The End and the Beginning

Another semester is drawing to a close and it marks the end of a few things. One is that I am totally finished with OCC courses!!! Woooohooo all that's left are Kean. Anyway... The main point of this blog today is to further confirm the fact that I am indeed falling out of the game of Yugioh for the most part. I will be selling most of my deck pieces and will be keeping few decks together to play with in what will sure to be very little time in the upcoming semesters. There are lots more things that are more important than a card game that I do enjoy to play. With that being said, out of the remaining 6 decks that I have, 4 of them I am going to keep together and this is why....

Lightsworn: It took me literally a year and a half to get all the pieces to this deck. I spent wayyyyy too much time trying to get it together for it to just be taken apart after not even a year of it being all together. It's also my best deck, so why would I kill it?

Flamesworn: My second lightsworn build was flamesworn which I put together once I had about 75% of the cards I needed to make lightsworn. I still have the pieces to it and sometimes revert lightsworn back to it. This is another reason I like my lightsworns so much, soooo much variety.

Servantsworn: My very first lightsworn build revolving around milling skull servants. At the time I literally had about 25% of the cards needed for a full blown lightsworn deck. This was about a year and a half ago and I still switch back to it for good fun.

Krystiasworn: My deadliest form of lightsworn, the deck loves to eat special summon happy decks like gladiator beast and blackwing. Also the most expensive of the decks I'm keeping. Only downside is getting log jammed with high level monsters in hand.

Chaossworn: My latest and probably last lightsworn build focusing on both light and dark monsters. The deck has seen 0 play and will debut 12/14/2010

(Note: All lightsworn builds I run are interchangable so it's all one deck)

Quickdraw Plants: Ever since I started playing this game, Black Rose Dragon has been one of my favorite cards. This deck abuses the thing to amazing levels. It's great for being made in less than 10 minutes.

Helpless Dragon: Talk about retro, a deck centering Blue Eyes White Dragon. Can't bring myself to axe a deck that I've basically stuck with since I started playing a few years ago.

Cyberdark Explosion: Another deck to abuse Black Rose Dragon with and set up some really nasty combos. Who knew that the stupid fun cyberdark deck I had would become one of my best decks. Lots of work paid off and I can't take it apart because of it.

So begins a new era for me in the game of yugioh, not much left of it really. The game is becoming stale to me and the only deck that keeps my interest for any amount of time is the lightsworns. I've gone through phases with this game where I've had ridiculous amounts of decks at once, used mabey 2% of them and was an ass while doing so. In fact here's a list...

Zombieworld <--First Deck
Venom
Reptillane
Ojama
Crystal Beast
Morphotronic
Crystalsworn
Plant Synchro
Cyber Dragons
Psychics
Kuriboh Burn
Sea Serpent
Fish Synchro
Machina Gadget
Blackwing
Frogs
Frog Monarch
Gravekeeper Monarch
Macro Monarch
Insects
Doom Dozer OTK
Zombie Synchro
Elemental Zombie (Raccoon City)
Skill Drain
Vanilla Beatdown
Arcana Force
Ancient Gear
Alphabet Soup
Skull Servants
Spellcasters
Assault Mode Plants
Exodia
Dark World Zombie
Zombie Frog Mill
Harpies
Harpie Blackwing
Zombie Mill
Insect Mill
Total: 38

38 Freaking decks. Geez. Says a lot for what I spent a lot of time doing. Now though I have 4 decks that will remain. The others are gone, or are going, most probably to be sold. They have provided me with tons of fun, but a new beginning is here. One that will shape the future.

Starcraft II Turmoil

So as you all know I am a huge Starcraft II fan. Currently I am ranked in the lowest league (bronze) and am 2nd in my 2v2 division of 100 people. I am 67-74 and am totally undecided as to which race I'm going to stick with. I started to play as the Zerg, but due to major balance issues within the game I was loosing more than 75% of my 1v1 games. Only when I was allowed to make it to late game was I able to really get things going. So I switched to 2v2 still as Zerg. I played a bit better, mostly when I had a Terran player backing me up, but none the less I was not all that impressive in my division and hovered around the high 30s in ranking. Then I switched to Protoss to try something new and before I knew it I won 8 of 10 games. The two I lost actually saw my teammate drop out of the game early. I rocketed from my 30s ranking into the top 10. Then I hit another wall dropping 5 in a row, mostly to Platinum and Diamond players (the two top leagues). That knocked me down a bit. I switched back to Zerg and managed to fight my way back into the top 10 and up to the top 5. Then another wall. I drop 8 in a row and drop back down near 20th. I switch back to Protoss and force my way back through the ranks until I grabbed the 2nd position. I was wedged between the two long time leaders of the division whom were less than 100 points from eachother. After a few weeks I built a buffer from the 3rd place player that is now literally 100 points. I started to get on a loosing streak again, dropping 3 in a row, mostly to Zerg. I quickly switched back to Zerg and eliminated the lead that the 1st place player had and actually took over the lead for a few hours before he managed to build a narrow 13 point lead on me.

Despite me being in Bronze, I have many achievments for both Zerg and Protoss. Many of which I feel are realitivly difficult to achieve. For the Zerg I have

Zergling Rush
It's Morphing Time
Zerglot
Would You Kindly...
Zerg Macro Master
Infested Terror
Team Zerg 25

In face, the only Zerg achievements that I am missing outside of the team wins are

A Roach's Life
Centurian Queen

So ya. I don't know what to do...

We Are The Warriors of Time

Kinda ironic story today. So here I am sitting in the lounge. Got my computer out and I'm playing some Starfox 64. No sooner do I defeat the first boss, I turn to my left and guess who happens to be sitting directly across the room like staring at me....... Yep that one. So I go back to my game and continue through the meteor field. I finish that and out of the corner of my eye I see her pointing at me. Talking to her friend no doubt. At this point I'm getting frustrated and annoyed that she'd even show her face near me, let alone make it so I noticed her. I continue to go through the game and I still hear her talking and giggling with her friend. In my mind I wanted nothing more to get up, walk over there, and............. Hmm... Prolly shouldn't say online. I will say that it would not have been the nicest thing... So the story goes that my mind starts to wander and I get incredibly angry.

I'll admit it. I'm still incredibly bitter over everything that happened between the two of us. Hell it damn near ruined my present. The pain and anger that I felt when it all ended came flaring back up like a flame that has been re exposed to oxygen. I finished my game with a record score and went to class to take a test. I get into class and I'm like "How the Hell am I going to do this now?" Turns out I got a 100 in less than 15mins. Huzzah for knowing how to operate Microsoft Word.

I leave the class with my mood not being much improved and head back to the lounge. Rather than seeing her sitting there staring a hole through me, I see Lauren. So yeah that was a much better sight to see :). I make my way over to her tell her to move her books and give her a big hug and just like that my mood went from crap to great. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Do You Remember Back When We Met? You Told Me This Gets Harder... Well It Did!

So after my rather angry blog about a month ago I figured it's about time for an update. Things have certainly not changed around here, but I am looking at things in a new light. I know things have happened that are well out of my control and I have learned that I cannot be mad or angry about it. It's all in the past and that's where it is going to stay. I have to focus on me and what I'm doing in my life and not what people have done to me in the past. The past is the past for a reason. It's full of things that happened, mistakes that have been learned from, and good times that have been remembered. Do I think I will forget the resentments and anger I have for certain people? Not at all, but I do think I will be able to forgive them for what they've done. Will I tell them that? Probably not. In my mind I know that if I am able to forgive them I will feel better when dealing with them. So on that note I move on to a new topic.

In less than two short months Lauren and I will be together for 2 whole years. I know it does not sound like a long time, but the point is that Lauren and I have been together nearly 2 years. That makes this A.) The longest steady and stable relationship I've ever been in. B.) The most I've changed as a person in two years. C.) The happiest I've ever been. Sounds like a lot over two years does it not? Well allow me to explain before you think "He's crazy." Relationships lasting about a year is not anything new to me. Usually the relationship is over or such a mess that it can't even be called a relationship at that point, but this time things were different. I've been through some rough times and Lauren has managed to forgive me every time throughout the last two years. At the same time I've been more than willing to help her with whatever she needs. When we first met I was the definition of unstable. I had been out of a relationship for roughly a month and was the definition of broken mentally. In fact the day she said something to me I death glared her hard. After thinking about it... I realized I should not have done that, so I tried to talk to her the following day and could tell right away how awesome she was. Then some sub human decided to inform me that she had just gotten out of a long relationship and not to even think about getting close to her. I'm glad I did not listen to that advice. After a short time we began going out and things for me have never been the same. I've become so strong and happy (yes I relapse sometimes, but who doesn't) as a person and I know if I didn't have her backing me up the whole time I would not be able to be who I am today. There were times where people tried to break us whether it be by rumors or physically trying to move in on one of us, but we remained loyal to each other and never wavered. Yes we have had our fights and yes I've made some stupid moves that nearly cost me dearly during our first year together, but looking back... This second year has been even better than the first. My head is on more straight and let me be the first to tell you that the third year looks incredible.

Right now I am looking to winter break to go on a road trip with Lauren down to Atlanta, Georgia to visit family and one of the largest aquariums in the world. I'm hoping that we will be able to spend a week or so away from New Jersey together. Then in June I'll be going with Lauren and her family to Rivera Maya. That trip will be amazing from checking out Mayan ruins to snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea. Not to mention the resort and the fun that will ensue there.

So have things really gotten harder over the past 2 years? It's funny, in a way yes. Life has gotten harder, but at the same time, I have a great friend in my girlfriend that makes it seem so much brighter and easier than it is. When I loose sight of that for a short time I see how hard life is, but I quickly realize that there is more to life than the hard parts. For those hard parts though... I have Lauren who I know will always be there to help me out. As I am and will be for her. I love you Lauren!

Total Nightmare

Sadness, sorrow, fatigue, anger, fury, insomnia, an appetite with as many mood swings as a teenage girl, silence, and constant nightmares. All of this sums up what I've been dealing with over the past few weeks. I feel overworked, unappreciated, and even unwanted. I want to get out of here soooo badly, but I have literally nowhere to go. I feel like a bird that can usually fly, but right now I have a broken wing so all I can do is kind of gimp along and not fly. I feel like I am being restrained from moving on with life. I don't know what I want to do anymore. I'd rather not teach, but at this point I don't have much an option. Just like I figured I would, I'm kicking myself for leaving the field of biology. That was a stupid choice that I scared myself out of by looking at big scary math and science courses. I'm just leaving that whole situationat that. Just a dream I took into my own hands and shattered for no real reason.

I've hit a point this summer where I've realized that I am and have been working far too much. I've had I think 2 days off in the last 3 weeks. I know I'm working too much, but I need the money and it keeps my mind off other things. The problem is I'm starting to wear down a lot from it. My arms are tired out, my mind is far from at ease, and I feel like I'm just spinning in circles week after week. I've been in the ocean for all of 10 minutes all summer and have probably been swimming a whopping 4 times? The rest of the time I'm at work and by the time I get home, I have nothing left and I just wanna lay around. I feel distance growing between myself and many of my friends and co-workers. I'm trying desperatly to prevent that from happening, but I wonder if it's worth it when I'm trying and the others are not.

It's like the only happiness I can grab at this point is when I am with Lauren. I can't seem to stay sad or mad very long when I am with her. I feel wanted and accepted when I'm with her and I literally have dreaded leaving her side whenever the time comes. It sucks so hard when I know what I want and how I want to get it, but just cannot do it in the least bit. So now I continue on my way. Gimping along the road of life with one wing and a chain around my neck. At least I have myself to keep me company while I'm here and not with Lauren.

Despite All My Rage, I Am Still Just A Rat In A Cage

So here I am yet again sitting at my computer typing up another blog. Time to talk about the usual things like ranting about, touching on my social life, and any kind of displeasure I may have towards certain people.

First lets ramble about some displeasures I have right about now. I am sick and tired of people at the boardwalk. I mean come on... your down here visiting from New York or wherever you come from. Show a little respect to the people who live here year round and show some respect to our environment. I'm sick of riding or walking into work and passing by countless numbers of beer bottles and plastic red cups. Waiting for the 4th of July fireworks show, about 20 different wastes of life came up to myself, Lauren, and my dad and asked if we were waiting for the shuttle to the boardwalk. Doesn't sound like much of an issue right? Well I felt it was due to the lack of dress the girls had, the smoking in our faces, and drinking and leaving their trash in the parking lot. It's disgusting and shows a total lack of respect. There is a constant stream of police and first aid heading for the Tiki Bar to arrest these people and give first aid to those who have literally drank themselves into submission. The boardwalk that I knew as a kid is literally a thing of the past. Even in the aquarium there are less families and less strollers about where they were more than plentyful just a few years ago. The bars are doing more buisness then ever before and the crowd itself has literally changed. Mostly a bunch of guidos thinking they're hot stuff because some people managed to get popular in a location about 20 minutes south of us. (Seaside Heights)

As far as a social life is concerned. I guess things are going pretty well. I've been keeping pretty busy after work hanging out with either Lauren or Matt, or both. That's good I suppose. Not going to lie though. As of late I have been feeling rather tired. Probably just from not getting enough sleep and overextending myself with things I should not worry about. It's so strange to know that I have been with Lauren now for 1 year and 9 months. It's just strange because it's the first time I can say I am not worried everyday about if or if she will not be there when the sun rises. She's so good to me it's not even funny. I try my best to do the same in return, but constantly seem to screw it up in one way or another.... I guess she sees what my intentions are or something cause she always puts up with it. I just wish I wasn't so socially inept when it comes to her... All in all though. Things are good. Time for bed because I have work in the morning and I need to sleep after today's boardwalk nightmare.

It's Only Over When We Say......

I must admit right now I am very upset and disappointed with myself. At the end of last summer I decided that I would make a stand against the Mako Mania shark kill tournament. That tournament starts tomorrow. I will not be there bright and early to protest. I was not there tonight at the captains meeting protesting outside the doors. I spent a lot of time tonight staring east. Knowing that in just a few hours the seas will be running red with the blood of sharks once again off the coast of New Jersey. Not just the blood of makos either. Fisherman will be catching a large amount of dogfish as well. Chances are the dogfish will become bait. Both dogfish and makos are threatened with extinction. In fact the mako is in the same category as the great white. "Vulnerable."

I'm trying to think of a real reason that I will not be there. The only thing I can think of is that I lost the help of an organization that was going to help me try and change the tournament. Why that happened I'll never know, but what can I do. Now I'm taking matters into my own hands. Starting after the holidays I will be outlining a protest. Drawing up some signs. Finding out more information on the shortfin mako shark and try to educate the people running this tournament. Anyone who wants to help me. Please do. I've never really asked anyone for help before. Now I am. Things are desperate for the world's sharks and we're the only ones who can stop the maddness. The people who participate in these tourneys see sharks as trophies and money. They need a wake up call that the world's oceans are being destroyed because of it.

I may feel down right now about not being able to intervene in this disgusting tourney. It is here though that I will make a vow to do something next year. I can't just sit here and allow this tourney to continue slaughtering innocent animals in my home town.

Lay Down Your Arms.... Give Up The Fight...

Give up..... Give up...... Give up.... The ultimate question that plagues every challenge. Should I give up? Should I just allow all the work I've done to try and save the life of a fish go to waste? Should I give up in what I believe in? Should I just give in to all the "There's nothing you can do"? The answer to these questions is this.................. As long as their are sharks being finned, whales being harpooned, dolphins being stabbed, and seals being clubbed...... I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING. I will continue to fight for what I believe in no matter what it may cost me. Someday I will venture into the ocean and see a shark in the wild for myself. I will go out to warm waters and find a whale shark and swim along side of it in the wild where they are free and well happy without the presence of man.

Just when hope looks lost, Hawaii bans the consumption and possession of shark fins, More and more Chinese Government agencies are starting to ban the consumption of shark fin soup at their functions. Culture indeed? Things are starting to look up, but there is so much still to do. Shark conservation continues to be on the rise, but the majority of people still do not know a thing about sharks and their plight.

Point Pleasant........ Just a perfect little seaside town complete with it's own drug trade, sandy beaches, fishing spots, good food, family establishments, and the ocean. Out of all of these the least known thing is the ocean. Off the beaches of this town live some of the greatest predators the world has ever known... Hammerheads, great whites, tigers, sand tigers, sandbar, nurse, basking, blue, whale, and porbeagle sharks are just A FEW of the species that live right off shore here in Point Pleasant. Out of all of these, the nurse shark is the only one not currently threatened with extinction. Thousands of people venture into the oceans of New Jersey every year and shark attacks are virtually none existent despite many species calling our waters home. This little seaside town needs to be educated about sharks and their plight as well as dolphins, seals, and whales. All of which can be found right here in NEW JERSEY!

All I Want Is A Little Of The Good Life

Ah another semester down and another summer has begun. Already I'm working 6 days a week between the Aquarium and Sea View, and I am by no means complaining. I'd rather work than study any day of the week. That being said I've gotten three grades out of 5 and my lowest is a B. The other two were an A and an A-. Like turning on a switch I feel so much better about basically everything now that school is out. I feel no stress and no pressures. How long can that last though? I mean, one would think that working two jobs, being in a relationship, and having commitments at home would cause some kind of stress. So far it has not happened and I am not complaining.

So Lauren and I have been heading in what I think is a great direction. Since school ended we have been spending a lot of time together and every time it's been a blast. She really is an awesome, beautiful girl that I am beyond lucky to have in my life. The amount that we've been through is just so insane that no ordinary couple would have been able to get through without a shadow of a doubt.

This summer is going to (hopefully) be nothing but a taste of the good life.

Singing Our Songs of Yesterday

This is literally the semester that never ends. Here I am finished with two classes, come friday I'll be done with three, but ya know what... I just finished a term paper for one class and was given a take home exam that is all essay questions... Ugh it never ends. Overall it was an incredibly busy semester. These education courses require soooo much extra time it's insane. Kind of makes me wonder if this is really what I want to do. At first I was so excited, but now I'm like eh whatever about teaching. Lets see if that changes again after next semester where I will be taking no education courses. Next semester I'll be taking all history based courses, which I think is a smart idea given the insanity that ensued this semester... More on that later though.

Another summer is just over the horizon and here I am singing the same old song. I am actually happy to be going back to work more at the Aquarium and dare I say I'm even looking forward to returning to Sea View. Honestly I wasn't sure if I'd be back this summer, but after thinking about it, there is no reason for me not to. Anyone who I considered an issue is gone from that place and it very easily could wind up being the best Sea View summer since my second year. So that looks to be good. Next on the summer list is the return of the family from Georgia. Last year they did not come up and I do miss my cousins, aunt, and uncle from down south. They also missed out on meeting Lauren last year as a result so I am very excited for them to finally meet her as well. Then comes my aunt and uncle from South Dakota. They are always a bunch of fun as well and Lauren missed meeting them because she was in Mexico last year. Again, I'm very excited for them to meet her.

This summer is looking like the summers of yesterday with the family coming to visit throughout. My parents purchased a new boat so I'm sure that will see plenty of use this summer. I haven't been fishing with the extended family in years due to the small size of our old boat, so that's another thing I'm looking forward to. As if I didn't sound busy enough, two massive games are coming out that for me are must buys for the summer.

The first one is the long awaited Starcraft II. I've talked enough about it and waited long enough. July 27th it will finally be released and will probably consume my PC playtime. If that wasn't enough, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep will be coming out sometime this summer as well which will take up at least 40 hours of my life before I even finish the game once.

Overall the summer looks to be huge with a lot to do. Did I mention the return of Shark Week and Whale Wars? No I didn't. Shark Week will once again eat a week out of the summer for me as I go nuts at the Aquarium and Whale Wars will dominate my Friday nights throughout the summer.

The Cove and Beyond...

I've been semi quiet recently in my conservation efforts as I've been trying real hard to keep up with school as the semester starts to wind down. However feelings have been building up and now I'm going to voice them. By the end of this blog you may think I'm racist. I assure you though that I am not racist towards the people this blog will rant about. The issues on this blog are nothing new for me to talk about. However there is now added fuel to my personal fire. The issues involving illegal whaling and shark finning are way out of hand and things are starting to look worse for some of the worlds most important creatures. I implore you to please read this blog as it will contain many facts and very graphic images that some may not want to look at.

First on the list is the continuation of shark finning around the world. Every day more and more sharks are being slaughtered by either commercial or illegal shark fin industries. The world's oceans are dying as more and more of these sharks vanish from the world's oceans. The shortfin mako shark, a species that can be found off of New Jersey, is on target to become a full blown endangered species by the end of 2010. About ten years ago, these sharks were plentyful and very large. Fishing tournaments and shark finning have decimated the mako sharks and evidence can be found at any New Jersey shark tournament website. One in particular, Mako Mania which operates out of Point Pleasant Beach, posts their tourny results from the past few years. Each year there are less sharks being caught and the sizes of the sharks continue to decrease as well. This means that there are fewer and fewer large makos out there. What does that matter?

It's a simple question of the food chain. Talking to local fisherman in Point Pleasant I commonly hear the following "The dogfish are the real problem." and "If there weren't so many dogfish, there would be more of a flounder season." Okay so lets look at this. Dogfish, a species of small shark will typically dine on animals such as baby flounder, baby fluke, crabs, and other small bony fish. Recently their populations have exploded and they have become a real headache for local fisherman. Dogfish, like many other sharks do not reproduce when their young and their litters are not all that big. So why are their so many? The answer is simple. Large sharks such as shortfin makos eat smaller sharks like dogfish. Blue sharks, hammerheads, great whites, sand tiger, and even sandbar sharks will also eat dogfish if the oppertunity presents itself. Every one of the shark species I just listed are either threatened with extinction or already considered endangered. There are simply not enough predators left to keep the dogfish in check. This fiasco is not just occuring here in New Jersey. Spiny lobster populations in areas around the world such as Japan and Tasmania have been totally destroyed thanks to a population explosion of octopus. This again can be accredited to the massive decrease of large sharks in those areas. Florida's spiny lobster population nearly collapsed, but as shark conservation continues to increase there, the lobsters are starting to come back as the sharks do.

That being said, local fisherman have been taking it upon themselves to kill any dogfish that they catch. Because of this senseless killing, they are now considered to be "Near Threatened" on the IUCN's Red List and they too are now a protected species. This huge problem can all be avoided if people simply stopped killing millions of the dogfish's prey. Illegal shark finning is continuing to run rampant throughout the world and it's even starting to occur off the state of Texas where several finned sharks have washed up on shore. I've said it a million times and I will say it again. The fins are shipped off to China to become a tasteless bowl of soup that is simply used to show wealth.
*****THE FOLLOWING ARE GRAPHIC IMAGES INVOLVING SHARK FINNING.*****






















These pictures need no caption and it is clear to anyone with half a brain that this is an insanely cruel and straight out wrong practice. Sadly though it continues today despite conservationists and activists hardest attempts to have shark finning banned from the world. Long line fishing is also taking a massive toll on sharks as any shark that is caught is 9 times out of 10 finned, dead or alive, and thrown back into the sea to die...

Onto the next topic now that I have hopefully gotten some people to understand why fishing in New Jersey is all kinds of messed up and what is going to happen if humans do not change their ways about killing sharks so senselessly. There are a few nations in the world today that still feel that it is nescessary to go out and hunt down whales. I'm not going to get big into this as I've posted many times about Japan going out and killing whales including endangered species in a pathetic attempt to save their dying whaling industry. More on that in the next topic. In June the IWC (International Whaling Commission) could possibly overturn the ban on commercial whaling in the name of whale conservation. Yes you read that correctly, according to nations like Japan, whaling is whale conservation.If anyone can tell me how that is please do. Also. The Japanese claim that their "scientific" whaling is humane and killing the whale is needed to study it. New Zealand currently has a boat in the Southern Ocean studying whales, looking for the same things the Japanese are, but are doing it without killing a single whale. So is it really needed to kill them? You decide, but I think it's obvious.
****THE FOLLOWING ARE GRAPHIC IMAGES INVOLVING ILLEGAL JAPANESE WHALING****

















Again... No captions should be needed to explain what is going on in each of these pictures. Some of nature's most gentle giants are being wiped clean off the face of the Earth for really nothing more than human greed. Japan states that whaling is part of Japanese culture. I fail to see that when few Japanese people actually eat whale. In fact, most of the Japanese population opposes whaling and do not eat whale meat at all. Most meat that is taken from these whales sit in warehouses sometimes for over a year before hitting store shelves or simply being discarded.

The last and newest to me, topic of this blog is something that I've just learned a lot about over the past couple of days and the involves dolphins. Yes dolphins, the creatures whom could possibly have more intelligence than humans. The ones we love to watch at Six Flags doing their little shows. The ones we see and think of Flipper. The ones that are being slaughtered by the thousands.... Yep you read that right. Dolphins are being slaughtered from September through May in a place called Taiji, Japan. Every year fisherman round up thousands of dolphins, sell some to dolphinariums such as Sea World, and then literally slaughter the rest. This is by far one of the most brutal practices going on in the world today. Reguardless of your personal position on animals in captivity, it has to be understood that if there were no captive dolphins today... Then no one would really care about what I'm about to go into because no one would really see and fall in love with these animals. These animals are in desperate need of human help. Surfers constantly tell stories of dolphins literally saving them from sharks. It's true. For some unknown reason, dolphins have been known to ride waves and even defend surfers. Of course they are a wild animal and have also been known to bite, but for the most part these animals are extremely friendly. Humans are really the last hope and greatest threat for these animals. In Taiji, the dolphins who are not sold are left to endure a 12 or so hour time period in a netted off area before they are hearded into an are known as The Cove. While in the nets babies are seperated from their mothers. This causes huge stress on the mother dolphins as they can't get to their babies. For the record, dolphin mothers are excellent mothers and will defend their babies. After 12 hours pass and night comes, the dolphins are hearded to The Cove. There every last dolphin is brutally murdered. The Japanese claim that the way they kill the dolphins is the most humane using a special spear that severs the spine. That is a totally false claim and video evidence taken by the team in the hit documentary, "The Cove", proves that the Japanese are lying to the world. They do not sever the spines. In fact they stab the dolphins at least 20 times each, the cove literally becomes a cove of blood, they cut the dolphin's throats, they kill babies right in front of their paniced mothers, they run over them, they step on them, and drag them by their tails. Terrible things for a person to do to an animal, but nothing is being done to stop it. Dolphin, much like whale meat is rarely eaten by the Japanese public. In fact, it is not uncommon for stores to sell dolphin, but label it as whale. Again though, it does not sell well. The Japanese government again claims it is a Japanese tradition to eat dolphin. The tradition must have failed as parents of schools that were being forced to give dolphin meat to students rose up and got the meat taken out of the schools. It's a good thing too because in 2008 a former Japanese offical who claimed that dolphin was healthy to eat tested positive to mercuray posioning. It is not healthy for a human, much like shark, to eat dolphin as it is basically toxic. Japan in the future could face a massive crisis from mercuray posioing unless dolphin is totally taken off the shelves.

Not only has the documentary, "The Cove" sent the Japanese into big trouble with basically the enitre world, it has turned a lot of it's people against the government. Prior to this documentary being released, the cove was a secret place that no one except fisherman and the government could get to. Now though the Japanese public know about it and they are outraged. Dolphins are viewd in very high reguard and the Japanese government is trying to get money from any source possible, including these animals.

**** THE FOLLOWING IS VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES OF THE TAIJI DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER****
























If Japanese whaling, this horrid dolphin slaughter,and shark finning do not stop, the world's oceans will die and soon after, life on land will die. Life on land can not exist without life in the seas. If sharks, whlaes, and dolphins all vansih from the Earth, the oceans, bays, rivers, estuaries, and all other water sources will literally become massive acid pools where no life can survive. Humans are ripping apart the world and at the same time they are the only ones who can save it. It doesn't take much to help any of these causes at all. You can educate yourself simply be doing a little research here on the internet. Watch both "The Cove" and "Sharkwater" as well as the hit T.V. series "Whale Wars" to get a real first hand understanding of what these animals are going through thanks to the corruption of man. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at a7xoff@gmail.com or if your a facebook friend message me there and I'll try my best to answer any questions on these three topics. It only takes one person to start a movement, but it takes a much larger number to push it through, lets end all three of these brutal practices for the future generations of not just humans, but all life on Earth.

Long Lost Words Whisper Slowely To Me...

Busy does not even begin to describe how life has been for me these last few weeks. This is literally the only time I've had to even type one of these blogs up. School has consumed virtually all of my existence. The semester that looked so relaxed compared to the last is literally driving me head on into a wall. Last week on top of school and work I did 10 and a half hours of classroom observation, so I was hardly home and when I was home I was studying or I can't believe I'm typing this, but napping. I never nap, but I've had to as of late cause I've just been sooooo drained from everything.

As overwhelmed as I feel though, I feel that I have met all of this with great resilience. Not once have I had any doubts about what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I've had to make sacrifices such as stepping down as a Sea Shepherd Support Administrator. By no means am I happy about doing that, but I literally had no choice as I was by no means on there enough to make any kind of admin descisions. I am still a member there and will continue to be as active as I can.

With that being said... I'm looking to continue to push conservation hard at the aquarium. I've got my shark conservation station, but there is still so much more that can be done in that building and I don't just mean for sharks, which I will continue to fight for as long as finning exists, but for penguins, seals, reptiles, etc.

It's the halfway point of the semester and I can only wonder what the second half will bring. I know of three seperate term papers on top of everything else going on, so it's looking like it's going to be one roller coaster of a ride through the rest of this semester. At least I will hopefully be done observing by the end of the week which will open up a lot of time especially on Wednesday where I am out of the house from 7:15am-8:45pm.

No One Knows

Quick blog here. Lately people have been calling me something that I would like to argue. Racist. If you've kept watch or noticed my facebook statuses you'll see that there's a lot of anti Japanese stuff on there. One thing though. It's not anti Japan in general. It's targeting a specific group of people, and government for doing haneous things to the animals that inhabit our world. Say what you will about Sea Shepherd being eco terrorists, but at the end of the day who is doing the only killing in Antarctica? The Japanese that's who. Now if that's me being racist please explain it. I have no problem with the average Japanese man or woman. I have a problem with every one of them who are contributing to the world's ocean problems. I have a problem with the whalers, resturant owners who sell whale and shark fin soup, I have a problem with the bluefin tuna industry, and I have a problem with every person who slaughters a dolphin. Yes I have extreme dislike for those industries and the people who work for them. If I saw a Japanese person on the street I would not go up to him and call him a gook for being Japanese. If that same person was wearing an ICR t-shirt, then I'd call him one because he's supporting the slaughter of thousands of innocent animals.

It's not just the Japanese whom I have issues with either, so don't say I'm racist against Japan and noone else. Before Sea Shepherd's Operation Waltzing Matillda began I was blasting China. Again though not all Chinese people are terrible people who support shark finning. Yao Ming for example is awesome! Great basketball player, great person, great conservationist. The zipperheads in charge of the shark fin trade though, I would love to cut their arms and legs off and throw them into the ocean still alive.

Canada? Yeah I have problems with those people too. Who the Hell decided that clubbing a baby seal over the head was a sport. Who decided that seal fur is so stylish that it should be sold at the olympics. Friggen Canada that's who. I have no problem with most Canadians, but there are those who go out and beat seals over the head with bats until they're a bloody mess whom I have a huge problem with.

For the record. It's not so much that all three of these countries are actively slaughtering animals, it's a massive waste. If you go to Canada during the seal hunt you will see seal carcasses thrown all over the ice with their fur cut off. People take the pelts and leave the body behind.... Waste... The Japanese whalers, besides illegaly commercial whaling waste tons of whale every time a body is processed. The Chinese support the killing of sharks, but where do the bodies go? Not to Chinese resturants no, they go to the bottom of the ocean. More waste. Again. I'm not racist towards all of these people I have a deep anger and detestment for those who go out and do some of the described activities.

You can argue all you want that America is slaughtering animas too. Fact is though most of the food you find in stores is all farm raised like cows and chickens. I don't encourage the sale of any kind of fish though cause commercial fishing will end the world's oceans and that will start as soon as right now as millions of sharks continue to be slaughtered by the Chinese, Americans, English, etc. either as bycatch or finning.

I hope that clarifies my position on people calling me a racist. I have no problems with the majority of all races, it's the minoritys that support only themselves and could care less what they do to the natural world as long as they can get their dollar.

Silent Requiem

So a new semester is upon me and I have moved on to being a Kean University student. I got my associates and my quest for education continues starting this Tuesday. Not really too concerned with this semester outside of several classes only taking place one time a week and the amount of work that may wind up entailing on me. So I've been silent on here since before Christmas so I guess I'll try to remember as much as I can to try to get myself up to speed with where I am in life.

Lets see... What I did this winter break... Oh yeah I remember. I did A LOT of Sea Shepherd Support work as well as a lot of work at the aquarium as well. Played a bunch of games. Finally beat Twilight Princess and started a Link To The Past again. I helped in an effort to rescue a baby seal who was suffering from sea lice. I did a lot of laying around and hanging out with Lauren. That's about it really. Just a lot of fun work and well fun. Back to reality tomorrow though. Forgot to mention seeing Avatar 3 times.

I've continued to learn about sharks and their behaviors. Just from watching the sharks at the aquarium I can tell the difference between them all from visual and some behavioral differences. I've come to understand even more how much trouble sharks are in. I've also come to realize that the world is a cruel, cruel place as Australia enacted a new law that includes severing shark spines. Humans have no right to play God over all the animals of the Earth. Yes God gave humans dominion over the animals, but I seriously doubt that he meant that humans should go out and eradicate entire species off the face of the Earth. I don't think he meant for people to slaughter whales and dolphins the way the Japanese do. I don't think he meant to see sharks slaughtered the way so many island nations and China do. I don't think he meant for baby seals to be beaten the way Canada does. I'm sorry if anyone reading this is not into religion and does not believe or care about the above little bit, but it's my beliefs and opinions, so please no comments about it.

Now hunting for food is one thing. Hunting for prophet is another. The Eskimos have it right. Kill what you need for what you need as individuals or small groups. There is no reason to slaughter nearly 1000 whales every year in an area where humans don't even live. Sharks have always been an apex predator of the sea. At one point they ruled the seas and humans ruled the land. For some reason humans have decided that they should be the top of the oceanic food chain as well as the land and have killed off nearly all of the worlds sharks already. Japan also feels the need to kill off an oceanic animal that is may have as much or more intelligence as us in dolphins. I mean scientists now think that they can address each other by name. Come on that takes a lot of mentality that most animals just don't have. Bottom line is humans are killing the oceans at a dangerously fast pace and it needs to be stopped now!