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Show SpecialFeatures Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 Page 17 Iran defies UN, plans `Up in Air' marketing is still up in air 10 new nuclear plants BY CLAUDIA ELLER BY BORZOU DARAGAHI Los Angeles Times Iran is intent on building atomic weapons. Said British Foreign Secretary Two days after the David Miliband: "Instead of world's atomic energy watchengaging with us, Iran chooses dog rebuked Iran over its to provoke and dissemble." nuclear program, the Islamic On Friday, the board of Republic's Cabinet on Sunday governors of the International ordered a dramatic expansion Atomic Energy Agency voted of the nuclear program that 25-3 with seven abstentions would include an additional 10 to condemn Iran's nuclear nuclear plants. program. The resolution by the If completed, the plan would agency, which reports to the U.N. provide Iran with enough General Assembly and Security enriched uranium to produce Council, called on Iran to halt 20,000 megawatts of electricity enrichment, resolve lingering within six years, President questions about its past nuclear Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, activities, open its facilities to according to the semiofficial further inspection and provide Mehr news agency. assurances it is not operating But Iran's stated plans secret nuclear research and often don't square with its development sites. capabilities. The oil-andIran's Parliament issued gas rich Middle East nation a statement Sunday asking of 70 million would need the government to reduce its to overcome economic and cooperation with the IAEA technical hurdles to mount following the vote. But Ali so ambitious a nuclear Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's expansion. Iran has installed Atomic Energy Organization, about 8,000 centrifuges, of said the country would not pull which only about half are out of its treaty obligations, producing reactor-grade which bar it from pursuing uranium. nuclear weapons. Experts predicted Iran "We pursue our rights and would have a tough time international obligations in following through with the equal measures," he said on the plan. sidelines of the Cabinet meeting, "If they actually mean according to Mehr. it, given the pace of their Iran's claim that the censure production and installation was politically motivated was of working centrifuges, we bolstered by Egypt, which called are looking at an extremely the resolution "unbalanced" costly 20- or 30-year program, because it did not address at best," said Gary Sick, Israel's undeclared nuclear a professor of the Middle weapons program. East at Columbia University "The resolution did not take who served on the National into consideration the regional Security Council during Iran's dimension in dealing with 1979 revolution. "Words are the Iranian nuclear dossier, as easy. Implementation is hard." the resolution should (have) The plan calls for 10 plants included a clear remark on the on the scale of a current, importance of dealing with industrial-sized facility in the Israeli nuclear abilities Natanz that holds 50,000 and freeing the Middle East centrifuges. from nuclear weapons," said a Ahmad Shirzad, a Tehran statement from Egypt's foreign nuclear scientist and frequent ministry. critic of the government, Egypt abstained from Friday's said Iran had neither the vote. industrial ability to create Uranium enriched to low 500,000 centrifuges nor the levels can be used for producing basic ingredients to operate electricity; it must be enriched them. He characterized to much higher levels to provide the announcement as a fuel for a weapon. The 500,000 "political decision to make centrifuges Iran envisions could, an impression" on the theoretically, produce enough international community. fuel for a bomb every two days. "Viewing the industrial Iran has not responded development in Iran for the definitively to a U.S.-backed time being, it is not feasible," proposal to swap much of its he said. "Apart from that, current supply of 5 percentwe need lots of lots of raw enriched uranium for 20 materials, including uranium, percent-enriched fuel rods to many kinds of alloys and so on operate a medical research plant to be imported from abroad." in Tehran. Such items could be difficult for Iran to come by, given the sanctions already in place to prevent it from obtaining so-called dual-use materials, which could be used for peaceful purposes or to build weapons. Ahmadinejad said the new facilities would incorporate more efficient centrifuges that Iran has yet to employ. "New high-capacity centrifuges have been designed by the Islamic Republic of Iran that can carry out the task in fewer numbers," he said. "We will use these new centrifuges as soon as they become operational." The U.S. and its allies criticized Iran's move. "If true, this would be yet another serious violation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes; the U.S. and its allies fear that Los Angeles Times HOLLYWOOD -- Six years ago, when Jason Reitman set out to write a dramatic comedy about a "corporate downsizer" who flies around the country and fires employees, the economy was booming and jobs were plentiful. By the time the young director, known for his 2007 hit "Juno," got around to making "Up in the Air," the world had changed drastically. A recession hit, unemployment soared to nearly 10 percent and adult audiences largely had forsaken films with weighty topics. Suddenly layoffs, even cast in a humorous light, didn't seem so funny. Reitman's "Up in the Air," which stars George Clooney as a corporate grim reaper, presents a thorny marketing challenge for Paramount Pictures, the studio that helped finance the picture and is distributing it. The film's release Friday comes as the nation grapples with the worst economic downturn in 70 years, and the movie prominently features a theme -- getting thrown out of work because of cutbacks -- that could alienate potential moviegoers too pained to watch what they are all too familiar with in real life. "Up in the Air" is the latest Hollywood film that collides with difficult topics from today's headlines. And such movies' track record isn't encouraging. Disney's recent comedy "Confessions of a Shopaholic," about a young woman with a mountain of credit card debt, fell short at the box office. So did films with 9/11 themes, such as "A Mighty Heart" and "United 93," as well as those dealing with the Iraq war, such as "Stop Loss" and "In the Valley of Elah." Adapted from Walter Kim's 2001 novel of the same name, "Up in the Air" stars Clooney as beguiling hatchet man Ryan Bingham, a rootless soul more interested in racking up frequent flier miles than in engaging emotionally with people around him. Although Bingham's personal soulsearching malaise is the center of the film's narrative, the sting of job loss is very much in the foreground. "This movie could either be cathartic or, because it hits so close to home, people may not want to spend two hours with something they're living with every day," said Russell Schwartz, a movie marketing consultant and former studio executive. "It's also a movie that's being released against the tide, when uplifting stories and light escapism are thriving." What's more, "Up in the Air" doesn't fit neatly into a genre -- it combines comedy and drama -- and has a story line that's not easily distilled into a 30-second TV commercial. "It's not an easily marketable movie," said executive producer Tom Pollock, whose Montecito Picture Co. co-financed the movie. "It's got romance, but it's hardly a romantic comedy. It's not an R-rated horror movie where audiences know what they're going to get." Those risks were among the reasons the movie's budget was kept to a relatively modest $25 million, with Clooney forgoing a big chunk of his normal fee in exchange for a bigger cut of the hoped-for profit. Paramount is shouldering half the production costs and will spend about $40 million to promote the movie, according to a person familiar with the matter. Although "Up in the Air's" budget means it can succeed without being a box-office juggernaut, Paramount is using a number of marketing and distribution tactics to attract the widest possible audience. The movie will open in only 12 cities, including Los Angeles and New York, and expand gradually until Dec. 25, when it will play wide. Paramount hopes the measured release strategy will let audiences discover the film and encourage others to see it. Does 'The Road' follow tried and true disaster movie formulas? BY MONICA HESSE The Washington Post WASHINGTON — When the world ends, there will be cannibals. There will be sepia tones. The Statue of Liberty's mammoth head will go thundering through the streets, after being dislodged from her body by a big tidal wave, or perhaps a fiery rain of asteroids. You will be safe, providing you have not just made a declaration of eternal devotion, such as "I will never leave you," in which case you're probably toast. Thank God for the movies. Without them, we would never know the proper way to behave at the end of the world. "The Road," depicting a father and son's hopeless trudge through a post-apocalyptic world, opened on Wednesday. It followed "2012," depicting a father and kids' frantic race through a near-apocalyptic world, in accordance with alleged ancient prophecy. Lucky for you, you don't need a Mayan calendar to guide you through Armageddon. When the end comes, just get your advice from Hollywood. STEP 1: Move to Topeka To increase your odds of surviving the end of the world, it is advisable to move to Kansas, Nebraska or Iowa. This is because the world will not end in the Midwest. It will end only in major coastal cities that contain recognizable landmarks, which the storm/asteroids/ aliens will destroy for maximum cultural poignancy. The world frequently ends in Washington, with the demolition of the White House. The world more frequently ends in New York. But the end of the world never, ever involves the demolition of the farm and fleet in a flyover state. Go there. Notable exception to flyoverstate rule: South Dakota, though technically a part of the Midwest, is not recommended for relocation, as Mount Rushmore makes the entire state vulnerable to the end of the world. See: "The Day After Tomorrow," "Cloverfield," "Independence Day." STEP 2: Buy a tuxedo Though the United States government employs hundreds of geologists, astronomers and other scientists, none of them will realize that the end of the world is coming. Only a dingbat living in a trailer crunching numbers on a Casio calculator will realize that the end is near. But when he attempts to burst into the White House to warn the president, he is turned away because he is wearing a old T-shirt. This wastes precious hours. To speed up the saving of the human race, all dingbats should invest in formalwear. See: "2012," "War of the Worlds," "Deep Impact." STEP 3: Acquire a Y chromosome Unfortunately, there are no women at the end of the world. There are men, there are children and there are helpless damsels who beg to be rescued. But there are no women. Sorry, women. See: Every apocalyptic movie ever, except perhaps "Terminator" and Tina Turner's character in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome." STEP 4: Avoid cannibalism Sure, this advice seems easy enough to follow, but when the end of the world comes, people are going to immediately start eating people. They may have just finished a big turkey dinner, but they'll still start gnawing on somebody's ankle, because it's the end of the world. Those not committing cannibalism will be engaging in other popular apocalyptic activities, such as leaving their cars in the middle of the road for no reason. Look, don't eat other people. The end of the world will have a sense of karma and the people who do that type of junk usually get theirs in the end. If you want to stay alive, familiarize yourself with edible plants. See: "The Road," "Blindness," "I Am Legend." STEP 5: Ignore the president At some point near the end of the world, the president (probably Morgan Freeman) will decide to address the nation via television. This will happen at a peak moment of destruction, like when the streets are being flooded with ice water and Statue of Liberty heads. Everyone will patiently pause, find a flatscreen in a shop window and tearily watch as the president talks about how the human race must go on. These people are suckers. If you want the human race to go on, you need to stop listening to the president wax nostalgic, and buddy, you need to run. If you're alive later, you can always catch that inspiration on TiVo. See: "Independence Day," "Deep Impact," "2012." When it is time to look for that job, that career-type job, check with The UTAH Statesman Job Finder first. Just go to www.A-Bay-USU.com and look for the job finder widget, right thre on the right. Start clicking and start the search. Good luck! |