Category Archives: Alt-right

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) Some people exude good vibes.

The kind of good vibes that put you on South Padre Island with a 311 CD in one hand and a pair of sunglasses in the other.

Cannon the Dealers have carried these vibes for years now and are finally seeing their hard work crystallize with their first music releases over the past half-year.

The band formed out of a group of friends at Brownsville Pace High School in 2015 and has more or less stayed intact, save for trading their original vocalist for St. Joseph Academy alum Nick Tomayo, who would become the bands unofficial leader.

Together with original band members Tony Olivares (bass), Jesus Galindo (rhythm guitar), Luis Segura (drums), and Juan Cervantes (lead guitar), Tomayo has helped put Cannon the Dealers get themselves some notoriety in the Brownsville scene.

The self-described alternative rock band features a blend of inspirations ranging from various scopes of the rock genre, from heavy metal to pop-punk and everything in between.

Their local fame hit a milestone in February 2020 when they played a primetime slot at the Crossroad Brownsville Festival.

Things were riding high for Cannon the Dealers, and then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

We were all pretty scared of [the pandemic], said Tomayo. We didnt want to go out, we didnt want to meet up for practice, it was pretty bad.

Bassist Olivares even noted that Tomayo contracted COVID-19 early on in the pandemic, heightening their worries that one of them could get sick.

But even though the pandemic put concerts and consistent practice at a halt, Cannon the Dealers still made an effort to get in the studio in 2020 to release their debut EP.

In Fall 2020, the band laid down three songs for the release and put in extra effort to get it out before the year ended.

It was released right at the end of the year, said Tomayo. I told the guys Im getting this released in 2020 if it kills me! I wanted the EP out in 2020.

Too Soon to Tell was released on December 30, 2020, and features three songs with catchy guitar riffs and memorable songs reminiscent of 2000s alternative rock bands such as Alien Ant Farm, Foo Fighters, and The Strokes.

Although its a short sample size, its a good sign of things to come as the band displays brilliant musicianship on the release.

Outta Here (La La La La La) is a clear gem just begging to become a hit with its catchy hooks that flick along with the chorus.

Ready to Go shows some great guitar work from Cervantes and Galindo while Tomayo delivers a solid vocal performance.

Cannon the Dealers quickly hit the studio again in 2021 to release a stand-alone single, Hell and Back.

The single is a fiery track highlighted by tight production that the band members describe as a heavier side of their sound.

And they arent stopping there. Cannon the Dealers plan to release another single in early May before putting down another multi-track EP in the summer.

The Brownsville band is hoping to join the trend of bands releasing a multitude of singles in consistent spans, rather than spending a lot of time and effort on a full album.

Were not planning to release an album for a long time, said Olivares.

Tomayo stated that social media has drifted people away from wanting to hear albums.

People want things that they can quickly hear and then move on from, said Tomayo. Thats why apps like TikTok are so popular, its real short videos one after the other.

As the pandemic slowly wanes, Cannon the Dealers are hoping to burst out and deliver their music to anyone looking to have a good time, whether it be at one of their shows, on a road trip, or kicked back at the beach.

We want people to have a good time when they hear our music, said Olivares.

Cannon the Dealers can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Bandcamp.

You can follow the Brownsville band on Facebook and Instagram.

See the article here:

RGV Sounds: Brownsville alt-rock band wants everyone to have a good time - KGBT-TV

Three months after a group of rioters attempted to halt the certification of the presidential election results by breaching the U.S. Capitol, 401 people have been arrested.

Of those, Pennsylvanias 38 arrests rank behind only Texas and Florida, with 39 each. Eleven of those charged in Pennsylvania come from the federal western district.

Robert Pape, a political scientist from the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago, has thus far conducted three studies on the riot, including reviewing the demographic study of those arrested.

He says a fine-grained understanding of who broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 and the nature of the insurrection movement is necessary to reduce the risk of future violence.

Pape uses this analogy: The United States is a patient, and the riot is a tumor.

The tumor could be benign and never cause any trouble, or it could be malignant and spread and worsen over time.

In medicine, Pape said, doctors would study the mass biopsy it, dissect it, analyze it to understand its potential impact.

The same things need to happen with the Capitol riot, he said.

You care because the patient is sick, Pape said. And the patient is us.

***

The Chicago Project attempted to identify common denominators among those arrested by looking at things like residence, age, employment and election results.

Nationally, their studies found that some 67% were 35 or older; 44% either owned their own business or worked in white-collar jobs, including physicians, IT professionals and bankers; only 9% of those arrested were unemployed.

52% came from counties that Joe Biden won in the election.

But the biggest predictor for who participated in the riot, Pape said, was counties that have a declining white population.

Many of the rioters, he said, were driven by what is known as The Great Replacement the fear of, or belief that, the rights of Hispanics and Blacks are outpacing the rights of whites.

Theyre afraid theyre going to lose their social prestige and way of life, said Christopher Sebastian Parker, a political science professor at the University of Washington.

Pape said a survey of 1,000 people conducted after the riot found that 4% of Americans believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen and that they would be willing to participate in violent protest. That equates to as many as 10 million people who are willing to become violent.

Thats worrisome, he said, and runs counter to a broad segment of society that wants to believe that what happened that day in Washington was an isolated incident.

Matt Valasik, who teaches sociology and criminology at Louisiana State University, said much of what drove the rioters was messages sent by former President Trump.

Perceived threats to the Second Amendment, conspiracy theories and covid-19 denial all came into play, Valasik said.

You have that, and always along with that, concern that white status is diminishing in some way, he said.

To that group of people, Parker continued, it doesnt matter that their fear is unfounded.

If youre not a straight, white, Christian, middle-class man, youre not a real American, he said. If you cant check all those boxes, youre in a subordinate position.

Elizabeth Neumann, who served in the Trump administration and is a director of the Republican Accountability Project, said there is more to the movement that spawned the Capitol rioters than just the fear of the Great Replacement.

Neumann, a counterterrorism expert who held senior positions in the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 through April 2020, said that for years, the alt-right has been moving itself into the mainstream by making quasi-academic policy arguments that appeal to conservatives. The problem, though, she continued, is alt-right white supremacists want to overthrow the government.

When it came to the 2020 election, Neumann said, Theyve had four years of a leader telling them their world is coming to an end and they are in an existential crisis unless you elect me because Im the only one who can save you.

Why Pennsylvanians?

Pennsylvania is known for having a relatively large far-right population, Valasik said. He compared it with Michigan in the number of militias and hate groups that operate here.

Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, said Pennsylvania has for many years had real, radical, conservative extremism very much along the line of the dominant model thats emerged in the last few years.

They are a group of racist, conservative, white extremists, that lures actors and ragtag groups into dangerous, misguided patriotism and a willingness to break the law and a belief that they are advancing and vindicating the Constitution.

But, according to the Chicago Project studies, 87% of those arrested in the Capitol riots were not affiliated with any group or militia.

The movement has moved heavily into the mainstream, and thats quite worrisome, Pape said.

According to data compiled of all the Capitol riot arrests by USA Today, the states with the most arrests are Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York.

Valasik, who grew up in Ohio and has family in Mt. Pleasant, noted that most of those were considered to be battleground states in the election.

You had a lot of rhetoric in those states, he said.

In addition, they were places where a lot of money was spent on advertising, social media and billboards which ratcheted up the rhetoric, Valasik said.

Add in the fact that a drive to Washington, D.C., from Pennsylvania is a pretty easy one, he continued, and it makes sense why the Keystone State had so many arrests.

David A. Harris, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said hes not surprised by the Pennsylvania numbers either.

They swallowed the whole big lie, he said. They thought they were going to serve the country at the presidents behest.

Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania had another explanation.

Given the lack of any tangible evidence and failing in dozens and dozens of lawsuits in state and federal courts with Republican and Democratic judges, why do people contine to believe the election was stolen? Toomey asked. Because of the sudden and dramatic changes in election rules because of the pandemic.

We changed the rules to make it easy for people to vote in this once-in-a-century pandemic.

The problem, the senator continued, is that some of the changes werent well thought out, and others were imposed by the courts. And, he believes, they often didnt include basic safeguards.

That kind of thing undermines confidence in the integrity of an election, Toomey said. Despite that, theres no evidence of widespread fraud.

What happens next

Its not enough to know that the insurrection happened, Pape said. Now, experts need to know the contours and drivers of the movement. That includes exploring the rioters networks, the impact of political leadership and the economic and religious factors.

We need to understand not just primary but contributing factors, he said.

That information will be crucial going into the 2022 midterm elections.

But experts disagree on what can be done to try to move the country past Jan. 6.

Harris said Republicans in national leadership positions need to clearly and explicitly tell their supporters the election was not stolen.

Wouldnt it be great if the leadership on that side of things would say, You know what? We were wrong.

Thats what they owe those people.

But, Harris continued, thats not likely to happen.

They have a strong interest in not doing so, because they have a political interest in sticking to the lie.

And, he said, as long as Trump has a strong hold on his base and can threaten those in office with primary challenges that wont change.

They have to toe the Trump line as long as he can sic the mob on them.

Like Harris, Neumann believes it is unlikely anyone in power in the Republican Party will admit to the false narrative.

But, she said, even if they did, it wouldnt fix everything.

We were extremely polarized well before there were allegations of fraud in the election.

Neumann thinks one answer may be in the church, since 85% of conservatives identify as Christians.

With such a strong influence on that community, churches might be well equipped to tackle the problem, said Neumann, herself a lifelong evangelical Christian.

Otherwise, Neumann suggests there must be a grassroots movement, where community members slow down and listen to the people who are in the 4% identified in the Chicago study.

We dont want to drive them into extremist arms by further ostracizing them, she said. You have to slow down and listen to their stories. You have to first let them feel heard and them go deeper past their talking points.

Ask them what they fear, what has changed in their lives, Neumann continued.

Those changes are real, and some people have not been able to adapt to them, she said. Its not just economic. Its a power shift.

The heat of the moment

J. Gerald Ingram, a defense attorney based in Youngstown, Ohio, represents Matthew Perna, who is accused of being inside the Capitol building during the riot, but not of causing any damage.

Perna, of Mercer County, had never been in trouble before, said Ingram, who has been practicing law for 42 years.

There is a psychological phenomenon when youre part of a crowd that begins to act in an unreasonable and unruly manner, Ingram said. You sort of get caught up in the heat of the moment, which is exactly what happened to Mr. Perna.

He called him a nice kid who just got led astray.

Neumann, too, blamed mob rule for the number of people who attacked the Capitol.

She suggested that pre-pandemic, there might not have been such an attack or as many people participating.

Combining the political climate with the loss of control during the covid-19 shutdowns and loss of life, Neumann suggested, drove some people deeper into politics.

And they saw Trump as a messianic figure.

Its the gaslighting effect, she said. If he says the lie long enough, then it becomes truth.

Toomey agreed, but thinks its important to distinguish between those who attended Trumps rally that day and those who breached the Capitol.

I think a lot of people believed the presidents story that he won the election, and it was stolen from him, Toomey said. He repeated it many times, every day.

At the rally, Trump told his supporters to stop the steal.

For his most extreme supporters, Toomey said, What could that mean other than literally going in to stop them from certifying the vote?

Although Ingram concedes his client willingly traveled to Washington, D.C., that day, he said Perna was induced to travel by the inaccurate assertions by the president of the United States.

Now, the attorney said, his client regrets his actions.

He feels betrayed, I guess, and has certainly grown up as a result, Ingram said. Mr. Pernas not the only one who took the bait here.

Ingram said his client believed everything he was told about the election being stolen from Trump.

For Mr. Perna, if theres one lesson here you cant believe any politician.

Paula Reed Ward is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paula by email at pward@triblive.com or via Twitter .

See the rest here:

Understanding the Capitol riot suspects and their motivations - TribLIVE

Aristotle called humans the social animal, and people have recognized for centuries that young people need to be in communities to develop into healthy adults. The ongoing pandemic has caused concern about the effects of isolation on children and teenagers social and psychological growth.

But while young people today may not be able to gather in person as often as theyd like, they arent necessarily isolated. They have long used online communities to explore their identities and conduct their social lives.

Theyre involved in anonymous hip-hop discussion forums, ADHD support groups on Facebook, biology class group chats on Instagram and comments sections under popular YouTube videos. There are many of these online communities, and collectively they cover a wide range of subjects. Theyre also often central to their users lives. However, parents, educators and psychologists frequently argue that these spaces can cause young people distress and even expose them to dangerous ideologies.

With online communities now perhaps more important to young people than ever, the question of what it means to grow up in online communities bears closer scrutiny. As a psychology researcher who studies online communities, I and my colleagues have found that in addition to posing widely publicized risks, online communities can provide young people with social and psychological support thats unavailable to them at home, at school or in their neighborhoods.

Those of us who grew up engaged in online communities know how formative these spaces can be. As a 24-year-old who has used the internet nearly every day since I was 6, I can think of several key moments in my psychosocial development that took place in online communities.

Some of these moments were painful, like my cousin scamming me out of my hard-earned armor in the online role-playing game Runescape when I was 10. Others were joyous, like my first show DJ'ing for an online radio station at 12. And many were strange but fascinating, like going onto the 18+ video chat site Chatroulette with my friends at 13 to interact with strangers across the world.

Ultimately, observing and participating in online communities rich and ever-evolving cultures shaped my interest in pursuing psychological research.

Although the current COVID-19-related constraints kids are facing are new and hopefully temporary, caution about immersing them in online communities is justified. Online communities change the ground rules of human interaction, enabling unprecedented social experiences with unpredictable impacts on malleable minds.

Popular criticisms, such as the 2020 documentary The Social Dilemma, have argued that social networking sites like Instagram warp young users perceptions of reality, causing them psychological distress. A particular concern is that young people compare themselves to a constant stream of peers cherry-picked successes and algorithmically augmented selfies.

Loosened social norms online due to anonymity or physical distance can create conditions for some of the more notorious behaviors in online communities: bullying, fatalistic worldviews and mob mentalities. In addition, online communities can facilitate the spread of misinformation and extremist ideologies, as exemplified by the rise of the alt-right, a loosely connected set of far-right groups and activists, among young users of a few anonymous online forums in the 2010s.

These concerns have some merit, but they may underestimate young peoples resilience and ability to adapt to new social contexts. Online communities can also provide opportunities for young people to build social skills, share genuine interactions and discover and dissect new ideas with peers worldwide.

Currently, evidence does not support the idea that social media use is generally harmful to young peoples well-being. In fact, comparing oneself to others positive social media posts can even enhance well-being by motivating self-improvement. Still, more research is needed to explore how specific kinds of social media use is beneficial or harmful for different young people.

To learn more about how young people find support online, my colleagues and I recently surveyed 334 members of 10 online mental health support forums. We presented our results at the Association for Psychological Science 2020 annual convention. Half of the people we surveyed were under 24 years old, and 82% rated their mental health as terrible or poor.

We learned that these support forums provide users with valuable advice, emotional support, belonging and validation that are not available from their in-person communities. We also observed that each forums attitude and approach to confronting mental health struggles was unique, formed from the bottom up based on users firsthand experiences and insights. Some users also said that these peer support communities can be held back by users who spread pessimistic attitudes or misinformation.

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Many young people experiencing personal struggles turn to online communities to seek support. Some reach out to text-message group chats of close friends to vent and ask for advice. Others prefer to privately seek help from strangers around the world in anonymous support forums like Reddits r/Anxiety, which often has over 1,000 members online at any given time. Online, young people can avoid the social stigma that often comes with asking for help in person and are not limited by geographical barriers to find peers who share their backgrounds or perspectives.

Online communities play significant roles in many young peoples lives, so they warrant careful consideration. The opportunities and risks they present are distinct from those of real-world communities, and the social challenges young people face online require unique kinds of savvy to navigate effectively. Parents and mentors play an essential role in teaching young people how to be responsible and respectful digital citizens.

Still, just as in real-world communities, young people also need the freedom to pursue their curiosity online independently. As online communities evolve, coming generations of young people will continue to lead the way in redefining the roles that these spaces play in their lives.

See the article here:

Yes, online communities pose risks for young people, but they are also important sources of support - The Conversation US

At a glance.

Locked Shields, a NATO exercise of cyber defenses, this year concentrates on handling a mixed attack, one that combines cyberattack with disinformation campaigns, CyberScoop reports. The exercise was not a purely military one, as it addressed threats to critical infrastructure and saw substantial participation from the financial sector. The exercise scenario was suggested by campaigns operated by Russia, China, and Iran during the current pandemic. CyberScoop quoted Michael Widmann, chief of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) Strategy Branch: This year, the exercise featured several new dilemmas for the strategic decision-making element as well. The cyber domain and information warfare operate hand in hand in the modern environment. Strong strategic communication policies can mitigate the effects of an enemys information warfare campaign.

A story that received widespread attention during the 2020 US Presidential campaign and into the early parts of this year was a claim that Russia had offered bounties on the heads of American servicemembers deployed to Afghanistan. This story has receded from recent rounds of US sanctions and complaints directed against Russian activity. The reports circulated within US intelligence circles with "low-to-moderate confidence," a confidence that can be difficult to distinguish from the noise of rumor, and which normally doesn't find issue in widespread media coverage. As the Dispatch argues, those who circulated the story were disposed to believe it, for reasons both foreign (suspicion of Russia) and domestic (it was a stick to beat the Trump Administration). Military Times points out that senior Defense civilians and military officers expressed skepticism at the time the reports surfaced in the press. In any case, this particular story no longer has legs, and what legs it did have seem to have been lent it by a mixture of self-interest and wishful thinking, probably in most cases no less sincere for being poorly founded.

Facebook announced yesterday that it's taken down two Palestinian groups who'd been using the social network for a politically motivated surveillance campaign. The two actors have been identified as the Preventive Security Service (the PSS) and the Gaza-based threat actor Arid Viper. They seem to have been particularly interested in prospecting (and impersonating) journalists andother gadflies. Some of their content presented itself as solicitation for complaints of human rights violations.

The PSS-associated group used both Windows and Android malware as well as social engineering campaigns to install spyware in targets devices. Arid Viper used bespoke, and hitherto unidentified, iOS surveillanceware. And they, too, relied on social engineering to distribute their malware.

Both operations, unconnected though they are, are more concerned with surveillance and social engineering than with dissemination of disinformation (except insofar as it might serve as social engineering bait). The campaigns appear, however, directed toward influencing the outcome of upcoming elections in the Palestinian Territories, with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas as the principal rivals. It's the first such electoral contest, SecurityWeek observes, in fifteen years.

The Russian threat actor Primitive Bear, also known as Gamaredon, has stepped up cyber operations against Ukraine as tensions rise between Kiev and Moscow. Researchers at Anomali have been tracking Primitive Bear's surge, which they say lasted from January of this year through March at least. The activity, like that Facebook observed in the Palestinian territories, is principally designed to support cyberespionage, but its phishbait is an interesting mix of bogus and genuine documents (mostly written in Ukrainian, but with some composed in Russian) that pertain to policies and activities in the Russian-occupied Crimean territory.

Russia's SVR has opened a Tor portal so patriots can confidentially blow whistles and otherwise report back to Moscow, the Record reports. A minor irony: Tor traces its technical legacy back to the US Naval Research Laboratory.

Here's some evidence that the Russian organs really don't like being referred to as cute bears. The SVR published a dismissive response to US accusations that it was responsible for the SolarWinds compromise, and, well, fine: no intelligence service is going to publicly cop to an operation if they can avoid doing so. That's what plausible deniability is all about.

But what really honks off the SVR is the way the Americans said that the SVR was "also known as Cozy Bear." The SVR finds that unpleasant. They want to remind everyone that the SVR has been known "since 1920" as the Foreign Department of the Cheka, then the 5th Department of the First Directorate of the NKVD, then the First Main Directorate of the KGB, "and now, the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation."

So think about it. You'd rather be remembered for your lineage in the Cheka, the NKVD, and the KGB than by some bear nickname the Yankees gave you. Ah, Huggy Bear, you're still just as adorable as you were back when you were working for Dzerzhinsky, purging wreckers for Stalin...

Excerpt from:

Blended operations. Self-deception? Two inauthentic Palestinian networks downed. Primitive Bear is back, and his sister is still Cozy. - The CyberWire

GREENWICH Hate crimes and related incidents more than doubled in Greenwich from two in 2019 to five in 2020, according to data from the Anti-Defamation League.

The trend is roughly consistent with data statewide, which shows an increase from 65 events in Connecticut in 2019 to 128 in 2020.

Of the five reported incidents in Greenwich last year, three were anti-Semitic: swastikas and anti-Jewish slurs were written in a Jewish teachers classroom; a Zoom meeting was interrupted by intruders making vulgar remarks and sharing pornographic images; and New Order, a neo-Nazi group, distributed materials in town that contained swastikas and said Hitler was right.

Rabbi Mitchell Hurvitz of Temple Sholom in Greenwich said anti-Semitic hate was not a new concern for his temple. But in recent years, Hurvitz said he has seen people spreading hateful ideas become more emboldened, apparently because of national discourse.

I think that unfortunately, the climate within the nation has created an incubator to kind of let people who are at the extremes to do things and express things that arent appropriate, Hurvitz said. I dont know that our town has been immune to the national phenomenon.

He said the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic also could have contributed to increased hostility in general.

I think that in times of challenge, fear takes root, Hurvitz said. And the exacerbation of extremes, demagoguery and words that incite ... all of that is challenging. And then the difficulties that COVID-19 brought and the economic challenges and all that extra turbulence definitely exacerbates the problems. We have to be more proactive.

Hurvitz said hate crimes have been increasingly part of the collective conscience, pointing to the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va., which featured white supremacist groups and resulted in the death of a counter-protester, and the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left 11 dead in what has been called the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in American history.

The Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol reignited existing fears of increased anti-Semitic hate, Hurvitz said.

Some of the crazies that were marching out with anti-Semitic shirts and slogans put people at greater consternation, he said.

And though the other two Greenwich incidents chronicled by the ADL predated the Capitol siege, they were of a similar tone and tenor. Both involved the alt-right group Patriot Front, which in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election distributed materials bearing slogans such as Reclaim America and America is not for sale.

Hurvitz said he has been impressed with the towns response in the wake of anti-Semitic or related incidents, both from clergy and town leaders. Greenwichs public and private schools have partnered with clergy and the ADL to spearhead educational initiatives on the dangers of anti-Semitism and white supremacy.

One example, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones said, is the annual Names Day, which she said gives a voice to the targets of bullying and bias; building empathy in the perpetrators; and inspiring and empowering bystanders to become allies against prejudice and bullying.

Discrimination, racism and hateful acts have no place in our schools and in our communities, Jones said. Two components of our mission and vision very directly demonstrate the value we put on educating and preparing our students so that they can: Conduct themselves in an ethical and responsible manner and recognize and respect other cultural contexts and points of view. We build these capabilities in our students in hopes that they will perpetuate the good they see in the world, and recognize and act on what needs to be fixed.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586

Excerpt from:

Greenwich saw five hate crimes in 2020. Learn to be 'allies against prejudice and bullying,' advocates say. - CT Insider

Cartographer Alina (Jessie Mei Li) maps her own fate in Netflix's fantasy series, Shadow and Bone. Netflix hide caption

Cartographer Alina (Jessie Mei Li) maps her own fate in Netflix's fantasy series, Shadow and Bone.

Let's get the cheap joke out of the way right at the top, just so we don't have it hanging over our heads for the entire review:

Do not be misled by its title. Shadow and Bone does not, in this instance, refer to the two things James Bond does in every movie.

Ok, good, that's out of our systems, lets move on.

Shadow and Bone is a new 8-episode fantasy series based on a successful book trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. It's stuffed with characters, locations, plot twists and it must be said very, very familiar fantasy elements including, but not limited to: characters who possess the ability to control various elements (wind, water, fire, sure, but also: machines, and even bodies); a Big Dark Thing (in this case, a monster-haunted wall of shadow known as The Fold) that is Prophesied to be Be Defeated by A Chosen One (a Sun-Summoner, who controls light); the fact that the aforementioned Chosen One is not noble-born, but a Reluctant Commoner Who Must Be Trained by Stern Teachers Until She Accepts And Masters Her Gift, etc., etc., etc.

There are surface differences that set Shadow and Bone apart: Instead of serving up still yet another vaguely medieval alt-Britain, the series takes Tsarist Russia as its jumping-off point, which lends every aspect of its setting names, costumes, architecture, vehicles and weaponry a certain singular appeal; think Dr. Zhivago, if Omar Sharif went around Yuriatin shooting flames from his hands.

Another novelty: The realm in which Shadow and Bone is set is peopled entirely by humans. This means that when the series chooses to address the subject of racial tension, it's not couched in the usual high-fantasy coding (elves hate dwarves, humans hate orcs, etc.). Instead, citizens of the alt-Russia kingdom of Ravka resent and distrust our main character Alina (Jessie Mei Li) because her features reflect her "half-Shu" status. (The Shu, in the series, are the people of Shu Han, an alt-China realm far to the south.) It doesn't matter to them that Alina was born in Ravka, and is indeed serving as a cartographer in its army as the series begins. Their ignorant, reflexive disdain is just another obstacle in her path one that is all too familiarly real, and devoid of any mystical high-fantasy provenance.

But what really distinguishes the series is its smart storytelling choices, which prioritize a crisp, propulsive narrative over the kind of stately, ruminative world-building for world-building's sake that bogs down so many would-be epic fantasy series. The series opens not with an endless scroll of grandiloquent expository text that dumps millennia of this world's history in our laps. Instead, we open on Alina, drawing a map.

Making Alina a military cartographer gives Shadow and Bone a chance to orient ourselves in this world simply by looking over her shoulder as she works we see the Fold, the great roiling sea of shadow that bisects the kingdom of Ravka, and many of the cities we will visit over the course of the series. (You may still want to look up the books' map of this realm online as you watch, as the series neglects to inform us whether a location we're visiting is situated east of the Fold or west of it; knowing this would be useful.)

Yes, there are a few occasions when two or more characters exchange information about this world's history in exactly the way no one ever does in real life, but they pass quickly and efficiently, without bogging things down. This sense of alacrity is aided, weirdly enough, by the need to service the show's many main characters, which include Mal (Archie Renaux), Alina's childhood friend; Kaz (Freddy Carter), a roguish criminal chasing a bounty; Inej (Amita Suman), a knife-wielding spy in Kaz's employ; Jesper (Kit Young) a charming sharpshooter; and General Kirigan (Ben Barnes), a dark, brooding figure who takes Alina under his dark, brooding wing.

That's a lot of folks to track, and when you throw into the mix Nina (Danielle Galligan), a courtesan with something extra, Matthias (Calahan Skogman), a stoic soldier and Baghra (the great Zo Wanamaker), Alina's stern magical taskmaster, you might be tempted to keep a cheat sheet handy.

But you likely won't need to, because Shadow and Bone has been painstakingly constructed to suit its medium, which is binge-viewing. Scenes start and stop precisely when they need to, the moment they have accomplished their narrative task. We weave from one character to the next at the exact moment we find ourselves growing curious what they've been up to since we last saw them. And most importantly, episodes end on cliff-hangers that impel you to start the next episode. (This tendency extends to the series finale, which ends by finally bringing many of its disparate main characters together, sort of, and setting them off a new adventure that will await a Season 2 pickup.)

If Shadow and Bone doesn't provide quite the level of characterizing nuance and challenging chronological complexity of The Witcher and it does not it does go down easier, and seems expressly intended to make long weekend afternoons pass more quickly.

See the rest here:

Review: 'Shadow And Bone' Moves So Fast It's Practically Russian - NPR

Here in Western Province inPNG, a stone's throw from the Australian mainland, things are looking alarming.

Cases and deaths from coronavirusare skyrocketing, and we are facing amisinformation pandemic on top of a COVID one.

Most Papua New Guineans get their information from Facebook, and much of it is incorrect.

Our social media has been overwhelmed with half-truths, misinformation, and outright lies. False statements are dressed up in intellectual language.

A seemingly harmless like or share doesn't stay online:it filters down to village and family levels where misinformation is retold as fact, or at the very least, speculation.

I live with six others inPort Moresby, which is at the centre of PNG's COVID-19 outbreak. If one of us tests positive to this deadly virus,I am unsure how wewillbe able to isolate ourselves.

When I walk on the streets, twoout of 10 people are wearing masks and no social distancing is practiced.

We know from our community engagement that people are not keen on the idea of accepting the vaccine, and the reason why is they don't know what it is. They are afraid it might have side effects. There is a serious lack of clear information.

Getting rid of the fake news is half the battle. Getting the correct information to people is the other half.

The politicians in Papua New Guinea and the Department of Health have tried their best to use social media to spread facts about COVID-19, but it has not stopped the skepticism and conspiracy theories.

We at Save the Children arepreparing to run radio bulletins to inform people of the facts, including sharing an original song about COVID-19. But without action from social media companies, it's useless.

For many years, experts have warned about the dangers of unfiltered social media.

We have seen religious extremists, white supremacistsand alt-right groups use misinformation to spread conspiracies and fake news with real and tragic consequences.

ButCOVID misinformationhas the potential to be worse than the damage done by all those groups combined.

Without intervention from these social platforms, more people will get sick, and more people will die.

Supplied: Matt Cannon, CEO ofSt John's Ambulance in PNG

The situation in PNG is bad. How bad, we just don't know.

We don't know what the community transmission rates are because many people are not getting tested.

There is a lack of knowledge and awareness of what to do. Some people just don't care and others are afraid to find out their status.

Papua New Guineans are resilient people, but this is something different altogether.

Schools started as usual at the beginning of this year, but the recent spikes in COVID-19 cases caused schools nationwide to suspend classes three weeks early.

I have a six-year-old daughter in grade one, an 11-year-old son in grade six and my oldest daughter Bridgette is 13 and in grade 8, the final stage of primary education.

Bridgette is interested in forensic science. She is concerned right now, but thinks that we can get through this if we work together.

She wants adults to do the right thing. She doesn't understand how teachers and children can get it right while adults get it so wrong.

My husband is on field break, so he is looking after the children while I am at work. He tries to create a timetable for the children to do some school work, but half the time they are running around outside.

If it's a short lockdown, my children will be fine. But if it goes on longer, every single student in PNG will be impacted.

Over 86 per centof people in PNG live in rural and remote areas, wheresuccessful sustained home learning is virtually impossible.

Most students in Papua New Guinea do not have access to home learning materials.

My organisation, Save the Children, is working alongside the National Department of Education to bring physical home learning materials to children in the most vulnerable communities.

Save the Children works in over 1,450 schools across PNG.

Grade eight, 10 and 12have been hit the hardest as they have examinations in October and November this year.

In each of these grades, you must pass an external exam to reach the next level of education.

In normal times, around half the students pass the final exams. This year it might be half that again and many students may have to repeat the year.

I'm really worried about Bridgette and all the other children in PNG.

They are doing their bit, it's now time for the adults that run some of the biggest social media companies to do something to tackle the pandemic, too.

Bernadette Yakopa is the Western Province Area Manager for Save the Children PNG.

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Papua New Guinea's COVID cases are driven by misinformation we need tech companies to help - ABC News

UK-headquartered Moolec Science is developing animal-free proteins for the food industry. Its platform is founded on molecular farming: a hybrid concept that combines plant-based and cell-based technologies.

The Moolec team has experience using molecular farming for the cheesemaking industry and is working on plant-based functional ingredients for the meat analogue space.

This week, the company announced it is expanding its portfolio into plant-based beverages and bakery.

Molecular farming describes the production of biomolecules and commercial products using plants, rather than bioreactors and fermentation.

In doing so, co-founders Gastn Paladini, Martn Salinas and Henk Hoogenkamp aim to improve the affordability of animal-free solutions in the food supply chain.

During lockdown, the founders have been focusing on soy and pea crops to create unique blends of functional proteins from bovine and porcine origins. The proteins, selected based on their specific functionality, will ultimately target manufacturers of meat analogues.

Although a cell-based solution, Moolec stressed its products are completely animal-free. No animal cells were harvested and there is no need to do it, explained CEO Paladini. The proteins we are expressing can be found in animal-based food products, but we are simply using the plant cells to produce a specific protein by giving it the right instructions.

The specific code of instructions determines which protein is expressed by the plant cell. The instructions are based on publicly available information on the target animals genetic information.

When FoodNavigator caught up with the agri-food tech back in November 2020, we were told that dairy and egg alternatives were out of scope, but not totally off the board. It depends what we stumble across in our research, revealed CPO Hoogenkamp.

Less than four months on, and it appears the Moolec team has made some significant breakthroughs: its pipeline has since broadened to include products based on oat and ovum protein.

Moolec is leveraging the increasing utilization of oat protein in the alternative dairy space for the plant-based beverage market.

Specifically, the ag-food tech is functionalising oat concentrates with co-expressed whey protein.

The initial focus for our dairy replacement solutions will be to target the plant-based beverage market, Paladini told this publication. More specifically, we will develop solutions to enhance the nutritional properties of the plant-based dairy beverage segment whilst trying to minimise impact on the cost for the consumer.

We will focus on the beverage market because we are convinced that a better nutritional profile will lead to widespread usage in both developed and developing nations, said Hookenkamp.

Alongside Moolecs move into egg alternatives, the expansion into dairy was a natural step for the companys roadmap.

We can move into different directions because we use molecular farming technology as our main platform, through which we can express different animal proteins in virtually any crop, explained Paladini.

We develop science for the whole ecosystem, building integral solutions with focus on functionality, nutrition and organoleptic properties. We firmly believe that currently all technology based on molecule farming can find white space, even in market segments currently dominated by other alternative protein technologies.

In the egg alternative space, Moolecs ovum protein is being engineered into wheat. The egg replacement is being specially designed for the bakery industry.

FoodNavigator asked the ag-food tech if its ovum protein will compete with JUST, Incs egg alternative product, JUST Egg. The main source of protein in JUSTs liquid egg replacement comes from the mung bean.

The protein expressed in our product will have the same functionality, and will in that sense compete with JUSTs egg product, explained Hoogenkamp. However, we actually believe that we will be complementary to visionary companies like JUST because we are trying to help them achieve a lower price point by making use of the worlds most efficient bioreactors: plants.

By using this approach, Moolec says it will be able to access markets that cannot afford premium ingredients produced by precision fermentation. So, in this way, we are not competing, because we are growing the size of the plant-based pie and not competing for the slices.

We are a B2B company looking to contribute with B2C companies to offer the optimal journey and proper affordability for consumers, seeking to build a more resilient, equitable and sustainable food system together.

Moolecs novel proteins will require regulatory approval before going to market. The firm revealed it is eyeing the US market first-off.

However, CTO Salinas suggested many countries can benefit from molecular farming technology, and that regulatory barriers will need to come down if we are to ensure food security in the coming years.

We are committed to improving food security for the entire world by helping speed up the protein transition to rely on plants only, he told this publication.

Many countries around the world can help their local populations by adopting molecular farming technologies, and as such, regulatory approaches and local legislations will need to change to embrace technologies that can contribute to overcome the worlds most urgent challenges such as hunger, nutritional deficiency, animal welfare and environmental collapse.

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Moolec Science eyes egg replacement and alt dairy expansion: 'All technology based on molecular farming can find white space' - FoodNavigator.com

Illustration by Sean Parsons. Photo (Evergreen Lake) by Sarah Banks. Photo (Ever Given) courtesy of APNews

A giant container ship operated by a company called Evergreen got stuck in the Suez Canal. So, naturally, we went to Evergreen, Colorado, to ask people there to tell us about when they've been stuck.

By holding up global trade to the tune of about $10 billion a day, the Ever Given, a gigantic container ship that became lodged in Egypts Suez Canal for nearly a week, affected us all. But beyond economics, the blockage also just, like, affected us, man.

The image of that tiny excavator working to dislodge a boat the size of the Death Star was the cathartic meme therapy every single person in the world needed. (Example: Going on a daily walk (excavator); My COVID depression & anxiety (ship).) The feeling of being trapped, of being stuck and unable to extricate yourself while the world seemingly backs up behind you? We relate, Evergreen Marine Corp.

Thats right. The Taiwanese shipping company that operates the Ever Given shares a name with one of Colorados most idyllic Foothills towns. The connection was too strong to ignore.

So last week, we visited Evergreen (the town, not the company) to ask people there to describe the time in their lives they felt the most stuck. Some respondents were literal. Others philosophical. But with their answers, all of them revealed something greater about themselvesand, perhaps, humanity.

Glover: I was in the mall, going down an escalator, and my pants were too long, and they got stuck on an escalator and caught. And I was like, Oh, no, I cant get off! Finally someone ripped my pants and got me off of it.

5280: How did you feel being stuck that way?I was so embarrassed, then I was scared, then it became relief. It got better toward the end, when he ripped my pants. But it was a new outfit, so that sucked.

Was it somebody that you knew who saved you?It was. It was an ex. Ugh.

Oh no.He saved my life, I guess.

Him being heroic, was that a turn-on?Hell, no. Thats what hes supposed to do.

He saved your life!Hes supposed to save my life. He didnt jump in front of a gun.

What sort of lesson did you take away from the experience?Wear skinny-leg jeans.

Glover: Maybe not so much I was stuck, but something was stuck to me. I was delivering mail in somebodys yard, and I stepped in some dog poop. I thought I wiped it off, but as I was driving to my next street, maybe five minutes later, I keep smelling this [editors note: Glover wrinkles nose]. So I just think its on my foot, and then I wiped my face and realized that theres dog poo right under my nose, between my nose and my top lip. And on my sleeve of my arm. And on my mailbag. It wasnt a stuck story, but something got stuck to me.

5280: Thats a lot of shit. What kind of dog was this?It probably was the German Shepherds at 1752.

Did you know immediately when you had stepped in shit?Yes.

And what was your reaction upon stepping in the shit?Oh, shit.

And what were your feelings about stepping in shit?Oh, shit. Not again.

Was that when it was on your foot or when you found out you had smeared it on your lip?Well, when it was on my foot, you have to look for puddles or something to kick your foot in [to clean the poop off your shoe]. But youre going to smell that randomly through the day because its going to be stomped into your truck. But in this particular case, it was just too potent. And I knew that it was in my nose.

It was still wet?Oh, hell, yeah.

How did your feelings change when you realized you had wiped it on your face?I was glad that I didnt lick it. And I was mad at the neighbors. Like, Why dont they pick their dogs shit up? And then I was thinking, I have to smell this all day.

Its tough to not think about shit when its stuck to you.And because I think a lot, I was wondering what the dog ate that day.

Alt: I moved here six years ago. Im originally from Chicago. I was stuck in Chicago, and I got tired of the weather. My daughter was out here for school and stayed. As soon as she told me she was pregnant, I said to Tom, my husband, Lets sell the house and move to Coloradowhere I got unstuck.

5280: So were you stuck in Chicago because you didnt like Chicago?I was born and raised in Chicago. I needed a change. I got stuck, and I just couldnt move. Because I had other kids and there was so much responsibility there. But when a grandchild is coming.

What does it feel like to be stuck?Its exhausting. It feels like a weight on your shoulders that you cant dismiss. Its one of thosejust like that boat. Its a push and pull. Because you are pulled to somewhere else, but youre not sure where you want to go. And then the pull is to stay home. To stay there.

What does it feel like to be unstuck?It feels great. Freedom.

What unstuck you? Just moving? Or do you have to move in the right direction?I think the right direction. When we came out here we didnt know a soul. So we had to find ourselves here. We made friends. We hike every day now. The sun shines every day now. Its so different than Chicago.

Do you ever miss Chicago? Do you ever miss being stuck?No.

Teasdale: I always find myself in the worst parking predicaments. There have been multiples times when I have had to do a kind of Austin Powers, where I have to do that multiple times in and out of a spot. It always happens to me. So many times Ive had to go to the people I was just seeing to get my car out for me. And Im crying. I had to get my tattoo artist to get me unstuck out of a parking spot. I walked back into the shop, and Im sobbing, and Im like, Please help, theres this van, and it was a whole 30-minute dilemma.

5280: Which tattoo were you getting?I was actually getting this tattoo (see photo above). I had to get home and take care of my parents ducks because they were out of town. So I had to rush back before it got too dark, and I come out and this van is just stuck right next to my car. Then theres this other car behind me. It was the scariest thing Ive ever been a part of.

You said you were crying when you went back into the tattoo parlor. What about it was so frustrating to you?Because I had already been sitting there for, like, 15 minutes trying to get out.

Were you embarrassed? Frustrated?All of the emotions. Frustration. Rage. Who is this person? Who is this person? People looking at me, saying that shes crying. Oh is she going to hit the car? No, I didnt hit the car!

Were you imagining people doing that or were people actually doing that?It was probably pretty elevated in my mind because it was so stressful.

Were you embarrassed to have to ask for help?Yes. That was part of it. But if I didnt I wondered if Id just end up there for the rest of my life. So I had to go back in. [My tattoo artist] sees me and hes like, Oh, what happened? Because Im just this little girl, crying. He and one of his co-workers, they had to do the OK, go back. Go forward. It was a lot of teamwork [to get her car unstuck].

So it wasnt an embarrassing predicament. It was a real jam. It was just embarrassing to ask for help?Oh, my gosh, absolutely.

Would you say in your life you have a difficult time asking for help?Yes. All the time.

What does that say about you?Oh, my gosh, Im so stubborn. I like to do the thing myself. This is my lifelong challenge.

How did it feel to finally be free?I was actually shaking because it was such an ordeal. I was hugging him and the other tattoo artist. It was the best feeling ever. It was just so dramatic, ya know?

Dawson: I just dont know where to go from here as far as jobs.

5280: So you are currently stuck in your Suez Canal?Thats right.

What are you doing for work now?Just this. I also work at Safeway. Part-time, both jobs.

Do the jobs suck?No, I like parts of both of them. Theyre both kind of entertaining.

What makes you feel stuck? Youd like more financial security?I suppose. Just to be working to progress toward retirement or get something more fulfilling.

Why are you stuck in these jobs?Failure to commit to a direction to go. I look at [professions] and they have so much red tape around them or cost too much.

Can you give me an example of something youve looked at?I guess airline piloting. You can get the pilot license, it isnt too bad, but to actually get the commercial pilot license and make money it costs tens of thousands to get that schooling done. You dont really want to take on money, fall $20,000 in debt, and then if you fail you have to owe that back. I cant really find an answer right now.

What are you going to do?Im looking into trucking. Ive just gone through so many things, and I think somethings good for a few days, and I look into it more and its not really. So, I just have faith in God, and thats more important than anything really. Whether I dont ever retire, even if I have to work all my life, were only here for a short time. Eternity is much bigger than this life.

So you dont mind being stuck because you believe your faith will eventually set you free?Yeah. I have faith that God will always take care of me. It wont be too overwhelming where I just give up on life or something.

Spencer Campbell writes features and edits service packages.

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What the Suez Canal's Evergreen Reveals About Colorado's Evergreen - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

When you count the decades by the mass shootings youve covered, something is very, very wrong.

But thats the way it is in America, and the shootings are coming so fast and furious right now, Im afraid were becoming numb to the onslaught.

Were a big country with a history of protecting gun rights and a vocal gun lobby, so the conventional wisdom is that we will continue to shrug our shoulders, accept the risk and move on.

But families and communities hit by gun violence are growing in number. They live with the loss of innocent lives, but they dont necessarily forget. And who wants to accept the risk of being killed for walking into the grocery store?

In the past couple of weeks, Ive written about the Business Times and its 21 years of covering business and financial news on the Central Coast. Here is another way of measuring the time: The Pacific Coast Business Times was born in the shadow of the Columbine High School shootings.

I was researching the Central Coast and editing the Denver Business Journal in April 1999, when two students shot up the school, killed students and staff and set the nation on a deadly course. My staff was shocked, and insisted that we remake the entire newspaper to focus on the tragic events, emergency response and the overwhelmed health care system.

In July 2012, I woke up in our Denver house, ready to pack up our dog, Pica, and make the long drive to Santa Barbara for an extended visit. I awoke to the news of the Aurora theater shootings. A wave of depression enveloped the entire community, and I felt better for leaving.

The Isla Vista rampage of 2014 prefigured what happened in Boulder in 2021. It has also been called the first of the alt-right killings in America. The communitys response was noteworthy, and the legacy of those murders affects Isla Vista and UCSB to this day.

In November 2018, I left a California Lutheran University reception at a wine tasting room in Ventura County, and on the drive home to Santa Barbara heard the first reports of a shooting at a country music nightclub in Thousand Oaks. The next morning, I witnessed the parade for slain Ventura County Sheriffs Sgt. Ron Helus, tried my best to console close friends who work in county government and drove by the scene.

As I write this, preparations are underway for the demolition of the Borderline Bar and Grill, the once-popular spot destroyed by madness.

On March 23, the Borderline mass shooting was on my mind as I watched press coverage of the shooting of 10 people in cold blood by an angry young man in Boulder, Colorado, at a King Soopers grocery store.

During the pandemic, your local King Soopers, as with grocery stores everywhere, has become the beating heart your community if you live on Colorados Front Range. Everybody may not know your name, but they know your favorite order at the deli counter and welcome you back if youve been gone.

It is my hope that corporate America will wake up to the problem of gun violence and put its efforts to work on reasonable policies to protect the places where we work, worship and shop.

Weve had a reasonably successful run at the Business Times and we can easily tick off our awards, accomplishments and innovations. But there is a through line from Columbine to Aurora to Isla Vista to the Borderline to Boulder. It is tearing at the fabric of our society. And our economy.

And when you look for a cause, all too often it is a troubled young man who has easy access to high-powered weapons.

Business Times Editor Henry Dubroff can be reached at [emailprotected]

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Dubroff: Measuring time by massacres, from Columbine to Boulder - Pacific Coast Business Times