HEART OF THE MILKY WAY There is a lot to love about astronomy, and — in time for Valentine's Day — photographer Julien Girard offers a “heartfelt” example in this image. A bright pink symbol of love appears to float ethereally against the backdrop of the night sky over ESO's Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. Girard drew the heart in the air by shining a tiny flashlight keychain at the camera during a 25-second exposure with a tripod.
The central region of the Milky Way appears in the middle of the heart, as the plane of our galaxy stretches across the image. The stars of the constellation of Corona Australis (The Southern Crown) form a glittering arc of jewels at the top of the heart's left lobe. The diffuse glow to the left of the heart's lowest point is zodiacal light, caused by the scattering of light from the Sun by dust particles in the Solar System. On the far right horizon, the 8.2-metre telescopes of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility stand out in silhouette atop Cerro Paranal. The lights of a car driving down from the observatory platform can be seen just to the left of the telescopes. Julien Girard is an ESO astronomer based in Chile, who works at the VLT. He is the instrument scientist for the NACO adaptive optics instrument on the VLT's Unit Telescope 4.
VDAY IS TOMORROW “It's time to accept the truth we've all known for a very, very long time: Valentine's Day isn't for everyone. Only people in relatively fresh, loving relationships who are still absolutely obsessed with each other are able to put on their blinkers and fully indulge in cuddles, candies, and cards,” reports Vulture.
So here are eleven movies for sad people on Valentine's Day.
NEW COMIC BOOK DAY Comes around every Wednesday so some future Spidey 2099 cosplay was in order.
OY Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just say the quiet part out loud asks Slate.
Israeli prime minister's office deletes tweet mentioning “war with Iran” https://t.co/UtPJuuEUyt pic.twitter.com/UdAkkfqzYS
— The Hill (@thehill) February 13, 2019
“The tweet was part of a translation of remarks Netanyahu made in front of the incongruous backdrop of a Polish skating rink after a meeting with Oman's foreign minister. Both were in Warsaw for a Mideast summit co-hosted by the U.S. and Poland. According to Mideast analyst Michael Koplow, “war with Iran” is a misleading translation of a phrase that could mean “combating Iran.” The tweet has been deleted and replaced with a statement using “combating Iran,” but the “war” version made it into some headlines, which have since been updated.”
AOC GETS A WALL BEFORE TRUMP “It took about four hours for artist Lexi Bella, who has previously put up portraits in honor of everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Frida Kahlo, to complete the mural in January. The approximately 10-by-8-foot painting is currently up inside the First Street Green park—which has around 20 murals up at any given time—on Houston close to Second Avenue. “I was so moved by her being sworn in in January,” Bella told the Post. “It was such an incredible David & Goliath story when she beat Crowley in the primary battle, and I think she actually embodies the kind of politician that the people who built this country intended…She's the embodiment of inspiring change.” via Gothamist.
JUST DON'T Do it Wisconsin. According to USA Today: “The state Assembly passed a resolution Tuesday to honor prominent black Americans during Black History Month in February — but only after Republicans blocked it until black Democratic lawmakers agreed to remove the name of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Democratic Rep. David Crowley of Milwaukee, who authored the resolution, called the episode ‘a textbook example of white privilege' and a ‘slap in the face.'”
“Many of these people that you don't agree with will still be in the history books that your children and grandchildren will be reading,” Crowley said on the Assembly floor. Kaepernick, who was born in Milwaukee, has drawn a firestorm of controversy after he began kneeling in 2016 during the national anthem to protest poor treatment of Black Americans.”
WHAT ARE GAY RIGHTS? A brief history. “Why the video of two celebrities, exclaiming ‘Gay rights!' without any context or elaboration, has captivated a certain corner of the internet requires knowledge of a somewhat convoluted series of events.
RACHEL SAYING GAY RIGHTS AND HUGGING ME pic.twitter.com/4F9xLC7VQw
— gay rights! grace (@Igbtdisney) February 10, 2019
The overall concept has been something of a running gag online for a while, most famously encapsulated in a fake FCKH8 ad featuring Jennifer Lawrence. Since then, the trend has mutated substantially says New York Magazine.
ONE DAY WHEN I WAS LOST Critic Hilton Als's latest show at David Zwirner takes on the Myth of James Baldwin. “As a galvanizing humanitarian force, [James] Baldwin is now being claimed as a kind of oracle,” Hilton Als explains in the press release of the show he curated. “But by claiming him as such, much gets erased about the great artist in the process, specifically his sexuality and aestheticism, both of which informed his politics.”
SUPER GOOD Jonah Hill hopes the fans that loved him in Superbad will watch him shed light on the ugly side of what binds bros together according to Vice. “Jonah Hill splashed onto the big screen in 2007 with bro-y classics like Superbadand Knocked Up; films that reinvigorated a collective thirst for misogynistic stoner humor. But in his 2018 coming-of-age skater boy flick Mid-90s, he turned the ship around, creating a heartfelt depiction of growing up in a toxically masculine culture. Over the weekend, Hill took his directorial debut overseas, promoting it at the Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin. Variety reports that he seemed well aware of the role his early movies played in creating space for misogynistic humor and announced he wants his future projects to continue to “challenge traditional masculinity.”
“I love those [earlier] films. But I also think that if you look back at those films, a lot of what they're showing is major bro comedy, and bro masculinity,” he said. “I'm learning I've got to unlearn a lot of stuff, and maybe some of the people that liked Superbad will come with me on that journey.”
COLD FRONT Disney hopes to own the holiday box office later this year, today announcing the release date for its much-anticipated followup to 2013's Frozen, Frozen 2 reports HIghsnobiety. In addition to disclosing the November premiere, the company also shares the first official trailer for the film.
November 2019. #Frozen2 pic.twitter.com/PhmDdm0XfA
— Disney's Frozen 2 (@DisneyFrozen) February 13, 2019
Frozen 2 features the voices of Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. The movie comes to theaters stateside on November 22.
THEY'RE BACK Queer Eye is back for a third season.
Netflix which posted a teaser clip to the Queer Eye Instagram: “This season, these fearless ambassadors of taste are headed to Kansas City to bring their infectious brand of self-love, confidence and encouragement to a whole new roster of heroes.”
The tease came with a preview of Carly Rae Jepsen's new single “Now That I Found You”. Queer Eye Season 3 is out globally on March 15.
@carlyraejepsen for this exclusive preview of her *NEW BOP*, “Now That I Found You.” 😘 pic.twitter.com/Dmj3ygXnhV
— Queer Eye (@QueerEye) February 13, 2019
REALLY? Seth Meyers' covers the Trump rally, El Chapo, and more in his monologue from Tuesday, February 12.
TREATMENT Justin Bieber is going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but he's getting the help he needs, sources tell People magazine.
“Justin seems down and tired. He has been struggling a bit,” a Bieber source says, adding that the 24-year-old pop star's difficulties don't have anything to do with his marriage to Hailey Baldwin.
“It has nothing to do with Hailey — he is very happy being married to her. It's just something else that he struggles with mentally,” the source continues. “He has good help around him and is receiving some treatment. He seems confident he will feel better soon.”
TFW The guy you're crushing on says hi and you find you can't speak.
TURN AND COUGH Page Six says “A school nurse in Maryland faces charges after she allegedly admitted to performing oral sex on several students, according to officials. Samantha Marsh, who works at Crisfield High School & Academy, was arrested Tuesday following allegations she had sexual encounters with four students in the back of her van, news station WBOC reported. The 33-year-old nurse is accused of being sexually involved with the students off-campus between March 2018 and January 2019. Marsh reportedly confessed to engaging in oral sex with at least three of the students.
TAKE MY MONEY Hypebeast says that continuing its partnership with Marvel Studios, Hot Toys recently unveiled a hyper-realistic Captain Marvel figure.
“The movie-accurate figure offers a closer look at the cosmic-powered hero's red, blue and gold trimmed costume design and spotlights Carol Danvers former life as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. Part of the Hong Kong toy purveyor's “Movie Masterpiece” series, the 1/6th scale collectible stands approximately 29cm tall and features a newly developed body with over 28 points of articulations and LED-light up function at the forearms.”
Only $266 USD!
READING RAINBOW “Drag Queen Story Hour originated at the San Francisco Public Library, says SF Gate, and has inspired similar events around California and the country. They've done this event in dozens of places with nary a peep but when Bella Aldama got to the Brentwood Community Center not everyone in the community was onboard with Story Hour. When East County Today, a local East Bay site, initially posted news of the event, they fielded hundreds of Facebook comments from users, ranging from angry to excited. “The biggest surprise has been how much positive feedback we've received,” she said. “For every negative comment, there have been multiple comments in support.”
The negative comments were enough to prompt Brentwood police to staff the reading with six uniformed officers. “There is nothing wrong with reading a children's book that display diversity and different gender identities,” Aldama said. “We are all different, and everyone deserves respect and love. We are not trying to teach or brainwash anybody. Drag is just a form of gender expression.”
Watch Monday's event below.
DUH Aazios says new study says gay dads make better parents than their hetero peers. “It's the first study of its kind,” noted Éric Feugé, of the University of Quebec. who over seven years observed 46 families, including 92 gay fathers and 46 children ages one to nine, for his doctoral thesis.
“One of my main objectives was to study the degree of engagement of gay fathers, and how they distribute parental work,” Feugé told the Montreal Gazette. “I wanted to see if that had an effect on the adaptation of the children; and to understand the determinants.
ON THE BRINK? “A blazing row between France and Italy that erupted last week shows little sign of abating. On February 7th Paris recalled its ambassador for consultations. It was a show of displeasure without precedent since the end of the second world war. President Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of the two parties in Italy's populist coalition, Matteo Salvini of the Northern League and Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement (M5S), had been taunting each other since the Italians formed a coalition government last May. Mr Macron sees himself as the leader of Europe's open, liberal order; Mr Salvini, in particular, as a leader of a more nationalist movement. But what seems to have provoked Mr Macron's fury was a meeting in Paris between Mr Di Maio and prominent figures in France's yellow jackets movement, a sometimes-violent mass protest against Mr Macron and the entire French ruling class reports The Economist.
LOST AT SEAThe Evening Standard reports that Leonardo DiCaprio tossed up a photo of bloody, severed shark fins on his Instagram and pleaded to his followers to not be cruel bitches to the fishes by ordering shark fin soup the next time you're at the crab shack since it's pretty awful to see how it's made.
“I guess that must be LiLo's favorite thing down at the Red Lobster because she felt the need to comment, “I hope you are there and taking this photo.”
Leo was reposting a pic from Oceana, an organization that aims to restore and protect the oceans.
DREAMBOATS DeMarco Majors says “never allow your masculinity to be so toxic that u are blinded by the shell true love comes. Searching for a type limits loves power.”
By ESO/J. Girard – http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1207a/, CC BY 3.0, Link
