"Whale Wars," the new series that documents the campaign of Captain Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conversation Society against Japanese whalers premieres tonight, November 7, on Animal Planet at 9pm! (Sunday the 9th, at 7pm in Canada.)
You can find out more about it and watch a preview at http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/
Most importantly, please thank Animal Planet for covering this important matter. Send in your comments at:
http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations
The show has received loads of great press. And that press gives us the opportunity to get some animal friendly letters on the editorial pages!
Today's, Friday November 7 article in USA Today, by Gary Strauss, is headed, "Whale' saviors on warpath;
Series' team chases Japanese hunters." (Page 15d)
It opens with:
"Forget cuddly animals and ugly-dog competitions. Animal Planet is launching an attack for viewers with Whale Wars.
"The seven-episode series focuses on the eco-warriors of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on a three-month crusade against Japanese whalers on their annual hunt in the Antarctic Ocean."
You'll find the full article on line at http://tinyurl.com/5v6zlz
and can send a letter to USA Today at http://tinyurl.com/hvsuz
The New York Times article, by Neil Genzlinger, is headed, "Hunting The People Who Hunt The Whales." (Pg C18)
It opens:
"Resist the easy metaphor, you're taught in writing class, but sometimes you simply have to give in. Like now: 'Whale Wars' splashes across the increasingly exhausted genre of people-at-work reality series like icy seawater, jolting you awake with a frothy, briny burst of -- well, you get the idea. This is one spunky show.
We are told that the Sea Shepherd crew, "are, in the opinion of some of their detractors, eco-terrorists: a band of self-appointed warriors determined to stop the killing of whales....led by Paul Watson, whose confrontational style got him tossed out of Greenpeace."
You'll find that article on line at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/arts/television/07whal.html and can send a letter to the editor in support of the whales to letters@nytimes.com
"Saving whales -- at a cost" is the heading of the Los Angeles Times review, by television critic Mary McNamara. (P E23)
McNamara writes of Sea Shepherd:
"The point of their ventures, including the one filmed during 'Whale Wars,' is to stop the ships, often marked in large letters with 'Research,' from hunting and killing whales in the Antarctic. By whatever means necessary. Stink bombs, nautical tactics, illegal boarding of the ships -- very little seems off-limits. These people, we are told repeatedly, are willing to die for the whales."
The review tells us "the basic story of 'Whale Wars' is quite a yarn. The premiere episode opens at a moment of confrontation, with a Japanese vessel ordering the Steve Irwin to back off in an increasingly hostile nature until shots are fired and Watson, we are told by various shocked crew members, is hit."
You'll find that column on line at
http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-whalewars7-2008nov07,0,7891759.story
and can respond with a letter to the editor at letters@latimes.com
Canada's National Post article, by Alex Strachan, headed "Going to the final frontier; Paul Watson is at war for whales in a new documentary" (Pg AL4) is on line, at
http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=935694. On line it is headed, "Whale Wars: 'When we show up, they stop killing whales.'"
You can open an animal friendly discussion on the editorial page with a supportive letter sent at http://tinyurl.com/3agn6t
Your letters might be in support of Sea Shepherd, or of the oceans, or of all animal and environmental protection. In fact, after I sent out a recent alert about Sea Shepherd media I was asked if Captain Watson is concerned about animals other than whales. Indeed, he is a wonderful proponent of vegan living! You can hear him link diet and environmentalism on the Access Hollywood coverage of the Thanking the Monkey New York book launch at http://origin3-www.accesshollywood.com/its-easy-going-green_video_646203 (or http://tinyurl.com/64g9yv ). He appears in that video with Hal Sparks, Persia White and John Schneider. For six minutes of less edited stand alone Watson brilliance from the same night, check out his solo video on the Thanking the Monkey YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oYlhjC0m8I. It might inspire your letter to the editor.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals” and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.
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Date: Fri Nov 7 16:42:03 2008
