14 Year Fox News Contributor Tobin Smith and Filmmaker Jen Senko Launch "FIGHT BACK AGAINST FOX NEWS" Crowdfunding Campaign to Publish Book "Fear & UnBalanced" & Distribute "The Brainwashing of My Dad" Documentary

Fight Back Against Fox News

Tobin Smith, a 14 year weekly Fox News on-air veteran contributor, and filmmaker Jen Senko, the writer/director of the acclaimed documentary film "The Brainwashing of My Dad" have joined forces to launch the "Fight Back Against Fox News NOW" public awareness and crowdfunding campaign to:

• Expose the hidden tactics used by FNC producers and Mr. Smith in over 1500 panel on-air opinion debate segments to orchestrate the outcomes of FNC opinion debate programming for the benefit of conservative commentators
• Build public & legislative awareness for recent public health research reports published by Brigham Young University & UC San Francisco that report lethal 45-50% higher rates of premature death for 60+ aged Americans that report high levels of social estrangement and chronic loneliness. ➧The MEDIAN age of a Fox News viewer age is reported by Nielsen to be 68 and the average 70+ aged American watches 50 HOURS of television a week.

"Fair & Unbalanced: Confessions of a Fox News Hitman" - Book cover

Mr. Smith and Ms. Senko's current Fight Back Against Fox News campaign crowdfunding on Indiegogo has raised nearly $7,000 from 130+ backers since November 2 to finance the publication and pre-sell Mr. Smith's tell-all book "Fair & Unbalanced: Confessions of a Fox News Hitman" which will reveal untold and irrefutable evidence that pulls the curtain back on Fox News' promise of "fair and balanced" opinion programming that Mr. Smith participated in that was in fact a rigged outcome production in favor of the conservative partisan commentators.

The campaign will also widely distribute to campaign donors the acclaimed Fox News addiction documentary "The Brainwashing of My Dad" written/directed by Jen Senko and produced by Matthew Modine and Adam Rackoff which details the family damage caused by her elderly father's addiction to Fox News and his hyper-partisan radicalization that resulted from watching 40-50 hours of Fox News programming per week.

Said Mr. Smith, "I didn't understand the scope and magnitude of what I have come to call "Fox News Derangement Syndrome" until I saw Jen Senko's powerful eye-opening documentary "The Brainwashing of My Dad" in early 2017. Later I published my own "Fear & Unbalanced: Confessions of a Fox News Hitman" book preview on Medium.com which received over 120,000 visitors in May 2017. That viral traffic proved to me how extensive concern is over Fox News based hyper-partisan radicalization that has grown exponentially since the launch of Fox News in 1996."

He continued "But it was only after I read hundreds of emails from estranged sons and daughters, brothers and sisters of radicalized parent(s) or family members addicted to Fox News that I really understood the poisonous effect on previously healthy families that results from Fox News Derangement Syndrome."

➧Part of the funds raised for Fight Back Against Fox News crowdfunding campaign will be allocated to launch a public health research project to measure the degree of direct correlation between senior aged family/friend estrangement and lethal rates of chronic loneliness in 60+ aged seniors who watch more than 20 hours of Fox News a week.

"The Brainwashing of My Dad" - Poster

About "The Brainwashing of My Dad" :
(via thebrainwashingofmydad.com)

WAS HILLARY CLINTON CRAZY WHEN SHE SPOKE OF THE “VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY,” RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RELENTLESS AND COSTLY ATTACKS AGAINST HER HUSBAND, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON?

As filmmaker, Jen Senko, tries to understand the transformation of her father from a non political, life-long Democrat to an angry, right-wing fanatic, she uncovers the forces behind the media that changed him completely: a plan by Roger Ailes under Nixon for a media takeover by the GOP, The Powell Memo urging business leaders to influence institutions of public opinion -especially the universities, the media and the courts, and under Reagan, the dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine, and The Telecommunications 'Reform' Act signed by Bill Clinton.

As her journey continues, we discover that her father is part of a much broader demographic, and that the story is one that affects us all.

Through interviews with media luminaries, cognitive linguists, grassroots activist groups such as: Noam Chomsky, Steve Rendall, Jeff Cohen, Eric Boehlert, George Lakoff, Carol Wallin from STOP RUSH, HearYourselfThink, Claire Conner and others, “Brainwashing” unravels the plan to shift the country to the Right over the last 30 years, largely through media manipulation. The result has lead to fewer voices, less diversity of opinion, massive intentional misinformation and greater division of our country.

This documentary shines a light on how it happened (and is still happening) and leads to questions about who owns the airwaves, what rights we have as listeners/watchers and what responsibility does our government have to keep the airwaves truly fair, accurate and accountable to the truth.

SOURCE: Fight Back Against Fox News

Bonus Videos:

New Book for 25th Anniversary of X-Men: The Animated Series Reveals Struggle Which Launched One of TV's Most Successful Saturday Morning Superhero Shows.

'Previously On X-Men' - book cover.

X-Men, which ran five seasons on Fox-TV (1992-95), garnered exceptionally high ratings for a Saturday morning cartoon, and earned worldwide critical praise for its dark, serious nature. 

➧The new book Previously on X-Men celebrates the 25th anniversary of the show. 

Co-developer and head writer Eric Lewald provides an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the struggles to launch the series and maintain both the quality and themes of the comic books.

X-Men: The Animated Series -  promotional image.

According to Lewald, X-Men: TAS was "the single most successful animated action-adventure series of the last 25 years," both in America and throughout the world. 

He adds, "The series has played in syndication nearly non-stop over the 20 years since it finished its network run, and all five [seasons] of its DVDs are Amazon bestsellers."

But it was not an easy sell to television. "Even a modest-budgeted 'kids show' is a multi-million-dollar risk," Lewald explains. "Network executives must believe they can get a large audience to be profitable, or their jobs – or even the existence of a smaller network – could be in jeopardy. From 1966 to 1989, there had been 11 attempts at Marvel TV series; none were hits. On top of that, the networks' recent successes had been young, light, and funny. X-Men: TAS was older, dark, and intense."

The X-Men Reading 'Previously on X-Men' (Image via xmentas.com)

➧Despite this, Fox-TV decided to take a chance with X-Men. The creative staff's biggest challenge was to remain faithful to the comic books. 

According to Lewald, "For a century, Hollywood told heroic comic-book stories as cheap, short kiddie diversions. As comics evolved in the '70s and '80s into a far more serious storytelling form, Hollywood hadn't noticed. Like Star Trek or Sherlock Holmes, the X-Men had millions of fans, so Mark Edens – who laid out the first 26 stories with me – and I felt a duty to the world of the X-Men to retain its spirit. Luckily, the people with the most say on the project backed us, allowing us to keep the integrity of our vision. Without their support, X-Men could have ended up being X-Babies!

We showed superheroes as realistic adult characters in serious dramas. This was a risk, but the resulting worldwide success helped expand the audience who appreciated the comic books into the hundreds of millions who watched our show.

There were no Marvel movies before our series, despite their success as comics. In the 20 years since we finished our network run in 1997, 'Marvel superhero' has become the most successful category of movies in the world – jumpstarted, appropriately, by the first X-Men movie in 2000. Much as westerns, musicals, and crime dramas had been for decades, 'superhero' is now its own movie and TV genre. X-Men: TAS blazed that trail."

• The new 450-page hardback, Previously on X-Men, is published by Jacobs/Brown Press.

SOURCE: Jacobs/Brown Press

The 'Previously on X-Men' Matching Bookmarkers (image via jacobsbrownmediagroup.com)

Bonus Video:

UK: Let's Stop that Heartless Animal Vote!

A Lamb (image via Avaaz.org)

Dear friends across Britain,

MPs just voted that animals can't feel emotions or pain. It's our government at its most cruel and heartless -- but a massive outcry from the public can overturn this outrage.

EU law protects animal welfare, but as we fumble towards Brexit Britain, MPs just voted to remove this vital safeguard, reducing animals to deaf and dumb creatures that exist purely for our benefit.

The vote narrowly passed in parliament and will go to the Lords -- that’s our chance. If we can create a massive outcry from right across the country, we can give the Lords the backing they need to reject this heartless amendment. 

Add your name, with one click, and tell everyone: 

⏩Lords: Stop the Heartless Animal Vote!⏪

To the House of Lords:

"As citizens across Britain, we are horrified by the parliamentary vote that animals aren’t sentient beings. The vote strips animals of the rights they had under EU law -- and so we urge you to amend the EU Withdrawal Bill when it comes to the House of Lords." 

⏩Lords: Stop the Heartless Animal Vote!⏪

Wagging tails, excited little lambs, cats that nuzzle your arm -- it’s obvious to everyone that animals have feelings and are aware of their surroundings. It’s been proven in over 2,500 scientific studies.

There can only be one reason to deny animal sentience, and that’s to exploit them. Strip away that recognition and there’s no reason to worry about animal testing, barbaric hunting games, and gruesome slaughterhouses. But we won’t have it.

When this bill arrives at the Lords, let’s make sure they have the backing they need to overturn this outrage -- we need to make it massive! Let’s show our government want compassion and humanity looks like -- sign now with one click!

⏩Lords: Stop the Heartless Animal Vote!⏪

There are many beliefs that unite our community across the world, but surely one of the most beautiful is the understanding that we don’t own or rule the planet -- we share it with every other being. It’s why time and again we’ve risen to the challenge of defending animals around the world. Let’s make sure this time isn’t any different.

With hope and determination,

Loup Dargent

On behalf of Mike, Alex, Antonia, Bert and the whole team at Avaaz

One cute baby fox (image via cornwalllive.com)

More information:

• MPs vote 'that animals cannot feel pain or emotions' into the Brexit bill (Independent)
• Yes, Animals Think And Feel. Here's How We Know (National Geographic)
• After 2,500 Studies, It's Time to Declare Animal Sentience Proven (Live Science)

In An Extraordinary Event, Eight Eurythmics Albums Will Be Released On Vinyl In 2018

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Photo Credit: Lewis Ziolek)

One of the most revered and respected pop groups of the 1980s, Eurythmics, with over 20 international hits and 80 million albums sold, is in the spotlight once again, both for their nomination for the 2018 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the impending re-release of their eight studio albums on vinyl. 

Spanning their entire career, the albums will be released by RCA/Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment between April and October 2018, starting with In The Garden (1981), Sweet Dreams (1983) and Touch (1983) on April 13, 2018, followed by Be Yourself Tonight (1985), Revenge (1986) and Savage (1987) in July 2018 and We Too Are One (1989) and Peace (1999) in October 2018. 

• This will be the first time that Peace will be available on vinyl, as the original release was only available in two formats: CD and cassette.

➧These vinyl titles are available for pre-order now: smarturl.it/EU_Vinylamz

Also new from Eurythmics: an 11-minute unique video "Eurythmix" retrospective compiled and mixed by DJ Earworm and sourced from 23 Eurythmics videos from 1983 to 2005. 

The songs included are: 

• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" 
• "Who's That Girl?" 
• "I Need a Man" 
• "(I Love to Listen to) Beethoven" 
• "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" 
• "Julia" 
• "Thorn In My Side" 
• "Love Is a Stranger" 
• "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" 
• "Revival" 
• "I Saved the World Today" 
• "Here Comes The Rain Again" 
• "Would I Lie to You?" 
• "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)" 
• "Angel" 
• "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
• "Missionary Man" 
• "When Tomorrow Comes" 
• "The King and Queen of America" 
• "17 Again" 
• "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" 
• "Don't Ask Me Why" 
• "I've Got a Life" 
• and a reprise of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"

"In the early '80s, videos were a new and innovative phenomena, offering musical artists the possibility to feature interpretations of their songs through the combined medium of moving imagery and sound," says Lennox. Eurythmics embraced this concept wholeheartedly as a fresh expression of the creative process which came naturally and easily to them. 

EURYTHMIX by EURYTHMICS is a brand-new long form video piece, using excerpts from their prolific creative outpouring throughout the years, representing the broadly eclectic range of the musical and visual legacy created by the duo. It is classic, timeless and visionary.

The Video:

.

Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox both have a long relationship with the vinyl format. 

"My dad blew my mind when I was six years old because he built his own Gramophone," says Stewart. "He had the albums for every Rodgers & Hammerstein musical and he switched his homebuilt record player on and you heard this crackling sound and then, 'Boom!' I remember walking to school singing 'I Enjoy Being a Girl.'"

"We had a pink, plastic Dansette record player," recalls Lennox. "Someone gave me some birthday money and the first record I bought was Mary Poppins. It was magical and wonderful. Before that, I used to visit my grandparents and they had a 78rpm record player. I'd go in the attic and find their box of records. I was entranced by The Merry Widow."

➧As for the release of the eight Eurythmics albums on vinyl, Annie calls the event "extraordinary." 

Dave adds, "To buy a vinyl album, you have to have a record player and you have to have speakers, and this is a great thing because that means people are going to listen to your music not on a cell phone, but they're going to listen to it out of a sound system, which is what we all did when we were growing up. The important thing about vinyl releases is that people buy them and actually put them on the turntable and listen to a side, because we chose the tracks to be played in a particular order, and that was really important."

"If you're doing a concert, it has to have a shape," Annie elaborates. "Otherwise, it's just disparate. So we gave a lot of thought to the order of the songs. Dave would write his order and I would write mine. We might shift a song but we would come to an agreement so the listening experience had a continuum on one side and then you would flip the album over."

As for the new vinyl releases, Stewart assures, "They will sound better. In the archives, we have the original half-inch masters, which have a fantastic sound. That's what we're going from, not the digital remasters where the sound has been compressed."

• Listening to the career-spanning set of eight albums, one realizes why Eurythmics were so acclaimed by critics and fans alike, and why they won so many awards, including an MTV Music Video Award for Best New Artist in 1984, a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 1987, three Ivor Novello Awards, a Brit Award in 1999 for Outstanding Contribution to British music (plus 10 more Brit Awards for Stewart and Lennox), a Silver Clef Award in 2000, as well as the duo's 2005 induction into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame and 26 ASCAP Awards to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" for most performed song of the year.

Now, Dave and Annie are enjoying their nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in America. 

"Being British, we never thought that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had anything to do with us," says Stewart. "So when we were nominated, we thought, 'What?!' And then we saw there were other British acts, like Depeche Mode and Dire Straits. They are incredible legends, and we're honored to be nominated." 

"It's lovely and flattering," adds Lennox. 

➧Fans can vote Eurythmics into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at: bit.ly/1-FanVote

➧The eight Eurythmics studio albums being released on vinyl in 2018 will all feature the original artwork, illustrations and liner notes.

SOURCE: Legacy Recordings

Bonus Videos:

"I Am So Sick Of White Guys: The Coloring Book Experience" Launches In Time For Christmas

“I am So Sick of White Guys: The Coloring Book Experience” launches in time for Christmas

"I am So Sick of White Guys: The Coloring Book Experience" has launched just in time to hit the Christmas stockings of frustrated Americans everywhere. In fact, the political and social situation has become so confounding that even white guys are now sick of white guys!

Authors Jim Corbett and Tim Jones worked with artist Steve Hartley (all from just north of Seattle) to create a collection of cleverly rendered images that clearly capture the current cultural climate and skewer some sacred cows from history, as well.

Each image is accompanied by witty, sarcastic and, yes, sometimes even snarky comments that just might be the elixir you need to help you cope with what is happening to the greatest democracy the world has ever known. (Remember when our elections were decided by that insane thing called the 'Electoral College,' instead of that even more insane thing called, 'Russia?')

Are you tired of whiny white guys complaining that their gigantic piece of the pie is now being nibbled away by interlopers of other colors, races, creeds, non-creeds and even by people from an entirely different gender altogether? Well, it's about time! Are you offended by the 'Pedophiles for Jesus' wing of the Alabama Republican party? So are we! If you agree that the world is ready to hear from the many other voices that make up our multi-ethnic, multi-faceted society, and if you are getting less and less satisfaction from screaming at your TV, then I am So Sick of White Guys could be for you.

Some people have suggested this might not be a good time for a book such as this, but co-author Corbett disagrees saying, "There is a long and healthy tradition of political satire and parody in the United States, and we believe there is no better time than right now to make sure the voices of hatred and exclusivity are turned back."

Jones supported that sentiment pointing out that, "In order to make sure this book is not mistaken for a vehicle of intolerance, ten percent of the profits are being donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which devotes its efforts to opposing hate groups."

• The coloring book can be purchased for $10 on Amazon

SOURCE: Sick of White Guys, LLC

Duran Duran to Perform Special Concert in Miami Beach for SiriusXM

Duran Duran to Perform Special Concert in Miami Beach (Image via DuranDuran.com)

SiriusXM announced yesterday that GRAMMY Award-winning, iconic British band Duran Duran will perform a special invitation-only show for SiriusXM on Saturday, December 9 at the Faena Theater in Miami Beach.

• The exclusive performance for SiriusXM will feature Duran Duran playing signature music from throughout their career, including songs from their most recent, Top 10 charting studio album, Paper Gods. 

Donald Sutherland at the 2014 Art Basel Miami Beach (Image via HuffPost)

This very special performance for SiriusXM coincides with 2017's Art Basel in Miami Beach, the world renowned premier art show and gathering for Modern and contemporary art. It will also be the penultimate show on the band's two year Paper Gods World Tour before they return to the studio in January 2018.

"As long-time fans of SiriusXM, we are really looking forward to performing this special show at such a beautiful and intimate venue in Miami," remarked Duran Duran's John Taylor. "It's going to be an up close and personal affair, a truly one-of-a-kind evening, and we look forward to getting to know everyone who attends." 

"Duran Duran is one of those bands that has continued to deliver indelible music and style for decades," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. "This intimate concert for their most die-hard fans takes us back to the Faena Theater in the heart of Miami's South Beach. Duran Duran is a great way to kick off the holiday season with SiriusXM." 

• Duran Duran's special concert for SiriusXM in Miami is the latest exclusive performance for SiriusXM subscribers. Previous shows this year include Eagles at the Grand Ole Opry House, Dwight Yoakam at The Stephen Talkhouse, Guns N' Roses at the Apollo Theater and Chicago at Whisky a Go Go.

The private performance will air live on Saturday, December 9 via satellite on The Pulse (ch. 15) and 1st Wave (ch. 33) and through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com.

• SiriusXM subscribers since November 1, 2017 can enter for the chance to win a trip to Miami including airfare, hotel stay and a pair of tickets to the show! 

  ➧See Official Rules for complete details at siriusxm.com/DuranDuran

SiriusXM subscribers with streaming access can also listen to SiriusXM's 200+ channels at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Sony PlayStation, Sonos speakers and more. 

➧Go to SiriusXM to learn more.

• For more information on Duran Duran, visit duranduran.com.
• For more information on SiriusXM, please visit siriusxm.com.

Source: SiriusXM

Bonus Videos:

Proof that Britain is a Nation of Diversi-tea, With 24 Million Ways to Make a Cuppa... and a Bagful of Science in the Blending from Tetley

Academic James Hind (left) & Tetley Master Blender Sebastian Michaelis (right) examine the prefect blend (PRNewsfoto/Tetley)

The YouGov research, commissioned by Tetley Tea to mark its 180th birthday and analysed by mathematician Dr James Hind of Nottingham Trent University, factors in all possible variables when it's time to pop the kettle on.

From brew time, milk levels and dunking behaviour to sweetener choice, water (or milk) first and overall water temperature, the reality is that it all boils down to personal taste.

As for the most commonly drunk cuppa, this involves 60 seconds of brewing, a dash of cold semi-skimmed milk, three dunks of the teabag, no sugar, drunk hot from a mug and made by the drinker themselves.

But according to master tea blender, Sebastian Michaelis, whose taste buds are insured for £1m, all 24 million possible cuppas start with one perfect blend, revealing there is still science behind the art of the individual cuppa.

That's why he has spent months with Dr Hind in the Tetley tea rooms, where over 40,000 cups of tea are tasted every week, developing a mathematical equation for the perfect blend that is the basis for 24 million possible cuppas. 

Missy (Michelle Gomez) drinking tea  (Image via BBC)

The equation for the perfect blend:

Perfect Blend=Sin(Y114.5⁄)√ZB+CS(π−W)(5T⁄) 

• Y = years of experience (180 years for Tetley) 
• W = Weight of tea in the teabag (3.125 for Tetley) 
• T = duration of training for blenders (5 years for Tetley) 
• Z = Zing (1-30) 
• B = Body (1-30) 
• C = Colour (1-45) 
• S = Sparkle (1-50) 

The key variables centre on the process of perfecting a blend from crop to cup, including years (Y) of experience and weight (W) of tea in the teabag.

Also captured is the duration of training (T) for the master tea blenders and the colour (C), size and density of the leaf; the brew's purity of colour (its sparkle - S); the weight of the tea in the mouth (its body - B) and the overall liveliness of the tea on the palate (its zing - Z). 

Madame Vastra's Sontaran butler Strax serving tea (image via Horrorpedia)

Sebastian Michaelis comments: "What I found fascinating is that there are so many possible ways of making a cup of tea, but there is no secret method for the perfect cuppa. Everyone takes their tea a little differently, which is why no one can quite make it as perfectly as you. Whether you add milk or not, drink it weak or strong, what is crucial to a great cup of tea however is the blending. 

The complexity of the equation reflects the many layers required to craft the nation's favourite drink. Blending tea, like blending whisky or champagne, is both a science and an art. Tetley tea blenders spend five years training and honing our ability to be able to taste and grade any of the thousands of different varieties of tea in the world in just 15 seconds. 

Without the right balance of flavours, brightness and body, your tea would taste less like a Grand Cru and more like cheap plonk!" 

With the blend perfected, the nation's nuances and twists on how they take their tea then come in to play. 

• According to the research, 48% brew the teabag for at least a minute, with almost a third of UK tea drinkers considering brewing time the most important factor when it comes to making tea. 

• Whilst one in 10 Brits favour a more traditional take on the cuppa, drunk from a teacup rather than a mug, a small but significant 3% of white tea takers opt for the less traditional in heating up the milk first! 

• 44% of people think they make the best cup of tea and 14% say they prefer ones made by their partners. Meanwhile, office tea rounds could soon be on their way out, with only 1% preferring their colleagues' method of making tea. 

• Despite 'hot' being the most common temperature for tea to be consumed, 24% of Brits prefer theirs 'warm' and a whopping 72% take no sugar, with 17% instead opting for replacements such as honey or sweeteners. 

• As for what makes the worst cup of tea, putting in too much milk comes top (20%), followed by splitting the tea bag by squeezing it too hard (16%) and reheating tea in the microwave (15%). 

SOURCE: Tetley

Bonus Videos:

First Transgender Day of Remembrance Cenotaph Statue to be Unveiled in Palm Springs

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2017 Cenotaph Sculpture by Heath Satow

On November 20, the Transgender Community Coalition will host their annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) honoring the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence in the past year. 

• The event will take place at Palm Springs City Hall, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the vigil commencing at 5 p.m.

"One out of eight transgender people of color face murder in their lifetime, and one out of 12 Caucasian trans people face murder in their lifetime," says Thomi Clinton, Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Transgender Community Coalition in Palm Springs.

• Speakers at this year's event include: the CEO of the Transgender Community Coalition with Gwendolyn Ann Smith, founder of the TDoR, Ian Harvie, Transgender comedian and actor from the award-winning TV series Transparent, Ryan Sallans, Transgender author and advocate and Ashlee Marie Preston, Transgender producer and activist.

This year, Palm Springs' Transgender Community Coalition unveils the first Transgender Day of Remembrance Memorial Cenotaph Sculpture. The non-profit organization commissioned the life-size sculpture to honor victims of transgender violence. 

The statue was inspired after the death of a transgender woman, Yaz'min Sanchez, who was shot and burned behind a garbage bin in Florida. Sanchez' body left a silhouette where her remains were discovered.

Los Angeles-based metal artist Heath Satow created the breathtaking sculpture, illustrating the life-size figure, made of steel butterflies (symbolizing metamorphosis or transition), lying on their side. 

• The sculpture aims to inspire needed conversations aimed at ending discrimination and violence against transgender people in the United States and across the world.

Transgender Day of Remembrance - Leaflet

About Heath Satow:

(Via Transgender Day of Remembrance)

Heath Satow (b. February 6, 1969) is an American artist who works primarily in fabricated metals. He received national attention for his 9/11 Memorial sculpture of hands – created with 3,000 stainless-steel doves – lifting one of the twisted steel beams from the World Trade Center to the sky. 

His passion is art that expresses social justice issues and the inequality of the discriminated and oppressed. Inspired by the scale model that Thomi Clinton presented to him, he has created a unique piece of Cenotaph art – an empty tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people – that embodies the murders and injustices faced by the transgender community in hopes of increasing public conversation to support transgender equality. 

The piece was inspired by the murder of transgender woman of color Yaz’min Sanchez, who was thrown into a Florida alley and burned to death. The scorched burned marks from her remains inspired a breathtaking sculpture of a person laying in a somber fetal position covered in butterflies. 

• Butterflies are the spiritual symbol of transgender people. These butterflies represent the spirits of those we have lost preparing to return to their Creator in the heavens.

About Transgender Day of Remembrance:

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) was founded in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith when she held a vigil for Rita Hester, a transgender woman that was murdered. It has become a global event to address the violence and oppression against this community.

It is a time when the community that supports LGBTQ+ equality comes forward with their direct support to end violence against the transgender, intersex, gender non-conforming and non-binary communities. 

SOURCE: Transgender Community Coalition

The Video:

World's First And Most Extensive Exhibition Celebrating Marvel's Visual And Cultural Impact To Premiere At Seattle's Museum Of Pop Culture In April 2018

MoPOP and SC Exhibitions commissioned several renowned Marvel artists to create a series of posters for the Seattle show which will be released over the months to come. Michael Allred’s interpretation shows Spider-Man swinging from the Space Needle

Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes will feature more than 300 original artifacts, including some of Marvel's most iconic and sought-after pages, costumes and props, many of which have never-before been seen by the public. These will be displayed in a major retrospective at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, opening on April 21, 2018.

• The exhibition will tell the Marvel story through comics, film and other media, taking place as it celebrates 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and ahead of the 80th anniversary in 2019.

Rare artifacts and interactive set design creates a multifaceted and vivid experience for visitors. (Concept artwork by Studio TK)

"Our show takes us from the origins of the Marvel Universe to the present, providing a chance to see some of the rarest and most precious objects to have survived from the past 80 years of pop culture history," says curator Ben Saunders about the exhibition, which is being produced by MoPOP, SC Exhibitions and Marvel Entertainment.

Marvel statues invite visitors to interact and become part of the scenery with great photo opportunities throughout the exhibition. (Concept artwork by Studio TK.)

The exhibition will trace the story of the company and its influence on visual culture – including how it's responded to historical events and addressed wider issues such as gender, race and mental illness – as well as uncovering the narratives of individual characters such as Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Panther and Doctor Strange. It will honor the so-called "imaginauts" such as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who have made the Marvel saga one of the most expansive fictional universes ever created.

"Marvel transformed the idea of the Super Hero in the 1960s—and beyond—by ratcheting up the visual spectacle, emotional dynamism and philosophical sophistication of the action-adventure comics genre," says Brian Crosby, head of Marvel Themed Entertainment. "Marvel has always been a reflection of the world outside your own window and one of its most compelling messages has always been, that anyone—regardless of race, religion or gender—can be a Super Hero."

Immersive set pieces will bring the comic book world to life, and the exhibition will be accompanied by an immersive soundscape created by acclaimed composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer.

Visitors can stroll through the streets of New York City, catching a glimpse into artists’ studios to learn about the creators behind the comics and gaze at original props from Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and more. (Concept artwork by Studio TK.)

The exhibition has been curated by an outstanding team that includes three scholars of comics – Benjamin Saunders, Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan, all of whom are university professors and experts in their field. MoPOP curators Brooks Peck and Jacob McMurray, as well as renowned comics writers and editors Ann Nocenti and Danny Fingeroth, have also contributed.

Tony Stark’s Lab is one of many different settings in which visitors can immerse themselves and interact with their favorite characters. (Concept artwork by Studio TK.)

"This is the largest exhibition ever staged at the Museum of Pop Culture," says Brooks Peck, curator, MoPOP. "We're thrilled to present more than 300 original artworks, props, costumes, and genuine relics of pop culture history, from the earliest incarnations of super heroes in comics to ground breaking movie moments reflecting the timeless appeal of the Marvel universe."

Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes - Logo (PRNewsfoto/Museum of Pop Culture)

SOURCE: Museum of Pop Culture

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