Theatrical Anime Film Based On Popular Rhythm Game "DEEMO" To Be Released In 2020

PONY CANYON announces new Theatrical Anime Film project based on popular rhythm game “DEEMO”

Tokyo based Anime producing powerhouse Pony Canyon announced the production of an Anime Film adaptation of the world-famous rhythm game "DEEMO" at a panel held during ANIME NYC (Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, NYC).

"DEEMO" creator/producer Min-Yang Yu and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa confirmed that the film will be produced by Pony Canyon and Production I.G group, a partnership that has already yielded tremendous success with the global blockbuster Anime "Attack On Titan".

The production company of the film is Signal MD will join the project as the production company and will be supported by Production I.G, Japan's leading Anime studio and creator of numerous masterpieces and global hits such as the "Attack on Titan" and "GHOST IN THE SHELL" series.

Junichi Fujisaku (screenwriter - "GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX"; director/ series composer/production designer/screenwriter - "BLOOD+") has been named as the Executive Director, and up-and-coming creator Shuhei Matsushita will be the Director. 

The theme song will be composed by Yuki Kajiura ("Sword Art Online", "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", "Fate/Zero", and "The Garden of Sinners (Kara no Kyokai)/Boundary of Emptiness").

• The film is expected to wrap up in 2020.

About DEEMO, the game on which the movie is based

DEEMO is a SmartPhone rhythm game app that has had over 23 million downloads worldwide. DEEMO -Reborn-, both its downloadable and packaged software for PlayStation4, will be released on November 21.

DEEMO, a rhythm video game inspired by the musical instrument of piano, carries approximately 200 songs of a wide variety, from beautiful classical music to rock, jazz, and electronic. It offers innovative entertainment to the players who must tap the notes on the screen like playing the piano, and in addition to its collection of superlative music, the smoothness of gameplay is unrivaled by any other game app, which have captivated many music game fans in Asia and around the world.

Movie: Introduction

"Never left without saying goodbye"

Alone in a castle, a figure plays a piano... Deemo
One day, a girl with no memory falls from the sky.

A gentle story that will touch your heart

Ming-Yang Yu (CEO of Rayark / Executive Producer) Profile

As a producer, Yu has developed a variety of titles as well as assisted in production line quality control and creative thinking. He insists on combining original game design with high-quality art as the cornerstone of Rayark's game development. At the same time, he also devotes himself to making Rayark a content provider that can influence the world.

Ming-Yang Yu

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (CEO of Production I.G) Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1958, Ishikawa joined TATSUNOKO PRODUCTION Co, Ltd., after graduating from college, and later established his own company Production I.G, Inc., of which he is currently the CEO and president. Ishikawa is known for the world famous "Ghost in the Shell" (1995), "Blood: The Last Vampire" (2000), the animated sequence in "Kill Bill: Vol.1" (2003), as well as "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" (2004), which was the first anime to be nominated at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Within the current anime market, he is also known for such popular titles as "Attack on Titan," "Psycho-Pass," and "Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie."

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa

SOURCE: Pony Canyon

San Francisco Prophet Calls Out Corruption, Homelessness, and other Woes in New Novel, Giants of Iniquity

Giants of Iniquity

Corruption, homelessness and all other social problems can easily be solved in San Francisco and in an American town near you. By merely following policies from ancient historical leaders, San Francisco is able to create an idyllic society where everyone is happy and problems are fixed at the root. Working with former Soviets who came to San Francisco in the 1990s, spiritual leaders from the ancient past (who are fallen angels that people believe to be aliens) come out of a vortex on Nob Hill to lead the way with solidarity.

Giants of Iniquity brings the excitement and intrigue of paranormal discovery together with a supernatural battle between spiritual forces in an age of advanced technology and cultural shifting.

"The entertaining narrative combines dynamic characters with a variety of offbeat theories and concepts, all of which appealingly tie into the central plot. Readers who enjoy stories of aliens, Illuminati conspiracies, and unexplained phenomena will find it particularly riveting." -- Kirkus Reviews

• Read the complete book review on the Kirkus site

The new novel, Giants of Iniquity: a San Francisco Omen, shows what it takes for San Franciscans to continue their success using historical solutions. A prophet who lives in San Francisco between Nob Hill and the Tenderloin senses an invasive shadowy paranormal force. His observations about San Francisco act as a social commentary, and the novel functions as a modern allegory, full of fun and humor. Dichotomies depicted include abject poverty contrasted with extreme wealth, political extremism versus a humble quest for freedom, powerlessness versus the extremely powerful, totalitarianism versus independence, and monopoly and corruption versus entrepreneurship.

Giants of Iniquity is a cautionary tale about what America is becoming. The novel uses hyperbole to depict social, political, religious, corporate, and government institutions. The novel makes readers ask, "Are we repeating the lessons we should have learned from history?" "Are we self-deceived?" "Where are we spiritually?" "Where is our culture headed?"

The Book Trailer

About Jason Covington 

Jason Covington is a modern allegorist whose writing examines American cultural and political extremism. Covington studied creative writing at Pepperdine University and later earned a Master’s degree in literature from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Covington has taught writing at eight colleges and universities since 1993.

Covington grew up in Silicon Valley when computer technology was in its infancy when his dad worked for Apple Computer, pre-IPO. Covington has had his own successful career working in technology. His interest in spiritual phenomena, combined with his observations about living in San Francisco, led to this epic tale.

Covington hopes the questions he raises will give us self-revelation for positive change and not backward steps toward regurgitated totalitarian solutions.

Jason Covington (image via.jasoncovington.com)

SOURCE: Giants of Iniquity

Preventing Depression in Pregnant Mothers May Have Lasting Impact for Generations

Preventing Depression in Pregnant Mothers Could Have Impact for Generations

Preventing depression in pregnant women or in women who have recently given birth (perinatal depression) may have long-lasting impact. In the Oct. 30 issue of Nature, noted depression prevention and treatment expert and Palo Alto University professor Ricardo Muñoz argues that offering women basic skills in mood management could have an impact across generations, because better maternal mental health is linked to healthier development in babies.

"I have been convinced of the importance of prevention in addressing mental-health problems since the early 1970s," Muñoz says. "But only now is there sufficient evidence from clinical trials of the effectiveness of preventive interventions, using approaches derived from interpersonal and cognitive behavioral therapy, to justify deploying them."

Two recent reports underline this conclusion. In February, the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts in evidence-based medicine, urged clinicians to "provide or refer pregnant and postpartum persons who are at increased risk of perinatal depression to counseling interventions."

And last month, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a report calling on various stakeholders, from educators to policymakers, to prevent mental-health disorders and to promote healthy mental, emotional and behavioral development in women under 25. Muñoz was a member of the committees that prepared this document and two previous NASEM reports on preventive interventions.

Pregnant mothers are both an ideal population to work with, as well as one with far-reaching consequences, Muñoz says. The window of risk is discrete (during pregnancy and up to one year after childbirth); interventions can easily be included in prenatal classes or doctors' visits; and outcomes would impact future generations since maternal depression is associated with low birthweight, preterm deliveries, and impaired cognitive development in the child.

In addition to calling for greater focus on the prevention of depression in mothers, Muñoz advocates for deploying technology to reach the greatest number women worldwide. Evidence-based preventive interventions could be made available to millions through 'massive open online interventions' or MOOIs — similar to 'massive open online courses' (MOOCs), which are delivered on the Internet for free. Such websites, apps and text-based interventions could also be useful for other high-risk groups such as adolescents. In his commentary piece, Muñoz lays out how MOOIs could work, based on his extensive work developing a course called Mothers and Babies/Mamás y Bebés while working at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

Globally available online tools to prevent depression and a focus on pregnant women could cut global depression in half, Muñoz maintains. "We have the knowledge and the tools to create a world in which fewer people ever experience clinical depression and other mental disorders. Let's start creating it."

Pregnant women in Lima, Peru, painted each other in 2013 to help a local hospital to raise awareness of good maternity health care (image via Nature)

• To read the Nature article, please click here 

About Ricardo F. Muñoz

Ricardo F. Muñoz is distinguished professor of clinical psychology and founding director of the Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health (i4Health) at Palo Alto University, California; and professor of psychology emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, California, USA.

About Palo Alto University

Palo Alto University is dedicated to improving the human condition through excellence in teaching, research and scholarship in the fields of psychology and counseling. With an unwavering commitment to diversity and to the communities it serves, PAU offers doctorate, master's and bachelor's programs, as well as hands-on clinical training. A private, non-profit university, PAU was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (PGSP) and reincorporated in 2009 as Palo Alto University. PAU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

SOURCE: Palo Alto University

The Mandalorian: Chapter 1 Digital Soundtrack Is Available Now

The Mandalorian cover art

Walt Disney Records releases the digital soundtrack from "The Mandalorian," Lucasfilm's first-ever, live-action series, streaming exclusively on Disney+ today. The Mandalorian: Chapter 1 digital album features score by Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Creed) and is available here. 

• The release will be followed by The Mandalorian: Chapter 2 digital album available on November 15, with subsequent weekly releases for each episode of the series.

The Swedish-born composer's approach to "The Mandalorian" score and character themes was to combine organic elements from recorders, pianos and guitars in different ways and infuse tech sounds with a cinematic orchestra. 

Göransson said, "Working on something so fresh and original as 'The Mandalorian,' I knew I had to compose something just as exciting. I wanted the score for each episode to be unique so I had to create a big sound world to draw inspiration from. I started my compositional journey away from the computer in the woods and at my small home studio playing live instruments such as recorders, piano and guitar. I took that material back into the computer and added tech elements to make the organic instruments take new shapes. Lastly, I added the cinematic sweep of an 70-piece orchestra to make my compositions breathe and come to life. Working with Jon and the entire team involved in the making of this series was incredibly humbling and collaborative. I'm so excited to share this soundtrack with fans around the world."

"The Mandalorian" - Trailer

About "The Mandalorian"

After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. "The Mandalorian" is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic. 

"The Mandalorian," is written and executive produced by Jon Favreau, with Dave Filoni ("Star Wars: The Clone Wars," "Star Wars Rebels") directing the first chapter and fifth chapter and serving as executive producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson. 

Additional episodic directors include Deborah Chow ("Jessica Jones"), Rick Famuyiwa ("Dope"), Bryce Dallas Howard ("Solemates") and Taika Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok"). 

"The Mandalorian" stars Pedro Pascal ("Narcos") in the title role as a lone Mandalorian gunfighter, alongside Gina Carano ("Deadpool"), Carl Weathers ("Predator"), Giancarlo Esposito ("Breaking Bad"), Emily Swallow ("Supernatural"), Omid Abtahi ("American Gods"), Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man"), and Nick Nolte ("Warrior").

Ludwig Göransson (image via IMDb)

About Ludwig Göransson

In a career spanning only 10 years, Ludwig Göransson has amassed an impressive resume in both the recording and motion picture industries, earning an Academy Award, multiple Grammy Awards and countless other nominations. After working as an assistant to composer Theodore Shapiro (Destroyer, Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Dodgeball), Göransson got his first big break writing music for the NBC television series, Community. This led to a friendship and collaboration with Donald Glover, who performs under the stage name Childish Gambino, on several studio albums including Because the Internet and Awaken, My Love. Göransson has been nominated for six Grammys with Childish Gambino, and won two this year for the Billboard Hot 100 Number One hit song "This Is America," which became a cultural phenomenon and garnered world-wide acclaim.

While pursuing his masters degree in film scoring at USC, Göransson met his other longtime collaborator, director Ryan Coogler, when he scored his short film, Locks. Over the next nine years, Göransson would score all three of Coogler's feature films. Much like iconic filmmaking duos Hitchcock and Herrmann or Spielberg and Williams, Coogler's diverse filmography has allowed Göransson to show his range as a composer, writing understated melodies for Fruitvale Station, hyping up audiences for Creed, and infusing African percussion into his themes for Black Panther. 

Göransson has accumulated success in a variety of other films including the box office smash Venom and Pixar's Inner Workings. In 2018, Göransson earned multiple awards and nominations for his score for Black Panther including a Golden Globe nomination, Grammy Award and Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Göransson is also working on the score for Christopher Nolan's Tenent out July 17, 2020 and co-producing songs for DreamWorks' Trolls World Tour, sequel to the popular animated film Trolls out April 17, 2020, alongside Justin Timberlake.

"The Mandalorian" album titles and episode release dates follow:

• The Mandalorian: Chapter 1 from #101- November 12 (season premiere)
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 2 from #102- November 15
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 3 from #103- November 22
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 4 from #104- November 29
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 5 from #105- December 6
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 6 from #106- December 13
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 7 from #107- December 18
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 8 from #108- December 27 (season finale)

SOURCE: Walt Disney Records

VRstudios Announces the Immediate Availability of "Terminator: Guardian of Fate"

Terminator: Guardian of Fate (courtesy of VRstudios)

VRstudios, creator of turn-key multiplayer Virtual Reality (VR) attractions for Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) businesses has announced the latest exclusive experience for Dave & Buster's proprietary multiplayer virtual reality simulator – Terminator: Guardian of Fate. 

The intense, action-packed interactive experience featuring the incredible talents of Linda Hamilton voicing Sarah Connor, is now available to play nationwide, thrusting players into the middle of the action on a heart-pounding, treacherous rescue mission alongside Sarah Connor, and putting them face-to-face with the deadliest Terminator yet.

Protect the target at all costs! When a Terminator arrives in their local town, players must spring into action alongside Sarah Connor and her team to stop the deadly Terminator from annihilating a target who will prove invaluable to the future of the Resistance. 

Players must outrun and outwit the Terminator to ensure the target and her work escape safely. Sarah Connor guides players every step of the way as they fight through a zombie-style shootout with the Terminator who will stop at nothing to attack the players' vehicle while causing tons of destruction in its wake, and finally culminating in a showdown of epic proportions!

Players will never have the same experience twice as another chapter of the game will be out soon that will add multiple endings and more terrifying surprises! This is all combined with other elements of variability including subtle differences in gameplay. 

Terminator: Guardian of Fate features iconic characters Sarah Connor and the Terminator, along with some new characters that were created to support this original narrative. There are also four randomized player avatars and players will be able to use a variety of weapons against the Terminator through a series of weapon upgrades within the game.

"We have really created something very special with Terminator: Guardian of Fate. This is an all-out adrenaline-fueled interactive experience that is a roller coaster of intensity," said Chanel Summers, VRstudios' Vice President of Creative Development. "The Terminator is the ultimate movie monster and just when players think they have destroyed it, it comes back! The action is so relentless that you will barely have time to catch your breath!"

VRstudios has teamed up again with development partner Strange Reptile, after working together to build the successful titles — Star Trek: Dark Remnant and Men in Black: Galactic Getaway for Dave & Buster's. 

• Together the companies have brought to life the terrifying, fast-paced action of the Terminator experience for all to enjoy.

SOURCE: VRstudios

Edmund Druilhet and Jeri Rice Deliver a Knockout Punch with their Newest Documentary Spoof Film, "Once Upon a Time Traveler in Hollywood"

Movie Poster, Once "Upon a time traveler in Hollywood" A Feature Documentary film Spoof Exposing the Dark Side of Hollywood. 

Film Makers Edmund Druilhet and Jeri Rice introduce their Revolutionary Film Release, "Once Upon A Time Traveler in Hollywood," exposing the most talked-about issues destroying our world today. Where black is white and white is black, not unlike the current hit movie, "Jojo Rabbit." Fake news, Pedophilia, Space X, CERN, Truth about Trump, Parallel Universes of Tarantino and Hollywood's ties to Nazi Germany - Orwell's nightmare comes to life.

"Once Upon a Time Traveler in Hollywood" is a feature-length documentary film spoof exposing the dark side of Hollywood.

Edmund discovers that his identity was stolen by Brad Pitt, in a Tarantino Parallel Universe. Seeking answers, he discovers a Nazi Time Machine at Space X, in Hawthorne, California and meets Sharon Tate there, who survived the Manson murders. Together, they go back in time, discovering a secret Nazi military base-film studio in Laurel Canyon, operating since 1938, where stars like Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Stewart and CBS evening news anchor, Walter Cronkite, delivered America's programming. Operation Paperclip or a Nazi Pharaonic Invasion, 70,000 strong? Who really won the war?

 A few key scenes:

• Muhammad Ali-Vietnam and Secret base in Laurel Canyon
• Fake News Hollywood and Bruce Lee

Edmund Druilhet Film Maker and Jeri Rice Film Maker combine forces to deliver a knockout punch to the Hollywood Myth.

Film Makers Edmund Druilhet and Jeri Rice, both Congressional Award Winners, are veterans in media and the political scene. See bio links below.

• FOX News Edmund Druilhet
• Congressional Award winner
• Insider / Entertainment Tonight. Edmund Druilhet.
• Democracy Now.
• Jeri Rice Bio

SOURCE: Edmund Druilhet

The Polar Regions - The End of the Eternal Ice

The Polar Regions - The End of the Eternal Ice (image via Pixabay)

The polar regions play an exceptional role in the Earth's climate system. The almost endless snow and ice surfaces of the Arctic and Antarctic act like a gigantic mirror and radiate up to 90 percent of incident sunlight back into space. Because of this, they not only slow down the warming of the Earth, but also create large temperature differences between the cold polar regions and the warm tropics. This disparity, in turn, drives the global wind and ocean currents and contributes significantly to the fact that the heat stored in the sea and in the atmosphere is distributed over large areas of the globe and that people, animals and plants find reliable living conditions everywhere in the world. What happens in the remote polar regions is therefore of concern to each and every one of us. Numerous demonstrations not only by climate activists and worldwide Fridays for Future protests in recent months have impressively pointed out that such reliable living conditions are not self-evident but can only be understood as the result of a forward-looking, intergenerational and environmentally conscious policy.

The sixth volume of the publication 'World Ocean Review' (WOR), published with the support of the International Ocean Institute (IOI), is therefore entitled 'The Arctic and Antarctic – extreme, climatically crucial and in crisis'. It is edited by climate and polar researchers from the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM), the Future Ocean research network in Kiel and the magazine mare, who are responsible for the overall concept and preparing the scientific contents in a way that is comprehensible to the public. As a bundling of the expertise of German marine research, the new issue is dedicated to these two extreme and highly contrasting regions of the Earth. The issue provides profound information on their origin and significance for life on Earth, as well as on the observed climatic changes and their dramatic consequences, some of which extend far beyond the borders of the polar regions.

"Until a few years ago, the Arctic and Antarctic realms were destinations of historical expeditions such as those of Scott or Amundsen and home to polar bears or penguins," says Nikolaus Gelpke, editor of 'WOR', founder of the magazine mare and board member of the International Ocean Institute (IOI). "Since the new IPCC special report 'Ocean and Cryosphere in Climate Change', however, we have known about the outstanding importance of the polar regions for our climate future. The observed changes are symbols for the consequences of our industrial development, the melting of the formerly eternal ice stands for the loss of control of our actions. Our 'WOR', as an excellent complement to the IPCC special report, can hopefully help to deepen our understanding of cause-and-effect relationships."

The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the world and is now showing a whole new face. Last summer alone, the world witnessed the widespread burning of dried out tundra areas in Alaska and Siberia, the melting of the Greenlandic ice sheet on its surface during a heat wave, and the shrinking of the Arctic Ocean's sea ice cover to the second smallest residual area since satellite measurements began. In the Antarctic, heat comes mainly from the sea. Warm currents increasingly penetrate under the floating ice tongues of West and East Antarctica and melt these so-called ice shelves from below. As a result, not only do more icebergs calve, the glaciers now also transport more ice from the interior of Antarctica to the sea, so that their contribution to global sea-level rise increases and the ice sheets of West and East Antarctica thin out overall.

Walruses (via LoupDargent.info)

But what consequences do these and other climatic changes have for the highly adapted flora and fauna of the Arctic and Antarctic? What are the chances of survival for polar bears, walruses, polar cod, krill and all other sea dwellers who depend on sea ice for their foraging and breeding? How does the vegetation change on land? 'WOR 6' explains the unique adaptation strategies of polar flora and fauna and the extent to which polar species are likely to be able to adapt to rising air and water temperatures, dwindling food sources and migratory competitors.

But where glaciers and sea ice are disappearing, people also gain access to previously hidden resources and raw material deposits. The Arctic states in particular therefore see climate change as an opportunity to develop their northern territories economically. One focus is on the expansion of tourist infrastructures such as airports and berths for cruise ships, because the worldwide demand for trips to the polar regions is increasing – grotesquely, above all, because many nature lovers and adventure tourists have come to the conclusion that now is the last chance to see the ice landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic with their own eyes. At the same time, mining and oil companies are currently investing large sums in the exploration and extraction of raw material deposits in the Arctic, above all in Russia. 'WOR 6' shows which expectations are attached to this industrialization, which risks and dangers go along with it and which protection precautions are taken.

"The developments in the polar regions illustrate one of the challenges for ocean research to develop solutions across disciplines. The coming decade of marine sciences for sustainable development, which aims to combine, increase and make available knowledge in order to enable clever development paths in human-ocean relations, gives us hope," says Prof. Dr. Nele Matz-Lück, spokesperson for the Future Ocean Network in Kiel and maritime law expert at the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law at Kiel University.

Germany is one of the leading polar research nations in the world and operates research stations, observatories and long-term measurement series in both the Arctic and Antarctic. At the time of WOR publication, the ground-breaking international Arctic expedition MOSAiC on the German polar research vessel Polarstern is also in full swing. The icebreaker will be frozen in the sea ice and drift through the central Arctic for about a year. In the meantime, researchers from 17 nations are collecting urgently needed data on the interactions between atmosphere, ice, ocean and polar ecosystem.

"Polar research is climate research at the pulse of time, and once again German polar, marine and coastal research is proving to be a signpost in the international context," says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bathmann, Director of the Leibnitz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) and Chairman of the German Marine Research Consortium.

An Iceberg (image via Pixabay)

• The 'World Ocean Review 6' was presented on 7th November 2019 at the Schleswig-Holstein representation in Berlin during an evening event with guests from politics, business, science, media and education.

A Polar Bear (via LoupDargent.info)

Background

maribus gGmbH was founded in 2008 by mare publisher Nikolaus Gelpke. It serves as a non-profit organisation for the purpose of sensitising the public to marine science and contributing to more effective marine conservation. To date, about 170,000 printed copies of the 'WOR' in German and English have been ordered and distributed worldwide, in addition to countless online downloads.

'WOR 6' is being published with a total circulation of 20,000 copies. The publication is not sold, but given away for free. There is no profit-making intent. It is available at www.worldoceanreview.com. At the same time as the printed edition, the entire publication will also be published online. In addition to the German version, an English edition will also be available shortly.

SOURCE: maribus gGmbH

4 Tips for Moving to the States from the UK

Statue of Liberty (image via Pexels)

Ah, America. You can love it, or you can hate it, but you absolutely can’t ignore it. It’s a cultural powerhouse, one that grabs our attention. While these days it often feels like all we hear is bad news from across the pond, it’s always worth remembering that the States still remains an incredible plan to visit and to live. When you’re actually there, the headlines that make the news are just part of the background noise; the day to day life is (mostly) fantastic. If you’re thinking of making the move to the US from the UK, then take a look below, where we outline some essential tips for making the transition as smooth as possible.

A Cultural Fit

Every time anyone discusses the United States, they talk about is if it’s just one big old country, where everything is kind of the same everywhere. This is not true -- it makes much more sense to think of America as fifty individual countries that are grouped together, or at least 11 different cultural regions. There is a huge difference between New York, and, say, New Mexico. So before you decide on where to live, think about the type of cultural region you’d like to live in. Outdoorsy vibe? Liberal politics? Cosmopolitan, traditional? They’re the important questions that need answering.

The Right Paperwork

It should come as no surprise that America is one of the most difficult places to move to. People in the UK tend to think they can move anywhere relatively freely, but the United States is different. If you’re intending on moving there, you’ll want to work with a US immigration lawyer. They’ll have the expertise needed to find the right type of visa for you, and can provide help when it comes to the paperwork. There’s no room for mistakes when it comes to your legal status -- if you get something wrong, you could face a ten-year ban, even if it was an honest mistake.

Making the Move

It’s hard enough to move down the street, let alone to another country. When it’s time to move, you’ll need to seriously think about logistics. The best method is to sell everything that doesn’t have sentimental value, and buy new belongings with the cash once you arrive. For the stuff you do want to bring, you can give the responsibility to an overseas courier. That way, you can just travel on the flight free of worries. You really don’t need to have the added headache of worrying about, say, your microwave when you could just buy a second hand one for cheap.

Prepare for Differences

Finally, prepare yourself from differences. The UK and the US are similar in some ways, drastically different in other ways. Also, the United States is not like how it is in films or television shows -- well, it kind of is, but there’s much to discover once the gloss is off. Just embrace the adventure, it is a great country, if only for a few years.

AsylumConnect Launches First Ever Mobile App For #LGBTQ Asylum Seekers

AsylumConnect Launches First Ever Mobile App For LGBTQ Asylum Seekers

Tech nonprofit AsylumConnect has launched the first-of-its-kind mobile app for the tens of thousands of LGBTQ asylum seekers fleeing their homes for safer ground each year. AsylumConnect had previously been available as a dynamic web application.

"Our free app instantly connects persecuted LGBTQ people with verified safe services and support. With today's launch, we have improved our platform's mobile accessibility and user experience at this pivotal moment for LGBTQ and immigrant communities," said Katie Sgarro, AsylumConnect co-founder and president.

From leaving their dangerous home country to resettlement, it is often a matter of life-or-death for LGBTQ asylum seekers to be able to easily connect with legitimate and LGBTQ-affirming lawyers and other direct service providers. 

LGBTQ asylum seekers and other LGBTQ populations (undocumented immigrants, homeless or isolated youth) use AsylumConnect as a free digital one-stop-shop referral site to meet their needs in all aspects of their lives, including: housing, legal, medical, mental health, education and employment. 

• Lawyers and other direct service providers also use AsylumConnect to gather verified referrals.

The AsylumConnect mobile app on iOS and Android offers an improved user experience and new features:

• Streamlined user experience: improved content organization, new bottom navigation, and fresh designs throughout the app
• New verified resources and locations: at launch, the app connects users to verified LGBTQ-and immigrant-friendly services in 25 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico
• Anonymity: designed to protect users' privacy online
• Search filters: filter out services that require specific documentation (medical insurance, proof of age/income/residence, or a referral)
• Translation: available in over 100 languages

Next, AsylumConnect will introduce enhanced map visualization, offline capabilities, new locations and an integrated private online community for LGBTQ asylum seekers.

Since launching in 2016, AsylumConnect has connected over 11,000 unique users to verified LGBTQ-and immigrant-friendly services in the U.S. and has been accessed in over 150 countries. Financial and in-kind supporters include: Roddenberry Foundation, U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants, Clinton Foundation, Brooklyn Community Foundation Immigrant Rights Fund, One Degree, Urban Justice Center's Social Justice Accelerator, and Miller Center's GSBI Social Entrepreneurship at the Margins Accelerator.

• Download the free app on iOS and Android here

About AsylumConnect

AsylumConnect is a tech nonprofit providing the first and only digital resource platform for LGBTQ asylum.

About Katie Sgarro, AsylumConnect Co-Founder & President 

Katie Sgarro is based in New York and is a social entrepreneur and LGBTQ advocate. During her senior year in college, she publicly “came out” in order to co-found AsylumConnect. Her experience denying her own LGBTQ identity drives her to ensure that other LGBTQ people live freely. Sgarro has led AsylumConnect for 5 years in establishing the first ever digital resource platform for LGBTQ asylum.

For her work on AsylumConnect, Sgarro was selected as the winner of MCC15’s Millennium Peace Prize at the United Nations and the 2015 Business Today Impact Challenge. In 2017, she was named to the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) Alumni Honor Roll of social innovators and as a Mogul Influencer. Sgarro was also named a Washington Post’s WP BrandStudio Influencer in 2018. In 2019, Sgarro became a Roddenberry Fellow and joined Urban Justice Center’s Social Justice Accelerator. In 2019, Sgarro was also selected as one of 24 emerging nonprofit leaders for American Express Leadership Academy's Converge Academy in Brooklyn, NY.

She has been a featured speaker on LGBTQ rights and public good technology, and her work has appeared in national outlets including Teen Vogue, Forbes.com, The HuffPost, NowThis, The Advocate, and The Hill. She received a B.A. cum laude in Health & Societies from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

Katie Sgarro (image via www.katiesgarro.com)

• More about Sgarro can be found at her website www.katiesgarro.com

SOURCE: AsylumConnect

Ways We Can All Live More Sustainably To Benefit The Environment

Windmills near green trees (image via Pexels)

It’s definitely come to most of our attention that the way we’re living is not the best for our environment, and in fact, it’s slowly destroying the planet. We now need to spend a bit more time and effort in order to live more sustainably and to protect the earth for as long as we can. After all, we only get this one planet, because who knows what else is out there for us to move to next? Here are some ways that we can all more sustainably to benefit the environment.

Reduce Our Energy Usage

Every one of us has a carbon footprint, and that’s how much energy and usage we have on our environment. Ideally, you want to make your footprint as small as possible, and that can only happen if you try to reduce your energy usage. The biggest will come from the household bills that you pay for every month. The gas and electric all have an impact on the environment, and the more effort you can make in reducing these, the better. Try to keep your heating off and only use it for short periods of time when needed. During the colder months, you want it on only to take the chill off the room. So for starters, you could time it to come on first thing in the morning as you’re about to wake up an hour before you’re due back from work. This means you’re waking up and coming home to a warm house. If you work from home, you can do the same and then intermittently turn it back. Keeping it on low all day is only going to continue burning through your usage, so be conscious of how much you are using. Try to reduce the amount of time spent using electrical items and practice turning everything off at the plug at the end of the day. That way, the electronics aren’t continuing to use power if they’re switched off.

Travel By More Eco-Friendly Means

We all travel for different things, whether that’s for business or pleasure. We go on annual holidays, we travel to and from work, and we take trips to see family and friends on a regular basis. All of that requires you to travel by public transport or via car. Sometimes this is necessary, but it’s important to exhaust all other options first that aren’t harmful to the environment. If you’re taking a trip to the local shop, why not walk there? If your work is within a suitable distance and you feel confident enough, then cycling to and from your work doesn’t cost you anything and it provides you with a healthy boost of fitness every day. Not only that, but it’s not harming the environment.

If you’re going on holiday, you could consider taking the train or going by boat to save on the fuel that’s used for planes. This isn’t always possible, but if you’re making a conscious effort to use these forms of transport here and there, it’ll make an overall difference. The less fuel we’re using, the better it’s going to be for the environment in the long run. There will always be a need for those who influence and hold power in the world to use organizations like the ACS, but having fewer commercial flights will save on fuel.

Reuse Rather Than Buy New

A lot of focus recently on how fashion is becoming a big contribution to waste. Fast fashion, as it’s called, is where people are buying clothes and then chucking them out once that season ends or another trend comes in. Instead of maybe reusing clothing, they’re spending more money on clothes that have to be made out of materials and therefore causing more overall waste in the world. Try to shop from more sustainable brands that are recycling and reusing materials. The same goes for a lot of things within your lifestyle. For instance, a lot of furniture that you have might be in perfectly good condition, but instead, you want to chuck it out. Look at what you can do to upgrade its appearance, either by adding to it or maybe reupholstering it if it’s a sofa or armchair. These items of furniture can still provide you with a lot of usages, and if not, then it can always go to someone else rather than being chucked away.

Grow Your Own Food

Ever wanted to grow your own food? Well, now a lot of households are adapting to the sustainable life by growing their own food sources.

Person Holding Cup With Green Plant (image via Pexels)

And pretty much most food can be grown in your own back garden or even inside your home. Herbs and foods like chilies can be grown inside the home, simply in a little pot with some soil and regular watering. When it comes to your outdoor space, you might want to create a vegetable or herb raised bed that can sit separately to the rest of your flowers and plants. Depending on the space, you can start growing pretty much anything from potatoes to strawberries, cucumber to coriander. It’s all about being attentive and patient. If you have both of those qualities, then you may find that you thrive at growing herbs and food in your garden area.

Donate Your Unwanted Things

We do tend to find that we’ve hoarded a lot of things in our lifetime, and there may come a time where a good decluttering is in order. It can be beneficial to our mental health if our space is tidier and more well-organized. With that in mind, it might be worth arranging a collection or dropping off those items that you don’t need anymore to a shelter or shop that will sell them on or give them away to those who need it. What is one man’s waste is another man’s treasure, so donate any of your unwanted things to those who can benefit from it. Always check that they’re in good condition and only throw away items that have broken to the point that they’re useless and no longer usable.

Save The Water

Saving water is important because wasting it is only going to use more energy in order to help source more of it. You can help by saving water in your household. Don’t use outside taps, and instead, try to conserve any water in an outside tank system or something that will just collect rainwater. It’s not going to matter how dirty it is because you’ll only be using it for watering plants and other outdoor tasks that need doing. Try not to leave taps running for too long and turn off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth. That way, you’re not letting so much water pour down the drain while you’re busy cleaning your teeth for two minutes.

Remove Plastic From The Household

And finally, the biggest victim of the environmental clean up is plastic. Plastic is everywhere, and we use so much of it within our home. From the packaging that our goods come in, to the plastic storage tubs that we use for food and various other bits and bobs. Try to live a more plastic-free lifestyle where you can. Buy from more companies that use plastic-free or biodegradable packaging.

The more your household can do, the bigger impact it will have as more and more of us take notice of how much we’re affecting the environment. Do what you can as a little certainly goes a long way.

Gen Xers, Millennials And Even Some Gen Zs Choose Vinyl & Drive Record Sales Up

Vinyl sales have been surging in the last few years, driven by a wide-age range of consumers |(Florencia Viadana / Unsplash, CC BY-SA)

Vinyl sales have been surging in the last few years, as CD sales stay flat and digital downloads decrease. In the United Kingdom, data from 2016 reveals that vinyl LP sales revenue surpassed that of digital downloads. And in the United States, LP sales are on par with the sales of CDs.

In an era when so much music is at our fingertips through streaming services for under $10 a month, who is spending their hard-earned cash on vinyl? Streaming is currently the primary and cheapest way to buy music. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) database, paid subscription streaming services such as Spotify dominated music sales revenue in the U.S. in 2018, accounting for almost 50 per cent of revenue. But cassettes, CDs and digital downloads have all held that position in the past.

Teens of the 1980s (now aged approximately 45 to 54) and the ‘90s (now aged approximately 35 to 44) were the two largest age demographics buying vinyl in 2018, accounting for 24 and 21 per cent respectively of new vinyl sales in the U.S., according to 2018 data from the RIAA.

Vinyl’s lasting influence

Sales data shows that cassettes first surpassed vinyl LP sales in the U.S. in 1983. Then CDs surpassed cassette sales in 1991.

At that point, vinyl LPs disappeared from most music stores, remaining only a DJ specialty. They accounted for only 0.8 per cent of total music sales.

Tim Ford, vice-president of purchasing at Sunrise Records, says he recalls feeling forced to buy CDs in the '90s because they were cheaper than vinyl and more widely available for him as a broke teenager. Now, Ford and many other '80s and '90s kids are working adults with disposable incomes. Ford says 35-to-40-year-olds want music from their generation like their parents had.

These consumers are used to the concept of owning music, but now they want vinyl, because they think it’s better quality, and they have the money for it.

Michael Greaves is another example of this type of vinyl consumer; he was a DJ in the '90s and has a collection of 1,200 CDs — many of which he bought eight for a penny. Now he works full-time as a music administrator and is an avid vinyl collector.

Greaves says he buys vinyl because “with vinyl you get a warmth you don’t get with CDs.” There’s just something about the crackle of a vinyl record that makes people feel at home.

Owning a physical copy

No artist is forced to put his or her music on streaming services and not every artist even has the legal right to do so. The popular albums of the ‘80s and ‘90s that aren’t being widely reissued are going for hundreds of dollars on resale sites.

A mint-condition vinyl LP of De La Soul’s 1989 album 3 Feet High and Rising, for instance, is selling for more than $360 on Discogs. That album isn’t being widely reissued and is now unavailable on paid subscription streaming services such as Tidal, which is said to be because of artist and label disputes.

The initial excitement about streaming services seems to have worn off since Spotify launched in Sweden in 2008. Consumers are now seeing flaws in streaming, one of them being that we can never be fully assured of access to their favourite songs without owning a physical copy of them.

Andrew Winistorfer, editorial director at Vinyl Me, Please, a record-of-the-month club, says that young people today accept that you don’t own music. CD sales were at their height at the same time that music piracy became popular and almost destroyed the music industry.
However, the young today still account for part of the new surge in vinyl sales. Winistorfer explains that vinyl is “the cooler way to have … a physical manifestation of this music that you like.”

Willing to pay

RIAA data shows that 25-to-34-year-olds and 18-to-24-year-olds accounted for 19 and 16 per cent respectively of U.S. new vinyl sales in 2018. This is valuable to artists who are not being paid what they’d like to be on streaming services. For artists, selling other merchandise has become increasingly important.

Luckily for them, some fans are willing to pay for exclusive merchandise and experiences on crowdfunding platforms. A 2013 Indiegogo campaign for the Canadian band Protest The Hero raised nearly $450,000 to fund an album and 1,299 copies of the signed, limited-edition vinyl LP were claimed as rewards.

Katy Perry has a vinyl record coming out soon. It’s a record-first release but her truest “Katy Cats” will surely snatch up those 4,000 copies quickly to be able to hold a piece of their favourite artist in their hands.

Consumers have less control than they might think over what music they can access. What will happen if one day your favourite artist doesn’t have the resources, desire or legal right to keep your favourite songs up on a streaming service? What if you simply want to hold the music you love in your hands? Teens of the 80s and 90s would probably tell you to buy the album — on vinyl.

About Today's Contributor:

Marina Eckersley, Dalla Lana Fellow in Global Journalism, University of Toronto

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