Double Take

I watched Shutter Island for the second time last night, and while I was watching it I was able to pick up on little hints that the director throws into the film to help you in figuring out what is going on. Now, it was probably because I saw the film before and knew what happened that I was able to pick up on them ,but I was thinking about it and if you really watch a film and break it down while you are watching it, it was definitely possible to figure out what was going on before you got to the end. It all made me think, and this may just be me, but do we really actively watch films, or do we passively watch them for entertainment? When my roommate saw the film for the first time he said he was disappointed because it did not entertain him. Then, after he watched it a couple other times he appreciated the film. There are definitely separate types of films, such as ones that make you really think like Shutter Island, but others are just for entertainment like Anchorman. I don't think you can truly appreciate an in depth film such as Shutter Island without watching it multiple times. I know after I watched it the second time, I had a different view of how it ended. Watching films multiple times allows you to pick up on all the subtle camera shots and lines that are said throughout, which all help you figure out what the film is really all about.

Life

I don't know how many of you have seen this series of episodes on the Discovery Channel, but this program is similar to the "Planet Earth" series. Each episode focuses on a different groups of animals in the world. It is filled with amazing camera angles that obviously took a lot of time and hard work to obtain, as well as in depth information on each animal. It is one of the most amazing programs I have ever watched, and when it is on everyone I am with sits in silence while our eyes stay locked on the screen. It is interesting to see animals interact with one another and see how their instincts come into play, as well as their communication with other animals. Just last night they showed how a hyena tried to pick a fight with a few lions. Obviously the lions roughed the hyena up but it lived. The hyena then sent out a call that was heard by an entire clan of hyenas. The clan then joined together to attack the three lions. They used teamwork that you don't even see in professional sports to outsmart the lions and send them running scared. It is truly incredible to see how animals, who some humans think to be primitive and inferior to us, can work together and communicate as good as or better than us.

If you ever get the chance I recommend you take the time on Sunday nights from 8 pm -10pm to catch the rest of this series. You will watch in awe at just how incredible nature can be.

Chile Pepper Weapons?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_india_chili_grenades

The article above is really something interesting to read. Apparently the military is starting to use a chile pepper as a non-toxic, tear gas like, weapon in order to make terrorists leave hideouts. According to the article, the "Bhut Jolokia" measures up to 1,000,000 Scoville units. This unit of measurement is used to measure how spicy a pepper is. To put it on a scale, the article mentions the jalapeno pepper only measures between 2,500-8,000. So this is a spicy pepper to say the least. The idea is weaponizing the pepper causes people to choke up, making being in the presence of it unbearable.

I love the idea of this being used as a weapon. First off how expensive could making a weapon out of peppers be? Secondly, I'm not a big fan of war to begin with, so the use of non-toxic weapons is a little more settling then merciless killing. It could prove very effective to smoke out terrorists into the open to take them as prisoners, or to clear out a hideout in order for the military to enter it in search of someone. I definitely like the idea of research for more natural ways to thwart terrorism, and think more should be done to find even more ways.