KobeKid comments

what the hell is the media doing? having "a televised town hall meeting" before the funerals? what did they expect? oh yeah a boost in their ratings.

@sailwind all coverage I've seen mentioned Fuller being a veteran.

some comments and a quote from the recent Pentagon report on DADT...

"69 percent of them acknowledge they have fought or worked alongside gay men and women already. A staggering 92 percent of those were fine with lifting the ban. Again: when you know someone is gay, all the fears and stereotypes tend to evaporate. This is not a surprise. The men and women of the US military are among the finest in the land; they want to do the job at hand, not deepen social division or posture politically. They are not bigots. I note one colorful quote from a special ops fighter:

“We have a gay guy [in the unit]. He’s big, he’s mean, and he kills lots of bad guys. No one cared that he was gay.”

The point of getting Congress to repeal this was to give the military time to work out a smooth transition. One court has already ruled against the policy with more surely to follow.

@goodDonkey... "Oh by the way which one's Pink?"

China should take part in the drills

but had you read this article before?

met and chatted with who? Ric O'Barry? CW Nicol?

a link for Zenny the hunter, a hunters view of the Taiji dolphin hunts

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20100704cw.html

Yes Zenny you've told me this before, but if you would just watch it all the way through once as I said it would sharpen and focus your pro hunt arguments. Honestly I've benefited from some of your posts and some of your points have made me rethink mine. But as much as you seem to be engrossed by this subject it strikes me as strange that you wouldn't see the movie.

Could it be that you are afraid of being converted? ;=)

well seems I wasn't the only one not able to find a "misrepresentation".

The study I quoted was by the NIMD National Institute of Minamata Disease one of the leading institutes on mercury poisoning in Japan and located in Minamata. If you've got studies that tell a different story share a link, you're the one making the case. I'd also encourage you to write a letter to the Japan Times, if it's credible they will print it.

BTW, it does not matter if I saw the movie or not or do you think I will get an immediate change of mind from it?

Not a chance Zenny, no way I think you'll have some Damascus Road experience from watching the movie, but it might sharpen your critique of it. When you make statements like, "I've never heard a firsthand account of a dolphin saving a human life" or "the hunts are humane" or "Ric O'Barry got traumatized by his beloved Dolphin dying(Whoopeee, Pets are lost daily)" you look uninformed. The world's number one dolphin trainer did have a Damascus Road experience, but you downplay that without even listening to him tell why.

Zenny 11

"People in Taiji have not shown any elevated mercury levels in their bodies compared to other japanese that were tested."

from the Japan Times

"Specifically, the tests of 1,137 Taiji residents last year revealed that average MeHg levels were 11.00 parts per million (ppm) for men and 6.63 ppm for women — compared with an average of 2.47 ppm for men and 1,64 ppm for women at 14 other locations in Japan."

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20100523a1.html

wrong again Zenny.

BTW have you seen The Cove yet? It is endlessly entertaining the way you camp out on these threads and yet you've never seen the movie. Thanks for the chuckles...

shufu,

you claim that there are inaccuracies in the film and when I ask for clarification you come up with second hand snark,

"NationalistRE at 06:58 PM JST - 16th June could we deal in specifics here? Dolphin killed for meat, white man sad" Thats exactly it in a nutshell NationalistRE

when you've got some factual, detailed criticisms let me know.

From today's Japan Times,

The 70-year-old activist indicated that he hopes such a trip to Taiji would lead to an understanding between residents, including the handful of fishermen who conduct the dolphin hunt, and people who oppose it, saying, "I want to show people what's right about Taiji."

O'Barry said he hopes to see a similar documentary on the Taiji issue made not "from a Westerner's point of view" but by Japanese filmmakers and journalists, so more people in Japan can be made aware of the issue.

If you haven't watched it, don't comment. Form your own opinion after watching, not tainted by the 'stuff' you've read.

During the Q&A time at Waka U last week, the students who spoke were almost evenly divided between those supporting Mr. O'Barry and those unconvinced by his views. But every one who expressed a dissenting opinion always prefaced their remarks by saying they respected Mr. O'Barry's passion and they understood where he was coming from because they had seen the film.

and I did not think it was an accurate depiction of what really happens in Taiji.

could we deal in specifics here?

you're free to search the Solomon Star for a more "unbiased" article. You asked if "they" were opposing dolphin hunting in other countries, well the answer seems to be yes.

you forgot this part sakurala

The combination of the death of the trainer at Sea World and seeing the movie The Cove has made Porter, after 21 years in the captive aquarium business, have a change of heart.

Will they also be scheduling to visit the other handful of countries around the world to stop them from slaughtering dolphins?

Soloman Islands In April, the Fanalei and Walande communities ended hundreds of years of tradition by signing an agreement that they will not harvest dolphins for two years.

http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/6355-thirteen-dolphins-ready-waiting-to-go-free

I was at Wakayama U last week for the presentation. The students ran the whole show. The students invited Mr. O'Barry to speak. The students also invited the mayor of Taiji and officials from the Isana fisheries union (located in Taiji). The mayor and fisheries people declined to attend on the advice of their lawyers as they have a lawsuit pending against the film. The students did a survey before the event and presented the results. The students facilitated the discussion and question period and also introduced Mr. O'Barry in English and Japanese. And yet only Professor Collins get mentioned in almost very press release I've seen.

Amen

more fodder for South Park here

from comments about "cowards" on this thread to comments about the levels of cruelty involved in how the fisherman kill the dolphins on other threads about this topic, it's obvious that you haven't seen the film.

It's quite obvious that Ossan hasn't seen the film, so yes how tiresome.

Two more theaters have cancelled the film, one in Ropppongi and one in Osaka.

there are powerful economic interests that feel threatened by this film. It's not the dolphin meat, it's the sale of live dolphins all over the world that drives these hunts.

strays often fall foul of an attitude that prizes puppies and pedigrees as status symbols.

and also considers animals in the pound "second hand" goods...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8597003.stm

You saw the vitriol of the 'town meetings' that precipitated the first attempt.

Oh yeah, "Get the gov't out of my Medicare!" folks, real productive town halls

Our republic has a mechanism for granting and withholding popular consent, and it is not the Rasmussen poll. It is the ballot box, where Americans have expressed an unambiguous preference for sweeping healthcare reform.

Elections Sarge, 2006, 2008 resounding losses for your side. The people spoke then and when they elected President Obama on a platform of HCR. Folks voted for change. Fox News and talk radio have done a good job vilifying this bill, but it's basically similar to what Mitt Romney did in Mass. There are a lot of ideas in it proposed by The Heritage Foundation in the early '90s in response to Clinton Care.

Sarge said

Could you show us a poll that shows that a majority of the American people support this health care legislation? Thanks.

How about the last two national elections? You guys got your behinds kicked twice. How about the fact that one of the Presidents main campaign pledges was health care reform and he won by 53%? Now you want to throw out a couple of Rasmussen polls to say the people don't want this? Har indeed.

n reality I don't think anyone knows how it's going to change things. It's going to take a few years to see if it's a good or a bad thing. I support taking the initiative and trying to make a change for the better and I hope that's how it works out. But as always, there will be unintended consequences that people aren't aware of yet.

Best post of the thread. And the great thing about this bill is that it is only a start. Plenty of room for tweaking.

I posted the comments made by those students after watching the Cove on an earlier thread, but since you've mentioned this here I'll repost,

I posted some of the comments on a different Cove thread and since they've been mentioned here I post them once more

"Dear Friends: I showed The Cove to my Japanese high school students at my high school in Osaka, Japan. To my knowledge, this is the first time Japanese teenagers have seen the film. I will share their reactions with you now. It was not easy to get permission to show the film, one of the few copies in existence with Japanese subtitles. There was considerable resistance at every step: co-workers, administration, and most of all, the rights’ holder in Japan who seemed afraid of a lawsuit from the dolphin hunters’ union. My high school fortunately chose to support students' education. The Cove was shown on March 5th, 2010, two days before the Academy Award ceremony. A reporter, camera crew filmed and encouraged discussion before and after the showing. The result of a short questionnaire is as follows. I have selected answers that show the variety of responses. Generally, the teenagers’ answers are interesting and well thought out. I feel blessed to have such students. The students write that they are motivated to suggest that their friends and family see the movie. Many noted that they felt shocked that dolphins are being hunted in Japan.

QUESTION 1: What will you tell your friends and family about the movie, The Cove? -I will tell them that we should watch this movie. -I know this movie might be a sad story, but it is worth seeing. -Some people in Taiji are insane...they are killing many dolphins and I assume that they don't feel anything. How can they kill dolphins? They must be dead inside. -Why do they kill dolphins in Taiji? They are our family. -Don't eat dolphins! -I will tell my friends and family to watch the movie, to see what is going on under our noses. -I’m going to tell them that they have to see the movie and I hope they think twice about dolphins. I know this movie might be a sad story but it’s worth seeing. QUESTION 2: What would you like to happen in Japan regarding issues in the movie? -I want to help in solving this problem. -Of course I want the Taiji people to stop killing dolphins. The Japanese government has to tell everyone what’s going on in Taiji. All citizens have the right to know this. Under no circumstances does the government have the right to cover up this problem. -I want everyone to protest this problem and the government to give an obvious way to solve this situation of killing so many dolphins. -After seeing the movie, I feel so sad, but something tells me that I should take action against the killing, -I would like no killing and for us to enjoy life with many animals. This is a good ending I think. -I would like (the hunters) to stop killing dolphins. Besides they can’t give food poisoned with mercury to people! -I want more people to know and face this fact happening in Japan. Then we can move more and more people to take action. QUESTION 3: What do you think and feel about the movie? -I felt so sad to see the movie. I can’t understand why they kill dolphins. -I really love dolphins and I want to keep dolphins from being captured. I also can’t understand why the police try to arrest the people who are trying to save lives. The people who try to kill dolphins are the one’s who should be placed under arrest. -I think the biggest problem is that there are not many people who know about this problem. -I’m angry. Dolphins are so kind, but people kill them. I can’t believe it. -If Japan wants to kill dolphins, they must show it to the world. -I really can’t believe it. I’m shocked. They are poisoning people for money and they don’t care! I think they are breaking the law for living creatures. How is it that they have the heart to make dolphins suffer? -I felt myself helpless because there are many people from other countries trying to solve this problem happening in Japan, while most Japanese who should do something about it, don’t know about it. -One world, one dream. Take our earth beautiful and keep every creature healthy. Let’s live peacefully. In the near future, I hope to show The Cove more in Japan. I am happy with the results of my first showing. I will know more about the mystery on Tuesday. Thank you for your interest in ending the dolphin hunt in Taijji. If there is anyway you think you might be able to help, please contact me. For the dolphins and for us, Steven Thompson Founder: Taiji Dolphin Action Group"

are you actually comparing toxic meat and beer? really?

Look, the medical officers of the Faroes, who probably have hunted and eaten pilot whale themselves, have cautioned their fellow countrymen from doing the same for very good reasons. Do you have any children? Would you want them to eat this meat knowing the dangers? Even the people of Taiji decided to take dolphin off of the school lunch menu. Yes it's true some Faroe Islanders still hunt pilot whales, but far fewer than before. And they do so with the full knowledge of the possible consequences. The Taiji fisherman don't want their children eating it, but they want to sell it to others, mislabeled without any warning of the danger. Sorry dude but I find that unacceptable. And the fact is that there are only 20 fisherman involved in the drive hunts in Taiji. Only 20 out of a town of 3,500. I know for a fact that there are members of the town who do not support the hunt, but who remain silent. I have much more respect for the Faroe Islanders who do not hide behind blue tarps. They have a much better claim to culture. The Taiji dolphin hunts are about money, culture is a distant third cousin. Take away the economic incentive and they might kill 50-100 a year. That would more than feed those who still eat it.

“Moreover,” says Mayor Sangen, “I don’t think that people will eat dolphin meat much longer. The younger generation is not used to it. It is taboo to say this, but I believe it will end within ten years.”

ahhh how about swimming with wild dolphin tours?

Chief medical officers of the Faroe Islands have recommended that pilot whales no longer be considered fit for human consumption, because they are toxic - as revealed by research on the Faroes themselves

But today in a statement to the islanders, chief medical officers Pál Weihe and Høgni Debes Joensen announced that pilot whale meat and blubber contains too much mercury, PCBs and DDT derivatives to be safe for human consumption.

The work has revealed damage to fetal neural development, high blood pressure, and impaired immunity in children, as well as increased rates of Parkinson's disease, circulatory problems and possibly infertility in adults. The Faroes data renewed concerns about low-level mercury exposures elsewhere.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16159-faroe-islanders-told-to-stop-eating-toxic-whales.html

NOT the so-called "everybody's going to die from food poisoning so we should panic" reason. It only makes people more scared of eating anything and everything that comes from the sea. That is my point.

see the movie haou and then you can make a much finer point...

“I thought about how to approach people of importance to protect the oceans and the dolphins, which prompted me to decide to make this documentary. At that time, though I understood what Ric had described about the place and his complaint, we decided to visit Taiji-cho ourselves because I wanted to find out the reasons and stories behind why people in Taiji were persisting in these dolphin drives. In the beginning, we planned to have the script present both Ric’s side of the story and the fishermen’s side of the story to compare them. However, the people in Taiji refused to provide us with their half. “Cinema is a powerful weapon. I simply wanted to start a debate by showing the film and offering close-up coverage of the dolphin hunting problems – such as the fact that dolphin meat is polluted with mercury and unsafe for human consumption."

“On the other hand, I also wanted to help the fishermen in Taiji. My feeling was that the fishermen in fact do not wish to see the dolphins suffering. I have a son who was also a fisherman, but he could not continue fishing any longer. The reason he gave it up was because of concerns that the big fish at the top of the food chain may contain excessive levels of mercury. Like my son, the fishermen in Taiji will have to find other work eventually. That was why I wanted to help them.”

from an interview with Louis Psihoyos by Shunkan Kinyobi http://suigin-iranai.jp/en/archives/639