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Wednesday Link-Off: ‘Murica

nina-agdal-bebe14-01You would think that our Memorial Day edition of the links would be the one with all the America links but I just happen to have a whole pile of them for today’s linkdump. At least they’re sort of interesting.

But just because there are a whole pile of ‘Murica links doesn’t mean that we’re going to lead with an American woman. No, here’s Nina Agdal.

The US Attorney General’s department has charged the Chinese government officials with cyber espionage. Unfortunately, the US Attorney General’s department immediately charged itself with criminal irony. (Time)

The US Department of Defense has a zombie defense plan. Well, I guess it’s better to be prepared than get caught off-guard by the apocalypse. (Foreign Policy)

Gay marriage may not be legal in most of America but most Americans support it. It’s gone from no support to majority support in less than fifty years. (Al Jazeera)

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IndyCar – Indy 500 Qualifying: One Run to Glory

indycar-2014-indy-500-qualifying-ed-carpenter-poleOnce again, the bosses of the IndyCar series changed the format for qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. Instead of the top 24 starters locking in on Day One with the remainder of the runners locking in on Bump Day, the drivers had to lock into the field on Day One with the actual grid being set in single-run qualifying on Day Two.

However, the latest change in the qualifying format didn’t change anything from the previous Indy 500 qualifying weekend. When you’re hooked up at Indy, there’s little anyone can do to stop you. Just ask the now twice-defending Indy 500 pole winner Ed Carpenter.

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Formula One: 2014 Barcelona In-Season Test Recap

While the first five races of the season have gone exactly as planned for those who paid attention to the pre-season testing, that doesn’t mean that testing follows the same script. With Mercedes testing the new “megaphone” exhaust and the other teams on various testing programs, there were a couple of unexpected drivers and teams topping the time sheets during the second in-season test of 2014.

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Sunday Link-Off: They Actually Made Me Go to Rehab

kim-cloutier-soma14-01If you’re not here in Canada, you might not know that this is a holiday weekend. It’s our version of the May long weekend coinciding with the third Monday of the month while America’s Memorial Day is on the fourth Monday. The more you know… not that you needed to know that. I like to educate every now and then.

And since this is a Canadian holiday weekend, we should start this post with a Canadian model. Here’s Kim Cloutier. Really, no one else could kick off this post.

New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson was fired because she demanded equal pay to her male predecessor. That’s a sad state of affairs when that happens. (The New Yorker)

How far behind male colleagues was Abramson? Only about $100,000. (Politico)

It’s not just the Fair Elections Act that the Harper Government is missing the mark with. Everyone from lawyers to NGOs to the victims of cyberbullying are opposed to the Canadian Government’s cyberbullying bill. And you want to elect Harper’s Ontario lieutenant. (Vice)

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Entertainment Link-Off: Going Nuclear

elizabeth olsenAfter a lengthy wait, it’s finally here! Godzilla is back on the big screen and yes it is way better than that 1998 travesty. Though I have to warn viewers, if you’re only in it for big fight/action sequences, you might be disappointed. Anyway, the cast for the movie is pretty solid and you can catch Elizabeth Olsen in part of that ensemble. 

After the jump, news on other monster flicks, a look into the 2014 fall TV season, the decline of movie-going experiences, don’t blink or you’ll miss The Flash and catch the fan made trailer for Akira. Continue reading →

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Game of Thrones: The Laws of God and Men Review

game-of-thrones-tyrion-lannister-season-four-headerThe moment we’ve been waiting for since the Purple Wedding. Okay, given how trials tend to go for Tyrion and this show’s propensity for killing off lead characters, I don’t know if anyone was looking forward to how this turns out but I’d imagine we were looking forward to how it played out on-screen.

How it played out was absolutely amazingly with some Emmy-worthy performances… And with a shirtless Ramsay Snow taking care of business in the Dreadfort.

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Trials Fusion (PC) Review: Back From the Future

trials-fusion-headerAs I mentioned in the last Trials game review, this is a game that’s been around since Miniclip was one of the top sites in the world for gaming. The series has evolved since the original Trials game. It’s gone from Java to a proper standalone release.

With that change, so did the tone of the series. It went from a slightly over the top recreation of professional trials competition to a cartoony extreme sports arcade game.

Trials Fusion is the first Trials game released on next-gen consoles but despite the game being set in the future and the evolution of consoles and the evolution of the game’s graphics, Red Lynx didn’t really do much to evolve the gameplay.

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Wednesday Link-Off: Shady Dealings

yara-khmidan-beachbunny14-01So, I was so out of it while drafting today’s Wednesday links that the original draft title Sunday Link-Off. Though maybe that wasn’t so much a case of being out of it as it was a case of wishful thinking.

Regardless of whether it’s Wednesday or Sunday, it still means that it’s time for me to bring you my semi-weekly set of links. Let’s kick things off with Yara Khmidan.

In news that I probably shouldn’t be surprised by the report that Silvio Berlusconi has ties to the Sicilian Mafia. (The Independent)

The next victim of the ongoing sanction war between Russia and the West? Space-based cooperation seems to be coming to an end after 2020. (Vice)

Just to remind voters that they hate voting, the Conservatives have passed the so-called Fair Elections Act. (Toronto Star)

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IndyCar – GP of Indianapolis: Go Right, Young Man

indycar-2014-indy-pagenaud-victoryIn the continuing struggle to reinvent the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar decided that the month should open by turning right instead of left. While we can argue all day as to whether IndyCar should have a road course race at the Speedway, if they can put on an exciting event, it’ll quickly become a new May tradition.

This weekend marked the first step in reinvigorating the month of May as the stars of the IndyCar Series drove clockwise around the Speedway. The three-wide flying start was replaced with a two-wide standing start. And the checkered flag was taken by a Frenchman for only the second time in IMS history as Simon Pagenaud took the checkered flag for his first win of 2014.

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F1 Spanish Grand Prix: Gone in 60 Seconds

f1-2014-spain-lewis-hamilton-eddie-jordanOver the last four years, Formula One fans complained about the dull dominance of Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel as they won four-straight Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships with numerous race wins along the way. Before that, there was five straight years of Ferrari dominance with Michael Schumacher leading the way.

This season, things are shaping up to be worse than the Red Bull / Vettel years and approaching Schumacher / Ferrari levels of dominance. Lewis Hamilton won his fourth-straight race after retiring from the pole in the other race in what is shaping up to be a dreadfully dull year for Formula One.

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