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Big Picture Shark Decimation The Potential Demise of an...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:49:00 -0400

Big Picture

Shark Decimation

The Potential Demise of an Ecosystem

Shark. Few words carry such fear and fascination. When swimming in the ocean the fear in “shark” is in our blood. Or, is it? The true nature of sharks may be more masked by our subconscious fascination with “monsters,” and our fear of the unknown. Samantha Whitcraft, conservation biologist and Shark Savers Program Manager, says closer contact with “a shark, first-hand, changes everything. When we see them gracefully swim by, slowly, gleaming in the blue and finally can look into the eye of the animal, every single person has the same reaction. Everyone comes away with a new appreciation that these animals are intelligent, sentient, complex and fascinating.”

Closer contact replaces fear of the unknown with affinity, even a willingness to understand our connection to one of nature’s great animals. Still, our connection with sharks is shaky. Sharks are top aquatic predators. Sharks are below the surface in an aquatic world we find fun but inhospitable. Our relationship to sharks is simple — we see a fin, we get out of the water. Closer contact is not easy, even when desired. However, as Whitcraft says, a sustained connection reveals an understanding that as top predators sharks play a crucial role in the ocean’s ecosystem. They preserve the ocean’s delicate ecological balance. By targeting weaker or sickly fish in schools, sharks maintain the health of fish populations.

Once a fear of the unknown can be replaced by affinity and knowledge we can venture into their interconnected world with a greater measure of understanding. As top predators, not only do sharks keep the numbers of their prey in check and healthy, but they also protect aquatic plant life by targeting animals lower down the food chain. A recent Brown University study1 carried out on several salt marshes along the Cape Cod’s coastline found that due to recreational fishing there are now far fewer Smooth Dogfish sharks preying on Sesarma crabs. With fewer predators, the population of crabs has grown, as has their consumption of salt marsh grasses.

As a result, the ecological and structural balance of a local ecosystem is deteriorating. In short, small scale recreational fishing is having an observable impact on local ecosystems. As one may imagine, the removal of sharks from the ocean through industrial-scale shark fishing and shark finning has a significant negative impact on overall ocean health. “Global ocean health” is difficult to get our heads around. What’s not so difficult to grasp is the over-fishing and de- finning of sharks. Finning significantly contributes to the demise of sharks, and the practice is cruel. When sharks are de-finned they are caught, stripped of their fins and the still living sharks are thrown overboard.

Once back in the ocean sharks suffer death by predation, suffocation, or blood loss. Verified global data on shark finning is not available, but shark specialists estimate anywhere from thirty-eight to seventy-two million sharks are caught and stripped of their fins every year. The market for shark fin is exploding, driven by demand for shark fin soup.

By one estimate, 1.7million metric tons of shark fin are harvested each year, with a potential market valuation of over $37 billion.2 Bottom line: shark finning, over-fishing, and the growing use of shark by-products as nutritional supplements all threaten the extinction of sharks. The demand for shark fin soup is throwing the delicate web of life in the ocean out of balance.

While the vastness of the ocean may cloud our comprehension, the bioethics of the de-finning millions of sharks a year are tragically clear. Industrial scale shark finning is largely a result of consumption of shark fin in Asian markets, and the consumption there is largely driven by cultural habit. In Asia, shark fin soup is a cultural delicacy served to honored guests at weddings, upscale parties, or business meetings. It is possible to pay upwards of $100 dollars a bowl in top restaurants.3

To put this into perspective, if Martha’s Vineyard were an island off the coast of China, we would likely have bins of dried shark fins at our fish markets, cans of shark fin soup at our stores. We might buy shark fin for important occasions, and likely the annual shark tournament would supply fresh shark fin to our upscale restaurants. In effect, we would be culturally habituated to buy and consume shark fin soup, and thereby would help drive the extinction of the ocean’s top predators.

Consumer demand for shark fin soup is not only driven by culture, it’s also generational. Older generations in Asian populations have a strong desire for shark fin soup. Wendy Benchley, conservationist, Shark Savers board member and widow of Jaws author Peter Benchley, says education works to alter behavior. Once younger generations are told of the process and negative environmental impacts of shark finning they are more than willing to adjust their traditions.

Many of the younger Asians are taking constructive action against shark fin soup by pledging not to eat it, petitioning against it, and encouraging restaurants to take the dish off of their menus. These changes in individual behavior through education have been taken even further in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. Once an exporter of shark fins, Kiribati has recently created a marine reserve the size of California to protect sharks and other species from overfishing.4

The reserve contributes to the island’s economy as a tourist attraction. Understanding the importance of a healthy ocean ecosystem, Kiribati has found a way to preserve shark habitat and reduce the demand for shark fin while boosting their economy. In support of focused, targeted education and regulation there are measured, scientific responses to finning, and local and global efforts underway to increase understanding and heighten awareness of the importance of sharks.

Local shark specialists like Greg Skomal are working to lessen the effects of this trade through research. Skomal, a marine biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, monitors shark populations off the coast of Massachusetts. The data he gathers about sharks is used to project the impact our current fishing methods will have on the shark population. These projections form the basis for regulations for sustainable fishing. Skomal’s approach calls for research-based regulations that protect sharks on an international level without creating outright bans on shark fishing. This idea of balance is vital.

As Wendy Benchley points out, it is important to highlight both the beauty and degradation of the ocean. The desire to preserve our waters and to also protect them from further damage inspires action. Similarly, the same tall tales that cause many to fear sharks can drive others to investigate the fascinatingly powerful animal, and can lead to important behavioral research that contributes to shark conservation. The dissemination of unsettling images of marine destruction can move people beyond the old media image of shark as monster and can provide a sensitive and effective model for change.

These sentient creatures aren’t monsters; they a part of the web of life, and as part of that web ourselves we have an environmental connection to these animals. Research, education and familiarization reinforce an appreciation of the ecological importance of healthy shark populations They also can eliminate the myth of the fin and help us understand and embrace the intricacies of the life of sharks.

1. “Recreational Fishing is Causing the Collapse of Cape Cod’s Salt Marsh Ecosystems.” June, 2011.Web. http://scitechdaily.com/recreational-fishing-causing-the-collapse-of-cape-cods-salt-marsh-ecosystems/.

2. “Quantifying the Shark Fin Market: A Perspective on Wiping Out a Species.” September, 23rd, 2011. Web. http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/quantifying-shark-fin-market- perspective-wiping-species/.

3. “new Estimates of the Shark-Fin Trade.” Science news, June 2011. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/7907/title/Food_for_Thought__new_Estimates_of_the_Shark- Fin_Trade

Big Picture Corruption at the Heart of America Lawrence Lessig:...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 12:23:00 -0400

Big Picture

Corruption at the Heart of America

Lawrence Lessig: What To Do About It

There is a corruption at the heart of American politics, caused by the dependence of Congressional candidates on funding from the tiniest percentage of citizens. That’s the argument at the core of this blistering talk by legal scholar Lawrence Lessig. With rapid-fire visuals, he shows how the funding process weakens the Republic in the most fundamental way, and issues a rallying bipartisan cry that will resonate with many in the U.S. and beyond.

Local Arts Vineyard Haven Named American...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:42:00 -0400

Local Arts

Vineyard Haven Named American ArtPlace

America’s Top Small Town Artplaces

Nancy Gardella, executive director of Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, today announced that the Island town of Vineyard Haven was named one of America’s twelve Small-Town ArtPlaces for 2013. This distinction is reserved specifically for small towns with the highest concentrations of arts non-profits, core arts-oriented businesses and workers in creative occupations among smaller towns in America, according to data analyzed by Impresa, Inc., a Portland-based firm specializing in the study of regional economies. Vineyard Haven is one of Martha’s Vineyard’s six towns and the Island’s primary port.

Earlier this year, ArtPlace announced America’s Top Twelve ArtPlaces in major metropolitan areas. ArtPlace felt it equally important to recognize and celebrate dynamic Small-Town ArtPlaces and the unique qualities that make them well worth the journey to explore and enjoy.

“This designation is evidence to Martha’s Vineyard’s commitment to honor and encourage the arts in all their expressions,” said Gardella.

“Many arts movements have thrived since the inception of Arts Martha’s Vineyard, a collaboration of arts, culture and business, including participation in the Fall for the Arts, Creative Economy Speaker Series, Art Island and other aesthetic initiatives to keep Martha’s Vineyard “top of mind” in New England and beyond as a stand-alone arts destination.” said Ann Smith, president of Arts Martha’s Vineyard and director at Featherstone Center for the Arts. “For example, the Island’s ArtsApp Martha’s Vineyard is the best way to create one’s own arts trail and find Vineyard artists, craftspeople, galleries, museums, art centers, theaters, and concerts.”

ArtPlace is a collaboration of leading national and regional foundations, banks, and federal agencies committed to accelerating creative place-making—putting the arts at the heart of a portfolio of strategies designed to revitalize communities.

Selection Methodology: The 2013 Top Twelve Small-Town ArtPlaces comprise arts-centric communities in single-town zip codes in non-metropolitan areas and metropolitan areas with a population of 100,000 or less. The selection was based on three factors identified by Impresa Inc. The factors were the per capita numbers of: arts-related non-profits; arts-related businesses; and people working in creative occupations. The scores were normalized on a percentile scale (100 being the highest score and zero the lowest) and multiplied. The towns selected had the highest scores in the country. The 2013 selections are:

Eureka Springs, AR
Crested Butte, CO
Ketchum, ID
Vineyard Haven, MA
Boothbay Harbor, ME
Lanesboro, MN
Highlands, NC
Taos, NM
Marfa, TX
Stowe, VT
Eastsound, WA
Sarasota, WY

Big Picture-show It’s What We Make You make something from...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:15:00 -0400

Big Picture-show

It’s What We Make

You make something from things that have happened and from things that…

kateoplis:

“You make something from things that have happened and from things that exist and from all things that you know and all those you cannot know, and you make something through your invention that is truer than anything true and alive, and if you make it well enough, you give it immortality.”

—Ernest Hemingway

Big Picture Connecting, Asking, Giving — Amanda Palmer Reveals a...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 13:05:00 -0500

Big Picture

Connecting, Asking, Giving

— Amanda Palmer Reveals a Way

This is unusual, in that the leader of the Dresden Dolls (mix of Punk and Cabaret Music) reveals as much about giving and receiving as do doctors, or shaman, or hospice workers. — A little bit of transformation today.

Advertisement Seaworthy Gallery 34 Beach RoadVineyard Haven, MA...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:34:00 -0500

Seaworthy Gallery

34 Beach Road
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
508-693-0153

[SITE] [MAP]

From Seaworthy Gallery:

“… beyond design and location, the real draw to the Seaworthy Gallery is of course the artwork on display. [Jeff] Serusa is a photographer who uses an 8-by-10 large format camera to produce images from long exposures that go beyond the ordinary confines of nautical art. He prints his photographs with large, wide-format printers onto either colorfast watercolor paper imported from Germany or on archival quality canvas, and he frames them himself. The result is a body of work that is iconic, masculine and direct, and, as art, very reasonably priced considering the time and work that has gone into construction…” – by Cooper Davis, Vineyard Gazette, Friday, November 21, 2008

Visual Art Present Pending Artist: Jeanne Staples Present...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 08:05:00 -0500

"Waiting", 50"x36", oil on linen In "Waiting" we see the possible source of the distraction, a boy who seems to be lurking just outside.

Solitaire, 50"x72", oil on linen, (in the collection of the Martha's Vineyard Hospital)

Deep Winter, 20"x34", oil on canvas

Visual Art

Present Pending

Artist: Jeanne Staples

Present Pending Series

The paintings in the “Present Pending” series represent a single moment in time shown from multiple perspectives. Each painting connects to all the others by visual cues contained in each piece. The paintings work independently, but also function collectively to create a single narrative. They are designed to be exhibited together in a free-standing installation, with each piece physically arranged to correspond with the position of the characters depicted in the collective scene. This physical arrangement further teases out the relationships among the figures. The complete series has 12 principal paintings, and a mutoscope, a type of mechanized flip book with 24 small sequential paintings. The movie-like movement of the mutoscope is a counterpoint to the fixed moment depicted in the paintings, and invites viewer interaction.

Big Picture U.S. Gun Murders in 2010 Via: periscopic.com 58%...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:32:00 -0500

Big Picture

U.S. Gun Murders in 2010

Via: periscopic.com

58% Percent of Gun Murders in 2010 Were 30 or Younger

In 2010, 5,597 people (58% of murder victims) were killed at or before the age of 30. The average American lives to the age of 78, so that’s at least 48 years of life un-lived by the average gun victim. 1,091 people (11%) were killed at or under the age of 18—not even adults. Killed before such milestones as marriage, children, grandchildren, or a career, 58% of the people murdered with a gun had barely begun to live their lives.

Big Picture, Local Tale Ahab’s Gold Doubloon Big (local)...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:02:00 -0500

Big Picture, Local Tale

Ahab’s Gold Doubloon

Big (local) capital at the onset of the industrial revolution (whaling) and now, here, at the transition to the (local) social one.

via: kiameku:

Jorge Méndez Blake
Whosoever of ye Raises me a White-headed Whale
2004
silver, troy ounce, nail
4 x 4 x 2 cm

Big Picture Art and Transformed Land Xinjiang, Uyghur,...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:05:00 -0500

Big Picture

Art and Transformed Land

Xinjiang, Uyghur, China

Lisa Ross’s Book “Living Shrines of Uyghur, China”

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is China’s largest province. It came under Chinese rule in 1949. With few exceptions, artists and foreign researchers have been denied meaningful access to the rural areas in Xinjiang. Ross’s close working relationships with a Uyghur anthropologist and a French historian focusing on Central Asian Islam have guided her more than eight-year exploration in the region. The extensive body of work from which this exhibition draws is rare in that it captures a time and place that is rapidly modernizing and transforming, as Xinjiang is now China’s largest source of untapped natural gas, oil, and minerals.

Neurobiology Love and Meshing Barbara Fredrickson Via Maria...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:17:00 -0500

Neurobiology

Love and Meshing

Barbara Fredrickson

Via Maria Popova & BrainPickings

The neurobiology of how the warmest emotion blurs the boundaries by you and not-you.

[Barbara] Fredrickson zooms in on three key neurobiological players in the game of love — your brain, your levels of the hormone oxytocin, and your vagus nerve, which connects your brain to the rest of your body — and examines their interplay as the core mechanism of love, summing up:

Love is a momentary upwelling of three tightly interwoven events: first, a sharing of one or more positive emotions between you and another; second, a synchrony between your and the other person’s biochemistry and behaviors; and third, a reflected motive to invest in each other’s well-being that brings mutual care.

"We now know that memories are not fixed or frozen, like Proust’s jars of preserves in a larder, but..."

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:42:00 -0500

“We now know that memories are not fixed or frozen, like Proust’s jars of preserves in a larder, but are transformed, disassembled, reassembled, and recategorized with every act of recollection.”

- Mental Landscape

Memory is Mutable

Oliver Sacks via Brain Pickings
(via explore-blog)

In his recent New York Review of Books essay, legendary neurologist Oliver Sacks tackles precisely that, exposing the remarkable mechanisms by which we fabricate our memories, involuntarily blurring the line between the experienced and the assimilated:

It is startling to realize that some of our most cherished memories may never have happened — or may have happened to someone else. I suspect that many of my enthusiasms and impulses, which seem entirely my own, have arisen from others’ suggestions, which have powerfully influenced me, consciously or unconsciously, and then been forgotten.

Big Picture Art-Dotting the Landscape Self-Propelled, Solar...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 10:57:00 -0500

Marcel Grosse: Link to Liberty

Marcel Grosse: Link to Liberty

Big Picture

Art-Dotting the Landscape

Self-Propelled, Solar Rowboat.

from Marcel Große

“Link to Liberty”, europallet, solar cell, motor, paddle, 2010/2011 (realization 2011 on headland sculpture on the gulf Auckland/NZ)

Link: [ http://www.klasse-bury.de/grosse.html ]

Big Picture Masks & Masquerades from Deconcrete.org In...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 10:21:00 -0500

Phyllis Galembo: Gwarama Masquerade, Yegueresso-Village, Burkina Faso, 2006

Phyllis Gelembo: West African Masquerade

Phyllis Galembo: West African Masquerade — Atam Masquerader, Alok Village, Nigeria, 2004

Big Picture

Masks & Masquerades

from Deconcrete.org

In Maske photo essay, Phyllis Galembo provides a visual platform to enter everyday African life through the politics behind masquerades. There are many functions of masking nowadays: planting and harvesting (Chi Wara masks, Bamana people); juridical functions (Glewa masks, Dan people); boyhood initiation rites, memorials after their owners’ deaths (Lukwakongo masks, Lega people); fostering gender and social harmony (Yoruba people).

But they also function as a way of protest in contemporary culture. In some cases, masks have been used as a means of complaint against enriched citizens abusing of power, oppressed people sending the most terrifying masks to their homes. As Okeke-Agulu describes it: “masks as agents of law enforcement and coercion”. In patriarchal communities, female masqueraders take the chance to reveal against imposed hierarchies through their costumes.

Link: [ http://www.deconcrete.org/2011/08/30/juridical-masks/ ]

Big Picture Art Festival Everywhere from TED — David...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 09:26:00 -0500

Big Picture

Art Festival Everywhere

from TED — David Binder

What is the aperture, idea, muse that reveals the artist in all of us? This helps inspire an answer. It does inspire a reflection: the imagination of our place is here and always bubbly.

Twenty-first-century arts festivals] ask the audience to be a player, a protagonist, a partner, rather than a passive spectator.” (David Binder)

Graphic Design Farm to School | Island...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:16:00 -0500

Graphic Design

Farm to School | Island Grown

www.hayesdesignstudios.com

hayesdesignstudios:

January poster of the monthly Farm to School Campaign on Martha’s Vineyard spearhead by the Island Grown Schools organization. Designed by HDS with illustrations by local artist Ashley Chase.

www.islandgrown.org/harvestofthemonth www.hayesdesignstudios.com

Reblog from: hayesdesignstudios: I never get sick of taking...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:08:00 -0500

Reblog from:

hayesdesignstudios:

I never get sick of taking shots of the island while I drive to and from meetings. I hope you don’t get sick of seeing them. #hayesdesignstudios #marthasvineyardliving

Sculpture Ganesha — by Tim Laursen Tim Laursen – Site Ganesha...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 07:01:00 -0500

Sculpture

Ganesha — by Tim Laursen

Tim Laursen – Site

Ganesha is my most recently completed sculpture. He is made of metal, wood, fur, skulls, wires, and a slide projector. The skulls come from pigs that my friend and I use for our BBQ business. It took me about 300 hours to complete this one. My estimate for the materials is around $2,000. I have already made that back with a few performance fee’s and now we’re saving money for the next build.

Although I have not written the music for my upcoming live performances, (because I have to build the rest of the robots before they can be programmed) I believe Ganesha will play a part in it. He is the bringer of new beginnings and a really fun guy at parties!