RadioRob

Published by Reuters By Kate Abnett GLASGOW (Reuters) – Over and over at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, world leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The 2015 Paris Agreement commits countries to limit the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to aim for 1.5°C. Scientists have said crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change effects on people, wildlife and ecosystems. Preventing it requires almost halving global CO2 emissions by 2030 from 2010 levels and cutting them to net-zero by 2050 — an ambitious task that scientists, financiers, negotiators and activists at COP26 are debating how to achieve and pay for. But what is the difference between 1.5°C and 2°C of warming? We asked several scientists to explain: WHERE ARE WE NOW? Already, the world has heated to around 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. Each of the last four decades was hotter than any decade since 1850. “We never had such a global warming in only a few decades”, said climate scientist Daniela Jacob at the Climate Service Center Germany. “Half a degree means much more extreme weather, and it can be more often, more intense, or extended in duration.” Just this year, torrential rains flooded China and Western Europe, killing hundreds of people. Hundreds more died when temperatures in the Pacific Northwest hit record highs. Greenland saw massive melting events, wildfires ravaged the Mediterranean and Siberia, and record drought hit parts of Brazil. “Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe,” said climate scientist Rachel Warren at the University of East Anglia. HEAT, RAIN, DROUGHT More warming to 1.5°C and beyond will worsen such impacts. “For every increment of global warming, changes in extremes become larger,” said climate scientist Sonia Seneviratne at ETH Zurich. For example, heatwaves would become both more frequent and more severe. An extreme heat event that occurred once per decade in a climate without human influence, would happen 4.1 times a decade at 1.5°C of warming, and 5.6 times at 2°C, according to the U.N. climate science panel (IPCC). Let warming spiral to 4°C, and such an event could occur 9.4 times per decade. A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, resulting in more extreme rainfall that raises flood risks. It also increases evaporation, leading to more intense droughts. ICE, SEAS, CORAL REEFS The difference between 1.5°C and 2°C is critical for Earth’s oceans and frozen regions. “At 1.5°C, there’s a good chance we can prevent most of the Greenland and west Antarctic ice sheet from collapsing,” said climate scientist Michael Mann at Pennsylvania State University. That would help limit sea level rise to a few feet by the end of the century – still a big change that would erode coastlines and inundate some small island states and coastal cities. But blow past 2°C and the ice sheets could collapse, Mann said, with sea levels rising up to 10 metres (30 feet)- though how quickly that could happen is uncertain. Warming of 1.5°C would destroy at least 70% of coral reefs, but at 2°C more than 99% would be lost. That would destroy fish habitats and communities that rely on reefs for their food and livelihoods. FOOD, FORESTS, DISEASE Warming of 2°C, versus 1.5°C, would also increase the impact on food production. “If you have crop failures in a couple of the breadbaskets of the world at the same time, then you could see extreme food price spikes and hunger and famine across wide swathes of the world,” said climate scientist Simon Lewis at University College London. A warmer world could see the mosquitoes that carry diseases such as malaria and dengue fever expand across a wider range. But 2°C would also see a bigger share of insects and animals lose most of their habitat range, compared with 1.5°C, and increase the risk of forest fires – another risk to wildlife. ‘TIPPING POINTS’ As the world heats up, the risk increases that the planet will reach “tipping points”, where Earth’s systems cross a threshold that triggers irreversible or cascading impacts. Exactly when those points would be reached is uncertain. Droughts, reduced rainfall, and continued destruction of the Amazon through deforestation, for example, could see the rainforest system collapse, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere rather than storing it. Or warming Arctic permafrost could cause long-frozen biomass to decompose, releasing vast amount of carbon emissions. “That’s why it’s so risky to keep emitting from fossil fuels … because we’re increasing the likelihood that we go over one of those tipping points,” Lewis said. BEYOND 2°C So far, the climate pledges that countries have submitted to the United Nations’ registry of pledges put the world on track for 2.7°C of warming. The International Energy Agency said Thursday https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/net-zero-methane-pledges-push-world-near-paris-climate-goal-iea-2021-11-04 that new promises announced at the COP26 summit – if implemented – could hold warming to below 1.8°C, although some experts challenged that calculation. It remains to be seen whether those promises will translate into real-world action. Warming of 2.7°C would deliver “unliveable heat” for parts of the year across areas of the tropics and subtropics. Biodiversity would be enormously depleted, food security would drop, and extreme weather would exceed most urban infrastructure’s capacity to cope, scientists said. “If we can keep warming below 3°C we likely remain within our adaptive capacity as a civilization, but at 2.7°C warming we would experience great hardship,” said Mann. (Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Katy Daigle and Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by AFP US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, seen at the White House on September 8, 2021, has defended a vaccine mandate for businesses against a court challenge Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday issued a vocal defense of a controversial Covid-19 vaccine mandate for large companies despite a court challenge that temporarily freezes the program. “The president and the administration wouldn’t have put these requirements in place if they didn’t think they were appropriate and necessary,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on ABC talk show “This Week.” “The administration is certainly prepared to defend them.” And White House chief of staff Ron Klain, citing earlier court rulings that upheld state-level mandates, said he was “quite confident” that the mandate would ultimately be upheld. “It’s common sense,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The federal mandate, designed to push millions of workers at businesses with more than 100 employees into getting Covid-19 shots — or submit to weekly testing — is key to administration efforts to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control. But on Saturday, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said several petitioners opposing the mandate had raised “grave statutory and constitutional issues.” It granted a temporary stay. Petitioners — including five conservative US states as well as several private employers and religious groups — have questioned the federal government’s authority to issue such a nationwide order. Murthy, in defending it, cited a long history of such requirements — going back to George Washington requiring his troops to be inoculated against smallpox — and said that with the country still seeing 75,000 Covid cases a day, “it’s important to take every measure possible to make our workplaces safer.” And with the new mandate not set to take effect until January, Klain expressed confidence courts would by then uphold it. The traditionally conservative Fifth Circuit court, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, ordered the government to reply to petitioners’ motion for a permanent injunction by Monday evening. Senior Biden advisor Cedric Richmond said he was “absolutely” convinced the new rule would survive judicial scrutiny. “We’re very confident we’re on statutory and legal grounds,” he told CBS. “This is about keeping Americans safe.” Should the suspension be upheld it would represent a major setback to one of Biden’s most far-reaching efforts to secure the immunization of American workers, amid predictions of a Covid-19 winter resurgence. Around 58 percent of the total US population was fully vaccinated as of early November, up from half in August as state, local and company mandates were announced. View the full article

Published by AFP Actor Salma Hayek, director Chloe Zhao, actor Angelina Jolie and actor Gemma Chan (L-R) pose at a London screening of their new superhero film 'Eternals' on October 27, 2021 Los Angeles (AFP) – Marvel’s new superhero film “Eternals” took in an estimated $71 million this weekend to top the North American box office, a strong pandemic-era opening if a bit below expectations, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday. Written and directed by Chloe Zhao, fresh off her best-director Oscar win for “Nomadland,” the film faced some of the worst reviews of any Marvel film — the only one to draw a “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but has fared well overseas, taking in an impressive $91 million. Led by actors Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden and Gemma Chan, “Eternals” tells the tale of an immortal race of aliens who emerge from several millennia in hiding to save the Earth from the evil Deviants. With “Eternals” gobbling up the biggest chunk of box office pie for the Friday-through-Sunday period, previous leader “Dune” dropped to a very distant second place, at $7.6 million. The Warner Bros. sci-fi thriller, based on the classic Frank Herbert opus, stars Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Oscar Isaac. It follows a family in the distant future fighting for survival on a desert planet plagued by monstrous sandworms. United Artist’s James Bond film “No Time to Die” again placed third, at $6.2 million. The studio says it is Daniel Craig’s last time playing the suave spy. It will be offered on digital platforms starting Tuesday, a quick turnaround after its October 8 release. Sony superhero film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” moved up a place this weekend, to fourth spot, taking in $4.5 million. Its domestic total is now close to $200 million. And in fifth was 20th Century’s computer-animated sci-fi comedy “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” at $3.6 million. Its voice cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Olivia Colman. Rounding out the top 10 were: “The French Dispatch” ($2.6 million) “Halloween Kills” ($2.4 million) “Spencer” ($2.1 million) “Antlers” ($2 million) “Last Night in Soho” ($1.8 million) View the full article

Published by AFP Tickets for the event cost up to $500, and attendees were promised the chance to get ‘up close and personal’ with the cadaver Los Angeles (AFP) – The organizer of a pay-to-view autopsy in the United States defended the event Wednesday, after an outcry by the family of the dead man who did not know he would be dissected in front of a live audience. Around 70 people forked over up to $500 each to watch in person an anatomist cut up the body of 98-year-old David Saunders in a hotel ballroom in Oregon last month. Over the course of several hours, Saunders’ organs — including his brain — were removed by Dr. Colin Henderson, a retired professor of anatomy, in a procedure he said he had performed frequently during his teaching career, local broadcaster King 5 reported. Video filmed by the channel shows audience members donning surgical gloves and appearing to touch the body. “It was very educational,” the outlet quoted an attendee named Monica as saying. “It was very respectful to the person that donated their body.” The event was organized by Death Science, which calls itself “an independent education platform that works with educators to teach beyond the classroom.” Tickets for the double-header event said the morning would be “a forensic autopsy on a full human cadaver.” That would be followed in the afternoon by “a formal anatomical dissection (which) will offer us a unique look at what is under our skin, through our bodies and how it all works together.” “There will be several opportunities for attendees to get an up-close-and-personal look at the cadaver,” the ticketing page said. “Cadaver access before, after and during breaks.” In a statement to AFP, Death Science founder Jeremy Ciliberto said the aim of the event “was to create an educational experience for individuals who have an interest in learning more about human anatomy.” No laws broken King 5 reported that family of the dead man had no idea his body would be cut up in front of a paying audience. The news outlet cited the Louisiana funeral director who handled the corpse as saying the family thought it would be used for medical research when it was passed on to Med Ed Labs, a company that solicits corpse donation for “the advancement of medicine and science,” according to its website. Bodies donated for medical science, typically to universities that train medical professionals, are cremated after use and the ashes are returned to next-of-kin. The process removes burial and other costs typically incurred with a funeral. Ciliberto said his company was not privy to any agreement between the dead man’s family and Med Ed Labs, but that the company had confirmed to him “that the provided cadaver was donated for research, medical and educational purposes.” Obteen Nassiri of Med Ed Labs told AFP his company had been unaware of the commercial audience for the autopsy-dissection, and would not have provided the cadaver if they had known. “We were under the impression this donor would be used to train students interested in science, paramedics, medical examiners, coroners offices in anatomical dissections and the study of the human body,” he said. Nassiri said he had spoken with the family. “We’re taking full responsibility and assuming full costs for the return of the body to the family for cremation.” Ciliberto said while he had no further pay-per-view autopsies scheduled at this time, he would take “additional steps” in future collaborations. “We understand that this event has caused undue stress for the family and we apologize for that,” he said. A spokesman for police in Portland, where the event took place, said detectives had consulted with prosecutors and determined no laws had been broken. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall has refused to perform in Russia due to the country’s laws which discriminate against the homosexual community. The 28-year-old pop star – who is joined in the band by Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock – wants to perform for her group’s fans in the country but she would not compromise her morals. Passed in 2013, Russia’s “gay propaganda” law bans materials that would “[present] distorted ideas about the equal social value of traditional and non-traditional sexual relationships,” and has been condemned by the likes of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. During an appearance on the ‘Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware’ podcast, Jade was asked if she would play a concert in Russia, to which she replied: “I would initially say no. But then for instance we got a gig in Dubai one time, in my mind it either was I don’t go or I go and make a statement and give my fee to a charity. “It’s case by case. I’ve got no intention of going to somewhere like Russia any time soon because I obviously don’t believe in what’s going on there.” Despite her stance, Jade insists that places like Russia need the support of LGBTQ+ allies “more than anywhere else”. She said: “Those places, more than anywhere else, need someone to turn up as an ally and fly that flag for them so they don’t feel so alone. “I think as an Arab woman as well, it’s very important for me with my Middle East fans to show them that they can have someone to look up to and realise they’re not alone in it.” Jade – who has Egyptian-Yemeni heritage from her mother Norma Badwi – went on to discuss her relationship with the LGBTQ+ community and said that being an ally was always a part of her life, but that it wasn’t until recently she understood what it truly meant and how to do it properly. The root of it all was her love for drag culture in early childhood and family holidays to Benidorm where she and her family would go and watch drag shows. She said: “But I suppose if I was to go right to the root of it, my first love was drag culture. I didn’t obviously understand what that was, I would just see these divas like Diana Ross and Cher and be obsessed with them. “I’d always associate Benidorm with this magical land where everyone was accepted. But then we’d come back home and it would be like ‘oh we’re not into that.” Jade says it’s still hard to be openly homosexual in the North of England as outdated prejudices still exist. She said: “For a lot of people they are willing to listen but they just don’t understand it as it’s just passed through generations. So if your grandad is being brought up to be homophobic, of course their son will listen to that, unless they’re gay. “That toxic masculinity will seep through each generation until somebody tries to change it. “It was very much like that growing up, and from a young age I didn’t agree with it, but I didn’t know how to express that I didn’t agree with it.” [This post contains video, click to play] Little Mix Jade Thirlwall LGBTQ Ally on Towleroad Supreme Court Weighs Free speech vs. Texas College’s Censure of Aggressive Anti-LGBT Activist On Its Board of Trustees More Astroworld Stampede: 8 Die; NARCAN Revives Officer ‘Who Felt a Prick In His Neck’; Travis Scott Concert Festival Gets Criminal Probe More Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup More Chloé Zhao has ‘kept tabs’ on Harry Styles since Dunkirk More Idris Elba thinks Luther can hit James Bond levels More Daniel Craig’s final act as James Bond planned for 15 years More Biden backs payment to families separated at border under Trump More ‘Finally, infrastructure week!’ Biden says, cheering $1 trillion bill More U.S. federal appeals court issues stay on Biden’s vaccine rule for U.S. companies More Hollywood Heiresses! Paris Jackson, Rooney Mara, Billie Lourd & More Celebs Who Inherited Their Family Fortunes More U.S. Democrats pass $1 trln infrastructure bill, ending daylong standoff More Load More View the full article

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared skeptical that a Texas community college violated the free speech rights of a former member of its board of trustees by censuring him for “reprehensible” behavior during his stormy tenure. Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared skeptical that a Texas community college violated the free speech rights of a former member of its board of trustees by censuring him for “reprehensible” behavior during his stormy tenure. The justices heard nearly 90 minutes of oral arguments in Houston Community College’s appeal of a lower court decision to revive a lawsuit by David Wilson that claimed that the school’s censure – a formal act of discipline – violated the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection from government abridgement of free speech. Questions posed by the justices indicated that they may be reluctant to limit the ability of publicly elected bodies to respond to a member’s speech or conduct with censure. Wilson was publicly elected to the school’s board of trustees. Censure has been employed by democratic institutions throughout U.S. history. Members of the U.S. Congress have faced censure on occasion dating back two centuries, including in recent decades. Wilson’s lawyer, Michael Kimberly, told the justices that censures like the one meted out by the college have a chilling effect on the speech of elected members, prompting skepticism from some of the justices. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts said siding with Wilson would cause “a chilling effect the other way.” “A majority of a board wants to say something about what they regard as whatever reprehensible or offensive conduct – and yet their speech is going to be chilled if you prevail today,” Roberts told Kimberly. Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer expressed concern about the Supreme Court attempting to “oversee” other branches of government. Wilson served from 2013 to 2019 on the board at the college, a public institution in the largest city in Texas, with an enrollment of more than 50,000 students. Some justices expressed discomfort with certain other punishments doled out to Wilson beyond the actual censure, including denying reimbursement for travel expenses. Wilson is described in local media accounts as a longtime anti-LGBT activist. He previously mounted a petition to amend Houston’s city charter to bar men “who perceive or express themselves as women” from entering women’s restrooms, according to the Houston Chronicle. Wilson said he ran for a board seat to expose college mismanagement. He criticized board decisions in the news media and through robocalls, hired a private investigator to uncover alleged corruption, claimed on his website that other board members had engaged in unethical or illegal conduct and sued the board twice for actions he opposed. The board voted to censure him in 2018, finding that his conduct was “not only inappropriate, but reprehensible.” The discipline also revoked his privileges as a trustee to access certain funds for college-related travel and other activities. Wilson sued to stop the censure’s enforcement, seeking monetary damages including for mental anguish. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2020 overturned a federal judge’s decision to throw out the case, allowing it to proceed. The 5th Circuit ruled that a “reprimand against an elected official for speech addressing a matter of public concern is an actionable First Amendment claim.” (Reporting by Andrew Chung in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham) Free Speech Anti-gay on Towleroad Astroworld Stampede: 8 Die; NARCAN Revives Officer ‘Who Felt a Prick In His Neck’; Travis Scott Concert Festival Gets Criminal Probe More Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup More Chloé Zhao has ‘kept tabs’ on Harry Styles since Dunkirk More Idris Elba thinks Luther can hit James Bond levels More Daniel Craig’s final act as James Bond planned for 15 years More Biden backs payment to families separated at border under Trump More ‘Finally, infrastructure week!’ Biden says, cheering $1 trillion bill More U.S. federal appeals court issues stay on Biden’s vaccine rule for U.S. companies More Hollywood Heiresses! Paris Jackson, Rooney Mara, Billie Lourd & More Celebs Who Inherited Their Family Fortunes More U.S. Democrats pass $1 trln infrastructure bill, ending daylong standoff More US Navy names ship after assassinated gay rights campaigner More Load More View the full article

=Buck Slip8 Dead, Many injured in Stampede Ending Travis Scott’s Astroworld FestivalPolice open a criminal probe of the ‘mass casualty event’ as medics find evidence of needle mark on neck of security who said he felt it as stampede started and was later was revived with NARCAN, the opiate antidote. Festival limited to 50,000 attendees though venue has had 200,000. Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival 2019 Photo by Alexander Londoño Published by Reuters By Erwin Seba HOUSTON (Reuters) -A crush of fans pushing toward the stage during rap star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston killed at least eight people and injured dozens more as panic rippled through the crowd of largely young concertgoers, officials said on Saturday. City Police Chief Troy Finner said his department has opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives following unconfirmed reports that someone in the audience “was injecting other people with drugs.” The disaster unfolded at NRG Park at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday during the headline performance by Scott, a Grammy-nominated singer and producer, following what police and members of the crowd described as an escalation of unruly behavior. As some in the sold-out audience of about 50,000 surged toward the stage, people began to fall unconscious https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/travis-scotts-astroworld-concert-pauses-then-restarts-amid-deaths-injuries-2021-11-06, some apparently suffering cardiac arrest or other medical issues, officials told reporters outside the venue. Minutes later the chaos was declared a “mass casualty incident.” “It happened all at once. It seemed like it just happened … over the course of just a few minutes,” said Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite, who was at the front of the event when the situation began. Satterwhite said he immediately met with promoters and they agreed to halt the show. Officials said the concert was brought to an end by 10:10 p.m. Finner said that among the “narratives” under review by police were reports suggesting “some individual was injecting other people with drugs.” One report involved a security officer “who felt a prick in his neck” as he was trying to restrain or grab someone and then fell unconscious, only to be revived with a dose of the opioid antidote NARCAN, Finner said, citing an account from medical personnel who treated the officer. Finner said the medical staff also noticed what appeared to be a needle mark on the officer’s neck. It was not clear whether authorities suspected such an episode played a role in the crowd surge, but Finner said, “we’re going to get down to the bottom of it.” City Fire Chief Samuel Peña said it appeared the venue had ample exit routes for fans and that none was obstructed. Twenty-five people were taken to hospitals by ambulance after the crush began, some of them in cardiac arrest, with 13 still hospitalized on Saturday – five under age 18 – following the discharge of four patients, Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters. Eight people died. Most ranged in age from 14 to 27, though one victim’s age was not immediately known, Turner said. ‘IT FELT LIKE A RIOT’ After mobbing entrance gates and merchandise booths early in the day, the crowd grew increasingly unruly https://www.reuters.com/world/us/countdown-clock-choke-points-led-chaos-houston-rap-concert-2021-11-06 as performers took the stage, according to 19-year-old festival goer Hamad Al Barrak. “There were just too many people,’ said Al Barrak, who described chaos as he tried to buy festival gear. “We were all pressed together. You felt like you couldn’t breathe.” Albert Merza, 43, part of a group of eight people from Detroit attending the festival, recounted seeing “a lot of drinking and crazy behavior.” “It felt like a riot,” he said, adding that it appeared about half the crowd were under age 21. “There were people throwing out stuff, objects flying everywhere.” Nick Johnson, 17, said he witnessed a steady rise of disruptive behavior before the stampede. “It was going on for over two hours, and it just got worse and worse,” he said. An incident earlier in the day in which fans started “rushing” the festival gates was brought under control relatively quickly, said Finner, the police chief, adding it appeared unrelated to the deadly stampede later. Finner said police had 528 officers assigned to the festival on Friday, along with 755 private security personnel. Peña said the venue could theoretically have held up to 200,000 but that organizers limited the crowd to 50,000, and that number seemed accurate based on ticket sales. Houston-born Scott said he was “absolutely devastated” and vowed to support the police as they investigate.” “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted,” Scott wrote https://twitter.com/trvisXX/status/1457018948109705217 on Twitter. “Love You All.” Peña described how the crush of fans quickly overwhelmed the private medical personnel for the festival, a two-day affair that was scheduled to culminate on Saturday https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/deadly-texas-concert-crush-who-is-travis-scott-what-is-astroworld-2021-11-06, but was canceled after Friday night’s tragedy. Videos posted to social media showed a chaotic scene as fans and staff tried to bring attention to injured concertgoers. One video showed fans attempting to make camera operators aware of the dangerous situation. A separate video showed people waving toward the stage and chanting “Stop the show!” The investigation is likely to focus on security and safety protocols. Two weeks ago, another Houston concert was canceled after fans pushed into a Playboi Carti show being held within the same NRG Park complex. Jennifer Ortega, 22, who arrived at Friday’s event at about 1 p.m. said access was orderly at that time. But by 4 p.m. the crowd at the smaller of the festival’s two stages “got pretty reckless,” with people throwing water bottles. She said she saw about three people leaving the area with bloody noses and missing teeth. Organizers said they were cooperating with police. “We are focused on supporting local officials however we can,” Astroworld Fest, an event organized by Live Nation Entertainment, said on Twitter. FANS IN DISTRESS Scott stopped multiple times during his 75-minute performance when he spotted fans in distress near the stage and asked security to ensure their safety, video posted online showed. Emergency vehicles, lights and alarms flashing, cut through the audience several times. “We need somebody to help. Somebody passed out right here,” Scott said, according to video of his set, which included a guest appearance by Canadian rapper Drake. “Security, somebody, jump in here real quick.” Another video clip showed police performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on several people even as music blared in the background. The tragedy harkens back to a 1979 concert by British rock band The Who in which 11 people were killed when fans stampeded into the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati before the event. (Factbox: Some of the world’s worst stampedes https://www.reuters.com/world/some-worlds-worst-stampedes-2021-11-06) Scott, who came to fame in the early 2010s for his unique vocal style has a daughter with Kylie Jenner from the famed Kardashian family. Astroworld is also the name of his third studio album released in 2018 to critical acclaim. (Reporting by Erwin Seba and Gary McWilliams in Houston; Rich McKay in Atlanta; Bhargav Acharya and Sabahatjahan Contractor in Bengaluru; Timothy Gardener and Pete Schroeder in Washington; Nathan Layne in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Writing by Frank McGurty, Nathan Layne and Steve Gorman; Editing by Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry and Daniel Wallis) Astroworld 2019 Photo by Alexander Londoño Astroworld Travis Scott Concert on Towleroad Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup More Chloé Zhao has ‘kept tabs’ on Harry Styles since Dunkirk More Idris Elba thinks Luther can hit James Bond levels More Daniel Craig’s final act as James Bond planned for 15 years More Biden backs payment to families separated at border under Trump More ‘Finally, infrastructure week!’ Biden says, cheering $1 trillion bill More U.S. federal appeals court issues stay on Biden’s vaccine rule for U.S. companies More Hollywood Heiresses! Paris Jackson, Rooney Mara, Billie Lourd & More Celebs Who Inherited Their Family Fortunes More U.S. Democrats pass $1 trln infrastructure bill, ending daylong standoff More US Navy names ship after assassinated gay rights campaigner More Protestors Say Joe Manchin Tried To Hit Them With His Luxury Car As Votes On Key Biden Bills Stall More Load More View the full article

Lil Nas XLil Nas X Goes Kidz Bop Lil Nas X’s statement piece “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” reigned so long atop the pop charts that it only made sense that Kidz Bop, the long-running music series that covers pop music for child audiences, would add it to its collection. But the reworked version of the song has drawn some criticism from Lil Nas X fans for stripping out references to LGBTQ identities. The cover expectedly removes references to drugs and sexual acts in the song, but lyrics that center its voice as queer ( and even some that don’t) have also been reworked. The Kidz Bop version removes the word “boy” from the line “You live in the dark, boy, I cannot pretend” and changes biblical references to Eve and the Garden of Eden to, as one commenter put it, “degayify” the song. According to XXL, Madison referred to Boosie’s multiple claims that he arranged for a “grown woman” to perform oral sex on his underage son. Charlamagne joined with Madison, saying no street rapper or anyone else has the right to label Lil Nas X as a threat to children whenever so many other topics popularized in hip-hop have had adverse effects on children as well. He included “violence towards people, selling celebration of drugs, using or selling” as examples. Boosie responded via Twitter reply, though he replied to tweet celebrating the anniversary of the film “Paid In Full” rather than any of Charlamagne’s tweets. “They still got my name [in] they mouth bout that gay shit LOL,” Boosie wrote. “[Charlamagne] U part of the problem keep egging these people on your show with this bro. U using your platform to support Nas X [and] his antics (I see what side U on) He said fuck y’all kids SMH dummies.” Charlamagne responded to Boosie on Wednesday’s edition “The Breakfast Club,” saying “I’m not on no side. I’m on the side of Blackness.” Montero: Previously on Towleroad Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup Brian Bell November 6, 2021 Read More Dolly Parton Hits the Humble, Generous High Notes: ‘Honored And Flattered’ Lil Nas X Covers ‘Jolene,’ Says It’s ‘Really, Really Good’ Towleroad September 30, 2021 Read More First of R. Kelly Male Victims Testifies; Was 17 When Singer Asked What He ‘Was Willing to do for Music’; Filmed Acts; Told To Call Him ‘Daddy’ Towleroad September 1, 2021 Read More Lil Nas X New Relationship is Under Wraps; Had ‘Good Boyfriends and Some Bad Ones’; This is ‘Someone Special ‘. It’s ‘effortless’ Towleroad August 25, 2021 Read More Cardi B and Lizzo Together Tweak More White Supremacists and Fat Shamers Than Usual. Get Right With ‘Rumors’; Let Them ‘be great’, Offset Urges Towleroad August 24, 2021 Read More Britney Spears Topless Photos Are Being Posted By the Singer Herself. She Says It’s Strong, Not Sleazy and Reveals Rationale Michael Goff August 18, 2021 Read More Screenshot from YouTube View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English ‘Eternals’ director Chloé Zhao says she has “kept tabs” on Harry Styles since ‘Dunkirk’. Chloe admitted that Harry and Eros were very much a “package deal” and she only wanted to introduce the character to her movie if he was portrayed by Harry. She told Deadline: “Harry as Eros was very much a package deal for me. I pitched the idea of Pip the Troll [voiced by Patton Oswald in Eternals] and Eros to Kevin [Feige, Marvel Studios President] a while back, and I love the idea of exploring an Eternal who is beyond Titan and who may have influenced Thanos throughout the years the same way Eternals influenced us, earthlings. “And then, it wasn’t like I suggested Eros, and let’s go find actors. I kept tabs on Harry since Dunkirk, I thought he was very interesting. After meeting him I saw he is that character—the same way I cast the rest of my cast. There’s so much of Eros in him. For me, if he says yes, and Kevin says yes, then it’s a go. And I’m very happy they both did.” Harry appears in a post-credits scene alongside Patton, in which their characters meet up with Thena (Angelina Jolie), Druig (Barry Keoghan), and Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), who are left confused and need assistance after Arishem the Judge (David Kaye) takes Sersi (Gemma Chan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), and Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry). And Richard Madden, who plays Ikaris, admitted he is excited to see how their characters fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He said: “It’s all still a mystery. I want to know more about that little goblin that popped up. Who is that guy?” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Idris Elba thinks ‘Luther’ can be on the level of a James Bond film. The 49-year-old actor is set to reprise the role of DCI John Luther in a Netflix movie based on the hit BBC detective drama, and he thinks they can keep fans of the TV show happy while taking the story and characters “into a new sphere”. He told Collider: “‘Luther’ – we have an incredible appetite to satisfy the audience that love Luther in its current form as a TV show, but also bring it into a new sphere with the film version. “I don’t wanna be controversial, but people imagine me as Bond, and that’s great, but I can’t wait to see them, as Luther, in this movie. Really, our ambition is to take it there.” Before the ‘Luther’ film, Elba features in Netflix’s new all-Black Western ‘The Harder They Fall’, and while he wasn’t surprised by the quality of the film, he was delighted with the timing and response to the release. He said: “We expected this, you know? I can say this to [writer and director Jeymes Samuel] and all of us – we didn’t expect it to hit in the way it has. This film has been brewing for a long time, but the climate of where the world is, and the appetite for something like this, we could not have written. “It’s Black History Month in the UK, and here you have a Western with Black characters that people don’t even know about and forgot about. It hit so hard here. “We couldn’t have expected that but everything that he envisioned, from the first time when he’s telling you about a scene, takes his guitar and starts singing the score. We expected it to be what it is.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Daniel Craig says his final act as James Bond was planned since he joined the franchise. The 53-year-old actor told producers when he took on the role in 2005 that he “would like to be killed off when I am finished” and the final twist of ‘No Time To Die’ was kept a closely guarded secret. Speaking to the authors of Taschen’s ‘James Bond Archives: No Time To Die’, Daniel explained: “When I started as Bond on Casino Royale, one of the early discussions I had with Barbara [Broccolli] and Michael [G. Wilson] was that I would like to be killed off when I am finished.” And ‘No Time To Die’s ending was only kept a secret by handing out fake copies of the script to the crew, which showed Bond emerging from the rubble and receiving a knighthood. Gregg Wilson, the associate producer of the film, explained: “This is the first time we have had to keep elements of the story a secret.” Producers Barbara Broccolli and Michael G Wilson, also admitted that they had discussed the idea of Bond having a daughter in 2015’s ‘Spectre’, but decided against it as he was “too old to have some repartee”. Meanwhile, Daniel recently insisted that, unlike Bond, he is a homebody who prefers to be at his house with his wife Rachel Weisz and their daughter. He said: “I would just rather keep myself to myself and my home, with my wife and family. I don’t venture out a great deal and I will choose places that I want to go to carefully. It’s not that I don’t like fans or appreciate how passionate they are about the films and the industry; they are entirely the ones who keep this industry moving; it’s just that I choose not to be the person who courts publicity or has loads of celebrity friends and is always out for the paparazzi to shoot me in particular hot spots. “I prefer to keep the close friends that I have and have had for some time. We all have jobs and mine just happens to be one where people know where I am, and I have a very public image.” View the full article

Published by AFP US President Joe Biden speaks at the White House after Congress passes his $1.2 infrastructure package Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden said Saturday he supported compensation for families of immigrants separated from their children at the Mexican border under the “zero tolerance” policy of Donald Trump. “If, in fact, because of the outrageous behavior of the last administration you, coming across the border, whether it was legal or illegal, and you lost your child — you lost your child, it’s gone! — you deserve some kind of compensation, no matter what the circumstance. “What that will be, I have no idea,” he said. Biden was speaking at the White House while taking questions after remarks about the passage Friday of his big infrastructure plan. The US departments of Justice and Homeland Security have been negotiating with affected families who have sued the government, the Wall Street Journal reported in late October. It said payments could run as high as $450,000. Asked about that report on Wednesday, Biden said it was “garbage” — adding, of the $450,000 figure, “That’s not going to happen.” A White House spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, later clarified that while Biden was “perfectly comfortable” with the idea of compensation, “the reported figures are higher than anywhere that a settlement can land.” During his run for president, Biden promised more “humane” immigration policies following Trump’s repeated efforts to crack down on undocumented migrants. Under a “zero tolerance” policy announced in 2018, the Trump administration vowed to step up criminal prosecution of people caught entering the country illegally. But reports soon emerged that immigrant parents were being prosecuted and separated from their children. In all, close to 4,000 migrant children were separated from their families. As of June 2021, more than 2,000 had yet to be reunited with their families. dax/bbk/dw View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland and Heather Timmons WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A giddy President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed congressional passage of a long-delayed $1 trillion infrastructure bill as a “once in a generation” investment and predicted a broader social safety net plan will be approved despite tense negotiations. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in the White House State Dining Room about 12 hours after moderate and progressive Democrats in the House of Representative overcame internal bickering and delivered the president his biggest legislative win thus far. “Finally, infrastructure week,” Biden said with a chuckle. “I’m so happy to say that – infrastructure week!” The president’s comment referred to a running joke in recent years after Biden’s Republican predecessor Donald Trump declared https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-week/confluence-of-crises-crashes-trumps-infrastructure-week-idUSKCN1G02M6 “Infrastructure week” in 2018 but was unable to pass a bill after multiple tries during his presidency. The bipartisan bill’s passage gives Biden a jolt of good news https://www.reuters.com/world/us/with-infrastructure-vote-congress-gives-biden-long-needed-jolt-good-news-2021-11-06 after sobering election losses for his Democratic party this week and a drop in his approval ratings. Referring to the losses, Biden said they showed American people “want us to deliver.” “I think the one message that came across was – ‘get something done. It’s time to get something done – stop talking,'” said Biden. The United Steelworkers union welcomed the bill’s passage. “The House has passed the #InfrastructureBill, which would provide roughly $1 trillion for upgrading the nation’s critical infrastructure. This is a big freakin’ deal for us because Steelworkers supply America in so many ways!” the union tweeted. The bill had been caught up for months in bitter fighting between Democrats and the impasse had raised questions about Biden’s effectiveness. With Biden making multiple phone calls to lawmakers urging a compromise, an agreement was worked out late on Friday for the House to vote by Nov. 15 on Biden’s proposed $1.75 trillion Build Back Better social safety net plan. This allowed lawmakers to go forward on the infrastructure bill and it passed with backing from 215 Democrats, and in a move that annoyed the conservative right, 13 Republicans helped provide the margin of victory. A half dozen progressive Democrats voted no. Biden said that in his last-gasp negotiations with Democrats to try to get the bill passed, he urged them, “Let’s be reasonable.” “Last night we proved we can, on one big item, we delivered,” he said of the bill, which includes https://www.reuters.com/world/us/roads-bridges-airports-details-bidens-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-2021-11-05 tens of billions in investments in road, rail, public transport and broadband. Biden was in an upbeat mood in taking questions from reporters, at one point playfully putting his hands over his eyes to pick out a journalist to call on. He said he will sign the bipartisan bill “soon” in a formal signing ceremony that highlights all the people who worked on it, Democrats and Republicans alike. He plans to visit some ports next week to promote the bill and Americans should see the impacts in coming months, he said, offering Democrats something to campaign on as they try to head off losses in next year’s congressional elections. The infrastructure bill will create “blue collar” jobs modernizing roads and bridges, and transform the transportation system, Biden said. The “vast majority” of the jobs created will not require a college degree, he said. Americans “will see the effects of this bill probably starting within the next two to three months,” he said. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Heather Timmons; editing by Diane Craft and Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. federal appeals court issued a stay Saturday freezing the Biden administration’s efforts to require workers at U.S. companies with at least 100 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly, citing “grave statutory and constitutional” issues with the rule. The ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit comes after numerous Republican-led states filed legal challenges against the new rule, which is set to take effect on Jan 4. (Reporting by Mike Scarcella, writing by Pete Schroeder) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Born with a silver spoon! These celebs cashed in on piles of dough from their wealthy families. Scroll through the photos below to see which celebrity legacies were born into wealth! Rooney Mara – $3 Billion Mega Football family! Rooney Mara, 36, and her sister Kate, 38, are part of not one, but two sports dynasties. Their dad is the third generation to own a piece of the New York Giants franchise since their great-grandfather Tim Mara founded the team in 1925. Tim paid a mere $500 at the time — and it’s now worth an estimated $500 million! Meanwhile, their mom is descended from Art Rooney, who founded the Pittsburgh Pirates. Never heard of ’em? Well, they’re now the six-time Super Bowl Champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers! Paris Jackson – $1.3 Billion mega Biding her time! King of Pop Michael Jackson reportedly structured his will so that the singer and her two brothers get $8 million a year until they all turn 33. At that point, they’ll each get an equal chunk of half of their dad’s estate. At 40, they’ll split the rest. Still, all the money in the world can’t fill the hole in Paris Jackson’s heart caused by her dad’s 2009 death. “They always say, ‘Time heals,’ ” the 23-year-old mused. “But it really doesn’t. You just get used to it.” PRINCE JACKSON RECALLS TRAUMATIC FIRST TIME HE WATCHED ‘THRILLER’ VIDEO WITH DAD MICHAEL JACKSON Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Billions Mega Well, not exactly. While the Veep alum, 60, has a reported $200 million of her own dough, she’s tried to set the record straight that it is her late father Gérard’s business, a commodities and shipping conglomerate, that is worth billions and not the man. “Whatever I do, people just assume it’s true,” she’s said. “Welcome to the f**in’ Internet.” Billie Lourd – $45+ Million Mega Billie Lourd faced the unthinkable when her mom, Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher and grandmother, Old Hollywood sweetheart Debbie Reynolds, died within a week of each other in 2016. Experts speculate that the 29-year-old inherited the bulk of Carrie’s estate as well as a portion of her grandma’s — which was worth a whopping $85 million! Lourd is philosophical about her loss. “I’ve always kind of lived in their shadows,” the Scream Queens actress said. “And now is the first time in my life when I get to own my life and just stand on my own.” Brooke Shields – $25 Million mega He split when she was just 5 months old, but Frank Shields, an executive at Revlon, did right by the Pretty Baby actress when he passed away in 2003. Brooke Shields, who has been working since she was 11 months old, learned how not to handle her finances from her late mother, Teri. “When I was 20 years into my career, I had made and lost everything twice,” said the 56-year-old of her momager (the two were frequently estranged). “My mom’s perspective was, if I did a movie, we could buy a house, or if I did a job, we could get a car.” BROOKE SHIELDS LISTS RUSTIC LUXE PACIFIC PALISADES PAD FOR $8.2 MILLION — TOUR THE WOODSY RETREAT WITH CHEF’S KITCHEN, MESMERIZING VIEWS Kyra Sedgwick – $16 Million mega Descended from an old New England family, Kyra Sedgwick, 56, was born into a life of privilege — and came into an even bigger fortune when her venture capitalist dad Henry Dwight Sedgwick V died in 2018. That year, The Closer star, wed to Kevin Bacon, remembered her father, who split from her mom when the actress was just 4, as “something of a ’70s swinger. He was handsome and charismatic and had lots of girlfriends.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Susan Cornwell, Makini Brice and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -After a daylong standoff, Democrats set aside divisions between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package of highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, sending it on to President Joe Biden to sign into law. The 228-to-206 vote is a substantial triumph for Biden’s Democrats, who have bickered for months over the ambitious spending bills that make up the bulk of his domestic agenda. Biden’s administration will now oversee the biggest upgrade of America’s roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure https://www.reuters.com/world/us/roads-bridges-airports-details-bidens-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-2021-11-05 in a generation, which he has promised will create jobs and boost U.S. competitiveness. Democrats still have much work to do on the second pillar of Biden’s domestic program: a sweeping expansion of the social safety net and programs to fight climate change. At a price tag of $1.75 trillion, that package https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/whats-bidens-175-trillion-build-back-better-package-2021-11-05 would be the biggest expansion of the U.S. safety net since the 1960s, but the party has struggled to unite behind it. Democratic leaders had hoped to pass both bills out of the House on Friday, but postponed action after centrists demanded a nonpartisan accounting of its costs – a process that could take weeks. After hours of closed-door meetings, a group of centrists promised to vote for the bill by Nov. 20 – as long as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that its costs lined up with White House estimates. The House planned a procedural vote on that package later on Friday. “Welcome to my world. This is the Democratic Party,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters earlier in the day. “We are not a lockstep party.” The standoff came just days after Democrats suffered losses in closely watched state elections, raising concerns that they may lose control of Congress next year. Biden called lawmakers to urge them to pass the transportation package, which has already won approval in the Senate. The infrastructure bill passed with the support of 13 Republicans, fulfilling Biden’s promise of passing some bipartisan legislation. The phrase “infrastructure week” had become a Washington punchline during his predecessor Donald Trump’s four years in the White House, when plans to focus on those investments were repeatedly derailed by scandals. AIM TO MOVE FORWARD The party is eager to show it can move forward on the president’s agenda and fend off challenges in the 2022 midterm elections in which Republicans will seek to regain control of both chambers of Congress, which they lost to the Democrats under Trump. Congress also faces looming Dec. 3 deadlines to avert a politically embarrassing government shutdown and an economically catastrophic default on the federal government’s debt. With razor-thin majorities in Congress and a united Republican opposition, Democrats need unity to pass legislation. The infrastructure bill, which passed the Senate https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-biden-infrastructure-idTRNIL1N2PH1MA in August with 19 Republican votes, would fund a massive upgrade of America’s roads, bridges, airports, seaports and rail systems, while also expanding broadband internet service. The “Build Back Better” package includes provisions on child care and preschool, eldercare, healthcare, prescription drug pricing and immigration. It would bolster the credibility of Biden’s pledge to halve U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 during the U.N. climate conference https://www.reuters.com/business/cop taking place in Glasgow, Scotland. Republicans uniformly oppose that legislation, casting it as a dramatic expansion of government that would hurt businesses. “This is potentially a very black day for America,” said Republican Representative Glenn Grothman, who characterized the legislation’s child-care and preschool provisions as a “Marxist” effort to have the federal government raise children. The nonpartisan U.S. Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the social-spending bill would raise $1.48 trillion in new tax revenue over the next decade, short of its $1.75 trillion cost. Pelosi and other top Democrats have said that fails to account for increased tax enforcement and savings from lower prescription drug prices. (Reporting by David Morgan, Susan Cornwell and Makini Brice, additional reporting by Trevor Hunnitcutt and Alexandra Alper; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Will Dunham and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by AFP Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay elected politicians in the United States Los Angeles (AFP) – One of the first openly gay politicians in the United States, who was assassinated four decades ago, will have a ship named after him this weekend, as the US military looks to keep step with modern-day social attitudes. The USNS Harvey Milk honours a former navy diver who served at a time there was a ban on homosexuality in the armed forces, and who was later shot dead in San Francisco, months after winning public office. The naming ceremony for the 227-metre (744-foot) refuelling vessel in San Diego on Saturday will be attended by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “Leaders like Harvey Milk taught us that diversity of backgrounds and experiences help contribute to the strength and resolve of our nation,” Del Toro said, according to a Navy press release. “There is no doubt that the future sailors aboard this ship will be inspired by Milk’s life and legacy.” Milk, who was frank about his sexuality after his time in the military, was elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, where he was instrumental in passing laws banning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Just months later, in 1978, Milk was shot dead along with mayor George Moscone, by a disgruntled former city supervisor. His killer, Dan White, pleaded diminished responsibility, saying he was suffering from depression and had eaten a lot of sugary foods, in what was dubbed the “Twinkie defense”. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to five years in jail, a verdict that sparked outrage, particularly in San Francisco’s gay community. Milk’s murder helped to fix his reputation as a civil rights icon, and he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Navy announced five years ago that it would name a ship after Milk, along with vessels for civil rights leaders including abolitionist Sojourner Truth and suffragist Lucy Stone. This is not the first official tribute to Milk by the United States: in 2014, the US Post Office issued a stamp with his image, where he appeared smiling next to a rainbow flag. Sean Penn won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of the activist in the 2008 film “Milk”. View the full article

Published by Radar Online A viral video shows protestors swarming the Maserati of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and the protestors claim the congressman tried to mow them down. Manchin has become a focal person in U.S. politics as he holds a key vote for President Joe Biden’s agenda. A video posted on social media shows supports surrounding his luxury car in a Washington D.C. parking garage. To learn more about the incident or to see if you think Manchin tried to hurt the protestors, check out Knewz.com. mega View the full article

Published by Radar Online Actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolieis not holding back, especially regarding human rights issues that she believes in. Her recent movie with Marvel, Eternals, had been barred from several countries in the Middle East over scenes that featured gay characters. The middle east is notoriously known for its stance against the LGBT community. In some of their countries, homosexuality is even punishable by death. The 46-year-old Maleficent star responded to the ban, saying she couldn’t comprehend how people could be “angry” and “threatened” by “the beauty of that relationship” before labeling their actions as “ignorant.” “I’m sad for [those audiences],” Angelina said during a press conference. “And I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out. I still don’t understand how we live in a world today where there’s still [people who] would not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and that love.” She then added, “How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant.” The movie features Marvel’s first on-screen gay couple superhero, Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, who lives in a home with his husband character Ben, played by Haaz Sleiman. In one of the scenes from the film, Briana and Haaz share a passionate kiss, which also marks Marvel’s first same-sex kiss ever displayed in cinemas. mega After learning about the characters, several countries in the Middle East had demanded the scenes be censored. However, Disney, who owns Marvel studio, denied their request. One cinema franchise in the Gulf country later confirmed they had banned the movie without explanation. AlthoughEternals isn’t the first movie to have experienced such discrimination, the Pixar film, Onward was also barred last year from cinemas in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia over a line that mentioned a lesbian relationship. mega Eternals is a film based on a fictional race of humanoid aliens who are immortal and just came out of hiding for the first time in thousands of years to protect the earth from their enemy, the Deviants. The movie premiered in Los Angeles earlier this month and was directed and co-written by Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao who won Best Director and Best picture for Nomadland in 2020. Jolie with her children at Eternals premieremega View the full article

=Buck SlipWhat Do Real Housewives Dubai Think of Civil, Sharia Punishments for LGBTQ Consensual Sex; Beach PDA; ‘Cross Dressing’ —- Arrest, Deportation, Prison— up to 10-years prison for consensual same-sex intimacy. Sharia also death penalty (rare) – 2005-2016 Arrests every year include: 2 in a relationship; posting cross dressing pics; entrapped by police for sex work; 2 women arrested for PDA at the beach; 13 young men got 5 years in prison for an Abu Dhabi hotel party; Gigi Gorgeous, detained, denied entry at airport . “Our society does not accept queer behavior, either in word or in action….” –Former UAE Minister of Justice – When asked by Forbes about the restrictive human rights laws in Dubai, Cohen’s answer was a worrying variation of blind confidence in the Real Housewives of Dubai ability to change the world just by existing, by “opening hearts…” “While the shows are always entertaining, they also drive the cultural conversation and I hope that it does just that. Since this will be a lot of people’s first look at Dubai, hopefully we can shed light on some of the things that are going on there and maybe with education, we can create and provoke change and interest in making things different.” –Andy Cohen in response to question about Human Rights My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. — MLK, Notes from BirminghamMy “Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.” ― Assata Shakur, Published by BANG Showbiz English Andy Cohen thinks Lindsay Lohan featuring on ‘The Real Housewives of Dubai’ would be a “good idea”. Bravo announced earlier this week their beloved reality franchise is expanding to the United Arab Emirates and the series’ executive producer would love it if the ‘Freaky Friday’ star – who has lived in the UAE for several years – joined the cast. In an appearance on ‘The Talk’, co-host Jerry O’Connell suggested to his guest: “Lindsay Lohan lives in Dubai, a Real Housewife potential, maybe Andy?” ‘The Watch What Happens Live’ star replied: “Let me tell you something. It’s a good idea, Jerry.” However, earlier this week sources insisted Lindsay hadn’t even been considered for the series. Andy teased there will be an “outstanding group of friends” leading the cast of the new show. He said earlier this week: “Everything’s bigger in Dubai, and I couldn’t be more excited to launch Bravo’s first international ‘Housewives’ series in a city I’ve been fascinated by for years, with an outstanding group of friends as our guides. “This is going to blow the lid off of the entire franchise”. Bravo have promised the series will showcase the best the “billionaire’s playground” of Dubai has to offer, as well as focusing on the lives of the ‘Housewives’. A synopsis for the show read: ‘‘A group of women navigating their relationships, careers and supremely lavish and ultra-wealthy lifestyles in the United Arab Emirates. “With the desert paradise of Dubai as the backdrop, this billionaire’s playground is known for its over-the-top opulence, jaw-dropping modern architecture and wild nightlife scene.” The ‘Mean Girls’ actress moved to Dubai in 2014 to get out of the public eye. She previously said: “Moving here was a fresh start. I don’t have to be publicly seen all the time, or discuss what I’m doing.” Real Housewives Dubai on Towleroad JoJo Siwa is proud to be a gay icon More JonBenét Ramsey Case: Boulder Police Accused Of Sitting On Crucial DNA Evidence That Could Help Solve Beauty Queen’s Murder 25 Years Later More NASA to deflect asteroid in test of ‘planetary defense’ More New Manhattan grand jury convened in Trump Org probe -source More Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will survive if warming kept to 1.5 degrees More Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo cast as Wicked’s leading ladies More Cardi B offers to officiate Kal Penn’s wedding More Tom Ford: Celebrities used to take much bigger risks on red carpet pre-stylists More Pfizer says antiviral pill cuts risk of severe COVID-19 by 89% More Factbox: What’s in Biden’s $1.75 trillion ‘Build Back Better’ package? More Marvel’s ‘Eternals’: 3 Countries Ban Film When Disney Refuses To Cut Gay Scenes; IMDb Culls The Trolling Bros Review Bomb; More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English JoJo Siwa is proud to be a gay icon. The YouTuber – who is currently taking part in ‘Dancing With the Stars’ – is thrilled to have received the same status as some of her pop idols because of her LGBTQ+ status. JoJo said: “It’s wild to me, I think because I look at people who are called gay icons—you, Lady Gaga, Freddie Mercury, my favourite people—and to be in that category at 18 is just insane. And just because of who I am, it feels amazing.” The social media star went on to gush about making history as part of the first all-female pairing on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ with professional partner Jenna Johnson. Speaking on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, JoJo said: “Being partnered with another female on the show, it just shows all the little kids watching, ‘Okay, cool, boy-girl, wait, a girl-girl. That’s cool, too. It just makes it more normal, and not so stereotypical.” The 18-year-old Nickelodeon star – who identifies as pansexual – also went on to open up about her own coming out, nothing that she was so “happy” with the way things turned out and how she has become a role model for young people. She said: “I am so happy with the outcome of me coming out. The world has taken it so positively, and it’s impacted so many young kids in such a way that hearing adults say, ‘I wish I had someone like you when I was little.’ That makes me know the kids that are little have someone like me, too.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online As the 25th anniversary of JonBenét Ramsey’s death approaches, Radar has exclusively learned crucial DNA evidence, which potentially has the power to solve the murder, has NOT gone through nationwide genetic testing that may identify the killer or a relative. Amazingly, investigators have yet to utilize any commercially available genetic DNA database to catch the cold-blooded killer or killers responsible for the brutal strangulation and sexual assault of the 6-year-old. JonBenét was murdered inside her ritzy Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996. The bombshell finding comes from renowned investigative reporter Paula Woodward, who exclusively obtained the 3,000-page “police book summary” case file detailing just about every report written by detectives tasked with solving the crime. Woodward claims that records show cops are STILL allegedly convinced JonBenét was viciously garroted by her mother Patsy Ramsey, who died of ovarian cancer in 2006 at age 49. She also alleges the police are stubbornly refusing to look at any other potential suspects or evidence. “There are certain police officers in Boulder who not only did not do their jobs — but they also went way beyond that in trying to convict the Ramseys,” said Woodward, who details her findings in her new blockbuster book, “Unsolved: The JonBenét Ramsey Murder 25 Years Later.” YouTube “Everything about the case defies logic,” she told Radar exclusively. “They don’t want the murder to have happened there. They want to move on from it. Surely (they think) the Ramsey family did something wrong before they moved to Boulder. This is not Boulder’s fault. This is the Ramseys fault so get the murder out of here, it doesn’t matter if it’s solved, the family did it.” Woodward claims the Boulder police have refused to look at DNA markers from any other potential suspect — leaving the case to “languish.” Woodward believes investigators are refusing to harness the genetic DNA database used by millions of consumers to trace their family trees to ferret out JonBenét’s killers — the same way investigators in 2018 nabbed the elusive Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., and solved countless other cold cases around the country. “They will not take the remaining DNA for genetic testing – they won’t do it!” she alleges. In 2016, Boulder police and prosecutors announced plans to run the existing evidence through new sophisticated DNA technology with the help of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation — but Woodward claims that was all a farce. “It never happened,” said Woodward, who has covered the case for 25 years. “There was a lot of posturing but no definitive action.” When asked why, she responded, “I don’t know.” The JonBenét DNA evidence was checked with the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which has the genetic profiles of 15 million known criminals and about 730,000 unsolved crimes, with negative results. MEGA Cops believe the killer or killers broke into the Ramsey home through a basement window, slipped into JonBenét’s bedroom, and knocked her out with a stun gun. She was reportedly carried to the basement where she was gagged with duct tape, sexually abused, strangled with a garrote, and smashed in the head with a baseball bat. JonBenét’s half-brother John Andrew Ramsey said DNA evidence was left at the crime scene but blasted the Boulder police for allegedly failing to vigorously pursue the suspect — specifically the same two veteran lead detectives involved in the case since December 1996. “It’s the same mentally — they think Patsy Ramsey did it and, in their minds, they solved it so why put any effort into it. It’s insane!” John Andrew told Radar. “It’s the same old guard doing the same stupid s–t that they were doing 25 years ago today,” he continued. “Everybody knows there has been huge advances in DNA technology and that this case with a mountain of physical evidence, I mean a mountain, that can benefit by taking those steps, but the Boulder police won’t do it!” “It’s a hell of a lot easier not the face the truth,” John Andrew added. “They are trying to run the clock out – that’s what they are trying to do.” Radar reached out to the Boulder Police Department, who responded with “no comment. Susan Medina, a rep for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) tells Radar, “this is not our case and we do not discuss test results. Generally speaking, as DNA testing continues to improve because of technological advances, our forensic scientists continually work to see how cases might be impacted with new testing.” MEGA View the full article

Published by AFP This artist's illustration obtained from NASA shows the DART spacecraft prior to impact with the asteroid Dimorphos Washington (AFP) – In the 1998 Hollywood blockbuster “Armageddon,” Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck race to save the Earth from being pulverized by an asteroid. While the Earth faces no such immediate danger, NASA plans to crash a spacecraft traveling at a speed of 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kph) into an asteroid next year in a test of “planetary defense.” The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is to determine whether this is an effective way to deflect the course of an asteroid should one threaten the Earth in the future. NASA provided details of the DART mission, which carries a price tag of $330 million, in a briefing for reporters on Thursday. “Although there isn’t a currently known asteroid that’s on an impact course with the Earth, we do know that there is a large population of near-Earth asteroids out there,” said Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer. “The key to planetary defence is finding them well before they are an impact threat,” Johnson said. “We don’t want to be in a situation where an asteroid is headed towards Earth and then have to test this capability.” The DART spacecraft is scheduled to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 10:20 pm Pacific time on November 23 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If the launch takes place at or around that time, impact with the asteroid some 6.8 million miles from Earth would occur between September 26 and October 1 of next year. The target asteroid, Dimorphos, which means “two forms” in Greek, is about 525 feet in diameter and orbits around a larger asteroid named Didymos, “twin” in Greek. Johnson said that while neither asteroid poses a threat to Earth they are ideal candidates for the test because of the ability to observe them with ground-based telescopes. Images will also be collected by a miniature camera-equipped satellite contributed by the Italian Space Agency that will be ejected by the DART spacecraft 10 days before impact. ‘A small nudge’ Nancy Chabot of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, which built the DART spacecraft, said Dimorphos completes an orbit around Didymos every 11 hours and 55 minutes “just like clockwork.” The DART spacecraft, which will weigh 1,210 pounds at the time of impact, will not “destroy” the asteroid, Chabot said. “It’s just going to give it a small nudge,” she said. “It’s going to deflect its path around the larger asteroid.” “It’s only going to be a change of about one percent in that orbital period,” Chabot said, “so what was 11 hours and 55 minutes before might be like 11 hours and 45 minutes.” The test is designed to help scientists understand how much momentum is needed to deflect an asteroid in the event one is headed towards Earth one day. “We are targeting to be as nearly head on as possible to cause the biggest deflection,” Chabot said. The amount of deflection will depend to a certain extent on the composition of Dimorphos and scientists are not entirely certain how porous the asteroid is. Dimorphos is the most common type of asteroid in space and is some 4.5 billion years old, Chabot said. “It’s like ordinary chondrite meteorites,” she said. “It’s a fine grain mixture of rock and metal together.” Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer, said more than 27,000 near-Earth asteroids have been catalogued but none currently pose a danger to the planet. An asteroid discovered in 1999 known as Bennu that is 1,650 feet wide will pass within half the distance of the Earth to the Moon in the year 2135 but the probability of an impact is considered very slight. View the full article