Daily Archives: August 5, 2023

From our Understatement Department: Tonights (Friday) Freedom Fest, being held at Hutchins Street Square, has created a bit of a stir among villagers. Some have been so aghast at the speakers list (Kari Lake, Kevin Crye, Dr. Doug Frank, and Steve Ding) that theyve fired off letters to the editor and begun circulating a petition demanding that Supervisor Steve Ding not take the stage, as planned. Were also told there may be a well organized protest against the whole thing lined up for tonight. And local TV stations have been alerted, so there could be something for everybody. In our mailbag this week was a note from Mike Hartung, who wrote, I get freedom of speech, but come on, this is just awful, and Steve Ding showing is reprehensible.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia announced on Wednesday that he will retire at the end of this year after three years at the departments helm and 30 years in law enforcement. Brucia took over as chief on May 1, 2020 and much of the time has been a trial by fire. Just a month or so into the job there were anti-police marches on the streets of Lodi protesting police brutality in Minneapoliss George Floyd case. Brucia also had to find a way to manage $2 million in budget cuts. Brucias last official day will be Dec. 30. He says he may also move out of state after he retires.

FOR THE GOLD: Lodis Dan Christy and his Santa Barbara Silver Surfers water polo teammates are in Kumamoto, Japan to compete in the world championships. Their first heat is tomorrow (Saturday). Theyll competing in the 65-plus division and Christy says it will be difficult. Its gonna be a definite challenge; these are some real good teams we are playing, he cautions. In June Christy and his team won gold at the Masters National Championships. Four years ago, they won gold at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Makin us proud.

CONSTRUCTION ZONE: The police department has been laying plans for a new training complex for at least 10 years. The vision is to build the new facility at White Slough, along I-5 near Highway 12 on city-owned property. The city council appears solidly behind the project, earmarking $1,152,439 in surplus operating funds for it at its meeting two weeks ago. Chief Brucia is thrilled, but concedes there is a lot ahead. At the top of the list is securing a partner for the project, one who will contribute capital funds to build it and possibly help run it. Brucia says his department has been working with San Joaquin Delta College at the staff level for quite some time, and he believes there is an agreement in principle on co-oping the project. However, the colleges board of trustees first has to ratify any agreement and commit funds to it, says Brucia. He hopes something like that will happen at the trustee meeting this month. When its built, Brucia says the new training center will reduce the citys training costs and generate revenue from its emergency vehicle operation course (EVOC), and possibly the firing ranges included in the plan. At this point, all eyes are on Delta College, which conducts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) programs, and has its own police force.

UPDATE: We recently reported on the local real estate market, which said the market is still tight in Lodi, resulting in some interesting feedback on social media. Jaime Stirm said Lodi is circling the drain. Anna Disch wrote that there remains a real need for starter homes for first-time buyers. Price tag on large homes is unrealistic for families, she says. Gerardo Garcia wrote, If prices get high enough those homes are gonna sit empty. And then youll have a bubble on your hands. Then itll be a great time for us millennials. Realtor Roxanne Rocha, who was quoted in the piece, says shes a capitalist at heart, until she hears of large real estate investment trusts buying up single family homes and entire subdivisions for their portfolios. She says they shouldnt be allowed to buy anything smaller than a 100-unit complex, and politicians should fix this. Rocha said during the financial crisis of 2008 large corporations bought up many single-family houses in Lodi, some of them on the courthouse steps during foreclosure. She says the corporate practice, which is much more prevalent in other parts of the country, deprives first-time homebuyers the opportunity to buy a home they can afford. To put things in perspective, Californias average home price is $743,362. The median California home price for May, 2023 was $836,110, according to the real estate website Zillow. The average (typical) home in Lodi sells for about $470,000, the company says.

LOOKING BACK: A week or so ago we wrote about the sudden and untimely death of local farmer Frank Mills. He died three days after his 61st birthday. He came from a pioneering family. His great-great-great-grandparents Freeman and Minerva (Grace) Mills braved the plains from Illinois and settled in Woodbridge in 1857. His great-grandfather Freeman B. Mills married Carrie C. Ellis Mills on August 11, 1885. Mrs. Mills was the daughter of Ralph Ellis, one-time owner of the Lodi Sentinel and former sheriff of Napa County. His grandfather Everts Mills built the white mansion on Lower Sacramento Road, near Elm Street.

PICKERS: The History Channels American Pickers is coming to California (maybe Lodi) and you might have something they want. The program producers are looking for large, rare collections and things the producers have never seen before. They also want to know the backstory of items they feature. American Pickers is a documentary series broadcast on the History Channel, which explores the fascinating world of antique picking. So, theyre looking for leads. Collectors interested in being considered for the show can call (646) 493-2184 or email at AmericanPickers@cineflix.com.

FLASHBACK: A blaze broke out in the early evening hours of April 15, 1955 at the Shewan-Jones Winery at the intersection of Turner Rd. and Sacramento St. The fire was reported by winery night watchman Gottlieb Zahn at 8:40 p.m. Both Lodi and Woodbridge fire departments responded to the call. The fire consumed the winerys cold storage plant, which had been undergoing some renovations. A cutting torch was blamed for the fire, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. The blaze injured winery worker Edward Rodacker, who was working inside the cold storage warehouse when the fire broke out. Assistant Fire Chief Forrest Eproson and volunteer firemen Riney Bender and Rudy Vaccarezza narrowly escaped serious injury when the roof of the warehouse started to collapse while they were cutting a ventilation hole. Firefighting efforts were hampered by thick smoke and the inability of the winery sewers to drain the huge amount of water being poured on the blaze.

Rodacker was rushed to Buchanan Hospital on East Pine Street for emergency treatment of first degree burns to his face and neck and undetermined damage to his lungs due to smoke inhalation. The winery, which was located where the River Pointe subdivision is today, produced the popular Italian Swiss Colony wine.

Steve is a former newspaper publisher and lifelong Lodian whose column appears most Tuesdays and Fridays in the News-Sentinel and at stevemann.substack.com. Write to Steve at aboutlodi@gmail.com.

Here is the original post:

Steve Mann: Should Ding exercise his freedom not to speak? - Lodi News-Sentinel

God's Trying To Tell You Something is a theatrical masterpiece that highlights and celebrates the journey of African Americans from slavery to the auction block to freedom.

It's been entertaining audiences in more than 40 cities, and now it's Salt Lake City's turn.

Tim Drisdom, the Pit Choir Director for the show here, joined us to tell us more.

He says the first act of the show gives glimpses into some inspiring icons from Harriet Tubman, to Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.

The second act is more light-hearted with salutes to famous entertainers like Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and more.

"God's Trying to Tell You Something" is at Abravanel Hall on Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.

Click here to get your tickets and to learn more about the show, visit godstryingtotellyousomething.com.

Go here to read the rest:

Celebrate the journey of African Americans from slavery to freedom ... - FOX 13 News Utah

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Claim:

Actor Mark Wahlberg made remarks about the 2023 child sex-trafficking film "Sound of Freedom," saying of Hollywood that "enough is enough."

Rating:

On July 26, 2023, a purported celebrity news YouTube channel, Drama Bay, published a new video with a thumbnail image that showed actor Mark Wahlberg and the poster for "Sound of Freedom," a film centered on child sex trafficking.The thumbnail also displayed the words, "Enough Is Enough," an apparent quote that referenced the video's title, "5 MINUTES AGO: Mark Wahlberg Exposes the Evil Hollywood for Blacklisting 'Sound Of Freedom.'"

As of Aug. 3, the video had already received nearly 4 million views.

However, we found no evidence that Wahlberg had ever publicly spoken about "Sound of Freedom," nor did we locate documentation that showed he had said "enough is enough" about "the evil Hollywood," as referenced in the video's title.

The bottom of the description under the YouTube video warned viewers that its content might not be true:

Disclaimer: Content might be gossip, rumors, exaggerated or indirectly besides the truth. Viewer advised to do own research before forming their opinion. Content might be opinionated.

Also, the video in question appeared to feature narration from a voice that had been generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) tool.

Commenters who praised Wahlberg for speaking out about things he never said did not seem to remark about the narration being fake.

At the 4:03 mark in the YouTube video, displayed on screen was a screenshot from an online article that showed the headline, "Mark Wahlberg: Hollywood Pedophiles Have 'Nowhere Left To Hide.'"

The article was originally reported byThe People's Voice, then was republished to SGT Report. The narrator in the video mentioned that the former has since been deleted.

Story continues

According to the article, Wahlberg made remarks about "blood drinking pedophiles" in Hollywoodin front of "hundreds of people at a Sunday school meeting in Los Angeles."

However, the screenshot of the article that appeared in the video showed a large label that said it was "fake."

This screenshot with the "fake" label originally came from a tweetthat had been posted by BBC Verify journalist ShayanSardarizadeh. In Sardarizadeh's tweet, he mentioned that former Fox News and "60 Minutes" reporter Lara Logan appeared to believe the article was real, having shared it to her followers. He also said, "The People's Voice, aka YourNewsWire, [is] one of the biggest fake news websites on the internet."

Despite the "fake" label that was displayed on top of the article screenshot, the YouTube video's narrator continued on as if the story was real.

At the 5:08 mark in the video, a quote from the article was read by the narrator that claimed Wahlberg said "Sound of Freedom" actor Jim Caviezel, as well as Mel Gibson, who had promoted the film but was not involved in its creation,were "'American heroes'with 'balls of steel'for daring to take on the Hollywood system and play their part in raising awareness about the scourge of elite pedophilia in the entertainment industry."

However, at the 5:33 mark in the video, the narrator said that everything they had just talked about, apparently including the remarks in the video's title and thumbnail image, was fake.

"This news was remarked as fake," the narrator said. "Nevertheless, there is currently no substantiated evidence to support the claim that Wahlberg made such a statement, and his representative has categorically denied any association with it."

In reporting from PolitiFact, the site noted that the picture of Wahlberg used in the article was from 2017 and had nothing to do with the subject.

Further, and most important, a representative for Wahlberg told bothLead Stories and Reuters that the article was "completely false."

We reached out directly to Wahlberg to ask about the YouTube video, but did not receive a response within two days.

Other popular YouTube videos that seemed to come from the same network of bogus celebrity news sites included the following misleading titles: "7 MINUTES AGO: Mark Wahlberg Shares New TERRIFYING Details About Hollywood," "Hollywood FREAKS OUT After Mel Gibson & Mark Wahlberg DESTROY Them," and "Mark Wahlberg CONFRONTS Hollywood For Blacklisting 'Sound Of Freedom.'"

We previously published a similar storyabout a rumor that falsely claimed Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey had also made remarks about "Sound of Freedom" and Hollywood.

"Fact Check - Fabricated Mark Wahlberg Comments about Pedophiles in Hollywood." Reuters, 20 July 2023. http://www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N396261.

Liles, Jordan. "Did Matthew McConaughey Speak About 'Sound of Freedom,' Saying Hollywood 'All Sold Their Soul'?" Snopes, 2 Aug. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/matthew-mcconaughey-sound-of-freedom/.

Malashenko, Uliana. "Fact Check: NO Evidence Mark Wahlberg Said 'Hollywood Pedophiles' Have 'Nowhere Left To Hide.'" Lead Stories, 14 July 2023, https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2023/07/fact-check-no-evidence-mark-wahlberg-said-hollywood-pedophiles-have-nowhere-left-to-hide.html.

O'Rourke, Ciara. "Fabricated Story Stars Mark Wahlberg Denouncing 'Blood Drinking Pedophiles.'" PolitiFact, 18 July 2023, https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/jul/18/viral-image/fabricated-story-stars-mark-wahlberg-denouncing-bl/.

Read the original post:

Fact Check: Did Mark Wahlberg Comment About 'Sound of Freedom' and Hollywood, Saying 'Enough Is Enough'? - Yahoo Entertainment

KEITH KRACH

Last March, I testified before Montanas House Judiciary Committee about the threat posed by TikTok to Montanans. About a month later, Montana became the first state in the nation to ban this digital weapon of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) statewide and created a model for other states to replicate.

There is a broad bipartisan consensus about the danger TikTok poses to Americans. FBI Director Christopher Wray said the Chinese government uses TikTok for influence operations and espionage. Montanas Attorney General Austin Knudsen accurately called TikTok a pernicious spying application.

The threat from TikTok is multifold, but let me emphasize three points.

First, TikTok is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance, which is controlled by the Chinese government from a legal, structural, governance, and leadership perspective. The CCPs 1% golden share stake in the company effectively gives it control of TikToks algorithm.

Furthermore, all Chinese companies and citizens are bound by Chinas National Intelligence Law. Under this law, they are forced to turn over all dataproprietary or otherwise to the Chinese government upon request or suffer draconian consequences. TikToks Chinese employees have no choice in the matter.

Second, TikTok is programmed to track your keystrokes to capture personal data, such as your credit card information, drivers license, bank and medical records, passwords, and location. The Chinese government has been caught red-handed using TikTok to track whistleblowers and reporters in attempts to intimidate them.

TikTok also preys on children. The app is disguised as candy, but its really cocaine. In fact, the version of TikTok peddled to American kids is not available in China. Instead, the algorithm of its Chinese version is used for STEM education.

Finally, China uses TikTok as a powerful propaganda and censorship tool to sow discontent and limit your freedom of speech. Just try posting something critical of the CCPs Uyghur genocide or in favor of Taiwanese independence.

During my tenure as under secretary of State, my team built the Clean Network Alliance of Democracies that defeated the CCPs master plan to control 5G. The Clean Network included a number of other efforts Clean Carrier, Clean Cloud, Clean Cable, Clean Apps, and Clean Store.

The Clean Store approach, adopted by Montana, is focused on removing untrusted apps, including TikTok, from U.S. mobile app stores, because Chinese apps proliferate viruses, spread propaganda, and threaten our national security. Montanas significant military infrastructure and its residents most sensitive personal information must be protected from Americas top foreign adversary.

Here in Montana, you are familiar with the Chinese governments attempts to spy on Americans. We owe the residents of Billings a big thank you for spotting the Chinese surveillance balloon. If the CCP can weaponize a balloon, imagine what it can do with 150 million U.S. TikTok users at its mercy, including hundreds of thousands of Montanans.

President Reagan said, Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.

We live in a world of tyrants determined to bend us to their will. With its TikTok ban, Montana has taken a bold step to protect its citizens from the long reach of Xi Jinping, paving the way for other states to do their part in saving freedom from extinction. Otherwise, as Reagan warned, one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our childrens children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

Keith Krach served as U.S. Under Secretary of State from 2019-21. He is currently the Chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue and serves as Co-Chair of the Global Tech Security Commission. Krach previously served as Chairman and CEO of DocuSign and Ariba and Chairman of the Purdue Board of Trustees.

Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!

See original here:

Keith Krach: TikTok ban can save freedom from extinction - Billings Gazette

As scholars in the Brenda H. Tapia CDF Freedom Schools at Davidson College, they encounter a wide variety of stories through books, engage in art and physical activities, and explore the world around them on field trips.

Scholars range in grade from kindergarten through eighth, but all start the day in the gymnasium with breakfast and Harambee, which means all pull together in Kiswahili. Guest readers join the daily ritual of singing, dancing and storytelling.

The Freedom Schools program, based on the Mississippi Freedom Summer project of 1964, was developed by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) in 1995 to address equity issues within the U.S. education system. In 2005, Davidson College became the first higher education institution to sponsor a Freedom Schools program. Davidson College students, who lead the activities and lessons, are trained as servant leaders by the Childrens Defense Fund.

The 2023 Freedom Schools session ended July 21 with a finale celebration featuring performances and the scholars artwork in the E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center McKay Atrium.

Read the original here:

'All Pull Together': Davidson College Freedom Schools in Photos - Davidson News

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code

Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe

Follow this link:

Opinion: Freedom of association | Columns | idahostatejournal.com - Idaho State Journal

WASHINGTONNoting that children were safer now that these sick individuals were off the street, the FBI arrested millions of Americans Friday who did not see Sound Of Freedom under suspicion of child trafficking. Today, weve detained countless citizens believed to be child traffickers who clearly did not see Sound Of Freedom due to a guilty conscience, said FBI chief Christopher Wray, adding that the raid, which spanned all 50 states, rounded up millions who likely could not face watching the movie because it featured unspeakable crimes identical to those theyd committed. To the many brave Americans who saw the film, we know you are clean. But to everyone else, we just have one question: Why couldnt you stand to watch it? Perhaps its because deep down, you know exactly what kinds of sick, twisted things youve done, and you cant bear to look yourselves in the mirror. At press time, Wray walked back several arrests after 73 million of the people hed arrested for not seeing the movie ended up being children.

This Week's Most Viral News: June 30, 2023

Original post:

FBI Arrests Millions Of Americans Who Didn't See 'Sound Of ... - The Onion

In the early 2000s, Jim Caviezel was on the cusp of Hollywood stardom, as Caviezels essential truth-telling, quiet charm, and sheer unpretentiousness gave Caviezel a disarmingly effective screen presence in the films Angel Eyes, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Frequency.

Of course, Caviezel gained worldwide fame with his titular performance in the 2004 Mel Gibson-directed biblical drama film The Passion of the Christ, which was a great commercial success but sharply divided audiences and critics, largely along political and religious lines, as the film was criticized for being excessively violent and containing perceived anti-Semitic representations.

Despite the fact that The Passion of the Christ grossed more than $600 million at the worldwide box office, Caviezels strong identification with the film, and especially the role of Jesus Christ, along with Caviezels strict adherence to his Catholic faith, seemingly made Caviezel undesirable in Hollywood.

Caviezel is experiencing much the same kind of dichotomy with his latest film, the independently-released child-trafficking action film Sound of Freedom, which has become the surprise box office hit of 2023 but has also been labeled as being controversial and divisive due to the films political and religious undertones.

Jim Caviezels personal beliefs impacted his career even before he was cast in The Passion of the Christ, as Caviezel had previously refused to perform graphic on-screen sexual scenes with female co-stars, specifically with Jennifer Lopez in Angel Eyes and Ashley Judd in High Crimes, in keeping with Caviezels deep commitment to his marital vows.

However, Caviezels performance in The Passion of the Christ irrevocably changed the trajectory of his career. Indeed, Caviezel has said that the films director, Mel Gibson, after offering Caviezel the films titular role, tried to talk Caviezel out of accepting the role, as Gibson warned Caviezel of the potential discrimination and typecasting that Caviezel might encounter in the wake of the films release. Of the impact that The Passion of the Christ had on Caviezels career and life, Caviezel said:

I made a choice. What you find out is that some choices are viewed as evil, and I dont see it that way. If there was a comedy out there, I would do it, but after playing Jesus, you dont really get offers like that anymore. As soon as I did Passion, other film offers stopped coming in.

Related: Best Jim Caviezel Movies, Ranked

Following the release of The Passion of the Christ, Caviezel starred as professional golfer Bobby Jones in the independently-released biographical drama film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius and then appeared, in the role of a terrorist, opposite Denzel Washington in the big-budget action science-fiction thriller film Dj vu.

Moreover, as many of the film roles that Cazievel received following The Passion of the Christ had Caviezel playing grayish-shaded characters in various action and thriller films, Caviezels screen persona became increasingly morally ambiguous and sometimes villainous, as evidenced by Caviezels cold-blooded performance opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone in the 2013 action-thriller film Escape Plan, in which Caviezel plays a sadistic prison warden.

While The Passion of the Christ played havoc with Jim Caviezels previously burgeoning film career, Caviezel did subsequently find success on network television as the star of the CBS drama series Person of Interest, which aired from 2011 and 2016 and featured Caviezel as John Reese, a former CIA agent and Special Forces soldier who is approached to join a computer-driven vigilante team that aims to monitor, and predict, terrorist activities.

However, while Caviezel received excellent reviews for his work on the series, the cancellation of Person of Interest in 2016, after five seasons, heralded Caviezels break from Hollywood, as while Caviezel has never again acted on television following the shows cancellation, Caviezels subsequent film appearances have been in decidedly non-Hollywood productions, most of which bear a connection to Caviezels political and religious views.

Related: Sound of Freedom: Breaking Down Every Controversy Surrounding the Divisive Film

Prior to Sound of Freedom, which was filmed in 2018, Caviezel played Saint Luke in the 2018 biblical drama film Paul, Apostle of Christ and then starred in the 2020 political thriller film Infidel as Doug Rawlins, an outspoken Christian American blogger and journalist who, while visiting Cairo, Egypt, as part of a speech tour, is kidnapped by members of the Iranian regime and then put on trial on a bogus spying charge.

Infidel was executive produced by prominent conservative author and commentator Dinesh DSousa, and Caviezel has, in recent years, become increasingly attached to conservative politics and linked to the controversial QAnon political movement, which has expressed total support for Sound of Freedom.

In Sound of Freedom, Jim Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, a real-life anti-human trafficking activist, and a former government agent, who embarks on a perilous mission to rescue kidnapped children from sex traffickers in Colombia.

As the reaction to Sound of Freedom has been so deeply politicized, due not only to the films content but also Caviezel and Ballards alleged QAnon ties, the quality of the film itself has almost become a moot point, as expressions of dislike and support for the film have become the equivalent of wearing a badge of moral and political courage.

Given that Sound of Freedom might ordinarily have been dismissed as a fairly routine action film, this controversy has been a blessing, so to speak, for the film, which has presently grossed more than $140 million at the domestic box office against a production cost of less than $15 million.

However, for Caviezel, the only effect that the films success has had on his career is to seemingly further cement his status as a Hollywood outsider. Indeed, as Sound of Freedom continues to shatter commercial expectations and norms, Caviezel seems now to be as far removed from Hollywood, figuratively speaking, as hes ever been.

Read the original here:

How Sound Of Freedom Star Jim Caviezel Became a Hollywood ... - MovieWeb

News item | 03-08-2023 | 14:48

In mid-June,the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia and Project Multatuli joined forces to organize an incredible #WorldPressFreedomDay 2023 celebration. We took this opportunity to shine a spotlight on the power of the press and its crucial role in shaping our world. The festivities unfolded across three cities: Surabaya, Jakarta, and Labuan Bajo. In Jakarta, the heart of the celebration was at our Erasmus Huis on June 3rd. The event kicked off with a film screening of 'Wisisi Nit Meke', a short film about electronic music from West Papua.

Maresa Oosterman, Head of Political Affairs at the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia. noted in her opening speech that the role of the media is very important ahead of the 2024 Indonesian elections, representing the voice of the people as well as preventing the spread of hoaxes. The discussion, held with members of the Press Council, Jentera academics, Sinar Pidie journalists and Project Multatuli, discussed the future of small media in Indonesia facing a political year that is predicted to be full of intrigue.

After a thought provoking discussion, the audience was treated to a mesmerizing theatre performance titled 'Kinrohosi dan Hikayat Tolak Bala,' a spectacular collaboration between Lampaq Teater Sendratasik UNU and Sekolah Pedalangan Wayang Sasak. Later on, visitors were treated to hilarious stand-up comedy acts, electrifying musical performances, unforgettable karaoke sessions, and mind-bending quizzes that put their knowledge to the test.

And to top it all off, we celebrated Project Multatuli's second anniversary, marking two years of relentless dedication to the cause of press freedom.

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supported this incredible event. Let's keep the spirit of press freedom alive and thriving, igniting change and inspiring the world. Together, we can make a difference!

Read the original here:

Celebrating Press Freedom in Indonesia and Beyond | News item - The Netherlands and You