Watch out for Mr. Sugar. Apparently, he's in everything pink.
Actor and filmmaker Damon Gameau went from eating no refined sugars to eating the daily does that the average person- 42 teaspoons a day- consumes hidden in products. All of his foods had to be labeled as low fat and had to be considered "healthy" by the company selling the product. What he found was that even in a "healthy" breakfast of products he could almost spend half of his daily allotment of sugar intake in one meal. The serving sizes listed on packages are so small that the amount of sugar in that serving appears to be far less than it actually is. This then in turn makes you feel less guilty for consuming so much of it when you realize the serving size isn't nearly enough to satisfy your want for the product. Gameau goes through a supersize me like process by taking on the consumption of these products by himself for the allotted time. They physical effects of his study were staggering. After a certain amount of time, Damon's body got used to the intake of sugar and made him constantly fuzzy. Damon's worry with the project is that that is how "normal people feel all the time". They must feel locked in a continuous fuzz that doesn't allow for their body or brain to function at it's highest capacity.
My family went through a diet where we cut all our sugar out of our diet. It was rough and it's not any easy process for anyone. That being said, the health benefits were enough to keep us going in our trajectory to the point where we don't even think about it anymore. Everyone is different and they should be allowed to make their decisions regarding sugar intake. Just be sure to make an informed one.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
Stream of the Week- Adult Beginners
Sometimes you just need to start over.
Jake had his life going exactly the way he needed it to be. He had money and friends and a great business, but with one small slip up, Jake lost it all. Lost and confused, Jake goes to his sister's house in hopes having a sofa to crash on for a few months and some free food. Quite quickly, Jake finds that his free crashing is going to be resting on the fact that he will care for his 3 year old nephew Teddy during the days while his sister and brother-in-law are at work. Jake's whole easy going lifestyle has to be shifted so that he can finally grow up and start taking care of people besides himself. Jake finds a rhythm in taking care of Teddy and living with his sister, who is pregnant, and his brother-in-law. It's all going smooth, but then Jake sees something that changes his mind about how happy the lives of his sister and her family are. And he has to mess it up before things can get better.
From the writers of Blades of Glory and the producer of Lost in Translation, this film is about the generational mid life crisis of people in their 30s who have been raised in a self serving world. We don't really know what to do when faced with the task of being there for each other. Jake isn't exactly likeable at the beginning, but you begin to pity him as you realize that he really just wants to do the right thing, and his transformation into caregiver is great. By the end of the film, he really fills the role of being a concerned uncle and loving brother. Not bad for an afternoon watch.
Jake had his life going exactly the way he needed it to be. He had money and friends and a great business, but with one small slip up, Jake lost it all. Lost and confused, Jake goes to his sister's house in hopes having a sofa to crash on for a few months and some free food. Quite quickly, Jake finds that his free crashing is going to be resting on the fact that he will care for his 3 year old nephew Teddy during the days while his sister and brother-in-law are at work. Jake's whole easy going lifestyle has to be shifted so that he can finally grow up and start taking care of people besides himself. Jake finds a rhythm in taking care of Teddy and living with his sister, who is pregnant, and his brother-in-law. It's all going smooth, but then Jake sees something that changes his mind about how happy the lives of his sister and her family are. And he has to mess it up before things can get better.
From the writers of Blades of Glory and the producer of Lost in Translation, this film is about the generational mid life crisis of people in their 30s who have been raised in a self serving world. We don't really know what to do when faced with the task of being there for each other. Jake isn't exactly likeable at the beginning, but you begin to pity him as you realize that he really just wants to do the right thing, and his transformation into caregiver is great. By the end of the film, he really fills the role of being a concerned uncle and loving brother. Not bad for an afternoon watch.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Capture of Culture- A LEGO Brickumentary
There are 100 LEGO bricks for every human on Earth.
LEGOs have had such humble beginnings, but almost every kid knows what a LEGO can do, has played with one, and every adult has stepped on one at some point. They have become a huge part of our culture not only as toys, but also as creative outlets for many people. The community of LEGO builders and appreciators has grown exponentially with the rise of the internet as a sharing medium for artwork and design. Now days there are dozens of gatherings that LEGO fans can attend and an entire set of dialogue to go with their craft. LEGO has become a culture on its own. Fans make LEGO stop action films, build architecture models using LEGOs and open art exhibits dedicated to the exploration of LEGOs limits in creativity- of which they have yet to find. One mathematician even tried to calculate how many possibilities LEGO builders could come up with before they fail to create a new thing. He found that with each new addition of a brick to the set, the possibilities would be virtually infinite. It's easy to see why LEGOs have been so successful.
I was never aware of the fame and popularity of this product until the movie came out. There is so much love for this product and a really strong fan base that has kept it alive and growing. The creators of LEGO have developed so many systems to create dialogue between their designers and the adoring public who want to have even more sets and capabilities shared on a large platform.
LEGOs have had such humble beginnings, but almost every kid knows what a LEGO can do, has played with one, and every adult has stepped on one at some point. They have become a huge part of our culture not only as toys, but also as creative outlets for many people. The community of LEGO builders and appreciators has grown exponentially with the rise of the internet as a sharing medium for artwork and design. Now days there are dozens of gatherings that LEGO fans can attend and an entire set of dialogue to go with their craft. LEGO has become a culture on its own. Fans make LEGO stop action films, build architecture models using LEGOs and open art exhibits dedicated to the exploration of LEGOs limits in creativity- of which they have yet to find. One mathematician even tried to calculate how many possibilities LEGO builders could come up with before they fail to create a new thing. He found that with each new addition of a brick to the set, the possibilities would be virtually infinite. It's easy to see why LEGOs have been so successful.
I was never aware of the fame and popularity of this product until the movie came out. There is so much love for this product and a really strong fan base that has kept it alive and growing. The creators of LEGO have developed so many systems to create dialogue between their designers and the adoring public who want to have even more sets and capabilities shared on a large platform.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Stream of the Week- Contact
Based on a novel by Carl Sagan- now that has a ring to it.
Dr. Ellie Arroway has spent her entire life on the fringe of research hoping to find that she is not alone in the universe. After her research funding is pulled, Ellie goes to an eccentric mogul and asks for the proper funds to continue her research in hopes that she can prove that there is other life out in the universe. Just as everything is about to be taken from her again, Ellie receives a signal from a star system that pulses in prime number patterns. The signal then reveals a video source code which provides Ellie with documents that when put together show the plans for a machine. Unsure of what the machine is or does, the government tries to make Ellie's voice quiet as they examine the plans. They soon discover, however, that the plans make a transport device that would contain a single being and transport them somewhere else. The destination is unknown. Several governments come together to build the machine, but Ellie is not selected at first to be its occupant. With a failure in the first test, a second machine is revealed and Ellie is the only qualified person to take the journey. The problem is, though, that no one will ever believe what she sees.
What I like about Contact is that it talks about religion through the glasses of a scientist. Ellie constantly reaffirms that she does not believe in any ultimate power or being, but as time progresses, she finds the only way to express to other people what her experience was like is by asking them to have faith in her and understand that it was a moment that she didn't feel alone. The build is slow on this film and the end is a bit difficult to swallow, but the overall message is an interesting concept which is why I suggest it to all those out there who like the 1990s science fiction flicks where jargon is used extensively and scientific instruments are cut to like they are part of a car chase full of action.
Dr. Ellie Arroway has spent her entire life on the fringe of research hoping to find that she is not alone in the universe. After her research funding is pulled, Ellie goes to an eccentric mogul and asks for the proper funds to continue her research in hopes that she can prove that there is other life out in the universe. Just as everything is about to be taken from her again, Ellie receives a signal from a star system that pulses in prime number patterns. The signal then reveals a video source code which provides Ellie with documents that when put together show the plans for a machine. Unsure of what the machine is or does, the government tries to make Ellie's voice quiet as they examine the plans. They soon discover, however, that the plans make a transport device that would contain a single being and transport them somewhere else. The destination is unknown. Several governments come together to build the machine, but Ellie is not selected at first to be its occupant. With a failure in the first test, a second machine is revealed and Ellie is the only qualified person to take the journey. The problem is, though, that no one will ever believe what she sees.
What I like about Contact is that it talks about religion through the glasses of a scientist. Ellie constantly reaffirms that she does not believe in any ultimate power or being, but as time progresses, she finds the only way to express to other people what her experience was like is by asking them to have faith in her and understand that it was a moment that she didn't feel alone. The build is slow on this film and the end is a bit difficult to swallow, but the overall message is an interesting concept which is why I suggest it to all those out there who like the 1990s science fiction flicks where jargon is used extensively and scientific instruments are cut to like they are part of a car chase full of action.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Capture of Culture- Just Eat it.
Bet you didn't expect someone who dumpster dives to eat better than you do.
Grant and Jenny decide that for six months they are only going to eat food that no one else wants, what they discover is, though, that the food no one else wants is still totally salvageable and eatable. After learning a little bit about food waste, Grant and Jenny decide to try their hand at helping reduce the wasting of perfectly good products that are wasted on farms or sent to landfills adding to the methane gas problems plaguing these areas. At night, Grant and Jenny go to the dumpsters behind grocery stores and discover food that has been pulled of the shelves for simply not looking up to the standard of quality that stores like to have or that is several days away from its "Best by" date. They clean out friends' fridges when they don't want their food and salvage rejected products. Grant and Jenny's fridge soon becomes overfilled with products that they can't eat fast enough. Boxes and boxes of food are just left out while perfectly good products can go to waste. By examining the process of saving this food, they quickly learn how most food goes to waste because consumers and market places don't understand the full potential of these products and are confused by things like sell by dates or use by dates. There's so much that can be done with just a little effort.
I, personally, don't know if I could ever eat something that has been thrown away, but if you look at these products, entire boxes are thrown away with unharmed product still inside. It is amazing to me how well Grant and Jenny were able to eat for that six months. To me, it makes no sense to me that products that are perfectly usable go to waste. So if this documentary just inspires one person to change up their lifestyle, then they're doing something right.
Grant and Jenny decide that for six months they are only going to eat food that no one else wants, what they discover is, though, that the food no one else wants is still totally salvageable and eatable. After learning a little bit about food waste, Grant and Jenny decide to try their hand at helping reduce the wasting of perfectly good products that are wasted on farms or sent to landfills adding to the methane gas problems plaguing these areas. At night, Grant and Jenny go to the dumpsters behind grocery stores and discover food that has been pulled of the shelves for simply not looking up to the standard of quality that stores like to have or that is several days away from its "Best by" date. They clean out friends' fridges when they don't want their food and salvage rejected products. Grant and Jenny's fridge soon becomes overfilled with products that they can't eat fast enough. Boxes and boxes of food are just left out while perfectly good products can go to waste. By examining the process of saving this food, they quickly learn how most food goes to waste because consumers and market places don't understand the full potential of these products and are confused by things like sell by dates or use by dates. There's so much that can be done with just a little effort.
I, personally, don't know if I could ever eat something that has been thrown away, but if you look at these products, entire boxes are thrown away with unharmed product still inside. It is amazing to me how well Grant and Jenny were able to eat for that six months. To me, it makes no sense to me that products that are perfectly usable go to waste. So if this documentary just inspires one person to change up their lifestyle, then they're doing something right.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Stream of the Week- Atonement
I gave them their happiness.
After walking in on her sister with a lover, Briony accuses the man that her sister Cecilia happens to love, Robbie, of a terrible crime. Robbie is taken away from Cecilia and sentenced to a life in prison. War, however, breaks out while Robbie is locked away. He is given the choice of staying in prison or becoming a solider. Knowing that he could be free, Robbie agrees to become a solider and joins the army. Cecilia, disgusted by her family's acceptance of Briony's claims, leaves her family and becomes a nurse. Years later, the two are able to meet again. They still love each other and begin sending letters throughout the war. When he is able to come home, Robbie and Cecilia live together away from the rest of the world. Briony learns to hate herself for what she did to her sister's chance at happiness. She quits school and becomes a nurse. Memories start to come back to her of what happened the night she accused Robbie of a crime, and she begins to realize that it wasn't Robbie after all. Too much time has passed and the true criminal cannot be charged because there are no other witnesses who can testify besides Briony. As Briony gets older, she writes novel making her last novel about her sister and the wrong that she had done.
Directed by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice, Anna Karenina) takes the timeline of this story and splits it up into pieces so that each sequence can be rewound and shown from a different perspective. The richness of the set pieces and saturation of the colors lead to the film feeling very nostalgic and romantic, though it is rather tragic. The love between Robbie and Cecilia seems sudden, but beautiful as they care for each other on the same level without ever saying a word about it. Though the beginning is rather shocking as Cecilia and Robbie are discovered and the crime occurs, the rest of the film counters it by being very romantic.
After walking in on her sister with a lover, Briony accuses the man that her sister Cecilia happens to love, Robbie, of a terrible crime. Robbie is taken away from Cecilia and sentenced to a life in prison. War, however, breaks out while Robbie is locked away. He is given the choice of staying in prison or becoming a solider. Knowing that he could be free, Robbie agrees to become a solider and joins the army. Cecilia, disgusted by her family's acceptance of Briony's claims, leaves her family and becomes a nurse. Years later, the two are able to meet again. They still love each other and begin sending letters throughout the war. When he is able to come home, Robbie and Cecilia live together away from the rest of the world. Briony learns to hate herself for what she did to her sister's chance at happiness. She quits school and becomes a nurse. Memories start to come back to her of what happened the night she accused Robbie of a crime, and she begins to realize that it wasn't Robbie after all. Too much time has passed and the true criminal cannot be charged because there are no other witnesses who can testify besides Briony. As Briony gets older, she writes novel making her last novel about her sister and the wrong that she had done.
Directed by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice, Anna Karenina) takes the timeline of this story and splits it up into pieces so that each sequence can be rewound and shown from a different perspective. The richness of the set pieces and saturation of the colors lead to the film feeling very nostalgic and romantic, though it is rather tragic. The love between Robbie and Cecilia seems sudden, but beautiful as they care for each other on the same level without ever saying a word about it. Though the beginning is rather shocking as Cecilia and Robbie are discovered and the crime occurs, the rest of the film counters it by being very romantic.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Capture of Culture- Amy
"If I could give it back I would."
At a young age, Amy Winehouse was discovered as a talented jazz vocalist. Her style was unlike anything pop musicians and labels had heard before. With her first album "Frank", Amy explored songwriting and stuck to her jazz roots with funky chords and cool rhymes. Amy's popularity was small, but she was well respected on tour for being a "real" musician. She had an emotional connection to the music that no one else could understand. Amy said she wouldn't know how to be famous- it would probably kill her. During the summer when she was supposed to be writing, Amy met Blake Fielder-Civil and fell head over heels for him. By the end of the summer, Blake went back to his girlfriend and Amy had sometime to write. He got her hooked on alcohol and drugs to the point where she couldn't function properly. Everyone tried get her to enter rehab, but her father, her idol, told her she didn't have to go. With these two major events, Amy had two hit songs "Back to Black" and "Rehab". Her album surged to the top of all the charts becoming well recognized at award shows- winning a Grammy for album of the year. Amy's success was beginning to tear at her though. She was unable to control her addictions and fell apart at shows. On July 23, 2011 Amy died of alcohol poisoning in her home.
Amy Winehouse was regarded as one of the most pure jazz/soul singers in the modern age. Her story is a mix of mistakes made by many people as they didn't understand how much of a toll the fame was taking on her. I missed a lot of the Winehouse era, but now that I am older there is so much to appreciate from her career. Her kind of music isn't made anymore by anyone, and it's so sad to think that her life and legacy were cut short by a series of mistaken people who thought they didn't have to step in.
At a young age, Amy Winehouse was discovered as a talented jazz vocalist. Her style was unlike anything pop musicians and labels had heard before. With her first album "Frank", Amy explored songwriting and stuck to her jazz roots with funky chords and cool rhymes. Amy's popularity was small, but she was well respected on tour for being a "real" musician. She had an emotional connection to the music that no one else could understand. Amy said she wouldn't know how to be famous- it would probably kill her. During the summer when she was supposed to be writing, Amy met Blake Fielder-Civil and fell head over heels for him. By the end of the summer, Blake went back to his girlfriend and Amy had sometime to write. He got her hooked on alcohol and drugs to the point where she couldn't function properly. Everyone tried get her to enter rehab, but her father, her idol, told her she didn't have to go. With these two major events, Amy had two hit songs "Back to Black" and "Rehab". Her album surged to the top of all the charts becoming well recognized at award shows- winning a Grammy for album of the year. Amy's success was beginning to tear at her though. She was unable to control her addictions and fell apart at shows. On July 23, 2011 Amy died of alcohol poisoning in her home.
Amy Winehouse was regarded as one of the most pure jazz/soul singers in the modern age. Her story is a mix of mistakes made by many people as they didn't understand how much of a toll the fame was taking on her. I missed a lot of the Winehouse era, but now that I am older there is so much to appreciate from her career. Her kind of music isn't made anymore by anyone, and it's so sad to think that her life and legacy were cut short by a series of mistaken people who thought they didn't have to step in.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Stream of the Week- Pride and Prejudice
"Can you die of happiness?"
Elizabeth Bennett has four sisters, none of them are married and when their father dies they will all be turned out by an unfortunate entail who shall inherit the estate. Elizabeth's mother is fixated on marrying off all of her girls to wealthy men. When a new tenant takes the largest estate in the countryside, Mrs. Bennett decides to make the most of it. With her husband properly introduced, Mrs. Bennett decides to interest the tenant, a Mr. Bingly, in her eldest daughter Jane. Mr. Bingly has brought with him a wealthy friend, Mr. Darcy, but upon first meeting he slighted Elizabeth turning her family against him and setting her mother's disapproval on any match to him. Jane and Bingly fall into a time period appropriate sort of attraction and love. There is much talk of matrimony, but before any declarations can be made, the Bingly's and Darcy leave the countryside without warning. Elizabeth believes that Mr. Darcy is involved in convincing Bingly that Jane is indifferent to him thus tearing the two apart. While visiting a friend, Mr. Darcy admits to having feelings for Elizabeth despite his attitude in the country. Appalled by his declarations, Elizabeth refuses his proposal and returns home. Elizabeth crosses paths again with Darcy when she is accompanying her aunt and uncle on a tour of the lake district. While viewing Darcy's estate, Elizabeth encounters him again and the two part amiably. What Elizabeth doesn't know is that Darcy will soon do much more for her than she could ever imagine or repay.
This film is one of my favorites, not because of it's accuracy for it does stray quite a bit from the text, but because of it's watchability. I can't always sit down to watch the three hour 1995 BBC rendition of Pride and Prejudice, but I can usually find the hour and a half it takes to get this condensed version. The cinematography is fantastic, and Keira Knightly gave an interesting quality to the character of Elizabeth Bennett. The Darcy is not nearly as desirable as Colin Firth, but he served his purpose. This film is great for anyone who wants to dip their toes into Austen before diving headlong like I did.
Elizabeth Bennett has four sisters, none of them are married and when their father dies they will all be turned out by an unfortunate entail who shall inherit the estate. Elizabeth's mother is fixated on marrying off all of her girls to wealthy men. When a new tenant takes the largest estate in the countryside, Mrs. Bennett decides to make the most of it. With her husband properly introduced, Mrs. Bennett decides to interest the tenant, a Mr. Bingly, in her eldest daughter Jane. Mr. Bingly has brought with him a wealthy friend, Mr. Darcy, but upon first meeting he slighted Elizabeth turning her family against him and setting her mother's disapproval on any match to him. Jane and Bingly fall into a time period appropriate sort of attraction and love. There is much talk of matrimony, but before any declarations can be made, the Bingly's and Darcy leave the countryside without warning. Elizabeth believes that Mr. Darcy is involved in convincing Bingly that Jane is indifferent to him thus tearing the two apart. While visiting a friend, Mr. Darcy admits to having feelings for Elizabeth despite his attitude in the country. Appalled by his declarations, Elizabeth refuses his proposal and returns home. Elizabeth crosses paths again with Darcy when she is accompanying her aunt and uncle on a tour of the lake district. While viewing Darcy's estate, Elizabeth encounters him again and the two part amiably. What Elizabeth doesn't know is that Darcy will soon do much more for her than she could ever imagine or repay.
This film is one of my favorites, not because of it's accuracy for it does stray quite a bit from the text, but because of it's watchability. I can't always sit down to watch the three hour 1995 BBC rendition of Pride and Prejudice, but I can usually find the hour and a half it takes to get this condensed version. The cinematography is fantastic, and Keira Knightly gave an interesting quality to the character of Elizabeth Bennett. The Darcy is not nearly as desirable as Colin Firth, but he served his purpose. This film is great for anyone who wants to dip their toes into Austen before diving headlong like I did.
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