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Have you been keep up to date with our confrontation of the Japanese whaling fleet? It is amazing. Our activists are in the inflatables, dodging chunks of ice, and getting in between the whales and the harpoon guns. Nathan has got an update today about how he has rigged one of our boats, the Billy Greene, to hose the whalers.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is upset that the FBI has gathered more than 100 pages of data on the group's activities. Big deal! We racked up over 2,000 pages worth of wasted tax dollars. What's most surprising about this story, is that the Bush administration has no qualms about spying on peaceful organizations - or American citizens.
Norwegian scientists have found that orcas - aka killer whales - have become the most contaminated mammals in the Arctic. Because they are at the top of the food chain, these whales ingest all the chemicals that have already polluted the animals they eat. If these whales are "accidentally" killed, or hunted for "scientific research," their whalemeat may end up on supermarket shelves and ultimately the dinner table. This delicacy comes fortified with pesticides, flame retardants and PCBs. Yum!
Last February, Sister Dorothy Stang was assassinated in the Amazon. She was an advocate of land rights for rural peasants and spoke out repeatedly against the ecological cost and social injustices involved in Amazonian deforestation. Today the two men accused of killing her are on trial.
When our activists need a break from chasing whalers on the high seas, you can usually find them climbing dirty power plants. For two days, 20 of our German activists have been atop the most polluting coal plant in all of Europe. The owner of the plant is planning 10 new brown-coal power units, one of which together with the plant we've occupied will emit more carbon dioxide than the entire nation of New Zealand. 
The dramatic action brings back memories of a similar action in Pennsylvania last year. Six of our activists scaled a 700-foot smokestack that Bush's own researchers admit is responsible for the premature deaths of 237 resident PER YEAR.
Tonight the Sci-Fi channel is airing "The Triangle" - a thrilling new mini-series featuring an unlikely crew battling the mysteries of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. An engineer, a meteorologist, a psychic and a tabloid reporter hired to uncover the secrets of the infamous ocean expanse, soon cross paths with a survivor of a Greenpeace vessel that was swallowed by the triangle. The Greenpeace activist is played by "La Bamba" hunk, Lou Diamond Phillips. Be sure to tune in tonight at 9/8C, or whenever you want if you have that TiVo thing...
Seems our friends to north have found a new way fuel your car: animal waste.
"We're using animal waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said marketing director Ron Wardrop of Rothsay, which runs the plant.
At full capacity, the Rothsay plant will produce 35 million liters (9.2 million U.S. gallons) of biodiesel a year, the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 16,000 light trucks or 22,000 cars from the roads"
Some surveys have revealed that public speaking ranks higher than death as a phobia. If you want to make it in politics, you had better overcome that fear pretty fast! But even the most seasoned public speakers can have a rough time now and then: they stumble over a word, a joke falls flat, Greenpeace activists are in the rafters above them hanging banners against what they're saying...
This morning, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced to change the venue of his pro-nuclear speech thanks to some uninvited guests stealing his thunder. Blair was prepared to tout nuclear energy as the answer to climate change, despite it being costly, dangerous and a terrorist target.
Vote "no to nuclear" on BBC's Web site.
Photo: John Stillwell/WPA pool, AP
Italian authorities seized 7.8 million gallons of Nestlé baby milk products yesterday after tests showed that chemicals used in the labels were seeping through the cartons into the milk. The milk was produced in Spain and sold in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.
For nearly 35 years, Greenpeace has engaged in non-violent protests. But just because we're committed to remaining peaceful at all times, doesn't mean the corporations and governments we stand up to feel the same way. Over the years, our activists have suffered multiple beatings at the hands of irate workers and abusive law enforcement personnel. In 1984 the French Secret Service bombed our ship, the Rainbow Warrior, and killed our photographer, Fernando Pereira.
Today, one of our activists participating in a peaceful protest against a coal power plant in the Philippines was attacked with a pipe by local plant security. He is now recovering in the hospital. Four other activists were pummeled with stones.
How can this brutality be justified against people armed with nothing more than a banner?
Read the full story and listen to audio from the scene.
Congress is meeting today to discuss ExxonMobil and the rest of the oil industry's record-breaking profits. And tomorrow the House of Reps is expected to vote on a bill that would allow drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Rescue - dubbed "America's Serengeti."
Meanwhile, renewable energy sources like solar and wind power are getting more advanced and more affordable by the day. Take TMA's latest wind turbine design for example. This new model won't harm birds, runs more quietly and doesn't need to be installed as high as previous versions. Looks like the conservatives have run out of excuses to oppose clean energy. Unless they want to go on record complaining that wind power won't put $9.9 billion in Lee Raymond's pocket.
British engineers are finalizing plans to design and build a string of "eco-cities" in China over the next few decades. These urban centers will be self-sufficient in energy, water and most food products, with the aim of zero emissions of greenhouse gases in transportation systems. What will those clever blokes think of next?
In the words of Senator Barbara Boxer, the Democrats have said "enough is enough" when it comes to the Iraq war. Democrats forced the Senate into a closed session yesterday, demanding the Intelligence Committee move forward with its investigation into how the Bush administration handled prewar intelligence about Iraq's suspected weapons programs. Better late than never...
Note the word "suspected." Newsflash: Iraq didn't have any weapons of mass destruction! But in a poll taken as late as FEBRUARY 2005, 36 percent of Americans still believed that Iraq had WMDs when the United States invaded. Apparently, 36 percent of Americans live under a rock. Sad.
Few tears were shed on Thursday when Harriet Miers withdrew herself from consideration to be the next Supreme Court Justice. Conservatives whined that Miers was inexperienced and lacked a clear-cut stance on many conservative issues. Liberals complained that she was, well, a conservative. President Bush wasn't about to make that mistake again. For his second pick, he wanted someone the Republicans would applaud and the Democrats would despise. Mission accomplished with Samuel Alito.
Alito's views align to the right when it comes to most issues including gays, abortions and guns. Senior legislative counsel with Earthjustice is also concerned that Alito could mean trouble for the environment. For example, in 1997 Alito ruled against Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), gutting citizens' access to courts under the Clean Water Act.
Since no one is looking out for the environment in the White House or Congress, it would be nice to have a little love from the Supreme Court. If you want to do your part to oppose Alito's confirmation, visit MoveOn.org
Wal-Mart recently announced an environmental plan to boost energy efficiency, reduce waste and trim greenhouse gases. But don't be fooled America! The superstore still has a ways to go before it gets its critics off its back. For example, it needs to stop the sell of whalemeat, address workers' rights issues and stop making really annoying commercials with that stupid bouncing smiley face.
See also:
See this astrology report from the October 26 edition of the Minneapolis City Paper:
Even though Americans comprise five percent of the world's population, they use one-third of its resources and generate half of its hazardous waste. Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders are a little less extravagant, but not so much that they can brag. Profligacy on this scale is not only terrible for the planet and our descendants, but also bad for the perpetrators. Your first assignment this week, Libra, is to identify ways in which you personally participate in this greed and excess. Your second assignment is to analyze how it might be damaging to your mental and physical health. Your third task: Do something about it! You now have an unusually high potential for drawing deep satisfaction from simple, inexpensive pleasures. Halloween costume suggestions: monk, nun, garbage collector, Greenpeace activist.
That's pretty good advice for anyone who is a Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagitarius or Scorpio too! And if you (like me) didn't know what profligacy is, it means extravagant...
Last night, an icon of the civil rights movement died at age 92. Rosa Parks sparked a year-long boycott of the bus system, led by Martin Luther King, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man who demanded it. Rosa was jailed and fined for her act of defiance.
Most Americans are familiar with Rosa's legacy and, upon hearing the news of her death, will take a moment to mourn the loss of such a courageous woman. But the question remains: "Why is an ENVIRONMENTAL organization acknowledging the passing of this civil rights heroine?"
Fair enough. Rosa was not a tree-hugger. She never hung a banner denouncing whaling. She never stood by us when we protested nuclear weapons. However, Rosa Parks and Greenpeace are inherently the same. We both stand up for what we believe in, and we do it through civil disobedience.
Gandhi, MLK, members of the Boston Tea Party...we consider these people part of our family. Rosa's death is like losing a cousin. We may not all be fighting for the same thing, but we're all speaking the same language and adhering to the same principles of non-violence.
"At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in."
-Rosa Parks
Hurricane Wilma has been battering the Florida coast since early this morning, after killing at least 17 people in the Caribbean. At one point it was the most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic, with winds of 175 miles per hour, but today it has been seesawing between a Category 2 and Category 3 hurricane.
Wilma isn't the only record-setter of the season. Close on its tail is tropical depression Alpha and forecasters are suggesting the storm could grow in strength. This is the first time EVER all 21 names pre-assigned for storms in a year have been exhausted, forcing the body responsible for naming storms to move onto the Greek alphabet. If there are more storms to come this season (let's hope not), they will be named Beta, Gamma, Delta and so on.
If this trend continues, what will we be doing a 100 years from now, when we've exhausted all the letters in the Greek alphabet? Move onto Chinese characters? Borrow symbols from the artist-formerly-known-as Prince?
No one is suggesting that extreme weather events, like hurricanes, didn't exist before man started trashing the planet. But it is unmistakable that our actions are contributing to global warming, and the Earth's increased temperature and melting glaciers are severely altering Mother Nature's plan.
Global warming is no longer a catch phrase for politicians or interesting subject matter for scientists to write papers. The issue has clawed its way into conversations at the family dinner table, crowded subways and supermarket checkout lines. Now that the general public has grasped the urgency of the situation, it is up to us to do something about it. The responsibility is ours since our government has known for years, and hasn't lifted a finger to resolve the crisis.
A good place to start is by reducing our oil dependence and meeting our energy needs with clean sources like wind and solar. Some politicians are actually exploiting these hurricanes to EXPAND offshore drilling operations to vulnerable coastal communities. Don't let them.
-John Passacantando
Greenpeace Executive Director
According to FearlessFlight.com approximately 60 million Americans are afraid to fly. That number is understandable in light of the events on September 11, 2001. But is it that people are scared of crashing or falling victim to a terrorist act? Or could it be the REAL reason people are afraid to fly is the drinking water??
The Environmental Protection Agency investigated over 300 planes in 2004 and found that 15 percent of the drinking water on the aircrafts were contaminated. But the EPA announced yesterday that major airlines have agreed to routinely monitor the water served onboard to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
Now that that's settled, it's time to turn our attention to an even bigger problem. Do those ridiculously small bags of pretzels contain genetically modified organisms? Only time will tell.
We were back in St. Bernard Parish today. We were chased away from both the Murphy and Chalmette oil refineries by security guards as we documented activities there. At Chalmette (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil) a security guard in a white pickup truck with "Homeland Security" in orange spray paint on the side told us, "Exxon doesn't allow any photos of the refinery to be taken, even if it's in the background." At least he was honest about who calls the shots in Louisiana.
Around New Orleans, one can drive for ten or 15 miles and see great swathes of urban America desecrated, deserted and debris-strewn. At night, the darkened skyline is barely visible by the light of the stars. A few Katrina refugees are filtering back. Many will be dispersing again, heading for higher ground, hoping to never go through this again.
Everyone we've met has been eager to tell his or her story, to have someone bear witness to what they've been through. In St. Bernard Parish, working class people of all races live between the two huge refineries. We spoke with Raymond Blazio in what remained of the trailer park in Meraux where 16 members of his extended family lived. He was waiting for his parents to arrive to see what had become of their home.
"I told them not to come. I was here a week ago and saw there was nothing to salvage, but they want to come, for closure," he said. "I'm worried about my mom's heart. She's strong, she's a persistent little lady, but I worry about her heart."
Gesturing toward the Murphy Oil tank farm adjacent to the ruins, he said, "There used to be woods back there. They protected us from the wind, from the storms. Then Murphy expanded. They cut down the woods and put in the tanks. We had no protection after that."
Raymond's brother's trailer was wrecked, his sister's trailer was wrecked, his aunt's trailer was wrecked. Raymond and his brother remodeled their parents' trailer last spring. "It looked like a trailer on the outside, but inside, it was a home. That was going to be for their retirement. Now it's gone." At his feet lay someone's sequined dress, a memory from a happier time.
A tank at the Murphy Oil refinery was knocked from its base by the flood. According to the U.S. Coast Guard 19,500 barrels, or 1,072,500 gallons of oil flooded into Meraux.
On Walkers Lane, George Harrison said the Murphy refinery seemed to have an explosion every year. Smoke and soot from the plant were a constant presence. "There are all kinds of lawsuits against Murphy. We're part of one of the lawsuits," he said. He does not have high hopes for the suit.
The Emerys on Walkers Lane have a big family, too. They too are scattered around the country, but Carol Emery is planning now to gather everyone together for Thanksgiving. "We are together every year and we will be together this year. We all got out safe, so we have so much to be thankful for."
"This is just material," she said, indicating her house with a hand gloved in latex. She wore heavy rubber boots, a protective suit and a particle mask. The first floor of her house was, weeks later, still sopping wet. Mold - and other things - were growing from her leather sofa.
Ms. Emery is a social worker, she and her family have taken in children to care for, have been a strong foundation for their community. "People have taken us in, have given us money," she said. "We've always given to other people. I can tell you, it does feel good to receive."
Danny Duchmann, on Livaccari Drive, was angry. "This neighborhood was fine the day after Katrina. People were out raking the leaves. Then the levee broke. The water came up fast; people were trapped. We gave these politicians our tax money to build up those levees. They promised, 'Vote for me, I'll strengthen the levees.' What happened? Pfft, the money went right into their pockets. Now look at us."
Most of the people of Meraux are moving on. Some will have to move on. A million gallons of oil spilled from the Murphy Oil refinery, the soil in some areas is so contaminated, people will never live there again.
Lawyers for Murphy are contacting some of the residents of Meraux, offering to buy up homes for another expansion of the refinery, another tank farm. For the people of St. Bernard Parish, Katrina was a disaster. For the corporations, it's a business opportunity.
We got our first look inside the city of New Orleans today, 29 days after Katrina struck. There's still water pooled in the streets on the east side of the city, thanks to levees that re-breached during Hurricane Rita. It's eerie to see mile after mile of residential and commercial neighborhoods of a major American city emptied of all life and strewn with debris. Mark was at ground zero in Manhattan a month after 9-11. Clean-up was underway, the city was coming back to life. A month after Katrina, New Orleans is still supine and it's not clear when it will get back on its feet.
We passed a car dealership with a lot full of sport utility vehicles, all ruined by floodwater. Those cars, at least, will not contribute to global warming.
We spent the morning in St. Bernard Parish, just east of New Orleans. It's home to two refineries - Chalmette Refining (owned by ExxonMobil) and Murphy Oil Refining - as well as low-income citizens of several races. An oil tank floated off its mooring during Katrina and spilled approximately 800,000 gallons of oil into the neighborhood. Some houses in St. Bernard's have high-water marks, some have high-oil marks, black rings marking the furthest extent of the flood. We spoke to several families who were able to return to their homes for the first time in a month. None of the people we spoke with will return to St. Bernard Parish. One man estimated 70 percent of the residents will never return.
This afternoon, we spent four hours flying over the Gulf of Mexico, checking on oil platforms. Weather was perfect for flying - five miles visibility, sunlight reflecting off the cyan water of the gulf. There are, however, 4,000 oil platforms in the gulf and almost one-quarter of them were in Rita’s path. One rig - Rowan Gorilla IV - was pumping oil over the side as we approached, but cut the flow as we made a second pass. Must have been feeling guilty, eh?
We saw a five-mile long oil slick and are investigating what might have caused it. We observed damage to refineries in Port Arthur, Texas. We saw plenty of damage to wetlands along the Louisiana and Texas coastlines, ensuring that damage from future storms will be severe.
Autumn is spreading across much of the American continent; homeowners are growing anxious about the cost of heating oil as the nights grow cold. Reuters reports Hurricane Rita may be the most damaging storm ever, in regard to oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, which will send prices even higher.
It's still hot and humid in southern Louisiana; last night we were attacked by fire ants after we inadvertently stepped on their nest in the dark.
We're back in the flood zone and things are more chaotic than they were after the last storm. More and more contractors and insurance assessors are pouring into southern Louisiana; the highways are jammed with vehicles. It's a reminder of how thin our infrastructure is and how easily it's disrupted.
We've heard about two major causes for concern in Mississippi. Reports say that 40 percent of the wetlands along the coast can no longer function in the ecosystem as they did before. That's a serious problem, because abundant, healthy wetlands are necessary buffers to protect coastlines during storms like Katrina and Rita. Draining and development of wetlands in recent years contributed to the severity of the effects of the storms this year. Environmentalists are calling for immediate remedial action.
Also in the news, casino owners are calling for changes to Mississippi law. Until now, gambling has only been allowed on "boats," so casinos have been built on floating platforms that are no more "boats" than a bathtub is. Now, because of the storms, gaming interests are asking Mississippi for permission to build casinos inland. It will be interesting to see whether wetlands or casinos become the legislative priority.
Here in Louisiana, we heard today that a bill has been introduced to the state Senate calling for a temporary moratorium on state environmental laws, to speed rebuilding. Similar language has been introduced to the U.S. Senate by Senators James Inhofe (R-OK) and David Vitter (R-LA). Far from helping a recovery, if these bills pass they will ensure that the damage from future storms will be greater than what we're witnessing now.
After withdrawing to wait out Hurricane Rita's passing, the team has reconstituted itself. John Hocevar and Thomas McCabe have replaced Stephanie and Mike. We drove down from Birmingham, AL through the remnant of the storm - thunder, lightening, torrential rain, hail and tornados in eastern Mississippi.
It's autumn now, the days are shorter and behind the rain, the air is somewhat cooler. It's humid in Hattiesburg and the evening breeze carries a whiff of the industrial South - the sour, cabbage-like odor of a pulp mill.
The news reports say the hurricane's strength was spent from Port Arthur, Texas to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Greenpeace has a long history of working on the oil refineries along the Texas coast, and the polyvinyl chloride production facilities in Lake Charles, so we'll have a list of sites to check.
Tomorrow we'll meet a pilot in Gonzales, LA and survey Rita's wake from the air. Tonight, we're dealing with domestic issues, like folding John's 6'3" frame onto one of the RV's bunks.
We're pulling back to Birmingham, AL tonight as Hurricane Rita moves into the gulf region and the parishes of Louisiana are once again evacuated. As much as we'd like to stay on hand and help during the storm, we don't have the proper equipment to offer first response.
The team is dispersing, regrouping and getting ready to dive back in. Christian and Mark will return to the gulf after Rita, with new activists to replace Stephanie and Mike, who are pulled away by other commitments.
We drove north on Interstate 59. Going our way were the various contractors and cleanup specialists also removing themselves from Rita's path. In the oncoming lane along the Mississippi line, we saw a convoy of empty buses heading south, presumably to evacuate gulf residents.
Rita will be the second major hurricane to hit the gulf in less than a month. The news today was full of stories of Houstonians trapped and running out of gas on gridlocked freeways as they attempt to flee their city.
It's as if it were a scene from a movie whose director can't help ladling on the ironic overstatement. In Houston, the oil capital of America, the oil addicts scramble to flee from the monster given life by their behavior.
Yet the Bush administration seems to grow more heedless with each passing catastrophe. In Katrina's wake the administration and its cronies are calling for a relaxation of environmental laws and building codes so New Orleans can be rebuilt "as quickly as possible."
It's a sad day when tragedy is seen by our leaders only as an opportunity to advance the interests of the corporations that financed their election, but it seems that day is upon us.
Christian, Stephanie and Kenny are on the river in Plaquemines Parish today to get ground (and sea) level documentation of the oil spills and storm surge damage we saw from the air yesterday. 
That's direct observation; MSNBC reports 44 oil spills in southeastern Louisiana (including the two above), the Dallas Morning News reports that the total oil spilled by Katrina may rival that spilled by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989.Kennedy Misses the Boat when it comes to Clean Energy
Strange Boatfellows Clash in Nantucket Sound
The Center for Auto Safety also has some video about the Research Safety Vehicle (Real Player needed). A very cool car that the government crashed.
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