You might wonder why I haven’t posted any factory farming videos from YouTube on my site yet. Truthfully, it’s because I can barely stomach them. I saw enough in the movie “Food, Inc.” to give me a clear picture for the rest of my life. Because I haven’t actually watched these videos, I can’t really say I endorse them. But you may be interested in them if you haven’t seen or read much about factory farming. I’d love to hear your comments on them. 

I did watch this turkey breeding video, though, which shows how turkeys are packed in pens too small for their natural state–just a glimpse into the horrors of factory farming I’ve come across so far. (To learn more, Farm Sanctuary–which works to end cruelty to farm animals and promotes compassionate living through rescue, education, and advocacy–has lots of research on their website.) 

During the last few months I’ve been haunted by visuals of factory farming–from ”Food, Inc.” to Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma to what I’m currently reading, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. 

And I’ve pondered the ethics and morals of carnivorism and vegetarianism (see Stirring the Pot Before Thanksgiving), trying to get a grip on what it is that really bothers me about factory farming and the way our food system works in this country. 

What it all comes down to is suffering. 

I love animals. I’m the type of person who gets upset when I see a dead animal in the road because, more than likely, it died a senseless and probably slow death. 

Last year, I had the horrible experience of putting my cat to sleep because she had kidney disease and her digestive system started to shut down. If I hadn’t chosen to euthanize her, she would have been poisoned from the inside by the waste in her bowels. While I’d rather not play god, I didn’t want to see her suffer either. She had been my best pal for 20 years and I had the choice to put her out of misery. 

This week I was reading Chapter 4 of Eating Animals, which is about the author’s clandestine nighttime visit to a turkey farm with an animal activist named “C”. Although Jonathan Safran Foer requested visits to factory farms by writing numerous letters to companies such as Tyson, none has taken him up on his interest in seeing how their farms operate so he can make an informed decision about what to feed his son. (Imagine that.) 

When Safran Foer sneaks into the shed where turkey chicks are being raised, this is how he describes the scene: “Because there are so many animals, it takes me several minutes before I take in just how many dead ones there are. Some are blood matted; some are covered in sores. Some seem to have been pecked at; others are as desiccated and loosely gathered as small piles of dead leaves. Some are deformed. The dead are the exceptions but there are few places to look without seeing at least one.” 

Then “C” sees a chick “trembling on its side, legs splayed, eyes crusted over. Scabs protrude from bald patches. Its beak is slightly open, and its head is shaking back and forth.” But “C” knows what to do. She slices its neck. 

In “Food, Inc” there’s a scene where chickens are slaughtered on Joel Salatin’s farm, using a cone-like contraption such as Tom Carey used at Lubbers Farm this past fall. With a quick slice to the neck, the chicken’s life is over.  

Cones used for slaughtering chickens. See more about this in the movie, Food, Inc.

But Salatin’s chickens, just like Carey’s, lived natural, happy lives.

While the idea of death doesn’t appeal to anyone, I do think humans and animals are all part of a natural cycle in life that includes predators and prey, which is why hunting for food in the wild makes sense to me. 

And one of the key differences between factory farming and hunting for wild game or killing domesticated animals that were raised naturally in pastures is suffering. I think an animal that lives happily the way is was intended, such as the chickens at Lubbers Farm, and dies quickly at the hand of someone who is knowledgeable about slaughter has a better life than any animal raised in a factory farm.

What has happened to our respect for nature? We’re all part of this complex web. But I don’t think the web was meant to include genetically-engineered animals that are abused and destined to live in unnatural conditions.

If only this understanding could be made at the grocery store where people buy turkey breasts in a package with no connection to the suffering the poor bird endured in its factory upbringing.

Bugattia Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron is one of the fastest street-legal cars in the world, powered by an 8-liter W16 quad turbocharged engine that is capable of putting out more then 1000-hp.  All this power makes the Veyron capable of going 0-60 in 2.6 seconds and a top speed of more than 250 mph.  On top of this, the Veyron is also one of the most expensive vehicles in the world with a price tag of more than 1.7-million dollars.

Currently, only around 200 Veyrons exist worldwide with 15 of them located in the United States.

In Texas a Bugatti owner was reaching down to get his cell phone and then was distracted by a pelican on the road.  He swerved to miss the Pelican and drove his 1.7 million dollar vehicle into a lagoon.  The crazy part of all this story is there is video evidence of the wreck.  I am sure there will be some investigating on insurance fraud.

1.7 million dollars for a car.  I am still just shocked that someone would spend that much on a car.  If I had that much I would just buy a nice sedan and just hire a personal driver.  Plus I would have money left over.  Check out the pictures and the video of the crash.

Video

Links

Autoblog Bird-Gate Follow Up CLICK HERE

Autoblog Bird-Gate Bird Evidence Click Here

Autoblog Bugatti Veyron Click Here

Green Car Advisor Edmunds Blog Bugatti Veyron Crash Click Here

Do you think If I got a beardhead it would be like a negative plus a negative and equal a positive?

Or would it create a black hole on my face?

-Tyson

Delilah is hot, with her lilting l sounds and the chart-topping Plain White Tees single.  But what of the legendary strongman she brought down?

Thanks to Laura for suggesting Samson as Name of the Day.

The Biblical Samson had the strength of Hercules.  In one story, he tears apart a lion with his bare hands; in another, he fells one thousand attackers with a weapon fashioned from a small bone.

Samson is usually pitted against the Philistines.  They’re the ones who bribe the fair Delilah to learn the secret of his strength.  When she learned that Samson’s never-been-trimmed hair fueled his strength, Delilah called for the shears.

He gets the last laugh, though.  The Phillistines fail to keep up the manscaping while he’s in prison.  His locks grow back.  When Samson is summoned to their temple, he’s strong enough to bring down the house, killing his captors – and himself.

Besides the Old Testament tale, Samson appears in the Tanakh and the Talmud.  Basque mythology includes tales of the giant Sanson, who did things like kick up mountain ranges.

Sanson was apparently based on Samson, and Samson probably came from the Hebrew word for sun – shemesh.

You’ll find him in use in Medieval England, but the source is a Welsh-born saint.  The future Saint Samson established monasteries and evangelized much of Brittany.  He died sometime in the 5th century.  There’s a second Saint Samson from around the same time – Saint Samson the Hospitable, of Constantinople.

But it is the first Samson commemorated on the map throughout France.  He’s also the reason the name was in use amongst the Normans who came to England.  You’ll spot him in the historical record, most notably in the eleventh century as the given name of an influential Bishop of Worcester.

Samson fell out of favor over the years, possibly as artists embraced the Biblical tale.  John Milton published Samson Agonistes in 1671; Rembrandt was just one of many to depict Delilah’s legendary betrayal.

Even as parents discover more and more obscure Old Testament choices for their sons – Hezekiah and Zevidiah, anyone? – odds are that the Bible isn’t inspiring parents to pick Samson.

Instead, Samson started to appear in the US Top 1000 in the 1970s – the same time several now-popular picks surfaced.  Also spelled Sampson, he could strike many parents as a legitimate surname choice, similar to:

• Jackson has artistic style and offers parents a fresh take on the evergreen John.  He ranked #32 in 2008;
• Farther behind are I’m-just-wild-’bout Beatlesque Harrison, at #219;
• Newcaster Anderson, at #326;
• Surname/whiskey Jameson, at #382;
• Other ends-in-son surnames in favor include Carson, Mason and Tyson.

Samson’s best showing was #829 in 1988.  As of 2008, he stood at #948.  Odds are that many parents dismiss Samson in favor of one of his style-siblings when they think of the Biblical tale.

But Top 25 favorite Samuel has been bestowed on more than 125,000 newborn boys since 2000 alone.  Another 5,000 boys were named Sam – and that’s without considering Samantha and company.

If you’re comfortable disregarding the Biblical tale – and inevitable first-haircut jokes, Samson fits nicely with current trends and manages to be quite unusual without being too different.

Quite the fun game tonight as the Sharks defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-2. Dany Heatley played his former team for the first time, as did Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo.

Things were very spirited in the first period. Those three players definitely tried to make statements to their former clubs, and one was very successful.

Michalek netted two goals, so as far as I’m concerned, only Sharks scored tonight. He looked like a man on a mission to score. He pushed the Sens’ play and forecheck, constantly battled in front of the net. What else can I say? Milan deserved it. Buuuttt, the Sharks are too good.

A fourth man entered the ring to prove something; Patrick Marleau played his 900th game, all with the Sharks, and showed everyone it was a good decision to not trade him after all these years. He scored two goals as well and almost had a third, but lost the puck on a cut-in towards the net.

It was just a fun game to watch. There wasn’t a shortage of effort, maybe lack of intelligence (I think of one player to be named later), but all the players tried hard.

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau celebrate after Marleau scores (From SJSHARKS.com)

Frazer McLaren dropped the gloves with Matt Carkner in the first to continue the entertainment. Unfortunately, McLaren dropped another decision. It was close after Carkner ended the fight on purpose by dragging Frazer down, but Carkner had more punches land. Frazer needs to start winning some fights soon and not continue this Jody Shelley syndrome.

Both the second and third periods started off considerably slower than the first period; however, things picked up about halfway through each time.

Ryane Clowe came through with a goal after a tough battle between Manny Malhotra and Sens defenders. My tune is slowly starting to change on Manny. He scored an empty netter tonight and has shown some good speed and toughness lately. But I’m not so quick to change my mind on people. Hopefully this stays consistent.

Thomas Greiss manned the net for the Sharks. He hadn’t started in two weeks so coach Todd McClellan gave Evgeni Nabokov the night off. “Jesus” Greiss sure likes to flail. Reminds me of Magikarp from Pokemon. Both Greiss and Magikarp have one move: Flail. Obviously Greiss is more effective at it. He made some spectacular saves to preserve the lead. This backup situation could get juicy next season. After the Sharks decide whether or not to resign Nabby, will they put all their stock in Greiss as the heir apparent? Or will they look further to stud prospects Alex Stalock and Tyson Sexsmith? Who knows, but that’s getting a little ahead of myself.

The Sharks’ top line of Heatley-Thornton-Marleau amassed six points tonight continuing their William-Sherman-March-to-the-Sea trek torching any team in their path.

Douglas Murray

This guy took three penalties in the third period alone. What in the world was he thinking? Maybe he was excited because his grandfather was watching him play for the first time since he was in college. I don’t know, but regardless, this is the kind of thing that gets you in the coach’s doghouse. I mean, almost half of the period was shorthanded because of Murray. Use your friggin’ head, son.

Cheech ‘n’ Seek

Boy has Cheech ever fallen off the radar. He’s a third-liner in Ottawa and has been reduced to scrubbing the poop deck every game. Long gone are the days of him scoring 50 goals. Poor Cheech. Guess you really find out how good Joe Thornton is when the sniper leaves Jumbo’s side.

Other Notes

Hit-O-Meter: SJ 21  OTT 18; Scott Nichol (4) and Devin Setoguchi (3) led the team.

Seto and Torrey Mitchell aren’t getting much important action on the fourth line. Torrey received an extra minute compared to last game and Seto’s ice time was decreased. I wonder how much rust these two actually accumulated, because I think we all know these guys are much better than fourth liners. Patience is a virtue I guess. Can’t wait to see them fully recovered.

The Sharks play St. Louis on Thursday.

–Ray

Sophia and I made the trip down to Oregon in November to visit big Ryan and Megan for Ryan’s 25 birthday.  Funny to think that Ryan and I are both a quarter of a century old.  As Sophia and I were driving down to Oregon we realized that Ryan’s birthday was our first official date.   We went out to Ellensburg Pasta Factory.  From there it is history.  We met Ryan and Megan in Portland, Oregon at a great restaurant called Henry’s Tavern where we had Ryan’s birthday dinner.

We spent Saturday being extremely lazy.  We watched a lot of football but did get a chance to squeeze in a game of Settlers of Catan.  For Ryan’s birthday Megan got him a grill.  To put his present to good use Ryan and Megan had a big barbecue at their home where both the Loy and Ward families came over.  Kyle, Ryan’s youngest brother is the same age of Andrew and is a Senior in High School.  Due to Andrew and Kyle being so close in age I feel like Kyle at times is my younger brother.  Love the kid.  Kyle had a new addition to the Ward family in his Tattoo as seen below.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him

Good scripture choice though Kyle.  I just wish you put it on the lower part of your back!

Thanksgiving 2009 at the Sortun’s

Sophia and I spent Thanksgiving at her Bestefar’s home in Kent.  It was a great afternoon of good food, terrible football games and entertaining game of Scattegories which I would have won if we finished but Sophia said we tied.

In October I published a post about Jonathan Safran Foer’s book, Eating Animals, which I did finally buy and am about one-third of the way through.

I’ve just finished Chapter 3, called “Words/Meaning,” which is basically a glorified glossary of terms. (More about that later when I do my official review.) One “term” he cites is KFC, which most people will recognize as the shortened name for the fast food chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken. I remember my first trip west from New Jersey when I was a kid. We lived on buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken as we traversed the Great Plains, coastal highway 101, and the prairies of Canada. Today, I won’t step foot in a KFC.

As Safran Foer says in his book, “KFC is arguably the company that has increased the sum total of suffering in the world more than any other in history.” What he’s referring to is the nearly one billion chickens a year that are tortured by workers at slaughterhouses that supply KFC. This behavior doesn’t fit well with KFC’s commitment to “the well-being and humane treatment of chickens,” as quoted by Safran Foer. And he doesn’t even mention the health safety issues, which, if you don’t give a hoot about animal suffering, should at least matter if you eat factory-farmed chicken.

I had just read this part of the book when I saw Naomi Starkman’s post entitled “Two-Thirds of Chicken Tested Harbor Dangerous Bacteria” on The Huffington Post website. She reports that Consumer Reports tested fresh, whole broilers bought in 22 states and revealed that “two-thirds of birds tested harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter, the leading bacterial causes of food-borne disease. The report reveals that organic “air-chilled” broilers were among the cleanest and that Perdue was found to be the cleanest of the brand-name chicken. Tyson and Foster Farms chickens were found to be the most contaminated.”

The poultry industry is certainly a dirty one. To me, it only reinforces the importance of finding a local food source, getting to know your farmers, visiting the places your food is raised, and even participating in the hunting, gathering, growing, harvesting, feeding, and–yes–slaughtering of the food that you put on your table. (That last step is a tough one to stomach, I know. I’m still debating whether I can do it myself.)

According to a Food Administration & Drug (FDA) warning letter of November 13, 2009, Tyson Foods was warned about the significant violations:

You must conduct or have conducted for you a hazard analysis for each kind of fish and fishery product that you produce to determine whether there are food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur and have a HACCP plan that, at a minimum, lists the food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur, to comply with 21 CFR 123.6(a) and (c)(1). A food safety hazard is defined in 21 CFR 123.3(f) as "any biological, chemical, or physical property that may cause a food to be unsafe for human consumption."

However, your firm’s HACCP plan for "FDA Seafood Soups and Sauces" does not list the food safety hazard of pathogen growth and toxin formation, specifically the potential for Clostridium botulinum toxin formation.

[FDA] investigators observed shrimp and crab meat thawing in your firm’s (b)(4) Storage cooler at temperatures between 40-55°F for approximately 18 hours, in preparation for manufacturing your firm’s Seafood Gumbo. Consequently, in order to address the hazard of pathogen growth and potential toxin formation, we suggest that your revised HACCP plan include a critical control point (CCP) for the refrigerated storage/thawing step. We additionally suggest that products be continuously maintained at or below 40°F in order to control pathogen growth and toxin formation during these extended time periods when the products are held under refrigerated conditions.

Tyson e-mailed FDA that had corrected the problems but not to FDA’s satisfaction in compliance with a new HACCP plan.

What makes this significant is that Tyson had 15 working days to respond, and, according to various news sources, Tyson has not commented.

Tyson Foods, Inc

Check out these billboard advertisements that General Motors has put up around the city of Detroit, Michigan.

Les footballeurs ne sont pas les seuls à poser dans les publicités.

En effet, un autre sport est adoré de la population, c’est la lutte sénégalaise. C’est une discipline très importante dans ce pays qui rassemble l’ensemble du peuple sénégalais et par la même occasion des millions de francs CFA.

Sur ce visuel pour le lait en poudre Gloria, c’est Tyson le plus célèbre des lutteurs qui associe son image à un produit. Contrairement à l’affiche précédente on retrouve plus de texte dans le dialecte le plus utilisé : le Wolof.

Même si la moitié de la population ne pourra pas comprendre l’accroche et la signature, cette publicité reste très efficace. Effectivement, le fait que la marque s’associe à cette figure national suffit à diffuser un message. Entre autre, la force, la vitalité, l’endurance mais aussi la qualité du produit.

Cette publicité représente bien le marché sénégalais, on retrouve une célébrité incontournable, le dialecte principal représenté et on remarque que la qualité du visuel laisse a désiré et que l’affiche est bien abimé.

hopefully my mac battery will last long enough to let me write this blog while stuck here at o’hare…when I actually post this I’ll probably be at my mom’s place already, since I’m not down with the whole airport wireless program. question- is it really that serious to withhold having free wireless in airports? it’s 2010, people…really?? i don’t know anybody who pays for boingo or any of the other “hot spot” wireless services accessible in airports, but I would love to know the statistics on that. how many people actually order that stuff?

anywayyyyyy…. spinning at the hudson went really well and will hopefully result in future job opportunities. spun a quick house/deep house/electronic set… a mix of obscure stuff and some stuff most people into those genres would know- goldfrapp, crystal waters, ladytron, daft punk, la roux (my new obsession!!), modjo, ect…definitely got people dancing, finished my set, and let tim martell swoop in and do his thing for the rest of the night. frank came thru to help take some pics, so I’ve gotta give him all the credit for these:

as far as what else popped off this weekend- i watched the life changing exposé that IS ‘food, inc.’ even if you’re a huge fan of fast food (pun intended), this movie will turn you onto a healthier lifestyle. if it doesn’t, then I’m sorry that either A. the point totally went over your head or B. you have no soul. the food production system in this country is corrupt beyond what the average person could only begin to imagine. the major meat distribution companies, like tyson and other comparable giants, are being run by crazed maniacs who could care less who they have to step on to make their money. the whole thing is just a disgusting process. therefore, they are the hot mess of the day. yuck.

well, for now i’m off to bask in my few days off here… will post more soon…

Listen to the story

Story originally aired June 24, 2009

If you work in medicine, or spend a lot of time in hospitals, or just have a soft spot for the TV show House M.D., you probably know what MRSA is. If you don’t, MRSA is what they call a “superbug”–a kind of bacteria that’s extremely resistant to antibiotics. You usually find superbugs in hospitals, but that’s not the only place the dwell. You can also find superbugs on big farms. Industrialized agriculture uses antibiotics in the everyday feed of chickens, pigs, and cows, and that use means that superbugs are developing and growing on farms around the country. Nathan talks to Dr. Ellen Silbergeld, a professor in the Environmental Health Sciences department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, about this phenomenon and the risks it poses.

Then we call Richard Lobb, spokesperson for the National Chicken Council, to get the other side of the story.

Johns Hopkins Magazine article on Silbergeld’s research

Paper on antimicrobials in chicken feed co-authored by Dr. Silbergeld

Pierwsza walka Mike’a Tysona z Evenderem Holyfieldem. Pojedynek odbył się 9 listopada 1996 roku w Las Vegas i uznany został za “Walkę roku”.

Bestsellery w sklepie Pretorian – sprawdź teraz!

Mix treningów Mike’a Tysona.

Bestsellery w sklepie Pretorian – sprawdź teraz!

By Dirk Van Dijk
November 20, 2009

Investors will be able to say thanks next Thursday for a wonderful earnings season, one that is rapidly drawing to a close. There will be only 57 firms reporting quarterly results next week, including 10 members of the S&P 500. That group, however, contains some pretty important names, including computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), agricultural equipment king John Deere (DE) and investors will find out if Campbell Soup (CPB) really is “mm-mm good.” The economic data is squeezed into the front part of the week due to the holiday:

Monday
• Existing Home Sales are expected to rise to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.65 million from 5.57 million in September. While existing home sales make up more than 85% of all home sales, their effect on the economy is minimal and largely indirect. Watch the inventory numbers, though — a decline would be a very good thing, particularly if it results in a drop in the months of supply outstanding

Tuesday
• We get the second cut at 3rd Quarter GDP. It was originally estimated at 3.5% growth, but due to weaker-than-expected trade numbers and downward revisions to September retail sales, the consensus estimate is now that the economy grew at just 3.0% in the quarter. The GDP deflator is expected to remain unchanged at up 0.8%
• The Case-Schiller home price index is expected to show that the year-over-year decline in housing prices in September was 9.10%, a significant improvement over the 11.32% decline in August. Thanks to extraordinary government support for the housing market, housing prices have started to recover, at least on a month-to-month basis. However, with a huge overhang of supply and shadow supply from seriously delinquent mortgages, this strength will probably fade by the first quarter, especially as government and central bank support diminishes
• The other major house price index is the FHFA report, which is expected to show a 0.3% monthly increase for September, reversing a 0.3% decline in August
• Consumer Confidence is expected to fall slightly to a reading of 47.5 for November from 47.7 in October

Wednesday
• Personal Income is expected to have risen by 0.2% in October after being unchanged in September. Personal Spending is expected to increase 0.5%, reversing a 0.5% decline last month. Combined this means that the savings rate is falling again, which is good news short-term, but a disaster long-term
• Initial Claims for unemployment insurance are to be released a day early due to the holiday. Last week they were at 505,000 and have been in a downward trend since April. The decline will probably continue.
• New Home Sales are expected to have increased to an annual rate of 414,000 in October from 402,000 in September. This is a far more important number for the economy than existing home sales as it directly impacts residential investment. Housing starts came in very light for October, so an increase will help get inventories under better control
• New orders for Durable Goods are expected to have risen by 0.5% in October on top of a 1.0% rise in September. Excluding the very volatile Transportation sector they are expected to be up 1.0% after a 0.9% rise last month
• The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is expected to show an increase to 66.5 from 66.0 last week

Thursday
• Caloric consumption is expected to hit its high for the year, but this is highly seasonal and should be roughly flat with a year ago
• Belts are loosened, naps taken and football is watched

Friday
• People wake up early to stampede into the malls
• Leftover turkey sandwiches are consumed

Potential Positive Surprises
Historically the best indicators of firms which are likely to report positive surprises are a recent history of positive surprises and rising estimates going into the report. The Zacks Rank is also a good indicator of potential surprises. Some of the companies that have these characteristics include:

Deere (DE) is expected to post EPS of just $0.05, down from $0.81 last year. That low expectation sets it up for a positive surprise. Last time out they beat by 73.7%. However there has been no change in the estimate over the last month, and the stock has a neutral Zacks Rank of 3

Tyson (TSN), the poultry producer, might just make its investors thankful. It is expected to earn $0.26, up from $0.14 last year. Last time out it beat by 83.3%. However, analysts have slightly shaved the mean estimate by 0.6% over the last month.

Potential Negative Surprises
In keeping with the overall very positive tone of this earnings season, the potential negative firms are less clear cut. However:

BJ Services (BJS) is expected to post EPS of just $0.03, down from $0.57 last year. It badly missed estimates last time, reporting a loss instead of income and analysts have cut the estimates for this year’s quarter by 11.1% over the last month.

CNN/Money reports in the article “Tyson names new CEO” that Donnie Smith, currently senior group vice president of Poultry and Prepared Foods, has been named the company’s new president and chief executive officer.

Out of the 89 films that qualified the Acadamy have narrowed it down to these 15 before narrowing it down further to five for the nominations in 2010.

The Beaches of Agnes – Directed by Agnes Varda
Burma VJ – Directed by Anders Ostergaard
The Cove – Directed by Louie Psihoyos
Every Little Step - Directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo
Facing Ali – Directed by Pete McCormack
Food, Inc. – Directed by Robert Kenner
Garbage Dreams – Directed by Mai Iskander
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders – Directed by Mark N. Hopkins
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers – Directed by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
Mugabe and the White African – Directed by Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey
Sergio – Directed by Greg Barker
Soundtrack for a Revolution - Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman
Under Our Skin – Directed by Andy Abrahams Wilson
Valentino The Last Emperor - Directed by Matt Tyrnauer
Which Way Home – Directed by Rebecca Cammisa

There are a few notable omissions – Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, James Toback’s Tyson and Davis Guggenheim’s It Might Get Loud.

Out of the ones that made it my favourite is The Cove. Go see that one if you haven’t already.

What do you think of the 15 picked? Which other great documentaries of this year have been missed?

What Camaro color do you think looks the best?

2010 Silver Chevrolet Camaro

2010 Red Chevrolet Camaro

2010 White Chevrolet Camaro

2010 Black Chevrolet Camaro

2010 Yellow Chevrolet Camaro

2010 Orange Chevrolet Camaro

The Camaro comes in 8 colors.

1.  Silver Ice Metallic

2.  Black

3. Inferno Orange Metallic

4.  Imperial Blue Metallic

5.  Victory Red

6.  Cyber Gray Metallic

7.  Rally Yellow

8. Summit White

We had an Imperial Blue but we sold it so fast we did not get a chance to take pictures of it.  I have not seen the Cyber Gray Mettalic yet in person but I have seen the remaing 7.  I think the Camaro looks best in Orange but when we got the white Camaro it was a tough decision.  The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro in white is pretty impressive.  But I am sticking with my orange Camaro as I think that is the best color the car comes in.

Mike Tyson, Box-Legende, ist neben seiner Schlagkraft auch für seine Bisskraft bekannt geworden: In einem Kampf gegen Evander Holyfield 1997 biss er seinem Kontrahenten ein Stück Ohr ab.

Ähnliches ist nun in Russland passiert. Ein Eishockey-Spieler prügelte sich mit einem Gegenspieler und biss dem eingreifenden Schiri in die Hand. Lustig gehts auf der tz-Homepage zu, wenn der Artikel gleich drunter angeteast wird. Da kann man die Überschrift im Konttext schon mal missverstehen und als Siegestaktik im nächsten Spiel deuten:

(Screenshot: tz-online.de/ 18.11.09, 23.27)

I was too young to really get Mike Tyson in his heyday.  My mom was uncomfortable when Tyson’s story was on Morning Edition because she didn’t want to explain rape.  I knew he hurt a woman.  A few years later he was on NPR again for biting someone’s ear off. For years his violent persona has been fixed in the recesses of my mind.

“Tyson” the documentary has certainly made the man more interesting and sympathetic.  Through much of the film Tyson comes across as sincere.  I find myself thinking, ‘this guy has life figured out.’  Other times he comes across as sincerely naive, like when he shows off his Che Guevara tattoo.  Like a friend who had the name of his favorite band tattooed across his chest.

The filmmakers cut in such a way that it’s like Tyson’s never taking a breath.  This allows them to punctuate Tyson’s monologues.  They’ll draw skepticism by repeating his canned stories.  He’ll talk about his troubled youth, and they’ll cut to him saying the exact same thing again, or they’ll even pull out some found footage of him saying the same thing in the late 80’s.  If it were a one off gimmick I’d think they were subverting his trust or something.  Here I don’t think it’s necessarily subverting his intentions because they really move his story forward.

In the second half of the film Tyson talks candidly about life in prison. Here they use repetition to ratchet up the urgency of what Tyson’s saying.  One painful memory gives way immediately to another.  Maybe I’m just listening because he’s a fascinating celebrity.   I’m not so worried about that though.  Maybe that’s what it takes a bit of celebrity to humanize the incarcerated.

Tyson talks about time spent talking to himself in the hole.  The screen is split up as below.  His voice in each window is faded out under the arrival of full volume in the new screen.  He’s talking to himself while being heard by millions of people who watch his film.

I’m just going to transcribe some of what he says and leave it at that:

By going to prison I lost my faith of trust in God.  I really… I became a Muslim in prison, but I really lost my faith in myself.  I became like almost unhuman.  I seen things that really I couldn’t understand one human being doing to another.  For example many times I seen people come down, especially umm medication or police guards They come and they give medication and a guard comes with them.  The guard may have been one of the guards that locked the guy up and all of a sudden a pile of shit comes and smash him right in the face. [Cut w/ emphasis] A pile of shit comes out and smash you in your face. A pile of piss comes smash you in the face.  These guys pick up their own um feces and hit somebody with it…

All of a sudden might be a race war…

Else one day somebody might throw some gasoline and try to light it in your cell and burn you up.  Or you might be a lady guard and somebody grab you and throw you in the bathroom and rape you.

Just so many things happen in prison.  You can’t believe it happening.

These people don’t care.  They got 40 years, a hundred years.  People don’t care what they do.  You can’t give um any more time than they already have. So um, you’re walking a thin rope messing with these kind of people.

These people are borderline sociopaths.  These people need to be in hospitals more than prisons so to speak.

Trust me I’m not trying to play a tough guy at all.  I have three years [probation?] i don’t want no trouble with no one.

Well um, I been to the hole quite a few times and being in the hole is just insane in itself.  I’m in there 24 hours a day, 23 hours a day with the light on.  people treat you horribly. you never get the light turned off. and they take your blanket and you’re sleeping on concrete. you’re subject to strip search randomly. you never know when they gonna come search your room and make you strip.

Death is to be welcome. That particular time. Listen man you feel like your dead because when you in prison that’s the closest thing to death. You stay there so long, you become so used to being by yourself that you’re used to talking with yourself. you become your own best friend.  own best company. everybody’s gone. nobody calls you. visits become shorter and shorter and I know I’m going insane and I’m crazy for being here but it’s the only sanity that I know. That’s the sanity that I know.  I know that sounds so contradictory but it’s the life that I know at that particular time and situation.  The sanity is my… My insanity is my only sanity.