where in the world is osama bin laden?

Just saw the film last night, and while it wasn’t the greatest documentary or (spoiler alert) a completely successful quest, it succeeded in giving a new, fresher perspective to Middle East questions. Where most works on this topic center on foreign policy, military operations, or mass statements, director Morgan Spurlock (the same who directed Super Size Me) talks to typical, average people in a multitude of environments ranging from Morocco to Egypt to Pakistan.

The film’s opening moments, while funny, are a little weak. Morgan has just found out that his wife is pregnant and is consequently begun worrying about safety. So he decides to take this worry the furthest it can go: he will try to track down Osama. This emotional sentiment, while compelling, mostly made me wonder why he is trekking to all these dangerous places when he could be at home not missing everything. But as Spurlock moves from country to country, the tone quickly shifts, becoming more penetrating with each new person he meets. Whether talking to Afghans in the desert, Jews and Palestinians near Gaza or a whole host of Pakistanis and Egyptians, these are not the people we see giving wild denunciations in the midst of chaos on CNN. In fact, more than a few of them are no different than us. Only culture separates things. They do denounce, for sure, but they also give answers that we often give, and that also force you as the viewer to see the differences between the individual and the state. In the end, we see that the moderate voice has been lost amid the explosions and rockets over religion and land.

While not the most overtly powerful film on the subject, its quiet buildup replaces irrationality with a growing understanding of humanity and the human condition, and should be taken in at a theater near you. FULL POST

apathy party '08

It gets overwhelming closer to election time to see all the political satire in every corner and crevice; you begin to wonder how much of it even drives the receiver to the desired result. It probably just ends up causing more apathy. I suppose that's the reason behind Apathy Party.

Taking a look at their "Nonifesto," their message became evident:

"We are the Apathy Party. You may not have heard of us, but we're the largest political party in the country. As a matter of fact, 63% of Americans voted in the last election. Everyone else chose Apathy."

Although the message is tried (and, I suppose, often true), the Apathy Party is well thought out and is pretty humorous in its satire. It may sway some non-voters into taking action, but I do wonder how worthwhile these "campaigns" are. I'd rather worry about the ones who are dead-set on voting without any kind of decent knowledge on the issues.

(Found via NOTCOT.) FULL POST

petition-car for greener living

In Ontario they'll be rolling this petition-car into Legislature on Earth Day as a declaration for their desire for greener living. It's a cool concept, and about 4,000 signatures have already adorned the auto. Along with the car contains a message:

“We the undersigned do hereby demand that not one more dollar go to promote, support, or perpetuate car culture. We want bike lanes, public transit and a train system. We want our public space back. We want local food, clean air, sustainable industry, a liveable future for our children, and an end to oil wars. We want to dance in the street. We want a government that values life over money.”

Although I'd hate to burst Canada's bubble and say that people aren't this rational, I must. But, hey, here's to hoping their legislature is a receptive audience.

You can sign the petition in person, or here.

(Found via TreeHugger) FULL POST

George W. Bush: Worst President Ever (According to some historians)

A sign of the times I suppose.

History News Network polled 109 historians and found that 96 percent of those found Bush to be one of the worst ever, with 61 percent finding him to be the worst ever.

“It would be difficult to identify a President who, facing major international and domestic crises, has failed in both as clearly as President Bush,” concluded one respondent. “His domestic policies,” another noted, “have had the cumulative effect of shoring up a semi-permanent aristocracy of capital that dwarfs the aristocracy of land against which the founding fathers rebelled; of encouraging a mindless retreat from science and rationalism; and of crippling the nation’s economic base.”

I don't know; it's easy for me to regard him as the worst president that I've been consciously "led" by, but to place him as the worst ever is hard for me to conceptualize. Plus, I think presidents deserve to be contextualized at least; who's to say Bush wouldn't have been great during Clinton's term? Who's to say that certain great presidents would have been awful in a different era? The reception of a president is not solely his fault--it's a reflection of the mind's of the people at the time, too. Also, it's hard to compare presidents we haven't lived through to presidents that are still in office.

Regardless, I think it's safe to say we could use a change of pace.

(Found via Kottke)

Note: In other Anti-American sentiment, Absolut pulled a controversial advertisement that was viewed as negative towards the US. Well aren't we just the most popular kids in town.

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Issues grow more pertinent as presidential election nears

With McCain now the official Republican candidate, and the race between Clinton and Obama coming closer to its dramatic finish, we can soon start to really concentrate on the issues at hand that will determine the next president.

However, 95total is not about pushing political agendas, even though we're plugging Obama t-shirts (hey, we like baseball). What we do promote is awareness and knowledge, and perhaps one of the best ways do to that (at least for us) is through satire (hint:see video below).

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If only I wore T-shirts

I would sport this one. Every four years you can be part of the political trendiness by getting behind a candidate. In '08 I’m backing Obama and showing my support of him and baseball. What's more summer than the baseball t-shirt? The October classic ends right before the election so you’ll have the whole season to get some grass stains.

obamaofdreams.com

via withleather.com

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