pollution in China

Is it The McKenzie Brothers movie? "Strange Brew; the Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie"

And the guys pronounce it "hosier", eh. But it's spelled "hoser", eh. Hoser, eh.

Slraep
 
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Slraep said:
Way to go Josh!!! What a wonderful ecologically sound picture you paint of your pearling endeavour.
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Right that! Now... I can imagine that for a good part of the environmental mvement that candid picture would be anatema - as almost any interference of man in nature. :eek: And some would not touch pearls because they are animal products... And yet others ... There's always an argument.
 
Anathema:
someone or something that is detested or abhorred.
Dutch: anathema (het)
French: abomination (f)
German: Greuel (nt)
Italian: anatema
Spanish: algo repugnante u odioso

I had to google it and thought I'd share with the rest as illiterate as me.
I'll take those extremists on though.
What's neat about Tahitian pearls is that the pearl is not the end of the line for the oyster (like for Akoyas). After the first pearl is extracted, the pearl is replaced by a successive nucleus, thus the oyster lives on. I will also explain to them that we do everything imaginable to provide optimum lives for our oysters: keep them at a depth where the levels of oxygen and phytoplacton are tops as well as periodically clean them to keep them free of parasites. The truth is that cultivated Tahitian oysters have the good life compared to their brethren on the sea floor.
Also, pearls are secretions; products from animals (molluscs really) not of them.
I know that some even turn their noses up at honey as it's an "animal product" too. I think we should rejoice though as that just means more pearls and honey for the rest of us.
It's important to point out that some pearl types are farmed in a way that doesn't compromise the wellbeing of the oysters or the environment. Pearls really can be the perfect gem.
 
Josh said:
Also, pearls are secretions; products from animals (molluscs really) not of them.
I know that some even turn their noses up at honey as it's an "animal product" too. I think we should rejoice though as that just means more pearls and honey for the rest of us.
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I was just sittin' here thinking about BEES when I spied your post. Bee products are some of the most wonderful and healthy food supplements you can ingest. Raw non-pasturized wildflower honey is just amazing. Man can co-exist and profit from coaxing nature as long as it is a balanced venture with minimal disturbance to the ecosystem, or better yet, helping nature do its thing and flourish. Beekeeping, like pearl culturing, need not be cruel. There are many factors to consider. We have been led to beleive that the Chinese freshwater tissue nuceated pearl is just a notch under natural pearl status. And yes, this is true. But has anyone realized what type of terrible ecological imbalance and creulty raising those molluscs entails?? Severe pollution, over-culturing resulting in sub-standard pearls and unbelievable mussel carnage.

How refreshing to read this thread and know that there are ecological pearl ventures like yours Douglas. Seriously refreshing.

Slraep
 
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Slraep said:
...[Chinese freshwater tissue nucleated pearl] But has anyone realized what type of terrible ecological imbalance [...] Severe pollution, over-culturing [...]...
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Certainly. This forum reminds me all the time.

I am amazed at how environmental mis-management has affected pearl farming in such different economic and political and human contexts: take China and ... the Biwa region, or just overall, Japanese pearling. Versus Australia and the smaller centres like Kamoka and Cortez Pearls and the NZ abalone farms. Not counting the stories of natural pear sources all over the place. :cool:

There's such diversity of 'cases' in either camp, that any kind of comparison turns up so rich, and thought-provoking... and oh so time consuming for someone who doesn't do it for a living. :eek:
 
I know there is another thread on pollution discussing fish somewhere on the forum. But here is a link to something interesting involving China again.

Think farmed fish is safe to eat? Think our goverment protects us from this kind of thing? Well, looky here, a known carcinogen---"malachite green" shows up in fish labeled "product of Canada". It's a strange parallel to SS pearls going to Japan for some cosmetic treatment and then being labeled as "product of Japan"!!!

You know, the more this type of info comes out, the more I feel like a BIG FAT CHUMP. We trust people don't we? But the majority of people just want your money, even if you and your family end up getting cancer using or eating their product. It's not limited to products coming out of China either.

http://www.nowpublic.com/health/canada-food-imports-china-safe-eat

Slraep
 
Exerpts from a wealth of the articles on marine life from this website. Trouble with calcification means pearl bearing molluscs will be hard pressed to form a shell, let alone a pearl.

"Global warming is incredibly serious, but ocean acidification could be even more so.?

"Acidity from the gradual buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is dissolving into the oceans. Scientists fear it could be lethal for animals with chalky skeletons --"

"Worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning are dramatically altering ocean chemistry and threatening marine organisms, including corals, that secrete skeletal structures and ..."

"When CO2 levels in the atmosphere reach about 500 parts per million, you put calcification out of business in the oceans.?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071017102133.htm

Slraep
 
GemGeek said:
Very Clever. Loved Condi on the broom!;)
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Yah, I thought so too. She looks good. Right in her element.
 

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Exerpts from another recent article on the troubling things about China...



"The biggest problem facing China may be pollution! Manufacturing has been the catalyst behind China’s rise; it may also be the catalyst for their demise!

China's robust industrialization has created the worst pollution the world has ever seen. China has 20 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities. For your info, a significant amount of smog seen in California originates in China.

One scholar says, "Chinese cities often seem wrapped in a toxic gray shroud. Lakes run dry from the constant digging for natural resources."

Recently, the World Bank published a report titled, "The Costs of Pollution in China", detailing dangerously high pollution levels."

http://tycoonreport.tycoonresearch.com/articles/378694305/china-be-cautious-wear-you-invest-part

Slraep
 
More bloody bad news for our oceans. Remember, pearls form in healthy molluscs, that need clean nutrient rich ocean/fresh water. But the ocean seems to have become a favourite subject of environmental abuse.

" Fishing, pollution and climate change damaged more than two-fifths of the world's oceans, said scientists who produced a map of the human toll on marine life.

Every single square kilometer of the oceans is affected by something man-made, and 41 percent has a ``medium high'' or ``high'' impact, the scientists, led by Ben Halpern at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said in an article to be published in the journal Science Feb. 15."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=auDRUGBYlFf0&refer=australia

and

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080214-oceans.html
 
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