"I'll be bald in 10 years."
Posted on 12/10/2004 7:45:12 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Actor and ocean advocate Ted Danson toured the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Thursday afternoon, where he was particularly taken with the great white shark and jellyfish exhibits.
He also was here to support the work of Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who last month was named recipient of his 2004 Ocean Hero award from Oceana, an international ocean advocacy group.
"She's one of my heroes," Danson said.
Later Thursday evening, Danson would deliver a "state of the ocean address" to some 500 international aquarium experts gathered in Monterey for a weeklong conference.
Danson said his speech would promote the work of Oceana and would cover worldwide fishing practices, ocean pollution and cruise ships' effect on the ocean environment.
"I'd like aquariums to move from pure science to becoming a bit of an advocate," he said Thursday afternoon.
As founding president of American Oceans Campaign, which two years ago merged with Oceana, Danson has a lengthy resume of ocean causes. He has spoken on behalf of the ocean environment for more than 17 years.
He has a lengthy list of TV credits, including his well-known role as barkeep Sam Malone on "Cheers."
"'Cheers' was paying me way too much money," he said, and he wanted to use it for something worthwhile. He joined a local fight against Occidental Petroleum Corp., which was trying to place a large number of oil rigs just off Santa Monica beaches. Danson said he soon learned that ocean pollution is much more than just oil spills.
"The ocean is an ecosystem that starts in the mountains," he said. Runoff from farms, communities and industry close to the shorefront all contribute far more to ocean pollution than oil spills, he said.
Now a board member of Oceana, Danson has testified before a federal oceans commission and campaigned for a moratorium on bottom-trawling fishing practices.
Danson stressed that ocean advocates need to get involved in politics to make a real difference, citing national legislation introduced last spring by Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, that would prohibit cruise ship sewage discharges within 12 miles of U.S. shores.
Most importantly, Danson said, he wants people to stop taking the world's oceans for granted.
"There is the temptation to say 'It's huge, it's beautiful. What could possibly be wrong?"
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What is Oceana? • A nonprofit organization with more than 200,000 members worldwide • It campaigns to protect and restore the world's oceans • Its Web site describes ocean threats, current campaigns and proposed legislation • Contact: www.oceana.org
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touching, really touching
Maybe he'll do as much good for this cause as the other intellectually substandard hollyweird slugs did for Kerry.
Sort of like that tree-hugger who got mortified by a falling tree...
LOL!
No wonder he wants to protect wildlife!
Wait a minute?
Didn't Ted predict ten years ago that there wouldn't be any ocean in ten years?
So if his prediction held up...what is he preserving?
This is what you do when you are a dried up, bald-headed actor (not that there's anything wrong with that) who has money from residuals. You "find a cause".
Hahahahahaha
Ted hopes to come back in his next life as kook to help the whales.
Isn't this the same Ted Danson who, about 12-5 years ago said that the oceans' ecosystems would be completely destroyed within 10 years? Yep, that's him alright.
Wonder where he gets the petroleum products that fuel his private jets from?
Ocean conservation is quite important; however, as long as environmental groups won't admit that it's the third-world countries who are responsible for nearly all the damage, not a thing will get done.
His image that he really gives a shit about anything but his bloated ego.
"I'd like aquariums to move from pure science to becoming a bit of an advocate," he said Thursday afternoon.
Well, Ted, aquariums are already places of advocacy. If it gets any more bold, we won't patronize.
Wasn't he telling us that the oceans would be dead by the mid '90s?
LOL!
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