THE GRIND
As many as 1,000 long-finned pilot whales are brutally killed in the Faroe Islands each year. Other cetaceans such as dolphins may be slaughtered as well, but pilot whales are the main targets.
The killing occurs mainly during the summer months during communal hunts that locals refer to as "grindadráp" or simply, “the grind,” but more accurately this practice should be called what it truly is - mass slaughter.
The pilot whale grind is similar to the annual dolphin drive hunt slaughter in Taiji, Japan,documented in the Academy Award-winning film The Cove. The similarities between these brutal hunts have made the Faroe Islands known to many as “The Taiji of the North”. The main difference, and the challenge for Sea Shepherd, is that there are at least 23 different coves in the Faroes where a grind could potentially take place, as opposed to
one main killing cove in Taiji.
The majority of North Atlantic cetaceans give birth to their calves in the warm waters of the equator before migrating past the Faroe Islands to feed in the nutrient rich waters of Svalbard and the Arctic. Long-finned pilot whales pass by the North Atlantic Islands while pursuing squid, their main source of food.
Recorded first as early as 1586, the Faroese developed a method of whaling that involves stranding pods of small cetaceans on certain designated beaches. When a pod of cetaceans, primarily long- and short-finned pilot whales (bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic white-beaked dolphins, Atlantic white-sided dolphins and harbor porpoises can also be taken) are spotted offshore, the grind, or whale slaughter, commences.
Small boats herd the cetaceans towards a low-lying shore. As the pod approaches land,the boats continue to harass and frighten the mammals until they’re washed up on shore.
Once beached, a knife is used to cut through the veins and arteries that supply blood to the pilot whales head. Some pilot whales suffer for as much as 30 seconds while others can take several minutes to die.
Those pilot whales that do not wash ashore have a gaff hook beaten into their blowhole and are then pulled ashore by rope.
The whale meat is divided up among the locals, although many times the whale meat is simply left to rot on the beach.
SEA SHEPHERD IN THE FAROES
Operation GrindStop 2014 is Sea Shepherd’s largest, most wide-ranging and longest campaign in the Faroes to date.
The goal of this campaign is to maintain a constant presence during the peak killing months of the grind season in the Faroes to document and obstruct grinds from taking place. Sea Shepherd will remain in the Faroe Islands until October 1.
Sea Shepherd crew members are patrolling both land and sea, as onshore and offshore teams monitor the coves and waters for any sign of grind readiness.
Should a grind commence, Sea Shepherd will intervene, when at all possible, to prevent the unnecessary and cruel slaughter of such precious marine wildlife.
This campaign follows a similar strategy to the Operation Infinite Patience campaign in Taiji, which has been successful in reducing the number of dolphins killed, at times by as much as half, because of the ongoing presence there of Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians.
In 2010, Sea Shepherd sent an undercover operative to the Faroe Islands to document and expose the grind. The operation yielded shocking images of hundreds of slaughtered pilot whales – including pregnant females, infants and unborn calves – which made
international headlines, exposing the brutality of the grind.
During the Operation Ferocious Isles campaign in 2011, not a single whale was killed while Sea Shepherd patrolled the Islands.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been the leading opposition against the slaughter of pilot whales in the Danish Faroe Islands.
Sea Shepherd Founder Captain Paul Watson has led campaigns to oppose the hunt in 1985, 1986, 2000, and again in 2011.
Sea Shepherd was also successful in convincing 20,000 stores in two grocery chains in Germany to boycott Faroese fish products.
Sea Shepherd's efforts against the Faroese grind are documented in the BBC documentary “Black Harvest.”
QUESTION OF LEGALITY
The long-finned pilot whale is listed in Appendix II of Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), meaning that the International Union for Conservation of Nature has determined that although the species is not necessarily threatened with extinction, it may become so
unless hunting is closely controlled. With a wide range of threats to populations, from military sonar to entanglement in fishing gear, it is believed that populations could face a reduction of 30% over three generations.
Therefore, the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats classifies the long-finned pilot whale as “strictly protected” under Appendix II.
While the Faroe Islands are not a member of the European Union, they remain a Danish Protectorate. In other words, even though the Faroes are self-governing, Denmark controls the police, defense, foreign policy, and the currency.
The primary reason for the Faroes abstaining from joining the EU was in an effort to prevent the EU from meddling in their fishing policies. The slaughter of cetaceans is illegal within the European Union.
HEALTH ISSUES
North Atlantic pilot whales, because of their position in the food chain as an apex predator, are poisoned by large amounts of environmental pollutants. Meat resulting from the grind contains high amounts of arsenic, cadmium, zinc, lead, copper mercury, and
selenium.
In 2008, the chief medical officers of the Islands, Pal Weihe and Hogni Joensen, declared that pilot whale meat contains too much mercury and other contaminants to be safe for human consumption. Children and pregnant women in particular have been warned not to
eat the meat. Mercury poisoning has been found among Islanders resulting in “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.”
http://www.seashepherd.org/grindstop/
Sante D'Orazio
Smoldering...
Smoldering...
I know it's bad for you...
But, this is when I wish,
I had a cigarette-
something I've never tried- (light up)
some kind of relief..
I wish it was Italy 40 years ago--
The moon rising over the Amphitheater--
to tremendous applause... like Herzog (clap)
Europeans don't seem to care about silly
smoking laws?,
We do what we want anyway -
behind closed doors--
Our true character, collective complexities.
childish activities -
patterns- genetics? Attention deficit-
- ...SEX ... a lost art-- a sickness--
Perversions-
Lost sensuality -
The cruel smell of orange blossoms...
I love being in love-- but expectations,
make it impossible to be happy-
or satisfied...
I've tried... so hard..
maybe it's not in fashion--
Tradition...just seemed so romantic...,
I guess it's a used up ideal --
for the old fashion...
not modern...frown emoticon
Female security... lost-
no way--
Coded, and loaded Cell phones,
Computers --
Ordering sex on line-
is like ordering a book on Amazon--
and ... snooping eats you alive--
A mirrored action. obsessive love...
unhealthy,
hopeless- knocked sideways--
There is always this feeling -
of discontent--
Like something is off...
I can't put my finger on why--
Who wants to be the Warden--
I want out of here-- out of this time --
in space--
Grey, muted crystals,
from unsavory places-
bad intentions,
dull- no fire-- a secret life -
Laying in my hotel bed--
pulling up my stockings- carefully
re-attaching to the garter- ,
The Cuban heel- the line
(right on course)
the works...
Feeling a little guilty-
I started to fantasize--
Il Postino, Pablo Neruda-
Should I go to Capri--?
So frustrated--
burning... questions...
No man knows what to do with me--
I blame myself--
To play with me, is eternal--
I'm not 'on the clock' or...
on the 'payroll'--
rrrr--
I had to get out of the room-
The velvet stuff and porcelain things
closing in on me--
What have I done...?
I knew it was wrong from the start--
primitive-- base instinct..
Never marry a rich man...
Euros from a Vagabond..
Just start walking - (Like Jeanne Moreau and
Miles Davis)
Never look back-
There is only beauty ahead,
Salvation..
Glory
Rushing...
I almost forgot where I was-- shit--
My white
Burberry trench -
- on the floor?
A Park-ay floor...
(Narration by a deep voiced sexy black guy)
BG- She stopped to admire it's clever design,
ME- "So pretty"
BG wrapped herself up---
She snuck out the door with a quiet click,
and Seamlessly, floating down the hall- (on wire)
Her Tom Ford feet didn't
touch the ground--
Falling gracelessly into an elevator
playing Nat King Cole's .... Stardust?
(remembering the movie)
ME- "Fallen Angel?"
BG Nobody was up yet-
out into the cool world she goes,
ME-"Freedom...
I can breathe..."
BG- looking for a little human contact?
Playful seduction? ...
ME- "I'm so Hungry..."
BG- Her heart was racing---
It was barely dawn --
Bathed in perfect light-
magic hour-- --
ME- "Everyone looks good this early"
BG- Even cats and hummingbirds
Was anyone watching her..
She gazed up into dark windows...
to nobody...
and let the jacket fall loosely around
her shoulders...
The rush coming back- ...
a little lost on purpose,
Hiding around corners,
ME- so dangerous-
my body is on fire....
my body is never done-- trouble finds me--
please find me-
The iron is always hot!"
BG- She Leaned against the cool wall of a
stoney church-
It felt good, soothing-
ME- I wonder how prostitution works-
Does it ever feel good?
Lost little souls - being taken advantage of--
or taking advantage of-
Is it just for money? Is it for attention?
or --- both--
Women suffer-
- Everywhere...
rules, rules, rules--
conflicting needs..
I can't find the answers-- It's an epidemic--
I know I won't compete with a computer--
or - a gaggle of Hollywood boys hiring poor
Russian girls to swallow loaves of bread
up their anus'?-
How does that work?"
BG- She was disturbed--
How far can she take this?-- Is it even real?--
ME- "Have we lost men to thin air---
to the Abyss-- to technology and lube-
Flesh is attached to a heart and a brain-
takes effort...and skill...
Where are the great lovers?-- A lost art...
God , I hope not...
I've never been to Columbia-- Should I go?- I really want to go!
Is this Hysteria?...
Objectification?
now-- Coming down from the ceiling,
dripping in gold glitter--
Dancing with Nureyev- eyes closed---
the dream...
arousing my tenderness,
A sweet rawness-
feeling bruised and scratched up--
Hypnotic -
Life is sensual-- not a "fix it in post"--
ME- I miss PLAYBOY-
The End of an Era--
Chivalry, elegance-
Celebrated imperfections -
differences... hot---passionate dreamy scenes...
The girl next door-- shyness-- "it's my first time"
but - not my last....(wink)
-- I'm planning a mysterious coup--
Want to get in on it--
Julian Assange?
Is it healthy, to be fantasied about...
by many men --?
Isn't that the goal-
How many can we effect--
It's natural-- to want to be desired--
The world creeps up on you--
and there you are,
ALL over the place-
places you never intended to be-- (desert storm?)
(soldiers)
I am human you know--
left to adjust to the madness-
No mercy- pay the price-- my fault-
BG- feeling empty, sad-- withdrawn-
Left to Isolate-- Medicate.
Go to sleep--
ME-NO! I wont- -
ME- You know- It's not freaky enough,
to just be beautiful--
I've never felt beautiful-
I always felt sexual... and blind..
oh wowwy... I'm losing my mind--
I'm shutting down-- It's such a strange feeling...
going numb... in front of everyone----
It's like a Self inflicted drowning...hard to do--
(Alarm bells!!)---
When did I want to be this thing?--
To attract what?
When did I go from a curious little girl,
to an insatiable woman? Girl on the run...
Femme fatale... devoted and ....divided.
Are we all going crazy? -
or, is it just me?
Is it that stuff on unwashed vegetables?
When did I lose control over my own heart?--
When did I start believing ,
That this is all I'm good for-
against my better judgement--
fell for it- dammit- it all backfired--
It doesn't feel good to be used, neglected, ignored---
controlled....
I'm not doing this---
It's humiliating - I have to turn this around--
Settling is powerless- desperate--
an illusion--
Can't buy your way out of this one ...buddy!!,
I'm cold-
(She can't stop laughing..)
Reminds me of a play I wrote --
That one about The Hell's Angels,
starring -
Steve McQueen and Brigitte Bardot--
The Entr' Acte....
** A car chase-
She is going on and on (in french) and
He's just trying to have his way with her-
everything is double entree' Funny/Sexy-(subtitles projected)
They've stolen billions in diamonds - she's dripping from head to toe...
in a sparkly madness of laughter--- 60's Porsche?- (or that GT/Bullit car)
All in a Car - bouncing and swerving-- lights- facing the audience-- (with B/W projections from the 60's behind them--)...
They fall in love-- They fall apart---
I'm not sure what the The Hells Angels have to do with it--
but they stay in the title---
The End....
VEGAS 2014... limited engagement--
Copy-written Pamela Anderson-- (all rights reserved)-
written July 1, 2014
The Hollywood Reporter - Pamela Anderson: 'Malibu Might Be My Mayberry'
Writing for THR, the actress reflects on her first house there and explains why she still calls it home.
This story first appeared in the June 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
I am prone to Malibu. Coming from Vancouver Island to Hollywood hastily, I was drawn to the water for my sanity. (Not sure if it worked.) My first introduction was to a two-part beach house owned by Jon Peters in the Colony. It felt like a starlet's wet dream. I could picture myself there forever. But truth be told, while on Baywatch, I lived humbly on Point Dume (surfers' paradise). Then fate like a lightning rod led me astray, and I ended up in a rock star's mansion on Kanan Road, where my beautiful boys [Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger, now 18 and 16] were born in the bathtub. We were harassed continuously by mad paparazzi till we fought and the laws were changed.
We leased in the Colony on the beach for five years till we found a strange woman in our guest room sawing through her wrist with sea glass while stuffed into one of my Baywatch bathing suits. We quickly bought on the super-secure "land side" -- and have been under construction ever since.
That's Malibu: very exciting but difficult, almost impossible to build between a lagoon and an ocean, lots of rules, but good for our sacred coastline. The Glass Jewel (my guest house) is being built slowly and surely. It's worth the view: We can check First Point from the roof deck.
Our family is now living between the beach and Vegas. I'm developing the show Pamela with David LaChapelle and Robin Antin, creator of the Pussycat Dolls. Luckily, our family loves both places. My boys are big surfers but also golfers; my oldest son deejays, and my husband [film producer Rick Salomon] is a wild gambler; his girls are music lovers and love to shop at MAC, where I still get 100 percent off (thanks to my Viva Glam campaign). We all love being together, the modern Brady Bunch. It's challenging, a juggle, but it works.
I promised I would never sell my little trailer, one of my saving graces, in Paradise Cove. It's their youth, their best friendships, very Stand by Me. The real Malibu, firemen and lifeguards and their families -- a secret spot, not goofy or spoiled. A great place to raise kids -- and surf!
Malibu might be my uninhibited, free-spirited Mayberry. It's a very generous community; our blessed, talented and hardworking neighbors use their good fortune to help others in the world, past the organic gardens and geo-fencing. Forward-thinking environmentalists and vegan animal lovers are abundant, though I think envied and therefore judged. But I know a concerned group dwells here, writing songs in their basements and building schools in Haiti.
There is an undeniable energy. The ocean (within a lot of recovery) has drawn us all together -- if only to get the "white gold" secret smoothie at SunLife Organics, my favorite. See you there.
Anderson launched The Pamela Anderson Foundation at the Cannes Film Festival and begins shooting Werner Herzog's Vernon God Little in September.