Today a killer whale killed a trainer during a live show at the famous U.S. Aquarium known as SeaWorld. It is not clear what will happen as a result of this incident, but at minimum we should reconsider whether or not the educational value of aquariums and zoos outweighs their costs to animals.
According to NBC News several witnesses saw the whale, known as Tillikum, pull experienced whale trainer Dawn Brancheau into the pool. Tillikum then grabbed Brancheau, took her underneath the water and thrashed her around as she presumably drowned. SeaWorld was subsequently closed for the rest of the day and probably will continue to be closed for an unspecified amount of time.
Peter Pan's New "Earth-Friendly Jar" label is a classic case of greenwashing.
I recently bought some Peter Pan peanut butter. Being the environmental nerd that I am, I was quick to notice the brand’s new label. Rather than describing their new jar as something that didn’t sound quite as good like “eco-friendlier,” they just went ahead and described their new jars as “earth-friendly.”
The marketing executives at ConAgra Foods, the makers of Peter Pan, apparently thought that their jars merited this description because, as they say on their jar and website: “Our new jar uses 9 percent to 12 percent less plastic per ounce, which isn’t only great for the environment, but for your budget, too.”
Peru may soon become a wind energy giant by developing projects along its extensive coastline. Estimates suggest that coastal wind turbines could produce around 65,000 Megawatts, 15 times the country's current energy needs.
Last week Peru’s government approved wind, solar, micro hydro, and biomass energy projects that will add 500 megawatts of clean, renewable energy, meeting 12% of the current electricity needs of the country.
This is a crucial boost for a country that currently produces 80% of its electricity via hydroelectric power– an uncertain resource of energy going forward. Peru’s Andean glaciers provide most of the water for hydroelectric dams and they are expected to melt by 2022 as a result of global warming and climate change. However, Peru’s El Comercio suggests that in addition to the more well-known alternative energy projects the government has approved, up to 500 megawatts of energy will also be produced by up to 17 small micro hydro projects that might not be dependent on the glaciers. Some of these facilities are already operational but did not have government contracts prior to this time.
Peruvian rock star Pedro Suarez-Vertiz's new album is called Amazonas. Click over to Huffington Post to watch the music video for the album's title track.
One of Peru’s most popular musicians has released an optimistic climate change anthem as the title track of his newest album Amazonas.
While Pedro Suarez-Vertiz has produced numerous hits, he is also well known for writing socially conscious songs. For these reasons, he is a beloved musician and celebrity in Peru. He has also gained an international audience because of songs like “Cuando Piensas en Volver” (When You Think of Returning), an anthem for expatriates who miss their countries.
One of the advertisement's for Pee-wee's new stage show in L.A. Let's hope it is successful enough to travel elsewhere.
For Pee-wee Herman fans like myself, last night was a big night.
At Los Angeles’ Club Nokia, a new incarnation of the Pee-wee Herman Show opened for a 4 week stage run. It marked one of the first times that actor Paul Reubens brought back his character in a serious way since the tragic cancellation of Pee-wee’s television show in 1991 following his well-known quasi-private masturbation incident.
I was surprised when I looked this morning that I couldn’t find any early reviews of Pee-wee’s first night out from major press outlets. So I instead turned to Twitter where people mostly had good things to say. Here’s a sample of what Twitter users had to say, and it’s overwhelming positive: Continue Reading »
Whenever my wife and I come across a television program that highlights funny commercials from around the world we usually watch because they are good for a few laughs. In that spirit I’d like to share several old Peruvian commercials I found on YouTube. I’m sure there are more that I have missed, but I think these are pretty good.
In the first, a young Peruvian man is propositioned by an American girl who is very horny. He doesn’t understand her very well. He thinks she is saying she wants to go to “Yungay,” a city that was once famously and horrifically destroyed by an earthquake in the highlands of Peru. She’s actually saying that she wants “you guy.” This is a clever advertisement for a company offering english courses.
Zooey Deschanel and Jordon Gordon-Levitt will charm your socks off in the unconventional romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer.
500 Days of Summer will be one of the top romantic movies for years to come. While it might not be starting off with the same buzz as popular romantic comedies like Amélie, Hitch, or The 40 Year Old Virgin, it seems more likely to become a well-referenced portrait of romance for young people during this era, much like Reality Bites and Singleswere for Generation X in the 1990s.
While other recent films like Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep have also used creative means like humorous, artistic dreams to portray modern romance, 500 Days of Summer seems more accessible to both independent film lovers and mainstream audiences. So what’s so great about the movie? Continue Reading »
David Lynch's Mulholland Drive is not for casual movie-goers.
I was shocked yesterday and then again today to discover that there are already some people saying Mulholland Drive was the best movie of the decade. First my favorite critic, Dana Stevens of Slate, said this about David Lynch’s movie:
Unlike many Lynch acolytes, I consider Mulholland Dr. (spelled with the abbreviation, the way Lynch likes it) to be a gloriously imperfect film. No one’s ever been able to explain to my satisfaction what the whole subplot about that Dumpster-dwelling guy is about, or why Justin Theroux keeps running into that cowboy dude. But it makes my list for the sublime central love story between Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring, and for being the movie that’s inspired more and better dinner conversations than any film, perhaps, ever.
What she wrote about dinner conversations struck a chord with me. I remember when I went to see Mulholland Drive in the theater, I asked my friend Alexa to come along who had never seen a David Lynch movie. I recall that she liked it, and her first comment when we walked out was something like “I bet the director’s wife wakes up to some interesting pillow talk every morning.” Continue Reading »
When someone recommended checking out the short video from www.whitehouse.gov I have added below about the White House’s ginger bread house, I was curious but also skeptical. The house looks pretty lame on first glance.
But after watching the video I think you’ll be just as impressed as I was by the details included in this 400 pound white chocolate beast. I also wonder if President Obama and his family will get to eat some of it on Christmas Day. Hopefully they send the leftover parts of the house to people in need so they can enjoy them. Although I bet Sasha and Malia are calling dibs on getting to eat Bo the White House dog.
If the video doesn’t satisfy all of your curiousity, for a photo of marzipan-made Bo as well as more detailed information about the gingerbread house check out the Obama Foodorama website by clicking here.
Photo of White House Gingerbread House via Obama Foodorama
