FOOD INC - You will never look at food the same way

An important documentary presenting about how food is produce and its consequences for people, animals and nature.

Hungry for Change

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Take action: http://www.takepart.com/foodinc

 

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Sea Shepherd - Bob Barker crew welcomed into Hobart

Tasmanian Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O'Connor MP welcoming the crew of the Sea Shepherd's Bob Barker into Hobart, following the group's successful Operation Divine WInd campaign in the Southern Ocean, which saved the lives of nearly 700 whales.

Captain Peter Hammarstedt discusses what he says was one of the group's most difficult campaigns yet, battling an increasingly desperate Japanese whaling industry.

SSCS hopes financial losses will kill Japanese whaling

Video - Captain Peter Hammarstedt speaks to ABC news.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-14/20120314-anti-whaling-ship-returns/3888404

Activists hope financial losses will kill Japanese whaling
March 14, 2012

Conservationists are pinning their hopes of an end to Antarctic whaling to growing financial losses sustained by Japan's fleet. The whalers killed less than one-third of their quota this season under Sea Shepherd pressure, as the fleet left the Antarctic weeks earlier than most previous years.

They harpooned 266 minkes and one fin whale in almost three months of hunting, the Fisheries Agency of Japan said. The tally is the second lowest for many seasons, after the whalers were forced out of the Antarctic last year by Sea Shepherd harassment, having taken 172 whales.

The FAJ said the whaling ships left the far south "as scheduled", but the end to their hunt came just a day after the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker finally caught up with the factory ship Nisshin Maru. The Bob Barker today docked in Hobart, where its captain, Peter Hammarstedt, said at some point the whaling fleet would have to reach a tipping point where economic losses were too great to sustain.

"Given this is the second year where they didn't get anywhere near their quota, we're cautiously optimistic they won't return next year."

The Japanese government has given no indication it is prepared to end the controversial hunt. Instead last year it found $28 million in a tsunami relief mini-budget to pay the Institute of Cetacean Research's debts and provide fleet security, Mr Hammarstedt, at age 27 a veteran of seven Antarctic campaigns, said his next task for Sea Shepherd would be to assist in the search for a fourth ship for the group, fast enough to match the speedy harpoon ships.

"We are absolutely 100 per cent committed to intervening against the Japanese whaling fleet if it decides to return," he said.

In Fremantle, costly repairs to the group's damaged scout ship, Brigitte Bardot, are nearing completion. Tougher bracing has been fixed to the vessel's hull, which was badly damaged in a Southern Ocean storm. It is expected to be relaunched next month.

Meanwhile the Australian government is studying Japan's lengthy counter-memorial, its response to Australia's case against "research whaling" in the International Court of Justice. The counter-memorial was given to the government last weekend, and a second round of confidential written submissions may be lodged with the court before any oral hearing of the case in open court. No decision is expected in the case before the next Antarctic whaling season is due to begin in December.

The shadow environment minister, Greg Hunt, has renewed calls to shift legal action to the much faster route of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea. He said a Coalition government would also seek to engage Japanese people by sending youth ambassadors to speak of deep concerns Australians have about whaling.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/activists-hope-financial-losses-will-kill-japanese-whaling-20120314-1uziu.html#ixzz1p6t3UF1d

SSCS Vegan cooking: How to make a vegan bread

The first cooking segment aboard The Bob Barker with the ship chef, William.

SSCS keeps the crew members healthy and strong during the intense (and cold!) months at sea. All food in SSCS is 100% vegan and all meals are prepared inside the galley. Watch this video and find out what it's like to prepare food on a ship and learn how to make delicious vegan bread!

I am a cove guardian - Help save dolphins in Taiji

Know more informations and what you can do to help at:
http://www.seashepherd.org/cove-guardians

Whale Wars - Silent Seas: A song for Sea Shepherd

SILENT SEAS

Let's protect the whales from the harpoons of
Japan, Norway and Iceland
We should save the whales for the seven seas
Need the giants of the deep

See them glide and dive oh so gracefully
The keepers of the ocean
Don't let killers win. We must take a stand
For the giants of the deep

Tell them how you feel. That it's time to stop
The murder of cetaceans
Tell the killing fleets 'Quit your false research'
On the giants of the deep

Hear the humpback sing like a diva, so
Don't let the seas fall silent
Feel your spirit soar when Sea Shepherd's there
For the giants of the deep

I've nothing against these nations
I just wish they would see the light
But I swear in the days we've left
We'll make the oceans safe
We'll make the oceans safe

As the years go past will you want to see
An empty, whale-free ocean?
Or a safe haven where the whales are free
To be giants of the deep

Let's protect the whales from the harpoons of
Japan, Norway and Iceland
We should save the whales for the seven seas
Need the giants of the deep

Save the giants of the deep
Save the giants of the deep

Copyright © Pete Sandford 2008

SUCCESS - Operation Divine Wind is over: Whalers head back to Japan

The Whalers Head Home!The Bob Barker making its way through the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Photo: Carolina A. Castr

The Japanese Whaling Fleet Leaves the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary 

Operation Divine Wind is over! The Japanese whalers are going home!

The Japanese whaling fleet has left the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and they are heading home.  “Once Captain Peter Hammerstedt and his crew on the Bob Barker closed in on the Nisshin Maru on March 5th, the whaling season was effectively over for the season,” said Captain Paul Watson on the Sea Shepherd flagship Steve Irwin recently returned and now berthed in Williamstown, Victoria, Australia.

Since March 1st, the Bob Barker has followed the Nisshin Maru as they headed steadily northwestward. The Japanese harpoon vessels have stopped tailing the Bob Barker. The fleet has left the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, according to Captain Peter Hammarstedt. The Japanese government security vessel, Shonan Maru #2, has been spotted by fishing vessels at thirty degrees South, which is due east of Brisbane, Australia indicating that the vessel is well on its way back to Japan.

A Minke Whale swims freely, as it should, in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Photo: Billy DangerIt has been a long and difficult campaign and although handicapped by the temporary loss of the scout vessel the Brigitte Bardot, the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker were able to chase the Japanese whaling fleet for more than 17,000 miles, giving them little time to kill whales. In addition, two of the three harpoon vessels spent more time tailing the two Sea Shepherd ships than killing whales.

“The kill figures will not be released by Japan until April, but in my opinion they will not get over 50% for certain and my prediction is it will not be above 30%. Not as good as last season, but much better than all the previous years.”  Said Captain Paul Watson. “It has been a successful campaign. There are hundreds of whales swimming free in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary that would now be dead if we had not been down there for the last three months. That makes us very happy indeed."

The Bob Barker will return to Hobart, Tasmania, the Brigitte Bardot is completing repairs in Fremantle, and the Steve Irwin is now berthed in Williamstown.
In December 2012, if the Japanese whaling fleet returns to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will launch Operation Cetacean Justice with four ships, two helicopters, four UAV (drones), and 120 volunteers.

“If the Japanese whalers return, Sea Shepherd will return. We are committed to the defense of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.” Said Captain Paul Watson. “No matter how long it takes, no matter how risky or expensive. The word “sanctuary” actually means something to us and that something is worth fighting for.”

The frigid Antarctic waters begin to freeze as the Bob Barker heads home. Photo: Carolina A. Castro

Visit our Operation Divine Wind site for information about our 2011-12 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2012/03/08/the-whalers-head-home-1352

Nisshin impossible: Japanese whalers quit

The Nisshin Maru was far from its whaling grounds last night.

THE Japanese whaling fleet is said to have called off its Antarctic hunt early after the factory ship Nisshin Maru was tracked down by Sea Shepherd conservationists.
Sea Shepherd's leader, Paul Watson, said the Nisshin Maru was steaming north last night, far from its whaling grounds, weeks before the usual season's end.
Fleet security ships had dropped away from the group's long-range ship, Bob Barker, and were also headed back to Japan, Mr Watson said.

''What with the bad weather they've been having, too, they certainly lost the whole of March,'' he said.

It would be the second year in a row that the Japanese government had ended the hunt early under conservationist pressure, although this year the Nisshin Maru was able to stay ahead of the anti-whaling activists for longer.
Under constant pressure from the fleet's security ships, the activists finally came within sight of the factory ship only last Monday at Commonwealth Bay, in Australian Antarctic waters south of Hobart.

Japanese security ships tried to blockade the Bob Barker in what the Institute of Cetacean Research said was a ''containment measure'' to head off the pursuit of the Nisshin Maru.

The activists said the harassment kept the Nisshin Maru moving, and with unusually bad weather, reduced the number of whales taken. Mr Watson estimated the whalers were likely to have taken only around 30 per cent of their quota.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/nisshin-impossible-japanese-whalers-quit-20120308-1un8f.html#ixzz1oZIlpnOA

A talk with Paul Watson

Byron Vibe caught up with Paul Watson from Sea Shepherd for a quick chat during his recent fund raising trip to Byron Bay.

The Night Attack of the Yushins

A crew member of the Bob Barker watches as one of the Yushins tries to prop-foul the Sea Shepherd vessel. Photo: Carolina A. CaAs the Bob Barker was closing in on the fleeing Nisshin Maru, the floating Japanese abattoir illegally hunting whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, two harpoon vessels Yushin Maru No. 2 and Yushin Maru No. 3, turned and headed straight for the Sea Shepherd ship, Bob Barker, which was under the command of Swedish captain Peter Hammarstedt. Darkness was rapidly closing in and snow was beginning to fall, when in a desperate move to throw the Bob Barker off the back of the Nisshin Maru, the two harpoon vessels began passing dangerously across the bow of the Bob Barker dragging 300 meter long, thick cables to foul the prop of the Bob Barker.

The harpoon ships trained their spotlights on the bridge of the Bob Barker, in an effort to blind the crew but backed off when the Bob Barker crew retaliated with lasers. Flares were fired and angry radio messages exchanged in Japanese and English.
The Yushin harpoon vessels illegally turned off their running lights during the incidents contributing to the danger of their reckless maneuvers.

The Yushins, much faster and more maneuverable than the Bob Barker harried the Sea Shepherd crew at close quarters for hours in their effort to prevent the Bob Barker from pursuing the Nisshin Maru.
Captain Peter Hammarstedt (27), a veteran of numerous Sea Shepherd campaigns deftly avoided the fouling lines as he kept the pressure on the Nisshin Maru.

There were no injuries on any of the ships involved and the Bob Barker continues to pursue the Nisshin Maru, having totally disrupted their illegal whaling activities.
With only a few weeks left in the whaling season the Japanese are determined to kill as many whales as possible and the Sea Shepherd crew are equally as determined to stop them.

“The Bob Barker is 1600 miles south of Tasmania,” said Captain Paul Watson on board the Steve Irwin, presently approaching the Bass Strait and due to arrive in Melbourne within twenty-four hours. “Captain Hammarstedt and his crew are bravely taking on the entire whaling fleet and keeping them on the run. There is no question that this is an exceedingly dangerous conflict but there is also no doubt that it is being highly effective. The Japanese whaling fleet’s kill quota will be greatly reduced this season and we are ready to return once again next season if they decide to continue their illegal slaughter of whales in the Australian Antarctic Territory and the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone.”

The Steve Irwin was forced to return due to lack of fuel. The Bob Barker was able to refuel in Wellington, New Zealand and can remain in pursuit of the Japanese fleet well into April if need be. The whaling season will close within weeks due to the onslaught of the extreme Antarctic winter conditions.

The Yushin crosses the bow of the Bob Barker with a 300 meter trailing line in an attempt to prop foul the Bob Barker. Photo: Carolina A. Castro

The Yushin Maru No. 2 trails a line in an attempt to prop-foul the Bob Barker. Photo: Carolina A. Castro

Visit our Operation Divine Wind site for information about our 2011-12 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2012/03/05/the-night-attack-of-the-yushins-1350

Whaling Fleet Has Been Found and Shut Down

Captain Paul Watson received a satellite phone call from Captain Peter Hammarstedt onboard the Bob Barker at 2200 Hours (AEST) on March 5^th. “Eureka! Paul, we have the Nisshin Maru in our sights,” said Captain Hammarstedt The Nisshin Maru and her three deadly harpoon boats were found at 64 Degrees 59 Minutes South and 130 Degrees 51 Minutes East at Commonwealth Bay, sixty miles off the Antarctic Coast, inside the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone.
The Yushin Maru No. 3 had just arrived from tailing the Steve Irwin. Despite the three harpoon vessels deployed to intercept the Bob Barker, Captain Hammarstedt slipped through their web and gained a visual identification on the primary target. Two of the harpoon vessels were in pursuit of whales. All whaling activity stopped as the Nisshin Maru began running, but the Bob Barker is faster and is gaining steadily on the hated factory ship.
“We have her in our sights and she will not be able to outrun us,” said Bob Barker third mate, Vincent Burke of Melbourne. “We have kept them running for two months and that has disrupted their operations considerably, but now with the Bob Barker on their stern slipway whaling is effectively shut down for 2012,” said Captain Hammarstedt (27) from Sweden.
The Japanese security ship, Shonan Maru No. 2, is still tailing the Steve Irwin, presently one day from the Bass Strait, and is now 1600 nautical miles away from the whaling fleet. The Steve Irwin successfully led the Shonan Maru No. 2 and the Yushin Maru No. 3 away from the Bob Barker, to allow the Bob Barker to lose a tailing vessel. The key to finding the Nisshin Maru was losing the tailing ship-and it worked.
“This has been a long and tough campaign, with the worst weather and ice conditions that we have experienced in the entire eight seasons we have ventured into the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Despite the temporary loss of our scout ship, the Brigitte Bardot, and our constant dogged pursuit of the Nisshin Maru, we have kept them on the run, taken two of their three harpoon vessels off the hunt for two months, severely crippled their killing capabilities, and now once again we have shut them down 100%. Operation Divine Wind has been enormously successful.”

The Bob Barker spots the whaling fleet's factory ship
The Nisshin Maru Photo: Carolina A. Castro

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2012/03/05/eureka-the-whaling-fleet-has-been-found-and-shut-down-1349