Grizzly Man - Movie Review

Grizzly Bear
Originally uploaded by blmiers2.

I watched the documentary Grizzly Man narrated and arranged by filmmaker Werner Herzog. The film is a character study of Timothy Treadwell, the self-proclaimed protector of grizzly bears, one of which violently tore apart and ate both Timothy and his girlfriend. The last character-study-type film I saw was There Will Be Blood, also a tragedy but I find myself reacting so differently. This was reality. Timothy Treadwell was both lost, wanting to get lost, and became lost in such different senses. A back injury had ended his college diving scholarship; thus his schooling and the path of life became so easily unhinged. Acting pursuits fizzled and many relationships were fleeting. He so desired and sought after a significance he could not find in humanity.

Treadwell was an unconventional naturalist, an emotionally mixed up nature worshiper and who became increasingly paranoid and angry at human beings. Most naturalists would work to preserve by minimizing the human footprint, and acknowledged a difference in the nature of man and the nature of animals. Treadwell repeatedly wanted to and did become entangled in nature and thus many say he lacked a healthy respect for nature and the boundary that separates humanity from nature. He had an acute sense of loneliness and did not have answers and was drawn towards nature which cannot choose to reject you in its indifference. Instead, nature became idealized, fantasized, and creatures were anthropomorphized as innocent children. Treadwell seemed to voice both the danger he put himself in while simultaneously overlooking or ignoring its savagery.

It is here we are offered some insight into Werner Herzog whom says the common denominator of existence is not innocence but violence. Herzog was visibly shaken on hearing the audio recording of the two individuals being mauled to death and told a former girlfriend of Timothy's to destroy the tape. Herzog also interjects to differentiate himself from Treadwell when Herzog observes bears as examples of the soulless indifference of nature.

Herzog touched lightly on the psychiatric medication that Timothy was once prescribed, a move likely to minimized additional ammunition to those calling Treadwell "crazy." However, there is enough description of the medication to suggest that bipolar disorder may have been a diagnosis. The film's depiction could also suggest a borderline type personality. Such individuals are characterized as having such a deep sense of emptiness that they are driven to be charming or possessive out of a fear of rejection. Their relational emotions are dialed to express either love or hate but not the in-between. Such diagnoses are only hypothetical musings.

Contagion - Movie Review

I recommend the movie Contagion. I admit, I approached the film with some cynicism: "How many ways can you make an outbreak-type movie?" I was pleasantly surprised. This is Steven Soderberg's treatment of cocaine in his 2000 movie Traffic now applied to diseases. It has less action but is better pacing. Again we have a star-studded ensemble cast, and the aim was realism over melodrama (keeping it true to Soderberg form). What would really happen if humanity faced another race-killing pandemic or at least bring it on the verge of dystopia? The writer Scott Burns did his homework regarding epidemiological investigation and in identifying major players. Well done Burns in laying out a plausible scenario.

Without providing any spoilers, some questions to address after seeing this movie are:

1. From public health/safety/security perspectives, how can we promote the good and minimize the harm?
2. How can we deal with issues of motivating/controlling human behavior?
3. How do we choose whom to protect/save when resource, time and options are limited?
4. How can we disseminate information and resources in a trustworthy manner that would not create mass panic/riot and infrastructure breakdown?

This movie also got me thinking about the greed and idiocy that informed the behavior of many during the recent London riots. Perhaps the further we are removed from suffering and tragedy, the less prepared we are to effectively confront crises.

 Addendum:  It turns out the pathogen antagonist in the movie is based on actual emerging virus.

Origami - ASICS Commercial

Well done origami commercial.

Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.

Increasing Sophistication of Scammers

China-based website bitlifesciences.com (Bit Life Science) has been e-mail targeting researchers and physicians with fronts of conferences that have attendance fees from the hundreds to thousands of dollars. The victims are invited as guest speakers however there is no mention of honorarium or stipends in the invitation. Credit card information is transferred and the conference does not seem to ever materialize.

These conferences often go by some grand global title involving the words: Annual, World, International, Congress, Con, Conference. The heading is completed by a pairing with various fields, such as Vaccine, Forensics, Genetics, Protein and Peptide, Molecular Biology, Cardiology, Cancer, Stem Cell, Microbes, Drug Discovery, Immunodisease, Environment, Greentech, Carbon, Biotechnology. Such Internet hording of conference names is akin to patent trolling or more like domain squatting.

The sophistication is that the webpages of these bogus conferences will feature guest speakers whom are actually known figures in their respective fields. The Scientist investigated by contacting these speakers and uncovered that such speakers were unaware they were being pegged to speak at conferences they never heard of. In addition, the webpages provide apparently convincing conference schedules. The Scientist also contacted the conference centers and found that they too were unaware of themselves hosting such conferences and the bitlifescience contact person was neither in their database nor schedule.

A quick check of bitlifesciences.com by Norton Safe Web and McAfee SightAdvisor both show a clean profile; however, the absence of malware does not mean you are safe from being scammed.

Love & War & The Sea In Between

I'm really into Josh Garrels' music right now :)
Here's some stuff:
•playlist of songs: YouTube Mix for Josh Garrelsby YouTubePLAYLIST25 videos

•A live acoustic performance:


and
•Finally, Josh's homepage offers a FREE download of his latest album in its entire 18-song wonderfulness.

Quiet Desperation

Henry David Thoreau wrote "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."  It appears as if such quiet desperation repeatedly plays out among undergraduates and graduate students. Away from the moorings of home, undergrads conform to the "Animal House" mythology for parties where alcohol flows freely, weed and experimentation is accessible, peer pressure is at an apex. For most with still developing identities, escapist hedonism appears the most ready answer; but hedonism is unrealized. Pleasure is sought but, devoid of substance, many are left searching without a compass.

For post-college days, many have given up this search and settled for an unsatisfying morass of just being in the presence of others. Perhaps it is the atmosphere of economic downturn and job scarcity but they've entered a haunted insomniac pursuit: over-entertained but lacking introspection. There is no patronizing here but a observation of many contemporary young adulthood. The light in all this is that being young and educated there remains room for hope.

Tulmultuous Times for Christians

2010 ended sadly for the rights and lives of many Christians and their sympathizers:
1. The Alexandria, Egypt Coptic Christian Christmas and New Year holiday church bombing drew attention once again to the threat faced by many Christian minorities.

2. Pakistan's ambiguous blasphemy law allows for continued persecution of Christians. The woman Asia Bibi was accused by fellow farm workers for insulting the Prophet Mohammad during an argument. Imprisoned since November 2010, she has been sentenced to death. Expressions of sympathy or leniency towards her have led to violence, in fact 37 people have been murdered for having any implied support of this woman. Among these deaths is the brutal assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer by his own bodyguard after Taseer appealed for this woman's pardon. By this act, his bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri, garnered popular support from the public, attorneys, and clerics. With many Pakistani officials being mum on the assassination or siding with clerics, Islamic extremism continues to be on the rise and the hunt for "blasphemers" continues to expand.

Ilomilo and Little Big Planet 2 are two games I would look forward to playing. They both have that cute positive vibe with a handmade/craft look:

"Take Out" and Illegal Immigration

I saw Take Out, and it really opened my eyes to the harsh life of the illegal immigrant. It's one thing to know of it, another to see it. There isn't a good solution to how to deal with the estimated 11 million (mostly Latino) illegal immigrants in the U.S. There is no legal obligation to citizenship owed to illegal immigrants. Many argue that they have become integral to the U.S. economy in shouldering many menial positions. Mass deportation is not feasible and for many who arrive by costly one-way tickets (smuggled), there aren't opportunities or means for return. The links between smuggling and organized crime further places such individuals in precarious financial debt. There is a level of desperation and dreaming in coming to the U.S.

If it is a matter of fairness then one might claim it is unfair to legal immigrants to automatically grant citizenship to or employ illegal immigrants. If it is a matter mercy then to whom should the nation grant rights and what level of support should be offered? As of now we have a system mixing fairness and mercy. Many fly under the radar and others gain entrance by seeking asylum or refugee a status which virtually guarantees legal entrance and residency in the country. Thus many illegal migrants circumvent the system by claiming asylum/refugee status or by document forgery. Is this fair to those who truly need asylum/refugee?

Mosque Debate

The religious freedoms that the Pilgrims sought and found in America translate over to the debate over the mosque to be built two blocks from Ground Zero. Legally we should allow the construction and I am inclined to agree with Mayor Bloomberg's speech. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is a Sufi (of the mystical branch of Islam) who grew up in a family that worked to dialogue with different religions. I believe he continues in his father's work to represent a moderate Islam still willing to dialogue. Some American Muslims find this mosque debate characteristic of the umbrella of hatred that many Americans have towards them. Opponents of the structure find this offends what has become "sacred ground" of those who died at the hand of extremist Islam. I agree the victims should be honored. But does this dishonor them? I have to think more about this.

I doubt the opponents of the mosque would describe or recognize their stance as hatred; fear or distrust is more likely the emotion. We see in Europe the growing Muslim populations and unrest. We hear Muslim leaders speak of populating the West so as to eventually bring all under Sharia law. We read of sleeper cells training and plotting to bring the downfall of America. That is what this proposed building has come to represent in many American eyes. If we are to chose a representative or authority of Islam, Imam Rauf would be ideologically closer to American ideals, a counter to that extremism. As all atheists are not Pol Pot and Stalin, nor all Christians witch hunters and pedophiles, so also not all Muslims are terrorists. I want this to be a step in the right direction to allow free speech, assembly, freedom of religion. Am I misinformed?

Blast the Senses Until Nothing Tastes

Unexpectedly while reading WIRED magazine review of DC Comic's zombie epic, I came upon some interesting social commentary:

Blackest Night is one of our new millennium’s finest examples of humanity’s excessive thirst for fear, violence and consumption, as well as a stellar document of our continuing distraction. Unlike the Twilight franchise, the I Am Legend blockbuster film and other terribly boring undead apocalypses, it’s a steadily riveting experience shot through with mind-numbing artistry. But like other culturally revealing horror and torture-porn exercises of our still-new 21st century, it’s serious sound and fury signifying a great big hole where our souls used to be.

Let’s hope we can get them back before we all turn into the mindless undead in search of the next overkill.

Regarding the (intentional?) Sound and the Fury reference, William Faulkner's novel is described by Wikipedia as an "examination of the corrosion of traditional morality, only to be replaced by a modern helplessness." Perhaps this WIRED magazine contributor is expressing a realization that our continual existential and escapist pursuits are ultimately nihilistic. This may also be an example of Ravi Zacharias' observation on our culture's hunger for entertainment and fantasizing on what is in reality banal: evil.

MMR Autism Link Based on Conflicting Interests

Slate has a good article on Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield recently lost his medical license after pursuing various avenues to link the measles vaccine to various diseases, links which were either never found true or proven wrong. In addition his unscientific publications and campaigning were tied to actual or potential personal monetary gain (huge conflict of interest!). His efforts of preying on the fears of parents have led many U.S. and UK parents to refuse immunization for their children and, not surprising, caused an increase in the number of measles cases. What the lay population does not realize is that vaccination not only protects our own children but also the community immunity prevents the spread of viruses to the developing fetuses of pregnant mothers who cannot receive certain vaccines. Thus a refusal of vaccine is a lose lose option.

Bon Appetit

My friend gave me a free subscription to bon appetit. Here's some cheddar bacon biscuits, yum! Click on the picture for the large version.

Poem

Heard this poem on the RZIM Let My People Think.

In No Strange Land
(The kingdom of God is within you)

O world invisible, we view thee,
O world intangible, we touch thee,
O world unknowable, we know thee,
Inapprehensible, we clutch thee!

Does the fish soar to find the ocean,
The eagle plunge to find the air--
That we ask of the stars in motion
If they have rumor of thee there?

Not where the wheeling systems darken,
And our benumbed conceiving soars!--
The drift of pinions, would we hearken,
Beats at our own clay-shuttered doors.

The angels keep their ancient places--
Turn but a stone and start a wing!
'Tis ye, 'tis your estranged faces,
That miss the many-splendored thing.

But (when so sad thou canst not sadder)
Cry--and upon thy so sore loss
Shall shine the traffic of Jacob's ladder
Pitched betwixt Heaven and Charing Cross.

Yea, in the night, my Soul, my daughter,
Cry--clinging to Heaven by the hems;
And lo, Christ walking on the water,
Not of Genesareth, but Thames!

Francis Thompson

Queen Cover

A good cover of a Queen song. Recording is not the best as the drums obscure the violin near the end. This is the song that Shen & Zhao skated to in the 2009 Vancouver Olympic pairs figure skating short program.

Marshmallow

This was a very amusing example of the famous marshmallow test.

Educating Ignorance and the Denial of AIDS

The article Beyond Critical Thinking, Michael S. Roth evaluates the current state of education in the humanities. He praises the efforts to teach critical thinking but decries the direction it has taken in fostering counterproductiveness (or counterproduction?). In the current climate of humanities:

A common way to show that one has sharpened one's critical thinking is to display an ability to see through or undermine statements made by (or beliefs held by) others. Thus, our best students are really good at one aspect of critical thinking­—being critical. For many students today, being smart means being critical...But this participation, being entirely negative, is not only seriously unsatisfying; it is ultimately counterproductive.

The skill at unmasking error, or simple intellectual one-upmanship, is not completely without value, but we should be wary of creating a class of self-satisfied debunkers or, to use a currently fashionable word on campuses, people who like to "trouble" ideas. In overdeveloping the capacity to show how texts, institutions, or people fail to accomplish what they set out to do, we may be depriving students of the capacity to learn as much as possible from what they study. In a humanities culture in which being smart often means being a critical unmasker, our students may become too good at showing how things don't make sense. That very skill may diminish their capacity to find or create meaning and direction in the books they read and the world in which they live.

This bring me to a terrifying and ridiculous example of this type of critical thinking and also the lack of critical thinking. A soon to be released "documentary" called House of Numbers (directed by Brent T. Leung) brings "evidence" towards proving that HIV/AIDS does not exist, or more specifically that HIV does not exist and AIDS is only an imaginary construct and conspiracy of the scientific and medical community used to gain more patients to treat. There is even suggestion that people with AIDS are being unnecessarily treated. This is the counterproductive critical thinking. Pair this anti-establishment "thinking" with those who lack critical thinking but trust media and you have a dangerous mix as reflected among video comments such as, "Oh so [this means] you can get exposed to it multiple times and not catch it." I say this is recklessness and verges on madness to subject the public to a mockery of a documentary with painful implications.

Here are example allegations used to discredit the scientific/medical community:

Allegation #1: HIV and AIDS are different.

Truth: it is true that HIV and AIDS are different and the scientific community agrees with this. HIV is the virus. AIDS is the syndrome that it causes.

Allegation #2: There are so many possible symptoms that can be associated with AIDS, it cannot be real.

Truth: The symptoms can be wide and varied because of how the particular virus operates. It debilitates your immune system, making it susceptible to other infections. Its like taking the roof off a house. The house is exposed to precipitation, but the lack of a roof does not dictate the type of precipitation that you will get.

Because I haven't seen this film yet I can only comment on what has been shown by the trailer and expressed by those who have seen it at film festivals and advanced screening.

Highest Parachute Jump Record

It is amazing that this occurred in 1959-1960.

Project Excelsior
by sonicbomb

Conviction Train

Cool vid.

Disney To Buy Marvel

If this will come to pass then I wonder if Disney could manage the edgier character set and maintain the older audience that Marvel draws upon. The marketing/distributing powerhouse that is Disney will help Marvel films but how much creative independence will Marvel be allotted? I guess since Warner Brothers already owns DC Comics it was a matter of time before Marvel was assimilated.