"Sydney Laurence Art"

Known for his dramatic landscape paintings of Alaska, Sydney Laurence was one of the first professionally trained artists to live in the Alaska Territory. His trademark subject was Mt. McKinley.

Sharks and Turtles: the yin-yang of government action

The Yin: Sharks

Over the past months I have mentioned the progress of HR 81, the Shark Conservation Act that requires sharks to be landed whole with fins attached. This will allow for better enforcement and monitoring of shark catches. Additionally, it indirectly imposes on captains to re-think the value of shark as a catch, once they are no longer allowed to fill their holds with only higher-priced fins. It's U.S. legislation that helps the U.S. to encourage other nations to be leaders in shark conservation.

"The Shark Conservation Act will improve existing laws that were originally intended to prevent shark finning. This legislation will also allow the U.S. to take action against countries whose shark finning restrictions are not as strenuous, labeling the U.S. as a continued international leader in shark conservation," says Beth Lowell, Oceana federal policy director.

The legislation died on the floor of the Senate last year, but was reintroduced by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) for this new session. Earlier this month it was passed by the House and has once again moved on to the Senate. This is the government moving in the right direction, so to ensure its final passage, take a moment and send an email or call the senator from your state. You can find contact information for your senator by clicking here.

The Yang: Sea Turtles

On the other hand, regarding the protection of sea turtles, particularly loggerhead and leatherback turtles in U.S. waters, the government - specifically the National Marine Fisheries Service - failed to respond to petitions filed to review their status as threatened or endangered species (many populations have dropped by as much as 80% through commercial fishing and/or loss of nesting habitats). Petitions must be reviewed within 12 months and as the NMFS failed to do this, they are in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The Turtle Island Restoration Network, Center for Biological Diversity, and Oceana have filed petitions to sue - once again taking proactive measures to break the government's legacy of indifference and inaction left over from the prior administration.

"It's time for the Obama administration to overturn the Bush policies of hostility and disregard toward endangered marine species. We are asking for immediate action based on the best available science to determine their current endangered status and better protect them by creating designated critical habitat," said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of the Turtle Island Restoration Network.

What this all says is that government action is critical in protecting our natural resources, but it must be supported by diligence on the part of all of us, least specific issues fall through the cracks.

Blue Vision Summit: bringing together the players to spread the word

Earlier this month, the Blue Vision Summit was held in Washington D.C. This conference represented a coalition of several ocean conservation groups, government bodies, and scientific organization, coming together to forward an agenda of proactive steps regarding ocean issues. Over 400 recognized scientists, oceanographers, decision-makers, political influentials, representing over 200 organizations including NOAA, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and National Geographic to name a few.

The summit was the brainchild of the Blue Frontier Campaign, headed by David Helvarg, author and ocean activist. The Blue Frontier Campaign has a 10 point plan to generate greater proactive interest by the general public regarding ocean issues by harnessing the power of education and media communications of all types.

There are many worthwhile organizations making their best efforts regarding preserving our aquatic resources. Summits like this allow them to pool their collective brainpower and capabilities to speak with a more unified approach. There are enough well-intentioned organizations; sometimes what is needed is for the public to hear them as one voice. It will be interesting to watch what comes from this event over the months to come.

To learn more about the Blue Frontier Campaign, their 10 point plan, and what was accomplished at the recent Blue Vision Summit, check out their web site. Click here.

"the conservation of natural open space"

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy was founded in 1988 by a group of concerned area residents to preserve open space on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Conservancy has been very successful through the years preserving open space by working cooperatively with cities, property owners and environmental groups, locating funds for purchasing land, providing tax benefits for land donations, restoring habitats, and promoting the conservation of natural open space in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. With its help, future generations will be able to enjoy this precious coastline in the purest state possible.

The Big Challenge

Las Vegas -- Within 90 days, this city founded on risk-taking is supposed to break ground on one of its biggest cultural gambles to date: the $475-million Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

The ground-breaking is taking place at a challenging time for Las Vegas' biggest cultural institutions, which have been buffeted by the recession. Most notably, the Las Vegas Art Museum closed last month. The museum's closing and cutbacks elsewhere have raised questions about whether a city that in recent years has tried to cultivate a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan image can sustain a high-arts presence and fill the seats at its fancy new cultural center. Previously, Las Vegas attempted to lure out-of-towners away from the slot machines and showgirls by offering brand-name artworks at splashy venues such as the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum at the Venetian Resort, now closed, and casino magnate Steve Wynn's Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.

By contrast, said Myron Martin, the Smith Center's president, the "vast majority" of patrons at the new performance hall downtown probably won't be tourists, but southern Nevada residents.

On the Fast Track

At the ADT Event Center Velodrome in Carson, California, The 250-meter, or 820-foot, oval has turns banked at 46 degrees, more than the steepest NASCAR track, and at first sight it's intimidating for even an avid cyclist who has never pedaled on a track before. Recreational riders typically turn a lap at 25 to 35 mph, and pros can hit 50 mph.

"It doesn't seem possible that you can ride an angle like that," says Matt Thompson, a member of the South Bay Wheelmen cycling club. "But you keep pedaling and keep up your speed and you start to get used to it."

“Every person of color in this country knows more about racism than I’ll ever know, because they have to live with it every day," -- Jane Elliott

Jane Elliott created her "Blue Eyes / Brown Eyes" exercise for her Iowa third-grade pupils in 1968. For an entire day, she conducted her class as if the brown-eyed children were superior to those with blue eyes, to help the students learn the concept of racism.

A 1970 photo shows Jane Elliott's class in the midst of the "Blue Eyes / Brown Eyes" exercise. The blue-eyed children toward the back of the line are wearing collars.

Holmby Hills mansion listed for $150 million

Candy Spelling, widow of legendary TV producer Aaron Spelling, has put her 4.7-acre residence in Holmby Hills up for sale, all 56,500 square feet of it. Priced at $150 million, it's currently the most expensive residential listing in the U.S.

Officially known as "The Manor," the property -- which looks like a French chateau and is slightly larger than the White House -- is the largest home in Los Angeles County. Spelling, the mother of actress Tori Spelling, describes it as the "greatest entertainment house ever" with a "kitchen where you can cook for two or 800." The parking lot, dubbed the "motor court," can accommodate 100 vehicles, with 16 carports to boot.

Hungry Oceans: new report on critical prey fish populations

This past Monday, I ran a post about aquaculture and the efforts to find alternatives for fish meal; one of the concerns being that the demand for fish meal is a contributing factor to the reduced populations of feeder fish (also known as prey fish or bait fish).

The loss of these smaller fish has a negative impact on the health of many other ocean animals in the food chain. These little guys are a major building block that is being severely chipped away.

Oceana has just released a detailed report on the subject. Hungry Oceans: What Happens When the Prey is Gone? takes a comprehensive look at the issue; examining the scope of the problem, the impact and implications, and - just so it's not all gloom and doom - the solutions.

"We're constantly making life difficult for endangered species from seabirds to whales, and going hungry is not going to help. Valuable fish like bluefin tuna are struggling, and we can't expect the fishery to recover when we are stealing their food supply. By taking food from the tuna we could end up hungry ourselves" said Margot Stiles, Oceana marine scientist.

We often focus on the big things that catch our eye and our attention: big whales, big sharks, big polar bears. But it can be the little things that can be our undoing.

Click here for an Oceana press release. The report is available from their web site home page.

From the Deserts to the Oceans to Outer Space: CBD takes it all on

Here's some interesting news items from the Center of Biological Diversity (CBD). This group is making more and more of an impression in the state and federal political hallways because they are not afraid to go for the judiciary jugular when necessary and initiate legal action on behalf of endangered animals and ecosystems. And they get results!

U.S. Jaguar Court Hearing
Exactly three weeks after the death of Macho B, the last known jaguar in the United States, this Monday a federal court heard oral arguments in the Center for Biological Diversity's bid to win a federal recovery plan and protected habitat areas for the endangered species. The hearing went very well. The judge peppered the government lawyer with difficult questions and clearly was skeptical of the agency's changing litany of arguments.

Though jaguars were declared endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1997 -- thanks to another Center lawsuit -- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has done nothing to recover the species or protect its habitat. In a cruel irony, the agency argues that it doesn't need to protect the jaguar because it's too endangered. That's right -- because the great cat's U.S. range has shrunk to near nothing, the agency argues it's too small to protect. Presumably, if the jaguar were less endangered, it would receive more protection?

Real Protection for False Killer Whale
Seeking an end to the slaughter of false killer whales in Hawaii, last week the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, and allies sued the National Marine Fisheries Service over its failure to protect the rare marine mammal from the state's longline fishery. For nearly a decade, false killer whales -- actually large members of the dolphin family -- have been getting hooked and entangled by Hawaii's longline fleet, dying at rates far beyond what the population, which numbers at only about 500, can sustain. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the Fisheries Service to try to eliminate these deaths, yet even after a 2004 Earthjustice lawsuit by the Center and allies -- when the Hawaii-based fishery was ominously classified as "Category 1" due to its excessive killings of false killer whales -- the agency failed to act on the mammals' behalf.

San Francisco Bay-Delta Fish Protection
While the state of California is moving (slowly) toward safeguarding two of the San Francisco Bay-Delta's most imperiled fish, the longfin and delta smelt, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has stalled on responding to petitions for protection -- so this week, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Bay Institute filed a notice of intent to sue. In 2007, the Center and allies petitioned the federal government and California to protect the longfin smelt, but the Bush administration didn't make a decision on protection by its August deadline. Way back in 2006, the Center petitioned to upgrade the delta smelt's federal and state Endangered Species Act status from threatened to endangered -- but 23 months after a decision was due, the feds still haven't responded. Luckily, California has been a bit more proactive, designating both fish as candidates for greater protections. But meanwhile, thanks to degraded conditions in the Bay-Delta caused by water diversions, pollution, and introduced species, both the delta smelt and the Bay-Delta population of the longfin smelt are fading fast.

The "smeltdown in the Delta" -- as the extinction trajectory of Bay-Delta smelts is known -- is on fast-forward, but despite court orders to clean up their act, federal and state water agencies are still mismanaging California's largest and most important estuary.

And here's an odd one . . .

Bat Blasts Off as Space-shuttle Stowaway
A small, daring free-tailed bat made one giant leap for batkind this month while clinging to the external fuel tank of the space shuttle Discovery -- and holding on for dear life even after liftoff. It's highly unlikely that the bat made it into space -- since the shuttle accelerates from zero to 100 miles per hour in 10 seconds after takeoff -- but in the photo of Discovery clearing the launch tower, the tiny creature is definitely visible on the side of the tank. Though the flight was probably fatal, the bat has made history and will live on in legend.

Unfortunately, even as we mourn the loss of the first "space bat," bats across the Northeast are experiencing an even scarier and not-at-all-entertaining demise thanks to the mysterious, deadly, and rapidly spreading bat disease known as white-nose syndrome. The Center is working to protect bats from all threats in the face of the devastating sickness, which just this month was confirmed to have spread to West Virginia.

You can learn more about these at the Center for Biological Diversity web site. Click here.

Lifestyle Magazine: UK magazine promotes sharks and shark documentary

It's always nice when sharks and shark conservation issues get some positive media attention. I was fortunate enough to contribute to an article on sharks for the UK-based Lifestyle Magazine, an online publication from CBL Media.

The magazine is an eclectic collection of timely and trendy topics for the more upscale individual. What makes it an interesting choice for discussing sharks, shark finning, et al, is that their readership represents people who might very well find themselves in situations where a choice could be made between shark fin soup or shark meat and some other alternative.

While preaching to the choir of conservationists is all well and good - keeping up morale, exchanging news, data, and ideas; it's also important to try to reach those who are in need of some enlightenment.

Many thanks to Lifestyle Magazine for bringing an important conservation issue to their readers' attention and for promoting my documentary, Island of the Great White Shark.

Click here to read magazine (shark article on pages 8-9).

World's "cheapest car"

Reporting from New Delhi -- With the flash of cameras and oohs and aahs from the crowd, an Indian company Monday launched what is billed as the world's least expensive car, six years after it was conceived and six months behind schedule.

The Nano will start at $2,200 after taxes and dealer costs, while the more expensive CX and LX models with heat, air conditioning and power brakes will go for as much as $3,800.

None of the models, made by India's giant Tata conglomerate, carry air bags or anti-lock brakes. But they will meet or exceed all Indian safety standards, company officials said.

"I hope it will provide safe, affordable four-wheel transportation to families who until now have not been able to own a car," Ratan Tata, company chairman, told reporters.

Faster than a speeding bullet . . .

Reporting from Nagoya, Japan -- This is a nation addicted to speed.

And to ride Japan's super Shinkansen, or bullet train, is to zip into the future at speeds reaching 186 miles per hour.


From Nagoya to Tokyo, the scenery whizzes past in a dizzying blur as the sleek engine with its bullet-like nose floats the cars along elevated tracks -- without the clickety-clack of the lumbering U.S. trains that make you feel as though you're chugging along like cattle to market.

These days, Californians dream of a future with high-speed elevated rails that would link Southern California and Las Vegas in less than two hours, or L.A. and San Francisco in just over 2 1/2 .

Japan, meanwhile, will soon have a class of train that could make the trips in less than half those times.


This is a nation where it's not nearly enough that the trains run on time -- they've got to break land records. And even that's not enough.

By 2025, a network of bullet trains connecting major cities is to feature magnetically levitated, or maglev, linear motor trains running at speeds of more than 310 mph.

A Sea Change: important new film on ocean acidification

A while back, I posted info on ocean acidification. (Click here.) This is one of the great sleeper issues of the environmental movement and it could turn into a literal nightmare if ignored much longer. Ocean acidification - the raising of the ocean's pH level due to the absorption of CO2 emissions - can have profound effects on all marine life as it disrupts bone, shell, and reef development.

A new documentary has come out on the issue, A Sea Change, produced by Niijii Films. The film received exceptional response at the Washington D.C. Environmental Film festival and has been covered by C-Span:

Ocean acidification actually corrodes the very foundation of the marine ecology, which has a catastrophic impact on the entire food change. My congratulations to Niijii Films for taking on what is a critical issue to the long-term health of the oceans.

To learn more about the film and future screenings, visit their web site at www.aseachange.net.

Aquaculture News: greenhouse gas emmissions and fish meal substitutes

A lot of interesting discussions have come out of the recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This one was reported in Science News and concerned the carbon footprint of aquaculture operations.

I am one of those who is a firm believer in aquaculture as a method to meet seafood demands without decimating wild populations, but it is in its infancy and is experiencing all of the growing pains associated with a new technological enterprise. According to the AAAS panel, in the growing/feeding process there are greenhouse gas emissions associated with the type of food used (in addition to harvesting/catching and shipping methods). Monitoring aquaculture operations in several countries, it was determined that when certain types of plant-based meal are introduced, there is a lower level of greenhouse gas emissions. However, not all plant-based meal produces positive results; wheat gluten or palm oil produced higher gas levels.

However, there are others hard at work at other possible beneficial substitutes. Reported in the Coloradoan, a Fort Collins brewery is developing a technique in which a portion of it's brewery waste products can be converted into a fish meal substitute. (Not sure if you end up with drunken fish, though!) The significance of finding a replacement for fish meal is due to the declining populations of anchovies and sardines. These "feeder fish" not only support the fish meal trade but are important prey items for larger fish, all the way up to tuna and dolphins (not to mention its value to low-income human populations).

There are those who say that fish raised on fish meal, as opposed to plant meal, tastes better. This may be due to the different oils found in each. According to the Fish Site, a Brazilian soybean processor is developing a technique for extracting oil from algae which would be high in omega-3 fatty acids, similar to fish meal. An acre of algae can produce up to 42,000 gallons of oil compared to only 210 gallons from an acre of soybean. The company is also looking into methods for capturing the CO2 emissions given off by the processing plant and directing it to the algae which uses it in photosynthesis.

With industrial open water fishing continuing to deplete fish populations worldwide, each stride to improve the efficiency and environmental impact of aquaculture is a great step forward.

Many thanks to Seaweb.org for the heads up on these news items.

CONCORDE 101, last official flight ! !

Russian Antonov 225 on ground - - largest plane in world ! !

Note: a visitor to my blog informs me that the Antonov was made in Ukraine not Russia (see comment below).

The 787 Dreamliner

A 747 flies past a half Moon !

Marine Life & Climate Change: possible species invasion & extinction

Seaweb.org recently reported on a study published in the journal Fish and Fisheries which provided projections as to marine species invasion and extinction due to climate change, specifically the increasing ocean temperatures. The projections were based on climate change models including those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The results of William Cheung and his colleagues at Canada's University of British Columbia were also presented at a recent Chicago meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

What the report postulated was that with increasing ocean temperatures, many marine species would migrate towards the temperate to sub-polar regions. Extinctions would occur in tropical regions because of a species inability to migrate, while species in colder waters would be faced with both the same negative impact due to temperature increase plus the impact of invasive species (increased predation and competition). Semi-closed bodies of water (ex: the Mediterranean, the Red Sea), could experience high levels of extinction because of the species' inability to migrate due to geography.

The study pointed out the rate of extinction would be much lower than for terrestrial animals, the theory being that marine animals have a higher dispersal ability and can more easily migrate to suitable habitats. However, the impact by and to human populations can also enter into all of this in the form of decreased fishing in low income tropical economies - economies that depend on seafood on a very basic subsistence level, and in decreased fish populations in colder waters due to industrialized fishing for moderate to high income economies.

We often look to the Arctic and Antarctic for critical signs of climate change, indicators of profound changes. But we must realize it is a worldwide change which challenges all of nature, including man, on many different levels.

Flying car takes off in upstate New York

By Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

Several years in the making, the Terrafugia Transition made a successful first test flight this week at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York.

Often referred to as a “flying car,” the Transition (created by Terrafugia Inc.) is a two-seat aircraft designed to take off and land at local airports and drive on any road.

You Tube video>> First Flight: "Flying Car" Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft

Will she sail again ???

In 1952, the crossing from Britain to the United States was carved down to just three days, 12 hours and 12 minutes at an average speed of 34 knots, by the Steamship United States. The sprint across the Atlantic knocked almost 10 hours and four knots off the records set in 1938 by the venerable Queen Mary.

“Sorry, old girl,” the new liner radioed to its defeated rival.

Fifty years later, the United States is still the fastest ocean liner in the world, though it hasn’t sailed in 40 years.

United States: The United States is not open to the public but is docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia Harbor. Now idled from commercial service since 1969 the ship is up for sale and the cost of renovation has been estimated at $100 million or more.

The Buffalo Nickel -- once a common sight

It's Magic in Beijing, China

(China Photos / Getty Images)

Atlas Mountains in Morocco

A hiker takes in the beauty of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
(Kodiak Greenwood)

"still under construction"

The Sagrada Familia church, with its tall, narrow spires, is a popular destination for tourists in Barcelona. Designed by architect Antonio Gaudi, an icon of Modernisme architecture, the church is still under construction, although Gaudi died in 1926.
(Julien Lagarde / For The LATimes)

The world's largest swimming pool

Thinking about swimming a few laps before breakfast?Check out this man-made "lagoon" — dubbed the world's largest outdoor swimming pool — at the San Alfonso del Mar vacation property resort at Algarrobo, Chile.

The coast-hugging pool is all man-made with a bit of patented technology that uses water from the nearby Pacific Ocean to fill it.
(Crystal Lagoons)

According to the Guinness World Records, which deemed it the world's largest pool in 2007, the lagoon measures 3,324 feet long. The pool was completed in December 2006.
(Crystal Lagoons)

Is it real or is it . . .

Maddie Meltzer, 13, of Los Angeles took this photo near Kruger National Park, South Africa, on a school trip last summer. Every day at 6 a.m., the visitors would go on a walk with their guide at the Tshukudu Game Lodge. “This particular morning, while watching the lions, I was able to capture this lion and a Labrador dog in this aggressive moment, while they were actually playing!” Maddie said. To capture the shot, she used a Nikon Coolpix S50 with autofocus.
(Maddie Meltzer)

The Green Apple: a revolutionary concept

It's made of glass

Here's the winner of the Best Design Interpretation Award at the Pilkington Automotive Vehicle Design Awards. Frenchie Pierre Sabas’ Airflow has wheel-mounted electric motors and is made entirely of glass.

GYM Human-Electric Hybrid Concept Car Packs Entire Health Club Into a Cockpit

Here's something you don't see everyday: A plug-in human-electric hybrid mobile gym concept car, for people who'd like to get in a workout while stuck in traffic.

The GYM Concept Car includes a single-seat cockpit surrounded by a lightweight injection-molded magnesium alloy chassis and built-in exercise machines.

Its maker -- Da Feng, a design student at Coventry University, England -- intended the exterior to resemble a World War II fighter aircraft. The cockpit is reminiscent of a Spitfire.

But it's its innards that are truly remarkable. An electric motor hooked up to a battery pack propels the vehicle. The pack can be charged via a plug-in socket, or by harnessing energy created by the driver using an electricity-generating array of built-in exercise equipment.

EARTHRISE

This original 1966 image was on the verge of being thrown away, but a determined archivist stepped in.
(NASA / Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project)

Pearl Carpet of Baroda sells for $5 Million plus

A carpet that was commissioned in India 150 years ago to decorate the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina has sold for nearly $5.5m at an auction in Doha. Bidding was expected to start at about $5m but the starting price was brought down to $4.5m as there were few buyers.

The rug, known as the Pearl Carpet of Baroda, was created using an estimated two million natural seed pearls. It is decorated with hundreds of precious stones, including diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds. "We had to reduce the opening bid to $4.5m and the pearl carpet [eventually] sold at $5.458m," including commission and fees, news agency AFP quoted Sotheby's spokesman Habib Basha as saying. The identity of the buyer has not been revealed as he wished to remain anonymous, Mr Basha said.

It is believed that the Pearl Carpet of Baroda was commissioned by India's wealthy Maharaja of Baroda, Gaekwar Khande Rao, as a gift to sit at the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad. The maharaja's death meant it was never delivered and remained in India, being exhibited as a highlight of the Delhi Exhibition more than 100 years ago. Later, it was taken by a family member to Monaco. The tiny natural pearls, known as Basra, were harvested from the waters of the Gulf. Created in the late 1860s, the carpet is largely red and blue, with swirling vines of flowers and three large round rosettes across its centre.

Canadian Harp Seals: remember, the hunt still continues

I received an email today from the Humane Society to remind me that the clubbing of harp seals in Canada for the fashion fur industry still continues to this day. This was a hot button issue at one point in the past, with activist organizations like Greenpeace getting physically involved, and yet it has somewhat fallen off the radar - an unfortunate victim of too many issues and too short an attention span.

Part of the Humane Society's strategy is to get a celebrity face involved, in this case, Cat Cora, executive chef for Bon Appetit magazine and founder of Chefs for Humanity - an excellent choice because of the Ms. Cora's and the Society's call to boycott Canadian seafood products as a form of protest.

How so? Because it represents a method for a broader audience to participate in and have a greater effect than if they chose not to purchase fashion fur. Face it, fashion fur appeals to a small, upscale market - a market, however, that is still fed by the loss of up to a million seals in the past four years. In contrast, Canadian seafood is consumed by a broader market and a successful boycott can send a stronger economic message.

And in the end, nothing legitimizes the opinions of the general public in the mind of commercial enterprise than when the bottom line is involved. To them, definitely money talks, bulls**t walks.

So, check out the Human Society's boycott campaign, include your voice if you feel it's right for you, and pass on consuming Canadian seafood as one way of showing that you care about issues, no matter how far past our intellectual expiration date they may be. Click here for more info.

"the heartbreaking story of two amorous young people, caught in the ethnic enmity of their rival communities"

The further we get in time from when “West Side Story” was written, the more the musical’s mythic dimension come into focus. This beloved 1957 classic earns its timeless status not through the authenticity of its snapshot of gang-ridden New York but rather through its re-envisioning of “Romeo and Juliet” as a ravishing fusion of drama, dance and song.

Broadway’s new bilingual production of “West Side Story,” which opened Thursday at the Palace Theatre under the direction of Arthur Laurents, the book’s 91-year-old author, aims for a more realistic approach. What we get is a grittier look at the street violence between the Sharks and the Jets, those turf-warring toughs from Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and the translation (by Lin-Manuel Miranda) of some of the dialogue and lyrics into a more dramatically appropriate Spanish.

These renovations all make perfect sense (why shouldn’t the recently arrived Puerto Rican Sharks comfortably converse in their native tongue?). But it’s the heartbreaking story of two amorous young people, caught in the ethnic enmity of their rival communities, that continues to grip us — amazingly, even in a production in which Tony (Matt Cavenaugh) and Maria (Josefina Scaglione) struggle to fill out their archetypal roles as star-crossed lovers.

"a tale of master liars who just might love each other"

The only thing you can trust about "Duplicity" is its title. Nothing else in this sleek, dizzying entertainment is even remotely what it seems to be. A throwback to the days of old-school caper movies like "To Catch a Thief," "Duplicity" is just the kind of sophisticated amusement you would expect from filmmaker Tony Gilroy. Sure, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are stars here, but so is Tony Gilroy's crafty tale of master liars who just might love each other.