tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13175191214946909752024-03-13T18:04:18.732-03:00Ocean ActivistUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-23346135790597736952013-12-27T22:19:00.000-04:002013-12-27T23:00:11.263-04:00SeaWorld “Protests Too Much, Methinks”<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next
several weeks and months will undoubtedly be interesting thanks to SeaWorld’s fateful
choice to enter the “Blackfish” debate. Another organization might have chosen
to be silent and wait for the furor to subside, but SeaWorld has chosen an alternative
disposition.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When entering
a debate, one of the fundamental tenants is to focus on the position or argument
presented by the opposition, but SeaWorld has not followed this core principle.
As part of their current public relations campaign, SeaWorld prefers to provide
information that in no way addresses the issues raised in “Blackfish”. In the
world of organized debate, SeaWorld would receive a failing grade.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To
understand the reasons for their current choices, one does not need to look any
further than the bottom line. Money makes the world go around and financial
gain is probably a key driver behind the current campaign, but it this case, one
of the sources of the greed could be external to SeaWorld. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If SeaWorld
engaged consultants to provide advice regarding how to manage their current
predicament, and these consultants advised SeaWorld to do nothing, it would be
difficult to submit a large, annotated invoice for hours of consulting time. “Doing
nothing” does not generate commission on the costs of newspapers advertisements
or on the fees paid to supposedly neutral third parties who have been engaged
to extoll the virtues of SeaWorld.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">An article
published today in the Orlando Sentinel by the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>P</span><em><span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">resident of the Central Florida Partnership,</span></em><em><span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
</span></em><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Jacob Stuart,</span><em><span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
</span></em><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My Word:
SeaWorld helps enrich lives in Central Fla.” is one of the latest efforts to
defend SeaWorld. Stuart uses the hollow platitude that SeaWorld is a “trusted
name” and he arrives at the crux of his argument went he states, “<span style="color: #292727;">SeaWorld has 11 parks in five states, and recently chose
Central Florida as the permanent home for its corporate headquarters. Between
Orlando and Tampa, SeaWorld has five parks that provide more than 10,000
full-time and part-time positions.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The number of employees is not at issue, nor is the choice
of location for the corporate headquarters. It is interesting that Stuart’s
article does not mention “Blackfish” by name. Perhaps the writer was following
a “style guide” drafted by a public relations consultant who suggested that “Blackfish”
not be specifically identified, but anyone who was not aware of the documentary
might be curious as to the name of the “speculative and one-sided documentary”.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the biggest news stories this year in Canada was the
antics of Toronto’s crack-smoking mayor, Rob Ford. He has a colourful history and
his mouth continues to move; providing an endless supply of sound bites for
late night talk shows hosts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iTzc9cB-cxo/Ur47GbpNcPI/AAAAAAAAAHs/_e0xBMYodA4/s1600/orca.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iTzc9cB-cxo/Ur47GbpNcPI/AAAAAAAAAHs/_e0xBMYodA4/s1600/orca.png" /></a><span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Blackfish” will be talked about for years to come not
only because of how it shone a bright light on the issue of killer whales in captivity,
but as a study in media relations. SeaWorld’s response to this documentary could
prove to be one of the most disastrous public relations campaigns in recent
history. Perhaps business students will detail the various mistakes made by
SeaWorld, but SeaWorld’s first and fundamental communication error was simple.
They entered a debate when they had no credible defense. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To the well-informed, articles such as the above mentioned
by Jacob Stuart are amusing and for those who have not questioned killer whale
captivity, SeaWorld’s defense serves to raise curiosity and opens the dialogue
about “Blackfish” and the issues it presents. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #292727; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">SeaWorld, you really do protest too much but a question
must be asked. Were you also reading Hamlet? Perhaps you were, and as a mantra
for your current creative media campaign, you selected, “to thine own self be
true”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Janice</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-24479554611426634182013-06-13T18:47:00.000-03:002013-06-13T19:19:53.728-03:00Youths who Killed 65 Seals Receive No Jail Time<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">On January 27, 2013, three youths from Prince
Edward Island, Canada, killed 65 seals who were resting on the shore on the
Eastern end of the Island. Veterinarians from the Atlantic Veterinary College
in Charlottetown confirmed the seals died from blunt force trauma to the head
and that not all of them died immediately. A necropsy concluded that 10 seal
pups had severely fractured skulls. </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Only when a reward was offered, did a member of
the local community name the perpetrators. The 15 and 17-year-olds who could
not be identified because of their age and 18-year-old Colton Clements,
admitted to using a hockey stick, a club and a clam hack to kill the seals.
They disposed of the club and clam hack and burned the hockey stick.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The court heard that it was the 15-year-old who
came up with the idea and that he killed the majority of the seals while
the other two went along with the plan. The youngest offender said “seals are
like mice in your cupboards”. He did not seem to understand why people
were so upset. The 17-year-old, the only one of the three who had been drinking
at the time of the incident, killed 2 seals and stopped because he “felt bad
for the seals.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said, “I knew it was
wrong and I wish I had not done it.” The 18-year-old killed 5 seals and
stopped, but made no attempt to prevent the 15-year-old from bludgeoning the
rest of the seals.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">They were all sentenced today in Georgetown in
front of Judge Nancy Orr. The two juveniles received fines, two years of
probation, 200 hours of community service, and because they enjoy hunting and
fishing, they will not be allowed to do these activities for two years.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The 18-year-old was given a similar sentence,
but a slightly larger fine even though he could have received up to five years
in jail. In making her ruling, Judge Orr said the maximum sentence was for the
worst offenses with the worst facts and for the worst offenders. She said
“the facts are bad, but this is not the worst offender” because this young
man had no prior history of violence and had not been in trouble of any
kind. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Undoubtedly, Judge Orr will come under criticism
for her decisions, but she is restricted in terms of how she can punish
youthful offenders. Colton Clements was one month past his 18th birthday and
just three months older than the 17-year-old. Judge Orr said she would not make
him the “sacrificial lamb” so she opted to punish him in a similar fashion as
she did the other two perpetrators.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">A letter of support for the three youths
suggested, “they were undoubtedly influenced by the low opinion of seals in a
tight fishing community.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Online
comments expressed outrage, but those in the local community seemed to support
these young men and perhaps even their motives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Seals are blamed for the decline in cod stocks
even though seals prey upon the predators of cod. The death of seals in this
region is routine, as seal hunters venture onto the ice each spring to kills
baby seals despite the fact that there is no market for Canadian seal products.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">This is not the first time that Georgetown,
population 693, has experienced a collision of sentiments between those who
kill seals and those who defend these marine mammals. In 2008, violence
erupted on the dock as locals cut the dock lines of the Sea Shepherd
Conversation Society’s vessel, the Farley Mowat.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">It takes a community to raise a child, and it
was this community that raised the three who committed horrific acts of
violence against a herd of seals. Violence against animals is often a precursor
to violence against people and these young men need professional help. The lens
through which they view the world is flawed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">If there is a miniscule ray of hope in this land
of love for seal killers, it is that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans investigated, charges were made, and there
were convictions even though the punishment was minimal. At least the
killing of these seals was deemed a crime, unlike the senseless slaughter than
happens every year in Canada in the name of tradition and commerce.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US">For the Oceans, </span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span> </div>
<div class="Body" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US">Janice </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aw3cVKZfiFU/Ubo7K_V94AI/AAAAAAAAAFE/OsYMC_BAMM0/s1600/grey+seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aw3cVKZfiFU/Ubo7K_V94AI/AAAAAAAAAFE/OsYMC_BAMM0/s1600/grey+seal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grey Seal<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-28533668765971599402011-12-28T14:39:00.000-04:002011-12-28T14:39:46.413-04:002012 Outlook for Canada’s Seals<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite the efforts of Prime Minister Steven Harper and his legal team, the European Union ban on the import of Canadian seal products remains in place. The door to the south has been closed for decades with the United States in 1972, and Mexico shortly thereafter, prohibiting the import and export of marine mammal products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Canada’s federal Fisheries Department reports that almost 90% of Canada’s seal exports are destined for Russia, but just last week Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation announced that seal products could no longer be imported from Canada. According to Vladimir Putin, the seal hunt “should have been stopped years ago”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were 205,000 harp seals killed in 2008, but only 68,000 in 2010. In 2011 the number plummeted to 38,000; a mere 10% of the allowable slaughter. With the Russian Federation ban in place, significantly fewer harp seals will be clubbed to death in 2012.</span></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jrfLY23jIM0/Tvte3s5l-9I/AAAAAAAAAEM/ymPr86fGJ_E/s1600/Harp+Seal+with+her+Pup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jrfLY23jIM0/Tvte3s5l-9I/AAAAAAAAAEM/ymPr86fGJ_E/s1600/Harp+Seal+with+her+Pup.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harp Seal with Baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Early in 2011, Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea, announced China was going to import Canadian seal products, but the deal never materialized. Rebecca Aldworth, the Canadian director of Humane Society International said, “What has happened, in my opinion, is the deliberate misleading of the Canadian public and the sealing community about the potential for a seal meat market in China.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">More money will be spent fighting the EU ban and it is likely funds will be allocated to fight the Russian ban as well, but this effort appears to be largely a regional politics game rather than a responsible use of taxpayers’ money. The seal hunt is no longer financially viable and although boats will venture out in 2012, their numbers will be few. This all sounds very positive for the harp seals, but unfortunately other threats remain, especially for the grey seals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A proposal is being considered to cull 140,000 grey seals on Sable Island. Some people believe the seal cull will aid in the recovery of cod stocks, but Dr. Hal Whitehead, a professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax disagrees. He said, “Before humans started industrial fishing, there were large populations of both seals and cod. Clearly, they can co-exist perfectly well….It appears to me that politicians are playing into this largely irrational hatred of seals to make it look like they are doing something.” </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Research has not proven how a seal cull could be beneficial. "All scientific efforts to find an effect of seal predation on Canadian groundfish stocks have failed to show any impact. Overfishing remains the only scientifically demonstrated conservation problem related to fish stock collapse." <em><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From a petition signed by 97 scientists from 15 countries at the 11th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Dec.1995</span></em></span></span></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hdToXaLZUCo/TvtiMnw3ntI/AAAAAAAAAEY/EuQBv_amH9s/s1600/Grey+Seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196px" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hdToXaLZUCo/TvtiMnw3ntI/AAAAAAAAAEY/EuQBv_amH9s/s320/Grey+Seal.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grey Seal</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The suggestion of a grey cull was</span> initially put forth in 2009. According to Dr. Boris Worm, a Dalhousie University biology professor, “It was something that was announced before the science was heard, and then a meeting was convened to produce the science to support that decision.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The only way to determine if there is an increase in cod stocks after a cull would be to use a control group, but in the case of the proposed grey seal cull, there is only one population so there would be no way to know if a cull did assist in the recovery of the cod.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The cod have numerous predators and many believe seals eat more of the cod’s predators than they do cod. Seals are part of a complex ecosystem and a seal cull could have unexpected or even dire consequences.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Global warming is also a major threat to Canada’s seal population. Some seal pups drown at birth because of the lack of ice and the frequent early breakup of ice causes mothers and pups to be separated before pups are weaned. As the ice pack decreases, so will the seal population. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is wonderful to see the global community taking a stance against the Canadian seal hunt. As we look forward to 2012, there isn’t a valid reason for the barbaric slaughter to continue. However, even after the demand for seal products has ceased, seals, and all life in the oceans will continue to be threatened by overfishing and climate change.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is unfortunate that people are not better stewards of the oceans. Instead of blaming the seals for imbalances and the decline of fish stocks, man should look in mirror to see the true culprit in the diminishment of biodiversity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice Oceans (on Facebook)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice_Oceans (on Twitter)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-65395083877166095112011-11-03T20:18:00.004-03:002011-11-03T20:58:53.306-03:00Canadian Seal Hunt Makes no Sense<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is time for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the seal hunters from Newfoundland to admit defeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one wants their bloody seal products.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite attempts to make it seem the European Union ban on the import of Canadian seal products was a terrible mistake because the facts were not understood, European protests against the seal hunt date back 50 years. The ban was a long time coming and it will never be reversed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A great deal of money is being spent trying to convince the EU the ban should be lifted. As a Canadian taxpayer, I hate when money is spent foolishly. I also hate when money is spent playing the “regional politics” game. It does not matter which party is in power, they all pander to the sealers in a pathetic attempt to impress voters from Newfoundland and Labrador.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the current right wing majority government, Canadians can expect 4 years of cuts to social programs that will make life harder for the working poor, but a staggering sum of money has been spent on the EU appeal that is bound to fail….and so it should. Sealing has no place in this century. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It would be more cost-effective to buy-out every sealer than to waste money on ridiculous, posturing junkets that attempt to find new and emerging markets for seal products. A recent folly starred the former Canadian Minister of Fisheries, Gail Shea, travelling to China in a futile attempt to broker a deal. There was fanfare and much ado with the announcement of a deal with China. As it turns out, it was much ado about nothing. There never was any deal, there never will be any deal, and once again, Canadian taxpayers were deceived. It pains me to say it, but the sealers were also duped. They were given hope their antiquated profession, if you can call it a profession, would be revived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A government spokesperson from the Province of Prince Edward Island said, “The Chinese will eat anything”. Aside from being a cruel, barbaric practice, seal meat has significant problems with respect to meeting the basic standards that would be required in order to sell seal meat internationally for human consumption. Seals are killed in an environment void of the processes necessary to ensure food safety. The Chinese have clearly indicated they will NOT “eat anything”, nor is it likely anyone else will acquire a taste for seal flipper pie. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are so few people in Newfoundland who are involved in the seal hunt. It is a micro-industry so why the fuss? There is no money to be made. The job of any leader is to define reality and it is time Prime Minster Harper admitted defeat. The sealing industry in Canada is dead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice Oceans (on Facebook)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">@janice_oceans (on Twitter)</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-14107046773555335012011-09-08T20:56:00.002-03:002011-09-08T21:02:56.099-03:00Snapperfest is Animal Abuse<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the most amazing things we can ever experience is to observe wild animals in their natural habitat, but something has gone very wrong in the City of Rising Sun, Indiana, the home of a sadistic event called Snapperfest.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Event contestants grab a wild snapping turtle by its tail, run down a field while dangling the turtle upside-down, they throw the turtle to the ground, and then they try to pull the turtle’s head out of its shell. Once the head of the terrified animal has been violently dislodged from its shell, the victorious thug swings the turtle by its neck in triumph. Sometimes a turtle will latch onto its abuser and in order to free the brute’s hand or finger from the turtle’s mouth; the so-called referee will slit the turtle’s throat. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A turtle should never be picked up by the tail because that can cause spinal and internal injuries. Many turtles suffer from shock and die a slow, agonizing death. The organizers claim no turtles are hurt and that the event is just good, clean, family fun. Fun for whom?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly not for the turtles. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The people in the City of Rising Sun, Indiana, are anthropocentric. They believe wild animals exist for the amusement of humans and it appears the police and game wardens are totally onside with this so called “sport”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Snapperfest has flown under the radar for years, but this abuse will no longer be tolerated. Animal lovers are just getting started. Tourists who are thinking about a vacation to Indiana, the City of Rising Sun, or the Campshore Campground will be inundated with information on the internet about this barbaric place and I expect many people will do the right thing and bypass the region entirely until reason and compassion reign over brutality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Snapperfest banner was co-branded by their sponsor, Budweiser, but when the complaints started, the boys at Bud were quick to distance themselves from the event. Budweiser claims they did not sponsor the event and they blame a local company in the supply chain, but Budweiser is unable or unwilling to say who authorized the sponsorship. Their implication is that determining who authorized the banner or the financial support would be a monumental challenge.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It would appear that banners, their design, and their origin confuse Budweiser so a very helpful guy was kind enough to design a special banner for Snapperfest and Budweiser. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Animals,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice Oceans (on Facebook)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">@janice_oceans (on Twitter)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AdaMiwqDS-Q/TmlWLrWTgfI/AAAAAAAAAD4/-Mn_BTb7eJM/s1600/Snapperfest+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225px" nba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AdaMiwqDS-Q/TmlWLrWTgfI/AAAAAAAAAD4/-Mn_BTb7eJM/s400/Snapperfest+banner.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-22157490242387106712011-09-06T15:41:00.008-03:002011-09-06T19:03:13.958-03:00Dolphin Day and the Hope for the Future<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Activists often have different views regarding how to achieve their goals. A variety of approaches can be effective and I enjoy dialogue with ocean activists who take a gentle approach as well as those who actively intervene in illegal activities. Although it might not be everyone’s primary approach, few could argue that education is crucial.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The adults who are alive today have done more to destroy the oceans than all other generations combined so it only makes sense that we should take responsibility to clean up and protect the oceans. There is only 10% of the life in the oceans that there was 50 years ago. Many species are extinct and others are under threat from unsustainable fishing methods, pollution, greed, and ignorance.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">September 1<sup>st</sup> was International Dolphin Day and there were events held in over 40 cities around the world that drew attention to the plight of the dolphins that are ruthlessly slaughtered in Taiji, Japan. I have witnessed the slaughter and it is totally abominable that this sort of atrocity can happened in Japan in 2011. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was great to see so many young people involved in rallies on September 1<sup>st</sup>. One such child was 12 year old Alexandra from New Zealand. Young people like Alexander have a heavy burden to carry. A great deal of damage has been done and those who have performed acts of ocean genocide are unlikely to be part of the solution. The children are our future and we need to encourage Alexandra because our only hope to save the dolphins and the oceans might our children.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attending the event caused Alexandra to miss a day of school. I don’t wish to minimize the importance of formal education, but should not conservation be one of the most important subjects?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alexandra’s teacher told her that her absence could be considered truancy and this position was also supported by other teachers. Some children were allowed to mock Alexandra because she was doing that “dolphin stuff”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When used as a noun the word “truant” can mean “a person who neglects his or her duties” or “a </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">lazy, idle person”. Perhaps the teachers need educating because it is not Alexandra or her young peers who have neglected their duties, but rather it was the previous generation. Words are powerful and it is unfair to use a word that means “lazy” or “idle” when referring to one so young who is prepared to take a stand.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can assure you that the only thing stupid about that “dolphin stuff’ is that on a daily basis, highly sentient dolphins who migrate past Taiji, Japan are forced into a cove and die a horrific and painful death. Those who are not killed are sold into a life of slavery at a theme park, but most end up on Japanese tables and become a toxic, mercury laden meal.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To the Alexandra’s of the world….thank you. Please don’t be discouraged by your ignorant elders, but also be patient with them because despite your age, you are the teacher, and those who call you a truant are your students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice Oceans (on Facebook)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">@janice_oceans (on Twitter)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zfp5y3TqRTY/TmZ7SXDYIoI/AAAAAAAAADw/Ej-neNjc5YE/s1600/Dolphin+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265px" nba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zfp5y3TqRTY/TmZ7SXDYIoI/AAAAAAAAADw/Ej-neNjc5YE/s400/Dolphin+Day.jpg" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolphin Day September 1, 2011 - photo by Kerry O'Brien</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-txWw8SA2JX0/TmZ5cVEQqHI/AAAAAAAAADs/VtUGPVMQJHw/s1600/Alexandra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265px" nba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-txWw8SA2JX0/TmZ5cVEQqHI/AAAAAAAAADs/VtUGPVMQJHw/s400/Alexandra.jpg" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexandra at Dolphin Day in Auckland - photo by Kerry O'Brien<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGs4yFfdsuo/TmaYLgNZySI/AAAAAAAAAD0/kwGatxj8vZM/s1600/Zepher+at+Dolphin+Day+in+Seattle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400px" nba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGs4yFfdsuo/TmaYLgNZySI/AAAAAAAAAD0/kwGatxj8vZM/s400/Zepher+at+Dolphin+Day+in+Seattle.jpg" width="265px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zepher at Dolphin Day in Seattle - photo by Mike Lorden</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-54199215035933923282011-06-29T22:32:00.006-03:002011-09-11T10:01:47.753-03:00Sharon Osbourne, Don’t Swim with Dolphins!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sharon Osbourne recently participated in a Swim with Dolphins program and that attracted the attention of those who believe dolphins should not be forced to live in captivity. I am an ocean activist so I am in conflict with Sharon Osbourne, but I must clarify what I mean by “conflict”. I define it as something that is caused by having a different level of understanding of an issue. At first glance, Swim with Dolphin programs appear benign, but there is a darker, more sinister reality.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am neither a fan nor a detractor of Sharon Osbourne. I understand from friends who follow celebrities that she is an articulate, hard-working professional who is extremely committed to her projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sharon, we have a project for you. Please join our campaign to put an end to whale and dolphin captivity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am not aware of any incidents of dolphins in the wild injuring people, but there have been numerous injuries during Swim with Dolphins programs. These incidents are labeled "accidents", but it is hard to believe that despite their expert swimming ability a dolphin could "accidently" ram someone and break bones. These dolphins are not as happy as their captors claim.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dolphins in captivity have a very high death rate and they suffer from pneumonia, various infections, stomach ulcers, and stress, and whales and dolphins that are born in captivity often die within the first weeks or months of their lives. Dolphins are amazing, highly social, sentient creatures and captivity causes endless pain and suffering. The optics of Swim with Dolphin programs are enhanced by smoke and mirrors, but make no mistake, there is pain behind the dolphins’ smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The horrific dolphin slaughter in Taiji is driven by the live dolphin trade. I am a Cove Veteran and I have witnessed the dolphin slaughter in Taiji. The dolphins that survive this brutal drive fishery are traumatized because they witnessed the death of their families. These captives are packed in coffin-like boxes filled with ice and shipped as cargo. They then spend the remainder of their lives “dying to amuse us”. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please watch the Academy Award winning move, “The Cove”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you love dolphins, seeing this movie is a life-changing experience. Here is something else you should see. </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uBfafEcqGU&feature=youtube_gdata_player"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uBfafEcqGU&feature=youtube_gdata_player</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Folks, we want Sharon’s support, so please, no personal attacks. I have no quarrel with Sharon, but I acknowledge we have a different level of understanding regarding dolphin captivity and we hope to close the gap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sharon, come stand with the Cove Guardians in Taiji. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you speak, people will listen. The dolphins need you because the slaughter starts again in September. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice Oceans (on Facebook)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">@janice_oceans (on Twitter)</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To learn more about Swim with Dolphin programs, go to </span><a href="http://www.miamiseaprison.com/hsus-swim.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.miamiseaprison.com/hsus-swim.htm</span></a><br />
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This is an good article from the BBC <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8572855.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8572855.stm</a><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-5386564622950214362011-06-26T21:10:00.001-03:002011-09-06T16:52:43.636-03:00The Unknown Orca<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many years ago, I visited an aquarium and remember seeing an orca in a small circular tank that appeared to overlap with another small circular tank. I recall feeling a bit sick as I watched this large animal try to build up enough speed in this confined space to jump out of the water on command. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My childhood memories often revealed that things that appeared to be massive were in reality quite small when viewed through the eyes of an adult. As I recall, these connecting pools seemed extremely tiny, but it was the size of the orca in relation to the size of the tank that was most disturbing. This orca was in a fishbowl.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What I did not know then was how wrong it is to confine an orca to a tank. Flipper was always laughing, smiling, and having so much fun. Having a pet dolphin was really cool. What I did not know was that Kathy, the dolphin who played the role of Flipper, committed suicide. What I did not know was the horrific suffering that Kathy and all whales and dolphins in captivity endure on a daily basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I do not know the Orca’s name and I don’t know the location or name of the facility. I live in Canada and there are limited options in this country so it must have been somewhere in the United States; perhaps a border town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This poor animal would have lived and died without contact with her orca family and without living a life of freedom in the ocean which is the birthright of all cetaceans. Who was this once magnetic creature? Was she constantly breathing polluted air, suffering from ulcers, and inflicted with skin infections caused by the chemicals in her tank? What type of captivity-related disease caused her death? How many years was her life cut short? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I do know is that she committed no crime and she did not deserve to lose her freedom or her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My father is no longer alive and my mother can’t recall ever taking us to an aquarium so this remains a mystery and I wonder if this is a memory or just my imagination. Maybe this was something I saw on television. Perhaps it was a dream or a forerunner; an experience I will have in future. If this is a recollection, maybe it was rekindled to inspire my work as an ocean activist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I cannot determine her identity, perhaps I might concede she never existed and that would make for a happy ending because if she did not exist, she did not suffer, but attributing this memory to a dream would be a much too convenient resolution. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think she was real and I would like to know who she was, but I don’t know if I ever will. Her family never knew what happened to her and it is very possible I won’t either.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps she will always be the unknown orca. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice Oceans (on Facebook)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">@janice_oceans (on Twitter)</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-86861364530506958932011-06-23T17:26:00.000-03:002011-09-06T15:49:41.564-03:00Taiji, Japan, and the Global Community<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The world was shocked and saddened by the earthquake, tsunami, and the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan. Many people in Japan are bravely suffering through what is probably the most traumatic experience of their lives.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People ask me if the current situation in Japan will impact my activist activities. It might change the strategy, but not the goals and objectives. I will continue to oppose anyone from any country who kills whales or dolphins. The current situation in Japan does not grant them any latitude.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The whaling industry is having serious financial problems and it is unlikely it will receive a cash injection when there are so many cities and towns that need to be rebuilt. And what about Taiji?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no question that Taiji continues to be a public relations disaster. The actions of a few have tarnished the reputation of the nation and this has impacted the willingness of some to donate to Japanese relief agencies, but fortunately individuals as well as nations have joined in the effort. They made this choice because it was the right thing to do. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We share the same values of family and community as do the citizens of Japan. But what about the issues where we differ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Japan views whales and dolphins as resources that can be harvested, bought, sold, and eaten. This separates the Japanese from those who are trying to help this nation in crisis.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is to become of this divide? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will the current crisis in Japan widened the gap or will it bring us closer together? I hope Japan will join the rest of the world; a world with an appreciation for biodiversity and a world of global citizens who are intrinsically linked by the oceans we share and protect. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my blog, “New Year’s Predictions for Taiji”, I wrote “<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Eventually Japan will have no choice but to stop issuing permits to kill small cetaceans. The international opposition to the dolphin slaughter in Taiji continues to grow and Japan cannot financially afford to isolate itself from the world by legally permitting acts that are considered criminal is most other countries.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stand by my prediction. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The countries who kill whales and dolphins are Japan, Iceland, Norway, and the Faeroe Islands of Denmark so that means the vast majority of the countries in the world oppose Japan’s commercial whaling activities and the dolphin slaughter, but in response to our complaints, they call us racists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will it now be harder for Japan to play the “racist card”? Are all those people from all around the world who are donating money to help rebuild Japan “racists”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This defense was always pathetic, but now it will also be insulting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-56651527805478545612011-05-06T11:25:00.001-03:002011-09-06T16:53:35.838-03:00Taiji and Puffs of Black Smoke<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of all the images of Taiji that are etched in my mind, the puffs of black smoke are <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">among</span> the most haunting.</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Black smoke blinds its victims and causes cancer. Black smoke could be the result of a fire or volcano, or it could be an iconic image of evil in classic literature. In Taiji, when there was black smoke, there was fear, panic, and desperation. It was normally dolphins, but yesterday it was pilot whales, who were fighting for their lives.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The geography of Taiji is unique and the killers use it to their advantage. Initially I wondered why the dolphins were first driven into the harbour and then along the coast. Once they are in the harbour, they are corralled into a channel that hugs the coast and leads to the cove. As the water depth decreases, the dolphins have a choice of trying to escape the horrible wall of sound by swimming through the shallow water; a frightening option because they fear shallow water, or they can go into the killing cove. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes we could see the banger boats on the horizon. When they spotted dolphins, they would throttle their engines, belch smoke, and take up their deadly formation. The puffs of black smoke told us the killers had found their prey. </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IX9uMkJmgyU/TQMsEeTNuwI/AAAAAAAAABw/JCyfQLmI7MI/s1600/pushing+dolphins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" j8="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IX9uMkJmgyU/TQMsEeTNuwI/AAAAAAAAABw/JCyfQLmI7MI/s320/pushing+dolphins.JPG" width="320px" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a while the smoke would be erratic and the bows of the boats would point in different directions while the dolphins attempted to elude their stalkers. Sometimes the dolphins would escape, but often the boats and the smoke would move to the harbour and eventually return along the coastline. We could hear the banging and the roar of the engines. The black smoke at the mouth of the cove was horrific. For me, it symbolized death. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a horror movie, a big puff of smoke could mean the monster has been destroyed, but in Taiji, it is the monsters that are destroying the dolphins with callous efficiency. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although I am at home, thousands of miles from Taiji on a beautiful Island, watching the blue herons take advantage of the low tide to find their dinner, I can still see the banger boats and the puffs of smoke that predicted the death of the innocents. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice Oceans (on Facebook)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">@janice_oceans (on Twitter)</span><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please call the Japanese Embassy to voice your objections. The monsters plan to murder 200 pilot whales in Taiji within the next few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Japanese Embassy, Washington D.C.: (202) 238-6700<br />
Japanese Embassy, London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7465 6500. <br />
Japanese Embassy, Ottawa, Canada: +1 613 241 8541.<br />
Japanese Embassy, Canberra, Australia: +61 (0)2 6273 3244. <br />
Japanese Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa: +27 (0)12 452 1500. <br />
Japanese Embassy, Dublin, Ireland: +353 (0)1 202 8300. <br />
Japanese Embassy, Wellington, New Zealand: +64 (0)4 473 1540</span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-38472649674353576212011-02-08T19:30:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:28:34.322-03:00Educating People about the Oceans in 60 Seconds<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many years ago, I attended a session that focused on how to make business connections. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were told to develop an “elevator speech” that described who we were and what we did and to be able to deliver that message during a period equivalent to the time it takes an elevator to travel 10 floors with one stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes practise, but it is possible to pack a lot of information in 4 or 5 sentences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently went on a vacation in the Caribbean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after our arrival, we had the opportunity to attend an information session to learn about the various activities in the area. One of the options was a dolphin prison. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course, I spoke up. It is very easy to explain over dinner, when you have a couple of hours, why dolphin captivity is wrong, but my challenge was to quickly and succinctly convey the message in just a few sentences. It was time for my best elevator speech.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a professional speaker and trainer, I always try to find out as much as possible about the audience, but if little information is available, I rely on a few key principles when selecting content. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using these principles when creating an “elevator speech” can help deliver a powerful, timely message.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Often people need facts. Put at least one fact in your communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people dismiss messages that don’t have some sort of fact or properly referenced statistic. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes people need something upon which they can reflect because they need to come to their own conclusions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, “Dolphins and whales are highly sentient beings and live in complex social structures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you think the dolphins feel when they are torn away from their families and forced to live in a tiny pool instead of enjoying a vast ocean?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be memorable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paint a picture that leaves the listener with a clear image that is powerful visually or emotionally engaging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Use one of your sentences to describe something you have seen or experienced and tell people how it made you feel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There should be a call to action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask people to not attend any attraction with captive whales or dolphins, recommend a website, or give them a few keywords they can Google. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you give this some thought, you might find that one sentence can satisfy more than one of the key components of your elevator speech. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have a few different versions and practice with your friends, but don’t memorize your speech. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The same content does not work for everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A person who requires facts will not be impressed if 4 of your 5 sentences are a call to action, nor will the person who is ready to act be interested in detailed statistics, but if you include different kinds of content, you are more likely to have one or more of your points achieve the desired result.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It would be wonderful if every time we tried to discuss our causes, the other person gave us an hour of their time, but those opportunities are infrequent. A powerful “elevator speech” could potentially be used several times per day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 30 – 60 seconds, we won’t create a new activist, but if we are prepared, we can make progress and we will probably have said something that resonates with the listener.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can create a powerful elevator speech if you include:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">at least one fact,</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">something upon which your listeners can reflect,</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a description of a memorable image,</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">something that is actionable, and finally,</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ask a question and try to turn your elevator speech into a dialogue.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As activists, our window of opportunity to impact our listeners can be very limited so we need to be prepared. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-64675170051514751452011-01-12T22:55:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:37:39.949-03:00Slaughters in Taiji, Japan and Newfoundland, Canada are Similar<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today Canada’s Minister of Fisheries, Gail Shea, announced plans to sell seal products to China. The sealing industry in Canada has been crippled by the EU ban on the import of seal products, but today’s announcement could renew the wide scale slaughter of seals off the coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Taiji, Japan, and the Province of Newfoundland have some frightening similarities. Both kill a marine species, despite enormous international pressure to end the slaughters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The North Atlantic cod fishery was mismanaged and overfishing destroyed the cod stocks, but government officials often blame the seals for the collapse of the cod fishery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dolphin killers in Taiji believe they are performing a public service by killing dolphins because dolphins are a pest. There is no scientific evidence that any appreciable decline of fish stocks can be attributed to seals or dolphins, but who needs science when people believe anything they are told by their government.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Japan maintains there are plenty of dolphins and Canada claims to have too many seals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Japan issues permits to kill dolphins based on out-dated population surveys and Canada fails to report or acknowledge that thousands of baby seals drown because there is not enough ice to serve as a birthing ground and nursery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As climate change worsens, the lack of ice is certain to threaten the seals' survival.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Canada and Japan justify their barbaric acts with the excuse that it is their tradition. Many crimes against humanity and the environment have been committed in the name of tradition, but people in civilized societies move forward and don’t cling to destructive and unethical practices.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Politicians in both countries don’t seem to care that a single industry, if we can call it that, damages the reputation of their country. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In both nations, a very small number of people benefit financially, but citizens are reluctant to express their opposition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most Japanese do not eat whale meat and very few have ever eaten dolphin, but it would be considered unpatriotic for Japanese citizens to speak out against the dolphin slaughter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t personally know anyone who has eaten seal meat, but Canadians, especially those living on the east coast, are reluctant to voice their objection to the seal hunt. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was in Taiji, we exercised caution because there was concern for our safety, but to my knowledge, the killers of Taiji have not injured any activists or damaged property. The police and coast guard have worked hard to keep the peace in Taiji and to ensure the safety of the activists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Canada, there have been occasions when the coast guard and police have behaved as if they were the sealers’ private security force and they stood by while property was destroyed and people were injured. Taiji comes out ahead when we compare the relative performance of the police and coast guard.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While Canadian farmers struggle to survive, fisherman, especially the sealers, are heavily subsidized. I do not know if the dolphin slaughter in Taiji is government funded, but the tax payers of Japan fund the whale poachers in the Southern Ocean as they target protected Minke whales, endangered fin whales, and highly endangered humpback whales in an internationally recognized whale sanctuary, in violation of the moratorium on commercial whaling, and in contempt of the Antarctic Treaty. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I speak with Canadians about the dolphin slaughter in Taiji, they are horrified, but sadly, Canada has a shameful record and it would appear Fisheries Minister Gail Shea plans to match the disgraceful history with an equally appalling future. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-63448510306072094892011-01-02T14:16:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:37:39.950-03:00Misty the Dolphin<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes one person or one image is timeless and will forever represent a historical moment or cause.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The image of the war in Viet Nam that is indelibly etched in my memory is that of a naked child running down a road after she was burned by napalm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I now know is that her name was </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kim Phúc. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Pulitzer Prize winning photo was taken in 1963 near Trang Bang, South Vietnam when she was 9 years old, but those are details. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the image that will be remembered forever.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes an event will be as clear today as it was decades ago. During a rehearsal in Toronto, one of the actors arrived with the sad news that Terry Fox had died. I remember the moment as if it were yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all thought that with his strength and determination, Terry could beat cancer. Terry Fox will always be a symbol of courage and he is a powerful force in the fight against cancer.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michael J. Fox put a face to Parkinson’s disease and Christopher Reeve’s tragic accident created awareness of spinal cord injuries and raised millions for the cause.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thousands of dolphins have been brutally murdered in Taiji and others are sold into captivity, but Taiji’s dolphins are nameless and faceless. Now there is Misty.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have learned that Misty is male, not female as was initially presumed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trainers at the Dolphin Base in Taiji might have a name for him and perhaps his dolphin family had a name for him, but the world will only know him as Misty.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He was separated from the other dolphins because he was sick. Misty floats listlessly in a shallow pool overrun by algae and he clings to the only thing that has not been taken away from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This dolphin with the yellow float in his mouth has become an iconic image and the symbol of everything that is evil in Taiji; the dolphin slaughter and sale of live dolphins to aquariums. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sometimes there are good news stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kim Phúc, is now an author and </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. She is a </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Canadian citizen and is married with two children. Michael J. Fox lives a very full life and he is a self-proclaimed eternal optimist. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps it will not be the horrific images of death and brutality that will put an end to the Taiji dolphin slaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope the only final image the world needs to shut down the Killers of Taiji and the Dolphin Base is that of this sick, lonely dolphin with the yellow object in his mouth.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TSDAa4fyPJI/AAAAAAAAADA/hL7Mzz1msPM/s1600/Misty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TSDAa4fyPJI/AAAAAAAAADA/hL7Mzz1msPM/s400/Misty.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misty the Dolphin - photo by <span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Andy Romanowski </span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Please insist on better living conditions for Misty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Email the Dolphin Base, info@dolphinbase.co.jp, or from the Unites States or Canada call </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">011-81-0735-59-3514. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As always, you can register your objection to the Taiji dolphin slaughter with the Japanese Embassy. </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Clear, polite messages carry the most weight. </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-60278430348465496152010-12-31T22:08:00.000-04:002010-12-31T22:21:11.997-04:00New Year’s Predictions for Taiji<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For many of us, this is a time for reflection and anticipation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does the future hold for the dolphins and the killers of Taiji?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The last several days have been good for the dolphins because the killers have taken a vacation, but a dolphin named Misty has not been so fortunate. She is confined in a dirty pool that barely gives her room to turn around. She is alone, and depressed, and she clings desperately to the yellow buoy in her mouth as a child would a toy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the killers of Taiji enjoy their vacation with their family, poor Misty knows her family is gone and her only comfort in the world is an inanimate object. She was selected to be trained, and if she survives the hell hole she is in in Taiji, she will be tranquilized and packed in a box the size of a coffin and covered with ice for transport to an aquarium where she will survive only a fraction of the time she would in the wild. She will experience depression, skin rashes, ulcers, infections, and unbearable loneliness, and if she wants to eat, she will have to perform stupid tricks to amuse humans. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One does not have to be a fortune teller to predict the future for the killers. They think they have the upper hand on the Cove Guardians and all the people around the world who oppose their heinous acts, but for those who murder dolphins, the future is not so bright.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eventually Japan will have no choice but to stop issuing permits to kill small cetaceans. The international opposition to the dolphin slaughter continues to grow and Japan cannot financially afford to isolate itself from the world by legally permitting acts that are considered criminal is most other countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The killers might think they are respected because they have little or no opposition from their own community. Don’t confuse fear with respect. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would be less than honest if I claimed to have any concern for the killers, but I do have grave concerns for the children because they will pay for the crimes of the previous generation; the generation who fed their families dolphin meat with unsafe mercury levels. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So killer dudes, how proud will your children be when their children; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YOUR GRANDCHILDREN</b>, are plagued with birth defects and medical problems?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you smiling now grandpa?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your offspring are not, but of course, you cannot see them, because they have disowned you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That is what I predict for the killers of Taiji.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please flood the Dolphin Base, </span><a href="mailto:info@dolphinbase.co.jp"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">info@dolphinbase.co.jp</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, with emails to let them know what you think about the conditions in which Misty is forced to live. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure they feel the heat while there is still time to save her. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (We do not know if Misty is male or female, but I have made the assumption Misty is female because dolphin trainers prefer female dolphins.)</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TR6OY-z_RlI/AAAAAAAAAC8/q34FrC7LMM4/s1600/2011+Prediction.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TR6OY-z_RlI/AAAAAAAAAC8/q34FrC7LMM4/s400/2011+Prediction.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2011 Prediction: </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The killers won’t need these much longer.</span></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-78591652923474854082010-12-23T06:13:00.000-04:002010-12-23T06:21:40.011-04:00Conspiracy of Silence<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had another awesome day with no death in the Cove!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope the Christmas break will begin tomorrow and that the dolphins will not be in danger for at least a week.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night I went down to the hot springs by the harbour to soak my feet and look at the moon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man approached me and I recognized him because he had spoken to me in the grocery store last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was extremely friendly and I wondered if he knew why I was in Japan. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He said, “Oh yes, I know you are with Sea Shepherd and I have no problem with you and the young people in Japan really like you”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He went on to say that dolphins are extremely intelligent and that he wished they would stop killing dolphins in Taiji and that many people in Taiji felt the same, but did not feel comfortable expressing their objection to the dolphin slaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This man was retired and he had lived and worked in Taiji. He told me his name, but asked that I not repeat it because he feared recriminations. What a shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was an articulate professional, but he could not publicly express his opinion on the most important political, social, environmental, and economic issue in Taiji.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why the silence?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two weeks ago, we were having lunch and there was a group of teenage boys at the next table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I expected them to be too self-absorbed to notice us, or if they did, they would think the women wearing Sea Shepherd clothing were weird. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly learned I had misjudged them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were rebels with a cause and I could tell they thought it was cool that they saw us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Change in any society takes time, but for the tuna, whales, and dolphins, time is running out. I am encouraged that younger people have made lifestyle changes and are prepared to voice their opinions, but the conspiracy of silence in Japan has lasted too long and it is deafeningly silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRMfSv00jWI/AAAAAAAAAC0/qjI5THCzOPc/s1600/Whale+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRMfSv00jWI/AAAAAAAAAC0/qjI5THCzOPc/s400/Whale+Bridge.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunnel in Taiji</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRMe0snmieI/AAAAAAAAACw/vqO8Czcrk_8/s1600/Whale+Bridge+in+Taiji.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRMe0snmieI/AAAAAAAAACw/vqO8Czcrk_8/s400/Whale+Bridge+in+Taiji.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunnel in Taiji<br />
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</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-64058565688848317562010-12-22T03:05:00.000-04:002010-12-22T03:05:29.511-04:00Please Do What You Can<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many people have said they want to be with us in Taiji, but finances and family commitments prevent them from joining us at the Cove. Not everyone can come to Taiji and not everyone should. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stopping the dolphin slaughter in Taiji is going to take a lot of people working together and the role of those who are supporting us from afar is vitally important. We can’t do this without you. The words of support we receive are very encouraging and I want to thank everyone who has sent emails and commented on our blogs and on Facebook. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you feel frustrated because you can’t stop the dolphin slaughter, take back your power. This is a call to action.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Talk with 3 people about the dolphin slaughter; people with whom you have never discussed the issue. Explain that it is the sale of live dolphins that drives the slaughter and implore them to never go to an aquarium or amusement park that has captive dolphins. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Direct these 3 people to your favourite blogs and websites and provide them with the phone number of the Japanese Embassy.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you choose to boycott a particular Japanese company, your actions are more effective if you let the company know why you are not purchasing their products. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not calling for a boycott of all Japanese products, but I suggest people make wise consumer decisions. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Call the Japanese Embassy and tell them how you feel. Insist on speaking with a person. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No dolphins were killed today in Taiji, but it is going to take an army of people to stop the ongoing dolphin slaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t assume the front line of this battle is in Taiji.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This war must be waged on a number of fronts and if everyone does what they can, the dolphin slaughter in Taiji can be stopped. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRGimv2mdlI/AAAAAAAAACs/V80hUbd6II8/s1600/Dolphin+in+Taiji.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRGimv2mdlI/AAAAAAAAACs/V80hUbd6II8/s400/Dolphin+in+Taiji.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Dolphin Bridge in Taiji</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-72079018551726354762010-12-21T06:21:00.000-04:002010-12-21T06:21:04.988-04:00Coming of Age in Taiji<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some days I have a sense of dread from the moment I arrive at the Cove, but today felt different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a great day for the dolphins and the timing was especially fantastic because it was Nicole’s birthday. I was thankful that Nicole, a marine biology student from Australia, did not have to witness a dolphin slaughter on her 20<sup>th</sup> birthday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone who has spent time at the Cove ages several years in just a few weeks. There is a loss of innocence when one sees the horrific acts humans commit; without any conscience, and with impunity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many Taiji veterans are having a difficult time adjusting to life back home. The façade has been stripped away, priorities are being revised, and excess baggage is cast off and abandoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today was Nicole’s birthday, but being in Taiji has been a coming of age for all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">For the Oceans,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Janice</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRB_C72GOhI/AAAAAAAAACo/x3OsaKHYO1E/s1600/Nicole%2527s+birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TRB_C72GOhI/AAAAAAAAACo/x3OsaKHYO1E/s400/Nicole%2527s+birthday.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole's Birthday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-55639632495220412912010-12-20T03:23:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:37:39.951-03:00Judgment Day<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was chastised by someone who told me I should not use the word “killer” in my blogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What exactly should I call those who perform heinous acts? Fishermen catch fish and dolphins are not fish so I really struggle with calling them fishermen. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The clients of the Cove Guardians are the dolphins and if they could speak, I am sure they would be fine with my use of the word “killer”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was also told that I probably don’t understand the “cultural intricacies”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have absolutely no respect for anyone who kills whales or dolphins and uses “culture” as an excuse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Killing a dolphin is murder and I have no intention of calling it anything else.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Killing dolphins in Taiji started in the 1970s. The dolphin genocide is driven by greed and big business; not culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The killing would probably cease entirely if it were not for the captive dolphin trade and the captive dolphin trade is not “culture”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most people in Japan have never eaten whale and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">extremely</b> few people eat dolphin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my colleagues regularly talks with school children and they were shocked to learn that people in the next town kill dolphins and were horrified that they actually eat them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saying that people in Japan grew up eating dolphin would be the same as saying that everyone in Toronto and Montreal was raised on Polar Bear meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People take pride in their culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are willing to share it with others so that we can all understand their traditions, but the killers of Taiji have gone to great lengths to hide their monstrous acts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If anyone has any ideas regarding how to end the dolphin slaughter, by all means, come on over and give it a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until you have spent time here, please don’t judge or criticize the strategies of those who are living with this horror on a daily basis. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are hard enough on ourselves because we have not yet been able to stop the dolphin slaughter and we should not be judged from afar by those who do not understand the situation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tab-stops: 96.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQ8DsViWTGI/AAAAAAAAACk/qUXMs7deDBs/s1600/Hiding+the+victims+under+a+blue+tarp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQ8DsViWTGI/AAAAAAAAACk/qUXMs7deDBs/s400/Hiding+the+victims+under+a+blue+tarp.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiding the victims under a tarp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-56854767631230774752010-12-19T01:53:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:37:39.952-03:00Taiji, Change Now!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite how repulsed we are by the ongoing dolphin slaughter in Taiji and the murder of approximately a dozen dolphins today, there are people who are willing to help the dolphin killers and the Town of Taiji.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There could be a marine park, dolphin watching tours, and other businesses that could transform Taiji from being the most hated place in Japan to being an attractive tourist destination.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone loves a reformed criminal, but the offender must see the error of their ways, want to change, and ask for help. Taiji, please understand there are people who are prepared to help you.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Timing is everything. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After you have killed the last dolphin and your town is bankrupt, do you think anyone will be willing to assist? I highly doubt it. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When a mass murderer does not confess or repent until he is on his death bed, will there be compassion for this monster?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No. We will all say, “Rot in hell”. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQ2cf4SuEgI/AAAAAAAAACc/4pJM6YxRuiw/s1600/frightened+dolphins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQ2cf4SuEgI/AAAAAAAAACc/4pJM6YxRuiw/s400/frightened+dolphins.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frightened Dolphins </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQ2coMXCyeI/AAAAAAAAACg/YxS9T-3vSIY/s1600/Watching+for+Bangers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQ2coMXCyeI/AAAAAAAAACg/YxS9T-3vSIY/s400/Watching+for+Bangers.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm Watching for Banger Boats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-33844756665403638092010-12-18T05:22:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:37:39.953-03:00Who is Behind the Killing?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few days ago, a pod of striped dolphins split and some managed to elude the hunters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feared the dolphins would stay in the area to look for their family members. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we believe it was that same family that was reunited in death.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What was particularly horrifying was that one of the dolphins was probably only a couple of weeks old. Anyone who could kill a baby dolphin must be morally bankrupt, but who is behind the mass murder of dolphins in Taiji?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The killers of Taiji are unionized employees whose boats bear the Mitsubishi logo. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As angry as I am at the fishermen, I realize they are just pawns in a much larger game. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have been trying to start a dialogue with the fishermen and an intermediary said that a few of them seemed open to the idea. Yesterday as some of them were leaving their boat, they had to walk past us. We opted to not antagonize them by taking pictures and as they passed I said “Hello”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most had their faces turned away, but one nodded to me; almost before he realized what he was doing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the killers of Taiji politely acknowledged a Cove Guardian!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We heard a rumour that the Mayor of Taiji told the fishermen they were not to meet with the Cove Guardians. What would the killers’ reaction be if they knew how much money others were making because of their heinous acts? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Big business and the Mayor of Taiji would prefer the fishermen remain ignorant and think a dolphin is just a big fish and that killing dolphins is ridding the ocean of pests. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span> </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQx8dw_KzpI/AAAAAAAAACY/7IZ6WH31BgQ/s1600/striped+dolphins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQx8dw_KzpI/AAAAAAAAACY/7IZ6WH31BgQ/s400/striped+dolphins.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the Kill - photo by Libby Miller Katsinis</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-75950709831235046022010-12-16T22:35:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:37:39.954-03:00Hello Japanese Readers<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can see from my blog statistics that during the past 24 hours, more people from Japan read my blog than in all other countries combined. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I am getting some attention from the Japanese public, I would like to speak to the Japanese people today.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Cove Guardians are not anti-Japanese, but we are opposed to anyone who kills whales and dolphins. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that many people in Japan do not support the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, but are afraid to express their opinion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As long as the slaughter continues, the reputation of Taiji and Japan will be tainted and millions of people around the world will want to punish you and will not buy Japanese products. By allowing the dolphin genocide to continue, Japan is isolating itself from the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The financial and social damage that is being done far outweighs the profits from the live dolphin trade and the dolphin slaughter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My role as a Cove Guardian is to make people aware of what is happening in Taiji and to put pressure on Japan, but I cannot stop the slaughter. You, the Japanese people, are the only ones who can end this insanity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Write letters to your government representatives and talk to the media.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please join us at the Cove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will see that we are just normal people who love dolphins and have put our lives on hold to try to make a difference, but we need your help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please find your voice. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-90659406987173661272010-12-16T03:41:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:37:39.954-03:00I'm Angry<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today I watched as four cowardly dolphin trainers were brought to the Cove in a skiff. Their heads were covered and their faces were turned away from our cameras. Two dolphins were selected for a life of captivity and the slaughter of the remaining dolphins began in the presence of the dolphin trainers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was angry at the dolphin trainers and the dolphin hunters, but I must redirect my outrage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who attends a show with dolphins and whales is keeping the killers of Taiji in business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The price of dolphin meat is so low that the dolphin hunters would be out of business if it were not for the live dolphin trade. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please tell everyone you know not to patronize any business that has captive whales or dolphins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a matter of supply and demand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we eliminate the demand for captive dolphins, the slaughter in Taiji will stop. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, be angry at the dolphin killers of Taiji, but please be equally outraged with the aquariums and amusement parks AND their patrons. They have blood on their hands.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQnB-cENYLI/AAAAAAAAACQ/B7ktNWxbe_s/s1600/Dolphins+are+property+of+fishermen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQnB-cENYLI/AAAAAAAAACQ/B7ktNWxbe_s/s400/Dolphins+are+property+of+fishermen.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fishermen install a new sign that says dolphins and whales are their property</span></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-50044524636864944902010-12-15T07:47:00.000-04:002010-12-15T07:47:37.836-04:00Viewing Murder through a Lens<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The weather was ideal for the dolphin killers and this morning the Cove Guardians had a bad feeling about how this day would end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I opted for the position on Tsunami Hill that enabled me to video the banger boats and the activities in the killing cove.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The dolphins put up a fight. The pod split and then one of those groups split again. It might sound like good news that some of the dolphins escaped, but it is very likely they will stay in the area to look for their family members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A calf was separated from its mother so she is probably searching for her baby right now. That dolphin’s motherly determination to reunite her family is likely to seal her fate tomorrow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were huge tents covering a significant portion of the Cove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a national park and if I didn’t know otherwise, I would assume the Boy Scouts were having a Jamboree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think I understand how a journalist feels when documenting genocide. The lens of my camera watched this repulsive scene while I focused my attention on the viewfinder that was playing a Hollywood movie with realistic special effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If anyone has any other ideas on how to deal with this, please let me know. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People have different perspectives and we all view the world through our own lens, but I can’t imagine any legitimate argument that could justify what my camera saw today. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">For the Oceans,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Janice</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQiou8h8H8I/AAAAAAAAACI/Jil4hzUE28c/s1600/Morning+at+the+Cove.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQiou8h8H8I/AAAAAAAAACI/Jil4hzUE28c/s400/Morning+at+the+Cove.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning at the Cove</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQio1KhiQ3I/AAAAAAAAACM/BskArA6KbV8/s1600/Not+a+Boy+Scout+Jamboree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQio1KhiQ3I/AAAAAAAAACM/BskArA6KbV8/s400/Not+a+Boy+Scout+Jamboree.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tents Covering the Killing Cove</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-61407194299199024452010-12-14T03:53:00.000-04:002010-12-14T04:26:38.637-04:00A Day in the Life of a Cove Guardian in Taiji<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the hardest things about being a Cove Guardian is not knowing what the day will bring. There could be tremendous relief, or there could be tragedy.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The weather kept the killers in port and I am back at the hotel, writing my blog, and using social media to draw attention to the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is what I hope for every day, but my typical day involves waiting at the Cove and hoping not to see the fateful formation of banger boats that will force the dolphins into the Cove of death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When that happens, all we can do is document, watch, and pray. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the boat formation moves closer to the Cove, the option for a good outcome diminishes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the nets close the mouth of the cove, the dolphins’ fate is sealed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps a boat with dolphin trainers will come around the corner and enter the Cove. The trainers might pick out a few pretty dolphins who will be sold into a life of slavery at an aquarium. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before they are transported out of the Cove to the holding pens, these dolphins hear and see their families being murdered.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You don’t need to hear about what happens next.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Cove Guardians have been criticized because we do not throw ourselves in the water and try to stop the killing, but with 4 women against dozens of hunters, coast guard, and police, our effort would be futile. We would end up in jail and not be able to fulfill our mandate of drawing attention to the plight of the dolphins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The strategy we choose must be the one that is the most effective, not the one that gives us the greatest short-term satisfaction. If we choose to focus on saving the life of an individual dolphin, we will be unable to reach our goal of permanently ending this genocide. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we break the law, we and all future Cove Guardians could be banned from the Cove. The world will hear nothing about the dolphin slaughter and might assume it has stopped. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will spend the rest of my day communicating with people who will tell their friends and colleagues to never go to an attraction with whales or dolphins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please ask as many people as possible to register their objection to the Taiji dolphin hunt by calling the Japanese embassy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So our days continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Often we don’t know what day it is, but tomorrow it will start all over again.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQcgm5j_tAI/AAAAAAAAAB8/g58LzGp97q8/s1600/Lisa%252C+Janice+%2526+Libby+at+the+Cove.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQcgm5j_tAI/AAAAAAAAAB8/g58LzGp97q8/s400/Lisa%252C+Janice+%2526+Libby+at+the+Cove.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa, Janice and Libby at the Cove </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQchaatWU1I/AAAAAAAAACA/QAOU8_y_Vks/s1600/Morning+in+Taiji.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_im9lDUdghFw/TQchaatWU1I/AAAAAAAAACA/QAOU8_y_Vks/s400/Morning+in+Taiji.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early Morning in Taiji - Photo by Libby Miller Katsinis</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1317519121494690975.post-11630224394020746942010-12-13T00:24:00.000-04:002010-12-13T00:24:32.182-04:00Dolphins, Japan, and Anne of Green Gables<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I live in Prince Edward Island and those who are familiar with this idyllic place will be aware the Island is famous for a larger than life fictional character, Anne Shirley, otherwise known as Anne of Green Gables, the red-headed, freckled orphan who is a central character in several novels written by Lucy Maud Montgomery.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anne was a free-speaking, free-spirited, intelligent girl. She excelled at school, challenged authority, and stood up for herself when bullied and teased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was spellbound by the wonder of nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This fictional character has fascinated the people of Japan, and young women in particular, for over fifty years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">In Japan Anne has become a national obsession. Since 1952, <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Anne of Green Gables</span></em> has been required reading in Japan's public schools, and thousands of Japanese fans travel to Prince Edward Island each year to visit and even get married in Anne-themed ceremonies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Source: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/literature/clips/11213/"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/literature/clips/11213/</span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is all so strange. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why are people in Japan afraid to challenge authority? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can young Japanese women be so inspired by Anne and her story, but not challenge bullies? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that many Japanese people do not support the brutal slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, but they say nothing. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If Anne were a real person, she would be marching into the office of</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 6pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mr. Kazutaka Sangen, Town Mayor of Taiji, with her red hair flying in the wind, demanding the dolphin hunt be stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anne was very connected to and moved by the beauty of nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dolphins are part of nature and one day the people of Taiji will know that everyone in Taiji could live more prosperous lives if the killing stops. Dolphins that are swimming freely in the ocean, being admired by tourists from around the world have great value. All business could prosper, not just a handful of thugs.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite the controversy Anne caused, she was loved, respected, and eventually won the hearts of everyone in her community. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wish the Japanese people would challenge authority, the Mayor, and the dolphin killers of Taiji.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the Oceans,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janice</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1