Reads: Coral Reef Collapse & Stanford Sexual Assault
A wrap on some of the interesting reads from across the web...
The Great Barrier Reef: a catastrophe laid bare - The Guardian
The natural wonder that is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is dying a slow death. Caused by natural and anthropogenic climate change, the coral reefs have been left devoid of colour and life, thanks to mass coral bleaching events that are set to break historical records. But what's even more worse and concerning is the chain of events that inexorably follows this ecosystem collapse, like a domino effect.
"When the coral dies, the entire ecosystem around it transforms. Fish that feed on the coral, use it as shelter, or nibble on the algae that grows among it die or move away. The bigger fish that feed on those fish disappear too. But the cascading effects don’t stop there. Birds that eat fish lose their energy source, and island plants that thrive on bird droppings can be depleted. And, of course, people who rely on reefs for food, income or shelter from waves – some half a billion people worldwide – lose their vital resource."
Here Is The Powerful Letter The Stanford Victim Read Aloud To Her Attacker - Buzzfeed
I loathe to use the word victim, for here is a remarkably brave woman who has unflinchingly narrated and relived what's undoubtedly the most psychologically gruelling experience that she must have gone though after coming to terms with the fact that she was sexually assaulted and nearly raped by Brock Turner, a star swimmer from Stanford University. The full text of the statement, 7470 words in all, which she addressed to her perpetrator, makes for a gut-wrenching read, and all the more outrageous, if you come to think of the California judge's lenient decision to let him off the hook with a six-month prison sentence. And no less of the defendant's father who has facetiously dismissed the whole episode as "20 minutes of action" fueled by alcohol and promiscuity that ruined his son's life.
"Lastly you said, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin a life. A life, one life, yours, you forgot about mine. Let me rephrase for you, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives. You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect. You have dragged me through this hell with you, dipped me back into that night again and again."
The Great Barrier Reef: a catastrophe laid bare - The Guardian
The natural wonder that is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is dying a slow death. Caused by natural and anthropogenic climate change, the coral reefs have been left devoid of colour and life, thanks to mass coral bleaching events that are set to break historical records. But what's even more worse and concerning is the chain of events that inexorably follows this ecosystem collapse, like a domino effect.
"When the coral dies, the entire ecosystem around it transforms. Fish that feed on the coral, use it as shelter, or nibble on the algae that grows among it die or move away. The bigger fish that feed on those fish disappear too. But the cascading effects don’t stop there. Birds that eat fish lose their energy source, and island plants that thrive on bird droppings can be depleted. And, of course, people who rely on reefs for food, income or shelter from waves – some half a billion people worldwide – lose their vital resource."
Here Is The Powerful Letter The Stanford Victim Read Aloud To Her Attacker - Buzzfeed
I loathe to use the word victim, for here is a remarkably brave woman who has unflinchingly narrated and relived what's undoubtedly the most psychologically gruelling experience that she must have gone though after coming to terms with the fact that she was sexually assaulted and nearly raped by Brock Turner, a star swimmer from Stanford University. The full text of the statement, 7470 words in all, which she addressed to her perpetrator, makes for a gut-wrenching read, and all the more outrageous, if you come to think of the California judge's lenient decision to let him off the hook with a six-month prison sentence. And no less of the defendant's father who has facetiously dismissed the whole episode as "20 minutes of action" fueled by alcohol and promiscuity that ruined his son's life.
"Lastly you said, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin a life. A life, one life, yours, you forgot about mine. Let me rephrase for you, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives. You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect. You have dragged me through this hell with you, dipped me back into that night again and again."
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