A 1957 obituary of his maternal grandfather stated that he had gone to and graduated from Santa Clara College

From a small Vermont countryside community comes the story of two Long Islanders who ditched mowing their massive lawn and planted wildflowers insteaddelighting the neighbors‚ birds‚ bees‚ and butterflies. Theyve steadily grown their wildflower meadow to 2-1/2 acres‚ which has become so popular that its inspired others nearby to do the same. Jonathan Yacko and []The post Millions of Wildflowers Now Delight the Communtiy Where Vermont Couple Used to Spend All Day Mowing Grass appeared first on Good News Network.

The post Not So Crappy! Reframing Poop to Not Hate Cleaning Cat Litter by Dr. Lauren Demos DVM (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren';t considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.Hi‚ Im Dr. Lauren!Read my introductionto learn more about me and my two adventurous cats‚ Pancake and Tiller.Poop. We all might shudder a bit when the topic arises. But touching it? Looking at it? Quantifying and qualifying it? Thats a whole different level of eww for many of us.But what if we reframed these negative connotations about poo‚ into a positive?This weeks article aims to provide just that insight‚ and show you just how your cats stool can be useful for indicating your cats health‚ happiness‚ and beyond. We often think long and hard about what goes into our cats: e.g. food- is it healthy‚ tasty‚ how often and how much should we feedbut we often spend little to no time on what is coming out of our cats. Yet it can be equally important. Lets change that.We tend to focus on what cats eat‚ but not the other end of digestion.Rethinking Cat PoopSo‚ what is poop? Essentially‚ its what is leftover from eating‚ that the body couldnt digest‚ or wanted to eliminate. In humans‚ poop is around 76% water‚ the frequency of defecation is predominantly determined by the ingestion and amount of fiber‚ and the average number of stool productions is around 1.2 daily.1 Though published data is sparse‚ its likely fair to say that cats are similar. Additionally‚ just like people‚ one study in cats found that there is huge variation in the length of time it takes to digest food depending on the individual.2 (Importantly‚ this same study found as a side note that dry pilling your cat‚ e.g.‚ giving your cat a pill without food or water led to 3 out of 17 cats having the pill stuck in their esophagus for over an hour!) But now‚ back to poop!Poop also reflects the overall health of the producer. Too firm‚ and there may be dehydration. Too wet‚ and the body isnt absorbing all the water from the stool. (Note‚ this is not due to an excess of water! I have had many clients over the years that tell me they stop feeding their cat wet food because their cats stool was too soft‚ or their cat had diarrhea! Nope! The colon had an issue‚ and couldnt absorb the water before the stool left the body. It wasnt the amount of water itself! And canned food is great for cats‚ so please dont fall into that trap of thinking canned food causes diarrhea by containing too much water!)Poop also reflects the amount‚ type and distribution of bacteria living in the digestive tract‚ also referred to as the microbiome. This has become a buzzword area of medicine in recent years‚ looking at everything from how the microbiome contributes to gut health‚ but also brain‚ kidney and heart health‚ as well as the immune system. And new data is continually forthcoming! For instance‚ a recent publication found that certain probiotic strains may significantly reduce skin allergies in certain cats. Sounds like a big deal? It is. All of this is simple‚ easy‚ side-effect-free medicine that is cost-effective‚ and safe. Whats not to love?Pancake sprawlingWhat Is a Fecal Transplant?Did you know that in human and feline medicine we can use something called fecal transplants to help with chronic diarrhea or other conditions? Ive met many people who have spoken about their positive experiences with FMT: fecal microbiota transplants.As a vet‚ Ive had some amazing results in my own patients‚ including my first FMT patient that Ill call Jesse‚ who was a 16-year-old Domestic Shorthair diabetic with many years history of diarrhea. His owners were ready to euthanize him after trying years of medications aimed to improve his stool‚ and his quality of life was poor‚ but a fecal transplant bought him almost an extra year- with normal stool appearing within 24 hours of his transplant.Basically‚ the process is similar to blood donationjust involving a different organ. A donor cat (healthy and screened for fecal parasites) provides stool‚ which is then liquified and used to populate the recipient cats fecal tract‚ therefore transplanting healthy bacteria. Its an amazingly simple‚ and yet effective‚ process. Its not always curative for patients‚ but it can be a good tool in the diarrhea arsenal. Medicine can be both functional and mind-aweing‚ at times! The gut‚ quite simply‚ is quite simply powerful.Pancake and Tiller at restRules of Thumb for Cat PoopSo‚ where does this all leave us? Cleaning the litter box may be a drag (or litter tray‚ for those so inclined)‚ but the information it can provide is proverbial gold. Here are a few rules of thumb‚ when it comes to feline feces:Overall consistency should be pliable‚ but firm. Since we all like food‚ using a Snickers bar analogy: you should be able to deform it‚ but the stool should still be firm. (Hopefully no one is eating lunch or dessert while reading this!)Color: a light to dark brown. Black can indicate digested blood. Ive also had clients start new foods that led to color changes in their cats feces. A whitish color can mean a lack of pancreatic enzymes‚ though this is uncommon in cats.Smell: highly malodorous or smelly stool may indicate an issue‚ such as microbiome upset. But all stool will smell to some extent- that is normal!If using probiotics‚ use one recommended by your veterinarian. Many probiotics do not meet label claims when tested‚ therefore using one that actually stands up to scrutiny is important. In one study‚ only 2 of 25 tested probiotics actually matched product labelling. I personally tend to use Fortiflora to start‚ as many cats like the taste‚ and its easy to use‚ in addition to meeting label claims.Middening is the term for cats defecating inappropriately. In indoor cats‚ this means outside the litter tray. It can indicate communication about stress‚ or even dislike of the litter box or litter. Speak with your vet‚ if this is occurring. Middening should not be confused with cats that go to the tray‚ but defecate over the edge‚ or miss the box.Size: Most feline feces is around the diameter of the average human finger. If its extremely thin‚ say pencil diameter‚ this can indicate a narrowing or stricture of the intestinal tract‚ and should be investigated. If its very large‚ it can indicate intestinal motility issues‚ and should also be mentioned to your vet.Never be afraid to take photos of your cats stool if something doesnt look right. Similarly‚ a video of them in the box can help your vet to see and share any concerns you may have!The old saying goes: it will all come out in the end. In this instance of poop‚ certainly‚ that is true. Health indicators‚ and gastrointestinal function‚ can all be assessed by looking at what your cat leaves behind. Hopefully‚ this sheds some new light on the daily cleaning of the box‚ and gives you something else to think about during the time you are cleaning‚ making cleaning the box both functional‚ and thought-provoking!The post Not So Crappy! Reframing Poop to Not Hate Cleaning Cat Litter by Dr. Lauren Demos DVM (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren';t considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

News Joker: Folie Deux Love Is in the Air‚ Maybe‚ in the First Trailer for Joker: Folie Deux Nobody sings‚ though By Molly Templeton | Published on April 10‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Welcome to Arkham Asylum‚ folks. Here you will find Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) living a drab‚ incarcerated lifeuntil he sees a girl who appears to be singing in the prison choir. When they meet‚ everything changes. Freedom! Performances! Dancing on the rooftops! So much love is in the air! But how much of this is real? The first trailer for Joker: Folie Deux is full of flashes of color (those umbrellas!) and razzle-dazzle‚ but there is a distinct suggestion that little of their fancy lives is actually happeningat least not exactly the way were seeing it. Probably Arthur and Harley (Lady Gaga) do break out of prison‚ but all the shiny-outfit glowing-lights parts seem well‚ these two arent generally known for being the best-adjusted of folks‚ you know?Joker: Folie Deux is‚ of course‚ Todd Phillipss sequel to 2019s Joker‚ which was a massive hit: a billion bucks at the box office and 11 Oscar nominations. It was supposed to be a one-off. Surprise! The sequel has been described as a jukebox musical‚ though Variety points out that director Phillips has said thats not entirely accurate: I like to say its a movie where music is an essential element‚ Phillips said at CinemaCon‚ where footage debuted. It doesnt veer too far from the first film. Arthur has music in him. He has a grace to him.The Joker and Harley dance into theaters on October 4th. [end-mark]The post Love Is in the Air‚ Maybe‚ in the First Trailer for &;lt;i&;gt;Joker: Folie Deux&;lt;/i&;gt; appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations Poetry 12 Poems That Consider the Cosmos From the Moon landing to Plutos orbit‚ these poems explore space and all of our weird human feelings. By Holly Kybett Smith | Published on April 10‚ 2024 Photo by Daniel lvasd [via Unsplash] Comment 0 Share New Share Photo by Daniel lvasd [via Unsplash] For as long as weve been observing the night sky and the movement of planets and stars‚ humans have been curious about the other worlds that might be out there. Were adventurous creatures: we like to explore‚ and we like to make friends‚ too. This month‚ Ive selected twelve poems to carry you on a journey through space.Three two one liftoff!Zero Gravity by Eric GamalindaThe dunes were litlike ancient silk‚ like clandestine pearl.In the constant lunar night this luminescencewas all we hoped for. A creature unto itselfPublished thirty years after the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969‚ this poem takes a reverent look at the event through the eyes of a child. Possibility and longing suffuse each stanza‚ alongside a forward-reaching nostalgia.Model Solar System by Michael MesicMechanical and precise‚The tiny shapes revolve‚Orange or blue or red‚One speckled with blue and green‚Each at the end of a wireInvisible as threadBy contrast‚ Mesics poem invites the reader to look down on our solar system from above‚ the way a child might‚ creating a model for class. From this simultaneously childlike and godlike angle‚ one unveils the secret mechanisms that govern the workings of space; the tiny lightbulb inside the sun; the wires holding everything together. It is no less wonderful.Heliocentric by Keith S. WilsonWho could love youlike this? Who else will sew you in the stars?Who better knows your gravity and goesotherwise‚ to catastrophe?Ive schemed and promisedto bring you back a ringfrom SaturnThis painful yet poignant poem tells the story of an astronaut caught between their beloved on Earth and the siren-song of outer space. It brims with love‚ and yearningthe yearning of fingertips brushing whats just slightly out of reach.Sunflower Astronaut by Charlie EspinosaFor months I have studied the sun. My head of bracts tracked its arc like an antenna.Now I am a sun‚ with a yellow crown and a hot core of disk florets and pollen.I‚ too‚ emit signals to orbiting bodies who come and go with fertile stardustSunflower Astronautwith its accompanying illustration by Romie Stottadopts a truly unique perspective on space travel‚ written in the voice of a sunflower seed.Life Centered Around by Moon Bo Young (trans. Hedgie Choi)Its space and space smiles like a doll whose neck is the only part that turns. When Europa thinks of space it thinks of the year 5000 or just before the year 5000 or just after the year 5000.Like Wilson in Heliocentric‚ Moon Bo Youngs prose poem uses the solar system as set dressing for a profound exploration of human emotion. In this instance‚ the narrator is not caught between two warring desires but trapped in a codependent orbit‚ like Europa around Jupiter.Wide Shining Craters by Jace DeAngeloThere is wateron Europaand I am so thirsty.I knew the moment it mentioned Laika that this poem would hurt to read‚ and I wasnt wrong. A meditation on the sacrifices made in the name of scientific progress‚ Wide Shining Cratersasks important questions about who is deemed disposable enough to sacrifice‚ and who makes those choices.Pluto Shits on the Universe by Fatima AsgharIt is February 7th‚ 1979 and my skin is morecopper than any sky will ever be. More metal.We reach now to the edge of our solar system‚ where Pluto looms defiant‚ forever a symbol of self-determination in the face of arbitrary‚ externally-enforced categories. In this lively‚ profanity-laden poem‚ Asghar gives Pluto a voice‚ imagining the erstwhile planet as a rulebreaker‚ jubilant in its flouting of the universes laws.Some Facts Are Difficult to Discuss by M.E. SilvermanMy fathers favorite nebula‚ Lemon Slice‚ is named after his favorite dessert. His mother made it from scratch‚ using lemon zest and juice from two fresh lemonsBeyond the solar system‚ there are nebulae where space dust glitters; the building blocks of the universe. Silverman writes of one such nebula in this prose poem‚ and even though the nebula in question is far away4500 lightyears away‚ to be precisehis words bring it straight back home.Doppler Effect by Lydia ODonnellYour light is the crunch of dead leavesCold‚ your rich light looks like a hearthIts not that you want to be dimOther scientists believe youre habitableWith its experimental structure‚ its almost-duelling verses‚ Doppler Effectis an experience to read. It follows a researchers journey to determine whether life can exist on planets orbiting distant stars.I Roll Up to the Club in a Gundam by Eric Wangtell everyone that its laser swords are just giant glow-sticks. tell the valet to take it for a spin. tell myself that spacesuits are hip club attire. whats more sci-fi than a gundam is that‚ somehow‚ all the friends ive ever had are here.Meanwhile‚ this short prose-poem offers a snapshot into a glittering sci-fi future where a gaggle of space travellers reunite to pass an evening partying. Even though they are far-flung‚ galaxy-traversing adventurers‚ their lonelinessat only being able to see each other once in a blue moonechoes the familiar loneliness we feel on Earth‚ when we grow up and all our friends move away to different towns.Earth Light: I by Lynn XuDoors open and shut.Weve come to the place where nothing shines.I hear eternityIs self-forgettingOur penultimate poem is brief but dark‚ taking its narrators to the very edge of what is known. How to fill the endless‚ stretching silence?Everywhere That Universe by John CiardiEven wisteria‚ sufficiently looked at‚will do for a galaxy. Nebulaecoil and flare on the trellisesFor our final poem‚ we descend back to Earth. The Universe is boundless‚ full of possibilities‚ but so is our own planet‚ right here at our fingertips. Look around with new appreciation. What do you see?[end-mark]The post 12 Poems That Consider the Cosmos appeared first on Reactor.

Column Science Fiction Film Club The Mysterians: Flying Saucers‚ Mecha Kaiju‚ Ray Guns‚ and International Cooperation? Spectacle! Giant Mole Robots! Meetings! This 1957 Japanese film grapples with the anxieties of the post-WWII atomic age By Kali Wallace | Published on April 10‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share The Mysterians (Japanese title: ‚ Earth Defense Force) (1957) Directed by Ishiro Honda. Starring Kenji Sahara‚ Yumi Shirakawa‚ and Akihiko Hirata. Screenplay by Takeshi Kimura and Shigeru Kayama based a story by Jojiro Okami.Its not possible to truly separate any film from the political context in which it is made. Thats a fairly bland observation about cinema. But context really does stand out in some cases more than others‚ and movies from the 1950s about aliens visiting Earth are one very obvious example. Last weeks The Day the Earth Stood Still and this weeks The Mysterians are companions in many ways‚ exploring the same themes and ideas that dominated so much of 1950s science fiction‚ but they are doing it from different perspectives‚ in different ways‚ with very different results.And with very different robots that shoot death rays‚ but well get to that.The Mysterians came out in the middle of an absolute deluge of 1950s movies from Toho Company‚ the film production company behind so many beloved Japanese movies. Toho has some interesting history behind it‚ so pardon me for a brief detour. Toho started as a kabuki theater company in the 1930s and began producing films shortly thereafter. After Japans surrender at the end of World War II‚ one of the things the American-led Occupation government did was encourage the organization of labor unions‚ and one of the industries that seized this opportunity was Japans film industry. The workers at Toho organized into a union in late 1945‚ and between 1946 and 1948 they participated in high-profile labor strikes.But the anti-communist hysteria that was running rampant in the U.S. was also in full force in occupied Japan‚ and the Occupation government began thinking they had encouraged things to get a bit too liberal. The third Toho strike began when the company president fired over a thousand workers with the stated goals of ridding the company of both communists and debt. The union responded by occupying the studio from April until August 1948. They had the public support of many in the Japanese film industry‚ including director Akira Kurosawa and rising star Toshiro Mifune‚ but the strike was finally broken by a joint force of Japanese police and American military‚ who showed up with armored vehicles and tanks. As a result‚ Toho ended the 1940s nearly bankrupt and barely producing any movies at all. The company entered the 1950s badly in need of a smash hit to keep itself afloat.In 1954 it made two: Seven Samurai‚ which contemporary critics expected to succeed based on Akira Kurosawas rising domestic and international fame‚ and Ishiro Hondas Godzilla‚ which contemporary critics expected to flop because it was about a giant monster stomping around.Godzilla did not flop. Instead it launched one of the most successful media franchises in history‚ still going strong seventy years later‚ and sparked an entire genre of atomic age monster movies. It also brought fame and recognition to the partnership of Ishiro Honda and special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya. Tsuburaya pioneered what came to be known as the tokusatsu genre and style of films‚ which involve the use of elaborate practical effects. The two men would go on to make many kaiju films together‚ including Rodan (1956)‚ Mothra (1961)‚ and Ghidorah‚ the Three-Headed Monster (1964). But they werent only making giant monsters. Somewhere in there they found time for a few sci fi movies‚ including The Mysterians.Just as Godzilla was inspired by the success of American monster films King Kong (1933‚ but re-released in 1952) and The Beast From 20‚000 Fathoms (1953)‚ the idea behind The Mysterians came in part from wanting a successful science fiction movie in the vein of War of the Worlds (1953) or Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956). Japanese studios were making Japanese movies for Japanese audiences‚ but they were also very much aware of the fame and moneymaking potential of getting their films in front of international‚ and particularly American‚ audiences.Big-budget movies about space and aliens were all the rage at the time‚ so thats what Honda‚ Tsuburaya‚ and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka (also the producer of Godzilla) set out to make. Tanaka got science fiction writer Jojiro Okami to come up with a treatment for an alien film; Godzilla screenwriter Shigeru Kayama revised the storyadding‚ among other things‚ the mecha-kaiju that comes along to fuck things upwhich was at last finalized by Rodan screenwriter Takeshi Kimura. They also brought in familiar cast members from Godzilla‚ Rodan‚ and Godzilla Raids Again (1955). All of that‚ plus a massive budget and full-color filming‚ was designed to make The Mysterians a big hit.The movie was successful‚ both in Japan and later when it was dubbed and released in the U.S. Even at the time‚ however‚ many critics recognized that it was mostly the visual spectacle of The Mysterians that made such an impact‚ rather than its story or themes or overall quality. And thats as true now as it was then. The film has a pretty thin plot with pretty shaky writing‚ and the talented cast can only do so much with the bland characters.But the spectacle! We cant deny the spectacle of it all. The incredible miniatures‚ the vibrant colors‚ the sweeping scenes of disasterits all so much fun to look at.The Mysterians opens with two young couples enjoying a festival in a rural village. One of the young men‚ Ryoichi Shiraishi (Akihiko Hirata)‚ has broken off his engagement to one of the young women‚ and when his friend Joji Atsumi (Kenji Sahara) asks him about it‚ he gives no reason except that he must stay in the village to complete his work. This makes little sense to Atsumi‚ as they are astrophysicists and the village is not exactly a hotbed of scientific research. Its about to become one‚ however‚ because a unnatural forest fire disrupts the festival‚ and soon thereafter the village is swallowed whole when the land is split by a massive chasm. Atsumi is back in the city when he receives this news‚ but Shiraishi was still in the village and is presumed dead.Atsumi is part of the team sent to investigate the disaster. The village and temple are gone‚ the rivers fish poisoned by radiation‚ and the ground is hot enough and radioactive enough to melt the tires of their trucks. But the real problems start when an enormous mole-like robot burrows out of the mountainside and comes after them. This is Moguera‚ a mecha-kaiju who would decades later return to the movies in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994).Apologies to all giant mole robots‚ but it must be said: Moguera is very‚ very silly looking. Hes wreaking havoc‚ but I still want to boop his pointy little mole nose.I love the first part of this movie‚ with the mysterious destruction of the village‚ the strangeness left in its wake‚ and Mogueras implacable advanceshooting death rays out of his eyes all the whileon the city while people race to evacuate. Its tense‚ its exciting‚ and there is a real sense of triumph when the humans manage to stop Moguera by blowing up a bridge.This sequence was made using Tsuburayas signature method: building elaborately detailed miniature landscapes and filming an actor in a monster suit at a high frame-rate as he stomps around. This is very different from the way American movies were creating giant monsters at the time; King Kong and the films of special effects legend Ray Harryhausen mostly used stop motion animation combined with live footage and projected backgrounds to put giant monsters into scenes. Tsuburaya had initially wanted to use stop motion animation with Godzilla‚ but constraints of time and money meant he had to use an actor in a monster suit instead‚ and thats what he kept using throughout his career. (The men inside the Moguera suit are the same actors who were inside the Godzilla suit: Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka.)It may not have been the method Tsuburaya wanted when he started making giant monsters‚ but suitmation is undeniably effective when it comes to capturing the scale of destruction needed to make these scenes work. The quality of the miniatures is so important too‚ and I absolutely love how well they trick me into seeing villages and landscapes. Its not that we cant spot the difference when we look closely; what matters is that the overall scale and spectacle of the scene remains exciting to watch even when we can.After Moguera is defeated‚ Atsumi and his mentor Adachi (Takashi Shimura) determine that the robot came from outer space. Helpfully‚ before he was swallowed up with the destroyed village‚ Shiraishi sent them a research report regarding a planet called Mysteroid that once existed in the solar system. (Note: The English subtitles sometimes refer to Mysteroid as a star‚ but that seems to be a linguistic quirk lost in translation rather than an egregious scientific error. The word they use is‚ pronounced hoshi‚ which can refer to a star‚ planet‚ or other celestial body in either a literal or a figurative sense.)Almost as soon as Atsumi and Akachi make the connection‚ the Mysterians themselves make an appearance‚ as their massive‚ hidden dome emerges from the ground near Mount Fuji. They claim to come in peace and ask to negotiate with Adachi‚ Atsumi‚ and a few other scientists. The humans are very skeptical‚ on account of the destroyed village and the giant mole-robot that just blasted a city with its laser eyes‚ but they agree to talk. They head into the Mysterians dome‚ which is wonderfully designed with bright colors and weird tubes and spinny things‚ and meet with the aliens directly.The skepticism turns out to be justified‚ because the Mysterians have an offer they really dont think the Earthlings should refuse. The Mysterian leader (Yoshio Tsuchiya‚ unrecognizably clad in an orange cape and helmet) explains that they destroyed their own planet in a nuclear war several generations ago‚ and they have been living on Mars ever since. The long-term effects of that war mean they all have high levels of strontium-90 in their bodies. All they ask of Earth is a plot of land three kilometers square to live on and access to human women to breed with. It would be very unfortunate for the humans to refuse‚ says the leader‚ because that would force the self-proclaimed pacifist Mysterians to respond with great force.Lets be clear about something. Not every science fiction story is symbolic or allegorical. Not every alien race is an analogue to people or governments in the real world. I think it is a disservice to both storytellers and audiences to view every work of science fiction through the lens of being required to dissect and determine its real-world meaning.However‚ I also think that when Japanese filmmakers in 1957 make a movie about a shocking and indiscriminate act of destruction that causes radiation poisoning and has the purveyors of that destruction show up and say they really only want peace and all they ask is a bit of land to establish themselves on so they can make sure everybody does as they say Its maybe not a stretch to contemplate multiple levels of meaning.The latter half of the movie‚ unfortunately‚ is not nearly as exciting as the beginning. There are a lot of meetings. Shiraishi is revealed to be alive and working with the Mysterians in their base. Women get kidnapped. The Mysterians take more land. Tokyo is in danger. There is a lot of military action. Through all of this‚ the special effects are still great‚ even if the plotting and pacing leave much to be desired. The dome itself is weirdly effective as a threat considering that it is literally just a dome that lights up and spins. It shouldnt feel dangerous at allbut somehow it does. I am also impressed by the scene where water spouts from a lake and floods a village; the water rushing over the miniatures is very effective. But: there are so many meetings.In a lot of ways‚ the meetings are the point‚ because this is a movie that ultimately advocates for international cooperation in response to an existential threat. There is a nice moment of Cold War commentary where a character remarks that whether they like it or not‚ the U.S. and the Soviet Union exist on the same planet and ought to act like it. The Mysterians was made just after Japan joined the United Nations in 1956‚ so the theme of international cooperation and mutual defense was very much on peoples minds. The movie does not create any tension around the notion of cooperation; the other nations show up as soon as they are needed to form the Earth Defense Force of the original Japanese title.When the Mysterians prove difficult to defeat and somebody brings up the possibility of using a hydrogen bomb‚ the Japanese scientists react with horror. So‚ in the end‚ Earths victory comes from technological advancement that turns the Mysterians own weapons against them. The Mysterians flee Earth but are not destroyed. The movie ends with the message that they are still out there in the solar system‚ with potential to return in the future.Even with its flaws‚ I find this movie to be an interesting addition to sci fi of the post-WWII atomic era. The ultimate message is very much the same as in films like The Day the Earth Stood Still: the development of nuclear weapons has set humanity on a dangerous path‚ and if we continue unchecked we will destroy ourselves. But where The Day the Earth Stood Still has an alien visitor show up to sincerely warn us about our own future actions‚ the alien visitors in The Mysterians show up unrepentant about their own past actions and fully prepared to visit that same destruction onto Earth.And‚ yes‚ in the most obvious interpretation‚ that is an unsurprising difference between a film made in the country that dropped the atomic bombs and a film made in the country the bombs were dropped on. But there is also optimism in The Mysterians‚ not just in the success of cooperative action‚ but also in the ability of science to solve problems‚ even those problems that science has created in the first place. There are moments of individual heroism and sacrificeAtsumi and Shiraishi in the dome at the endbut for the most part the focus is on the actions of the group‚ not the individual‚ from the large-scale civilian evacuations to the military operations.It is a war movie‚ never mind the fact that the war is started by a giant mole-shaped robot that shoots lasers from its eyes and perpetuated by aliens dressed in fabulous citrus-bright capes‚ and more specifically it is the type of war movie where everybody working together saves the day. The Mysterians is‚ in a way‚ providing one answer to the question posed by the uneasy ending of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Is it a particularly plausible or convincing answer? Well‚ not especially‚ but I still find it notable‚ because it is yet another example of science fiction as a genre looked around after the end of WWII and tried to make sense of how the world had changed and would continue to change.What are your thoughts about The Mysterians and where it sits in the subgenre of atomic era sci fi? Do you want to see more of Eiji Tsuburayas practical effects? Youll get your chance; we are definitely going to watch Godzilla. Im thinking there is a giant monster month in the future‚ so feel free to drop suggestions below.Next week: Were stepping away from the aftermath of WWII and jumping headfirst into the 1980s. We head back to the United States for some hijinks in Harlem with The Brother From Another Planet. Watch it on Amazon‚ Roku‚ Tubi‚ Shout TV‚ Apple‚ all over YouTube‚ and Internet Archive.The post &;lt;i&;gt;The Mysterians&;lt;/i&;gt;: Flying Saucers‚ Mecha Kaiju‚ Ray Guns‚ and International Cooperation? appeared first on Reactor.

A mechanic from the past may be back for Guardians to look after. Here is where to find a Grimoire card about Empress Caiatl in Destiny 2: Into the Light.Destiny 2: Where to find a Grimoire card about Empress CaiatlFinding a Grimoire card in general let alone one about Empress Caiatl may sound intriguing given the fact that collecting Grimoire cards has not been a thing since Bungie removed said mechanic back in the day. So‚ the moment I saw this as one of the many Triumphs to get the Brave Title‚ I thought that maybe they were bringing this mechanic back as a sort of nostalgia trip. And well‚ they sort of did‚ but not as how you might expect.Screenshot: PC InvasionYou see‚ you do get to collect Grimoire cards in Destiny 2: Into the Light‚ but they can be easily missed if you are not a curious soul like me who am I kidding‚ I stumble with these by mere chance. In the Hall of Champions‚ you will see several doors to the sides that are closed by a ...

The first thing you should do in Moonrise Towers is rescue the tieflings and Wulbren. If you wait and continue forward‚ there will be irreversible consequences that you dont want. Heres the best way to rescue Wulbren and the tieflings in Baldurs Gate 3.Where to find and rescue Wulbren and the Tieflings inBaldurs Gate 3 (BG3)To find and rescue the tieflings and Wulbren in BG3‚ youll need to convince the guards at the Moonrise Towers that youre friendly and make your way to the prison. There you can kill all of the guards and Warden before escaping safely with Wilbren and the tieflings.Ive seen a lot of Reddit threads confirming that if you dont rescue the tieflings or Wulbren and his fellow gnomes before progressing through the Shadowlands‚ theyll die permanently. Because of that‚ I highly recommend rescuing Wulbren and the tieflings as soon as you reach Moonrise Towers.How to find Wulbren and the Tieflings...

Its been a red-letter week for destroying the gender narrative. And the trans juggernaut just hit another speed bump.Fresh off the heels of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announcing that it would not allow transgender-identified men to compete in womens athletic events in any of their associations 239 small private schools‚ a landmark study was released on Wednesday that defies the hysterical warning that if gender dysphoric adolescents dont receive gender-affirming care‚ they will kill themselves.The new study from British pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass confirms what weve always known: children presenting with sudden onset gender dysphoria are actually suffering from other mental health diagnosesnot true gender dysphoria. Her research debunks the gender ideologues frequent talking point: that the imposition of medical gender-affirming care on mentally ill children is not only necessary‚ but life-saving.Casss research instead reveals that children who think they are transgender disproportionately have mental health issues stemming from a difficult family situation or domestic abuse. They are also more likely to be neurodiverse and have a co-morbid autism spectrum disorder.Cass reveals that gender affirming medical interventions would not remedy any of these psychological issues. Effectively using such interventions would mean turning a blind eye to the real underlying psychological distress with which gender-confused children often struggle.Casss groundbreaking report reveals that mental health therapy is the best approach for gender dysphoric children‚ rather than rushing to put them on hormones or puberty blockers or performing mutilating and irreversible surgeries. Her report also warns that if children are permitted to make choices to physically and socially conform with their gender of choice‚ rather than receiving the necessary treatment for their underlying mental health issues‚ they will experience significant negative psychological repercussions.Yes‚ you read that right. Securing medical gender affirming care creates the negative psychological repercussions gender identitarians warn us about. And the failure to receive it does not.At last‚ the narrative about adolescent gender dysphoria has started to crumble.Conservatives and gender critics have long warned against rushing to chemically castrate and mutilate gender-confused kids‚ advocating instead for the European approach of watchful waiting and mental health counseling. It seems they were right all along.Casss report on gender dysphoria was the second damning study to be released in 10 days. It was launched soon after another study that breaches the once seemingly impenetrable dam of gender identity built by the White House‚ cultural elites‚ celebrities‚ and politicized medical groups. A Dutch study of 2‚700 children revealed that a significant majority of gender-confused children grow out of that feeling by the time they are full grown adults. This newly published research tracked adolescents for over 15 years and found that gender confusion in children drastically decreased over time‚ supporting the argument that when children believe they are transgender‚ it is often nothing more than a passing sensationand not indisputable fact.Both Cass study and the recent Dutch study argue against transitioning kids who report gender dysphoria. Together‚ they advise for holistic treatment of these adolescents‚ treatment which addresses the complex psychological reasons a child may think he or she born in the wrong body.Gender-confused children have been lied to‚ and the adults who have lied to them must be held accountable. The flood of litigation challenging these pernicious practices is only just beginning.The post Trans Juggernaut Hits a Speedbump: Landmark Study Reveals Transgender Kids Actually Have Other Mental Health Diagnoses‚ Instead. appeared first on The Daily Signal.