FRONTLINE: the pbs documentary series not the flea medicine

this is waaay scarier than another phony exorcism
try exorcising potentially lethal bedsores; you will not get very far

I finally managed to watch the assisted living episode. Some thoughts --

1) not as bad as I had imagined. I learned a lot about regulation and feel good for having learned it. Thanks Frontline.
2) I can't even imagine what those employees went through in order to earn their paychecks. That was sad.
3) The Boice story was heartbreaking, but the son was so eloquent and calm and rational that I wound up feeling impressed at their ability to become the public face of this crisis.
4) The elder care attorney with the blonde hair who looked like a cross between Gwen Stefani and Elizabeth Warren was an absolute delight. She was so smart and pretty and determined and firm. She was awesome.

In sum, not as terrifying as I had feared, mainly because it dealt with Emeritus specifically. On the other hand, fuck that company for real. Their "lock the back door" (or whatever it was) policy turned my stomach.

Yeah I felt like focusing on Emeritus made it a lot easier to grapple with, and I didn't come away thinking that Assisted Care as a whole was bad, just that one definitely needs to know what your elderly family member is capable of + what the assisted care facility can feasibly provide, vs skilled nursing etc.

I really loved the Texas lady who had done all the research into Assited Care, the one who looked kinda like Ina Garten.

And that Emeritus CEO really turned my stomach. Especially when speaking about the Boice case, and the woman who climbed out the window, basically saying "well we take all the necessary precautions but these dementia patients...you just don't know what they're going to do" *shrug*

fuck. you.

btw the emeritus Emerald Hills facility is about 30 minutes outside Sacramento. When they started showing the case on Frontline I remembered some of it because the lawsuit was covered in the local papers.

i have been hungry for a new one, but there haven't been any on lately

here is an update from robin "kind hearted woman" charboneau
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/biographies/kind-hearted-woman/an-update-from-the-kind-hearted-woman/

it also reminded me to find the part of the movie where she talks about giving her speech and preparing for it because i NEED to show that to my students.

The one about Egypt (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/egypt-in-crisis/) is really really good! Unless you followed the Egyptian revolution very closely, you probably missed at least some of the stuff in here. I know I did. Special shout out for the sizzlin hot law student in the tent who was dubious about the Brotherhood and the handsome musician who talked about his whole body being electrocuted. It's pretty raw, but really beautifully shot. There are lots of talking heads*, but also lots of other footage like being right up in it while the military disturbs a protest. There's a lot of interesting stuff about Copts/Coptic Christians too, if ancient peoples interest you. Recommended!

*I secretly love talking heads because I can really stare at people's faces while they're talking.

"Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown" is scaaaaaaaary

Ohhhhhhh as a treat for finishing a bunch of reading for skool I'm gonna watch a Frontline! Don't know which one yet. Last one was the assisted living expose.

Those doc's are a goldmine, I don't think I'll be watching much else for a while. I feel a long dark weekend filled with statistics and depressing facts coming up.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ has helped me though sleepless nights too.

I feel a long dark weekend filled with statistics and depressing facts coming up.
the ones that feature translators are particularly satisfying because you hear people saying really depressing things in an emotionless flat way. it has its own special charm.

NEW ONE TONIGHT
about football and concussions

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

The National Football League, a multibillion-dollar commercial juggernaut, presides over America’s indisputable national pastime. But the NFL is under assault: thousands of former players have claimed the league tried to cover up how football inflicted long-term brain injuries on many players. What did the NFL know, and when did it know it? In a special two-hour investigation, FRONTLINE reveals the hidden story of the NFL and brain injuries.

Sounds gooooooooooood

Oh! I want to see that one.

ESPN was supposed to cooperate with the production of this, but backed out for fear of making the NFL angry. ESPN = the worst.

OK I have made it 7 min into this thing and Mike Webster's feet and legs and the Nigerian medical examiner saying he looked "worn out" -- too much! Frontline really bringing the sad in this one.

omg, one min later they get to the part about how he used to superglue his teeth back in and i just...
yikes

frontline really knows how to frontload a doc about concussions!

this is really good

ESPN backing out of this made them look so awful. especially when the NFL then settles the class action a few weeks later for three-quarters of a BILLION.

I admit to wanting to watch this because I have ~opinions~ about how pro (and college, omg college) sports treats people as disposable (plus the dynamic of white owners/coaches commodifying people of color) so this is really just going to reinforce an opinion I already hold, but I'm really excited about it.

Interesting about ESPN. A couple of their 30 for 30 documentaries touched on some of this stuff and were really good. There was one about who pro sports players go broke that didn't put the brutal treatment of athletes' bodies at the center but certainly made the point that getting tackled all the time is not a physically sustainable way to make a living.

Relevant and horrible: http://neilski.typepad.com/wwwlanetechfancom_blog/2013/10/drew-williams-of-lane-tech-in-critical-condition.html

I watched this. Very powerful stuff. At one point toward the end, it was noted that, of the 46 brains of ex-NFL players that have so far been examined after death, 45 of them showed signs of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative disease caused by repeated blows to the head. 45 of 46. That's just grim.

there are a couple choice voice over moments

"and goodell offered doctor mckee something she needed even more than money.........brains"

that's awesome. also reminds me -- their audiocasts are way behind iirc
still haven't finished watching this one...sometimes i like to drag them out so i get to enjoy them on more than one occasion instead of sitting down and watching the whole thing at once.

the nigerian ME was such a character... he somehow brought some levity to the doc

frontline really knows how to frontload a doc about concussions!

― Untt (La Lechera), Tuesday, October 8, 2013 7:15 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol <3

Not growing up steeped in the NFL helped the Nigerian medical examiner see Webster's situation in a different light, that's for sure. It was totally true that all of this coming to light pivots on that point. I love when that happens. Like if this ooooone little thing hadn't happened, none of this other stuff would have ever happened and we wouldn't know about xyz horrible thing that happened.

xxp yes he should have his own show

the nigerian doctor and the two heads of the BU brain bank should be in the NFL hall of fame imo

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/league-of-denial/the-frontline-interview-dr-bennet-omalu/#seg8

"I thought the football industry would be happy with our discovery"

his highlight reel -- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/league-of-denial/the-frontline-interview-dr-bennet-omalu/

man, their website ruuuuuules for teachers

Lord yes. When I taught that ridic law enforcement class I would have been lost without that website.

Haven't had time to watch this yet. Do they mention dementia pugilistica?

first described in 1928 by a forensic pathologist, Dr. Harrison Stanford Martland, who was the chief medical examiner of Essex County in Newark, New Jersey in a Journal of the American Medical Association article, in which he noted the tremors, slowed movement, confusion, and speech problems typical of the condition.[14] In 1973, a group led by J. A. Corsellis[15] described the typical neuropathological findings of DP after post-mortem examinations of the brains of 15 former boxers.[15]

it's always amazed me how the NFL treats concussions as somehow different from being KO'd in a boxing match.

They did mention Dementia Pugilistica, most hilariously in the clip where the NFL's head doctor (I forget if it was the Rheumatologist, Dr. Pellman, or the neurologist Dr. Casson, both of whom just came off like horrible shills) said that to his knowledge, dementia was only associated with boxers and some steeplechasers, and never in football players.

Suicide Tourist

It was Casson, Dr.

Suicide Tourist was good.

I can't remember what else I've watched and now Netflix doesn't show your entire streaming history :(((((((

I cried so hard watching Suicide Tourist.

The NFL's response to this reminded me of the debate over climate change. Deny it exists, say it's being studied further, and keep kicking the can down the road.

It reminded me of the tobacco industry.

NOTE: I haven't watched this yet, but will soon, so I don't know what it covers and what it doesn't. This Mike Florio piece, though, sort of makes it seem like Frontline only told half the story and there's plenty of blame for the NFLPA to share.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/09/league-of-denial-fails-to-tell-the-whole-story-on-concussions/

I kept thinking about how my mother said back in the 70's that Byron 'Whizzer' White must have sustained a few too many head injuries playing football and wondering how many football players have known all along how much of a gamble with their health their taking.

This Mike Florio piece, though, sort of makes it seem like Frontline only told half the story and there's plenty of blame for the NFLPA to share.

interesting piece but he's a little too harsh on Frontline imo, it doesn't really change the substance of the documentary that they just said "the NFL is to blame" instead of "the NFL is to blame and also the players." they probably should have put some of that in but it's not like it renders the whole thing not credible.

If the NFL players' association assisted the league in denying it, while being fully aware of the extent and seriousness of the problem, then obviously those responsible for it ought to be exposed, too. This Frontline documentary seemed more interested in presenting indisputable proof that this problem is real and widespread, and that denying it or evading it is an extremely dangerous and untenable position. The words and actions of the NFL spoke for themselves.

the Leigh Steinberg anecdote about Aikman was unsettling

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3741/10216630604_207e424a6d_c.jpg

cool professional sports league

NOT recommended for hypochondriacs! I bet it has a lot of cool looking bacteria photography though.

Has the age of antibiotics come to an end? From a young girl thrust onto life support in Arizona to an uncontrollable outbreak at one of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals, FRONTLINE investigates the alarming rise of a deadly type of bacteria that our modern antibiotics can’t stop.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/hunting-the-nightmare-bacteria/

That one goes in the "Can't watch; too much anxiety" column. I'm not even a hypochondriac! Just an end-of-the-world-ophobe.

Yeah, this one prob will qualify for horror movie status.

(I can't wait!)