Tag Archives: Featured

iPhone Photography Awards Announced, Volume 2: Portrait and Abstract

Video August 2, 2019 Kat Lee

https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/PhotoAwards-1-M-final.mp4

Above: short video introducing our iphone photography awards series

In this, the Second Article in a Series Featuring all the Winners, See Photos of the Top Three Awards for the Categories: Portrait and Abstract

With photo submissions from over 140 countries around the world it is no surprise that some amazing shots were captured in incredible locations. – Bayan Ulgi, Mongolia, for example – The authenticity of the subject matter is on clear display and there is something about the light…

Naturally, unbelievable photos can happen anywhere, anytime, which is the beauty of having a camera that is always with you. Don’t overlook the “honorable mentions” either. The two mosaic galleries below show how high the competitive artistry was and how difficult it must have been to choose.

Established in 2007, IPPAWARDS have featured the worlds best iPhone photographers and photos since the iPhone’s inception. The deadline to enter the next years program is March 2020, so, use these great images as inspiration to take your best shot. Who knows, it might be you taking the Grand Prize in 2020!

First Place Winner, Portrait : Mona Jumaan

*First place Portrait photo shot in Bayan Ulgi, Mongolia, on an iPhone 7 Plus by Mona Jumaan – IPPAWARDS*

”I am an amateur photographer/traveller based in Bahrain. Combining my passions, I aspire to create photos that connect the viewer to the places I have visited, and to give them the experience through my photographs what I have experienced firsthand. ”

”In Bayan Ulgi province in western Mongolia, eagle hunting is a tradition passed across generations. Boys start their training as early as 11 years old, and little Bakha is no exception as he makes his entrance into the world of eagle hunting with his prized falcon.”

Second Place, Portrait : Christian Horgan

*Second place Portrait photo shot in Margaret River, Western Australia, on an iPhone X by Chrisitan Horgan – IPPAWARDS*

”Christian Horgan is a story teller based in Western Australia. He is a presenter and producer of Film, Television and Radio with his work reaching national and global audiences. Christian uses his iPhone as another means to tell stories, capturing images from the tales that unfold around him. He’s all about using his iPhone to see the world in a different light.”

”I take my nephew Eden on ‘Photo Safaris’, where we only shoot with our iPhones. Our trophies are the images we capture. My mum has a couple of bee hives in Margaret River, Western Australia, and I thought they’d make for an exciting safari. As we dressed for this adventure I decided to take a portrait of Eden in his ‘photo safari suit’.”

Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Portrait

[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”10″]

Third Place, Portrait : Magali Chesnel

*Third place Portrait photo shot in Gruissan, France, on an iPhone 7 by Magali Chesnel – IPPAWARDS*

”Magali Chesnel is a French artist, painter and self-taught photographer. Born in Versailles and a native of Brittany – France. She is an award-winning and globally exhibited aerial photographer.”

”One of my favorite moments, perched on the tummy of my master. I have to confess, the view is awesome!! This cushion makes me feel secure. I can also warn other dogs and protect my master. Yeeaah! Who’s the boss?! I belong to him and he belongs to me.”

First Place, Abstract : Jiangying Guo

First place Abstract photo shot in Mexico City, Mexico, on an iPhone 7 Plus by Jiangying Guo – IPPAWARDS

”A recent graduate from Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY). I work as an interior designer, and I love taking pictures for memories.”

”A beam of sunlight shined on a swimming pool at 9:32am, when I was visiting the house designed by Luis Barragán.”

Second Place, Abstract : JuliAnne Kaplan

Second place Abstract photo shot in San Francisco, Califrnia, on an iPhone 7 Plus by JuliAnne Kaplan – I

”JuliAnne Kaplan is an award winning photographer living in San Rafael, California. She is passionate about seeing and hopes that, through her art, she can help enable others to slow down and catch the moment. JuliAnne’s daily photography practice is about “Seeing . . . What Is”. What makes her come alive is capturing those fleeting perceptions with her iPhone camera and discovering magic in the process—what is revealed in the moment: direct, vivid and true.”

”Looking up, at the corner of Laguna and Hayes Streets, San Francisco. The midday sun casts an engaging abstract pattern of geometric shadows onto the quirky facade.”

Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Abstract

[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”11″]

Third Place, Abstract : Samantha Byrd

*Third place Abstract photo shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on an iPhone 8 Plus by Samantha Byrd – IPPAWARDS*

”Texas born and bred but enamored with the world. I have an insatiable hunger for exploring and capturing the magic I find.”

”From the wrong angle, it looked chaotic, like someone had hung string frivolously. But from straight on, it was perfect. Serene and calming.”

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Breaking News, Business, Stock Market

Update: Europe Markets Down, China Responds, Tariff-Man Threats Reverberate

August 2, 2019 Danny Leeds

Additional 10% Tariffs on $300 Billion will Commence September 1st…

Germany’s DAX down 2.5% while the Hang Seng Index loses 2.35% after Trump’s Tweets and Threats. China says they will respond in kind: “If the U.S. is going to implement the additional tariffs, China will have to take necessary countermeasures,” Hua Chunying, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said at a briefing in Beijing on Friday: “China won’t accept any maximum pressure, threat, or blackmailing, and won’t compromise at all on major principle matters…”

The DJIA was up more than 300 points on Thursday, when the announcement was made, then it ultimately ended the session down 280. The new tariffs are on the 300 billion in goods that have been, until this point, coming into the country without a toll. There are also 250 billion in Chinese goods that already have a 25% levy attached.

Recent trade negotiations in Shanghai concluded on Wednesday with little or no progress. Talks are scheduled to resume in September.

Speaking on July 30th, before reporters Trump speculated that China may be thinking of delaying a resolution until after the election in 2020, saying:

“They would just love if I got defeated so they could deal with somebody like Elizabeth Warren or Sleepy Joe Biden…. They’ll pray that Trump loses. And then they’ll make a deal with a stiff, somebody that doesn’t know what they’re doing like Obama and Biden, like all the presidents before.”
Donald J. Trump

Calling the tariff a “small additional levy” Trump also said in a series of tweets that China’s promise to buy large amounts of agricultural products from the US, was not kept.

…buy agricultural product from the U.S. in large quantities, but did not do so. Additionally, my friend President Xi said that he would stop the sale of Fentanyl to the United States – this never happened, and many Americans continue to die! Trade talks are continuing, and…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2019

While speaking to reporters this afternoon at the White House, he also threatened to lift the percentage to 25% and beyond, “But we are not looking to do that, necessarily”.

Products that will be included in this new batch of tariffed goods will be consumer electronics such as iPhones, toys and shoes, among other items.

There was some surprise noted, as the meetings and discussions in Shanghai appeared to end on a somewhat positive note, initially. Now, with this announcement, there is a sense of the talks having fallen short of any progress at all.

Fallout of the Trade War to Begin Hitting Home

Trump continues to claim that China will pay these levies, although studies have shown that the consumer in the US will ultimately pay through higher costs on all tariffed goods. The higher prices will also harm sellers in the US due to a reduced volume of sales.

While there is sill also a lot of “carrot” talk, how the negotiations can also take a turn for the better at any time, coming from both sides, it does not appear that there is much substance to be gleaned from these pronouncements.

Since the percentage of some of the products that will be affected, such as toys, include as high as 85% currently coming from China, these tariffs can have a substantial effect on the marketplace.

Also, possibly unintended beneficiaries to the trade war are neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia, that are already showing signs of increased activity due to the shifting of origin of manufacturing to those countries in order to avoid the levies.

Tariff-man is staying true to his self-given moniker and in September, as the next wave hits, it is yet to be seen what the economic effects will be, either in China or here in the US.

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Entertainment, Fashion, Health and Diet, Lifestyle, Sports, Tech

A Day in the Life of Highly Motivated Ring Closers: Apple Watch

Video August 1, 2019 Kat Lee

https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/CloseYourRIngsM.mov

Imagine that a camera crew followed you around all day. Each time you expended energy through exercising (you might be an athlete) and your daily routine, running to work, climbing the stairs, kick boxing after work, or dancing in the evening, the crew shot a flattering moment of you in the middle of it all.

Or, better yet, say you are at the end of a long, active day. Ever since you’ve been “closing rings” on your apple watch, you know just what kinds of activities, and for how long, it will take to get them all closed. You watch, in your mind’s eye, an imaginary external montage of each step, each jump, each time your foot presses the pedal on your bike, all the various ways you express physicality and, this being a daydream (at night) you run the sequence in your mind over and over.

Each time you view the day’s movements and activities you choose just a snippet, a tiny captured slice, of every peak action revelation that, by the end of the long day, combine together to close your rings. By the time you’ve compressed it into the ultimate montage, it is not more than fifteen seconds of fleeting, flashing, images. And it is good.

Now you can doze off knowing that, tomorrow, you will live your life in motion, and, with your partner on your wrist, your rings will close again. And once more you will doze off watching your personal highlight reel of action, health and satisfaction.

Below are a few special Apple Watch owners who really did have that camera crew (graciously supplied by Apple, for commercial purposes) and we’ve attached the videos to prove it:

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/2018/29dd149d_75d8_4b58_b5fc_feb70e66d41c/close-your-rings-stories/haley/watch-haley-tpl-cc-us-2018_1920x1080h.mp4

I’m a pretty competitive person. So it’s always a good feeling when I close my rings.

“Haley competes for the U.S. National Team as an elite open water swimmer. She uses the Pool Swim workout to track her yardage in the pool, where she closes her Exercise ring in training sessions every morning. Because she’s highly competitive, Haley tries to double her Move and Exercise rings every day.”
APPLE / HALEY A.

Haley’s swimming metrics are duration, active calories, laps, and distance.

Learn how to configure your workout metrics

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/close-your-rings/2019/1f8cb397_dac8_4bec_9235_be582347feae/films/jessica/watch-jessica-tpl-cc-us-2019_1920x1080h.mp4

The rings turn it into a game. Even if you’re not trying to hit a target, you close them just for fun.

“Jessica is the founder and lead instructor of Fat Buddha Yoga. She’s also a surfer and regularly DJs at clubs around the world. Being active in so many different ways can make it hard to track her fitness. But with Apple Watch, it’s simple. And whether she’s powering through a plank or dancing behind the turntables, everything counts”
APPLE / JESSICA S.

Jessica can see her progress with a lift of the wrist.

Learn how to start a workout

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/close-your-rings/2019/1f8cb397_dac8_4bec_9235_be582347feae/films/cory/watch-cory-tpl-cc-us-2019_1920x1080h.mp4

If you’re bored, just move. Jump around. Pick something up and throw it. Enjoy yourself.

“Cory believes in closing his rings every day, no matter where he is in the world. As a captain of the Track Mafia running club and fitness instructor, he’s led people in sprints up mall escalators, jogs through the Wembley Stadium parking lot, and marathon runs that stretch all the way from Santa Monica to Las Vegas. He also frequently cycles or runs to whatever’s next on his busy schedule.”
APPLE / CORY W-M.

Cory inspires people to go the distance as a Nike Run Club coach.

Get motivated with the Nike Run Club app

Learn how to start an Activity competition

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/2018/29dd149d_75d8_4b58_b5fc_feb70e66d41c/close-your-rings-stories/jason/watch-jason-tpl-cc-us-2018_1920x1080h.mp4

I believe in exercising the mind, the body, and the heart.

“In addition to the strenuous workout he gets on the podium, Jason likes to close his rings using the Workout app to track swimming, cycling, and weight lifting. When it comes to staying mentally fit, reminders from the Breathe app nudge Jason during his busy day, helping him to recenter.”
APPLE / JASON L.

The Heart Rate app lets Jason quickly check his pulse during performance breaks.

Learn about Apple Watch and heart health

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/2018/29dd149d_75d8_4b58_b5fc_feb70e66d41c/close-your-rings-stories/natsumi/watch-natsumi-tpl-cc-us-2018_1920x1080h.mp4

Apple Watch helps me be a better instructor. It also shows me how to live a healthier life.

“Natsumi is a yoga instructor and model living in Tokyo. She uses the Yoga workout to close her Exercise ring while she’s teaching a class. On occasion, Natsumi likes to surprise her students by taking them on hiking expeditions, where the Hiking workout tracks her distance and calorie burn. If Natsumi’s rings aren’t closed by the afternoon, she walks to her modeling gigs.”
APPLE / NATSUMI Y.

Natsumi uses the Breathe watch face to begin yoga classes.

Learn how to change your watch face

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/2018/29dd149d_75d8_4b58_b5fc_feb70e66d41c/close-your-rings-stories/atilla/watch-atilla-tpl-cc-us-2018_1920x1080h.mp4

I love to work out with Apple Watch. It doesn’t have stuff that gets in the way. It just has what I need.

Couch potato turned avid marathon runner, cyclist, and swimmer, Atilla credits his transformation to Apple Watch. To close his rings, he makes sure to schedule two workouts every day. On his 12-mile runs, Atilla streams Apple Music for motivation. If he hasn’t closed his rings (which he admits being addicted to), an Outdoor Cycle or Open Water Swim workout gets the job done in the evening.
APPLE / ATILLA K.

Rolling Pace lets Atilla see a mile split at any point on his run.

Learn how to get more out of your run

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/2018/29dd149d_75d8_4b58_b5fc_feb70e66d41c/close-your-rings-stories/eric/watch-eric-tpl-cc-us-2018_1920x1080h.mp4

We sometimes forget we are flesh and bone. Apple Watch comes in handy keeping you aware of that fact.

“At 65, Eric prides himself on being in great shape. He closes his rings five times a week, walking everywhere throughout his city to visit clients, friends, and neighborhood shops. Along the way, Eric loves to watch his rings close and see the miles, calories, and flights of stairs stack up in the Outdoor Walk workout and the Activity app. Eric finds himself moving just as much on the weekends, dancing, playing volleyball, and riding his bike.”
APPLE / ERIC G.

Eric uses turn-by-turn directions in the Maps app to find his way around the city.

See how to get directions on Apple Watch

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/watch/2018/29dd149d_75d8_4b58_b5fc_feb70e66d41c/close-your-rings-stories/yocelin/watch-yocelin-tpl-cc-us-2018_1920x1080h.mp4

I love the fact that I have all my information on my wrist. And that I don’t have to carry my phone.

“As a busy student and point guard on her college basketball team, Yocelin doesn’t know what it means to sit still. She closes her rings virtually every day, running and lifting weights to stay in competitive shape. When she’s not on the court or in the classroom, Yocelin racks up even more Move calories and Exercise minutes taking care of her three younger brothers. If it weren’t for bedtime reminders from her Apple Watch, she might never rest.”
APPLE / YOCELIN S.

Yocelin stays motivated during workouts and before each game using AirPods to listen to her favorite songs.

Learn how to stream Apple Music

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Photography

The 2019 iPhone Photography Awards: Here are the Top Winning Photos

Video August 1, 2019 Kat Lee

iPhone Photographers of the Year and their Winning Images…

https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/PhotoAwards-1-M-final.mp4

Above: short video introducing our iphone photography awards series

In this, the first article in our 10 part series highlighting all the prize winners, photos from the Grand Prize Winner and the three runner-ups are featured.

There are nearly 1 billion iPhones in the world today and almost as many iPhone photographers. With that many people, and, obviously, some with extraordinary talent, you’d think there’d be some pretty amazing shots out there, captured all around the world at the most opportune and magical moments.

And you’d be right. The proof we present below, and in a series of articles chronicling the winning photographers and photos from the 12th Annual iPhone Photo Awards presented by the IPPAWARDS. The best of the best are chosen from thousands of photos from over 140 countries. In addition to the top prize winning photos below, there are individual category winners that will be featured in upcoming articles. The images are truly amazing so, stay tuned.

Established in 2007, IPPAWARDS have featured the worlds best iPhone photographers and photos since the iPhone’s inception. Awards are also given for the best photos of the year in additional individual categories. The deadline to enter the next year’s program is March 2020, so, use these great images as inspiration to take your best shot. Who knows, it might be you taking the Grand Prize in 2020!

Grand Prize Winner: Gabriella Cigliano

Grand prize photo shot in Zanzibar, Africa on an iPhone X by Gabriella Cigliano Photo Credit: Gabriella Cigliano – IPPAWARDS

”I’m Gabriella, I’m 23 and I’m from Napoli, Italy. When I was a little girl and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always “traveling!”. Now that I’m grown-up, I’ve realized that beyond curiosity about the world, one of the reasons why I love to travel is to share with others what I see. I do this through the photos I take, I try to show others the world through my eyes, with no filters.”

”Last year I spent a month in Wasa, Tanzania, teaching a class of young, curious and amazing guys. Before heading back to Italy we stopped in Zanzibar, where this photo was taken. I still wonder how could I capture that exact moment in all its beauty. I was just observing, a few meters from them, but they were probably more curious about me than I was about them, and that’s probably why the girl was looking at me. We couldn’t talk much, except for a few words in Swahili I had learned in the previous weeks, but those kids could definitely talk with their eyes. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life, and I’ll keep it in my memories forever. The best part was showing them and their mums the photos, for some it was the first time they were seeing their faces, and their excitement was unexplainable, unfortunately my iPhone was in their hands and I couldn’t capture that!”

First Place: Diogo Lage

First place photo shot in Santa Rita Beach, Portugal, on an iPhone SE by Diogo Lage Photo Credit: Diogo Lage – IPPAWARDS

”My love for photography began years ago, with black and white film. Today I keep up that taste, including shooting the photos with the active black and white filter and only with rare exceptions do I revert to color. My background is in Art and Design where I always look for inspiration and references.”

”Sea Stripes was taken in Santa Rita Beach, Portugal where the striped beach tents are very typical and set the tone of the well organized and summery little villages. Playing along with this beachy mood, a bather in the distance embodies the spirit in a striped shirt.”

Second Place: Yuliya Ibraeva

Second place photo shot in Rome, Italy, on an iPhone 7 Plus by Yuliya Ibraeva – IPPAWARDS Photo Credit: Yuliya Ibraeva

”My name is Yuliya Ibraeva. I’m 30 years old, live in Moscow & work as a photographer, photo editor and media producer more than 10 years. Photograph is my passion and profession.”

”It was a hot summer day in Rome, Italy, even the asphalt was melting. We decided to escape from the city center to see the ancient trees of the Borghese Gardens and watch an Italian movie, but when we arrived the pouring rain began. We didn’t see the film, but I took wonderful pictures. It was great travel moment I’ll never want to forget.”

Third Place: Peng Hao

Third place photo shot in Nevada, USA, on an iPhone X by Peng Hao – IPPAWARDS Photo Credit: Peng Hao

”My name is Peng Hao. I am a film director and also a photographer.”

”I took this photo in the desert in Nevada, USA, at the Burning Man festival. I stood on a bridge and saw two people lost in a sand storm, but after a while, something very special came along, a huge silver ball.”

Find books on Big Tech, Sustainable Energy, Economics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

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Business, Economics, Politics

Trump Topples Rally with Tariffs: Dow Drops Nearly 600 Intraday

August 1, 2019 Danny Leeds

10% on $300 Billion will Commence September 1st…

The DJIA was up more than 300 points when the announcement was made, then it ultimately ended the session down 280. The new tariffs are on the 300 billion in goods that have been, until this point, coming into the country without a toll. There are also 250 billion in Chinese goods that already have a 25% levy attached.

Recent trade negotiations in Shanghai concluded on Wednesday with little or no progress. Talks are scheduled to resume in September.

Speaking on July 30th, before reporters Trump speculated that China may be thinking of delaying a resolution until after the election in 2020, saying:

“They would just love if I got defeated so they could deal with somebody like Elizabeth Warren or Sleepy Joe Biden…. They’ll pray that Trump loses. And then they’ll make a deal with a stiff, somebody that doesn’t know what they’re doing like Obama and Biden, like all the presidents before.”
Donald J. Trump

Calling the tariff a “small additional levy” Trump also said in a series of tweets that China’s promise to buy large amounts of agricultural products from the US, was not kept.

While speaking to reporters this afternoon at the White House, he also threatened to lift the percentage to 25% and beyond, “But we are not looking to do that, necessarily”.

Products that will be included in this new batch of tariffed goods will be consumer electronics such as iPhones, toys and shoes, among other items.

Fallout of the Trade War to Begin Hitting Home

Since the percentage of some of the products that will be affected, such as toys, include as high as 85% currently coming from China, these tariffs can have a substantial effect on the marketplace.

Tariff-man is staying true to his self-given moniker and in September, as the next wave hits, it is yet to be seen what the economic effects will be, either in China or here in the US.

Find books on Big Tech, Sustainable Energy, Economics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Enjoy Lynxotic at Apple News on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and subscribe to our newsletter.

Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.

Climate Solutions, Earth and Ecology, Lifestyle, News

This Heat is For Real: US and Europe Both Feel the Pain

July 27, 2019 Danny Leeds

Last weekend it was New York, Boston and much of the rest of the US that was in a dire situation due to dangerous temperatures. Then, Europe took its turn. Twice. Anecdotal evidence builds, seemingly by the day, that the climate crisis is accelerating. Below we feature stories with a little more detail on the heat this week:

In the second extreme weather event so far this summer, Paris, hit an all time record high on Thursday, after the recent, record breaking heatwave in June. This time, the thermometer hit an unheard of 108.6 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 42.4 Celsius) and, since 30 degrees Celsius is considered extreme heat in Europe, this is a truly astonishing stat.

The blistering barrage is being felt as far west as Texas and north to Canada and even Alaska. The Great Lakes region and as far as Colorado and Kansas are also being affected.<p> The wave is being seen as a worsening of summer extremes related to the climate crisis. This, after France and Europe experienced all time record high temperatures and even the arctic seas are being monitored at unheard of temps.

Man refreshing himself in Public square under summer high temperature with Fire-hydrant

A week and a day after the metropolis endured a blackout affecting hundreds of thousands due to a transformer fire, another power outage has affected up to fifty thousand throughout Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx.

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Tech

Apple Acquires Intel’s Smartphone Modem Unit to Accelerate Huge 5G Push

July 25, 2019 Danny Leeds

Release Confirms Rumors from Earlier This Week, Deal Priced at $1 Billion…

In a move that anticipates the emergence of 5g in 2020 and beyond, Apple takes a bold step in moving it’s 5g modem production forward, though this deal.

If you are dreaming of the up-coming release of an ultra fast and state-of-the-art 5g iPhone you are in luck, just likely not this year. At minimum, this acquisition assures that Apple is seriously committed to a 5g future.

Fruit of this development assures that a plan is in place for 5g modem units, currently slated to be supplied by Qualcomm, to be supplied by Apple itself, over time. Ultimately, the acquisition paves the way for a strong, smooth transition toward Apple designing and producing this crucial component going forward.

According to the press release from July 25th, the two companies have signed an agreement for Apple to acquire the “majority” of the modem production unit of Intel for $1 Billion.

In the deal Apple will get intellectual property, leases and equipment along with 2,200 employees who will now work for the iPhone maker.

“We’ve worked with Intel for many years and know this team shares Apple’s passion for designing technologies that deliver the world’s best experiences for our users…”
– Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies

Eventual In-house Control of Critical Components

This development is also in keeping with Apple’s long standing practice of staying ahead in smartphone innovation by investing in the ability to develop and manufacture key components, such as wireless modems in this case. With a critical transition to 5g wireless looming, this appears to be smart and decisive, if not unexpected, move for the company.

Wireless modems, previously outsourced to others, such as Intel and Qualcomm, are an increasingly important component for Apple, long term, to design in-house in order to enable special features, cost savings and control of the design process for the entire device.

Although it is likely that apple will continue for some time to use Qualcomm 5g modems for it’s iPhones, now that the lawsuit between the two companies has been settled, the Intel technology, patent and human resource transfer will enable it to shift to in-house production at some point, likely for 2021 and beyond.

A Prime target in the deal; patents for current and future wireless technology, which, when combined with Apple’s existing portfolio will reach a total of over 17,000.

These include patents for cellular standards, modem operations and architecture. After the deal, Intel will continue to operate in the modem area, however, exclusively for PC’s, internet-of-things and autonomous vehicles, while Apple will take over all operations related to smartphone applications.

”This agreement enables us to focus on developing technology for the 5G network while retaining critical intellectual property and modem technology that our team has created..”
– Intel CEO Bob Swan

The deal is expected to be finalized later this year.

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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Movies

Lion King’s Monarchy Reigns Supreme

Video July 23, 2019 Kat Lee

Box Office Bounty Breaks all Barriers at $531M Worldwide

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/disney/the-lion-king-2018/the-lion-king-trailer-2_h1080p.mov

Simba Roars as Critics Cower…

Once more a Disney fan favorite is remade to record smashing box office receipts.

With a record $185M in it’s opening weekend in the US and a total Cume of $531M globally, the digital “faux” live action fantasy remake scores the highest ever domestic debut for a PG flick, and the ninth-biggest first week for any rating.

After being almost universally panned by critics for being, allegedly, to much of an exact copy of the original 1994 animated version, albeit with the technical twist, which was lauded, generally.

With overall box office performance in 2019 trailing the previous year by nine percentage points, going into the King’s inaugural weekend, it was a welcome event for industry insiders, as the feline’s performance lowered that deficit by almost two points, as the weekend tally began to emerge.

The powerful cat attracted female audience attentions by an almost 60% majority, a stat borne out by our own research.

Favreau’s recreation of the “everything the light touches’’ scene is perhaps not significantly different in content, yet is a new form of experience due to the presentation. This is the iconic scene where King Mufasa explains to his son Simba where and how they rule. Even better, James Earl Jones reprises his roll as King Mufasa, and delivers a commandingly enunciated speech once again.

For those who have not yet seen a preview of the box office wonder, the official trailer can be viewed above.

Find books on Big Tech, Sustainable Energy, Economics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

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AI, Photography, Tech

Can You Guess Which Celebs are in this Montage of AI Portrait Results?

July 23, 2019 Kat Lee

First is was the FaceApp that added years to your face with its app filter, in the FaceApp Challenge – with questionable issues regarding the origins (Russia) and terms of service agreement.

Now, from a more reassuring source, namely researchers in the US, including some from the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, we have the opportunity to see our selfies (and celebrity snaps) transformed into pseudo-classical portrait styles.

The web site upload system, currently down due to massive demand, uses GAN (Generative Adversarial Network) results from 45,000 images in the art history archives to create a new photo based on the original plus the relevant data instructions from the scan.

“With AI Portraits Ars anyone is able to use GAN models to generate a new painting, where facial lines are completely redesigned.
The model decides for itself which style to use for the portrait. Details of the face and background contribute to direct the model towards a style.
In style transfer, there is usually a strong alteration of colors, but the features of the photo remain unchanged. AI Portraits Ars creates new forms, beyond altering the style of an existing photo.”
AI Portraits Ars Web Site

As can be seen from the montage above (and the version with names added below) the results are often flattering in an odd ancient sort of way. Also, some, such a Keanu Reeves, are obvious (?) whereas others you might never guess!

So below the results and thanks for playing!

The AI Portraits web site should be back up shortly, assuming the rush to try it out eventually slows!

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Entertainment, Movies, News

Should-be Hero to the Age of “Fake News” Mike Wallace is the Investigative Reporter We Are All Missing Today

Video July 21, 2019 Danny Leeds

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/magnolia_pictures/mike-wallace-is-here/mike-wallace-is-here-trailer-1_h1080p.mov

Know it or Not, We All Need the Power he Once Had

“Serious Journalist”, a phrase that, these days, almost seems like an oxymoron. “Investigative Reporter”, where have those all gone?

According to the New York Post, over 500 daily newspapers went out of business between 1970 and 2016. More recently, between January, 2017 and April 2018, one third of the largest newspapers in the US reported layoffs. Buzzfeed and Huffington Post among other “new media” outlets reported massive layoffs in 2017, 2018 and again in February of this year.

The Huffington Post, as just one example among many, paid most writers “nothing” for years and, although they had ad revenue of tens of millions of dollars in 2018, nevertheless, failed to show a profit.

A Lost Art from a Bygone Era

For any of us in the current generation, all of this seems like old news. Yet, with all that is going on in the world, and facing down a, hopefully, longer future to endure within it, we should look to the past, even what seems like ancient history, to recapture a thread to what may have been lost, and to what a lone individual with “balls and a heart” can do. Mike Wallace was one such individual.

“We are, for the first time in modern history, facing the prospect of how societies would exist without reliable news”
Alan Rusbridger, The Guardian, editor-in-chief

In 2012 we lost a man who virtually defined both “serious journalist” and “investigative reporter” and all of us, in the media and the general public, would do well to look back at who Mike Wallace was, and what he did during his 93 years. Although rightfully revered, Woodward and Bernstein’s famous story of taking on the corrupt Nixon administration during the Watergate scandal was not the only blueprint for investigative storytelling that had the informative power to move the masses.

The truth hurts, as the saying goes. And it hurts more when you are a corrupt politician or a business mogul submersed in your own greed and lust for power.

Today’s world and future generations would be well served to view “Mike Wallace is Here” as a time-capsule showing what freedom of the press and the power of the Fourth Estate can produce in a country to attempts to practice democratic principles.

Could we see a Zuckerberg or a Bezos or a Trump or Trump supporter in Congress holding up well in an interview with Mike Wallace? Is there a modern equivalent of a interviewer or reporter who at once holds the power of his popularity, as a carrot to entice an interviewee to submit to an interview, and yet wields the stick of truth and is not afraid to use it? Or do we at least still comprehend the concept?

Sadly, no, and this points to how the release of this movie should really be seen: as a clarion call to current and future generations, to educate themselves on how it is possible to have the balls to stand up to greed, power and, yes, evil.

Spider-Man? Iron Man? This film should be seen and promoted as a Super Hero movie about the real world. Mike Wallace was not a perfect person. He was known to be a tough, cantankerous workaholic up to the very end. But his more than fifty years of standing up for principles of truth and the positive power of the press the affect change, amount to a legacy of which even Iron Man could be proud.

It was Wallace, who, at his peak, on 60 minutes in the 60s and 70s, could confront a scoundrel in an interview and change waves public perception in an instant, outing the evil and the corrupt.

Clash of Corporate Interests, and One Man Standing Up

The Oscar-winning movie “The Insider” has a sequence showing the last vestiges of this power as Wallace, played by Christopher Plummer in the film, clashes with the corporate heads of CBS who want to block his plan to air an interview with whistle blower Jeffrey Wigand, played by Russell Crowe, who gave an on-air interview where he exposed some of the tobacco industry’s darkest secrets.

Although Wallace said he hated the film, primarily as it depicted him as not standing up enough against the top brass at CBS regarding the story’s airing, it shows his unflinching, abrasive style when the truth was on the line. His career was a master class in taking risks in order to change opinions about injustices perpetrated by evil men and women, and as a result, changing minds and a small part of the world. The Wigand interview finally aired on February 4, 1996, after a protracted battle to prevent it from being shown.

The tobacco industry eventually had to pay for at least some of it’s misconduct, but in retrospect, the media was already losing it’s power to use investigation and information to affect change and expose corruption.

This all seems like ancient history, with Russian fake news hackers electing presidents, people thinking of facebook as a source of “real” information, and the idea of a journalist having the ability to fight evil, using little more than a well timed, provocative live interview, seems like science fiction.

This film “Mike Wallace is Here” may not win an Oscar, but should be seen by anyone wanting to observe a master at work, standing up to anyone and everyone that crossed his path. And how Wallace used nerve and cunning to expose the truth, often at the expense of the truly corrupt and pernicious.

“Mike Wallace is Here” is scheduled for US release on July, 26, 2019.

Summary from IMDB:

For over half a century, “60 Minutes” fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world’s most influential figures. Relying exclusively on archival footage, the film interrogates the interrogator, tracking Mike’s storied career and troubled personal life while unpacking how broadcast journalism evolved to today’s precarious tipping point.

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Breaking News, Lifestyle, News

Heatwave Hits Hard Across East and Midwest: Precautions and Predictions

July 20, 2019 Danny Leeds

After Hellish Weekend Worst Should Abate Next Week

Practically the entire east coast and most of the Midwest are sweltering in an intense humidity enhanced wave of record temperatures.

Large outdoor events such as festivals and even the NYC Triathlon were cancelled. A heat emergency was declared in Boston, anticipating a rise in heat related health and safety issues.

They are taking this seriously in New York, and have set up 500 “cooling centers” around the city.

Look at the impressive and widespread coverage of #heat related warnings and advisories across the Eastern two-thirds of the country. The hazy, hot and humid conditions will persist through the weekend. Be smart and stay cool! #HeatSafety pic.twitter.com/hemIJ79rOr
— National Weather Service (@NWS) July 18, 2019

Also in NYC, after various electricity related problems and the blackout last weekend, the 5 boroughs are on edge with massive demand from air conditioning and cooling appliances expected to stress the system further. Washington D.C. and Chicago are anticipating the same dangers to their systems due to the high demand.

Man is refreshing himself in Public square under summer high temperature with Fire hydrant water

The blistering barrage is being felt as far west as Texas and north to Canada and even Alaska. The Great Lakes region and as far as Colorado and Kansas are also being affected

New York City: today will be very hot and could be the start of a heatwave through Sunday. Prepare for temperatures in the 90s with a heat index over 100 degrees!

Drink water, stay in A/C and check on your neighbors. Visit https://t.co/TbZwX9EoKN for more information. pic.twitter.com/e6slweFVtd
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) July 19, 2019

The entire weekend is expected to remain hot, with possible relief coming as soon as Monday, as many areas of the US are expecting rain to start the work week ahead.

The wave is being seen as a worsening of summer extremes related to the climate crisis. After France and Europe experienced all time record high temperatures and even the arctic seas are being monitored at unheard of temps.

To Stay Cool, The Key is to Fight Back with Awareness: A Few Tips to Reduce the Danger

Stay Out Of It

This is obvious and sometimes not possible if you work outdoors, but it is important to alter your routine and stay low. Simply avoiding the heat by staying indoors or maximizing shade will at least reduce the temperatures that you are exposed to. If you are stuck in a place that is oppressively hot you can at least try to work with your body to stay cool.

Hydration

Water is paramount and this is the most obvious way to help your body stay cool. Iced peppermint tea can also give a cooling lift.

Homemade AC

A throwback to days before widespread electricity, a makeshift “swamp-cooler” can be devised using pre-frozen filled plastic water bottles on the floor in front of a fan.

Nighttime Tricks to Sleep Cool

Cooling your bed and your body before bed can help enhance your rest during the stress. The so-called “Egyptian Method” uses cold water sprinkled on sheets before laying down to help your body fight back. The new twist on this is to take your folded sheets and put the I’m the freezer for 30 minutes before laying them out.

Beware of Baking Car Interiors

Cars are heat collectors and generators, unless necessary, it’s better to stay our of them, naturally the AC is a natural attraction, but the heat all around the car will rise and inside, without ac will likely be hotter than the surrounding temps. Obviously, leaving pets or children (!) in a parked car is a recipe for disaster.

If You are Out In it or have Special Health Issues, Get Help

Big cities have emergencies “Cooling Centers” set up and across the country city governments and city service workers are on alert to help those in need. If we stick together and reach out to lend a hand we’ll all make it cool into next week, when the temperatures are expected to come down.

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Entertainment, Movies

Finally! A Dark Summer Comedy that is Forking Hilarious, The Art of Self Defense Hits all the Marks

Video July 19, 2019 Danny Leeds

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/independent/the-art-of-self-defense/the-art-of-self-defense-trailer-2_h1080p.mov

And A Rear View Mirror

Don’t get me wrong, I am down with trips to see the Summer Blockbuster Sequels, Re-makes and Prequels, kids in tow and everyone knowing what to expect.

The Lion King, a film with huge promotion and advertising, and, in spite of the critics complaining about it being a computer generated clone, story wise, will nevertheless kill at the box office, Toy Story 4, an always skillful addition to the long and vaunted story of Toy Story, Spider-man: Far From Home, where nobody knows what number this sequel is, 6(?), by now we just pay and watch.

All of these are perfectly ok, solid summer tent pole fare, and only those living under a proverbial rock could miss seeing them at some point this season.

But an entertainingly ridiculous, and yet dark and even topical film (addressing “toxic masculinity” as a problem and a punch line at the same time), that has no superheroes and no computer generated kitty cats? That, I admit, I did not see coming.

Never mind that Jesse Eisenberg has played a Super Villain in a Superhero movie (no, I don’t mean Zuckerberg although that’s a good point), as Lex Luther in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and in the recently announced Justice League Part Two.

Dark, Meaningful and Insanely Funny

“The Art of Self Defense”, currently in theaters, is the second film by writer / director Riley Sterns and stars Eisenberg who plays Casey Davies, an introverted, passive weakling who, after being attacked by a gang, is inspired to search for self defense methods.

After exploring the possibility of arming himself, he happens across an advertisement for a karate dojo.

This, inevitably, leads to a continuous transformation as the weakling gains not only skills of self defense, but goes on a wild ride into the universe of aggression and toxic masculinity that is at once incredible entertaining, tremendously funny and also, somehow, unsettling. It carries an altered tone in light of the recent explosion of animalistic behavior exposed from the likes of Weinstein, JefferyEpstein, and the guy in the White House.

A SEQUEL TO KARATE KID? Ha Ha, Nope

Alessandro Nivola is spot-on as the charismatic Sensei, while Imogen Poots is the perfect macho-chick foil as Anna, but the film ultimately rests on, and revolves around, it’s identity as the perfect vehicle for Eisenberg’s trademarked awkward, meekness. A meekness that belies a dark, yet thoughtful intensity beneath.

In a world of endless super hero sequels and remakes, I don’t about you, but for this scribe, a dark, intense and absoforkinglutely hilarious indie comedy is a powerfully satisfying and welcome break from all that, and some of the dire realities of our world as well.

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Entertainment, Movies

The Lion King Looking To Reign Over The Box Office This Weekend

Video July 17, 2019 Kat Lee

Jungle Book director back to recreate the old magic

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/disney/the-lion-king-2018/the-lion-king-trailer-2_h1080p.mov

Jon Favreau’s new reimagining of the Disney classic “The Lion King”, in spite of a spate of less than stellar reviews, looks to be positioned for a huge opening weekend. Although at CinemaCon, the press were floored by newly released footage from the faux-live-action, photo-realistic movie, the final preview of the completed film in theaters struck many as a hollow, albeit, beautiful. shell.

The expectations appear to have been so high, based on the trailer (above), and the overall powerful impression made by the advanced, computer generated, live action treatment, that an expansion of the impact of the story was highly anticipated.

Instead many reviewers panned the lack of any new pot twists or character revisions, or, at least, any surprises, once the effect of the beauty of the presentation wore off in the full length film.

In spite of any negative impact made by critics, it does seem assured that the momentum of the huge feel-good blockbuster campaign, the vast love for the original movie and the characters and the absolutely unmistakable visual quality will, nevertheless, assure a huge inital turnout.

Similarly, Favreau recently reimagined “The Jungle Book” in pseudo real VFX style. Jungle Book won several awards for its visual effects, including the Academy Award for Visual Effects in 2017. The award winning team returned with Favreau for “The Lion King”.

Classics reimagined

Although Disney has been recreating some of their classic animated movies in hybrid CGI / live action form, technology for a full VFX treatment seems to be catching up with the ideas and nostalgia.

The “re-boot and reimagining” isn’t an uncommon concept in Hollywood. Warner Bros. is reworking a stand-alone Joker origin story prequel, to be released in the fall, for example. But Disney’s new visual interpretations stir excitement and nostalgia all at once. This looks like a fresh and exciting take and I’m looking forward to the full experience.

The Lion King is Opening big in Theaters starting tomorrow

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Earth and Ecology, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Observation

Apollo Launch Anniversary, Full Buck Moon – Eclipse Coincide

July 16, 2019 Danny Leeds

We don’t celebrate 49 year anniversaries. But is 50 just a number? The echos of the past are haunting us, with politics drifting into conflicts that would meet or even surpass the standards of that tumultuous year, 1969.

And as we count down the hours and days to the 50th anniversary of the first man to walk on the lunar surface, and watch as Woodstock 50 preparations begin, and see the climate boil for one more summer of record temps, we can only look skyward to that orb of earthly dreams, and notice it’s full eclipse.

Heat, Passion, Conflict and, Hopefully Beauty to Behold

Sure it was HOT in 1969, but was it the summer with the highest temperatures in recorded climate history in France?

And, while we reflect on 1969, what about 2069? Will we remember Trump’s racist tweets? How about the New York City Blackout from last weekend? The SpaceX rocket launches? Perhaps the 7.1 earthquake that hit near L.A. on July 5th?

As the year moves on, it is certain that events of 2019 will echo, in some strange ways, those of 1969, and we may also use this 50 year span to measure how much has changed, how far we have come, and yet, how much remains the same.

We can use the Apollo Mission’s anniversary to reflect on what is new, private space missions, mars on our minds, looming climate crises and, oh yes, computers in our pockets. What’s the same? Sadly, racists and political division and mind bending change on all sides.

Trump’s Racist Tweets are Part of a Simple, Hackneyed Plan for Campaign

July 16, 2019 Danny Leeds

At a staged speech in front of the White House on Monday under the auspices of a pre-planned “Made In America” event, Mr. Trump started off, as he often does, from the teleprompter, then, veered off into continuation of the weekend’s twitter tirade. The traditional, annual, event which is coordinated with “Made in America Day” and “Made in America Week” is a standard “pro-America” pep rally meant to give the President the opportunity to tout his patriotic agenda.

After a few remarks from the usual scripted pro-American manufacturing playbook, and his usual boasts about how the stock market and job market success are due, exclusively, to his having been elected, he launched into a defense of his racist tweets that have been dominating the news cycle over the weekend.

Everything New is Old Again

This exchange led to additional back and forth on the theme “Love It Or Leave It”, a hackneyed slogan from the sixties, and, with 50 year anniversaries of the Apollo Moon landing and Woodstock this summer, it seems oddly fitting that a Republican President, echoing Nixon, should be trying to re-ignite that tired refrain.

Even as reporters continued to try and question the motives and meanings of his, clearly racist, tweets aimed at the congresswomen, Trump continued to beat the “love it or leave it” drum:

Tired, Old Ploy, Once Again Trotted Out to Muddy the Waters

This entire episode, starting with the offensive tweets, is obviously a ploy to draw battle lines – again harkening back to the Nixon campaign and his “Silent Majority” refrain, complaining that protesters against the Vietnam war were a small minority, and that he spoke for the majority in his (soon to be proven criminal and corrupt) positions and policies.

Sadly, unless the strategy is undone by a more enlightened electorate, we could be headed for a similar fate: Nixon won in a landslide in 1972 only to resign before almost certain impeachment in 1974 after a “long national nightmare”.

Hopefully the parallels with ‘69 – ‘72 will end in November 2020.

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Business, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Tech

MacBook Air and Pro Upgrades Harken Back to Steve Jobs Heroically Simplifying Apple Line Up in 1997

Video July 14, 2019 Danny Leeds

https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/MacBookPro-Air.mov

On September 17, 1997, Steve Jobs took over at Apple as Interim CEO and immediately set about to right the ship by removing both products and people that had sent the company nearly to the brink of oblivion.

It’s easily forgotten that, at the time, the product offerings included literally dozens of desktop computers, servers and laptops as well as printers, digital cameras and, of course, the “MessagePad 2000” which, although ahead of it’s time, was surely better off dead.

He created the “4-square grid” to simplify and focus the computer product line up. Two categories for consumer machines and two for pro machines.

Fast forward to July, 2019, and once again Apple is choosing to re-focus the line up. With the MacBook line now gone, only the MackBook Air and MacBook Pro laptop product categories remain.

The MacBook Air models designed before 2018 have been removed from the Apple Store as has the 12-inch MacBook.

The remaining machines have improved specifications and, in the case of the new entry level MacBook Air, a $100 price cut to go along with the improved stats. The entry level portable has a new price of $1099 ($999 for students and teachers).

https://www.apple.com//105/media/us/macbook-air/2018/9f419882_aefd_4083_902e_efcaee17a0b8/films/product/mba-product-tpl-cc-us-2018_1280x720h.mp4

MAcbook air Video promo, provided by apple

The new entry level Air sports a 13.3 in. Retina True Tone Display, sort-of new keyboard design (which appears to be an attempt to reassure that this is better than the infamous original “butterfly” style, which was widely complained about), 1.6 GHz dual core 8th Gen processor and 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports. It also comes with Touch ID.

The lowest cost for a MackBook Pro model, which now features the Touch Bar and will set you back an additional $200 more than the Air at $1299. It has the same display specs, other than additional brightness, but with higher powered quad-core processor and the Touch Bar.

Storage options have also been upgraded and re-priced across the entire Mac product line.

The simplifications of the full Mac lineup, now comprising 2 laptop categories, then the consumer and pro iMac all-in-one desktops, and finally, the Mac mini at the low end, contrasted with the mighty Mac Pro, coming in September, at the high end, are all revealed . The overall refresh for 2019 feels solid and complete and, as one biased observer put it, it borders on being wildly satisfying.

A good sign, from on high? Perhaps…

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Politics

ICE Raids and a Xenophobe Named Trump: Sunday, July 14th in the USA

July 14, 2019 Danny Leeds

Trump’s Goons Set Loose on Cities Across the Nation: Some ICE raids Currently Underway

As promised, ICE raids are in progress across the country, as announced by the Trump administration and widely reported.

There have been over 2000 immigrants targeted for arrest in a host of major cities: New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco and New Orleans. It appears, possibly as a tactic, that smaller rural communities are also seeing action.

Receiving reports of attempted but reportedly unsuccessful ICE enforcement actions in Sunset Park and Harlem.@NYCImmigrants and advocates are connecting with residents and distributing resources door to door.

Remember: you have rights. Call 311 and say ActionNYC for help. pic.twitter.com/OZwpxlm30d
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) July 13, 2019

Mayors in some cities have spoken out strongely against the actions, such as New York’s Mayor de Blasio as seen in the above tweet. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs added a video to remind those affected of their options under the law.

The video reminds those targets and any other immigrants that they have the right to refuse to open their doors and do not have to respond, according to the law in New York City, for example.

According to witnesses in areas already targeted in New York, people appear to be avoiding going out in public and streets are quieter than usual.

In what was likely not a coincidence, on Saturday, Trump chose to hurl xenophobic insults at Democrat Congresswomen, implying that they are not American and should “go back and help fix” the “places from which they came” :

The tweets, clearly meant for the progressive wing of the Democratic Congress, were not only racist and xenophobic but also, as is sadly, no surprise, wrong. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born in New York City, Rashida Tlaib was born in Detroit and Massachusetts Congresswoman, Ayanna S. Pressley was born in Cincinnati. Only Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, was born outside the country, in Somalia.

“You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.

You won’t accept a nation that sees healthcare as a right or education as a #1 priority, especially where we’re the ones fighting for it. Yet here we are.”
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in Tweet responding to trump’s tirade

You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.

You won’t accept a nation that sees healthcare as a right or education as a #1 priority, especially where we’re the ones fighting for it.

Yet here we are.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 14, 2019

So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019

When @realDonaldTrump tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to “Make America Great Again” has always been about making America white again.

Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power. https://t.co/ODqqHneyES
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 14, 2019

The LA Times reported, in an interview with Melissa Taveras of the Florida Immigrant Commission, based in Miami, that the onset of possible raids was like waiting for a hurricane:

“The overall environment is very much like a hurricane: When is it going to come, is it going to hit us, is it going to move north?”
Melissa Taveras , Quoted in the L.A. Times

“The overall environment is very much like a hurricane: When is it going to come, is it going to hit us, is it going to move north?” she said. “We have people in Homestead, Little Havana, Little Haiti — where we know there are concentrations of immigrants — distributing ‘know your rights’ pamphlets. That seems to be effective because we’re already hearing reports of people not opening their doors.”

Her organization was advising families to be sure to have a relative or attorney’s contact information memorized in order to contact them, if detained, and that they need to be sure to give them details of where they are taken, along with full name and birthday, in order to help try and get them released, if arrested.

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Movies

Spider-Man: Far From Home Beats the Box Office -Projected to Reach Over $800 Million Worldwide

Video July 13, 2019 Madison Santel

Spider-Man (Sony / Marvel) bested the rest in theaters this weekend with an estimated $45 million take.

In it’s second week in the US, the film took in more than the next three titles combined, including the likes of “Toy Story 4” (Disney-Pixar), “Crawl” (Paramount Pictures) and “Stuber” (Disney). The last two in the top four sport an “R” rating, however.

As our report on the initial Asian release tallies indicated, (see below) the blockbuster sequel should eventually top the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office.

Although “The Lion King“, due to be released state-side on July 18th, will hit a similar demographic, even with the expected loss to the large cat, Spidey should reach that ever more reachable, but still enormous, $1 billion mark.

As a matter of fact, “Far From Home” could eventually top all previous Spider-Man flicks to become the highest grossing entry in the long running franchise.

While “The Lion King” is fully expected to take over the top spot next weekend, if “Far From Home” can hold steady at #2, the future looks bright for the web-slinger’s box office destiny.

Asian Box Office Portends a Strong Holiday for SPIDER-MAN: Far From Home

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Entertainment, Tech

Apple Announces New Emoji Coming this Fall to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch

July 10, 2019 Kat Lee

Fifty-nine new emoji with a large number of additional variations are coming soon…

Here, scattered across your screen, are Emoji that you will be living with starting with the release of iOS 13, in the Fall. Featuring diversity and fun new additions for already well populated categories, including animals, activities, food and, of course, smiley faces. When it comes to emoji, as the saying goes, more is better and better is just fine.

In an update that smiles on progressive ideas and openness, the “Holding Hands” emoji now sports any combination of gender, skin tone and even personalities, allowing the creation of up to 75 variations on the relationship and couples theme.

Based on a push from Apple, to add more emoji depicting disability themed icons, an ear adorning a hearing aid, a robotic, bionic-looking prosthetic arm and leg, wheelchairs, and a new guide dog will all be part of the new collection. Apple is dedicated to celebrating all forms of diversity and will take these steps to fill gaps in the current set of available emoji. Also exciting are the new animals: a flamingo, a sloth, a skunk and, likely to be a fan favorite, an orangutan.

Celebrating diversity in all its many forms with new emoji. Photo / Apple

“Many additional emoji categories are getting exciting updates with a new smiley face for yawning, a one-piece swimsuit, new food items including a waffle, falafel, butter and garlic, and new animals like the sloth, flamingo, orangutan and skunk.”
– APPLE PRESS RELEASE

In total, fifty-nine newly designed emoji will be included, after a free software update, on the iPad, iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch. These will be added to the thousands of emoji already available . These new designs are based on the approved characters in Unicode 12.0.

A Food lovers have more ways to communicate with the waffle, falafel, butter and garlic emoji. Photo / Apple

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D.I.Y., Lifestyle

7.1 Quake in Southern California was not “The Big One”: Here’s How to Prepare for when the Next One Hits

Video July 7, 2019 Kat Lee

At ELEVEN times the strength of the temblor on July 4th, just one day earlier, Friday’s earthquake has all of Southern California thinking about the next one…

Living in Southern California we all know that earthquakes can happen at anytime. As a matter of fact, small shocks happen all day, everyday. Every year California experiences around 10,000 tremors, most of them small. Perhaps around 100 per year are above 3.0 and fifteen to twenty are above 4.0.

It is also important to understand how the size and strength of quakes are measured. The richter scale, once used to measure the strength of earthquakes, has now mostly been superseded by the Moment Magnitude scale (M_w), which measures an earthquake of M_w  7.0 at 1000 times as much energy as one of 5.0 and about 32 times that of 6.0.

Now That We Have Your Attention: Some Earthquake Preparedness Advice

Many simple things can help to reduce any possible damage to your home or, more importantly, harm to yourself and your loved ones.

Just as you wouldn’t want a bookshelf to accidentally fall on your baby, in an earthquake, furniture and especially appliances can be dangerous to anyone in the house.

Prepare for an earthquake in advance by using “baby-straps” that can be purchased at any hardware outlet, and use them to secure shelves, televisions and appliances like microwaves. People can be injured or even killed by these heavy objects in a severe quake.

What to do immediately after a quake:

To panic or to rush is always dangerous. You can’t outrun an earthquake. If you are in public, such as at a movie theater, concert or sporting event, get down onto the floor and protect your head and upper body.

If in a large building, drop and cover, under a sturdy desk or table and hold on until the shaking stops. Stay away from windows and elevators.

When you are already outdoors, or if you can easily reach an open area, if it is safe to get there, stay away from anything that could cause harm – power-lines, billboards, buildings, even cars and trucks.

If near the ocean and the quake has a large enough magnitude to cause significant damage on land, a tsunami is a real possibility. Get to high ground, further inland, 2 miles or more. Driving is unlikely to be feasible, so hike to a spot more than 100 feet above sea level.

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Magnitude 7.1 earthquake, 11 miles from Ridgecrest, CA · 8:19 PM

Video July 5, 2019 Kat Lee

A large rolling earthquake centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest, CA. at 8:19 PM, was felt all the way to Mexico. The epicenter was again in the same relatively remote area as the July 4th quake: approximately 100 miles from downtown Los Angeles, in San Bernardino County.

In our newsroom, near LAX, the walls swayed and it was as if we were on a ship. Having been in the same location during the July 4th quake I can say that the difference was that this one lasted about twice as long. It was immediately clear that it was a higher magnitude.

For us near the coast, it is fortunate that the epicenter was approximately the same as the last one – approximately 150 miles inland

6.4 Earthquake Rocks Los Angeles on Independence Day: Strongest Since ’99

Video July 4, 2019 Kat Lee

A large rolling earthquake centered in Searles Velley, CA was felt all the way to LAX. The epicenter was in the vicinity of Ridgecrest, approximately 100 miles from downtown Los Angeles, in San Bernardino County.

Reports of people noticing the quake came from as far away as Las Vegas and all the way to Newport Beach. The tremblor was at first clocked at 6.6, but subsequently downgraded to 6.4 – still the biggest since the infamous Northridge earthquake that all local residents recall. Fortunately this one was centered in an relatively remote area and no significant damage has yet been reported.

In this, the Second Article in a Series Featuring all the Winners, See Photos of the Top Three Awards for the Categories: Portrait and Abstract

First Place Winner, Portrait : Mona Jumaan

Second Place, Portrait : Christian Horgan

Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Portrait

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First Place, Abstract : Jiangying Guo

Second Place, Abstract : JuliAnne Kaplan

Mosaic Gallery, Honorable Mentions: Abstract

Third Place, Abstract : Samantha Byrd

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I’m a pretty competitive person. So it’s always a good feeling when I close my rings.

The rings turn it into a game. Even if you’re not trying to hit a target, you close them just for fun.

If you’re bored, just move. Jump around. Pick something up and throw it. Enjoy yourself.

I believe in exercising the mind, the body, and the heart.

Apple Watch helps me be a better instructor. It also shows me how to live a healthier life.

I love to work out with Apple Watch. It doesn’t have stuff that gets in the way. It just has what I need.

We sometimes forget we are flesh and bone. Apple Watch comes in handy keeping you aware of that fact.

I love the fact that I have all my information on my wrist. And that I don’t have to carry my phone.

iPhone Photographers of the Year and their Winning Images…

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Grand Prize Winner: Gabriella Cigliano

First Place: Diogo Lage

Second Place: Yuliya Ibraeva

Third Place: Peng Hao

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At ELEVEN times the strength of the temblor on July 4th, just one day earlier, Friday’s earthquake has all of Southern California thinking about the next one…

Read More: 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake hits Nevada/California border, Felt by Thousands

Now That We Have Your Attention: Some Earthquake Preparedness Advice

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What to do immediately after a quake:

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