Why Would Anyone Believe The Earth Is Flat?

The Earth as seen from space – looks curved from up there. 
Flickr/NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, CC BY-NC

By Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland

Belief in a flat Earth seems a bit like the attempt to eradicate polio – just when you think it’s gone, a pocket of resistance appears. But the “flat Earthers” have always been with us; it’s just that they usually operate under the radar of public awareness.

Now the rapper B.o.B has given the idea prominence through his tweets and the release of his single Flatline, in which he not only says the Earth is flat, but mixes in a slew of other weird and wonderful ideas.

These include the notions that the world is controlled by lizard people, that certain celebrities are cloned, that Freemasons manipulate our lives, that the sun revolves around the Earth and that the Illuminati control the new world order. Not bad for one song.

Even ignoring that these ideas are inconsistent (are we run by lizards, the Freemansons or the Illuminati?), what would inspire such a plethora of delusions? The answer is both straightforward, in that it is reasonably clear in psychological terms, and problematic, in that it can be hard to fix.

Nuclear Experts Are Scared -- 48 Hours To Act

"Doel Kerncentrale 2" by Torsade de Pointes - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Commons 

Nuclear experts are scared:

Belgium has just restarted two ancient and cracked nuclear power plants that threaten to unleash another Chernobyl disaster right in the heart of Europe!

Treading Water: Flint's Water Crisis and What It Says About America Today

The complicated story how Flint, Mich. is a striking example of American inequity today.
Photo: Flickr user Ken Lund (PRNewsFoto/American Federation of Governme)

AFGE tells the complicated story of how one city is a striking example of a nationwide problem

You get what you pay for. So when officials cut corners to find a cheaper source of water for the financially-strapped community of Flint, Mich., half of its children tested positive for elevated lead levels. Images of brown, rancid water dominated headlines and social media nationwide. Residents are now forced to survive on bottled water with little hope for relief in sight.

 

What you may not know is that it's not just Flint that is suffering.

Donald Trump: Just How Good A Businessman Is He?

Reuters/Aaron P. Bernstein

By Scott Taylor, University of Birmingham 

Demagoguery aside, much of Donald Trump’s bid to gain the Republican Party nomination for the presidency of the United States rests on his success as a businessman. It was his business fortune that meant he could kickstart his bid with $1.8m of his own money. But how credible a business leader is he? And, in light of his track record, should he be trusted to run the US?

Iliza Shlesinger's Latest Record, Freezing Hot, to be Released by Comedy Dynamics

Iliza Shlesinger (PRNewsFoto/Comedy Dynamics)

Iliza: Freezing Hot, will be released by Comedy Dynamics on all digital services January 29, 2016. A special of the same name premiered on Netflix to great reviews January 23, 2015. 

Why Pulling Out Of The EU Won't Give Britain Complete Control Over Its Affairs

And all the invitations just dried up. EPA/Andy Rain

By Eunice Goes, Richmond American International University

For years, crusaders of the Eurosceptic cause have claimed that all the evils of the world will disappear once Britain leaves the European Union. British fishermen and women will be able to fish as much cod as they like and greengrocers will be able to weigh Brussels sprouts in pounds. Britain will regain control of its borders, parliamentary sovereignty will be restored to its former glory and the great brotherhood of English-speaking countries will be rekindled.

But so far these grandiose promises have not been accompanied by any explanation of what exactly will happen after Brexit. No scenarios have been described apart from vague references to remaining part of the European free-trade zone. It’s about time they spelled out their case.

Worldwide Release of the Documentary: Revolution of the Present A Primer for Global Citizenship

Revolution of the Present (PRNewsFoto/Revolution of the Present)

"The Planet is Being Shaped By Human Intention and Action. It is Radically Different Than Anything We've Ever Seen." - Revolution of the Present

Featuring twenty international thought leaders, Revolution of the Present, the documentary feature film by Director Marc Lafia, dares the viewer to begin examining a profound new present, this revolution of the present, so that we can better shape our collective future. 

Just released on Vimeo, iTunes, and Amazon Prime this January (coming soon to GooglePlay), the film unravels the complexity of the contemporary moment, examining western presumptions and narratives. 

In the post colonial world of identity politics, social media, climate change, screen and algorithmic computational technologies, it asks if there is room for the individual and participatory politics in the networked cultures of today. 

Subversive Habits: The Untold Story of Black Catholic Nuns in the U.S.

Sisters of the Holy Family, New Orleans, La., cir. 1899. It is the second order of African American Nuns founded in the United States. (PRNewsFoto/Loyola Marymount University)

Few have heard the epic story of the Catholic church's most hidden members – its black nuns – who faced prejudice both inside and outside of the church.

Although the longstanding practices of racial segregation and exclusion in the U.S. Church kept their numbers statistically insignificant through the 20th century, African-American Catholic sisters pioneered religious life for African-Americans.

Frank D'Angelo's Sicilian Vampire Gets Green Light For Theatrical Release

The news was just released that Frank D'Angelo's feature film Sicilian Vampire will have its theatrical release in Canada and USA at the end of February, with Europe soon to follow.

"Everybody has been asking when Sicilian Vampire is coming to theatres" says Frank D'Angelo. "The film has only been shown at film festivals and it's been the most talked about film everywhere. The anticipation from the public to see this movie in theatres is overwhelming." 

From The Revenant To Mad Max: Why We All Love A Story Of Survival

20th Century Fox

By Catherine Redford, University of Oxford

Quickly scan this year’s film award lists and a strong theme emerges: survival. In fact, the three films with the most Oscar nominations are all about survival. There’s The Revenant (with 12 nominations), in which Leonardo DiCaprio fights to survive alone in a fierce environment after enduring a bear attack and being buried alive. Mad Max: Fury Road (with ten nominations) features Tom Hardy as a weird loner in a post-apocalyptic desert, attempting to avoid being used as a “blood bag” by its vampiric inhabitants. Finally, in The Martian (seven nominations), Matt Damon plays an astronaut who, left alone on Mars, must work out how to survive in an utterly uninhabitable environment long enough to be rescued.

All three films, then, depict figures battling to survive in hostile and seemingly hopeless conditions. Whether isolated mentally by the breakdown of society, or physically in the desolate landscapes of the wilderness and Mars, these men are united by an impulse to live on when hope seems lost.

Notorious Pro-Bernie Sanders PAC Strikes Back with Political Satire Comic Series in New York Times Square

Americans Socially United #VOTEFIREMAN2016 #BETONBERNIE
(PRNewsFoto/Politician Watch Association)

Americans Socially United Director Cary Lee Peterson talks with PoliWatch about 2016 PAC activities leading to Primary Election

Hands down Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders is leading in the Iowa and New Hampshire polls, which may have Hillary Clinton's team on the edge of their seat. Nonetheless, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) remains abundant with support from a political committee Americans Socially United that started this time a year ago before he announced his official candidacy for the presidential race.

The Evolution Of The Batmobile [Infographic]

Holy Batmobile's History, Batman!

Today's amazing infographic (courtesy of the team at BookMyGarage.com) details the history of the Caped Crusader's iconic car from its earliest incarnation to the very latest version...

Surprisingly enough, it was not until the 1966 TV series that the first real Batmobile appeared. (In the 1930s and early 40s Batman’s car was just a bulk standard red convertible with elongated wings and a bat emblem on the front.)

The 1966s TV series' Batmobile was actually a converted Ford Lincoln Futura, which was a concept car that never made onto the forecourt. But, it only took three weeks for the car to be transformed into a vehicle that was fit for a mysterious masked crime fighter.

Since then, the Batmobile has evolved and been brought up to date many times to appeal to each new generation.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent





About Today's Infographic:
The Evolution of the Batmobile by BookMyGarage 

One Million Dollars Donated To Children In Quebec To Help Fight Against Hunger

Karine Sahakian - Policy Advisor of M. Fayçal El-Khoury, Member of Parliament for Laval-les-îles, Kathleen Gagnon – General manager at Centre de bénévolat et moisson Laval, Christiane Yoakim - Municipal Councillor for Val-des-Arbre’s district, Angelo Iacono - Member of Parliament for Alfred-Pellan, Francine Charbonneau - Québec’s Minister of Families, Minister responsible for Seniors, Minister responsible for Anti-Bullying, Minister responsible for the Laval region and MNA for Mille-Îles, Catia Pucci – Project Manager at Centre de bénévolat et moisson Laval, Louise Lortie - President of the Laval School Board, Guy St-Pierre - Vice President for Maxi, Maxi & Cie, Sylvie Piché – School Principal of Bois-Joli, Marc Demers, Laval Mayor, Marie-José Mastromonaco - Regional Manager for Breakfast for Learning, Vicken Darakdjian - Policy Advisor of Eva Nassif, Member of Parliament for Vimy, as well as students of Bois-Joli School. (CNW Group/Loblaw Companies Limited)

The President's Choice® Children's Charity comes to the aid of Breakfast for Learning

President's Choice® Children's Charity announced, 2 days ago, that it is making a donation of one million dollars to non-profit organization Breakfast for Learning in order to support 29,371 children in Quebec. This money will be invested towards developing, implementing and supporting healthy eating programs in schools by offering 4,956,263 breakfasts, lunches and snacks to kids in need.

Can The X-Files Survive Today? The Truth Is Out There ...

The X-Files/Channel Five

By James Walters, University of Birmingham

The return of The X-Files to television screens after a 14-year absence was met with justifiable excitement and trepidation. It was an important show, combining Twilight Zone-style fantasy with humour, drama and emotion. The X-Files took its subject matter seriously, and was taken seriously by viewers. Along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which aired at roughly the same time, it might well be seen as a precursor to titles like True Blood, Heroes, Game of Thrones or the relaunched Doctor Who. The X-Files was a template for shows that take traditionally wild or outlandish narrative themes and approach them with the kind of sincerity more usually found in “quality” television drama.

US: Calling All Marylanders! Take Back Your Summer by Supporting a Post-Labor Day School Start

This full page ad will run in select Maryland Publications over the course of the next week.
(PRNewsFoto/Marylanders for a Longer Summer)

Click on image to see it in all its glory.

Marylanders for a Longer Summer is launching a new campaign for Maryland residents to reclaim their summer vacations by supporting a post-Labor Day start to the school year.

The campaign will feature full page ads that will run during the next week in Maryland publications, including: The Washington Post, The Capital Gazette, Baltimore Sun, Carroll County Times, Cumberland Times-News, Easton Star Democrat, Frederick News-Post, Hagerstown Herald-Mail and Salisbury Daily Times.

Canada: New Online Resources To Help Adults Understand Challenges Facing Young People Today Launched

From left to right: Julie Dionne, Marketing Manager – Boston Pizza Quebec; Suzanne Duff, Quebec Regional Director – Kids Help Phone; Susan Hallsworth, Director, Corporate Development - Kids Help Phone; Andréanne Deschamps, Senior Clinical Manager – Kids Help Phone; Alain Piché, Franchisee for Boston Pizza Joliette, Ste- Thérèse, St- Jérôme; Daniel Harvey, Regional vice-president - Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects; Cheryl Treliving, Executive Director - Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects; Dany Vachon, Franchisee ‎for Boston Pizza Lachenaie, Anjou et Lasalle; Luc Plante, director - Collège d’Anjou; Stéphanie Lajoie, responsable de la vie scolaire - collège d’Anjou; Frédéric Desjardins responsable pédagogique - collège d’Anjou; Michelle Schepel, Manager of Partnerships and Programs - Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects; Gabrielle Laroche-Stephen, Senior Marketing Manager - Boston Pizza (CNW Group/Kids Help Phone)

Yesterday, with the financial support from the Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects, Kids Help Phone has launched new online resources targeted at parents and adults, to help them understand and care for the young people in their lives.

"We know that bullying, emotional health and online safety can sometimes be hard for parents and children to talk about – parents might not know how to start the conversation, or have the information they need to have a discussion, and young people can feel overwhelmed or hopeless and reluctant to ask for help," said Sharon Wood, President and CEO, Kids Help Phone.

"These new resources act to bridge this gap by providing parents and adults with practical tips on how to talk about some of the most common challenges facing young people today."

As Canada's only national helpline for young people, Kids Help Phone is committed to improving the well-being of youth, and informing and empowering parents and adults is another great way the organization has identified to accomplish its mission.

Woody Guthrie, 'Old Man Trump' And A Real Estate Empire's Racist Foundations

Woody Guthrie lived in Fred Trump’s Beach Haven apartment complex for two years. Nick Lehr/The Conversation

By Will Kaufman, University of Central Lancashire

In December 1950, Woody Guthrie signed his name to the lease of a new apartment in Brooklyn. Even now, over half a century later, that uninspiring document prompts a double-take.

Below all the legal jargon is the signature of the man who had composed “This Land Is Your Land,” the most resounding appeal to an equal share for all in America. Below that is the signature of Donald Trump’s father, Fred. No pairing could appear more unlikely.

Guthrie’s two-year tenancy in one of Fred Trump’s buildings and his relationship with the real estate mogul of New York’s outer boroughs produced some of Guthrie’s most bitter writings, which I discovered on a recent trip to the Woody Guthrie Archives in Tulsa. These writings have never before been published; they should be, for they clearly pit America’s national balladeer against the racist foundations of the Trump real estate empire.

Recalling these foundations becomes all the more relevant in the wake of the racially charged proclamations of Donald Trump, who last year announced, “My legacy has its roots in my father’s legacy.”

All-Female Activist Berklee Band Raising Money For Concept Album About Fighting Oppression

All-Female Activist Band Flight of Fire, From Berklee College of Music
(PRNewsFoto/Flight of Fire)

Flight of Fire's third album will center on themes of trauma recovery and fighting back against abuse, complete with an a-list team of industry professionals

Flight of Fire an all-female, Berklee College of Music-educated band that was formed in 2009.  Flight of Fire were named New England Music Awards' "Last Band Standing" Boston Finalists in November 2015, Hard Rock Rising Boston City-Wide Champions in April 2015, and were Winners of the 2013 Fox Rocks Bon Jovi Contest to Open For Bon Jovi At Ford Field, Detroit. 

Flight of Fire founded The Stolen Voices Project, a multimedia awareness project about acquaintance rape, filmed at Berklee, with 56 singers and performers from 7 Bostonarea schools as well as Boston community members. 

The project seeks to illuminate the issues surrounding acquaintance rape and consent and was created in cooperation with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and Hollaback Boston.

Knopf To Publish Book By Journalist Nancy Jo Sales About Teenage Girls And Social Media

Knopf to Publish Book by Journalist Nancy Jo Sales about Teenage Girls and Social Media

Next month Knopf will release a new book about social media and its impact on the lives of today's youth. Written by Nancy Jo Sales, and based on reporting she has done over the past 30 months, AMERICAN GIRLS: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, will go on sale February 23 with a first printing of 150,000 copies. It will also be available as an eBook and from Random House Audio. First serial rights have been sold to Time Magazine.

Yahoo - Stop Your Deadly Ivory Trade!

Image via Avaaz.org

Yahoo is making a killing selling ivory which companies like Google refuse to touch. But right now the company is under pressure to keep employees happy -- let’s make sure every last one of them knows Yahoo’s bloody secret.  

>> Click here to sign and share this across the web now. 

Jason Rezaian Released From Iranian Prison After 544 Days

Jason Rezaian Released From Iranian Prison After 544 Days (PRNewsFoto/National Press Club)

[Good news are, and will always be, our favourite kind of news, here at LoupDargent.info... Enjoy!]

Members of the National Press Club and journalist around the world are overjoyed at the news our colleague Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian who has been in prison for 544 days for simply doing his job has been released, and will now be reunited with his family and friends.

Canada's History Marks The 100th Anniversary Of Women's Suffrage

Canada's Great Women (CNW Group/Canada's History)

Canada's History Society marks the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage with special editions of Canada's History and Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Kids.

For Canada's History, a special panel – including former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and bestselling author Charlotte Gray – selected "20 Great Women" from Canada's political, business, artistic, and activist history.

Bowie's Greatest Gift? Even His 'Failures' Will Echo Through The Ages

Reuters/Charles Platiau

The second single from David Bowie’s iconic 1973 album, Aladdin Sane, was called Drive-in-Saturday. Part science-fiction ballad, part-vignette of a young marriage – and all lyrical and musical tour de force, it’s a song Bowie utterly owned on record and in its rare live outings. His TV performance of the song on the Russell Harty Plus show shifted between boyish raunch, fey knowingness and majestically queer authority.

A Storm In A Twitter Cup... [The One About That Milo Unverified Account Thing]

With the #JeSuisMilo hashtag spamming Twitter these last days, you could easily make the mistake to think that someone called Milo got killed by some terrorists... 

I mean, after all, the anniversary of the dreadful events in Paris was only a few days ago and nobody would trivialise what happened then by using a hashtag a la #JeSuisCharlie for something silly, would they?

Oh, yes, they would... and they bloody did!

Click here to see tweet on Twitter

Tango Down! #BNP Struck Off Register Of UK Political Parties

It's "tango down" for the BNP...

I know it's not Breaking News as such (it was on Twitter, and all over the net, already yesterday after all) but this is Good News! And, good news, even if they're temporary, do need to be shared a lot as they do help making the start of the new year a bit more cheerful, somehow... 

Michael Moore's Open Letter to Michigan's Governor Snyder - #ArrestGovSnyder

The following is an email I received a few hours ago from Michael Moore... and, like I used to do in the past with his previous emails, I'm very happy to share it on here. 

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment - Bob The Builder: Building Sky High!

From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment: Bob The Builder: Building Sky High!

Bob and his team are ready to build big! Bob is on hand to rescue his friends when Scoop is stranded sky-high and Leo gets trapped in Fixham castle. 

We meet the Spring City Rockets at an outdoor movie space and Scoop mixes a crazy concrete creation inspired by Chef Tattie's milkshakes. 

No job is too big for this team as they build it Sky-High!

Brand new Bob the Builder includes six episodes all-new to DVD and features new animation, characters, vehicles, tools, and locations! 

The PBS broadcast launched in November 2015. 

New Bob the Builder November TV impressions and ratings are up 101% versus the classic show. 

New Bob the Builder TV 2-5 kids ratings are up 57% compared to competitive pre-school TV kid's 2-5 ratings which are down 17% from 2014. 

The new launch has achieved 15.2 million views so far on PBS Kids mobile app. The new show has over 10 million views on the new YouTube Channel since August, 2015. 

In 2016, the DVD release will be supported by a robust marketing campaign: social media and YouTube content; TV, radio, and digital media; a PR campaign.

What Makes A Film Flop?

Cue: tumbleweed. Iwan Gabovitch/flickr, CC BY-SA

By Suman Ghosh, Bath Spa University

Some films succeed, others don’t. Success comes in many forms. Some films are an instant hit from the opening night, some are slower on the uptake while others generate interest only after they have been commended by critics, discerning bloggers or widespread word of mouth.

The producers, director, cast and crew of 2015’s Momentum, which managed to eke out a miserable £46 in its UK opening weekend across the 10 theatres where it was released, could scarcely have feared a worse outcome for their $20 million film about a hi-tech bank robbery.

With a 27% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and searing reviews in the media, its fortunes are unlikely to improve, despite the star appeal of Morgan Freeman.

The Hotel Barclay - New Horror Web Series Becomes An Internet Sensation With Debut Of Season One

Photo Credit: Aaron Needham (PRNewsFoto/The Hotel Barclay Series)

From the brilliantly perverse and dark mind of Writer/Director Leah Myette comes The Hotel Barclay, a provocative, new, thirteen-episode web series that has horror fans across the country singing its praise with the release of Season One on YouTube (October 1, 2015). 

The highly anticipated Season Two, featuring seven additional, bone-chilling episodes will be released once a week starting Jan 19, 2016.

'38 Degrees' Survey: Which Campaign Should We Prioritise Most In 2016?

Dear Friends, 2016 could be a beautiful, inspiring year. If we work together, we can truly help make the world a better place. But we know that campaigns like the NHS, bees, and TTIP are going to be tough ones to crack. We’ll be up against powerful forces - self-interested corporations, cynical politicians and shameless media barons. To win, we’ll need a strong plan for the year. 38 Degrees members make great plans - and win great campaigns - through people power. Every one of us gets a say in what we do. So what should be our top priority?

What Superheroes Looked Like In 2015

The ubiquitous superhero finally seems to be growing up and moving on. Eneas De Troya

By Liam Burke, Swinburne University of Technology

The Golden Age of Comic Book Filmmaking began in 2000 when Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000) dragged superheroes to the centre of popular culture. Today superpowered protagonists are as familiar to cinemagoers as sticky floors and popcorn.

Such awareness saw studios in 2015 going bigger (Avengers: Age of Ultron), smaller (Ant-Man), or back to the beginning (the erroneously-titled Fantastic Four) to reinvigorate the genre.

Somewhere between the mash-ups and redundant reboots, more interesting work has started to emerge. The comic book adaptation, like all good teenagers, is demonstrating new-found maturity. So let us take a look back at the trends and triumphs of this year in superheroes.

The Danish Girl: All Skirt And No Substance

Eddie Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe.

By Clare Tebbutt, Nottingham Trent University

It was with some trepidation that I went to watch The Danish Girl. Prior to its release the film had already attracted accusations of transphobia for director Tom Hooper’s decision to cast the cisgender actor Eddie Redmayne in the title role of Lili Elbe, a trans woman.

Lili Elbe was one of a good number of people in interwar Europe who felt the sex they had been assigned at birth was incorrect. How, I wondered, would a film that had arguably opted to undermine Lili’s womanhood in its choice of actor, handle the complexity of sex and gender at this time?

The answer, perhaps predictably, is not very well.

Canada - Record-Breaking Year For Courage Polar Bear Dip

More than 800 dippers make for a record-breaking year at the Courage Polar Bear Dip in Oakville, ON. (CNW Group/The Courage Polar Bear Dip)

More than 800 enthusiastic dippers  braved below freezing temperatures to ring in the New Year with adventure at the 31st annual Courage Polar Bear Dip.  Fun-loving rookie and alumni dippers of all ages joined dip founders, Todd and Trent Courage at  Coronation Park in Oakville, plunging into frigid Lake Ontario.  

Thousands of spectators cheered them on from ashore. It is the largest Polar Bear Dip in Ontario, and the largest charity dip in Canada.