Tag Archives: Documentary

Videogame Battle For The Donkey Kong Crown

July 18, 2024 The Silo 4 Comments

It may be hard for you to believe, but a very passionate group of game players are still contesting video game records, new and old, and vying to become champion in their particular game of skill in order to be immortalized in the on-line video game record bible “Twin Galaxies”.

Go check it out.

Maybe it’s time to limber up those fingers and go for the record. Every great wrestling match is predicated on a simple concept that holds for the ages: A ‘babyface’ (good guy’) with a seemingly overwhelming challenge vs. a ‘heel’ (bad guy), who has the cards stacked, usually unfairly, in his favor. As humans, we have an innate need to create an emotional investment in our favorite character, which in turn makes the outcome of the contest be something that we care about seeing.

That tried and true formula is fully rendered in a great documentary that I regularly watch called “The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters”. Instead of wrestlers though, we’re dealing with elite-level, arcade-version Donkey Kong players facing off for the world record. As well, and unlike a wrestling match, our outcome is not predetermined and this reality adds oh-so deliciously to the drama as it unfolds.

Now, bring in the chief combatants in our story: social pushover Steve Wiebe, a stuck in second place, life-long loser that just can’t seem to get a break in life vs. chicken-wing sauce kingpin Billy Mitchell; he of the hypnotizing mullet and Charlie Sheen-type zeal.

Here we’ve got classic good guy vs. bad guy at its finest!

Watch how Wiebe finds great difficulty becoming accepted into the ranks of high level players even though his skill and scores are right up there with the best of the best. Billy Mitchell and his team of disciples manage to cheapen and disrespect Wiebe throughout, holding him back, and in turn making the viewer desperate for a little ass-kicking payback. Can Wiebe come through? The answer will surprise you. The climax is better than any made for Hollywood movie, and will keep you on the edge of your seats.

It doesn’t matter if you like video games or not, the emotional pull of this story cannot be denied, and I guarantee that you will dig it. “King of Kong” gets my five silo rating. There’s the full movie up above but the DVD has some great extras that get right to the root of some true video game nerd-dom. For the Silo, John McIntosh.

Reviews

Why I’m Still Here Is Still Such An Amazing, Quirky Film

July 15, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

It’s been almost a decade and a half since Casey Affleck’s I’m Still Here perplexed us all. On reflection, it is a piece of modern motion picture history and a masterpiece.

I say history because this just might be a first. Not even Borat with its pseudo-documentary style challenged moviegoers to discern whether what they were seeing was real or scripted. One thing is certain, Affleck’s film had us all believing that what we are witnessing on screen was in fact real. That’s because the film I’m Still Here was pitched, produced, filmed and shown worldwide as a documentary when in fact it wasn’t one. Or was it?

Plot Arc

A famous Hollywood actor will act no more and wants only to pursue his dream of becoming a rap music artist.

The Caper

While this film was being made- many people in Joaquin Phoenix’ circle including David Letterman, Ben Stiller and rap artist-producer Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs believed that Phoenix was going critical mass and turning his life away from cinema for good.

Stylistically, this film is a voyeur’s dream come true.

The camera follows him everywhere. Nothing seems set up or imagined. There isn’t much humor in this film unless you enjoy seeing a man seemingly self–implode and wreak havoc around insular members of his posse. (I laughed more than once.) Or, unless you cynically enjoyed David Letterman interviewing Joaquin and failing miserably in front of millions of live viewers. (I laughed more than once.)

How about watching Joaquin stalk Puff Daddy with his demo CD only to be told “we ain’t working together”?

Whatever hidden meanings are to be found, this is a dark, dark film that impacts so forcefully because Affleck’s vision peels away the layers of Phoenix’ psyche. To an unsuspecting viewer it might all be real and that allows the movie to offer two legitimate yet different meanings. If this pre-AI mockumentary/documentary can seem so believably real, then we need to question everything that we see and read because it proves that the recipes available for cinema are indeed powerfully manipulative.

No One Is Safe From The Brute Force Of Introspection

Joaquin’s best friend appears as loyal manservant and tragically flawed aspiring musician who feeds Joaquin’s desires and takes a bastion of abuse (you’ll have to see it to believe it). The story revolves and evolves around these types of dysfunctional connections and we are meant to endure it all. While doing so a powerfully subconscious investment in the characters is formed- it’s almost the same effect as slowing down at an accident scene and not being able to take your eyes off the situation.

Before watching this film I did not fully comprehend the impacts that media, fandom and an expectant audience have on a celebrity: Joaquin is mocked and misunderstood. And for what? For establishing a new persona and a new artistic goal. For example, after a filmed rejection by Phoenix and perhaps believing Joaquin’s behavior to be real, Ben Stiller wears a long hair wig, unruly beard and glasses for an Academy Award night schlock presentation. Hey, wasn’t that Steven Spielberg in the audience belly laughing along?

This movie’s effect is profound.

It’s a bag of emotional extremism, sympathy, repulsion, sorrow, and a dash of joy. It’s biblical in theme and it might not be such a stretch to suggest that Phoenix’ story mirrors aspects of The Mocking Of Jesus.

There are never enough positives to really help us feel good while trying to understand the point of it all. Even if Joaquin manages to discard his former celebrity actor self and transform we wonder if he will be any happier as a rap artist. He seems like he’s incapable of happiness, unless of course it’s all an act.

Is the film a cautionary tale about the ramifications of an a-list celebrity actor that turns their back on the Hollywood establishment? Does it suggest that we take inventory of our expectations and of our blind trust in the media complex? Should we now question what we think, see and believe? Watch this film and find out for yourself. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Reviews

New Doc About A Pioneer Of Modern Design

June 3, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

Culture

Quirky Doc About One Man’s Quest For Supreme Tea

June 6, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

2all_in_this_tea_movieposter — The movie poster says it all

Invest a little over an hour watching this documentary about tea and you might find yourself contemplating a new connection between rural farming communities and the tea farmers of China. That’s because All in this Tea deals with all aspects of Chinese tea production, but takes a special interest in how a new demand for high quality, organic Chinese tea is creating new opportunities for Chinese rural farmers.

The story begins by focusing on David Lee Hoffman’s elusive quest for rare and perfect teas.

David is a renowned tea importer and to say that he loves tea is an understatement. Based on the passion and knowledge shown in this doc, he seems to live for the stuff. Hoffman sees himself as a cultural zealot, promoting the rich history of simple Chinese farming practices and educating the western world on the merits of drinking pure, organic tea produced in the “Chinese way”.

He makes the act of producing tea seem like the ultimate expression of agricultural art.

His journey takes him to remote, obscure farms where he begins the process of encouraging the Chinese tea board to end mass farming practices and belligerent pesticide uses. His goal is to create a new tea farming economy, one where quality takes precedence over quantity. If you like tea or if you want to learn more about Chinese tea farming practices, If you’re a tea drinker or know someone who is (don’t we all?) then All in this Tea is the right documentary for you. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Sci-Tech

Synth Britannia Shows The Future Was In Fact Delivered

April 17, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

Come on, you have to admit. It’s a lot of fun to stumble around YouTube with that old pre-internet habit of television channel surfing surprising you with random discoveries.

When I do, I particularly enjoy reading comments left by others who have somehow found their way to whatever it is I happen to be watching. This comforts me because I know that this method of purposeful and accidental consumption of media is not exclusive to me [many comments start with: “Not sure how I ended up at this video but….” or ” __________led me here.”] but perhaps I’m alone in the belief that spontaneous discoveries help connect me better to the production. I think what I’m talking about is called “verisimilitude” and no doubt as I type this out there’s someone trying to figure out how they’ve discovered the same excellent BBC synth documentary that I discovered by chance: Synth Britannia.

Donna Summer's synth programmer in 1977 brought the sounds of the future to disco with I Feel Love — Donna Summer’s synth programmer in 1977 brought the sounds of the future to disco with I Feel Love

A few years ago, I was enjoying reading a guest editorial in Wired by comedy bull Will Ferrell. )

Not one to beat around the bush, Will wanted to know what had happened to the future? Specifically the future suggested if not promised in comic book ads to the then pre-adolescent Will Ferrell. He asked, where were the Jet packs, autopilot-flying cars and robot butlers? It occurred to me that if Will was an electronic musician he would have come to the same conclusion that the producers of Synth Britannia did while they drew up the plans to make their excellent documentary: The future did come, it just wasn’t so literal.

1970's Northern Britain looking like a scene from Blade Runner, one of the birthplaces of future synth music. — 1970’s Northern Britain looking like a scene from Blade Runner, one of the birthplaces of future synth music.

To compound matters this future somehow passed by all of us, unless perhaps you were a student of history or an existentialistic, free-radical electronic acolyte or computer programmer back in the golden age of dystopia vision. I call this era the ‘other’ 1970’s.
I have added the qualifier: ‘other’ 1970’s, because today’s media mistakenly focuses on reinforcing the bell-bottom, disco driven qualities of the 1970’s but there was a much more robust, artistic movement running against the grain in the same way that meaningful art has always done. This movement bridged fashion, art, cinema, sound design and of course music and if you want to learn more while being thoroughly engaged, then spend some time paying attention while you watch Synth Britannia.

You might even find yourself considering an impulse purchase of a mini Korg 700S. I know I did.

Supplemental- While I polished this article, one thing became apparent. New music or to be specific, those new artists that are being profiled on national television as new music agents are all lacking the one thing that characterizes the heroes of this column. Simply put, today’s music heroes are not a unity of ideas and expression. They are not bands. They are performers representing wish fulfillment with no sense of genuine attitude or social commentary and perhaps even worse, no sense of daring inventiveness. So far, most (but not all-there are exceptions) of today’s star performers are ‘safe’, predictable and lacking in terms of communicating their alienation. They have become game show contestants. This is because media business (in other words the television networks) has formulated and created what is palatable to an audience. The home video game market further suggests and reinforces created fantasies with interactive games that essentially boil down to a form of karaoke or twister. Simply put, new consumer habits are being engineered and I’m sure they always will be.

So, as listeners, is it fair to say that we no longer think for ourselves and we no longer question what is ‘good’ or ‘impactful’? With today’s de rigueur promise of dream and wish fulfillment (in terms of television shows that empower an audience with voting privileges to create the next pop star) that most crucial artistic ingredient: “individualized commentary” has been eradicated. Even more alarming is that consumers’ freedom of choice is being challenged.

That’s likely because the major media corporations feel wholly threatened by what the internet promises: a vast sea of content that is discoverable and searchable by desire or by chance.

Vince Clarke- Depeche Mode's keyboard player and future visionary. — Vince Clarke- Depeche Mode’s keyboard player and future visionary.

So-is it fair to say that we have become woefully inadequate in identity and informed choice? If there is art, angst and message, where can we find it? Try channel surfing around YouTube and follow what catches your interest. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Vintage

Protecting the body in Combat- European Bronze Style

July 19, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

This monograph provides for the first time a combined overview of all classes of metal body armour from the European Bronze Age in a holistic perspective, combining discussion of both traditional typo-chronologies and aspects of manufacture and use.

The earliest metal body armour recovered comes from Dendra, Greece, and dates to the first half of the 15th century BC.

However, the majority of metal body armour, including helmets, cuirasses and greaves, derives from the European Late Bronze Age, c. 1200–950 BC. This armour has been found from Iberia in the west to Cyprus in the east, and from Sicily in the south to Denmark in the north, as well as in the Near East. It thus derives from a wide geographical study area. Nevertheless, only around 30 cuirasses, 75 greaves and 120 helmets have so far been recovered.

The development, manufacture and use of this metal body armour across Europe remains unclear, even after more than a century of research. Earlier studies were largely concerned with typo-chronological aspects of this armour, whilst topics such as manufacturing techniques, efficacy and technological observations were rarely addressed.

Page 29 from the full volume available below. Click on the hypertext at the end of this post for the PDF.

This volume therefore brings together both traditional artefact and metallurgical studies, as well as reconstructions of manufacturing techniques, technological developments and innovations and use-wear analysis. The monograph also provides much-needed detail concerning material characterisation, in the form of alloy composition and microstructure analysis of a significant sample of the original finds.

Combining the results of this with the study of the manufacturing techniques and use-wear traces, a better understanding of how this armour was both produced and used is achieved. I have documented, studied and analysed all accessible helmets, greaves and cuirasses in eastern Europe as well as a number of examples from western Europe, significantly increasing the quantity of body armour studied and analysed in detail. The publication contains the whole spectrum of known body armour currently recovered, as well as including ‘new’ finds from auctions or private collections, which have previously been overlooked.

The present volume offers a holistic artefact study of European Bronze Age body armour, its manufacture and usage. It serves as a basis for further experimental studies into the production and utility of bronze helmets, cuirasses and greaves, which will deliver further important insights in … View full abstract For the Silo, Marianne Modlinger.

Art

LGBTQIE And Ecosexuality

June 17, 2021 The Silo 1 Comment

Beth Stephens & Annie Sprinkle

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” -Anais Nin

Nature is born of sexuality.

The two are inextricable and inevitable partners. Where humans find fault with sex that does not suit their particular beliefs in what is right or wrong, nature transcends. There is no taboo in the natural world, there is no polite side-stepping of the rawness of nature. Nature simply is, in all its sensual glory.

Beth Stephens & Annie Sprinkle have collaborated for 17 years.

They recently showcased their film Water Makes Us Wet at Documenta 14. They were one of just 180 artists at the exhibition which takes place only every five years and draws in a million people. In conjunction with the film they exhibited visual art, performed Ecosex Walking Tours, and facilitated “sidewalk sex clinics.” Their film premier at the Gloria Theater was the only one to completely pack the house. For their Documenta Ecosex Walking Tour, Stephens & Sprinkle consciously began at the site of the first tree planted in Joseph Beuys’ 1982 Documenta project 7,000 Trees.

Their film is part art, part activism, a call to action, and a vision of how the future may look if we are careful with the earth as opposed to how it could look if we continue our ecologically destructive behaviors. Within the environmental activist movement, the two always felt a bit out of place. They felt the need to hide their flamboyance, their sexuality, and some of the details of their pasts. Because of this they began their own movement, an all inclusive environmental activism that encourages people to be themselves.

By allowing people to embrace their own identities and to infuse a little fun, they hope to create a movement that is sustainable and perhaps avoids some of the activist burnout that frequently effects those constantly fighting for the future of a healthy planet.

For the film, and throughout their work, Stephens & Sprinkle have unabashedly embraced and exposed their own bodies. In so doing, they show both their vulnerability and their strength as well as embrace their advancing age. Sprinkle, who is now 63, was once a pornographic film actress. She finds that showing her 63 year old body has pushed more limits than anything she’s ever done. “I think that taboo does need fixing,” she says.

During the making of the film, Stephens & Sprinkle were in a serious auto accident which features in the documentary. The two were seriously injured and hospitalized but eventually walked away. The wreck served as a metaphor for the universality of “eco-sinners” in that even the filmmakers were driving around in an old, polluting van.

The two describe the incident as romantic and remarkable and say it has given them a new lease on life. The accident was a result of another driver’s distracted driving. The film as a whole is a look at the issues facing the planet, some of those perpetrating them, and ways to think about the problem. “What we really hope with our film is that people leave the film thinking about the issues we’ve presented but also feeling like well, there is something I can do in my personal life.”

The term “eco-sexual” was originally used by dating sites and subsequently in a book titled Eco-sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable by Stephanie Iris Weiss. Stephens & Sprinkle took the term and created an art movement around it. “We like to think that all sex is eco-sex including human on human because we are the earth, we’re not separate from the earth…we acknowledge all the sexuality that is going on around us.” At UC Santa Cruz where Stephens is a professor, the two established E.A.R.T.H Lab which stands for Environmental Art Theory & Happenings. There they incorporate some of the principles of ecosexuality in the programs they run. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Gaming

Tony Hawk Videogame Documentary Coming In August

July 3, 2020 The Silo Leave a comment

LOS ANGELES: JULY , 2020 – Wood Entertainment is proud to announce the August 18 digital/VOD release of the highly anticipated documentary feature PRETENDING I’M A SUPERMAN – THE TONY HAWK VIDEO GAME STORY. Wood Entertainment acquired Worldwide rights to the film in May at the Mammoth Film Festival in a deal negotiated between CEO Tara Wood and Producer Ralph D’Amato (“Tony Hawk Pro Skater” series, “Gun”) on behalf of D’Amato Productions.

Arriving just ahead of the eagerly-awaited reboot of the $1.4 USD billion Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game series coming this September, this definitive documentary from Director Ludvig Gür tells the story of skater turned video game mogul Tony Hawk, and the near extinction of skateboarding culture before exploding back into the mainstream in the early 2000s.

“PRETENDING I’M A SUPERMAN is a robust, real-life story of our successful videogame series as told by those who created it, and many who were inspired by it” said multi-record-breaking skateboarder and documentary subject Tony Hawk.

“I’m really excited to partner with Wood Entertainment” said director Gür. “It’s been a long journey making the documentary and I’m stoked it will finally be released for skateboarding and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater fans worldwide. The art form and video game had an enormous impact on Generation Y / Z and the story behind it is even more fascinating.”
In 1999, the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater shook the world when it sold 9 million copies upon release and changed the skateboarding scene forever. Pretending I’m a Superman is the story of the skaters and developers who came together to create the best-selling game as well as a look into how skateboarding became a part of the mainstream.
Featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with the legendary skater Tony Hawk as well as industry stars interviews with Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, Chad Muska, and Jamie Thomas, Gür takes audiences through an intimate yet extraordinary journey, chronicling the meteoric rise of skate boarding’s most famous name.

“Tony Hawk has one of the most inspiring stories ever told, from groundbreaking skater to gaming mogul” said Wood. “We are thrilled to present it to its worldwide audience.”
For the Silo, Scott Motisko.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2' Is Getting Remastered and Here's ...

Sci-Tech

ELEKTRO MOSKVA- Intriguing Documentary About Soviet Music Synthesizers

April 5, 2019 The Silo Leave a comment

I spent most of yesterday afternoon watching and taking notes from the 86 minute documentary ELEKTRO MOSKVA. This film is so rich and interesting that I found myself sitting in reflection every time I jotted down another intriguing story element…..and believe me there were lots.

Stanislav Kreichi with ANS - world's first 'draw sound' synthesizer. — Stanislav Kreichi with ANS – world’s first ‘draw sound’ synthesizer.

The film’s official website describes itself like this: “ELEKTRO MOSKVA is an essayistic documentary about the beginnings of the Soviet electronic age and what remained of it- a huge pile of outdated, fascinating devices. Today they are being recycled and reinterpreted by musicians, inventors and traders, who carry that legacy on into an uncertain future. An electronic fairy tale about the inventive spirit of the free mind inside the iron curtain- and beyond.”

An example of everyday Soviet Russia DIY- In 1970 TV's were readily available but not antennas. — An example of everyday Soviet Russia DIY- In 1970 TV’s were readily available but not antennas.

Well all of that is certainly true but I discovered something deeper….. something partially hidden and really only stated at the end of the documentary: A metaphysical connection between electronic instruments, their circuitry and between immortality and rejuvenation. A sort of Frankenstein subplot. And that makes ELEKTRO MOSKVA much more interesting. It lingers and stays with you as all great films and documentaries tend to do.

Leon Theremin

Leon Theremin

If the inventor of the world’s first electronic instrument- The Theremin is to believed, his experimentation with electronic instrument designs led to techniques that allowed rejuvenation of human life and the bringing of the dead back to life. Kooky stuff to be sure but in our modern age of DNA manipulation and Stem Cell research shouldn’t we keep our minds open to all biological possibilities? Why is it so obtuse to think that electronic manipulation holds the key to immortality? The brain is after all- a sort of electronic computer. Why else would Russia have kept the body of Lenin whole and entombed for over a hundred years? Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself- let’s move instead to the birth of Communist Synthesizers.

A Ghost of Communism: The backdrop for the film

It began with the Soviet electrification of the country. As Russian homes and farms became wired, Science and Technical Progress became heralded by the state as ‘the new Gods’. In 1926 Léon Theremin ( Lev Sergeyevich Termen ) invented an early form of television which was adapted for border security use and classified. At the same time, the state decided that technological developments were only considered legit and legal if they strengthened communism.

The long awaited electrical revolution expected by the masses and any notions of new, exciting products in Russian homes became instead a sort of electrified jail and super factory. Then, after Russia had successfully developed nuclear bombs and orbited the first man in space- things changed. A celebration of technical progress and Soviet achievement became politicized through the use of synthetic music and sound. Found out what happened next by watching ELEKTRO MOSKVA online in HD. Highly recommended. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Click me! New Music created from early sci-fi soundtracks incl. Theramin cameos. — Click me! New Music created from early sci-fi soundtracks incl. Theremin cameos.

Art

Dance Healing Immigrant Victims Of War Prejudice And Sexual Exploitation

May 23, 2018 The Silo Leave a comment

Study after study has shown that arts education nurtures students’ creativity and problem-solving skills, competencies that are critical for success in a 21st Century world, but how does dance and movement facilitate healing and transform at-risk youth?

14 year old DTC dancing participants Richard Rutherford Danny Guerrero

New York’s Battery Dance launched its Dancing to Connect programs in 2006. Since that time, the program has spread to 6 continents, 50 countries, 100 cities, and 1,000 schools. A powerful new documentary by Wilderness Films follows six dancers from the dance company from India to Eastern Europe to the Korean Peninsula to the Middle East as they support vulnerable youth helping them to express themselves through movement. The film focuses on the struggles, frustrations, resilience and ultimate transformation of the students and their dance teachers.

Producer Cornelia Ravenal says that as a trauma survivor she understood the power of art to “heal and transform.” Ravenal along with husband partner Mikael Södersten collaborated with Battery Dance Founder Jonathan Hollander to create the documentary because she believed this was a story that had to be told. As global populations continue to grow, migration and increasing social and cultural diversity are reshaping classrooms worldwide. Solutions for integrating and uniting peoples from diverse cultural backgrounds are now sought by schools and communities all over the globe. Hollander believes that “no divide has been too great for the art of dance, the primacy of movement, the common humanity, and expression, to span.”

Read the Full Article

Battery Dance performs on the world’s stages, teaches, presents, and advocates for the field of dance. The Company is dedicated to the pursuit of artistic excellence and the availability of the Arts to everyone. Battery Dance has produced over 100 original dance works choreographed by its founder and artistic director Jonathan Hollander, in collaboration with a diverse array of composers and designers, and its cast of outstanding dancers.

CMRubinWorld launched in 2010 to explore what kind of education would prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing globalized world. Its award-winning series, The Global Search for Education, is a celebrated trailblazer in the renaissance of the 21st century, and occupies a special place in the pulse of key issues facing every nation and the collective future of all children. It connects today’s top thought leaders with a diverse global audience of parents, students and educators. Its highly readable platform allows for discourse concerning our highest ideals and the sustainable solutions we must engineer to achieve them. C. M. Rubin has produced over 700 interviews and articles discussing an expansive array of topics under a singular vision: when it comes to the world of children, there is always more work to be done. For the Silo, David Wine.

Earth

Animal Organizations Plead For Dolphins Exclusion In New Mississippi Aquarium

June 13, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Gulfport, Miss. – Last week, 19 international animal protection organizations joined forces for World Oceans Day to plead for dolphins to be excluded from the new Mississippi Aquarium, slated to open in 2019. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Born Free Foundation, and Sonar are among the organizations that signed In Defense of Animals’ letter on behalf of the dolphins to Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes and Gulfport Redevelopment Commission Chairperson, Carole Lynn Meadows. Over 175,000 people have now spoken out against the plans to keep captive dolphins at the Mississippi Aquarium.

“Animal organizations are uniting on World Oceans Day to urge Mayor Hewes to keep dolphins in the oceans where they belong,” said In Defense of Animals cetacean scientist, Dr. Toni Frohoff. “There is simply no justification for keeping these highly intelligent and sensitive animals captive. Animal entertainment is quickly going out of fashion, making any new investment into it a very bad idea.”

Major public opposition has been building against the planned dolphin exhibit at the Mississippi Aquarium in recent months. Over 15,000 In Defense of Animals supporters have written to Hewes and Meadows since the plans were revealed. A former dolphin trainer at Gulfport’s Marine Life Oceanarium has amassed almost 160,000 supporters for her petition calling on Mississippi Governor Bryant not to redirect $17 million of BP deepwater drilling disaster restoration funds to build the Aquarium.

Mississippi Aquarium’s choice of President, David Kimmel (formerly CEO of the Georgia Aquarium) is almost as controversial as the plan to display captive dolphins. Under Kimmel’s tenure, Georgia Aquarium made an extremely controversial attempt to capture and import 18 wild beluga whales from Russia.

“So long as Mississippi Aquarium plans to exploit dolphins, opposition will continue to grow,” said Dr. Frohoff. “City planners should heed the alarm bells before it is too late. The Aquarium is burdened with a controversial President, questionable ability to find funding, competition with existing and new aquariums, and is relying on roughly $57usd million of taxpayer dollars before it has even opened its doors. Keeping dolphins alive in captivity presents a significant financial burden, and in light of declining revenues at SeaWorld, it is simply not worth gambling away Gulfport money.”

While opposition to dolphin captivity grows in Mississippi, a sea-change is being felt across the country and around the world. SeaWorld ended orca breeding last year and announced that it is phasing out orca captivity in all three of its parks in Florida, Texas, and California. Last month, the Vancouver Aquarium was banned from keeping or breeding cetaceans, and now the Canadian Senate is considering a nationwide ban on cetacean captivity. France and India are among several countries that have put laws in place to protect dolphins and other cetaceans from being held captive in recent years. For the Silo, Fleur Dawes.

For more information, please visit www.idausa.org/dolphins

Featured image: travelblog.org

How do you feel about dolphins and other sea life being held and displayed in aquariums and other indoor/outdoor stadiums? Leave your comments below.

www.idausa.org/10WorstTanks

www.thepetitionsite.com/353/506/007

Culture

May 4 is Yom HaShoah ‘ Holocaust Remembrance Day ‘

April 13, 2016 The Silo 1 Comment

The Holocaust was a time of devastation, hate and corruption and is considered one of the most terrible events in human history.

While the horror and mass extermination of more than six million Jews is known as fact around the world, it is more than just history to Arthur Weisze— it is his most vivid and harrowing memory.

“The most appropriate tribute that we can pay to the victims of the Holocaust is to never let the world forget that it happened,” says Danna Horwood, Executive Director at Margaret’s Legacy. “Education is a vital tool to ensure it is not forgotten and to remind generations why we cannot allow history to repeat itself.”

Margaret’s Legacy is an umbrella agency that seeks to provide Holocaust education through tools such as the documentary ‘Margaret and Arthur’s Story’. This thirty-five minute film chronicles Margaret and Arthur Weiszes’ experiences during WWII, their escape from Hungary to Canada and their new life in Hamilton, Ontario—told through the eyes of Arthur and Weisz’s descendants.

In an effort to give younger audiences a better understanding of what happened during the Holocaust and its lingering effects, the documentary addresses the themes of courage, survival and love, and educates youth about the need for tolerance and kindness in the world.

“As we approach Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, [Full name is Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah CP] it is important to listen to the stories of those who lived and experienced this tragic time,” adds Danna. “It will become harder as time goes by, to learn from first-hand experiences and to truly feel the impact that the Holocaust had on six-million Jews and their families.”

Danna Horwood and her youngest daughter Jamie Rose (both descendants of Margaret and Arthur Weisz) will present to community members at the Hamilton Hebrew Academy on May 5th. Margaret and Arthur’s Story’ will also be screened. For the Silo, Lauren Dam

For more information, please visit http://www.margaretslegacy.com/site/home.

About Margaret’s Legacy:

Margaret’s Legacy is an umbrella agency that seeks to provide holocaust education through tools such as the documentary ‘Margaret and Arthur’s Story’. Using their harrowing, yet inspirational story as a backdrop, Margaret and Arthur’s Story is a documentary produced specifically for young viewers to educate them about the Holocaust, its impact and why we cannot allow history to repeat itself.

Supplemental- How the Holocaust rocked RUSH front man Geddy Lee

Travel

Outer Shores Expeditions Relive Canadian Documentary Haida Gwaii

May 14, 2015 The Silo 1 Comment

Please note, Outer Shores Expeditions is in no way affiliated with the ‘Haida Gwaii: On The Edge of the World’ nor is it portrayed in the documentary. What Hot Docs’ best Canadian Feature Documentary explores on film, Outer Shores Expeditions explores by classic wooden schooner.

Documentary film fans were given an intimate look into life on the Haida Gwaii archipelago during Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival in 2015, and now travelers can experience one of the planet’s most spectacular places for themselves with Outer Shores Expeditions, British Columbia’s leading sailing operator.

‘Haida Gwaii: On The Edge of the World’ was awarded top honours at the prestigious documentary film festival. Director Charles Wilkinson’s film about First Nations rights activists, ecologists and locals took home the Best Canadian Feature Documentary award, receiving praise from the Hot Docs festival jury for its “stunning cinematography.”

Toronto audiences were captivated by the film’s journey, as the documentary sold out all four of its screenings throughout the festival. It’s a journey travellers can also experience for themselves aboard Outer Shores Expeditions’ classic 70-foot wooden schooner Passing Cloud this summer.

To those of us familiar with Haida Gwaii, its people, and its history, it really doesn’t come as a surprise that a film placing this spectacular setting at its centre would enrapture audiences,” says Russell Markel, Captain and Founder, Outer Shores Expeditions. “You look around you and you have to believe that a talented filmmaker would find a perfect story of place and people in Haida Gwaii.”

‘Islands of the People’

Outer Shores guests will be able to experience first hand the history and pre-history of the ‘Islands of the People.’ The expedition is dedicated to exploring and learning about the ecosystems, wildlife and cultural heritage also featured in ‘Haida Gwaii: On The Edge of the World.’ Excursions include Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, Haida Heritage Site, National Marine Conservation Area, ancient Haida villages, old-growth forests, estuaries, white-sand beaches and rocky shores.
Expedition Schedule

Outer Shores offers five “”Haida Gwaii Archipelago: Islands at the Edge expedition sailings from June to August.

Outer Shores Expeditions also offers expedition sailings of Pacific Rim National Park , Great Bear Rainforest, the Gulf Islands and Johnstone Strait and Blackfish Sound.

For more information on Outer Shores Expeditions, visit www.outershores.ca or call 1-855-714-7233 Please mention The Silo when contacting.

About Passing Cloud

Passing Cloud is a classic, 70′ schooner designed by William James Roué, famous for designing the legendary schooner Bluenose. Built in Victoria, BC, in 1974, Passing Cloud has a rich history on the BC Coast, renowned for her elegant design, exceptional accommodation, robust construction, and remarkable sailing abilities. Designed to sail around the world, Passing Cloud is an ideal vessel for small-group natural and cultural history expeditions throughout the BC Coast. Among her many features are Passing Cloud’s classic West coast wheelhouse, four private staterooms and gorgeous main salon.

About Outer Shores Expeditions

Outer Shores offers multi-day wildlife and cultural expeditions that are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Guided by a crew of professional mariners and expert naturalists, Outer Shores Expeditions small groups of 6 to 8 guests explore, experience, and learn about the stunning wildlife and ancient cultures of coastal British Columbia while living and traveling aboard the 70′ classic wooden schooner Passing Cloud. President and Captain Russell Markel holds a PhD in marine biology and is dedicated to hosting guests from around the world while fostering stewardship and supporting conservation-based research in the areas where Outer Shores travels.