'Heroes' actress Hayden Panettiere gets chilly reception in Taiji

yeah, picked a great timing to visit the town as well eh.

she is a hottie but that is a weird couple! Why would people of Taiji care what these two have to say???

Westerners "are killing cows", and japanese don`t?

Another couple of western people who apparently never visited their own local meat factory to see some cows have their heads sawed off and then smell a bucket of blood. There is always a very hard to understand angle of approach in the way semi famous people like to engage in issues like this.

Are the dolphins facing extinction due to the very local activities of this particular village? Why weren't the movie makers interested in where the big money murders animals? I think it is a less than minor issue in our struggle to keep the planet inhabitable.

stevecpfc, Japanese do too. But the people of Taiji do not represent Japanese people. They only represent the people of Taiji. I don't know if the people of Taiji also kill cows. But I do know that westerners kill cows in massive numbers without a second thought, and I know that its westerners attacking Taiji. The non-Taiji Japanese are not that down on Taiji, perhaps because they know how hypocritical it would be? Most of the westerners who attack Taiji have not got a clue of their own hyprocrisy.

I really don't understand this business with them being blocked at the door of the town hall by officials. Officials of what? Who has the right to block anyone's access to a town hall?

Somebody should have yelled "Temee! Jama! Dokei!!" really loudly.

How did she even get a visa?

I really don't understand this business with them being blocked at the door of the town hall by officials. Officials of what? Who has the right to block anyone's access to a town hall?

This.

Well technically heylars its not exactly hypocrisy, the difference here is that cows are no where close to being endangered and well whales and some species of dolphin are, the question of course remains whether or not the species japan hunts are endangered and japan of course says no. If the those types of animals, whales and dolphins, were not endangered I don't think people would really care if they hunted those animals.

I really don't understand this business with them being blocked at the door of the town hall by officials. Officials of what? Who has the right to block anyone's access to a town hall?

Hopefully not the same people who say dialogue not protest is the way to get results.

I don't know if the people of Taiji also kill cows. But I do know that westerners kill cows in massive numbers without a second thought

I don't know if the people of Taiji kill cows either, but I'm pretty sure neither the people of Taiji nor the westerners who 'kill cows in massive numbers' do it by driving them in a panic into a restricted space, deliberately stabbing one or two of them (but not fatally) so that the other members of the herd don't try to escape, leaving them there overnight in terror and pain and then engaging in a frenzy of stabbing and throat-cutting next day. Even Japan has laws against that kind of thing happening in abattoirs. (I think)

As for the slaughter of cows being done 'without a second thought' - a lot of thought has gone into some pretty strict regulations that aim to keep suffering to a minimum.

And no, I'm not saying that makes it all OK. In a better world than this one there would be no meat-eaters.

This argument about Westerners killing cows is completely irrelevant. Japan is famous for its beef, there are loads of McDonalds, Cows are not the smartest animals in the world and probably have no concept of the future, are domesticated for human consumption and to my knowledge are killed humanely by a bolt gun. On the other hand, dolphins are at least as intelligent as us, they are wild, killed brutally and are carrying huge levels of Mercury. Having a traditional history doesn't make it acceptable. My City of Dundee in Scotland was famous for whaling and contributed to huge numbers of brutally killed cetaceans and if it were to return to these old, traditional, archaic ways I would be equally disgusted.

Keep the pressure on. Well done, Hayden. I'd like to see the fishermen who tried to stab her, Dave Rastovich and others with poles and spears last time she was here have a crack at her with Klitschko in her corner.

"Dolphins are at least as intelligent as us" thank you for providing the LOL of the day. They aren't smart enough to avoid the techniques used to push them into the cove which lets face it are quite rudimentary.........humans are though.

I'm going to go to Taiji & stuff myself with Dolphin meat.. just because I'm sick of hearing about the cove & the dolphin killing.

They are just dolphins. Why do people care...??? I don't see people making documentaries about slaughtering cows, goats, pigs, horses, chickens, fish...

Meat is meat....

Not that I have any particular interest in Taiji, but I guess now as a Gaijin I won't ever be welcome there. On a side note, there's a scene in the documentary that explains, "...the Taiji dolphin show is the only place where you can watch dolphins perform while eating them at the same time..." I just find that part sooo ironically intriguing that I can't help but remember it every time this place gets mentioned.

I bet Mr. Private didn't get in Klitschko`s face with a video camera.

"... were blocked by two officials at the door of the town hall."

Hahaha... you gotta love the absolute lies by this town. The mayor says, "We have nothing to hide in Taiji," and yet in the movie there are high walls and tarps everywhere so that the film makers have to tresspass; and yet the Japan Film Board wants to put a mosaic blur on all the faces of the Taiji people and edit the content, adding its own 'disclaimers'; and yet he refuses to come out for a discussion on the topic, and the fisheries are 'closed'.

In other words, they are hiding everything, and refusing to acknowledge it, hiding behind the, "It's our culture, and we have nothing to hide. Now please excuse me while I get under my desk because some foreigners are coming to speak with me," lunacy. This will hopefully garner even more attention from the outside world as to the true nature of the mayor and the practice of butchering dolphins.

"We’ve been to Taiji before and it’s a beautiful place with beautiful wildlife.”

What's she on about ?? It's so ugly and there is no wildlife,well just crows...is there any such thing as beautiful Japanese coastline ?

HeilanClansman, it isn't irrelevant. If Japan is unable to get beef (as it has in the past) then it simply phases it out. It is not a traditional part of the diet for 99%, if not 100% of the population of Japan unlike Korea or China. Coastal Japanese however relied on sea food for their very sustenance.

Don't get me wrong. The Taiji method bothers me. And personally I think Mercury laden meat is not appetizing at all. But when will this pushing of cultures stop? YOUR culture isnt BETTER than THEIRS. Stop forcing it down their throat.

Hayden schould try to peacefully come up with better ideas on issues in the usa - I heard there is enough room for improvement.

This world-police attitude is more than annoying!

And always the USA. Who do they think they are, constantly forcing their "ideas of value" onto other nations? Trying to guide away attention from the hairraising things they have done and are currently doing?

Yes, but you have to go to places like Ishigaki island to find it.

I don't see people making documentaries about slaughtering cows, goats, pigs, horses, chickens, fish...

Actually there is. It was made right in the U.S. of A. I've only seen clips of the documentary. It was horrifiying!! It almost made me turn into a vegetarian....but I like my steak to much!!

comment cut off above.

Regardless, the jokes gotta stop.

Unless we can grow food under water, we gotta eat from the sea. Or start eating bugs, the most environmentally sound solution to getting protein. (gross, but true)

We can't all be vegetarians and asking people to change their food diet like with whales (which isnt even that popular in Japan) is to me just a cultural superiority complex.

If Japan ditches whales, someones gotta make the same sacrifice, whether it be another culture stop whaling or an equally important diet like beef.

It all comes down to domestication. Cows are domesticated, dolphins and whales are not. Same with other species of endangered animals. Taijii is a small place.

Cleo's ideal world may not involve meat eaters but I think the lions, tigers, sharks, and the 4 teeth in all human beings mouths denote that mother nature says otherwise.

Moderator: Back on topic please.

How did she even get a visa?

She says she had a meeting with a Foreign Ministry official in 2008 who said she was welcome back anytime. Seems that someone high-up got the warrant quietly dropped.

Greapper1: sigh I think I've mentioned this a billion times to people who make ignorant comments like yours, but: please check out a documentary called Earthling. They cover the slaughtering of cows, chickens, pigs, as well as the cruelty of fur, the pet industry, zoos, aquariums, circuses...you name it. It's been made. 'Meat is meat'...wow, wait till the vegans here that.

And kudos to Hayden and her bf for stepping into the god-forsaken Taiji land. I'd go but I'd be too afraid of what people might do to me when they see that I'm not 'pure' Japanese...maybe someday.

These people are so crazy and self-centered.

Who else would expect to turn up in Taiji and have a "peaceful conversation" with anyone they would please to, besides anti-whaling zealots?

stevecpfc, killing cows is western culture. Japan imported it (indeed it used to be illegal to kill cows). Japan's acceptance and adopting of some outside culture doesn't mean Japan should throw out all it's own culture.

The odd thing is that the anti-whalers often proclaim that "if only Japan would hunt whales close to home then they wouldn't be criticised so much".

Yet Taiji whalers are hunting dolphins as close to home as any whalers, and the fact that they come in for such special attention just illustrates the two-faced lies and double-talk of the anti-whalers perfectly.

It all comes down to domestication. Cows are domesticated, dolphins and whales are not.

Who says cows are domesticated? DO you know anyone that has a cow at his/her home? If you mean that they are easy notice their whereabouts and control their movements, then I think we should stop eating all types of fish, except for the ones that come from fish farms.

“The Cove,” a gory depiction of Taiji’s dolphin slaughter

Shouldn't that be, a true depiction of the gory dolphin slaughter?

a truck of right-wing nationalists blasted slogans, saying Japan should not be singled out for whaling and dolphin hunts because Westerners “are killing cows.” They also demanded President Barack Obama apologize for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Oh, yeah baby! That makes complete sense! The right winger's should be grateful the bombs were dropped or they would all be speaking Russian. And, this argument about westerners killing 'farmed' cows for food is getting a little stale. There is no comparison at all. It is especially ironic considering Japan is one of the largest importers of US beef in the world, don't you think?

sidjtd - Also, Westerners must rid of all whaling equally. The US, Canada, and Russia must rid of their indigenous whaling first before pointing fingers at other countries. Same with Australia.

And here is today's ridiculous comment award! "Same with Australia?" I was not aware Australia's indigenous aborigines have ever hunted whales.

sidjtd - While Australians murder Dingo's and Kangaroo's for no reason,

And the second prize for the most ridiculous statement comes from the same post! - For no reason? Dingos are not rounded up and stabbed with spears. Also, there is a little thing called, the dingo fence, which is 5,614k long. Perhaps you've heard of it. It was put in place so dingos would not have to be culled. As for kangaroos: Not that it is relevant to this thread, but what exactly do you know about kangaroo culling? They are culled to protect the environment and to save them from starving to death when their numbers grow too great for the area they live in, which is a little different to rounding up dolphins and stabbing them with spears to obtain mercury laden meat to give to school kids, don't you think?

Humans have four canine teeth but that doesn't make us meat eaters by any stretch of the imagination. They are called canine because they look like dog's teeth. They also look like cat teeth. If they were called feline teeth instead of canine teeth would you assume mother nature built humans to play with balls of yarn?

If you look at the entire human body vs a lion you'll notice the very, very powerful jaws on the lion vs the wimp jaws of the human. This is so lions can rip meat, crush bones, and swallow things nearly whole. Lions also crap out their meat in an hour or so: the distance from mouth to anus in a lion is very short - get the meat in, get it out fast. Humans digest for hours, sometimes days with a much, much longer gastrointestinal tract.

On topic, when does a public official have the right to block access to a public building when there is no danger of violence? Are these the same officials who blocked the documentary crew from walking on Public Land (national park)? Taiji people are rightfully proud of their history but they're doing themselves a disservice off by blocking public areas.

HeilanClansman,

Domestication... yeah we can lock animals up and domesticate them. So? Why does that make it "right"? The big cop out in this argument is that you talk only of "humane killing". What about "humane living"?

There's nothing "wrong" with leaving animals in their natural environment and then catching them in sustainable numbers.

The acid test is whether you would prefer to be born as a cow or a whale, and I've never had anyone tell me that they would rather be a cow so as to to get the "humane killing" at the end, as opposed to opting for a "humane living" - a life of freedom that marine animals get with some small chance of getting nailed by harpoon or spear in what sometimes (but certainly not always) proves to be a more prolonged death on average.

But cleo, I do not think those are the key reasons people oppose this. No one is pushing for a humane slaughter. They simply demand an end to the killing of dolphins. Its hypocritical and they twist and contort to fruitless try to get out of the hypocrisy. Look at HeilanClansman's post right after yours; dolphins are smart, mercury and making out like domesticating animals in small dirty pens is better for the animal than hunting them wild! The humane killing becomes a minor point, but you know there will be no let up no matter how dolphins die in Taiji.

FYI, the bolt gun is not always instant and the animals are all terrified when they die. People saying otherwise have not seen the videos I have. But they won't get up and go see for themselves.

Thanks for deleting my one liner. The point I was trying to make was the newsworthiness of this article. Who is this woman and what is the news value of the latest Hollywood starlet descending on a small Japanese town (with cameras in tow of course) and accosting the locals as they go about their business.

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely anti-whaling and the idea of Japanese fishermen shanking Flipper and his relatives makes me rather sick. The potential risks of eating such contaminated meat also worry me.

At the same time, however, couldn't the people who organized this media stunt at least get somebody with a little more intellectual weight behind them? Indeed, they would have been better off hiring Eric Cartman of South Park.

borscht,

when there is no danger of violence?

Do you believe that people think anti-whaling activists pose no danger of violence, or is that just your own opinion?

HeyLars,

I too have seen some very disturbing cow slaughter footage... I try to avoid beef now actually, especially Australian beef which I no longer buy at the supermarket. Wish there were more, cheap, antarctic whale meat available.

Just because they are famous, they think they can coerce anyone to talk with them...I don't think so...further, people have the right to not be filmed in their daily activities if they so desire. Hence the walls and tarps.

I got news for you borscht...lions get the meat in, but what comes out is not meat...

Disillusioned- And, this argument about westerners killing 'farmed' cows for food is getting a little stale. There is no comparison at all.

Well, there I agree with you. Its like trying to compare hundreds to millions. It really is. No comparision at at all. The Taiji hunt is loads better. Loads.

And I say again, the people of Taiji DO NOT represent the Japanese. Japanese people in general do NOT stand up for the people of Taiji. They barely know they exist. If you bring up the typical Japanese will feel bad for the dolphin, but they won't get obstinate about it. That is probably because the hypocrisy would be simply overwhelming.

timorborder,

Eric Cartman is probably not available, as he is on record as "not giving a crap about whales".

He would be up for it if money and TV is involved though, so perhaps there is hope.

Yet Taiji whalers are hunting dolphins as close to home as any whalers, and the fact that they come in for such special attention just illustrates the two-faced lies and double-talk of the anti-whalers perfectly.

No david, the fact that they come in for such special attention illustrates the fact that what they are doing is barbaric. They know it is, which is why they hide behind tarpaulins and why the whalers don't like to conduct their 'legitimate research' when the cameras are trained on them.

What this reports leaves out is that the fishermen's union representative actually sat down and talked with members of the visiting group for a couple of hours yesterday, which I believe was the first time for them to agree to do so. Without going into details, one result of that talk was that Taiji officials decided not to deal with them anymore. So it seems that some good could have come out of this but it is more likely to simply strengthen Taiji's siege mentality.

sharky1,

Just because they are famous, they think they can coerce anyone to talk with them...

Yeah, it's bizarre. Do they think these people are employed to sit around and wait for people like them to come along and expect to have "peaceful conversations"? These are the same people who have just been sneaking around taking secret films of dolphin hunting and criticising it. The same mentality is seen with the Sea Shepherd morons who used their plastic boat to dangerously harass a Japanese vessel for hours but then turn around and complain that they were nailed after they recklessly failed to take actions to avoid a collision which resulted in their boat being severely damaged and could have been worse if they weren't so lucky.

davidattokyo - Australians are hunting endangered dugongs, Disillusioned.

C'mon mate! What's this garbage? There is one group of indigenous aborigines in the far north of Australia who kill possibly three or four dugongs every year under their treaty of indigenous hunting rights. I expected better from you.

No one is pushing for a humane slaughter. They simply demand an end to the killing of dolphins. Its hypocritical

No it isn't. There is no such thing as a humane way to kill marine mammals. Demanding an end to the barbarity means demanding an end to the killing.

the bolt gun is not always instant and the animals are all terrified when they die. People saying otherwise have not seen the videos I have. But they won't get up and go see for themselves.

I have no stomach to 'get up and go see' for myself. I've got a pretty active imagination, and I don't eat meat.

Disillusioned,

First, I don't think much of your argument, it's a big fat double-standard. To illustrate:

Taiji folks are just one group of Japanese who live out in the whoppers down on the rocky coast of Wakayama who catch a relatively small number of dolphins in accordance with Japanese law.

If the reason for anti-whalers opposing the activity is "because it is barbaric", then they wouldn't be making these side-arguments about "close to home" etc.

Different folk obviously have different reasons. It's more than a little disingenuous to accuse people of hypocrisy and double-talk just because their reasons are different to the reasons you may have had explained to you by other people.

Heh, if what I see is your "tolerant" mode I'd hate to see the damage done when you were in your "intolerant" mode.

Different folk obviously have different reasons. It's more than a little disingenuous to accuse people of hypocrisy and double-talk just because their reasons are different to the reasons you may have had explained to you by other people.

Oh gee sorry. But I'm still not sure which anti-whaling arguments are supposed to be valid and which are not. In total, they are clearly contradictory and double-speak.

Moderator: Readers, whaling is not relevant to this discussion.

cleo said: No it isn't. There is no such thing as a humane way to kill marine mammals. Demanding an end to the barbarity means demanding an end to the killing.

When dealing with young healthy animals, "humane killing" is an oxymoron. I am positive that there is a way to kill dolphins in a manner of similar pain, terror and time contraints as any other animal. These are not whales we are talking about. But we both know they hypocrisy of the anti-Taiji crowd will be exposed as soon as someone invents an efficient dolphin slaughter method because the complaints won't stop while their number of McDonald's visits will remain unchanged.

I've got a pretty active imagination

On the basis of your imagination, slaughterhouses are better than Taiji? I beg your pardon! Even if Taiji dolphin deaths are terrible, a simple comparison of number of deaths more than tips the scale. Even if only .05 percent of slaughterhouse deaths are as bad as those at Taiji, Taiji is still better.

cleo wrote: No david, the fact that they come in for such special attention illustrates the fact that what they are doing is barbaric. They know it is, which is why they hide behind tarpaulins

I challenge you or anyone else to go take some videos at a slaughterhouse. Go see how welcome you are. One of the few reasons the Taiji village idiots get so much attention is because they did not get their make-shift slaugherhouse walls up soon enough. Out of sight, out of mind cleo. Another reason is this love of dolphins, which I share mind you, but they are not all that far above cattle in my mind, just a bit more.

HeyLars,

Plus that's just the "humane killing" oxymoron. "Humane living" should be taken into much greater consideration than it is.

I don't david, it could be said that factory farmed animals get put out of their misery their living conditions are so bad. But it only makes Taiji look better yet.

As the group arrived, a truck of right-wing nationalists blasted slogans, saying Japan should not be singled out for whaling and dolphin hunts because Westerners “are killing cows.” They also demanded President Barack Obama apologize for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Was this in Japanese as usual? In which case I am sure the protesters welcome the translation here - maybe they thought they were being welcomed!

I went through taiji by accident and it is a beatiful area but well off the beaten track for western tourists.

Would Hayden feel better if they used a stun gun instead? What exactly was she trying to do or tell them? To give up their jobs? To stop killing animals?

we both know they hypocrisy of the anti-Taiji crowd will be exposed as soon as someone invents an efficient dolphin slaughter method because the complaints won't stop while their number of McDonald's visits will remain unchanged

Can't remember the last time I went to a Mcdonald's, so you're right, the frequency of my visits will not change.

On the basis of your imagination, slaughterhouses are better than Taiji?

I don't know where you're pulling that one from. I'd like to see all the slaughterhouses shut down.

I challenge you or anyone else to go take some videos at a slaughterhouse. Go see how welcome you are.

Point taken - but how often do you think the Cove is visited by Animal Welfare inspectors and other officials whose job it is to keep an eye on what's going on in abattoirs?

davidattokyo - "Humane living" should be taken into much greater consideration than it is"

I think few could disagree with that statement and that is what good animal husbandry is about. As for humane killing being an oxymoron, only someone looking to divert attention from their own agenda would say that. Any ethical proffessional will tell you ending the animal requires no less consideration. Any other route is simply to disregard the animal in favour of a short cut (pun intended).

Hunting, terrorizing and despatching animals in the way you defend simply shows no thought for the animals. Your supposed high regard for the freedom these animals enjoy is nothing but a smoke screen for taking a cheap option.

Those two are one of the weirdest couples ever. Its a bit gross.

Yeap! It's all oyooku (rt wing)around that area. Be careful if you go there!!

roomtemperature - Disillusioned, your entire post is a complete farce. But that happens to you a lot, doesn't it? From "gory depiction" or "true depiction" and your laughable statement about US beef to "mercury laden meat at schools". It shows that you don't have a single clue. Anyway...no price for you, pall!!

Boo hoo! I'm a shattered man! The only farce is the pathetic snipes taken by people who have no real point of view or facts to back them up. No 'price' for you either. :P

The fishermen fish what they fish. Ppl eat what they eat. Who needs some condescending movie-star type to roll into town and help them think of better ways to live with nature. "Look at me, I'm so right and wonderful, and sensitive not only to the poor dolphins but to the poor backward fishermen. I feel their pain and confusion. If only they had someone like me fly in to talk with them from another country, all their problems would be solved and they wouldn't have to worry anymore. That shows just how deep I am. If I do 'Good' things the other protesters will all love me and the fishermen will too, and not to mention the dolphins as well."

Furthermore, by continuing to do these sorts of things and putting more and more international pressure on ppl, it encourages polarization. This could lead to such things as the right wingers gaining sympathy and power. Will the protestors accept responsibility for such an outcome? No, because they are "right", so they don't have to think about consequences.

save the cheerleader, save the world

davidattokyo,

when there is no danger of violence?

Do you believe that people think anti-whaling activists pose no danger of violence, or is that just your own opinion?

I was referring to the specific incident in which a public official denied Hayden and her husband access into a public building, so no, I don't think the mayor or whoever was cowering inside was in any danger. Thanks for letting me clear that up.

I'm not sure about how the actual numbers are arrived at, or how any country (much less Japan) determines fishing law or limit, but questions of health (mercury levels) and sustainability are valid.

Beef is cultivated. It is more than sustainable (too much, in fact). Quality and safety, on the other hand, are indeed subject to major scrutiny, especially US beef.

So while mercury levels have been deemed dangerous, I'm wondering how dolphins have been cultivated? (The answer is probably, "They aren't cultivated in a controlled manner, specifically set aside for world consumption.") And reflecting on fishing limits, how is it sustainable, or humanely carried out?

For crying out loud, how many times?

If you have to keep it a secret from the Japanese, then guess what? It isn't Japanese culture. It's a bunch of hillbilly gangsters shaming this country.

Sadly, though, and predictably enough, it seems the media's done its snow job on this issue. Absolutely everyone I've spoken to about this film has referred to it as "The Japan-bashing movie" and gone on to parrot some ovine cant about culture and cows.

A noble experiment, and God Bless Hayden for trying again, but there's a long hard fight ahead. None so blind as those who will not see and all that.

Amazing really. The hypocrisy, the self-righteousness. Ms. Heather Who? a third rate Hollywood starlet with entourage visits Japanese backwaters to teach the locals better ways to live and expects therefore an audience with local officials. With a delusional sense of self-importance and entitlement on that scale I think she needs to check herself into therapy for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Wow dontpanic. Just wow. Nobody said anything about killing any which way to be ok. Of course I want all animals to be killed with less pain and terror. But that does make killing a young healthy animal humane. Perhaps a little more humane than pure barbarism, but not really humane at all. That is not agenda talking. Its sense. And your point about "professionals" does not make any sense. You think professionals can't make and use oxymorons?

None of it is a smokescreen. Given the choice between eliminating the beef industry as it is and eliminating the Taiji dolphin slaughter as it is, I will take the beef industry in a heartbeat. I would rather one hunted animal die a horrible horrible death than 100 live in a box only to die as "humanely" as they do at the slaughterhouse, which is not always all that "humane". Go find one a slaughterhouse. See for yourself.

And idicemic uses the word "cultivate" like it was just pulling carrots out of the ground! Never have I seen such a willful attempt to cover the horrors of the factory farm and the slaughterhouse! My God, that is some serious denial!

I cannot understand why my 2nd comment was deleted. It is relevant to the dolphin protest. I will say it more briefly.

Protesters are protesting how dolphins are hunted, or that they are hunted at all in Taiji/ Japan. How about protesting the other kind of dolphin hunting that occurs all over the world?

Dolphins hunt in packs, mercilessly surrounding helpless schools of fish in order to compress them as much as possible, taking turns diving in and munching on them. This is called "herding". They also can chase fish into shallow waters and COVES where they CAN'T ESCAPE, which is called corralling. Larger dolphins such as killer whales and other species eat MARINE MAMMALS, including seals, sea lions etc., some species of which may be endangered.

The protesters should be protesting the cold blooded murders dolphins are committing every day, so that this can be a more peaceful and happy world. Dolphins could surely survive on kelp and tofu.

Clout comes in all forms tigris. Apparently she has enough that she was barred from the town hall. What is power and clout really, but people taking it when the getting is good if they have the will to take it? She seems to have enough power and clout that she was feared! I doubt they would look at me twice!There are many performers who have stepped up to the plate and exercised influence based on this sort of hot air. Its true of most people with power really. But what a hypocritical way to exercise her power!

"save the cheerleader, save the world"

I wish I had posted that. You know what she should have done? She should have gotten the portrait of a cheerleader all slashed up and bleeding and photoshopped a dolphin in there.

Then she should have blown it up onto a big placard and invited all the fan media to see her protest. SAVE THE DOLPHINS, SAVE THE WORLD!... It would have said, and every Claire Bear fanboy around the world would have passed that image to everyone else on every blog in the world.

I believe that because of the intelligence and skills that dolphins have, killing them is like killing sheep dogs instead of sheep. Dolphins should be trained and tamed... some of them... to do important fisheries work.

Apparently Hayden thinks we're all as dumb as she obviously is.

“We just wanted to have a very peaceful and relaxed conversation.”

Really? with a ton of activists and a bevy of reporters standing behind you? You already have a bad rep in the village because of your activism in 2007, so what could possibly have convinced you that the villiage would be willing to talk to you now that you're milking a publicity stunt? A stunt oincidentally staged so soon after "The Cove" got its Academy Award.

I'm not a fan of killing dolphins, but I'm even LESS a fan of publicity hounds.

Panettiere might well be hot stuff to teenage American boys but in Taiji she is just another foreigner making trouble so why should anybody take any time out to discuss anything with her? Besides does she speak Japanese or does she expect the mayor to speak American? The reason for her being there is not the issue, it’s the very fact that she believed she could just arrive in another country and be greeted as a special person when it fact she is of no consequence at all to these people. She is a 20 year old actress in some US TV programme. She might be the centre of her own little universe but beyond that somebody needs to remind her she isn’t at all special.

stevecpfc at 02:10 PM JST - 26th March Westerners "are killing cows", and japanese don`t?

I believe the point of that statement was that Japanese don't complain about westerners (or anyone else for that matter) killing cows.

Noliving at 02:34 PM JST - 26th March Well technically heylars its not exactly hypocrisy, the difference here >is that cows are no where close to being endangered and well whales and >some species of dolphin are, the question of course remains whether or >not the species japan hunts are endangered and japan of course says no. >If the those types of animals, whales and dolphins, were not endangered >I don't think people would really care if they hunted those animals.

With the exception of a few rare species most dolphins and porpoises are not endangered. And that's hardly just Japan saying so. Some of the more vivid photos on the net are the Pilot Whale (they're porpoises despite the name) harvests of the Faroe Islands which have nothing to do with Japan. As to whales we know there are endangered species like the Blue and Fin but we also know the minkes are abundant. Few anti-whaling advocates make the distinction between whales and dolphins much less endangered and non-endangered species, most simlpy lumping them all together as as one intelligent creature on a par with human beings that deserve special treatment. Hence arguments tend to be based on complete preservation based on emotional reasons rather than science or issues of sustainable hunting.

Moderator: We ruled earlier on that whaling is not relevant to this discussion.

"She is a 20 year old actress in some US TV programme."

She was much less before that. So. One wonders what she is really bringing to the issue here. The sentiments of a high school dropout and soon to be EX-starlet. My gut feeling is that HEROES has made more money in Japan than the US, too, so she might be burning some bridges here.

At least the sign idea I described above would have shown some spirit and creativity. A high school dropout trying to become a diplomat all of a sudden with these hardened dolphin-beaters was pretty well bound to fail.

If she had brought SYLAR with her, he probably could have persuaded some people to be more reasonable.

Just to add a bit more information missing from the story. The visit was sponsored mainly by the Whaleman Foundation (Jeff Pantukhoff is the founder), and Panetierre is the spokesperson for their "Save the Whales Again" campaign. Pierce Brosnan is another celeb who has promoted it, but bringing him to Japan is presumably a bit of a stiff order compared to a 20-year-old B-starlet.

The local organizer of the trip, as the article says, was Steve Thompson, a high school English teacher in Osaka who includes a union victory against Osaka governor Hashimoto on his resume.

And by the way, this story continues tomorrow with Panetierre & Co. attending the Dolphin Peace Picnic in Osaka tomorrow. http://vegansociety.jp/hayden-panettiere-dolphin-peace-osaka/

"show dolphin meat contains dangerously high levels of mercury and is unsafe to eat"

Although dolphins are not apex predators, how stupid it is for humans to eat anything high up in the food chain when there is the possibility of heavy metal contamination. This is as good a reason as any not to eat dolphins or killer whales. Feeding it to kids should be a criminal offense. WHy not make then eat lead paint chips instead?

SppedRacer, You don't have to go all the way to the top of the aquatic food chain to find high levels of mercury. The Cove director Louie Psihoyos relates how he was tested at the Minamata Institute and was found to have high levels of mercury from eating a lot of sushi. The doctors then did a bit of testing on themselves and found that their mercury levels shot up when they ate daily but modest amounts of the high-grade sushi tuna. they don't eat it anymore, nor allow anyone at the hospital to eat it, but are "too scared" to speak out about it.

another two bit, attention seeking 3rd rate 'actor' trying to preach to the locals...what did she expect from them - a welcome parade and the keys to the city??

NagoyaOya at 09:58 PM JST - 26th March

If human flesh ever did become morally acceptable as a food it would be banned the next day as being unfit for human consumption given the high levels of toxins we contain. Some might reason that cows are killed in a more humane way than these dolphins but cows are given so many drugs to keep them healthy and fat that they are not the best thing to be putting into our stomachs because we end up the with the residue of “healthy farming”. So, JT posters, you can all feel safe in the knowledge that you would be illegal to eat.

HeyLars - "I would rather one hunted animal die a horrible horrible death than 100 live in a box only to die as "humanely" as they do at the slaughterhouse"

I couldnt condone either. In my opinion you raise your food animals with good standards of welfare and kill them quickly. If you have to hunt animals for food, kill them quickly. These are attainable standards for most communities.

Dolphins hunt in packs, mercilessly surrounding helpless schools of fish in order to compress them as much as possible, taking turns diving in and munching on them. This is called "herding". They also can chase fish into shallow waters and COVES where they CAN'T ESCAPE, which is called corralling.

This is called "the law of the jungle". Dolphins, sharks etc can hunt and kill whatever they want. Human society - generally - does not live like that anymore - except in some tiny tribal societies in Papua New Guinea for example. We have an obligation to kill animals as humanely and quickly as possible - if we eat meat that is.

We have an obligation to kill animals as humanely and quickly as possible - if we eat meat that is.

No we don't. And if you believe in that above pricinple you stated, the party that you should be targeting are those who hunt for recreational pupose without eating the meat.

I have no respect for "recreational" hunters - it is sad some people have to shoot animals simply to satisfy their sadistic urges.

You say we don't have an obligation to kill animals humanely and quickly. Why not? Are we still unreformed savages?

Moderator: All readers back on topic please. From here on, posts that do not refer to Hayden Panettiere will be removed.

cleo at 04:33 PM JST - 26th March No david, the fact that they come in for such special attention >illustrates the fact that what they are doing is barbaric. They know it >is, which is why they hide behind tarpaulins

It's for the same reason that every slaughterhouse in the world conducts it's business within indoor facilities. Nothing any more or less "barbaric" about it.

and why the whalers don't like to conduct their 'legitimate research' >when the cameras are trained on them.

Actually your heroes the eco-terrorists have tons of footage of the whalers up for viewing. They even edit it so that footage of fire extinguisher testing can be called pepper sprays and all the sheep believe them.

I think this article is about not only panettiere, but dolphin hunting, protesting, and the reasons for the hunting and protesting. For example the reasons panettiere may have for protesting, along with all the other protesters who were with her and who were mentioned in the article. Furthermore, the hunting, which was also mentioned in the article, the reasons the fishermen have, what and why we eat. Is. All. Relevant.

I think it is very important of what she is doing, I dont think she is just doing this for her career, this is a very important issue and there is a big difference killing cows (which are bred for human consuption) then dolphins who are so important to ocean life. Big difference, killing a hundred cows will not hurt the balance of nature killing off all the dolphins will!! look at our oceans now are being so badly effected. You can not argue that is is not a very important issue are argue the fact of the importance of our ocean life!!! This country needs to stop this whaling and dolphin hunting, its not right!!

As the group arrived, a truck of right-wing nationalists blasted slogans, saying Japan should not be singled out for whaling and dolphin hunts because Westerners “are killing cows.” They also demanded President Barack Obama apologize for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Are you kidding me, how stupid are these people, if that is your defense then you have no hope at all in any international court.

The non-Taiji Japanese are not that down on Taiji, perhaps because they know how hypocritical it would be? Most of the westerners who attack Taiji have not got a clue of their own hyprocrisy.

Really, and Miyazaki is non-Taiji and there are plenty of natives here pissed about the dolphin hunt. They also cheer the movie won an Oscar, regardless of how Mino Monta feels.

Before you speak for all of Nippon be sure you know how all of Nippon feels.

regardless of how Mino Monta feels

What did he say? Can I ask you to repeat it?

be sure you know how all of Nippon feels.

Love it. 127 million people. All riding in the same train of thought.

I think Hollywood activism is fine (albeit mostly self serving) if it's to raise awareness but not sure what she was thinking by trying to meet with Taiji officials. That's like George Clooney meeting with the Janjaweed in Darfur to negotiate peace. Maybe that's not a great analogy but having some young Caucasian actress with cameras come to negotiate an end to the slaughter undermines the cause in my opinion. If I were the officials, I would be wondering how serious people were when their messenger is her. I support her attending rallies or picnics but I think the Taiji visit was not the smartest move. I hope I'm wrong and that whatever meeting they had proved fruitful.

If it's wrong to eat animals like dolphins why are they made of meat???

ptolemy said: Before you speak for all of Nippon be sure you know how all of Nippon feels.

I was not speaking for all of Japan. This was simply the vibe I got from Japan in general. If you got a different vibe, and feel that Japan is as generally down on Taiji as Panettiere, perhaps you could explain to me why the dolphin hunting continues unabatted right here in their very own country? Seems really contradictory to me, but if you have an explanation...

fleetwood77 you're made of meat, are you putting yourself in the frame?

Does anyone know what Mino Monta said about this? I didn't know he'd put himself forward as a spokesman on the issue, but if the locals follow his lead as enthusiastically as they seized on his banana diet a couple of years back, it's certainly going to swing the debate (such as it is - side a: "please look at this and tell me what you think" vs. side b: "I don't want to see, this is Japan-bashing, baaaaa baaaa").

Monta is certainly more of a key opinion-leader than the callipygeous Ms. Panettiere.

Panettiere said she would “love to be a spokesperson” for the town if it abandons the hunt. Her visit to Taiji comes just weeks after “The Cove,” a gory depiction of Taiji’s dolphin slaughter, won the Oscar for best documentary.

Panettiers will be a spokesperson for a ghost cove (Taiji) because no one would live there if theie livelihood is gone. A lot of thought put in there lady, and she will change her mind about being a spokesperson if she is not getting paid.

The movie, "The Cove," is hailed from Hollywood and Hollywood lacks moral. The world is messed up if they are going to listen to Panettiers, Hollywood, and the movie.

Panettiere, who plays an indestructible cheerleader on the hit U.S. TV series “Heroes,” is also the spokeswoman for the “Save the Whales Again!” campaign, which wants to halt Taiji’s dolphin hunt.

I thought the movie was to save the Japanese people due to mercury not save the whales according to the film makers. In other words, the idea of saving the Japanese people sounds much better then the purpose of the film to save the whales. The movie contradict what the film makers said. The movie is a propaganda for saving the whales and nothing else.

Just because Panettiere don't eat whale meat doesn't mean she have a right to tell others they can't hunt dolphins/whales.

The Panettiere and whales/dolphins activists would be angry if the Taiji start to homegrown their own dolphins and whales without mercury toxic for food.

The movie is a propaganda for saving the whales and nothing else.

Correction: dolphins not whales. Activists for whales and dolphins are speaking against the Taiji.

She is a 3rd rate actress seeking publicity for herself. If she really wanted to make a difference she'd do so quietly.

She's so stupid - of course they'll be cold towards her - she's trying to change their culture and make them look like they're bad because they kill whales and dolphins. I don't see what's wrong with killing animals for food, unless they're being completely tortured to death or something. I highly doubt Japan is the only place that hunts for dolphins and whales, so why single them out?

She seems to think that just because she's a 'big' actor in an American tv show that she'll be able to persuade this town to give up something they've been doing for many years.

unless they're being completely tortured to death or something.

Different folk have different definitions of 'torture', but I reckon being driven in a panic into the cove, having a few of your family members deliberately injured so that you won't abandon them, then being stabbed in a blood bath comes pretty close to what most normal folk see as 'torture'. It certainly isn't quick and clean for the dolphins.

At least these people don't waste the things.

The meat is unfit for human or animal consumption. It is not even fit to be used as fertiliser, though that is how a lot of it ends up. If the senseless slaughter of the inedible isn't a waste, then I don't know what is. Except maybe the feeding of toxic waste to children.

Four of the twelve dolphins captured and sold into captivity to a dolphin park in Turkey were dead within two years, probably due to stress. That too is a waste.

http://savejapandolphins.blogspot.com/2010/02/cove-movie-dolphins-die-in-turkey.html

"Meat is Meat" "Cow v Dolphin" How about Dolphin v Human?

I understand both points of view in this argument but im in awe when i see Dolphins and their intellect. Vacant eyed cows just don't have the same allure to me.

I bet Klitschko's stepped all over her oyster, can you imagine the brute?

A lot of the most commonly asked questions are answered here: http://www.savejapandolphins.org/faq.php

I am seriously disgusted by the slaughter in Taiji. Thats what it is. This isnt culture if not this would be all over Japan, everyone doing it. This is an act of blasphemy that is allowed which is disgusting. It is torture, it is blasphemous, and I hope that the world will put enough pressure on these people to make them stop.