(CNN/AP: “Longtime customers wed at Wal-Mart” [August 24, 2004])
A match made in.. um… Wal-Mart?
Posted by Ben on September 24, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/a-match-made-in-um-wal-mart/
It’s the end of the world!
Will it be aliens? Impotence? Verneshot? How will the world end?
Exit Mundi has the low-down.
The surprising thing is, the site’s saner than you might expect (hence, I guess, the surprise).
Posted by Ben on September 22, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/its-the-end-of-the-world/
Baghdad Journal
Artnet plays host to the excellent Baghdad Journal, which is written and illustrated by Steve Mumford; it’s probably best described by the first entry’s tagline: “An eyewitness artist’s report from the Iraqi capital.”
(via Everydaymatters)
Posted by Ben on September 22, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/baghdad-journal/
From Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California to Ningxia Province in China
An excerpt from Tony Blair’s September 14th speech on the problem of global warming:
Our effect on the environment, and in particular on climate change, is large and growing.
…
The problem and let me state it frankly at the outset—is that the challenge is complicated politically by two factors. First, its likely effect will not be felt to its full extent until after the time for the political decisions that need to be taken, has passed. In other words, there is a mismatch in timing between the environmental and electoral impact. Secondly, no one nation alone can resolve it. It has no definable boundaries. Short of international action commonly agreed and commonly followed through, it is hard even for a large country to make a difference on its own.
(Tony Blair’s September 14 speech, “International action needed on global warming”)
Note: and yes, assuming he stuck with the prepared speech, he did in fact say “Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California.”
Posted by Ben on September 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/from-arnold-schwarzeneggers-california-to-ningxia-province-in-china/
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends…
Insofar as people are like hamsters, companionship makes our wounds heal faster.
Another way of stating this is that stress prolongs the healing of wounds, but can be offset by the presumed joy of having friends (or, in the case of the hamsters, siblings) to comfort you.
(Science Daily/Ohio State University: “Study: A Little Help From Friends Makes Wounds Heal Faster” [August 4, 2004])
Posted by Ben on September 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/oh-i-get-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/
Chilling effects of anti-terrorism
EFF has an incredibly thorough list of internet-accessible information that’s been curtailed as a result of anti-terrorism measures: information removed by governments, by ISPs, by website owners; you name it, this list has it. Not the information itself, but brief summaries of the type of information and links to articles discussing its removal.
Posted by Ben on September 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/chilling-effects-of-anti-terrorism/
DOs and DON’Ts of photography, A to Z
My favorite is Z:
Z Don’t: Zooming in You are not blowing anyone’s mind with your vivid closeup of the intricate textures of that tree bark. Your photo of the S from the stop sign is not poetic. Yes, the ant looks big because you zoomed in, but no, that’s not interesting.
Incredibly bitter, tongue-in-cheek, somewhat malicious at times, and probably not actually helpful to anyone, but a quirky collection of Dos and Don’ts nonetheless.
(As an added bonus, whoever put the feature together had enough smarts that they avoided adding the extra apostrophe. You know, the extra apostrophe that everyone’s always so anxious to add to plural words that they’re not used to seeing plural [e.g., do –> dos being improperly rendered as do’s].)
Posted by Ben on September 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/photo-donts/
Once Upon A Time In Mexico (***)
(2003) Robert Rodriguez – Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Danny Trejo, Rubén Blades, Willem Dafoe, et al.
Synopsis: The plot of ‘Once Upon A Time In Mexico’, while not out-and-out absent, is somewhat tenuous; think ‘Desperado II’ (Or ‘El Mariachi 3’, but who’s keeping track), throw in a violently eccentric CIA agent, ex-FBI, a coup attempt, and some absurdly out-of-place flashbacks, and you have OUATIM. It’s El Mariachi (i.e., Antonio Banderas) back for revenge, but drawn there unwillingly. Johnny Depp is CIA, Mickey Rourke is a fugitive from the U.S. (though this fact is only incidental to the plot), Pedro Armendariz, Jr., is the President of Mexico, and Willem Dafoe is the dread Barillo.
Review: You have to give Rodriguez credit: he not only directed, but wrote the music, wrangled the cameras, and edited the thing; it’s almost surprising he didn’t do the stunts himself and handle the special effects. Unfortunately, the man needs to learn how to delegate responsibility. ‘Once Upon A Time In Mexico’ is halfway decent—particularly towards the beginning—but taken as a whole, it’s weak, confusing, and awkward. Surprisingly, Johnny Depp (or his character, anyway) might very well be one of the highlights of the movie. Depp as CIA Agent Sands is downright hilarious, with campy, offbeat lines and a murderous irreverence that fits very well with the tone of the movie. At one point, he’s at a bull-fight wearing a T-shirt that says CIA in big block letters. And he’s got a third arm, which is an interesting gimmick. Sands also keeps the movie from getting bogged down by El Mariachi’s melancholy, which is a good thing for the movie. Unfortunately, there are plenty of things to bog down the movie. For starters, Salma Hayek’s parts are all awkwardly grafted into a story where, essentially, they don’t belong (much less make any sense). Likewise, these parts seem to be leading somewhere—a side-story, perhaps?—but then end abruptly, leaving the viewer in a dead-end. ‘Desperado’ in all honesty was not outstanding, so it should come as no great surprise that its sequel isn’t exactly a five-star masterpiece. ‘OUATIM’ is darkly fun and maybe slightly higher on the ‘Must See’ list of fans of ‘Desperado’ or ‘El Mariachi,’ but it’s probably best left to its own devices.
Rating: [•••] out of [•••••]
Posted by Ben on September 18, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico/
Very Happy People
(via Worldwatch Institute)
Posted by Ben on September 16, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/very-happy-people/
Hurrican Ecology
Hurricanes can wreak horrific structural damage and lead to loss of life, but you knew that already.
What you might not be thinking about are the numerous benefits of hurricanes. No, they don’t revive your immune system or add years to your life (or your house). But they can clean out waterways, help re-build barrier islands, and crush invasive species.
Another interesting side-benefit, not as incidental as might initially seem, is that hurricanes redistribute heat, drawing it out of the tropics and moving it towards the poles. Without hurricanes, the tropics would be much warmer than they already are, and the poles would be much colder.
(In spite of these obvious benefits, you might find yourself asking, “Why don’t we try to destroy tropical cyclones by nuking them?” I know I’ve asked myself that question more than once. Well, as it turns out, the problem isn’t just where the nuclear fallout would end up [though that would definitely be a major obstacle]: it’s really an issue of energy, which goes back to the whole heat redistribution issue. According to the Hurricane Research Division [appropriately enough] of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, yer average well-developed hurricane releases the heat equivalent of a 10-megaton bomb every 20 minutes, releasing energy at a rate close to 5 times that at which human civilization devours it. Which, however you slice, dice, or spin, is a heck of a lot of energy.)
(AP: “Hurricanes Bring Environmental Renewal,” by Rachel La Corte [September 6, 2004]; Ecology.com: “Our Friend The Hurricane,” by Dr. Jack Hall; AOML HRD FAQ: “Why don’t we try to destroy tropical cyclones by nuking them?”)
Posted by Ben on September 16, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/hurrican-ecology/