Start the Harmony

(Credit:  Unknown.  Image found on Facebook.)

Thanks to Blackfish, 2013 saw the rise in public awareness on the issue of cetacean captivity.  This article gives a pretty good summary of this past year's milestones:  Best Achievements in Cetacean Advocacy for 2013.

James McWilliams recently wrote an article for Forbes about how Blackfish seems to have rattled Sea World and other marine parks and gotten people to reconsider buying tickets or supporting such parks.  Forbes asked him to modify his article and he refused, standing by what he wrote.  He ended up quitting rather than give in to their pressure tactics.  Forbes removed the article from their website but James McWilliams re posted it on his site here:   James McWilliams

Kudos and respect to this guy for having the courage of his principles.

Good video here on a guy who took his niece to Sea World and tried to see it from a child's perspective, but just couldn't get past what a prison it seemed for these animals:  Fellow Prisoners

Beautiful, magical, stunning video of underwater footage of humpbacks:  Leviathan

We've come a long way, individually and collectively, in our efforts to bring more awareness to our friends in the sea.  Unfortunately, the fight is far from over.  With only about 3% of the whale population left from previous numbers, the sense of urgency couldn't be stronger.

To everyone who continues to speak up, participate, volunteer, write, dance, or sing, my heartfelt thanks for your compassion, time, love, and energy devoted to this issue.  Even if you're simply an armchair activist raising hell from your home office, you matter and you make a difference!

As JFK has said, "Every person can make a difference and every one should try."

Send out daily mojo and good energy to the dedicated people fighting in Taiji and on Sea Shepherd's ships in the Southern Ocean.

Send out frequent vibes of love and peace to our whale and dolphin brothers and sisters and let them know we are not only never going to give up being their voices, but we ask for their forgiveness as well for the cruelty far too many humans display towards them.

Despite too many still dying, I try to remember this wonderful Native American quote:

 (Credit:  Google Images)

I remain hopeful we'll halt all of these atrocities and end the slavery of captivity before we reach the point of no return (extinction.)

Magic and Love

Roald Dahl once said: "And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

I didn't realize it at the time, but one of the magics in my life had been in my dog Kona.

We started the year with a perfectly clean bill of health for her at the vet.  In fact, the vet couldn't even believe Kona was just two months shy of 14 years of age.  He thought she was closer to 8 to 10 at the time.  Kona did have a minor limp in her leg but upon examination, the vet couldn't find anything wrong and chalked it up to her simply getting older, maybe experiencing a little arthritis.

By May, it was obvious that a lump was starting to form on her lower leg joint.  Took her in to be checked out and they did xrays. The worst was confirmed and she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.  My heart dropped.  I felt like my world had suddenly come crashing down around me.  I attempted to pull myself together and asked the vet what we could do for her.  Not much he said.  Given her age and arthritis, chemo and / or amputation are not feasible.  I asked how long he thought Kona had.  At the time he felt maybe six months.

Bone cancer in dogs is a cruel and insidious disease.  It creeps up silently, almost benignly, and by the time it whispers hello, it is often too late to do much in the way of treatment, depending on the health and age of the dog.  It's often called the slowly exploding bone, and for just reason.

As Kona's lump grew, and it grew rapidly going from a pea size to basically an egg size inside of 2-3 months, she was having more and more difficulty getting around.  She would avoid walking as much as possible.

Yet her spirit remained unwavering and strong.  She continued to boss the others in the pack around and her appetite remained good even up to the final day.

I hired an animal communicator in July to make sure I was doing everything I possibly could for Kona within my meager resources and power.  I was reassured I was doing all I could for her and Kona gave a pretty close time frame as to when she thought she'd be ready to go.  It was an illuminating session in other ways too.  One that left me feeling a wide range of emotions but mostly relief.  Relief that I was doing all I could and that Kona knew how deeply I loved her, to the depths of my soul and beyond.  It was also heartbreaking in some ways but these two sessions I had with the AC also allowed Kona and I to communicate in a way that I can't even do justice in putting into words.  It made me feel even closer to her and reminded me of my instinctive feeling that Kona and I had been on journeys before.  That this was another journey and that we'll have more journeys together in the future.  In other words, we were soul mates.

Some people have a hard time understanding the human / animal connection.  Some don't think of animals as being sentient or of having souls.  But as Anatole France said "Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

From the moment I met Kona, there was an instant connection and we shared journey together that lasted just over 14 years.  She saw the good, the bad, and the ugly.  She was there to comfort me when my grandmother passed away and I was on the floor bawling.  She just sat quietly by my side, watching over me, and comforting me.

She was my magic in this life.  She opened me to love.  Research has shown that people who have been abused, or have experienced trauma in whatever way and have a challenging time connecting with other humans oftentimes connect more readily and easily with animals.  Love is a universal and inter species language, emotion, and energy.  So however and wherever you can experience love is a magical thing.

She was my rock.  She helped me to realize I have the strength to get through whatever I face.  And even when I felt I just didn't have any strength left, she was there to remind me that I'm stronger than I think I am and more courageous that I give myself credit for.

I released her to the Rainbow Bridge on Monday, July 29th.  We had one last session together with the AC a few days prior and Kona let me know it was her time.

Part of unconditionally loving another soul is knowing when to let go, regardless of how much you want them to stay.  Kona was terrified when I put her on the table.  She was trembling all over.  It was as if a part of her didn't want to leave, but she knew she couldn't live in this dimension any longer in the shape she was in.  As painful as it was, I pushed aside my own fears and selfishness and I comforted her, talked to her, and maintained eye contact with her until the contents of the syringe mercifully released her from her physical pains and limitations.

It was a powerful, bittersweet, and heartbreaking moment we shared as her soul lifted away and I was left burying my face in her warm fur, feeling like my whole world had just shattered into a million pieces.

Someone posted on their FB wall the other day a picture of a woman with her dog and it said "I wish the Rainbow Bridge had visiting hours."

They do.  Any time.  In your mind, your heart, your soul, and in your dreams.  Any time I want to visit Kona, I go there.  I talk to her every day.  I also shed tears every day.  I miss her every second of every day.  But she's here.  I may not feel her presence, but I know she's here.  She's in my soul and I know she listens to every word I say and I always feel the love between us.

That's the magic of it.  Any time you want to visit someone who is no longer around, you can visit them in your mind.  Like a book can transport you to places or events, your mind can instantly reunite you with your best friend.  Daily, Kona and I take walks on the beach or just sit and just be.  Daily I tell her how much I miss her and love her.

She said she'll be back.  Next winter some time.  Whether one believes in reincarnation or not (I do) I look forward to seeing her again.  And what a reunion it'll be!


Until then, I have more than enough love in my heart for my other dogs.  Many dogs have had a piece of my heart.  But Kona will always have my soul.

I've been blessed beyond measure because of Kona.  One doesn't need money to feel rich.  With Kona, I felt like the richest woman in the world :-)

See you soon my sweet Kona Bear.

We are all magical.  We are all love.

Happy New Year!

P.S.  The Dolphin's Wink is now on Facebook!

TEOTWAWKI

(Artist credit: Eva M. Sakmar @ Star Dolphin)

Tomorrow is 12.21.12. 

Some people think the world is going to end tomorrow.  Among the fear mongering theories are an asteroid or comet hitting our planet, solar flares, or a bunch of E.T.'s with intentions to make us all slaves descending through the atmosphere and having us all running in panic stricken fear. 

The Mayans, the Hopis, etc never said the world was going to end tomorrow.  It is simply the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. And research indicates that every time a cycle is nearing its end, planetary changes occur.   This is a transitional period.  What may seem, in some ways, to be the end of days for humanity is, in my opinion, simply a period of challenging changes towards the betterment of our planet. 

We're not going to wake up tomorrow and suddenly see a bunch of changes.  Although a global reset economically would be nice.  It would be awesome to wake up tomorrow and suddenly no one is killing dolphins and whales, much less each other.  It would be wonderful if suddenly no one was poor or hungry or homeless.  It would be stupendous if suddenly we had world peace tomorrow.

Ain't gonna happen.  But I'm optimistic that we are entering a new age where it WILL happen and we are moving forward in that direction.

The end of the world as we know it is going to end.  The beginning of the world as we will come to know it is beginning.

Call it a rebirth or an awakening or just call me crazy.  Despite how totally messed up in so many ways our world currently is, if you look around there IS an increased level of consciousness among people.  An increased level of spirituality and connections.  And these increased levels of energies and senses of awareness have been gradually becoming more apparent over time.

That's not to say, again, that a switch is going to flip when we go to sleep tonight and when we wake up we suddenly feel like we are in the garden of Eden.  And this transition into the new age that we are all embarking upon is going to happen with or without you.  It's up to you if you want to join the journey towards a better future or to remain stuck in the old age.

It won't be easy.  Nothing ever is.  It won't always be love and light, but that comes from within each of us not the people running the world. 

"Here's a test to find out if your mission on Earth is complete.  If you're still alive, it isn't." ~ Richard Bach ~

It's up to each of us to define just what being alive truly means.

Here's an excellent video with a wonderful message.  If you are Deaf or Hard of hearing or simply like to be able to read captions/subtitles, just watch on YouTube and click on the "cc" on the bottom of the video screen to follow along. 

(Or click here if you do not see it: http://youtu.be/CPriixJ6_Ms)


Whatever your beliefs, may the Aquarian Age bring you peace, harmony, and love.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Quieter Than a Gunshot

Is it sad that it takes a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut to get me to open up my dusty blog platform and write something? 

I'd explain why I've been gone for so long but it doesn't really matter.  We all have our demons to slay and they can be time consuming and make you feel drained of energy.

That said, I want to write a bit about the Sandy Hook school shootings. 

What the hell is this world coming to?  It's a quote that's been said for generations for whatever reasons are defining said generations.  Is it just me or does it seem like things are just getting worse in many respects instead of better?

People are currently debating, once again, the issue of gun control.  Guns have a role, yes, but they are not the reason this happened.  They are simply the catalyst.

If the government wants to point fingers at who and what is responsible for tragedies like this, I humbly suggest they start with themselves.  That's not to say they are the reason.  But I do feel they are ONE of the reasons.

Mental health services have been cut deeply across the board all over the country.  Insurance is harder and more expensive for middle class folks, let alone poor folks, to obtain.  Lots of people need help and have fewer and fewer places to turn to.

Yet somehow, inexplicably, the government always has money for war, for the TSA goons who violate every one's 4th amendment rights, for the drug cartels they claim to be fighting, for the drones and other surveillance tools they say are for our protection but at the expense of our privacy and liberties, and for the politicians who earn at least six figures annually and get six figure pensions into retirement and the best health insurance taxpayers can buy.

Isn't anyone angry yet?  If not, you should be.   I'm not talking about the anger that plays a role in killing or hurting people.  I'm talking about anger that is passion.  Anger that is the opposite of apathy.  Anger that inspires you to stand up and say "I'm mad and I'm not taking it anymore!"

Unfortunately, for the most part, we seem to live in a world that simply does not care enough.  Too many care more about the latest celebrity gossip or who won American Idol or Dancing with the Stars than they do about what's happening NOT on TV.   We have a media that focuses on so much bad that is going on in the world that we've become numb and cynical.

Mental health, emotional health, psychological health, etc are issues that we all need to pay more attention to.  There are a lot of people out there in pain and feeling ever more increasing amounts of hopelessness and despair.  And for all the enhancements in technology, we are an even more isolated and lonely world. 

Shut off your television.  Turn off your phones, ipads, and computers.  Look someone in the eye and smile.  Get out in nature and let the energy wash over you and through you.  Trust me, it will rejuvenate your soul and re-inspire your spirit.  Re-connect with the people you love.  If you need to talk, ask someone to listen.  If they won't listen, find someone who will.  Don't close up and shut down.  Trust me, I speak from experience on this.  It's hard to open up, it's hard to say "Hey! I need a hug or to talk."  Scream, rant, rave, stomp.  Do whatever you need to do to release your pent up anger and frustration.  To hold it in is to one day realize you are a volcano that is about to rain down hell on everyone around you.  Again, trust me on this.  It's something I struggle with and I was reminded upon hearing about the Sandy Hook tragedy that what we need more of is compassion in this world.  We need people to listen.  We need people to care. 

It often seems that anything quieter than a gunshot is not listened to.  Even then, it doesn't last long.  We need a world where a whisper of pain and a silent tear is louder and more profound than a bullet.  We shouldn't have to shout or shoot to be heard.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." ~ Plato ~

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Saved by the Dolphins

(Artist credit:  Christian Lassen)

I don't think it is anthropomorphizing when us cetacean lovers fight for the rights of these mammals.  One can argue that might be part of it, but the other part is pretty simple, at least to me.  Dolphins, for example, have repeatedly shown empathy and compassion for not only themselves and the members of their pods, but for other species as well.  Stories abound from centuries upon centuries before we were born about dolphins rescuing people or animals in distress in the sea.

I hope I am not engaging in any copyright infringement here, but I really want to share some examples from Diana Reiss's book, The Dolphin in the Mirror.

One high profile occasion occurred with Elian Gonazalez.  I'm sure most people remember him.  At the time, he was a six year old boy fleeing Cuba with his mother back in 2000 and had survived for two days in the Caribbean lying on an inner tube after his boat sank.  His mother had unfortunately gone down with the boat.  Two fishermen who plucked Elian from the sea said there were dolphins circling the boy on his tube.  And Elian himself told reporters that dolphins surrounded him and would push him back up onto the mini raft when he was losing strength and slipping off.  The boy claimed that the only time he felt safe was when the dolphins appeared.

Diana Reiss went on to share a couple of other stories of people who were rescued by dolphins when the Asian tsunami hit and another story from a woman in Greece.  One family wondered if the dolphins had special sensory systems that warned of impending disaster because suddenly they had a pod of dolphins circling their craft who proceeded to push the boat to shore.  Then the tsunami hit.  The family was convinced that the dolphins saved them.     The woman from Greece called Diana Reiss and claimed dolphins saved her life too.  She shared she would go swimming often, and she would see dolphins, but they wouldn't come near her.  But on one occasion she got into trouble and thought she was going to drown.  She felt a nudge and she was being pushed rapidly towards shore.  The dolphin saved her life.

Another story happened off the coast of Venezuela near Isla de Margarita.  A man, Tony Salazar was on a sailboat with his brother participating in a Regatta in June 1997.  The seas were choppy and it was quite windy, Salazar fell overboard.  Because the boat was moving so fast, it disappeared quickly from view.  He thought he was going to die, and after a half hour of struggling, he was suddenly surrounded by dolphins.    His boat crew were searching frantically for him and zig zagging all over the place.  They noticed a pair of dolphins would approach them, swim off, return, swim off, and finally the crew realized the dolphins were trying to tell them something.  So they followed the dolphins who led them to Salazar who was rescued.

Maybe some of you remember there was a story in the news last summer about an Irish fisherman who had drowned and when his body was found, a pod of dolphins had been keeping a constant vigil around him. Article here:  Dolphins Maintain Vigil for Drowned Fisherman in Australia

There are numerous other stories out there documented.  Just do a keyword search with your favorite search engine.

Countries like Japan put a high emphasis on science to back up their reasons for why they kill cetaceans.   I'd love to know WHY they do not take into consideration all the scientific studies and research that has taken place for years now about cetacean intelligence and their emotional intelligence as well.  What is it going to take to get people like this to accept and finally acknowledge that cetaceans are in a class deserving of rights and protection?  It just doesn't seem right to me to hear them spout off about all sorts of justifications for doing what they do and yet ignore all the mounting evidence out there that gives them solid, logical, reasonable, and SCIENTIFIC reasons to NOT kill them.

For a lengthy but very interesting reading related to this, check out: Culture, Politics, and Japanese Whaling.

This same argument applies to the Faroe Islands (who claim killing the pilot whales is a matter of local tradition and pride as the most common reason I hear) and Norway, for giving the same excuses of culture and tradition to kill whales.

Many people see whales as majestic and magical creatures whose haunting songs evoke a multitude of emotions in people.  Many people see Dolphins often as extensions of themselves given their playfulness, joy, intelligence, and compassion.   We feel an unexplainable spiritual and primitive connection with them.  And many who have made eye contact with a whale or a dolphin swear they are in the presence of an alien or otherworldly intelligence.

One doesn't need science to explain feelings.  It just is.  It's like trying to have someone explain God exists but can't prove it.  You just know it.  You just feel it.  It's about faith and knowing deep in your soul.

So maybe we can't argue with the cetacean killers with emotions.  But we can with science.  The proof is out there.  We have to keep presenting it to them.  We have to try to get International laws changed to protect these species. And we need to continue to have faith, belief, and hope that our fights will one day soon result in victories and that the songs, clicks, and whistles from our friends will finally be heard and more than that, truly listened to.

They are always saving us.  It's long past time for the world to return the favor and to save them.

The Case for Emotional Whaling

(Artist credit:  Howie Cooke at Surfers for Cetaceans)

This is one of the other things I wanted to write about today.  Japan states that people need to take "the emotion out of whaling." 

Does anyone else see the blatant hypocrisy of everything the Japan government is stating in this article? Maybe it's just me, but here I go stepping back on my personal opinionated soapbox: 

(1)  "Mr Nakano said only through accepting that Japan is conducting scientific research on whales in the Southern Ocean can the debate move forward."

Scientific research?  Please explain to me why you need to cull thousands of whales annually just to do research?  For what?  Are your scientists so inept that after years of killing thousands upon thousands you still don't know what you're researching?  Where are the peer to peer review articles?  What epiphanies have blown your mind thus far that would also blow the rest of humanity's mind that we are supposedly in the dark about?  Please educate us poor ignorant souls. 

(2)  "But Mr Nakano said Japanese people were not emotional about the debate and most were not even aware of the details of the issue."

I'm just taking a wild wild WILD guess here.  But is it possible that your citizens are unaware of these issues because there is censorship in your country's media on this matter?  Perhaps I'm blind, but I'm not seeing much transparency on your part here.  It seems that much information is withheld from the population and the only way they seem to find out anything is via outside media and organizations.  Examples:  The movie The Cove.  Many were unaware of what goes on in Taiji until this movie.  Organizations such as Sea Shepherd and Save Japan Dolphins have certainly worked their asses off to bring world wide attention to these matters.  They deserve credit for this.  If you want to tell your side of the story, then do so and back it up with full transparency.

(3)  'We have to try to understand what are the differences and what is the problem,'' he said.

''And we have to try to find a way based on a calm environment and based on the scientific."

You guys KNOW what the differences are and what the problems are.  Many people are anti whaling and anti cetacean captivity because of several reasons.  Among them are that cetaceans are becoming endangered and in some species are now extinct due to you hunting them to this point.  Another is that you guys blame the whales and dolphins for the fish depletion in the seas without taking any responsibility for the fact that you guys are the problem with the overfishing.  Blaming the cetaceans is a cop out and speaks glaringly of your own character, ego, and greed.

Calm environment based on the scientific?  Ok.  Since you love the scientific so much, why don't your scientists peruse all the scientific evidence that has been out there for quite some time now and is becoming so commonly well known now that more and more people are currently on board to protect the whales and dolphins and to give them rights.  There is strong irrefutable scientific evidence that cetaceans are of a higher intelligence, with strong social and cultural associations, and are self aware.  Various scientists from various countries back up these claims and research studies.  Are the Japanese scientists so special as to believe that their research is the correct one and no one else's studies are worthy of your attention and acknowledgement?

(4) "Mr Nakano insisted that vigorous anti-whaling campaigner Sea Shepherd must be treated as separate from the wider whaling debate.    He said the environment group's tactics are violent and unacceptable.  Diplomacy will not work with the group."

Violent and unacceptable?  So killing whales and dolphins violently and inhumanely or capturing them in violent ways to sell off to the highest aquarium bidder is acceptable?  How is this not hypocritical on your part?   You can't say that the SSCS is violent when you guys are violent as well.  Does the Ady Gil boat come to mind?  How about the fact that in last year's Southern Ocean trip and again in this year's trip, there were at least two incidents that I'm aware of where none of your ships offered to help any of the SSCS crew that were endangered out in the waters.  

And lest we forget, allegations have been coming out for years that representatives from Japan that attend the IWC meetings are forking out millions of dollars to blackmail and bribe certain countries and/or people to vote their way.  And we're supposed to be calm, unemotional, and diplomatic with you?

Diplomacy goes both ways bucko. 

You're not in this for your pride or culture.  You're in it for the money.  You seem to not care that the increasingly higher levels of mercury found in cetacean meat that you are feeding to your citizens is either making many people violently ill or killing them.  Where's your scientific research on that?  Why does it take outside scientists to present this evidence to you as proof and you still ignore it?

You can't pick and choose certain scientific evidence to suit your agenda to kill off more whales and dolphins.  To do so shouldn't surprise you in knowing your government has earned the well deserved reputation as cetacean killers and as a country that appears to only care about themselves without any regard to the rest of the world that shares this planet and her oceans with you.

Fewer and fewer people are buying into your lies.  Either change with the times and accept all the scientific evidence out there supporting the movement that cetaceans deserve rights and deserve to be a protected species, or start proving your own scientific evidence for all the killing and selling to the highest bidders you do.

The Web of Life

(Artist credit:  Morgansartworld @ Deviant Art)

Given all the discussion of late about cetacean rights and captivity, it brings to mind the hotly debated issue of whether this is really such a black and white matter.  On one hand, some animal rights activists hold the view that you are either completely for animal rights (complete autonomy and anti captive for all species) or you can't truly claim to be for animal rights if you support places like zoos, safaris, and places like Sea World.

Personally, I think a lot of people are somewhere in the middle of this wide spectrum.  Some, like me, hold the belief that there are certain species that simply do not belong in captivity. For example, whales, dolphins, sharks, lions, tigers, bears, elephants, etc.   I'm also not a vegetarian.  While I mostly avoid red meat and am not a big fan of sea food, I do eat turkey, chicken, ham, and enjoy hamburger now and then.  Does this make me a hypocrite?  I don't think so.

I don't personally judge those who are 100% or semi-vegetarian, and I certainly hope they don't judge me.  But we're all human.  We're all passionate about our beliefs and some of us view things in black and white and don't consider that so much of life, what we do, and who we are is constantly venturing into shades of gray or other colors.  Some people are constantly evolving on these particular beliefs and some remain steadfast throughout their lives.

For me, what matters is akin to one of the greatest things about some Native American tribes that I have always respected.  And that is to treat all living beings with respect, humanely, and sustainably.  When they would, for example, kill buffalo or bears. they first thanked their spirits and the animal spirits for this gift.  Then they would use 100% of the animal for their needs.  Every piece of meat was used.  Bones were used for tools, jewelry, etc.  The fur was used for clothing, blankets, housing, etc.  This, to me, is the greatest example of humans taking what they need, maximizing the hell out of it, and always always giving thanks for each and every single gift it bestows upon them individually and as a tribe. And when they didn't need anything, they left the animals alone, even communed and/or worked with them, and again always treated them with respect.

In modern times, sustainability seems to be a dirty word when it relates to the wildlife.  Certain countries have zero qualms about killing, killing, and killing some more without regard for the increasing possibility that these very species are becoming endangered.  Certain people refuse to take responsibility for causing the extinction of so many species.  Certain people have the gall to blame the wildlife for their lack of food (IE: overfishing.)  And certain people see wildlife as cash cows to satisfy their own greed.

We've got to get these laws changed.  Education on sustainable practices, finding a balance, and living together in mutual harmony is paramount to just blindly killing thousands of sharks for their fins, slaughtering thousands of dolphins when fewer and fewer demand warrants it, and culling thousands of whales annually all in the name of so-called research.  The hypocrisy is so obvious.  Hardly anyone is buying it any more that it is necessary to engage in so much destruction against these species.

And more than that, we need to get past our egos and sense of superiority that humans are numero uno and to hell with everything else.  Humans alone do not make this world go 'round.  Every plant and every animal has a role in our large and diversified eco-system.  Some are so highly crucial that to lose them would be catastrophic. We need the mentality that everything here is necessary for every one's survival, including the animals. I don't know why it's so hard for certain people to not understand that if we just practice sustainability and balance, Mother Earth's gifts would remain infinite.

What brought the topic of today's post to my mind was coming across this link:  Irwin Family Plays at Dolphin Habitat.    The late Steve Irwin was a big Sea Shepherd supporter.  Frankly, it simply surprised me to read this because I figured this family was against captivity for cetaceans.  Goes to show how much I know.  I never followed Steven's Crocodile Hunters show nor really followed the news on this family much.  So my ignorance here is showing.  And I guess because they own a Zoo, then it really shouldn't shock me that they'd go see dolphins in captivity.   Are they hypocrites?   I don't know enough about the Irwin family to say.  My knee jerk reaction without all the facts is to say yes, they are.  They are profiting from their zoo, they spend money to see dolphins being held captive in the middle of the desert and seem to have no problem with that, and yet at the same time Terri Irwin claims to be a supporter of Sea Shepherd.   I just don't see how this can go both ways at the same time.  Maybe I'm being thick in the head.  I welcome feedback and comments on this.

Steve's father moved on to focus on his own environmental endeavors.  Currently, he's actively involved in saving the dugongs and turtles.  I've been hearing remarkable things about this man and I get the sense he doesn't like the spotlight on him, only on his cause.  Here's his link if you'd like to know more and would like to donate to his organization:  Bob Irwin Wildlife Fund


I had a bunch of other things to say and share today, but I think I've gotten carried away enough for this post :-)

Let's all work on instilling and sharing some of these wise Native American sayings that to me, are even more profound in today's times:


When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.

~ Cree Prophecy ~


Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.

~ Chief Seattle, 1854 ~