End of 2015 goal evaluation

This past February, I posted publicly my 15 things to do in 2015. Here there are again, at the end of year, with my evaluation.

1. Read 10 books

Not even close. I just don't have time to read unfortunately!

2. Publish 4 blog posts per month (total of 48)

Not that close with over 30, but not that pathetic either. It was a busy year.

3. Go on an actual date - DONE

4. Apply for a job at the Writing Center on campus Modified to: Get an on-campus job. - DONE

I got two great on-campus jobs that are more geared toward what I want to do anyway. I worked with the Center for Global Environmental Education, and I work for the Sustainability Office on campus.

5. Travel to Europe - DONE

My family's vacation to Ireland was amazing.

6. Get a piece of writing published

Not done - however, that is not really a major goal of mine anyway.

7. Perform guitar somewhere - DONE

I performed at an open mic night at college with some of my friends in January.

8. Send a pilot TV script to my connection

Nope - I still enjoy creative writing, but it's no longer a focus for me.

9. Reach two thousand followers on tumblr

Didn't do this - although I was over one thousand on my Breaking Bad-dedicated blog.

10. Get a summer job - DONE

I worked as a cashier at Gordman's. It was a good job for the summer. 

11. Get good grades - DONE

My college 4.0 somehow survives.

12. Declare my major - DONE

I declared myself as an Environmental Studies major with a Political Science concentration in May.

13. Room with my friend Nick - DONE

So far, so great. Our room is pretty awesome and we get along perfectly.

14. Go on a road trip - DONE

I drove to my aunt's cabin by myself on the 4th of July.

15. Make an artwork - DONE

I expanded my 8x11 bottle cap poster into a 12x12. It looks awesome. I also made a bottle cap tray, which turned out pretty great, and was finished just in time.


All in all, my record was 9/15. Not too bad. The point is more to keep track of my growth and progress than to be a bucket list. I'll post my 16 things to do soon!

The population crisis

Over this weekend, I had the pleasure of reading this great article on The Guardian. It addressed something that has been on my mind for a while, and I was glad to see it gaining some traction.

I've noticed when discussing environmental issues, especially with middle-aged Americans, they love to bring up the rising human population, which of course is happening most rapidly in the developing world. It's the only environmental problem that Americans aren't contributing to much at this point. So, it's not surprising that it's a popular topic.

It's also the environmental problem that we can do almost nothing about (ethically, at least). So, talk all you want, feign concern-- but there's no solution to be found here. And people who are genuinely concerned about the earth need to focus on real solutions.

And the real solution is related to a population crisis-- it's just not the human population.

It's true that there are a lot of people, but there are way more animals farmed to feed us-- and their population is growing twice as fast as ours. Everything that goes into raising and feeding these animals uses more land and water and produces more greenhouse gases than anything else humans are doing.

Instead of trying to somehow reduce or slow the human population, wouldn't it make sense to phase out the majority of these animals that are necessary and even harmful to human health?

Too much meat is not healthy for anyone, and the inefficient way it's produced actually means way less food for people to eat.

If we had a much smaller human population, we could have meat in our diet and it would be sustainable. But the fact is, these two population problems are related-- so many people means that we can't eat the way that Americans eat for much longer. We can't solve the first part of that problem, but we do have control over the second part.

The population of agricultural animals depends entirely on the consumer demand for meat. If less meat is demanded, fewer animals will be bred. If enough individuals make this choice, land could eventually be diverted away from feed crops and grazing to grow food for people (some land could even be returned to wildlife).

This is a choice that any person can make, any time. And it does a lot more good than complaining about population booms in Asia and Africa.

A Scathing Review of Sarah Michelson's Tournamento

I'm a part of this organization at my college where we go to local art and music events in the cities. So far, I've been to three events: two dance performances at the Walker, and a Sybarite5 Concert.

Two of these were very enjoyable. The first one though is the one I want to talk about.

Sarah Michelson's Tournamento was a torturous experience. It had no redeeming qualities.

Okay, before I get too excited about this, here's what it was:

Not dance, first of all.

It was, however, a tournament. Four teams competed in some invented game that only the players and judges understood. So, to the audience, the entire two hours were dancers jumping around the stage and yelling out letters and numbers. Oh, and Michelson herself screaming "Let's Play!" at intervals, startling the audience. The game might have had some elements of battleship or chess-- who knows.

Any messages the performance might have been trying to make became clear within five minutes: This is what sports are like to people who don't understand them. Or, this is how arbitrary and pointless sports are. Or, how arbitrary and pointless art is. Or, maybe, how inaccessible art can be (let's hope it was the last one). But whatever the message-- it went on for two hours.

Past the one hour mark, my boredom ended and I actually became crazy enough to start to understand what I was seeing unfold on stage. It became interesting-- and that made me hate it even more.

This performance is basically impossible to explain to anyone who didn't have to experience it themselves. There is no way to capture my agony in words.

Once I had my freedom, all I wanted was to find a particularly scathing of review of this so I could find some closure. (I thought I saw an art critic taking notes.) All I could find though was one review that concluded that Tournamento wasn't for the audience. Which, well, is bullshit.

Even if it wasn't for the audience it would have been nice to be included, instead of alienated and tortured. I can't watch sports anymore without being triggered.

And I'm only slightly exaggerating.

Festival Palomino 2015

Back in September, I went to Festival Palomino at Canterbury Park. This post might seem very untimely, but this week turns out to be a bit of a revival of that festival for me-- I'm seeing two of the bands again this week. I see Shakey Graves at First Ave tomorrow, and I just bought a ticket to see The Lowest Pair in Duluth on Sunday. So, here's a very belated review.

The music festival was put together by the headliner, Trampled by Turtles, and they are the reason I bought tickets way back in June. But since then, I started listening to some of the other bands in preparation and I love quite a few of them.

The first band to play was the Lowest Pair. Their sound was definitely the folkiest of the day. They are a duo who play guitar and banjo and sing beautiful, blue-grassy harmonies.

The crowd was small for the set, since they were first up, which meant I was right up to the stage. Can't wait to see them again on Sunday!


The next performer was Lydia Loveless. She had more of a rock-country vibe, but I went to the merch tent during her set, so I didn't see all of it.


After that, back at the main stage, was Calexico. They are a big group from New Mexico with a fun southwestern flair. They got the crowd engaged, and were very fun to watch.


Next up, Laura Marling. Although I like quite a few of her songs, she didn't play any I recognized so I can't say I totally enjoyed her set.


The next performer made up for it though: Shakey Graves is mostly a one-man act and he is incredible to watch live.

He is a fantastic guitar player, and watching him mess around on stage was one of the funnest parts of the day. He encouraged some audience participation during his best-known song, Dearly Departed, and the crowd was more than willing to comply.


After that, was Benjamin Booker. I was not familiar with his music before the festival-- and I'm still not. All I can tell you is that it was incredibly loud-- I went to eat dinner during his set.


Father John Misty was up next. He was fun to watch, but at times very over the top.


As the sun set, Dr. Dog gave the penultimate performance of the day. The crowd was really into this band-- and I saw why. I didn't know a lot of their music before, but I enjoyed the set.

Trampled By Turtles took the stage last, and you could tell immediately that this was the band most people came for. The crowd was wild and knew every song.

I like to describe this band as: a bunch of pudgy middle-aged men abusing stringed instruments. They are glorious to watch. The instruments include: mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle, acoustic bass, and cello. For the live show, a couple songs were supplemented with three additional violinists. To close the night, they brought out a bagpipe troupe which perfectly complemented the end of Alone.


The festival was 8 hours of straight music. The side-by-side stages meant that never more than a few minutes went silent between acts. My feet and back were killing me by the end of the night, but I was full of energy.

I expected the bands to be more folky, but the festival is really an Americana festival. It's a great variety of music for a great value. When Festival Palomino returns for a third year next fall, I hope to as well.

I'm a vegetarian now

*cries a little*

Today my roommate and I watched a documentary called Cowspiracy (it's on Netflix, watch it-- the title is kind of silly, but it's amazing). It didn't take us very long to come to decision that we have to become vegetarians. We're both very environmentally-conscious people, and I'm an environmental studies major so this was coming one way or another.

(It's only been about six hours but I just thought about hot dogs and cried a little.)

As you can tell, this isn't a decision I've made for my own health or personal taste, or even animal-welfare reasons. This decision is 100% based on environmental reasons.

The documentary starts with a 2009 UN report that found that animal agriculture -- that is, meat and dairy production -- is the number one contributor to greenhouse gases, particularly methane. And methane is actually way better at trapping heat than CO2. This revelation is insane considering all the focus we put on renewable energy, when we should really be focusing on agriculture.

This documentary is horrifying, and damning. I challenge anyone who cares about the earth to watch it and not become a vegetarian if not a vegan afterwards. (I plan to transition to vegan as soon as I am able, and will already cut back on dairy and eggs as much as possible.)

I thought I was fairly educated about environmental issues, but now I feel that everything I know is a lie. The truth is: there is no sustainable way for every single person on earth to eat meat. It doesn't even matter how it is raised and how much we eat: it is simply not sustainable.

A particularly shocking fact is that from an environmental standpoint, grass-fed beef is actually worse than grain-fed factory-farmed. It takes up more land, and the animal is alive much longer-- only more time to produce waste and methane and consume unfathomable amounts of water.

I have to agree with one sentiment in the film: You can't be an environmentalist if you eat meat. It just doesn't compute. I have heard this said before, but I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. After seeing this film, I think it's incredibly true.

Please watch this documentary; it will impact you for the better. If we stopped eating meat we could cut greenhouse gas emissions in half almost instantly. There really is no need to wait for renewable energy technology-- the solution is here.

Sight hounds are my favorite type of dog

I have had a long and intense appreciation for Italian greyhounds, as well as whippets and other types of long, skinny dogs. Such as a mysterious, angelic breed I've seen on the internet a few times due to this vine account. Turns out, it's a borzoi, or a Russian wolfhound.

Then I discovered that all these dogs, and more, are classified as sight hounds and this makes it a lot easier to describe my favorite type of dog. Here is a selection of sight hound breeds (with pictures). Maybe you'll see why I'm so obsessed with these dogs.

Afghan Hound

Graceful and elegant.

Azawakh

They have that super long and skinny look that I love.

Borzoi

This huge dog is so adorable it makes me cry.

Irish Wolfhound

A scruffier version of the typical sight hound.

Italian Greyhound

This miniature dog is the one I would most likely get one day.

Saluki

These dogs are so gorgeous.

Silken Windhound

This breed is a bit smaller while still having the same look as a borzoi.

I love the long noses, long legs and skinny bodies of these dogs. I prefer the sleek coat, but also love the longer haired varieties. If I had the space for a very large dog, a borzoi would be amazing to own. That probably won't happen for a while, though. Lucky for me, Italian greyhounds are basically designed for apartment life. (I'm going to get two of them and name one Marco and one Polo.)

But honestly, take a moment to scroll through this vine account. You won't regret it.

Relationships increase moral status: for people, animals and even inanimate objects

I took ethics last semester, and it was one of my favorite classes. I really enjoyed the mental exercises and it led me to think about a lot of things in a new way. For the last two weeks of the class, we talked about animal ethics. It was a fascinating topic, and after absorbing several different viewpoints it was hard to decide which I agreed with the most. While I'm still not so sure how we should approach the ethical status of animals, I now understand how we actually do approach this in real life.

This revelation came thanks to reading the feminism-inspired ethics of care arguments. The gist of it is that moral status really comes down to relationships. That we do and should value our family and friends more than strangers, even if the strangers have more to offer to society as a whole. I came out of ethics more or less agreeing with this fully -- when applied to people. When it's applied to animals it makes a lot of sense too.

We have a higher responsibility to animals in our lives. Pets, for instance. We have taken on the responsibility to care for them and most people truly love their pets. So, if someone was cruel to their pet or neglected it, this would be seen as a moral failing. But perhaps if you saw a stray dog on the street, clearly starving and suffering, and left it alone, well... You don't have the same obligation to that animal. It still might not be a good thing to do, but it's not a moral failing whereas allowing your own pet to starve might be.

The theory also explains how we place animals into different categories. For instance, in America we would never eat a dog. In other countries, they do. There's no rational reason, such as that dogs are smarter than food animals or have a greater ability to suffer. Pigs are very intelligent and it's clear that food animals do suffer. But we have been socialized to think of pigs and chickens as food, and dogs and cats as pets-- even family. It's arbitrary, but it makes all the difference. The relationships we have with particular animals and with categories of animals matter.

Now I want to get on to my main idea of this post, and apply an ethics of care mentality to inanimate objects.

Inanimate objects were often used in thought experiments in class to emphasize why and how living things matter. One example: If you hurt a dog, would that a moral failing to the dog itself or to its owner or both? If you broke a chair, is that a moral failing to the chair itself or to the owner? Well, I would say both in the first example, and only to the owner in the second.

But this isn't always the case. Just like we have different categories for animals, we have different categories for inanimate objects.

Breaking an ordinary chair is immoral because of the monetary value lost to the owner of the chair, primarily. Breaking something that is not so ordinary is a bigger loss. The word "priceless" comes to mind. It's hard to put my finger on what exactly the loss is. Is the object itself wronged, as the dog may have been? I don't think that's it.

If you vandalize a famous work of art, I think it is a moral failing, but to whom? The artist is one possible answer, but they might be long dead. The current owner of the painting is another candidate. But I think the most obvious answer is that you are harming everyone. If it's a famous work of art, many people all around the world have enjoyed it and might even have a type of relationship to it.

It seems that everywhere we look in morality, relationships increase something's moral status. A human has intrinsic moral status, but their status is always increased if they have relationships. Think on this: if you have to kill one of two people, might it influence your decision to think that one of them is a hermit with no friends or family and the other is a beloved wife and mother? It would influence mine.

This outlook can also explain why many (myself included) don't see abortion as particularly unethical. Yes, a fetus has some amount of valuable as a pre-human, but if it is unplanned/unwanted it's moral status is not as great. It is not loved, nor does it love anyone: it is not part of any relationships.

For animals, we see the same thing at work. We value pets, and animals who are mothers or babies especially. Relationships are of utmost importance to humans, so - for better or for worse - we use this as a measure of other animals' worth.

The moral worth we give to some inanimate objects isn't intrinsic. A piece of art that is not owned, or loved, made by an artist who is long dead is pretty much worthless. It is not the fact that it is art that gives it value. Even something not created by a human can be seen as art and have a lot of moral worth. For instance, the rock structure that was destroyed by a bunch of Cub Scout leaders. Many people were rightly outraged that they destroyed this beautiful landmark for a thrill. If it were a random boulder, no one would care; but since people know this place and love this place, then it is a moral failing.

I don't know whether or not this kind of moral code is the best one to practice, but it is the one we use most of the time. It's intuitive to humans who are very social creatures. We think about what makes other people happy, and we think about the people who we are close to.

Obviously this has some failings: It makes it all too easy to ignore people who are suffering far away from us (the people who make our clothes, for instance) and animals that we never see until they are on our dinner plate.

However, it doesn't have to be this close-minded. People are able to feel sympathy for strangers, but it all depends on awareness-- consistent awareness. We all know the horrors of sweat shops and factory farms, but we are never confronted with this moral dilemma when we shop. All we see then is a plethora of choices at an affordable price.

To change this, we need to understand how people actually make ethical decisions. And, honestly, appealing to rational Kantian or Utilitarian models isn't going to work. Instead of being told to reduce the suffering, show us the suffering. Humanize it, (or... animalize it?) -- put a face on it. Consistently.  Even if we naturally favor those we are close to, this doesn't mean we lack sympathy for strangers. Emotion motivates people to action a lot better than reason.

Whether or not we should all follow the ethics of care, I think this is the moral code we have. We can work within this system, within our natural morals, to improve the world -- even in a Utilitarian/greater good kind of way.

The Lone Bellow

This Brookyn-based band with a very southern sound is currently my favorite. I almost saw them live this summer (had tickets, in fact), but due to a very misfortunate turn of events, I missed their show. However, I have tickets to see them in October and there is no way in hell I will let history repeat itself.

So, enough about me. Let's talk about The Lone Bellow.

They have two albums. The first, self-titled, The Lone Bellow, is probably the better of the two. The second one, which came out January of this year is called Then Came the Morning, and it's very good as well. Their sound is hard to put squarely into one genre, but they are somewhere between folk and rock and country and soul and blues; I would just say Americana, but that term doesn't mean very much.

There are three core members: lead singer and song-writer, Zach Williams; mandolin player and back-up singer, Kanene Pipkin; lead guitar and back-up singer Brian Elmquist.

As far as folk bands go, the unique thing they bring to the table is entirely their vocals. They have the most amazing harmonies, and honestly, their songs would not be nearly as good without this exact combination of singers. They also (seem to) have a ton of energy live; bands that are even better live than recorded are my favorite.

Here's a couple of their songs, what I'll call the essential Lone Bellow collection, to get you started. Listen to these by clicking on the title.

You Never Need Nobody

Probably their most well known song. Off their first album. If you were wondering what I meant by "soul," this song exemplifies that pretty well.

You Can Be All Kinds of Emotional

This song is a bit more on the country side of their sound, and absolutely gorgeous. Off their first album.

Then Came The Morning

The title track of their second album. We return to the gospel/soul sound here. This song really grew on me the more I listened to it.

Tree To Grow

Off their first album, this is the song that really made me fall in love with this band.

Take My Love

Definitely a different sound for them, away from folk and toward rock. Off their second album, this is my number one unrequited love anthem.

Diners

This song, from their second album, is a lot of fun. Listen to all the lyrics, they're pure gold.

You Don't Love Me Like You Used To

This song, from their first album, also really grew on me and wonderfully features Kanene's voice.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is everything you've been looking for in a spy action flick

I saw some stuff on tumblr about the 2014 movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, and without knowing anything about it other than it starred Colin Firth I watched it. And oh boy, I was in for a fantastic surprise.
 

The whole point of Kingsman is actually stated explicitly in the film, in a conversation between the secret agent Harry Hart (Firth) and the villain, Valentine (played brilliantly by Samuel L. Jackson). Over a... er... happy meal, they discuss spy movies. Harry says that he prefers the older ones; the new ones are too serious for his taste. Valentine agrees.

And that's really where this movie comes from. Don't go in expecting any semblance of a realistic plot or gritty action. This movie is all stylized, over the top action and completely ridiculous violence. And it's so much fun. The infamous church scene is probably the best in the whole movie, and even if you're not one for violence I think you might have some fun with it. I for one couldn't believe my eyes the first time I watched it.

Samuel L. Jackson puts on an amazing performance as the villainous Valentine. I would even go as far as to say he steals the show. It's hard to hate Valentine, really, even though his evil plot is one of the most maniacal I've seen in any movie. His scheme, the main conflict in the movie, is not fully known for most of the film, and yes it's completely ridiculous, but the movie doesn't let you get hung up on details. It's all good fun, and the resolution is just as ridiculous as the problem. (If you've seen the movie... Fireworks.)

Although Kingsman is cheeky and irreverent as all get out, there is still a lot of heart to it. The relationship between Harry and the main character, new recruit Eggsy, is heartwarming and (perhaps a spoiler here) eventually heartbreaking. But we might not have to dwell in pain forever; a sequel is apparently in the works, and I for one can't wait.

If you're looking for a fun movie that's a little different from the usual action flick and will keep you entertained for the whole running time, look no farther than Kingsman.

Parks and Rec: the comedy you've been waiting for

I was never the biggest fan of comedy TV series before Parks and Rec. I watched most of The Office, and I liked it a lot, but at times the humor was too cringe-worthy for me. I can't stand second-hand embarrassment in real life or TV shows, so every Michael Scott scene was like running the gauntlet for me. I never really got into other popular comedies either, such as 30 Rock or The Big Bang Theory. Just not my kind of scene. So I watched drama series upon drama series for a long time.

Then I started watching Parks and Rec with a friend and I was immediately hooked. (I think he started me off in the 2nd or 3rd season which is where it really takes off.) It's such a perfect show. It's hilarious and heartwarming and you will fall in love with every single character. The jokes are many, and subtle-- blink and you'll miss it kind of thing. My favorite thing about it is that it never relies on cheap tactics to get laughs. It is so utterly unoffensive and positive. It's basically the polar opposite of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which I do enjoy. But while Always Sunny gets its humor in people being awful to each other, Parks relies on passion and compassion.
 

Every main character in the show, and most of the minor recurring characters, are absolute gems. There is not one who you don't care about, not one you don't root for. The cast is wonderfully diverse, built up around one of the strongest female characters of all time: Leslie Knope. Their relationships are wonderful to see as they develop; every time I watch Leslie and Ben's wedding episode I cry. Every single time. Actual tears. It's beautiful.


Finally, the plot of the show is great. As Leslie's career develops, you cannot help but to root for her. And when she and her loyal team succeed, I feel so proud. The first season is definitely the weak link, but season 2 and certainly 3 onward, it is pure gold. The end is good too, so you don't have to prepare yourself for a letdown like with a lot of long-lived shows.

No matter who you are and no matter what kind of show you usually like, please watch Parks and Rec. You won't regret it. It might even change how you feel about the comedy genre.

The Marshall Solar Energy Project and the NIMBY Effect

The Minnesota State Legislature requires 1.5% of power provided by major utilities to be solar energy by 2020. So far 25 sites around the state have been proposed for ground-mounted solar panels (source). One proposed project is the Marshall Solar Energy Project. It would cover 500 acres of what is currently farmland near Marshall, Minnesota. Once in use, it would generate electricity for 15,000 homes; while this is a tiny fraction of the power generated by a single coal plant, this is enough to provide power for all the homes in Marshall and the surrounding towns (source). NextEra, the company that is working on this project, initially tried to build a solar farm near Sioux Falls, but was stymied by local opposition. It seems that the same thing may happen in Marshall, due to concerns that are misinformed, biased and largely unfounded.

Chuck Muller, who lives near the proposed site, has spearheaded the local opposition. His main concern, though, is not related to any technical aspects of solar energy: he is concerned about the view. In an interview with MPR, he said that solar panels don’t mesh with “a quiet country setting” and that what has always been a rural area is now becoming too industrial. He and other neighbors are concerned about the decreased property values from an “unsightly” ground solar farm.

NextEra has been receptive to concerns, suggesting large buffer zones between private property and the solar farm and berms to block the view. Steve Stengel, a spokesperson for NextEra, has also stated that there is no evidence of solar energy projects reducing property values (source). This may not be enough, though.

An online petition started in February against the project has gained over 500 signatures. The petition is titled “Save Our Farms” and it frames the issue in terms of the 500 acres (or less than one square mile) that would no longer be dedicated to farmland if this proposal was passed. The text from the overview of the petition illustrates the concerns:

Approximately 500 acres of some of the best farmland in the state will be replaced with solar panels […]. Ten family farms will live within one mile of the land, where rich and abundant crops grown for decades will be replaced by an inefficient and out of place energy source. We are concerned of the possible health risks being forced upon these families, the value of their properties depleting, the disruption of natural habitat and the loss of county control. You may think this is Minnesota’s way of going green, but it is actually taking away the most important green our state currently grows - Save our farms!

Many of these concerns are unfounded. There is no evidence of health risks or an effect on property values from an isolated solar farm like this. (There is some evidence of health risks for those living in close contact with a PV system, but that is not applicable to this situation.) Solar energy may be less efficient than other energy sources, but the technology needs to be invested in if it is going to be improved. As far as “disruption of natural habitat” goes, the mass agriculture in South West Minnesota has already done that. Farm runoff has left no swimmable or fishable lakes in this region (source). To address “out of place” — people might just have to accept that their aesthetic dislike of solar panels isn’t more important than making the transition to renewable energy.

Farmers are the most influential voice in this region, and their concerns seem to be outweighing the rest of the population. This petition panders to the interests of the farmers and to people’s fear of the unknown. Most interestingly, virtually all of the opposition including Muller state that they are actually in favor of renewable energy — just not here. (Read some of the comments on the petition site if you want to see these sentiments.) This is a textbook manifestation of the “Not In My Backyard” (abbreviated NIMBY) effect. People support all sorts of things in theory (power plants, homeless shelters, airports, public transit) as long as they are out of sight (or smell or earshot). The NIMBY effect can lead to environmental racism, where things that are unpleasant to live near are placed by people who have the least power to oppose.

The NIMBY effect, in my opinion, is unfounded in response to the Marshall Solar Energy  Project. There are really no drawbacks to living within one mile of a solar farm, and NextEra is willing to work with neighbors to make it even more pleasant. Comparatively to the rest of this region, it is a very small loss in agricultural land. Energy companies are required to begin implementing solar energy and they have to start somewhere. If people are as supportive of renewable energy as they claim, they should not create such a fuss when these technologies are actually being put into use.

Best Netflix Documentaries

I love documentaries, and I love Netflix. Here are some of my favorites that I recommend to everyone, in no particular order.

One of the most provocative and compelling documentaries out there. An expose about the American food system, looking at both crops and livestock. Explores the political, economic, environmental and social impacts. It's a pretty bleak picture, but it offers some hope. Leads to great thought and discussion. A must watch for everyone who eats food.

A look at the abuse of orcas kept in captivity, focusing on SeaWorld. This one is pretty depressing. I cried. It sparked quite the anti-SeaWorld movement and for good reason. The abuse of the orcas is terrible enough on its own, but the trainers and keepers have often been injured or killed as well. In a powerful point, the documentary mentions that no orca has ever harmed a person in the wild, despite close contact.

Another must-see. Breathtaking visuals of the receding glaciers, and a really clear, concrete picture of climate change and its impacts. Well worth the years it took to produce. I believe this could convince any climate-change-denier of out bleak reality. However, it's not overly fatalistic and does offer some hope for change.

A holistic and educating look at water issues in the U.S. and worldwide. It looks at the issues of both quantity and quality. Again, there are a lot of concerns about water, but the documentary is mostly hopeful and offers plenty of possibilities on how to deal with problems. One of the best optimistic points is that the concern about "water wars" isn't really a valid concern; more often than not, nations have come together peacefully to solve common problems with water use.

A moving look at food insecurity in the U.S. It focuses on personal stories, and also broadens the issue to national trends, and explores the root of the problem: not a lack of food, but poverty itself. In the U.S. there is usually not hunger from a complete lack of food. Often, it is lack of affordable, nutritious food. Because of this, the documentary focuses on the reasons why healthy food is so much more experience and inaccessible. It doesn't have to be this way; there are ways to improve our system.

This deeply-affecting documentary focuses on childhood obesity in America. It makes fantastic points about how we have a carefully constructed bias against overweight people which makes it very hard for them to get the help they need. It places the blame squarely on food producers for obscuring the facts, and on the government for allowing private interests to have such an impact and subsidizing them so heavily. After I watched this, I was even more aware of what I was putting in my body at every meal time.

This documentary is very well made, and looks at the personal journey of director Tom Shadyac. It asks what happiness is and how we can achieve it. I love the message of human connection. It is perhaps a little cheesy (okay, very cheesy) but it's worth the watch.

This documentary is actually quite terrifying. It looks at an evangelical camp for children, and the families involved. Their daily lives are so incomprehensible to me, a known liberal atheist. However, I don't think the documentary is unfair or tries to demonize them. It has little commentary: just turns on the camera and lets them speak. And it's impossible to look away.

This is one of my dad's favorites. It's a documentary about the life of Shane McConkey, who basically invented extreme trick skiing. It's amazing to watch his evolution. It has a sad ending though, since McConkey died in a skiing accident.

For any TV nerd like me, this is a must-see. It illustrates the evolution of American television, and focuses on today as a new "golden age" of television.

My two cents on almost every show I've ever watched

I'm clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel for post ideas. But this is something I feel like writing.

Here's an alphabetical list of most of the shows I have watched a significant portion of, and my brief opinion on each.


Better Call Saul

Off to a good start, can't wait to see where it takes us.


Bones

Come for the mysteries, stay for the tortuous slow-burn romance between Brennan and Booth.


Breaking Bad

My all time favorite show. Masterful in every aspect. This show will affect you and stay with you.


Firefly

A shame it was cancelled; brilliant show, fantastic aesthetic.


Game of Thrones 

Addicting; it's good, but sometimes repulsing. You'll stay for the characters, though. 


Heroes 

Season 1 is quite good. Please don't watch much beyond that, though.


House of Cards (U.S.)  

A little dark and overly serious for my taste, but Kevin Spacey.


How I Met Your Mother 

A good show, not entirely ruined by its crappy ending.


Lie To Me

I would have liked for this to continue; great concept, good drama.


Lost

Season 1 is gorgeous. After that, it becomes a little muddled.


The Office (U.S.)

Hilarious, though sometimes cringe-worthy. Jim and Pam's relationship is what makes it for me.


Orange Is The New Black

Fantastic show, a little aimless, but a wonderful character study.


Orphan Black

I love what this show stands for and what it is, but they kind of lost me in season 3. 


Parks and Rec 

Cute, funny, wholly unoffensive; a wonderful journey from start to finish.


Scandal 

The drama is tantalizing but the plot quickly becomes ridiculous.


Sense8

A little bit of a let-down, but I'll give season 2 a shot for the concept.


Shameless (U.S.)

At times, very funny and heartbreaking. Was worth the watch up until this past season.


Sherlock (BBC)

Very good show, if you can handle it in small infrequent doses.


Twin Peaks

Quirky, scary, fun; but absolutely nose-dived halfway through season 2.


The West Wing

Some of the best dialogue I've seen on TV; mostly lighthearted and fun. 

Ireland vacation!

The big travel event of this year, and my life so far, was a ten day trip to Ireland with my family in early to mid June. We flew into Dublin, drove all the way north to Giant's Causeway, looped back south to see the Cliffs of Moher and then to Killarney in the south west where we stayed for most of our trip. We saw everything that I would have wanted to see which was wonderful. It was a great trip for everyone in my family too, and all our traveling went very smoothly.

Giant's Causeway and Northern Ireland - Day 1

This first day was very long since we started as soon as we landed in Dublin. It was a lot of traveling and none of us had slept, but it was great that we were able to fit in Giant's Causeway even though it was far from our main destination.

Belfast

Northern Coast, view of the rope bridge.

Hexagonal stones at Giant's Causeway.

 

 

 

Giant's Causeway

Cliffs of Moher - Day 2

Didn't get to sleep in too much, but started the day with a Full Irish Breakfast at our B&B. Then we drove down to the Cliffs of Moher. Gorgeous views. More driving, and we arrived in Killarney.

Full Irish breakfast

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher selfie

Flags at the Cliffs of Moher

Ross Castle and Gap of Dunloe - Day 3

A more relaxing day, with a late start as we caught up on sleep. We toured the Ross Castle, built in the 15th century. Then we went on a long journey to find the Gap of Dunloe. (We ended up going the much longer way, but it was worth it when we made it out.)

Ross Castle

Stairs inside the castle with archer's window

Outer wall of castle

Gap of Dunloe at twilight

Ring of Kerry - Day 4

One of the best days of the trip - also my sister's birthday. The Ring of Kerry is a big destination in Ireland for good reason. The views are amazing, but the highlight for me was the ruins. We drove off the main loop a little to see two ancient stone forts. Nearby is an amazing 14th century castle, the Ballycarberry castle. It was in the middle of a cowfield and you could just walk right up to it and climb around and explore. So beautiful that I literally cried. One of the highlights of the whole trip for me. Don't drive the Ring of Kerry without making a stop!

Family on the Ring of Kerry.

Ballycarberry Castle

View from Ballycarberry Castle

Back of Ballycarberry Castle.

Ancient stone fort

Dingle Peninsula - Day 5

We drove the Dingle Peninsula - beautiful views and cute little seaside towns. There were also ancient beehive huts and forts which were pretty cool. A guy who owned the land some of them were on caught a lamb for me and my sister to hold.

Beach on Dingle Peninsula

View from inside stone hut

Ancient stone hut

Irish lamb

Castle ruins in Killarney

Muckross House and Abbey in Killarney - Day 6 

Very laid back and fun day staying in Killarny. We took a jaunting car to the Muckross House and Muckross Abbey. The House and Gardens were beautiful, but we preferred the ruins of the Abbey. We ended the day with some Irish food, music and dance at Jarvey's Rest.

Jaunting car

Muckross House

Muckross Abbey

Inside of Muckross Abbey

Kinsale - Day 7

We drove down to Kinsale to see the historic town and the nearby British forts. Charles Fort is larger and newer. James Fort is older and smaller, and apparently closed that day. However, I climbed over the wall and got a nice look at the inside. I had to get help climbing back out though... When we returned to Killarney we toured the brand new Killarney Brewing Company.

The Lusitania sank off the coast of Kinsale

Charles Fort

Inside of James Fort

Killarney Brewing Company

Skellig Islands - Day 8

 We weren't planning on doing this, but we were able to fit in which was fortunate because it was probably the highlight of the trip for me. My dad and I took the boat out to Skellig Michael and climbed to the top to see the ancient monastery. It was amazing, and there were puffins everywhere!

Puffins on Skellig Michael

Cemetary and bee hive hut

On Skellig Michael, Little Skellig in the background

Little Skellig from the boat, Skellig Michael in background

Rock of Cashel and return to Dublin - Day 9

On our drive from Killarney to Dublin, we stopped at the Rock of Cashel. It was under a lot of renovation so it wasn't as cool as it might have been otherwise. However, from the cemetery outside I spotted some ruins in the distance, in the middle of a cowfield. I asked about them, and then led my family on a trek for one last visit to cool ruins. It was the Hore Abbey, and it did not disappoint as one of our last Ireland attractions. We arrived in Dublin late, but went out in the city. It was good timing because there was a Scotland v. Ireland football game that night and the city was crazy. Great people watching. The next morning, we had to leave.

Rock of Cashel

Hore Abbey

Ceiling in Hore Abbey

Hore Abbey

We loved the exit signs in Ireland. Fitting last picture for the trip!

The trip overall was an amazing experience. The sights were beautiful and the people were very friendly. I especially want to hold onto the feeling of stepping into an old ruined abbey or castle and smelling the dark dampness and hearing the birds swooping overheard, and feeling the history there. It was overwhelming, and I'm very glad I got to experience that a few times in ruins that haven't been modified or are overrun with tourists. It's a very amazing country and I highly recommend it as a travel destination!