Our Wonderful World: Whale Joy

Perfectly beautiful.

Humpback Whale Shows Amazing Appreciation After Being Saved

Caught in a huge amount of nets, this humpback whale was completely trapped. But these people on their boat took matters into their own hands and freed it, saving its life. The best part is the end when he shows amazing appreciation by taking them for a ride and jumping around.

Happy New Year

SeaShepherd.Org Rename Fleet

Why do I get the impression that The International Fund for Animal Welfare might be a tad more disposed towards this bear rather than this one?


Patience.

Japan urged to abandon outdated whaling policy
30 September 2011

LONDON, England -- The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is disappointed but not surprised that Japan's whaling fleet is reportedly planning a return to Antarctica later this year to kill more whales for its dying market.

Following Japanese media reports today that whaling will continue with around US$27 million in additional government security budget to protect the fleet, Patrick Ramage, Director of IFAW's Global Whale Program, said: 'I'd bet this is whaling's last gasp. The industry is out of gas and crashing. This move is more about pride than profit, more about politics and prerogatives of the Japanese Fisheries Agency than it is about public support.'

IFAW opposes whaling because it is cruel and unnecessary; there is simply no humane way to kill a whale. Footage of Japanese whaling analysed by IFAW scientists has shown whales can take more than half an hour to die. Whaling is also uneconomic, whereas whale watching offers a humane and profitable alternative to the cruelty of whaling, generating around US$2.1 billion annually for coastal communities.

Ramage added: 'If true as reported, this decision doesn't change the basic facts: whaling is an economic loser that makes no more sense for post-tsunami Japan than it did before the tragedy. The government bureaucrats are throwing good money after bad to pursue whales in a sanctuary.

Patience I tell ye!

'Meanwhile, the good people of Japan have lost their yen for whale meat and coastal communities around the country are pursuing profits from whale watching. The future lies with them. That Japan will quit the Southern Ocean seems certain. But Tokyo will determine when and how they will retreat, not Canberra, Auckland or Washington.'

IFAW urges Japan to reconsider its decision to continue whaling in the pristine Southern Ocean Sanctuary, in defiance of global opposition and several international laws.

Despite the worldwide ban on commercial whaling, Japan hunts whales in Antarctica under the loophole of 'scientific whaling,' which in reality is commercial whaling by another name. There is no science in scientific whaling; in fact non-lethal research is providing us with all the data we need to unlock the secrets of these incredible mammals.

Last November, the Japanese fleet headed for Antarctica to train its harpoons on around 1,000 whales. However, under pressure from many fronts, Japan called an early halt to its whaling season and headed back to port having killed less than half of its self-allocated kill quota.

The Australian government has presented a case against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean to the International Court of Justice. IFAW calls on all governments to take the strongest diplomatic action possible against Japan and demand that it ends its whaling programme now. IFAW

''Many Fronts'' not very gracious of them is it? All things considered.

Please support Sea Shepherd Org. Go on, send them a few quid, or become a regular donator. They'll even send you a t-shirt and some decals for your car, but that's nothing compared to the feel good factor you will carry around with you.





Previous:

Greenpeace: Money Well Spent?

Greenpeace. So What You Are Saying Effectively, Is, That You Are A Waste Of Fucking Time?

Oi! You Lot, Yes You Greenpeace, Will You Fucking Stop!

h/t Dive Spot

Dolphin Arms! Sounds Like a Boozer To Me

Something fishy going on here.

DOLPHIN WITH ARMS – PREPARES FOR BATTLE
July 28th, 2011
By Frank Lake


TOKYO — Ginzo, the dolphin with human arms, is leading a dolphin fight against Japanese fishermen.
Japanese fisherman are preparing for their annual dolphin hunt. Once again they are preparing for a slaughter like this:


But, they have a formidable opponent this time – GINZO, the DOLPHIN WITH HUMAN ARMS.


Ginzo is leading a battalion of angry dolphins in a counter-attack against fishermen. Several local citizens in “the cove” heard a human voice coming from Ginzo, who gave a passionate and dramatic plea for all dolphins to defend themselves – aggressively – against the blood-thirsty fishermen.


Japanese police and coast guard officers have held a security drill to practice protecting a village from the bloody battle they are anticipating for the annual dolphin hunt.

A Wakayama prefectural police official says Wednesday’s drill was aimed at guarding the southwestern town of Taiji from protesters before hunting season starts in September.

About 10,000 law enforcement officers gathered in the bay where the Oscar-winning film “The Cove” was filmed.

Japan allows about 20,000 dolphins to be caught each year. Most Japanese have never eaten dolphin meat but the government defends the hunts as tradition.

But that’s the way it used to be… Now, GINZO is take the matter into HIS OWN HANDS and will stop the Japanese fishermen from slaughtering his people again.

WWN’s intrepid reporter, Dr. Taxi, will be at The Cove to cover the battle. He will be embedded with Ginzo’s platoon. Stay tuned… WWN

Paul Watson: To Stand With You Sir, The Honour Is Completely Mine

And ain't it just, Captain Paul Wilson, a remarkable human being.

If I could have found a photo of you from taken from behind, or if I had a similar one of Teddy, you would Captain Sir Paul Watson by now. But alas, both are like the proverbial rocking horse whatsit, so you'll have to wait until Betty gives you one, good heavens man you deserving enough. Not that I suppose you would be over impressed with such a gong I'm sure; but there you go.

Upped on this blog because I have just upped a post on t'other one and I would like it to stay on the front page for a spell.



This is the accompanying video.

Dear Teddy,

We did it! This week, we drove the entire Japanese whaling fleet from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. They are on their way home!

But we did not do it alone. We did it with you! Sea Shepherd is more than the ships and crew that operate them.

Yes, the crew is important - men and women from around the world from all walks of life who volunteer their time and skills and risk their lives to defend life in the seas. They are, of course, a very important reason for the success of our missions. They are the people who directly confront the killers on the high seas. It is their passion that makes Sea Shepherd all that we can be.
video thanks from captain watson

The crew on the ships could not function without our onshore crew, who make up our office staff and our many shore-based volunteers. Our onshore crewmembers are in a very real sense just as important as those who go to sea. They make budgets, answer phones, process donations, conduct legal research, respond to media inquiries, create merchandise, organize benefits like bake sales and art auctions, man information tables, prepare the ships in port, solicit donations of food and services for the ships--and so much more.

But, the foundation of what we are and what we do lies firmly upon the shoulders of our supporters from all around the world. Your financial backing puts the resources into our hands that feed our crew, put gas in the tank and paint on our hull, keep our engines running, and our safety and navigational requirements in tip top shape.

It is this trinity of sea crew, onshore crew, and financial support crew that keeps Sea Shepherd at sea and keeps the harpoons away from the whales, the clubs away from the seals, the longlines and driftnets away from the fish, turtles, and sharks, and the knives away from the dolphins.

Sea Shepherd is all of us who care about our oceans and are willing to stand up and ACT, in whatever way we are able, in defense of the wondrous diversity of life in our fragile oceans.

We are all Shepherds of the Sea and those who are not should be, because the stark reality is that if our oceans die, we die! Together we fight not just for the whales, sharks, seals, sea-birds, turtles, and fish, together we fight for our own survival.

Together we are a force for good, a force for change, a force for ecological sanity, and a force to be reckoned with!

We will be honored if you would continue to stand with us as we imminently face battles on other fronts - bluefin tuna overfishing in the Mediterranean, pilot whale slaughter in the Faeroes, dolphin killing in Taiji, poaching in the Galapagos, and more.

To all the Shepherds of the Sea that made it possible for us to drive the whale killers from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, I think I can speak for all the citizens of the sea in saying "Thank-you."

For the oceans,
Captain Paul Watson

Captain Paul Watson

Founder and President

• Click here to make a donation
• Click here to read about the whalers leaving the Southern Oceans.

See comments.

A Whale and Bull Story

Re-worked and polished up a tad, I thought it worthy enough to launch a new tag, Mankind is a Bollocks. And ain't he just.

~

All Warm and Fuzzy

Everybody gets them, well most everybody.You know what I'm talking about, the animal moments, the ones that make you go ahhh, and you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Pictures of small furry animals, "dog risks all" stories. "Fearless dog snatches new born twins and confused granny from the jaws of death as runaway train/car/boat/plane..... those kind of moments.

I get them too, and never more so than when someone has captured it on film for posterity. Those lovely ahhhh moments, when the bull gets it just right and the matador gets it all wrong.

Those lovely moments, captured for all time, allowing us to replay ad infinitum that precise moment when the deadly horn of that much tormented, bloodied and weakened bull, enters the soft vulnerable flesh of it's tormentor.

Those lovely but fleeting moments as the horn takes it's upward and sweeping path on it's way to gore and disembowel, wishing and hoping, that as the deadly spike follows such a curve, it has been fortuitous and removed certain appendages, appendages that would more commonly be described as manhood, but alas, a misnomer in cases such.

Those ahhh moments that give way to moments of excitement, moments that are not unlike those to be found at, shall we say, a football game. It's the last minute of the last quarter, your team has possession and it's all to play for, and as the play commences you find yourself screaming unrestrained at the TV set, shouting words of advice and encouragement, giving little thought that such words go unheard and are entirely irrational; the blood is up and the moment is at hand.
Though not I, it must be said, I use the football game purely as an analogy, truth be told I think I would sooner find myself aground on a lee shore that suffer a football game; but that's another matter.

But for myself I have always found these moments, these moments of advantage, occur at the beginning of a match, before one side has even made an opening gambit.Whilst still strong and not yet bloodied, the less fancied of the contenders in this uneven match, takes the initiative of surprise and leaps headlong into the fray, and instantly the game's afoot

As the bull shakes off it's confines, and with charge and a mighty leap, clears the barricade into the crowd of unsuspecting but much surprised specimens of failure, that I will not honour with terms normally associated with our species. And how more failed could specimens be than these wretches who have sunk to a level below the gutter, so low as to part with gold in order to sit in comfort to watch such a spectacle of depravity and label it entertainment.

Now as the maddened bull deviates from the planned program and I watch as peerless and priceless masks of horror sets the faces of these collective failures. I, like the football supporter, irrationally scream my instructions, and as such my support, "Left, go left, that's it, oh what a wonderful connection. Straight on now, two with one stone, yes trample that sonofabitch, and yes the bitch herself, a quick flick of the head that's it, oh doesn't she look good on the end of that horn, onward onward, there's plenty more to be had, what joy, what justice."

Every dog has his day, on occasion the bull his glory, and me, a warm fuzzy moment.

But unfortunately the same cannot be said for that most magnificent of creatures, the whale. Born and bred, and some to die in horrific circumstances long before their time. Born and bred in that element that is their own, their natural habitat, which should afford them the safety and sanctuary that is their right, for the oceans of this planet are not the habitat of man.

For these much to be pitied, poor defenseless creatures, no dog day for them, no warm and fuzzy feeling will they experience. No Captain Ahab moments for them as they dive the ocean depths with their tormentor, entangled in his own tools of death, strapped to their backs; the same tools that would have in turn, visited death upon them, their families and their companions.

No Ahab moments alas, only moments of respite as this race of despicable failures hound you to your deaths in the name of "Scientific Research"

I hope your fucking boat sinks and takes every man jack of you with it.






The bull his glory. And a few warm and fuzzy clips below.

Why Sea Shepherd Org Is In The Southern Ocean. Watch Times Square Video Ad Here

And then you will know.

Please do all you can to support Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The ONLY organisation actively involved in stopping the Slaughter of whales in Antarctica.





Foto Barbara Veiga

Sea Shepherd Sails into Times Square with Their First Outdoor Advertising Campaign
Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Next time you find yourself walking through the heart of Times Square on 42nd Street, look up at the ‘CBS Spectacular’ big screen now boasting Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s first outdoor advertising campaign. The state-of-the-art, full motion digital billboard highlights the marine wildlife conservation organization’s anti-whaling campaign for which they are best known, partly due to the success of the popular Animal Planet television series Whale Wars, which will debut in its fourth season later this year. Whale Wars chronicles Sea Shepherd’s activities to end whaling in the Southern Ocean.

“Sea Shepherd wanted to do something completely unprecedented to create awareness of our whale defense campaign this year,” said Founder and President Captain Paul Watson. “We’ve long had a strong support base in New York, so when this opportunity came up we decided to use it to share our mission, raise funds for our Antarctic campaign, and capture the hearts of New Yorkers and international tourists alike. The image of a breathtaking whale breach followed by a harpoon exploding into a whale’s back, sends a powerful message to passersby in a visual language that we can all understand.”

Sea Shepherd is the only non-profit direct action conservation organization that actively patrols the planet’s oceans to defend marine wildlife and their habitats and uphold international conservation laws. Sea Shepherd is currently in the middle of their seventh Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign, appropriately titled Operation No Compromise.

“We are officially halfway through this year’s campaign, and funds are more important now than ever. We need to raise enough money to purchase fuel and provisions to keep our fleet of three ships at sea, to ensure that we can remain in the Southern Ocean through the end of the whaling season in March,” said Captain Watson.

The goal is to stop illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, period. Operation No Compromise has already been deemed a success, as Captain Watson believes Sea Shepherd’s intervention will result in a dramatic decrease of whale deaths by the illegal Japanese fleet, perhaps by as much as 80 percent.

As Captain Watson often reminds us, “If the oceans die, we die.” SSCS

And please to remember.

Much more at http://dontfuckwithteddy.blogspot.com/

Greenpeace: Money Well Spent?

I have "borrowed this post from Cyber Whale Warrior, Holise E Cleveland III.

He says it better than I could hope to, and in posting the full article here it enables me to get the links out as requested, and it enables Teddy to get his message out again regarding Greenpeace.

Teddy has by the way, has just signed up for a Wordpress domain aptly named, Don't Fuck With Teddy (.wordpress.com) He has the thing set to private for the moment, but I'm sure he will be up and running shortly.

What Holise E Cleveland III, no less, has to say about Greenpeace was brought home to me recently when watching an episode of Whale wars. The Steve Irwin and the Sea Shepherds were steaming all over the Southern Ocean trying to locate the Japanese whaling fleet, but all to no avail.

The location of that fleet was apparently known to Greenpeace, who were themselves in the South Atlantic, doing what, I don't know, poncing about as usual would be my only guess. A request from the Steve Irwin for Greenpeace to share this information with the Shepherds, was met only by radio silence. No such silence from Himself though, as he called Greenpeace all the cocksucking names under the sun.

As Teddy says: wankers. Pussy cat wankers in fact.

But before you head on down the page, read this, sourced from the first link.

Where is Greenpeace?
Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
Thursday, December 09, 2010

Greenpeace has not sent a ship down to the Southern Ocean to defend the whales since 2007, but I wish they would. The more ships down there opposing the illegal activities of the Japanese whaling fleet - the better. Greenpeace has the ships, and they certainly have the resources, and supposedly they are against whaling, so where are their ships?

And where is Greenpeace when it comes to defending the dolphins at Taiji? Nowhere to be found! They have an office and staff in Japan but not a single Greenpeacer has gone to the Cove.

And where is Greenpeace when it comes to defending the pilot whales in the Faeroe Islands? Nowhere to be found!

Iceland? Not there. Not to be found in Norway either!

They gave up defending seals in Canada decades ago.

So why does much of the public think that Greenpeace is leading the fight to save the whales, dolphins and seals? It might have something to do with where Greenpeace is spending its money:

Promotional mailings and Internet appeals! They need your money in order to ask more people for more money.

Now I don’t begrudge Greenpeace and their right to do things their way but when I am stopped on the streets in Melbourne last March and asked to donate money to send a Greenpeace ship down to Antarctica to defend the whales, I was course very inquisitive. The couple with the clipboards in hand did not recognize me, so I asked when was the last time Greenpeace had a ship in the Southern Ocean?

They told me that two Greenpeace ships had just returned from saving whales.

“You mean the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker?” I asked.

“Yes,” they answered.

“Really,” I replied, “I believe those are Sea Shepherd ships.”

“Yes,” the woman said, “but Sea Shepherd is part of Greenpeace.”

I looked at her and calmly said, “No, it is not.”

Defensively she said, “Yes it is!”

It was then I introduced myself as the Captain of the Steve Irwin and the founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. She suddenly looked a little frightened and said, “I just work for Greenpeace and they told me to say what I said.”



If this was a something that happened this once, it could be seen as a mistake but other members of my crew have had similar conversations with Greenpeace canvassers on the streets of Paris, Washington D.C., and Perth, Western Australia.

And today I received the following internet message from Greenpeace:

I have taken the liberty of adding my editorial comments (in italics). more, lots more.

Gambling With Greenpeace

In the SSCS December 9th issue of 2010, Where Is Greenpeace?, Captain Paul Watson states how many Greenpeace volunteers are claiming that Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is their organization. Greenpeace isn’t doing squat in the Southern Ocean, yet they are soliciting funds for it! I have even seen where the media supports this farce. This video here is one example.

In January 3, 2011 we read how Wikileaks Reveals Sea Shepherd Is A Serious Concern to Japanese Illegal Whaling Operations. Greenpeace and the Japanese whalers are basically on the same side. No wonder there’s no Greenpeace in the Southern Ocean! As of January 11, Sea Shepherd has openly requested the support of just one Greenpeace ship. Frankly, I just don’t see it happening. Greenpeace will not risk upsetting the whalers, which is the same reason Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard will not deploy a single vessel.

People need to know what’s happening with their money, or what’s not happening with their money. Many like to “give at the office” because it makes them feel good that they are doing something for this world. Well, how would it make them feel if they knew the truth? Wouldn’t you like to know if it was your money? A serious injustice to people’s good intentions is being perpetrated here. So, please, get these links out. Email them to everyone you can. Post them on every facebook wall and forum. Send them to every media source and tweet them like there’s no tomorrow. Because that is what we are really fighting for: tomorrow! Saving the world costs money. I don’t know about you, but I want my money to actually make a difference!

Where Is Greenpeace?

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/editorial-101209-1.html

Wikileaks Reveals Sea Shepherd Is A Serious Concern to Japanese Illegal Whaling Operations

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110103-1.html

Sea Shepherd Requests the Support of a Greenpeace Ship

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110111-2.html

Gambling With Greenpeace

Only in America Blogging For Whales

In order that I may give the plight that faces our big fat friends in the sea
the attention it deserves, I have decided to make Only in America, for the main part, a single issue blog, a blog for whales and other threatened creatures of the sea. And for the other stuff, perhaps just a daily round-up of links that may be of interest.

I shall still keep the other blog current, no doubt continuing to make posts about the asinine and absurd demented rantings of that lunatic fringe of losers, disgrace to the species, the contemptible cultists of Young Earth Creationism.

And if you should struggle to understand the degree of contempt that I hold for the whaling Nation of Japan, then you could never possibly comprehend the contempt I reserve these idiots.

Besides, I have unfinished business there.


Two short videos that I first posted in February 2007, only brought to my attention due to a little re-tagging of various posts. The first entitled, Amazingly Friendly Whale, and the second, Antarctic Whale Defence Campaign, includes words of wisdom from Captain Paul Watson, some wonderful footage of these magnificent creatures, and, sad to say, the horrors of a whale kill by the Japanese.

But let me make one thing quite clear, xenophobia is not in my DNA, not in the slightest; but I'm afraid it's the big brush application when it comes down to this lot. These pricks sail under the Japanese flag, tar one, tar all.









Bugger and damnation! I've used the wrong Teddy. Teddy two swords, that's what you get for buggering about in the small hours. Later. Mutter chunner grumble bollocks.


And let me say how delightful it is to have put that other stuff behind me, it's like a heavy dark cloud has lifted.

“This whaling fleet belongs to us now – lock, stock, and smoking harpoon gun.”

What a great header and what a great, and undoubtedly the best season so far, for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. As ever, tireless in its efforts to stop the slaughter of innocents in the South Atlantic. Could this be the last of the season ever? Read more of Captain Paul Watson in the second article. …hopefully it will be the last.

This latest report from 70 Degrees South. - At 70 Degrees South there is no God*

Sea Shepherd News

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 Sea Shepherd Successfully finds the Nisshin Maru Position: 70 Degrees 45 Minutes South 171 Degrees 45 Minutes West

After a 26-day pursuit covering over 4,000 miles, the Steve Irwin caught up with the Nisshin Maru at 1800 hours on January 25th, 2011 AEST.

“We finally have this serial killing death ship where we want them, and from here on in, we intend to ride their ass until the end of the whaling season,” said Captain Paul Watson from onboard the Steve Irwin. “This whaling fleet belongs to us now – lock, stock, and smoking harpoon gun.”

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships the Steve Irwin, Bob Barker, and Gojira originally found the Japanese whaling fleet on December 31st, 2010 before the whalers had an opportunity to kill a single whale. Unfortunately, two of the harpoon vessels blocked the approach to the Nisshin Maru and the factory ship was able to flee with the faster harpoon vessels tailing the two larger Sea Shepherd ships to relay Sea Shepherd movements to the fleeing Nisshin Maru. The Gojira was prevented from immediately pursuing the Nisshin Maru due to risky ice conditions.

The Gojira shot ahead of the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker as the Nisshin Maru fled westward. On January 10th, the Gojira encountered the refueling and supply ship the Sun Laurel. On January 12th, the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin caught up with the tanker and began to tail the Korean-owned vessel allowing the Gojira to continue westward in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru.

The Sun Laurel headed north and east to put as much distance between the factory ship and themselves as they could. The Sea Shepherd ships followed knowing it was essential to cut off the supplies to the whaling fleet. Two of the three harpoon vessels followed and for 23 days we had confirmation that these two vessels had not taken a single whale. More Sea Shepherd News

A more comprehensive report of the situation as of Sunday 23/01/11

Sea Shepherd News
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Halfway Through Operation No Compromise
Report from Captain Paul Watson

This is Day 54 of Operation No Compromise and Day 25 since Sea Shepherd Conservation Society intercepted the Japanese whaling fleet. We are about halfway through the campaign, with approximately another 54 days to go until the Antarctic winter begins to evict the whalers from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and another season of slaughter will be over…hopefully it will be the last.

Despite that this is going to be the most successful year yet for Sea Shepherd’s mission and whale kill quotas will be lower than ever before, the fact remains that this is a very difficult and complex campaign taking place over hundreds of thousands of square miles in adverse weather conditions, amidst icebergs and floes. It involves coordinating three vessels, a helicopter, and 88 crewmembers. It also involves complex logistics like refueling, provisioning, repairs, aerial and ice surveys, communications, and numerous other details.

It is never an easy task and not quite as simplistic as many of our detractors seem to think it is. Our campaigns are major Antarctic expeditions in every possible way. They are grander in terms of ships, crew, and equipment than any of the famous Shackleton, Scott, or Amundsen expeditions of nearly a century ago.

On the very positive side during this campaign, we were able to locate the Japanese whaling fleet before they killed a single whale. We were able to intercept the Sun Laurel refueling vessel to cut off supplies and fuel to the Nisshin Maru and the rest of her whaling fleet. Most importantly of all, we have kept two of the three harpoon vessels out of whaling operations completely, while the third continues to run along with the Nisshin Maru.

We have chased the whaling fleet for over 4,000 miles for the last 24 days. Are whales being killed? Possibly, but not many.

We have not yet located the Nisshin Maru, but we usually do not do so until February of each campaign. Last year we did not find the factory ship until almost mid February, and we were still able to save more whales than the whalers were able to kill. More Sea Shepherd News

*Pedro Monteiro, far right.
At 50 Degrees South there is no law.
At 60 Degrees South there is no hope.
At 70 Degrees South there is no God.
One laid back bugger if ever there were.

Teddy Joins Sea Shepherd For a Bit of Direct Action

We've seen a few campaigns together have Teddy and I. He first joined me when the batshit crazies were clamouring to chop the head off that poor old Doris for calling a mate of Ted's, Mohammed. What was it the Old Man said, "As a species we are insane" And some!

Updated below, as and when.

Peter Hammarstedt. I have much respect for this young fellow-me-lad, from what I've seen of him.

Pete Bethune, he can have a bit too.

The all can in actual fact, every last one of them. To step on a boat like that, heading where it's heading, takes bottle. And to do so as a lubber, a lubber whose sum total of previous experience was perhaps an hour on the boating lake, takes a special kind of bottle. Respect to them all.

And no little amount for this fellow below, Chris Aultman, helicopter pilot, I hardly need spell out the dangers he faces flying a poxy little machine in those temperatures and over water to boot.
But if I say that of him, what can I say about the cameraman? Other than perhaps, "now that's what I call a passenger."

No doubt I'll get round to them all one by one, I wonder how Ted feels about flying, hmm....

Chris Aultman, helicopter pilot.

Never one to mince words.

He's a bugger is our Ted, he makes that Pete Bethune look like a pussy kit.

Teddy two swords, a slight hiccup in the design department.

Wiki Whale Leaks and The Obama Administration

I'm well aware this news isn't exactly hot off the press, but I want to establish a data base of my own here at Only in America.

For it is only in America that a sect of homophobic religious nutters, aka the Mormon Church, can form itself into a Political Action Committee, (PAC) and not have its tax free status questioned or rescinded. 1 - 2 - 3

And where Only in America can a bunch of brainwashing money grabbing thugs, can espouse the most ridiculous bloody nonsense imaginable, and have that nonsense accepted as a religion by the government of that country, and thus enjoy that same tax free status.

And it is only in America where the "yes we can" government of Barrack Obama, would consider, at the behest of a despicable bunch of little yellow fucks, would consider taking away the tax free status of an organisation, the only organisation I add, that thwarts the efforts of these same yellow fucks, as they go about there sordid business of killing the most magnificent creatures on the planet, for no other reason than commercial gain. Only in America.

There are seven billion people on the planet, and only seventy-seven of us down here in these distant waters actually saving the lives of whales, actually damaging illegal Japanese whaling activities and thus actually making a difference. Paul Watson Cyber Wars

WikiLeaks: Secret whaling deal plotted by US and Japan

American diplomats proposed Japan reduce whaling in exchange for US help cracking down on the anti-whaling activists Sea Shepherd, leaked cables reveal


Japan and the US proposed to investigate and act against international anti-whaling activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as part of a political deal to reduce whaling in Antarctic waters.

Four confidential cables from the US embassy in Tokyo and the state department in Washington, released by WikiLeaks, show US and Japanese diplomats secretly negotiating a compromise agreement ahead of a key meeting last year of the International Whaling Commission, the body that regulates international whaling.

The American proposal would have forced Japan to reduce the number of whales that Japan killed each year in the Antarctic whale sanctuary in return for the legal right to hunt other whales off its own coasts. In addition, the US proposed to ratify laws that would "guarantee security in the seas" – a reference to acting against groups such as Sea Shepherd that have tried to physically stop whaling.

The US proposal was eventually shot down by Britain and the EU in June 2010, but the cables show that the Sea Shepherd group had become a political embarrassment to Japan after stopping its whaling fleet reaching its annual quota of whale killed for several years.

The group, led by Captain Paul Watson, a co-founder of Greenpeace, has a reputation for physically confronting whalers, sealers and illegal fishing boats. Its flotilla of ships, which sport the skull and crossbones flag, monitors illegal fishing in the Galapagos islands and spends months each year following and harassing the Japanese whaling fleet in frequently dangerous clashes.

Yesterday two Sea Shepherd ships, the Steve Irwin and the Gojira were involved in cat and mouse skirmishes with two whaling ships. Activists reportedly hurled stink bombs onto the deck as whalers tried to use water cannon.

The US cables show how on 2 November 2009, Shuji Yamada, Japan's vice-minister for international affairs, asked lead US negotiator Monica Medina about an investigation of the tax affairs of Sea Shepherd. It is unclear whether the US government had already launched an investigation or which country had proposed it.

"Yamada inquired about an investigation into the tax status of the US-based NGO Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and repeated Japan's request for the US to take action against the organisation, which he said created a very dangerous situation on the seas," says one cable.

The US government dodged this request but the cable continues: "The DCM replied that the US places the highest priority on the safety of vessels and human life at sea, and added that if any violations of US law are discovered, we will take appropriate enforcement action".

But the Japanese diplomats then responded, "It would be easier for Japan to make progress in the IWC negotiations if the US were to take action against the Sea Shepherd".

One week later, the Japanese pressed the US to take action against Sea Shepherd again, saying that "violent protests by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) could limit the government of Japan's flexibility in the negotiations".

It appears from the diplomatic chatter that the US did look into the NGO's status. In the same cable, Medina is reported as saying that the US government, "can demonstrate the group [Sea Shepherd] does not deserve tax exempt status based on their aggressive and harmful actions".

The cables then suggest that the US had itself proposed the tax investigation of Sea Shepherd, saying in the same cable on 9 November 2009: "the Netherlands should have primary responsibly for taking action against the SSCS, but he [the Japanese diplomat] appreciates the US government initiative to address the group's tax exempt status".


The US attempt to compromise with Japan failed at the IWC meeting in June after a majority of countries, led by Australia, the European Union, and the Latin American nations rejected it.

In a statement made yesterday from the Sea Shepherd flagship, Captain Watson said: "The US government may have very well looked into Sea Shepherd's activities and if they did so, then they obviously did not find any irregularities or unlawful activities because Sea Shepherd was never contacted by any US government official in connection with this matter. For Sea Shepherd, the most important part of this document is the declaration by Japan that Sea Shepherd has been responsible for the whaling fleet not reaching their quotas for the last few years. This completely validates Sea Shepherd's actions as effective." Guardian



WikiLeaks: Sea Shepherd, Anti-Whaling Group, Tax Exempt Status Revocation Discussed By U.S., Japan Officials


TOKYO — Japanese and American officials discussed taking action to weaken a prominent anti-whaling group, with Tokyo insisting that Sea Shepherd's confrontations on the high seas actually hurt efforts to reduce whaling, U.S. diplomatic cables show.


The U.S. representative to the International Whaling Commission, Monica Medina, discussed revoking the U.S.-based conservation group's tax exempt status during a meeting with senior officials from the Fisheries Agency of Japan in November 2009, according to the documents released by WikiLeaks on Monday.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's yearly protest campaigns – which chase Japan's whaling fleet in boats trying to disrupt the hunt by fouling fishing lines and throwing rancid butter at whalers – have drawn high-profile donors and volunteers, and spawned the popular Animal Planet series "Whale Wars." In Japan, the harrassment is seen by some as foreign interferance in national affairs, making politicians wary of getting involved.

Action against Sea Shepherd would be a "major element" in achieving success at international negotiations on the number of whales killed each year, the cables cite the director general of Japan's fisheries agency, Katsuhiro Machida, as saying.

Referring to Sea Shepherd, Medina said "she believes the USG (U.S. government) can demonstrate the group does not deserve tax exempt status based on their aggressive and harmful actions," according the cables.

Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd, said Japan has previously pressured foreign governments to take action against the group, such as revoking the registration of its ships. He said the organization had last been audited about two years ago, which is before the exchanges detailed in the cables.




"We have had our tax status since 1981, and we have done nothing different since then to cause the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) to change that," he told The Associated Press by telephone from his ship.

The diplomatic cables, posted on WikiLeaks' secret-sharing website early Monday but dated Jan. 1, show Japanese officials repeatedly told U.S. counterparts the group's actions were making whaling a political issue and hurting any chance of a compromise on the numbers of whales killed each year.

Sea Shepherd vessels are currently chasing Japan's whaling fleet in the Antarctic Ocean in the hopes of interrupting its hunt, which kills up to 1,000 whales annually and typically lasts from December to February.

Japan hunts whales under the research exemption to a 1986 worldwide ban on commercial hunts. Critics say there is no reason to kill the animals, and the research program amounts to commercial whaling in disguise because surplus meat from the hunt is sold domestically.

Protest ships harass the whaling fleet, and clashes between the sides often take place. On Saturday, Watson said that whalers had shot water cannons at anti-whaling activists nearby.


Last January, a Sea Shepherd boat was sunk after its bow was sheared off in a collision with a whaling vessel and a New Zealand protestor was later arrested after he boarded a Japanese whaling ship. He was taken to Tokyo and later deported.

The cables are dated before an International Whaling Commission meeting last year that was seen as a major chance to end a decades long stalemate. They show the U.S. worked with Japan in late 2009 to reach a deal on the issue, calling it an "irritant" in international relations.

The meeting ended without a major agreement.

"Action on the SSCS (Sea Shepherd Conservation Society) would be a major element for Japan in the success of the overall negotiations," a Japanese official said, according to one cable.

Watson said Monday that his group was against anything less than a complete stop to Japan's whaling program in Antarctica. The activists hope to block whaling activities for the Japanese fleet so it incurs deep financial losses.

"I don't think a solution is going to come through politics, it's going to come through economics," Watson told The Associated Press by telephone from his ship while pursuing the Japanese fleet. HuffPo

And I saw something else in that eye – it was pity and not for himself but for us – that we could kill so thoughtlessly and so mercilessly and I realized that the reason the Soviets were killing Sperm whales was for spermaceti oil used for lubricating machinery and one of the uses was in the construction on inter-continental ballistic missiles for the purpose of exterminating mass numbers of human beings and that is when it struck me that we, the human species are insane. So from that day on I have chosen to serve whalekind and the species in the sea – they are our clients – not people. An Interview With Paul Watson