More Lessons Through Cartoons

I was researching for my term paper, which is on Happy Feet, and I stumbled upon this cartoon.
Similar to Happy Feet, the one owl that is different is not accepted by his family. They want him to change and kick him out when he doesn't, but at the end they become proud of him and his differences. I find the beginning of this clip interesting, as it romanticizes nature. Also, they give the animals human traits and emotions to be able to be relate-able to the intended audience, being children. This attempts to send a message across about acceptance and diversity through nature and personified animals. So many messages being sent through cartoons!

Politically Correct Little Red Riding Hood

So for my term paper I am writing about Little Red Riding Hood and I came across this joke. It's interesting because it shows how different the story would be if we include all the environmentalist, feminist, etc. views in a simple story. It also shows how it takes a lot to be politically correct nowadays.

There once was a young person named Little Red Riding Hood who lived on the edge of a large forest full of endangered owls and rare plants that would probably provide a cure for cancer if only someone took the time to study them.

Red Riding Hood lived with a nurture giver whom she sometimes referred to as "mother", although she didn't mean to imply by this term that she would have thought less of the person if a close biological link did not in fact exist.

Nor did she intend to denigrate the equal value of nontraditional households, although she was sorry if this was the impression conveyed.

One day her mother asked her to take a basket of organically grown fruit and mineral water to her grandmother's house.

"But mother, won't this be stealing work from the unionized people who have struggled for years to earn the right to carry all packages between various people in the woods?"

Red Riding Hood's mother assured her that she had called the union boss and gotten a special compassionate mission exemption form.

"But mother, aren't you oppressing me by ordering me to do this?"

Red Riding Hood's mother pointed out that it was impossible for womyn to oppress each other, since all womyn were equally oppressed until all womyn were free.

"But mother, then shouldn't you have my brother carry the basket, since he's an oppressor, and should learn what it's like to be oppressed?"

And Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her brother was attending a special rally for animal rights, and besides, this wasn't stereotypical womyn's work, but an empowering deed that would help engender a feeling of community.

"But won't I be oppressing Grandma, by implying that she's sick and hence unable to independently further her own selfhood?"

But Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her grandmother wasn't actually sick or incapacitated or mentally handicapped in any way, although that was not to imply that any of these conditions were inferior to what some people called "health".

Thus Red Riding Hood felt that she could get behind the idea of delivering the basket to her grandmother, and so she set off.

Many people believed that the forest was a foreboding and dangerous place, but Red Riding Hood knew that this was an irrational fear based on cultural paradigms instilled by a patriarchal society that regarded the natural world as an exploitable resource, and hence believed that natural predators were in fact intolerable competitors.

Other people avoided the woods for fear of thieves and deviants, but Red Riding Hood felt that in a truly classless society all marginalized peoples would be able to "come out" of the woods and be accepted as valid lifestyle role models.

On her way to Grandma's house, Red Riding Hood passed a woodchopper, and wandered off the path, in order to examine some flowers.

She was startled to find herself standing before a Wolf, who asked her what was in her basket.

Red Riding Hood's teacher had warned her never to talk to strangers, but she was confident in taking control of her own budding sexuality, and chose to dialogue with the Wolf.

She replied, "I am taking my Grandmother some healthful snacks in a gesture of solidarity."

The Wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone."

Red Riding Hood said, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop an alternative and yet entirely valid worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would prefer to be on my way."

Red Riding Hood returned to the main path, and proceeded towards her Grandmother's house.

But because his status outside society had freed him from slavish adherence to linear, Western-style thought, the Wolf knew of a quicker route to Grandma's house.

He burst into the house and ate Grandma, a course of action affirmative of his nature as a predator.

Then, unhampered by rigid, traditionalist gender role notions, he put on Grandma's nightclothes, crawled under the bedclothes, and awaited developments.

Red Riding Hood entered the cottage and said,

"Grandma, I have brought you some cruelty free snacks to salute you in your role of wise and nurturing matriarch."

The Wolf said softly "Come closer, child, so that I might see you."

Red Riding Hood said, "Goddess! Grandma, what big eyes you have!"

"You forget that I am optically challenged."

"And Grandma, what an enormous, what a fine nose you have."

"Naturally, I could have had it fixed to help my acting career, but I didn't give in to such societal pressures, my child."

"And Grandma, what very big, sharp teeth you have!"

The Wolf could not take any more of these specist slurs, and, in a reaction appropriate for his accustomed milieu, he leaped out of bed, grabbed Little Red Riding Hood, and opened his jaws so wide that she could see her poor Grandmother cowering in his belly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Red Riding Hood bravely shouted. "You must request my permission before proceeding to a new level of intimacy!"

The Wolf was so startled by this statement that he loosened his grasp on her.

At the same time, the woodchopper burst into the cottage, brandishing an ax.

"Hands off!" cried the woodchopper.

"And what do you think you're doing?" cried Little Red Riding Hood. "If I let you help me now, I would be expressing a lack of confidence in my own abilities, which would lead to poor self esteem and lower achievement scores on college entrance exams."

"Last chance, sister! Get your hands off that endangered species! This is an FBI sting!" screamed the woodchopper, and when Little Red Riding Hood nonetheless made a sudden motion, he sliced off her head.

"Thank goodness you got here in time," said the Wolf. "The brat and her grandmother lured me in here. I thought I was a goner."

"No, I think I'm the real victim, here," said the woodchopper. "I've been dealing with my anger ever since I saw her picking those protected flowers earlier. And now I'm going to have such a trauma. Do you have any aspirin?"

"Sure," said the Wolf.

"Thanks."

"I feel your pain," said the Wolf, and he patted the woodchopper on his firm, well padded back, gave a little belch, and said "Do you have any Maalox?"

(http://funnies.paco.to/ridingHood.html)

Yellowstone National Park

Following the topic of national parks, my mom is at Yellowstone National Park in Montana. She sent me some pictures that I want to share with the class. I think it is interesting that the photo with the water down the middle follows the typical Hudson River School painting formula.

avatar vs firelord ozai

Arid Australia Turns to Desalinization

This is an interesting article on how Australia plans to use technology to cope with its drought. The second is a sort of companion piece that was linked through the first one. This definitely plays into the concept of how progress can hurt.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/world/asia/11water.html?ref=science

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-impacts-of-relying-on-desalination

Captain Planet -P1- A Hero for Earth Pilot Episode Intro 80's 90's Carto...

This show I think relates exactly to our class and how a kids tv show tried to enstill enviornmental awareness. By relating the fact that earth could be saved by kids, the catch phrase being "the power is yours" gave kids the idea that it was up to them to help our world. I also find it interesting that the show had humans as both the villains and heroes, showing that people can both destroy and save our planet.

Hunting Wabbits

This is a clip of the classic cartoon Looney Tunes with Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. The clip starts off with a typical hunting scene. This includes Elmer Fudd using hunting dogs to find a rabbit, dogs that can't talk though the rabbit can. When Fudd gets notice that he will receive 3 million dollars if he doesn't hurt animals he stops hunting. This shows how important receiving that money is to him since he already had Bugs Bunny cornered. The clip goes on with Bugs taking advantage of Fudd and in the end Fudd doesn't receive any money at all and goes back to hunting Bugs. I find it interesting that Fudd has no true emotion toward the killing of animals for his benefit, all he cares about is money and profit. This expresses the lack of morality behind the hunt.

FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

This movie could not be a more perfect commentary on much of what we have been discussing and reading about.

Courtesy of IMDB.com:

Ferngully is a rain-forest, it is home to a race of fairies who have never seen humans and believe Humans don't exist and only exists in stories. That is until the arrival of Batty, a wacky bat who tells the Fairies that he has seen the Humans. Curious, when she sees smoke from Mount Warning, a fairy named Crysta travels beyond Ferngully and discovers a group of humans is destroying the rain-forest. Crysta discovers a human named Zak who is helping destroy the rain-forest and accidentally shrinks him. Once discovering the beauty of Ferngully, Zak and Crysta learn the Fairies and Ferngully itself are in mortal danger, when the humans free Hexxus, a evil oil-like creature who along time ago was turned into a tree when he tried to unleash chaos in Ferngully and has taken over "The Leveler" a logging machine as he begins his evil scheme to destroy Ferngully and only Zak, Crysta, Batty, Pips and The Beetle Boys can defeat Hexxus and save Ferngully from destruction.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104254/

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Episode 2 Part 1

Avatar recruiting Eco-terrorists?

Here's an article about how Avatar is pushing people to start using violence to protect their planet from "being annihilated."

http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/avatar-recruiting-eco-terrorists/2460/

Total Eclipse [of the heart]

A very cool natural phenomenon is happening tomorrow. In this article there's an interesting underlying story about the damage the influx of tourists will cause and how the legendary island is already suffering from environmental degradation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/chilescienceeclipseenvironment

on another note, found this in an article I was reading for my research, just a fun light hearted fact: "half of all American pets received Christmas gifts in 1995"

but it makes you think - imagine how many people went without presents that year. imagine the health care these pets get in comparison to some humans...

Nature in a Culture (One of the Best Cultures)

In Germany, an octopus called Octopus Paul has correctly predicted the outcome of every game Germany has played so far. It could be a mere coincidence, but the mystic vibe Octopus Paul produces is enough to capture the minds of many World Cup fans.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-world-cup-notes-20100710-17,0,6992732.story

For those who can't be bothered to read the article:
Octopus Paul's last two predictions--Germany defeats Uruguay for third, and Spain defeats the Netherlands to win its first ever World Cup title.

Speaking of Backwards Progression

Commentary from Emily:

A lot of times progress is for economic reasons. The venom manufacturer shut down since the snake bites were so rare that they weren't making any profit. Coral snake bites have been a bigger threat since the production has been controlled for economic reasons.

Article found by Me:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/article.aspx?cp-documentid=24682236>1=32001

Molly Maguire

These articles state that The Molly Maguires obtained their name from an Irish widow that fought against the landlords that wanted to take her land back because she was Catholic. Tenant farmers in Ireland began cross-dressing and rebelling against the Protestant landlords. They would tell,"Take that from a son of Molly Maguire!"

I'm really glad that the coal miners didn't cross dress...

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Molly_Maguires.aspx


http://www.lehigh.edu/~ineng/paw/paw-history.htm

Devil in the White City

For anyone interested in reading further into the Fair we read about in last night's reading, this is a very interesting book. It's called Devil in the White City. It's about a serial killer who uses the Fair to find his victims. Very dark but also compelling.

http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/devilinthewhitecity/about.html

A great cartoon I stumbled upon.

I had a great laugh when I saw this browsing the web. Hope you all like.

thunder mountain railroad!

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/big-thunder-mountain-railroad/?name=BigThunderMountainRailroadAttractionPage

This week we have been talking a lot about railroads and trains.. and so it reminded me of my favorite ride at disneyland in Los Angelos, CA! :) It's called Big Thunder Mountain, Even though this ride was basically based on like the gold mine back i the 1800s in the southwest, I just thought i would post a link about this ride and the legend behind Thunder Mountain. And I post a wikipedia link just about it!

Solar Powered Plane

Perhaps this is another step towards making transportation greener in the near future.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10550430.stm

Source of Cornell's coal

This website lets you enter a zip code (Ithaca is 14850) to see where the coal for your electricity comes from, and the type of mining used to extract it:

http://ilovemountains.org/

"Alaskan family lives isolated life in vast wildlife refuge"

as luck would have it . . . on CNN today:



Some of the last people allowed to live in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. There's an overview of the documentary on the CNN website.

Caspar David Friedrich Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

I know that during class we were wondering who the man was that Friedrich captured in his renowned painting. The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is actually a self-portrait portraying the world from Friedrich's viewpoint. The link further describes Friedrich's inspiration for his painting.

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/rom_fri_wand.html

Grizzly Man

Alright, so the Yosemite Mountain Double Rainbow video kind of triggered my memory in terms of crazy people out in the wild. In AP Environmental Science this past year, we watched a film after the AP Exam called the Grizzly Man, which is about a guy who goes out into the wild to live with and protect bears. Personally, I feel like he probably did more harm than good to the environment by being there, but I highly suggest you all go watch the movie and formulate your own opinion. These are just a few clips that are absolutely hilarious (my whole class was dying when we watched this). The first one is his attack on the National Park Service after they declared it illegal for him to camp out in the wild for certain periods of time, and the second one is of him "praying" for rain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWeb64ElE4M

http://www.youtube.com/user/fishingalex357#p/u/4/4jsmqWXxia4

You guys are seriously going to thank me for this.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329075919.htm

Relatively recent article on research done for microbial decomposition of plastic. Pretty sick.

Man vs. Wild - Alaska Icebergs

Are rainbows sublime?

you be the judge.



The commentary this video has received is also worth taking a look at. Enjoy.

BP oil dispersant

I came across an article about the BP oil spill. In an effort to reduce the amount of oil that surfaces for satellite pictures, BP has been spraying mass amounts of dispersant on the surface of the water. This dispersant has highly dangerous effects on not only the animal life, but also humans trying to clean up the oil spill. I find it shocking that BP continues to negatively effect the environment; you would think that after one of the worst environmental catastrophes in human history, you would make an attempt to clean up the gulf, not hurt it even more.

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0705/marine-biologist-claims-coast-guard-involved-corexit-spraying/

AFI's 100 Heroes and Villains

Check out this link for the full list of the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Heroes and Villains. "Man" from Bambi ranked #20 on the villain list--not bad for a character who never appeared on screen. Also look for Robin Hood and Gladiator on the heroes list.

http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/handv100.pdf?docID=246

China Jails Tibetan Environmentalist

We have so many amazing freedoms here in the US that enable us to explore our opportunities with the environment. Imagine living in a place where it was illegal to promote recycling and reforestation...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/world/asia/04tibet.html?ref=science

ifitwasmyhome.com

interesting website that puts the geographical extent of the gulf oil spill into perspective. in the same sort of way that i felt disconnected and skeptical of the extent to which romans slaughtered animals in the colosseum, a lot of times when reading about the oil spill (or any disaster) i don't quite get how bad it is. this website shows how far the oil is spreading - how much land it would cover centered on your hometown.

http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/

GreaseCar

http://www.greasecar.com/

This is the company that my conversion kit was purchased through. Although I am only about halfway through the conversion process, it has been fairly straight forward; the DVD that comes with the kit really helps with any areas that are confusing in the manual. Of course, an basic understanding of how a car engine works and knowledge of how to do the rewiring parts (at least for this system) is needed (my dad and I are working on this project together).

Plastic eating bacteria

I mentioned to my group in discussion and a few people expressed interest in it. Here is the article: http://news.therecord.com/article/354044

Oh, Bambi

Saw this ad today. Oh, Bambi, still teaching people today.

real talk on civilization and nature

here's a link to the full movie:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6571339670615446379#docid=7938272576939034400

Green Grease Guzzlers... the trailer

Culture around campus/ town

Free music!

Thursdays, downtown Ithaca (Commons):
http://www.visitithaca.com/press/42.html

Fridays, on campus (Arts Quad):
http://www.sce.cornell.edu/ss/about/events/index.php?action=list&f=type&v=Outdoor%20Concert

Sundays, on campus (Annabel Taylor Hall):
http://wvbr.com/bfg#current

the sons also draws episode of family guy season 1 episode 6 reminded me of the reading last night on walking and also the idea of connection to a higher being in uncommon ground. i cannot find the clip but you should watch the episode

Unicorn Tapestries Continued

So Samantha beat me to creating a post about the Unicorn Tapestries, but I would like to elaborate on them a little bit. I had done a presentation on Medieval art and architecture for my World History class, and here's a couple of interesting points about the tapestries.
(Be sure to check them out first on Samantha's link)

1. Some interpret the Unicorn to be a symbol for Jesus Christ.
If you take a look at the series of tapestries, it roughly follows the story of Jesus Christ: the healing/celebration, the persecution, the killing, and the resurrection. And that one seductive-looking lady has been thought to represent Mary Magdalene. The Biblical symbolism of the Unicorn is much like the sanctifying of the stag we read about in Cromwell. And if you think about it, Unicorns are more or less similar to stags, right?

2. The initials A and what looks like a backwards E are hidden in most tapestries.
In the first tapestry, the letters are depicted by tree branches, in the second one, they are decorations on the fountain, and so on. I find the discreet manipulation of nature (in this case branches) to indicate a name very interesting.

I hope this sparks further interest in the Unicorn Tapestries. They're really beautiful.
Manna

"When the Day After Tomorrow Has Come"

Here's another interesting artilce from the NYTimes. Talks about how we need to prepare for a future climate crisis by testing right now. "Geoengineering" seems to be the key word. Yesterday we read about how Mesopotamia learned how to farm, today we read about how we can engineer the entire planet to be cooler. Scary thought.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/opinion/30wed3.html?ref=opinion

FDA Regulating Antibiotics in Agriculture

Here's an interesting article from yesterday's New York Times about the F.D.A. taking steps to regulate the use of antibiotics in agriculture.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/health/policy/29fda.html?ref=health

Here's an editorial that goes with it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/opinion/30wed3.html?ref=opinion

Female gladiators?

http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/gladiator6.html

This article here shows that not only were gladiator remains indeed were found in England but also evidence in burial sites suggests that women may very well likely have been gladiators for a period of time as well. Also, J.K. Rowling totally knew about the Roman emperor at the time (Septimus Severus). Also, I thought this was kind of funny:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Gladiator-Workouts---From-Ancient-Times-to-Modern-Day&id=3388701http://ezinearticles.com/?Gladiator-Workouts---From-Ancient-Times-to-Modern-Day&id=3388701

Schools and Technology

Today, while in lecture, I was thinking about technology and how schools use it to their advantage. I wrote this paragraph for my personal blog about this back in the beginning of the 2009 school year:

I've never really noticed how much power people use for technology. I glanced at the floor in my US history class today and my eyes were drawn to the power cord. Every outlet was occupied by a plug. I looked at the new smart board that every classroom received over the summer. Do schools really need these technological advances?

So, recently I have been contemplating about how we, humans, use so much power per day and do we truly need to use these technologies. I think the old chalkboard way worked pretty well before institutions became involved with projectors.

The Unicorn Tapestires

http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/unicorn/unicorn_inside.htm

This link gives a connection between the tapestries and "the noble sport of hunting."

What to do with the bodies? Two thoughts...

A recent NPR story covers the unearthing of what may have been a gladiator burial ground... in England! Evidence? Skeletal remains exhibit bite wounds from large predators, decapitations, and other dramatic injuries. Indications also, from the bone density, that these were extremely muscular men (like the proto-human woman mentioned yesterday). Listen here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127542467

In a more contemporary consideration (not specific to gladiators!), how 'bout this for an option? Is this "civilized"?

http://naturalburial.org/index.php

Stephen Colbert Satire

When I saw Allison's Jon Stewart clip, I had to post a Stephen Colbert clip. While discussing the self defeating tendencies of opposing environmentalists, I was reminded of this clip. It's a little long, but well worth it. If you have 10 minutes to spare in between reading, this clip is sure to make you laugh while giving you another modern example of environmentalist vs. environmentalist.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Science Catfight - Joe Bastardi vs. Brenda Ekwurzel
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

No Impact Man

The discussion of Joseph Knowles on Monday made me think of the year that Colin Beavan spent gradually trying to eliminate his environmental impact by giving up what many people view as necessities and conveniences of modern life. Although he didn't forgo clothing and return to the wilderness, he did make drastic lifestyle changes as the year progressed in order to have a non-existent carbon footprint while living in New York City with his wife and young daughter. Perhaps his journey can be viewed as a more modern form of primitivism?

He gives a detailed account of the year in his book, No Impact Man, but his blog contains many of the steps that he took (some that are easy for most people to implement in their own lives, others not so much), as well as other interesting information on current environmental issues. Every few months he organizes a "No Impact Week," where people can try to implement his year long program over the course of a week.

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/

How long solving environmental issues might take

In light of how long society has been dealing with environmental issues, as we learned with Pan's Travail, here's a look at how long it has taken (and might take) to solve one of our biggest environmental issues. A clip for Jon Stewart Fans. The whole episode is great, but the clip I'm talking about begins at 6 minutes and 50 seconds.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/wed-june-16-2010-louis-c-k-

please ignore the commercials before the clip

The Kinks - Apeman promo film - full length

as promised, the original music video for The Kinks's Apeman. Enjoy.

Welcome to Nature and Culture, Summer College Edition

Hi everyone,
you should have received invites from "blogger invites" via email. Just follow the instructions for signing up. thanks, and look forward to your posts and discussions!

Jim

ps. any alums from the spring semester want to stay on the blog, just email me and I'll put you back on. thanks. -jt

Saw this wall-painting in Gorumara National Park, North Bengal, India. I thought that this was another manifestation of the man vs wild, 'man should stay away from nature' ethos. India, for one, can hardly afford to pay homage to the wilderness ethic; even the most famous, secure tiger reserves and national park have large populations of indigenous people residing in the core, 'inviolate' areas. Hardly ideal conditions for propagating a wilderness area.

Suicide University

Here is a movie that I made for my Alternative Term Paper. It deals with the darker side of Cornell and it’s reputation for being a Suicide School. With the campus environment as the back drop, my short film delivers a raw visual experience that is intended to disturb you as well as inspire you to think differently about Ithaca, Cornell, and the surrounding environment. Enjoy!

Perception of Beauty: The Cylon Take

Alright, I'm going to go a little nerdy here:

Battlestar Galactica.

I have been a ardent fan since it's creation (I'm talking about the new T.V. show here), and recently watched an episode that pertains greatly to today's lecture.

So for those of you who don't know the workings of the show, there are humans who are being chased around the universe by cylons. Cylons were machines created by man, rebelled, and over eons of time evolved into humanoids in order to deliver the final blow to the surviving human population.

Anyways, at one point in the show a cylon laments at the loss of his machine being:

Brother Cavil: In all your travels, have you ever seen a star go supernova?
Ellen Tigh: No.
Brother Cavil: No? Well, I have. I saw a star explode and send out the building blocks of the Universe. Other stars, other planets and eventually other life. A supernova! Creation itself! I was there. I wanted to see it and be part of the moment. And you know how I perceived one of the most glorious events in the universe? With these ridiculous gelatinous orbs in my skull! With eyes designed to perceive only a tiny fraction of the EM spectrum. With ears designed only to hear vibrations in the air.
Ellen Tigh: The five of us designed you to be as human as possible.
Brother Cavil: I don't want to be human! I want to see gamma rays! I want to hear X-rays! And I want to - I want to smell dark matter! Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can't even express these things properly because I have to - I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid limiting spoken language! But I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws! And feel the wind of a supernova flowing over me! I'm a machine! And I can know much more! I can experience so much more. But I'm trapped in this absurd body! And why? Because my five creators thought that God wanted it that way!

Just thought this was relevant--how the cylon (Brother Cavil) could perceive so much more in machine form, and how his humanity was limiting his perception.

Interesting how the beauty we see, our reality, is only a fraction of the scientific reality around us.

What if we could see x-rays, or feel the cosmic wind?

What would we perceive as beauty then?

Can a rose hold a flame to the magnetic fluctuations of the sun?

--Food for thought

The Silent Scream, incase you were interested.

I am a fan of media and counter cultures, and when you combine the two you usually get a really interesting result. Here is the Silent Scream part 1. I was surprised to find that it was not as bad as "Tails from the Crypt". It was worse, If you watch the whole thing you'll see why.

-peace

the use of film --> "The Meatrix"

I actually saw this in an anthropology class on food and cuisine. We've been discussing industrial food production and the treatment of Livestock.

Popular cultural references in argument: argumentum ad popculturem?

http://www.themeatrix.com/

Nature as morally contested terrain

Here's an article on today's CNN newsfeed, about the fight over offshore wind farms near Cape Cod:

Nine-year wind farm fight splits Cape Cod

By Wayne Drash, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to decide on fate of nation's first offshore wind farm
• Site is in Nantucket Sound, one of America's most iconic bodies of water
• Opponents concerned about historic preservation, safety
• Advocates say project is a must to move country forward

Falmouth, Massachusetts (CNN) -- The Rev. William Eddy stands at the bow of his 53-foot sailboat nestled in the postcard setting of Cape Cod.

A lifelong resident of the Cape and islands, Eddy built his staysail schooner by hand, and on this day, he's using it as his pulpit. A perfect storm, he says, has been brewing over the past decade among residents driven to hysterics by the idea of building the nation's first offshore wind farm in the middle of Nantucket Sound.

Eddy loves everything about the Cape: the iconic shingled homes, the Norman Rockwell small towns and the pristine beauty of the sea. Most of all, the Episcopal priest loves the magnificent winds.

And he thinks it's a moral imperative to harness those winds. He's told his congregation just that -- and watched some walk out on his sermon. "Father, we all would've stayed if you had just preached about Darfur," one member told him.

Eddy is unbowed. "It's a no-brainer," he said of the wind farm. "I keep on wondering what's going to happen down there in Washington: Are they going to crucify this project on a cross of coal? Or are they going to stand up for what they've said they're going to stand up for?"

For those whose views differ from Eddy's -- including, apparently, some of his flock -- the pristine beauty he extols is the point. Nantucket Sound, they say, is an iconic symbol of America, not an industrial park. Might as well plop a bunch of wind turbines in the middle of the Grand Canyon, they say.

"It's an area that absolutely should be off-limits," said Audra Parker, president and CEO of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.

Wind farms produce roughly 2 percent of the nation's energy, all from land-based facilities in California, Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming and a few other states. Locations offshore are considered optimal because the winds are stronger and more consistent.

Read the rest of the article at http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/20/cape.cod.wind.farm/index.html?hpt=C1

Never too late to change paper topics.

Nickelodeons: Child Corrupters?

In 1907, an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune denounced nickelodeons, early 20th century neighborhood film theaters, as "firetraps and tawdry corrupters of children." The newspaper seems to have a point in that, perhaps, these early theaters initiated what would later be known as childhood television addiction. One of the pictures show in class today underscores the Tribune's criticism. The child in the picture seemed to be stupified and even brainwashed by the film being shown. Are nickelodeons simply precursors for modern television entertainment that often serves as an addiction to bored youth? It seems so. However, to call them "tawdry corrupters" seems to be an assertion that exaggerates the truth unfairly.

Sunday morning math quiz

(1) How many 5's are in a ten dollar bill? Gotta keep an open ear & be careful what people ask for.
Two tens for a five clip
(2) 25/5 = 14
(3) 2X2 = 5 !?
(4) 1 + 1 = 0
Have fun!
-ALI

With Groucho

You never know what you're going to get...except for tears in your eyes and giggle pains in your side. Montage from Duck Soup, including hat gag and mirror clip.
Best of Groucho Things aren't always what they seem Street corner hat gag
I never was a Monty kinda gal. This, this does it for me!


Psst..Hey Aiden Ya find the darndest things while milling over term paper ideas. I've chosen the significance of the feather - from flying dino to quill pen... to star in 1994 box office hit along side Tom Hanks as a 'floater'. (Still working on the time line and details its got some kinks.) Anyhow, I came across this timeless clip from Horse Feathers. If you have 9mins this is part 1 - but at least watch this clip of Groucho singing! Good luck with your search.

I'm curious

What have people chosen for their term paper topics?

This is me avoiding doing reading for mine. :)
Aesthetics in urban management and land use policy... I'm reading a lot of Edmund Burke and Thoreau. Gotta get that Romantic Background.
- Aiden

Book Titles: Short & Sweet or Longwinded & Drawnout

I discourage anyone from 'judging a book by its cover', but sometimes ya just can't help it!

Is it just me? or has anyone else noticed that book titles have become exceedingly longer and longer? While many famous (and some not so famous) books have consisted of ONE WORD titles , there are a handful of book titles I came across that have unnecessarily long, ridiculously extensive, and downright superfluous titles.

Literary Addict shows many books with long(ish) titles. But when you're sitting in your dorm on a Saturday night searching book titles (as probably only me would do) what better site than Guinness Book of World Records to locate the longest title ever!? Guinness gives the award to Davide Ciliberti who wrote a book that consists of 1,433 characters long (290 words).

Well, apparently Guinness hasn't heard of Nigel Tomm. He wrote a book with a title consisting of a whopping 670 words!! Just one character shy of 4,000! Is this phenomenal or what!?

Again, maybe it's just me, but if anyone can top Tomm's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious book title...please help put my mind at ease!

Thanx - ALI

Jim Carrey and Environmentalism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8tfuBIutLI

Tourism and Environment

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/endangered-vacations-47060902?src=syn&dom=yah_buzz&mag=tdg&ha=1&kw=ist

This kind of reminded me of how people visited Niagara when it was dry.

The attraction of dare devils

Here's the followup to the discussion of daredevils and Niagara Falls . . . You Tube's "Viral Video Film School," on how to make dare devil videos.

Kids, don't try this at home.

The Bambi Sublime

This painting is amazing! Observing it closely, I was able to relate the "Bambi theme" with the idea of the sublime. It falls into the Hudson River School category as well, with the craggy tree barks as the framing, the body of water in the middle ground, and a majestic view in the distance. The deer are seen prancing through the dry woods. This painting has an element of unconventional beauty. Nature, in the scene, is serene but also a bit mysterious. It leaves me wondering: what story could be told about this painting? I suppose it's simply up to individual interpretation.

-Robin Simpson

J. M. W. Turner's Snowstorm

Read what Kenneth Clark has to say about Turner's Snowstorm:

"MY FIRST EMOTION is sharpened by amazement. There is nothing else remotely like it in European art, except, of course, other pictures by Turner, and I can understand why, until recently, critics brought up in the classical tradition were unwilling to accept such a freak. Not only is the subject exceptional, but the whole rhythmic organization is outside the accepted modulus of European landscape painting. We have been brought up to expect inside a frame a certain degree of balance and stability. But in Turner's Snowstorm nothing comes to rest. The swathes of snow and water swing about in a wholly unpredictable manner, and their impetus is deflected by contrary movements of spray and mysterious striations of light. To look at them for long is an uncomfortable, even an exhausting, experience."

Read more of Clark's essay at artchive.com .