September 12, 2017

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Entertainment September 12, 2017

Today in Movie Culture: How 'Wonder Woman' Should Have Ended, Jason vs. Michael Myers and More

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Alternate Endings of the Day:

Wonder Woman gets some alternate scenes, including a Moana mashup, and ending in this animated parody:

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Mashup of the Day:

We’ve seen Jason battle Freddy, so now it’s time for the Friday the 13th icon to fight Halloween‘s Michael Myers in this fan-made trailer:

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Alternate Poster of the Day:

Thor: Ragnarok, director Taika Waititi shared some mashup fan art, jokingly claiming it an unused poster design:

My rejected poster design. pic.twitter.com/GL4t1ONSrr

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) September 9, 2017

Fan Theory of the Day:

Disney animated features are all part of a cinematic universe, starting with Hercules and Ariel from The Little Mermaid being cousins according to this theory, er, mythologial fact:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Louis C.K., who turns 50 today, handles his own camera on the set of his first feature,Tomorrow Night, in 1997:

Get it now before he changes his mind! @louisck unseen feature, ‘Tomorrow Night’ for $5 via https://t.co/j8GNm7gl1Ipic.twitter.com/BL7O1IM5nS

— Brand Invasion (@BrandInvasion) January 29, 2014

Film History Lesson of the Day:

Celebrate sci-fi movies with Moon Film’s chronological supercut of 115 years of the genre:

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Movie Takedown of the Day:

Just when you thought the negative takes on The Mummy were gone, Honest Trailers resurrects the pain:

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Behind the Scenes Video of the Day:

Amazon shared a video of Jon Hamm and Ansel Elgort practicing some stunt driving for Baby Driver:

#JonHamm and @AnselElgort learn how to drive for Baby Driver now available on Amazon Video: https://t.co/FN15i0mphSpic.twitter.com/NmjqV1fz4p

— Amazon Video (@AmazonVideo) September 12, 2017

Cosplay of the Day:

Beat Down Boogie’s video of the best cosplay of Dragon Con 2017 has arrived with fans representing Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Gremlins, The Fifth Element and more:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of David Fincher’s The Game. Watch the original teaser for the classic thriller below.

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and

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Business September 12, 2017

Department Of Transportation Rolls Out New Guidelines For Self-Driving Cars

A Ford Fusion development vehicle equipped with autonomous controls, seen at a test facility Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images

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Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images

The Department of Transportation released its revised guidelines on automated driving systems Tuesday, outlining its recommended — but not mandatory — best practices for companies developing self-driving cars. The first such guidelines released under the Trump administration, the Vision for Safety 2.0 scales back some of the recommendations outlined last year under President Obama.

In a statement released Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao lauded the possibilities of automated driving systems, saying “we can look forward to a future with fewer traffic fatalities and increased mobility for all Americans.”

“In addition to safety,” Chao said, “ADS technology offers important social benefits by improving access to transportation, independence and quality of life for those who cannot drive because of illness, advanced age or disability.”

As Forbes reports, the prevailing difference between last year’s version and the one released Tuesday is one of slimmed scale and extent. For instance, the new guidelines trim a 15-point safety assessment proposed last year, which would be conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if manufacturers submit to one. The proposed evaluation is down to 12 points.

Though, as a voluntary exercise, the number of points on the assessment is likely less important than whether manufacturers submit to one at all — and Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of National Safety Council, points out that “DOT has yet to receive any Safety Assessments, even though vehicles are being tested in many states.”

The new guidelines make clear again that manufacturers are not required to submit to voluntary assessments — though they are “encouraged” — and that those assessments are “not subject to Federal approval.”

“Voluntary guidelines will serve the developers of new technologies to ensure they can move quickly, but they serve public safety best if all the players agree to comply with them,” Hersman said in a statement Tuesday.

“Mandating additional safety measures such as a clear disclosure, robust validation processes prior to deployment and data sharing requirements will now fall to the Congress as both the House and Senate move their bills,” she said.

The new guidelines also no longer apply to Level 2 vehicles — or vehicles with partial automation, in facets such as acceleration and steering, that still require drivers to “remain engaged with the driving task.”

David Friedman, former interim head of NHTSA, says the timing of Chao’s announcement should raise some eyebrows. On the same day the new plan relaxed guidance on Level 2 vehicles, the National Transportation Safety Board faulted a Tesla automated driving system for playing a “major role” in a collision that killed its test driver last year.

According to the NTSB assessment, the cause of the crash was a combination of the “driver’s inattention” and the Tesla automation system that “permitted the car driver’s overreliance on the automation.”

“System safeguards, that should have prevented the Tesla’s driver from using the car’s automation system on certain roadways, were lacking and the combined effects of human error and the lack of sufficient system safeguards resulted in a fatal collision that should not have happened,” NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt III said in a statement.

Friedman says the new guidelines will do little to rectify the kinds of problems that led to the crash — in fact, he says, just the opposite: “Now it’s back to the wild, wild west for those systems.”

“Just as the NTSB says the government and industry should be stepping up its efforts to ensure the safety of Level 2 automated vehicles,” he added, “the Department of Transportation and Secretary Chao are rolling back their responsibility in that space.”

Nevertheless, the Department of Transportation says the development of this technology will do much to reduce the number of serious automobile crashes, 94 percent of which it says are due to human error.

And the agency says these new guidelines are just part of an evolving approach to automated driving systems. “In fact,” it says, “DOT and NHTSA are already planning for 3.0.”

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Health September 12, 2017

U.S. Census Bureau Records Improvements In Income, Poverty And Health Coverage

The U.S. Census Bureau released a trio of reports Tuesday on income, poverty and health insurance coverage. All three measures showed improvement. Real median household income increased by 3.2 percent in 2016 over the previous year, and now stands at just over $59,000. The official poverty rate fell for the second year in a row to 12.7 percent.

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

There’s a new number out today that shows things are continuing to get better for the middle class in the long recovery from the Great Recession. The Census Bureau says the median household income rose last year to just over $59,000. And at the same time, the poverty rate was down in 2016 and fewer Americans were without health insurance. It’s the second year in a row that things have improved. With us to talk about all this is NPR economics correspondent John Ydstie. Hi, John.

JOHN YDSTIE, BYLINE: Hi, Kelly.

MCEVERS: OK, so let’s start with that median income number. Tell me more about that.

YDSTIE: Well, as you said, the median household income – that’s the yearly income of households right in the middle of the income ladder – it rose significantly to $59,039 in 2016. That’s the highest median income ever recorded, though the Census Bureau cautions the changes they’ve made in their survey make historical comparisons very difficult. And it is the second year of very strong growth in incomes. Now, that said, adjusted for inflation, middle American households are still at about the same income level as they were in 2007 just before the Great Recession. And get this, Kelly; they’re at the same level they were at the end of the tech boom in 1999. So really, when you zoom out, not much improvement in this century for those middle-income households.

MCEVERS: And we’re talking about, though, this improvement in the year 2016. Of course, that was the last year of the Obama administration. I think people will wonder, you know, is this improvement the result of Obama-era policies?

YDSTIE: Well, the folks at the Census Bureau were very careful not to credit specific administration policies. They did say that increased employment is driving these numbers. As more Americans find jobs or move into full-time work, households are seeing their incomes rise.

MCEVERS: So then who benefited from these income increases?

YDSTIE: Well, there’s some good news there, too. The increases came across the income ladder and across all age and racial groups, although the gains weren’t quite as strong at the bottom. And of course, there continue to be big levels of income inequality, and a measure of that in today’s data did not show any improvement.

MCEVERS: The census also reports that poverty declined last year, as I said. What’s behind that?

YDSTIE: Right. The number of people living in poverty declined by 2 and a half million in 2016, and the poverty rate fell to 12.7 percent. Now, a quick definition here – a family of two adults and two children officially lives in poverty if its annual income is $24,339 or less. Again, a growing economy and job creation helped lift families above that number. That said, 1 in 8 Americans continues to live in poverty. And that’s more than 40 million people in all.

MCEVERS: Wow. Did poverty go down the way median income went up across age and racial groups?

YDSTIE: Yes, it did. Only one demographic group saw poverty increase slightly. That was among people 65 and older. Now, in terms of policies that contribute to the decline in poverty in this area, the Census Bureau does provide data. It shows that programs like Social Security, the earned income tax credit and SNAP, or food stamps, do lift tens of millions of Americans out of poverty every year.

MCEVERS: These federal programs we hear so much about. Finally, there was also data today on health insurance coverage. What’s the news there?

YDSTIE: Health insurance coverage increased in 2016. 8.8 percent of Americans were without health insurance. That’s a slight improvement. Still, that means 28 million people did not have health insurance last year. And of course, with the future of the Affordable Care Act still up in the air, there’s lots of uncertainty about where those numbers will be in the future.

MCEVERS: NPR economics correspondent John Ydstie, thank you very much.

YDSTIE: You’re welcome, Kelly.

Copyright © 2017 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Sports September 12, 2017

Cleveland Indians Reach 19 Wins In Historic Streak

NPR’s Kelly McEvres talks with MLB.com columnist Joe Posnanski about why the Cleveland Indians’ 19-game winning streak is unlike any in baseball history.

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

Let’s talk about the number 19. That is the number of games the Cleveland Indians have won in a row.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Indians breeze to the 5-2 win, their season-high 10th straight.

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Fifteen consecutive wins.

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: Guyer near the line – makes the catch. Nineteen in a row for the Indians.

MCEVERS: The question tonight, as Cleveland plays Detroit, is, can the Indians turn that 19-game streak into a 20-game streak? The last time that happened – 2002. It was the Oakland A’s. Their 20-game streak was celebrated in the book and the movie “Moneyball.”

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN #4: What is happening in Oakland?

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN #5: It defies everything we know about baseball.

MCEVERS: Joe Posnanski says, regardless of whether the Indians take their streak to 20 tonight, there is something remarkable going on. And he is a columnist for mlb.com. And he’s with us now. Welcome.

JOE POSNANSKI: Great to be here.

MCEVERS: So you write that, quote, “no team has ever played baseball like the Cleveland Indians have been playing during this streak.” What makes you say that? What’s so special about this moment?

POSNANSKI: Well, it’s obviously special for a lot of reasons. You start with the streak itself. This is just not something that tends to happen in baseball. But the way Cleveland has been winning these games – I mean, baseball is a game where mediocre teams beat good teams all the time, where, no matter how good you are, you lose 60 games, plus…

MCEVERS: Right.

POSNANSKI: …Every full season. So for a team to be playing at this level, where not only have they won 19 in a row, they really have hardly ever been challenged – they’ve been trailing for only, like, four innings the entire streak. This is a completely different kind of streak from anything we’ve ever seen before. And this has been a pretty special run.

MCEVERS: And they’ve also been doing this with a lot of their star players on the disabled list and players from the minors stepping up. I mean, that’s kind of a big deal, too, right?

POSNANSKI: It is. It is a big deal. I mean, obviously, it’s a long season, and that’s what happens to teams. But two of their better hitters are out. Their best relief pitcher, Andrew Miller, who made a real name for himself last year as a 6-foot-10 reliever in the postseason – he’s been out for this entire streak. So not only is this a team playing at an extremely high level. You get the feeling that when some of these guys come back, they’re going to be even better.

MCEVERS: So let’s talk about this game tonight against the Detroit Tigers. It’s a home game. How do you think it’s going to go? I mean, will the Indians get to 20?

POSNANSKI: Well, I do. I do think they’re going to win 20 for a couple of reasons. One is Detroit is not very good. The other thing is Cleveland has their best pitcher starting tonight, a guy by the name of Corey Kluber, who many people, to his disdain, call him the Klubot because he’s so unemotional in the way he pitches. He is their best pitcher. He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. So odds are pretty good tonight that Cleveland’s going to get number 20.

MCEVERS: And the playoffs are just around the corner. What does it mean that Cleveland is peaking now?

POSNANSKI: It’s a very interesting question. And the truth is nobody really knows what it means. I mean, for one thing, this is so unique for a team to be playing at this level at any point, much less in September. For another, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are a team that had been called the best team in baseball history for about four months, suddenly can’t win a game.

MCEVERS: I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about it.

POSNANSKI: They’ve lost 15…

MCEVERS: I don’t want to talk about it.

POSNANSKI: Right.

MCEVERS: I do not want to talk about the Dodgers right now…

POSNANSKI: So…

MCEVERS: …As a person based in LA.

(LAUGHTER)

MCEVERS: So what does any of it mean? – is your point. Yeah.

POSNANSKI: Exactly. So once October starts, everybody’s on a clean slate. It’s actually a weird thing because baseball is obviously a game that’s played over a very long season. There’s a strategy to being the best team over 162 games. That strategy is very different when, suddenly, you have to win a bunch of short series like you do in October. So what does it mean? I don’t think we know anything. It might not mean anything, other than it’s incredible to watch right now.

MCEVERS: MLB columnist Joe Posnanski – he also co-hosts the PosCast with Michael Schur. Thank you very much.

POSNANSKI: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOE SATRIANI’S “LORDS OF KARMA”)

Copyright © 2017 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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