Help expose eco-terrorism!

My dad is somewhat recognizable. He was on the first couple of seasons the show Whale Wars which made him a small reality tv star. Whale Wars is about the environmentalist group Sea Shepherd sending a crew to Antarctica to stop what they feel is illegal whaling. Sea Shepherd's method have been very controversial. Through the lens of Whale Wars the organizations approach is to take unskilled volunteers into a dangerous environment and asking them to do life-threatening things. I've watched the show and yeah, it comes off that way. But I also know the organization because my dad has been a part of it for 30 years. I know all the other things they do. And I know what the campaigns are really like.

My dad joined Sea Shepherd and got to know their charismatic leader Paul Watson when I was just a baby. He was filming something for a news station and liked what the organization was doing so much he started volunteering. He spent as much time as he could being involved in their mission to protect marine life. He was gone a lot when I was a kid because of it but I was also so proud of him. He was out protecting the world! but as a camera-man he was also always shooting. This means he has a wonderful archive of the last 30 years of the Sea Shepherds doings. They are sometimes scary sometimes funny, but always admirable.

After the success of Whale Wars my dad saw an opportunity to tell the other side of the story; to tell more than the small view of the organization the tv-show captures. He spent a lot of time going through all his footage and made what I think is a wonderful documentary called "Confessions of an Eco-Terroist". You can watch it on Hulu if you have Hulu Plus, or for free on YouTube. It tries to show the lighter side of environmentalism while still talking about the important issues.

Right now he's trying to fun his next film which will be a follow-up to the first. It will look at the role the media plays in environmentalism again pulling from his 30 years of involvement with Sea Shepherd. If you're interested check out his IndiGoGo campaign and show your support!

Blackfish: A Powerful Documentary

Having heard so much about the film D and I have had Blackfish in our Netflix cue for months now. We just kept putting off watching it because we could tell it would be a very depressing movie, and on most nights we're tired or worn-out and are looking for something fun and easy to watch. Well, this last Saturday night we had a nice relaxing day and decided that we were actually up to tackle the film. And we were right, it was a disturbing film to watch. But very powerful. I am still haunted by it. My dad has been in the environmental movement for over 30 years, and he's focused his efforts on marine life. Therefore as a child even though I live just 2 hours away I never was taken to Sea World. I have to say I feel good about that after seeing this film. Thanks for that dad!

The film builds it's narrative around the death of Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau at the hand of the orca Tilikum in 2010. The film goes back to the 1970's when companies started capturing killer whales (I prefer the term "orca") and traces the events and incidents that make a case for how mistreated these animals are, and therefore how dangerous they are to the humans working with them. The idea is that Tilikum's traumatic early years and the ongoing challenges of being a performing animal may have created a psychosis in him that is lethal.

One reason the movie is so powerful is that because these events took place in recent times, and because they took place in public tourist areas, there is actually a lot of real footage. It's hard to escape the realities of the situation when you can actually see it. For example, the footage of trainer Ken Peters battling with an orca that seems intent to drown him is terrifying, especially when you watch his frantic swim to eventual safety. But the beginning of the film really sets the stage by talking about how orcas live in family packs and the effects on the whales when their young were captured. The mother whales grieve and cry and won't leave their children and it's very upsetting to watch. As a mother, I just imagined some alien creatures coming, stealing my baby, and taking her someplace to torture her for the rest of her life. It's just such a horrible thought.

The film definitely has an option and a point of a view and it gets it across very well: the real footage of orca attacks, tracing the history of Tilikum from his capture to where he is now, interviews by ex-Sea World trainers, including info on the OSHA court case against Sea World, and eye-witness accounts of attacks when they didn't have footage. But, there are people that have come out and said the film is not accurate and that it's trying to be manipulative. Sea World themselves have put some effort into specifically addressing and discrediting the claims made in the film. Seeing as I haven't done any of my own research I can't speak to the accuracy of the film. But certain things make me think the film is on the right side of things. And it looks like other people think so too since music groups have started cancelling performances at the parks and schools have reportedly also cancelled field trips. I hope this trend continues.

The film was so distressing it;s hard to say that I recommend it, but I do think it's something everyone should see. Even if we are no longer capturing orca's in the wild and even if Sea World has changed their policies I feel it's important for us to see what misinformed things we were doing even a decade ago. Maybe it can help us look more clearly at some of the things we do today.

Did you guys see Blackfish? What did you think?

Are we over vampires yet?

Vampires have felt like such a ubiquitous thing in entertainment lately, possibly sparked by the Twilight mania. I never read the books and only saw the first movie so I never got into it. But I love myth and fables; even as a kid I went through a phase when I was obsessed with Greek mythology. So it's hard for me to resist a good vampire story.

I once heard that when it comes to monsters Frankenstein is about our fear of technology, Werewolves are about fear of our animal nature, and Vampires are about our fear of (or complex feelings about) sex. This makes sense to me. Vampires are inherently sexual. They are about body fluids and penetration and mouths and satiation. This may be one reason I personally prefer my vampires more R-rated than those in the Twilight saga, the grown-up versions seem more consistent to me. But I also understand why vampires are perfect for tweens. Adolescents are just starting to think about and get familiar with their sexual sides so it makes sense why they would relate to the vampire myth.

I recently saw the trailer for the newish film Only Lovers Left Alive and while part of me feels some vampire burn-out, I can't help but want to see this film. The fact that both of the main actors signed on makes me think the script must be very interesting. And even if it's not I'm sure I could be thoroughly entertained watching the talented Tom Hiddleston and the other-worldy Tilda Swinton be beautiful yet tortured lovers. And this definitely looks like a grown-up version of our favorite immortal menaces. Sadly though, I'll probably have to wait for it to be available on iTunes.

Being complex is hard

Over the weekend D and I went to see the film Divergent, based on the novel by the same name. I read the book and enjoyed it, so I wanted to see the film even though it had been getting mixed reviews. That night we were in the mood for an action movie so it hit the spot and we both really liked it. But what I really have to give it credit for was giving D and I a lot to talk about afterward over dinner.

As a fan of science fiction I particularly love stories set in dystopian society. These alternate realities are often created around an extreme response to world challenges. In Fahrenheit 451 society has outlawed all books, in Brave New World everyone is drugged to stay happy, in The Giver there is no knowledge of past history, and in 1984 there is Big Brother. The idea behind all these dystopias is that free will is what causes violence and war, especially when combined with knowledge. So in order to bring peace and happiness we need to find ways to suppress emotions, feelings, and sometimes even thoughts: people need to conform. But of course the costs are high and the books are about that tension. In Divergent, as a response to some kind of large scale war society is divided up into factions. Each faction focuses on one strength and all members of that faction are to comply with the values, goals, and routines of that faction. At age 16 each person gets to select which faction best matches them and once there they are expected to conform, or they become one of the "faction-less"(a fate seen as worse than death). That is where Divergent starts, when the main character must choose which faction to join. The choices are: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the Intelligent.

There are some interesting things to think about here. Recently at my work the executive team has been discussing possible team building exercises. One of the concepts we're working with is Strength Finder. The idea is that every person has strengths and weaknesses and apparently it's been proven that people are more productive if they work in areas that meet their strengths. Seems obvious but it's important to think about when staffing and resourcing. On a team of people you will probably have a mix of skill-sets and knowing how to best utilize those is important for efficiency and accord. if you think of society as one large team working towards a goal, then it makes sense to put people in groups that work towards their strengths.

But what D and I ended up discussing over dinner was two fold. The first was the idea that being able to commit yourself to one goal can give freedom. In the book the protagonist talks about how free the Dauntless seem. They work to rid themselves of fear and that lack of fear gives them freedom. And I'm sure that could be said for any of the other factions. For example, committing yourself and living by total honesty would also set you free. So, is one of the reasons we all struggle in our lives to some that we are trying to excel in all these areas and they conflict? Sometimes being selfless doesn't go along with being smart. Sometimes honesty doesn't go along with kindness. Being a complex human means we need to constantly navigate our priorities and values. The goal I believe is still to find freedom and peace within the ongoing negotiation, but it reveals why it can often be difficult to achieve.

The second thing was if we were in the protagonists situation, what faction would we choose? D and I both agreed that I would choose Erudite, the faction that values knowledge. They love research and understanding how things work. I'd be happy in a life devoted to learning. D was not as clear at first, but then I realized he'd of course be Candor who value truth and honesty. While this "game" may seem juvenile it was a good way to think about what D and I each bring to the relationship and the ways that our values often align, but sometimes don't.

So, thank you for a fun night Divergent. I'm hoping the second book offers some additional things to ponder.

Wes Anderson's latest

This new trailer for Wes Anderson's latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel makes the film look fantastic. I do enjoy Wes Anderson films. He has such a definite style that sometimes I want to rebel against it because I feel his work gets derivative of itself. But, I find if I just give over to it I can really enjoy his movies. I of course loved the Royal Tenenbaums, and was very impressed with the Fantastic Mr. Fox. But his new movie looks like it could be my favorite yet. The cast is amazing, as showcased from the new trailer that put them front and center. Tilda Swinton as the old lady looks genius and I love when Willem Dafoe does comedy. Whatever you think of his films, you have to respect a guy that can encourage actors like Harvey Keitel to get out of their comfort zone. And having just written that I eel I realize what makes me like Wes Anderson's work: I get to see some of my favorite actors explore new and strange environments.

Having a baby does make it hard to go to movies, which is hard especially when there are so many good movies out there right now. But, I can practice patience and wait for them to be in iTunes.

Confession: I love Sci Fi

I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of a sci fi geek. And at some point I'm sure I'll post about my love of Star Trek: The Next Generation (everyone shoudl watch it!). But what's on my mind right now is Pacific Rim, a movie I just watched with D one Saturday night after the Pepper went to sleep. Luckily, D and I both enjoy a good sci fi film so it's usually easy for us to agree on a movie to watch. When I first heard about Pacific Rim I was so excited to see it. It had so many things going for it: Guillermo del Toro! Charlie Hunnan! Idris Elba! And of course, giant robots fighting giant monsters! But when it actually came out the reviews were mixed. So I lost my enthusiasm. But I'm glad I still suggested we watch it the other night because I loved it!

Oddly fascinated and intrigured

It may seem strange to have my second blog post ever to be about pictures of people in the throes of ecstasy. But I can't help it. I love these.