"Midway" - documenting the tragedy of global pollution

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Every day we see evidence of littering and pollution, yet accept it as “part of life”. We seldom apply the concept of globalization to litter and garbage. This trailer for “Midway” focuses on an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific, showing how our garbage is killing albatrosses.

Caution: Some scenes in this trailer are disturbing.

http://youtu.be/LpfWCpRvY9c

http://www.midwayfilm.com/

MIDWAY (trailer) – a film by Chris Jordan

The MIDWAY film project is a powerful visual journey into the heart of an astonishingly symbolic environmental tragedy. On one of the remotest islands on our planet, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. Returning to the island over several years, our team is witnessing the cycles of life and death of these birds as a multi-layered metaphor for our times. With photographer Chris Jordan as our guide, we walk through the fire of horror and grief, facing the immensity of this tragedy—and our own complicity—head on. And in this process, we find an unexpected route to a transformational experience of beauty, acceptance, and understanding.

We frame our story in the vividly gorgeous language of state-of-the-art high-definition digital cinematography, surrounded by millions of live birds in one of the world’s most beautiful natural sanctuaries. The viewer will experience stunning juxtapositions of beauty and horror, destruction and renewal, grief and joy, birth and death, coming out the other side with their heart broken open and their worldview shifted. Stepping outside the stylistic templates of traditional environmental or documentary films, MIDWAY will take viewers on a guided tour into the depths of their own spirits, delivering a profound message of reverence and love that is already reaching an audience of tens of millions of people around the world.

http://vimeo.com/25563376

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111 Years of Beatings, Abuse & Death at Florida Boys Home

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At Boys’ Home, Seeking Graves, and the Reason

MARIANNA, Fla. — Nobody is quite sure how many boys’ bodies lie beneath the grounds of the notorious Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, or which one is Thomas or Owen or Robert.

Nobody is quite sure how most of them died — the cause is often listed as “unknown” or “accident” — or why a great number were buried with such haste.

The scattered graves bear no markings: no names, no loving sentiment. The only hint of a cemetery are the white crosses that the state planted in the 1990s, belatedly and haphazardly.

From the time it opened in 1900, as the state’s first home for wayward children, until it closed in 2011, as a residential center for high-risk youths, Dozier became synonymous with beatings, abuse, forced labor, neglect and, in some cases, death. It survived Congressional hearings, state hearings and state investigations. Each one turned the spotlight on horrific conditions, and little changed.

Read full article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/us/10dozier.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130210

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Los Hermanos Macana Dance the Tango

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Enrique & Guillermo de Fazio, Argentine brothers who have become the legendary dance couple known as Los Hermanos Macana.

http://youtu.be/S-mkR-KoPts

Via google translate from http://www.teatrocondominio.it/Tango.html:

The undisputed stars of tango festival in all continents, the brothers Macana (Enrique and Guillermo De Fazio) are considered one of the most talented dancers pairs of the landscape, "tango" international. The meaning of their name "Macana", derived from the popular slang of Buenos Aires, identifies them as picaresque, playful, smart guys. [...] Los Hermanos Macana, [recall] the origins of the tango as "compadritos" (the thugs of the time) who, for lack of women, were forced to train and dance with each other, eager to excel, showing their skills and [...] talents.

Skinny, tall, elegant, ironic and a little “braggarts”, Los Hermanos Macana surprise us, [capturing us] with power and masculinity in unique interpretations, with clean and fast steps, combined with lots of fun. The originality of their style [sets them apart] as a pair [...] able to mix talent, fun, energy and great respect for the magnificent art of tango. Their provocative interpretation transmits lightness and ease of movement [as] the dance is so natural for them, but for us it is [breathless]. To embellish the show, [they perform with] extraordinary dancers and live music by an outstanding orchestra of the new generation "tango" in Buenos Aires.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, the brothers Macana begin their career as a dancer in 1995, [studying] with the greatest masters of Argentine Tango [such] as Juan Carlos Copes, Eduardo Aquimbau, Gabriel Angio y Natalia Games, Mingo Pugliese y Raul Bravo. After two years [they were] invited to debut in one of the most prestigious milongas of Buenos Aires, where they [performed] their first dance scene in "Mala Junta" which sealed their success. From that performance on, invitations [came] from the most famous milongas and tango theater productions in Buenos Aires and the rest of the Americas. But also abroad [they conquered] with their art, countries across Europe, Australia and [Malaysia]. Robert Duvall and Francis Ford Coppola chose them as icon "tango" in the film "Assassination Tango" (2001). They have shared the stage with Placido Domingo and were invited by the famous dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov to participate in the great Festival of the Arts in Sarasota USA.

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Borowitz – N.R.A. Defends Right to Own Politicians

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N.R.A. Defends Right to Own Politicians

by Andy Borowitz

Jan. 30, 2013

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, National Rifle Association C.E.O. Wayne LaPierre warned that the N.R.A. would vigorously oppose any legislation that “limits the sale, purchase, or ownership of politicians.”

“Politicians pose no danger to the public if used correctly,” said Mr. LaPierre, who claims to have over two hundred politicians in his personal collection. “Everyone hears about the bad guys in Congress. Well, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a vote is a good guy with a vote. I’m proud to be the owner of many of those guys.”

Mr. LaPierre’s comments drew a sharp rebuke from Carol Foyler, a politician-control advocate who has spent the past twelve years lobbying for stricter limits on the sale of politicians.

“Right now, a man like Wayne LaPierre can walk right into Congress and buy any politician he wants,” she said. “There’s no background check, no waiting period. And so hundreds of politicians are falling into the hands of people who are unstable and, quite frankly, dangerous.”

In addition to limiting the sale of politicians, Ms. Foyler said, it is time for society to take a look at the “sheer number” of politicians in the U.S.: “There’s no doubt that we would be safer if there were fewer of them.”

For his part, the N.R.A. leader ended his testimony by serving notice that he would “resist any attempt” to take away the hundreds of elected officials he says are legally his. 

As if to illustrate that point, he clutched Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) close to his chest and bellowed, “From my cold, dead hands.”

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/01/nra-defends-right-to-own-politicians.html?mbid=nl_Borowitz%20%2875%29

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And in Last Week’s Gun News ...

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And in Last Week’s Gun News ...

by JOE NOCERA

 JAN. 28, 2013

Monday, Jan. 21:

Eleaquin Temblador had plans. He was working to earn his high school diploma and wanted to join the U.S. Marine Corps and marry his girlfriend. ... Instead, family members are planning Temblador’s funeral. For reasons no one can explain, gunmen in a light-colored, older-model vehicle gunned down the 18-year-old ... as he rode his bicycle home from his girlfriend’s house.

— Dailybreeze.com, Los Angeles

Relatives of a teen who was shot while playing basketball at a local park said the 16-year-old is now paralyzed from the waist down. ... Police said the shooter, a 17-year-old boy, had a gun stuck in his waistband. While he was playing basketball, someone bumped into him and the gun went off. ...

— Click Orlando.com

Tuesday, Jan. 22:

A Baton Rouge man who authorities said was playing with a gun was booked ... in the accidental shooting of his 2-year-old brother. ... [The man’s uncle] said the teen had armed himself due to “environmental pressure” from neighborhood friends.

— The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.

The New Mexico teenager who used an assault rifle to kill his mother, father and younger siblings told police he hoped to shoot up a Walmart after the family rampage and cause “mass destruction.” ... Nehemiah Griego, the 15-year-old son of an Albuquerque pastor ... “stated he wanted to shoot people at random and eventually be killed while exchanging gunfire with law enforcement,” the [police] report said.

— ABC News

Wednesday, Jan. 23:

Kansas City police arrested a 16-year-old Ruskin High School student accused of shooting at a school bus after the driver refused to allow him to board on Wednesday.

— The Kansas City Star

A 4-year-old boy has died after being shot in the head Wednesday. ... The deputy [sheriff] located the child’s body inside of a Ford Taurus. There was a bullet hole in the roof of the car. ... “Jamarcus loved Batman, Spider-Man and football and was looking forward to starting kindergarten,” [his mother] said.

— Newsnet5.com, Akron, Ohio

Thursday, Jan. 24:

The estranged husband of a woman found dead in her Madison apartment Thursday was found dead in his home ... of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. ... “We can’t really believe it; I mean, these things happen on TV, they don’t happen to us,” [her stepmother] said. “We’re middle class, normal Americans, and she was a nice girl.”

— WISC-TV, Madison, Wis.

Police said an 11-year-old girl is in critical condition after being shot in the face by her father in a New Jersey home on Thursday night. Investigators said 27-year-old Byaer Johnson apparently entered the home to visit his young daughter. ... He was asked to leave, then picked up a handgun and shot his daughter.

— CBS News

Friday, Jan. 25:

An Oakland police officer was shot and wounded Friday evening, the second officer in the city to be injured by gunfire this week. ... The shooting happened after a man in a car ran a stop sign, crashed into another car ... and ran off. Shortly thereafter, an uncle and his nephew reported that they were shot a block away by a man who tried to steal the uncle’s bicycle.

— SFGate.com

A man has been charged with murder for fatally shooting his brother during a “domestic” dispute outside a South Side Englewood home Friday afternoon. ...

— Chicago.CBSlocal.com

Saturday, Jan. 26:

A party in Salem that spilled outdoors ended in drive-by gunfire that hit at least two people and riddled a car and nearby homes. ...

— KOINlocal6, Salem, Ore.

A 55-year-old man has been released from custody after allegedly shooting and killing his own dog. Police say Gordon Lagstrom was drunk Saturday night when he pulled a .38 caliber handgun and shot to death his 4-year-old Australian terrier, Lena.

— Boston.CBSlocal.com

The city broke a nine-day murder-free streak last night when a man was found dead in the basement of a Queens apartment complex, police said. The 20-year-old victim, whose name was not released, had been shot in the head.

— New York Post

Among those killed Saturday was a 34-year-old man whose mother had already lost her three other children to shootings. Police say Ronnie Chambers, who was his mother’s youngest child, was shot in the head while sitting in a car. Police say two separate double-homicide shootings also occurred Saturday about 12 hours apart. ... Chicago’s homicide count eclipsed 500 last year for the first time since 2008.

— CBS News

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/opinion/nocera-and-in-last-weeks-gun-news.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130129

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Facing Famine, North Koreans Turn to Cannibalism

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Famine-Stricken North Koreans 'Forced Into Cannibalism'

Jan. 28, 2013

There are fears some famine-stricken North Koreans are being forced into cannibalism following claims a man was executed for murdering his two children for food.

The incident was reported by the Asia Press and published in The Sunday Times. The same investigation also contains details of a man who dug up his grandchild's corpse for food, and another who boiled his child and ate the flesh.

The Sunday Times refers to a "hidden famine" in the notoriously secretive country, which could be responsible for up to 10,000 deaths in the last year alone.

The reports, which have been picked up by other major news outlets too, are described as "credible". The Independent reports the claims of one "citizen journalist" who said a man in his village was executed by firing squad after trying to eat his children.

The source said: "While his wife was away on business he killed his eldest daughter and, because his son saw what he had done, he killed his son as well. When the wife came home, he offered her food, saying: 'We have meat.'

"But his wife, suspicious, notified the Ministry of Public Security, which led to the discovery of part of their children's bodies under the eaves."

Fears of cannibalism in the country surfaced in 2003 too, amid testimony from refugees who claimed poor harvests and food aid sanctions had resulted in children being killed and corpses cut up for food.

According to The Telegraph, requests by the United Nations World Food Programme to access "farmers' markets" where human meat was said to be traded, were turned down by Pyongyang, citing "security reasons".

Those caught selling human meat face execution, but one source told the North Korean Refugees Assistance Fund: "Pieces of 'special' meat are displayed on straw mats for sale. People know where they come from, but they don't talk about it."

In June last year the United Nations said two-thirds of the country's 24 million people were facing chronic food shortages.

It added nearly a third of children under the age of 5 showed signs of stunting, particularly in rural areas. According to the Associated Press:

"The report paints a bleak picture of deprivation in the countryside, not often seen by outsiders, who are usually not allowed to travel beyond the relatively prosperous Pyongyang, where cherubic children are hand-picked to attend government celebrations and a middle-class with a taste for good food have the means to eat out."

It also bolstered criticism of the government, which critics say should be spending money on food security instead of military strength.

North Korea claims strong military and nuclear deterrents are necessary against the perceived joint threats from the US and South Korea. Tensions rose even further in December following a long-range rocket launch.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/28/north-korea-cannibalism-north-korea-cannibalism-famine-corpses-eat-_n_2565100.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

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Headlines

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Signs of a troubled America from today’s New York Times. Click on the headline to read the story.

Selling a New Generation on Guns

Threatened by long-term declining participation in shooting sports, the firearms industry has poured millions of dollars into a broad campaign to ensure its future by getting guns into the hands of more, and younger, children.

The industry’s strategies include giving firearms, ammunition and cash to youth groups; weakening state restrictions on hunting by young children; marketing an affordable military-style rifle for “junior shooters” and sponsoring semiautomatic-handgun competitions for youths; and developing a target-shooting video game that promotes brand-name weapons, with links to the Web sites of their makers.

^^^

Secret Donors Finance Fight Against Hagel

Conservative groups financed by anonymous donors are running television advertisements against Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense.

…

The media campaign to scuttle Mr. Hagel’s appointment, unmatched in the annals of modern presidential cabinet appointments, reflects the continuing effects of the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which loosened campaign finance restrictions and was a major reason for the record spending by outside groups in the 2012 election. All told, these independent and largely secretly financed groups spent well over $500 million in an attempt to defeat Mr. Obama and the Democrats, a failure that seemed all the greater given the huge amounts spent.

[For a discussion of Citizens United, see “Court Puts America Up for Sale – http://aboutnothing-doug.blogspot.com/2010/01/court-puts-america-up-for-sale.html]

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New Hampshire Police Chiefs Hold a 31-Gun Raffle for a Training Program

NEWPORT, N.H. — When the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police was looking to raise money for an annual cadet training program, it sold raffle tickets for $30 apiece. The drawing was scheduled for May, but by Jan. 12 all 1,000 tickets had been sold.

The prize: 31 guns, with a new winner drawn each day of the month.

The fund-raiser, sponsored by the association in partnership with two New Hampshire gun makers, Sig Sauer and Sturm, Ruger & Company, has prompted a chorus of protests from lawmakers and gun-control advocates questioning why the police are giving away guns, even in the name of a good cause.

Some in law enforcement have also raised questions. When Chief Nicholas J. Giaccone Jr. of Hanover pulled up information about the raffle on the Internet, he said, he was flabbergasted.

“I looked at the first weapon and Googled that one,” said Chief Giaccone, who recalled using an expletive when he pulled up information about the Ruger SR-556C, a semiautomatic weapon. “It’s an assault rifle.”

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