Blast at a firework depot rocks Lebanese residents from miles away
A huge explosion has rocked Beirut, the capital of Lebanon on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, causing many injuries, overturned cars, blown out windows and damaged buildings all across the city. This is a breaking and developing story so there will be additional details to follow. According to the most current information, sources on location are stating this blast was likely an accident caused by a fire from within a warehouse that holds highly explosive materials (i.e. fireworks) near the port in Beirut.
The captured video leading up to the explosion shows a large mushroom-shaped plume of billowing smoke, above a fire with crackling lights that appear to be fireworks. Seconds later, a fiery red cloud immediately follows a huge blast, sending massive amounts of smoke barreling towards the city. You can hear bystanders scream, undoubtedly trying to get to safety. The smoke and shockwave of the blast has destroyed buildings miles away from the port with final reports of the damage expected to be even worse.
Lebanese security official announces that "explosive material" was stored in a warehouse in Beirut's port (a very heavily populated area). Israel has long accused Hezbollah of storing explosive weapons in downtown Beirut. At least 15 people killed and hundreds more injured.
Residential properties as far away as 10 kilometers ( 6 miles) also experienced damage from the blow. Witnesses reported seeing the fire initially without realizing that an explosion would soon follow. Due to this confusion, the blast appears to have caused many that were in close proximity to experience temporary deafening effects. The explosion was so strong that the sound of the blast could be heard as far away as Nicosia on the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus which is 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.
This developing story likely to have dire updates To come
Hamad Hasan, Lebanon’s health minister has stated that many have been injured and hospitals are anticipated to be overwhelmed by casualties of the blast. Hasan later remarked to the news that more than 50 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured. A Lebanese Red Cross official, George Kettaneh said there were hundred of casualties – both dead and wounded but was unable to give an exact number. Marwan Abboud, the governor of Beirut spoke on its local television network explaining they did not know exactly what caused the explosion and called the event a national catastrophe.
The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab stated in a televised speech that those responsible for the explosion would be held accountable for its devastating results.
“I promise you that this catastrophe will not pass without accountability… Those responsible will pay the price.”
Hassan Diab / lebanon’s prime minister
BREAKING: Massive explosion in Beirut. Footage from the daily star office now in Lebanon pic.twitter.com/2uBsKP5wCH
— Ghada Alsharif | غادة الشريف (@GhadaaSharif) August 4, 2020
It has been a truly horrible time in history for Lebanon, the explosion just making matters even worse. The country is already suffering an extreme economic crisis that has left many of its population suffering from poverty. In addition the country has been in a civil war for nearly 25 years, as well as suffering due to the repeated conflicts with Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group, near Lebanon’s southern border.
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Sony has some major news for gamers. On June 11, 2020, during the streaming event “Future of Gaming”, it was announced that the next-generation Playstation 5 (PS5) would be released later this year. Viewers got a sneak peak at the aesthetics of the completely redesigned console hardware. The sleek and futuristic look makes for a stark comparison to the previous model. In addition there will be a handful of accessories that match the PS5 design including a new headset called the Pulse 3D.
There has not yet been an exact release date set, but according to the Sony website, it appears have plans to stick with the originally projected holiday release. They have also not yet mentioned any information regarding pricing. Based on news from Bloomberg, Sony’s cost to manufacture the console has been estimated at $450 but this does not necessarily reflect what the end retail price will be, although it could be expected to be significantly higher.
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With any new hot product there will be some serious buzz, and Sony is anticipating a surge of sales. It has been reported that there will be a limit of one per customer, initially, as the company gears up for pre-orders. The fact that Sony’s landing page has a photo place-holder for the PS5 on Amazon strongly suggests information on pricing and a specific release date may be coming very soon.
Below are a breakdown of some of the specifications and what to expect with the new PlayStation console.
Custom CPU, GPU and SSD with Integrated I/O
4K – TV Gaming
Up to 120fps with 120 Hz output
HDR Technology
8K Output – 4320p resolution display
Microsoft offers new version of Xbox: The Series X
Oh wait, that’s not all. Microsoft is also very much in the mix with the upcoming release for its newest generation console, the Xbox Series X, which is anticipated to have a late 2020 release. The Series X was originally unveiled at the Game Awards last year on December 13, 2019. There is also another influx of new information on Xbox games released for the new console and was revealed during its Games Showcase.
Below are a breakdown of some of the specifications and what to expect with the new Xbox console
12 Teraflops
Variable rate shading and Variable refresh rate
Supports 120 fps
Custom built SSD
Games and Pricing
As for the prices of 2020 game titles for the next-generation console for both consoles, big news was just announced by Ubisoft. It was confirmed that during an earnings call that games will be the same price as current generation games which typically average around $60.
Both Playstation and Xbox will support backward-compatibility, meaning if you have previous generation games they will still work with the newest console. Although there will be massive competition against the two tech giants, a release of next-gen consoles regardless of which -is huge. Countdown to holiday season begins now!
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Apple will expose the worst of predatory surveillance by Facebook, Amazon and Google with new privacy features
While wrong is wrong regardless of the perpetrator, when it comes to gargantuan tech behemoths, a company with a clearly defined mission such as Apple or Tesla are in a different category than Amazon, Facebook and Google.
While Tesla’s stated mission is to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy” and Apple’s original mission statement, written by Steve Jobs was “to make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind”, predatory vultures hide behind ridiculous slogans like “aim to be Earth’s most customer centric company” (while decimating partners and competitors by any means necessary) and “don’t be evil” (don’t get caught) and “to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together” (…all while stealing data for profit from every person on earth).
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It’s just not the same – particularly as Steve Jobs, while at Apple, pushed himself and his company to invent and build many powerful examples of “tools for the mind” and Elon Musk’s Tesla brought the electric car back from the dead (after it was nearly snuffed out by big oil) and is making incredible headway in revolutionizing battery and solar technology, all with a view to literally save the planet from a climate catastrophe.
Bezos? Became the richest living human via the destruction of millions of small business and jobs all while undercutting competitors by selling virtually anything he got his hands on at a significant loss; simply to cause the demise of any competitor or partner that might threaten his rise to idiotically massive personal wealth.
Zuckerberg? Pioneered ways to suck data from virtually every human with a view to monetizing every living soul exclusively for himself and his company. Illustration? Dividing Facebook’s market cap by the number of employees it has yields the sum of $14,906,500.00 per employee. Macy’s? That’d be $16,829. (Thanks to Scott Galloway for the numbers)
Google merely owns (91.75% as of June 2020) the search entryway to all web sites. It decides if you should or should not find them. If it can boost profits by hiding one and featuring another, either through “paid search” or by pointing you toward its own properties while hiding competitors from you, it will do exactly that. Ask the European Union’s anti-trust investigators. For them, this company is a convicted law breaker.
Announced at WWDC 2020, Apple is adding serious features to its various new operating systems. One big feature in Safari is the ability to track, and block as desired, all manner of data intrusions. These are not only identified, but shown and tracked and analyzed with a kind of professional dashboard, showing just how invasive and persistent these invisible spies are.
Apple is big, with more than 1.4 billion devices. Starting in around 2021 they will all be able to identify and block data surveillance by Amazon (the largest of all spies), Google and Facebook, among others. Thanks that’s not a big deal? Think again.
…the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
– D.L.
Tracking the Trackers will Change Your Life
Tracking the trackers is a clear and aggressive privacy stance, taken by the one company among the big four, that does not have a huge stake in you being the victim of online surveillance and tracking.
Not to say that Apple is blameless. Many are complaining about its fee structure for software sold by third parties via the app stores. While this issue is certainly a valid one, the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
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During this year’s annual WWDC event, held for the first time as a virtual show, Apple showed off sneak peeks of all its new software OS updates. One of those updates is for the Apple Watch -with the watchOS 7, the company will be bringing lots of new style options specifically for Apple watch faces.
This will give users unlimited choices of faces to pick from as well as allowing them to choose how they wish to personalize, for example, which information they want to see at first glance. There will be brand new “complications” to get you started and these include the two major rich complications Apple will offer with the coming update: the new Chronograph Pro face with a tachymeter and a new version of bold X-Large face.
With well over 20,000 Watch apps that are currently available in the Apple Watch App Store, there are an insanely huge variety of ways to get the most out of your device.
One major way Apple is changing in the watchOS 7 update will be the ability to better and fully utilize the data from your favorite apps within the main screen of your watch. Users will be able to further customize the complications based on personal and style preferences.
It is already big news that there will be endless ways to configure your watch face that you can tailor fit to your unique personality. Adding a cherry on top, you will be able to share your custom watch faces with your friends, family and any other Apple Watch users. I’m ready to jump all over that!
Share your Watch face creations with others
Apple Watch Face Sharing can be shared in a handful of different ways: through Messages, sending faces through e-mail, and even sharing through your social media account. You will also have the ability to share your customized watch face straight from your Apple Watch by press and holding (long-pressing) then choosing the share icon, which is a new feature to the update.
What about if someone wants to share their Apple Watch face with me? This will also be a simple and easy process; you can either use your iPhone and tap the link to open the Apple Watch app, or open the shared link through your Messages on your watch.
The options are unlimited. If you get a shared watch face, you can keep it as-is, or you can further customize it to your liking. In addition to making your own Apple Watch Face creations, Apple has future plans to curate and spotlight some of the best customized Apple Watch face designs within its App Store. This will allow for users to discover even more new custom watch face options to add to their collections.
Virtually every day a targeted feature or software change is announced in an attempt to damage the monopoly next door
Competition is the cornerstone of capitalism. Except, sometimes, when monopolies take hold. This week CEO’s of the largest tech firms will be grilled (or at least questioned) on just how each of them got so big, and why they should not be broken up or regulated, in order to improve competition in the online marketplace that is now the world’s lifeblood.
The mistake of history that allowed Google, Amazon and Facebook to emerge from the dot-com era of zero profit companies as winner-take-all trillion dollar behemoths is finally being questioned by the masses, which has led to government investigation and inquiry.
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Apple was not founded during the 90s, actually produces products and does not rely on the monetization of user data as it’s main revenue generator; it does not sell below cost in a loss-leader system designed to cripple any competition and has a completely different business ethos, all of which separates the three mentioned above into a different category for this writer.
Nevertheless, in a world where giants from an earlier time are dwarfed by the sheer size and power of these 4 (Microsoft and Tesla are excluded from this article since each has its own backstory and are best looked at separately), a situation has arisen where only one giant has the power to even touch, let alone threaten, another giant.
There are many ways that these giants have always fought one another, yet as they staked out territories and empires, there seemed to be, at times, a tacit agreement that the domain of one would not be violated by another, like an unspoken mafia code or territorial claim.
Those lines between the giants are getting blurry as a silent siege is building and those previously “untouchable” areas of commerce are being targeted.
The fight may be about dollars in the end, but it is the essential control of data and user behavior that leads to all power, and therefore value and income. And each giant has staked a claim to a method or means to control and influence the behavior of billions of eyeballs and souls. Any change in that status quo is a big deal for these entrenched companies, and potentially good news for small businesses and consumers who are, without a doubt, little more than victims of the current insanely evil system.
Those lines between the giants are getting blurry as a silent siege is building and those previously “untouchable” areas of commerce are being targeted.
– D.L.
Here are a few of the new fronts where this hidden and secret battle is being fought:
Google Shopping, following Walmart, is trying to lure 3rd party sellers and sales away from Amazon
Already under fire for rigging search results to favor itself, Google is doubling down, in a sense, via drastically lowering fees for 3rd party sellers to use Google Shopping to get direct sales from Shopify or other non-Amazon sources.
Since Amazon’s fees can approach 30% for some lower cost items (such as books) this will be a powerful incentive for sellers to shift focus away from Amazon’s predatory fee structure and to a platform that potentially could bring in sales with less cost to the seller (and therefore a better end value to the buyer).
Google is offering zero commission listing and, in a big announcement, also currently charging zero, in the US, for the “buy on google” checkout system. This is in the process of expanding and rolling out, and, potentially, by the fall and holiday season, could provide an interesting shift in how small business can operate online.
Walmart started allowing 3rd party sellers onto its online store several years ago but, recently, kicked that process into overdrive with a new system that allows all Shopify accounts the choice to sell on Walmart.com via a direct link between the two.
Bookshop.org, with whom Lynxotic is affiliated via our sister site Cherrybooks.org, is also a company that is attempting to break the stranglehold Amazon has had on online book sales. Surprisingly successful already, with its B Corp non-profit-like structure and alliances with independent bookstores sale have exploded. Affiliate advertising from huge media companies such as the New York Times have climbed on board and the largest book distributor in the US is a partner for fulfillment. Bookshop.Org has been able to put a tiny dent in the largest, most powerful competitor imaginable, showing, perhaps, that there are cracks emerging in the corrupt business models of these giants and they are not 100% invulnerable after all.
Apple’s iOS 14 and iPad OS 14 (along with mac 11 OS Big Sur) will begin to break Google’s search monopoly with direct links in Safari and Spotlight
For companies wanting to bring traffic and customers to their web sites for many years there has been only one very big game available, so-called SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which refers in the words “search” and “engine” to one that controls over 90% of search traffic: Google (91.75% as of June 2020).
So it could be called GEO or just GO for Google Optimization. And this is a massive industry in and of itself.
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Increasingly, however, this monopoly is also being challenged. Not only in Europe where massive fines against the search giant have been levied, but in the growing options for sites to be found in ways other than qualifying for a first page placement (paid for or otherwise) in Googles search results.
Soon, for the billion + apple device users worldwide, there will be a new way to find news sources and other web sites. Both search in Safari and Spotlight, which is the device level search system on iPhone, iPad and Mac computers, will soon have results that link directly to the source, bypassing google in the process.
This is a small statement but will have a huge effect in the real world. The reason is simple but mind-blowing: a search result choice not controlled by google, available on one billion plus devices, has the potential to begin to break the monopoly, and Google’s ability (and how much) to charge for the privilege of being found through its search results.
How the Apple search results are generated and what companies would be featured in those direct results is as yet unknown and may never be released (like Google’s proprietary algorithm). The emergence of ASO (Apple Search Optimization) notwithstanding, just the fact that there is a new player presenting new opportunities for news outlets and eCommerce companies to be found by Apple device owners, is very interesting news indeed.
Apple will expose the worst of predatory surveillance by Facebook, Amazon and Google with new privacy features
Announced at WWDC 2020, the new operating systems are coming with serious features that track, and block as desired, all manner of data intrusions. These are not only identified, but shown and tracked and analyzed with a kind of professional dashboard, showing just how invasive and persistent these invisible spies are.
…the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
– D.L.
Tracking the trackers is a clear and aggressive privacy stance, taken by the one company among the big four, that does not have a huge stake in you being the victim of online surveillance and tracking.
Not to say that Apple is blameless. Many are complaining about its fee structure for software sold by third parties via the app stores. While this issue is certainly a valid one, the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
Above: Photo / Bansky
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Announced in late June at Apple’s World Wide Development Conference and currently running a beta trial before getting released next fall, iOS 14—the upcoming operating system for the iPhone—will offer users a lot of new experiences and options. Some of the most exciting changes it offers will come in the Messages app, where people go to send and receive most texts.
For years, iMessage has been a pretty simple and straightforward platform for sharing and exchanging messages via the iPhone. Group chats have always been an option on Messages, but still, users often opt to download Slack, GroupMe, or Facebook Messenger for more sophisticated or efficient groups.
iOS 14 is aiming to change that, as its biggest upgrades in Messages focus on refining the group message experience. First, users will finally have the option to pin conversations in their Messages conversation screen. This means that you can select up to nine conversations to be at the top of the list when you open the app. It will certainly help users keep their closest contacts and most important groups highly accessible.
Within the conversations, users will also have the ability to create threads and mention people directly. Much like the “Reply” option on Facebook’s comment section, iMessage’s “unthread” utility will let people respond directly to individuals within a larger group message. This will save users the time of starting a separate message when they want to address someone in the group directly. Moreover, it will also make the group chats more efficient, as topics and messages will no longer avalanche and interrupt on top of each other without organization.
As for the mention feature, people will now be able to call out individuals within the group. Much like how on Slack or Facebook you can highlight an individual by typing “@” before their name, iMessage under iOS 14 will let users carry out the same function, but with no “@” symbol necessary—the phone will just recognize the name when typed. Likewise, when someone is mentioned within a chat, iOS 14 will give that person a separate notification. That way the mentioned individual knows when he or she is brought up and becomes more aware of the conversation. It’ll be particularly useful when you’re mentioned in a thread that you’d otherwise would ignore or keep on mute.
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Lastly, for bells, whistles, and aesthetic’s sake, the new Messages will allow group chats to have Group Photos and it will offer a variety of new Memoji. Group Photos will provide conversations with fun identity signifiers as they sit in the app. Meanwhile, the Memoji will make for more visual communication options while using Messages. The new Memoji include 20 new hairstyles and face-coverings along with additional age and headwear options. There will also be three brand new stickers: a hug, a fist bump, and a blush.
Many of these novel features and more will also be available on the iMac under the new macOS Big Sur, which will similarly come out sometime later this year.
The iOS 14 will also feature an updated home screen with widgets and a more organized app library, as well as a built in translator, a virtual CarKey app, picture-in-picture technology, and an upgraded Apple Maps with a long-overdue cycling option. All of this is exciting, but as aforementioned, Messages is (and always has been) one of the iPhone’s premiere utilities. Messaging is at the very core of what makes a SmartPhone a SmartPhone.
Therefore, under iOS 14, it looks like the SmartPhone is about to get little smarter.
The “Trump Whisperer” Sarah Cooper Triumphs again with new clip
These days there’s easy and endless material, updated on the hour that presents insane opportunities to laugh at our president. In all the horror and seriousness of the past week, still the comic parade continues. Never would I have guessed that a portion of a cognitive assessment test would bring about so much media attention, especially in a comical way.
Five simple words: “Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV” has sparked a virtually endless barrage of content and has become a viral moment; a feeding frenzy of material from social media, of course, and TV comedians. Writer and comic Sarah Cooper is one that made a particularly noteworthy appearance. She shared one of her signature lip-syncing videos “How to person woman man camera tv.” This kind of hilarious, great work is nothing new for Cooper, who has been active over the past months making over 20 lip-sync videos titled “How to President” that have clocked over 1.5 million views on her YouTube and Tik Tok accounts.
The Lincoln Project also released a funny ad that doctored a video to resemble a laugh-track laden situation comedy such as the hit comedy sitcom show “Seinfeld”. The clip plays out hilariously edited bits and pieces of the President’s interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.
When asked about the Fox poll that posits the question – whose is more competent? Wallace tells Trump that Biden beats him. Trump then crafts his reply, as he attempts to defend himself, claiming the test “gets very hard, the last five questions” and “Nobody has done what I’ve done.”
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) which is not really a test, is a series of mental tasks that include being asked to identify images of animals, recall the date and memorize a sequences of words. The assessment is actually supposed to be quick and easy as its a straightforward screening tool to measure different areas of the brain responsible for short-term memory, spatial awareness and executive brain function.
Trump has made it a point to brag that he “aced” the cognitive tests, while most people, rightly, are aware that the test isn’t to gauge a person’s IQ/intelligence but rather to measure for potential impairment in cognition which includes memory. His pride in passing this impairment “test” has been inspiration for a wide variety of comic gold.
Enter Late Night for some more laughs
Stephen Colbert’s “A Late Show”, Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” and Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” all took turns poking fun at President Trump.
We are seeing Hourly Newsflashes as Trump tests his ability to send a “private” militia into American cities under the fabricated necessity of countering of “threats” to federal buildings.
The recent and unfolding events in Portland and the real threats of using similar force and tactics across the US represent a new level of crisis for this election year. A false narrative with exaggerated so-called “threats” to buildings by groups of, in reality, peaceful protesters who are being labeled criminals, terrorists and are at times suffering beatings, tear gas and even kidnapping, all at the hands of unidentified federal agents.
There has been an extreme and seemingly panicked barrage of fabricated emergencies all centered around the continued, mostly peaceful, protests originally ignited by the murder of George Floyd and the BLM focused demonstrations that followed.
Trump has blamed “violent anarchists” who he claims are part of the “radical left” and are allied with Democrats, and that these vaguely designated groups have created “a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence.”
With the false bravado of a man enamored with his own fantasy of power he intoned: “This bloodshed must end,” and “This bloodshed will end.”
Many who believe in American Democracy are left searching for these crimes and this emergency, and where exactly the connections are that, somehow show, the “radical left” is behind any violent crimes. Further, crimes that are more obviously, to the degree that crimes are being committed at all, being committed by a scattered and relatively small group of unaffiliated individuals.
Instead, it is the trumped-up response which appears to rational observers to be an attempt to provoke the very “crimes” that he has vowed to stop (and which he has imagined or exaggerated for the purpose of political theater). And further, from all appearances, there is a coordinated effort by the federal government, led by Bill Barr and various unconfirmed “interim” or “acting” department heads, to create a coterie of paramilitary forces that can be used by Trump to act with physical force and violence in any way he sees fit.
As this bizarre and unprecedented attack on democracy is unfolding, even republican, right wing, former members of the conservative establishment are shocked. Here are some recent quotes and headlines:
“For a President and an administration that calls itself ‘law and order,’ they have broken the law, and are creating disorder.”
Fmr. Sec. of State Madeleine Albright
“What is really at stake is the delegitimizing of Democrats altogether before the 2020 election. Today Jenna Ellis, senior legal adviser to the Trump campaign and one of Trump’s personal lawyers tweeted: “No Democrat should EVER AGAIN be elected in the United States in any capacity.”
So Tom Ridge, another homeland security secretary under Bush, has also opened fire, noting that DHS’s mission is to protect against “global terrorism” and was “not established to be the president’s personal militia.” “It would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to a unilateral, uninvited intervention into one of my cities,” Ridge told Michael Smerconish.
“That kind of activity is the activity of a police state, and this president and this attorney general seem to be doing everything they possibly can to impose Gestapo activities in local communities, and that is what I have been warning about for a long time. I do believe that this election is all about the preservation of the greatest democracy that this country has ever known,” Clyburn said Monday during an interview on CNN.
South Carolina Rep. John Clyburn
“I think it’s unconstitutional and dangerous and heading towards fascism,” he said.
Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro
And not not-senate-confirmed “acting” Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security had this general response:
“DHS is answering the President’s call to use our law enforcement personnel across the country to protect our historic landmarks. We won’t stand idly by while violent anarchists and rioters seek not only to vandalize and destroy the symbols of our nation, but to disrupt law and order and sow chaos in our communities.”
Acting DHS Secretary Chad F. Wolf
Hitler, Mussolini and Trump: a short glance at historical similarities
Hitler
In the early 1920s, long before Hitler was in power in Germany, he was a politician with a need for bodyguards. In addition, his newly formed Nazi party encouraged followers to commit violent attacks against leftists and outsiders (jews). The SA a.k.a. the brown shirts were a personal militia comprised of violent thugs attacking whoever Hitler designated as the enemy of his vision for Germany. By 1933, there were over 3 million members.
Violent attacks occurred often against any individuals or group that dared to disagree with Hitler’s politics or were just among the declared enemies, with Jews and leftists at the top of the list. Through the physical intimidation of individuals and opposing political groups, his rise to power, in steps, was made possible.
The idea that a political movement “needs” a violent para-military component is a common thread in the history of various fascist dictators and their rise to power. Designating political enemies as “terrorists” (such as Trump is trying to do to antifa). Encouraging violence against them, using a justification of “safety and protection” of the general public that supposedly sides with the “vision of law and order” put forth by the would be dictator is a common theme from Hitler’s rise that we are also seeing today.
Mussolini
Similar to Hitler’s “BrownShirts”, Mussolini had his “Blackshirts”. The similarities between Hitler’s rise and that of Mussolini are well documented. Mussolini’s blueprint for Fascist power was later repeated in Germany, if the similarities being coincidental or by design is unimportant.
Racism, hatred of foreigners (in Italy’s case the prime scapegoats being Africans and Asians to the south and east) and violent intimidation of anyone who questions his and his parties authority were the familiar script.
The similarities to the present day are the grave and serious issue, and the differences are what will decide our fate.
Trump
Unlike in the fascism stories above, Trump is already the elected President and the “leader of the free world”. It is important to note that “free” in that phrase means, among other things, free from fascist dictatorships. On the other hand, the recent events in portland and elsewhere show a serious and dangerous precedent where Trump is using the DHS and it’s “acting” director as if they are his version of the SA or even SS.
Perhaps the Gestapo is a more apt analogy, but there’s an element of this being a cobbled together band of thugs like the brown or blackshirts mentioned above as this was, apparently, a hastily crafted group of federal agencies that appear to have been gathered by Attorney General Bill Barr, rather than an organized long standing secret police force.
Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti.
These are not the actions of a democratic republic.@DHSgov’s actions in Portland undermine its mission.
The consensus among those who would rather not see Trump find a way to take control of the US as a modern day Mussolini is that many, if not all, of the steps and actions taken thus far are dead wrong, even if they represent a convoluted way to break the intended spirit of US law and Constitution while maintaining a kind of shadow legality.
The now clichéd quote, famously from a John F Kennedy in a speech in 1961: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” nevertheless applies here to all men, women and children of this country.
An astounding thing about the historical tragedies surrounding the fascists rising to power in the first half of the 20th century is that, early on, when they could still have been stopped by a sufficiently outraged majority, the dangers were underestimated until it was too late.
“Never again” should be our response to that statement and we must be prepared to back it up, no matter what.
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Immediately vows to donate all through her foundation to organizations and projects “on the front lines” of Climate Crisis
Greta Thunberg, Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2019 has acquired another prize for her humanitarian efforts. The global pandemic has, to some degree, taken attention away from the climate crisis and, by extension, it’s most famous spokesperson. There have also been signs of a backlash, potentially due to overexposure, but more likely stemming from various actors, backed by the fossil fuel industry and its proponents, trying to drum up support for a dying business model.
For example, a brief attempt to champion an “anti-Greta” figure, Naomi Seibt, a 19-year-old from Münster, Germany, who gained some media attention in February of this year for her “climate skeptic” stance. Reports surfaced that she was being paid by a group associated with the Tump administration and was being put forward as an unofficial spokesperson for Arthur B. Robinson Center for Climate and Environmental Policy at the Heartland Institute, a libertarian think tank.
The massive crash in the price of oil in April and the aforementioned pandemic seems to have derailed her budding career as a solution for the fossil fuel industry to the “Greta problem”.
In the video (above) released via twitter, Greta pledged to give away all the funds “as quickly as possible”. Her first recipient was named, along with the amount to be given; 100,000 Euros to the SOS Amazonia Campaign known via @FridaysForFutureBrasil. A second award, also in the amount of 100,000 Euros, will go to the Stop Ecocide Foundation
Further grants will be awarded to those fighting for climate crisis solutions and for “a sustainable world”.
”Also, to help organizations and projects who are fighting for a sustainable world and who are fighting to defend nature and the natural world.”
The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity
Based on twitter reactions, the prize is not well known in the US. Based in Portugal, The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has established an international jury to choose the prize recipient. The Prize is awarded annually for “contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change”.
“The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, awarded annually, in the amount of 1 million euros, aims to recognise people, groups of people and/or organisations from all over the world whose contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change stand out for its novelty, innovation and impact.”
The Foundation’s goals, which the prize seeks to highlight, are an acceleration to a carbon neutral society and to mitigate negative effects of climate change on people, the environment and the economy.
Though fewer headlines have been seen relating to current events surrounding the climate crisis, they are sure to return as the problem is far from over. Temperatures worldwide continue to shock and break records. Greta Thunberg putting her fame and award proceeds to good use is a bright spot on the horizon during an admittedly difficult year for our planet and species. Below are the original tweets
I’m extremely honoured to receive the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. We’re in a climate emergency, and my foundation will as quickly as possible donate all the prize money of 1 million Euros to support … -> 1/3 pic.twitter.com/Eti6AJXSvj
Starting with giving €100.000 to the SOS Amazonia Campaign led by Fridays For Future Brazil to tackle Covid-19 in the Amazon, and €100.000 to the Stop Ecocide Foundation to support their work to make ecocide an international crime. @fcgulbenkian 3/3
The Naked Display of Abandon in Shanghai was a Signal to The Next Generation
It’s not because Tesla’s stock is at a high. It’s not because SpaceX is passing milestone after milestone. Elon Musk is on a mission, and it’s the same one we all need to be on, starting now: to save the world.
There’s a kind of liberation in facing death, like the movie protagonist racing in a stolen car, chased by the killer bad guy, not worried about the tires or how much fuel is being used: it’s adrenaline pumping survival mode, right here, right now.
And yet, with the metaphorical woman of his dreams (who is actually us and the planet) in the passenger seat, the protagonist, and all of us vicariously, feels more alive, in what could be his final moments, than in all his life to this point.
That’s why he’s dancing.
Many say 2019 was the year that the Climate Crisis, formerly known as global warming, could no longer be doubted by any sane or unbiased person. A few dozen catastrophic, clearly anomalous weather events will do that.
And now, as the new decade dawns, Australia burns and #WWIII trends on Twitter, we are all starting to feel like we are in that stolen car.
Elon Musk is a little different from the rest of us. Not because of his money or success or brains or celebrity. Because he has been on this mission for practically his entire life.
And now we need to join him.
Tesla is and always has been on a mission. Not to “dominate” the EV sector of the auto industry, as is so often written. Not to achieve success as measured by profit or cash flow positions. It’s on an energy mission . See it’s stated for all to see on its twitter account:
So many constantly trumpet the refrain that solving the climate crisis is all about austerity and sacrifice, and certainly there will be plenty of that.
And the deniers say that changing the system is not worth it if there is even a minuscule chance that we are not doomed. Really? How much Exxon stock do you own ? But what it will really take is a revolution in thought and the contagious motivation of an entire generation. And humans are not prophylactically inclined !
It’s Elon Musk and Tesla’s genius, shared with Apple that they understand that you can change the world if people are moved by aspirational, beautiful, sexy dreams of a better life. Not some granola style golf cart of functionality.
An iPhone is the best, most powerful hand held computing device ever imagined and, oh yes, it’s a sexy, sleek fashion statement that you can love with all your heart as well. Ditto on the last part for every Tesla also, from the Model 3 to the Cybertruck.
That mission is bigger than being a car maker, or battery manufacturer or even tech design firm. It’s a mission to replace the current, suicidal, Fossil Fuel based infrastructure with a sustainable one. Worldwide. Right now. Before it’s too late to matter.
Companies that have a higher mission than just “profit for shareholders” have not just a higher moral ground from which to operate but a true motivation that literally pulses like a beating heart throughout the enterprise. Often overlooked is the mission that Steve Jobs imbued into the soul of Apple and the higher mission of providing the best tools that technology is capable of.
Looking forward, for perhaps the first time in human history, the challenges are sharply defined, as are the methods and players in the game. Massive evil forces, created by humans must be countered by small and also equally massive forces just as human, oriented toward a better world and more, the best of all possible worlds.
In truth, within the total devotion and capitulation to a higher mission lies freedom, inner peace and, ultimately success and prosperity, potentially for us all.
Not a hard choice when compared to pain, suffering and, ultimately the extinction of all life on this planet.
In short, it’s Utopia or Oblivion, folks.
So, thank you Elon Musk, for showing us the steps to the dance, and for having the bravery to show us with those awkward, unselfconscious moves that, you too, are learning as you go.
Now we all just need to apply ourselves, like Greta Thunberg inviting Meatloaf to examine scientific evidence, to the task of finding the joy in changing everything that’s wrong with our world, starting with the energy infrastructure, and replacing it with a better, cleaner, less tainted one.
— 🌎 Positive Energy Action (@PosEnergyAction) January 7, 2020
There is a paradox here, though. See it? If we are running for our lives from the most fearsome danger we’ve ever faced, and we are not concerned about money, power or the trappings of fame, then why does it sometimes seem like a better life is so close we can almost reach out and touch it?
Tesla Roadster – Photo / Tesla
Because that’s the secret. If we did all dance like Elon, devote ourselves to a higher cause, and put aside our worldly squabbles over money, power and fame, maybe, just maybe, we will survive and prosper, beyond all our imaginings. And that stolen car? It’s a Tesla Roadster hitting on maximum torque in Ludicrous mode.
And with every discovery shared, solution compounded and mission surpassed, we can escape together and let go of the past’s villainous errors. With luck to find a future worth all our hopes and dreams.
Doctor Anthony Fauci has held the position of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) for nearly 50 years and most recently the lead expert in the Trump Administration’s White House Coronavirus Task Force. Dr. Fauci has, from the beginning, vocalized his predictions about COVID-19, warning the public of its seriousness and the urgent need to take precautions (social distancing and wearing a face covering). Recently, however, The White House has lobbed seemingly random criticisms against the doctor. For example, Trump, in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, called Fauci a “nice man, but he’s made a lot of mistakes.” Also Peter Navarro, Trump’s Trade Advisor, in an op-ed in USA Today, wrote that Fauci “has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on”. In a recent response Fauci called the attacks “bizarre”, and added that Peter Navarro was “in a world of his own”.
The Lincoln Project has put together a succinct and poignant look at this exchange in a new ad, released on July 15, 2020, contrasting the “American Hero” and “Natural Leader” with the abysmal conduct of the President during the coronavirus pandemic and crisis. (above)
So why would anyone attack and blame Fauci, who has served as a medical advisor for 6 different presidents? Perhaps, as shown in the video, while Fauci has been nothing but upfront and honest, Trump has failed America and repeatedly lied about the severity of the virus, confidently stating, the now obviously absurd opinion, that the virus will just “disappear one day like a miracle”.
In the text accompanying the clip on their web site, the group added:
“Dr. Fauci has served both Republican and Democratic administrations. He is a profoundly respected physician, whose work has improved the lives of millions of Americans,” said Reed Galen, co-founder of The Lincoln Project. He continued, “President Trump’s incompetence has cost 130,000 Americans their lives, sickened millions more and wrecked our economy
The Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project is a super-PAC formed in 2019 by a group of Republicans that hold a singular mission: To defeat Donald Trump and Trumpism.
Conservative Republican Org a.k.a. RVAT’s new ad highlights the need for a Nov. 3rd Trump Loss
Another video has been released from Republican Voters Against Trump, who are more simply referred to as RVAT, a political initiative launched by Defending Democracy Together, with a view to safeguarding the 2020 presidential election against a Trump victory. The clip below shows how the president and in particular his adoring VP, Mike Pence, have uttered numerous falsehoods about the realities of the coronavirus, in stark comparison to the truth and facts, such as the increasing spread of the virus and how case numbers are rapidly rising.
The United States continues to report record high totals of daily new cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many states have had different approaches to reopening and face-covering restrictions, and those with more lenient restrictions have had major surges of new confirmed cases. As the new academic year is fast approaching, there are many school districts struggling to decide if they will be opening up normally or will start with online classes only.
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New ad highlights the hypocrisy of the first family
Some of the many appalling and even disgusting facets of the Trump era are reflected in the primitive psychological tactics that emanate from any speech or off the cuff remark from the President. “Gaslighting“, “Whataboutism” and “I know you are but what am I” playground level taunts and name calling abound. And, above all, the tactic of projecting whatever you are accused of onto your enemies, no matter how ridiculous it appears. Like on July 4th when trump implied that Antifa was a “fascist” organization. How can a group with “anti” and Fascist” in the very name be accused of being the thing that they have clearly and overtly declared themselves to be against? Ask Trump.
–
And now, in an apple-falling-not-far-from-the-tree moment of imbecilic genetic transference, Don Jr. employs all of the above in a recent twisted tirade on Fox. Unfortunately for him, the folks that call themselves the “Meidas Touch” were able to illustrate just how ridiculous and revealing this web of insanity really is. Take a look:
On a their web site in text accompanying the clip they added:
“The Trump children, propped up in this regime by the bizarre and shameless nepotism seen in banana republic dictatorships, represents the blend of incompetence, entitlement and cringeworthy hypocrisy that has propelled America into disaster we are now in under Trump.”
Along with the great work from The Lincoln Project and RVAT (Republican Voters Against Trump) anti-Trump, pro-Biden ads have been coming out almost daily. All using Trump’s own words and actions to show his various lies, his hypocrisy and downright creepiness in sharp focus with a view to ousting him in November.
Above: A truly creepy look at actual footage of Trump in various interviews and impromptu moments featuring Ivanka, and his ol’ convicted-sex-offender pal Jeffrey Edward Epstein. It’s astonishing how this old footage can make the Trump family look even worse and, yes, even more creepy, than the recent events touched on in the first video clip above. November 3rd can’t come soon enough, it would seem, for any of us who have witnessed these ads.
The Meidas Touch is not specifically a Conservative Republican organization, which the other two mentioned above are, but rather is headed by attorney Ben Meiselas, who has been involved in high profile cases involving civil rights and more, such as the lawsuit brought by Colin Kaepernick against the NFL.
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Tesla continues to hit new sales and tech milestones (not to mention the stock price)…
Throughout 2018 and 2019, Tesla delivered 612,120 vehicles. This is an impressive number, and a quota that surely upped the ante for Elon Musk‘s famed tech-car company. However, that striking figure has already been dwarfed by the number of pre-orders currently in place for Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck.
According to Finbold, Tesla has already received 650,000 pre-orders for the Cybertruck. The bulk of these pre-orders (approximately 535,000 of them) took place before February of 2020. Naturally, fewer people placed orders as the coronavirus spread across the globe. Still, over 100,000 additional orders despite everything going on in the world is an enduring sign of the vehicle’s popularity.
Pre-ordering a concept with a precious few in circulation
Tesla first revealed the Cybertruck on November 21st in Los Angeles. It’s ultramodern aesthetic, with sharp lines, futuristic angles, and tankish wheels met polarizing reactions. Many even took to lampooning the vehicle on social media via memes. However, this generated increased publicity for the Cybertruck all the same, and the pre-orders eventually poured in.
Of course, not all pre-orders for the truck are guaranteed sales. Nevertheless, the 650,000 figure means that that many people are interested in the vehicle enough to reserve one, and each reservation requires a $100 deposit. Already, Tesla is earning money on the truck and if the copious pre-orders do turn into deliveries, the company will continue its trajectory of increased sales for every year since 2014.
Elon Musk and Tesla have recently earned some negative press while delivering their latest Model-Y cars, which are similarly in very high demand. Perhaps connected to the unanticipatedly large number of orders, Model-Ys have been notorious for quality control problems. Pre-ordered cars often come with incorrect paint, faulty interiors, asymmetrical features, and other mistakes.
Luckily, the company is already correcting its mistakes, and the issues have not hindered Tesla fans from remaining enthusiastic about the Cybertruck. Musk wants to start shipping them early next year, introducing the first EV truck onto the road and optimistically shifting the car market for the planet’s benefit.
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To get through this we’re gonna need all our faculties on high alert…
It’s no wonder that the busiest freeway on the planet is nearly empty, with all that’s going on. Sure. But try driving on it if you remember the old normal. To dramatize, take a look at the video above taken during the 5pm rush hour on Tuesday, and the video below, of just what this beast could do on a big traffic day. Even a “normal” day, pre-covid-19 had a similar feeling. Not anymore.
It can be an emotional and somber experience to see, first hand and in-person, what the busiest freeway in the world looks like in the middle (at the beginning?) of a pandemic and with unemployment rate at up to 50% (locally). And then there’s the one bright spot; that the deserted freeway is being impacted even more so by the new “WFH” (work from home) boom as we change our lives and reduce carbon emissions by living a digital life.
“Anecdotal” evidence: raising the feeling that something’s going on other than what you hear from on-high
Sometimes, even if you listen to the voices all around you, take in all the news and noise, you just have to block all of that out and take a good look with your own eyes. If you look beneath the surface of the news you will also find a very different story.
Take for example the recent “positive” jobs reports. Unemployment appears to be dropping and the overall numbers are not as bad as many had feared, right? Or is that just a manufactured impression? The previous official jobs reports were rife with confusion and even errors that were admitted outright by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course by that time the “good news” had already circulated and had created the desired effect (a delay of the stock market pricing-in the real unemployment numbers).
The reports, according to former US secretary of labor, Robert Reich, are not giving an accurate picture, and he points out in a recent piece that the real situation is that the current number of unemployed is the worst in over 70 years.
Naturally the reasons, emanating from the top job at the White House, for wanting to spin these very important numbers, are obvious. Not only is there the the high stakes re-election scenario but, in this special case, the potential prosecutions that could proceed from a loss for Trump in November.
And if you are not a “Robin Hood” day trader and are just trying to get a life?
Although Los Angeles is not currently in an official “lockdown”, there is a surge in new cases and over twelve million active cases worldwide, and over three million in the US alone. Therefore, the streets reflect the real situation that people are experiencing – both economic due to the lack of employment and the caution and self-isolation that is appropriate and the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in the city.
Donald Trump said Thursday’s jobs report, which showed an uptick in June, proves the US economy is “roaring back”.
Rubbish. The labor department gathered the data during the week of 12 June, when America was reporting 25,000 new cases of Covid-19 a day. By the time the report was issued, that figure was 55,000.
Click to See “Saving Capitalism“ to Help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Then, just today, the newest jobs report came out. The headline on Marketwatch was that, although 33 million people are unemployed and millions more getting laid off weekly, “many doubt it’s that bad”. Why the caveat? You tell me.
Rather than focusing on the 33 million out of work, with the real number potentially far higher, they question anything that may help to mitigate the negative impression (bad for the stock market). Then they feature an earlier story with the title: “U.S. Regains 4.8 million Jobs in June”, further giving the impression that everything is hunky dory.
Oh, and late last night United Air Lines announced that they would lay off 36,000 which they site as a worst case scenario. Brooks Brothers announced Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Bed, Bath and Beyond are closing 200 stores. And the list goes on.
With the Climate Crisis far from over, A pandemic that has no end in sight and economic repercussions that are beginning to boggle the mind, there is plenty to overwhelm the average or even supra-average human.
Maybe, for now though, with all the doom and gloom, it’s best to just put the pedal-to-the-metal and enjoy the empty road…
“Wonder Woman: 1984” has had a bumpy road finding a release date. The DC follow-up to Patty Jenkins’ sensational 2017 “Wonder Woman” was originally meant to hit theaters last December, but the studio (Warner Brothers) switched up the schedule, pushing the movie back to a summer release date in June. This decision proved to be a poor one, though, as movie theaters closed their doors in March due to the coronavirus and most of them remain shuttered to this day. “WW84” has thus been pushed back further and further. Now, it is aiming for an October 2nd debut.
As an Amazonian princess, Gadot’s character does not age…
Chris Pine also returns from the original “Wonder Woman” cast, reprising his role as love-interest Steve Trevor. Conspicuously, his character unambiguously died in a plane crash at the end of the first film, but the trailer seems to find him alive and well.
Like 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” actress Gal Gadot plays the title superheroine in “WW84.” Although this is only her second stand alone film as the character, Gadot has played Wonder Woman three times in the DC Universe before—appearing in “Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice” and “Justice League” as well as her solo outing.
Chris Pine also returns from the original “Wonder Woman” cast, reprising his role as love-interest Steve Trevor. Conspicuously, his character unambiguously died in a plane crash at the end of the first film, but the trailer seems to find him alive and well.
To make matters even stranger, there is a seventy year gap between the two films’ settings. The 2017 movie took place in 1918, pinning the protagonist in the middle of World War I, while “WW84” obviously happens during 1984. As an Amazonian princess, Gadot’s character does not age and thus appears the same in both films. This also explains her place in the other, contemporarily-set DC films. However, it still doesn’t quite answer our questions about Chris Pine’s more mortal character, who also appears to still be in his thirties despite the time lapse.
Being part of a superhero franchise, though, these diegetic elements are not worth getting too worked up about. Odds are the movie will explain Trevor’s return in some fantastical, but nevertheless logical, manner. After all, this is the eighth film in the DC Extended Universe. So far, the series has dealt with alien invasions in “Man Of Steel,” Atlantean societies in “Aquaman,” mystical magic in “Shazam!” and so much more. At this point, any explanation seems like fair game.
Great Throwback Aesthetic in Stark Contrast to Our Somber Times
What really sticks out in”WW84″ right now is not the diegetic loopholes, but the novel, vibrant aesthetic. With a few exceptions, DCEU movies often get criticism for their grey pallet and overly-sinister energy. Fans frequently plead for Warner Brothers to offer a bit more color and optimism to the franchise, citing Disney’s Marvel films as exemplars for comic book adaptation.
Happily, “WW84” seems to finally be taking a cue from the fans. From the rainbow tinted posters to the electrifying trailer, the movie is clearly invested in the 1984 setting. It looks like a disco-infused, fun-filled superhero flick, with quality humor, captivating visuals, and a strong cast to carry it along—Pedro Pascal from “The Madalorian” is playing the main villain!
Happily, “WW84” seems to finally be taking a cue from the fans. From the rainbow tinted posters to the electrifying trailer, the movie is clearly invested in the 1984 setting.
Due to mixed reviews, the DCEU has kind of faltered in recent years. A large-scale lateral narrative in the vein of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is not quite a plausible outlook for DC anymore. Instead, Warner Brothers has been using its DC intellectual properties to focus on stand-alone films such as “Joker” and Robert Pattinson’s upcoming “The Batman.”
However, like the franchise’s last entry, “Birds Of Prey,” “WW84” has direct ties to some of the other DC movies. Thus, the film could possibly lead into something larger. After all, “Wonder Woman” was one of the DCEU’s highest praised movies, championing a female superhero for the first time in a blockbuster film and earning over $800 million at the box office. The success of “Wonder Woman” paved the way for her role in “Justice League,” so perhaps the sequel will carry the franchise to new heights yet again…
That is, if theaters ever open.
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Warner Brothers Kicks Out Promo-Shots Hoping to Build Buzz for Theater Release
“Wonder Woman: 1984” has had a bumpy road finding a release date. The DC follow-up to Patty Jenkins’ sensational 2017 “Wonder Woman” was originally meant to hit theaters last December, but the studio (Warner Brothers) switched up the schedule, pushing the movie back to a summer release date in June. This decision proved to be a poor one, though, as movie theaters closed their doors in March due to the coronavirus and most of them remain shuttered to this day. “WW84” has thus been pushed back further and further. Now, it is aiming for an October 2nd debut.
Poster: Warner Brothers
Like 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” actress Gal Gadot plays the title superheroine in “WW84.” Although this is only her second stand alone film as the character, Gadot has played Wonder Woman three times in the DC Universe before—appearing in “Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice” and “Justice League” as well as her solo outing.
Chris Pine also returns from the original “Wonder Woman” cast, reprising his role as love-interest Steve Trevor. Conspicuously, his character unambiguously died in a plane crash at the end of the first film, but the trailer seems to find him alive and well.
Poster: Warner Brothers
To make matters even stranger, there is a seventy year gap between the two films’ settings. The 2017 movie took place in 1918, pinning the protagonist in the middle of World War I, while “WW84” obviously happens during 1984. As an Amazonian princess, Gadot’s character does not age and thus appears the same in both films. This also explains her place in the other, contemporarily-set DC films. However, it still doesn’t quite answer our questions about Chris Pine’s more mortal character, who also appears to still be in his thirties despite the time lapse.
Being part of a superhero franchise, though, these diegetic elements are not worth getting too worked up about. Odds are the movie will explain Trevor’s return in some fantastical, but nevertheless logical, manner. After all, this is the eighth film in the DC Extended Universe. So far, the series has dealt with alien invasions in “Man Of Steel,” Atlantean societies in “Aquaman,” mystical magic in “Shazam!” and so much more. At this point, any explanation seems like fair game.
Great Throwback Aesthetic in Stark Contrast to Our Somber Times
What really sticks out in”WW84″ right now is not the diegetic loopholes, but the novel, vibrant aesthetic. With a few exceptions, DCEU movies often get criticism for their grey pallet and overly-sinister energy. Fans frequently plead for Warner Brothers to offer a bit more color and optimism to the franchise, citing Disney’s Marvel films as exemplars for comic book adaptation.
Happily, “WW84” seems to finally be taking a queue from the fans. From the rainbow tinted posters to the electrifying trailer, the movie is clearly invested in the 1984 setting. It looks like a disco-infused, fun-filled superhero flick, with quality humor, captivating visuals, and a strong cast to carry it along—Pedro Pascal from “The Madalorian” is playing the main villain!
Poster: Warner Brothers
Due to mixed reviews, the DCEU has kind of faltered in recent years. A large-scale lateral narrative in the vein of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is not quite a plausible outlook for DC anymore. Instead, Warner Brothers has been using its DC intellectual properties to focus on stand-alone films such as “Joker” and Robert Pattinson’s upcoming “The Batman.”
However, like the franchise’s last entry, “Birds Of Prey,” “WW84” has direct ties to some of the other DC movies. Thus, the film could possibly lead into something larger. After all, “Wonder Woman” was one of the DCEU’s highest praised movies, championing a female superhero for the first time in a blockbuster film and earning over $800 million at the box office. The success of “Wonder Woman” paved the way for her role in “Justice League,” so perhaps the sequel will carry the franchise to new heights yet again…
That is, if theaters ever open.
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The 20 second rule automated for your entertainment
With the new update, WatchOS 7, at the WWDC 2020 event, Apple announced a handful of significant updates to its product line. Many were unexpected and some where …yawn, but one in particular was, well, funny but not in a bad way. Apple Watch will do something that no other wearable device has yet to do, automatically detect hand-washing.
Why is this important? Well, hopefully most of us know that washing your hands can greatly help to prevent the spread of germs and protect yourself from getting sick. On a daily we are touching multiple surfaces and while we are all still actively in a pandemic with COVID-19, practicing good hygiene is a major key to lowering your risk as well as to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
So even though it’s totally obvious we should wash our hands, particularly as we are reminded constantly in the media, it is more than an appropriate for us all to go back to the basics. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing hands for least 20 seconds. The old trick of singing the “Happy Birthday” song twice is effective. But with the new watchOS 7 update, there will no longer be any guessing as to whether or not you’ve washed your hands for the recommended amount of time.
The Apple Watch will utilize motion sensors and on-device machine learning along with the microphone to automatically detect when you’re washing your hands. Once your watch detects you’re washing (hand motions coupled with sounds of running water and soap suds) – a 20-second timer will begin a countdown. If you happen to stop earlier than the 20 second mark, you will be prompted by haptic feedback (vibrations) to tell you to continue washing. When a successful 20 second hand washing session has happened, your watch will give you a nice message of “Well Done”. Your Apple Watch will also be able to remind you to wash your hands when you get home.
In case you missed it: here’s the breakdown courtesy of the CDC
Again, going back to the basics, here are five simple steps based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to washing your hands the correct way:
Wet hands with clean running water and apply soap.
Lather hands by rubbing them together with soap – including the backs of your hand, between your fingers and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
Rinse your hands under clean running water.
Dry your hands.
Being able to rely on your Apple Watch to ensure you are keeping your hands properly washed and having good hygiene is an added health bonus, that again, while during a pandemic – is not only good for staying healthy but can also protect those around you. Hopefully next year a feature like this one will not be necessary and we can return to more exciting uses for our bionic time piece.
“America The Beautiful” broadcast from Washington DC on 4th of July. Nothing wrong with that. Perhaps this year in particular – with many reasons to remind ourselves of our rights under the constitution and while we consider the future of the nation, perhaps some historical classic and meaningful titles are in order. Some great songs from our hallowed past, many with a more thought provoking auditory emanation of the American Dream, and perhaps that reflect the real lives and loves of Americans.
This Land Is Your Land
The ultimate people’s anthem. Endlessly influential, from Bob Dylan to Springsteen all the way to the present day. Not to be forgotten. Ever.
The Star-Spangled Banner (Jimi Hendrix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKAwPA14Ni4
Misunderstood, yet insightful to the nth degree. Performed at Woodstock (50 year anniversary happening now) at the height of unrest during the Vietnam War. For many, perhaps the peak and final moments of the 60s. Has taken on mythic status and while the controversy has faded, the insight and bittersweet love for the country shines through, to this day. Hendrix was a veteran and knew exactly what “rockets red glare” really sounded and felt like.
Born In The USA
In the parade of the misunderstood “Born In The USA” may stand as the most misinterpreted song ever. Pride at being born in the USA? Absolutely. Look at the rest of the lyrics to get the more nuanced take on what it means.
America, West Side Story
What can you say? Classic all the way.
Living In America
Anything by James Brown is an American Treasure.
America The Beautiful (Ray Charles)
Ditto
A bit more from The Boss and some lesser known gems to round out the tour:
Hardware and Software Updates Combine as Apple Eco-System Expands…
Like most events to take place in 2020, Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference happened virtually this year. Between the dates of June 22 and June 26, the annual Apple occasion was carried out via a multitude of online presentations, as tech reporters, colleagues, and enthusiasts logged on from around the world to hear the latest and greatest in Apple’s developments.
One of Apple’s more exciting announcements was for the new Apple TV Operating System: tvOS 14. Compared to other Apple devices, Apple TVs are relatively young, debuting in 2007 alongside the original iPhone, but only really garnering traction over the past five years. Today, with iCloud and Smart Homes becoming ubiquitous, Apple TVs offer more utility than even before.
Still, the tvOS updates are rarely as exciting as the iOS or macOS updates for more common Apple devices. Nevertheless, tvOS 14 has some pretty neat offerings—enough to raise a few eyebrows at the virtual WWDC.
Firstly, tvOS 14 is expanding the 4k visual quality that has defined Apple TV’s fifth generation since 2017. In addition to watching regular programming in 4k, users can now experience YouTube videos and a wider breadth of AirPlay streaming in 4k as well. This is something that has not been possible with previous OSs.
Moreover, the new OS will make Apple TVs more gamer-friendly than ever before. Not only will it offer greater options from the included Apple Arcade, but it will also make saving easier with the improved seamless ability to switch off between multiple users. This way, everyone can save and resumer their individual gameplay without interfering with other users’ progress. Furthermore, the OS will make AppleTVs compatible with the latest Xbox controllers: Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Xbox Adaptive Controllers.
OS 14 also offers an upgraded Home app for people with Smart Homes. Now, users can access all of their connected HomeKit devices right from the big screen, including camera feeds.
Contrary to the increased connectivity, tvOS 14 also brings novel audio-visual offerings that allow multiple separate experiences on the same screen. There is a new split screen option, letting users watch two things at once such as a workout routine with a sports game, the news with a video game, or the home monitor with a movie. Simultaneously, novel AirPods audio sharing technology will allow multiple people to listen with different AirPods at the same time. Meanwhile, the advanced Spatial Audio feature will provide surround-sound quality audio via the AirPods.
Evidently, there is a lot to get excited about with tvOS 14, as it will bring the television-watching experience to new heights. This is not even to mention the advances in Apple TV+— the Apple TV-exclusive streaming service that launched last fall. The new Operating System aside, Apple TV+ is offering a wide variety of renewed, rebooted, and original content in the coming months. This includes the acquisition of Tom Hanks’ war epic “Greyhound” and an in-house production series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi classic “Foundation.” The latter was just announced at the WWDC alongside tvOS 14.
The new OS is presently available only for an exclusive bunch in the development world, but it will run a public beta test in July and launch sometime in the fall.
Rising up to Expose Himself in 2nd Film as Director
On Friday, January 24th, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart made a surprise cameo on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” Rising unannounced from the depths of Colbert’s desk, the comedian was greeted with thunderous applause in the Ed Sullivan Theater, and after humorously declining to comment on recent political news, Stewart debuted the trailer for his new movie “Irresistible.”
Stewart’s “Irresistible” is not to be confused with the 2006 drama-thriller film of the same name. This “Irresistible” is a political comedy characteristic of Stewart’s humor. It is the satirist’s second directorial project, and his first comedy film. While he has a long resume when it comes to writing and producing, Stewart’s only previous directing job was for the 2014 political drama “Rosewater.”
“Irresistible” stars Steve Carell—a former correspondent of Stewart’s on “The Daily Show” from 1999-2005. In the film, Carell plays Gary Zimmer, a top political strategist for the Democratic Party. After seeing a video of a retired Marine veteran (played by Chris Cooper) standing up for undocumented workers in his rural Wisconsin town, Zimmer moves to the small community to help the veteran run for mayor. It is a move to help the Democratic National Committee win back middle America, but as the local campaign gains national attention, the Republican National Committee sends their own representative (played by Rose Byrne) to counter Zimmer’s plan.
When it comes to Jon Stewart, the political commentary is never abstract. “Irresistible” is quite explicit in its contemporary undertones, commentating on the tumultuous relationship between Democrats and Republicans in the United States today. As most politically informed people know, the 2016 election was won by a handful of voters living in small, mostly Midwest districts. Therefore, the face off between Zimmer and his opponent strategist in Wisconsin is particularly telling.
Photo / Focus Features
Stewart Stays involved, albeit in new Role as Producer / Director / Writer
Stewart announced his plans to direct the film back in October, 2018 with Steve Carell already tentatively attached to the lead role. Three months into 2019, Rose Byrne and Chris Cooper also came onto the project. Topher Grace, Mackenzie Davis, and Debra Messing joined the cast a month later.
Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film in April 2019 and Plan B Entertainment is producing the film with a short list of experienced individuals including Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner of “Moonlight,” Lila Yacoub of “Moonrise Kingdom,” Brad Pitt, and Jon Stewart himself.
While it might seem like Jon Stewart has not been active since his step down from “The Daily Show” in 2015, this is entirely untrue. Over the past few years, he has done much work behind the camera, writing episodes of “The Daily Show” and “The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore” while producing lots of content with Colbert.
Nevertheless, “Irresistible” is indeed one of Stewart’s first high profile productions in a while. Although he is unlikely to appear on screen during the film, he does don the triple creative crown as writer, director, and producer. The movie will also be a return to comedy acting for Carell, who has been doing more dramatic roles of lately, appearing in heavier projects such as “Beautiful Boy,” “Vice,” and “Welcome To Marwen.” He has also been working behind the camera, creating the sci-fi comedy “Space Force” series and the action-comedy “Angie Tribeca.”
“Irresistable”originally scheduled for theaters May 29th is now available to stream:
In a show of solidarity with the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests now happening daily and nightly for several weeks, the annual Hollywood Pride March was held as a Celebration of Color. With the news focused on the situation related to the killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, the sunny California style of the march seemed a world away, almost. The escalating anger on the east coast due to yet another unnecessary and unacceptable killing of a black man was clearly not far from the thoughts of those present.
The large group, which grew during the route made it’s way from Hollywood Blvd. at Highland Ave and then down a large stretch of Sunset Blvd. There was a well armed police presence but, fortunately no incidents or violence reported.
Underneath the sunshine and pride that this event was always meant to represent was a somewhat more somber tone, one of serious intent and a will to follow through with the theme of desperately needed change that is spreading across the country.
Production Companies making a stand? Helping to educate through free viewing
Warner Brothers has made the film “Just Mercy” available to rent for free on all major digital platforms for the whole month of June 2020. Shortly after, Paramount made “Selma” free to rent as well. The announcement comes during the wake of mass global protests in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) following the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and in honor of the many other Black men and women targeted by racists and killed at the hands of unjust police.
A movement has been created and from that theres been a light shed that there are many people that hold an open and eager desire to educate and expand their awareness on matters of race, especially those coming from a place of privilege. Books, documentaries and movies can be positive starting point to learn more about the history of discrimination and systemic racism that continues to take place against African Americans and many people of color on a continuous basis.
Click to see “Just Mercy” and help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
“Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship–and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Click to see book “Just Mercy” also available on Amazon.
Warner Brothers released the following statement on its website
“We believe in the power of story. Our film Just Mercy, based on the life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, is one resource we can humbly offer to those who are interested in learning more about the systemic racism that plagues our society. For the month of June, Just Mercy will be available to rent for free across digital platforms in the US. To actively be part of the change our country is so desperately seeking, we encourage you to learn more about our past and the countless injustices that have led us to where we are today. Thank you to the artists, storytellers and advocates who helped make this film happen. Watch with your family, friends and allies. For further information on Bryan Stevenson and his work at the Equal Justice Initiative please visit EJI.org.
“Somebody has to stand when others are sitting. Somebody has to speak when others are quiet.” – Bryan Stevenson
We stand with our Black colleagues, talent, storytellers and fans – and all affected by senseless violence. Your voices matter, your messages matter. #BlackLivesMatter
Click to see “In Peace and Freedom” and help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
SELMA is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA tells the real story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.
Paramount released a statement ” “We hope this small gesture will encourage people throughout the country to examine our nation’s history and reflect on the ways that racial injustice has infected our society. The key message of Selma is the importance of equality, dignity and justice for all people. Clearly, that message is as vital today as it was in 1965.”
“Just Mercy” and “Selma” are available to watch for free on the following streaming platforms: Apple TV, Fandango Now, Google Play, Amazon Video, Redbox, PlayStation Store, YouTube and Vudu).
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