Those attending represented a wide range of interests and concerns, but with a common link to protecting the forests and defending the rights of indigenous Papuans who live in them. Both of these issues are inextricably linked and it's impossible to talk about one without discussing the other.

As organisers of the conference, Greenpeace had several people present (including me) including Shailendra Yashwant (campaign director for Southeast Asia), Lienche Maloali and Bustar Maitar (both forest campaigners), but mostly it was representatives from other organisations who took the floor.

Bustar sat on a panel with Gorgorilus Yaboisembut, head of indigenous people's council Dewan Adat Tanah Papua discussing how sustainable forest management and the rights of forest communities are now being debated at a national and international level. Also speaking were Frans Wospakrik of Majelis Rakyat Papua talking about how the ecological and cultural significance of the forests can be recognised and preserved, while Edison Giay from Perkumpulam Terbatas Penkajian Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Adat explained how mapping the areas of traditional land use can be used when local people come into conflict with commercial and political interests.

Not being able to speak Bahasa, I wasn't able to follow the discussions but even I could tell that some of the delegates spoke with great passion and, at times, great frustration. However, I was able to interview a few attendees including Leonard Imbiri of Dewan Adat Papua. He explained the problems with laws which divide the forests between the state and the local people. But this discriminates against indigenous Papuans who happen to live in state controlled areas by refusing to acknowledge their rights. Leonard also said that he thought working with Greenpeace provided extra energy and resources to Dewan Adat Papua's campaign, but added a reminder that the rights of indigenous Papuans should not be overridden in efforts to save the forests.

Listen to what Leonard had to say: [audio http://www.aliencorn.co.uk/extra/leo-english.mp3]

I also spoke to Frans Wospakrik from Majelis Rakyat Papua. He also stressed the importance of human rights, adding that indigenous Papuans already have the knowledge and skills to preserve the forest - after all, they have been living there comfortably for tens of thousands of years. Involving and empowering them in the campaign, Frans said, is vital.

But the main thing I've got from today's event was a renewed feeling of hope for the future. With so many people from different organisations dedicated to protecting Papua's forests together in one room, it seems there's no way that collectively they can fail.

CNN

For a long time -- the first 15 years that we knew about global warming and did nothing -- there were no pictures. That was one of the reasons for inaction.

Climate change was still "theoretical," the word that people in power use to dismiss anything for which pictures do not exist. It is the reason we don't see shots of coffins coming back from Iraq; it's the reason the only prison abuse we really know about was at Abu Ghraib. Without pictures, no uproar; not in a visual age.

But now the pictures have started to come, and they will not cease.

See it here.

I have the bad habit of assuming that everything from my childhood is kind of universal to all childhoods.  Since moving to the States, I've found myself blabbing away to completely blank stares more than I wish to admit.  Apparently, sticking maple keys on the bridge of one's nose is not, in fact, universal (believe it or not).  And, I was surprised to find that the term "maple key" is not necessarily known (they're also called "helicopters," "whirligigs," "polynoses (??),"  and, more technically, "samaras," btw).  Huh.  While I'm at it, might I complain about Americans not really having a suitable word for "touque/toque/tuque"?  What's that all about?

PS - I have no idea what kind of creature this is.

Vashist Forest 2

Originally uploaded by ElPablo!

Vanaprashta (Skt: 'home in the forest or woods')

In traditional Hinduism this is the third asrama (Vedic stage of life) in which the male, having fulfilled his matrimonial dharma as a householder, generally retreats to the forest to study the deeper meaning of sacred texts and become adept at meditation.

A difficult path to follow, especially today, one could argue that its contemporary translation is more a psychosocial rather than geographical withdrawal--that is, the Hindu meditator, whether he be male or female, may withdraw into the deeper aspects of the psyche (and perhaps beyond) without necessarily leaving the household as in former times.

» Asrama, Dharma, Hinduism

Add to this, report errors, suggest edits or voice your opinion by posting a comment

Erle Frayne Argonza

Forestry education is among those human development engagements that are urgently being delivered today.

A study done in Kenya, by Temu A & Kiwia A, examined how future forestry education can respond to expanding societal needs. The study is summarized below.

Future forestry education. Responding to expanding societal needs

Authors: Temu,A.; Kiwia,A.
Produced by: World Agroforestry Centre (2008)

Forestry education in recent years has largely failed to adequately respond to the dynamics in forestry practice, the demands of the job market and the challenges of new global forestry paradigms.

This policy brief consolidates recommendations of the first global workshop on forestry education held in September 2007, at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya. Attended by 85 participants from 29 countries representing Africa, Asia, North and South America and Europe, the workshop deliberated on vital issues for guiding, coordinating and linking relevant institutions and stakeholders in the process of transforming forestry education. They agreed that:

• increased investment in forestry capacity is imperative
• improved coordination mechanisms are key at national, regional and global scales to reinforce the quality and content of forestry education and training
• enhanced harmonisation of forestry with other related sectors is needed in order to achieve synergy of strategies and actions
• regional and global mechanisms for collaboration in forestry education be established and sustained

The brief asserts that major changes in forestry education, research and practice are urgently needed to improve relevance and popularise forest science, technologies and practices. Obvious implications for neglecting forestry education are noted as:

• schools of forestry will continue to produce inadequate graduates, lacking the required expertise to handle the emerging complex societal and environmental challenges
• forestry professional ethics could deteriorate further, leading to indiscriminate destruction of natural resources - the backbone of human livelihood
• due to the link between agriculture and forestry, the destruction of forests may lead to water flow challenges impacting on food security
• our knowledge and capacity to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change will remain weak, further accelerating global warming, flash floods and droughts
• further losses of biodiversity will deny the world of important plants and animals with the potential to solve health and other problems

Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=39445&em=240908&sub=enviro

Please click the link below - will open as PDF file.

rams-snap-ergopaper

-Ramesha JS

Music in Nature should be a walk in the park or it seems the Rainforest all that is required is the ability to listen. It would have to be a wonderful exercise of mind, body and spirit. Well decidedly so as it proved to be during my recent holiday at Myall Lakes in the North of Sydney. Armed with very little, as I was camping with my 12 year old son and his friend I tried to get away from people and noise only to be surrounded by the natural noise of my mind and the happy chatter of the two twelve year old energetic stimulants with me. 

The days were busy, hectic and physically challenging. But what I relished and want to share with you all are the sounds from the warm summer nights and the feel of the morning fresh breeze which brought the chirping sounds of the birds in the adjoining rainforest and the lake beyond. 

During these moments as I allowed myself to soak my surroundings and tried to absorb all that was around me, I found myself noticing 'random stuff' as my teenager would say.  But for me this random stuff was made up of sounds that tease the mind into stillness for I was willing to swing to its rhythm. For others it may have been a pleasant moment.

Next measurement that you must take is exposure the images to them from the books or on the web and to encourage your children to identify the animals with their names. You thus have all information on the web show your children, from the origin of the animals to their spending patterns and behavior, like and hate etc. Soon you will be watching that your child obtains interested in the matter and then you can also tell them how these wild animals like lions, wolves, tigers, jaguar, etc are dangers of coating nowadays, in this modern world.

A thing that you must maintain in the spirit is the age of the kid. Take care that your child must not be immature that he or she has any kind of trouble in grasping whatsoever your are teaching them.. The main view should be to create an interest in them about the wild animals and not to get them scared out. This would end up doing harm to them rather doing any good

Collect the stories and images from the web or magazines and let them know about the wild creatures. In this way you can help them with more and more stocks of information about the wild life. Show all and explain it to them directly on the pc or the books, so that they can be able to believe on what they are seeing. The images make the kid more curious and interested on the topic than to simply going telling them the stories. Always be ready to answer their queries when they ask and explain everything patiently. This will undoubtedly add in their bulk of knowledge.

If it would be possible to take the children to the national park and sanctuaries than this would an added benefit and they learn about the safety measures to be taken into account while grasping the information on the topic. But you should do this only if your kids are grown enough to cooperate with you to look for the wild creation. Another option can be the zoo and this would rather be safer for them. If the kids are grown enough to understand the effects of modern life style on the wild animals like lions and all then you can explain these things to them.

You can now teach them the difference between the wild animals and domestic one which you are having at home as pets. Teaching kids about the nature and its creations can be fun and interesting if you can handle it with care.

A lovely day today. Went to the forest and enjoyed
- the company of three good friends
- the lovely weather
- watching my dog have the time of her life
- grilling some chicken after the camp fire had burned down

It was a really good Saturday.

In my room the carbon boxes still take up a lot of space..... hopefully, prayerfully we can get ride of them next week. I did get one box stuffed in to the kitchen cupboard and three or four boxes I have sat aside to go in the storehouse.

Today I also bought a piece of material, nice dark green fabric for our sofa cushions and some fittings for our curtains. Tomorrow hopefully I will have time to complete the curtains.

By Robert Sutherland

Palace visit a Forest side rooted to the bottom of the table on Saturday hoping to inflict further pain on boss Colin Calderwood. With Palace's impressive performances against Ipswich and Charlton to build on, the opportunity for the club to get it's first win at The Forest Ground since the 2000/2001 season couldn't come at a better time. 

T'Trees will face a player they had attempted to sign during the summer in Ben Watson, a player who's performance will no doubt be pivotal to Palace's success. Warnock's side have gradually turned the corner since Watson was included against Swansea, and it was Ben's cross that led to Beattie's winning goal against Charlton. 

Along with Watson, the inclusion of Moses in recent games has delighted  Palace fans and the manager. 

"He’s playing as though a weight has been lifted from his shoulders,” said Neil Warnock, "he’s come back absolutely fantastically." Moses had been left out due to a lack of application in training, but his return is indiactive of the new-found confidence and effort which has ignited Victor's desire. 

As for Forest, their league position belies the talent in their squad. The likes of Earnshaw and Tyson are a threat, and their team is littered with youngsters that have come through the same accademy that produced the likes of Jermaine Jenas and Michael Dawson.

Forest's manager Colin Calderwood is aware of the club's difficult position in the league, but is preparing his squad for a positive approach. 

"At the moment we are finding it hard to get a victory," he said, "but we can't afford to feel sorry for ourselves." The Forest manager feels that his side are showing signs of a turn-around.

"There were signs of improvement, we showed good character and I don't think there was much between the sides," Calderwood said of his team's performance following their defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. 

A Palace win is imperative to the club's movement up the league. The worry is that, as in the Ipswich and Charlton games, the players will again struggle to capitalise on their first half dominance. The hope is that they can make their early dominance count against a Forest team that is clearly weak on it's knees. The Forest Ground is not an easy place to go to - Forest's fans can be vociferous and demanding - but should the Eagles score early, a convincing win might just be on the cards.

Gov. David A. Paterson has enacted a law named for Buffalo-area environmentalist Bruce Kershner that protects old-growth forests, a cause that Kershner championed before his death last year.

The Bruce S. Kershner Heritage Tree Preservation and Protection Act protects forests on state land that are more than 180 years old, adding them to lands in the state Nature and Historical Preserve.

A proposal to extend the protection on private land by giving tax credits to landowners was dropped from the final bill because of costs. However, supporters said the measure is a fitting tribute to Kershner, who discovered primeval forests around Western New York, including ancient stands of trees in Zoar Valley.

“My father definitely would have been ecstatic,” said Kershner’s son Joshua, a law student in New York City. “This is the continuation of a lot of his work.” The law bearing his father’s name ensures that future generations will be able to enjoy and study ecosystems that were in place before Columbus’ arrival, Joshua Kershner said.

“In addition to providing a link to our past, these trees represent an important part of our future,” State Sen. Mary Lou Rath said in a statement. “From a tourism standpoint, people are attracted to these forests and the beauty and sense of wonder they inspire.”

It’s estimated that 400,000 acres of old-growth forest remain in the state, chiefly in the Adirondacks. Some were identified by Kershner, an Amherst resident whose 12 books include “The Sierra Club Guide to the Ancient Forests of the Northeast.”

While forests within some state parks already are protected, the preservation law means that no logging on state lands will touch old-growth forests, said Michael Hettler, counsel for Rath. As more ancient forests are discovered, they will be added to the protected list. Protected forests must be at least 10 acres large and have trees of mature-forest species that are older than 180 to 200 years.

While other states have moved to protect defined areas, New York is the first to issue a blanket protection for oldgrowth forests, Hettler said. The measure also allows local governments to designate oldgrowth forests. “As far as I’m aware, it’s the first [such] law in the country,” he said.

Well I finally have and I think they are great, I have wanted some Fairy Floss since seeing an older penguin with some.

Here are all the prizes for the Fall Fair of 2008.

The Prizes for all members are located in the Prize Stall and is located at the Forest.

This Prize Stall is for all members, not just the paid members. To see the Prizes just click on the Prize Tent.

There are some other prizes that are available to only paid Club Penguin Members, these are located in the Arcade.

The Arcade is located at the back of the Snow Forts.

To see the Prizes just click on the Prize Tent.

Here are all the prizes available to only paid Club Penguin Members for the Fall Fair of 2008.

My most Fav prize is the Teddy Bear.....soooooo cute

We don’t have much color in the forest yet early in this fall season but the Autumn skies have been holding true to form like in this evening scene a couple of days ago…

2008 D L Ennis, All rights reserved.

NOTE: Permission for the use of my images is granted for personal websites and blogs (THAT MEANS NO ADDS AND NO SELLING OF ANY KIND) but is to include a link back to this site and proper credit given to me, D L Ennis. Link to be used...(Visual Thoughts http://dlennis.wordpress.com/)

NOTE: Commercial use, and the creation of prints, must be purchased! For more information you can contact me here.

When we were checking out, and mentioned to the staff that we planned to wander around a bit before driving back to Kathmandu, the receptionist promptly asked, "Do you need to hire a guide?"

My husband and I glanced at each other.  Then hurriedly corrected, "No, we just want to walk around the grounds a little, take some more pictures."  There was another bandh in the valley, you see, so we'd decided to give it some time to settle down before we tried driving back.

The receptionist was understanding after our reply.  "Oh, then you aren't going to enter the jungle, then."

Jungle?  I was just referring to it as woods, like at home.  At the most formal, forest.  Jungle seemed a bit extreme.  Though it did have monkeys...

Then we did our walking around, and snapping of pictures.

Nepali of the Day:
aglo:  tall

dherai:  very

mero:  my

shrimaan:  husband

chha:  is (when used with an adjective, or to identify a location)

tyo:  that

rukh:  tree

pani:  also (not to be confused with paani, water)

bhandaa:  compared to, than [done in the opposite order from English--the second word or phrase is always the comparative one, the one that's more than the other]

Mero shrimaan dherai aglo chha.

Tyo rukh pani dherai aglo chha.

Mero shrimaan bhandaa tyo rukh aglo chha.  (That tree is taller than my husband.)

Sunlight, originally uploaded by Richard Adams.

Not my best photo but I think one of my most surprising snaps. It was early morning and the sun just flared round the tree. It was one of those moments where I was just glad I had a camera with me.

Going Up!
This guy was setting up the Go Ape course and was shifting himself up the zip line, hand-over-hand at a fair pace.

[Flickr][Lakes-Grizedale-September-2008: 20080925-1028_JLC_9978]

In fall when the nights are cooler than the water temperature early morning will find misty dryad dancing on the surface of the lake…

2008 D L Ennis, All rights reserved.

NOTE: Permission for the use of my images is granted for personal websites and blogs (THAT MEANS NO ADDS AND NO SELLING OF ANY KIND) but is to include a link back to this site and proper credit given to me, D L Ennis. Link to be used...(Visual Thoughts http://dlennis.wordpress.com/)

NOTE: Commercial use, and the creation of prints, must be purchased! For more information you can contact me here.

Fall Fair ~ Sept. 26th - Oct. 5th

check out the new Chocolaty Coated (not really) Fall Fair article! Along with that article are some tips on playing the games! Here are those tips:

Feed-A-Puffle ~ Tips

Puffle Paddle ~ Tips

Balloon Pop (Members Only Arcade Circle) ~ Tips

Remember to check out the new Prizes at the Prize Booth located in the Forest!

Puffle-So-Cute-O

Puffle-So-Cute-O is back on A4 and A5!

Fall Fair Fashion

on page A6 and A7 you can find out what Rory The Construction Worker thinks about the Fall Fair Prizes and how to use them as well as Club Penguin's Fashion Expert! Below are what each penguins think:

Fashion Expert - Lollipop

Fashion Expert - Giant Green Sunglasses

Fashion Expert - Feathered Tiara

Fashion Expert - Paddle Ball

Rory - Lollipop

Rory - Giant Green Sunglasses

Rory - Feathered Tiara

Rory - Paddle Ball

there! Now you know how to use those new Prizes you bought!

Mix Up At The Stage

check out the cool Bonus Puzzle on page A8 and A9! Well its not really a puzzle. Choose a word from each box to see a special message. Here's what I got from the boxs' I chose:

Wondrously Wonderful Word Search

there is a Fall Fair Word Search on page A10 and A11! 

Space Adventure

did you see the Special Space Adventure Advertisement? If not go to page A13 and check it out! The Space Adventure play is coming back to the Stage (That was the first EVER play at the Stage). It is going to be different from the last to time. If you put you courser over the black part its shows you whats underneathth! This may have to do with the Sneak Peek (you could see alien penguins in the background) and the new CP Plush Toys (one is an Alien Penguin)

In Focus

this week In Focus: Room For More Fun (Fall Fair). There is also a Fall Fair "Did You Know?"! You can see it below.

Did you know that? I did!

Upcoming Events

did you notice anything weird with the last event on the pic above? Well its says the Club Penguin Anniversary Party is from the 24th - 26th. CP ALL WAYS has the Anniversary Party on the day of the Anniversary Party and that day only. Well I am 99.9% that it has to do with the Club Penguin Sneak, Plush Toys, and Gold Viking Penguin Giveaway. If I remember right the Giveaway ends on the 23rd. Nothing comes to my mind that might happen but if I find ANY thing out I will let you know ASAP!

~Lux1200 President~