I think eventually what it all boils down to is money. How to keep the wheel turning. It's the "sick care" industry in action. Sad, but true. A revolution is needed.

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall
 

Caught this on the History Channel 2 today.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...UL._AA160_.jpg

"Who is allowed to shape our cities, and how do they do it? And how does the design of our cities affect our lives?

By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects in dozens of cities around the world, from massive infrastructure initiatives to temporary interventions, Urbanized frames a global discussion on the future of cities."

I really enjoy getting to see how different cultures address these issues. There is much to learn from others.

Feb 2012

currently watching the GALAPAGOS:Beyond Darwin
excellent so far

Becoming Chaz
 

By Chaz Bono
The book Transition The Story of How I Became a Man was a pretty good read.
The Documentary Becoming Chaz was good as well.
"Transition is a deeply personal, honest, and ultimately triumphant story. It tells of the physical and emotional process that brought him to come out to the world for a second time and finally claim his life as the one he always wanted...as a man."

Here's something I learned not long ago. Birds in Central Park (and presumably other urban centers, but the study was done in Central Park), are changing the frequency and other aspects of their song, in order to be heard over traffic, radios, and other forms of human racket. The male birds who are most easily heard are most likely to find mates, so there's a biologicial advantage in doing so.

Absolutely fabulous film.
 

1.Dear Zachary- Mind=Blown.
2.Lockdown-Pelican Bay State Prison-A look inside America's toughest prison.
3.Welcome To North Korea- The world's most F*****up country.
4.The Bridge- A camera set up to record goings on with suicides on the Golden Gate.
5.Inside 911-Zero Hour-Imo the best.
6.Nikola Tesla-The Genius Who Lit The World
7.Ghosts Of Rwanda-The most rapid genicide in history.
8.The House Of Rothschild-The money prophets.
9.Griseld Blanco
10.Auschwitz: The Nazi Final Solution
11.Survival Documentaries
12. WoodStock
13. America, the illuminati, the masons, etc.

In no particular order:

Cosmos -- Dated graphics but still a classic

The Elegant Universe -- If you want to know what quantum mechanics really is, what relativity really is and what string theory really is you can do absolutely no better than this.

The Fabric of the Cosmos -- If you want to know what space-time really is and where physics is, at present, this is where to go.

Inside North Korea

Kimjongilia -- More about North Korea

The God Who Wasn't There

Becoming Human -- If you want a better understanding of how Homo sapiens became what we are, this is a great place to start.

Guns, Germs and Steel -- Fantastic overview of why some societies are rich and some are not.

The Ascent of Money -- Fascinating look at how banking was invented. Also, one gets a treatment of the Rothchilds that is blissfully absent either the conspiracy theories or anti-Semitism that usually rears its head whenever this family is mentioned.

Science of Dogs

Dogs Decoded

The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance

The Crash of Flight 447 -- If for no other reason than there's the coolest demonstration of a phenomena called super-cooled air. A pitot tube in a wind tunnel is hit with air where the water vapor is cooled below freezing. No ice forms on the pitot tube. Then a tiny bit of dust is introduced and ice forms *instantly*. My writing does not do justice to how insanely cool this phenomena is.

Gunner Palace -- Fascinating look at the Iraq War.

Cheers
Aj

Darfur Now (2007)

The struggles and achievements of six individuals bring to light the situation in Darfur and the need to get involved. From a UCLA graduate in Los Angeles, California, to a Darfurian woman who joins rebel forces, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, to a United Nations humanitarian on the ground in Sudan, to an internationally known actor and activist, and finally to a community leader in a West Darfur refugee camp, the film portrays the efforts of six people responding to a humanitarian tragedy unfolding before our eyes. The film explores the Darfur conflict through the first-hand experiences of Don Cheadle, Hejewa Adam, Pablo Recalde, Ahmed Mohammed Abakar, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, and Adam Sterling.

http://www.livingubuntu.org/img/rebu...poster_250.jpg

Rebuilding Hope (2009)

Three 'Lost Boys' return home to South Sudan for the first time since they fled as small children, twenty years ago. 'Rebuilding Hope' is their journey of discovery; of what happened to their families and villages after they fled, of the state of a precarious peace agreement signed in Sudan, and about how they can contribute back to the communities they left behind.

"Wish me away" the story of Chely Wright

Fambul Tok: A Documentary Film About the Power of Forgiveness


Victims and perpetrators of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war come together for the first time in an unprecedented program of tradition-based truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies. Through reviving their ancient practice of fambul tok (family talk), Sierra Leoneans are building sustainable peace at the grass-roots level – succeeding where the international community’s post-conflict efforts failed. Filled with lessons for the West, this film explores the depths of a culture that believes that true justice lies in redemption and healing for individuals – and that forgiveness is the surest path to restoring dignity and building strong communities.

Henry Ford

Well known for the Ford Motor Company, developing the assembly line, being the father of workplace efficiency, using higher wages to stop worker turnover, and for basically transforming American life and culture during its development from an agricultural society to an industrial society.

Less well known for being a brilliant yet uneducated farm boy, a tyrannical boss who had a sociology dept at Ford to help Americanize his immigrant workforce i.e. make sure they were legally married, not drinking, not problems in the community etc. He even held ceremonies where workers dressed in their traditional clothing, walked into a large pot like structure, were literally stirred by management, and exited dressed in suits and ties. Seriously.

He was also fond of anti-Semitic rants in a newspaper he owned and distributed at his dealerships. And, believed his investors were like leaches, draining the company without adding anything (except capital) to the process.

What a brilliant yet oddly weird man.

Rise of the drones

NOVA reveals the amazing technologies that make drones so powerful. From cameras that can capture every detail of an entire city at a glance, to swarming robots that can make decisions on their own, to giant air frames that can stay aloft for days on end, drones are changing our relationship to war, surveillance and each other. Discover the cutting-edge technologies that are propelling us toward a new chapter in aviation history.


This was amazing. The technology behind this is freakin fascinating. It's use and potential abuse in imperfect human hands is scary.

Gasland
 

It might still be widely practiced today in the music industry, but years ago, in order to get press coverage and build a fan-base, Black musicians generally toured, and found widespread appreciation, music venues in Germany, Denmark and Norway (to name a few).

I found a West German documentary film about Jimmy Smith (circa 1965).

Excerpted from a reader's comment, on this video, I found out that:

"This tremendous documentary was directed by Klaus Wildenhahn, Ex-Chief of the documentary Dpt. of the NDR (North German Television) in Hamburg," (YouTube member: imaginatevos).

Upon further inspection, I found another comment about Jimmy Smith:

"Thanks for sharing such a great documentary about a great musical genius who played a significant role in the development of classical, traditional and contemporary JAZZ. Jimmy Smith will always be remembered for his outstanding contributions to JAZZ worldwide," (3 weeks ago, by: Gregory Eason).

I'm going to watch it, later on tonight, after supper.





PS/ There's no English translation or subtitles; the documentary is about 1 hour and 40 minutes; and includes interviews and concert footage. From what I can tell, it's mostly filmed in Black & White (noir).

My absolute favourite documentary...
 

Reel Injun would have to be my favourite documentary in that it takes a look at the stereotyping of First Nations in Hollywood. Definitely makes one think, thats for sure.

http://www.reelinjunthemovie.com/site/

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks

The 1989 WANK worm attack on NASA computers, originally thought to threaten the Galileo spacecraft, is depicted as the work of Australian hackers, including Assange. The founding of Wikileaks in 2006 is followed by coverage of several key events: its 2009–2010 leaks about the Icelandic financial collapse, Swiss banking tax evasion, Kenyan government corruption, toxic-waste dumping, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning's communications with Adrian Lamo, uploads to Wikileaks of the Iraq and Afghanistan war documents, diplomatic cables, and video, exposure to the FBI by Lamo, and the accusations of sexual assault made against Assange. Interview subjects include Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, Heather Brooke, James Ball, Donald Bostom, Nick Davies, Mark Davis, Jason Edwards, Michael Hayden, Adrian Lamo, J. William Leonard, Gavin MacFadyen, Smári McCarthy, Iain Overton, and Vaughan Smith.

Very interesting and informative and scary.

Tick, remove all sharp objects from the immediate area before viewing ;)

Dirty wars
 

Today drone strikes, night raids, and U.S. government-condoned torture occur in corners across the globe, generating unprecedented civilian casualties. Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill traces the rise of the Joint Special Operations Command, the most secret fighting force in U.S. history. No target is off-limits for the JSOC 'kill list,' not even a U.S. citizen. The director takes viewers on a chilling ride with whistle-blower Jeremy Scahill.

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Powerful. Scary. Very gory.

Blackfish

Killer whales are beloved as majestic, friendly giants yet infamous for their capacity to kill viciously. Blackfish unravels the complexities of this dichotomy, employing the story of the notorious performing whale Tilikum, who - unlike any orca in the wild - has taken the lives of several people while in captivity. Blackfish expands on the discussion of keeping such intelligent creatures in captivity.

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Orcas have been called killer whales. Yet there is not one documented case of an Orca, in the wild, harming a human. In captivity, it is a different story.

This movie made me sick to my stomach. From the footage of how they caught the orcas in the wild, taking babies away from wailing mothers; to inhumane training including starvation, operant conditioning, and sensory deprivation; to suddenly repentant humans for their roles in exploiting these animals.

Orcas are highly evolved, social animals. The fabric of their socialization, sense of community, and cooperation far surpasses humans.

I saw an amazing documentary back in the spring of last year and a friend just asked me what the title of it was and it made me think to add it here. It's called "The Living Matrix" and it's a movie that seamlessly blends physics and spirituality in an easy-to-understand way.

It's very helpful especially for those who suffer from chronic health conditions as it helps explain the possible spiritual lessons behind the experience. It helps those with chronic illness get beyond those "why me" feelings and take an active role in their own recovery.

Since it's kind of hard to explain the movie in words, I posted the trailer below:

1. Corporate Fascism: The Destruction of America's Middle Class
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTbvoiTJKIs"]CORPORATE FASCISM: The Destruction of America's Middle Class - YouTube[/nomedia]


2. Bowling for Columbine (Fascinating doc about America's love of all things gun)

3. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices (Troubling facts about this mega giant retailers attack on the working poor AND taxpayers)

4. ANY documentary done by Alexandra Pelosi. :)

Many many well researched and thoughtful docs out there.

It has to be March of the Penguins.

Those poor penguins, they are so sweet, and suffer so much, travel so far in such terrible weather, trying to find somewhere safe to have their babies, then the passing of the egg from one to another, and when it breaks! I'm nearly crying just thinking about it.

How embarrassing. :blush:

http://earthlings.com/wp-content/upl...Page-Image.jpg
1) Earthlings.

2) Alphabet.

3) [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAJZnfCZbWA"]Cosmic Holes - Mp4 HD - YouTube[/nomedia]

I couldn't watch the whole of Earthlings, it upset me too much. I know I should, that if more people knew these animals' stories then maybe things would change for them, but it nearly tipped me over the edge.

Or at least get involved in some ALF action. Now there's a thought...

Jews and baseball : an American love story
 

Traces the Jewish involvement in the history of the sport from the game's earliest days, through the tumultuous war years to today's All-Star games. By analyzing various stages in this history, including how the legendary Sandy Koufax pioneered rights for players and Hank Greenberg's support of Jackie Robinson, the film demonstrates how Jews shaped baseball, and baseball shaped them.

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I love baseball stuff. This was an excellent movie if you are a baseball history buff. I love that they added a brief segment on Jewish women in the women's league too.

Untold History Of The United States - Oliver Stone
 

Ken Burns
Dustbowl.

It is totally amazing how and why this man made disaster happened. Well worth watching and learning to make sure nothing like this happens again.

Hey, Kobi. How were you able to watch this? Did you just buy each episode one at a time on Amazon?

Any recommendations on how best to buy and perhaps which episodes are especially groundbreaking?

Thanks.