A boiling pot of wild martial arts moves culled from dozens (maybe hundreds) of violent Asian action extravaganzas as sifted through a Tarantino-esque fanboy prism, The Man With the Iron Fists feels like both a lavish vanity project and an earnest attempt to deliver a compendium of cool hand-to-hand combat set pieces. The vogue for kung-fu, elaborate wire work and fancy blade flashing seems rather past its due-date at this point, making director RZA’s realization of his childhood enthusiasms feel a bit quaint, but you certainly can’t say it’s dull or uneventful. Still, it’s not breaking out to cult status. Continue reading MasterChugs Theater: ‘The Man with the Iron Fists’
Day: June 13, 2013
We’ve had our stereotypes wrong this entire time
People, people, people, you know how it’s been a known fact for the longest time that Canadians are very kind and friendly (perhaps too much), even in the face of a jerk? Well, thanks to just two Canadian women, we don’t think it’s too out of line to now paint their entire country with a different brush.
A mother and daughter team were pulled away at the Detroit-Windsor tunnel on their way to the airport. Why so? Because their heaving bosoms were overflowing, nay, spilling out of their brassieres. Except what was spilling out was actually a lot of money. And by a lot, we mean $59 grand.
All in all, police found $73 grand on them. Even in Canadian currency (which is plastic, smells of syrup and has ducks on it), that’s still a lot of moola. Hope her heaving bosom wasn’t hot enough to melt the evidence.
Spiritual, but without a moral center or sense of community
If you clutch your purse a little closer when somebody identifies themselves as “spiritual, just not religious,” then good news! You’re not as bigoted as you think.
Sociological research indicates that young people who call themselves “spiritual, but not religious” are more likely to commit property and violent crimes than religious people, and more likely to commit property crimes than atheists and agnostics.
This is no surprise to religious people, from whom spiritual people have stolen their rituals and iconography without, you know, any restraint or sense of purpose behind them. And if you believe in magic objects and energies that benefit you without judgement, then you too might use those forces for evil.
[Via Salon]
Ants are coming to eat your phone, and they can’t be killed
Yesterday we told you about roaches that can be controlled by a smartphone. Today we have some terrifying news: there are bugs that will happily eat your smartphone. Oh, and they can’t be killed by normal insecticides.
“Crazy ants” were first found in South America, and made their way to the U.S. in 2002. But now, they are spreading throughout the Southeast, and could be coming to eat the very computer you’re reading this on. (Let’s face it, no one reads this blog on their phone or tablet.) The good news is that they kill other species of ant, so that helps, but they can’t be killed by ordinary means. They are out there. They can’t be bargained with. They can’t be reasoned with. They don’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever, until your electronics have been eaten.
So those of you who have homemade flame throwers, help your neighbors out. We can win this together.