Every year in the village of Taiji, Japan there is a yearly hunt which results in the slaughter of over a thousand dolphins. Despite international protest including a 2009 documentary film, the Cove, which graphically displayed the mass dolphin killing, and won an Academy Award as best Best Documentary Feature in 2010, the yearly slaughter continues. Now approach is being tried. A petition is circulating addressed to Jacques Rogge and the International Olympic Committee requesting that Japan’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid not be considered until the Japanese government agrees to end the brutal Taiji dolphin drive hunt and makes it illegal to hunt dolphins in Japan. Click the link below to learn more and to sign the petition. It costs nothing and may do considerable good. Thanks to Scott Powell for passing the word along.
PETITION: Challenge Japan to END Taiji Dolphin Hunt for Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid
The Navy has announced that the minesweeper, 
In its more than 60 year history, the 
The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is credited as the first successful submarine, in that it was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in combat. New findings, however, might cause some to reconsider this “success.” The Hunley may have been sunk by the force of its own explosive mine.
Tomorrow, January 27th, at 8 PM ET & PT, the Discovery Channel is airing 
François Gabart sailing MCIF in the 
Only on rare occasional does one find a boat that would be significantly improved if run hard aground. Here is one example, however. Many large yachts have hot tubs onboard. This 16′ boat, however, is simply a floating hot tub with a diesel-powered boiler to keep the water hot, an electric motor for propulsion, a sound system and four coolers for beverages (of course.) I wonder where the PFDs are stored. Why this nautical accident-waiting-to-happen is in any way superior to a dock-side hot tub is not clear to me. With luck it would never leave the dock. Available at
This Friday, January 25th, from 8 to 10PM, a waterfront tradition will be returning to Brooklyn. The first of planned monthly shanty sings will be held at the
The three masted iron barque 
Recent winter storms have washed ashore four large, barrel-shaped pieces of lard onto the beach at St.Cyrus nature reserve in Scotland. They are believed to be from the wreck of a merchant vessel that was bombed in WW II. Therese Alampo, St Cyrus reserve manager, said, “The depth of the swell during the storms we had over the holidays must have broke apart the shipwreck some more and caused the lard to escape….The lard was covered in the largest barnacles I’ve ever seen. Animals, including my dog, have certainly enjoyed the lard, and it still looks and smells good enough to have a fry up with.” Personally, I would prefer to avoid “fry ups” with barnacle covered lard, but perhaps I am being too picky. Thanks to Niall Sinclair for passing the news along.