Originally Posted by Woogie Man (Post 3595759)

To illustrate what small choices made by billions can do, I'd like to use the Orangutan and its imminent extinction as an example.

We will be losing the Orangutan in the next few years due to loss of habitat and for what??....so agribusiness can have a cheap supply of a completely un-necessary source of an oil we don't have to use.

Not only is the orangutan dying off...suffering along the way, but the burning of the forests has dumped millions of tons of carbon into the air, poisoned the local waters and destroyed fishing, run people off their traditional lands and made them serfs to the plantation owners. So, in a nutshell, a thoughtless decision made on our behalf by companies in search of profit has wiped out species, fouled the air and water and destroyed a way of life for many people.

We didn't ask for these companies to do this, but we support their decision every time we buy products made with palm oil. Palm oil often isn't labeled as such, so one has to research to be be able to avoid it.

Just as we can't have a democracy without an informed electorate, we can't have capitalism without informed consumers. If we choose to not be informed, these multi-national companies will run amok in the name of profit. The impact they can have is immense, permanent and has global implications.

I could go on and on about this, but instead am posting some videos for those so inclined to view. it will hopefully open some eyes to the tragedies we support just by shopping at the grocery store.

Think about it.

YouTube - ‪Warning: May Contain Palm Oil‬‏

YouTube - ‪Forests - The Palm Oil Threat‬‏

YouTube - ‪Coming Soon: Orangutan Extinction!‬‏

YouTube - ‪Indonesian Orangutans Face Extinction‬‏

YouTube - ‪Orangutan babies‬‏

Originally Posted by gidget529 (Post 3595907)

God bless you for spreading the word of being a responsible human being w the earth we've been given to inhabit. I get so discouraged sometimes (maybe it's my age). The Chinese olympics I really could not stomach - in fact, I refused to watch or condone in any way. Ppl I knew thought I was nuts, but I could not believe the world was going to be contributing millions to China's economy - rewarding them for human rights violations and irresponsible (ok, that word is probably not strong enough) manufacturing methods.

We have some standards in this country for manufacturing so that we minimize the damage to the surrounding areas, and what do companies do - move their manufacturing to countries where there are less (if any) manufacturing safety guidelines for humans and for the environment. This is not done to lower our prices as consumers. This is done to increase their profit margin. This also greatly decreases the jobs available in this country, increasing the unemployment rate. I think there should be tax breaks for manufacturers that choose to stay in this country and implement safer manufacturing guidelines. It's a win/win for all of us - jobs for ppl needing jobs and a cleaner planet! We need to start rewarding companies who do things the right way, and start penalizing companies whose only regard is their profit margin (not rewarding them for "questionable" business practices).

Originally Posted by Woogie Man (Post 3595994)

Gidget, you get it in such a big way. And, if you're nuts, so am I. You mentioned earlier about us killing off the buffalo. Very appropriate comparison. You could add to it what Pizzaro, Cortez and Balboa did in the 1500's. It's the same mentality at work today, only without the mass murder...at least of humans.

You also nailed it about why these companies are doing such things. In a word....profit. Overseas 'investments' and operations is why Wall Street is doing well while the rest of the country is going downhill. There is no morality or even common sense to it. It's all greed. Of course, they have made many of us complicit in this by offering IRAs instead of just giving us a better wage. That way, we have a vested interest in their profits. It stunts any real protest against these practices and has made us partners in our own demise. And we have our government to thank for allowing these things to happen in the name of 'free trade' and for us to become 'competitive' in the global economy. And it's not just our government. The whole world had become entangled in this mess. I think it's about time we woke up to this global scam that is being put over on us.

Some may think I'm radical...I'm not....just Pi$ off!!

Originally Posted by Jinger (Post 3596173)

I did not know this, or had not considered the IRA angle. Profit and greed, yes. In addition to shortsightedness.
You write such interesting things...not radical.
You should start your own thread and inform us about things...you obviously know so much!
Thank you for sharing.

Originally Posted by gidget529 (Post 3596176)

I agree. We need a responsible human thread of some kind.

Originally Posted by Woogie Man (Post 3596230)

I think it would be great to discuss how to be a more responsible human. We talk about these things already in the way of our pets, but don't often consider how our actions affect the world at large.

The realization of how much the world is changing came to me maybe about 10 years ago. A friend of mine and I were talking about something (don't remember exactly what) and it came up about how many people there were in the world. Anyway, I made the comment about what's gonna happen when they all want a car.

I'm game to discuss more along these lines if anyone else is. Count me in.

Originally Posted by Jinger (Post 3596300)

Over the weekend I was visiting my daughter (who is trying to live more wisely and healthfully while also being kind to our planet--at 20, so maybe the youth are learning!). We were shopping at a health store and she picked something up with palm oil. I told her about it, thanks to your signature. See, you're doing so much good!

Originally Posted by gidget529 (Post 3597249)

Maybe it could be a "social concerns" thread? Or a "concerned citizens" thread? Bring some light on issues around the world so we can be more informed and maybe there are issues we can help change? (Wylie's Mom is really good w clever writing ideas!)

Originally Posted by Jinger (Post 3597159)

Thanks for the links. I see your name is Jim, so thank you, Jim!

Is Woogie your dog?

Originally Posted by gidget529 (Post 3597249)

Maybe it could be a "social concerns" thread? Or a "concerned citizens" thread? Bring some light on issues around the world so we can be more informed and maybe there are issues we can help change? (Wylie's Mom is really good w clever writing ideas!)

Originally Posted by Woogie Man (Post 3597765)

You're very welcome, Jen. Hope they're useful to you.

Yep, Woogie is one of my boys. He's the Clown Prince of my pack. :)



That sounds like a good idea. I've enjoyed discussing things here with y'all, but not many others are posting. Maybe it's the 'Doom Prophets' title that's off-putting. Shoot, even the OP hasn't come back. Gail, where ya' at?

Seriously, there are many things that could fit in with what you're proposing. So many issues have been considered to be on the fringe, but are fast becoming more mainstream concerns. Just becoming aware is a step in the right direction.

Originally Posted by gemy (Post 3597932)

Sorry Jim, my puter is broken, and only have short access times to my husbands, and somehow I'm not getting the emails to my account when posts are made to a thread I started:(
Here is one for you; the cost to fix my broken [puter is $400, it is only a small part where the charger goes into, and that is broken, but they'd have to take out the mother board etc etc. So as $400 is almost a price of a new puter, the advice is to get a new one.

I am into a world impact/environment/awares thread. Your Palm Oil is an excellent example of something I can make choices about (relatively easily), and without your thread, I was woefully unaware.

I don't buy bottle water on a regular basis; I installed a water purification system in our home, and bring in my own water to work. All those plastic bottles, either ending up in landfill, or ending up having to be recycled seems un necessary if there is another viable choice.

Maybe "Doom Prophets" is too harsh a title but that was the docu title so I just repeated. But on the other hand, perhaps it does keep in mind, we are facing a point of no return for this environment.

I hope to find a puter this wkend, so should be able to post more after I get it set up to go:)