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ciaomichaella · 2 years

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It’s the beginning of the season and the start of the new quad, but things are already sounding so familiar. It’s like deja vu from the 2018 Olympics where media reported on Team Edin’s financial woes. Sadly, gold medals from the Olympics and Worlds don’t pay the bills. 🐐 Niklas Edin & his teammates continue to fail to attract sustainable sponsors that will give them financial stability - a complete contrast to Team Hasselborg who just posted pics and vids w/ their new cars… . . https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/niklas-edin-ar-bast-i-varlden-marks-inte-i-planboken https://www.folkbladet.nu/2022-09-20/slut-pa-pengar-for-lag-edin-kassan-star-pa-noll . My hope is for my #Icevengers to win all the events they enter this season and this quad. Just rack up all that prize money and pad your bank accounts to get through this next Olympic cycle 🙏🤞 I’m not as invested in the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard going on right now because there’s no official livestream (certain teams are doing their own streams on YT/FB but we all know my Swedes want nothing to do with that sort of thing so I’m SOL). Sadly, my Swedes aren’t off to a good start - they lost their first game vs Team Thompson by 1 point (7-8). My Swedes play against Team Fournier next (B Road). Here’s hoping they get all the way to the final and win. But we all know the best way to rack up prize money is to win a GSOC event, which my Swedes have historically struggled to do since I became a fan. I will continue to hope and cheer for them to win GSOC events this season; they got this 👊💪 The best curling team in the history of the sport will raise that Pinty’s Cup in due time. . . 🥌💙💛🇸🇪🥌💙💛🇸🇪🥌💙💛🇸🇪 #NiklasEdin #GOAT #Bionik #LordNiklas #PoolShark #KatnikEveredin #TeamEdin #Swedish #EdinForTheWin #Sweden #athlete #olympian #OlympicChampion #olympicgoldmedalist #worldchampion #europeanchampion #curling #swedishbae #mahalskling #GreatestOfAllTime #simplythebest #bestintheworld #IBELIEVEEDINWILLWIN 🥌💙💛🇸🇪🥌💙💛🇸🇪🥌💙💛🇸🇪 . . 📸 Sveriges Radio https://www.instagram.com/p/CjHu8XvOn8B/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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weheartchrisevans · 4 years

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BOSTON — So you're Tim Scott, the Republican senator from South Carolina who opposes Roe v. Wade and wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and you get a call from Chris Evans, a Hollywood star and lifelong Democrat who has been blasting President Trump for years. He wants to meet. And film it. And share it on his online platform. Can anybody say "Borat?" “I was very skeptical,” admits Scott. “You can think of the worst-case scenario.”But then Scott heard from other senators. They vouched for Evans, most famous for playing Captain America in a series of films that have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. The actor also got on the phone with Scott’s staff to make a personal appeal.

It worked. Sometime in 2018, Scott met on camera with Evans in the nation’s capital, and their discussion, which ranged from prison reform to student loans, is one of more than 200 interviews with elected officials published on “A Starting Point,” an online platform the actor helped launch in July. Not long after, Evans appeared on Scott’s Instagram Live. They have plans to do more together.

“While he is a liberal, he was looking to have a real dialogue on important issues,” says Scott. “For me, it’s about wanting to have a conversation with an audience that may not be accustomed to hearing from conservatives and Republicans.”

Evans, actor-director Mark Kassen and entrepreneur Joe Kiani launched “A Starting Point” as a response to what they see as a deeply polarized political climate. They wanted to offer a place for information about issues without a partisan spin. To do that, they knew they needed both parties to participate.

Evans, 39, sat on the patio outside his Boston-area home on a recent afternoon talking about the platform. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans and spent some of the interview chasing around his brown rescue dog. Nearly 100 million people didn’t vote in the 2016 general election, Evans says. That’s more than 40 percent of those who were eligible.He believes the root of this disinterest is the nastiness on both sides of the aisle. Many potential voters simply turn off the news, never mind talking about actual policy.“A Starting Point” is meant to offer a digital home for people to hear from elected officials without having the conversation framed by Tucker Carlson or Rachel Maddow.

“The idea is . . . ‘Listen, you’re in office. I can’t deny the impact you have,’ ” says Evans. “ ‘You can vote on things that affect my life.’ Let this be a landscape of competing ideas, and I’ll sit down with you and I’ll talk with you.”

Or, as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who has appeared on the site, puts it, “Sometimes, boring is okay. You’re being presented two sides. Everything doesn’t have to be sensational. Sometimes, it can just be good facts.” Evans wasn’t always active in politics. At Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, he focused on theater, not student government. And he moved away from home his senior year, working at a casting agency in New York as he pushed for acting gigs. His uncle, Michael E. Capuano, served as a congressman in Massachusetts for 20 years, but other than volunteering on some of his campaign, Evans wasn’t particularly political.

In recent years, he’s read political philosopher Hannah Arendt and feminist Rebecca Solnit’s “The Mother of All Questions” — ex-girlfriend Jenny Slate gave him the latter — and been increasingly upset by Trump’s policies and behavior. He’s come to believe that he can state his own views without creating a conflict with “A Starting Point.” When he and Scott spoke on Instagram, the president wasn’t mentioned. In contrast, recently Evans and other members of the Avengers cast took part in a virtual fundraiser with Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala D. Harris.

“I don’t want to all of a sudden become a blank slate,” says Evans. “But my biggest issue right now is just getting people to vote. If I start saying, ‘vote Biden; f Trump,’ my base will like that. But they were already voting for Biden.”

(In September, Evans accidentally posted an image of presumably his penis online and, after deleting it, tweeted: “Now the I have your attention . . . Vote Nov. 3rd!!!”)

Evans began to contemplate the idea that became “A Starting Point” in 2017. He heard something reported on the news — he can’t remember exactly what — and decided to search out information on the Internet. Instead of finding concrete answers, Evans fell down the rabbit hole of opinions and conflicting claims. He began talking about this with Kassen, a friend since he directed Evans in 2011’s “Puncture.” What if they got the information directly from elected officials and presented it without a spin? Kassen, in turn, introduced Evans to Kiani, who had made his fortune through a medical technology company he founded and, of the three, was the most politically involved.

Kiani has donated to dozens of Democratic candidates across the country and earlier this year contributed $750,000 to Unite the Country, a super PAC meant to support Joe Biden. But he appreciated the idea of focusing on something larger than a single race or party initiative. He, Kassen and Evans would fund “A Starting Point,” which has about 18 people on staff.

“There’s no longer ABC, NBC and CBS,” Kiani says. “There’s Fox News and MSNBC. What that means is that we are no longer being censored. We’re self-censoring ourselves. And people go to their own echo chamber and they don’t get any wiser. If you allow both parties to speak, for the same amount of time, without goading them to go on into hyperbole, when people look at both sides’ point of view of both topics, we think most of the time they’ll come to a reasonable conclusion.”

“What people do too often is they get in their silos and they only watch and listen and read what they agree with,” says John Kasich, the former Ohio governor and onetime Republican presidential candidate. “If you go to Chris’s website, you can’t bury yourself in your silo. You get to see the other point of view.” As much as some like to blame Trump for all the conflicts in Washington, Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) says he’s watched the tone shifting for decades. He appreciated sitting down with Evans and making regular submissions to “Daily Points,” a place on the platform for commentary no longer than two minutes. During the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Coons recorded a comment on Judge Amy Coney Barrett and the Affordable Care Act.“ ‘A Starting Point’ needs to be a sustained resource,” Coons says. “Chris often talks about it being ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ for adults.”

It’s not by chance that Evans has personally conducted all of the 200-plus interviews on “A Starting Point” during trips to D.C. Celebrities often try to mobilize the public, whether it’s Eva Longoria, Tracee Ellis Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus hosting the Democratic National Convention or Jon Voight recording video clips to praise Trump. But in this case, Evans is using his status in a different way, to entice even the most hesitant Republican to sit down for an even-toned chat. And he’s willing to pose with anyone, even if it means explaining himself on “The Daily Show” after Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas posted a selfie with Evans. (Two attempts to interview Trump brought no response.) Murkowski remembers when Evans came to Capitol Hill for the first time in 2018. She admits she didn’t actually know who he was — she hadn’t yet seen any Marvel movies. She was in the minority.“We meet interesting and important people but, man, when Captain America was in the Senate, it was all the buzz,” she says. “And people were like, ‘Did you get your picture taken?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I sat down and did the interview.’ ‘You did an interview? How did you get an interview with him?’ ”What impressed Murkowski wasn’t his star power. It was the way Evans conducted the interview.“It was relaxing,” she says. “You didn’t feel like you were in front of a reporter who was just waiting for you to say something you would get caught on later. It was a dialogue . . . and we need more dialogue and less gotcha.”

“Starting Points” offers two-minute answers by elected officials in eight topic areas, including education, the environment and the economy. This is where the interviews Evans conducted can be found. “Daily Points” has featured a steady flow of Republicans and Democrats. A third area, “Counterpoints,” hosts short debates between officials on particular subjects. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, debated mail-in voting with Dusty Johnson, the Republican congressman from South Dakota.

“Most Americans can’t name more than five members of the United States House,” says Johnson. “ ‘A Starting Point’ allows thoughtful members to talk to a broader audience than we would normally have.”

The platform’s social media team pushes out potentially newsworthy clips, whether it’s Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) discussing his meeting with Barrett just before he tested positive for the coronavirus, or Angus King, the independent senator from Maine, criticizing Trump for his comments on a potential peaceful transfer of power after November’s election. Kassen notes that the King clip was viewed more than 175,000 times on “A Starting Point’s” Twitter account, compared with the 10,000 who caught in on CNN’s social media platform.

“Because it’s short-form media, we’re engineered to be social,” says Kassen. “As a result, when something catches hold, it’s passed around our audience pretty well.”

The key is to use modern tools to push out content that’s tonally different from what you might find on modern cable news. Or on social media. Which is what Evans hopes leads to more engagement. He’s particularly proud that more than 10,000 people have registered to vote through “A Starting Point” since it went online.

“If the downstream impact or the byproduct of this site is some sort of unity between the parties, great,” says Evans. “But if nobody’s still voting, it doesn’t work. We need people involved.”

#chris evans #mark kassan #joe kiani #a starting point #the washington post #news

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gifsbysimplysonia · 4 years

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Mark Kassan and Chris Evans

AStartingPoint.com

#Chris Evans #animations #not mine #ASP #mark kassan #Chris Evans laugh

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thelonesomequeen · 3 years

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I don't think he went alone. One of the dudes look like Guillermo (who is in France according to one of his stories). // The guy in the black shirt walking up front beside the one in the brown shirt looks like Mark Kassan. Maybe Scott went home and Mark flew in. Maybe they have the weekend off from filming since they filmed nights and they start back up filming nights again on Monday. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I thought it looked like Mark, too! But it’s kind of hard to tell with the mask and sunglasses 🦎

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languagesofgalhaf · 3 years

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Pu̜o̜dz [pʰʊˈɔd͡z], pl. pefpeidž, pl. stem pefpŏ̜dž- [pʰefˈpʰʲejd͡ʒ], [pʰefpʰʌd͡ʒ] “Holiday”

The plural occurs in a common paradigm in which the nominative is marked by an infixed -i- placed after the last vowel. There is a regular sound change in which ŏ̜ or ŏ + i becomes ei (also, though not relevant to this word, ŏ̜/ŏ + u → ou), thus the alternation between the nominative and the stem is completely predictable. In addition, the -dz at the end of the singular is intrinsic to the stem. There was a regular sound change at a previous stage wherein word-final d/t became dz/ts, resulting in a large number of nouns in which the nominative ends in -dz or -ts, which becomes -d- or -t- in other cases, but in this instance, the -dz is part of the stem, and remains in all cases

It is descended from the Vulgar Kasshian pipanza, pl. pefpanzhi, which belonged to a class of nouns in which a word-final a, derived historically from Old Kassan /ə/, was dropped before the plural suffix -i, and in this case, regular palatalization then occurred, causing the alternation between -za and -zhi. A regular epenthetic process happened in sequences of /n/ + sibilant fricatives, adding /t ~ d/, thus /ns nʃ nz nʒ/ → /nt͡s nt͡ʃ nd͡z nd͡ʒ/

Pipanza in turn derived from a borrowing of the Sanle word panz meaning “full moon”, the day of which was a regular religious festival. The word later generalized to any holiday (compare the similar development of English holy day → holiday)

#lexember #conlang #conlangs #modern shivrashanian

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skippyv20 · 5 years

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MM hosted of the STEVEN J. ROSS HUMANITARIAN AWARD

BONNIE HAMMER RECEIVES STEVEN J. ROSS HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Stories & Voices

UJA-Federation of New York’s Entertainment, Media & Communications Division paid tribute to Bonnie Hammer, the chairman of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, at this year’s Leadership Awards Dinner. The event also honored the spirit of diversity, tolerance, and inclusion that has inspired Hammer’s professional and philanthropic work.

From left to right: (standing) Mark Feuerstein, Ralph Deluca, Bonnie Hammer, Meghan Markle, Matt Lauer, Sarah Rafferty (seated) Christian Slater, Gina Torres, Hoda Kotb, Elizabeth Hurley, and Lindsay Roth.

“Bonnie passionately cares about fighting for tolerance and promoting acceptance,” said actress Elizabeth Hurley as she presented Hammer with the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award. “She’s taken everything’s she’s touched to unprecedented success, and she is the first woman to receive this prestigious award.”

Actors Meghan Markle and Mark Feuerstein were co-hosts for the event, held June 2nd at 583 Park Avenue. Other celebrities on hand to celebrate Hammer were Paulo Costanzo, Hoda Kotb, Matt Lauer, Sarah Rafferty, Dr. Ruth, Christian Slater, and Gina Torres. Guests also enjoyed a stunning performance by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles.

“As a fellow Brooklynite born to immigant, Jewish parents, I am especially moved to receive this award named for Steve Ross. I am mindful of the humbling fact that I am the first woman to receive this award,” Hammer said. “And I’m certain I’m not going to be the last.”

She shared a moving account of the anti-Semitism she experienced as a college student from a bigoted professor and how it taught her a lesson that informed and influenced much of her career.

“It stayed with me ever since, that prejudice and discrimination based on our differences is an unfortunate fact of life,” Hammer said.

From left to right: Michael E. Kassan, Rob Marcus, Bonnie Hammer, Elizabeth Hurley, Aryeh B. Bourkoff, Michael D. Fricklas, Matthew C. Blank, and Jeff Zucker.

She began developing documentaries about people treated as “other,” including women with AIDS and kids in gangs. This documentary series, which has grown into a campaign against racism, sexism, and “the isms that divide us,” now spans all the cable networks Hammer oversees.

This mission of inclusion is also prevalent in the work that UJA-Federation supports. Hammer experienced a taste of that work when she met Diane Werner, founder of Mosaic of Westchester.

“Diane’s son Adam knew that he was gay since fifth grade, and it broke her heart to see him hide it at school, camp, and at their synagogue,” Hammer said. “Diane witnessed her son’s pain, and decided she had to do something about it. With the support of UJA-Federation and the help of her amazing family, Diane created Mosaic, an organization focused on finding ways for LGBTQ individuals to become connected to, and even more importantly, embraced by their community.”

As she thanked everyone for their warmth and generosity of spirit, Hammer said with conviction, “This award will be a constant reminder to me personally of the power and the responsibility we all have to leave things just a little better than we found them.”

Taken from :

https://www.ujafedny.org/news/bonnie-hammer-receives-steven-j-ross-humanitarian-award/

Interesting isn’t it?😊❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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rebeccahallsource · 5 years

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‘Tales From The Loop’: Rebecca Hall To Star In Amazon Series Based On Simon Stålenhag Art

EXCLUSIVE: Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona) has been tapped as the female lead in Tales From the Loop, Amazon’s hourlong genre series based on the acclaimed sci-fi art of Simon Stålenhag. It comes from writer Nathaniel Halpern, director Mark Romanek, Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho, and Swedish production and management company Indio. Fox 21 Television Studios is co-producing with Amazon Studios.

Tales from the Loop explores the town and people who live above “The Loop,” a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe – making things possible that were previously relegated only to science fiction. In this fantastical, mysterious town, poignant human tales are told that bare universal emotional experiences while drawing on the intrigue of genre storytelling.

Hall will play Loretta, a gifted physicist.

Halpern, Romanek and Reeves executive produce with The Passage‘s Adam Kassan and Rafi Crohn, along with Indio’s Mattias Montero, Samantha Taylor Pickett, Adam Berg and Stålenhag.

Hall, who landed a Golden Globe nomination for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is in production on Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong. She’ll soon begin production on The Night House and following that will shoot Passing, which she has adapted for the screen and will mark her directorial debut. She will next be seen in Max Minghella’s Teen Spirit and was recently seen starring in Angela Robinson’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. Hall is repped by Julian Belfrage Associates, WME and attorneys Hansen & Jacobson.

#rebecca hall #tales from the loop #news

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 6 years

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[Trailer] Sink Your Teeth Into Fox’s New Vampire Series THE PASSAGE

Fox has released it’s first trailer for The Passage, starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar. The series, based on the 2010 novel by Justin Cronin, will premiere this fall.

At first glance, the show appears to have a Wayward Pines or The X-Files feel to it. But as the trailer progresses, we see the bigger story unfold. A global pandemic is spreading, causing the infected to become vampire-like in appearance and behavior. Scientists hatch an idea to test a serum on a child in order to save millions of people. Gosselaar is FBI agent Brad Wolgast, tasked with bringing the child (Sanniya Sidney) back to a government testing facility. He apparently has second thoughts and goes rogue with the girl in an attempt to bring her to safety.

The Passage is the first series order from Fox, who have already renewed The Orville, The Simpsons, Empire, 911, The Gifted and The Resident. Fox has also disappointed many fans recently with cancellations of The Exorcist, Lucifer, Last Man on Earth and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Originally planned for the off-season, The Passage underwent many changes after it’s first pilot episode was deemed disappointing by test audiences. However, director Marcos Siega was unavailable, so reshoots were done with director Jason Ensler. Previously, Ensler directed episodes of The Exorcist and Lethal Weapon for Fox. There were also some pretty heavy rewrites as three characters were removed from the show. Alicia Donadio, Sarah Fisher, and Peter Jaxon were rewritten as new characters, who were also recast with new actors.

Elizabeth Heldens (The Orville) wrote the series. She is also Executive Producer alongside Ridley Scott (Alien: Covenant), Matt Reeves (Let Me In), David W. Zucker (The Terror), and Adam Kassan (Black Mass).

Let’s hope Fox sees this series through to it’s conclusion and not send it the way of The Exorcist or Lucifer. What do you think of the trailer for The Passage? Sound off on Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, or the our Facebook group!

The post [Trailer] Sink Your Teeth Into Fox’s New Vampire Series THE PASSAGE appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

from WordPress https://nofspodcast.com/passage-series-fox-trailer/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress #horror #horror movies #nightmareonfilmstreet #nightmare on film street #horror pod

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pilotseason2018 · 6 years

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THE PASSAGE (picked up to series)

Note: This is the second version of a pilot, originally filmed last season but reconceived with new footage to be shot in March; former cast members Genesis Rodriguez, BJ Britt and Jennifer Ferrin have departed from the project

Based on author Justin Cronin’s best-selling trilogy of the same name, The Passage is an epic, character-driven thriller about a secret government medical facility experimenting with a dangerous virus that could either cure all disease or cause the downfall of the human race. Spanning over a century, the series focuses on a 10-year-old girl named Amy Bellafonte, who is chosen to be a test subject for this experiment and Brad Wolgast, the Federal agent who becomes her surrogate father as he tries to protect her.

Cast (thus far)

Mark Paul-Gosselaar (Pitch) as FBI agent Brad Wolgast, who has a tragedy in his past that drives him to form a paternal bond with Amy. (Jun 1, 2017)

Saniyya Sidney (American Horror Story) as Amy Bellafonte, who seems to have special powers that allow her to communicate with “virals,” terrifying monsters that once were human. Through flashbacks, Amy tells her tale, which is directly tied to the genesis of these creatures. After her mother dies, Amy is retrieved from foster care for Project Noah, a secret, government-funded, medical research facility in Colorado, where a drug is being tested that turns people into lethal killing machines but also unleashes psychic abilities. This young girl may be the key to saving humanity. (Jun 1, 2017)

Brianne Howey (The Exorcist) as Shauna, a convict used as a test subject in Project Noah. (Jun 1, 2017)

Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) as Dr. Lila Kyle, surgeon and ex-‐wife to Brad. (Feb 14)

Vincent Piazza (Boardwalk Empire) as Clark Richards, a brilliant, hyper-charmer who is “all restless energy and fierce intelligence” with a dark sense of humor. (Jun 15, 2017)

Jamie McShane (Bloodline) as Dr. Tim Fanning, who is Patient Zero. (Feb 13)

Caroline Chikezie (The Shannara Chronicles) as Dr. Major Nichole Sykes, leader of Project Noah. (Feb 13)

Genre: Vampire Thriller Drama

Created by: Liz Heldens. Based on: Justin Cronin’s trilogy. Directed by: Marcos Siega & Jason Ensler.

Produced by: Liz Heldens, Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Ridley Scott, David E. Zuiker, Justin Cronin, Rafi Crohn & Clayton Krueger.

Studios: 20th Century FOX Television, Scott Free Productions & 6th & Idaho.

youtube

Benched until midseason

#The Passage #FOX Pilots #Genre: Drama #Genre: Vampire Drama #Genre: Thriller Drama #Genre: Vampire Thriller Drama #Justin Cronin #Mark Paul-Gosselaar #Saniyya Sidney #Brianne Howey #Emmanuelle Chriqui #Vincent Piazza #Jamie McShane #Caroline Chikezie #pickeduptoseries #benchedformidseason

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hawkquill-come · 4 years

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First Trailer from Tales from the Loop, Adapted from Digital Pictures

Amazon has released the first trailer of the retro-futuristic science fiction series Tales from the Loop, which it has been working on for a long time. The director of the new Batman movie, Matt Reeves, is the producer of the series inspired by digital pictures by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag.

E-commerce giant Amazon’s digital broadcast service Amazon Prime shared the first trailer of series, the new science fiction series with talented names in its kitchen. The series is based on the surreal science fiction art book by the Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, which depicts an alternative version of the Swedish countryside full of fantastic machines and creatures. The paintings drawn by Stålenhag are set in a universe where a huge particle accelerator called "The Loop" built underground caused the emergence of "strange and mysterious" machines and events.

Tales from the Loop, which has the title of the first television series adapted from digital pictures, seems to basically follow the story in Stålenhag's book, but the story has shifted from the Swedish countryside to the Midwest of America. The adaptation, which seems to have perfectly captured the nature of Stålenhag's paintings, is undoubtedly one of the most curious science fiction series this year. Produced by Nathaniel Halpern, Tales from the Loop is produced by Matt Reeves, Mark Romanek, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Mattias Montero, Samantha Taylor Pickett and Adam Berg. The cast of the series includes names like Rebecca Hall, Paul Schneider, Daniel Zolghadri, Duncan Joiner and Jonathan Pryce.

When is Tales from the Loop ?

Tales from the Loop, the first season of which consists of eight episodes, will meet with the audience on April 3 on the Amazon Prime platform. https://youtu.be/1htuNZp82Ck Read the full article

#Amazon #AmazonPrime #Sci-Fi #TalesfromtheLoop

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weheartchrisevans · 4 years

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vimeo

Chris’ website, A Starting Point, is now live!

#chris evans #mark kassan #joe kiani #a starting point #news #video

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ingenaning · 6 years

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Ibland måste man skriva ur sig skit för att sluta känna sig som skit. Denna text jag haft i ett dokument är ett hopkok av skit jag tänkt, känt och dramatiserat (!) en del. Tänkte publicera den här och uppmana till att den läses på egen risk. puss

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Jag röker inte och hon i kassan på Pressbyrån frågar aldrig vad jag vill ha. Istället skannar hon alltid samma blå paket frontat av en kamel och önskar mig en trevlig kväll. Som om hon känner mig bättre än jag själv. Det är fredag. En vanlig fredag när livet börjat om, precis som en vanlig måndag när veckan är ny. Mörkret äger landet och jag undrar om folk som alltid levt under sol tror de förlorar synen när de möter nordisk mark. De har aldrig sett snö? Jag har aldrig sett dagsljus.

Jag är ny bekant med döden. Har nyss sett livet rinna ur en människa jag älskade. Som jag älskar. En människa som funnits i mitt liv sedan jag öppnade mina ögon är nu försvunnen. Likt ett papper rivs jag i bitar. För varje litet jack känns det mer. Ibland brinner pappret. Det gör ont.

Ser mig om på plattformen. Jag letar efter de som också har känt det. Jag ser alla för alla kommer att känna det. Känslan av att livet hos en älskad brinner upp. Alla kommer att känna den smärtan. Kanske inte i bröstet eller i sina tinningar, men alla kommer att gå sönder. Bit för bit. För den personen som alltid varit där, finns inte längre. Ensamheten ser på mig från avstånd.

Det hände denna vintern. Eller är det kanske vår? Jag förstår inte vilken årstid det är. Har en årstid någonsin spelat någon roll för någon som inte växt upp granne med norra polcirkeln? Nuet är en period av tid då temperaturen är jämlik. Varken isande kall eller mild i svenska mått mätt. Eller så är det bara jag som blivit tillräckligt gammal och har lärt mig att klä mig ordentligt.

Luften är dimmig. Eller luft och dimma kanske egentligen är densamma. Jag vet inget om kemi, det var aldrig någon som lärde mig. Fysik, biologi, ekvationer. Kanske var det jag som aldrig lyssnade. Fick CSN och levde det andra livet. Allt jag vet är att just nu skaver kylan mot mina handskar av imiterat skinn. Jag färdas genom rus. Äger en säng men använder den inte. Min magsäck är aldrig full. Mitt sinne är oftast fullt. Fyller inget annat än det och valvet på mitt kort med sexton siffror och mitt namn i guld. Köper allt på second hand. Slitna kläder indikerar vettigt sinne. När jag har tråkigt tar jag Ryanair genom Europas moln. Jag är lika smutsig som tallrikarna i varje hostelkök.

Döden ses i alla massmediala sammanhang men ingen är rädd. Det var inte jag heller. Bredvid mig står en liten flicka med en klubba i munnen och en mamma i handen. Hon vet ingenting nu. Jag önskar henne att aldrig behöva utsättas för det. Men jag vet lika väl som hon snart kommer få lära sig. Det är en naturlig process av det vi kallar livet. Vi är alla i det och vi ska alla ur det. Någonstans skapades vi och där lade någon grunden för vad vi kan känna. Vad som ger oss njutning och vad som krossar oss.

Jag brukar ha på Rapport med stängda ögon. Verkligheten är falsk. Jag gråter fastän jag är hertiginna av lycka. Är Joakim von Anka, badandes i ett kontoutdrag på en skärm bakom ett flottigt glas. Det finaste av liv syns alltid genom smutsigt glas. Lägger slantar i McDonalds muggar utan kant, men jag säger ingenting på sociala medier. Pengar är bara siffror för mig, för andra är det liv. Jag är som död. Om jag inte är lycklig när jag är den jag är kan ingenting vara på riktigt. Läser alla Metros annonser och inget mer. Jag känner till alla Stockholms mataffärers erbjudanden. Mat är bara smaker för mig, för andra är det överlevnad.

En bästa vän försöker återuppliva mig fastän att jag lever.

”Är du så säker på att du gör det?”

Jag förstår inte frågan. Aldrig har jag varit så säker på att jag lever sedan jag förstod att döden fanns.

Som liten varnade de som kallades för vuxna för främlingar som erbjöd godis. De varnade för krossat glas. Många år var det största rädslan. En aktiv oro. Hjärtat rusade i synen av en förstörd busskur. Att komma för sent skulle en också akta sig för. De sa att det inte fanns några dumma frågor men de skrattade varje gång.

Sedan blev det farligaste vitt bröd, pasta, allt innehållandes gluten, laktosprodukter, socker. Stora varningsskyltar. Cancer i bubblande dryck. Rädslan nu? Större omkrets. Mer hud för glas att skära genom.

Ändå går åren. Andetagen är svårare att ta men de fortsätter på rutin. Åren, av sömnlöshet och sviktande självkänsla. Magkramp. Hjärtklappning. En plötslig kallsvettning och något som stryper, aktiverat av ingenting. Tårar som ingen beställt. De åren har fått gå.

Jag hatar mig själv på måndag

tisdag

onsdag

torsdag

söndag

måndag.

Idag är det fredag så det är okej för

att jag är fast i metropolen av de försummade åren för ett privilegierat as som jag. I den accepterade ungdomens nonchalans med förväntningar på vettiga beslut. Arbeta. Betala hyra. Socialisera på fredag, tequila på lördag. Finna ork till att äta annat än knäckebröd utan ost och snabbmakaroner med ketchup. Concealer under mörka ögon.

Kylan vill åt mig nu. Nästa tunnelbana kommer om fyra minuter. Evigheten. Plattformen jag befinner mig på är utomhus. Varför heter det tunnelbana om den färdas under bar himmel? Ett förfallet koncept. Falsifikation. Den dysfunktionella kollektivtrafiken; en ledstjärna för samhällets misär. Människorna klagar på sena bussar, tidiga bussar, trånga bussar, smutsiga bussar. Ingen klagar på sena rasister, tidiga rasister, trånga rasister, smutsiga rasister. En buss är farligare än en misantrop. Det är sant. Åtminstone på Flashback. Världen, falsk som ett Hubba Bubba; ett färgglatt, hoppfullt yttre som tappar smaken direkt. Den är söt men det är inget mer än så. Min persona är lika falsk för jag arbetar på ett café där jag får kinderna att värka av min falska artighet. Trevligast i världen, det är jag. Önskas en kanelbulle till kaffet? Absolut, ja tack, varsågod, ha en bra dag!

Jag jobbar på ett café och jag har inga högre drömmar än så. När jag berättar om mitt jobb antas att jag jobbar på ett sådant ställe där jag får tugga tuggummi i kassan, prata om ekologiska varor, dekorera tallrikar med rosenblad och kan hänga kvar och dricka öl efter stängning. Falskt. Det är som vilken pengadyrkande kedja som helst. Mina smilgropar är ömma när jag går därifrån och jag pratar om extra espressoshotar i sömnen. Bidrar till att fler blir bankrutt för att säkra min egna solventism. Det är allt.

Jag behöver pengar för att livnära min helgfetischism.

Hur denna livsstil uppstått vet ingen. För en yngre tid sedan sprang jag varje dag. Jag tyckte aldrig det var särskilt roligt. Föraktade all typ av konditionsträning då lika mycket som jag gör nu, men det var någonting med att utsättas för smärtan. Hur hjärtat bankar sig uppåt så att friktionen bränner genom strupen. Som om pulsådern vill fly sig själv. Hjärnan protesterar. Den vill inte alltid vara vid liv, men när kroppen läts provoceras av träningen, blev tanken provocerad av pulsen. Plötsligt ville jag leva och då levde jag. Nu strävar jag efter samma känsla, men har hittat andra rus som retar min människas kropp med samma envisa premiss.

Jag vet idag lika lite om vad det är jag begär. Vad jag vill klänga i. Alltid var det i en kram som aldrig tar slut. Jag ville bara veta att den aldrig skulle ta slut.

Den tog slut.

Hatet äger människoliven. Varför utsätter vi detta för varandra? Smärta. Aktivt. Från dig till mig. Han till hon. Oss till dem. Människa mot människa. Vi vet ju hur ont det gör. Varför kämpar vi då för att förgöra varandra? När vi vet hur mycket sorg det bringar.

Tunnelbanan rullar in på plattformen och vinden griper tag i mitt hår. Jag suger in röken från en cigg och tänker att jag vill leva för evigt.

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haphazardlyparked · 7 years

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even less bitter

at this point, this is just some more shameless self-indulgence before i get back to the bitter, but I’M DOING IT

continuation of (more bitter people) and slightly less better now

When Kinlo first brought the news to him, Hikaj thought he should be offended: almost the minute after he’d left Queen Masara’s study the day before, she had sent a pair of Sascrin Knights after her cousin.

Hikaj still didn’t think she was using this as a ploy to eel out of their agreement. Masara had shown up to the talks that morning and argued fiercely with Torral and Hikaj both over Amir’s Diwan trade routes. That hadn’t been for show — she had been intimidatingly prepared to pick apart their demands, right down to the last bolt of tariff-free silk Torral wanted. (“The Yumian regency council was far more quiescent,” Torral had complained to Hikaj in private, though there had been something approving in his tone.)

But Hikaj did want to know why Masara would send knights after Panam, even when he’d promised his best men were on the trail, and wanted to know more about the Sascrin Knights in general. Beyond Amirran borders, it was said that to face a Knight in one-on-one combat was foolish, but not much else was known. Even Kinlo had been unable to learn much while rubbing elbows with the Queen’s guard. Hikaj thought he could kill two birds with one stone, so after his midday meal, he headed for Masara’s study.

He opened the doors to find Duke Inarim at her seat, frowning over reports on her desk.

“Imperial Majesty,” the elder statesman greeted, standing when Hikaj entered. “My apologies, the queen is not here. May I help you, in her majesty’s stead?”

Hikaj paused to consider the offer — the duke was Masara’s Counselor of the Seas, a position which Hikaj now understood had very little to do with the Amirran coasts, and more to do with Masara’s day to day affairs. Hikaj didn’t need Torral whispering in his ear to know Inarim would be a good man to earn the favor of. He put on one of his friendliest smiles.

“Yes, in fact. I was hoping to learn more of your Sascrin Knights today. Their reputation precedes them.”

Inarim’s carefully neutral expression hardened, then gave way to something amused. Hikaj was starting to tire of the Amirran not-quite-smile, the one where their lips barely twitched and he was left feeling there was something important he didn’t know.

"I would be honored to escort your Imperial Majesty to the Knights’ barracks,” said Inarim. “At this hour, they should be training there. You may speak with them yourself.”

When Inarim and Hikaj reached the Knights’ barracks at the eastern wing of the sprawling Amirran palace, knights were indeed training in the yard.

The yard was large enough for a whole company of Hikaj’s men to assemble in, and was blocked off into smaller sections. Three of the four walls were lined with racks of various weapons, as Hikaj might have expected — though strangely, an entire wall was dedicated to mere wooden staffs. Even more strangely, the fourth wall held a row of pegs from which hung bunches of colored and braided cords, all of varying lengths and thickness. The dirt ground was also dotted with black scorch marks, as if small fires had been scattered across it.

In a corner by the wall with the cords and ropes, two masked knights were dueling under the hawkish eye of a short, stocky man. The training master and the knights all wore short-sleeved brown tunics that stopped at mid-thigh, their legs scandalously bare except for sandals that wound up their calves. Both knights were taller than the training master who occasionally barked or advice, but one had a clear height advantage and was the better swordsman.

The shorter one, who was more a boy than man, had his back to Inarim and Hikaj when they entered the yard. He was putting up a good fight, using his speed to his advantage, but his bladework wasn’t deft enough to effectively defend against the taller knight’s reach. Hikaj idly noted that the boy had very shapely legs, pretty but finely muscled — and then gaped when the taller knight’s lunge forced the shorter into a hasty parry and a quarter-turn.

The shorter knight was a woman.

Her hair was bundled up and tucked under her protective mask.

Hikaj shut his mouth. Then opened it again, unable to contain his surprise. “Your Knights are women, as well as men?“

That amused look stole over Inarim’s face again. "The Sascrin Knights will train anyone with aptitude and a desire to learn.”

“Ah,” Hikaj acknowledged, finally let in on the secret.

Except now that he knew the shorter knight was a woman, he tried not to stare as openly at her bared skin. There was just so much of it. But no — she was still a warrior of the widely-respected order of Sascrin Knights, no matter how strangely appealing Hikaj found the sweat-soaked curls of hair plastered to the nape of her neck.

"Her balance is off,” Inarim commented suddenly. Hikaj forced himself to pay attention.

The duke was right; the woman knight had blocked one of the taller knight’s strikes oddly. She had a weak, one-handed grip on her sword, and her free hand – which was wrapped in one of the thin, braided red cords that hung on the wall – twisted to the side in an arcing fist that threw off her stance and made it easy for the larger knight to bear down on her guard.

She ended up on her backside in the dirt.

Hikaj heard an muffled but emphatic, “Ugh. I yield.”

The tall knight stepped back, lowering his sword and offering his opponent a hand up. He too had a red cord wrapped around his wrist.

“If it’d been a full duel, you would’ve had me just then,” the taller knight said ruefully, as he pulled the woman to her feet. Hikaj was surprised to hear a Diwan lilt in the man’s voice, and when he pulled of his mask, he had blue Diwan clan tattoos on the left side of his face that ran from his hairline to his cheekbones. When Inarim had said anyone with aptitude, he had truly meant anyone, it seemed. Did foreign-born knights have to swear fealty to the Amirran queen?

The stocky training master barked a sharp laugh. “Ha! If it were a full dull, Vas, it would’ve been you with your ass in the dirt, at least four times over.“

Hikaj opened his mouth to ask what a "full duel” was. But then the woman tugged her mask off, and Hikaj was left choking on air.

"It was a half duel for a reason,” Queen Masara grimaced, flicking her wrist as she unwound the red cord from it. “I need to get better at clean swordplay.”

The three of them turned at the sound of Hikaj coughing. They bowed when they saw Hikaj and Inarim drawing closer, Hikaj still clearing his throat. Masara’s shallower bow was just as elegant as her curtesy in court. Hikaj strove valiantly to keep himself from staring at the hem of her tunic as it rose up. He tried to keep his eyes safely on the queen’s.

That proved to be a mistake, too, as Masara’s lips curved into a mischievous smile and her eyes crinkled. “Are you well, Hokiraj?“ she asked lightly, brushing sweaty hair from her face.

That was just — unfair.

Hikaj wheezed out a, "Quite well.” By his side, Duke Inarim sighed very audibly. “I simply, er. Wanted to ask. What is a full duel?”

“A full duel!” the training master cut in with his booming voice. He sketched another short bow when Hikaj’s gaze swung towards him. “It means a duel where both sword and sorcery are allowed.”

“The queen is very good, when unrestricted,” the tall knight put in earnestly, as if trying to make up for the fact that he’d just dumped the queen into the dirt in front of the Kassan emperor. "I lose four out of five bouts then.”

Masara waved off the praise. “You’re a natural with the sword, Vas. The finer spellwork will come with more practice.” To Hikaj, she held up the red cord and explained, “These restrain magic. It wouldn’t stop any but the weakest or least experienced of us, but it’s enough to remind us to pull our punches if we forget.” She frowned. “As I did, towards the end.”

“What was the spell to be?” Vas wanted to know.

“Just blinding,” Masara answered. “Your arms are so cursed long, I was trying to buy myself time.”

“I would very much like to see you fight a full duel,” Hikaj blurted out.

The queen glanced at the training master, and then laughed. “Perhaps another time,” she demurred. “Master Fathmir has banned me from full duels until I show more improvement with just the sword.”

“I could help,” Hikaj offered immediately. “I mean — I could train with you, if you liked. My style is very different. But I’m good with a sword. Really good.” Hikaj snapped his mouth shut before he could make this any worse.

Masara smiled politely. “So I have heard. It would be an honor to practice a few rounds with you, should we find the time for it.”

“Her majesty is even worse at hand-to-hand combat,” Fathmir mused aloud. “Perhaps his imperial majesty could help her with that as well.”

“Master Fathmir!” Vas gasped, his wide, horrified eyes darting between Masara and the emperor. Hikaj brutally quashed the thought of wrestling with the queen before any mental images could take root.

“I’m leaving now,” Duke Inarim announced suddenly, sounding deeply disgruntled. “I – have a meeting with the coastal lords.”

Masara threw back her head and laughed.

It was the most unrestrained Hikaj had seen her, and it made him grin like a fool.

It was only later, while they were sharing dinner in one of the palace’s many courtyards, that it occurred to Hikaj. “Masara,” he said. “You didn’t fight at all, when my men arrested you.”

Masara paused over her soup. “They caught me unaware, Hokiraj. If you recall, it was two hours after midnight. I was asleep.”

Hikaj frowned. “None of your Knights fought at all. Your guard didn’t resist much, either.”

“Your men did not kill many,” Masara countered steadily.

“Of course not!” Hikaj waved his spoon to punctuate his point. “We were not going to kill men who surrendered, once they heard we had you in custody. But if the Knights are as formidable as they say — and if you are one yourself — you could have easily broken our initial invasion, or escaped.”

The queen smiled blandly. “That is not the Amirran way,” she said, and returned to her meal.

Hikaj was left wondering what was the Amirran way, but his mind kept getting stuck on the image of the Knights’ short tunics, and he hastily changed the subject.

somewhere in the background kinlo is lurking. hikaj was like “it’s just dinner i’m pretty sure i don’t need a guard” and kinlo rolled his eyes and said “i’m not doing it for you, i’m doing it to get face time in with the future empress.”

and hikaj was like “ooo so you think i have a chance??”

(to the end!)

#bitter people are less bitter #medieval fantasy #writing #year of the orange #masara

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the-mundane-life-blog1 · 7 years

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Friday, 14 July 2017 - “Kosher Fickle”

First off, big Happy Birthday shout out goes to my younger brother, Patrick, who turns 22 years young today!

I still remember the day you were born...our dad came to pick me up from summer camp early to bring me to the hospital to meet you...I was pissed ‘cause I was next up to ride the big wheel and they were serving the “good” snacks...thanks a lot you little $#@!, just kidding, Love you bro!!

Now that the mushy stuff is out of the way...let’s get into today’s topic -

“Kosher Fickle”

Yesterday, in my “Welcome” post it seemed that I may have taken a few shots at our Social Media-prenuers (you big mad or little mad?). So, this is my follow-up piece.

Keeping it 100...

As a member of the Millennial generation, I can openly and honestly tell you that a good majority of us have no clue what the %$@! we’re doing or what it is that we truly want to do. And I want to be the one to come out and say it:

IT’S PERFECTLY OK!!!!!

Real $#@! though...check it - between the ages of 6 - 10, I told my family I was going to be a doctor; at age 11, I won my first debate and decided I was going to be a Lawyer; at 17, I found I was pretty awesome at math and chemistry, so I figured I’d be a Chemical Engineer (or drug dealer, still keeping my options open); then at 18, my Dad was starting a venture in Haiti, which has an extremely poor infrastructure, so I decided I wanted to be a Civil Engineer.

10 years, 2 degrees, and a professional Civil Engineering license later; I own and operate a business providing editorial services (www.TheEditorPro.com; not even Engineering related); trying to break into the real estate market (again...not Engineering related); learning how to trade the stock market (you guessed it...not Engineering related); and blogging (you get the gist)...all while working this 9-5 as a Civil Engineer (I should of been a drug dealer).

Point is...I have no idea what the %@$! I really want to do.

However...

As millennials, we have a few strategic advantages:

Time - our 20s are the “Golden” years; do and explore all you want!

Youth - in our 20s we can party and work for 12 hours a piece (basically we’re mutants).

Technology - the internet, smart phones...etc.

I’m sure there are a ton of other points I can list, but I want to stick to the most obvious. Given the above advantages, we have the right and owe it to ourselves to explore all of our available options! I’m sure some baby boomer will read that last statement and say to themselves, “there goes another millennial with entitlement issues...” - My response, “Seriously?! Eat a $*%#!”

Looking at the current job market, most entry level jobs starting around $30k/year, state no previous work experience required, but prefer 3-5 years of experience...huh?! How?! Oh, and lets not forget about the number of current retirees going thru the roof, how do you expect us to be qualified to take their place? There’s going to be a competency void somewhere, no matter how you want to look at it.

All we want is to get paid what we feel we’re worth, and take awesome paid vacations...is that too much to ask? - Apparently so...

So, its no surprise that many Millennials, influenced by some of the youngest rags to riches stories of our time (i.e. Mark Zuckerberg, Tristan Walker, Jake Kassan...etc.), are exploring other ways to either generate income or just live their life and figure the rest out later *Kanye shrug*.

So for now, do you and live...

- “The Mundane Life”

#blog #social #millennials #millionaire #self help

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