The Cove is a 2009 documentary about an annual dolphin slaughter — 23,000 bottlenose dolphins killed every year in a secluded bay at the whaling town of Taiji, Japan. We first became aware of it when it won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary, and finally...
Japan
Potassium iodide: Thyroid protection from nuclear radiation
Watching coverage of the Japan nuclear meltdown over the last couple of days — as well as the related discussion of the risk of nuclear plant meltdown here in the United States — the distribution of potassium iodide there made me wonder: What does potassium iodide...
‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ (2005 movie)
Late in November of 2005, Oprah Winfrey was on my TV getting all effusive over Memoirs of a Geisha. To hear Oprah describe it, it was the most moving, most beautifully filmed cinematic masterpiece in the history of box offices. Having...
‘Tokyo Story’ (1953 movie)
Last night we watched Tokyo Story, a 1953 Japanese movie by Yasujiro Ozu which is often included in lists of the best films of all time. Previously, we had seen Ozu's 1959 work, Floating Weeds, which included a very illuminating commentary by our favorite critic,...