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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of April 26, 2004
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Three comets are in the vicinity right now that can be spotted from a backyard or on the internet. Check out this site for further info:
link here
1. In this story from New Scientist, “. . . according to Frank Steiner at the University of Ulm in Germany, recent observations hint that the cosmos is stretched out into a long funnel, with a narrow tube at one end flaring out into a bell. It would also mean that space is finite.” HUM!
link here
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2. Now comes word from Science magazine that nurseries may have shipped the Sudden Oak Death pathogen nationwide. [Ed. Note: Yikes!]
link here
And here is the most recent report on this disease from the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture:
link here
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3. “Struck by the idea that certain sound frequencies might help a plant breathe better and absorb more nutrients, he [Dan Carlson – the inventor of the Sonic Bloom system] experimented with various frequencies until, with the help of an audio engineer, he found one range that was consonant with the early morning bird chirping that helps plants open wider their stomata, or mouth-like pores,” according to the Sonic Bloom website.
link here
And this from Discovery News in Autumn, 2002: “Austrian and U.S. researchers have found that in young domestic chicks, the effects of music can be seen in behavioral changes.”
link here
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4. TechTV has re-aired a story titled “God, Ghosts and Magnets” where neuroscientists explore the science of spiritual experiences. They report, “Some of the world’s top neuroscientists have found a link between a specific part of the brain and moments of religious experience. If their theory about the brain is correct, faith and religious experience may simply be an electromagnetic field in the brain.”
link here
Kleiner's Korner included mention of the Newsweek article of May 7, 2001 titled "Religion and the Brain" that week. Here is the article again:
link here
Addtitionally, Kleiner's Korner had a story on Dr. Andrew Newberg and his book "Why God Won't Go Away; How Our Brains are Hardwired for God" two years ago, as well:
link here .
5. From the ‘now isn’t this refreshing department’ comes this from Washington Senator Maria Cantwell’s office, “Investments in clean, renewable energy solutions will create more jobs than comparable investments in fossil fuel, a report found. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA-01) released the report yesterday [April 12, 2004] at the New Apollo Energy Forum that was held in the Jackson Federal Building [in Seattle].”
link here .
6. “Score one for the little guy,” said Joseph Wheeler, whose home was three lots from the proposed T-Mobile USA 80-foot cell tower site on Capitol Boulevard in Tumwater, WA. Company officials have said the tower proposal is dead. “. . . Tumwater regulations also presented several obstacles to the tower proposal,” as did the combined efforts of area residents who mobilized public opinion, according to The Olympian:
link here .
7. Here is an extremely sobering look at Chernobyl and surrounding areas 20 years later from a resident who lives 81 miles from the site of the world’s worst nuclear “accident.”
link here then click on the word “beginning
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8. From the ‘yeah, what else is new department’, MSNBC reports, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rejected one meatpacker’s plan to test all its cattle for mad cow disease, signaling that it won’t allow private tests for the deadly affliction.”
link here
Further, "Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC said it will 'aggressively challenge USDA’s decision'late last week not to allow Creekstone to voluntarily test all the cattle it processes for bovine spongiform encephalopathy," according to this Organic Consumers Assn. story:
link here
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9. Here is a story in WIRED magazine from the ‘interesting tidbits department’ titled “The Ends of the Earth: 5 reasons why the planet is going to hell.”
link here
Further, “The technology already exists to cut vehicles’ greenhouse gases sharply as required by a precedent-setting California law, the Union of Concerned Scientists said Monday [April 19],” according to this CNN story.
link here
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10. Here is a link to the ancient trees at Mount Rainier National Park, “Grove of the Patriarchs”, from the National Park Service site:
link here
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11. Rocketman Eric Scott piloted his backpack to a World's Record altitude of 152 feet above London. He is one of only two pilots for the Rocketbelt, a position he has enjoyed since 1993. This is the only known backpack that can lift a human in controlled flight and land safely:
link here
And, the BBC story on the record-breaking feat:
link here
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12. Yelm’s own Bruce Smith has his article titled “Levitation 101: Human Levitation” featured on the American Antigravity site. Congratulations to Bruce for the placement of his work which you can read here:
link here
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Of note: Italian scientists reported in April, 2003 that traffic pollution can effect male fertility by damaging sperms’ ability to swim, which in turn effects the ability of sperm to fertilize an egg. [Ed. Note: Maybe the NASCAR track proponents for Yelm should hear this and think again!]
link here
And the report in the journal Human Reproduction:
link here
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Quote of the Week:
“Nothing comes from nothing,
nothing ever could, so, somewhere
in my youth or childhood,
I must have done something good.”
[to have found you!]
Oscar Hammerstein II
American songwriter
The Sound of Music (1959)
‘Something Good’
(music by Richard Rodgers)
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner,
click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com
|
| Kleiner's Korner for Week of April 19, 2004
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"A US geophysicist has set the scientific world ablaze by claiming to have cracked a holy grail: accurate earthquake prediction, and warning that a big one will hit southern California by Sept 5. . . . The team at UCLA's Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics accurately predicted a 6.5-magnitude quake in central California last December as well as an 8.1-magnitude temblor that struck the Japanese island of Hokkaido in September," quoting from SpaceDaily:
link here
1. Are you familiar with the California Coast Records Project? Their goal is to create an aerial photographic survey of the California Coast and update it on a periodic basis. They can then identify whose coastal properties may not be in compliance with local regulations, including a widely publicized lawsuit by Barbra Streisand.
link here
Click "About the Streisand Lawsuit" for that info
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2. "Scientists who work with patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder . . . are defending and developing a new science that can be called therapeutic forgetting. True post-traumatic stress can be intractable and does not tend to respond to most therapies. So these scientists are bucking the current trend in memory research, which is to find a drug or a gene that will help people remember. They are, instead, trying to help people forget." This article was originally printed in The New York Times and has opened up a whole new area of debate.:
link here
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3. From MSNBC: “A satellite designed to test two fundamental predictions made by Albert Einstein about the universe is ready for launch, 45 years after it was first proposed, NASA and Stanford University officials say. Gravity Probe B, a $750 million satellite is shown under construction at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The probe is now ready for launch on April 19.“
link here
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4. Here is a fascinating article on the brain, specifically the amygdala.
link here .
5. "Lab mice have grown tissue more usually confined to a bra - lumps of human breast. The growths should help researchers work out how cancer develops," according to this article in Nature.
link here
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6. Have you heard this? "Exciting news that has circulated for about a month in the low-energy nuclear reactions field (LENR, a.k.a. "cold fusion") has now been confirmed. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has agreed to perform a review of the entire "cold fusion" (LENR) question. The DOE has made a startling reversal of its past refusal to evaluate with a fresh look the large body of experimental evidence that now supports highly anomalous non-chemical magnitude excess heat phenomena in some hydrogen systems, plus associated nuclear anomalies. The details of how the review will be conducted and when it is to begin have not yet been released formally, but it is expected to be completed by the end of 2004," quoting the press release from the New Energy Foundation in Concord, NH.
link here
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7. NASA confirms development of a ‘mind-reading’ system where a computer program can read words before they are spoken by analyzing nerve signals in our mouths and throats.
link here
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8. Ronald Rensink, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Canada, ". . . has proven that individuals can tell a scene has changed without being able to identify the actual change, confirming the idea of intuitive feelings or even the 'sixth sense'. The discovery may have identified a new mode of conscious visual perception, which he calls 'mindsight'," quoting from Phenomena Magazine:
link here
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9. From this CBS News 60 Minutes story aired on April 11, 2004, according to a CIA report, "if the [AIDS] epidemic isn't contained soon, it could come back to haunt us -- weakening India's army, and damaging India's economy, which is closely tied to ours. . . . AIDS is out of control in Africa, and everyone knows it. But by some estimates, the most AIDS-infected country is no longer in Africa." This is a sobering story about how widespread AIDS is, not only in Africa, but now in India as well.
link here
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10. A big ‘HUM!’ "After 261 years, N.M. Rothschild & Sons, the most prestigious bank in the City of London still owned by its founding family, shocked the financial world yesterday [April 14, 2004] when it pulled out of trading in gold and other commodities.”
link here
And, France is considering selling part of its gold reserves.
link here
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11. The movie "What the Bleep Do We Know" previously mentioned here several times is sweeping the country. This movie took the award for "Best Documentary" at the Ashland (OR) 2004 Independent Film Festival:
link here
The movie also took the award for the "Grand Jury Documentary" at the DC 2004 Independent Film Festival, DCIFF (Washington, D. C.):
link here
Further, Stephen Simon, producer of such movies as "What Dreams May Come", "Somewhere in Time" and "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," wrote an exceptional review of "What the #$*! Do We Know?!" mentioned here previously:
link here
The link below will take you to the Internet Movie discussion board where at the moment, “What the #$*! Do We Know?!” is featured on the opening page. If you register, you can rate the movie and post your comments/review. This is another avenue to support the movie and promote the great message.
link here
“What the #$*! Do We Know?!” is COMING SOON TO: Juneau, AK; Tempe, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Eugene, OR; Corvallis, OR; Ashland, OR; North Plains, OR; Seattle, WA; Bellingham, WA; Port Townsend, WA; Chehalis, WA; Toronto, ON:
link here
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12. Now this is something you just gotta see: a site listing the various uses of "Bounce" drier sheets. Some are very ingenious!
link here
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Of Local Note: The alternative point of view has finally been presented in the mainstream press about the proposed NASCAR track in Yelm. This from The Olympian:
link here
And the Nisqually Valley News:
link here (see “Group aims to put brakes on speedway”, then click on “Flick”; see also “S. Sound Speedway” for related information on speedway/race cars)
And a new website called "Protect Yelm"
link here
Here is a picture of a NASCAR track on race day:
link here .
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Quote of the Week:
"I've grown accustomed to the trace
Of something in the air:
Accustomed to her face."
Alan Jay Lerner
American songwriter
My Fair Lady (1956)
'I've Grown Accustomed to her Face'
(music by Frederick Lowe)
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com
|
| Kleiner's Korner Extra
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The Yelm, WA. NASCAR issue is moving to the forefront as the voices of the opponents are now being heard. To that end, The Olympian newspaper is doing a story on the people of the area who are opposed to the track. If you are willing to voice your opinion to The Olympian, please email Jim Szymanski, who covers Business at JSzymans@Olympia.gannett.com. You must leave your telephone number also, to verify that the email is originating from you, although you will not be called.
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| Kleiner's Korner Special Edition - April 12, 2004
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Dear Readers: Although many of you live all over the world, many live here locally and this is to address those readers. However, you may find some of these issues relevant if you have to tackle such in your own backyard! The political/economic community of the Yelm, WA. area has undertaken to attract a NASCAR track here. NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. There is a grassroots effort underway to change public opinion for the short-term economic benefits to the longterm impact this would have for years. To that end I wrote the following to the Editor of the Nisqually Valley News.
link here
Editor;
I would like to my voice to the growing numbers who are speaking up
against the NASCAR project for Yelm mentioned in your paper these last few weeks.
The opinions seem to be divided among lines of economic improvement vs. maintaining
a quality of small town life. I am for maintaining Yelm and the surrounding areas
as a haven for all we hold dear in a small community. Although I live just
outside the Yelm City limits, I am a property owner in Thurston County and have been paying taxes here for 16 years.
As Mayor Rivas stated, Thurston County and the communities of Rainier, Tenino and Roy will be impacted by this track,
and their support will be needed, as well.
I think no better analogy can be used than what Gig Harbor, WA. did a few years ago to block
WalMart Stores from opening there. From the Harbornet website
link here
"On August 13, 1996, it was reported that WalMart was giving up its plans to build a huge, 133,000 square foot store on a 20-acre site near the small fishing village of Gig Harbor, Washington. The news culminated a 2-year "David and Goliath" struggle between the small town and the world's biggest retailer.
We were ecstatic," said Tom Morfee, president of the Peninsula Neighborhood Association (PNA), a local organization that led the struggle against the retailing giant. "Many people told us we had zero chance of victory. This shows that an organized grass-roots effort can succeed against difficult odds. "I'm proud of everyone who hung in there and didn't give up."
WalMart is now known nationwide to change the small town character forever, once they move in. NASCAR would do no less in my view, as your
paper has reported some of the similar affects NASCAR has on the community. To continue quoting form the Harbornet website:
"The WalMart store encountered strong opposition from the start, with over 14,000 residents signing a petition against the proposal. There were numerous concerns with the proposal:
*Socio-economic impacts--WalMart's history of devastating the small business community by undercutting prices, utilizing a low-paid, non-union work force, and marketing products of child labor in 3rd-world countries;
*Precedent--as the first "big-box retailer" in town, WalMart would set a precedent for others, leading to urbanization and the loss of small-town character;
*Traffic--the store would generate nearly 10,000 vehicle trips per day on congested local roads;
*Environmental Impacts--WalMart's development plans would convert the forested 20-acre site to some 15 acres of retail buildings and parking lots, destroying wetlands, streams and wildlife habitat."
Change the numbers and type of business. Would NASCAR's impact here be any less? I say probably more. And what about the noise impact on
this area's children at the Yelm High School and Yelm Middle School who are within 2 miles of the track and have physical education outdoors daily?
The Ecologist Magazine published an article in its March, 2004 edition with the following study:
"The UK must build more airports, the government declared in December (2003). In Switzerland, however,
doctors have now shown that noise pollution - just one of the inconvenient by-products of the aviation industry - is
more than just an annoyance; it can have severe health impacts. According to the International Society of Doctors for the Environment,
up to eight people a year in Switzerland (not exactly a country renowned for its deafening lifestyles) die from heart attacks caused by excess noise.
For people who are subjected to sound levels of between 55 and 65 decibels at night-time, the risk of heart disease increases by 20 percent.
Anyone living within two miles of a major airport is subjected to levels in excess of 80 decibels every time a plane flies over their heads."
Copyright: The Ecologist, March, 2004
Car races are pegged at 130 decibels. How would that affect this town and the local residents in unseen ways?
I would like to change public opinion here that looks only to the short-sighted economic advantages while ignoring the long-term
impact. Changing the public perception of the economic benefits vs. the long-term affects of a WalMart coming into a small town
has taken years to gain a foothold. Now it ha nationwide, as many towns and some states have stood-up against a WalMart entry.
I say the NASCAR track holds the same challenges for this small town.
In closing, the Harbornet article adds:
"These concerns mobilized Gig Harborites to resist the lure of "cheap underwear" and stand up for the character of their small town. They delivered their message in many ways: Letters to the editor, petitions, flyers, an internet homepage, letters to government representatives, interviews on radio, TV, and newspapers--The Gig Harbor story was even featured on the front page of USA Today!"
Oh, and your newspaper reported recently that WalMart may be looking at Yelm for expansion. Perhaps an in-depth article is needed
as to why Gig Harbor so forcefully sent a message to keep WalMart out.
I hope the citizens of the Greater Yelm/Thurston County Community mobilize to see the whole picture and not just have blinders to see only the perceived economic benefits. To do so without looking at the longer-term effects would place this area under duress for generations.
Stephen R. Klein
You can add your voice to this issue by writing a letter to the Editor of the Nisqually Valley News at:
yelmnews@yelmtel.com
.
Additionally, Ninth District Congressman Adam Smith will be holding a public "Town Hall" Forum in Yelm at the Senior Center this Saturday,
April 17, from 10-11:30a.m. at the Yelm Multipurpose Senior Center at 201 Yelm Ave. He requests you R. S. V. P. that you will attend by calling his local
office at 253-593-6600. The purpose of his visit is to discuss the Budget, Health Care, Foreign Policy and more. Hopefully, the "and more" will include
this NASCAR issue. Rep. Smith's site is:
link here
If you are unable to attend this weekend's meeting with Congressman Smith, here is his schedule
for other Town Hall meetings in the Ninth District this Spring:
link here
.
Further information on this issue can be found at:
link here .
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Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com
|
| Kleiner's Korner for Week of April 5, 2004
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The alarm bells are ringing from all sectors of society and in every country around the globe about humanity's affects on the environment. After just returning from a journey to the European Continent, this is the resounding theme I heard there from all over the world. The lack of respect for our Mother Earth in the face of government/corporate greed to keep the immature and outmoded Industrial Revolution way of life is having disastrous repercussions. Here are just some of the stories that echo this issue in the last week:
1. In news from NASA, last week on March 28 a surprising hurricane crashed into Brazil--surprising because “hurricanes aren't supposed to be in that part of the world.” What made this storm different? Scientists are scrutinizing satellite data, hoping to find out. This is a detailed and fascinating article on the storm. [Ed. Note: Of course, hurricanes release heat from the oceans and with
record global warming, this should come as no surprise.]
link here
.
2. Did you know that seventeen states already restrict fishing because mercury has contaminated every lake or stream within their borders? [Ed. Note: Recent studies have shown that wildlife are suffering the effects of mercury exposure, including that which makes one of my favorite sounds in Nature - the Loon.]
link here
Further, Kleiner's Korner has covered extensively the US Navy use of sonar and the harm to whales by these "super sonar" systems. Here is the complete update by the NRDC, which has been very active in litigating this issue:
link here
.
3. Are you familiar with the International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE)? From their site, "The main purpose of ISDE is to help defend our environment both locally and globally to prevent numerous illnesses, ensure the necessary conditions for health, and improve the quality of life. In order to safeguard the health of our own generation and of future ones, we must care for the environment. ISDE was established as a tool for educating and updating physicians and the general public, and stimulating awareness and initiatives by public and private bodies, in particular governmental agencies."
link here
Although not accessible online, I read about this group in The Ecologist where a study by the ISDE says eight people a year die from heart attacks in Switzerland caused by excessive noise. This study was done for a report showing airport noise can have severe health impacts in the wake of a government announcement in December, 2003 that the UK must build more airports. If you have not seen The Ecologist, check out this fine magazine:
link here
.
4. While overseas last week, I read a story of a United Nations agency warning that ocean "dead zones", over 150 of them, are a rising threat. So called "dead zones" are oxygen starved areas of the world's oceans that are devoid of fish. This story was published in the International Herald Tribune.
link here
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5. The Bush administration last week eased restrictions on logging old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, finalizing a previously announced change that means forest managers no longer have to look for rare plants and animals before logging. Additionally, relaxing the rules is going to eliminate protections for threatened salmon and leave 47 species at high risk of extinction.
link here
.
6. And some bright spots on the environmental scene. Did you know that:
• 100 percent of the lead in an automotive battery can be reclaimed and used to manufacture a new battery. The lead is recycled and reused indefinitely.
• The sulfuric acid can be recycled and used in new batteries; it can be neutralized, purified and tested before being released as clean water; or it can be converted to sodium sulfate, a product used in fertilizer, dyes and other products.
• Most battery cases are black because the cases have been made from plastic recycled from spent battery cases. When various colors are melted together, they become black.
Each spring, during Earth Week, AAA holds the Great Battery Roundup. Members and nonmembers may drop off old batteries, at no charge, at designated collection sites located in cities where there are AAA Service Centers. This year the Roundup is April 19-23. Check out this site at:
link here
And the Washington State collection site locations:
link here
then click on “designated collection sites”.
Another arena where recycling will eliminate toxic wastes in the dump and help the environment is to recycle computers:
link here
And:
link here
And:
link here
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7. The “Mountains to Sound Greenway” is a scenic, historic and recreation corridor stretching along Interstate 90 from the bike and pedestrian trails on the Seattle waterfront through the forests and rugged peaks of the Cascades and down to the edge of desert grasslands of Central Washington. It's a scenic gateway to Washington's largest cities and a pathway to nature for growing city populations.
link here
.
8. Reuters is reporting the "Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s No. 2 auto maker, is betting on plants to make its business grow. By 2020, it expects to run a $38 billion operation that makes plastics from plants — and control two-thirds of the world's supply."
link here
.
9. A new composite photo taken on March 8th was released last week of the Saturn-approaching Cassini-Huygens spacecraft when it was still 56 million kilometers (34.8 million miles) away from the planet, which is a third of the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Cassini-Huygens is expected to arrive at Saturn on July 1st.
link here
And while on the subject of photos from Space, take a look at this Astronomy Picture of the day taken on Earth of a rising Sun with a green flash:
link here
.
10. Did you hear that NASA scientists disclosed last week that they had flown a new engine at record breaking speeds, hypersonically for the first time, at Mach +7 over the California desert?
link here
.
11. According to this CNN report, "A self-described psychic's tip that a bomb might be on a plane prompted a search with bomb-sniffing dogs that turned up no thing suspicious, but forced the cancellation of the flight," at Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers, FL. Nothing was found. [Ed. Note: Yikes, another factor TSA personnel and airline passengers will have to deal with that may disrupt travel - self-described psychics!]
link here
.
12. "U.S. scientists have discovered a fossil of what may be the world's oldest known arm bone. It is from a swimming creature called a tetrapod, so named because it had four limbs. The discovery offers more evidence that limbs first evolved for use in the water, not on land as a means to survive," according to this Voice of America (VOA) story.
link here
.
Of Local Note:
A. Yes, most reporting stations in Western Washington reported a record high temperature on Monday, March 29th, 2004. Many of the high temperatures that were broken were just recorded in the last 17 years! [Ed. Note: Are WE in for a record hot summer, as is predicted elsewhere?]
link here
Additionally, the 74 degrees recorded on April 3rd at Olympia, WA. Airport tied the all
time record high for that day.
B. The NASCAR Race Track issue is alive and well AND picking up steam in Yelm.
link here
C. The Olympia Brewery in Tumwater which was closed by Miller Brewing Co. has been sold and will reopen as an artesian water bottler:
link here
D. The Yelm School Levy failed by 18 votes and will be resubmitted to voters on April 27th. If the community does not pass the levy this time,
– The kindergarten program will be scratched
– Bus routes will be diminished
– School nurse will be let go
– Five teachers will lose their jobs
– No new curriculum will be added
– Reduction in school activities
– Counselors will be let go
– Maintenance and custodians will be reduced
Help spread the word to get the vote out!
link here
E. Did you know that the movie "What the Bleep Do You Know" is now showing in Tacoma, Arizona and
Portland, OR and other areas. Please see this link for current show dates:
link here
Further, Stephen Simon's review of the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know" was featured on his email
to his subscribers last week. Although there is no link for this review, you can view his website
at:
link here
Further, Mr. Simon's review is so important, I list it here for you to all read:
"I finally had a chance to see "WHAT THE #$*! DO WE KNOW?!", the film that has been causing such a grassroots stir in the Pacific Northwest.
After seeing the film, I now know why.
Filmed in a fascinating and utterly awe-inspiring style of combining documentary-like interviews, stylistic and exciting animation, and a dramatic storyline featuring Marlee Matlin, the movie is an innovative masterwork of spirituality. With strategic marketing, "What The Bleep" has the potential of being recognized as nothing less than a significant cultural milestone.
Film makers William Arntz, Mark Vicente, and Betsy Chasse deserve Nobel Prizes just for having the courage to attempt such a daredevil, highwire act! They have taken 3 years to wrestle this bracing blend of animation, documentary, and live action footage into a coherent and entertaining storyline and have succeeded brilliantly. The audience is hooked from the very first images, which are beautifully photographed by CO-Director/Producer and Cinematographer Mark Vicente (the city of Portland should erect a monument in Mark's name!) The journey then plunges us into the ultimate questions of Spiritual Entertainment-who are we and why are we here?
We meet several fascinating and eloquent scientists, authors, innovators, and spiritual seekers who all discuss, with intricate cohesion, the basic secrets of our existence. Together, they make an inescapable and breathtaking case for the bedrock of all metaphysical teaching: each individual creates his or her own reality. There is no objective experience of the world around us. We create all of it-from our thoughts, feelings, and intentions. This is the first film in my memory to illuminate that issue in such a frank, no-holds barred fashion and I was just thrilled and amazed to see these discussions up on a big screen for the world to see.
Intercut with these fascinating discussions and insights is a poignant and deeply moving dramatic story that features Marlee Matlin as a Portland-based photographer who actually observes and experiences many of the issues presented by the personalities in the documentary aspects of the film. For instance, she experiences multiple versions of herself in different life situations where one little decision here and there can reshape an entire lifetime. It's a wonderful way of demonstrating how deeply our own choices impact our lives. More than all that, however, her story is also one of heartbreaking honesty and vulnerability as she faces her own inner demons of feeling deeply ashamed of herself. In illustrating the debilitating effects of a negative self-image, Matlin's performance is so naked and vulnerable that it seems more of a purging of the depths of a soul than a mere role in a movie. She also interacts with an extraordinary young actor (Robert Bailey, Jr.) on a basketball court (a great metaphor for the "game" of life) who challenges her with the penetrating question of how deeply she wants to look at both her own existence and also the depth of the mystery of everyday life. "How far down the rabbit hole are you willing to go?" he asks her. For me, the Matlin story is the emotional center of the film and, in and of itself, is worth the price of admission.
Blending with the documentary and Matlin aspects is some state-of-the-art animation that illustrates the very inner workings of our cellular structure as it responds to stimuli from the outside world.
Reservations? Not many. "What the Bleep" is nothing less than a filmic adventure into the very nature of human existence and, as such, it has the potential of bringing these deeply spiritual questions into mainstream media and dialogue. For that reason, I personally believe that the title does a real disservice to the movie in that it trivializes the very innovative and groundbreaking world of the film itself; moreover, I believe that the title denigrates the essence of its message. As humans, we actually do have the capacity to know more about the illusion of life than we ever have before and a title that minimizes that aspect of our self-awareness detracts from, rather than enhances, the message of the film. I also found some of the highly technical and detailed discussions of phenomena such as "neuropeptides" to be somewhat obscure and there is a wedding scene that I experienced as being a bit too broadly farcical and out of tune with the rest of the film. These last two comments, however, are trivial quibbles in comparison to the brilliance of the huge majority of the film.
"What the Bleep" is now opening in more theaters in Oregon and is expanding into both Arizona and Los Angeles soon. I strongly recommend that you go see it as soon-and often- as you can and alert your friends to it as well. Like Mel Gibson did with THE PASSION, Financier and Co-Director/Producer William Arntz has personally financed the courage of his convictions (here with a spiritual rather than religious theme), and he deserves to be rewarded for his vision and bravery, as do all those involved with the film. For more information, please check out www.whatthebleep.com.
Copyrighted 2004, Stephen Simon"
.
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Quote of the Week:
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
William Shakespeare
in Romeo and Juliet (1595)
act 2, sc. 2, 1.133.
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com .
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com
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