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What happened to the original USFL? Herschel Walker, Donald Trump and an ill-fated NFL lawsuit – Sporting News

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

The USFL will launch on Saturday, April 16 in yet another attempt to start a professional football league.

This is the second attempt at spring football for the USFL. The first league enjoyed short-lived success from 1983-86. The new USFL will bank on that nostalgia factor with the same franchises and team names from the 1980s. It's also not a direct challenger for the NFL.

Why did the original USFL catch on and eventually fail? That's a history lesson worth looking at.

New Orleans businessman David Dixon, who helped get the Saints to the NFL, had a vision for a spring and summer football league, and that groundwork was laid in 1980.

MORE USFL: Top players from original league | Ranking uniforms | Rule changes | Schedule

The timing helped. The NFL had a strike-shortened season in 1982, and the USFL's first season was the following spring in 1983. The league had 12 teams, and several of those teams played in NFL stadiums.

The league also secured solid television deals. The 1983 USFL championship game between the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars was televised on ABC and Keith Jackson and Lynn Swann called the game.

The league lasted three seasons from 1983-85.

The USFL originally planned to bar underclassmen, but that changed when they allowed Georgia star Herschel Walker, arguably the greatest college football player of all time, to sign with the New Jersey Generals after his junior season. Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier and Doug Flutie followed Walker to the USFL over the NFL.

The talent level in the USFL was legitimate. Future Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Reggie White and Gary Zimmerman also played in the league. Kelly and Young played in a legendary 34-33 shootout between the Houston Gamblers and Los Angeles Express in 1985; a game in which Kelly passed for 574 yards and five TDs.

On the field, the USFL allowed for two-point conversions, a rule the NFL would not adopt until 1994. That was one of the quirks of a league that enjoyed modest success in its first season.

The USFL didn't have a salary cap, and that made for financial trouble for some franchises. The stability of those franchises from year to year was tough.

The league tried to expand from 12 to 18 teams for its second season, and by the third season it trimmed back down to 14 teams. Only six of those USFL franchises lasted all three seasons.

The new version of the USFL will start with eight teams in 2022.

Donald Trump also was involved in the USFL. He became the owner of the New Jersey Generals in 1984, and he led the push for the league to move to a fall schedule and directly compete with the NFL. The USFL filed an antitrust lawsuit with the NFL and won the case for $1, but the three-year court battle added to the league's financial woes.

The USFL would ultimately fold in 1986.

The original USFL had success and was seen as a fun alternative for the NFL and offered a blueprint for success in some cases.

The nostalgia factor will be high, too. The new USFL kept the teams names and it paid homage to the original league. The glamour franchise (New Jersey Generals), their biggest rival (Tampa Bay Bandits) and the most-successful franchise (Philadelphia Stars) are back.

Marv Levy and Bill Polian took the lessons learned from the Chicago Blitz and built a four-time AFC champion with the Buffalo Bills around Kelly at quarterback.

Ultimately, the financial instability and directly challenging the NFL led to the league's demise. That's a lesson the XFL would learn later, and the new USFL would be better served as a developmental league that experiments with new innovations the NFL can use later.

The USFL is in the right window on the sports calendar, and this time it coincides with the MLB coming off a lockout. Don't be surprised if there is modest success at the start, but can it maintain that viewership?

What happened to the original USFL? Herschel Walker, Donald Trump and an ill-fated NFL lawsuit - Sporting News

Joe Bidens Sister Had to Exorcise the White House of Trumps Demon Spirit – Vanity Fair

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Every time a president moves into the White House, the new occupant tweaks the place to their own personal style and preferences. Gerald Ford brought in striped couches. George W. Bush had the walls of the Oval Office painted ecru. Barack Obama replaced much of the 19th-century still lifes, pastorals and portraits that dominate[d] thepublic rooms with bold, abstract art works. The latest transition, however, apparently required more extensive modifications than simply swapping some color schemes here and art choices there. Thats because, according to Joe Bidens sister, they basically needed to rid the place of Donald Trumps demon spirit.

In a new memoir published Tuesday, Valerie Biden Owens, the sister and closest confidante of the 46th president, wrote that as part of the team decorating the Oval Office, she wanted everything Trump had touched out of there. That meant getting rid of the former guys chosen portrait of 19th-century populist president and ethnic cleanser Andrew Jackson and replacing it with one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as adding busts of MLK, Cesar Chavez, RFK, Rosa Parksall of which reflected Joes understanding and reverence for the soul of this nation. Biden Owens said that she wanted to ditch the Resolute desk Trump used and bring in FDRs in its place, but was unable to do so as the latter resides at FDRs family home in Hyde Park. Thus, the desk Trump had sat behind remained. Still, the fact that the desk was used by both JFK and Obama made her feel better about her brother having to sign documents behind a piece of furniture where the worst president in history also conducted business. So that was certainly good enough, and went a long way toward exorcising from my mind the repugnant image of its previous occupant, she wrote.

Speaking of exorcisms and Biden Owenss thoughts on Trump, the presidents sister, like many Americans, appears to view the last inhabitant of the Oval Office as being on par with the devil, a characterization some people might say is unfair to Satan. In her book, Biden Owens said, If ever there was a force of anti-empathy in the world, it is Donald Trump. He is a bully, pure and simplea narcissistic, incompetent, and incomplete man. He is the embodiment of resentment. His power comes from tapping into our baser instincts. She observed that Trump, appealed to our lowest common denominator and didn't just represent policy failure or erratic personal behaviors; he represented something darker, more primal, more insinuating, striking deeper into the heart of what made us who we are. Biden Owens was initially hesitant about her brother running, she said, because she could see the campaign Trump would run. It was as vivid as a movie. Brutal. Crass. Classless. And every time I saw that movie, I would feel sick. (Incidentally, she wasnt wrong. Among other things, Trump suggested his 2020 opponent was taking performance-enhancing drugs, and during the first presidential debatethe one where we later found out Trump showed up after secretly testing positive for COVID-19the then president interrupted Biden talking about his deceased son to call the one whos still alive a deadbeat.) He had the mind not of a President, but of a vengeful dictator, and running against him felt almost degrading, Biden Owens wrote.

Elsewhere, Biden Owens said she wasnt surprised in the slightest that Trump chose not to attend her brothers inauguration because, essentially, hes a little bitch. A small man does not rise to the occasion, she wrote.

For Donald Trump, its all about his businesses success (Editorial) – MassLive.com

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Ask people what they remember most about the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and many responses would likely show that people continue to be astonished that such a terrible thing could have happened in our nation.

But one person remains fixated on something else: the size of the crowd that gathered at the Ellipse, the park between the White House and the National Mall. It was the site of a rally by those who believed, despite exactly no evidence supporting such claims, that Democrat Joe Biden had stolen the November 2020 election from then-President Donald J. Trump.

Here was Trump, in a recent interview with The Washington Post: The crowd was far bigger than I even thought. I believe it was the largest crowd Ive ever spoken to. I dont know what that means, but you see very few pictures. They dont want to show pictures, the fake news doesnt want to show pictures. But this was a tremendous crowd.

There he goes again, focusing on something that might boost his always-delicate ego, but completely missing the point.

In that same interview, the former president strongly hinted that hed be likely to run again in 2024, with one important caveat: his health. You always have to talk about health. You look like youre in good health, but tomorrow, you get a letter from a doctor saying, Come see me again. Thats not good when they use the word again, he said.

One could read that statement as a forecast of Trumps anticipated way out. Trump repeatedly talks of running, hints of running, raises money for another campaign, but then, at the very last minute, uses his health as a reason to bail.

The last thing Trump would want is to be seen as a two-time loser. But not only that, its entirely possible that when he launched his bid for the presidency with his famed ride down an escalator at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015, he did so with no thought of actually winning, but instead with an eye on boosting his brand. He went on to win not only the Republican Partys presidential nomination, but ultimately the presidency.

Its easy to imagine that what Trump most wants going forward is what would be best for the bottom line of the Trump organization and his various business ventures.

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For Donald Trump, its all about his businesses success (Editorial) - MassLive.com

Is This Photo of Don Jr. and Eric Trump Smiling Real? – Snopes.com

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

In April 2022, an image supposedly showing Don Jr. and Eric Trump grinning unusually large, Joker-esque smiles was posted to social media:

This is not a genuine photograph of two of former U.S. President Donald Trumps sons. The image was digitally manipulated.

Using a reverse image search, we found that the above-displayed, doctored photo was created from a photograph of Don Jr. and Eric at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, New York, on Sept. 15. The photograph was taken by Grant Lamos IV and is available via Getty Images with the caption:

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, NY SEPTEMBER 21: (L-R) Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump attend the 9th Annual Eric Trump Foundation Golf Invitational Auction & Dinner at Trump National Golf Club Westchester on September 21, 2015 in Briarcliff Manor, New York. (Photo by Grant Lamos IV/Getty Images)

Heres a look at the doctored image (left) and the genuine photograph (right):

Trumps eldest sons have been the subject of a number of photographic rumors over the years. There was the rumor that supposedly showed how Eric didnt know the front end of the shovel, the photo that appeared to give a particularly grotesque look at Trumps two sons, and the photo that seemingly showed Don Jr. and Eric during a big game hunting trip. One of those three rumors is true, while the other two are false.

Sources:

Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump Attend the 9th Annual Getty Images, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/donald-trump-jr-eric-trump-and-ivanka-trump-attend-the-9th-news-photo/489506564. Accessed 13 Apr. 2022.

Ivana Trump: Ex-Husband Donald Can Win Election. The Mercury News, 23 Sept. 2015, https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/09/23/ivana-trump-ex-husband-donald-can-win-election/.

Boucher, Ashley. Eric and Donald Trump Jr. Test Negative for Coronavirus 1 Day After Donald Trump and Melania Test Positive. PEOPLE.Com, https://people.com/politics/eric-and-donald-trump-jr-test-negative-for-coronavirus/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2022.

Snopes Tips: A Guide To Performing Reverse Image Searches. Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2022.

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Is This Photo of Don Jr. and Eric Trump Smiling Real? - Snopes.com

The pandemic of populism – The News International

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Today is a very important day for Pakistan. Not because of the defeat of a single party or success of another. It is important because of the temporary defeat of populism, fascism and demagoguery which shows that it can be defeated in the long run too. it is important because of the success of constitution, democratic process and rule of law bringing hope that these can succeed in the long run too.

Watching the sudden spread of sentimental slogans in the political arena and their vast appeal among the youth has been very alarming. Witnessing that in this age of reason and transparency, how easy it is to sell the narrative of conspiracy and subterfuge has been very disappointing. It has been alarming to see that even in the age of information and digital revolution, people can easily be made to overlook bad governance, economic incompetence and violation of democratic norms, with a bit of conspiracy theories and slogans.

Tapping into the inherent grievances and sentiments of masses through rhetoric and slogans is not only easy but very powerful. Innocent people can be rallied behind slogans and sentiments using the propaganda techniques of repetition and lying with confidence even if these sentiments are self-contradictory and devoid of any truth and substance.

Slogans and rhetoric sell more easily and widely than substance and facts. Fiction is believable more than facts. Sensation is stronger than truthful details. Appearing patriotic is more important than being patriotic. The image of being religious is more appealing than actually becoming religious. Optics matter more than reality.

It is a shocker to see that even today in the 21st Century, how an autocratic and self serving ruler can rule by the play book of Niccolo Machiaveli's The Prince of 16th century. Mass manipulation and propaganda still works. Patriotism and nationalism can still be used as tools to divided and move the masses.

Today, the Trumpian Populists all over the world have tapped into the anger and ignorance of youth and have directed their energy and aggression for their own political gains. It is Joseph Goebbels' Germany all over again.

This pandemic of populism turning fast into fascism will not die on its own. The mass appeal of xenophobic Conspiracy theories cannot be fought just through governance and economic development. It needs a strong, proactive and penetrative counter narrative.

This is the era of post truth where every group has its own echo chamber and lives by its own truths. The myths of popular leaders like IK, Modi and Trump need to be busted. They have normalised conspiracies, xenophobia, hate politics and extremism, racism and misogyny. This disease will not end unless met and countered with strong and wilful response.

It is time for the resurgence of Democratic norms and values. It is time to highlight the importance of conservatism over revolution. Only evolution in a stable environment can bring the real and lasting change.

People need to be educated so that they're able to distinguish facts from fiction. They need to be trained so that they can see through the lies and hypocrisy of populist leaders. They need to be taught of the importance of constitution, due process, rule of law for their own sake, their own rights and protections, their own liberties and freedoms. The importance of deciphering complex political phenomenons into simple, understandable and easily digestible information is important, now more than ever. Guiding the youth towards substance and away from superficiality is crucial. It is vital that youth knows that a country cannot be strong without a strong economy, that economy is not run with aggressive slogans, that governance is not possible through optics, that foreign diplomacy is not done through speeches. They need to know that democracy, governance and economic development is a long and arduous process which needs consistency, concerted effort, and perseverance. They need to know that strong system and institutions are more important than powerful personalities.

A wise man said, " save the nation which looks for heroes."

It needs to be taught that for democracy to function smoothly and develop into a mature and effective governance system, it needs consistency, free and fair elections, public participation and positive involvement of all democratic forces.

Countries where democracy and its corresponding values are flourishing fall in the category of low context cultures. In countries like UK, USA and Scandinavian cultures, masses tend to rely more on direct, straightforward and factual communication. On the other than, in high context cultures like Pakistan, ideologies, slogans and rhetoric find more weight among people. The gradual transformation of Pakistani culture from a high context to a low context culture is important. Promoting and strengthening the democratic values and ensuring that it delivers to people is of paramount importance. Making people beneficiaries of democracy, constitutionalism and rule of law is of critical import to make them respect and value it.

Those who know and can see through this farce have a responsibility. Staying passive and hoping for a positive outcome is not going to work. Indifference and detachment is not an option. Today, it is easier to be just a cog in the machine than to be a visionary and truthsayer. But it is important to voice your opinions critically and take down this house of cards built on deceit and demagoguery.

The preservation of self and nations is done by standing with the principles and norms not slogans and rhetoric.

The writer is a legal practitioner from Lahore. alijilani079@gmail.com

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The pandemic of populism - The News International

Populism and the federal election: what can we expect from Hanson, Palmer, Lambie and Katter? – The Conversation

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Populist politicians have been household names in Australian politics over the past decade, from Pauline Hanson to Clive Palmer, Bob Katter and Jacqui Lambie.

They tend to only get a small amount of the popular vote between them, at the last election, they attracted 7% of first preferences in the House of Representatives and 8.32% of the Senate vote. Yet they can play a big role on the Senate crossbench and can get significant concessions regarding their pet issues.

They can also change the tenor of politics in Australia, and the way their preferences fall - or how they spend their advertising dollars - can make or break close electoral races.

But where do these populist parties who all claim to speak for the people against the elite sit as we begin the 2022 federal election?

Pauline Hansons One Nation, Palmers United Australia Party, Katters Australian Party and the Jacqui Lambie Network are all fielding candidates in the upper and lower house elections.

In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, two of these parties have sought to capitalise on anti-vaccination and anti-COVID vaccine mandate sentiments.

The United Australia Party has made this its core - maybe even single - issue. As you have surely seen on those yellow billboards, the party is promising freedom from the COVID restrictions and mandates of the past years. Meanwhile, party leader (and former Liberal MP) Craig Kelly spruiks hydroxychloroquine) and ivermectin as COVID treatments, despite evidence showing theyre not effective.

He is tipped to spend A$70 million on the campaign. In 2019, Palmer spent a record $84 million without winning a seat, but claimed his anti-Shorten ads shifted voters away from Labor.

Read more: 5 ways to spot if someone is trying to mislead you when it comes to science

One Nation has also tried to capitalise on the anti-vaccination movements prominence. While it is pushing its usual anti-immigration talking points, it has supplemented these with anti-mandate messaging, with Hanson and senator Malcolm Roberts appearing at anti-vaccine rallies in Canberra.

The other two populist parties are relying on their regional appeal.

The Jacqui Lambie Network is hoping to extend the former independents appeal more widely across Tasmania. The partys message is all about making life better for the underdog combining an anti-corruption message with campaigns for better healthcare, education and opportunities for young people and workers in Tasmania.

Katters Australian Party, meanwhile, portrays on a division between the people of rural Australia (particularly Far North Queensland) and the distant elite of Canberra and the big cities. As usual, it will be focusing on regional development, agricultural subsidies and ensuring FNQ gets fair treatment.

Coronavirus has markedly shifted the political, social and economic landscape since the last federal election.

Australias closed borders for much of 2020 and 2021 has made the anti-immigration position of One Nation less salient and effective, so it is no wonder they have pivoted to an anti-COVID mandate position to try and extend their appeal.

Read more: Is it curtains for Clive? What COVID means for populism in Australia

Meanwhile, the United Australia Party has completely rebuilt itself around the issue, moving from its almost singularly Stop Bill Shorten message in 2019.

Beyond this, repeated rorts and integrity scandals during the Morrison government have given fuel to populists (as well as numerous independent candidates) to push for more transparency in politics.

Other than Katter, who has held the seat of Kennedy since 1993, it is highly unlikely populist parties are going to have any success in the House of Representatives (despite the United Australia Partys claim Kelly will be the next prime minister).

The Senate is where things will be interesting. The Queensland senate race is the big one for populists, with the two most prominent populist politicians in the country - Hanson and Palmer - running for what will likely be the sixth seat in the state. They also face competition from former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman (running for the Liberal Democrats this time around).

The final seat in some other states will also be worth watching. In Tasmania, the Jacqui Lambie Network is throwing its resources behind the campaign of Tammy Tyrell, their lead Senate candidate. Tyrell is a long-time office manager and advisor to Lambie (who is not up for re-election this time).

The Tasmanian Senate contest could see either see Liberal Eric Abetz, Tyrell, the United Australia Party or newcomers the Local Party take the seat. Theres also a very slim (but possible) chance One Nation or United Australia Party could win the sixth seat in New South Wales and Western Australia.

There are two big questions about populism in 2022.

First, has the political potency of the anti-vaccination/anti-lockdown message passed? As we enter the so-called era of COVID-normal, where restrictions are wound back and lockdowns are supposedly a thing of the past, it is unclear whether the United Australia Party and One Nation have backed the right horse at the right time.

Second, are voters sick of the mainstream parties, or sick of the Morrison government? Populists prosper when there is a widespread sense of political malaise, but time will tell if they want to punish the political class in general, thus leading to a populist upswing, or the Morrison government specifically in which we can expect much of that frustration to filter to a vote for Labor and the teal independents.

Whether this is going to be a good election for populist parties in Australia remains to be seen: stay tuned.

Saskatchewan Party populism the model to unseat Trudeau Liberals: Brian Lee Crowley in the National Post – Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

This article originally appeared in the National Post.

By Brian Lee Crowley, April 13, 2022

Many Conservatives moan about the challenges of being a conservative party in a left-wing country, as if the deck was stacked against them by the electorates immutable progressive beliefs. What if, however, Canada is a country with deeply held but non-ideological beliefs that are in many ways quite conservative but the Conservative Party constantly misjudges how to connect with those values? If this is correct, then Canada is not the problem. The Conservative Party is.

For an object lesson in how to let underlying conservative values shine through an overlay of long-time progressive government, look to Saskatchewan. Long a bastion of CCF and then NDP government, a place progressives elsewhere in Canada longingly admired from afar, Saskatchewan has decisively shed its NDP allegiance. It has transferred its affections instead to the Saskatchewan Party, a relatively populist amalgam of small-c conservative Tories and Liberals.

The CCF/NDP ruled Saskatchewan for roughly 46 of the 63 years between 1944 and 2007, punctuated by short interludes of government by the Liberals or the Tories when the electorate judged the NDP needed a time out. But voters always returned to their NDP home, including in the early days of the Saskatchewan Party. The new party was still young, brash and aggressively populist. Successive electoral defeats ground down the partys sharp edges until, under leader Brad Wall, the party learned how to win the trust of voters while holding firm to conservative principles.

It wasnt that Saskatchewan people werent in their heart of hearts conservative. It was that they worried that an ideologically-driven Saskatchewan Party would throw out the baby with the bathwater.

A major sticking point for Saskatchewan voters was the panoply of Crown corporations that had grown up under the NDP, running everything from telephones to auto insurance. The voters recoiled before the early Saskatchewan Partys determination to rid the province of these affronts to private enterprise.

Saskatchewan folks are more pragmatic. They were fine with conservative incremental adjustment but resistant to radical populist wholesale change. They preferred the known and comfortable to the unknown and theoretical.Brad Walls genius was that he brought a whole different philosophy to presenting conservative-oriented change to Saskatchewan. He didnt start out with hard-line ideology that promised a sharp break with the past, trying to convince people to accept a leap in the dark.

As Dale Eisler, author of an important new book, From Left to Right: Saskatchewans Political and Economic Transformation, argues, the conservative populism expressed by Wall spoke to feelings and values that resonated with the people of Saskatchewan, more Humboldt and Swift Current than Adam Smith and Milton Friedman.

He would often deliver his message in terms of Saskatchewan values, things like self-reliance, hard work, resilience, entrepreneurship, dedication and a sense of community. He understood that you appeal to people, not with partisan political rhetoric, but beliefs and attributes the majority of people share. He would always root his policy decisions in those values. In other words, he rose above identity politics to something that most people could agree was true about themselves. The fact that Wall was a skilled and eloquent communicator didnt hurt either.

The relatively non-ideological nature of the Saskatchewan Partys appeal dovetails with the non-ideological nature of the mainstream of Saskatchewan and, I would argue, Canadian voters. Most Canadians believe in hard work, family, friends, the community they live in, a private-sector-led economy open to international trade and a government that reflects their beliefs and desires, not one that imposes its beliefs on them.

But they are also practical in their outlook. What appeals to them is politicians who are not rigidly ideological, but able and willing to be pragmatic when necessary. Such pragmatism helps to earn the publics trust; that makes bigger change possible later as people gain confidence that change is driven by the practical successes of the reforms that went before. Less Axe the Tax and Defund the CBC and more Incremental change that respects our history and beliefs.

As Dale Eisler said to me, the Saskatchewan Partys populism, is rooted in conservatism, but has emotional appeal to people who are not overly ideological. Whats needed is a political leadership that rises above identity politics and talks to people in terms of shared beliefs that serve to unify, not divide, while pursuing conservative principles.

No formula confers permanent political success. But nearly 15 years into the Saskatchewan Partys reign the party gets six out of ten votes in the province and the NDP just lost another leader after a by-election loss in a normally safe seat. Saskatchewan shows that a progressive past is no bar to a conservative future, but also that understanding and caring about voters values beats ideological purity any day.

Brian Lee Crowley is the founder and managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. His most recent book is,Gardeners vs. Designers: Understanding the Great Fault Line in Canadian Politics.

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Saskatchewan Party populism the model to unseat Trudeau Liberals: Brian Lee Crowley in the National Post - Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Terms of Trade | What drives competitive populism in India? – Hindustan Times

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Indias top bureaucrats are worried about political parties resorting to competitive populism and announcing fiscally unsustainable schemes to win votes in state elections. Reports suggest that they voiced these concerns to the Prime Minister in a meeting on April 2.

We did not need secretaries of the government of India to highlight the growing tendency towards competitive populism in India. Political parties are increasingly promising all sorts of things to voters from restoration of the old pension scheme for government employees to cash and two-wheelers for students who enter or finish college and free pilgrimage to senior citizens.

Is this new wave of competitive populism going to lead to a fiscal disaster in the country? Who exactly is responsible for this kind of behaviour? And can a political consensus be built to prevent such spending by state governments?

How big a problem is competitive populism in India?

This is not an easy question to answer. A state can spend money on providing free food over and above what the Public Distribution System (PDS) entitlements provide for, or it can spend money giving scooters to students who have entered college. There are enough examples of political parties making such promises in India.

And there is bipartisan support for this kind of politics. For example, both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) led government in Kerala and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh banked heavily on the free ration scheme in the elections held in 2021 and 2022. The Congress accused the BJP of copying its demand of giving free scooters to women students in the recently held Uttar Pradesh elections.

While a fiscal hawk will scoff at both kinds of spending, especially if the state is hard-pressed for resources, the actual economic impact of such programmes is likely to be quite different. Additional food entitlements are likely to generate tailwinds for aggregate demand as the recipient households will be able to spend the money they would have had to spend on food on other items. Such a scheme is also targeted towards the most needy. The same cannot be said about gifting scooters to students. That money would have had a better use somewhere else. Similarly, farm loan waivers are a sub-optimal use of money towards throwing palliatives at what is a structural problem and often at the cost of long-term spending in agriculture.

This qualitative difference in the effect of various populist schemes also underlines the pitfalls of reading too much into headline numbers on categories such as social service spending by state governments. Building a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative database of what and where exactly state governments are spending on populist schemes, and how it is affecting the macroeconomy and society is a project which can keep even a large think tank busy for the next couple of years.

What drives this political behaviour?

The lack of clarity on the second question is the biggest reason why some of these schemes have attracted economists who use randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to understand policy decisions and their impact in India.

While the RCT method has been duly recognised with a Nobel Prize to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer in 2019, there is an illustrious list of economists who have spoken against the dangers of relying too much on RCTs to make large policy decisions. The short point is, economists, on their own, are unlikely to arrive at an agreement on the impact or efficacy of such policies.

This brings us to the question of why are politicians doing this? The clichd answer that they do not care about fiscal prudence will not suffice, because state governments have to adhere to a more stringent fiscal norm than the Centre in India. When read with the fact that states have been left with very little tax sovereignty after the roll-out of Goods and Services Tax (GST), this is an even more intriguing question.

At the risk of oversimplification, one can say that the best answer to this question was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a campaign speech during the recently held Uttar Pradesh elections. Speaking at a rally on February 20, Modi referred to a social media video, where an old woman was pledging loyalty to the BJP because she had tasted Modis salt (ration) and therefore wont ditch him. While this can sound like usual election rhetoric to some, political scientists have been arguing that the BJP has been making a concerted effort to centralise welfare delivery which also leads to greater attribution for giving these benefits to none other than the Prime Minister.

This extraordinary centralisation of power, not just institutionally but also within the BJP, implies that the voter is increasingly likely to attribute (that is, give credit for) the delivery of economic benefits to Modi rather than the state-level leader. This contrasts with much of the 2000s, where, after a spate of fiscal decentralisation, several state-level leaders built their reputations on the ability to deliver benefits Neelanjan Sircar, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research argued in a March 2021 Economic and Political Weekly article.

While Sircar argues that this process has also weakened the welfare credentials of chief ministers from the BJP and its allies too, and they will most likely look to establish their credentials not in welfare delivery but in Hindu mobilisation, it is not surprising that the anti-BJP parties have been trying to outdo the BJP by promising more populist schemes. Promises such as restoration of old pensions scheme and cash transfers by anti-BJP parties need to be seen in this light.

As is obvious, competitive populism by regional political forces is a last-ditch attempt to push back against the BJP which is the new national political hegemon in India. To meet such challenges, the BJP also indulges in competitive populism at the level of states, not to speak to decisions such as implementing PM-Kisan, which gives 6,000 to every farmer in India, from the Centre a decision taken after the BJP lost crucial state elections just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Realpolitik suggests that regional parties are unlikely to prioritise long-term economic health over political survival. And that perhaps answers the third question.

Every Friday, HTs data and political economy editor, Roshan Kishore, combines his commitment to data and passion for qualitative analysis in a column for HT Premium, Terms of Trade. With a focus on one big number and one big issue, he will go behind the headlines to ask a question and address political economy issues and social puzzles facing contemporary India.

The views expressed are personal

Opinion | To Overcome the Republicans’ Culture War, Democrats Need to Punch Up, Not Down – POLITICO

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

A study by Way to Win, a network of progressive political donors that I helped start and which has moved over $200 million to grassroots efforts, media, candidates and research since 2018, found that in 2020, congressional Democrats spent three times more than Republicans on television ads touting bipartisanship. By contrast, Republicans went on offense, spending upwards of 10 times more than Democrats on ads with the words extremist and radical. The result? Democrats lost 12 seats in a cycle where they were projected to gain as many as 15. While Democrats handled the GOP with kid gloves, Republicans told a clear story with a clear villain, and it paid off.

The reason the Democratic Party keeps losing is not because some communities are speaking out against the violence they experience at the hands of the police or the immigration system. The reason Democrats lose is because they dont tell an effective story of who they are, what theyre up against and what they are fighting for. Democrats cant ignore the culture war being waged against them. But they need a different way to counter it. Whats needed is an inclusive populism that acknowledges how precarious life has become for far too many, even as those at the top are doing better than ever.

When Republicans go after Democrats as too woke, what theyre really doing is painting the party as too elite. Democrats, the GOP attack goes, are so far removed from the daily concerns of working people that they are more interested in virtue-signaling than kitchen table issues. And indeed, Republicans are hard at work to convey this message because they know its a winning one. Wokeness was cooked up by college professors, then boosted by corporations, states a strategy memo by the Republican Study Committee, which goes on to describe Democrats agenda as shaped entirely by corporate interests and radical, elite cultural mores.

This is cynical but savvy messaging, and it points to a real problem for Democrats. The partys biggest problem is not the effort to pursue racial justice, but the fact that Democrats are seen as and are out of touch with workers and people who are struggling to make ends meet.

Party leaders must confront this elitist image head-on. Instead of continuing down a path where Democrats address themselves to the mythical median voter, as some vocal pundits advise, while doing little to change the material conditions for the millions of Americans who are suffering, the party should embrace an inclusive style of populism that punches up at elites instead of down at activists. That means demanding the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share and the rules of the game get unrigged. Democrats can then emphasize what it is that ties us all together the fight for every individual to live a life with dignity.

This brand of populism appeals both to Democrats base of low wage workers and to many of the voters the party needs to persuade; it can serve as a bridge to grow the coalition. A recent Pew survey finds that 11 percent of the American public can be considered Populist Right, or voters who lean right on social issues but left on economics. Among this group, 75 percent think big corporations make too much profit, while over half think the federal government should raise taxes on households making more than $400,000 per year. This is a broadly popular agenda, and it should be the top priority of the Democratic Party. Some of President Joe Bidens domestic proposals would go a long way toward executing it, but hes been stymied too often by so-called centrists in his own party such as Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

Democrats can use this inclusive populist narrative to respond to voters top issue: inflation. As Lindsay Owens of Groundwork Collaborative has noted, corporate CEOs have repeatedly stated that they are using reports of inflation in some sectors of the economy as an excuse to raise prices on consumer goods. And Americans have an intuitive sense that they are being treated unfairly. According to a recent poll, three-quarters of Democrats and a majority of Republicans believe corporations are opportunistically raising prices under cover of inflation.

Democrats should also focus on issues that deliver concrete benefits to working Americans, and which motivate their voters to show up to the polls. Canceling student debt would disproportionately benefit Americans at the lower end of the economic scale; meanwhile failing to act will likely lead to a fall-off in turnout. According to a recent poll, 40 percent of Black voters and 37 percent of all Democratic voters say they might stay home in 2022 without debt cancellation.

The benefit of keeping the Democratic coalition united behind an inclusive, populist message was made crystal clear in Georgia in 2020. During the Georgia runoffs, where my organization supported grassroots groups such as the New Georgia Project, Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff presented a multiracial, multigenerational duo with a plan to send relief checks to families. Warnock and Ossoff did not shy away from naming villains and tagging their opponents as agents of corporate greed. At one point, Ossoff labeled the two Republican candidates, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the Bonnie and Clyde of corruption in American politics.

The difference between the way these two Democrats ran compared to many others in the party was noteworthy. Democrats in Georgias high-stakes runoff election Tuesday are doing what their counterparts in other competitive Senate races didnt do: Theyre leaning in to a populist economic message, NBC News reported at the time. Today, Democrats have Warnock and Ossoff to thank for control of the Senate.

If Democrats want to succeed in November, they need to tell a story about how to secure broadly shared prosperity and justice for all. That requires calling out those who are working against this vision for the sake of private profit and personal gain not shunting aside some of the most vulnerable, and loyal, members of the party.

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Opinion | To Overcome the Republicans' Culture War, Democrats Need to Punch Up, Not Down - POLITICO

The Struggle for the Soul of the GOP – The New Republic

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

By his wedding day, Continetti had established himself as one of the Rights rising stars. He had published two books and had just launched a new outlet, The Washington Free Beacon, backed by hedge-fund billionaire Paul Singer, and designed to serve as a conservative rejoinder to left-leaning websites like ThinkProgress. A presentable white guy with glasses and a full head of hairimagine if Chris Hayes had a Republican cousinContinetti was an ideal face for the respectable Right in the Obama era, a polite young man who happened to believe that fiscal responsibility entailed taking a meat cleaver to the welfare state. While Breitbart News was running a vertical on black crime, The Washington Free Beacon was earning praise from liberals for its commitment to breaking news. Continetti poked the establishment to get its attention, not to draw blood. I dont listen to talk radio, he told an interviewer. I listen to NPR. To liberals, the signals were clear. He was on the Right, sure, but he wasnt one of them.

And yet he could always be trusted to advance the conservative line with absolute sincerity. His second book, The Persecution of Sarah Palin, offered a prickly defense of an unpredictable and courageous politician in the grand American populist tradition. After the Tea Party made its debut, he celebrated the emergence of a grassroots movement devoted to self-reliance, fidelity, piety, industry, and responsibility. Continettis dreams of a populism fueled by entitlement reform had zero space for Occupy Wall Street. Inequalities of condition are a fact of life, he lectured as protesters were streaming to Zuccotti Park in 2011. Some people will always be poorer than others.

If one figure stood for Continettis ideal politician, it was Paul Ryan. A decade older than Continetti, Ryan was another clean-cut veteran of the conservative establishment. Continetti described him as the brains behind the Tea Party and called Ryans budget programincluding major reductions in government spending, tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy, and privatization of Medicarethe GOPs only ambitious and intellectually coherent policy response to a looming fiscal crisis. (Steve Bannon, who had a very different view of what fueled the Tea Party, called Ryan a limp-dick motherfucker who was born in a petri dish at the Heritage Foundation.) The details of Ryanism were politically toxic, but Continetti didnt worry about the polls. Ideas, even controversial ones, are not hindrances in politics but boosters, he wrote. They propel you to the top. When Ryan looked set to take over as speaker of the House in October 2015, Continetti saw it as a coming-of-age moment for the Rights next generation. Liberals are terrified of what these young conservatives might accomplish, he wrote. Liberals should be.

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The Struggle for the Soul of the GOP - The New Republic

MegaCon 2022 after parties rock out to hits of the 1990s and Mecha disco – Attractions Magazine

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

MegaCon sci-fi, horror and anime convention hits Orlando from May 19-22, 2022 and the geek-fest keeps going with two rockin after-parties.

Moshi Moshi Productions, the producers of the official MegaCon 2022 after parties, is throwing a 90s Toons Gone Wild party on Friday, May 20, and a Mecha Disco on Saturday, May 21.

90s Toons Gone Wild at the Rosen Plaza Hotels 3Nine poolside bar and events area features celebrity guest Dante Basco, best known as Rufio in the 1990 Stephen Spielberg movie, Hook, and for his extensive voice work, including Prince Zuko in Nickelodeons Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Enjoy the DJ led dance party, full bar, giveaways, and more. Cosplay is encouraged, but not required. The party takes place from 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Parking at the hotel is $5.

Discounted tickets are available for $15 through April 30 and $20 May 1-15. Full price general admission is $25 starting May 16, or $30 at the door.

VIP tickets ($450) include admission for four guests, hightop table with four chairs, one bottle of vodka, four craft mixers of your choice, no waiting in line, private VIP area, VIP badge, and entry into a VIP raffle with a prize worth $300. Ages 21 and up only, with photo ID.

Mecha Disco at Rosen Plaza Hotels executive ballroom celebrates its 12th year as what Moshi Moshi Productions calls the largest cosplay party in Florida. Dress up as a Mech, robot, cyberpunk, cyborg, or whatever gets your geek on.

The event includes 3 DJs, laser light show, dancing, multiple bars, a cosplay contest with $500 in cash and prizes, giveaways, photo ops, and more. The party takes place from 8 p.m.-2 a.m. with the cosplay contest at 12:30 a.m.

Discounted tickets are available for $25 through April 30 and $30 May 1-15. Full price general admission is $35 starting May 16, or $40 at the door. Parking at the hotel is $10.

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MegaCon 2022 after parties rock out to hits of the 1990s and Mecha disco - Attractions Magazine

‘Dual’ star Karen Gillan says ‘GotG Vol. 3’ is the end of the Guardians as we know them – Syfy

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Karen Gillan has played Nebula, cyborg Daughter of Thanos in quite a few movies enough that the character has gone from villain, to reluctant ally, to a heroic Avenger, and we've seen an alternate timeline version that's bad to her robotic bones. It's been quite a ride for the Guardians of the Galaxy, but Gillan says James Gunn's upcoming third film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, is "the end of a chapter" and will be "amazing and sad."

Speaking to SYFY WIRE to promote the upcoming indie sci-fi film Dual, where she plays a woman and her clone who must fight to the death, Gillan teased what she could about Nebula's next appearances. The character will next feature in the fourth Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, as Chris Hemsworth's Thor was last seen hitching a ride with the Guardians.

"Thor is going to be so much fun," she says of the Taika Waititi-directed film, set to hit theaters on July 8. "It's going to be hilarious in that Taika brand of comedy that we all love."

After that, we'll perhaps see a festive Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, due this December on Disney+. ("Yay!" is all a giddy Gillan can say about that.) Then, on May 5, 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will mark the end of an era.

"We're kind of coming to the end of this chapter of the Guardians as we know it. So there's a bittersweet nostalgic feeling settling in, for sure, as we film it," Gillan says. "We're closing out a chapter so you have to come and watch us close that out. It's going to be amazing and sad."

Gillan's Endgame performance as Nebula is somewhat similar to Dual, which hits theaters on Friday. Gillan stars as Sarah, a depressed, seemingly unambitious woman who is diagnosed with a terminal disease. She opts to take advantage of a technology that creates a clone of herself so that her loved ones won't have to grieve when she's gone. However, upon making a miraculous recovery, Sarah must face her clone in a government-mandated duel to the death, as there can only be one Sarah walking around. With one year to train and spurred by the fact that her family seems to like this clone more than her, the original Sarah readies to face herself.

The film, which is quirky, darkly funny, and sad in equal measure, was written and directed by Riley Stearns (The Art of Self Defense) and features his trademark dialogue style. The characters all speak in a deliberate, artificial, and overly expository way. This intentional affect, while perhaps off-putting at first, gives the movie freedom to find odd comedy or tap unexpectedly raw emotional truths.

But, Gillan doesn't think there's too much of a comparison to be made between two (or four) characters, even though both Sarahs speak robotically and the Nebulas are robotic.

"I would say that Nebula's pretty different from these characters," she says. "I mean, Nebula's part robot, but I don't really see her as very robotic. I would say she's more kind of affected by her upbringing with Thanos and her sister than any part of her that's robotic."

However, Gillan's experience making the blockbuster of all blockbusters that was Endgame did give her some great experience that helped with Dual.

"It was kind of good prep because I knew exactly how I liked to operate when acting opposite myself. I knew that, for Dual, I wanted a really great actress to act opposite so that I could react off of her, rather than someone reading off the lines who is not an actor or looking at an X on a stick," Gillan says, praising Finnish actress Katariina Havukainen, who stood in for the "other" Sarah on the set. "So that was really great. I wouldn't have thought of that had I not had Endgame experience before."

Dual opens in theaters on April 15.

'Dual' star Karen Gillan says 'GotG Vol. 3' is the end of the Guardians as we know them - Syfy

Secret Reddit Theory Claims Cesaro Has Debuted In AEW Already (And You Didn’t Notice) – WhatCulture

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

WWE.com

With Mark Henry recently teasing that we may soon get a "Cesaro sighting" in AEW, could it actually be that the real-life Claudio Castagnoli has already appeared on AEW programming?

It admittedly sounds a little out there, but Reddit is currently debating whether the Swiss Cyborg has been hiding in plain sight on AEW TV for the past month or more.

Seemingly originating from the En Podd Om Wrestling podcast, this theory suggest that Claudio has been seen in All Elite Wrestling as a masked cameraman. Now, said masked-up cameraman has been visible across AEW content for a few weeks now, and this school of thought believes that at some point the fella will end up being revealed to be Cesaro.

This figure was notably seen during the fantastic CM Punk vs. Dax Harwood match on the 23 March episode of AEW Dynamite, and he can also be spotted as far back as this year's Revolution PPV.

Clearly the cameraman has a solid frame on him, isn't a stranger to the gym, and could well be a similar height to Claudio Castagnoli, but would AEW really debut the former WWE United States Champion in such a way? And if so, what would be the particular upside of having Castagnoli having opted to hide in front of our eyes? Of course, this could all also just simply be a cautious camera operator keeping themselves covered while the world still deals with a very real pandemic.

It does seem inevitable that the Swiss Superman will turn up in AEW at some point in the future, and it's ultimately up to you whether you believe or not that he's actually already #AllElite and has already been on our screens.

Posted On:11th Apr 2022

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Secret Reddit Theory Claims Cesaro Has Debuted In AEW Already (And You Didn't Notice) - WhatCulture

Female-led start-up removes the bias from artificial technology in fashion – fashionunited.uk

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Artificial Intelligence has been plagued by accusations of inaccuracy and of being a vehicle for racial profiling. Perpetuating the biases of its programmers, who are often young, white Silicon Valley males, the technology seemed to have become just another gatekeeper to prevent the already marginalized from being considered for jobs or advancing in the workplace. The algorithms are said to have significantly impacted racial and gender diversity in particular.

But one female-founded Toronto start-up operating in the fashion and beauty sector is betting on AI to help shape a fairer future. Halt AI co-founders, Amanda Cosco and Roya Sedigh who have extensive backgrounds in technology and fashion found they were regularly auditing algorithms for bias. And so the seed of Halt AI was sewn. FashionUnited speaks to Cosco about Halt AIs latest launch, the Diversity Analytics Dashboard, which provides detailed analytics on the diversity of over 500 fashion brands, influencers, and retailers.

Most of the stories you hear about AI are cyborg doom and gloom and kind of scary especially when it comes to facial recognition, says Cosco. But if we can use AI for good in order to improve diversity then its a pushback against that doom and gloom narrative.

They identified that most brands measured their diversity from a hiring perspective but were neglecting their marketing and original content so they decided to use their technology to offer brands a snapshot of what their social media and marketing looks like from the outside. This stoked brands interest. Brands were asking for contextual information, like how their efforts compared to other brands, explains Cosco. If they scored 7 out of 10 on race, well is that good?

This motivated the creation of a benchmark for companies which evaluated their performance not just alongside their peers but within the industry in general. Among other criteria, it measures six diversity dimensions race, age, gender, body-type, skin tone, and disability - for each brand across its Visual Content.

Pre-funding, and having received a number of grants from the Canadian government along with angel investment, Halt AIs clients currently include Fortune 500 companies. The founders began with fashion and beauty because both are industries with high impact particularly on women. Says Cosco, The technology is ready to scale into other industries, its just about building the brand reputation right now.

A handful of content auditing services already exist, such as the Geena Davis Institute which tracks gender representation in media and entertainment. But Cosco says they are expensive, not scalable and riddled with human error. What makes Halt unique is that we have an accuracy rate of over 90 percent and we can be quick, processing entire industries within weeks.

Only a year old, Halt AI data quickly confirmed that in luxury fashion, for instance, the industry is still very white, very young, with little representation with regards to disability, and while there is diversity in terms of race, the skin tone tends to remain light. Post BLM and the George Floyd murder, companies made a lot of promises and there has been a lot of attention on that community, but the disability community is next to be spotlit, says Cosco. Athletic brands like Nike perform very well in terms of diversity whereas its the usual suspects, like Chanel, that dont have a lot of diversity.

But Halt Ai is not about finger wagging. The quantitive analysis they carry out gives companies raw data so they can make decisions within their marketing. Right now Cosco believes there is an absence of insight which leaves brands with a huge blind spot.

With NDAs in place Cosco is limited in what she can say about specific clients but there are some general patterns she has observed. Brands are generally surprised by their lack of representation, particularly within disability, its probably something they just dont think about, she says. Were trying to build for them analysis so that they can track improvements over time to understand better, but helping them understand where they sit within the larger industry, telling them they are within the tenth percentile or ninetieth percentile has proved useful."

We want to become the global standard for measuring diversity across every industry so that we can provide a seal of approval, a threshold of diversity that is acceptable for advertising, says Cosco. Right now theres really nothing like that.

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Female-led start-up removes the bias from artificial technology in fashion - fashionunited.uk

Lynn Hershman Leeson Thinks It’s Time That Her Work Is Recognized – Hyperallergic

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

SAN FRANCISCO Lynn Hershman Leesons first solo exhibition at San Franciscos Altman Siegel includes an old-fashioned metal lunchbox with a ceramic mouth inside; a digital print of a cat crossed with a jellyfish; digital prints of cyborgs; and stamps that the artist made with her image on them and sent out because, in her own words, I wanted the government to cancel my face.

Lynn Hershman Leeson: About Face features collages, paintings, drawings, sculptures, and videos from the last five decades of Lynn Hershman Leesons career. Reflecting on how the show came about, the artist describes how she kept seeing faces as she looked through her collection of work over the years which makes sense, since so much of her work is about identity, along with other themes like erasure and time.

You know, its like Duchamp said, that if youre lucky you have three ideas in your lifetime. Theyre all the same idea but they look different, she said, laughing and adding that maybe she only has two ideas: [one] using technology like sound and censors, which is really where the AI in cyborgs comes from, and maybe the other one is about identity and loss of self and where the blur of reality ends and what makes something fiction.

This line blurring reality and fiction was the subject of one the artists most important bodies of work: a five-year series revolving around the creation of the fictional character of Roberta Breitmore. Starting in 1973, Hershman Leeson performed Roberta Breitmore going about her daily tasks, such as getting a drivers license and apartment, or putting an ad in the newspaper for a roommate. Ways of altering your face and erasing your identity come up again and again in the show, such as in Reconstructing Roberta (2005), where marks on her face show where she will be getting Botox, an eyelid lift, and a dermabrasian peel, among other alterations.

Walking through the exhibition before sitting down for an interview, Hershman Leeson pauses in front of a wax head with a wig, sensors, and a tape recorder.

This is a historic piece because its really the first media work anybody ever did, she said. You stand in front of it and if you listen, it talks to you. It was really about interaction and technology, but nobody had ever combined sound and interaction before, so nobody knew what it was.

This sculpture, Self Portrait as Another Person (1965), is from Hershman Leesons Breathing Machines series, which she made after developing respiratory problems while pregnant. The artist recorded her breathing and added the sound to the pieces, along with snippets of dialogue, like Whats your name? and I want to know all about you. Hershman Leeson submitted the piece to the Berkeley Art Museum at University of California, Berkeley in 1966 when invited to present work as part of a showcase of female artists. However, the Breathing Machines were met with such ire from the museums curator who, put off by the disconcerting, breathing, and interrogatory sculptures, told the artist that sound wasnt art that the show closed a day after its opening. Though extreme, it is an example of the resistance that Hershman Leesons work met for decades.

Now, after years of feeling ignored, Lynn Hershman Leeson is finally receiving attention from the art world, with her practice combining art, technology, and performance often called ahead of its time (The Artist is Prescient was the headline of a New York Times review of her show last year). Her 2010 documentary, !Women Art Revolution: A Secret History on 40 years of the feminist art movement was selected by MOMA as one of the best documentaries of the year. In 2014, the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe in Germany mounted the first major retrospective of her work. Last year, she had her first solo museum exhibition at the New Museum in New York. And later this month, she will be presenting a new video at the Venice Biennial, Logic Paralyzes the Heart,(2022) about a 61-year-old cyborg.

Hershman Leeson thinks its about time, as she has been making and doing things such as exploring sensors, artificial intelligence, and cyborgs that no one else was making or doing for decades. For years, I couldnt show my work, I couldnt get a gallery, and people in New York wouldnt pay attention to me, she says. So I think I deserve it just for not giving up if nothing else.

Lynn Hershman Leeson: About Face continues at Altman Siegel (1150 25th Street, San Francisco, California) through April 23. The exhibition was organized by the gallery.

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Lynn Hershman Leeson Thinks It's Time That Her Work Is Recognized - Hyperallergic

The Flash: Mysterious Rumor Suggests 2023 Film Will Reveal Superman’s Status – The Illuminerdi

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

*Warning: The following article may contain potential spoilers for The Flash. Read at your own risk.*

It looks like Andy Muschiettis The Flash will retcon more than one element in the DCEU. We already know that Michael Keatons Batman will take over from Ben Afflecks Caped Crusader after the events of the film, as he will be starring in the HBO Max film Batgirl.

However, Batman isnt the only character that will be retconned after the end of the movie, which is currently set to release in theatres on June 23, 2023.

RELATED: AQUALAD: NEW HBO MAX SERIES IN WORKS WITH CHARLIZE THERON PRODUCING

According to a [now-deleted] tweet from scooper ViewerAnon, only The Flash (Ezra Miller), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) will be the only heroes of the SnyderVerse left after the events of the movie. A post-credit scene will reportedly make it clear that Henry Cavills Superman no longer exists in the current DCEU timeline. In the scene, Barry Allen will apparently mention Superman to Aquaman, with the latter responding that he has no idea who Allen is referring to.

SPOILERS: Morbius Post-Credits Scen...x

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This naturally means that Sasha Calles Supergirl will take over the new DCEU, alongside Michael Keaton and Leslie Graces Batgirl, who will be introduced in the aforementioned HBO Max film. If The Flash was delayed to 2023, and Batgirls events are directly affected by that movie, expect the movie to also be delayed to next year.

There are rumblings, however, that Henry Cavill has reprised his role for The Flash as Superman, potentially in the timeline where General Zod (Michael Shannon) and Faora-Ul (Antje Traue) are. Both actors were confirmed to star in the film, per a press release from Warner Bros, but Cavills presence as the Man of Steel is pure speculation. It would be great to see him reprise his role once again, since the last time he played the character in a theatrical DCEU film, he had a CGI lip.

His performance wasnt as great as it was in the Zack Snyder films Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the Snyder Cut salvaged his incredible work and brought the character to a terrific comeback during its climax.

RELATED: FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE FINAL TRAILER AHEAD OF 4/15 RELEASE

The Flash is directed by Andy Muschietti, with a script written by Christina Hodson. It will star Ezra Miller, Ron Livingston, Michael Keaton, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Sasha Calle, Ben Affleck, Maribel Verd, and Temuera Morrison. Ezra Millers future as The Flash is in limbo after their arrest in Hawaii, following a physical confrontation with customers at a karaoke bar. The actor had reportedly been kicked out of numerous bars months before their arrest.

After Miller was granted bail, a couple filed a restraining order against them, who then was accused of assault. Warner Bros. responded to their arrest, by putting the actors future projects on hold, which include their role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise as Credence Barebone, and in the DCEU, during an emergency meeting. Miller will next appear in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, a movie already embroiled in a slew of controversies, which releases in theatres Friday.

What do you think? Should Henry Cavill reprise his role as Superman in The Flash? Is he the greatest iteration of the Man of Steel on the big screen? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to discuss about it on Twitter!

KEEP READING: POWER RANGERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON: DAVID YOST SET TO RETURN

Source: ComicBookMovie

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The Flash: Mysterious Rumor Suggests 2023 Film Will Reveal Superman's Status - The Illuminerdi

Here are the games coming to Xbox next week – OnMSFT.com

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Spring is in full swing, and the Xbox titles keep coming. A total of 8 games are set to release on Xbox consoles next week from April 11-15.

This brand new platformer is old school in the purest sense. In it, your only objective is to evade the many foes and obstacles thrown your way.

This 2D shooter features a blend of Metal Slug-style action and metroidvania exploration, presented with an 80s action flick aesthetic. The game has players switching between four characters with unique abilities to blast the giant robots, cyborg ninjas, and horrible hybrid creates that come their way.

Another side-scrolling platform shooter, you play as a robot resurrected from the scrap heap on a mission to save planet DC-128b. Just as the game's title implies, you'll have to scavenge for new bodily attachments for your cyborg if you want to prevail. Shoot, loot, attach, repeat.

A relaxing jigsaw puzzle game with minimalist hand-drawn art centered around you guessed it cats and animals.

A point-and-click hidden object puzzle adventure game set in the 1950s, in which players assume the role of a paranormal investigator on a quest to find his friend Helen a young reporter who has gone missing in the strange and mysterious town of Serpent Creek.

In this retro-inspired shooter (you'll definitely see Mega Man influences here) you take on the role of Battle Kid as he infiltrates an ancient high-tech fortress to stop a super-mech from being unleashed on the island and its denizens.

This title combined elements of the dating sim and the farming sim. In it, you will endeavor to raise and sell your crops while spending time with the local girls in your pursuit of true love.

The protagonist of the action-adventure is a boy with a prosthetic face. With the help of his friends and a handheld gaming device that can communicate with the dead, he will get to the bottom of a series of murders being committed in his small, sleepy town.

While there aren't any AAA titles scheduled to be released next week, it is still a pretty solid lineup overall. Especially if you are a fan of indie games. These games are playable on Xbox One and Series X/S.

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Here are the games coming to Xbox next week - OnMSFT.com

Ed Harris Walks Tall on Criterion for Our Home Video Pick of the Week – Film School Rejects

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Walker [Criterion Collection]

What is it? A crazy true story about the time an American was the dictator of Nicaragua.

Why see it? Some stories are too bonkers to believe, and the subject of Alex Coxs 1987 masterpiece is one such historical footnote. William Walker was an educated man turned mercenary in the 19th century whose move into Nicaragua saw him take control of the country for several months. He had American support, at first, but his antics revealed a highly unstable man heading toward implosion. Ed Harris is a charismatic wonder here headlining a terrific ensemble delivering a surprisingly creative and funny movie. Cox takes an increasingly anachronistic approach ensuring big laughs and sly observations along the way. Its a subversive gem, and the extras included on the new Criterion disc are filled with more insight and thoughts. Pick this one up, people!

[Extras: Commentary, documentary, featurette, short films]

What is it? Two brothers bond over bicycle racing and medical conditions.

Why see it? The first of Warner Archives two Kevin Costner releases is a fine sports drama that manages some emotion and minor thrills alongside its race sequences. Costner plays older brother to David Grant, and the pair find some compelling drama in their family dynamics and situation. Rae Dawn Chong and Alexandra Paul join as love interests and are given more to do than expected. John Badhams direction is solid throughout but shines during the race sequences which find energy and danger along the scenic route.

[Extras: None]

What is it? Five college graduates come of age in 1971.

Why see it? Warner Archives second Kevin Costner release is his first feature collaboration with director Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). Its an affecting, humorous coming of age tale set at the tail end of the Vietnam War that follows five friends on a road trip towards adulthood. Costner plays the de facto leader of the group which includes Judd Nelson, and together they laugh, fight, and discover whats really important in life. Reynolds infuses the character piece with fun beats including some impressive airplane/helicopter action and an impromptu wedding. Its a good one about a simpler time.

[Extras: None]

What is it? A social worker discovers a shocking truth.

Why see it? Daily life is filled with so many transgressions, big and small, that many are often allowed to fade into obscurity. This film highlights one that demands attention the UK government began a program in the late 40s shipping orphans to Australia for a better life, but many of the kids were told their parents were dead while the parents were told their child was in a good home but wasnt publicly acknowledged until 2010. Upon arrival in Australia the children entered foster care, and many were abused at the hands of a religious home. Its a powerful watch with a pair of strong supporting turns by Hugo Weaving and David Wenham.

[Extras: Featurette, interviews]

What is it? Part Man, Part Machine, All Cop.

Why see it? Paul Verhoevens 1987 masterpiece targets corporate shenanigans in a world thats constantly for sale (ie the real world). A cop is gunned down, one of many, and the company currently running Detroits police department turns him into a cyborg product. Of course, you cant keep a good cop down, and soon hes rebelling against his masters while also targeting criminals left and right. Big action, big laughs, and lots of bloody squibs make for a fantastically entertaining satire that never gets old. Heres hoping no one ever tried to remake it.

[Extras: 4K restoration of theatrical and directors cuts, commentaries, interviews, featurettes, deleted scenes]

What is it? Never trust a magician.

Why see it? The third standalone Spider-Man film under Marvels guidance is arguably its best yet despite a fairly stupid finale. The ending cant tank the film, though, as the movie delivers real heart and emotional weight along the way. Doctor Strange tries to help young Peter and instead sets in motion a messed up chain of events by opening a rift into the metaverse. The highlight here is the arrival of two past Spider-Men, and both bring laughs, depth, and rich character to the proceedings. The disc has the usual generic extras typical of the MCU releases, but honestly the movie itself is worth the pickup.

[Extras: Bloopers, featurettes]

What is it? A man jumps bodies every twelve hours.

Why see it? South Korean genre cinema is always worth watching, and this recent gem is a great example why. A man wakes after a car crash, but its not his reflection in the mirror. Twelve hours later he jumps into another body, and so it goes as he finds himself in a race against time to discover who he is and why hes leaping from person to person. Throw in some terrific action sequences, and this becomes a terrifically entertaining watch delivering big thrills, emotion, and philosophical observations.

[Extras: Featurette]

What is it? A scientist creates life with deadly consequences.

Why see it? The conceit here was well-intentioned give Mary Shelley the same recognition afforded Bram Stoker but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Kenneth Branagh stars and directs, and the film is a surprising slog that feels like an exaggerated costume drama. The pieces dont work, the casting is off (including Robert De Niros turn as the monster), and we never really feel the intended epic nature of it all. Arrows new 4K restoration is fine and retains the grain of the original.

[Extras: New 4K restoration, commentary, interviews, documentary, featurette, 2K restoration of the very first screen adaptation of Frankenstein]

What is it? A killer stalks Los Angeles during the countdown to New Years.

Why see it? As far as holiday-themed slashers go, this one makes good use of its holiday of choice even if the resulting film is pretty standard. There are some engaging beats here as the film plays fast and loose with its killer someones calling threats, someone else is killing women, and 80s stalwart Grant Cramer is acting all kinds of weird. Its probably played a bit too straightforward for its own good, but its an entertaining enough tale for genre fans as a handful of surprises and diversions keep viewers on their toes until the end.

[Extras: New 2K master, commentary, making of]

What is it? A giant octopus terrorizes a coastal town.

Why see it? As far as Jaws knockoffs go, you really cant dismiss one that opens with a baby in a stroller being the first victim. Director Ovidio Assonitis keeps things PG-rated, like its inspiration, and brings in the expected characters like an expert, officials who dont listen to warnings, and others. Its silly stuff with mostly bland kills, but we get some exciting sequences too as the octopus attacks boats. One shot showing the aftermath of an attack during a race is pretty fantastic. Add in a stellar Steve Cipriani score, and youve got a fun time at the exploitation cinema.

[Extras: None]

What is it? Ten films from the 80s!

Why see it? Mill Creeks 4-disc set collects ten wholly unrelated films from the 80s, and as youd expect, some are better than others. The highlights here include Roxanne, The New Kids, Band of the Hand, Little Nikita, Suspect, and Blue Thunder. Less appealing are the likes of Like Father Like Son, Vice Versa make it a body swap double feature! Punchline, and Whos Harry Crumb? This would lean towards a buy recommend if the films featured any extras, but theyre all barebones.

[Extras: None]

What is it? Ten films from the 90s!

Why see it? Like the release above, Mill Creeks collection of ten arbitrary films from the 90s comes on four discs and with zero extras. The good ones here include White Palace, Donnie Brasco, The Freshman, Anaconda, and I Know What you Did Last Summer. The lesser titles are Housesitter, The Matchmaker, One True Thing, The Deep End of the Ocean, and The Devils Own.

[Extras: None]

Also out this week:

The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again [KL Studio Classics], CMon CMon, Chucky Season One, Fabian: Going to the Dogs, Last Looks, Warhunt

Here is the original post:

Ed Harris Walks Tall on Criterion for Our Home Video Pick of the Week - Film School Rejects

Forget The Closeouts, Pay Attention To These Deserving Pan Champs Instead – FloGrappling

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Now the dust has settled on Pans I've had time to reflect on the events of the second-most important event on the IBJJF calendar.

I'll save my thoughts on the closeouts for another day as I feel it's more important to focus on the champions who actually competed for their gold medals. Below, Ive listed nine standouts who particularly impressed me. Not only did they rise to the top of the podium but they did so in a way that left an impression.

There is a pervasive (and unfortunate) mentality among many jiu-jitsu competitors who believe that winning is all that matters, and they seem satisfied in doing the absolute minimum possible to get their hand raised. Thats not how legacies are created. When you think of the greatest champs in the history of our sport, they didnt make their names by stalling their way to an advantage win.

The names on this list are good examples of the kind of competitors who will help take the sport of jiu-jitsu in the right direction. They fought the hardest, did everything possible to secure a decisive victory and put on a show of athleticism and technique in the process. These are the kind of athletes we love to watch, and deserve the most attention.

Middleweight champ Tainan Dalpra Of Art Of Jiu-Jitsu, one of the best pound-for-pound black belts in the world and a World and Pan champion in 2021, is following up his incredible rookie year with a strong start to the season. There doesnt seem to be anybody standing in his way, and the gap between him and the rest of the middleweight division only seems to be growing.

Even with his precision technique he still has room to improve, as hes only 21 years of age and in his second year as a black belt. Tainan is the only male black belt who could feasibly win the IBJJF Grand Slam, as he is the only name to have won gold at both IBJJF majors so far this season (gold medals at the European Championships in Rome and now the Pan Championships in Florida). No word yet on whether he would compete at the Brazilian Nationals in May, but he is very much the favorite to win once again at Worlds in June.

Watch:

Tainan Dalpra def Roberto Jimenez via triangle | watch here

Tainan Dalpra def Eduardo Carvalho via choke from the back (2:21) | watch here

Tainan Dalpra def Ronaldo Junior via points (2-0) | watch here

Middleweight: Tainan Dalpra def Jeferson Guaresi via points (3-0) | watch here

Its rare to see a cross-collar choke from mount in the black belt divisions these days, and even less so in a final of a major tournament like Pans. Dream Art's Anna Rodrigues submitted 2018 world champ Amanda Monteiro of GF Team in the final, earning her second major title of the season. Rodrigues won gold at the IBJJF Euros earlier this year, and is now one of the few remaining names who could potentially win the IBJJF Grand Slam.

Watch:

Anna Rodrigues def Amanda Monteiro via collar choke from mount (9:02) | watch here

Who couldnt be impressed by the performance of Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu? The last time Cyborg won a Pan Championship gold medal was way back in 2008. Now 41 years of age and taking on men 15-20 years younger than himself, he faced opponents who probably hadnt even started jiu-jitsu when he got his black belt. He beat three GF Team heavy hitters in a row: Wallace Costa in the quarterfinal, Davi Cabral in the semifinal and Gutemberg Pereira in the final. He didnt concede a single sweep or takedown in the process, maintained a lead in every match and ended the tournament without getting scored on once.

Watch:

Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu def Gutemberg Pereira via score (2-0) | watch here

Checkmat's Nathalie Ribeiro (aka "Tata") had an entertaining finals match with the scrappy Ffion Davies but it was her semifinal against Janaina Maia of Gracie Humaita that particularly stands out. Ribeiro aggravated a knee injury just seconds into the match and it looked like she may not be able to continue but after a brief moment she shook it off and went to war in a thriller that went the full 10 minutes. That was followed by another physical encounter with her friendly rival Davies. Ribeiro used her flexible spider guard to counter the go-forward game of her opponent and ultimately reverse position, winning via points.

Watch:

Nathalie Ribeiro def Ffion Davies via points (2-0) | watch here

Taking the gold medal in the lightweight division with a calculated and powerful performance, Johnatha Alves beat Andy Murasaki of Atos in the final 2-0. After an intense and ice-cold stare down, the Art Of Jiu-Jitsu black belt came out fast and scored early and kept the pressure on his opponent throughout. Alves three matches leading into the final all ended via submission; he finished Eduardo Roque in his opener, Daniel Aquino in the quarterfinal and Natan Cheung in the semifinal. That gave Alves his third IBJJF Pan gold medal as a black belt in three consecutive years.

Watch:

Johnatha Alves def Andy Murasaki (2-0) | watch here

The sole European to claim a gold medal at the 2022 IBJJF Pans, Maria Malyjasiak scored one of the most impressive submissions of the tournament with a chokeaplata against Izadora Cristina Silva of Dream Art in the medium-heavyweight final. The chokeaplata is the name given to a collar choke scored from an omoplata position, and Malyjasiak really gave no opportunity for her opponent to even get in the game as she came out fast and aggressive, deftly transitioning from a triangle to the omoplata position before sinking in the match-ending choke.

Watch:

Maria Malyjasiak vs Izadora Cristina Silva via choke-o-plata | watch here

The light-featherweight champion Meyram Maquine of Dream Art went into the division as the number 2 seed and proved why he is among the divisions top competitors with wins against Diogo Reis, Kevin Carrasco and Lucas Pinheiro to claim the gold medal. Pinheiro looked like a beast in this tournament, manhandling his opponents and submitting the extremely tough Hiago George with an ankle lock in the semifinal, but Meyram imposed his game on Pinheiro and did what nobody else could do by putting him in bad positions, outscoring him 7-2.

Watch:

Meyram Alves def Lucas Pinheiro via points (7-2) | watch here

The heavyweight division between Melissa Cueto of Alliance and Maggie Grindatti of Fight Sports was a tough physical match with both athletes fighting through adversity and physical pain. Grindatti came into the match with a serious elbow injury from ADCC Trials the previous week and was in effect competing with one arm, while Cueto took an errant blow to the face that caused her eye to swell with a large hematoma. Cueto was able to get the back of Grindatti and find a choke in the final 60 seconds of a knock-down, drag-out encounter. An incredible showing from both in a very exciting final.

Watch:

Melissa Cueto def Maggie Grindatti via choke (9:22) | watch here

Queen of the roosterweights, Mayssa Bastos of Unity Jiu-Jitsu continues her dominance over the division. Her final against Lavinia Barbosa of Checkmat was a showcase of top pressure and demonstrates that you dont need to be big to be a heavy top player. Bastos is one of the few black belts still in the running for a grand slam following golds at Euros and now Pans.

Watch:

Mayssa Bastos def Lavinia Barbosa via points (9-0) | watch here

See original here:

Forget The Closeouts, Pay Attention To These Deserving Pan Champs Instead - FloGrappling

OnPolitics: Will GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy be the next House Speaker? – USA TODAY

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Danzig

Happy hump day, OnPolitics readers.

More on the two suspects accused of impersonating law enforcement agents: A federal magistrate Tuesday rejected prosecutors' request to detainArian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali, who were arrested last week for offering personal gifts, including rent-free apartments, to at least two members of the Secret Service.

The two allegedly posed as federal law enforcement agents to gain access to the agency, butU.S. Magistrate G.Michael Harvey questioned theirability to follow through on the lavish gifts.

Harvey also said there is no evidence thatTaherzadeh, 40, and Ali, 35, tried to infiltrate the Secret Service or posed a risk to national security.

"There has been no showing that national security information has been compromised," he ruled.

The suspects were scheduled for releaseWednesday morning forproper placement in home confinement with family members.Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein said the government would possibly appeal Harvey's ruling.

Defense lawyers argued for release of alleged impersonators: Attorneys representingTaherzadeh and Ali said prosecutors had spun"the wildestconspiracy theories imaginable"bygrossly exaggeratingclaims against their clients.

It's Amy and Chelsey with today's top stories out of Washington.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is treading a thin line between the moderate and far right wings of his party in an attempt to climb the ladder to House speaker, a role currently occupied by political opponent and fellow representative fromCalifornia, Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

But maintaining a balance between the conservatives who attend white nationalist rallies, the traditionalists weary of RINOaccusations ("Republicans In Name Only") and the few House Republicans who have publicly denounced former President Donald Trump will prove tricky.

A GOP House majority could ensure McCarthy the role he's openly coveted for so long, but heavy opposition from one Republican faction toward another could hurt the party's chances during the November midterm elections.

"If he tries to silence the crazies, they will turn against him, possibly denying him a majority in the House vote on the speakership," said Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College in California. "If he doesn't try to silence the crazies, the party will suffer reputational damage, and non-crazy Republicans will start looking for another leader."

If Republicans triumph in November, experts say McCarthy has a good chance at the speaker role.

"McCarthy has strong support because he is a prolific fundraiser and has tremendous depth on policy," said Alice Stewart, who served as the chief spokeswoman for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabees 2016 presidential campaign. "The wildcard is the new incoming GOP member class, who could be campaigning on an anti-establishment, non-vote for McCarthy, platform. If that were to happen, anything's possible."

Want this news roundup in your inbox every night?Sign up for/the OnPolitics newsletterhere.

President Joe Biden called Russia's attack on Ukraine a "genocide" on Tuesday while talking with reporters before heading back to the White House from Iowa.

The statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said peace talks had reached a "dead end" and Russian troops will not leave Ukraine until the Kremlin's goals are accomplished.

Its become clearer and clearer that Putin is trying to wipe out the idea of being Ukrainian, Biden said.

Death count rises: Over 10,000 civilians have been killed in city of Mariupol since the beginning of the invasion in February, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said Monday.That number could reach more than 20,000 in Mariupol alone, according to Boychenko.

How do you prove genocide? Harold Hongju Koh, an international law professor at Yale Law School, told USA TODAY that in order to prove genocide, there has to be a high level of intent.

"The tricky part of it which is relevant to the President's statement yesterday is if I kill one person, that's homicide," he said. "If I kill that person with the intent to destroy every person of that persons ethnic group, then it could be a part of genocide, but you don't know."

Leading the league: San Francisco Giants' Alyssa Nakken becomes the first female coach on the field for a Major League Baseball game. Check out more coverage of this seasonfrom USA TODAY's Sports team.-- Amy and Chelsey

Excerpt from:

OnPolitics: Will GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy be the next House Speaker? - USA TODAY

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