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HBO Max and Their Strange Streak of Censorship – Kirkwood Community College

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

OpinionImage courtesy of HBO.

You may have seen plenty of advertising lately for the fairly new streaming service, HBO Max, one of many streaming services flooding the market as television companies adapt to stream rather than broadcast.

Recently, HBO Max has taken some moves in censoring or altering the content in their library, the two most notable would be taking down Gone With the Wind and, strangely enough, giving the Looney Tunes character Yosemite Sam a scythe instead of his classic revolvers and rifle.

The first choice has its merits with re-educating people that racial stereotyping is wrong in this age where almost everyone is aware of that. A similar practice to this, (without removing, of course) was in the descriptions of older Disney Plus films, where there is a warning describing outdated cultural depictions into films such as Dumbo or Peter Pan for obvious reasons of racial stereotyping in their films.

HBO Max put the film back onto their service, with two videos that extend this beyond what Disney Plus did, having two videos alongside it to describe how the film brushes past issues of slavery. One could more so call it a thought-check before you watch the movie, then censorship. Everyone in this modern age can agree that slavery was wrong, and that the aspects of fantasizing that such an ugly detail of the civil war is wrong, so why would there be videos pouring into that detail? Does watching it without that context immediately make the viewer a victim of propaganda, or the streaming service racist?

Something that does not make sense to methough, is the exclusion of guns in the new Looney Tunes animation, exclusive to HBO Max. This could turn into a debate on media and mental health, or if violence is good to have on television, but it feels like this was more of a precautionary decision for backlash. Considering the issue of gun violence within the U.S., I would not be surprised if this kicked off the decision to axe cartoony lead-spitters. No one cares about the guns in Fortnite or any movie that Dwayne Johnson is in, so what gives? Feel free to give your input in the comments.

Image courtesy of HBO

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HBO Max and Their Strange Streak of Censorship - Kirkwood Community College

China Censors League of Legends Champs Because of Seductive Visual Graphics; Here are the Edited Skins – Tech Times

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

China censoredLeague of Legendssplash arts by editing their original artworks and some champion's skins. ARedditpost revealed that some skins and splash arts in the Wild Rift had been edited in China to lessen the seductive graphics of each skin.

(Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @PixelButts)League of Legends Splash Arts Censored in China: Who's Responsible, Riot or Tencent?

Also Read: League of Legends Spirit Blossom Festival's New Champion: Best Champs to Use to Rank Up Solo Queue This Season

According toMillenium's previous report, sexy aesthetic champions and characters' skins, are nothing new in the popular 5v5 strategic game. Some of the lady characters are wearing fewer clothes, display a sexy visual. If you're a fan of this awesome game, always check LoL's update on TechTimes. Also, check how Tyler1 experience how OP nerfed Aphelios is.

Also Read:[VIDEO] League of Legends: Tyler1 Left Saying 'OK' After Seeing Nerf Aphelios Fight in 1v5

It was explained that the game has been present in China. However, the government still decided to censor certain splash arts of Wild Rift. The edited images were first posted by a Twitter user under the name of "PixelButts."

"Also yes the Wild Rift splash art is censored," captioned the Twitter user.

"Many are tweaked slightly but a few have more significant changes such as janna and jinx is hard to see, but theres now bandages under their top," added PixelButts.

He said that although he is generally against censorship, sometimes there's nothing he can do with the edited champs.

It is common for some Asian countries to censor content that they find inappropriate. On theLeague of Legends Pacific Servers(PCS), Evelynn's original outfit was changed to lessen the character's skin exposure.

(Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @PixelButts)League of Legends Splash Arts Censored in China: Who's Responsible, Riot or Tencent?

China's action is comparable to this since Chinese authorities censored some of the Wild Rift's champion splash art. Some of the changes are just minimal. For example, Jinx got a strip of fabric on her chest as censorship.

Other champs were just changed, including Zed, who had additional designs on his armor, and Ahri, who received more decorations for her outfit. However, some champs had major changes. Janna's costume received additional fabric to cover her tummy, as well as Miss Fortune. Shyvanna's design was changed, as well as her dragon.

Some users defended China's action, saying that "making people have less revealing clothes is not censorship." And there are also some saying that it is censorship since the changes were based on Chinese regulations.

To keep you updated withLeague of Legendsnews this season, such as the upcoming new heroes, keep your tabs open on TechTimes.

Visit our website at https://www.techtimes.com/

Also Read: League of Legends Cinematic: Riot's Anime Short Reveals Yone, Yasuo's Demonic Brother: A Playstyle Guide

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by:Giuliano de Leon.

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China Censors League of Legends Champs Because of Seductive Visual Graphics; Here are the Edited Skins - Tech Times

Social media censorship is hindering investigations, researchers say – Reclaim The Net

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

According to YouTube itself, as many as 6.1 million videos have been deleted from the platform since the start of this year alone, mostly coinciding with an unprecedented wave of online censorship launched at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

YouTube is not alone in this, as other major social networks started strictly policing speech of users in order to allow only information about the disease favored by governments and the World Health Organization (WHO), from whom most governments get their cues.

Things deteriorated even further when racial and social unrest hit the US later in the year, causing a surge in online cancel culture and grandstanding by big brands, who demanded even more censorship, this time of hate speech.

As things began to go from bad to worse, traditional corporate media didnt seem to mind very much at all. Now, however, some of them are looking at the price that the ramping up of censorship.

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But still, the likes of the Washington Post dont seem to care much about ordinary users entrusting their speech and data to social media giants: the concern is focused on what removal of such massive quantities of content, and the process by which this is done, cold end up doing to some activists and NGOs (at least, ones they like). And they argue in favor of deleted data to be publicly unavailable but retained for study.

Theres the example of the Syrian Archive, which is said to be dedicated to collecting information about human rights abuses in Syria and other countries. The group says that they and others are getting caught in the censorship dragnet that is supposed to be removing misinformation, as well as opposition voiced by users who disagree with the way these crises are being handled.

Its not exactly news, but tech giants overreliance on automated, machine learning-powered algorithms to get the job done is not working well. These algorithms are still effectively basic and really bad with understanding context, therefore resulting in unintended censorship.

The author of the report seems to think that more involvement from human moderators would fix the problem (and also, that they had to be sent home during the epidemic and were for that reason working less than usual?) However, its amply clear that moderators come with a set of their own problems, unique to humans: such as bias. So, maybe the answer is to pump the brakes on rampant censorship and not rely so heavily on either machines or moderators?

That, of course, is not an idea the Washington Post is willing to entertain. Instead, the Covid and civil upheaval era censorship is viewed as fully justified if only it could somehow bypass the Syrian Archive and other activists and journalists in war-torn regions.

But it isnt, since Facebooks moderation is apparently poor at telling apart documented war crimes and atrocities from users posting such content to promote it. However, Facebook says that in cases when accounts are deleted for this type of offense, they are also restored.

Syria-focused activists are not having a great time on YouTube either this year, saying that the number of deleted uploads has doubled. For its part, YouTube cited its infamous policy of allowing users to issue counter takedown notices, and claimed that human reviewers actually deal with this (not a statement many creators who have been burned in the process, without ever receiving even an explanation of what it was they had done wrong, would necessarily agree with.)

The Syrian Archive and more that 40 other groups have pleaded with social media giants not to permanently delete content related to human rights activism, and that data on content removed during the pandemic will be invaluable to those working in public health, human rights, science and academia.

Others are worried about YouTubes lack of transparency that leads to guesswork as to the overall extent of automated moderations effect on legitimate content.

The argument in favor of preserving data instead of deleting it was heard in April and boils down to keeping this data for future research into how online information can affect health outcomes and to evaluate the consequences of specific moderation practices like using heavy automation.

Another request from a letter sent to giant social networks was to be transparent about the way content is removed, how successful any appeals are, and the like. The signatories acknowledge privacy implications of long data retention and making it only available to a select group of researchers but add that the need for immediate preservation is urgent.

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Social media censorship is hindering investigations, researchers say - Reclaim The Net

Why Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are taking down that hydroxychloroquine video and suspending accounts, including Donald Trump Jr., that shared it -…

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

Social media sites have come out swinging against a video pushing misleading information about hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment which led to Twitter partially suspending Donald Trump Jr.s account.

Conservative media outlet Breitbart first published the contested clip, which features men and women dressed in white lab coats and referring to themselves as Americas Frontline Doctors staging a press conference outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The individuals make questionable coronavirus claims that have been proven false, such as calling hydroxychloroquine (a drug used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis for decades) a cure for COVID despite a growing body of scientific evidence that has not shown this to be an effective treatment against the virus.

Whats more, one of the so-called doctors identified as Stella Immanuel from Houston claims in the video that you dont need masks, despite plenty of evidence showing that face coverings help slow the spread of the coronavirus. (She has also said that alien DNA is being used in medical treatments, and gynecological problems such as cysts are caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches, the Daily Beast reported.)

Facebook FB, -0.07%, Twitter TWTR, +0.46% and the Alphabet-owned GOOG, -1.03% GOOGL, -0.78% YouTube have been pulling down the video since it began going viral on Monday, but the damage was already done. By late Monday evening, NBC News reporter Brandy Zadrozny tweeted that the Breitbart clip had been viewed 20 million times on Facebook alone, and thats not including versions that have been shared among private accounts.

President Donald Trump even retweeted a few versions of the video on his Twitter account before they were taken down, undermining his own recent calls for Americans to wear masks to help prevent spreading COVID-19. His son Donald Trump Jr. also tweeted the video, which led Twitter to confirming on Tuesday that it was partially suspending his account for 12 hours, meaning he will be unable to send tweets, retweet posts, follow users, or like messages.The company cited its policy that requires the removal of content that may pose a risk to peoples health, including content that goes directly against guidance from authoritative sources of global and local public health information.

Trump supporters and conspiracy theorists accusing the social media giants of censorship and buying into the bogus drug claims led the hashtag #hydroxychloroquineworks to become a top trending Twitter topic on Tuesday morning. Twitter refuted the hashtag somewhat by noting under the topic tab that the drug is not an effective treatment for COVID-19, according to the FDA.

Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration has revoked its emergency use authorization of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which Dr. Anthony Fauci repeated on Good Morning America Tuesday morning. The director of the National Institute for Allergy andInfectious Diseases told George Stephanopoulos that, I go along with the FDA: the overwhelming prevailingclinical trials that have lookedat the efficacy ofhydroxychloroquine haveindicated that it is noteffective in coronavirusdisease.

Hydroxychloroquine was touted as a potential miracle drug early in the pandemic. The FDA issued emergency-use authorization for the malaria drug in March to treat COVID-19 patients, and clinicians across China, France and the U.S. began testing it to treat the novel coronavirus. Drug makers such as Bayer AG BAYRY, -0.69% and Novartis AG NVS, -0.31% donated millions of doses to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile.

There was so much excitement, despite scant evidence that it was actually effective against COVID-19, that chloroquine shortages were reported as pharmacies and hospitals stockpiled excessive amounts of the drug something both the American Medical Association, the American Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists strongly opposed in a joint statement.

Read more:Theres scant evidence so far for chloroquine as a COVID-19 drug but theres already a shortage

But reality hasnt lived up to the hype.

Three randomized clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine failed to prove or disprove a beneficial or a harmful effect on COVID-19. These include researchers from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, who reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last month that the drug was no better than a placebo in preventing COVID-19 infections. A Spanish study of more than 2,300 people also found that the drug was not effective for early treatment of mild COVID-19. And the U.K. Recovery trial also ruled out any meaningful mortality benefit from using the drug.

Related:Heres the latest on what we know works and doesnt work in treating coronavirus infections

One by one, the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health dropped the drug from their clinical trials, and the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization. The general consensus in the scientific community is that the drug does not help COVID-19 patients.

Problem is, one study published in Lancet that claimed hydroxychloroquine put COVID-19 patients at a greater risk of death was later retracted, which has helped to fuel skepticism over whether any coronavirus research can be trusted. And false COVID-19 conspiracy theories have spread even as the virus itself has infected at least 16.5 million people and counting worldwide, killing 655,084. In fact, roughly one in three Americans doesnt believe that the coronavirus has killed as many people as has been reported, even as Texas and Arizona officials have requested refrigerated trucks as deceased coronavirus victims began overwhelming hospital morgues.

Read more: Hope dims for hydroxychloroquine even as medical study detailing the drugs failure is retracted

Further confusing the publics understanding of the coronavirus, President Trump has supported hydroxychloroquine time and time again, and even took the drug himself for a time to ward off the virus. Rep. Roger Marshall(R.-Ky.) has also touted taking the drug as a preventative measure against COVID-19.

The struggle to contain the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus is the latest struggle Big Tech is facing as Alphabet, Amazon AMZN, -0.81%, Apple AAPL, -0.86% and Facebookface questioning over their business practices on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

It also comes as the Trump administration moves forward in petitioning the Federal Communications Administration to reinterpret Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which says that websites cannot be punished for what other people publish on their sites. The petition complains that social media sites use Section 230 to unfairly censor conservative views.

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Why Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are taking down that hydroxychloroquine video and suspending accounts, including Donald Trump Jr., that shared it -...

Hollywood ‘kowtowing’ to China takes heat. But why now? – Los Angeles Times

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

After a half year of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 crisis, Chinas beleaguered movie theaters reopened last week with films that ranged from local patriotic blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2" to Pixars Coco. For Hollywood, the return of the film industrys most important foreign market was cause for cautious optimism.

Where it leads, I dont think anyone knows, said Scott Einbinder, a Los Angeles producer and president of ANA Media, which consults for Chinese companies. But its a relief that theres been some light forming at the end of the tunnel after such a long period of darkness.

Still, any sense of reassurance is clouded by a growing chorus criticizing Hollywoods relationship with China. Trump administration officials and political allies have repeatedly hit the entertainment industry for its efforts to gain access to the lucrative Chinese market by appeasing the government in Beijing.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo swiped at Hollywood on Thursday at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, saying the industry self-censors even the most mildly unfavorable reference to China. This came a day after the State Department ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston over spying accusations. The Pompeo statement echoed a July 16 speech by Atty. Gen. William Barr, calling out studios for backing social justice causes Stateside while censoring their movies for China despite its human rights violations.

This censorship infects not only versions of movies that are released in China but also many that are shown in American theaters to American audiences, Barr said.

The barrage has extended beyond movies. Earlier this month, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) criticized the National Basketball Assn. for kowtowing to Beijing while allowing athletes to wear social justice slogans on jerseys. In a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Hawley asked whether players would also be allowed to don slogans supporting Hong Kong protesters, the U.S. military, or police. Adrian Wojnarowski, a journalist for Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN, was suspended after he sent a two-word email response, which included the f-bomb.

Additionally, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro called former Disney streaming chief Kevin Mayer an American puppet after the executive left the Burbank entertainment giant to run social media app TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Navarro has accused TikTok and other apps of funneling user data to Beijing. We have never shared TikTok user data with the Chinese government and would not do so if asked, a TikTok spokeswoman said.

The wave of criticism comes at a time when the entertainment industry is already facing uncertainty in China, which has seen massive growth in its film business in the last decade. Since a landmark 2012 agreement that dramatically increased U.S. companies access to Chinas cinemas, studios have wanted to expand their business there.

Studios have long sought a greater box office share in China than the 25% of sales they receive now, compared with about 50% in other nations, as well as better release dates. Theyve also wanted to boost the number of foreign films allowed into the country annually under the revenue-sharing deal from the current quota, loosely set at 34.

Those efforts took a back seat amid the Trump administrations trade war with China. Relations between the U.S. and China have been further strained by the latter countrys provocative moves to expand its military influence in the South China Sea.

Some studio executives and analysts worry that escalating rhetoric could further limit prospects for American movies, particularly for independent studios that get their films into the country through a flat-fee system. Film companies are already struggling at home because of the effects of the coronavirus situation on productions and theaters.

The conversation needs to be focused on gaining legal access to the Chinese market rather than trying to tie producers hands in their efforts to surmount the trade barrier, said Jean Prewitt, president of the Independent Film & Television Alliance.

Censorship is a price of doing business in China, where foreign films endure a rigorous approval process before theyre released.

In 20th Century Foxs 2018 hit Bohemian Rhapsody, references to Queen front man Freddie Mercurys sexuality were cut from the version that screened in China. Last summer, a Twitter user noticed that Tom Cruises bomber jacket in a trailer for Top Gun: Maverick was altered to remove patches representing the flags of Japan and Taiwan, which was interpreted as a move to appease China. Barrs speech cited Marvels 2016 blockbuster Doctor Strange, which changed the origin of the character The Ancient One from a Tibetan monk to a Celtic mystic, played by Tilda Swinton.

Representatives for Disney, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Paramount, Universal Pictures and the Motion Picture Assn. declined to comment for this article or did not respond to requests for comment.

However, industry analysts and executives said the left-leaning entertainment industry is a convenient punching bag for politicians. That tendency has only increased during an election year when the administration is vulnerable because of its handling of the coronavirus crisis, which Trump has referred to as the China virus. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this year introduced legislation that would prevent studios from receiving government assistance on productions if they censored films for China, a move that studio executives have shrugged off as political posturing.

It gets headlines and publicity and feeds into the narrative that all of our problems come from the outside or from left-wing radicals, said Stanley Rosen, a political science professor and China expert at the University of Southern California.

Kirk DAmico, president of Los Angeles-based distributor Myriad Pictures, said his business of licensing content to China had been steadily increasing before the trade disputes took hold. Now he says his China sales fell 70% to 80% since 2018. He blames trade tensions and rhetoric over COVID-19.

Its hurt us in our pocketbooks, and its hurt us in terms of actual sales, DAmico said.

Some film industry executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washingtons concern over censorship is overblown, noting that studios trim movies for many countries, including conservative Middle Eastern nations, to avoid offending local sensibilities. Altering movies to appeal to audiences in the worlds most populous nation makes business sense.

Were not compromising values, said one film business insider, who was not authorized to comment.

But some critics argue that Chinas influence has become so great that its preferences affect what kinds of stories are told globally, not just in mainland China.

The Chinese government is not unique in terms of pushing Hollywood to censor or make movies that reflect their own narratives, but its the only one that is able to be this effective to a global extent, said James Tager, deputy director of free expression research and policy at PEN America, which is publishing a report on the subject.

Censorship has tightened in China since the regulatory body that traditionally oversaw its entertainment sector was eliminated in 2018, shifting control to the Communist Partys propaganda department. The move was part of a sweeping campaign under Party Chairman Xi Jinping to tighten control over speech and thought in China, particularly in media and education.

While some recent American pictures have done huge business in China, the government there has lately tended to favor local productions and patriotic films. China has produced an increasing number of patriotic movies following the Partys guidance to implement socialist core values and build Chinese spirit, Chinese values, Chinese power under the important guiding spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping, as Central Propaganda Department director Huang Kunming declared at a Chinese movie awards ceremony last year. That has made the market more challenging for American movies.

Entertainment industry veteran Chris Fenton, author of the upcoming book Feeding the Dragon, about the relationship between U.S. studios and China, said studios should be more careful about how they respond to Chinese restrictions.

Studios need to admit that there is a lot of hypocrisy going on, Fenton said. They need to get out of their bubble and realize that a lot of their constituents are becoming very aware of the issues in China.

Most observers dont expect China to immediately retaliate against the major studios over administration officials statements. Foreign movies including Universals Robert Downey Jr. family film Dolittle and Sonys Vin Diesel action movie Bloodshot were recently approved for release in the country. It remains unclear when Disney will be able to release its live-action Mulan remake there, despite the inclusion of Chinese cultural consultants during the $200-million production.

China still needs big Hollywood movies to fuel the recovery of its massive cinema industry, which has been shuttered since late January. Ultimately, having Hollywood releases in China is as beneficial to China as it is to Hollywood, said Eric Wold, an entertainment industry analyst at B. Riley FBR.

Still, producer Einbinder hopes the politicization of the entertainment industry cools.

Its easy for the Trump administration to pick on Hollywood, he said. But its much more complicated than that. They have to remember, also, that Hollywood creates a lot of jobs around the country.

Times staff writer Alice Su contributed to this report.

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Hollywood 'kowtowing' to China takes heat. But why now? - Los Angeles Times

Don’t we believe in the ‘marketplace of ideas’ any longer? | TheHill – The Hill

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

For so long, we essentially have believed, as a people, that truth is best found through the exchange of ideas, even contrasting ones. But is it really so anymore? Can it really be, as some might hold, that truth is better found by simply adhering to common beliefs, without allowing another point of view to surface?

Take, for example, a newspaper that publishes a conservative U.S. senators opinion piece about rioters and then apologizes for it and accepts the resignation of its opinion editor because of the staffs opposition to it. Or the university that revokes a deanship over the deans legal representation of Harvey Weinstein in his sexual misconduct cases. Or another university that, because of student opposition, canceled a virtual commencement address by Ivanka TrumpIvana (Ivanka) Marie TrumpWhite House COVID-19 case underscores persistent threat of virus OVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA effort to boost uranium mining leaves green groups worried about water | DNC climate platform draft calls for net-zero emissions by 2050 | Duckworth introduces safety net bill for coal country Ivanka Trump visits Rocky Mountain park after passage of conservation bill MORE because of her fathers unrelated, controversial reaction to protesters in D.C. streets.

In 1919, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously dissented in Abrams v. United States from the Supreme Courts decision upholding convictions for anti-war leafleting. Holmes opined that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get accepted in the competition of the market later and better known as the marketplace of ideas. Meaning, it is only when a position is directly confronted by oppositional thought that truth will out.

Of course, Holmes spoke in the limited context of governmental silencing of dissenting thought, and therefore addressed the high stakes of a constitutional right in connection with the governments war efforts, no less. Now, those who would limit or not even allow the airing of dissenting or opposing thought when government isnt the would-be silencer seem to ignore, or even reject, Holmess view. That is, his view that truth is best procured by the airing of competing thought as has happened with Confederate Gen.Robert E. Lee, for example, leading to a major revision of how many now think about him.

Heres the broader issue: Dont we best learn the falsity of, or lack of merit in, what Doe tells us only with the opportunity to also listen to Roes point of view? Put otherwise, if Roes point of view cant be found in the market on the shelf alongside Does, we are only able to acquire Does, never coming to know that Roes may be the better product.Or here, the better thought maybe even the objectively truthful thought.

When Pontius Pilate, somewhat mischievously, asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews,Jesus responded: I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me. Pilate famously retorted, What is truth?

Now, 2,000 years later and often not over the issue of religious creed, we are left with the same question: What is truth? And just as was the case then, we often find an unwillingness by opponents of those who propose to proclaim their truth to even allow what they have to say. Surely not at the extreme penalty of crucifixion, but certainly at the penalty of a censorship that silences their ability to articulate their opinions in the public square - whether that public square is an op-ed page, a speakers podium at a university graduation, or wherever articulate opponents of challenged thinking can drown out the proponents voice, all venues where government isnt the would-be censor and considerations of First Amendment censorship arent directly implicated.

Unquestionably, in advocating against those who would suppress the airing of dissident, unpopular or even traditional views on issues of societal concern, we must be mindful that often its the louder or more charismatic voice that may be most convincing to the masses. He or she may not be speaking anything even approaching truth, but nonetheless is somehow able to present the most persuasive advocacy about it. Do we not allow him or her to speak and the same for a less articulate opponent?

The truth no pun intended is that there often is no objective truth. Rather, truth may be an evolving process regarding an issue in question. Or, as in the case of religion, your truth is and may always be different than mine. As long as the preaching of hate, violence, harmful falsity, criminal syndicalism, or intentional defamation arent implicated, why shouldnt you or I be able to speak publicly about who or what we think God is, or isnt if at all?Why shouldnt we be able to speak in the public square for or against modern issues such as abortion, a two-state solution in the Middle East, the value of wearing a face mask during a pandemic, reparations for African Americans, defunding the police, the death penalty?

There may be those who speak to these and other pivotal issues who dont warrant a listening audience. But not because theyre not allowed to speak, or because their speech is drowned out by unreceptive voices. Members of the public can censor out for themselves voices that they just dont want to hear. Simple answer: Dont listen, or dont attend. Isnt that what we, as free people, believe in indeed, what the Founders intended by the Bill of Rights?

It may be that, empirically, what Holmes said about truth best surfacing in the cauldron of contrasting thought is itself wrong. Maybe truth surfaces only sometimes in that venue. But, even so, do we really want to deprive ourselves of those instances when robust debate does indeed get us to the place of truth?

Those who dont accept Holmess formulation might prefer Justice Louis Brandeiss in Whitney v. California: If there be a time to expose through discussion the falsehoods and fallacies, to avert the evil by the process of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.

Just consider how much the force of American intellectual thought would have suffered had the voice of Brandeis been drowned out or canceled by naysayers who opposed him simply because he, a Jew, believed in God differently.

Joel Cohen, a former state and federal prosecutor, practices white-collar criminal defense law at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. He is the author of Blindfolds Off: Judges On How They Decide and teaches a class at both Fordham and Cardozo Law Schools in New York based on the book.

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Don't we believe in the 'marketplace of ideas' any longer? | TheHill - The Hill

Rep. Matt Gaetz Says Zuckerberg Lied Under Oath About Facebook Conservative Censorship, calls on DOJ to Open Criminal Investigation – The Jewish Voice

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

By Jared Evan

In a letter to Attorney General William Barr, Florida Rep Gaetz alleged that Zuckerberg made false statements to Congress about Facebooks content moderation during two hearings two years ago.

The letter said: On both occasions, members of Congress asked Mr. Zuckerberg about allegations that Facebook censored and suppressed content supportive of President Donald Trump and other conservatives. In his responses, Mr. Zuckerberg repeatedly and categorically denied any bias against conservative speech, persons, policies, or politics Mr. Zuckerberg also dismissed the suggestion that Facebook exercises any form of editorial manipulation.

The congressman continued: As a member of this body, I question Mr. Zuckerbergs veracity, and challenge his willingness to cooperate with our oversight authority, diverting congressional resources during time-sensitive investigations, and materially impeding our work, Gaetz, a House Judiciary Committee member, wrote. Such misrepresentations are not only unfair; they are potentially illegal and fraudulent.

Gatzs ammunition to this latest accusation against Facebook and Zuckerberg is a series of recent investigations from Project Veritas. He mentioned in the letter to Barr: recent reports from Project Veritas, featuring whistleblowers who worked as Facebooks content moderators, have shown ample evidence of Facebooks purported bias and manipulation against conservative speech.

Left leaning outlets like Business Insider were quick to besmirch Project Veritas and its founder. James Okeefe. Business Insider sloppily and biasedly wrote Project Veritas is a right-wing activist group that frequently traffics inmisinformationandpropaganda, in an effort to minimalize the impact of Gatz requests to AG Barr.

It is true that Project Veritas investigates subjects that conservatives would be interested in exposing, such as Planned Parenthood, Bernie Sanders staff members and Facebook bias. However, not a single investigation has ever been proven to be fraudulent. OKeefe carefully crafts investigations, staffs professional actors and sends them out undercover equip with recording devices to capture evidence on camera and audio. The goal is do destroy the credibility of Project Veritas, albeit with no proof.

Gatz expanded on the Project Veritas expose in the letter: according to the Veritas report and undercover footage, the adjudicators were outspoken about their political bias against Republicans, and actively chose to eliminate otherwise-allowable content from the platform and from public view simply due to its political orientation, Gaetz wrote to Barr.

This arbitrary and capricious behavior is not done in good faith and falls outside of the express intent of 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which affords Facebook liability protection as long as the platform moderates content in good faith.'

It is yet to se seen if Barr will take any action and look further into Gatz requests. This topic is nothing new to The Jewish voice, which has been tenaciously reporting on Facebook and social media censorship, and shadow banning since 2018.

In 2018, the first major banning of a conservative figure took place.

TJV reported in 2018 :

The permanent suspension of flamboyant and controversial, conservative political speaker, writer, and former Breitbart technology editor Milo Yiannopoulos from Twitter was what many consider a watershed moment in social media censorship. Yiannopoulos had several million followers on Twitter and had used social media to build his name and career to his advantage. His local appearances at college campus bring giant protests from hard left protestors as evidently free speech is no longer acceptable at universities; but it was not any radical political viewpoints that got him banned from Twitter, no it was simply insulting actress and comedian Leslie Jones.

It is at this point; the floodgates were opened. Immensely popular radio host and owner of popular alternative news site Alex Jones was methodically removed from all social media. In 2018, YouTube began suspending his account, by mid-2019, Alex Jones was 100% removed from social media. The same happened to Jewish fire-brand right-wing personality Laura Loomer, removed from all social media. There have been countless others, outright banned. The more edgy sometimes conspiratorial social media personalities are outright banned, while something sneaky frequently happens to more straight forward news entities that lean conservative: the shadowban

Shadow-banning is a clever trick designed to drive traffic and impact down of conservative outlets. Breitbart, one of the most popular news sites in America, was an early victim of shadow-banning. When you are shadowbanned on Facebook, the induvial user who may be following Breitbart, will not see any updates from the outlet on their news feed. The user has to go directly to their favorite news outlets Facebook page to see their updates. Without knowing this, one can simply forget outlets like The Jewish Voice, Daily Caller or Breitbart still exist, as the updates to do not show up when one logs into Facebook. This is a sneaky way to cause damage to media outlets not favored by Silicon Valley.

The Jewish voice can attest to the impact of shadowbanning. Since 2018, TJV has seen our traffic coming from Facebook essentially vanish. According to Facebook statistics, which one receives when running a Facebook page for a company; we witnessed the clear pattern of our posts being shadowbanned. The average post went from on average 6-7 thousand viewers seeing the post, to on average 200-300 people per post. TJV did not lose large amounts of followers, but our exposure has dropped like a rock. Many people who follow The Jewish Voice, have pointed out to us, they no longer see us on their Facebook News Feed. Our Twitter interaction has slowed to a crawl as well.

I hope Mr Barr takes this seriously and looks into not only the outright banning of conservative media figures and outlets, but the shadow banning as well, which is sneaky, unfair and negatively effects our business The Jewish Voice publisher David Benhooren told me after learning about Gaetz efforts.

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Rep. Matt Gaetz Says Zuckerberg Lied Under Oath About Facebook Conservative Censorship, calls on DOJ to Open Criminal Investigation - The Jewish Voice

Paper Mario: The Origami King Censors The Words Human Rights And Freedom… – Happy Gamer

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

If you ever want to find out who is in charge, you need to find out what you arent allowed to criticize. Or, in the case of China, find out what words they end up removing so the extremely sensitive politicians running the eastern nation into the ground dont get their delicate feelings hurt.

It was recently revealed thatPaper Mario: The Origami King has bizarre phrases censored out in the Chinese release that is removing the fundamentals driving idea behind Paper Mario, and to a greater extent, theMario franchise as a whole.

The two words that have been revealed thus far to be removed from the Chinese edition are human rights and freedom, as Toad requests the help from the derring-do plumber to release the citizens of the world from a sudden oppressive dictatorship that is pushed by The Origami King.

The irony is rich enough to taste.

In multiple releases ofPaper Mario: The Origami King, Toad states Toads have rights, Toads want freedom.

In the Chinese release, Toad states Toads want peaceful lives.

Here, we have the scenes in 4 languages.

In Japanese and English it clearly says "Toads have rights, Toads want freedom."In both Chinese version, it says "Toads want peaceful lives."

We may want to have more context behind the scene. But we clearly see the differences here. pic.twitter.com/kljHBjgm30

ShawTim (@ShawTim) July 24, 2020

An interesting look at the overall ideal that is guiding China at the moment, where freedom and personal rights are expected to be exchanged for the citizens to live in what the Chinese government presumes to be peace.

Well bypass the low-hanging fruit of China running slave camps and committing genocide against hundreds of thousands indigenous peoples while forcing them to work in labor camps that multiple corporations allegedly directly benefit from, and instead focus on the amount of power that China is rapidly gaining over video games and media as a whole.

InTotal War: Three Kingdoms, a title by Creative Assembly that focuses on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms which was a fourteenth century novel by Luo Guanzhong which focuses on the Han Dynasty and China being ripped apart as three kingdoms vie for power, multiple phrases were censored out by Creative Assembly; a move that many note smells of the Chinese government directly controlling what is allowed.

Devotion was a Taiwanese psychological-horror title that was almost impeccable in delivery and performance; then China found out that it referenced the amusing Chinese President Xi Jinping as Winnie the Pooh, and Steam quickly removed the title a mere seven days after it was released to critical acclaim.

Steam themselves, while the darling of the PC gaming industry, have shown themselves to be more than complicit in censoring works coming from Hong Kong developers that paint Chinas political corruption and acts against humanity in a negative light; while they continue to publish titles that depict children in sexual situations.

Blizzard has also been in hot water with the Blitzchung controversy; a Hong Kong resident won aHearthstone tournament and offered a message of solidarity to the Hong Kong protestors; he was quickly removed from professional play and his winnings were not going to be delivered until internet outcry proved to be a formidable force.

The underlying issue it that we have a massive number of companies that directly influence the gaming industry, and theyre all more than eager to kowtow for Chinas absurd requests, as though removing the possibility to name a land Tibet inThree Kingdoms means that Tibet doesnt exist, or that rephrasing Toads plea for help means that Chinese citizens wont have a deeply-rooted fundamental desire for freedom.

Without any of the companies willing to take a stand against the censorship that China is levying, while Tencent wraps its arms around an ever-increasing number of developers, this is only the beginning. Its becoming an out of control issue that is white-washing severe social issues, all to the tune of a few extra dollars for the corporations complicit in the censorship. Seeing all of these brave acts of solidarity as these studios attempt to side with the BLM, while clearly positing that no one matters except for profits, leaves a poor taste in the mouth.

Paper Mario: The Origami King Censors The Words Human Rights And Freedom... - Happy Gamer

What alternative social media sites are there? – Fox Business

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

Parler CEO John Matze on offering a Twitter app alternative which allows users to express free speech and engage in discussions without censorship.

Some users have become frustrated with the most mainstream social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, over alleged conservative censorship, data security issues and other concerns.

They're creating accounts on sites like Gab, 4chan and the newly minted Parler however, it's unclear whether these companies will ever take significant market share away from today'ssocial media giants.

WHO IS PARLER CEO JOHN MATZE?

Some sites, like 4chan,have reputations as gathering places for extremists since the site isloath to censor offensive posts.

Meanwhile, sites like Parler are marketing to conservatives who think that companies like Twitter and Facebook are censoring right-of-center viewpoints.

Parler's homepage. (Screenshot)

"I think they are censoring," Parler CEO John Matze Jr. told FOX Business' "Mornings with Maria." "I don't think they believe they are. I don't know that they would admitthey are, but it is pretty clear that they're behaving like publications. ... They're telling you they're an open community forum for people behaving like publications, choosing what gets to reach its audience, what doesn't."

WHO IS TWITTER CEO JACK DORSEY?

Here are some alternative social media sites trying to grow their platforms or rehab their images:

Imageboard 4chan, a weird and often lewd corner of the internet,was founded by 15-year-old Christopher Poole in 2003. The site allows users to post anonymously on topic boards that range from politics to anime.

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA SITE HAS THE MOST USERS?

Poole left 4chan and is now a product manager at Google. 4chan has grown to more than22 million monthly visitors worldwide.

Christopher Poole, founder of 4chan, speaks during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York, on Tuesday, May 25, 2010. (Ramin Talaie/Corbis via Getty Images)

4chan has also faced serious criticism for its lack of controls after killers posted gory photos of their victims, including in the case of slain teen Bianca Devins.

Andrew Torba foundedGab.comin 2016,nearly 15 years after 4chan was created, and Gabhas a much smaller user base than 4chan's. Gab's interface is similar to Twitter's, but it is banned by both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store because of its content.

WHAT IS SECTION 230?

Gab insisted it has "zero tolerance" for racism and terrorism after facing backlash when it was revealed that the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter had posted anti-Semitic messages on the website.

The site had more than 1.1 million registered users as of April.

In June, alternativesocial mediasite Parler seemedto have sprung up overnight after fed-upconservativesannouncedthey were making accounts because of Twitter's censorship policies.

But the sitehas been around since 2018 and was founded by John Matze Jr. and Jared Thomson. Both studied computer science at the University of Denver.

Conservative pundit Dan Bongino ispushing Parler afterannouncingearlier in June that he had taken an ownership stake in the platform.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Ello now describes itself as a network for "creators" after starting out as an ad-free Facebook alternative in 2014. The site was not user-friendly and therefore unable to retain a solid user base, according to TechCrunch. Its reinvention focuses on connecting artists with partnership opportunities and allowing them to share their work with the wider world.

Ello's homepage. (Screenshot)

The site had about 625,000 artists as of 2017, according to TechCrunch.

A lot of people thought we died and went away and the whole time weve been cultivating a really niche and creative community thats gotten more focused as Ive been able to enact my vision," CEO Todd Berger told TechCrunch.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

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What alternative social media sites are there? - Fox Business

Zombies, censorship, & killer giraffes: Heavy Metal reflects on making it to issue #300 – SYFY WIRE

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

As it rounds the corner toward next months milestone 300th issue, Heavy Metal magazine for decades the go-to destination for some of fans edgiest and wildest comic book rides closed ranks at Comic-Con@Home to take a look at how the seminal magazine will carry the torch in the years to come.

Coming together for a birds-eye view of the magazines place in a changing world, CEO Matthew Medney emceed an online chat with partner, publisher, and creative chief David Erwin, along with Dylan Sprouse (Sun Eater), George C. Romero (The Rise, Cold Dead War), Brendan Columbus (Savage Circus), and Dan Fogler (Fishkill, Brooklyn Gladiator, Moon Lake) all for a deep talk that veered hilariously between big-picture issues like censorship and the magazines punk-rock soul; and silly diversions (like Columbus fascination with man-eating giraffes).

First things first: everyone in the Heavy Metal family planted their flag as die-hard lovers of artistic freedom and following their creative impulses to the ends of the Earth even as the larger creative world, in Erwins word, grows more vanilla and risk-averse. Were the Ben & Jerrys, he joked, noting that his background with big-budget DC productions like Christopher Nolans Batman movies taught him the value of system-bucking artists, toiling away on far less bankable comic book ideas.

This is what I think makes Heavy Metal exciting, he explained bringing in these different personalities and taking risks and taking chances.

Not everything needs to be for everyone, Medney agreed. That idea thats kind of infected our society, that everything should be palatable for everyone, is kind of as dangerous as misinformation.

Heavy Metal was born in an era of immense social and artistic ferment, and thats exactly what Romero who said he tried for years to get his famous, zombie film-pioneering father to work with the magazine back when horror and sci-fi didnt often cross paths said he values about being a part of it.

Growing up, Romerosaid, the magazine inspired him with its willingness to go against the cultural grain and engage all kinds of artistic visions. It was an opportunity for writers to put characters into world views that everybody, kids and grown ups, could identify with, he said. By putting messaging into characters that I think we looked to almost as role models growing up, one way or another, it formed our ability as a generation to have what our parents mightve called'dangerous' thoughts

What could be more dangerous than ravenous giraffes? Everyone roasted Columbus for the insane sights that await readers of Savage Circus when HM Issue #300 arrives next month. But Columbus confessed he wasnt trying to challenge prevailing values when he came up with the idea nope; he simply wanted to have a comic where crazy, zany stuff would be the rule, rather than the exception.

I wanted to see people get torn apart by animals, he joked. Thats the why. When I opened a comic book as a kid, it was to see the things [adults didnt want you to see] so I made Savage Circus a throwback to sort of the emotional stories of the 80s for fans of all the hard-edged violence and pulpy humor the eras creators playfully engaged.

Fogler said thats the idea he was going for with Moon Lake, the Hitchcock on acid 2010 graphic novel anthology that put the current Walking Dead star on comic book fans radar. Moon Lake is an homage to everything I was not supposed to see as a kid; everything I stayed up late to watch, he said, adding that Heavy Metals 300th issue marks an important testimony to the unfettered artistic spirit.

History is repeating itself man; it feels like the 60s all over again, and Heavy Metal was birthed out of that, he reflected. What a perfect voice. [The magazine] is not going to censor us and theres so much censoring going on right now.

Featuring an English-language debut of a Moebius short story, with work from Medney, Erwin, Sprouse, Columbus, Richard Corben, Liberatore, Vaughan Bode, Stephanie Phillips, Justin Jordan, Blake Northcott, and more, Issue #300 of Heavy Metal is set to arrive on Aug. 19.

Click here for SYFY WIRE's full coverage of Comic-Con@Home 2020.

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Zombies, censorship, & killer giraffes: Heavy Metal reflects on making it to issue #300 - SYFY WIRE

New Bill Would Punish Tech Companies That Use Behavioral Ads To Collect Your Information – The Federalist

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill that would strip big tech companies of their Section 230 immunity if they use or enable manipulative, behavioral advertising.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act currently protects tech companies from liability for unlawful content that users post on their platforms. But the Behavioral Advertising Decisions Are Downgrading Services (BAD ADS) Act, which Hawley announced on Tuesday, would remove that protection for large platforms that use tactics like tracking users past location or creating personal psychological profiles to target them with ads that match their online behavior and history.

Big techs manipulative advertising regime comes with a massive hidden price tag for consumers while providing almost no return to anyone but themselves, Hawley said. From privacy violations to harming children to suppression of speech, the ramifications are very real.

This isnt the first time Hawley has gone after big tech. In June, he introduced a bill that would enable users to sue platforms for selectively censoring political speech.

In August 2019, Hawley also proposed a bill, the Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology (SMART) Act, that would prohibit social media platforms from using infinite scroll or auto refill and engagement-related awards, in an effort to combat excessive use of social media.

Two months before that, Hawley introduced the Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act, which would only grant Section 230 immunity to big tech companies that could show their content moderating practices were not politically biased.

Hawley isnt the only lawmaker critical of Section 230. Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler introduced a bill in June that would remove liability protections for platforms that censor free speech. Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham have also indicated that they would support pulling back some of the protections for big tech companies if censorship continues.

Meanwhile, the House Antitrust Subcommittee will hear from the heads of Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple on Wednesday. Conservatives expect the hearing to be an opportunity to discuss growing concerns about censorship by social media platforms.

Elle Reynolds is an intern at the Federalist, and a senior at Patrick Henry College studying government and journalism. You can follow her work on Twitter at @_etreynolds.

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New Bill Would Punish Tech Companies That Use Behavioral Ads To Collect Your Information - The Federalist

Everywhere and nowhere: The many layers of ‘cancel culture’ – Associated Press

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

NEW YORK (AP) So youve probably read a lot about cancel culture. Or know about a new poll that shows a plurality of Americans disapproving of it. Or you may have heard about a letter in Harpers Magazine condemning censorship and intolerance.

But can you say exactly what cancel culture is? Some takes:

It seems like a buzzword that creates more confusion than clarity, says the author and journalist George Packer, who went on to call it a mechanism where a chorus of voices, amplified on social media, tries to silence a point of view that they find offensive by trying to damage or destroy the reputation of the person who has given offense.

I dont think its real. But there are reasonable people who believe in it, says the author, educator and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom. From my perspective, accountability has always existed. But some people are being held accountable in ways that are new to them. We didnt talk about cancel culture when someone was charged with a crime and had to stay in jail because they couldnt afford the bail.

Cancel culture tacitly attempts to disable the ability of a person with whom you disagree to ever again be taken seriously as a writer/editor/speaker/activist/intellectual, or in the extreme, to be hired or employed in their field of work, says Letty Cottin Pogrebin, the author, activist and founding editor of Ms. magazine.

It means different things to different people, says Ben Wizner, director of the ACLUs Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

In tweets, online letters, opinion pieces and books, conservatives, centrists and liberals continue to denounce what they call growing intolerance for opposing viewpoints and the needless ruining of lives and careers. A Politico/Morning Consult poll released last week shows 44% of Americans disapprove of it, 32% approve and the remaining 24% had no opinion or didnt know what it was.

For some, cancel culture is the coming of the thought police. For others, it contains important chances to be heard that didnt exist before.

Recent examples of unpopular cancellations include the owner of a chain of food stores in Minneapolis whose business faced eviction and calls for boycotts because of racist social media posts by his then-teenage daughter, and a data analyst fired by the progressive firm Civis Analytics after he tweeted a study finding that nonviolent protests increase support for Democratic candidates and violent protests decrease it. Civis Analytics has denied he was fired for the tweet.

These incidents damage the lives of innocent people without achieving any noble purpose, Yascha Mounk wrote in The Atlantic last month. Mounk himself has been criticized for alleging that an astonishing number of academics and journalists proudly proclaim that it is time to abandon values like due process and free speech.

Debates can be circular and confusing, with those objecting to intolerance sometimes openly uncomfortable with those who dont share their views. A few weeks ago, more than 100 artists and thinkers endorsed a letter co-written by Packer and published by Harpers. It warned against a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity.

The letter drew signatories from many backgrounds and political points of view, ranging from the far-left Noam Chomsky to the conservative David Frum, and was a starting point for contradiction.

The writer and trans activist Jennifer Finney Boylan, who signed the letter, quickly disowned it because she did not know who else had attached their names. Although endorsers included Salman Rushdie, who in 1989 was forced into hiding over death threats from Iranian Islamic leaders because of his novel The Satanic Verses, numerous online critics dismissed the letter as a product of elitists who knew nothing about censorship.

One of the organizers of the letter, the writer Thomas Chatterton Williams, later announced on Twitter that he had thrown a guest out of his home over criticisms of letter-supporter Bari Weiss, the New York Times columnist who recently quit over what she called a Twitter-driven culture of political correctness. Another endorser, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, threatened legal action against a British news site that suggested she was transphobic after referring to controversial tweets that she has written in recent months.

The only speech these powerful people seem to care about is their own, the author and feminist Jessica Valenti wrote in response to the Harpers letter. (Cancel culture ) is certainly not about free speech: After all, an arrested journalist is never referred to as canceled, nor is a woman who has been frozen out of an industry after complaining about sexual harassment. Canceled is a label we all understand to mean a powerful person whos been held to account.

Cancel culture is hard to define, in part because there is nothing confined about it no single cause, no single ideology, no single fate for those allegedly canceled.

Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, convicted sex offenders, are in prison. Former television personality Charlie Rose has been unemployable since allegations of sexual abuse and harassment were published in 2017-18. Oscar winner Kevin Spacey has made no films since he faced allegations of harassment and assault and saw his performance in All the Money in the World replaced by Christopher Plummers.

Others are only partially canceled. Woody Allen, accused by daughter Dylan Farrow of molesting her when she was 7, was dropped by Amazon, his U.S. film distributor, but continues to release movies overseas. His memoir was canceled by Hachette Book Group, but soon acquired by Skyhorse Publishing, which also has a deal with the previously canceled Garrison Keillor. Sirius XM announced last week that the late Michael Jackson, who seemed to face posthumous cancellation after the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland presented extensive allegations that he sexually abused boys, would have a channel dedicated to his music.

Cancellation in one subculture can lead to elevation in others. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has not played an NFL game since 2016 and has been condemned by President Donald Trump and many others on the right after he began kneeling during the National Anthem to protest a country that oppresses black people and people of color. But he has appeared in Nike advertisements, been honored by the ACLU and Amnesty International and reached an agreement with the Walt Disney Co. for a series about his life.

You can say the NFL canceled Colin Kaepernick as a quarterback and that he was resurrected as a cultural hero, says Julius Bailey, an associate professor of philosophy at Wittenberg University who writes about Kaepernick in his book Racism, Hypocrisy and Bad Faith.

In politics, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, remains in his job 1 1/2 years after acknowledging he appeared in a racist yearbook picture while in college. Sen. Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, resigned after multiple women alleged he had sexually harassed them, but Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax of Virginia defied orders to quit after two women accused him of sexual assault.

Sometimes even multiple allegations of sexual assault, countless racist remarks and the disparagement of wounded military veterans arent enough to induce cancellation. Trump, a Republican, has labeled cancel culture far-left fascism and the very definition of totalitarianism while so far proving immune to it.

Politicians can ride this out because they were hired by the public. And if the public is willing to go along, then they can sometimes survive things perhaps they shouldnt survive, Packer says.

I think you can say that Trumps rhetoric has had a boomerang effect on the rest of our society, says PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel, who addresses free expression in her book Dare to Speak, which comes out next week. People on the left feel that he can get away with anything, so they do all they can to contain it elsewhere.

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Everywhere and nowhere: The many layers of 'cancel culture' - Associated Press

Lebanese PM urges caution amid heightened border tensions with Israel – Arab News

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

ISTANBUL: A proposed law that Turkey says will make social media companies more accountable to local regulations will rather increase censorship and accelerate a trend of authorities silencing dissent, critics including a UN body said this week.The Turkish parliament was to begin debate on Tuesday on the bill that is backed by President Tayyip Erdogans ruling AK Party, which has a majority with an allied nationalist party. It is expected to pass this week.As an overwhelming majority of the countrys mainstream media has come under government control over the last decade, Turks have taken to social media and smaller online news outlets for critical voices and independent news.Turks are already heavily policed on social media and many have been charged with insulting Erdogan or his ministers, or criticism related to foreign military incursions and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.The law would require foreign social media sites to appoint Turkish-based representatives to address authorities concerns over content and includes deadlines for its removal.Companies could face fines, blocked advertisements or have bandwidth slashed by up to 90%, essentially blocking access.Social media is a lifeline... to access news, so this law signals a new dark era of online censorship, said Tom Porteous, Human Rights Watch deputy program director. It would damage free speech in Turkey where an autocracy is being constructed by silencing media and all critical voices, he added.Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the bill would not lead to censorship but would establish commercial and legal ties with platforms.What is a crime in the real world is also crime in the digital world, he said on CNN Turk, adding that these included terrorism propaganda, insults and violation of personal rights.Turkey was second globally in Twitter-related court orders in the first six months of 2019, according to the company, and it had the highest number of other legal demands from Twitter.Erdogan has repeatedly criticized social media and said a rise of immoral acts online in recent years was due to lack of regulations.A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the draft law would give the state powerful tools for asserting even more control over the media landscape.It would further undermine the right of people in Turkey to freedom of expression, to obtain information and to participate in public and political life, said spokeswoman Liz Throsell.

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Lebanese PM urges caution amid heightened border tensions with Israel - Arab News

I will continue until I have no other choice: The art of bookselling under Hong Kongs national security law – Hong Kong Free Press

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

In the weeks since Beijing passed the Hong Kong national security law, political titles have been pulled from public library shelves, a protest slogan has been banned and students have been prohibited from political activities in schools. With lawyers, academics, and journalists expressing concern over the laws vague wording, the future of free speech and expression in the city is uncertain.

Booksellers, like the citys librarians and publishers, fear stricter regulations on the titles they are allowed to offer, creating a chilling effect among institutions which traditionally uphold and safeguard the free flow of ideas, information, and narratives.

Fears for the independent bookselling arena in Hong Kong first arose in 2015, when five staff members of Causeway Bay Books which sold political gossip titles disappeared. Then, in mid-2018, it was revealed that the China Liaison Office in Hong Kong owned the company controlling Sino United Publishing (SUP), which in turn controlled more than half the citys bookstores.

But there are still booksellers in Hong Kong who continue to safeguard against Chinese influence. Albert Wan of Bleak House Books, a local English-language bookstore at the heart of a tight-knit reading community, is committed to resisting any changes in how he runs his business. This includes continuing to stock sensitive political titles that could potentially contravene the law: [These titles] mostly would be books that are not published by large presses. Books that relate specifically to Hong Kong and the law, the Umbrella Movement, or protests from last summer these are obviously the most sensitive books, he told HKFP.

He now wonders whether previously unproblematic titles will become contraband: Under the new law, and based on what we know happens in mainland China, would it be a problem to stock 1984, Animal Farm, or On Tyranny? [What about] general theory-based books [or] academic texts about revolutionary movements that have taken place in China in the past? Who knows?

As a former US lawyer before running his own bookshop, Wan is sceptical about the legal validity of recent government-issued statements about what may or may not be acceptable: Its hard to tell where the red-lines are. Everyones saying it, but its true. It doesnt help when the government willy-nilly comes out and makes statements about the law or how people might be violating it. Theres no official interpretation. What the government says, at least in my understanding of how things work their statements are not the law, he said.

Wan is not the only independent bookstore owner frustrated by the legislation. May Fung of ACO Book a local bookstore specialising in arts and culture also expressed concern: Every publication on any subject is now subject to this national security law. I think it is dangerous and I am somewhat worried, she told HKFP.

If we still lived in a society with rule of law and a legal system we can trust, we can go to court and the court will fairly decide whether or not a certain title contravenes the law. But this new national security agency is outside of the government, so thats not necessarily the case now; we dont know whether or not they will be fair.

However, Fung, like Wan, is committed to business as usual, unless forced to do otherwise. I wont stop operations because [the government] may or may not ban certain titles. We will keep doing what we are doing until we are forced into a corner, she said.

Since the anti-extradition law protests started last June, Wan and his store have taken a clear stance in support of the pro-democracy movement. He says that, especially for indie bookstores like Bleak House, it is difficult to stay apolitical.

I dont think theres anything wrong with being apolitical, its really up to the person who runs the bookshop. I think its a problem to not have a stance personally, but it doesnt necessarily have to translate into what you do for work, he said. [But] its a little hard to do that when youre selling books the books you stock reflect the perspectives and the ideologies of the person or people running the bookshop its harder for smaller bookshops to be in the middle and not take a side.

When asked whether he will obey orders to pull books off his shelves for the sake of national security, Wan gave a tentative answer: We would not go and start pulling books off our shelves just because we receive [an order to do so]. It depends on the nature of the order and what itll look like.

We are very hesitant to go down the path of any kind of censorship, whether its self-imposed or whether its imposed from outside because if we go down that road theres really no turning back.

Fung echoed the sentiment: I dont want to go to prison but I will not self-censor until I absolutely have no other choice, she said.

Despite their commitment to resisting self-censorship, both Wan and Fung said they have to weigh the risks to their livelihoods and the safety of those around them.

My initial reaction will be to tell them to f-off, but I also have a bookstore to run I have responsibilities as a husband and father, Wan said. Its a matter of how muchI feel like I can keep doing [what Im doing] and not be a burden and compromise the safety of my family.

If they do come and tell us certain books can no longer be sold like we saw with Causeway Books, then I will have to stop selling the titles to protect my colleagues from being arrested, Fung said.

Elsewhere in the city, international bookstores are adopting a more cautious approach under the new law. The manager of a bookstore selling books by a German publisher, who requested to remain anonymous, told HKFP their brand has had to self-censor for the sake of business.

Following the passing of the national security law, we do feel that the freedom that once existed has been curtailed. he said. For example, we used to be very carefree and bold in our displays in art fairs in the city, we even put on display a book about Tibet in recent years.

This year, however, the new law has forced them to rein in their displays. We sell lots of books on very diverse subjects. But there is definitely more self-censorship now. At the end of the day, we are a business entity, he said.

This doesnt necessarily mean the international brand will steer clear of every potentially problematic title in Hong Kong: In our shop, we are still selling books by Ai Wei Wei. Its just for higher-profile events, we now have to be less bold.

Under the security law, the company is approaching bookselling in Hong Kong with lessons learnt from its operations on the mainland. While we have healthy business relations on the mainland, we have been careful about the types of books we sell in the mainland Chinese market. For example, we stay away from selling more sensitive books such as those depicting maps or dealing with religion. the manager said.

Beyond preemptive self-censorship, international bookshops in the city may encounter direct censorship as the laws implementation unfolds. If told to remove certain titles from their catalogue, the brand would have to comply: We are a business in Hong Kong and have no choice but to follow the law.

This, however, is a marked change from the companys original intentions when setting up operations in the city more than ten years ago: Its not necessarily what we want since we set up our regional office in Hong Kong as it was a free city and one of Asias capitals with the freedom of publication, the manager added.

We can still run a healthy business even with the tighter controls and with more titles becoming more sensitive. However, we will have to see how the new law unfolds to see if we will further expand in the city.

HKFP also approached other large book chains in the city, including Swindon Books, Bookazine, and HKMoAs TheBookshop, but did not receive any response.

In spite of the rapidly changing political landscape, booklovers are still carrying on as before. Commenting on whether he has seen a change in his bookstores community, Wan was surprised at the lack of immediate change: We thought that people were going to change their book-buying habits after they passed the law because we have books and literature at the bookshop that some people might deem problematic, he said. But people are still buying the same books they were buying before the law was passed.

The manager for the German-based retailer suggested that customers themselves still had the agency to resist censorship and the curtailing of freedoms through their spending: Our customers are using their purchasing power in the same way, they are buying the same titles they did before.

Likewise, despite the pressures, Wan said he believes bookstores too must continue to play their quiet yet crucial rolein facilitating access to knowledge: [Our] duty is just to keep the flow of information going. To keep it as open and as wide and as free as possible. Theres nothing special they have to do. Its not like they have to fight back or say anything thats especially incendiary or provocative, he said.

He said he has this hope for other bookstores: Just [keep] doing business the way they used to before the law was passed. Just maintaining that sense of freedom that is a trademark of Hong Kong society. This is what sets it apart from the mainland. To maintain that atmosphere and that culture is important.

For Fung, keeping her store open and uncensored is a question of keeping knowledge accessible for all.

I think bookstores play an important role in providing access to knowledge in the community. Not everybody has access to an official education so its vital to keep providing a channel of knowledge to society, she said. This is important for me, and I think lots of people also believe in this.

And the future for Hong Kong bookstores? The fate of bookstores is sort of tied to [Hong Kong] as a society thats rooted in law and free expression and transparency. You cannot run a bookstore without those core principles in place, Wan said.

The way Hong Kong goes, bookshops will go. Right now it doesnt look good, but who knows? We just have to stay hopeful and keep doing what were doing.

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I will continue until I have no other choice: The art of bookselling under Hong Kongs national security law - Hong Kong Free Press

Interview: Rep. Jody Hice on Defund the Police and Big Tech Censorship – Merion West

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

(Getty)

But there is no question that weve got some major issues, and free speech is so dependent these days on these big tech companies, so they have to be very careful that free speech is protected. And, of course, theres a pattern now that shows otherwise

On July 21st, Merion West editor Erich Prince was joined by Rep. Jody Hice, a Republican who represents Georgias 10th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Rep. Hice has also joined Merion Westfor previous discussions in 2018 and 2019.) In this conversation, Mr. Prince and Rep. Hice discuss recent unrest in the country, including the Defund the Police movement, which has gained particular inroads recently in cities such as New York and Minneapolis. Rep. Hice then also weighs in on recent concerns about free speech, including allegations that various technology companies have an anti-conservative bias.

Good morning, Congressman. Nice to talk to you again and thanks so much for your time. I want to start off by quickly saying that I understand the President was in Atlanta last weekand that you had the chance to fly with him on Air Force One. How was that experience?

Great experienceits always wonderful to be with the president, but to be on Air Force One is just icing on the cake to be with him in that environmentjust an amazing experience all the way around.

I saw a video you posted on Twitter showing your constituents the conference room [on board], and you shared with them a message about getting involved in politics.

Yeah, you know we are a country of We the People; our voice matters. I feel like Im an example of that myself; [I] never dreamed Id be in a place like this. And I just want to encourage other people that their voices matter; their votes matter; and to step up to the plate in whatever capacity they can and to be involved. I thought the place, the conference room on Air Force One, was appropriate for getting that message out on.

Jumping ahead, I read your June op-ed in The Daily Caller End RacismNot the Police, as well as your recent letters co-signed with a few other colleagues to the mayors of New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis. Obviously, this anti-police moment is gaining a lot of traction. What do you think is the best way to turn the tide against this from your perspective?

I think, in fact, Americans in generalin every polltheyre opposed to defunding the police or eradicating police departments. People understand that its impossible to have law and order if you dont have law enforcement in the mix. And this attempt to remove all law enforcement in their capacity to maintain law and order is only going to create further chaos and more crime. And, of course, thats what were seeing in all of those three cities that you mentioned: Crime is up; violent crime is up. Its ludicrous to think that we can maintain a civil society without police departments and law enforcement.

And closer to home for youobviously, Atlantas not your districtbut that was an area that was hit pretty hard by things. And there were reports about morale suffering within law enforcement, such as reports of walkouts by police in Atlantas Zone 6 in particular.What are you hearing around the state of Georgiawhether in your district or around the statefrom law enforcement?

As you mention, Atlanta is not in my district, but I have spoken to many law enforcement individuals in the 10th district of Georgia, and its a difficult time. We are not seeing the same type of protests as have happened in Atlanta and some other major cities. What protests there have been in our district have been peaceful and that type of thing, but the overarching question that you bring up is: How is the Defund the Police movement impacting these various departments, sheriff departments, police departments?

And it is impacting them. They are having great difficulty in hiring people, even receiving applications from individuals who are interested in law enforcement. And thats been an area in the past that people have been proud to be in law enforcement, to be public servants in that capacity, but now its a different scenario. And even in rural parts of our nation, that is having an impact.

On the flip side, one does see some of this effort to show extra support for police. I saw a weekend or two ago in Queens [New York] that there was a very sizable pro-police march, so perhaps some of the people on the other side [of this debate] are also trying to make their voices heard.

Yes, and I think youre going to see more of that because, again, the vast majority of Americans understand that the vast majority of police officers are great people, and theyre public servants. Are there bad actors? Of course, there are, and those are the individuals we need to go after. Thats where the problems that exist need to be dealt with and eradicated. But to punish entire departments is doing nothing other than punishing entire communities and cities. Its just the wrong way to go about it, and I think the majority of Americans are keenly aware of that, and they will be supporting the police departments.

So, yesterday when I was getting together this interview discussion, I was planning to ask you about free speech in a number of places, and one of the places was big tech. Then I saw your letter that you tweeted this morning about free speech, Twitter, big tech, and potential censorship. I know the Tom Cotton Twitter controversy a couple of weeks ago received a lot of attention. So, in the aftermath of recent events and free speech being arguably very much in the crosshairs, what is your thinking about the path forward as far as big tech?

Actually, there is going to be a hearing in judiciary with the big four big tech companies next week, so we will have a better feel next week as to where this whole thing is going to go. But there is no question that weve got some major issues, and free speech is so dependent these days on these big tech companies, so they have to be very careful that free speech is protected. And, of course, theres a pattern now that shows otherwise, and we want to stop that before it becomes a serious infringement upon peoples right to speak.

And I know a lot of people were concerned in particular with this perception that Twitter was employing its new fact-check feature disproportionately against conservatives, for example.

Yes, theres multiple examples of that, and, of course, there have been hearings trying to deal with those issues in the past during which [these companies] have assured us that their algorithms do not show bias towards conservative groupsbut its not just about algorithms. Its about the individuals who are working there, meaning those employees who do, in fact, carry biases, and they are able to override the algorithms. So, its a little disingenuous for these companies to say that our algorithms do not show any bias because thats not the only problem thats involved in this. And I think that issue has now come to light, and now well have to approach it from not only the systems themselves but also the people who are working those systems.

Lastly, college campuses have been a major discussion point when it comes to free speech. What are you seeing in Georgia [on this front]? Are you thinking about if this becomes an issue at various Georgia universities how to ensure free speech is taken care of there?

Right now, the big issue is if were even going to have college campuses and people meeting on those campuses, obviously. But, in the past, there have definitely been some issues in Georgia and across the country. And we are going to continue to keep a close pulse on that everywhere in this country, including college campuses. They should be the place where people have the right to express their ideas in the public square without fear of intimidation, or harassment, or punishment.

Unfortunately, that has not always been the case on college campuses, and there have been multiple lawsuits, and most of those lawsuits come out favorably. And, yet, the problem continues, so we will continue fighting and keeping a pulse on it here from the federal level as best as we can. Many of us up here at least have that as a major, important issue, and we will continue protecting the free rights of these students.

I appreciate your time, Congressman. Always nice to touch basethank you.

Always nice to talk with you. Thank you, Erich.

Erich J. Prince is the editor at Merion West. Erichhas contributed to a variety of publications includingThe Philadelphia Inquirer,the Hartford Courant,The News & Observer, the Orlando Sentinel, andThe Hill. His opinion writing has been honored with two awards from the Columbia University School of Journalism. He studied political science at Yale, completing his thesis on the history of polarization in the United States Congress.

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Interview: Rep. Jody Hice on Defund the Police and Big Tech Censorship - Merion West

The Tech Analyst Who Screamed Buy TSM at $50! – Yahoo Finance

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

I just recorded the video segment of the Top Stock Picks of the Week and my investment idea was Micron (MU), the megalodon of memory.

In the video, I shared some of my Friday note to Zacks Ultimate members where I described the tectonic shift that just happened in the semiconductor industry, causing earthquakes and tsunamis in the geology of three stocks: Intel (INTC), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM).

The bulk of that report follows below -- where I explain the seismic shift and why INTC was down 16% Friday while AMD was up an equal amount -- but what I forgot I wanted to do in today's video was give a big shout to my colleague Dan Laboe.

Dan has been extremely bullish on Taiwan Semi (aka TSMC) all year and produced several pieces of content on the company throughout the Coronavirus Crash and subsequent rally in the March through May period -- when shares were still trading near $50.

He saw their go-to foundry business as a cash machine, where unique chip designers like NVIDIA (NVDA), AMD and Apple would simply contract TSM's advanced semi fab facilities to build their hardware with state-of-the-art 7-nanometer transistor technology.

In May, here were several of his reports and insights in articles and in his excellent video blog, The 4th Revolution...

So if you were really listening to Dan in May, you would have been buying TSM shares near $50.

I was listening, but not really, seeing TSM's $270 billion market cap as a headwind since it traded at over 6 times forward sales estimates -- vs Intel's $250 billion trading near 3X sales.

And most Wall Street analysts weren't that bullish either, probably for the same valuation concerns that ignored the shifts that were actually occurring in major semiconductor industry trends.

As recently as July 10, Susquehanna reiterated their "Sell" rating and $40 price target on TSM shares.

How wrong we were to miss the gold mine unfolding for TSM -- that only a few analysts saw, like Matt Bryson at Wedbush (more on his April initiation coming up), and Dan.

And last Thursday's Intel quarterly report delivered the proof (as you'll see in my story below) when CEO Bob Swan had to admit they were as much as one year behind on their internal roadmap for developing their own 7nm technology in-house.

But even before the shocking 10% rally in TSM on Friday -- and another 10% rally today -- Dan was out early last week reiterating his bullish views on TSM with these reports...

When a tech stock gumshoe like Dan has this much conviction on an investment idea, it pays to find out why.

So stick with Dan and give him a thumbs up on his Fourth Revolution videos! (link to Zacks YouTube archives)

In addition to Dan's excellent research, here was an investment bank view where the analyst employs a detailed revenue and earnings model...

Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson initiated coverage of Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) with an Outperform rating. In his April 27 research report, the analyst cited numerous secular drivers that should result in more demand for semiconductor capacity, including growth in AI related applications.

Bryson also sees both China's desire for semiconductor independence and Intel's recent struggles to advance its manufacturing as trends that should push relatively faster growth for foundries and particularly advanced process node capacity, including 7nm and 5nm.

He believes TSMC's market share and technological leadership in the foundry space position it to be the primary beneficiary of these trends. While acknowledging that U.S. trade and technology IP policy decisions with regards to Huawei could cloud this year's visibility, the analyst expects both factors will have modest impact on TSMC's longer term prospects as it adapts to a diverse and growing global customer base including NVIDIA, Apple, and AMD.

Now here was part of my commentary to my TAZR Trader group on Friday to explain the semi seismic shift...

INTC Drops a 10NM Bomb!

Tonight, I want to focus on exactly what the heck happened with Intel that dropped its shares 16% -- and ignited an equal sized rally in AMD!

Here's what I began to write you this morning as I almost sent a Buy Alert for more Micron (MU) under $50...

The amazing storm in Semis today -- with INTC -16% and AMD +16% -- revolves around Intel's mea culpa that they are as much as one year behind on their internal roadmap to roll out significant 7nm (nanometer) technology.

This means that the leading semiconductor innovator who makes almost everything in-house will probably have to outsource to Taiwan Semi and others to meet demand next year.

In any case, it's great for NVDA as well as AMD.

And even though MU has bigger hurdles with DRAM and NAND dropping down from 10nm to 7nm, they will probably get there before Intel.

(end of my draft Buy Alert for MU)

The reason I didn't pull the trigger on more MU under $50 is because I wanted to do more homework on just when they will have more visibility on sub-10nm capability. I found some things out as they partner with a little private "chipper" named Achronix. More details to follow there.

This was very good to learn so that we know that the Taiwan Semi fab can't own everyone in the space. (TSM shares were up 10% today on this INTC semi-debacle-rotation).

So let's look at what Intel promised and how they failed to deliver, causing a rush to the competion.

You may recall in our numerous discussions of NVIDIA technology -- and most recently after their May GTC gig -- that they were pushing the envelope of nanoscale architecture in semiconductor engineering.

The essence of Moore's Law and how NVDA reinvents it is the ability to dive deeper into the nano-sphere and leverage speed with massively parallel architectures.

And the engineering teams at NVIDIA, led by visionary CEO Jensen Huang, are conducting deep R&D in their GPU chips to leverage not just video game advances, but also the bleeding edges of AI.

We know that NVIDIA has already contracted Taiwan Semi for various 7nm applications, like their new Ampere A100 GPU board for data centers with an amazing 54 billion transistors. This is the next-gen power level for exascale supercomputers and AI research.

According to the gang at TomsHardware.com in a May 14 article, "Nvidia basically couldn't make a larger GPU, as the maximum reticle size for current lithography is around 850mm square. The increase in transistor count comes courtesy of TSMC's 7nm FinFET (fin field-effect transistor) process, which AMD, Apple, and others have been using for a while now. It's a welcome and necessary upgrade to the aging 12nm process behind Volta."

And here were whispers in April that NVIDIA might be going deeper yet, courtesy of TechRadar and DigiTimes...

Nvidias reportedly ordering 5nm chips for a mystery product

By Darren Allan April 24, 2020

As it ups orders on 7nm, hopefully indicating RTX 3000 GPUs are still on track

Nvidia is making something using a 5nm process, according to the rumor mill, although its anyones guess what that hardware could be.

This comes from a DigiTimes report about how chipmaker TSMC is benefiting from a ramp-up in orders from Nvidia and AMD, and apparently part of Nvidias demands pertain to a 5nm chip.

A quick review of "nanoscale" terminology in the microscopic universe of integrated circuitry may be in order...

A micrometer, or micron, is equal to one millionth of a meter.

A nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter.

For a vital visual reference when we're talking about the nanoscale world, here's a good graphic from Wikimedia Commons to illustrate just how small semiconductor engineering has been able to shrink itself to where transistors are 10nm (nanometers) or less, and smaller than the coronavirus...

I mentioned Thursday night that we should be buyers of AMD under $60 and we never got the chance today as it soared to nearly $70 because since it already uses TSM for 7nm fab it can fill the gaps in pc, laptop, and gaming hardware while Intel can't.

At least NVDA held it's own as the predominant data center geek with 7nm capability.

And here was the biting analysis from the chip guys at Raymond James last week after the Intel bomb...

Moore's Law Doesn't Wait for Intel

INTC noted it is developing contingency plans to begin outsourcing given the internal roadmap slip -- and our view is that outsourcing has now become inevitable. By outsourcing leading edge technology, presumably to TSMC, INTC would give up what has been its main source of competitive advantage for 50 years and compete only on architecture, which we dont think is enough to maintain the dominant market share and premium margins that are now expected.

In addition, the push out of 7nm (and the associated performance improvement) will provide further incentive for cloud customers to move to custom solutions and accelerated compute platforms from vendors such as NVDA, rather than to use products based on INTCs inferior transistors. Nonetheless, we view the roadmap missteps to be stunning failure for a company once known for flawless execution, and could well represent the end of INTCs computing dominance.

(end of RJ notes)

So where is MU in all of this? (and note that the stock symbol for Micron is similar to the international measure for a micrometer)

Well, it's complicated. This article will help explain the challenges for DRAM and NAND suppliers to go sub-10nm...

Why DRAM is stuck in a 10nm trap

By Chris Mellor -April 13, 2020

Why is DRAM confined in a 10nm semiconductor process prison when microprocessors and the like are being built using 7nm processes, with 5nm on the horizon? If DRAM could be fabricated with a 7nm process, costs per GB would go down.

However, for the next few years 7nm DRAM is fantasy, due to capacitor and other electrical limitations at the sub-10nm level.

DRAM is more expensive and more tricky to manufacture than processor silicon, due to its critical nature. It has to hold data over many logic clock cycles. So it will lag in fabrication processes.

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The Tech Analyst Who Screamed Buy TSM at $50! - Yahoo Finance

Amazons Utopia Trailer Introduces the New Apocalypse at Comic-Con (Watch) – Variety

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

Amazon Prime Video has released a new trailer for its long-gestating American adaptation of Utopia.

The one-minute trailer imagines the end of the world with snippets of young comic fans who discover that the conspiracy and beloved protagonist in a graphic novel (entitled Utopia) is real. Its ominous cinematography and editing capture their high-stakes journey to save humanity.

It is a story about a rogue scientist who created biological warfare, says an unnamed character in the trailer, which you can watch above.

We have no idea what the end of the worlds gonna bring, [but] french cut string beans arent gonna save anybody, says another character.

During the Comic-Con@Home panel for the show, writer and executive producer Gillian Flynn said that even though she started this project almost seven years ago, it has never felt more resonant. She also shared her adaptation process for fans of the original British series.

My idea was to not only Americanize it and deal with things that are resonant to Americans in a lot of ways but to also make things gritty and dirty and nasty in a very realistic way, she said. Whereas [Dennis Kelly, the U.K. shows writer] took his cue from the graphic novels themselves, I took my cue more from the 70s paranoia thrillers that I love.

John Cusack, who plays Dr. Kevin Christie, the CEO of a multinational corporation producing new food sources, said he got hooked on the show as soon as he received a call from Flynn. He got his hands on six or seven episodes and read them all at once, finishing them by three in the morning.

It was amazing writing, great characters and truly a world and a take that I hadnt seen before, he said. Really ambitious, really audacious, sophisticated, crude, shocking, funny as hell.

Of his character, Cusack said:Hes someone whos trying to make the world a better place from the 1% down. What he says to his family every day is, What have you done to earn your place in this crowded world? So thats kind of a mantra he repeats. So every day, people who work at his company or people who he makes contact with feel that they have a need to be of service to this world, not just take.

Wilson, who plays a lower-level scientist named Michael Sterns, shared that although his character has been neglected and passed over for grants, through his past work, he ends up connected to a much larger global kind of medical conspiracy and gets drawn in and slowly by slowly, episode by episode, becomes an unlikely hero.

Similar to the British series, Amazons Utopia follows comic fans who first meet online, bonding over their obsession of a seemingly fictional comic, but soon they are drawn into a high-octane adventure to save the world after meeting the comics famed central character Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane).

Previously, Flynn told Variety the show was like catnip to her. Dennis Kellys show blew my mind, and he has been so incredibly generous in letting me crack open his world and play around in it and make it my own weird, wild place. Utopia is all about exploring resonant issues within dark, twisted storytelling its a series thats urgent and current and a little holy-crap, but a hell of a lot of fun.

Jessica Rhoades, Sharon Hall, Karen Wilson, Sharon Levy and Kelly also executive produce the series, which is a co-production between Endemol Shine North America and Kudos and Amazon Studios.

In addition to Lane, Cusack and Wilson, the show stars Dan Byrd, Ashleigh LaThrop, Jessica Rothe, Desmin Borges, Javon Wanna Walton, Farrah Mackenzie, Christopher Denham and Cory Michael Smith.

Utopia will launch this fall on Amazon.

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Amazons Utopia Trailer Introduces the New Apocalypse at Comic-Con (Watch) - Variety

Fairy houses, deals in the Berkshires, and Vikings new Mississippi cruises – The Boston Globe

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

HERE

OUTDOOR CULINARY PROGRAMS AND FAIRY HOUSES

Looking for fun, creative, and tasty summer experiences? Highfield Hall & Gardens in Falmouth has announced two culinary programs, the locally sourced Farm to Table series and Sizzlin Summer Fare with global flavors. Keeping each participants health in mind, every class will meet outdoors on the lawn or on the porch, with plenty of space for socially-distant learning. Surrounded by the propertys flowers, fresh herb gardens, and beautiful views, participants will explore the best in grilling techniques and recipes (every Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., through Sept. 2; $60-$70). While youre there, dont miss the outdoor summer exhibition, Your Utopia: Lessons From the Fairies, featuring fairy house creations made by artists, families, and children nestled along paths, nooks, and crannies on the property (through Sept. 30; 508-495-1878, highfieldhallandgardens.org/).

SUMMER SAVINGS IN THE BERKSHIRES

Take advantage of low prices in the bucolic Berkshires this summer with the 30 percent discounts offered at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Welcoming guests back to its iconic front porch with relaxing rocking chairs the inn is serving al fresco breakfast, lunch, and dinner at The Courtyard, as well as seasonal cocktails and drafts from local craft breweries like Berkshires Brewing Company. The main dining room is now also open for meals. Getting out in nature is easy, as the inn is surrounded by forests with hundreds of walking paths, foot trails, and steep climbs suitable for hiking or biking. Rates from $150 per night with the 30 percent discount. 413-298-5545, http://www.redlioninn.com/getaway-deals. If youve got a hankering for some tasty takeout, its a short hop to Truc Orient Express in West Stockbridge, a 42-year-old, family-run restaurant serving authentic Vietnamese foods available for curbside pickup Thursday through Sunday. 413-232-4204, http://www.facebook.com/TrucRestaurant/

OLD-SCHOOL SEAFOOD IN THE SUNSHINE

Get out of town on a lobster-centric road trip to the Lobster Trap in Bourne, located just 2 miles from the Bourne Bridge rotary, on Shore Road overlooking the Back River. Guests can enjoy summer breezes on the patio while gorging on popular items such as traditional lobster rolls, steamed whole lobsters (with potato salad and corn), and lobster Reubens, grilled on marble rye with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Not a lobster fan? The menu offers a variety of local seafood sourced straight from fishing boats including crabs, quahogs, mussels, steamers, fish, and more. (There are also burgers and barbecue ribs for carnivores.) Online ordering for pickup and take-home also available. 508-759-7600, http://www.lobstertrap.net/

THERE:

MUSIC-THEMED GETAWAY

Those looking for a not-too-far-away getaway can take a music-themed trip to the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. The recently reopened Museum at Bethel Woods, the historic site of 1969s Woodstock festival, is once again welcoming visitors to experience its immersive multimedia exhibits that take you on a journey through the cultural transformations of the decade with artifacts, films, music, and more. (No more than 25 percent occupancy allowed to ensure social distancing; http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/museum.) Its a 90-minute drive north to stay at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls, a whimsical hotel offering fully-immersive stays in rooms such as Tonys Dancefloor, a nod to the disco era, and The Partridge Nest, inspired by the artist Mondrian and the Partridge Family bus. Or sing your way along the yellow brick road for a stay in The Wizards Emeralds, an over-the-top Oz-themed room. Rates from $139 a night. 607-326-7200, theroxburyexperience.com

VIKING ADDS 2023 MISSISSIPPI CRUISES

Plan ahead for sailing along the mighty Mississippi with Viking. The companys first custom vessel, Viking Mississippi, makes its debut in August 2022, though with many of its first voyages sold out, Viking has made additional 2023 sailings available for booking now. Four eight- to 15-day cruises Americas Great River, Americas Heartland, Heart of the Delta, and Southern Celebration are scheduled for ports of call in seven US states: Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans, and St. Francisville); Mississippi (Natchez and Vicksburg); Tennessee (Memphis); Missouri (Hannibal, St. Louis); Iowa (Burlington, Dubuque, and Davenport); Wisconsin (La Crosse); and Minnesota (Red Wing, St. Paul). The new state-of-the-art Viking Mississippi will host 386 guests in 193 all outside staterooms. Inaugural pricing starts at $3,699 per person, with discounted airfare from $199 per person. 800-304-9616, http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/ships/mississippi/viking-mississippi.html

EVERYWHERE:

SANITIZER SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

Whether journeying across country or to the supermarket, hand sanitizer is a needed travel accessory that is often hard to find. Founded as a solution to unethical hoarding, price gouging, and product shortage, Sanitizer.com is a US-based subscription service that helps keep your hands and devices germ-free with high-quality, multipurpose sanitizer sprays. Created in strict accordance with WHOs guidelines, the 80 percent-alcohol-based formula can disinfect hands as well as sanitize high-touch surfaces. Simply sign up for a monthly subscription, and choose either one sanitizer for $6.99 or three for $20 to be delivered to your door monthly. The 2-ounce bottles are ideal when youre on the go and washing hands isnt possible. http://www.sanitizer.com

NECEE REGIS

Necee Regis can be reached at neceeregis@gmail.com.

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Fairy houses, deals in the Berkshires, and Vikings new Mississippi cruises - The Boston Globe

Buxton Author Rachelle Chase To Join Starting Line Team – iowastartingline.com

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

Iowa Starting Line is very pleased to announce the newest member of our ever-growing Iowa reporting team. Rachelle Chase will start in August as our Waterloo-based reporter.

You may recognize her name, but if not, youre likely familiar with her work. Chase has written two books on Buxton, Iowa, the historic coal town that existed as a Black Utopia at the turn of the 20th century, where white and black residents worked and lived together in harmony. Shes spoken extensively across Iowa about the town and her research into it.

Chase is a longtime author who has lived and worked all across the country in many different fields, moving to Iowa from San Francisco in 2014 several years after hearing about Buxton from a friend in Iowa. She currently lives in Ottumwa.

This will serve as Starting Lines first fully community-based reporting position. While Starting Line started out as mostly a political insider site in January 2015, our news outlet has grown considerably since, expanding into significant policy and government reporting since our large expansion to multiple full-time reporters in 2019 during the Iowa Caucus.

Now we want to try out doing a sustained examination of a single Iowa city, building up sources and local knowledge to tell in-depth and unique stories. The overarching goal will be to tell the story of one of the most diverse cities in Iowa and lift up the stories of the people there, their communities, the challenges they face, and the solutions local leaders are working on. We have funding to run this new project for at least six months, but will be looking for more.

Chase wont be starting up until next week, but you can start sending story suggestions or tips to her at Rachelle@IowaStartingLine.com.

For those keeping track, our post-caucus core Starting Line team is: Libby Meyer, our federal reporter; Isabella Murray, our investigative and statehouse reporter; Claudia Thrane, our Immigrant Voices reporter; Adam Henderson, our administrative director; Pat Rynard, the managing editor; and now Rachelle Chase, our soon-to-be Waterloo reporter.

Posted 7/28/20

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Buxton Author Rachelle Chase To Join Starting Line Team - iowastartingline.com

‘Afterland’: A World Without Men, Amen – Book and Film Globe

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Danzig

Lauren Beukes new novel imagines what happens after a virus kills nearly every male

It cant be easy to have a pandemic novel hit the market in an actual pandemic. You do all the research and plotting and hard work of creating a plausible apocalypse, and then when it publishes, people can experience the real thing by doomscrolling Twitter.

Lauren Beukes, to her credit, has created a different dystopian vision than the one were all currently enduring. In her new novel Afterland, Beukes the author of The Shining Girls, recently ordered to series by Apple TV imagines a world where 99 percent of men have died from HCV. Its a virus that triggers massive, fatal cancers, starting with their prostates.

The manopocalypse, as its called, has been done before in Brian K. Vaughans comic-book series Y: The Last Man, although Vaughan killed every male on Earth but one (and his pet monkey). Beukes pandemic is slower and more grounded in science, but the result is still Biblical in scale: 3.2 billion men and boys dead.

Three years later, Cole and her son Miles, one of the last 12-year-old boys on the planet, have escaped from the custody of the federal government. Theyre trying to get home to South Africa. This is complicated by Coles sister, Billie, whos promised Miles to human traffickers. There are people who will pay almost anything for a live male.

After cracking Billie across the head with a tire iron, Cole and Miles, disguised as Mila, take off on a road trip across a transformed United States. Along the way, they encounter abandoned senior living developments being reclaimed by the desert, an anarchist commune in Salt Lake City, and finally, the Church of All Sorrows, a cult dedicated to apologizing profusely for the plague in the belief that it will eventually bring the men back.

Cole, unlike most of the characters of apocalypse fiction, is not an omnicompetent action hero. Shes human, trapped in an impossible situation. She makes mistakes, like allowing Miles to post their location on Instagram, and shes wracked with guilt and sorrow and loss. At one point, overwhelmed, she forces Miles to beg the Church for a ride. All Cole wants is to protect her son, but in the process, she reveals a conscience that will not stop hectoring her about the steps she takes to do that.

Miles is 12 years old, so of course he appreciates this not at all. On the edge of puberty, hes often annoying or a jerk to his mom, because there are some things that not even the end of the world can change.

To be fair, neither of them are aware that Billie, still alive despite a brain injury, is hard on their trail, assisted by a couple of armed thugs. Billie is instantly recognizable to anyone whos had a perennial fuck-up in the family. She has no idea why the collection agency is calling, she didnt think youd be so uptight about borrowing your credit card, she barely even touched that cop, that judge was being so unfair. She is the particularly ugly variety of selfish that cannot imagine anything more important than her own needs, even if that means selling her nephew.

But outside of the chase, there are moments when the world that contains Cole and Miles and Billie feels strangely incomplete. Beukes Beautiful Monsters shows she can make her settings come alive with almost surrealistic attention to the key details. There is an interlude that describes how the world deals with the Thanos-like reduction in population, and it only feels like the beginning of the story.

Half the humans on Earth have died, and it seems like the survivors would still be knee-deep in bodies rather than posting on social media and making Starbucks runs. Globally, we are currently at less than .02 percent of that death toll, and we are not handling it well at all. Its unfair that we can test fiction against reality here in 2020, but there are times in the narrative when maybe there should be more endless screaming.

Still, that might be male ego talking. Rebecca Solnit has argued that disasters unite people, rather than separating them, so its possible that women are simply better at getting their shit together in the face of a global pandemic. Theres strong evidence that this is the case in the real world. See Germany and New Zealand, or the way my wife makes masks and friendship bread while I binge-read comic books.

And getting rid of all the men would definitely solve the problem of the guys in the zombie movies who hoard supplies, shoot others at random, and hide their infection until its too late. (Its worth noting here that men commit the vast majority of all violent crime in the U.S.)

Thats not to say the women-only world is a utopia. As Beukes said in an interview, women can be bad guys, too. Its nice to hope for a villain-free society once the men are mostly gone. But Billie and her collaborators show that sociopathic assholes arent just one gender. Thats sadly true outside of fiction, too. Witness every YouTube video featuring a Karen Gone Wild or the CPS files of mothers who abuse their kids.

Afterland challenges the assumptions that weve swallowed in our constant diet of apocalypse porn, especially the belief that we will all inevitably descend into cannibalism and chaos. It is not a zombie movie, or the world according to Mad Max. Its our world, cut in half, and Beukes shows us how the survivors try to live with the wound.

(Tor, July 28, 2020)

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'Afterland': A World Without Men, Amen - Book and Film Globe

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