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headspace-hotel · 13 days

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USAmericans

Read the Project 2025 manifesto RIGHT NOW

It's MUCH worse than y'all have been hearing

There is so much here you'll have to look at it for yourself, but the climate policy alone is nightmare fuel.

The republican coalition wants to essentially end funding for green energy, dramatically promote and expand fossil fuel industries, and eliminate funding and regulations in all sectors promoting climate change mitigation. Task forces and offices related to clean energy and lowering carbon emissions will be eliminated and replaced with offices for promoting fossil fuels.

They want to LOG NATIONAL FORESTS TO "THIN" THE TREES TO STOP WILDFIRES.

THEY WANT TO FORCE OREGON AND CALIFORNIA TO LOG THEIR NATIONAL FORESTS AND TREAT THEM AS FOR TIMBER PRODUCTION

There are specific provisions in Project 2025 to essentially destroy the Endangered Species Act, causing it to defer to the rights of "economic development" and "private property." The plan includes delisting gray wolves, cutting the budget so that a "triage" system is used to determine which species will get protection, removing funding for research, removing experts and specialists from the decision-making process, and preventing "experimental" populations of animals from being established.

This is so much worse than I expected it to be and there's much more past that: They want to deregulate pesticides and remove much of the EPA's ability to regulate pollutants as well.

Also included in the manifesto is that we should

withdraw from nuclear weapons nonproliferation agreements, build more nuclear weapons, and resume nuclear weapons testing

The manifesto comprehensively outlines the scorched-earth elimination of abortion access, down to ensuring doctors aren't even trained to perform abortions. There are plans in here to disrupt abortion access GLOBALLY, not just domestically.

Not only that,the Republicans plan on reframing family planning programs around "fertility awareness" and "holistic family planning."

I can't even describe it all. I'm trying to give screenshots of the most important things but there's so much.

The foreign policy is a nightmare. They plan to push fossil fuels onto the Global South and promote the development of fossil fuel industry in the "developing world."

It is aggressive and antagonistic towards other nations, strongly pro-military, proposing that we INCREASE (!!!!!) defense spending, improve public opinion of the military and military recruitment, and increase the power to fund new weapons technology.

Just read the Department of Defense section. It's about greatly increasing and strengthening the military-industrial complex, collaborating more closely with weapons manufacturers, removing regulatory barriers to arming our allies and to inventing new military weapons, and recruiting more people into the military. They include provisions to develop AI technology for surveillance. And of course, continuing to support Israel is in there.

Elsewhere it proposes interfering in foreign countries with creepy pro-USA propaganda campaigns, even establishing international educational programs where faculty have to pledge to promote USA interests.

There's a line in here about getting rid of PBS because SESAME STREET is LEFTIST for God's sake.

HOW are people claiming democrats have the same policies. I feel like i'm losing my mind.

#politics #usa centric #usa politics #project 2025 #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

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batboyblog · 17 days

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Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #19

May 17-24 2024

President Biden wiped out the student loan debt of 160,000 more Americans. This debt cancellation of 7.7 billion dollars brings the total student loan debt relieved by the Biden Administration to $167 billion. The Administration has canceled student loan debt for 4.75 million Americans so far. The 160,000 borrowers forgiven this week owned an average of $35,000 each and are now debt free. The Administration announced plans last month to bring debt forgiveness to 30 million Americans with student loans coming this fall.

The Department of Justice announced it is suing Ticketmaster for being a monopoly. DoJ is suing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation for monopolistic practices. Ticketmaster controls 70% of the live show ticket market leading to skyrocketing prices, hidden fees and last minute cancellation. The Justice Department is seeking to break up Live Nation and help bring competition back into the market. This is one of a number of monopoly law suits brought by the Biden administration against Apple in March and Amazon in September 2023.

The EPA announced $225 million in new funding to improve drinking and wastewater for tribal communities. The money will go to tribes in the mainland US as well as Alaska Native Villages. It'll help with testing for forever chemicals, and replacing of lead pipes as well as sustainability projects.

The EPA announced $300 million in grants to clean up former industrial sites. Known as "Brownfield" sites these former industrial sites are to be cleaned and redeveloped into community assets. The money will fund 200 projects across 178 communities. One such project will transform a former oil station in Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighborhood, currently polluted with lead and other toxins into a waterfront bike trail.

The Department of Agriculture announced a historic expansion of its program to feed low income kids over the summer holidays. Since the 1960s the SUN Meals have served in person meals at schools and community centers during the summer holidays to low income children. This Year the Biden administration is rolling out SUN Bucks, a $120 per child grocery benefit. This benefit has been rejected by many Republican governors but in the states that will take part 21 million kids will benefit. Last year the Biden administration introduced SUN Meals To-Go, offering pick-up and delivery options expanding SUN's reach into rural communities. These expansions are part of the Biden administration's plan to end hunger and reduce diet-related disease by 2030.

Vice-President Harris builds on her work in Africa to announce a plan to give 80% of Africa internet access by 2030, up from just 40% today. This push builds off efforts Harris has spearheaded since her trip to Africa in 2023, including $7 billion in climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation, and $1 billion to empower women. The public-private partnership between the African Development Bank Group and Mastercard plans to bring internet access to 3 million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria, before expanding to Uganda, Ethiopia, and Ghana, and then the rest of the continent, bring internet to 100 million people and businesses over the next 10 years. This is together with the work of Partnership for Digital Access in Africa which is hoping to bring internet access to 80% of Africans by 2030, up from 40% now, and just 30% of women on the continent. The Vice-President also announced $1 billion for the Women in the Digital Economy Fund to assure women in Africa have meaningful access to the internet and its economic opportunities.

The Senate approved Seth Aframe to be a Judge on the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, it also approved Krissa Lanham, and Angela Martinez to district Judgeships in Arizona, as well as Dena Coggins to a district court seat in California. Bring the total number of judges appointed by President Biden to 201. Biden's Judges have been historically diverse. 64% of them are women and 62% of them are people of color. President Biden has appointed more black women to federal judgeships, more Hispanic judges and more Asian American judges and more LGBT judges than any other President, including Obama's full 8 years in office. President Biden has also focused on backgrounds appointing a record breaking number of former public defenders to judgeships, as well as labor and civil rights lawyers.

#Thanks Biden #Joe Biden #kamala harris #student loans #student loan forgiveness #ticketmaster #Africa #free lunch #hunger #poverty #internet #judges #politics #us politics #american politics

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palms-upturned · 2 months

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For US unions like the UAW — which has thousands of members in weapons factories making the bombs, missiles, and aircraft used by Israel, as well in university departments doing research linked to the Israeli military — the Palestinian trade union call to action is particularly relevant. When the UAW’s national leadership came out in support of a cease-fire on December 1, they also voted to establish a “Divestment and Just Transition Working Group.” The stated purpose of the working group is to study the UAW’s own economic ties to Israel and explore ways to convert war-related industries to production for peaceful purposes while ensuring a just transition for weapons workers.

Members of UAW Labor for Palestine say they have started making visits to a Colt factory in Connecticut, which holds a contract to supply rifles to the Israeli military, to talk with their fellow union members about Palestine, a cease-fire, and a just transition. They want to see the union’s leadership support such organizing activity.

“If UAW leaders decided to, they could, tomorrow, form a national organizing campaign to educate and mobilize rank-and-file towards the UAW’s own ceasefire and just transition call,” UAW Labor for Palestine members said in a statement. “They could hold weapons shop town halls in every region; they could connect their small cadre of volunteer organizers — like us — to the people we are so keen to organize with; they could even send some of their staff to help with this work.”

On January 21, the membership of UAW Local 551, which represents 4,600 autoworkers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant (who were part of last year’s historic stand-up strike) endorsed the Palestinian trade unions’ call to not cooperate in the production and transportation of arms for Israel. Ten days later, UAW Locals 2865 and 5810, representing around forty-seven thousand academic workers at the University of California, passed a measure urging the union’s national leaders to ensure that the envisioned Divestment and Just Transition Working Group “has the needed resources to execute its mission, and that Palestinian, Arab and Muslim workers whose communities are disproportionately affected by U.S.-backed wars are well-represented on the committee.”

Members of UAW Locals 2865 and 5810 at UC Santa Cruz’s Astronomy Department have pledged to withhold any labor that supports militarism and to refuse research collaboration with military institutions and arms companies. In December, unionized academic workers from multiple universities formed Researchers Against War (RAW) to expose and cut ties between their research and warfare, and to organize in their labs and departments for more transparency about where the funding for their work comes from and more control over what their labor is used for. RAW, which was formed after a series of discussions by union members first convened by US Labor Against Racism and War last fall, hosted a national teach-in and planning meeting on February 12.

Meanwhile, public sector workers in New York City have begun their own campaign to divest their pension money from Israel. On January 25, rank-and-file members of AFSCME District Council (DC) 37 launched a petition calling on the New York City Employees’ Retirement System to divest the $115 million it holds in Israeli securities. The investments include $30 million in bonds that directly fund the Israeli military and its activities. “As rank-and-file members of DC 37 who contribute to and benefit from the New York City Employees’ Retirement System and care about the lives of working people everywhere, we refuse to support the Israeli government and the corporations that extract profit from the killing of innocent civilians,” the petition states.

In an election year when President Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates will depend heavily on organized labor for donations and especially get-out-the-vote efforts, rank and filers are also trying to push their unions to exert leverage on the president by getting him to firmly stand against the ongoing massacre in Gaza. NEA members with Educators for Palestine are calling on their union’s leaders to withdraw their support for Biden’s reelection campaign until he stops “sending military funding, equipment, and intelligence to Israel,” marching from AFT headquarters to NEA headquarters in Washington, DC on February 10 to assert their demand. Similarly, after the UAW International Executive Board endorsed Biden last month — a decision that sparked intense division within the union — UAW Labor for Palestine is demanding the endorsement be revoked “until [Biden] calls for a permanent ceasefire and stops sending weapons to Israel.”

#palestine #free palestine #labor #union strong #recommend reading the whole article bc as the author points out #us labor has had a long history of collaborating with israel and imperialist projects in general #pressure to stop the genocide is not going to come from union leadership #it’s coming from rank and files who are organizing their own initiatives and putting the heat on their leadership #uaw’s divestment and just transition group is intriguing to me bc it sets a precedent to pressure other machinist unions to follow #and bc part of their efforts involves building solidarity with palestine among rank and files nationwide

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tailschannel · 1 year

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SEGA of America workers vote to organize, becoming the largest video game union in the United States

In a historic move in the video game industry, a supermajority of workers at SEGA of America announced their intention to unionize.

The Allied Employees Guild Improving SEGA, or AEGIS (a spin on SEGA's promotional tagline, "it takes AGES"), will represent 144 employees across numerous departments at SEGA of America's office in Irvine, California.

In association with the Communications Workers of America, the newly-formed video game union will have the unique distinction to become the largest of its kind in the United States.

In a statement, the union's goals are the following:

Higher base pay for all, following industry standards, with raises tied to the cost of living and inflation.

Improved, stable benefits for all, including healthcare, retirement, remote work opportunities, and more.

Increased, clearly outlined opportunities for advancement.

Balanced workloads and schedules, and defined responsibilities for all positions.

Adequate staffing of departments to end patterns of overwork.

A motion to vote has been filed with the United States Labor Relations Board, as workers await for SEGA of America to voluntarily recognize the labour organization.

#sonic the hedgehog #sega of america #sonic news

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reasonsforhope · 10 months

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"California will begin paying for free legal help with immigration for undocumented farmworkers who are involved in state investigations of wage theft or other labor violations, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced this week.

The $4.5 million pilot program will provide qualifying farmworkers with referrals for legal help with their immigration status.

Roughly half of California’s farmworker population is believed to be undocumented. Fear of deportation and difficulties finding jobs can discourage workers from filing labor complaints or serving as witnesses in cases alleging unsafe work temperatures, wage theft, or employer retaliation for unionizing, officials said...

Respecting immigrant rights

Farmworkers in labor investigations who qualify for the new state program will receive a direct referral to legal services organizations that already offer immigration services, such as the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County or the United Farm Workers Foundation, which spoke in support of the program.

The free legal services workers could receive include case review, legal advice and representation by an attorney, according to Newsom’s office...

Deferred deportation

State officials said the pilot program aligns with a new Biden administration policy that makes it easier for undocumented workers who are victims of labor rights violations to request deferred action from deportation. Because the federal Department of Homeland Security can’t respond to all immigration violations, it exercises “prosecutorial discretion” to decide who to try to deport.

State officials said they won’t ask for workers’ immigration status, but noncitizens granted this deferred action may be eligible for work authorization.

This year, California labor department officials began supporting undocumented workers’ requests for prosecutorial discretion or deferred action from federal immigration officials, including when employers threaten workers with immigration enforcement to prevent workers from cooperating with state investigators.

“The Department of Industrial Relations’ Labor Commissioner’s Office … was the first state agency to request deferred action from DHS for employees in an active investigation, and that request was successful,” Hickey said. “This is an important process for undocumented workers to be aware of.”"

-via CalMatters, July 21, 2023

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grits-galraisedinthesouth · 3 months

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The Sussexes🍋 have delivered little since signing w/the steamer in 2020

"Meghan and Harry’s $100 Million Netflix Deal Is a Hollywood Miss | Emily Smith Feb 28, 2024

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s lucrative Spotify deal fell apart in 2023, Bill Simmons, The Ringer’s founder and managing director, was incensed.

“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation,” Simmons, the head of podcast innovation and monetization at Spotify, which owns The Ringer, said on his self-titled show. “‘The F–king Grifters.’ That’s the podcast we should have launched with them.”

Simmons’ astonishing comments followed the collapse of the Montecito, California-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s $20 million deal with Spotify, signed in December of 2020. They delivered just 12 episodes of Markle’s “Archetypes” podcast.

But the Spotify contract paled in comparison to the estimated $100 million Netflix agreed in September 2020 to pay them, a deal which produced a documentary series “Harry & Meghan” two years later — and little else since then.

Aside from the docuseries, the exclusive Netflix deal produced the “Heart of Invictus” in August 2023, which covered Prince Harry’s games for wounded warriors, and “Live to Lead,” about inspiring world leaders and featured interviews with Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Gloria Steinem. That series premiered on Dec. 31, 2022.

Unproduced is an animated series created by Markle titled “Pearl,” which Netflix axed in May 2022 as part of a series of cutbacks. There is little else close to production.

What’s gone wrong? TheWrap spoke to multiple insiders who say the Sussexes have worn out their welcome in Hollywood with an iron-fisted desire for control, combined with a lack of experience. A revolving door of executives have departed the couple’s production company, Archewell, in the past two years while a long list of exhausted agents, producers and other industry veterans have stamped it with a “life’s too short” reputation.

The Sussexes founded Archewell Productions in the name of their four-year-old son, Archie. It includes their nonprofit charitable foundation, plus a for-profit arm focused on media projects.

“Everything with them was fraught and complicated because they wanted complete control,” one Hollywood creative who has worked with them, who declined to be identified, told TheWrap.

Another insider with knowledge of the management of Archewell agreed, saying the couple have proven to be stubborn to the point of alienating others.

“It appears that they just want what they want and won’t take advice,” the insider said.

“Taking on Harry and Meghan was a great coup for Netflix,” public relations and image guru Mark Borkowski told TheWrap. “It probably got a lot of eyeballs and subscriptions, but they [Harry and Markle] never delivered.”

Borkowski added that the clients he works with are closely watching their budgets and costs, but, given the former royals’ lifestyle, “The amount of income this pair has to raise is enormous.”

An insider with knowledge of the Netflix deal with Archewell said it is an “overhead agreement,” meaning not all the money would go to the Sussexes, but it also helps fund their staff, office and development fees.

Archewell and the Sussexes declined to comment for this story.

The former royal couple were initially a hot property. Before signing with Netflix, they also had discussions with Apple, Disney and NBCUniversal, The New York Times first reported. Meghan previously narrated a documentary about elephants for Disney+, and Harry collaborated with Oprah Winfrey on a docuseries about mental health for Apple TV+.

The “Harry & Meghan” docuseries, directed by Liz Garbus, was a legitimate hit, setting a record for the biggest debut for a Netflix documentary with a total 81.6 million hours watched on its first four days of availability, amounting to more than 28 million households watching.

The series was an intimate glimpse inside the Sussexes’ marriage and made headlines for their criticism of the British royal family for failing to support them, including allegations of racism and a narrative that the couple was essentially forced to leave England for the U.S.

But production was apparently difficult. One individual with knowledge of the series said dealing with the former royal couple was a “nightmare” as they were fiercely protective of their story.

“Harry and Meghan made the collaborative process very hard, to the point that there was no collaboration at all,” the insider said.

Other projects have not gotten off the ground.

Netflix and Markle announced “Pearl” with much fanfare in 2021. The animated series — co-executive produced by Markle and David Furnish — was to center on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration in a variety of influential women throughout history. Netflix canceled it the following year while it was still in the development stage.

There have been reports Netflix bought the romantic Carley Fortune book “Meet Me at the Lake” for $1 million for the pair to produce into a movie. Other plans included a TV drama feminist retelling of Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and a documentary about Prince Harry traveling solo in Africa. But these all seem far from getting off the ground.

Another Archewell insider told TheWrap that “Meet Me at the Lake” was “in active development,” but has not yet been cast. And Harry’s trip to Africa has not been scheduled. Some projects will be announced in the next few months, the insider added.

“They have a couple of unscripted things they’re working on,” Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria said at the “Next on Netflix” event on Feb. 1 of Markle and Harry, including “a movie in development” and “a [scripted] series.”

Bajaria emphasized that these projects were still in “early development,” which raises the question what exactly has been going on between Archewell and Netflix? COVID struck at the start of their deal, Markle went on maternity leave and then the writers’ and actors’ strikes halted production for much of last year. But with all that, it is it is remarkable how little the couple have actually made work for the streamer.

Reps for Netflix, which has also pulled back on its TV and film expenditure during the work stoppages, declined to comment. Harry and Markle do not have guild relationships so any non-U.S. productions would not have been affected.

Markle recently announced she’s joining forces with Lemonada Media — whose tag line is “Making Life Suck 🍋 Less” — for a new podcast, and it will also rerun her “Archetypes” podcast. The company, founded in 2019 by Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs, is small and is not expected to be a big pay day for Markle.

The actress is still earning residuals from “Suits,” which recently found an entirely new audience on Netflix.

Archewell turnover: Meanwhile, there has been a dramatic executive turnover at Archewell — particularly those negotiating TV, film and media deals. Mandana Dayani, a human rights activist and business executive, was the president of Archewell from May 2021 to December 2022 and stepped down just days before Harry and Markle’s docuseries aired, with no reason offered.

The company also lost its BAFTA-winning head of content Ben Browning in January 2023 after his contract expired. Browning, who worked on “Harry & Meghan” and the “Archetypes” podcast, returned to his former employer, FilmNation Entertainment as president of production.

Bennett Levine, their production manager, also left in January, as did Rebecca Sananes, Markle and Harry’s head of audio who left to work as a freelance writer and podcast producer after the “Archetypes” podcasts were concluded.

The company has also parted ways with their SVP of scripted television, “Fargo” producer Nishika Kumble, who lasted less than two years in the role.

“Meghan and Harry don’t have a quality team around them,” Borkowski said. “They drive this ship, they are in the wheelhouse. Whether you are the Obamas or Meghan and Harry, you have to defer to people who can really get the job done.

“They just need to sort out a proper production company, they need significant hires,” he added. “People who can actually develop scripts, wrangle talent.”

The Archewell insider insisted the couple has hired talented new executives. Tracy Ryerson was brought in as the new head of scripted content. She formerly worked at the production company behind “Peaky Blinders,” Caryn Mandabach Productions, and starred in a reality show titled “The Real L Word.” Former Disney+ executive Chanel Pysnik joined in 2021 as head of unscripted.

The Sussexes made a surprise appearance at the Jamaica premiere of the Bob Marley biopic “One Love” in late January, sparking speculation about a possible deal with the film’s distributor Paramount Pictures, especially given that they reportedly travelled with the company’s boss Brian Robbins — who is a neighbor in Montecito — via a Paramount private jet.

Yet parent company Paramount Global is strongly rumored to be up for sale, so it is unlikely to be a safe landing pad for the couple.

Last August it was announced that WME signed Markle to be repped by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, Brad Slater and Jill Smoller. Archewell is also being repped by the agency, which didn’t comment to TheWrap.

“She is extremely ambitious and knows what she wants,” an industry insider told TheWrap of Markle’s discussions with the talent agency. “But there have been issues with executive turnover inside Archewell.”

In the meantime, The Sussexes need to make money to keep up their California lifestyle and their $14.65 million mansion. The U.K.’s Daily Mail reported that they made around $20 million from their tell-all documentary, while Harry made an estimated $15 million from his memoir “Spare.”

“I think possibly Netflix has dodged a bullet,” Borkowski said. “They know their content, they are data wonks, they know where the interest is. So they’ve got a very good idea or not whether there is a huge amount of excitement around Meghan and Harry.”

The viewing public may not be interested in a romantic movie from the Sussexes, he said. “They create a lot of column inches, but do people want content from them unless it is revealing something extraordinary [about themselves or the British royals]?” he said. “I don’t know how much more they can reveal.”

https://www.thewrap.com/

After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pulled the plug on their $20 million podcast deal with Spotify this week, Bill Simmons, the streamer’s head of podcast innovation and monetization and CEO of The Ringer, called them “f—ing grifters” on the latest episode of his podcast.

The deal, which was struck in 2020, resulted in only one show, the one-season, Markle-hosted “Archetypes.”

“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry’ leave Spotify negotiation, the f–ing grifters,” he told guest Joe House on Friday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories. F— the grifters.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Harry and Meghan would not receive the full $20 million from their payout. The two signed a deal with Netflix in 2020 to produce documentaries and series, and released their first show — a docuseries called “Harry & Meghan” — earlier this year.

Simmons, who founded sports and pop culture website The Ringer, sold it to Spotify in 2020 for $250 million. He’s in charge of several Ringer-branded podcasts at the podcast giant.

https://x.com/rBillSimmonsPod/status/1669665129393160192?s=20

#sussex sucks🍋#megxit #netflix #spare us #meghan markle #worldwide privacy tour #like a spare #brf #money laundering #Tyler Perry #Bill Simmons #grifters #megflix bust #markled

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lordzannis · 1 month

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There are several serious concerns regarding DreamWorks Animation in recent years:

Shifting Production Away from In-House

DreamWorks is shifting away from fully producing animated films in-house at its Glendale, California studio. The studio is partnering with Sony Pictures Imageworks to handle asset builds and shot production for an upcoming 2025 film. This reflects a new cost-cutting model where DreamWorks will outsource some work to partner studios in lower cost locations to reduce production costs by 20%[1]. This has raised concerns among DreamWorks staff about job security and the studio's commitment to in-house production.

Significant Layoffs

In March 2024, DreamWorks announced huge layoffs across multiple departments. Reddit users commented that the studio won't be recovering from this round of layoffs, blaming the outsourcing strategy[2]. The exact number of jobs lost is unclear, but it seems to be a major blow to the studio's workforce.

Questionable Leadership Decisions

DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has made some decisions that have raised eyebrows. In 2013, President Obama visited DreamWorks and joked about Katzenberg's large ego[4]. More concerning is Katzenberg's history of overseeing the shift of production from Culver City to Vancouver at Sony Pictures Imageworks to take advantage of tax credits[1]. This suggests a willingness to prioritize cost savings over maintaining jobs in Los Angeles.

Outsourcing Threatens Local Economy

The animation industry is a major economic engine for Southern California, similar to how finance is to New York or tech is to Silicon Valley[4]. By shifting production overseas, DreamWorks is putting local jobs at risk and threatening the viability of the local animation ecosystem. This could have ripple effects on the broader economy of the region.

In summary, DreamWorks appears to be making decisions that prioritize short-term cost savings over maintaining a robust in-house production workforce. While some outsourcing may be necessary to stay competitive, the scale and speed of the changes raise serious concerns about the studio's long-term commitment to its Los Angeles workforce and the local economy. Significant layoffs and the CEO's history of prioritizing tax credits over local jobs add to the sense of unease among DreamWorks employees and the surrounding community.

Citations: [1] https://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/dreamworks-shifting-away-from-in-house-production-in-los-angeles-sony-imageworks-is-new-production-partner-233466.html [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/vfx/comments/1bdemof/dreamworks_layoffs/ [3] https://www.thegamer.com/things-wrong-dreamworks-movies-choose-ignore/ [4] https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/11/26/remarks-president-economy-dreamworks [5] https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/top-10-times-dreamworks-movies-tackled-serious-issues

Here are some potential solutions for holding DreamWorks Animation accountable and ensuring they pay their fair share of taxes:

Advocate for Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes

DreamWorks and other large corporations often exploit loopholes and tax havens to minimize their tax burden[3]. Employees should urge lawmakers to close these loopholes and ensure companies like DreamWorks pay their fair share. This could involve measures like:

Eliminating deductions for offshoring jobs and profits

Imposing a minimum tax on corporate book income

Increasing IRS funding for auditing large corporations

Requiring public country-by-country reporting of taxes paid

Push for Transparency Around Tax Practices

DreamWorks should be more transparent about its tax practices and lobbying efforts related to taxes[3]. Employees can demand the company publicly disclose its effective tax rate, tax credits and incentives received, and political contributions. Greater transparency would allow stakeholders to hold the company accountable.

Support Unionization to Increase Bargaining Power

Unionizing gives workers more leverage to demand that DreamWorks invest in its workforce rather than prioritizing tax avoidance[2]. Unions can negotiate for higher wages, better benefits, and more training that improves productivity and reduces the need for tax breaks. Collective bargaining power is key to rebalancing the scales.

Collaborate with Community Organizations

DreamWorks employees should partner with local community groups, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations that are pushing for corporate tax reform and responsible business practices[3]. By pooling resources and amplifying each other's voices, workers and activists can build a powerful movement for change.

Engage with Shareholders

As a publicly traded company, DreamWorks is accountable to its shareholders. Employees who own stock should engage with the company's leadership and other investors to voice concerns about tax avoidance and demand more responsible corporate citizenship[3]. Shareholder resolutions and proxy voting can influence company policies.

By pursuing these solutions, DreamWorks Animation employees can help ensure the company contributes its fair share to society through the tax system. Closing loopholes, increasing transparency, unionizing, collaborating with allies, and engaging shareholders are all important levers for driving accountability. Responsible corporate tax practices are key to funding public services and infrastructure that benefit workers and communities.

Citations: [1] https://dreamworkstaxsolutions.com [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/vfx/comments/1bdemof/dreamworks_layoffs/ [3] https://filmstories.co.uk/news/dreamworks-animation-set-to-outsource-work-to-tax-advantaged-lower-cost-geographies/ [4] https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/how-to-manage-taxes-as-an-indie-developer [5] http://www.filmstrategy.com/2015/04/production-tips-filmmaker-and-taxes.html

#dreamworks #solutions

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macmanx · 1 year

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From 2000 to 2017, there were about 16,000 cases of serious heat illness, such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion and even death among California workers, according to research by the California Department of Public Health. About 20% of those cases occurred indoors, though the numbers could be higher since heat illness is often underreported. The number of cases is far higher than what Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently estimated.

And indoor heat injury claims have been going up every year since 2010, according to an analysis by the California Department of Industrial Relations and Cal/OSHA.

“Current regulations are not adequately addressing heat illness prevention in indoor places of employment and demonstrates the urgency for addressing this occupational hazard,” the agency writes in its proposed new indoor heat standards. “Some requirements to prevent indoor heat illnesses currently exist, but have not been effective in reducing the number of heat illnesses associated with indoor high-heat environments.”

#workers #labor #heat #climate change

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dwellordream · 3 months

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“When war broke out, women rapidly entered jobs in war-related industries. Many of these women had been employed before the war, mostly in low-paying, nonunion jobs in laundries, department stores, restaurants, and hotels, where they earned an average of $24.50 a week, compared to $40.35 a week for wartime manufacturing jobs. During the war, 300,000 women worked in the aircraft industry alone. Many assembled B-29 bombers, the mainstay of the U.S. air force.

Others--welders, draftswomen, and machinists--built tanks and warships and made ammunition. Women also worked in nondefense industries such as machine shops, steel mills, oil refineries, railroad roundhouses, and lumber mills, as replacements for the men who had gone overseas. In all, women comprised half of this work force. The office of War Information noted that war production work had “disproved the old bugaboo that women have no mechanical ability and that they are a distracting influence in industry.”

…In spite of the harassment, teasing, and unwanted sexual advances women war workers faced, they enjoyed their new jobs, and most wanted to keep them after the war. Unlike the depression, the war emergency opened the way for a new labor force that would no longer be divided into “men’s jobs” and “women’s jobs,” but would instead bring men and women into the same jobs, working side by side. In addition, because so many men went into the armed forces, and so many women went to work, young Americans might have postponed marriage and childbearing, just as they had in the depression. But that did not happen. Instead, ironically, wartime encouraged family formation. The return of prosperity made it easier for young men and women to marry and have children.

Young married women, those most likely to have children at home, made the smallest gains in the labor force. Young mothers were encouraged to stay home. Although the Federal Works Agency invested nearly $50 million in day care centers to accommodate employed mothers during the war, such centers were generally considered harmful to a child’s development. In all, only three thousand day care centers were established by the federal government, and even these were not filled to capacity. Older married women who did not have young children at home were the fastest growing group in the paid labor force. By the end of the war fully 25 percent of all married women were employed--a huge gain from 15 percent at the end of the 1930s. But they worked for low wages. In 1939, the median annual income for women was $568, compared to $962 by men--and for black women it was a mere $246.

…New opportunities emerged for African-American women not only in the factories, but in the growing black communities as well. In Richmond, California, for example, black migration contributed to the transformation of a small town into a bustling metropolis. Before the war, there were only 270 blacks in Richmond. But when the city became a war production center, African Americans from the South came there to work in the shipyards. By 1943 the black population had increased by 5,000 percent. Slightly more than half of the southern black migrants to Richmond during the war were women.

The presence of blacks was apparent not only in the factories, but in the social and cultural life of the city, most notably in the blues clubs that began to proliferate. Many of these clubs were owned and operated by African-American women who had migrated to Richmond from Arkansas. One such female entrepreneur was Margaret Starks, manager of Tappers Inn, the most popular club in North Richmond. Starks also served as a talent booking agent for a number of local clubs and published the city’s first black newspaper on the premises of the Tappers Inn.

…Throughout the war, although the boundaries continued to shift as new definitions of “women’s work” were required, the automobile industry maintained women in certain jobs and men in others. Despite the dramatic upswing in women’s participation in the workforce, unions had not developed strategies that included a place for women’s concerns in their negotiations with the companies, nor had a strong feminist movement come together to assert women’s needs, such as such child care and equal access to good jobs. As a result, gender division of labor survived the war. In spite of women’s dramatic contributions to the war effort, they were not able to achieve equal pay or working conditions. Their unequal treatment led to a campaign for equal rights.

The Republicans in 1940 and the Democrats in 1944 supported the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), but the two major union federations, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), opposed it. Even Frances Perkins, secretary of labor, and Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady--two activists on behalf of women’s rights--refused to support the legislation because they feared that women workers would lose legal protections against long hours and health hazards. In 1945, Congress considered a bill that would have required equal pay for women. But even with a fair amount of bipartisan support, and some union backing, that measure failed.”

- Elaine Tyler May, “World War II: The Chance for Change.” in Pushing the Limits: American Women, 1940-1961

#elaine tyler may #1940s #pushing the limits #world war ii #american #gender #history #20th century

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usafphantom2 · 4 months

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The man who stole America’s stealth fighter secrets for China 🇨🇳

It’s not uncommon to hear people say that China’s most advanced stealth fighters, the in-service Chengdu J-20 and forthcoming Shenyang FC-31, incorporate stolen design elements from existing American and Russian fighter programs. Russian allegations of copycat technology are born largely out of overall similarities between the J-20 and Russia’s long-defunct MiG 1.44 program. However, although Russian allegations leave at least some room for debate the same can’t be said for China’s theft of American stealth fighter designs.

In March 2016, a 51-year-old Chinese national named Su Bin pled guilty to charges associated with what the American Justice Department described as a “years-long conspiracy” conducted in concert with high-ranking members of the Chinese military to steal American military secrets – most notably, the designs for advanced stealth fighters like the F-22 and F-35.

“Su admitted that he conspired with two persons in China from October 2008 to March 2014 to gain unauthorized access to protected computer networks in the United States – including computers belonging to the Boeing Company in Orange County, California – to obtain sensitive military information and to export that information illegally from the United States to China,” reads the Justice Department release.

Su Bin, who worked in Canada under the name Stephen Su, was a well-regarded businessman and entrepreneur in the aviation industry, serving as the sole proprietor of a small company that specialized in aircraft cable harnesses. This company, called Lode-Tech, was described by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations as a “small player” in the field, with only a handful of employees and limited access to broader aviation programs.

However, despite the minimal reach of Lode-Tech, Su Bin himself worked tirelessly to establish in-roads within the Canadian and American defense industries, forming an extensive network of business contacts that, over time, allowed him to gain increasingly unfettered access to internal networks maintained by a variety of American and Canadian defense contractors.

As Bob Anderson, the FBI’s former head of counterintelligence, put it, “he cultivates you over time.”

China began formal development on its first stealth fighter, meant to compete directly with Western jets like the F-22, in 2008, awarding the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation a developmental contract meant to mature its Project 718 design proposal.

Starting that same year, Su began working directly with two professional hackers employed by China’s People’s Liberation Army, using the information he’d gained through his business contacts to enable the theft of more than 630,000 files from Boeing – a massive 65 gigabytes of data – related to the C-17 heavy-lift cargo aircraft. But Su had his sights set on an even bigger prize: information regarding America’s stealth fighter programs.

Related: Beating China could mean bringing the C-130 back to aircraft carriers

A five-ship formation consisting of a C-17 Globemaster III and four F-22 Raptors fly over Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Heather Redman)

Over time, Su’s ability to win over business contacts enabled the theft of even more information mostly on the development of Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. While Su did not immediately have access to Lockheed Martin’s networks, these aircraft were not designed or built solely within the halls of Lockheed Martin. Both of these fighters represent the efforts of a chorus of contractors and subcontractors, with design specifications shared across firms for the sake of manufacturing.

When people took note of Su’s interest in these classified programs, he assuaged their concerns by pointing out that he was only asking about specific, seemingly unimportant things.

“Su would say, ‘I’m not asking you to give me the F-35, but what’s it matter if I get one system out of it that we could sell to a friend or a prospective client?’” said Anderson. “And then go from there, and it takes time.”

Over at least six years, Su and his hackers would gain access to tens of thousands of files associated with these stealth fighter programs.

Correspondence between Su and his team shows he not only provided overall direction and guidance for this effort, but he even worked to translate the stolen information into Chinese, going so far as to draft formal reports for the PLA’s General Staff Headquarters on the material they managed to steal.

A redacted image from the F-35 report Su Bin prepared for the PLA’s General Staff Headquarters. (Creative Commons)

Su and his co-conspirators may have worked tirelessly to gain access to this information, but they worked just as hard to cover their tracks. FBI counter-intelligence experts traced their work through multiple third-party nations, where they had established “hop points” – a term used to describe compromised or purchased intermediary networks meant to disguise the infiltration’s actual point of origin.

In 2009, six current and former government officials confirmed with the Wall Street Journal that the Joint Strike Fighter Program that produced the F-35 had been accessed multiple times by Chinese hackers, who had secured several terabytes of information regarding the aircraft’s design and systems. At the time, Pentagon officials explained that the hackers used a method that encrypted data as it was being stolen, making it difficult to assess what specific data had been compromised. However, it is worth noting that some of the most secretive systems being developed for the aircraft are kept isolated from broader network access to avoid these sorts of security breaches. Nonetheless, this revelation was the beginning of the end for Su and his team.

In one 2011 e-mail entered into evidence, Su bragged to his Chinese contacts that the information they stole from the F-22 and F-35 programs would “allow us to rapidly catch up with U.S. levels … To stand easily on the giant’s shoulders.”

Beginning in 2011, in what Chinese officials might describe as little more than coincidental timing, the J-20 fighter design that had been maturing since 2008 suddenly adopted several significant – and stealthy – changes. These changes wouldn’t manifest in a new prototype, however, for three more years.

By 2013, Su had also established connections with GE Aviation in Cincinnati – a firm renowned for advanced turbofan technologies that China has struggled to develop for its own stealth fighters. It’s worth noting that both the F-22 and F-35 are powered by Pratt & Whitney powerplants, but GE was responsible for competing designs meant for service aboard these jets. According to Defense Department insiders, GE’s YF120 turbofan proposal for the F-22 Raptor was actually the more advanced and capable design. Pratt’s YF119 engine ultimately won out due to its simplicity and the lower risk associated with relying on more mature and proven technologies.

In March 2014, China’s new and improved J-20 design finally emerged, incorporating modified diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI), redesigned vertical stabilizers, and more. When pictures of the new J-20 first reached the internet, multiple defense outlets highlighted the now even more pronounced similarities to Lockheed Martin’s stealth fighters.

Visible changes in China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype fielded in 2014 (bottom) versus its previous iteration (top). (Via the Chinese internet)

As well-known aviation journalist David Cenciotti reported at the time, the J-20’s newly redesigned nose, in particular, bore a striking resemblance to the F-22 and F-35. That same year, USNI News contributor Feng Cao also drew direct comparisons to America’s stealth fighters, even highlighting its change in color to “F-22 grey,” likely a sign of improved radar-absorbent skin. Defense outlet War is Boring was so taken by the improved features of the new J-20 design that they ran a story with the headline, “China’s Latest Stealth Fighter Prototype Has, Well, Actual Stealth Features.”

Now, it is important to note that not all of the design changes to the J-20 are easily attributed to espionage. Some changes and improvements can be traced to on-record developmental efforts within Chinese academia… but not all of them. Nonetheless, the new-and-improved J-20 could be seen as a massive victory for Su Bin and his espionage efforts… but he wouldn’t have much time to celebrate. At right around the same time the new J-20 prototype was revealed to the world, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint and subsequent indictment against Su for the theft of thousands of files associated with American defense efforts. Four months later, in July 2014, he was arrested by Canadian authorities.

Visible changes in China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype fielded in 2014 (bottom) versus its previous iteration (top). (Via the Chinese internet)

While the FBI is traditionally responsible for investigating these sorts of crimes, the Air Force’s Office of Special Projects (PJ), a subset of the Office of Special Investigations, ultimately played a vital role in securing Bin’s arrest and extradition to the United States thanks to their ability to work directly with defense contractors and senior U.S. government officials, including members of the Air Force’s C-17 program office and others within Lockheed Martin itself.

American law enforcement eventually managed to access the messages exchanged between Su, his hackers, and Chinese military officials in which they wrote and revised formal reports for the People’s Liberation Army outlining their efforts and the data they’d managed to steal. The collection of stolen files combined with this correspondence left the charges all but irrefutable, and Su opted to wave the extradition hearing and be transferred directly to the United States.

Initially, Su was facing 30 years in prison for his crimes, but he quickly accepted a plea agreement, providing his full cooperation to American authorities in exchange for a much shorter 46-month sentence.

Despite the breadth of Su’s theft, many of the documents he and his hackers stole were not, strictly speaking, classified or even export-controlled. However, as the Air Force pointed out in 2016, even these less-significant thefts, in aggregate, allowed the Chinese military to reverse-engineer a wide variety of aircraft components that would otherwise have cost millions to develop from scratch, saving not only money, but a great deal of time associated with research and development.

Related: Pakistan wants to fly Chinese stealth fighters alongside its F-16s

F-35 (top) compared to J-20 (bottom).

“Su Bin admitted to playing an important role in a conspiracy, originating in China, to illegally access sensitive military data, including data relating to military aircraft that are indispensable in keeping our military personnel safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.

Su’s unearthed correspondence, the timeline of design changes incorporated into the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, and his subsequent admission of guilt, all point directly to China’s theft, and use, of Lockheed Martin design elements in its own fighter programs, though this idea remains the subject of debate within Pentagon and aviation circles to this day.

The J-20 is obviously not a direct copy of the F-22, and assertions that it would need to be to benefit from this sort of technological theft reflect a lack of understanding of fighter design. A tactical aircraft is, fundamentally speaking, not one thing, so much as a broad collection of components and design cues married to one another through functional form. Like a child bearing only a slight visual resemblance to her parents, genetic similarities run more than skin deep.

Comparison of F-22 (top) and J-20 (bottom).

Yet, the most conspicuous similarities between Chinese and American stealth fighters are, nonetheless, fairly easy to spot. Despite the J-20’s overall delta-wing and canard design resembling Russia’s defunct MiG 1.44 stealth fighter effort, the radar-reflecting design cues leveraged by the F-22 and F-35 are readily visible in the Chinese fighter.

Some have disputed this in recent years by alleging that these similarities are based not on theft, but physics, claiming that these shared design elements are the inevitable result of any fighter design meant to marry aerobatic performance to low-observability. This claim would seem to be substantiated by numerous other stealth fighter programs in development today that also bear a striking resemblance to America’s F-22 or F-35, like Turkey’s KAAN, South Korea’s KF-21, or India’s AMCA.

The truth, however, is that both the Indian and South Korean stealth fighter efforts saw direct engineering support from Lockheed Martin, and Turkey’s KAAN fighter began development in 2016, three years before the country was removed from the F-35 program. These fighters bear a resemblance to Lockheed Martin’s because they all have benefitted from access to Lockheed Martin’s design efforts.

The idea that all stealth fighter designs will ultimately mature in the shape of an F-22 can be easily dismissed by simply looking over the competing stealth fighter developmental efforts from other firms that ultimately didn’t see production for one reason or another. Boeing’s admittedly goofy-looking X-32 and Northrop’s legendary YF-23, both jets that competed and lost against Lockheed entries, were not only broadly comparable in terms of stealth, but it’s widely understood that the YF-23 was even stealthier than the YF-22 that matured into today’s Raptor.

Other stealth aircraft efforts like Northrop’s Tacit Blue, Boeing’s YF-118G Bird of Prey, NASA’s X-36, McDonnell Douglas’s A-12 Avenger II, and more all represent different approaches to low-observable tactical aircraft design that bear little resemblance to Lockheed Martin’s approach.

Related: Why stealth helicopters are so hard to design

Northrop’s YF-23 stealth fighter design. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Put simply, Lockheed Martin didn’t uncover the one-and-only approach to stealth fighter design in the early 1990s, leaving the rest of the world with no choice but to follow in its footsteps. Instead, Lockheed Martin offered the U.S. military the most viable combination of performance, stealth, and political support necessary to see its jets go into production. Since then, Lockheed Martin’s success with these designs has positioned it to support American allies and partners in their own developmental efforts, resulting in a great deal of similarity across some foreign designs.

China’s use of Lockheed Martin design elements in its stealth fighters, then, does not represent the inevitable result of radar and wind-tunnel testing, but rather a concerted effort to bridge the gap between Chinese and American fighter technology through a combination of direct theft and a fair bit of traditional domestic R&D.

So what does this ultimately mean for China’s J-20 or their new stealth fighter in development, the FC-31 (sometimes also known as the J-35)? Espionage has always played a role in the advancement of military technology and will continue doing so as long as wars are waged. These fighters do not need to match their American counterparts in all performance metrics to represent a potent threat to American security and interests, and indeed, they likely don’t. Their real value is as part of a broader defensive strategy and air warfare doctrine that China is still actively developing as we speak, and as such, the ultimate impact of these platforms has yet to fully manifest.

China’s operational J-20 (Wikimedia Commons)

It would be a mistake to dismiss these copycat fighters as little more than designer-imposter jets with no real combat prowess due solely to their use of stolen design elements. A Hi-Point pistol may look like a Glock run through a broken copy machine and may not offer the same accuracy, reliability, or ease of maintenance… but that’s little solace to anyone who’s been shot by one. And the truth is, a highly trained special operator armed with nothing more than a cheap pistol may be even more dangerous to an opponent than a dummy like me with the fanciest Sig money can buy.

Effective employment strategies and tactics can often offset technological shortcomings, and as such, China’s employment of stealth technologies in new fighter designs doesn’t need to be as refined as America’s. With the right strategy, training, supporting systems, and personnel, the underdog can always come out on top.

So, did China steal F-22 and F-35 designs to benefit its ongoing fighter efforts? The answer is unequivocally yes.

But is that a reason to dismiss the threat posed by these aircraft and others to follow?

The answer there is unequivocally no.

@Alexhollings

@SandboxxNews

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naturalrights-retard · 5 months

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By Frank Bergman January 1, 2024

A California dentist has dropped dead suddenly in the middle of performing a routine treatment on a patient, according to reports.

The dentist died last week after suffering an unexpected cardiac arrest.

The death was confirmed by the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

The unnamed dentist’s sudden death occurred on December 21 and was reported to state officials on the same day.

According to the Kern County coroner’s office, the cause of death was confirmed to be cardiac arrest.

The Bakersfield Californian reported that the death occurred at the office of Dr. Sandra J. Gong in Arvin.

The identity of the dentist has not been confirmed by authorities.

The news comes amid soaring reports of sudden and unexpected fatalities.

In one of the more tragic recent stories, the family of a young Australian nurse has been left devastated after she suddenly died on Christmas Eve.

Ashley Denness worked for Sydney‘s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

She was vacationing with her partner’s family in the Whitsunday islands off Queensland when she collapsed.

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onenettvchannel · 8 months

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#OnlyOnRadyoBandera: Critical controversy surrounding Crunchyroll Original's 'High Guardian Spice' raises uncertainty for a potential 2nd Season

(FILE PHOTO COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Crunchy Onigiri / From top left to bottom right with an upper-like S shape on Tetris: Sage, Rosemary, Parsley and Thyme)

TRIGGER WARNING: The following entertainment news article discusses a sensitive and controversial topic related to the original cartoon series 'High Guardian Spice'. We furtherly acknowledge that this piece of content of OneNETtv Channel and OneNETnews may be too distressing to some news readers, and may contain discussions of political hate speech, criticism and homophobia. We strive to present a balanced view of this situation, and we advise readers to exercise caution while engaging with this material. As part of our ZERO-tolerance policy in a news organization, we do NOT endorse, aggressively attacking to offend others, or to promote hate speech or discrimination of any kind. READER's DISCRETION is STRONGLY and HEAVILY ADVISED. Also, read our full disclaimer at the end of this article. Thank you!

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA -- In a serious surprising turn of the events, the original cartoon web series 'High Guardian Spice' on Crunchyroll is facing an uncertain future as discussions surrounding a potential Season 2 have given way to disappointment and controversy.

High Guardian Spice was produced by Crunchyroll Originals in late-October 2021, and was created by a Cuba-American show creator named Mr. Raye Rodriguez, was initially met with a significant amount of excitement upon the announcement.

With its focus on diverse characters and a story centered around 4 young women named Rosemary, Sage, Parsley and Thyme, whose attending a magical school at the High Guardian Academy (HGA), the series aimed to break new grounds in the world of cartoons, since there is no further evidence or independently claimed for the anime genre. However, as Season 1 concluded, it became evident that the show had garnered mixed to severely negative reviews.

(STOCK PHOTO COURTESY: Google Images)

Criticism and negativity surrounding the show intensified, leading to a series of harsh reactions from some viewers, largely citing issues related to the animation quality and storytelling. Online discussions quickly shifted towards accusations of political hate speech and critiques of the series as a "trojan horse" for LGBTQ+ representation. These criticisms led to extreme divisions within the anime community.

(SCREENGRAB COURTESY: Raye Rodriguez via The X Network, per the relay thread with Nitter Instances)

The situation escalated further as High Guardian Spice, faced backlash from some quarters of the anime and cartoon communities. This led to concerns about its future and the potential for a 2nd Season. A vocal group of fans expressed discomfort with the series, feeling it discouraged non-LGBTQ+ viewers for various reasons, including a lot of online allegations of cyber-homophobia.

The actual controversy additionally prolonged to accusations of underbudgeting for both the writers and animation departments, with some claiming that the show's production quality fails to meet the entire project industry standards. The series receiving massive bad interests from a group of people or individual but vocal, with the incorrect marketing for its targeted audience whose labeled it as the "most unfairly maligned anime" on the internet web series as according to The Mary Sue news bureau.

(ART PHOTO COURTESY: Raye Rodriguez via LinkedIn Blog Post / He is now permanently done on Crunchyroll, which potentially moved on to a different streaming animation platform. While Ms. Rosemary grips her sword and tries herself without giving up.)

In light of these saddened developments to Radyo Bandera news team, Crunchyroll remains tight-lipped with regards to the web series' fate of High Guardian Spice. Speculation about a potential 2nd Season met uncertainty, and it is unclear whether it will return, or be permanently cancelled.

As it stands, the divisive nature of 'High Guardian Spice' has also placed its destiny in jeopardy. Whether Crunchyroll picks to address the criticisms, or if the series will make a move to a different animation studio and a different streaming platform, remains to be seen with a good transparency to the public. The controversy surrounding 'High Guardian Spice' poses a question about how far creators and platforms are willing to go in accommodating both their core targeted audience and people with differing viewpoints. Will a potential Season 2 be an opportunity for a redemption, or risk the show's cancellation forever?

(THUMBNAIL PHOTO COURTESY: DaftPina via YT Images)

Case and point by default in the world of cartoons instead of anime, 'High Guardian Spice' stands as an interesting case study with a point-of-view, limiting boundaries of what a web series can be represent, the impact of fan discourse, and the weight of a balanced public opinions. Only time will tell for what the future holds on this ambitious web series of Crunchyroll Originals.

High Guardian Spice is available to stream all the episodes, on demand right now on Crunchyroll.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Radyo Bandera: Sweet FM Network-Visayas and Bandera News Philippines (both in Bacolod and Palawan), alongside with Crunchyroll are in the parent affiliated firms on this internet TV station of ONC and OneNETnews.

FILE PHOTO COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Crunchy Onigiri

SOURCE: *https://twitter.com/dinoraye/status/1483551613503426565 [Referenced Thread Post via Twitter] *https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rayetoons_its-a-rough-time-in-the-job-market-these-activity-7117358088466137090-MoW1 [Referenced Captioned Post via LinkedIn blog] *https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/Rayetoons *https://www.themarysue.com/crunchyrolls-high-guardian-spice-internets-most-unfairly-maligned-anime/ [Referenced Editorial Article via The Mary Sue] *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTz_HVWmNAU [Referenced YT Video via DaftPina] *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Guardian_Spice and *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophobia

IMPORTANT HONEST DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed from an entertainment news article are not necessarily those from the Crunchy Onigiri, LLC. Online suspects in social media toxicity must not be imitated in any political matter. Furthermore, the assumptions of the entertainment news article will NOT state, intervene or reflect those of our affiliated reporters. The show, the station, the management, interwebs and the network. Thanks for reading and stay safe mga Ka-Bandera. Later!

-- OneNETnews Team

#entertainment news #burbank #california #Crunchyroll #anime #cartoons #high guardian spice #HGS #high guardian spice spoilers #controversial #not greenlighted #season 2 #potential #awareness #radyo bandera #sweet fm #RBSFM #OneNETnews

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collegeblog · 2 years

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Best STEM College for You

Have plans for shooting for a high-level college? Ivy League maybe? Here’s something to help you decide which STEM college is right for you and best suited for your interests.

Harvard University: Harvard is a private Ivy League college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1636, making it the first university established in America and was named after John Harvard, its first benefactor. Harvard’s acceptance rate is 5% and its seemingly most popular STEM major is Computer Science.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Better known as MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, making it Harvard’s Cambridge rival. It was founded in 1861 and roughly half of students are in Engineering programs. MIT’s acceptance rate is 7.3% and its top majors include Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics.

California Institute of Technology: Better known as CalTech, the California Institute of Technology is a private college in Pasadena, California and is MIT’s technology rival. It was founded in 1891 and has an acceptance rate of 6.9%. Its top majors include Computer Science and Physics.

Georgia Institute of Technology: Better known as GeorgiaTech, the Georgia Institute of Technology is a public college in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1885 and has an acceptance rate of 21.3%. Its top majors include Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Industrial Engineering.

Stanford University: Stanford is a private college in Stanford, California. It was founded in 1885 and has an acceptance rate of 5.9%. Its top STEM major is Computer Science.

Princeton University: Princeton is a private Ivy League college in Princeton, New Jersey. It was founded in 1746, making it the fourth oldest institution in America. Its acceptance rate is 5.6% and its top STEM major is also Computer Science.

These are obviously only suggestions and I encourage you to do your own research before making any decisions. If you’re seeking computer science or a computer-related major, any one of these options would be excellent as Computer Science was consistently in the top majors, but I would maybe encourage you to consider a college more focused on that major such as Stanford or Harvard where Computer Science isn’t facing much competition. If you’re more interested in science fields such as Physics or Chemistry then I would recommend MIT or Caltech as they have a larger science department.

In terms of prestige and possibly being the best STEM college in America, I would say that MIT would be the winner. It consistently scores higher than CalTech, its competition in technology, in most areas and is known for its intense curriculum, research opportunities, faculty, and one of the most difficult colleges to get accepted into, strongly encouraging you to have excellent grades, GPA, ACT/SAT scores, and plenty of extracurricular activities under your belt. Aside from credentials, MIT also looks for students who are high achievers, who are driven and genuinely passionate about their STEM interest, and who are willing to take risks to achieve their goals.

For more information, feel free to visit these websites:

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artcenterstories · 2 years

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Medium is the Message: Meet Artist Noël Ill

ArtCenter: What are you working on right now? Noël Ill (Illustration '05): I began assisting on music video sets in the early 2000s. My directorial debut was in 2006 for the song, Stealing Stars by the band Gosling. I also sing and write lyrics for New Zealand-based, author and composer, Jeremy Garner, who creates enthralling, rhythmic tracks.

I recently released Psychic Bitch, a music video I wrote and directed. The short film immerses the viewer in a cyberpunk virtual world, switching from first-person shooter video game perspectives, to artfully crafted stop-motion animation. The story is about choosing to use one’s mind and intuition rather than physical violence to defeat toxic obstacles.

AC: What inspired your current creative project? Noël: In 2020, Jeremy and I recorded, Elementals, an alt pop album of 11 songs. As Noël & Jeremy, we went on to collaborate on a series of books inspired by the metaphysical subject matter that was explored during the recording of Elementals. Jeremy authored the books; I designed the covers. In 2021, our video for the song Red Light, which I wrote and directed, won for Best Sci-Fi Music Video at the 2021 California Music Video Awards. We decided to release Psychic Bitch as a follow up.

AC: What’s the first site you look at when you open your computer in the morning? Noël: It's either my email or, lately, I've been browsing LinkedIn. LinkedIn posts a lot of articles about business and what's happening in our economy — it's good to keep on top of that if you're still in the workforce.

AC: Where do you go when you’re taking a break? Noël: I love to go visit my aunt who lives in upstate New York near the Adirondack Mountains. I get very inspired by the historic sites around the area, like the old gravestones and abandoned barns.

AC: What do you do to detox from media and screens? Noël: Gardening! It activates all the senses. It's very rejuvenating to take in the sweet scent of roses, taste the fruit from the citrus trees, feel the breeze, watch the bees and listen to the birds.

AC: What books are on your bedside table? Noël: Recently, I began reading Treatise on the Apparitions of Spirits and on Vampires or Revenants of Hungary, a very fascinating book written by Augustin Calmet, a Monk from the Benedictine Order of the 18th century. I purchased it because I like to read about the supernatural, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Calmet takes a responsible approach to investigating supernatural occurrences, debunking many and relating others to the Bible. I've never read anything like it, and highly recommend it for those who love metaphysical subject matter.

AC: What’s your best piece of advice for an ArtCenter student who’s interested in following your career path? Noël: I'm very grateful I've been able to sustain a versatile art career working in multiple industries and expressing my artistic vision through many different outlets. If anyone's interested in working with different mediums throughout different industries, just stay curious and follow your passions.

When I was a student at ArtCenter, I majored in illustration, but made friends with students in other departments like photography, film and motion graphics. I was curious about what they were doing in their departments and found ways to collaborate and combine our talents — I learned a lot from watching friends make their art. I also took electives to learn more about fields I had an interest in. I wasn't afraid to try a course that I had no prior experience with because ArtCenter made me feel comfortable experimenting.

For example, I took an entertainment track course, and with the help of classmates, learned how to draw digitally on a tablet. It was that experience that built my confidence to learn completely new skills and one of my first big jobs out of ArtCenter was working as a production artist on the animated show, The Life And Times of Tim (HBO). So, stay curious, explore your passions and be open to continue learning!

#NoëlIll #artcenter #design #artcenter college of design #illustration

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