Human Family Tree (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The National Geographic Society research on the Genographic Project is a genetic analysis of the human species origin in Africa and its spread throughout the world. Using samples, the lab results tell a story of the many branchings of the human tree. From the mitochondrial DNA, the researchers found that everyone in the world descends from one women in Africa some 150,000 to 200,000 years ago, while using the Y-chromosome they found we all descend from one man some 70,000 years ago. Mutations created branches through time in both areas and these are used to show the basic migration routes for the people, through their genes.
That these branches happened appears to be well researched. However, the researchers give approximate dates for these events and that is an area open to question. Is it really 150,000 or is it 1.5 million years ago for the scientific "Eve"? One issue glossed over is that the genetic evidence is not matching well with the archaeological and human paleontological data. For example, the genetic data showed a date of 15-20,000 years ago for the peopling of the New World and assumes that Clovis people were the first. How then are the dozens of well-dated sites in South America from 30,000+ years going to fit the genetic model. One statement was potentially wrong, when they said that Native Americans were isolated until Columbus. This negates the Viking settlement in Labrador, Canada, as well as possible contact with Chinese. The Eskimo and Aleut who came later to America are also not included.
Another issue that needs to be discussed better in this film is that Europe and Asia were well occupied about a million years ago, and that genetic links between Homo erectus fossils in China and modern Asians exist in their shovel-shaped incisors. Similarly, some of the Java Homo erectus specimens show traits still found there. Clearly, those populations today have some ancestors who did not migrate out of Africa some 70,000 years ago. Researchers also are still debating if Neanderthals left their genes in us.
Going back to 150,000 years ago and assuming 25 years per generation, each of us had 2 to the 6000th power ancestral lines in our massive genealogy. (Two to the 30th power is a billion!) This film portrays only two of those lines.
The film is well worth seeing. However, in many ways it contains the fallacy of extrapolation because it looks only at those two lines. Nevertheless, an important point made repeatedly in the film is that we are all cousins in the human family and that research on the great chain of being is worthwhile. I ordered my kit today from National Geographic.

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HUMAN FAMILY TREE - DVD Movie

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Good Hair (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Comedian Chris Rock takes a look at the lengths some people in the African-American community, especially women, go to for "good hair". Near the beginning and end of the movie Rock visits the Bronner Hair Show in Atlanta, Georgia, a huge trade convention for the manufacturers of black hair products. Here he highlights four stylists competing for the title of champion platform performer, an elaborate stage show featuring music, dance, costumes and, of course, hairstyling. In between Rock discusses all the time and money spent using relaxer and getting weaves as well as the possible psychological and cultural reasons behind this obsession with hair.
Rock's take on the subject seems to be that it is more important what's in your head than on your head. But it also recognizes the pressures placed on black women to fit in with society's beauty standards and understands why these women forsake their natural hair for perms and extensions. The film delves into serious subjects but maintains a funny and playful tone throughout. I certainly found myself laughing more than I did at the usual Hollywood comedy. And I even left the theater feeling a little smarter about a topic I knew almost nothing about. One of the better documentaries of the year.

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Chris Rock visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the black community in this exposé of comic proportions that only he could pull off. A raucous adventure prompted by Rock\'s daughter approaching him and asking, "Daddy, how come I don\'t have good hair?", GOOD HAIR shows Chris Rock engaging in frank, funny conversations with hair-care professionals, beauty shop and barbershop patrons, and celebrities including Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Dr. Maya Angelou, Salt-N-Pepa, Eve and Reverend Al Sharpton – all while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter's question.

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Living with the Kombai Tribe (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have watched this show on the Travel channel and I was absolutely frantic to find it on DVD. After months of not finding it, I was thrilled to find it here on Amazon. I love to watch how people survive in the wilderness with no TV, no modern technology, not so much as metal for knives, something a lot of people take way too much for granted. Mark and Olly show nothing but respect for these people, even through they swam in the river after a ritual sacrfice to stop it from raining, and that caused it to rain for 4 more days! I can't wait to get the DVD to watch.

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Extreme travelers Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds embark on a unique expedition into one of the most remote rainforests on earth. Their mission: to track down and live with the remarkable Kombai tribe, a people whose existence was discovered only 25 years ago and whose ways have changed little since the Stone Age. Totally immersing themselves in this very different world for three months, Mark and Olly attempt to survive as the Kombai do, even if it means being attacked by ferocious warriors, eating huge maggots, living in a tree house and wearing grass skirts. From beginning to end, experience the highs and lows of this intrepid pair's fascinating quest to survive the rigors of rainforest life, and go behind-the-scenes for a candid and surprising look at the Kombai tribe.Includes: Finding the Kombai Tribe, Living Off the Land, Home Sweet Home, Justice System, Giving Back, Sago Grub Festival Bonus Feature: The Best of Living with the Kombai

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Bones: The Complete First Season (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Good to see Bones: The Complete First Season is out on dvd. I've waited for this. Debuting in September 2005 on the Fox Network, Bones very quickly garnered rave reviews and amassed a loyal following. Bones is loosely inspired by real life forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs. This funny, clever, sometimes gross, and totally addictive crime drama centers around forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperence Brennan (Emily Deschanel), who toils out of the Jeffersonian Institution and, on the side, writes mysteries starring her fictional heroine (and here's the twist) Kathy Reichs. Because Brennan has an almost supernatural ability to generate accurate assumptions based on her examination of the corpse's bones, she is often consulted by the FBI on difficult, seemingly unsolvable cases. She is frequently partnered by brash wiseacre FBI Special Agent Seely Booth (David Boreanaz), who seems to hold a bias against science and those who practice in that field. It's Booth who breezily saddles Brennan with the nickname "Bones." Naturally intuitive and freewheeling, Booth immediately is at odds with the clinically analytical Brennan. But, despite their personality clashes, and with the aid of Brennan's gifted and quirky colleagues, the cases do get solved.
It's no great secret that the palpable chemistry between Deschanel and Boreanaz is what actually propels the show and is what separates it from the other, more formulaic, dispassionate crime dramas. Every week, fans tune in for the leads' deliciously caustic banter more so than for the weekly dose of mystery. You see, the mystery jones can be fixed by viewing any other one of the gazillion forensic dramas so currently prevalent on the airwaves. So the mystery is basically the MacGuffin that drives the show forward. But the cantankerous chemistry - that palpable "something" between the two leads as they hilariously bicker and wrangle - is definitely unique to this show. You won't find this sort of wicked rapport going on in any of the CSI or Law & Order shows.
Emily Deschanel is a find. I haven't seen her before but she's awfully good and ingratiating enough with her acerbic character. She imbues Brennan with a cooly detached yet vulnerable and lonely quality that intrigues and endears her to the fans. Her social awkwardness and pop culture ignorance are also quite charming. It's pretty funny that a mention made regarding a pop culture reference almost always elicits a response of "I don't know what that means" from the clueless Bones. And, of course, her expertise in the martial arts doesn't detract from her allure.
And David Boreanaz. Yeah, I found it difficult going, at first, watching him in a new role, seeing as how I'm a fan of Buffy and Angel. But it helps that Booth isn't much like our vampire with a soul. This ex-Army Ranger Special Agent is breezy, personable, and outgoing, not brooding, tortured, and introspective like Angelus (although Booth, also, is trying to atone for past actions). So, the transition, while disconcerting for me, was ultimately smooth enough. Boreanaz brings such command, self-assurance and charm to his character that I bought into it soon enough.
My favorite episodes are the pilot episode, where we are introduced to the cast; "The Man in the Fallout Shelter" - the team is quarantied together in the Jeffersonian during Christmas and we learn personal stuff about the characters; "Two Bodies in the Lab" - character development galore in this episode as Brennan dates on-line and is targeted while she works on two cases; "The Superhero in the Alley" - a decomposed body is found wearing a superhero costume; and "The Woman in Limbo" - a gripping, emotional season finale as Brennan discovers shocking facts about her parents.
Special Features contain episode commentaries on the "Pilot" (with Exec. Producer Barry Josephson & Series Creator Hart Hanson) and "Two Bodies in the Lab" (with David Boreanaz & Emily Deschanel); Disc 4 has "Squints" - an 8-minute-long behind-the-scenes look; "The Real Definition" - A "squint's" guide to forensic terminology; and "Bones: Inspired by the Life of Forensic Anthropologist and Author Kathy Reichs" (with, of course, an interview with Kathy Reichs); and character profiles.
So, to sum it up, this show has a lot to offer. It has a fabulous cast, great character development, and engrossing, well-crafted storylines. The forensic geek, the drama lover, the repartee admirer, the romantic (have patience) - all can meet here and each is guaranteed to come away with something from this intense, smart, funny series. Long live Bones, long may she "squint."
Here's a list of the 22 episodes:
1."Pilot"
2."The Man in the S.U.V."
3."A Boy in the Tree"
4."The Man in the Bear"
5."A Boy in a Bush"
6."The Man in the Wall"
7."A Man on Death Row"
8."The Girl in theFridge"
9."The Man in the Fallout Shelter"
10. "The Woman at the Airport"
11. "The Woman in the Car"
12. "The Superhero in the Alley"
13. "The Woman in the Garden"
14. "The Man on the Fairway"
15. "Two Bodies in the Lab"
16. "The Woman in the Tunnel"
17. "The Skull in the Desert"
18. "The Man with the Bone"
19. "The Man in the Morgue"
20. "The Graft in the Girl"
21. "The Soldier on the Grave"
22. "The Woman in Limbo"


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David Boreanaz (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) stars as F.B.I. Agent Seeley Booth, who teams up with forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) to solve some of the most baffling and bizarre crimes ever. Booth depends on clues from the living, witnesses and suspects, while Brennan gathers evidence from the dead, relying on her uncanny ability to read clues left behind in the bones of the victims. Their different investigative styles cause the two to frequently clash, creating an undeniable chemistry and just the right touch of dark humor. Inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs and state-of-the-art criminal investigation procedures, Bones is a compelling, cutting edge television.

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