A taste for soup – a bite out of a population
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/04/art.ling.pip2.jpg caption=""Shark fins unloaded at a port in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Because shark meat is worth much less, sharks are finned and thrown back into the sea... often still alive."]
Editor’s note: CNN’s award-winning Planet in Peril returns this year to examine the conflict between growing populations and natural resources. Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Lisa Ling travel to the front lines of this worldwide battle. Ling has been a co-host of The View, correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic and Channel One. She filed this blog from Taiwan on how shark-finning operations that have helped deplete the oceans of more than 90 percent of shark species.
Lisa Ling
AC360° Special Correspondent
This experience has been quite an education for me. I, frankly, have been terrified of sharks all of my life. That's because pop culture and sensational news reporting have perpetuated the notion that sharks are the fiercest attackers of humans in the animal world. I was surprised to learn that this is to the contrary. Worldwide sharks kill an average of 10 people every year. According to WildAid, humans kill up to 70 million sharks over the course of a given year. Who's the bigger killer?
Because of films like "Jaws," humans have been conditioned to fear sharks. They are considered to be the most maligned animals in the world. Sharks predate dinosaurs and have roamed the oceans for 400 million years.
They are the ocean's top predator and essential for the ocean's ecosystem.
The Passenger's Bill of Duties
Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D.
The Ethics Guy, BusinessWeek
Last year, New York became the first state in the nation to pass a law establishing a bill of rights for airline passengers. The bill was in response to ten-hour flight delays at John F. Kennedy International airport, among other airline-related aggravations. Although the bill was struck down by a federal appeals court, and the Congressional bill introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson and Sens. Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe died in the Senate, the passenger's rights movement continues to plow ahead, and House speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to call up the bill after the 4th of July recess.
Passengers stranded on tarmacs are certainly entitled to be treated with respect, but with rights come responsibilities. I therefore propose the following "Passenger’s Bill of Duties": FULL POST
Hot Dog! Can the USA hold the title?
Hot Dog! Can USA's Joey Chestnut win Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating contest again?
UPDATE: Man bites dogs.... and wins!!!! World-record holder and defending champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut held on to his hot dog-eating title Friday in an unprecedented tie-breaker at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July contest.... read more
Feedback from the Frontlines: July 4th
Check out our Feedback from the Frontlines: Troops serving in Iraq share their Independence Day wishes and what July 4th means to them.
What does July 4th mean?
Happy 4th of July, 2008! Check out this report from our Richard Rother. 232 years later, Richard goes searching for what July 4th means today...
The Shot: Chunky Monkeys
Monkeys at a Japanese zoo are over three times their normal weight.
Morning Buzz: Up Close: The Next President...
Morning folks...
Happy 4th of July...We have a pretty great special tonight. We go Up Close on each Presidential candidate...We talk to family, friends and people that know Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain intimately. We look at the turning points in each of their lives that may have shaped them into the men they are today. AND we will hopefully provide YOU with some insight into what kind of President could will be...We also give you a snapshot of each future First Lady...Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama...
So TUNE IN tonight at 10 pm for UP CLOSE: THE NEXT PRESIDENT
