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"I don't know if we should... air this one."
Between Two Ferns ep. 9: Steve Carell sits down to talk with Zach Galifianakis about "Dinner for Schmucks" but they never quite get around to it. (Previously. nsfw language.) [via]
The Big Easy To Get Away With Murder
In 2009, New Orleans, Louisiana learned that it had the unwelcome distinction of once again being the murder capital of the United States according to the FBI's homicide data.
New Orleans' newspaper The Times-Picayune even has a special map for keeping track of murders (with associated twitter account).
The city had 179 murders in 2008 and 174 in 2009. Already this year there have been 106 people killed. The question becomes: why such an incredible murder rate? Most would answer that it has something to do with "the 60-day rule." According to Louisiana State Law Article 701:(1)(a) When the defendant is continued in custody subsequent to an arrest, an indictment or information shall be filed within forty-five days of the arrest if the defendant is being held for a misdemeanor and within sixty days of the arrest if the defendant is being held for a felony.In other words, the defendant has to be formally charged within two months of arrest, or they walk free. This specific article is the basis for the phrases '701-released' and '60-day homicide'. After Hurricane Katrina many New Orleanians relocated to Houston, TX. Feuds carried over to new neighborhoods, and arrests were made. Houston police didn't understand at first:But when police interviewed the suspects, they suddenly understood why New Orleans was so violent. No matter what police said, they couldn't get the suspects to talk. They had no leverage because no one took their threats seriously. It was a logical response: in New Orleans, 93% of people arrested from 2003 to 2004 never went to prison. "It was a real eye-opening experience," says Sergeant Harris. "People born and raised in Houston seem to have an understanding of consequences, of punishment. You can show them the options, and they start thinking, Wow, maybe I should start cooperating." With New Orleans evacuees, Sergeant Harris says, "there is no baseline. They have no concept of consequence." It was the first time the Houston police had heard the phrase "60-day homicide." Suspects would say, "This ain't nothing but a 60-day homicide," meaning that if they kept quiet for 60 days, they would walk--just as they had too often in New Orleans. So Houston police started letting evacuees spend a few days in jail before questioning them in depth. While they waited, the suspects talked with other inmates and had court appearances--which did not end with release. Eventually, for some, the reality of Texas law began to sink in. "As they stay here more, they seem to talk more," Sergeant Harris says.Recently elected mayor Mitch Landrieu has stated that making the city safe is his top priority and has acknowledged the murder problem. He's brought in a new police chief, New Orleans native Ron Serpas to help clean up, though critics at Serpas' last place of employment had criticisms concerning his effectiveness. They're maintaining tradition with events such as the "27th Annual National Night Out Against Crime", attempting to foster communication between the community and the police department. However, between the incredible loss of goodwill thanks to the Danziger Bridge shootings (back in the news because of the federal grand jury indictments brought against NOPD officers), Serpas facing budget cuts and dismissing police department employees, and being under federal oversight, the NOPD is not looking very confident. New Orleans is just going to have to wait and see if their officials can solve this ongoing problem, or if 2010 is sadly going to be another record-breaking year.
The city had 179 murders in 2008 and 174 in 2009. Already this year there have been 106 people killed. The question becomes: why such an incredible murder rate? Most would answer that it has something to do with "the 60-day rule." According to Louisiana State Law Article 701:(1)(a) When the defendant is continued in custody subsequent to an arrest, an indictment or information shall be filed within forty-five days of the arrest if the defendant is being held for a misdemeanor and within sixty days of the arrest if the defendant is being held for a felony.In other words, the defendant has to be formally charged within two months of arrest, or they walk free. This specific article is the basis for the phrases '701-released' and '60-day homicide'. After Hurricane Katrina many New Orleanians relocated to Houston, TX. Feuds carried over to new neighborhoods, and arrests were made. Houston police didn't understand at first:But when police interviewed the suspects, they suddenly understood why New Orleans was so violent. No matter what police said, they couldn't get the suspects to talk. They had no leverage because no one took their threats seriously. It was a logical response: in New Orleans, 93% of people arrested from 2003 to 2004 never went to prison. "It was a real eye-opening experience," says Sergeant Harris. "People born and raised in Houston seem to have an understanding of consequences, of punishment. You can show them the options, and they start thinking, Wow, maybe I should start cooperating." With New Orleans evacuees, Sergeant Harris says, "there is no baseline. They have no concept of consequence." It was the first time the Houston police had heard the phrase "60-day homicide." Suspects would say, "This ain't nothing but a 60-day homicide," meaning that if they kept quiet for 60 days, they would walk--just as they had too often in New Orleans. So Houston police started letting evacuees spend a few days in jail before questioning them in depth. While they waited, the suspects talked with other inmates and had court appearances--which did not end with release. Eventually, for some, the reality of Texas law began to sink in. "As they stay here more, they seem to talk more," Sergeant Harris says.Recently elected mayor Mitch Landrieu has stated that making the city safe is his top priority and has acknowledged the murder problem. He's brought in a new police chief, New Orleans native Ron Serpas to help clean up, though critics at Serpas' last place of employment had criticisms concerning his effectiveness. They're maintaining tradition with events such as the "27th Annual National Night Out Against Crime", attempting to foster communication between the community and the police department. However, between the incredible loss of goodwill thanks to the Danziger Bridge shootings (back in the news because of the federal grand jury indictments brought against NOPD officers), Serpas facing budget cuts and dismissing police department employees, and being under federal oversight, the NOPD is not looking very confident. New Orleans is just going to have to wait and see if their officials can solve this ongoing problem, or if 2010 is sadly going to be another record-breaking year.
I have no legs. I have no legs. I have no legs.
"Kids, a film about a bunch of hard-living New York City kids, premiered 15 years ago today. It seems that in many ways the city seems to have forgotten the film, just as many of those involved in the film also seem happy to forget it." Proof that 80s New York was Hella Real (courtesy TMN).
Objectivision
Reason.tv heads to the set of Atlas Shrugged Part One to offer viewers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of this most anticipated film.
Previously. Previouslier.
livejournal photography collection
Portraits by Richard Dumas; a page (one of many) of actors and directors; a Brooklyn gang (photographed by Bruce Davidson) in 1959; photographs by Ernesto Bazan. Clive Limpkin. Some Warhol Polaroids. Film set photographs and portraits by Brigitte Lacombe. Photographs by: Dennis Hopper [nsfw], Weegee [nsfw], Jeff Bridges, Julia Calfee [nsfw], Ed Templeton [nsfw], Lauren Dukoff, Robert Frank, Sid Grossman and Allen Ginsberg. A Princeton Dance Weekend in 1960, an American family vacation in 1950, Los Angeles, Coney Island, et cetera. A diverse livejournal collection of photographs.
...And it was called Proposition 19
This November, California citizens will decide whether or not to legalize the possession, buying and selling of, and recreational use of marijuana. Early polls concerning proposition 19, also known as the "Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010", reveal a slight majority for legalization, as well as an interesting case of status quo bias. (Previously)
- Read the initiative in full.
- Proposition 19's direct clash with federal law sparks a debate about federal involvement.
- The official Facebook group has exceeded 130,000 fans.
"She wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan."
"I showed it to my two young sons, 9 and 12, who both immediately felt sorry for Aisha and asked why anyone would have done such harm to her." [WARNING: Graphic image.] Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time magazine, on why he chose to run on the magazine's cover a photo of a young woman whose nose and ears had been cut off at the insistence of the Taliban. It accompanies the article "Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban."
Performing citizen's arrests. If necessary.
Photographer Peter Tangen has been taking portraits and creating posters featuring self-declared real life super heroes like Geist, the Crimson Fist, and Life at The Real Life Super Hero Project.
Since the previous time real-life super heroes were discussed on MetaFilter, the movement seems to have grown. Today's crop of heroes are a more mixed bag: Life, for instance, gives toiletries to the homeless. Zetaman is producing his own online show. Geist's original raison d'etre was to help flood victims, but he will "perform a citizen's arrest" when necessary. Some don't like Kick-Ass. One is a Fortune 500 company VP. More traditionally, the Black Monday Society is on patrol in Salt Lake City. DC's Guardian, of the Skiffytown League of Heroes, has a few choice words on how to be superheroic in your daily life. If you want to mask up, you can participate in costume workshops. Superheroes Anonymous also has a number of helpful articles on costuming as well.
Since the previous time real-life super heroes were discussed on MetaFilter, the movement seems to have grown. Today's crop of heroes are a more mixed bag: Life, for instance, gives toiletries to the homeless. Zetaman is producing his own online show. Geist's original raison d'etre was to help flood victims, but he will "perform a citizen's arrest" when necessary. Some don't like Kick-Ass. One is a Fortune 500 company VP. More traditionally, the Black Monday Society is on patrol in Salt Lake City. DC's Guardian, of the Skiffytown League of Heroes, has a few choice words on how to be superheroic in your daily life. If you want to mask up, you can participate in costume workshops. Superheroes Anonymous also has a number of helpful articles on costuming as well.
Suitcase Stickers
Tired of not being able to find your luggage at the carousel? Whether you find them funny or twisted (or both!), luggage with these stickers will certainly stand out from the rest of the luggage. On the other hand, using them may also earn you a body cavity search. Will the lulz be worth it?
CBC's and Jezebel's take on the stickers.
Have you eaten your pound of potatoes today?
Beans are bullets. Potatoes are powder. An exhibition of food posters from the National Agricultural Library.
Well, I guess that proves Robert Frost's famous poetic conjecture
Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950. Estimates are that the population of these little critters that form the base of the global food chain and that "also gobble up carbon dioxide to produce half the world's oxygen output" is declining by roughly one percent annually. One possible causal factor cited for the decline is global warming. The latest findings on that issue are out, too, and in case you were still wondering: Ten key indicators show global warming "undeniable".
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At least Michael Bay won't be directing...
In the year 2182 -- 172 years time -- there's a 1 in 1000 chance that we might be hit by a very large asteroid. With two centuries advance notice, will we be able to develop effective asteroid deflection techniques?
Asteroid '(101955) 1999 RQ36' is part of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA), which have the possibility of hitting the Earth due to the closeness of their orbits, and they may cause damages. This PHA was discovered in 1999 and has around 560 meters in diameter. In practice, its orbit is well determined thanks to 290 optical observations and 13 radar measurements, but there is a significant "orbital uncertainty" because, besides gravity, its path is influenced by the Yarkovsky effect. Such disturbance slightly modifies the orbits of the Solar System's small objects because, when rotating, they radiate from one side the radiation they take from the sun through the other side. The research, which has been published in Icarus journal, predicts what could happen in the upcoming years considering this effect. Up to 2060, divergence of the impacting orbits is moderate; between 2060 and 2080 it increases 4 orders of magnitude because the asteroid will approach the Earth in those years; then, it increases again on a slight basis until another approach in 2162, it then decreases, and 2182 is the most likely year for the collision. More from MSNBC
Asteroid '(101955) 1999 RQ36' is part of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA), which have the possibility of hitting the Earth due to the closeness of their orbits, and they may cause damages. This PHA was discovered in 1999 and has around 560 meters in diameter. In practice, its orbit is well determined thanks to 290 optical observations and 13 radar measurements, but there is a significant "orbital uncertainty" because, besides gravity, its path is influenced by the Yarkovsky effect. Such disturbance slightly modifies the orbits of the Solar System's small objects because, when rotating, they radiate from one side the radiation they take from the sun through the other side. The research, which has been published in Icarus journal, predicts what could happen in the upcoming years considering this effect. Up to 2060, divergence of the impacting orbits is moderate; between 2060 and 2080 it increases 4 orders of magnitude because the asteroid will approach the Earth in those years; then, it increases again on a slight basis until another approach in 2162, it then decreases, and 2182 is the most likely year for the collision. More from MSNBC
Alkan
"In a way I wish it did not require such a formidable technique, because I do not really enjoy sweating over this music." This is virtuoso pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin speaking of Charles-Valentin Alkan, the Romantic pianist said to have made even Liszt nervous, and whose exhilarating works fell into obscurity due to their rigorous technical demands. For a warm-up, here's Alkan's major etude "Allegro barbaro", as performed by Jack Gibbons. A machine recording of his piece Le Chemin de Fer in which you can see the keys being pressed. Recordings of Youtube exist of people attempting his near-impossible Scherzo focoso (and, for comparison, a mechanical rendition of the same). And for encore, here is Hamelin again playing Les Quatre Ages, frequently considered Alkan's most mature work, a sonata depicting the four ages of man.
The women who choose not to be mothers.
More women in the developed world are choosing not to have children. 'So why do friends, family, colleagues and even strangers think it's OK to question their decision?' 'A woman's fertility status is still very much considered public property. There are still assumptions about women's role in society, about families and about family size."''US Census Bureau says 36% of American women have no children.''Once this was considered insane or unnatural. Even today, it is viewed with suspicion - women with no desire to procreate say they sometimes face awkward questions and disapproval.'
'A woman at work was recently quite shocked by my saying I didn't want children. She said: 'You're a woman, you were born with a womb, God gave a womb so we could procreate'," Jenny Woolfson, aged 25, told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. "My friends and I have occasionally likened coming out as child-free to coming out as a gay person 40 or 50 years ago. There's the same sense of shock - perhaps that's too strong a word. But it's a lifestyle people don't expect and it may challenge their world view," says 31-year-old Rhona Sweeting.' '"Many people assume if you a single and child-free that you haven't met the right man yet. But if you are in a relationship, they ask 'when are you taking the next step?'' '"An early study in Canada years ago found roughly half of all the women who were childless in their 40s actually chose to be that way from a very early age. "But very many of them didn't say so because of the social pressure they would get if they mentioned a preference for staying childless.''
'A woman at work was recently quite shocked by my saying I didn't want children. She said: 'You're a woman, you were born with a womb, God gave a womb so we could procreate'," Jenny Woolfson, aged 25, told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. "My friends and I have occasionally likened coming out as child-free to coming out as a gay person 40 or 50 years ago. There's the same sense of shock - perhaps that's too strong a word. But it's a lifestyle people don't expect and it may challenge their world view," says 31-year-old Rhona Sweeting.' '"Many people assume if you a single and child-free that you haven't met the right man yet. But if you are in a relationship, they ask 'when are you taking the next step?'' '"An early study in Canada years ago found roughly half of all the women who were childless in their 40s actually chose to be that way from a very early age. "But very many of them didn't say so because of the social pressure they would get if they mentioned a preference for staying childless.''
The Battle of Midway
On the morning of June 4th, 1942, US Navy Reserve Commander John Ford awoke to the sounds of a Japanese air raid.
Ford, with 100 pictures under his belt, was already the stuff of Hollywood legend, having completed three masterpieces--Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, and How Green Was My Valley--and three other well-regarded films between the years of 1939 and 1941. He climbed to the top of a powerhouse with a 16mm camera in hand, and filmed the ensuing battle, continuing to film even after being wounded by shrapnel. Ford assembled that footage, film shot by other photographers in his unit, and narration by Donald Crisp, Jane Darwell, and Henry Fonda into the 18-minute documentary/propaganda film The Battle of Midway.
Ford, with 100 pictures under his belt, was already the stuff of Hollywood legend, having completed three masterpieces--Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, and How Green Was My Valley--and three other well-regarded films between the years of 1939 and 1941. He climbed to the top of a powerhouse with a 16mm camera in hand, and filmed the ensuing battle, continuing to film even after being wounded by shrapnel. Ford assembled that footage, film shot by other photographers in his unit, and narration by Donald Crisp, Jane Darwell, and Henry Fonda into the 18-minute documentary/propaganda film The Battle of Midway.
