I'm not even sure what to think or say on this subject... who could ever think of or imagine a two year old smoking cigarettes... Not just smoking, but chronically smoking, 40 cigarettes a day?!?! It's just crazy! In America and many more countries, this kind of behavior would seriously be questioned and that kid would be receiving help from many people! - it wouldn't be accepted. I feel for the poor kid. He doesn't really know or understand what he's doing, people encourage or at least don't discourage his actions, and it's not even his fault he had the addictions in the first place, his mom smoked while she was pregnant. I guess I give kudos for the parents for trying to get him to stop smoking when in their culture, it doesn't really matter if kids smoke... then again, his parents are the ones who supported his smoking and allowed him to get addicted in the first place, and, they aren't even trying to get him to stop for the benefit of his health, they are only worried about trying to save that money they spend on the cigarettes. I can't believe Indonesia hasn't gone to more measures to stop this uprising fad. They must have figured out how smoking can seriously affect a person, and how kids smoking hurts them so much more since their bodies are growing, and because then they get addicted and continue smoking most, if not all, of their life. I just think this is them being stubborn or something, and it's extremely sad. They are saying it's ok for so many children and people to corrupt and stunt their lives. It's not ok. Well...I hope that they are successful in getting Aldi to stop smoking along with the thousands of other kids, and hopefully they come up with some solutions to change this part of their culture to make things better in the future.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
"Mom of Toddler Smoker in Indonesia Seeks Help for Him"
Recently, a video of a two year old in Jakarta, Indonesia was leaked onto the internet, this young boy was smoking a cigarette. The two year old, Aldi, is almost two times the weight of other children his age. In Indonesia, smoking is part of the culture, and it's not seen as hazardous or poisonous. Aldi's mother smoked when she was pregnant with him, but she and her husband have now quit smoking. She says, "Even when he was a baby and he would smell smoke he would be happy." She also says, "I don't remember when, but we went to the market and then suddenly he had a cigarette in his hand." Aldi smokes an average of 40 cigarettes per day. When Aldi doesn't get cigarettes, he throws tantrums, when he can't satisfy his addiction, he vomits. Indonesia has not accepted the World Health Organization's framework on tobacco control, so tobacco companies advertise aggressively. From 2001-2007, tens of thousands more children between the ages of five and nine have began smoking. This doesn't include children below the age of five, like Aldi. Aldi's parents are trying to get him to stop smoking, but sadly, their motivation is not Aldi's health, it's to cut the cost of buying cigarettes.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
"More than 175 dead from weekend storm in Central America"
Tropical Storm Agatha has hit El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras hard. In Guatemala alone, 152 are dead, 100 are missing and 87 are injured. Aside from this, 125,00 have been evacuated, and 74,000 are living in shelters. Along with the tropical storm, Guatemala is dealing with the Pacaya volcano (about 18 miles from Guatemala City) which erupted last Thursday and continued to spew ash through today. The storm's destruction has been widespread, with mudslides destroying homes and buildings, nine rivers at extremely high levels, and 13 collapsed bridges. In the northern part of Guatemala City, downpours from the storm have created a sinkhole which spans over an entire intersection (as the picture displays). A three-story building and a house fell into the hole. For now, classes have been canceled as the nation tries to regroup from this state of emergency. According to officials, the situation is improving, the tropical storm Agatha was demoted to a tropical depression and lost that status as well. It was the first storm of the hurricane season in the Pacific. This is just crazy! I never really know how to react when I hear about storms such as this one, because I have never personally lived through something like this. Yes, I have seen the video footage and pictures of various storms on the news before, and I can maybe imagine what it might be like, but living through it is completely different than just seeing it on a TV. What really got me was not just the fact that they are dealing with a hurricane, but the sinkhole which the picture shows. I've never heard of or seen anything like it before, it's just bewildering! I can not imagine just walking down a street and there being a giant hole taking over the entire intersection... it's just weird. I guess I don't really understand how it happened, the article didn't really explain that part. My guess is that there must be a fairly large underground water supply right there and then with the downpours, I guess it just kind of washed out? I'm not sure, I'm unclear about that part. Then, on top of the tropical storm, they are dealing with the repercussions of a volcano as well... if I were living there, I would bet that I would be completely over my head. So many disasters all at the same time. Well, I'm glad to hear that the situation is getting better, my prayers go out to all of the people in those countries. And, I hope they release more information on this sinkhole, it would be interesting to understand and learn more about it.
"Madagascan Bird Declared Extinct"
According to BirdLife International, a small diving bird, known as the Alaotra Grebe, which is native toMadagascar has been classified as extinct. The birds used to be found on the largest lake in Madagascar, Lake Alaotra, but the population decreased quickly after carnivorous fish were put in the lake and when the local fishermen started using nylon gill nets. This species is gone and there is no hope for them anymore, and the extinction of this species was due to the work of humans. This is not the only place where invasive alien species have caused extinctions. In Southwest Cuba, the Zapata Rail was upgraded on the endangered list due to mongoose and exotic catfish put into the marshland. In Asia and Australia, the Great Knot and Far Eastern Curlew are suffering due to pollution. The Great Knot is also suffering due to the destruction of a migratory site in South Korea. There have been a few recent cases of conservation projects helping out some bird species, but according to a BirdLife International employee, "The overall state of the world's birds is getting worse year on year." This employee also informed that, "We have the skill and the expertise, so these things can be prevented. But we need commitments from governments to provide money to help birds and animals to survive."
It's always disappointing to hear that a species no longer exists on our planet. It really makes you wonder and think about what we are doing to our planet, how it's changing and how deprived the future will be. For those people who never saw those birds that are now extinct, they will never see them in their life... well not in person at least. It's just sad to hear this news. Just think of how even we who are living on the planet right now will, and have missed due to our own impacts on the world. The really sad part about all of this is how, like that employee said, we have the skills to do things to make things better, to conserve, to save species and the planet, however, the government doesn't provide them with enough money to use those skills. Just think... we could be saving thousands upon thousands of species and providing the future with the same opportunities that we have been offered, but the government says no. For example, right now, the president wants to do some drilling in the ocean, but of course those plans have been put on halt due to the massive oil spill occurring as we speak. I say, instead of using all of our money to drill for oil in the ocean so we "aren't dependent on foreign oil," let's use that same money to pay for research on ways where we won't have to use oil anymore. We have the skills, we just need the government support. I feel this transfers to a lot of categories, such as cures for cancer, and like I said, the ending of the use of oil and gasoline. Just to think of the potential, the possibilities are right at our fingertips, but with no support (no strength), we will never see progress that will make a difference.
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