Blood Diamond

I saw Blood Diamond tonight.  I didn't find it to be too preachy and it had a decent story.  I think it was a little too "happy" of an ending given the situation -- but all in all a good flick.  Granted it has lots of violence; that goes without saying.  Similar to "Lord of War" in its portrayal of the situation while still selling a story (ie not a documentary or news footage), I find it to be wrong in its conclusion.  Real peace only comes from the Prince of Peace.  The bumper sticker is truer:  Know Jesus, Know Peace; No Jesus, No Peace.  You can't buy peace with dollars or form it through international coalitions.

But what to do about this movie?  Should you go see it?  The review from Plugged In suggests that it may be too rough. (Pardon the long quote)

[Blood Diamond] makes the emphatic statement that the abuse of natural, monetarily beneficial resources should be condemned and restricted as much as the world community can possibly do so. And to make that point, it introduces us to child soldiers. The kids shown here aren't being taught by their parents to hate and kill, they're being kidnapped, imprisoned and brainwashed. And the movie unequivocally preaches that when things like this happen, lots of people die. And everybody loses. Even those who think they've won.

In this regard, Blood Diamond screams out a protest that should be heard and well-heeded. How does it do it, though? With graphic, sometimes gratuitous images of violence, and obscene and profane language.

A postscript: I've reviewed many poignant message movies over the years, most of which rely on extreme content—obsessively detailing brutality, gore and death—to seal the emotional deal. And most of them, Blood Diamond included, leave me wishing they weren't flagrantly R-rated so that more people could be exposed to them...

An onscreen epilogue of sorts shows gem industry execs and human rights groups, among others, gathering in Kimberly, South Africa, to confront the death and destruction that follows in a blood diamond's wake. A speaker begins the conference with: "Let us ignore it no more." Agreed. But neither should we ignore the intricate moralities entangled in the ways in which we choose to teach future generations about right and wrong, peace and war.

Perhaps I'm too jaded -- I've seen too much fake violence.  I won't be tormented by nightmares.  I'm not sick to my stomach.  I don't relish in the blood-spilling.  I won't copy-cat any of the action.  Are there other ways to learn the message of the movie? Yes.  And if you fit into any of the previous four categories, you should not see this movie.

However:

If you find yourself too easily passing over the reports from Sudan, Cote d'Ivory, Uganda, Somalia, etc you SHOULD see this movie.  If only to put a face (albeit, in this case, a forgery) to the real troubles.

World War III

According to a former Israeli intelligence chief, World War III has already begun and it will take 25 years for the battle against Islamic fundamentalist terrorism to be won.  During which time he expects there to be a nuclear explosion.

Interesting News

Today has been a very interesting day for news.  But before I get to that here's an update on life.  I didn't get the chance to go snorkeling like I wanted too.  I had a great time watching the New Orleans - Chicago game since it was in a large group and we could give our host a bad time.  (New Orleans is his team and they lost).  Tonight is the return of Battlestar Galactica, one of the tv shows that I have been hooked on.  Sure, I like most Americans, consume lots of media -- but I try to spread it around.  But in case anyone is wondering, including any advertisers/marketers out there since I'm in the middle of the "most coveted" demographic, the 18 - 34 male, I only follow a few shows- Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, and Lost.  All of them are serialized shows and since my schedule doesn't always allow for seeing the broadcast, I download them from iTunes.  But on to the interesting news...

Books

I have been trying to find a cheap, portable way to travel with my books.  Since I read for several hours a week and I travel a lot, I want a portable alternative to the traditional book.  My PDA can work for some items, but the selection of books are limited and the price is too high.  Also, the screen is smaller than I like.  Google might have the answer, though.  Google is entering the realm of e-books and is also talking about making the items available for purchase by the chapter or by renting.  While I don't think I would purchase just a chapter of a book, I do like the idea of renting a book -- if it will be cost-effective.

Storage

The bigger news is the advance in storing information.  Right now the medium used to store these words and images on your computer is a magnetic platter.  It takes up physical space on your hard-drive.  What if you could store a picture by light?  I'm not talking about a cd or dvd (optical media) what about the actual light?  What about a single photon?  It is possible now!  Researchers have stored a 100-plus pixel image on a single photon.  The image on the left is the picture from the photon while the image on the right is the orginal.

Have a great week!

Saturday Night Musings

Watched a movie, checked my email (none), made a few calls (no answers), and read some more in a book.  I guess it's a typical Saturday night here.  So now I turn to speaking out into the void of cyberspace.

Blogging

I guess you could say I'm glad I'm at where I'm at:  I don't have to worry about being prosecuted for my political or religious views.  That isn't the case everywhere as this report from Egypt shows.

Politics

Perhaps I won't be raising a family in California:  Proposed Spanking Ban Sparks Debate

While I certainly do not advocate abuse nor do I go to the extremes for punishing those who do not understand what they are doing (whether the very young, very old, or those who are insane), I do not like the idea of a government telling parents how to discipline their children.  Protect the children, yes.  Some reports I've seen show the proposed bill to be for 4 years and under, while others are 3 years and under.  For the record, I do not consider "spanking" and "beating" to be the same thing.  Both are striking someone, however I differences.  Any physical contact that is used to express anger, frustration, or another strong, negative emotion is "beating."  Beating is not discipline.  (And if it brings pleasure to the one administering the "beating" then something is seriously wrong.)  Spanking should be non-emotional, relevant to the situation and the child.  I can remember being spanked and thinking nothing of it.  Sure it hurt, but it didn't mean anything to me:  I could take the pain.  In that specific case, the punishment did not fit me.  The goal is not to inflict pain or suffering:  it is to teach that there are consequences to actions and that bad/wrong behavior/actions will not be tolerated.

Pusan - Thanksgiving 2004

Here is a video I have finished editing.

Please let me know what you think about it!

Jib Jab

Nuckin' Futs!

A review of 2006

A Message from the President...

... of Iran.

No, I am not joking.  I want you read this message from Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad titled "President’s Message on the occasion of Jesus Christ’s birthday."

I know -- I, too, find it odd that I am referencing this.  However when you read it, it is quite curious, sad, frightening, but true.  (And no, he does not mention getting nuclear weapons -- Go read it!!)

Curious

What does the President of Iran want to say regarding Jesus' birth?  It sounds very familiar and it is almost easy to miss something important.  What is most notable is what is missing:  Jesus as the Son of God.

 In the Name of Almighty God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

My sincere congratulations to everyone for the Glorious and Auspicious Birthday of Divine Prophet - confirmed and authenticated by Gabriel, the angel of Divine revelation - the Obedient of Almighty God,
Jesus Christ, the Messiah (peace be upon Him)

Then again, that is the crucial difference among all of the religions:  only one of them has Jesus as God. 

Sad

Whereas I reject his analysis and conclusion, sadly I have to agree that many wars and injustices have occurred when people took God's words/will and manipulated them for their own means.

Unfortunately during the history, some egoistic and tyrant individuals have existed that stood against the convocations and the sermons of the Divine Prophets. And these tyrants and oppressors were the causation of all the adversities and the originator of all wars and animosities.

Frightening

Immediately after blaming others for manipulating God's words for their own means, Dr. Admadi Nejad manipulates them:  as a rationale for going to war against us.  At first he sounds right:

Frankly, if Jesus Christ – the Messiah (peace be upon Him) was present today, how would He react? And whom would He stand with and against?
If Jesus Christ (peace be upon Him) was present today, he would order an encounter against those who would propagate corruption, obscenity and perversion, and try to nullify and exterminate the merits and the rights of women and diminish their position – a position that virgin Mary (peace be upon Her) – is their role model and sample.

But then he goes off the deep end by mislabeling who those people are who the cause of the ills in society.

If Jesus Christ (peace be upon Him) was present today, He would order a contention against those who try to discharge the world from morality, spirituality, intellectuality, justice, and peace. And accordingly, the true followers of the Divine Prophets would follow their steps in regard to strengthening the morality, intellectuality, spirituality, peace and justice in the world.

True

We believe that the beloved Jesus Christ – the Messiah (peace be upon Him and His Mother) would also reappear for the fulfillment of the promises of all the Divine prophets. And together – accompanying the invited of the nations – would bring all the beauties and goodness for humanity of the world. And we are getting close to that date.

He is most correct:  Jesus will reappear for the fulfillment of the promise.  And He will do so soon.

Conclusion

So where do we find ourselves?  I can't help thinking that this guy is a person who sees himself as being a way to make prophesies be fulfilled.  Many of his speeches are apocalyptic and he is seeking nuclear weapons. 

Not too long ago, my Aunt took me to see a movie called The Omega Code.  While the movie was made to play off the then popular "Bible Code" -- the idea that hidden messages that predict the future can be found in the Bible when it is viewed as a three dimensional matrix (the Bible Code is a two dimensional matrix and is strongly doubted by many people see Wikipedia article).  The "bad guy" (Stone Alexander) in the movie got a copy of the computer program and started following the prophecies coming true (though the plot became fussy as to if the guy was following the prophecy or if he was creating the events to fit the "prophecy").

The connection?  I see Dr. Ahmadi Nejad as a real-life Stone Alexander.  The importance?  None.  Keep harvesting in the fields and petitioning the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers.  Though you could, if you want, look up your name in the Bible Code to see if there is anything important said about you.  (Disclaimer:  I find the Bible Code to be total bunk).

Luke 10:2

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.  -- Jesus

Top Field Agent: R2-D2

Warning:  only for the truly interested (read: geeks)...

According to this theory, R2-D2 and Chewbacca are the real heros of the Alliance.

Items of Interest

Sports

I know -- tonight most sports people will be focussing on the National Championship in College Football.  But it is interesting to see that Caltech won its first basketball game in ten years. 

No Joking Matter

This one is reminiscint of a Paul Harvey report:

Wedding jokes aren't always funny. When a bride in Austria jokingly answered "no" instead of "yes" when asked if she wanted to marry her husband-to-be, the official performing the civil wedding promptly broke off the ceremony.

Not even the bride's sobs could reverse the decision and the couple had to wait two and a half months before they could give it another successful try, the Austrian newspaper Oberoesterreichischen Nachrichten reported Friday.

 - ABC News

Map to Dark Matter

Scientists have used the Hubble Telescope to map the dark matter in the universe.  I'd like to know what color it is...

What to do about Middle School

I like the suggestion to get rid of 11th & 12th Grades.  What do you think?

Perception is Important

Perception is very important.  Sure, we are advocated to not judge a book by its cover, but how something is perceived will determine our response.  It doesn't matter what the item is, if it initially appears bad/hostile/dangerous we will react differently than if it appeared good/friendly/safe.

Take, for example, this fake movie trailer:

What is your reaction?  Nothing in the images shown is made-up.  It is from the actual movie, but it does not correctly bill it.  While jumping into chalk paintings may be scary, this is not a horror film.  This is, in my opinion, the best family film that Walt Disney made; based on this trailer, I would not have a family watch it.

The same way that something good can be made to look bad, something bad can be made to look good. 

Take, for example, this government safety initiative:

Technology can identify missing children, elderly

[Sherrif] Leonard said he hopes eventually to scan the irises of all 71,000 in the county. He hoped that groups such as parent-teacher organizations, churches and senior care centers would invite his officers to events where scans can be made...

Leonard acknowledged that some parents might see the iris scans as an invasion of privacy but said he is certain doubters could be won over.

While it is a great goal to be able to identify missing children, it would only work in one of two ways.  One, it will work is when a child is found and scanned.  How many times are missing children found by the cops?  Not too often.  True, it would be nice to know who someone is that you found and to get that child away from whoever took them.

The other way it could work is if it were to be used in public.  The repercussions of this could be extreme.  It might turn into constant checking to see if your child is to be with you -- like they do at Chuck E. Cheese's when you leave.  I don't like the idea of having a database to identify anyone while in the public area.  It would amount to "Big Brother" watching over our shoulders and requiring us to submit to "safety" scans to continue through the checkpoint.  One error with the computer system and then we have children being taken away because they were listed as "missing." 

This and other competing identification systems will be contiually billed as being for safety and security.  This will keep us safe from terrorism, safe from being exploited, safe from everything but from ourselves.  Eventually, though, what we won't be safe from is the misuse and abuse of systems that keep us safe.  The terrorism will come from those who are to keep us safe from terror.

I'm not being alarmist; we have a long way to go until 666.  Many measures can increase our safety and are worthwhile.  However, the bad stuff will come in the same nice, neat packaging of safety and protection.  And based on the perception of the "safety" many will blindly accept it.  That which is good will be called bad and that which is bad will be called good.

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good
       and good evil,
       who put darkness for light
       and light for darkness,
       who put bitter for sweet
       and sweet for bitter.

Set, Go ... Ready

I'm drafting up my own response to this article, but I'd like to hear what you think first.

Free Will

Do you choose how you live?  Or is it an illusion?  I tend to fall into the category of beliving we have free will.  I agree with the physicsists like Anton Zeilinger:

A vote in favor of free will comes from some physicists, who say it is a prerequisite for inventing theories and planning experiments.

That is especially true when it comes to quantum mechanics, the strange paradoxical theory that ascribes a microscopic randomness to the foundation of reality. Anton Zeilinger, a quantum physicist at the University of Vienna, said recently that quantum randomness was “not a proof, just a hint, telling us we have free will.”

But although I think we have free will, I also realize that the Lord directs our steps and sustains us.  Separately I am truly begining to realize that we cannot turn our hair white or black -- but that is another matter.

Your Brain: It's Alive! ...

While me may prefer to liken our brains to a static computer that just processes information, new research supports the idea that it actually grows.  Long thought to be just the domain of the young, even the adult brain continually grows and rewrites itself.  In fact, it is doing so right as you read this!

So perhaps my innocent idea as a child wasn't far off from the truth:  when I was young I compared my brain (memory) with a rotary card file index (computers weren't THAT common yet  and much more difficult for a youngster to visualize -- though now I realize I've dated myself).  Someone would tell me to remember something and I tried to imagine that I was able to store it by writing it down and storing ait away.  Now I am sure that I was just being a impertinent boy when I told people to wait so I could "write it down" -- but come to find out I wasn't that far off from the truth...

Saying Yes to Mess

I knew there was a good reason why I always have clutter on my desks both at home or at the office: 

An anti-anticlutter movement is afoot, one that says yes to mess and urges you to embrace your disorder. Studies are piling up that show that messy desks are the vivid signatures of people with creative, limber minds (who reap higher salaries than those with neat "office landscapes") and that messy closet owners are probably better parents and nicer and cooler than their tidier counterparts.  - NY Times