Sunday 14 September 2008

Pylons, whales and aboriginals

A boy of 14 has died in Rotherham, near Sheffield in South Yorkshire, after he climbed an electricity pylon. It is thought he may have touched one of the cables, which carried 66,000 volts. Circumstances are being looked into by police. No comment from this blogger.

There is currently a complicated wrangle on-going surrounding the catching of whales by the people of Greenland. A request for an increase in their quota has been declined twice, and the Greenlanders are now thinking of going it alone. It is quite a convoluted issue, which is explained further here. One of the gripes expressed is that the native population feels it has had western values imposed, restricting the expression of its culture.

A similar thing, to the point of asphyxiation, has taken place in Australia until the late 1970s. Was watching a program on BBC tonight about a Scots doctor who goes on secondment to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. She also tends to Aboriginals, whose life-expectancy is not much beyond 40, are prone to diabetes and receive insufficient healthcare. Until 1967, Aboriginals were not even classified as human being, they were categorised alongside Australian flora and fauna. Earlier this year, Australian PM Kevin Rudd apologised for previous wrong-doings towards his native countrymen.



3 comments:

  1. Whenever are they going to learn ....The whale situation is a very contentious one isn't it. I certainly don't like the idea of whaling...however what 's the difference to fishing? well I suppose itis the manner they are caught...BUT...that could apply to a lot of other things and to many Geenlaners it was a way of life.  I was in Newfoundland a year or two after they were banned from fishing the cod...it was really sad to see the these once proud folks slipping into poverty and a feeling of uselesness...... As for the poor Aboriginals...that really is a disgrace. My neighbour worked over as a nurse there with  Save the Children and that was over 25 years ago..and now in 2008 there seems liitle has changed..  Aye it is a queer old world we live in.    Love Sybil xx

    http://journals.aol.co.uk/sybilsybil45/villagelife/

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  2. A fourteen year old climbing an electricity pylon, with barbed wire around it, knows the risks he is taking. Sadly he must have been one of those who thought it would never happen to me.
    When are we going to stop interfering with other people's cultures and ways of life?
    Methinks the big moguls are planting the seeds of discontent' re; whaling' so that they can step in and place their floating platforms of gas and oil rigs instead.
    They are probably trying to get in beiore Russia does.
    The natives way of life, as in the case of the aborigines in Australia come way down in the pecking order. Sad...very sad..

    Jeanie

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  3. Fascinating about the aboriginals not being classified as humans..that is amazing.  I am going to have to do some reading about these people.  
    Lisa

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