Jessie

"If, for example, Aragorn and Legolas are your fandom characters of choice (whether they’re your OTP or your BroTP), Howard Shore’s music in the scene in The Two Towers where they make up after their argument is the motif known as “The Fellowship Theme,” first played in the first film when the Fellowship each has their Adventurer’s Glamorshot walking through the mountains after the Council of Elrond. In this clip, you hear the Fellowship Theme being played softly. Here, played in this moment, it is a reaffirmation of the personal fellowship between Aragorn and Legolas. Their friendship (or whatever) is still intact, even after their disagreement." - Jessie

"The Pirates of the Caribbean movie scores provided a new playground for me to practice my movie and musical analysis skills. Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer collaborated on the scores for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, often working with each other’s themes and arranging them into the score. Captain Jack Sparrow is introduced to the tune of “The Medallion Calls” theme, first played when he has stolen the small boat and sails to Port Royal. It can be interpreted to be almost an internal soundtrack-ing — it sounds like what Jack Sparrow would want his soundtrack to sound like and further evidences that his character is dramatic, often a bit full of himself, but ultimately heroic. In fact, Jack Sparrow has at least two different theme songs; The Medallion Calls, and He’s a Pirate. One is the character’s idea of himself and the other represents how others see him. Jack’s theme(s) are used throughout the quadrilogy and are interwoven with other themes as Jack himself crosses paths with the characters those motifs represent. They also represent Jack’s warring nature — is he a hero or a pirate? The answer is provided both in the soundtrack as well as in the narrative of the movies. In the third film, both of Jack’s themes are woven together with other themes, including Tia Dalma’s, Davy Jones’s, and Will and Elizabeth’s themes." - Jessie

"In The Two Towers, the Rohan theme is one of the most recognizable and prevalent themes. One of my favorite uses of the theme is in the scene where Gandalf returns Theoden King to his right mind. The Rohan theme plays strongly, solidifying the connection between Theoden and his country. In many ways, Theoden is Rohan – both suffering under Saruman’s influence and returned to their previous greatness. The tie between the land and its people is also heard in the pieces of the Rohan Theme present in Eowyn’s Theme. Eowyn’s own ties to and desire to defend her home being no less than Theoden King’s. In The Fellowship of the Ring, the theme of the Shire, called “Concerning Hobbits,” is often used to evoke the safety and peacefulness of Shire life. By the end of the trilogy, the motif that symbolizes the innocence of the Hobbits and of the Shire has also come to represent Frodo’s knowledge that he does not belong in such a place any longer. The theme, like the Shire, is mostly unchanged; however, Frodo has changed, and this is why he must go." - Jessie

"The deputy said he woke her around 10:30 a.m. and asked about a bag he could see in her vehicle that looked like it contained marijuana. But instead of grabbing for that bag, the dazed dancer pulled out one that contained cocaine, the deputy said. A search of Gregg's purse yielded additional mind-benders, including oxycodone, morphine, Vynanse, tramadol, plus a pipe for smoking. "When he asked her why she had all the drugs, she said it was because her back hurts from being an adult dancer," according to the sheriff's report." - Jessie

Florida! - Jessie

"Netflix and Comcast have been sparring for a while. But on Wednesday, Netflix delivered a quietly epic uppercut to the cable giant and its interests—thanks to a single creative tweet. It concerns net neutrality, on which the FCC is set to vote Thursday. Netflix is heavily invested in the issue, fearing that without an open Internet, Comcast and other cable companies would create Internet slow lanes for companies that refuse to pay broadband providers for access. That fear is communicated brilliantly in the tweet below, which stretches on forever. (The tweet has been making the rounds in the net neutrality debate, and was picked up by Netflix today. It was not created by Netflix.)" - Jessie

""What if the Internet was so slow it loaded one word at a time? Don't let Comcast win," it says—with a link to the Battleforthenet.com, which argues for net neutrality. The tweet is particularly impressive because it eats up a giant piece of a user's real estate when it appears in the feed, making it all but impossible to miss." - Jessie

"“There are two kinds of scarves: floor-length, and just fucking around.”" - Jessie

"An accidental bathroom bump led four men to cross swords at a Dubai hotel, a bladed brawl that left all four combatants hospitalized, police said. The brawl at a hotel in the Al Rigga section of the city began after one of the suspects smacked into another at a bathroom in the hotel, police in the city told the Khaleej Times. “One of the suspects’ shoulders brushed with another. This led to an exchange of insults, followed by an argument and a fight,” Major-General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri told the newspaper." - Jessie

What kind of swords were used? - Todd Hoff

"Master sculptor Chou I-hsiung (周義雄) died of multiple organ failure on Monday at the age of 73 after battling liver cancer for two years. A member of the nation’s first generation of homegrown sculptors, Chou was among the first students at National Taiwan University of Arts in 1962, where he learned the art of sculpture under Yuyu Yang (楊英風) and other masters. A Sun Yat-sen Fine Arts Prize winner, Chou was renowned for his characteristic representations of classical Chinese figures, with many works from his Nanguan Song and Dance series and Song and Dance series exhibited at and collected by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the National Museum of History and Germany’s Museum of Asian Art, among others." - Jessie

"The city’s fire brigade says investigators believe the glass jar — which had been emptied of the hazelnut spread — had been placed on a window sill and refracted sunlight, setting blinds alight. According to a statement posted Tuesday by the brigade, the family was not at home but the blaze killed a dog. Fire investigator Charlie Pugsley said: “It sounds far-fetched that a jar containing a few rubber bands caused a severe house fire but that’s exactly what happened.” The fire happened Feb. 15 in southwest London." - Jessie

"Hyperallergic reports on the sadly unsurprising public outcry surrounding artist Daniel R. Small's billboard art project Pending Cipher for the Open Present, for which he installed images of the biblical Ten Commandments written in "a fabricated language derived from Cypriot Greek and a form of paleo Hebrew" overlaid on stills from The Ten Commandments, the 1956 film. (Small's work was part of a larger multi-artist collaboration called the Manifest Destiny Billboard Project.) Some residents of southern New Mexico, where Small's billboards were installed, were less than thrilled about the Osama desert squiggles." - Jessie

" From the Las Cruces Sun-News: "I've seen the billboards," said Las Crucen Craig Melton, who delivers business supplies to Lordsburg, Silver City and Deming as many as three times a week. "It's pretty weird. I've been trying to figure out what it is, what it means. "I was beginning to wonder if it was some kind of threat or warning. You never know, we're close to the border and you think that ISIS or some other subversives might be trying to get at us."" - Jessie

>.> - Anika

Oh yes, because Mexico is so into the ISIS scene - Soup in a TARDIS

"Edward and I think of our style as sort of “medieval suit of armor meets oppressive and claustrophobic wealth.” Edward traveled a lot when he was younger, and although he doesn’t like to talk about it much, he brought back some souvenirs – quirky vases and that sort of thing – that I try to display with some of our more traditional items, like mounts, large brass candlesticks, and paintings of dead kings. I like a lot of light, probably because it helps me to think of God and to try to forgive him for taking my friend Helen Burns from me when we were young. She died of consumption, which was strange as there was an outbreak of typhus at the time. But she was unique, much like my evolving decorating style. Our new place has much better light than Thornfield, and it has a roof." - Jessie

"Songshan Aviation Police Bureau officials said the package was found at 6:50am when officers were using the X-ray machine to inspect packages to be delivered by Uni Air Flight B7-601 to Magong Airport in Penghu County. The officers later opened the delivery box and found the live ball python, which weighs about 2kg. The bureau said that the package was sent by a college student surnamed Yang (楊). However, Yang made no mention of the live animal prior to shipping, indicating only that the item inside the box was a “fragile gift,” it added. The bureau said that Yang was surprised to receive a call from police officials, adding that he thought it was no big deal to have his pet shipped via air." - Jessie

"Even though live snakes are not on the list of items deemed threatening to flight safety, the bureau said that the Uni Air flight manual has banned the delivery of such animals. Additionally, the item declared by the passenger did not match the item found inside the box, the bureau added." - Jessie

Student...Yang...hmmmm. ;-) - Anne Bouey

Well that narrows it down to about a third of Taiwan. :P - Jessie

"The life of a superhero isn't all saving the day from world-consuming threats - there's always going to downtime to goof off in. Toy photographer Edy Hardjo imagines what it's like for the Avengers, Batman and co. when they're not out performing heroics on the job through a legion of Hot Toys figures." - Jessie

"A Napoleonville man told authorities he was drunk when he stole a horse last weekend and attempted to ride it to a Mardi Gras parade in Thibodaux, according to Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack's office. The sheriff's office found a horse running in a field near Hard Time Road in Napoleonville around 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15. They determined it was a horse reported stolen earlier that morning. A bridle also was stolen. Waguespack's office said investigators identified 20-year-old Maison Rivere as a suspect in the horse theft. Rivere allegedly admitted to investigators he was drunk and was trying to ride the horse bareback to Thibodaux to watch a Mardi Gras parade. Thibodaux and Napoleonville are about 18 miles apart. The horse bucked him off several times, Rivere told investigators, so he set the horse free and headed home on foot." - Jessie

INCONCEIVABLE! - Kristin

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear / Of the midnight ride of Maison Rivere..." - Jessie

"During a debate over abortion legislation Monday between Idaho lawmakers, Republican state representative Vito Barbieri asked whether it would be possible for a woman to swallow a small camera, so that doctors might perform a remote gynecological examination (presumably, à la capsule endoscopy). According to the Associated Press, Barbieri's question "came as the House State Affairs Committee heard nearly three hours of testimony on a bill that would ban doctors from prescribing abortion-inducing medication through telemedicine."" - Jessie

And Mandy nails it. - MoTO Boychick Devil

SWOOOOOORDS! :D :D :D - Jessie

"The most expensive pure chocolate bar in the world is on sale for £169. Only fine grade cacao from 14 farmers on the coast of Ecuador is used. And it takes 36 steps to create a 1.5oz To’ak bar. Co-founder Jerry Toth said: “We make chocolate with the same care and precision as we know it from fine wine and premium small-batch whiskey.” To’ak chocolate is translated to “earth” and “tree” in ancient Ecuadorian dialects. It is eaten using wooden tongs, or tasting utensils, so that it is easier to perceive the chocolate’s aroma on the nose" - Jessie

"Police said an 18-year-old college student named Dean ordered a box of fake IDs and had them shipped to his campus address. What the student probably didn't think about was he shared the same name with a dean at his school. The package was delivered to the administrator, who open the box and found eight realistic-looking IDs, one complete with the student's real name. "You can't make this up," Radnor Police Superintendent William Colarulo told the Philadelphia Inquirer." - Jessie

"A man who was unhappy with a haircut faces criminal charges after police say he became enraged and threw things around a Connecticut salon. Stamford Police Sgt. Kelly Connelly says 47-year-old Alan Becker was angered further when he learned the trim on Wednesday morning was going to cost him $50. Connelly says Becker kicked a hole in a salon wall, became hostile toward staff and customers and threw a candle display and other items, then left. Police say Becker returned later and demanded that his hair be "fixed," but the salon refused. Authorities later arrested Becker on breach of peace and criminal mischief charges at his Stamford home." - Jessie

Find the kitty! - Jessie

"Taipei City Fire Department Captain Hsia Chih-chuan (夏志銓) is in love with dragons — not the fire-breathing kind, but bearded dragons, an agamid lizard native to Australia. “I fell for the dumb-looking bearded dragons at first sight when I watched a Discovery Channel program introducing the species,” he said. After the program ended, he spent the night researching the species over the Internet and bought his first bearded dragon the next day." - Jessie

"“One has to keep cockroaches before keeping a lizard,” Hsia said with a laugh when asked what he feeds his lizards. A bearded dragon eats five to six roaches a day, he said. To keep down the costs of feeding his pets, he buys 4,000 Dubia roaches — which are also known as orange-spotted cockroaches — at a time, keeping them in a box and feeding them carrots, sweet potatoes and vegetables before giving them to his lizards, he said. However, 4,000 roaches do not last long, and they do not reproduce fast enough to keep pace with his lizards’ appetites, so he has to buy a new batch every four months, he said. “Large roaches are for large lizards, and small roaches for small lizards,” he added." - Jessie

"Saatchi & Saatchi uses suggestive visual humor, and deadpan delivery from actor Alan Cumming, to skewer the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration's rules around donating blood. At issue is a recent revision in the FDA's regulations that allows gay and bisexual men to give blood, but only if they have haven't had sex for a year. (They were previously barred entirely, based on concerns about exposure to HIV.) With tongue firmly in cheek, Cumming introduces a series of eight non-sexual activities that that are "guaranted to make your year without sex fly by." Among them: Apply your manual dexterity to packing powder into a Civil War musket; thrust your hips into yoga; and polish your trophies. The logo "Celibacy Challenge" logo also is a riot—a pair of red briefs with a white lock over them. The ad points to celibacychallenge.com, where you can sign a petition." - Jessie

"Life imitates art: according to Richard Davies of the online bookseller AbeBooks, the now-infamous The Boy Next Door scene in which Jennifer Lopez is gifted a “first edition copy of The Iliad“ has lead countless Internet users on a quest to find first-edition copies of the ancient, orally-derived work. See, print’s not dead yet! According to Davies, since The Boy Next Door was released in the U.S. on January 23rd ‘The Iliad, first edition’ has been the top search term on AbeBooks.com, surpassing even To Kill a Mockingbird despite recent renewed interest in Harper Lee." - Jessie

"However, Davies also offers some perspective for anyone horrified by American audiences’ ignorance of Greek epic poetry (which, like, simmer down, elitists. Of all the failings a human can have, not knowing much about a boring-ass book written in dactylic hexameter seems pretty forgivable to me): 'There have been numerous editions of The Iliad printed since the 16th century and each new edition would have its own first edition, so in that context the movie’s dialog is actually correct.'" - Jessie

I'd pay an extra $5 for a signed copy. - Joe

"The Utah Court of Appeals has given Barbara Bagley the go-ahead to proceed with a wrongful-death lawsuit against herself for alleged negligence in an accident that killed her spouse. Bagley, as personal representative of the estate of her late husband, is suing driver Bagley, whose interests in the case are represented by her insurance carrier, according to the appeals court ruling. She seeks an unspecified amount of money for damages that include medical and funeral expenses; loss of past and future financial support; the physical pain her husband, Bradley Vom Baur, suffered before he died from his injuries; and the loss of his love and companionship." - Jessie

"Mark Rose and Reid Tateoka, the attorneys representing the widow in her capacity as personal representative, said Bagley sued to meet her legal responsibility to act to benefit the estate, not herself. By law, creditors will have to be paid before Bagley, as her husband's sole heir, could get any money from the estate. "She can't, by law, look out for herself," Tateoka said Tuesday. "She has to look out for the estate."" - Jessie

O.o - Soup in a TARDIS

This needs to stop right now. - COMPLICATED MR. NOODLE

"I never entirely believed in the meritocratic narratives of editors speaking at writing conferences or on panels, but I did always dare to hope that I would be smuggled into the world of professional writing, either by luck or tenacity. My pending loan payment has finally forced me to realize that that is a pricey and unlikely proposition, a desperate gamble. I can no longer afford to buy into writing as a job. My debts are too large and my wallet is too small. Writing professionally requires a wallet that can expand like a stomach wall on Thanksgiving. It requires investments in capital and time that run far beyond the margins of a reasonable ledger, even one that is strategically, desperately managed. Most of all, it seems to require a connection, not to the rhythms and patterns of the world, not to interesting experiences, not even to the everyday practice of writing, but to the gatekeepers. I once heard a talk in which an editor encouraged aspiring writers to ask him out for coffee, as if everybody who wanted to write for him lived in his neighborhood, in his city, in his region, in his income bracket, on his schedule. The power of writing, especially in the digital age, is supposed to be its ability to bridge gaps, whether temporal, geographic, spatial, or racial. But in my experience, proximity and access still reigns supreme. We use the word “pitch,” but sometimes it seems more like a handoff. And the hands are often the same shade." - Jessie

"I don’t expect editors to become human resources experts, to make and publish rigorous transparency indexes (Scratch actually does that, ha), to have daily calls for writers on Twitter (though that would be awesome), to turn away their regular contributors. I’m also not implying that editors alone have the power to change the structure that currently makes the pool of freelancers so white, male, educated, and well-off. But when editors make decisions about what they reject and what they accept, they should take responsibility for those decisions — no more lamely claiming that they “just accept the best pitches!” as if entire demographics are unable to offer good or interesting ideas. No more staring at homogenous submissions folders and “wishing for diversity,” like it’s a goddamn unattainable dream house. No more seeing new writers only as “potential risks” when all writers are potential risks. You either do the work, finding and welcoming and fostering different voices, or you don’t — acknowledging that, either way, what you choose to publish plays a role in determining how many writers move on (like me), and how many stick around, feeling welcome." - Jessie

"The temple marketed a “Matsu gift box” in 2005 containing bottles of soybean sauce — a famous local produce — as well as other Matsu-themed products, such as backpacks, mobile phone straps, amulets, musical piggy banks, document folders, designer T-shirts and hats, it said. Fusing Temple chairman Yang Wen-chung (楊文鍾) said that the aim was not to make a profit, but to create products that integrate the worship of Matsu into local communities, including local businesses and the tourism industry, and bring believers closer to the temple. Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) in Yunlin County’s Beigang Township (北港) has also launched an array of religious goods, including action figurines of deities, amulets and outfits for sedan chair porters, the temple’s administration said. The temple also incorporated elements of glove puppetry by introducing glove puppets of Ba Jia Jiang (八家將) and Guan Jiang Shou (官降首) — guardians of the temples of the nether gods, it said." - Jessie

"Beigang Handicraft Workshop president Tsai Hsiang-jun (蔡享潤) said he was elected the temple’s “censer master” five years ago, and the experience has given him a better insight into local culture and religious affairs. This has helped him develop many creative products that younger people can relate to, including fortune money notebooks, amulet bookmarks and flag-shaped charms. Creativity and cultural awareness are keys to making a product that everyone can relate to, he added. Kongfan Temple (拱範宮) in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮) last year launched a multipurpose bag containing rice, salt and stones that purportedly drives evil spirits away, with caricatures of Matsu and her two guardian generals printed on the bag’s cover, the temple’s administration said. The temple sold more than 2,000 such bags and made more than NT$2 million (US$63,200), it said." - Jessie

"An Australian motorist was fined $276 for tooting his horn -- that is, playing his trumpet behind the wheel. Police Senior Constable Adam West said Highway Patrol officers pulled up next to the black Toyota sedan on the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne after receiving reports about the car driving erratically. The officers looked into the car and were shocked to see the 27-year-old man was playing a trumpet while driving. The Portarlington man was fined $276 for careless driving, police said. Police did not say what song the man was playing." - Jessie

"Where do girls learn about charm? Maybe from our mothers and aunts and their friends, but more profoundly, I think, from screens: movies and TV tell us it is possible to sparkle as if you were made of colored glass. To be charmed by someone is to like her, even if you don’t really know her; to charm is to make people like you before they know you. Of course I connect my ideas about this particular charm to actors and actresses: stars are mirrors of our own desires, and they exist on screen to please us. Where I grew up, to be charming meant to give pleasure without (showing that you were) trying. Then and now, to be charming means to navigate the adult world with ease, because the goal of charm is to glide past gatekeepers. As a child, these were my teachers, my parents’ friends, the adults who ran everything. As an adult, these gatekeepers are authorities, real or perceived: my bosses, sure, but also anyone in a position to judge me, including my students. Then and now, I sought rewards for poise and grace, even as I rejoiced in my secret gracelessness, obnoxiousness, in the absence of these judges." - Jessie

"But my friend Abi was, like me, raised with/among/to charm. She lives in France now, where she is often called une fille charmante as “a kind of nod of approval, given that charm in this country feels like prerequisite to being a woman.” Abi said: ... 'I don’t say thank you anymore when someone tells me I speak French well, I raise my eyebrows and say ‘yes, so do you.’" LOL I do this in Chinese sometimes: "Oh thank you! Yours is also not bad!" - Jessie

"My own relationship with charm is equally fraught. In any new situation—a new job, a new town, a new group of people—I default to charm, even when I want to “just be myself.” As soon as either I am secure or I have the sense that this charm is expected or required, I want to rid myself of it. I become Cartman on Maury: “Whatever, I do what I want.” To reject charm is to reject self-control, but only after you have achieved it. With those I am close to, I am charmless. Charm won’t survive intimacy, or intimacy can’t survive charm. On the occasions that I am out with a friend and we encounter someone new to just one of us, either I or she will have the opportunity to watch the other be charming as she introduces herself. If I am the observer, I see my friend almost as a stranger; I am going to back in time to meeting her myself, before intimacy." - Jessie

"The City Council voted Wednesday morning to change its definition of spouse, clearing the way for same-sex spouses of civilian city employees to receive survivor pension benefits. Gay city workers legally married in states that allow same-sex marriages now fall under the same set of pension rules as straight married couples. The council's decision comes after City Attorney Warren Ernst issued an opinion -- appropriately, on Valentine's Day -- that said the city's retirement system needed to include same-sex spouses to guarantee compliance with federal pension laws." - Jessie

""Even if there were a cost consideration," Philip Kingston said, "I think equality is worth spending money on."" - Jessie

"A figurine of a Protestant Reformation minister has become the fastest selling Playmobil toy of all time. The unexpectedly popular Martin Luther figure, equipped with quill and German-language bible, sold out its first edition run of 34,000 within 72 hours, confounding the toymaker. “That absolutely the fastest we’ve ever experienced,” spokesperson Anna Ermann told DW. Martin Luther, credited as the founding father of Germany’s Protestant Church, challenged the authority of the Roman Catholic Church when he translated the bible from the traditional Latin to German. The educational toy is being sold in the run-up to the 500 anniversary of the Protestant Reformation next year." - Jessie

Really? - Stephen Mack

The church should get back into the merch business. Indulgences were profitable, but that's so old school. - Todd Hoff

Given the timing, I'm not super-surprised. - Jennifer Dittrich

"A Fargo man is charged with felony terrorizing after he allegedly told a Cass County deputy that his connections in “the cartel” would come after the deputy and his family after he was pulled over for driving drunk on a flat tire." - Jessie

"According to court documents, Deputy Chad Thompson heard a report early Saturday morning on state radio of an eastbound vehicle on Interstate 94 near I-29 that was being driven with a flat tire and had nearly hit another car. The driver was reckless and possibly impaired, the deputy heard. Six minutes later, at 3:49 a.m., the deputy spotted a pickup with heavy front- and rear-end damage parked on the on-ramp to I-94 near 25th Street with two other vehicles. When the deputy pulled over to talk to the man standing beside the pickup, Cookson fled on foot. He tried to climb over a fence and fell before Thompson detained him, court documents say. The people inside the other two vehicles told Thompson that Cookson had nearly hit their car and a couple of others. Court documents say Cookson would not acknowledge the deputy’s question about whether he would take a field sobriety test. Instead, he insisted Thompson had never actually seen him driving, then said his father worked for “the cartel.”" - Jessie

"Court documents say Cookson told Thompson he “picked on the wrong Mexican boy” and that he would tell his father what Thompson had done, and that his father and girlfriend would find Thompson, his wife and their family. Cookson appeared highly intoxicated, court documents say, with badly slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, poor balance and a strong smell of alcohol." - Jessie

How do they use it incorrectly? - Andrew C (see frenf.it)

"How many hands do you have, exactly?" - YvonneM

"It's getting hard to keep track of brands' social media fails of late, but the latest comes from Seasalt and Co., a Florida-based graphic design company that sells Photoshop tools. And this one was a multi-part mess. First, Seasalt posted a truly bizarre ad on Facebook, showing an ominous looking tree with a noose tied to it. This was somehow meant to advertise a new set of Photoshop tools. But to many, it looked disturbingly like a reference to lynching. And that's where things got even worse. Instead of removing the ad, or offering a reasonable explanation for it, the company first got into full defensive mode—defending the ad, both on Facebook and Twitter, and threatening legal action against those who complained about it." - Jessie

I think that's a reasonable connection, MoTO. If kids aren't taught US history, especially the darker parts, I can see why they'd just assume these issues don't exist anymore. - Jessie