A Video For Sunday

The great Bill Maher talks about the fact that Atheism is NOT A RELIGION, and then performs an un-baptism on Mitt Romney's father in law (who was a fellow nonbeliever).

Videos for Martin Luther King Day

In the past year, the prevalence and importance of protest has gained traction like no other time in at least 20 years, and perhaps longer.  On this Martin Luther King day, let us remember the importance of King, not only as a Civil Rights leader, but as a protestor against injustice of all types.  As important as the message of racial equality, he also stood up against economic inequality and unjust wars. 

What Teachers Make

I just watched this video and felt the immediate urge to post it.  It inspires me and reminds me of some of the reasons why I originally became a teacher.  And as much as I enjoy my job as a para, I cannot wait to have my own classroom and be called a "teacher" again.

Iraq War, 2003-2011

Photo from Here and Now

After 8 long and difficult years, U.S. Troops (most of them, anyways) are coming home from Iraq, and the war in Iraq is now officially over.  The events that have lead up to the war, and what has happened since then are numerous, disheartening, and outright sick.  From the amount of patriotic browbeating and full-out lying that took place in the lead up to the war, to the arrogance and mismanagement (to put it mildly) of the initial invasion; from the bloodshed and chaos of proceeding years of our occupation, to the relatively quiet, but marginally better (to put it kindly) final years of the occupation.  America's departure from Iraq is something that is long-overdue.

My initial reaction as someone who has always opposed this war is to say "good riddance" and try to push it as far into the distance past as possible.  However, it is also important that one revisits it's relatively short, but nonetheless eventful history.  We must do this in order to pay respect to the dead on all sides, and to show the brutal reality of what war is really like.  But we must also do this so that America (for all the good we stand for and for all the wonderful things we've ever done for people around the world) can realize the horrendous mistakes that it made, and try to never repeat them again.

I have decided that the best way to share write this post is to share a number of videos about the from individuals who could as good of a job of telling the story of the Iraq War, if not better, than I could have.  I will provide some of my own text, but I want to give credit to those who made these videos, and as well as those who did an outstanding job of reporting on this war when it was taking place(oftentimes, risking their own lives in doing so).

First, there is how we actually got into the war.  We all know now about the fact that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction, almost no link to Al Qaeda, and absolutely no role in the September 11 attacks (as the Bush Administration had claimed).  But how many people actually remember the time and energy taken by the Administration (along with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain) to really sell the war?  It was immense, and it lasted for almost the entire year of 2002 and the beginning of 2003 leading up to the war.

The Administration was not alone in helping to push for this war.  One new word to enter the American mainstream lexicon as a result of this war was "neoconservative", and they were prevalent through the media and the Bush Administration foreign policy team leading up to the Iraq War.  They believed it was America's duty to push for democratic reform throughout the world, using military action if necessary.



The goal of promoting democracy in undemocratic countries is good enough in itself, and I'm sure many of those who were neoconservatives felt as if they had good intentions.  For instance, it is a shame that the late Christopher Hitchens (one of my heroes) so staunchly supported the invasion of Iraq, and was still one of the war's strongest supporters long after it was clear that the invasion was a disaster.  He originally supported it because he was friends with Iraqi Kurds who were being oppressed and slaughtered by Saddam Hussein.  The idea of what such an ambitious goal would look like, and the hard truth of what it really means to invade another country are two different things.

We were supposed to have an independent media that would ask questions about the legitimacy and acumen about what the Bush Administration was trying to do.  This isn't to say that members of the media shouldn't have lost all sense of objectivity, and come out staunchy against the war as say, a Democracy Now or The Nation would have.  But it seems like liberal outlets such as DN, The Nation, and the like were the only ones in the media who were truly doing their job in questioning the motives of the administration leading up to the war, and have done about as good a job as any media outlet on reporting on the war objectively in the first year or so of the war.  The same cannot be said about the mainstream media

While things have gotten a little better since then in regards to bringing truth to power, it wasn't that long ago that "liberal" MSNBC made Phil Donahue have two conservative, pro-war guests on the show for every one liberal, anti-war guest on his short-lived, prime-time show (Donahue was supposed to count as the second liberal, and thus, the debate was equal).

So, the United States went war in Iraq, bombed the hell out of Baghdad through the campaign of Shock and Awe, and within a matter of weeks, Saddam Hussein was thrown from power.  The war had just started, and it was already over.  At least, that's how it seemed at the time.  For a while, it seemed that the anti-war protesters and those damn hippies were wrong, and the neoconservatives and the Bush Administration were right.  In the months to come, the world realize just how far away from over this war really was.



What America soon found out was that "liberating" another country not as easy as it sounds, but it helps to listen to those who know the most about combat and military occupation.  This is one thing that the Bush Administration did not do.  Rather, they relied more on the opinions of those (primarily neoconservatives) who were most loyal to the administration and the Republican Party.  This ended up with disastoruos decisions being made that would cost vast numbers of lives, and greatly soil the reputation of the United States around the world.  This includes not sending nearly enough troops to Iraq to begin with; sending them with scare amounts of necessary equipment (often times, that was shoddy anyways); breaking international laws through the use of torture; dismantling the Iraqi Army; and basically not having anything resembling a realistic, long-term occupation plan.











Is it possible that America could have succeeded with the occupation aspect of this war, and not just the initial invasion?  Is it possible that, today, Iraq could be a truly safe and functioning democracy if  different decisions had been made, and the Bush Administration had actually listened to those who knew what they were talking about?  Perhaps, but of course, we will never know this for sure.

What started off as a half-assed, invasion and occupation quickly turned into chaos, and eventually turned into civil war.  One of the things the Bush Administration, and many of the supporters of the Iraq war did not realize before the invasion was the complexity of the country they were invading.  Specifically, they did not consider the different tribal, ethnic and religious conflicts that existed within Iraq , well before Saddam Hussein ever took power (if they even realized such conflicts existed to begin with). 



All of these decisions would lead to years of violence and blood shed for both American Soldiers and Iraqi civilians.  Baghdad would become the most violent and deadly city in he world. At least  one hundred thousand Iraqi lives would be lost, and so many more would be injured and displaced from their homes.  Nearly 4,500 American soldiers would parish, and many thousands more would be seriously injured.  This is not what so many American soldiers asked for, but it is what they got.









In more recent years, the situation on the ground in Iraq has ended up getting better, relatively speaking of course.  The arrogant and incompetent Donald Rumsfeld was replaced with Robert Gates as the Secretary of Defense, American commanders in Iraq started reaching out to different sects within Iraq to try and minimize the violence that was taking place, and more of the country were given over to Iraqi authorities.  In addition, violence and casualty levels on both sides have decreased, and deadlines for withdraw (which the Bush Administration had so stubbornly fought against for the first few years of the war) were finally being put into place.  In addition to changes in leadership and changes in policies, these successes must be given immense credit to our American soldiers, as well as Iraqi civilians, who have risked their lives to make Iraq a much more stable nation for the years to come.



This is not to say Iraq has turned out to be a successful, Jeffersonian democracy, or even safe and stable nation.  And it probably won't be one for many years, if ever.  For instance, Baghdad is still ranked as the most dangerous major city in the world, as it has been since the war started.  Gunfire, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and suicide bombs are still a daily reality in the country of Iraq.   And despite the improvements that have been made, many experts are questioning whether Iraqi security forces will be able to keep the country as stable as it is.

Then there are the costs of the Iraq War: not just in money and resources, but in lives and limbs.  There are those who would argue that all of the bloodshed and sacrifices that have gone into this war will be worth it in the years to come.  While I do wish that the Iraqi people will continue to progress and make successful strides in the stability of their country, I cannot say at this time that the war was worth it, nor am I sure I will ever be able to.  







So, to recap in a more lighthearted, but still thought-provoking manner:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - The Bush Years - The Iraq War
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

May those that have perished in the war (whether American, Iraqi, or elsewhere) Rest in Peace.

Photo from The Public Record

 May we never forget the lessons this unfortunate conflict has taught us, so that we can never repeat them again.

 

Photo from Impeach For Peace

Merry Christmas, Everyone

Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
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Movie Review: Midnight in Paris

Poster from Rotten Tomatoes

Rating: **** out of 4 stars

Woody Allen's most recent film is a romantic comedy that looks at the idea of nostalgia, and the fun possibilities of reliving a supposed golden age that one's choice.  For some, it might be going back to the 1950's post-war Eisenhower's America, where Rock N' Roll was in it's infancy, and Elvis roamed supreme.  For others, it might be all the way back to the Renaissance, being able to talk art with Leonardo da Vinci, or Michelangelo.  I myself don't see a definitive "golden age" to look upon, but I do have a few nominees that I would gladly consider (France during the Enlightenment, early 1800's New England, 1960's San Francisco just to name a few).  For Owen Wilson's character, Gil, it is the 1920s in Paris.

Like so many of Allen's other films, this film is absolutely charming and witty.  And like so many of his other films, the dialogue and subject matter, one could argue, borders on elitism and pretension.  But then again, intelligent dialogue and subject matters are some of the things that makes his films so memorable to begin with.  This film may not be for everyone, but as Roger Ebert put it when reviewing this film, 

There is nothing to dislike about it. Either you connect with it or not. I'm wearying of movies that are for "everybody" – which means, nobody in particular. Midnight in Paris is for me, in particular, and that's just fine with moi.

In other words, if you want high octane action and simple-to-understand dialoge, go rent Transformers.

And just as so many of Allen's films appear to be part love letters to New York City, this film appears to be his love letter to Paris.  For instance, the first few minutes of the film features different locations (some famous, some not) of the city of Paris, and which appear to be sequentially displayed from sunrise to sunset.  It is as if he is trying to show the audience the grace and beauty of Paris all in a brief day before we really delve into the heart of the story.  It is very similar to the opening of Allen's Manhattan, although it doesn't come close to the beauty of that opening sequence, with black and white shots of New York City as Gershwin plays "Rhapsody in Blue".  Very few opening sequences in the history of movies do.

One thing that does help to make the film easier to watch is having some knowledge of famous artists, musicians, and writers during the 1920s, specifically those that perused the streets of Paris.  Notable figures to make appearances during the movie include Gertrude Stein, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Ernest Hemingway.

Some of the most memorable moments in the movie are when Hemingway, acted perfectly by Corey Stoll, is behaving exactly the way one would expect Hemingway to behave (and then some).   One minute, he is talking about the honor and horrors of war, and proclaiming the immortality a man feels when "you are making love to a woman of true greatness".  The next minute, he is taking a swig of booze and yelling "who wants to fight?"  In arguably the funniest scene of the film, Adrian Brody does a masterful job of portraying the odd but passionate Salvador Dali, as he obsesses over the majestic nature (and mating habits) of rhinoceroses. 

There is also the love story that Owen Wilson's character, Gil, has in the movie.  He has a fiance (played by Rachel McAdams) who, while she loves Gil, does not really seem to feel that his romantic aspirations to be a serious novelist (rather than the marginal screen writer actually he is) will really pan out.  Then, once Gil starts magically going back to the past of the 1920s late night Paris, he meets Adriana (played by the stunning and incomparable Marion Cotillard).  Adriana is the mistress of Pablo Picasso when Gil first meets her, and a girl who probably never existed to begin with (unlike so many of the other characters in the film).  They soon fall for each other, and Gil is left with a dilemma. Should he be with his fiance, who he has clear disagreements with over what the future holds for the two of them? Or, should he be with Adriana, who he has quickly fallen in love with, but only exists when the clock strikes midnight in Paris, and then only for a few hours afterwards?

Some might feel less sympathetic towards Gil based upon the behavior he displays during his flirtations.  Besides falling in love with another woman, there is a scene in the movie where Gil attempts to obtain a present for Adrianna by stealing a pair of his fiance's earrings.  Despicable as that is, Gil's character is no less an example that exists in many romantic comedies where the protagonist's heart is torn between two loves (although that won't stop some from seeing Gil as a lying pig and a bastard). 

Without giving anything away, the film's ending is very anti-climactic, which might displease the casual movie-goer.  But as I mentioned earlier, this film is not necessarily for the casual, movie-goer.  The journey that Gil has during the film is so pleasant and unique, that one is not so concerned that there isn't more of an ending to the film than there is.

And also without really giving anything away, Allen seems to suggest that nostalgia and reliving a "golden time" in history may seem fun for a while.  However, there is never really a "golden time" that has existed, or will exist, especially when you ask those who actually lived through it.  The year 2011 in America might seem like a tough time now to many who live in it.  But who isn't to say that 20, 50, 100 years from now, others won't look upon our time as "golden" for one reason or another.  As the pretentious and snobby Paul (played by Michael Sheen) says at one point in the film:

Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present... the name for this denial is golden age thinking - the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in - its a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.

Oh, and how does Gil travel back to 1920s Paris? Who cares?  Just enjoy the movie.

Videos for Suday: Hitchens Edition

Since the passing of Christopher Hitchens Friday, I have engulfed myself in his writings and words via YouTube, Vanity Fair, Slate, and other websites.  It is entirely way too easy to start looking up his material, and spend several hours getting lost.  Whether it is reading one of his columns or listening to him in a debate, one can feel simultaneously smarter and dumber.  Smarter, because the level of elegance and erudition he brings to the conversation.  Dumber, because of the awe-inspiring nature with which he uses his words and attacks against opponents.  One get's the feeling they could never be a match for the great Hitchens.  As a writer, I don't think I could ever match the wit, sophistication or learned-spirit that Hitchens does in his writing.  But the benchmark that he set, while ridiculously high, seems like a challengingly fun one to reach (although I will be using a thesaurus quite frequently).

I knew I wanted to use material from Hitchens for this week's video, because there is plenty of good material to use.  There is just one problem: there is too much good material out there to use.  So, I have picked a few of my favorites.  Sit back with your Sunday morning coffee (or cocktail if you prefer in the spirit of Hitch), and enjoy.

The True Meaning of Christmas

 Photo from Blog Critics

There are many wonderful traditions about the Christmas season that people around the world enjoy every year: the decorating of Christmas trees and lights, the hanging of stockings, the wrapping and unwrapping of presents, the singing of Christmas carols, Santa Claus and so on.  As an Atheist, I love all these traditions, even the one about Jesus and the Nativity.  I think a large part of it is nostalgia growing up in a Christian household, going to a church I liked and performing in Christmas plays for church.  I realize it is complete nonsense, and we are not even sure if Jesus was a real person.  In fact, both the birth story, and the rest of Jesus's life story isn't even an original story. 


Going back to Christmas, one new tradition that has seemed to come about in this country in more recent years is fighting a battle against those evil atheists against a so-called "War on Christmas".  Fundamentalist Christians and conservatives in the media will find isolated incidents where an atheist complains about a nativity scene being on public property, a non-Christian parent doesn't want their child singing Christmas Carols in school, or some other story with a similar storyline.  Suddenly, there is an all-out assault on Christmas and Jesus himself by atheists, secularists, and liberals.  And don't even think about saying "Happy Holidays".  It's MERRY CRHISTMAS, God Damnit!


In addition to the cherry-picking of "Christian Persecution" stories, the term "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" has been acceptable phrase for as long as I've been alive, and probably a lot longer.  It was only a few years ago that this alleged assault on Christmas began to take place.  Part of this is the effective work that fundamentalist Christians have put in to help delivering this message that they are under assault by evil, secular forces.  In reality, of course, these Christians don't want anything that isn't Christianity getting in their way of glorifying their Lord, or spreading the word of the Bible.

Part of this phenomenon is also that some members of the media always need something to complain about so people will watch their show or read their articles.  This is especially true for conservative pundits and journalists who love to talk about how liberal, secularists are persecuting conservatives, Christians, and of course, conservative Christians (double whammy).  I can assure you Christians that while we secular liberals have many items of business on our agenda, neither persecuting Christians or ruining Christmas is not among those things.

One phrase those individuals who insist there is a "War on Christmas" like to say is that "He is the reason for the Season".  But the funny thing about the season is that Christmas is primarily a pagan festival. Check out this fascinating video from The Thinking Atheist, and you will learn about the origins of Christmas.




Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

Photo from Young Australian Skeptic

Why Breaking Bad Makes Science Look Good

Photo from Deadline.com

I love the show Breaking Bad. The show about Walter White, a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher turned crystal meth cooker, is well written, well acted, highly suspenseful, and one of the best shows on TV.  And one of the things I have thought to myself when watching the show is that Walter makes chemistry look like a lot of fun, and I'm not talking about the fact that he cooks meth (that part of it is quite wrong).  Throughout the series, Walter has used chemistry in various scenarios to either get what he wants, or get out of difficult situations. 

He is like a chemical McGiver.  I have often thought to myself, "I wish this show wasn't so inappropriate, so a high school science teacher could show it to their class, because it makes chemistry look like so much cool."  That isn't to say that I want the show to start making the show more tailored towards young people (the show wouldn't be very good then).  But I bet there might be some young people who would find science more fascinating.

 

Photo from About.com

Alexander Russo from This Week In Education seems to agree:

Previous generations have had friendly people like Isaac Asimov and Bill Nye to make the sciences more friendly to everyone. In recent years there's been all that CSI-style TV science that supposedly makes kids want to become crime scene investigators. Now we have Breaking Bad, the NSFW (warning!) cable drama that is extremely disturbing and violent and whose main character Walter is a high school chemistry teacher turned meth magician.

Also, check out this scene which lists "The 10 Most Bad-Ass Chemistry Scenes From Breaking Bad".  Here is a sample:

Patrice O'Neal: 1969-2011

Photo from Wikipedia

Rest in Peace.  He was absolutely hilarious, and one of the most underrated comics out there.  Him and Greg Giraldo (another great comic who left us too early) were my favorite Tough Crowd comics. Here is a sample clip of O'Neal's stand-up material.  Look up other clips on YouTube and Funny or Die.  I promise you will be laughing your ass off.

Patrice O'Neal on A Woman's Worth - watch more funny videos

Update on Bullying Bill in Michigan

A happy ending to an earlier post about a bullying bill in Michigan.  Originally, the bill allowed an exception to bullying on the basis of religion.  Fortunately, that has changed since then:

Michigan's state Senate dropped a bill Tuesday that critics called "a license to bully," and instead adopted a House version that represents a compromise among Republican lawmakers in a more comprehensive piece of legislation that would require anti-bullying policies in schools.

After the Senate passed the controversial anti-bullying bill, "Matt's Safe School Law," earlier this month, a wave of criticism poured in to lawmakers. The staunch opposition stemmed from a provision in the bill's language that permitted harassment by teachers and students if they can claim that their actions are rooted in a "sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction."

That fact such an amendment was put into place to begin with is absolutely shocking.  But given how the Republican Party currently exists, I must say that one can never underestimate the power of stupid or cruel. And when I talk about the Republican Party, I don't mean the extremes or fringe elements of the party; I mean the mainstream of the party.

The need to explain why such a proposal was a terrible idea to begin with seems almost preposterous.  But Michigan Democratic Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer did an excellent job of explaining why such a proposal was both asinine and cruel when the provision was first put into the bill.

Video for Sunday

Soldiers returning home to their dogs.  If this doesn't put a smile on your face nothing will.  I originally found this on The Daily Dish.




I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A video for Sunday II

Just found this video on PZ Myer's blog.  The band They Might Be Giants sings a song about something obvious: science is real.



If I were a Science teacher, I would show this to my class.

A Video for Sunday

An amazing time-lapse video of earth via NASA and the International Space Station.  Absolutely breathtaking!

A Video for Sunday

Here is another beautiful nature, time-lapse video. Absolutely breathtaking:

Work Update

Recently, I have been rather hesitant to write new "Highlight of the Day" segments of my blog. This is something that is supposed to force me to update my blog on a near-daily basis by talking about an interesting or funny story from work.  Currently, my work is being a one-on-one with a young man who has autism.  These days, my job consists mostly of the same schedule everyday.

In the morning, my student comes to school, and we spend the first few hours of school dealing with bad behavior.  These includes inappropriate language and topics of conversation, violent and threatening language, hitting and kicking objects, and throwing objects.  When he get's angry and aggressive (and there isn't always a reason why he gets angry), I become the primary target of his aggression because I spend the most time with him.  So far, I have been kicked, spit on, and had various objects thrown at me.  Some of this behavior is work avoidance, and some of it is his Torette's.  Depending on the day, there is little or any school work that gets done by lunch.  He goes to lunch, and usually takes a nap (a product of the different types of medicine he is on).  By the time he wakes up, he has time to do maybe one or two assignments.  There are usually less than 2 hours left by the time we reach this point in the school day.  With maybe an occasional exception here and there, my student's schedule goes like this everyday.

I guess I have been hesitant to write about my job because, frankly, I haven't felt like writing about it.  At times, my job is fascinating and silly (he can be a really funny and sweet kid).  At other times, it is frustrating and downright depressing.  I feel so bad for the emotional roller coaster that his mind takes him on from hour-to-hour.  A lot of nights, the last thing I want to do is sit down and write about these difficult days in an internet post.  I hope readers will understand where I am coming from.

That doesn't mean I won't ever share any stories.  For instance, my student was talking about Monty Python yesterday, and he did his impression of the monks who hit themselves from The Holy Grail.  I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time, and I know the other adults in the room thought it was funny too (by the way, he didn't actually hit himself).  For those of you who have never seen The Hold Grail and don't know what I'm talking about: first of all, SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT SEEING IT.  Go rent it right now.  Secondly, here are the monks who hit themselves.

Figting for the 100% (Not Against the 1%)

Activist Van Jones gives perhaps the best speech on the Occupy Wall Street movement at Occupy Boston since it began several weeks ago. Jones does an excelling job of highlighting the movement's short history, and explains the significance of demonstration and occupation as a tactic (as opposed to tactics like lobbying and writing politicians). The speech is quite inspiring despite the fact that a fire alarm continuously sounds off during the second half of the speech.



I say this is the best speech on the movement, but I am open to other suggestions if you find a better speech. Bill Maher's most recent New Rules is a good one also.

A video for Sunday II

Here is a gorgeous time-lapse nature video filmed in Iceland. Absolutely breathtaking!


Midnight Sun | Iceland from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo.

A Video for Sunday: More Occupy Wall Street

One can never go wrong with the great Bill Maher. Here, Maher defends the Occupy Wall Street, and discusses the reality of the movement that so many of it's detractors don't want to admit: Occupy Wall Street is not a bunch of hippies.

There may be a few hippies there, but the reality is that the overwhelming majority of the movement are filled with everyday people who are either hard-working, or who can't work because of our shitty economy. Maher is as witty and poignant as ever in this video.



Remember, we are the 99% (hippies and non-hippies alike)

Highlight of the Day: 10/20/2011

Two new things to report on:

1) Great day for my student. No behavior problems at all.  First time that has happened since the first day I worked with him last week.  I hope we can have days like this on a regular basis, but for right now, I will take once a week.

2) I finished up a mandatory, crisis intervention program that I have been attending for a few weeks now.  It wouldn't be so bad, except they have been taking place after school and going into the evening.  I missed the first half of the World Series tonight.  But, I took my test tonight, I'm got the proper certification my building requires me to have, and I am done with it.

 This day calls for a song.  Ice Cube, will you do the honors?