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Salute to fearless volunteers - Sea Shepherd sent vessels to the area for the 7th year this season.. its 801-metric-ton Bob Barker vessel had trailed the 8,044-metric ton Nisshin Maru ship for 2,000 miles (3,220 kilometers) near the Southern Ocean, and cut off Supplies to the Japanese Whaling Fleet.. As a result, the whalers caught 170 minke whales out of a planned 850 and 2 fin whales from a planned 50. Japan has no choice but to abandon its whale hunt for the first time in four years. Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and captain of its fleet, said: “I have a crew of 88 very happy people from 23 different nations including Japan,” he said. “And they are absolutely thrilled that the whalers are heading home and the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is now indeed a real sanctuary.”  read more »

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Every second breath we take comes from the ocean. Every drop of water we drink connects us to Nature, especially the ocean.
The ocean is not just water, it’s alive, and it’s our life support system. Oceans provide more than half of the oxygen we breathe. Yet we do harm to our host; 90% of big fish are gone, 20% of coral reefs are gone...
Oceans cover 72% of earth and land covers 28% of earth -
12% of land is protected while less than 1% of oceans are protected...
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Science calls these animals Eubalaena glacialis, "good, or true, whale of the ice."
Brian Skerry (photographer): "When I was at the bottom at 70 feet, and here comes this bus swimming down. It came within inches. Here’s this softball-size whale eye looking at me. But then it stops - stops on a dime. It’s just hovering there, and literally one flick of its tail, and it would have crushed me like a bug. But it doesn’t. It was just highly curious."

Brian Skerry Interview  read more »

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For Arkansas Blackbirds, the New Year Never Came

Times Square had the ball drop, and Brasstown, N.C., had its descending possum. But no place had a New Year’s Eve as unusual, or freakishly disturbing, as Beebe, Ark.

A worker with U.S. Environmental Services, a private contractor, picked up a dead bird on Saturday.

Around 11 that night, thousands of red-winged blackbirds began falling out of the sky over this small city about 35 miles northeast of Little Rock. They landed on roofs, roads, front lawns and backyards, turning the ground nearly black and terrifying anyone who happened to be outside.

"One of them almost hit my best friend in the head," said Christy Stephens, who was standing outside among the smoking crowd at a party. "We went inside after that."  read more »

Excerpt from a poem (inspired by a true story) in the poetry book with art "Love's Footsteps ~ dedicated to a Bridge for Wisdom to Walk on" by .D. LuCxeed, an inspirational & motivational gift book, www.loves-footsteps.com -

Giant White
Mirrors moonlight,
Encircled by Frontier of Blue.
Air is crystal. Sound sealed by icy glue.

Little spots, round and shallow,
Scatter over the snow.
Footprints loyally follow
The soulful, tiny shadow.
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*music by tdcollins

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L.A. County passes sweeping ban on plastic bags - "You cannot recycle your way out of the plastic bag problem.. The cost of convenience can no longer be at the expense of the environment."
Enacting one of the nation's most aggressive environmental measures, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ban plastic grocery bags in unincorporated areas of the county. The vote was 3-1.  read more »