Bits and Bobs

Here are some interesting things I've read recently...

- Anyone who has watched a film with me or been to the theatre with me will know that I am a crier. I cry when Mufasa dies in the Lion King, I cry at episodes of Doctor Who , I cry every time I hear this song. So I was interested to read that I am not alone when it comes to uncontrollable crying; a lot of people apparently can't help but cry on planes. Here's an article trying to explain why.

- I really, really want to see Alfonso Cuarón's new film Gravity. The reviews are practically breathless with praise. So to temper that praise, here's an article ripping it apart for factual inaccuracy. I'm always interested to see the extent to which films are accurate, though I usually don't mind films sacrificing factual accuracy for the sake of good storytelling (within reason). And then here's an article pondering whether there's any use in fact checking films.

- Slate looks at the trend of using the term 'fiance' even when a couple has no intention of marrying.

- The New York Times looks at the statistics for accidental child shootings in America and finds that idiosyncrasies in official records may be obscuring the true death toll.

- I recently wrote about chemical weapons and why they are seen as particularly intolerable compared to conventional weapons. Here's a good article looking at a lot of the same points.

Uncontrollable crying, accidental child shootings and chemical weapons? Well this is an abnormally depressing installment of bits and bobs - here's something cheery...