Filmmaker Ben Kalina poses for a portrait in Philadelphia on Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. Kalina is finishing a film about the vulnerability of barrier islands. (AP Photo/Geoff Mulvihill)
Filmmaker Ben Kalina poses for a portrait in Philadelphia on Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. Kalina is finishing a film about the vulnerability of barrier islands. (AP Photo/Geoff Mulvihill)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? In the documentary "Shored Up," scientists warn that with a rising sea level, a major storm could put New Jersey's barrier islands underwater and create devastating storm surges. In other words, what happened last month when Superstorm Sandy slammed into New Jersey and New York.
For Ben Kalina, the Philadelphia filmmaker who was nearly finished putting together the documentary when the storm hit, it meant that the ideas in the film that may have sounded far-fetched ? or at least, discussions of something that may happen sometime in the future ? were suddenly immediate.
"Until Sandy, we were making a film about something much more meditative, really," Kalina said. "And now the stakes are suddenly much more real."
It also meant Kalina and his crew had more shooting to do, revisiting places they'd shot ? some of which were wiped away by Sandy.
That again pushed back the completion date for a film he'd been working on for three years. He's now planning to finish the film in January. It's an independent effort that he is hoping will be shown on television. He is also planning to hold screenings, particularly in the places featured in the movie, such as New Jersey's Long Beach Island.
Kalina, 36, is not a scientist, but he's fascinated by telling the stories from science by looking at the cultural and political implications, too. He worked on "A Sea Change," about the state of the world's oceans, and "After the Cap," a look back at the Gulf oil spill of 2010, among other films.
He became interested in the state of barrier islands after reading an article about how surfers opposed beach replenishment projects on the New Jersey shore.
The story became broader than that, evolving into a look at the way shore areas are developed and protected through means like jetties and beach replenishment projects. As more structures are built on barrier islands, he said, more has to be done to protect them. "Once you decide to settle in a place that's so fraught, all the decisions you make have consequences and more consequences," he said.
The solutions can be expensive, and Kalina says, not sustainable.
"Beach replenishment is not going to save the day," he said. "You get this sense of security from beach replenishment that's a false sense of security in the long run."
The film uses animation, interviews with scientists, footage of storms past and some dramatic policy debates to tell the story.
Kalina started out focusing on New Jersey's Long Beach Island, but also traveled to North Carolina. There, officials decided this year to use historical trends to build their expectations for oceanside building codes and land-use decisions rather than the more rapid sea-level rise that many scientists now expect.
The filmmaker, who grew up going to family homes on Martha's Vineyard, said the ideal time to address these how best to develop vulnerable coastlines would be before a major storm, not after one.
The irony is that nothing can draw attention to the issue like a storm.
"It's a window of time when people have actually just witnessed the destructive force of nature," he said. "There are very few windows like that."
And it could also be a window for his movie.
Before the storm, when he talked about it in his neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Kalina said, he found himself explaining what a barrier island is.
Now, practically everyone knows.
___
Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill.
Associated Pressabc paris jackson paris jackson Katherine Jackson Olympics Opening Ceremony Time US weekly amelia earhart
So you wanna be a vegan ? what the hell is wrong with you? Settle down vegans, I?m only kidding, (well partially), I know how easy it is to rile you guys up. It may be the protein deficiency and blood sugar instability that sets you all off so easily. Ok kidding aside, I?m not a vegan-hater, just not a vegan-lover, and it?s not because I read a book or worship some meat-eater who pretends to know better. I have never seen a truly healthy vegan in my office, athlete or non-athlete, and rarely do I see a truly healthy vegetarian. Let me explain why I think this is and why I don?t think veganism is right for most all people. Maybe you think it?s working for you ? and maybe it really is. But more likely it isn?t the ideal diet for you but you just think it is. Huh? Read on?
Vegan protein sources are almost primarily grain based and incomplete for the most part. Yes, quinoa is a so-called ?complete protein? grain, but still not optimal when compared to animal proteins or even those proteins from an animal ? especially whey and egg ? perhaps the two best complete and bioavailable sources of protein.
refined omega 6 oils is a recipe for disaster. Many vegans eat a lot of these types of foods and even those who eat raw vegetables, nuts, and seeds need to be careful to not consume too many omega 6 fats. To help prevent this, flax and walnut oils can be included in the diet, providing some omega 3 fats. Unfortunately this still leaves the diet devoid of the important arachiodonic acid (AA) fats from their natural source ? animals. If you?re vegan there?s no way to get around this roadblock; of all the dietary fats I believe AA fats are vital and highly undervalued in regards to optimal health.
Vegans who consume a lot of raw, organic plant based foods and shy away from the refined grains and processed foods tend to have very healthy levels of vitamins and minerals and especially those ever so healthy phytonutrients (powerful antioxidants that give the plants their flavors and colors). This is definitely one perk of the vegan diet, though any non-vegan healthy diet should also contain a lot of these fruits, vegetables, and herbs too. Since plant foods do not provide vitamin B12, many vegans need to supplement. Fortified foods often don?t make up for the deficiency and are of course only found in those processed unhealthy foods anyway.
nutrient-poor sugar water and they sure aren?t stealing honey from a hive and leaving the bees to die. If there is a hive full of honey then eventually the queen has no place to lay her eggs and guess what ? she takes off with much of her staff. The hive swarms and honey is left behind in a hive with half a colony and that?s ready to be robbed by other bees or pests. A beekeeper will only take off the surplus honey. Some years, such as this past year, there wasn?t much honey surplus and most colonies have now needed sugar water to get ready for the upcoming winter, without it they will most likely die. If they die then that?s less bees next year and that?s worse for pollination for all the vegan crops. And the notion that keeping bees in a hive is a form of enslavement is just plain nuts; sorry but it is. The traditional hive is a great place for a colony to live and thrive and protect themselves. They can come and go when they please too ? I?ve never known a slave to have that freedom. Again, I understand that commercial farming of bees is a huge problem.
