Sea Voices: putting a human face to ocean conservation

Working towards a sea change. That is the tag line for a charming new book titled Sea Voices that compiles interviews with a a wide range of people involved in ocean conservation. From scientists and policy makers to filmmakers, celebrities, and musicians - whoever has a dedication to the protection of our aquatic resources, many of them appear in this coffee table-sized volume with personable interviews that explain their interests and what they are doing on behalf of the oceans.

Making that human connection is the foundation behind Sea Voices. As the authors note, "The purpose of this book is to unite people all around the world for one common cause, the health of our Global Ocean, a responsibility that we all share." I had the opportunity to meet and spend some time talking about the oceans with authors Duffy and Elizabeth Healey. Their enthusiasm and dedication to this approach, to bring the issues of ocean conservation to a general audience through the many names and faces who are championing the cause, was obvious the moment I met them.

From scientists and explorers like Dr. Bob Ballard and Lt. Don Walsh, to actors and celebrities like Ted Danson and Kate Walsh, to musicians like Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz - over 130 in all appear in Sea Voices because all have a stake in the game just like the rest of us.

Sea Voices. This is a delightful, informative, and fun read - a great way to get someone energized and involved but who is reticent about detailed, arcane tomes on dire conservation issues. The book just came out and will be available in bookstores soon or you can order online at the book's website.

"No bites at a chance to own history"

Who doesn't love a bargain? With a lot of history thrown in, who can resist?

Apparently many people can. In this case, the bargain is La Miniatura (shown above), a Frank Lloyd Wright house; the price has been slashed from $7.7 million to just under $5 million. And still no takers.

But there's more! Wright's Ennis House in Los Feliz is also up for sale, and the price for that has been cut in half, to under $8 million. Again, no one's buying.

Why? Who is willing and able to take care of these historic homes? The answer is complicated, of course. The Times' Column One feature explains, and says La Miniatura might even end up taken apart and shipped to Japan.

The Ennis House, shown below, was built for Mabel and Charles Ennis in 1924 on a hillside overlooking the city of Los Angeles.

BLUE 2010 Shark Conservation Panel: discussing new strategies to protect sharks

The BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit came to a close this past Sunday, leaving behind a terrific week of conversation seminars, ocean films, and meetings with some of the ocean's leading defenders in the film, scientific, and political arenas. The film festival's big prize winner was Bag It, by Reel Thing, a personal journey of one man to learn and unravel the issues surrounding the use and impact of plastics on the environment.

On Saturday, I moderated a discussion panel, New Strategies in Shark Conservation, at the Monterey Conference Center's Steinbeck Forum. I was honored to have four panelists who have been deeply involved in shark conservation, and their particular perspectives were very insightful as to what the future holds for shark conservation.

Shark Conservation Panelists
Peter Knights, executive director of WildAid: Peter's work with WildAid has been focused on the illegal trade in endangered species and he typically directs his battles toward the international frontlines. In particular, he sees great potential in bringing the issue directly to the people of China. This is a nation that not only has a sizable population - one that he says is not fully aware of the implications of the commercial shark market - but is also a nation that can have influence on many other Asian nations. WildAid continues with its campaign of public awareness to Asian-speaking populations with the wide use of Asian celebrity endorsements.

Stefanie Brendl, involved in Hawaii's recent shark fin prohibition legislation: Stefanie, as owner of Hawaii Shark Encounters, has jumped feet-first into the legislative arena, seeing what can be realistically accomplished through the halls of regional, state, and national politics. She is currently working with WildAid, which is based in San Francisco, to determine ways in which possible legislation can be initiated in California. The Hawaiian anti-fin bill can be an inspiration but, for California and anywhere else, a new political initiative means a minefield of new players, political influences, and constituencies. One of Stefanie's observations was that many of the emotional issues that fuel the shark conservation movement on a personal level have no resonance in the world of politics - it's a matter of economics and political logic supported by hard, undeniable data.

Laleh Mohajerani, director of Iemanya Oceanica: Mexico brings together many components involved in the shark conservation issue - governmental regulations and the viability of enforcement based on available resources; public awareness to a population whose focus can be on more fundamental needs of food and survival; and a local fishing population that has not fully been afforded economic alternatives to the overfishing of valuable marine resources. Laleh's organization is directing campaigns to bring not only more awareness to the Mexican public in general but to also show local fishing communities ways to support themselves without decimating the populations of sharks, turtles, and many other ocean species. These types of directives can be applied to other second and third world nations.

Dr. Greg Stone, senior scientist of the oceans, Conservation International: Greg brings a wealth of both scientific and international diplomacy experience and much of what Conservation International has been involved in has included scientific research that provides the hard, indisputable data for the policy and decision makers. The organization also works by bringing together the interests of multiple nations to form large-scale policy and regulatory agreements, such as the Phoenix Islands marine reserve and the Pacific Oceanscape - examples of large geographic zones where marine resources are protected, monitored, and enforced. Greg emphasized the importance of having the accurate facts and data to define the important role that sharks play in maintaining a healthy marine environment and that the larger organizations, - like Conservation International, WildAid, and the Humane Society - are perhaps best equipped to accomplish these critical, large-scale international goals that can produce quantifiable results.

Shark Conservation Maturing
The shark conservation movement is at a critical stage of maturation. It has been fueled by emotional hot buttons like the cruel hunting methods of shark finning and the seeming waste of a luxury item like shark fin soup or shark cartilage. But there was much agreement within the panel that, as important as these components are to the debate, to see quantifiable change in policy we must deal with the harsh realities of politics and economics. There are fundamental cultural differences between peoples that may never be resolved regarding attitudes towards sharks or seafood in general. And to challenge or resolve those cultural roadblocks may take too long or be too divisive. Instead, developing fact-based platforms that speak to the specific needs of nations will more and more become the model for future progress.

So where does this leave us as individual advocates and supporters? The panel still felt there was a strong need for the individual efforts, the grass-root movements. Concern was raised though that with so many "save the shark" groups today, each fighting for a measure of recognition and funding, the movement can become dissipated. Peter Knights noted that the individual choices we make regarding sharks and seafood in restaurants and supermarkets, what we tell our friends and acquaintances about the shark problem (calmly and matter-of-factly), all still can have a tremendous impact. Greg Stone commented that we all need to make careful, informed decisions about what organizations we support financially, learning what groups can show real and tangible accomplishments.

Stefanie Brendl noted that, while many shark supporters are inundated with one petition after another from a variety of groups and causes and may question whether so many of these are nothing more than feel-good exercises to rally the troops, the concept of the petition (or personal email, hand-written letter, or phone call) can be effective if properly directed to the right policy or decision-maker. And that is something that can often be best accomplished by yourself rather than relying on another group to be your water boy.

And, as a filmmaker, I reiterated my position that sharks need to be represented accurately and without over-sensationalism or, as sometimes happens with ardent shark supporters, misrepresentations of sharks as cuddly pets. Shark conservation is a tough enough proposition for many in the general public (or in the halls of congress) to appreciate; no need to come across as shark-hugging lunatics to those we are trying to persuade.

The Future
In the future, we may see a combining of efforts that will bring many shark advocate organizations to align themselves with larger organizations to consolidate power. This will be an important step in securing sensible political and economic measures on both a national and international level. And all of us will need to take greater personal responsibility for our involvement - mindful of the impact of rational and reasoned arguments in a complicated multi-cultural world, and cautious as to who we support and why.

"Men Who Ride Mountains"

Grant Rohloff was born in Hollywood, California in 1935 and started surfing in the early 50's. His love of the sport led him to a brief apprenticeship with Surfer Magazine founder and legendary surf filmmaker John Severson, which in turn led to his own career as a still photographer and filmmaker. Grant's first project, "The Wonderful World of Surfing," was released in 1960 and was followed by 12 other surf films, including the highly acclaimed "Men Who Ride Mountains." Rohloff always began his movies with a comic scene in keeping with his mission to not only inform with his films, but to entertain. To Grant, filmmaking, photography and surfing were much more than a vocation; they were a way of life.

Surfboard that doesn't need waves

"six times faster than the speed of sound"

Sydney, May 1 (ANI): The US military is preparing to test an experimental aircraft, called 'WaveRider', that can fly more than six times faster than the speed of sound on ordinary jet fuel.

Officially, it's known as the X-51, but some like to call it the WaveRider because it stays airborne, in part, with lift generated by the shock waves of its own flight.

"big, glassy swells occasionally approaching 50 feet high"

Dwarfed by a massive wave, Tyler Smith competes in the finals of the 2006 Maverick's Surf Contest at Pillar Point, Northern California's most famed surf break, near Half Moon Bay. Smith was one of 24 top big-wave riders from around the world who got 40 hours' notice that the waves would be just right -- and that meant big, glassy swells occasionally approaching 50 feet high.

Photo by Frederic Larson

"Lineage II made this guy unable to function independently in usual daily activities such as getting up, getting dressed, and bathing"

A federal judge is allowing a negligence lawsuit to proceed against the publisher of the online virtual-world game Lineage II, amid allegations that a Hawaii man became so addicted he is “unable to function independently in usual daily activities such as getting up, getting dressed, bathing or communicating with family and friends.”

Craig Smallwood, the plaintiff, claims NCsoft of South Korea should pay unspecified monetary damages because of the addictive nature of the game. Smallwood claims to have played Lineage II for 20,000 hours between 2004 and 2009. Among other things, he alleges he would not have begun playing if he was aware “that he would become addicted to the game.”

Ten Tony's

Albanian children named after former British Prime Minister Tony Blair pose in front of his picture at a July welcoming ceremony in Pristina.

Kushtrim Ternava / EPA / July 9, 2010

Unforgettable Images . . .

from A Chorus Line.

"the largest spaghetti sauce bath of all time"

Once a year, tens of thousands of tourists gather in a town in Spain to hurl over one hundred tons of overripe tomatoes … all in just one hour. When the festival is called to a halt fire houses are used to clean the streets as well as the participants. For this brief but amazing food fight the size of the town quadruples, drawing visitors from all over the world to participate in the largest spaghetti sauce bath of all time.

Gulf Oil Disaster: never forget

Soon after the outset of the Gulf Oil Disaster, I posted that I would leave the reporting of the event to others - not only the mainstream media, but the many dedicated conservationists (like Dr. Carl Safina, Dr. David Guggenheim, and others) who were in a position to follow it on a day-to-day basis, who are able to literally wade into it to discuss the many environmental implications we face as a consequence of both our dependence on fossil fuels and the corporate greed generated by it.

As the drill head has been capped and we are now faced with the aftermath, I'm removing the live link that has been on this blog for these past few months. This was the link that showed the actual camera feeds from the many submersibles being used. Many of the submersibles are now on standby or have completed their missions. But that does not mean that our mission is over.

There are many issues and challenges that we must face, and we need to do it with our eyes wide open. The so-called "missing" oil, the effects of dispersant, the long-term effects on the environment and the industries that depend on the Gulf - all of these must remain fresh and alive in our minds. And we must remain forever the concerned skeptics when it comes to the proclamations that it's all behind us as the media moves on to the next news cycle.

So in the place of the live link feed, I have put in a simple reminder: Never Forget.

BLUE Ocean Festival: the importance of communing with your peers

So many films, discussion groups, and networking opportunities. Every time I attend one of these events, I come away recharged with new motivation, opportunities, friends, and just the renewed energy of knowing that what you are dedicating yourself to is worthwhile and supported by others.

Here is a link to a photo taken by Amy Schwab (one of the participants in my UW Video Workshop) of me with Stefanie Brendl, noted shark advocate who was instrumental in pushing through the recent Hawaiian anti-fin legislation, and Chris Palmer, one of the great producers of nature documentaries and a terrific speaker, motivator, and inspiration.

So many great people, swapping stories, and getting energized about the future and how to wrestle with all its challenges. If you are a dedicated conservationist, coming to these types of events reminds you that you are committed - that you don't need to be committed. You are not alone; you are among friends.

I must remember to use my iPhone - it does take pictures, doesn't it?

Filmmaker's Journal: BLUE Festival and the ocean comes alive

Sunny weather is greeting the first arrivals to the BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit. The Monterey area (Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside, and more) is one of those great places on the California coast where, given the work opportunity, I would certain consider relocating.

First up on the day's agenda was my underwater video workshop, an opportunity for beginning and aspiring videographers to get a chance to hone their underwater skills with 2 dives in Monterey Bay and a classroom session. The water conditions were, perhaps, a bit typical for Monterey: the water can have an emerald green hue to it with some reduced visibility from incoming particulates. But that did not detract us from what turned out to be the big attraction of the dives.

The past week there had been a large influx of West Coast Sea Nettles - a small but beautiful sea jelly with w 3- to 4-inch dome, trailing white fleshy appendages, and dark red tentacles that trailed up to 18-inches. Did I say a large influx? Well, congregating in a layer from the surface to about 25 feet, they were in the hundreds if not thousands. Getting below them and looking up through the emerald water, it reminded me of the fresh water jellies of Palau - on steroids!

I had told the workshop participants that on this first dive I would have them focus getting key shots for building a video: master wide shots, tighter medium shots, close-ups, etc. Once we submerged and saw the gelatinous panorama laid out before us, I think class was immediately postponed on account of something that divers just don't get to see every day.

See or feel. It was impossible to not come in contact with the trailing tentacles of the sea nettles and that meant we were going to get stung. Fortunately, not badly; we would exit the water with a bit of a rash on the face or some puffy lips, but it would dissipate quickly. But the images in our minds - and hopefully our cameras - of these amazing jellies would last much longer.

That evening saw several receptions opening the festival. Famed photographer, David Doubilet, had a wonderful gallery exhibit of his work and it became the focal point of the evening with filmmakers and ocean conservationists talking shop over wine and cheese. David has become one of the uncontested masters of the above and below shots - half in the water, half out - and he was telling me he was not quite sure what made him gravitate often to this type of shot but thinks it may have to do with what impressed him with the ocean as a child. Above is the world we live in, and just below is the world we dream in.
I told him what impresses me with his above and below shots is how, in one frame of film, he is bringing together these two worlds; that they are not separate, a place that people cannot relate to, but are actually two worlds that share an important connection, a bond that is crucial to our future.

Well, I did say there was wine. . .

Today, the festival and conservation summit begins in earnest with industry discussion groups and more meet-and-greets. Friday through Saturday will see more of the sames along with a barrage of wonderful ocean films. It's shaping up to be a great week. More reports to come.

Satellites and Sniffer Dogs: conservation groups support Galapagos efforts to curb poaching

While generating positive public opinion for shark conservation is an important goal, it is also a slow process. And while it builds over time, sharks continue to be slaughtered in horrifying numbers. Therefore, the proactive steps - the moves that are less of a reaction to the situation but rather are strategic steps forward - are needed probably to a greater degree.

WildAid, Conservation International, and other groups, working in cooperation with the Ecuadorean government and the Galapagos National Park Service, have been supporting the efforts of ranger managing the Galapagos Marine Reserve with the use of both technology and outright gumshoe detective work. One of the greatest issues facing the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) is poaching of tuna, sharks, and even sea cucumbers - all to meet the ever-demanding Asian markets.

The GMR utilizes a high-tech satellite-based tracking system to keep tabs on fishing boats that are periodically allowed to pass through the reserve. The Vessel Monitoring System, or VMS, can detect whether a boat is proceeding at speed or whether it is changing speed, dillydallying and a clear sign that illegal fishing may be taking place. A boat is then dispatched to investigate.

Just like in the drug world, smugglers often try to hide their illegal catches. Wrapped in foil, shark fins, sea cucumbers, and other caught species are less likely to give off a telltale scent. Unless you are a trained sniffer dog from the K-9 Environmental Police Unit of Galapagos' Santa Cruz island. The K-9 unit - supported by WildAid, Sea Shepherd, and Conservation International - has been responsible for some significant "busts" of shark fins and other illegally fisher species.

According to WildAid's director, Peter Knights, "Marine reserves are the last great hope to save fish stocks. Marine enforcement is always difficult due to the distances involved and cost of marine operations, so illegal fishing has been an almost risk free crime. But tools like VMS can provide much better surveillance and the sniffer dogs can prove to be a great deterrent as well as assist in detection of smugglers. The sooner we can deploy these tools to more marine reserves the sooner we can secure the world's dwindling fish stocks."

Click here to read more about the Galapagos VMS and K-9 Unit.

"Flights of Fantasy"

The team U Fly Like A Girl plunges 30 feet at Rainbow Harbor, a not-untypical showing at the Red Bull Flugtag. All the gliders landed in the drink, but one went farthest: Peepin' it Real of Newport Beach (98 feet).

(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times / August 21, 2010)

Another opening of another show . . . in Las Vegas

The Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa's westward-facing side of the hotel tower has a special feature -- a light show on the windows (see below). There has been no official mention of it whatsoever on the hotel's website or by the press. Little is known what the show is officially called, who designed it, or how long it will be displayed each night at this point, but photos taken of the testing phase show difference from the eastern side of the tower.

Aspens and Chernobyl: nature's resiliency and ability to survive or not

Turning from the wet to the dryside for a moment, have you ever noticed how trees like Aspens seem to change into their fall colors simultaneously? Like the drop of a hat, one moment they're green and the next moment they are a striking brilliant yellow - almost as if they were one tree rather than individuals.

Well, in essence, they are one tree. Certain species, particularly aspens, have the ability to sprout new trees from an expanding root network without the need for reproduction or fertilization. Call it botanical cloning. In fact, some groves of aspens constitute some of the largest single living organisms on the planet (there are some fungus experts that might argue who has the title, as there are huge underground fungi that grow in a similar fashion).

However, a group of Canadian researchers from British Columbia have determined through groundbreaking (no pun intended) DNA studies, that this ability of the aspen to "clone" itself is not everlasting. Their studies show that this method of propagation, like with other biological species, can produce genetic mutations with each succeeding tree which impacts its fertility and its ultimate life span. At some point the tree (or trees) must reproduce by more "traditional" means.

According to Howard Falcon-Long of the BBC News, "Dr Ally's team found that genetic mutations gradually build up with each subsequent generation of clone, resulting in a decline in fertility. This means that the aspen cannot clone itself indefinitely, but eventually must reproduce sexually or die."

Here's a video I shot along California's eastern Sierras which contains scenes of aspen groves in the midst of changing to their fall colors. Imagine that many of the trees you see here are actually all part of the same tree.



On the other side of the globe, the effects of genetic mutation and biodiversity brought about by contamination have been the subject of a long study at Russia's Chernobyl nuclear facility. After four years of study in and around the plant's "exclusion zone," scientists from the U.S. and France have reported a decline in the number of mammals, insects, and reptiles. So, with environmental contamination events - like Chernobyl or, say, the Gulf oil spill - when left to its own devices, without human interference, nature does not necessarily heal itself or bring itself back to "normal."

According to a BBC News report, birds were heavily impacted by the contamination. "During their census work, [scientists Professor Timothy Mousseau] and Dr. [Anders] Moller have also examined the effects of radiation contamination on the animals. They say that these impacts are particularly obvious in birds. 'We think they may be more susceptible, after long migrations, to additional environmental stress.' explained Professor Mousseau."

The scientists are not without their critics. Though their motives or supporting data may be questionable, Ukrainian scientists have said the opposite is true: that without human influence, animals are thriving in Chernobyl. Professor Mousseau claims their evidence is totally anecdotal.

Nature has amazing ways to perpetuate life; backup systems, if you will, like the cloning and traditional reproduction methods of the aspens. But mankind's technology has been able to produce impacts that can overpower nature's ability to heal and come back strong. We must carefully monitor what happens in the wild, what happens in and around facilities like energy and oil drilling plants, and we must not drop the ball when it comes to following up on the effects of our mistakes.

Read about the aspens and Chernobyl in BBC News.

Learning about the massive South American "terror bird"

From the size and shape of the beak, researchers have always known that the massive South American "terror bird" was a predator. Now they know precisely how the bird killed — wielding its huge skull and hooked beak like an pickax and repeatedly chopping at prey until it succumbed.

The 5-foot-tall, 90-pound Andalgalornis steulleti, whose skull was nearly twice the size of a human's, went extinct millions of years ago, but Argentine and U.S. researchers have been using CT scans and biomechanical reconstructions to deduce how the flightless predators killed. Their findings were announced Wednesday.

"Demolition" ????

A view of Undershaw, built by Arthur Conan Doyle and where he lived for 10 years, writing such classics as "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Architecturally, the house is not considered noteworthy, and Conan Doyle's connection with the place is not considered strong enough.

(Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times / August 18, 2010)

"Charlie Wilson's War"

The hard-partying and influential Texas congressman helped funnel money and weapons to Afghan resistance fighters to battle occupying Soviets in the 1980s. His story, including an alleged hot tub-cocaine scandal, inspired a 2007 Tom Hanks film: "Charlie Wilson's War"

"Tip Toe Through the Poppies"

A woman holds an umbrella as she walks through a poppy field in full bloom at the Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa, suburban Tokyo. Visitors were able to enjoy some 2.5 million poppys until the end of May at the park.

(Photo by TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images / May 15, 2010)

Marina Bay Sands

A view of the Marina Bay Sands hotels (background) with its Skypark on top in Singapore. (ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

"Rupee"

Indian schoolchildren form a shape corresponding to the new symbol for The Indian Rupee as they sit on the ground at a school in Chennai on July 16, 2010. India unveiled July 15, a symbol for its rupee currency that it hopes will become as globally recognised as signs for the dollar, the yen, the pound and the euro.

(Photo by STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

"Off the Wall"

An Indian pedestrian walks past a wall mural depicting a tiger in Bangalore.

(DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

"Among the fish"

A swimmer dressed in a mermaid costume performs at Chinagmai zoo aquarium in Chiang Mai province on August 3. Chinag Mai zoo aquarium is South East Asia's largest living museum with nearly 20,000 examples of marine creatures.

(Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)

"2.2 million litre Oceanarium"

Children watch as a diver wearing a suit commonly used 100 years ago takes a walk through the 2.2 million litre Oceanarium tank at the Melbourne Aquarium. The Aquarium's diving team are stepping back in time, donning the suit which weighs 75 kgs, to display it to the public.

WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

"a nostalgic trip down Route 66"

Radiator Springs will celebrate California’s car culture with a nostalgic trip down Route 66 when the fictional film town built for and by cars makes its debut at Disney California Adventure in 2012.
Cars Land, the 12-acre themed land under construction at DCA, will feature three new rides set amid a faithful re-creation of the isolated red rock desert town populated by Lightning McQueen and other animated vehicles in the Pixar movie “Cars.”

On the "Kapitan Khlebnikov"

More than 88 years after his death, explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton continues to make news. The latest is the opening of 11 bottles of Scotch whisky found at an ice hut in Antarctica that he used. The whisky is being analyzed by experts who are overwhelmed to be sampling (not drinking) a 19th century recipe that’s no longer made.

You can make your own toast, whiskey or otherwise, to Shackleton at his remote grave on South Georgia during a monthlong Geographic Expeditions trip that tours the Weddell Sea, where the explorer’s ship became trapped in ice for hundreds of days after setting out from England in 1914.

The voyage: The expedition will sail aboard the Kapitan Khlebnikov, a Russian icebreaker that was said to be the first to circumnavigate Antarctica carrying passengers on tour in the late 1990s. The ship holds 112 passengers. In this year’s trip, it will tour Elephant Island, the Weddell Sea, South Georgia and other points and include a helicopter tour for aerial sightseeing.

The deal: The cost of this voyage starts at $21,990 per person, based on double occupancy. Those who book before Aug. 31 will receive $2,000 off. Airfare and taxes aren’t included.

"Top to Bottom"

A Chinese worker at a construction site in Suining, in southwest China's Sichuan province. Chinese officials have hastened to point out the country's low per capita income, 100th in the world, even as the nation become the world's second largest economy.

(AFP/Getty Images / August 20, 2010)

The demolition of "underdog individualism"

Some architects reach the point where even a minor or obscure example of their work becomes significant. That may be the case with architect John Lautner, whose underdog individualism has propelled his reputation skyward.

Supporters hope Lautner's prestige can help save one of his earliest commissions, a 1951 house north of Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills known as Shusett House. The current owner, Enrique Mannheim, wants to knock it down and build a new place to live. The demolition could come in the next few days.

It's the Summer of the Shark: yaawwnnnn. . .

It's summertime in the U.S., folks are vacationing, heading to the beaches (well, maybe not the Gulf, unfortunately) to frolic in the surf. And like clockwork, the media reports begin to pile up, one after another: sharks reported cruising the coast, increases in sharks, attacks on the rise, it's the revenge of the evil elasmobranch . . . ad nauseam.

Following a very successful week of programming for the Discovery network (this year, Shark Week brought in its highest ratings ever at over 30 million viewers), there have been reports of white sharks seen along Southern California beaches along with indications that the population of white sharks in California is increasing; surfers are having close encounters of the third kind; shark incidents in Australia are filling the news pages of sites like Underwater Times; and South Africa has issued a coastal shark warning. I think it peaked last week but there was a moment where it seemed like the world was about to be swallowed up.

It's not the individual reports that are necessarily the problem - I'll give the reporters the benefit of the doubt that what they are writing is researched and factually accurate. And there have been some very good articles from the likes of Pete Thomas, as an example (although, Pete, you succumbed to the "summer of the shark" title temptation). My concern is the collective result of all this reporting and the impact it has on the general public's view towards sharks and, by extension, shark conservation. It makes for titillating summer media but without the all-important ingredient: context, context, context.

Sharks migrate along the California coast, giving birth in the deep coastal canyons. And this happens elsewhere in the world. Ergo, we get juveniles cruising the coastline, feeding and fattening up before the migratory impulse hits them and off they go on their annual journeys. It happens every year. Perhaps there might be a spike in sightings, maybe in actual number, but those have always been considered anomalies. Is the California population actually increasing? Well, if it is, as recently reported, then that would be GREAT! But still no reason to fear, statistically-speaking.

And speaking of statistics, we all know that with more people in the water, the chances of a sighting or an encounter goes up. Drastically? Well, no - but that always seems to get glossed over.

So, the bottom line is: this shark activity is all VERY NORMAL! Time of year, migratory and birthing patterns, increased numbers of people in the water - with these factors there is bound to be an increase in sightings or encounters. Sharks just don't need the accompanying hysteria when its whipped up by the media. Shark conservationists are having a tough enough job as is.

BTW: Regarding shark conservation, there is some interesting headway being made in Hong Kong, where Asian-based conservation groups are promoting anti-finning policies. Read the latest from The Daily Caller.

Before talkies, there was Vitaphone

If you know about Vitaphone shorts, the news that a newly restored selection is ready for public viewing courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive is all the information you need. If you haven't heard of them, be prepared for a genuine time machine experience that will revolutionize your thinking about the way sound came to Hollywood.

Though conventional wisdom has it that Al Jolson singing and talking in 1927's "The Jazz Singer" is where sound all began, in fact, Warner Bros. had been producing short subjects that featured top vaudeville acts talking, singing and playing musical instruments since 1926.

Between 1926 and 1930, Warner Bros. used its Vitaphone system to produce more than 1,000 brief films that included jazz bands, comedy acts and opera singers. But because of the cumbersome nature of the system, the shorts disappeared from sight so completely that the 11 screening at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Hammer Museum's Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood will be getting their first public showing in more than 80 years.

Though 20th Century Fox was working on the sound-on-film method that eventually became the industry norm, Vitaphone used a different technology, one that synchronized the photographed image with simultaneously recorded 16-inch 33 rpm phonograph records.

The filmed portion of these Vitaphone shorts have long been at the Library of Congress, but no one was able to hear what they sounded like until 1986, when a huge trove of recorded discs was found in a vault hidden behind a sound department screen at Warner's Burbank studio.

Filmmaker's Journal: unlocking UW video secrets in Monterey's kelp forests

In case you just happen to be in the area, would you like to cruise through the towering kelp beds of California's Monterey Bay? Perhaps you'll come across a darting sea otter or a school of calico bass seeking shelter, partly camouflaged by the waving fronds of giant kelp.

And maybe along the way, you'd like to pick up a few ideas and tips on composing an underwater video that packs a message and a punch, better than last year's family vacation video to Wally World?

If so, then check out the Underwater Video Boot Camp workshop and 2 dives that I will be conducting next week as part of the festivities at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit. Not only will I be covering what many of those buttons and switches do, but we'll also look at preparing a meaningful storyline, what style of editing might be best for your video, and what types of distribution formats you might consider.

Two dives in some of the most acclaimed kelp forests in the world plus a full introduction to underwater video - a full day and a great start to a fabulous week at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival. Only $125 to registered festival attendees - that's a deal! And arrangements can be made for rental dive gear and even a basic video camera, if you're traveling.

You can learn more at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit website and from Facebook.

It's coming up soon . . .

It's coming up soon, but Harry Connick Jr. isn't exactly sure yet what program he, his big band and the Los Angeles Philharmonic are going to be performing at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday and Saturday.

Actually, he didn't much like planning in advance during his recently concluded 13-performance Broadway run either. As he told one New York reporter: "It would kill me if anyone who saw this show twice saw the same thing."

What he does know is they'll be playing some songs from his Grammy-nominated album of American classics, "Your Songs," which has propelled a world tour that has already taken the Connecticut-based entertainer to such places as Europe, the Middle East, Australia and China. At the Neil Simon Theatre, as at the Bowl, audiences just had to wait to know that night's mix of romantic ballads, big-band jazz, New Orleans funk and amusing patter.

Betty Buckley sure to be a delight !!

"Betty Buckley in Concert With Seth Rudetsky" is scheduled on Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Buckley won a Tony for featured actress in a musical for "Cats" in 1983.

Never-Ending Conflict

Israeli army engineers remove cement blocks from a security barrier in Gilo, a Jerusalem suburb annexed in 1967. The blocks were set up during the second Palestinian "'intifada" or uprising in 2000 to block gunfire from adjacent West Bank towns.

Pacific Oceanscape: a tremendous step for conservation in the Pacific

When governments and policymakers listen to the scientists and listen to the voices of the people, every once in a while they get it right and something of value is truly accomplished. That would be the case with the recent announcement by a consortium of Pacific nations with the formation of the Pacific Oceanscape - a proposal to form a cooperative stewardship involving an enormous area of the Pacific Ocean equal to that of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico combined.

A result of the Pacific Islands Leadership Forum and heavily supported by the conservation and scientific research efforts of Conservation International, the Pacific Oceanscape, according to a recent press release, "aims to address all ocean issues from governance to climate change, as well as design policies and implement practices that will improve ocean health, increase resources and expertise, and encourage governments to factor ocean issues into decisions about economic and sustainable development. It represents perhaps the largest marine conservation management initiative in history, as measured by countries and area, and a new united Pacific voice on ocean conservation and management."

First introduced in 2009 by the president of Kiribati (read original proposal in PDF), the Pacific Oceanscape agreement includes the participation of nations from Australia and New Zealand to the Marshall and Solomon Islands, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and many other Pacific island nations.

Commented Dr. Greg Stone, Chief Ocean Scientist and Senior Vice President for Marine Conservation with Conservation International, “It is, without doubt, the most ambitious, most innovative, and most well-grounded marine initiative I have seen in my 32 years as a marine biologist and conservationist. What we are seeing here is the dawning of a new era for marine management at such a massive, multi-national scale, and the kind of leadership that brings about real, positive change.”

With so many issues facing ocean ecosystems, particularly those fragile tropical environments that not only offer such beauty but are the backbone of survival for many island communities, this is certainly a major step in the right direction. To see this many nations in cooperation over a common goal and prepared to set policies and take steps to conserve precious marine resources, well, it certainly provides a welcome uplift and a measure of hope. The rest of the world needs to take notice.

Read press release about the Pacific Oceanscape.
Read the original proposal from Kiribati.