In July 2002, a killer whale who had spent nearly all his life in captivity was released in Iceland. Soon after, he set out for Norway, about 870 miles away. His name was Keiko. He was captured near Iceland in 1979, still a young male, and sold into the marine park industry. He lived at Marineland in Ontario, Canada, and later at Reino Aventura in Mexico City. Then came Hollywood. In 1993, Keiko starred as Willy in Free Willy, a film about a boy who helps a captive orca reach the sea. The end credits listed a phone number for whale preservation. More than 300,000 people called asking for Keiko's release instead. A rescue campaign followed. Keiko moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in 1996, and he was airlifted to Iceland in 1998. The effort cost more than $20 million. Preparing him was hard. Wild orcas live in tight family groups, and young whales learn hunting and social skills from relatives. Keiko had been apart from his family since he was young. Caretakers in Iceland spent about three years preparing him. After the release, Keiko sometimes trailed wild pods but never joined one. Then he headed east. Girth measurements and blood tests suggested he fed during the trip. He settled near the village of Halsa on Norway's west coast in late August or early September 2002. In December, handlers led him to Taknes Bay, a calm inlet deep enough that it does not freeze in winter. Keepers fed him there, and he was free to roam, often at night. Some observers saw the journey as a search for human company. Critics call the release a failure, though many experts disagree. On December 11, 2003, Keiko grew lethargic and lost his appetite. The next afternoon he died of pneumonia in Taknes fjord. He was 27, about six tons and 35 feet long. As Jeff Foster, whose group oversaw his care in Iceland, put it, Keiko spoke the language of whales but seemed confused. Sources: CNN / Euronews / Deseret News / The Daily Star (This photo is used for illustrative purposes only.)
Google cleared a forest in Finland without permits, and the fine was baked in from day one. Nobody that big stumbles into skipping paperwork. Somebody looked at whatever penalty might come and decided it costs less than not getting the land cleared. That’s the whole trick. When the only punishment is a fine, the law stops applying to anyone rich enough to shrug it off. It turns into a price tag. Pay it, keep the cleared land, move on. And this goes for everything, not just trees in Finland. Regular people get punished. Rich people get invoiced
The woman who says she saw disgraced 'Wheel of Fortune' freeemason pervert announcer Jim Thornton in a pedophile chatroom on a plane has NEVER been contacted by the federal agency that would investigate such matters -- the Federal Bureau of Investigation -- TMZ has learned. Sources close to the witness tell TMZ ... the LAPD told the woman the FBI would be in touch with her, but so far the feds have been radio silent.-As for the FBI ... the agency is maintaining the same position it's held from day one, with a rep telling us Friday ... "The FBI does not, as a matter of policy, confirm or deny the existence of investigations."
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