TikTok has threatened legal action against the US after President Donald Trump ordered companies to stop doing business with the Chinese app within 45 days.
The Chinese company said it was “shocked” by an executive order from the President Trump outlining the ban.
It also said it would “pursue all remedies available” to “ensure the rule of law is not discarded”.
President Trump issued a similar order against China’s WeChat in a major escalation in Washington’s stand-off with Beijing.
WeChat’s owner, Tencent, said: “We are reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding.”
As well as WeChat, Tencent is also a leading gaming company and its investments include a 40% stake in Epic Games – the company behind popular Fortnite video game.
President Trump has already threatened to ban TikTok in the US, citing national security concerns, and the company is now in talks to sell its American business to Microsoft. They have until September 15 to reach a deal – a deadline set by President Trump.
The Trump administration claims that the Chinese government has access to user information gathered by TikTok, which the company has denied.
TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, said it had attempted to engage with the US government for nearly a year “in good faith”.
However, the company said: “What we encountered instead was that the administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.”
The executive orders against TikTok and WeChat are the latest measure in an increasingly broad Trump administration campaign against China.
On August 6, Washington announced recommendations that Chinese firms listed on US stock markets should be delisted unless they provided regulators with access to their audited accounts.
China’s Foreign Ministry on August 7 accused the US of using national security as a cover to exert hegemony.
In both executive orders, President Trump says that the spread in the US of mobile apps developed and owned by Chinese companies “threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States”.
The US government says TikTok and WeChat “capture vast swaths of information from its users”.
“This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.”
President Trump’s executive order also claims both apps gather data on Chinese nationals visiting the US, allowing Beijing “to keep tabs” on them.
The executive order also says TikTok’s data collection could allow China to track US government employees and gather personal information for blackmail, or to carry out corporate espionage.
He notes that reports indicate TikTok censors content deemed politically sensitive, such as protests in Hong Kong and China’s treatment of the Uighurs, a Muslim minority.
The orders have been issued under legal authority from the National Emergencies Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
In its most robust response so far to the US government, TikTok says the executive order that has been issued is based on “unnamed reports with no citations”.
“We have made clear that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request,” the company said.
“We even expressed our willingness to pursue a full sale of the US business to an American company.”
President Trump said this week he would support the sale to Microsoft as long as the US government received a “substantial portion” of the sale price.
TikTok said the new executive order “risks undermining global businesses’ trust in the United States’ commitment to the rule of law”, adding it sets “a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets”.
“We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly – if not by the administration, then by the US courts,” the company said.
Lawyers for Ed Bosarge want a mysterious group they call the “friends of Marie” and “Marie’s minions” to stop helping her in her search for justice in a Harris County courtroom.
Billionaire Bosarge has been accused of fraudulently moving up to $2.3 billion into secretive South Dakota trusts to hide from his wife of thirty years, Marie, and leaving her in financial ruin.
Court documents show Ed Bosarge has paid more than a million to his team of high-priced and that he has spent more than a million dollars to his much younger Russian girlfriend and her family, paying for expensive clothing, jewelry and cosmetics.
Court documents show that Marie is asking 312th District Court Judge Chip Wells to prohibit Ed Bosarge from spending any more community property money on his girlfriend and other third parties.
Marie Bosarge is unable to afford the legal fight at all after their 30-year marriage. She owes nearly half a million dollars to lawyers and hundreds of thousands more on property taxes she can’t pay on the house she isn’t allowed to sell. She has asked Judge Chip Wells to allow her to sell the house and use some of the money to finance her case.
“I want what’s fair. It’s my money too, you know. That’s what’s so frustrating. We earned that money together while we’ve been married,” Marie Bosarge said.
Ed Bosarge’s use of the South Dakota trusts has exposed a curious tax haven right here in the United States.
Marie’s fight hit a roadblock in South Dakota after lower courts denied her right to get into the secretive trusts. But did she stand a chance with who her attorney was?
Patrick Goetzinger is a lawyer who sits on the Governor’s Trust Task Force and is the registered agent of the South Dakota Trust Association. He is credited with setting up the rules that Marie is having to fight. Why would a guy like Goetzinger help undo the work he spent the last 20 plus years creating?
The planned jury trial is delayed by the COVID pandemic but is sure to be one of the largest divorces to ever play out in Houston courts. Lawyers for Ed Bosarge want the “minions” to stop interfering in the divorce case because they say the negative publicity will mess with the prospective jury pool.
A hearing to discuss the behavior of the minions is set for Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 1:30 PM in the 312th District Court.
Rescue teams in Lebanon are searching rubble for dozens of people missing a day after a huge explosion devastated the port area of the capital, Beirut.
The explosion, which shook the whole city, killed at least 113 people and injured more than 4,000 others. A two-week state of emergency has been declared.
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.
All port officials have been put under house arrest pending an investigation.
According to local media, customs chief Badri Daher claims his agency had repeatedly called for the ammonium nitrate to be removed, but “this did not happen, and we leave it to the experts to determine the reasons”.
Ammonium nitrate is used as a fertilizer in agriculture and as an explosive.
Opening an emergency cabinet meeting, President Aoun said: “No words can describe the horror that has hit Beirut last night, turning it into a disaster-stricken city.”
The blast occurred just after 18:00 on August 4 after a fire at the port, and it was felt 150 miles away on the island of Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean.
Security forces have sealed off a wide area around the blast site, and rescuer workers have been looking for bodies and survivors under rubble while boats searched the waters off the coast.
However, the overnight rescue effort was hampered by a lack of electricity.
Public Health Minister Hamad Hassan said the country’s health sector was short of beds and lacked the equipment necessary to treat the injured and care for patients in critical condition.
He said a “large number of children” had been rescued but added that he feared that the number of dead would rise further.
The Saint Georges hospital near the site of the blast was badly damaged and several members of staff were killed. Three Beirut hospitals were closed with two others only partially operational, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The WHO said it would airlift medical supplies to Lebanon on August 5.
Three French planes are due to arrive carrying 55 rescuers, medical equipment and a mobile clinic equipped to treat 500 people. French President Emmanuel Macron will visit on August 6. The EU is sending 100 firefighters with vehicles, dogs and equipment. Russia is sending five planes carrying rescuers, doctors and equipment.
According to Beirut’s governor Marwan Aboud, many buildings and homes have been reduced to an uninhabitable mess of glass and as many as 300,000 people have been left homeless.
The ammonium nitrate had reportedly been in a warehouse in Beirut port for six years after it was unloaded from a ship impounded at the port in 2013.
The head of Beirut port and the head of the customs authority both told local media that they had written to the judiciary several times asking that the chemical be exported or sold on to ensure port safety.
The port’s General Manager Hassan Koraytem told OTV that they had been aware that the material was dangerous when a court first ordered it stored in the warehouse, “but not to this degree”.
Lebanon’s Supreme Defense Council has vowed that those found responsible will face the “maximum punishment” possible.
The ammonium nitrate arrived on a Moldovan-flagged ship, the Rhosus, which entered Beirut port after suffering technical problems during its voyage from Georgia to Mozambique, according to Shiparrested.com, which deals with shipping-related legal cases.
The Rhosus was inspected, banned from leaving and was shortly afterwards abandoned by its owners, sparking several legal claims. Its cargo was then removed and stored in a port warehouse for safety reasons, the report said.
At least 27 people have been killed and more than 2,500 injured in a large blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, the health minister says.
It is not yet clear what caused the explosion in the port region. Videos posted online showed a column of smoke followed by a large mushroom cloud.
Hospitals are said to be overwhelmed and many buildings have been destroyed.
According to Lebanon’s internal security chief, the blast happened in an area housing highly explosive materials.
The explosion comes at a sensitive time for Lebanon, with an economic crisis reigniting old divisions. Tensions are also high ahead of August 7 verdict in a trial over the killing of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Some reports suggest the explosion may have been an accident. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported a fire breaking out at what it called an explosives depot at the port before the explosion.
Local media showed people trapped beneath rubble. A witness described the first explosion as deafening, and video footage showed wrecked cars and blast-damaged buildings.
President Michel Aoun called for an emergency meeting of the Supreme Defense Council, the presidency said on Twitter.
August 5 has been declared a day of mourning, the Lebanese prime minister said.
Trends come and go like the wind. To stay on top of what’s trendy in today’s world, you’ll need to be in the loop of the changes taking place in the fashion industry. The contemporary, fresh look lasts a few weeks before the next fashion statement becomes mainstream.
If you’re looking to never run out of style inspiration for your wardrobe, you’ll need reliable sources of world fashion.
Best places to get your next fashion inspiration
Here are ten places to go to if you’re seeking inspiration for your next look.
1. Pinterest
Pinterest offers a great way to browse through pictures of the newest fashion trends from around the world. You can pin your favorites to your board to review later on, or you could follow boards of popular fashion blogs that may contain something to inspire your outfits.
2. Vogue
The infamous fashion magazine is one of the front runners of world fashion. Their magazines provide you with instant insight into what the modern look is for any and every occasion.
You don’t need to subscribe to their magazine. Their website provides the most informative content related to all things fashion. You’ll find the newest trends as well as tips and tricks to set up your style.
3. Fashion Industry Events
Every year, the fashion industry organizes fashion weeks for every type of season, at iconic locations. These fashion weeks are where the world’s leading fashion designers and brands showcase their innovations and stylistic creations to the world media and buyers.
The new styles of clothing are exhibited on runways, where famous models showcase the new products. These runway events are streamed on the mainstream media too.
4. Lookbook.nu
Lookbook is a youth culture website that tailors to the needs of all things fashion. This is where content from models, designers, and photographers combine to let users curate their own outfit ideas.
5. Movies and TV Shows
While current showbiz content does inform you about what wardrobe directors for movie making companies think is currently trendy, movies from the older generations can also refresh your looks with a classic, throwback touch.
Instagram – Sources of style inspiration on Instagram
People seek most of their fashion inspiration from Instagram since it’s so accessible and convenient. Fashion blogs and influencers offer a multitude of perspectives to modern-day style. It is also a good idea to create and run your own fashion blog to share your style ideas with the world. You can garner a huge following using organic Instagram promotion services, such as https://www.simplygram.com/ to get you started.
Let’s take a look at the Instagram accounts you can get your style inspirations.
6. OOTD Magazine – @ootdmagazine
OOTD stands for ‘outfit of the day,’ which explains why this is one account you should be following. The page features many types of streetwear combinations that you could use to tune up your wardrobe.
7. American Style – @americanstyle
Think glamourous, think American! This account is perfect for viewing photos of elite streetwear ideas. It has a huge following too.
8. body_fitness_fashion – @body_fitness_fashion
For the people that workout and mostly dress in activewear, this page can give you some pretty innovative ideas to suit your lifestyle.
9. Lucy Williams – @lucywilliams02
A fashion, beauty, and travel blogger who puts the thrill and adventure in her aesthetic.
10. Eleanor Calder – @eleanorj92
If you’re seeking a more bougie aesthetic for your look, let Eleanor guide you with her drip montage.
New lockdown measures have been imposed in the Australian state of Victoria after a surge in coronavirus infections.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the restrictions would come into effect on August 2 at 18:00.
Under the new rules, residents of the state capital Melbourne will be subject to a night-time curfew.
Melbourne’s stay-at-home order will be enhanced, giving residents fewer exemptions for leaving home.
Residents will not be allowed to travel further than 3 miles from their home, exercise will be restricted to once a day, and one person will be able to go shopping for essentials at a time.
After early success in suppressing the new coronavirus, Australia has had fewer cases than many other countries, recording about 17,000 infections and 200 deaths.
However, cases are rising rapidly in Victoria, accounting for many of Australia’s new infections in recent weeks, promoting the return of lockdown restrictions in early July.
On August 2, Victoria reported 671 new Covid-19 cases and seven deaths. Those increases brought the totals to 11,557 infections and 123 deaths.
PM Andrews said the lockdown measures introduced in Victoria – Australia’s second most populous state – were working but too slowly.
“We must do more. We must go harder. It’s the only way we’ll get to the other side of this,” he said at a news conference.
He said the changes to lockdown rules announced on August 2 will remain in place until at least September 13.
PM Andrews said Melbourne will move into stage-four restrictions on August 2, placing further limits on the movement of people.
That will include a night-time curfew, which will be implemented across Melbourne from 20:00 to 05:00 from August 2.
The only reasons for leaving home during these hours will be work, medical care or care-giving.
Melbourne residents will only be allowed to shop and exercise within 3 miles of their home. Exercise outside of the home will only be allowed for one hour at a time.
Demonstrators held up banners featuring such slogans as “Corona, false alarm” and “We are being forced to wear a muzzle”.
Some participants were from the far right and some were conspiracy theorists who do not believe Covid-19 exists, but others were ordinary people who simply object to the government’s approach to the pandemic.
Police ordered demonstrators to disperse at the end of the afternoon. They said they had launched legal action against organizers for not respecting coronavirus hygiene rules.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn criticized people for failing to adhere to regulations, including the 1.5m (5ft) social distancing requirement.
“Yes, demonstrations should be allowed even amid the pandemic. But not like this,” he wrote on Twitter.
Social distancing rules and hygiene requirements apply throughout Germany, and people must wear face-coverings in shops and on public transport. Mandatory testing has been introduced for holidaymakers returning from high-risk areas.
Germany has had more than 210,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 9,000 related deaths since the pandemic began.
Russia is preparing to start a mass vaccination campaign against coronavirus in October, the health minister has said.
Health minister Mikhail Murashko said that doctors and teachers would be the first to receive the vaccine, local media reported.
Russia’s first potential vaccine would be approved by regulators this month, Reuters reports, citing anonymous sources.
However, some experts are concerned at Russia’s fast-track approach.
On July 31, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hoped that Russia – and China – were “actually testing the vaccine” before administering them to anyone.
The leading infectious disease expert in the US has said that America should have a “safe and effective” vaccine by the end of this year.
“I do not believe that there will be vaccines so far ahead of us that we will have to depend on other countries to get us vaccines,” Anthony Fauci told US lawmakers.
Scores of possible coronavirus vaccines are being developed around the world and more than 20 are currently in clinical trials.
Mikhail Murashko, quoted by Interfax news agency, said that the Gamaleya Institute, a research facility in Moscow, had finished clinical trials of a vaccine and that paperwork was being prepared to register it.
“We plan wider vaccinations for October,” he said, adding that teachers and doctors would be the first to receive it.
Last month, Russian scientists said that early-stage trials of an adenovirus-based vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute had been completed and that the results were a success.
Last month the US, UK and Canada security services said a Russian hacking group had targeted various organizations involved in Covid-19 vaccine development, with the likely intention of stealing information.
Republican Herman Cain, who ran for president in 2012, has died after contracting Covid-19.
The 74-year-old was hospitalized after being diagnosed with the disease earlier this month.
A message posted on his official website said: “Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away.”
Herman Cain, who in 2006 survived late-stage colon cancer, is one of the best-known US victims of Covid-19.
His social media accounts had been providing regular updates on his condition. On July 7, a post from his Twitter account said “doctors are trying to make sure his oxygen levels are right”.
“This is a tough virus,” it said.
“Please continue praying.”
Herman Cain appeared without a mask at a rally held by President Donald Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20.
He was admitted to hospital with coronavirus on July 1, though it is unclear when or where he caught the infection.
President Trump paid tribute to Herman Cain on July 30 at the White House, saying: “He was a very special person… and unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus.”
Herman Cain was born in Tennessee to a father who worked three jobs as a janitor, chauffeur and barber, and a mother who worked as a servant. He went on to study for a degree in maths and a master’s in computing.
He worked variously as a Baptist minister, a radio talk show host and as a businessman.
Herman Cain was an advocate of a flat tax system – his 9-9-9 plan – and ran for office after a stint as CEO of Godfather’s Pizza.
During his run, he told reporters he would not stand for any “gotcha questions”.
“And when they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan, I’m going to say you know, I don’t know. Do you know?”
Herman Cain initially proved popular, but later found himself at the centre of a number of harassment allegations.
Although he denied the accusations against him, his popularity soon suffered and he suspended his campaign. Mitt Romney later became the Republican candidate in an unsuccessful race against President Barack Obama’s bid for a second term in office. In 2019, President Trump sounded Herman Cain out to sit on the Federal Reserve Board, but he withdrew his nomination after several Republican senators refused to back his appointment.
In 1995, Janet Urban stumbled on a film set while traveling in Kenya, and decided she wanted to work on nature documentaries. Today, she is an accomplished sound mixer who has won an Emmy for the National Geographic series Sea Monsters, worked with big-name Hollywood directors like Darren Aronofsky and Damien Chazelle, and worked on film sets around the world. Having broken into the industry without the benefit of film school or family connections, she now teaches aspiring filmmakers how to do the same.
Her coaching program, Friends in Film, combines working on professional film sets with weekend mentoring retreats across the US, London, Toronto, Vancouver, and Sydney. Urban has helped her mentees find freelance film work and enter fields such as acting, cinematography, sound, art, stunts, editing, writing, and voice over work. Friends in Film alumni have worked on such shows as Gotham, The Blacklist, Pose, The Bachelor, NBC Nighttime TV, and BBC Studios, and feature films including the Greatest Showman and The Irishman.
I had a chance to catch up with Janet and get some insight from her about the entertainment industry and things aspiring filmmakers should be aware of.
Q: What are the routes available to aspiring filmmakers nowadays? Do you think film school is the best option?
When I talk to aspiring filmmakers, I tell them that they don’t need to go to film school to become a director, writer, or director of photography (DP). A degree in filmmaking is nice to have, but it’s not necessary, and I don’t think students realize how much debt they will take on.
In the film industry, productions hire so quickly that there is no time to look at resumes. Instead, they ask around the production office. The way to get hired is by being referred by someone who has worked with you. No one is going to ask if you have a degree—they’ll recommend you based on your energy, your work ethic, and the choices you make on set.
I tell my students to get themselves onto professional sets and in production offices where they can watch top directors at work. Don’t learn from just one professor; learn from many different directors with a variety of styles. By being around professional directors, you’ll learn how they develop ideas and concepts and how they sell ideas to clients on conference calls to win their next directing job.
Another wonderful thing about learning on set and in person is the connections you make and the relationships you build. These directors and producers will want to see you succeed and will refer you to small directing jobs so you can build a reel much better than anything you can do in the artificial environment of film school.
Q: Can you work in the film industry with no degree, classes, or certifications?
Yes, yes you can. The film industry is unlike other industries where you need some kind of certification or degree. The film industry is not a Monday-to-Friday job that you land; it’s individual film projects where the crew is hired for their specific expertise. It’s more of a gig-based business, so people are not making a decision on who to hire from reviewing resumes, but by looking at prior call sheets and deciding whether to invite that person to work on the next project or not.
Film schools teach you theory and how to do these jobs (how to direct, how to light, how to produce) as best as they can in a classroom setting. It used to be that the only way you could get access to equipment was through film school. But today, you can shoot and edit on your iPhone.
Millions of people are amazing at writing, acting, and directing. Talent is everywhere. But only a handful of people are being paid to do it professionally. Turning your passion into a career is another ballgame that requires a different mentality: Not of chasing gigs, but methodically self-managing your career by building a track record and seeking out the right professionals and production companies to work with.
When I talk to a director or DP who has a degree in film, they always tell me, “Film school was a nice experience because I made close friends, but I’m still paying off my student loans. What made me successful, I learned on set, not at film school.”
Even if you have a degree in screenwriting, directing, or cinematography, you’re still going to start in the most entry-level job: production assistant. You’re not going to start as a director or writer or DP. You have to learn the craft by working on hundreds of shoots, scene after scene, day after day, to understand how to do that job smoothly at the professional level.
Most film professionals don’t have a degree in film. They had creativity and a strong work ethic. They started working in entry level jobs as production assistant, director’s assistant, producer’s assistant, casting director assistant, art director’s assistant, or production designer assistant. These jobs range in pay from $200 to $350 per day. And these jobs are where everyone, regardless of whether they have a degree in film or not, start learning their craft and making relationships that turn into more work and bigger opportunities down the road. That’s what I did: I learned by doing while working on professional film sets. The only degree I have is in business, which I got before I knew I wanted to work in film.
Bottom line, you don’t need a degree to break into film. Production is making decisions about who to hire based on either directly working with you, or getting referred to you. They’re not making hiring decisions based on resumes. So you should spend time working on set, not in class. You’ll learn more by watching professionals who have the job you want.
Q: What would you recommend for someone who would like to enter the industry but lives far from the central film markets (LA, NY, etc?)
There are opportunities to gain experience even in the smallest cities: There is local news, documentaries, corporate video, events, and conferences. If you live in a small market, it’s very smart to use these small shoots to gain experience and a track record before moving into a larger market.
That’s what I did. I realized I wanted to work in film when I was traveling in Kenya and saw a film crew. I decided then that I wanted to work for National Geographic. But I needed experience. I went to the nearest major market for filming: South Africa.
In South Africa, I worked as a production assistant on documentaries like the Elephant Relocation Project. On that shoot, I assisted the camera department. I helped with sound and dressing the scene. I took notes on the scenes as we were shooting them.
Later, I worked as a runner for WTN and ABC News, helping arrange interviews, scout locations, and set up equipment for shoots.
By the time I moved to Los Angeles, I had a resume of professional work. I could talk about the projects, the different departments I worked in, and the specific experience I got from these shoots.
Many cities have more opportunities than you may think. The major American film markets used to be New York and LA. But because of a series of writer and actor strikes, production stretched out into new markets. Now major film markets have been established in Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, Chicago, Albuquerque, and New Orleans.
The film industry is a business, and productions go wherever they can to get the job done at a lower cost. Even a big-budget production might cut down costs by shooting additional scenes on a stage in Albuquerque, using non-SAG actors in Dallas, or adding special effects in Vancouver.
Q: The film industry is made up of so many professions. How do you find the right one for yourself?
There’s a job for every background and personality type in film. The nice thing about the production assistant job is you get to help out other departments. This allows you to see what each department does, so you can understand what job you want to make your career in.
On a film set, there’s a job for every interest. If you have a finance, managerial, or logistic background, you may like producing. If you are visual and artistic, you may be a great director, director of photography, or production designer.
There are food jobs like craft service and catering, beauty jobs like hair and makeup, creative fashion type jobs like costume design, and technical jobs like special effects.
While an extrovert might gravitate toward acting, producing, or directing jobs that involve interfacing with people all day, an introvert might prefer working outside the limelight as an editor, sound mixer, digital image technician (DIT), or gaffer.
Each of these jobs also provides a different lifestyle depending on the sector. For instance, the lifestyle provided by feature films is different than that of working on TV shows or commercials.
If you work on a TV show, you could work on a soundstage Monday through Friday for up to six months. It’s steady work, and the film set becomes like a family.
If you work on a feature film, you could spend an intense month travelling to multiple locations with the rest of the crew, and regularly find yourself in snow boots, shooting a night scene in Pittsburgh, or even across the world at a famous temple in India.
If you work on documentaries, you’ll travel around the world with small crews. You’ll go backstage with famous bands, spend time with celebrities at their homes, or learn about cutting edge research from top scientists.
Commercials offer a wonderful lifestyle because they are well organized and have generous budgets. Music videos are no longer big budget or consistent work, but are a good place for newcomers to start.
Q: How important is it for aspiring filmmakers to get involved in a union?
The TV shows with the biggest budgets and highest-level work are union, which means you’ll need to be part of your department’s union to work on them. For actors, it’s SAG (Screen Actors Guild). For directors, writers, or assistant directors, it’s the DGA (Directors Guild of America). Almost all other specialties fall under IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). Each department has its own local union. The only exception is for production assistants. There is no union for production assistants, so you can work as a PA on union shoots.
You can’t just contact the union and ask to join. The unions require that you have experience and qualifications, and the requirements vary by region.
For instance, if you live in Atlanta, you can contact the union in Atlanta to ask about the requirements. In most cases, it takes around two years of work to gain enough experience to join.
It’s not essential to join a union, though. Around 80 percent of shoots are non-union, and some unions are restrictive about their members working on non-union shows. It’s not a good idea to join a union until you have enough connections to work enough days on union shows to maintain your minimum hours.
Many young filmmakers have a misconception that joining the union means you’ve “made it.” But being part of the union doesn’t guarantee you work. You’re still responsible for your career and finding work.
Q: Many young filmmakers struggle with networking. Do you have any advice on making connections?
I struggled with this as well, because you need relationships to get hired, but you don’t want to establish a relationship just so that you can get something in return.
I found it helpful to remind myself that the people hiring for shoots were a lot like me—they’re also doing the job they love and want to work with great people. So networking is more about finding people and teams whose energy and vibe matches your own. If you remember that, you can focus on doing your best work, being a great listener, and asking questions.
By helping others do great work and helping them make progress in their career, you will naturally network.
Q: Do you have a personal favorite project from your career?
I got into the film industry because I wanted to see the world through being on a film shoot. I wanted to get up and close to the coolest things in the world. And that’s exactly what I experienced during the weeks I spent capturing the sound of the elusive Andean condor in Patagonia. They are one of the largest birds on earth, with a wingspan of 10 feet.
I had flown in to record the sounds of penguins, glaciers, and foxes for a nature series called Living Edens. I had just recorded the sound of orcas beaching themselves to hunt baby elephant seals—a phenomenon that only happens on one beach in the entire world, for two months each year.
What made recording the condors so difficult was that they are extremely smart and cautious. They’re a type of vulture, and before they dive down to feast on a kill, they watch for a specific series of events: First caracara birds show up. Then foxes arrive to feed on the carcass. And only then do the condors make an appearance.
I was staying on a sheep farm inside Torres del Paine, a national park whose famous peaks are the symbol of Patagonia. Every night, a puma would prowl the fields, attack a sheep, eat the heart, and leave the carcass. So every morning we’d find the kill, throw it in the back of a pickup truck, and drive to a blind we constructed out of bushes around a tree. From there, I would hide my microphones in the bushes around the carcass.
From 5 a.m. to noon each day, I waited in the blind, cradling $40,000 of sound equipment. But for weeks, the condors never showed up. The condors would circle the kill but they would not land.
We realized there was a problem with the blind, and it took us several weeks to come up with a blind that didn’t spook the condors. By Week 3, I was crawling into a crack in the ground before sunrise and pulling the bushes over my head.
On Day 30, the caracaras showed up, and then the foxes. It was finally happening! The condors circled and then swung in, in all their glory, hissing and spitting and growling. I was lucky. There was very little wind, and the sound of condors hissing, snorting, and jabbing their beaks into the carcass was crystal clear.
Mission accomplished! I flew back to Los Angeles knowing I had experienced a rare event that few people ever get to witness.
Q: Say someone wants to win an Emmy award by the time they’re 30. Are there any shortcuts they can take?
If you want to win an Emmy by the time you’re 30, that’s actually quite possible. Unlike the Oscars, the Emmys are more predictable, because the same productions submit their shows for Emmy consideration every year. There are Emmy awards for every craft, so if you work on those shows, the odds are good that you’ll win an Emmy.
That’s what happened to me. Since National Geographic submits all their TV specials to the Emmy awards, and I worked on many of them, I ended up winning an Emmy for Sea Monsters. Soon after, I was nominated for Return of the Wolf.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about working in the entertainment industry?
I love starting with just an idea and turning it into something that impacts the world and will be seen by millions. The industry attracts creative, interesting, well-read people, and it’s incredible to work with a team of people who can turn a street into Chinatown in a few hours, transform an ordinary guy into a caveman, or write lines that make everyone burst into laughter. I just can’t wait to get up each morning and head to a film set.
Since the industry is freelance, everyone on set is handpicked. Working in film gives you the opportunity to master a skill, become known for it, and even travel across the world to do it. We typically work 12-hour days for 15 days per month. Because we have a high day rate, those 15 days are equivalent to most people’s 40-hour work week. So entertainment is the highest paying part-time job you can find!
If you find that the film industry is for you, you will likely find that no other job can give you that combination of teamwork, excitement, and variety. The field attracts people from all backgrounds who have done amazing things: There are doctors and lawyers; there are musicians and surfers who spend three months each year as free spirits in Nicaragua. I love that we’re all brought together by our love for this kind of work.
The film industry has all the attributes of a high-paying career, but feels like play.
When you look for the ideal packaging or your products, there should be nothing standing in the way of getting exactly what you want. That’s the future, and that’s what digital printing delivers. This versatile process gives you access to all of the desirable features of flexible packaging you could ever want, and then some. A case in point: stand up pouch custom printing. You get a durable packaging option that stands up on the shelf and enables you to create the message you want to your customers. You can tell the story of your product and why it is not like other products. The premium look and feel comes from durable materials and high-quality films. Photo-quality print technology comes with the colors and lettering that allow you to design a truly attractive presence on the shelf or on the computer screen. These options have been a long time coming, but they are here now, and there’s much more.
An Extraordinary Level of Customization
With the digital printing process, your packaging can include just what you want on the front and back. Highlight the name of your brand, or feature a new product or flavor. Publicize contest or reward campaigns. Change course if the supply chain lets you down. It’s all doable with short runs and a quick turn-around time. Just as importantly, you can incorporate the following features into your packaging:
Hang holes
Tear notches
Size options
Spot embellishments
Transparent or clouded windows
Different closures
Just pick what works best for your product. The printed packaging film works well on rollstock, too, giving you more choices for customization. Once the design is sent in, rollstock can be printed out in 10 days, easily beating the time to market for conventional printing methods. You’ll also be able to choose size and material options, film structure selections and recyclable or compostable films. You can also feel confident that the packaging will keep your products fresh for a long shelf life.
A Long List of Benefits
With stand up pouches or flat pouch packaging you get all of the performance you demand to show your product in the best light possible. But the benefits don’t stop there. Flexible packaging is lightweight and cuts down on wasted space. This makes it much more efficient during the transportation process, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to a healthier planet. The low runs mean you don’t have to worry as much about wasted product. This is also a plus for the environment.
The digital printing platform supports low print orders which allow you to reduce costs, lower inventory demands and minimize obsolete packaging. A shortened time to market enables your company to take advantage of new products and consumer trends. You also have the flexibility to run multiple SKUs in one job; this lets you order what you want when you need it. Finally, you get to customize, even personalize, your packaging, which gives you a more intimate relationship with your customers. The bright future is here for the packaging needs of small to medium-sized businesses.
We’re still in the early stages of going back out into the world. There’s no certainty when this will all be over and we are being propelled to the new normal. Some are already back at it while some are still being very vigilant and would prefer working from home.
Well, if they have the means and luxury to make a living in the comforts of their home, why not? In this era of Zoom birthday celebrations, we’ve become more creative in gift-giving. And these ones are perfect for your friends you haven’t seen in a while and are grinding in their home offices during this time.
Caffeine is a staple in the office and Starbucks is, well it doesn’t need an introduction. This gift basket holds all the Starbucks essentials like chocolate truffles, cookies, shortbread, and a signature tumbler.
It’s a practical gift that can fuel them for work, gaming, or if they just want to kick back and recharge.
2. Smart Neck and Shoulder Massager
This is a gift anyone needing some pain relief will love and not just people who work from home. The neck and shoulders are usually the most strained during long hours in front of the screen, so a little massager that they can wear and use during breaks will be a lifesaver.
This is for all of the coffee-lovers on your list. Gift them a stylish and functional Sok-It™ that keeps their iced coffee cold and their hands protected from extreme heat on the go. For cold beverages, JavaSok™ prevents puddles so you can avoid a mess on your desk. And for hot drinks, HotSok™ is insulated to prevent you from burning your hands and stays put unlike wasteful cardboard wraps that tend to fall down on the job. Sok-It is reusable coffee sleeves are easily packable, and come in a variety of different colors and patterns. All designed to give you or someone you care about, a better to-go experience. Drinking coffee never looked so good!
4. Exercise Mat
The rise of Youtube at-home workouts urged a lot of people to finally get on the fitness bandwagon. Although it’s seen as a fad, any fad that’s eventually good for you, is always a good thing.
Whether your friend is just starting out or you want them to start out so you can have a workout buddy, this is a nice gift that they can use not only for exercise but also for yoga and stretching as well.
5. Headspace Subscription
Allow their minds to breathe in this guided meditation app. We know how sometimes it can be confusing for the mind to set a boundary between the office and home.
And even if we’ve created a separate workspace, an office inside the house can be an overwhelming change for someone used to going out for work.
So, even if they can’t physically go out. Their minds can momentarily leave the thousand thoughts inside the head and relax.
6.Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard
Some work from a laptop, others in PC, some in a huge desktop, while others mix and match according to their mood. If your recipient is like the latter, they will appreciate a Bluetooth keyboard they can carry around the house and connect with any of their devices.
7.Scented Candle
Help them feel more relaxed after a day’s work with scented candles that can transport the mind to whatever scent it’s infused with; the woods, the mountains, or the beach.
It can also be an instant booster or a manifestation tool much like when you make a wish and blow out a candle on your birthday.
8. Sleep Mask
This isn’t a typical sleep mask. It has a memory foam that totally blocks out ambient light. You know what this means? Your giftee can take power naps during the day and have a full night’s rest.
There’s both beauty and challenge in working from home. What you can do to show your care aside from checking up on them is to treat them with these gifts that will keep them balanced and on top of their game.
Golden Age star Olivia de Havilland has died at the age of 104.
Her career spanned more than 50 years and almost 50 feature movies, and she was the last surviving star from Gone with the Wind (1939).
Gone with the Wind earned her one of her five Oscar nominations.
Olivia de Havilland, who had lived in Paris since 1960, was central in taking down Hollywood’s studio system, giving actors better contracts.
The actress also had a tempestuous relationship with her sister, fellow Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine.
At the time of her death, Olivia de Havilland was the oldest living performer to have won an Oscar. She died on July 25 of natural causes at her home in the French capital, her publicist said.
Olivia Mary de Havilland was born in Tokyo in 1916 and soon moved to California with her family.
She made her breakthrough in Captain Blood, opposite Errol Flynn, and the pair developed an immediate chemistry.
Olivia de Havilland was then cast in the role of Melanie in David O Selznick’s epic adaptation of the Margaret Mitchell novel, Gone with the Wind.
She lost the best supporting actress Oscar to Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy in the movie.
However, she did win a Best Actress Oscar in 1946 for her role in To Each His Own, and then a second for The Heiress in 1949.
Olivia de Havilland also famously turned down the role of Blanche DuBois in the 1951 adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire. Vivien Leigh won an Oscar for the role.
The actress continued to act until the late 1980s, winning a Golden Globe in 1986 for Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna.
Off screen, Olivia de Havilland took on the studios at a time when they had complete control over their stars.
Backed by the Screen Actors Guild, she took Warner Brothers to court in 1943 when it added time to her original contract as a penalty for turning down roles.
The California Supreme Court ruled in her favor in what became known as the De Havilland Law, which loosened the grip studios had on their actors.
Much has been made of Olivia de Havilland’s feud with her sister. The pair reportedly had a difficult relationship from childhood. It was exacerbated by them both being nominated for Best Actress in 1942, with Joan Fontaine winning out.
Olivia de Havilland was also reportedly angered by Joan Fontaine’s comments about her new husband, Marcus Goodrich, whom de Havilland married in 1946. And there was also disagreement over medical treatment for their mother in 1975. Joan Fontaine died in 2013.
There are a lot of ideas you can use to help make your home better, and it is so important to make sure you take the time to get this done properly. Try to think about what it takes to make the home better, and one of the key ways of being able to achieve this is to make sure you have insurance procedures in place. This is important for the future, and you need to look at what you can do to protect your home.
Try to make sure you focus on the best ways of being able to achieve this moving forward. There are a lot of things that play a part in this, and it is so important to make sure your home has some degree of protection. You need to think hard about what it takes to make your home better, and these are some of the essential reasons you need to have insurance.
Financial Protection
One of the major reasons why you need to make sure you have the right insurance for your home is because this is one of the best ways of being able to achieve financial protection. There are a lot of elements that you need to keep in mind here, and it is important to make sure you focus on getting this right. Try to make sure you do as much as you can to improve the process, and this is something you have got to make sure you keep in mind as much as you possibly can right now.
Different Types of Insurance Cover Different Things
Another thing you need to consider is the fact that there are a lot of different types of insurance cover that you will want to think about as a homeowner. Basic home insurance is important, but you’re also going to have to consider things like fire protection and flood insurance are also essential. Then you have policies that cover contents insurance, and some that will pretty much cover you for everything. So, you need to make sure you consider which types of insurance policies suit your needs as a homeowner.
Always Be Prepared
You have to make sure you are always prepared and that you have planned and readied your home in the event of disaster. Just as things like basement waterproofing repair services are essential for any home, you also need to make sure you have the right insurance premiums in place right now. There are so many things that play a part in this and you need to make sure you are focused on improving the home and looking after it as much as possible.
There are a lot of things you need to think about when it comes to improving the home moving forward, and this is something that you are going to need to work on as much as possible. You have to do as much as you can to protect your home in an array of different ways, and this is something you should look to consider right now.
If you’re a mom, you know just how busy life can get. Between caring for your younger children and ferrying older children to and from school all the way to paying for college, motherhood can cause quite a bit of stress. Luckily, there are some things that mothers can do, even if they are on a budget, to pamper themselves and refresh themselves after the stresses of motherhood get to them. If you are a mom trying to watch her wallet and need a little break from the kids just to focus on yourself, here are five easy ways to pamper yourself on a budget.
1. Find community, advice, and friendship online.
Even if you don’t think of it, having a community online is a great way to feel supported and pampered. Consider joining the community of mothers online at Truly Mama, an online source for news, advice, and parenting tips for moms. Engaging with others who are going through what you’re going through is a great way to rejuvenate your heart and your energy levels. Being a new mom is hard, so make sure you head online to connect with other new moms and compare notes on motherhood, parenting, and childcare.
2. Get all dressed up even if you have nowhere to go.
One easy—and free!—way you can really pamper yourself is to dress yourself up in your cutest or fanciest clothes, don some makeup, and take photos to document the occasion. Even if you have no plans and nowhere to go, our clothes affect our mood, so dressing up can make a difference that can positively impact your whole day. If you have a spouse or partner, make sure to show off your cute look for some extra words of affirmation that will boost your mood as well. Looking good will make you feel good, as cliche as that may sound.
3. Go for a drink with friends, or alone!
If you’re tight on time and cash, skip the dinner plans and go for a drink, either with friends or alone. If you go with friends, you can feel comfortable to vent about whatever you’ve been going through recently in motherhood and know that your words will not fall on deaf ears. If you go alone, it can give you some much-needed time to yourself just to think, reflect, and recharge.
4. Purchase something shiny for yourself.
Buying something shiny and new just for yourself is a great pick me up no matter who you are, but as a mom, these little luxuries can make a huge impact. If you’re on a budget, opt for lab created diamond rings that emulate the looks of natural diamonds but are created in a lab. The naked eye cannot detect the difference between the physical properties of a mined diamond or a synthetic diamond, and synthetic diamonds have a clean origin. That means that there are very few ethical standards you have to worry about when you buy gemstones that are lab-created.
5. Take a darn nap.
One thing that many mothers lack, whether they are new moms or not, is sleep. The cheapest and healthiest treat you can give yourself as a mom on a budget is to take a darn nap. Set an alarm, clear out a day’s schedule, do whatever you need to do, but carve out some time for you to rest and recharge. Having a proper amount of rest will make you a better and more patient mom. Additionally, it will improve your overall health outside of any parenting responsibilities.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s to always expect the unexpected. Thriving economies can be stalled at a moment’s notice, lucrative deals can fall apart at the final hurdle, and even the most stable businesses are vulnerable to external pressures. In other words, all business leaders eventually have to address an organizational crisis. The good news is that being prepared for this moment will help you meet it and protect your business from any potential threat. To that end, here are five crisis-management tips all business owners should know:
Install Safeguards
Many business leaders are, by their very nature, optimists. After all, you have to possess a certain amount of self belief to become an entrepreneur in the first place. Nevertheless, even optimists should have contingency plans and internal safeguards ready to go should a big problem arise. Never embark on any project unless you have a backup plan in place. Otherwise, you could end up scrambling to address an issue you don’t know how to solve.
Assemble a Winning Team
The best leaders understand how to delegate important tasks effectively. Of course, in order to delegate assignments, business leaders need to first surround themselves with capable colleagues. So making quality hires is essential to long-term business viability. Ideally, a business leader should feel comfortable trusting their team to handle any major issue that may come up. And if they’re not, they should reconsider their internal structure.
Remain Solutions Oriented
When a big project goes south, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with panic or fear. However, business leaders need to remain calm and solutions-oriented when addressing a serious issue. Staying positive won’t make a problem go away, but it will help you salvage what you can even when things look bleak.
Innovate
New tech, procedures, and ideas could –– in some instances –– provide business owners with a solution to a potential crisis. Naturally, adopting a new methodology at the 11th hour won’t be easy. That’s why business leaders must be willing to embrace innovation and to remain patient with a new process.
Pull Out All the Stops
It should go without saying, but when their organization is in trouble, business leaders should spring into action and do whatever it takes to improve the situation. For example, booking private jet rentals to set up time-sensitive meetings could give you a way to broker an important deal. Or, hiring a third-party expert like a lawyer or financial consultant could help you navigate a tricky set of circumstances. Regardless, going the extra mile could very well prove the difference between saving your business and losing it. So when things get tough, make sure you get going!
Twitter announced that it was banning 7000 QAnon accounts and limiting the spread of 150,000 others in an effort to address violations of their terms of service, and how Qanon activities on Twitter often led to harmful actions in real spaces beyond the internet.
The social media giant said it would also stop recommending content linked to QAnon and block URLs associated with it from being shared on the platform.
QAnon is a sprawling conspiracy theory whose followers support President Donald Trump.
Twitter said it hoped the action would help to prevent “offline harm”.
In a statement shared on the platform, Twitter said it would permanently suspend accounts that violate its policies while tweeting about QAnon.
The suspensions will be applied to accounts that are “engaged in violations of our multi-account policy, coordinating abuse around individual victims, or are attempting to evade a previous suspension – something we’ve seen more of in recent weeks,” the statement said.
The suspensions are expected to impact about 150,000 accounts worldwide. More than 7,000 accounts have been removed in recent weeks for violations, Twitter said.
Followers of QAnon believe “deep-state” traitors are plotting against President Donald Trump. The conspiracy theory has jumped from fringe social media sites to mainstream attention.
QAnon supporters have been linked to numerous other false claims that have spread online, including a bizarre conspiracy theory involving a US furniture company and allegations of child trafficking.
In 2019, the FBI issued a warning about “conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists” and designated QAnon a potential domestic extremist threat.
The Department of Justice has accused China of sponsoring hackers who are targeting labs developing Covid-19 vaccines.
US officials have charged two Chinese men who allegedly spied on American companies doing coronavirus research and got help from state agents for other thefts.
The indictment comes amid a US crackdown on Chinese cyber espionage.
The US, UK and Canada last week accused Russia of seeking to steal research related to Covid-19.
The accusations against former electrical engineering students Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi released on July 21 include charges of trade secret theft and wire fraud conspiracy.
Prosecutors said the two men spied on a Massachusetts biotech company in January which was known to be researching possible cures for Covid-19. They also hacked a Maryland company less than a week after it said it was researching Covid-19.
Officials called the Chinese men private hackers who occasionally received support from Chinese intelligence agents, including an officer from the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).
Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi previously stole “hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of trade secrets, intellectual property, and other valuable business information” beginning in 2009, prosecutors alleged.
The indictment unsealed in Washington state said Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi – who reside in China – recently “researched vulnerabilities in the networks of biotech and other firms publicly known for work on Covid-19 vaccines, treatments, and testing technology”.
Countries where companies were targeted include Australia, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
According to the indictment, the hackers were able to infiltrate a British artificial intelligence firm, a Spanish defense contractor, and a Australian solar energy company.
Prosecutors said the men at times acted in their own self-interest – including one occasion when they demanded a ransom from a company in exchange for not releasing its private information – but at other times “were stealing information of obvious interest” to the Chinese government.
According to the indictment, the hackers “worked with, were assisted by, and operated with the acquiescence of” the MSS.
Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi allegedly stole military data and provided the Chinese government with the passwords of a democracy activist in Hong Kong and a former Tiananmen Square protester.
Hiring the best employees is critical to your business’s long-term success. But how can you ensure that you’re hiring the right people? When broken down into its most basic components—creating a job listing, reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, then hiring the individual you like most—it might seem like hiring is fairly straightforward and difficult to get wrong. But there is actually a strategy to finding the most qualified people to bring onto your team.
Before you hire anyone else, implement these steps into your recruiting process so you can hire top-quality candidates who will be an asset to your business.
Step 1: Do Your Research
Before you create a job description, it is advisable that you set aside some time to research the duties, experience level, and expectations for the role. This will help you craft a detailed job description that clearly communicates what you will need a prospective candidate to be able to do and set a realistic standard in their mind. Even when you’re just hiring freelancers, this process is important because you want to have someone who you can trust with the tasks at hand—plus, you never know who could become a part of your full-time team in the long run. Having a clear and informational job listing will also help you remain competitive against other companies who are looking to fill this same position.
This step is especially important if you’re hiring for a brand-new type of position or it’s your first time hiring someone in general.
Step 2: Have a Vetting System in Place
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make when hiring is neglecting to vet candidates thoroughly. Why is this important? First and foremost, it can confirm that applicants are being truthful about who they are and their experience. Additionally, it serves as a safety measure. If candidates have a criminal record, especially one that involves violence or theft, it can put your employees and customers at unnecessary risk.
Criminal background checks for employment can provide reliable reports on prospective employees. If you are going to also search candidates online and review their social media profiles, tread carefully. The information found on these platforms can give you access to information (sexual orientation, religion, etc.) that might be considered a basis for discrimination if you turn them down for the job.
Another useful vetting measure is conducting phone interviews before bringing candidates into the office. During a phone interview you can ask a few key screening questions that can help you make a quick decision as to whether the applicant is worth investing sit-down interview time in, or if they are no longer in the running.
Step 3: Make a List of Must-Haves
When it comes to sifting through large stacks of applications, it can be difficult to narrow down your candidates to the few you’ll actually interview—especially if you posted a highly specific listing. One thing you should do before reviewing applications is create a succinct checklist of must-haves for each category.
For example, this could be two years’ experience, the ability to use a certain program, typing speed, etc. This will allow you to quickly go through and disqualify applicants who don’t meet your criteria. This can be done quickly with a search function. Then, you can do a more in-depth evaluation of those applications that made the initial cut. This method should help you cut down on time and effort.
Step 4: Ask the Right Questions
The one-on-one time you have with a candidate is limited, so make the most of this opportunity by asking direct questions that will yield useful information about them. Ask them about specifics like their experience with a program, to give examples of problem-solving skills in a certain situation, and what they believe their best asset is to bring to the table. Most importantly, make the questions you ask relevant to the qualities they need to possess to perform well at their job.
Keep in mind that personality is also an important factor to consider when comparing candidates. Someone who fits your company culture, takes criticism well, and is easy to collaborate and communicate with will likely transition into the position more easily and may even be more likely to remain onboard for longer.
With these four steps in mind, you can refine your hiring process to help you find highly qualified candidates who can help your company reach the next level.
Kanye West has officially launched his White House 2020 campaign, with an unorthodox rally in Charleston, South Carolina.
The 43-year-old rapper is running as a candidate for his self-styled “Birthday Party”.
At the event, Kanye West seemed to make policy decisions off-the-cuff and made several rants, including on abortion and on abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Fans have questioned whether his last-minute bid for the White House is actually a promotional stunt.
The Charleston rally did little to clarify whether Kanye West’s run is genuine. But a now-deleted tweet sent from Kanye West’s account on July 18, appearing to show the song list for a new album, added to the speculation.
The event, held at a wedding and conference hall in the city, was said to be open to registered guests only – but Kanye West’s campaign website had no function for people to register or RSVP.
Kanye West appeared with “2020” shaved into the back of his head and wearing a protective security vest, and addressed the gathered crowd without a microphone.
There were no audience microphones either, leading the rapper to repeatedly tell the crowd to be silent so he could hear the questions being asked.
At one point Kanye West began crying when talking about abortion, saying that his parents almost aborted him: “There would have been no Kanye West, because my dad was too busy.”
He added: “I almost killed my daughter… even if my wife [Kim Kardashian West] were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn’t want to.”
However, the rapper then added that he believes abortion should remain legal, but there should be financial support for struggling new mothers – suggesting that “everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars”.
“The only thing that can free us is by obeying the rules that were given to us for a promised land,” Kanye West said.
“Abortion should be legal because guess what? The law is not by God anyway, so what is legality?”
At another moment, Kanye West gave an impromptu monologue about 19th century abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
He said: “Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people.”
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery, but managed to escape a Maryland plantation in 1849, at the age of 27. She then returned to the South to rescue other slaves on the network of routes and safe houses known as “underground railroad”, risking her own life to lead people to freedom.
Kanye West also became tearful when talking about his late mother, who died in 2007 from complications during cosmetic surgery.
The speech has been met with anger by some – mostly sparked by the rapper’s comments about Harriet Tubman – but also with concern over Kanye West’s welfare.
Kanye West, who announced his candidacy on 4th of July, has already missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several states. He needs to collect enough signatures to appear on the ballot in a number of others.
Last week, he qualified to appear on Oklahoma’s presidential ballot, the first state where he met the requirements before the deadline.
In order to appear on South Carolina’s ballot, Kanye West needs to collect 10,000 signatures by noon local time on July 20.
Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya have been taken to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 earlier this week.
Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World and one of Bollywood’s most famous faces, is being treated at Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital, ANI agency reports.
Aishwarya’s husband Abhishek and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, both also famous actors, have been in hospital since July 18 with the virus.
On July 12, 77-year-old Amitabh Bachchan – a Bollywood superstar who has achieved global fame during his long and illustrious career so far – tweeted that he had tested positive for the virus.
Another series of tweets from Abhishek Bachchan, also a famous actor, confirmed that he, his 46-year-old wife Aishwarya and 8-year-old daughter Aaradhya had also tested positive.
Jaya Bachchan, also a famous actress and Amitabh Bachchan’s wife, tested negative.
Until now Aishwarya Rai and Aaradhya have been isolating at home.
News that the family, often described as Bollywood royalty, had been affected by the coronavirus sent shockwaves across India. This week, thousands of fans have held prayers for the family’s recovery.
On July 17, India recorded a record 35,000 new cases of coronavirus cases in 24 hours, surpassing the one million mark.
India now has the third-highest number of cases in the world, after the US and Brazil. The current death toll is 25,602.
The western state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, is still the biggest hotspot with the highest case count – more than 280,000 – of all the states.
Streaming giant Netflix has seen a surge in sign-ups due to the coronavirus lockdown, but the company has warned investors that subscriber growth will slow.
Netflix added more than 10 million subscribers in Q2 of 2020, bringing the total of new subscribers to 26 million in 2020.
In contrast, Netflix saw 28 million new subscribers for the whole of 2019.
The company said: “Growth is slowing as consumers get through the initial shock of coronavirus and social restrictions.”
Netflix shares dropped in after-hours trading as investors received the company’s quarterly update.
Its revenue increased almost 25% to $6.1 billion, while profits rose to $720 million in the quarter, up from $271 million a year ago.
The subscriber additions were far higher than analysts had expected.
While, some people might still end up quitting the service, the pandemic has clearly shown that Netflix is an indispensable part of viewers lives, analysts said.
Netflix also announced it was promoting chief content officer Ted Sarandos to co-chief executive.
CEO Reed Hastings told investors: “This change makes formal what was already informal – that Ted and I share the leadership of Netflix.”
Netflix was founded in 1997by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California. The company’s initial business model included DVD sales and rental by mail, but Hastings abandoned the sales about a year after the company’s founding to focus on the initial DVD rental business. Today, Netflix produces and distributes content from countries all over the globe.
If you’re taking the journey toward quitting smoking, you’re in for a long road, but no an impossible one. Thousands of people quit smoking every year, and their bodies, minds, and overall health are better for it. Smoking is a dangerous habit, causing addiction to nicotine, exposing your body to harmful chemicals, and even bringing about certain social roadblocks.
Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make, but you might need some help along the way. This guide will cover five foods that you can eat while you’re quitting that won’t cause you to gain weight. Empty carbs, high-sugar foods, and high-fat foods aren’t good choices, as they can pack on the pounds and make the quitting process more difficult. Here are our five choices.
1. Spinach and Bananas
Both fresh spinach and bananas are packed with nutrients and vitamins, making them the perfect snack, smoothie ingredients, or meal additive. The best part? Research shows that smokers who consume more fruits and vegetables are up to three times more likely to ditch the habit than those who don’t.
Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients that many smokers lack. In fact, smoking a cigarette affects the body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients, making your diet even less effective than it should be. The solution? Pack in those fruits and veggies whenever you can! Morning smoothies make for a great morning cigarette substitute, and will help you feel energized and focused throughout your morning routine.
Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, E, K, B6, B2, and even calcium, making it one of the most nutrient-rich veggies you can get your hands on. It’s tasty, too! Spinach can be cooked into casseroles, eaten fresh with fish or steak, or included in a salad. Banana and spinach smoothies offer a powerhouse of nutrition for your morning routine or dessert.
2. Whole Grains
One of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal is constipation (or the opposite, diarrhea). Digestive issues occur when the body is suddenly deprived of nicotine, but whole grains that are rich in dietary fiber can help keep things moving. Even if you’re using alternative tobacco products like tobacco free chew, you’ll still need some whole grains to keep your body operating at full capacity while you quit.
Whole grains offer much more than just dietary fiber, however. Packed with vitamins A, B, antioxidants, protein, and trace minerals, high-quality whole grains are a necessary component to overall health. As long as you regulate how much grain you’re eating, you won’t gain weight from it.
3. Mint
Mint comes in many forms; from candy to gum to peppermint sticks and everything in between. You can even eat mint straight off the plant in the form of mint leaves. These are potent and sugar-free, making them a great cigarette alternative and something that can help you curb your cravings.
If you’re worried about extra calories, you can always opt for sugar-free mints or gum. There are literally thousands of options available, from those tasty little red and white mints to spearmint/peppermint gum and everything in between. You can also try some mint tea as well! Include just a bit of honey and you’ve got yourself a tasty, health-conscious drink to help curb those nicotine cravings without packing on the extra weight.
4. Ginseng
Research is developing on the use of ginseng on the form of tea and other consumables to curb nicotine cravings. Ginseng is already known to boost energy levels and focus, but did you know it can actually help minimize withdrawal symptoms and even help you kick your smoking habit for good?
Ginseng is also an excellent detoxifier for the liver and other organs. When you smoke cigarettes, you’re essentially pumping thousands of harmful chemicals and toxins into your bloodstream, which are filtered and processed eventually by your liver. Ginseng can help remove harmful toxins and curb your cravings so you can achieve a smoke-free lifestyle.
5. Cinnamon Sticks
Sucking on a cinnamon stick might seem a bit unorthodox, but many smokers have reported that replacing their smoking habit with this calorie-free option actually helps occupy their hands and mouths, and keeps those cravings at bay. Cinnamon tastes great and offers little to no nutritional (or non-nutritional) value in small amounts.
When you feel the need to have a cigarette, reach for a cinnamon stick instead. It will feel sort of like a cigarette in your mouth, offer a much better taste, and keep you from lighting up.
Final Thoughts
When you decide to quit smoking, you’re reaching for a better future. A future in which you don’t have to fear cancer, disease, and other health conditions. You won’t have to pay outrageous medical bills for special treatments, and you won’t put your loved ones or yourself through the pain of these maladies.
Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are among many prominent figures targeted by hackers on Twitter in an apparent Bitcoin scam.
The official accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kanye West also requested donations in the cryptocurrency.
A tweet from Bill Gates’ account said: “Everyone is asking me to give back.
“You send $1,000, I send you back $2,000.”
Twitter said it was a “co-ordinated” attack targeting its employees “with access to internal systems and tools”.
The company said in a series of tweets: “We know they [the hackers] used this access to take control of many highly-visible (including verified) accounts and Tweet on their behalf.”
Twitter added that “significant steps” were taken to limit access to such internal systems and tools while the company’s investigation was ongoing.Meanwhile, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted: “Tough day for us at Twitter. We all feel terrible this happened.”
Twitter earlier had to take the extraordinary step of stopping many verified accounts marked with blue ticks from tweeting altogether.
Password reset requests were also being denied and some other “account functions” disabled.
By 20:30 EDT on July 15, users with verified account started to be able to send tweets again, but Twitter said it was still working on a fix.
Dmitri Alperovitch, who co-founded cyber-security company CrowdStrike, told Reuters: “This appears to be the worst hack of a major social media platform yet.”
On the official account of Elon Musk appeared to offer to double any Bitcoin payment sent to the address of his digital wallet “for the next 30 minutes”.
“I’m feeling generous because of Covid-19,” the tweet added, along with a Bitcoin link address.
The tweets were deleted just minutes after they were first posted.
However, as the first such tweet from Elon Musk’s account was removed, another one appeared, then a third.
Others targeted included: Kim Kardashian, Mike Bloomberg, Apple and the ride-sharing app Uber.
The Biden campaign said Twitter had “locked down the account within a few minutes of the breach and removed the related tweet”.
A spokesman for Bill Gates told AP news agency: “This appears to be part of a larger issue that Twitter is facing.”
Last year, Jack Dorsey’s account was hacked, but Twitter said it had fixed the flaw that left his account vulnerable.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has described recent efforts by the Trump administration to discredit him as “bizarre” and “nonsense”.
In an interview with The Atlantic, the infectious disease expert said: “Ultimately, it hurts the president to do that.”
“It doesn’t do anything but reflect poorly on them.”
On July 12, a White House official shared a list detailing past apparent erroneous comments by Dr. Fauci.
However, on July 14, President Donald Trump insisted he had a “good relationship” with him.
“We’re all in the same team including Dr. Fauci,” the president said.
“We want to get rid of this mess that China sent us, so everybody’s working on the same line and we’re doing very well.”
The White House statement attacking Dr. Fauci criticized him for what it said was conflicting advice on face coverings and remarks on Covid-19’s severity.
Responding to the criticism, the expert told The Atlantic that targeting him was “completely wrong”.
“I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that,” Dr. Fauci said.
“I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it’s only reflecting negatively on them,” he added.
Dr. Fauci was also criticized by Peter Navarro, President Trump’s top trade adviser, in an opinion piece for USA Today in which he said the disease expert had been “wrong about everything I have interacted with him on”.
However, the White House distanced itself from Peter Navarro’s remarks, with communications chief Alyssa Farah tweeting that the article “didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes” and was “the opinion of Peter alone”.
Asked about Peter Navarro’s piece as he departed the White House for Atlanta, President Trump said he should not have written it.
“Well he made a statement representing himself. He shouldn’t be doing that,” the president said.
In his interview with The Atlantic, Dr. Fauci said he was not thinking of resigning over the attacks on him.
“I think the problem is too important for me to get into those kinds of thoughts and discussions. I just want to do my job. I’m really good at it. I think I can contribute. And I’m going to keep doing it,” he said.
Dr. Fauci has also told Reuters that he believes the US will successfully develop a vaccine against the coronavirus by the end of the year.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the US has reported more than 3.4 million cases of coronavirus, and more than 136,000 deaths nationwide.
