Obviously it is great news that the oil spill/leak in the Gulf of Mexico has been stopped. I have been reading various reports that seem to conflict with one another though as to where the oil has gone, how toxic the corexit dispersant has been/is, if the seafood is safe to eat, and why the number of animals/mammals killed seems so low given the millions of gallons that flowed into the gulf.
Is there a conspiracy behind everything? Is BP and/or the government hiding certain information from the public?
Let's have a look, shall we?
BP has been back and forth on the issue of corexit or any other dispersant that was put into the gulf. Information has been conflicting as to how safe/unsafe it is and whether or not the amount of dispersants used has had a detrimental effect on the wildlife and the people living and/or working down there.Documents Indicate Heavy Use of Dispersantsand Coast Guard Allows Toxic Chemical Use on Gulf Oil Spill
Where has the oil gone? Some reports indicate natural bio degradation is at work. Others credit the corexit dispersants for breaking down the oil. Further reports indicate oil has simply settled deeper into the water and is therefore less visible to the naked eye above water. And still others credit various human beings around the planet sending out healing energies and prayers to the gulf to heal it. Where Has the Oil Gone?
How about the wildlife?
"Official reports indicate that the BP oil spill has resulted in the death of 4,100 birds, 670 turtles, 70 sea mammals and 1 snake, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service report.
The numbers are astonishingly low when compared to the official numbers after the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989 which killed 200,000 birds, 3,000 sea mammals and 20 whales while this oil disaster pales in comparison to the Macondo BP oil spill."
Some are questioning whether or not BP is hiding the actual numbers of wildlife killed:
Did you know that oil disasters are pretty common and frequent? We may be slow to learn, but it's not too late to change our ways and get off our oil dependency, wouldn't you agree? We'd certainly clean the planet's land, water, and air if we kick the habit. Imagine that.
To overstate the obvious, this disaster, and all other oil related disasters around the globe, are far from being over and/or dealt with. And further disasters will continue to impact us in big and small ways unless or until we change this. As long as there is a demand from people for oil, the oil conglomerates will continue to quench our thirst. And our air, seas, lands, wildlife and humanity will continue to suffer for it. At this point, I personally see the negatives of oil far outweighing the positives.
By the way, if you are a fan of the Whale Wars or The Cove movie, you might be interested in knowing the Animal Planet will begin airing a new show called Blood Dolphins, starting August 27th following the season finale of the Whale Wars.
And on August 29th, Animal Planet will be showing The Cove movie on its network.
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.
Sadly, most people and most countries are not listening. Greed and profit continues to rule many decisions such as the continuation of whale and/or dolphin slaughtering, the desire to build ever more oil rigs out in the oceans despite accidents and spills, and the stupidity of certain people who believe that building a dam in the Amazon is actually a good thing despite being fully aware that the planet's climate is tied to the Amazon rain forest in a major way.
Someone enlighten me please. If there is nothing left to rape of our Earth, what good will money then do?
Did you catch Oprah discussing The Cove on her show a couple days ago? If you didn't, you can check it out here: The Cove on Oprah
Speaking of The Cove, it's director Louie Psihoyos, is determined that the message from this film will not be silenced by Japan. The Japanese government is "adamant that whaling and dolphin hunts must continue for research and cultural purposes. But most Japanese have never eaten whale or dolphin, and are shocked to see the slaughter."
It comes as no shock to most people that the Japanese government continues to lie, lie, and lie some more. If they lie to their own citizens, how can they be trusted to uphold any compromise from the Int'l Whaling Commission in regards to currently reducing whale kills that will eventually lead to no killing. And haven't they figured it out by now that arguing "tradition and culture" as excuses for their murdering ways is only insulting and enraging people more?
Someone needs to share that Cree Prophecy with Japan. Exhausting resources and killing off mammals, fish, animals, etc. will eventually leave them with nothing. Where will their "tradition and culture" be then?
Lest anyone think this is a Japan bashing thing I'm on, it's not. This applies to us all .. including but not limited to: Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Canada, USA, etc etc.
By the way, if you are in Japan or know of someone from there, feel free to share this Cove Movie clip with them: The Cove Japanese Short Version
Some celebrities have gotten on board to get the word out about The Cove. Check out this Public Service Announcement:
Despite the recent oil rig accident / spill, the Obama Administration has not given any indication that they are changing their minds about proceeding with offshore oil drilling. Sadly, it would seem that an oil spill along the lines of causing major economic and environmental distress is what is needed for certain people to wake up. Until then, the usual bullshit rhetoric applies: money talks.
The current proposal has set forth certain numbers that limits whale kills. The concern from environmental and activist groups though is what will happen after the ten years are up?
Here's my suggestion: If you're going to go ahead with this proposal that puts limits on commercial whaling for a period of ten years, then ADD to the proposal that it will become IMMEDIATELY ILLEGAL to kill any more whales. I would, of course, not want them to say "... pending further or amended agreements on commercial whaling."
If you're going to continue to kill these sentient beings, albeit in reduced numbers, for a decade. Then that's it and that's all. It STOPS after ten years.
I highly doubt the likes of Japan and Norway would go along with that. The cynic in me is thinking they are just going to play this game for now to try to appease certain people and then as soon as you turn around, stab everyone in the back.
You can't make deals with murderers. But that's just me I guess ...
"If an agreement is reached, this represents a great step forward in
terms of the conservation of whales and the management of whaling," said
IWC chairman Cristian Maquieira.
"For the first time since the adoption of the commercial whaling
moratorium, we will have strict, enforceable limits on all whaling
operations.
Who will actually enforce this and ensure that countries like Japan and Norway are not violating this so-called agreement? What makes you think that Japan, for example, will not fudge their reports to state they are not going over the agreed upon kill quota? They've been lying their asses off for decades now, so why would they suddenly start being honest? Give me a break ...
I don't see the Sea Shepherd organization going out of business any time soon.
There's some good news, or at least news that puts us a step in the right direction, regarding marine mammal captivity. Congress has scheduled a hearing slated for April 27th on this very issue.
For anyone out there who truly believes that parks like Sea World are a great, magical, inspirational, and educational way to witness and to learn about these mammals, please read the Facts of Dolphin Captivity. I cannot speak to its current accuracy as there is no date given on this page, but I personally do not doubt the heart of it.
I can only repeat what I've said before: please do NOT support parks such as Sea World, Marine land, or any other related business that holds orcas, dolphins, etc. in captivity by calling it entertainment and education while getting rich doing it. Parks like this do NOT care about anything but the bottom line, no matter what they say. If they truly do not care about profits, they wouldn't be doing this in the first place. If they do care, then they should change from being a for-profit business to a non-profit one with the aim to release these mammals to approved and sanctioned marine sanctuaries for either re-training to be released back into the wild or for retirement while being taken care of.
There are more and more marine sanctuaries being created and developed around the world. This is a sign of growing activism and awareness everywhere that decreasing numbers of people are supporting captivity and increasing numbers are saying "Enough!" You can check out a list of sanctuaries at National Marine Sanctuaries.
Let's say whales and dolphins, etal are the rulers of the world and not mankind. Imagine for a few moments this role reversal scenario. Now let's say a moratorium on murdering people was in effect a couple decades ago. Let's say certain countries exploited a loophole that allowed them to continue murdering people for research purposes. Let's further say that an international committee was set to meet to discuss compromises that eventually lead to the complete banning of murdering humans while setting a quota for a period of ten years before this complete ban took effect. Never mind that certain countries took advantage of certain loopholes to cheat the rules and the laws for their own nefarious purposes and cried foul when activist groups would protest or interfere. Never mind that they've been doing it for centuries and say it is part of their culture, their traditions, and their history. So it's a matter of national pride that they'd continue to do this. And instead of currently being punished for already having broken the laws time and time again, they are now going to possibly be given permission, within certain enforced guidelines, to continue murdering a certain quota of humans. But it's okay because after ten years, if this international committee keeps its word and follows through on strict enforcement, it will become illegal in ten year's time to ever murder another human being.
Would this be acceptable to you?
That is basically what is happening right now, with the United States leading the way in discussions on such a compromise when the Int'l Whaling Commission meets in a few weeks.
If this compromise takes effect, we are, in essence, letting countries like Japan, Norway, and Iceland, etc get away with murder. They have broken the laws for the last two decades and are not being punished. Instead, if this compromise is successful, they are actually being rewarded.
Oh the shame of it, this embarrassing the country of Japan. After all, they've been lying their asses off for years regarding their so-called scientific researching on whaling. "Tradition and culture" my ass.
By the way, I haven't yet discussed the Great Barrier Reef Scandal. I will say this ... this only lends further weight to my argument that offshore drilling should not take place. Accidents can and do happen. And when they do, the damage is often irreversible and the effects are devastatingly long term. What more do people need to wake up to the fact that drilling for more oil is simply NOT the answer?
Speaking of The Cove Movie, it has made the short list of 15 films to be considered for an Oscar nomination! Yeah!
Here's an excerpt from the latest Save Japan Dolphins newsletter:
In September elections, the Japanese voted in a new political party to replace the long-reigning LDP, which had run Japan since the 1940’s.
It is unclear whether the new Japan PM and his party will stop the slaughter of dolphins and whales. They are said to be opposed to government subsidies, which certainly SHOULD put Japan’s whaling scheme on the chopping block! Millions of taxpayer yen are wasted each year on sending the whaling ships to Antarctica for phony “scientific” research whaling, as well as millions more in bribes to small nations in return for their voting for whaling at the International Whaling Commission meetings.
Finally, the new party is very interested in protecting the environment. The threat of mercury poisoning should therefore resonate with them.
Recently, at a press conference, reporter Boyd Harnell confronted the new Minister of Public Health, Mizuho Fukushima, with the dangers of mercury-contaminated dolphin meat. He presented her with copies of some of his pioneer articles for The Japan Times and several scientific reports, including several provided by our Save Japan Dolphins Coalition.
So we feel the time is right for Japan to finally end the slaughter of dolphins and whales, once and for all.
Once the people of Japan learn the truth about the dolphin slaughter through viewing The Cove and getting the scientific and educational information we provide, they will stop the slaughter – I am sure of it.
