Free the Pod

(Artist credit:  Jim Warren)

Apparently the problem I've been experiencing with Blogger this week is a common one among many others.  And apparently it's going to take Blogger techies some time to fix the issues.   So I've been playing around with the new templates the last few days and think I have finally found one I like.  I did try to go outside of the choices here at Blogger and found some really nice looking beach scene ones, but the templates I would try were not sticking or coming up with errors. (Another common complaint at this time in Blogger.)  So this beachy sunset background one will do for now.

I do hope you find it much easier to read now. If you still find it difficult, I would suggest if you are not yet a subscriber, you do so and have the new entries automatically sent to your email box, or to Google reader, or however you wish.  Should be much easier to read that way.  Incidentally, the last post is unchangeable in terms of the font color.  (Yet another common issue with the latest upgrades at Blogger.)  I do hope this new entry comes through in the manner in which I am expecting lol ... as I had spent hours on that last one trying to figure out what the heck was suddenly going wrong with everything.

WDCS (Whale Dolphin Conservation Society) has teamed up with other conservation groups to challenge the Navy's decision to build an Undersea Warfare Training range.  Figures they'd do this adjacent to the only known calving ground for the endangered N. Atlantic right whale.   Of course, war is a priority.  Stupid me :: slapping forehead in shock ::

Seems that even though the Canada PM announced an approved culling quote of almost 300,000 seals, that due to warming the hunters can't hunt 'em.  Unfortunately, the seals are still dying due to the lack of ice floes.  Fortunately, it'll be by natural death or via nature, instead of via the clubbing of cowardly idiots.  But I digress.  Article here:  Despite Mild Winter and Few Hunters, Seals Still Face Threats

Remember in the last post I talked a little about  Chris Porter, aka the Darth Vader of dolphins? Check out more at Free the Pod.

Check out the rarely seen account of a North Atlantic Right Whale giving birth.  According to NRDC, there are only about 300-400 of these whales left and unfortunately, this birth took place right outside a planned site for a Navy installation that will have year round sonar testing :-(

Related:  It's Not If, but HOW Military Sonar Kills

This is very cool:   Beyond Telepathy, Wild Dolphins in Egypt

A 9 year old boy out of  Virginia Beach USA is one of ten finalists for the National Geographic Kids Ocean Flag Contest.  Check it out:  Beach Boy is Finalist

He said: 

“The love of ocean life triggers the inspiration of my design,” he stated in his entry. “I believe all ocean creatures just like human beings should have the rights to live well.”

The world needs more voices like his :-)

Have a great weekend everyone ... and please let me know if you like, dislike, don't care for the new look :-)  As always, I appreciate you taking time in your life to be part of my journey here ... 

Mahalo!

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

Happy Earth Day

(Artist credit: Jim Warren)

In the past year, there's been a mix of good news and bad news when it comes to the environment and our wildlife, both on the land and in the sea.

The good news is, more and more people are waking up to the fact that our resources are not infinite and that the footprints we leave on our planet, can have lasting and damaging effects.

More people are becoming aware of the unnecessary slaughter of certain animals such as the harp seals in Canada and the hunting of Whales by the countries of Japan and Norway, etc. People are more aware of the plight of the polar bear up in Alaska and the ongoing fight with the federal government to preserve what little is left of the pristine wilderness up there and the long term, irreversible effects of oil drilling would have on the Beaufort Sea.

People in California continue to battle the U.S. Navy against the use of sonar as it is well documented that the use of sonar causes all sorts of physical and neurological damage on the marine life, such as the dolphins and whales.

More people are recycling and reusing. More are aware of that "green" is not just a color, but is a way of life that is becoming absolutely necessary if we are to preserve our Earth for generations to come.

If you do nothing else today, at least take a moment to go to the following link and send a note to your Representative in Congress to support legislation that protects wilderness areas in places like California, Utah, Oregon, Virginia, etal. Currently bills are going through a final stage in Congress on this issue. The more people that speak up on preserving what's left of our wilderness in this country, the better chance we have of actually succeeding.

Take action here.


Sea Shepherd has had a few updates on their site. They've been in the news (NY Times,) have seen success in a long fought battle with Brazil on the practice of drag-net fishing, have also had great success in the war with Japan over the annual whale cull in the Antarctic, and their activism and pressure on the issue of the harp seal slaughter in Canada has resulted in some very interesting things being exposed about this industry.

In news related to the harp seal cull, Newfoundland wants to put a kinder, gentler face on this slaughter, if that's possible. They figure if they take away the image of the "hak-a-pik" that is used to kill the seals, that it won't be so horrifying to the public.

Uh huh. Guess we're that stupid and gullible.

They say it's a "real image problem for us." Go figure.

Please keep updated at Sea Shepherd on their continuing global activism to preserve our marine wildlife. They are, in my opinion, the most visible and consistent organization out there that continues to fight these battles day in and day out, regardless of where and regardless of politics.

As controversial as they may be to some people, they get results. They get the word out. They put pressure on where it counts and they make a difference. They definitely have my support.

Happy Earth day, week, and weekend to everyone. Take a hike, play in a stream, put your paddles in the water, or go kick some sand and romp in the waves. Appreciate what you have and what your Earth so generously offers up to you every single day.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Seal Hunt Drama & Whale Tally from Japan

(Artist credit: Linda Thompson)

There has been a lot in the news lately about the Canadian Seal hunt. Rather than detail everything here, I kindly direct you to the Sea Shepherd site to read the updates.

Also check out the latest good news at the Humane Society U.S. here.

Enough international public pressure brought to bear on Canada has resulted in some positive things lately. Here's an excerpt from an email update I received yesterday from the Humane Society:

Here's the most exciting piece of news: the European Environment Commissioner has announced a plan to ban the trade in all seal products originating from inhumane hunts. This builds upon the historic declaration by the European parliament in 2006. If an EU-wide ban is enacted, the fashion houses serving the main markets for seal skins today -- China and Russia -- would be forced to stop, and millions of baby seals would be saved from cruel slaughter. In the meantime, many nations have either banned seal product trade or announced their intentions to do so. They include: Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, Panama, Mexico, and the United States. Just the potential for an EU ban on seal products has saved thousands of seals already. Prices paid for seal skins this year have declined so much that most sealers have chosen to stay home.

Tensions have been running high between Sea Shepherd and the Canadian Fisheries Minister,Loyola Hearn. You can read about that here and here.

I find it hysterical that Mr. Hearn will call Captain Paul Watson a "terrorist," and yet not find the tragic irony in such a label when he endorses and supports such atrocious slaughtering of innocent harp seals.

Good news on the whaling front. It's official. Japan only reached slightly over 50% of its killing quota this season at just 53%. Zero fin whales were captured and killed. Zero humpbacks were captured and killed, although Japan had agreed to that just prior to the start of the whaling season.

Japan blames "environmental terrorists" and calls it "regrettable" that they were unsuccessful in achieving their quota this year. I say kudos to both Greenpeace and especially to Sea Shepherd for their vigilante efforts in saving the lives of even more whales.

Sea Shepherd is currently hoping to raise enough funds this year for a 2nd ship in time for next year's whaling season. The goal is to have two ships running concurrently in the Southern Ocean with the plan that having a presence out there full time, will keep the Japan whalers constantly on the run. Paul Watson's goal is to save 100% of the whales next year and if he gets his 2nd ship, chances are very good he will achieve it.


Check out this cool Irish Dolphin site: Irish Dolphins

Great information there and they have a conference coming up next month that focuses a great deal on the human-dolphin interaction.

I wanted to touch briefly on the Women's NCAA Basketball tournament that concluded last weekend. I was pretty much glued to the television whenever there were games scheduled. It was quite the exciting tournament with some lower ranked teams upsetting some higher ranked ones, and the expected teams that made it to the Final Four.

I was rooting for Stanford Cardinal to take it all the way. They did make it to the title game, but got beaten by the defending champs, Tennessee Lady Vols. Tenn. is another favorite team of mine, but since they had already won the title last year, I wanted Candace Wiggins, Stanford's star Senior, to get the victory.

All in all, I had great fun watching the games and I settled in the next day to watch the WNBA draft. As expected, lots of big talents in the first round went to various teams. I'm not a big fan of the L.A. Sparks, but with Candice Parker of Tenn. being their first draft choice, I expect that L.A. will become a contender for the WNBA title either this season or next.

Sylvia Fowles of LSU and Candace Wiggins of Stanford were the 2nd and 3rd draft picks respectively.

New generation of talent coming into the WNBA and I'm really excited about the new season starting up next month. I actually don't have a team in the league that I consider a heavy favorite of mine. I'm sentimental towards the Seattle Storm, Sacramento Monarchs, and the Indiana Fever, but I'm more of a fan of the players. And since there are so many that I love to watch, any team that's playing I'll be rooting for lol

Check out the WNBA league at their site. If you are a true basketball fan, you won't be disappointed. I often enjoy the women's basketball games more than the men's because they seem to play with far more heart and passion, and focus more on the fundamentals rather than show boating and slam dunking back and forth.

Of course, before the WNBA begins it's season, I'll be focusing on the Women's NCAA Softball season. What can I say ... I'm a real sports nut :-)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Harp Seal Cull

(Photo credit: Hicker Photo)

The planet is full of murderers. Japan kills hundreds of whales with excuses ranging from scientific research to it being a part of their culture. Canada kills thousands of harp seals because their rural communities need the money and because they, too, call it tradition and part of their culture. What a bunch of blathering horse poop.

Color me stupid, but in today's technological age, there are literally thousands of ways one can make money from anywhere on the planet without having to club a seal pup to death.

Sea Shepherd is currently on it's way to Canada to attempt intervention on this years harp seal cull. Canada has set their quota this year to be around the 275,000 mark, with most of the seal pups being under 3 months of age.

Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Loyola Hearn says:

"Canada's seal hunt is humane, sustainable and responsible," the minister said. "A number of independent reports have supported this over the years, including the recent European Food Safety Authority report on the animal welfare aspects of global seal hunts."

How would Mr. Hearn feel if someone stood over him with a club and bashed his head in, all the while saying to him over and over "Killing you is humane, sustainable, and responsible."

People like this make me sick.

(Photo credit: Humane Society)

Canada has ordered Sea Shepherd to stay away from the seal hunt or face prosecution under Canadian Law.

Paul Watson states that he complies within the law and has the right of passage.

Just like there has been no scientific evidence that proves the Japan whalers are indeed killing whales for this purpose, the same applies to the killing of harp seals.

Excerpt:

In its examination of Canada's commercial seal hunt, the European Food Safety Authority scientists found that:

• there is strong evidence that, in practice, effective killing does not always occur
• there is evidence that, during Canada's commercial seal hunt, animals suffer pain and distress
• sealers often do not comply with the Canadian regulations in relation to manually checking the skull or administering a blinking reflex test
• in contrast to current practice, attempts to kill seals should not be made where the seal does not pose a stable target or the sealer may be unbalanced, such as on shifting ice floes
• seal hunts should be opened up to independent inspections without undue interference

The European Food Safety Authority, EFSA, concludes that seals should be recognized as sentient marine mammals that can experience pain, distress, fear, and other forms of suffering - not fish, as they are classified in Canada. It also recommends that seals should be protected from killing and skinning practices that cause them pain, distress, and avoidable suffering.

At least there are a growing number of countries who are protesting this culling and have created national bans on seal products. These currently include Belgium and the Netherlands and countries strongly considering this include Germany, Italy, and Austria.

While the hunt begins this Friday, there are delegates from Canada heading to Europe to lobby for their seal hunting industry. Canada could soon face sanctions on this from 27 nations.

I say sanction them up the butt and do it fast.

Meanwhile, let your voices be heard by sending a message to Canada's Minister of International Trade, David Emerson, below:

Take Action against the Canadian Harp Seal Cull

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Focus on Sea Shepherd

(Artist credit: Jim Warren)

Whew! A lot happened in this past week in our beloved marine world. I'll get right to it.

Last week, Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd fame, was allegedly shot at by the Japan Coast Guard while Watson and his crew were attempting to interfere with the whale culling. Crew members threw rancid butter on the Japan fleet and in retaliation, the Japan Coast Guard threw flash grenades at the Steve Irwin.

A bullet struck Captain Watson, who had the foresight to wear a Kevlar bullet proof vest. In pictures shown on the Sea Shepherd site, Watson holds up the bullet and the mangled badge where the bullet also struck.

Two other crew members were also injured when attempting to get away from the flash grenades. One suffered a hip injury and the other suffered from back bruises when falling on the deck. Both are okay and their injuries were not life threatening.

In the aftermath of this incident, Japan made attempts to spin this story and to deny the shooting ever took place.

Excerpt:

First, they admitted that warning shots were fired, then they corrected themselves and said that only flash grenades were fired at the crew of the Steve Irwin. Then they changed the story again and described the flash grenades as “warning balls.” By tomorrow morning, they may have it spun it again and may be describing them as “marshmallows.”

The Japanese Coast Guard and the Japanese Fisheries Agency have stated to the media that the devices were flash grenades and that warning shots were fired. Only the Institute for Cetacean Research is denying that warning shots were fired and describing the flash grenades as “warning balls.”

The Animal Planet has been on the Steve Irwin and claim to have this incident on videotape and Watson states "it tells the story." The Animal Planet was aboard because they are filming a documentary titled "Whale Wars."

You can read more here: Japanese Scramble to Spin Shooting Story

There is only about a week or so left in the whaling season and the Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin has returned to Australia due to low fuel. They are now heading home and are calling this whale season a "success" for them and the whales and an utter failure for the Japan whalers.

The International Whaling Commission has criticized the Sea Shepherd organization for their "tactics" and interference with the whale culling. But Watson pays them no mind, as would I. He and his crew were down there for months busting ass to prevent as many whales from being killed as is possible while the IWC was recently in London, sitting indoors, and spouting off about conservation and whaling.

My personal kudos, respect, admiration, and congratulations to the Sea Shepherd organization for having basically caused the Japanese whalers to only meet maybe half of their culling quota for this season.

Is there a solution to ending the whale slaughter in the Southern Oceans?

Excerpt:

Discussions are taking place within the IWC on a deal put forward by the United States that would end Japanese “research” whaling in the Southern Ocean.

The plans were drawn up at a meeting in February by the governments of Argentina and the Netherlands, but given support in-principle only last week in London at a closed door three-day meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

The plans call for the IWC to give Japan a legal commercial hunt in the North Pacific in waters close to Japan.

This would mean a legal kill of 150 Minke or what we call Piked whales.

In exchange the Japanese would abandon their so called “research” in the waters of the Southern Ocean.

More here: Keeping the Focus

No rest for the weary. Sea Shepherd will now head to Bermuda to board the Farley Mowat ship and head north to the Gulf of St. Lawrence to attempt to prevent as much killing of the harp seal pups as they can.

Canada has set this year's kill quota of harp seals at a whopping 325,000.

:: sigh ::

These seals are another species that are NOT killed in a humane manner. Usually, they are clubbed to death. What dark evil lies in the hearts of certain men who get such perverse pleasure from standing over a helpless and innocent seal and clubbing it to death? I truly do not understand people like this.

They claim there is a new rule now called "bash and slash" instead of just "bash." Gee, that sounds so much better.

"To say that this makes the seal slaughter more humane is to say that a psychopath is a better person if he slashes the throat of his victim after bashing in his or her skull." (Paul Watson)

Ironically, the sealers are protected by law:

The sealers are protected by the Seal Protection Regulations that make it a Federal offense to witness or document a seal pup being killed. In Canada if you see a sealer club a seal pup and you don’t have a permit to witness the slaughter you can be arrested, jailed and fined up to $100,000 or sent to jail for a year.

Read more here: Sea Shepherd to Tackle Baby Killers of Canada

There's much more to write about, including the aerial shooting of wolves in Alaska and the continued saga of the Polar Bears being ignored by the government for protection. But this will do for today.

Before I sign off, I'd like to once again spotlight the Dolphin Smile. Scott Olson wrote a book called "Messages From the Dolphins." I received this book from him yesterday and have not yet started to read it other than skimming through it quickly. It looks like a wonderful book and I'm quite excited to hear what the dolphins have to say to us, via Scott's voice.

Please consider supporting Scott's important work and order the book for yourself. I have created a banner for this purpose in the right side bar and am including it here in this post as well.

You can either click on this link -> Messages From the Dolphins

Or, click the banner below.




Mahalo,

Dolphin