THE BIG BLUE, NEWSLETTER / ISSUE 1 / JANUARY 1999

And here it is finally, the first issue of the Big Blue Newsletter! First i like to thank all the new members of  the Big Blue Newsletter! I hope that you will like the articles and the news of the latest on-line happenings.  At least each month you will receive this newsletter.
You will get more information about dolphins,  links to sites you've never seen before, your horoscope and all off that totally free! If you don't like to receive the Big Blue Newsletter anymore, just contact me by email: dolphinity_is@hotmail.com
If you have any suggestions or comments for this newsletter, also feel free to contact me!
Make your on-line time much more enjoyable this way....
 
THIS  MONTH'S  ISSUES:

 - Dolphin deadly tuna coming to a store near you...
 - Keiko update, days are getting longer!
 - Dolphin therapy.
 - Horoscope of this month  Aquarius: born January 20th to February 19th.
 - Save the Dolphin Pages....
 - The Big Blue Site...a brand new ocean!

  


Dolphin Deadly Tuna Coming To A Store Near You...
More dolphins to die in tuna nets,
May 21, 1998:

The Clinton Administration and Mexico have just completed an international agreement that will allow the foreign tuna fishing industry to kill up to 5, 000 dolphins annually. Almost double the number of dolphins killed in 1996. The new agreement paves the way for dolphin- deadly tuna to be sold on supermarket shelves.
In the past four decades, as a result of the tuna fishing practice of chasing and netting schools of dolphins to catch the tuna that swim beneath, over 7,000,00 dolphins were killed. Since 1990 with the successful campaigns by environmental groups such as Earth Island Institute for the public to buy only dolphin-safe tuna, the dolphin mortality rate dropped by 95%.
The Clinton Administration and powerful lobbyists hired by Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela persuaded Congress in 1997 to lift the embargo against dolphin-deadly tuna in exchange for negotiating a “binding international agreement.” The new agreement weakens the protection of dolphins.
The new agreement allows tuna fishing nations to double the current dolphin kill. There is no mechanism to reduce dolphin deaths, despite the specific Congressional mandate to do so. The agreement doesn’t do anything to reduce the bycatch of non-target fish such as juvenile tuna, bill fish and sharks. The agreement is unenforceable letting tuna captains, who use explosives to herd dolphins or force observers to falsify records, to continue operating.
Mexico and the Clinton Administration have decided that trade in tuna products is more important than the lives of dolphins.

Thanks to Earth Island Institute and Mote Marine for information shared with Dolphin Defenders.


Days are getting longer
Monday, January 11, 1999

Now that the winter solstice is past the days are beginning to get a bit longer: the shortest days of the year brought sunrise at 11:00 and sunset at 3:30 pm. The few extra minutes of light each day are a welcome occurrence for the staff. The longer days offer the opportunity to closely observe Keiko for greater periods of time, and the chance to see if his behavior changes as the amount of light increases. He is still very active, eating between 110-120 lbs of herring each day and watching the staff as they perform maintenance on the pen. (FWKF)

Keiko has been very active this week, and very interested in the staff's activities around the baypen. To get a better look at his staff on the deck of the baypen, he lifts his eye up above the surface of the water and cruises by the edge of the pen. This week, it was time to do morphometrics (body measurements) on Keiko again, so Peter and Stephen put on their dry suits and hopped into the 41-degree water with a measuring tape.
Keiko Update - http://www.aquarium.org


Dolphin therapy
                                           Doctors are using dolphins to aid in therapy for
                                           mentally disabled children. The children love
                                           being in the warm water, touching the dolphins,
                                           and hearing the sounds they make. Dr. David
                                           Nathanson says that these interactions
                                           beneficially alter the patients' brain activity and
                                           can change the way a child learns. This
                                           research has spawned the Cyberfin, a virtual
                                           reality dolphin swim simulator. For more
                                           information on this form of therapy, check out
                                           the AquaThought Foundation, or watch a video
                                           Webcast of our segment.
                                           For more information: http://www.aquathought.com/


This month's horoscope: Aquarius

Aquarius born January 20th to February 19th.

The eleventh sign of the zodiac, Aquarius, is the dreamer, the writer, and the philosopher. Some of your more positive aspects, are your friendliness, creativity, your intuition is well known, innovative thoughts and ideas that tend to keep you on the cutting edge, independence, and the unique ability to adapt without compromising. Your less than positive qualities are your reluctance to compromise, or change your mind, restlessness, sometimes too eccentric, and others miss-understanding you.
Your ruling planet is Uranus. As a fixed sign, you are resourceful, persistent, and determined. As an air sign you are intelligent and communicate well. Aquarius rules the blood vessels, shins and ankles, and may be prone to hardening of the arteries, and injuries to the ankles Birthstones for astrology are different from traditional birthstones for the months. For Aquarius, your birthstone is amethyst, and if worn, is said to bring faithfulness, and turn colors around poison.

Monthly Forecast For Aquarius
This is a time to watch what you say. A verbal outburst could be used against you in a way you would never imagine. Your impulsive nature moves into full swing now. There is even a danger of blurting out information which is supposed to be completely confidential. Try not to be so quick to act on your feelings. Your words or behavior might offend someone who is in a position to make life difficult for you. This is a time that signals an opportunity to turn over a new leaf in your financial life. It is never too late to better organize your record keeping procedures. Be attentive to what income is coming in and what is going out. If you are spending more than you are earning, you might find it useful to either work more hours or ask for a raise in salary.  By midweek,  As far as your health is concerned, make sure that you are eating properly for your body type and level of physical activity. Overeating, undereating, or any other nutritional extreme must be avoided. Regular exercise is important too. There is nothing wrong with dreaming the impossible dream. Expect to be rewarded for your willingness to make the products of your imagination a living reality. Later on, a more frantic pace could make it difficult to concentrate. Try not to become too aggravated or faultfinding with yourself or others. Some on the spot creative improvising could save the day. When the phone is ringing off the hook, you have no choice but to set reasonable priorities.  By the weekend,  those who are shopping for clothes might be overwhelmed by the choices available. A new cycle begins late now, which should help your relationships by making you more willing to reach agreeable compromises. If you are considering renting out a piece of property, make sure you have a clear and thorough written contract. While it is nice to trust people, when it comes to money it makes sense to be careful and even to expect the worst. Watch what you say, you could inadvertently hurt someone's feelings.
 



 
 
Save the Dolphin Pages

This is what you will find on their site:

The start of the 1990's saw a massive amount of publicity about the senseless killing of dolphins by purse seine nets scouring the sea for tuna. Legislation to protect the dolphin was enforced in many countries, but in July 1997, US policy on dolphin protection was weakened to allow dolphin UNSAFE tuna back onto the US market.

The new legislation has been passed despite considerable opposition from Earth Island Institute and many other environmental groups. In Australia, Planet Ark and the  http://www.dolphinsoc.org Dolphin Society campaigned strongly as well. We are here to tell you that the fight is NOT over yet! On these pages, Pierce Brosnan tells you what you can do to help the dolphins.

Get the background story on why Pierce is ronting this campaign. Join him in his fight to save dolphins - check out the issues, get the background info and contact the US Congress by e-mai l- all from the luxury of your own computer.
   
Get informed!
We show you footage never seen on the Net before, showing dolphins drowning in purse seine nets. You can also download video of Pierce's campaign and you can check out other sites that we've found for you. Our partner in these pages, The Earth Island Institute, has the best information available on this topic - check out their info on this site and on their own. Alternatively, we have lined up e-mail links and a letter that you can adapt and e-mail to Congress members and President Clinton himself.

The dolphins are reliant on us for support - let's give it to them!

http://www.planet.ark.com.au/new/dolphmain.html

   S A V E   T H E   D O L P H I N   P A G E S
 



 
The Big Blue Site, A brand new ocean...

Maybe you already have noticed that the Big Blue had been completely transformed into a new site with a different look, more information and probebly more fun! I hope that you like the new look! I sure enjoy the work to do it. Dolphins have become very important to me and its my wish that they will become much more important to mankind, all over the world!
Dolphins must be protected,like all endangered species, dolphins must be protected from man's never ending exploitation of "Mother Earth"

Joyce.

For any comments or suggestions:
Email: dolphinity_is@hotmail.com