97% Blackfish

All Critics (77) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (2)

Blackfish is intended to rattle and provoke in the hopes of bringing about change.

"Blackfish" is grim. But then again, so is the plight of these magnificent, intelligent whales.

Informative, earnest, but less than briskly paced.

"Blackfish" makes a compelling case that the cruelty of life in captivity is the cause for a rash of fatal attacks by orcas on their trainers, aggressive behavior that no so-called killer whale ever has exhibited in the wild.

Its ultimate message is clear: Killer whales belong with their families in their natural habitat, not performing for audiences. After listening to this film's many impassioned voices, it's hard to argue.

It not only delivers astonishing, suspenseful footage that makes it a legitimate thriller, but also serves up thoughtful meditations about using wild animals for our own entertainment.

While Blackfish isn't exactly riveting, it is thought-provoking and leaves you with the urge to admire nature in its natural habitat rather than in a contained environment.

A repetitive but still compelling piece of activist filmmaking.

An engrossing look at animal behavior.

It is gripping and thought-provoking.

As enlightening and passionate as the picture is, Cowperthwaite fails to summon the type of comprehensive journalism this type of story deserves.

The one save-the-whales movie to see when you only have time for one.

There aren't too many animal-rights documentaries that could be described as "metal," but Blackfish, one part horror movie and one part nature film, fits the bill and then some.

Cowperthwaite juxtaposes to devastating effect official PR spin with news reports and eye-witness accounts of marine park tragedies.

[An] impressive, often gripping documentary ...

Engrossing when offers alarming CSI-type forensic analysis into the death of a whale trainer [but] the narrow focus on SeaWorld raises more questions that aren't considered.

Through interviews with whale scientists and several former Sea World trainers, [Cowperthwaite] paints a disturbing picture of the profit-minded climate of deceit that prevailed at the company.

Puts 'killer whales' into wildlife and humanitarian perspective while giving you all of the dangerous action sequences you could possible want. Free Willy, it ain't.

Blackfish marries biography, activism and psycho thriller into a pleasing cinematic shape, starting with a single whale and the trainers who worked with him.

Some of the archive footage is exceedingly harrowing, but the case against commercially condoned cruelty is made without sensationalism, and few will be able to watch this without a growing sense of outrage.

Cruelty begets cruelty and whales don't belong in the circus.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blackfish_2013/

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5 spectators hurt during power plant implosion

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) ? Five spectators were injured Saturday after shrapnel was sent flying at the demolition of a decommissioned steam power plant in California's Central Valley, authorities said.

More than 1,000 people had gathered at 6 a.m. in a nearby parking lot to watch the planned implosion at the plant owned by Pacific Gas and Electric in Bakersfield. After structures on the property came crashing down, a police officer at the scene heard a man screaming for help and saw his leg had been severed, police said.

"It was a piece of shrapnel that came flying out of the explosion and came across and went through a couple of chain link fences, struck him and impacted into a vehicle," said Lt. Scott Tunnicliffe.

The 44-year-old victim might lose his other leg as well due to his injuries, Tunnicliffe said.

Four other spectators were treated for minor injuries, said Kern County Fire engineer Leland Davis. All of the injured spectators were standing beyond a perimeter set up to ensure public safety, Davis said.

Residents of the city about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles were eager to see the old plant torn down to make way for new development. The plant was decommissioned in 1986 and has been idle ever since.

Pacific Gas and Electric reached an agreement with the city to clean up the property and prepare it for sale. The company hired subcontractors to handle the demolition of the plant's boiler structures and worked with local authorities to set up a safe perimeter 1,000 feet from the site, said Denny Boyles, a company spokesman.

"We are deeply saddened that this happened," Boyles said. "We're looking for answers like everyone else."

Boyles said the boiler structure consisted of two towers measuring 140 feet high that supported four 200,000 gallon tanks.

The incident was first reported by the Bakersfield Californian.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/5-spectators-injured-old-power-plant-implosion-180344361.html

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Fuel-saving idle elimination coming to the masses

Autos

Michael Strong The Detroit Bureau

4 hours ago

GM?s move to make start/stop technology standard on the 2014 Chevy Malibu is the first ripple of the wave of U.S. vehicles that will be outfitted with the technology as automakers search for more ways to improve gas mileage.

It comes with a variety of names, including a start-stop system, idle elimination, idle-stop-go and micro-hybrid.

?Engine stop-start isn?t a brand new technology, but the latest systems benefit from significant advances made in the last few years,? said John Nielsen, AAA?s director of Automotive Engineering and Repair.

?This technology is only going to gain momentum as vehicle manufactures work to meet the more stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards set for 2016.?

The idea behind start/stop is that the engine shuts down when stopped for a period of time, then when engaged it starts up again. Ideally the driver would never notice it, but with past systems drivers have complained about delayed engine response, excessive noise, shuddering and shaking with systems.

More from The Detroit Bureau:?Ousted from Volvo, Jacoby Now Will Run GM's Vast International Empire

Most vehicles with the system have a shut off switch allowing drivers to simply turn it off if they?re unhappy with it. The Malibu will not have a kill switch. It?s the first high volume, non-hybrid to not offer the option of a kill switch.

But with corporate average fuel economy numbers rising in the coming years, companies have been working diligently to refine the technology. This system is expected to improve the Malibu?s fuel economy by 5 percent in city driving.

The first non-hybrid stop-start systems in the U.S. market arrived on high-end vehicles from BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. For the 2013 model year, Jaguar joined the group. It?s not surprising that European and Japanese vehicles would lead the way on bringing the technology to the U.S. as it's estimated that 40 to 45 percent of vehicles in those places use the technology.

While it was once tied to expensive vehicles, the technology is running across all makes and models in 2014. The new BMW 4-Series, 1-Series and 3-Series will have it, as will the Jaguar F-Type, Audi RS7, Ford Fusion and Mazda3. Even trucks will start to see some systems: Dodge is adding stop-start to its V6-powered Ram 1500 pickup for a one mile per gallon fuel economy improvement.

More from The Detroit Bureau:?Ford Admits Delaying Recall, Pays $17 million?Fine

Lux Research, a research and advisory firm providing strategic advice and ongoing intelligence for emerging technologies, predicts that more than 8 million vehicles in North America will be equipped with engine stop-start systems by 2017.

Additionally, IHS Automotive predicts more than 20 percent of vehicles built in North America will have the system by 2017, which is four times higher than the current number of vehicles.

Knowing the public?s perception of the system, GM spent a lot of time to perfect its version before putting it in the Malibu. Besides issues related to noise and vibration, shutting off the engine also impacts the car?s other systems, like lights, air conditioning, etc.

To avoid problems, the Malibu?s stop-start consists mainly of a beefed-up starter and a small auxiliary battery in the trunk. The extra battery is there so drivers won?t notice a momentary dimming of lights or slowing of the air-conditioning fan when the engine stops and starts.

The car uses the same electronic controls as several hybrids GM already builds. Those vehicles are widely considered industry leaders for smooth, unobtrusive operation.

Among other things, the system is programmed so it doesn?t keep cycling on and off in stop-and-go driving in heavy traffic. It also measures the inside and outside temperatures to keep the passenger compartment comfortable.

More from The Detroit Bureau: Jaguar to unveil its first-ever SUV

One reason the technology hasn?t caught on is that it isn?t necessarily cheap. The systems cost a few hundred dollars, but drivers can make it up, according to AAA. If gasoline costs $3.75 per gallon, the owner of a car that normally gets 20 mpg and is driven 12,000 miles per year would save an estimated $167 per year in fuel costs if the vehicle were equipped with an engine stop-start system. In this case, the system would pay for itself in less than two years and offer ongoing savings thereafter.

Another reason for the lack of promotion is that the Environmental Protection Agency, which helps determine mileage ratings for cars and trucks, doesn?t perform an appropriate test to help determine the system?s effectiveness and its impact on mileage ratings.

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2f7ceb2e/sc/28/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Cfuel0Esaving0Eidle0Eelimination0Ecoming0Emasses0E6C10A830A979/story01.htm

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NASCAR completes TV package with Fox Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. ? NASCAR completed its $8.2 billion television package Thursday by adding two years to its deal with Fox Sports and setting a schedule that gives the network the first 16 Sprint Cup races beginning in 2015.

Fox Sports last year signed a deal for the first 13 Cup races beginning with the 2015 season and the latest deal gives the network three more Cup races to go with the first 14 Nationwide Series races. Fox Sports also extended the contract it had signed last year by two years, so it now runs through 2024 and is the same length as the deal NBC Sports signed last week.

"Fox Sports has been an outstanding partner for NASCAR and we could not be more pleased with the additional commitment they are making to our sport and the fans," NASCAR Chairman Brian France said. "Fox Sports has delivered for our fans a number of innovations that have changed how our sport is presented, and our entire industry has now come to expect excellence from NASCAR on Fox. We believe this new agreement underscores our shared commitment to the fans over the next decade."

NBC Sports paid $4.4 billion for its rights, which begin in 2015, and the Fox Sports deal is now worth $3.8 billion with Thursday's additions. It puts NASCAR at $820 million a year for the length of the 10-year contracts.

Fox Sports will air nine Cup races on its network. The other seven will air on the Fox Sports 1 cable channel.

NBC Sports said last week seven of its 20 races would air on NBC. Coupled with Fox's broadcast races, NASCAR in 2015 will have 16 total races on a network broadcast ? the same number as this year.

The first 14 Nationwide Series race and the entire Truck Series schedule will air on Fox Sports 1, the all-sports network that launches this month. The Truck Series race from Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 17 will be the network's first live event, and NASCAR will be an anchor property for Fox Sports 1.

"Fox Sports is now the exclusive home of NASCAR, the most popular racing series in America, for the first five months of every season through 2024," Fox Sports co-Presidents and COOs Randy Freer and Eric Shanks said in a joint statement.

"The NASCAR Nationwide Series is second only to NASCAR Sprint Cup as the most-watched form of auto racing in the country. Fox Sports now owns the sport every weekend from Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 through June, and we expect these events to provide significant viewership for FOX Sports 1," they said. "The addition of Nationwide to the 1,100 hours of original motorsports programming already scheduled clearly puts FOX Sports at the front of the race to serve motorsports fans in the U.S."

Fox Sports began broadcasting live NASCAR races in 2001, and had the Nationwide Series as part of that original television package.

"We obviously are excited to extend our relationship with Fox Sports with a good balance of racing on the Fox Network," said Steve Herbst, NASCAR vice president of broadcasting and productions. "NASCAR on Fox has been very popular with NASCAR fans everywhere and we believe its expanded schedule will strengthen its relationship with the fans and provide the sport with many opportunities to cross-promote and grow our combined audiences."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bostonherald/sports/~3/pTthYM1Hobs/nascar_completes_tv_package_with_fox_sports

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Oh My, Look at All the Pretty Moto X Colors

The fabled Moto X has been detailed by Motorola at long last, and as expected, the company is flaunting the customizable appearance of the phone?there are more than 2000 possible color and material combinations you can assemble. Here are the 18 possibilities for the back, and they are oh so lovely how will anyone choose? Which do you like?

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/F_YH8QfQ2f4/oh-my-look-at-all-the-pretty-moto-x-colors-992610402

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Mexico president to present energy reform next week

MEXICO CITY | Thu Aug 1, 2013 6:48pm EDT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Thursday his sweeping energy reform, which is expected to include constitutional changes to lure private investment and boost output, will be presented to Congress next week.

The energy reform is a key plank of a wider economic overhaul designed to boost growth in Latin America's No. 2 economy to 6 percent a year, create jobs and lower energy costs.

"The government will be presenting my initiative, the initiative of the government, in the coming days, I think next week," Pena Nieto told local radio from a hospital where is recovering from the surgical removal of a benign nodule on his thyroid gland. He gave no details about the bill.

A top lawmaker from Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, said on Wednesday he expected the reform to be presented on August 7.

Pena Nieto said he hoped the initiative would be debated by Congress during a special legislative period set to begin in mid-August, setting up what is likely to be a heated debate over the future of Mexico's oil riches.

Mexico's conservative National Action Party, or PAN, proposed its own aggressive energy reform on Wednesday, which would dismantle the current ban on concessions and risk-sharing contracts in addition to a broad opening of the electricity sector and the creation of a fund to administer Mexico's oil wealth.

Mexico is the world's 10th biggest producer of crude oil, according to OPEC data, yet output has fallen by a quarter since hitting peak production of 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004.

The country also is a top oil exporter to the United States but has to import nearly half of its gasoline due to a lack of domestic refining capacity.

'SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE'

"I think the required consensus is in place for a meaningful reform to be passed because both the PAN and PRI favor a market- friendly approach," said Gabriel Salinas, a lawyer with Mayer Brown's Latin America energy group.

"But the PRI reform is not expected to be as revolutionary as the PAN's proposal. It will likely come down somewhere in the middle," he said.

Pena Nieto will need PAN backing to secure the required two-thirds majority in Congress to pass the bill. The PAN's proposal raises the likelihood the government will push through a deep reform.

The leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution has made clear it will not support constitutional changes, which it argues are tantamount to privatization. Leftist opponents of any constitutional changes have vowed massive street protests.

Top PRI lawmakers have signaled in recent weeks that the government's energy reform bill will include controversial changes to the constitution.

The PAN's energy proposal seeks to reform Articles 25, 27 and 28 of the constitution, and also would strengthen the country's energy regulatory bodies by making them autonomous.

The proposal would permit other operators to engage in the exploration and production of crude, effectively breaking the monopoly enjoyed by state-run oil and gas company Pemex, Mexico's sole operator under the existing legal framework.

(Reporting by Mexico Newsroom; Editing by Leslie Adler and Bill Trott)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/environment/~3/cwM2owx9D0c/story01.htm

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Pets | CJOnline.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The following animals have been brought to the Helping Hands Humane Society, 5720 S.W. 21st. The telephone number is 233-7325.CatsUnknown gender, gray, 1 year old, found in the 1100 block of S.W. Lincoln.Unknown ...

Source: http://cjonline.com/news/2013-08-01/pets

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