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Like most everyone in America, I’ve spent a good bit of the holiday weekend watching the Tiger Woods trainwreck unfold in slow motion in front of the world. I was watching the Auburn-Alabama game while surfing online when I first saw tweets about it. Oddly, I have frequently worried about Tiger’s safety — not fearful that he would do himself in via a car wreck, but rather more worried about some whack job going after him for racial reasons, much as I have the same worry about Barack Obama.
So when the first news broke and it talked of Tiger’s condition being “serious” … there was a sense of deja vu and real fear for his safety. I thought of Ben Hogan’s famous automobile accident which almost ended his career (something I know about historically, not old enough to remember). I thought of Princess Diana. I was worried. Ir realized how much we take his incredible talent–and the blessing of being able to watch him–for granted. I thought about his quest for 18 majors — he’s at 14 now — and how we all assume it will happen, yet of course life can intervene.
Within a couple of hours it was clear that Tiger was not in a life-threatening circumstance. He had been “treated and released”. Okay. Good news as far as it goes.
But then — I suspect like millions of others — I began to think about exactly what had happened …. and why. Why was he leaving at 2:25 am on Black Friday in such a hurry that he hit a hydrant and a tree? What’s that about? I had vaguely heard about he Enquirer story about him having a mistress….the timing seemed curious.
And then came the news that Elin got him out of the car by breaking both back windows with a golf club. Immediately the questions started forming in my mind about what had really happened. More details emerged — he was bleeding from the mouth and lips, not head. Some reports said no blood on the steering wheel. I found myself drawn into the speculation and indeed found myself generally subscribing to the view that what really happened was a marital dispute sparked by the Enquirer story; Elin busted him in the mouth; Tiger retreated; she chased him with a golf club; he lost control of the car; and the wreck happened. But even as I started imagining this — I also began to wonder about whether or not I or anyone really has a right to delve too deeply into this. I mean, if there was really a question of domestic abuse I guess it’s an issue of public concern but is that really what’s going on. (What if it had been Elin who was accused of having a boyfriend; and Elin who crashed the car and came up bleeding from the mouth; and Tiger who was found in the street with golf club in hand, two windows smashed…..how would that read?) I started wondering about a double standard, first of all in the sense of how Tiger as a celebrity would suddenly be subject to scrutiny none of the rest of us would face; and secondly how Tiger as a male “victim” (possibly) of domestic abuse would not be given the same “shelter” as would be the case if the roles were reversed. Gender discrimination? Maybe.
Today the 911 tape came out and it was intriguing– and up until now I haven’t heard anyone do the kind of detailed listening analysis that I tried to do. By now anyone reading this has probably read the transcript. The thing is, the transcript doesn’t really capture the interesting part of the tape, which is what can be heard from third parties — plus what the neighbor caller doesn’t say. First of all, he never names Tiger and he never mentions Elin or anyone other than Tiger although at one point he responds to the question “are they in the car” with “no, they’re on the street.” Does that refer to there being someone other than Tiger? Does it refer to Elin? Or does the caller just say “they” to match the way the question was phrased?
And there is a voice on the tape — not the older woman who shouts “What happened?”, but a quieter, younger voice sayhing “….hit a tree” which is murmured in the background. Sounded to me like it could be Elin. It was chilling, and no one is talking about it or even acknowledging it as they write about it. Listen to the tape — you can hear it.
But then I ask myself — why am I doing this? Why am I spending my time listening to the tape as if I’m some kind of detective trying to figure out what happened? Is that an intrusion into Tiger’s privacy?
And then came the news that Tiger has pretty definitively said “no” to an interview with the Highway Patrol, and at the same time has taken responsibility not just for the crash. Listen to his words. “This situation is my fault.” I find myself thinking that the choice of words is significant. No denial of the affair. No threat of lawsuit even though he has a history of bringing suit to protect his privacy. And the use of the words “This situation”……
Again …. why am I parsing this? Why can’t I leave him alone? He’s in agony and so is Elin. Why not just let this be a private matter?
Through the afternoon on Sunday I do a little browsing and see a growing number of experts and pundits calling on Tiger to come clean. PR experts are saying that the smart thing to do is own up to it — whatever “it” is — and move on. They point out that even in a worst case scenario in which Tiger is guilty of having a mistress and Elin is chasing him with a golf club, he had the good judgment to try and get out of harms way, rather than engaging in a dust-up with Elin. I mean, who can blame him for trying to escape…and who can blame Elin for losing it faced with the allegations in the Enquirer story. It’s totally understandable that they would have a “marital moment”, and people would generally be willing to let go of it all if he would just step up, admit whtaever needs to be admitted, then claim privacy and tell everyone to bug off. People would do that — they would leave him alone — and he would recover eventually, much as Kobe Bryant has.
But are they right? Or are Tiger’s advisors right — the ones who are telling him that he can just keep this private, that he doesn’t “owe” anyone an explanation, that his celebrity does not mean that he automatically forfeits all his rights to privacy that the rest of us enjoy?
In a way, I guess it depends on whether Tiger considers himself to be a person — in which case he can claim privacy — or a “brand” — because there is not doubt that the Tiger Woods “brand” is being damaged by this and all the smart PR people are giving advice on the the premise that the goal is to protect the “brand”. But Tiger may be beyond that. He’s made more money than he can spend. If his silence costs him 20 or 30 or $100m in endorsements, maybe it’s worth it to him in a way that the PR experts find hard to fathom.
And so I find myself still wondering…..are we right to demand an explanation? Or should we just let go and leave Tiger and Elin to sort out their private life?
I’m still wondering about it.
It’s hard to believe it’s 20 years ago today that the Berlin Wall fell.
I had the curious opportunity to view it from a Hotel Suite in the Four Seasons in Washington, D C, where I was in my 10th year of “peculiar service” as a CIA officer. I’d served previously in Warsaw and Moscow during the height of the cold war, but on November 9, 1989 I was in Washington with the Philippine delegation accompanying then president Corazon Aquino on her state visit to the US — the one in which members of Congress wore yellow Cory buttons as she gave a speech to a joint session of Congress.
I had spent most of the previous ten years playing the “spy vs spy” chess game that characterized the cold war. I was a Soviet affairs specialist; my two assignments in Eastern Europe — Warsaw and Moscow — had given me a chance to exeperience not just life in the Soviet Bloc, but life under the 24/7 scrutiny of the security services in the Soviet Bloc. I had worked with Soviet and Polish agents who risked everything to work with us; more than one had died as a result of his willingness to work for something that I honestly believe neither they nor I really expected would happen – the end of the Soviet regime and its satellite’s in Eastern Europe.
I had landed in the Philippines in September 1986, five months after Aquino had been swept to power by a “People Power” revolution in which millions of Filipinos came out into the streets and tested the will of the military who ultimately refused to follow commands to engage ‘the people”. Result: Marcos fled and Aquino (who had won the election anyway — fraud had taken it from her).
It was the Filipino revolution, and the images flashed across the world of soldiers refusing to fire on their countrymen, that Filipinos with some justification believe inspired the subsequent Velvet Revolution in Czechoslavakia, and eventually the fall of the Berlin Wall. Surely before the Philippine event, the idea that the sheer will of he people could defy a dictator and win the hearts of the military and security apparatus was an idea that, at least in my experience, didn’t really exist. After March 1986, that idea did exist, and it played a role in emboldening those in Eastern Europe to pursue the path that ultimately led to the end of the Soviet Bloc.
On the night the wall came down, I was watching it with Aquino’s speechwriter who was struggling to find a way to construct Aquino’s toast at the State Dinner that night in such a way as to remind of the role of the Philippines in inspiring the incredible events unfolding before us — without seeming to take too much credit. My pal was writing, I was watching CNN, a bottle of rather good scotch was emptying, and I may even have contributed a line or two to the toast.
Meanwhile — as we recognize and celebrate the demise of the wall, I’d also like us to remember what had happened in the Philippines three short years before, events that truly changed the world and set the stage for the end of Soviet Communism.
TV Guide today is reporting that the Vampire Diaries Premiere last night on CW
“became the most watched series premiere in network history”, with 4.8M viewers.
This is VERY good news for us because BTB’s Paul Wesley stars in the series and such a strong premiere clearly means the show is destined to be on the air for quite awhile. To give you a concrete indication — Paul’s IMDB “Starmeter:” rating was 5,800 when we cast him in BTB; it now stands at 848 (meaning out of everyone in Hollywood, he’s cracked the top 1000. And last night, during and after the premiere, I was surfing the message boards at IMDB, CW, and elsewhere — and there were lots of posts along the lines of “who’s the actor playing Stephan….he’s HOT”, etc — so we’re expecting upward movement in the coming weeks and months.
In setting up BTB, we consciously wanted to make sure the film had an up and coming “hottie” (sorry, I cringe writing the word, but you get it) to play the role of Craig — who is Alyssa’s first love interest, etc. And now we’re able to be pretty sure we made a good choice. (We always knew Paul was great in terms of ability….this is about marketability, though.)
Here’s a screen grab of the starmeter list showing who Paul’s neighbors are at his current level. Not bad company to be in for a young actor on the way up. Congrats, Paul.
A couple of weeks ago I posted “Great News From Taiji” from Ric O’Barry at my other blogsite — dolphinbuzz.wordpress.com–but neglected to post it here. It’s worth a read — Ric O’Barry is the now world famous dolphin trainer turned dolphin activist who is at the center of The Cove — the documentary about the Taiji, Japan dolphin slaughter that has generated quite a buzz. In that report, Ric was letting us know that when he arrived for the opening day of the dolphin slaughter on 1 September, it didn’t happen — in large part because for the first time in history the Japanese Press was there to cover it.
Today there’s a new update, not quite as optimistic — and not surprising. Here it is. WARNING: There’s a pretty sad and graphic photo at the end of this.
REPRINTED FROM ECOWORLDLY
by Daniel Hohler
Last Tuesday, EcoWorldly Staff Writer Bryan Nelson wrote an article on the suspension of dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. The suspension came off of Japanese local media swarming on Taiji, after the award winning documentary film “The Cove” put the spotlight on the small Japanese village that slaughters thousands of dolphins every year.
Ric O’Barry, the dolphin trainer and activist who brought the location to the attention of filmmakers, returned to the site of the slaughter this week, just as the annual “hunt” would normally begin. However, this time with all of the media attention, no dolphins were killed in the first 2 days of the season.
“It has been an exciting morning and the people here are very hostile, but as long as this goes on and we keep the pressure on, they cannot hunt the dolphins.” -Ric O’Barry
Sadly, O’Barry admits solemnly, this is only temporary. O’Barry keeping a watchful eye on the dolphin fishermen, has managed to disrupt the first two days of the annual dolphin hunt in the Japanese town of Taiji, but accepts that as soon as he leaves the fishermen will resume the killing.
“It’s very expensive for me be here and I can’t stay for the whole six months of the season”-Ric O’Barry
According to the Japan Fisheries Agency, around 20,000 dolphins will be killed all around Japan this season. The documentary revealed that dolphin meat is often sold illegally to the Japanese school system, and that school children often have no idea that what they are eating is dolphin meat. Dolphin meat has been shown to have high levels of mercury, which can be a huge problem for developing children.
On the coast of Japan, fishermen set out in dozens of boats and chase down a pod of dolphins. They then surround the pod with their boats, and create loud noises with metal poles, to frighten the dolphins into a net at the mouth of the bay. They leave for the day as the dolphins struggle within the nets frantically. The fishermen come back the next day to find “worthy” specimens. Fishermen tie a rope around the dolphins tail fin, and literally drag the dolphins to the coast for slaughter. The crystal blue ocean water turns crimson with the blood of the dolphins, as their necks are slit one by one and thrown onto an awaiting boat.
Dolphin fishermen will not just give up easily because of a little media attention, as each dolphin sold for meat will net them around $500 apiece. Each dolphin that they believed can be trained for aquariums can net them $150,000.
O’Barry is only staying in town for a week, and has already encountered angry locals at what they perceive to be interference in their industry. On Tuesday morning, as he tried to enter a grocery store, the head of the fishing union blocked the door and refused to allow him to buy any food. As soon as O’Barry leaves Taiji, media attention will wane, and the dolphin slaughter will continue.
The film “The Cove” has gone a long way in raising awareness. You can check to see if their are any screenings of the film in your area here. Spread the word. If enough people around the world know about what is happening in Taiji, O’Barry will no longer be the lone voice of protest that stands between the dolphins and those that wish to slaughter them.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk, The Cove
Image Credit: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
We’ve just put up an important announcement to investors and partners at a private blogsite. If you are an investor or partner, please send your request for the blogsite and password to sellers.michael@mac.com. Thanks!
If you only see one movie this holiday season, go see “Slumdog Millionaire”. This is one for the ages, a film that on the one hand taps into deeply familiar, satisfying story patterns (a humble man’s relentless quest for his lost love; a Dickensian commentary on social mobility, or lack thereof; even a “will she get away” suspense story), but on the other hand treats them with freshness, dressing it all up in a colorful, multi-layered, incredibly textured virtuouso example of cinematic razzle dazzle — none of it gratuitous, all in the service of a great story with fascinating multi-layered characters. If it sounds like I’m in love with this film — I am. It’s the first film I’ve seen in many years that made me want to go out and buy another ticket and watch it a second time immediately. Director Danny Boyle (Transpotting, 28 Days Later) has created something that special. It’s already started raking in awards — is nominated for 5 Golden Globes and won “Best Picture” from the National Board of Review. Watch for it to be an Oscar Best Picture dark horse pic, with Danny Boyle a lock for a Best Director nomination.
The story opens with 19 year old Jamal Malik (an excellent Dev Patel in a debut roll) being tortured by Indian police officials who believe that this quiet young boy fromt he slums (the “Slumdog” of the title) must have cheated to have advanced all the way to the final question of the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. The police can’t believe that Jamal could possibly have answered all the questions without cheating, and they are determined to use the overnight break prior to the show resuming for the final question to wring a confession out of him. But instead of confessing, Jamal steadfastly claims his innocence and for each question, has an explanation drawn from an extraordinary life journey that, we learn, began when his mother was killed before his eyes by an anti-Muslim mob that attacked Jamal’s Bombay shanty slum, leaving Jamal and his brother to fend for themselves. 
We come to learn that Jamal — who is now working as a “chai wallah” serving tea to the workers in a massive call center — has become a contestant on “Millionaire” because the love of his life — Latika, played by the extraordinary newcomer Freida Pinto — loves the show and might see it. We learn that Latika is Jamal’s childhood sweetheart, herself an orphan from the slums, who is separated from Jamal by fate and social stratification — and in true (but fresh and unique) fairy tale fashion, Jamal’s final question appearance on Millionare will bring about a final resolution of his quest.
As a production endeavor, Slumdog is epic and intimate all at once. Danny Boyle has bravely gone into the deepest slums of Mumbai armed with tiny digital cameras whose footage cuts seamlessly with the 35mm film cameras used for the more controlled scenes. As viewers we are gripped by Jamal’s tale from the first moments of the film, and are not released from it until the end credits begin to roll and even then we’re captivated by an unexpected, yet totally exhilirating Bollywood style musical number that gives new meaning to the old axe that the ending should be “inevitable but unexpected”.
Most importantly — this being the season when we want to believe we are connected to one another, and want to feel affirmation of that whether it’s in gatherings with friends or encountering carolers on the street (and I encountered some just after coming out of the movie…couldn’t help but feel it was connected in some way) … this is a movie that provides the kind of uplift and connectivity that we all want and need — perhaps moreso this year than others. A word of warning before you take the kids: It’s a film that’s largely about children, but it’s rated R (I think PG 13 would have been sufficient) and includes some tough scenes, including the torture of Jamal by the Indian police, and the murder of a character by a gun-wielding 14 year old, Jamal’s brother. But do go see it. You won’t regret it.
Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionare
Here is a written version of a recent briefing on WeEarth we provided to some visiting investors. It covers the history of the project, it’s current status, and plans going forward.
Initial Planning: Oct 2007 thru Jan 2008
This was the initial phase where we knew we wanted to establish an environmentally themed web presence, but had many, many decisions to make. What would be the name of the site? What would be the features? The unique selling proposition? What would make it different, and “sticky”? During this phase we came up with and bought (at auction) the name WeEarth.com after testing the name thoroughly to ensure that it really has the potential we think it has. We decided on a model that has a unique blend of three elements: social network, social e-commerce, and information portal. And we committed to use the name “WeEarth”, which we tested in various ways and were convinced can become a great brand if we roll it out effectively.
Graphic Design: March 2008
During this phase we worked out the graphic look of the site — essentially creating a “dummy” of how we would like it to look and what we would like it to do. We worked with various consultants and designers, but our key team was the group from Stir Communications. By the end of this phase we had worked out our ‘look’ and basic functionality. Also, during this period in order to get a jump on the editorial aspect — articles and blogging — we operated a temporary blogsite that gave us the opportunity to get those systems up and running.
Website Development/Coding: April-June 2008 (and continuing during test phase)
During this phase we hired the design team to actually put together the working site based on the design created in March. By the end of April we had put an initial version of the site on the web … so at that point we “went live” on the web but it is very important to understand the difference between “going live” on the web and the actual “launch”, which comes much later. “Going live” means that the site exists on the internet and users can go there. But you intentionally do NOT heavily market the site because it is a “site-in-development”.
Beta Testing: July 2008 – early 2009
This phase can last up to a year (or in some cases 2), depending on the project. This is the phase we are in now. “Testing” means that with many (but not all) of the functions deployed, the site is “live” on the net and users are going to the site, using it, and providing feedback which is transmitted to management and the design team. Functionality of the site is revised and upgraded. Some features that are popular are improved ; other features that are not so popular or are problematic are dropped. The goal in this period is to refine the site and its functions to the point that we are confident that upon its actual launch, we will have a site that will attract substantial numbers of users and retain those users. We are targeting Q1 2009 for the completion of Beta Testing and actual commercial launch. One of the positive things to note is that even at this Beta testing stage, WeEarth has become established as a credible “brand” for environmentally themed news, and our articles are now receiving prominent “google search” placement which means we are definitely ‘on the map’, plus our e-commerce module is generating sales income (modest to be sure). But the goal of this phase is to “work the bugs out”, discovering what works best, what seems fresh and new and attractie to users. During the Beta Testing phase there has been a modest degree of revenue from e-commerce sales. Additionally, during this phase we have established relationships with more than 300 environmentally sound product suppliers. We have gotten the e-commerce functionality to the point where we know it works well — but we are constantly trying to make it work better, and to add more “social e-commerce” functionality to it. (“Social e-commerce” means making it possible for buyers to not only buy, but to rate products, to “tag” products and writeups so that they will be picked up by search engines and bloggers, and in general to create ways for the “viral” potential to take place.) Also during this phase we have been continually working to improve the social network capability, finding ways differentiate WeEarth from other social networks.
Official Launch: March 2009
When the “Official Launch” takes place, it means that we are satisfied with the functionality and marketability of the site and are ready to “put it out there” with marketing dollars designed to create wide awareness and attract large numbers of users. It is very important that we are “ready for prime time” when we do this because the site will be under much greater stress in terms of users, and it will be evaluated both formally and informally by people who can make or break the reputation of the site. If we get a good buzz going, the sky is the limit. If we don’t, the opposite can happen (although the good news is that there are second chances and with a terrific name like WeEarth there are a number of directions we can go). It is at this phase that the enterprise is really “open for business”, with operating costs (instead of development investment, which is what we have now).
Remainder of 2009: Operational Phase 1
During operational phase 1 the goal is to gather users, building up traffic to the site so that by the end of the year we have enough traffic (goal of 1 million unique visitors per month) to begin seeing meaningful advertising revenue, and so that the e-commerce sales can grow to become a substantial contributor to the bottom line. We will see operating costs that substantially exceed revenues but this is absolutely the norm even for the most successful websites. The key is — get the traffic, get the users, and keep building.
Folks — I’m currently blogging at the following blogsites:
Pls check out those site for up-to-date blog posts! Thanks.
I came across an interesting article in the LA times about the Navy releasing a Marine Mammal impact report. This is significant to us because we will be depicting a Naval officer talking about the impact of sonar on marine mammals in our movie “Way of the Dolphin”, and this helps us be able to be sure we are being accurate. Here’s the major portion of the article:
After losing a series of lawsuits, the Navy for the first time today will release a massive study that examines the potential collateral damage to wildlife when training sailors to use sonar, drop bombs, fire missiles and help Marines storm beaches in Southern California.
The environmental impact statement, fatter than the Los Angeles phone book, comes after federal judges have repeatedly ruled that the Navy failed to do a proper assessment on how to protect whales and dolphins from sonar used to hunt submarines.
The document is likely to be challenged by the California Coastal Commission and environmental groups for failing to recommend adequate environmental safeguards, state officials and lawyers said.
The Navy has stuck with its own safeguards to avoid harming marine mammals, and has not adopted those imposed on this year’s exercises by federal judges, such as keeping sonar-emitting ships at least 12 nautical miles off the coast.
Marine mammals are particularly abundant in California coastal waters and include gray whales that migrate through the area twice each year.
by Michael D. Sellers
One event in my life I’ll never forget is when, while living in the Philippines in 1994, I got hold of the July 24, 1994 edition of Time Magazine. Here’s the cover: 
I still remember how, for me at least, the internet at that point was something I only kind of dimly understood. I was still faxing and hadn’t really made the transition, and didn’t fully understand it — but that edition of time opened my eyes and made it clear to me that the internet was going to change everything going forward, and I changed my own habits and ways of doing business accordingly.
So when I came across the current edition of Time entitled “10 Ideas That Are Changing the World — What’s Next 2008″ I settled in with the magazine to read it very carefully. And I was rewarded right away with Idea #1, “Common Wealth”, written by Jeffrey Sachs who is the head of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Keep in mind that the core thing I’ve been struggling with at WeEarth is how to make WeEarth be rooted in environmental awareness but also make it larger than that — make it be about how we are all connected. This has been a delicate balancing act and one that is not always easy to articulate. Sachs, in this article which Time is putting out there as the #1 Idea that is changing the world, says it for me better than I have been able to so far. This is very exciting.
