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Monday, June 17, 2013

All Critics (94) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (85) | Rotten (9)

This is an odd film (creepier than it knows), and even if you feel the atmospheric company of Dunham-ism, with a little of Whit Stillman, Henry Jaglom, and Woody Allen, the core influence on Noah Baumbach's film is fifty years older or more.

Baumbach usually builds his films around difficult protagonists, but Frances is entirely endearing, at once silly and deep, hopeless and promising.

The dialogue and editing are zippy and generally charming, combining with the tart observations of 20-something culture to create a nice frisson.

A black-and-white salute to the French New Wave (the score is borrowed from Georges Delerue, composer of many a Truffaut and Godard film) that manages to be very much of this moment ...

The movie's a love letter to an actress and her character, but by the end you may feel like an intervention is more in order.

The obvious love of New York City echoes Woody Allen at his best. But "Frances Ha" is very much its own film, a story of life and love and messy rooms.

Frances Ha is a sympathetic but not uncritical depiction of a girl's gradual evolution into a woman; one that never condescends by forcing her to abandon all her quirks and impish qualities in the final act... An absolute delight, this is.

Indie darling Gerwig has a great deal to do with the picture's success: she's disarmingly likable...

There's a level of audacity beneath the lightweight whimsy in this unassuming low-budget comedy.

"Frances Ha makes a star out of Gerwig, and she's the kind of star we need: a goofy one we can feel tender about but never underestimate."

'I can't account for my own bruises,' Frances says, as if she were a clumsy kid with an adult's vocabulary. Does the remark refer to more than the abrasions on her skin?

A celebration of cinema, New York City and the distinctive charms of actress Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha was co-written by Gerwig and its director, Noah Baumbach, and it's the best film either has made.

There's a thin line between comedy and tragedy, and Greta Gerwig walks it remarkably well.

There's depth and realism in the way Frances Ha shows aspiration versus reality.

Gerwig, beyond a doubt, is immeasurably appealing, and Frances Ha is tailor-made to showcase her gifts better than anything she's ever been in.

...if you hold your nose and simply wallow through the stench of self-aggrandizement, you'll be rewarded with an experience that will actually tug on your emotions.

Frances Ha provides a sharp, fleet, and very funny look at female friendship and the acceptance of adult responsibilities.

This is very minimalist storytelling much of which feels improvised in front of the camera. The film is more of a character situation than a character story.

Frances Ha is endearing, kind and, in many ways, Noah Baumbach's best movie to date.

It's a film that bears all of the zingy dialogue and sharp characterizations of Baumbach's other films ("The Squid and the Whale," "Greenberg") but with more of a generosity of spirit towards its characters.

Funny and touching, Frances Ha may very well be the most eloquent take yet on a generation in flux.

The light Frances Ha provides skittish moments of heartbreak and confusion on the humorous path to adulthood, but it sends a comforting message that our fate may use the same language as our dreams even if it doesn't tell the same story.

Easily Baumbach's warmest and most upbeat film to date.

Mostly the movie is the best showcase so far for Gerwig's brand of lovely klutziness (and)a contemporary everywoman appeal that's impossible to dismiss, making Frances' self-absorption easier to swallow and tasty, too.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/frances_ha_2013/

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Woods matches his worst US Open round as a pro

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) ? Tiger Woods made birdie at the first hole, only to watch his day go racing downhill from there.

By the time it was over, Woods skidded to seven bogeys and a 6-over-par 76 Saturday, tumbling down the leaderboard and matching his worst round as a pro at the U.S. Open. That left him 10 strokes behind third-round leader Phil Mickelson, the only player under par at the short but devilishly tough Merion Golf Club.

Despite leading the PGA Tour in putting in recent weeks, Woods needed 36 putts on the severely undulating greens. He blamed his inability to gauge the speed of those baffling putting surfaces for his three days of uneven play ? and he was right.

Woods is tied for third in fairways hit and 22nd in reaching the greens in regulation. But he's averaged 32 putts per round, which left him tied for 53rd in the field of 73 players.

"It's certainly frustrating because I was feeling like I was playing well this week and I just didn't make the putts I needed to make," he said afterward.

"The first two days, I had, like, three 3-putts and I was four shots off the lead, and I missed a boatload of putts within 10 feet. So I really wasn't that far off. If I clean up the round and don't 3-putt, I'm one shot back starting out today. ..." Woods added.

"Basically, I just didn't have the speed right this week and it certainly showed."

Woods' toughest stretch came at Nos. 3-6, where he made three bogeys in a four-hole stretch. He blamed the last of those for setting the negative tone that hung over his round like the storm clouds that rolled over Merion throughout Thursday's opening round. His troubles at No. 6 included a tee shot that finished up in another player's divot in the fairway, as well as a delicate greenside chip that rolled back and left him facing his next shot from farther back.

"I think the (bogey) 5 really turned my round around," Woods said. "I drove it right in the middle of the fairway and I end up in a ball mark from somebody else's ball mark, so it was kind of the way it went."

This U.S. Open marks exactly five years since Woods won his last major, at Torrey Pines, which he captured in a playoff against Rocco Mediate, despite hobbling around with ligament damage. His pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' career record of 18 majors remains stalled at 14.

Woods also shot a 76 in the final round at Shinnecock Hills in 2004, as well as two rounds of 76 at Winged Foot in 2006 when he missed the cut.

Woods' worst round ever at an Open was a 77 at Oakland Hills in 1996, when he was a 19-year-old amateur.

What made his performance here perhaps even more surprising is that Woods has already won four times this season, including The Players Championship ? sometimes called golf's fifth major ? and three of his last five starts. Most recently, however, Woods stumbled to an 8-over-par finish and a tie for 65th at the Memorial, a tournament he'd won five times.

Woods said several tough pin placements chosen by the U.S. Golf Association's course set up compounded his problems trying to figure out the speed of the greens.

"Look at what they did at (Nos.) 7 and 8 today. Couple short holes, but 7 is one step and a half over the top of the ridge. Eight is on the down slope a little bit, and it's a pretty steep slope. So they got some really tough ones out there," he said.

But Woods' also conceded he rarely put his approach shots into those greens where he should have.

"If you put the ball in the right spots you've got uphill putts and you can be really aggressive," Woods said.

Woods now faces the prospect of beginning the final day of yet another major with only the longest of shots to contend. What little consolation he could muster came when someone asked, "Tough day?"

"Yeah," Woods replied. "At least I started well."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woods-matches-worst-us-open-round-pro-003419332.html

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Crews working to get more Colo. fire evacuees home

In this Tuesday, June 12, 2013 photo, released Saturday, June 15, 2013, by the U.S. Air Force, an American flag hangs in front of a burning structure in the Black Forest, a thickly wooded rural region north of Colorado Springs, Colo. Authorities reported early Saturday that 473 houses had been incinerated. That compares with a report of a little over 400 just a few hours earlier. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Master Sgt. Christopher DeWitt)

Incident commander Rich Harvey, center, talks about the progress of the Black Forest Fire in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday, June 15, 2013. The number of homes destroyed in Colorado's most destructive wildfire ever continues to rise. Authorities reported early Saturday that 473 houses had been incinerated. That compares with a report of a little over 400 just a few hours earlier.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Residents look at a map of the Black Forest Fire after a press briefing in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday, June 15, 2013. The number of homes destroyed in Colorado's most destructive wildfire ever continues to rise. Authorities reported early Saturday that 473 houses had been incinerated. That compares with a report of a little over 400 just a few hours earlier. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Judy Scott, of Black Forest, Colo. waits for an informational meeting for residents affected by the Black Forest Fire at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument, Colo. on Saturday, June 15, 2013. Scott's home was partially damaged by the fire. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A note written on a vehicle's dusty window reads, "Help Save Black Forest. Pray" at a Red Cross shelter for evacuees of the Black Forest Fire at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument, Colo. on Saturday, June 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) ? Firefighters worked to get more people evacuated by Colorado's most destructive wildfire back home Sunday by digging up and extinguishing hot spots to protect homes still standing near Colorado Springs.

The labor-intensive work is necessary because extremely dry grass and trees could quickly ignite if wind stirs up one of those hot spots. The grass has less than 3 percent humidity, which incident command spokesman Brandon Hampton said is about as bad as having matches lying on the ground in densely-wooded Black Forest.

"We want to get people back in their homes and resuming normal lives, and we want to do it as quickly and safely as we can," Hampton said.

Nearly 500 homes have been burned by the fire, which is 55 percent contained after advances in recent days thanks in part to lighter winds. It's now estimated to be about 22 square miles and crews hope to have it fully contained by Thursday.

Evacuees outside the burn area have already been allowed back. Residents of areas burned by the fire were able to return briefly to see the devastation Saturday. Jack and Judy Roe thought their home was among the nearly 500 destroyed but found it standing Saturday amid other scorched houses in their neighborhood.

"We've been on such an emotional roller coaster over this thinking we had lost everything and then to find out that it's still there. It was a big relief to us, but I mean, our hearts were breaking for our neighbors," Judy Roe said. Describing the scene, she said she saw charred piles of what remained of homes, with bricks the only distinguishable feature.

Bob and Barbara Metzger lost their home, while nearby by their SUV, clotheslines and surrounding trees were spared.

"As long as the world around me looks the same, I'll be fine," Barbara Metzger said, showing a photo of her burnt home with surviving trees around. "We'll rebuild."

Authorities have also gained a clearer picture of a grim landscape in a burn area covering 25 square miles.

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said the fire's destruction has made it difficult for his deputies to assess damage. Deputies say "it looks like a nuclear bomb went off in some of those areas, and you can't even recognize whether it was a house or some other kind of structure," Maketa said. "That is the level of incineration and destruction that took place in some areas."

The fire exploded Tuesday amid record-setting heat and tinder-dry conditions. Two people have died, their bodies found inside their garage Thursday. Their car doors were open as though they had been about to flee, authorities said.

It's unknown what sparked the blaze, but investigators believe it was human-caused. So far, it's cost more than $5.2 million to fight.

The site of the wildfire is only a few miles away from the state's second most destructive wildfire, the Waldo Canyon Fire, which burned last summer.

The memory of that fire seems to have made residents especially appreciative of firefighters. Hampton said about a 1,000 people turned out to line the road and cheer firefighters as they returned from lines Saturday night.

Some of the aircraft used to fight the Black Forest Fire in the early days have been moved to fight a nearly 700-acre wildfire near Rifle Falls State Park in western Colorado. That fire erupted Friday from a smoldering lightning strike the day before, spokesman Pat Thrasher said. The residents of 12 homes were told to evacuate along with campers in the park as well as Rifle Mountain Park and the nearby White River National Forest.

Crews were closer to containing other wildfires that broke out around the same time as the Black Forest Fire. In Canon City, 50 miles to the southwest, a fire that destroyed 48 buildings at Royal Gorge Bridge & Park was 85 percent contained and the park's scenic railroad was running again. A lightning-sparked fire in Rocky Mountain National Park had burned nearly 500 acres and was 60 percent contained.

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Slevin contributed to this report from Denver.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-16-US-Colorado-Wildfires/id-638955d8d58849738ba98c159904a31c

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Global cooling as significant as global warming, study of marine ecosystems during Cretaceous period shows

June 16, 2013 ? A "cold snap" 116 million years ago triggered a similar marine ecosystem crisis to the ones witnessed in the past as a result of global warming, according to research published in Nature Geoscience.

The international study involving experts from the universities of Newcastle, UK, Cologne, Frankfurt and GEOMAR-Kiel, confirms the link between global cooling and a crash in the marine ecosystem during the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse period.

It also quantifies for the first time the amplitude and duration of the temperature change. Analysing the geochemistry and micropaleontology of a marine sediment core taken from the North Atlantic Ocean, the team show that a global temperature drop of up to 5^oC resulted in a major shift in the global carbon cycle over a period of 2.5 million years.

Occurring during a time of high tectonic activity that drove the breaking up of the super-continent Pangaea, the research explains how the opening and widening of new ocean basins around Africa, South America and Europe created additional space where large amounts of atmospheric CO₂ was fixed by photosynthetic organisms like marine algae. The dead organisms were then buried in the sediments on the sea bed, producing organic, carbon rich shale in these new basins, locking away the carbon that was previously in the atmosphere.

The result of this massive carbon fixing mechanism was a drop in the levels of atmospheric CO₂, reducing the greenhouse effect and lowering global temperature.

This period of global cooling came to an end after about 2 million years following the onset of a period of intense local volcanic activity in the Indian Ocean. Producing huge volumes of volcanic gas, carbon that had been removed from the atmosphere when it was locked away in the shale was replaced with CO₂ from Earth's interior, re-instating a greenhouse effect which led to warmer climate and an end to the "cold snap."

The research team highlight in this study how global climate is intrinsically linked to processes taking place in Earth's interior at million year time scales. These processes can modify ecospace for marine life, driving evolution.

Current research efforts tend to concentrate on global warming and the impact that a rise of a few degrees might have on past and present day ecosystems. This study shows that if global temperatures swing the other way by a similar amount, the result can be just as severe, at least for marine life.

However, the research team emphasise that the observed changes of the Earth system in the Cretaceous happened over millions of years, rather than decades or centennial, which cannot easily be related to our rapidly changing modern climate conditions.

"As always it's a question of fine balance and scale," explains Thomas Wagner, Professor of Earth Systems Science at Newcastle University, and one of the leaders of this study.

"All earth system processes are operating all the time and at different temporal and spatial scales; but when something upsets the balance -- be it a large scale but long term natural phenomenon or a short and massive change to global greenhouse gases due to anthropogenic activity -- there are multiple, potential knock-on effects on the whole system.

"The trick is to identify and quantify the initial drivers and consequences, which remains an ongoing challenge in climate research."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/GltB6_CZYnY/130616155209.htm

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Moderate Rohani looks on way to outright Iran election victory

By Marcus George and Yeganeh Torbati

DUBAI (Reuters) - Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani soared to a huge lead over conservative rivals in preliminary vote counting on Saturday, suggesting he may be able to pull off a surprise outright victory in Iran's presidential election.

The outcome is unlikely to radically alter relations between Iran and the world or lead to a shift in the Islamic Republic's policy on its disputed nuclear program - security issues that are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

But the president does have an important voice in decision-making in the Shi'ite Muslim country of 75 million and could bring a change from the confrontational style of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

The big lead achieved by Rohani pointed to a latent but major reservoir of pro-reform sentiment whereby many seized the chance to cut the ruling elite down to size over Iran's economic woes, international isolation and crackdowns on personal freedoms despite curbs on candidate choice and campaigning.

If he wins, Rohani, a moderate who is a former chief nuclear negotiator known for his conciliatory approach, has indicated he would promote foreign policy based on "constructive interaction with the world" and enact a "civil rights charter" at home.

In an apparent attempt to signal political continuity, Khamenei said on Saturday that whatever the result of Friday's election, it would be a vote of confidence in the 34-year-old Islamic Republic.

"A vote for any of these candidates is a vote for the Islamic Republic and a vote of confidence in the system," the hardline clerical leader's official Twitter account said.

With more than 12 million votes counted from the 50 million electorate, Rohani had tallied 51.8 percent of valid votes cast, according to Iran's interior ministry.

But state television channels said the winning candidate needed more than 50 percent of all ballots cast, including invalid ones. That would trim Rohani's vote to 50.03 percent, a much closer margin, but still enough to avoid a second-round run-off on June 21.

The atmosphere at Rohani's campaign headquarters was one of excitement with workers there preparing for victory, said a source close to the campaign. The Rohani campaign expected an announcement in the coming hours, the source said.

Electoral officials did not say from which districts the votes so far counted had come from.

Rohani's nearest rival was conservative Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a long way behind with 16.7 percent. Other hardline candidates close to Khamenei scored even lower.

DECISIVE SPLIT

Rohani's campaign was endorsed by centrist former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani after the latter, a veteran rival of Khamenei, was barred from running by a state vetting body.

Rohani received a big further boost when reformists led by ex-president Mohammad Khatami swung behind him after their own lackluster candidate Mohammad Reza Aref withdrew in his favor.

In contrast, several high-profile conservatives with close ties to the ruling clerical or Revolutionary Guards elite failed to unite behind a single candidate, suffering what appeared to be a decisive split in their support base as a result.

Voting was extended by several hours at polling stations across the country on Friday as millions turned out to cast their ballot in the first presidential race since the 2009 contest where allegations of fraud led to mass unrest.

State-run Press TV reported a turnout of about 80 percent.

Rohani came to prominence as Iran's nuclear negotiator in talks with Britain, France and Germany between 2003 and 2005 that Tehran Iran agree to suspend uranium enrichment-related activities, easing Western pressure at the time.

He left the post when Ahmadinejad came to office in 2005, enrichment activity resumed and there has been virtually no progress in intermittent talks since then. The result has been that international sanctions have been stepped up against Tehran, seriously damaging its heavily oil-dependent economy.

Rohani is an important bridge between hardliners around Khamenei who oppose any accommodation with the West and reformers sidelined for the last four years who argue the Islamic Republic needs to be more pragmatic in its relations with the outside world and change at home in order to survive.

Rohani, a mid-level Shi'ite cleric, has impeccable revolutionary credentials and was active in the opposition that toppled the U.S.-backed shah in 1979. He also held prominent roles in Iran's 1980-88 war with Iraq, including as commander of national air defense, according to his official biography.

He remains on the Supreme National Security Council and is also on the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts, two eminent advisory bodies in Iran's multi-tiered power structure.

But he has also maintained close ties with Rafsanjani and was backed by Khatami, the reformist president from 1997-2005.

Security was tight during the election and campaigning subdued compared to the euphoric rallies that preceded the last presidential vote in 2009, when reformist backers thought they scented victory and the prospect of democratic change in Iran.

Those hopes were dashed when rapid announcements gave Ahmadinejad 63 percent of the vote, returning him to office and starting a series of protests that lasted for months and led to dozens of killings and hundreds of arrests.

(Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian in Zurich; Writing by Jon Hemming; Editing by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moderate-cleric-rohani-leads-early-iran-election-results-041815947.html

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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Heidi Klum puts fashion aside as TV's 'Talent' judge

By Eric Kelsey

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - German supermodel Heidi Klum, who has strutted from the runway to entrepreneur and reality TV host, will now try her hand as a judge on NBC's television competition show "America's Got Talent."

Klum, 40, nicknamed "The Body" for her statuesque figure, has carved a career beyond modeling, as the host of Lifetime's fashion series "Project Runway" and "Germany's Next Top Model."

For "America's Got Talent," the model stepped out of her role as fashion expert for the first time, to sit alongside former Spice Girl Mel B., comedian Howie Mandel and radio host Howard Stern on the judging panel for the show's eighth season, which began this week.

Klum, who has her own fashion empire with jewelry, clothing and fragrances, spoke to Reuters about her transition from a model to entrepreneur and major television player in the United States and Germany.

Q: What is it like to be in your first non-fashion role?

A: I think (producers) look at me as a judge that has traveled a lot for 20 years. I have climbed from the bottom up through many different maneuvers ... and I think that's why they wanted me there. I don't think they want me there for fashion. I look at (contestants) for their talent and not necessarily the way they're dressed and if their hem length is right. That's what I do on "Project Runway" but not here.

Q: In what kind of role do you see yourself as a judge?

A: I look at it as a woman, as a mom, someone who has seen a lot of shows. You know, I think about, "Hey, is this an act that is interesting? Is this something that I want to see again? Did that excite me? Would my children love to watch this?"

Q: Do you have any specific criteria you are looking for?

A: I love people that surprise me, that show me things I haven't seen before. Today we looked at this guy ... he's a sword swallower. He combined that with pole dancing. He was pole dancing with a sword down his throat and did that deadly drop that they do at the end sometimes, you know? With a sword in his mouth. ... We're jaded and we've seen so many things and you're looking for something that surprises you.

Q: What made you interested in doing a show like this?

A: I never saw myself as a judge on the show because I was judging on my couch at home and that was it. And when they called me I was like, "Oh my gosh, what a fun gig that would be." I met with them and I was flattered that they would want me to be part of this. When the news came out that Mel B. was replacing Sharon Osbourne, I thought they just wanted to see if I was into it. Then they're like, "No, no, no, actually we were always planning on having four judges and you're going to be our surprise fourth judge."

Q: Does it remind you of auditions starting out as a model?

A: No, not really. When you model, people don't really care so much what you have to say. You don't really have to sing or dance or do a performance. It's about your look and they look at your face and your body. You get a once over, and people look at you and either they like your look or they don't.

Q: When did you know that modeling might not last forever?

A: It wasn't so much that I was thinking I have to branch out. I just branched out naturally because I enjoyed all the different things that I got into. For example, I started designing jewelry because the people who were making the million-dollar bra for Victoria's Secret - I got to wear the bra three times - and they saw my passion for design. So they said, 'Why don't we do a line together?' And that's how it started.

Before I entered my modeling competition in '92, I finished my school and I would've gone to Duesseldorf to design school. ... I wanted to be a fashion designer and if I wouldn't have won that modeling competition, I would've gone to school.

Q: How do you balance work in the United States and Germany?

A: I spend most of my time in America. I shoot "Germany's Next Top Model" in Los Angeles too. It airs in Germany, but I do all of it from home basically because I can't travel that much. So I do the finale in Germany and when I do the casting and look at all the girls, but I take them all to America and then we shoot the show in L.A. ... For me, this (show) is the closest to my heart, because these girls want to do what I've been doing for the last 20 years, and so I feel the closest to these kind of contestants.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heidi-klum-puts-fashion-aside-tvs-talent-judge-130941808.html

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