Louie Psihoyos: Oscar for ‘The Cove’ could save lives of dolphins

Louie Psihoyos wants to win an Academy Award. For the Director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Cove,” being nominated is great, but when the envelope is opened, he wants to hear his film called out. Mind you, Psihoyos doesn’t much care about the award itself (“I’d probably give it to the crew,” he said.), but he wants what he sees as the biggest benefit an Oscar offers – a massive audience.

“A billion people will see the Academy Awards,” said Psihoyos in a telephone interview. “That’s why I’d like to win. Because for 45 seconds you can talk directly to all the key people who are involved in these policies.”

What Psihoyos wants to talk about is the subject of his highly praised documentary – the wholesale slaughter of Dolphins in Taiji, Japan. But should “The Cove” not win the Oscar for Best Documentary, Psihoyos has already gotten the word out to millions about the formerly secret slaughter. And just this week, it was announced that the film will now be in front of people he knows can make the biggest difference – the people of Japan.

On Feb. 8, The Works International announced that “The Cove” had been acquired by Japanese distributor Medallion Media which is planning a tentative release date of April 2010 in Japan. Carl Clifton, Managing Director of The Works International, applauded Medallion for taking the film directly to the people of Japan.

“Many distributors screened the film and most decided it was simply too hot to handle even if they all felt it must be seen by the Japanese people,” said Clifton in a press release. “Medallion Media has shown real courage in acquiring ‘The Cove’ for Japan and we look forward to working with them on it.”

“The Cove” – which currently has an almost-unheard of 8.5 rating at The Internet Movie Database – highlights the annual, six-month slaughter of dolphins in Taiji. The dolphins are rounded up by fisherman, who use sonar and bang on long poles to frighten and herd the dolphins into a cove. After highly sought-after “show dolphins” – dolphins which will be taken captive and trained at Ocean parks like Sea World – are selected, the dolphins are then herded into a once-secret cove, where they are slaughtered. Each year, more than 20,000 dolphins are killed.

The actual cove where the dolphins are being slaughtered was a long-held secret by the Taiji and Japanese governments. But Psihoyos (“I probably watched too many James Bond movies as a kid,” he laughs”) put together his own “Ocean’s 11″ squad of filmmakers, divers and activists to penetrate the cove under the cover of darkness, hiding cameras and sound equipment throughout the area. The end result was video that is at once educating and blood-curdling.

But despite the video and the film, the killing continues.

“At the beginning of the year they stopped killing bottle-nose dolphins, but they have started the killing again,” said Psihoyos, who started the non-profit Oceanic Preservation Society in 2005.

The film follows former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry, who trained the dolphins in the hit 1960s TV show “Flipper.” O’Barry has long felt a responsibility for the popularity of performing dolphins that took off following the TV Show, and sees his own fingerprints on the slaughter. Now the most prominent and tireless defender of dolphins, “The Cove” highlights his fight to free and save the intelligent mammals.

Aside from being a documentation of atrocities against dolphins, O’Barry’s fight for redemption, and the cloak-and-dagger operation, “The Cove” also showcases a problem for mankind – the massive elevation of mercury in the systems of sea mammals like dolphins and whales. The problem is showcased in Taiji, where the dolphins have been used as a food source, and where authorities attempted to get dolphin meat into schools across the nation.

“The whole town was mandated for being tested for mercury because of this movie,” said Psihoyos, 52. “They found that the males had 20 times more mercury in their blood and the women 10 times more than other Japanese people.”

Psihoyos said that thus far, even with the film, the Japanese government has been of no help to either the dolphins, or their own people.

“They are still in denial. They are still trying to hide behind the old tired excuses that it’s a tradition,” said Psihoyos, who resides in Boulder, Colo. “Well, this ‘tradition’ started in the 1930s. And their tradition is poisoning their own people.”

Which is why getting the movie in front of Japanese audiences is such a coup for the filmmaker. In a time when their government is experiencing the same economic crisis as the rest of the planet, the Japanese government is actually using tax payer money to keep the needless killing of dolphins going.

“If they just enforced their own laws, this problem would end,” said Psihoyos. “The Japanese people need to know they are subsidizing these people.”

Having already scaled the heights with his first film, Psihoyos is now working on what he calls a companion piece for “The Cove,” which will look at the degradation of the world’s ocean by humankind.

“To me we’re it’s like we’re living in a science-fiction nightmare we’re only beginning to understand,” said Psihoyos. “The oceans are getting increasingly acidic, and by the end of this century it will be impossible for coral reefs to even exist.”

But despite the harrowing subject matter, Psihoyos takes to his burgeoning film making and activism career with optimism. He can see things turning around with a new generation of Americans.

“I have an extreme amount of hope with the kids. They can read through the BS and see we’re destroying the environment,” said Psihoyos. “We’ve signed up nearly 1 million people already to help with this. I know people are getting engaged by this movie.”

So come Oscar night, Psihoyos will be in the audience, hoping to receive the Oscar for Best Documentary. But that won’t be the true prize he’s after.

“We’ve won a lot of awards. But I didn’t get in the business of making films to win awards. The real awards are to solve these problems,” said Psihoyos.

More on “The Cove”

• After learning the massive carbon footprint that making a film creates, Psihoyos made the second half of the film using only solar energy, including solar-powered vehicles.
• Psihoyos said the film has already drawn attention from the Japanese media. A recent trip to Taiji by O’Barry was covered by by a large contingent of Japanese media. “He was like a rock star,” said Psihoyos. At a Japanese film festival, Psihoyos said “We got more media coverage than “Avatar.”

Additional Reading

• What can you do to help?
• “The Cove” Official Web Site
• The Oceanic Preservation Society
• Save Japan Dolphins
• Louie Psihoyos Photography

–WKW

Tea Partiers: Feel like you’ve lost your country? I just bought you a new one in Latvia

Dear Tea Partiers,

For a long, long time now, I’ve been hearing American Patriots going on and on about how they’ve lost their country. And by “long, long time” I mean “since Barack Obama was elected President.” And by “going on and on” I mean, “freaking out about Barack Obama being elected President.” But this is neither here nor there.

What’s important is that you are unhappy. You’ve lost faith in American democracy, as one of your own, Tom Tancredo, has made perfectly clear. You talk sedition and secession as if it’s a ballgame. You feel you have lost your country and you want it back.

And we all know that’s not going to happen any time soon, as face it, there’s maybe 50,000 of you in the whole country, and your leaders are about to sell you out to the Republicans anyway.

But all is not lost, my dear Tea Partiers. There is a future for you. A future of freedom and self-determination. A place you can make a new start. A place where your dreams can come true.

I speak, of course, of Latvia.

You see, as we speak, there’s a town in Latvia that’s just sitting there. And it can be yours. All yours. The town is called Skrunda-1. It is a former top-secret military base that is now a ghost town. And yesterday, I bought it. And I bought it for you.

Here’s what the town includes:

• 5 million square feet of land
• 10 apartment buildings
• Two nightclubs
• A shopping center
• A child care center
• A sauna
• A wide variety of abandoned military buildings.

Want me to sweeten the pot even further? Here’s what Latvians look like:

As you can see, this is a town with the complexion to make all your dreams come true.

Now, yes, I know there have been reports that the town was actually sold to a Russian. But that’s just a cover. The Russian is my real-estate guy. I bought it. And I want you to live there, rent free.

So, my Tea Partying friends, run, don’t walk to the nearest International Airport, buy a one-way ticket to Latvia, and you will have the freedom and acceptance that you’ve always dreamed of. There you can grab that freedom with your ink-stained hands and live in the type of society you’ve always wanted. And trust me, the Latvian government won’t bother you a bit. You’ve already got a hell of a lot more guns than they do, after all.

It’s time for you to stop talking about founding fathers and start being founding fathers. Yes, my friends, you finally have your country back. And it’s in Latvia. Now get going. And don’t forget your guns.

Hugs,

Bill

–WKW

Guy walking past Capitol Hill accidentally filibusters all bills, blocks all Obama appointments

WASHINGTON – Timothy Johnson was taking a walk near his home in Washington, D.C., when he walked near Capitol Hill. Noticing his shoe was untied, Johnson bent to tie it. Then all hell broke loose, as his actions somehow filibustered every bill currently in Congress, as well as placed holds all of President Barack Obama’s nominations for government positions.

“That was me?” said Johnson. “Eek. I’m really sorry about that.”

Senate Majority leader Harry Reid said that Johnson’s shoe-tying action kicked in a rare congressional rule. While Reid declined to explain how one seemingly powerless pedestrian could stop the U.S. Government in its tracks, he said he was powerless to stop it.

“My hands are tied,” said Reid. “We’ll just have to wait this out.”

Reid added that Senate Democrats could offer Johnson a $40-billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers, in an effort to get him to release the holds and end the filibusters.

“We’re hoping that we can bribe him to stop this overt act of obstructionism,” said Reid. “But really, Timothy Johnson is holding all the cards.”

For his part, the 34-year-old Johnson – who works part-time at a local Walmart, said he was willing to negotiate.

“I really don’t know much about refueling tankers, but I’m willing to try,” said Johnson. “Do they have any special classes for that.”

The House and Senate are now currently on recess, raising funds and golfing while they wait for the situation to resolve.

“Once again, there’s nothing we can do. The government is in Timothy Johnson’s hands now,” said Reid. “He’s the one making the rules now, and we better learn to just accept that.”

–WKW

They want to teach 10-year-olds about SEX!! Also, 9-year-old has baby

A tale of two stories from FoxNews.com:

Today:

Planned Parenthood Pushes Intensive Sex Education for Kids as Young as 10
A new report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation is advocating that children as young as 10 be given extensive sex education, including an awareness of sex’s pleasures.

The report, “Stand and Deliver,” charges that religious groups, specifically Catholics and Muslims, deny their young access to comprehensive sexual programs and education. …

Ed Mechmann, spokesman for New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, charged that Planned Parenthood was “trying to teach children sex without values and that sex is a matter of pleasure and done without consequences.”

He said religions like Catholicism and Islam teach sex as part of a much bigger picture and that Planned Parenthood was trying to de-link sex from traditional values.

“It is part of an effort to get children to reject traditional values and accept a liberal American-European view,” he said. “In many traditional countries — Catholic and Muslim — it won’t work and should be seen as cultural imperialism.”

Last Week:

Girl, 9, Gives Birth to Baby Boy

The baby, reportedly a boy, was delivered via Caesarean section on January 27 and weighed in at 6 pounds.

Circumstances surrounding the girl’s pregnancy were unknown, but her parents have sought legal help, according to the City Evening News, as sex with a child under the age of 14 brings with it an automatic rape conviction.

Despite the young age of the mother, who is from Songyuan, and the potential for severe complications, it has been reported the mother and her new baby are doing fine.

The baby was delivered at Changchun hospital, in the Jilin province. The nursing staff refused to comment.

No worries, though. Children having babies and teaching children about sex are two mutually exclusive concepts in FoxNewslandia.

–WKW

Zé Aparecido and the bird

We had a terrible thunderstorm here the other evening, leading to many a broken tree. With those broken trees came at least one baby bird, who set up a perch at our front door. And in doing so, gave young Zé Aparecido an hour or so worth of longing.

The bird and Zé Aparecido both emerged from the stand-off unharmed.

–WKW

Jezus aks his fallowrs to be more stupidur

AMERICUH – Following the grand celebration of his name at the recent Tea Party Convention, Jesus Christ issued this press release:

Deer fallowrs,

Hi! Im Jezus! Thank u 4 making me so more poplar wit Amricuhns. Thatz the great?

Pleez keep making teh persons of Amricuh more stupidur all the time. Wait, i thursty. Ok. UR the best!

Saruh Paylan is good so much that she tawks and things and stiuff and im the God and she knowz it and tawkz aboot it and makez me the happiest! and iwill devyne intervenshun U!

I aks my fallowrs to stop being so eduhcated. Itz no gud for me at all! Pretzels!

So tythe alot and stop lurning things but me all tyme and thn well all b in hehvan and pray and get the ize creem!

So listn to Saruh and b a reel Americuhn and don’t studie and listn to her and smrt peeple r teh stupid and u go0d and hevuhn.

Yay!

Luvs, jezus.

–WKW

A Pardon for Jack Johnson would benefit us all

It seems the moment that Barack Obama took over the Presidency of the United States, his overall message changed. “Change We Can Believe in” morphed into “Bipartisanship: Now and Forever.” Like Bill Clinton before him, the need for Republican acceptance has become a an almost fetish for Obama, with the results thus far quite predictable – the U.S. government is now radically partisan.

Of course, there’s one thing Obama could do – today – that would briefly appease some of his most vociferous critics. That would be to pardon Jack Johnson.

Jack Johnson was the first African-American Heavyweight champion. And despite having not thrown a punch in anger in more than 70 years, and having been dead for more than 60 years, many still consider him the greatest boxer in history.

As one can imagine, being the first Black Heavyweight champion – he won the title in 1908 – led to Johnson being the most reviled figure of his time. A surge of racism ran through the blood of even the most prominent writers and politicians of the day, and a concerted effort was made to take him down. To White America, the flashy and cocky Johnson needed to be shown his place.

Unable to find a white man to beat Johnson in the ring, they used the legal system to take him down. In 1912, Johnson was first arrested for a violation of the odious Mann Act. Unable to secure a conviction, he was then again arrested in 1913 for the same offense. The offenses? “Transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes.” Johnson knew both women well. The “crimes” he committed actually took place before the Mann Act had been ratified. But the U.S. judicial system did what no white boxer could do. They beat Jack Johnson, sentencing him to a year and a day in Federal prison.

Simply put, Jack Johnson had been convicted for being an unapologetic Black man.

Johnson fled the country, eventually losing his title to Jess Willard in 1915. Johnson finally returned to the U.S. in 1920, and served his sentence in Leavenworth. It is long past time for that sentence to be stricken from his record.

Jack Johnson does not deserve to be pardoned for being a good man. He was, in fact, a bad man in many aspects, with the onus of that description being his violence and abuse of women. But this is not about Johnson’s other sins.

Jack Johnson does not deserve to be pardoned because it’s African-American History Month. That is but an intangible moment of time.

Jack Johnson does not deserve to be pardoned because Barack Obama is the first African-American to serve as President. That is ridiculousness.

Jack Johnson deserves to be pardoned because he was arrested and tormented by the U.S. government solely because he was a Black man. His story is by no means unique. But his prominence and historical importance makes his story stand out and helps us all recognize the blatant crimes committed against African-Americans by America’s judicial system. His arrest – like many so many others – was purely racially motivated.

Both the House and Senate have demanded that Johnson be pardoned. The bill is on President Obama’s desk. But he won’t sign it. Because the Justice Department said it prefers to focus its pardon resources on people “who can truly benefit” from them.

“In terms of Jack Johnson, I think the Department of Justice came back recommending — not recommending a pardon on that,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

The resolution Congress passed to pardon Johnson said in part that it was “for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation … [It would] expunge a racially motivated abuse of the prosecutorial authority of the federal government from the annals of criminal justice in the United States.”

It is long past time to pardon Jack Johnson. The posthumous pardon has bi-partisan support, as Sen. John McCain and Rep. Peter King – Republicans both – are among those that have championed his cause.

But Jack Johnson should not be pardoned because it achieves some type of non-partisan unity. He should be pardoned because he was imprisoned for being a Black man. He should be pardoned because it would truly benefit us all.

–WKW

QOTD: Proudly and vainly

“As a sometimes hoaxster himself, Wolfrum would know to be dubious of any tips, distrustful of any information fed his way. If a dubious sources said X, he would print Y. And would do it proudly and vainly. That was his nature. That was his character.”

– From “I Am Martin Eisenstadt: One Man’s (Wildly Inappropriate) Adventures with the Last Republicans,” now available at Amazon.com for $1.63. Or $138.82.

–WKW

HuffPo as HuffPorn: NSFW photos, banana-eating models & me

When I wrote that I believed that The Huffington Post was “about eight minutes away from becoming a full-on masturbation magazine,” many chided me for over-the-top hyperbole.

“HuffPo is actually becoming very tabloidized–I seldom go there now. But the author defeats his point,”wrote a commenter on Daily Kos.

Not long after I published my post on the subject, Diane Tucker – fearless soul she is – wrote her own take on the subject – “Writer William K. Wolfrum Slams HuffPo For Becoming HuffPorn.”

Where did the post end up?

Check the bottom left. The story below the NSFW photos, banana-eating models and Vanessa Hudgen nude pic stories. I must remember to thank those at HuffPo for saving me from Hyperbole charges.

–WKW

E-mails reveal Piper Palin ran Alaska in 2008

ANCHORAGE - Recently released e-mails by the Alaska State Government showed that Sarah Palin’s youngest daughter Piper, then 7, handled most of Alaska’s State business in 2008.

“If I don’t get a happy meal, heads are going to roll,” thundered Piper in an e-mail to then-Lt. Governor Sean Parnell in March. “And the toy better not be doodie!”

Nearly 3,000 pages of e-mails that Piper Palin exchanged with state officials, which were released to msnbc.com and NBC News by the state of Alaska under its public records law, draw a picture of a Palin administration where the governor’s young daughter got involved in a judicial appointment, monitored contract negotiations with public employee unions, received background checks on a corporate CEO, added his approval or disapproval to state board appointments and passed financial information marked “confidential” from her father’s oil company employer to a state attorney.

Then the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin was tabbed to be John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 Presidential Election in October. Nonetheless, the precocious child held incredible sway in the Alaska government throughout the year, notably when she made sure that her “Mommy & First Dude” didn’t have to pay taxes at a vacation lodge the family owns in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough of Alaska.

“If we pay one cent. One cent in taxes, I will poop myself,” Piper Palin wrote to the family attorney from her Yahoo e-mail account – Barracuda2@yahoo.com. “Do you hear me Poop!”

While many political observers question whether it was proper for a child to have such power in the oil-rich state, one anonymous Republican said that it was normal operating procedure.

“Few people are aware that Rudy Giuliani let Andrew run New York City for most of 1990,” said the source. “The kid was like 5, and let me tell you, the doodie flew.”

–WKW

Karl Rove to star in “The Bachelor”

59-year-old Karl Rove is out to prove to the world that nice guys finish last and that evil douchebags finish in love. Tighten your security and prepare to be politically mauled as this Republican Political Operative is ready to trash reputations and destroy lives as the Bachelor.

Known as “Turdblossom” to his friends and “Asshole” to everyone else, Karl Rove grew up in Sparks, Nevada and attended the University of Utah. He discovered his passion for destroying his political opposition early, as he started his political career in high school. As an accomplished plotter, he became part of the Republican Party at the age of 19. In his free time, he has fun torturing kittens and finding new ways to oppress minorities.

Now, if you’re thinking this guy looks familiar, you’d be right. Ever since Karl shared a magical date with The Decider, George W. Bush, millions of Conservatives have had their own low-down, disturbing fantasies about him. Basically a demon in human form with a strong reputation as a dishonest creep with the heart of Gorgon bile, fans weren’t stunned in the least when he joined the propaganda arm of the GOP, Fox News.

Requests for him to be the next Bachelor didn’t come in, at all. But he has incriminatory pictures of top executives at the network, so here we are. Karl, who believes marriage is a sacred institution, is coming off the fairytale experience of his second divorce. This divorce gave him motivation to continue his search for love on The Bachelor. Only this time, it’s his turn to call the shots.

Karl longs to find that special someone who is vapid, moronic, mentally unstable and doesn’t shave. He wants someone who he can take to parties and who doesn’t think much. He also admits that he can’t wait for his third marriage – and divorce. To make things even more exciting and to take advantage of Conservatives’ notoriously loose morals, this year many of the Bachelorettes will already be married. This promises to be one of the most exciting and horrifyingly disturbing seasons ever!

Will Karl slither off into the underbrush with one of the Bachelorettes waiting in a pile of excement? One thing we know for sure is that there will be 25 candidates and at least 24 horrifyingly defeated and besmirched losers once the 15th edition of The Bachelor takes to the air on Monday, July 4, 2010 on ABC!

–WKW

Overstock.com & Patrick Byrne help define “Cookie Jar Reserve”

While it’s all fun and games with the pretend tough guys over at Overstock.com, Patrick Byrne and crew have done all us financial layman a favor – they’ve made the term “Cookie Jar Reserve” easier for us to understand. Yesterday, Overstock.com – working on deadline – restated their 2009 financial report.

A Cookie Jar Reserve is an illegal practice when a company under-reports
income during an earlier reporting period in order to inflate income for future reporting periods. It is a practice that misleads the investors of publicly traded companies like Overstock.

From Overstock.com’s restatement:

“Correction of these errors is expected to shift approximately $1.7 million of income recognized in fiscal year 2009 back to fiscal year 2008.”

Sam Antar – he of the Crazy Eddie Fraud scheme who was profiled here – has long been asserting publicly that Overstock.com has been cooking the books in this way. Antar has been vilified, threatened and mocked non-stop by Byrne and his PR shill/Partner-in-crime Judd Bagley. But this last restatement vindicates him, and shines an even greater light on the issuer retaliation tactics of Overstock.com.

Last year, I wrote a post titled “For Patrick Byrne and Overstock.com, the real story is in the financial reports.” I led it off thusly:

Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne has had a busy week, attacking messengers and filing reports. As should always be the case with Byrne and Overstock, the real news goes on top – Overstock’s financial reporting.

And the song remains the same. Because while Byrne’s rants about naked short sellers and his blatant attacks on any who question his accounting may be all fun and games, it is pure diversion. What matters is the financial reports. And Byrne’s guilt is consistently written all over them.

–WKW

Angelina Jolie admits to affair with Panda

Washington D.C. has gone nutty over a couple pandas heading to China, while the mainstream media is still on Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Watch. I guess reporting on Haiti, Unemployment, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, etc., has become too much of a bummer.

If only Jolie would admit to a lurid affair with one of the pandas. The entirety of the mainstream media would implode right before our very eyes.

–WKW

Veteran Phillip Spooner on Gay Equality: “What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?”

What do you think about Gay Equality? WWII Veteran Phillip Spooner says it better than nearly anyone else could. A must-see video.

Via New York Magazine

We Americans grow up hearing about “Freedom and Liberty.” It is literally drilled into our heads day after day. We are now at a time when those words must either be proven true, or dismissed all together. A thank you to Mr. Spooner for his service and his beautiful sentiments.

–WKW

I’ve never been in the military but I know what the troops think

I have never served in the U.S. military. It was never really an option for me, as I tend to be quite cowardly and flee at the first sight of trouble. Also, I’m about as disciplined as Dennis Rodman. In fact, not only have I never served, I don’t really even know anyone currently serving. Nonetheless, I know exactly what men and women in the military are thinking.

First off, there are a lot of 18-year-old, old-fashioned, testosterone-laden men in the military who are tough guys. They’re often politically old-fashioned or conservative; they are not necessarily at the vanguard, in many cases, of accepting alternative forms of lifestyle.

Yes, these tough guys (and tough girls, I suppose) are willing to go into enemy territory, fight death-wishing terrorists and do whatever it takes to keep our nation safe. But they’re horrified of gay people. The mere sight of a gay person leads to what they call in the military (I’m assuming) “Spontaneous Pants-Pooping.” These may be brave men and women, but they are mostly conservative and mostly terrified of what someone does in their own bedroom. Trust me, I know.

Despite never having been in the military, I have a stunning deal of knowledge on the subject. After all, I love war. Thus, I’m an expert on those in uniform. Here are some facts you might not have been aware of:

• All of our troops are Christian. If they weren’t when they joined, they are now.
• Our troops risk their lives for the American people. Except for the Gay American people. They must fend for themselves.
• When our troops torture enemies (and all of them torture enemies, all the time) they call it “Happy Fun Time.” Like me, most of them orgasm just thinking about torture.
• Everyone in the military wants war, perpetually.
• Everyone in the military under the rank of Colonel has a vestigial tail.

How do I know so much about the mindset of those in the military? Because I’ve watched a lot of movies about war. And after watching them, I know that American soldiers always win. And I know that they, like I love war. But more than anything, I know they are closed-minded and despise gays and lesbians. I do, after all, so they must, as well.

--WKW

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