Eye of the Dolphin

Wanted: Whale Whisperers

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:27:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Eva M Sakmar-Sullivan)

Congratulations to the city of New Orleans in claiming it's first ever Super Bowl championship :-) That was honestly the first SB game in years I've actually enjoyed.

Latest updates via Sea Shepherd:

Countering Japan's Ministry of Truth

Whalers Escorted out of the Whale Sanctuary by the SSCS Crew

In the Japan Times: Watson to Whalers: We Will Never Surrender

Is Japan finally starting to give up on whaling in the Southern Ocean? This article says yes: Japan May Scale Back Antarctic Whaling

If Japan actually decides to do this and do their whaling closer to home, is there anyone out there that speaks whale? Be nice to warn all the whales and dolphins to stay away from Japan ... far far away.

Besides, this article should be enough to tell anyone, including whaling friendly countries like Japan and Norway, that killing our marine mammals is NOT sustainable: Man Made Ways of Killing Dolphins

The Huffington Post had an interview with Paul Watson: Bob Barker Rammed by Whalers

Please check out and support Blue Voice. They are another terrific organization doing wonderful things to raise awareness and working overtime to protect our friends in the sea.

Another organization deserving of everyone's support: Surfrider Foundation

Do you live in Florida? Are you against oil drilling off your coast? Are you free this Saturday? Be sure to check out Hands Across the Sand

Between the greed of the oil industry, the damaging sonar noise from the military, and the fishing industry leaving their nets, longlines, etc. in the water and causing many species to get trapped and to drown, is it any wonder they are dying off? Is it any wonder so many are beaching themselves? I see it as a cry for help. They are sending a blunt message to each of us that this can not go on. I don't know about you, but I personally can not envision a world without whales, dolphins, manatees, etc. Can you? Do enough people care?

A Message From the Dolphins and the Whales

The dolphins and the whales commit to serving humanity.

We do so with great compassion.

We serve you with the essence of our heart song;

Be the Peace
Love yourself as you love another
Give our Earth Mother your commitment to treasure her natural resources.
Develop safe sources of energy that give back to Earth what she has given.
Live your lives as heart centered, conscious, light filled seekers of the truth;
Love is the only answer

(Source: Blue Dolphin Essences)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Ocean Guardians

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:37:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Jim Warren)

Happy Super Bowl Sunday to all football fans :-) Neither team is one of my favorites but for today, I'm rooting for the New Orleans Saints to win. Let's go boys!

Let's start with Sea Shepherd shall we?

It's been a busy week for these folks.

Australia is contemplating a law that will make it illegal to spy on anti-whaling ships. They consider it aiding or helping the whalers and they simply will not stand for that.

Links to related articles:

Aiding Whaling Could Soon be a Crime

Australian Govt Urged to Ban Spy Flights

Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. While I like to see everything possible being done to stop the whale slaughter, I am unsure that making it a crime to tattle tell on anyone that is potentially "interfering" with the whaling is a noble thing. If you're going to make that a law, then it should work both ways. Otherwise, isn't that just a form a censorship or favoritism or any other sort of "ism?" But I admit I don't know ALL the details here other than what is in the news so maybe I am missing part of the bigger picture here.

Meanwhile, Sea Shepherd found the whaling ships and then more drama ensued. The Bob Barker has been allegedly rammed by Yushin Maru 3.

The video showing this collision from the perspective of the Bob Barker can be found here:

Video - Sea Shepherd

Apparently this collision occurred because the Sea Shepherd crew had been successful in blocking the slipway (where they drag the whales up into the ship to subsequently be cut up.) Link: Bob Barker Shuts Down Whaling

Now I've only found this one video of the collision so it only shows one perspective. While I'm no fan of the whalers, I also believe that in a situation like this, it is important to be able to see other angles on this video to determine who is at fault for this ramming. And I find it hard to make that determination just on this one video alone.

I really abhor violence. And it seems the violence out there on this issue is just getting worse. But then diplomacy has not worked so far, and since I am not out there in the thick of all this, it's hard for me to really lend a whole lot of weight to my arguments on what can or should be done.

What I feel the most bad about are the whales themselves. People make the choices to do what they are doing, but the whales are just living their lives and trying not to get killed in the process. Hence, my sympathies in situations like this tend to lie more with the marine mammals than the human mammals.

I only hope and pray that no one gets hurt or killed in what appears to be an ever escalating and tense battle of wills and wits in a very unforgiving and hostile environment.

I refuse to post the video of this slaughter on here as the paused picture alone was more than enough to me. It brings to mind visions of the harp seal cull and the gutless cowards running and hovering over the helpless seals with a bat in their hands ready to beat the animals to a pulp. What the hell is wrong with people to do stuff like this?

I don't have to see the video to be outraged. But if you have the stomach for it, you can see the article and video here: Teens Slaughter Dolphins in Denmark as a Rite of Passage

Did you know there are only about 100 Maui's Dolphins left? Fishers Warned as Dolphin Fight Continues

Remember it's been said by the Japanese whalers that the whales are to be blamed for the lackluster fishing industry? Ya know, because they're eating up all the fish!!

Some people really have a hard time owning up to their own responsibilities, wouldn't you say? The fishing industry alone is killing off various marine species because of their nets, their laziness, and their greed. Am I being too mean on this subject? Fishing Industry Killing World's Toothed Whales, Dolphins

If you are on Facebook, please check out the Ocean Guardians page.

A Facebook friend of mine is launching a new magazine soon. Currently the name is Oceans Magazine. Please check them out and give them your support. If you are a photographer or a writer, you may be interested in checking out their submissions guidelines to see if you are qualified to contribute and be part of their team. :-)

Good links to check out:

EcoDelMar

MarineBio

Ocean Conservancy

Protect Planet Ocean

Love the Earth, love yourself. The life you save, may be your own.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Whale Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:54:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Eva M. Sakmar-Sullivan)

Scott over at Dolphin Smile has an update about dolphin swims. Do check it out if it interests you.

The Cove is officially nominated for an Oscar!

Good article: Harvesting Meat that Few Will Eat

This blog post is a few months old, but worth reading: The Politics of Whaling vs The Politics of Food Safety

Instead of appealing to the emotional side of appreciating nature, the wildlife, and our seas, this writer suggests we appeal to the economical side of it to get more people paying attention. Would that work? It's certainly an interesting premise. You can read that here: Saving Endangered Species - It's the Economy

It's been a tough season so far for the Sea Shepherd crew. Paul Watson has his latest update here: The Final Assault on the Cetacean Death Star

On the harp seal hunt front, Critics Accuse Canada of Using Inuit as a Political Tool

If you believe our cetacean friends have messages and lessons for us, you might be interested in this: Wisdom From the Whales

Can DNA help to protect the whales & dolphins from poachers? Links:

Taiwan to Use DNA to Protect Whales, Dolphins

DNA to Protect Marine Life

DNA to Help Catch Whale & Dolphin Poachers

Back on the sonar front, it's always good news and bad news. For the moment, this is good news: Whales Get Support on Sonar Ban

Another: Researchers Warn of Drilling Dangers

I mentioned this book in a previous post written by Leah Lemieux. (( Rekindling the Waters: The Truth about Swimming with Dolphins )) In that post, the author dropped by here to leave a comment :-) I wanted to share that she also has a website: Rekindling the Waters Please do check it out!

Website worth repeating, worth your while, worth your support - just worth it :-)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Pressure on Japan

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:19:00 +0000

(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

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:13:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:29:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:58:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:25:00 +0000

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

Are We Being Manipulated by the Whale Wars?

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:16:00 +0000

Artist credit: Eva M Sakmar

Are we, the public, being exploited, distracted and manipulated by the events surrounding Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers? Is the Animal Planet's Whale Wars a "reality fraud?" Jeff Phillips has a lot to say about this at his blog: Bad Actors, Sea Shepherd, Animal Planet

He certainly does offer a very different perspective on all of this. One thing he wrote that bothers me is when he met with the Sea Shepherd crew and captain, he states he felt "bad energy" and he basically got shut down when asking some interesting questions that Paul Watson refused to answer.

Excerpt:

Watson and crew were my biggest heroes for a while...until I met them in person and felt what bad energy they have; then, when I offered to help them with an “expanded media vision”, as they still to this day have never produced any 'media' of their own...AND, most interestingly, started asking questions about why Watson fails to address the truly global threats to whales that FAR outweigh whaling...threats coming from oil exploration, shipping, whale “watching”, marine toxicity, and U.S. Navy lfa-sonar...THEN they cut me off! See, I was stupid...I somehow actually believed that they really CARED about the well-being of the whales!

Now this is just one man's experience, but all we know is what we are fed to by the media whether that is via online journalism or personal blogs, or the news on TV or the Animal Planet.

Mr. Phillips does share an interesting perspective and as with anything I hear, read, or see, I tend to try to keep an open mind while ultimately going with whatever feels right to me. His blog entry is long and covers a lot of ground. You might find it interesting as well and worth your while to read for a radically different perspective on these "Whale Wars."

How much going on out there in the Antarctic is fact or fiction? Are both the Sea Shepherd and the Whalers pawns in a game to distract us from other things going on in the world? Sounds all conspiracy theory-like doesn't it? Who knows?

What I do know is that preserving and respecting our oceans and all the species that make it their home, is personally important to me. It's vital to me to see that our oceans be kept clean, remain sustainable, and to see that our marine mammals receive far better respect and treatment than humanity has ever given to them. Our earth is 70% water, and our bodies are mostly water as well. It should then be no surprise how water affects all of us, whether we realize it or not. Without the oceans, we'd be a pretty barren planet wouldn't you agree?

Whales, dolphins, etc are sentient beings. I'm not putting them up on a pedestal and stating they are to be worshipped. But I do believe they are spiritual and intelligent beings in a way that humanity is oblivious or ignorant to. As I've stated before in my blog here, I also believe they have unspoken lessons for all of humanity if people will simply quiet their minds and tune in. Sounds new agey or something like that, but that is what I believe. Everyone has their "go to" thing or places where they find their peace. Nature has that effect on people. A walk in the forest or on the beach, a hike through a meadow or kayaking through the surf, playing with your dog at the park or riding a horse on a trail.

Nature and our wildlife are connected to each of us whether we admit it or appreciate it or not. That's where I'm coming from.

Back to Mr. Phillips .. he certainly has a very strong opinion about all of this. And whether or not his perspective on Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd crew is true, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, they are fighting for a cause they believe in and are passionate about. We all have that. No one particular cause is any more or less important than another and like we are connected to nature and animals, we are also connected together in our varying passions, beliefs, and causes we stand up and fight for. At whatever level we choose to fight for these causes, it makes a difference. One area of the planet being focused on in saving the whales and/or bringing awareness to their plight can and does encourage another area of the planet doing something similar for the whales in their area. Saving the dolphins from the Japan drive hunts can and does inspire people to do the same in say, the Bahamas .. or makes people much more aware if they see wild dolphins and to keep their distance and show respect for the pods. These are just a couple of examples but you get my drift. Again, it's all about how we are interconnected with one another.

Ultimately, it's about how we treat not just our planet and all that lives on and in it, but ourselves as well. It's about love and respect for life, love and respect for our earth, and love and respect for humanity.

I mentioned a few entries back that I read an article that stated military sonar now MAY NOT be impacting the whales and dolphins as we've been led to believe. There is much conflicting information out there on this and it continues to remain quite controversial.

Articles related: Whales Still Largely Threatened

EarthJustice has a video showing the affects of sonar on a pod of whales: Navy Sonar & Whales

Personally, I would rather err on the side of caution and see greater restrictions being placed on the use of sonar in our oceans. Now I realize there are folks out there who believe our safety is paramount and therefore the use of military sonar has it's role in keeping nations safe or has it's use in war. But since I'm a liberal leaning tree hugging hippie wannabe whale saving fanatic, I don't believe in war. I believe in peace. I believe in the power of humanity's positive and loving energy that can reverberate throughout the planet having the ability to be far more powerful than any weapons of any kind. And I believe if we would all stop fighting about who is right or wrong, who has weapons of mass destruction and who doesn't, who has more natural resources than we do, and who is more or less inferior or superior to us .. if we'd just all stop this bullshit and focus on sustainable and cooperative living in unison with our planet and all species, well as utopian and as naive as that may sound, the world just might end up being a better place. But is it realistic? Humans are, by nature, driven by ego and greed. Can ego and greed ever be tempered for the greater good of the world? Can the power and the energy of love ever replace that worn out refrain of "in the interests of national security?" Maybe it is only after death that we will experience such nirvana. But in the meantime, one can hope .. one can dream .. and one can try to live their lives in accordance to this goal and hope that one day, it just might be possible to have peace on earth and goodwill towards all.

Latest news from the Save the Dolphins blog: What is happening in Taiji now?

Thank you for listening to my rant today .. sometimes my passion gets away from me :-)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Hot Drama in the Cold Seas

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:06:00 +0000

Artist credit: Apollo

It's all over the news world-wide regarding the collision a couple days ago between the Japanese whalers and the Ady Gil boat.

As usual, both sides blame the other and each has video to prove that the other is at fault.

Check out the following links to read and view all about it.

Ecorazzi offers both views via video. Check out the comments after as well. There's a wide spectrum of opinions and some poop slinging amongst them. I shouldn't be amazed that there are some human beings out there who take great pleasure in foaming at the mouth and insulting other people. But I am.

Another related: Ady Gil Sinks

Great article here with more showing on the collision videos: Isn't Hit and Run at Sea Illegal?

Letter from an outraged American citizen that was sent to the Japanese Consulate: Outrageous Conduct on the High Seas

Before all this happened, Sea Shepherd announced that after a year of self-imposed silence, that they have a third ship to add to their fight against the whalers - the Bob Barker.   Check it out here: The Time is Right for Bob Barker

This is a writer after my own heart: Ram Raid on High Seas

It's hard to tell from the videos, who exactly is at fault in this collision. Some factors that play into that confusion is that where the videos were filmed offer a different perspective from the other.    One thing is very clear though and goes without saying is that it is very very fortunate that no one was hurt or killed. The waters out there are very dangerous. Even with a Mustang Suit, if you fall into that water, you have about three minutes to haul ass or you're done for. It is also fortunate that the Bob Barker was there to rescue the Ady Gil crew.

According to Paul Watson, the whalers did not even bother to respond to the Ady Gil's mayday call after the collision. They just kept on going.   That in and of itself clearly shows to me that they could give a shit about human lives out there.

Perhaps my perspective is biased, but there it is.

There are accusations that the Sea Shepherd deliberately allowed the collision to happen. Sorry, I have a hard time with that one. For one thing, you've got three minutes if you go into that water. For another, the Ady Gil was worth 2 million US dollars. As a non profit organization, are they really going to throw that kind of money away so easily? I can't swallow that no matter how much of a drama queen certain people may be or how much publicity they crave for their cause. They'd be lynched by not just the media, but the public and no doubt in a court of law, international or otherwise.

Despite the controversy surrounding the Sea Shepherd and what some people call questionable tactics, they still have my support. They continue to be the ONLY organization out there that consistently fights to save the whales. They talk the talk and walk the walk. If it wasn't for Sea Shepherd advocating for the whales, I'd bet my last dollar they'd be extinct or seriously endangered due to the Japan whalers.   Scientific research? Puhleaze. If anyone actually believes that, I have some ocean front property in the state of Nebraska for sale.

Till next time, wishing the SS crew safety ... the whales Godspeed .. and the whalers lots and lots of butyric acid stink bombs. I hope Karma comes to bite each of the whalers in their collective butts.

Dolphin

Welcoming 2010

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:49:00 +0000

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

Season's Greetings from the Sea

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Artist credit: Unknown (If anyone knows, please contact me.)

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season :-)

No rest for the weary on Sea Shepherd, despite the holiday. Both the SS and the Japan Whalers continue to clash on the bottom of the earth. There continues to be no peace or goodwill between them and obviously there will not be a holiday truce, which continues to not bode well for our mammal friends.

A few days ago, Sea Shepherd made a stop off the Adelie Coast in Commonwealth Bay. The French government extended their support to the Sea Shepherd organization. Ironically, the Japan fleet that was chasing the Sea Shepherd, was not welcomed and apparently did not care. The Captain of the Shonan Maru No. 2 replied by saying, “Japan does not recognize the Australian Antarctic Territorial claim.” Such is the ego of these folks.

Captain Watson made an interesting statement here:

Captain Watson is also concerned that the situation in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary does not bode well for the recent conference on climate change in Copenhagen, asking, “If the signatory nations of the Antarctic Treaty and the International Whaling Commission cannot stop the illegal killing of endangered whales in an established whale sanctuary in violation of the Treaty and the IWC regulations, how are they ever going to get real on the bigger issue of climate change?”

You can read more on this here.

A couple days ago, the Sea Shepherders and Japanese Whalers had quite the clash that went on for about three hours. As usual, the complaint from the whalers side was the use of butyric acid, the use of lasers, and buoys with the intention of disabling the propellers. The complaints from Sea Shepherds had mostly to do with the whalers use of LRAD in their attempt to disorient their helicopter pilot as well as using full blast water cannons on the helicopter while it was sitting on the Sea Shepherd.

In addition, despite the Australian government's claims to be opposed to the whaling and their threats of legal action, they allowed the Shonan Maru 2 to dock and refuel in their port.

You can read more on this here:

Whalers Clash with Protesters

Steve Irwin in Water Cannon Fight

You know what they say about politicians? Nothing ever changes in government. The people may change, but the BS remains the same.

Australian government continues to say one thing, but by their inaction, prove yet again that their words are just empty ones. Is it any wonder then that Japan continues to NOT take them seriously? Govt Threatens Legal Action

In related news regarding Australia's inaction and empty threats, Captain Paul Watson has his latest commentary available here: Exchanging Letters with the Australian Minister of Environment

Please check out Peace in the Water. It's a wonderful wonderful site.

Meanwhile, a Christmas Wish for each of us in honor of our whale and dolphin friends, our oceans, and our planet.

Feliz Navidad to each of you and all the ultimate best in the coming New Year :-)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Tis The Season to Kill More Whales

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Artist credit; Christian Lassen

Is anyone as sick as I am of seeing, reading, and hearing all about Tiger Woods and his dalliances? This is trash, not news. :: ugh ::

Is anyone as sick as I am of hearing about "Climategate" in Cophenhagen? Gosh, I wonder how many folks out there avoided using a private jet and how many did NOT contribute further to the very issue they proclaim to want to resolve? Yes, the hypocrisy of our world's leaders, scientists, etc is absolutely overwhelmingly heartwarming .. wouldn't you say? :: ugh ::

Obama getting the Nobel Peace prize is, IMO, a travesty. If there is a species on this planet that deserves this more, it would be the whales, dolphins, manatees, etc of our seas. Their actions speak far more clearly and for more loudly than anyone anywhere ... 'nuf said.

I have bronchitis so forgive my ugh'ness mood as I target my hacking wrath towards certain media outlets, politicians, and so-called scientists as they ratchet up the brainwashing and try in vain to instill more fear and taxes into our hearts instead of the holiday spirit :-P

Seems to me the solution to our world's problems is pretty simple and is summed up quite nicely in this Jimi Hendrix quote: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."

I'll put that in my pipe and smoke it any time :-D

Random stolen quote for the day that still makes me smile .. Seen on a sign: "Unattended children will be given a shot of espresso and a puppy." (Thanks for sharing this Sheila!)

Ecorazzi has a cool slideshow about the Whale Wars: 8 Weapons Used in the Fight Down Under

Now this is just the heartwarming holiday message we all like to hear: "We'll continue to kill!"

So the crybabies from Japan are getting frustrated because Sea Shepherd is costing them millions .. so they're sending out a couple of spy tattling ships to monitor Sea Shepherd's whereabouts. In addition, Japan is threatening to include humpbacks in their cull quotas as "pawns in the diplomatic process that's underway." Wow. How diplomatically mature! Whalers, Conservationists Set for Fresh Confrontation

Captain Paul Watson tells the whalers, "Bring it on!"

Australia's PM Kevin Rudd says he's serious about seeking legal action against Japan unless a diplomatic agreement can be reached on the whaling issue. Sorry, no offense Mr. Rudd, but we've heard you spout this before. I'll believe it when I see it. Another related article here: Australia seriously considering whaling challenge

Interesting read --> Paul Watson responds to Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada. Related article: Japanese Foreign Minister Confesses to Whale Poaching

Beautiful video here: Aaron Pyne Visionary Art

If you get the History channel, check out this documentary coming up Sunday night, Dec. 13th: "The People Speak" I've set my DVR for it :-)

Have a wonderful, warm, happy weekend!

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Basketball and Whales

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:53:00 +0000

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

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Artist credit: Linda Thompson

Wishing everyone a safe, warm, and memorable Thanksgiving holiday :-)

Just a few things to share today ...

Check out Larry King today on CNN at 8:00 p.m. EST USA time. Ric O'Barry, of Save Japan Dolphins and The Cove Movie and Ben Stiller, actor, will be discussing the campaign to Save Japan Dolphins.

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.

Check out the Save Japan Dolphins website and if you are interested in subscribing to their blog, they can be found at Save Japan Dolphins Blog.

Article: Government Silence Dooms Whales to Slaughter

This is very, very cool: Whale and Dolphin Song Art

Blog spotlight: Whale and Dolphin Talk

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Polar Bears Fall out of the Sky

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:11:00 +0000

Artist credit: Eva M. Sakmar

I've previously stated a few times that I am against our marine mammals being held in captivity. This story out of Turkey reinforces my view.

Excerpts:

“Confined in an unnatural environment, these wide-ranging, social animals are forced to live a life of severe deprivation, suffering lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than in the wild,”

and

In the wild, whale and dolphin habitats range very long distances. For example, bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Cornwall, U.K., have been recorded to range up to 1,076 kilometers in 20 days. The animals are almost always in motion, even when resting and spend less than 20 percent of their time at the water’s surface.

But once confined, dolphins are separated from their natural habitat and enclosed in a totally alien environment. They have to put up with an artificial diet, unusual noise, strange odors and the proximity of people and other unfamiliar captive animals.

and

“No aquarium, no tank in a marine land, however spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the conditions of the sea. And no dolphin that inhabits one of those aquariums or one of those marine lands can be considered normal,” said Jacques Yves Cousteau, the world’s most famous sea explorer.

The article also states that 12 of the bottlenose dolphins at this marine park were imported directly from the Japanese "drive hunts." Isn't that special?

You can read more here: Tour Operator Cancels Trips to Captive Dolphin Aquarium

"The Cove" documentary has yet to to gain a commercial release in Japan. Shocking, isn't it? It's amazing to me that many people from Japan still claim to not be aware of the dolphin drives. Fortunately, this important film is gaining more of a toe-hold in the public and some fishermen who spent years killing dolphins, have now become tour operators to take people to see dolphins in the wild. Interesting article for more information on this: U.S. Film Puts Spotlight on Dolphin Hunt in Japan

Our greed for oil continues unabated. There are now surveys being done off of Florida's east coast to establish oil wells. Given how deep they may have to drill:

The airguns shoot compressed air bubbles creating sound at up to 260 decibels, blasting 60 or more impulses per mile. They can penetrate several thousand feet into the Earth. Hydrophones on streamer cables towed behind the survey vessel at about 20 feet deep receive the sound reflected back to create the images.

Marine mammal advocates worry those early surveys could harm whales and dolphins.

Federal law requires surveying companies to take steps to avoid affecting whales and other marine life, such as having whale spotters aboard during seismic surveys.

It does not comfort nor inspire me one iota that they will claim to take steps to minimize the impact on the local marine life. You can read more here: Offshore Oil Drillers Now Looking at Florida's East Coast

Good article about the Blue Whales (Don't let the title fool you LOL) How Long is a Blue Whale's Penis

Awesome! -->> Seven Canoes to Fight Ocean Pollution

Yes, drilling for oil is good for us. Disasters never happen and oil spills are a fluke - really! Australian Oil Spill Leaks for Over Two Months

This is, in my humble opinion, an advertisement in very, very poor taste. It's manipulative, insulting, and only serves, in my eyes, to further discount the Global Warming Movement. Not to mention it brings up unpleasant visual memories of 9/11.

While no polar bears were actually killed or harmed in the video, it's still disturbing and quite the sick piece of propaganda. Check out the comments after the video. I'm amazed that some people actually found this video funny, and then there are other comments that do not exactly inspire faith for me towards certain human beings. I guess my sense of humor is out of whack.

If the likes of Al Gore want us to believe their Global Warming alarmist messages, I would first suggest they stop using private jets. But that's just me.

See video here -> Polar Bear

Interesting blog post: Show Me the Money

"A SUNSHINE Coast company is believed to hold the key to stop whales being caught in shark nets." Read more here: Pingers to Save the Whales

Organization spotlight: WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society)

Another organization spotlight not related to Marine Mammals ... please check out the Joyful Heart Foundation.

"The mission of the Joyful Heart Foundation is to heal, educate, and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues."

As always, thank you for being here and for allowing me to share my views with you :-)

Dolphin

I Suck

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:04:00 +0000

Artist credit: Apollo

Yup, I suck. I can't put it any more eloquently than that.

I could give a slew of reasons for why I have not been back here in months, but I'm not going to. Let's just say that I've had some personal challenges and some dark periods and have simply needed time away to try to deal with them.

I'd love to say the worst is over, but that's the thing about challenges .. they continue to challenge you LOL. So I'm trying to find a balance somewhere so that I can get back to doing what I love - and that is writing.

You know the saying: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."

It's been a battle, and I'd like to suggest that when any of us are fighting a great battle, that we also be kind to ourselves. That, in itself, can be a challenge too. I am often my own worst critic. Sometimes justified and sometimes not.

Hopefully though, despite my absence, those of you who care about the issues surrounding our marine mammal friends and the state of politics both domestically and globally, have been keeping yourselves aware and informed. That's also a challenge given how much information is out there and trying to determine what is true and what is hype.

One thing I think has been a lot of hype is the issue of global warming. I'm one of those that originally jumped on the bandwagon that we've got to save our earth, listen to Al Gore, and do this, that, or the other or we're gonna fry. LOL

I've been spending a lot of time reading, researching, and determining my own intuition on what I believe to be real or to be simply disinfo perpetuated by the mainstream media in the interest of creating further hype and drama for ratings or whatever.

Al Gore can kiss my ass. He's a hypocrite like the rest of 'em. 'Nuf said.

Is global warming real? I think what we're experiencing is simply part of the natural cycle of things; caused by solar activity NOT carbon emissions. And speaking of carbon emissions, you gotta love how the politicians the world over are trying to tax us even more with the Cap and Trade. But I'll refrain from getting on my soapbox about that one. I only ask that you do your research and don't rely on the mainstream media nor the politicians for the facts.

Then there's the so-called Obamacare. Do I really need to get into that one? It's messed up. Simple as that. The government has absolutely NO PLACE in our personal health care choices. Unfortunately there are people out there who simply can not think for themselves so they're happy to have the government do it for them. In that case, you get exactly what you deserve. "We're from the government and we're here to help you." Uh huh.

Do I sound bitter? I don't mean to. I'm actually just frustrated with the direction things are going. Obama promised "Change we can believe in." So far, he has, in my view, been just an extension of Bush in his continuation of many of G.W. Bush's dictatorial policies. Do I need to go there too? I think not. Apparently he meant change HE can believe in. But then, he is not in control so it's a moot point anyway.

Now Ron Paul .. that's who I voted for to be our President. He's currently making the cronies from the Federal Reserve nervous and rightfully so. Hopefully he succeeds.

So what have the good folks from Sea Shepherd been up to? Oh they've been busy busy busy. I could recap some of the great things that have been going on in the last six months since I last posted, but no need. You have their link so go read up :-)

I will highlight a couple of things.

Earthrace joins Sea Shepherd in the fight against the Japan whale hunt.

Could this be the last season for the whale hunts? Is the end of Japanese whaling in sight?

For now, the culling continues. Japan has embarked on it's annual hunt and the Sea Shepherd crew is also out there in pursuit currently.

Otherstuff:

This is a repeat, but if you care about dolphins, this is a must see film: The Cove

Ocean of Truth

Whaleman petition -> please sign and spread the word. The goal is one million signatures.

Highly recommended: Peace in the Water

This'll do for a return, long overdue post :-) "Do not be dismayed at good-byes, for a farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends." (Richard Bach)

Mahalo, dear readers, for being here :-)

Health Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:31:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Apollo)

Was unable to access my blog for a couple of weeks and it took a lot of figuring out as to why. Hence, no updates and unable to publish comments I was informed were waiting for me here.

Two issues I want to bring up in today's post:

HR 875 and the Health Revolution Petition.

This was sent to me so I thought I would share it here. This is one person's interpretation of this bill, and from what I read of it, it is certainly easy to understand why there would be much apprehension over this bill passing and becoming law.

You May Be Arrested Soon For Growing A Tomato

As our government hands over billions to Wall Street bankers, jobless Americans live in tent cities and collect food stamps in record numbers. Now when we need it the most, growing our own food may be against the law and punishable by a fine of up to $1,000,000. Think I’m joking? Meet Bill HR 875, The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, introduced by Rosa DeLauro whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto. The insanity doesn’t stop there—fishing boats, hotdog stands, neighborhood vegetable booths and farmers’ markets will be federally regulated under the same draconian law. As always, the spin is designed to make you (the public) believe these new provisions are for your own good. Under the deceitful guise of protection, the goal of this bill is crystal clear: to prevent us from locally growing our own food so multinational agribusiness can completely control the production and distribution of our food supply. I refer you to the usual suspects—Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo, Tyson, and Smithfield.

This bill is designed to allow corporations, with the help of their hired government guns, to force small competitors (you and me) out of business. This is as evil as it gets, folks. Since the dawn of man we have hunted and farmed our own food——it’s second nature. To be stripped of the most fundamental act of survival is equivalent to the kind of mass enslavement you only read about in history books, like the kind under Pharaohs in ancient Egypt.

Lurking within the maze of technical lawyer-like jargon, the bill places wildly restrictive regulatory incumbrances on the average vegetable growing Joe-The-Plumber, small organic farmer, or anyone for that matter who may one day decide to grow a small garden. The bill would require anyone associated with growing, storing, transporting or processing food to be subject to inspections by federal agents of their property and all records related to food production; you would be required to conduct specials tests, maintain samples and records, and allow government officials to mandate the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, specific types of nutrients, packaging, and temperature controls. Violation of any of these provisions would subject the offender to property seizure, imprisonment and fines up to $1,000,000. The implementation of these bogus regulations are designed to be so cost and time prohibitive, no one would bother to grow their own food or risk being jailed and fined for participating in a black market.

Linn Cohen-Cole with Oped News writes:

“The bill is monstrous on level after level - the power it would give to Monsanto, the criminalization of seed banking, the prison terms and confiscatory fines for farmers, the 24 hours GPS tracking of their animals, the easements on their property to allow for warrantless government entry, the stripping away of their property rights, the imposition by the filthy, greedy industrial side of anti-farming international ‘industrial’ standards to independent farms - the only part of our food system that still works, the planned elimination of farmers through all these means.

“The corporations want the land, they want more intensive industrialization, they want the end of normal animals so they can substitute patented genetically engineered ones they own, they want the end of normal seeds and thus of seed banking by farmers or individuals. They want control over all seeds, animals, water, and land.”

I urge you to read the bill here (http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h875/text), then call your representative and congressman.

Here is a video on it:

http://blog.friendseat.com/rosa-dela...s-small-farms/

I think something else on this may have been posted, but it needs to be TOP PRIORITY. If you are in the states, PLEASE email this to everyone in your address books and call congress. NO FREAKING WAY will these bastards control our food.

Regardless of how you look at it, it does NOT favor USA farmers, big or small. I'm one of millions out there who like to support their local farmers and I shop at local farmer's markets to purchase organic fruit and vegetables. I certainly would not appreciate this choice being taken away from me and being forced to only choose either genetically modified foods, or foods that have been chemicalized to death. I also have ZERO interest in supporting corporations such as Monsanto, who are becoming like Big Pharma with their desire to monopolize a certain area.

I urge you to contact your state representatives in every way, shape, and form you can and encourage them to NOT support this bill into becoming law.

Is health the new oil? Given the upcoming implementation Codex alimentarius, and the powerful special interests of Big Pharma, it would seem so.

If you like your government telling you how to treat your ills, how to care for your body, what vitamins, herbs, etal you may put into your body, and to have little to no choices available in alternative health care, then ignore this.

If you DO care and you're sick of our government just adding to their increasing power wattage and control over us, then please sign the following petition:

Health Revolution Petition

Please help spread the word on this.

It is so important that each of us remains vigilante against our government. If you believe they have your best interests at heart, then I've got some ocean front property in Nebraska to sell you.

We are supposed to be the bosses of the government, not the other way around. I'm not an anti-government crusader nor a conspiracy nut. I'm simply a concerned citizen who is appalled at the increasing controls our government continues to expand over everyone, all in the interest of "protecting us" or under the phony pretense of "national security."

"Those who would sacrifice liberty for security, deserve neither." - Benjamin Franklin

Mahalo,

Dolphin

A Denver Buffett

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:06:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Dan Mackin)

I've been having dreams lately of soft white sand beaches, turquoise waters as far as the eye can see, and gently swaying palm trees. In these dreams, I'm in a kayak on the water that looks, if you're standing on the shore looking my way, like I'm flying just above the water. You know how that looks in some pictures? The water is so clear and from a distance, a kayak or a boat can look like it's flying?

I also dream of whales, dolphins, manta rays, and manatees in this perfect little world I envision while sleeping. One of of these days, I hope it will not be a dream but actual real life moments I can experience and treasure.

Perhaps these dreams are being inspired by the fact that I've taken another round at reading Jimmy Buffett's books. Tales from Margaritaville, Where is Joe Merchant, A Pirate Looks at Fifty, and A Salty Piece of Land. That last book is my favorite.

I also have had John Denver on my mind. Grew up with his music and it always hit right into my soul. The thing that John Denver and Jimmy Buffett have in common is their love for nature, wildlife, the environment, conservation and a love for marine mammals .. among other things.

If you're a Jimmy Buffett fan, there's only one place to be .. and that's at Margaritaville.

Today's post is a short one, yet a tribute to these two men who have had a tremendous impact on my life and who continue to make me smile and to inspire me.

If you enjoy John Denver's music, I leave you with one of my favorites: Calypso.

And remember "If life gives you limes, make margaritas." (classic J. Buffett quote)

Dolphin

Save the Whales (Again)

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:47:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Brian Marshall White)

It's a pretty sad world we live in when someone can bash a seal over the head repeatedly and only be fined $2,000 and be suspended from the seal hunt for one day, and yet someone who photographs or videotapes that very event, is fined $100,000 and can be sent to jail for a year.

Where are the freakin' priorities here people?

Canadian Justice is a Wonderful Thing - NOT

Sea Shepherds season this year in intervening with the whale culling is now over and they have returned to Australia. Captain Watson is calling this season a success and you can read his outline of reasons why here: Ten Reasons that Operation Musashi Has Been a Success

When the SS returned to Hobart a couple days ago, the Australian authorities were waiting with a warrant to seize all videos, photographs, global positioning records, etc from the SS. Captain Watson states that while he and his crew were treated civilly and professionally, he points out that the Australian authorities also need to do the same to the Japanese whalers. Otherwise, this is a biased and one-sided affair.

You can read about that here: Australian Federal Police Seize Whale War Videos

Captain Watson states he will be spending the next few months making repairs to the Steve Irwin and is hoping to secure enough funding as well for a 2nd ship before the start of the next whaling season at the end of this year.

Let's hope his wish comes true. With two ships out there, they could double their success rate against whalers.

This is a good start though: Sea Shepherd Granted 2009 Funding from the Dutch Lottery

Three cheers for Russia's Putin, who is proposing a ban on driftnets being used for fishing. As it is well known by now, many marine mammals get caught in those nets and end up drowning. Will we one day see ALL countries outlawing the use of driftnets? Let's hope so.

Are there secret meetings going on between governments to lift the ban on whale hunts? According to The Independent paper (UK) it would seem so. Please read up about that here: Save the Whale (again)

Human greed appears to be a factor in the possibility of the Orca whales in the Pacific Northwest dwindling in numbers. While it is already illegal for boats and tourists to pursue Orcas and attempt to get close to them, that still doesn't stop people from doing it or trying to make a few bucks off these mammals. Why are people so stupid?

Til next time,

Dolphin

The Cove movie

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:41:00 +0000

Whalers Getting More Violent?

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:54:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Daniel B. Holeman)

So Phil the Groundhog says we have six more weeks of winter. Blech. Phooey. :: blowing raspberry :: What does that silly little fur faced varmint know anyway :-P LOL I'm so over snow. Bring on spring ASAP please.

I was invited to be a guest blogger over at Paw Talk and they just put up my post today. They are a cool site focusing on animals and also include a forum. Please do check them out. You can find my post specifically here: Eye on the Dolphin

I have also been invited to possibly write a guest post on Reef Tank. This site focuses marine species and salt water aquariums. They are definitely worth your time. Very cool!

Guess the Japan Whalers are getting frustrated with Sea Shepherd's interference. They have now lowered themselves to launching concussion grenades, brass bolts, and chunks of lead at the Sea Shepherds. They've also threatened to use Long Range Acoustic Devices, which are military class weapons and can cause disorientation, vomiting, confusion, and sometimes temporary deafness.

The Sea Shepherds do not use anything that will physically harm anyone. They just throw acidic butter, etc that results in stinking up the ship and making it difficult for the whalers to do their work.

So it's really telling how far the Japanese whalers will go to protect their greediness and their desire to continue slaughtering innocent creatures.

You can read about this here: Battle for the Whales in the Ross Sea

At least, at the moment, no whales are being killed thanks to the Sea Shepherd's continuing presence out there. That also means the Japan ships are burning about 25 tons of fuel daily and losing even more money. Obviously it's the Sea Shepherd's goal to force Japan to whimper home with little to no profits again this year, as it happened last year and the year before.

Captain Paul Watson has another wordy yet passionate update here: Whalers Doing Crazy Joes

Did you know that Iceland has decided to resume whaling? They are going after the endangered Fin Whales and threatened Minke Whales. Iceland had not slaughtered any whales since 1986, when Sea Shepherd activists had sunk about half of the Iceland whaling fleet.

Apparently Iceland feels it has a license to resume killing whales given the turmoil their country is currently undergoing and the state of their economy. I guess it's okay to approve murder of people now too? What a lame excuse to resume whaling.

You can read about this here: Icelandic Criminal Whaling Resumes

Do boycotts make a difference? Personally, I don't know .. but I would imagine if enough people did stop buying certain things from certain countries, it would have an impact on that country's economy. Read about Sea Shepherd's boycott of Iceland here: Boycott Iceland

This brief article lists some of the Icelandic companies and their products: Buy Only Whale Safe Products

The United States, Australia and other anti-whaling nations had approached Japan with a compromise on whaling. In a nutshell, Japan rejected it. These countries fear Japan may withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission and then go brashly outside their rules to continue with more whaling, unabated.

Obviously Sea Shepherd won't have any of that and will continue to make life difficult for the whalers. I agree with Captain Watson's opinion that these anti-whaling nations really need to take a much stronger and more aggressive stand on this issue. Maybe I'm being silly, but offering compromises to murderers just seems .. ya know ... not right.

You can read about this here: Japan Rejects Appeasement Offer

Remember I mentioned in my previous post, about the movie The Cove? It won awards at this year's Sundance Festival as well. The direct website for this movie can be found here: The Cove Movie
I have also shared the trailer of this movie in another updated and separate post for today and will keep that up on top for awhile to continue attracting attention to the movie. So please be aware that new posts will show up under that movie trailer until I remove it.

I strongly encourage everyone to see this film when it is available in your area. As I also shared, this documentary focuses on the dolphin culling in Taiji, Japan. Please help spread the word on this very important film.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Who Killed Flipper?

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:08:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Christian Lassen)

What's been happening with Sea Shepherd since my last update? I can summarize it in just a few sentences.

(1) Japan's Yushin Maru #2 got chased into some thick ice floes while running from the SS ship. Seems they were more afraid of SS than the ice. Which leads to #2 ...

(2) Yushin Maru #2 sustained propeller damage caused by the icebergs and had to limp to Indonesia, seeking repairs. It took them a little over two weeks to get there.

(3) While docked in Indonesia, they were refused service and repairs. The officials in Indonesia, after confirming with Australia and others that the Yushin Maru was, indeed, a whaling ship, told them to leave. Turns out Japan lied to Indonesia about who and what they were about.

== Go Indonesia! :: wild applause :: ==

(4) So the Yushin Maru limps away from Indonesian waters after being ordered to leave and Sea Shepherd had no idea for awhile where they were and what was going on .. until a few days ago. They find out that the Yushin Maru was repaired in another place unbeknowest to them and according to Greenpeace, is heading back to Japan.

(5) What's good about the YM having been down for the count for so long is that it's hindered further, the whale culling. What's also good is the fact that Indonesia took a stand against the whaling and Captain Watson is calling that a major political victory.

You can read about that here: Where in the World is the Yushin Maru?

Sea Shepherd was recently docked in Hobart to refuel and is now back out there pursuing the Japanese fleet.

It does appear, by Captain Watson's reports, that approximately a third of the quota Japan had hoped to achieve in their whale kills, will not be met. So that's very good news. Hopefully that number will only improve and we can see similiar, if not better, numbers as last year. Obviously the Sea Shepherds are doing a bang up job of distrupting this so-called "research" Japan continues to do.

Interesting article in yesterday's Washington Post discusses the criteria for rescuing animals. One of the stories has to do with a pod of dolphins that were stranded for awhile in New Jersey. If you recall, I wrote a little bit about this in a previous post.

In another related post, it seems that the dolphins that were stranded there, have died and some people are quite furious that nothing was done to herd them to warmer and safer waters.

In Mossel Bay, South Africa, there's a fight between environmentalists/marina mammal lovers and PetroSA. PetroSA has plans for a liquid gas mooring facility in this particular bay, which has, thus far, been one of the "last pristine marine areas."

Excerpt:

Noise and light pollution would affect the whales and dolphins that frequent the bay and also subject them to the risk of entanglement in underwater cables. A fire or explosion would have "catastrophic long-term consequences"

You can read the full article here: Cape Whales Face New Threat

So I hear it can and does get cold in Florida lol. How have the dolphins in the gulf coast off of Florida been faring? You can find out here: Bigger is Better

Maybe this kid will one day be President?

Excerpt of message she wrote in a letter to President Obama:

First of all, try to sometimes focus on other things rather than politics. For instance, marine mammals (whales, dolphins, penguins, etc.). They need more help than ever trying to survive in the ocean. You could get a team of people who really care and send them out to watch the whales, dolphins and penguins so hunters won't kill them. That would be extremely helpful to all the animals who need it. As for me, I would be happy as a little kid on their birthday (I love dolphins!).

She's got my vote :-)

Highly recommended reading: Who Killed Flipper?

Information on this documentary can be found here: The Cove

This is one film I'm definitely putting on my "must see" list.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Whale Wars - Some Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:27:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Jeff Wilkie)

It sucks to be sick. I had another much more grueling round of bronchitis to suffer through and it took over three weeks to get over that. :: sigh :: It's hard to get anything done when you have to cough like a crazy woman every few minutes. Plus it exhausts you.

In addition, my partner went in for a heart catheter procedure a little less than two weeks ago. So that was surreal and provided some tense moments for awhile. Fortunately, all is okay on that front.

At least I was able to get out for a nice dinner for my birthday on the 15th, so that was nice!

With the Whale Wars season now concluded on the Animal Planet, I wanted to share some thoughts / observations I had.

It is unfortunate, in my opinion, that so much was focused on the group politics/drama ...

Some observations I've made about the Sea Shepherd ..

(1) While it is known that the volunteers who come on board do not necessarily have experience with being out to sea and what to do, etc ... seems to me that there should be some training provided or to have it be a prerequisite to being on the team, to have either the training or some experience beforehand. So many incidents that happened could have had very different, disastrous, and potentially fatal results.

(2) While I admire Paul Watson's passion for what he does and given he's spent pretty much his entire life dedicated to this issue., I have to wonder sometimes if he's not grandstanding for the media or creating situations that are manipulating the media to give the Sea Shepherd more attention.

(3) The top of the crew seem to have a hard core attitude that runs along the lines of "You're either with us, or against us." That may be a little too extreme of me to say, but it does kinda push towards that general direction and I find that turns me off a little bit. Without having provided any training or having screened people before boarding (to my knowledge anyway) it seems the management on the crew expect people to know right off the bat what to do, how to act, etc ...there's little to no room for mistakes out there and yet they continue to bring newbies and rookies out there and expect the world from them.

(4) An example of possible media manipulation on the part of Captain Watson (and this is just my opinion and observation and I am the first to admit I could be way off base) is when he was allegedly shot and a bullet was found in his vest. What did he do immediately after announcing that this happened? He went back inside the ship and starting talking to various media outlets about what happened and wrote about it online. I dunno. I smell a rat here ...

Maybe I'm being too hard on them ... I support the Sea Shepherd organization and have a great deal of respect for what they do because so far, they are the ONLY organization that continues to be out there consistently, year in and year out, dedicating themselves to saving the whales and bringing to the public light, how very serious this issue is and how apathetic and inhumane the Japanese whale hunters are on this matter.

So those are my thoughts at this time, based on having watched the entire Whale Wars season.

I welcome other observations and opinions on this. Please feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Now that I'm not coughing anymore and finally have my energy back, I'll be here with regular updates. Please accept my apologies for the long absence. Every day I would tell myself I need to go to my computer and write something, but I just didn't have the energy to focus on it. I appreciate those of you who have sent me messages inquiring about how I'm doing and when I would be back, etc ... your kind thoughts and get well wishes are very much appreciated!

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Whalers = Arrogant Wankers

noreply@blogger.com (dolphin) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:26:00 +0000

(Artist credit: Christian Lassen)

I think I may be having a relapse in my bronchitis :-( Was feeling all gung ho last evening but my roommate started getting sick about two or three days ago and now I feel like maybe whatever she had has been passed on to me too. :: sigh :: I don't feel downright awful, but it's been hitting more more in the last few hours. I decided that before I'm down again for the count, to put fingers to keyboard and get at least a New Year's message out :-)

The Sea Shepherd crew has been quite busy in the Southern Ocean. In their first week out, they caught up with the whalers and put them immediately on the run. That's pretty impressive - to catch up with them so quickly.

I do recall last year, Captain Watson had mentioned something about the possibility of bugging the Japanese whale ships in order to keep track of them. I wonder if he was able to accomplish that this year somehow? After all, that's one helluva big-assed ocean down there and it's akin to trying to find a needle in a haystack, right? Curious, huh.

To start out with, the Steve Irwin ran into some pretty serious storms and some pretty scary ice conditions. You can read about that here: Ice Conditions for the Sea Shepherd

Then on or about the day after Christmas, they ran into the whalers and proceeded to stink up the Japanese ship with rotten butter, methyl cellulose and indelible dye mixture. You can read about that clash here: Sea Shepherds have Whalers on the Run

The very next day, SS ran the whalers out of the Australian waters.

They've only been out there what now? A couple of weeks? They have certainly accomplished a lot in a short period of time.

Go Shepherds!

Captain Watson calls the whalers "A bunch of arrogant wankers." As usual, his outspoken and hold-no-bars commentary is an interesting read.

Did you know that Brazil has declared their entire 5,000 mile long coastline a "safe sanctuary for whales and dolphins?" :: wild applause ::

In other news, the United States Navy settles the sonar lawsuit that I've mentioned a few times here in the past. Both sides claim victory. I'm not so sure that if I were a whale or a dolphin, I'd be saying this is a victory. After all, the mid range sonar activity will still be continuing. Humans are a funny breed, don't you think? ;-)

For those who either live in Hawaii or visit it frequently and enjoy the marine mammals out there, you may be interested in these two books that were just published by Hawaiian authors: Preserving Paradise and The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles Dolphins, Whales, and Seals.

Elsewhere, out in the Philippines, a fisherman claims he was saved by a pod of dolphins and whales. Is it true? Some people are finding it unbelievable. I'll choose to believe it simply because there have been stories for years, all over the globe, about our marine friends actually helping people at sea.

Another, more extensive report on this incident can be found here: Dolphins Save Palawan Fisherman

In sports, the Los Angeles Lakers kicked Celtic butt on Christmas day, and that was a great gift for me LOL. Both teams are doing really well so far this season and it wouldn't surprise me if they meet in the Finals again. If they do, the Lakers will win. (They'd better!)

In football, my favorite pro team, the Miami Dolphins, went from losing their first few games this season to doing a complete turnaround and becoming only the 2nd team in NFL history to accomplish such a feat. Last year, if memory serves me, the Dolphins were 1-15. This year, they're 11-5 (or thereabouts.) They played the NY Jets this past weekend and after a see-saw game, won and will now face the Baltimore Ravens this weekend for the Wild Card playoffs.

I'm just happy the Dolphins are the champs of their AFC East division. Haven't had much to cheer about with this team in the last few years - so I'll take it. I still miss Dan Marino though :-)

Happy New Year everyone! Enjoy! Be safe and warm!

Mahalo,

Dolphin