NB Liberals hold lead, but Tories narrowing the gap, poll suggests – CBC.ca

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After a bruising three months marked by the property assessment scandal, Premier Brian Gallant's Liberal government holds a seemingly comfortable lead over the opposition Progressive Conservatives, according to a new poll.

Corporate Research Associates' quarterly survey found 46 per cent of decided respondents would vote for the Liberals, while 33 per cent said they would vote PC.

But CRA pollster Don Mills said that lead masks some troubling trends for the Liberal Party.

Liberal support has been gradually shrinking over the last year and PC support has been inching up.

The gap between the two parties has narrowed from 27 points in the May 2016 poll to 13 points in May 2017.

"That is getting tighter, there's no doubt about it," Mills said.

"The trend line is not that good for the Liberals if it were to continue, and pretty good for the Tories if it were to continue."

Liberal support is down from 51 per cent in the last CRA poll three months ago, a five-point drop that is outside the sample's margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

Liberal Party president Joel Reed attributed the dip to the scandal over botched property tax assessments. (LinkedIn)

PC support didn't shift outside that margin from 30 to 33 per cent but it's been growing steadily for a year.

The NDP was chosen by 11 per cent of those surveyed, the Green Party by six, and the People's Alliance by three. Those numbers were among decided voters only. Thirty-six per cent of respondents were undecided.

Liberal Party president Joel Reed said the poll is just a snapshot of opinion from last month, but "that being said, we're relatively pleased with these numbers."

He attributed the Liberal apparent dip in support to the scandal over botched property tax assessments.

"There's no question that with the volume of coverage of the property assessment issue, it's had an impact on the polling numbers," Reed said.

But he said the level of Liberal support is still higher than what it was in the 2014 election, when the party won a majority of seats.

He also pointed to the satisfaction level with the government 53 per cent, which is statistically unchanged from the 55 per cent in the last poll, taken before the property assessment scandal began dominating political debate.

Dissatisfaction was at 41 per cent. The margin of error for those numbers is 3.5 points.

However, Mills said the overall provincial number has regional breakdowns that should worry the Liberals.

The satisfaction rate was 67 per cent among francophones and only 44 per cent among anglophones.

Corporate Research Associates' quarterly survey found 46 per cent of decided respondents would vote Liberal, while 33 per cent would vote PC. (CRA)

In the 2014 election, the Liberals won huge majorities in most francophone ridings.

That's why despite an eight-point margin in the popular vote over the PCs 42.7 per cent to 34.7 per cent they won only a narrow majority of seats, some of them by fewer than 100 votes.

Another trouble sign for the Liberals is that only 31 per cent of respondents preferred Gallant as premier, down from 35 per cent in the last poll, another shift that is outside that sample's margin of error of 3.5 points.

PC leader Blaine Higgs was the preferred premier for 23 per cent of respondents, 11 per cent chose Green Party Leader David Coon, five per cent chose interim NDP Leader Rosaire L'Italien, and five per cent chose People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin.

CRA sampled 804 New Brunswickers between May 3 and 31.

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NB Liberals hold lead, but Tories narrowing the gap, poll suggests - CBC.ca

Trump’s Executive Order Could Result in … – Freedom Outpost

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According to a report that's out, President Donald Trump's executive order that eliminates two regulations for every new rule imposed could result in zero net regulatory costs this fiscal year.

On Tuesday, the American Action Forum released a report titled "Getting to $0" demonstrating how Executive Order 13771, using 2006 as a model, could result in zero net regulatory costs for the current fiscal year.

The report, written by Sam Batkins,director of regulatory policy at the American Action Forum, claims that EO's on regulation and the Congressional Review Act could bring regulatory costs to $0 by October 1, 2017. Contrast that with Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro Sobarkah's $164 billion in costs from his final regulations alone.

With the landmark signature of Executive Order (EO) 13,771, the Trump administration has made a bold move to limit regulatory costs, Batkins writes. But is the EOs goal of achieving $0 in regulatory costs for the remainder of the fiscal year (through October 1) possible?

According to American Action Forum (AAF) research, the administration need only be as restrained as the Bush Administration was in 2006 to accomplish the goal of no net costs, he continues. With the regulatory freeze still mostly in effect, the days of $164 billion in regulatory costs could come quickly to an end.

Batkins report also states that there have been "virtually no new regulatory burdens" since Trump's January 30th executive order.

The report points to way in which achieving the $0 regulatory costs can be achieved.

...there are already $305 million in regulatory recessions it could use, along with more than 40 million hours of reduced paperwork. These gains occurred before the EO, but since they are so recent, the administration does have some control over their future. Its not clear if these savings, largely stemming from a 'Food Stamps' revision, would count toward the one-in, two-out process or the $0 goal, but if they did, at least the Department of Agriculture would start with a negative regulatory balance.

In addition, the administration can use CRA resolutions of disapproval toward the goal of EO 13,771. The administrations guidance makes clear, We will consider Acts of Congress that overturn final regulatory actions, such as disapprovals of rules under the Congressional Review Act, to operate in a similar manner as agency deregulatory actions.

Currently, Congress has introduced roughly 30 resolutions of disapproval. If they were to pass everything on their agenda, they could generate more than $2.4 billion in annual regulatory savings for EO 13,771, with 7.6 million fewer paperwork hours as a byproduct. Although no resolution has been introduced, nullifying new greenhouse gas standards for trucks would save another $2.6 billion in burdens. These savings could be achieved without first performing the laborious task of identifying two prior regulations for repeal, arguably the most challenging aspect of the order.

The Congressional Review Act has already been used to roll back a coal mining rule imposed by Obama and there have been approximately 30 resolutions to repeal some of Obama's major regulations.

Among the complications and challenges that are faced is the fact that the central government has become a monstrosity by creating new unconstitutional agencies, which have more delegated authority. The report also says there is a question of how the executive order treats "repeal" versus an "amend" approach.

Batkins believes that the executive order will result in "a robust retrospective review of the current stock of federal rules to identify cost savings within existing programs."

"EO 13,771 has ushered in a new era for regulatory policy. Now, regulators must balance the imposition of new rules against removing some of the past burden of old regulations," the report concludes. "Regulators across the globe already engage in some form of this regulatory budgeting, but achieving $0 in net costs by October will be a challenge. However, a regulatory freeze, a robust retrospective effort, and a measured pace of regulation for next few months could make getting to $0 by the end of the fiscal year a reality."

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Stuck in the middle of a fiscal fight, Sean Spicer admits White House doesn’t have debt ceiling strategy – Washington Examiner

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Instead of presenting a unified front ahead of a coming debt ceiling fight, Trump's Cabinet remains crossways. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin wants a "clean" increase, OMB Director Mulvaney favors spending reforms, and Sean Spicer is caught in the middle.

The already beleaguered press secretary had the unenviable task of trying to convince the press that Republicans were negotiating while they're clearly fighting behind closed doors.

"I would put it more like this," Spicer said during Tuesday's press conference, "there's a conversation that is going to go on with Congress about how to proceed and it's not, at this timeI'm not going to get in front of that discussion."

But as Mnuchin, Mulvaney, and congressional leaders talk, talk, and talk, Spicer probably wishes they'd just knock it off. The White House should just admit that they don't have a plan. No amount of spin can hide that fact.

The only clarity has come from White House legislative affairs director Marc Short, who told reporters Monday that Congress should raise the limit "before they adjourn for August." A simple enough task, lawmakers periodically increase the debt ceiling in order to authorize increases in the federal government's borrowing authority.

Other than that, there's no agreement.

Mnuchin first indicated to the House Ways and Committee in May that he preferred a "clean," vote on the debt ceiling without any accompanying spending cuts or reforms. Mulvaney seemed to balk at that possibility during a sit-down interview with the Washington Examiner's editorial board.

Describing it as a sort of "smoke alarm," Mulvaney said the debt ceiling warns the federal government "that we've now, once again, spent more than we have." And now that alarm is blaring, he's prepared to borrow more in exchange for "certain spending reforms and debt reforms in the future."

Complicating the debate further, factions inside the Republican House conference are already drawing battle lines. Mulvaney's old colleagues in the Freedom Crisis, a flock of roughly 40 fiscal hawks, have made their opposition to raising the limit known. That means that Democrat support would be needed to keep the federal government from defaulting on its obligations.

And the longer the fiscal battle rages inside the administration, the harder Spicer's job gets. For once the White House should do the press secretary a solid and get on the same page.

Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.

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Stuck in the middle of a fiscal fight, Sean Spicer admits White House doesn't have debt ceiling strategy - Washington Examiner

Will the government fall off the fiscal cliff? – CBS News – CBS News

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Congress' next few months are likely to be filled with drama, as lawmakers face tackling the debt ceiling, negotiating a new budget deal to lift limits on government spending and trying to head off a government shutdown this fall.

Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week from their Memorial Day recess facing two solid months of legislative hurdles before their scheduled five-week recess in August.

"There is so much to do, and there's so much uncertainty out there, that we are heading into a very intense two-month work period, and if we're going to do anything this year, we have to do it now," warned Jim Dyer, principal at the Podesta Group who previously served as the House Appropriations Committee's staff director.

Budget experts, including Dyer, and lawmakers are expecting a negotiation for a major fiscal deal with the timing for that likely to be determined by the deadline to address the debt ceiling. That is, lawmakers might have to reach a deal before Congress moves on to approving government funding for 2018.

If Congress fails to complete these tasks, the U.S. could default on its debt; all discretionary spending -- including both defense and non-defense -- would be slashed with cuts; and the government would shut down.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has called on Congress to raise the debt limit before lawmakers leave for the summer and has specified that it should be a "clean" increase -- a demand that the conservative Freedom Caucus quickly rejected. The group said in a statement that any debt ceiling increase should be coupled with spending cuts in exchange. For context, Democrats have only ever agreed to a "clean" lifting of the debt limit.

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The House speaker discusses how Congress and the Trump administration plan to deal with the debt ceiling

For the last debt ceiling deadline in 2015, Congress was able to wait until October to address it. As it usually does, the Treasury Department has been relying on so-called "extraordinary measures" since mid-March of this year to buy more time but time may be running out sooner than previous years. When the threat of a default becomes more pronounced, that could spur a much larger fiscal deal.

"If there is to be a budget deal, and I believe there has to be a budget deal, I think the action-enforcing event will be the debt ceiling," Dyer said. "It's like the bitter medicine that no one wants to take, but they know they have to take it anyway if they're going to survive."

Since 2013, Congress has twice passed two-year bipartisan budget agreements to lift spending limits that were put in place by a 2011 law.

The first was negotiated by then-House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, and his Senate counterpart, Patty Murray, D-Washington. The last one, in 2015, was reached by then-Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky and his Democratic counterpart, Harry Reid of Nevada. The 2015 deal will expire at the end of September, and if Congress doesn't pass a new one, spending limits from the 2011 law will take effect.

In his budget blueprint for 2018, President Trump proposed raising defense spending levels by $54 billion and cutting the same amount, $54 billion, for non-defense domestic programs, which cover the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Health and Human Services, among others. If his plan were to become law, domestic programs not related to defense would face $57 billion in cuts below their current level of funding.

While Congress, including Republicans, declared the president's budget "dead on arrival," most Republicans agree the military needs more funding. Many also agree that non-defense domestic programs don't require spending hikes. Under President Obama, Democrats only accepted equal increases between both sides of the budget. But now with a unified Republican government, this debate over what to increase, and by how much, is expected to be the biggest sticking point in these negotiations.

"I don't believe all dollars are the same. I think defense dollars are the absolute priority right now," said Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, following a closed-door GOP conference meeting about the budget agenda. Granger chairs a subcommittee that oversees Pentagon funding.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, signaled that he'd support a bipartisan budget deal that also raises the debt ceiling, saying he would be "agreeable to anything that increases defense spending." But asked if he'd also be in favor of domestic spending increases, he wasn't as adamant.

"No, no, no, no," McCain said. "Although there are some that I would increase: the CIA, the FBI, Homeland Security and those, but I don't think that some of our domestic programs are in the same level of urgency as defense is. This is the same strategy that gave us sequestration: treat them all the same. That's crazy."

Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Kentucky, ranking member on the House Budget Committee, said that a budget deal that only raises spending limits on defense is out of the question.

"Absolutely not," he told CBS News. "That would be a non-starter. I don't think there would be any Democratic votes for that."

A leader of the moderate Tuesday Group, Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pennsylvania, is urging his colleagues to craft a bipartisan budget deal that raises the debt limit and lifts both spending levels for defense and non-defense, satisfying Democratic demands.

"It's unrealistic to think that we're going to be able to increase defense entirely at the expense of non-defense," Dent said.

Neither Ryan's office nor McConnell's office responded to requests for comment.

While a budget deal would increase spending caps, Congress would still need to pass an appropriations package that complies with those new limits. And despite GOP control of the White House and Congress, Democratic votes will be needed to advance a budget agreement that in turn would determine spending levels for an appropriations package. Both pieces of legislation require 60 votes in the Senate in order to reach a final vote.

"If you're going to prevent a government shutdown in September, you have got to have renegotiated budget caps," Dyer said.

Experts suspect Congress will, as they've done each year in recent memory, pass a continuing resolution (CR) by Sept. 30 to prevent a government shutdown to buy more time for the larger negotiation that would eventually determine the substance of a 2018 government spending package in December.

A budget deal that raises spending limits and debt ceiling won't be a "grand bargain," said Bill Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, who spent 25 years on Capitol Hill working on budget issues and appropriations. But he said it might encompass "modest modifications to the tax code," rather than a comprehensive tax reform package.

"The debt limit, the funding of the government, health care and maybe a little bit on the tax side will all be front and center come this fall and this is the opportunity for some tradeoffs," he said. "[As for] the man who wrote the book "The Art of the Deal," this is when we'll have to see whether or not he can really pull off a deal and pull all these pieces together."

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JOHN HOOD COLUMN: State should not control alcohol – Statesville Record & Landmark

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I am a teetotaler who believes that my fellow North Carolinians should be free to buy and consume the alcoholic beverages of their choice from the vendors of their choice.

They dont currently possess that freedom. Our state places significant limits on the sale of beer, wine, and spirits. Above a low statutory cap, breweries are not allowed to market their wares directly to retailers. Distilleries are even more encumbered, both in how much liquor they can sell directly to consumers and in the range of retailers they can use namely, only the government monopoly of ABC stores.

North Carolina actually fares relatively well in assessments of personal freedom, according to analysts at the Cato Institute. Their Freedom in the 50 States report uses three categories of variables: fiscal, regulatory, and personal. North Carolinas overall freedom ranking is 19th, but we do best in the personal freedom category, where we rank 13th.

By this broad measure, North Carolina is the freest state in the Southeast. Still, wed be even higher on the list if our alcohol laws werent so restrictive, ranking us 35th in the country in this area.

There are two movements underway in North Carolina that, if successful, would improve the situation. One of them began at the General Assembly this year as House Bill 500. As originally written, it would have allowed craft breweries to distribute up to 200,000 barrels of beer directly to retailers, rather than having to use a state-sanctioned cartel of wholesalers. The current cap is 25,000 barrels.

The wholesalers prevailed in the initial legislative battle, so the version of the bill that ultimately passed the House in late April would only modestly expand the ability of some breweries and wineries to sell their products as they wish. In response, some craft breweries have filed a lawsuit to strike down the states distribution cap and franchise laws as a violation of the state constitution.

The other measure, Senate Bill 155, would allow distilleries to sell up to five bottles directly to visiting consumers, up from the current annual limit of one bottle. It would also loosen limits on the sale of spirits at festivals and conventions, while allowing restaurants and retailers to sell alcohol after 10 a.m. on Sundays, two hours earlier than the current limit (which is why the legislation is known as the brunch bill). It has already passed the Senate and is now awaiting action in the House.

Some opposition to alcohol deregulation comes from interest groups, public and private, that benefit from the current system. No one should be surprised by their special pleading, which is always skillfully delivered.

But others inside and outside the General Assembly argue that North Carolinas regulatory scheme is designed to curb alcohol abuse, which they tie to such social ills as drunk driving and domestic abuse. I think their concerns deserve more respect, although I dont ultimately agree with their conclusions.

As I said, Im a teetotaler. One reason is that my family has often suffered the ravages of alcoholism. As the family historian, Ive chronicled numerous cases. The great uncle for whom I was named, for example, was struck and killed on the railroad track behind our house either because he had fallen down drunk or because hed first been beaten to unconsciousness by fellow drunks. His uncle, in turn, had been murdered decades before during an alcohol-fueled gunfight. Other close relatives have had less deadly but still debilitating experiences with alcohol.

But if your conception of freedom is that it ought only to extend to behavior with which you personally agree, youve conceived it out of existence. The state should certainly punish actions that violate the rights of others, such as drunk driving or violent crimes committed while inebriated. The adult consumption and sale of alcohol, however, are not the proper concern of the state.

Most drinkers arent drunks, most drunks arent dangerous, and most governmental attempts to save people from themselves create more problems than they solve.

John Hood is chairman of the John Locke Foundation and appears on the talk show NC SPIN. You can follow him @JohnHoodNC.

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Do we have economic freedom? – The Express Tribune

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Economic Freedom Index is not a sacrosanct scorecard neither is it a predictor of investors confidence

The writer is an honorary Fellow of the Consortium for Development Policy Research

Pakistan has achieved a growth rate of 5.3 per cent, the highest in nine years. Now what can be done to sustain this growth? Economists believe that governments should pursue policies advancing economic freedom to stimulate growth and the rest can be taken care of by private enterprises and individuals.

In 2017, Pakistans economic freedom score hit the lowest-ever mark, bringing down the countrys ranking to 141 amongst 186 countries, all the way from 126 in 2016 and 121 in 2015. While there could be endless debates on whether this is an accurate reflection of future growth potential, it is hard to ignore the clear correlation between economic freedom and prosperity.

The recently released Economic Freedom Index 2017 revealed that countries lying in the top 25 per cent of economic freedom scores are six times as prosperous as those in the bottom quartile. Moreover, the top countries GDP per capita has been growing at more than double the rate of growth for bottom countries. In laymans terms, this means the difference in prosperity of these two groups with varying economic freedom will widen over time and one cannot have one without the other. In Pakistan, on the one hand, the federal and provincial governments are trying to lure in foreign direct investments through incentives, one-window facilitation and investment roadshows, while on the other, the lack of economic freedom is constraining existing businesses. It, therefore, calls for some introspection on where exactly are we going wrong. Economic freedom means that individuals and businesses are free to own and control their labour, capital and goods with minimal intervention by the state institutions. The Economic Freedom Index, created by Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, is based on four pillars: rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets. These pillars in turn depend on 12 indicators ranging from property rights to fiscal health and from business freedom to financial freedom.

A closer look at these indicators reveals that Pakistan has scored extremely low on six counts: property rights, judicial effectiveness, government integrity, fiscal health, labour freedom and financial freedom. Three of these indicators constitute the rule of law pillar, making it the weakest area for the country.

It will be unfair to attribute this low score to any recent development, as since 1996, Pakistan has been categorised as a mostly unfree country. If at all, since 2013 Pakistan has shown steady improvements in government integrity as well as in monetary, trade and investment freedom. Judicial effectiveness and fiscal health have recently been added to the index so there is no historical trend available. But there has been little improvement in property rights, no improvement at all in financial freedom and a steady decline in labour freedom.

Looking at property rights, while the government does allow private ownership, it is quite difficult to protect personal property in case of disputes due to prolonged litigation, deterring entrepreneurial activity. It must be noted that property rights here pertain to both real and intellectual properties as well as to investor protection and quality of land administration.

Labour freedom, on the other hand, refers to excessive labour regulations in the country, limiting businesses ability to deal with redundancies. The low labour force participation rate of 15 per cent, much below the world average of 62 per cent, manifests poor labour opportunities in Pakistan and negatively affects their freedom. Lastly, financial freedom depends on factors like government influence on allocation of credit and capital market development, both of which are weak spots for Pakistan. Domestic credit to private sector for instance, is merely 15 per cent of Pakistans GDP, as opposed to 44 per cent in Bangladesh and 52 per cent in India. Claims on the central government, on the other hand, stand at 29 per cent of the GDP.

The Economic Freedom Index is not a sacrosanct scorecard neither is it a predictor of investors confidence. However, it does provide a lens through which many investors look at investment prospects and also presents a menu of options to governments where targeted reforms can be undertaken.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2017.

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$500m deficit ‘threat to fiscal credibility’ | The Tribune – Bahamas Tribune

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By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government most move quickly to restore trust in its fiscal credibility, a governance reformer urged yesterday, pointing to the vast, wild differences between the new administrations forecasts and those of its predecessor.

Robert Myers, a principal with the Organisation for Responsible Governance (ORG), told Tribune Business that the nine-figure gap between the Minnis administrations projections and those of the prior government threatened to undermine business, investor and consumer confidence - not to mention that of the credit rating agencies - unless the differences were properly explained.

He was speaking after the Government, in unveiling the 2017-2018 Budget, revealed that the upcoming years deficit is projected to be $323 million - an almost $300 million increase from the $28 million in red ink that was forecast by the Christie administration just 12 months ago.

Raising further questions about the former governments fiscal forecasting, K P Turnquest, the minister of finance, said the deficit for the current 2016-2017 fiscal year was now estimated to be $500 million - a five-fold increase upon the $100 million that was forecast last May, and $150 million more than the mid-year Budget estimate.

While Hurricane Matthews role in the deficit growing 400 per cent beyond projections, Mr Turnquest said the former government had exacerbated the storms impact by entering into unfunded spending commitments that had created a $300 million government payables backlog.

As a result, the Government yesterday tabled two resolutions seeking Parliamentary authority to borrow a collective $722 million, some $400 million of which is emergency funding to cover 2016-2017s fiscal holes. The balance is to fill the 2017-2018 deficit.

Mr Myers said the persistent overshooting of key fiscal targets by such massive amounts threatened to undermine the publics faith in the Governments financial management, and negatively impact economic growth by deterring local and foreign investment.

He added that consumers and the private sector were being pushed towards a trust but verify approach when it came to the annual fiscal forecasts, with yesterdays developments further highlighting the need for a Fiscal Responsibility Act and Freedom of Information Act.

Based on the previous governments lack of control we, civil society and the public, dont know what to trust any more, Mr Myers told Tribune Business. The previous government was saying they could get the deficit down to $28 million [for 2017-2018], and were now back up to $323 million.

How could you go from one administration to the next and be so wildly wrong? Whos cooking the books? Isnt it the same public servants doing this Budget? Where are the public servants providing this Budget and the numbers? Why dont they speak up? If the Christie administration was that wildly wrong, isnt the Government reflecting what the public servants are doing?

Mr Myers also pointed to the different GFS deficit elimination projections given earlier this year by Simon Wilson, the Ministry of Finances acting financial secretary, and former prime minister, Perry Christie.

Mr Wilson, addressing a Chamber of Commerce conference in mid-February, said a fiscal balance could be achieved within the next four years, pushing this out to 2020-2021. Yet Mr Christie, in the mid-year Budget presentation in late March, stated that the Government was forecasting a break even GFS deficit by 2018-2019 - some two years earlier.

Warning that this only served to sow confusion and uncertainty among the private sector, Mr Myers added: If you have two people in the same government saying something so abundantly different, who is the public supposed to trust?

Weve got to make this whole process transparent, so we can understand things. Foreign investors can understand things, businesses can understand things, and consumers can understand things. If this is not done, consumer and investor confidence will be harmed.

He argued that there should be complete cohesion between government ministers and officials when it came to critical fiscal issues, otherwise the Bahamas was in deep trouble. Mr Myers also urged top Ministry of Finance officials to publicly stand behind the Budget, so we really do trust theyre going to be able to reduce the deficit in the time they suggest.

Its prudent for the Bahamian people to trust but verify, the ORG principal told Tribune Business.

The new governments projections show that achieving fiscal consolidation, and the GFS deficits elimination, will be much harder - and take a lot longer - than the prior administration was forecasting.

The Christie administration was forecasting that the Government would eliminate the annual deficit by 2018-2019, and actually be running a $68 million surplus. However, the Minnis administration yesterday predicted it will still be incurring $228 million worth of red ink for that fiscal year - a $296 million difference.

That is 54.4 per cent less than the $500 million deficit projected for the current fiscal year, and the Government forecast that the red ink would halve again to $106 million in 2019-2020.

The latter figure, though, is higher than the Christie administrations initial projected deficit for 2016-2017, and indicates that Mr Wilsons timeline for its elimination is more accurate.

Its unfortunate for the current administration that the previous administration was so irresponsible, as it puts a bad light on - and causes distrust - in whichever administration follows, Mr Myers told Tribune Business.

It doesnt help that we have had these wild swings in what the Government is projecting.

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$500m deficit 'threat to fiscal credibility' | The Tribune - Bahamas Tribune

Financial Independence | Tardus | Retire Early | Wealth

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Public invited to hearing on financial independence, high-interest lending – Nooga.com

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Area residents can learn about financial independence and high-interest lending practices. (Photo: MGNOnline)

Area residents are invited to attend a public hearing on financial independence and research on high-interest lending practices.

The event is slated for Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the Family Justice Center,5705 Uptain Road, and is hosted by the Mayor's Council for Women.

Attendees will hear from Councilwoman Carol Berz, who co-chairs the council, along with panelists Martina Guilfoil, Tracee Smith, Joda Thongnopnua and Jennifer Harper.They will discuss the impact ofhigh-interestloans and the recommendations of the financial independence workgroup.

Mayor Andy Berke announced the creation of the council during his 2015 State of the City address.

The council addresses issues such as domestic violence, justice, education, health care, economic opportunity, history and leadership.

The city of Chattanooga has adopted three of the councils recommendations, and last year, the Tennessee Legislature passed a bill the council developed. That legislationhelps victims of domestic violence stay in their homes when faced with eviction because of an offenders actions, according to a news release.

Click here for more information.

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Public invited to hearing on financial independence, high-interest lending - Nooga.com

Financial tips, resources for college grads – WTOP

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If your child is graduating, there are several ways you can support their transition into financial independence. (Thinkstock)

Its the season for celebrating graduations and a good time to consider how we all might help freshly-minted graduates as they take on their first full-time jobs.

Todays college graduates are starting out with higher tuition debt, challenging labor markets at graduation and, according to a Pew research study, a significant number of these young adults will choose to stay unmarried well into their 30s. These circumstances impact their ability to establish financial independence and build a solid foundation for wealth creation throughout their adult lives.

So how can grads overcome these obstacles when they go from being a student to starting their fledgling careers? If your child is graduating, there are several ways you can support their transition into financial independence. Beyond providing actual funds, we suggest you encourage them to take these steps:

Grads will be transitioning from living off scholarship or loan money and having their parents pay for tuition and living expenses to the reality of paying their own bills. One of the first reality checks is getting that first paycheck and realizing it yields much less cash to cover living expenses due to taxes and other deductions.

One of the most important lessons you can teach them is to live in a way where their spending falls below their net pay. To get started, you might suggest your graduate follow a simple process of determining their known expenses such as rent, cellphone, car payment and utilities then track their spending on incidentals such as entertainment and clothing. Once this analysis is complete, they can begin to think about longer range goals or whether they need to change spending habits in order to have a sustainable and balanced budget.

Your encouragement and occasional checking in on how theyre doing with cash flow can help build confidence in their ability to independently meet their daily needs while still having something left for discretionary spending.

When creating the initial budget, remind your graduate to include the repayment of their college loans. For the class of 2016, the average graduate had approximately $37,200 in student loan debt. Since students are required to begin repaying college loans within six months of graduation, they need to be sure their spending includes this debt repayment requirement.

Graduates with higher incomes can work to pay off college debt at a faster rate, especially given their relatively high interest rates compared to money market earnings rates and the cost of other types of debt such as car loans.

Michelle Singletary, columnist for The Washington Post wrote a fantastic column, College grads face next hurdle: Paying back student loans, that I encourage parents and grads read. She points out that many grads are under the misconception that all loans must be paid back within 10 years. Actually, there are four options for repayment programs based on a grads income which helps with their ability to handle other living expenses while repaying these loans.

The next important lesson for those entering the workforce is the power of tax-favored savings through company retirement savings plans.

In most families today, at least one parent will have participated in some type of 401k or other retirement savings plan. Your experience and knowledge can come in handy when your graduate receives that stack of participant information from their employer. We suggest you review the investment options with them and make sure they are clear on whether the employer has a contribution-matching program. We encourage all participants, including early career employees, to save as much as possible in these plans and to prioritize contributing at least the amount required to receive the free money that comes in the form of the employer contribution.

We cannot overemphasize the benefit of compound returns which come from ongoing investment over a longtime horizon.

For more savings strategies, read Smart Savings Strategies for Millennials from a Millennial.

Another advantage for many younger investors is the ability to contribute to a Roth IRA. Roth IRAs do have income limits so they will need to confirm that their annual income falls below IRS maximums (in 2017 for singles, the contribution phaseout income limit starts at $118,000). Like company retirement plans, these are tax-favored savings plans making them a great wealth building tool when utilized over a lifetime.

Roth IRAs also have provisions allowing access to funds for education spending. This may be a better way to build up savings for graduate education instead of through a traditional 529 plan which is more restrictive than a Roth. We often suggest that parents consider gifting funds or supplementing investment into a Roth to take advantage of the annual maximum contribution limit of $5,500 in 2017.

Many students are able to establish their own credit history while still in college. This can be accomplished with lower risk by obtaining a credit card with both a low total credit limit and a direct link to a bank account. Many banks offer automatic monthly payment as a way to ensure the monthly bill is paid in full and on time to establish a positive credit history. If your college graduate has yet to manage a credit card on their own, get them started now. Having a positive credit rating will help them save money on car loans, home mortgages and on future life insurance.

Another way to establish credit for the purpose of securing a lease is to pay college rent directly from your students bank account. Even if you are supporting the rental costs, its advantageous to establish a history of on-time rent payment by having funds come directly out of an account in your young adults name.

We believe that educating graduates about managing their financial lives can go a long way to establishing their knowledge of the basics of wealth building. Most of us have never had a class to teach us about the fundamentals required for responsible money management. Topics such as establishing credit, managing cash flow, being disciplined about delaying gratification and building an investment portfolio simply arent covered, even in the best universities. For a good book aimed at closing this education gap, we recommend Why Didnt They Teach Me This in School?: 99 Personal Money Management Principles to Live By by Cari Siegel.

For young women, encourage them to build personal financial strength as a way to ensure flexibility and life choice equal to their male counterparts. Heres where the gift of the book Youre So Money: Live Rich, Even When Youre Not by Farnoosh Torabi can play a role. Torabi is well-known for her role in empowering young women financially and this book is highly rated for its entertaining yet practical advice on personal finance.

With your guidance and these financial tips, your graduate will get off to a positive financial start with the tools to establish healthy lifelong financial habits.

Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others.

2017 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.

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Berz: High-interest loans can hamper financial independence – Chattanooga Times Free Press

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Related Article Chattanooga Mayor's Council on Women wants to rein in payday loans Read more

Carol Berz, incumbent District 6 candidate for Chattanooga City Council, is interviewed at the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Wednesday.

Carol Berz, incumbent District 6 candidate for Chattanooga...

Photo by John Rawlston /Times Free Press.

We've heard it our entire lives, the old adage reminding us how important it is to "save for a rainy day." But it's impossible to imagine saving for any type of day rainy, sunny, windy or otherwise if you're just barely getting by. The struggles of poverty are real and, as you might imagine, disproportionately affect women and children.

To have "financial independence" means to be able to at least provide the necessities for yourself and your family. That's a far cry from saving for the future, for retirement, for college, for a vacation or an emergency. But that's the reality facing so many in our community. In fact, 2015 Census data shows 15.9 percent of people in Hamilton County are living in poverty that's more than two points above the national average.

Often times, our most vulnerable citizens use payday lending to make ends meet. If you are familiar with the business model, then you know the traps, pitfalls and predatory practices that encumber far too many lured by the promise of quick, easy money. That money may be quick but it's by no means easy, with interest rates much higher than other types of loans.

Research has shown the damage these types of businesses have on individuals, families and communities as a whole.That's why two years ago, Mayor Andy Berke, Councilman Russell Gilbert and I partnered together on zoning legislation to help stop these businesses from flooding our streets. By clearly stating that no new predatory lending business can be located within a quarter mile of another payday lender or pawn shop or within 500 feet of a residential home, the city took a step in at least stemming the flow predatory lenders. It was a major step, but we have more steps in front of us.

What:Public hearing on high-interest lending practices and research from the Mayors Council for Women

When:Monday at 5:30 p.m.

Where:Family Justice Center 5705 Uptain Road

Breaking down the barriers to financial independence starts with education and empowerment. Twelve million Americans use alternative lending institutions, including many people who live right here in Chattanooga. Research paints a stark picture. We know that the most common borrower of a payday loan is female. Payday loans are most often used for recurring, everyday expenses, not unexpected costs or emergencies as you might assume. And perhaps the most jolting statistic? The average borrower racks up eight payday loans per year. That's about one loan every six weeks.

Interest rates for these loans are so high that it burdens Chattanooga families who are already struggling to get by. In some cases, borrowers will always be in debt, never getting to realize financial independence. As far as regulation goes, Tennessee is a permissive state that means payday lending places in Chattanooga can charge initial fees of 15 percent or higher of the borrowed amount.

The Mayor's Council for Women has been analyzing this issue for the past several months, looking at how we can help tear down the barriers that keep our community members from reaching financial freedom. One way we can achieve this is by leveraging existing community resources that teach financial empowerment to Chattanooga workers and encouraging legislation that reduces the amount of predatory lenders, while allowing for traditional lenders to offer loan alternatives.

Reducing payday lending is not meant to limit the choices of citizens and families, but to offer protection and freedom from debt. The issue of high-interest lending practices will be the topic of a public hearing tonight hosted by Mayor Berke and local experts. Participants also will break up into groups to discuss potential solutions.

Tonight is one more step but we need your help. Join the Mayor's Council for Women and get up to date on our policy papers, including the one referenced here. Support existing community resources that empower Chattanoogans. Encourage state legislation to allow loan alternatives. Educate your neighbors, family and friends on payday lending practices to help reduce the number of Chattanoogans using high interest loans. Together, we can take one step after another, building a foundation that can one day help raise up Chattanooga women and their families towards financial independence.

Dr. Carol Berz is a member of the Chattanooga City Council and co-chairwoman of the Mayor's Council for Women.

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Berz: High-interest loans can hamper financial independence - Chattanooga Times Free Press

How I Reached Financial Independence By Age 40 – The Dough Roller

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Learning how to achieve financial independence and retire early (FIRE) is pretty simple in theory. Ive covered some key technical concepts is past articles. These include the math behind building wealth quickly and simple tax planning strategies common in the FIRE community.

While the concepts are simple in theory, they are not always easy in practice. Ive studied early retirees and discovered key strategies and patterns of behavior that separate them from those living a more conventional lifestyle. Continuing that theme, I have identified three actions that have been key in allowing for my own early retirement. Oh, and Im only 41 years old.

The story you tell yourself becomes your reality Chad Kellogg, American alpinist

It is documented that you are more likely to obtain goals when you write them down. I propose you go one step further and write your own story.

In my case, I observed the happiest and most passionate people I knew were my ski bum or dirtbag climbing friends. However, most were living a life of financial risk with little security.

I also observed many on the other side of the spectrum: professional people who had money and prestige. However, they were trading away most of their time working while they still had the health, energy, and vitality to pursue their passions. At the end of the day, few seemed genuinely happy or fulfilled.

The common narrative is that you must choose between a false dichotomy of life focused on career and money or a life focused on things like passion, fulfillment, and family. I wasnt happy with this choice, though. I wrote a simple essay about having the best of both worlds, which I titled Dirtbag Millionaires. Then, I started figuring out how to piece that life together for myself.

This may all sound clich, even a little cheesy. However, if we think about it, someone is writing each of our stories. Its just a matter of who that someone is.

It is important to realize we all have the ability to create our own narrative. And if you want to retire early, writing this story is mandatory.

you should have a running list of three people that youre always watching: someone senior to you that you want to emulate, a peer who you think is better at the job than you are and who you respect, and someone subordinate whos doing the job you didbetter than you did it. Chris Fussell, former US Navy SEAL officer

I recently came across the above quote in Tim Ferriss new book, Tools of Titans. It came in response to the question, How do you define success? Personally, I think this is excellent advice for those looking to do something extraordinary with their lives. Nearly everyone follows the same path: birth, school, work, retire, die. For those of us on a different path, though, it can be challenging to gauge how we are really doing. Having, and watching, these three people in our life gives us a yardstick against which we can compare our progress.

My wife and I worked with a conventional financial advisor for about a decade. He repeatedly told us how well we were doing. Compared to our peers leading a conventional lifestyle, he was right. However, following conventional financial advice meant massive investing and tax planning mistakes. This cost us over $20,000 in excessive fees, unnecessary taxes, and opportunity costs in just our last year of using his services.

About five years ago, Id had enough and took control of my finances. I began reading early retirement blogs like Early Retirement Extreme. Soon after, I moved to Mr. Money Mustache and The Mad Fientist. While each of these blogs was very enlightening and technically helpful, I found that their focus on the fastest and most efficient path to retirement was not consistent with my values.

Related: How to Build Wealth Quickly So You Can Retire Early

I became overly focused on money and retirement. Despite already having a very high savings rate, I began watching every penny we spent. I became excessively focused on regretting past financial mistakes and wanting a future of freedom from work.

For the first time in my life, money became a stressor. While my knowledge and wealth grew, I became less happy.

I needed better benchmarks to compare myself against a way to define our success. So, I began to search for others whose attitudes and values better lined up with my own.

I continued reading early retirement blogs to find others who had already done what I wanted to do. Two that I found extremely helpful were Todd Tresidder at Financial Mentor and Darrow Kirkpatrick at Can I Retire Yet? They demonstrated a more sustainable path to FIRE and were living lives consistent with what I desired in my own retirement.

I then began connecting with peers who had comparable stories and were at similar places on their journey. This included the bloggers behind Our Next Life, who are on our same timeline to retirement and share our passion for the outdoors. I became friends with Chad Carson, who has taken a very different path to FIRE as a real estate investor, but has very similar values, interests, and family situation to my own.

Learn More: How to Make Money Blogging

I also connected with the bloggers behind Slowly Sipping Coffee after reading their description of a fully funded lifestyle change, which was more in line with our values than a traditional retirement. More recently, my wife and I joined a mastermind group of similar couples. Having peers on a similar journey has been very helpful. We are able to share the triumphs and discuss the challenges of this unusual lifestyle.

Finally, I began connecting with those behind me in their journey to FI. This includes Jared Casazza, who writes the blog Fifth Wheel Physical Therapist about his journey from 6 figure debt to FI in 5 years. It also led me to connect with a Dough Roller reader/listener Andrew, who I have been coaching for the past few months.

Helping those behind me has forced me to develop a deeper understanding of our own ideas, theories, and processes. Learning their stories has made me appreciative of how far we have come on our own journey.

the old story was freedom from: freedom from work, freedom from having to get up in the morning, freedom from lots of things. The new story is freedom to. Richard Leider, Author of Life Reimagined

Many people think early retirement is difficult, if not impossible. They think it is too hard to save enough money to support them indefinitely. Following the 4% rule seems like it would be stressful. They do not know how they would ever pay for health insurance. They think they would get bored.

I agree partially (or fully) with all of the above sentiments if retirement is defined in a traditional sense. Worse yet, retirement often deviates from the happy, carefree time so many imagine. In fact, retirement is associated with an increased risk of anxiety and depression! This didnt sound like anything I wanted for myself, so I simply redefined retirement.

I stopped worrying about trying to save every penny, with the idea that retirement meant never again making money. I have accepted that the future is always uncertain, so I focused on building a substantial nest egg while also building great flexibility into my plan. This allowed me to reach a point where earning money will never again be the central focus of my life. Going forward, my life may, at times, look very different. It may look like that of a part-time or seasonal worker, stay-at-home dad, entrepreneur, ski bum, freelancer, student, teacher or any combination of the above.

Related: Is the RAM Better Than the 4% Rule?

Seth Godin has a great quote: Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you dont need to escape from. I chose to apply this idea to retirement planning.

Not needing to make money will give me freedom with my time. Building in a plan to also do some paid work will give me the opportunity to live a lifestyle of abundance, rather than one focused around a strict budget. It will also allow me to continue to build social connections and live a purpose driven life.

There are probably some of you who would criticize this plan as not really retired. However, this definition of retirement is in alignment with the principles of the Life Reimagined program, developed by AARP to address the many challenges and downsides of traditional retirement.

When I started getting serious about early retirement, I became obsessed with the technical how-tos. I needed to plan out where my financial threshold was how much did I need to save now, in order for this flexible plan to really work? While I dont have every step planned out and I dont know exactly what my retirement will look like down the road, I know that I am happy with the freedom and flexibility it provides me. Its important to realize just how possible it is for you to achieve a similar outcome, too.

Write your own story; develop systems to measure your progress, and define what you want for your life. You may be amazed by where you find yourself in just a few short years.

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How I Reached Financial Independence By Age 40 - The Dough Roller

Mayor’s Council For Women Invites Public To Financial Independence Hearing On Monday – The Chattanoogan

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Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berkes Council for Women invites everyone to attend an upcoming public hearing on financial independence to hear the Councils research on the issue of high interest lending practices and to discuss solutions to financial problems impacting the community.

The hearing will be held at the Family Justice Center, 5705 Uptain Road, on Monday at 5:30 p.m.

Financial Independence, a workgroup of the Mayors Council for Women, has completed their most recent policy paper and will be hosting this public hearing to discuss their findings about the impact of high interest lending practices.

Councilwoman Carol Berz, along with panelists Martina Guilfoil, Tracee Smith, Joda Thongnopnua, and Jennifer Harper will discuss the impact of high interest loans and the recommendations of the Financial Independence workgroup.

Mayor Berke announced the creation of the Council for Women during his 2015 State of the City Address. The Council addresses issues such as domestic violence, justice, education, healthcare, economic opportunity, history, and leadership.

The City of Chattanooga has already adopted three of the Councils recommendations, and last year the Tennessee Legislature passed a bill the Council developed. It helps victims of domestic violence stay in their home when faced with eviction because of the offenders actions.

For more info, visit http://connect.chattanooga.gov/councilforwomen/.

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Mayor's Council For Women Invites Public To Financial Independence Hearing On Monday - The Chattanoogan

Mayor Berke’s Council For Women Takes On Predatory Lending – The Chattanoogan

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Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berkes Council for Women convened a public hearing Monday night at the Family Justice Center to help women and their families realize financial freedom. The Councils financial independence workgroup presented findings from its most recent policy paper on the impact of high interest lending practices and solutions to help Chattanoogans get out of debt.

Back when I first ran for state office, people shared their concerns with me about predatory lending and the damage it does to businesses and homes in the neighborhoods where these stores are located," said Mayor Berke during Monday night's public forum. "And we know these high interest loans hurt women and families who are just trying to get by until their next paycheck. Two years ago, we took the first step in curbing the growth of these businesses. And through tonight's Council for Women session, we will continue to move forward on this important issue.

To improve the economic status of all women, the Mayors Council for Women is focused on helping families achieve financial independence by leveraging existing community resources and reducing predatory lending through legislative action. Research and interviews with women informed the councils finding that predatory lending is a major barrier to financial independence.

At Monday nights hearing, Jennifer Harper, director of Bridge Financial Planning, presented the groups findings, including that Tennessee has more payday lenders per each household than compared to nearly any other state and that the state allows annual percentage rates of up to 460 percent.

Tennessees density of predatory lenders is the highest. You can see what that means for the city of Chattanooga if you look at where theyre located, said Ms. Harper, pointing to the map showing the concentration in Brainerd and along public transportation hubs. We want to reduce the number of community members using high interest loans.

In Chattanooga, there is one predatory lender for about every 1,500 households, according to Census data. Being poor or excessive use of credit is one of the top five reasons people go bankrupt, according to Investopedia, and World Atlas ranks Tennessee highest in the nation for personal bankruptcy.

This isnt just about poor people, and this isnt just a problem in Midtown. Its all over our city, said Councilwoman Carol Berz, who is co-chair of the Mayors Council for Women. Predatory lenders exist because they fulfill a need, so we need to look at traditional banking differently. We cant just condemn predatory lending. We have to do more.

During the panel discussion at Mondays event, Tracee Smith, Community Development manager at First Tennessee Bank, told guests about a partnership the bank has with Operation Hope, which focuses on financial education. They work with people in the community to help build their credit scores to 720.

Operation Hope works one on one with these individuals, but they also deal with the emotional side of it, why they are in that situation, and address those issues, said Ms. Smith. Its important to teach people there are other tools out there to improve your finances.

A Council for Women subcommittee is working on financial alternatives to help women in Chattanooga and plans to propose a policy change to address predatory lending. The discussion and feedback from the public at Monday nights hearing will inform their proposal.

For more information on the Mayors Council for Women and how to get involved in advancing the status of women and families in Chattanooga, please visit http://connect.chattanooga.gov/councilforwomen/.

Participants having discussion on financial independence and predatory lending

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Mayor Berke's Council For Women Takes On Predatory Lending - The Chattanoogan

The Dark Side of Globalization – American Spectator

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President Trump dares to question whether globalization is an unmitigated good, and for this he is roundly criticized by the Left. But we should question it.

For people like Tom Friedman it is an article of faith that globalization is going to lead to a utopia in which people of different countries, religions, ethnicities and cultures freely and openly interact. Like the pieces of many-colored glass in a kaleidoscope, theyll create, through their interactions, ever-changing mosaics of beauty and harmony. The pieces will retain their distinctive shapes and colors, but the gestalt they form will be infinitely more interesting than the sum of its parts.

Sometimes that works. All culture is hybrid, and American culture more so than others. Nowhere is this more evident than in the arts. Visit the African-American museum in Washington, D.C., and listen to the music. Youll hear the soul of everything that constitutes America and its history.

Only it doesnt always work out so nicely. Borrowing from other cultures used to be a good thing. Now, its cultural appropriation, a major sin for the moral imbeciles on the left. W.E.B. Du Bois said: I sit with Shakespeare, and he winces not. But now Shakespeare is supposed to wince, when a person whos not English reads him.

Then theres the way bad ideas get globalized. Consider the cultural boycotts that are organized against Israel by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement. BDS was founded by Qatari-born Omar Barghouti, a liar, a tax dodger, and an outspoken advocate of the destruction of the Jewish state. We are witnessing the rapid demise of Zionism, and nothing can be done to save itI, for one, support euthanasia, he said in 2013.

The very left-leaning rock group Radiohead ran up against BDS, when it scheduled a Tel Aviv gig for next July, and BDS rounded up more than 50 artists to sign an incendiary petition to pressure the group to cancel. The public way in which the artists chose to communicate with one of their peers, who chose not to follow their lead, was meant to name, shame and blame, to create a lynch-mob mentality where rational discourse is bypassed in favor of mass hysteria.

Its deeply distressing that they choose to, rather than engage with us personally, throw sh** at us in public, said Radioheads Thom York in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. But engaging with people who disagree with them is not the way the left operates. Engaging is intellectually difficult, and you might end up changing your mind. Better to bully, intimidate and humiliate. Arouse passions, not minds!

When you try to persuade someone using rational discourse, you are making certain assumptions about them. You assume that they are informed and that they are intelligent and, above all, that they are moral agents. Thats what bothered York so much about the petition signed by his peers. Its deeply disrespectful to assume that were either being misinformed or that were so retarded we cant make these decisions ourselves, he said. I thought it was patronizing in the extreme. Actually, its more than patronizing; its dehumanizing.

In his Genealogy of Morals,Nietzsche describesvaluation making moral choices rather than reason as the trait that defines humanity. But allowing people to make choices is antithetical to the left, because it implies that it doesnt have a monopoly on truth. For the left, people are vessels, limited to receiving truths established by a consensus of elites. Thats how teachers treat their students, and thats how the elites treat everyone else. Witness the climate scientists who anathemize those who wont believe in their consensus truths about the weather.

And heres where globalism presents the greatest danger. In universities across the world, the same tactics are being used, the same messages propounded as absolute truth. Intellectual discussion is a shining artifact of the past. It is not about creating an intellectual space! It is not! Do you understand that? a Yale student shouts at a professor who tries to reason with her. Its about creating a home here! If he disagrees with her, the professor should step down. And step down he was forced to do.

York cant wrap his mind around the idea that diversity of opinion isnt permitted in academia. The university thing is more of a head f**k for me. Its like,really? You cant go talk to other people who want to learn stuff in another country? Really? The one place where you need to be free to express everything you possibly can. You want to tell these people you cant do that? His incredulity is refreshing, as more and more we become inured to this sort of thing.

The globalization is good folks would be more persuasive, if we were all saints and only benign ideas were shared across cultures. Instead, were seeing bad ideas being propagated across borders and cultures on the web, in social media. New internet mobs have arisen to persecute people whose ideas they dont share. Rational discourse has nothing to do with it, but only smash and grab and silence anyone with whom you disagree. Its what we used to see on television, when Muslims across the Middle East rioted when they perceived that Islam had been dissed. Its what we see today in America, at Yale and on other college campuses, and its the dark side of globalization.

President Trump is right, then, to be skeptical about the effects of globalization, when its the wrong values that are being globalized. American openness to new ideas, tolerance for different beliefs, and the rigors of Western scientific inquiry are being discarded. In their place, were importing the third worlds strictures on liberty.

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The Dark Side of Globalization - American Spectator

Jordie Bellaire: Vision Visionary – Marvel (press release) (registration) (blog)

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Published Jun 6, 2017 By Tj Dietsch

The beauty of Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Jordie Bellaires VISION continues to inspire and impress. Though the series launched about two years ago, the six-issue VISION DIRECTORS CUT limited series will remind existing readers of that goodness while also bringing in new fans. Each DIRECTORS CUT issue features two of the original books, plus plenty of in-depth, behind-the-scenes info.

Last month we talked with Walta about bringing the story to life and now were chatting up Bellaire about building a color scheme that not only went a bold new direction, but also made reference to the past while taking intriguing twists and turns, especially during flashbacks.

Marvel.com: Classic Vision has this bright, bold color scheme. I want to say that the version in VISION is more muted and deep, but am not sure if thats the right terminology! How would you compare the two palettes?

Jordie Bellaire: I think Visions newest look is dictated mostly by Gabriel Waltas beautiful use of washes combined with new creative technology for more understated and subtle coloring in programs like Photoshop. As a team, we werent forced into using what was available to us at the time of classic Vision which was only bright, selective colors. We could go there if we wanted to, like the flashbacks, but we were allowed the freedom to tell a story with a range of color and techniques.

Marvel.com: Did it take a while to nail down this new color scheme during the design process?

Jordie Bellaire: Not really; I think having already worked with Gabriel Walta on great books like MAGNETO we were prepared for what it was like together as a team. We think a lot alike. We both take great inspiration from films, for instance the Coen Brothers have come up a few times in the past few years that weve worked together because of their excellent use in simplicity of composition and color design.

Tom King was also just a dream to work with and is extremely hands off in the coloring process. He allows me to be as loud or restrained as Id like, trusting that Im working in service of his story and the artwhich Id like to think I am and did!

Marvel.com: From a color and texture perspective, this book feels very different from most super hero books. Where does that come from?

Jordie Bellaire: Again, I think this is really dictated by the genius that is Gabriel Walta. He is incredibly unique. I congratulate Marvel for hiring him on high-profile books that, 35 years ago, he maybe would havent had the opportunity to do. His art is what makes this book such a success, combined again with Toms impeccable storytelling. It makes it fairly easy to get in and do my job since I respect the two as artists so much. Creatively, everything was brought to the table and we all sat at that table, taking on each others strengths and leveling them up each issue.

Marvel.com: You went with more themed colors during the flashbacks of Agatha Harkness, Victor, and Virginia. How was it figuring out those visual dynamics?

Jordie Bellaire: These flashbacks were some of my favorite things to do. Agatha, the story of a ghost that finds the future in blood, Virginia and the others Visions have flashbacks that echo to their iconic skin color and yellow energylike the memory of a droid, mechanical and scratchy. And lastly, Victor, half human and half droid, the yellow is peppered throughout a world of blue, hes in the center somewhere between Agatha and the Visions. These sorts of things arent planned incredibly well in advance but I do like to think on them as I see the art and digest the story. Thankfully, Tom wove such a well-told story that it all comes together and color pushes the themes home even further still.

Marvel.com: What do you think it was about this book that resonated so much with so many people?

Jordie Bellaire: This book is a tragedy. Its a book about normalcy and the tragedy that is normalcy and the desire to belong. I think this resonates with many people as I think many of us secretly feel this way. The need to fit in, to be loved, to be respected but to be yourself and be true to that self. Its an extremely deep and heavy work that in the current climate of super hero books, really stepped into the emotional darkness many didnt quite expect. It deals so much with the human condition and what is a human condition, stories like that will live on forever and continuously be told as were fascinated about truly connecting to each other and to ourselves.

VISION DIRECTORS CUT #1 by Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Jordie Bellaire phases in on June 14 with the second issue following on July 12.

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Tim Stevens

The client, Jennifer Walters, in addition to working as an attorney, has long acted as a super hero known as She-Hulk with an extensive history as an Avenger and solo adventurer. For years, she largely lived her life as She-Hulk and was happy to do so. This was but one contrast between her and her forever-conflicted cousin Bruce Banner who, even when he was in the so-called Professor Hulk form, struggled with revealing hisusuallygreen-skinned alter ego to the world.

All of this is important to note as prologue as the Walters who arrived for session was not tall, muscular, and green. Instead she presented as adult white woman of approximately average height and physical fitness. The client explained that she had suffered a traumatic physical injury that had, in ways not yet fully understood, altered her transformation process. Now, she rarely presents in her Hulk formshe is currently eschewing the addition of Sheand when she does appears to be grey in color with bright green scars across her skin. She also described her presentation as more out of control and perhaps feral than her more recognizable green hued form.

The changes in her physical form and transformation process are not all that is different about her, she disclosed to this writer.

While she has, at times, struggled with fear and panic and for a brief time did experience moments of transformation like her cousin where she seemed to become more like a wild animal when particularly afraid, this period was a very short-lived part of her life and did not alter her overall presentation.

Now, however, she reports panic attacks and PTSD-like symptoms that result in what this writer is referring to as micro transformationsmoments so brief that her physical changes are not even noticed by her but the results surround her. For instance, she might briefly dissociate in the midst of an attack only to realize the elevator keypad is smashed or that her hardwood floor has large finger sized divots in it.

Additionally, the client is processing feelings of grief stemming from the death of her cousin while she was in her coma. These feelings are complicated by the additional knowledge that a former teammateClint Barton aka Hawkeyeis the man responsible for Banners death and her feelings that perhaps Barton did it at Banners behest. She admits she has not grieved properly for her cousin and worries that it might be sometime before she is able to as she struggles to get the rest of my life back on track.

Given this writers role in assessing Bartons fitness for trial, I have determined it may be unhelpful to the client to continue to work with me and have therefore referred her to Doctors Mariko Tamaki and Georges Duarte for further sessions. She will next see them on July 12 and their progress note can be located in file HULK #8 at that time.

Psy D. Candidate Tim Stevens is a Staff Therapist used to have a Hulk-like alter ego named the Raging Skull. It mostly just got him in trouble.

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Blake Garris

Oshie Bichar and Taylor Lumley of the band Beartooth stop by Marvel HQ to talk about their music, their comic book collections and much more.

Download episode #291.5 of This Week in Marvel from Marvel.com, check out Marvel Podcast Central, grab the TWiM RSS feed and subscribe to This Week in Marvel on iTunes or Soundcloud! Head over now to our new hub to listen to the full run of This Week in Marvel including our latest episode!

This Week in Marvel focuses on delivering all the Marvel info on news and new releasesfrom comics to video games to toys to TV to film and beyond! New episodes will be released every Tuesday and Thursday (or so) and TWiM is co-hosted by Marvel VP Executive Editor of Digital Media Ryan Agent M Penagos and Editorial Director of Marvel Digital Media Ben Morse with Manager, Video & Content Production: Blake Garris, Editor Marc Strom, and Assistant Editor Christine Dinh. We also want your feedback, as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes! Tweet your questions, comments and thoughts about TWiM to @AgentM, @BenJMorse, @blakegarris or @Marvel with the hashtag #ThisWeekinMarvel!

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Amanda Ames

After falling prey to the siren song of an old flame, Rocket starts back down the not so righteous path of stealing from the rich and, well, keeping it for himself mostly. But he gets played by a pretty face and ends up trapped deep within the bowels of the Colon where the clock winds down. Can he escape before the metaphoricalor possibly literalcrap hits the fan?

ROCKET #3 takes us inside one of the worst penitentiaries space has to offer on July 12 and we spoke with writer Al Ewing to give you all the lay of the land before setting off on this daring escape mission.

Marvel.com: Give us a quick run down of The Colon, what its like on the inside, how Rocket ended up there and why its called that?

Al Ewing: Im so glad you asked me this question. What is it like, inside The Colon? In the hot, cramped confines of The Colon? How did Rocket end up in The Colon? Some would say that, in a real sense, Rocket entered The Colon the moment I began work on the character. Anyway, to answer your question: The Colon is a dark place, where the squeeze is on and something somewhere stinks. Theres a network of tough guys therea ring of muscle, if you willand Rocket has to navigate the twists and turns of The Colon in order to escape through the rear exit. Its very much a bum note in his life.

Anyway, its named after the punctuation mark, clearly.

Marvel.com: Rockets been behind bars before; how does this joint stack up to other prisons and how is he handling life on the inside? What does he miss most?

Al Ewing: Silly name aside, this ones pretty grim. Its owned by a big corporation, and the shareholders like it when the prisoners are brutally and inhumanely punished; theres a lot of prison shouldnt be a holiday camp thinking in the richer parts of space. The prisoners are put to work making the space equivalent of license plates all dayand if they dont, they go to The Hole, which is basically a pay-per-view gladiatorial arena that makes money for the prison through illegal gambling. Oh yeah, and every prisoner has a punishment implant attached to them that can deliver pain in various different ways for the most minor infractions. Its a hellhole, essentially.

Marvel.com: Im sure Rocket is already coming up with an escape planwhat can you tell us about it and how does the execution of said plan go?

Al Ewing: At first, Rockets keeping his head down, getting the lay of the landbut then he learns that theres a deadline, and if he doesnt break out immediately, hes screwed. So the countdown is on, and it involves taking everything The Colon throws at him and turning it into an asset. We put all the puzzle pieces in place, and then we watch Rocket put them together. Not that his escape is a certainty; its well within my power to have him get all the way to the end, get a stroke of bad luck, and end up in an even worse situation. Maybe Ill do that, maybe I wontIm a capricious god.

Marvel.com: Does Rocket have any help/meet anyone while hes there? Any interesting new characters to tease?

Al Ewing: Well, this might be the sensational character find of 2017: Rockets cellmate, Gasbag, a living sentient gas in a kind of rubber gimp suit. Also we have the usual complement of alien creatures, all with their own laws, customs, and bodily functions and all wonderfully illustrated by Adam Gorham.

Marvel.com: If Rocket taught Prison Life 101 what would be on the syllabus? What are Rockets three rules for surviving the slammer?

Al Ewing: As we see in the issue, Rockets first rule is to learn the lay of the land and find out the individual peculiarities of this particular hoosegow. Learn who his friends are, learn who his enemies are, learn the routines. Somewhere in that knowledge is the map to the exit.

The second rule is to make sure you get the top bunk. Thats the plum position in any cell. Norman Stanley Fletcher had the top bunk. Seriously, Rocket will fight you.

And the third rule is that there are no rules! Psyche!

Marvel.com: What is your favorite scene in issue #3?

Al Ewing: Well, without spoiling too much, theres a wonderful bit that happens in the vacuum of space. Again, Adams work is superlative here; he really conveys the feeling of weightlessness, the terror of being in airless space with only a very fragile means of survival. Another favorite bit is when Rocket has an exchange with an old lag, a wizened inmate with vital information on the prison setup; Adam draws a wonderful rhinoceros person, which I think readers will probably end up falling it love with.

Marvel.com: Is there anything you can tease about whats in store for our furry weapons crazed friend?

Al Ewing: Well, from here, hes meeting up with a very special guest staryour friend and mine, Deadpooland together, theyre going to get deep into the gangster life, with tommy guns, bursting out of cakes, and a heist aimed at a particularly vicious space mobster. Adam wanted a space Kingpinand I put my thinking cap on and gave him one thatll hopefully be a presence in Marvel Space for a little while to come.

Be sure to catch all the face palming, snarky remark making, prison life action in ROCKET #3 out July 12, written by Al Ewing with art by Adam Gorham!

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Steffi Feldman

The time-displaced original Children of the Atom make up the X-Men Blue team, with Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, Angel, and Iceman working alongside their former archenemy Magneto. While its hard enough adjusting to a new era, these kids and their formerly villainous ally now also have a Secret Empire to contend with.

Where to even start?

We asked X-MEN: BLUE writer Cullen Bunn about issue #7, available July 12!

Marvel.com: First off, how has writing X-MEN: BLUE been different from some of the other X-Men projects youve worked on before?

Cullen Bunn: Its interesting, because I was writing UNCANNY X-MEN and when I got the call that we were going to be shifting over to X-MEN: BLUE and it would be the original five time lost characters. Ive been pretty honest with thismy first reaction was not overjoyed. Because as much as I love those characters, theyre not what I would consider my X-Men. Like, they werent from the era that I really got into X-Men. So I was a little hesitant! I wasnt sure I was the right guy to write the book.

As I started writing those characters, though, and putting them through the stories Id been planning on telling, Ive become more and more excited about them. Im glad that this is the team Im writing, because they have a completely different dynamic and viewpoint on the world; Im able to tell kind of classic X-Men adventures and uncanny adventures. Ive come to really love writing these characters now.

Marvel.com: You kind of got to make them your own, then! So, now that were all nice and emotionally invested in these guys, how will the Secret Empire affect them?

Cullen Bunn: Well, without giving too much awayas weve seen in SECRET EMPIRE, California has been ceded to mutants as a new mutant homeland. On the surface, that looks great! Its an opportunity for mutants and homo sapiens to live in peace together. But, as well find in X-MEN: BLUE, thats not necessarily playing out the way its supposed to. Its definitely a situation where we have mutants in power and that power is sort of a corrupting force. It plays to X-Men Blue for a number of reasons.

First of all, Magnetowhos acting as sort of a mentor for the X-Menhas said recently that he does not believe the idea of a mutant utopia works. Hes seen it backfire in horrible ways time and time again, and he keeps getting drawn back into that, lured into this idea of a mutant paradise; it is a dream [of his], but now he doesnt think that dream will ever come true. He thinks that a place like New Tian is a disaster waiting to happen, and he wants no part of it from that perspective.

We have also seen, however, that Magneto and the X-Men Blue team have a beef with Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw and certain characters that are entrenched in this new mutant regime. And what were gonna see in X-MEN: BLUE is the new X-Men team almost as a rebel force at work inside New Tian.

Marvel.com: Will the Blue team take on the larger Secret Empire plotlines as well?

Cullen Bunn: Theres definitely some parallels with whats happening in New Tian and whats going on in the Marvel Universe as a whole, but I wanted to focus on it mainly from a mutant perspective. Again, without giving away too many spoilers, theres a villain that shows up in these issues who I feel has a direct correlation with whats going on with Steve Rogers and is cut from very similar cloth story-wise and we definitely lean into that to shore up those parallels even more.

Marvel.com: Thats so cool! It sort of unifies the different threads of the Marvel Universe narratively, like, a microcosm? Or even just winking at another storyline thats happening.

Cullen Bunn: Yeah! The goal with these tie-ins for me is always that a reader can continue reading X-MEN: BLUE and not get thrown off too much by the events of the Marvel Universe. But this is such a big event! Things are changing in such monumental ways, theres no way to [avoid it]. But I wanted to make sure that were seeing [that] story from a distinctively mutant point of view while not ignoring whats going on in the world at large.

Marvel.com: So lets talk Magneto. How is such a powerful character fitting into all this Secret Empire hubbub? Is he joining, holding back, fighting against it?

Cullen Bunn: We talked a lot about Magneto early on in the discussion about whats going on in the world of Secret Empire and really, Magneto seems to be sitting this one out. For reasons of his own, he has struck a bargain that hes just going to sit this one out and not interfere, and hes agreed to that.

However.

The X-Men team is there in New Tian, and theyre obviously not just sitting back. Now, then the question will comeare they working on Magnetos orders or against what Magneto wants? As the tie-in goes on I think theres even a question posed like, dont you think Magneto would have prepared for this? And we see some pretty big changes among the team itself as some of those contingencies begin to come into play.

Marvel.com: So it might be that he has something up his sleeve?

Cullen Bunn: Well, Magneto always has something up his sleeve. I think were gonna have come interesting interactions. Hes definitely taking a back seat in this tie-in and you dont see him getting a lot of [face] time, but his actions are pretty important to the story and theyll shape the X-Men Blue team after this event. And when we do finally see Magneto, I think we have an interesting interaction between Magneto and Steve Rogers in the arc that Im pretty excited about.

Marvel.com: I know that youve been writing Magneto for a while, so Im sure youll do him justice. After all, you know him pretty wellyou guys are on, like, a first-name basis.

Cullen Bunn: [Laughs] I do kind of feel like I have a handle on where hes coming from and how he would see whats been going on in the world, but I also know that Magnetohe knows that, if he disagrees with this, its not something he can go into with guns blazing, so to speak, because that would fail. Hes got to be a little cagier about what hes doing.

Marvel.com: How is the team reacting to this pseudo-utopia? Like, how are they taking it?

Cullen Bunn: Well, theyre not taking it well. [Laughs] Its not going well for them. Its a weird situation for them because heres this place that should be a safe haven for mutants and yet they find themselves struggling against that very ideal.

In fact, Ive often said that, to some degree, the world that theyre in right now? The New Tian mutant utopia is almost like their Days of Futures Past. They are seeing the world theyve always been afraid theyd see happen, but they never expected these threats and these dangers to be coming from a mutant source to the degree that it is.

As well get into the first issue, were seeing the X-Men dealing with mutants whove been imprisoned and who are scheduled for psychic reconditioning because they dont support the law of the land. Thats the kind of thing that scares the hell out of them, and they just cant sit back and let it happen.

See how it all plays out this summer in X-MEN BLUE #7 by Cullen Bunn and Cory Smith, available July 12.

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Chris Baker

We all know that the first Star Wars film changed the face of pop culture forever when it hit theaters 40 years ago todaybut its not just the movie thats celebrating that milestone in 2017. Star Wars comics arrived with force in 1977, and hundreds of issues later, theyre more popular now than ever.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, were looking back at our 40 favorite moments from the history of comics from a galaxy far, far awayone day at a time.

STAR WARS INFINITIES: A NEW HOPE #1 kicks off with a scenario we know all too well: As Han Solo shouts, Lets blow this thing and go home!, Luke Skywalker trusts in the Force, firing two proton torpedoes into the Death Stars exhaust port. From there, the mighty battle stationdoesnt blow up? Unfortunately for Luke and the Rebel Alliance, one of the torpedoes detonated prematurely, only damaging the Death Star rather than destroying itand the Star Wars saga as we know it completely changes from that point on. Welcome to STAR WARS INFINITIESessentially the What If? comics of the Star Wars galaxy.

For four issues INFINITIES: A NEW HOPE twists everything we know about the events to follow, managing a healthy balance of new content and familiarity. Obi-Wan instructs Luke to head to Dagobah to train with Yoda, for example, but this happens right away, with Han and Chewbacca along for the trip to the swamp planet. And what happens when Darth Vader turns his attention to tempting Leia to the dark side instead of Luke? It all ends with a showdown between brother and sister, while Yoda takes the matter of destroying the Death Star into his own hands.

And if thats not enough alternate-galaxy Star Wars for you, this series was followed up with STAR WARS INFINITIES: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, where Luke freezes to death on Hoth, and STAR WARS INFINITIES: RETURN OF THE JEDI, where Leias thermal detonator accidentally explodes in Jabbas Palace.

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Ben Morse

Tons of new titles hit Marvel Unlimited this June! Medusa and Storm rally their troops in INHUMANS VS. X-MEN! Hellfire and Brimstone is that Robbie Reyes as the new GHOST RIDER? Carol Danvers commands Alpha Flight as the MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL! Guardians GAMORA and STAR-LORD take off in their own series! And while Kate Bishop: HAWKEYE becomes Los Angeles ace archer, Richard Rider returns to the cosmos in NOVA! To top it off? DOCTOR APHRA, Darth Vaders rogue archeologist, begins her solo quest for rare artifacts and this time shes ditching the Sith!

Week of 6/5

BLACK WIDOW #8 DEADPOOL: BACK IN BLACK #4 EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #16 GHOST RIDER #1 GREAT LAKES AVENGERS #2 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #14 IVX #0 MS. MARVEL #13 NEW AVENGERS #18 OLD MAN LOGAN #14 STAR WARS ANNUAL #2 THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #12 THUNDERBOLTS #7 UNCANNY INHUMANS #16

Week of 6/12

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #15 AVENGERS #2 CHAMPIONS #3 DEADPOOL #23 MOON KNIGHT #9 NOVA #1 SCARLET WITCH #13 SPIDER-MAN 2099 #18 STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #1 THE CLONE CONSPIRACY #3 THE UNWORTHY THOR #2

Week of 6/19

ALL-NEW X-MEN #16 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #2 DAREDEVIL #14 DEADPOOL: BACK IN BLACK #5 DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS INFINITE COMIC #3 FOOLKILLER #2 GHOST RIDER X-MAS SPECIAL INFINITE COMIC #1 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #15 GWENPOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL: MERRY MIX-UP #1 HAWKEYE #1 IVX #1 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS: ULTRON REVOLUTION #6 MOSAIC #3 OLD MAN LOGAN #15 POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #11 SILK #15 SPIDER-MAN #10 STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #9 THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #13 THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #15 UNCANNY AVENGERS #17

Week of 6/26

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #22 AVENGERS #2.1 BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA #2 CAGE! #3 CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #16 DEADPOOL & THE MERCS FOR MONEY #6 DOCTOR STRANGE #15 GAMORA #1 GWENPOOL, THE UNBELIEVABLE #9 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #2 MARVEL UNIVERSE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #15 OCCUPY AVENGERS #2 PATSY WALKER, A.K.A. HELLCAT! #13 POWER MAN AND IRON FIST: SWEET CHRISTMAS ANNUAL #1 SILVER SURFER #8 SLAPSTICK INFINITE COMIC #3 SOLO #3 SPIDER-GWEN #15 SQUADRON SUPREME #14 STAR-LORD #1 STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #2 THANOS #2 THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL #0 THE PUNISHER #7 ULTIMATES 2 #2 UNCANNY X-MEN #16 VENOM #2

Published Jun 2, 2017 By Christine Dinh

Weve got a brand new episode of This Week in Marvel, presented by Loot Crate, to help you kick off the weekend!

Ryan and Ben give you the rundown on this weeks comics hottest releases including SECRET EMPIRE, MOON KNIGHT, CABLE and more! Weve also got tons of comics news from Tom Brevoortand Alanna Smith(49:23); West Coast news from Marc, Christine with your weekly dose of Marvel Games and Marvel Animation (1:14:21); and both coasts diveinto the 90s-tastic world of X-Cutioners Song Pt. 1 with our Unlimited Reading Club (1:21:13)! Its all here on a funky fresh episode of the official Marvel podcast!

Be sure to join our #TWIMURC next time where we have both coasts tackle X-Cutioners Song Pt. 2! Share your thoughts with us using the hashtag #TWIMURC!

Loot Crate has assembled the Marvel Gear and Goods crate for the ultimate Marvel fan. This crate features official Marvel items like collectible home goods, apparel and more every other month! If anyone knows the importance of downtime, its Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Jessica Drew and their Wall-Crawling peers. Unwind after a hard day with denizens of the SPIDER-VERSE! Order your own Marvel Gear and Goods crate by heading to lootcrate.com/MarvelGear and use promo code MARVELPOD to save $3 on your subscription today.

Download episode #292 of This Week in Marvel from Marvel.com, check outMarvel Podcast Central,grab the TWiM RSS feedandsubscribe to This Week in Marvel on iTunes, so you never miss an episode! We are now also on Soundcloud! Head over now to our new hub to listen to the full run of This Week in Marvel!

This Week in Marvel will focus on delivering all the Marvel info on news and new releasesfrom comics to video games to toys to TV to film and beyond! New episodes will be released every Thursday (or so) and TWiM is co-hosted by Marvel VP & Executive Editor of Digital Media Ryan Agent M Penagos and Marvel Editorial Director of Digital Media Ben Morse, along with Marvel.com Editor Marc Strom, Marvel.com Assistant Editor Christine Dinh, and Manager of Video & Content Production Blake Garris. We also want your feedback, as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes! Tweet your questions, comments and thoughts about TWiM to@AgentM,@BenJMorse, @chrissypediaor@Marvelwith the hashtag#ThisWeekinMarvel!

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Jordie Bellaire: Vision Visionary - Marvel (press release) (registration) (blog)

Men Are from Mars, Wonder Woman is Also from Mars – VICE

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Garage's life-changing, mind-altering launch is coming soon. But until then, we're publishing original stories, essays, videos, and more to give you a taste of what's to come.

In the final battle in Patty Jenkins's blockbusterista Wonder Woman, our heroine at last triumphs by slamming her giant broadsword the absurdly-named "God-Killer"straight through her prone enemy.

It's more than suggestively Freudian. It's a straight up hate-fuck.

Since her 1941 comic book premiere, Wonder Woman has inspired an enormous amount of critical thoughtoften feminist, often psychosexual. Her creatoreccentric Harvard academic, free-love advocate, and B+D enthusiast William Moulten Marstondescribed Wonder Woman as "psychological propaganda." Inspired by feminist utopian fiction, Wonder Woman was built to be a role model of gender equality, to empower girls to be strong, courageous equals to men. Marston promoted the idea (in kinky yet oddly wholesome ways) that women were "love leaders," and a patriarchy that could learn to submit to female power, and/or embrace sisterhood as an equal alternative to brotherhood, could usher in what comics expert Noah Berlatsky described as an "erotic matriarchal utopia."

The new Wonder Woman dispenses with this richly textured backdrop, and in the interest of wider box-office appeal, offers a Wonder Woman whom enemies of feminism will find agreeably meaningless.

We meet Young Princess Diana, in her Moana-like beginnings, at her home on Paradise Island. Plucky and precocious, young Diana learns the ways of the Amazonsmuscular, humorless women in leather gladiator/cheerleader skirts, brass headbands, and eyebrows plucked into angles of gravitas, who spend their days practicing archery, swordplay, equestrian stunt-riding, and leggy, tanned-glute-revealing, anti-gravity Caipoera air-spins.

In long and tediously animated exposition, Princess Diana's mother Hippolyta narrates the backstory of the all-female island of Amazons. She explains that Ares, the God of War, is their enemyhe once enslaved them to Greeks (though she neglects to mention that their bullet-repelling Bracelets symbolized their former slave-shackles, and were intended to remind the Amazons of their vow to never to capitulate again to male dominance.)

Diana is shown the great weapon of the Amazons: the "Godkiller," a giant broadsword a la Excalibur. This, her mother the Queen explains, ensures the peace of Paradise Islandand she prays that nobody ever needs to use it.

Dissolve to: Princess Diana, grown up, in the form of model/actress Gal Gadot. Gadot, it must be noted, is absurdly white-phosphorus Hota Natalie Portman 5.0, likely built by the same roboticists who created Alisha Vikander. So it is almost understandable that perhaps in an attempt at fealty to Ms. Gadot's Israeli nationality, the Amazons speak with an accent only describable as "Transylvanian Hobbit."

"Dhey do not desarve you," Hippolyta tells Diana, when she explains the evil nature of human men, leaving out the usual, "Men just want to get into your scabbard."

Destiny appears in the form of Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), a WWI flyboy whom Diana saves from drowning when he crashes into the sea with a stolen German fighter plane. Diana has never seen a MAN (or even a man) before she rolls Captain Trevor onto the beach in a From Here To Eternity shore break-moment. When he awakens, she stares at him with wide Hentai eyes of sparkling virgin wonder (not unlike Daryl Hannah in Splash!).

Once bound in the golden Lasso of Truth, Captain Trevor is compelled to disclose his secret mission, with a face that suggests one of the Amazons is utilizing the power of an Invisible Prostate Exam. He explains the nature of war to Princess Diana: there are "Good Guys" (he is one of them) and "Bad Guys," who are basically Nazis, even though it is only 1918 (because apparently Germans have always been Nazis, in our current American mythologywhich comes from comic-books, after all).

Then comes a Blue Lagoon moment where vestal Diana walks in on the Captain Trevor naked, in one of the cavernous yet blue-glowing hot tubs of Amazonia. She regards him curiously in his ripped, oiled Magic Mike-like splendor with something like a reverse male gazewhich ends up in a double-entendre conversation about the size of his penis, which he assures her is larger than average.

Thus inspired, Diana, against the wishes of her mother, resolves to stop all wars by going to the Front with Captain Trevor to slay Ares, the God of War himself, and save mankind. Diana and Steve Trevor sail a boat together back to London, where she is an innocent mermaid-out-of-water, an Eliza Doolittle with just a skosh of Tarzan-meets-Pretty Woman. She doesn't understand societal rules, and she can't dress in the latest London fashions without throwing her Edwardian skirt over her head to see if she can kickbox in it. It's so adorable to see her beautiful face enjoying ice-cream way too much for the first time, just like a baby.

Since she's most beautiful woman anyone has ever seen, Trevor attempts to conceal her beauty so she isn't so "distracting." She is outfitted in a fetching secretarial suit, and the ultimate beauty killer: nerdy black glasses (the introduction of which compelled a drunk guy in the front row of the screening I attended to scream, "She looks even hotter now!")

Courtesy Clay Enos / TM & DC Comics

Wonder Woman is introduced to Etta Candy, who, in the early Marston comics, was her brave and plucky best friend. Here, she is a frumpy suffragette working as Trevor's secretary. "Where I come from, they call that being a slave," Diana Prince remarks when Etta describes her position. They do not become close friends.

Female camaraderie has been replaced with a Band of Brothers: Captain Trevor's ragtag team of multinational, soldier-of-fortune miscreants. There is an Arab secret agent (Algerian actor Sad Taghmaoui), whose expertise in deception nonetheless belies an uncomfortably colonial Gunga Din-subservience, and a drunken Scot (played by Ewen Bremner, most memorable for his role as a worthless junkie in Trainspotting, here with the same Village Idiot haircut) who exemplifies Drunken Scottishness by shouting things like "PUT AIT DOON, WOOOMUN" while wearing a kilt.

In the midst of a convoluted plot concerning an evil German General and "psychopath" scientist (a Turkish woman wearing half of a sectional plastic face that looks like it was modeled on a collapsible version of Angelina Jolie), Diana is informed by the enemy (a dramatically abused David Thewlis) that her true destiny, as a child of Zeus, is to be a living superweapon.

In one fell caped-crusader swoopSPOILER ALERT Wonder Woman's original motivations of peace, justice and girl-power are replaced with the same justifications employed to warrant the testosterone rampages of action heroes like Rambo, Chuck Norris, or The Road Warrior. Captain Trevor heroically sacrifices himself in battle (shortly after devirginating Diana), and her Goddess energies and love-leadership are replaced with a narrative of personal vengeance. His death enables her to finally access her ultimate core-power, strip down to the full metal swimsuit, and become personally thermonuclear.

And here we come to Wonder Woman's dramatic climax: the impalement of her enemy on the "Godkilling" Excaliburan ultimate, totally unsubtle act of penetration. It doesn't require any kind of degree in semiotics to acknowledge this mythologically, symbolically, or historicallya giant stabbing weapon is pretty much the last thing that womanhood represents.

It plays straight into the heart of mass female manipulation, via the beauty industrial complex: no girls can grow up to be like this Wonder Woman. This virginal alien princess Wonder Woman can't befriend or relate to other womenshe is too exceptional in every way.

She's a leggy woman-child Charles Bronson who always looks like she's in a slow-mo hair commercial while killing Germans in a metal monokini.

She's a Victoria's Secret Angel of Death in war-machine panties. She's Shock-and-Awe Barbie. She's a femme fatale Panzer with Pantene Hair, the ass of a 10-year-old boy, and enough megatonnage of revenge to insure American adventures in imperial expansion for as long as the franchise survives. She is the daughter of Zeus, made of clayand it is her super-hot boyfriend who creates her mythological awakening by bestowing and conferring male power into her with his magic penis.

At a time like now, when feminism feels so embattled, muted, and ridiculous; when the economy starves men, but women 17% more so; when there is absurdly dystopic material like The Handmaid's Tale actually making emotional sense on Huluthis Wonder Woman isn't a women's liberator or a symbol of girl-power, but a mighty collaborator in ongoing feminine oppression.

Feminism has made few strides since the seventies, and Cinderella myths are destructive enough already. Pro-war propaganda that drives young women onto battlefields is the last thing American needs, now that a girl can legally be shot in the uterus, but still can't control what happens inside it. Wonder Woman suggests that little girls need to grow up not just to be supermodels, not just supersoldiersbut actual weapons of mass destruction.

Wonder Woman could have been the first real girl-power, big-budget action movie, but sadly, all of her Amazon energy was castrated in the service of making her an agent of propaganda.

The most nauseating thing about this Wonder Woman is its jingoistic obscurantism. In a pure Orwellian sense, Wonder Woman is telling us that War is Peace and that Love is Hateand that women, in their Amazon Prime, are virgin supermodels, nuclear missiles, and most of all...they are men.

Cintra Wilson is a culture critic whose books include Fear and Clothing: Unbuckling American Style, and Caligula for President: Better American Living Through Tyranny.

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Men Are from Mars, Wonder Woman is Also from Mars - VICE

Psych Ward: The Hulk – Marvel (press release) (registration) (blog)

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Published Jun 6, 2017 By Tim Stevens

The client, Jennifer Walters, in addition to working as an attorney, has long acted as a super hero known as She-Hulk with an extensive history as an Avenger and solo adventurer. For years, she largely lived her life as She-Hulk and was happy to do so. This was but one contrast between her and her forever-conflicted cousin Bruce Banner who, even when he was in the so-called Professor Hulk form, struggled with revealing hisusuallygreen-skinned alter ego to the world.

All of this is important to note as prologue as the Walters who arrived for session was not tall, muscular, and green. Instead she presented as adult white woman of approximately average height and physical fitness. The client explained that she had suffered a traumatic physical injury that had, in ways not yet fully understood, altered her transformation process. Now, she rarely presents in her Hulk formshe is currently eschewing the addition of Sheand when she does appears to be grey in color with bright green scars across her skin. She also described her presentation as more out of control and perhaps feral than her more recognizable green hued form.

The changes in her physical form and transformation process are not all that is different about her, she disclosed to this writer.

While she has, at times, struggled with fear and panic and for a brief time did experience moments of transformation like her cousin where she seemed to become more like a wild animal when particularly afraid, this period was a very short-lived part of her life and did not alter her overall presentation.

Now, however, she reports panic attacks and PTSD-like symptoms that result in what this writer is referring to as micro transformationsmoments so brief that her physical changes are not even noticed by her but the results surround her. For instance, she might briefly dissociate in the midst of an attack only to realize the elevator keypad is smashed or that her hardwood floor has large finger sized divots in it.

Additionally, the client is processing feelings of grief stemming from the death of her cousin while she was in her coma. These feelings are complicated by the additional knowledge that a former teammateClint Barton aka Hawkeyeis the man responsible for Banners death and her feelings that perhaps Barton did it at Banners behest. She admits she has not grieved properly for her cousin and worries that it might be sometime before she is able to as she struggles to get the rest of my life back on track.

Given this writers role in assessing Bartons fitness for trial, I have determined it may be unhelpful to the client to continue to work with me and have therefore referred her to Doctors Mariko Tamaki and Georges Duarte for further sessions. She will next see them on July 12 and their progress note can be located in file HULK #8 at that time.

Psy D. Candidate Tim Stevens is a Staff Therapist used to have a Hulk-like alter ego named the Raging Skull. It mostly just got him in trouble.

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Blake Garris

Oshie Bichar and Taylor Lumley of the band Beartooth stop by Marvel HQ to talk about their music, their comic book collections and much more.

Download episode #291.5 of This Week in Marvel from Marvel.com, check out Marvel Podcast Central, grab the TWiM RSS feed and subscribe to This Week in Marvel on iTunes or Soundcloud! Head over now to our new hub to listen to the full run of This Week in Marvel including our latest episode!

This Week in Marvel focuses on delivering all the Marvel info on news and new releasesfrom comics to video games to toys to TV to film and beyond! New episodes will be released every Tuesday and Thursday (or so) and TWiM is co-hosted by Marvel VP Executive Editor of Digital Media Ryan Agent M Penagos and Editorial Director of Marvel Digital Media Ben Morse with Manager, Video & Content Production: Blake Garris, Editor Marc Strom, and Assistant Editor Christine Dinh. We also want your feedback, as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes! Tweet your questions, comments and thoughts about TWiM to @AgentM, @BenJMorse, @blakegarris or @Marvel with the hashtag #ThisWeekinMarvel!

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Amanda Ames

After falling prey to the siren song of an old flame, Rocket starts back down the not so righteous path of stealing from the rich and, well, keeping it for himself mostly. But he gets played by a pretty face and ends up trapped deep within the bowels of the Colon where the clock winds down. Can he escape before the metaphoricalor possibly literalcrap hits the fan?

ROCKET #3 takes us inside one of the worst penitentiaries space has to offer on July 12 and we spoke with writer Al Ewing to give you all the lay of the land before setting off on this daring escape mission.

Marvel.com: Give us a quick run down of The Colon, what its like on the inside, how Rocket ended up there and why its called that?

Al Ewing: Im so glad you asked me this question. What is it like, inside The Colon? In the hot, cramped confines of The Colon? How did Rocket end up in The Colon? Some would say that, in a real sense, Rocket entered The Colon the moment I began work on the character. Anyway, to answer your question: The Colon is a dark place, where the squeeze is on and something somewhere stinks. Theres a network of tough guys therea ring of muscle, if you willand Rocket has to navigate the twists and turns of The Colon in order to escape through the rear exit. Its very much a bum note in his life.

Anyway, its named after the punctuation mark, clearly.

Marvel.com: Rockets been behind bars before; how does this joint stack up to other prisons and how is he handling life on the inside? What does he miss most?

Al Ewing: Silly name aside, this ones pretty grim. Its owned by a big corporation, and the shareholders like it when the prisoners are brutally and inhumanely punished; theres a lot of prison shouldnt be a holiday camp thinking in the richer parts of space. The prisoners are put to work making the space equivalent of license plates all dayand if they dont, they go to The Hole, which is basically a pay-per-view gladiatorial arena that makes money for the prison through illegal gambling. Oh yeah, and every prisoner has a punishment implant attached to them that can deliver pain in various different ways for the most minor infractions. Its a hellhole, essentially.

Marvel.com: Im sure Rocket is already coming up with an escape planwhat can you tell us about it and how does the execution of said plan go?

Al Ewing: At first, Rockets keeping his head down, getting the lay of the landbut then he learns that theres a deadline, and if he doesnt break out immediately, hes screwed. So the countdown is on, and it involves taking everything The Colon throws at him and turning it into an asset. We put all the puzzle pieces in place, and then we watch Rocket put them together. Not that his escape is a certainty; its well within my power to have him get all the way to the end, get a stroke of bad luck, and end up in an even worse situation. Maybe Ill do that, maybe I wontIm a capricious god.

Marvel.com: Does Rocket have any help/meet anyone while hes there? Any interesting new characters to tease?

Al Ewing: Well, this might be the sensational character find of 2017: Rockets cellmate, Gasbag, a living sentient gas in a kind of rubber gimp suit. Also we have the usual complement of alien creatures, all with their own laws, customs, and bodily functions and all wonderfully illustrated by Adam Gorham.

Marvel.com: If Rocket taught Prison Life 101 what would be on the syllabus? What are Rockets three rules for surviving the slammer?

Al Ewing: As we see in the issue, Rockets first rule is to learn the lay of the land and find out the individual peculiarities of this particular hoosegow. Learn who his friends are, learn who his enemies are, learn the routines. Somewhere in that knowledge is the map to the exit.

The second rule is to make sure you get the top bunk. Thats the plum position in any cell. Norman Stanley Fletcher had the top bunk. Seriously, Rocket will fight you.

And the third rule is that there are no rules! Psyche!

Marvel.com: What is your favorite scene in issue #3?

Al Ewing: Well, without spoiling too much, theres a wonderful bit that happens in the vacuum of space. Again, Adams work is superlative here; he really conveys the feeling of weightlessness, the terror of being in airless space with only a very fragile means of survival. Another favorite bit is when Rocket has an exchange with an old lag, a wizened inmate with vital information on the prison setup; Adam draws a wonderful rhinoceros person, which I think readers will probably end up falling it love with.

Marvel.com: Is there anything you can tease about whats in store for our furry weapons crazed friend?

Al Ewing: Well, from here, hes meeting up with a very special guest staryour friend and mine, Deadpooland together, theyre going to get deep into the gangster life, with tommy guns, bursting out of cakes, and a heist aimed at a particularly vicious space mobster. Adam wanted a space Kingpinand I put my thinking cap on and gave him one thatll hopefully be a presence in Marvel Space for a little while to come.

Be sure to catch all the face palming, snarky remark making, prison life action in ROCKET #3 out July 12, written by Al Ewing with art by Adam Gorham!

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Steffi Feldman

The time-displaced original Children of the Atom make up the X-Men Blue team, with Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, Angel, and Iceman working alongside their former archenemy Magneto. While its hard enough adjusting to a new era, these kids and their formerly villainous ally now also have a Secret Empire to contend with.

Where to even start?

We asked X-MEN: BLUE writer Cullen Bunn about issue #7, available July 12!

Marvel.com: First off, how has writing X-MEN: BLUE been different from some of the other X-Men projects youve worked on before?

Cullen Bunn: Its interesting, because I was writing UNCANNY X-MEN and when I got the call that we were going to be shifting over to X-MEN: BLUE and it would be the original five time lost characters. Ive been pretty honest with thismy first reaction was not overjoyed. Because as much as I love those characters, theyre not what I would consider my X-Men. Like, they werent from the era that I really got into X-Men. So I was a little hesitant! I wasnt sure I was the right guy to write the book.

As I started writing those characters, though, and putting them through the stories Id been planning on telling, Ive become more and more excited about them. Im glad that this is the team Im writing, because they have a completely different dynamic and viewpoint on the world; Im able to tell kind of classic X-Men adventures and uncanny adventures. Ive come to really love writing these characters now.

Marvel.com: You kind of got to make them your own, then! So, now that were all nice and emotionally invested in these guys, how will the Secret Empire affect them?

Cullen Bunn: Well, without giving too much awayas weve seen in SECRET EMPIRE, California has been ceded to mutants as a new mutant homeland. On the surface, that looks great! Its an opportunity for mutants and homo sapiens to live in peace together. But, as well find in X-MEN: BLUE, thats not necessarily playing out the way its supposed to. Its definitely a situation where we have mutants in power and that power is sort of a corrupting force. It plays to X-Men Blue for a number of reasons.

First of all, Magnetowhos acting as sort of a mentor for the X-Menhas said recently that he does not believe the idea of a mutant utopia works. Hes seen it backfire in horrible ways time and time again, and he keeps getting drawn back into that, lured into this idea of a mutant paradise; it is a dream [of his], but now he doesnt think that dream will ever come true. He thinks that a place like New Tian is a disaster waiting to happen, and he wants no part of it from that perspective.

We have also seen, however, that Magneto and the X-Men Blue team have a beef with Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw and certain characters that are entrenched in this new mutant regime. And what were gonna see in X-MEN: BLUE is the new X-Men team almost as a rebel force at work inside New Tian.

Marvel.com: Will the Blue team take on the larger Secret Empire plotlines as well?

Cullen Bunn: Theres definitely some parallels with whats happening in New Tian and whats going on in the Marvel Universe as a whole, but I wanted to focus on it mainly from a mutant perspective. Again, without giving away too many spoilers, theres a villain that shows up in these issues who I feel has a direct correlation with whats going on with Steve Rogers and is cut from very similar cloth story-wise and we definitely lean into that to shore up those parallels even more.

Marvel.com: Thats so cool! It sort of unifies the different threads of the Marvel Universe narratively, like, a microcosm? Or even just winking at another storyline thats happening.

Cullen Bunn: Yeah! The goal with these tie-ins for me is always that a reader can continue reading X-MEN: BLUE and not get thrown off too much by the events of the Marvel Universe. But this is such a big event! Things are changing in such monumental ways, theres no way to [avoid it]. But I wanted to make sure that were seeing [that] story from a distinctively mutant point of view while not ignoring whats going on in the world at large.

Marvel.com: So lets talk Magneto. How is such a powerful character fitting into all this Secret Empire hubbub? Is he joining, holding back, fighting against it?

Cullen Bunn: We talked a lot about Magneto early on in the discussion about whats going on in the world of Secret Empire and really, Magneto seems to be sitting this one out. For reasons of his own, he has struck a bargain that hes just going to sit this one out and not interfere, and hes agreed to that.

However.

The X-Men team is there in New Tian, and theyre obviously not just sitting back. Now, then the question will comeare they working on Magnetos orders or against what Magneto wants? As the tie-in goes on I think theres even a question posed like, dont you think Magneto would have prepared for this? And we see some pretty big changes among the team itself as some of those contingencies begin to come into play.

Marvel.com: So it might be that he has something up his sleeve?

Cullen Bunn: Well, Magneto always has something up his sleeve. I think were gonna have come interesting interactions. Hes definitely taking a back seat in this tie-in and you dont see him getting a lot of [face] time, but his actions are pretty important to the story and theyll shape the X-Men Blue team after this event. And when we do finally see Magneto, I think we have an interesting interaction between Magneto and Steve Rogers in the arc that Im pretty excited about.

Marvel.com: I know that youve been writing Magneto for a while, so Im sure youll do him justice. After all, you know him pretty wellyou guys are on, like, a first-name basis.

Cullen Bunn: [Laughs] I do kind of feel like I have a handle on where hes coming from and how he would see whats been going on in the world, but I also know that Magnetohe knows that, if he disagrees with this, its not something he can go into with guns blazing, so to speak, because that would fail. Hes got to be a little cagier about what hes doing.

Marvel.com: How is the team reacting to this pseudo-utopia? Like, how are they taking it?

Cullen Bunn: Well, theyre not taking it well. [Laughs] Its not going well for them. Its a weird situation for them because heres this place that should be a safe haven for mutants and yet they find themselves struggling against that very ideal.

In fact, Ive often said that, to some degree, the world that theyre in right now? The New Tian mutant utopia is almost like their Days of Futures Past. They are seeing the world theyve always been afraid theyd see happen, but they never expected these threats and these dangers to be coming from a mutant source to the degree that it is.

As well get into the first issue, were seeing the X-Men dealing with mutants whove been imprisoned and who are scheduled for psychic reconditioning because they dont support the law of the land. Thats the kind of thing that scares the hell out of them, and they just cant sit back and let it happen.

See how it all plays out this summer in X-MEN BLUE #7 by Cullen Bunn and Cory Smith, available July 12.

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Chris Baker

We all know that the first Star Wars film changed the face of pop culture forever when it hit theaters 40 years ago todaybut its not just the movie thats celebrating that milestone in 2017. Star Wars comics arrived with force in 1977, and hundreds of issues later, theyre more popular now than ever.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, were looking back at our 40 favorite moments from the history of comics from a galaxy far, far awayone day at a time.

STAR WARS INFINITIES: A NEW HOPE #1 kicks off with a scenario we know all too well: As Han Solo shouts, Lets blow this thing and go home!, Luke Skywalker trusts in the Force, firing two proton torpedoes into the Death Stars exhaust port. From there, the mighty battle stationdoesnt blow up? Unfortunately for Luke and the Rebel Alliance, one of the torpedoes detonated prematurely, only damaging the Death Star rather than destroying itand the Star Wars saga as we know it completely changes from that point on. Welcome to STAR WARS INFINITIESessentially the What If? comics of the Star Wars galaxy.

For four issues INFINITIES: A NEW HOPE twists everything we know about the events to follow, managing a healthy balance of new content and familiarity. Obi-Wan instructs Luke to head to Dagobah to train with Yoda, for example, but this happens right away, with Han and Chewbacca along for the trip to the swamp planet. And what happens when Darth Vader turns his attention to tempting Leia to the dark side instead of Luke? It all ends with a showdown between brother and sister, while Yoda takes the matter of destroying the Death Star into his own hands.

And if thats not enough alternate-galaxy Star Wars for you, this series was followed up with STAR WARS INFINITIES: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, where Luke freezes to death on Hoth, and STAR WARS INFINITIES: RETURN OF THE JEDI, where Leias thermal detonator accidentally explodes in Jabbas Palace.

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Ben Morse

Tons of new titles hit Marvel Unlimited this June! Medusa and Storm rally their troops in INHUMANS VS. X-MEN! Hellfire and Brimstone is that Robbie Reyes as the new GHOST RIDER? Carol Danvers commands Alpha Flight as the MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL! Guardians GAMORA and STAR-LORD take off in their own series! And while Kate Bishop: HAWKEYE becomes Los Angeles ace archer, Richard Rider returns to the cosmos in NOVA! To top it off? DOCTOR APHRA, Darth Vaders rogue archeologist, begins her solo quest for rare artifacts and this time shes ditching the Sith!

Week of 6/5

BLACK WIDOW #8 DEADPOOL: BACK IN BLACK #4 EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #16 GHOST RIDER #1 GREAT LAKES AVENGERS #2 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #14 IVX #0 MS. MARVEL #13 NEW AVENGERS #18 OLD MAN LOGAN #14 STAR WARS ANNUAL #2 THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #12 THUNDERBOLTS #7 UNCANNY INHUMANS #16

Week of 6/12

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #15 AVENGERS #2 CHAMPIONS #3 DEADPOOL #23 MOON KNIGHT #9 NOVA #1 SCARLET WITCH #13 SPIDER-MAN 2099 #18 STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #1 THE CLONE CONSPIRACY #3 THE UNWORTHY THOR #2

Week of 6/19

ALL-NEW X-MEN #16 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #2 DAREDEVIL #14 DEADPOOL: BACK IN BLACK #5 DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS INFINITE COMIC #3 FOOLKILLER #2 GHOST RIDER X-MAS SPECIAL INFINITE COMIC #1 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #15 GWENPOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL: MERRY MIX-UP #1 HAWKEYE #1 IVX #1 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS: ULTRON REVOLUTION #6 MOSAIC #3 OLD MAN LOGAN #15 POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #11 SILK #15 SPIDER-MAN #10 STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #9 THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #13 THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #15 UNCANNY AVENGERS #17

Week of 6/26

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #22 AVENGERS #2.1 BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA #2 CAGE! #3 CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #16 DEADPOOL & THE MERCS FOR MONEY #6 DOCTOR STRANGE #15 GAMORA #1 GWENPOOL, THE UNBELIEVABLE #9 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #2 MARVEL UNIVERSE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #15 OCCUPY AVENGERS #2 PATSY WALKER, A.K.A. HELLCAT! #13 POWER MAN AND IRON FIST: SWEET CHRISTMAS ANNUAL #1 SILVER SURFER #8 SLAPSTICK INFINITE COMIC #3 SOLO #3 SPIDER-GWEN #15 SQUADRON SUPREME #14 STAR-LORD #1 STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #2 THANOS #2 THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL #0 THE PUNISHER #7 ULTIMATES 2 #2 UNCANNY X-MEN #16 VENOM #2

Published Jun 6, 2017 By Tj Dietsch

The beauty of Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Jordie Bellaires VISION continues to inspire and impress. Though the series launched about two years ago, the six-issue VISION DIRECTORS CUT limited series will remind existing readers of that goodness while also bringing in new fans. Each DIRECTORS CUT issue features two of the original books, plus plenty of in-depth, behind-the-scenes info.

Last month we talked with Walta about bringing the story to life and now were chatting up Bellaire about building a color scheme that not only went a bold new direction, but also made reference to the past while taking intriguing twists and turns, especially during flashbacks.

Marvel.com: Classic Vision has this bright, bold color scheme. I want to say that the version in VISION is more muted and deep, but am not sure if thats the right terminology! How would you compare the two palettes?

Jordie Bellaire: I think Visions newest look is dictated mostly by Gabriel Waltas beautiful use of washes combined with new creative technology for more understated and subtle coloring in programs like Photoshop. As a team, we werent forced into using what was available to us at the time of classic Vision which was only bright, selective colors. We could go there if we wanted to, like the flashbacks, but we were allowed the freedom to tell a story with a range of color and techniques.

Marvel.com: Did it take a while to nail down this new color scheme during the design process?

Jordie Bellaire: Not really; I think having already worked with Gabriel Walta on great books like MAGNETO we were prepared for what it was like together as a team. We think a lot alike. We both take great inspiration from films, for instance the Coen Brothers have come up a few times in the past few years that weve worked together because of their excellent use in simplicity of composition and color design.

Tom King was also just a dream to work with and is extremely hands off in the coloring process. He allows me to be as loud or restrained as Id like, trusting that Im working in service of his story and the artwhich Id like to think I am and did!

Marvel.com: From a color and texture perspective, this book feels very different from most super hero books. Where does that come from?

Jordie Bellaire: Again, I think this is really dictated by the genius that is Gabriel Walta. He is incredibly unique. I congratulate Marvel for hiring him on high-profile books that, 35 years ago, he maybe would havent had the opportunity to do. His art is what makes this book such a success, combined again with Toms impeccable storytelling. It makes it fairly easy to get in and do my job since I respect the two as artists so much. Creatively, everything was brought to the table and we all sat at that table, taking on each others strengths and leveling them up each issue.

Marvel.com: You went with more themed colors during the flashbacks of Agatha Harkness, Victor, and Virginia. How was it figuring out those visual dynamics?

Jordie Bellaire: These flashbacks were some of my favorite things to do. Agatha, the story of a ghost that finds the future in blood, Virginia and the others Visions have flashbacks that echo to their iconic skin color and yellow energylike the memory of a droid, mechanical and scratchy. And lastly, Victor, half human and half droid, the yellow is peppered throughout a world of blue, hes in the center somewhere between Agatha and the Visions. These sorts of things arent planned incredibly well in advance but I do like to think on them as I see the art and digest the story. Thankfully, Tom wove such a well-told story that it all comes together and color pushes the themes home even further still.

Marvel.com: What do you think it was about this book that resonated so much with so many people?

Jordie Bellaire: This book is a tragedy. Its a book about normalcy and the tragedy that is normalcy and the desire to belong. I think this resonates with many people as I think many of us secretly feel this way. The need to fit in, to be loved, to be respected but to be yourself and be true to that self. Its an extremely deep and heavy work that in the current climate of super hero books, really stepped into the emotional darkness many didnt quite expect. It deals so much with the human condition and what is a human condition, stories like that will live on forever and continuously be told as were fascinated about truly connecting to each other and to ourselves.

VISION DIRECTORS CUT #1 by Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Jordie Bellaire phases in on June 14 with the second issue following on July 12.

Published Jun 2, 2017 By Christine Dinh

Weve got a brand new episode of This Week in Marvel, presented by Loot Crate, to help you kick off the weekend!

Ryan and Ben give you the rundown on this weeks comics hottest releases including SECRET EMPIRE, MOON KNIGHT, CABLE and more! Weve also got tons of comics news from Tom Brevoortand Alanna Smith(49:23); West Coast news from Marc, Christine with your weekly dose of Marvel Games and Marvel Animation (1:14:21); and both coasts diveinto the 90s-tastic world of X-Cutioners Song Pt. 1 with our Unlimited Reading Club (1:21:13)! Its all here on a funky fresh episode of the official Marvel podcast!

Be sure to join our #TWIMURC next time where we have both coasts tackle X-Cutioners Song Pt. 2! Share your thoughts with us using the hashtag #TWIMURC!

Loot Crate has assembled the Marvel Gear and Goods crate for the ultimate Marvel fan. This crate features official Marvel items like collectible home goods, apparel and more every other month! If anyone knows the importance of downtime, its Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Jessica Drew and their Wall-Crawling peers. Unwind after a hard day with denizens of the SPIDER-VERSE! Order your own Marvel Gear and Goods crate by heading to lootcrate.com/MarvelGear and use promo code MARVELPOD to save $3 on your subscription today.

Download episode #292 of This Week in Marvel from Marvel.com, check outMarvel Podcast Central,grab the TWiM RSS feedandsubscribe to This Week in Marvel on iTunes, so you never miss an episode! We are now also on Soundcloud! Head over now to our new hub to listen to the full run of This Week in Marvel!

This Week in Marvel will focus on delivering all the Marvel info on news and new releasesfrom comics to video games to toys to TV to film and beyond! New episodes will be released every Thursday (or so) and TWiM is co-hosted by Marvel VP & Executive Editor of Digital Media Ryan Agent M Penagos and Marvel Editorial Director of Digital Media Ben Morse, along with Marvel.com Editor Marc Strom, Marvel.com Assistant Editor Christine Dinh, and Manager of Video & Content Production Blake Garris. We also want your feedback, as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes! Tweet your questions, comments and thoughts about TWiM to@AgentM,@BenJMorse, @chrissypediaor@Marvelwith the hashtag#ThisWeekinMarvel!

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Psych Ward: The Hulk - Marvel (press release) (registration) (blog)

Oceania Rugby assists unions "to do things better" – Matangi Tonga

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Representatives of Oceania Rugby gathered in Nukualofa last week, 30-31 May for the 2017 Annual General Meeting and a Leading RugbyWorkshop.

Bruce Cook, Rugby Services Manager for Oceania and World Rugby, said that the two days Leading Rugby Workshop will lead participants to look at how to assist unions to do things better that is why we use the term LeadingRugby.

First on the agenda was an Olympic solidarity session. Solidarity has a lot of funds that can be access by a lot of unions around the world. So we are trying to make sure Oceania Unions are right up to speed on what they can apply for. The executive staff of Oceania Rugby will support them in their application, hesaid.

The fact that a national team from Oceania, Fiji, won the first Olympic Gold Medal in rugby in the Olympic is a boost for the development of rugby inOceania.

A workshop on the development of womens rugby, and a session on funding from Australia and New Zealand for the Pacific was held on the final day of themeeting.

The first gold medal for the Womens Sevena-side in the Olympic was won by a team from Oceania, Australia, proof of the high standard of rugby inOceania.

Other things the workship looked at was players welfare. Players welfare is key for the game . . . it is not just on concussion, it is also psychological welfare. We are all here for the players. If it was not for the players, administrators like us would not be here. We need to make sure that the players are well lookedafter."

Bruce said that the election of executive members of Oceania Rugby is held every four years, but at this years AGM they would elect only a newtreasurer.

The Oceania Rugby Executive members are elected by the representatives of Oceania Rugbys 15 MemberUnions.

He said the session on constitutions was also on the programme. We have done some work in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and we are currently working on Samoa andFiji.

Bruce stressed that it is vital for Oceania Rugby during the next few years to get their constitutions up tospeed.

The Current Executive Membersare:

Brent Andersonf(NZL),Secretary

Ansrew Larratt (AUS),Treasurer

Reremoana MOekaa (COK), ExecutiveMember

Cathy Wong, Non-elected WomensDirector

Aloma Johansson, Non-elected IndependentDirector.

Oceania Rugby has 15 members. The 14 Full Members and one Associate Member of Oceania Rugby are: American Samoa Rugby Union, Australian Rugby Union, Cook Islands Rugby Union, Fiji Rugby Union, New Caledonia Rugby Union, New Zealand Rugby, Niue Rugby Union, Papua New Guinea Rugby Union, Samoa Rugby Union, Solomon Islands Rugby Union, Tahiti Rugby Football Union, Tonga Rugby Union, Tuvalu Rugby Union, Vanuatu Rugby Football Union and Wallis and Futuna RugbyUnion.

Bruce said that the group was known as the Federation of the Oceania Rugby Union, but since the International Rugby Board changed its name to World Rugby two years ago, they also decided to change their name to OceaniaRugby.

We want to go from the regulation side of the game to inspiration, and that is one of the reasons for the name change to WorldRugby.

Bruce manages World rugby Service for Oceania, the Oceania Rugby, with links to the Oceania RugbyBoard.

Oceania Rugby, based in Sydney, Australia is staffed through a partnership between World Rugby and Oceania Rugby which ensures a coordinated delivery of Rugby programs to the Member Unions of the region. The work of the staff is guided by the Oceania Rugby Strategy which was approved by the Oceania Rugby Member Unions at its 2015 Annual GeneralMeeting.

The staff of Oceania Rugbyare:

See the rest here:

Oceania Rugby assists unions "to do things better" - Matangi Tonga

Riot Games Oceania inks deal with Twitter – Dot Esports

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Twitter is partnering with Riot Games Oceania division to livestream the inaugural League of Legends : League of Origin tournament, the social media service announced. Taking place June 3 to 4 from the ESL Studios in Sydney, Australia, the tournament will set four regions against each other.

Twitter has worked closely with League developer Riot before. During its All-Star event in Los Angeles Dec. 10 to 13, Riot used a live Q&A app developed by Twitter, for instance.

"Esports is growing at a rapid pace in Australia and globally, and this collaboration is a great way to tap into the engaged audience of gamers that are already using Twitter as a primary source of content," said Olly Wilton, head of sports at Twitter Australia. "By partnering with leading esports competitions like League of Origin, we look forward to bringing the best of esports live video and conversation together on Twitter."

League of Origin will feature players representing New Zealand, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. Every region will be run by an affiliated caster, who have each selected a coach and team to represent their turf, including players competing in Riots Oceanic Pro League (OPL) and Oceanic Challenger Series (OCS).

Riot Games Head of Esports Oceania, Daniel Ringland, is excited about the second-screen option Twitter brings to the tournament.

"Twitter is one of the most engaging platforms for fans of the OPL and OCS esports leagues, so it made sense to team up for League of Origin," Ringland said. "The live stream on Twitter will be a shortcut for fans in Oceania and around the world, as they can both watch and engage on the platform at the same time."

Since the inception of Twitter Gaming, the companys video game content vertical, Twitter has offered second-screen entertainment for esports events multiple times. Twitter has previusly partnered with Turners ELEAGUE and ESL, for instance.

Back in January, when Twitter Gaming was presented to the public, Twitters director of gaming partnerships, Rodrigo Velloso, emphasized what he thinks his company can add to esports events.

"Just like the sports conversation happens in parallel as a second-screen experience to TV, we also see Twitter as a second-stream experience to live esports events," Velloso said. "Its an incredible tool for esports teams, casters, and pro players who use it to connect with their fans."

Twitter strengthening its working relationship with Riot Games is the companys next step in setting itself up for a strong presence in esports.

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Riot Games Oceania inks deal with Twitter - Dot Esports