Mapping Media Freedom: Big Increase in Threats Reported in Albania During 2020 – Exit – Explain Albania

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Since the beginning of 2020, Albania has registered a total of nine threats against media freedom on the ECPMF Mapping Media Freedom Website.

This is a concerning number for a country of such a small size and is more than double the incidents from 2019. If you combine the number of threats over the last 12 months, rather than just the last eight months, the total rises to 13

The most recent incident was that of ReportTV journalist Elvis Hila who was obstructed and detained by police as he tried to report on the demolition of properties by the National Inspectorate of the Protection of Territory on a local beach. As he was filming one incident, the Chief of Lezhe police approached him and took the phone from his hands. He was then escorted to a police vehicle where he was kept for some moment while the footage he filmed was deleted. The police and the Ministry of the Interior have not provided any information on why he was detained.

Also recorded was the violent detention of Politiko editor Alfred Lela as he was reporting on the demolition of the National Theatre. Photos and video footage showed him being handcuffed and dragged as well as lying down on the pavement while in the custody of several officers. He claims he was assaulted by the police while in custody.

The recent attempt by the state to close down Ora News was also mentioned. In May, RTV Ora was informed it had to pay a fine by the National Health Inspectorate for supposedly violating COVID-19 measures. It then had additional fines levied against it before the Inspectorate said that the station must close. AMA then backtracked and said there was no decision to close the station.

Exit News also received a mention following a cyber attack it experienced in April of this year. The platform was hit by a targeted cyber-attack which took down the website for 24 hours and tried to delete all data from the websites database. Mapping Media Freedom noted that Exit is one of the few critical media in Albania and had recently published articles criticising the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Had the cyber attack been successful, Exit would have lost every article written in the last five years. Thankfully, the attack was stopped but was described as having a high level of sophistication by IT experts engaged by Exit.

Other incidents include harassment against Ora News journalist Sonila Meco, the detention of editor and journalist at FAX News, Bekim Bici, threats against Ora News journalist Elio Laze by employees of government-favourite contractor Salillari, and the voicemail left by Prime Minister Edi Rama advising citizens to protect themselves from the media.

Fjal kye: Albania, ECPMF, media freedom, press freedom

Mapping Media Freedom: Big Increase in Threats Reported in Albania During 2020 - Exit - Explain Albania

Flight to Freedom: Pilot lands in Nueces County to pick up two abandoned dogs due to pandemic and flies them to their new foster home – KIIITV.com

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

The pilot, a volunteer himself with the Pilots and Paws Organization, along with a local rescue advocate with the Nueces County Animal Services made it all possible.

ROBSTOWN, Texas After a Kingsville family fell homeless during the pandemic they were forced to give up their two retrievers that had been in the family for eight years.

The dogs ended up at the Kingsville Animal Control, with limited time, officials say.

Thats when local animal advocate and volunteer rescue coordinator for Nueces County Animal Services, Lisa Bockholt, stepped in and set out on a mission to find a place for these two dogs to go.

I reached out to my rescue partners with the news, several wanted to help and then one came forward with a plan for the dogs, said Bockholt.

Bockholt then coordinated getting the two dogs, Bailey and Ginger, transported to a local veterinarian and put them on a plane to fly to their temporary foster home in Athens, Texas.

The pilot is a volunteer himself, with the Pilots and Paws Organization. Eventually, the two dogs will be then placed together in a permanent loving forever home by their rescue, Chicagoland Labs.

Rescue can be stressful at times but its times like this that make it all worth it, said Bockholt.

For more information on how you can help shelter dogs in our area contact South Texas Shelter Dogs at (410) 608-2195.

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Flight to Freedom: Pilot lands in Nueces County to pick up two abandoned dogs due to pandemic and flies them to their new foster home - KIIITV.com

Opinion | With Trump appointing anti-abortion judges, the fight for reproductive freedom is critical – Street Roots News

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregons director urges Oregonians to remain united against the White Houses harmful policies

Donald Trump has broken plenty of campaign promises, but this summer, we were reminded of one that he kept. He pledged to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade and he has been making good on that promise.

Trump has spent the past four years pushing policies that threaten our health, our rights and our lives. He and his right-wing allies are putting our lives at risk every single day they are in office,and Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon is committed to doing everything we can to vote them out in November.

As the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and stands up to state-sponsored violence against Black people, its clearer than ever the public wants engaged, competent leaders who will work to keep us safe and increase healthcare access not undermine it.

We know we can win this. Weve done it before, and we will do it again.

Just look at 2018, when our collective power brought in a sea change, radically shifting whos in office. We elected the first pro-reproductive health majority to the U.S. House of Representatives, and here in Oregon, we soundly defeated the anti-abortion Ballot Measure 106.

But, all of those achievements could be undermined by judges who will affect our rights for generations to come. Since 2016, the courts have often become the last and sometimes only line of defense against dangerous and unconstitutional attacks on basic rights. Yet Trump has remade the federal courts with judges hostile to the right to access sexual and reproductive health care. To date, he has appointed nearly 200 judges to the federal bench, with 20% of the federal judiciary appointed by his administration.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly struck down an anti-abortion law in Louisiana that was identical to a Texas law that was ruled as unconstitutional four years earlier. The Louisiana law would have forced abortion providers to obtain local hospital admitting privileges, a medically unnecessary move meant to make abortion more difficult to access. Surprisingly, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the majority not because hes newly supportive of abortion rights, but because he felt bound by the Texas precedent.

While access is protected for now, more than a dozen other abortion lawsuits are one step away from the court. These cases include a dangerous Arkansas law that would ban medication abortion, as well as a deeply unethical policy by the Trump-Pence administrations Office of Refugee Resettlement that seeks to prevent young, undocumented women in government custody from accessing abortion.

And its not just abortion. All reproductive care is on the docket. Last month, the Supreme Court upheld Trump administration rules that allow employers and universities to push their religious or moral beliefs on employees and students by denying them access to insurance that covers birth control.

Birth control should not be controversial. Nearly nine in 10 women will use it in their lifetimes. It is essential, time-sensitive care that treats serious conditions and allows people to plan if and when they get pregnant.

IN OREGON:Reproductive rights prevail even as pandemic limits some services

This year marks not only the 100th anniversary of womens right to vote, but also the 60th anniversary of the FDAs approval of the first birth control pill. Since that historic moment, access to birth control has been responsible for one-third of womens wage gains relative to mens. The ability to get the pill before age 21 has been found to be the most influential factor enabling women already in college to stay there.

The Affordable Care Acts birth control benefit expanded contraceptive coverage with no out-of-pocket costs for more than 62 million women. Now, because of the Supreme Courts ruling, many of their health plans may no longer cover birth control based on the personal objections of bosses and universities.

On top of that, the Trump administration has dismantled Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. It has pushed ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. It has denied care to immigrants. It has gagged Title X health providers and forced Planned Parenthood health centers out of the federal program that provides affordable reproductive health care to people with low incomes.

OPINION:Adding a citizenship question to census an attack on immigrant health care

Opening the door to reduced health care access would have been a mistake in any environment. But as we struggle against the dual public health crises of COVID-19 and systemic racism, the dire implications of this decision are clearer than ever.

Our ability to control our own bodies and futures lie in jeopardy like never before. Fortunately, Oregonians have elected leaders and have passed landmark laws that will safeguard us from many of Trumps harmful policies. Thats why we must remain vigilant to continue holding politicians accountable for their records targeting our health, rights and safety.

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Opinion | With Trump appointing anti-abortion judges, the fight for reproductive freedom is critical - Street Roots News

‘Behind the Blue’: ‘Embattled Freedom’ and Confederate Memorials With Amy Murrell Taylor – UKNow

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 10, 2020) The discussions over removal of Confederate memorials in the United States have been some of the more prominent ones in our current cultural landscape. Gaining momentum from other recent social movements that are happening concurrently, from Black Lives Matter to #MeToo and beyond, the focus of these discussions now seems to have widened to include memorials and statues that go well further back than the American Civil War, and beyond the borders of this country.

Amy Murrell Taylor, the T. Marshall Hahn Jr. Professor of History at the University of Kentucky, last appeared on "Behind the Blue"in September of 2017. On this newest episode, Taylor returns to discuss how this movement has progressed over the past three years, and how the university and Lexington are approaching these conversations. I think Lexington has gotten past the most contentious part of the monument piece of all of this, says Taylor. But monuments are just one piece of a much bigger struggle for racial justice.

Taylor also talks about her recent book, Embattled Freedom: Journeys Through the Civil Wars Slave Refugee Camps,and its themes of freedom not just coming to people despite the war and its resolution, but that it had to be sought after in the midst of it.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of Behind the Blue each week. UKs latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue,"emailBehindTheBlue@uky.eduor tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover whats wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, clickhere.

'Behind the Blue': 'Embattled Freedom' and Confederate Memorials With Amy Murrell Taylor - UKNow

Trump’s Threat to Press Freedom Is Global – Truthout

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Conservative filmmaker Michael Pack is a true believer in Trumps version of a global war of ideas, as was made evident by a recent editorial penned by the Trump loyalist. That is likely why the Senate confirmed his appointment in June as head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), one of the largest news networks in the world. USAGM runs a number of state media and technology organizations, including Voice of America (VOA), Middle East Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Office of Cuba Broadcasting (which oversees Radio Televisin Mart) and the Open Technology Fund (OTF), which promotes internet access around the world.

Pack is the former president of the conservative Claremont Institute think tank, and has worked on projects with former Trump political strategist and former executive chairman of the Breitbart News Network, Stephen Bannon. The appointment of Pack to this vast international media agency has stoked fears in journalists and activists that the Trump administration might use this confirmation to recast the federal agency, and the media networks it operates, into a consolidated right-wing mouthpiece for the president, amplifying the hate and chaos Trumps presidency has bred domestically onto a global stage already ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and rife with economic and political uncertainty.

The concerns seem well founded. First, Packs aides ordered the broadcasters supervised by his agency to freeze all staff promotions, new hires and other contractual obligations. All decisions were to go through him as CEO. Within one week of taking over the running of the USAGMs vast global network, Pack removed the top chiefs of five of its news organizations, as well as the head of the OTF. The chief editors of Voice of America resigned in protest.

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Pack then dissolved the bipartisan boards that governed and advised media services and replaced board members with political appointees of the Trump administration. Toward the end of the Obama administration, a provision was enacted that replaces the former bipartisan board structure with an advisory board elected by the president. While the Obama administration saw the move as a way to make the agency more efficient, critics of the Trump administration worry that the restructuring gives the new chief executive more unilateral power than previous leaders.

Pack also announced the agency would not renew visas for some foreign agency employees in order to improve management and protect national security, according to a statement from USAGM. Many of the journalists affected by this policy bring critical language skills, and some could actually be endangered if deported.

Trumps increasingly authoritarian regime is tightening its grip on the publicly funded media agency. This slash-and-burn technique has been a tried-and-true element of Trumps political arsenal. Attacks on the press and wholesale restructuring of regulatory and safety net agencies are part of a broader effort to isolate the United States on the international stage, and breed a level and type of confusion that forces a power vacuum which centralizes authority over U.S. institutions into the hands of the executive branch. These strategies mirror the vision of Packs ally and friend, Steve Bannon.

Craig Aaron, co-CEO at the national media rights organization Free Press, says that Packs appointment is a danger to U.S. democracy and democracy around the world. His short time as head of the agency has been even worse than advertised and he was advertised as a Steve Bannon crony unfit for the job, Aaron said in a statement. In a matter of weeks, he has abused the power of the position and is quickly undoing any reputation the agency had for independence and impartiality, seemingly pursuing political vendettas, knocking down firewalls, and sacking the experienced journalists and technologists doing important and independent work.

While the strategy may be domestic, the impact on digital rights and freedom will definitely be felt around the world. When Pack fired the entire OTF leadership, he froze more than $10 million already pledged to internet freedom projects this year. OTF has become integral infrastructure for politically repressed communities worldwide. More than 2 billion people in 60 countries rely on OTF-supported tools like Signal and Tor to connect securely with privacy to the internet. Two-thirds of mobile devices around the world use some piece of OTF-supported technology. By bringing the organization to a standstill, Pack has placed people living under authoritarian regimes who rely on the organization to evade surveillance, navigate censorship and protect their human rights at risk.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and 17 leading U.S.-based internet freedom organizations filed an amicus brief which successfully urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to rule that Pack violated the First Amendment right of association and assembly in U.S. law when he replaced OTFs president and bipartisan board with political appointees. The U.S. appellate court in Washington temporarily blocked the new USAGM chief executive from installing his appointees.

Perhaps the biggest concern for activists is that the USAGM could become a megaphone for President Trumps authoritarian white supremacy and nationalism. If you are among those that fear these media outlets could be used to stoke the rise of anti-globalist white nationalism through deliberate propaganda at an international scale, youre not alone.

But, while the threat posed by Packs appointment is real and urgent, this isnt the first time the USAGM has been positioned to promote U.S. propaganda. Some critics, like Max Elbaum, a radical historian and author of Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che, say the agency was founded with an empire-building agenda, and was never truly independent in the first place.

The purpose of VOA has always been to be propaganda for whatever Americas interests were at the time, oscillating between crude and more sophisticated propaganda, Elbaum told Truthout. This is simply another oscillation, a dangerous one, but one with real precedent.

This sentiment is borne out when you examine the agencys history. The USAGM, formerly the Broadcasting Board of Governors, describes itself as an independent agency of the United States government with a mission to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. But, the Broadcasting Board of Governors only became an independent agency in 1999. Prior to that, it was called the United States Information Agency (USIA), established by President Eisenhower in 1953 to understand, inform and influence foreign publics in promotion of the national interest. Influence has always been integral to the mission of the USAGM, which has its roots not in journalism but in public relations and propaganda.

VOAs pro-American radio broadcasts were launched as part of the World War II war effort in 1942, with a more official U.S. propaganda program launched in 1946. These forms of soft-power diplomacy grew to include multifaceted messaging campaigns using radio broadcasts, libraries sponsored by the United States Information Service (the overseas name of the USIA), and the publication and distribution of leaflets and other literature in reaction to the global spread of communism.

Then, in 1952, Eisenhower convened a Committee on International Information Activities, which focused on Cold War propaganda efforts that targeted foreign populations with psychological warfare to achieve strategic influence. Under Eisenhower, all information activities were transferred from the State Department to the independent USIA in 1953. As the agency gained some measure of independence from the U.S. government, it also gained a mix of state actors and staff journalists committed to freedom of the press.

Though the USIA was still a neoliberal and anti-communist agency, many staff journalists did attempt to provide unbiased and fair reporting. These attempts often met with pushback: In early 1953, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the godfather of the investigations that hunted communists and other dissidents, joined the Senate Committee on Government Operations and its Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigation, and immediately turned the committees attention to the Voice of America broadcast network, claiming it was rife with communists, sexual deviants and hippies.

Today, USAGM outlets remain a mix of journalists and state actors. Indeed, in nations with broken or highly censored news media that have been undermined by authoritarian governments or political instability (at times caused by U.S. intervention), these outlets can be as close to a free press as many residents can get.

Meanwhile, right-wing elements, including the current president of the United States, continue to attack the USAGM.

Whether you believe these U.S.-backed media outlets are trusted and authoritative independent global news sources soft-pedaling democratic values for the good of all, or that they are part of our national security infrastructure delivering overt propaganda, the fact is the U.S. has been in the worldwide propaganda business for more than 80 years. It might be time to reassess that strategy.

The U.S. narrative has developed in a centuries-old dance between independence, isolationism and imperialism. Rather than simply choosing to remain a mythical media institution that promotes an imaginary democracy that never truly existed, this political moment of global uprising gives Congress, the courts and civil society activists the opportunity to reinvent the agency beyond the authoritarian imaginings of Trump, Bannon and Pack. While the USAGM cannot run from its history, it can run toward a future that acknowledges the past and fulfills its mandate as powers watchdog, not its lapdog.

As an agency with its roots in producing propaganda, its crucial that the U.S. Agency for Global Media demonstrates transparency and independence, Aaron said. Pack has trashed that and unless Congress or the courts step in it will only get worse.

Trump's Threat to Press Freedom Is Global - Truthout

OPINION: What freedom means to the United States – The Student Life

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

(Yasmin Elqutami The Student Life)

For a while, I was trying to figure out what exactly is giving Americans the impression that wearing a mask should be a choice, that banning assault weapons would be an egregious violation of the Constitution and that the police are keeping us safe even when Black, Indigenous and other people of color are subject to unimaginable violence. I was struggling to understand what was driving our nation to have such horrendously privileged and harmful mindsets.

I recently listened to Know Your Rights by The Clash. The song begins, epically, This is a public service announcement, with guitar, know your rights, all three of them, mocking the yet-delivered life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness our government has claimed to pledge to us since 1776.

The first verse begins, You have the right not to be killed, murder is a crime, unless it was done by a policeman or an aristocrat. That checks out. The third right is my favorite: You have the right to free speech, as long as youre not dumb enough to actually try it. The song ominously ends with Get off the streets, run, get off the streets.

Its clear that Americas Achilles heel is our false notion of freedom. Composed by wealthy, white, cis men, freedom has never really existed in America. In fact, the freedom that wealthy, white, cis men have so graciously promised us has completely prevented our country from having true rights, equality and safety.

In the 244 years of our countrys existence, the notion of freedom has become more warped and toxic with each new year. There is a complex duality between rights and freedom in our country that has created an absolute mess of things.

Im going to try to put this as clearly as The Clash you do not have the right to infect other people with a deadly virus. In addition, you do not have the right to accuse the government of trying to control your body, with a mask, while actively trying to control womxns and trans bodies, or remaining complacent in racist systems.

Your freedom only exists until it gets in the way of someone elses freedom. If your freedom is limiting someone elses ability to pursue life, liberty and happiness, you are not exercising freedom, you are exercising supremacy.

Our country is bleeding and crying from every sector and it is because we have somehow managed to rob the majority of our citizens of their basic human rights, while also giving a handful of malicious citizens the impression they can do whatever they want, no matter the impact on others.

Long standing social inequities and systemic racism within our nations health care system have put minorities at a severely greater risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19. Black, Latinx and Native American communities across the U.S. are now suffering in-part because of white Americans racist, supremacist attitude towards wearing masks.

When there is a horribly painful and deadly virus sweeping the globe that disproportionately affects minorities, and you choose not to wear a mask because it feels like a violation of your freedom, your behaviors are racist.

If you dont wear a mask and thus infect others with COVID-19, their illness is a result of your moral failing. That is a direct violation of everyone elses life, liberty and happiness. Your sense of freedom has put on a hood and become supremacy.

If you dont want your body to be controlled, and yet insist that womxns and trans bodies be controlled, your freedom has put on a hood and become supremacy.

In direct contrast to this nightmarish, tarnished freedom being viciously upheld, none of the real rights we deserve as humans are being provided. This duality is what is making the U.S. an unbearable place to try to survive.

In the U.S. we have mostly negative rights. Negative rights do not require action by the government or private citizens to be upheld. We are supposedly allowed to say whatever we want, believe in whatever religion we want and organize when we want, without enlisting the work of others. The government is happy to champion negative rights because they dont cost that much.

Because negative rights require (in theory) less work and are (in theory) easier to maintain, they have become the backbone of our country. But what about positive rights?

Everyone supposedly has the right to a lawyer when they are arrested, and everyone should have food, shelter, security and health care provided to them based on their positive rights. But because positive rights demand more work, more empathy and support, theyve been completely abandoned.

Our country has weak, racist, homophobic and sexist social services. We have not found a way to defund the police because, for 244 years, we have focused solely on negative rights. If our nation demanded that positive rights be delivered upon as much as negative rights, defunding the police would have already happened. An emphasis on positive rights in our country, from the beginning, would have provided funding to social services and forced a proportionate distribution of funds between agencies like the police and mental health rehabilitation based on what the people of America need.

Lack of balance between positive and negative rights is a large contributor to the lack of equality in our country. The overwhelming presence of negative rights only help rich, white, cis men who rule the country. An increase in positive rights would help the people in our country being suppressed gain equality.

Emphasis on negative rights is a major reason why we are one of the only developed nations without a universal health care system. Without positive rights, it makes sense that police, the very people charged with protecting us, are killing Black people at up to six times the rate of white people.

There isnt equal representation in our voting process, and mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex have taken over the economy. Our education system has one of the lowest funding rates (6.2 percent), compared to overall GDP in the world.

The government is actively dismantling regulations that protect transgender people against health care discrimination, despite 44 percent of transgender people reporting that transgender-inclusive health care is their most significant need. We have the second highest CO2 emissions rate in the world. Clearly, in terms of basic human rights, which are frequently classified as positive rights, we are utterly failing.

We need to completely rethink freedom as a nation and how we can create a society where everyone can truly access life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom will never exist until everyone is assured basic human rights, both negative and positive. Until our country understands more elementary concepts such as empathy, compassion and generosity, there is no freedom.

Georgia Scott PZ 23 is from San Anselmo, California. Her sister Isabella Scott just got a piece of work selected to be shown in the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Learn more through her Instagram @isabellasartofficial.

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OPINION: What freedom means to the United States - The Student Life

The Importance of Latinx Participation in the AI Community – Grit Daily

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

The importance of Latinx participation in the AI community and for the people of Latin America can not be underscored

I recently hosted a panel discussion with Laura Montoya and Benito Berretta during the AI Show Biz Summit to discuss this topic. Laura, who has roots in Colombia, is CEO of Accel.ai. Benito is the GM for Hyper Island and based out of Brasil.

Laura and Benito provided contrasting examples for why it is important to bring in diversity into AI, particularly from the perspective of the Latinx community.

If AI is science-based, why does diversity matter? Laura points out that there is in fact a problem with diversity in technology, the STEM industry, and the problem is an underrepresentation of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. The goal of Lauras organization, Accel.AI is to make the Latinx community more visible across the AI ecosystem and at industry conferences.

Benito defines diversity in two dimensions, ethical and one with return in investment. He argues that we need to embrace diversity in both to make a better world for all. The first step to this is for homogeneous groups to first come to an awareness that those gaps exist and then they can start their journey to find more diversity.

AI can be a tool to be a facilitator for this, especially in identifying who isnt being included in collaborative work. AI can monitor dialogue in real-time, model who is getting the most air time, and act as a facilitator to ensure that there is space for other voices to participate.

To improve diversity of thought in work settings, AI can play a role in making space for diverse voices, understanding who it is that gets to put content out in the world, and ultimately shining a light on the content that is missing.

There are universities and institutions throughout Latin America that have been leading work in machine learning, but in contrast to high profile US universities such as Stanford, are not associated with the AI industry and are often left without recognition.

Barriers to digitalization in Latin America include funding, changing institutional practices, and working with old languages or systems. Benito remarked, If you want to have an understanding, for example of the Amazon, then you need to go there and not lean on a statistical average. We need to be cautious in trusting data. In the Latin American context, generating data, as Laura outlined, may also include the risk of disrupting indigenous societies and structures.

The term Latinx is full of rich history in both South and Central America. Latinx people share similarities but are also from different countries, races, and indigenous histories. Regardless of how one may want to slice it, AI with the Latinx diversity is rich.

There were two main themes behind what the future holds for Latinx AI communities, predictive and behavioral change.

Media and AI is a representation of the community. There are social inequalities in how the media represents Latinx even within Latin America, often Afro-Latinx and Indigenous-Latinx characters are represented in jobs as a janitor or service industry. Having algorithms for facial recognition that pick up on some qualities and not others can cause damage in the future stated Laura.

On the other hand, Benito brought up the perspective of changing behavior for Latinx. Modeling efficiencies such as when you have the most productive time using AI can help people change behaviors, and while we share many similarities, the mates, coca teas, or cocoa consumption throughout the Latinx world vary.

Beyond fair representation, there is a business case for having Latinx at the decision tables of the AI industry. Latinx in AI is important for Latin America because we have our own knowledge bases, scientific practices, and languages, that only we can translate into automation that works for our communities.

The exchange of ideas is pivotal for innovation, and it is special occasions like this session that allow for the Latinx community to share perspectives and collaborate.TheHarvard Business Review recently found that diverse teams are able to solve problems faster than teams of cognitively similar people and that when diverse teams made a business decision, they outperformed individual decision-makers up to 87% of the time.

It is always a pleasure to faciliate these fascinating conversations, thank you to AI Show Biz for having me on as a host. The entire conversation can be found here.

Accel.ai is Bay Area based non-profit in the mission to lower the barriers to entry in engineering artificial intelligence. They focus on integrating AI and Social Impact through consulting, workshops, and research on ethical AI development and applied AI engineering.

Hyper Island designs learning experiences that challenge companies and individuals to grow and stay competitive in an increasingly digitized world. They have over 5000 alumni, online programming, and locations around the globe.

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The Importance of Latinx Participation in the AI Community - Grit Daily

How The Federal Governments AI Center Of Excellence Is Impacting Government-Wide Adoption Of AI – Forbes

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

In February 2019, the President signed Executive Order 13859 on the American AI Initiative, which set up the United States national strategy on artificial intelligence. Even prior to this however, government agencies had been heavily invested in AI and machine learning, applying it to a wide range of applications. While those previous AI implementations might have happened at the discretion of various agencies, this executive order put more of an emphasis on implementing AI more widely within the federal government.

In the context of this wider push for AI, many federal agencies are accelerating their adoption of AI, but are struggling with the best way to put those AI efforts into practice. AI and machine learning can bring about transformational change, but many federal government decision-makers struggle with knowledge, skill-sets, and best practices on how to move forward. To meet this need, the General Service Administration's (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Technology Transformation Services (TTS), and the GSA AI Portfolio and Community of Practice created the GSAs Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence (CoE) to support the adoption of AI through direct partnerships, enterprise-level transformation, and discovery work.

GSA

The AI Center of Excellence aims to improve and enhance AI implementations in the government and help agencies on their journey with AI adoption. The relatively small team at the GSA AI CoE is helping to bring about some very impressive changes within the federal government. In this article, Neil Chaudhry, Director, AI Implementations at the AI Center of Excellence within the General Service Administration (GSA) and Krista Kinnard, Director, Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence at Technology Transformation Services (TTS) at the General Services Administration (GSA) share more about what the CoE is all about, some of the most interesting use cases they have seen so far with the governments adoption of AI, why trustworthy and transparent AI is important to gain citizen trust in AI systems, and what they believe the future holds for AI.

What is the GSA AI Center of Excellence?

Krista Kinnard: GSAs Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence (CoE) accelerates adoption of AI to discover insights at machine speed within the federal government. Housed within GSAs Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Technology Transformation Services (TTS), and coupled with the GSA AI Portfolio and Community of Practice, this collaboration can engage with agencies from information-sharing to execution. As part of the FAS TTS dedication to advancing innovation and IT transformation across the government, the AI CoE supports the adoption of AI through direct partnerships, enterprise-level transformation, and discovery work. Working in a top down approach, the CoE engages at the executive level of the organization to drive success across the enterprise while also supporting discovery and implementation of AI in a consultative type of approach. This also means building strong partnerships with industry. The private sector is quickly producing new and innovative AI enabled technologies that can help solve government challenges. By partnering with industry, we are able to bring the latest innovations to government, helping build a more technologically enabled, future proof method to meet government missions.

How did GSAs AI Center Of Excellence get started?

Krista Kinnard: GSAs CoE program was conceived during conversations with the White House and innovative industry players, looking at government service delivery and the contrasts between the ease and convenience of interacting with private companies and the sometimes challenging interactions with the government. The focus being on a higher level of change and a redesigning of government services, based on access to the best ideas from industry and most updated technology advances in government.

It is a signature initiative of the Administration, designed by the White Houses Office of American Innovation and implemented at GSA in 2017. The CoE approach was established to scale and accelerate IT transformation at federal agencies. The approach leverages a mix of government talent and private sector innovation in partnership while centralizing best practices and expertise into CoE.

The programs goal is to facilitate repeatable and sustainable transformation, scaling and accelerating transformation by continually building on lessons learned from current and prior agencies. Since inception, FAS TTS has formed six CoEs: Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Adoption, Contact Center, Customer Experience, Data & Analytics, and Infrastructure Optimization. These six capability areas are typically the key focus areas needed by an organization when driving IT Modernization and undergoing a digital transformation. The AI CoE was specifically designed in support of the Executive Order on Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.

How is the AI Center of Excellence being applied to improve or otherwise enhance whats happening with AI in the government?

Krista Kinnard: Because AI has become such a technology of interest, the CoE is focused on partnering with federal agencies to identify common challenges both in mission delivery and in mission support that can be enhanced using this technology. We are not interested in developing AI solutions for the sake of technology. We are interested in helping government agencies understand their mission delivery and support challenges so that we can work together to create a clear path to a meaningful AI solution that provides true value to the organization and the people it serves.

Why is it important for the Federal Government to adopt AI?

Neil Chaudhry: Data on USAspending.gov in 2019 showed that the federal government spends over $1.1 trillion on citizen services per year. The American public, conditioned by the private sector, expect better engagement with government agencies. Using AI at scale can help modernize the delivery of services while improving the effectiveness and efficiency of government services.

AI can help in many ways, such as proactively identifying trends in service or projected surges in service requirements. AI is excellent at pattern recognition and can assist federal programs identify anomalous activity or suspected fraud much faster than humans can. AI can speed service delivery by automatically resolving routine claims, thus freeing up federal employees to focus on more complex problems that require a human touch.

Where do you see federal agencies today in their AI adoption?

Neil Chaudhry: It really varies. Overall, we see federal agencies as cautiously optimistic in the adoption of AI. Every large federal agency is executing on one or a combination of proofs of concept, pilot projects, or technology demonstration projects related to AI technologies while other federal agencies with mature data science practices are further along in their AI exploration, for example, implementing Robotic Process Automation, Chatbots, fraud detection tools, and automated translation services. The common thread here is that all agency leaders understand that using AI provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace for delivery of citizen services in a cost effective and impactful manner and are actively supporting AI efforts in their agencies.

How is the Federal government adopting AI compared to private industry?

Neil Chaudhry: Within the AI CoE, we have been able to develop a very broad and very deep perspective on government wide efforts related to AI adoption because we work with many federal agencies at different stages of AI adoption. Right now, most federal agencies are looking to institutionalize AI as an enabling work stream in a sustainable way in this sense, they are very similar to the private sector in terms of AI adoption.

However, the crucial distinction between AI adoption in the private sector and public sector is that the federal government is heavily invested in learning resources like Communities of Practice that focus on sharing use cases, lessons learned, and best practices.

How do you see process automation fitting into the overall AI landscape?

Neil Chaudhry: Process automation is a critical component of applied AI. It is one of the best examples of augmented intelligence in this space right now. Process automation is critical because it is the key to upskilling knowledge workers in the federal workforce. It can take the drudgery out of routine work and free up time for these practitioners to do what they do best come up with innovative solutions to solve ordinary problems in extraordinary ways. It can also reduce the amount of rework on service requests and claims applications due to human error by virtue of built-in error checking that gets smarter as more requests are routed through the AI application.

What are some of the most interesting use cases youve seen so far with the government's adoption of AI?

Krista Kinnard: There are a number of impactful use cases. Broadly, we see a lot that focus on four outcomes: increased speed and efficiency, cost avoidance and cost saving, improved response time, and increased quality and compliance. We see these in a number of applications that enable agencies to provide direct service to the American public in the form of intelligent chat bots and innovative call centers for customer support. We also are starting to see AI making progress in the fraud detection and prevention space to ensure the best use and allocation of government funds. One of the biggest areas weve started to see advancement is in data management. Agencies are using intelligent systems to automate both collection and aggregation of government data, as well as, provide deeper understanding and more targeted analysis.

We have seen that the potential for use of natural language processing (NLP) is huge in government. NLP enables us to read and understand free-form text, like that of a form used to apply for benefits, or document government decisions. So much of government data exists in government forms with open text fields and government documents, like memos and policy documents. NLP can really help to understand the relationships between these data and provide deeper insight for government decision making.

What do you see as critical needs for education and training around AI?

Neil Chaudhry: At its core, AI is operational research and applied statistics analysis on steroids. The AI workforce of the future needs to have a fundamental understanding of statistical concepts, probability concepts, decision science concepts, optimization techniques, queuing theories, and various problem solving methodologies used in the business community. In addition, the AI workforce of the future needs periodic training around ethics, critical thinking, collaboration, and working in diverse teams, to name a few, to effectively understand things like global data sets that are generated by people with different norms and values.

The critical needs for education and training for AI revolve around soft skills, such as flexibility, empathy, and the ability to give and receive feedback, along with critical thinking, reasoning, and decision-making. Any seasoned AI practitioner has experienced instances in AI research where we end up correlating shark bites with ice cream sales. So the ability to seek out subject matter experts, convince an organization to share proprietary datasets, and communicate actionable insights are all critical needs for education and training around AI.

What is the CoE doing to help educate and inform government employees when it comes to AI?

Krista Kinnard: Education and training is a priority for many government agencies. Employees are passionate about serving the mission of their agency and delivering quality service to the American people. At the CoE we aim to empower them through the use of AI as a tool. As such, a critical component of the CoE model is to learn by doing; its experiential learning with real world application with a little coaching as they gain their AI footing. As our technical experts partner with agencies, we engage with their workforce in every step of the process so that when the CoE completes an engagement, the agency has a team of people who know the solution we delivered, can take ownership of its success, and repeat the process for future innovation.

Beyond partnering, the CoE reaches out more broadly to share experiences through the governmentwide AI Community of Practice. The AI Community of Practice supports AI education by creating a space to share lessons learned, best practices, and advice. We regularly host events and webinars and are forming working groups to focus on specific topics within AI. The challenge is that people learn in different ways. Class and certifications can certainly provide a foundation, but learning to apply those skills in a specific context can be difficult. If organizations can create a culture of experimentation where people can learn by doing in a safe and controlled environment, government will be able to build skills around AI adoption. For that, we have established a page on OPMs Open Opportunities platform. Here programs and offices across government can post micro-project opportunities or learning assignments under the Data Savvy Workforce tag. Again, this isnt just for data practitioners. Employees on program teams, acquisition teams, and HR teams can learn how AI could enhance their processes.

How can the Federal Government ensure their AI systems are built with citizen trust in mind?

Krista Kinnard: This point is critically important to the AI CoE. We have deep respect for the people and communities that government agencies serve and the data housed in government systems that helps agencies serve those people and communities. Part of the CoE engagement model is to embed a clear and transparent human-centered approach into all of our AI engagements.

Another critical element of developing trustworthy AI is ensuring all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the problem we are trying to solve and the desired outcome. It sounds simple, but in order to effectively monitor and evaluate the impact of any AI system we build, we have to first truly understand the problem and how we are trying to solve it.

We also emphasize creating infrastructure to support regular and iterative evaluation of data, models and outcomes to assess impact of the AI system both intended and unintended.

Creating trustworthy AI is not just about the data and technology itself. We engage early with the acquisition team to ensure that they are making a smart buy. We engage with the Chief Information Security Officer and the security team early and often since approval and security checks can be a hurdle for implementation. We engage Privacy Officers to ensure AI solutions are in compliance with organizational privacy policies. By bringing in these key stakeholders early in the AI development process, we help embed responsible AI into these solutions from the onset.

What advice do you have for government agencies and public sector organizations looking to adopt AI?

Krista Kinnard: I would offer two pieces of advice. First, start small. Choose a challenge that can be easily scoped and understood with known data. This will help prove the value of this technology. Once the organization becomes more comfortable with all that is involved with building an AI on a smaller scale, it can move towards bigger and more complex projects. The second piece of advice I would offer is to know what AI can do, and what it cannot. This is a powerful technology that is already producing meaningful and valuable results, but it is not magic. Understanding the limitations of AI will help select realistic and attainable AI projects.

Neil Chaudhry: AI is meant to augment the humans in the workforce, not replace them with synthetic media and autonomous robots or chatbots.

I always discuss what a successful AI implementation means to the partner and their frontline staff during our initial meetings because every successful Ai implementation that I have seen or been follows a hierarchy of people over process, process over technology, and technology as the tool used by people to improve organizational processes. As part of my discussions, I always advise the partner agency to think of how the frontline staff will use AI. My experience has shown that if the frontline staff cannot leverage AI in a meaningful way then the AI implementation is not sustainable or actionable.

If a partner is looking to replace people, then their AI adoption strategy will not be sustainable. In addition, if a partner is looking to circumvent or bypass an established law, regulation, policy, or procedure then their AI adoption will also be unsuccessful because it will amplify the biases inherent in the new processes.

The advice I always give my partners who are looking to implement AI is to define a set of sustainable use cases for AI and measure the impact of those use cases against the existing tech debt within their organization. It may be that the agency is ready to implement AI now but waiting a year may allow the agency to implement AI in a cost-effective manner.

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How The Federal Governments AI Center Of Excellence Is Impacting Government-Wide Adoption Of AI - Forbes

Lost your job due to coronavirus? Artificial intelligence could be your best friend in finding a new one – The Conversation US

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Millions of Americans are unemployed and looking for work. Hiring continues, but theres far more demand for jobs than supply.

As scholars of human resources and management, we believe artificial intelligence could be a boon for job seekers who need an edge in a tight labor market like todays.

Whats more, our research suggests it can make the whole process of finding and changing jobs much less painful, more effective and potentially more lucrative.

Over the last three years, weve intensely studied the role of AI in recruiting. This research shows that job candidates are positively inclined to use AI in the recruiting process and find it more convenient than traditional analog approaches.

Although companies have been using AI in hiring for a few years, job applicants have only recently begun to discover the power of artificial intelligence to help them in their search.

In the old days, if you wanted to see what jobs were out there, you had to go on a job board like Monster.com, type in some keywords, and then get back hundreds or even thousands of open positions, depending on the keywords you used. Sorting through them all was a pain.

Today, with AI and companies like Eightfold, Skillroads and Fortay, it is less about job search and more about matchmaking. You answer a few questions about your capabilities and preferences and provide a link to your LinkedIn or other profiles. AI systems that have already logged not just open jobs but also analyzed the companies behind the openings based on things like reputation, culture and performance then produce match reports showing the best fits for you in terms of job and company.

Typically, there is an overall match score expressed as a percentage from 0% to 100% for each job. In many cases the report will even tell you which skills or capabilities you lack or have not included and how much their inclusion would increase your match score. The intent is to help you spend your time on opportunities that are more likely to result in your getting hired and being happy with the job and company after the hire.

Usually, when you look for a job, you apply to lots of openings and companies at the same time. That means two choices: save time by sending each one a mostly generic resume, with minor tweaks for each, or take the time and effort to adjust and tailor your resume to better fit specific jobs.

Today, AI tools can help customize your resume and cover letter for you. They can tell you what capabilities you might want to add to your resume, show how such additions would influence your chances of being hired and even rewrite your resume to better fit a specific job or company. They can also analyze you, the job and the company and craft a customized cover letter.

While researchers have not yet systemically examined the quality of human- versus AI-crafted cover letters, the AI-generated samples weve reviewed are difficult to distinguish from the ones weve seen MBA graduates write for themselves over the last 30 years as professors. Try it for yourself.

Granted, for lots of lower-level jobs, cover letters are relics of the past. But for higher-level jobs, they are still used as an important screening mechanism.

Negotiations over compensation are another thorny issue in the job search.

Traditionally, applicants have been at a distinct informational disadvantage, making it harder to negotiate for the salary they may deserve based on what others earn for similar work. Now AI-enabled reports from PayScale.com, Salary.com, LinkedIn Salary and others provide salary and total compensation reports tailored to job title, education, experience, location and other factors. The data comes from company reported numbers, government statistics and self-reported compensation.

For self-reported data, the best sites conduct statistical tests to ensure the validity and accuracy of the data. This is only possible with large databases and serious number crunching abilities. PayScale.com, for example, has over 54 million respondents in its database and surveys more than 150,000 people per month to keep its reports up-to-date and its database growing.

Although no academics have yet tested if these reports result in better compensation packages than in the old days, research has long established that negotiating in general gets candidates better compensation offers, and that more information in that process is better than less.

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Use of these tools is growing, especially among young people.

A survey we conducted in 2018 found that half of employed workers aged 18 to 36 said that they were likely or highly likely to use AI tools in the job search and application process. And 64% of these respondents felt that AI-enabled tools were more convenient.

Most of the research on the use of AI in the hiring process including our own has focused on recruitment, however, and the use of the technology is expected to double over the next two years. Weve found it to be effective for companies, so it seems logical that it can be very useful for job candidates as well. In fact, at least US$2 billion in investments are fueling human resources startups aimed at using AI to help job candidates, according to our analysis of Crunchbase business data.

While more research is needed to determine exactly how effective these AI-enabled tools actually are, Americans who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus could use all the help they can get.

Read the rest here:

Lost your job due to coronavirus? Artificial intelligence could be your best friend in finding a new one - The Conversation US

Hoffman-Yee research grants focus on AI | Stanford News – Stanford University News

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) today announced six inaugural recipients of the Hoffman-Yee Research Grant Program, a multiyear initiative to invest in research that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to address real-world problems.

Computer Science Associate Professor Karen Liu and collaborators will research robotic devices to aid in human locomotion using their Hoffman-Yee Grant. (Image credit: Christophe Wu)

The projects were selected for their boldness, ingenuity and potential for transformative impact. The grantees comprise interdisciplinary teams of faculty members, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students spanning the Schools of Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Sciences, Law and Medicine.

Philanthropists Reid Hoffman and Michelle Yee are providing foundational support for the grants.

The Hoffman-Yee Research Grant Program is helping to drive new collaborations across campus, harnessing AI to benefit humanity, said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. Technological advancements must be inextricably linked to research about their potential societal impacts. I am very grateful to Reid and Michelle for their vision and extraordinary generosity in creating this program.

HAI received submissions from 22 different departments and all of Stanfords seven schools. Each of the six teams selected will receive significant funding to enable ambitious research by assisting with hiring students and postdocs, procuring data and equipment and accessing computational and other resources.

These projects will initiate and sustain exciting new collaborations across the university, said John Etchemendy, Denning Co-Director of HAI and the Patrick Suppes Family Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences. The interdisciplinary teams each apply AI in a novel context to address challenges whose solutions could bring significant benefits to human wellbeing.

The six projects, which were submitted for review before the COVID-19 pandemic, will push the boundaries of how AI can advance education, health care and government. Project goals range from advancing AI technology through better understanding of human learning, creating more adaptable, collaborative AI agents for a wide range of assistive tasks, applying AI to facilitate and improve student learning, elder care and government operations, and creating tools for understanding the history and evolution of concepts.

Reid Hoffman (Image credit: David Yellen)

Michelle and I are delighted to help enable Stanford HAI to diversify and scale the research community applying artificial intelligence toward a range of major societal issues, said Reid Hoffman. Extraordinary opportunities for discovery and innovation will result from uniting technologists, humanists and educators together to take on pressing challenges that bridge their respective fields.

An entrepreneur, executive and investor, Reid Hoffman plays an integral role in building many of todays leading consumer technology businesses and is chair of the HAI Advisory Council. In 2003 he co-founded LinkedIn, the worlds largest professional networking service. In 2009 he joined Greylock Partners. Reid serves on the boards of multiple companies and nonprofits, including Kiva, Endeavor, CZI Biohub, Do Something and the MacArthur Foundations 100&Change. Michelle Yee earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford and her doctorate in education from the University of San Francisco.

The Hoffman-Yee Research Grant Program provides each award recipient an initial year of research funding, which can potentially be extended to three years. Each of the six research projects was reviewed carefully for ethical risks and benefits to society and subgroups within society as well as the global community.

While the algorithms that drive artificial intelligence may appear to be neutral, the data and applications that shape the outcomes of those algorithms are not. What matters are the people building it, why theyre building it and for whom. AI research must take into account its impact on people, said Fei-Fei Li, Sequoia Professor of Computer Science, Stanford and Denning Co-Director of Stanford HAI. Thats why these research projects are so promising. Each of them can make a significant difference in the lives of ordinary people, supporting HAIs purpose to improve the human condition.

The projects and principal investigators are:

Intelligent Wearable Robotic Devices for Augmenting Human Locomotion

PI: Karen Liu, Associate Professor of Computer ScienceFaculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students from Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Orthopedic Surgery and Medicine

Falling injuries among the elderly cost the U.S. health system $50 billion (2015) while causing immeasurable suffering and loss of independence. This research team seeks to develop wearable robotic devices using an AI system that both aids in human locomotion, as well as predicts and prevents falls among older people.

AI Tutors to Help Prepare Students for the 21st Century Workforce

PI: Christopher Piech, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Education.Faculty and postdoctoral scholars from Education, Psychology and Computer Science

The project aims to demonstrate a path to effective, inspiring education that is accessible and scalable. The team will create new AI systems that model and support learners as they work through open-ended activities like writing, drawing, working on a science lab, or coding. The research will monitor learners motivation, identity and competency to improve student learning. Tested solutions will be implemented in code.org, brick-and-mortar schools, virtual science labs and beyond.

Toward Grounded, Adaptive Communication Agents

PI: Christopher Potts, Professor of Linguistics and, by courtesy, Computer ScienceFaculty and postdoctoral scholars from Electrical Engineering, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, Law

This project aims to develop next-generation, language-based virtual agents capable of collaborating with humans on meaningful, challenging tasks such as caring for patients. The research could be particularly impactful for assistive technologies, where a humans behavior and language use will change over repeated interactions with their personal agent.

Curious, Self-aware AI Agents to Build Cognitive Models and Understand Developmental Disorders

PI: Daniel Yamins, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Computer Science.Faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students affiliated with Psychology, Graduate School of Education, Computer Science, School of Medicine

Human children learn about their world and other people as they explore. This project will bring together tools from AI and cognitive and clinical sciences, creating playful, socially interactive artificial agents and improving the understanding and diagnosis of development variability, including Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the process, the team hopes to gain insights into building robots that can handle new environments and interact naturally in social settings.

Reinventing Government with AI: Modern Tax Administration

PI: Jacob Goldin, Associate Professor of LawFaculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students from Law, Business, Engineering and Economics

This team seeks to demonstrate how AI-driven, evidence-based learning can benefit U.S. government agencies by driving efficiencies and improving the delivery of services. The team proposes an active-learning system that uses an AI algorithm to decide which tax returns should be prioritized for auditing for a more effective and fairer tax collection system. This research will have implications for a wide range of othergovernmental contexts, including environmental and health compliance.

An AI Time Machine for Investigating the History of Concepts

PI: Dan Jurafsky, Professor of Humanities, Linguistics and Computer ScienceFaculty from English and Digital Humanities, Philosophy, Economics, French, Political Science, History of Science, Sociology, Psychology and Biomedical Data Science

This research will develop new AI technology to examine historical texts in multiple languages to help humanists and social scientists better interpret history and society. Researchers will investigate key questions on morality, immigration, bias, aesthetics and more. Using AI to help analyze how ideas change over time and how thought shapes society could be a breakthrough contribution not only to AI but to the humanities as well.

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Hoffman-Yee research grants focus on AI | Stanford News - Stanford University News

UFC Sensation Sean O’Malley Just Made More Money Selling His Own Clothes Than He Did in 2 Years With Reebok – Sportscasting

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Sean O Malley is quickly becoming one of the most popular UFC fighters and he proved that this week without throwing a single punch. Following the paths of those such as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, OMalley is looking to make big bucks outside the octagon as his stock continues to rise. While he has numerous lucrative endorsement deals already, hes also branching out on his own after finding out the cut of his deal with Reebok, who is a major UFC sponsor, wasnt exactly what he thought it should be. OMalley is launching his own line of apparel and made more money in less than a minute than he did in two years with Reebok.

Sean OMalley made his MMA debut in March 2015 for Intense Championship Fighting and scored a first-round TKO over Josh Reyes. After going 5-0 in the promotion, four of those wins coming via knockout or submission, OMalley then moved on to Extreme Beatdown, where he had just one fight, resulting in a first-round knockout of Irvin Veloz. His next fight came in Legacy Fighting Alliance and OMalley scored yet another first-round knockout, taking out David Nuzzo with a spinning hook kick.

At 7-0, Sean OMalley earned a slot on Dana Whites Contender Series and wowed UFC fans with his performance, knocking out Alfred Khashakyan. He was quickly signed to a contract and made his official UFC debut in December 2017 and earned a unanimous decision win over Terrion Ware. Three months later, at UFC 222, he scored another win by decision, this time over Andre Soukhamthath.

It would be another two years before Sean OMalley stepped into the octagon.

RELATED: UFC: The Worst Injuries Ever That Will Disgust You

In his fight with Andre Soukhamthath, Sean OMalley badly injured his right foot, which made his win even more impressive as it was found out that he had actually fractured it, which obviously pushed back his next fight. He was set to face Jose Alberto Quinonez in October 2018 but pulled out of the fight as he was facing a possible Anti-Doping Policy violation. OMalley chose to have hip surgery while awaiting the outcome.

It was found that Sean OMalley had tested positive for ostarine, a common contaminant found in supplements. He was suspended for six months and was eligible to return in March 2019. However, before his next scheduled fight in July, he again tested positive for the substance, resulting in yet another six-month suspension. OMalley and his team were never able to identify which supplement was contaminated. Its very similar to what happened with Nate Diaz around the time of UFC 244.

OMalley finally made his long-awaited return in March of this year at UFC 248. He quickly disposed of Quinonez, knocking him in out in the first round, and earned Performance of the Night honors. At UFC 250, he scored a one-punch knockout against Eddie Wineland.

Now ranked No. 14 in the bantamweight division, Sean OMalley is scheduled to face Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in Las Vegas. But a few days before his big fight, August 11 to be exact, OMalley will be launching his own line of apparel, which hes been working on for quite some time, and will take in the majority of the profits.

Ahead of the launch, he decided to do a little test run and released 100 limited edition jerseys for $200 each. They sold out in 39 seconds. OMalley told MMAFighting.com that the $20,000 he made in less than a minute was more than hed made in two years with Reebok, who apparently has sold more than a million dollars worth of merchandise with his likeness in that time. Hes obviously more than thrilled with whats happening and knows he just needs to keep winning to keep things rolling.

We did our first little drop with the jerseys. We had a limited edition jersey, 100 of them for $200. They sold out in 39 seconds. So that was exciting, kind of seeing the numbers we could do. I think over 4,000 people on the website trying to get the jerseys.

Were dropping some more stuff fight week. Might be doing a collaboration with Cookies for some merch. Everythings going awesome.

The only thing I need to do is keep winning fights and everything around me goes up from there. Everythings going good and cant complain.

Its good to be Sean OMalley right now.

UFC Sensation Sean O'Malley Just Made More Money Selling His Own Clothes Than He Did in 2 Years With Reebok - Sportscasting

DCeased Ignites a New Justice League Romance Between Batman and Wonder Woman – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

In Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine's DCeased: Dead Planet #2, two young Justice League superheroes start a romance, forming a new DC power couple.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for DCeased: Dead Planet #2 by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Gigi Baldassini, Rain Beredo and Saida Temofonte, on sale now.

After the events of the original DCeased miniseries, the sequel DCeased: Dead Planet jumped ahead five years. The planet was overrun with the Blighted Ones -- people infected by the Anti-Life virus -- and the survivors left Earth behind to find a new home. While there were still many superheroes left among these survivors, they had still suffered catastrophic, unimaginable losses: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman had all been taken by the virus, while other Justice League members died.

In Dead Planet, humanity's survivors have found a new planet to call home in a faraway solar system -- and better yet, they now have a new Justice League to defend them, a team of superheroes which is headlined by Jon Kent's Superman, Damian Wayne's Batman and Cassie Sandsmark's Wonder Woman.

While they were young before, the five-year time jump has agedall three superheroes up and seen them settle into themantles of their mentors. But what is perhaps even more surprising is that Cassie and Damian are now a romantic couple.

RELATED: DCeased Reveals How One Of DC's Most Powerful Beings Was Turned

In Dead Planet #1, the new Justice League received a distress signal from Cyborg and they decided to return to Earth to investigate it. When they got there, they found Victor Stone's head, who revealed there was actually a cure for the Anti-Life virus. However, tragedy once again struck the superheroes when the infected Wonder Woman arrived, killing Green Arrow and wounding Jon Kent. Now, in Dead Planet #2, the Justice League rushes to Poison Ivy's safe haven, a garden she built out of Gotham City.

Cassie flies Superman there to get some help, and the rest of the League is reunited with other survivors that were left behind on Earth. However, the reunion is cut short when the head of Cyborg reveals to everyone that there is indeed a cure for the virus inside of him. Suddenly, every superhero is faced with the realization that all the people they have lost, all the infected they killed to survive, could have been saved.

The news hits Cassie hard, seeing as how she had once dealt with the loss of Wonder Woman. After walking away from everyone, she finds a little corner in Poison Ivy's jungle to cry, and Damian Wayne follows her. Here, Damian shows that he is different from the young brat we were familiar with prior to the five-year jump. He's compassionate and emphatic, and he shows real support for Cassie. "I'm here for you," he says, removing his cowl. Then the two kiss.

RELATED: DCeased: Dead Planet #2 Features An Homage To A Tragic Superman Moment

While the moment comes as a shock, it's clear that this isn't new to them. By all accounts, it appears as if Damian and Cassie have been an item for a while. It's certainly a surprising turn for both characters, but it shows how much they have changed and grown in the last five years. The world of DCeased is filled with death and despair, so it's nice to know that some characters found some time to fall in love.

Plus, it's also interesting to note that Damian and Cassie seem to be carrying their predecessors' legacies in more ways than one. Yes, Damian and Cassie became Batman and Wonder Woman respectively after the death of Bruce and Diana. But there has also always been a bit of an attraction between Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince. While the two were never really an outright couple, the two of them shared a bond. For example, they grew close in the DC Animated Universe, and Bruce's engagement to Selina Kyle was nearly put in danger during a mission with Wonder Woman in the regular DC Universe's Batman #39 and 40.

Now, Damian Wayne is Batman, and he is officially in a relationship with Cassie Sandsmark's Wonder Woman. Therefore, in the DCeased universe, the Dark Knight and the Amazon Princess are essentially the biggest power couple. But, we have to wonder, how long will it last? There isn't a whole lot of room for love in the world ofDCeased, and danger lurks around every corner.

KEEP READING: DCeased: Tom Taylor Teases Sequel Showing A Post-Undead Heroes World

The Batman's Grave #9

Ian Cardona has written for CBR since 2017. He is a Feature, Comic Breakouts and News writer. He's been in love with comics for a very long time, and believes there is some good to be found even in the industry's more difficult times. His favorite Avenger is Captain America, and that was long before the character starred in a very successful film franchise. He is an avid statue and Funko Pop! figures collector, and he's rapidly running out of shelf space. With CBR, he has been able to write about his favorite subjects, from the MCU to Doctor Who. You can follow him on Twitter at @ian_c1701 (yes, that is a Star Trek reference) for discussions, debates or pictures of really cool collectibles he probably doesn't have room for.

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DCeased Ignites a New Justice League Romance Between Batman and Wonder Woman - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Teen Titans Go!: 10 Hilariously Raunchy Jokes That Flew Over Our Heads – Screen Rant

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Teen Titans Go! served as a fresh take on the classic teenage superhero team, and focused more on comedy and slapstick than action and melodrama. The series was aimed at a younger audience than the beloved series that preceded it, but that doesn't mean that the show was free of adult jokes and references.

RELATED: Teen Titans Go! 5 Ways It's Actually A Good Reboot (& 5 Ways It's Just Bad)

Although the innuendo, provocative imagery, and not so subtle adult referencewill be missed by kids, adults will be surprised with what the superhero series was able to get away with. With this in mind here are 10 hilariously raunchy jokes that flew over our heads.

In Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, the team goes further than ever to poke fun at themselves and superheroes in general, resulting in the same wacky brand of humor fans have come to expect from the series.

However, just before the film ends Robin manages to sneak one more inappropriate joke in. He asks the audience to ask their parents where babies come from, although undoubtedly funny this joke must have led to many awkward conversations on the journey home from the cinema.

Raven has a difficult relationship with her demonic father Trigon and in the episode "Caramel Apples" he came to visit his estranged daughter much to her displeasure. This leads to Starfire and Trigon bonding, which only irritates Raven further.

In one scene Raven is playing with her toy horses, which uncannily resemble her and Starfire when one calls the other a dumb horse. While this may seem innocent enough, Raven's emphasis on the beginning of the word makes it sound like a different word altogether.

It's not only superheroes that Teen Titans Go! makes fun of and in the episode "Burger vs. Burrito", the show set its sights on mocking cooking shows. Beast Boy and Cyborg compete against one another to determine whose food is best, in a silly and over the top competition.

RELATED: Teen Titans Go! 10 Powerful Character Cosplays

While preparing his burger Cyborg can be briefly seen pounding his burger meat, while this may elicit a laugh from children there's no doubt that adults will be laughing for an entirely different reason as there's no doubt what this is referencing.

Aqualad appeared in the episode "Pirates" and became infatuated with Raven upon first sight. This then led the unlikely pair to begin dating much to the surprise of the rest of the Titans.

Their relationship is innocent enough but Cyborg continues to not trust Aqualad and firmly believes that he is a pirate. This then leads to him asking Raven if she has seen his pirate booty yet, Raven then blushes and smiles as she thinks about his treasure.

Raven is known for her negative attitude and makes no apologies for not enjoy things others do. In "Real Magic" a montage of things Raven hates is shown, it features Kitten, riding in limos, and the most inappropriate of all, Beast Boy lying on her bed in his pants surrounded by lit candles.

Raven is unimpressed and swiftly leaves the room before things go any further. The scene proved to be so inappropriate that it would be censored and edited out of the UK and Australian broadcasts of the episode.

Robin was tasked with looking after the Batcave, and of course, he brought all his friends along to keep him company. This leads to the gang exploring the secret hideout and going through Batman's personal belonging.

RELATED: 10 Teen Titans Plotlines We Want To See In Titans

Starfire dons Batgirl's costume, a tight-fitting black spandex outfit that leaves little to the imagination. Upon seeing her, Robin begins to drool like an animal and cannot speak. The scene is comically over the top and although children may just think Robin's being silly, adults will have an entirely different interpretation of the scene.

Raven's newfound appreciation of her legs led her to take on the new persona of Lady Legasus, this new member ofThe TeenTitans made her debut int he aptly titled episode "Legs".

In the episode, Raven swaps her cloak for a skimpy yellow leotard complete with matching bracelets. Beast Boy is a fan of her new look and upon revealing her legs to him Beast Boy transforms into a dog and howls with excitement.

Beast Boy was left without any clothes in "Laundry Day", this led to him lounging around the tower completely naked. He spends his time on the couch watching television, playing video games, and eating tofu.

The episode goes out of its way to obscure his body with objects and all in all its harmless and appropriate for all ages. That is until Beast Boy falls asleep after reading a magazine, which he then uses to cover himself. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that the magazine is resting a little too high up, suggest that something is holding it up.

The Teen Titans feature some of the best teenage superheroes the DC universe has to offer and they always try to do the right thing and make the world a better place. However, Robin's morals were compromised in the episode "Hey Pizza!", when his big plans to build a senior center changed after Starfire wishes they had a pool. The prospect of seeing Starfire in a bikini is enough for Robin to begin the construction of a pool.

RELATED: 10 Things We Want To See In Teen Titans Go vs Teen Titans

With the construction of the pool underway, Starfire visits the site and is excited, asking if Robin will apply suntan lotion to her when the pool is completed. Her request is innocent enough but causes Robin's hair to stand on end, knocking his hard hat off his head. For adults watching there's no doubt what his hair was referring to.

Beast Boy suffered injuries and began to replace his body parts with cybernetic ones in "Man Person". This led to him becoming more machine than man and adopting the new persona of Scar-Man. With his new form came a new attitude, he was tougher and more bad-ass than ever before, this proved to be a big hit with Raven, who liked his new form.

In one scene Cyborg and Robin argue over what Beast Boy's real identity is, which leads Raven to enter with a smile and love hearts floating around her head, telling her teammates that he is no boy. Her expression, hearts, and Beast Boy's manliness imply something that may not be apparent to younger viewers.

NEXT: 10 Cartoons Anime Fans Should Watch

Next Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Main Characters & Their Harry Potter Counterpart

Daniel is a writer based in the UK. He studied at the University of Sunderland and is a big fan of movies and tv.

Teen Titans Go!: 10 Hilariously Raunchy Jokes That Flew Over Our Heads - Screen Rant

Stargirl: How the DC TV Star Joined the New 52 Justice League – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Stargirl, normally a member of the Justice Society of America, was placed on the premier Justice League of America team when she joined the new 52.

In both comics and her live action CW show, Stargirl, a.k.a. Courtney Whitmore, is usually associated with the Justice Society of America. However, during the New 52 reboot, Stargirl was introduced with ties to the Justice League instead, as well as a slightly different originstory.

Courtney's New 52 origin mostly resembled her previous one, with her finding a strange staff and costume in the possession of her mom's boyfriend, Pat Dugan. Pat warns her against using them, stating that their former owner had died doing so. Courtney refuses to listen and becomes Stargirl, with Pat training her in the New 52 version. She becomes a local hero in California, but the attention leads to her mother being gravely injured and her brother's death. Using this tragedy to shape her, Courtney becomes more determined than ever to be a hero.

RELATED: Stargirl: DC Comics' Seven Soldiers of Victory, Explained

Stargirl went on to join the Justice League of America, a government-funded version of the Justice League organized by Amanda Waller. She was chosen by Waller because of her popularity and also as a foil to Justice League member Cyborg in the event that he went rogue. This became a reality during Trinity War, in which the members of three different Justice League teams clashed with one another. Stargirl teamed up with Wonder Woman and to face off against Cyborg for Pandora's Box, which ends up being used by The Outsider to bring the other-dimensional Crime Syndicate to their Earth.

After she and several other heroes were imprisoned, Courtney escaped and teamed up with fellow JLA member Martian Manhunter. After facing the Injustice League together, Martian Manhunter took on a mentor role with Courtney, replacing the heroes from the JSA that she had learned from in the previous continuity.

RELATED: Injustice: The Heroic Past of Year Zero's Mystery Villain, Explained

After Waller's Justice League of America disbanded,Courtney joined a Canada-based Justice League after working with Adam Strange to find an artifact that reacted with her cosmic powered staff.Taking on a more galactic scope, this new team featured several alien members such as Supergirl and Hawkman, and would eventually be joined by her JLA mentor, the Martian Manhunter. After the team returned to Earth after a galaxy-spanning mission, Courtney dubbed the new team Justice League United and appeared regularly in the team's self-titled book.

Once Justice League Unitedwas cancelled Courtney made an appearance in Geoff Johns and Gary Frank'sDoomsday Clock, wherein Dr. Manhattan undid the changes made to the DC Universe. This included a restoration of the Justice Society of America into continuity,likely restoring Stargirl's history with the team and possibly altering her official history with the two Justice League teams as well.

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DCeased Is Calling the Justice League’s Biggest Bluff | CBR – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

If a hero wants to survive DCeased, they're going to need to have superpowers.

In 2019, DC Comics releasedDCeasedfromTom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, and James Harren. In thissix-issue mini-series, Darkseid creates a technological version of the Anti-Life Equation and infects all of humanity. No corner of the DCU isspared as both human beings and superheroes alike are infected. What is most notable, however, is how the superhero community is affected. There's a striking contrast as to how writer Taylor showshuman heroes like Batman and Green Arrow succumbing to the infection a lot faster than the superhumans like Superman and Wonder Woman.

Since the Justice League was first formed in the 1960s, there has alwaysbeen a mixed roster of superhumans and human heroes working side by side. Heroes like Batman, Green Arrow, and Arsenal fightalongsidepowerful heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. Regardless ofthe enemy beingthe earth-based Lex Luthor or the god-like Darkseid, the Justice League presentsall the heroes as having equal status despite their level of power. There are even story arcs when the human heroes best the superpowered ones. In the 2000 JLA story "Tower of Babel," from Mark Waid and Howard Porter, Batman made contingency plans to neutralize members of the Justice League, especiallythe superpowered ones. Batman's motive was to ensure that if any of the superhumans were to go rogue, that he had the means to take them down.

Related: DCeased: Hope At World's End Recruits A Fan-Favorite Batman Villain

During the events of DCeased, Darkseid uses Cyborg to release a techno-organic virus. Anyone on adevice linkedto the internet was immediately infected, and the virus doesnot discriminate. Readers enjoyed seeing their favorite characters turned into mindless zombie-like creatures intent on infecting others. One of the more dramatic elements of the story is the division Taylor makes (consciously?) between the superpowered and human heroes. After the virus is released on earth, Superman deals with the infection by using his heat vision to destroy all the screens in his home, thereby saving Jonathan, Lois, and Damian Wayne, who is visiting at the time. Over in the Batcave, things don't go as well for Batman. The firewall on the Batcomputer initially prevents Batman from the virus, but Nightwing and Red Robin becomeinfected. The issue ends with Batman fighting off his former protegesand the powerful image of Batman being bitten by Nightwing in the finalpanel.

Taylor makes it clear that there is a division between the human heroes and superhumans. There are indeed manysuperhuman heroes who are infected by the virus, but the rate of infection is notably skewed towards the human heroes with no superpowers. In DCeased #2, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Green Lantern Jordan are camping in the woods. Jordan glances at his phone and is immediately infected. Green Arrow is caught offguard and if it wasn't for Black Canary's sonic scream, he would have been killed by Jordan. Instead, Canary kills Jordan and becomes the next Green Lantern in sector 2814. She grabs Green Arrow and flies off when Superman arrives to take them to safety. Again, the reader sees how vulnerable, the human heroes are compared to the superpowered ones.

Related: DCeased Reveals How One Of DC's Most Powerful Beings Was Turned

In the DCeased spinoffDCeased: Dead Planet,fromby Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine, five years have passedsince the initial infection. In the first issue,readers see the familiar theme of the disadvantages of not being superhuman. A few of thesurviving heroes return to earth and are besieged by an infected Wonder Woman. The only hero that dies is Green Arrow. The otherheroes survive the attack due to their superpowers. In the second issue,Arsenal (Roy Harper) is attacked and burned to death bythe infected ex-Justice League International member Fire. If notfor the magical-powered Zatanna, Fire would have killed many of the other survivors.

DCeased has thrilled readers with how unpredictable the story is and how no hero is safe, but Tom Taylorsets the tone that it is better to have superpowers if you want to make it out alive.

Keep Reading: DCeased: Dead Planet Reveals The Green Lanterns' Newest Duty

Iron Man Just Got HUMILIATED by an Untrained Pilot in MUCH Weaker Armor

Scott Shoyer is an avid comic book collector & reader, a writer, and a podcaster in the Austin, TX area. A former chef in high-end restaurants and food salesperson, Scott is now doing what he truly loves: writing. He has four novels published and is excited to start as a features writer on CBR. When not writing, you can hear Scott on the Kirby's Kids podcast.

DCeased Is Calling the Justice League's Biggest Bluff | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

#ZackSnydersJL Is Trending on Twitter, and Ray Fisher Approves – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

#ZackSnydersJL is trending on Twitter ahead of DC FanDome, as fans push for Zack Snyder's Justice League to be the Snyder Cut's true title.

Ahead of DC FanDome, social media is once again buzzing aboutZack Snyder's Justice League.

#ZackSnydersJL is currently trending on Twitter as fans campaign for HBO Max to make that the official title of Synder's long-awaited director's cut of the 2017 film. Even Cyborg actor Ray Fisher has joined the movement.

RELATED:Snyder Considered Sneaking His Justice League Cut Trailer Into 2019'S SDCC

During the May 20 Man of Steel watch party, Snyder seemingly confirmed the version of Justice League that will debut on HBO Max in 2021 would be called Zack Snyder's Justice League. However, during the Justice Con panel in July, Snyder cast doubt on this when he said, "You know it's really --the name of the movie as 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' is...it's the name that we all want. It's the name we are working on. It's legal reasons that restrict it um but we're trying to work that out."

Snyderfirst coined the termZack Snyder's Justice League on Dec. 12, 2019, when he posted a picture of Henry Cavill's Superman wearing a black suit on Vero. "My Superman," he wrote in the caption. Then, later in the comments, he wrote, "let's put it this way, in Zack Snyder's Justice League, he will have a black suit."

While this was the first time Snyder used the term, the first official branding of Zack Snyder's Justice League came shortly after, on Dec. 23, when Snyder debuted official Zack Snyder's Justice League merchandise bearing the very same logo that was seen during the May 20 announcement. Proceeds from those sales went on to aid the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a cause very dear to Snyder after his own daughter's suicide ultimately led to him stepping down from the helm of Justice League in the first place.

RELATED:Justice League: Ray Fisher 'Will Not Relent' Against Joss Whedon, Geoff Johns And Jon Berg

The timing of this latest fan campaign is no coincidence, asZack Snyder'sJustice League -- regardless of what the actual title is -- will be a major presence at DC FanDome, which launches Aug. 22 at 10 a.m PT.

Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ciarn Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. Zack Snyder's Justice League will premiere exclusively on HBO Max in 2021.

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Jon Arvedon is an editor and writer for CBR and he has been contributing to the site since 2017. Hes been an avid superhero fan since he was a young child, though it wasnt until much later in life that he finally began venturing into the actual comic books that made those characters so popular in the first place. Nevertheless, he immediately developed a strong passion for the medium and began aggressively expanding his knowledge, using any and all downtime at his old office job to scour the depths of Marvel Unlimited, ComiXology, and the occasional wiki page to help fill in the gaps. His love of comics is rivaled only by that of his love for Star Wars. If you're so inclined, you can follow Jon on Twitter at @JonArvedon.

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Teen Titans Go!: 10 Jokes That Only DC Comics Fans Will Understand – Screen Rant

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Between the classic dark takes on the mythos of Teen Titans in both the animated (Teen Titans) and live-action (Titans) realms, Cartoon Network's Teen Titans Go! revolves around the team of young superheroes in a more tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top fashion. All through the show, viewers are bound to find hilarious gags and meta-references or Easter Eggs to characters from DC comics.

RELATED: Teen Titans Go!: 5 Ways It's Actually A Good Reboot (& 5 Ways It's Just Bad)

While the show's first cinematic journey,Teen Titans Go To The Movies, has its own share of hundreds of references for avid DC comic-book aficionados, the original seriesalso doesn't shy away from cracking a meta-joke every once in a while.

Although Batman's operations are mostly in the dark, one of the episodes shows viewers a toy shop in broad daylight. The shop is called Lil Alfred's Toy Cave andthe banner features a cheery Alfred fixing a miniature Batmobile. Considering that Alfred Pennyworth is way more than just Batman's butler, it wouldn't be surprising that this toy shop is one of his ventures.

Although he had his own share of gimmicky appliances, the Joker often wondered where Batman got his hi-tech 'toys.' The answer might lie in this so-called toy cave.

In the episode Yearbook Madness, Cyborg and Beast Boy decide to get yearbooks made for each of the Titans. They approach several heroes and villains from the DC pantheon to obtain their signatures and funny remarks. The egoistic and narcissistic Robin is determined to get the most signatures to show off that he's the most popular Titan.

But he drowns in jealousy when he sees Starfire's yearbook that's signed by classic characters like Flash, Green Arrow, and the many Green Lanterns. There are other pages that show even foes like Mr. Freeze and Harley Quinn write heartfelt messages.

Talking about Mr. Freeze, the classic Batman villain also seems to have started a capitalistic venture of his own like Alfred's toy-shop. When Robin goes through a sad phase, he resorts to eating Mr. Freeze's ice-cream.

However, it can be debated whether the ice-cream company is of Freeze's or if the brooding ice-man is just the company's brand ambassador. Anyway, it goes on to show some great attention to detail that Teen Titans Go! adds to even the background.

Even though the Teen Titans Go! film parodied specific scenes from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a particular film poster shows an alternate version of the film titled 'The Dawn of Just-Us."

RELATED: Every Batman Movie Ever, Ranked

According to Dan Hipp, the art director of the show, this movie is possibly a rom-com or bromance between Batman and Superman, unlike Zack Snyder's ambitious cinematic face-off.

Another cheeky call-back to the Snyder DC films is whenfans get a glimpse of the Bat Cave. Like all its incarnations, the cave features diverse gadgets and memorabilia. But in a particular scene where Commissioner Gordon and Batman have a 'sleepover,'you can see an Oscar statuette and a large coin of sorts that cheekily plays on the phrase 'In God We Trust."

RELATED: Every Zack Snyder Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Instead of an American President's side profile, it features a similar image of General Zod, one of Superman's earliest nemeses. The Zod in this souvenir is modeled after Michael Shannon's portrayal in Snyder's Man of Steel. Also, the Oscar might probably be the one awarded Heath Ledger's posthumous turn as Joker.

Even though most superheroes cover themselves from head to toe, Robin, in his yesteryear glory, used to show off his legs mostly wearing really short shorts. This legacy was carried on by Burt Ward's performance as the character in the classic Batman TV show from the 1960s.

In the episode "Sidekick," Robin gives his gang a trip to the Bat Cave where Starfire finds a picture of the Dark Knight posing with a much younger Robin. To Robin's embarrassment, Starfire asks 'What's with the short shorts?'

Be it Marvel's Daredevil or DC's Batman or even a character like Spawn, vigilantes and superhumans love standing atop a high building and give a brooding glance at the city below. Robin teaches this to the Spanish-speaking twins Ms y Menos as he explains how to pose like a superhero.

Apart from posing like Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman, he stands on a city prop heroically and even places a fan near him so that his cape would dramatically flutter with the wind. "Knee up at a 90-degree angle. Shoulders back. Fist on the hip if you're feeling sassy," Robin says asMs y Menos judge the superficiality of such heroic poses.

With hardly any speaking parts, Batman makes his way in Teen Titans Go! in some way or the other. In this scene, Cyborg is conflicted between watching Plastic Man 3 and The Dark Knight Snoozes.

Maybe in this reality, the Dark Knight trilogy by Christopher Nolan is less dark and instead merrier. There's another spoof on The Dark Knight Rises as Starfire gets obsessed with burritos in one episode, covering her room with several burrito posters one of which reads 'The Burrito Rises.'

Christopher Reeves might forever be remembered as Superman but his last film as the character Superman IV: The Quest For Peace turned out to be quite tacky and is often remembered as a 'so bad it's good' movie. A major cause behind this was the villain Nuclear Man.

A wild blonde man mutated from Superman's DNA, Nuclear Man and the Man of Steel engage in hilariously bad fights which involve Nuclear literally scratching Superman at times! In a blink-and-miss moment, Nuclear Man can be seen as a disgruntled contestant at Justice League's Next Top Talent Idol Star (a parody of various talent and reality shows).

After the original Teen Titans animated series, a show with a similar setting and tone was the critically-acclaimed Young Justice that revolved around heroes like Robin and Miss Martian trying to find footing in the shadow of a seasoned Justice League. After two seasons, the show was canceled, sparking outrage among many DC fans.

Finally, the show was renewed for a third season last year, with a fourth season in development. The buzz on its cancellation was referenced in a subtle online status by Blue Beetle (who himself plays a major role in Young Justice) on DCUbook, the equivalent of Facebook in the world of Teen Titans Go!.

NEXT: Teen Titans Go! 10 Powerful Character Cosplays

Next South Park: 10 Classic Moments In 'Casa Bonita'

Based in Delhi, India, Shaurya Thapa is a Third World boy writing on First World pop culture. He's into freelance journalism, hip-hop, and engaging in critical analyses over films and TV of varied genres.

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This is how WWII, G.I. Joe and a decorated U.S. Marine shaped Transformers – We Are The Mighty

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

Today, the Transformers IP has a world-wide presence in toys, comic books, video games, TV shows, movies and even amusement park rides. Just hearing the name cues the iconic jingle or robotic transforming noise in the heads of even the most casual fans. It's incredible to think that this franchise that dominates the globe owes its existence to the Second World War, G.I. Joe action figures and one very special Marine.

Transformers is still going strong with a new Netflix original series (Netflix)

Following the end of WWII, American troops occupied the Japanese islands as the nation entered into the process of reconstruction. A key element in reviving the Japanese economy was its once prominent toy industry. However, with few raw materials available after the war, toy makers were forced to resort to unconventional sources.

American GIs occupying Japan were fed heavily with canned rations. It was the metal from these cans that was recycled and used to craft Japanese robot toys. To highlight Japanese craftsmanship, these toys were often motorized with clock mechanisms that allowed them to walk and roll.

The popularity of Japanese robot toys increased through the 1960s and 1970s. With the expansion of television, the robot toys were paired with manga comics and anime cartoons that engaged children and promoted toy sales. Japanese robot-based entertainment like Astroboy, Ultraman, Shogun Warriors and Gigantor became increasingly popular in America.

Robot shows like Gigantor were also successful in Australia (Eiken/TCJ)

However, even the robots from the east couldn't compete with "A Real American Hero" like G.I. Joe. High sales of the action figure in the states were enough to convince Japanese toy maker Takara to license G.I. Joe for the Japanese market.

Having gained respect in the Japanese toy world for their toy dolls, Takara wanted to branch out and make a toy line for boys. However, G.I. Joe's iconic scar and grimacing expression were a bit too harsh and aggressive for post-war Japan. To market the toy to Japanese boys, Takara decided to make G.I. Joe into a superhero with superpowers. When the designers realized that G.I. Joe's body wasn't conducive to a superhero build, they resorted to type and made him into a robot. With a clear plastic body displaying his metal computer-like internals, G.I. Joe became Henshin Cyborg. Henshin meaning "transformation", this was the first step towards what we know today as Transformers.

Following the 1973 oil crisis, the 11.5" tall toy and all of its accessories became prohibitively expensive to produce. Like G.I. Joe in the states, Takara introduced the 3.75" tall Microman. A mini version of Henshin Cyborg, the Microman toy line focused even more on transforming toys with robots that could change into sci-fi spaceships. Microman was so popular that it was marketed in the US under the name Micronauts.

By the 1980s, robot toys that transformed into exotic spaceships were losing popularity. To rejuvenate the robot toy concept, Takara introduced the Diaclone Car Robo and Microman Micro Change lines. Diaclone toys transformed from robots into 1:60 scale vehicles like cars and trucks while Microman toys transformed into 1:1 replicas of household items like cameras, cassette players and toy guns.

At the Tokyo Toy Show, Hasbro executives took notice of Diaclone, Microman Micro Change and the plethora of other Japanese transforming robot toys and wanted to develop their own toy line. A deal was struck with Takara and Hasbro lifted almost every one of their toy lines for the US market, including Diaclone and Microman Micro Change.

Diaclone transforming robot truck Battle Convoy (Takara)

To review, Hasbro licensed G.I. Joe to Takara in the 1970s. Takara turned G.I. Joe into Henshin Cyborg. Henshin Cyborg was shrunk down to Microman. Microman evolved into Diaclone and Microman Micro Change, both of which were licensed back to Hasbro. Things had really come full circle.

With all of these transforming robot toys, Hasbro turned to Marvel Comics to develop a backstory for the new toy line. Over a weekend, Marvel writers came up with the names and backstories for the first 26 Transformers as well as the plot for the first comic book issue.

Diaclone and Microman Micro Change robots were renamed and became Transformers as we know them today. Micro Car became Bumblebee, Cassette Man became Shockwave, Gun Robo became Megatron, Battle Convoy became Optimus Prime and the War for Cybertron between the just Autobots and the oppressive Decepticons was born. The first commercial for the Transformers toys introduced the now iconic jingle and the phrases, "Robots in disguise" and, "More than meets the eye."

The 1984 release of Transformers was a huge success netting Hasbro $115 million in sales. The popularity of the franchise was due in large part to the Transformers cartoon, the star of which was the venerable Optimus Prime.

Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime, became so iconic that he was brought back to reprise the role of the Autobot leader in the 2007 Transformers film and its many sequels. Cullen, also known for voicing Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, crafted the voice of Optimus Prime with inspiration from his older brother.

Marine Captain Henry Laurence Cullen, Jr., known as Larry, was a decorated veteran of the war in Vietnam. While serving with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Capt. Cullen was awarded a Bronze Star with a V device as well as two Purple Hearts for his actions during Operation Hastings in June 1966.

Capt. Cullen was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery (Cullen family)

When his younger brother told him he was going to audition for the role of a hero in a cartoon series, Capt. Cullen said, "Peter, if you're gonna be a hero, be a real hero. Don't be one of those Hollywood heroes pretending they're tough guys when they're not. Just be strong and real. Tell the truth. Be strong enough to be gentle."

With his older brother's words echoing in his mind, Peter Cullen delivered the strong yet gentle voice performance that Transformers fans today will always hail as the one, true Optimus.

"He had a lot of influence on me, you know, and especially coming back from Vietnam. I noticed somebody different," Cullen remembered of his older brother. "Going into that audition, Larry was with me. I mean, he was right there beside me. When I read the script, Larry's voice just came out. He was my hero."

From recycled ration cans, to a classic American action figure and an inspirational leader of Marines, the Transformers franchise has had a lot of American military influence to get to where it is today.

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The Reverse-Flash WON Flashpoint in DC’s Dark Multiverse – Screen Rant

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

What if Barry Allen never fixed the Flashpoint universe? What if he died trying? What would the Reverse-Flash do in this new permanent timeline?

This November, one the most iconic and game changing stories is getting an all-new alternate ending.Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1 will explore an alternate version of theFlashpointevent, where Barry Allen, The Flash, will fail to reset reality after he changed it all for the worse. What happens to the alternate Flashpoint reality once it becomes permanent? What will Eobard Thawne do after finally getting rid of the Flash? Read on to learn more.

Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1will be written and drawn by Bryan Hitch, featuring his twisted new take onFlashpoint's ending and what would happen afterward. In the originalFlashpoint storyline, Barry Allen wakes to discover that his mother is alive as well as his father, whose not in prison. However, he no longer has his speed, and his entire reality has changed. Some of the more notable changes happen with his fellow members of the Justice League. Bruce Wayne died in Crime Alley, while his parents lived. Thomas Wayne became a lethal Batman, while Martha became the Joker. Kal-El is nowhere to be found, having been captured by Project: Superman immediately after hid pod landed on Earth. Hal Jordan never became the Green Lantern, and Cyborg is the biggest superhero in America. Additionally, Aquaman and the Atlanteans are at war with Wonder Woman and her Amazons, threatening to plunge the world into WWIII.

Related:Even Reverse-Flash Doesn't Want To Mess With Green Lanterns

After regaining his speed with help from Thomas Wayne's Batman, Barry concludes that this must be the work of Reverse-Flash, having gone back in time to make sure the League is never formed. However, once Barry comes to blows with Thawne, he reveals that it was Barry himself that caused this new Flashpoint universe, a result of him trying to stop Thawne from killing Barry's mother in the past. Once realizing his error, Barry enters the time stream, stopping himself and allowing events to follow their natural course. While this makes things right, it's not completely the same, kicking off DC Comics' New 52 reboot. But what if The Flash failed?

As the preview and cover image show,Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1will show what happens if Barry is unable to reset reality and dies trying, leaving the Flashpoint universe to continue on in a Dark Multiverse reality. The preview reveals that Thomas Wayne will still be operating in Gotham as Batman, while Aquaman and Wonder Woman will still be readying themselves for all-out war. The preview also mentions Reverse-Flash, and what he's going to do now that his greatest rival is no more, indicating that he may "eclipse Barry Allen's legacy" as he embraces the dark new world that the Flash created.

Will Eobard Thawne become the hero he's always wanted to be, but "couldn't" because of Barry Allen? Doubtful. While he might think he could step into Barry shoes, it's more likely that Thawne will still be a villain in actuality, becoming a dark new Flash. Fans will have to wait and see whenTales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1releases November 17th

More:How Fast is Marvel's Quicksilver Compared To The Flash?

The Ranger Slayer Returns in Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn

Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant's staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he's writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he's Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Previously, Kevin was a writer for ComicsVerse.com. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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Opinion: The Most Biased Commentary in UFC History – Sherdog.com

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Danzig

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Both are really bad. In the first, Rogan was constantly grousingabout Nurmagomedov's lack of stand-up while he was not onlydisplaying the best striking of his career, but soundly beatingIaquintaa top-10 fighter largely thanks to his kickboxingon thefeet. Was Nurmagomedov's striking world-class, on par with the bestof the UFC? No. Did his stand-up success against Iaquinta owe adebt to Ragin Al's fear of the takedown? Certainly. ButNurmagomedov showed good, technical striking that was far betterthan what most other UFC fighters display. Considering howfantastic his wrestling is, that's an achievement deserving ofrespect, not derision. Not only did Rogan's commentary take awayfrom Nurmagomedov's historic victory, but it was downrightignorant.

Spencer-Cyborg was a fight that saw the Canadian bravely fight tothe bitter end and even open up a cut on her legendary opponentearly in the fight, but it was still dominated by the Brazilian,who repeatedly battered Spencer with strikes and had referee YvesLavigne leaning in, ready to stop the fight at least half a dozentimes.

You would never have guess that by the commentary. Rogan and Anikconstantly praised and complimented Spencer, the fighter beingbadly beaten, while criticizing and downgrading anything Cyborgdid. At some point, the bias approached parody, with Rogan and Anikgushing over how awesome Spencer was for being hurt with a barrageof clean strikes from Justino. While heart and toughness deserve tobe pointed out, it's not as important as the fighter beating thestuffing out of their opponent. Yet, Spencer's grit was the mainfocus of the two commentators, when they weren't pretending thefight was much closer than it really was or that Cyborg wassecretly in trouble. It reminds me of the old joke about how afighter ruthlessly beat up his opponent's hands with his face.

In a wild coincidence that I'm sure has nothing to do with Roganand Anik's embarrassing commentary, Cyborg was on the last fightof her contract and in the midst of a very public, acrimonioussplit with UFC head honcho Dana White, who had no intention ofre-signing her and wanted to reduce her market value. Meanwhile,Spencer was a young, photogenic fighter the UFC was looking topromote. Again, totally unrelated.

However, neither Spencer-Cyborg nor Nurmagomedov-Iaquintafeatures the most biased commentary in UFC history. One would haveto go back many years to the main event of UFC 37.5, which was called by ayoung color guy named... Joe Rogan.

For those who haven't seen it, ChuckLiddell vs. VitorBelfort was a genuinely great battle that I encourage everyoneto watch. It was a tremendous contest between two of the beststrikers in the world at the time, yet wasn't merely a fantasticstand-up duel, but also features some fine grappling exchanges,pitting Belfort's Brazilian jiu-jitsu against Liddell's wrestlingand excellent use of wall-walking, a technique he pioneered.

Round 1 was clearly won by Belfort. Round 2 was close, with Liddelllanding more strikes but Belfort having the hardest connect of thestanza, and Round 3 was also close right up until Liddell landed agorgeous right hook counter that knocked Belfort down on his butt,an iconic highlight which is most people's dominant memory of theencounter.

However, that classic was partly spoiled by the painfully biasedjudging and commentary that was even worse. Two of the judgesscored the fight 30-27 Liddell, and only one of them was CecilPeoples. There is literally no way that Liddell won the openingstanza by any criteria. To use a recent example, RobertWhittaker has as good a claim to winning Round 1 againstDarrenTill as Liddell had to winning that round.

If such judging happened in a UFC main event now, there would bemassive controversy and possibly even an investigation. Luckily forthe UFC, 37.5 occurred in 2002, long before social media, in frontof a relatively small live crowd of 3,700 and with a pay-per-viewbuy rate of less than 30,000.

Yet Rogan had the 30-27 scorecards beat when it came to comicallevels of bias. He consistently cheered and overhyped everythingthat Liddell did while dismissing anything by Belfort. He claimedthat Belfort was hopelessly outmatched and Liddell had himcompletely beaten in every area. Here are a few highlights, withthe action contrasted with Rogan's presentation:

1. Early in round 3, Liddell scores a solid right cross toBelfort's face that causes Belfort to back up slightly.

Rogan: "Oh, nice right hand! Vitor is ROCKED!"

2. A few seconds later, Belfort lands a left cross that snapsChuck's head back and is significantly harder than what Chuck justhit him with.

Rogan: But you know what? That didn't hurt Chuck.Chuck's right hand hurt Vitor!

3. Belfort lands a nice leg kick.

Rogan: That leg kick was very defensive! Hekicked and then he moved away.

4. Belfort lands a head kick at the end of Round 2.

Rogan: That to me tells me that Vitor is TIRED!He's not in the best shape he can be in and is conserving hisenergy.

Rogan also gushed incessantly over a spinning back-kick Liddellthrew in Round 2 that looked pretty but landed on the side ofBelfort's chest, causing minimal damage. This occurs at 2:17 of theround, and Rogan yells "VERY NICE! VERY NICE!" like a manpossessed, then mentions it again and again throughout the round,including at its conclusion. Just seven seconds later, Belfortlanded the best strike of the round, a gorgeous straight left at2:10 that had Liddell momentarily stunned and backing up. Rogan'sonly response? "Liddell has a HELL of a chin!" Beyond that, hecompletely ignored the punch, never mentioning it again.

The most ridiculous commentary moment of the fight came in Round 1,though. After Belfort had taken Liddell down multiple timesdespitesome blatant fence-grabbing by Liddell that referee Big JohnMcCarthy slapped awayand landed some ground-and-pound, Liddelleventually got up thanks to the aforementioned wall-walking.

As soon as Liddell got up, before landing any strikes, with Belfortway ahead in the round, Joe exclaimed, "Liddell is taking over thisfight!"

My guess for this shameless cheerleading? Liddell-Belfort wasbilled as a No. 1 contender's match to set up the next challengerto TitoOrtiz's light heavyweight championship. It's surreal to seeOrtiz passionately cheering for Liddell in the stands, and thenhear Liddell refer to his future nemesis as a close friend in thepost-fight interview. Dana White at the time was not only thepresident of the UFC, but Liddell's manager and close personalfriend, a comically corrupt conflict of interest. White clearlywanted Liddell to win to set up the title fight with Ortiz, withwhom White had had a recent falling out, and apparently told Roganto massively hype up Liddell and oversell everything he did.

I guess one shouldn't be surprised Rogan was responsible for thisthough, as Liddell-Belfort was a combination of the horribleelements of the two more modern fights, all magnified to theextreme.

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