Tsunami Relief Funds Used To Kill Whales?! No Way!

Dear friends, 

Right now, the Japanese whaling fleet is barrelling south to hunt thousands of majestic whales, escorted by a 30 million dollar security force paid for out of the tsunami disaster relief fund! 

Anti-whaling champions were successfully blocking the Japanese whale hunt -- which is exactly why the Japanese government decided to swipe money from relief efforts to stop the activists from bothering the boats while they engage in their brutal slaughter. 

If we can stop the whaling security and get the relief money back for desperate Japanese citizens still languishing in radioactive hotspots,we could help end the whale hunt for good. Japanese PM Noda is already under enormous pressure after scandalous failures to compensate victims of the nuclear disaster. A massive global outcry can spark outrage inside and outside Japan and force Noda to use precious relief funds to save people, not kill whales !

 Sign the petition here and forward to everyone

Whale hunting is astronomically expensive, and it's made possible by ludicrous government subsidies amounting to $35,000 per whale! If these subsidies are cut back, the whaling industry could collapse. Now the Prime Minister will squander $30 million to provide private security for whale slaughterers to make sure they’re not bothered by environmental activists in the ocean. With the added muscle, Japan plans to kill 1,000 Minke whales for commercial meat sales this year. 

Officials claim that whaling subsidies will support coastal communities hit by the tsunami -- even though Japan has had to stockpile whale meat because so few people wish to consume it. All the while, the government has turned a blind eye to victims trapped in radiation hot-spots, with the few who are entitled to compensation pocketing a pitiful $1,000. 

Let's urge Prime Minister Noda to stop caving to the whaling lobby and spend relief money on the people who need it most: the victims.

Sign the urgent petition now, and forward widely 

Last year, our community came together in record numbers, and we won the fight to keep a global ban on whaling. And last month, 130,000 Japanese Avaaz members joined together, pressing the government to use tsunami relief funds to protect radiation-exposed children by funding their evacuation from unsafe areas. Time and again we see how powerful lobby groups like the Japanese whaling lobby put profits before people and planet. And time and again, we stop them. Let's do it again. 

With hope and determination, 

Loup Dargent
On behalf of Stephanie, Jamie, Emma, Ricken, Morgan, Laura, Wissam, Wen-Hua and the rest of the Avaaz team 

More Information: 

• BBC: "Japanese tsunami fund used for whaling programme"
• Guardian: "Japan whaling fleet accused of using tsunami disaster funds"
• Letter: "Greenpeace Japan and 15 other NGOs letter to Japanese government"
• WSJ: "Use of Government Recovery Funds Stokes Japan Whaling Row"

Related Articles:

• Whales Are Facing a Crisis Created By Humans. Can We Help Save Them?
• Australia joins four-nation stand on whaling 
• Fukushima Disaster Relief Money Being Used to Assist in Killing of Whales 
• Japanese Whaling Fleet on the Move  
• Killing Whales Matters More Than Saving People: William Pesek - Bloomberg 
• Japan diverting £19m from tsunami relief fund to help protect whaling ships  

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I’ll stop talking and cut to the chase, there’s a rumour in the west that Google’s servers only have 3 days left maximum so time is scarce. Here are some tips to survive the zombie apocalypse, mentally and physically…

BE THANKFUL YOU’RE ALIVE!

Okay, so the zombie apocalypse wasn’t convenient to begin with, and now you have to spend it stuck at work? It may sound annoying, but at least you’re not one of “them” and you still have your limbs intact. Your home console, widescreen TV, comfy sofa and coffee machine won’t save you now, get with the times and convert any redundant electrical gadgets into functional tools for the situation.

RAID THE STAFF ROOM AND PLAN FOOD RESOURCES!

You know that guy in HR who always leaves his food laying around and everyone is constantly moaning about? Well turn around to him now, say sorry and make your peace because he’s just boosted your rations and possibly saved everyone’s lives. A food and ration plan is in order as you need to keep eating for as long as possible. Eventually the inevitable will happen and you will run out of food, but you can cross that bridge when it arrives after gathering some knowledge on the situation (see next tip).

ASSESS THE SITUATION!

There are no media resources available and no scientific researches being carried out anymore. No one is going to tell what you’re dealing with and how to deal with it, so keep an eye on things outside, whether it’s from the window or the roof. Do the walking dead have patterns or routines? Do they react or become distracted by anything? From here you can collectively assess a map of the area you are locked down in for the nearest resources and supplies like grocery stores, vehicles and weapons and figure out the best plan of action when leaving becomes essential to survival.

BUILD YOUR WEAPON ARSENAL!

While there is still time look around and see what limited items are available for your weapon arsenal. You’ve been making fun out of all the geeks on the internet with too much time on their hands for years, now it’s time to accept them as your lords and saviours. Google search terms like “turning smart phone into a weapon” or “building an armour suit out of desktop PCs” to get the best out of dead technology. Do you have any long objects like desk wiring cases or those sticks with the hook on the end that open high up windows? Get them and attach any pointy/stabby/dangerous object you can find at the end. The more distance between you and one of “them”, the less chance you have of becoming a meaty snack. You might be in an office with a production line or warehouse area located in the building too. If so go there now, they’re a gold mine for dangerous and heavy machinery tools.

AND FINALLY, KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT!

Everyone says work should be mentally stimulating and employees should have a self-sense of company value.  Even if you had the most boring, mundane, repetitive job in the world before the zombie apocalypse, you are now part of one company and one business worldwide, all equal from within to play an important role in the survival of the human race. Embrace it like a promotion and take pride in your work. And of course by work I mean killing off the living dead content with eating you and your co-workers…

Good Luck!

About Today's Contributor:

When Donald Parfew wrote this article, he was a space designer for used office furniture supplier LAMoffice. Right now as you read this he’s probably sniping zombies from a roof and leading a counter revolution against the living dead. One day in the near future you may hear of the mysterious legend of Donald, and how he gave the human race a ray of hope for survival…

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