By It is instances like this here where environmentalists totally discredit themselves by making claims that end up not being true:
“Everything is like it has been,” swears Kim Bong-ok, 56, president of a confederation for the preservation of wetlands in Korea.
Kim is referring to Milbat Swamp in the middle of Mount Cheonseong in South Gyeongsang, which has recently been rated as a first-class swamp for its preserved condition. Through a tunnel in the mountain below, the KTX, Korea’s high-speed train, has been running 48 to 57 times a day since last November.
The swamp, looking peaceful now as the winter ice has given way to spring, was once Ground Zero in a bitter war that pitted a Buddhist monk, nature preservation groups and the company in charge of the KTX tunnel construction through Mount Cheonseong against each other. The subject of the war: Mount Cheonseong’s ecosystem, and eventually, the salamanders that are part of it. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
The environmentalists decided to help the monks protest by claiming salamanders would be negatively impacted by the tunnel. Considering the salamanders are far removed from the tunnel it was pretty clear the tunnel would have little to no effect on them and that is exactly what has happened:
Now on the mountain above the hotly disputed tunnel can be seen scores of salamander eggs that continue their circle of life unscathed by the construction. The Korea Rail Network Authority has also installed equipment to measure the amount of water in various locations on the mountain to monitor the ecosystem.
“The water level is as it was before the construction,” said Kim Jo-eun, who is in charge of wetlands at Yangsan City Hall.
As for the monk who nearly starved herself to death for the salamanders, she has refused to answer questions since losing the lawsuit.
There is going to be a time when there is a legitimate conservation issue and no one is going to take it seriously because of all the false claims like this one here.
10:52 am on March 12th, 2011 1
All of the hyperbole and outright lies–not to mention the violence in many cases–have tended to create a perception that environmentalists are merely anti-capitalis, anti-democracy, economic terrorists…
12:32 pm on March 12th, 2011 2
You know all too well that had they not protested, it's very possible that the construction company would not have been as careful to minimize the environmental impact on the swamps, which serve a far more important role than simply serving as a habitat to salamander.
You have to take proactive steps in order to protect the environment.
For example, my father began sending letters to the local MP when he heard that a rock quarry was going to be built behind his house. He complained that blasting at a rock quarry would damage the foundation of his house. In fact, what he really wanted to accomplish was force the quarry operator to use other means than blasting to excavate the gravel in order to minimize the impact the quarry would have on the wildlife.
12:34 pm on March 12th, 2011 3
…and so, no, the environmentalists didn't discredit themselves.
1:08 pm on March 12th, 2011 4
So, are the Buddhist monks just knee-jerk contrarians to anything the government tries to do to make things better in South Korea?
2:57 pm on March 12th, 2011 5
#3, True, they didn't lose status in my eyes… but I grew up in Northern California and saw them complaining about pollution while driving gas-guzzlers and flying on private jets…
3:39 pm on March 12th, 2011 6
#5,
There aren't many Hollywood celebrities in South Korea, are there?
6:28 pm on March 12th, 2011 7
Effect is a noun
Affect is a verb
The title should read: "Salamanders in Korea Not Affected By Railway Tunnel"
7:01 pm on March 12th, 2011 8
This sounds like the Grammar Nazi Effect.
None-the-less, strangely enough, effect can be used as a verb.
tr.v. ef·fect·ed, ef·fect·ing, ef·fects
1. To bring into existence.
2. To produce as a result.
3. To bring about. See Usage Note at affect.
…though affect would be the better choice here… as the headline is currently rather strange phrased as:
"Salamanders In Korea Not Brought Into Existence By Railway Tunnel"
…which doesn't really seem like amazing news.
7:59 pm on March 12th, 2011 9
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/affect-versu…
Rare Uses of Affect and Effect
So what about those rare meanings that don't follow the rules I just gave you? Well, affect can be used as a noun when you're talking about psychology–it means the mood that someone appears to have. For example, "She displayed a happy affect." Psychologists find it useful because they know that you can never really understand what someone else is feeling. You can only know how they appear to be feeling.
And, effect can be used as a verb that essentially means "to bring about," or "to accomplish." For example, you could say, "Aardvark hoped to effect change within the burrow."
Of course in today's world, affect and effect can be used as Proper Nouns like Affect Jamanieal Williams, or Effect Schniaquwa Jones
10:36 pm on March 12th, 2011 10
#6, they are being transformed… Just look at the number of cross-dressing "gag-men"…