Call for action to save endangered Taiwanese humpback dolphins

pic courtesy Wild At Heart

A coalition of environmental groups in Taiwan handed in a petition to the Executive Yuan - or Cabinet - today, calling on the government to take urgent action to protect a group of endangered dolphins that they say are facing imminent extinction.

Scientists believe there are less than 100 Indo –Pacific humpback dolphins – also known as sousa chinensis – living in a small area of waters off Taiwan’s west coast between Yunlin and Miaoli counties.

But they say their habitat is being rapidly degraded, mainly due to human activities – including extensive land reclamation and industrial and agricultural pollution of their waters.

Taiwan Humpback Dolphins: courtesy of FormosaCetus

While humpback dolphins exist in other parts of the world, including off the coast of China, and as far away as Africa, experts believe the group in Taiwan are a distinct sub-species, because of differences in their skin pigmentation and with their own unique habitat.

But, activists like Robin Winkler, director of the Wild At Heart Legal Defence Association, says their days could be numbered.

"They’re threatened by things like habitat loss, noise, pollution land relamation and so forth.

"These animals are protected by law and they’re clearly endangered. their habitat is also required by law to be protected. Unfortunately, it happens to be one of the most intensively developed areas of Taiwan..not just in the past, but also the future…including steel plants, petrochemical plants expansions and new plants."

He suggested campaigners might ask the authorities to intervene to compel certain companies to halt future plans if those development plans were believed to threaten the dolphins .

As a first step, though, activists want the government to declare a moratorium on future industrial projects in the area while specific measures are drawn up to better protect the dolphins and safeguard their habitat.

If not, they warn, the unique animals could disappear for ever within the next decade or two.

You can sign a petition or read more...check out this blog...

http://taiwansousa.blogspot.com/

new year

Its winter in Taiwan! very unusual to see trees and plants covered in ice...but this was minus 2 in Hehuanshan over New Year!!


Its been a year since I started this blog...and to be honest, at times, I almost gave it up. It takes some effort to keep up with regular postings..and I must admit that I hadn't updated as often as I'd wanted.

frosted plants


Anyhow, thanks to everyone who has taken a look at the blog; and also added comments ...without readers and feedback, there's no point in keeping this going!

I spent the New Year along Taiwan's beautiful East Coast. I was very excited as it was my first time to visit Taroko Gorge...quite spectacular.

The different rock formations and colours are amazing. And though there are many different trails - which are not very strenuous - each walk had different features and characteristics, setting them apart from the others. New Year's Day, we drove further into the gorge, higher up towards Hehuanshan which is always so picturesque and often shrouded in amazing mist. But so cold at this time of year! Anyhow, survived the sub zero temperatures and was so happy to have spent the start of 2008 breathing great air and taking in the stunning scenery.

Happy new year to everyone!

Taipei's first international salsa festival

http://hostingbulk.com/v/9068360/salsafest.mp3.html

Such a great weekend..dancing salsa almost non stop, with some amazing dancers and teachers - including world champions - all in Taipei.

The salsa scene here is small but growing. Hopefully events like this will make it get even more popular.

Trouble at the memorial

Tensions rose and tempers flared with several people - mainly journalists - injured outside a memorial hall and square dedicated to Taiwan's former ruler, Chiang Kai-Shek.

A few months ago, the goverment held a ceremony rededicating the building as a symbol of the island’s democratization. But legal disputes with the city government – whose mayor is a member of the opposition Kuomintang – prevented the government from formally removing the building’s inscriptions and plaques, honouring the late President.

Putting up the barricades

Now, however, the ministry of education – in charge of the building’s management - believes it has the legal right to make the change . Its ordered workmen in..and they’ve begun putting up scaffolding around the monument, ready to removing some of the inscriptions . It also sent in several hundred police to try to prevent protestors from disrupting the work.

Barbed wire barricades have been put up to prevent people from entering the plaza around the memorial hall.

Chiang Kai-shek remains a highly controversial figure in Taiwan. He fled to Taiwan with his troops and followers in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war, where he set up a rival government and ruled with an iron grip.

The current government has blamed him for the deaths of thousands of people by ordering crackdowns on political dissidents. In the past its ordered Chiang's statues to be removed from public buildings and military barracks; and erased his name from Taiwan's main international airport.

But not everyone agrees with those steps...and the latest move is no exception. Many protestors outside said it was a waste of money; and driven only by political ideology...a gambit by the ruling DPP to mobilise supporters ahead of legislative and presidential elections next year.

Rockstar reception for artist

An amazing event in Taipei on Friday night. The Taipei Arena (seating around 15,000) was packed out as people came to listen to Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, talk about his work.

He's been dubbed Japan's Andy Warhol (whom the artist regards as a personal hero) ...mainly because of his ability to blend "high art " with "low art" - drawing on contemporary culture in Japan (manga, anime and pop) and blurring the boundaries between fine art and commerce. He embraces "cuteness" - or "kawai" - welcoming pop culture and consumerism.


He's now one of the best known Japanese - and Asian -contemporary artists...and his works can fetch huge prices at auction (his painting, Vapor Trail sold for $2.1m at Sotheby's in New York this year)

. He's probably best known among the general public for his collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs in designing handbags and fashion products for Louis Vuitton. More recently, he collaborated with rapper Kayne West on the singer's album and is designing a jewellery line for him.

He calls his cartoon-like style “superflat” - characterized by flat planes of color with no artistic perspective.. And he's effortlessly moved across different genres from huge sculptures to painting and commercial work. He's now planning to release a full length feature animation in 2009, Kaikai and Kiki - which is also the name of his factory. The factory holds a twice yearly event, promoting other contemporary young Japanese artists.

Murakami is an individual, an art name and a brand. His work has been copied onto mugs and t-shirts., as well as the expensive LV bags.

He has said he's inspired by the business models of Bill Gates (Microsoft) ; and Steve Jobs at Apple computer.

Does the commercialisation of his work undermine it or diminish its value? not according to the artist, who says the art market needs famous names and lots of art works. History will judge, he says.

He's quite a phenomenon. I'm intrigued to see what he will do next.

UN torch relay

Thousands gathered outside the presidential office early this morning to cheer on runners in a round-the-island torch relay - the latest in a series of publicity stunts to demonstrate the island's wish to join the UN.

President Chen Shui-Bian and Vice President Annette Lu - holding burning torches - led the runners - jogging down Ketagalan Boulevard, outside the Presidential office, to a nearby old city gate

Its the first leg of a round the island relay covering 1200 kilometres, and taking in 25 cities and counties.

Of course, the event has attracted political controversy. The Taipei authorities (the Mayor is a member of the KMT) argued it was a political not sporting event and the organisers needed to apply for special permits - almost derailing the plans.

The magistrate of Kinmen - the offshore island closer to China than Taiwan - was the most upset. He said officials there would not offer any help with the event calling it an obvious political stunt designed to boost the DPP's chances at the next presidential elections.

The DPP is pushing for a public referendum to be held on the same date as the presdiential elections, asking the public if they support Taiwan's bid to join the UN under the name Taiwan, rather than its official title, the Republic of China (this was the first year Taiwan made a bid to join the UN under its "Taiwan" name).

The KMT are proposing another referendum - asking the public to support a vote for Taiwan's membership of the UN under its name, ROC, Republic of China.

They are also launching a round the island cycling event to support their own referendum idea.

square watermelons!!!!!!!!!!!

Love it...this was on the RTI website.

:Local farmers develops a square watermelon that can be eaten up to two years after production.

How creative.