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The Big Year was alright. It was neither horrible nor outstanding, neither fully factual nor completely made-up, neither completely engaging nor totally alienating. I would give it a solid "B-" as a birder whether I was grading on a curve or not. If you are a birder you should, of course, see the movie. If you are not a birder there is no reason to see it in the theater because despite the fact that the movie is about birding there is very little that is exciting or funny or original and little in the plot that is not cliched.
What did I like? I loved the scene where the character played by Steve Martin looks at a hummingbird with wonder in his eyes. I thought the scene where the character played by Jack Black and his father find a Great Gray Owl in the woods was touching. Some of the interactions between Jack Black and Steve Martin were great. I usually like all three of the lead actors and I felt that Steve Martin was as good as ever. Angelica Huston was great as the pelagic boat captain but played such a small role that she could not hope to save this average movie from mediocrity. Ditto for Rashida Jones, who plays the Jack Black character's love interest. The interplay between birders and their non-birding loved ones ring true, especially between the Steve Martin character and his family. But, mostly, I liked that birding was on the big screen and that is the main reason that this film gets the "B-" that it does.
What didn't I like? I didn't like all the things the movie got wrong. Who can focus entirely on a movie and suspend their disbelief when what they are watching is riddled with errors? And The Big Year is loaded with mistakes, misrepresentations, and misconceptions. Sure, some are done in an attempt to get laughs or for plot purposes but the movie would have been much better if it were more accurate. Examples? The person who "wins" a big year competition is not the best birder in the world; fallout is not a situation where a cloud of birds hovers in the air for apparently hours; late in a North American big year no one but the most incompetent birders are excited about adding Sandhill Crane; birders do not stand around trying to stump each other by making bird calls; no birders run up to a spot, throw their binoculars to their eyes, spot a bird, and then run on seemingly at random; there is no motel adjacent to the Brownsville dump and when birders bird that dump they do not stand around in garbage up to their knees; and neither Pink-footed Geese nor Swainson's Hawks show up on a mountain in Colorado in the middle of winter. There is no reason for a movie to get basic things about birds and birding wrong unless no real effort is made to get things right.
Jack Black was out of his element and the occasional pratfall failed to elicit even a giggle from anyone in the audience. Owen Wilson could have really shone as a character that was a huge deal in the birding world but a real loser in his family life but his performance was flat. Jim Parsons as a blogger hardly factored and what little screen time he had was lousy and essentially pointless.
Now I am sure some readers are reading this and thinking to themselves things like "Well, Corey had a vendetta against this movie" or "Corey sounds like a comic book nerd angry that the movie about his favorite comic slightly altered the origin story of the protagonist" or "Who is this guy and what is he talking about?"
Honestly, I would have much preferred to see an outstanding birding movie. It would have been good for birding and made me feel like the $13 we pay for a movie theater ticket here in Queens was well spent. But the fact that this movie debuted this past weekend and grossed a total of $3.325 million on 2,150 screens is not a good sign (just over $1,500 per screen is just not enough). Odds are that The Big Year will quickly fade from the big screen and from most people's memories. No matter how you slice it, that is not good for birding. Maybe if real outreach had been made by the studio into the birding world there would have been more people getting to the theater? Nah…I'm not going to second guess.
To sum up – If you are a birder go see this movie because it is the last time for a very long time that a major studio will make a movie about birding. If you are not a birder there is no reason to see this movie at all.
Just to poke at bit at your review (I have not seen the movie yet). I'm sure you exepected a certain amount errors in the film, most of which are unavoidable.
But lets think about this:
1. Yes, winning a Big Year does not make you the "Best Birder in the World", but to an average movie goer, how to do you explain a competition in which there is no prize?
2. Fall-out is hard to explain to a non-birder, it usually involves a good number of species concentrated in a small area. Graphically showing big flocks of birds hovering in one spot is a way to convey this concept.
3. You as a veteran of big days and big years should know there is always a bird your missing that should be easy to get. So getting excited about a Sandhill Crane could be very true and even if Sandhilll Crane is a bit of a stretch its a big photographic bird that gets people's attention. Getting excited about a Willow Flycatcher just wouldn't have same effect on movie patrons.
4 "Birders do not stand around trying to stump each other with bird calls." Yes they do!
5. As for range errors, the movie was likely at the mercy of what kind of raptor they could get from a handler. At least it wasn't a Harris's Hawk and Domestic Graylag.
I saw the movie Friday night. Luckily, tickets in Dallas only cost $7.50, and that still seems like a lot! Sometimes I was the only one in the theater laughing. It is isn't going to be a blockbuster, yet I enjoyed it. But that is probably what you'd expect from an incompetent who got excited seeing Sandhill Cranes! 😉
Good review Corey. You have convinced me to wait for Netflix.
It seems Corey wrote his review after he learned about the Gray Kingbird? 🙂
Hey, at least every bird was correctly identified, they used real bird names, and they named real birding locations with some of the species you might get there. That is way more effort at correctness than I expected for this movie. Pink-footed Goose in a hot spring at the top of the Rockies? I'll take it. Although I'll agree with you that it's not much of a movie if you're not a birder.
Minor spoilers ahead…
I agree with the B-, not so much because of the bird inaccuracies (which I expected and accepted with only a little nausea) but because it's mostly not real funny, not real dramatic, and not real moving.
For me, the best scene was Brad (Jack Black) explaining to his dad why a "grey bird" is his favorite. Brian Dennehy and Black nailed that…and it summed up my feelings about a lot of birds (and nature) that I love. Second best was Stu's (Steve Martin) disgusted reaction to a TV anchor's attempt to make a joke about birding. I felt his pain.
Worst part for me (birding wise) was that Jim Parson's character was almost non-existent, and when he was there he was a creepy, paparazzi-like blogger. Bloggers don't spend all their time talking about who they saw birding or sneaking a peak at others' notebooks to publish their lists online. That character was horrible. The 90 seconds of screen time should been cut. That may have been extra-disappointing because I was looking forward to Jim Parsons so much.
I was in an urban location, in an 18-bay theater on a busy Saturday night and there were 16 people other than my group of four at the 9:00 show. I'll go out on a limb here and say there is ZERO chance this is going to effect birding as we know it.
^^^ effect = affect ^^^ …wish there was an edit function on these posts…
That's too bad that you didn't like the movie, but there were sure to be some flaws, as most people in Hollywood probably find it hard to believe that people will spend their free time searching for birds. I think The Big Year still has the potential to get more people interested in birding and other bird-related hobbies, even if it is just reading a series of books about birds, like my Birder Murder mysteries.
Let's face it. If we want to make a good birding movie, we will have to make it ourselves. Still, I was happy that the director went with the personal & touching viewpoint rather than what some of us feared, a slapstick farce. I enjoyed the birding parts of the movie, and would have gladly fast-forwarded through everything else. Well, maybe not the scene where Steve Martin becomes a business shrike, impressing his business minions who previously could not understand his fascination with "those birds."
I totally identified with some of the early incidents in the movie: making small talk with a homeowner because you're polite when what you really want to do is run to the backyard and see the bird, waiting for a group of nonbirders to walk over the bridge and missing the bird (substitute seniors for girl scouts, this really happened to me). I would have been happy with more of that. But, I don't think the little ironies of a birders' life would have made sense to nonbirders.
I do wish they filmed it in the United States! I imagine that would have inflated the budget to the point where they would have had to choose between Jim Parsons and Monterey Bay. ummm, not a bad idea.
I agree with Corey. This was an ok movie, but could have been so much better.
In my own community, my assessment of the movie has mostly been met with strong criticism from other birders. That fact alone speaks to the core of my feelings about this film. I think as an avid birder, you might find it somewhat amusing to laugh at our own foibles. However, I find it difficult to believe that a non-birder would get much of anything from watching this movie. It's not really that funny, and the story is fairly lame. Some birders might just be caught up in the enthusiasm of watching a movie about their beloved past-time.
I enjoyed the book, so am recommending it instead of the movie.
There are always two important moments in art. Someone has to be the first, and someone has to be the best.
Now we have the first mainstream birding movie. The best mainstream birding movie will have to be directed by someone like the Coen brothers, who have a knack for portraying offbeat obsessiveness and subcultural milieus in a way that is accessible to outsiders (although to be fair, I've never heard a serious bowler talk about The Big Lebowski. Maybe it's totally fake bowling?)
(And it will have to be based on one of my books, I hope.)
Corey, your review sums up my feelings pretty nicely. There were definitely a few funny parts, but I left the theater unimpressed and a bit let down. And seeing it with a few non-birder friends, I couldn't help but cringe at all the painfully not funny parts that were supposed to be comic relief. (Who answers a phone call by imitating a Whimbrel? Seriously?) Especially unfortunate were all the punch lines that as I birder I got, but that I knew my friends would not understand. The move does not do a great job of conveying why each bird is so cool (although Jack explaining why American Golden-Plover is his favorite was an exception). Sure, they were incredibly unlikely to see that Great Spotted Woodpecker along the road–but the movie doesn't explain that it's usually an ocean away from North America. For all viewers know, it could normally just keep to the tops of trees deep in (North American) woods! Unfortunately, I feel The Big Year falls short of conveying birding's rewards to non-birder viewers; all the inaccuracies don't impress the birding audience either.
If you're a birder, it's probably worth watching for the laughs you will get. But don't expect your companions to feel the same way.
Hi Corey,
Nice job. I know that I've perhaps seemed to overpraise the film on the ABA blog and on BIRDCHAT, but that's mostly because I do think we can use it as a bit of a recruitment tool, or at least a conversation opener, for quite a while to come. And though it's tanking at the box office, it still could have decently large audience and a modest positive impact for our community, even if Hollywood think's it's all a bad joke.
I said after my first viewing that TBY, for me as a birder, was, "…was entertaining and fun, though with some some serious flaws." I was asked by a Facebook friend what I saw as serious flaws. They closely parallel your comments:
"I thought most of the CGI birds were dreadful. Exceptions: Himalayan Snowcock and Xantus' Hummingbird.
Almost all of the hooting and bird imitating was off. Especially the "Flammers" bit in open scrub. In daylight.
Much of the "physics" of birding was off. Not serious flaw, perhaps, but dislocating…all these people staring into binoculars for way longer than birders do. Way more darting and zipping around than in real life.
The idea that winning an ABA Big Year competition makes you, "The best birder in the world." It's a flattering conceit for the ABA, in some ways, but also a restrictive one.
Every birder in the movie seemed to doing a Big Year, in one way or another. I think it would have felt truer if they had managed to more clearly convey just how rare and hardcore big year birders are.
A bird blogger who zips around snooping and spying on Big Year birders. Maybe that one's coming, but it's not here yet.
There were, of course, buckets of out of place and out of season birds. Those things I found more entertaining and funny than serious.
Finally, I thought the most serious flaw was the comedy itself. The movie was often light and sweet and a bit thin where I would have preferred a headier, spicier brew."
I think B- is an eminently reasonable grade to give it.
Anyhow, I'm digging that we have this movie to talk about. I think it's opened some really interesting conversations about how we DO get a wider audience into birding.
As an ecologist who studies birds I think I am in the perfect middle between non-birders and birders where I can laugh at both and myself all at the same time. I am not a birder, I don't chase down rarities and have no desire to spend an entire day navigating into an isolated canyon on the US Mexico birder just to see a Stripe-headed Sparrow in the US when I can see hundreds at a time in Mexico. I do however spend an inordinate amount of time laying in, crawling through and measuring blackberries and poison ivy in pursuit of nests. We all have our thing! I laugh at myself when I am doing it because, lets face it, it is a bit nuts! Nearly impossible explain and extremely non-entertaining as a movie topic without embellishment! When I found myself calling out the inaccuracies I ended up laughing at myself as much as the idea of any big year competitor getting excited about a Sandhill Crane. Reveling in the fact that I am a big bird geek was all part of the fun. All of the things you didn't like were things only people in the bird community would really know or care about and didn't take away from the message of the movie. I just enjoyed the fact that I knew they were wrong and moved on. The point was to show how nutty people are that they are willing to go birding in a dump. Come on, it is nuts, and you should laughing at yourself while doing it. Isn't that part of the fun of birding? In the end this movie reminded me of how much I love birds and watching birds and watching birds with my friends. It got the feeling right.
I also found this movie extremely laugh out loud funny and touching. I mean, come on, Steve Martin did the Wild and Crazy Guy dance after seeing a Snow Cock! I almost peed my pants! I did not expect the birds to be totally correct, this is Hollywood, I was shocked they did as well as they did. I very much appreciated the moments where they talked about what was awesome about birds and just took a moment to be in awe of them. The montage in the middle with the bird names and the collage of pics at the end were wonderful.
To see a movie where the heros aren't athletes or entertainers but real people was refreshing. It was a movie that touched on my world and where I felt a part of the message and a part of the joke too. Maybe someone will be interested enough to look into which birds they all saw that year, to look into what fallout really is, to look into Attu and pelagic birds and start chasing a few. Maybe they will look up rare bird alert and get turned onto things. You never know, but at least these things were talked about and displayed on a national big screen. That is the point. Saying the movie was bad because the facts (which they plainly stated were not going to be correct) weren't up to our bird geek standards does a dis-service to the opportunity we are got to be on the national stage. Not everyone will want to do this or care, but a few more may after watching this film.
Sheesh. Everybody's a critic or an expert. Having seen the movie, read the book, and read most of the reviews … I can appreciate at least why the "professional" movie critics have given the film lukewarm or mixed reviews. From a film standpoint, the characters' journeys are fairly straight-forward and even trite. Pretty much like most Hollywood films. I would have liked to have seen a bit more from the movie. A little more character development for the 3 protagonists. A little more narrative on why featured birds were so prized or rare. But I can't really understand "reviews" (like this one) from the birding public, especially bloggers. Is everyone really that upset that their bumperstickers or logo'ed water bottles didn't make it into the film? That they weren't hired as a consultant? That a Pink-footed Goose was found in a hot spring in the Rockies in winter?
The most important part of the book … the depiction of birders and the bird-watching community was really pretty accurate. And moreover it was largely positive! I see more comments from bloggers deriding the depiction of the blogger than from those who shake their heads at a birder losing two wives over his obsession! We know the latter is true on a very small scale and not representative (hopefully) of the majority of listers. But why the hostility over the blogger depiction? I know, I know … he should have been played by George Clooney, or better yet Daniel Craig in his 007 tuxedo. But to think there are no quirky or off beat characters amongst birders/bloggers is ridiculous. Also the assertion that no birders/bloggers deal in rumor and scandal and "who has just seen what bird for his life list" is again misguided. Doesn't the most famous, or infamous, UK birder pretty much do exactly that? And how many threads on birdforum are much worse than the movie blogger's site. The CGI birds weren't always the most life-like, but it didn't really detract from the movie. I have seen far worse special effects in far more big-budget effects-heavy movies. Flying cows not moving their legs in "Twister". Pierce Brosnan kite-surfing a glacial tidal wave in "Die Another Day". Hell, the model shark in Jaws (my favorite movie) never even moved it tail when it swam! Ichthyologists, no doubt, are still aghast.
The criticism that the Big Year champ is the Best Birder in the World is obviously a fallacy. But it really isn't that far-fetched to see some sort of esteem amongst listers fall along the lines of listing numbers. Nor to see how competitors involved in the competition view the champ as such.
The criticism that it is somehow "lazy" for the birding mistakes to make it into the film is valid, but maybe a bit over the top. It is completely believable that a Big Year birder on a tight budget who lives in Virginia could "miss" Sandhill Crane until the latter part of the year. Just as Lynn Barber missed Connecticut Warbler (maybe?) on hers or Komito waited pretty deep into the year to tick off Long-eared Owl. The Pink-footed Goose could have been switched for a different species that Martin and Black missed early in the year. But let's not act as if birds don't show up in weird places all the time. Same for the Great Spotted Woodpecker. It was a much better choice than a Kiwi! Though it would have been nice, and a bit more representative I think, if Owen Wilson had immediately reported the bird to a hotline. And I have seen a crowd of birders run from a Cerulean Warbler to a Connecticut Warbler to a Kirtland's Warbler at Magee Marsh in a similar fashion to the High Island scene.
It seems like too many bird people went just to see how many faults they could find. The listing culture was pretty accurate. The humanization of listers was pretty fair. The stereotypes of the Jane Hathaway's were abandoned. There was even a reasonable amount of diversity amongst the birders.
So, while the grade is probably fair, and a few of the criticisms are valid. The most heavy downgrades seem to be due to bird problems not really birder problems. The movie is about birders. The book is about birders. The inaccurate use of parsec and the ability of one photon torpedo shot through an unguarded vent to destroy the most powerful weapon in the universe didn't really dampen my enjoyment of Star Wars. I doubt the bird mess-ups will ultimately do that for this movie. Besides, I doubt any birder will see this movie and then quit birding. I doubt any prospective birder will see the movie and lose interest in pursuing biridng. But maybe a few fledgling birders will hatch. That can't be bad. Even if it is only one.
@Corey: Haha! Well you did include hyperlinks. You should get points for that 🙂
Just returned from seeing the movie – you nailed with: "If you are not a birder there is no reason to see it in the theater because despite the fact that the movie is about birding there is very little that is exciting or funny or original and little in the plot that is not cliched." Perfect synopsis – spot on.
These guys traveled to the remotest corners of the 49 states and then got excited about a Sandhill – not buying it. Best moment of the movie – describing the wonderment of migration with the plover.
I was impressed by some of the sounds that came out of Rashida Jones' mouth.
I have to say, I agree with pretty much everything Corey said, and then some.
As a fan of the book, many of the things that got changed really irked me. Like, it seemed Jack Black didn't have as much of a problem getting time off from work as Greg Miller did in real life. (And wouldn't it have been more dramatic to replicate the really stark apartment he lived in, post-divorce, than to show him living with his parents?) I loved that they included the Jack Black character eating pretzels and peanut butter in the hotel room … but in the book, there's a really important reason why he's doing that, and I think expressing it would have made the movie more fascinating.
At the end of the day, I am glad I saw it, but wish I could have waited until it came out on video.
What I think *really* would have made an excellent film would be to do it documentary-style. Obviously there's not a ton of footage sitting around of Levantin/Komito/Miller on their Big Years. But surely Ken Burns could have come up with something! Or, profile some real-life gonzo birders as they move through a big year; "The King of Kong" proved to be a huge hit, documentary-wise, and I think a similar approach would have done much more to show people how cool birds are (and how obsessive birders can be), even if it didn't reach quite so many.
@Carrie: there has already been a movie about the Mighty Ducks. You won't be the first, so be the best.
@Jochen: Well said. And as much as I grumbled during The Big Year, I figured that whatever complaints we have would probably pale in comparison to marine biologists who study penguins and then have to cope with the imminent release of "Happy Feet 2"!
@Meredith: Yeeeees!!! 🙂 🙂
Here's why they won't be spending any more on publicity.
Did they get the bird songs correct? Didn't see the film but I saw a "making of" where the songs did not match what was being called out?
Well my wife and I were entertained this afternoon by THE BIG YEAR . We certainly are not big time birders, but have always been interested in observing them in the backyard feeders. There were only 7 of us in the theatre. Movie was entertaining , but seemed (at least to me) as kind of a tweener. Partial story, partial character builder, partial scenery, partial birding. Bottom line we enjoyed it.
Im not a birder and I made fun of my birder roommate in college. I dont know why you think this movie isnt good. I enjoyed it a lot. I think think it felt cliched, it was funny enough for the subject matter, not a frathouse fart joke movie, and the part with the great grey owl when teh father went missing had our hearts skipping beats til he found him staring at the thing, and even in cgi it looked just awesome. I found this review because I was trying to get a list of birds seen in the movie, because surpiringly enough, this movie was good enough to get me to a take an interest in the birds around me. I actually want to learn the names of the birds in my neighbourhood because its silly I can name a car from a distance but not the living creatures that havent changed at all since I was born.
It was made at a time when if you wanted birds you shot specific species on film at huge cost (like Winged Migration), or if you went to stock, a lot of what was available was in standard definition video (totally unsuitable to blow up to a 25 foot screen) or HDV (enlarged at great expense). And budgets are budgets. That is why some of the shots were grainy. That is why many of the shots were very brief, and only identifiable by experienced birders. That is also why so much was computer generated, or birds were represented by names on the screen. Believe me, they wanted to show the birds of Attu, but just couldn't get the footage that would blow up to the big screen, from my group, or anyone else.
Yet they went ahead with the movie. When have you ever before seen a Scarlet Tanager on a movie screen? Or a Golden-crowned Sparrow? I suspect never. Did you ever think that a Xantus's Hummingbird would be shown in a Hollywood movie, and have the field marks of a Xantus's, even if it was computer generated? The difficulties were evident early, and it maybe would have been financially better to just throw in the towel, but the producers went ahead and gave us the chance to share with the world those things that we all chase every week.
This movie wasn't an ode to a single bird, like Pale Male, the Red-tailed Hawk. It wasn't an expose on the life of penguins where you can set up a film studio on an ice flow and the birds just act for you. This was about flighty migrants; birds under 10 inches long; over 700 birds. They had to use what they could get, what they could afford, and what would work on the screen. They made a huge effort to keep everything authentic.
OK, the Great Spotted Woodpecker, and the Pink-footed Goose were a stretch. They were written into the script from day one, developed lives of their own, and would not go away, but they were respected as the mega-rarities they would have been if seen. I suspect that no one has seen more authenticity in a non-PBS, BBC or National Geographic movie than was seen here, and I think the producers should be praised for their efforts. This was truly a movie about us, and frankly was made for us more than for anyone else. It may be the only time someone does this. It will become a cult classic among birders.
I have just seen The Big Year and feel compelled to comment on it. Granted, I contributed half a dozen or so of the bird shots in the movie, and if you want to fault me for "defending my own", that's perfectly fine, but all the comments I have read so far have neglected one salient point.
This movie was an experiment, and a bold one, for Fox Studios.
It was made at a time when if you wanted birds you shot specific species on film at huge cost (like Winged Migration), or if you went to stock, a lot of what was available was in standard definition video (totally unsuitable to blow up to a 25 foot screen) or HDV (enlarged at great expense). And budgets are budgets. That is why some of the shots were grainy. That is why many of the shots were very brief, and only identifiable by experienced birders. That is also why so much was computer generated, or birds were represented by names on the screen. Believe me, they wanted to show the birds of Attu, but just couldn't get the footage that would blow up to the big screen, from my group, or anyone else.
Yet they went ahead with the movie. When have you ever before seen a Scarlet Tanager on a movie screen? Or a Golden-crowned Sparrow? I suspect never. Did you ever think that a Xantus's Hummingbird would be shown in a Hollywood movie, and have the field marks of a Xantus's, even if it was computer generated? The difficulties were evident early, and it maybe would have been financially better to just throw in the towel, but the producers went ahead and gave us the chance to share with the world those things that we all chase every week.
This movie wasn't an ode to a single bird, like Pale Male, the Red-tailed Hawk. It wasn't an expose on the life of penguins where you can set up a film studio on an ice flow and the birds just act for you. This was about flighty migrants; birds under 10 inches long; over 700 birds. They had to use what they could get, what they could afford, and what would work on the screen. They made a huge effort to keep everything authentic.
OK, the Great Spotted Woodpecker, and the Pink-footed Goose were a stretch. They were written into the script from day one, developed lives of their own, and would not go away, but they were respected as the mega-rarities they would have been if seen. I suspect that no one has seen more authenticity in a non-PBS, BBC or National Geographic movie than was seen here, and I think the producers should be praised for their efforts. This was truly a movie about us, and frankly was made for us more than for anyone else. It may be the only time someone does this. It will become a cult classic among birders.
I'm a birder and enjoyed it. It was innocuous. B- was a fair grade, but I think it could be enjoyable to non-birders. As far as all the errors go, what pelagic tour operator would ever in a million years take someone out who knocked on their door on Thanksgiving?
Funny, wholesome and unoffensive mild comedy. Steve Martin shines in a perfect casting as the rich eccentric. Owen Wilson does little stretching in his lead role and Jack Black was refreshingly and remarkably restrained as the 'bird listener'. Read Judy Thorburn's review at: http://www.theflickchicks.com/index.php/movie-reviews/judys-movie-reviews-alphabetical/985-the-big-year–jack-black-owen-wilson-steve-martin-anjelica-huston–review.html
Aside from the funny actors, I like the movie because of the story about bird watching. That is one of my hobbies. Ang I was surprised that they used Kowa BD series binoculars which I've been also using. The BD performed exceptionally well as he checked off over 740 species including his sought after Great Gray Owl and Pink-footed Goose. Great choice!
I am a backyard birder and my husband and 18 year old son are not birders at all, but we loved this movie. It was so refreshing to see a movie without dirty jokes and sex scenes throughout. This movie was funny without being fake, exciting without something being blown up, and heart touching without unnatural drama. I have added it to my movie collection and will watch it for years to come. Bird watching is one of Americans favorite pastimes. It's about time someone made a movie about it.
My 14 year old son and I are not "Birders", we have aquired 3 pet birds over the years but that doesn't make us experts. I am sitting here with a rosy parrot on my shoulder after watching The Big Year for the 10th time and am disappointed that more people didn't like the movie. I thought it was funny, captivating and while there may have been inaccurate dipictments in the movie, it was fun.
My son wants to start Birding and see how many we can see in our state of Montana in a year. We will not be maxing out any credit cards or taking expensive trips, we will just pay more attention while we are outside. That is my hope that the movie was trying to convey to folks.
I actually liked the movie. I never knew there were people out there that loved birds so much. I think it is heart warming and a great film. I hate that you have to dog it out like that. I feel like if you think you can do a better job, then go out and make a better movie and I will go see it and compare them and tell you how I feel. I know nothing about bird watching so your thinking well of course you would say this. But, I liked it and that is that. By the way, good luck with the better movie, would love to see it.
Bought the DVD, watching it with family at home. My non-birder family says "So, THAT's what you were talking about…" It opens a door to them about what I do even if it does not reveal so much about the WHY I do it. Its an easy to like little movie that will play well over and over. Yeah, its not entirely accurate but what movie is?
Just saw the movie with my whole family – parents, myself, my kids – and we all really enjoyed it. My 10 year old son has started reading the book. We have been on birding walks with the Portland Audubon society and have taken some bird identification classes through Audubon although we are not serious birders. My son has been keeping a list of the birds he has seen for the last 3 years. But after watching the movie, he wants to get more serious about it. I think the movie is overall enjoyable and I think it encourages people to get outside and interact with nature more. What can be wrong with that? I think I might even buy the DVD. It's great that Jack Black, Steven Martin, and Owen Wilson all signed up to do this movie. If the story had been a bit stronger, perhaps the movie would have faired better. Being overly critical of some factual mistakes (which they admitted would be the case at the beginning of the movie), does not help birding or the representation of the birder community.
I think you are wrong about the movie. I have never thought about going birding but have thought about it after seeing the movie. And don't forget it is a movie so "CHILL"
I'm not a birder, but I have to say, I really enjoyed this movie. As far as critiquing goes, every movie (even the really good ones) have disparities or inaccuracies. As long as they got most of it right, coupled with a nice story/acting, as far as I am concerned, I'm happy. I'm not sure the in-n-outs of an actual big year, but I sure did enjoy watching one carried out in this movie…not going overboard in anyway, nevertheless, a comical yet insightful movie on birding. Two thumbs up!
As an avid upland game bird hunter, all my focus had been on whether my dog had flushed up a quail or medolark. Bought the DVD and enjoy it often (for the entertainment valuse). The Dove hunting season starts on 1 Sept across the midwest and I was out there as usual in Illinois. This year had been extremely hot and dry. So as I set in the sunflower field waiting for a dove to show up, I started to wonder what all those other little birds I was seeing, really were. I must have seen a dozen sparrow size birds in a color range from yellow to bright violet. The half dozen differt swallows drove me crazy until I determined they were not dove. During that one day, I also saw a few hawks, turkey vultur, a Bold Eagle (one of only a few birds I was sure of), flock of teal ducks, 5 total dove that I never got a shot at and lots more that were about the size of robins.
The moving really opened my eyes to what I have been missing and made me wish I knew more about what I was seeing in my hunting trips to the field for dove, ducks, geese, quail, and pheasant.
Like I said above, I'm not a birder, but I saw several bird sightings reported near Carlyle Lake, Illinois and I wanted to pass on some information that a Birder group may be interested in. You could call it a RFA (Rare Fish Alert) and it is something that is observable the way you would a bird in a very restricted area. If anyone is headed to Carlyle Lake, they may want to drive down behind the Damn, take a short walk up the stairs to the top of the Damn, walk to the middle of the spillway, and look down into the current. At first glance they may not see anything, but if they look closer/longer, they will realize there are 100s if not 1,000s of Bighead/Asian Carp weighing 30-40 pounds each churning around in that current. That would be amazing, but the real rarity is that there is an albino Bighead/Asian Carp that is about 40 lbs amongst that group. The foam from the released water is pure white, but if you look hard near the middle for about 10-15 minutes there will be no doubt when you see a creamy white figure come up from the depths. When I first saw him, I thought it was a white plastic bag in the water. I first saw him a couple months ago and I saw him again this afternoon 2:15 pm, 8 Oct 2012.
Not sure how rare an albino Bighead Carp is, but to be able to see one in the wild over an extended period of time has to be extremely rare. When I first saw it, I felt like I was in the wild West seeing a white buffalo in a massive heard. He comes all the way to the surface and can be clearly seen with the entire body being creamy white. The rest of the Carp have black heads and bodies.
I figure the Illinois Birders' could make an asterisk on their record for such a unique sighting, when they see him. Hope someone with a good camera can get a picture. I tried with my cell phone, but you are too high above the spillway to see him in the photo.
I saw the movie and I would have to say the revue here is a bit of a 'Debi downer' for a movie that wasn't as debi downer as the review here has made it out to be. I understand where an avid birder might be a little critical on its presentation. However i think its a movie about really seeing things that most people totally take for granted. Really seeing and listening are two properties of human nature that in this day and age are especially taken for granted. Hey i'm not a birder but the movie did make me want stop, look and listen a little more often.
I have to say myself and my partner watched this film last night on sky and we both enjoyed it. Surprised to hear this?? Well i came across this site as i was interested in "The Big Year" and wondered how much of this competetion was true- yes myself and my partner are not birders, but all the same we did enjoy the film. We of course didn't pick up on obvious flaws as birders would've but we did expect them, hence why i thought i'd look up birding and the big year. I too was touched when Jack Black and his dad saw the grey owl in the woods, when Steve Martin finally saw the Humming bird, his face was just satisfaction that he saw it and Owen Wilson's personal family role, i found to be believing, as i am sure there are a few birders out there that may be obsessed to that point. But from a non birder i can assure you that i enjoyed it and it has caught my attention otherwise i wouldn't be here on this site now. Admitedly the attraction for us watching the film was the three main stars as we like all of them, and we learnt a few more bird names that we didn't know yesterday. So for us actors we like, learnt something new and caught our attention for something we knew nothing to very little off. I will just say i wouldn't have paid to see it in the cinema, but then we only go to the cinema for the big blockbusters. So, other birders, yes watch the film as interst of yours but non birders- watch it and see, you may be pleasantly surprised as we were!!
Saw film on Sky. Agree I wouldn't pay cinema rates & most of the facts that were incorrect could have been put right without spoiling the film. However as a non-birder I completely disagree with the comments that this film would only be of interest to birders. I enjoyed it in blissful ignorance of the faults! It's no blockbuster but did give me an insight into a world that to date I have ignored. Perhaps it's the columnists own pompous conceit that that has spoilt his enjoyment. Surely any publicity on your beloved field of expertise should be appreciated just for awareness sake alone…
I've just seen the film on sky and enjoyed it a lot. Great to see Steve bag the Xantu's hummer (i have seen them on Baja)
I haven't read all the comments but didn't anyone see the penguins on the Aleutians, what was all that about?
I really enjoyed the movie, and while it was a B movie there was no stupid over-the-top comedy, no sex or violence it was just really light hearted and fun. And kind of touching. I am not familiar with birding, so I would never have picked up on any of the mistakes you pointed out, but I'm sure 'birders' would have had their experience lessened by those mistakes. Overall I thought it was an entertaining movie, I was hoping to find a more positive review on a website like this but to each their own I guess.
I keep seeing life numbers and of course with the big year traveling all over the US, but is there a category where the count is made from a single specfic location (could expand to a square mile) letting the birds come to you throughout the year? I would assume a lake or beach would be the most productive spot, but it would be interesting to see how many birds could be seen from one location over a year time period. I know during an early dove hunt, that I mush have seen well over 30 different birds in one field on 1 Sept. The number totals could go from a single spot, specific county, state, region, etc…
thanks, great blog
© 2013 10,000 Birds. All words, images, and opinions are the property of their respective authors unless stated otherwise.


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Remember that all children are individuals and develop at their own pace. This checklist should be used only to get a general sense for where your child is or where he is heading. If you have any concerns about your child's development, consult with your physician.
Physical Development
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Dr. Bettye M. Caldwell Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics in Child Development and Education
Parenting advice is given as a suggestion only. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider.
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Viewing my album's email address
You can email photos to the address listed in the Email address field on your Upload via Email tab.
- Log in to your GoDaddy account.
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Your GoDaddy Photo Album email address is listed in the Email address area.


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Irn-Bru has celebrated 30 years of its longest running and most iconic campaign - Made in Scotland from Girders - by projecting images of special commemorative bottle designs on to the Forth Bridge.
The five limited edition pack designs, showcasing the brand's most nostalgic and loved advertising posters, will be available for six weeks only.
Irn-Bru spokesman Adrian Troy said projecting the design on to the world heritage site was a fitting tribute.
"The Forth Bridge and girders are engrained into Irn-Bru's history, from the famous 'Rail Bridge' poster to the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, so it felt right that we include it in our celebrations with this unique projection," he said. "Plus, we all know Irn-Bru is actually made from Girders..."
Irn-Bru is the most famous drink produced by soft drinks firm A. G. Barr, started by Robert Barr in Falkirk back in 1875. It has been made to the closely guarded secret recipe in Cumbernauld since 2001.
Barr's Irn-Bru, made in Falkirk - or was it?
Petition started to bring back Irn-Bru mural
10 things you (probably) didn't know about Irn-Bru


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First Impressions of Kindle on iPhone
As I predicted in my review of Amazon.com's Kindle 2 e-book reader last week, the giant bookseller has moved quickly to make the 240,000 book Kindle catalog available on other devices. On Tuesday night, the first Kindle software reader appeared, and it's a free iPhone app. Called Kindle for iPhone, the app replicates the basic book-reading functions of the hardware Kindle device, and can be thought of as a complement to that device, which has more features. However, you don't have to own a hardware Kindle to use this app. You can now choose instead to use your iPhone or iPod Touch as the reader for books from Kindle's catalog.
I tried the new iPhone Kindle app moments after it became available on Apple's App Store (AAPL), and my first impression is generally positive. But first, let me note the key features of the hardware Kindle that aren't carried over to the iPhone app. It doesn't support periodicals. It doesn't read books aloud. It doesn't allow you to enter notes or highlight text, look up words in a dictionary, or perform searches.
And, if you wish to purchase a new e-book, the Kindle app sends you over to the iPhone's Safari Web browser to go the Amazon (AMZN) Web site; it lacks a built-in Kindle store.
However, it is a solid basic app for reading books, and is especially valuable if you already own a hardware Kindle, as I do. In my brief tests, the iPhone app synchronized rapidly and perfectly with my purchased library of Kindle books on Amazon's servers, and allowed me to retrieve a previously purchased e-book, without paying again, just as my hardware Kindle does. It also synchronized to the furthest page I had read in that book on my Kindle. After reading for awhile on the iPhone, I performed that process in reverse, and my Kindle took me to the same spot where I had quit reading on the iPhone.
This means that, if I were in line at the grocery store with my iPhone, I could read a few pages of my book, and then, when I picked up my Kindle at home, I could continue reading, starting from the same spot.
I also was able to buy a new book using the iPhone's Web bowser, and Amazon gave me a choice of auto-delivering it to either my Kindle or my iPhone, which it treats as just another Kindle. I did so, and it appeared very quickly. I later downloaded it as well to my Kindle.
Reading on the device was easy. You turn pages using the iPhone's horizontal swiping gesture, and you can change the font size on the fly, and create bookmarks, which then can be synced back to a Kindle device. You can view any notes you made on a hardware Kindle. And there's a slider to quickly go back and forth through chunks of the book.
The only flaw I encountered in my brief testing: if you turn pages too fast you get a fleeting blank page or two.
In two key respects, using the iPhone app seems superior to using a Kindle. First, the iPhone's screen is brighter, and supports color, so book covers and illustrations in my test books looked much better on the iPhone than they did on the Kindle. Second, the iPhone is smaller and thus much more portable.
The new Kindle app isn't as full-featured as some other e-reader apps for the iPhone, which do allow annotation, searching, and so forth. But it gets the job done and it gives you access to Amazon's large catalog, which contains more popular and current commercial titles than other e-book sellers offer.
If you're an iPhone or iPod Touch owner who has yearned for a Kindle but balked at its $359 price, or a Kindle owner with an iPhone or Touch already, this new Kindle app is a good bet, even if it is bare-bones.


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I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Luckily/unluckily I am just starting to feel better while Derek is now best buds with the Nyquil. I am on his favorite person list right now obviously….
The whole sick thing caused some blog silence last week since going to bed at 7 was not good for my productivity and I even missed the first week of Kim's Dare to DIY party. Sad.
But no worries, I am back (for the most part…excuse my box of Kleenex).
Last year, I decorated our dining room table for Christmas a week early and while I loved it, I swore to myself that this year I would not forget about Thanksgiving and set the table with gourds and the and other fall-y things.
That is until it occurred to me that we were hosting Christmas and not Thanksgiving, so why waste good ideas on a tablescape that no one would use? Right?
So I present you with an early Christmas table for the second year in a row…..
Red does happen to be my favorite color. Good thing it corresponds with Christmas.
I really wanted a beautiful red tablecloth to cover the entire table. But a round tablecloth in a size to cover a 75 inch round table is impossible to find in stores. Trust me on that. I did find some huge ones online that I may order for future occasions, but that would not have fit the blog party timeline.
Table runners also are too short for the massive table so I had to improvise. I bought an oblong tablecloth and kept it folded so it just looked like an extra wide but long enough table runner.
Of course I will have to re-buy the red roses closer to Christmas. But I will take any excuse to buy myself roses.
And in honor of my new light fixture, i wanted to bring some bling to the table. I found these mini mirrors at Michael's for 1.99 for 25. They made the perfect mirror confetti.
And of course blingy napkin rings….
Head over to the Newly Woodwards and see what everyone else put together!


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Latest News
Judge throws out death sentence in 1974 Miami-Dade murders
As agents closed in on him in the woods of Southwest Miami-Dade, kidnapper Thomas Knight shot his two hostages execution-style, then buried himself in the mud atop $50,000 in stolen cash.
The savage 1974 murders of Bay Harbor Islands businessman Sydney Gans and his wife Lillian landed Knight on Death Row — but the legal case is still churning after nearly four decades.
The latest chapter: a Miami federal judge late last year tossed out Knight's death sentence for the Gans murders. Prosecutors are now appealing the ruling.
Knight, 61, nevertheless remains on Death Row for a third murder: the fatal 1980 stabbing of corrections officer Richard Burke.
"It's gotten to the point where it's a slap in face," said Judd Shapiro, 48, the Ganses' grandson.
Said the Ganses' daughter, Harriet Shapiro, now 72: "Even though I have no hatred in my heart and I don't live with anger, I would be very happy to see him dead and stand there when they kill him."
Only two prisoners have been on Florida's Death Row longer than Knight. His murder of the Ganses, while unfamiliar to newer generations of South Floridians, was a major story in July 1974.
Sydney Gans, 64, owned a successful paper bag company and a minor league baseball team, the Miami Beach Flamingos. He taught his grandson to play baseball and served as a leader at his synagogue.
Gans also employed parolees looking for a second chance. Knight was one of them. He had worked for the paper company for 10 days when he kidnapped Sydney Gans at rifle point.
Knight forced him to drive to the Gans' home, where he kidnapped Lillian Gans. The three drove to downtown Miami, where Knight forced Sydney Gans to enter a bank and withdraw $50,000.
Knight — armed with a semi-automatic .30-caliber carbine — held Lillian Gans in the back of the businessman's car. Inside, Gans alerted the bank manager, who called authorities.
Gans, fearing for his wife's safety, returned to the car. A slew of agents and cops covertly tailed the car as Knight ordered Gans to drive to West Miami-Dade.
In a blunder that still riles the Gans relatives today, agents lost track of the car. In a secluded wooded area at Southwest 132nd Street and 117th Avenue, Knight shot each of the Gans with a bullet to the neck. He disappeared as heavily armed officers swarmed the woods.
For hours, authorities scoured the woods. Teargas was deployed. A deputy found Knight buried in the mud, the money and the rifle underneath his body.
Not long after his arrest, Knight and a group of inmates escaped the Dade County Jail. He remained a fugitive for 101 days until agents burst in on him holed up in a New Smyrna Beach shack.
Judd Shapiro — 9 when his grandparents were killed — remembers that while Knight was on the lam, a teacher was assigned to guard him while at school.
"Every child at some point comes to the realization that the world is not necessarily a safe place, and for me it came at a young age and in an extreme fashion," said Judd, now an English teacher.
A jury convicted Knight in 1975. A judge sent him to Death Row.
While there in October 1980, Knight thrust a sharpened spoon into the chest of corrections officer Burke, 48. The reason: the prison would not let Knight see his mother, who was making her first visit.
Then-Gov. Bob Graham signed his death warrant. Scheduled execution date: March 3, 1981.
The prison system's superintendent later remembered Knight's reaction to the news: "How can you execute me when I haven't even had my trial yet about killing the guard?"
A federal judge later stayed the execution. Knight indeed went to trial for Burke's murder, and was sentenced to die in January 1983.
By 1987, a federal appeals court threw out the Gans death sentence, ruling Knight should have been allowed to present character and background witnesses during a penalty hearing.
Knight's 1996 resentencing was held under heavy security.
By then, he had grown a beard and changed his named to Askari Abdullah Muhammad. He proved too disruptive to keep in the courtroom, cursing daily at the judge and lawyers, hollering " Allahu Akbar!" — "God is great" in Arabic.
The jury, in a 9-3 vote, recommended the death penalty, once again, for the Gans murders. Circuit Judge Rodolfo Sorondo Jr. agreed with the recommendation.
But it was a legal error in that 1996 re-sentencing that paved the way for Knight's latest successful appeal, U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan ruled in November.
At the resentencing hearing , a Miami-Dade homicide detective recounted the words of a police helicopter pilot who never testified in previous court hearings. That, Jordan ruled, violated Knight's right to confront and cross-examine witnesses.
Why was that testimony so important? The judge pointed out that defense lawyers claimed that Knight never planned to kill the husband and wife. Knight only shot the couple after he heard a police helicopter and suffered a schizophrenic "break," defense attorneys claimed.
But prosecutors insisted to jurors that Knight never knew cops were covertly tailing him. As proof, they pointed to the detective's testimony that the helicopter pilot did not arrive on the scene until well after the Ganses were dead.
"There is no question that the evidence about the helicopter was key," Jordan wrote in a 56-page order.
Jordan also said prosecutors did not show all efforts were made to bring in the case's original detective as a witness. Greg Smith, the now-retired Miami-Dade detective whose testimony was at the heart of Jordan's decision, bristles at the ruling. The Florida Supreme Court, he pointed out, had already upheld the 1996 death sentence.
"I find laughable the thought that Thomas Knight killed the Ganses because of the police presence," Smith said last week. "He wasn't traveling to South Dade to take them on a picnic. He was going to kill them because they could identify him as their kidnapper."
Jordan ruled that prosecutors must hold a new penalty phase for Knight, or agree to a life prison term.
Knight's defense attorneys did not return calls for comment.
Prosecutors are asking a federal appeals court in Atlanta to overturn the judge's decision. Jordan has since been named to that court, although he would not join any panel deciding on the case.


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Here's the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
State of the Fukushima Reactors
With another typhoon expected to hit Japan this weekend, TEPCO are no closer to solving the contaminated water crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Protective barriers around 11 storage areas at the site failed to contain contaminated water after heavy rainfall brought by last week's Typhoon No 26. TEPCO's forecast of rainfall of between 30 and 40 millimeters were proved wrong when 120 millimeters fell on the damaged reactors on October 21. The barriers were already full of rainwater and pumping equipment was not up to the task of clearing it. TEPCO do not know whether any of the contaminated water has reached the sea and the total amount of water that escaped in unknown. The company has now promised to install extra pumping capacity before Typhoon No. 27 arrives.
Water from the overflowing storage areas has revealed more worrying spikes in radiation. Readings of Strontium 90 - which accumulates in human bones and has been linked to cancer - measuring 710 Becquerels per liter (far higher than the 10 Becquerels per liter limit) have been found. The above-limit water has been moved to storage facilities and below-limit water released. In addition, water taken from a drainage ditch near one storage tank at the site showed 59,000 Becquerels per liter of beta-emitting radioactive materials such as strontium. The reading is ten times the reading of 5,000 Becquerels found two days earlier.
In a further development, TEPCO stated that water found in a monitoring well last week that was last found to contain record levels of contamination (400,000 Becquerel per liter of beta ray sources, including strontium), may have taken two months to travel the ten meters to the well. "Radioactive water that escaped the tank probably seeped into the soil around pumping equipment adjacent to the well and migrated into the well itself," said Masayuki Ono, acting general director of TEPCO's Nuclear Power and Plant Siting Division. The company has now dug "bypass" wells allowing groundwater to flow directly to the sea without coming into contact contaminated areas of the site. The site is now storing 340 million liters of contaminated water which is enough to "fill Yankee Stadium to the brim". Four hundred tons run into the Pacific Ocean every day.
After criticism of TEPCO's methods last week by former chairman US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Gregory Jaczko, another former chairman, Dale Klein, added his voice. He accused TEPCO of failing to draw up adequate contingency plans to deal with the crisis. "Tepco didn't play enough of these what-if games. They didn't have enough of that questioning attitude," he said. Others have joined the chorus of disapproval. Groundwater expert and TEPCO adviser Atsunao Marui says the company did not have a single groundwater expert out of 40,000 employees at the time of the disaster.
Japan's Prime Minister Abe visited the port of Soma in Fukushima Prefecture this week in an attempt to allay public concerns over contaminated fish and seafood. Mr Abe sampled octopus caught in Fukushima waters saying, "I want everyone in the country to know they (fishery products from Fukushima) are good and safe." The Prime Minister also stated this week that, "We are monitoring radiation levels, and they are far below the safety limits for radioactive materials. The effects of the contaminated water are being completely blocked." A change in his language, however, may suggest that he is backing away from his recent insistence that the water crisis at Fukushima Daiichi is "under control". Answering questions from a budget committee, Mr Abe said, "The situation is under control all in all". He also faces an uphill battle convincing the Japanese people of his certainty. Yuichiro Tamaki from the opposition Democratic Party of Japan quoted a newspaper survey that found "about 80 percent of respondents lacked faith (in Abe's assessment)".
Mr Abe's recent claim that "the effects of radioactive substances in the sea are contained within 0.3 square kilometers of the plant's port" seems to have also been undermined by the discovery of Cesium-137 measuring 1.6 becquerels per liter one kilometer from the Fukushima plant. The readings are currently below the World Health Organisation's safety standards for drinking water.
In separate news, TEPCO also announced this week that it plans to start removing spent fuel from a storage pool in the Reactor #4 building early November. The pool contains 1,000 fuel assemblies and the work is expected to take until the end of 2014.
Other Nuclear Politics in Japan
Liberal Democrat Party sources let it be known this week that, despite the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the government would maintain its medium and long-term policies for keeping nuclear power in Japan's energy mix. The government is expected to update its basic energy policy by the end of 2013. The policy has been in place since 2010 and changes will reportedly include lessons learned from the Fukushima disaster.
It also emerged this week that in the early days of the Fukushima crisis in March 2011, the Obama administration expressed concerns that "entrenched bureaucratic behavior would exacerbate an unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan and called on Tokyo to remove those barriers to avert a catastrophe". Foreign Office records, obtained by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper under freedom of information requests, show President Obama was disturbed by the Japanese government's apparent lack of urgency over the unfolding crisis and how red-tape would hinder offers of international assistance. In a recent interview, Naoto Kan, the Prime Minister at the time of the disaster, confirmed the US's fears. "I think the president was feeling what I was feeling. Accurate information did not reach me. Information conduits were clogged up," he said.
Radiation Contamination, Including Human Exposure
Officials for Japan's environment ministry admitted this week that the decontamination of six towns and villages around the Fukushima Daiichi plant will take up to three years longer than expected meaning evacuated citizens will have to wait much longer to return to their homes if they choose to. The work was supposed to be completed by March 2014 but the process has been more complicated than expected and work on the most contaminated areas has not yet started. "We would have to extend the cleanup process, by one year, two years or three years, we haven't exactly decided yet," said ministry official Shigeyoshi Sato. Mr Sato also blamed a lack of storage facilities for radioactive waste. A new roadmap for decontamination efforts is expected by the end of this year.
This week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s international expert mission presented its Preliminary Summary Report on decontamination efforts in areas affected by the Fukushima disaster. The report welcomed "the extensive provision of individual dosimeters so that residents can monitor their own radiation dose rates". It urged the government "explain to the public that an additional individual radiation dose of 1 millisievert per year (mSv/y), which it has announced as a long-term goal, cannot be achieved in a short time by decontamination work alone." The IAEA feels that this is acceptable: "In remediation situations, with appropriate consideration of the prevailing circumstances, any level of individual radiation dose in the range of 1 to 20 mSv/y is acceptable and in line with international standards and the recommendations of the relevant international organisations such as the IAEA, International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and World Health Organisation (WHO)." But the IAEA does advise to that further optimization is needed "with the aim of obtaining the maximum benefit for the health and safety of the people affected." "An annual dose of 1 millisievert is a targeted long-term goal," said a Fukushima Prefecture official. However, many residents are not happy with this state of affairs, particularly in places such as Tamura in Fukushima Prefecture. The government announced the cleanup in Tamura finished in June but has postponed lifting the evacuation order there until next spring after residents expressed their concerns. This month, Greenpeace radiation experts found contamination levels in Tamura city "that are clearly too high."
Japan's Fisheries Ministry announced this week that it will soon publish radiation test results of fish and seafood in Korean in the hope this may encourage South Korea to lift its ban on importing fish and seafood from prefectures around and including Fukushima. The ban has been in place since September 9. Japanese experts have stated that contamination from Fukushima has had little impact on fish. "(Contamination levels) of fish now coming to the market are well below the government safety threshold. We consider them safe to eat," said Jun Misonoo, from the government-linked the Marine Ecology Research Institute. However, Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution offered a different view. After having monitored the waters around Fukushima, he said "I could swim in that water. But you might not want to eat those fish. It's a serious concern for internal doses. (Radionuclides) are now on the seafloor and could stay in the food chain for years, if not decades."
Evacuation and Repopulation Efforts
Naoto Matsumura, a resident and farmer in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture unveiled an exhibition of photographs this week showing the impact of the Fukushima crisis on livestock and pets. Tens of thousands of animals were left behind when people were forced to evacuate in the aftermath of the disaster. Mr Matsumara returned some after and began caring for some of the animals despite his house being just 12 kilometers from the damaged Fukushima reactors. "When I (returned and) approached the animals, they mooed and meowed. (They were so happy to see me). That's why I stayed in my house," he said. Despite having no gas, electricity or running water, he cares for cows, ostriches, a pony, dogs and cats.
Justin McKeating has been blogging the meltdown of the nuclear industry for Greenpeace International since 2008. He is based in Brighton, UK.
(Unregistered) Meherzaidi
I had anticipated this as soon as the disaster ocured and written in my blogpost here. It seems well almost prophetic but sad...We must shun al use of...
I had anticipated this as soon as the disaster ocured and written in my blogpost here. It seems well almost prophetic but sad...We must shun al use of nuclear energy and weapos. Humanity must realise that it will annihlate itself needlessly.http://mehernewspappar.blogspot.com/2011/03/post-japan-earthquake-and.html
23 October, 2013 at 22:53
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(Unregistered) Beppe
According to Japanese labour court sentences a 5 mSv exposition in a working environment is recognized as a cause of leukemia.
100 mSv (i...
According to Japanese labour court sentences a 5 mSv exposition in a working environment is recognized as a cause of leukemia.
100 mSv (i.e. 20 mSv/yr for 5 years) is the dose at which Tepco will not allow you to work in a nuclear facility any more.
20 mSv/yr is NOT acceptable for the general population, even less for kids.
24 October, 2013 at 19:20
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When is Tepco going to resume the operation of the strontium filtering equipment (Sarry)?
24 October, 2013 at 19:22
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Apologies, the strontium etc. filtering apparatus is ALPS.
SARRY, incorrectly mentioned in the post above, is for cesium.
24 October, 2013 at 20:03
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(Unregistered) heyThere77
The devil is in the details as they say and building nuclear plants hasn't been well thoug...
The devil is in the details as they say and building nuclear plants hasn't been well thought out.
2 November, 2013 at 22:35
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text: Find this wine Find this wine Schug 2012 Pinot Noir From Altus? Good--smokey. Buy again. Doesn't make teeth too black. Pin It Tweet 5 years ago by Mary More posts 2010 Schug Pinot Noir Light decent 5 years ago by Ktreichel Schug Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2011 Just fun. 6 years ago by PhurroughThomas Schug Pinot Noir 2009 Spice, vanilla, mint, raspberry, cherry, butterscotch 6 years ago by Teganwhitesel Schug Carneros Pinot Noir 2008 With the Chasseys in PHX 6 years ago by Brian & Nicole Schug Pinot Noir 2009 Schug 2009 "Carneros" Pinot Noir -- light, fruity, sharp. Better with food 3/5 6 years ago by Nevans03


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Mo. to Start Screening Newborns for Heart Disease
JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - Missouri is preparing to start screening every newborn baby for a heart disease that can cause developmental delays or death if left untreated.
The screenings for critical congenital heart disease are required under a new state law that takes effect Jan. 1.
The state Department of Health and Senior Services says an estimated 140 babies are born in Missouri each year with the disease. The noninvasive screenings measure oxygen in the blood and show if a newborn needs treatment with a catheter or surgery.
More than 30 other states have added critical congenital heart disease to the list of disorders for which newborns are screened. The Missouri agency says the tests will prevent babies from being sent home with the risk of developing serious complications in the first few weeks of life.


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Comunicación Turismo de Salamanca
Float in a nocturnal procession through the streets of Salamanca.
Fundación Siglo Castilla y León
Procession of the Brotherhood of Nuestro Padre Jesús Flagelado. Easter week in Salamanca
Fundación Siglo Castilla y León
The Christ of Love and Peace. Easter week in Salamanca
Practical information
- When?: From Apr 5, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
- Where: Salamanca
- Autonomous region: Castilla y Leon
- Province/Island: Salamanca
- Category: Festivity of International Tourist Interest
The Maundy Thursday services in the University and the taking down of Christ from the cross are two of the most noteworthy events in these celebrations.
Easter week in Salamanca stands out for the stunning spectacle of its beautiful processions with the backdrop of the streets of the historic city centre. Emblematic spots like University square, the Casa de las Conchas (House of the Shells), and the Arrabal and Clerecía churches take on a vital role at this time. Of the numerous events held in the city, the services held in the chapel of the old university stand out. They are a mixture of the liturgical and the academic, with all the university professors in attendance. They are held on Maundy Thursday and are an extraordinary assembly, where the professors dress in all their academic finery. At the end, those in attendance receive the traditional chocolate and sweets.
Easter week is one of the most spectacular and emotional fiestas here. Religious devotion, art, colour and music combine in acts to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ: the processions. Members of the different Easter brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets carrying religious statues (pasos) to the sound of drums and music – scenes of sober beauty.
Practical information
- Date: From Apr 5, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
Contact details
Tel. +34 923337267
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- From Apr 5, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
* Information may be subject to modifications


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Anarchy alive!: anti-authoritarian politics from practice to theory
Pluto Press, 2008 - Political Science - 183 pages
Anarchist politics are at the heart of today's most vibrant and radical social movements. From squatted social centres and community gardens to acts of sabotage and raucous summit blockades, anarchist groups and networks are spreading an ethos of direct action, non-hierarchical organizing and self-liberation that has redefined revolutionary struggle for the 21st century.Anarchy Alive! is a fascinating, in-depth look at the practice and theory of contemporary anarchism. Uri Gordon draws on his activist experience and on interviews, discussions and a vast selection of recent literature to explore the activities, cultures and agendas shaping today's explosive anti-authoritarian revival. Anarchy Alive! also addresses some of the most tense debates in the contemporary movement, using a theory based on practice to provocatively reshape anarchist discussions of leadership, violence, technology and nationalism. This is the ideal book for anyone looking for a fresh, informed and critical engagement with anarchism, as a mature and dynamic political force in the age of globalisation.
From inside the book
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But it does isolate their basic source, which is every person's embodied
experiences of violence on the receiving side. Such a concept of violence
centrally involves a sense of manifest vulnerability, and the infringement (
violation) of one's ...
On this definition, credence must be given to the victim reporting her or his
experience, but that an attack or endangerment have occurred will usually still be
verifiable against reasonable interpretations of bodily symptoms and/or known ...
Beyond injuries, these experiences have led to widespread posttraumatic stress
among the participants, a phenomenon which is beginning to be acknowledged
and coped with in direct-action movements. In the wake of repression, people ...
What people are saying - Write a review
Review of Anarchy Alive! by Alex Prichard, Anarchist Studies 16:1 (2008)
For more info see http://www.anarchyalive.com .It is widely recognised that these are exciting times for anarchist theory. Uri Gordon's book is one of many by the young veterans of the varied anarchist practices of the last ten years (at least) and can only add to this excitement. It is hugely learned and yet easy to read; it is also short and to the point, un-pompous and hugely informative, for the adept or novices in anarchist thought alike. For those with more theory than practice, this book ought to be required reading. In fact, I'd say that not only will it become required reading in the anarchist movement, but it will have a sizeable impact on the academy, (or `anarchademics' (p. 163) - one of a number of neologisms, like `r/evolution', I loved). In short, I believe this will be a defining text in anarchist circles for the next few years at the very least.
But why? What are the virtues of the book and where do they come from (aside from style and length of course)? Let's begin, somewhat conventionally with the introduction. It is short but clear in positioning itself in pedagogic social praxis. It is the product of participant observation and theoretical reflection and it is unashamedly contemporary in terms of both. The book is not designed to contribute to academic debates about the fineries of anarchist theory (though, as I will show, it does), but is designed as a tool for activists trying to understand anarchism, and inadvertently helps theorists see that practice helps us understand theory. The book does this through engaging with some key practical and theoretical conundrums facing the contemporary movement. This makes it something of a user's manual for anarchist activism, written by an engaged and intelligent academic that has seen his fair share of the front line.
The impact of Gordon's Oxford background, particularly the ideas of Michael Freeden who has blazed a trail through the study of ideologies, is clear. Gordon discuses anarchism as a `political culture' or social praxis, ironically simply allowing Gordon to be an anarchist in refusing to reduce ideas to other social, economic or political forces and to see anarchism as a lived plethora or `network' of ideas and practices in social and historical context. Unfortunately Gordon's historical context does not stretch far enough back into the past and so the novelty of contemporary ideas is overplayed. For example, Gordon argues that "the most prominent feature of the new anarchist formulation [...] is the generalisation of the target of anarchist resistance to all forms of domination in society" (p. 30). This presentism is a standard flaw in contemporary anarchist literature. Anarchism has always been about more than just the state and capitalism. Emma Goldman was a feminist, Reclus an ecologist, Landauer and Rocker were concerned with race and ethnicity. Still, this is not to detract from the force of Gordon's work, only to contextualise it within the dominant discursive frameworks set by Marxism as a way of understanding the left's past.
However, the book is not a history of ideas. It is about how anarchist practice can help us understand and develop anarchist theory. Chapter 3 investigates the ongoing issue of power and authority within the anarchist movement and settles a number of debates in unexpectedly clever ways. For example, Gordon argues that democratic participation is not always a good in itself. Rather, the values of democratic practices need to be understood in context. Protesters cannot always be transparent and not everyone wants to take part, so neither democracy nor transparency is a transcendent good. Gordon claims that while both participatory democracy in anarchist communities and consensus are valuable, they are not imposable because "anarchist organising is built on pure voluntarism" (p. 76). The ethic is clear here, but perhaps he overstates this a little. Gordon
What Moves the Movement?
Anarchism Reloaded
Power and Anarchy
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Anarchy Alive!: Anti-Authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theor
Uri Gordon
No preview available - 2007


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Editor's Note: The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) provided this update on its centennial celebration in the current issue of RVIA Today Express.
RVIA hosted a webinar Friday (Dec. 11) to discuss plans for a year's worth of celebrations marking the industry's centennial year in 2010. More than 20 representatives of RV and campground associations and a phalanx of trade media representatives participated in the webinar, as RVIA Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Gary LaBella outlined RVIA's planned events and encouraged the industry to take initiative in scheduling their own celebrations.
LaBella emphasized that the centennial celebrations will be a terrific way for the industry to demonstrate unity, and groups can also involve consumers in their celebratory events. "The Centennial is an industrywide celebration that will continue throughout 2010 – including at the 48th National RV Trade Show – and help lift the industry's spirits as it draws positive attention to RVing, helping us stress a positive message about the industry to counteract the difficult economic conditions we have faced," he said.
After reviewing details of the RV Centennial Media Tours scheduled for spring, LaBella outlined new events being planned for the centennial including RV Centennial Celebration Month, set for June. RVIA is working to have official proclamations issued from both President Obama and the Congress identifying it as such, and he encouraged industry members to reach out to their state and local governments to have similar proclamations made.
RV Centennial Celebration Month will be highlighted by RVIA's all-industry party, being held June 7, during RVIA's Committee Week and Annual Meeting, at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart. LaBella reported that the party will be an evening event featuring videos to mark the industry's centennial and culminating in the enshrining of an industry time capsule that will be featured at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum for years to come.
In fact, the centennial will be a guiding theme at next year's Committee Week, with events and speakers scheduled throughout the event. RVIA will invite President Obama, who has shown a particular interest in the RV industry, as well as other political leaders, to help celebrate with the industry and speak at the event.
LaBella also announced that a Centennial Mascot will soon begin a nationwide tour of retail RV shows and manufacturing plants. Show promoters and RV manufacturers, suppliers, and campgrounds will receive information from RVIA in January about how to include the mascot at industry events.
LaBella said, "I encourage all RV manufacturers, dealers, suppliers, campgrounds, owner groups and publishers to schedule their own celebrations on a large or small scale." He urged them to visit www.RVCentennial.org for a treasure trove of free resources including an online message board that has been specially designed for the industry to facilitate an exchange of centennial celebration ideas among colleagues. The website also hosts the four-minute RV Centennial video, which members are encouraged to download and share, and downloadable centennial logos and images of antique RVs. LaBella encouraged the industry to use all of these materials in any way they wish.
The RV Centennial is an industrywide, year-long celebration to celebrate the industry's rich history and promising future. The year 1910 has been identified as the beginning of the RV industry when the first mass-produced, manufactured auto campers and camping trailers– the forerunners of today's RVs – were built.


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You might have a notion of who you'd think could pull off the perfect Chun-Li. Then again, you didn't develop Street Fighter II so what the hell do you know?
Japanese illustrator Akiman, one of gaming's most celebrated artists, illustrated Chun-Li—and a whole bunch of other cool characters.
Recently on Twitter, he posted a series of photos of bikini idol Ai Shinozaki. Make that, retouched photos of Shinozaki, a twenty year-old idol and singer, known for her curvy figure.
Akiman repeatedly wrote on Twitter that he'd love if Ms. Shinozaki dressed as Chun-Li and uploaded several photos to show what he had in mind. They can be viewed in the above gallery.
Previously, Kotaku featured Akiman's art. If you missed it, do check it out. Also, his official blog is packed with numerous illustrations and worth checking out even if you do not understand Japanese.
あきまん [Twitter]


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Scotland 15-21 Tonga, Aberdeen, November 24
Tonga shock Scotland
ESPN Staff
November 24, 2012
Tonga celebrate a famous win over Scotland
© PA Photos
Tonga triumphed in Aberdeen as Scotland slumped to a miserable 21-15 loss which is sure to pile pressure on head coach Andy Robinson.
Tries from Lua Lokotui and Fetu'u Vainikolo and 11 points from the boot of Fangatapu Apikotoa earned Tonga a memorable win at Pittodrie. Greig Laidlaw kicked five penalties for Scotland, who were blunt in attack, as Robinson's men fell to a third defeat of their Test series following losses to New Zealand and South Africa.
It was an attritional affair on a narrow pitch which limited space and, once again, Scotland's passing lacked the accuracy required as the ball hit the floor with alarming regularity. Scotland lacked ideas to overcome their physical opponents, who had three players sin-binned but were deserved winners as the hosts tasted defeat in Aberdeen for the first time.
A season which featured early World Cup elimination and a RBS 6 Nations wooden spoon was revived by the June wins in Australia, Fiji and Samoa before New Zealand and South Africa inflicted defeats which will see Scotland outside the top eight seeds for the 2015 World Cup draw.
Assuming he is retained, Robinson will next enter his fourth Six Nations, beginning with the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham, needing a remarkable turnaround to avoid another abject spring showing.
Due to a mixture of choice and circumstance, change was required for the final match of 2012, with six alterations from the XV which began the Springboks Test. Making their first starts were scrum-half Henry Pyrgos and loosehead prop Kyle Traynor, who was released by Edinburgh in the summer but brought in due to decimated front-row resources. Hooker Scott Lawson, lock Alastair Kellock, flanker Alasdair Strokosch and centre Max Evans also started.
Tonga lost to Italy and beat the United States this month and featured a host of European-based players eager to claim another northern hemisphere scalp following their World Cup win over France in the third Test between the sides.
Scotland were bidding for a morale-boosting win, just as they claimed in 1995 and 2001, but fell behind early on. Apikotoa missed an early penalty from 45 metres before kicking a second from in front of the posts after Scotland killed the ball.
A Laidlaw penalty attempt careered back off the post before he kicked Scotland level after 11 minutes. Tim Visser and Sean Lamont stretched Tonga down the left and a period of concerted pressure followed.
Scotland piled over the line, but it was impossible to rule whether the ball was grounded beneath a heap of bodies.
Scotland struggled to breach the Tonga defence until a gap presented itself to Laidlaw and he took it. The fly-half ran 30 metres towards the Tonga line, with Visser on his left shoulder, but marked, and Strokosch on his right. The flanker fumbled Laidlaw's pass as defenders recovered, the danger brought to an end.
Tonga continually infringed and referee Mathieu Raynal lost patience when Lokotui obstructed Richie Gray at a lineout and was sent to the sin-bin. Prop Halani Aulika was fortunate not to join him after body-checking Matt Scott, with no attempt to tackle using his arms.
Tonga's short-handed scrum were penalised and Laidlaw's kick was successful to give Scotland a narrow half-time lead. Scotland continued to struggle with ball in-hand, a Lamont carry deep into the 22 one of the few occasions the hosts breached enemy lines. A penalty followed which Laidlaw kicked to extend the lead to six points, but Tonga kept up the pressure.
Apikotoa missed the chance to reduce the arrears, but Tonga's persistence paid off when they spread the ball wide and Lokotui made amends for his earlier indiscretion by burrowing over. Apikotoa converted to put Tonga 10-9 ahead.
Laidlaw kicked two more penalties to give the hosts a five-point lead entering the final quarter, but the advantage crumbled all too easily. The ball was spread wide to Vainikolo, who simply stepped up the pace and ghosted down the left, evading substitute Nick De Luca, to score. The conversion was missed by Apikotoa and Bath fly-half Tom Heathcote came on for his debut.
Nili Latu became the second Tongan sin-binned 11 minutes from time for leaping on top of a maul, but Heathcote's resulting penalty was short. The task became tougher for Scotland when Apikotoa kicked his third penalty to leave the hosts requiring a converted try to win with six minutes left.
Sione Timani was sin-binned, temporarily reducing Tonga to 13 men. Latu returned, with an attacking scrum for Scotland as the game ticked into added time.
Scotland nudged forward, but captain Kelly Brown lost control at the base of the set-piece and Tonga scrambled clear.
The last act of the game was Heathcote dropping a Rory Lawson pass as Scottish players stood crestfallen - and defeated - across the pitch.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Molten Chocolate Cake, the way I like it
You've seen this recipe on Nami-Nami already, back in 2007, but I'll repost it with slightly better step-by-step photos of eating process, not baking process :) These are super easy to make, and will bring a smile to every chocolate lover's face (that covers pretty much everyone, no?). The worst thing that can happen is that you overbake the cakes, but in that case you'll end up with wonderful chocolate cakes.
Molten Chocolate Cake
Source: Food Migration
170 grams bittersweet chocolate
150 grams butter
160 grams sugar
75 g plain flour
4 large eggs
Butter six small ramekins thoroughly and dust with cocoa powder (a trick I nicked from David's blog). Place on baking tray.
Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan, remove from the heat.
Beat eggs and sugar together until thick, pale and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture. Continue to beat for another five minutes.
Add flour, beat for two more minutes.
Pour mixture into prepared ramekin tins.
Bake in a 180 C oven approximately 10 to 12 minutes - NO MORE! (Ovens do vary, so I'd test for doneness earlier rather than later).
Carefully turn the puddings onto serving plates. Dust with powdered/icing sugar and serve at once, when the puddings are still warm - otherwise you won't get that oozing chocolate effect :)
A good and slightly melted vanilla ice cream is a good accompaniment. Or perhaps some cherry compote?
12 comments:
- Hovkonditorn said...
Looks delicious! I love Molten Chocolate Cake!
- 12:20 pm, January 24, 2012
- Joanna said...
This is one of our all time special treats that we have at the local hotel and the one dessert that our children ask for every time they go. Thanks for that.
- 1:00 pm, January 24, 2012
- best sleeping aids said...
wow!!! mouth watering..
- 1:52 pm, January 24, 2012
- Engineers Love Cooking said...
Deliciously looking at your cake. Love it. I will try to make it with your recipe. Please visit my blog at http://cooking-engineer.blogspot.com/ for Malaysian dishes. Be my followers to get latest recipes. You are welcome. Thanks.
- 10:08 am, January 25, 2012
- Jeff @ Cheese-Burger.net said...
I'm a chocolate lover myself and I can't wait to try this recipe.
- 10:50 am, January 25, 2012
- Xean said...
yuuuummmmmyy! molten choco cake is one of my favorites cakes in the world! It makes me happy.
And of course having the best cup of coffee on my hand while eating--wonderful day ahead. :)
- 4:48 pm, January 26, 2012
- Andrew said...
now this is JUST my type of dish!
- 11:03 am, January 27, 2012
- ChichaJo said...
Oh Pille, these look gorgeous! One of my favorite desserts but I have never attempted to make them...I'll be saving your recipe :)
I am assuming you have to make these right before you eat them so how do you manage if you are serving them at a dinner party? Can you pre-fill the ramekins earlier and pop in the oven just before dessert? :)
- 9:39 am, January 31, 2012
- karimakene said...
mul hakkas suu vett jooksma :) vàga m6nusad ja isuàratavad nàevad vàlja
- 1:53 pm, February 03, 2012
- elicotteri rc said...
So delicious! I am loving it. I like the recipe because it understandable. I am not a better cook. But definitely can try it.
- 1:17 pm, February 04, 2012
- Karoliina R. said...
Heips! :) Mul küsimus, et kui retseptis on kirjas 'beat the mixture' kas see on rohkem käsitsi segamine või võib miksriga ka? (ma ei tea, äkki ei või vahtu minna või midagi ;D)
- 8:25 pm, February 12, 2012
- Pille said...
Hovkonditorn - thank you :)
Joanna - it's surprisingly easy to make. And - should you leave it in the oven for a wee bit too long, you'll end up with a non-molten chocolate cake that still tastes wonderful!
Jeff - give it a go!
Xean - sounds like a recipe for a great day indeed :)
Andrew - so nice to see you on Nami-Nami again! Gosh, when did we see last - 2005???
Aitäh, Karima!
Joey - you can pre-fill (and even freeze!) the ramekins earlier and then pop in the oven when you're ready for dessert.
Karoliina - ma olen miksriga seganud, olen lihtsalt puulusikaga segi kloppinud. Oleneb köögist :)
- 7:46 pm, February 15, 2012