Daily Archives: October 5, 2021

Chinese astronauts return with first mission for space station construction accomplished – Khmer Times

Posted: October 5, 2021 at 4:41 am

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) Three Chinese astronauts, the first sent to orbit for Chinas space station construction, have completed their three-month mission and returned to Earth safely on Friday.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:34 p.m. (Beijing Time).

The first manned flight during the construction of Chinas space station was a complete success, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced.

The return capsule of Shenzhou-12 separated from the spaceships orbiting capsule at 12:43 p.m. under the command of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. The braking engine of the return capsule then ignited, and the return capsule separated from the propelling capsule.

After the return capsule landed successfully, the ground search team arrived at the landing site. This is the first time that the Dongfeng landing site was used in the search and retrieval of the manned spacecraft. The medical personnel confirmed that the astronauts were in good health, after the hatch of the return capsule was opened.

The trio looked relaxed and waved to the ground crew after they exited the return capsule. Later, they were escorted to a helicopter by the ground crew, according to Xinhua reporters at the scene.

Welcome back home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, the people cheered as the countrys space heroes passed by.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional event symbolizing family reunion, falls on Sept. 21 this year.

The three astronauts arrived at Beijing by plane Friday night, but they will not go immediately back home to celebrate the festival with their families. Instead, they will undergo several weeks of quarantine for a comprehensive medical examination and health assessment, according to Xu Wenlong, a research assistant with the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.

The professional medical personnel will help the astronauts re-adapt to the gravity and environment on Earth, restore their body functions as soon as possible and improve their immunity, through multiple methods of exercise, diet, massage, physical therapy, and treatment with traditional Chinese medicine, Xu said.

The success of the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceflight mission laid a solid foundation for the continued construction and operation of the countrys space station, the CMSA said.

On June 17, the Shenzhou-12 spaceship was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and docked with the space station core module Tianhe. After the docking, the three astronauts entered the core module and began their three-month stay in space.

On June 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video talk from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center with the astronauts, showing his consistent concern and support for the Chinese pursuit of its space dream.

The construction of the space station is a milestone in Chinas space industry, which will make pioneering contributions to the peaceful use of space by humanity, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The Shenzhou-12 crew carried out a series of space science and technology experiments, and tested key technologies for the construction and operation of the space station, concerning long-term stays by astronauts, the recycling and life-support system, the supply of space materials, extravehicular activities (EVAs) and operations, and in-orbit maintenance.

They performed EVAs twice, on July 4 and Aug. 20, respectively.

The first EVAs, performed by Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, took approximately seven hours. The astronauts accomplished tasks including equipment installation and panoramic camera lifting.

Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming carried out EVAs for the second time, installed extravehicular extended pump sets and lifted a panoramic camera in about six hours of EVAs.

The EVAs tested the performance and function of the new-generation homemade extravehicular mobility units and the coordination between the astronauts and the mechanical arm, as well as the reliability and safety of related EVA supporting equipment.

The mechanical arm installed on the core module played an important role in assisting the astronauts with their EVAs.

It is designed to help the astronauts in the assembly, construction, maintenance and repair of the space station, and to support space applications.

China launched its space station core module Tianhe on April 29 and the cargo craft Tianzhou-2 on May 29. The two completed a computer-orchestrated rendezvous and docking on May 30.

The Shenzhou-12 spaceship then formed a three-module complex with the combination of Tianhe and Tianzhou-2 after it was launched.

The Tianzhou-3 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship will also be launched later this year to dock with Tianhe, and another three astronauts will then begin their six-month stay in orbit.

After the five launch missions this year, China plans to have six more missions, including the launch of the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules, two cargo spacecraft and two crewed spaceships, in 2022, to complete the constru

Follow this link:
Chinese astronauts return with first mission for space station construction accomplished - Khmer Times

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on Chinese astronauts return with first mission for space station construction accomplished – Khmer Times

Viva Las Vegas: How constructing Sin Citys Strip brought the gambling mecca to life – Fox Business

Posted: at 4:41 am

'American Built' explores the structural beginnings of Sin City's strip of hotels, restaurants and casinos.

They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas but how did the gambling mecca come to be the motherland of kept secrets?

FOX Business "American Built" explored the structural beginnings of the Las Vegas Strip, starting with the construction of the railroad in 1905. Las Vegas, translated in Spanish as "The Meadows," was a halfway point for refueling the Union Pacific.

As Nevada law waned lenient towards gambling, two blocks of casinos and bars were settled, drawing in travelers.

The construction of the Hoover Dam in 1931 was an even bigger blessing for the city coming out of the Great Depression which Clark County Museum Systems Mark Hall-Patton credited to "basically saving" the city. The project brought in electrical power and added about 20,000 more people to the population.

BUILDING ALCATRAZ: AMERICA'S INESCAPABLE, ISLAND-RIDDEN PRISON

Nevada soon legalized gambling and Northern Club on Fremont Street was the first casino to open its doors. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor David Schwartz detailed that early gambling halls were "very basic," except for the surge in neon signs which were used to lure in visitors.

'American Built' explores 1950s Las Vegas and the construction of the city's original landmarks.

The end of prohibition was yet another boost the Vegas fortune and Fremont Street became quickly packed, so developers began looking to expand the Strip elsewhere.

"It was cheaper to build outside the city limits of Las Vegas than it was to build within Las Vegas," Hall-Patton said.

Hotel founders built new foundations along Highway 91 and developer Thomas Hull was the first to establish his El Rancho Vegas motel. Texas theater owner R.E. Griffith became Hulls first competitor, breaking ground on The Last Frontier lodge down the street.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

The market riled up competition and soon involved "The Hollywood Reporter" founder Billy Wilkerson who founded the Flamingo Hotel. But American mobster Bugsy Siegel was quick to swipe the deal from Wilkerson in old mob fashion with money from organized crime company Murder Inc. and a threat.

The grand opening of the Flamingo was rushed by Siegel, who was wrapped up in mob debt, and the hotel was soon after infiltrated by Murder Inc. colleagues. Unlike Flamingos flop, the newest hotel to follow, Wilbur Clarks Desert Inn, hosted a star-studded grand opening -- a two-day gala with major celebrities and a credit limit of up to $10,000 for VIPs.

FOX Business' 'American Built' explores the beginnings of San Francisco's island-based penitentiary.

While the strips hotel scene began offering viewings of atomic bomb tests, architect Wayne McAllister blew up the market with the Sands Hotel.

"The Sands was the casino that took all of the elements that were floating around in Las Vegas and really perfected them," Schwartz said.

Architect and author Alan Hess described the Sands as "highly designed" with intricate light fixtures and carpeting, and, most importantly, a glamorous 65-foot tall neon sign. This sparked the beginning of Las Vegas neon light lifestyle.

By the 1950s, the Sands continued its cool reputation and often hosted A-listers like Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, and famously featured The Rat Pack.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

The Strip housed 18 hotels by 1953 as the pressure to build larger landmarks intensified. The Stardust became Vegas newest destination in the late 50s by catering to the average American tourist, setting the scene for decades to come.

As Las Vegas modern staples like MGM, Caesars Palace and Treasure Island took over the landscape, Sin Citys original foundations including the Sands, Desert Inn and Stardust were sacrificed to build anew. The one exception: Bugsy Siegels Flamingo which has today been transformed into a Vegas mega-hotel.

Go here to see the original:

Viva Las Vegas: How constructing Sin Citys Strip brought the gambling mecca to life - Fox Business

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on Viva Las Vegas: How constructing Sin Citys Strip brought the gambling mecca to life – Fox Business

Britain need not be a nation of gamblers. We have to rein in this industry – The Guardian

Posted: at 4:41 am

Gambling takes a remarkable toll on society. In England alone, the cost of dealing with the social harms it causes (such as joblessness, debt, and health-related problems) is more than 1.2bn, and thats a conservative estimate. On top of that, gamblers in Great Britain lose about 14bn every year to the industry, and people who are most socially and economically deprived are more likely to be affected.

These figures come from a comprehensive review of gambling harms published by Public Health England (PHE). The sums involved are astonishing, and reinforce both the need to think carefully about gambling and how its promoted and about who should bear the costs of the damage it does. While the government has started to consider this in its review of the 2005 Gambling Act, the frame of reference aiming to simultaneously protect the public while ensuring that the gambling sector continues to thrive arguably reinforces the status quo.

Is it possible to protect the public while also ensuring that the industry continues to provide jobs, contributes to the economy and to grow? Gamblings current business model suggests not. There is growing evidence that it has an unhealthy reliance on those harmed for a substantial portion of its profits. Research carried out over a three-month period showed that 40% of spending on online sports betting was generated by the 15% of those classified as moderate risk or problem gamblers. A large-scale study of bank transactions found that 1% of gamblers spend 58% of their income on betting and suffer a range of financial, health and personal problems.

Ethical issues aside, an industry that derives substantial profits from those harmed, or at risk of harm, does not demonstrate the sustainability on which a healthy economic model is based. Instead, it seems to rest on a degree of exploitation of the very consumers that governments and regulators should be seeking to protect.

The government should include alternative legal, economic and commercial practices that can protect the public within the remit of its review.

Contrary to popular belief, we are not actually a nation of gamblers. Less than half the population gamble on anything beyond the national lottery, and even fewer do so regularly. Aggressive advertising and marketing are therefore a direct result of multi-billion-pound gambling companies needing to draw from a relatively small pool of potential customers.

It is important to remember that Britains gambling market was not always like this. Before 2007, when the Gambling Act was fully enacted, gambling in Britain was tolerated but not promoted. The act changed this, positioning gambling as a valid leisure activity that could be promoted something the industry embraced with gusto. The last 14 years have been an experiment with free-market economic policies and priorities that have done little to protect the public from harm and, as the PHE report shows, have generated significant social costs at a time when we are poorly equipped to bear them.

It is time to ask whether an industry that contributes to the economy by the potential exploitation of vulnerable people, and reinforces existing inequalities, is the kind of economic contribution we want. Maybe there is another way in which the industry sacrifices its profits by removing aggressive advertising and marketing, and focuses on providing safer products, potentially becoming more sustainable by doing so.

But this is the debate we should be having. The economic harm to society caused by gambling underlines why we should do this now.

Read more from the original source:

Britain need not be a nation of gamblers. We have to rein in this industry - The Guardian

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on Britain need not be a nation of gamblers. We have to rein in this industry – The Guardian

State revenue from gambling triples in five years – Cyprus Mail

Posted: at 4:41 am

State revenues from gambling jumped to 3.44 per cent of GDP in 2019, while in 2020, despite the contraction due to the pandemic, the percentage of revenues amounted to 2.98 per cent.

The figures were three times the size of gamblings contribution to GDP in 2016 when it clocked in at 0.99 per cent.

The figures were revealed at the fourth Play Safe Conference organised by the National Betting Authority, hosted by the bodys president Ioanna Fiakkou, and Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides who delivered an opening address at the event.

In her speech, Fiakkou said that today, the concept of security in gambling was more important than ever, at a time when people went through an unprecedented crisis with the pandemic and societies around the world were trying to gradually recover and adapt to new data.

We have a duty as a competent regulatory and supervisory authority to intensify and strengthen our efforts to protect players and society as a whole, she said, explaining that the pandemic changed the data and highlighted the importance of safety and health.

Se referred to the rapid upgrade of the gambling sector both globally and locally in recent years, citing the GDP figures.

The percentages highlight the effectiveness of the regulations, said Fiakkou, emphasising that the mission of the national authority was and remains the effective regulation of the market.

Regarding the next steps in the sector, Fiakkou said that in the near future the model of safe play would be implemented, which will include provisions for strengthening the social responsibility of companies.

Providers with the implementation of the standard will be required to be certified with the highest criteria for the safety of players and the sustainable development of the sector, she added.The Authority is in the process of developing a universal self-exclusion platform, which will be an important tool available to players to control their betting behaviour.

Players will be able to exclude themselves from betting activity, either for a fixed period of time, or indefinitely by all providers, through an easy-to-use platform without complicated procedures.She also noted that on the other hand the providers will have the obligation to immediately implement the players request for self-exclusion from the betting activity.

In his address, Petrides praised the remarkable development of the betting sector but also the absolute decisive contribution of the national authority.This sector has evolved as one of the pillars of economic growth, he said, adding that the regulated development and operation of betting activity was absolutely necessary.

He also expressed his strong personal belief that what was being sought were not universal prohibitions and this is my strong personal view because universal prohibitions, what they actually lead to, are opening windows to illegality, which will have disproportionate and large social implications.

So the priority is effective regulation of the market and its operation within the framework of legality, in order to create value for the Cypriot economy and to formulate an effective policy to prevent problematic gambling and gambling in general, Petrides added.

Link:

State revenue from gambling triples in five years - Cyprus Mail

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on State revenue from gambling triples in five years – Cyprus Mail

Jason Koon Has Wild Sunday At The World Series Of Poker – CardPlayer.com

Posted: at 4:40 am

Sitting 10th on pokers all time money list with more than $32.6 million in career tournament earnings, Jason Koon is familiar with success. But even Koon couldnt have envisioned the Sunday he had at the 2021 World Series of Poker.

While playing $30,000 worth of tournament buy-ins, he essentially final tabled two bracelet events simultaneously, cashing for a combined $118,834, on the same day it was announced he would become an ambassador for one of the largest online poker sites in the world.

The West Virginia native barely survived day 1 of the $25,000 no-limit holdem high roller event on Saturday and came into Sundays day 2 as the second-shortest stack in the field with just nine big blinds. He was able to run up his chips and make the unofficial final table of nine. Unfortunately for Koon, he busted just shy of the official final table and took home $79,834.

Earlier in the day, Koon spent one of his breaks down to the hall in the Rio Convention Center where he was announced as the newest sponsored player for GGPoker.

Koon joins poker legend Daniel Negreanu, Fedor Holz, Bertrand Elky Grospellier, and Dan Bilzerian as representatives of the site. According to the press release surrounding the announcement, Koon will focus on strengthening the poker rooms security and game integrity efforts, as well as acting as an advocate for high roller, VIP, and high-volume players.

Im really excited to join GGPoker, particularly so soon after theyve taken a leading role in the poker world, said Koon. Im also thrilled to be in a position to help with game security and player advocacy, making GGPoker an even better place to play our favorite game.

Until last July, Koon was a member of team partypoker. He signed a sponsorship deal with the site in 2017 and spent nearly four years representing the brand before the two parted ways a few months ago.

With the addition, GGPoker is reversing the trend that PokerStars was setting a few years ago when they were letting go of several high-profile sponsored pros, including Negreanu. The sponsored team features four players in the top 50 of pokers all-time money list and a combined tournament earnings of more than $135 million.

After wrapping up his media appearance, Koon headed back to the Amazon room to return to his eventual ninth-place finish. But once he was back in his seat, Koon decided that playing one tournament wasnt enough for him.

The West Virgina native and former track and field standout hopped on his mobile device and entered the $5,300 no-limit holdem online freezeout. And while he ran deep in the live event with a five-figure buy-in, he was running just as deep on the virtual felt.

Right around midnight, Koon reached the unofficial nine-handed final table of the $25,000 buy-in at nearly the exact same time he final tabled the $5,300 online tournament.

About an hour later, Koon put a cap on a very successful day at the WSOP when he lost a flip with Q-J against Calvin Andersons 9-9 to finish sixth in the online event for $39,000.

For more from the 2021 World Series of Poker, check out Card Players WSOP tournament landing page which features results, recaps, and player interviews.

Follow this link:

Jason Koon Has Wild Sunday At The World Series Of Poker - CardPlayer.com

Posted in Poker | Comments Off on Jason Koon Has Wild Sunday At The World Series Of Poker – CardPlayer.com

Season XVIII of the World Poker Tour to Air Sunday Nights on Bally Sports – PokerNews.com

Posted: at 4:40 am

October 03, 2021Chad Holloway

This Sunday, October 3, Season XVIII of the World Poker Tour (WPT) will premiere on Bally Sports (and other regional sports networks). The broadcast slate includes a dozen episodes to air each Sunday over the next 12 Sundays. In total, the new season will be comprised of four final tables that will air through December 19.

Episodes will air at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time in most markets be sure to check your local listings with reruns to follow. Poker fans will see familiar faces on each episode as WPT commentators Vince Van Patten and Tony Dunst return, as does anchor Lynn Gilmartin.

Our fans have been very patient waiting for the Season XVIII episodes and we are excited for Sunday night, said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. The action from Season XVIII promises to live up to the expectations of our audience.

The first episode will be the Gardens Poker Championship final table featuring players such as Chance Kornuth, Qing Liu, and Markus Gonsalves, among others, battling for their share of a $2,467,200 prize pool. The final table will play out over three-hour-long episodes each of the next three Sundays.

That tournament originally took place in January 2020 and was scheduled to play to a winner in March of that same year. However, the global pandemic postponed play for a full year until March 2021. Spoiler: click here to learn who won that tournament.

The other final tables that will air are WPT Borgata, WPT L.A. Poker Classic, and the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

Check out the PokerNews WPT page here!

Sharelines

This Sunday, October 3, Season XVIII of the @WPT will premiere on Bally Sports (and other regional sports networks).

Read this article:

Season XVIII of the World Poker Tour to Air Sunday Nights on Bally Sports - PokerNews.com

Posted in Poker | Comments Off on Season XVIII of the World Poker Tour to Air Sunday Nights on Bally Sports – PokerNews.com

Film Critic Harlan Jacobson Reviews "The Tragedy of Macbeth" and "Oscar Peterson: Black + White" – wbgo.org

Posted: at 4:37 am

Having just come through the Labor Day turn in the film festival world, which is still picking its way through the pandemic with a mix of in-person and virtual screenings, the industry that depends on festivals is plowing ahead this Fall with plans to release films in theaters and by streaming to a smart TV near you. One way or another, youll get your chance to sort out which films live, which ones die and which ones head to the Oscars next March 27.

Ive been to Cannes in July and Telluride over Labor Day in person, and digitally dropped in on Toronto this month, too. And the 59th New York is in progress now at Lincoln Center, having opened with a gala screening of Joel Coens Macbeth with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in the lead roles.

The Tragedy of Macbeth is an intimidating mountain to climb for filmmakers. Directors because its Macbeth, and producers because they should be willing to lose their investment. Think of Roman Polanskis Macbethin 1971 with Jon Finch and Francesca Annis, screenplay by Kenneth Tynan, which clocked in at two hours, twenty minutes and pondered monarchy.

There was Aussie director Justin Kurzel, who went from Snowtown Murders in 2011 to Macbeth with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in 2015. Three screenwriters on that one, played as a tragedy of generational impatience. Took a bath. And several more highly uninspired takes, till you get back to Orson Welles 1948 Macbeth, a minimalist modern take on corruption that was butchered by Republic Pictures, a horror story of Wellesian proportions.

How promising it sounds to open the 59th NYFF then with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as Lord and Lady Macbeth in the hands of Joel Coen. Only at 1:45 I am reluctantly persuaded that it has been so compressed that what this Macbeth wants, why he wants it, how the cost undoes him or who in the couple drives the deed always a ripe area for interpretation in other productions that this production never quite drives home its tragedy. In his 60s, at the end of his military glory, Macbeth is bewitched by Coens brilliant rendition of a contortionist witch and witches, all three played by Kathryn Hunter as if wed stumbled into the tent of a medieval freak show. Duncan, whom hes saved, is ripe for the taking, the witch says.

Working without brother Ethan, who ironically is more interested in doing theater, Joel Coen cast the story with half a dozen or so Black actors in roles as consequential as Denzel as the Thane of Glamis, Macbeth, Corey Hawkins from In the Heights and Straight Outta Compton as MacDuff, Moses Ingram unrecognizable from her orphan turn in The Queens Gambit, Sean Patrick Thomas from TV as Monteith, and James Udom from Judas and the Black Messiah as Seyton. On the white side, we have Brendan Gleeson, everybodys favorite tough Irishman, as the Scots king Duncan, played here as the most trusting of souls, and McDormand as Black Macbeths striving Lady.

There is Coens recognizable enchantment with murder and its impact on the soul going all the way back through Fargo and Blood Simple. However, theres no appreciable contemporary subtext to the interracial casting: neither as an exploration for Macbeths wanting power as a grievance nursed in his skin, nor as a rationalization supplied by his white wife. Theres no radical playing with the idea of a dark heart or a conflicted conscience in a contemporary, beloved black leaders rise to power. We are not wearing combat boots in a trek here through Barack Obamas internal conflicts.

You are left with something else, which in its own professional, behind-the-scenes way is what Title 9 is supposed to deliver on the playing fields: color blind casting of great performances by great performers, pure and simple. Race is not being mined here.

Instead, it seems simply part of the black and white designscape of a film presented in what is called the Academy ratio, 1:33 to 1, the more vertical box of classic Hollywood films. Which makes sense in a film about taking power from on high.

In fact, abetted by Carter Burwells thundering musical underscoring, drums and strings, this is a visually stunning Macbeth, designed for the screen by rising production designer Stefan Dechant who served on teams for Lincoln and Avatar, by art designer Jason Clark from Mulanand Black Panther, and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel who shot Amelie, one of the Harry Potters and Inside Llewyn Davis and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the latter two for Coen. The writer-director-producer and editor Coen gave the visual artists license in this Macbeth to borrow the abstract angularities and black and white planes of light from German Expressionism, the vertical axis up and down that suggests the religiosity of Carl Theodor Dreyers silent 1928 Joan of Arc, and to drape it all in shadows from film noir. From a distance, from the side, from high, low, and below, one breathtaking formally composed scene of black threading white follows another.

Denzel and Francis hold our attention but more as intelligent curiosities, how could they not? They have worn, beautiful faces, they are us now, not stars, and we watch them up their game from playing outside their characters -- McDormand in Three Billboards, Denzel in any of 100 rogue cop roles -- to internalizing tragic figures recently in Nomadland and Fences. Now here in Macbeth, we cant take our eyes off their ambition, but still somehow we sit outside it.

In this Macbeth, the fault is not in our stars, but they are eclipsed by the suns of the crafts who set the stage. Go, when A24 releases Macbeth in theaters for Christmas and Oscar qualification, get that in-theatre experience before Apple TV streams it starting January 14.

Finally, one of the pleasures of any festival is finding the small film hiding in a crack somewhere that brings you into the presence of a god. Oh sure, I could be talking about Ken Burns four-part series on Muhammad Ali, which I caught part of at Telluride and is now playing out on HBO. Or how Jane Campion has undone the Western and Benedict Cumberbatch in Power of the Dog, which debuted at Telluride and earned prominent play at Toronto and the NYFF. Or King Richard, the fairy tale version of how Venus and Vanessa Williams dad, Richard Williams, played with relentlessly irritating charm by Will Smith, made sure his girls not just penetrated white tennis but wrecked it.

Im talking about the pleasure of stumbling through the unforgiving metronome of Torontos virtual screening schedule to catch the world premiere of Oscar Peterson: Black + White made by the excellent Montreal producer and doc filmmaker Barry Avrich about a hometown hero. Peterson came up in Montreal, switched from the trumpet after a bout of tuberculosis to the piano, till he heard Art Tatums Tiger Rag record that his railroad porter daddy brought home. Peterson thought two guys were playing the piano not just Tatum from Toledo, cried for two months, gave it all up. How Peterson comes to be the Michael Jordan of the jazz piano of the last half of the 20th Century at 17 playing Jazz at the Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall is simply a thrilling tour related by the legendary manager Norman Granz, and variously Billy Joel, Jon Batiste, Quincy Jones, Duke Ellington, Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock and Peterson himself.

Oscar Peterson: Black + White

It just doesnt get better than this.

Read the original:

Film Critic Harlan Jacobson Reviews "The Tragedy of Macbeth" and "Oscar Peterson: Black + White" - wbgo.org

Posted in Jordan Peterson | Comments Off on Film Critic Harlan Jacobson Reviews "The Tragedy of Macbeth" and "Oscar Peterson: Black + White" – wbgo.org

Barbara Reilly | News, Sports, Jobs – The Mining Gazette – Daily Mining Gazette

Posted: at 4:37 am

BOOTJACK Barbara Amelia Reilly, 89, went to be with the Lord and reunite with her husband Joseph, and her five boys on Monday, September 27, 2021.

Barb was raised on the Mattila family farm in Traprock Valley. Her parents appreciated her willingness to help with the many challenging chores a farm requires. She graduated from Lake Linden High School in 1950.

Barb met the love of her life, Joe, at the movie theater when she was 14 years old. Joe met her and told her in that moment that he was going to marry her. Joe and Barb were married at St. Marys Church in Calumet on May 26, 1951. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary at their home in Bootjack in June 2021.

Barb was a loving, dedicated mother. She and Joe spent many years with their family at Big and Small Traverse Bays on Lake Superior. When the kids were young, they took a family boat trip to Isle Royale, enduring terrible weather. Together, she and Joe raised five amazing men, and together their enduring faith brought them through the heartbreaking loss of all of their children.

Among her many talents, Barb owned a sewing business in Laurium with her sister Betty Anderson. She also owned and operated two motels the Superior Motel in Laurium and the Northgate Motel in Calumet. She and Joe also ran the Superior Inn Restaurant in Laurium (formerly the Bon Ton). In recent years, Barb ran a sewing and alterations business from her home in Bootjack.

Barb had an outgoing personality, was always a willing participant, and did things with full and genuine enthusiasm. Some of her adventurous interests included downhill skiing, as well as snowmobiling, boating and motorcycling with Joe. The family was always in awe of her new adventuresespecially skydiving twice in her sixties.

Traveling was another passion of hers. She traveled with her sisters, nieces and friends. They went to New York together every year for many years. Over the next several years, they toured many cities in Europe. A highlight of one of the European trips was visiting the Mattila family in Finland. Barb also took two memorable trips to Israel. She swam in the Dead Sea and was baptized in the Jordan River. She and Joe traveled to many places as well, mainly visiting family. They went to Cocoa Beach, Florida, over several winters, and vacationed in Hawaii with family.

Family gatherings were of utmost importance in her life. Barb truly welcomed all. She was especially known to cook authentic Finnish and Italian food.

Barb was always involved with her church and was a member of the Board. She graciously committed to their needs. She taught Sunday school, made countless meals for gatherings, and regularly served where she was needed.

Barb was dedicated to Christianity and faithfully lived for the Lord. Her main calling was to spread the word of Jesus and she lived it faithfully. She is home.

She is preceded in death by her parents Felix and Emily (Heikkinen) Mattila, her five sons Lon, Daniel, Fred, Shawn and Little Joe, and her siblings; Betty Anderson, Harvey Mattila, Fred Mattila, and Lenore Bonini.

Barb is survived by her grandchildren, Jesse Reilly, Jamie (Josh) Geasey, Aaron (Amber) Reilly, Heather (Jimmy) French, Chrissy (Matt) Gilley, Jennifer (Robert) Freeze and Hannah Reilly. Also, survived by three daughter-in-laws Theresa Reilly, Lorri Reilly and Thurza Mathes; her sisters, Flo Sorvala, Lois (Weldon) Gaulin, and brother-in-law, Roy Bonini. And numerous great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Joe and Barb were very grateful for the loving care Amber Reilly provided. The family thanks her and Aaron for their support.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday October 16, 2021, at 2 p.m. at the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home in Calumet with Pastor Tony Laidlaw. Visitation will take place on Saturday October 16, 2021, from 12 p.m. until the time of the service at the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home.

Burial will take place in the Lake View Cemetery.

Online condolences for the family may be left at http://www.ericksoncrowleypeterson.com.

The Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home in Calumet is assisting the family with the arrangements.

See the rest here:

Barbara Reilly | News, Sports, Jobs - The Mining Gazette - Daily Mining Gazette

Posted in Jordan Peterson | Comments Off on Barbara Reilly | News, Sports, Jobs – The Mining Gazette – Daily Mining Gazette

Digimon Tamers Stage Play Accused Of Promoting Far Right …

Posted: at 4:36 am

In their recent fansub of a Digimon Tamers stage play performed during the recent DigiFes 2021 event, English fansub group The Wild Bunch included a warning at the beginning of their release warning that this program promotes far-right politics and conspiracy theories due to its featuring of Political Correctness as its storys villain.

Source: Digimon Tamers Opening 1 (2001), Toei Animation

Released on August 3rd, The Wild Bunchs fansub of the DigiFes 2021 stage play bears a disclaimer warning viewers that the stage play, which sees the cast of Digimon Tamers reunite to read a newly written script from series writer Chiaki J. Konaka (also of Serial Experiments Lain fame) himself, program promotes far-right politics and conspiracy theories.

Added to the released ostensibly based on the fact that the Konakas script negatively portrays the concepts of political correctness, censorship, and cancel culture as societal threats, The Wild Bunchs warning further notes, The views and opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of [partner fansub group] DATS and The Wild Bunch.

Source: DigiFest 2021 Stage Play (2021). Fansubs provided by The Wild Bunch.

Beginning with a brief recap of what theyve each been up to since they fought alongside Crimson Gallantmon to save the world from the D-Reaper (or Locomon if one counts the sixth Digimon movie), the Digimon Tamers long-awaited reunion is soon interrupted by Hypnos leader Mitsuo Yamaki, who asks How much longer are you going to be doing this fluffy friendship story?

A new threat is approaching even as we speak! exclaims Yamaki. And what does the government do? They form the Digital Reform Bill [a recently passed Japanese bill which aims to digitize the countrys government, which has faced criticism for the potential of the information digitized to be abused and stolen] now, of all times, and it passes, but handling personal information is considered secondary?!

Source: DigiFest 2021 Stage Play (2021). Fansubs provided by The Wild Bunch.

Confused by his exasperation, Lee Jianliang proceeds to ask the Hypnos leader, What is this new threat you mentioned? I didnt see anything on NYXs monitors, to which Yamaki replies, You dont know?! Are you telling me that youre overlooking the worst possible disaster that has struck the Internet and media?

You dont see it? Yamaki continues. The dark shadows that have fallen upon the Internet! The terrifyingly increasing pressure to conform to a single value system, where anyone who objects is removed!

Censorship on the internet is rampant and real news covered up by fake news!, he adds. People with a different opinion have their online accounts terminated! Even alternative perspectives are set out to be crushed by fact checkers so only uniform answers can exist! At this point, peoples daily lives are controlled by information on the Internet!

Source: DigiFest 2021 Stage Play (2021). Fansubs provided by The Wild Bunch.

Taken aback, Jian answers, Chief, what youre talking about is the paradox of tolerance, right? Thats indeed a serious problem. But NYXs mission is to investigate and counteract negative influences from the Digital World that affect the Real World.

You dont see the dark clouds approaching us here? asks Yamaki. Soon, they will engulf the entire Earth and use its fearsome power to strip humans of our inherent free values by the roots!

Asked once again What is it!?, Yamaki reveals, Extreme political correctness. Now is exactly the time for Tamers and Digimon to take a stand!

Source: DigiFest 2021 Stage Play (2021). Fansubs provided by The Wild Bunch.

Shortly after Yamaki gives his warning (and Impmon makes a reappearance), the group is attacked by a mysterious entity materializing above the skies of West Shinjuku: the aforementioned Political Correctness.

Though the Tamers and their Digimon Partners are quick to leap into action to combat their newly formed physical opponent, the entity soon responds by activating its Cancel Culture attack.

However, before Political Correctness can unleash the full might of its attack, it is interrupted by a transmission from Guilmon and Renamon, whom the Tamers ask for help before the script reading comes to a cliffhanger ending.

Source: DigiFest 2021 Stage Play (2021). Fansubs provided by The Wild Bunch.

In a statement posted to their official website, The Wild Bunch explained to their viewer that There were numerous reasons under which we decided to make this hardsubbed and watermarked.

The content warning at the beginning of the video was put in after long deliberation as well (personally, while I was looking forward to subbing the skit on the days before DigiFes, I became hesitant once I saw what the content was about), reads the statement. While we typically credit all individuals who worked on any of our projects, we have decided to keep individuals unnamed this time around for similar reasons. We ask that you respect these wishes.

We decided to release this under DATS and The Wild Bunch for sentimental value, the fansub group clarified. While this is not how we would normally want to release something to the general public, we genuinely thank you for your support.

Source: DigiFest 2021 Stage Play (2021). Fansubs provided by The Wild Bunch.

On Twitter, the group followed up their initial statement by declaring that they absolutely discourage and condemn anyone approaching the official staff about this.

We dont want to cause fights (also it feels like it would prove their point about cancel culture and strengthen their views, which is not what we want at all), they concluded.

What do you make of the DigiFes 2021 stage play being accused of promoting far-right politics and conspiracy theories? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!

Go here to see the original:

Digimon Tamers Stage Play Accused Of Promoting Far Right ...

Posted in Political Correctness | Comments Off on Digimon Tamers Stage Play Accused Of Promoting Far Right …

British Airways Accused of Political Correctness as it Abolishes Ladies and Gentleman From Onboard Announcements – Paddle Your Own Kanoo

Posted: at 4:36 am

British Airways has been accused of trying to appease the woke brigade after it became the latest airline to abolish the use of the term ladies and gentleman from all onboard announcements.

The airline will instead use gender-neutral terms when addressing passengers with new announcements set to start rolling out across BAs flights in the coming days.

The decision to ditch gendered announcements, sees British Airways join a growing list of airlines that respect the fact that not everyone identifies simply as male or female. German flag carrier Lufthansa introduced gender-neutral announcements in June, although the airline admitted the change would take some getting used to.

Gender-specific announcements can be particularly difficult for non-binary people whose gender identity doesnt sit comfortably with man or woman.

The LGBTQI+ advocacy charity Stonewall describes the term non-binary as someone who feels that their gender identity and gender experience involves being both a man and a woman, or that it is fluid, in between, or completely outside of that binary.

Stonewall suggests that when addressing a group, individuals and businesses use alternatives to the binary ladies and gentleman like folks, pals or everyone.

Its not clear how British Airways will start addressing passengers but other airlines that have embraced gender-neutral greetings use the term hello everyone.

Air Canada is believed to have become the first major airline to ditch gendered announcements in late 2019 as part of its efforts to promote equality and welcome all of its customers.

Delta Air Lines and Japan Airlines have also ditched gendered announcements.

But easyJet faced a backlash in 2019 when it considered starting all of its onboard announcements with gender-neutral greetings. Critics bombarded the airline with abuse on Twitter and the airline quickly abandoned the policy and instead said they would merely issue guidance on how to welcome all customers in a friendly and inclusive way.

British Airways didnt immediately say whether it would be instructing staff to avoid gendered personal greetings like Sir and Madam, or what could replace these terms during onboard interactions.

Get the latest cabin crew recruitment news delivered to your inbox once a week...

Continue reading here:

British Airways Accused of Political Correctness as it Abolishes Ladies and Gentleman From Onboard Announcements - Paddle Your Own Kanoo

Posted in Political Correctness | Comments Off on British Airways Accused of Political Correctness as it Abolishes Ladies and Gentleman From Onboard Announcements – Paddle Your Own Kanoo