By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Mon Jun 6, 2011 at 3:30 PM ET
I love Quintin Tarantino. If you like movies, you probably do too. His last film, Inglourious Basterds, was the first film in which Michael Fassbender really shined. Fassbender is in the new X-Men film out now, and is fantastic in the film. Rumor has it that he will join up with Tarantino again in Tarantino’s next picture: Django Unchained. Color me excited. [The Movie Blog]
The blog Film Junk has a nice rundown of the box office from last weekend with a few interesting insights: The Hangover: Part II, dropped off more than 60% in the second weekend, and X-Men: Origins grossed less than any of the previous four X-Men films on its opening weekend (after inflation is taken into account). What does all this mean? [Film Junk]
Here is an interesting article from The Guardian about documentary film making. With fewer and fewer people going out to see documentaries, it is harder and harder to profit from making these important works. Read this to see how film makers are coping with this new reality. [The Guardian]
Don’t text in the movies. It’s super distracting to see a bright screen in the corner of one’s eye while trying to watch a film. The Austin theater Alamo Drafthouse has a simple rule: if you text in the theater, they kick you out. This happened to somebody, and they got upset, and left a voice mail. The Alamo Drafthouse is now running that voice mail as a PSA before their R-Rated films. Be careful if you watch the video, though, its certainly R-Rated. [/Film]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Jun 6, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Lets start off with a bit of fun, shall we? Apple is currently constructing one of the largest Apple stores in the world in Hamburg, Germany. Things seemed to be going according to plan until a few pranksters decided to do a bit of trolling. [OS News]
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to introduce Windows 8. Or at least a sneak peek of the future iteration of Microsoft’s 25-year-old operating system. [All Things D]
Are you using an old browser? Specifically IE7, Safari 3, Firefox 3.5 or older? Well stop it! Mainly because you are severely limiting yourself, but also because at the beginning of August Google will cease supporting those browsers. [BBC]
Three banks are responsible for 95% of spam transactions. Surprised? I don’t blame you. However, this is revealed in a study conducted by the University of California-San Diego, the University of California-Berkeley, and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. [ars technica]
By Sandra Moon, RP Staff, on Mon Jun 6, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
Paul Ryan, Congressman from Wisconsin, draws criticism from a broad coalition of religious voices for his praise of Ayn Rand, the philosopher who once said she “promote[d] the ethic of selfishness.” The coalition questions the morality of the choices reflected in budget cuts and tax policy supported by the GOP. [Time]
Progressive Muslim-American feminist Amanda Quraishi creates 365muslim, an app providing daily facts about Islam, passages from the Quran, sayings from the prophet Muhammad, and other information about Islam. [Statesman.com]
Issues concerning the separation between Church and State were hot last week– In Texas, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that prayer at a public high school graduation is not unconstitutional. Supporters of the previous prayer ban argue that “[a]ll children should feel welcome at this important event in their lives regardless of their opinions about religion.” [Huffington Post]
Up north, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that New York City can keep religious services out of its schools without violating worshippers’ free speech or free exercise of religion rights. [International Business Times]
Who says faith can’t be fun? Check out this blog–Food, Faith and Being Fabulous: A Foodie’s Guide to Life, or A Seminarian’s Guide to Food, and Other Things. [www.reverendchef.com]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Mon Jun 6, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Why Google won’t survive the Facebook threat. [The Atlantic]
A great old article to reread: The web is dead, long live the internet [Wired]
What we know about the lastest Apple OS, and why it may be the last one. [Gizmodo]
Sony takes first steps to release its next machine: read about it here. [Engadet]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Fri Jun 3, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s Summer of discontent. [CNN]
He’s baaaaack: Trump announces his purchase of a “new used plane.” [Forbes]
Boy sells a kidney in order to buy an iPad. [Fortune]
Steve Forbes argues for a new gold standard for the modern era. [The Street]
As World’s Millionaires multiply; Singapore holds its lead. [Business Week]
By Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Jun 3, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
Life is discovered at new depths beneath the Earth’s surface. [bbc]
Countries abroad are leasing or buying land in Africa to grow wheat. This could lead to the destabilization of African countries, especially Egypt. [nytimes]
UK report claims that “nature is worth billions”. [bbc]
The food pyramid undergoes a change. Vegetables are more important and grains and meat are less important, will this help to change our farming system? [cnn]
Bees and beekeeping are vital to all aspects of our food supply, but they’re numbers are dropping at an alarming rate. [washingtonpost]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Fri Jun 3, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET A rare strain of E.coli has spread to 10 countries and is blamed for 16 deaths and hundreds of illnesses… Is the United States next? [CNN]
New research indicates that crossing your arms actually helps you manage pain better. No, we’re not making this up. [Time]
Yesterday the USDA introduced new nutrition guidelines that relate healthy eating to portions on a plate, to rave reviews. [USA Today]
The New York Times offers tips for those of us who still can’t get a good night’s sleep. [NY Times]
If this isn’t a sign that our world needs to unplug, I don’t know what is: a 17-year-old in China sold his kidney on the black market to pay for an iPad 2. [Techland]
By RP Staff, on Fri Jun 3, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Yesterday on the RP, we highlighted a recent study that concludes that bilingualism may significantly inhibit or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. As an added benefit, speaking another language may help (and even alter!) your sex life. According to Dr. Yvonne Fulbright, speaking even a few lines of a foreign language when you faire l’amour could potentially give you “multiple personalities” in the boudoir and, thus, “keep things fresh and exciting in Swedish, German, Spanish, Italian . . .” Je t’aime, je t’aime mon petit chou!! Sultry Sex Talk to Seduce Any Lover
Speaking of Swedish, apparently Swedish erotica can significantly decrease in a relationship when one or both partners partake in a long commute to work. A Swedish researcher found that a couple is 40% more likely to separate if a job calls for a long commute. Lesson for lovers: stay close to home! US News and World Report
And if you’re gay, and your home is one of these cities, you can stay close to home and feel comfortable in and welcomed by your community. Check out six “surprising” places it’s great to be gay. (And your correspondent’s hometown is one of them.) AlterNet
Finally, check out this interesting article from Canada about the “sexual economy.” Apparently, marriage is the highest price that one can “pay” for sex, and fewer women are demanding that price these days. Increasing co-habitation is the result. You know, there’s an economic theory for everything. Tell us what you think! Ottawa Citizen
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
If you haven’t heard, the 100th annual Indianapolis 500 was this past weekend. Dan Wheldon drank the milk and came away with his second Indy 500 win on the heels of one of the most dramatic finishes in racing history. Sure, the events at the end of the race with rookie J.R. Hildebrand leading were unbelievable, but was his wreck on the final turn one of the biggest choke-jobs in sports history? What do you think? [ESPN]
The time is right for Danica Patrick to make the leap from Indy car driver and part-time NASCAR driver to a full-time stock car driver for NASCAR. [NASCAR.com]
Never lie to a drifter about your drifting credentials. Make sure you click the CC button to get English subtitles. [Youtube]
While we are on drifting here is Ken Block’s Gymkhana. One of the most amazing runs you are going to see. You can’t help but love this if you are into drifting and if you’re not, you may be converted. You have been warned. [Youtube]
Finally, I’ll send you home today with the Ten Coolest Futuristic Movie Cars. [Jalopnik]
By RP Staff, on Thu Jun 2, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET The Politics of Immigration In the Bush (W)-era of the 21st Century, undocumented aliens in the United States were often rounded up at work sites, breaking up families and communities and scaring the cajones off individual workers—not employers. Breaking with that tradition, the Obama administration is quietly going after employers that knowingly hire people who clearly cannot satisfy their I-9 requirements. Will this approach finally get employers to push for immigration reform? New York Times
What do you call someone that speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call someone that speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone that speaks one language? American. Here’s just one more among thousands of reasons to learn at least one other language. Allez-y!! The Bilingual Advantage
Many North Americans tend to lump all Latinos into one group: Mexican. But, of course, the Latino community is much more diverse than that. So please don’t ask your Hispanic neighbor if he “speaks Mexican.” Pew Research Center
And speaking of diversity, check out the latest installment of the always interesting, funky and fun Alt.Latino: The Show. ¡Es fantastico!
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