I have one television obsession: Whale Wars. In my opinion, it has everything good storytelling should have: an underdog, an enemy, a cause, and heart. So it’s no shocker I was thrilled to review the documentary “At The Edge Of The World” and attend the Q & A afterwards at Cinema Village in NYC for my friends at ecorazzi.com. Read here for the article.

This season’s Whale Wars has stirred my emotions.  While I don’t condone ramming ships, this season’s impotence brought the  issues of whaling by the Japanese fleet to a head.  I feel, after seeing the show, that Captain Paul did not intentionally ram the Japanese ship.  They were trying to maneuver into a small opening to block the transfer of the whale carcass to the manufacturing ship.  It was an attempt to stop them, which went  badly.  The captain of the Sea Shepard would never endanger his crew or the ship in a fruitless ramming incident.  Things just turned badly as the ships were trying to maneuver in a small space.  The whaling ship cut the Sea Shepard off as the harpoon ship was trying to get close enough to transfer the carcass. In the video footage from the TV show, you can see him cranking the wheel with all his might to avoid a collision.  There was just not enough time or distance to accomplish this when the harpoon ship cut them off in an attempt to beat them to the manufacturing ship.  It will be interesting to see what the Australian government does.

The international law gives the Japanese the right to decide for themselves how much they will catch for research purposes.  And, since no meat can go to waste  as a result of the research, the Japanese have a perfect cover to continue to harvest these endangered creatures and continue to make a profit from selling the meat after the kill.  No one, and I repeat, no one needs over 900 whales each year to study.  Maybe 50, but mot over 900!  Can’t or won’t the countries of the world stand up to the Japanese and set legal limits on their hunting and killing the whale?  This would solve the problem.  There then would be no need for anyone to have to protect them.  It’s simple!  Set quotas and don’t let the Japanese government continue to slaughter these magnificent creatures!!!!

Go to www.seasheperd.org to find out more and to donate to this wonderful cause!

Like most people, I am sympathetic to the plight of whales, particularly endangered varieties. Once whales were an important source of oil and the pursuit of this resource radically reduced whale numbers. As the need for this resource diminished and countries recognize the need for conservation, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was agreed upon in an attempt to keep some whales from extinction. Current international agreements allow for some whale harvesting, for example for indigenous peoples and for scientific research. The Japanese have been accused of violating these agreements by using the “research” exclusion to harvest whales for the real purpose of providing a popular Japanese foodstuff.

The Whale Wars is an Animal Planet channel show detailing the exploits of the Sea Shepard organization to stop the Japanese whaling. The show has miraculously succeeded in transforming a natural sympathy for the whales into rooting interest for the Japanese whaling ships. This transformation is a consequence of antipathy for Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepard Conservation Society, who comes across in the show (I am sure unintentionally) as a petty, arrogant little Napoleon, whose Ahab-like pursuit of self aggrandizement puts others at danger.

Watson captains the Steve Irwin, a ship named after the popular television conservationist killed in a tragic accident. Though there are some crew members with experience, the ship operates in the dangerous Southern Ocean with young people largely equipped with more zeal and eagerness for adventure than experience. Watson sends these people out in small Zodiacs, often out of contact with the Steve Irwin in attempts to throw glass bottles of foul smelling butyric acid aboard the decks of whaling ships or racing in front of fast moving whaling ships trying to deploy lines to foul the props of these ships. One can not doubt the bravery of the young people enlisted by Watson, but it is a bravery girded by the expectation that the Japanese whalers will not use lethal force in self defense. Thus far, the Japanese have confined there responses to water cannons an disabling acoustic devices.

The publicity seeking Watson, exaggerates every defensive effort by the Japanese as deliberately endangering his crew, when it is he who puts the crew in danger. Last year two crews member so the Steve Irwin managed to board a Japanese vessel a serve papers protesting whaling. The Japanese detained the individuals, while Watson quickly called the media claiming these people were be held hostage. One gets the impression, that Watson would eagerly exploit the accidentally injury or death of one of his crew for all the publicity he could. Indeed, last year Watson tried to claim that he was shot at by the Japanese.

It should be remembered that Paul Watson has a reputation as an eco-terrorist having advocated the use of tree spikes to deter logging. Tree spikes embedded in trees can damage equipment or more dangerously injure people. Tree spiking is a felony in the United States.

I have to admit that the series Whale Wars is exciting to watch. So now I have two unwanted guilty pleasures: Finding my self rooting for Japanese whaling ships for whom I would normally have a strong antipathy and giving positive ratings to publicity seeking old fart.

I was up late last night fighting the urge to go to bed.  The longer I stay up on a Sunday night the longer the weekend is.  It’s an odd logic but damn-it it’s my logic.  Anyways, it was about 1:00am, not sure if that officially counts as a three day weekend, and I was channel surfing.  Somehow I landed on Animal Planet.

I’m not a regular watcher of Animal Planet.  I don’t have anything against it but most the time I’ve stumbled onto it they’re airing that Animal Cops show.  That’s the one where animal control agents crack down on those who abuse or mistreat their pets.  The show usually ends with them rehabilitating some mangy mutt they find tied to a tree to some methhead’s back yard.  The agents talk about how much love and compassion they have for helping animals in trouble meanwhile I watch Animal cops yelling “EWWWWWW enough already! Shoot that nasty dog.  He’s gross.”

As you can tell I’m not much of an animal person so Animal Planet isn’t a regular stop on my program guide around the cable TV entertainment world.  Imagine my surprise when I saw a program called Whale Wars.  Nice, about time I get to see whales fight it out in the deep blue engaged in combat until only one shall remain victorious. Bow head vs. Humpback.  Beluga vs. Sperm. Southern Bottle nose vs. Northern Bottle nose.  Oh the possibles are endless.

Side note:  You’re probably saying “Eric, where’s the Killer Whale?  Surely he would dominate any whale on whale combat”  Well from a program on the Discovery channel from a few years ago I learned Killer Whales aren’t really whales.  In fact they’re members of the Porpoise family. They got the name Killer Whale because they would kill whales.  Hence the name.  Now I could be wrong on this so If this question comes up on Final Jeopardy don’t you’re on your own.

Turns out Whale wars isn’t about a knock drag out under the sea brawl but rather a documentary style reality show that follows Paul Watson of the Sea Shepard Society as they try to fight illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.  They cruise around in their ship the Sea Sheppard launching saboteur like attacks on these whaling ships to deter their efforts to hunt.  Which is all fine and noble.   Great for them standing up for a cause the can believe in.

But I have to be honest I could care less about the poor whales.  I watched a small rubber dingy sent from Sea Shepard out to clog a whaling ship’s propel with a net.  Seeing that small boat charge out on a mission of justice I wanted nothing more than to see the Japanese whaling fleet knock it over with a water cannon.  The more I watched Whale Wars the more I found myself rooting for the whalers and saying to myself “Take that Sea Shepard ha ha ha”.  I was cheering when a few members of the Japanese fleet started hurling brass nuts and bolts from off their ship at the environmentalists in the little boat.  Turns out I got my no holds bared grudge match after all. 

But if I was a member of the Sea Shepard Society I’d be a little more cautious about going toe to toe with a whaling fleet from Japan.  This is the country that invented the kamikaze attack after all. Not sure how the tactic throwing bad smelling chemicals at a whaling ship will hold up to the tactic of them crashing their boat into yours.

BONZI!!!!!

COURAGE!

That’s one little thing I’m building over these past few days. Personal Courage. I am honestly amazed by the support and disinterest from different friends, family and acquaintances. I have found random people on twitter have started to follow and tweet me with words of courage to make it through another day. Yet I have found old acquaintances from high school and college questioning my recent decisions. What I am doing is not something for everyone. And in all honesty, after the 28 days are over there isn’t a 100% chance that I will become a raw foodist, a vegan, or gluten free. Being gluten free is honestly the hardest part of this whole cleanse. I have had a few items that have had wheat in them since the cleanse has started. I cannot help it. There are items that are in my house that have already been purchased that are wheat filled…they will remain in the house and in use until they are either finished or smothered in mold and forced to be tossed out with the daily trash.

This blog entry is actually covering two days and things that I have learned — I won’t fill out the entire questionaire/survey for these past two days…no need to waste your time reading Yes/No answers and no need for me to try to remember every last thing I did or didn’t do. Here are the details that have changed…for the good and for the bad.

Day 3 of 28:
For the Good:

• I read an interesting fun fact — DON’T EAT TOO MUCH FRUIT. I know it is slightly shocking…but fruit is basically sugar. And lots of sugar force your immune system to not function at 100%. So, I am sick…and I have been eating TOO MUCH FRUIT. Upon really thinking ’bout this I realize that I need to cut my smoothie for breakfast down one fruit and cut back my work snacks down one fruit to see how that works.
• I found that in 20-minutes before friends arrive over for dinner I have time to get a good yoga workout in and feel 20 times better for hanging out. AWESOME. Thanks Comcast!
• I also realized that I need to start taking a dietary suppliment of some sort – so I am opting for an EmergenC – pink lemonade in the morning as my first form of water while finishing getting ready and before creating the green smoothie. Good idea? Not sure, but that’s what I am doing right now.

For the Bad:

• I’m still sick.
• I’ve had wheat. But thankfully not feeling any side effects.

Day 4 of 28:
For the Good:

• Apparently my sickness isn’t that obvious to coworkers. I feel like my nose is permantly attached to a cardboard tissue, but if that isn’t ‘obvious’ then I’ll take it! Sickness could be fruit-over-dose or it could be allergies. All in all I don’t feel that sick…just tired.
• A differnt coworker introduced me to the world of Yerba Mate tea. TASTY TASTY TASTY. I will invest in more of these little tea bags this weekend. Noms Noms slurp sip sigh.

For the Bad:

• I had wheat today again. DANGIT! Timm and I met up with friends at a vegan spot with fake meats…and then hopped over to watch The Pirate for the Sea. I don’t believe the noodles had wheat in them but I’m 100% sure that the faux chicken contains wheat. ugh. I feel fine though…but I don’t think that justifys anything.
• Timm got a coke when we went to see The Pirate for the Sea. You see this is another habit we have. It is simply referenced as ‘movie experience’. The only way to get the full movie experience is with a bit of popcorn and fizzy coca-cola coming out of a straw and burning my entire stomach all the way down. It’s a great movie experience. So, I had a few sips during the movie…but tried to not drink too much. Ooops. but I really think it helped aid in the movie experience. (Which I recommend seeing – some parts are great – some bits are slow – all in all I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I just wish the ending was a little more structured with ‘next steps’ for Sea Shepard as well as next steps for us as individuals that want to make a change.)

So that’s really it. Meditation in bed = me falling asleep. Trying to do meditation in the sun during  lunch break = me thinking I’m going to fall asleep and abrublty stopping.

Dry brushing is great. I think my loofa  doesn’t scrub and get the body feeling loved in the same way as the bristled brush.

Kale for breakfast in a smoothie is the ultimate best thing I’ve had to eat every day. I hope I don’t get sick of slurping it. But I can always investigate another green veggie and fruit combo to smooth together.

Here’s to finding the courage of the muskrat to continue on for the next 28 days!

*The title is in reference to The Wizard of Oz and the Cowardly Lion in case you couldn’t pin point the reference right away.

Our good friends in the environmental movement get tracked, followed, and infiltrated a whole lot more than we ever do. I speculate that it is because many of them are still willing participants in the system, though there are plenty of other possible explanations. It is also possible that the state is just nuts and wants to pick on them. Either way groups like Sea Shepard, ELF, and even the more radical branches of PETA have learned a lot about how to deal with government spying. One useful tool- this little FBI Report describing the “tactics used by Eco-Terrorists to detect and thwart law enforcement operations”.

This document is valuable for several reasons. Not only can we see what methods have been compromised, we can also see what they are still confounded by. But most importantly we should know what aspects of security culture didn’t make the cut. If they don’t even know it exists, than how can they crack it?

Share and enjoy!

End Whale Bloodbath In Danish Faeroe Islands

FOR A FORMATTED LETTER (WORD DOC), EMAIL: kinshipcircle@accessus.net
Easily modify letter. Copy/paste it into an email or print letter to fax or mail.

Every year between 2,000 and 3,500 pilot whales are corralled by men in
boats and forced into bays in the Faeroe Islands, a North Sea Danish
Protectorate mid-way between the Shetland Islands and Iceland.

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FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Email Block + Sample Letter Follow
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GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS / DENMARK
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark
Christiansborg, Prins Jorgens Gard 11
1218 Copenhagen K, DENMARK
ph: +45 33 92 33 00; fax: +45 33 11 16 65
email: stm@stm.dk

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS / FAEROE ISLANDS
Kaj Leo Johannsen, Prime Minister of the Faroes
Prime Minister’s Office, Logmansskrivstovan, Tinganes
P.O. Box 64
FO- 110 Torshavn, FAROES
ph: +298 351010; fax: +298 351015
email: info@tinganes.fo

Members of Staff, Prime Minister of the Faroes
mah@tinganes.fo, anh@tinganes.fo, palln@tinganes.fo, sjr@tinganes.fo,
peturp@tinganes.fo, kristiannas@tinganes.fo, jeb@tinganes.fo

Jacob Vestergaard, Minister of Fisheries
Ministry of Fisheries
Heykavegur 6A / P.O. Box 347
FO-110 Torshavn, FAROE ISLANDS
ph: +298) 353030; fax: (+298) 353035
email: fisk@fisk.fo

The High Commissioner of the Faroe Islands
Amtmansbrekkan 6, FO-110 Torshavn
P.O. Box 12, FAROE ISLANDS
ph: +298 351200; email: riomfr@fo.stm.dk

FAEROESE PARLIAMENT
Office of the Logting
Tinghusvegur 1-3, Postboks 208, 110 Torshavn
email: logting@logting.fo

Jorgen Niclasen, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tinganes, FO-110 Torshavn
ph: +298 306100; fax: +298 351015
email: mfa@mfa.fo

FAROE ISLANDS TOURISM
Faroe Islands Tourist Board
Samvit – Faroe Islands Enterprise
Bryggjubakki 12
P.O. Box 118, FO-110 Torshavn, FAROE ISLANDS
email: tourist@tourist.fo

Denmark Office
Samvit – Faroe Islands Enterprise
Strandgade 91, 4. sal
DK 1402 Kobenhavn K
email: annette@tourist.fo

Additional Faroe Islands Tourist Offices
infoey-f@post.olivant.fo, infoey-r@post.olivant.fo, info@klaksvik.fo,
sandinfo@post.olivant.fo, info@vistinolsoy.fo, info@visittorshavn.fo,
touristinfo@post.olivant.fo, sout-inf@post.olivant.fo,
infovag@post.olivant.fo, vagar@vagar.fo, kunningarskivan@post.olivant.fo

REPRESENTATIONS OF THE FAROES ABROAD
The Mission of the Faroes to the European Union
Rue d’Arlon 69-71
B-1040 Bruxelles, Belgium
ph: +32 (0) 22 800 456; fax: +32 (0) 22 330 966
email: mfa@mfa.fo

Representation of the Faroes in London
55 Sloane Street / London SW1X 9SR
ph: 44(0)20 7333 0227; fax: 44(0)20 7333 670

Representation of the Faroes in Copenhagen
Strandgade 91, 4. Sal
DK-1401 Kobenhavn K, DENMARK
ph: +45 32 83 37 70; fax: +45 32 83 37 75
email: mfa@mfa.fo

DANISH EMBASSIES
Embassy of Denmark in the United States
3200 Whitehaven St. N.W. / Washington, D.C. 20008
ph: +1-202-234-4300; fax: +1-202-328-1470
email: wasamb@um.dk

FOR DENMARK EMBASSY LISTINGS AROUND THE WORLD, TRY:
http://www.allembassies.com/danish_embassies.htm
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Denmark/Denmark6.html

===========================================================
EMAIL BLOCK: All emails found for this alert
===========================================================

TO: stm@stm.dk, info@tinganes.fo, mah@tinganes.fo, anh@tinganes.fo,
palln@tinganes.fo, sjr@tinganes.fo, peturp@tinganes.fo,
kristiannas@tinganes.fo, jeb@tinganes.fo, fisk@fisk.fo, riomfr@fo.stm.dk,
logting@logting.fo, mfa@mfa.fo, tourist@tourist.fo, annette@tourist.fo,
infoey-f@post.olivant.fo, infoey-r@post.olivant.fo, info@klaksvik.fo,
sandinfo@post.olivant.fo, info@vistinolsoy.fo, info@visittorshavn.fo,
touristinfo@post.olivant.fo, sout-inf@post.olivant.fo,
infovag@post.olivant.fo, vagar@vagar.fo, kunningarskivan@post.olivant.fo,
info@goscandinavia.com, wasamb@um.dk

***Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During
campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails
from government, corporate, or institute websites may be incorrect.

===========================================================
SAMPLE LETTER — This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue.
Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending.
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Honorable Officials of Denmark and Faeroe Islands:

Citizens worldwide are sickened by the annual vision of whales marooned in
blood-red waters. Islanders stone, gouge, spear, hack and bludgeon some
2,000 to 3,500 long- and short-finned pilot whales under the bizarre notion
that God created these animals for the Faeroese to butcher alive.

During a pilot whale “grind” boats chase whales into shallow bays, where the
disoriented creatures are easily gored with metal gaffs. Waters turn a
brilliant red by the time killers sink a 6-inch blade past blubber and flesh
to sever a whale’s spinal cord.

Finally, vital blood vessels are cut, leaving a bay littered with mangled
whales. Unbelievably, whale drives are festive community events. Young
children even take part in the massacre of terrified animals.

I cannot support tourism in the Danish Faeroe Islands until whale kills are
permanently terminated. I urge officials to legally shield wildlife from
abuse, including the senseless slaughter of whales for sport.

Moreover, the population count for North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales
is unknown. The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and
Natural Habitats classifies them as “strictly protected.” Each time the
Faeroese kill even 100 whales, entire pods and family groups are erased.
This weakens the their gene pool and harms ecosystems in the North Atlantic
and the North Sea.

The whale drive is illegal in other European states. Residents of the Faeroe
Islands don’t use the toxin-contaminated flesh left behind. Tradition,
entertainment and sport never justify outright torture. For these reasons, I
respectfully ask you to outlaw whale drives in the Danish Faeroe Islands.

Thank you,

===========================================================
SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE LINKS
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End Whale & Dolphin Slaughter in the Faeroe Islands (Denmark)
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/end-whale-dolphin-slaughter-in-the-faroe-islands?page=134

Defending Whales / Danish Faeroe Islands
http://www.seashepherd.org/whales/danish-faeroe-islands.html

Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info@kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle@accessus.net
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Kingship Circle / Public (501c3) Charity Status: 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi)

SUBSCRIBE:
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*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original
source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of
the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is
intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it
in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment
or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

Apparently having a cause is a license to troll to some people. They think that because you hold an opinion other than theirs that you must be vilified with personal attacks and assumptions that are convenient to them.

And why do they do this ? Because they have nothing to substantiate their opinions. They think this is a game in which they are victorious for having disrupted it. Otherwise they wouldn’t post insults or assumptions or baits. They’d be speaking of the topic at hand…

They want the conversation to be reduced to a flame war. They want people to just leave or not enter into this conversation because of it. They want to post inflammatory rhetoric only to be blocked to play the poor victim. And in this case they absolutely need for it to be emotional, to impose their whitecoat pictures and unrealistic scenarios about seal pups being killed in front of their parents.

They insist these situations are fact when there is no credible evidence other than annecdotals and highly edited footage in which dramatic music is played while the voice over orders you want to see. And you of course can’t question any of it unless you “support evil” or have vested interest in the hunt according to these people.

When have we become so simplistic ?

When have we become so desperate as to deny people the ability to discuss every facet ?

They think they own the subject. They’ve crowned themselves the defenders of the baby seal and think the rest of us can’t talk about it because, after all, those who want to discuss such matters are either with them, ignorant or have vested interest in the hunt.

This allows them of course to post blatantly incorrect figures and to censor everything as “supporting cruelty”, even the correct figures. After all, everything is just an opinion when it could be interpreted as supporting the hunt. And who are we to question or correct them ?

If it wasn’t for their sanctimonious attitute and resentment towards people who have informed opinions then they would be able to actually discuss this issue.

How can killing a mother and child be in the interest of science…

Japan To Host Special IWC Conference In February to Discuss Whaling Ban
Japanese Whaling Vessel With A Successfully Caught Scientific Research Project

Japan’s announcement to host a special IWC – International Whale Commission – conference this February in order to “re-assess” the population of whales has been met with outrage from activists and anti-whaling nations. Japan leads the pro-whaling block of nations from Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Islands and hopes with their assistance to lift the ban on commercialized whaling. Right now the Japanese Whaling Fleet is playing a cat-and-mouse game in the Southern Ocean with anti-whaling ships lead by Greenpeace and the controversial Sea Shepherd Society. The Sea Shepherd Society has offered $25,000 for the location of the whaling fleet which is believed to be using satellite technology to avoid them. Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are not expected to co-operate as Greenpeace has criticized the group for apparently going too far in their protest in the past while Sea Shepherd accuses Greenpeace of showboating but doing little else to actually save the whales.