Jurassic Park

Okay, clearly the movie changed things from the book. And really there's no way to write this without some spoilers.

SPOILER ALERT: There are so many spoilers coming up.

So we find out right away that the dinosaurs have clearly found a way to get off their island, which is off the west coast of Costa Rica. Procompsognathus have been biting babies and kids, except folks on the mainland haven't figured out yet they're dinosaurs engineered by some nutty rich guy with a vision he hasn't thought through fully and but yet realized.

The nut is John Hammond. He figures out he can take blood from mosquitos that bit dinosaurs 65+ million years ago that have been preserved all this time in the sap of trees. These amber-encased bugs contain dinosaur DNA because apparently red blood cells carry DNA in avians (birds) but for a human you'd have to hunt down a rarer white blood cell. He even invites his grandkids to Jurassic park to show the scientists how safe it is and how certain he is that the park will be a huge hit. In the hour before his death, he curses his grandkids (not to their faces). Why? Keep reading.

Despite the gaggle of scientists, there are SO many problems with Isla Nublar. Dr. Ellie Stattler, a paleobotanist, immediately notices that poisonous ferns have been planted right next to the swimming pool. Yeah, they're authentic Jurassic ferns, but accidentally brushing up against those plants would make a person really sick. If someone inhales spores, they'd die.

Dr. Ian Malcolm is a mathematician and firm believer in Chaos Theory. He's been going around saying that Jurassic Park is a huge accident waiting to happen and he can prove it mathematically. I had some trouble following exactly what this character is talking about (his words are based on the work of James Gleick), but the point is we can't make something that's alive and expect to control it. We can't even totally control the environment if that living thing.

So why did John Hammond curse his grandkids? Because he couldn't control them. He was walking from the lodge to his bungalow and heard a T-Rex roar. There are two such beasts on Isla Nublar, so his panic is somewhat warranted. Despite the hellish problems the park has had over the weekend, he is on the other side of many electric fences from either T-Rex. But he forgets this. He panics, trips, and falls down a hill into a streambed, and breaks his ankle. He hears the roar again and realizes that his grandkids are playing in the control room; the T-Rex roar is being broadcast from park speakers. He spends over an hour trying to climb up the hill, calls for help, and then notices Procompsognathus (compys for short) are gathering around him. He's a crippled animal to these scavengers; an easy meal. He tries to fight but too easily, things he has created kill him. He created selfishly (to make money) and had knowledge, but no real wisdom.

Other failure to control the dinosaurs problems: all the dinosaurs created are female so that they can't breed 'in the wild' on the island. John Hammond's corporation even has plastic eggs in which to insert the embryos. The lighting, moisture, everything has been considered...except the frog DNA used to fill in the holes in the DNA sequences in 5 of the species came from frogs who are able to change gender when all the surrounding frogs are the same gender. Another problem is that no one seems to understand how the main power works. Yet another problem is that a selfish programmer is being paid to steal dinosaur embryos and smuggle them off the island to another bioengineering company. The traitor dies by the way, and his death is just awful.

Now compare John Hammond to God. Both created. Hammond and God created an environment for their created beings to hang out in, and they both created things with free will. Both are superior to their creations. Neither God nor Hammond needed to create anything but chose to create. Both wanted to be around what they created. That's where similarities end.

Hammond tries so hard to control his creation through electric fences, a lysine dependency that is only satisfied through daily tablets for the animals, moats, steel bars, thick glass, tranquilizers, shock sticks, and so on. You get the picture: he's like a tyrant over this island he has claimed. He enjoys his work and is proud of what he's made. But again, despite all the knowledge and information he has employed, he lacks true wisdom. He ignores some of the basic needs of his creatures, such as needing a higher percent of oxygen in the atmosphere.

God stopped at every step during Creation to notice that what he had made was "good". He made a beautiful garden with healthy fruits and vegetables to eat and put the animals and people he made in it. God cultivated a relationship with his creation. He even let the people be the stewards of the garden! He gave them the rules. They could live in the garden he made for them or they could go try to create their own abode. When they screwed up, God let them pay the consequences but never stopped loving them. He also offered his creation a continued relationship with him. His creation pains him with sin, but cannot kill him.

Remember that John Hammond is creating within God's creation. Is he pretending to know better than God? Is he trying to replace God?

Signs You're a Mature Adult

1: You're tempted to do yardwork at someone else's house.
2: Taking a shower helps you feel human again.
3: You chase your cat(s) onto the tiled floor when they're about to puke because it's easier to clean than the carpet or rug.
4: You cart around things like bug repellent, sunscreen, and Band-Aids just in case.
5: You sit in the house alone sometimes with no TV or music on, just for the peace and quiet.
6: You feel so much better after cleaning.
7: You clean when stressed or angry.
8: You largely dislike McDonald's.
9: Reality shows can't hold a candle to documentaries.
10: You know the book is better than the movie.
11: You take more than one pill a day.
12: You've ever thought that youth is wasted on the young.
13: You've said "I'm sorry" and truly meant it.
14: You know how to write thank you notes.
15: You aren't ashamed to ask for help.
16: You eat foods you don't like because they are good for you.
17: Caffeine moves from 'beverage' to 'food group'.
18: You can admit you're wrong without becoming defensive.
19: You research something just to learn about it.
20: You accept certain facts about yourself (I have curly hair. I'm finally okay with it).
21: You are trying to change your bad habits.
22: You've ever put someone else's needs ahead of your own.
23: You are certain you could survive at least a week without a cell phone and computer.
24: You know nostalgia isn't what it used to be ;)
25: You're tired of eating the same flavor all the time and try a new one.
26: "Sleeping in" means you get up no later than 9am.
27: You're certain the 80's weren't that long ago.
28: You're allowed to do the stuff you weren't allowed to do as a kid but no longer care (who wants to watch two movies in a row? And cake for breakfast = a stomachache by lunch).
29: You wish there was a rollover plan for all those naps you refused as a kid.
30: You get to play Sherlock Holmes a lot. Like when you enter a room (why did I come in here?) or need a household item (where on earth is the hammer? Who had it last?....)
31: You know your priorities and stick to them.
32: You know you don't have forever to do the things you want to do, so you don't put them off all the time.
33: You try to waste less.
34: You wish you had less waist.
35: You're psyched about getting an EZ Pass.