The Cove

The Cove, is an Oscar winning documentary that will, if you have a soul, will move you to tears

and leave you wondering what our world has come to.

The synopsis is as follows: (Cited source: Wikipedia)

http://www.thecovemovie.com/WatchTheTrailer.htm

The movie follows former dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry's quest to document the dolphin hunting operations in Taiji, Wakayama, Japan. In the 1960s, O'Barry helped capture and train the five wild dolphins who shared the role of "Flipper" in the hit television series of the same name. The show, a pop-culture phenomenon, fueled widespread public adoration of dolphins, influencing the development of marine parks that included dolphins in their attractions. After one of the dolphins, in O'Barry's opinion, committed a form of suicide in his arms by closing her blowhole voluntarily in order to suffocate, O'Barry came to see the dolphin's captivity as a curse, not a blessing. Days later, he was arrested off the island of Bimini, attempting to cut a hole in the sea pen in order to set free a captured dolphin.^[9] Since then, according to the film, O'Barry has dedicated himself full-time as an advocate on behalf of dolphins around the world.

After meeting with O'Barry, Psihoyos and his crew travel to the small town of Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonder of the dolphins and whales that swim off the town's coast. In a nearby, isolated cove, however, surrounded by wire fences and "Keep Out" signs, an activity takes place that the townspeople attempt to hide from the public. In the cove a group of Taiji fishermen engage in dolphin drive hunting.

The film states that the dolphin hunt is, in a large part, motivated by the tremendous revenue generated for the town by selling some of the captured dolphins to aquariums and marine parks. The dolphins that are not sold into captivity are then slaughtered in the cove by the fishermen and the meat is sold in supermarkets. According to anecdotal evidence presented in the film, most Japanese throughout Japan are unaware of the hunt or the marketing of dolphin meat. The film states that the dolphin meat contains dangerously high levels of mercury and profiles local Japanese politicians who have, for that reason, advocated the removal of dolphin meat from local school lunches.

Attempts to view or film the dolphin culling in the cove are physically blocked by local volunteers who treat the visitors with open intimidation, derision, and anger. Foreigners who come to Taiji, including The Cove's film crew, are shadowed and questioned by the local police. In response, together with the Oceanic Preservation Society, Psihoyos, O'Barry, and the crew utilize special tactics and technology to covertly film what is taking place in the cove.^[10]

The film also reports on the alleged "buying" by Japan of votes in the International Whaling Commission. The film indicates that while Dominica has withdrawn from the IWC, Japan has recruited the following nations to its whaling agenda: Cambodia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati,Laos, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This is not entirely accurate, however, as the nation of Ecuador has been a strong opponent of whaling.^[11] At the end of the film, O'Barry marches into a meeting of the Commission carrying a TV showing footage of the Taiji dolphin slaughter. O'Barry walks around the crowded meeting room displaying the images until he is escorted from the room.

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Hear what the celebrities have to say. Watch it. Learn. Speak out. Educate.

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

The Rachel Zoe Project.

Rachel Zoe: Stylist to the stars. Designer. Special guest of Project Runway. Host of her own reality show.

I have always loved her boho, vintage and ecclectic personal style. Enjoy these images:

The magic of the moon

There is something very magical about the moon. Once, my mom said that when she looks at the moon she thinks of me, because no matter where we are in the world, distance wise, we will always share the moon.

It's sort of become "our thing" and no matter what is going on in our lives, we always know that we are looking at the same bright spot in the sky.

We went to visit Michael's grandmother Carrie in Paris and on her headstone, there was an inscription of the moon and stars. I would soon then find out that the moon was very special and significant in the Carson family as well. That discovery brought my bond with the Carsons even closer.

Last night, our entire home lit up due to the lunar alignment and I just knew it had to be a full moon. I looked up the 2010 schedule and discovered that indeed, on the beautiful warm and balmy evening of September 23rd, the moon was at it's fullest.

On January 7th of this year, Michael and I were wed in Mexico. That week was quite cool for the tropics yet on our wedding day and evening, the temperature and weather were perfect. A warm breeze cascaded across our bare arms and as we all wrapped up a perfect evening full of tears, love, family and friends, my mom grabbed my arm, pointed to the water and gasped: "Look!" The moon was massive and low, and sent diamond reflections dancing across the deep blue ocean. We all stopped and gazed, took photos and it was a moment I know I'll never forget.

I love you, to the moon and back.

An identity crisis

I have often said that working in business has changed so much over the past decade.

Sometimes, I write on sole feelings alone but often, thoughts start to formulate after speaking with others and finding a common thread. I guess this is why I majored in Sociology which focuses on cultural and historical trends and patterns.

The working culture has definitely changed dramatically since I first entered the industry.

For starters, computers and technology have revolutionized the way we work today. Your typical 9-5 job is becoming rarer and rarer, to the point of non-existence. Smart phones, laptops, and remote access to the office seem to offer an image of a more manageable work flow however it seems that we as humans are becoming robot-like and trying to multi-task everything at once, all day, every day. There is less time for creativity or thought expansion as demands for "need it right now, if not yesterday" increase. On top of your commute to and from work, you have your daily grind.

Long gone are the days of a single job title and specific duties. With the reduction of middle management roles and a competitive industry market, you must learn to be a "Jill of all trades." Generalists have long taken over Specialist roles. I've seen job postings which boast more than 20 bullet points per role, of duties including H.R, Accounting, Reception, I.T., Customer Service, Executive Assistant, Event Planning and Marketing. This does not include the many hours of duties encompassed in your role that are not accounted for such as expected social attendance, training and weekend and overnight team building retreats.

Am I forgetting to include the many hours spent wasted during already banked holidays worrying about the work that awaits when you take your tremendously earned and deserved vacation?

Companies like to hire people with an entrepreneurial spirit and these people tend to be younger in demographics, and generally end up leaving to explore their own business, without the stress of office politics, unrealistic workloads, working conditions and undesirable scenarios.

I've sat on both sides of the Corporate fence. I've been in Boardroom meetings with Executives who preach work/life balance yet behind closed doors, feverishly discuss the bottom line and ways to increase profits. Systems and processes are designed and streamlined to increase productivity and are presented to employees in a very clever way. I've learned that in order to obtain staff's buy-in, you must communicate to them from a position of what's in it for them.

I used to work for a small firm who underwent a major company merger with a mid-sized accounting firm. Systems and tools were implemented to make our lives "easier and more manageable." We were to track and log our time and tasks on a daily basis. This was available for everyone to see and I soon realized that an assistant, hired to help me, was trying to underhandedly and non-discreetly steal my job. I've never been faced with this before so I wasn't quite aware, initially, of what was going on.

I trained her, showed her everything I knew and tried to be helpful. In meetings I would soon start to realize that this person was trying to throw me under the bus. Like a wild animal, when cornered with my back up against the wall, I fought back for the job I had worked so hard at for the past two years. This took practice, patience and skill as I was clearly a rookie in the retaliation department. Staff were able to see what others were working on and how many extra hours of overtime were put in. When once I was happy to leave at 5pm, now I was staying until 7pm so that my duties were not being stolen, scurried away and burrowed. I started arriving earlier in the office and noticed the assistant had already arrived before me, and taken away my work for that day. Then, of course, she would log all her daily duties and tasks and this forced me to become very creative in my own daily descriptions.

I have weekly discussions with my girlfriends about happiness and balance. The ones who are not working feel they are missing something in their lives. With a job comes a contribution, personal success, self-worth and of course, a pay check for all these lovely things and lifestyles we all strive for. The ones who have children feel like they are burning the candle at both ends. They are racing here, there and everywhere to get it all done and make it all happen.

The women aren't the only ones who are suffering. Historically, if a male was offered a transfer

to a different country for his career, the woman would just pick up and go with him. With the need for two paychecks in the household these days, that decision isn't so cut and dry. Men also want to be more involved in their children's lives and world, and are being more expressive about fitting in their family life as opposed to sneaking out of meetings to go see a soccer game.

Some days, surrounded by paperwork and madness, everything inside me screams to get me out of the proverbial "here", and I don't mean my job, marriage or life specifically. It just seems that the madness of life is overwhelming these days and work/life balance is never level since the work part rarely gets reduced.

I ask you some questions that perhaps you can shed some light on:

* Is the world different for 20 year olds who were born into technology and adapt to change quicker and easier?

* Have computers made our lives easier or more complicated?

* Are you more stressed now than you were 15 years ago?

* Have you ever, or do you know someone who takes anti depressants or sees a shrink to discuss their problems?

* Do you notice that traffic and road rage seem to have increased dramatically over the years?

* Doesn't it seem like people are leaving jobs, only to go somewhere else and vice versa when all we are really doing is switching roles, over and over to try and find the right fit or balance?

* Do you know someone who is resentful of how much their spouse is away from their home life and is always at work?

* Do you wonder where the workforce is going in the next ten years and how we will manage?

An older gentleman mused to me the other day that the world has definitely changed and he wondered if things would ever come full circle and receed back to simpler times. I noted that we're in a different generation in a very competitive market, and if you don't keep up, you'll get left behind and it's hard to imagine, albeit wonderful to dream of, life in simpler times.

Furthermore, are we programmed to be addicted to this complicated world? Could we survive with a deck of cards, a campfire and a good old fashioned meal, served on time, freshly prepared, with all family members present and conversing positively about our day? Often, I retreat to thoughts of a sunrise at a cottage, a garden with fresh herbs and a good old fashioned pen and paper to journal my thoughts but I'm soon distracted with buzzing phones, email, computers, tasks and clutter in my mind.

Our true identity is slowly getting blurred. And I don't have a clue how to change it.

Thoughts?

The uselessness of anger

Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. There is no point in holding on to the wrong doings of others. The first problem is that they are not close to God so you are not dealing with an apples-to-apples situation if you strive in the direction of above and they move to the direction of below. Afterall, if a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size?

Everyone experiences pain, suffering, hurt and betrayal. It's usually the ones you love the most that hurt you the deepest.

Here are some quotes on the uselessness of anger. I've learned a lot throughout my years and it's now time to move forward. Harmful words fall on deaf ears and a happy soul who takes no part in a delight in malice.

Forgiveness does not take away the consequences of the sinner. It's a universal law of reason and fact that if you intentionally cause harm, bad things will come your way. A God-fearing person who knows that good fortune, fate and entry to the Heavens above, will do their best to always do the right thing. It is not up to us to seek justice, for we know God takes care of good people, and punishes the evil, jealous, spiteful or greedy.

There is nothing more galling to angry people than the coolness of those on whom they wish to vent their spleen. ~Alexandre Dumas


Life is too short to hold a grudge, also too long. ~Robert Brault


He who angers you conquers you. ~Elizabeth Kenny


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness. ~Author Unknown


Anger is one letter short of danger. ~Author Unknown


Anger ventilated often hurries toward forgiveness; and concealed often hardens into revenge. ~Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

In certain trying circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity furnishes a relief denied even to prayer. ~Mark Twain

If you kick a stone in anger, you'll hurt your own foot. ~Korean Proverb

If you're angry at a loved one, hug that person. And mean it. You may not want to hug - which is all the more reason to do so. It's hard to stay angry when someone shows they love you, and that's precisely what happens when we hug each other. ~Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course, 1997


Do not teach your children never to be angry; teach them how to be angry. ~Lyman Abbott

Spite is never lonely; envy always tags along. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Never strike your wife - even with a flower. ~Hindu Proverb


Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. ~Ambrose Bierce

The worst-tempered people I've ever met were people who knew they were wrong. ~Wilson Mizner


To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee. ~William H. Walton


The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk. ~Jacqueline Schiff

SJP lately....with love.