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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 6, 2014 - 08:53pm PT
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Hey where dod that video go? I was just about to watch it!
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okie
Trad climber
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Yeah, saw the documentary "Blackfish." Pretty horrendous. That flaccid dorsal fin says it all.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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I have eaten muktuk: bowhead whale blubber.
In an eskimo village where they are allowed to hunt.
I agree that holding these creatures in little fish bowls is a cruel thing, though.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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"California Bill Ending SeaWorld Orca Shows Stalls"
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/calif-bill-end-seaworld-killer-whale-shows-23232546
"A California bill that sought to end killer whale shows at SeaWorld in San Diego and phase out keeping them in captivity has been put on hold, meaning it's dead for the year.
The bill's author, Democrat Richard Bloom of Santa Monica, agreed on Tuesday during the first committee hearing for AB2140 to revisit his proposal after further study.
He says lawmakers weren't ready to vote and that the discussion to date has been fueled by fear and misinformation.
Bloom was inspired by the documentary "Blackfish." The filmmakers argue that captivity and mistreatment of orcas make the animals aggressive and has led to attacks on trainers.
Dozens of animal rights activists packed the hearing room to support the bill, which will not be taken up again until sometime next year."
They were too chicken to even vote.
If not now, when? If not in California, where?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 9, 2014 - 10:14am PT
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Hey Chaz,
Here is another one from the LA times
Panel delays action on killer-whale show ban, says more study needed
Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), chairman of the Parks, Water and Wildlife Committee, said the issue of killer whales in captivity is too complex to be decided after a hearing of less than two hours.
The panel's action, called sending a bill to "interim study," triggers a process that will last until at least mid-2015, Rendon said. The action did not require a vote.
Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, one of the bill's backers, said she was disappointed by the committee's move but pleased that discussion about killer whales will continue.
SeaWorld officials had told the committee that the bill would cripple the park's program of rescuing injured animals in the wild. Also, SeaWorld officials suggested that SeaWorld would ship its killer whales out of California before the bill became effective.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-killer-whale-ban-committee-delay-20140408,0,3028399.story#ixzz2yOlYwjbI
Not the best news but not the worst either!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 9, 2014 - 11:49am PT
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comments
marthasullivan Guest
The San Diego Tourism authority reports that 12% of overnight visitors to San Diego visit SeaWorld -- that is NOT a "major driver to the region's tourism economy". Disney's 2 parks in Anaheim and Universal Studios' in Hollywood each draw more visitors than any of SeaWorld's parks, and they do not feature performing wild animal species. SeaWorld can evolve its 50-yr-old business model away from this archaic practice and provide a much more realistic and thrilling experience for its visitors via the cutting edge digital technology for which California is renown.
rjc1978 Guest
"Among the topics to be studied would be whether orcas in captivity live as long as orcas in the wild, whether it is practical to build sea pens, and whether the orcas are suffering, as the AB 2140 backers insist, or thriving, as SeaWorld insists.". So if the Orcas live as long as their brethren in the wild and its impractical to build "sea pens" and they're enjoying being used as circus animals for our entertainment then what the hell let the show go on! Great rationalization - and because the Orcas captor (Seaworld) insists that these beautiful and intelligent creatures are thriving in captivity is really an objective point of view$$$$$$$$!« less
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Apr 10, 2014 - 04:51pm PT
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12% seems like a lot. If one were to get a 12% pay raise that would be significant! If 12% of the population were to vanish overnight that would be significant!
Not sure kids need to watch more digital anything.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 13, 2014 - 05:07pm PT
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Court upholds ruling against SeaWorld
A legal setback for SeaWorld could change how its trainers interact with killer whales. A federal appeals court says SeaWorld violated workplace safety laws in a situation tied to the death of a female trainer in 2010. NBC's Ron Mott reports.
http://www.today.com/video/today/54936062#54936062
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 15, 2014 - 09:33am PT
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"Blackfish" Responds To SeaWorld's 69 Critiques
SeaWorld has issued yet another critique against the film, "Blackfish." This critique is more detailed, yet is equally specious and misleading. So, once again, the "Blackfish" production team has crafted a rebuttal.
What makes this latest effort unique is the timing. It comes on the heels of AB2140, the groundbreaking legislation that seeks to bring an end to “orcas for entertainment” in California.
Although "Blackfish" served as a portal of entry for the many controversial issues surrounding whales in captivity and trainer safety, the bill was introduced because millions have since chosen to seek their own answers. And they have largely come to the same conclusion as the film: killer whales are not suited to captivity and the trainers who work in close proximity to them aren’t safe (a conclusion reaffirmed by the recent U.S. Court Of Appeals rejection of SeaWorld’s appeal of OSHA’s citations).
Furthermore, "Blackfish" exercised considerable discipline in its storytelling, choosing not to cover the many issues that are now surfacing about SeaWorld:
The administration of benzodiazepine (Valium) to many killer whales who are said to be experiencing grief, stress or anxiety.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of multiple whales.
The circumstances involving the injuries of multiple trainers.
The scant amount of revenues (roughly .06% of $1.5 billion a year) that SeaWorld puts toward conservation.
SeaWorld’s ongoing methods of obtaining marine mammals from the wild.
https://www.thedodo.com/community/GabrielaCowperthwaite/blackfish-responds-to-seaworld-510315316.html
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2014 - 10:34am PT
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Earth Day 2014: Whales at the White House
Join Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, Founder, Mission Blue/Sylvia Earle Alliance, along with Dr. David E. Guggenheim, the “Ocean Doctor” (president of Ocean Doctor and Board Member of the Great Whale Conservancy), with Michael Fishbach and Dr. Gershon Cohen, Co-Directors of the Great Whale Conservancy, for a unique Earth Day event on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 (Earth Day) at 2pm ET on the Ellipse below the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC.
Special Guest of Honor: Mz Blue, Great Whale Conservancy’s life-size 90-foot blue whale inflatable (see photo to right)!
Purpose: To ask President Obama to direct the Navy to remove its objection to the use of an alternate shipping lane in California waters to reduce the killing of blue whales from ship strikes.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 27, 2014 - 10:18am PT
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https://www.thedodo.com/the-5-dumbest-things-seaworld--521507954.html
Last December, the Orlando Business Journal published an online poll to determine whether or not “Blackfish” had altered Orlando residents’ perception of SeaWorld. When the results came in, they seemed overwhelmingly favorable to the theme park -- until a simple look at responders’ IP addresses revealed that the incredible positivity came from a single computer network … at SeaWorld.
In an interview with CNBC this past January, Stephen Schwarzman -- CEO of Blackstone, SeaWorld’s primary shareholder at the time -- said that orca trainer Dawn Brancheau “violated all the safety rules” SeaWorld had in place at the time of her death. Facing intense backlash, SeaWorld was immediately forced to distance itself from Schwarzman’s comments.
I totally agree Base!
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Apr 27, 2014 - 12:22pm PT
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From the L.A. Times:
"SeaWorld San Diego has 10 orcas: four caught in the wild, six born in captivity."
"SeaWorld San Diego, which drew 4.6 million visitors last year, employs 4,500 workers during the summer, and pays $14 million a year in rent to the city for property on Mission Bay. Forty percent of SeaWorld visitors stay in local hotels, and the average visitor spends $371 a day, compared with $177 for all tourists..."
That's a hell of a lot of economic activity generated by just ten whales.
Here's what they'd be doing if they weren't busy performing tricks for sardines:
http://blog.sfgate.com/stienstra/2014/04/26/orcas-attack-gray-whales-in-monterey-bay-11-pics/#22796101=0
"With the calf pushed to the side of its mother, the orcas then dragged the baby whale below the surface and drowned it"
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Apr 27, 2014 - 06:19pm PT
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I like that big blowup whale!!!!!!
I would agree maybe they could put more into conservation,I suppose we all should give 1 percent of our wages to such causes. After all, many give 10 percent to the church and all they seem to do is promote guilt and hatred toward non conformists.
But, you have to admit, there is a lot of economic benefit to having a few of those cute little buggers doing the occasional trick(especially if the above statistics are close to accurate)
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 28, 2014 - 09:55am PT
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Nature,
I think the new film is going to be a great one! I really hope it gets people motivated to try and change things.
Chaz and cuvvy,
No one wants Sea world to close it's doors. We want them to change their business model and no longer torture whales and dolphins for entertainment.
They are perfectly capable of coming up with other forms of entertainment.
Their attendance numbers will continue to decline until they make changes!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 29, 2014 - 10:10am PT
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Driver Leilani Munter, the rare combination of female NASCAR superstar AND dedicated animal rights activist, is revving up for Talladega Superspeedway, by debuting her brand-new “Blackfish” inspired car this May. The driver, who has been an outspoken opponent of cetaceans in captivity, is not new to driving cars for a cause -- in 2012, she took to the track in a car inspired by the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” a film that exposed the brutal dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan.
Now, Munter is strapping herself into the “Blackfish” car to raise awareness for orcas in captivity and to shut down SeaWorld as we currently know it. In an interview with The Dodo she spoke about her dedication to animal rights -- from volunteering at a wildlife rescue and being a Cove guardian to transitioning into a vegan diet. She also revealed what it’s like to ride in a whale of a car:
https://www.thedodo.com/she-rides-for-blackfish-nascar-526293830.html
Yay!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2014 - 09:18am PT
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Flipper vs. Jaws: Amazing Dolphins Stage a Rescue After Swimmer Is Pursued by Shark
It’s not unusual for athlete Adam Walker to come across marine life during his open-water swims. But last week, as he spent a grueling eight hours and 36 minutes swimming in Cook Strait, New Zealand, a pod of dolphins saved his life.
What appeared to be a six-foot-long great white shark was lurking beneath the surface when about 10 dolphins started swimming alongside Walker. The predator then split, and the pod stayed with him for more than an hour.
“I’d like to think they were protecting me and guiding me home,” Walker wrote in a Facebook post. It’s a fitting assumption, considering he was swimming to support Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a nonprofit working to save the marine mammals across the globe.
http://www.takepart.com/video/2014/04/28/back-shark-amazing-dolphins-save-man-swimming-raise-funds-marine-conservation?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2014-04-29
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Apr 30, 2014 - 11:36am PT
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Stories of dolphins helping people have been around for a long time.
I believe cetaceans have a sense of humor like we do.
Friend and I out surfing in Leucadia on a small day ended up just sitting on our boards talking. All of a sudden we hear a rush of water to our right, look over to see what looked like a seal flipper going under water. We continue talking when the whole region around us, perhaps a 12 foot diameter area, "boils" up about 2 inches. We are FREAKED, looking at each other like WTF?? couple seconds later "it" comes up to breathe with a loud woosh about 20 feet to our left. Its a grey whale. We both sigh in relief, and looking around we now can see the track of the animal as it made a big U shaped turn towards land just to "buzz" us. Ended up turning a boring day into a memorable one.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2014 - 10:14pm PT
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great story skcreidc !
I LOVE THIS STORY TOO.
A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.
This is her story of giving gratitude.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so badly off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her…. a very dangerous proposition.
One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.
The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you be so fortunate …
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 3, 2014 - 10:18am PT
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FYI
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