Environmental Film Festival at Yale - Day 6
Nomadic tribesmen, referred to as pastoralists, depend on the waters of the Omo River and the lake to which its flows, Lake Turkana. The lake is located in two bordering African countries, Kenya and Ethiopia. Due to lack of rainfall, the lake is drying up with most of the lake now located in Kenya.The nomadic tribesmen are now on the move needing to be near the lake. The tribes are now having frequent conflicts with the men arming themselves. The documentary also mentions that the Horn of Africa has been experiencing drought for forty years. The world's humanitarian response is not well thought out. The example given was during a drought, crops fail so we send maize to feed the suffering. Well, maize can not be eaten raw, water is needed to cook the maize. Unfortunately, drought will continue to be a problem and will also grow to include many more areas.
Movies
It's time for the release of the Oscar Nominated Films
Saturday, April 2, 2011
11 Degrees (Scotland 0:08) 2009
Environmental Film Festival at Yale - Day 6
11 Degrees is a documentary about a Scottish ski resort that is experiencing the impact of global warming. Skiers are filmed getting on the lift to go to the top of the run and then they are filmed skiing down the hill single file on a swatch of snow. The owner of the ski resort speaks about a booming business in the 1980s with lessening snowfalls beginning in the 90s.
11 Degrees is a documentary about a Scottish ski resort that is experiencing the impact of global warming. Skiers are filmed getting on the lift to go to the top of the run and then they are filmed skiing down the hill single file on a swatch of snow. The owner of the ski resort speaks about a booming business in the 1980s with lessening snowfalls beginning in the 90s.
The Absent-Minded Professor (1:37) 1961
I was ten years old when this black and white film hit the big screen. I remember seeing this movie at a Hagerstown, MD drive-in theater with my family. And I absolutely loved it. Fred McMurray plays the absent-minded chemistry professor who accidentally discovers flubber, a substance which bounces higher and higher with each bounce. Professor Brainard has difficulty commercially promoting his new substance so he puts flubber on the bottom of each basketball players' sneakers. During the next game, each player jumps higher scoring more points and winning the game. Brainard has adventures and misadventures including winning back the woman who is the love of his life. In its time, was a great family movie. Todau it remains a classic family movie.
NCAA March Madness
Every year at this time people across the United States go mad. For those readers living outside the United States, I refer to the NCAA (College Basketball) Championship and all the games that take place leading up to the Finals. Tonight is the Final Four games and Monday night the championship game will be played. Although my brackets were busted going into the Elite Eight, I will honor this yearly tradition with four reviews of my favorite basketball games.
Made in Dagenham (1:53) 2010
Released on DVD this week
Made in Dagenham takes place in 1968 England. Sally Fowler is Rita O'Grady, a Ford factory worker who makes less than her male counterparts. The women workers are finally fed up with less pay walk out and go on strike. Within a short period of time, the entire Dagenham factory shuts down since the women are no longer making the seat covers. During this strike, emotions and tensions run high. Marriages are being effected, there is strife between the laid off male machinists and the female workers. The government is being pressured by the Ford Corporation to to end the strike. This is very interesting because the British have a Labor Party. This is a terrific real life accounting of ordinary women taking extraordinary action to change the unequal pay standard. Women around the industrailized world now have careers and jobs with equal pay. From the bottom of my heart - Great Big Thank You, Ladies!
Made in Dagenham takes place in 1968 England. Sally Fowler is Rita O'Grady, a Ford factory worker who makes less than her male counterparts. The women workers are finally fed up with less pay walk out and go on strike. Within a short period of time, the entire Dagenham factory shuts down since the women are no longer making the seat covers. During this strike, emotions and tensions run high. Marriages are being effected, there is strife between the laid off male machinists and the female workers. The government is being pressured by the Ford Corporation to to end the strike. This is very interesting because the British have a Labor Party. This is a terrific real life accounting of ordinary women taking extraordinary action to change the unequal pay standard. Women around the industrailized world now have careers and jobs with equal pay. From the bottom of my heart - Great Big Thank You, Ladies!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Bag It (1:14) 2010
Environmental Film Festival - Day 5 Connecticut Premiere
Bag It follows Jeb Berrier as he pledges to stop using plastic bags. Jeb travels to several countries examining their bans on plastic shopping bags in stores. The documentary continues to look at the legislative battles to either tax plastic bags in stores or ban these bags. San Francisco has led the fight in having stores stop giving plastic bags to customers which in turn has led to other communities prohibiting the use of single use plastic bags. Jeb takes a look at the environmental impact of plastic by taking a trip to the Great Plastic Patch in the Pacific as we watch as dumpsters full of plastic being scooped out of the ocean . Bag It also looks at the negative impact on sea animals like turtles and the fish population in general as they ingest plastic.
The film then turns its attention to the effect that plastic is having on humans especially in the early development of children. This was very sobering and chilling. Bag It reinforces many of the messages of an earlier reviewed film titled Tapped. Green cloth shopping bags and glass containers here I come!
Bag It follows Jeb Berrier as he pledges to stop using plastic bags. Jeb travels to several countries examining their bans on plastic shopping bags in stores. The documentary continues to look at the legislative battles to either tax plastic bags in stores or ban these bags. San Francisco has led the fight in having stores stop giving plastic bags to customers which in turn has led to other communities prohibiting the use of single use plastic bags. Jeb takes a look at the environmental impact of plastic by taking a trip to the Great Plastic Patch in the Pacific as we watch as dumpsters full of plastic being scooped out of the ocean . Bag It also looks at the negative impact on sea animals like turtles and the fish population in general as they ingest plastic.
The film then turns its attention to the effect that plastic is having on humans especially in the early development of children. This was very sobering and chilling. Bag It reinforces many of the messages of an earlier reviewed film titled Tapped. Green cloth shopping bags and glass containers here I come!
The Majestic Plastic Bag (USA 0:04)
Environmental Film Festival at Yale - Day 5
Whatever you need to do to see this short film, do it. It was the best film four minutes, not only of the festival but of movie going in general. Jeremy Irons, in a traditional British accent and tone, is the narrator of this mockumentary. The four minutes is spent in tracing the plastic bag's migration to the Great Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean, just in the way of an endangered animal. This was a big hit with the audience. One of the most clever of short films.
Whatever you need to do to see this short film, do it. It was the best film four minutes, not only of the festival but of movie going in general. Jeremy Irons, in a traditional British accent and tone, is the narrator of this mockumentary. The four minutes is spent in tracing the plastic bag's migration to the Great Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean, just in the way of an endangered animal. This was a big hit with the audience. One of the most clever of short films.
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