Gone With the Wind and the Difference Between Censorship and Context – Film School Rejects

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Welcome to The Queue your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web.

Its ultimately a programmers job to manage and interpret art. And some pieces of art require more management and interpretation than others. Which brings us to Gone With the Wind. Its one of the most enduringly popular films of all time. But its derogatory slave stereotypes and romantic view of the Antebellum South are uncomfortable. For some, even painful. But to edit or deny access on the basis of that discomfort whitewashes what the film represents as a historical and cultural document.

HBO Maxs removal of Gone With the Wind in June was not an attempt to re-write history. Quite the opposite. Time Warner removed the film with the intention of returning it to its library with added historical context. That context took the shape of a supplementary video recording of a panel discussion moderated by author and historian Donald Bogle and an introductory video, which now plays before the movie starts. The film itself is unaltered because in Time Warners words: To do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.

In the intro, linked below, Turner Classic Movies host and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart sets the stage for Gone With the Wind.Stewart describes the films cultural significance and controversies, advocating for the importance of preserving Old Hollywood films for viewing and discussion.

You can watch What to Know When Watching Gone With the Wind here:

This clip comes courtesy of the fine folks at Turner Classic Movies. TCM is a two-time Peabody award-winning network and trusted source for all things Golden Age. You can follow them on their YouTube account here.

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Gone With the Wind and the Difference Between Censorship and Context - Film School Rejects

Progressive intellectuals Try to Stop Censorship Monster They Created – PanAm Post

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Progressive intellectuals Try to Stop the Censorship Monster They Created (EFE).

Spanish In an open letter, 153 prominent academics, writers, and intellectuals, mostly from the left, called for an end to the radicalization of censorship promoted by activists for social justice causes. They warn that the freedom to write, to express an opinion, is in danger.

The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted, the letter states, warning of an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.

We refuse any false choice between justice and freedom, which cannot exist without each other, it continues. As writers, we need a culture that leaves us room for experimentation, risk-taking, and even mistakes, the letter adds.

Black Lives Matter has succeeded in creating a climate of intersectionality. The founders of the movement converge trans-feminism and racial justice. Intersectional movements have achieved everything from removing books to firing writers, and they have also conducted massive cancellation campaigns.

And it is not limited to the mockery of right-wing figures who question the collectivist ideology and identity politics; it also affects progressives, leftists, and even feminists.

For example, J. K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, has been accused of transphobia for saying that people who menstruate used to be called women.

In 2020, saying something so obvious and biologically demonstrable is tantamount to a hate crime and the outright accusation of transphobia. Reducing femininity to biology is seen as an attack on transsexual, transvestite, and transgender people who identify as women.

The need for a message of self-criticism from progressive intellectuals is exposed by the fact that one of the signatories of the letter has already had to apologize. Trans activist Jennifer Finney Boylan highlighted the presence of socialist intellectuals such as Noam Chomsky and feminists Gloria Steinem and Margaret Atwood. But she regretted that she was not aware of the presence of other signatories. Among them is the transphobic J. K. Rowling.

I did not know who else had signed that letter. I thought I was endorsing a well meaning, if vague, message against internet shaming. I did know Chomsky, Steinem, and Atwood were in, and I thought, good company.

The consequences are mine to bear. I am so sorry.

Jennifer Finney Boylan (@JennyBoylan) July 7, 2020

A video by John Stossel for the libertarian platform Reason TV explained the extent of cancel culture and the restrictions on debate by far-left activists.

Campaigns by activists calling for the dismissal of professionals, censorship as the norm, and even the mass removal of books can be described as internet mobs.

Leftists incapable of living by neutral principles. The digital mob led by NYT columnist Paul Krugman arrived at the Univ of Chicago pressuring to remove Professor Harald Uhlig as editor of Journal of Political Economy, after criticizing Black Lives Matter https://t.co/x8GkbjdVk4

Fernando Amandi Sr. (@FernandoAmandi) June 12, 2020

His crime? He said that the Black Lives Matter campaign was making a mistake by joining the campaign to defund the police.

There was nothing racist or discriminatory in how he said it, says Reason magazines senior editor, Robby Soave, who is covering the recent protests. But because he has some different views from the protesters, he must be a racist, he says.

Soave points out that the most worrisome aspect of these activists actions is that they advocate an ideology where different opinions are assumed to be dangerous to the extent that they justify censorship as an act of self-defense.

They even highlight how professionals have been fired because of the actions of their relatives, such as the case of a footballer who was fired because of what his wife said something against Black Lives Matter on Instagram.

Therefore, more than a hundred intellectuals, particularly writers, joined the call. Most of them are left-wing, progressives, including Mexican historian Enrique Krauze.

But they dont have the backing of their co-conspirators. The New York Times published an article titled Artists and Writers Warn of an Intolerant Climate. The reaction was quick. The NYT article compiled criticism of the authors, including accusations that they are afraid of losing their relevance.

The letter makes it very clear that it does not seek to delegitimize the actions of Black Lives Matter or any civil protest. They simply fear the persecutory nature it has taken.

Being progressives, the letters signatories warn how the radicalization of the left benefits the right, particularly the U.S. president.

The forces of illiberalism are gaining strength throughout the world and have a powerful ally in Donald Trump, they exclaim. And they invite their co-conspirators to avoid letting their resistance become its own kind of dogma or coercion, which right-wing demagogues are already exploiting.

The democratic inclusion we want can be achieved only if we speak out against the intolerant climate that has set in on all sides, they say.

The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted. While we have come to expect this on the radical right, censoriousness is also spreading more widely in our culture: an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty, the letter adds.

The letter issued by these intellectuals takes us back to the poem by Niemller, a religious Lutheran persecuted by Nazism in its final stage. The letter highlights how he remained silent when others were being persecuted and stresses the importance of calling out ideological persecution before it knocks on your door.

Otherwise, your own story will end like the poem: When they came for me, it was already too late.

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Progressive intellectuals Try to Stop Censorship Monster They Created - PanAm Post

Cancel culture, George Orwell and reasoned debate – The Guardian

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Thank you to Billy Bragg (Cancel culture doesnt stifle debate, but it does challenge the old order, 10 July) for a thought-provoking article and for drawing attention to the statue of George Orwell outside the BBC in London. Mr Bragg says that the quotation on the wall next to the statue If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear is a demand for licence, not a defence of liberty, and argues that liberty must be tempered by equality and accountability.

There is no doubt that very many tweet-friendly quotations are taken from Orwells works and used out of context by people from all parts of the political spectrum. However, the statue quotation remains a powerful statement against censorship. The essay it is taken from was titled The Freedom of the Press. As Mr Bragg says, it was written as a preface to Animal Farm. In fact, it was not used at the time and was only published long after Orwells death, in 1972.

Orwell argued for equality and democracy (accountability was not a term much used at the time) to go hand in hand with the liberty he defended. We are delighted that Orwell is the English writer that Mr Bragg admires the most and that he continues to engage in the reasoned debate for which Orwell is renowned.Quentin KoppChair, The Orwell Society

Re Nesrine Maliks piece (The cancel culture war is really about old elites losing power in the social media age, 13 July), what is at issue here is not the right of people to attack the opinions of others on social media, but the tendency to overreaction when someone expresses an opinion that is at variance with that of self-defining justice warriors.

Opinions that are lawfully expressed may well deserve robust criticism; what they do not deserve is for the person expressing them to be no-platformed, hounded out of a position of influence or traduced as some sort of fascist. Years ago, that sort of behaviour was confined to the wilder fringes of the Socialist Workers party. Now it seems to be all too common among people who should know better. Roger Fisken Ashampstead, Berkshire

Join the debate email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

Read more Guardian letters click here to visit gu.com/letters

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Idris Elba: Dont believe in censorship – Newsd.in

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Los Angeles, July 14 (IANS) Actor Idris Elba doesnt believe in censorship of racist old sitcoms, and says viewers should know that people made such shows.

The actor opened up about diversity in television and the need for change in an interview with Radio Times, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Im very much a believer in freedom of speech. Instead, there should be a ratings system warning viewers that a film or show has outdated, insulting viewpoints, he said.

Without referring to any specific programme, Elba said: To mock the truth, you have to know the truth. But to censor racist themes within a show, to pull it I think viewers should know that people made shows like this. Commissioners and archive-holders pulling things they think are exceptionally tone-deaf at this time fair enough and good for you.

But I think, moving forward, people should know that freedom of speech is accepted, but the audience should know what theyre getting into. I dont believe in censorship. I believe that we should be allowed to say what we want to say. Because, after all, were story-makers, he added.

The actor feels boosting diversity needs a change in attitude.

Money helps, he said, adding: Its a shift in attitude, in perspective, in tolerance. And you cant put an amount on that.

His comments come after many classic sitcoms including Little Britain and Fawlty Towers were removed from streaming services including Netflix. The shows were criticised because of the use of blackface make-up in some sketches.

IANS

sug/vnc

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Scientists open new window into the nanoworld | CU Boulder Today – CU Boulder Today

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A "waveguide" that converts traditional laser lightinto laser-like beams at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. (Credit: Kapteyn-Murnane Group)

CU Boulder researchers have used ultra-fast extreme ultraviolet lasers to measure the properties of materials more than 100 times thinner than a human red blood cell.

The team, led by scientists at JILA, reported its new feat of wafer-thinness this week in the journal Physical Review Materials. The groups target, a film just 5 nanometers thick, is the thinnest material that researchers have ever been able to fully probe, said study coauthor Joshua Knobloch.

This is a record-setting study to see how small we could go and how accurate we could be, said Knobloch, a graduate student at JILA, a partnership between CU Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

He added that when things get small, the normal rules of engineering dont always apply. The group discovered, for example, that some materials seem to get a lot softer the thinner they become.

The researchers hope that their findings may one day help scientists to better navigate the often-unpredictable nanoworld, designing tinier and more efficient computer circuits, semiconductors and other technologies.

If youre doing nanoengineering, you cant just treat your material like its a normal big material, said Travis Frazer, lead author of the new paper and a former graduate student at JILA. Because of the simple fact that its small, it behaves like a different material.

A graphic demonstrating how a material can go from stiff to soft when it is made as a thicker versus a thinnerfilm. The effect occurs when the atomic bonds within a material are disrupted. (Credit: Joshua Knobloch/JILA)

This surprising discoverythat very thin materials can be 10 times more flimsy than expectedis yet another example of how new tools can helps us to understand the nanoworld better, said Margaret Murnane, a coauthor of the new research, professor of physics at CU Boulder and JILA fellow.

The research comes at a time when many technology firms are trying to do just that: go small. Some companies are experimenting with ways to build efficient computer chips that layer thin films of material one on top of the otherlike a filo pastry, but inside your laptop.

The problem with that approach, said Frazer, who has since joined theArgonne National Laboratory,that scientists have trouble predicting how those flakey layers will behave. Theyre just too delicate to measure in any meaningful way with the usual tools.

To help in that goal, he and his colleagues deployed extreme ultraviolet lasers, or beams of radiation that deliver shorter wavelengths than traditional laserswavelengths that are well matched to the nanoworld. The researchers developed a set-up that allows them to bounce those beams off of layers of material just a few strands of DNA thick, tracking the different ways those films can vibrate.

If you can measure how fast your material is wiggling, then you can figure out how stiff it is, Frazer said.

The method has also revealed just how much the properties of materials can change when you make them very, very small.

In the most recent study, for example, the researchers probed the relative strength of two films made out of silicon carbide: one about 46 nanometers thick, and the other just 5 nanometers thick. The teams ultraviolet laser delivered surprising results. The thinner film was about 10 times softer, or less rigid, than its thicker counterpart, something the researchers werent expecting.

Frazer explained that, if you make a film too thin, you can cut into the atomic bonds that hold a material togethera bit like unraveling a frayed rope.

The atoms at the top of the film have other atoms underneath them that they can hold onto, Frazer said. But above them, the atoms dont have anything they can grab onto.

But not all materials will behave the same way, he added. The team reran the same experiment on a second material that was nearly identical to the first with one big differencethis one had a lot more hydrogen atoms added in. Such a doping process can naturally disrupt the atomic bonds within a material, causing it to lose strength.

When the group tested that second, flimsier material using their lasers, they found something new: this material was just as strong when it was 44 nanometers thick as it was at a meager 11 nanometers thick.

Put differently, the additional hydrogen atoms had already weakened the material. Abit of extra shrinking couldnt do anymore damage.

In the end, the team says that its new ultraviolet laser tool gives scientists a window into a realm that was previously beyond the grasp of science.

Now that people are building very, very small devices, theyre asking how properties like thickness or shape can change how their materials behave, Knobloch said. This gives us a new way of accessing information about nanoscale technology.

This research was supported by the STROBE National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center on Real-Time Functional Imaging.

Coauthors on the new study included JILA researchers Henry Kapteyn, professor of physics, Jorge Hernndez-Charpak; Kathy Hoogeboom-Pot; Damiano Nardi and Begoa Abad. Other coauthors included Sadegh Yazdi at the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute at CU Boulder; Weilun Chao and Erik Anderson at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Marie Tripp and Sean King at Intel Corp.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Announce Agreement to Develop Innovative Telescopes for Nanosatellites – Yahoo…

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IRVINE, Calif., July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. have reached a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to develop innovative compact and robust telescopes for nanosatellites.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Logo

The four-year, $2 million CRADA will combine LLNL's Monolithic Telescope (MonoTele) technology with Tyvak's expertise producing high-reliability spacecraft. In the future, the advanced optical imaging payloads may be employed to collect information for remote sensing data users.

The MonoTele consists of a space telescope fabricated from a single, monolithic fused silica slab, allowing the optic lens to operate within tight tolerances. This approach does not require on-orbit alignment, greatly simplifying spacecraft design and favorably affecting spacecraft size, weight and power needs.

"I'm excited about this technology transitioning from LLNL to space demonstration and eventual commercial use," said Alex Pertica, the deputy program leader for LLNL's Space Science and Security Program (SSSP).

Tyvak will provide the spacecraft and payload, consisting of the MonoTele, sensor, and electronics, ensuring survivability in a demanding vibration environment during launch and wide-ranging temperatures on-orbit.

LLNL will then apply its knowledge of novel optical payloads to develop, test, and process data gathered from the sensors.

"We are delighted to have formalized this collaborative effort with LLNL to demonstrate and commercialize advanced optical imaging technology," said Anthony Previte, Tyvak's CEO. "Together we will enable end users to achieve their mission goals in many space-based markets."

Developed by LLNL over the past eight years, the MonoTele space telescopes range in size from one inch (called the mini-monolith) to 14 inches.

The MonoTele technology provides imaging for nanosatellites, about the size of a large shoebox and weighing less than 22 pounds, and microsatellites, about the size of a dorm refrigerator and weighing up to several hundred pounds.

LLNL researchers undertook the development of the tiny one-inch, mini-monolith for use in star trackers, a component that every satellite has one or more of, and is used to find the satellite's "attitude" or orientation. Attached to the satellite's body, the star trackers compare the satellite's position relative to the position of the stars to determine their orientation.

"Several telescopes with the MonoTele technology have flown in space. They've performed very well," Pertica said, adding that the one-inch, mini-monolith version is now flying aboard Tyvak-0129. The technology's first space mission was the GEOstare satellite, which launched in January 2018.

Typically, space telescopes have two optical mirrors a larger primary mirror and a smaller secondary mirror that face each other. If the mirrors go out of alignment, the image becomes fuzzy.

To keep the mirrors in alignment, a metering structure is typically employed to maintain the mirrors in place. But metering structures can be expensive and can go out of alignment.

To solve this problem, LLNL optical scientist Brian Bauman came up with the idea of the MonoTele replacing the two mirrors and metering structure with one solid piece of glass, with optical shapes and reflective coatings at both ends of the glass.

Story continues

The MonoTele concept was inspired by the design of the mirrors used for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope that is under construction in Chile, due to come online in 2023 and expected to image some 20 billion galaxies.

Under this CRADA, LLNL and Tyvak expect to develop additional MonoTele-type telescopes capable of operating in other wavelength bands, such as ultraviolet and short-wave infrared, and as a spectrometer instrument.

The telescopes, which would be demonstrated in space, also would feature compact and low-power focus mechanisms for missions requiring agile optics technology.

The MonoTele nanosatellite imaging payloads can be used across multiple applications and will serve Earth observation, space situational awareness, and satellite navigation initiatives.

"Partnering under a CRADA with outside industry was the natural next step for commercializing the technology," said David Dawes. "We look forward to working with Tyvak."

"The CRADA gives Tyvak the option to license LLNL intellectual property (IP) or joint IP developed under this collaboration, in addition to any of the Lab's existing background IP required to practice the subject inventions," Dawes added.

About Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (www.llnl.gov) provides solutions to our nation's most important national security challenges through innovative science, engineering and technology. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

About Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Irvine, California, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. is an industry leader, delivering optimized, end-to-end satellite solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.Tyvak.com or follow the Company @TyvakNanoSat

Media Contacts:

LLNL

Stephen Wamplerwampler1@llnl.gov +1 (925) 423-3107

Tyvak

Taylor Cantwelltaylor.cantwell@tyvak.com +1 (949) 439-6153

A space telescope, dubbed the V4 and an identical twin to this one, flew on LLNLs GEOstare1 mission, where it was employed to demonstrate the utility of nanosatellites for space situational awareness. Photo by Julie Russell/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

(PRNewsfoto/Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, I)

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Announce Agreement to Develop Innovative Telescopes for Nanosatellites - Yahoo...

PyroGenesis Announces Q1 2020 Results: Revenues of $736K, Gross Margin of 37%, Current Backlog $30MM, Provides Q2 2020 and Year End Guidance |…

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MONTREAL, July 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF) (FRA: 8PY), a high-tech company, (the "Company", the Corporation” or "PyroGenesis") that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma atomized metal powder, plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch systems, is pleased to announce today its financial and operational results for the first quarter ended March 31st, 2020.

Percent complete revenue recognition in our major projects, which is the revenue recognition method we are mandated to follow by GAAP, is such that it is not linear, but exponential, and as such Q1 2020 may not have reflected the results one might have expected given recent announcements. However, using this same revenue recognition method we can safely provide the following guidance for Q2 2020, and for the year ending December 31st, 2020 as follows: We expect that Q2 2020 and the six months ending June 30, 2020 will be profitable as will year end results. As such, management has modified several notes in the financials, for the first time since inception, to reflect this outlook,” said P. Peter Pascali, CEO and President of PyroGenesis. To date, in 2020 we have not only received significant payments under existing contracts, but have retired the $3MM convertible debenture in full, bought back approximately 1.2 million shares, increased our investment in HPQ, and further benefited from early conversions of warrants maturing in 2021 of over $3MM. Of note, as of December 31st, 2019 we have approximately $10MM of in-the-money warrants and options expiring in 2020 and 2021 alone. The Company also has over $50MM in tax loss carryforwards (roughly evenly distributed between federal and provincial tax regimes) which is not reflected as an asset on the balance sheet. Given recent events, and the structuring that took place in 2019, the Company is undeniably well positioned to execute on, and build upon, the backlog of signed contracts which currently stands in excess of $30MM. With the eagerly anticipated US Navy contract in hand backlog of signed contracts will be in excess of $40MM. All in all, 2020 can now be described as the year that we have been expecting for some time.”

Q1 2020 results reflect the following highlights:

Management Guidance for Q2 2020

Management Guidance for the remainder of 2020:

OUTLOOK

Percent complete revenue recognition in our major projects, which is the revenue recognition method we are mandated to follow by GAAP, is such that it is not linear, but exponential, and as such Q1 may not have reflected the results one might have expected given recent announcements. However, using this same revenue recognition method we can safely provide guidance for Q2 2020, and for the year ending December 31st, 2020: We expect that Q2 and the six months ending June 30, 2020 will be profitable as will year end results. As such, management has modified several notes in the financials, for the first time since inception, to reflect this outlook.

Any discussion regarding the OUTLOOK of the company would be remiss if it did not address the continued increase in the Company’s market capitalization and the implications that has for the future.

Without a doubt the Company’s market capitalization suffered, as did many other companies, in the general Covid-19 market meltdown at the end of March 2020. However, PyroGenesis soon broke from the pack with the issuance of a material press release on March 24th, 2020.

Management believes that its breaking from the ranks caught the attention of investors, fund managers, and money managers who all now had the time during the Covid-19 lockdown to fully analyze the complicated story that is PyroGenesis. Management does not see any reason why this interest would abate anytime soon. To the contrary, Management has reason to believe that interest in the Company will only increase over the foreseeable future. As such, Management has decided that several strategies that have been articulated in the past (up listings, spinoffs) can now be accelerated as many of the impediments to moving quickly have been removed and have taken steps to do so.

Having a larger market capitalization has also helped in discussions with potential customers who take comfort from the possibility that a higher market capitalization may translate into easier access to capital. For the record, there is no intention at this time to raise capital for working capital purposes.

If 2018 was the year in which PyroGenesis successfully positioned each of its commercial business lines by strategically partnering with multi-billion-dollar entities, and 2019 was the year that saw the appropriate personnel and infrastructure being put in place while building upon the success of 2018, then 2020 is without a doubt the year that the long awaited breakout, which began in the second half of 2019, takes place; it is in fact already upon us:

To date during 2020 PyroGenesis has:

The Company has booked a significant backlog of signed contracts (in excess of $30MM; 2019 Revenues approx. $5MM) which, when taking the eagerly awaited US Navy contract into account, will increase to over $40MM. This provides a solid cornerstone upon which PyroGenesis can:

Specifically, with Aubert & Duval the goal will be to complete the integration of the cutting-edge advances PyroGenesis has made to the powder production process.

With respect to HPQ, the goal would be to accelerate the game changing PUREVAP family of processes which we are developing for HPQ, namely:

As at April 1st, 2020, the Company has approximately $10MM of in-the-money warrants and options expiring in 2020 and 2021. The Company also has over $50MM in tax loss carryforwards (roughly evenly distributed between federal and provincial obligations) which is not reflected as an asset on the balance sheet.

All in all, 2020 can now be described as the year that we have been expecting for some time.

Financial Summary

Revenues

PyroGenesis recorded revenue of $718,908 in the first quarter of 2020 (Q1, 2020”), representing a decrease of 2% compared with $736,443 recorded in the first quarter of 2019 (Q1, 2019”).

Revenues recorded in the first quarter of 2020 were generated primarily from:

Cost of Sales and Services and Gross Margins

Cost of sales and services before amortization of intangible assets was $444,681 in Q1 2020, representing a decrease of 30% compared with $639,506 in Q1 2019, primarily due to lower employee compensation and direct materials in Q1 2020.

In Q1 2020, employee compensation, subcontracting, direct materials and manufacturing overhead decreased to $391,305 (Q1 2019 - $662,379). The gross margin for Q1 2020 was $267,414 or 37.2% of revenue compared to a gross margin of $92,158 or 12.5% of revenue for Q1 2019. As a result of the type of contracts being executed, the nature of the project activity, as well as the composition of the cost of sales and services, as the mix between labor, materials and subcontracts may be significantly different. Of note, the Company received an amount of $127,842 from Revenue Canada under the CWES program. From this amount, $26,388 was applied to employee compensation under cost of sales and services.

Investment tax credits recorded against cost of sales are related to projects that qualify for tax credits from the provincial government of Quebec. Qualifying tax credits decreased to $20,630 in Q1 2020, compared with $36,071 in Q1 2019. This represents a decrease of 43% year-over-year. In total, the Company earned refundable investment tax credits of $70,313 in Q1 2020. The Company continues to make investments in research and development projects involving strategic partners and government bodies.

The amortization of intangible assets of $6,813 in Q1 2020 and $4,779 for Q1 2019 relates to patents and deferred development costs. Of note, these expenses are non-cash items and will be amortized over the duration of the patent lives.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Included within Selling, General and Administrative expenses (SG&A”) are costs associated with corporate administration, business development, project proposals, operations administration, investor relations and employee training.

SG&A expenses for Q1 2020 excluding the costs associated with share-based compensation (a non-cash item in which options vest principally over a four-year period), were $1,205,726 representing a decrease of 7% compared with $1,295,521 reported for Q1 2019.

The increase in SG&A expenses in Q1 2020 over the same period in 2019 is mainly attributable to the net effect of:

Separately, share based payments increased by 106% in Q1 2020 over the same period in 2019 as a result of the vesting structure of the stock option plan including the stock options granted on January 2nd, 2020.

Research and Development (R&D”) Costs

The Company incurred $23,088 of R&D costs, net of government grants, on internal projects in Q1 2020, a decrease of 76% as compared with $95,774 in Q1 2019. The decrease in Q1 2020 is primarily related to an increase in government grants recognized.

In addition to internally funded R&D projects, the Company also incurred R&D expenditures during the execution of client funded projects. These expenses are eligible for Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED”) tax credits. SR&ED tax credits on client funded projects are applied against cost of sales and services (see Cost of Sales” above).

Net Finance Costs

Finance costs for Q1 2020 totaled $232,736 as compared with $251,498 for Q1 2019, representing a decrease of 7% year-over-year. The decrease in finance costs in Q1 2020, is primarily attributable to interest on lower amounts of debt.

Strategic Investments

The adjustment to the fair market value of strategic investments for Q1 2020 resulted in a loss of $492,024 compared to a gain in the amount of $706,196 in Q1 2019.

Net Comprehensive Loss

The net comprehensive loss for Q1 2020 of $1,757,027 compared to a loss of $878,923, in Q1 2019, represents an increase of 100% year-over-year. The increased loss of $878,104 in the comprehensive loss in Q1 2020 is primarily attributable to the factors described above, which have been summarized as follows:

EBITDA

The EBITDA loss in Q1 2020 was $1,418,057 compared with an EBITDA loss of $464,825 for Q1 2019, representing an increase of 205% year-over-year. The $953,232 increase in the EBITDA loss in Q1 2020 compared with Q1 2019 is due to the increase in comprehensive loss of $878,104, offset by a decrease in depreciation on property and equipment of $38,093, a decrease in depreciation of right of use assets of $20,307, an increase in amortization of intangible assets of $2,034 and a decrease in finance charges of $18,762.

Adjusted EBITDA loss in Q1 2020 was $1,347,190 compared with an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $430,341 for Q1 2019. The increase of $916,849 in the Adjusted EBITDA loss in Q1 2020 is attributable to an increase in EBITDA loss of $953,232, offset by an increase of $36,383 in share-based payments.

The Modified EBITDA loss in Q1 2020 was $855,166 compared with a Modified EBITDA loss of $1,136,537 for Q1 2019, representing a decrease of 25%. The decrease in the Modified EBITDA loss in Q1 2020 is attributable to the increase as mentioned above in the Adjusted EBITDA of $916,849 and a decrease in the change of fair value of strategic investments of $1,198,222.

Liquidity

The Company has incurred, in the last several years, operating losses and negative cash flows from operations, resulting in an accumulated deficit of $61,994,683 and a negative working capital of $11,157,110 as at Q1 2020, (December 31, 2019 - $60,237,656 and $10,492,102 respectively). Furthermore, as at Q1 2020, the Company’s current liabilities and expected level of expenses for the next twelve months exceed cash on hand of $1,139,416 (December 31, 2019 - $34,431). The Company has relied upon external financings to fund its operations in the past, primarily through the issuance of equity, debt, and convertible debentures, as well as from investment tax credits.

Separately, PyroGenesis is pleased to announce today that Me Sara-Catherine Tolszczuk has joined the Company as Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Board of Directors effective July 2nd, 2020. Before joining PyroGenesis, Me Tolszczuk was part of the corporate law group of the leading independent law firm in the province of Qubec. Her work was focused on developing strategies for the protection, commercialization and enforcement of intellectual property assets. She also acquired experience in litigation files and participated in the due diligence phase of mergers and acquisitions. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and a Master’s Degree in Biology. The Company also announces the departure, effective July 2nd, 2020, of Me Ilario Gualtieri. We thank Me Gualtieri for his contributions and wish his well in his future endeavors.

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a high-tech company, is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes and products. We provide engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please visit http://www.pyrogenesis.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Corporation's ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at http://www.sedar.com, or at http://www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

For further information please contact: Rodayna Kafal, Vice President Investors Relations and Strategic Business Development Phone: (514) 937-0002, E-mail: ir@pyrogenesis.com RELATED LINK: http://www.pyrogenesis.com/

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PyroGenesis Announces Q1 2020 Results: Revenues of $736K, Gross Margin of 37%, Current Backlog $30MM, Provides Q2 2020 and Year End Guidance |...

Removing names that hurt – Yahoo News

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Whats in a name? A lot, we are learning.

The decision by Washingtons National Football League team to change its name from a racist slur against Native Americans will remove one of the most offensive nicknames in sports. After 87 years of use, Redskins has finally been retired.

The effect should be to deepen the rethinking of names not only in sports but elsewhere in society. The NFLs Kansas City Chiefs may be the next to reconsider whether its name is appropriate. Baseballs Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves, and hockeys Chicago Blackhawks, will be under new pressure to follow.

The decision by Washington was a financial one. Its corporate sponsors no longer felt comfortable with being associated with the name. They threatened to leave if a change wasnt made.

The sponsors themselves were under pressure. Behind their new enthusiasm was a sea change in public opinion. The death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May has seemed to ignite a widespread feeling across racial and generational lines that enough is enough.

Confederate flags and monuments are being seen in a new light the light of empathy and with more compassion for the experiences of Black Americans.Even brand names such as Uncle Bens rice and Aunt Jemimas pancakes now will disappear from shelves along with their racist connotations.

Native Americans hope that the decision by the Washington team will prompt name changes at the collegiate and high school levels as well. Some 2,200 high schools still use Native American names and mascots, though that number has been shrinking.

The golden rule, it seems, is being applied: How would I feel if I were in their shoes? Ways of thinking do change. Limited views expand and take in the world from broader perspectives.

History is beingrevised to portray a more inclusive narrative. One of the grievances from American colonists to the king of England in the Declaration of Independence was his inability to protect them from people they believed were merciless and savage. Contemporaryreview has shown these were Indigenous societies struggling to defend their own homes and territories, and the English were the aggressors.

Story continues

Recently a Supreme Court decision affirmed the rights and existence of Indigenous peoples as Americans, protected by federal law. The court upheld an 1866 treaty between the United States and the Creek Nation that, in effect, confirmed that the tribe rightly still possesses its reservation land in Oklahoma. The land had been given to the tribe as compensation for being removed from its traditional homeland in the southeastern U.S. The forced move westward of some 60,000 Native Americans became known as the Trail of Tears.

On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise that this land would be secure forever, wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch in the decision. [W]e hold the government to its word.

Those who see nothing wrong with using Native American names for sports teams argue that they are meant to honor these people. But Native Americans say they are much more honored when the U.S. government honors the treaties it has made with them.

Democracies only exist in practice if the rights of their minorities are protected. That makes the uncovering and correcting of slights toward Black and Native Americans good news for American democracy.

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A simple but profound call to action | Marion County Record | July 16, 2020 – Marion County Record

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A simple but profound call to action

At some point in any protracted discussion there comes a time when opinions no longer are going to change. Everyone has entrenched beliefs, and all the evidence in the world wont alter their opinions.

Its becoming painfully obvious weve reached that point with COVID-19. Those so embroiled in the politics of denial and misplaced concerns about personal liberty no longer can see evidence like the rapidly soaring number of cases in Marion County since government refused to act to protect its citizens.

Polite folks have reached the point where we agree to disagree. Others are at that stage in arguments where foot-stamping, raised voices, hurled epithets, and willingness to accept as gospel the shakiest of evidence that bolsters their position.

Local government, unfortunately, has chosen to appease these people some of whom actually sit, at least for now, on various governing bodies. Like believers in a flat earth, theyre not going to have their opinions changed by this or any other editorial. So at this point, we now switch into a mode of preaching to the choir.

Since government largely has abdicated its responsibility, its now up to us, as individual citizens, to take matters into our own hands.

What can be done?

1. Boycott businesses, churches, schools, and other activities that do not require all visitors and staff to wear face coverings anytime they come within six feet of each other.

2. Do not participate in, become a spectator for, or let your tax dollars be used to support any sport or entertainment event not absolutely necessary to maintaining a functioning society and economy.

3. Encourage schools and colleges to begin planning now to conduct the entirety of their fall semesters and possibly their spring semesters via remote instruction and to cancel all educationally unnecessary extracurricular activities, including sports.

4. Get an advance ballot for upcoming elections and plan to vote for candidates who have based their decisions in this crisis on the best scientific knowledge available, not on the political posturing of radical fringes that deny science or the wishful thinking of plutocrats who care only about making money.

5. Stay at home whenever possible. Shop locally. Converse with out-of-town friends and relatives by phone or computer. Avoid all unnecessary trips outside your home.

6. Continue trying to educate self-absorbed refuseniks who insist this is all fake news, a plot to limit their freedom, or something made up by some Chinese cell phone company or an opponent of President Donald Trump.

7. If you cant make others see the truth, shun them and prevent them from interacting with the community that they seem hell-bent on destroying because its their personal right to do so.

8. Oppose any attempt to extend sick pay or other benefits to people whose dangerous behavior results in their own illness or, worse yet, the illness of innocents who are trying to limit spread of COVID-19.

As a society, we have spent trillions and watched countless businesses and jobs go away not to prevent COVID-19 but merely to keep it from spiking all at once. Too quickly resuming normal activities will make this very serious, multi-generational investment totally meaningless.

In Marion County, we have an aging and not especially well-trained or affluent population. Few of our businesses are entrepreneurial or deep-pocketed enough to weather a storm of this magnitude. The federal government will bankrupt society if it tries to bail everyone out. Our community quite literally is at high risk of devastation if not outright annihilation.

Now truly is the time to come to the aid of our community by collectively stepping up and filling the leadership vacuum exhibited by too many of our elected and appointed officials.

How many wake-up calls do we need before we recognize the Golden Rule: Our masks protect you. Your masks protect us.

ERIC MEYER

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How a Display of Hate Led to a Slogan of Tolerance and Cool T-Shirts – Seven Days

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Nearly three years ago in August, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, neo-Nazis and other far-right groups convened in Charlottesville, Va., for a Unite the Right rally. During the event, self-identified white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring dozens of others. Like most people who saw or heard about the incident in media reports, Richard Cook was horrified.

"After watching the grotesque events, and after a lot of anger and sadness and pacing around, I thought, This isn't the last time this is going to happen," he said.

Then Cook turned that anguish into a way to bring positive energy into the world: with the words "Don't Hurt Anyone."

The gentle imperative is now emblazoned in blocky capital letters on T-shirts and tote bags that Cook envisions in his Winooski condo and enlists American manufacturers to make. At first he just wore the tee himself and carried small batches of them around to hand out. More recently he's established a website for online commerce.

The 49-year-old is quick to note that he is not a graphic designer by training. His professional experience is in development and strategic planning for nonprofits in Washington, D.C., particularly ones with a progressive mission. He continues to offer consulting services.

With some 20 years in this line of work, Cook described himself as "marketing-savvy," a skill that informed the evolution of Don't Hurt Anyone. He liked the idea of a strong but nonthreatening message, spelled out in a simple font and delivered on that time-tested human billboard, the T-shirt. "I used to work for the 9:30 Club," he said, referring to the famous D.C. nightclub, "so I have a punk-rock background. I thought, What would Joe Strummer wear?"

One can, indeed, visualize the politically outspoken Clash vocalist/guitarist sporting a Don't Hurt Anyone shirt, were he still alive. The messaging works for anyone from a kindergartner to a raging granny and is germane to any number of grievances.

"The word 'hurt' can mean a whole range of things," Cook observed. In the main, though, the slogan is simply "about being nicer, kinder, respectful. Those things are sorely lacking."

Basically, Cook has reworded the Golden Rule, put it in a cool typeface and offered it on merch that any of us can wear.

Cook said he has no interest in "becoming a T-shirt mogul," and that appears to be a whopper of an understatement. So far, his "business model" primarily involves giving the T-shirts away.

It started when Cook was on vacation a couple of years ago, staying at an Airbnb in Hudson, N.Y. One morning he went out for coffee wearing a Don't Hurt Anyone tee and was stopped by half a dozen people who asked him about it, he recalled. He ended up getting all of them a shirt.

"And then I doubled down: I made 100 shirts and gave those away. Another 100, gave those away," Cook said. He's handed out "probably 500" of them to date.

Whenever he wears the shirt in public, he gets the same reaction. "Total strangers stop and talk to me, anywhere in the country," Cook said. "I've had a lot of great conversations."

Someone once came up to him and said, "This is kind of like 'Life Is Good,'" he related, referring to another trademarked apparel company. "At first I thought that was a good thing, but then I thought, No, the world is not good for many people."

Cook has sent complimentary Don't Hurt Anyone shirts to select celebrities particularly musicians and DJs and was thrilled to get a personal thank-you postcard from Ian MacKaye of Fugazi. Other bands have "come on board," Cook said, citing Wilco and Old 97's.

Here in Vermont, it's no surprise that Cook connected with popular and righteous DJ and performer Craig Mitchell. "Craig was an early adopter," Cook said. "I think he has one of every prototype I've made ... Craig definitely rocks the shirt."

Mitchell confirmed that Cook reached out to him to help spread the word about Don't Hurt Anyone, as well as to make sure the message wouldn't be seen as treading on that of Black Lives Matter. Mitchell felt it did not. He wears a Don't Hurt Anyone shirt "at least two times a week," he said at Red Square gigs or during one of his virtual dance parties for local nonprofits, which began during the pandemic shutdown.

Wearing the message on his chest feels "really good it's a softer blow, not in your face," Mitchell said. From a DJ booth or a digital platform, he hasn't been able to experience the multitude of in-person conversations that Cook reported, but, he said, "Tons of people will respond with a smile, a wink, a nod, that kind of thing."

While he still gives some product away, Cook is making an effort to turn Don't Hurt Anyone into a viable business. His website displays various styles of shirts for men, women and children, as well as tote bags; subscribers to his newsletter get info on new designs, special offers "or other perks." He's not really making any money, Cook said, but he's "staying afloat."

This summer, Cook was invited to apply for what he called an "experiential network" course at Northeastern University; in it, Don't Hurt Anyone is a case study in which graduate students and faculty will "take an almost forensic look at everything DHA," he said. Cook dubbed the group "tech students with a business bent." Perhaps their assessment will help Don't Hurt Anyone grow as an online apparel enterprise.

For now, Cook seems satisfied just to see people wearing his shirts. "I'm elated. I'm humbled," he said. "I never imagined this would happen."

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The Old Guard – New Times SLO

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What's it rated? R

When? 2020

Where's it showing? Netflix

Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights) directs this screenplay by Greg Rucka based on the graphic novel series he co-created with Leandro Fernandez, about a covert group of immortal warriors who've been quietly protecting humanity for centuries. Led by Andy (Charlize Theron), the soldiers have all the benefits (spontaneous healing and inability to die) as well as the travails (loneliness and watching your family and friends die) of vampirism without have to drink blood. What they are good at, however, is spilling blood. When they agree to rescue some kidnapped schoolgirls, it soon becomes clear their secret of immortality has been discovered, and now a Big Pharma company run by a cartoonish villain named Merrick (Harry Melling) wants to capture and capitalize on their special powers. Some effective action makes up for the hackneyed dialogue and story, and as someone hungry for first-run films, this was well worth the watch, but it's essentially direct-to-video quality that would be total trash without Theron in the lead. (125 min.)

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Five tips to help you fall asleep sooner – The Standard

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SUMMARY

The blue light from your phone or tablet can reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone responsible for the sleep-wake cycle.

Turn your devices to night mode, which switches off the blue light. Or put them away at least one hour before bed.

A good nights sleep is as important as eating well andexercisingwhen it comes to ourhealth it allows our bodies and brains to recover from the effects of the day.

Sleep is your life-support system Mother Natures best effort yet at immortality, says neuroscientist and author of Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker.

Is there any process in your body that isnt wonderfully enhanced when you get sleep, or demonstrably impaired when you dont get enough? The answer seems to be no.

Sleeping pills act as a sedative they may help you fall asleep, but it is not a natural, restorative sleep, and they dont address the underlying causes of insomnia.

Instead, ask your doctor about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).

This helps you identify thoughts and behaviours that could be causing your sleep problems, and replaces them with healthy habits to promote good sleep.

Here are a few simple tips that can help you fall asleep sooner;

1. Stick to a routine

Our bodies are designed to revolve around regularity, says Matthew. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Even if you have one bad nights sleep, power through until bedtime, rather than napping in the day.

2. Say no to alcohol

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While a few glasses of wine might make you fall asleep, it restricts REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and can cause you to wake up frequently throughout the night.

3. Reduce screen time

The blue light from your phone or tablet can reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone responsible for the sleep-wake cycle. Turn your devices to night mode, which switches off the blue light. Or put them away at least one hour before bed.

4. Write things down

If you are kept awake because tomorrows to-do list is running through your mind, try keeping a pen and notepad by your bed to jot down any thoughts and anxieties before you go to sleep. Writing worries down helps you to get an objective view on them, so you dont have to ruminate on them all night.

5. If you cant sleep, get up

Our brains quickly learn that bed is a place you are awake rather than asleep, says Matthew. Go to a different room, read or meditate in dim light until you feel sleepy.

Do you have stories, videos or pictures you would like to share with the world?

Simply click on Post Your Story button placed at the top of the website

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Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron and Andy Samberg bring big stories to the small screen – Pacific Northwest Inlander

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GREYHOUND (Apple+)Greyhound tells a small-scale story against the backdrop of a monumental historical event, taking place over the span of just a few days on a single warship. It's set in the midst of the Battle of the Atlantic, a yearslong skirmish between Allied and German naval convoys in the leadup to WWII, in a part of the ocean known ominously as the Black Pit.

Tom Hanks stars as Ernest Krause, a Navy commander overseeing a convoy of ships transporting supplies and passengers across the ocean, which is blindsided by an attack from Nazi submarines. Krause looks on helplessly as one ship after another is picked off, and he methodically strategizes as more and more enemy ships enter the fray.

It's a pretty simplistic premise, focused on the tactics of the mission and little else. The script, which Hanks wrote himself, consists almost exclusively of strategy and logistics, and of stern men in uniform yelling things like "Hold course!" and "Brace for impact!" and "Ease the rudder!" Krause's crew are mostly nameless grunts, and even he remains an enigma: We know he's devoutly religious and has a girlfriend (played thanklessly by Elisabeth Shue) waiting at home, but that's about it.

Greyhound is a weirdly truncated film, too: Right as the movie seems to be ramping up, it abruptly ends (the credits start rolling around the 80-minute mark). But as far as its filmmaking is concerned, it's as sturdy and waterproof as the ships themselves, and your uncle who's obsessed with WWII-era submarines will probably dig it nonetheless.

THE OLD GUARD (Netflix)The Old Guard is yet another comic book origin story, but one with real potential. Based on a series of graphic novels by Greg Rucka (who also wrote the script), it concerns a quartet of ageless, mythical warriors who have fought in all of history's greatest wars and now work as for-hire special ops in the 21st century. They're particularly qualified for tough jobs, because they can be riddled with bullets and merely brush it off.

Their self-appointed leader is Charlize Theron as the brilliantly named Andromache of Scythia (or Andy for short), once treated as royalty in the days of ancient Greece. Alongside her are former Napoleonic soldier Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), and the scrappy Joe and Nicky (Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli), once sworn enemies during the Crusades and who fell in love with each other over the ensuing decades. The Old Guard's latest recruit is a Marine named Nile (Kiki Layne), who heals remarkably quickly after having her throat slashed in combat and who finds herself mentally connected with her fellow immortals. Meanwhile, a shadowy figure (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is on the fringes, trying to harness their abilities for questionable purposes.

The notion of invincibility as both a superpower and a curse is nothing new, but The Old Guard finds some interesting wrinkles in its premise: Not only does their mere existence create a chain reaction in world affairs, butterfly effect-style, but they've also discovered that their immortality is actually a limited resource, and that one simply stops healing after an indeterminate number of deaths.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, best known for romances like Love & Basketball and Beyond the Lights, might seem an odd choice for a blockbuster tentpole, but she brings a blunt brutality to the action sequences and lets her actors develop believable personalities.

PALM SPRINGS (Hulu)This smart, funny high-concept romantic comedy plays out like a millennial version of Groundhog Day, but if Andie MacDowell had gotten sucked into the day-repeating limbo alongside Bill Murray.

It begins as a guy named Nyles (Andy Samberg) wakes up the morning of a wedding somewhere in the desert, surrounded by people he barely knows. He spends all day floating in the pool, guzzling cans of beer, interrupting the big speeches and looking totally unfazed as his girlfriend hooks up with the officiant in the bathroom.

He almost seems to be following a rehearsed set of instructions, and that's because he's been through this night before: He's been trapped in a time loop for who knows how long, always waking up on the same morning no matter what he does.

But then Nyles starts flirting with Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the sister of the bride, and she unwisely follows him into a strange portal that appears in a nearby cave. Now she's stuck in perpetuity with a guy she barely knows, and once she realizes that trying to escape is futile, they both decide to make each new day as different as the one before.

You'd think the possibilities of this kind of premise would have been exhausted already the high-water mark is Groundhog Day, of course, and the recent Netflix series Russian Doll mined similar territory but the script, written by Andy Siara, manages some unexpected twists, including a vengeful wedding guest played by J.K. Simmons. Samberg and Milioti have excellent chemistry, too, and their ease with each other lets us buy into the rumpled optimism of the premise, which never gets bogged down in seize-the-day platitudes.

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Film Review: The Old Guard – The Adelaide Review

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Trying to provide an ambitious combination of violent thrills, philosophical musings, lots of chat about feelings and dollops of sociopolitical commentary, it doesnt really work on any of those levels, and ultimately feels smug and self-congratulatory.

Andy (star/producer Charlize) is introduced dead and bloody on a floor with three of her friends, but its okay because theyre revealed as (just about) immortal and therefore soon to regenerate. Andy (a.k.a. Andromache of Scythia and some 6000 years old), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) are warriors who have been around for centuries, with Joe (a.k.a. Yusuf Al-Kaysani) and Nicky (a.k.a. Nicol di Genova) formerly enemies in The Crusades but now very close, and comparatively new recruit Booker (a.k.a. Sebastian Le Livre) a onetime soldier under Napoleon.

These revelations are amusing yet pretentious, and the pretension gets heavier when we discover that theyve been prolific fighters for justice for centuries, and that as the world grows crazier and scarier, theyre all feeling pretty knackered. The especially virtuous Andy, in fact, is so worn-down that she can barely manage anything more than a grim frown, making her a little tedious, particularly alongside Charlizes more intense action heroes in Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde.

Onetime CIA operative James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) drags the gang out of the shadows and villainous bigtime pharma exec (but arent they all?) Steven Merrick (Harry Melling, another grown up Harry Potter child actor) swoops, intending to exploit the genetic roots of the fours immortality, whether it kills them or not. Fortunately, however, he (somehow) doesnt know about the existence of a recent addition to the collective, a US Marine pointedly named Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne), who somehow survived having her throat cut while serving in Afghanistan and then barely escaped being horribly tested by the evil American Government.

Over-plotted and sprawling, this is uneasily handled by Prince-Bythewood (whos happier with naturalistic and emotional character dramas like Love & Basketball and The Secret Life Of Bees), and seems almost embarrassed by its need to be, you know, an action movie. The depiction of the immortals as laid-low by global suffering and existential angst is also a mistake when you remember that certain vampires (like The Lost Boys) have used their inability to die as an opportunity to party on, the sort-of-gods in the Highlander pics at least have a bit of fun sometimes, and the possibly-millennia-old Doctor Who can manage a sense of humour and enthusiasm, despite his occasional weariness.

Not these guys, though. Instead they sit around endlessly agonising about the enormous burden of being indestructible, and go on (and on and on) about their spiritual exhaustion, even as they belt and shoot the crap out of the usual faceless army of gun-toting extras.

Yawn.

DM Bradley

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Film Review: The Old Guard - The Adelaide Review

In lieu of a theatrical experience: Summer edition – Boulder Weekly

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This was the weekend we were waiting for: A return to movie theaters in the time of coronavirus. Christopher Nolans latest blockbuster, Tenet, was going to kick things off; fitting considering that fewer filmmakers are as personally devoted to the theater-going experience as Nolan.

Alas, it is not to be. Tenet has been rolled back to August, as have theater openings. As the summer blockbuster season continues to evaporate, the emphasis turns, once more, to streaming and video on demand.

Take The Old Guard, now streaming on Netflix, for example: In a normal world, itd be a perfect mid-summer release of an action-packed graphic novel adaptation. The story: A band of immortal soldiers have grown weary of fighting for a world they no longer feel is worth saving. Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne share lead roles as the seen-it-all veteran and the doe-eyed recruit, respectively. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Greg Rucka (who also penned the graphic novels), The Old Guard is decent, but the movies reliance on excessive gunplay and an impersonal body count leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Yet, its the characters that sink this story: Not one has a personality to speak of. Curious considering that half of them have been alive for more than 1,000 years. Youd think theyd pick up a little culture along the way. Not the most scintillating thing youll see this summer, but itll hold your attention.

Ditto for The Painted Bird, though you might not be happy about it. Adapting Jerzy Kosiskis 1965 novel of the same name, Czech filmmaker Vclav Marhoul tells the horrific story of a young Polish boy trying to survive a world ravaged by WWII. Shot in striking black and white by cinematographer Vladimr Smutn, The Painted Bird is atrocity after atrocity, piled on with such frankness you begin to wonder if Marhoul delights in making the audience cringe. The cruelty here is egalitarian: Soldiers, civilians, men, beast, children, women one scene depicts female violence so jarring even Lars von Trier would draw pause. Proceed with caution. For rent on all major platforms.

Not a whole lot of laughs in either of those, but youll find plenty in Palm Springs, which, coincidentally, also involves the dilemma of immortality and various grisly deaths. But with a little sex. The conceit: Niles (Andy Samberg) is stuck in a Groundhogs Day-esque time loop at a wedding in Palm Springs, California. No matter what he does or where he goes, hell always wake up in the same hotel room with the same cheating girlfriend. But when he inadvertently drags the brides sister, Sarah (Cristin Milioti), into the loop with him, things get bonkers. Written by Andy Siara and directed by Max Barbakow, Palm Springs is sweet and funny, and surprisingly original for a derivative high-concept movie. Streaming on Hulu.

For more on new releases to streaming and VOD, tune into Metro Arts on KGNU, Friday at 3 p.m. (88.5 FM, 1390 AM and online at kgnu.org).

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Mourners say goodbye to 8-year-old killed in Atlanta shooting – Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Private funeral services for her were held at New Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Secoriea lay in a clear coffin with gold trim and features with her full name printed in gold lettering across the front.

Stuffed animals were arranged near her feet.

The young girl wore a hot pink dress adorned with multi-colored pink flowers, white gloves that extended a little past her elbows and a tiara atop her head.

As I walked in I said to myself, this hurts, said the Rev. Gregory A. Sutton, senior pastor of Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta, who later delivered the eulogy. I said to myself this hurts my heart. Im praying for this father, and this mother, and this mothers children. This family.

Charmaine Turner, mother of Secoriea Turner, and her sons, peer into Secoriea's coffin during her home-going service at New Calvary Missionary Church in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills community, Wednesday, July 15, 2020. On July 4, 8-year-old Secoriea was shot dead by armed civilians in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Credit: Alyssa Pointer

Credit: Alyssa Pointer

Several times during the service, Secorieas father, Secoriey Williamson, went up to the casket, leaned in and kissed his daughter. Later in the service, while a selection was being performed, mourners slowly made their way to the front of the church to hug and support the family.

Sutton said he didnt come to politicize the moment or to give a speech, but to comfort and give the family the strength to face this obstacle. It is devastating to lose a child, he said.

If there is ever a time we need the Lord, we need him now, said Sutton.

The church was filled with more than a dozen floral arrangements, including one in the form of an 8, her age when she was killed. Another, a unicorn floral arrangement from her first grade teacher, Joya Florence and her classmates, was situated near a bouquet of pink flowers from Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore.

The program was filled with photos of a smiling Secoriea at various stages of her young life. One featured her with a halo.

Florence, her beloved first grade teacher, recalled the first time Secoriea, dressed in a pink tutu and carrying a unicorn backpack, came to her class.

She was cute and bright with a smile to adore, she said. Florence recounted how she would began calling the roll in class. Many students said here or present. Secoriea said unicorn.

Her backpack must have been filled with magic, she said, saying her student sprinkled laughter and joy among her classmates.

Sutton told those gathered that they were not there for a funeral but rather a commencement, a graduation and a celebration.

Secoriea, he said, had graduated from mortality to immortality. We know where she is, he said.

The family would attend Jackson Memorial for church service, and Sutton said his daughter once attended school with Secorieas mother.

Family and friends of Secoriea Turner present floral arrangements during her homegoing service at New Calvary Missionary Church in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills community, Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Credit: Alyssa Pointer

Credit: Alyssa Pointer

In a previous interview Charmaine Turner, said she took her children to church there because she wanted them to learn how to pray to God.

Secoriea was shot while riding in a SUV her mother had been driving down the road in front of the south Atlanta Wendys where a police officer killed Rayshard Brooks.

Charmaine Turner said a group started shooting at the vehicle as she was trying to go around a makeshift roadblock. She said when her daughter was hit, Secoriea called out to her.

Sutton, in his eulogy, turned to the Bible and spoke of when David lost his son.

He said that todays trying times, with the coronavirus pandemic and violence, people in the community must care and support one another.

Black lives, Sutton said, do not take black lives . Black lives should encourage black lives.

Speaking to those gathered, he said they cant bring Secoriea back but if you accept Christ, you can go to where she is.

Sercorieas soul belongs to God, he said.

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Mourners say goodbye to 8-year-old killed in Atlanta shooting - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Doom Patrol: Why Niles Caulder Is The REAL Season 2 Villain – Screen Rant

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Despite basically noble intentions, Dr. Niles Caulder is arguably the Doom Patrol's greatest enemy, sacrificing his patients to achieve his own goals.

Warning: The following feature contains SPOILERS for Doom Patrol season 2 episode 6, "Space Patrol."

Dr. Niles Caulder, the man who made the Doom Patrol, may be the biggest villain in the series' second season. While he might not be the intended antagonist of season 2, it has become increasingly apparent that he has few morals, if any, and that he is responsible for most of the team's problems.

The first season of Doom Patrol introduced Niles Caulder as a brilliant scientist who devoted himself towards exploring the strange and unusual and attempting to treat those cases that more orthodox doctors had dismissed as lost causes. Affectionately known as The Chief among his patients, he opened his home up to people like test-pilot Larry Trainor and actress Rita Farr, who had been left unable to live ordinary lives as a result of horrific accidents. However, it was revealed in the penultimate episode of Doom Patrol's first season that Dr. Caulder had caused all of the accidents that empowered his patients, as a part of various experiments intended to discover the secret of immortality.

Related: Doom Patrol Season 2 Cast & DC Comics Character Comparison Guide

Despite this, Caulder's patients still rallied in the Doom Patrol season 1 finale when they found out that everything he had done was done in the name of love and a need to extend his own life so he could care for his seemingly ageless and immortal daughter, Dorothy. While Caulder ultimately sacrificed the magic medallion that was extending his life to save his patients, most of his actions towards his patients since Doom Patrol's season 2 premiere have been negligent at best. One prime example of this has been Caulder's treatment of Cliff Steele, whom he essentially murdered (along with Cliff's wife) so that he could test the feasibility of placing his own brain into a robotic body. Out of all the Doom Patrol's membership, Cliff has been the angriest regarding the truth about Caulder's experiments and the loudest in demanding reparations in some form. Caulder's response to listening to Cliff's complaints was to offer to dope him up with Ecstasy so he wouldn't feel as depressed.

Doom Patrol season 2 episode 6, "Space Patrol," saw Dr. Caulder sink to new depths of depravity, after Dorothy (whose recent actions resulted in the death of several of Crazy Jane's personas) ran away from home in a hijacked spaceship belonging to a group of astronauts Dr. Caulder sponsored over six decades earlier, who had just gotten back to Earth. After sending Larry Trainor to keep the astronauts busy (because Dr. Caulder couldn't be bothered to talk to them), The Chief chased after Dorothy in a second spaceship he'd kept in storage. He also blackmailed Cliff Steele into accompanying him,threatening to abandon all his work on enhancing Cliff's robot body so that he could experience normal human sensations againif Cliff didn't agree to help him.

While Cliff was reluctant to do anything to help Niles Caulder, thoughts of his own estranged daughter (with whom he had been trying to reconcile) made him decide that he couldn't claim any moral high-ground if anything happened to an innocent like Dorothy. In fact, by the time Dorothy was safe and they were on their way back to Earth, Cliff said that he'd be willing to stay with the team and help raise Dorothy if Dr. Caulder died before being able to finish work on his body. It was a sentiment that Dr. Caulder said meant the world to him, just before he sealed the airlock and flushed Cliff into the vacuum of space.

Presumably Dr. Caulder has other plans for himself and his daughter, as he told Cliff that they were not returning home to the rest of the team. What these plans are is anyone's guess, but given Dr. Caulder's increasingly erratic behavior it can't be good. It may well by that Dr. Caulder had finally decided that his psychic immortal daughter had proven too dangerous to be allowed to live. Or it may be that Red Jack, a cosmic being who feeds on the suffering of others, was right when he said that Dr. Caulder was like him and offered to make The Chief into his protege.

More:Doom Patrol's Robotman Still Does One Very Human Thing

Why Batwoman Is Replacing Kate Kane Instead Of Recasting Ruby Rose

Matt Morrison has been writing about comics since before the word"blogging" was coined. He got his start writing for thelegendary DC Comics digital fanzine Fanzing,before receiving his own column, The Mount. Since then he has gone onto write for over a dozen websites, including 411Mania, ComicsNexus and The Cult of Nobody. He holds both an MS in InformationScience from the University of North Texas and a BFA from theUniversity of Texas at Arlington. Known as a font of comic bookhistory trivia, he has delivered lectures on the history of AmericanComic Books, Japanese Manga and Cosplay at over a dozen conventionsand served as an Expert In-Residence for a course on Graphic Novelsfor Librarians at the University of North Texas. In addition to hiswork for Screen Rant, Matt is currently the Managing Editor ofKabooooom.com, the housecritic of Explore The Multiverse and writes reviews for NoFlying, No Tights a graphic literature and anime review siteaimed at teachers and librarians. He also maintains a personal blog My Geeky Geeky Ways which hosts his extensive episode guide for the television seriesmaking up The Arrowverse as well as hiscomedic Lets Play videos. What little spare time he has isdevoted towards acting, role-playing, movie-riffing and sarcasm. Youcan follow his adventures on Twitter, @GeekyGeekyWays.

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Doom Patrol: Why Niles Caulder Is The REAL Season 2 Villain - Screen Rant

Whats New on Netflix UK Today: July 10th, 2020 – What’s on Netflix

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There are ten new additions to look forward to watching on Netflix UK this weekend. Heres whats new on Netflix UK for July 10th, 2020.

First of all, here are the top highlights on Netflix UK Today:

Director: Gina Prince-BythewoodGenre: Action, Fantasy | Runtime: 125 MinutesCast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli

Without a Marvel or DC extravaganza to keep you occupied this Summer, instead, Netflix offers you its latest comic-book adaptation, The Old Guard. A potential smash hit for the summer, we expect to see The Old Guard claim the most popular spots this weekend.

Centuries-old, a group of immortals capable of healing from any wound, have made a name for themselves as the perfect guns for hire. Just as another immortal is awakened, they discover that the secret of their immortality has been exposed, and must now fight to keep their freedom.

Seasons: 8 | Episodes: 1Genre: Documentary | Runtime: 33-46 minutes

In his first-ever Netflix Original, Zac Efron travels the globe wit wellness expert Darin Olien in search of healthy and sustainable ways of living.

You know the story Mission: Impossible Fallout and Unsolved Mysteries continue their dominance at the top.

What are you going to be watching on Netflix UK this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

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Whats New on Netflix UK Today: July 10th, 2020 - What's on Netflix

Thermo Fisher Scientific and First Genetics JCS Partner to Develop Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Diagnostics in Russia – PRNewswire

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CARLSBAD, Calif., July 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Thermo Fisher Scientific and First Genetics JCS, a manufacturer of diagnostic equipment and IVD kits intended to advance molecular genetic technologies into clinical practice, today announced a strategic partnership focused on commercializing next-generation sequencing (NGS)based diagnostics in Russia. The agreement enables First Genetics to market its F-Genetics NGS System and IVD assays to Russian labs for reproductive health testing and cancer diagnostics. The F-Genetics System is based on Thermo Fisher's Ion GeneStudio S5 System.

First Genetics has already received its first registration certificate for an IVD kit by Roszdravnadzor, the Russian medical device regulatory agency. The company's Reproline kit is now approved for detecting chromosomal abnormalities in embryos on the F-Genetics NGS System prior to IVF implantation. While IVF is now government-funded as part of Russia's policy to help boost the national birth rate, preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A) had not previously been certified in Russia. The certification now enables Russian prenatal centers, which have doubled in number over the last decade, to leverage PGT-A.

"High-throughput technologies for genetic analysis are the future of molecular diagnostics," said Nikolai Kuznetsov, CEO, First Genetics. "Today we have expanded applications of NGS into reproductive medicine in Russia, and in the future, we intend to offer clinically certified solutions for other clinical applications, such as oncology testing. This is our contribution to the development of clinical diagnostics in Russia."

Thermo Fisher has entered into a number of agreements with assay developers like First Genetics to expand the use of NGS-based molecular diagnostics in the clinic and to advance precision medicine globally. Similar partnerships with other organizations have led to approvals by regulatory agencies in China, the United States and Europe.

"It is our mission to help bring molecular testing to all parts of the world so those who need it most can benefit from the genetic information next-generation sequencing provides," said Yan Zhang, general manager, reproductive health at Thermo Fisher. "We are pleased that couples in Russia now have access to First Genetics' solutions to assist in family planning and reduce the emotional burdens they face while undergoing fertility treatment."

About Thermo Fisher ScientificThermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit http://www.thermofisher.com.

About First Genetics JSCFirst Genetics JSC is a Russian manufacturer of diagnostic equipment and IVD kits based on high-performance sequencing, a partner of Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in this field. The company has a licensed laboratory for conducting medical genetic tests. The company's goal is to introduce advanced molecular genetic technologies into clinical practice and improve the in vitro diagnosis of human diseases. http://www.f-genetics.com

Media Contact Information:Mauricio MinottaPhone: 760-929-2456E-mail: [emailprotected]

Jen HeadyPhone: 617-275-6547E-mail: [emailprotected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

http://www.thermofisher.com

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Thermo Fisher Scientific and First Genetics JCS Partner to Develop Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Diagnostics in Russia - PRNewswire

Flagship Cancer Research UK precision medicine trial highlights the need for a new approach in treating genomically complicated cancersUntitled -…

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Published inNature,the National Lung Matrix Trial (NLMT) is the worlds largest precision medicine clinical trial for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and supported by the charitys Stratified Medicine Programme Phase 2 (SMP2) screening platform.

A 25 million collaboration with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and other pharmaceutical companies, and with support from the NHS, the NLMT matches different treatments to different groups of patients based on genetic changes in their cancer.

Using an innovative trial design that incorporates multiple treatment arms, NLMT allows for a more flexible and informed approach than traditional clinical trials. Each arm tests a different targeted treatment matched to a different genetic subtype of NSCLC.

The trials adaptive approach makes it possible for new drugs and combinations to be added as soon as they become available or retired quickly and easily if evidence suggests they arent effective.

Patients who sign up to take part in NLMT are genetically screened by the Cancer Research UK's SMP2 to understand more about their tumour type, and whether they possess the relevant genetic signatures to be matched to a targeted treatment.

Since the trial opened to recruitment in May 2015 until November 2019, 288 patients have been recruited to the 19 targeted treatment cohorts on the trial.

Results revealed key learnings on the use of precision medicine, such as how the appropriate pre-clinical work is essential in defining appropriate biomarker-drug combinations to test in the clinic, on ensuring that the best drugs available are used to hit the genomic targets, the scale of attrition from large screening platforms, and the importance of analysing and publishing outcome data of an ongoing study.

The attrition rate was high with only a 5% of SMP2 patients receiving treatment on NLMT. As trials often come towards the end of the patient journey, cancer progression might make patients too unwell to be recruited onto trials. Targeted therapy trials should take place much earlier in the cancer journey and use blood based genomic testing for fast turn-round of the information needed to match patients to drugs.

Lead authorProfessor Gary Middleton, Medical Oncologist at the University of Birmingham, said: This study provides data on how the next wave of trialling targeted therapies to treat complex cancers should be designed. This is the first trial of its kind, the novel Bayesian design allows outcome data from open cohorts that are still recruiting to be reported alongside closed cohorts, whereas previous umbrella studies have only published the results of completed arms and cohorts.

"We found genomically complicated tumours are hard to treat with targeted therapy, especially with monotherapy. The models we test drugs on are too simplistic - they dont represent the genomic complexity of the tumour, or the trajectory of how they rapidly evolve. We need models that take into account the complexity and trajectory of a human tumour to decide if a drug is going to work.

Professor Pam Kearns, Director of Birminghams Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit and University of BirminghamsInstitute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, said: The National Lung Matrix Trial is a landmark complex innovative design trial and represents a step-change in our understanding of how to develop precision medicine in challenging to treat cancers.

Dr Ian Walker, Director of Research at Cancer Research UK, said: The National Lung Matrix trial is a flagship programme for Cancer Research UK and continues to provide significant insights into how we should treat genomically diverse cancers, such as lung. Not only will it shape the thinking for future studies delivering complex precision medicines, but it has also demonstrated how molecular diagnostic testing and clinical research can work in a truly integrated manner within the National Health Service across the UK to allow patients to access the latest new treatments.

NLMT patient Paul Inett, 72 years old, said: I was diagnosed with stage four metastatic lung cancer in late April 2015 that had spread to glands in my chest. I was referred to Professor Gary Middleton at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and was recruited onto the National Lung Matrix Trial. Fortunately my biopsy showed a genetic marker that matched to one of the treatment arms on the trial and received a targeted cancer drug. This ground breaking research saved my life. Im now able to live a relatively active life including spending time with my family and taking exercise classes at my local gym.

Next steps in the NLMT are to continue recruiting patients. A new combination arm has just been added to the study and opened earlier in June. There will also be further publications from the individual arms and cohorts, and translational laboratory work.

For more information please contact Sophie Belcher, Communications Manager, University of Birmingham, on +44(0) 7815607157. Alternatively, contact the Press Office out of hours on +44 (0)7789 921165.

About the University of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the worlds top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.

About Cancer Research UK

For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity,please call 0300 123 1022 or visitwww.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us onTwitterandFacebook

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Flagship Cancer Research UK precision medicine trial highlights the need for a new approach in treating genomically complicated cancersUntitled -...