Gimpy Mumpy

The Corporation

Last night I rented the documentary film The Corporation. 
Mark Achbar, Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbot did an amazing job providing informative interviews in an interesting and insightful way that I think can appeal to a much wider audience than these films usually attract.  Since this film is not inflammatory and attempts to give voice to both sides I think it can be more easily digested by people of my parents (and grandparents) generation who although deep down wish to support social responsibility often react defensively to such films. 
I hope that this documentary has the opportunity to reach a large number of viewers.  I've already decided to get a copy of the DVD to pass around to friends and family.  Although the entire film is full of important information one message that resonates with me is the idea that every person, especially every consumer, has a voice and can create change.  The interviews with Ray Anderson illustrate this beautifully.
I have to warn you though that parts of this documentary may make you very, very angry.  As a former psychology grad I was particularly disgusted with the interviews relating to advertising.  The buck-toothed VP of Initiative Media proudly flaunted her companies use of child psychologists to target our children and their developing minds for their products.  These people have no shame!  The advertising techniques of Big Fat Inc. (and oh yah, the CEO interviewed was 'big-boned') were even more insidious.  Think Big Brother = Big Fat and you get the picture.  These people hire people to hipe product; wear merchandise, and talk about how great something is in public places in an attempt at "Real Life Product Placement".  That just gives a whole new meaning to spam.

Anime Fix through Netflix

For those of you stuck at home in bed for any length of time I have to recommend Netflix (where available).  Before my surgery we had to cancel cable-tv because of the cost.  At first I thought, that's o.k. I'll get a chance to read lots of great books (I even renewed my old library card).  First problem was that being on high doses of morphine and other drugs made it almost impossible to read.  Once I kicked the morphine reading became easier (a change of addictions perhaps?) and I devoured every book in sight.  The harsh reality though is that after months of no stimulation and after reading every good book you can afford boredom gets his hooks into you and he is one big bad monster.
This is when I started doing Netflix (more recently I have added Xbox to my repertoir, hmmmm maybe that's why I've been a bit delinquent in my blogging.....I figured once you're in this much debt it doesn't really matter right?).  Netflix has an amazing selection.  No more old fogey at the rental store dictating what's available.  I went into a frenzy of watching all of the great obscure and foreign titles.  What fun?! 
Now I am in my anime phase.  I am rewatching the great classics and watching many that I never would have been able to see without buying them (often at more that $20 a disc).  With the release of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, I just had to rewatch the original (both are some of the best anime ever) and then discovered GITS: Stand Alone Complex.  Netflix has the first 5 dvds currently out with the next disc coming out next month.  With another 26 episodes to release after that this series continues to feed the GITS addiction.  Samurai X, Trust and Betrayal are also amazing.  Gorgeous animation, characters with depth and a compelling storyline.  Rurouni Kenshin, the television series that follows is not all of these things (what are they doing with their eyes!) in fact it's pretty silly but I have to admit that I'm addicted to this one too.  What amazes me is that the entire 22-dvd (2350 minute) series is available on Netflix!  They also have all of the Lain series, Cowboy Bebop, and Ninja Scroll (movies and series).  Yippee!