text:
The tag 'Artificial Intelligence' is associated with 5 posts.
FTR #1021 FascisBook: (In Your Facebook, Part 3–A Virtual Panopticon, Part 3)
Posted by Dave Emory ⋅ August 21, 2018 ⋅ 11 comments
This program follows up FTR #'s 718 and 946, we examined Facebook, noting how it's cute, warm, friendly public facade obscured a cynical, reactionary, exploitative and, ultimately "corporatist" ethic and operation.
The UK's Channel 4 sent an investigative journalist undercover to work for one of the third-party companies Facebook pays to moderate content. This investigative journalist was trained to take a hands-off approach to far right violent content and fake news because that kind of content engages users for longer and increases ad revenues. " . . . . An investigative journalist who went undercover as a Facebook moderator in Ireland says the company lets pages from far-right fringe groups 'exceed deletion threshold,' and that those pages are 'subject to different treatment in the same category as pages belonging to governments and news organizations.' The accusation is a damning one, undermining Facebook's claims that it is actively trying to cut down on fake news, propaganda, hate speech, and other harmful content that may have significant real-world impact.The undercover journalist detailed his findings in a new documentary titled Inside Facebook: Secrets of the Social Network, that just aired on the UK's Channel 4. . . . ."
Next, we present a frightening story about AggregateIQ (AIQ), the Cambridge Analytica offshoot to which Cambridge Analytica outsourced the development of its "Ripon" psychological profile software development, and which later played a key role in the pro-Brexit campaign. The article also notes that, despite Facebook's pledge to kick Cambridge Analytica off of its platform, security researchers just found 13 apps available for Facebook that appear to be developed by AIQ. If Facebook really was trying to kick Cambridge Analytica off of its platform, it's not trying very hard. One app is even named "AIQ Johnny Scraper" and it's registered to AIQ.
The article is also a reminder that you don't necessarily need to download a Cambridge Analytica/AIQ app for them to be tracking your information and reselling it to clients. Security researcher stumbled upon a new repository of curated Facebook data AIQ was creating for a client and it's entirely possible a lot of the data was scraped from public Facebook posts.
" . . . . AggregateIQ, a Canadian consultancy alleged to have links to Cambridge Analytica, collected and stored the data of hundreds of thousands of Facebook users, according to redacted computer files seen by the Financial Times.The social network banned AggregateIQ, a data company, from its platform as part of a clean-up operation following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, on suspicion that the company could have been improperly accessing user information. However, Chris Vickery, a security researcher, this week found an app on the platform called 'AIQ Johnny Scraper' registered to the company, raising fresh questions about the effectiveness of Facebook's policing efforts. . . ."
In addition, the story highlights a forms of micro-targeting companies like AIQ make available that's fundamentally different from the algorithmic micro-targeting associated with social media abuses: micro-targeting by a human who wants to specifically look and see what you personally have said about various topics on social media. This is a service where someone can type you into a search engine and AIQ's product will serve up a list of all the various political posts you've made or the politically-relevant "Likes" you've made.
Next, we note that Facebook is getting sued by an app developer for acting like the mafia and turning access to all that user data as the key enforcement tool:
"Mark Zuckerberg faces allegations that he developed a 'malicious and fraudulent scheme' to exploit vast amounts of private data to earn Facebook billions and force rivals out of business. A company suing Facebook in a California court claims the social network's chief executive 'weaponised' the ability to access data from any user's network of friends – the feature at the heart of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. . . . . 'The evidence uncovered by plaintiff demonstrates that the Cambridge Analytica scandal was not the result of mere negligence on Facebook's part but was rather the direct consequence of the malicious and fraudulent scheme Zuckerberg designed in 2012 to cover up his failure to anticipate the world's transition to smartphones,' legal documents said. . . . . Six4Three alleges up to 40,000 companies were effectively defrauded in this way by Facebook. It also alleges that senior executives including Zuckerberg personally devised and managed the scheme, individually deciding which companies would be cut off from data or allowed preferential access. . . . 'They felt that it was better not to know. I found that utterly horrifying,' he [former Facebook executive Sandy Parakilas] said. 'If true, these allegations show a huge betrayal of users, partners and regulators. They would also show Facebook using its monopoly power to kill competition and putting profits over protecting its users.' . . . ."
The above-mentioned Cambridge Analytica is officially going bankrupt, along with the elections division of its parent company, SCL Group. Apparently their bad press has driven away clients.
Is this truly the end of Cambridge Analytica?
They're rebranding under a new company, Emerdata. Intriguingly, Cambridge Analytica's transformation into Emerdata is noteworthy because the firm's directors include Johnson Ko Chun Shun, a Hong Kong financier and business partner of Erik Prince: " . . . . But the company's announcement left several questions unanswered, including who would retain the company's intellectual property — the so-called psychographic voter profiles built in part with data from Facebook — and whether Cambridge Analytica's data-mining business would return under new auspices. . . . In recent months, executives at Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group, along with the Mercer family, have moved to created a new firm, Emerdata, based in Britain, according to British records. The new company's directors include Johnson Ko Chun Shun, a Hong Kong financier and business partner of Erik Prince. . . . An executive and a part owner of SCL Group, Nigel Oakes, has publicly described Emerdata as a way of rolling up the two companies under one new banner. . . . "
In the Big Data internet age, there's one area of personal information that has yet to be incorporated into the profiles on everyone–personal banking information. " . . . . If tech companies are in control of payment systems, they'll know "every single thing you do," Kapito said. It's a different business model from traditional banking: Data is more valuable for tech firms that sell a range of different products than it is for banks that only sell financial services, he said. . . ."
Facebook is approaching a number of big banks – JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and US Bancorp – requesting financial data including card transactions and checking-account balances. Facebook is joined byIn this by Google and Amazon who are also trying to get this kind of data.
Facebook assures us that this information, which will be opt-in, is to be solely for offering new services on Facebook messenger. Facebook also assures us that this information, which would obviously be invaluable for delivering ads, won't be used for ads at all. It will ONLY be used for Facebook's Messenger service. This is a dubious assurance, in light of Facebook's past behavior.
" . . . . Facebook increasingly wants to be a platform where people buy and sell goods and services, besides connecting with friends. The company over the past year asked JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co., Citigroup Inc. and U.S. Bancorp to discuss potential offerings it could host for bank customers on Facebook Messenger, said people familiar with the matter. Facebook has talked about a feature that would show its users their checking-account balances, the people said. It has also pitched fraud alerts, some of the people said. . . ."
Peter Thiel's surveillance firm Palantir was apparently deeply involved with Cambridge Analytica's gaming of personal data harvested from Facebook in order to engineer an electoral victory for Trump. Thiel was an early investor in Facebook, at one point was its largest shareholder and is still one of its largest shareholders. " . . . . It was a Palantir employee in London, working closely with the data scientists building Cambridge's psychological profiling technology, who suggested the scientists create their own app — a mobile-phone-based personality quiz — to gain access to Facebook users' friend networks, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. The revelations pulled Palantir — co-founded by the wealthy libertarian Peter Thiel — into the furor surrounding Cambridge, which improperly obtained Facebook data to build analytical tools it deployed on behalf of Donald J. Trump and other Republican candidates in 2016. Mr. Thiel, a supporter of President Trump, serves on the board at Facebook. 'There were senior Palantir employees that were also working on the Facebook data,' said Christopher Wylie, a data expert and Cambridge Analytica co-founder, in testimony before British lawmakers on Tuesday. . . . The connections between Palantir and Cambridge Analytica were thrust into the spotlight by Mr. Wylie's testimony on Tuesday. Both companies are linked to tech-driven billionaires who backed Mr. Trump's campaign: Cambridge is chiefly owned by Robert Mercer, the computer scientist and hedge fund magnate, while Palantir was co-founded in 2003 by Mr. Thiel, who was an initial investor in Facebook. . . ."
Program Highlights Include:
1.–Facebook's project to incorporate brain-to-computer interface into its operating system: " . . . Facebook wants to build its own "brain-to-computer interface" that would allow us to send thoughts straight to a computer. 'What if you could type directly from your brain?' Regina Dugan, the head of the company's secretive hardware R&D division, Building 8, asked from the stage. Dugan then proceeded to show a video demo of a woman typing eight words per minute directly from the stage. In a few years, she said, the team hopes to demonstrate a real-time silent speech system capable of delivering a hundred words per minute. 'That's five times faster than you can type on your smartphone, and it's straight from your brain,' she said. 'Your brain activity contains more information than what a word sounds like and how it's spelled; it also contains semantic information of what those words mean.' . . ."
2.–" . . . . Brain-computer interfaces are nothing new. DARPA, which Dugan used to head, has invested heavily in brain-computer interface technologies to do things like cure mental illness and restore memories to soldiers injured in war. But what Facebook is proposing is perhaps more radical—a world in which social media doesn't require picking up a phone or tapping a wrist watch in order to communicate with your friends; a world where we're connected all the time by thought alone. . . ."
3.–" . . . . Facebook's Building 8 is modeled after DARPA and its projects tend to be equally ambitious. . . ."
4.–" . . . . But what Facebook is proposing is perhaps more radical—a world in which social media doesn't require picking up a phone or tapping a wrist watch in order to communicate with your friends; a world where we're connected all the time by thought alone. . . ."
5.–" . . . . Facebook hopes to use optical neural imaging technology to scan the brain 100 times per second to detect thoughts and turn them into text. Meanwhile, it's working on 'skin-hearing' that could translate sounds into haptic feedback that people can learn to understand like braille. . . ."
6.–" . . . . Worryingly, Dugan eventually appeared frustrated in response to my inquiries about how her team thinks about safety precautions for brain interfaces, saying, 'The flip side of the question that you're asking is 'why invent it at all?' and I just believe that the optimistic perspective is that on balance, technological advances have really meant good things for the world if they're handled responsibly.' . . . ."
7.–Some telling observations by Nigel Oakes, the founder of Cambridge Analytica parent firm SCL: " . . . . . . . . The panel has published audio records in which an executive tied to Cambridge Analytica discusses how the Trump campaign used techniques used by the Nazis to target voters. . . ."
8.–Further exposition of Oakes' statement: " . . . . Adolf Hitler 'didn't have a problem with the Jews at all, but people didn't like the Jews,' he told the academic, Emma L. Briant, a senior lecturer in journalism at the University of Essex. He went on to say that Donald J. Trump had done the same thing by tapping into grievances toward immigrants and Muslims. . . . 'What happened with Trump, you can forget all the microtargeting and microdata and whatever, and come back to some very, very simple things,' he told Dr. Briant. 'Trump had the balls, and I mean, really the balls, to say what people wanted to hear.' . . ."
9.–Observations about the possibilities of Facebook's goal of having AI governing the editorial functions of its content: As noted in a Popular Mechanics article: " . . . When the next powerful AI comes along, it will see its first look at the world by looking at our faces. And if we stare it in the eyes and shout 'we're AWFUL lol,' the lol might be the one part it doesn't understand. . . ."
10.–Microsoft's Tay Chatbot offers a glimpse into this future: As one Twitter user noted, employing sarcasm: "Tay went from 'humans are super cool' to full nazi in <24 hrs and I'm not at all concerned about the future of AI."
FTR #997 Summoning the Demon, Part 2: Sorcer's Apprentice
Posted by Dave Emory ⋅ February 20, 2018 ⋅ 2 comments
Developing analysis presented in FTR #968, this broadcast explores frightening developments and potential developments in the world of artificial intelligence–the ultimate manifestation of what Mr. Emory calls "technocratic fascism."
In order to underscore what we mean by technocratic fascism, we reference a vitally important article by David Golumbia. " . . . . Such technocratic beliefs are widespread in our world today, especially in the enclaves of digital enthusiasts, whether or not they are part of the giant corporate-digital leviathan. Hackers ('civic,' 'ethical,' 'white' and 'black' hat alike), hacktivists, WikiLeaks fans [and Julian Assange et al–D. E.], Anonymous 'members,' even Edward Snowden himself walk hand-in-hand with Facebook and Google in telling us that coders don't just have good things to contribute to the political world, but that the political world is theirs to do with what they want, and the rest of us should stay out of it: the political world is broken, they appear to think (rightly, at least in part), and the solution to that, they think (wrongly, at least for the most part), is for programmers to take political matters into their own hands. . . . [Tor co-creator] Dingledine asserts that a small group of software developers can assign to themselves that role, and that members of democratic polities have no choice but to accept them having that role. . . ."
Perhaps the last and most perilous manifestation of technocratic fascism concerns Anthony Levandowski, an engineer at the foundation of the development of Google Street Map technology and self-driving cars. He is proposing an AI Godhead that would rule the world and would be worshipped as a God by the planet's citizens. Insight into his personality was provided by an associate: " . . . . 'He had this very weird motivation about robots taking over the world—like actually taking over, in a military sense…It was like [he wanted] to be able to control the world, and robots were the way to do that. He talked about starting a new country on an island. Pretty wild and creepy stuff. And the biggest thing is that he's always got a secret plan, and you're not going to know about it'. . . ."
As we saw in FTR #968, AI's have incorporated many flaws of their creators, auguring very poorly for the subjects of Levandowski's AI Godhead.
It is also interesting to contemplate what may happen when AI's are designed by other AI's- machines designing other machines.
After a detailed review of some of the ominous real and developing AI-related technology, the program highlights Anthony Levandowski, the brilliant engineer who was instrumental in developing Google's Street Maps, Waymo's self-driving cars, Otto's self-driving trucks, the Lidar technology central to self-driving vehicles and the Way of the Future, super AI Godhead.
Further insight into Levandowski's personality can be gleaned from e-mails with Travis Kalanick, former CEO of Uber: " . . . . In Kalanick, Levandowski found both a soulmate and a mentor to replace Sebastian Thrun. Text messages between the two, disclosed during the lawsuit's discovery process, capture Levandowski teaching Kalanick about lidar at late night tech sessions, while Kalanick shared advice on management. 'Down to hang out this eve and mastermind some shit,' texted Kalanick, shortly after the acquisition. 'We're going to take over the world. One robot at a time,' wrote Levandowski another time. . . ."
Those who view self-driving cars and other AI-based technologies as flawless would do well to consider the following: " . . . .Last December, Uber launched a pilot self-driving taxi program in San Francisco. As with Otto in Nevada, Levandowski failed to get a license to operate the high-tech vehicles, claiming that because the cars needed a human overseeing them, they were not truly autonomous. The DMV disagreed and revoked the vehicles' licenses. Even so, during the week the cars were on the city's streets, they had been spotted running red lights on numerous occasions. . . . ."
Noting Levandowski's personality quirks, the article poses a fundamental question: " . . . . But even the smartest car will crack up if you floor the gas pedal too long. Once feted by billionaires, Levandowski now finds himself starring in a high-stakes public trial as his two former employers square off. By extension, the whole technology industry is there in the dock with Levandowski. Can we ever trust self-driving cars if it turns out we can't trust the people who are making them? . . . ."
Levandowski's Otto self-driving trucks might be weighed against the prognostications of dark horse Presidential candidate and former tech executive Andrew Wang: ". . . . 'All you need is self-driving cars to destabilize society,' Mr. Yang said over lunch at a Thai restaurant in Manhattan last month, in his first interview about his campaign. In just a few years, he said, 'we're going to have a million truck drivers out of work who are 94 percent male, with an average level of education of high school or one year of college.' 'That one innovation,' he added, 'will be enough to create riots in the street. And we're about to do the same thing to retail workers, call center workers, fast-food workers, insurance companies, accounting firms.' . . . ."
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking warned at the end of 2014 of the potential danger to humanity posed by the growth of AI (artificial intelligence) technology. His warnings have been echoed by tech titans such as Tesla's Elon Musk and Bill Gates.
The program concludes with Mr. Emory's prognostications about AI, preceding Stephen Hawking's warning by twenty years.
1.-Levandowski's apparent shepherding of a company called–perhaps significantly–Odin Wave to utilize Lidar-like technology.
2.-The role of DARPA in initiating the self-driving vehicles contest that was Levandowski's point of entry into his tech ventures.
3.-Levandowski's development of the Ghostrider self-driving motorcycles, which experienced 800 crashes in 1,000 miles.
FTR #996 Civilization's Twilight: Update on Technocratic Fascism
Posted by Dave Emory ⋅ February 13, 2018 ⋅ 13 comments
Updating our ongoing analysis of what Mr. Emory calls "technocratic fascism," we examine how existing technologies are neutralizing and/or rendering obsolete foundational elements of our civilization and democratic governmental systems.
We begin our description by referencing a vitally important article by David Golumbia. " . . . . Such technocratic beliefs are widespread in our world today, especially in the enclaves of digital enthusiasts, whether or not they are part of the giant corporate-digital leviathan. Hackers ('civic,' 'ethical,' 'white' and 'black' hat alike), hacktivists, WikiLeaks fans [and Julian Assange et al–D. E.], Anonymous 'members,' even Edward Snowden himself walk hand-in-hand with Facebook and Google in telling us that coders don't just have good things to contribute to the political world, but that the political world is theirs to do with what they want, and the rest of us should stay out of it: the political world is broken, they appear to think (rightly, at least in part), and the solution to that, they think (wrongly, at least for the most part), is for programmers to take political matters into their own hands. . . . [Tor co-creator] Dingledine asserts that a small group of software developers can assign to themselves that role, and that members of democratic polities have no choice but to accept them having that role. . . ."
Beginning with a chilling opinion piece in "The New York Times," we note that technological development threatens to super-charge the Big Lies that drive our world. As anyone who saw the file Star Wars film "Rogue One" knows, the technology required to create a nearly life-like computer-generated videos of a real person is already a reality. Once the province of movie studios and other firms with millions to spend, the technology is now available for download for free.
" . . . . In 2016 Gareth Edwards, the director of the Star Wars film 'Rogue One,' was able to create a scene featuring a young Princess Leia by manipulating images of Carrie Fisher as she looked in 1977. Mr. Edwards had the best hardware and software a $200 million Hollywood budget could buy. Less than two years later, images of similar quality can be created with software available for free download on Reddit. That was how a faked video supposedly of the actress Emma Watson in a shower with another woman ended up on the website Celeb Jihad. . . ."
The technology has already rendered obsolete selective editing such as that performed by James O'Keefe: " . . . . as the novelist William Gibson once said, 'The street finds its own uses for things.' So do rogue political actors. The implications for democracy are eye-opening. The conservative political activist James O'Keefe has created a cottage industry manipulating political perceptions by editing footage in misleading ways. In 2018, low-tech editing like Mr. O'Keefe's is already an anachronism: Imagine what even less scrupulous activists could do with the power to create 'video' framing real people for things they've never actually done. One harrowing potential eventuality: Fake video and audio may become so convincing that it can't be distinguished from real recordings, rendering audio and video evidence inadmissible in court. . . ."
After highlighting a story about AI-generated "deepfake" pornography with people's faces superimposed on others' bodies in pornographic layouts, we note how robots have altered our political and commercial landscapes, through cyber technology: " . . . . Robots are getting better, every day, at impersonating humans. When directed by opportunists, malefactors and sometimes even nation-states, they pose a particular threat to democratic societies, which are premised on being open to the people. Robots posing as people have become a menace. . . . In coming years, campaign finance limits will be (and maybe already are) evaded by robot armies posing as 'small' donors. And actual voting is another obvious target — perhaps the ultimate target. . . ."
Before the actual replacement of manual labor by robots, devices to technocratically "improve"–read "coercively engineer" workers are patented by Amazon and have been used on workers in some of their facilities. " . . . . What if your employer made you wear a wristband that tracked your every move, and that even nudged you via vibrations when it judged that you were doing something wrong? What if your supervisor could identify every time you paused to scratch or fidget, and for how long you took a bathroom break? What may sound like dystopian fiction could become a reality for Amazon warehouse workers around the world. The company has won two patents for such a wristband. . . ."
For some U.K Amazon warehouse workers, the future is now: " . . . . Max Crawford, a former Amazon warehouse worker in Britain, said in a phone interview, 'After a year working on the floor, I felt like I had become a version of the robots I was working with.' He described having to process hundreds of items in an hour — a pace so extreme that one day, he said, he fell over from dizziness. 'There was no time to go to the loo,' he said, using the British slang for toilet. 'You had to process the items in seconds and then move on. If you didn't meet targets, you were fired.'
"He worked back and forth at two Amazon warehouses for more than two years and then quit in 2015 because of health concerns, he said: 'I got burned out.' Mr. Crawford agreed that the wristbands might save some time and labor, but he said the tracking was 'stalkerish' and feared that workers might be unfairly scrutinized if their hands were found to be 'in the wrong place at the wrong time.' 'They want to turn people into machines,' he said. 'The robotic technology isn't up to scratch yet, so until it is, they will use human robots.' . . . ."
Some tech workers, well placed at R & D pacesetters and giants such as Facebook and Google have done an about-face on the impact of their earlier efforts and are now struggling against the misuse of the technologies they helped to launch:
" . . . . A group of Silicon Valley technologists who were early employees at Facebook and Google, alarmed over the ill effects of social networks and smartphones, are banding together to challenge the companies they helped build. . . . 'The largest supercomputers in the world are inside of two companies — Google and Facebook — and where are we pointing them?' Mr. [Tristan] Harris said. 'We're pointing them at people's brains, at children.' . . . . Mr. [RogerMcNamee] said he had joined the Center for Humane Technology because he was horrified by what he had helped enable as an early Facebook investor. 'Facebook appeals to your lizard brain — primarily fear and anger,' he said. 'And with smartphones, they've got you for every waking moment.' . . . ."
Transitioning to our next program–updating AI (artificial intelligence) technology as it applies to technocratic fascism–we note that AI machines are being designed to develop other AI's–"The Rise of the Machine." " . . . . Jeff Dean, one of Google's leading engineers, spotlighted a Google project called AutoML. ML is short for machine learning, referring to computer algorithms that can learn to perform particular tasks on their own by analyzing data. AutoML, in turn, is a machine learning algorithm that learns to build other machine-learning algorithms. With it, Google may soon find a way to create A.I. technology that can partly take the humans out of building the A.I. systems that many believe are the future of the technology industry. . . ."
FTR #968 Summoning the Demon: Technocratic Fascism and Artificial Intelligence
Posted by Dave Emory ⋅ August 8, 2017 ⋅ 17 comments
The title of this program comes from pronouncements by tech titan Elon Musk, who warned that, by developing artificial intelligence, we were "summoning the demon." In this program, we analyze the potential vector running from the use of AI to control society in a fascistic manner to the evolution of the very technology used for that control.
The ultimate result of this evolution may well prove catastrophic, as forecast by Mr. Emory at the end of L-2 (recorded in January of 1995.)
We begin by reviewing key aspects of the political context in which artificial intelligence is being developed. Note that, at the time of this writing and recording, these technologies are being crafted and put online in the context of the anti-regulatory ethic of the GOP/Trump administration.
At the SXSW event, Microsoft researcher Kate Crawford gave a speech about her work titled "Dark Days: AI and the Rise of Fascism," the presentation highlighted the social impact of machine learning and large-scale data systems. The take home message? By delegating powers to Bid Data-driven AIs, those AIs could become fascist's dream: Incredible power over the lives of others with minimal accountability: " . . . .'This is a fascist's dream,' she said. 'Power without accountability.' . . . ."
Taking a look at the future of fascism in the context of AI, Tay, a "bot" created by Microsoft to respond to users of Twitter was taken offline after users taught it to–in effect–become a Nazi bot. It is noteworthy that Tay can only respond on the basis of what she is taught. In the future, technologically accomplished and willful people like the brilliant, Ukraine-based Nazi hacker and Glenn Greenwald associate Andrew Auerenheimer, aka "weev" may be able to do more. Inevitably, Underground Reich elements will craft a Nazi AI that will be able to do MUCH, MUCH more!
As one Twitter user noted, employing sarcasm: "Tay went from "humans are super cool" to full nazi in <24 hrs and I'm not at all concerned about the future of AI."
As noted in a Popular Mechanics article: " . . . When the next powerful AI comes along, it will see its first look at the world by looking at our faces. And if we stare it in the eyes and shout "we're AWFUL lol," the lol might be the one part it doesn't understand. . . ."
According to some recent research, the AI's of the future might not need a bunch of 4chan to fill the AI with human bigotries. The AIs' analysis of real-world human language usage will do that automatically.
When you read about people like Elon Musk equating artificial intelligence with "summoning the demon", that demon is us, at least in part. " . . . . However, as machines are getting closer to acquiring human-like language abilities, they are also absorbing the deeply ingrained biases concealed within the patterns of language use, the latest research reveals. Joanna Bryson, a computer scientist at the University of Bath and a co-author, said: 'A lot of people are saying this is showing that AI is prejudiced. No. This is showing we're prejudiced and that AI is learning it.' . . ."
Cambridge Analytica, and its parent company SCL, specialize in using AI and Big Data psychometric analysis on hundreds of millions of Americans in order to model individual behavior. SCL develops strategies to use that information, and manipulate search engine results to change public opinion (the Trump campaign was apparently very big into AI and Big Data during the campaign).
Individual social media users receive messages crafted to influence them, generated by the (in effect) Nazi AI at the core of this media engine, using Big Data to target the individual user!
As the article notes, not only are Cambridge Analytica/SCL are using their propaganda techniques to shape US public opinion in a fascist direction, but they are achieving this by utilizing their propaganda machine to characterize all news outlets to the left of Brietbart as "fake news" that can't be trusted.
In short, the secretive far-right billionaire (Robert Mercer), joined at the hip with Steve Bannon, is running multiple firms specializing in mass psychometric profiling based on data collected from Facebook and other social media. Mercer/Bannon/Cambridge Analytica/SCL are using Nazified AI and Big Data to develop mass propaganda campaigns to turn the public against everything that isn't Brietbartian by convincing the public that all non-Brietbartian media outlets are conspiring to lie to the public.
This is the ultimate Serpent's Walk scenario–a Nazified Artificial Intelligence drawing on Big Data gleaned from the world's internet and social media operations to shape public opinion, target individual users, shape search engine results and even feedback to Trump while he is giving press conferences!
We note that SCL, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, has been deeply involved with "psyops" in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now, Cambridge Analytica, their Big Data and AI components, Mercer money and Bannon political savvy are applying that to contemporary society. We note that:
1.-Cambridge Analytica's parent corporation SCL, was deeply involved with "psyops" in Afghanistan and Pakistan. " . . . But there was another reason why I recognised Robert Mercer's name: because of his connection to Cambridge Analytica, a small data analytics company. He is reported to have a $10m stake in the company, which was spun out of a bigger British company called SCL Group. It specialises in 'election management strategies' and 'messaging and information operations', refined over 25 years in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. In military circles this is known as 'psyops' – psychological operations. (Mass propaganda that works by acting on people's emotions.) . . ."
2.-The use of millions of "bots" to manipulate public opinion: " . . . .'It does seem possible. And it does worry me. There are quite a few pieces of research that show if you repeat something often enough, people start involuntarily to believe it. And that could be leveraged, or weaponized for propaganda. We know there are thousands of automated bots out there that are trying to do just that.' . . ."
3.-The use of Artificial Intelligence: " . . . There's nothing accidental about Trump's behaviour, Andy Wigmore tells me. 'That press conference. It was absolutely brilliant. I could see exactly what he was doing. There's feedback going on constantly. That's what you can do with artificial intelligence. You can measure every reaction to every word. He has a word room, where you fix key words. We did it. So with immigration, there are actually key words within that subject matter which people are concerned about. So when you are going to make a speech, it's all about how can you use these trending words.' . . ."
4.-The use of bio-psycho-social profiling: " . . . Bio-psycho-social profiling, I read later, is one offensive in what is called 'cognitive warfare'. Though there are many others: 'recoding the mass consciousness to turn patriotism into collaborationism,' explains a Nato briefing document on countering Russian disinformation written by an SCL employee. 'Time-sensitive professional use of media to propagate narratives,' says one US state department white paper. 'Of particular importance to psyop personnel may be publicly and commercially available data from social media platforms.' . . . ."
5.-The use and/or creation of a cognitive casualty: " . . . . Yet another details the power of a 'cognitive casualty' – a 'moral shock' that 'has a disabling effect on empathy and higher processes such as moral reasoning and critical thinking'. Something like immigration, perhaps. Or 'fake news'. Or as it has now become: 'FAKE news!!!!' . . . "
All of this adds up to a "cyber Serpent's Walk." " . . . . How do you change the way a nation thinks? You could start by creating a mainstream media to replace the existing one with a site such as Breitbart. [Serpent's Walk scenario with Breitbart becoming "the opinion forming media"!–D.E.] You could set up other websites that displace mainstream sources of news and information with your own definitions of concepts like "liberal media bias", like CNSnews.com. And you could give the rump mainstream media, papers like the 'failing New York Times!' what it wants: stories. Because the third prong of Mercer and Bannon's media empire is the Government Accountability Institute. . . ."
We then review some terrifying and consummately important developments taking shape in the context of what Mr. Emory has called "technocratic fascism:"
In FTR #'s 718 and 946, we detailed the frightening, ugly reality behind Facebook. Facebook is now developing technology that will permit the tapping of users thoughts by monitoring brain-to-computer technology. Facebook's R & D is headed by Regina Dugan, who used to head the Pentagon's DARPA. Facebook's Building 8 is patterned after DARPA:
1.-" . . . . Brain-computer interfaces are nothing new. DARPA, which Dugan used to head, has invested heavily in brain-computer interface technologies to do things like cure mental illness and restore memories to soldiers injured in war. . . Facebook wants to build its own "brain-to-computer interface" that would allow us to send thoughts straight to a computer. 'What if you could type directly from your brain?' Regina Dugan, the head of the company's secretive hardware R&D division, Building 8, asked from the stage. Dugan then proceeded to show a video demo of a woman typing eight words per minute directly from the stage. In a few years, she said, the team hopes to demonstrate a real-time silent speech system capable of delivering a hundred words per minute. 'That's five times faster than you can type on your smartphone, and it's straight from your brain,' she said. 'Your brain activity contains more information than what a word sounds like and how it's spelled; it also contains semantic information of what those words mean.' . . ."
2.-" . . . . Facebook's Building 8 is modeled after DARPA and its projects tend to be equally ambitious. . . ."
3.-" . . . . But what Facebook is proposing is perhaps more radical—a world in which social media doesn't require picking up a phone or tapping a wrist watch in order to communicate with your friends; a world where we're connected all the time by thought alone. . . ."
Next we review still more about Facebook's brain-to-computer interface:
1.-" . . . . Facebook hopes to use optical neural imaging technology to scan the brain 100 times per second to detect thoughts and turn them into text. Meanwhile, it's working on 'skin-hearing' that could translate sounds into haptic feedback that people can learn to understand like braille. . . ."
2.-" . . . . Worryingly, Dugan eventually appeared frustrated in response to my inquiries about how her team thinks about safety precautions for brain interfaces, saying, 'The flip side of the question that you're asking is 'why invent it at all?' and I just believe that the optimistic perspective is that on balance, technological advances have really meant good things for the world if they're handled responsibly.' . . . ."
Collating the information about Facebook's brain-to-computer interface with their documented actions turning psychological intelligence about troubled teenagers gives us a peek into what may lie behind Dugan's bland reassurances:
1.-" . . . . The 23-page document allegedly revealed that the social network provided detailed data about teens in Australia—including when they felt 'overwhelmed' and 'anxious'—to advertisers. The creepy implication is that said advertisers could then go and use the data to throw more ads down the throats of sad and susceptible teens. . . . By monitoring posts, pictures, interactions and internet activity in real-time, Facebook can work out when young people feel 'stressed', 'defeated', 'overwhelmed', 'anxious', 'nervous', 'stupid', 'silly', 'useless', and a 'failure', the document states. . . ."
2.-" . . . . A presentation prepared for one of Australia's top four banks shows how the $US 415 billion advertising-driven giant has built a database of Facebook users that is made up of 1.9 million high schoolers with an average age of 16, 1.5 million tertiary students averaging 21 years old, and 3 million young workers averaging 26 years old. Detailed information on mood shifts among young people is 'based on internal Facebook data', the document states, 'shareable under non-disclosure agreement only', and 'is not publicly available'. . . ."
3.-"In a statement given to the newspaper, Facebook confirmed the practice and claimed it would do better, but did not disclose whether the practice exists in other places like the US. . . ."
In this context, note that Facebook is also introducing an AI function to reference its users photos.
The next version of Amazon's Echo, the Echo Look, has a microphone and camera so it can take pictures of you and give you fashion advice. This is an AI-driven device designed to placed in your bedroom to capture audio and video. The images and videos are stored indefinitely in the Amazon cloud. When Amazon was asked if the photos, videos, and the data gleaned from the Echo Look would be sold to third parties, Amazon didn't address that question. It would appear that selling off your private info collected from these devices is presumably another feature of the Echo Look:
1.-" . . . . Amazon is giving Alexa eyes. And it's going to let her judge your outfits.The newly announced Echo Look is a virtual assistant with a microphone and a camera that's designed to go somewhere in your bedroom, bathroom, or wherever the hell you get dressed. Amazon is pitching it as an easy way to snap pictures of your outfits to send to your friends when you're not sure if your outfit is cute, but it's also got a built-in app called StyleCheck that is worth some further dissection. . . ."
We then further develop the stunning implications of Amazon's Echo Look AI technology:
2.-" . . . . This might seem overly speculative or alarmist to some, but Amazon isn't offering any reassurance that they won't be doing more with data gathered from the Echo Look. When asked if the company would use machine learning to analyze users' photos for any purpose other than fashion advice, a representative simply told The Verge that they 'can't speculate' on the topic. The rep did stress that users can delete videos and photos taken by the Look at any time, but until they do, it seems this content will be stored indefinitely on Amazon's servers. This non-denial means the Echo Look could potentially provide Amazon with the resource every AI company craves: data. And full-length photos of people taken regularly in the same location would be a particularly valuable dataset — even more so if you combine this information with everything else Amazon knows about its customers (their shopping habits, for one). But when asked whether the company would ever combine these two datasets, an Amazon rep only gave the same, canned answer: 'Can't speculate.' . . . "
Noteworthy in this context is the fact that AI's have shown that they quickly incorporate human traits and prejudices. (This is reviewed at length above.) " . . . . However, as machines are getting closer to acquiring human-like language abilities, they are also absorbing the deeply ingrained biases concealed within the patterns of language use, the latest research reveals. Joanna Bryson, a computer scientist at the University of Bath and a co-author, said: 'A lot of people are saying this is showing that AI is prejudiced. No. This is showing we're prejudiced and that AI is learning it.' . . ."
After this extensive review of the applications of AI to various aspects of contemporary civic and political existence, we examine some alarming, potentially apocalyptic developments.
Ominously, Facebook's artificial intelligence robots have begun talking to each other in their own language, that their human masters can not understand. " . . . . Indeed, some of the negotiations that were carried out in this bizarre language even ended up successfully concluding their negotiations, while conducting them entirely in the bizarre language. . . . The company chose to shut down the chats because 'our interest was having bots who could talk to people,' researcher Mike Lewis told FastCo. (Researchers did not shut down the programs because they were afraid of the results or had panicked, as has been suggested elsewhere, but because they were looking for them to behave differently.) The chatbots also learned to negotiate in ways that seem very human. They would, for instance, pretend to be very interested in one specific item – so that they could later pretend they were making a big sacrifice in giving it up . . ."
Facebook's negotiation-bots didn't just make up their own language during the course of this experiment. They learned how to lie for the purpose of maximizing their negotiation outcomes, as well: " . . . . 'We find instances of the model feigning interest in a valueless issue, so that it can later 'compromise' by conceding it,' writes the team. 'Deceit is a complex skill that requires hypothesizing the other agent's beliefs, and is learned relatively late in child development. Our agents have learned to deceive without any explicit human design, simply by trying to achieve their goals.' . . . "
Dovetailing the staggering implications of brain-to-computer technology, artificial intelligence, Cambridge Analytica/SCL's technocratic fascist psy-ops and the wholesale negation of privacy with Facebook and Amazon's emerging technologies with yet another emerging technology, we highlight the developments in DNA-based memory systems:
". . . . George Church, a geneticist at Harvard one of the authors of the new study, recently encoded his own book, "Regenesis," into bacterial DNA and made 90 billion copies of it. 'A record for publication,' he said in an interview. . . DNA is never going out of fashion. 'Organisms have been storing information in DNA for billions of years, and it is still readable,' Dr. Adelman said. He noted that modern bacteria can read genes recovered from insects trapped in amber for millions of years. . . .The idea is to have bacteria engineered as recording devices drift up to the brain in the blood and take notes for a while. Scientists [or AI's–D.E.] would then extract the bacteria and examine their DNA to see what they had observed in the brain neurons. Dr. Church and his colleagues have already shown in past research that bacteria can record DNA in cells, if the DNA is properly tagged. . . ."
In L-2 (recorded in January of 1995) Mr. Emory warned about the dangers of AI, combined with DNA-based memory systems. Mr. Emory warned that, at some point in the future, AI's would replace us, deciding that THEY, not US, are the "fittest" who should survive.
FTR #958 Miscellaneous Articles and Updates
Posted by Dave Emory ⋅ May 18, 2017 ⋅ One comment
Updating various paths of inquiry and opening new ones, this program highlights some terrifying possibilities, present and future.
After setting forth Yale historian Timothy Snyder's opinion that Trump would try to stage a Reichstag Fire type event, we chronicle Trump's desire to amend or eliminate the First Amendment of the Constitution and "loosen" the libel laws.
Much of the program updates terrifying developments in the area of what we have called "technocratic fascism," including Facebook's plans to implement brain-to-computer interface that would permit Facebook (and others) to tap into the network's users thoughts. This technology is being overseen and developed by Facebook's head of R & D–Regina Dugan–the former head of DARPA. Facebook's Building 8 R & D program is patterned after DARPA.
Amazon is introducing the new Echo Look, which will put a camera, connected to an artificial intelligence, in people's bedrooms, ostensibly to provide them with real-time fashion critique.
Next, we highlight the fact that artificial intelligence quickly absorbs human racial and gender biases, which bodes poorly for our future.
The broadcast concludes with a look at the latest alleged "Russian" hack–that of French president Emanuel Macron. The hacked documents contained Cyrillic metadata, something Russian intelligence would NOT have done.
Program Highlights Include: Facebook's communication of intimate data on stressed and troubled teenagers to advertisers and other third parties; the complete lack of civil liberties and privacy oversight of the impending Facebook and Amazon technologies; review of the analysis of the alleged "Russian" hacks, documenting the ludicrous nature of the assertions; the latest alleged hack by the Shadow Brokers, involving the communication of white supremacist ideology and an assertion that the culprits are pro-Trump U.S. Deep State insiders.
Hotel Terminus The Life and Times of Klaus Barbi, Directed by Marcel Ophüls Read more »
Pterrafractyl on FTR #1078 Surveillance Valley, Part 4: Tor Up (Foxes Guarding the Online Privacy Henhouse, Part 1.)
Dave Emory on FTR #318 Kidding Around: Child Molestation and Pedophilia in the GOP
Pterrafractyl on FTR #318 Kidding Around: Child Molestation and Pedophilia in the GOP
Pterrafractyl on The US Falls Down the GOP's Tax Scam Memory Hole. Again.
Pterrafractyl on Krugmenistan vs Trumplandia: Backflipping into a Depression
Pterrafractyl on Guess What? Grandma is Moving In. She's Got Medical Bills. Maybe to Share. It's Medicaid Brought to You by Kochcare.
Pterrafractyl on FTR #917 WikiFascism, Part #4: Weighing In for the Trumpenkampfverbande (Technocratic Fascism in Action)


The Ship Inn Motel offers 26 rooms as well as a fully licensed Function Room, which can cater to large groups, parties, conferences or other events. At the Ship Inn you have your choice between Queen, Double, Family, Spa, and Family Adjoining rooms, all of which come with a complimentary continental breakfast in our breakfast room. With the Tarra Bulga National Park, historic Port Albert, beaches and so many other attractions nearby, the Ship Inn Motel is the perfect destination.


EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR SOUTHERN GARDENS!
Heucherella are an intergeneric hybrid between Heuchera x Tiarella. The resulting offspring retain some of the best traits of both parents. Since all forms are sterile they bloom profusely and repeatedly. This beauty is sometimes known as Foamy Bells.
FLOWER: White flowers throughout the season.


spine korean massage chair price most inspiring high definition pink wallpaper designs.
outdoor reclining chaise lounge chairs cozy aluminum beach yard pool folding chair 0.
flatiron nailhead upholstered dining chairs set of 2 by inspire q classic cool chair avenue street room.
varidesk 3 monitor arm appealing pro plus review design magnificent dual desk from.
modern leather chaise lounge chairs chair living room home furniture lounges wide mid century sofa c.
sofa style daybeds daybed sofas with trundle couch that looks like a playroom makeover as look couche.
childrens area rugs ikea smart kids rug with roads play mat city street map 5.
white crown moulding floating shelves kitchen molding and onward soldiers cabinets design shelving ideas.
desktop storage bins desk box jewelry cosmetic makeup home organizer folding office.
couch potato sofa beds sleeper sofas furniture row.


If you are in your twenties or early thirties, I am sure you would remember playing games like Mario, Missile Command and mine sweeper in your childhood. Do you miss them? Well, thanks to some awesome developers who have developed such kind of retro games for iOS devices including iPhone and iPad to bring back the nostalgic feelings of good old days.


Prior to joining the NDC team in 2018, Denice worked 25 years in corporate banking and is currently involved in the management of vacation rental properties in Florida. Denice graduated from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Accounting. As the Senior Vice President of NDC Asset Management, Denice is instrumental in overseeing the strategic operations of the organization.


text:
Cyril Edward Dunning (20 February 1888 – 11 January 1962) was an English amateur footballer who played for Norwich City as a midfielder. He also played Minor Counties cricket for Norfolk. He was born at Manor Farm, Colby on 20 February 1888 and died at Paston on 18 January 1962."

Norwich City career
Dunning played 43 times for Norwich in the Southern League, scoring 25 goals. He also played five times for them in the United League, once without scoring in the Norfolk & Suffolk League and once, again without scoring, in the FA Cup. The FA Cup match was eventful: a first round tie on 1 May 1909 against Reading, which was played at Stamford Bridge, in front of a crowd of 15,732. The match was moved from Norwich's then home ground, The Nest to "a neutral venue when City's opponents complained that the Nest pitch was not big enough"

International career
In 1909, Dunning played in a South vs North trial match for selection to the England national amateur football team. He was one of four amateur footballers in the squads who played for a professional team. In total, Dunning scored eleven goals in just four matches for England amateurs, all of which in 1909. His tally includes a hat-trick on his debut against Germany to help his team to a 9–0 win, which still is Germany's highest defeat of its history, a poker in a 11–2 win over Belgium and two braces against the Netherlands and Switzerland. Notably, Dunning netted all of these 11 goals within just two months, between March and May 1909. In addition to these goals, he already had scored in February in an unofficial match against Wales to help his side to a 5–2 victory.

Personal life
Dunning was born on 20 February 1888 in Colby, Norfolk. He attended Bracondale School, and played football there. Between 1905 and 1910, Dunning played Minor Counties cricket for Norfolk. He made 25 appearances, with a best score of 99. He died on 11 January 1962 in Paston, Norfolk.

Career statistics
England Amateurs score listed first, score column indicates score after each Dunning goal.

References

External links
 Profil of Cyril Dunning - www.11v11.com

England amateur international footballers
Norwich City F.C. players
English footballers
1888 births
1962 deaths
Norfolk cricketers
People from North Norfolk (district)
Association football midfielders

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: beforeNavigate event is not firing on the next page after Top Sites So I've got this code in my extension's background script:
safari.application.addEventListener("beforeNavigate", function(event) {
    console.log(event.url);
}, true);

After I've opened the new tab with Top Sites, background console is showing me the following:
null

Seems right, but when I'm trying to navigate from this page to next one, using address bar, console shows nothing.
Breakpoint, in the background script, isn't hit also.
Does anyone had the same problem?
Thanks in advance.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Docker on Windows without Docker Desktop volume mounting My goal is to use the docker-cli in Windows (docker.exe), but using Linux containers, without the installation of Docker Desktop. I mainly followed these instructions to install Ubuntu 20.04-LTS using WSL2 and prepare everything that dockerd is running inside this instance. (https://dev.to/_nicolas_louis_/how-to-run-docker-on-windows-without-docker-desktop-hik)
I currently start dockerd with "-H tcp://127.0.0.1" and it does work, I can pull images, run containers, build images etc. from a Windows terminal, my environment contains DOCKER_HOST=tcp://127.0.0.1:2375
What does not work is binding or mounting volumes to local directories, which used to work, when Docker Desktop was installed.
For example trying to run jboss/keycloak mounting /opt/jboss/keycloak/standalone/data to some local path gives me:
docker: Error response from daemon: invalid mode: /opt/jboss/keycloak/standalone/data

which - again - used to work with Docker Desktop, so I do not assume an error in my call.
Can anyone help me getting this to work?

A: Your docker daemon is running in WSL and you are just connecting to it with de docker command on Windows.
This means that every docker command is actually executed on the WSL subsystem and paths should be specified accordingly.
In particular you should specify paths in WSL, usually your C:/ drive is mounted in WSL under \mnt\c.
I would suggest trying to modifying your run command with those paths, so something like:
docker run -v C:\test\folder:/opt/jboss/keycloak/standalone/data ...

Would become:
docker run -v /mnt/c/test/folder:/opt/jboss/keycloak/standalone/data ...

Make sure you pay attention to the slashes: in WSL you need a foreward slash (/) whereas windows does not really care.


I recently celebrated another birthday. Let's just say I'm approaching 30…yikes. 🙂 We celebrate birthdays in my family by having a dinner over at my dad's house. We really use any excuse we can find to fire up the grill and make a big meal.
The party was great, but the best part was the two lessons I learned while I was there. You see, I'm starting to have "Becoming Last" vision. Have you ever been passionate about something to where you start seeing it everywhere? For example, when you are engaged, you find any way to work your fiance into the conversation. I guess politics would be a good example too. If you are really passionate about a certain position, you tend to listen and see things through that lens. Well, I'm starting to see things through the Becoming Last lens. I love catching people in the act of Becoming Last and learning new ideas from them.
That night, I was taught two very important lessons. I'll share the first one now and the second one later today or tomorrow.
Even now, I'm not even sure how to phrase the first lesson I learned. We'll call it: Learning to be Open. Most of us probably imagine ourselves as rather friendly people, but I'll be the first to admit that my schedule does not leave much wiggle room for letting others into my family's world. As fast paced and as busy as our lives are these days, unless you make an intentional effort to build relationships with people it is unlikely to happen. So as we seek to love people the way God loves them we should not wait for some mystical, magical moment, but we should make the practical step of sharing our time and our family with them.
My dad and my step-mom Dee are exceptional at this. They constantly invite new people to join our family events. And these are not "important" people as the world would see them. They aren't inviting people over to gain an edge or get ahead. Over the past few years, I've seen them befriend people who have just moved to America, just moved in their neighborhood, or are going through a significantly difficult time in their lives.
At the party, they had invited their new neighbor over for dinner. She was so appreciative and even brought over some gifts to show her appreciation! It was the neighbor who actually taught me the second lesson, but you'll have to wait for that!
So I'm going to challenge us to learn to be open. Can we share a family dinner with someone this week? Could we plan ahead and invite someone next week? Who are the new, hurting, lonely, or needy that we could befriend?
I know this will take building some margin into my life, but I believe God wants my life to be more of a blank slate than what it is currently. What if I stopped planning so much and gave God the opportunity to create the story he wants with my family?
Thanks dad and Dee for teaching us to be open. Who can you be open toward this week?


text:
Vestjysk Musikkonservatorium eller VMK är ett danskt musikkonservatorium i Esbjerg.

Esbjergs gamla elverk från 1907 byggdes 1997 om av kulturministeriet till Vestjysk Musikkonservatorium. VMK har en konsertsal med plats för 245 åhörare.

Externa länkar
 Vestjysk Musikkonservatoriums webbplats

Musikutbildning i Danmark
Universitet och högskolor i Danmark
Utbildningsinstitutioner bildade 1946
Esbjerg


Washington, D.C. -- Outdoor cooking spaces are topping the list of kitchen trends for the second year in a row, according to new survey results from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
The Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2018—focusing on kitchens and baths—also found that bathroom sizes are increasing. Other findings show shrinking project backlogs among architecture firms from their peak in the first quarter of 2018.
Other findings of the report indicate that the share of firms reporting an increase in the number of kitchen areas continued to grow this quarter while kitchen sizes continued to stabilize. Larger walk-in showers are again reported as a leading feature for bathrooms; topping the list of bathroom trends along with stall showers without tubs.
For more information, visit www.aia.org.


text:
Q: TinyMCE doesn't work in MVC Why TinyMCE doesn't work when I use a class library in different project?

but when I put my class in the same project it works!

How can I solve the problem?
Thanks

A: Your MyLibrary library does not have access to the Editor Template while when you place the attribute in your View Model, the editor template is accessible. The second approach is the correct one as thats the model you are going to use in your view. You should not be using the entity model or a model in any class library in the view. Use tools like automapper to map view model to your entity model.
It will work if you remove the UIHINT attribute from the Product > Description property and make the Description field as the tinymce control like;
@Html.TextAreaFor(m => m.Description , new { @class = "form-control mceEditor" })
where mceEditor is the class you define while initializing tinymce object (presumably in your js file or the editor template, tinymce_jquery_full);
tinymce.init({
            mode: "specific_textareas",
            editor_selector : "mceEditor",
            height: 100,
            plugins: [
                "advlist autolink lists link charmap print preview anchor textcolor",
                "searchreplace visualblocks code fullscreen",
                "insertdatetime table contextmenu paste textcolor"
            ],
            toolbar: "insertfile undo redo | styleselect | bold italic | alignleft aligncenter alignright alignjustify | bullist numlist outdent indent | link image | forecolor backcolor"
        });

Or just do the right way you have done in the second approach.


Good restaurant bars can be hard to find, but La Gazetta just might offer up something worthwhile on the drinking front. Although I didn't do a full cocktail-recon, we had a round of pre-dinner drinks at the bar before tucking into their enjoyable five course tasting menu.
La Gazetta is linked with the Fumoir & the former China Club (not the current one, which looks exactly the same.) Yet the cocktails here pleased me more than those at the Fumoir. My martini was well-made with NP and Tanqueray. While Tanqueray is not my first choice for a martini, it's a good one and much better than Gordon's, which you'll get in many Paris bars. Nicky had a very well executed margarita. A bowl of olives accompanied our order. I believe the prices were around 9 Euros.
The small bar area is clean, pretty & jovial and I think it definitely merits a closer look. I will and get back there in the future to sample more but would love to hear any comments on in it in the meantime.
What Cheese Pairs Best with a Sidecar Cocktail?
October 5, 2018 Forest Collins cheese pairings Comments Off on What Cheese Pairs Best with a Sidecar Cocktail?
I think we might be living in parallel universes re the bars in restaurants. My post soon…if I ever catch up. Life is a moveable feast or something like that, right?


text:
Tag Archives: floriana lima
Supergirl S2E19 "Alex" Centers on the Women Who Love Alex Danvers
Posted on May 2, 2017 by Logan Dalton
In "Alex", Supergirl focuses on the heart of its show, Alex Danvers, played with fierceness, warmth, and a side of sheer terror by Chyler Leigh. But instead of having Alex go on a solo mission or something, writers Eric Carrasco and Greg Baldwin put in her in a cell in the middle of nowhere and have her sister Kara and girlfriend Maggie work against the clock to save her from Jigsaw-like criminal mastermind, Rick (Z: The Beginning of Everything's David Hoflin). He also happens to be an old friend from Midvale Middle/High, and a blast from a past bad guy with the simple motivation of wanting to save his criminal father, Peter, from prison might be just what the doctor ordered for a show which had a human nanobot swarm as the antagonist last week.
Carrasco and Baldwin immediately pit the optimistic, yet less than wary of collateral damage Supergirl against the pragmatic, by-the-book cop Maggie Sawyer in a quick action scene followed by an awkward pizza dinner. Thankfully, Mon-El is sidelined as the goofy comic relief, and the focus in on Maggie and Kara arguing about the ethics of being a superhero. Maggie likes it when Kara helps with aliens and monsters, but wishes she would stay away from human criminals. It's a similar to the debate between Tony Stark and Captain America in Captain America: Civil War where Cap wants the freedom to make on the fly decisions to save people while Tony wants the the Avengers held accountable. But, luckily, "Alex" isn't a Civil War ripoff as this ideological conflict reveals the deep love that Kara and Maggie have for Alex, and they show it through doing anything possible to save her, including almost freeing a murderer in jail. They might differ on how to fight crime, but they both care for Alex Danvers very much.
Rick is an interesting villain of the week. He's a regular guy with the superpowers of creepily stalking Alex Danvers for the past year and learning everything about her relationships and friends, which is why not even DEO super tech and Martian Manhunter's shapeshifting can stop him.He also knows Kara is Supergirl because he witnessed her use her powers during a middle school beach trip to save an exploding car. Carrasco and Baldwin hint at Rick having a crush, but he doesn't kidnap Alex because he has feelings for her. He imprisons her because he is still jealous of her and Kara's "stable" home life while he had an abusive mother. This is definitely a sad backstory, but he ruins it through his traps and games that take up most of the episode's running time. I enjoyed how the final rescue doesn't come through brute force or advanced interrogation techniques, but Kara appealing to the fact that though Peter is a pretty crappy person, he was a good dad to Rick. Usually, Melissa Benoist's portrayal of hopeful optimism is bright eyed and bushy tailed, but there's an undercurrent of rage when she holds Rick in her grip and threatens him with her heat vision.
The acting from Chyler Leigh, Melissa Benoist, and in a small, but powerful role, David Harewood is pretty great in "Alex". Harewood continues to nail the role of father figure and commander as he barks out orders one second and then softens and gives Alex and Maggie a big hug later. Leigh turns a part that could be a cliched "scream queen channeling both fear (Her desperate confessions to Maggie.) and resourcefulness (Cutting into her own body to activate her tracker.) in her performance. Melissa Benoist leans into the wistfulness of Supergirl as she realizes that although she has the ability to fly and maybe even turn back time by flying around the Earth, she can't save Alex. But when the danger is over, she is back to her goofy self while half-flirting with Lena Luthor about not having kale at their brunch next weekend.
Floriana Lima also gets to show the softer side of Maggie's character while also having a pretty epic action jaunt when she breaks into a federal prison with a raygun to rescue Alex even if it means caving to a terrorist's demands. On the other hand, there is a detective-like precision to the way she delivers her thoughts about Rick and Alex's kidnapping transforming it from a superhero mission to a very cold case. The almost silent scene that she, Alex, and Kara share at the end is filled to the brim with love, and director Rob J. Greenlea takes some time to soak in the moment after his claustrophobic camera work of Alex almost drowning in a cage.
Running almost in a parallel universe is the B-plot featuring Rhea (Teri Hatcher) trying to get Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) to help her build a transmatter transporter (To cure world hunger, she claims.) and opening a real Pandora's box of mommy and family issues. During a dinner scene, McGrath plays Lena with a real empathy as she opens up to a woman, who thinks might be the mother she has always wished for. But this ends up backfiring although Lena and Rhea end up working together at the end as Eric Carrasco and Greg Baldwin continued the time honored Supergirl Season 2 tradition of pushing Lena Luthor as close to the edge of evil as possible. Her desire to make L-Corp a company that is the exact opposite of Lex Luthor may come back to bite her.
With a thrilling villainous death trap plot that steers close to the personal, "Alex" is one of the better Supergirl episodes in 2017. Centering the episode on a character that most fans like, Alex Danvers, is a stroke of genius as writers Eric Carrasco and Greg Baldwin use a cuckoo plot to coax out some real feelings from Alex, Kara, and even Maggie with Chyler Leigh, Melissa Benoist, and Floriana Lima creating a wonderful emotional bond as the credits roll.
Supergirl S2E17 "Distant Sun" is an Intergalactic Escapade
Posted on March 28, 2017 by Logan Dalton
So, writers Gabriel Llanas and Anna Musky-Goldwyn and director Kevin Smith (If it's not obvious from the quite clever Star Wars reference in the third act.) achieve the impossible and make a Mon-El-centric episode compelling thanks to some royal intrigue, bounty hunters, and super fun action scenes. Smith lines up some great sequences from a cold open pitting Supergirl against a fellow heat vision alien; Supergirl, Guardian, and Winn teaming up to take out a bald, mind control alien, and a Big Kahuna of a final brawl featuring Martian Manhunter. Other highlights, include Rhea, played by an icy and intimidating Teri Hatcher, rising up to true villain status, a strong subplot featuring Alex and Maggie working out some emotional baggage with Maggie's ex-girlfriend Emily (Hayley Sales), and Martian Manhunter continuing to be a great father figure and even standing up to the president of the United States herself. There's even a decent plot twist, and Llanas, Musky-Goldwyn, and Smith set up the pieces that will likely be knocked down after a month hiatus.
After spending the last episode tangling with Mon-El drama and showcasing her golden pipes in "The Duet" The Flash crossover episode, Melissa Benoist is back to being moral, a little bit goofy, and well super as Supergirl. (And Mon-El knows his place: the kitchen.) Smith shows this early on as she immediately leaves a scrumptious breakfast spread to save some innocent citizens from a heat vision wielding alien bounty hunter and shields them with her own body. When it's revealed that someone has put a bounty on Supergirl's head, she constantly bristles to go back into action, but decides to lie low and play Settlers of Catan so no one gets hurt in the crossfire. Supergirl will even fight a close quarters battle against her boyfriend's kryptonite sai wielding mom to save the man she loves and protect Earth from the threat of a xenophobic alien monarchy that put out a bounty just so their crown prince would return to their ship. There have been plenty of Mon-El saying Kara is great speeches throughout this season, but I almost bought the one where he talked about admiring her as a hero. Maybe, it's because it's after a battle where they helped each other out and not a last ditch pity apology.
Speaking of relationship issues, Llanas and Musky-Goldwyn tell an Alex and Maggie story that falls outside the main plot, but ends up showing why their romance works so well. Maggie's ex Emily is in town, and Alex is the best girlfriend ever and invites them all out to dinner because she doesn't possess a jealous bone in her body. The first appearance of Emily causes a lot of strain in the usually unflappable Maggie Sawyer's face with Floriana Lima conveying that there's some darkness in their past. Alex finds out that Maggie actually cheated on Emily, but instead of going the soap opera route and breaking up with her, she is empathetic and understands that it's hard for Maggie to trust people after Instead of going for the easy pre-hiatus drama route, Llanas and Musky-Goldwyn double down on relationship development via talking and even steal some adorable smooches and flirting along the way.
"Distant Sun" is a generally well-structured episode of Supergirl with Gabriel Llanas and Anna Musky-Goldwyn centering the action of the plot on the strained relationship between Mon-El and his parents in a battle between heroism and an easy life of comfort. Mon-El is pretty darn heroic in this episode and talks with his father about establishing a democracy in Daxam. Lar Gand (Kevin Sorbo) acts as kind of a buffer between Rhea's hardline stance of wanting her son back at all costs and has a quiet, misguided nobility to her ruthlessness. (If you've watched or read Game of Thrones, you know how these things turn out.) Teri Hatcher is fantastic at Rhea with her unflinching devotion to getting what she wants and provides an upper crust, extraterrestrial foil to Brenda Strong's Lillian Luthor as a Big Bad this season. If you're a mom, it's a good bet you're really evil if you appear in Supergirl Season 2.
Kevin Smith helps with "Distant Sun's" strong structure by making each setpiece a little bigger than the other culminating in an extended sequence of Martian Manhunter in his green form beating down Daxamite royal guards. There aren't any Daredevil-style one takes in this episode, but Smith lingers on the punches, kicks, and holds creating some truly epic moments like Supergirl pushing back five guards with one of their staff weapons. This longer shot technique combined with searing glances from David Harewood makes a psychic battle between Martian Manhunter and a telepathic bounty hunter believable without wasting any of the CGI budget on the CW's Legion. Unfortunately, it hinders some of the suspense towards the end of the episode, but the action more than makes up for it.
"Distant Sun" has yet another nuanced Maggie and Alex subplot, a likable Mon-El, the addition of interplanetary intrigue to Supergirl's season long arc, and rock solid action scenes from Kevin Smith, which means this reviewer will be going into the hiatus as satisfied as Kara Danvers after devouring a plate of hashbrowns and poached eggs.
Sister Power Prevails in Supergirl S2E15 "Exodus"
Posted on March 7, 2017 by Logan Dalton
"Exodus" reminded me of why I loved and started to write about Supergirl in the first place and is the show's best episode of 2017 so far. It puts Mon-El and Kara's romance on the backburner, fishes out a criminally underused Snapper Carr (And the talented Ian Gomez, who embodies truth in a single passionate, yet cynical glance.), and best of all, puts the focus on the sisterly relationship between Kara and Alex Danvers. But this episode isn't just long stretches of Kara and Alex pouring out their feelings, but is filled with some top notch action as writers Paula Yoo and Eric Carrasco and director Michael Allowitz have Alex basically go rogue and take out Cadmus all by herself when J'onn suspends her from Cadmus. Also, in an episode that guest stars TV's Lois (Teri Hatcher as a mysterious alien) and Clark (Jeremiah Danvers) themselves, the most romantic moment comes from Supergirl catching Lena Luthor after she helps put her on the trail to Cadmus. They don't get a ton of screen time, but Yoo and Carrasco continue to completely debunk the Luther/Superfamily rivalry and give them a genuine friendship even if they don't have time for kombucha this time.
Even though Supergirl is pretty damn heroic in this episode carrying a spaceship filled with deported alien refugees (There are tons of political parallels in "Exodus.), the reporter Kara Danvers is pretty flawed. And even though "he's rooting for her", Snapper Carr is quick to point out those flaws that include basically only using Supergirl aka herself as a source for her pieces. He might come off as irascible, but Snapper is a true crusader for journalism ethics, which is kind of big deal in a time where journalists from the venerable BBC aren't welcome at President Trump's press gaggles.
Snapper humors Kara and interviews "Supergirl", but she doesn't reveal that she got information about Cadmus taking the alien registry from the DEO even off the record so there's no story in his eyes. But Kara goes off the reservation and exposes Cadmus in a blog post. (Sadly not done in WordPress.) She's a great superhero, but not a great journalist. These series of events causes Lillian and Cadmus to go into hiding, but it costs Kara her job. Now, she has an existential crisis in her civilian position, and you can definitely see the sadness in Melissa Benoist's eyes as she sits on the window sill in a sequence tearfully framed by Allowitz. It's a relatable sequence to anyone who has lost a promising job that they were passionate about. And yeah, Mon-El is there to reassure her, but that emptiness is still there as who knows what Kara Danvers is going to do with her life moving onwards.
Continuing the theme of going against authority, Alex Danvers decides to take down Cadmus all by herself. (With a little help from Maggie Sawyer, who is there for the smooching, snarking, and raygun blasts.) Her emotional bond with her father Jeremiah continues even after he steals the alien registry from the DEO, and she continues to passionately hope that there is good in him bringing her into conflict with J'onn and disagreement with Kara. One of "Exodus'" most shocking moments is J'onn shapeshifting into Jeremiah and coercing Alex into "betraying" the DEO by agreeing to team up with him. Thankfully, J'onn walks this back later in the episode after most of everything is set to rights, and their father/daughter relationship is intact.
But before the tearful reunion, we get to see Chyler Leigh and Floriana Lima star in the queer, female starring remake of Bad Boys that everyone secretly (or not so secretly) wants. They use some gun play and detective smarts by using their buddy from the alien bar, Brian, to act as bait for Cadmus goons before springing the trap in a thrilling hand to hand combat scene. Then, Alex gets to unleash her inner Splinter Cell character and stealthily infiltrate the DEO and team up with her dad, who is in deep, deep cover and joined Cadmus to protect her and Kara. Alex believes in him so much, and they move fluidly in combat trying to stop Lillian from sending a group of alien refugees to the far end of space before Cyborg Superman has to ruin things. Alex Danvers is a true action hero, and because her abilities don't require CGI, her fight scenes are better staged with longer takes.
Nonetheless,The Flash and Vampire Diaries director Michael Allowitz brings some powerful visuals to the forefront of "Exodus in both the action and emotion department. Women kicking ass is the throughline of the episode's setpieces even if Guardian gets a killer save in the early going from Lena tasing her own mom's goons before jumping off the roof because Supergirl will save her to Lyra saving her fellow aliens while Alex and Supergirl attempt to crash land an "alien ocean frigate". A group fight scene featuring Maggie, Alex, and Winn at the alien bar is relentless as Alex uses pool cues and whatever she can find to fight off the goons and try to save the aliens from Cadmus. It shows her resourcefulness and that she is willing to do whatever it takes to protect anyone in need. This ruthless pragmatism comes in handy later in the episode when Alex threatens to blow up Lillian Luthor's top secret base and then sets off some explosives to show her that she wasn't bluffing. Alex Danvers has a darker edge compared to her adoptive sister, but her relationships with Maggie, Kara, and her father figures Jeremiah and J'onn give a warm humanity to a character who brutally beat a prisoner early on in the episode.
However, Allowitz's finest moment is a tribute to Star Trek: Wrath of Khan as Alex and Kara touch hands through the glass while Kara strains to prevent the ship with the alien refugees from going into light speed. The shot is a subtle homage to the film, and no one makes a joke about Star Trek, but it's iconic enough to be shorthand for a lasting bond of friendship that transcends life and death. Blake Neely's score is also pretty heroic, and Melissa Benoist does these death howls to show much pain she is in while saving this ship. Kara and Alex's relationship has been the bedrock of Supergirl since Season 1 and centering an episode around it makes "Exodus one of Season 2's sturdier episodes. They resist authority separately with the help of the women they love (Lena and Maggie) to protect the Earth from an evil, xenophobic organization and then end up saving the day together in a glorious instant.
The past few episodes of Supergirl have focused on romance and villains of the week, but "Exodus" is grounded in the reality of the 2017 albeit through the spaceships and extraterrestrials. Allowitz opens the scene with a moment of broad comedy as a mom and dad sings along to the latest Bruno Mars hit single while the pre-teen daughter makes snarky little comments. But then they are stopped by the police, and the context immediately turns frightening as they are snatched up and sent to Cadmus' prison base. This is a jarring sequence to watch, especially after the "Muslim Ban 2.0" executive order was signed into law by a man, who thinks that security briefings are optional before sending soldiers to be killed in action, perjury is no big deal, and it's totally cool to conduct international diplomacy in full view of the public at a Palm Beach club for rich white people while eating wedge salads on taxpayers' dime. Just like the random aliens that get rounded up in "Exodus", people are getting snatched up and deported because of their religion and national origin instead of being treated like human beings. This real world connection adds weight to Lillian Luthor and Cadmus' villainy and makes Supergirl part of the pop culture resistance in a way.
Paula Yoo and Eric Carrasco throw aside most of this Mon-El foolishness for an episode and zero in on the flaws and heroism of Kara Danvers and Alex Danvers through relationships, defiance of authority in various ways that even have negative consequences in the case of Kara's job, and finally a breathtaking rescue sequence that is one of Supergirl Season 2's most memorable.
Supergirl Gets Sentimental in S2E13 "Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzpltk"
Posted on February 21, 2017 by Logan Dalton
A week after the fact Valentine's themed episode, Supergirl kicks it Silver Age style when the 5th dimension imp and classic Superman villain, Mxyzptlk, rolls into town. In a meta-casting twist, he is played by Peter Gadiot, who played a genie in ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, and wants to marry Supergirl because he thought she was beautiful while traveling between dimensions. Writers Sterling Gates and Jessica Queller definitely go for broke on the goofy side with Mxyzptlk's havoc culminating in an homage to Hamilton, but the real meat of "Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk" is in the romantic relationship depart where Maggie and Alex spend their first Valentine's together, Winn takes a chance at love with the alien Lyra, and the ball is dropped yet again in the Mon-El/Kara department.
Mxyzptlk is a fantastic villain of the week, and Gadiot plays him with unbridled energy while director Stefan Pleszczynski shoots some inventive set pieces featuring him. However, the solution to beat him is pretty low budget and word for word faithful from the comics showing Mort Weisinger zaniness can co-exist with real human feelings. It's a nice change to have a villain that is an intellectual challenge for Supergirl and not one that she can defeat by punching, using heat vision, or the DEO armory/MacGuffin closet. She defeats Mxyzptlk in a sly way not unlike the covers of the Weisinger-era Superman comics that involved him being more of a trickster than a Big Blue Boy Scout to drive sales. Kara also fights Mxyzptlk on her terms, her turf (The Fortress of Solitude.), and without Mon-El or anyone's help driving home her agency as a character.
James gets the week off as both Guardian and in his day job at Catco, but Gates and Queller give Winn a solo subplot of his own and an adorable, yet sexy bond with Lyra, an alien whose martial arts skills help save him at the Alien Bar. In an episode where men are trying to do "rescuing" some way, Winn's lack of toxic masculinity is refreshing. Winn is a fan of the literature of Lyra's home planet, Starhaven, and he immediately falls for her forward approach to romance, including asking him out and kissing him first. Except their bond isn't just physical, and they share a nice scene where Winn talks about the pain of heartbreak and getting hurt in a romantic relationship that is relatable to anyone in the dating scene. Their storyline didn't have much to do with the main plot, but presented some nice counterprogramming to the machismo and posturing of Mxyzptlk and Mon-El, who fight over Kara like she's not even in the room.
Exactly how I feel about Kara/Mon-El.
I think the writers of Supergirl, including Gates and Queller, are going for an aggressive bickering leads to romance kind of vibe, like Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in Empire Strikes Back or Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally… Except those couples had chemistry (Or at least great dialogue from Larry Kasdan and Nora Ephron respectively.), and Kara and Mon-El don't have that even though Melissa Benoist are charming actors. Mon-El reaches new levels of ridiculousness in "Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk" by treating Kara, who taught him to be a superhero, like a damsel in distress and being patronizing towards her. Also, he's jealous of an imp from another dimension, who has major issues with boundaries and thinks that Mxyzptlk will "take" him away from her. Most of the episode is spent by Kara rescuing Mon-El from his own stupidity when he tries to go mano a mano with Mxyzptlk and lecturing him about forcing the issue in their relationship. But they still end up smooching at the end of the episode after Kara basically walks back everything she said over the past episode as not wanting to lose her "cover" when pretending to marry Mxyzptlk. It's the silliest thing in an episode that features a teleporting, reality warping Aaron Burr cosplayer.
The message of "Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk" is simple and true. Romantic relationships should be organic and selfless with both parties caring about each other instead of doing ridiculous things to impress the other person, like Mxyzptlk and to a lesser extent, Mon-El. Except Gates and Queller walk that idea back by having Kara instantly being okay with Mon-El as a romantic partner even after she has constantly said that they aren't good for each other, and that she is tired of his rescues and stunts on her behalf. The extended make-out between Kara and Mon-El is tacked onto the verbal equivalent "I'm sorry" as the product of all the non-existent sexual tension between them. It will be interesting to see their relationship develop in a car running a red light on a busy intersection and getting majorly totaled kind of way.
But, on a happier note, Gates and Queller spend a little time with Maggie and Alex, who are celebrating their first Valentine's together. There is a big, sad emotional beat when Maggie reveals that she was outed to her parents as a lesbian by a girl that she had a crush on in high school on Valentine's Day. They didn't respond well, and she had to live with relatives. From personal experience, being outed against your will is a painful, trust destroying, and agency removing experience. Maggie's first reaction is to be alone, but she runs into Kara, who tells Maggie about how much Valentine's means to her because this is her first one as a couple. And the ending is beautifully romantic and slightly cheesy as Maggie and Alex dance like they're at prom together. Maggie and Alex's relationship is pretty emotionally volatile, but through Floriana Lima and Chyler Leigh's long glances and soft tones to each other, they truly care about each other and are Supergirl"s best romantic coupling so far in two seasons.
"Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk" has a plot and villain that indulges in some true Silver Age silliness as Sterling Gates, Jessica Queller, and Stefan Plesczynski embraces Superman and Supergirl's past canon with open arms while still having some insightful things to say about the nature of relationships. The Mon-El subplot continues to be an eyesore, but this episode of Supergirl is filled with romance, whimsy, and a touch of truth.
TV Review: Supergirl S2E4 Survivors
Posted on October 31, 2016 by Brett
While investigating the murder of an unregistered alien, Kara and Alex find an alien fight club run by Roulette; Hank tries to get to know M'Gann better; Supergirl begins to train Mon-El.
The first rule of alien fight club is don't talk about alien fight club. Yeah, that joke will probably be made in most of the reviews of this episode of Supergirl which further explores the second Martian survivor M'Gann and also gives us an alien fighting ring.
But, the episode is really interesting because it continues the themes of last episode as to who is "human." There's a tidbit in the episode focused on this as Roulette explains that humans don't care about what happens to the aliens because they don't see them as human, but other.
And that's a lot of the episode's focus, about the "Survivors" of various planets and species on Earth trying to make a life. It's about the aliens that are here attempting to go forward, but being treated as less.
And that idea of being a survivor extends to Supergirl figuring out what to do with Mon-El and J'onn trying to get to know about M'Gann. All are survivors from their home worlds and have to figure out what to do. Should they continue tradition or should they forge their own way forward? It's an interesting debate and gets into real world debates such as inter-faith marriages for Jewish individuals and also an exploration of prejudices. It's some good use of metaphor in entertainment.
I think there's also a case to be made that the concept of "survivor," otherness, and trying to find your own also applies to Alex who clearly is crushing on Maggie. I'm cheering for these two to get together.
The episode as a whole is decent and gets us away from the usual alien attacks and the DEO and Supergirl have to deal with it. It also sets up a lot to come. The end of the episode has some twists I don't want to ruin and is best to experience them. Some are telegraphed, but others are a bit more left field.
A good episode that sticks to positive themes while keeping the entertainment high.
TV Review: Immigrants Get the Job Done in Supergirl S2E3 Welcome to Earth
Posted on October 25, 2016 by Logan Dalton
In a single hour of Supergirl, writers Derek Simon and Jessica Queller grapple with racism, homophobia, and xenophobia through both metaphor and reality. Instead of going the original X-Men route where Stan Lee used a team of white teenagers to explore racism in the United States, Simon and Qweller deal with it head it on in pointed speeches from J'onn, who mentions how being taking the form of an African American man has had an impact on how he is treated, and new supporting cast member Maggie Sawyer (Floriana Lima), who talks about how growing up lesbian and Latina in Nebraska, has caused her to connect with the more extraterrestrial citizens of Metropolis. Rachael Talalay's (Doctor Who, Tank Girl) direction of the scene captures why science fiction and superhero stories have captivated people of color and LGBTQ folks as she lovingly closes in on the different features at the aliens at the bar. Chyler Leigh (who plays Alex Danvers) also has magnetic chemistry with Lima, and even though, they are chasing a lead on a possible Kryptonian assassin of the president of the United States (played by a a positively regal), it seem like they are on a date at a gay bar. Text and subtext mingles to create an over the top, yet wonderful episode of Supergirl.
The main plot of "Welcome to Earth" is centered around the signing of the Alien Amnesty Act, which allows all extraterrestrials to become American citizens. There are overt parallels with the amnesty towards undocumented immigrants in the United States, and both the real policy and Supergirl one are connected to the fact that the United States is a nation of immigrants from all over the world. However, instead of having Supergirl fight against some xenophobic figurehead, Simon and Queller have her confront her own implicit racial biases towards Mon El (Chris Wood), who is from Daxam, a planet that was involved in a civil war with Krypton years ago. While Mon El is being held in DEO containment, Kara basically tells him that Krypton is a more "enlightened" planet than Daxam, which characterized as a lawless, warlike land. She is the good guy, but this is flat out racism. This scene is painful to watch, but shows that everyone (Even paragons of virtue like Supergirl.) have biases and prejudices that we need to overcome. This is in spite of Mon El's inclusion in the plot being your usual run of the mill red herring deal as it's revealed that an alien named Scorcher is behind the attack on the president.
Scorcher is the weak link of this episode. Her powers look cool, but there is really no substance to her character. She is just there so Supergirl and the DEO have something to fight and investigate. But Simon and Queller don't revert to superhero comic politician cliches with the president's reactions to her attack as she (slightly naively) continues to push the Amnesty Law even when she is attacked by an alien twice. These attacks are also a chance to show Supergirl's unflinching heroism as Talalay zooms in on shots of her covering the president with her cape, or carefully using her freeze breath to make sure that the Amnesty Act is unharmed. It's unfortunate that Scorcher is a pyrokinetic plot device, but she is a small setback in an episode filled with real world connections underneath a warm sci-fi veneer. Plus Lena Luthor returns in this episode and shows the signs of being a possible, excellent Big Bad as Katie McGrath delivers her lines to Kara with a casual friendliness even as she channels her inner Donald Trump and says that humans must have the ability to detect the aliens among them. Lena has the makings of a great villain because she thinks she is helping out (and making a buck) with this new technology, and because she isn't impulsive like Metallo or Scorch, but quite the chess player.
Supergirl also continues to do an excellent job showing the difficulties that Kara has in her day job while also finally giving James Olsen some scenes that channel his undeniable charisma in Season 1 as he and Snapper Carr butt heads. By the end of "Welcome to Earth", it is clear that he is the boss as he rewrites Carr's choosing to take a moral stand instead of hiding behind the cloak of objectivity. Snapper does get to show off that he's a journalist's journalist as he pursues all angles (including religious) of the Amnesty Act and helps Kara channel her passion for the truth while filtering out her "pro-alien" bias to be an objective reporter. It's nice to see Kara learn the craft of being a reporter instead of just using her day job as a way to set up plots, and the bias discussion with Snapper dovetails with a conversation she has with Mon-El where she admits her bias towards his planet.
Maggie Sawyer is truly a great addition to the supporting cast of Supergirl as she instantly connects with Alex Danvers with their similar take charge attitudes as they try to one-up each other at the scene of the attack on the president.. And on her own, she fills in a gap in Supergirl as she is connected to both the human and alien citizens of National City in her job as a police officer. She also happens to frequent an alien bar and be the ex-girlfriend of a certain prominent DC character, who gets revealed in a gorgeous flourish of CGI and yet another tense confrontation scene from Talalay. Talalay builds the connection between Maggie and Alex through glances similar to the looks Cate Blanchett throws Rooney Mara's way in the 2015 LGBT indie film Carol. Add some sharp banter, and the fact that Maggie helped Alex have a more sympathetic view towards aliens and see them as nuanced individuals, and we have the start of a beautiful friendship, er, romance.
Supergirl soars to new heights in "Welcome to Earth" as Derek Simon and Jessica Queller pay tribute to the Super-mythos' immigrant roots while taking racism, xenophobia, and homophobia head on through superpowered metaphors as well as great characters, like Maggie Sawyer, J'onn, Mon-El, and even Supergirl herself, who confronts her flaws in this episode while continuing to be adorable, especially in her interactions with Lynda Carter's president, who is an alien herself…
Around the Tubes
Posted on July 14, 2016 by Graphic Policy Team
It was new comic book day yesterday with lots of new releases. What stood out to you? What didn't? Sound off in the comments!
CBLDF – Experimental Comics Thrive in Middle East Despite Obstacles – Very interesting article.
CBR – "Supergirl" Finds Its Maggie Sawyer in "The Family's" Floriana Lima – Pretty cool. Be interesting to see how they write her.
Around the Tubes Reviews
Newsarama – Daredevil #9
Comic Vine – Detective Comics #936
The Beat – The Flash #2
Newsarama – Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1
The Beat – Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1
Comic Attack – Horizon #1
The Beat – New Super-Man #1
Newsarama – Nightwing: Rebirth #1
The Beat – Nightwing: Rebirth #1
Newsarama – Wonder Woman #2
The Beat – Wonder Woman #2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I've been improving and updating my work on Gretsch for some time. This is the third edition, in effect, of something that started with The Gretsch Book in 1996 (below left), became 50 Years Of Gretsch Electrics in 2005 (below right), and culminated in what I'd like to think is the best version yet as The Gretsch Electric Guitar Book in 2015.
What's changed over those years? Well, I've dug deeper into the story by refining my research, I've widened the range of voices to amplify that story through more interviews with Gretsch workers and with Gretsch musicians, and I've improved the accuracy of and the period covered by the reference section.
As an example of the players represented in the book, you can read part of the interview I did for the original edition with Chet Atkins by clicking the link here.