Bike Mechanic: 14. Local Deliveries #TuesdaySerial

#TuesdaySerial Guidelines

If you missed a previous chapter, you can find them archived here: Bike Mechanic Chapter Archive

14. Local Deliveries

Inez sat in the back of the van with the bikes. She had turned over a yellow milk crate and was using it as a set. She leaned with the van as it turned corners and slid a little when it came to a stop at traffic signals. “How much does delivery cost?”

“Gas, miles, and tip.”

“How many bikes do you deliver?”

“Not many. Most of my customers live around the area, just a few blocks from the shop, but I do get a few folks from as far away as St. Louis Park and Maple Grove.”

“How far’s that?”

“15 to 20 minutes.”

Inez looked at the tag hanging of an expensive looking road bike. “If you can afford a Delta 7 Ascend, why bring it to your shop?” Inez dropped the tag. “I mean…I don’t mean to…”

“No worries. You don’t know me, and I guess what you do know of me is practically ancient history.” Seward tried to adjust his rearview mirror so that he could see Inez in the back, but he couldn’t find the right angle. “There are very few people in the United States that can be trusted to work on a D7A, and I guess I’m one of them, or I guess I should say, I was one of them.”

“What do you mean, ‘was’?” Inez shifted on her box.

“I don’t think anyone followed us. You can come up front if you’d like.” Seward looked over the back of his seat. “We’re far enough south now.”

As Inez crawled into the passenger’s seat. She asked, “Where are we going? I thought that St. Louis Park was only a few minutes away.”

“We’re about a half-hour south on HWY 35.” Seward looked over at Inez. He thought she looked innocent, or was it her question that made her seem that way. “The D7A and the others back there,” Seward hitched his thumb over his shoulder, “represent your train ticket.”

Inez bucked her belt and put her feet on the dash. “But those bikes aren’t yours.”

“Oh, so now the hardened eco-terrorist is worried about the theft of a couple of road bikes.” Seward laughed.

“A couple of road bikes,” Inez sat up. “The D7A’s frame-set goes for what, 6K, and it looked like it has all the trim, so it must be worth at least 15K or 16K.”

“I’m impressed. You know your bikes.” Seward pulled out a map and tossed it into Inez’s lap. “Open that. Oh, and if you’re still wondering, there’s roughly 200K in the back, and I think that’s just in bikes that are built up.”

While Inez unfolded the map, she said, “If I had a D7A, I’d lojack it.”

“Well, actually the Delta 7 Ascend is traceable, but I know where the GPS chip is located, and I’ll take care of it soon. The owner won’t think to look for it for a few days. He is, well, I guess now, was a good friend.” Seward shook his head. He was starting truly to buy into Inez’s innocence. He could see that she had no idea that in order to help her. He had just given up his shop and his life in Minneapolis. He was now on the run as much or as more than Inez was.

Inez finished unfolding the map. “Okay, so now what?”

“So what do you think?”

“It looks like a map of Chile.”

Seward waited. He knew it would sink in, but she was taking her sweat time realizing just what running meant for her life. He wasn’t going to tell her the specifics just yet. In time, he might tell her his plan to meet Cooper in Louisiana, pick up forged documents, and take a pleasure cruise down and around the tip of South America before beginning a new life in exile. He knew that his bike repair skills would help him find work in Chile. Parts of Chile were used as an Olympic training ground for both winter and summer athletes because of its varied climates and altitudes. Seward new he’d come out on top, but he was beginning to worry about Inez.

“I don’t understand.” Inez turned the map over and over before folding it up again. “Why do we need a map of Chile?”

“Verá. Verá.” You’ll see, he thought.

GOOD Magazine: Water & Conservation & Drinking Water

Good Magazine

Photosynthesis by Biology @ TASIS - #SoullessNovelTime

Photosynthesis by Biology @ TASIS

View more presentations from cgales.

Dirt! The Movie (2009)

Dirt! The Movie

For Our 5th (13th) Anniversary

This year my wife beat me to it: 

read her For Our 5th (13th) Anniversary posted at midnight!

Today is our 5/13. Crazy! My wife and I have been been together for thirteen years. We've lived together through three moves, too many shit jobs, sickness, depression, deaths in the family, college, graduate school, you name it and we've survived it. Together, we have strength. 

However, our relationship is much more than trials and tribulations. We are artists together. We are movie goers together. We are walkers and adventurers together. We are eaters together. We are Mall-goers together. We are cat wranglers together. We fit together. We are meant for each other. No matter what is going on in our lives, she is the first person with whom I want to share my stories.

Right now, today, our 5/13, we are both excited to celebrate by taking a short jaunt to north to the St. Croix River Valley, but first, we are writers and artists. Jessica is about to head out the door to take begin a photo-essay to submit to Longshot Magazine while I finish breakfast before launching into #SoullessNovelTime. Then we get the mundane stuff out of the way. Yes, chores on our anniversary. We need food for next week, so we'll hit both the farmers market and The Wedge this morning. However, with Jessica at my side, chores - especially shopping for food - are the highlight of my week. They are moments in which we slow down and work together to better our home and lives. 

The saying goes, "couples who play together stay together." For Jessica and I it could also read, "couple who work together, stay together." We do both. We work and we play together. Jessica is the best wife and partner ever! 

I love you, Jessica. 

"Minnesota Gurls" Music Video

Original: Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg "California Gurls"  

Bike Mechanic: 13. Resolving Julie

#TuesdaySerial Guidelines

If you missed a previous chapter, you can find them archived here: Bike Mechanic Chapter Archive

13. Resolving Julie

“Dan, its Cooper.”

“I have a bike that needs to be delivered in the next couple of days. Do you think that you can help?”

“Destination?”

“Out of country. I was thinking somewhere south.” Seward sucked in and bit his lower lip. He hadn’t spoken with Cooper in years. Their last interaction had been cold, frigid really, and they had agreed to have nothing to do with each other ever again. However, by the way Cooper was going about business on the phone, Seward’s hopes were high that they would be able to workout their differences.

“Fanny Jones just went south, Chile, I think.”

“That’ll work.”

“Can you get the bike down river, or you needed me to pick it up?”

Seward looked at Inez sitting in the open side door of his delivery van. He hadn’t thought about passing Inez off to another in the railroad. Passing her off was the next logical step, which is how the railroad was supposed to work and keep the spooks guessing. However, he’d already forgone the test, and he’d already interacted with two federal agents. It seemed he was committed to one last adventure, and Seward knew it would be his last real chance to take part in something more subversive than the annual May Day Parade and festival put on by the “In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre,” a socialist parade that mocked capitalism and espoused extreme localism through dance and elaborate puppets in the style of Mardi Gras.

Seward puffed up his chest and said, “No, I’ll deliver.”

“How far?”

“The whole way.”

“Wow, man. She must be pretty special bike.”

“She is.”

“You ride her yet?”

“No.”

“Is there hope?”

Seward felt his jeans tighten. A little embarrassed, Seward turned away from Inez and the delivery van. “Look, can you help?”

“Sorry, man. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“What do you need from me?”

“I need pictures. On your way down, you’ll need to stop at, I don’t know, somewhere you can get headshots, like a Kinko’s.”

“That it?”

“Yeah, that’ll do it.”

“Cooper, just to warn you, this bike is hot, so if you want out, I’ll understand. I don’t want another misunderstanding between us.”

“Shit man, is that why you we haven’t spoken. We’ll I guess I could have called you too. What happened in Albuquerque is history, man.”

Seward let his shoulders slump and he leaned against the building. “Here I thought you still blamed me for Julie.”

“No, man. Listen. Julie was wildfire. It was only a matter of time before something happened to her. I’m just glad that we didn’t go down with her.”

“Okay, I have a few local deliveries before I can skip town. Will two days give you enough time?”

“Sure enough.”

“Okay. Two days.”

“Two days.”

Seward waited for Cooper to hang up, but he didn’t hear the line disconnect and the phone wasn’t giving him disconnected static or beeping. Seward wanted to chalk the strange silence up to a cheep phone before clicking the disconnect button, but he knew better.

Seward pulled himself off the wall and walked over to the delivery van. He looked down at Inez, and he asked, “You ready to go?”

Loot From #Mix2010

Business Casual

@9to5Poet and I had a lot of fun today in Nordeast, Minneapolis. We attended Mix of Minneapolis Indie Xpo at the Soap Factory. 

Damn budgets! We could have spent far more than we bought with us to the Xpo. However, we are not made of money. To tell the truth, we sacrificed our remodeling money to support a few independent comics today. Remodeling money earned by selling furniture and other things on Craigslist. 

I regret nothing! Here is a list of comics that we supported today:

I supported:

• Business Casual by Joe Combs - a comic and webcomic about the drudgery of office life, which I escaped about two years ago to teach. 
• Blank It by Aric McKeown and Lemuel Pew - a comic and webcomic adventure that claims to bring the kid out in anyone. I hope it brings the kid out in me. The art is wonderful and caught my eye right  away. 

and my favorite find of the day:

• The Stuff of Life: a Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz and illustrated by Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon - Featured on NPR, 30 Jan. 2009, the book is right up my alley combining science and narrative. I can wait to dive into it.

And those who I wanted to support but didn't have the cash to buy from today:

• Rice Boy by Evan Dahm
• William Schar
• P.S.I. - A Pessimistic Sense of Inadequacy
• Introspective Comics by Ryan Dow
• Apocalyptic Tangerine Press
• Twisted Flesh Studio

Meanwhile, @9to5Poet supported:

• The Complete Ouija Interviews by Sarah Becan 
• Templar, Arizona: The Great Outdoors by Spike
• Uptown Girl by Bob Lipski 

There were even more artist and authors of comics that we wanted to support today, but couldn't without going broke. It looked like each of the authors and illustrators were having a good time chatting with Xpo-goers like us today. I hope that Minneapolis has, by the end of the Xpo, proven that it can help support independent authors, artist, and illustrators, so we can have even more conventions like the 2010 Minneapolis Indie Xpo in the future.

Bike Mechanic: 12. Packing Up

#TuesdaySerial Guidelines

If you missed a previous chapter, you can find them archived here: Bike Mechanic Chapter Archive

12. Packing Up

Back in the shop, Inez was still busy upholding part, playing the dutiful store hand. It looked like she was done with the bike, and she was now cleaning and detailing it. It was warm in the shop, and Inez had rolled up her sleeves and unbuttoned even another button on her work shirt.

Fine job, Seward thought as he watched her pull the bike down off the stand. If only she were a few years older and not in so fucking deep. He left that thought unfinished and chastised himself, he wasn’t that old yet, and if she made the first move, they were both consenting adults. Who was he to place limits on these things.

“I made a call.”

Inez looked up from her work. “I could almost forget why I was here.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her arm exposing yet another tattoo on the underside of bicep near her armpit: green lettering, which said, ‘All Natural Woman.’ “I can see why you like this work.”

Seward puzzled over this tattoo for a second. She had shaved pits, legs, and sculpted eyebrows, which made the tattoo seem out of place. Seward let it go with a sigh. Who was he to make assumptions about what an ‘All Natural Woman’ should look like? Just because women he’d known who’d used that slogan didn’t shave, trim, or wax anything in his day, didn’t mean a new generation couldn’t adopt and redefine the slogan. Seward thought about and compared her tattoo to the movement he’d tried to start, and he could see that Inez’s generation had kept what they liked and discarded what they didn’t. A Bob Dylan song pop in to Seward’s head that colored the room and his opinion of Inez in a deep shade of amber, which Seward thought to be lovely and make Inez that much more beautiful.

“It looks like the work suits you.” Lame, Seward thought, very lame. “I’m waiting for a phone call, but here’s what I need you to do.” Seward fell in to his roll of helpful store manager who shows at-risk youth around the store, giving directions and orders. Telling Inez what to pack into his delivery van out back calmed his nerves a little and allowed him to see Inez as labor instead of as a sexy-tree-hugging-damsel-in-distress. He told himself that is where there relationship needs to start and end: he was in charge and she would do what he said.

Within a few minutes, Seward’s van was loaded with several bikes that he needed to deliver today, along with Inez’s Big Dummy and the rest of her things. He’d tossed his Long Hall along with some gear into the van that he kept around the office. Once a month, Seward would take a group of local Scouts on a bike-and-camp trip that started at the shop ended just north of Maple Grove. The ride took about six hours one way with some of the younger Scouts in tow, but everyone had a good time, and no one complained or asked “Are we there yet,” so Seward thought the experience blissful.

“Where are we going with all of these bikes?”

“We’re going to deliver them.”

“But I thought…”

Seward’s prepay phone rang twice. Seward held up his hand and walked a short distance down the alley before answering.

The Story of Cosmetics

The Story of Cosmetics

Bike Mechanic: 11. Calling in a Favor

#TuesdaySerial Guidelines

If you missed a previous chapter, you can find them archived here: Bike Mechanic Chapter Archive

11. Calling in a Favor

Seward took a long deep breath in through his nose, and pushed out his upper lip so that the gray whiskers in his mustache tickled the tip of his nose. It wasn’t a good look. He looked as if he’d just smelled something foul or tasted something bitter, either way it made him look more his age.

Seward got out his wallet, a floppy thing he’d hand stitched out of a used bike inner tube, and he flopped it open. Besides a few singles, his wallet contained his debit card and credit card, his driver’s license, and his expired memberships to The Sierra Club, Green Peace, and EarthFirst! He slid Agent Gaines’ card in over his driver’s license.

“How can I thank you!” Inez had stopped working and turned around. She had chain grease on her arm and was holding a 3/8”s wrench. She’d left too many buttons unfastened, and she was smiling.

Seward had a couple inappropriate thoughts, but he remembered that she was young enough to be his daughter, so instead he said, “You can finish tuning up that rock-jumper and watch the store. I’ve got to make a couple of calls.” Without saying anything else or holding eye contact, he made his way thought the hall and out the back door.

He pulled his cell out of his pocket and looked up a number of an old friend, and he was about to press the number when he remembered that the agents were still parked out front. He reasoned that they had likely found his cell phone number already tapped it, so his phone was useless. He looked around the alley behind his shop. It didn’t look like anyone was watching, so he put his phone away and waked the two blocks through the back alleyway to Verizon.

As soon as he walked in a he was accosted by an over caffeinated salesman who smelled like he bathed in spice and lavender.

The salesman said, “Welcome to Verizon Wireless. Can I help you?”

“Yes.” Seward wasted no time. “I need a prepay. I’m thinking a thousand minutes.”

“Sir,” the salesman took a step back and turned up his nose like he’d smelled something foul. “We don’t sell prepays. Try across the street at CVS.” And without missing a beat, he moved passed Seward to greet a woman in heals carrying a small tired looking dog under her arm. “Welcome to Version. Can I help you?”

Seward shook his head. Okay, he thought, the CVS.

After selecting a bar-phone that looked like it was a least ten years old, Seward sat on the curb outside CVS. He found his friend’s number on his cell and called it on the prepay. After a few rings, Seward’s call went to voice mail.

“Cooper, it’s Seward. I’m using a prepay. Don’t call me on a line in your name.” Seward left his prepay’s number and got up. He walked back across Lake Street and down DuPont Avenue to the alleyway, and headed back to his shop.

Okay, Seward thought, he’d made the call.

Pre-order "The Last Man Anthology" @SwordSagaPress

The Last Man Anthology

Pre-order

The pre-order page for the The Last Man Anthology is up at Sword & Saga Press. My story, "The Paperless Doctrine of 2152" is included in the anthology along side stories by Ray Bradbury, C. J. Cherryh, Barry N. Malzberg, H. G. Wells, Edgar Allen Poe, Jack London, an assortment of contemporary writers from four continents, and a third grader, according to the Sword & Saga Press's website. Bellow, my story about "the last bookstore owner" is mentioned in the publisher's description.

"Description: The Last Man Anthology takes inspiration from Mary Shelley’s novel, The Last Man, and showcases short stories and poems that build on the theme of finality—of being last. From experiencing the last snowmelt to taking part of the last day on Earth, The Last Man Anthology propels catastrophic literature into the twenty-first century while staying true to Shelley’s timeless themes of chaos and isolation. How would it feel to know you were experiencing your last day on Earth? What would the end of the world look like to the Greek gods, the last bookstore owner, or the last philosopher? The story settings range from the fringes of Outer Space, to the last museum, to New York City the day before September 11, 2001, to Brighton Street with the last teddybear, and many more." - Sword & Saga Press  

 The pre-order page has a couple of quick blurbs to help promote the book:

“There is a dazzling smorgasbord of fiction and poetry here: classic stories about pandemics that kill off whole communities, as well as old and new stories about global warfare, alien conquests and natural disasters. The combination of pieces from different eras is inspired, and sets up a ghostly discussion where writers from the Golden Age of sci-fi speak to 21st-century writers haunted by 9-11 and global warming. This book is exhilarating to read.” – Jean Roberta, English Lit. Professor, University of Regina, Canada.

and

“Shelley would certainly have a copy of The Last Man Anthology,” on her nightstand!” - Cyndi Adamo, Librarian, University of Hartford Library. 

I'm excited to see this anthology, and I really don't want to wait until October. My experience working with Sword & Saga Press and its editor, Hunter Liguore, was exceptional. The Sword & Saga Press team truly must have believed in my story. They help me to see what wasn't working in the story and cut, cut, cut, creating a faster, tighter read that valued the characters, the plot, and my artistic vision. I couldn't be happier with the final story. I feel truly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Sword & Saga Press.

So pre-order a copy already.

Playing with Scribd - "Kicking" Eve: a Grammar Puzzle

"Kicking" Eve by Aaron M. Wilson

This is a test of my Scribd account. I've been wanting to try it for a while, and I thought that testing it out with a teaching tool would be fun. I just created this teaching tool for my English classes. I'll hand it out, with out the key, and let them practice copy editing something that I've written.

I repeat, I just finished creating the tool, so there might be more errors than I've listed in the key. To tell the truth, I hope there are a few more, so that my students can feel like they've caught me.

Anyway, I think that I like Scribd. I'll have to keep toying with it. 

Bike Mechanic: 10. The Inspection

#TuesdaySerial Guidelines

If you missed a previous chapter, you can find them archived here: Bike Mechanic Chapter Archive

10. The Inspection

“Put on your clothes.” Seward turned back to the shop to let her get dressed, but spun around. “But keep the shop shirt on. Today, you’re my newest hire. Oh, and you should find a cap back there too.”

Seward was determined not to panic. He had been to prison once before. It was bad, but not movie bad. His rational mind was screaming at him to think things through and do the correct thing, but he wasn’t thinking with his rational mind. Part of Seward wanted to return to the road, picking up where he’d left off, and now, he was certain that his leadership was needed. Blowing up a water bottling plant was a gutsy move, but stupid. The movement needed his leadership.

I need to move back to Ann Arbor, he thought. They must need a used bike dealer. There had been a tight ridership when I was there last. I’ll re-open up there and work with the college students. I’ll give them vision. I love Minneapolis, but… He let that thought go as a couple of suits waked in the door.

Seward walked out from behind the counter, “Can I help you?” He pulled a yellow cloth out from his belt and cleaned his hands a bit before offering it to the tall gentleman in black suit and glasses.

They shook hands.

“Agent Farth,” he motioned to his partner, “And this is Agent Gaines.”

While Agent Farth was tall and lean, Agent Gaines was short and stocky. They were the proverbial odd couple. Agent Gaines had an athletic build, a full head of hair, and a pleasant smile. While Agent Farth was lean, looked malnourished, and was bald.

“Are you in the market for a new bike?” Seward walked out from behind the counter and over to a row mountain bikes, hybrids, and couple of single-speeds. “If I don’t have what you’re looking for today, I can order something, or I can put you on a watch list. I hit all the local auctions.” Seward winked. “I’ve had good luck at the police auctions.”

The agents looked at each other shook their heads. Agent Gaines took off his sunglasses. His eyes were light blue rimed in an amber circle of goldish-yellow, giving him a strange Siberian husky look.

“Have you been contacted by this woman?” Agent Gaines held out a picture of woman with long blond hair and pale skin. “Her name is Inez Wick.”

Seward took the picture from Agent Gaines and stared at it for a few minutes. He was sure it was it was Inez, but damn. She didn’t look anything like this photo now. “She’s a looker. I’d remember her if she’d stopped in for anything.”

Seward decided to push them. He wanted to know just how deep the sit ran. “Why do you think she’d stop here?”

Agent Farth answered, “She has connections to an activist group that you started at the University of Michigan.” Agent Farth kept his cool, but he looked like he was holding back a caged tiger.

“You say activist like it’s a dirty word or something.” Seward took a step back. “But the only kind of activism I’m engaged in these days is organizing rides to keep The Greenway safe in the early morning and late evenings for bicycle commuters.”

There was an awkward silence as Inez walked out from the backroom. She’d found a cap and wore it low. She was also carrying a couple of boxes new tubes. “You want me to put these on the shelves?”

“Yeah, but this time make sure that you watch the sizes. Some guy bought a sixteen inch when he needed a twenty-six inch.”

Seward turned back to the agents. “I help out the community by taking in troubled teens and teaching them a skill they can use.” Seward puffed up his chest a little and said, “Just last week I helped a young man, who didn’t even have his G.E.D., and I don’t think he even went to high school, get a paying job down the street fixing bikes for The Alt.”

Agent Gaines suddenly looked tired. His smile drooped, and lines appeared in his forehead and round his eyes. “If she does stop by, please let us know.” He held out his card.

Seward took the card. “Homeland Security?”

Agent Farth took a few quick steps forward so that he was almost touching Seward’s chest with his own. “If Homeland Security would have existed while you and your…” He paused and broke a toothy grin. “We would have rounded up your domestic terrorist cell, I mean activists, and that would have been that.”

“Farth!” Agent Gaines commanded. “We’re leaving.” Agent Gaines then turned to look at Seward one last time before putting his sunglasses back on, “We are watching you. We have good intelligence that suggests that Inez Wick will try to contact you.”

Seward held Agent Gaines’ card with both hands as he watched them exit and the shop door close behind them.

Cifiscape vol. I, The Twin Cities

Onyx Neon Press

Coming fall 2010

By Ken Avidor, Brian Garrity, Toianna Gump, Max Hrabal, Bob Lipski, Ken Lubold & Aaron Wilson 

The community comes together, to narrate their hopes and fears of our future in the Twin Cities. Cifiscape vol. I describes a diverse and gritty future for our beloved Metro. Including seven of the best Twin Cities short stories and graphic comics, Onyx Neon Press is proud to present these glimpses into the future of the Twin Cities.

The press page for Cifiscape vol. I, The Twin Cities, published by Onyx Neon Press, launched yesterday. My story, "What's for Dinner," will appear between its pages when published later this fall. I'm expecting that it will become available late August early September, at lest I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I just glad that the press page is up and I can see who else is in the anthology.

• Ken Avidor - artist and blogger. He posted a preview his graphic story on his blog with the same title. Check it out: Bicyclopolis.
• Brian Garrity - 
• Toianna Gump - 
• Max Hrabal - 
• Bob Lipski - Author of Uptown Girl, a humorous graphic novel about living in one of the more popular Minneapolis neighborhoods. Read Lipski's post about the upcoming book: The Future Freaks Me Out. 
• Ken Lubold - 

It's hard to believe, but my story will be published along with the above very talented people (sorry, I could only find two of you to link back to. If you contact me, I'll up date this post and future ones.) 

The book is not out yet, so I hope that you will check out some of my other work (see publications) in the mean time, and the work of the others. I'll post a link and an update when the anthology become available to purchase.

Evolve: advancing fiction with a purpose

Evolve: 

advancing fiction with a purpose

My story "Spilling Sunlight," was published today, by Evolve, edited by Chase Whittemore. 

"Spilling Sunlight" is the story of Samantha Willard. She's on her way to pick up her boyfriend, Kevin. While waiting for the drive-in movies to start, Sam has to fend off Kevin's roving hands in order to call her father and wish him a good night. Sam's father is Michael Willard who is a deep oil drill operator aboard Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. Aboard the rig, Michael is attempting to keep the well on schedule and on budget. However, the extreme pressure results in catastrophe.  

Read "Spilling Sunlight" online now.

My experience working with Wittemore and the staff of Evolve on my story for the August Gulf Oil Disaster issue was fabulously positive. My involvement started about a month ago when Whittemore approached me via Twitter (@EvolveJournal via @SoullessMachine) with an idea. After a few rounds of back-and-forth, I agreed to attempt to meet the journals deadline with a fictional story centering around the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Excited, I pounded out 4,200 words in a few days. I sat on the story, gave it to my readers (@9to5Poet and Darci) for around of quick workshop. I beat the deadline by three weeks, which allowed Whittemore and Evolve's editors time to provide feedback and edits - insightful ones that truly improved the story. The end result is a collaboration. I'm happy. Evolve is happy. A story is born.

Thank you Evolve. Keep the issues coming!

The Cove (2009)

The Cove Movie : The Cove Twitter

OPS - Oceanic Preservation Society 

I'm always on the look out for new documentaries to add to my class line up. I have a half a dozen already and only have time to show two. I will add The Cove to my personal library; however, it is not a film that I'll use for class. 

The Cove is an excellent documentary that displays both thorough investigations in the Japan's dolphin trade and the possible human effects of eating dolphin meat (which is toxic with high levels of mercury), and it demonstrates the power of passionate individuals. However, the documentary missed its opportunity to be a truly useful teaching tool rather than simply an emotional roller coaster.

To have been a truly useful classroom tool, The Cove would have needed to have gone beyond the "intelligent lovable species" argument. Yes, the film did cover the human health angle - a plus. The film did cover that dolphins feed at the top of their food chain. However, what would happen if the dolphin became locally extinct or even ecologically extinct? What would the trophic effect of the dolphins absence be for ocean ecosystems? The film did gloss over the Japanese answer: one less competitor species. The Japanese fishing industry sees the dolphin as a pest that competes and depletes fisheries. 

An ecological comparison could have been made. The dolphin could have been compared with the North American Gray Wolf , or Timber Wolf. The Timber Wolf was hunted to local extinction in Yellowstone National Park, which had trophic consequences for the ecosystem. I'm sure that the reduction in number and possible ecological extinction of the dolphin would have similar trophic consequences for ocean ecosystems. An investigation into those possible effects would have only strengthened The Cove's argument for the protection of the dolphin species. 

However, setting my desire for a classroom teaching tool, The Cove is an excellent tool for raising public awareness and mobilizing the compassionate. Biodiversity is one of the key's to sustainability of the Earth's ecosystems, and dolphins are a critical member-species. Dolphins are arguably the most intelligent nonhuman species on the planet. Instead of asking, "What can we teach dolphins?" We should be asking, "What can dolphins teach us?" 

Here's hopping that they're still around and willing to teach us in the future. The Cove is a must see film!