A friend who's a member of the Motion Picture Academy and participates on the Documentary Committee (among others) sent me a link to a short documentary film he loved that got nominated for an Oscar this year.  It only runs 25 minutes and is available to watch online from, of all places, The New Yorker magazine.
 
The short film is called Haulout, and follows a lone marine biologist who lives up in the bleak, desolate Siberian Arctic and studies how warming seas have impacted walrus migration.  While I'm sure that that description might have you scratching your head, know that it’s extremely good and beautifully made, just tremendous cinematography.  The film is very low-key, has almost no dialogue (except when the guy occasionally talks into his tape recorder) and is profoundly leisurely, because that’s the life he leads.  But there is much in it that is superb.  I don’t want to say more about why, since there are a few sort-of surprises.  All I will say is that if it starts slow for you, give it at least 6-1/2 minutes.  That's all.  And if if hasn't grabbed your interest by then, fine, sayonara.  But you will stick with it at that point, I’m sure.  Absolutely sure.

(If you want to read more about the world of the film and how it was made, this here is an article about it in the New Yorker.)
 
As I said, the New Yorker made it available on their YouTube page.  In fact, they did so three months ago, and I only found out about it yesterday. 

​Well, just to let you know that – as I always say – I tries nots to steers ya wrong.  Yesterday, Greg announced that Sensitive Home was chosen as a 2022 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Winner by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the second year in a row!  And just to be clear, it’s “only” two years in a row because the company has only been in business for two years.
 
(What this all means is that the “EPA Safer Choice” program helps identify products with safer chemical ingredients that don’t sacrifice on quality or performance.  It focuses on efforts to advance sustainability, environmental responsibility, and product safety.  These are considered by many to be Good Things.  And all the better, the entire line of Sensitive Home products is certified.  Which is also considered A Good Thing.)
 
I feel obligated by contest rules of fairness to point out that the award is for the entire Sensitive Home team, not just its esteemed inventor.   But the inventor gets to sleep with the award under his pillow.
​

I have several relatives in Florida, and after checking with them, all are well, happily.  Three live in Miami which appears to be out of the hurricane path, though as they said, it's impossible to know which way the storm will bend and with this being King Tide season, there could be bad flooding.  So, at least two of them have moved to a hotel for the night to be safe.  There have been a few power outages, but it hasn't been problematic for them. 

The other relative is a cousin (my mother's first cousin) who recently turned 101.  So, moving around would have been a burden.  But again, happily, she lives in an area that's actually somewhat protected by a small island just off the coast, with a small bay in between, and so it acts as a bit of a barrier.  She lives on the fourth floor, and because the building caters to older, independent-living residents, it has generators and ample food.  And her caregiver is staying with her.   So, good.

As I've watched the coverage, a few thoughts have come to mind.

I wrote about one yesterday -- how I look forward to Pat Robertson chiming in, as he always does whenever a natural disaster hits a blue state and claims it's God's divine intervention, bringing retribution on the sinners of that that.  No doubt he will do the same here, perhaps adding that it's God's anger at how Ron DeSantis treated Disney World.

I wish too that there was far more attention paid to how when Ron DeSantis was in the U.S. Congress, he voted against federal aide to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Because, y'know, that hit liberal East Coast states.  But now he's already called in for federal assistance -- which he should -- and President Biden has offered all help that will be needed.  Which he should, too, rather than snarkily smear the residents of the state for poor hurricane management, as Trump did with West Coast wildfires.

Somewhat related to this, I heard some analyst praise how Biden and DeSantis were "working together" on this, despite being such big political rivals.  And my immediate reaction was -- say what???!!  Ron DeSantis should get close to zero points (maybe about eight points) for "working together" with President Biden.  DeSantis needs federal aide.  He's asking for federal assistance.  He pretty much has to "work together" with the White House.  Because the very last thing he wants to do -- most especially since he's up for re-election in about one month! -- is sashay around that he alone can handle the hurricane and piss off those ready to help him.  It's President Biden who is impressively "working together" with a governor who has been going out of his way to undermine the Administration and promote fascism.

I also kept thinking that for all those who don't "believe" in science and think Climate Change is a hoax, it's good to remember that meteorology is a science.  And hurricanes don't care if you believe in them or not.

And finally, as I watch the news and see the crushing winds and rivers of water flowing over towns, I keep wondering why isn't Ron DeSantis telling Floridians that it's their Personal Choice if they want to go outside during the hurricane??

Mind you, I'd think it would be utterly insane to go out, but then I thought it was totally crazy not to get vaccinated.  And not to wear masks. 

And after all, as mind-numbingly nuts as either action would be, at least going outside during a hurricane isn't infectious and won't risk killing others...

Y'know, Personal Choice and all.

Very odd -- I've been looking for Pat Robertson explaining that the devastation of Hurricane Ian is God's retribution against the wicked immorality of the sinners in Florida, but...nothing. Perhaps he is waiting until clean-up starts., so the heathen can hear him and repent.

Actually, though, my hope is that when Pat Robertson does eventually chime in about Hurricane Ian being God's retribution on Florida, he makes clear it's less from Biblical sinning and more from the state screwing with Disney World.

Either that or for being Climate Change Deniers.

If you didn't see Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver last night, his Main Story was on carbon offsets -- how they often don't accomplish anything that companies hope they will...or hope you think they will.  It's a very good and often funny report. 

I did have to pause the TV and rewind a couple of times to understand the point he explains too quickly for my ears about how sometimes when a company uses carbon offsets it's actually making the problem worse.  But I eventually got what he was saying.  It doesn't seem to be something that happens very often, but the fact that it happens at all goes to the issue that carbon offsets aren't always what you hope they are.