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US loses track of 190000 weapons in
Iraq Times Online, UK - 5 hours ago More than 190000 AK-47 rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005 are missing, raising fears that US and British troops are fighting ... |
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Pentagon to Tighten Tracking of Weapons for
Iraq Voice of America - 6 hours ago By Al Pessin A report from the US Government Accountability Office says tens of thousands of rifles, pistols and other items sent to Iraq |
Like everyone else, I wondered why it took so long for a Simpson's movie to appear. After 18 years, it felt late. On TV, the Simpsons may be going strong, with 400+ episodes in 18 years and no sign of letting up, but you look around at the kids with their Sponge Bob and Rugrats and Family Guy, and they seem to have moved on. Except South Park, none of the Simpsons' successors are anywhere near as good, and Family Guy is a studious rip-off of the Simpsons with a talking dog in place of charm, heart, and humor. I once saw Matt Groening talking about how the Simpsons isn't cool enough for his own children, who asked: Why can't your show be more like Family Guy? This story, along with the very existence of Family Guy, demonstrates just how much everyone takes the Simpsons for granted. Nowadays, there are teenagers who have grown up with the Simpsons their whole lives. Their don't realize their debt to the Simpsons, which hangs on in the background, always there but under appreciated, like a grandparent. South Park, Rugrats and Sponge Bob all have had their own movies already, and in light of that it seemed, tragically, like the cultural moment for a Simpsons' theater debut had passed.
That may be why no one, including Fox, expected the Simpsons movie would get anywhere near the $74 million dollars it made in its opening weekend. I saw it opening night, and although it was OK -- movies made from great TV shows never seem to be better than a really good episode of the show (see also Strangers With Candy) -- I wanted it to do well, out of faithfulness to the cause. So it was gratifying to read on Monday morning how the movie nearly doubled expectations, fully eclipsing Sponge Bob, Rugrats and South Park too. (The only animated movies to ever open bigger than the Simpsons were the Shrek sequels.) The Simpson's got to throw its weight around, and remind everyone who's boss. Hopefully that will deter any possibility of a Family Guy movie.
“It was clinging to his ponytail underneath his hat,” Ms. Russell said. “Apparently the monkey started moving around. Some passengers told him, ‘Did you know you had a monkey on your head?’ The monkey never ran up and down. It was a well-behaved -– no doubt shocked -– monkey. The monkey spent the duration of the flight in the passenger’s hands.”
Full (and totally awesome) story here.
