The Thoughts of Ed Wood

'Ed Wood' (1994): Now that we're days away from Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," we thought we'd remember a time when the director didn't need digital effects or a candy-colored Johnny Depp to tell an engrossing and heartfelt story. We love Burton's imagination but hope that one day he'll leave his big-budget storybook land and get back to making movies with outcast humans again.

Cher wears Bob Mackie to the "Oscars" -- 1986

When was it that this distrust of Congress started ???

This month marked the 278th anniversary of George Washington's birth. The father of our country, born Feb. 22, won plaudits from historians for declining a third term as president, along with the wigs and titles that would have marked the presidency as a continuation of British royalty.

Though usually viewed as a fable, the story of Washington as a youngster chopping down a cherry tree has been handed down for generations, a way for parents to teach their children that nothing is more important than telling the truth -- as Washington reportedly did in the face of his father's anger over the fallen tree.

But it turns out that general American public distrust of politicians has been in evidence for a long time. Or maybe recent data just show that today's disgust with Washington (the town, not the man) is starting to affect the reputation of earlier giants. Either way, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found that 74% of voters think the father of our country lied while in office.

And Washington's not the only one. According to the poll, 71% think Abraham Lincoln lied while in office. That's Honest Abe, the man who didn't charge the widow of a Revolutionary soldier for helping her get her pension, even paying her hotel bill and giving her the money to buy a ticket home.

Facts Aren't Always Enough: social research shows people persuaded by values over truth

Interesting article by Bryan nelson in Mother Nature Network on how research in social/cultural science can help anticipate people's reactions, positive or negative, to factual science. In other words, rather than presenting facts and expecting the obvious rationale of those facts (obvious to the person presenting the information, that is) to convince all, one must consider more deeply the cultural attitudes the listener brings to his/her thought process.

'"People tend to conform their factual beliefs to ones that are consistent with their cultural outlook, their world view,' [says] social scientist Don Braman told National Public Radio. Braman is a scholar at George Washington University and part of The Cultural Cognition Project, which has been conducting experiments about how individuals interpret facts differently."

The article says this cultural effect has played into how some people have accepted or rejected information amount climate change, that it is all filtered through their own perspective no matter how incontrovertible the facts are.

"For instance, people labeled in the 'individualistic' group [a study group that embraced technology, authority, and free enterprise] tended to favor nuclear power as a viable solution to the energy crisis. When they were given a report which offered nuclear power as a solution to the climate crisis, they were more likely to consider global warming a serious problem. On the other hand, since 'communitarians' [the study group that was suspicious of technology, authority, and free enterprise] distrusted nuclear power, they were less likely to see global warming as a concern when nuclear power was the only proposed solution. In other words, both groups evaluated the issue of global warming differently depending on previously held beliefs."

While the article's focus was on applying cultural science to the issue of climate change, it can easily be applied to other ecological issues. I, for one, advocate the potential for aquaculture because I have positive attitudes about technology (that it can help address the environmental challenges that aquaculture faces) and because I choose to eat as little wild-caught fish as possible (therefore I am more receptive to the idea of open-water fisheries being eliminated in favor of aquaculture). Someone more skeptical of technology or more dependent on fisheries might have a different reaction to facts regarding the potential of aquaculture.

In some respects, it's not that hard to figure out. As someone who has spent years in the marketing communications field, I know how important it is to know your audience and to be aware that perception, not necessarily facts, can be reality. This is something that many scientists, who follow a more black and white approach where facts are facts, often have difficulty with if they are faced with seeking buy-in by the general public or decision makers. This is one of the areas that I address when providing media communications consulting and related services to research groups and NGOs.

Read entire Mother Nature Network article.

The 1909 Ford Model R

One hundred years ago.

What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1909:

************ ********* ************

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads..
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower
The average US wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,
and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'

(Source unknown)

"Winding roads that seem to beckon"

Although she’s sold 100 million records, including 15 that went gold, Patti Page blushed yesterday when Barnstable assistant town manager Thomas Lynch referred to her by her old nickname, “Patti Page, The Singing Rage.”

Singling out Page’s 1957 hit “Old Cape Cod,” in which she sings about sand dunes, lobster stew and falling in love, Lynch said, “We hope when you think of the song, you think of us, because a piece of us is with you in that song.”

The 82-year-old singer teased Barnstable town officials who named Main Street after her for a single day when she played the Cape Cod Melody Tent more than a decade ago.

“I thought to myself . . . are they going to do it permanently one day? It’s been a long time getting here, but I’ve enjoyed every moment of it,” Page said when Barnstable officially christened the entrance to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce facility with a shiny new street sign proclaiming it “Patti Page Way.”

If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air
Quaint little villages here and there
You're sure to fall in love with Old Cape Cod

If you like the taste of a lobster stew
Served by a window with an ocean view
You're sure to fall in love with Old Cape Cod

Winding roads that seem to beckon you
Miles of green beneath the skies of blue
Church bell chiming on a Sunday morn
Remind you of the town where you were born

If you spend an evening you'd want to stay
Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay
You're sure to fall in love with Old Cape Cod.

An intimate portrait of a great screen icon

Marlene Dietrich spent her last 13 years locked away in her Paris apartment. This beautiful piece from Poland, packed with Dietrich classics, mixes cabaret, puppetry and drama. An intimate portrait of this great screen icon and object of desire to both sexes.

"Broken Nails: A Marlene Dietrich Dialogue" is playing at the Odyssey Theatre (310 477-2055 or OdysseyTheatre.com)

"The Beat of Black Wings"

Alberta Ballet is visiting Southern California with its production of "Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and the Drum," built of Mitchell songs and named after the singer-songwriter's 1969 song about war and peace. Here, Blair Puente, Kelley McKinlay and Travis Walker perform in the segment set to the song "The Beat of Black Wings."

"Confucius says: flop"

A poster for "Confucius" looks down on a bus stop in Shanghai. The film, released as part of a New Year's tradition of celebrating Chinese nationalism, has been a commercial disappointment.

It was supposed to be the patriotic holiday hit. "Confucius," the government-backed bio-epic about the ancient philosopher, was tailor-made to stir national pride over Chinese New Year.

What they got instead was China's answer to "Ishtar" -- a box-office dud with the misfortune of having to compete against the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar."

"Confucius says: flop" read a headline in the Shanghai Daily.

Even a historian who was invited to the film's prescreening to offer the project a shot of credibility gave the thumbs down, saying the movie was riddled with inaccuracies.

"It's been, in a sense, a loss of face," said Stan Rosen, a Chinese film expert at USC. "It really backfired."

China has a tradition of releasing high-budget, nationalistic films over major holidays, and "Confucius" was chosen to ring in the Year of the Tiger.

The movie marked a milestone of sorts for a philosopher whose teachings were reviled under Mao Tse-tung but are enjoying a rebirth in modern China. The nation's leaders have made Confucian principles of social harmony and respect for hierarchy a driving mantra now that communist dogma has lost its cachet.

To Visit this Website for Beautiful Wallpapers: -- Click HERE !!!

Colorful Sky in Manhattan Beach, California.

Get The Lead Out: from birds to bears, residual lead ammo poisons wildlife

Lead poisoning is being shown to have an effect on wildlife from California condors to bald eagles to grizzly bears and even whole environments like wetland preserves. The source of the poisoning comes from lead bullets either lodged in an animal who survived the wound, consumed by a predator or scavenger feasting on a bullet-wounded animal, or as ammunition that missed its target and contaminates the soil or surrounding ecology.

The Center for Biological Diversity reports that three endangered condors died of lead poisoning, suspected of having foraged in Utah before reaching and dying in northern Arizona. Four bald eagles died this winter of lead poisoning in Alberta, Canada; one of the eagles having as much as 9 times the fatal level of lead. And in Yellowstone, a recent study showed grizzly bears had elevated lead levels during hunting season, due to feeding on wounded elk. And loose lead shot has been shown to contaminate soil and even work its way down into protected wetlands

While lead-free ammunition is required in some select areas in some states, it is not nationwide for all environments. And while a total ban on all sport hunting is probably not realistic, there is some movement to extend the range of non-lead regulations. Earlier this week, California Assemblymember Pedro Nava introduced legislation to outlaw toxic lead shot from all of California's 627,000 acres of designated state wildlife areas. That's a step forward.

"We need to get lead out of wildlife areas," said Nava. "It makes no sense to allow people to leave poisonous material in our state parks."

The Center for Biological Diversity is conducting a "Get the Lead Out" U.S. campaign. Click here to learn more.

Read Los Angeles Times article on poisoned condors.
Read Calgary Herald article on poisoned bald eagles.

The Time Has Come . . .

For a "Battle of Wits," they came unarmed

"Republicans on healthcare . . . "

"Show of Farce"

Photo Credit: Getty Images, December 2, 2008)

Pakistani Rangers (in black) and Indian Border Security Force personnel perform the daily retreat ceremony on the India-Pakistan Border at Wagah.

Opportunity

Cartoon Credit: David Horsey, davidhorsey.com, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"capturing the country's soul"

The stirring strains of Frederic Chopin's music are reverberating across the world as music lovers celebrate the composer's 200th birthday this year -- from the château of his French lover to Egypt's pyramids and even into space.

But nowhere do celebrations carry the powerful sense of national feeling as they do in Poland, the land of his birth, where his heroic, tragic piano compositions are credited with capturing the country's soul.

Poland is going all out to display its best "product," as officials bluntly put it, staging bicentennial concerts and other events in and around Warsaw, the city where the composer -- known here as Fryderyk Chopin -- spent the first half of his life.

Imagining Emily Dickinson

Whether they're true or not, myths and legends that surround poets help us to see their work in a comprehensible context. Say the names Keats, Poe or Plath, for instance, and images of consumption, drug addiction and mental illness may come to mind, just as the image of 19th century poet Emily Dickinson as an eccentric recluse has persisted largely based on her poetry and a few scraps of biographical information. Slim pickings for a biographical novel, yet the attraction of Dickinson's poetry for Jerome Charyn inspired him to attempt to put flesh on those mythical bones in his novel "The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson."

"Starstruck"

Ira Resnick has collected some 2,000 vintage posters and some 1,500 stills and lobby cards in the last 40 years. (Photos here are of Gloria Swanson)

Now 258 posters from his collection are reproduced in his book "Starstruck," which came out earlier this month. More than just a picture book of some of the most beautiful and rare posters from 1912 to 1962, "Starstruck" also is an exploration of one man's unending passion. (Resnick will be at Book Soup in West Hollywood on March 14 to sign copies of the book.)

“Ricky Nelson Remembered"

While creating a chart-topping career of their own, Matthew and Gunnar Nelson have kept alive the musical legacy of their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee father, Ricky Nelson, through tributes featuring the teen idol’s numerous classic hits.

Twenty-five years after his tragic death in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve in 1985 that killed not only their father but his band as well, the Nelsons take to the road again with “Ricky Nelson Remembered,” which opens at Brixton in Redondo Beach Thursday, March 4.

With songs like “Hello Mary Lou,” “Travelin’ Man,” “Garden Party,” “Poor Little Fool” and his first hit “I’m Walkin,’” Nelson had more than 50 songs on Billboard’s Top 100 chart over a nearly 20-year span. Ricky came to fame on his parents’ beloved family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” which began in 1952 and lasted until 1966, just a year before the birth of his twin sons, Matthew and Gunnar.

They were only 18 when he died, but the brothers already had the music bug in them, picking up the guitar and drums at a very early age. A few bands came and went before Nelson’s debut album, 1990’s “After the Rain,” generated the No. 1 single “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection” as well as the hits “After the Rain,” a top 10 single, and “More Than Ever.”

Gunnar and Matthew Nelson are pictured performing some of their father’s songs in the tribute show ‘Ricky Nelson Remembered.’ (photo courtesy of The Rick Nelson Company)

Following their gig at Brixton, the Nelsons will play at The Canyon in Agoura Hills Saturday, March 5, and The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. For more information, visit www.RickyNelsonRemembered.com or www.NelsonRockBand.com.

Orcas In Capitivity: a tragedy brings up the need for a new rationale

I would have to have blinders on to not notice the news reporting and online commentary surrounding the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau , the Sea World orca trainer, due to the actions of one of the Florida sea park's resident whales. There are 25 articles alone on UnderwaterTimes.com and the social media sites have been buzzing with opinions, mostly recognizing the double tragedy in both the human loss and the life and future fate of the whale involved.

There will be much to be sorted out: what precisely happened, was there something that triggered the whale's actions, what were the whales recent behavior patterns? And on and on. After all is said and done regarding the details of the incident, the fundamental question of whether such animals should be kept on display, I'm sure, will be debated for months to come.

On the one hand, the marine animal acts are a founding cornerstone of the organization. Regardless of how the Sea World parks have expanded over the decades, the killer whale show is their lasting iconic image - and that represents a considerable financial investment and commitment. I know that can sound a bit crass, but it's a reminder that Sea World will likely defend the practice.

And if we look at it historically, from its earliest beginnings, dolphin and whale shows served a purpose in enlightening the public to the intelligence ("intelligence" in human terms) of these animals at a time when interest in their survival was growing - right at the outset of the anti-whaling movement. Even today, the basic rationale for zoo/aquarium captivity is still offered with a degree of merit, as long as the animals are provided with a relatively comfortable and natural-like environment.

But on the other hand, as it has been pointed out in the news by several experts including members of the Cousteau family, it has only been in captivity that orcas have harmed humans. We are being reminded that these marine mammals normally roam the wide open seas and exhibit highly social behavior patterns within their pods. What happens to their mental health when they are confined in concrete tanks and separated from normal animal interpersonal relationships has been continually debated from day one.

It is tragically ironic that what we may have ultimately learned in initially keeping these large marine mammals in captivity is that it may be best not to do it at all. We have warmed and enlightened people to the beauty of seals, dolphins, and whales with balancing balls and hoops of fire - now, perhaps it is time to better enlighten people as to how these animals live in the wild and what we should do to insure their survival in the surroundings that nature intended.

"a place where time has stood still"

The perfectly clipped hedges at Montecito's Val Verde estate still bristle with authority, impossibly long lines of them, not a breach in sight. The 110-year-old camellias haven't stirred from their posts beside a reflecting pool, and the citrus trees are still cut into the pleasing cubes that garden designer Lockwood De Forest Jr. envisioned playing off the geometry of the breakthrough 1910 Modernist house.

It's a miracle, really. Of the 1,500 gardens created by De Forest, a celebrity in his own time, this is the only one still in its original form, says Gail Jansen, executive director of the Austin Val Verde Foundation and author of a monograph on De Forest.

What luck that this house and garden, an experiment in Modernism with a nod to the virility of the Romans, had only two full-time owners. How rare in this frenetic culture for a place to exist untouched for almost 100 years. How rare to see something groundbreaking for its time and find it just as relevant today.

Coffee broker and land speculator Henry Dater never lived in the house he commissioned. Val Verde's first real owner and its longtime genie was the free-thinking Wright Ludington. Endowed with several fortunes and mindful that laws in his home state of Pennsylvania outlawed his homosexuality, he thought it best to get away to California. The second owner, Warren Russell Austin, a poor boy who married an heiress, was physician to the Duchess of Windsor and then to Ludington. When Austin acquired the estate, it was as if Ludington's spirit passed into his body.

How else to explain a place where time has stood still? The original black paint on the living room floor, Ludington's idea. The pearly gray walls, a color that architect Bertram Goodhue borrowed from famed architect Irving Gill. The flamboyantly theatrical bathroom with Roman murals painted in 1939 by Oliver Messel, beloved costumer for Beverly Sills and a Tony award-winning designer, that was reviewed in art magazines around the world. Its sensational red canvas drapery still dangles from the ceiling.

But the red drapery that hung in the master bedroom was incinerated when Ludington set fire to the bed in a fit of pique over a lover's transgression. So one thing gone. But the rest is still there, making Val Verde one of the most important period homes and gardens that you may never see.

For more on this story, click on the heading above.

"airiness and crisp confidence"

The architecture of American embassies has been stuck lately in a predictable tug-of-war between a desire to express openness and an obsession, in an age of terrorism, with security. The design for the new U.S. Embassy in London, released Tuesday morning by the State Department, finds a novel way to move past that split and take diplomatic architecture into fresh territory.

Designed by the Philadelphia firm KieranTimberlake, the proposed building makes an argument that an American embassy should do more than simply symbolize transparency, which all too often means a facility wrapped in glass but secluded deep inside an impenetrable suburban compound. Instead it aspires to a different and broader set of values, primarily having to do with ecological responsibility and neighborliness within a tight urban fabric.

The design suggests that, rather than standing in for certain American virtues, what a contemporary U.S. embassy should be doing is behaving virtuously. KieranTimberlake, in a written description of its concept, refers to the range of positive ways in which the building will "perform," both as an example of sustainable architecture and as a piece of urban design.

Even as the design itself, for all its airiness and crisp confidence, is hardly radical from a formal point of view -- it consists of a cube sheathed in a shimmering polymer scrim and resting on a ground-floor colonnade of concrete pillars -- it represents a major shift in how we think about the role of U.S. government architecture, both at home and abroad. It suggests putting an emphasis on action instead of values, measurable behavior rather than symbolic gestures.

If you love Manhattan Beach, you won't be able to walk by this gallery without stopping for a closer look at the incredible works of art displayed !!!

Lisa's Gallery has been established in downtown Manhattan Beach for over 40 years. Now under the management of Jay and Linda Aldworth, Lisa's Gallery showcases oils, watercolors and photography by many local artists.

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Lisa's Gallery is located two blocks up from Manhattan Beach Pier at 217 Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can contact us at (310) 545-5312 or email us at lisasgallery1@verizon.net.

Bobcats At Risk: U.S. plans to propose removal of CITES protection

According to the Humane Society International, the bobcat of North America, currently protected by its Appendix II listing under CITES (the international organization that regulates trade in endangered species), is at risk of losing that protected status. And the reason is not rooted in a controversy over its role as a predator, like that being experienced by the gray wolf. Instead, it has to due with a potential demand for fur and how fulfilling that demand can severely impact similar but more critically endangered species of wild cats.

At the behest of fur traders, the United States has requested in the past, albeit unsuccessfully, that the bobcat be removed from CITES protection. Doing so would then enable fur traders to trap and kill more than the 50,000 bobcats that are currently taken under the Appendix II listing. The bobcat's fur is apparently identical to the fur of other cats in the lynx family, like the Iberian lynx - of which there are reported to be only 150 left in the wild.

At first blush, flooding the market with bobcat fur would conceivably protect the more endangered species by satisfying international demand. But according to the Humane Society International, it would have an opposite effect; emboldening illegal trappers and smugglers to go after dwindling stocks of endangered cats since it would now be easier to pass them off in a more robust fur market.

Apparently, the U.S. intends to make the same request at the upcoming March CITES meeting that it has unsuccessfully made in the past. The Human Society International has a form that you can fill out to send a message to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking that the proposal be withdrawn. Click here to add your voice.

Here is a sensible case of restricting trade in one species so as to protect more critically endangered species - an issue not rooted in any controversial imbalance in the predator-prey relationship, or loss of cattle or other livestock destined for human use. Just a need to control those wanting to make more profit on bobcat fur simply because the resource is there for the taking. At least for now.

Corporations and Conservation: Dr. Carl Safina looks at corporate responsibility

Dr. Carl Safina, founder of the Blue Ocean Institute, has a way with words when it comes to the moral obligations we, as inhabitants on this planet, have to the environment. He recently posted an excerpt on his blog of an upcoming book he has completed, The View From Lazy Point; A Natural Year in an Unnatural World, available this fall. It's very much worth a read; click here to read the entire excerpt.

In the excerpt, Carl looks at the big picture of corporate development, responsibility, and the "profit-maximization imperative" that has grown over centuries within the U.S. and worldwide. In a sense, the corporate culture has become the new aristocracy - an aristocracy that was challenged by the founders of this country.

"Modern corporations were essentially illegal at the founding of the United States. (The colonists had had enough of British corporations.) In the new country, corporations could form, raise public capital, and share profits with stockholders only for specified activities that benefited the public, such as constructing roads or canals. Corporate licenses were temporary. Corporations were forbidden from attempting to influence elections, law-making, public policy, and civic life. Imagine.

But from the beginning, corporate-minded men chafed for power, prompting Thomas Jefferson to write in 1816, 'I hope we shall… crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country.'”

Environmentalists and conservationists are faced with a myriad of issues within which to invest their energy and passion. Often these are small skirmishes - regional challenges to a particular species or ecosystem - and we take these on because it is hoped that, collectively, it represents a larger battle that can be won. But the "big picture" must also be addressed, and that can be challenging because it requires societal change, often taking generations to be realized, and long-term strategies that can be subject to revision down the road, weakening the original intent.

Having spent some years in the corporate arena, I have seen the dichotomy in which it exists. In marketing, the customer is king and so products and services are devised to best meet the needs of the end user. But that ethical responsibility is in a perpetual tug-of-war with the profit-maximization imperative Carl refers to - and in that battle it would seem that the profit motive wins out more and more. Al Pacino's line from the Godfather, "It's nothing personal; it's strictly business" has always resonated with me as it succinctly defines the amoral philosophy that has guided economic development over the decades. This is something that I have come to grudgingly accept as it explains the corporate will to survive and to profit.

And on the face of it, that's not a bad thing until one examines the influence and power that appears to be an inevitable by-product of that philosophy. One would think that the role of federal or state governments, as a democratic representation of the people, would be to guard watch over industry in the best interest of society (and the environment in which that society resides).

"Corporations have swept real economic and political power away from most governments. Of the hundred wealthiest countries and corporations listed together, more than half are corporations. Exxon Mobil is richer than 180 countries—and there are only about 195 countries. Without the responsibilities or costs of nationhood, corporations can innovate and produce at unprecedented speed and scale. Yet they can also undertake acts of enormous social and environmental destruction and report a profit."

I have often said that corporations will be brought kicking and screaming into a more environmentally-friendly age until they can realize a profit. They will cleverly skirt the issue ("greenwashing") or cling to current business models (fossil fuels vs. zero-emissions) because of the, admittedly, enormous investment required. (One possible exception would be Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn's commitment to an all-electric vehicle. Read about it in the latest issue of Fortune.)

But society does have power, however underutilized. It does not lie in some moral, logical argument that will magically put corporate responsibility on a new path. It rests with devices that affect both corporations and governments: the pocketbook and the vote.

Years ago, I remember listening to an interview with a senior automotive executive where the development of the SUV was being discussed. The executive freely admitted that the SUV was over-sized and fuel-inefficient; a vehicle that just didn't make much sense from a practical standpoint. "But that's what the customer wants," he concluded.

Yes, we are pressured, persuaded, and bamboozled to think one way or another, to buy this or that. But if we as conservationists continue to reach out to others at the grass roots level, to get the word to the people, corporations and governments can change. It's a struggle, but it's one worth doing.

"The 800 Mile Wall"

(Excerpts from an article by Hector Tobar telling of the new documentary film, "The 800 Mile Wall," by John Carlos Frey )

It's a complex tragedy at the border but nearly every adult who undertakes the journey does have a choice.

A fairly typical crossing story might begin in a Mexican town where a young woman wants desperately to go to college. She dreams of escaping the life of domestic labor that awaits her but can't think of any other way to defy her parents. Or it might begin in San Salvador, with a man who wants to emulate his wealthy cousin in Virginia.

In other words, many choose to go on la aventura, as it's popularly known, because it's the easiest avenue to social mobility. It's not the best choice in the world. It might be desperate or reckless, but it is a choice.

The dead migrants in that El Centro cemetery weren't driven to their deaths by soldiers with guns, as in Bosnia, or by killers armed with machetes, as in Rwanda.

That's why I couldn't say it is an atrocity. It's a complex tragedy born of inequality, yes. The policy that leads people to risk their lives crossing the desert is cruel, yes. But it's a risk people take, often knowingly and often from human motives as universal as restlessness and ambition.

"This is really only a small slice of the immigrant story," I told Frey.

I'd like to think we could build support for immigration reform by telling the full, nuanced story of the immigrant experience in the U.S. But maybe that makes me the naive one.

These are desperate, polarized times. People really should be angry about what's happening on the border. They should see the horrors of "The 800 Mile Wall" and they should ask themselves deeper questions about why people are willing to risk death to come here. And then they should write their congressman.

"Crusty Demons" night of world records

Robbie Maddison of Australia leaps through the air as he attempts to break the world record for a ramp to dirt jump during the Crusty Demons night of world records held at Calder Park March 29, 2008 in Melbourne, Australia.Maddison went on to set a new world record of 351 feet.

(Getty Images)

Filmmaker's Journal: the sea reminds you who is the boss

For the past few days I was offline, as Scott Cassell, founder of the Undersea Voyager Project, and I were in Bodega Bay, California trying to film Humboldt squid.

Notice I said "trying."

It was one of those experiences where you get reminded as to who is the real boss on the water. On Day One, we left Bodega Bay and traveled 35 miles offshore to an area known as Cordell Bank. Sportfishermen having been pulling up large numbers of squid from this area. The sky was overcast but the seas were fairly calm. Northern California waters are not always gin clear and after days of prior rain, the water, combined with the threatening sky, was making filming impossible (Humboldt squid run from video lights, so there had to be sufficient ambient light for us to film).

Day Two and we're hit with another ocean gremlin: an engine malfunction with the boat. Remember, boats are holes in the water, lined with wood, into which you pour vast amounts of money.

So, a lot was riding on Day Three, the last day of shooting. The sky was cooperating with cottony patches of clouds patterned across vast expanses of bright blue. And a gentle breeze was slowly picking up as the morning temperatures increased.

Oh, oh. The morning breeze. It can be a bad indicator of what's taking place offshore.

And so we set out - a crew of six including Scott and myself. As we cleared the jetty that keeps Bodega Bay's inner waters nice and calm, we see an ocean horizon that looks like broken glass - meaning large swells and wind chop. The worse roller coaster you can think of is about to seem tame.

For several hours we plowed forward. Tom Loomis at the wheel did a terrific job handling the boat. But when we reached our destination, it was easy to see that diving was out of the question. With the boat riding in 10+ foot swells and white caps peaking from two different directions, getting in the water would have been challenging but not impossible. Getting out would have been flat-out dangerous. And there was the planned potential of a decompression dive; but with heaving seas, trying to hang on to a line at the proper decompression depth was out of the question. Scott scrubbed the dive and we headed back, both a bit disappointed and relieved.

The ocean is one of the earth's most powerful forces and must never be underestimated. Whether it's explorers looking to peer into it's depths with cameras at hand, fishermen plundering its bounty of sealife, or factories spewing pollutants into its delicate ecosystem - the ocean has its ways to remind us who is the boss; who will do what it takes to protect itself, adjusting itself to survive; and who will be around in some form or another long after we have managed to eliminate ourselves from the game.

Great White Sharks: local fishermen catch juveniles in Baja, Mexico

Having spent a considerable amount of time filming the great white sharks of Isla Guadalupe, I am always dismayed with reports like this one from SharkDiver.com:

Great white sharks 'more endangered than tigers?' - Very likely

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Researchers in California and around the world are raising concerns about the population statistics of white sharks in our oceans.

Some are suggesting the population numbers are less than even tiger shark populations worldwide...and we would agree with that assessment.

For the past 5 years Shark Diver has been monitoring one small fish market in Ensenada, Mexico. What we have found is a thriving white shark fishery sold as "swordfish" for 60-100 peso per kilo on most days.

This image came from a recent trip down to the market with Captain Greg Grivetto from Horizon Charters in late 2009.

We were there to document the take of white sharks and did not have to wait long. Within 10 minutes of our arrival this 6-foot animal showed up. It was a female "young of the year."

Up and down the coast of Mexico and Baja these animals are regularly taken by small co-operatives who drop long lines overnight seeking more profitable species like swordfish and tuna.

From our conversation with local fishermen in Ensenada these white shark pups are not being targeted, they are an unfortunate by-product of a local fishery, and most animals arrive dead at their boats to be sold later in the day.

Direct evidence of a younger generation of sharks that never get to add to the population cycle. If the numbers of animals at this one small fishing port are evidence of a larger fishery, we might suggest the entire population is at risk, if not declining.

Tracking data, showing these same animals moving into the Sea of Cortez for extended periods of time, do not bode well for their survivability in this well-known, and notorious, hook-filled environment.

`IOLANI PALACE

`Iolani Palace was built in 1882 by the last King of Hawai`i, King David Kalakaua. The seat of government of the Kingdom of Hawai`i, `Iolani Palace had electricity and telephones installed several years before the White House. The Palace remained a royal residence until Queen Lili`uokalani, the King's sister and successor, was deposed and the Hawaiian monarchy overthrown in January 1893. The Queen was imprisoned in the Palace for eight months in 1895 by the unlawful Provisional Government, charged with misprision of treason for attempting to restore Hawai`i's sovereignty. The Palace served as capitol of the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory and State of Hawai`i until 1969. At that time the Palace was vacated and restoration begun. It is now a museum under the direction of Friends of `Iolani Palace, who continue restoration efforts. `Iolani Palace continues to be a focal point in efforts to restore Hawai`i's sovereignty and independence.

The "Plastiki"

British banking heir David de Rothschild plans to sail the Plastiki, his catamaran made of plastic, from San Francisco to the huge floating garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean and then to Australia. If all goes well, he might launch next month.

(Robert Durell / For The L A Times / February 11, 2010)

Majestic Yosemite

The views in Yosrmite National Park in winter are likely to bring out the John Muir -- or Ansel Adams -- in just about everyone. The Cathedral Rocks, north of Badger Pass along the Merced River, pose majestically at evening.

(Dan Blackburn / Image Associates)

"lifeguard tower" ???

A custom home in the shape of an East Coast lifeguard tower with nautical features is on the market in Hermosa Beach. It's the latest offering from Lazar Design/Build in partnership with developer Kirk Enterprises.

Steve Lazar, who grew up in Pennsylvania and visited the Jersey shore as a child, said the images of lifeguard towers stuck with him. "There's nothing authentic about this tower," Lazar said. "It's strictly from my imagination."

Glass light wells, connected by heavy-gauge stainless-steel spider arm supports, separate the tower's four angled legs from the front half of the home, which resembles the bow of a double-deck ship.

Because of the home's proximity to the ocean, Lazar specified materials that could withstand the elements with low maintenance. All the exposed wood is Mangaris, a highly durable product that turns a silvery gray. The steel was allowed to rust to the desired color and then sealed.

"End of an Era"

John "Jack" Babcock was a 15 1/2 -year-old Canadian farm boy when he joined the 146th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916 during World War I.

"They were hard up for men then," he recalled in 2003 in the Ottawa Citizen. "They didn't have the draft yet" and relied on enlistees.

Babcock, Canada's last known World War I veteran, died Thursday at 109 at his home in Spokane, Wash.

Half Off for "the Queen of Mean's Lair"

Dunnellen Hall, the late Leona Helmsley's 40-acre estate in Greenwich, Conn., was offered for $125 million two years ago. It's now listed at $60 million, a 52% reduction.

(Associated Press)