I don’t usually post other people’s blogs, but if you are living in the L.A. area, take a ride to the Santa Monica pier and join in the festivities:

On February 18th and 19th our aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier will be hosting “A Whale of a Weekend,” celebrating the annual gray whale migration along our coast. The Aquarium will provide a wildlife observation station stocked with binoculars and field guides, giving visitors the opportunity to search for whales and other local wildlife. American Cetacean Society/Whale Watch representatives will staff the observation station and can address questions about these gentle giants. Inside the Aquarium, guests can make a variety of whale related arts and crafts. They will have the opportunity to earn more interesting facts about these migratory mammals through story time, film screenings and fun, interactive presentations for all ages. Learn more at http://www.healthebay.org/event/whale-weekend-day-1

Justice is really blind, now that a U.S. Federal Court Judge, Richard A. Jones, is willing to listen to a frivilous lawsuit filed by the Japanese to stop the Sea Shepherd from its activities to hinder the Japanese from their so called "scientific research".

In a recent Associated Press release, The Tokyo-based Institute of Cetacean (Whale) Research along with a few other countries are seeking to get a U.S. federal court to order the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to cease disrupting its whaling activities in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.

What is amazing to me that a U.S. federal judge is willing to hear Japan’s whaling argument or even allow it into the federal court system. Why? Consider the fact that our own President was supposed to take the side of anti-whaling, based on his initial campaign promises.

But, as we have seen, no sanctions – other than a letter – have been written and authorized by the President – and sent to the Faroe Islands, which somehow is supposed to tell them to “stop whaling”.

It is kind of like the recent spy plane recovery. A several trillion dollar spy plane is downed in Iran. Instead of destroying or recovering it, Obama felt that we could just get it back by asking for it. Well, it will be returned – in pieces!

This is the kind of back bone we have in Washington, unfortunately. Even the recent “balancing the budget”, Obama chose to point the finger at the Republicans. Isn’t he the President of us all? What happened to the phrase “the buck stops here!”?

It looks like the same game is being played at a lower level. No one has the chutzpah to make a decision. Rather a U.S. federal court is willing to spend taxpayer dollars on an issue which is actually frivolous.

If the judge had any sense or kept up with the news, rather than sitting in an ivory tower, and made himself aware of the smokescreen and glass marketing, he might just throw it out.

"Gee, I wonder if the judge will miss the facts..."

Politics make strange bedfellows, I think. Bedfellows prompted by the almighty dollar and the debts owed to Japan. Common sense and the rightness of things get put by the wayside as a result.

What are the lies that are being masked regarding Japan, whaling and whales?

Well, one is that “Japan says the hunt is a scientific exemption from an international moratorium on commercial whaling. The government says the research is needed to provide data on whale populations so that the international ban can be re-examined and lifted based on scientific studies.”

So, you need to tell that you need 900 dead whales to figure that out?

Why does anyone need such a large sampling of dead whales (900 to be exact or roughly 3,000 tons of whale meat), given today’s technology?

Here’s another point: anyone who is a student of the Internet, can read Japan’s English translations of their own newspapers. They admit that the research is just a ruse – in their own newspapers! They even say that the meat is sold by the Institute to help cover its “research costs” And to top it all off, staff writers for JAPAN TODAY even comment at the stupidity of the U.S.!

The other fact is that less than 3% of the Japanese population eat whale meat. It is not a staple of any Japanese diet, save a few people who have survived the last World War. The truth is that thousands of tons of frozen whale meat is stockpiled and unused in Japan.

The other fact is that Japan is hunting in a sanctuary. They have also depleted and emptied their own seas of fish and whales.

They have been caught bribing Russian officials, and they have been caught bribing their own officials. And when publicly caught by Japanese whistleblowers, the whistleblowers were put in jail and charged with treason! They provide their own official counts and records, but without independent verification.

On a side note, remember the millions of dollars of foreign aid that went to Japan for the homeless? That money never got to the homeless, but went into the pockets of Japanese officals.

Japan has even tried turning whale meat into hotdogs and flavored hamburgers to feed to unsuspecting school children.

A harpooned Minsk Whale being collected "for research" by the Japanese

On February 6^th, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones is scheduled to hear the arguments, when in fact the case should not even be allowed into our court system and paid for by you and me.

What I would suggest is that you write the judge and tell him that he needs to wake up and not waste everyone’s time and money. That he should throw out the case simply based on the fact that it is already known that Japan laughs at us for our own blind sense of justice, while being completely willing to cut our legs off where we stand, thinking that they are a fair and honest people.

Think of the recent meltdown and the lies to its own people.

Think of the movie, “The Cove”

Think of the worst pollution – air and sea – disaster in Japan.

So what do you think…and what are you going to do about it?

Although I usually write about the less aggressive whales, I by no means wish to forget Killer Whales and the ongoing saga with Sea World.

You see, Killer Whales are big business. People are drawn to intrigue and horror stories. And “Killer Whales” always draw a crowd, especially when “killers” can be shown to be playful, docile and controlled.

At least that is what you are led to believe.

But to understand it a bit more clearly, you need to separate out a couple of ideas. Ideas that confuse the issue, simply because words can border on sensational, and thus draw crowds. Crowds that pay money to see “killers”.

Killer whale jumping out of the blue water (Orcinus orca)

You see, the word “killer” usually brings into one’s mind a sinister thing, an evil thing. And from years ago, “killer” whales, were actually just that – whales that eat other whales. Recent events now show that these whales even eat sting rays and great white sharks.

The truth is, these whales are at the top of their food chain, just like we are. They eat other animals.

However, when any animal, including man, is caged and corralled, behaviors change. Men become violent. Well, so do whales, especially whales that are predators. Just like men, given the chance, they will turn against their keepers.

Tilikum is one such “killer” whale.

How would you express your rage at captivity, left to be in a room the size of a living room for the rest of your natural life?

As it turns out, Tilikum has killed two other people. But remember one thing – there are no records of wild orcas hunting and killing man in open waters. The behavior changed when forced these mammals were forced into a small enclosure.

Sea World has 25 of the 42 whales that exist in large-scale aquariums. And right now there is a move to remove trainers from being in the water with any orca. The interesting thing is that Sea World is attempting to stop this lawsuit by OSHA.

They are trying to prove that these animals can be “controlled” when the point is that having human trainers riding them are what visitors come to see every year, paying millions of dollars in entry fees and paraphernalia.

Does Sea World really care about the safety of their trainers…really?

The spark of sanity that may occur is that OSHA could win this case, denying trainers to be in the water with orcas.

People will no longer be drawn to the shows where trainers are thrown into the air, hug and ride whales.

The excitement will go.

And so will visitor attendance.

If OSHA wins their case, it means one step closer to freedom for these magnificent beings.

You see this all too often. Sensationalism done for notoriety's sake.

Earlier this week, a YouTube video caught the eyes of people all over the internet world. The video captured two things if you look closely: the creation of a ‘bubble net’ used by Humpback whales to corral fish they are about to eat, and then the actual surfacing, or breaching, of Humpback whales between two kayakers and a woman on a paddle board.

It was a rare shot and actually a good one. But then the Press loves controversy:

“Woman Almost Swallowed by Whale!”

Well, sort of. Nearly doesn’t really say that she was swallowed. But anyone reading the headline bites the proverbial lie and goes to the site where such an untruth has been dealt.

From the outset, many people could say, “Well it was just a little lie – a little ‘white lie’ – so why all the ruckus, whalepeople person?”

The truth is that I don’t have my knickers in a twist (I don’t really even know how that would feel), but let me point out something. Subtle comments like that make whales seem wild and dangerous. Dangerous animals. Animals that because they are “dangerous” can be killed, hunted or maimed.

“Silly” one would say, “Who would do such a thing?”

I wonder.

Maybe try the Japanese or the Icelandic Faroe culture – even the Alaskans. Turn the “animal” into a dangerous creature and then it becomes edible.

Think about it.

What usually is missed in all such articles like this, is that these creatures have been doing this for millions of years. You think they are invading our little pleasure excursions with our little boats and paddle boards.

Think again.

If Humpback whales know how to catch fish using simple but highly technical traits such as blowing a ring of bubbles, do you think they might be able to tell the difference between a kayak boat and a fish the length of a man’s hand?

“Well. Gee, I really didn’t mean that…”

“Uh, huh. Go on…”

“Well, uh…”

“Tell me,  how many whales in recorded history have swallowed a man or a boat?”

“Uhhhhhh…..well there was Jonah…”

…

You see, it is all about sensationalism and always has been. Make something not well thought of and it becomes dangerous, even possibly a menace to society.

Now, not to be one-sided, these Humpback Whales are protected and fines can be given by our government for harassing them. I will admit that man has made some progress since the tales of Jonah or Captain Ahab.

But not much, mind you.

Whales are social creatures and far more sentient than most of you know. They use sound wavelengths similar to quasar emissions from distant stars to pass information over long distances of water. They navigate thousands of miles by the stars and by underwater landmarks with a precision man cannot even fathom as of yet. Whales have even a social hierarchy, which approaches our own.

A Gray Whale making friends with a tourist on a panga in Baja, California

And their actions sometimes even defy our own thoughts and reasoning. The Gray Whales of Baja lift their children to small boats of tourists to see and have direct contact. Why would they do that?

Killer whales, after having their bellies made full of small sea lion pups, have been seen to nudge the smaller ones caught in the surf back to land.

A predator no less.

And we say we are the smarter one?

The next time you see a story about a whale that almost “swallows a woman” recognize that once again “Yellow Journalism” has crept into our lives and the person writing his/her story has made his $200 a week paycheck.

It is time once again for Paul Watson and his group of merry men (and women) to brave the Antarctic seas in an attempt to disrupt and delay the extinction of a race.

I am talking about whales.

The Japanese to date have fabricated the need for whale meat, when giant frozen stores lie untouched in Japan. Why? Because less than two per cent of the Japanese population eat whale meat. Some don’t even know it is still being sold.

So why are whales being hunted by the Japanese and being killed?

It is a profit and loss thing. It is numbers on a page. The Japanese people don’t require whale meat to survive. In fact it is a delicacy and for most Japanese a luxury, simply because in most cases it is not the staple diet of a normal Japanese family.

The silly thing is, that Japanese do not like to “lose face”. Many would be willing to jump off a bridge to just “be right”. History tells us so. The other point is that Japanese philosophy and logic is a one way flow. It dictates to others.

Emperors of Japan were given the title of Gods. And Gods could do anything they pleased. Taxes, life and death were dealt out into the masses. Disagreement brought death, while all the while, people smiled.

Young men were ordered to their death during the past war- men who were taught to fly planes into ships, but not taught how to land. They were taught not to argue but sacrifice their own value for men who drank out of gold cups, served by women sold into the race as geishas. If you want to know what that was like, read the book “Shogun”, and you will see how the Japanese mind works. It still works that way at the very top and has actually changed little.

Profits and loss. It has been construed and altered to mean “honor”. All the while, Japanese sit idly by. Not because they are afraid, but because “everyone” must obey. Integrity, honor and common sense have been replaced with profits and loss.

In the recent earthquake in Japan, no one was told just how bad the radiation was and how dangerous it was to human life. “Well, you are going to die anyway” was the comment made by officials. And when the aid came from countries like the U.S., where did it go? It didn’t go to the people that needed it, but instead went to the rich and the governmental officials who pocketed it.

Confronted with the above, the response is to go public and admit that the money was misused. To bow some scapegoat’s head and say, “We so sorry”. But the money was never returned and the people who need it starved.

Enter the dolphins of Taiji. When exposed, the village’s response was to barricade and hide the slaughter from western eyes- to use police to stop the world from watching.

Profits and loss. The “smart” dolphins are captured and sold into zoos like the Seaquarium or Seaworld. The rest are killed for their meat.

All the while, the villagers turn their heads while they turn a profit. They tell themselves daily and hourly how right they are, when in truth, they see the intelligence of these creatures yet kill them indiscriminately.

Profits and loss. Robotically they answer “it is my family’s tradition” and so they kill. They don’t ask and they don’t think. And while the western world looks on in disgust, they would rather kill an entire race to prove how right they are.

All this, while the U.S. looks on. Mark my words – those running for office again will make campaign promises again and “suggest” they should do something. Obama issued “a stern warning” to Iceland (a letter), but has any thing really been put into actual effect? Presidential , Senate and House seats will exchange and nothing will be done. They are all too busy ensuring their own pensions and mistresses. Not to mention stocks in companies that deal in war.

Profits and loss.

Profits and loss.

What do you think?

made by President Obama against Iceland.

The warning is tantamount to saying how much the budget was cut, when in reality nothing was really “cut”.

This is a portion of the blog regarding whaling is what I want to focus on:

In a move hailed by conservation activists, President Barack Obama initiated potential diplomatic sanctions against Iceland this week for its commercial whaling activity. The sanctions include six measures ranging from possibly limiting cabinet-level visits to Iceland to limiting cooperation with Iceland in the Arctic region.

“While such sanctions might seem mild to some, for environmentalists it was akin to throwing down the gauntlet, diplomatically speaking. “This is a real shot across the bow,” said Patrick Ramage, global whale program director with the International Fund for Animal Welfare.”

Hmmm. Now what other conservationists were quoted? Note that the second paragraph comes back to quickly say that “sanctions might seem mild to some.”

Well, honestly the sanctions are mild! There are no reports from Iceland that the warnings have actually any effects on them. It’s more like letting the American public know that we are giving this country aid and have been all along. Why are we giving them aid in the first place?

Now, is a “bold move” a hand slap, or a “oh, you shouldn’t do that” a stern gesture? And how long do you just let a situation go on?

The truth is, that is why we get small, ragtag groups like Sea Shepherd out there. Individuals tired of the political banter that goes on close to election time, but ignoring the real issues during the time the executive is supposed to be at work solving heated issues, instead of shopping sprees, playing golf or vacationing.

I liken it to this kind of an idea. A child coughs. Immediately the over-protective mother  and overly zealous, runs to her child and grabs him. “Oh my poor baby, you are sick! Quick – call the doctor, call an ambulance, my baby is dying!” when in fact part of a piece of candy she had just given him was swallowed too quickly and he was merely trying to dislodge it so that he could swallow!

Here we have “a letter”, which has been written (obviously) by someone else and signed by “the President”. Somehow the “press” gets hold of it and lauds it as “an incredible diplomatic statement that will change the lives of all men!” , when in fact very few men read it, and the ones that really needed to read it didn’t get a translation…

How silly can you get stating, “A real shot across the bow…” How about “Woooeee, Earl, lookee here! You done grazed that turkey and I am sured as I am a’ livin he’s gonna take notice an’ never come into your cornfield agin!”

But the truth is, the turkey never heard the shot. And he probably thought he got buzzed by a larger than life horsefly!

Obviously I am unaware of how much a piece of paper can create drastic effects on a race with different goals, different agendas and different beliefs?

Probably if we actually cut the “aid” we give these people as in many other countries, we would balance our budget in the same year. Maybe make them take notice and realize that there is such a thing as “working” for a living and creating valuable products with the rest of the world that people are willing to exchange money for, instead of trying to “buy” friendship, when the truth is, the money pumped into these countries, never trickles down but stays in the pockets of the officials and their extended families!

If you don’t think that is true, then I wonder why the U.N. is now under attack for creating relief funds that never find their way to the people who need the help – Haiti, Japan, to name a few?

But then we also look the other way as stated in my earlier blog regarding allowing Alaskans to hunt whales? What is the difference?

The kettle calling the pot black?

It is this type of rhetoric that allows the senseless slaughter of the creatures. Whales, dolphin. Bluefin tuna are only but pawns in a massive political game.

So was the American Indian. Look what we did to him.

What do you think?

A friend of you and I asks your help.

Many of you who have read my ongoing blogs, know how I feel about the taking of life from sentient animals, especially whales.

My main concern has been endangered whales, but I do include dolphins, simply because I have had many wonderful opportunities to know and be with dolphins.

What I have come to realize is not the death of these animals I want to focus on – as far as Taiji is concerned – but it is only the rebirth of man’s awareness regarding his responsibility to his own environ.

You see, the greatest gift that Man has, his mind, is also his greatest enemy.

It is the reason for human trafficking, wars, murder and rape. It preys on young and old, seeking aberrative behavior for pleasure.

The mind, however, can do good things. It can find cures for diseases, fly men to the moon and convert sunlight into energy to name a few. And it is always at its best when it is analytical, weighing the factors of good and bad to solve problems that benefit all mankind.

Unfortunately every culture carries out their traditions. In the beginning, there were the rituals of the hunt, the discovery of fire and the battle for survival against the elements. But it is man’s mind that lifted him from the battlefield of life.

Having been removed from the battlefield of life is where the trouble began for man.

What to do with one’s free time? For some that free time has been spent solving the mysteries of life and the universe that surrounds us. However for others, that time is spent in search of power and greed – power in controlling others, and greed which somehow has set man apart even from his own kind.

Hence the Japanese. Age old traditions passed down from father to son, have been replaced with profit. Dolphins are herded and collected for their minds, which somehow the Taiji people believe they know how to divine the smart dolphin from the dumber one. The point is, we can not really even do that with our own kind! And as for whales, well they declare the meat is used for research when in fact it is far from the truth.

That is the first lie. The second is that dolphin feed upon the fish the Japanese hunt and therefore should be killed. The truth is that Japan has polluted and overfished their seas. The problems Japan has is not because of the dolphin. It is “kicking the cat”. And lastly, it is far easier to kill a defenseless animal, no matter if it has a brain in many ways far more advanced than ours.

So on this day and on this coming week I ask you all to reflect the fact that it is our minds and the choices that we make with them that affect our destinies, one and all.

It is a simple choice and always has been.

Is the world here only for man’s pleasures, subordinate to his whims and his contrived needs, or is he part of a greater picture?

Does he really care?

I would be interested in your comments

The whale was hunted and killed, using a license issued through the Canadian Government.

The meat of the bowhead being cut up by an Inuit. Wait just a minute...is that a "Yamaha jacket" she's wearing? What about the "igloo cooler" in the background, and the Coleman stove? Wow! Tradition at it's height...PHOTO COURTESY APTN

Bowheads have not been hunted in one hundred years. The Inuits state that it is their right and part of their cultural heritage to do so. Some of the reasoning explained by members of the Inuit nation is that one whale can feed many people; the cost of normal meat or poultry is far more expensive. Besides, the Bowhead population is now at a sustainable level where at least eighteen Bowhead can be killed yearly.

If “tradition” is so important, there are a few things that do not match up to the idea and concept of “tradition”:

1.     Did any of the Inuits use cell phones during the hunt?

2.    What kinds of boats were used to hunt whales? Gasoline powered?

3.    What types of harpoons were used? Were they made the way they were by the original indigenous population?

4.    Do the Inuits all live in their original homes? Do they have central heating?

5.    Do they have cable and watch television?

These are but a few questions I have about a race telling the world how important tradition is. Yet they want all the modern conveniences, many which are used to make killing much easier and faster. But not much more efficient as the animal is allowed to suffer. You would think that if they really cared about the pain an animal feels, they would have used some modern technology to do it humanely.

Now, I think this is how they are supposed to look like, right???

It seems to me that man has moved back, at least in Alaska to prehistoric methods of survival, when truthfully that type of survival is no longer necessary. And here’s another question. The Inuits have lived without killing whales for one hundred years. So do they really need to kill whales?

I don’t think so.

Here we have a race which has greatly acclimated to the modern world, willing to spend any government subsidies (I am sure they get aid) on television, housing and clothing, but prefer having a cell phone over buying farm raised beef or chicken.

Now that is another issue. Yes the above is meat, but those animals are farmed.

Whales are not farmed, nor does anyone yet know how to grow them.

Yet man has always looked at natural resources, without recognizing that the definition of the word “Resource” has no word “replenish” in it.

Wall Street PR’s tell you “Well, there are as many as 40,000 Bowhead out there”

(they throw out big numbers – nobody really knows) and then say “Well, they only take eighteen every year!”

Now, is it wrong to hold onto tradition? No, not at all. But I will give you an example of a different race –Judaism. The orthodox don’t eat pork because they did not have the technology to prepare and keep the meat clean and free from parasites. Now science has worked out what is needed to make pork safe. And now there are many Jewish people eating pork. Yes, there are those who resist doing so, simply out of tradition. Yet they have moved forward in time. Their belief structures have not changed, but their diets have changed out of education.

People want to be deaf, when they just don’t want to listen.

Here, however, we have a race, that still wishes to hunt creatures, for various and asunder reasons but also want all the toys of modern day technology.

Who is zooming who?

I would love your comments on this.

Pierce Brosnan, photo courtesy Ecorazz1

Pierce Brosnan seems to be getting into his latest role, animal and environmental advocate. He is calling for an end to Iceland’s whale hunt.

The actor has teamed up with the National Resources Defense Council and is leading their campaign to stop Icelandic whaling. In a recent post on OnEarth, Brosnan said “Last December, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other groups filed a petition to stop Iceland’s rogue whaling. In response, the U.S. Commerce Secretary recently declared that Iceland is defying the international ban on commercial whaling. That declaration started the clock ticking on a 60-day period during which President Obama must decide whether or not to impose trade sanctions on Iceland.”

I have to be honest, I did not vote for Obama.

It is not because I did not like the guy; I felt his rise to stardom was too quick – and too funded. There are funny “red flags” that come up, when you really watch what politicians say and then what they do. But the other thing is that honestly we cannot blame the current economy on Obama – or can we?

I have my own opinions. And I guess I have to admit that I am not the most well read person about the goings on in Washington. But I see a lot of PR. The latest debt debacle was highlighted by the President’s speech. He said he was willing to talk but pointed the finger at the Republicans.

I thought when you got elected President of the “United States” you represented both sides.

What I do know that when anyone points a finger, he or she has three fingers pointing back at him/herself! So I wonder, what are we missing?

This is how Inuits used to live.

I do know that while sanctions “may” be inposed on Norway whaling, the U.S. is currently backing the harvesting of whales by its own native people – the Inuits. And the reason being given is that whaling is part of the Inuit’s culture and tradition. Yet are the Inuits practicing real indian tradition, while living in actual homes, cell phones, motorized snow scooters, etc.” It seems to me that the Inuits are being a bit selective about what they call tradition and what they don’t.

Current day inuit homes. See anything different?

HMMMMMMMMMMMM….either you follow tradition or you don’t.

So I wonder just how real it is, then, to expect a President to back a threat, when in fact, he is not doing the same on his own home ground.

I would call that “Grandstanding” wouldn’t you?

Is it the Polar Bear's fault for the death of a young man or the fault of the program that sent him there?

This past week mourns the loss of a student in Norway who lost, what the press and a few people think was a brutal and violent murder.

Many readers and those close to the incident have mixed emotions about it, simply because of the press the media has given it.

Face it – the media goes for the scary, spectacular and threatening approach in pretty much everything they write.

Why? It sells papers. It gets people to go to their news sites and see advertisements for dish soap or hair spray that product oriented companies pay a lot of money to advertise on. It’s a business.

I believe it was famed circus owner, P.T. Barnum, who coined the phrase

P.T. Barnum of Barnum and Bailey's Circus

“You pays your ticket and you takes your chances.”

We are all caught up in the fantasy of adventure. Universities promote it as the kids participating in the trip in Norway, paying $2,800 to $3,500 (I believe) for the chance to go on an expedition into the wilds. Well, wilds is what they got. Surfers get mauled by sharks, mistaking wetsuits for seals. Grizzlies maul people in Yosemite. African children get killed in the hundreds by poisonoue mambas (snakes). All in the wild.

My point is that Nature is not as kind as Hollywood shows it to be.

It is a battle for survival. Polar bears don’t ask to see your passport or American Express card. And if you go into the wild, unprepared and unaware, well Nature can be fatal. The response was to kill the animal. In this case probably wise, only because many people’s lives were seriously threatened. The other fact is, that those living in the wild in that area know better and would have never set themselves up for an attack.

The agenda of the writer and the Press Agency avoids the truth at all costs. The press story has a different agenda.

A Humpback Whale

How does this relate to whales?

Well, both are endangered. Both are hunted and not really protected. And against the guns and weapons of man, neither really have a chance at surviving.

I would think that the next time you read an article like that, look to see what information was left out of the press article.

Usually it is a lot of information – good investigative reporting which most journalism now lacks. For example, was the university/school that the students came from interviewed to find out what they said about the trip? What precautions did they take and how were they really prepared? What was the actual experience of the people leading the expedition? Obviously someone was lax in their observation and in their responsibilities.

Polar bears depend on their acute sense of smell. Human or food (like a candy bar) can be sensed for miles.

Just like a minute drop of blood in ocean water currents. And as a result, a person died and several others injured. But that and more more information was left out and I believe the proper phrase came from William Randolph Hearst “Yellow Journalism” as quoted from Wikipedia:

“…is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.” This is news at its best these days.

My deepest condolences for the families, however, when you venture into Nature, you are subject to its whims.

What do you think?