'Downstream of Germany's insane nuclear phaseout'

'Fox News and Newsmax did have the trial verdict at the top of its website on Jan. 26. Fox News also reported on the trial on its news shows such as "Special Report‚" though hosts such as Laura Ingraham‚ Jesse Watters and Sean Hannity focused on the border'

'I tried to get them to shut down before the first crash'

The bill was prompted by the release of deepfake pornography in Taylor Swift's likeness

Best known for his collaborations with Johnny Cash‚ Waylon Jennings‚ Willie Nelson‚ Rob Zombie‚ and Samantha Fish‚ Jesse Dayton is a gunslinging‚ outlaw-country-meets-rock guitarist whose star is on the rise. His 2023 album‚ Death Wish Blues‚ which he recorded in collaboration with Samantha Fish‚ garnered rave reviews‚ which is a good thing as Dayton is set to unleash another barnburner in May of 2024‚ Hardcharger‚ via Blue Elan Records. When he’s not recording blistering modern blues and rock tunes‚ Dayton can be found frequenting his favorite haunts around Austin‚ Texas‚ and partaking in various horror movie-related activities‚ as he’s a super fan. The post Jesse Dayton Interview: 10 Albums That Changed My Life appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Researchers found those who increased their annual cardiorespiratory fitness activity (CRF) by 3% or more were up to 35% less likely to develop prostate cancer. This small-change-big-result finding was established by a Swedish team‚ published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine‚ who hope to encourage men to improve their fitness in a bid to […] The post Improving Physical Fitness with Cardio May Cut Prostate Cancer Risk by More Than a Third appeared first on Good News Network.

Maintaining ideal water conditions in your aquarium can often feel like a tricky science experiment. One key element that requires careful control is the KH‚ or carbonate hardness‚ of your tank’s water. Our guide will explore practical ways to lower KH levels and ensure your aquatic pets thrive in their environment. Discover the secrets to... How to Lower KH in Your Aquarium

Everybody talks about Star Trek‚ the various Star Wars TV shows‚ and Battlestar Galactica. But space is way‚ way bigger than that—space is‚ in fact‚ pretty freaking vast‚ and there is room for way more interstellar adventures. Here are ten live-action space-based TV shows that deserve way more love and appreciation:   Space Cases Peter David and Bill Mumy created this YA TV show about kids exploring space‚ including a young Jewel Staite. It aired for two seasons on Nickelodeon‚ and it was cute as hell‚ not to mention quite subversive at times. George Takei plays an alien conqueror named Warlord Shank‚ and when I say Takei chews all the scenery… You’ll see tooth marks all over the sets. This show was sort of a precursor of Star Trek: Prodigy‚ and I remember it being fun as all heck.   Quark Quark was a short-lived spoof of Star Trek and Star Wars that aired in 1977‚ featuring a host of campy characters. The thing is‚ it had so many cool ideas in the mix: Long before Firefly (or even Alien)‚ this is the story of the crew of a humble blue-collar starship—a garbage scow‚ in this case—getting involved in vital‚ dangerous shenanigans. There’s a gender-fluid character‚ a pair of clones who both insist they’re the original (just like the Maulers in Invincible!) and a plant in humanoid form. In many ways‚ Quark was ahead of its time.   The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Yes‚ I know… this is a list of shows that don’t get enough love‚ and Hitchhiker’s is one of the most famous science fiction properties of all time. And yet‚ the original TV series of Hitchhiker’s really does not get the love it deserves‚ thanks in part to Doctor Who-level VFX. And I love the 1981-1982 TV version with all my heart: it’s got more or less the same cast as the original radio drama‚ and uses the format of television to good effect. The guide’s narration is actually quite well animated‚ and the fake-looking prosthetics they fit Zaphod Beeblebrox with actually look perfect. The story of Hitchhiker’s has been told in pretty much every format by now‚ but I think this TV version covers the first two books extremely well. And it’s zippy fun space action!   Thunderbirds Gerry Anderson made a whole bunch of puppet-based science fiction TV shows in addition to Space: 1999‚ and this is quite possibly the best. The story of a family of space heroes who go out and get their Flash Gordon on‚ Thunderbirds is both campy and thrilling. They live on their own private island and each have their own space jet! There have been a few attempts to bring Thunderbirds back‚ most notably a 2004 movie directed by Jonathan Frakes‚ but scandalously this show is all but forgotten nowadays.   Space: Above and Beyond A dark‚ somewhat more realistic space-war show from two of the X-Files writers‚ Space: Above and Beyond features humanity at war with some ruthless aliens who’ve destroyed some of our colonies. This show plays with some interesting notions—for example‚ humanity lacks the ability to travel faster than light‚ but our alien foes have limited FTL. I recently rewatched the pilot episode‚ and it’s definitely aged badly—there’s a whole subplot about discrimination against artificial soldiers created via in-vitro fertilization‚ or “in vitroes‚” that feels like a ham-fisted attempt at an allegory on real-life prejudice. But this show remains groundbreaking and this type of (somewhat) more realistic space war still hasn’t been depicted on television that much.   Lexx Okay‚ back to campy spoofs. This Canadian show with a rock-bottom budget is just a silly delight. A group of misfits commandeer a living spaceship that wants to eat planets‚ and one of them is kind of a space vampire assassin? The main character is basically a space custodian‚ and everyone seems endlessly horny. There’s a disembodied head that’s madly in love. This show sometimes veers into actual pathos and weighty storytelling—especially about the imperfectly brainwashed sex slave and the undead assassin—before swerving back into silly camp. We need more low-budget Canadian space opera! (See below for more low-budget Canadian space opera.)   Space Island One Okay‚ seriously. This is one of the greatest science fiction TV shows of all time‚ and when I get a moment I’m going to do a whole newsletter about why it’s the greatest. (I expect that newsletter to be read by dozens of people.) Space Island One takes place on a corporate-funded space station that’s doing pure science—with commercial goals. The crew includes a veteran astronaut struggling with bone density loss after too much space travel‚ and the show often grapples with real ethical issues. Like‚ in one episode‚ they are given the last remaining sample of smallpox to study‚ and some of the scientists on board want to destroy it. The space science is handled much more carefully than is typical on television‚ and the implications of allowing science to be controlled by corporations are endlessly debated. This show has some clunky episodes—what show from the 1990s doesn’t?—but it remains a high-water mark for science fiction television.   Star Cops Chris Boucher wrote for Doctor Who and then became the showrunner (sort of) of Blake’s 7. Then he finally won the ability to create his own show about a space-based police force. Don’t let the silly title fool you! This show starts off great‚ with dark‚ conflicted characters‚ some of whom are very ethically compromised. The storylines are more grown-up than most SF television of the era would allow‚ and Boucher’s flair for wickedly sarcastic dialogue is on full display. Over the course of its one and only season‚ the show kind of falls apart—in the DVD special features‚ Boucher talks honestly about how he wasn’t ready to run his own show‚ and he lost control of it. But the early episodes are incredible.   Vagrant Queen Now for two recent shows‚ both of them Canadian (and aired on Syfy in the U.S.) Vagrant Queen‚ based on a graphic novel by Magdalene Visaggio and Jason Smith‚ is the story of a space queen whose mother is apparently killed in a coup. She goes on the run and becomes kind of a bandit‚ teaming up with two other misfits and roaming the galaxy. But there are loyalists who want to return the Queen to the throne. This show was utterly delightful‚ with a really beautiful mixture of humor and feels. Tim Rozon from Wynonna Earp plays a very different character than Doc Holliday‚ with hilarious results. Unapologetically queer and subversive‚ Vagrant Queen is one of my favorite TV shows of the past five years‚ and it deserved way better than it got.   Killjoys And finally… this show is just everything. Dutch is a bounty hunter‚ along with her two friends‚ but she’s also a former assassin who was under the thumb of a creepy dude. There’s a whole walled-off city of undesirables‚ who are constantly being oppressed and attacked. Killjoys takes the Firefly template (small scrappy crew of underdogs against powerful entities with secret conspiracies) and gets much weirder and more irreverent with it. During the brief era when Killjoys and then Vagrant Queen were on Syfy‚ you could almost pretend we were back in the 1990s golden age of fun‚ devil-may-care space television.   I really hope one of the gosh darn streaming services out there decides to make some space TV shows that (A) aren’t Star Trek or Star Wars‚ and (B) don’t feature characters who scowl at each other. Note: I know I’m gonna get hate mail for not including shows like Farscape‚ Babylon 5‚ Blake’s 7‚ Andromeda‚ yadda yadda. But consider: I would also get hate mail if I did include those shows‚ because I’d be implying they don’t have large robust fanbases. Which‚ y’know‚ they do. I feel comfortable saying the shows listed above don’t have the fanbases they deserve. icon-paragraph-end   This article was originally published at Happy Dancing‚ Charlie Jane Anders’ newsletter‚ available on Buttondown. The post Ten Space TV Shows That Don’t Get Enough Love appeared first on Reactor.

News The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Henry Cavill Has a Very Good Time Killing Nazis in the Trailer for Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare The film also stars Eiza González and Alan Ritchson. By Molly Templeton | Published on January 31‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Pause Play Every so often‚ a trailer succeeds in giving you absolutely everything you need to know about a film. Summary? Nah‚ I’m good: This movie is about Henry Cavill and a ragtag crew of murderous pals making funny faces and blowing things up while on a covert mission to defeat Nazis. And it’s directed by Guy Ritchie. But there are‚ in fact‚ other delightful details about The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare that a person might wish to know‚ such as these: It co-stars a fantastic list of actors‚ including the large man who currently plays Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson); Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians); Eiza González (who you should really watch in Ambulance); Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike); Babs Olusanmokun (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds); and no less than Westley himself‚ Cary Elwes. What’s more‚ the film is—to some degree or another—based on a true story. As Deadline explains‚ “The true story covers UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s and Ian Fleming’s secret WWII combat organization. The clandestine squad’s unconventional and ‘ungentlemanly’ fighting techniques against the Nazis helped change the course of the war and gave birth to the modern Black Ops unit.” Yes‚ that Ian Fleming. The movie’s source material is Damien Lewis’s book The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops; the screenplay is by Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson (co-writers on The Fighter)‚ Arash Amel‚ and Ritchie. And action-movie mastermind Jerry Bruckheimer is among the producers. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is in theaters April 19th. [end-mark] The post Henry Cavill Has a Very Good Time Killing Nazis in the Trailer for Guy Ritchie’s <;i>;The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare<;/i>; appeared first on Reactor.

Welcome back to Reading the Weird‚ in which we get girl cooties all over weird fiction‚ cosmic horror‚ and Lovecraftiana—from its historical roots through its most recent branches. This week‚ we continue Max Gladstone’s Last Exit with Chapters 23-24. The novel was first published in 2022. Spoilers ahead! “Eye-sucking black beyond wriggled and writhed like the surface of boiling water‚ but when she tried to fix her gaze on what it was that moved‚ she saw only the dark.” Zelda wakes up after her ordeal in the Medicine Wheel. Someone—Ramon—says her name‚ and yes‚ she’s Zelda still‚ ten years after losing Sal. Instead of lying beside the Wheel‚ she lies under a sod roof. Ramon watches her not with the scorn she expects‚ but with sad kindness. “I was wrong to send the letters‚” she tells him. “You don’t owe me anything.” He answers: “We’re not here because we owe you.” “We” includes June‚ who rushes in to hug Zelda‚ and Ish and Sarah. They’ve made it through the alts‚ robot horses towing the Challenger. Ish and Sarah echo Ramon: They have to fix this. But they reject Zelda’s suggestion that together‚ they can make the Wheel work. Staggering outside‚ Zelda sees why. The cracks in the sky have plunged down into the alt-earth; widening cracks devour the stars and fracture the moon. Within is “a black hole in the shape of a woman taller than mountains.” The Wheel is gone‚ sucked into whatever lies beyond the cracks. Is everywhere like this‚ Zelda asks. Is home? No way to know‚ because they can no longer get back. The best they can do now is go to the Green Glass City where “Brigit’s people” can help repair the Challenger. From there‚ they’ll continue to Elsinore. When June asks the same question that’s on the reader’s mind‚ Zelda remembers the princess dead‚ the queen falling “from rot-soaked battlements. “It’s the place where everything went wrong‚” she says. “It’s where I lost her.” Later that night‚ Zelda finds June out alone‚ “wrapped in shadows that wriggled like snakes.” June asks if Zelda’s afraid of her‚ but Zelda says June’s shadows are different. She describes finding the old Sal in the Wheel and they lean together‚ June’s shadows parting to allow it. But the question Zelda senses in June’s tension goes unasked‚ its moment passing. * * * As the alt-riders inch east‚ Sarah thinks: This is “the road to the end.” Not that she believes in premonitions‚ but she always knew what Zelda’s summons meant: They left a task undone‚ and to protect the life she made afterwards‚ Sarah has to finish it. She wishes she’d told her children the truth of the world instead of keeping their memories as pain-free as possible. Always one to plan ahead‚ she reviews her partners—and herself—like surgical tools before an operation. She’s good at traveling rough and protecting her friends. Ramon tinkers at the Challenger to figure out what will need repairing in the Green Glass City. Ish has the courage to fight on‚ not with ignorant optimism but with the conviction that they can do better in future quests despite “his own gimlet vision of just how fucked things really were.” But he’s lost his youthful softness: under the edgy steel he’s become‚ is that Ish still there? As for Zelda‚ “haunted…unwhole”‚ is she still strong enough for the road? Sarah checks in: Zelda knows the City will be bad‚ right? Zelda hopes not—they left it in a good place‚ well-supplied‚ mutants driven off.  But‚ Sarah argues‚ look how life’s seeping out of the alts. Her tension exploding ‚ Zelda shouts: What choice do they have? They’ll get through this‚ they have time. Not much time‚ Sarah says. The cowboy’s still after them‚ closing fast. Sarah can hear him. When she leaves Zelda‚ she looks back and sees June hiding behind a rock‚ listening. Sarah’s been hearing the cowboy’s booted footsteps since they left the Wheel. She’s thrown her spin against him with no lasting effect. June offers to help ward the cowboy off. Sarah’s been thinking of early days at college‚ when she felt adrift‚ an alien‚ with a roommate off in her own world. One night‚ drunk‚ she met Sal; on their way home‚ they clicked‚ two outsiders‚ soon closest friends. June might look like Sal‚ but she isn’t Sal. And maybe they should’ve kept Sal safer. Sarah turns down June’s help. One day‚ riding with Ramon‚ June asks about Elsinore. He describes the Green Glass City instead‚ then relents. Elsinore’s a “postapocalyptic feudal” place‚ with castles and knights on motorback. Its princess knew her world was dying. She studied‚ and looked for the crossroads. After failing at the Wheel on her own‚ she enlisted the alt-riders’ help. Together they zeroed in on the crossroads‚ but the queen cursed them and called down the rot. The princess died. While escaping‚ Sal and Zelda saw the crossroads and tried to get there. Disaster. June tells Ramon about Sarah’s struggles with the cowboy. Ramon agrees to talk to her‚ and try to get her to accept help. June also passes on Sarah’s worries about the Green Glass City. Ramon says they’ve been through a lot—it’s not too much‚ is it‚ to hope the City will be the one thing that breaks their way? This Week’s Metrics Fighting the Cowboy: Trees and cardiovascular research are not the most dramatic-sounding combination. And yet. What’s Cyclopean: Sarah imagines the Cowboy as “a man waiting for a bird to roast‚ so caught by the visions the smell excites – crisp glistening skin‚ yielding meat‚ the juice inside—that when the call comes to dinner‚ he turns reluctantly from the bird in his mind to the bird on the table. But he comes to the table all the same.” Now‚ there’s an uncomfortable metaphor. Libronomicon: Sarah thinks of Ish’s “softness” as a sword-wielding mouse from the Redwall series‚ and wonders if the heroic mouse still survives. Weirdbuilding: The gang at Elsinore found spells and tricks‚ had their Wheel-walking apparatus all set up—they were just “waiting for the stars to be right.” Kinda makes you wonder… if you need to wait until the stars come right‚ what exactly do you think you’re summoning? Ruthanna’s Commentary When my godson was five or so‚ I took him to the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center‚ where the Air and Space Museum keeps vehicles. He enjoyed running around looking at planes‚ and of course the highlight was the Discovery Space Shuttle. It’s not the only thing in that hanger: if you walk around near the tail‚ you’ll find yourself face-to-face with a collection of rockets including an ICBM missile. And your godson will ask‚ “What’s that one?” I sympathize with Sarah‚ is what I’m saying. It’s telling‚ however‚ that her carefully-constructed bubble of safety requires protection from knowledge as well as from actual danger. Because I did‚ in fact‚ have the age-appropriate nuclear war talk with my godson‚ as my parents did with me during the actual Cold War. I have talked to my kids about climate change‚ fascism‚ genocide‚ and several flavors of bigotry. I’ve also talked to them about protests‚ writing letters‚ mutual aid‚ and how to hide people in your attic when appropriate. Because if you don’t talk about the bad stuff‚ you can’t talk about how to fight back – and so Sarah has been not talking about how to fight back for ten years. People raised in an illusion would generally rather retreat back into lies than do the hard‚ dirty work required to gain for-real what they thought they already had – just ask the Cowboy. Or don’t‚ because Sarah’s managing to keep him at a distance‚ for now. Which is good‚ and would be better if she weren’t insisting‚ Zelda-style‚ on doing it as a solo martyr. How do these people‚ who’ve been through so much together‚ come to be this resistant to working together? That’s a rhetorical question‚ but also—you can’t claim with one side of your mouth that the world is ending for everyone‚ and with the other that you’re keeping June safe by rejecting her contributions to saving the world. “Everyone” includes the gang. No exceptions for youth‚ inexperience‚ or nerve-wracking knacks. At least we’re finally learning about Elsinore—which also turns out to be nerve-wracking. The Princess was a scientist‚ someone on the same mission as the gang and willing to team up to turn the Wheel. This raises the question again of the reality level of the alts. If they’re all nightmares from our world‚ you wouldn’t expect them to try and save themselves – and one of the consistencies of the gang’s old stories is that What These People Need is a Yalie. The Green Glass City is a prime example‚ all mind-control worms and mutants until the alt-riders appeared. Elsinore is different‚ not because it’s where “everything went wrong” but because it’s another locus of agency. The Princess not only wants to save the world‚ she’s an alt-rider in her own right. Or was that an illusion? Did it “go wrong” because that was Elsinore’s particular nightmare? Subtler than mind-control worms it may be‚ but betrayal by those closest to you can feel pretty apocalyptic. What pushed the queen to undermine their work? What pulled the crossroads to them‚ only to tempt Sal into the rot? Did they name it for Hamlet’s tragedy-stage afterward‚ or did it come with that ill-omened name from the start? Maybe events played out with the force of nightmare narrative‚ or maybe it was mundane local politics – or maybe the same thing that’s trying to undermine their work now‚ one bullet at a time. More questions than we had about Elsinore before‚ and more interesting ones. The major change this week‚ however‚ is the loss of access to their home dimension. Maybe Sal’s in the way‚ or maybe the Cowboy—either way‚ they can only go forward now. Can only have faith that there’s something to return to. It does feel of a piece with how the Princess de-centers the gang. Maybe our world isn’t the One True Reality that dreams the others into already-dying existence. Maybe it’s someone else’s nightmare‚ as fragile as any other illusion. Or maybe all the worlds are in this together‚ and there are more riders converging‚ each still convinced that survival depends on their solo heroism. About that rhetorical question. Anne’s Commentary I was hoping after Chapter 24‚ what with the princess appearing in incandescent white glory‚ that Zelda’s flashback would continue into Chapter 25 and deliver the Elsinore backstory complete. Nope. Max Gladstone is like the flirtatious elf Snowball in David Sedaris’s Santaland Diaries. Max Gladstone leads readers on. Readers and Santas—I mean‚ readers and bloggers. Admittedly‚ Zelda discloses that the princess dies‚ and Ramon tells June that Elsinore is postapocalyptic feudal-core‚ down to the ladies’ cone-shaped hats. Ramon also pins the demise of both the princess and the alt-riders’ crossroads plans on Elsinore’s queen. A teaser here‚ a spoiler there‚ a great preview clip of the castle walls growing arms and mouths and eating people from the inside out. Elsinore: Where everything went wrong. Where Zelda lost Sal. Moreover‚ we can’t go on to Elsinore in present story time until we’ve made a pit stop in the Green Glass City (GGC). Evidently‚ the GGC has a rad body shop where Ramon can repair the Challenger. It used to have mutants and may have them again if Sarah’s Cassandra-knack is right. Mutants are always worth a side trip. Besides‚ you’ve got to have a sentient muscle car if you want to cruise the cross-reality road in style. The alt-riders have no option but to cruise on—their GO HOME game option seems to have expired. That’s if alt-riding ever was a game rather than an infectious compulsion to find the Eden-Alt‚ with Zelda as the index case. Three-quarters of the way through Last Exit‚ I find my Character Sympathy Scale shifting. From the start‚ I disliked Zelda’s penchant for self-flagellation‚ but‚ girl‚ surely you’ve worn your cat o’ nine tails out! You were a brilliant if cosmically naive kid back in your college days. Fatally‚ you had the charisma to win other brilliant kids over to your crazy ideas‚ including Sal‚ who had the charisma squared to back you up. I can’t blame you for being seduced by the magic of spin. Given the dynamics of the alt-riders‚ the rest probably had to follow. The Yellow Brick Road goes forever on and on‚ and you must follow if you can. That allowed‚ I wish you’d pull that whip out of your pack and chuck it into the perishing shrubbery. When you flail at yourself‚ you can hit the people around you‚ making them collateral damage to your guilt and‚ yes‚ to your self-pity. The first thing you do after waking from your post-Wheel stupor is to search Ramon’s face for the “scorn‚ pity‚ frustration” that you need to find there‚ confirmation your self-hatred is deserved rather than pathological. It’s too late for Zelda to tell Ramon (yet again) she was wrong to send her letters‚ that he and the others owe her nothing. Ramon’s response demonstrates growing insight: “We’re not here because we owe you.” This isn’t the Zelda Show; what’s happening to the worlds is not all about her. Wheel-Sal has already told Zelda they’re in this together. “We’re with you all the way‚” Ish says. Sarah adds “We have to fix this.” The OG alt-riders haven’t come back to atone for deserting Zelda ten years before. Nor are they and June there as mere sidekicks. They can figure things out and make plans even when Zelda’s knocked out. They’ve come to save their own particular people and places. When Zelda slips back into telling Sarah that she shouldn’t have rejoined the quest because of her kids‚ Sarah’s answer is incontrovertible: “If the world ends‚ it ends for them too.” And who can argue that the end isn’t near‚ with sky and earth cracking in tandem and Beyond-Sal hovering ever visible? Zelda’s drop on my Sympathy Scale may recover. She may hope things will end in her reunion with the unchanged Wheel-Sal; far more probable seems a confrontation with Beyond-Sal. Can she handle that and stay on mission? Zelda thinks she can‚ which is too weak an answer for Sarah‚ maybe rightly so in a cosmos where possibilities become realities through the magic of will or belief or faith‚ whatever powers spin. June has been rising steadily on the Sympathy Scale and continues to do so in Chapters 25 and 26. Burdened by her new Rot-summoning knack‚ she can still ask Zelda whether this knack makes her Zelda’s enemy. She can empathize with Sarah‚ who’s expending a debilitating amount of energy to protect them from the cowboy. Sarah rises on the Scale through her strength and determination and the keen insight that can perceive Ish as all the more heroic because he may still be like a Redwall mouse: “goofy‚ brave‚ idealistic against all evidence.” Her understanding of Ish pushes him higher on my Scale. Ramon has never slipped from an initial high rating. Zelda can rise again. Much depends on whether she can toss that whip‚ or at least wield it against maybe-insurgent GGC mutants rather than herself. Next week‚ Liz Williams’s “The Hide” seems like a nice cautionary tale against birdwatching. You can find it in The Weird. The post Though This Be Madness‚ Yet There Is Method In’t: Max Gladstone’s <;i>;Last Exit<;/i>; (Part 13) appeared first on Reactor.