The hunger for information about all things Nuclear is at an all-time high, but probably nowhere more than in Japan.

Following the disaster at the Fukushima power plant, tensions surrounding nuclear power have grown. Tens of thousands of people, (some say over 100,000) in the area surrounding the plant are displaced from radiation fears, and decontaminating and decommissioning the plant is estimated to take more than 40 years.
As a result a group of Japanese mothers have come together to protest the government at the lack of transparency over the disaster and associated issues, read about it here at the Guardian.

And Read More from Time and the New York Times.

The greatest escape artist the world has ever seen as well as a world famous magician and debunker of fraudulent mediums, Houdini personified the American dream. Born Ehrich Weiss on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary he rose to be one of the most famous performers of his time, and almost a century later his legend remains.

Today google has honoured him with one their ‘google doodles’.
Read an article from NBC about 3 films currently in pre production about Houdini.
This week Houdini’s last surviving stage assistant Dorothy Young passed away at the age of 103.

A clip from our film The Houdini Code.

While you wait for that watch this great compilation of some highlights from the last 50 years of the Nature of things.

If you’d like to see the clip go here

“He passed on like someone whom, not only did not believe in death, but more than anything considered life as part of transcendence.” With these words the humanist leader Tomas Hirsch lamented the death of the Argentine writer Mario Rodriguez, better known by his pseudonym, Silo. His life of 72 years ended tonight in the house in Mendoza after more than a year of kidney disease.

The time of his death was registered as approximately 22:00 hours. According to Hirsch, Silo considered the founder of the Humanist Movement, was accompanied, at the time of his death by his wife and one of his sons. The former presidential candidate affirmed that Silo’s passing was after a long and fruitful life full of meaning and projects, and actions, and constructions. Hirsch emphasized that, “His legacy is so great that it is not possible today to grasp its size. This is a man who initiated a project that transcends absolutely his time, a project of personal and social transformation that was translated in multiple organizations across the planet: political, social, cultural and above all spiritual.”

The Chilean Humanist leader who met with the Argentine thinker on various occasions remembered him as “a marvelous person, very approachable, very warm and at the same time with a permanent capacity of seeing processes, of establishing relations and seeing beyond appearances. A person who is a friend and at the same time a great master,” Hirsch concluded.

Silo was born in 1938 in Mendoza (Argentina). After studying law and political science he wrote a number of books, tales, articles and studies related to politics, society, psychology, spirituality and other themes. On May 4 1969, in Punta de Vacas, in the province of Mendoza, before a few hundred people he gave his famous harangue “The Healing of Suffering” which was the first public exposition of his ideas that with time became the basis of the Humanist Movement. Silo created a current of thought which today is known as New or Universalist Humanism and founded the organization that aspires to put into practice this thought. At the present time he is considered a “spiritual guide” by thousands of followers across the world.

Soferet: A Special Scribe is a documentary about Aviel Barclay, a Vancouver artist and calligrapher who is the first woman to scribe a Torah scroll. A tradition, thousands of years old that began half a world away, is being challenged by this young woman.

This is a tale that asks us to think deeply about the relation between tradition and change, and the difficulties of following one’s own destiny. Aviel’s journey takes us into a world of ancient practices, hallowed rituals and the making of beautiful religious art. Beneath that compelling and visually stunning tale is a story that raises many issues of great urgency for our times.

There were two comments in particular which I believe not only show just how contentious the issue is, but also shows us something quite interesting about how we perceive things which we have a vested interest in it. Both comments arrived on the same day and both from Peace River, Alberta, where the controversy is taking place.

Here are the comments to give you an idea of what I’m talking about:

“We were very disappointed to say the least. Rather than being an unbiased presentation it came across as a promotion for Bruce Power…”

“I found the show completely biased against the Nuclear Industry. The show spent alot of time following two people who are against Nuclear energy and didn’t interview virtually nobody from Peace River who supported the power plant…”

While one viewer thought the film read as a promotion for Bruce Power, another tells us that the show is completely biased against the Nuclear Industry. It’s interesting how the same film can be seen in such opposing lights by two different people in the same community.

While there were a few negative comments that suggested the film was biased there were a number of positive reviews as well from those who thought our approach was very balanced. Feel free to draw your own conclusions, the film can be viewed on The Nature of Things website within Canada. If you live outside of Canada and you’d like to purchase a copy drop us a line at josh@reeltimeimages.ca.

Dr. Buckman along with some wonderful volunteers will be out in the park as part of a test for a science show we are developing, which will entertain as well as inform.

We should have a clip for you soon, and hopefully the show will be hitting your airwaves sometime in the not too distant future.

“Charismatic mentalist Max Maven, once described by Orson Welles as “the most original mind in magic,” will display his skill as a master mind reader…”

This performance is part of a weekend long event Masters of Magic presented by Magicana. Masters of Magic will also feature performances by other talented magicians: Juan Tamariz, Mac King, and Bob Sheets.

For more information check out the Magicana website.

There are a bunch of extra clips from the films and we’re always adding more!

Also check the Upcoming Broadcast section below to see when you can watch our films on TV.

CBC will be re-airing Bugs Bones & Botany: The Science of Crime and My Nuclear Neighbour on The Nature of Things with David Suzuki on July 1st and 8th respectively. And episodes of Enigma are constantly re-airing on HDNET, ONE Channel and Space.

And if you just cant get enough,you can also keep track of our goings on, on the twitter.