The Cove

 "The Cove" is a documentary by the Oceanic Preservation Society that exposes the slaughter of more than 20,000 dophins off the coast of Taiji, Japan every single year. The majority of the world, including most of Japan, is not even aware this is happening, despite the fisherman's claims that this is just a way of life for Japanese citizens. The focus of "The Cove" campaign is to create worldwide awareness of this annual slaughtering practice to ultimately pressure those in power to put an end to the slaughter.

In this documentary, Richard O'Barry, the main trainer and caretaker of "Kathy" the world-famous dolphin from the television series "Flipper," enlists the help of Louie Psihoyos, an experienced National Geographic photographer, to help design a team of specialists to capture footage of the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji. For O'Barry this cause hits close to home because the success of "Flipper" is viewed as the catalyst to the creation of dolphin theme parks all over the world. The number one location in the world where these dolphins are captured for captivity is Taiji, where the best dolphins are sold to parks and other exhibits for as much as $150,000 per dolphin.

O'Barry, Psihoyos, and their time used techniques that are probably more common to a James Bond movie to come up with a plan to infiltrate this heavily guarded area, place some hidden cameras, and get some proof on film. And the truth is shocking. And watching video of this is only more disturbing.
Naturally, these fishermen have gone through the trouble of capturing these dolphins. The dolphins that aren't purchased by a "Sea World" like organization must be put to good use. And the use these fishermen come up with is pretty unsettling.

Captivity for these wide-ranging and sentient animals cannot replicate the diversity of the wild ocean and their many close connections with their family and pod.  Most dolphin species do not do well in captivity.  Recently two scientists, former trainers of orcas at Sea World, reported that of 193 orcas caught for captivity, only 41 now survive.  The average age of the ones that have died was only 6.6 years, a fraction of the lifespan of wild orcas which can live 50-70 years or longer.  Even for dolphins that live long in captivity, the sensory deprivation and social sterility of captivity is akin to a human prison.

On September 1, 2011 the six-month dolphin hunting season will open again, and fishermen in Taiji plan to take to the cove despite international pressure. Education, awareness and persistence are the only tools to eventually turn the tide. Educate yourself at http://www.savejapandolphins.org/.

Shark Attack!

My husband and I were browsing through Netflix documentaries this morning, and we came across "Shark Week: The Great Bites Collection," a film series comprised of some of the most memorable moments from the Discovery Channel's annual shark weeks. We watched the first episode about surviving shark attacks in warm waters. It was a very analytical approach to attacks including information like when sharks are prone to strike, how they prey upon and bite their victims, and even what to do if you're faced with a great white shark.

The most beneficial information I learned was about what to do if you're in the water during a dive and you find you're being stalked by a great white shark. Basically, you have one of two decisions to make: do you play dead or do you begin swimming for the boat? As it turns out, your best bet is to swim for the boat. The reason is because the kicking of a swimmer's legs is enough to deter the shark from attacking. This is because sharks use all of their senses when hunting, and when a swimmer sends out kicking vibrations the shark can sense it with something called their lateral line. 

The lateral line can be thought of as an extension of the shark's ear, which detects vibrations in the water caused by movement. This helps the sharks find prey and predators within the water. So in the case of a potential shark attack, a stationary target, such as a swimmer who is playing dead, seems to be an easier target because the sharks won't detect any movement.

Other information I learned from this documentary is that when faced with a shark you want to make it seems like you're a credible threat. Keep your eye on the shark, take a defensive stance within the water, and if necessary try to hit the shark in a vulnerable area like his gills or eyes. Also, any type of object can be used as a weapon against a shark: a camera, a rock, and even your knees and elbows will work to help you strike at a giant monster like the great white. But most importantly, don't play dead. If you can't trigger the shark's lateral line you are not posed as a threat to the shark. Your best bet is to keep moving around and do your best to get back in the boat.

Get more information about surviving shark attacks by watching this short clip from National Geographic:

Facts and Stats About Harry Potter Movies

In light of the Deathly Hallows Part 2 release, I decided to go perusing around the internet to find some interesting information about the actual filming of the movies. After about 12:15 this afternoon, I have officially seen all of the Harry Potter movies, each with better and more intense special effects than the one before it. I don't know if this is a fact or not, but when I commented to my husband on the special effects of the last movie he told me that the original idea of the movies was for them to be animated. The initial vision for the films were to be sort of Pixar-animated-like, and the reason was because to stay true to the books the level of difficulty of the special effects would be far too complicated to actually create.

Anyway, when I was searching for information about filming the movies, I came across an article at www.kansascity.com entitled, "A Wizard with Numbers; 'Harry Potter' Facts and Figures."The article featured a plethora of information about the props, costumes, and settings of all of the Harry Potter movies. For example, there have been 250 animals used across the film series, and at one point Robbie Coltrane, who plays Hagrid, got a fruit bat stuck in his beard during a scene in Hagrid's hut! 

Some of my other favorite facts include:

- Aragog the acromantula (giant spider) had an 18 ft. leg span.

- More than 200 creatures have been created for the Harry Potter films.

- 190 liters of shampoo and conditioner were used on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

- Hogwarts was 60 x 50 x 30 feet high; this is a scale of 1:24.

- Daniel Radcliffe has been through 160 pairs of glass during the shooting of all the films.

- Dumbledore's wand was a very elaborate design, even though its significance of being the Elder Wand was far from being known when it was made.

- Harry's scar has been put on by makeup approximately 5,800 times. This includes Daniel Radcliffe's doubles and stunt doubles.

To get a better look at the special effects from the movies take a look at this clip narrated by Matthew Lewis and Tom Felton, the actors who play Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy throughout the movies:

To get more information about special effects, makeup, constuming, animals, and much more about the Harry Potter films check out the entire article, "A Wizard with Numbers; 'Harry Potter' Facts and Figures" at http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/05/2996200/a-wizard-with-numbers-facts-and.html).

Unlimited Justice

Yesterday in my Legal Foundations of Education class we discussed corporal punishment in depth. Someone shared the website http://www.unlimitedjustice.com/, a website that blatantly exposes how corporal punishment is still alive in the educational system today.

Corporal Punishment in public schools is legal in the following 19 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

Here's the thing that kills me. In all 50 states it is illegal to hit a prisoner. In all 50 states it is illegal to hit someone in the military. In all 50 states it is illegal to hit an animal. Schools are the only public institutions in the United States that legally engage in corporal punishment. This means that in 19 states a student can be paddled in school for being late to class, acting out, going to the bathroom without permission, or even failing a test. Students who are paddled have a higher likelihood of dropping out of school, and high school drop outs earn approximately $10,000 less than workers with diplomas. It is also more likely for high school drop outs to be unemployed or incarcerated which will ultimately end up costing taxpayers $8 billion annually in public services.

Does your state allow corporal punishment? Even if your state prohibits corporal punishment this issue still applies to you. High school drop outs from the class of 2011 will cost the U.S. over $200 billion in services and lost tax revenue over their lifetimes.

World's Longest Bridge

On July 1, 2011 Qingdao, China opened The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world's longest cross-sea bridge stretching at staggering length of 26.4 miles long. The bridge spans from Qingdao to the offshore island of Huangdao, and cost approximately £960 million to build (approximately $1,534,746,000). It took four years to build the bridge, and it is almost three miles longer than the previous record-holder, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana which was 23.87 miles long.

450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million meters of concrete were used in the construction of the bridge, which was designed by the Shandong Gaosu Group. It was created to be able to withstand severe earthquakes, typhoons, and collisions with ships. The bridge is supported by more than 5,000 pillars, and is 35 meters wide (115 feet), carrying six lanes and two shoulders.

I found out about this bridge when I read the Google Earth Blog at http://www.gearthblog.com/. I actually use RSS to get Google Earth Blog feeds sent to my iGoogle page each time the blog is updated. This type of information gathering I call "training the information to come to you," because all I have to do is access one page to get the most updated information about information I am interested in. Thousands of blogs, wikis, and other informational sites have an RSS icon on them so you can also "train the information to come to you."

More information about the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge can be found at http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/. 

The Hollywood Sign

In 1923 the original Hollywood sign was erected in Los Angeles; however, the original sign read, "Hollywoodland" instead of "Hollywood." The sign was built by the Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler for $21,000 for his real estate company's advertising campaign. The sign soon became the single-most iconic image of the city and a symbol of hope and stardom for young actors and actresses dreaming of fame.

The construction workers on this project had to carry materials and equipment 1,578 feet up  the southern side of Mt. Lee on narrow paths of dirt. Each of the original 13 letters was 30 feet wide and 50 feet call, constructed of 3 by 9 foot metal squared rigged together by  scaffolding, pipes, wires, and telephone poles.

At night the Sign blinked into the Hollywood night: first "Holly" then "wood" and finally "land," punctuated by a giant period. A giant white dot was constructed below the sign like a giant spotlight to catch the eye. The sign itself featured 4,000 20-watt bulbs, spaced 8 inches apart.

Originally intended to last just a year and a half, the sign has endured more than eight decades and is still going strong. Head to http://www.hollywoodsign.org/history-test.html to find the complete history of the Hollywood Sign.