Latest news with #Disneyland-like
Deccan Herald
22-05-2025
- General
- Deccan Herald
Shelve ill-conceived amusement park
The Karnataka High Court's notice to the central and state governments regarding the Disneyland-like amusement park proposed near the Krishnaraja Sagar dam (KRS) has raised fresh concerns about the project's viability. This Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project, slated to cover 198 acres with a staggering Rs 2,663 crore investment, proposes an array of attractions, including water parks, roller coasters, a Goddess Cauvery statue, and even a penguin park. However, the petitioners argue that the 20-km radius around the century-old dam is a protected area, where commercial activities that threaten the integrity of the structure are strictly prohibited. Their Public Interest Litigation (PIL) asserts that the government has failed to secure mandatory clearances from the National Dam Safety Authority or invite public suggestions. Moreover, the existing Brindavan Gardens, a heritage park adjacent to the dam, lies in a state of neglect. Instead of allocating resources to the amusement park, the government should revive this historical perils posed by the proposed amusement park are multifaceted and grave. The KRS dam was constructed between 1911 and 1932 – it is inherently susceptible to age-related vulnerabilities, including the weakening of sluice gates and seepage. The constant vibrations from heavy construction activities, including pile-driving and deep excavations, could induce stress and cracks in the dam's masonry and foundation. Furthermore, the constant operation of high-decibel rides and the presence of thousands of visitors daily would further destabilise the structure. With the amusement park situated directly in front of a massive dam holding enormous volumes of water, a structural failure could trigger a disaster of unimaginable proportions, putting countless lives at risk. The environmental impact of this project cannot be ignored. The park will generate massive amounts of waste, including plastic and chemical-laden water from the rides, which will inevitably flow into the Cauvery river. The contaminated water will reach Mandya, Karnataka's rice bowl, threatening agricultural output and livelihoods of park represents a case of misplaced priorities, especially when farmers in the Cauvery basin have long demanded investments in canal modernisation and improved water storage infrastructure. Rather than proceeding with this ill-conceived project, the government should invest in long-term water security. If an amusement park must be built, it should be located far from critical water reservoirs, ensuring no risk to the dam or public safety. It is time to shelve this dangerous project before irreversible damage is done.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Farmers move Karnataka HC against Brindavan Garden makeover
BENGALURU: Farmers of Mandya district have moved the Karnataka High Court against the state government's decision to transform Brindavan Garden at the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam into a Disneyland-like space. Their public interest litigation alleged that the project is detrimental to the farming community. A vacation division bench of Justices BM Shyam Prasad and KV Aravind issued notices to various authorities of the state and central governments, including the Jal Shakti ministry, National Dam Authority, state chief secretary, water resources, agriculture, forest and ecology departments, Kaveri Neeravari Nigam Ltd and other authorities of Mandya district. This was after they heard the petition filed by K Boraiah and four others from KRS village and other surrounding villages, questioning the tenders issued to set up the amusement park in the name of Brindavan Garden Upgradation without statutory clearance, including from the gram panchayat. The government's decision is contrary to Articles 48-A and 53A of the constitution, Karnataka Forest Act, Environmental Protection Act 1986, and Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, they said.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
California Science Center opens free interactive sports exhibits
Former UCLA softball pitcher Rachel Garcia stands in the batting cage as the digital Rachel Garcia pitches to visitors at the new Game On! exhibition, which opens Thursday at the California Science Center. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) There's a new interactive exhibit opening on Thursday at the California Science Center across the street from the Coliseum that will provide Disneyland-like sports entertainment for all ages, and it's free. Using censors, cameras and 21st century technology, "Game On!" takes up 17,000 square feet formally occupied by the Space Shuttle Endeavor exhibit. It allows visitors to learn about science, sports and movement. You get to actively participate by hitting a softball against pitcher Rachel Garcia, take batting practice instructions from Freddie Freeman and kick a soccer ball into a goal while learning from Alyssa and Gisele Thompson. All are mentors. Advertisement Yet there's so much more. You get to try swimming strokes, skateboarding, snowboarding, cycling. There's climbing, yoga, dancing and challenging your senses during an exhibit that tests your quickness trying to block a hockey puck. There's a basketball exhibit where you shoot a ball toward the basket and learn if your form is good or not. One of the murals at the new interactive sports exhibition at California Science Center. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) "There's something for everybody," said Renata Simril, president and CEO of the LA84 Foundation that helped provide funding along with the Dodgers Foundation and Walter Family Foundation. She's not embellishing. Parents, children, adults, teenagers — they're all going to be smiling. Don't be surprised if nearby USC students discover a new place to enjoy an hour break for fun and laughter from studying by walking over to the exhibition hall when it opens at 10 a.m. The California Science Center new interactive sports exhibit — "Game On!" — opens on Thursday. It's free. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) It's supposed to be open through the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but don't be surprised if popularity creates momentum to keep it around longer. Advertisement "It's really cool," said Garcia, a former UCLA All-American softball pitcher who appears on a screen showing off her 60 mph pitch as a participant swings a real bat trying to hit an imaginary ball as a light trail moves down a rail toward the batter. "I think it's phenomenal. It's going to get a lot of kids engaged." Garcia even tried to hit against herself. "I missed the first time," she said. The batting cage where Freeman is providing hitting advice has a real soft ball and bat. It will be popular for all ages. The rock climbing exhibit still has not been completed, but participants will wear a harness as they climb toward the ceiling. Advertisement While kids will be the most enthusiastic, a dinner recently held at the facility that had adults dressed in tuxedos and dresses resulted in them trying out the exhibits and acting like teenagers again. Using science to teach lessons could provide inspiration for non-sports visitors. There's sound effects throughout and most important, pushing a button doesn't just mean you watch and listen. It means you get to participate, whether hitting a baseball or softball, trying to make a free throw, trying to swim or skateboard. Don't be surprised when word gets out how fun this exhibition creates. There will be lines. The only question will it be kids lining up or adults? Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
California Science Center opens free interactive sports exhibits
There's a new interactive exhibit opening on Thursday at the California Science Center across the street from the Coliseum that will provide Disneyland-like sports entertainment for all ages, and it's free. Using censors, cameras and 21st century technology, 'Game On!' takes up 17,000 square feet formally occupied by the Space Shuttle Endeavor exhibit. It allows visitors to learn about science, sports and movement. You get to actively participate by hitting a softball against pitcher Rachel Garcia, take batting practice instructions from Freddie Freeman and kick a soccer ball into a goal while learning from Alyssa and Gisele Thompson. All are mentors. Yet there's so much more. You get to try swimming strokes, skateboarding, snowboarding, cycling. There's climbing, yoga, dancing and challenging your senses during an exhibit that tests your quickness trying to block a hockey puck. There's a basketball exhibit where you shoot a ball toward the basket and learn if your form is good or not. 'There's something for everybody,' said Renata Simril, president and CEO of the LA84 Foundation that helped provide funding along with the Dodgers Foundation and Walter Family Foundation. She's not embellishing. Parents, children, adults, teenagers — they're all going to be smiling. Don't be surprised if nearby USC students discover a new place to enjoy an hour break for fun and laughter from studying by walking over to the exhibition hall when it opens at 10 a.m. It's supposed to be open through the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but don't be surprised if popularity creates momentum to keep it around longer. 'It's really cool,' said Garcia, a former UCLA All-American softball pitcher who appears on a screen showing off her 60 mph pitch as a participant swings a real bat trying to hit an imaginary ball as a light trail moves down a rail toward the batter. 'I think it's phenomenal. It's going to get a lot of kids engaged.' Garcia even tried to hit against herself. 'I missed the first time,' she said. The batting cage where Freeman is providing hitting advice has a real soft ball and bat. It will be popular for all ages. The rock climbing exhibit still has not been completed, but participants will wear a harness as they climb toward the ceiling. While kids will be the most enthusiastic, a dinner recently held at the facility that had adults dressed in tuxedos and dresses resulted in them trying out the exhibits and acting like teenagers again. Using science to teach lessons could provide inspiration for non-sports visitors. There's sound effects throughout and most important, pushing a button doesn't just mean you watch and listen. It means you get to participate, whether hitting a baseball or softball, trying to make a free throw, trying to swim or skateboard. Don't be surprised when word gets out how fun this exhibition creates. There will be lines. The only question will it be kids lining up or adults?
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Wonderfully sentimental': why Defending Your Life is my feelgood movie
In a world where we venerate the actor-writer-director (Charlie Chaplin, Woody Allen etc), the great Albert Brooks still feels widely underappreciated. His voice work in Finding Nemo and his Oscar-nominated turn in Broadcast News gave him a respectable level of recognition and acclaim. However, he remains immensely underrated, especially compared with his comedic contemporaries like Steve Martin or Bill Murray. As a writer-director-leading man, he produced some of the funniest, most insightful comedies of the 80s and 90s, often with biting social commentary. But when I need the January blues lifted, I turn to his wonderfully sentimental and uplifting 1991 film Defending Your Life. Brooks plays Daniel Miller, a divorced, lonely adman with little in his life besides a new BMW. When he is killed in a bus collision, he is transported to Judgment City, a Disneyland-like depiction of purgatory. It's here where the recently deceased, good and bad, are put on trial to 'defend your life'. Miller is cross-examined by his lawyer Bob Diamond (a surprisingly smiley Rip Torn) and prosecutor Lena Foster (Lee Grant). They look over nine days of Miller's life to decide his future. If you win your trial, you 'move forward'. You lose your trial: you head back to Earth to 'try again'. I've always loved Brooks' singular depiction of the studio backlot-like Judgment City. It's a fairytale that recalls the best of Frank Capra and Pixar. The weather in the city is always a perfect 74F and you travel around on Universal Studios-style trams. Most important, you can eat the nicest food without putting on an ounce (Daniel's cheese omelette might be the nicest-looking meal ever put on screen). There are some references to religion, but God and theology are mostly ignored. Equally, the vapid elements of life on Earth are still here, leading to some of the film's best gags. There are smutty talkshows in which a young blonde claims to have had sex with Benjamin Franklin and terrible standup comedians sing bad covers of Frank Sinatra's That's Life. Judging from his previous work, it seemed like sentimentality was not in Brooks' nature. Films such as Modern Romance and Lost in America were daring attacks on the delusions of male jealousy and the yuppie entitlement of the Reagan era. While hilarious, his protagonists represented humanity at its most smug and self-centred. With Defending Your Life, Brooks swaps these themes out for optimism and amiability. While I love delving into the fantastical escapism of Judgment City (backed by Michael Gore's endearingly rhapsodic score), it's the film's poignantly philosophical look into fear that makes it one of my absolute favourites. Daniel is a good person who could never live up to his full potential because fear dominated his every waking move. It's Foster's main reason why Daniel should be sent back to Earth. He worries about people's perceptions of him ('I'm just so tired of being judged,' he remarks) and his aversion to risk-taking leads him to have an unfulfilled life. Defending Your Life is about being unable to 'move forward' (literally and figuratively) until you've conquered the fears that hold you back. It's perhaps no coincidence that the film came out right at the end of the cold war, a period in which fear was engrained in the heart of the American consciousness. As Torn's character laments to Daniel: 'Fear is like a giant fog. It sits on your brain and blocks everything – real feelings, true happiness, real joy. They can't get through that fog.' During the breaks from his trial, Daniel begins a love affair with the virtuous Julia (Meryl Streep in her most endearing performance). I hate describing any film romance as adorable, but the chemistry between both leads is true movie magic. It's helped that Brooks avoids cliches, never having the typical romcom moment when both characters inexplicably hate each other. When their relationship is in jeopardy, it again circles back to Daniel's innate fear of taking chances. Without spoiling the heartwarming ending, their final scenes together are an amazing tear-jerking summation of the film's themes. It's up there with Jimmy Stewart running through the snow at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. 'Life-affirming' is perhaps an overused adjective, but few movies have successfully illuminated the human condition as well as this one. Fear is commonplace in our daily lives, but Albert Brooks' film might hold the key to rid the worries of anxiety-ridden people such as myself. As the new year often brings about feelings of regret and unease, Defending Your Life is the warmest hug you can receive. Defending Your Life is available to rent digitally in the US and the UK
