I've done a rough translation of an insightful article from the Icelandic Minke Whaler’s Association which suggests the Japanese never intended to hunt Humpback whales in the Antarctic:
The Japanese spectacle continues…
During the annual International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Anchorage in May 2007, the Japanese were tough negotiators. They wanted permission to kill humpbacks in the Antarctic, held press conferences and wanted to withdraw from the IWC if their proposals weren’t accepted.
Therefore the decision to hunt humpbacks this Austral summer didn’t come as a surprise and the entire whale discussions was now focused on the humpback hunt and not about the 950 minkes and 50 Fin whales.
The Icelandic whalers now state that the Japanese are very smart and cunning. The Japanese have now declared that they will halt the humpback hunt (a hunt that the Japanese actually never have had an intention to carry out) and now the Japanese stand out as Mr. Nice Guys.
Now the Icelandic whalers want that their esteemed Minister of Agriculture to announce at the beginning of 2008, that Iceland has an intention to increase their whale hunting quotas substantially, 600 minkes, 300 Fins and 50 humpbacks. This would cause an international outcry from “environmentalists”. We would defend ourselves with all kinds of arguments but finally cave in, and half the quota and completely ignore the humpbacks (but this would depend on how the discussions did carry out).
Cheers,
Ann Novek
in Sweden
OK Travis, but another site/paper voted Stella Mc Cartney as environmentalist No I of the year, so you wonder if those awards go to the glamorous people?
I would like to see some awards going to completely unknown people, like rangers working in reserves in Africa and Asia , with their lives at stake...
To be fair, there are some decent people doing decent work on the list, but the quiet achievers are usually both those things - quiet and achieving.
I'm surprised that Brittney Spears and Pete Doherty aren't on the list... maybe the Guardian will have them on next year????
Peter Garrett? For what? And Midnight Oil were never "punk."
" 50 people that can save the planet" - Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/05/activists.ethicalliving
Watson honoured as one of the 50 most influencial environmental people in the world in the Guardian.
Among other people : Merkel, Lomborg, Greenpeace CEO Leipold, Gore,di Caprio ......
http://www.openmarket.org/2008/01/08/eco-terrorist-on-honored-for-his-work-in-guardian/
I think we should start a fund to pay 'activists" to hassle Pierce Brosnan and crash a few cars into his house.
We'd see vapid celebrity support for the food-fascists dry up pretty quick.
I seriously can't see the difference between throwing some cash at the Sea $chleppers and funding anti-abortionists to hassle patients and damage clinics.
If anything the whalers are putting food on the table.
If someone can come up with a good plan to put the spotlight on the celebs, I'll kick in a couple of hundred bucks to start a hassle Martin Sheen or Pierce Brosnan at home campaign.
Anything that forces a wanker like Brosnan to expound on his eco-theories will make them look like double standard hypocrites and will cost them.
The appeal of celebs is they expound at will but have agents and press people to shield them.
I'm amazed at how a misanthrope like Watson can juggle his brand of eco-fascism with some major celebs and even corporations.
Hmmm....I'd love to start a campaign to go trash a couple of Paul Mitchell salons too.
Let's hear from Brosnan how he balances supporting food fascists like Watson whilst simultaneously schilling for BMW heavy industries, luxury brands etc..
And Paul Mitchell just sells unnecessary detergents in polluting plastic bottles. Much less "necessary" than food.
My $200 still stands.
Time to turn the tables.
My personal opinion of Campbell was never that good, so for me this doesn't reflect so well on his company.
David,
I must say that Sea Shepherd have mighty friends:
Mr. Campbell joins an Advisory Board that in addition to Mr. Kleinschmidt also includes esteemed whale scientist Dr. Roger Payne, Oceanographer Dr. Joe McInnis, Anthropologist Dr. Louise Leakey, Naturalist Terri Irwin, Marine wildlife photographer Robert Talbot and actors Piece Brosnan, Richard Dean Anderson and Sean Penn.
Greenpeace once asked P. Brosnan to join GP, but the answer was NO.
Hmmmm:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/01/09/18471384.php