Bullies, Lina Medina, Capgras Syndrome, and Dogme 95

What do you do when you have insomnia issues? The sheep thing has never worked for me. I read random stuff online. Here's what I read about last night.

From Slate: "A study says 90 percent of third- to sixth-graders have been bullied...bullying and victimization were widespread, as 89.5% of children experienced some form of victimization and 59.0% of students participated in some form of bullying...Bullying has become an epidemic that can harm kids' mental health." What do they mean "become an epidemic?" I don't think this is a recent development in human sociology.

Lina Medina was born September 27, 1933 in Peru. Her son Gerardo was born five years, seven months, and twenty-one days later. Not urban legend.

Second City (Toronto) vet and SNL comedian Tony Rosato has apparently been suffering from Capgras Syndrome,"a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that an acquaintance, usually a spouse or other close family member, has been replaced by an identical looking impostor." According to the Toronto Star, he complained to police that his wife and newborn son had been replaced with false doubles. "Tony told friends he was connected to higher energies and had 'information to save the planet,' says his long-time friend Derek McGrath, who plays Rev. Magee in Little Mosque on the Prairie. Rosato believes he is 'the guardian of light,' adds McGrath, who worked with Rosato at Second City and has supported the beleaguered actor through his legal travails..."

Danish director Lars Von Trier is too depressed to continue with his film career. Or is he faking it? In either case, this list of standards for the Dogme 95 an avant-garde filmmaking movement is interesting.

1. Filming must be done on location.
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa.
3. The camera must be a hand-held camera.
   
4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable.
   
5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6. The film must not contain superficial action.
   
7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden.
8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
9. The final picture must be transferred to the Academy 35mm film, with an aspect ratio of 4:3, that is, not widescreen.
10. The director must not be credited.