The YouTube community was given a simple assignment : film your life for the entire day. 80,000 people accepted the challenge. The film edited from that footage Life in a Day is released this week. The film tells the story of a single day – July 24, 2010, from the perspective of individuals all over the world.
I think we’ve blogged a teaser for this before… but the actual trailer just dropped. Hit up your cinema and let us know your thoughts. – AN-H
This week’s list is an intense one. Many, many incredible movie scenes were submitted. We laughed, we cried, and then we voted. Here is this week’s five best movie quotes/monologues. -NS
#5) “Idiosyncrasies“ from Good Will Hunting
Submitted by Meagan Shorey, Fourth Estate Intern
But Will, she’s been dead for 2 years, and that’s the sh*t I remember. Wonderful stuff, you know? Little things like that. Those are the things I miss the most. The little idiosyncrasies that only I know about- that’s what made her my wife. Oh, she had the goods on me too, she knew all my little peccadilloes. People call these things imperfections but they’re not. Ah, that’s the good stuff. And then we get to choose who we let into our weird little worlds. You’re not perfect, sport. And let me save you the suspense. This girl you met, she isn’t perfect either. But the question is: whether or not you’re perfect for each other. That’s the whole deal. That’s what intimacy is all about. Now you can know everything in the world, sport, but the only way you’re findin’ out that one is by givin’ it a shot. (more…)
I understand there is a process for everything, but there are also loopholes. The team got into Poland and Saudia Arabia with no sweat, but you deemed their paperwork unfit? Not okay America. -LE
via USA Today
(AP) A youth baseball team from Uganda that would have been the first squad from Africa to play at the Little League World Series has been denied visas to enter the United States.
The U.S. Department of State declined to give a reason for the decision, other than to say that the team’s documentation “contained discrepancies,” officials at Little League headquarters in South Williamsport, Pa., said Friday in a statement.
“It is unfortunate, as we were very much looking forward to welcoming the first African team to the Little League Baseball World Series,” league president Stephen Keener said. “However, we have worked very closely with our State Department in recent years, and we very much appreciate their diligence in this matter.”
National Geographic is reporting that there is a pretty awesome meteor shower happening tonight at a sky near you. Adjust your plans, get some friends, and take some photos. It’ll be nifty. – AN-H
One of the best shooting star events of the year is the annual August Perseid meteor shower. However this year’s Perseids peak, on August 12, happens to coincide with a bright full moon—drastically cutting down the number of meteors visible to the naked eye.
Yet while the main event might be blocked out by the blinding moonlight, the opening act promises to be much better.
This year the lesser known Delta Aquarid meteor shower is expected to peak on Friday night, when the Delta Aquarids’ more productive Perseid cousin is just starting to ramp up.
Together the showers will produce anywhere between 15 and 30 shooting stars per hour under clear, dark skies.
“While the moon is set to be an unpleasant guest for the Perseid peak, skywatchers are not out of luck as the Delta Aquarids could be one of the best meteor showers of the year,” said Raminder Singh Samra, astronomer at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, Canada.
“The new moon during the peak of the Delta Aquarids may actually allow for a much more spectacular display.”
Check out the rest of the article on the National Geographic site.
Christopher Scott choreography + The LXD = Breathless, with chills running up the spine. Cannot believe how talented our friends are. -LE
The Strokes‘ debut album Is This It was first released on 7/30/01. Stereogum is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary by curating a compilation called STROKED: A Tribute To Is This It. The artists featured include the likes of The Morning Benders, Wise Blood, Computer Magic, Peter, Bjorn & John, Owen Pallett and more. I remember hearing this record when I was in high school and was totally blown away. I get so nostalgic when I hear tracks like “Someday” or “Last Night”. I didn’t realize how influential they were until later on when I found out I wasn’t the only one listening to them. It’s so tough to top an album like Is This It. But maybe that’s not a challenge to overcome, but something to expect in musical creativity. Those gems will come and go and you’ll be lucky enough to let it pass through you, to create something like that.
The reinterpretations are really interesting because a lot of them sound nothing like the originals. Whereas you’d expect covers to sound generally the same, Wise Blood’s version of Someday sounds entirely like a Wise Blood track and nearly unrecognizeable as a cover. Same with The Morning Benders who have their own take on “Last Night” hitting higher octaves, adding electronics and infusing their own sound.
If you’re a fan of the Strokes or any of the bands involved you should definitely grab this mix. It’s up for free download so go grab it over here and while you’re there, read the liner notes from all the contributors. Have a great weekend!
Teams are well on their way to becoming complete. All we need is a month of training, vans stacked with merch and a few Ugandan advocates. Can you spot your Roadies? -NS
Mission Department Director, Adam Finck, recently returned from the Congo. Before he left we had the chance to get “The Packing List”. Here’s an inside look, inside his bag:
1. First Aid Kit- Just in case.
2. French to English Dictionary
3. Moleskin- Holds a trip’s worth of field notes.
4. Outlet adapter
5. Cliff Bar- On the go meal replacements.
6. Camelhide Messenger
7. Kindle- A month-long battery and countless books will turn any ebook skeptic into Kindle convert.
8. Cipro – When the going gets rough..
9. ID tag
10/11. International cell phone and charger- Useful for cross border SIM-swapping.
12. French-translated IC media
13. Canon 5D with 50mm 1.2 lens – lightweight and great in low light.
14. Business cards
15. 1TB External hardrive – For media assets from the field.
16. RayBans – keep the dust out
17. Passport and DRC Visa – No passport/visa, no trip.
18. Water purification tablets – to avoid item #8
19. Satellite phone- the only way to reach home base in remote areas.
20. One-hand Trekker Swiss Army knife- Useful in life
21. Regional Maps- no google maps makes hard copies crucial.
22. MacBook Pro & Incase pocket
23. Saddleback passport wallet- Holds passport, credit card, currencies, and ID
24. Official papers- Ordre de Mission, travel itineraries, flight maps, and other useful documents
A few days ago I shared Vanity Fair’s detailed coverage of the reborn trend of elephant poaching. Today, MSNBC is reporting that federal officials has arrested an American art dealer who was is accused of smuggling roughly one ton of carved ivory. I feel like I spoke this into existence or something… -LE
via MSNBC
NEW YORK — Federal officials seized roughly a ton of ivory in one of the largest U.S. seizures on record and arrested the owner of an African art store accused of smuggling carved elephant tusks into the United States, authorities said Tuesday.
Victor Gordon, 68, pleaded not guilty in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn to charges of conspiracy, smuggling and violating the Lacey Act, an anti-trafficking law aimed at curbing illegal shipments of protected wildlife, including ivory from elephants and rhinos.
The indictment said Gordon paid a partner to purchase raw elephant ivory in west and central Africa and have it carved to his specifications. He also told the partner to dye or stain the carvings to make them look older than they were and to ship them to his Philadelphia art store, prosecutors said.
Authorities seized hundreds of tusks sold or owned by Gordon in Philadelphia and other places in Pennsylvania, and in New York, Missouri and Kansas, according to the indictment, in what was described as among the largest U.S. seizures of elephant ivory on record.
“The amount of the elephant ivory allegedly plundered in this case is staggering and highlights the seriousness of the charged crimes,” said Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. (more…)
Teacher Exchange participants Amanda, Erin, and Mai show students at Sacred Heart School how to do the “Running Man.” Click here to see the video.
