Category Archives: New Utopia

Shared Planet is the kind of bizarrely beautiful and intricate creation that Hieronymus Bosch would have made if he was born in the 21st century and knew how to use Blender. And while that 15th century artist warned his audience of the perils of sexual excess, Zongbo Jiangs Shared Planet deals with contemporary issues with equal outlandishness but a much more positive outlook. Inspired by the BBCs documentary The Year Earth Changed, Zongbos 3D utopia highlights the miraculous flourishing of nature which occurred due to the lower human activity during the pandemic.

I consider myself an earthling and my practice to be visual activism, Zongbo tells Its Nice That. Focusing on issues such as mental health, animal rights and the environment, I endeavour to offer an alternative digital representation of the dilemmas within these areas, to open and continue the conversation of how we can improve the way we all live on this planet as earthlings.

In the midst of the current climate crisis with its dominant narrative of impending doom, Zongbos visual activism provides a welcome glimpse of hope. He tells us that his creative practice revolves around Wired magazines founder Kevin Kellys concept of Protopia which refers to a state that is better today than yesterday. Zongbos vision of a world in which humans and nature live in blissful harmony takes this concept to new heights: I wanted to create this space that was fun and enticing, to build this idea of hope and change that we can achieve if we recognise our past mistakes, he explains. Accompanied by the soothing sounds of birds chirruping and rain falling conceived by talented sound-designer Menex, Shared Planet invites you to wade through lush water reeds to discover crystal pools inhabited by strange and beautiful creatures, their anatomies morphing mesmerisingly between animal, plant and human forms.

While the scene is idyllic and the message hopeful, each tiny detail and character which Zongbo designed has meaning and relates to careful research and a re-imagination of data he gathered for the project. There are four main protagonists in his story of ecological regeneration Wildlife, Air, Noise and Water. Each character is based on areas of the environment or nature that benefited from humans being stuck in lockdown, says the artist.

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Zongbo Jiang's bizarrely beautiful 3D world offers a hopeful perspective on the climate crisis - It's Nice That

Moon Knight Episode 6 has come up to an explosive and convoluting conclusion. Oscar Isaac has given us probably the best show in MCU that doesnt directly connect to the larger shared superhero universe. The Ennead, the Egyptian Pantheon of Gods, are heavily featured in Moon Knight. But two Gods among them have a rivalry that runs deep. Khonshu and Ammit do not see eye to eye. Both have a strong sense of justice but hate each others approach in passing judgment. Moon Knight Episode 6 sees that rivalry develop into a fist trading climax. But ever wonder why Khonshu hates Ammit so much?

SPOILER ALERT: MAJOR Spoilers For Moon Knight Episode 6 Up Ahead.

This Moon Knight Theory claims to know the answer. Khonshu hates Ammit not because of their difference in approach to dishing out justice. It is the way how Ammit intends to create an ideal world.

The crocodile faced deity Ammit has but one goal. She sees humanity as flawed and wants to show them the way to a utopian parallel. But to do so requires sacrifice. Ammit wants to root out all flawed human beings. And by flaws, we mean people who are prone to walk the path of evil. Ammit uses the scales of justice to measure a persons potential worth and if the scales do not tilt in the persons savor, she devours the soul. Arthur Harrow would have us believe that Ammit only devours unworthy souls, the souls of sinners that will doom the people around them.

But what if theres more to it than that? What if the real reason Khonshu hates Ammit is because Ammit is a liar who doesnt care about how good or bad a soul is. All she cares about is

This new Moon Knight theory gives the perfect explanation why Khonshu hates Ammit. The show would have you believe that Khonshu hates ammit because Ammit judges a person before he or she has committed a crime, thereby taking their choice. But there could be more to it than that.

Ammit wants to create a world where there is no evil and no potential for evil. But that does not happen with a simple enough plan like hers. Megalomaniacs like Ammit always have a selfish way of achieving their objective. When Ammit judges a soul, she may not be even looking at the persons future. She is most likely looking at how complacent and docile this person is. If the person she is judging has too strong a will, then he or she will resist Ammits authority. Only weak willed people will never speak up against her rule in her new utopia. Ammit is not judging worthiness. She is merely sparing people who are weak enough to kneel to her.

Moon Knight episode 6 proves this theory true. Arthur Harrow, whose scales are unbalanced, is still chosen by Ammit to be her Avatar and his death is delayed. That is because Harrow willingly submits to Ammit, and this becoming worthy of the new world order she is set out to create.

Many of humanitys greatest innovations came out of the most despicable things. When humanity was given a choice, they made strides. From gunpowder to nuclear weapons, almost every human innovation started out as a weapon of despair. If evil didnt exist, there would be no adversity for humanity to overcome. Without a sense of purpose, humanity ceases to exist.

Khonshu even chose a sinner like Marc as his Avatar. If Ammit would have had her way, Marc would have ended up in the Duat long before he became Moon Knight. Khonshu has walked the Earth for thousands of years and knows humanity better than Ammit. He knows mankind only overcomes if it meets an opposing force and it is given a choice to do so. Thats why Khonshu hates Ammit and her ways.

They are petty and selfish.

More here:

Moon Knight Theory: Real Reason Khonshu Hates Ammit - FandomWire

When the Duke and Duchess of York visited Tasmaniain 1927they were greeted in Hobart by a huge street arch made from apples that proudly read:"Welcome to Apple Land".

For about 100 years, Tasmania heavily marketed itself to the world as the "Apple Isle" an idyllic English farming Utopia to grow its apple exports and attract new residents.

But the export industry collapsed almost overnight in the 1970s when Tasmania was squeezed out of the European market.

The Apple Isletitle sticks 50 years on, despite the state exporting only eight per cent of Australia'sapples last season and making up only 16 per cent of the domestic market.

So, can itkeep its Apple Isle title?

When University of Tasmania history and classics PhD candidate Carla Baker visited Tasmania in the 1990s, her first question was:"Where are all the apples?"

And since moving to the state a decade ago, it isa question that has turned into a thesisfocusing on apples in the north of the state.

MsBaker is looking into when the Apple Isle title came about, and how the industrycollapsed.

"Tasmanian apples were a very big part of the empire marketing board campaign in the 1920s and 1930s," Ms Baker says.

Apples were part of the ecological colonisation of Tasmania, by making it look like Britain.

"Apples were a very English kind of landscape."

She will look into areas like Lilydale, in the state's north-east, that once had hundreds of hectares of apples, but today has none

Captain William Bligh planted Tasmania's first apple trees in 1788on Bruny Island at Adventure Bay.

Up north, the first site was at York Town in the Tamar Valley.

The climate was agreeableand the apples stored well. When steamships got refrigeration in the 1890s the industry took off.

"That's when the real overseas market came to the fore, with frozen meat and then dairy and fruit being able to go," Ms Bakersaid.

"It changed the apple industry."

The Launceston apple exhibition of 1914 also sold Tasmanian apples to the world, with the advantage of being able to export into opposite seasons in Europe and South Africa.

It was not without challenges, with codling moth introduced in the 1870s threatening the industry.

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Third-generation orchardist Andrew Griggs says the heyday for apples wasfrom the 1940s to the 1960s, before England joined the European Unionin the 1970s.

"Nobody had worked out how to store apples so we could come in with fresh,new-season apples when they didn't have any," he says.

"There was picking of a daytime and packing of an evening and stackingonto trucks early the next morning, and we had boats coming into Port Huon and Hobart as well as up north."

The government implemented a tree-pull scheme in the 1970sto get families out of the industry,and apple production in the state halved in just three yearsafter peaking in the previous decade at seven million cases of export apples.

Mr Griggs said his family's orchard at Lucaston in the Huon Valleyshifted its focus from Europe to South-East Asia and the domestic market.

"Other countries were starting to produce more and more apples and our costs started to increase," he says.

"It became harder to get a price that was needed."

The introduction of controlled-atmosphere storage meant other countries could store apples longerand it was no longer a benefit to be counter-seasonal.

Labour costs went upand packing requirements pricedsome growers out.

Mr Griggs' father went overseas in the 1990s and saw that other apple growers were also producing cherriesand he started to try it out in 1996.

"All of a sudden we had something we could export again," he says.

It's estimated that in the 1960s there were 4,000 apple-growing families in Tasmania. Now there are about 20.

More restructures of the industry are expected this yearand almost no Tasmanian growers export overseas.

"Last year was an absolute disaster;we had a big crop and low sales and a huge amountof apples left over at the end of the season," Mr Griggs said.

"In Tasmania we've always got this disadvantage of freight costs across Bass Strait andwe're always going to be $90 a bin worse off than somebody growing them in Victoria."

Mr Griggs says some smaller growers have told him it isbecoming too hard and too marginal to grow apples.

"We're in the same category," he says.

"We're going to be taking out some less productive blocks and replanting cherries.

"Over time we will have more cherries than apples."

A good season two years ago was due to 30 per cent less crop being available, and Tasmania filledthe gaps.

"That tells youif we were growing 30 per cent less, growers could make a living," Mr Griggs said.

Tasmania is still growing apples, just on a small scale compared to local and interstate marketsand has pivoted to ciders, juices andspecial varieties.

"The Apple Isle is much more a term we don't refer to ourselves as," Ms Baker says. "I think it's more an imagined title.

"I like it.I think it's a nod to our heritage and the importance of the agricultural economy down here still.

"The connotations it brings aren't about apples ... it's about culinary tourism, it's shorthand for a foodie's paradise."

Ms Baker says the title can stay, but people perhaps should not take it literally.

"It's indicating a food and purity notion rather than specifically apples, as it was back in the day," she said.

Read the rest here:

Is Tasmania still the Apple Isle? Growers crunch the numbers as domestic and export markets shrivel - ABC News

Maureen Shea ready to begin "Take Back" this Saturday in New York homecoming fight

PhilBoxing.comSat, 07 May 2022

NEW YORK Maureen Shea insists that her homecoming fight this Saturday is not a comeback; its a take back.

The Bronx native Shea (29-2-1, 13 knockouts) will face Calista Silgado (19-13-3, 14 KOs) at Carnesecca Arena at St. Johns University in the Jamaica section of Queens, N.Y.

The eight round junior featherweight bout will be part of the Borough Boxing card promoted by Joe DeGuardias Star Boxing.

Shes been in there with a lot of top fighters. Shes a strong girl, shes definitely durable and the experience is there so I expect a good fight. Im not looking for the knockout, if it comes it comes. But Im looking to put on a boxing clinic, said Shea of Silgado, a native of Santiago de Tolu, Colombia who has fought eight times for a world title.

The fight will be Sheas first in her hometown since 2010, and The Real Million Dollar Baby is excited to return home to begin her campaign to become world champion once more.

Im looking at myself and Ive definitely evolved as a woman and as a fighter, said Shea. I know my why, I know why Im doing this now.

Shea has been one of the most accomplished female boxers over the past couple of decades, and has not lost in over a decade. She has won a pair of world titles and become a fan favorite through her thrilling fights, both in the United States and her mothers home country of Mexico.

Still, there is plenty of unfinished business remaining for Shea, who was unjustly denied her world title opportunity last year by the WBA after she was passed over for a shot at the vacant bantamweight title despite being the no. 2 ranked contender.

Instead, the no. 8 and 9 ranked contenders fought for the vacant belt. Shea was also ranked no. 2 by the IBF at junior featherweight, but was dropped altogether from the IBF rankings.

Shea believes that the landmark womens fight this past weekend between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano which sold out Madison Square Garden is indicative of what the sport is capable of if the right fights are made.

Im not doing this just for myself, Im also doing this for a lot of women who get passed up, said Shea. After what happened last weekend, eyes are now on womens boxing more than ever before. Im looking forward to putting on a great performance. The fans deserve those big fights. Theyre getting these girls who are fighting for world titles that are mediocre fighters. Its unfair to the fans. What happened last weekend, I want to happen now for my weight class.

Shea is now based in Boca Raton, Fla., where she is trained by boxing coach Derik Santos and strength and conditioning coach Phil Daru.

Carnesecca Arena is located at 80-00 Utopia Pkwy in Jamaica, N.Y. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Maureen Shea ready to begin "Take Back" this Saturday in New York homecoming fight - PhilBoxing.com

ON a hot summer's day, a delicious Dairy Queen ice cream always helps beat the hot sun.

However, Shelby, a Dairy Queen employee, explains that you don't always have to order off the main menu.

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There are secret menu items that many people don't know about.

In her TikTok video, Shelby explains that you can still order an old menu item, like the triple chocolate utopia.

If you are unfamiliar with the triple chocolate utopia, it is a creamy vanilla soft serve that is topped with cocoa fudge, brownies and chocolate chunks.

Dairy Queen customers are still able to order this item because all the franchises still carry the ingredients needed to make the sweet treat.

However, since it was on the old menu, you might have to explain to the Dairy Queen employee how to make it.

You can also order the blizzard version of the dessert, which is known as the chocolate brownie extreme.

Another secret menu item is the Smore's galore.

It is a three-layer parfait with marshmallow, fudge and crushed graham crackers, topped with soft serve and more hot fudge.

If you do decide to order the Smore's galore, you should know that not every Dairy Queen carries crushed graham crackers.

Along with these secret menu items, you should also try Dairy Queen's new menu items, Cheesy Dude Sandwich and cheesy steak fingers.

These items are available now until June 12 or while supplies last.

The Cheesy Dude Sandwich is a crunchy, crispy-fried chicken patty that is infused with pepper jack cheese and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, salad dressing and more pepper jack cheese, served on a warm, toasted bun.

The cheesy steak fingers are filled with pepper jack cheese, and they can be ordered in four or six pieces.

The Sun revealsif KFC is adding a new sauce andplant-based chicken to its menu.

Plus, we discusshow McDonalds and KFC give out free food to hero Ukrainians.

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I work at Dairy Queen and here are two secret menu items you need to try... - The US Sun

Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, better known as The Good Brothers, appeared on Thursdays edition of SiriusXMs Busted Open Radio.

The duo had just returned from Japan after appearing at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku on May 1 in Fukuoka. The pair appeared and reunited with The Bullet Club. Karl Anderson disclosed just what it meant to them to return to Japan.

We went to Japan with WWE. We were lucky enough to go four times, we went every single year, Anderson said. Each time, it always brought back great memories, but nothing was like landing back in Tokyo, getting picked up by the New Japan office, the same office that picked me up six years ago, taking me over to the same hotel I stayed in back in the day, seeing all the same people.

I got to the hotel room, me and Gallows were texting back and forth, sending videos of all the drinks we got from the convenience stores and how excited we were. We felt like children. Gallows even sent me an emotional video. I dont know if it was because he was half-hammered coming off the plane, but it just felt right to be back in Japan, even before we got to the New Japan show in Fukuoka five days after landing.

Doc Gallows also added just how surreal it was to be back in the country, and stated that it couldnt have been any better.

Man, it was almost surreal, Gallows said. So cool, like you said, getting to see our old friends, guys we used to go out with and have dinner every night in different towns and stuff like that. I definitely missed the eating tour of Japan. [Tommy] Dreamer and I were talking about that after we were on Busted Open the last time, when he ate 86 pieces of sushi just to impress us. But yeah, all the way around, it couldnt have been better. And to get to go to the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, run out there again with wrestling happiness. [Its a] wrestling utopia, brother.

One major notable observation from The Good Brothers appearance at Wrestling Dontakuwas that the New Japan fans gave them a reaction, even though legally, they were supposed to remain silent and wear masks due to current restrictions. Anderson says the NJPW fans were excited to see them.

You know what I like the most? It is that Japanese wrestling fans, and Japanese sports fans in general right now, legally, are not allowed to cheer, Karl Anderson said. Theyre not allowed to make noise. They have to wear their mask and no noise is allowed to come from their mouth. That was my first disappointment, was I said, man, were not gonna get a pop. So before we went out, I said, listen, we know we arent going to get a reaction, they have to be quiet, dont worry.

We run in there, we slide in, we beat him [Okada] up, I took my hat off, and I heard the pop. I thought that was an audible pop, theyre not allowed to cheer. Theyre illegally cheering for the boys.

The Good Brothers will be back in action this Saturday at IMPACT Wrestling: Under Siege 2022 when they team up with fellow Bullet Club members Chris Bey, Jay White & El Phantasmo to take on Honor No More consisting of Eddie Edwards, Kenny King, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven & Vincent.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit SiriusXMs Busted Open Radio with a h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.

Have a news tip or correction? Send it to [emailprotected]

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The Good Brothers Are Proud The NJPW Fans Illegally Cheered Them - Wrestling Inc.

The move, approved by the New York City Council, was years in the making.

The southwest corner of Utopia Parkway and Union Turnpike now bears a new name: St. Johns Way. The cross streets connect the St. Johns University campus to nearby businesses, such as Aquista Trattoria, Coldstone Creamery and TJ Maxx.

Members of the Universitys community including students and administrators gathered Monday, May 3 for the co-naming ceremony. The sign was originally scheduled to display in 2020 but experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and special council elections.

Councilmember James F. Gennaro and the New York City Council approved the new signage and attended the ceremony. Gennaro won a special election for his seat in 2021, after previously serving in the same position from 2002-2013. He has personal connections to the University, as his brother studied at the University and his late wife Joanne worked in the alumni department.

The bill was approved Dec.15, 2021 and included the co-naming of 199 streets and public places. Council members made requests for co-named streets within the district they serve New Yorks 24th district, which Gennaro represents, includes the St. Johns University campus. The bill included other names of people and organizations that have had an impact on New York Citys economic, cultural and political development.

This renaming pays homage to the enduring legacy of this 152 year-old Catholic Vincentian University and law school that has been a beacon to people of all faiths who strive to use their talents along lines of excellence, Gennaro said at the event.

The ceremony was complete with a bagpipes performance, a Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) procession and the cheer and dance teams who encouraged the theme of spirit and the St. Johns way.

St. Johns Way, refers obviously to St. Johns, but also to the spirit of St. Johns. There is a St. Johns way, there is a way that we do things. It is a way predicated upon the original example of St. Vincent DePaul, said University president Brian Shanley at the co-naming. The Vincentians answered the call to come here to serve first generation Catholic students. And we have been faithful to that mission for over 150 years.

Throughout the ceremony, speakers Vice President of Government Relations Brian Browne, Chair of the Theology and Religious Studies Department Rev. Patrick Flanagan, Vice President of Community Relations Joseph Sciame and other University representatives spoke to the significance of the street naming for the St. Johns community.

Our community is what makes us so unique; the different backgrounds and walks of life that we come from bring a diverse amount of perspectives and combinations of brilliant ideas, stated Ethan Burrell, the president of Student Government, Inc. at the University. Ill be glad to visit my alma mater when I graduate and look at the sign as a representation of excellence in the St. Johns and Queens community.

The overwhelming support of bystanders was a visible sign of how the University is a staple of the local community.

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St. John's Way Unveiled at Corner of Union Turnpike and Utopia Parkway - Torch - St. John's University

Gabrielle Kannemeyer

This week marks a big week for husband-and-wife duoJean-Philip Grobler andPatti Beranek, together known as St. Lucia, with the release of their long-awaited Utopia I EP coming on Friday. And yesterday, they announced their first North American tour in four years.

The new music follows a whirlwind few years for the pair, having made the leap from New York City back to Beranek's home country of Germany after having their second childduring a pandemic, of course.

"We had a pandemic baby! Getting pregnant during the pandemic because like, what else are you going to do," quips Grobler, himselforiginally from South Africa, speaking with Variance over Zoom ahead of the EP's release. "We had lived in New York for 14 years, but to be perfectly honest, financially it was really difficult for us because, you can't play shows, no concerts. It was tough."

He says the idea of leaving New York had crossed their minds even prior to Covid, but after enduring all of 2020 in the city, they finally packed up and left at the beginning of last year.

"We had been in New York for so long," he explains. "And we kept catching ourselves asking, 'Why are we here?' Especially once you have kids. You're not going out like you used to in the city. And you're still paying these crazy, inflated prices, which you're happy to do when you're young and doing the whole thing. But it was different for us now. The idea of being closer to family. Having the kids being closer to their cousins, trying to live a slower paced life."

As the pandemic put all too manylives on hold and altered life for so many as well, Grobler and Beranek were feeling a similar struggle, and writing music in between the madness, which led to the creation of what is now Utopia, a wealth of electro-pop goodness in the middle of a world on fire, adance party at the edge of existence.

"'Utopia' is an ironic term, because it's like a heaven that's also a hell," says Grobler. "It's this idea that you can never truly achieve. Sometimes I feel, like as a society, that we're trying to create these utopias, whether it's a total socialist utopia or a free-market utopia, or whatever it might be, whereas to me, the magic of humanity and where the perfection lies is in the imperfection."

Grobler recalls making such observations especially during the pandemic. "I thought about how everyone became very germaphobic," he says. "Like we're somehow going to achieve this 'germ-free utopia.' Is that an achievable thing? Is that a healthy thing? I think sometimes we get caught up in these ideas, but ultimately I think it can be useful to have in the back of your mind, to be aiming for something good."

This welcome surge of new music from St. Lucia is only the start, as Grobler and Beranek have been busy writing and recording over the past two years. In fact, they had an album's worth of music written prior to 2020. But the shakeup around the globe and in their personal lives allowed them to reset. They've also parted ways with longtime label Columbia Records, having since joined Nettwerk.

"Packing up our apartment in the middle of Covid, and shipping it all to Germany, having our second kid, it was all so insane," says Grobler. "So to get here and to have our feet on solid ground a little bit, it was a relief. And we just felt positive about the future. And I think we made this decision to stop dwelling onall the negative of the year before and sort of look up, and make music that uplifts and makes people feel good."

He adds: "I know people who had a great pandemic though. Maybe they were working a job they didn't enjoy and they got to stay home or leave that job and do something better. And especially if you don't have kids, that's fucking amazing, to be able to take a break or just take stock of your life ... I will say, though, I don't know anyone who is doing the exact same thing or living the exact same way they were before the pandemic. I think a lot ofus have evaluated our life and tried to make positive changes, and that's really great."

One thing St. Lucia hasn't changed is their inclination to "fly by the seat of our pants," says Grobler, noting their upcoming fall tour, which he says they're ecstatic about.

"This is what we do; it's our main gig, our livelihood," he says matter-of-factly. "And we always strive to make the best records that we can. But playing showsbeing there with people who love your music and seeing their faces. There is nothing more powerful for us than that instant, immediate connection."

After the experience of the last few years, St. Lucia as a musical project as well as Grobler andBeranek as a real-life duo are in a great space, and Grobler credits their ability to come out on the other side partly to their ability to lean on each other, in good times and bad.

"When you don't know what the fuck is happening and you see the city you love having everything that's good about it ripped out from under it, wondering if this is how it'll always be," he says. "But I find myself so incredibly lucky to have someone like Patti by my side. I don't know how I would be able to do it if she wasn't doing it with me. We're very blessed."

[Updated with music below.]

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St. Lucia on leaving New York behind, and finding 'Utopia' in the middle of a world on fire - Variance Magazine

A new book by a UB historian examines the largely unexplored ways in which utopian thinking became a model for civil rights activists and provided the foundation for a worldview that informed the work of people who would later emerge as key figures in the long movement, including Martin Luther King Jr., Pauli Murray, Father Divine and Howard Thurman.

Living in the Future: Utopianism and the Long Civil Rights Movement (University of Chicago Press) by Victoria W. Wolcott, professor of history, College of Arts and Sciences, frames what is an otherwise incomplete picture of civil rights by investigating how the utopian activists, groups and institutions of the 1930s and 1940s created change in the social, economic and political fortunes of African Americans.

There is a refreshing optimism to the American utopian tradition, which is particularly appealing in our current historical moment of pessimism, says Wolcott, an expert in 20th-century and African American history. The groups I studied for this book envisioned a future different from their present in ways that helped shape society for the better.

That kind of thinking can be generative.

Sir Thomas More introduced the term utopia in his early 16th-century book of the same name. Utopia translates from Greek into English as no place. Utopia manifests itself through the practice of social dreaming. Utopianism is a constructive, progressive mindset that encourages a social imagination committed to seeing and creating a more perfect society.

The groups in Wolcotts book each had a nuanced view and their own history of utopianism, yet they all shared three central tenets in their united call for immediate social change: building cooperatives, interracialism and radical nonviolence.

This book is the result of questions raised while researching my previous book on recreation and segregation. I kept encountering these radical pacifists living in ashrams and other types of intentional communities. I wanted to learn more, says Wolcott. These cooperatives challenged competitive capitalism and were as equally focused on the means as the ends. They demanded revolutionary change in society and they lived in ways that reflected their goals.

These groups also practiced a form of Gandhian nonviolent direct action that was much different from the passive resistance promoted by traditional peace churches like the Quakers and Mennonites, according to Wolcott.

They are developing the kinds of tactics that will be central to the long civil rights movement, she says. These are radical pacifists involved in direct action, but just as importantly, they trained others in radical nonviolence.

And thirdly, Wolcott says, there was a sweeping interracialism to their activism.

They worked to desegregate American society, which is the process of challenging and dismantling Jim Crow, but by interracialism were talking about an established policy of equality that includes interracialism in organized labor through the Congress of Industrial Organizations; liberal interracialism, like the YMCA movement; and utopian interracialism, or the belief of race as a social construct.

Its these utopian ideas and practices, which are central to understanding the civil rights movements, that shouldnt be overlooked.

Utopian ideas fell out of fashion after World War II because they were associated with totalitarianism, the Cold War, and enforcing the will of the state, says Wolcott. The American utopian tradition is a way of thinking about community, cooperation and equality and there is a lot of attention today being given to utopian ideas.

Im glad this book arrives at a moment when theres interest in a broader discussion on the role of utopian societies.

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Book looks at unexplored impact of utopian ideas on civil rights movement - UB Now: News and views for UB faculty and staff - University at Buffalo

Based on box-office performance, it looks like theaters decided to take the week off for CinemaCon. With studios releasing a record low number of new films post-Covid, none wanted to face a week two against Disneys Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which opens May 5. Its opening could triple the gross of all titles this weekend.

To be fair, thats a low bar to clear at $67 million the lowest for any April weekend in this century other than the past two Covid-affected ones. In terms of tickets sold (around 6 million), possibly the fewest for any weekend since the 1930s.

Doctor Strange is expected to open to at least $150 million; $200 million is possible. Strong initial reaction to Paramounts Top Gun: Maverick, both at CinemaCon and in early press screenings, suggest May could provide a one-two punch to launch a strong summer.

This weekend falls exactly three years after the late-April 2019 release of Avengers: Endgame and its record opening. By comparison, this weekend stands at 17 percent and reduces the ongoing four-week running comparison against 2019 to 68 percent. Silver lining: This weeks contrast is likely the worst we will ever see.

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Open Road Films

Memory (Open Road), the latest in the ever-declining returns for Liam Neesons genre titles, was the sole new wide release. Even lacking competition, it managed only #8 for $3.1 million. Ticket buyers favored holdovers, with the top seven titles repeating last weeks positions

At #1 is The Bad Guys (Universal), leading two more family-oriented titles with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Paramount) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (Warner Bros.) Sonic in particular is astounding at $161 million (and headed for close to $200 million); it has already surpassed the domestic hauls for No Time to Die and A Quiet Place, Part 2. That uptick clearly shows signs of theater comeback.

A24 smartly booked IMAX theaters for Everything Everywhere All at Once before Marvel grabs them next week. The result, combined with terrific word of mouth, was a two percent increase in its gross that added $5.3 million. $50 million remains in sight, a staggering result for the most unlikely success of the year.

Despite weekday signs of ongoing interest (it was the second biggest film for the four days), The Northman (Focus) stayed at #4. It fell 49 percent, normal for a second weekend. It should end up somewhere between $30 million-$35 million and could be a strong draw for home play.

Nicolas Cages The Unbearable Weight of Awesome Talent (Lionsgate) held to fifth place, off 45 percent with $3.9 million. Its home life will be similarly boosted by theatrical play.

Everything, Northman, and Unbearable are all offbeat, specialized-oriented original titles that found response in wide release. Specialized titles in limited play continue to struggle but showed some signs of life.

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Vortex (Utopia), Gaspar Nos tale of an elderly couple with dementia starring horror maestro Dario Argento, scored an impressive $17,000 at New Yorks IFC Center. It holds hope for future good returns from more rarefied arthouses.

Rialto reissued Jean-Jacques Beneixs 1981 Diva to a decent $9,300, also in New York. Two niche documentaries Hello, Bookstore (Greenwich) and Fiddlers Journey to the Big Screen (Zeitgeist) each grossed around $6,000 in similar dates. All will benefit from prime theaters hungry for fresh titles.

Roger Michells The Duke (Sony Pictures Classics), a prime candidate for older audiences, quickly widened its second week to 57 theaters to $122,000. The hope is word of mouth can kickstart it for an improved longer run.

Neon didnt report the second weekend of Celine Sciammas Petite Maman. Sources indicate it grossed a similar amount in 31 theaters for a better per-theater result.

The Top Ten

1. The Bad Guys(Universal) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$16,100,000 (-%) in 4,042 (+34) theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $44,440,000

2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2(Paramount) Week 4; Last weekend #2

$11,351,000 (-27%) in 3,801 (-8) theaters; PTA: $2,986; Cumulative: $160,926,000

3. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore(Warner Bros.) Week 3; Last weekend #3

$8,300,000 (-41%) in 3,962 (-283) theaters; PTA: $2,095; Cumulative: $79,553,000

4. The Northman(Focus) Week 2; Last weekend #4

$6,130,000 (-49%) in 3,234 (+50) theaters; PTA: $1,895; Cumulative: $22,806,000

5. Everything Everywhere All at Once(A24) Week 2; Last weekend #5

$5,543,000 (+2%) in 2,213 (+80) theaters; PTA: $2,505; Cumulative: $35,492,000

6. The Unbearable Weight of Awesome Talent(Lionsgate) Week 2; Last weekend #6

$3,925,000 (-45%) in 3,036 (no change) theaters; PTA: $1,293; Cumulative: $13,504,000

7. The Lost City(Paramount) Week 6; Last weekend #7

$3,900,000 (-10%) in 2,595 (-33) theaters; PTA: $1,503; Cumulative: $90,785,000

8. Memory(Open Road) NEW Cinemascore:; Metacritic: 41; Est. budget: $

$3,100,000 in 2,555 theaters; PTA: $1,213; Cumulative: $3,100,000

9. Father Stu (Sony) Week 3; Last weekend #8

$2,210,000 (-34%) in 2,476 (-229) theaters; PTA: $893; Cumulative: $17,554,000

10. Morbius(Sony) Week; Last weekend #9

$1,500,000 (-35%) in 1,726 (-580) theaters: PTA: $869; Cumulative: $71,457,000

Additional specialized/limited/independent releases

Vortex(Utopia) NEW Metacritic: 80; Festivals include: Cannes, New York 2021

$17,057 in 1 theaters; PTA: $17,057

Hatching(IFC) NEW Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Sundance 2022

$140,000 in 186 theaters; PTA: $753

Firebird(Roadside Attractions) NEW Metacritic: 53; Festivals include: Frameline 2021

$55,310 in 90 theaters; PTA: $615

Hello, Bookstore(Greenwich) NEW

$6,000 in 1 theater; PTA: $6,000

Fiddlers Journey to the Big Screen(Zeitgeist) NEW Festivals include: Miami Jewish 2022

$6,218 in 1 theater; PTA: $6,218

Diva(Rialto) REISSUE

$9,300 in 1 theater; PTA: $9,300

Acharya (Prime) NEW

$(est.) 1,100,000 in 396 theaters; PTA: $(est.) 2,777

Petit Maman(Neon) Week 2

$ (est). 120,000 in 31 (+27) theaters; PTA: $3,871; Cumulative: (est.) $175,000

The Duke(Sony Pictures Classics) Week 2

$122,607 in 57 theaters; PTA: $2,151

Were All Going to the Worlds Fair (Utopia) Week 3; also on PVOD

$13,036 in 26 (-10) theaters; Cumulative: $74,875

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Theaters Will Be Back with Doctor Strange, but This Weekend Box Office Hits an All-Time April Low - IndieWire