Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 1088

'The Lone Ranger' Still Isn't Really That Exciting

Something still seems off about The Lone Ranger: Wednesday brought another—and very lengthy—trailer for Disney's Johnny Depp-starring summer blockbuster, and there's more story now, but there's still not a whole lot of there out there in the Old West. The trailer builds up the action that sets the plot in motion: Armie Hammer's John Reid becomes a Texas Ranger with his brother, who is subsequently killed. He teams up with Depp's Tonto to seek revenge, and they go forth to encounter all kinds of baddies and ruthless people. Helena Bonham Carter has a shoe-gun. There are a lot of battles on trains. A lot, it seems. (For a more complete description of the plot, go to Yahoo.)

As our Richard Lawson remarked way back when the first teaser trailer, there's cause for concern. And that concern remains. Depp's Tonto performance still strikes us as a kind of mess of stereotypes, no matter the good intentions that he tried to illustrate during Yahoo's Q&A this afternoon. ("The goal was, in my own small way, to right the many wrongs that has been done to those people," Depp said.) Besides that, the whole thing, down to the accents, comes off as a little hokey, despite the huge production value. 

We could be wrong, though. Those at the CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas got a taste of extended footage, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, at least one formerly wary exhibitor was impressed. But you're allowed to be suspicious.

       

Google Glass Packaging Looks a Lot Like Apple iPhone Packaging

The first few hundred Google Glass headsets are now in the hands of the luck "Explorers" who coughed up $1,500 for the device. Obviously, the proud new owners meticulously documented the unboxing process. And as you might expect, those photos show that Google took a page from Apple when designing the presentation of the new technology to its new owners. Aside from the image of glasses lenses, the white box could be an iPhone box. The white plug could be an iPhone plug. The black cable, however, just screams Google. (Just kidding, it doesn't.) That said, white and black are pretty common colors, and it's hard not to think about how Google Glass compares to rare Apple products, especially as far as the marketing is concerned.

One batch that's making its way around the web comes from Brandon Allgood, the chief technology officer of the data analytics firm Numerate. Brandon is very excited about his new device. He described experience of opening the box as "freeing" and posted some photos to — where else? — Google+. Brandon described the contents of the very Apple-like box and minimal packaging, "This is what you get in the box: two visors [one clear, one tinted], a bag, power cord an of course google Glass!" He also pointed out how Glass does not integrate well with iPhone:

One downside if you have an iPhone. They don't have the myGlass app out yet so GPS and texting Glass doesn't work. :(

Did you honestly expect Google's hottest product to be completely iPhone-friendly? Apparently, they'd rather pal around with Facebook than throw a bone to the Cupertino kids. 

       

What Was Mark Sanford Doing at His Ex-Wife's House?

Mark Sanford is headed back to court on Thursday to address an accusation that he trespassed at his ex-wife Jenny Sanford's home a couple months ago. This probably doesn't bode well for his congressional campaign, but it's not the end of the world either. According to the Associated Press "Jenny Sanford confronted her ex-husband leaving her South Carolina home" in early February. Court documents reveal that he was using his cell phone as a flashlight suggesting that he knew he wasn't supposed to be there. Indeed, the divorce settlement very clearly states that they aren't allowed to enter each other's home without permission.

Why did he do that?! Was he looking for an old T-shirt? Or checking to make sure the air conditioner was working okay as the weather starts to heat up in South Carolina? It's unclear.

Mark Sanford was doing so well, though! Sanford staged a spectacular fall from grace a couple years ago when he was caught having an affair with a woman from Argentina, a trespass that led to his divorce from Jenny Sanford. But Mark's been on his way to a comeback, though. Less than two weeks ago, the former governor won the Republican primary in the race for South Carolina's first district, bringing him one step closer to political redemption. Now this?!

Let's not be hasty, though. A judge will decide whether or not Sanford actually trespassed, and voters will decide if it actually matters. If he was in the house against court orders, it might've been for something quite mundane, like an old T-shirt. (We're guessing things are awkward enough between the two that he thought it better to trespass than call and ask permission, but who knows.) It might've been something more. We'll see later this week.

Update (9:00 p.m.): CNN's Peter Hamby got in touch with Jenny Sanford via text message. "Those documents are legit and I understood they were to have remained part of the sealed divorce docs," the former South Carolina first later told Hamby. "This is a private matter and I have no further comment," she added.

       

The Movies Need to Be Nicer to Old People

Today in show business news: Movie theaters need to cater more to the concerns of Baby Boomers, a Pitch Perfect 2 is on its way, and Tom Cruise can't stop doing stuff with aliens.

Last month it was the kids who were saving the movie industry, according to some MPAA figures, but now some other researcher says that old people are the ones that the biz needs to pay attention to. Well, specifically movie theaters, and specifically Baby Boomers. See, a marketing research firm did a presentation at the theater owners convention CinemaCon today, saying that theaters need to "consider more sophisticated concessions for the 55+ crowd, including espresso, red wine, cookies or cake, cheese or 'something that doesn’t make my cholesterol go up.'" Aha. OK. Red wine at a movie theater. Sounds like a great idea, until everyone falls asleep after twenty minutes because that's what happens after one glass of red wine, duh (gotta keep drinking!). It was also stressed that studios need to make better movie trailers, because they're ultimately more important and effective than TV commercials. Right, because those old people are going to remember a movie they saw a trailer for six months ago instead of a TV commercial that's on every ten minutes. I doubt it, market research people. This sounds suspicious to me, this whole thing. Stick with the kids, movie theaters. If old people want red wine and espresso they can more to Italy for heaven's sake. And movie trailers are just fine. Keep 'em loud and full of spoilers, just like everyone likes them. Also be sure to play "All Star" in it. We all love that. [Deadline]

Also at CinemaCon, it was announced that we can expect a sequel to the college a cappella comedy Pitch Perfect sometime in 2015. So get ready for more of Anna Kendrick and those damn cups. That girl really loves those cups. I kid, I kid. Pitch Perfect was fun, and the sequel will have the same writer, Kay Cannon, so maybe it will be just as good the second time around. But there needs to be more kissing. That's just a fact. Not nearly enough kissing in the first Pitch Perfect. [Deadline]

Oh Stanley, no. Stanley Tucci, beloved by all but especially by Emily Blunt's sister, has signed on to appear in Transformers 4. Yup. That's the one that is at least sans Shia, but still. It's Transformers 4. Directed by Michael Bay. Why, Stanley, why? Do you and the sister Blunt need a new summer house or something? If that's the case, and it's some lovely place in Watch Hill or on Fishers Island, then I can understand. But otherwise? I just do not get it. You're Stanley Tucci! And it's Transformers 4. Those two things just should not go together. But, if it is for the house near Siasconset, you'd better invite me out this summer. [IndieWire]

Oblivion not being enough for him, Tom Cruise is doing another post-apocalyptic alien invasion movie. (What can he say, the guy's really into aliens.) He's signed on to star in Yukikaze, a sci-fi yarn based on a series of Japanese novels. The story "unfolds in the early 21st Century, three decades after the alien force JAM invaded earth through a dimensional porthole that appeared over Antarctica. While humans beat back the attack, they form a special combat force to eradicate the alien threat on its home planet." Cruise, I'm wildly guessing, will play the leader of said special combat force. So, just another day in the weird alien office for old Tom Cruise. Cruise is the name, aliens are the game. And everything else. [Deadline]

Speaking of apocalyptic alien invasions, the premiere of Syfy's new show Defiance, which has Julie Benz from Buffy and Dexter playing the mayor of futuristic St. Louis because why not, did very well last night. A total of 2.7 million souls watched the big premiere, 1.3 of those people between the ages of 18-49. That makes it the most successful premiere in the target demo since Eureka showed up seven years ago. That's encouraging news for the network, and very exciting for Julie Benz, who hopefully will never be stuck in another No Ordinary Family ever again. [Deadline]

       

Deja Vu: A Letter Sent to Capitol Hill Just Tested Positive for Ricin

In an eerie if incongruous reminder of the anthrax attacks after 9/11, a preliminary test appears to indicate that an envelope sent to a U.S. Senate office contained the poisonous protein ricin. Politico and CBS report that the recipient was Mississippi's Roger Wicker. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana suggests that someone may already be in custody.

#BREAKING: An envelope sent to an office of Sen. Roger Wicker included a substance that has tested positive for Ricin, two sources say.

— POLITICO (@politico) April 16, 2013

The letter was received at the Capitol's remote mail processing facility. After a routine test identified the presence of ricin on the envelope, CNN reports that it was tested two additional times, confirming the presence of the poison each time. CBS disputes that:

JUST IN: @cbsnews confirms letter sent to US Sen. Wicker (R-MS) PRELIMINARILY tested positive for ricin poison, further testing required.

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 16, 2013

Despite saying it had been tested three times, CNN's Dana Bash also indicated that the letter was being sent to Maryland for further testing.

CBS also reports that the perpetrator may already have been arrested.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said senators were also briefed by Sergeant at Arms Terence Gainer about the Wicker letter.

Landrieu told reporters that the senators were told the suspected letter writer writes a lot of letters to members and added she believes authorities have someone in custody.

Ricin is a natural component of castor beans. In late 2011, after four men were arrested in Georgia for loosely plotting terror attacks involving the poison, the Los Angeles Times explained what makes the compound so deadly.

It can be formed into a powder, mist or pellet, or even added to water, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Indeed, even the symptoms of ricin poisoning might not raise an alarm until it's too late. They begin benignly enough — respiratory distress, followed by nausea, coughing, fever and, ultimately perhaps, death.

It then somberly notes: there's no known antidote. As noted by Rolling Stone's Tim Dickinson, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center suggests it's not quite that easy.

Oral ingestion most commonly occurs through consumption of castor beans, although ricin can be dissolved in water or a weak acid. Ricin may also be delivered through injection, as in the case of Georgi Markov; however, that method is limited by proximity to the target. As a biological weapon, ricin powder or mist would most likely be aerosolized, resulting in poisoning via inhalation.

Markov was a Bulgarian dissident who, the CDC notes, "died after he was attacked by a man with an umbrella. The umbrella had been rigged to inject a poison ricin pellet under Markov’s skin."

In the aftermath of the Boston bombing, the announcement quickly brought to mind the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, when media personalities and elected officials received letters containing anthrax. Those attacks were ultimately linked to a scientist named Bruce Ivins. Ivins committed suicide in 2008, leaving his involvement in the attacks uncertain.

       

Help a College Student Injured in Boston Find a Mystery Veteran Who Helped Her

Tuesday afternoon's final briefing by Massachusetts and law enforcement officials ended on a sweet note when Governor Deval Patrick asked for "a favor," encouraging people to help Victoria, a Northeastern student who suffered a "serious shrapnel wound," find the man who comforted her following the Monday's bombing in Boston. Victoria described herself to the governor as having been scared and panicked after being injured, only to have an Army veteran who goes by "Tyler" help calm her by showing her a shrapnel wound of his own. Now, she wants to thank him. Come on, Internet, let's tell Victoria that, yes, there is a Tyler out there.

Victoria was injured after the first bombing, Patrick said, and was carried to the medical tent by someone who is thought to be a firefighter. She was "scared" and, according to Patrick, who met her at Tufts Medical Center, "really, as she described it, hysterical." Tyler helped her by showing her a scar from his shrapnel injury, which he received in Afghanistan. 

There's little we know about Tyler. He may have been assigned to the tent. He may have just been there to help. We just know he's an Army vet with that first name, who was on the scene. We're looking, and you should, too. It's one of the few feel-good stories to emerge from government officials in an aftermath that has already seen remarkable acts of kindness and heroism. This just demonstrates how much all that good has meant to people who suffered the violence first hand. 

Tyler can call: (617) 725-4000. 

       

Pat Summerall, Who Let the NFL Speak for Itself, Has Died

Pat Summerall, one of the most famous sportscasters of all time, has died at age 82, the Dallas Morning-News reports. Known for bringing his dulcet, almost restful near baritone to the restlessness of the NFL as a play-by-play announcer on CBS, Fox, and ESPN, Summerall also played nine seasons in the league with the Detroit Lions, Chicago Cardinals, and New York Giants. Paired in the broadcast booth with John Madden for 21 seasons, and for eight Super Bowls, Summerall was a favorite in the '80s and '90s for his sparse style. He stayed out of the way and let the sound of the game do the work for him, speaking only when its necessary, working a reserve many of today's broadcasters should probably study. Summerall was elected into the American Sports Writers Hall of Fame in 1994. He received the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting in 2011. Summerall was, by all accounts, one of the great television voices in the history of sports. Here's his call of "The Catch 2," when Steve Young hit Terrell Owens to lock up the last San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl victory: 

Here's Summerall reflecting on his work with Madden over the years. 

If you're interested in further reading about Summerall after his passing, we'd like to recommend this New York Times piece about his overcoming struggles with alcohol, or this Sports Illustrated profile of him from all the way back in 1987. This speaks for itself: 

Pat Summerall told me that even after he and Madden split, he'd do play-by-play from his couch when JM was on TV. It was a reflex. RIP.

— Bryan Curtis (@curtisbeast) April 16, 2013

Update: Here's a statement from Madden....

Pat was my broadcasting partner for a long time, but more than that he was my friend for all of theseyears. We never had one argument, and that was because of Pat. He was a great broadcaster and agreat man. He always had a joke. Pat never complained and we never had an unhappy moment. He wassomething very special. Pat Summerall is the voice of football and always will be.

       

Some Fun Things to Watch on Netflix Tonight

The news is terrible. It's always terrible, but right now it's especially terrible. And while I'm sure we're all doing our due diligence in watching cable news or local live streams or Twitter or whatever else, it's OK to take a break, too. Unfortunately, this being a Tuesday close to the end of a television season, there's not much on TV tonight. (Unless you want to watch 19 Kids and Counting or The Voice, in which case you'd be better off with the cable news.) So here are some selections available on Netflix Instant that I'd recommend as good distractions tonight. Just because.

The L Word: Did you know that all six seasons of Showtime's semi-ridiculous lesbian soap are on Netflix? Well, they are. So why not spend the evening exploring the world of West Hollywood sapphism, specifically that of the pretty twenty- and thirty-somethings who hang out at the local cafe The Planet. There's steady couple (in the beginning, anyway) Bette and Tina (Bette is played by Jennifer Beals!), Pam Grier as the (straight) elder stateswoman Kit, Mia Kirshner as the hilariously detestable Jenny, and then there's the slinky Katherine Moennig as Shane, who will likely make you question your sexuality no matter how you're oriented. No one's arguing that this show is good, per se, but as a sun-splashed way to forget the cares of the real world, it's certainly an engrossing option.

Immortals: On the other side of the eye-candy coin is this swords 'n' sandals battle-of-the-gods nonsense from Tarsem, the director of The Cell and The Fall. (And Mirror Mirror, god help us all.) As with The L Word this is not by any means a cultural property of any actual quality. But! There's him and him and him (nice hat, Emmett!) and him. And, hell, her and her. There's a lot to look at, is what I'm saying. Plot-wise? You'd do better elsewhere. But who cares about plot?

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: This is an actually good thing. There are seven seasons of FX's frequently brilliant comedy on Netflix, but if you haven't got the time, maybe jump into season two, when the show really got into its groove. I'm thinking particularly of S2E04, "Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare," an episode as potentially offensive to scores of people as it is blissfully funny. Season two is chock-full of terrific episodes, among them "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad" and the eloquently titled "Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody's Ass." If those titles sound a little cheesy, like they're trying to be super edgy, don't worry. The show is a lot sharper, smarter, and slyer than the titles suggest. A gem of a show, season two is one of Sunny's strongest runs.

NYC Prep: Have you not seen NYC Prep? Good grief, what is wrong with you? Bravo's greatest television series to date, this short-lived look at the ridiculous teens of elite Manhattan prep schools offered all the drama and thrills of a grownup series with all the comfortingly low stakes of the fleeting teenage years. In some ways a bizarre and cruel experiment, but in others an oddly goodhearted series, NYC Prep glimmered briefly in the summer of 2009 and then never returned. Because obviously no parents would let their kids be on that show after the disaster of the first season. But it's a beautiful disaster, painfully familiar despite its rarefied world. If reality doesn't quite float your boat but you're looking for something in the YA realm, there's always the much better than expected Teen Wolf or, hitting a little older, the wonderful college comedy Greek, an ABC Family series that was actually exceptionally well-written.

Tiny Furniture: Hey, why not see what all the fuss is about and watch the movie that put Girls creator Lean Dunham on the map? You'll get to meet her real-life mom (you know, the famous artist that everyone has heard of, right?) and her real-life sister. And you can see her real-life apartment! But really the attraction of Tiny Furniture is that it's a funny, surprisingly thoughtful little film. If New York navel-gazing isn't really your speed these days, or any days, there is a wealth of other good indie comedies on Netflix, from Bernie (which isn't really a comedy) to Bottle Rocket.

Louie: For god's sake, just watch Louie already. The first two seasons of television's most original comedy (is it a comedy?) are readily available, and if you have not seen them yet, you must. What Louis C.K. does with a half-hour feels like a revolution. A corny word to use about television, I know, but here it feels applicable. Louie is unfortunately not as silly or upbeat as we're trying to go with this list, but it's well worth the time anyway. And there are definitely big, satisfying belly laughs to be had throughout. Come on. Get smart and watch this show for crying out loud.

The Queen of Versailles: Yes there is a lot in this fascinating documentary about the depressing financial slump of this once-great nation, but mostly it's a spectacularly enthralling look at one particularly strange, and particularly wealthy, family who once set out to build the biggest home in America. (They built the bones, but the rest has yet to be filled in. Though it might be soon!) If you're not looking for an allegory about America's economic ruin — charming and oddly sweet as it is! — maybe go for First Position instead, a look at kids competing in America's most prestigious youth ballet competition. Some heartbreak is had, to be sure, but mostly it's about young people soaring gracefully. It's a joy to watch. And joy is a good thing, right now and always.

       

Map: Terror Attacks in America Since 1970

Among the data on domestic terror attacks made available by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland is geographic data. That data allows us to map over 1,430 attacks for which START also provided a summary of the event.

There are some instances in which multiple attacks occurred in the same geographic location, in which case some may not be visible.

       

What Can Doctors Do to Save a Leg from Amputation?

The doctors fighting to save the lives — and limbs — of those wounded in the Monday's bombing will have the benefit of recent major advances, many of them results of medical experience during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, in what is called limb salvaging. The latest casualty figure has 183 injured in the attack (fortunately, 89 have now been released), and at least 10 of them have had a limb amputated, according to CNN. More will probably be added to that toll: at least nine of the 28 people sent to the Brigham and Women's Hospital  have "limb threatening" wounds, according to a hospital spokesman.

"In general due to the advances of microsurgery, it is possible to replant extremities," Dr. Linda Cendales, an assistant professor at Emory told The Atlantic Wire. That is the good news. The bad news is that the procedures can take a very long time and might not be worth it for some. This is how that works:

If the right conditions are met—a big if—then the patient undergoes replantation surgery. First and foremost the patient has to be stabilized. ("Life over limb," Cendales repeated more than once.) At that point, the doctor evaluates the state of the amputated segment, the limb, the type of damage, and the injury. If it's damage the doctors think they can fix, the patient then undergoes hours worth of surgery, in which surgeons mend bones with plates and screws and reconnect tendons, nerves, vessels, and skin. Afterwards, for precision, doctors will then further mend those tissues under a microscope.

And that may just be the first of many surgeries in the process. Time's Nate Rawlings wrote about a veteran of Afghanistan who underwent 23 surgeries and six months of painful bone stretching to save his leg. Cendales said that his would be an extreme case. One of her patients who suffered a grenade explosion incident went through three surgeries, she said.

No matter the number of procedures, there is still a lengthy rehab period. The actual time depends on a number of factors, but Cendales says the healing process of the bones and muscles alone takes months. "The nerves could take up to a couple of years as well to regenerate," she says. All through the process there's a chance that the limb may still never function again.

Preserving a limb involves a lot of specific care, soon after the injury. The general guidelines are as follows, per Cendales:

Take that segment or that part and then wrap it with a moist cloth. Then place it on a plastic bag and seal the plastic bag and then submerge it in either ice or cold ice and bring it to the emergency room along with the patient. 

Dr. Kent Sepkowitz over at The Daily Beast is pessimistic about those conditions being met in Monday's bombing. "As for the reattachment of missing limbs and fingers, unfortunately the chaos that ensued after the explosions makes this just about impossible," he writes. "Even the basic task of matching the correct limb to the patient was not assured," he writes. 

Given the risks and costs of limb salvaging, prosthetics might be a better choice for some patients, who might not want to go through the invasive surgery and rehabilitation to possibly never walk again. Prosthetics may actually deliver a better outcome. A recent study found that patients who got replacements had better "overall function" than those who went through rehabilitation. The Brooke Army Medical Center saw more "late" amputations from veterans starting in 2009 because patients were having trouble walking. "I met several limb salvage patients at BAMC who could barely walk 10 feet on a carpeted floor," writes Rawlings.

For those who don't qualify for limb reattachment, there have been huge advancements in prosthetics as well. The Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis (pictured right) was designed by Lieut. Co. Joe Hsu, an orthopedic surgeon; Ryan Blanck, a prosthetist; and Johnny Owens, a physical therapist. It has helped hundreds of veterans since its invention a year ago. It looks and works a lot like a prosthetic, but it fits over the re-attached limb. "The way it works is very much like a runner’s prosthetic," Blanck explains. "As the warrior steps on it and moves forward, the energy of the foot piece is transferred to the back of the foot piece with a spring motion." Soldiers who once limped following limb rehabilitation were back in their original units.