Category Archives: New Utopia

The Fan Carpet are delighted to share with you the brand newTrailer and Poster for the official Suzi Quatro documentary releasing this summer - "SUZI Q" - featuringAlice Cooper,Deborah Harry(Blondie),Joan Jett, Cherie Currie(The Runaways),Tina Weymouth(Talking Heads),Donita Sparks(L7),Henry Winkler(Happy Days),Kathy Valentine(The GoGos),KT Tunstall,members of the Quatro family, and many more.

SUZI Q is the definitive, unexpurgated story of the girl from Detroit City who redefined the role and image of women in rocknroll, when she broke through around the world in 1973. Singer, songwriter, bass player, author, actress, radio presenter, poet, still touring and recording music there is only one Suzi Q.

From Australian filmmakers Liam Firmager and Tait Brady, SUZI Q positions Suzi as the trailblazer and inspiration for a generation of women who were to follow after her in the next decade, but whose trailblazing status was not sufficiently recognised by the music industry and contemporary audiences, especially in North America. SUZI Q reminds contemporary audiences of her pioneering influence, white-hot talent and string of incandescent rock hits, like CAN THE CAN, 48 CRASH and DAYTONA DEMON that were the vehicle for her explosion of gender stereotypes in rock n roll, rewriting the rule book for the expected image of women in rock music and reaching millions of people worldwide in the process.

With theaters closed, Utopia Distribution will host a "SUZI Q" virtual event on July 1st featuring the film and an exclusive Q&A featuring Suzi Quatro and a Special Guest (available for 24 hours only) in advance of the film's traditional release on VOD and DVD on July 3rd. To buy your ticket for the July 1st event powered by Altavod, visit:

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Utopia Distribution Unveil The New Trailer For Suzi Quatro Documentary SUZI Q Featuring Debbie Harry, Alice Cooper And More - The Fan Carpet

Josh Whitehouse is excited to get the band back together.

In mid-March, the actor and musician was in Los Angeles and in the middle of pre-production for Daisy Jones and the Six when COVID-19 caused production to stop. The literary adaptation follows an acclaimed, but fictional, band from the Seventies. Whitehouse came into the project a real musician he fronts his own band, More Like Trees, although the role required him to learn bass. Some of his costars were learning their instruments from scratch. Preproduction meant band rehearsal, and they were just starting to get good.

But acting is often a waiting game, and in the meantime Whitehouse is continuing to hone his skills and write his own music. He also has another film making its at-long-last debut. The 30-year-old actor is the lead in Valley Girl, a musical film remake of the 1983 Martha Coolidge-directed film starring Nicolas Cage. They were big shoes to fill, says Whitehouse.

A still from Valley Girl.Courtesy

Whitehouse plays Randy, a punk kid from Hollywood who plays in a band and falls in love with Julie, a girl from the Valley. Its a Romeo and Juliet plotline, and the reboot is a candy-colored, upbeat PG-13 version of the original. Theres lot of stuff in the original [film] which maybe you wouldnt want your kids watching, says Whitehouse.

The movie is being released on demand and in select drive-in theaters, a particularly appropriate setting for its play on nostalgia. The story lives in a nostalgic flashback for the main characters memory, who retells the story of her first love to her teenaged daughter. Time tends to smooth the edges of memory, and Valley Girl is hoping that fact will work in its favor. Although filmed four years ago and originally slated for a 2018 release, the movie was delayed due to controversy over inappropriate posts and behavior by supporting actor Logan Paul, a YouTuber who, coincidently, is the antagonist of the film.

Music has become the through-line of Whitehouses career. But despite that, Whitehouse isnt trying to typecast himself as Mister Music Man.

A still from Valley Girl.Courtesy

When he first moved to London at age 18 to pursue music, acting wasnt even on the radar for the now 30-year-old Brit. He got scouted by a modeling agent, and ended up doing a few campaigns for preppy teen clothing brand Jack Wills. The photographer Elaine Constantine cast him in her feature film Northern Soul, he got an agent, and the roles kept coming. (As did the campaigns he was the face of Mr. Burberry in 2016.)

Actings become the main steering wheel in my life, says Whitehouse. My music is my passion, and if I make money from film I tend to use that to then go and support my ability to make music.

Some of Whitehouses music has ended up in the movies hes acted in. It just kind of happens, I become inspired by the film Im working on, so I tend to write as the character, he says. One of these songs ended up in the credits of The Happy Worker.

Theres a musical element and Cage connection to The Happy Worker. Whitehouse stars in the David Lynch-produced film (he originally planned to direct it several decades ago, but did Twin Peaks instead) shot by the auteurs longtime collaborator Duwayne Dunham. Tight-lipped about details, Whitehouse described the film as a steam-punk utopia, and the plot as a bunch of down-and-outs living in the Utah desert, working together to dig a huge hole. And theyre all really, really happy. Theyre singing and dancing, and you dont know why theyre digging for the whole film.

While in quarantine, hes been continuing to write and play for More Like Trees. The drum-and-bass trio, which also includes his older brother Matt Whitehouse, released a new album in January and theyve been releasing videos. Whitehouse has been keeping busy; hes also working on preproduction for a short animated film with his brother, performing on Instagram Live, and continuing to hone his bass skills.

Whitehouse is looking forward to the day he can get back on stage. And hopefully hell soon be reunited with his other bandmates his Daisy Jones costars, including Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, and Suki Waterhouse.

We have a WhatsApp chat group, so we can all stay in touch, says Whitehouse, who moved to L.A. at the start of the year. Theyre such a lovely bunch of people. Its been really nice making some new friends in L.A.

Josh WhitehouseCourtesy

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Josh Whitehouse Talks 'Valley Girl' Remake, 'Daisy Jones and the Six' - WWD

Shedding the cowboy antics of Star Wars and the utopian idealism of Star Trek, Amazon Prime Video's The Expanse highlights how royally we can screw things up, which is made only worse by being in the vacuum of space.

Rather than slick spaceships and operatic overtones, The Expanse takes a hard, cold look at what colonizing the solar system could look like in the next few centuries.

I'll admit I'm only a couple of seasons in so far, but I haven't been able to watch anything else since I started. It's so damn watchable.

The story centres around Jim Holden (Steven Strait) and his crew of misfits as they bounce from one crisis to another in the colonized solar system. Things go from bad, to worse and then much worse.

Holden is a reluctant, but capable leader. Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar), Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper) and Amos Burton (Wes Chatham) make up the rest of the team, each with their own can't-help-but-root-for-them attitudes.

Luckily, they have each other (for the most part) and a relatively stable moral centre.

The expanded cast includes some fantastic performances from Thomas Jane, who plays a hard-done-by detective and Jared Harris as a gang/rebel leader with an impossible accent.

But the highlight is easily Shohreh Aghdashloo as Chrisjen Avasarala, a powerful diplomat looking after Earth's interests. She doesn't suffer fools lightly, performing delicately when she needs to, but able to flip the switch to badass in an instant.

The series, based on novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey, is set during a solar system-spanning Cold War. On one side is Earth, governed by the decadent UN, and the other is Mars, a militaristic but fragile state which is bound in a tenuous peace. However, one little provocation and that could all come crashing down, along with all of human civilization.

Originally released on American channel Syfy, the series was picked up by Amazon after it was cancelled following its third season. Prime released the fourth season in 2019 and announced a fifth is already in the works.

And thank goodness Amazon scooped it up. The mystery surrounding an unusual and dangerous alien substance that can alter matter (being experimented on with the most Machiavellian way imaginable) is the main throughline for the plot.

But The Expanse is about much more than this existential threat, it's about the incredible world it's set in.

This isn't the idealized universe of Star Trek, where money and hunger have gone the way of the dodo, in The Expanse, water has become more precious than gold. It's a world full of greed, corruption and inequality. It is capitalism gone mad in the far reaches of space.

People have inhabited asteroids in the belt, which is being taken advantage of by the dominant planets in the system, Mars and Earth.

Mars, with the know-how to turn their rusty-red planet into a garden, is low on resources because of their spending on the military, just in case there's a war.

And Earth, after years of degradation and sea-level rise is changed (but all too familiar) with an elite pulling the strings for selfish ends.

One also has to admire the writers (both screen and novel) restraint when it comes to the technology. Yes, humans have been able to reach the other planets and stellar rocks in the solar system, but the ships people use are definitely built for speed, not comfort. They're blocky, with wires and scaffolding unceremoniously strapped to their sides.

New languages and phrases seem so natural. Yes, a group of people living on asteroids probably would develop their own culture and a sizeable chip on their shoulders.

Differences in gravity, resources, time, it's all taken into account and given its due. Sometimes I'll pause an episode just to remark, wow, they've thought of everything.

It also doesn't hide the audience from the cruelty and inequalities, and it doesn't pull away from the atrocities that could happen. It's a warning of what we could become.

It's science fiction without the utopia, and although somewhat depressing, it adds a layer of realism that is so compelling to watch.

Needing an escape from planet Earth? I get it. Here are some other sci-fi shows worth checking out I haven't already recommended (like The Mandalorian, Star Trek Discovery and Picard).

Battlestar Galactica (remake), available on Amazon Prime Video. A deep, though sometimes convoluted plot that touches on humanity and artificial intelligence. An excellent musical score that reverberates throughout.

Westworld, available on Crave (with HBO add-on). A theme park made for the elite with no limits, the characters within the fantasy are highly intelligent robots, what could go wrong?

Space Force, available on Netflix on May 29. Needing something a little lighter? Steve Carell is tasked with forming the Space Force (an actual real thing), a new branch of the American Armed Forces with no idea of what it's supposed to be. Hopefully, it will be a sufficient replacement for The Office for the streaming giant.

For All Mankind, available on Apple TV Plus.What if the Soviets landed on the moon first? This alternate history drama takes a look at what could have been and what it would mean for America's psyche.

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STREAMING WARS: The Expanse trades sci-fi fantasy for realism and it works - SaltWire Network

Books are just about the only part of our culture right now that is chugging on, more or less as normal. And thank goodness for that, because summer reading is going to be excellent this year (and not just because we're potentially going to be spending most of it still in quarantine). From books about outbreaks to books that offer complete escape, here's what you'll want to have on your nightstand for those warm summer nights.

And if all else fails, there's always Midnight Sun.

1. The Brothers York, by Thomas Penn (June 16)

I have a vast, sad void in my life now that I've finished Hilary Mantel's trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, and I can't wait to fill it with this War of the Roses biography about the house of York. Already out in the U.K. where it was named one of the best books of 2019 by The Guardian and the Telegraph The Brothers York also earned an endorsement from Mantel herself, who writes that "with insight and skill, [author Thomas] Penn cuts through the thickets of history to find the heart of these heartless decades." One might recognize the biography's central trio of brothers Edward IV; George, Duke of Clarence; and Richard III from the works of Shakespeare, yet the history behind the plays is well worth your time; Lit Hub calls it a "juicy, impeccably researched work."

2. Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (June 30)

This is maybe less of a "beach read" than it is a great book to take camping, if only because its spooky Bram Stoker-esque atmosphere is way better for reading by the light of a campfire. (For a quarantine-appropriate alternative, try reading it under the covers with a flashlight). The book begins in Mexico City in the 1950s, when the beautiful bachelorette Noem is summoned home from a party by her father due to his receiving a concerning letter from Noem's cousin, Catalina. Though it is rambling and strange, Catalina claims in the note that her new husband is trying to poison her and that their grand home in a remote mountain village is "sick with rot, stinks of decay, brims with every single evil and cruel sentiment." Off Noem goes to find out what's happening, only to be pulled deeper into the nightmare.

3. The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones (July 1)

The Only Good Indians earned the rare triple crown of starred reviews from the trades, and its author, Stephen Graham Jones, has been described as "the Jordan Peele of horror literature." But if that weren't enough to get you hyped, the novel follows the supernatural events that unfold after four young Blackfoot men kill a pregnant elk on forbidden tribal land. Years later, a demonic force comes to take revenge for the bloodshed in this story that, in the words of Publishers Weekly's starred review, "works both as a terrifying chiller and as biting commentary on the existential crisis of indigenous peoples adapting to a culture that is bent on eradicating theirs."

4. Utopia Avenue, by David Mitchell (July 14)

Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell has made us wait five years for his next novel, but at a chunky 600 pages, Utopia Avenue sounds like it's going to be worth it. The book presents itself as the "unexpurgated story" of a British psychedelic rock band that "released only two LPs during its brief and blazing journey from the clubs of Soho and draughty ballrooms, to Top of the Pops and the cusp of chart success, to glory in Amsterdam, prison in Rome, and a fateful American fortnight in the autumn of 1968." Each chapter title is apparently taken from the name of one of the band's songs, and focuses on one of its four members. Addressing the ambitious undertaking, Mitchell has said, "Can a novel made of words (and not fitted with built-in speakers or Bluetooth) explore the word-less mysteries of music, and music's impact on people and the world? How? Utopia Avenue is my rather hefty stab at an answer."

5. The Pull of the Stars, by Emma Donoghue (July 21)

Emma Donoghue's novel about the 1918 influenza had its publication date bumped up to this summer because, well, duh. "Back in October 2018, the centenary of the Great Flu prompted me to start The Pull of the Stars, set in a Dublin maternity ward at the height of the misery in 1918," the Room author told the Irish Times. "Two days after I delivered my final draft, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic." Admittedly, the misery of disease might be the last thing you want to read about right now, but Donoghue's book which centers on health-care workers in a city hospital under quarantine is described as "deeply involving and profoundly moving." Read if you're an enthusiastic 7 p.m. applauder (and if you're looking for more coronavirus-adjacent literature, start here).

6. The Queen of Tuesday, by Darin Strauss (August 18)

Publishers solicit blurbs in order to sell books the quotes are essentially advertising material but when two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Colson Whitehead gets behind a novel, you sit up and listen. His endorsement of the "gorgeous, Technicolor take on America" sits on the cover of Darin Strauss' forthcoming Queen of Tuesday, which weaves together memoir and fiction as it circles around its central character, actress and I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball. Strauss' grandfather was at a party with Ball (hosted by Fred Trump!) in New York in 1949, and the novel imagines an affair between the two. While fictionalizing a real person in such a way can be fraught, Strauss is the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award (for Half a Life) and I trust that Lucy is in good hands.

7. Sisters, by Daisy Johnson (August 25)

If you're not aboard the Daisy Johnson train yet, well, where have you been? Johnson became the youngest author to ever be shortlisted for the hyper-prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2018 at the age of 27 for her debut novel, Everything Under, and she follows it up with Sisters, a story about teenagers July and September who move to a remote family home on the seaside with their single mother. While we don't have too many details about the book yet this far out, her publisher calls it "alive, original, and surprising" as well as a "seriously smart and compulsively readable novel about a young woman attempting to find her own agency within an all-consuming relationship." The Guardian hails Johnson as being "the next generation," writing that Sisters is a "short, sharp explosion of a gothic thriller whose tension ratchets up and up to an ending of extraordinary lyricism and virtuosity." Sold.

8. Migrations, by Charlotte McConaghy (August 25)

Don't judge a book by it's cover, although if you must, it might as well be the gorgeous Migrations, the U.S. debut of Charlotte McConaghy. Franny Stone arrives in Greenland with the goal of finding the world's last flock of Arctic terns as they make their final migration, and convinces the captain of the Saghani to ferry her in the pursuit. (There is, as you might expect, more to Franny than she initially lets on to the captain). Early descriptions make it sound like a novel with a topical climate change theme and a plot that examines the slippery brink of extinction. Shelf Awareness praised it as "brimming with stunning imagery and raw emotion" and "the incredible story of personal redemption, self-forgiveness, and hope for the future in the face of a world on the brink of collapse." Bonus: In the sweltering days of August, its descriptions of the frozen Arctic can cool you down.

9. This Is the Night Our House Will Catch Fire, by Nick Flynn (August 25)

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City author Nick Flynn is publishing yet another memoir with a fantastic title, this one called This Is the Night Our House Will Catch Fire. The book appears to reference the fire set by his mother in their house when he was seven years old, a story he revisits now that he is a parent himself. The book also deals with him excavating the emotions around his mother's suicide when he was 22, and cheating on his wife. Flynn is never not terrific I sometimes can't make up my mind if I prefer his prose or poetry more and This Is the Night Our House Will Catch Fire is already garnering early praise that reflects that fact. "Readers will devour this powerful memoir of letting go," Publishers Weekly promises in its starred review.

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9 books to read this summer - The Week

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Global Comforters Market 2020 By Demand drivers Beckham Luxury Linens, Utopia Bedding, AmazonBasics, Elegant Comfort - Cole of Duty

Get your popcorn ready.The Brand Film Awards U.S. is taking place as a virtual event today. It will showcase the years most artistic, creative and effective films produced by and for brands. Dont miss the workshop, which starts at 2 p.m. EST. And the awards ceremony begins at 4 p.m. EST.Register here!

The Trump administration has shelved the CDCs guide for reopening the country. The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, titled Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework, was written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen. The Trump administration has been closely controlling the release of information amid the pandemic and has instead sought to put the onus on states to handle the coronavirus response.(Associated Press)

You already knew this, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons is popular. Nintendo sold more than 13 million units of the game in its first six weeks of release. Nintendosaid on Thursday that it made $3.3 billion in operating profit for the fiscal year ended in March a 41% surge from a year ago. Profit in the three months to March more than tripled compared with the previous quarter.Sales were driven in large part by Animal Crossing, a game set on an island utopia.

Filed under Twitter spat I wasnt expecting. The lead singer of Guns N Roses Axl Rose tweeted on Wednesday night that U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is an asshole, with no context to explain the insult. Mnuchin, who has played a role in assembling the U.S. economic response to the coronavirus, responded by asking what Rose had done for the U.S. lately. The social-media exchange went viral.

Political callouts have agencies supersizing public affairs efforts. In 2019, disruption became the new normal in public affairs comms, as agencies and brands they represent dealt with the third year of the Donald Trump presidency. Read about the big public affairs trends from over the last year in PRWeeks latest Agency Business Report. Plus: Check out this profile of Porter Novelli.

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Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Thursday morning - PRWeek

Ryan Anderson/Stuff

Maria Ivanova and her husband are fighting to help Russian tourists stranded in New Zealand get home.

A group of Russian tourists stranded in New Zealand have been given just $50 to tide them over.

When the coronavirus outbreak shut down global borders, many tourists were stranded all over the world.

Since March 31 more than 14,000 Russians stuck in countries overseas have been flown home in dribs and drabs.

But not from New Zealand, and a group of some 174 Russian nationals desperate to return to their "motherland" have been told to keep waiting with no definitive end date in sight.

READ MORE:* Coronavirus: Corona utopia or Kiwi myopia?* Coronavirus: Small businesses drowning in Covid-19 lockdown debt * How to get thousands of Kiwis home when the world is shutting down

Maria Ivanova parents are among the "abandoned" and she is calling for answers from both governments on behalf of her community, which she says is doing it tough.

The-Dominion-Post

The Russian Embassy in Messines Rd, Wellington.

Ivanova has lived in New Zealand for 11 years but had her parents fly over to be here for the birth of her childin February.

They were booked to return to Moscow in late March, but those flights were cancelled and they are still here.

Through community Facebook groups, Ivanova, who lives in Titirangi in West Auckland, quickly found out her parents were not alone.

The group of stranded Russians are now in regular contact with each other, the Russian Embassy in Wellington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), trying to get some answers on when they can return home.

Ryan Anderson/Stuff

Ivanova's parents came here in February for the birth of her daughter.

"It's getting pretty desperate to be honest," Ivanovasaid.

"The majority [of the 174]are on tourist visas so came here with a set budget like my parents did. And when you have to stay on longer that money dries up pretty quickly.

"Many are older and are also running out of medicine and stuff like that so though it's not at crisis level yet, it's heading that way fast."

The Russian government has implemented a financial support program for stranded citizens like Ivanova's parents.

More than 10,000 test positive for Covid-19 in a day in Russia. Officials put this down to increased testing.

Those who had booked return tickets from March 16 to May 31 are eligible to get financial support through the government services website.

However, the site is currently experiencing technical problems which meanssome people have been unable to access any funds.

"Even those who got their applications through and weren't denied, they only received $50,"Ivanovasaid.

"My understanding was it was supposed to be $50 a day but to date those few who have received support have only got the one-off payment."

The Kiwi-Russian community has rallied around those stuck here, offering food and accommodation to those in the most need.

Sergei Glagolev, the second secretary at the Russian Embassy, said work is being done to get the group home and to work out the issues with the online servers.

According to embassy estimates there are still some30,000 Russians stranded around the world, Glagolev said.

"We would like to emphasise that Russia is not refusing to bring back its citizens from other countries," he said.

"This work is being carried out with due account of the sanitary-epidemiological situation that is taking shape in Russia and the real capacity to receive arriving people and put them in two-week quarantine.

"Certain repatriation flights are organised after a discussion in the Government Emergency Response Centre, which is making a schedule based on the current situation and capacity in Russias regions."

Russia hasmore than 166,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 1500 deaths.

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Coronavirus: More than 170 Russian citizens 'abandoned' in New Zealand - Stuff.co.nz

I remember one Christmas afternoon when my mother disclosed that her father was a great Stalin man. I almost choked on my drink at the news but when she explained, it made perfect sense. My maternal grandfather had been a staunch unionist and an Orangeman but became disillusioned after experiencing long term unemployment during the Great Depression. Embittered he looked, like many of the working class, to the supposed workers utopia in the Soviet Union. As a result, on VE Day 1945, 93 Northumberland Street flew the Hammer and Sickle while every other house sported the Union Flag. The story makes me smile now as it did then, but it makes an important point VE Day was not all about Britain. The USSR were our gallant allies and did the heavy lifting. British losses in the war, depending on what source you use, were between 330,000 and 400,000 dead while Soviet dead numbered a staggering 25,000,000. It was the Red Army which destroyed most of the German army and stormed into Berlin forcing Hitlers suicide. Subsequent attempts by sections of the British media to present World War II as an almost wholly British triumph do not bear up to scrutiny. Actually, it is hard to see how any power even the USSR or the USA could have beaten the Third Reich on its own, certainly not by May 1945. Victory was a team effort and even countries that had been defeated and occupied such as Poland, France, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands contributed substantial ground forces to the Allied war efforts after their countries had been overrun.

There was an out-pouring of joy and relief on VE Day. People had endured years of blackouts, and rationing, many had lost their homes and loved ones. In my own family, my maternal grandmother had a brother killed in Kent trying to defuse an unexploded bomb during the Blitz, followed by her nephew four years later in Normandy. My paternal grandfather lost his younger brother in Germany in the final weeks of the war while another was fortunate to be evacuated from Dunkirk.

VE Day is also often seen as the end of the Second World War which it was not. While London and New York partied, the Americans were suffering their worst casualties of the Pacific War on Okinawa and looked upon the prospect of an invasion of mainland Japan with horror. General MacArthur warned the US Defense Secretary, Stimson, that US casualties would be around a million in such an undertaking. For the soldiers who ended the war in Germany or Italy, VE Day was a welcome, but apparently temporary respite. Many faced being shipped to Asia or the Pacific to finish off Japan and a slogan among British troops was Burma looms ahead.

In popular culture the war is seen as straight forward battle between good and evil. The liberation of the camps and the salvation of Europes Jews from genocide are now seen as reasons for fighting, but these are modern reconstructions. Elements of the UK press occasionally reported on the genocide of Jews (a term not invented until after the war) but no one seemed particularly interested in reading about it. When the Soviets uncovered the first death camp at Maidanak in eastern Poland in late 1944, the US and UK press refused to publish reports of ovens and human ashes used as fertiliser. The stories seemed too fantastic to be credible and were dismissed as Soviet propaganda. As a result, the Soviets kept quiet about what they found at Auschwitz-Birkenau in January 1945 until after Germanys defeat by which time, British and American troops had discovered the charnel houses of Bergen-Belsen and Dachau for themselves. Churchill and Roosevelt knew full well about Hitlers attempts to exterminate European Jewry but downplayed it because they were afraid of encouraging the widespread anti-Semitism in their own societies.

My experience of interviewing British war veterans at the turn of the century indicated they thought Hitler was a menace who had to be removed, but the enemy was German militarism, not Nazisim per se. The wilder stories about German atrocities were dismissed as the type of brutal Hun propaganda their fathers had been fed in the Great War and they were deeply sceptical of what they were told about their enemies. The American public were more interested in the Pacific which was seen as a war of revenge for Pearl Harbour, while the conflict in Europe was regarded as Roosevelts War. Eisenhower became so frustrated about the lack of animosity GIs showed towards their German enemies he insisted on them being shown around concentration camps. One young soldier, visibly sickened by the sight of naked, emaciated corpses stacked like cordwood, was asked by his Supreme Commander, Still having trouble hating them?

Much of that is now largely forgotten along with the fact that while in Europe British soldiers fought to liberate countries, in Asia their main role was to return Burma, Malaya and Singapore to British rule. Britain can be rightly proud of its role in the defeat of Germany and Japan but that doesnt explain the current nostalgia and downright jingoism for a war which is outside the memory for anyone under eighty. Unfortunately, the Second World War has become mythologised much as the First World has been. The Blitz spirit is constantly evoked and the Queen even quoted Well meet again, a popular ballad from the war, in her recent Coronavirus address. At least she actually served in the conflict.

History of course is always more nuanced. Yes, there was great courage and stoicism among the general public but also shirkers, spivs and looters. The notion that the entire country pulled together for the war effort is a myth. Albert Sutton, a Dublin RAF veteran I interviewed, recounted with some bitterness that the Blackpool landlady he was billeted with gave the bacon eggs she was supposed to feed him to her paying customers, while he got a piece of dry toast. Other local ex-servicemen also recalled with anger the fact that worker in Shorts and other war industries were paid more than them and that some contemporaries who opted not to enlist, even lamented the end of the war as it brought the gravy train of overtime and big orders to an abrupt end.

World War II is commemorated largely in the UK and Commonwealth, the United States and Russia. Everyone else suffered defeat and collaboration, civil war and dead who fought on both sides. National nightmares are not the stuff of nostalgia or celebration.

1945 was the last time the United Kingdom was a big player on the world stage; the story since then has been one of continuous decline. The empire has gone and the country has rejected partnership with its European neighbours opting to go it alone or more likely, become an American client state in all but name.

Victory in Europe is rightly a source of pride but the main celebration surely should be of the decades of peace that followed. The Germans and French get that, the British on the whole do not. There has been no war between major European States since 1945. That is the lasting legacy of VE Day and a cause of celebration for us all.

p013007 by PhotosNormandie is licensed under CC BY-SA

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VE Day (Victory in Europe) Then and Now - Slugger O'Toole

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the twelfth main entry in the franchise since its debut over one decade ago. Thinking about playing 11 games to enjoy the latest to its fullest doesn't sound like a lot of fun, but luckily most Assassin's Creed games feature standalone stories. If you're worried about being too confused and getting lost when playing Valhalla, don't be. As long as you know some basic terminology and the general premise of the series, you'll be just fine.

You wouldn't know it from just watching the trailers, but Assassin's Creed games are always divided into two main periods: historical sections you mostly see in its marketing and the modern-day story taking place during the present. Ubisoft explains this gimmick with an in-game device called the Animus that allows the player to view memories of their ancestors. In Valhalla, the modern-day character, Layla Hassan, will be reliving the memories of a Viking around the late 9th century during the Dark Ages.

Everything we know about Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Conquer new lands for glory and honor

After endless wars ravage Norway and resources are scarce, you'll lead your clan to the shores of England in the hopes of finding a new home. But not everyone is keen on having Vikings around, and King Alfred of Wessex will do all he can to keep you from settling.

In regards to the historical story taking place in 9th century England, it doesn't continue any previous storyline. Whatever Ubisoft is cooking up for our Viking pals has no relation to past Assassin's Creed games other than being a part of the same universe. As such, you may hear references to older Assassins or events that we've already seen, but you shouldn't need prior knowledge of them to understand what's happening.

I've likened the Assassin's Creed series before to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You don't need to watch Ant-Man to understand Captain America. The same can be said for Assassin's Creed games. You don't need to play Black Flag to play Valhalla. Aside from a few direct sequels in the series (Brotherhood, Revelations), their stories are independent.

But if you are curious as to the entire story, we have the perfect guide for you.

Assassin's Creed: A series history for dummies

Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes place during the late 9th century. Exact dates are unknown, but Darby McDevitt, lead writer, has said that the main story begins in 873 CE. Due to endless strife and scarcity, Viking clans leave their home of Norway for the shores of England. At this point, England is assembled of four main kingdoms: Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia. King Alfred, the Great of Wessex, sees that Vikings and ruthless invaders rather than settlers looking for a new home and takes up arms against them to push them out of the land. While we don't know how Valhalla will play out yet, King Alfred will act as an antagonistic figure, and going by historical records, he remains the only English king to repel the Viking invasion successfully.

Because it takes place before the events of the first Assassin's Creed (the Third Crusade in 1191), the Assassin Brotherhood and Templars aren't known by such names. Instead, they operate as the Hidden Ones and Order of the Ancients, respectively. At some point in time, our lead character Eivor comes in contact with the Assassins, kicking off the age-old series conflict.

The only main games in the series to take place before Valhalla's time are Origins (4947 BCE) and Odyssey (431-404 BCE). Valhalla could reference events that happened in these games, but there shouldn't be any direct connections given.

Though the modern-day only makes up a fraction of the content, it remains vitally important to the series. This is the narrative that you will want some prior knowledge of.

Modern-day Templars, under the guise of a multinational corporation known as Abstergo, work to continue the Templar Order's ideals so that they can control humanity and effectively create a utopia. The Assassins also aim to create a better world, but they value free will above all else and view the Templars as an organization that wants to enslave humanity at any cost.

To enslave humanity and create their perfect utopia, the Templars search for powerful artifacts known as Pieces of Eden, which were made by god-like beings known as the First Civilization (also known as the Isu, Precursors, and Those Who Came Before). Millennia before any modern history as we know it, the Isu used these Pieces of Eden to subjugate humanity. After a cataclysmic event, the First Civilization was almost entirely wiped out, and the Pieces of Eden scattered across the globe.

Abstergo and the Assassins now race to find the Pieces of Eden.

Abstergo and what remains of the Assassin Brotherhood now work against each other in secret in a race to gather the Pieces of Eden to prevent others from using them. Both organizations see themselves as the good guys here. The Assassins value free will, and the Templars would instead rule through domination.

The series has featured a few different modern-day protagonists across its run, notably Desmond Miles, but now we're stepping into the shoes of a woman named Layla Hassan, a former Abstergo employee turned Assassin affiliate.

Last we left Layla, she had discovered the hidden city of Atlantis and became the keeper of the Staff of Hermes, a powerful Piece of Eden. As keeper of the Staff, it is said that she will bring balance between the Assassins and Templars.

Origins completely revamped the series' gameplay mechanics, and it looks like Valhalla will change them up even further. You won't need to worry about knowing any legacy controls to make things a tad easier. And there will likely be tutorials in place to ease you in Valhalla's control scheme anyway.

From what we've been told, the combat aims to feel crunchy, brutal, and visceral, going so far as to allow players to decapitate enemies. There are also set to be mini-games like drinking and fishing.

It'd be insane forcing you to play 11 other games to enjoy the latest, so Ubisoft makes it as accessible as possible with each new iteration of Assassin's Creed. It'll help to know some basic terminology like what Pieces of Eden are and who the Isu were, but for the most part, you shouldn't have too much trouble following along with the story.

Returning fans also shouldn't worry that it'll diverge from what makes Assassin's Creed, well, Assassin's Creed. There are sure to be plenty of references thrown in for longtime fans, and the creative team behind Valhalla is keen on ensuring it builds on lore in meaningful ways.

Conquer new lands for glory and honor

After endless wars ravage Norway and resources are scarce, you'll lead your clan to the shores of England in the hopes of finding a new home. But not everyone is keen on having Vikings around, and King Alfred of Wessex will do all he can to keep you from settling.

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Do I need to have played Assassin's Creed to enjoy Valhalla? - Windows Central

The UTOPIA high-speed fiber optic network is becoming a more popular choice for internet service among the Utah cities that participate, and the man at the helm of the network says Tremonton should start seeing the financial returns it has been hoping for in the next couple of years.

Eighteen years after becoming one of the first cities to get on board with the ambitious fiber-to-the-home project, Tremonton is still making substantial payments on the bonds issued to finance the building of the network.

Roger Timmerman, executive director of UTOPIA, visited the Tremonton City Council to give an update on the progress of the network, its growing customer base, and how proceeds from the network are starting to increase in a way that will eventually benefit the city.

UTOPIA, an acronym for the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency, was founded in 2002 and issued its first bonds in 2004, with 11 original member cities, including Tremonton, pledging to back those bonds. The financing has been used to build an extensive fiber network in those cities, and Timmerman said the project is now seeing strong returns after some tumultuous early years.

The first bonds for UTOPIA were issued in 2004, with Tremonton and 10 other northern Utah cities getting in on the ground floor. But the early years were a struggle, and Timmerman said that in 2007, the financial situation of UTOPIA had deteriorated to the point that bond refinancing was necessary.

It was on the verge, and thats probably a light way to put it, Timmerman said. Cities were fed up with the debt burden, and it was losing a lot of money just on the operating side. There were not a lot of revenues from customers on the system, and it was a really hard time.

At the time of the bond refinancing, UTOPIA was looking at about $185 million in debt.

Under the new bond terms, member cities would make payments that escalated every year, with the agency returning enough money to the cities to at least cover the difference in payments from year to year.

Part of the new bonds were used to finish building out the network in Tremonton, and while there are still pockets where the service isnt yet available in the city, Timmerman said there has been a lot of interest among local residents in recent years.

He said about 35 percent of homes and businesses in the city that have access to UTOPIA fiber are now subscribers (about 1,000 total customers), and with the network buildout expected to be finished over the next few years, the city should see even higher take rates.

There are some very patient people out there in neighborhoods that have been part of UTOPIA since 2002 and still dont have services, but its being built out faster than it ever has been, he said.

The early years of the network were marred by low take rates (not many customers signing up for the service), and member cities have been bearing the brunt of the cost. Tremontons annual obligation on the bond payments is currently more than $300,000 annually, with the bonds scheduled to expire in 2040.

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In 2010, the Utah Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA phase two, as Zimmerman described it,) was formed as finance mechanism for funding network expansion into new cities and areas. Instead of member cities directly backing bonds, the UIA model is for individual customers to back the bonds by signing long-term service contracts or paying a lump sum up-front. UIA cities issue the bonds, which are repaid through revenues from customers.

Tremonton opted not to join as member of UIA, but remains part of UTOPIA, placing it in a unique situation.

Even though Tremonton is not a member of UIA, we kind of consider you part of both families, Timmerman told the Tremonton council.

He said UIA has invested more than $170 million in infrastructure, and all of that is now paying for itself.

Its being built out faster than it ever has been, and were adding customers, he said. We used to celebrate 100 (new customers per month), and we may break 600 new customers this next month.

As revenues have increased, so have payments to cities to help neutralize the higher cost of the debt, although they still havent come close to reaching the break-even point.

Tremonton received $15,000 in repayment from UTOPIA last year. Timmerman said the city will receive $33,000 this year, and the hope is that amount will increase by 50 percent next year.

From the city perspective, that should mean your UTOPIA obligations stay the same, he said. As we continue to build out UIA, there should be a significant increase in that amount.

He said UIA issued a new $45 million bond to build out the infrastructure statewide, and will bond for another $45 million next year, which will complete the financing needed to build out the entire network.

He said the UIA finance committee, and ultimately its board of directors, is still figuring out how to use UIA revenues to help cities repay their UTOPIA bonds, and said it could be another two and a half to three years before that is all figured out. In the meantime, UIA will continue to make remittances so that at least the citys annual payments wont increase.

The desire is to pay off the UTOPIA bonds to get rid of those obligations, he said.

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UTOPIA CEO: Recent success will benefit Tremonton | Tremonton Leader - The Herald Journal