chickening? pigging? fishing?

my heart bleeds for the whales but who am i to judge while enjoying lechon cebu? adobong manok? or foie gras to some? isn't those just the same as this?

eLjeProks' photostream

beurremanie's photostream

they are right that the whales have lived a life in liberty before they were killed. while our pigs lived a miserable life in captivity. i wonder which is cruel, being bred to be killed for the purpose of serving another life (for food) or lived in liberty then to be killed because of tradition?

but if they are only doing it now because of tradition, maybe, it's about time to leave that tradition behind. if it's all for the food, i ammend, which would not happen because there are a lot of other food sources now. but then again, traditions are sometimes more important than food for some. hayy... hirap noh.

they claim that whales are not yet extinct, are we to believe that? we do not pet them. we do nothing to protect them. in fact we are doing everything to alter and destory their natural habitat, so how can we say that they are not yet extinct? what about the other species that accidentally were included in the hunt? the dolphins?

i glimpsed about "whaling" on the discovery channel a couple of nights ago. i didn't pay that much attention cause i'm busy playing 7 wonders (hehe). all i know is that this whaling is also prevalent in japan and that there are groups who were trailing these whalers.

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hmm... kaya ko bang maging vegetarian? kayo?

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on a separate note, have you heard about the possibly last indochinese tiger, who was killed and eaten by a man? 2010 is the year of, guess what, tiger (2010, metal tiger, to officially start on feb 15).

http://bokeh.myphotoaxis.com

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whaling

contents and images are all from wikipedia.

and here are futher researches i've done on this. first, those are not dolphins, those are whales. it happens in FAROESE islands, a constituent country of the kingdom of denmark, along with denmark proper and greenland. whaling, or gindadrap as it is being called in faroe, is regulated by faroese authorities, but not by the international whaling commision. faroese do it for food as well as a part of their tradition.
the purpose
most faroese maintain that it is their right to catch pilot whales given that they have done so for centuries. the faroese whalers defend their actions before international organizations like greenpeace with three arguments: (1) that gindadrap is not a hunt as such, but a drap meaning a kill (that is, they do not regularyly take to sea just to hunt for pilot whales, but only kill those which are sighted swimming too close at land); (2) the pilot whale hunt does not exist for commercial reasons but for internal food distribution among households; (3) they do not believe the pilot whale to be an endangeered species.

according to american cetacean society (whale protectionist group), pilot whales are not considered endangered. the society cites that there are likely about 1 million long finned and at least 200,000 short finned pilot whales world wide.
but according to faroese legislation, it is permitted to hunt certain species of small cetaceans other than pilot whales. these include: bottlenose dolphin, atlantic whie-beaked dolphin; rumpbacked dolphin; atlantic while sided dolphin, and harbor porpoise.

(moi: aren't these some of the endangered species?)

the origin
records of drive hunts in the faroe islands date back to 1584. because of the harsh faroese climate, climate, grain and vegetables havenot been able to grow very well. thus, during the winter months, the faroe islanders' only option was to mostly eat salted or dried foods. this means that over the centuries, the pilot whale has been an important source of food and vitamins to the isolated population on the north atlantic archipelago.

the meat and blubber (thick vascularized fat under the skin) of the pilot whale has been an important part of the islanders staple diet. the blubber, has been highly valued both as food and for processing into oil, which was used for lightning and other purposes. parts of the skin of pilot whales were also used for ropes and lines, while stomachs were used as floats.

black meat of the pilot whalre and blubber (middle), together with dried fish and potatoes

the hunt
when a school of whales has been sighted, messengers are sent to spread the news amont the inhabitants of the island. boats then gather behind the whales and slowly drive them towards the authorized location. the location must be well-suited to the purpose of beaching whales. it is against the law to kill pilot whales at locations with inappropriate conditions.

once ashore, the pilot whale is killed by cutting the dorsal area (the back side of the animal) through the spinal cord with a special whaling knife, a grindaknivur. the grindaknivur is considered the safest and most effective equipment with which to kill the whales.

in 1985, the faroe islands outlawed the use of spears and harpoons in the hunt, as it considers these weapons to be unnecessarily cruel to animals.


the pilot whales that are not beached were often stabbed in the blubber with sharp hook called a gaff and then pulled ashore. but after allegations of animal cruelty, the faroese whales started using blunt gaffs to pull the whales ashore by their blowholes.

distribution
the catch is distributed in such a way that all the residents of the whaling district are given the same amount of the catch, regardless of whether or not they took part in the hunt.

the pilot whale meat and blubber is stored , prepared and eaten in the faroese households. this also means that whale meat is not available at the supermarkets or as part of their products for main export.

animal rights and health issues
aninal rights activities argue the the grindadrap is not only cruel, but in view of the ample food supply in today's faroes, completely unnecessary. additional argumentation is supplied by the faories ministry of health, which warns of excessive consumption of pilot whale meat, since it has been shown to contain high levels of mercry, PCBs and environmental poisons. in practice, this could only be safely consumed once a month by the faroese, a much smalled quantity compared with previous decades.

proponents of the hunt further argue that the pilot whale lives its whole life in liberty, in its natural habitat, the atlantic ocean. and then they will be whaled and dies in a few minutes. this is in contrast to many commonly held livestock such as cows, pigs and chickens, the meat from which one finds in modern supermarkets (moi: and of which most of us eat). these animals often live in captivity or confinement for their whole lives and are then subject to lenghty transportation and other stressful event before their final slaughter.
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how's this for a new year's resolution?

my sister sent me this email some time last year. it contains very disturbing pictures and maybe some of you has already received this too.

here are the pictures and the captions from the email i received.

~~~ ooo ~~~~

it is a big shame. the sea is stained in red and in the mean while its not because of the climate effects of nature.

tt's because of the cruelty that the human beings (civilised human) kill hundreds of the famous and intelligent calderon dolphins.

this happens every year in feroe island in denmark. In this slaughter, the main participants are young teens. Why? To show that they are adults and mature ...

in this big celebration, nothins is missing for the fun. everyone is participating in one way or antoher, killing or looking at the cruelty "supporting like a spectator".

is it necessary to mention that the dolphin calderon, like all the other species of dolphins, is near extinction and they get near men to play and interact. in a way of pure friendship.

they don't die instantly, they are cut 1, 2 or 3 times with thick hooks. and at that time, the dolphins produce a grim extremely compatible (comparable) with the cry of a new born child.

but he suffers and there's no compassion till this swee being slowly dies in its own blood.

it's enough! we will send this mail until this email arrives in any association defending the animals, we wont only read. that would make us accomplices, viewers. take care of the world, it is your home.

greetings!

(super) belated christmas greetings!

hope you all had a wonderful time with your loved ones.

sorry for not posting for weeks. my real life has been pretty busy so online updates were neglected. i will post wedding pics, birthday party pics, christmas and new year's pics and weekend photos.

mga hirit ni aquim na mga nakalimutan ko na, i'll try to remember and post also. plus, i'll put up another page for aquim's pics, this time, aquim is the one taking the shots! yes, feeling photographer ang aking anak! :)

hoping i'll be able to do that in the coming days...

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new moon

hay sa wakas, napanuod ko rin ang new moon, complimentary tickets pa yun ha! hehehe we were able to watched last thursday at market market. sows.. feeling ko mga vampires na kasama kong manuod kasi naman 6 na lang ata kaming nanuod nung movie hahaha..


at the middle of the movie, i wanted to go to the restroom but i didn't baka kasi me vampire wahahahah!


anyways, ang ganda ni dakota fanning. she's way beyond her awkward stage na. byootiful!

www.flickr.com/photos/eclairhot/3513324243

on gift giving

articles from yahoo.

for husband and wife gifts:

1. women tend to care more about gifts. they shop more and think more about them. they attach emotion to them. if a husband is asked what he wants for the holidays and he says "nothing", he mean it. if a wife is asked, she will also say "nothing" as well. but the husband should not believe that (moi: exacto! diba sabi ko wag na tayo magregaluhan ngayon?).

2. in his new book, "scroogenomics", wharton school economist joel waldfogel estimates that the gifts others buy for us are worth 20% less to us than the gifts we buy for ourselves (moi: so dont expect, at wag na mag wish list). but of all the people on our holiday lists, he says, the ones we are best at picking out gifts for are spouses and significant others. that's because, presumably, we know these people best.

3. it's simple, really. sometimes men aren't listening to their wives. but just as often, women aren't clear about their desires (moi: cause we want all of them!!!). they want men to pick up on their subtle clues, rather than telling them outright what they'd like. as one woman i know explains, "it means we are special to them if they detect what we want without telling them.".

4. and there's the rub, when mean receive gifts they hate, they typically shrug them off. women, faced with the same dilemma, feel hurt.

5. some gift giving tips:
- when in doubt, go down a size (moi: atleast akala nya sexy pa rin ako :))
- never give a gift that suggests your spouse is not perfet. no unsolicited exercise equipment, self-help books (moi: south beach diet book?), wrinkle cremes or nose-hair removers
- appliances and cook ware are okay, ONLY if she asks for them
- don't even think about a gift that you will get more enjoyment out of than your spouse (moi: PSP? home theater?)
- remember: it's not just the thought that counts - especially if you didn't have the thought until the checkout linne
- when all else fails, at least try to create memories

to read the complete article, please click here.

office santa:

1. generally, it's not appropriate to give your boss a gift, says, mr. post. it can come with mixed messages. people worr that it seems like you are trying to buy favoritism. (moi: one off the list!)

2. you and co-workers also can chip in to get small gifts for people working under you, like the receptionist or mailroom staff.

3. if you're exchanging gifts with co-workers, it's best to buy something simple for everyone in your team or group. keep individual gift giving outside the office, suggests mr. post. (moi: sabi ko nga lunchout na lang eh)

4. you don't have to reciprocate if a co-worker gives you a gift (moi: yey!)

5. if your office sends out gift to clients and vendors, there's no need to do something on top of that. write a nice card if you feel like that person really made your year

6. if you decide to buy gifts for clients or vendors, make sure their company guidelines allow them to accept gifts. you also should check your c ompany's gift-giving guidelines, especially if you plan to use company funds to purchase presents (moi: we don't have rules, i can receive all your gifts :))

7. a nice box of chocolates or poinsettia plant are good options (moi: choco nut, choco nut!)

the complet article is here.

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humbug

few days (8 days to be exact) before christmas and i still haven't shopped for a gift (save for the obligatory gifts for our department's kris kringle). i don't know. each year, i feel like the "spirit" of christmas is slowly rubbing off me.

it no longer thrills me. yeah, there's the 13th month pay (and other bonuses to some) but... i still don't know.

years ago, even before december steps in, i already have my christmas list and almost everybody i know is on that list with their equivalent gift budget. and i cram every weekend to search for the perfect gift for each one. got tired? no budget? maybe.

i feel guilty for my son (we don't give him gifts for christmas, really), for jason cause i really have no plans of buying him a gift. for my mom and dad, i'll just give the customary monetary gifts. for the rest of my relatives. nada. for my godchildren, i'll just give monetary gift also. save for my 3 nieces, i'll probably grab a shirt or dress from the mall.

for my office friends, i don't plan on giving out sana, cause i feel that i'm way past being that charitable and thoughtful. like giving small figurines, coin purse, etc., things that they will find no use of. but due to constant parinig (hehehe), i might. i'm checking out little things lang sana that are functional or edible, just a small token, not too fancy. still not sure.

every year naman kasi, i get this amount and they i'll end up spending all for gifts. as in. so feeling ko, tapos na ko dun.

for the christmas decor, we have christmas lights and the christmas balls/lantern. all year round naman andon na yun hehehe

noche buena, if ever we'll have our own (kasi nakikikain lang kami), i'll just order from restos. if only i can afford to have a caterer, i will. or spend it in a posh hotel. i don't want to stress my self come dec24.

i know i should be building up family traditions for aquim. childhood christmas stories that he will remember when he grows up. eh..sa ngayon, i'm just telling him that christmas is papa jesus' birthday. that's it. i don't want to make it too commercialized. i hope i'm doing it right.
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