What a friggin' boss

'invalid selective enforcement'

'Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores'

What started out as a nice weekend fishing trip turned into a massive rescue operation for two colleagues at State Farm Insurance for a pack of hunting dogs that almost drowned in a Mississippi lake. Bob Gist, 61, and his friend had hired a local bass fishing guide named Jordan Chrestman to take them out […] The post Fishermen Pull Off Dramatic Rescue of 38 Dogs Treading Water with No Shore in Sight appeared first on Good News Network.

Lists Arthurian Mythology Five Films That Creatively Adapt Arthurian Legend From classic comedies to existential journeys, these movies all put their own spin on the fabled knights of Camelot… By Lorna Wallace | Published on June 25, 2024 Credit: Python (Monty) Pictures Limited Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Python (Monty) Pictures Limited Arthurian legend is made up of a nebulous web of stories, making it ripe for creative adaptations. Retellings can sometimes struggle to find a balance between honoring the original story and doing something new, but that problem doesn’t weigh as heavily on Arthurian legend thanks to its lack of one definitive source.  Sure, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s medieval-era History of the Kings of Britain is the text that popularized much of the lore that we still tell today. But Geoffrey didn’t create all of the mythology surrounding Arthur and and a few iconic aspects of the legends—such as the quest for the Holy Grail—were added later. With that in mind, let’s explore five films in which Arthurian legend has been creatively retold and reimagined… Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Monty Python and the Holy Grail holds a pretty special place in my heart because not only did I grow up watching it, but some of its scenes were filmed close to where I live. The film follows Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights are they attempt to find the titular Grail, but they meet many hilarious obstacles along the way. Admittedly, some of the humor went over my head as a kid—I’m thinking specifically of the politically-minded peasant and his totally fair deconstruction of Arthur’s monarchical power (“You can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!”). But the script is just as silly as it is smart and the jokes that made me laugh when I was younger make me laugh just as much now. Arthur’s fight with the Black Knight, the Killer Rabbit, the taunting French solider, the questions at the Bridge of Death… all of it makes me giggle no matter how many times I see it. Of course, much of film’s comedic strength lies in the Pythons’ writing and performances, but I also have to give a shout out to the special effects, the cheapness of which just add to the hilarity. The Green Knight (2021) David Lowery’s The Green Knight feels like a distinctly dreamlike take on its source, the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Dev Patel stars as Gawain, Arthur’s roguish, fun-loving nephew. While celebrating at the Round Table on Christmas Day, the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) barges in and offers a challenge: whoever lands a blow on him will win his axe, but they’ll also receive an equal blow in a year’s time.  Gawain—looking to prove himself as a knight—accepts the challenge, but instead of just giving the stranger a little scratch, he decides to show off and ruin Christmas by beheading him. Instead of dying, as Gawain surely expected, the Knight simply picks up his head and rides off, forcing Gawain to go on a journey nearly a year later that’ll end with a blade at his neck. The film looks and sounds utterly gorgeous, making me want while away the day in a sun-dappled forest. Many of the adventures Gawain has on his journey are merely alluded to in the original poem and I love that the film takes the time to bring us along on the many weird, dark encounters and strange experiences he has (Gawain’s fox friend! The giants! The lake dive!).   Army of Darkness (1992) In the third installment of the Evil Dead series, Ash (Bruce Campbell) winds up being transported back to the Middle Ages. He’s captured by Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert), an obvious stand-in for King Arthur, and taken to Castle Kandar (we all know this is Camelot!). If you still aren’t convinced that Army of Darkness is Arthurian, I present to you the bearded and cloaked wizard who may be known as the Wise Man (Ian Abercrombie) in the film, but goes by Merlin in the comics. Ash obviously isn’t thrilled to be trapped in the past, but the Wise Man tells him he can get back to his own time with the aid of the Necronomicon. Despite knowing the danger that this book poses, Ash remains an overconfident idiot and doesn’t take the time to properly learn the very important incantation needed to safely remove the book from its podium in the graveyard. His garbled attempt at the phrase raises an army of Deadites, which attack Kandar (in a scene that walked so that the Battle of Helm’s Deep in LOTR: The Two Towers could run). Army of Darkness is a brilliant blend of goofy comedy, sword-wielding action, and blood-soaked horror. The Sword in the Stone (1963) I’m aware that The Sword in the Stone isn’t one of Disney’s best animations, but I can’t deny that I have a soft spot for it. Sure, the plot kind of meanders and the fact that Arthur, a.k.a Wart, was voiced by three different boys (Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman, and Robert Reitherman) is painfully obvious in some scenes, but there are some great moments sprinkled throughout its runtime. The highlight of the film has to be Merlin’s (Karl Swenson) magic duel with his nemesis, Madam Mim (Martha Wentworth). Mim’s chaotic energy is hilarious and it’s so fun to see the two of them try to outfox each other by transforming into different animals. I’m also fond of the earlier animal transformation scenes, with Merlin turning himself and Arthur into fish, squirrels, and birds in the name of education. Plus, grumpy owl Archimedes’ (Junius Matthews) over-the-top laughter when Merlin’s little plane crashes is delightfully infectious.   The Fisher King (1991) In Arthurian legend, the Fisher King guards the Holy Grail, but he’s wounded and stricken and must wait for a hero to heal him. Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King takes this legend and sets it in New York in the 1990s, but the heroic knight figure—Jack (Jeff Bridges), a former radio DJ who is haunted and depressed by past mistakes—is a self-centered jerk. Jack meets a delusional and traumatized homeless man called Parry (Robin Williams), who insists that they need to find the Grail. Although initially resistant, Jack finds himself drawn into Parry’s world. Gilliam’s take on the tale is just as much about the hero going on a healing journey as it is about the Fisher King being healed. Although Bridges is playing an asshole, his dynamic with Williams—who, true to form, gives a performance that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching—is charmingly compelling. The Fisher King manages to seamlessly mix together legend, comedy, tragedy, romance, and social commentary. And, to my delight, it even dips into horror whenever the brilliantly designed, hallucinatory Red Knight shows up to terrorize poor Parry. There are, of course, far more Arthurian films than just these five examples, so feel free to recommend your own favorites in the comments below![end-mark] The post Five Films That Creatively Adapt Arthurian Legend appeared first on Reactor.

Jamaal Bowman's Big Day

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized four menthol-flavored e-cigarette products, marking the first time a non-tobacco flavored vape product has been allowed to be marketed in the US. However, the decision has quickly drawn criticism from public health groups over concerns about the appeal of flavored vape products to young people.The newly authorized menthol-flavored products consist of two nonrefillable pods and two disposable e-cigarettes, all manufactured by American company NJOY. In order to get the sign-off from the FDA, these products went through the agency’s specific tobacco product pathway, which evaluates how they’re made, the risks and benefits to the population, and how they might affect tobacco product use.“We are a data driven agency and will continue to follow the science to inform our review of premarket tobacco applications,” said Dr Matthew Farrelly, director of the Office of Science in the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, in a statement.So far, such reviews have been conducted on more than 26 million new tobacco product applications – only 27 vaping products or devices out of those have made the cut, with the four flavored ones from NJOY being the latest to make the cut.“Based upon our rigorous scientific review, in this instance, the strength of evidence of benefits to adult smokers from completely switching to a less harmful product was sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth,” stated Farrelly.But that’s not been enough to hold off criticism of the authorization from healthcare providers and anti-tobacco groups, who are concerned about what the move might mean for youths.Despite first being created as an alternative to regular cigarettes, vaping has taken off with young people, with e-cigarettes having been the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school student for 10 years running.“Menthol is one of the most popular e-cigarette flavors among youth and has been shown to increase tobacco product initiation among children by masking the harshness of nicotine. These products have no place on the market,” said Dr Benjamin Hoffman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a statement.“These products will inevitably end up in the backpacks of middle schoolers. Once that happens, the FDA will have an obligation to immediately reverse this deeply unwise decision.”The FDA has said that it “remains concerned” about the risks of young people using e-cigarettes, particularly when it comes to the appeal of flavored products, and notes that the decision only authorizes the menthol products for marketing – it doesn’t mean they’re safe or FDA approved.“Like previously authorized products, the FDA has placed stringent marketing restrictions on the new products in an effort to prevent youth access and exposure,” the agency stated. “The agency may suspend or withdraw authorization if the agency determines that continued marketing is no longer appropriate for the protection of the public health, including if there is a notable increase in use of the products among youth.”

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt were supposed to go on a spacewalk on Monday, June 24 – but a fault led to the expected 6-and-a-half-hour walk being cut down to just 31 minutes. There was a water leak from the service and cooling umbilical unit on Dyson’s spacesuit that was described on the live stream by Dyson as spreading water  "everywhere" in the airlock.The pair had already switched to the internal power of the suits – so technically the spacewalk had begun – and had opened the hatch to the Quest airlock. Then they became aware of the water issue.“The crew members were not in any danger as result of the leak. Dyson and Barratt set their suits to battery power at 8:46 a.m. EDT and opened the International Space Station’s Quest airlock hatch to the vacuum of space before reporting the water issue,” a NASA blog post about the event reads. “The spacewalk lasted a total of 31 minutes, when the crew suits repressurized the crew lock section of the airlock at 9:17 a.m.”Spacewalking comes with risks – NASA estimates that around one-fifth of extravehicular activity ends up having either serious incidents or close calls. If we need to remember water-leak ones, we could think of ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano almost drowning in space. In that case, water was accumulating in the inside of his suit and helmet, slowly making its way across his face to his nose and mouth.Nothing as dangerous and dramatic happened in this case. Dyson and Barratt were going to remove a faulty electronics box from a communication antenna in the starboard truss of the International Space Station. They were also going to collect samples to see if microorganisms can survive in the vacuum of space around the station.The microbe collecting is an ongoing series of investigations inside and outside the space station to understand how microbes are adapting to the space environment. Some recent studies have shown that some have mutated in such a way that they are no longer similar to their Earthly counterparts. The spacewalk has not been rescheduled and it might push the next spacewalk, planned for July 2, forward as well.

Taking guns ‘out of the realm of politics’ and ‘into the realm of public health’ is anti-democratic.

Here We Go: Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence an 'Epidemic', Recommends Ban on 'Assault Weapons'