don't bother. I'm sure the book is a thousand times better.
-
-
Goat staring
The book's great - I'm guessing you've just (recently) seen the film, then? -
Goat staring
Is this the new made-up film (which does look rubbish) or the old documentary (which I thought was quite fun)?Comment
-
Goat staring
Ronson's books are terrific, although I haven't read TMWSAG.
The trailer looks a bit underwhelming.Comment
-
Goat staring
I kind of assumed that the book was some kind of book reporting on these people or something. And I could see that could be pretty interesting. But the story they hang this on is just so bad. It's funny in spots, but its a real vanity project.Comment
-
Goat staring
For whom?Comment
-
Goat staring
Stumpy Pepys wrote:
Does he have more besides this and Them?Ronson's books are terrific, although I haven't read TMWSAG.
He's always really good when he's on "This American Life" (his most recent one was about a guy that claimed to have lied about being mentally ill and was sent to Broadmoor (sp?)). I've never had a chance to see any of his TV shows.Comment
-
Goat staring
george clooney I suppose. I suppose a star vehicle then.Comment
-
Goat staring
Ronson is great. His whole schtick is to be all faux-naif and ingratiating, which has got really old now, but it works very well for him (as the inventor). He's reasonable without being gullible, and sly without being cuntish. But the only books of his that are worth a shit are "Them" and "The Men Who Stare At Goats".
The TV version of "Tottenham Ayatollah", mind you, that's a fantastic thing.Comment
-
Goat staring
Incandenza wrote:
Collection of his Guardian columnsStumpy Pepys wrote:
Does he have more besides this and Them?Ronson's books are terrific, although I haven't read TMWSAG.
A second volumeComment
-
-
Goat staring
Ronsonworld crashed my browser.Comment
-
Goat staring
Really? If the rubbishy one I have to use here can cope with it i'm surprised to hear others can't.
Well, it's only jonronson.com if you fancy looking without the link.Comment
-
Goat staring
I might have had too many other tabs open, and I suppose I really should be working.Comment
-
Goat staring
Apparently, the men who stare at goats are the Iraqi government.Fucking hell. They've spend tens of millions of dollars on this crap instead of sniffer dogs and people are dying as a result. There are no words.The small hand-held wand, with a telescopic antenna on a swivel, is being used at hundreds of checkpoints in Iraq. But the device works “on the same principle as a Ouija board” — the power of suggestion — said a retired United States Air Force officer, Lt. Col. Hal Bidlack, who described the wand as nothing more than an explosives divining rod.
Still, the Iraqi government has purchased more than 1,500 of the devices, known as the ADE 651, at costs from $16,500 to $60,000 each. Nearly every police checkpoint, and many Iraqi military checkpoints, have one of the devices, which are now normally used in place of physical inspections of vehicles.
...
The suicide bombers who managed to get two tons of explosives into downtown Baghdad on Oct. 25, killing 155 people and destroying three ministries, had to pass at least one checkpoint where the ADE 651 is typically deployed, judging from surveillance videos released by Baghdad’s provincial governor. The American military does not use the devices. “I don’t believe there’s a magic wand that can detect explosives,” said Maj. Gen. Richard J. Rowe Jr., who oversees Iraqi police training for the American military. “If there was, we would all be using it. I have no confidence that these work.”
The Iraqis, however, believe passionately in them. “Whether it’s magic or scientific, what I care about is it detects bombs,” said Maj. Gen. Jehad al-Jabiri, head of the Ministry of the Interior’s General Directorate for Combating Explosives.
Dale Murray, head of the National Explosive Engineering Sciences Security Center at Sandia Labs, which does testing for the Department of Defense, said the center had “tested several devices in this category, and none have ever performed better than random chance.”
...
To detect materials, the operator puts an array of plastic-coated cardboard cards with bar codes into a holder connected to the wand by a cable. “It would be laughable,” Colonel Bidlack said, “except someone down the street from you is counting on this to keep bombs off the streets.”
Proponents of the wand often argue that errors stem from the human operator, who they say must be rested, with a steady pulse and body temperature, before using the device.
Then the operator must walk in place a few moments to “charge” the device, since it has no battery or other power source, and walk with the wand at right angles to the body. If there are explosives or drugs to the operator’s left, the wand is supposed to swivel to the operator’s left and point at them.
If, as often happens, no explosives or weapons are found, the police may blame a false positive on other things found in the car, like perfume, air fresheners or gold fillings in the driver’s teeth.
On Tuesday, a guard and a driver for The New York Times, both licensed to carry firearms, drove through nine police checkpoints that were using the device. None of the checkpoint guards detected the two AK-47 rifles and ammunition inside the vehicle.
Comment
-
Goat staring
Enjoyed the film, funny but it's not amazing. 7/10. Could have done with less Jedi references - we get it, Ewan McGregor was in Star Wars.Comment
-
Goat staring
What the fuck's going on at the Grauniad. Is it just because he writes for them and they're trying to milk it, or are they being paid a load of money for this bollocks?Comment
-
Goat staring
I really enjoyed it and laughed quite a lot. I suppose the fact that I really like goats may have been a factor. I also really like Jeff Bridges. Especially as 'The Dude'.
I guess if I were to analyse it a bit more I might be annoyed about the ease with which it wants to say 'look, not all Americans are like Goerge Bush! We are in touch with our peace-loving hippy side! Obama is President!', but even the
(SPOILER ALERT*********************************)
liberation of the Guantanamo prisoners works within the narrative of the film.
So I'd recommend it.Comment
-
Goat staring
I had a chat with Ronson earlier this week.
I'm guessing more people will be interested that he's making a film - or has a script written - about Frank Sidebottom.Comment
Comment