturan= nature; an environmentalist website). The map which follows an example set by greenmap.org, is a compilation of different categories: organic, health products, recycling, home remedies, certification, transportations, education, eco-friendly, fair trade, certification procedure, innovation, homemade, restaurants and travels service and last but not the least, technology.

Anna Karlsdottir, geographer and lecturer at the University of Iceland said,” It has been time for a while now to publish such a map and it will first and foremost be accessible on the internet,” Thus efforts to collect data about the green companies and services available in the country are already started by natturan.is. The green map thus produced will be downloadable and will be available on the website of Google Maps as well.

Source IceNews

This summer may witness arctic meltdown. Scientists have predicted that, the ice caps at North Pole may melt away completely owning to the phenomenon of Global Warming. It has been noted in last year’s studies that, ice at North Pole has started liquefying significantly. And this year, it may just get worse with the remaining layers of ice getting heated up with rising global temperatures. Continued meltdown of thicker caps formed during the ice ages has exposed the thinner layers to warming climate. The remaining cold cover is made up of seasonal ice which is liable to a quick meltdown during summer months. As per, Andy Mahoney, researcher, University of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice Data Center, “This year there is a lot of young ice. There’s always some, but this year there’s a lot”.

Data from satellite observations reveal that in comparison to last year, the melt down rate has increased, which means, the probability of full-scale ice cap melting has also increased. This certainly is alarming news. Perhaps people should understand that small rise in temperature can have catastrophic effects.
The melting ice has roused an interest in international community more for political reasons than ecological and environmental concerns. Despite the unpleasant consequences of global warming and climate change, as expressed by environmentalists and scientists, what actually interests politicians is the vast area that will be exposed once the polar ice is gone! Canada, U.S, Russia and other nations bordering the Arctic are keen on acquisition of this newly shaped Artic region. The latter can prove to be suitable for shipping purposes. Every one wants a piece of pie!

The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of Sea defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world’s oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources. As per the convention, Arctic countries can prove their claim to the vastly uncharted polar ice packs of North Pole, ten years after ratification of the treaty. It is interesting to note that, United States has not ratified the treaty yet. It has objected to the provisions of the treaty on several grounds. The U.S. believes, the treaty is unfavorable to America’s economy and security. However, the decision upon the control of Artic will be taken by another UN panel by2020.

The irony of the whole situation is, instead of pondering over the grave consequences attributed by the complete meltdown of North Pole, the community of Arctic countries is busy reaping its respective interests. This blind pursuit of economic benefits at the cost of ecological balance with further burden our Mother Earth.

Via CTV

National Geographic magazine’s latest issue (July, 2008) deals with the gory Virunga Gorilla Killings. I’m yet to read it. But what prompted me to write a post on this issue is the fact that I was greatly affected by a small video (7min. duration) titled Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas? The video is available on National Geographic’s website.

The Venue
Virunga National Park is situated in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda. This 7,800 square kilometers of protected area, is declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Virunga Park is a chain of active volcanoes and house of some very interesting and rare animal species like hippopotamuses and mountain gorillas. The latter belong to the globally ‘endangered species’ list. So far, the park has been famous for it’s successful conservation work regarding these Great Apes. But on July 22nd, 2007, an entire family of gorillas was executed mercilessly!

The Crime
Now, Virunga is infamous for its gorilla killings! Within a short span of two months, seven massive gorillas were gunned down, abandoning their kids. The disturbing photographs (by Brent Stirton) of these dead apes, swept across the world media, have created an outrage among conservationists and nature lovers. Attempts made by photographer Brent Stirton and writer Mark Jenkins to discover the motive behind these killings, have unraveled a disturbing mix of power, corruption, extreme poverty, human desperation, greed and associated violence.

The Issue
The face of the crime is undoubtedly ugly but the issue behind it is not a new one. The forces that lead to such sad killings of animals in the wild are threads of a complex fabric,
spun every single minute of human existence in developing societies. Like others Virunga too, is not resistant to ‘these’ forces. The question arises what are these forces then? Can they be challenged by human efforts?

The issue is not just Man vs. Nature but also Man vs. Man. Nearby Virunga National Park, is the huge camp of war-displaced people whose lives have been torn and tattered by the Congo Civil War. These people depend on the forest cover protected by the boundaries of the national park. The huge, hungry and poverty stricken population of these displaced people is a part of the Charcoal Mafia. It’s illegal to harvest charcoal inside the park premises but the locals (with the help of some corrupt officials) do just that. This is an outcome of human desperation and greed. The committed park rangers deal with such locals. Rangers also deal with a dangerous resident militia. The latter has occupied the gorilla specific areas of the vast national park. Their very presence is a threat to the gorilla’s existence. The militia wants justice and power from the government but their victims are not just humans only. The mountain gorillas, now being used to the irritating presence of humans, cannot distinguish whether those people with guns are there to protect or to terminate them!!!

The Reality
After watching the video, I could not help but remember that something similar and of grave nature has actually happened in India as well. The wiping out of tiger population at Sariska National Park in recent past and ongoing killings at Ranthambore, bear a semblance to what happened a year ago in Virunga. The issue is afterall, Can man and beast co-exist?

The Solution
There is no easy and straightforward solution that can change the scenario of Virunga and other national parks in a day or two. In this huge world, humans and other species are competing for space and nutrition. And each species is valuable. The process of establishing equilibrium between men and animals is unfortunately a slow one but the good part is, it is possible. I think we need a handful of Dr. Jane Goodall(s) in every continent!

Via NationalGeographic