Is that "COD" as in the fish, or ... ?

January 22, 2006 1:10 AM

(Knock, knock) "Candygram!" We don't know if ZDF has shown early SNL skits (nostalgic photo here), but German Greenpeace made a dramatic delivery to the Japanese Embassy in Berlin: a 55-foot-long fin whale that had been stranded in the Baltic. The dramatic gesture underscored the organization's contention that Japan's whaling, long defended as research, is in fact unnecessary: sufficient numbers of beached whales are available for research. The leviathan — 20 tonnes of blubber — was craned onto a truck and driven 150 miles from Rostock-Warnemünde to Berlin, and was due to be returned to the coast for study. (German-language stories on Greenpeace.de website here, here, and here, including logistical details for those curious about arranging their own special deliveries.)
posted by rob511 (12 comments total)

The leviathan — 20 tonnes of blubber — was craned onto a truck and driven 150 miles from Rostock-Warnemünde to Berlin

I do hope they used a Prius.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome at 3:36 AM on January 22, 2006

Nothing -- and I mean nothing -- smells worse than a dead whale.
posted by docgonzo at 5:18 AM on January 22, 2006

Completly unrelated to the post: why can I access Mefi but not Meta or Ask?
posted by Orange Goblin at 7:40 AM on January 22, 2006

Apparently it was cold enough in Berlin that the whale was not starting to smell as fast and as strong as it normally would and they kept the whale covered most of the time. I'm very pleased the German authorities just let this happen without overreacting or bureaucratic hurdles.
posted by ltl at 8:35 AM on January 22, 2006

What to do with a dead whale? Dynamite! (Exploding whale video)
posted by Frank Grimes at 10:51 AM on January 22, 2006

'candygram'

imunna be chuckling about that one all day.
posted by merelyglib at 10:53 AM on January 22, 2006

why can I access Mefi but not Meta or Ask?

Are you still logged in?
posted by SPrintF at 11:38 AM on January 22, 2006

I saw "candygram" and thought/hoped it might be a Blazing Saddles post.
posted by Gator at 2:29 PM on January 22, 2006

I'm very much anti-whaling, and anti-using-research-as-an-excuse-for-whaling... but it's not clear to me that beached whales would meet all of whatever legitimate needs there are for whale cadavers. Seems like there might be all kinds of concerns with that sample distribution.
posted by freebird at 4:13 PM on January 22, 2006

Greenpeace is extremely stupid.
posted by nightchrome at 4:18 PM on January 22, 2006

(knock, knock) "plumber!"
posted by lilboo at 5:58 PM on January 22, 2006

Nightchrome: would you care to expand your comment? And perhaps, oh, I don't, actually say something with a shred of substance?

I'm not a Greenpeace fan, but this seems like a pretty decent, to the point protest to me. How are they "extremely stupid"? You comment did nothing to forward an argument, nor did it show any real attempt at thought. There are all sorts of good reasons to gripe about Greenpeace. Try chosing one and starting with that instead of making inane comments.

And Frank Grimes, thanks for the link to the exploding whale video. I've moved that from computer to computer for years and years. That scene took place at Florence, Oregon about 60 miles from here. I tell people about it that are new to Oregon and they routinely go "no way!" and then I show them that video. A true classic. Cars destoyed by flying whale pieces...what more could you ask for.
posted by afflatus at 6:22 PM on January 22, 2006