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The Sea Shepherd officially announced their new replacement for the sunk Ady Gil at a fundraising benefit in the Hollywood Hills this evening — and Ecorazzi’s Megan Blanchard was on the scene interviewing celebrities and supporters. More on the evening later, but for now, here are some first (cell phone) shots of the new ship that will be joining the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin during Operation No Compromise this coming December. Anyone else think this thing looks like a Klingon ship from “Star Trek”? [UPDATE: All signs currently point to this ship being the former "Ocean Adventurer 7"...

The Sea Shepherd have officially secured a replacement for the sunk Ady Gil. ... As for the type of vessel the conservation org is revealing is anyone’s guess. The group has been tight-lipped about a successor for the speedy Gil ever since it sank after a collision last January (or intentionally scuttled, depending on who you believe) — although it appears that they may have had the new boat as early as July. “Sea Shepherd has acquired a new fast vessel to replace the Ady Gil,” Watson wrote on his Facebook page around July 12th. “The name will be posted...

An estranged former member of direct action anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd alleges it ordered its own boat to be scuttled to win public sympathy. Peter Bethune was captain of the hi-tech Ady Gil when its bow was shorn off in a collision with a Japanese whaler it was shadowing in January. It sank two days later, but Mr Bethune now alleges he was ordered to scuttle it by Sea Shepherd head Paul Watson. Mr Watson denies the claim - the latest twist in a bitter row between the two. Commentators say the feud threatens to undermine the standing of the...

A former Sea Shepherd activist on Thursday accused the militant conservation group of deliberately sinking one of its own ships as a publicity stunt after a collision with a Japanese whaler. New Zealander Pete Bethune labelled Sea Shepherd's leadership "morally bankrupt" for allegedly ordering the hi-tech trimaran "Ady Gil" to be scuttled after it collided with a Japanese whaler last January in the Southern Ocean. Bethune, the Ady Gil's captain, said Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson ordered the ship's sinking to "garner sympathy with the public and to create better TV" in the publicity battle against Japan's Antarctic whaling program....

A massive war of the words has just erupted online between Pete Bethune and members of the Sea Shepherd. The former captain of the Ady Gil, who was arrested (and later set free on a suspended sentence) after boarding a Japanese whaling vessel, has lashed out at the group — calling them “dishonest” and “morally bankrupt”. “I am asking that from now on, SSCS determine to act in an honest way with its volunteers, supporters and media,” he writes on his Facebook page. “SSCS does not need to lie. Saving whales, dolphins, tuna and sharks are noble causes, and the...

In light of the newly revealed “Blackfish” organization cutting nets holding dolphins in Taiji earlier this week, Captain Paul Watson has written an article clarifying what little the Sea Shepherd know about the European conservation group.“Who and what is blackfish? We do not know,” writes Watson. “In fact, until the report that dolphin holding pen nets had been cut in Taiji harbour and a release to that effect was posted, we had never heard of this group.”What’s odd about this statement is that all of the Blackfish co-founders: Arne Feuerhahn, Christine Bindal, and Wietse van der Werf — are...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM   FIRE IN THE SKYFriday, August 27, 8PM e/p This is the first coordinated multi-boat engagement of the campaign and the crews of both ships develop innovative new tactics to harass the whalers.   VENDETTAPremiering Friday, August 27, 9PM e/p The Sea Shepherd vessels get caught in a major storm and fear they may lose the Japanese factory vessel. Meanwhile, Pete Bethune analyzes helicopter footage of the Shonan Maru #2 - the Japanese vessel he plans to board.   TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTHPremiering Friday, August 27, 10PM e/p Pete Bethune boards a Japanese...

Anti-whaling org will have for its next campaign celebrity Michelle Rodriguez, the actor who has already charmed millions with her roles in Avatar and LOST. Rodriguez announced at the Sea Shepherd “Sea No Evil” fundraiser that she will be joining the anti-whaling org on its next campaign. She will be on board the ship that would sail to Antarctica and try to save whales. With this announcement, Michelle Rodriguez will join the list of other celebrities, such as Daryl Hannah, in such a noble initiative. Daryl Hannah had earlier announced that she would be accompanying Paul Watson and Co to...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM Looks like Animal Planet is getting a little lazy. There is no new material on the episode guide.   A BLOODY TRAILFriday, August 20, 7PM e/p As the Sea Shepherds approach the Nisshin Maru, they are suddenly surrounded by four whaling vessels. Suddenly, one of the Japanese vessels moves in dangerously close, and as the deck crew quickly braces themselves, the ships violently collide.   ZERO HOURFriday, August 20, 8PM e/p The Sea Shepherds refuse to be bullied by the Japanese fleet even though they're out numbered. The deckhands repel over the side of the...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM   READY TO SNAPFriday, August 13, 7PM e/p With low oil and drinking water, and a damaged helicopter, the Sea Shepherds' hunt for the Japanese whaling fleet has been brought to a halt. While on their way back to port, the radar shows two colossal storms that they can't avoid. Deeper Dive: Dealing With Crew Unrest Video: Crew Lashes Out at Chuck Video: Saving Zodiacs at Great Risk Deleted: Paul Tours the Bob Barker Deleted: Sea Shepherd Rope Swing!   A BLOODY TRAILFriday, August 13, 8PM e/p As the Sea Shepherds approach the Nisshin Maru,...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM   REVENGE IS MINEPremiering Friday, July 23, 9PM e/p In the aftermath of the devastating loss of their stealth vessel, the Sea Shepherds have returned to the campaign with renewed passion and intensity. Now the two remaining ships are back on the hunt for the Japanese fleet. Video: Pete Bethune Risks It All Video: Whalers Packing a Rifle? Video: Breaching Humpback Whales Deleted: Anger Management   READY TO SNAPPremiering Friday, July 30, 9PM e/p With low oil and drinking water, and a damaged helicopter, the Sea Shepherds' hunt for the Japanese whaling fleet has been...

THE disembowelled bodies of brutally slaughtered whales line a dockside just 230 miles from Britain - as families with children wander among them. More than 200 protected pilot whales were hacked to death with knives and sharpened hooks by fishermen who trapped them in coves on the Faroe Islands. Disturbing images show deep gouges where whalers hacked at the animals to sever their spinal cords. Others show the bodies of unborn calves torn from their mothers' wombs. Crowds of islanders, including youngsters, gathered to watch the slaughter, known as "the grind". Anti-whaling activist Peter Hammarstedt, 28, exposed last week's killings...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM   SLICED IN TWOFriday, July 30, 7PM e/p At the bottom of the world, a collision has just devastated one of the Sea Shepherds' vessels. The crew on the other vessel stand helpless on their deck, watching in horror as the Japanese vessel barrels through the Sea Shepherds' prized speedboat. Deeper Dive: Witnessing the Collision Video: The Crash That Made Headlines Video: Collision Sparks Media Frenzy Deleted: Irwin Crew Reacts to Crash Video: A Life Destroyed Deleted: Salvaging the Ady Gil   REVENGE IS MINE Friday, July 30, 8PM e/p In the aftermath of the...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM Tonight’s the night we’ve all been waiting for – the sinking of the Ady Gil.   STEALTH ATTACKFriday, July 16, 7PM e/p The Sea Shepherd's stealth boat, the Ady Gil, launches a sneak attack on the Japanese whaling reconnaissance vessel in an effort to break free of the tail and find the rest of the whaling fleet. Deeper Dive: Zeroing In on the Factory Ship Video: Iceberg Waterslide Video: Vegetables as Ammunition Video: Charging the Factory Ship Deleted: Paul Watson's Plan of Attack   THE THRILL OF THE CHASEFriday, July 16, 8PM e/p After nearly...

On January 6, 2010, Captain Hiroyuki Komura of the illegal Japanese whaling vessel the Shonan Maru #2 deliberately rammed and destroyed Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s vessel, the Ady Gil. Captain Komura almost killed six Sea Shepherd volunteer crewmembers and did not respond to the Ady Gil’s mayday distress signal. Japanese authorities refused to cooperate in investigations and declined requests by Australian and New Zealand maritime authorities to question Captain Komura. Instead, Captain Peter Bethune, the man who Captain Komura almost killed and whose ship was destroyed, was taken back to Japan literally as a prisoner of war abducted from the...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TMThere is not a premier episode this week, but since I was traveling last Friday it all works out. So here's the series summary from the first three episodes: When we last left the Blubber Boat Captain Stumbling and Gopher were trying to get Issac to make pina coladas with kelp and soybeans. Maybe not. Let’s try that again. When we last left the Skipper and Granoligan on the SS Minnow they were talking with Ginger and Moon Unit, who we learned in Episode 2 smell like hampsters. Okay, one last try. Admiral Coco Puffs and...

Hippies on Larry King Live!!! Watch stupidity in action!!!

Steve Irwin Attacked in Libyan Waters Operation Blue Rage: Day Twelve of the Mediterranean Patrol Saturday, June 19th, 2010 Location: Off the Coast of Libya At 0900 Hours the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin moved into Libyan waters to inspect the remaining cage being towed by the Italian vessel Cesare Rustico. With the Sea Shepherd helicopter overhead, our inflatable Delta boat and dive team approached the cage. The Cesare Rustico dropped the tow line and turned to defend the cage. At the same time the fishing vessels the Tagreft and the Rabbah 1060, along with the trawler Misurate 96, moved...

TOKYO — The leader of a U.S.-based anti-whaling organization is now on an international wanted list for allegedly masterminding the group's disruption of Japanese whale hunts in the Antarctic Ocean, Japan's coast guard said Friday. The move — done at Japan's request — signals Tokyo's escalating anger against the Sea Shepherd group, which it accuses of putting whalers' lives at risk during the annual Antarctic hunt. The Canadian founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Paul Watson, 59, has been on the Interpol list since Wednesday, Coast Guard spokesman Shinichiro Tanaka said. He said Watson's whereabouts is unknown. [excerpt]

JAPANESE prosecutors have demanded a two-year prison sentence for Sea Shepherd activist Peter Bethune over an assault charge stemming from his boarding of a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean. The New Zealander has been detained since his arrest over the boarding in February, during which Japanese prosecutors allege he injured a crewman on board the Shonan Maru 2 by throwing a bottle of rancid butter at him. Prosecutors told Tokyo District Court yesterday that chemical burns to the face of a 24-year-old whaler were "clearly caused by rancid butter fired by the defendant". Bethune, 45, clambered aboard the...