FW: Keep Baikal Alive!
William Ryan
wfr at SAS.AC.UK
Sat Apr 10 13:39:48 UTC 2010
I am quite sure that none of us has missed the point about potential
ecological disaster - it is fairly well known. My original point was
simply objecting to the demeaning of a very serious issue by the use of
sloppy ad man English. It is perfectly in order to compare Baikal with
the Galapagos or the Great Barrier Reef as endangered areas - in fact I
think Baikal became a problem area first - but it is just ridiculous to
say that Baikal is 'KNOWN AS the Russian Galapagos'. It isn't, it never
has been and never will be - it is simply an ludicrous untrue statement.
This is not metonymy, or even metaphor such as 'the Venice of the North'
(you can reasonably say that 'St Petersburg is KNOWN AS the Venice or
Palmyra of the North' - because sometimes it is). Any decent editor
would have asked for a re-write. If you think this kind of writing is
acceptable, try swapping it around 'The Galapagos, KNOWN AS as the
Baikal of the Pacific', or 'the Amazon Rainforest KNOWN AS as the Great
Barrier Reef of South America'.
Will Ryan
Jane Costlow wrote:
> I think these comments miss the point of using language like "The
> Galapagos" - or what's driving the request for international attention
> to a local (or actually federal) action. The point isn't, I don't
> think, whether it's an island or a lake - the point is that these are
> locations being claimed as world treasures, that is, their status -
> because of unique and vulnerable ecological conditions - are deserving
> of consideration beyond the merely local. This is an important
> strategy that has driven numerous campaigns for protection and/or
> conservation: think of campaigns for the Amazonian Rain Forest, to
> cite perhaps the most famous example.
>
> There are many Russians both in the Baikal region and throughout
> Russia who have taken up the cause of Baikal - so signing this
> petition, which asks UNESCO to express concern for this world treasure
> - is in a sense supporting particular Russians (and a remarkable
> natural site) rather than others. I suppose whether or not one signs
> might depend, in part, on how you consider the seriousness of the
> situation of those who live in Baikalsk, a small city entirely
> dependent on the paper mill there. (I'm writing from Maine, so these
> are issues which in a sense translate into my own "home" world.)
>
> For those interested, there is an excellent book that deals in detail
> with many of these issues (other than Doug Weiner's wonderful chapter
> in A Little Corner of Freedom, which discusses the fight over Baikal
> in the 70's, and the original building of the plant): Sacred Sea: A
> Journey to Baikal, by Peter Thompson - an environmental journalist who
> for years was the lead on NPR's Living on Earth.
>
> Jane Costlow
>
> Stephen Beet wrote:
>> I suppose the Russians will do what they feel is right an it is not
>> for us to suggest solutions!
>>
>> On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 7:59 PM, Robert Orr <colkitto at rogers.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Actually, Baikal IS known for its biodiversity, although, like
>>> Madagascar,
>>> it lacks the linguistic diversity which is supposed to be an
>>> accompaniment
>>> ....
>>>
>>> "'we are going sailing on the Galapagos of Russia'?" - sounds like a
>>> good
>>> promotional slogan - and it should be recalled that the world RUNS on
>>> journalistic nonsense......
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Ryan" <wfr at SAS.AC.UK>
>>> To: <SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu>
>>> Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 6:05 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] FW: Keep Baikal Alive!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> I am sure that the petition forwarded by Robert is indeed important
>>>> and
>>>> worthy of support, but it does not help itself by starting with a
>>>> bit of
>>>> journalistic nonsense: 'Known as the "Galapagos of Russia," Lake
>>>> Baikal ...
>>>> etc.'. Who calls Baikal the 'Galapagos of Russia'? Has anyone ever
>>>> said 'we
>>>> are going sailing on the Galapagos of Russia'? Galapagos are
>>>> islands, Baikal
>>>> is a lake - sounds a bit like the Red Queen:' I could show you
>>>> hills, in
>>>> comparison with which you'd call that a valley'.
>>>> Will Ryan
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Robert Chandler wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear all,
>>>>>
>>>>> I forward what seems like a worthwhile petition. Please circulate
>>>>> it if
>>>>> you
>>>>> agree.
>>>>>
>>>>> Yours,
>>>>>
>>>>> Robert Chandler
>>>>>
>>>>> ------ Forwarded Message
>>>>> From: Pnina Levermore <info at pacificenvironment.org>
>>>>> Reply-To: <info at pacificenvironment.org>
>>>>> Subject: Keep Baikal Alive!
>>>>>
>>>>> Lake Baikal is No Small Change to Throw Away
>>>>> Known as the "Galapagos of Russia," Lake Baikal is located in
>>>>> southern
>>>>> Siberia near the Russian-Mongolian border. The oldest and deepest
>>>>> lake in
>>>>> the world, Baikal contains 20% of the world's unfrozen freshwater
>>>>> reserve.�
>>>>> The Russian Government is treating Lake Baikal like small change.
>>>>> Prime
>>>>> Minister Putin's decision to re-start the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper
>>>>> Mill
>>>>> obstructs the environmentally safe economic development of the
>>>>> town of
>>>>> Baikalsk and the whole Baikal region. The governmental decree,
>>>>> which
>>>>> Prime
>>>>> Minister Putin signed on January 13, permitted the mill to
>>>>> discharge
>>>>> its
>>>>> wastewater into the cleanest lake on the planet. � This is a
>>>>> violation
>>>>> of
>>>>> both Russian laws and an indicator of Russia's unwillingness to
>>>>> deliver
>>>>> on
>>>>> its international obligations to keep intact Lake Baikal - a
>>>>> priceless
>>>>> heritage site protected by UNESCO. Sign the petition to UNESCO
>>>>> Director
>>>>> General! UNESCO must address the Russian Government with a
>>>>> demand to
>>>>> stop
>>>>> pollution of Lake Baikal.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/608/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=26
>>>>>
>>>>> 83>
>>>>> Pnina Levermore Russia Program Director
>>>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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