Are_grits_groceries
Are_grits_groceries's JournalWell, this could be an 'interesting' movie:
Take a deep breath and imagine Tralfamadore with Guillermo del Toro as its God and Charlie Kaufman as God’s righthand man.
According to The Daily Telegraph (vie The Playlist), del Toro has brought on the writer behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to adapt Kurt Vonnegut‘s unstuck-in-time novel “Slaughterhouse-Five.” With del Toro’s experience with The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, and Kaufman’s Escher-designed brain, they seem like a perfect pair to visually solve Vonnegut’s gorgeous Rubik’s Cube of sci-fi delirium and wartime madness as seen through the eyes of an optimistic WWII chaplain’s assistant and part-time alien abductee.
“Charlie and I talked for about an hour-and-a-half and came up with a perfect way of doing the book. I love the idea of the Tralfamadorians to be ‘unstuck in time,’ where everything is happening at the same time. And that’s what I want to do,” del Toro said, adding, “It’s just a catch-22. The studio [Universal] will make it when it’s my next movie, but how can I commit to it being my next movie until there’s a screenplay? Charlie Kaufman is a very expensive writer!”
Of course the news comes with the usual grain of salt that seasons every would-be project from del Toro. He’s got a lot on his plate — more if Pacific Rim is a hit — so even as it’s thrilling to see this partnership bloom at the script stage, there are a million miles to go before it’s on the screen. It’s not like we can start dreamcasting who Ron Perlman will play (Kilgore Trout), but in the meantime we can still enjoy George Roy Hill’s 1972 adaptation or, you know, actually read the book itself. While humming with excitement.
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/charlie-kaufman-writing-slaughterhouse-five-movie-for-guillermo-del-toro.php
Hmmmmmm......
A Patriot Act History Lesson: How Prescient Warnings Were Mocked
During the winter of 2006, the U.S. Senate was debating the re-authorization of the PATRIOT Act. The legislation would ultimately pass by a wide margin, and George W. Bush signed it into law. But before that could happen, civil libertarians led by then Senator Russ Feingold tried to amend the 2001 law. They warned that its overly broad language would permit government to pry into the privacy of innocent Americans, and warned about the likelihood of executive branch "fishing expeditions." Dismissive Senate colleagues scoffed at their concerns.
<snip>
Feingold was trying to amend the PATRIOT Act, arguing that Section 215, a part of the law core to the NSA controversy, gives the government "extremely broad powers to secretly obtain people's business records."
Said Feingold:
But the core issue with Section 215 is the standard for obtaining these records in the first place. Neither the minimization procedures nor the high level signoff changes the fact that the government can still obtain sensitive business records of innocent, law-abiding Americans. The standard in the conference report - "relevance" -- will still allow government fishing expeditions. That is unacceptable.
He went on:
Today we know that Section 215 has been invoked by the government to obtain call data on all Verizon customers, and has very likely been used to collect data on tens or hundreds of millions of Americans who are customers of all the major telecom carriers. Feingold was exactly correct: the sensitive business records of innocent, law-abiding Americans were seized because the minimization standard, "relevance," turns out not to minimize affected Americans at all. Additionally, it has so far proved not just very difficult, but impossible to get meaningful judicial review.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/07/a-patriot-act-history-lesson-how-prescient-warnings-were-mocked/277612/
And the loud mocking about data collection warnings continues.
‘Angry Trayvon’ App Pulled From Google Play Store After Sparking Outrage
UPDATE: 12:00 A.M. EST: The app is no longer available in the Google app store.———————————————————————————————-
If you find George Zimmerman’s defense team’s framing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin as a violent, weed-smoking teen who caused his own untimely death repulsive, then prepare yourself for the ‘Angry Trayvon’ app.
Available in the Google play store, and for Apple operating systems and Android devices, the app is described as follows:
Use a variety of weapons to demolish Trayvon’s attackers in various cities around the world.
As you complete a level, you will notice more bad guys coming at Trayvon at a faster pace and a deadlier attack.
If you like to attack from far, then purchase the ‘dagger’ as you will be able to throw it at your enemies for the kill.
If you want to dominate the leaderboards across the world, then make sure you collect the money that the bad guys will drop once you kill them to increase your score.[/div class="excerpt"]
Trailer for the app at link:
http://www.atlantadailyworld.com/201307097328/ADW-News/disrespectful-angry-trayvon-app-sparks-outrage-video
People are disgusting.
The Asiana flight attendants stayed behind to slash seat belts and save passengers
<snip>
There’s a kind of person who is trained to maximize survival in the case of a plane crash: the flight attendant. Airlines don’t advertise the intense training their flight attendants receive because it reminds potential passengers that air travel is risky. As a result, most people seriously underestimate the skills flight attendants bring on board and the dedication they have to the safety of their passengers.
Flight attendants have to learn hundreds of regulations and know the safety features of all of the aircraft in their airline’s fleet. They must know how to evacuate the plane on land or sea within 90 seconds; fight fires 35,000 feet in the air; keep a heart attack or stroke victim alive; calm an anxious, aggressive, or mentally ill passenger; respond to hijackings and terrorist attacks; and ensure group survival in the jungle, sea, desert, or arctic. It isn’t just book learning; they train in “live fire pits” and “ditching pools.”
<snip>
This is why I’m surprised to see almost no discussion of the flight attendants’ role in this “miracle.” Consider the top five news stories on Google at the time I’m writing: CNN, Fox, CBS, the Chicago Tribune, and USA Today. These articles use passive language to describe the evacuation: ”slides had deployed”; all passengers “managed to get off.” When the cabin crew are mentioned, they appear alongside and equivalent to the passengers: the crash forced “dozens of frightened passengers and crew to scamper from the heavily damaged aircraft”; ”passengers and crew were being treated” at local hospitals.
Only one of these five stories, at Fox, acknowledges that the 16 cabin crew members worked through the crash and its aftermath. The story mentions that, while passengers who could were fleeing the plane, crew remained behind to help people who were trapped, slashing seat belts with knives supplied by police officers on the ground. The plane was going up in flames; they risked their lives to save others.
<snip>
http://jezebel.com/no-ones-talking-about-the-flight-attendant-heroes-in-t-706818871
Something for people to remember.
Some airlines may be run poorly and have execrable policies, but these people do not make those decisions. Taking out frustration on them is a lose-lose situation.
If there is a flight attendant performing poorly, they should be reported. There are people in every line of work who don't do their jobs, and none should be held up as the norm.
If you live near a Krispy Kreme store and eat them regardless of how bad they are for you(I do),
there's a SALE this Saturday in honor of the 76th Anniversary.
One dozen for 76¢ when you buy a dozen. (Check with your local store to be sure.)
What's special about the 76th anniversary?
Who cares?
Unleash the health trolls.
The Honest Toddler releases an official statement about rumors in social media regarding him:
8 JUL
2013
Official Statement
Written by TheHonestToddler
By now many of you have heard the allegations against me. These rumors are getting out of control and I feel like it’s time to address them publicly.
I want to state this very clearly for the press: I am not, nor have I ever been, tired.
Have I closed my eyes in my lifetime? Yes. Who hasn’t. But never…never was I sleepy.
There are photos circulating around Facebook that allegedly depict me in various states of unconsciousness. I can neither confirm nor deny that they are me but if you distribute them you are not invited to my birthday party.
I am not the kind of person who would knowingly engage in a nap nor stay in their own bed for any extended period of time. Anyone who knows me personally or professionally can attest to the fact that I consistently cause bedtime problems. Not only do I guard against my own slumber, I work tirelessly to disrupt the sleep of others.
I have in my possession a torn affidavit from my parents:
“It’s true. We need help.”
I’d like to formally take a moment to apologize to the toddler community if these lies have caused you doubt. If it means anything, this morning I asked for a complicated breakfast and did not, I repeat did not, eat it.
My faith in and fear of Santa will see me through this difficult time.
I ask that you please respect the privacy of my family unless it’s to drop off* snacks.
love,
HT
*Don’t look at me
http://thehonesttoddler.com/official-statement/
Does ANYBODY have a clue about the names of the crash victims in Alaska?
They are from SC.
I have relatives up there and my brother told me others had gone to visit.
I realize there are more people from SC in Alaska than those I am related to. Just don't like this. As my Mama would say, "Borrowing trouble."
Nobody has heard anything or if something did happen, the news is working it's way through eleventy billion relatives through the entire state.
A broadcaster said that the Women's Champion at Wimbledon, Marion Bartoli, "wasn't a looker".
Then somebody from DU chimed in about her fat. I was incredulous.
Post #69 here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3192294
A long time tennis writer at Sports Illustrated posted this comment. From Jon Wertheim's column:
<snip>
• A lot of talk this week about fitness and overtraining. Reader Brian S. raises an interesting point: "Did I hear correctly? Did the ESPN guys actually question Bartoli's fitness?
The same Bartoli who, at the Mercury Insurance Open last summer, played three-set matches on three consecutive days in which she averaged about 50 percent more running per match than Nadal did in his five-set Australian Open semifinal against Fernando Verdasco in 2009? She did 50 percent more running in half the time, hence working three times as hard, and does it three days in a row, and her fitness is being questioned?
How many times do I have to remind people: The correlation between appearance and fitness level is far less direct for female athletes."
<snip>
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20130707/wimbledon-50-thoughts-andy-murray-marion-bartoli/#ixzz2YTDNhtCS
It never ends anywhere.
Miss SC pageant gets its 1st openly gay contestant
Analouisa Valencia came to the door in a bright blue facial mask and sweatpants, surprised anyone was coming to see her.
"I'm sorry. I got mixed up and didn't know you were coming today," she told the reporter at the door. "Miss South Carolina contestants aren't supposed to let people see them like this."
Valencia isn't the typical pageant contestant in a lot of ways. Her family doesn't have a lot of money, she is biracial and bilingual and, in what may be a first for the Miss South Carolina and its parent Miss America pageants, she is openly gay.
"This is who I am. People tell me I am the most real pageant contestant they have ever met. I wasn't open about it last year, and that's why I think I was so uncomfortable competing," Valencia said.
Valencia, who turns 20 on Tuesday when the pageant's preliminaries begin, thinks she is the first openly gay contestant ever in the Miss South Carolina pageant, and perhaps in all of the Miss America competitions. The pageants don't keep up with that information.
<snip>
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/07/06/2850540/miss-sc-pageant-gets-its-1st-openly.html
I hope she wins.
An added bonus would be the heads exploding all over the state because she is African-American and gay. They are probably inflating at warp factor 100 now.
Precision herbicide drones launch strikes on weeds
UNLEASH the robot weedkillers. A drone zipping over fields in Denmark can spot the tiny colour variations that give away the presence of weeds in amongst the crops. Logging the coordinates, it can then send a ground vehicle in to spray the densest patches, reducing the need to spray whole fields.
This is the ASETA project, led by Anders La Cour-Harbo of Aalborg University in Denmark. It aims to reduce herbicide use by concentrating weedkiller only in places where it is needed most.
The project uses a camera attached to a UAV to survey the fields. The camera is tuned to pick up parts of the light spectrum that correspond to the reflective signatures of the weeds and crops it is looking for – for example, thistle sticks out because it absorbs yellow light more than surrounding beet plants. Information is sent back to a central computer, where it is used to update previous flight maps of the fields.
The system then identifies areas that could be dense with weeds, and sends the ground vehicle in for a closer look and possible spraying. It's all automatic: the only human input is defining the boundaries of the field to be surveyed. The drone system is currently being trialled in Denmark see video at (bit.ly/cropsprayer).
<snip>
Video clip: http://bcove.me/6gbnyq27
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23783-precision-herbicide-drones-launch-strikes-on-weeds.html#.Uda_oee1GSq
It has to be better than older methods. However, precision and the effects on animals remains to be seen.
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