Category Archives: New Utopia

The governments announcement of a planned blanket ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to those born after 2005 could prove challenging. Picture by Hari Anggara

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 The governments announcement of a planned blanket ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to those born after 2005 is a seemingly puritan goal and could prove challenging if alternatives to said products are similarly outlawed, economists opined.

Last month, national news agency Bernama reported Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin as saying that the government plans to ban tobacco products, including vape, for anyone born after 2005.

Like some other Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) countries, he said Malaysia hoped to pass the law this year, to spell the generational end-game to smoking.

Economist and Center for Market Educations chief executive, Carmelo Ferlito, said that while Putrajaya has set an ambitious target, the reality on the ground and subsequent consequences are varying.

Ferlito pointed out policies that do not take into account the emergent social order are likely to produce a plethora of unintended consequences.

The real point, according to me, is: What do we want to achieve? Banning nicotine consumption in all its forms smells Prohibition-like (in reference to the constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933 in the United States). It sounds very puritan, Ferlito told Malay Mail.

Tobacco bans fail to recognise that in the externalities analysis, two parts are involved. By protecting non-smokers from smokers, we harm the smokers, depriving them of their right to pleasure. Therefore, a ban is discriminatory.

Furthermore, we have evidence that prohibitions do not stop consumption. They just move consumers toward illegal alternatives, creating opportunities for a flourishing business for smugglers. Is this what we want? The actual target should be not consumption cessation, which is an utopia, but harm reduction.

If we are talking about pleasure consumption like in the case of nicotine, it is much easier to convince consumers to switch to a less harmful product rather than convincing them to quit. Here the key is thus to promote less harmful initiatives, such as vaping, through incentives and in general an ecosystem conducive to innovation.

He said that freedom of choice and respect for peoples pursuit of pleasure must be the cornerstones for an effective harm reduction strategy.

Ferlito listed three points: Use more rewards to incentivise behavioural change; focus on decreasing traditional products, while minimising restrictions and taxes related to healthier alternatives (vaping, alcohol-free beer, etc); and concentrate on creating an environment that actuates innovation.

He added that a country that aims at being called a democracy should be respectful of the freedom of choice of individuals, with education and innovation at its core and not punishment.

Punishment, like higher taxes, has been proved to be a failure as policy, and today, Malaysia has the highest illegal product market penetration in the world. Illegal products will flourish even further, not only for traditional cigarettes, but for vaping products too, he said.

This would be a loss of revenue for the government, which instead should proceed toward a different taxation in order to promote less harmful products.

Ferlito added that harm reduction moves would only triumph if accompanied by respect for freedom of choice, which, in turn, implied the need to create conditions for the market to supply less harmful alternatives to consumers.

Better education, more awareness

One in five adults over the age of 15 smokes in Malaysia, with the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019 estimating that there are approximately 4.7 million male smokers and more than 135,000 female smokers in the country.

Smoking prevalence is 45 per cent or higher across all age groups among men. For male teens aged 15 to 19, almost 25 per cent smoke.

Sunway University Business School economist Prof Yeah Kim Leng said that given Malaysias high national smoking prevalence of between 21.3 per cent and 40.5 per cent of male adults and a high proportion of below legal age smokers, the goal to lower smoking rates more quickly would be more challenging with a complete ban.

Banning sales, limiting supply and curbing access by penalising those not subject to the ban are unlikely to be effective as such activities are typically hard to police and enforce. Such measures will lead to black market and clandestine activities that could spawn greater social ills, said the former Bank Negara Malaysia Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member.

More efforts should be focused on curbing demand through sustained education and awareness programmes on the ill effects of smoking. Such measures will need to be reinforced with well-designed support and incentives programmes to quit smoking and adopt healthy lifestyles.

The deputy president of the Malaysian Economic Association (MEA) added that while the tobacco industry will see less cigarette sales with corresponding reduction in industry revenue, tax collection and indirect effects on employment, income and wages, the ban may not result in lower consumption if circumvented, or if the sales are substituted with contraband cigarettes, which would result in revenue losses for both industry players and the government.

Uphill climb

Founder and CEO of The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, Azrul Mohd Khalib concurred that smoking is a problem among todays youth, but added that it is still inherently a male issue.

Azrul foresees an uphill task for Putrajaya, in realising its ambitious goal of banning the sale of tobacco and smoking products to those born after 2005.

It is going to be tough but making this first commitment is a critical step forward to addressing the problem of smoking in Malaysia, which has not seen much progress over the past five years.

To see how tough it is going to be, compare Malaysia with New Zealand, which is leading this bold approach. The adult smoking prevalence in New Zealand is at 13.4 per cent, while Malaysia is at 21.3 per cent, he said, adding that Singapore, which is also considering the same strategy, has about 10 per cent smoking prevalence.

By soldiering on with the goal, Azrul said that Malaysia has the potential to make an unprecedented, positive leap forward in tobacco control, drastically locking the gate to new smokers.

It will bring those numbers down. It is an uphill climb, even for those countries, but for Malaysia it will be particularly steep, he told Malay Mail.

Azrul said that several steps would have to move in parallel, chiefly emboldened by enforcement. This, he lamented, is where the problem lies.

Unfortunately, based on our track record, this is where we are most likely to fail. For this policy to succeed, we must weed out corruption among law enforcement officials involved in curtailing the illegal market and reduce the flood of illicit tobacco into the country, he added.

On government earnings, meanwhile, he did not see a drastic change in tax revenue in the first five years of the policys implementation.

However, if there is a change in the behaviour of smokers, it will likely be a transition from smoking tobacco to smoking vape products. So the tax contribution will shift to vape and e-cigarettes, Azrul said.

New laws for a fool-proof system?

When contacted by Malay Mail, lawyer Fahri Azzat said that new laws specifically addressing the ban would be needed.

The government may have to fashion some new laws to take into account offences unique to the ban, but they do not have to create a specific one for those that abet, conspire or do so with common intention, he said.

Fahri also saw little to no hope of the goal being achieved, pointing to weaknesses in the supporting institutions.

Personally, we seem to want to ape the West without considering our local circumstances and dynamics, he said.

The ban is not going to stop the vaping or smoking culture. It will just drive it underground and the government will be deprived of taxes and have to spend to keep cigarettes/vapes out. The illegal gangs will now have another commodity to sell and make money from. The ban will not work here because our government bodies and enforcement institutions are corrupt.

The question that should be posed to the minister is: What exactly does he hope to achieve from this from an economic, enforcement, corruption and societal standpoint?

Lawyer Dinesh Muthal also concurred with Fahri.

Actually there is already a law the Food Act 1983, Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004. There is already a maximum penalty of RM10,000 or two years imprisonment if the sale of tobacco is done to those who are underage, he said.

Vape does not fall under this as it does not need tobacco but there is something called the Poison Act. So there are already provisions inside to ban it.

Here, pretty much a law would be needed emphasising youngsters and probably they have to reinstate the selling and buying points in it.

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Experts: Challenges ahead for Malaysias proposed tobacco sales ban to those born after 2005 - Malay Mail

Successive Australian governments have generally failed to implement humane policies relating to the plight of asylum seekers and refugees. Our country is notorious for its offshore detention imprisonment of those who have looked to Australia for help during moments of severe need. Instead of help, asylum seekers and refugees are too often met with accusations of swindling the Australian taxpayer and undermining social cohesion. Such is the plight of many Afghan refugees, which Utopia, an experimental play programmed as part of The Blue Room Theatres Summer Nights festival, explores.

Recently, in the aftermath of the withdrawal of the United States troops from Afghanistan, the Australian government refused to aid Afghans who sought to flee the country following the Talibans successful advance on the capital, Kabul. Against this backdrop, Utopia Musavis first Australian work paints a surreal and haunting picture of the plight of Afghans seeking a better life. It reveals the absurdities of Australias asylum seeker and refugee policies while poignantly highlighting Afghans never-ending struggle to be treated with dignity long after they have stopped staring down the barrel of a gun. Nevertheless, Utopia has significant flaws despite showing great potential.

On opening night, a recognisably young audience lined up to take their places in the Blue Rooms intimate Kaos Room. A woman stood and spoke in a slow, mystifying drone, setting the scene for what was about to unfold. She told us of her children who had fallen prey to the vagaries of this world. She warned of barbed wire and landmines. She reminded us to switch off our phones. However, while intriguing, the monologue felt unnecessary and failed to captivate the audience. As we waited, fellow theatregoers tried their best to mask their incredulity and to regard the monologue with the seriousness it demanded.

Upon our entry, we paid witness to characters trapped inside the confines of a barbed wire fence, a rug spread on the ground inside the boundary. Upstage centre stood a glass tank full of water. On the rug, the performers knelt chanting and producing the sound of gunfire. The scene effectively drew attention to the plight of refugees and people living in conflict-affected countries. Writer-Director, Amir Musavi, has successfully managed to capture the terror of entrapment that characterises the lives of many Afghans. As the show progressed, Musavis characters highlighted the difficulty of providing a straightforward and reliable account of ones life or circumstances when existential terror is a definitive aspect of ones day-to-day lived experience.

Although evocative and driven by a compelling premise and desire to bring Afghan narratives to a wider, Western Australian audience, the show ultimately fell prey to the pitfalls of postmodernist storytelling. The shows shortcomings are also attributable to Musavi not only having written but directed (and performed in) the show. The shows interconnected vignettes felt disjointed as the larger story was lost in his postmodernist attempt to reveal the fragility and unreliability of received meanings, identity, and memory.

Read: Dance review: And the earth will swallow them whole, Perth Festival

Utopia may be better suited to the medium of film rather than theatre and, for the most part, Musavi successfully incorporated filmed footage into the show. The show highlighted the pitfalls of experimentation for experimentations sake as the transitions between the literal and surreal failed to yield a clear and compelling narrative. Moreover, much of the shows writing felt forced and on-the-nose, including one of the characters declarations that he is just a Taliban.

Ultimately, Utopia failed to provide new insight into the plight of Afghans before, during, and after seeking asylum. It seemed primarily focused on experimenting with form to further highlight this plight to a new audience. However, given the demographic in attendance on opening night, many of whom are social justice minded, Musavi may have left his audience wanting. Nevertheless, for those looking for a thought-provoking night out, this production may be for you. However, for those who prefer clear and cohesive narratives, it may be best to give it a miss.

UtopiaSummer Nights Festival, The Blue Room TheatreWriter/Director/Performer: Amir MusaviPerformers: Shirley van Sanden, Adil Abdelmagid, Walter Gotore, Rhianna Abu Lashin, Sreekanth Gopalakrishnan, Gemma HanhProducer: Phil ThomsonProduction: Linda Abu Lashin

Utopia was performed as part of Summer Nights from 8-12 February 2022

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Theatre review: Utopia, Summer Nights Festival - ArtsHub

Guillermo Alvarenga, left, and Armando Hernandez work a machine that drills horizontal conduits, where new Connext fiber will ultimately be placed. They were assisting on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, with installation of a new fiber network in Clinton.Connext and Clinton officials clap after cutting a ceremonial ribbon on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, marking the launch of the first new section of fiber Connext is installing in the city.David Brown, chief executive officer of Ogden-based Connext, photographed in Clinton on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Connext is installing a fiber system in Cinton.Guillermo Alvarenga, left, and Armando Hernandez work a machine that drills horizontal conduits, where new Connext fiber will ultimately be placed. They were assisting on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, with installation of a new fiber network in Clinton.David Brown, chief executive officer of Ogden-based Connext, photographed in Clinton on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Connext is installing a fiber system in Cinton.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

Guillermo Alvarenga, left, and Armando Hernandez work a machine that drills horizontal conduits, where new Connext fiber will ultimately be placed. They were assisting on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, with installation of a new fiber network in Clinton.

CLINTON Connext has completed construction of the first phase of the new fiber network its installing in Clinton, meant to augment high-speed internet options in the city.

But its only the latest addition to the regions system of fiber in Weber and Davis counties the Ogden-based firm has much more planned in the two-county zone.

Connext is building networks in Farr West, Roy and Plain City, among other cities, and some of the initial sections of fiber in each locale have been completed and gone live. Company reps and Kaysville leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony last month to launch installation of a new fiber system there. Meanwhile, talks are ongoing with officials in several other cities, including Ogden, to bring more fiber to those locales.

Now weve passed a little over 5,000 homes in a pretty short period of time, Connext Chief Executive Officer David Brown said Friday at a ceremony to light-up the new fiber segment in Clinton, which passes around 2,000 homes. We intend to hit 150,000 homes in five years. Its a big ramp-up, but were on schedule for it.

Many cities across Weber and Davis counties have increasingly debated how to augment internet offerings in their locales, particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, incumbent operators like Comcast and CenturyLink arent available in all corners of all locales, which has given rise to the talk.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

Connext and Clinton officials clap after cutting a ceremonial ribbon on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, marking the launch of the first new section of fiber Connext is installing in the city.

I think its huge, Clinton Mayor Brandon Stanger said, alluding to the additional fiber in the city coming thanks to Connext. Theres a big push, especially with the need to work from home with COVID.

In addition to Clinton, Kaysville and Plain City, Brown said Connext has franchise agreements to build networks in Fruit Heights, South Weber and Willard, the Box Elder County city. Talks are ongoing about building networks in around 15 other locales, including Ogden.

Were most focused on Weber and Davis counties, Brown said, though the firm is also eying possibilities in Box Elder and Cache counties.

UTOPIA Fiber, a community-owned entity that operates fiber systems in numerous cities across Utah, has courted leaders in many cities in Weber and Davis counties and is also building new networks in the area. Last December, UTOPIA and Syracuse leaders broke ground on a new $23.5 million broadband network for the city. UTOPIA also manages fiber systems in Clearfield, Layton, West Point and Morgan, among many other cities.

UTOPIA and Connext, however, have very different operating models.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

David Brown, chief executive officer of Ogden-based Connext, photographed in Clinton on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Connext is installing a fiber system in Cinton.

UTOPIA typically partners with cities, tapping its sister agency, UIA, to bond to cover network construction costs. Partner cities will back the bonds, if needed, but subscriber revenue is tapped to cover actual bond costs, which has precluded the need for out-of-pocket costs by cities.

As a private company, Connext, by contrast, fronts the costs of building networks, exposing cities to no risk. Thats huge for cities that are bond-averse or dont want the risk, Brown said.

Both UTOPIA and Connext typically engage in outreach in the locales where theyre mulling network expansion to make sure theres a solid base of potential subscribers to make installation of new fiber worth the cost and effort.

One difference though a customers monthly bill for service via a UTOPIA network typically includes a $30 fee to help cover payments of the bonding required to build the system. That makes for a typical monthly bill of around $60 to $65 for basic service.

Connext doesnt charge the $30 fee and its monthly residential plan costs go from $35 to $65 a month, depending on speed.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

Guillermo Alvarenga, left, and Armando Hernandez work a machine that drills horizontal conduits, where new Connext fiber will ultimately be placed. They were assisting on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, with installation of a new fiber network in Clinton.

Work on the new Connext network in Clinton, which will ultimately pass around 7,000 homes, started last October. It was originally scheduled to be finished in October 2023, but Brown thinks the work will be complete earlier.

The introduction of Connext in Clinton gives city residents more internet options, which is good so there isnt a monopoly, said Stanger, the mayor. I think more importantly, its going to give residents more options and higher speeds for less cost.

Dennis Cluff, the Clinton city manager, said the fact that Clinton doesnt have to back the financing used to build the Connext network figured big in the Clinton City Council decision to grant the firm a franchise agreement to operate.

Connext will provide service via the new network in Clinton, as with the fiber it has placed elsewhere. Brown said two other internet service providers may also tap the network.

David Brown, chief executive officer of Ogden-based Connext, photographed in Clinton on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Connext is installing a fiber system in Cinton.

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Ogden-based Connext aiming to extend fiber network to 150000 homes - Standard-Examiner

Puravankara said that Provident Housing (PHL), a 100% subsidiary of Puravankara Group, will be debuting in Kerala with its first residential offering Provident Winworth in Kochi.

The project value of the same is Rs 3000 crore. It is one of the four projects for which Provident has received an inflow of capital from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the IFC Emerging Asia Fund.

Over the last decade, Kochi has evolved into a highly desirable residential destination. The budding IT landscape, thriving commercial centres, and admiration for art and cinema have truly transformed the city into an urban utopia.

The changes within the metropolis are evident in the aspirations of its residents. With its latest offering, Provident Housing aims to fulfil these emerging needs of the newage consumer.

Ashish Puravankara, Managing Director, Puravankara Limited, said, One of the driving forces behind Provident Housing is upending the notion that luxury and affordability are mutually exclusive. We are delighted to debut our first premiumaffordable offering of Kerala in Kochi. Over the last few years, we have witnessed the city scale its infrastructure and simultaneously position itself as a cultural capital.

With this new venture, we aim to create a landmark in the city while providing an unmatched living experience for its residents.

With Abhishek Kapoor, the CEO, Puravankara Limited and our newest leader, Mallanna Sasulu, the COO, Provident Housing Limited, I am confident that the project will be a tremendous success. I am excited to begin our new chapter in Kerala.

Abhishek Kapoor, CEO, Puravankara, said, Provident Winworth is a balanced intersection of architectural value and the city's ambition. It will be the largest mixeduse development in Edappally with retail and commercial elements, making it inclusive and accessible."

The project will be introduced in the market through an innovative Quasi Book Building method. Fundamental 'demandsupply' metrics will drive the price discovery process. The prebooking process offers comprehensive product information to prospective buyers, along with a 'priceband' for each type of unit. Expressions of interest (EOI) from prospective buyers help gauge the project's demand and achieve a datadriven pricing decision.

Provident Housingvis one of the pioneers of premium, affordable homes. The company has Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Coimbatore and Mangalore projects.Puravankarais a real estate conglomerateheadquartered in Bengaluruwith a pan India presence.

Puravankara's consolidated net profit declined 90.77% to Rs 1.23 crore on a 13.97% fall in sales to Rs 220.60 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21.

The scrip lost 0.12% to currently trade at Rs 123.20 on the BSE.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Puravankaras subsidiary to debut in Kerala with its first residential offering - Business Standard

While were waiting on a start date, HBO have released a few shots of the shows main cast.

Here at CultBox Towers, Steven Moffats take on The Time Travelers Wife is hotly anticipated. We may have mentioned it once or twice.

Not just because we loved the book (and struggled with the movie), but because of the pedigree of those involved behind the scenes: while Steven Moffat has adapted Audrey Niffeneggers novel, its being produced by Hartswood Films (Sherlock, Dracula) and directed by Game of Thrones David Nutter. Moffats Capaldi-era Doctor Who collaborator Brian Minchin executive produces too, as well as David Nutter and Joseph E. Iberti.

The new images released give us a look at each of the principal characters.

First, theres Theo James (Sanditon) as Henry DeTamble the unwilling time traveller whose Chrono-Displacement Disorder causes him to bounce around within his own timeline. Like Sam Beckett without the moral obligations.

As we see him with a girl in shot, its doubtless a young Clare (either Caitlin Shorey or Everleigh McDonell).

Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, Vigil) plays the grown-up Clare Abshire.

The other two characters we have images for are Gomez and Charisse. Desmin Borges (Utopia) plays Gomez and Natasha Lopez is Charisse. The pair are Clares best friends who are suspicions of Henry but grow to become allies although there are complications.

Theres still no release date as yet for the show, but were expecting it in the spring. So theres still time to re-read the novel in anticipation!

The Time Travelers Wife will air on HBO Max in the US and on Sky Atlantic in the UK. Well keep you posted.

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The Time Traveler's Wife - new images of the cast - CultBox

EPIXs new mystery box horror series From is set to premiere on Sunday, February 20, and a spooky new clip from IGN today previews a nightmarish monster from the series.

Meet one scary grandma down below

Meagan wrote in her From review for BD, Only four episodes in, its already a gripping series that makes you eager to tune in to see what happens next.

The series unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.

Created and executive produced byJohn Griffin(Crater), directed and executive produced byJack Bender(Lost, Game of Thrones, Mr. Mercedes), and executive produced by ShowrunnerJeff Pinkner(Fringe, Alias, Lost), From features a stellar ensemble cast led byHarold Perrineau(Lost).In addition to Perrineau, the cast includesCatalina Sandino Moreno(Maria Full of Grace, The Affair),Eion Bailey(Band of Brothers, Once Upon a Time),Hannah Cheramy,Simon Webster,Ricky He(The Good Doctor),Chloe Van Landschoot, Shaun Majumder, Corteon Moore(Utopia Falls),Pegah Ghafoori, David Alpay(Castle Rock),Elizabeth Saunders(Clarice),Elizabeth MoyandAvery Konrad.

Fromis a co-production between EPIX Studios and MGM International Television Productions, and is produced by Midnight Radio and AGBO.

Executive producer Jack Bender directed the first four episodes. Alongside Griffin, Bender and Pinkner as executive producers are Josh Appelbaum, Andr Nemec and Scott Rosenberg from Midnight Radio, Anthony and Joe Russo and Mike Larocca from AGBO and Lindsay Dunn. Midnight Radios Adrienne Erickson will serve as co-executive producer.

Excerpt from:

True Detective Season 4? Sounds Like HBO Has Something in the Works - Bloody Disgusting

FLINT, Michigan Black genius is on display. It is radiant and infectious, cementing the fact that the hashtags #blackgirlmagic and #blackboyjoy were always present even before they became part of the modern mantras of African American people. Laughter is abundant as each guest arrives on the call, greeting one another and me as if we were old acquaintances, classmates, kinfolk.

These adorning faces belong to Josh Wilder, Jeremiah Davison, and Madelyn Porter the writer, director, and actor of The Flint Repertory Theatre's newest world-premiere play, Wrong River. Together, they possess an indescribable aura that ties together the many reasons why Black people continue to push forward despite incredible opposition.

Through our conversation and connection to Blackness, I learned what inspired Wrong River, how Davison became the anchor to hold everyone together, and Porter's gift of storytelling.

"It all started from Facebook," says Wrong River writer, Philadelphia native Josh Wilder, commenting on the catalyst that made him write it. "I realized once children are lead poisoned, their lead-poisoned for life, and to try to attempt to take away their futures, that's when we stand up as a community, as a people."

For Davison, directing a play about his hometown of Flint was a "dream come true. It means the world to me. I feel like I brought Flint's natural flow and perspective. With anything you do, that heartbeat has to be from the source."Theplay follows the story of a young Black family's experience in Flint as the Flint Water Crisis begins to make national headlines."But I believe in my heart that as an artist, you have an obligation to use your craft and skill to speak up, speak out, and to send a message," remarks Porter. "Wrong River is a form of protest, and we're soldiers of the arts."

In the words of The Rep, Wrong River is an "edgy new drama [featuring] thrilling magical realism moments born from the imagination of a 10-year old girl." The play, featuring an all-Black cast, highlights 10-year-old Dayla, her family, and grandmother June, played by Porter, as they explore and deal with the traumatic effects following the Flint Water Crisis. An event that left thousands of Flint residents without clean water, infected for life with elevated lead levels, and once again searching for the light within the darkness.

It is a brilliant emotional rollercoaster as it positions Dayla and her family front and center to grapple with her new reality of living a life sustained by the boxes of Fiji water that litter it unable to bathe or drink from the now leaden pipes. To me, Wrong River is a social commentary of how a government-sanctioned disaster impacted a predominately Black city and added to the evolving narrative of what it means to be Black in America, for better and for worse. But for Wilder, Davison, and Porter, it means all that and then some.

Philadelphia native Josh Wilder serves as the playwright for 'Wrong River.'

"Wrong River is symbolic to me because as Black folk, we [have] been going up the 'wrong river.' I think about slavery. I think about the Nile River. I think about the West coast of Africa," says Porter as her own life experiences and that of her family come to the forefront. "I think about how many 'wrong rivers' as Black folks we had to cross and had to pull the gunk out of."

"They have to see us to believe us. Black people aren't believed when we're in pain," says Wilder taking time to ascertain the weight of his work. "I think the representation of our imagination is seldom on stage. I think the play pulls the curtain back on us and how we're able to love each other through crisis and how quickly we have to grow up."

"It is showing insight on a Black family in the Midwest and our ability to dream and keep dreaming. It's not just, oh, they're Black, and they're struggling," explains Davison offering insight into his directorship. "It brings together and represents our ancestral unity. How we are so intertwined with our ancestors and how that can help us continue to move through life."

Emotions run hot in Wrong River. Relationships become strained, and love and survival are intertwined. But to process this new reality, rationalize her decisions and push forward, Dayla must turn to what continues to be a child's greatest gift and the thing many adults strive to rekindle imagination.

With incredible displays of sound, lighting, and visual work brought to life by Davison, he pulls audiences into the mind of Dayla, where they must grapple with the question of what is right and wrong. But bringing the imagination of a 10-year-old to paper and then to the stage took everyone into inspiring spaces and allowed them to tap into their inner child.Jeremiah Davison is a native of Flint and the director of 'Wrong River.'"I had to tap into the mind of what Dayla's imagination was first. You never stop being a kid as an artist, I feel. A lot of this sparked from figuring out, what is the playground that we have? How do we go into these and create these worlds," explains Davison, who loves talking technology. "How do we create the atmosphere, lights, and implement reality and the magical world of [Dayla's] brain. Then, as a sound designer, how do we wrap ourselves into this space?"

But the production of Wrong River is nothing without its cast and crew, says Wilder, one of which is Porter, having under her belt 30 years of experience in the business, is home on stage, bringing to life her portrayal of June. Porter's used the acting to offer insight and educate audiences particularly the youth of African experiences. However, she tells me with several laughs and powerful oratory that storytelling runs in her family. Growing up, she was labeled "weird" and "crazy" and listened to her aunt tell stories that took "reality, surrealism, and realism and mixed it up."

Those experiences bring the richness of old African griots to the current generation and helped flesh out Wrong River's narrative. Wilder and Davison explicitly state the time spent researching, getting case studies, listening to the stories of Flintstones, and talking with Davison's family to make sure the story was as authentic as possible. The storytelling, whether through Wilder's written work, Davison's directing and usage of tech, Porter's and the cast acting, and the backstage crew, push the collective conversation forward.

Through Wrong River's final moments, the quintessential reasoning, or the seed that binds this all together, of how and why African American people continue to advocate, march, push boundaries throughout education, sports and entertainment, the creative landscape, and have advanced as far as have is revealed hope. We bow our heads or raise them to the skies calling up our ancestors, tapping into our spiritual connections, giving our hopes, fears, praise, honor, and glory.

Wrong River is not a story for European Americans to finally see Black people for who we are. Quite the opposite. It is for us to see and know who we are. To tap into the unconscious imaginative realm that Dayla so powerfully commands to change our realities and create the unseen.

"For generations, as Black people, we've always crafted. We always take something traumatic and make it into something beautiful for us. I think the spirit and the seed are within the journey of Dayla and her grandma in the wrinkle in times," says Davison.

"The key at the very end of this show, there's hope, and there's a utopia in our minds," remarks Porter.

"My idea with writing this piece was to create a timeless piece of drama that can last for centuries. I want to [write about] the Civil Rights Movement of today," exclaims Wilder.

You can learn more and see Wrong River at The Flint Repertory Theatre live before its end date, February 20. Tickets are on sale now.

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A conversation with director, writer, and actor of the soul-stirring stage play 'Wrong River' - Flintside

EPIXs new mystery box horror series From is set to premiere on Sunday, February 20, and a spooky new clip from IGN today previews a nightmarish monster from the series.

Meet one scary grandma down below

Meagan wrote in her From review for BD, Only four episodes in, its already a gripping series that makes you eager to tune in to see what happens next.

The series unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.

Created and executive produced byJohn Griffin(Crater), directed and executive produced byJack Bender(Lost, Game of Thrones, Mr. Mercedes), and executive produced by ShowrunnerJeff Pinkner(Fringe, Alias, Lost), From features a stellar ensemble cast led byHarold Perrineau(Lost).In addition to Perrineau, the cast includesCatalina Sandino Moreno(Maria Full of Grace, The Affair),Eion Bailey(Band of Brothers, Once Upon a Time),Hannah Cheramy,Simon Webster,Ricky He(The Good Doctor),Chloe Van Landschoot, Shaun Majumder, Corteon Moore(Utopia Falls),Pegah Ghafoori, David Alpay(Castle Rock),Elizabeth Saunders(Clarice),Elizabeth MoyandAvery Konrad.

Fromis a co-production between EPIX Studios and MGM International Television Productions, and is produced by Midnight Radio and AGBO.

Executive producer Jack Bender directed the first four episodes. Alongside Griffin, Bender and Pinkner as executive producers are Josh Appelbaum, Andr Nemec and Scott Rosenberg from Midnight Radio, Anthony and Joe Russo and Mike Larocca from AGBO and Lindsay Dunn. Midnight Radios Adrienne Erickson will serve as co-executive producer.

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When Will HBO's "The Last of Us" Premiere? Not in 2022 - Bloody Disgusting

Prior to my interview with Hanya Yanagihara, an email arrives from her publicist. It warns that the blockbuster literary author of A Little Life, and now To Paradise, does not read reviews of her books or pieces about herself. This, explains the publicist, can cause a frustrating frisson during interviews, because journalists will press Yanagihara to respond to critiques of her work she has not seen.

What intrigues here is that Yanagihara, 47, is not some literary recluse in the JD Salinger vein: she defines her novel-writing as her night job; her day job is editor-in-chief of the New York Times style magazine, T. How, I ask Yanagihara, when we speak, does she contrive to ignore herself, given that her job is to predict the zeitgeist and she is such a talked-about novelist?

Its quite easy, she insists. Like smoking, right? Its much easier to have never started, than to start then stop. Writers are very self-involved and they probably need to be, but editors need to turn their gaze outwards.

We are speaking ahead of her appearance this Sunday at Londons South Bank Centre. Queen Elizabeth Hall is the first stop on a UK then European publicity tour for her monumental third novel, To Paradise. The trip also incorporates 10 days at Paris Fashion Week. Yanagihara travels lightly, but not without apprehension. Ive been sick about six times since October. Not with Covid, with everything but Covid.

To Paradise was published last month to fevered expectation: a New Yorker profile, rave but also perplexed reviews, and a couple of hatchet jobs in the younger, more attitudinal American cultural zines, Vox and Vulture. Despite being a complex, multi-stranded 700-page hardback, it went straight to number one on the Sunday Times bestseller lists. The reason? Yanagiharas last novel, the 2015 Booker-shortlisted A Little Life, has become a 21st century key text. Type A Little Life into TikTok and videos appear of ardent millennials weeping at the fate of Jude, the novels anguished protagonist.

That contemporary New York tale of four male friends, told over the three decades, also divides audiences. Detractors accuse the unwieldy tome of being torture porn, a voyeuristic gothic text luxuriating in operatic misery. They balk at the novels disquieting cocktail of self-harm and aspirational lifestyle. Like F Scott Fitzgerald or Jay McInerney before her, Yanagihara sets her story of rich, attractive, unhappy Americans against a sumptuous backcloth of gourmandising and globetrotting. Here is trauma, but with a high thread-count, probably a pillow menu. Making much of Yanagiharas editorship of T, and before it Cond Nast Traveller, Vultures recent takedown by critic Andrea Long Chu deemed A Little Life an unapologetic lifestyle novel. Others have accused it of that most contemporary of sins: appropriation. After American author Garth Greenwell hailed A Little Life as the long-awaited great gay American novel, not everyone loved that its author identified as straight and female.

To Paradise is told on a far more expansive, ambitious canvas than A Little Life, but is also predominantly peopled by gay men. Yanagihara is vague about why that might be. It was never a sort of intention, she says. It was just who the characters happened to be. She is robust, however, about her right to write those characters. Appropriation suggests that you must write according to your own tribal identities, and I think that is a dangerous thing for any artist to feel compelled to do. I am no more or less an expert on being an Asian woman than any other Asian woman, says the author, a fourth-generation American, of Japanese and Korean heritage, raised mostly in Hawaii.

There is an expectation of female artists, she feels, to bare the body, to talk about womens lives in a way that feels confessional. And thats not something Im interested in. There are great examples, but Im more interested in female artists who resist by choice or just by inclination that exposure of the self.

Sometimes, more is revealed about the universal by writing in the skin of another, she adds. It forces you to be less self-absorbed, more observant and aware of the connections amongst humans, beyond, despite of, and because of their tribal identities. She cites playwright Tony Kushner, who said of his screenplay for West Side Story: One of the great pleasures of art, and one of the reasons we have it, is to be able to witness leaps of empathic imagination.

To Paradise has many leaps of empathic imagination, but is partially inspired by contemporary Americas convulsive recent politics and polarising debates about identity. After the 2016 election, I started thinking actively about what America was, and what it liked to fancy itself as being, says Yanagihara. The January 2017 Trump Muslim ban, a travel directive that forbade people from certain, predominantly Muslim, countries entering the US, was a catalyst. Part of Americas central mythology is that it is a paradise for those who cannot stay, for whatever reason, in the country of their origin, she says. But that ban got me wondering if that central mythology was correct? The original concept of Paradise is of a walled garden.

Writers are self-involved and they probably need to be, but editors need to turn their gaze outwards

The novel imagines three parallel, alternate visions of America (in 1893, 1993 and 2093). The first book, Washington Square (a nod to Henry Jamess novel of the same title) has a 19th century hierarchical society setting. Yet in this hall-of-mirrors distortion same-sex marriages flourish. The conceit is not that theyre in a gay utopia, says Yanagihara. But a version of America not founded according to Puritan philosophies. Gay people have equal rights, but black people and Native Americans do not. This idea that what can be a heaven for one group is not necessarily a heaven for everybody is something I wanted to explore.

In the second tale of the book, in 1993, Washington Square is the scene of a lavish party, gathering the citys gay elite; AIDS is the uninvited spectre. The novels final part, set in 2093, is dystopian: Manhattan has become a bulwark against waves of pandemics. Yanagihara did not write this reflectively, inspired by Covid, but prophetically: she first interviewed virologists in 2017.

In New York, Yanagiharas life is compartmentalised between her high-profile public day job, and her private evening existence as an author. She lives in a former bottle factory in Soho, with expansive rooms and high ceilings. A downside, though, is that the loft apartment buildings steel frames block wi-fi. But its a good apartment to be a nighttime writer in, she says. Its very quiet and faces the back of another building; a cocoon-like burrow made for darkness. Her writing of A Little Life was disciplined: nine to 12 on weeknights, and six hours on a Saturday and Sunday. With To Paradise, she was less regimented. In a way, being sent home in March 2020 was a boon, because I automatically gained an hours commuting time, and wasnt going to the theatre, or out to dinner. When I had wind in my sails, I would stay at my desk for as long as I physically could.

Yanagihara seems happier talking about visual culture ceramicists, experimental land artists, those leading figurative portraitures resurgence than fellow authors. I dont follow the contemporary literary scene or whos on it, she says. Asked whom she has been reading, she mentions only dead white British men: Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Trollope. Her plans for her visit to London this week are more visual than bookish: to visit the John Soane Museum, the New Craftsmen shop and the studio of floral installation artist Silke Rittson-Thomas.

Critics have found To Paradise, with each of its discrete novella-like books ending on a cliffhanger, depressing. Yanagihara thinks it quite hopeful. People endure: they learn how to adapt to even very bad circumstances. They push onwards; all these characters possess the idea that they will go someplace better; that they will finally find the person who makes them feel less lonely. She finished it over a summer in Hawaii, which she still calls home. She is more ambivalent about New York, her base since 1995. Many people I love are here, but in all honesty, Id rather be somewhere else. Hawaii? Europe? No, I think Id like to live in Asia. A farmhouse outside Kyoto would be nice.

Does she believe in this idea of the great American novel? I think every American novel is a great American novel, she quips. With To Paradise she may have written one.

Hanya Yanagihara in conversation with Neel Mukherjee at the Southbank Centres Queen Elizabeth Hall on Sunday, 15; southbankcentre.co.uk

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Hanya Yanagihara on why she never reads her own reviews - Evening Standard

While the rich often die 'overtreated', sequestered from loved ones, more people remain untreated and die of preventable causes, with no access to palliative care

"While many people are 'overtreated' in hospitals with families and communities relegated to the margins, still more remain undertreated, dying of preventable conditions and without access to basic pain relief."

The latest report of the Lancet Commission, "Value of Death: Bringing death back into life", finds that death and dying is, in fact, a "story of paradox" in the 21st century. This report works as a guide for our current understanding of death as an individual and what it means for our healthcare professionals, academicians and governments.

The Lancet report limits itself to the scenario of death when a person develops a life-limiting illness or injury through their death and into the bereavement affecting the lives of those left behind.

Those who worked upon the report included health and social care professionals, social scientists, health scientists, economists, philosophers, political scientists, patients, carers, religious leaders, activists, community workers, and a novelist.

Over-medicalisation of death

The report states that the death of an individual is not an exclusively family matter now. It has moved from home settings to health systems, i.e. ICUs, hospitals, hospices. Terminally ill people are taken away to these medical facilities. The roles of their families and communities in the decisions making about their lives have receded.

The report calls it over-medicalisation of death, where people are often dying alone and unable to communicate with their family members except electronically. This has been a familiar phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report also recorded the personal experiences of those who shaped this report. It mentions an incident of the life of Dr MR Rajagopal, who is chairman of Pallium India, the NGO that provides palliative care to the people of Kerala. The report mentions that most children would have seen a dead body two generations ago. People may now be in their 40s or 50s without ever seeing a dead person. The language, knowledge, and confidence to support and manage dying are being lost, further fuelling a dependence on healthcare services.

Trials of Immortality and Control

According to the report, this is our delusion that we are in control of dying. Large sums are being invested to dramatically extend life, even achieve immortality, for a small minority in a world that struggles to support its current population. Health care and individuals appear to struggle to accept the inevitability of death.

Rebalancing the Death Systems

The Lancet report advocates the rebalancing of the death systems of our society. These systems are many interrelated social, cultural, economic, religious, and political factors that determine how death, dying, and bereavement are understood, experienced, and managed. Income, education, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other factors influence how much people suffer in death systems and the capacity they possess to change them.

According to the report, a death system should be the portal of knowledge by which death and dying are understood, regulated, and managed. The report provided an illustrative map that centres around two key events impending death (based on knowledge of death) and death itself. The map goes beyond physiology to function and health capabilities, including well-being and the capacity to achieve. It further adds that a perfect map of a whole death system would include much more, such as the systems for preventing death and funeral customs.

The report indicates that these death systems are run and controlled by power, thus have been a source of discrimination and inequity in death. Experience of death and dying has become a result of a constellation of factors such as political unrest or conflict, access to and trust in healthcare services, relationships, discrimination or oppression, poverty, education, and many others. The report also provides examples of when power was used in Covid-19 scenarios.

Death Positivity is Good

The report welcomed the death positivity movements for death awareness around the world. These movements are taking shape in the form of death cafes, festivals, or campaigns and the publication of books. It says, Evidence suggests that talking collectively about these issues can lead to an improvement in peoples attitudes and capabilities for dealing with death.

A Good Death

The report also mulled over the question of what is a good death. It concluded that a good death is when it fulfils 11 conditions. These conditions are relief from physical pain and other physical symptoms; effective communication and relationship with healthcare providers; the performance of cultural, religious, or other spiritual rituals; relief from emotional distress or other forms of psychological suffering; autonomy with regards to treatment-related decision-making; dying in the preferred place; life not being prolonged unnecessarily...

Assisted Dying

The report also raises societal and policy questions regarding assisted dying. What are the societal costs of legalising and not legalising? Does legalising assisted dying increase or decrease suicide rates? Does not legalising encourage underground practices (as with illegal abortions)? Is trust in doctors affected? What safeguarding measures are needed? What are the economic costs and benefits? Does legalising assisted dying undermine palliative care? Should those undergoing assisted dying be allowed to donate organs?

It stresses that without asking these questions, assisted dying legislation cannot guarantee human rights in death.

Overtreatment

The report also touched on the question of overtreatment and its relation to the economics of a death system. According to experts, people extend the treatments without assessing their outcomes. Doctors are also biased in their assessment of the benefits of treatment for patients with life-limiting conditions.

And that is why the expenditure on treatment of a person facing terminal illnesses increases manifold during the final days. According to experts, Many new treatments do extend life only marginally and have low success rates and yet are very expensive.

Palliative Care

Experts involved in making this extensive report found that palliative care is accessible only for 14 percent of people worldwide. They recommend that palliative care services be available universally to all at the end of life. Ideally, these services should be part of statutory or public health services, which is not the case now.

Kerala case as Realistic Utopia

In their assessment of death and dying systems around the globe, the Lancet report recognised that end of life services being provided in Kerala is the system closest to their realistic utopia.

Kerala has emerged as a symbol of hope for low cost, equitable, and participatory palliative care, including end-of-life care. The success of this model rests on a series of paradigm shifts relating to how illness, dying, caring, and grieving are viewed within the state.

The report lauded the case of Pallium India, an NGO formed in 1993 intending to manage the pain and other symptoms of people with serious illnesses. Through this, death and dying have been reclaimed as a social concern and responsibility through a broad social movement composed of tens of thousands of volunteers complemented by changes to political, legal, and health systems.

Vision of Death and Dying

The report proposes five principles of a Vision of Death and Dying. According to the experts, these principles are: The social determinants of death, dying, and grieving are tackled; dying is understood to be a relational and spiritual process rather than simply a physiological event; networks of care lead support for people dying, caring, and grieving; conversations and stories about everyday death, dying, and grief become common.

Finally, the report recommends that death and dying must be recognised as normal and valuable. Care of the dying and grieving must be rebalanced. The Lancet plans a diverse programme of events in this year aiming to embed its recommendations globally and to see the realistic utopia take shape in practice.

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The Lancet report: How death and dying is a story of paradox in 21st Century - Firstpost