Robin Williams - Inside the Actor's Studio
Kinda old videos but still really good. It's in 14 parts but its worth the time.
Michael Davis is a hyperactive 5-year-old diagnosed with ADHD who frequently gets into fights at school. His mother calls him an "energetic, loving, good kid" who is misunderstood by school administrators at Rio Calaveras Elementary of Stockton, California. They disagree, frequently complaining to his divorced parents that he is a discipline problem. When the school didn't see any improvement, they took matters in their own hands, and invited a police officer to the school to scare Michael straight.
According to a police report filed after the incident, the officer, Lt. Frank Gordo (pictured, upper-right), says he placed his hand on Michael's and then "the boy pushed my hand away in a batting motion, pushed papers off the table, and kicked me in the right knee."
When Michael wouldn't calm down, Gordo cuffed Michael's hands and feet with zip ties and took the boy to the Stockton Kaiser Psychiatric Hospital in the back of a squad car.
He had not called Michael's mother or father at that point.
Michael was cited for battery on a police officer.
At least he didn't tase him?
Michael's father was the one who picked him up from the psychiatric hospital, his son emerging hours later with his hands still zip-tied behind his back. It took several weeks before his mother was even informed that her son had been zip-tied at all. The charges were eventually dropped by a juvenile court judge, and the case is currently under review by the San Joaquin County Grand Jury and the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
Fahrenheit 451 might be the most famous book about book-burning ever written, and its author, Ray Bradbury, has long insisted that it only be available as a print book, on paper. Until today. Bradbury has finally given in, and Fahrenheit 451 is available for the first time as an ebook. It is such a pleasure to Kindle.
Top image: Detail from Ralph Steadman's Fahrenheit 451 illustration.
Bradbury had been one of the staunchest critics of ebooks, saying they "smell like burned fuel." He told the New York Times in 2009: "It's meaningless; it's not real... It's in the air somewhere."
He also told the L.A. Times last year:
I was approached three times during the last year by internet companies wanting to put my books on an electronic reading device... I said to Yahoo: 'Prick up your ears and go to hell.'
The author added that "We have too many cellphones. We've got too many internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now."
So what changed? Bradbury's agent, Michael Congdon, told the Associated Press that the publishing rights to Bradbury's most famous novel were expiring — and it was impossible to strike a new deal with publishers that didn't include ebook rights. Eight different publishers were interested, but nobody would do it without an electronic edition. Condgon explained the situation to Bradbury, and he finally gave in.
The BBC quotes book industry insiders as saying it's ironic that a science fiction writer should be so technology-phobic — although who understands the downsides of technology more than science fiction authors? — and there's also this nice quote from Neill Denny, editor of the Bookseller magazine:
My view is good publishing is format-neutral, and so long as publishers control copyright and suppress piracy, then e-books are a good thing for publishers and authors in general. However, the e-book is a format that excludes the traditional bookshop and the book trade needs to find a way urgently to support their presence, otherwise there is a danger books drop out of sight permanently for many consumers.
One of the longest-running magazines about video games has just run out of credit. It's just been announced that GamePromagazine, which launched in 1988, will cease publication as a standalone entity next week on December 5. As first reported by IndustryGamers, both the magazine and website are being shut down, with the following text running on GamePro.com as of today:
Thank you for your loyalty, support, and participation in the GamePro.com community. At noon on December 5, 2011, the U.S. version of GamePro online will shut down as an independent site. GamePro will become part of PCWorld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/gamepro) offering gaming news, reviews, and how-tos from the PCWorld team. Thank you to the entire GamePro staff for their hard work and dedication.
GamePro's probably best known for the colorful pseudonyms its writers used and the cartoon-face icons that accompanied game reviews. The magazine helped established the voice of video game culture, giving players a place to read about the individuals and creative process that remained mysteries even as the games industry rose to pop culture prominence. Many talented critics and journalists have contributed to GamePro's pages through the years and its death silences a significant outlet for those of us who care about video games and how they're thought about.
1. Whenever you find a penny or dollar bill, you hear that “Congratulations! You’ve won!” voice inside your head.
2. The prospect of any phone conversation provokes an unreasonable level of anxiety.
3. You just steal sh*t when you’re bored.
4. You know where your high school best friend’s former roommate’s gorgeous ex-girlfriend goes for the summers (Nantucket. Her cousin Becky is kind of terrible though, you can tell).
5. You find the concept of paying for pornography endearing.
6. You’ve had multiple conversations with friends speculating about the sexuality of someone you haven’t seen since you were six.
7. You’ve forgotten that watching TV on the TV used to be, like, a thing.
8. You have a legit panic attack when you can’t reconnect to your WiFi network.
9. You’ve seen all of “Felicity” despite never enjoying a single episode.
10. You hate Jeff Dunham way more than he even deserves.
11. Going to the movies counts as having a “break from technology”.
12. The phrase “follow me” does not even remotely invoke thoughts of physical movement.
13. You send emotionally complex, romantically tinged messages by “Like”-ing shit on Facebook.
14. You know far less about the Mayor of your city than you do about the Mayor of your local Panera Bread on FourSquare.
15. You think a beautiful sunset lighting up the New York skyline on a November evening just looks like a shitty desktop background.
16. You treat people who say they don’t have Facebook as if they have a horrible illness that you have to do your best to appear optimistic about.
17. You haven’t been on a date in months, but you do have a really messy, emotional shitshow “friends with benefits” situation going on in SecondLife.
18. The words “LiveJournal” or “Xanga” bring up far more nostalgia than any old home movie could.
19. Your reading responses for classes often just say: “TLDNR”.
20. You’ve gotten past the tenth page of comments on the YouTube video of that little British girl rapping with Nicki Minaj on Ellen.
21. You can name more celebrities with leaked nude photos than American presidents.
22. The last family argument you had was over Gchat.
23. You haven’t read a whole book in a year, but you have read the entire Wikipedia pages for “Sleep”, “Jon Voight”, and “Yo momma (maternal insult)” today.
24. Your day is completely made when you get a “what up my brother!!” tweet back from @mark_mcgrath from Sugar Ray.
25. You know what Da Brat is up to these days.
Nearly 300 trucks carrying supplies to U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan clogged the Pakistani border crossings Sunday, leaving them vulnerable to militant attack a day after Islamabad closed the frontier in retaliation for coalition airstrikes that allegedly killed 24 Pakistani troops.
As Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani attended the funerals of the victims, including a major, the U.S. sought to minimize the fallout from the crisis, which plunged Washington's already troubled relationship with Islamabad to an all-time low.
Pakistan also ordered the U.S. to vacate an airbase that is used by American drones to target al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the country's tribal region along the Afghan border.
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Stuck: Cargo trucks, including those carrying supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan, are halted along the Pakistan border, after it was shut down
No passage: A Pakistani security personnel stands guard beside trucks carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan that are parked at the Pakistan's border crossing
Heavily guarded: On Sunday, Pakistani soldiers buried 24 troops killed in a NATO cross-border air raid Saturday
There are forces working against a total rupture in the relationship.
Pakistan still relies on billions of dollars in American military and civilian aid, and the U.S. needs Islamabad's help to push Afghan insurgents to engage in peace talks.
But tensions could rise further if militants unleash attacks against the stranded trucks ferrying NATO supplies to Afghanistan.
The attack is the worst single incident of its kind since Pakistan uneasily allied itself with Washington in the days immediately following the September 11 attacks on U.S. targets.
A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said he believed aircraft that had been called in to provide air support for ground troops was responsible for the Pakistani casualties, guardian.co.uk reports.
NATO has called the attack a 'tragic unintended incident.'
Laid to rest: Pakistan army soldiers carry coffins of Saturday's NATO attack victims in Peshawar, Pakistan
Salute: Pakistan army soldiers march among the rows of coffins
Suspected militants destroyed around 150 trucks and injured drivers and police a year ago after Pakistan closed one of its Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies for about ten days in retaliation for a U.S. helicopter attack that accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers.
The situation could be more dire this time because Pakistan, outraged at the alleged NATO attack before dawn Saturday, has closed both its crossings.
Nearly 300 trucks carrying coalition supplies are now backed up at Torkham in the northwest Khyber tribal area and Chaman in southwestern Baluchistan province. Last year, Pakistan only closed Torkham.
A Pakistani military statement immediately denied those claims, saying they were attacked first and had to respond 'with all available weapons.'
Pakistani officials say the troops at the outposts were sleeping at the time of the attacks.
John Allen, the US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, issued a statement saying the incident had his 'highest personal attention.'
Burning: Pakistani protesters burn a US flag in response to against the NATO strike on Pakistan troops
Protest: Pakistani demonstrators shout slogans against America and NATO in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday as tensions between the two nations increased
He said: 'My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan security forces who may have been killed or injured.'
The White House said on Saturday that senior US civilian and military officials have extended condolences to their Pakistani counterparts following the deaths, with the Obama administration pledged a full investigation into the attack.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a joint statement offered their 'deepest condolences' and said they 'support fully NATO's intention to investigate immediately.'
Keeping watch: Pakistani security officials stand guard near trucks carrying logistics supplies destined for NATO's forces in Afghanistan Saturday night
Hold it: Pakistani security personnel stop trucks carrying supplies for NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan at the Takhtabeg check post in Khyber, Pakistan
Lining up: Nearly 300 trucks line up in the outskirts of Quetta after the Chaman border crossing was closed
US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter also met with Pakistani government officials in Islamabad.
The statement said: 'In their contacts, these US diplomatic and military leaders each stressed - in addition to their sympathies and a commitment to review the circumstances of the incident - the importance of the US-Pakistani partnership, which serves the mutual interests of our people.
'All these leaders pledged to remain in close contact with their Pakistani counterparts going forward as we work through this challenging time,' the statement concluded.
Full probe: The President and Hillary Rodham Clinton support 'NATO's intention to investigate immediately'
The unidentified officials also said they wanted to work with Pakistan to investigate the deaths, the Associated Press reports.
The airstrike dealt a huge blow to American efforts to rebuild its strained relationship with Pakistan.
The White House statement did not address Pakistan's decision to block supply routes for the war in Afghanistan or its demand that the US to vacate the base.
Supply trucks were stopped on their way into the country at the Takhtabeg check post in the tribal area of Khyber, Pakistan.
Talks: Pakistani senior cabinet members, including Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, left, met today in Islamabad today to discuss all arrangements with NATO and the U.S.
The two countries have found tensions rising since the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by US special forces in a secret raid on the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in May.
Sam Brownback, the Republican Governor of Kansas, is an enormous wussy mama's boy tattletale. How do we know? Because a member of his staff literally went to the principal when a high-school student Tweeted that he "sucked."
Emma Sullivan, who is 18 years old, took a field trip to the capitol and saw Gov. Brownback speak. She Tweeted about the experience: "just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot." (Edit: to be clear, she did not actually make mean comments. She was "joking around" in the Tweet.) Now, whether or not you believe she's right (for the record, she is; Gov. Brownback blows a lot), whether or not you believe in her unqualified right to free speech, whether or not you believe it was rude: surely you, and all Americans, can agree that it is the utter height of punk sissitude to complain about the Tweet to Sullivan's principal.
And yet that's exactly what Brownback did:
Sullivan said she ended up in the principal's office the next day.
"He explained to me that someone from Brownback's office got a hold of it and sent it to someone in charge of the district," said Sullivan.
She said her principal wants her to write an apology to Brownback.
Hey, Sam Brownback: you are a straight-up crybaby snitch. No one is going to sit at your lunch table for the rest of the year or sign your yearbook. You blow a lot.
