March of the Penguins

side note - I got into a minor fender bender this morning (taking a right of all things!) - thankfully I didn't hit anyone or get hurt myself, but I did injure my car. I took out a tiny chunk of the car next to the passenger side and the front tire rim is cracked and the side is a tiny bit dented - all cosmetic changes. I'm so mad at myself, what was I doing, not paying attention! Great another $500-$1000 down the drain (I'm assuming that is how much it is going to cost to fix these cosmetic changes - how stupid am I?!).

Penguins
On my recent trip to London I was able to catch the movie March of the Penguins on the plane. People had been talking about it all over the summer and my curosity was piqued. After reading Belinda's review, I was even more interested in this flick.

If you have ever seen a Wonderful World of Disney nature special, you have a good foundation for the movie. March of the Penguins follows the birthing cycle of empire penguins. It starts with the mating, to the hatching of the egg, the chick being born and ending with the parents leaving the chick to fend for itself. It is very engaging and you can't turn away, a film that makes you laugh and cry. The penguins are so cute! I loved the baby chicks, with their fuzzy gray hair and tiny waddle, they were adorable and I just wanted to scoop them up and cuddle them. At the same time there were times when I cried, like when the lone penguin is out on the ice, having walked too slow and been left behind by the pack. As Morgan Freeman narrates "this penguin will fade away." Oh nice sugar coating, Morgan - just tell it like it is, this penguin is going to die!!

I did learn some intersting things about penguins also, how they huddle together to escape the bitter cold winds of the Artic. How the moms and dads recognize their chick by their squacking (which does beg the question if your baby died, how come you can't help a motherless chick? why does it only have to be related to help?).

This movie really exhibits the Darwin theory of "survival of the fittest." Antartica is the harshest of climates and these penguins are warm-blooded mammals, yet somehow they survive. They have perfected a method of reproduction and keeping alive. Nature has made their bodies in a way to be able to exist and thrive despite the atmosphere. It is amazing to see!

With all the current arguments going on about teaching evolution, this movie really brings a fresh perspective. I think nature and God work together - only us humans put them in a war against each other. (ps in case you were wondering, I don't believe in teaching intelligent design in school, too much blurring of church and state. But who says God didn't start evolution??).