Subversive Habits: The Untold Story of Black Catholic Nuns in the U.S.

Sisters of the Holy Family, New Orleans, La., cir. 1899. It is the second order of African American Nuns founded in the United States. (PRNewsFoto/Loyola Marymount University)

Few have heard the epic story of the Catholic church's most hidden members – its black nuns – who faced prejudice both inside and outside of the church.

Although the longstanding practices of racial segregation and exclusion in the U.S. Church kept their numbers statistically insignificant through the 20th century, African-American Catholic sisters pioneered religious life for African-Americans.

Frank D'Angelo's Sicilian Vampire Gets Green Light For Theatrical Release

The news was just released that Frank D'Angelo's feature film Sicilian Vampire will have its theatrical release in Canada and USA at the end of February, with Europe soon to follow.

"Everybody has been asking when Sicilian Vampire is coming to theatres" says Frank D'Angelo. "The film has only been shown at film festivals and it's been the most talked about film everywhere. The anticipation from the public to see this movie in theatres is overwhelming." 

From The Revenant To Mad Max: Why We All Love A Story Of Survival

20th Century Fox

By Catherine Redford, University of Oxford

Quickly scan this year’s film award lists and a strong theme emerges: survival. In fact, the three films with the most Oscar nominations are all about survival. There’s The Revenant (with 12 nominations), in which Leonardo DiCaprio fights to survive alone in a fierce environment after enduring a bear attack and being buried alive. Mad Max: Fury Road (with ten nominations) features Tom Hardy as a weird loner in a post-apocalyptic desert, attempting to avoid being used as a “blood bag” by its vampiric inhabitants. Finally, in The Martian (seven nominations), Matt Damon plays an astronaut who, left alone on Mars, must work out how to survive in an utterly uninhabitable environment long enough to be rescued.

All three films, then, depict figures battling to survive in hostile and seemingly hopeless conditions. Whether isolated mentally by the breakdown of society, or physically in the desolate landscapes of the wilderness and Mars, these men are united by an impulse to live on when hope seems lost.

Notorious Pro-Bernie Sanders PAC Strikes Back with Political Satire Comic Series in New York Times Square

Americans Socially United #VOTEFIREMAN2016 #BETONBERNIE
(PRNewsFoto/Politician Watch Association)

Americans Socially United Director Cary Lee Peterson talks with PoliWatch about 2016 PAC activities leading to Primary Election

Hands down Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders is leading in the Iowa and New Hampshire polls, which may have Hillary Clinton's team on the edge of their seat. Nonetheless, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) remains abundant with support from a political committee Americans Socially United that started this time a year ago before he announced his official candidacy for the presidential race.

The Evolution Of The Batmobile [Infographic]

Holy Batmobile's History, Batman!

Today's amazing infographic (courtesy of the team at BookMyGarage.com) details the history of the Caped Crusader's iconic car from its earliest incarnation to the very latest version...

Surprisingly enough, it was not until the 1966 TV series that the first real Batmobile appeared. (In the 1930s and early 40s Batman’s car was just a bulk standard red convertible with elongated wings and a bat emblem on the front.)

The 1966s TV series' Batmobile was actually a converted Ford Lincoln Futura, which was a concept car that never made onto the forecourt. But, it only took three weeks for the car to be transformed into a vehicle that was fit for a mysterious masked crime fighter.

Since then, the Batmobile has evolved and been brought up to date many times to appeal to each new generation.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent





About Today's Infographic:
The Evolution of the Batmobile by BookMyGarage 

One Million Dollars Donated To Children In Quebec To Help Fight Against Hunger

Karine Sahakian - Policy Advisor of M. Fayçal El-Khoury, Member of Parliament for Laval-les-îles, Kathleen Gagnon – General manager at Centre de bénévolat et moisson Laval, Christiane Yoakim - Municipal Councillor for Val-des-Arbre’s district, Angelo Iacono - Member of Parliament for Alfred-Pellan, Francine Charbonneau - Québec’s Minister of Families, Minister responsible for Seniors, Minister responsible for Anti-Bullying, Minister responsible for the Laval region and MNA for Mille-Îles, Catia Pucci – Project Manager at Centre de bénévolat et moisson Laval, Louise Lortie - President of the Laval School Board, Guy St-Pierre - Vice President for Maxi, Maxi & Cie, Sylvie Piché – School Principal of Bois-Joli, Marc Demers, Laval Mayor, Marie-José Mastromonaco - Regional Manager for Breakfast for Learning, Vicken Darakdjian - Policy Advisor of Eva Nassif, Member of Parliament for Vimy, as well as students of Bois-Joli School. (CNW Group/Loblaw Companies Limited)

The President's Choice® Children's Charity comes to the aid of Breakfast for Learning

President's Choice® Children's Charity announced, 2 days ago, that it is making a donation of one million dollars to non-profit organization Breakfast for Learning in order to support 29,371 children in Quebec. This money will be invested towards developing, implementing and supporting healthy eating programs in schools by offering 4,956,263 breakfasts, lunches and snacks to kids in need.

Can The X-Files Survive Today? The Truth Is Out There ...

The X-Files/Channel Five

By James Walters, University of Birmingham

The return of The X-Files to television screens after a 14-year absence was met with justifiable excitement and trepidation. It was an important show, combining Twilight Zone-style fantasy with humour, drama and emotion. The X-Files took its subject matter seriously, and was taken seriously by viewers. Along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which aired at roughly the same time, it might well be seen as a precursor to titles like True Blood, Heroes, Game of Thrones or the relaunched Doctor Who. The X-Files was a template for shows that take traditionally wild or outlandish narrative themes and approach them with the kind of sincerity more usually found in “quality” television drama.

US: Calling All Marylanders! Take Back Your Summer by Supporting a Post-Labor Day School Start

This full page ad will run in select Maryland Publications over the course of the next week.
(PRNewsFoto/Marylanders for a Longer Summer)

Click on image to see it in all its glory.

Marylanders for a Longer Summer is launching a new campaign for Maryland residents to reclaim their summer vacations by supporting a post-Labor Day start to the school year.

The campaign will feature full page ads that will run during the next week in Maryland publications, including: The Washington Post, The Capital Gazette, Baltimore Sun, Carroll County Times, Cumberland Times-News, Easton Star Democrat, Frederick News-Post, Hagerstown Herald-Mail and Salisbury Daily Times.

Canada: New Online Resources To Help Adults Understand Challenges Facing Young People Today Launched

From left to right: Julie Dionne, Marketing Manager – Boston Pizza Quebec; Suzanne Duff, Quebec Regional Director – Kids Help Phone; Susan Hallsworth, Director, Corporate Development - Kids Help Phone; Andréanne Deschamps, Senior Clinical Manager – Kids Help Phone; Alain Piché, Franchisee for Boston Pizza Joliette, Ste- Thérèse, St- Jérôme; Daniel Harvey, Regional vice-president - Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects; Cheryl Treliving, Executive Director - Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects; Dany Vachon, Franchisee ‎for Boston Pizza Lachenaie, Anjou et Lasalle; Luc Plante, director - Collège d’Anjou; Stéphanie Lajoie, responsable de la vie scolaire - collège d’Anjou; Frédéric Desjardins responsable pédagogique - collège d’Anjou; Michelle Schepel, Manager of Partnerships and Programs - Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects; Gabrielle Laroche-Stephen, Senior Marketing Manager - Boston Pizza (CNW Group/Kids Help Phone)

Yesterday, with the financial support from the Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects, Kids Help Phone has launched new online resources targeted at parents and adults, to help them understand and care for the young people in their lives.

"We know that bullying, emotional health and online safety can sometimes be hard for parents and children to talk about – parents might not know how to start the conversation, or have the information they need to have a discussion, and young people can feel overwhelmed or hopeless and reluctant to ask for help," said Sharon Wood, President and CEO, Kids Help Phone.

"These new resources act to bridge this gap by providing parents and adults with practical tips on how to talk about some of the most common challenges facing young people today."

As Canada's only national helpline for young people, Kids Help Phone is committed to improving the well-being of youth, and informing and empowering parents and adults is another great way the organization has identified to accomplish its mission.

Woody Guthrie, 'Old Man Trump' And A Real Estate Empire's Racist Foundations

Woody Guthrie lived in Fred Trump’s Beach Haven apartment complex for two years. Nick Lehr/The Conversation

By Will Kaufman, University of Central Lancashire

In December 1950, Woody Guthrie signed his name to the lease of a new apartment in Brooklyn. Even now, over half a century later, that uninspiring document prompts a double-take.

Below all the legal jargon is the signature of the man who had composed “This Land Is Your Land,” the most resounding appeal to an equal share for all in America. Below that is the signature of Donald Trump’s father, Fred. No pairing could appear more unlikely.

Guthrie’s two-year tenancy in one of Fred Trump’s buildings and his relationship with the real estate mogul of New York’s outer boroughs produced some of Guthrie’s most bitter writings, which I discovered on a recent trip to the Woody Guthrie Archives in Tulsa. These writings have never before been published; they should be, for they clearly pit America’s national balladeer against the racist foundations of the Trump real estate empire.

Recalling these foundations becomes all the more relevant in the wake of the racially charged proclamations of Donald Trump, who last year announced, “My legacy has its roots in my father’s legacy.”

All-Female Activist Berklee Band Raising Money For Concept Album About Fighting Oppression

All-Female Activist Band Flight of Fire, From Berklee College of Music
(PRNewsFoto/Flight of Fire)

Flight of Fire's third album will center on themes of trauma recovery and fighting back against abuse, complete with an a-list team of industry professionals

Flight of Fire an all-female, Berklee College of Music-educated band that was formed in 2009.  Flight of Fire were named New England Music Awards' "Last Band Standing" Boston Finalists in November 2015, Hard Rock Rising Boston City-Wide Champions in April 2015, and were Winners of the 2013 Fox Rocks Bon Jovi Contest to Open For Bon Jovi At Ford Field, Detroit. 

Flight of Fire founded The Stolen Voices Project, a multimedia awareness project about acquaintance rape, filmed at Berklee, with 56 singers and performers from 7 Bostonarea schools as well as Boston community members. 

The project seeks to illuminate the issues surrounding acquaintance rape and consent and was created in cooperation with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and Hollaback Boston.

Knopf To Publish Book By Journalist Nancy Jo Sales About Teenage Girls And Social Media

Knopf to Publish Book by Journalist Nancy Jo Sales about Teenage Girls and Social Media

Next month Knopf will release a new book about social media and its impact on the lives of today's youth. Written by Nancy Jo Sales, and based on reporting she has done over the past 30 months, AMERICAN GIRLS: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, will go on sale February 23 with a first printing of 150,000 copies. It will also be available as an eBook and from Random House Audio. First serial rights have been sold to Time Magazine.