Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thank You!

Hey all,

I have started my youtube channel and I will have videos posted and a link for everyone to view in a few days. Excuse me for not writing daily, I work 6-7 days per week, so I am very busy!

I'd like to thank all the amazing support that I've received. For those of you who do not know, I had made the decision to travel to Taiji only two short weeks ago. What has happened within these two weeks is nothing short of a miracle. I have received numerous donations from many individuals who I have never met. Because of the generous support of many, I have received donations exceeding $450 in just two weeks! You have all made a difference!

Just yesterday I spread posters around my city, and dropped off a couple of donation boxes to environmentally conscious stores. I've been busy planning a vegan bake sale, and the feedback has been phenomenal! I now have 6 wonderful individuals donating vegan and raw dessert dishes, and two of those individuals are each holding another bake sale fundraiser for the Taiji effort!

On top of this I have been very pleased to read all of the kind comments and messages from you! Your support to help me save the dolphins has been wonderful. I'd like to thank everyone who has posted a comment, donated, given positive thoughts, and followed my blog.

The purpose of this post is to thank each and every one of you. Without your passion and commitment to the dolphins, none of this would be possible. It is because of you that I will be able to help the dolphins with direct action initiatives. So, thank you to each and every person who has shown generousity, no matter how small. One person can make a difference!

For the Oceans,
Tarah

Monday, September 27, 2010

Fundraising

Hello all,

I'd like to address the subject of raising funds for the dolphins in Taiji.

I created this blog a little over 1 week ago when I realized that it was imperative to have more passionate activists in Taiji. Being an advocate of direct action myself, I knew that my skills would be an asset to the Sea Shepherd team in Taiji, helping to save the lives of dolphins. Sea Shepherd sent out a call to action. They required the assistance of activists around the world. This is one campaign where money will not necessarily rule over all else. Numbers of passionate individuals are the catalyst in regards to saving lives here. If I believed that my money would be best spent by directly donating to SSCS, than this is the action that I would take. Of course I am a monthly donor and have volunteered previously, but I realize that more is needed now.

In this past week I have received over $100 in donations, many from individuals that I have never spoken with. I am very grateful to these wonderful, caring people. I have also received one sponsor and many positive comments and kind words. I would like to thank you all for your support. Your genorousity will greatly assist me in saving these beautiful creatures.

I think it is important to mention here that this blog is not about "sending Tarah to Japan". My blogging is for the purpose of  raising funds and inspiring others to save the dolphins. I'm not looking to vacation in Japan. I'm here with a goal of maintaining the positive presence in Taiji to end the slaughter of dolphins. Your donations, even if only a few dollars, go a long way. I am venturing out into other fund raising methods, and today will be creating my first video log on youtube. I will be placing donation boxes around my city, creating business cards, and will be hosting a large vegan bake sale and screening of The Cove in around 4 weeks time. I will be busy planning for the event, but have already had much positive feedback and many individuals offering to help. This is what i'm looking to end...



I'll end off here with a great quote originally posted by Samantha Whitcraft of Oceanic Defense.
"One whisper, when added to thousands of others, becomes a ROAR!"

For the Oceans,
Tarah

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Love

I'd like to start today's post with another quote that I read recently.

"Love is an element which though physically unseen is as real as air or water. It is an acting, living, moving force...it moves in waves and currents like those of the ocean."
-Prentice Mulford

There's a scenario that I encounter often within all animal rights activism. Hate, depression, sadness, anger and "burn out" are quite common. Of course it is entirely normal and justified to feel these emotions when presented with photographs and/or videos of animals living in abhorrent conditions or being ruthlessly slaughtered. But it is our love for these creatures that births our passion, and this we must remember. I truly believe that to focus solely on the negative only contributes to the problem at hand. There are plenty of negative emotions at play, felt by the fishermen, authoritites, Japanese Government, and the dolphins themselves. Why focus on anger and death? To hold onto these emotions is to create further situations where they will be felt.

Currently, you may think that the circumstances in Taiji will play out as a movie with the ending previously decided. I ask you to challenge this belief. There is nothing set in stone. These whales and dolphins need not die. Do you believe that your thoughts and emotions hold weight? Now might be the time to consider this a possibility. What is the reasoning for your passion? Do you advocate for the oceans because of your love of dolphins and whales, and your desire for them to swim freely, living a life of enjoyment? I urge you to focus on the love you feel for these animals. Yes, you may spend your time seething in anger due to the ruthless killing, but only you can control your thoughts. You can also choose to believe that there must remain some shred of decency within these men. You can choose to imagine these wonderful beings swimming freely in an ocean not harmed by man. These are the thoughts I hold in my mind when I think of Taiji.

And one day the whales and dolphins of our oceans will sing "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
-MLK Jr.

For the Oceans,
Tarah

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Bloodshed

It deeply saddens me to have to report of the first bloodshed in Taiji. Last night (morning in Taiji) 15 pilot whales were taken into the killing cove and slaughtered. Read the full story here: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-100921-1.html
This tragedy simply reinforces my will to go to Taiji. The dolphins need us, now more than ever. These fishermen are cold-blooded killers. They care not for the blood they spill and it is quite evident that some are starting understand the impact of their actions. Why else would they hide their procedures? The greater the number of activists in japan, the better. The world must see what is happening and use their power to end it.

My heart goes out to the 15 pilot whales who died in the cove last night. They will remain in my thoughts each day until my arrival in Taiji.

I'd like to address the reasons that some may find it difficult to travel to Taiji.
-I believe that work, or one's day job could be the deciding factor as of whether or not to go. I have recently started a new job. Only one month into working with them, I will have to explain that I will be leaving to go to Japan. I will outline exactly what it is that I will be doing, why I must go, and ask for their understanding.
-Money. This is perhaps the easiest obstacle to overcome. As you know, since deciding on this venture I have started raising money. I began with literally no funds available for this trip. Now, thanks to many wonderful individuals, I have received donations and one sponsor. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. You must believe that money, or a lack of it, will not stand in your way.
-Family. If your family has trouble understanding, try your best to explain why it is you feel so passionate about this issue. Sit them down and play "The Cove". If your family truly cares for you, they will want what is best. Scott West is a great example of this.

Any other obstacles that you can conjure up, you can also overcome. How badly do you want to save lives?

For the Ocean,
Tarah

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Courage

I'd like to start my post today with an inspirational quote I found yesterday while at work.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear".

I feel that this quote is very important when deciding whether one would like to travel to Taiji to help the dolphins. Of course there are risks. But we must look beyond ourselves at  the larger picture. In the past, 23,000 dolphins have been caught in one season. Many of these dolphins are sold to marine parks for unnecessary human entertainment. The rest of these dolphins are brutally and again, unnecessarily slaughtered for what some like to call "food".

It is certainly smart to act cautious when making a decision such as this, but we should not let fear stand between us as a barrier when given the opportunity to save lives. This blog is about my journey to Taiji, the trials and tribulations that I will encounter while raising funds, staying positive, and while arriving in Japan and dealing with the authorities there. But even though this is an account of my experiences, I would like to encourage others to take the leap and join me in Taiji.

A tool that I find effective is to place our own lives on the same level as theirs. We are not more important, nor less, but equal. Their lives are just as important as ours, and we must care for them as we do ourselves.

                                                                   (Steve Bloom)

For the Dolphins,
Tarah

Friday, September 17, 2010

I Have a Dream

Hello fellow ocean lovers,
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive."

 My dream is not all that different than the one of MLK Jr. I dream of witnessing the end of oppression, exploitation, and unjustified slaughter of our oceans. 

This being my first blog post here, I will explain my cause. I've been an ocean activist for 3 years since learning of the positive change brought about by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. During these 3 years I have spent my time advocating for all animals and ocean life. Earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity of volunteering for Sea Shepherd in the Galapagos. My partner and I spent 3 weeks in the Galapagos Islands, working  with
Alex Cornelissen. We worked on operation Zunisweep and "big rod, small brain". Haha. Title courtesy of Alex. The time has come again for me to travel the distance to assist in saving ocean wildlife. 

The dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan resumed this year in the beginning of September. For those of you who are not familiar with the issue of dolphins in Japan, please visit http://www.thecovemovie.com/.  For those of you who are familiar with the issue, you'll know that no dolphins have been killed this year. This is due to the positive presence that Sea Shepherd continues to maintain in Taiji. Maintaining this presence is absolutely vital for survival of these serene, musical creatures. There has been a call to action. I must answer this call.

Through a series of events, I have come to see that I must travel to Japan. The responsibility of saving dolphins in Taiji is not one that I take lightly. I have felt a yearning to participate in this campaign since viewing "The Cove" some time ago. The dolphins will live as long as the cameras are rolling and pictures are taken. When the dedicated activists in Japan disappear, so does the only lifeline that these dolphins are holding on to. 

I must answer the call to action. I'm willing to risk my own safety to protect these beautiful creatures. But I cannot do this alone. I require the generosity and support of others to make this possible. 

I have a dream. A dream to one day witness the dolphins swimming freely without fear of slaughter. 

Will you help me?