Shifting Baselines Blog

1/8 - Washington Post: SB Keeps on Rockin' in the Free World

Happy New Year, folks!� The old SB Blog is going to go dormant for a while now as we gear up for our Dodos Darwin Day screenings.� But in the meanwhile, here's a great little article in�the Washington Post over the weekend that verifies how far we've come with this project in three years.

Res Ipsa Loquitur: it speaks for itself

12/18 -� Shame for China:� The white-fin river dolphin of the Yangtze goes extinct

The white-fin dolphin that inhabited China's Yangtze River for 20 million years is gone.� No more.� Adios.� Into the Extinct Species Hall of Fame.� ��

There could still be one or two surviving, but with the Yangtze becoming one big oxygen-depleted dead zone, the odds are slim.

12/12 - Big Victories for U.S. Oceans:� An ocean double play last week in Congress

As most years go, this one has been relatively good for the oceans in congress.� In addition to defeating the #1 enemy of the oceans (California Representative Richard Pombo) last week congress reauthorized the major fishery bill (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and blocked attempts to reverse the national moratorium on new offshore oil and gas drilling.� The folks at�Ocean Champions have a good summary of the victories.

There is hope for the oceans

12/5 - Fish Wars:� A compelling new documentary: "One More Dead Fish"

Very few films have tried to capture the drama of lost livelihoods due to fisheries collapse.� Here's a new documentary,�"One More Dead Fish," about the struggles of a group of Canadian fishermen in 1996 which looks excellent. �And here's�where to order it. �

The future of commercial fishing?

11/28 - OK Go:� A dancing model for how to communicate effectively today using spontaneity

Careful, slow, cautious stodginess just doesn't work any more.� The media world is changing so rapidly there is only one way to deal with it, which is to have enough flexibility to be spontaneous and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.� Check out this great article about�the band OK Go who kicked ass earlier this year by dancing across four treadmills.� The bottom line of the story is that NOBODY was certain of what they were doing, except they all knew instinctively they had to be open minded and follow their noses.� It's a valuable lesson for any sort of communication these days.

The band OK Go shows how blind enthusiasm can conquer the world today more effectively than sluggish timidity

11/20 - NY Times Decides Surfrider Not Crazy Over Montauk Lighthouse

Though they painted a picture of Surfrider activists as long haired and tanned in their earlier article, in this editorial, the NY Times comes down on the side of Surfrider's very logical suggestion that instead of continuing the losing battle against coastal erosion, just give in and move the lighthouse.� Opponents had tried to call it not feasible.� But moving a lighthouse is well within the bounds of today's engineering technology.� �And it makes a lot more sense than throwing more junk in the ocean in the age old losing battle against physical oceanography.

11/15 -� Surfers and Surfrider:� Allowing others to mold your image ... negatively

The story for today's media world is that if you don't take the initiative and control your own image, others will do it for you.

Here's a good example of that in�the NY Times yesterday.� It casts surfers and the Surfrider Foundation as a group of long haired, self-absorbed, affluent sportsters.� The author uses the word "dude" for the surfers and describes the surf activists as "tanned and long haired."� Which might be true, but is that the image surfers and Surfrider want?� Perception is important, but its up to you to manage it if you care.

Montauk Light: George Washington should have been more thoughtful of surfers when he commissioned it

11/3 -� We Was Right:� Our�"No Seafood Grille 2050" is scheduled for ... 2048

When we made our silly film, "The No Seafood Grille 2050" we just guessed at the date.� But now a new study by Boris Wormet al. says the oceans are headed down the drain by 2048 and there will be ... NO SEAFOOD.� So say good bye to those fish sticks, and hello to jellyfish and bacteria.

Hey, we were supposed to be only joking with this film

10/27 - Slime Eels:� NOAA's hagfish concerns come to life

Back on 8/2 we noted that NOAA was worried that the disgustingly slimy hagfish might actually run the risk of being over-fished.� We thought they might almost be joking, but now here's�an article about Canadian fishermen hoping to offset the declining snow crab fishery with the slippery jawless ones.

10/20 - Ocean Enemy #1: Pombo the Pirate

Arrrrr, maties, our favorite ocean political activists, Ocean Champions, have got California congressman Richard Pombo in their cross haaaaaairs. Great poster.

It's RichAAAARRRd Pombo

10/19 - Why We Find PSAs So Interesting

Does advertising still work?� That was the title of an article by Ken Auletta in the New Yorker last year.� His conclusion:� hard to measure, but pretty much "yes."� His key piece of evidence was the insurance company that realized their name sounded like a duck, then made a series of duck commercials with Gilbert Gottfried as the voice that shouts, "Aflaaaaac," and without changing anything in their business practices, doubled their business in four years.� And now�an article in USA Today reaffirms this notion with an article that quotes an expert as saying, "TV is still the weapon of choice for politicians."��

Which begs the question we've been asking for four years -- why doesn't the conservation world make better use of television?

Would you vote for this duck?

10/17 - More Failed Ocean Communication:� Fish decisions don't consider environment

Here's�an article today in USA Today about the two variables in deciding whether to eat fish -- the good side (health benefits) and the bad side (toxins like mercury).� Not present in the discussion:� the other bad side (raping the oceans through over-fishing).� Isn't this the object of all the seafood guides?� What's happening?� Why isn't that criteria entering the picture?� Why are some people foregoing their favorite fish (swordfish or Chilean seabass) when their efforts are not part of the mainstream discussion?� Is anyone asking these questions?�

Does it matter what you don't eat?

10/16 -� And just as Frickin' Funny is SB Veteran Actor Mitch Silpa as David Blaine

Mitch Silpa was the wonderfully bitchy bald headed waiter in our�No Seafood Grille short film a couple of years ago.� I didn't even recognize him playing street magician David Blaine in this incredibly funny video currently featured on Youtube. The Groundlings are pure genius.

Oh my God, David Blaine, cut it out

10/15 - A Frickin' Funny Film from SB Veteran Jeremy Rowley

Jeremy Rowley, improv comedy actor from The Groundlings who co-produced our Groundlings films, PSAs and taught a workshop on communicating science with Randy Olson this summer at Scripps stars as a "dream" date in this frickin' funny short film currently on�Youtube.

He got dinosaur brains

10/13 - The Blame Game:� NZ oyster fishery crash leads to finger pointing

There's always debate about whether fishermen can and should regulate themselves, but in�the New Zealand oyster fishery a lot of people think they could have.� But the government didn't let them.

Shucks, where'd the oysters go?