Blood Dolphins

( Artist credit: Egank0 @ Deviant Art )

 
I've been enjoying my summer and being outdoors as much as possible.  Since moving to the Midwest from sunny S. California six years ago, I've learned to appreciate the nice weather and to not take it for granted.  Winter here can be brutal and very long.  I witnessed in my first year here, leaves changing color by mid August, first snow arrived in Sept (although it was a light dusting, the temps were quite abnormal for that time of year) and the snow didn't stop exhausting itself until the following May.

I went out to do an errand today and while driving down one street near my home, I was shocked to see some trees were already changing colors.  I went on one of those crazy insane psychotic talking to myself rants and was pretty sure that anyone who saw me in my car pretty much concluded I was certifiable.

Just an unscientific theory of mine - but if leaves are already changing here in August, I'm thinking it's going to be one of those hellishly long winters that I'll emerge from just shy of summer next year ready to kill anyone who stands in my way of a warm, sunny day while I drive like a madwoman escaped from the local asylum to the lake.

So I'm going to enjoy what's left of summer and hope my amateur weather prediction for this next year is dead wrong.

I'm going to spare you some rants I've had in my head over BP and their continuing bumbling down in the Gulf.  I'm so sick of all the lies and the BS being perpetuated down there while the wildlife and the people living there continue to suffer while the rest of the world thinks the oil is now gone and life is back to normal.   It amazes me what short attention spans so many people have.

But I digress.  So instead of you suffering through a rant of mine today, I'm just going to direct you to this really great and informative blog that works hard to keep up with what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico and pretty much flips the middle finger to BP and the government in their attempts to get information out to everyone that the mainstream media is ignoring.     BP Oil Slick

If you get the Animal Planet, please be sure to check out Blood Dolphins.  It began airing last night and will continue every Friday for a few weeks as a documentary reality mini-series.  Please also check your local listings for when the movie The Cove is airing on this network as well.   If you have not yet seen that movie, please do so.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is gearing up soon for another season in the Southern Ocean fighting the Japanese whalers.  Please keep up to date at their site:  Sea Shepherd

I'll never understand how people can (1) pay to join whaling ships as tourists and bear witness to the murdering of these sentient beings and (2)  how certain people in Japan willingly and happily line up to watch the dolphin hunts, their waters turn blood red, and then celebrate with fireworks.  

Enjoy what's left of your summer :-)  And please continue to send out good energy, love, thoughts, and prayers to our friends in the seas.

Barbarian Cowards

(Artist credit:  Jim Warren)

Hot on the heels of The Cove winning this year's Oscar for Best Documentary, is a new TV reality docu-drama called the Dolphin Warriors.  What's that?  Well you've heard of the Whale Wars.  The Animal Planet is working in concert with the people from The Cove and filming them for episodes that are projected to begin airing on TV this summer or fall.   Keep an eye out for this one!  Anything that gets more people aware and active on this issue has my full support.

Have you seen Pirate for the Sea?  It is a two hour documentary that focuses on Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson.  It gives a brief history of his time with Greenpeace, how he came to form the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and the things he does around the globe to raise awareness and to get directly involved in saving marine mammals.  A lot of people associate him with saving the whales, but he's also very involved in preventing shark finning and in his ongoing battle with the Canadian government over their annual harp seal cull.

If you have not yet seen this, I highly recommend it.  Be forewarned, however, that there are some pretty awful and graphic scenes showing various marine mammals being slaughtered.   There was a scene showing a barbarian coward seal killer just standing over a helpless harp seal and clubbing it to death.   I'm not a violent person and I abhor violence, but I wanted nothing more, in that very moment, than to reach through the television screen with my own club and bash this coward's head in.  

That's exactly what they are - barbarian cowards.  Words do not do justice in describing the rage I feel in witnessing such horrific acts against our marine friends.  It shows a complete lack of respect for our environment, nature, fellow living beings, and more broadly, our very planet.  It also obviously shows an utter lack of regard for oneself to engage in such an evil and cruel act.  

How would people feel if a harpoon was shot at them while they were minding their own business in the ocean?  Or feeling a knife cutting off your arms akin to the shark finning and then being thrown back overboard - alive.   Or a club being repeatedly bashed against your skull until your last dying breath?  Or being herded into a cove that soon turns blood red as all your dolphin friends, and ultimately you, get slaughtered and bleed out to a slow and painful death?

If you're against the harp seal hunt, you should check out this site:  Harp Seals

Much like Japan defends it's barbaric killing of whales and attributes it to "culture," Canada does the same thing in defense of their cowardly bashing of seal pups.  Only public pressure from around the world and a severe economic loss will wake up the Canadian government.  

Just because there's a possibility there won't be a seal cull this year, doesn't mean the battle is won.  Please remain vigilante on this issue by directly contacting the Canadian PM.   If you are not aware of what this is all about or why the big deal over this, please check out About the Canadian Seal Hunt and read up.

Will Japan ever get their stubborn harpoons out of their asses and finally listen to reason?  Will they ever realize that killing whales for research is not only a bogus lie on their part, but is completely unnecessary in order to conduct said research?  New Zealand is taking a stand that killing whales for research is NOT needed and will be arguing their case at the IWC this June.  Go New Zealand!

Talk has died down quite a bit from the Sea World Orlando incident a couple weeks ago.  I guess a lot of people really just don't care.  If they did, they'd have started boycotting Sea World immediately and the parks would be either completely shut down by now or in danger of bankruptcy.  This is an interesting article:  How Can Sea World Manage Tragedy, Criticism While Maintaining Business Brand?

Excerpt:

SeaWorld executives, he said, “have no interest in creating an environment where animals are not happy and not safe. ... Yes, they are in swimming pools. There’s no question. They’re also in an environment where they are taken care of.”

Color me stupid, but that sounds like an oxymoron.  Putting a 12,000 pound Orca in a swimming pool and say "they are taken care of."   

Another excerpt:

University of Florida professor Robert W. Emerson said he sees no easy way for SeaWorld to alter dramatically its business model in the short term. It would be like McDonald’s or Wendy’s abandoning hamburgers and scrapping their menus because of health concerns about beef.

“It’s difficult to do that without conceding what they’ve done up until now has been wrong,” said Emerson, a legal-studies expert. “If that’s your product, it’s a little hard to go too far away from it without saying there is something wrong with your product.”

Wow.  Comparing live marine mammals being held captive in the tiniest minature replication of the ocean that is possible, to hamburger.  I must be dense.  I don't get it. 

Here are a couple of suggestions on changing their so-called business model.  

(1)  Release the orcas and dolphins to sanctuaries.  It may not be the vast ocean but it's certainly better than swimming pools.  If the mammals were once wild, they could possibly be re-introduced back into the wild over time.  If they were never wild (hence, Sea World might actually cease supporting the slaughtering and capturing of dolphins around the globe and being sold to the likes of Sea World for their greedy purposes) then take care of them in the sanctuaries.  Who foots the bill?  Sea World and their subsidaries.   They created this mess, they should pay for it.

(2)  Educate people about our marine mammals and marine environments via hologram performances, big screen productions (like IMAX Theatres,) eco-friendly whale/dolphin watching tours, sales of DVD's, books, and other related materials that promote education and awareness, etc etc.

Anyone have any other suggestions or ideas?  I'd love to hear 'em.

Another excerpt from the above article:

“One more incident like this and the brand really would be in trouble,” Connor said. “You don’t want to cross your fingers and hope it doesn’t happen again. You can’t afford to do that.”

Well golly gee whiz.  Wasn't one incident enough for people to wake the hell up and stop buying tickets to Sea World?  Guess not.   The executives at Sea World are still raking in the bucks and the public continues to help them get richer - at a far greater expense to these mammals and ultimately our planet, than they'll ever fathom. :: shaking my head sadly :: 

"We share the Earth not only with our fellow human beings, but with all other creatures." ~ Dalai Lama ~

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Pressure on Japan

(Artist Credit:  unknown)

The pressure is getting more intense on Japan regarding their "scientific whale hunts" and dolphin drives.  Their defenses for killing these mammals are sounding more and more strident and empty hallowed.  Japan is feeling it but are they reeling from it yet?   Sea Shepherd continues to be the only organization out there that continues to put the pressure on Japan and also continues to cost the whalers millions of dollars annually.   Meanwhile, the rest of the world is catching on more and more to the weak defenses Japan keeps putting up for why they continue to kill whales in the name of science and to kill dolphins in Taiji.

If you haven't seen The Cove yet, please do.  It is now available in DVD and can be bought at places like Amazon and rented at Blockbuster, Netflix, etal.  

The pressure on Japan needs to continue and to get stronger.  Various reports out there about the high levels of mercury aren't going to go away.  The Cove has opened up a lot of peoples' eyes on this senseless and cruel slaughter and while the dolphin killers let up on it for awhile because of all the publicity, unfortunately they are right back out there and it's business as usual.   See:   Grotesque Business as Usual

If you care about this issue, please go to the following sites and learn more about what is going on out there and what you can do to help.

Take Part: The Cove

Save Japan Dolphins

Make no mistake, Japan is fully aware of the mercury levels that come from their citizens eating the whale and dolphin meat from their "catches."  See:   Taiji Mercury Levels Extremely High    And from the Save Japan Dolphins blog:  Ten Times Higher Mercury Levels

Back to the whalers, Sea Shepherd states they are planning to pursue attempted murder charges for the ramming of the Ady Gil.  The captain of the Ad Gil shares his crew's experience in this article:   Brush with Death

To go back to the liars that are Japan in regards to their defense on killing whales and dolphins, here are a couple of articles, one from Sea Shepherd and one from the science community, that debunk Japan's defense that continues to develop more holes than swiss cheese:  Bogus Science of the Japanese Whaling Fleet  and  Secret Science Cast Doubt on Japanese Whale Numbers

Interesting article:  The Impact of Animal Rights, Rescues and Shelters on Animal Law

If you live in or near Florida, USA, you might be interested in knowing about this:  Sonic Death: Blasting the Oceans in Pursuit of Oil   I find this absolutely frightening.  If you want to get involved and/or take action on this issue, see the Save our Shores! Florida website. 

We have choices.  We can continue to stand by, be silent, be apathetic, and be careless when it comes to our non-human friends and this very planet we all inhabit, or we can speak up and take action.  You can write letters to your representatives in your government, sign petitions, take part in local rallies, donate to the causes you are passionate about, help spread the word through a blog, your social networking site, word of mouth, etc etc etc.  There are no small actions.  Just by the power of the people deluging the Japanese Government, embassies, and their media, the pressure is rising on them.  Sooner or later, the dam WILL break.  Japan does not like bad publicity, especially on these issues.  And they know their defenses and excuses for these slaughters is no longer sounding true to more and more people.

The same goes for any country that supports these unnecessary slaughters.  And the same goes for the USA Government in their continued use of navy sonar and sonic gun blasts that obviously and painfully have a detrimental effect on our marine mammal friends.

Some examples of pressure being applied to governments to cease with activities that are harmful to the ocean species is:  U.S. Navy Sued Over Anti-Sub Training Range Where Rare Whales Calve

NOAA May Prohibit Navy Sonar Testing at Marine Mammal Hot Spots

Administration Agency Gives Supreme Court Poke in Eye on Military Tests Killing Whales

I've shared this before but it's worth repeating:  Seeing the Songs of Whales    

Whales are so popular now that they are starring in Super Bowl ads:  Why You're Going to Need a Pickup Truck to Save the Whales

Beluga Whales take an interest in Scuba Divers.  More photos here.

P.S.  If you are on Facebook, please do a search for The Cove and join the community there :-)

Till next time,

Dolphin

Rekindling Waters

Artist credit:  Christian Lassen

I think I've made my position regarding animals in captivity pretty clear throughout the duration of my having this blog.  When I lived out in California for almost 18 years, I never once visited Sea World because I could not stomach the fact that they had dolphins and orcas, etal imprisoned there.    I admit I've been to the zoo a few times in my lifetime.  A couple of times in Oregon and once at the San Diego Zoo.  This was before I became more educated on this issue.  And once when I visited Las Vegas, I believe it was the Mirage hotel that had dolphins in captivity there so people could just walk through, see them, and walk out.  Boy was I stupid to let myself be influenced by peer pressure at the time, knowing full well that it did not sit well with me in the least to see these dolphins in that environment.

Some people argue that situations and places like this are invaluable in educating people about our wildlife and marine mammals.  I disagree.  There are far more humane ways to educate people about our animal and mammal friends than to basically enslave them and make them beholden to the almighty buck.

Following is an excellent article by a writer that shares my view on this: Get Dolphins Out of Aquariums

Excerpt:

One thing that the profitable marine entertainment industry doesn't want the public to know is that buying a ticket to a marine theme park helps support the slaughter of dolphins in the wild. Every year, thousands of dolphins are killed in bloody "drive fisheries" in Japan. While most end up as meat in Japanese supermarkets, each year, approximately two dozen captured dolphins are sold to marine parks and "swim-with" programs around the world. The considerable profit from those sales perpetuates the slaughter. 

 I couldn't have said it better.   If you buy a ticket to a place like Sea World, you are supporting the slaughter of these marine mammals.   It's just that simple.

 I don't care how well the park owners or trainers or whoever states that the mammals are treated well.  It is NOT a natural environment for them.

Here's another excerpt from that article:

The mortality rate for dolphins and other captive marine life is high. Animals have become sick and have died from contaminated water and stress-related ulcers and from ingesting key chains, sunglasses and rocks that were tossed into their tanks. They've died while being treated for common ear and tooth infections. Former dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry quit the business after the death of Flipper, his favorite "student," believing that stress and depression contributed to the dolphin's death.

Because official records are sketchy at best, there is no way of knowing for sure how many animals die in captivity. But since many gate-drawing animals such as orcas and bottlenose dolphins are covered by million-dollar insurance policies, even dead they bring in bucks.

I will repeat:  If you buy a ticket to a place like Sea World or any other related park or setting, YOU are supporting the slaughter and enslavement of these mammals.  That makes YOU an accessory to murder.

Extreme of me to say that?  Maybe.  But that's how I see it.  We wouldn't stand for this sort of thing happening to humans, so why do we stand for it with dolphins and/or orcas?   The fact that this continues to occur and people rake in millions of dollars in profit by doing this, and people support this,  is a prime example of our failure as human beings.

A friend recommended this book to me.  I've yet to read it myself but it's on my list.  Rekindling Waters The Truth About Swimming With Dolphins


Another article on the subject of treating dolphins as "non human persons."   Dolphins Second Brightest on Planet

This gives even more weight to the controversial issue of keeping our marine friends in captivity.

Excerpt:

The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing. Some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in this way each year. "Many dolphin brains are larger than our own and second in mass only to the human brain when corrected for body size," said Lori Marino, a zoologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, who has used magnetic resonance imaging scans to map the brains of dolphin species and compare them with those of primates.

On the Sea Shepherd front, there are a few updates on their site:

Sea Shepherd is a Fundamentalist Darwinist Anti-God Organization

In Pursuit of Lives Not Lost

Cyber Wars


In Australia:  Locals Rally to Save Whales

Great site:  Save the Earth Virtual Conference

Wonderful video:  Imagine by John Lennon (shown in American Sign Language and singing)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Whales, Dolphins, Seals and .. Pat Robertson

Artist credit:  Jim Warren

Does being a religious "leader" make you smarter and more articulate?  One would respond to such a silly question with a resounding NO when it comes to the likes of Pat Robertson.  Mr. Robertson has once again outdone himself with the stench permeating from his oral cavern.   Now I'm all for free speech and everything, but this guy needs to get laid or something because for a man of God he sure has a talent for spewing forth a lot of hatred. Calling the earthquake in Haiti a "blessing in disguise" deserves, in my ever so loving and humble opinion, a hard whap alongside his mush for brains head.  Are he and Jerry Falwell related or something?    Sheesh.

Cool site!  Tails for Whales

Are the blue whales getting bluer?  Excerpt:

Blue whales' songs are hauntingly deep, filled with extraterrestrial vibratos, and utterly mysterious. Despite many attempts to interpret them, scientists still don't know what the world's largest animals are saying.

Coming this summer to a TV near you on the Animal Planet, The Cove!

Interesting article in the New Yorker on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the recent events surrounding the Ad Gil being rammed by the Shonan Maru 2.  Street Fight on the High Seas

According to an Australian poll, 80% believe their government is not doing enough to prevent the Japanese whale culling.  You can read more about that here:  Battle for Whales Too Weak

Latest update from the Sea Shepherd's CEO is up on their site.

In the continuing debate some people are having over whether or not the whales and dolphins, etal deserve classification as people, one writer added his input:  Shall We Save the Whales?

Excerpt:

We can certainly see how our role as stewards of Creation calls us to protect marine mammals. But that in no way requires us to extend personhood to these creatures—however marvelous they are. We, not they, were made in the image of God.

Umm ... errr ... aren't we ALL made in the image of God?   Does someone have inside information from God that states only human beings are made in his image?  I must be missing something ... 

Another interesting article:  Whale Wars

Meanwhile, the relations between Japan and Australia are getting more and more tense and it appears it is a real possibility that trade talks may be impacted.   One thing that bugs me to no end is this:

"We need to reduce the number of whales or they'll eat all the fish. They eat one or two tonnes at once."

Excuse me, but what a dumb ass thing to say. It's not the whales that are causing the fish population problem - it's humans.  What the hell are people thinking to blame whales for issues that greedy, egoistical, selfish human beings have caused?  Un - freakin' - believable.

You can read more from this article here:  Whaling Spat

Ugh ugh ugh and more ugh:  Canada Harnesses Racism to use Anti-democracy Platform to Peddle Seal Pelts, Penises, and Meat

Here's another reason for your heart to overflow in an abundance of love for the military:  Navy Issues Guidance on Use of Marine Mammals

Check out Wild Ocean Film

I'll end today's post with good thoughts for the people in Haiti and prayers for a speedy, healthy, and peaceful recovery.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Worth Repeating

 Artist credit: Eva M.Sakmar-Sullivan

In the continuing debate over the issue of Japanese whaling and the war between them and Sea Shepherd, I believe it is time to repeat a couple of things I've shared here on my blog in the past.

First, Surfers for Cetaceans Universal Declaration of Marine Mammal Rights:

CHARTER ONE: CETACEANS (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises)

1.All whales, dolphins and porpoises are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

2.Every whale, dolphin and porpoise is entitled to all the rights and freedom set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind such as species, sex or other status.

3.Every whale, dolphin and porpoise has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

4.No whale, dolphin or porpoise shall be held in slavery or servitude, slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

5.No whale, dolphin or porpoise shall be subjected to fortune or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

6.No whale, dolphin or porpoise shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

7.Every whale, dolphin and porpoise has the right to freedom of movement and residence in the sea and the right to return unhindered to it home territory.

8.Every whale, dolphin and porpoise has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

9.Every cetacean has the right to a clean environment for the health and well-being of self and family and the right to the bounty of the ocean, ie food.

10.Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms said forth herein.

Second, lets not lose sight of the fact that Japan doesn't give a crap about the whales, only money.  Paul Watson shared this previously:

"You know what the Japanese delegate Tadahiko Nakamura said to me at the 1997 IWC meeting in Monaco? He said he didn't care if all the whales died. He said his duty was to his family, his company, his country, and that it was his duty to harvest all the whales they could before they were all gone. 'Realize maximum profit from them before they go extinct' are the words he used."

  Third, in the wise words of Carl Sagan:

“The Cetacean hold an important lesson for us. The lesson is not about whales and dolphins, but about ourselves. There is at least moderately convincing evidence that there is another class of intelligent beings on Earth beside ourselves. They have behaved benignly and in many cases affectionately towards us. We have systematically slaughtered them. Little reverence for life is evident in the whaling industry - underscoring a deep human failing...In warfare, man against man, it is common for each side to dehumanize the other so that there will be none of the natural misgivings that a human being has at slaughtering another..."

 OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has declared Australia's relationship with Japan is too important to risk over whaling. In other words, money talks.  The Australian government continues to blow a lot of hot air, threatening legal action but at the same time, are unwilling to really do anything because of their trade relationship with Japan.   In other words, it's business as usual and everything else is just for media posturing.

One writer thinks Captain Watson is a sanctimonious blowhard (to paraphrase.)  You can read his critical and cynical point of view here:  Sea Shepherd Lacks Moral High Ground

Protesters in Chile call on their government to take a stand on Japan's whaling.  Chile's Anti Whaling Coalition Calls on Govt. to Act Says Silence on Japanese Whaling Implies Complicity

Meanwhile, if New Zealand and Australia decline to go after Japan legally for destroying the Ady Gil, Captain Watson is threatening citizen arrests. 

"Whaleman" Duncan Murrell is a wildlife photographer and quite adept as a kayaker and getting *thisclose* to a whale and snapping amazing photos.  Check this out:  Humpback Whales: Astonishing Pictures

Another point of view on the debate regarding classifying dolphins and/or whales as "non human persons."   Make Way for Non Human Persons

How 'bout this ... they aren't quite human, but they aren't quite "animal" either?  Some people actually believe our marine mammal friends are extraterrestrials sent from another planet to spread the messages of peace, love, and harmony.

On that note, I bid you adieu until later :-)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Are Dolphins People Too?

Artist credit:  Bruce Harman

I think it's fair to say that if Sea Shepherd was not a household name before the Ady Gil was rammed, they are now. 

In my own search online to find interesting links to share here, I was overwhelmed by the number available.  This was just for news media related articles and does not include personal blogs.  Of course, many of the news related articles are basically saying the same thing, so the repetition is common not to mention a little mind numbing.

I read that in the first half hour after the video was put on YouTube showing the Ady Gil being hit, there were over 300,000 views.

Speaking of which, there is supposedly a film that backs the Ady Gil claims of being rammed deliberately by the Shonan Maru 2 ship.  You can check that out here:  Film Backs Ady Gil Claims

Did New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister  McCully give the green light to the Japan whalers to escalate the violence?  Sea Shepherd's Captain Watson says yes.

If you'd like to contact Mr. McCully, you can find that information at his Government web page.

For a different perspective on all of this, here's one writer's view: A Whale of a Time      Check out the comments after the article as well.  I usually find those to be as interesting, if not more so, than the article itself :-)

Whale Geek has also thrown her perspective into the ring and it's a really well written and articulate article:  Escalating Whale Wars

Let's move on to other things for now :-)

Here's an interesting question:  Should dolphins be treated as non human persons? 

Now this is fascinating:  Whale Shaped Floating Garden Cleans the World's Rivers

This Wednesday, Jan. 13th, is Wear Blue for Oceans day.  Just a friendly reminder :-)

That's it for today.  Short and sweet after my long rambling one last time!

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Welcoming 2010

Artist Credit: (I wish I knew! It's sure beautiful!)

Happy New Year to everyone!  If your last year was one of struggle, I wish for this new year to be an easier journey for you.  If your last year was a good one, I hope the good times continue to roll :-)

Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods.  I'm so sick of hearing about Tiger Woods.

Here's a challenging question:  Why are so many people quick to condemn Tiger for his indiscretions and yet are slow to condemn Bush and Cheney for being directly and indirectly responsible for the loss of millions of lives and the erosion of many of our civil liberties?

Just askin' .. because honestly, it truly baffles my mind.

In case you missed it, the Sea Shepherd crew extended a Christmas truce to the Japanese whalers that went :: surprise surprise :: unanswered.   Not even one day's peace could be acceptable to the whalers.  If that doesn't say a lot about the integrity and the character of the Japanese whalers, then I don't know what will.

Is the increasing acidification in our oceans causing our dolphins to lose their hearing? 

If you recall in my last post, I mentioned that Australia once again put out "threats" and "ultimatums" to the Japan whalers to cease and desist or there would basically be consequences.  Yeah, you've heard that tired refrain before right?   Japan is no longer stating they are hunting whales for scientific research.    Environmental Minister Peter Garrett continues to state that diplomatic avenues are ongoing.   Japan retorts now that "eating whale meat is part of our culture."   What happened to their argument that they were acting in the interests of science?  Uh huh.  As usual, the BS continues from both Australia (their failure to do more than just spout forth silly empty nonsense and threats) and Japan (Do not believe a single word we say.  We're liars.  We believe our lies and therefore, so should you!)

Articles related to this:

Prosecute Japanese Whalers:  Opposition

Japan PM Demands Aus. Halt Anti Whaling Sabotage

PM Threatens Court on Whaling

Very cool:  Humpbacks say hello and visit with the Andy Gil

Latest from Sea Shepherd:  Steve Irwin Returns to Battle

Who says our animal kingdom does not show empathy to one another or towards humans?  See this:  Animals Show Kindness

It's early to announce this I know ... but please mark your calendars and spread the word.  Wear Blue for Oceans on January 13th.  I'll repeat this again as a friendly reminder :-)

Check out this movie that is viewable on YouTube:  The Green Beautiful

It is broken down into nine parts and the link I just gave you is for Part One.  You'll be able to see the other parts on the right side if you wish to continue watching.  English Subtitles are included but if you prefer to use the closed captioning feature, that is also available.  Definitely worth your while. 

Wishing each of you nothing but the very best in this coming new year and beyond :-)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Basketball and Whales

Artist credit:  Howie Long

Brrrrr.  Dang cold out here.  No snow yet but it's a near certainty we'll have a white Christmas :-)

Watched the Laker game tonight on TV.  Despite being the champions, they are not on TV all that much in my area so when they are, it's a gift for me.  I'm sick of seeing the Cavaliers and the Pistons dominate the airwaves, no offense to the likes of Lebron James.

I was admiring the sellout crowd at the Staples Center and wishing it could be like that for the WNBA games.  Personally, I don't understand why the people who are fanatics about the men's basketball aren't supporting the women. So many people say it's not the same.  Well DUH.  Maybe the women can't dunk like the men do, but they play a pretty damn good game if people would just give them a chance.  Others say the women are boring.   You know what I say?  I say the media has done a great job of brainwashing society into viewing things a certain way.  

I enjoy watching both genders play and appreciate the differences and the talents both sides bring to the sports world.  If one is truly a basketball fan, then they ought to be a women's hoops fan too.  Just sayin'.

Check out the WNBA if you are so inclined.  Their season may be over for now, but they'll be back next May.  Until then, the women's college hoops are always a lot of fun to watch too.  

Japan, ever the hypocrites they love to be, filed a complaint with the Dutch government to disallow the Sea Shepherd to carry the Dutch flag.  You can read that here.

The good news: (Excerpt from the above linked article)

The Mainichi Daily News of Japan asked this question this weekend:With it's modus operandi becoming ever more violent in recent years, could the group bring about the end of whaling in Japan?

Their activities have caused catches in the past two years to drop to just 60-75 percent of expected figures, and this year Watson says he wants to get this figure down to at least half.

 Great articles:  Whales Save Seal from Orcas

Whales, Dolphins, and Good Will to all Cetaceans

Japan's new Consumer Affairs & Food Safety Minister, Ms.Fukushima has agreed to investigate the dolphin meat / mercury issue.  You can read up on it at Mercury Poisoning in Japan

Blog post about Sea Shepherd at the Ecorazzi.  Check out the comments after the article.  Paul Watson has posted there.  Whale Wars:  Why This Season Might Be the Most Dangerous Yet

On December 7th, the Steve Irwin will depart Australia and start hunting down the Japanese fleets.  I wish them God Speed.

Turns out that the mid-frequency range sonar sounds may NOT be causing harm or the beaching of whales and dolphins:  Whales Can't Even Hear Naval Sonar

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday :-)  Till next time ...

Mahalo,

Dolphin

The Chase is On

(Artist credit: Jeff Wilkie)

The decision recently by the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California to restrict Navy sonar usage off the California coast, might be implemented along the Eastern seaboard as well.

A beaked whale washed ashore on New Year's eve in Beach Haven, which has raised more concern about the Navy's use of sonar. It is suspected, but unproven, that this beaked whale died because of sonar due to no visible injuries or other signs pointing to its death.

As is well known on this issue, the usage of sonar has a potentially fatal effect on marine mammals. Sonar can cause a rupture of the inner ear and organs. It's also known to cause internal bleeding and disorientation. Once the damage occurs, death by beaching is common due to the disorientation the mammal experiences.

Naturally, the military denies that sonar does this and claims there is no evidence pointing to this as fact.

The attorney for the Natural Resources Defenses Council, Michal Jasny, disputes this and states: "The Navy will find itself alone in the scientific community with that conclusion."

Excerpt:

"It's beyond dispute that sonar kills and injures whales. I think statements like that from the Navy do not help advance this issue," Jasny said. "It would be great if they spent more energy trying to develop a solution to this problem than to deny the clear scientific record."

Whales around the world have been found dead or dying following encounters with mid-frequency military sonar, according to Jasny.

In 2004, the world's leading whale biologists examined the link between Navy sonar and whale strandings and concluded that the evidence of sonar causation is "very convincing" and "overwhelming", a spokesman for the NRDC said.

While there is hope that the decision that was made in California will reach the East Coast, the Navy has filed an appeal of that Californian decision. Still, the process is in the works to make this a National Policy and Jasny is at the forefront in fighting the litigation on this matter.

Excerpt:

"We have a companion case also before the same district court that challenges the Navy's violation of law on both coasts," Jasny said.

But for the litigation to have any impact on the Atlantic seaboard, Schoelkopf said, it would need modification. A 12 nautical mile coastal exclusion zone would not help whales such as the True's Beaked because they live further out in the ocean, he said.

"But I think it should be a national policy simply because we have the same problems with marine mammals coming up with the same unknown causes of death," Schoelkopf said.

Read the full article here: Whale Sets Off Debate Over Sonar

On the Japanese whaling front, Greenpeace's ship Esperanza, is still in close pursuit of the Nisshin Maru, Japan's main whaling ship.

As long as Greenpeace is running close by, the whalers are unable to do their killing because they are on the run. Greenpeace was able to find the whalers by following krill, the main diet of the whales.

One news article is calling this a "Deadly game of marine chess."

Greenpeace is behind the Nisshin Maru in pursuit while one of Japan's other ships, the Yushin Maru, is trailing behind.

Sea Shepherd claims to have spies within Greenpeace and they are in the same location the Nisshin Maru was "just hours ago." (This was as of yesterday.) Officially, Greenpeace has refused to provide the coordinates to the Sea Shepherd because they do not believe in Sea Shepherd's methods of protest.

Excerpt from the Sea Shepherd site:

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza is with the Japanese fleet. Peter Hammarstedt, the 2nd officer of the Steve Irwin called the Esperanza to speak with the Captain but was informed that the Captain was sleeping and was not to be disturbed. Mr. Hammarstedt spoke with Karli Thomas the Greenpeace expedition leader and congratulated her on finding the Japanese fleet and said that since Sea Shepherd gave Greenpeace the coordinates last year would they repay the favor and provide Sea Shepherd with the coordinates this year? Ms. Thomas replied that as expedition leader she did not have the authority to release that information nor did the Captain of the Esperanza. She added that Greenpeace was withholding the information for security reasons.

Although The Captain of the Esperanza and the expedition leader are under strict orders by Greenpeace International to not release the coordinates to Sea Shepherd, Captain Watson is a co-founder of Greenpeace (1972) and co-founder of Greenpeace International (1979).

While I personally do not want to see anyone killed out there, I do support Captain Paul Watson's contention that both organizations could do far more good by working together than by fighting each other. This is a highly volitile issue and simply standing by is not going to save the whales. Intervention is necessary by any and all means possible, short of killing anyone of course.

This may be a terrible analogy to use, but it's one that comes to mind. In the Godfather II movie, in one of the flashback portions when Don Corleone was a young boy, his mother took him to the head Don of the local Mafia, pleading with him to spare her son's life. Of course, after listening to her, he said "No," and the mother was then killed while young Corleone ran away.

So simply asking the whalers to stop killing, is not going to do any good. It's been proven time and time again that Japan is not listening and they are standing behind their own hypocritical stance of scientific research.

The whaling expedition leader, Hajime Ishikawa, warned his crews on departure from Shimonoseki in Japan to expect violent environmental terrorists. "We must fight against their hypocrisy and lies," Mr Ishikawa said.

Japan defends its whaling under the International Whaling Commission's scientific research clause. Institute of Cetacean Research spokesman Glenn Inwood said Greenpeace's actions had caused a collision in the past and the IWC had asked them to cease and desist against Japan's legal research. "Greenpeace actions are illegal under international law," Mr Inwood said.

It's funny that Japan calls both the Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd organizations "eco terrorists" and also labels them "hypocrites" and "liars." Apparently Japan has a difficult time looking into their own mirrors and seeing their own hypocrisy and lies.

Meanwhile, Australia's Oceanic Viking ship, is yet to reach the Japan whalers. Critics are calling it a "ghost ship" and various environmental groups and supporters are in agreement that the Australian government is not living up to its promise to do more on this issue.

Excerpt:

"We need to know how long it will be before the Australian government catches up with the Japanese whaling fleet."

Mr Hunt said the delay was not only ``a breach of faith'' to the Australian people but also the world.

"If you make a bold promise to the world and don't keep it, it sends a message to the Japanese that we are only kidding, we weren't serious and we were just playing a domestic game.

"It's vital if you make the promise to carry it through.''

Mr Hunt also called on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to talk to the Japanese government directly about whaling.

"The single most important action has yet to be taken and that is for Mr Rudd to pick up the phone and speak to the Japanese prime minister (Yasuo Fukuda) person to person.

"Because at the end of the day any decisions will be made by the Japanese prime minister.''

The Antarctic is not the only place where Japan has it's hooks into whaling. Bermuda is a whale loving nation and a couple days ago, they put on an impressive demonstration in front of a Fisheries of Japan patrol boat docked at the Hamilton harbour front.

Read more here: Bermudians Deliver a Strong Message to Japan

Kudos to Bermuda!

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Flip Flops and Indecision on Whaling

(Artist Credit: Sachi's Dolphin Art)

Picture this. You walk into a shop that specializes in whale related products. Like stuffed toys, key chains, posters, t-shirts, etc., all sharing one thing in common - the whale. Kinda like walking into a Disney store and feeling like a kid surrounded by the happy faces of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and the rest of their friends.

Happiest place on Earth? You might think so. That is, until you catch sight of a chiller at the back of the store. Curious, you walk over expecting maybe juices or sodas to be for sale. Instead, it's stocked full of whale meat.

Not feeling so warm and fuzzy any more, huh?

There is such a place in the middle of Tokyo's tourist district.

Back in Tokyo, despite claims of traditionalism, Japanese shoppers didn't appear very keen to buy the whale meat on offer.

If whale meat was in great demand, you'd expect diners in this city of 12 million to be queuing up by the thousands.

Full article here: Want to buy whale toys, whale posters, and whale meat?

One individual from Tauranga is so passionate about preventing Japanese whaling, that he's heading out solo - on his own yacht - to the Southern Oceans.

His boat is a "self-made, 10 metre labour of love." Personally, I admire his courage. If I had my own boat, I'd want to do the same thing. At the same time, I hope and pray he will be safe out there and I urge everyone to send positive and protective energies his way.

Read more here: Solo Yachtie Takes on Whalers

Greenpeace and I are in agreement with how weak the Prime Minister of Australia's statement is regarding it's diplomatic relationship with Japan. He basically feels that the Australian and Japanese government's relationship with one another is strong enough to withstand this disagreement over whaling and that we can all basically just "agree to disagree."

Weak man, very weak.

At least Greenpeace is speaking up about it and challenging Kevin Rudd on this matter.

Greenpeace Rebukes PM on Diplomacy

Mr. Rudd continues to be put under pressure to confront Japan over it's whaling activities and continues to seemingly straddle the fence, trying to appease both sides diplomatically. Take a stand man. There's nothing diplomatic about Japan's stance on whaling. Their argument that it's all for scientific research continues to be bullshit and you know it.

In addition, as has been stated before, Japan has plans to build a new "super whaling" ship.

Mr Shallhorn also claimed Japan was planning to build a new whaling factory ship, with three times the capacity of its current ship, the Nisshin Maru.

"Greenpeace has discovered that the Fisheries Agency of Japan plans to replace the aged and ailing Nisshin Maru factory ship with a proposed `super' whaling factory ship," he said.

The new ship, with a 6,000kg whale meat payload, committed Japan to whaling for another 40 years, he said.

PM Pressured to Confront Japan Over Whaling

Sea Shepherd is taking a more blunt approach and is calling Kevin Rudd out on his "gutless" stance against Japan. Good for them. Mr. Rudd made a campaign promise to do something about the whaling and so far, he's attempting to put on a typical politician show that in the end, only makes him look like a bigger asshole.

Read more here: Anti-whalers last 'gutless' government

Continue to make your voices heard on this subject please. Continue to email, fax, and send letters to the Japanese embassy and government. It's been well proven that the international outrage on this matter has started to get under the skin of Japanese officials and they are feeling the pressure globally. Now is not the time to back down .. this fight will continue until ALL whaling is stopped.


Mahalo,

Dolphin