Bookmark Stew (Part 1)

Wow, has it really been that long since I've posted anything here? Yeah, I guess so. Well, as they say, life happens, and there's certainly been quite a bit of it happening here lately. But more on that later. Right now it's time to clean out a whole bunch of bookmarks. I've kind of gotten in the habit of posting these to my Facebook page (stop on by and let's be "friends"), but there's a whole bunch that I've just been holding off on, and it's time to catch up, I think, so here we go:

ITEM! Ok, let's start with an easy one here. There have been numerous reports of photographers being detained or harassed simply for the criminal act of taking pictures. As a matter of fact, the sets of pictures of various local eateries in my "And You Shall Know Them by What They Eat" posts actually resulted in a visit on my doorstep by two local Nashville detectives (who, i should note right now, were extremely polite and in no way harassing or intimidating) but that's another story for another time. Instead I'd like to call your attention to this article from the Long Beach (California) Post in which police chief Jim McDonnell confirms that "detaining photographers for taking pictures 'with no apparent esthetic value' is within Long Beach Police Department  policy", despite the fact that the officers are receiving no training nor even guidelines when it comes to what "esthetic value" they might be looking for or even what the term might mean. Apparently this falls under the LAPD's Special Order #11, which calls on officers to "accurately and appropriately gather, record and analyze information, of a criminal or non-criminal nature, that could indicate activity or intentions related to either foreign or domestic terrorism." In other words, photography equals terrorism, and anyone with a camera is to be considered guilty until proven innocent. Oh, and lest you think this is just one incident, or even limited to the US, all you need to do is click here, here, here, and here, just for starters.

ITEM! We all tend to think of ourselves as pretty media savvy nowadays, but I kinda think if that were really true, we might not be in quite the mess that we are right now. Anyway, Cracked (yeah, they're gonna show up more than once here) has a couple of articles, 6 Brainwashing Techniques They're Using On You Right Now and 6 Subtle Ways the News Media Disguises Bullshit as Fact that, despite the rather florid headlines take a good look at ways that media/advertising/political professionals use to try convince us all to vote/think their way. Well worth reading and keeping in mind as we head into the next big election cycle.

ITEM! On the lighter side, here's one from the entertainment world: /Film's list of The Best Movies of 2010 That You Probably Haven't Heard Of. Of course, part of the reason you may not have heard of them is that some, like the first one listed, the widely acclaimed Senna are just now getting a US release, while others simply got overshadowed by hyper-budgeted "Blockbusters".

ITEM! Speaking of movies you probably haven't heard of, I cannot beg you enough to watch the documentary Cry of the Snow Lion. It's a look at the country of Tibet, it's people, and what has been done to them. I have to admit that before watching this, although I was somewhat aware of the China/Tibet conflict, I really was largely unaware of the real roots/extent of what has been going on there. Afterwards, well, ok, I admit that the film definitely wears its bias on its sleeve, but it has definitely caused me to try to find out more, to take a harder look at the three-way relationship between the US, Tibet, and China, and to look at some things (such as our international trade polices) in a new way. In order to make viewing the documentary easier, I'm embedding a playlist which should go straight from one part to the other, or you can watch the first part by clicking here.


ITEM! Following up on the last item, as I noted, watching Cry of the Snow Lion has really made me pay more attention to and rethink the way that I look at the three-way relationship between the US, Tibet, and China, especially as the latter nation becomes more and more important in the workings of the US economy and our trade becomes more and more intertwined. So when I read articles with headlines like China blames monks for Tibetan unrest or Tibetan monk dies in self-immolation protest, group says, I really have to wonder about and feel for the desperation of these people.

ITEM! And this will be the last dealing with The US, China, and Tibet, I promise, but it seemed worth its own item because it also relates to another issue that's been on my mind a lot of late, and that's the seeming conflict between Barack Obama the Candidate and Barack Obama the President. Now, I'm not going to go too deeply into this one at the moment (I'll save that for another time), but it does make me wonder how much the conflict we are seeing play out is actually the inevitable payoff when idealism meets political reality. I mean it's all very well and good for the President to meet with the Dalai Lama and for the White House to issue a statement saying “The president reiterated his strong support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions of Tibet and the Tibetan people throughout the world... He underscored the importance of the protection of human rights of Tibetans in China.” But when the next article I read states that China has issued a statement saying in part "We demand the U.S. side to seriously consider China's stance, immediately adopt measures to wipe out the baneful impact, stop interfering in China's internal affairs and cease to connive and support anti-China separatist forces that seek 'Tibet independence'," and then I read that "Obama stressed the U.S. policy that 'Tibet is a part of the People's Republic of China and the United States does not support independence for Tibet,' the White House said," well, it does emphasize the difference between how the man may feel and how he has chosen to act as President. Of course, the fact that China is the US's number one creditor and currently holds more than $1 trillion worth of US treasury bonds which it could call due at any moment might have something to do with it all.

ITEM! Ok, let's go back to a couple of lighter things to end on today, shall we? First off, how about a check back in with our friends over at Cracked for a look at 6 Things You Won't Believe Animals Do Just Like Us. Or maybe you'd prefer 4 Recent Films That Are Accidentally Sequels to 80s Movies (though actually I'd say Super8 is more of a sequel to E.T. than Cloverfield is, but the article may have been written before that one came out). Or maybe you're more in the mood for 6 Beloved Characters That Had Undiagnosed Mental Illnesses. Or 6 Reasons The Guy Who's Fixing Your Computer Hates You. Or, if you're in a really contentious mood how about 5 Rock Radio Classics That Actually Suck?

ITEM! Ok, I gave ya a really depressing doc to watch earlier so I'll try to make it up to ya with this: The first of Mr. Plinkett's Star Wars reviews. If you've never seen these before, all I can tell ya is pop some popcorn, get comfy, and prepare for a review that's almost as epic as the film itself.


LAST ITEM! Yeah, I know this one has been kind of all over the spectrum, but like I said at the first, I'm just tryin' to clear out some bookmarks that've been hanging about for awhile. And with any luck, you'll be seeing parts 2 and 3 before long. But for now I'll leave you with this: a picture of a lemur eating a watermelon.