'Indefinite restrictions'

'thought about doing it again'

If Biden really wants to solve the cost problem for renters, he should reverse course

There is no evidence Butker made such a statement.

Persuade influential business executives

'[He] closed and locked the bedroom door and armed himself with a glass snow globe'

The first test trial in Britain’s history of a diesel-powered train retrofitted with a battery took place last Friday. The train’s battery unit, which generates a peak power of more than 700kw, was successfully retrofitted onto a TransPennine Express ‘Nova 1’ train that ran between Sunderland and Newcastle in England’s far northeast. The test is […] The post Hitachi Rail Develops Battery Unit Set to Decarbonize Rail Travel on Retrofitted Trains appeared first on Good News Network.

News house of the dragon House of the Dragon: Matt Smith Heads to Harrenhal in Season 2, Much to Emma D’Arcy’s Chagrin The costars lamented a lack of screentime together in a recent interview By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on May 29, 2024 Credit: Theo Whitman/HBO Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Theo Whitman/HBO The second season of House of the Dragon is fast approaching, and Matt Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen, the uncle-husband to Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra Targaryen, sat down with Variety for a profile piece, one that included lots of HOTD talk from him as well as his fellow co-star. During that discussion, Smith and D’Arcy lamented about how they wouldn’t have as many scenes together in the upcoming episodes. Daemon heads to Harrenhal for part of the season, where he will have quite a few scenes against Simon Russell Beale, who is playing the guardian of the castle, Ser Simon Strong. “We used to have a hoot!” Smith told Variety about Beale. “He’d say, ‘Oh darling, I’m bored of this acting. Come in here for some light chitchat. Amazing brain!” But while Beale was great company, Smith did miss acting with D’Arcy. “It was difficult to do it without them because I love them—a person of real depth and sardonic humor and fierce intellect,” he said. D’Arcy also missed Smith. “It was kind of rubbish!” they joked to Variety. “The man has incredibly high standards, so you at least have a chance of the work being satisfying. I have petitioned for more time next season.” We’ll catch Smith, D’Arcy, and Beale when the second season of House of The Dragon premieres on HBO and Max on June 16, 2024. [end-mark] The post <i>House of the Dragon</i>: Matt Smith Heads to Harrenhal in Season 2, Much to Emma D’Arcy’s Chagrin appeared first on Reactor.

News Dark Matter Dark Matter: Blake Crouch Says TV Series Gave Him a “Do-Over on the Book” The author and showrunner was also able to correct a scene that didn’t work for scientific purposes By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on May 29, 2024 Credit: Apple TV+ Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Apple TV+ Warning! This post contains spoilers for the first five episodes of Apple TV+’s Dark Matter. Dark Matter, the limited series adaptation of Blake Crouch’s book of the same name, has had just over half of its episodes released on Apple TV+. To celebrate the occasion, Crouch—who also served as showrunner—sat down with Variety to discuss what’s happened so far in the series and how things stack up with his 2016 book, which centers around a man, Jason, who is abducted by another Jason from an alternate universe who aims to take his place. One thing Crouch discussed is how the TV series expands perspectives to give us more than the single point of view of Jason Prime (aka the Jason who is abducted). “About a year after I finished the book, I realized there’s a better version of this where a hundred pages are devoted to questions like: What is it like for Daniela [Jason’s wife] to be living with this imposter? What are those scenes where your husband is doing things he’s never done? It can be something as simple as grabbing the wrong toothbrush,” he said. “So, when the opportunity came to me to make this as a show, I thought it was like I get to do a do-over on the book.” Crouch also added that he was glad to remove one scene from the novel since his scientific advisor told him it could never happen. “There’s a moment where Jason is in The Box [a hallway with doors to alternate universes] walking in the corridor alone and he sees this figure—it’s a version of him and he’s naked and all cut up. And I realized that’s actually impossible. That was the only thing I corrected from the book,” he said. Why isn’t this scientifically accurate? “If you open the door and step into The Box and you close the door, you’re in superposition,” Crouch explained. “What we see inside The Box is a manifestation of a five-dimensional probability space from inside the minds of the people who step into The Box. So to have someone else in the corridor—where does that other Jason come from? Don’t get me wrong, it looks cool, and we had a lot of conversations about putting it in. But it ultimately didn’t make sense.” The whole interview is worth reading if you’re a fan of the book and/or series. New episodes of Dark Matter start streaming on Apple TV+ on Wednesdays. [end-mark] The post Dark Matter: Blake Crouch Says TV Series Gave Him a “Do-Over on the Book” appeared first on Reactor.

A fever of censorship has seemed to descend upon the British Isles lately, and the world—especially the U.S.—finally may be waking up to it. Scotland began enforcing its new “hate speech” law on April Fool’s Day (of course), sparking defiance and ridicule by biological realist and Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, who embarrassed the government when police announced she would not be prosecuted for her tweets. Ireland has pushed for a wide-ranging hate speech law that would criminalize the mere possession of material “likely to incite hatred,” including on the basis of “gender identity,” and flip the normal presumption of innocence to one of guilt. Ireland was embarrassed recently when the country, via referendum, rejected an amendment to its Constitution that would have revoked a special consideration supporting motherhood. The government was so red-faced by that loss that the prime minister stepped down. Yet it’s hard to think of a more embarrassing law than one that would lead to arresting people for silently praying on public streets. Such a law rightfully conjures up notions of “thoughtcrime” and dystopias such as in the movie “Minority Report.” Such a law should rightfully be ridiculed. But that is just what many in the United Kingdom seem to want. Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a longtime pro-life leader with March for Life UK, was arrested in December 2022 for silently praying within an abortion clinic “buffer zone.” A widely shared video shows a Birmingham police officer asking Isabel, “Are you praying?” as she stands quietly within the buffer zone, to which she replies: “I might be praying in my head.” Immediately after, the officer informs her that she is under arrest. The prosecution of Vaughan-Spruce fell apart when a local magistrate court found her not guilty. That didn’t stop the harassment, however. She was arrested for the same “crime” only weeks later in 2023 and has been regularly interrogated on the street about whether she is “here to pray for the lives of unborn children.” Vaughan-Spruce isn’t the only person to be arrested over silent prayers. A Catholic priest, Father Sean Gough, was charged in February 2023 for praying silently, holding a sign reading “Praying for free speech,” and having an “unborn lives matter” sticker on his car. Gough later was acquitted. Adam Smith-Connor, who once paid for an abortion decades ago but regrets that decision, now prays for others to reconsider. He has been fined and will go to trial later this year. And in the past few weeks, the world watched newly released, viral footage of a pro-life advocate being fined merely for standing within a buffer zone for an abortion clinic. No signs, not even praying, just standing. The campaign against the merest hint that someone, somewhere might think there are better options for women and their unborn children than abortion has driven some jurisdictions in the U.K. mad, it seems. All of this activity to clamp down on the very thoughts and hidden intentions of pro-lifers is becoming an international embarrassment. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan agency tasked with reporting on the current state of religious freedom outside the U.S. The commission normally focuses on countries such as China, Iran, Nigeria, and Nicaragua, which have some of the worst violations of religious freedom occurring within their borders, often at the hands of the government. In its latest annual report, released in May, the U.K. found itself ignominiously within the crosshairs of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The commission cited Vaughan-Spruce’s case as the first example of “European governments target[ing] individuals for their peaceful religious expression.” Members of Congress are taking the U.K. to task as well. Speaking on Vaughan-Spruce’s case, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, last month said: “The rising tide of discrimination against Christians in Europe, including the U.K., is disturbing.” Responding to the U.S. condemnations, Vaughan-Spruce summed up well the international spotlight that the U.K. has placed itself under: “Arresting individuals for silent prayer has put Britain in a position of global embarrassment.” The United Kingdom still has a chance to redeem itself and place the rights to freedom of expression, thought, and religion back above ideologically driven mania. The U.K.’s Home Office is set to release guidance imminently regarding buffer zones and should make it clear that prayers and consensual conversations are permitted and don’t constitute harassment. If the international embarrassment from these silent prayer arrests can help turn the U.K. back to sanity, it also could have an impact on the growing censorship trends across Europe. Germany right now is considering buffer zone legislation that could outlaw peaceful prayer gatherings. In Finland, Päivi Räsänen, a member of that nation’s parliament, is being dragged to the Supreme Court for “hate speech.” Why? Because she tweeted a Bible verse opposing her church’s support of a Helsinki Pride Parade, even after two courts found the prosecution baseless. (The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has condemned the prosecution of Päivi.) As the tide of global censorship grows, Americans—and people everywhere who still believe in freedom of thought, speech, and religion—need to stand up and state what is plain: These censorship laws and harassment campaigns are an embarrassment to a free people. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. The post UK Silent Prayer Arrests Prompt International Embarrassment appeared first on The Daily Signal.