Friday, 5 August 2011
'Friends With Benefits': The New Casual Sex?
So what is it about the romcom that draws in so many of us who do not identify with being white, skinny, straight or upper class? It rises from the dichotomy between acknowledging that idealistic love is in reality unattainable, and the masochistic longing for that “one true love” despite it all. Yet in 2011, the millennial's vision of the romantic comedy has shifted to a structured kind of free love, reflecting our generation's changing feelings about sex and flip attitude toward romanticism.
Generally, the overall framework remains unchanged—the romcom continues to reincarnate, with slight revisions that allow us to relate to its promise. New iterations reflect the progressiveness of time, but ultimately reinforce antiquated ideals of monogamous, heterosexual love. In the 1980s, there were a rash of films about (not so) liberated women “married” to their jobs—who, even with success, would be nowhere without the love of a man. (See Baby Boom and Working Girl.) The 1980s was the first full decade after a mostly white and middle-class feminist movement that focused on achieving equity for other mostly white, middle-class women in the workforce. The romantic comedies of the period reflected the realities of becoming working women, but reinforced the age-old necessity for a man’s love to provide true happiness. Progress—but only to a certain point...
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Thursday, 4 August 2011
Mexico arrests 'deputy financier of Zetas drug cartel'
The Mexican military says it has arrested the alleged number two financial operator of the Zetas drug cartel.
Valdemar Quintanilla Soriano was captured in the northern city of Saltillo in Coahuila state, where weapons and cash were also found. Another Zetas suspect, Jose Guadalupe Yanez Martinez, was also detained.
The Zetas and the Gulf Cartel are in a bloody battle for control of drug smuggling routes to the United States.
"During the last months, Quintanilla Soriano often travelled to Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, Saltillo and Monclova in Coahuila to coordinate finance matters as well as the payment to authorities working for the criminal organisation," said Colonel Ricardo Trevilla, spokesman for Mexico's National Defence Secretariat.
Another key Zetas suspect, Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar, was arrested a month ago.
The Zetas were formed by former Mexican special forces soldiers.
Mr Rejon was a member of the Mexican special forces but deserted in 1999, officials say.
The Zetas initially acted as armed enforcers for the Gulf Cartel.
The Zetas have since split with their former paymasters, and have been engaged in brutal turf wars for control of smuggling routes.
@'BBC'
Amateur scientist caught trying to split atoms in his kitchen
A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen says he was only doing it as a hobby.
Richard Handl said that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorised possession of nuclear material.
The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.
Only later did he realise it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden’s Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.
‘‘I have always been interested in physics and chemistry,’’ Handl said, adding he just wanted to ‘‘see if it’s possible to split atoms at home.’’
The police raid took place in late July, but police have refused to comment. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in prison.
Although he says police didn’t detect dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the project wasn’t such a good idea.
‘‘From now on, I will stick to the theory,’’ he said.
@'The Age'
Richard Handl said that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorised possession of nuclear material.
The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.
Only later did he realise it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden’s Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.
‘‘I have always been interested in physics and chemistry,’’ Handl said, adding he just wanted to ‘‘see if it’s possible to split atoms at home.’’
The police raid took place in late July, but police have refused to comment. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in prison.
Although he says police didn’t detect dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the project wasn’t such a good idea.
‘‘From now on, I will stick to the theory,’’ he said.
@'The Age'
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