Mattel unveils 'gender inclusive' toy line that is 'free of labels'
Mattel, Inc. today announced the global unveil of Creatable World, a customizable doll line offering endless combinations all in one box.
Creatable World invites kids to create their own characters. Extensive wardrobe options, accessories and wigs allow kids to style the doll with short or long hair, or in a skirt, pants, or both.
"Toys are a reflection of culture and as the world continues to celebrate the positive impact of inclusivity, we felt it was time to create a doll line free of labels," said Kim Culmone, Senior Vice President of Mattel Fashion Doll Design. "Through research, we heard that kids don't want their toys dictated by gender norms. This line allows all kids to express themselves freely which is why it resonates so strongly with them. We're hopeful Creatable World will encourage people to think more broadly about how all kids can benefit from doll play."
The Creatable World doll line consists of six different doll kits that are available in a variety of skin tones. Each kit includes one doll, two hairstyle options and endless styling possibilities.
Mattel worked alongside a dedicated team of experts, parents, physicians and most importantly, kids, to create this one-of-a-kind play experience.
Madame Tussauds Orlando will unveil the wax figures of all six James Bonds from the iconic film franchise on Oct. 5, National James Bond Day.
The lineup includes Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig—star of Bond's 25th film, No Time to Die.
"As the world anticipates the release of the 2020 James Bond film, we're bringing the excitement and drama of the franchise to life here at Madame Tussauds Orlando," says James Paulding, general manager. "With video, lighting and an interactive 007 soundtrack, guests will be completely immersed in the world of James Bond."
Created in collaboration with EON Productions, each figure will feature a classic 007 suit based on the original costumes designed by Oscar winning costume designer, Lindy Hemming.
The six figures stand together against an impactful floor-to-ceiling video display, theatrical lighting and iconic Bond music from the classic Bond films. While interacting with the figures, guests will hear their favorite 007 theme songs and see a montage of footage from the films.
All six Bonds are waiting for you. But, do you know when they made their debut as 007? (Answers below:)
Sean Connery: Dr. No, 1962
George Lazenby: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1969
Roger Moore: Live and Let Die, 1973
Timothy Dalton: The Living Daylights, 1987
Pierce Brosnan: GoldenEye, 1995
Daniel Craig: Casino Royale, 2006
The figures will appear at Madame Tussauds Orlando for a limited time
"James Bond has left active service when his friend Felix Leiter enlists his help in the search for a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that the scientist was abducted, Bond must confront a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before..."
Most Entertaining Haunted Attractions from left to right: Bates Motel Haunted House, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania; 13th Floor Haunted House, Denver, CO; Haunted Hotel, San Diego, CA; Cutting Edge, Fort Worth, TX; Dent Schoolhouse Haunted House, Cincinnati, OH
A pounding heart, heavy breathing, and cold-shivers from unsettling senses are some of the feelings that entertain haunted house fans by pumping up their adrenaline and releasing screams and laughter. People love a controlled scare for fun. America Haunts, the leading industry association of premiere haunted attractions, reports that the popularity of haunts is growing, especially within mega haunts. These mammoths of scare ushered a record level of visitors in 2018, many exceeding a 9% increase in patrons for the season.
Stirring the spirits to generate crowds takes more than hocus pocus. There is a lot of wicked year-round planning and professional skills needed to entertain and spook the masses. Befittingly, America Haunts recognizes the 5 most entertaining haunted attractions in the U.S. for 2019.
In addition to working late and their penchant for scaring, this group of mega-haunt producers are technological wizards, spooky-set builders, and many of the realistic masks and make-up techniques are their own creations as they are pushed to be better than Hollywood to entertain audiences often just a grasp away.
The top 5 most entertaining haunted houses in the United States are:
Bates Motel Haunted House and Haunted Hayride Philadelphia metro, - Glen Mills, Pennsylvania: This haunt mixes up a triple threat to scare its guests. Aside from the Bates Motel Haunted House, it also has the Haunted Hayride and Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Trail attractions. The realism will make you swear they conjured up dead spirits that elicits visitors to scream with applause throughout this spectacular haunt.
13th Floor Haunted House Denver, Colorado: One of the world's greatest mysteries is the hidden 13th floor - hidden by building owners but discovered in Denver that goes by elevator straight down. 13th Floor guests witness the unforeseen frights not found anywhere else, plus in 2019 have new attractions: The Other Side, Tales of Unknown, and Clown that promises well-done, scary fun.
Haunted Hotel San Diego metro – Mission Valley, California: There was a "disturbance" in 2019 so wicked that the Haunted Hotel was relocated to bigger digs in Mission Valley - featuring 3 haunted attractions in one location. The undead unearthed by the move are ready to inflict terror at the Haunted Hotel and its hellevator. Kill-billy Chaos, and 3-D Freak-Fest gives even more reason to watch out from this terror-filled place of thrill.
Cutting Edge Fort Worth, Texas: Born from an abandoned meat-packing factory this world-record, largest haunted house packs in horror chills and thrills. Visitors will feel their pulse rise with the dark, rhythmic beats of a nationally acclaimed zombie drum line in this haunt. The Cutting Edge experience includes a cemetery and a Texas-sized swamp where getting out may actually take you six-feet under.
Dent Schoolhouse Haunted House Cincinnati, Ohio: The dark past at Dent Schoolhouse, where a janitor ended some young lives, makes Dent especially haunting. The looming presence of the spirits in undeniable to all the senses as visitors make their way throughout classrooms, the cafeteria, and more. This school bell conjures up the best cast in the Tri-City's area with help from the supernatural to make this a hands down favorite in the nation for a great night of scares.
About America Haunts:
America Haunts is the national association of top-tier haunted attractions dedicated to excellence in fear-based, sensory entertainment, thrilling more than a million visitors annually. America Haunts' members are recognized for their longevity in the industry, technical expertise, innovative design, and relentless talent with a penchant to generate screams for fun and excitement.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced his nation's intention to join the United States' Moon to Mars exploration approach, including NASA's Artemis lunar program.
The announcement took place at a ceremony Saturday at NASA Headquarters in Washington during which NASA Deputy Administrator, Jim Morhard, and Head of the Australian Space Agency, Megan Clark, signed a joint statement of intent. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Australian Ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Arthur Culvahouse Jr. also participated in the ceremony.
The statement foresees potential Australian contributions in areas of mutual interest such as robotics, automation, and remote asset management – similar to that currently used by Australia in mining operations – and builds on a unique history of space cooperation between the U.S. and Australia that dates back to the Apollo era.
As part of Australia's commitment to partner with NASA, Morrison pledged to more than triple the Australian Space Agency budget to support Artemis and Moon to Mars.
"We are honored by today's statement and the commitment of our friends from Australia to support us in our mission to return to the Moon by 2024 with the Artemis program," Morhard said. "The strong relationship between NASA and the Australian Space Agency affirms NASA's commitment to establish sustainable exploration with our commercial and international partners by 2028."
Although the Australian Space Agency is relatively new, established a little over a year ago, Australia has a long tradition of working closely with the U.S. in space activities. A formal agreement between NASA and the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) signed in 1960 allows for tracking and communication of NASA missions through the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) at Tidbinbilla, as well as the Data Relay Satellite facilities in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and Dongara, Western Australia. The CDSCC serves as an integral component of NASA's Deep Space Network.
In August, the Mars 2020 and ExoMars rover science teams honed their skills in the Australian Outback, where the rocks are of similar age to the terranes on Mars, in preparation for their respective missions to launch to the Red Planet next summer in search of signs of past life on Mars.
Saturday's joint statement strengthens the relationship between Australia and the U.S. and broadens the community of nations joining NASA in further exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Through Artemis, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the surface of the Moon by 2024, and establish sustainable exploration with its commercial and international partners by 2028. NASA's Artemis program is the next step in human exploration and is a part of America's broader Moon to Mars exploration approach.
Canada Post today unveiled three stamps honouring Leonard Cohen, whose songs over a five-decade career distilled the desire and pain of romantic love and explored the darkness and light of the human experience.
The stamps were unveiled in the city of his birth, as Cohen's record label, Sony Music, announced the release of new music from Cohen and a forthcoming album release titled Thanks for the Dance.
The stamps will be available tomorrow, September 21, on what would have been Cohen's 85th birthday. The images on the stamps and the Official First Day Covers highlight three periods of this accomplished Canadian's music career:
his impressive debut in the 1960s, including two songs that became enduring favourites, "Suzanne" and "So Long, Marianne";
the resurgence of his popularity in the 1980s and the early 1990s, with his unforgettable and oft-covered "Hallelujah" (1984);
and his performances on an 18-month world tour he undertook in his seventies, followed by a final burst of creative genius. A month after the October 2016 release of his critically acclaimed album You Want It Darker, Cohen died at 82. He was posthumously awarded the JUNO Award for Artist of the Year in 2017, as well as Album of the Year; the title track of You Want It Darker won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance.
Canada Post Pays Tribute To Leonard Cohen
Born on September 21, 1934, in Montréal, Cohen took an unlikely path into pop music. In the mid-1960s, the income from writing four books of poetry and two novels left him struggling "to pay my grocery bill," he once recalled. After returning to Canada from the Greek island where he'd lived for years, the self-taught guitarist discovered the folk music movement sweeping North America. He tried his hand at writing songs. He played some privately for singer Judy Collins, who loved them. A folk and pop star, she sang two of them on her next album, becoming one of the hundreds of artists who would record Cohen's songs during his life. He released his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, in 1967.
After several albums, Cohen's place in the pantheon of the world's great songwriters was secure, and he was inducted into several music halls of fame. He earned a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
A warm, spiritual and intellectual man, Cohen also had a self-deprecating sense of humour. When he died, countless singers, musicians and others publicly mourned his passing, expressing their respect for his work and their deep affection for him. Leading papers around the world published obituaries, reflecting his global stature.
Canada Post Pays Tribute To Leonard Cohen
"Leonard was always deeply appreciative of his Canadian heritage, and would have been moved by this honour from Canada Post," says Robert Kory, Cohen's manager, estate trustee and friend.
"Canada Post is proud to pay tribute to this memorably gifted man whose words and music have touched Canadians and people around the world," says Jessica McDonald, Chair of the Board of Directors, Canada Post.
The stamps were unveiled in the Glass Court at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, overlooking the Leonard Cohen mural that rises 21 storeys above Crescent Street.
The Permanent domestic-rate stamps, designed by Paprika of Montréal, with photographs by Jack Robinson, Claude Gassian and Platon, and printed by Lowe Martin, are available in a book of nine, with three of each design. Other collectibles, including a four-pack of Official First Day Covers, a collectible pane and a folded uncut press sheet packaged in a simulated album cover and liner, are available at selected post offices or at canadapost.ca/shop.
"The Last Kids on Earth" (CNW Group/Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.)
Atomic Cartoons, Cyber Group Studios and Outright Games are pleased to announce a new partnership to produce The Last Kids on Earth video game. The new Netflix series, Last Kids on Earth, is based on Max Brallier's bestselling books.
The game is anticipated to launch in 2021 on consoles and PC.
The Last Kids on Earth video game will be created in consultation with the producers of the animated series, which began streaming this week on September 17, 2019. The intellectual property (IP) for the book series was optioned by Thunderbird's Kids and Family Division in 2017, and Netflix acquired the worldwide rights to the TV series in 2018.
Earlier this year, Cyber Group Studios became the worldwide representative for merchandising, ancillary and second window TV rights when an agreement was reached in February. In May 2019, a Master Toy deal was announced with Jakks Pacific Inc. to develop a range of products, including action figures, activity toys, role-play accessories, vehicles, plush items, novelty items, games, and play electronics.
The toy line is set to hit shelves around the world in 2020.
"We are thrilled to have gamers play as our venerable series leads, Jack, June, Quint and Dirk, and partake in thrilling apocalyptic adventures throughout Wakefield – with both familiar and new monsters and zombies," said Matthew Berkowitz, Chief Creative Officer, Atomic Cartoons and Thunderbird Entertainment. "The Last Kids on Earth is such a captivating series, and it is awesome to see it being embraced by audiences internationally and in many formats. Working with author Max Brallier, and evolving this story into a global franchise with books, an animated series, a video game and toy line, is an incredible experience for everyone at Atomic."
About the Book Series:
The Last Kids on Earth is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling book series, with millions of copies in print around the world. It follows Jack Sullivan and a band of suburban middle schoolers who live in a decked-out tree house, play video games, gorge themselves on candy, and battle zombies in the post-apocalyptic town of Wakefield. It's a hilarious series filled with wisecracking kids, crazy gadgets, an endless supply of zombies and giant-sized monsters.
The Book Series Trailer:
About the Animated Series:
The animated Netflix series premiered on September 17, 2019, as a 66-minute special episode. Two additional seasons will begin streaming in 2020, including an interactive episode. Both seasons will feature a star-studded voice cast, which includes Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Catherine O'Hara, Keith David, Bruce Campbell, Garland Whitt, Montse Hernandez and Charles Demers, in addition to Nick Wolfhard voicing the lead character Jack Sullivan.
The Animated Series Trailer:
Commenting on the deal with Outright Games, Thierry Braille, Vice President, Interactive and Video Game Division, Cyber Group Studios, said: "We are delighted to come together with Atomic Cartoons and Outright Games to announce a video game based on The Last Kids on Earth. The combination of this wonderful IP and the very promising game design made by Outright Games will deliver an amazing video game which will contribute to expand The Last Kids on Earth universe".
Terry Malham, CEO of Outright, also noted: "After reading the books, and getting a preview of the Netflix series, we jumped at the chance to work with Atomic Cartoons and Cyber Group Studios to develop a video game based on The Last Kids on Earth. It has all the hallmarks of a successful franchise – comedy, adventure, friendship, fun – and we look forward to gamers around the world coming along for the ride when we launch in 2021."
"Game of Thrones" star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau during his fact-finding journey to Peru (image via UNDP)
Game of Thrones star and United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has just returned from a fact-finding journey to Peru, where he traveled deep into the jungles of the Amazon with the UN agency to get to the bottom of the causes – and the impacts – of the fires.
His mission also offered insights into the effects of climate change on the hard-to-reach communities living in the Amazon.
"When I saw those images of the Amazon on fire, like everyone else, I felt shocked, powerless and angry. It didn't make sense to me," Coster-Waldau said. "Which is why I wanted to come to Peru and find out why the Amazon is on fire."
What Coster-Waldau discovered was that the deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon, to which the fires are attributed, can be traced back to economic and social inequalities facing the communities living in this region.
Indigenous and local communities play a key role in safeguarding the Amazon rainforest, which covers more than 60 percent of Peru and is critical for our planet because it holds about 20 percent of the river water on Earth.
But in the Peruvian Amazon, many of these communities also face high levels of poverty and inequality and lack basic infrastructure and resources. Most are small farming or fishing villages whose residents live off the forest and often rely on deforesting their plots to grow food and earn a living.
"What I found when I traveled to Peru is that the burning of the Amazon, the deforestation is incredibly complex. But at the core is social inequality," Coster-Waldau said. "I met indigenous communities, and they explained the awful dilemma they face: They are farmers. They need to farm, not for great profit but simply to feed their families. These communities are often living in extreme poverty and have an impossible choice: they are the guardians of the Amazon, but they also have little choice but to clear sections of it in order to plant crops just to survive. The problems indigenous communities face in the Amazon are a window into not just the impacts of climate change, which have intensified over the past 20 years, but one of its biggest causes: inequality. If we don't address inequality on a global scale, then we won't be able to fix climate change. It's complex, but there's hope. We have the resources, we have the technology. We just need to do it. We need to come together as individuals, as communities, as nations. And if we do that, we can solve the problem."
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in "A Second Chance" (image via Wikipedia - CC BY 3.0)
"Development challenges are complex, and in Peru, home to the second largest portion of Amazon forest, we have to pursue integrated solutions that ensure that vulnerable communities can accelerate progress towards equality and resilience to climate change," said Maria del Carmen Sacasa, Resident Representative of UNDP in Peru.
About United Nations Development Programme
UNDP is supporting government, private sector and communities in their efforts to reduce deforestation and address climate change in the Peruvian Amazon. Aligned with Peru's national policy framework, UNDP and partners address the root causes of environmental degradation through supporting inclusive governance, by providing technical assistance to stimulate sustainable economic growth and climate proof livelihoods, and through facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships to align public and private finance in support of sustainable development.
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, UNDP offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
Gowling WLG report reveals the most favourable countries for global HQ relocations (PRNewsfoto/Gowling WLG)
Almost one in four (23%) global businesses are open to relocating their headquarters (HQ), but uncertainty over Brexit is having a significant impact on the UK's attractiveness as a home for big firms, according to new research from international law firm, Gowling WLG.
Almost half (41%) said they wouldn't currently consider a move to the UK post-Brexit, instead rating Germany, Ireland and Switzerland as the top destinations.
With recent high profile HQ developments for Amazon, Unilever and Google hitting the headlines, the Gowling WLG report, HQ Sweet Spot: Where big businesses want to call home reveals the strategic plans for the most significant operations of more than 650 board level executives at large businesses across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.
A startling 92% of those surveyed that are currently headquartered in the UK are weighing up the benefits of an overseas move - Ireland ranks as the most popular destination option for more than half (54%) of these firms, followed by Germany (33%), the Netherlands (31%) and Luxembourg (23%).
More than a third (35%) of global business leaders believe that post-Brexit, the UK will be a less favourable HQ location in the long-term. However, bosses in Brazil, Canada and the US are most upbeat about the enduring cachet of a UK business address and the most likely to consider relocating to Britain.
When asked to rank a broad range of features from availability of talent and digital infrastructure through to political and economic stability in their current location, business leaders in France, Singapore, Switzerland and Japan were the most satisfied and least likely to consider moving. Conversely, those in the UK, Canada and Brazil were the least satisfied with their current home and among the most likely to consider upping sticks. Commenting on the findings, Richard Bate, head of real estate at Gowling WLG, said:
"The UK patently remains a strong force in the market to attract the world's biggest HQ relocations but our research shows that Brexit is leading global bosses to strongly consider other European alternatives. When asked what measures the UK could take to improve its attractiveness as an HQ location after Brexit, a clear message from bosses for policymakers emerged: reduce business regulation, improve access to talent, develop a more favourable tax regime and improve transport links. Our research also reveals the importance of the location basics, from sourcing suitable buildings to excellent digital and transport infrastructure. Indeed, many of our respondents favour destinations offering high quality real estate – an area where the UK excels. Against this backdrop, a swift resolution to the Brexit impasse and the right policy changes once we have finally exited the EU are essential to enable Britain to take a bigger slice of the HQ market, particularly among North American firms and those beyond Europe."
Queen of Haunts, by day Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, presented the TERRORific Haunted Attractions on her 45th seasons
Choosing the best haunted houses in the nation is a labor of love for the Queen of Haunts, also known as Amber Arnett-Bequeaith. She has spent a lifetime in the haunt industry – celebrating forty-five seasons.
Some of her early memories as a five-year-old was sleeping in a coffin and raising up from it to toss pedals on passersby in her family-owned haunt in Kansas City. The family still owns the haunt it created in 1975, the Edge of Hell, marking it as the nation's oldest operated commercial haunted house. The years following, they expanded to a whole bevy of scare-based attractions including haunts Beast and Macabre Cinema, a ghost and gangsters tour, hayrides, and the Festival of the Full Moon where the Queen of Haunts reigns over scary fun and laughter.
"The most common question I get is what is the best haunted attraction to visit," said the Queen of Haunts. This fright-for-fun expert is quizzed by all types of people – from scare enthusiasts with either a penchant for travel or a bucket-list of thrill goals, or others simply wanting to hear how their local haunt stacks up. While she admits she is hard to scare and knows the inside "tricks of the trade," she favors the haunts where the scares are invented but the fun is for real – best described as "terror-ific".
The United States is a behemoth in the haunt industry, with approximately 1,200 haunts focused on fear-based entertainment – without counting the charity-run, smaller-scale haunts. In the sea of choices, the Queen's picks are sure to cast scares to make fun memories for a lifetime.
The top 13 TERRORific haunted attractions for heart-pounding, hair-raising fun:
Edge of Hell, Kansas City – perhaps close to her beating heart, but this granddaddy of haunts creates a mind-blowing scary experience from heaven to hell and the world's largest serpent is undeniably first-class in fright!
Cutting Edge, Dallas – marches onto the list with the acclaimed zombie drum line and scares that go above and beyond – on the edge of darkness.
Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride, Philadelphia – take it from a seasoned haunt expert, a Bates Motel and haunted hayride will leave you scared out of your wits.
Beast, Kansas City – this time travel to the medieval times where an eye for an eye can be vicious and reflects the monster of men and a sensory-experience that includes jumping out a second-story window.
NETHERWORLD, Atlanta – this sprawling one-story haunt has something for everyone to leave you scared to the bone.
Headless Horseman, New York – a legendary haunt that sits among the hills outside New York where the beheaded horseman made that fateful ride and scares the dickens out of those who venture. The presence of horses ramps the scare beyond horse speed.
Macabre Cinema, Kansas City – the haunt for everyone who loves horror movies but wants to be part of the action – it even includes some real horror movie sets. You won't have time for popcorn in this adrenaline-fueled attraction.
Spooky Woods, Greensboro/Highpoint – thrill-seekers are in for a new kind of scare on the Sudden Death Express train ride – giving new meaning to going off the rails!
Dent Schoolhouse, Cincinnati – mix a horror back-story of an old schoolhouse with extraordinary haunt technology and you'll swear the spirits are present and inflicting terror.
Erebus, Detroit – a time machine that is disguised as a haunted house to make all the visitors actual guinea pig subjects – leaves them trembling with the prospect this research project is scary.
Haunted Hotel, San Diego – relocated to a bigger space opens the door to even more scares. The crowds are sure to be breathless inside a hotel that leads to mayhem and macabre.
13th Floor, Chicago – the superstitious naturally know to take heed going to the 13th floor - most buildings hide the floor from access. The adventure into Chicago's 13th floor will make everyone a believer in this dark reality.
13th Gate, Baton Rouge – Wrapped in history and the eeriness of the dead above ground in mausoleums makes it all the more believable that the nightmare inside these gates will raise the hairs on your neck.
Today one million species of plants and animals are facing extinction. Over the next two decades, global warming will threaten the survival of virtually every multicellular life form — including us. In this "save-the-planet" book, The Great Healing - Five Compassions That Can Save The World, award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker Stephen Erickson, a member of The Great Healing LLC, introduces exquisite creatures, human and non-human, and the challenges they face, while revealing the Arch Villain and humanity's singular solution.
Four esteemed thought leaders have joined Stephen to contribute three new essays, photos, and a poem:
Wendell Berry - essayist, novelist, poet, farmer, national treasure
Joel Fuhrman, MD - author of 6 New York Times bestsellers including Eat to Live and The End of Diabetes
Alan Lewis – guides Food and Agriculture Policy for Natural Grocers stores
Jo-Anne McArthur - investigative photojournalist
The main cause of global warming is Big Ag. Its behemoth dark twins, industrial agriculture and factory farming, are responsible for creating a far greater share of greenhouse gas emissions than any other industry. Industrial agriculture also kills the life of the soil, its microbiome, destroying healthy soil's ability to sequester carbon — making the Arch Villain a preeminently lethal adversary.
There exists only one solution to the climate crisis: Regenerative agriculture and healthy soil's natural ability to drawdown and hold carbon. The key to achieving this rapidly and at necessary scale are Five Compassions: Compassion for Animals, for Self, for the Land, for Community, and for Democracy.
Compassionate activism and widespread awareness can create The Great Healing. More than a "call-to-action" book, this is a book with a plan. Told empathetically through the stories of exquisite creatures, they are an emotional invitation, a way in, to easily grasp the situation and its urgency.
Join in what will become the most important cause of all of humanity's endeavors to date.
Stephen Erickson is a scriptwriter, feature filmmaker, and entertainment executive. That while fathering his children on this fascinating planet during a short window of time that may prove to have been the most magnificent years for human beings ever to be alive.
In The Great Healing he introduces exquisite creatures and takes the reader on an emotional journey, while alerting everyone to a dire threat and revealing the singular solution.
Buy The Great Healing - Five Compassions That Can Save The World on Amazon.
"An asteroid just had to come on this day. Now what?" - "Bummer" (image via imdb.com)
Limitless Films LLC recently announced that its 8th and newest short film "Bummer" netted three awards from the London Independent Film Awards. The monthly competition recognizes excellence in filmmaking from filmmakers from across the world.
"Bummer" is a depiction of a mother and daughter's move to a new home in Florida, just as the story breaks of an imminent asteroid approach that will destroy earth.
The film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America. "Bummer" has won a total of 41 awards worldwide.
"I'm incredibly thankful that 'Bummer' is receiving international recognition and that our film seems to be connecting with audiences around the world," said director and writer Barry Worthington. "I feel very lucky to have worked alongside such a talented cast, crew and collaborators. I'm excited about what we are accomplishing together."
"Bummer" is the newest in a distinguished catalog of award-winning films from Barry Worthington. The compelling short won: "Best Actress" for Marili Mejias, "Best Child/Young Actress" for Hope Perry, and "Best Editing" for Worthington. The film was completed in May of 2018 and officially launched for streaming on the Limitless Films website.
"Bummer" has also earned Official Selection honors from the Rendezvous Film Festival in Amelia Island, Florida and the Kapow Intergalactic Film Festival in North Hollywood, California.
Worthington had proud but humble beginnings showing his work in places like the Gaithersburg High School auditorium when he was just a teenager, before moving on to serve as an adjunct film professor at Towson University for film production and film theory. He also served as an adjunct film/art professor at Howard Community College.
Worthington's film journey led him to complete his MFA in Film and Electronic Media in 2018. He has led Limitless Films into producing multiple award-winning films, securing a total of 121 awards since 2010, with pieces like: "Corrosion," "The Infinitely Generous Francis Victus," "Sponge," "Tanzanite," "Hollywood Trash," "Kin," and "River Haven."
Ratcliffe-on-Soar, one of 7 UK coal-fired power plants still in service. (Diana Parkhouse/Unsplash, CC BY-SA)One of the last things that Theresa May did before she left office as the UK prime minister in July 2019 was to commit the country to a net zero carbon target in 2050. Weaning the entire economy off carbon-based fuels on this sort of timescale sounds ambitious, but several advanced economies have set targets considerably sooner than this. Sweden and New Zealand are aiming for 2045, Finland for 2035 and Norway for 2030 – the most ambitious of any government. Extinction Rebellion has called for the UK to eliminate all carbon emissions by 2025. Our recent working paper explores the justification for these various targets. The starting point is the global carbon budget calculated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is the total amount of carbon that can be emitted into the atmosphere from now until the end of this century. The most recent estimate of a global budget that would offer a 66% chance of limiting climate warming to within 1.5C above the pre-industrial average is 420 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. Working from here to a carbon budget for each country is both a technical and an ethical question. Using the UK as a detailed example, a simple proportional allocation would give the UK a budget of approximately 2.9 billion tonnes. But given the UK’s historical responsibility for carbon in the atmosphere and the undeniable need for development in the poorest countries in the world, there is a very strong argument that the UK should adopt a fair carbon budget somewhat lower than this. So, for example, if the poorer countries in the world were to have an allowable carbon budget just one-third higher than the richer countries, this would lead to a fair carbon budget for the UK of around 2.5 billion tonnes. The question of how long this budget might last has no simple answer, because it depends how fast carbon emissions are cut over time. Remaining within any given budget depends inherently on the emissions pathway the country follows. If we cut emissions faster, we can afford a later target. If we cut too slowly, the budget will be exhausted, and we would be faced with the task of installing uncertain and costly negative emissions technologies to take carbon out of the atmosphere for the rest of the century. The UK’s carbon footprint in 2018 was about 590m tonnes, measured on a “consumption basis”, which includes the carbon in imports but excludes that of exports. This footprint has been falling slowly (at around 1.5% a year) since 2010. But if it continued to fall this slowly, the carbon budget would be exhausted by 2023, in just four years’ time (Scenario a). Even if we assume a straight-line reduction to zero emissions in 2050 (Scenario b), we would still generate a carbon overdraft approximately three times our allowable budget. In fact, the latest date by which we could draw a straight line from our current level of emissions to zero and still remain within the budget would be 2025 (Scenario c).
Four UK emissions pathways. (a) is based on our current rate of reduction, and (b) shows that linearly reducing emissions to net zero by 2050 means we’ll exhaust our carbon budget in four years. (c) shows that 2025 is the latest date we could linearly reduce our emissions to net zero, and (d) shows that for a 2050 target to stay within our budget, we’d need a 24% annual reduction in emissions. (Tim Jackson/CUSP, Author provided)A target later than 2025 is possible only if the UK reduces emissions faster than the straight line pathway in the early years. In order to extend the target date for zero carbon to 2050, emission cuts would need to be in the region of 24% every year for the next three decades (Scenario d). What is notable about this pathway is that, within little more than a decade, carbon emissions must already have fallen to a very low level. With a 24% annual rate of reduction, UK emissions in 2030 would only be 22m tonnes – less than 5% of the current level of emissions. Only a small programme of negative emissions technologies would be needed to achieve net zero at this point. Clearly the challenge is still colossal. A 24% reduction in emissions amounts to a cut of 140 million tonnes in the very first year alone. The UK has never achieved anything close to this since its carbon footprint was first measured in 1990. In 2009, when the economy was in recession, the carbon footprint fell by 80m tonnes, while its best post-crisis reduction saw a fall of only 38m tonnes in 2016. It is dangerously misleading for advanced nations to set target dates as far out as 2050. Doing so ignores the importance of staying within a fair carbon budget and gives a false impression that action can be delayed. In reality, the only way to ensure that any developed country remains within its fair budget is to aim for an early net zero target. For the UK, that means bringing forward the government’s target by at least two decades. This might all seem daunting, but every year that progress is delayed, the challenge only gets bigger. Remaining within a fair carbon budget for the rest of this century requires deep and early decarbonisation. Anything else will risk a climate catastrophe.
About Today's Contributor:
Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), University of Surrey
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
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