Article: Buying Guides, sustainable style

read yourself man.. too long to translate or copy-paste haha.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/buying-guides/

Article: "Sustainable Earth: Oceans"

One of my best interest of topic is sustainability, I personally think everyone in the world should have this awareness in mind, we are living in a dying earth. This is one interesting article that interested me, about ocean and sea sustainability

By: Brian Handwerk (National Geographic News)

More than half the people on Earth live within 120 miles (193 kilometers) of the ocean, but even those who live nowhere near the sea are dependent on the massive saltwater ecosystem that covers nearly three-fourths of our planet.

The ocean helps create and regulate weather around the globe and produces many of life's essentials, including water, food, and even the oxygen we breathe every day. But scientists warn that the sea is changing rapidly and that our many uses of its bounty must be managed far more sustainably.

"If I were speaking to all the leaders at Rio+20 I'd say this is not [a choice between] the ocean or ourselves," said marine ecologist Enric Sala, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence. "A healthy ocean means healthier humans, more food on our tables, more jobs, and a healthier economy."

The sea's biodiversity is astounding. Scientists have identified some 200,000 marine species but suspect that millions more actually call the oceans home. Some seafloor ecosystems are so remote and inaccessible that we know less about them than we do the surface of Mars.

Yet the ocean is very familiar to more than three billion people whose livelihoods depend directly on coastal and marine ecosystems—about 8 percent of the world's people are fishermen. And three billion people count on marine species as their primary sources of protein.

Until recent decades, most people considered the oceans to be an inexhaustible resource so vast and so plentiful that it was beyond humanity's ability to deplete it of fish or seriously pollute its waters. Today we know that is far from the truth.

A Raft of Challenges

Since the mid-20th century, advances in technology have given rise to massive industrial fishing operations that can rapidly empty waters of species like bluefin tuna or Atlantic cod while satisfying an ever-increasing demand for seafood. UN-tracked fisheries have shown steady declines in catches since 1988—even as more fishers take to the water with ever more efficient gear. Some studies estimate that populations of large ocean fish are only 10 percent as big as their preindustrial levels.

Today's ocean managers are challenged to cooperate internationally and use scientific knowledge of fish stocks to replace loosely regulated fisheries with well-managed, sustainable resources. This can be accomplished by implementing tools such as marine reserves, protected areas, and strict catch limits.

Aquaculture can also play a major part—in fact, farmed fish already constitute half of the world's supply—but it must be done more sustainably. Aquaculture must consume fewer marine resources, like the ground-up seafood used to make fish feed, and it needs to be managed to reduce genetic dilution of wild stocks, destruction of mangroves, and other impacts on sensitive coastal areas.

Other ocean impacts have inland sources. "Most people don't know that every eight months the drops of oil that leak from U.S. cars and other machines and run downstream into the ocean equal the amount of oil [11 million gallons] that was spilled by the Exxon Valdez," Sala said.

Other runoff pollution, like nitrogen-rich fertilizers, has created oxygen-poor, algae-choked "dead zones," including the New Jersey-size swath found each summer in the Mississippi River Delta. Carelessly discarded trash has formed a massive "garbage patch" the size of Texas swirling in the northern Pacific. Pesticides washed into ocean waters may be consumed by small organisms and retained by larger predators, with unknown consequences to species up and down the food chain.

"We know how to fix these problems," Sala said. "Fishing in most cases just requires national action to restore populations to sustainable levels. We need to implement science-based quotas and reduce fishing capacity—there are just too many fishing boats in the world right now—so we can reach a point where we have a globally sustainable catch. Right now we're above that for too many species."

Other problems present bigger challenges and will require even greater concerted action around the world.

The Climate Connection

Ocean water and air share an enormous interface, stretching around the globe, and the two constantly interact. The sea absorbs some 30 percent of all the world's CO2 emissions, which helps mitigate the impacts of climate change caused by greenhouse gases. But the absorption of all that CO2 is changing water chemistry, creating acidic seawater and altering marine ecosystems at their core through base-of-the-food-chain animals such as plankton and corals. These shifts are happening so quickly that some species may not have time to adapt.

Scientists say that oceans are sensitive to even small changes in temperature—and Earth's temperature continues to trend upward. Sea temperatures over the past century have risen only about 0.18ºF (0.1ºC), and most of that occurred between the sunny surface and depths of about 2,300 feet (700 meters).

But some impacts may be evident. Too-warm waters can push coral reefs, also stressed by acidic water and pollution, toward die-off, and threaten the many species that dwell in these "rainforests of the sea." One in five coral reefs is already damaged beyond repair. And krill, the foundation of the Antarctic ecosystem, can't reproduce as efficiently in warming water.

The most visibly obvious result of warming water is already under way—rising sea levels that swamp coastline habitats and human dwellings alike. Due to expanding water volume and melting ice, the global mean sea level has risen about 0.12 inches (3 millimeters) a year during the past two decades,according to the IPCC, which is about twice the rise rate during the previous 80 years.

Though beset with challenges, the sea is resilient and has shown the ability to regenerate resources—if human beings give it a chance. The Rio+20 conference will seek to establish guidelines for sustainable management of the oceans and conservation of their priceless resources through a "blue economy" plan for the future.

Sala said progress has been stalled by what he calls an "artificial dichotomy" between economic development and environmental conservation. That view must be dispelled, he said. "In the long term there is no prosperity without sustainable use of natural resources," Sala said. "A blue economy is a smarter economy than the current one of overexploiting one resource and then simply going on to the next."

sources: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/sustainable-earth/oceans/

see also: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/impact-of-seafood/#/seafood-decision-guide/

Shepherd pie:Method 2

Ingredient:
700 chicken meat (cut into small pieces)
2 Big Onion (yellow colour - chopped)
1 bowl mixed vegetables
1 can of button mushrooms - cut into small cubes
3 tbsp premium oyster sauce
3/4 chicken stock
1/4 Dry White wine
1/4 Cup Cream
2 tbsp flour
Salt and pepper to taste

ingredient for toppings:
6 large potatoes( cut into small pieces)
60g Butter
80-100ml  Milk

ingredients for glazing
40g butter
40g mozarella/cheddar cheese

Method:
1.heat oil and fry onion until soft. Add in minced chicken and fry for a while
add in mushrooms, vegetables, oyster sauce and chicken stock
2. lastly add in some pepper and salt to taste. Put aside
3. steam potatoes for about 20min or until it soften. Mashed until smooth paste then add in butter and milk
4. in a rectangle pie dish, spread cooked meat evenly. spread mashed potatoes topping over the filling and level it
5.Brush some butter on top or sprinkle some mozarella/cheddar cheese
6. Bake at 180'C for 20-30 minuites. Serve hot

My Italian Months

I collected a handful amount of different variety of recipe books, to really use them and study them and with the inspiration from the movie "Julia and Julie" and the french cook book from Julia Child.

I thought of making my month of July 2012 to be Italian in cuisines. Sound interesting isn't it?

Looking forward to it

Regards

David

Chocolate Framboise

                                          My Cute cupcake version of Chocolate Framboise 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup unsweetened, strained raspberry purée
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur or kirsch
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• Fresh raspberries, to decorate

Method:

1. Put chocolate( break into smaller pieces), sugar, raspberry puree and one butter cube(cut) at a time while whisking

2. Remove chocolate mixture from heat, beat in eggs one at a time and keep whisking, add in kirsh. Strained over a aluminum + mould.

3. Put the chocolate mould into another mould with hot boiled water and bake at 170'C for 45minutes.

4. Remove and let it cool, and chill overnight

5. Spread over a thin layer of cream over the chocolate framboise, and cover with fresh raspberries, starting from base to top.

Note: To make raspberry puree, just blend in a blender (Without sugar or water)


Reference: Chef Laura Calder, host of 'French Cooking at home' 

I am now a Pornographic Researcher...

Joking of course haha. In the subject of Leisure Concept, I thought of an interesting argument on the topic of 'The DarkSide of Leisure", sub-topic: Internet Pornography, so I thought many of my student would probably argue the same thing, that why I take a different approaches of argument, into more interesting aspect of the internet pornography "Is animated Pornography Morally Acceptable: A Reflective Paper". 

My lecturer loves the paper, that he even asked me to do further researches. 

I am not a good writer, I have to thank my dear friend for helping me :)

I just feel a little proud of my achievement when my ideas was taken into interests compare many other student. 

Here is the assignment below:

Is Animated Pornography Morally Acceptable: A Reflective Paper

With the advent of information and communication technologies such as the Internet, the discourse of pornography has dramatically taken centerstage, not to mention has become a heated topic not only among the digital film industries but also among the academicians. Research shows that 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography every second (Lecture notes, 2012). Not only that, the internet pornography has gained larger revenues compared with multi-national companies such as Microsoft (ibid). On internet pornography, anime or animated porns are becoming more popular than the actual ones. Animated pornographic characters are drawn in attractive ways of images that are appealing and ideally beautiful and sexy, giving satisfactory looks to the viewer. Critics, however, argue that while pornography to some extent is good and legal, the animated ones use pervert images of under-age characters. This reflective paper looks into the moral issues of animated pornography or whether it is acceptable or not by the society.

There are pluralistic views on this topic. Many people find animation pornography acceptable, pointing out that it is nothing but a form of leisure, which can result in self gratification. One person has quoted on the internet blog that, “I don’t like real porns; it makes me feel strange because they’re real people… I hate seeing their faces. I guess it’s because it makes it personal” (Onision.net). The issue apparently, based on the quotation above, is on the images. Some prefer animated character images over the real ones. In anime, one can create an ideal image of his/her desire. Specific body parts and sexual positions can be tricked and emphasized to please either the creator’s or audience’s desire. Some people think that one’s choice for anime over real ones can be either out of his fetish in it or just out of his love for animated art. They look at animated cartoon pornography as a piece of art, or as an expression of one’s sexual behaviour in comic form. Another blogger pointed out “my opinion is that Hentai (Japanese animated adult theme) is a pure fantasy and that there are no harm made; it is acceptable” (ibid).  What the blogger was trying to drive at is that there are no identities involved in the act. Hence, the issue of any harms and demoralization is unlikely to happen. An example of animated cartoon that was loved and generally accepted by the society despite the exposure of some sexual scenes was the one in the US called Betty Boop (see Appendices).

On the contrary, animated porns are said to be immorally upright. One comment from an anonymous source stated that most of these types of porns involve under-age characters showing no decency and morality (createdebate.com). He added that it can be akin to the concept of child pornography. It can encourage paedophilia. Even if there are no real people involved in it, but the message and images put across can create a wrong motivation and attitude to the viewers. The increasing reported news on raping (especially on child and women) can be a result of this. Since pornography industry started to explode in mid-1990s, survey showed that 69.8 percent of women have been “verbally coerced” into unwanted sex, and in UK 2006 there is as much as 33 percent of all women said that they been forced into sex (http://english.ohmynews.com)

While I agree with some people saying that animated porns are nothing but a form of leisure and creative expression of one’s sexual desires, I however contest that they should not be merely understood and analyzed in the context of art and self expression. Leisure, when not managed well, can cause deviant behaviour (Bramham, 2002). It can result in socio-psychological effects, so to speak. Bramham said there are three types of abnormal forms or deviant kind of leisure. They are invasive, mephitic and wild leisure. Invasive refers to people associated with self, usually the loner who unable to build relationship, and alienated, fantasies are mostly associated with, especially with the option of animated pornography. Mephitic tendencies according to Bramham are the pursuit that accepted as morally abhorrent or harms to others, such as scene of aggression, abuse, pleasure in dominating over victims, paedophilia, content violence serial of killing, and rape. Wild tendency refers to behaviour that pushes limits of experience over the edge for personal gratification or pleasure. Example of which is Gang rape scene.

With the easy access to Internet, children are more likely to be the victims of animated porns. Children love images and arts that animated porns use. According to the statistics the average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography is 11, and 90 percent of children ages between 8-16 have viewed pornography online (internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com). Children may have the idea that it is normal behaviour of those sexual acts. 

I strongly support the legalisation in Australia against child pornography (maybe it be animated or not). According to the Custom Media Release 2007 (http://customs.gov.au), a person can be found guilty for importing child pornography and anime pornography depicting sexual violence. Policy makers must review all of these cartoon films released to the public. A case was already found using famous the Simpson character to showcase sexual acts.

.

References

Bramham, 2002, 'Rojek, the sociological imagination and leisure', Leisure studies, vol. 21, no. 3, p.221.

Veal, A. J. 1992, ‘Definitions of leisure and recreation’, Leisure options: Australian journal of leisure and recreation’, vol.2, no.4, p.44-48.

Perper, T & Cornog, M 2002, "Eroticism for the masses: Japanese manga comics and their assimilation into the U.S", Sexuality & Culture, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 3-126.

Onision 2011, sex & orientation, viewed 24 May 2012,

Yawar, A 2006, ‘The End of Sex, Oh my news, Korea, viewed 25 May 2012,

CreateDebate, n.d., Is animated or cartoon portrayal of pedophilic child pornography morally acceptable? , viewed 26 May 2012,

Ropelato, J n.d., ‘Internet Pornography Statistics’, TopTenReviews, viewed 25 May 2012,

Custom Media Release, 2007, $9000 fine for importing child pornography, Australia Government, viewed 25 May 2012,

Appendix A: USA Betty Boop character in Cartoon.

Sourced: http://www.picgifs.com/clip-art/betty-boop/