Russell T. Davies had more teases for Nicola Coughlan-starring, Steven Moffat-written, and Alex Pillai-directed Doctor Who Christmas Special.
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From the AI apocalypse to the risks of mega trains, here’s all the news from The Lever this week.
Unhinged and unbound I spent an evening once with students in the hallway of a Vienna dorm listening to American rock and drinking bootleg schnapps crafted by somone’s grandfather. The English idiom “bootleg” took some explaining. It led to a long, alcohol-fueled exchange of English and German idioms. One German idiom for insane that stayed with me was, “Er hat nicht alle Tassen im Shrank.” (He doesn’t have all his cups in the cupboard.) Watching clips from a couple of Donald Trump appearances last night brought that back in a big way. Perhaps you’ve heard that under Joe Biden our airports are failing and in chaos? People are erecting tent camps because of flight delays, Trump claims. Trump heard something about “people camping out at the airport” because of a delay, put 2 and 2 together and got 5. It’s so crazy, noted Josh Marshall, that the Biden-Harris rapid response account simply reposted the rant without comment. Trump seems bothered by all the musings about his mental state after his rambling about electric boats and sharks. Rather than pretend he never said it, as he often does, he doubled down and made it worse.
In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch: Superman/Brandon Routh, Chinatown, Doctor Who, Taylor Swift/London, William Shatner/Ryan Reynolds, and more!
The 2024 Tribeca Film Festival wrapped last weekend, but I still have a few reviews in the can (as they say). Hopefully, some of these will be coming soon to a theater (or streaming platform) near you. Let’s dive in… Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupo Te Ara (New Zealand) *** – Kent Belcher’s documentary opens with home movie footage of two boys around age (7? 8?) jamming out on drums and guitar. The guitarist/vocalist appears to be improvising his (mostly indecipherable) lyrics, but his committed, full-throat delivery suggests he could grow up to be the next Tom Araya. Brothers Henry (drums) and Lewis (guitar/lead vocals) de Jong did in fact grow up to be luminaries in thrash-metal circles. The Waipu, New Zealand-born siblings formed the band Alien Weaponry in 2010 (with the full encouragement of their parents, who also assumed managerial duties). What made the band unique (aside from the fact that they were all of 9 and 10 at the time) was the integration of Māori culture and language into their music. Belcher documents the band over a several year period, tagging along on road tours and an important gig at a major thrash metal festival.
CNN airs montage of Trump VP contenders saying they “never liked” Trump, they “wouldn’t do business with him,” calling him a “con artist,” and more pic.twitter.com/PtTSlXKHzW — Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) June 22, 2024 In 2016, Vance also mused that Trump might be America’s Hitler. There are dozens of comments like this from Vance. The ads write themselves. I’m not sure he’ll be able to forgive Rubio for this. Look how angry he is here. He’s not going to choose him: I’m sticking with Burgum. He looks out of central casting and he’s a billionaire which makes MAGA even more “populist” in GOP bizarroworld. I don’t know if he’s said anything more damning than the clip in that first video. If not, then I think he’s in. He’s shown a real Pencian flair for adoring sycophancy.
Did you see that one coming? Crowley: Senator Joe McCarthy was right… The same deep state going after Donald Trump, the same deep state that removed Richard Nixon… that deep state smeared and attacked Joe McCarthy for speaking the truth.. pic.twitter.com/2Z1FQYpqdC — Acyn (@Acyn) June 21, 2024 Crowley didn’t used to act this nuts but as someone who worked for Nixon after he left the White House I suppose this makes some sense. This will be part of the historical rewrite under the MAGA regime if they gain power. Everything you know will be revised.
You’ve heard all about the new Louisiana law requiring the display of the 10 Commandments in every schoolroom in the state. But they’re just getting started: The crowd at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Lafayette, La., applauded Gov. Jeff Landry as he signed bill after bill this week on public education in the state, making it clear he believed God was guiding his hand. One new law requires that transgender students be addressed by the pronouns for the gender on their birth certificates (“God gives us our mark,” he said). Another allows public schools to employ chaplains (“a great step for expanding faith in public schools”). Then he signed into law a mandate that the Ten Commandments be hung in every public classroom, demonstrating a new willingness for Louisiana to go where other states have not. Last month, Louisiana also became the first state to classify abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances. “We don’t quit,” Mr. Landry, a Republican, said at the signing ceremony. No they don’t. Ever. They have been working at this for many decades.
While previewing the 2024 Christmas Special, Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T. Davies teased more to Ruby's story - and more to Mrs. Flood.
As solar panels get cheaper, companies and governments commit to increasing oil and gas production. Community opposition to wind farms funded by fossil fuel interests. Indigenous languages threatened by climate change. Companies increasing oil and gas production Extracting and burning the coal, oil and gas in the world’s existing and under-construction mines and fields will Continue reading »
Imminent elections in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom are affected by two long-running concerns: Palestine and the decline of the West. Responses to them will also affect the 2025 elections in Australia. Here, ALP voters are already being lured to listen to the Coalition’s siren song of nuclear power, Sinophobia, and refugees, Continue reading »
In response to the question, ‘Do you despair over the slaughters in Gaza’, a close friend responded, ‘When I hear the news, I’m angry and permanently pissed off. I also recognise that anger can lead to despair.’ Her personal reaction mirrors a national malaise, a Gaza frustration coupled to powerlessness which like a Covid pandemic Continue reading »
“I want my tenderness back…Give me back that soft, sacred part of myself that weeps at the corpses of children, so I can Behold the world gently again…” – Caitlin Johnstone Even in difficult times, Compassion is the sustaining ethic for all major faith traditions and underpins civilised living in our democracy. Our various forms Continue reading »
David Daokui Li says China’s decision makers have finally come around to stimulating domestic consumption rather than investment, and for that Beijing will provide more welfare. The Communist Party of China has said the upcoming Third Plenary Session of its current 20th Central Committee will focus on “deepening comprehensive reform to advance Chinese modernisation.” Based Continue reading »
BACK at Boambee Headland for the third consecutive year, a group of ten GeoLINK staff participated in planting 240 trees as part of their company’s carbon offset program. The ongoing regeneration program is orchestrated by Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare (CHRL) and supported by GeoLINK and City of Coffs Harbour’s Coastal Works bush regeneration team. Advertise...
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ALMOST the entire Karenni community of Coffs Harbour came together at the Jetty Foreshores in celebration of their National Day on Saturday 15 June. This year marks the 149th anniversary of Karenni National Day, typically observed annually on June 21, commemorating the date in 1875 when the British government recognised the Karenni state as a...
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One of the biggest revelations in Watergate was the existence of Nixon’s enemies list. The episode was particularly dramatic because it was announced by CBS correspondent Daniel Schorr on live TV and as he was reading it he found his own name on the list. It was a tremendous scandal at the time which sounds downright quaint today what with the former president and current GOP nominee routinely calling the press the “enemy of the people” and publicly declaring his intention to prosecute his political rivals. New York Magazine helpfully drew up a partial list which they promise will be updated as the threats add up:Joe Biden and family, obviouslyManhattan District Attorney Alvin BraggNew York Judge Juan MerchanNew York Attorney General Leticia JamesNew York Judge Arthur EngoronSpecial Counsel Jack Smith and anyone involved in the federal Trump investigations/indictments Those are the obvious ones. But there are more.
As Republicans thirst for restarting federal executions, Absolute Standards told Connecticut lawmakers it hasn’t made or sold pentobarbital since December 2020.
The post Company Linked to Federal Execution Spree Says It Will No Longer Produce Key Drug appeared first on The Intercept.
Anyone who doesn’t take this seriously is a fool That is the head of the Heritage Foundation which is pulling together Project 2025. He is very arrogant, very confident that they have the election in the bag and very proud of the work they are doing. First and foremost, he is obviously saying that they will not accept the results of the election if Trump doesn’t win. The rest is just as batshit crazy. QUESTION: Is your organization going to accept the results of the 2024 presidential election, regardless of the election results. ANSWER: Yes, if there isn’t massive fraud like there was in 2020. QUESTION: There wasn’t massive fraud. Where was it? ANSWER: no answer QUESTION: What is the plan for the deportation of undocumented immigrants in the interior, not at the border. ANSWER: We need to have the biggest mass deportation system in America. QUESTION: What are these people (undocumented immigrants) doing? ANSWER: A lot of them are committing crimes like murdering the 12-year-old girl in Houston. FACT: That’s one out of 11 million. In Texas, undocumented immigrants were 37.1 % less likely to be convicted of a crime.