Whales and Wiener Dogs

Bacon Narwhal Bacon Narwhal Bacon Narwhal Bacon Narwhal

Bacon Narwhal
Bacon Narwhal
Bacon Narwhal

Update: The inventor and creator of the bacon narwhal has contacted us with a link that explains how to create your own. Visit his site at least to say thanks!

in case you’re not paying attention there’s a link to a bacon bra on this page

The Voyage Of The Pequod

…if you’re planning to do exactly what I’m doing while you’re there:

1. Arrive in time to see some people read some Moby Dick, then
2. Check out the New Bedford Whaling Museum
3. Visit the Seamen’s Bethel
4. Late lunch/early dinner at Antonio’s
5. Pre-reading libations and perhaps some playoff tackle football (somewhere near the whaling museum…there’s this place we went last year, but I can’t recall what it’s called).
6. Read at the Moby Dick-A-Thon (830PM)
7. Dinner at No Problemo
8. Watch the Capital Radio rock show at No Problemo (around 11PM).
9. Mohegan Sun

False Killer Whales Are Actually Real Dolphins

A small population of false killer whales that live near Hawaii might be added to the endangered species list by the U.S. Government. False killer whales look like killer whales, but they are actually black dolphins that grow can grow to 16 feet and weigh more than a ton.

Proponents of the listing believe that the local fishing industry deplete food stocks while accidentally capturing the false killer whales.

Sea Shepherd is accusing Japanese whalers of intentionally ramming and sinking their high-tech carbon fiber catamaran Ady Gill (video below). However, it remains unclear if the boat is actually sinking. One of the Sea Shepherd crew appears to have suffered some broken ribs.

Right down there is where the Moby Dick-a-thon will take place

The 14th annual Moby Dick Marathon - a 25 hour non-stop reading of Melville’s novel by over 150 people - gets started at noon this Saturday at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Robert “Bo” William (frequent WAWD reader and commenter) and myself will be reading at 8:30 PM and 8:40 PM Saturday evening. By our best estimates, we should be jumping in somewhere around “The Whiteness of the Whale.”

If you’re planning a trip to New Bedford, please read the WAWD New Bedford Travelog. (I hope the parking is still free on the weekends).

Mammalodon colliveri may have been a mud slurping bottom feeder (Brian Choo / Museum Victoria)

The evolutionary track of baleen whales has long been a mystery. It’s been theorized in the past that baleen - ridged plates that filter small creature from the water as whales swim - evolved after whales used their teeth for the same reason. But studies on a bizarre 25 million year old fossil from Australia suggest that baleen whales’ ancestors might have sucked ocean creatures from the muck on the ocean’s floor - a much simpler evolutionary link from teeth to baleen, say scientists.

Sea Shepherd Ship "Bob Barker"

A. It’s no longer a Secret, and
B. Yes, it’s named after Bob Barker (a million dollar donor to Sea Shepherd…The Price Was Right! (sorry)).

It’s a wiener wonderland.

This seller on Etsy features original wiener dog related art:

But if it was a real coffee company...

As well as original whale related art:

Get some.

The private library of some gentleman named William E. Self (“Important English And American Literature”) was recently auctioned off at Christie’s.

The highlights were items from Self’s (nearly positive we’re not talking about the basketball coach here) Poe (cue Troy McClure “One of our greatest writers.”) collection: $362,500 for an autographed manuscript of two poems, $662,500 for Tamerlane and Other Poems (”FIRST EDITION OF POE’S LEGENDARY FIRST BOOK: THE MOST CELEBRATED RARITY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE. ONE OF ONLY TWELVE COPIES KNOWN, AND ONLY ONE OF TWO IN PRIVATE HANDS.”), and $830,500 for Autograph manuscript verses, the first 8 stanzas (of 16) of “For Annie (”Thank Heaven: the crisis — the danger is past….”)

But I’m sure you’re like me, and you’re probably thinking. “Poe was a drunk. What about my man Herman Melville.” Funny you should ask.

A first edition copy of the English edition, published a month before the American version, and 35 passages smaller, fetched $43,750.

First Edition English copy of Moby Dick by Herman Melville

A first edition American copy was auctioned for $32,500

First Edition American copy of Moby Dick by Herman Melville