CAPTION: President Barack Obama attends a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., Oct. 29, 2009, for the dignified transfer of 18 U.S. personnel who died in Afghanistan. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Here’s a closeup shot.
Black Scale unveils a World Trade Center T-shirt
October 26, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Clothing label Black Scale is selling this T-shirt depicting a plane’s shadow over both of the former World Trade Center towers. What a lame way to generate exposure for their line, knowing that an image of any plane over the WTC is going to generate some controversy. It’s working, no doubt about it (as this post is evidence), but still, very lame.
If your clothing company can’t think of a better T-shirt design than simply slapping a black and white unattributed image over over a blank tee, then you can pretty much forget about it.
A bad time to throw up in a plane
October 6, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
This girl learned the hard way why it’s a bad idea to throw up in a plane if the aircraft is going to do a flip.
A plane just hit the second tower
September 12, 2009 @ 2:59 am
Taken from the DVD September 11, 2001 – As It Happened – A Composite, this compilation video shows various news outlets reporting live on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when the 2nd plane hit the South Tower at 9:03AM.
The second plane (Flight 175) crashing into the second World Trade Center tower was the first and very clear indication that what was happening that Tuesday morning was more than just an accident. Included in this video are footage from ABC News, CBS News, WNYW-TV (Channel 5, New York), WNBC-TV (Channel 4, New York), NY1 (New York One, All News), Fox News Channel, WCBS-TV (Channel 2, New York), and WPIX-TV (Channel 11, New York).
Reduce your odds of dying in a plane crash
August 16, 2009 @ 8:31 pm
David McCandless created this wonderful infographic showing how you can reduce your chances (statistically speaking) of dying in a plane crash by making a well-informed decision about who you fly with, where you fly to (and from), and what type of aircraft you’re flying in.
The graphic above won The Guardian’s Data Store competition.
Click on the image above to see a larger version.
Movie Review: Stranded: I’ve Come From A Plane That Crashed On The Mountains
May 23, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
Where do I begin with this one? I have never been so completely moved by a film. Stranded is a documentary about the true story of a team of rugby players from Uruguay who crashed into the Andes Mountains in October of 1972 and were left to survive on their own for over two months by rationing food and eventually consuming parts of the bodies of the deceased. The story gained lots of media attention back in the day and in the early 90’s a film called Alive was made based on those true events.
The difference between Stranded and Alive is that Stranded is documentary rather than a feature film and thus takes a totally different approach in retelling the story of those who survived. Hearing the story from the survivors themselves is chilling enough, but when it’s juxtaposed with gritty re-enactments of their words, the effect is frightening and unbelievable. I got the sense that I was re-living the journey with them and that every single word they spoke carried with it a tremendous emotional and spiritual weight — something that each of the survivors talks about in great detail throughout the film. It’s a real dimension of the events that you won’t get from Alive at all and I think that’s what makes Stranded such an incredible film.
To say it simply, this was one of the most intense 2 hours I’ve ever spent in front of a screen (in this case, my laptop screen, but whatever) even though Stranded had no explosions, gun fights, or major action scenes. I always feel like the greatest movies are those that move you, engage you, and tell a story about the human condition that is beyond imaginable, and Stranded certainly fits that description.
I can easily put this in the top films and documentaries I’ve had the pleasure of viewing and I highly encourage you to find some time in your future to sit down with it with no distractions nearby and watch it from beginning to end. I guarantee you that you’ll come away from it with a deeper appreciation of life and be utterly amazed at what the human mind and body is capable of when it ultimately needs to survive. Five out of five stars, hands down.
NOTE: Stranded is available to Watch Instantly on Netflix, so if you’re a Netflix subscriber, that’s one way to watch it.
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