to Japanese people who might be getting sick from it? That's not a story, that's more like poetic justice.' Despite raising considerations such as the unsustainability of the hunts and the fact that Japanese consumers are by and large deliberately kept ignorant of the health risks, it remained a no-sale. Fortunately, the good people at Al Jazeera felt that not all stories need to be happening on their audience's collective doorstep to be of interest and value, and put together an excellent report . It seems to me that the more interconnected we all become, whether it's via the internet or international trade and political agreements, the more the world becomes one big 'local patch' in which everyone has a vested interest, where thinking globally and acting locally is becoming more than a cute slogan. It's becoming a necessity.