27 May 2020

The Society For The Promotion Of Japanese Animation Announces First Ever Anime Expo Lite - A Free Virtual Japanese Pop Culture Event

by Loup Dargent May 27, 2020

The Society For The Promotion Of Japanese Animation Announces First Ever Anime Expo Lite - A Virtual Japanese Pop Culture Event

The Society For The Promotion Of Japanese Animation Announces First Ever Anime Expo Lite - A Free Virtual Japanese Pop Culture Event

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is thrilled to unveil its plans to offer Japanese pop culture fans from around the world an opportunity to experience all things anime from wherever they are with Anime Expo Lite.

This FREE two-day livestream event will begin on July 3, proclaimed Anime Expo Day by the City of Los Angeles in 2015, and continue through July 4.

Anime Expo Lite will feature content from industry partners such as Bushiroad, Crunchyroll, Pony Canyon, VIZ, and more! (More exclusive content will be announced in the coming weeks.)

SPJA has also revealed the key art that was planned as the program guide cover for the since cancelled Anime Expo 2020, which now features the Anime Expo Lite logo instead. The AX mascot characters Ai and Xeno are pictured with the cast of The World End With You.

"We are excited to be able to parlay the traditional Anime Expo into a virtual experience. Since 2017, AX has been livestreaming select panels as well as from the convention floor, so it is a natural transition for us to produce a virtual event. As everything in 2020 is different, we see a unique opportunity to be able to share our passion for Japanese pop culture not only with those that would have attended AX but now with any anime fan no matter where they live," said Ray Chiang, CEO of The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, AX's organizer. "With our Anime Expo Lite line-up, we know fans will find plenty of events and special guests to entertain and keep them engaged."

Fans can expect to see:

Special Guests, including artist/character designer Yoshitaka Amano
Panel discussions with industry leaders
Industry announcements
Live content
Pre-taped content from global partners
Q&As
Giveaways

For more information, and to keep up-to-date on Anime Expo Lite announcements, please click here to sign-up

For 29 years, AX has been the preeminent event featuring the newest anime films, television series, fashion, video games, manga, dance, music concerts, exhibitors and exclusive convention merchandise, all combined to deliver unforgettable experiences to fans of anime and Japanese pop culture. AX will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center July 2-5, 2021.

For more information regarding Anime Expo please visit anime-expo.org.

About SPJA:

SPJA is a non-profit organization dedicated to popularize and educate the American public about Japanese entertainment and pop culture, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans.

For more information, please visit www.spja.org.

About Anime Expo:

Anime Expo (AX) brings together fans and industry from Japan, the US, and all over the world for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America.

Taking place every year since 1992, Anime Expo features the best in Japanese entertainment, music, fashion, and video games.

For more information, visit anime-expo.org.

SOURCE: Anime Expo

25 May 2020

Coronavirus, 'Plandemic' and The Seven Traits of Conspiratorial Thinking

by Loup Dargent May 25, 2020

No matter the details of the plot, conspiracy theories follow common patterns of thought. (Ranta Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

The conspiracy theory video “Plandemic” recently went viral. Despite being taken down by YouTube and Facebook, it continues to get uploaded and viewed millions of times. The video is an interview with conspiracy theorist Judy Mikovits, a disgraced former virology researcher who believes the COVID-19 pandemic is based on vast deception, with the purpose of profiting from selling vaccinations.

The video is rife with misinformation and conspiracy theories. Many high-quality fact-checks and debunkings have been published by reputable outlets such as Science, Politifact and FactCheck.

As scholars who research how to counter science misinformation and conspiracy theories, we believe there is also value in exposing the rhetorical techniques used in “Plandemic.” As we outline in our Conspiracy Theory Handbook and How to Spot COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories, there are seven distinctive traits of conspiratorial thinking. “Plandemic” offers textbook examples of them all.

Learning these traits can help you spot the red flags of a baseless conspiracy theory and hopefully build up some resistance to being taken in by this kind of thinking. This is an important skill given the current surge of pandemic-fueled conspiracy theories.

The seven traits of conspiratorial thinking. John Cook, (CC BY-ND)

1. Contradictory beliefs

Conspiracy theorists are so committed to disbelieving an official account, it doesn’t matter if their belief system is internally contradictory. The “Plandemic” video advances two false origin stories for the coronavirus. It argues that SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab in Wuhan – but also argues that everybody already has the coronavirus from previous vaccinations, and wearing masks activates it. Believing both causes is mutually inconsistent.

2. Overriding suspicion

Conspiracy theorists are overwhelmingly suspicious toward the official account. That means any scientific evidence that doesn’t fit into the conspiracy theory must be faked.

But if you think the scientific data is faked, that leads down the rabbit hole of believing that any scientific organization publishing or endorsing research consistent with the “official account” must be in on the conspiracy. For COVID-19, this includes the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, Anthony Fauci… basically, any group or person who actually knows anything about science must be part of the conspiracy.<

3. Nefarious intent

In a conspiracy theory, the conspirators are assumed to have evil motives. In the case of “Plandemic,” there’s no limit to the nefarious intent. The video suggests scientists including Anthony Fauci engineered the COVID-19 pandemic, a plot which involves killing hundreds of thousands of people so far for potentially billions of dollars of profit.

Conspiratorial thinking finds evil intentions at all levels of the presumed conspiracy. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

4. Conviction that something’s wrong

Conspiracy theorists may occasionally abandon specific ideas when they become untenable. But those revisions tend not to change their overall conclusion that “something must be wrong” and that the official account is based on deception.<

When “Plandemic” filmmaker Mikki Willis was asked if he really believed COVID-19 was intentionally started for profit, his response was “I don’t know, to be clear, if it’s an intentional or naturally occurring situation. I have no idea.”

He has no idea. All he knows for sure is something must be wrong: “It’s too fishy.”

5. Persecuted victim

Conspiracy theorists think of themselves as the victims of organized persecution. “Plandemic” further ratchets up the persecuted victimhood by characterizing the entire world population as victims of a vast deception, which is disseminated by the media and even ourselves as unwitting accomplices.

At the same time, conspiracy theorists see themselves as brave heroes taking on the villainous conspirators.<

6. Immunity to evidence

It’s so hard to change a conspiracy theorist’s mind because their theories are self-sealing. Even absence of evidence for a theory becomes evidence for the theory: The reason there’s no proof of the conspiracy is because the conspirators did such a good job covering it up.

7. Reinterpreting randomness

Conspiracy theorists see patterns everywhere – they’re all about connecting the dots. Random events are reinterpreted as being caused by the conspiracy and woven into a broader, interconnected pattern. Any connections are imbued with sinister meaning.

For example, the “Plandemic” video suggestively points to the U.S. National Institutes of Health funding that has gone to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. This is despite the fact that the lab is just one of many international collaborators on a project that sought to examine the risk of future viruses emerging from wildlife.

Learning about common traits of conspiratorial thinking can help you recognize and resist conspiracy theories.

Critical thinking is the antidote

As we explore in our Conspiracy Theory Handbook, there are a variety of strategies you can use in response to conspiracy theories.

One approach is to inoculate yourself and your social networks by identifying and calling out the traits of conspiratorial thinking. Another approach is to “cognitively empower” people, by encouraging them to think analytically. The antidote to conspiratorial thinking is critical thinking, which involves healthy skepticism of official accounts while carefully considering available evidence.

Understanding and revealing the techniques of conspiracy theorists is key to inoculating yourself and others from being misled, especially when we are most vulnerable: in times of crises and uncertainty.

About Today's Contributors:

John Cook, Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University; Sander van der Linden, Director, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, University of Cambridge; Stephan Lewandowsky, Chair of Cognitive Psychology, University of Bristol, and Ullrich Ecker, Associate Professor of Cognitive Science, University of Western Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

21 May 2020

Celebrities, Charities, COVID-19 Related, Entertainment Related, Fantasy Related, Miscellaneous, News Related, Social Networking, Trailers, US Related, Video-clips, Youth Related

The Most Star-Studded Dungeons & Dragons Event Ever Assembled Aims to Raise Money for Red Nose Day USA [Trailer Included]

by Loup Dargent May 21, 2020

The Most Star-Studded Dungeons & Dragons Event Ever Assembled Aims to Raise Money for Red Nose Day USA (PRNewsfoto/Wizards of the Coast)

People all over the world continue to stay safe by staying home, but that doesn't mean the adventuring has to stop. Dungeons & Dragons is more popular than ever because it allows people to weave compelling stories together even when they're physically apart through online videoconferencing.

Now, Wizards of the Coast brings the stars to this virtual table with D&D Live 2020: Roll w/ Advantage. An amazing cast of characters led by expert storytellers preview the latest D&D storyline with live gaming sessions, all while raising money for Red Nose Day to help the most vulnerable children across the US and around the world, who have been so affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Karen Gillan (screengrab)

The adventure begins 10:00am PT on June 18, 2020 and will run through June 20, 2020 at dungeonsanddragons.com.

D&D Live 2020: Roll w/ Advantage features big personalities playing elves, wizards and fighters to accomplish quests using their imaginations.

Funny people like Brian Posehn, Kevin Sussman and Thomas Middleditch will work together to solve problems or, more likely, cause some hilarious new ones.

WWE Superstars Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze, Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss and Dio Maddin will contend with beefcake destroyer Jeremy Crawford, a.k.a. Principal Rules Designer for D&D.

Deborah Ann Woll will lead a group of actors in improvising a way to help people in a fantasy world not that different from ours.

Principal D&D writer Chris Perkins takes players new to D&D, including Brandon Routh and David Harbour, through adventures sure to de-mystify the hobby for all who tune in.

David Harbour (screengrab)

Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and storyline as well as accompanying new products plus tons of unique gameplay available on June 18, 2020. D&D Adventurers League has four new short adventures everyone can enjoy.

By donating a small amount to Red Nose Day, fans will have access to sign up for D&D sessions with players around the world! During #DnDLive2020, fans will also be able to choose the character best suited to help the region through Reality RP, a mashup of fantasy storytelling, community engagement, and reality television.

The Promotional Trailer:

Watch the latest D&D storyline come to life at D&D Live 2020: Roll w/ Advantage!

View the whole schedule for #DnDLive2020 at dungeonsanddragons.com.

All proceeds from D&D Live 2020: Roll w/ Advantage will benefit Red Nose Day.

T-shirts commemorating D&D's partnership with Red Nose Day are available for purchase right now here, along with a custom-designed adventure families can easily play together available here.

About Red Nose Day USA:

Red Nose Day USA is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief US, also known as Comic Relief, Inc., a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity. Red Nose Day started in the U.K., built on the foundation that the power of entertainment can drive positive change, and has raised over $1 billion since the campaign's founding in 1988. The sixth annual Red Nose Day takes place on Thursday, May 21, 2020.

Red Nose Day launched in the U.S. in 2015 with a mission to end child poverty, and has raised $200 million to date to positively impact nearly 25 million children. Money raised supports programs that ensure children in need are safe, healthy and educated, both in America and around the world.

For more information about Red Nose Day USA and its impact, visit rednoseday.org.

SOURCE: Wizards of the Coast

19 May 2020

New Interview With Suzanne Collins, Author Of The Worldwide Bestselling Hunger Games Series, Released by Scholastic

by Loup Dargent May 19, 2020

Author Suzanne Collins (Photo Credit: Todd Plitt for Scholastic)

Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company, has released a new interview with Suzanne Collins, author of the worldwide bestselling Hunger Games series.

On the eve of the publication of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, on sale now, author Suzanne Collins spoke to David Levithan, VP, Publisher and Editorial Director at Scholastic, and one of her editors, about the making of the book.

The Interview:

David Levithan: I'll start with the two questions I'm sure most readers will want to ask: Did you always plan to return to Panem after the trilogy with a book set sixty-four years earlier? And if not, what made you return to the story in this way?

Suzanne Collins: Here's how it works now. I have two worlds, the Underland (the world of The Underland Chronicles series) and Panem (the world of The Hunger Games). I use both of them to explore elements of just war theory. When I find a related topic that I want to examine, then I look for the place it best fits. The state of nature debate of the Enlightenment period naturally lent itself to a story centered on Coriolanus Snow.

Focusing on the 10th Hunger Games also gave me the opportunity to tell Lucy Gray's story. In the first chapter of The Hunger Games, I make reference to a fourth District 12 victor. Katniss doesn't seem to know anything about the person worth mentioning. While her story isn't well-known, Lucy Gray lives on in a significant way through her music, helping to bring down Snow in the trilogy. Imagine his reaction when Katniss starts singing "Deep in the Meadow" to Rue in the arena. Beyond that, Lucy Gray's legacy is that she introduced entertainment to the Hunger Games.

David Levithan: I have to ask—when you wrote that reference in the first book, did you have any sense of who that fourth victor might be?

Suzanne Collins: Yes, but she's evolved a lot since then.

David Levithan: What was it like to rewind the world you'd built by sixty-four years? What were some of the touchstones you used to understand what this version of Panem would be?

Suzanne Collins: I really enjoyed going back in time to an earlier version of Panem and visiting the reconstruction period that followed the Dark Days. I thought a lot about the period after the Civil War here in the United States and also the post–World War II era in Europe. People trying to rebuild, to live their daily lives in the midst of the rubble. The challenges of food shortages, damaged infrastructure, confusion over how to proceed in peacetime. The relief that the war has ended coupled with the bitterness toward the wartime enemy. The need to place blame.

David Levithan: What about the early Hunger Games?

Suzanne Collins: Even as the victor in the war, the Capitol wouldn't have had the time or resources for anything elaborate. They had to rebuild their city and the industries in the districts, so the arena really is an old sports arena. They just threw in the kids and the weapons and turned on the cameras. The 10th Hunger Games is where it all blows wide open, both figuratively and literally.

David Levithan: What was it like to have to dial back a character you created in his late maturity and then to rethink him as an eighteen-year-old?

Suzanne Collins: Well, I thought about Wordsworth's line, "The Child is father of the Man." The groundwork for the aging President Snow of the trilogy was laid in childhood. Then there's Locke, who's all over this book, with his theory of tabula rasa, or blank slate, in which we're all products of our experiences. Snow's authoritarian convictions grew out of the experiences of his childhood, as did his complicated relationships with mockingjays, food, the Hunger Games, District 12, District 13, and women. So, you rewind and plant the seeds.

But given all that, you still need to leave room for Snow's personality. Is he a product of nature or nurture? Everyone of his generation experienced trauma, loss, and deprivation. And yet Sejanus, Tigris, Lucy Gray, and Lysistrata turned out very differently.

For whatever reason, Snow has a very controlling personality. Then he experiences one of the most out-of-control emotions, falling in love. It turns out to be a bad combination.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes book cover

About The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will revisit the world of Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games.

About Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games:

Bestselling author Suzanne Collins first made her mark in children's literature with the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles fantasy series for middle grade readers.

She continued to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age with The Hunger Games Trilogy. The Hunger Games (2008) was an instant bestseller, appealing to both teen readers and adults. It was called "addictive" by Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly, and "brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced" by John Green in the New York Times Book Review. The book appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 260 consecutive weeks (more than five consecutive years), and there are more than 100 million copies of all three books in the trilogy─The Hunger Games, Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010)─in print and digital formats worldwide.

Foreign publishing rights for The Hunger Games Trilogy have been sold in 54 languages to 52 territories to date.

In 2012 Lionsgate launched the first of four films based on the novels, starring Jennifer Lawrence. To date, the franchise has earned nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office.

In 2010 Suzanne Collins was named to the TIME 100 list as well as the Entertainment Weekly Entertainers of the Year list; in 2011 Fast Company named her to their 100 Most Creative People in Business; and in 2016 she was presented the 2016 Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community for exemplifying the unique power of young people's literature to change lives and to create lifelong book lovers. It was the first time the Guild presented its annual award to a YA author.

The Atlantic called Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen, "the most important female character in recent pop culture history," and TIME Magazine named Katniss to its list of "The 100 Most influential People Who Never Lived."

On The Hunger Games trilogy, The New York Times Book Review wrote, "At its best the trilogy channels the political passion of 1984, the memorable violence of A Clockwork Orange, the imaginative ambience of The Chronicles of Narnia and the detailed inventiveness of Harry Potter."

SOURCE: Scholastic

18 May 2020

Comedy in Quarantine: How BLAZO!! And NJ Comedy Syndicate Are Using Technology and Creativity to Thrive During COVID-19

by Loup Dargent May 18, 2020

Eating Funny - A food review parody show

When the pandemic prevented NJ Comedy group BLAZO!! and their NJ Comedy Syndicate comedians from shooting their fast food review parody show Eating Funny on location, they challenged themselves to overcome the limitations. They turned to imagination and innovation, leveraging technology, and their effort is paying off. The show is tackling quarantine issues directly, and the approach is resonating: views and engagement are higher than ever before.

"I'm really excited at just how much encouragement, and engagement, we are getting from integrating quarantine issues into our comedy," says BLAZO!! founder Bo Blaze. "Really, any YouTube creator can turn a challenging situation into something positive by taking advantage of simple, free technology and using their imagination to slant things in a "quarantine funny" way. The most important thing is not to give up and wait for things to change. They may not change for a long time, so adapt."

Eating Funny is a show is about a delusional, spoiled Millennial who is abusive to his butler and thinks everyone is interested in his fast food reviews. When the NJ Comedy Syndicate comedians realized they could not shoot together, let alone on location, they imagined how the actual characters on the show would handle it – bringing a very real, very funny angle to the episodes.

Eating Funny - A food review parody show (screengrab)

The "quarantine comedy" includes passing food and even a punch in the mouth through the television, mailing food via the nonexistent FedEX Uber Eats Instant delivery service, and the butler wearing PPE in the restaurant – where nobody can understand his through-the-mask requests.

"We were really excited to see that SNL and American Idol did such an amazing job of continuing their programming during the quarantine. We really admire what they're doing and hope it inspires creators of every size to do the same," says Blaze. "We love what we do, and we intend to keep making content regardless of pandemic limitations."

Video: Episode #7

For more information on Eating Funny, visit the show's YouTube Channel

SOURCE: BLAZO!!

14 May 2020

Entertainment Related, Humour/Humor, Miscellaneous, Movies Related, News Related, Science Fiction Related, Trailers, Video-clips

Director of "Synthetic Love", Vasyl Moskalenko, Creates Super-Hero Short-Movie in Covid-19 Lockdown on One Dollar Budget [Video Included]

by Loup Dargent May 14, 2020

Director of "Synthetic Love", Vasyl Moskalenko, Creates Super-Hero Short-Movie in Covid-19 Lockdown on One Dollar Budget (screengrab)

Ukrainian film-director Vasyl Moskalenko has filmed a superhero movie, Apple-Man, in his own 150 square feet bedroom, with only two people on set and on a one dollar budget, during Covid-19 lockdown,

The voiceover for Apple-Man was also provided by Marvel VO actor, Stefan Ashton Frank.

The main idea of the project is to demonstrate that it's possible to stay creative even when spending lockdown in a single room and also that it`s still important to stay safe during this time.

The Director played all twelve characters in the movie, while the other person on set was the Director of Photography, Volodymyr Kratinov. Almost all props and costumes were comprised of items Vasyl found in his own kitchen.

The voiceover for Apple-Man was completed by Stefan Ashton Frank, who worked on the VO for Need for Speed and the Call of Duty videogame series (along with Jason Statham and Gary Oldman). In Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Ashton Frank voiced the characters of Groot and Green Goblin.

Right now Vasyl Moskalenko has a plan to do a 90-minute feature film version of Apple-Man and is seeking a producer and co-investor.

"I spent one dollar to make a short movie," the director said. "Now I have a plan to make a 90-minute feature film version of Apple-Man. I want to add more SGI, action and hire American actors and actresses for VO of the super-hero characters, such as Apple-girl and Captain Cabbage."

The Apple-man trailer received more than 300 000 views within the few hours on one of the Instagram pages that reposted it.

"We have had amazing feedback about the project from people all over the world," says Vasyl. "This support makes me think Apple-Man has good potential. I want to release the movie on digital VOD platform, such as Netflix or Amazon next."

Vasyl Moskalenko - Director of Movie, "Synthetic Love" - Creates Super-Hero Short-Movie in Covid-19 Lockdown on One Dollar Budget

Vasyl Moskalenko (image via IMDb)

About Vasyl Moskalenko:

Vasyl Moskalenko is the director of the movie, "Synthetic Love", which received 20 festival awards in USA, Canada and Great Britain. He also directed numerous TV-shows in Ukraine in 2012-2018.

Besides Apple-Man, he is currently working on a horror movie, "The Chernobyl Fallout". The project was presented at the European Film Market during the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale), in 2020.

The Video:

SOURCE: Moskalenko Studios

13 May 2020

World Health Organization Announces The Launch of The WHO Academy and The WHO Info Mobile Apps

by Loup Dargent May 13, 2020

WHO announces the launch of the WHO Academy app designed to support health workers during COVID-19, and the WHO Info app designed to inform the general public.

Today, the WHO Academy, World Health Organization’s lifelong learning centre, launched a mobile app designed to enable health workers to expand their life-saving skills to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The app provides health workers with mobile access to a wealth of COVID-19 knowledge resources, developed by WHO, that include up-to-the-minute guidance, tools, training, and virtual workshops that will help them care for COVID-19 patients and protect themselves.

“With this new mobile app, the WHO is putting the power of learning and knowledge-sharing directly into the hands of health workers everywhere,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

The app is built around the needs expressed by 20,000 global health workers in a WHO Academy survey conducted in March of 2020.

The survey found that two-thirds of respondents feel they need to be more prepared, particularly in infection prevention and control, case management, use of personal protective equipment and occupational safety, and risk communication and community engagement.

An overwhelming majority of respondents said virtual learning on demand would be helpful in preparing for COVID-19 challenges.

The establishment of the WHO Academy, based in Lyon, France, is planned for launch in May 2021. The state-of-the-art lifelong learning centre, will apply the latest technologies and adult learning science to meet the learning needs of millions of health workers, policy makers, and WHO staff around the world.

The application is available for free download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Arabic Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

You can also learn more about the WHO Academy here.

The WHO Info App.

Also today, WHO will launch the WHO Info app which will give millions of people real-time mobile access to the latest news and developments. WHO has developed the app from the ground up with an intuitive user-interface and a clean, smart design. From the COVID-19 front, the WHO Info app will provide the latest WHO initiatives, partnerships, and to up-to-date information on the race to find medicines and vaccines for fighting the disease. The number of COVID-19 cases, organized by country, and by timelines, are continually updated in the app from the official WHO COVID-19 data streams.

The WHO Info app is available for free download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store

SOURCE: World Health Organization (WHO)

12 May 2020

Campaigns, COVID-19 Related, Environment Related, Health Related, Miscellaneous, Politically Yours, Social Networking

Covid-19: Sign the Letter for a Green Recovery

by Loup Dargent May 12, 2020

These three women have the power to make it happen: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Europe’s top banker Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (image via Avaaz)

Dear friends,

In days, Europe could put forward a bold, green Corona recovery plan that would be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world -- but big polluters and coal-loving governments are trying to derail it!

To fight back, Avaaz is joining a massive group of influential politicians, scientists, academics, business leaders and civil society, to back an ambitious green recovery for Europe.

And these three women have the power to make it happen: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Europe’s top banker Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Let’s embolden them with 1 million signatures from all corners of the world, making sure they stay strong, face down the lobbyists and lead us towards the green future we need.

Join now with one click -- in days, key parliamentarians will deliver our voices straight to Europe’s leaders and the media!

ADD MY NAME

To Commission President von der Leyen, Chancellor Merkel, Christine Lagarde and all EU leaders:
You’ve got the power to lead Europe and the world out of the dark days of this pandemic towards a brighter, greener future.

You can make the Green Deal our Recovery Deal by investing hundreds of billions a year to create green jobs and make our economies clean and fair. We count on you to put a climate bank and a climate budget at its heart, and ensure that all money is spent in line with the Paris agreement. It is time to move away from dirty fossil fuels, tax large corporate profits, and unleash the clean energy revolution we so desperately need.

Together, we are strong enough to fight back and recover from this virus. We are generous enough to ensure no one is left behind. And we are wise enough to ensure this recovery does not lay the foundations for even worse climate crises in the future.

ADD MY NAME

With hope for the future,

Loup Dargent

On behalf of Luis, Alice, Pascal, Patricia, Bert, and the whole Avaaz team

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8 May 2020

4 Steps to Controlling Your Anger Triggers

by Loup Dargent May 08, 2020

4 Steps to Controlling Your Anger Triggers

Everyone has their own little quirks. Things that make them irritated, frustrating, or downright angry. You could probably list your own triggers right now—little stuff like clutter or having to wait around. Maybe you can’t stand a particular word or phrase, or you find it impossible to work if there’s noise. The thing about triggers is that they’re often small things that tip you over the edge, and before you know it, you’ve lost your temper over something that in the scheme of things, doesn’t really matter.

Here are four steps you can take to manage your anger triggers better:

Take control

The first thing is to realize that you are totally in control of how you react. Work out what your triggers are, and you can take your power back. You can anticipate and plan for situations where you know you’re likely to blow your top.

Learn to read your body

Be conscious of how your anger manifests in your body. Likely your heart rate will go up, or your hands and jaw will clench. You might feel breathless or even get a stomachache. Tune into what your body is telling you, and you’ll learn to be able to stop the process of reacting. And remember the feelings themselves aren’t ‘bad’ but how you choose to respond to those feelings can be harmful, even destructive.

Instead of sweeping the papers off your desk onto the floor, or yelling, take a deep breath or go for a walk. Feeling triggered is often a result of low blood sugar, fatigue, or dehydration. Taking care of your physical needs can help you manage your emotional needs as well and make you more resilient to stresses and triggers.

Identify what triggered you

Once you can interrupt the trigger response, you can start to work out what it was that set it off in the first place. Did you feel disrespected? Unheard? Were you mistreated or misunderstood? If someone pushed in front of you in the coffee line, what did that signal to you? That your needs aren’t important?

What about if someone talks over you or interrupts in a meeting? As well as being rude, you could feel sidelined, humiliated even.

Choose your plan of action

Whatever your triggers might be, it’s totally up to you how you react. You can anticipate how you might feel and what you might do or say in response. Take a deep breath, detach from the situation, and focus on how you want to feel. You can choose to stay calm in triggering situations – it’s up to you.

7 May 2020

Thought-Provoking Short Film by Falls Encourages Appreciation for Life's Precious Moments During Pandemic and Beyond [Video Included]

by Loup Dargent May 07, 2020

Thought-Provoking Short Film by Falls Encourages Appreciation for Life's Precious Moments During Pandemic and Beyond

In this time of uncertainty, Falls, an integrated marketing, advertising and digital agency, released "Looking back on COVID-19," a short film that depicts the life-changing experiences during this pandemic.

Produced in-house by the firm's creative team, the piece portrays the unexpected and rawness, and the vulnerability and humility of this moment in time. It paints a picture of what will be only distant memories when life returns to "normal."

"After some reflection, our team wanted to express a different perspective…to produce something that looked ahead, but by doing so — looked back," said Rob Falls, president and CEO of Falls. "We thought about someday — all of this will all be over. And time will pass. And, of course, we will remember the suffering, the personal losses and the separation from each other. However, we hope we will all remember what we learned from the togetherness, the ways in which we coped, and the selfless actions and sacrifices made to help others."

Thought-Provoking Short Film by Falls Encourages Appreciation for Life's Precious Moments During Pandemic and Beyond

In the opening scene, an all-too-common view of empty downtown streets, usually bustling — and quieted only by the stunning silence of social distancing — comes into view.
"What will you remember?" the narrator asks. He goes on to recount the ways we have persevered together and kept others safe while staying apart; the ways we have passed the time; the ways we have become teachers and tech experts; the ways we have learned to appreciate those who are essential to our lives; and the ways we've come to accept our new normal.

Echoing the sentiments shared by the narrator at the conclusion of the film, Falls reflected, "When we look back, we hope we will learn, and never forget. Learn what is truly important to each of us…and remember."

The Video:

SOURCE: Falls

27 May 2020

About SPJA:

About Anime Expo:

25 May 2020

1. Contradictory beliefs

2. Overriding suspicion

3. Nefarious intent

4. Conviction that something’s wrong

5. Persecuted victim

6. Immunity to evidence

7. Reinterpreting randomness

Critical thinking is the antidote

About Today's Contributors:

21 May 2020

The Promotional Trailer:

About Red Nose Day USA:

19 May 2020

The Interview:

About The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes:

About Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games:

18 May 2020

Video: Episode #7

14 May 2020

About Vasyl Moskalenko:

The Video:

13 May 2020

The WHO Info App.

12 May 2020

MORE INFORMATION:

Search Results

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8 May 2020

Take control

Learn to read your body

Identify what triggered you

Choose your plan of action

7 May 2020

The Video:

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