This week The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) revealed that last month was the second hottest land and ocean temperature on record for the month of September. NOAA’s records date back to 1880. In the 100 plus year history, only September 2005 showed warmer temperatures.

This is a concerning trend, considering the 2 warmest months of September (the last month of summer) out of 129 years of record keeping, have been felt in the last 4 years. Scientists, researchers, and leaders in government and industry use NCDC’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the world’s climate.

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In 2007 federal protections were dropped for the protection of Yellowstone grizzlies. Ever since then, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition have been fighting to give protection back to the bears. They argued that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) failed to address the loss of essential food sources for the bears, whitebark pine seeds and cutthroat trout.

On Monday, September 21 they finally achieved what they were fighting for when Judge Donald Molloy ruled that inadequate regulatory mechanisms were put in place to manage the bears. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and six other groups, represented by Earthjustice, have a similar case pending in Idaho.

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Last Tuesday, EcoWorldly Staff Writer Bryan Nelson wrote an article on thesuspension of dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. The suspension came off of Japanese local media swarming on Taiji, after the award winning documentary film “The Cove” put the spotlight on the small Japanese village that slaughters thousands of dolphins every year.

Ric O’Barry, the dolphin trainer and activist who brought the location to the attention of filmmakers, returned to the site of the slaughter this week, just as the annual “hunt” would normally begin. However, this time with all of the media attention, no dolphins were killed in the first 2 days of the season.

“It has been an exciting morning and the people here are very hostile, but as long as this goes on and we keep the pressure on, they cannot hunt the dolphins.” -Ric O’Barry

Sadly, O’Barry admits solemnly, this is only temporary. O’Barry keeping a watchful eye on the dolphin fishermen, has managed to disrupt the first two days of the annual dolphin hunt in the Japanese town of Taiji, but accepts that as soon as he leaves the fishermen will resume the killing.

“It’s very expensive for me be here and I can’t stay for the whole six months of the season”-Ric O’Barry

According to the Japan Fisheries Agency, around 20,000 dolphins will be killed all around Japan this season. The documentary revealed that dolphin meat is often sold illegally to the Japanese school system, and that school children often have no idea that what they are eating is dolphin meat. Dolphin meat has been shown to have high levels of mercury, which can be a huge problem for developing children.

On the coast of Japan, fishermen set out in dozens of boats and chase down a pod of dolphins. They then surround the pod with their boats, and create loud noises with metal poles, to frighten the dolphins into a net at the mouth of the bay. They leave for the day as the dolphins struggle within the nets frantically. The fishermen come back the next day to find “worthy” specimens. Fishermen tie a rope around the dolphins tail fin, and literally drag the dolphins to the coast for slaughter. The crystal blue ocean water turns crimson with the blood of the dolphins, as their necks are slit one by one and thrown onto an awaiting boat.

Dolphin fishermen will not just give up easily because of a little media attention, as each dolphin sold for meat will net them around $500 apiece. Each dolphin that they believed can be trained for aquariums can net them $150,000.

O’Barry is only staying in town for a week, and has already encountered angry locals at what they perceive to be interference in their industry.  On Tuesday morning, as he tried to enter a grocery store, the head of the fishing union blocked the door and refused to allow him to buy any food. As soon as O’Barry leaves Taiji, media attention will wane, and the dolphin slaughter will continue.

The film “The Cove” has gone a long way in raising awareness. You can check to see if their are any screenings of the film in your area here. Spread the word. If enough people around the world know about what is happening in Taiji, O’Barry will no longer be the lone voice of protest that stands between the dolphins and those that wish to slaughter them.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk, The Cove

Image Credit: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Originally Published: September 8, 2009 http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/09/08/japanese-dolphin-slaughter-to-continue-despite-current-suspension/

Hi, you might recognize that beautiful smiling face before you. That is my face, well it was my face over the last couple of years. I am not here to talk about my face or my smile, which some have called “winning.” I am not even here to talk about myself, although I could do that all day, and I will relate to you my personal experience because that is the only experience I have. The real reason I am writing you today is to point out my hair.

These pictures happen to be in chronological order, so as you may see, my hair has grown a tad longer in the last couple of years. I would like to say that my reasons were always altruistic, but the fact is I just happen to like my hair a little longer.

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New findings, published in the October issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science, indicate early Europeans enjoyed a much broader diet than first suspected. We have known for a long while that early man hunted big game such as mastodons, now prehistoric bone findings show that early man also hunted and cooked game fowl.

The 202 bones, belonging to a species of diving ducks, and were found at Bolomor Cave near the town of Tavernes in Valencia, Spain. The ducks date to around 150,000 years ago, and seem to have been eaten with bad table manners.

“The birds were de-fleshed using both stone tools and teeth, and some may have been eaten raw.” - Ruth Blasco, Researcher

Other bone specimens showed burning marks, suggesting that the ducks were roasted before they were consumed.

The geological evidence suggests that these left overs belonged to Homo heidelbergensis. The remains of at least seven hearths also demonstrate that the large brained, tool making H. heidelbergensis was a master at creating and controlling fire.

The scientists also believe that advanced technology such as traps were used to trap the birds.

“The acquiring of fast-running and quick-flying small prey requires a sophisticated technology and involves obtaining and processing ways different from those used for large and medium-sized animals”

It may not be roasted turkey with all the dressings, but not bad for a Caveman Thanksgiving.

Source: Discovery News

Image Credit: Jose Luis Martinez Alvarez on Flickr

Originally Published: November 26, 2009 http://planetsave.com/2009/11/26/caveman-thanksgiving-prehistoric-man-roasted-birds-too/