Notes From the Undrground

A Bridge Too Far

/ Benn Bell / Leave a comment

Benn Bell's avatarGhost Dog

DSC_0124Last night, Governor Chris Christo appeared on Billo Riley’s television show, Fear Factory, on The Fox Force Five Network. What follows is a partial transcript of the interview:

Billo Riley: Governor Christo, you have been described as a prince of a man and that there is no way that you would have done anything so sinister as to order the lane closings on the George Washington Bridge. Can you tell us what your view on life is in general and on politics in particular?

Chris Christo: Sure, Billo. That’s a great question. Thanks for asking. My view is this: A man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruination among so many men who are not good. Therefore, a prince, such as myself, if he wants to keep his authority, must learn how to be not so good.

Billo Riley: And Governor, if I…

View original post 495 more words

Ex Machina

/ Benn Bell / 5 Comments

Ex Machina

Ex Machina is a very slick science fiction thriller shot in Norway. A young programmer is hired under mysterious circumstances by the owner and CEO of a large Techno Firm to test the AI (artificial intelligence) of a beautiful fem-bot he has created. If this story sounds familiar it is because it is the latest iteration of a literary trope starting with Frankenstein. Only this is one of the better varieties and makes you think about the problems of creationism, robots, artificial intelligence, and the dangers and  pitfalls associated with falling in love with a lifelike beautiful robot.

The film starts slow then builds  in suspense and pays off in the final denouement which makes it worth the wait. Intelligently written with many turns and twists which will keep the viewers rapt attention. Beautifully photographed in the Norwegian Wood featuring a gorgeous subterranean abode and laboratory  which makes exciting use of its natural surrounding with breathtaking waterfalls, rock formations, and spectacular vistas of mountain tops and streams.

Domhnall Gleeson plays the nebbish computer programmer who is whisked to the hidden fortress of the mad scientist by Deus ex machina (helicopter). Oscar Isaac  plays the CEO and owner of the techno company where Caleb works. He is also the creator of Ava, the beautiful robot that Caleb is intended to test. Ava is played with remarkable conviction by Alicia Vikander. The movie is written and directed by Alex Garland.

This is the best movie I have seen this year and has reawakened my interest in robots and science fiction. The best example of of which Isaac Asimov’s,  “I Robot” and Philip K. Dick’s, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” which was made into the science fiction movie classic, “Blade Runner.” I give this movie a rating of 8 out of 10. Highly recommend.

Walking Meditation

/ Benn Bell / 4 Comments

wpid-20150322_102300-1.jpg

Taking a walk on a cool spring morning. I loaf and I invite my soul to loaf contemplating a spear of summer grass. This may seem like a contradiction. I contradict myself? Very well I contradict myself. I am large and I contain multitudes.

wpid-20150322_104310.jpg

I like to get off the beaten track when I’m walking. I like to walk in solitude. I don’t like to run into people. Walking in the city is different. In a big city like New York or Philadelphia your solitude is protected in a cloak of anonymity.

wpid-20150322_105014.jpg

The sound of the dragon fly singing in the withered tree comes to my ear.

wpid-20150322_104413.jpg

Life is like a drop of dew on a blade of grass.

wpid-20150322_104730.jpg

I stop beside the still waters to restore my soul.

wpid-20150322_105042.jpg

I lie down in the green pasture to pass the time.

New York Aug 2007 063

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil.

397061_10150479899497036_1651989731_n

My rod and my staff they comfort me.

Africa 2007 L12 091

You prepare a table before me…

Africa 2007 L12 071

My cup runs over…

New York Aug 2007 005

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me the rest of my days.

 

Scientific Method

/ Benn Bell / 2 Comments

milky-way-galaxy-pictures-hubble-566-a

Walker Percy in “Diagnosing the Modern Malaise, in Signposts in a Strange Land” wrote: “the consciousness of Western man, the layman in particular, has been transformed by a curious misapprehension of the scientific method”. Unfortunately it seems to me to be rather the reverse is true. We, here in America, suffer from an abhorrence of the scientific method. What with climate deniers, evolution doubting creationists, and a singular lack of understanding female anatomy, it is enough to make one hold one’s head in shame. As far as justice goes, what justice? Justice is an illusion. The world is run by the power elite who get overthrown from time to time by the very peasantry they overrule and submit to structural violence. As Bob Dylan said in his song about Hurricane Carter, “…one cannot help but be ashamed to live in a land where justice is a game.”

Chapel Hill Murders

/ Benn Bell / 2 Comments

Chapel Hill Murders

Trying to parse whether the senseless killing of three young Muslims at an apartment complex in Chapel in Chapel Hill, NC was a hate crime or a dispute over parking is an exercise in futility and a distinction without a difference. These three young people are dead in either case. Only a person full of hate could perpetrate such a heinous and outrageous crime against humanity. This chinless monster known as Craig Stephen Hicks is an abysmal human being living a life of quiet desperation collecting guns and burning a slow hate filled fuse. He was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off and the parking dispute was the detonator that set him off. What can we learn from this hideous crime? One, tolerance of intolerance is evil. We should always condemn bigotry in all its forms, be it racial, gender or religious. Two, this man should never have been allowed to carry a firearm, much less amass a cache of guns and ammunition. He was simply too irresponsible and incompetent to do so. Besides, who nee to have so many weapons? We need to have a serious conversation about the proliferation of guns in this country. Enough is enough already! How many more senseless killings will it take? How many roads must a man walk down? How many times must a weapon discharge? How many times must we turn our heads and pretend not to see?

Fox News: Ministry of Information

/ Benn Bell / 6 Comments

DSCN0544

There are two ways of infringing liberty: by police power or economic power. The latter can be exercised either directly or indirectly, by orienting the way people think, by addling their brains, by using the press (media, a la Fox News) to bias them in favor of special interests (think Koch Brothers and Citizens United).

Bill-O’Reilly

Citizens United left this country open to the power of money. We now know the extent to which moneyed interests use the press to further their interests.

Koch Brothers

American Sniper

/ Benn Bell / Leave a comment

AmericanSniper

I have seen the film and I think it is quite good, but my reaction is complicated by the fact that I have a visceral dislike for the whole concept of sniper fire. Shooting people from a distance who never knew what hit them seems a little unseemly to me. I don’t like it. Put that together with the fact that the real life Chris Kyle was a racist and a bigot and would basically shoot any Iraqi, man, woman, or child, gives me even more pause. I am reminded of Wounded Knee and the slaughter of innocents who were also referred to as savages. Kyle is also a proven liar. Jessie Ventura has just won a lawsuit against his estate for a story about him in his book that was completely fabricated. You have to wonder what else is Kyle lying about. Not to mention the fact that we should not have been in Iraq in the first place. It was not a just nor a good war. But this story transcends the life of the real Chris Kyle and brings to our attention the plight of the American soldier returning from multiple deployments and the psychological trauma inflicted upon these tortured souls. Attention must be paid!

Unbroken

/ Benn Bell / 2 Comments

The movie Unbroken, directed by Angelina Jolie, proves that Miss Jolie is not only a movie star of the first magnitude, but a first rate director as well. There have been a lot of snarky comments about Angelina lately in the press, but I don’t know why there should be so much hate out there for the beautiful and talented Miss Jolie. Jealousy is the only thing I can see. I think credit is due for this masterful piece of work.
The film was beautifully photographed by Roger Deakins, also known for his work on The Shawshank Redemption, No Country for Old Men and, Skyfall. Writing credits go to Joel and Ethan Coen. The film was based on the best-selling book of the same name written by Laura Hillenbrand.
I was somewhat taken aback by some of the critics who called the movie boring and the hero unheroic. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was mesmerized for the entire running time of 2 hours and 17 minutes.  This film was about the triumph of the human spirit. It was not about super human deeds on the battlefield.
The movie was a faithful rendition of the book on which it was based. It told in a straight forward way with flashbacks throughout to flesh out the back story and give the audience understanding of what gave Louie Zamperini the strength of character to remain unbroken throughout the many ordeals he faced during WWII. He first survived a plane crash in the ocean, then survived 45 days at sea on a rubber raft with very little food and water. When he was picked up by the Japanese he was incarcerated in a prison camp and braved harsh conditions, mistreatment, and torture at the hands of a sadistic camp commander known as, “The Bird.”
In my view this is an inspirational film of epic proportion that shows us that the human spirit can triumph over evil. We need more films like this one. I see Oscar buzz and a possible nomination for best picture. It has my vote. Bravo Angelina Jolie!