La la lands

Though intended as praise, the phrase “fun for the whole family” might be the single most off-putting way to describe just about anything. What it implies, for starters, is that the family unit—not the individual—is the fundamental consumer of experiences. How un-American. On top of that, it’s a lie. “Fun for the whole family” does not mean the alleged fun will be equally had by all. It means the kids will lose their little minds, while the adults, if they try hard enough, might eke out some fraction of forced enjoyment too. For proof, look no further than the medium to which this Chuck E. Cheese sentiment is most routinely applied: animated entertainment. As usual, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated five films in the category of Best Animated Feature this year. Just as usual, all five have been called some version of “fun for the whole family” by critics and/or mommy-bloggers (same thing, nowadays)—as if that’s the best that animated cinema, more than … [Read more...] about 5 New Family-Friendly Movies and 1 Actually Good One

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — Leaders of volcano-wracked St. Vincent said Tuesday that water is running short as heavy ash contaminates supplies, and they estimated that the eastern Caribbean island will need hundreds of millions of dollars to recover from the eruption of La Soufriere. Between 16,000 to 20,000 people have been evacuated from the island’s northern region, where the exploding volcano is located, with more than 3,000 of them staying at more than 80 government shelters. Dozens of people stood in lines on Tuesday for water or to retrieve money sent by friends and family abroad. Among those standing in one crowd was retired police officer Paul Smart. “The volcano caught us with our pants down, and it’s very devastating,” he said. “No water, lots of dust in our home. We thank God we are alive, but we need more help at this moment.” Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a press conference on local station NBC Radio that St. Vincent will need hundreds of millions of … [Read more...] about St. Vincent seeks water, funds as volcano keeps erupting

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A Santa Maria man faces federal charges of fatally shooting a northern elephant seal on a beach near San Simeon. Jordan Gerbich, 30, was charged Tuesday in an information with one count of taking a marine mammal. READ MORE: Santa Maria Man Gets 3 Months In Prison For Shooting, Killing Elephant Seal In September of 2019, the corpse of a northern elephant seal was found on a beach near San Simeon, close to a popular viewing area along Highway 1. The animal had been shot in the head. READ MORE: Man Shot, Critically Wounded In Hollywood Hills After Fight At Night Club Gerbich was charged with fatally shooting the elephant seal on Sept. 28, 2019. The new federal charge follow an investigation by the NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The northern elephant seal is a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The species live up and down North America’s Pacific coast and are often seen on … [Read more...] about Santa Maria Man Faces Federal Charge Of Shooting Northern Elephant Seal To Death

(CNN) Monday officially marks the final day of Atlantic hurricane season, and it has been one for the record books. 2020 has been undoubtedly a crazy year -- with the Covid-19 pandemic , murder hornets and some of the largest wildfires in recorded history. It seems understandable that hurricane season would also be memorable. This season was forecast to be a busy season. Two of the most well-known and respected entities that forecast their predictions for the upcoming hurricane season are Colorado State University (CSU) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). CSU's Tropical Meteorology Project team predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season on April 2. The team forecast 16 named storms, including eight hurricanes. "We were forecasting a well above-average season in April, June and July, and increased that forecast to an extremely active season in August," said Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist at the … [Read more...] about Hurricane season ends historic as predicted by experts back in April

PSG fans got their own back on Barcelona after setting off fireworks outside their hotel at 4am. The French champions in February were given a rude awakening as Barca supporters tried to stop of Ligue 1 champions from sleeping. It clearly didn't work, as PSG left Spain with a 4-1 advantage, with superstar Kylian Mbappe scoring three of those vital away goals. Barca have it all to do and matters may be worse now after PSG fans returned the favour with a fireworks display in the earlier hours of the morning. It was the latest in attempts from supporters to put off the LaLiga giants, as a section of sick fans held up a Shakira ‘prostitute’ banner. The ultras were slammed as misogynistic following the jibe at Barca defender Gerard Pique's wife. Suffering from a knee injury, the centre-back is ruled out of the Champions League last-16 second leg. Last Sunday night, a parade of ultras lit flares and held up a number of banners in the French capital. One read … [Read more...] about Watch PSG fans set off fireworks outside Barcelona’s hotel at 4am ahead of Champions League tie as payback for first leg