Sep 26
…New Again?
Posted in: Today's Chili
Sep 26
Watching This School's Song Performance Will Basically Give You An Out-Of-Body Experience
Posted in: Today's ChiliThis is the definition of music that moves you.
At Maluafou College in Apia, Samoa, a room full of students in uniforms sitting in perfect rows busts out into powerful song, featured in the video above.
The students sing a beautifully harmonized hymn, clapping and stomping perfectly on beat. They’re directed by a leader whose own performance feels nothing short of electrically charged — starting at the 0:35 mark.
According to a YouTube commenter the hymn is translated as, “I came to praise The Lord, what about you? Hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah.”
And with that, we declare that there is nothing like music to feed the soul.
Hat tip: Reddit
Sep 26
“Saturday Night Live” is turning 40. The late-night live sketch comedy and variety show’s 40th season on the air will take place over the 2014-2015 TV season on NBC.
So what can SNL viewers expect to see in season 40?
Over the summer, major casting changes for SNL were reported as season 39 newcomers John Milhiser, Noel Wells, and Brooks Wheelan were let go after just one season.
Mike O’Brien, who was upgraded to cast member at the beginning of season 39, will also no longer appear on the show after being in the cast for one season. O’Brien however, unlike many of his season 39 peers who were let go, isn’t going far as he is returning to the SNL writer’s room for his fifth year as a writer for the show.
Additionally, Nasim Pedrad, who’d been on the show for five seasons announced she was leaving SNL to star alongside former SNL writer John Mulaney on the upcoming Fox sitcom “Mulaney” which premieres Sunday, October 5.
The last noticeable change on SNL comes in the form of a new announcer. Longtime SNL announcer Don Pardo, who had been the announcer for the show since it first premiered in 1975 (except for season seven), passed away in August at age 96.
Show creator Lorne Michaels has already stated that a tribute to the late Pardo is planned for sometime during this season. Pardo is to be replaced by former SNL cast member Darrell Hammond (who was on the show from 1995-2009 and holds the record for longest time on the show).
Hammond had impersonated Pardo in the past when the announcer was out for health reasons and was the obvious choice to take over announcing duties at SNL. Unlike in the past, Hammond will not be impersonating Pardo but will instead put on a new spin on the opening sequence’s announcements.
Though SNL saw many cast members exit, only two comedians are set to join the late-night live sketch comedy show.
Twenty-year-old stand-up Pete Davidson and former SNL writer Michael Che will join the season 40 cast as featured players. Davidson appeared on the Fox comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” last year and also performed stand-up on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in April.
Meanwhile, Che left SNL just at the end of the last season to be a correspondent on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” and now returns as co-anchor for SNL’s “Weekend Update” segment. Che will be the first African American “Weekend Update” anchor in the history of the show.
Before longtime “Weekend Update” host and SNL head writer Seth Meyers left the show to host “Late Night” on NBC in February 2014, cast member Cecily Strong began co-anchoring the segment with him.
In March 2014, SNL writer Colin Jost replaced Meyers as co-anchor of “Weekend Update” alongside Strong. Now, Che is going to replace Strong on the show’s longest-running recurring sketch though Strong will still remain on SNL as a cast member.
After news broke of Strong’s replacement on “Weekend Update,” Strong took to Instagram to reassure fans, saying:
“I don’t see this as me leaving Update, just as me being on Update in a looser, goofier way that is a lot more fun for me and in a way I think I’m better at. And now I get to do features with the very funny and wonderful Michael Che! No point in being angry or sad for me for something I’m genuinely happy about!”
The show’s returning cast members are: Vanessa Bayer, Aidy Bryant, Colin Jost, Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Moynihan, Jay Pharoah, Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson. SNL’s new fully-fledged cast members that were season 39’s featured players are: Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney and Sasheer Zamata.
A live three-hour primetime 40th Anniversary Special celebrating SNL’s many years on the air has already been scheduled for February 15, 2015 and with former cast members, musical guests and hosts expected to make appearances.
During its long tenure on television, SNL has won 36 Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and three Writers Guild of America Awards.
SNL’s 40th season kicks off at 11:30 p.m. (EST) on September 27 featuring “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Parks and Recreation” actor Chris Pratt as host and musical guest Ariana Grande.
Sep 26
CHICAGO (AP) — A fire at a suburban Chicago air traffic control facility Friday morning halted all flights in and out of the city’s two airports, threatening to send delays and cancelations rippling around the nation’s air travel network.
It was the second time since May that a problem at one of the Chicago area’s major control facilities prompted a ground stop at O’Hare and Midway international airports.
The fire led to the evacuation of the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora, about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said.
One injury was reported, Cory said, without providing details. Management of the region’s air space was transferred to other facilities, but it was unclear how long the stoppage would last.
By about 7:30 a.m., more than 200 flights to and from O’Hare, a major hub for the nation’s air traffic, were canceled, according to the aviation tracker FlightAware.com. Midway had about 20 cancelations.
Southwest Airlines suspended all flights at Midway until noon, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
There was no word on what caused the fire in Aurora. A spokesman for the city’s fire department did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment.
In May, an electrical problem forced the evacuation of a regional radar facility in suburban Elgin. A bathroom exhaust fan overheated and melted insulation on some wires, sending smoke through the facility’s ventilation system and into the control room.
That site was evacuated for three hours, and more than 1,100 flights were canceled.
The Aurora facility is known as an en-route center, and handles aircraft flying at high altitudes, including those on approach or leaving Chicago’s airports. Air traffic closer to the airports is handled by a different facility and by the control towers located at the airfields.
A computer glitch at a similar facility on the West Coast in April forced a 45-minute shutdown at Los Angeles International Airport.
Sep 26
Meet Two of the Trans Minds Behind the Groundbreaking New Show 'Transparent'
Posted in: Today's ChiliJill Soloway’s Transparent sets a new precedent for transgender storytelling by integrating the trans community into every element of the series development. The original series premiers today on Amazon Prime and tells the story of a family grappling with change — most notably, the transition of patriarch come matriarch, transgender woman Maura, as portrayed by beloved American actor Jeffrey Tambor.
“I’d like to thank my family,” Soloway spoke on stage from the Hollywood premiere of Transparent. “Particularly my very own trans parent, who made a break for freedom.”
Nearby, amidst the beaming rows of trans and cis supporters sat two young artists, Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst, who had more than a hand in shaping Transparent. Long time collaborators, Drucker and Ernst have had a surge of attention in 2014. At the Whitney Biennial they showed a photo series that documented their six-year relationship between 2008 and 2014, a period during which both transitioned — Drucker to female, Ernst to male.
On the red carpet, Drucker and Ernst were never without a swarm of interest buzzing their way, and for good reason — they’re both associate producers on Transparent and consultants for the series’ trans subject matter. The day after the premiere, I sat down with them both to learn more about what makes Transparent so special. Sitting in Drucker’s Los Angeles home, they told me how their work with Soloway originated, back when Transparent was nothing more than a Pilot in development. “She asked me and Zackary to come in to talk to her about collaborating” Ernst said.
“The fact she used the word ‘collaboration’ was unique,” Drucker added, explaining that Transparent stands out because of Soloway’s radical approach to trans inclusion throughout the show’s production chain. When the series was picked up in the spring of 2014, Drucker and Ernst came on as full-time consultants.
“Our job quickly became a lot more than consulting. We were in the office five days a week making creative decisions, overseeing projects, and hiring,” Ernst told me, articulating the significance of his and Drucker’s responsibility. The role came comfortably suited to both young artists, whose long shared goal has been to bring trans themes into their work as a vehicle for the transgender movement, and to be part of the early crossover of trans story-telling into the mainstream. One way that crossover happens is by taking trans narratives out from the cultural underbelly and crafting new, relevant and human portraits of trans experience for a broader audience.
“John Waters was absolutely pivotal in my life,” Drucker said, offering some insight into the life of a young transgender person, when she was just a kid and desperate to find herself documented somewhere in culture. “That representation of difference was laced with so much humor, it was crucial to my development, in understanding the power of creating your own world with misfits and making a narrative out of it, no matter how pieced together it was.”
Piecing together an identity from John Waters’ films worked for me too, but it may not for most. Gender divergent and transgender themes need to be present across domains both popular and subversive, to be accessible content in the mainstream and underbelly alike. Drucker went on, “We won’t know the way an increased representation of trans people will affect future generations for a few decades, but I’m sure it will be leaps and bounds ahead of where we came from. It’s hard to miss TIME magazine in the grocery aisle if you’re a kid and you see Laverne Cox on the cover.”
Here Drucker reminded me of a moment at the show’s premiere when, after Soloway finished her speech, the lights dimmed, and Transparent‘s opening credits, created by Ernst, began. On-screen was archival footage of trans history set to music. Clips from Flawless Sabrina’s 1968 documentary The Queen appeared. Suddenly Crystal Labeija from the New York City Harlem ball scene was towering over Los Angeles, demanding our attention nearly half a century after her death. Labeija started the first of the famous “Houses” of 20th culture.
These Houses were early instances of chosen-family structures that fought to protect the trans community. The House of Labeija was popularized in Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary of the Harlem balls, Paris is Burning. Crystal Labeija is an example of an original crusader. To see her in Hollywood, to know she will be in homes across the nation, is a profound example of Transparent’s radical edge. Trans icons throughout history are working their way out of the margins of American media, with great implications.
Transparent managed to represent at least three generations from the trans community on screen, including cameos by trans legends Holly Woodlawn and Alexis Del Lago, to reoccurring roles played by veterans like Alexandra Billings and newcomers such as Van Barnes and Trace Lysette, bringing modern understanding to our movement while paying homage to it’s history. “With the intergenerational dialogue incorporated into Transparent, our community no longer can be dismissed as something new. It indicates that we have always existed,” Drucker said.
Given carte blanche to critique and guide production in basically every department, Drucker and Ernst introduced a “transfirmative” action program, by which great lengths were gone to find and employ transgender workers behind the scenes, “We were able to hire 10 regular transgender staff members,” Ernst explained. Expanding on the immersive role of a consultant in shaping a production, he added, “Merely talking to an actor is not enough — trans consultants on future productions should be well compensated and have global influence, able to offer unsolicited advice in any department whether writing, casting, or wardrobe. Hiring a consultant to meet a quota or as a mere symbol is a true mistake. If they’re invested in and listened to, they add incredible value to a production.” In her earnest attempt to approach transgender subject matter responsibly, Soloway made choices that none in Hollywood have before. This is an industry where trans subject matter has been infamously mishandled, where pale caricatures of transgender stereotypes reside as the butt of jokes, and poorly produced plot devices. Holistic trans inclusion in big-budget film was unknown until Transparent. Ernst and Drucker’s wish is for this series to affect the system. “We hope Transparent can be an example for future productions. The irresponsible misrepresentation of transgender narrative will not be taken lightly. Cisgender productions that want to have a trans theme need to do even more than we have done,” Ernst said.
There is no single trans narrative. The stories we tell will never represent or speak to every viewer — producing universal content cannot be our goal. Yet, there is a world of difference between an effort that is informed and that which is ignorant. Transparent is an early triumph for the transgender community in film. It is a bridge between worlds, where the tender underbelly of culture has been upturned. By telling these stories more accurately we don’t merely appease a marginalized community’s sensitivity, we tell better stories. At the heart of Transparent is a story of transformation, the self, and the exchange of identity within family. Without a careful hand in its creation, it is a story that could never have been told.
Sep 26
Miss America, Kira Kazantsev, made headlines this week for getting kicked out of her sorority over an email in which she claims making an event ‘scary’ for pledges was a joke. The spotlight was immediately put on sororities and specifically, hazing.
There seems to be a systematic problem growing in Greek life across the country. In just the past few months I’ve read stories about hazing that included new recruits swimming in a pool of beer, vomit and urine, a student dying after collapsing during an 18-mile pledge hike and pledges bobbing for alcohol nips in a toilet and eating cat food.
I find this deeply upsetting since, for me, being Greek was by far the highlight of my college career. It’s hard for me to comprehend this kind of behavior in a system that had such a positive impact on my life.
In the mid-90’s, I pledged the Delta Zeta (DZ) sorority at Virginia Tech. That meant getting showered with gifts, pulling epic (but harmless) pranks that had me laughing for days, and building bonds that have lasted years. As one of my sorority sisters put it recently on my facebook page – when she pledged she was, ‘gifted, friended, loved and celebrated the entire semester!’
Being a DZ, was a huge part of my identity during what I consider some of my most formative and fun years of my life. I attribute the support network cultivated by Greek life to my success today. Being a DZ gave me a sense of connection to others, and to something larger than myself. I was a proud member, and even more proud of the group of women who represented the organization.
That’s why those of us who hold the Greek system in high regard need to speak up for the value it brings to people’s live and take a really clear stand against the kind of excessive hazing that is degrading and potentially harmful to our incoming sisters and brothers in the Greek system.
I admit, there was drinking during my time in the sorority. But I was a college student – drinking happens. I know alcohol is illegal for people under the age of 21. But lets be real, drinking is, and was, a part of campus life. For me, alcohol was a by-product of having fun with my pledge sisters blowing off steam after class, chasing boys and primping ourselves for an endless social calendar of events. Drinking was always fun, not forced.
One of the best parts about pledging a sorority, was that I instantly met 40+ new people who became a built in network and support system. It was important to my sorority as an organization that the pledges bond. Every pledge class had a Pledge Mom, an upper-classman with ‘Mama-Bear’ like qualities, who helped facilitate camaraderie among the pledges.
Every year, the Pledge Mom took her pledge class on an on an overnight trip near the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was kind of like a giant slumber party. Everyone was asked to bring something important from their past. This was meant to help us open up to each other – share a piece of ourselves that we wouldn’t normally talk about. Story after story poured out of every girl in the trust circle about struggles with body image, untimely death, family issues, substance abuse, assault – and more. The vulnerability we shared was palpable, it was a great equalizer that formed instant connections and made us close as a pledge class.
But, the greatest thing for me about pledging was getting to know girls in my pledge class that I might not have gotten the chance to know otherwise. There are girls who might have intimidated me or who I wouldn’t have talked to for any number of preconceived notions in my head. I know it sounds strange that a bunch of random girls could be thrown together and put through a series of rituals that make them closer. But pledging opened up my heart and mind to relationships that I still hold dear to this day.
I was crushed when I learned my chapter was stripped of its charter in 2010 for an alcohol related infraction. It felt like a big part of my life was simply wiped out of existence. I know many other greek organizations have suffered similar fates at Virginia Tech and other colleges across the nation.
I fear that Greek life could become obsolete in my lifetime. It is apparent to me that there is a slippery slope from rituals and traditions rooted in fun and games to demeaning behavior that has the ability to ruin the entire community and damage to peoples lives. Excessive hazing is robbing students of an opportunity to make deep connections that last a lifetime.
I’ll always have the fondest memories of my time as a pledge and sister of the Delta Zeta sorority. To anyone out there that feels the same way, I hope we can find a way to save this community that we hold sacred. I’d like to see these organizations live on as they were intended, rooted in the core values they were founded upon.
I think the DZ creed says it best:
To the world, I promise temperance, insight and courage. To crusade for justice, to seek the truth and defend it always. To those whom my life may touch in slight measure, may I give graciously of what is mine. To my friends, understanding and appreciation. To those closer ones, love that is ever steadfast. To my mind growth, to myself, faith, that I may walk truly in the light of the flame.
Sep 26
Andrew Zimmern is the guy who eats weird stuff–very weird stuff, like rotten shark in Reykjavik and giant fruit bats in Samoa. You may have watched him on Bizarre Foods or Bizarre Worlds on the Travel Channel, read his column in Delta Sky magazine, or know his singular travelogue: The Bizarre Truth: How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First . . . and Came Back Shaking My Head.
I interviewed Zimmern for my book, Man Made Meals: The Essential Cookbook for Guys, and excerpted it here to give you a taste. He has great advice on grilling and cooking, so listen up:
What are the three strangest foods you’ve ever eaten?
Giant fruit bat from Samoa. It has a six-foot wingspan and tastes extremely gamy. Eat it grilled with ginger juice–an Asian flavor and disinfectant.
Giant porcupine from Botswana. It weighs eighty pounds and takes painstaking hours to pluck off the quills. There’s an inch-thick layer of fat just below the skin, which the tribesmen grill over a wood fire with a layer of ash on top. What results tastes like the nugget of fat at the narrow end of a New York strip. Totally amazing.
Palolo. It’s a tiny worm that lives in coral beds fifty miles off the coast of Samoa. You scoop it off the water by the hundreds and eat it smeared on bread. Think foie gras crossed with iodine with an exquisitely creamy texture.
Why should a man know how to cook?
As a guy, I’m lousy at expressing my feelings. Cooking is as touchy-feely as I get. There’s nothing more honest than cooking, and when I do it, I can show people what’s in my heart. It’s also my time to Zen out.
Three things every guy should know how to do in the kitchen?
Make bread. There’s nothing more spiritual or elemental. It’s a rite of passage with my seven-year-old. The first time we made bread together, my son realized that not everything you eat has to come from a supermarket. Note to dads: Bread takes several hours to rise and young boys have short attention spans. You may want to have some dough that’s already risen as a swap-out to keep the process moving.
Cook fish. For some reason, every guy who’s been to a sushi bar thinks all fish should be served undercooked. The fact is that most fish does not taste best raw or even rare. This is particularly true in my part of the country (Minnesota), where we eat a lot of walleye. Learn to cook fish and learn to cook it through.
Learn how to light and use your grill. You need to know how to drag meat back to your cave and cook it. If you don’t know how to grill, you’re doing a great disservice to mankind.
Read the rest of the interview on BarbecueBible.com and in Man Made Meals.
SIGN UP for Steven Raichlen’s UP IN SMOKE newsletter to learn more about barbecue!
READ MORE ABOUT GRILLING AT BARBECUEBIBLE.COM
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Steven Raichlen is the author of the Barbecue! Bible cookbook series and the host of Primal Grill on PBS. His web site is BarbecueBible.com.
Sep 26
It’s easy to see why vacationers are drawn to all-inclusive resorts. After all, most people go on vacation to relax and unwind, and having all of your meals, drinks and entertainment taken care of can be seen as downright convenient.
Think about it.
Once you arrive at your all-inclusive resort, you don’t have to worry about much. All meals are included and paid for, as are your favorite adult beverages (in most cases), your beach chair and even a show or two each night. Some all-inclusive resorts take the convenience factor even further by offering non-motorized water sports and games for their guests, as well as bicycles and snorkel equipment.
Still, all-inclusive resorts simply cannot be everything to everyone. And for all they do include in one low price, there are still plenty of personal items they don’t offer. Want your all-inclusive vacation to be as convenient and seamless as possible? Here are a few items you might want to pack the next time you go.
See: The Right All-Inclusive Trip for You
Sunscreen
If your all-inclusive resort is nestled on a beach somewhere, you’ll wish you had at least one bottle of sunscreen with you. If you’re a beach-lover or you have your family in tow, you may even want to consider packing several kinds — including special creams for your face, body and hands, and at least one brand that is waterproof. Remember, you can always take home any that you don’t use on your trip.
An insulated mug
If you plan to imbibe during your all-inclusive trip, you may find yourself seriously annoyed with the cups you’ll be forced to drink out of — glasses typically offered at all-inclusive resorts are not only small, but also flimsy. An insulated mug takes care of this problem by serving as a refillable container that not only keeps your beverages cold, but keeps them protected from the elements as well. Buying a large insulated mug can also mean fewer trips to the bar and more time to relax.
A waterproof pouch
If you plan to float in the ocean for extended periods of time, it might be a good idea to invest in a waterproof pouch or fanny pack. These relatively inexpensive items can be purchased online, and can keep your room key, cash and small valuables safe while you enjoy the water. Without one, you might end up sitting up on the beach wishing you had someone to watch your stuff.
See: It’s Time to Embrace the All-Inclusive Vacation
First-aid kit with basic medications
Those yummy drinks and lavish buffets might be delicious, but they can also do a number on your digestive system if you’re not used to the local cuisine. That’s why it’s a great idea to bring some of the basics with you, such as anti-diarrheal medicine, aspirin or Tylenol, and Tums, in addition to a small first-aid kit. You never know when something will go wrong, and it is always best to be prepared.
Bug Spray
Far-flung all-inclusive resorts sometimes have much more than ocean wildlife to get used to — many of them have giant bugs as well. That’s why bringing your own bug spray is so essential, especially if you’re vacationing somewhere tropical.
The good news: Most all-inclusive resorts have a small convenience store that offers these items and others if you get in a bind. The bad news: They sometimes cost two or three times more than what you would pay in a normal retail environment. No one wants to fork over $30 for a tube of bug spray.
The best way to avoid getting gauged for convenience items on your all-inclusive trip is to make a list of things you might need and plan on bringing them yourself. If not, you’re at the mercy of a resort who may or may not charge an arm and a leg for something that can be purchased cheaply at home.
That doesn’t sound convenient at all.
See: 9 Money-Saving Items to Pack on Your Next Cruise
Holly Johnson is the founder of travel website, Travel Blue Book, which covers travel experiences ranging from cruising to fine dining. Holly also writes about frugal living, travel and budgeting on her other website, Club Thrifty, and at Get Rich Slowly, Frugal Travel Guy, Personal Capital and many other online publications.
Sep 26
We have seen our fair share of robots in the past before, and Murata happens to be one of the companies that do manufacture robots which have a practical sense about them. Case in point, this unicycling robot which has more or less mastered the art of balance – and that is close to half a decade ago! Time has surely seen plenty of advancements made in the field of technology, and what has Murata managed to cobble together between then and now? Pretty much, but the product that will take centrestage today happens to be known as the Murata Cheerleaders.
Strange name, I know, and you will not find the Murata Cheerleaders arrive all decked out in skirts to boot, as they happen to be swarm robots that move about in a really cool manner – through the use of a “ball”, so to speak, and will come equipped with the latest sensing and communication technologies, not to mention advanced group control technology that helps them to achieve perfect stability and flawless synchronized dancing at all times.
Being different from their predecessors, the bicycle-riding MURATA BOY and unicycle-riding MURATA GIRL, the Murata Cheerleaders will ditch wheels and ride on a ball instead, balancing there as the ball rolls along. This enables them to move about in a fast manner regardless of the direction, and at the same time will remain upright thanks to a trio of advanced gyro sensors which will make use of inverted-pendulum control technology that can help it detect tilt angles.
The Murata Cheerleaders certainly live up to their name, being full well capable of high-precision routines courtesy of its real-time position measurement technology. All of them will come equipped with a quartet of infrared sensors as well as five ultrasonic microphones to detect surrounding objects, even when it is in pitch black darkness. This being the fourth generation of Murata robots, we cannot wait to see what the fifth generation will reveal.
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[ Murata Cheerleaders are robots that traverse on balls copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Sep 26
The Octobot is a new robot designed to attack those who flee the land robots for the sea. Now there is nowhere to run. Nowhere to swim. Everywhere to scream in terror.
This aquatic robot was created by the Institute of Computer Science in Greece and is inspired by the common octopus. It uses eight arms to propel itself through the water. All the better to chase it’s non-robot prey, having killed all of the real Octopi.
It uses a squishy membrane that connects to the robo-tentacles to help it swim through the water at speeds up to seven inches a second.
[via Boing Boing via Laughing Squid]
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