Asian Beauty part #2

Asian Beauty part #1

Komodo in Taman Nasional NTT, Indonesia

What is Komodo Dragon?

The Komodo Dragon is referred to by the residents of Indonesia as the ora. Although only two islands of Indonesia house these mighty reptiles, they used to be present in Australia not too long ago. The Australian version of the ora was much larger and more dangerous that the modern dragon, but is extinct now. Even so, these smaller versions that exist today are pretty big. The largest ever measured was 10 feet, 2.5 inches. He, or rather she (a male who was unfortunately named "Minnie") was put on display in St. Louis during the 30's. Some villagers in Komodo Village insist that a dragon 30 feet long comes through their town, and more believable reports by the villagers of 3.5 meter dragons (about 11 feet) have been heard of. Not regarding these claims of bigger beasts, "Minnie" (or "Mickey", as he should have been called) is the largest ora found to date. Now, as an endangered species, few dragons live in zoos or are put on display (with the exception of foreign countries. The Indonesian island of Bali has a captured dragon on display for all to see). However, there was a time when the ora was in serious danger of extinction.
The Komodo Dragon was discovered in the age of the first world war, when a pilot crashed his plane in the Indonesian waters. He was able to swim to the shore of a nearby island, which we found was inhabited by giant monsters. Luckily, he was able to radio home and was rescued. When he first told his stories of the "giant reptiles" that lived on the island, no one believed him (of course). Later, his reports were confirmed by another expedition by a man interested in the stories of the dragons told by the pilot.
The Indonesians always new about the oras on the island, however. They exiled all of their public outcasts to this island, knowing of the dangers they would face (and, their ultimate demise) on the island. However, the people set up a small settlement which is still around today. Known fondly as "Komodo Village", this Muslim town derives most of its money from tourists and fishing (for fish, Mother of Pearl, etc.).

There isn't a lot to see at the island; there is a mosque, the streets are dirt, and a small school gives the 400-500 local children a decent education. The best way to describe the town is pretty much as a small village, which coincidentally lies on the edge of an extraordinary island, which is about as poor as poor is; but nobody is starving or hungry.

The Near Extinction and Protection of the Ora It is a well known fact that in the history of the world, Europeans enjoyed taking over countries, hunting wild animals to the brink of extinction for sport, and becoming a general annoyance to everyone. When the Dutch were in Indonesia, it was suggested that oras be used for handbags, purses, exotic meals, and hunting trophies. The last of the two, all thought they did not take as many animals, were in effect until the 1930's or later. Fortunately for the dragons, their skin is not good for tanning. It cracks, breaks, and put quite frankly, makes an ugly purse. And so the oras were not used for purses and spared extinction. However, dragons were killed by the rich Dutch who had the money to go down to Komodo and kill them. And so about 600 a year were taken, until a law went into effect saying that only 5 dragons could be taken in a year. The Dutch recognized this animal as a valuable ecological predator and set up laws protecting it. Now, the same rules applies; and although there isn't a lot of demand for ora hunting, those who want to do it are usually discouraged. Intimidated by the fact that one has to go to the government, fill out forms, get the blessings of the President, the Sultans, and so on. Now the dragons are protected for another reason than the one the Dutch had when they made their laws. The Indonesians could care less about protecting animal life. I have been to places in Java where you can buy stuffed cobras attacking rare birds (also stuffed) for relatively cheap prices. These people could theoretically exterminate any species without remorse. But not this one. Because money is such a valuable resource over there, and the oras are so popular with the tourists, the people of Indonesia would be idiots to make them defunct. If they did, they would see thousands of tourists and tourist dollars float away before their eyes. So the dragons are too valuable economically to kill off. This has some good and bad points. The good part was mentioned above; we will probably have wild oras around for a long time.

The Tourist Version of the Ora The bad part is that the money here comes from tourists, and tourists, aside from making Komodo Island a side-show, have a greater impact. Let's just say that when most people go halfway around the world to see the largest, smartest reptile, they don't want to fall victim to it. The last dragon casualty was in 1973, and the rangers have done a pretty good job of keeping people safe. With the exception of a dragon eating a little girl on the outskirts of Komodo Village, the dragons are pretty much domesticated. The average tourist can walk right up to them and get an exotic picture of an ora sunning itself. These dragons are calmed, their wild side appeased by the rangers of the park. They are fed deer to keep them calmed and prevent any more accidents, which would destroy the image of the park. The feedings are also at a certain spot, so when a guide takes a group of tourists there, they are assured that there are dragons there, waiting for their meal. The meal used to be a goat tossed in a pit in front of tourists, but now it is done in private. So unfortunately, the dragons that visitors see are rarely the wild ones.

The Ugly Side of the Ora The dragon has gone through several changes during the last couple decades. One of them has been, as mentioned above, the semi-domestication of this animal. However, they were not always that way, which makes for some pretty good stories about dragons attacks, casualties, close calls, and so on. Since these are interesting (and sort of creepy) I will share some of the ones I know in this section. Note: You know how these type of stories are. They are handed down from one person to the next, each time a slight change or an element added. So just keep in mind that what you are reading below was passed down through several people, and a "tall tale" may be present. In 1973, a Swiss tourist and a guide were hiking through Komodo island. He was an elderly man, and for a few thousand rupiah (no more than a few dollars) he could hire a personal guide to take him through the park. The hike was going fine, and no dragons sighted yet, but they continued. On part of the hike, the man fell and injured his knee/ankle on a rock during the fall. The guide stopped, looked at the wound, and ran down the mountain to get help. This was the big mistake. I really don't know what the guide should have done, but when he took off down the mountain, the man was in trouble. Oras have an incredible sense of smell. They are able to smell things very far away and reach the scent as quickly as possible. When they arrive at a fresh kill, they are able to consume half of their body weight in 20 minutes. Their deadly saliva and hinged jaws, like those found in an egg eating snake, enable them to consume prey as quickly as possible. So unfortunately, when the guide came back to the spot were the man fell, they (him and the 'rescue team') found only a backpack and a puddle of blood. That was the last tourist casualty by a dragon to date. Although, a few years ago, a small girl was dragged away by a dragon while she was playing on the outskirts of Komodo Village. The dragons of Komodo island are also said to be a bit more edgy during the course of the last year or so, a symptom indirectly related to humans. The most visited area of the island used to be a feeding center, now defunct. Tourists could go inside a caged area for protection from the dragons. It used to be set up so that one could "buy" some food for the oras. This usually involved a transfer of what would seem like a small amount of money to a tourist, who would purchase a deer killed by the locals. The dead deer was then tossed into a pit where the dragons would get a free meal without working. Visitors from the rim would keep camcorders and cameras running, capturing this gruesome spectacle on film. as you can see, this situation would anyone who loved the Disney movie Bambi scream. So the feeding stopped. The dragons, although still perfectly able to survive in the wild. We should consider ourselves lucky, though. If, hypothetically, an extinct relative of the ora was still around, tourists visiting Australia would have to cope with a bigger beast. The creature, which was the largest reptile ever to have lived on earth, is known by the genus name of Megalania. The Megalania was twice as long as the ora of today, and at least 5 times as bulky. Living until late Pleistocene times, the Megalania was undoubtedly the chief predator of its time. The Megalania, however, went out with a whimper, a victim of a probable ecological or environmental catastrophe.

The Hard Facts (and some widely distributed myths) Being the king of the mountain sometimes isn't enough. So let me warn you here, some of the "facts" below may exaggerated slightly. Dragon facts: The largest dragon found and confirmed by science was 10' 2.5''. The saliva of an ora contains four forms of bacteria with no known antidotes. The teeth of an ora are arranged so that the maximum amount of flesh can be bitten off and swallowed whole. An ora can run faster than 15 m.p.h. Oras smaller that 3' are fully capable to climb trees. Aside from humans, oras are the only animals that willingly control their population (by way of eating their eggs). Oras are also cannibals, eating other members of their species. In ecological disasters [such as a titanic fire] oras have been known to swim to other islands for safety. Although not confirmed by science, claims are made that the ora is a good swimmer. Some Indonesians refer to the ora as a "water crocodile"; some state that the dragon can travel relatively long distances in water, sometimes diving 12' or more. Komodo Dragons, or at least their near relatives, have existed since the Jurassic period. In conclusion, the Komodo Dragon is not only the largest reptile in the world, but a very fascinating one. They are a spectacular living example of the biodiversity of our planet, and although are in no current danger, should be preserved in their natural form and temperament for future generations and ecologists to observe.

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Free The Children

War-Affected Children

”The best way to protect children from wars is to prevent them from happening in the first place” -- Free The Children In as many as 50 countries across the globe, children are caught up in armed conflicts –not only as bystanders, but as deliberate targets. In times of war children are subjected to barbaric acts of physical, psychological and sexual cruelty. War-affected children are forced to kill or witness the killings of their own brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbours. Their families, schools, neighbourhoods and communities are subjugated and destroyed. Child soldiers serve as porters, spies, cooks, and messengers.

One of the most alarming trends is the recruitment or abduction of children to serve as soldiers. Drugged, raped and forced to participate in combat, children are forced to fight in a life and death struggle to survive.

• Overview and quick facts
• What you need to know
• How can you help?
• Great Resources

Overview and quick facts

Children and war ”The best way to protect children from wars is to prevent them from happening in the first place” -- Free The Children In as many as 50 countries across the globe, children are caught up in armed conflicts –not only as bystanders, but as deliberate targets. In times of war children are subjected to barbaric acts of physical, psychological and sexual cruelty.

War-affected children are forced to kill or witness the killings of their own brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbours. Their families, schools, neighbourhoods and communities are subjugated and destroyed. Child soldiers serve as porters, spies, cooks, and messengers. One of the most alarming trends is the recruitment or abduction of children to serve as soldiers. Drugged, raped and forced to participate in combat, children are forced to fight in a life and death struggle to survive.

Why should we care? “We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children” –Jimmy Carter • The involvement of children in armed conflict is a violation of the most basic ethical foundations of society. • War violates every right a child should have –the right to life, the right to be with family and community, the right to health, the right to education, the right to the development of the personality, and the right to be protected.

• Children and young people who are surrounded by violence are more likely to use violence to resolve issues.
• The violence, grief and anxiety suffered by children during armed conflict have negative effects on their mental health, quality of life and subsequent behaviour as adults.
• Children make up the majority of civilian victims of armed conflict, and the absolute numbers of children affected continue to grow.

Definitions While there is no precise definition, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers considers a child soldier: “any person under the age of 18 who is a member of or attached to government armed forces or any other regular or irregular armed force or armed political group, whether or not an armed conflict exists.

Child soldiers perform a range of tasks including participation in combat, laying mines and explosives; scouting, spying, acting as decoys, couriers or guards; training, drill or other preparations; logistics and support functions, portering, cooking and domestic labour; and sexual slavery or other recruitment for sexual purposes.”

Quick facts Each year: • War kills, injures or permanently disables many thousands of children • War sees countless children, mostly girls, raped or subjected to other forms of sexual violence • War traumatizes and displaces millions from their homes • War orphans countless young people • War exploits about 300,000 children as child soldiers • Close to 10,000 youth are killed or maimed by landmines

What you need to know!

“One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one” – Agatha Christie
Find out more about war-affected children. Here is some useful background information to get you up to speed on the issue.

Why are children targets of war? • Many believe that children are easier to control, more obedient, easier to manipulate and less likely to question orders than adults • Because of today’s technology there is a higher proportion of civilian deaths resulting from conflict

• Children are smaller than adults, and are less likely to be detected by the enemy
• Increasingly, conflicts are occurring within states as opposed to between states, and are often based on ethnicity. In ethnic conflicts, the distinction between combatant and non-combatant becomes blurred, and children and their families are likely to become deliberate targets

War: Effects on children The ways in which children may be affected by war include: • Physical disability – due to mutilation or from landmines • Psychological trauma – war-affected children suffer from a wide range of symptoms such as developmental delays, nightmares, lack of appetite and learning difficulties • Sexual abuse – girls and women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, including rape, sexual mutilation, forced prostitution and forced pregnancy. As a result, there is increased risk of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS

• Increased workloads – especially if a child has lost parents and other family members. In some cases, war-affected children may be heading households and taking care of their siblings. Child-headed households are particularly vulnerable to exploitative labour and prostitution
• Increased threats to their survival – from exposure to disease, malnutrition, and reduced access to basic health services
• Loss of their homes – forcing them to flee, becoming either refugees or internally displaced persons. At least half of all refugees and internally displaced persons are children.

Globalization, war, and children There are at least three ways in which globalization drives armed conflicts: • The “new economy of war” –Recent growth in the world economy has led to an increase in violent conflicts over natural resources: diamonds in Sierra Leone and Angola and oil in Sudan. None of these “economies of war” would flourish without the demand or markets in more developed countries. Global businesses in their quest for profit have helped to facilitate these wars

• International weapons sales – the sale of weapons, especially small arms (revolvers, rifles, grenades) has made it easier to wage wars. There are an estimated one half billion small arms and light weapons that fuel armed conflicts around the world – 1 for every 12 people. Small arms are so accessible that even the poorest communities can acquire them. Weapons like the AK-47, for example, are so light and simple to operate that they make it very easy to turn children into soldiers.
• Debt and structural adjustment policies – the debt crisis in many developing countries and the package of policies to deal with this debt crisis (structural adjustment policies) have left many countries poorer and their citizens more discontented. This has helped to fuel military coups, unrest and sometimes armed conflict, which have increasingly involved children.

How you can help Speak out! Here are some ideas of how you can help meet the challenge and tackle this issue. What can you do to help your war-affected peers?

Things you can do:

• Educate yourself – learn more about the issue of children and armed conflict. Conduct research, visit websites and gain a better understanding of the issue so that you can become an advocate for your war-affected peers.
• Create greater awareness – with your newly acquired knowledge, become a spokesperson and advocate for war-affected children. Be the voice of the countless numbers of children who have been victimized by war. Let them know that they are not alone in their struggle.
• Participate in Free The Children’s “War is Not a Game” campaign.
• Set up seminars and displays on child soldiers and related issues.
• Give speeches to school groups and community organizations. You don’s have to be an expert-let your passion guide you.
• Organize a march in your community- invite everyone! Rite a song or poem to mark the event
• Write a newspaper article- get the word out!
• Organize petitions…
…urging governments to support the International Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers, which aims to control the production and flow of small arms and light weapons to conflict zones, particularly where children are at high-risk.
…urging governments to place greater emphasis on promoting a culture of peace, through peace education programs and by challenging the popular entertainment culture that glorifies violence and gun use
…urging governments to sign on to and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict This protocol raises the minimum age from 15 to 18 for direct participation in hostilities.
• Fundraising: Help to raise funds to build schools in post-conflict zones
• Help to raise funds to buy fitted limbs (prosthesis) or wheel chairs for children who have been disabled by armed conflict.
• Work to collect school and health kits for war-affected children.

Great resources

Useful resources

The following organizations are active in helping to promote peace and have many important documents and helpful research materials.

Websites:

Amnesty International
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
Human Rights Watch – Stop the Use of Child Soldiers!
United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
United Nations Special Session on Children
Youth Ambassadors for Peace

Click here for more information.

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Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park

Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again

You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again

I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean

I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again

I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I had no options left again

I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean

I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

I'll paint it on the walls
'Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean

I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

Quotes Collection by Anonymous #1

mlomb RT Twit4Lyn RT quotme "Never underestimate a child's ability to get into more trouble." - Martin Mull

peterlocuratolo Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. -Winston Churchill

sno_buny The greatest good we can do for others is not just to share our riches with them, but to reveal theirs. Zig Ziglar

puffclean A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

RevRunWisdom If someone is strong enough to bring you down, show them your strong enough to get up! -(Twiquotations)



anthonystevens4 Instead of looking back & thinking "Why?", look ahead & say "Why not?" Unk. rt livetorque TCusack247 JumpSnap_Nation

lilach_bullock If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. Jim Rohn

cherluvya A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart. #quote

peterlocuratolo Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. -Winston Churchill

Origami_Hearts a positive mind thinks positive thoughts & gets positive results



FireAlley ”Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.” Regina Brett

JoyPaoki Joke: It's better to let someone think you are an Idiot than to open your mouth and prove it. RT brutwit

mlomb RT AmandeeTweets RT livetorque: "Whatever happens in #life is fine - just trust in that." ~ Orlando Bloom #quote

cecilemiranda Rt haraldkong "As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." ~ Nelson Mandela

HomebizTrainer With God all things are possible :-)



instantremedy RT FireAlley: ”There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” Alexander the Great

twitqwotes I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. -Mahatma Gandhi

FireAlley ”There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” Alexander the Great
When you’re tempted to lose patience with another, think how patient God has been with you. via shaanhaider newyounow

Eat drink and be merry... for tomorrow we might die. http://bit.ly/204urq via @brutwit

AskAaronLee: Don't run away from your fear. Run towards them. #Quote by robin_sharma lxlee

pramitjnathan: People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do. ~Lewis Cass linksjovanic RetiredTeacherD Power2BThin

technologywiz: It is never too late to be what you might have been. #quote

mlomb "Watch your words; they become actions."

mikehanes: "It's not what you do once in a while; it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference." Jenny Craig #quote

4prina: RT EarthLifeShop: RT Keith_Brown: "Trust your hopes, not your fears." - David Mahoney


Thanks for the support to those who are mentioned above!

35 Twitter Tips

Here are 35 Twitter tips from 35 Twitter users:

• 
  ryansholin – Be honest. Have fun. Don’t try to sell anything.
• 
  joiedevie – funny, informative and catchy: choose two.
• 
  wpcandy – Twitter about stuff that has to do with your blog, but also Twitter stuff that has nothing to do with your blog.
• 
  scottkarp – Share links, share ideas, ask questions, answer questions — anything but “what are you doing?” unless it’s really interesting
• 
  cigarjack – This was my problem at first, I just lurked. Get active and follow others. Great tool for tossing around ideas.
• 
  rosshill – Join the conversation, there are too many blog promoters on twitter who just broadcast. Learn @ and start networking :)
• 
  soniasimone – Write each word like it matters, because it does.
• 
  fairminder – share links. share insights and trends, things that are new or timely/current. Be personal. Don’t link only to yourself.
• 
  travishines – share interesting resources, not just what you ate for lunch. Twitter often, and use it to test potential blog topics.
• 
  galadarling – No cat anecdotes!
• 
  theother66 – make use of other Twitter tools to make the most of Twitter (and so it doesn’t suck up all your time)
• 
  TheNanny612 – Efficient is the key to Twitter…. short & sweet. Basically, get right to the point.
• 
  vangogh – Respect the people you follow. Be interesting. Listen first, tweat second. Don’t waste words.
• 
  empty_inbox – I’m new at it all. The #1 thing to help me has been the use of a desktop client. Without “twhirl” I would’ve given up long ago.
• 
  andrewkhunn – Frequent Twitter updates demand desktop clients: Snitter, twhirl, and Twitterific all bear mentioning.
• 
  jstamant – This often goes unsaid, but I would suggest not having twitter/twitterific open while writing. It can become very distracting.
• 
  hamstu – As far as getting followers goes; I find just being friendly and helpful does wonders. And of course shared interests help to.
• 
  MattJMcD – Don’t follow more people than you can handle. If you’ve got too much going on, you miss a lot of the good stuff.
• 
  davepit – Keep your Twitter updated and the followers will come. Stay up-to-date and you will reep the benefits.
• 
  arieanna – stop thinking that twitter is pointless and just try it. It’s all about community – reach out and be a part of it.
• 
  DrBaher – contribute positively to conversations going on inside twitter
• 
  sitemost – interact and communicate with others – it’s a social media tool, so be social
• 
  RuudHein – Share thoughts more than actions: “Pownce will kill Twitter” vs. “I’m going to the toilet”
• 
  baramunchies – add value to your stream
• 
  drmani – Look beyond the obvious (traffic, sales etc.) Add value. Build relationships. Think LONG term.
• 
  CurtMonash – Learn what people care about. I got a glowing link from RSS inventor Dave Winer my first week of active twittering.
• 
  ericabiz – Use twitterfeed. Instant feedback from readers is the best part of Twitter. Listen to others; engage them; have a conversation.
• 
  superphly – f you are using WordPress use twittertool much better
• 
  puppybraille – Advice: Think before you hit send. 140 characters have the power to help, heal or be miss-understood.
• 
  buxx – use an username as short as possible so you can twit more
• 
  kidblogger – My tip: “Keep it short” ;-)
• 
  nhgnikole – re:twitter, I’d share this with them so they could use rss in new ways with twitter and facebook:
  http://tinyurl.com/3arsm
• 
  fderfel – first advice is to add good description and link for something that would be too short in a post
• 
  fderfel – second advice make a good weekly post describing all the twitter for the previous week
• 
  silvano_v – Probably look at pounce, Im sure its going to overtake twitter, as its more feature rich. Aside from that, update often.

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