Darwin Bio Pic too Controversial for U.S.

The new film “Creation” has yet to find a distributor in the United States.

The Telegraph says:

However, US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.

Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as “a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder”. His “half-baked theory” directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to “atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering”, the site stated.

Wowzers.  Only 39% of Americans believe in evolution?  What is it about education that scares so many Americans?  Maybe it is just easier to believe whatever the book says – typical lazy American idiots.

I hope the movie gets released here because I want to see it.  I also hope it gets released here because that would show that at least one company isn’t too scared of the nut jobs to release a simple bio pic.

Obama Accomplishes Nothing

My thoughts exactly almost exactly.

Don Giovanni – The Right Way

I stumbled upon this video of the final scene from Mozart’s brilliant opera, Don Giovanni.

What I like about this is the gratuitous use of women in bikinis.  That’s what I call opera!

Quote of the Day – Jacques Rivière

Romanticism aside, there is no other end to pure thought than death.

- Jacques Rivière

Expelled – Ben Stein’s Pro Creationist “Documentary”

So I got Expelled – No Intelligence Allowed from Netflix.  I’m watching it as I write this.  The beginning is what you would expect, a long and tedious trek to find professors who have been shunned for expressing support of intelligent design.  A lot of ignorance about what evolution actually is, and a lot of pointing out that ID has good points (without ever actually making them so we can judge for ourselves how good they are).  But the best part so far is the long bit about Nazi Germany and eugenics.  What place do the Nazis have in this “documentary”?  Evidently the Nazis became Nazis because they were Darwinists.  Stein also manages to imply that Planned Parenthood is an organization guided by the principles of eugenics!

Stein spends a lot of time talking about how it isn’t the American way to suppress a viewpoint – we are the land of freedom and inclusiveness.  What he never does is make an argument of why we should listen to ID.  What is the evidence?  He says it is just as valid but never bothers to show us why.

And that is because its a bunch of bullshit.

Beyond the Gates – Rwanda Genocide at its Finest

Last weekend I received the film Beyond the Gates from Netflix.  I watched, I laughed, I cried.  Except for the laughed part.  Based on a true story this film was an amazing eye opener.  No matter how much you know about Rwanda in 1995, what happened there is something you can never really get your mind around.  I highly recomend this film as both a history lesson and a study of what people are capable of.  I don’t know how I missed it when it came out to theatres, but I’m glad that I didn’t miss it on DVD.

1940′s Color Photography

According to Mental Floss, the Library of Congress has recently uploaded a bunch of photographs to its flickr page.  And evidently there were some color photographs being taken in the early 1940′s.  It is stunning to see that the world wasn’t actually black and white back then.  Take this boilermaker from 1942 for example:

 

Check out the other photos at Mental Floss or browse through the entire collection at the Library of Congress’ Flickr page.

Bill Maher – Religulous

Here’s a trailer for the upcoming Bill Maher documentary about religion.

Never Ever Talk to the Police – Words to Live by.

Here are two interesting videos explaining why you should never, ever, under any circumstances, talk to the police.  The first is from James Duane, a law school professor, and the second is from a real live police officer responding to Prof. Duane’s comments.

And as a bonus, you can hear NWA’s song “Fuck the Police” after the jump.

TED Talks – James Howard Kunstler – The Tragedy of Suburbi

James Howard Kunstler attacks design and city planning in America.

The Dark Knight and the Misguided Message

So I just saw the new batman flick.  It’s only redeeming quality is that Heath Ledger actually does a good job.  What disturbed me most was the take home message of the film.  I’ll just come out and say it – it might have been made by the Bush administration.

What The Dark Knight tells us is that when there is danger in the world, and when people are afraid, it’s not only acceptable but preferable that we forget about civil liberties.  It’s okay to lie to the public, to trick them, to work in the shadows – because damn it, that’s what they need.  They need to believe in a hero, in the possibility of goodness – and god knows they’re too stupid to be treated like anything other than children.

There’s even a scene where Batman rigs up some sort of system where he can spy on everyone via their cell phones.  Morgan Freeman’s character feigns indignation about it, but ultimatly agrees to do it, because, you know, there are bad guys out there.  But only this once, surely it is okay just this once.

Civil liberties, government transparency – these are things that can not and should not be suspended or revoked at anytime for any reason.  Otherwise, where does one draw the line?  Evidently one draws the line at a psychopath in clown makeup.  When there’s one of those around civil liberties go out the window.

TED Talks – Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

I was sure I had blogged about this, but couldn’t find it . . . so here we go.

Sir Ken Robinson gives a short and entertaining talk about how schools kill creativity, why they do it, and why that’s a problem.

Darth Priest

Read about it here.

Violence in Art

In honor of Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman who after the Columbine incident decided that violence exists and art exists but never the two shall meet; I give you Who Killed Bambi?which is a neat blog that explores violence in art (which is ultimately the only place violence belongs).

 

And definitely not to miss, this short claymation by Suzie Templeton called “Dog”:

 

Garfield Minus Garfield

Garfield Minus Garfield is a brilliant blog that, in their own words:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.