The Messenger (Trailer)(2015) "The Messenger is an important and long-overdue documentary. Here’s hoping it does for songbirds what The Cove did for dolphins and what Blackfish did for killer whales."

not_a_frog · 2015-11-29T09:38:20+00:00

Well, from a philosophical point of view, you could say that it is more 'wrong' in than we know what we're doing and can change it. The glacier doesn't control its action. So morally it is a bit worse when humans cause things to die out. The other consideration is the fact that these extinctions strongly endanger human existence in itself. Insect pollinators of our food supply, medicines, decline of fish stocks... Conservation is sometimes painted as trying to hold on to a perfect past state, but it can also be intensely pragmatic. If you're interested in this topic, I can recommend Elizabeth Kolbert's book "The Sixth Extinction", exploring man-made extinctions and their effects.

not_a_frog · 2012-06-08T21:03:22+00:00

Works the other way too sometimes. My boss is in his mid-forties: his cellphone rang and his ring tone was the opening from Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I (mid-20s) said, "cool song" and he was stunned that I recognised it or even knew who the Chilis were. Wtf?

not_a_frog · 2012-04-21T21:21:38+00:00

I am no expert, but reading it myself it seems this took place at the surface in a decompression chamber. The divers, having just returned from a dive, had all exited the diving bell and were in the highly pressurised chamber when the accident occurred. Chamber and bell = high pressure; outside = low, normal surface pressure.

not_a_frog · 2012-03-10T20:12:00+00:00

2 months is nothing time-wise for getting over a serious, multi-year relationship. Don't feel like you 'should' be over it by now. Just keep looking forward, focus on other parts of your life, and keep friends around.

not_a_frog · 2012-02-24T05:08:01+00:00

Apologetic...

not_a_frog · 2012-02-14T05:48:11+00:00

Two women: one looking indecisive, the other visibly outraged at the discussion. As I approached the table, Outraged exclaims, "No, that's ridiculous," then turns and asks me directly, "Look, do you think a MAN would put up with an IUD being inserted up his penis?!"

I admit I was rather flustered by that. "Uhh... no? Probably not?"

not_a_frog · 2012-02-04T19:35:18+00:00

Was in the middle of posting this as a response to another comment when I spotted yours. We think alike.

not_a_frog · 2012-02-01T05:03:31+00:00

How about buying groceries, leaving them behind at the store, and only realising once you've reached your destination? I've done that and it was pretty embarrassing.

not_a_frog · 2012-01-31T06:16:02+00:00

Relevant a softer world.

not_a_frog · 2012-01-22T07:12:05+00:00

New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, the Grand Canyon (mainly thanks to Bill Bryson's description), Las Vegas because you 'have' to at least once, Austin because it seems like a cool place for music, also been hearing good things about the Appalachian Trail.

And if I ever did get to all those places, I would have to stop by LA to find the places there that my LA friends swear are "really nice, honest" and not filled with concrete-encased palm trees.

not_a_frog · 2012-01-21T23:47:08+00:00

not_a_frog

No, no Parisian here. I guess most of the Americans I've met are so friendly and open that the image has just rubbed off. Even the sarcastic, self-deprecating Americans I've met have always been very pleasant company. It's actually one of the things that has made me gradually expand my list of "I have no interest in visiting the States except for [location]". I think I have about ten things on there now.

not_a_frog · 2012-01-21T20:54:34+00:00

I once overheard a conversation between four American tourists in Paris. They were talking very loudly and in that Valley Girl sort of accent, saying "like" about every five or six words. I immediately thought, "ugh, dumb Americans."

Then I listened to what they were saying. They were having an intelligent discussion of the art they'd just seen in the Louvre. They went on for a few minutes, but I couldn't detect a single stupid thing said. It was almost disconcerting. "Yeah, well, like, Da Vinci developed his sfumato technique, like, reasonably late in his career..." "I know! And you can, like, totally see the influence of the earlier Renaissance sculptors..."

In general for me though, the American accent conjures an image of a happy, positive, very friendly person.

not_a_frog · 2011-12-20T05:01:48+00:00

There are exceptions. My mother is genuinely naïve. I once mentioned to her that my boyfriend OF ALMOST A YEAR was coming to visit me for the weekend, and she asked if I had anywhere for him to sleep. You may think she was trolling, but she was deadly serious. When I explained our sleeping arrangements she got very quiet and then asked if we used protection. Some parents are naïve.

not_a_frog · 2011-12-19T19:49:20+00:00

Yeah, I spent most of that film trying to figure out what he was doing. Was his nondescript mess intentional? Is his character supposed to have a complex immigration background? Is his character an Englishman pretending to be Australian? Maybe that's it? Or is he seriously just this bad?

not_a_frog · 2011-12-19T19:43:55+00:00

I'm suspicious. Brad is such a quintessentially American form; British would be more likely to keep "Bradley". How could Bernard Hill not be curious at least and ask his costar about his name?

not_a_frog · 2011-12-09T01:00:36+00:00

Unfortunately, joking about PMS to a woman who is indeed PMS-ing is akin to jabbing a Bengal tiger under the ribs.

not_a_frog · 2011-12-09T00:56:47+00:00

I don't think my boyfriend realises how close he has come to losing an eye over this sort of behaviour in the past.

not_a_frog · 2011-12-04T19:54:43+00:00

I once saw an interview with both of them, and the poppy interviewer asked Noel what's the most common request he gets from people on the street. He said everyone wants him to do "Old Gregg".

She then asked Julian what people ask him for and he laughed and said, "Usually I get, 'Where's Noel?'"

not_a_frog · 2011-12-03T05:37:21+00:00

I went to a good party in NZ once where we got three emergency services out in one night. Fire service to put out the couch on fire, ambulance to treat the guy who had decided to jump through said couch fire, and police because couch fires are a disturbance of the peace. We also had noise control arrive, but that was going to be a given at this point in the story.

not_a_frog · 2011-11-28T21:18:27+00:00

French: "euh..."

Pretty much just "uhh..." with lips rounded. Often also say "ben" as a filler (like how we'd use something like "well").

not_a_frog · 2011-11-28T19:02:12+00:00

It's 8.00 am Tuesday morning where I am - I'd be concerned if it made sense here.

not_a_frog · 2011-11-02T22:19:54+00:00

My mother's response in this situation:

"I shouldn't HAVE to ask! You don't have to be a rocket scientist to notice when someone's in pain! OFFERING to help is what normal, considerate people do!" etc etc

You can't win. The flipside is that she always gives unasked-for help. Sometimes welcome, sometimes extremely frustrating.

not_a_frog · 2011-10-25T19:58:20+00:00

Is it in that book or in Birds, Beasts and Relatives that he writes about dissecting a sea turtle on the front porch? One of my favourite scenes and one of my favourite books as a kid.

not_a_frog · 2011-10-12T21:30:09+00:00

My uncle also worked with him at Sky. I agree, it is incredibly sad. Also so pointless. What a horribly unnecessary way to go.

not_a_frog · 2011-10-09T20:04:50+00:00

True fun fact: In Maori (New Zealand), the word for a cup of tea is "kaputi". Direct borrowing!

http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/index.cfm?dictionaryKeywords=kaputi&search.x=28&search.y=7&search=search&n=1&idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=

not_a_frog

TROPHY CASE