25 Unique Facts About Mars: Earth’s Mysterious Cousin
Last night, Mars put on a spectacular show in the sky, coming as close as it will until 2018. There"s still plenty of time to see a crisp, bright Mars in the night sky (it"ll be the second or third brightest object, depending on the night) but if you missed out on Slooh"s spectacular coverage with our own Bob Berman, they"ve been gracious enough to upload it to YouTube.
You can watch it at the video below. The hour long presentation brings views from the Canary Islands in Spain, one of Slooh"s outpost observatories. The conversation between Berman and Slooh astronomer Paul c*x is fascinating, and Mars appears as a bright dusty-red disc in it. Mars isn"t the only planetary opposition this year, either. Later this summer, Saturn will be in opposition, and Slooh will be there for that too.
Okay, cool, heres what happened: I took that emotional, heart-wrenching ending of last nights episode of Game of Thrones which finally explained why Hodor could only say Hodor (short version: Brans fault) and also showed him dying a heroic death (spoiler alert: also Brans fault) and I stripped all the audio and replaced it with the song Tha Crossroads, by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Thats what this is. Thats what going on here. Its silly and dumb but I feel kind of okay about it, all things considered.
The truth is that I spent a solid 20 to 30 minutes trying to settle on a song to use. Other contenders included Hero by Mariah Carey, Its So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday by Boyz II Men, and One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, but I settled on Tha Crossroads because it felt right, even if I already used Tha Crossroads for at least one other very notable television death. I just really like using Tha Crossroads in these situations, okay? Also, I stopped listening to music in like 1999 apparently, so I had a limited set of options to choose from.
So, to recap: Heres a thing I did. Try replacing various words of the song with Hodor when you sing along. Or all of them, if you want. We all grieve in our own way.
Sen. Bernie Sanders was given unprecedented say over the Democratic Party platform Monday in a move party leaders hope will soothe a bitter split with backers of the longshot challenger to Hillary Clinton and Sanders immediately used his new power to name a well-known advocate for Palestinian rights to help draft Democratic policy.
The senator from Vermont was allowed to choose nearly as many members of the Democratic Party platform-writing body as Clinton, who is expected to clinch the nomination next month. That influence resulted from an agreement worked out this month between the two candidates and party officials, the party announced Monday.
Clinton has picked six members of the 15-member committee that writes the platform, and Sanders has named five, the Democrats said Monday ahead of an expected announcement by the Democratic National Committee.
[DNC to offer Sanders a convention concession]
The math is based on the number of popular votes each has received to date, one official said. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the DNC, will name four. The candidates choices were selected in consultation with the campaigns and the DNC from larger slates of 12 and 10 suggested by the campaigns.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders signaled he is not backing down telling supporters in New Mexico, "We are going to fight for every last vote." (Reuters)
Sanderss slate includes James Zogby, a longtime activist for Palestinian rights as well as a DNC member and official. Zogby currently co-chairs the partys resolutions committee. His inclusion is a sign of Sanderss plans to push the partys policy on Israel toward what he has called a more even-handed approach to the Palestinian cause.
[Why pro-Israel Democrats Sanders and Clinton could fight about Israel]
With reporters in California after a rally Monday, Sanders celebrated the arrangement.
With five good members on the platform-drafting committee, Sanders said, we will be in a very strong position to fight for an economy that works for all of our people, not just the one percent; to fight to break up the large banks on Wall Street, who in my view now have much too much economic and political power. We will be in a position to fight for a carbon tax, so that this nation can begin to lead the world in aggressively addressing climate change. We will be in a position to fight to have the United States join the rest of the industrialized world in guaranteed health care as a right.
This is unique in terms of the makeup of the platform drafting committee, said James Roosevelt, co-chairman of the DNCs rules and bylaws committee. What it acknowledges is that the Democratic Party is committed to encompassing the broad range of views that Democrats have surfaced in this very substantive campaign between Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders. And I think that is unusual but it is also very necessary because a unified Democratic Party will be strengthened by a full hearing for all views.
DNC rules allow the chairman to pick the entire slate of 15 people who govern the platform that will be presented at the party convention in July. Past chairmen have done just that, in consultation with the White House or the winning Democratic candidate.
The change was made to be inclusive of Sanders supporters after the strong liberal challenge he mounted during a long and sometimes bitter primary. A main complaint of Sanderss supporters is that party rules and procedures disproportionately benefit Clinton. Some Sanders backers claim the system was rigged from the start to exclude a challenger.
The procedural concession represents an outreach from party elders aware that Sanders has tapped into a powerful anti-establishment current and concerned that it will be difficult to unite Democrats behind Clinton.
The platform committee is among the most important party bodies, since it writes the policy on which the presidential candidate runs and around which Democrats are supposed to rally. The platform is nonbinding, however, and presidents have ignored parts of it in the past.
Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, who will chair the committee, was named by Wasserman Schultz. Most others named by Wasserman Schultz and Clinton are party stalwarts or Clinton supporters the establishment Sanders has railed against to great effect. Sanderss picks include people from outside the usual sphere of party influence, including a Native American activist and author and racial justice activist Cornel West.
Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington and a frequent commentator on Arab-Israeli issues, previously served on the larger platform committee that will approve the document, but this is the first time he has served on the drafting committee, he said.
Sanderss approach to Israeli-Palestinian issues is in line with most Democrats views, Zogby said in an interview. Sanders wants American policy to respect both Israels security concerns and Palestinian rights, he said.
You need to find a way to meet the needs of both. To say we will satisfy one without the other is a recipe for failure as peacemakers, Zogby said.
Writing on the institutes web site Saturday, he noted recent shifts in the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that consolidated Netanyahus right-wing power base.
His behavior has been shameful, but so too is the extent to which Israelis, Americans and others continue to enable his malevolent rule, Zogby wrote.
Sanders also named Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, among his most prominent elected backers, author and environmental activist Bill McKibben and Native American activist Deborah Parker.
The Clinton campaigns choices are Wendy Sherman, a former top State Department official and Clinton surrogate; Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and a longtime Clinton confidante; Rep. Luis V. Gutirrez of Illinois; Carol Browner, a former director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy and former head of the Environmental Protection Agency; Ohio state Rep. Alicia Reece; and Paul Booth of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.
Wasserman Schultz also named former congressman Howard Berman of California; Rep. Barbara Lee of California; and executive Bonnie Schaefer.
Each campaign also has a non-voting representative at committee meetings.
Were pleased that the upcoming Democratic convention will ensure supporters of Senator Sanders are well represented in the drafting of the partys platform, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said. The Democratic Party historically has been a big tent, representing a diverse coalition, and Hillary Clinton is committed to continue welcoming different perspectives and ideas.
David Weigel in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Police Officer Edward Nero Found Not Guilty in Freddie Gray Case, "View" Reacts | The View
After two trials and no convictions, Baltimore"s top prosecutor is facing criticism that she moved too quickly to file charges against six officers in the death of Freddie Gray without first ensuring there was enough evidence to bring them to bear.
Even the judge overseeing the cases in his verdict Monday acquitting the latest officer to stand trial in the death of the African-American man said the state failed to prove its case on any of the charges.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams acquitted Officer Edward Nero of the assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges in connection with Gray"s arrest last year outside a West Baltimore housing complex.
Gray died on April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken while handcuffed, shackled, but left unrestrained by a seat belt in the back of a police van. The circumstances of his arrest and his subsequent death triggered protests demanding justice for Gray. On the day of his funeral, rioting and looting broke out. The National Guard responded, and a curfew was imposed.
Williams delivered his verdict in the racially charged case before a packed courtroom Monday. Nero"s parents and his brother sat in the front row; a few rows away, Gray"s stepfather. Noticeably absent, however, was State"s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who was present when Williams declared a mistrial in the trial for Officer William Porter in December.
After announcing charges against the officers last May one day after receiving the police department"s investigation while a tense city was still under curfew Mosby did not shy from the spotlight. She posed for magazine photos, sat for TV interviews and even appeared onstage at a Prince concert in Gray"s honor.
After the acquittal, Nero"s lawyers sought to send a strong message to her.
"Officer Edward Nero, his wife and family are elated that this nightmare is finally over," wrote Marc Zayon and Allison Levine in a statement. "The state"s attorney for Baltimore city rushed to charge him, as well as the other five officers, completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law. His hope is that the state"s attorney will reevaluate the remaining five officers" cases and dismiss their charges."
Mosby spokeswoman Rochelle Ritchie, citing a gag order in the case, declined comment Monday.
David Weinstein, a Florida attorney and former federal civil rights prosecutor, said the verdict will probably serve as a "wake-up call" for prosecutors.
"This speaks to the notion a lot of people had when this first happened, which is that it was a rush to judgment," Weinstein said. "The state"s attorney was trying to balance what she had with the public outcry and call to action given the climate in Baltimore and across the U.S. concerning policing, and I think she was overreaching."
Harvard University professor Alan Dershowitz said he believed the judge"s verdict was an example of the legal system looking at the facts of the case without being influenced by race or community pressure. He said he "absolutely" believed Mosby overreached in bringing charges against the six officers.
"There"s no question she acted irresponsibly," Dershowitz said in a telephone interview. "She acted politically. She acted too quickly, and the public ought to make her pay a price for seeking to distort justice."
Although the judge"s ruling referred specifically to Nero"s case the other officers will be tried separately for their alleged roles he rejected nearly every claim the state made at trial, repeatedly telling prosecutors they"d failed to prove any of the counts beyond a reasonable doubt.
Prosecutors had argued that Nero and colleague Garrett Miller illegally detained and arrested Gray without probable cause, and that Nero was reckless when he failed to buckle Gray into a seat belt during the van"s second stop blocks from the arrest. Zayon argued Nero wasn"t involved in Gray"s arrest, having only arrived after the 25-year-old man black man was in handcuffs. As for the seat belt, Zayon said not only was Nero unaware of a newly revised policy requiring officers to buckle in prisoners the previous policy gave officers discretion based on circumstances but that it was the van driver"s responsibility to make sure Gray was safe.
In his verdict, Williams said he believed Miller, who took the stand as the state"s principal witness and testified that he alone detained and handcuffed Gray. The judge told prosecutors they failed to prove Nero did anything wrong. In terms of the arrest that the state alleged was an assault, Williams ruled Nero wasn"t involved. As for his failure the buckle Gray in, Williams said there was no proof Nero knew he had a duty to belt the prisoner in, or that he failed to do so on purpose.
"The state"s theory from the beginning has been one of negligence, recklessness, and disregard for duty and orders by this defendant," Williams said. "There has been no information presented at this trial that the defendant intended for any crime to happen."
Nero, who is white, was the second of six officers charged to stand trial. The manslaughter case against Porter ended in a mistrial in December when the jury deadlocked. Prosecutors plan to retry him in September.
Warren Brown, a Baltimore attorney who observed much of Nero"s trial, said the verdict proved how thin the state"s cases are against the officers.
"It was clearly a case where the state decided that come h**l or high water they were going to prosecute Nero and Miller, and I think that the ridiculous prosecution was borne out," Brown said. "This thing may extend on and on, quite frankly. It"s the prosecution that keeps on giving."
Trial No. 3 that of van driver Caesar Goodson, who prosecutors believe is most culpable in Gray"s death is set to begin in two weeks. He is charged with second-degree murder.
Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Baltimore and David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Maryland, contributed to this report.
Lyles just KO"d Vogelsong #rockies #pirates pic.twitter.com/ZumWsyfzk8
Glock Lesnar (@40acresmafia) May 23, 2016
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was carted off the field during the second inning Monday"s game against the Colorado Rockies after being hit in the face by a pitch while batting against Jordan Lyles.
Vogelsong was hit by an 0-2 fastball just in front of the ear flap near his cheek. He immediately went down in pain before holding a towel on his face on the cart.
Prior to being hit, Vogelsong had completed two scoreless innings on the mound.
Ryan Vogelsong was carted off the field after taking a pitch to the face. Could have concussion or facial fractures. pic.twitter.com/N28MnwzhQN
X-Men: Apocalypse | Final Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner is already having a huge season on the HBO hit. But now the actress is about to make a major impact on the big-screen in this Fridays X-Men: Apocalypse. Turner takes on telepathic/telekinetic Jean Grey who struggles to control her abilities. EW talked to Turner about the blockbuster and which fans Game of Thrones or X-Men are most passionate.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So were you an X-Men fan?SOPHIE TURNER: I was an X-Men fan.Ive seen all the moviesand everything.And Ive read a couple of the comics when I was younger. I think its one of those franchises where its not just about being a fully formed superhero, like who have got all their s together. Especially this franchise.Theyhave these story arcs and all the characters are flawed.And all of them have their own insecurities.Thats what kind of drew me to X-Men and Jeans story, in particular, I always loved.
Obviously Famke Janssen played Jean previously. Describe your Jean a little. We meet her when shes just arrived at Xaviers school.She cant control her powers.And she and Charles can see just how strong she is.But shes at the school and all the kids are kind of afraid of her so they alienate her.And she is afraid of herself so she kind of alienates herself.Shes just very, very vulnerable, and so terrified.Shes just kind of a lone wolf.And, I mean, shes going through puberty and shes being a teenager. Andthen Cyclops joins the schooland they kind of find a kindred spirit in each other.
They are both kind of on their own, but in different ways. Cyclops really kind of adapts in a different way.He kind of hides his insecurities by trying to become kind of like the king of the school, and Jean is very much just carrying away from everyone. So, they find a kindred spirit in each other.And this is about her just trying to find her powers and just coming to terms with herself.
What was this like shooting being the new kids on the block, did you get hazed?There was definitely a kind of like, You cant sit with us. No, Im kidding.Everyone was really welcoming. I think the first time I met everyone we all went out to a Drake concert and went to a bar.We obviously bonded and we all just got on really, really well.And like ever since that first day that we all hung out, it was crazy like we wouldnt spend any time apart.
Since some of the actors options expire with this film (Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult), did it feel at all like the passing of the baton?I dont know if it is a passing of the baton its difficult to know.We dont know whether their time is up or if they are going to be renewed. I think it definitely felt like there was a rebirth in the story and these characters kind of inject a new kind of light into the movie and it kind of gets you going again. But [those actors] such big parts of the last three that I think, I dont think we could hold down a movie on our own. Who knows?
Your costar Tye Sheridan, who plays Cyclops, told me hes signed up for two more movies. Is it the same case with you?Yeah, that is the same case.But you know, it could change cause they might want to get rid of anyone. You never know.
What were the X-Men suits like?You know, its funny, youre supposed to kind of be able to do anything in them.But a lot of the time we kind of felt like grandparents when we couldnt kneel down properly and wed all be like, holding our backs, and like kneeling being like, Ugh oh!So mobility wise, they werent the best.Butat least we looked cool.
Image Credit: Alan Markfield
This film appears to really set the stage for a retelling of the Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix storyline in future films.The seeds of Phoenix definitely are planted in there.Its kind of like she has this at the back of her mind and its almost like she cant control her powers unless she either fully stops them or she lets them all loose, and thats kind of Phoenix. There are definitely, like, bits and pieces, but I think in future movies to come well definitely see a bit more of that.
As a young actor is there pressure to join a franchise movie like this?For me, I have never really thought of my career as like, I need to do this in order to do this and get to this point.It definitely helps.If I get the offer, I am not gonna say no.But I dont really have a plan for my career.I kind of just take whats exciting for me at the time.And this is obviously very exciting.And to get to work with these people is incredible as well.
Whose fans are more passionate do you think: X-Men orGame of Thrones?I havent experienced the full force of the X-Men fans yet.But, for now Im gonna say Thrones. We will soon find out.
To continue reading more on X-Men: Apocalypse, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands now, or buy one or all four collective covers at ew.com/xmen and subscribe now for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.
DIY nails | Alice through the looking glass Nail Art Design Tutorial
Whether you were a fan of the Harry Potter or Die Hard films, Jan. 14 was a sad day for many movie and theater fans this year when Alan Rickman died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 69. Up until his death, Rickman was still actively working on projects last year, including one in the Alice in Wonderland live-action franchise from Disney. With the sequel premiering this Friday, was Alice Through the Looking Glass Alan Rickman"s last film? In the most technical interpretation of the phrase "last film," Alice Through the Looking Glass was Rickman"s last film but Rickman had one other major film project he completed before his death.
Alice Through the Looking Glass marks Rickman"s final film in that he returned to the role he voiced in Alice in Wonderland Absolem, the Blue Caterpillar. Absolem is a CGI-rendered character for the film; at one point, the filmmakers considered rendering Rickman"s face into the CGI caterpillar and even captured footage of Rickman"s studio recordings for the film. (Thankfully, that idea was dropped.) If I"m really going to get down to brass tacks, Alice Through the Looking Glass wasn"t really Rickman"s "last film" it was the 2015 British thriller Eye in the Sky that was Rickman"s last onscreen appearance.
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Eye in the Sky premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015 and received a limited release mid-March of this year. For many Rickman fans, there"s a very good chance they haven"t yet been able to see Eye in the Sky: The film only just received a wide release in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom last month, with additional international distribution that continued up until just last week.
Rickman starred as Lt. Gen. Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky, a proactive, intense military thriller that explores the ethical complexities of utilizing drone warfare tactics in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Rickman shared the screen with other acting heavyweights including Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul. If you"ve missed seeing Rickman"s brooding, steely composed demeanor on screen, Eye in the Sky gives fans one last opportunity to see his superb acting chops, as seen below in this clip from Bleeker Studios:
Is it Rickman"s most memorable role? Not necessarily Severus Snape, Hans Gruber, and the Metatron in Dogma each spring to mind before Eye in the Sky. But it is Rickman"s last onscreen, live-action appearance. Rickman fans still have one more opportunity to at least hear Rickman"s voice with Friday"s premiere of Alice Through the Looking Glass.
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No matter whether you consider Alice Through the Looking Glass or Eye in the Sky to be Rickman"s true last film, one thing is certain: The world lost a great actor and it"s a shame we"ll never have more of Rickman"s films once Alice Through the Looking Glass premieres.
R.I.P. Alan Rickman. You are already missed.
LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty ImagesFloral tributes to British actor Alan Rickman are seen at the Platform 9 3/4 Harry Potter display at King"s Cross station in London, on January 15, 2016. Veteran British actor Alan Rickman, a master of the menacing screen villain, has died at the age of 69 after suffering from cancer, his family said on January 15, 2016. Rickman started out in British theatre and shot to international fame in 1988 playing opposite Bruce Willis as the German terrorist mastermind Hans Gruber in "Die Hard". He gained legions of younger fans with his portrayal of the largely malicious teacher Severus Snape in all eight "Harry Potter" films from 2001 to 2011. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
