#Matesong: Australia's Pop Icon Kylie Minogue Invites Brits Down Under [Video Included]

Tourism Australia’s ‘Matesong’ campaign featuring Kylie Minogue (Photo Credit: Nicole Bentley. Location: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory, Australia)

Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue has delivered a special musical Christmas Day message to the UK as part of Tourism Australia's latest campaign aimed at enticing more Brits down under.

With original lyrics written by Australian singer-songwriter Eddie Perfect and filmed against a backdrop of extraordinary Australian locations, the three-minute advert premiered on British TV as millions tuned in for the Queen's annual Christmas address.

The first overseas activation of its recently launched Philausophy campaign, Matesong is the largest investment that Tourism Australia has made in the UK in more than a decade.

"At a time of uncertainty in the UK, the light-hearted Matesong musical tribute is a symbolic hand of friendship from Australia, that celebrates the deep and longstanding ties that exist between the two countries."

Helping Kylie deliver the musical tribute is Australian comedian and TV presenter Adam Hills, supported by cameo appearances from Australian sporting legends Shane Warne, Ash Barty and Ian Thorpe; model twins Zac and Jordan Stenmark; UK-born chef Darren Robertson from Three Blue Ducks and the Aboriginal Comedy Allstars.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said that Christmas Day presented the perfect opportunity to capture the attention of millions of Brits.

"The Queen's annual Christmas speech is a key cultural moment in the UK, with millions tuning in to watch on television and many more online.

We also know that January in the northern hemisphere winter is a time when many Brits are thinking about an overseas holiday, providing the perfect opportunity to engage with a captive audience and remind them why they should make that next trip Australia," Ms Harrison said.

Kylie said it was an honour to work alongside Tourism Australia to share Australia with people from her adopted UK home.

"Filming the Matesong music video was literally a dream come true. I've had the opportunity to see parts of the country I haven't seen before, as well as to go home and revisit places that I know are beautiful.

I'm such a proud Australian that I've spent most of my life travelling around the world sharing my stories of Australia with anyone who would listen, so I kind of feel like a walking tourism advert for Australia already."

Tourism Australia’s ‘Matesong’ campaign featuring Kylie Minogue (Photo Credit: Nicole Bentley. Location: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory, Australia)

• The campaign will continue to run on British television and in cinemas, across digital and social platforms, and through out of home advertising.

SOURCE: Tourism Australia

Knights Templar: Still Loved By Conspiracy Theorists 900 Years On

Conny Skogberg via Shutterstock 

On Christmas Day, 1119, the king of Jerusalem, Baldwin II persuaded a group of French knights led by Hugh de Payne II to save their souls by protecting pilgrims travelling the Holy Land. And so the Order of the Knights Templar was formed.

This revolutionary order of knights lived as monks and took vows of poverty and chastity, but these were monks with a difference – they would take up arms as knights to protect the civilians using the dangerous roads of the newly conquered Kingdom of Jerusalem. From these humble beginnings, the order would grow to become one of the premier Christian military forces of the Crusades.

Over the next 900 years, these warrior monks would become associated with the Holy Grail, the Freemasons and the occult. But are any of these associations true, or are they just baseless myth?

The Crusades ended in 1291 after the Christian capital of Acre fell to the Mameluke forces of Egypt and the Templars found themselves redundant. Despite their wealth and European holdings, their reason for existence had been to wage war in defence of the Holy Land.

But the French king Philip IV was in debt to the Templar order and, with the Holy land lost, he capitalised on their vulnerability and had the Templars arrested in France on Friday October 13, 1307 in a dawn raid on their Paris Temple and residences. In 1312, the order was abolished by papal decree and in 1314 the last grand-master, Jacque de Molay, was burned at the stake in Paris with three other Templars. With the order destroyed, any surviving former members joined other orders or monasteries. 

Execution of Jacques de Molay in Paris, March 1314. Giovanni Villani, Nuova Cronica - ms. Chigiano L VIII 296 - Biblioteca Vaticana

Despite the arrests and charges of heresy being laid against the order, a document known as the Chinon Parchment was found in 2001 in the Vatican’s archives which documents that the Templars were, in fact, exonerated by the Catholic Church in 1312. But, despite clearing them of heresy, Pope Clement ordered that they be disbanded. 

Appropriation of a legend

The suppression of the Templars meant that there was nobody to safeguard their legacy. Since then, the order has been appropriated by other organisations – most notably as ancestors to the Masonic order in the 18th century and, more recently, by right-wing extremist groups such as the Knights Templar-UK and mass-murdering terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.

The Knights Templar’s association with Freemasonry is not so much a myth as it was a marketing campaign by 18th-century Freemasons to appeal to the aristocracy. Historian Frank Sanello explained in his 2003 book, The Knights Templars: God’s Warriors, the Devil’s Bankers, that initially it was Andrew Ramsey, a senior French Freemason of the era, who first made the link between the Freemasons and the Crusader knights.

But he originally claimed the Freemasons were descended from the crusading Order of the Knight Hospitaller. Of course, the Hospitallers were still operational, unlike the Knight Templar, so Ramsey quickly changed his claim to the Templars being the Freemasons’ crusading ancestry.

The Knights Templar had actually been mythologised in popular culture as early as the 13th century in the Grail epic Parzival by German knight and poet Wolfram von Eschenbach. In this Grail epic, the Knights Templar were included in the story as the guardians of the Grail. After the order’s sudden fall, these warrior monks became associated with conspiracies and the occult.

For some, a mystery still surrounds the fate of the Templar fortune (which was in reality seized by Phillip IV, with the majority of their property redistributed to the Hospitallers) and the Templar confessions (extracted under torture) to worshipping an idol dubbed Baphomet. The link between the Templars and the occult would resurface again in the 16th century in Henry Agrippa’s book De Occulta Philosophia.

Modern-day myth

Modern fiction continues to draw upon the widespread mysteries and fanciful theories. These mythical associations are key themes for many popular works of fiction, such as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code in which the Templars guard the Grail. The Templar myth has also found its way into the digital gaming format in the globally successful Assassin’s Creed franchise, in which the player must assassinate a villainous Templar.

Nine centuries after they were formed, the Templars remain the most iconic and infamous order of knights from the Crusades. The Templar legacy has grown beyond their medieval military role and the name has become synonymous with the occult, conspiracies, the Holy Grail and the Freemasons. But these are all false narratives – fantastical, but misleading.

The real legacy of the Templars remains with the Portuguese Order of Knights, Ordem dos Cavaleiros de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo (Order of the Knights of Jesus Christ). This order was created by King Diniz in 1319 with Papal permission due to the prominent role the Templars played in establishing the kingdom of Portugal. The new knighthood even moved into the Templars’ former headquarters at Tomar.

For historian Micheal Haag, this new order “was the Templars under another name” – but it pledged obedience to the king of Portugal and not the Pope like their Templar predecessors.

And so the essence of the Templar’s successors still exists today as a Portuguese order of merit for outstanding service – and the Templar myth continues to provide a rich source of inspiration for artistic endeavours.

About Today's Contributor:

Patrick Masters, Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Portsmouth

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

How Did The Rebels Beat The Empire In Star Wars? The Answer Is Closer To Home Than You Think

How Did The Rebels Beat The Empire In Star Wars? The Answer Is Closer To Home Than You Think (NeONBRAND/Unsplash, CC BY-SA)

It may all have happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but there’s a secret weapon in every Star Wars film that’s found almost everywhere humans live on Earth. It explains how the scrappy Rebel Alliance were able to defeat the mighty Galactic Empire, with all its high-tech weaponry, vast space armada and the Death Star.

Even with the help of Jedis, The Force, ewoks and a wookiee, Luke Skywalker and the rebels skirted annihilation on many occasions. We believe that their ultimate victory owed less to their mystic powers and allies, and instead to something more down-to-earth.

In several key moments throughout the series, the survival of the rebels depends on their ability to escape the Empire’s clutches, by retreating to, and defending, fortified bases. These are spread out on remote planets throughout the galaxy, in often hostile environments, from snowbound Hoth to desiccated Crait.

It’s time to finally give the Rebel Alliance’s engineering corps the credit it deserves. The fate of the galaxy was decided not by light sabres – but by concrete.

The Snows of Hoth

At the start of The Empire Strikes Back, things are looking grim. The Empire have cornered the remnants of the Rebel Alliance on the ice planet, Hoth. Fortunately, General Leia and co are able to defend Echo Base long enough for their allies to evacuate. The base is built into subterranean caves, but concrete is still needed for the roofs and floors of the spacecraft hangars, and the defensive laser cannon emplacements.

But how could they make all that concrete when temperatures on Hoth are consistently below 0°C? Concrete doesn’t set by drying out, but by a hydration reaction, which consumes water. If the water in the concrete mix is frozen solid, it can’t take part in the hydration reaction, and so the concrete can’t develop its strength.

So how did the Rebel engineers get around this? A cheat solution for small structures is simply to make the concrete in a place it’s not freezing, and then bring it in. This is known as “pre-cast” concrete. Engineers are currently using this to upgrade the Rothera research station in Antarctica – the most similar place to Hoth there is on Earth.

But shipping all that concrete through space isn’t practical. Engineers on Earth have a better solution – they use special rapid-hardening cement that contains calcium aluminates. This reduces how long the “danger zone” lasts, during which the cement must be protected from freezing. This quick-hardening ability allowed the French Army to build gun emplacements quickly in the first world war, and could have helped fortify rebel defences on Hoth.

The salt lakes of Crait

In 2017’s The Last Jedi, the rebels were almost wiped out again by the pursuing Imperial fleet. They take shelter on the barren planet of Crait, covered by flat, dried up salt lakes. The rebels regroup in an old base built into a mountain that’s protected by colossal, metal blast doors, supported by a reinforced concrete structure. Outside lie the vast salt flats and the attacking Imperial forces. Compared to the laser cannons of the First Order, salt would seem the least of the rebels’ worries. But in fact, salts can be one of the most destructive substances for reinforced concrete.

Reinforced concrete contains steel rods to make it stronger and resist bending. But if CO₂ in the atmosphere and chloride in the salts diffuse into the concrete, the steel can corrode, blister and weaken the concrete by expanding. This is sometimes known as “concrete cancer” and has been a contributing factor in several engineering disasters on Earth, including the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa in 2018. In that particular case it is believed that salts carried in the sea air accelerated the deterioration of the structure.

Were the Rebels foolish to build reinforced concrete bases where salt is everywhere? Actually, this type of corrosion needs a certain level of humidity in the air. Crait has very little water, or none at all. In such a dry environment, corrosion wouldn’t happen. So thankfully for General Leia and co, the mountain base was in a good enough condition to resist the bombardment – just long enough for Luke Skywalker to intervene. But how did they make all that concrete in the first place with so little water?

Given that concrete needs water to set, a planet without water would prove tricky. The Middle East on Earth is largely desert, but there’s still a lot of concrete production, much of it made with desalinated seawater, which is expensive. On planets where there isn’t even seawater, water is too dense and precious to use for anything but keeping humans alive. There’s no easy fix for this, but it’s possible the rebels took a similar approach to scientists designing constructions on our Moon – using alternative binding materials instead of cement, such as sulphur, which could be mined from lunar rocks.

Tattooine is the desert planet on which Luke Skywalker grew up. (20th Century Fox)

Back on Earth

While the battle for the fate of the galaxy concludes in the cinema, the battle for the future of humanity continues here on Earth. Cement is the largest manufactured product on Earth by mass, and generates about 8% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all of aviation. Concrete is the second most-used substance on Earth – only water is used more. The world as we know it would not exist without concrete.

But the concrete saga is by no means over. At the UK’s National Centre for Infrastructure Materials, our research is helping to tackle two of the biggest challenges – reducing the environmental footprint of producing concrete and making the sure that the lifetime of concrete infrastructure is as long and robust as possible. May The Force be with us …

About Today's Contributor:

Alastair Marsh, Research Fellow in Civil Engineering, University of Leeds

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

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• Star Wars: The Evolution Of The Death Star Reflects Hollywood's Growing Fears Of A Climate Apocalypse
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How A Canadian Superhero Brought Queer Representation To Marvel Comics

Northstar’s marriage was prominently displayed on the cover of ‘Astonishing X-Men #51.’ (Marvel)

 Marvel Comics is frequently referred to as “the house of ideas,” yet the idea of a queer superhero did not fully arrive at Marvel until the 1990s. Despite Marvel’s reputation as a campus phenomenon and as a hotbed for liberal — even subversive — discourse, Stan Lee’s comics publishing juggernaut would not feature a canonically gay character until some 30 years after the debut of The Fantastic Four. 

There’s a reason for that.

The 1954 Comics Code Authority — a censorship bureau that policed comics content — explicitly banned “sex perversion or any inference to same,” which comics scholar Hilary Chute notes is “a clear reference to homosexuality.” The Marvel Universe as we know it began in 1961, with the launch of Fantastic Four #1. Thus, Marvel Comics was, from the outset, actually prohibited from depicting gay characters.

So how do you a write a queer character at a time when comics are expressly forbidden from featuring queer characters?

In a word: delicately.

The slow coming out

It wasn’t until 1992 — three years after a major revision to the Comics Code officially opened the door to depictions of LGBTQ+ characters — that Marvel had their first openly gay superhero. In Alpha Flight #106 written by Scott Lobdel, the character Northstar (alias Olympic ski champion Jean-Paul Beaubier) declared: “I am gay.”

Even then this move was met with outrage by Marvel’s corporate leadership, Marvel Comics historian Sean Howe explained in his book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story.

Twenty years later, Northstar would also feature in Marvel’s first same-sex marriage, an event that was prominently depicted on the cover of Astonishing X-Men #51.

Astonishing X-Men #51. Written by Margaret Liu and illustrated by Dustin Weaver, published June 20, 2012. (Marvel)

A hotbed for queer subtext

Northstar had debuted way back in 1983 as part of the all-Canadian, government-sponsored superhero team, Alpha Flight. The team first appeared in the pages of X-Men, brought to life by Canadian artist and writer John Byrne and iconic X-Men writer Chris Claremont.

At the time, X-Men comics were already a hotbed for queer subtext. Comics scholar Ramzi Fawaz notes that Claremont’s X-Men “articulated mutation to the radical critiques of identity promulgated by the cultures of women’s and gay liberation.”

Another comics scholar, Scott Bukatman, puts it more simply and says: “mutant bodies are explicitly analogized to … gay bodies” in Claremont’s X-Men. It is no surprise then, that Marvel’s first gay superhero should emerge from this series.

Marvel’s first gay superhero emerged from the X-Men series. (Marvel)

Byrne described the impetus of Northstar’s sexuality:

“There needs to be gays in comics because there are gays in real life. No other reason …. The population of the fictional world should represent the real world. That’s why I created Northstar — I felt the Marvel Universe needed a gay superhero (even if I would never be allowed to say it in so many words in the comics themselves), and I felt that I should create one, rather than retrofitting an existing character.”

Validation through storytelling

Northstar’s sexuality first surfaces in Alpha Flight #7 (1983) when he meets up with “an old friend” named Raymonde who is strongly hinted to be a former lover. In the story, written by Byrne, Raymonde comments on Northstar’s good looks. He also references the secretive nature of his relationship with Jean-Paul: “Then you have not really told your sister all about me, after all, Jean-Paul? I thought that would have been odd.”

From Alpha Flight #7 (Marvel)

When Raymonde is later murdered, Northstar snaps with blind rage. The narrative caption tells us: “And Raymonde had led him out of that dark fear, into the bright clear light of self-acceptance.” 

In 1983, the narrative of a former lover being murdered and thus spurring the superhero to action and emotional eruption was already a comics cliché. But staging that through a same-sex couple establishes a sort of subtextual validation of Northstar’s relationship as something more than the Comics Code Authority “sex perversion” label.

Two years later, in the 1985 limited series X-Men and Alpha Flight, Northstar’s sexuality is once again woven into a key story, this time written by Claremont. After having his consciousness briefly absorbed by the X-Man Rogue, Northstar becomes furious that she now knows his “secrets.”

In a misguided attempt to help Northstar, Rogue then asks him to dance at a very public reception. When Northstar’s own teammates make fun of the incongruity of Northstar dancing at a ball with a woman, Rogue thinks “None of y’all understand him the way ah do.”

In the face of this ridicule, a stoic Jean-Paul takes Rogue up on the dance. She remarks “You don’t have to,” to which he replies, “Yes, Rogue. I do.”

From X-Men and Alpha Flight #1 (Marvel)

Northstar

On the literal level, Northstar is being ridiculed for his general disinterest in heterosexual romance. But Claremont is crafting a story of a man who struggles with his closeted sexuality in the face of social pressures.

It’s a sympathetic portrayal of the character that helps to normalize the concept of a gay superhero, even if Marvel couldn’t identify him that way at the time.

Whether through delicate subtext or comics covering wedding events, Northstar holds a uniquely prominent and, at times, poignant position in the history of LGBTQ+ superheroes.

As we come to understand the importance of diverse representation within the superhero genre, this is a character that needs to be known, discussed and hopefully appreciated.

About Today's Contributor:

J. Andrew Deman, Professor, University of Waterloo

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

London Letting Hotspots

London - Underground Sign (image via Pixabay)

London is a popular spot for residential and commercial tenants. Read on to discover about two of the best areas. 

History Combined With The Future Of Letting In Greenwich

Situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, Greenwich is in the unique position of being on a peninsula that brings it within easy travelling distance of the newly regenerated Docklands, Canary Wharf and the City of London. It is ideally situated for those looking for flats to let in London that want the space and greenery that is present in Greenwich and the proximity to the shopping and nightlife that are present north of the river. Much of the area owes its existence to its Maritime heritage, with the Naval College still very much at the centre of the Royal Borough. Housing that can be obtained through letting agents is a mix of old and new styles with everything from ex-council estate housing to new build apartments being up for let. There are opportunities for those looking for student accommodation and short term lets, as well as for those looking for a more permanent base in the city and those looking to find commercial properties to let. Prices vary depending on floor space and positioning within the borough, water front property lettings will be more expensive than letting a flat in a converted Victorian house. However, the latter property may have the more character and be part of a more established community, so much depends on what you prioritise during your property agents search.

The Benefits Of Beaufort Park

If you are familiar with the name of Beaufort Park, but can’t place it, you need to think back about seventy years to when the area was RAF station. Now fully regenerated the area keeps in touch with its roots with the inclusion of a RAF museum. Situated in Northwest London the area has been completely landscaped and contains all the modern amenities you could want alongside flats to let in London. With the tree lined boulevards and open spaces you could easily forget how close to the City you are. However, with everything from coffee houses, to nurseries, schools, banks and shops all situated nearby the newest of the developments in the area, there is little you need to go into the City for. The nearest tube station is Colindale and it connects to the centre of London via the Northern line. There is also easy access to the motorway for those looking to travel further afield. Many of the flats and apartments available through letting agents are at the higher end of the rent scale, but cheaper apartments and studios are available around the outskirts and neighbouring Mill Hill area. If considering a property in this area take into consideration the cost of living, as well as the cost of the property itself before signing any agreements.

"OOOM 100: The World's Most Inspiring People" 2019 Issue - Eight Women In The Top 10

OOOM Magazine’s new issue with the OOOM 100: The World's Most Inspiring People list (PRNewsfoto/OOOM Holding GmbH)

OOOM Magazine published today its fourth annual OOOM 100: The World's Most Inspiring People list, compiled by an international jury. The results are remarkable: No less than eight spots in this year's OOOM 100's top 10 are claimed by women.

Greta Thunberg was voted the most inspiring person of 2019, who "grew into a symbol and role model for an entire generation, a generation that takes to the streets by the millions to protest for better climate policies," says OOOM Editor-In-Chief Georg Kindel, chairman of the jury. "She dominated the year and showed all of us with her persistence that every person on this planet has the power to change the world."

In second place of the OOOM 100 ranking is Jane Fonda: "Fonda stands out as a passionate climate activist who is fearless and radical in her protests, to the point that she accepts weekly arrests. She is a woman that shows us all what courage means," says the OOOM 100 jury.

Third place goes to Michelle Obama, who, in the words of the jury, "is the president of hearts, the antithesis to Trump's White House. A strong woman and role model for all."

Number 4 in the ranking of the world's most inspiring people is Sanna Marin, Finland's new prime minister and the world's youngest head of government at only 34: "She proves that real change is possible." In fifth place is American soccer star Megan Rapinoe, the FIFA Women's Player of the Year, who also fights vocally against the discrimination of homosexuals and minorities.

In sixth place is Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives. According to Jury Chairman Kindel, "She is Donald Trump's worst nightmare, and America's political conscience. Pelosi is a woman with principles, something America now needs more than ever."

In the seventh spot is Pope Francis, the highest ranking man in this year's vote ("A great spiritual leader, a hope for many"), followed by Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand as number 8: "She represents a modern type of power woman."

The ninth spot in this year's ranking is claimed by Tesla and Space-X founder Elon Musk: "Musk is a visionary who lets humanity reach for the stars." 

Number 10 goes to the much-awarded actress and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge (e.g., Fleabag): "She changes the image of women with charm and self-irony."

• Click here to read the entire ranking in OOOM 100: The World's Most Inspiring People online 

SOURCE: OOOM Holding GmbH

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Suspense Drama About Musical Entertainment Industry, Concord Films' Award-Winning Movie, "Dream Killer" Now Released [Trailer Included]

"Dream Killer" - poster

With a current culture focused on rising talents within music and film industries, Concord Film's newly released "Dream Killer" offers a vicarious journey into the highs and lows of seeking stardom. 

The story centers around a teen singer, played by Taylor Castro, accused of murdering her producer, played by Miguel Fasa, and her supportive mother, played by Christy Carson Romano, tries to save her daughter from being convicted of a murder she did not commit.

"Dream Killer" is a suspenseful drama drawing the viewer into a tense journey about the emotional costs of stardom and the powerful force of family with award-winning cast including exceptional performances by Christy Carlson Romano ("Kim Possible"), Taylor Castro ("Girlfriend Killer"), Jacy King ("Glee"), Gail Soltys ("Talia in the Kitchen"), Carson Rowland ("I Am Frankie" and "Sweet Magnolias") & Miguel Fasa ("Boyfriend Killer").

"Dream Killer" is an entertaining, suspenseful story with exceptional talent, offering audiences an enjoyable musical experience while following a suspenseful storyline. Although fiction, there is an authenticity within the film as several actors are successful, performing and recording artists. Taylor Castro gives a memorable, on stage performance including original songs from "Pure", her recently released album including "Don't Know What to Say," "Ballad of When We Danced," and "Heart of Mine" for which she was recognized by Los Angeles Film Awards as Winner of Best Young Actress Award. Miguel Fasa delivered "I Feel So Alive" with atmospheric beats, winner of Best Supporting Actor for his leading role at the Los Angeles Actors Awards. The original songs of Michelle Martinez, "Not Broken" and "Never Again" songs performed in "Dream Killer."

"Dream Killer" received three nominations and twelve prestigious awards including Gail Soltys, "Best Supporting Actress," Carson Rowland, "Best Young Actor", and "Best Ensemble by Actors Awards LA." 

The film won "Best Narrative Feature", "Best Drama Feature", "Best Thriller Feature" under talented direction of Barbie Castro, by the Los Angeles Film Awards. Olympus Film Festival awarded Barbie Castro, "Best Producer", "Dream Killer" Best Feature Film, and "Best Original Score".

The Trailer:

SOURCE: Concord Films

MasterClass Announces Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to Teach Scientific Thinking and Communication [Trailer Included]

Neil deGrasse Tyson (image courtesy of MasterClass)

MasterClass, the platform that makes it possible for anyone to learn from the best, today announced that one of America's best-known scientist and astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, will teach scientific thinking and communication. In his MasterClass, Tyson will teach members how to think like a scientist, providing methods and tools that empower them to identify and look past their own biases and find their way to what is objectively true. 

"Neil is an outstanding scientific communicator," said David Rogier, co-founder and CEO of MasterClass. "As Neil mentions in his class, he's never allowed a look under-the-hood to the processes behind his methods of thinking and communicating. He provides so much insight for our members to use in their everyday lives."

Tyson is an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, host of the hit radio and Emmy-nominated TV show "StarTalk" and the New York Times best-selling author of "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" and "Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military." Tyson's professional research interests are broad, and include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the Milky Way structure. Tyson obtains his data from the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as from telescopes in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and in the Andes Mountains of Chile. Tyson is also the first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium.

"I can guarantee you that the most important moments of your life are decided not by what you know, but by how you think," said Tyson. "The goal here is to train your mind to question the world around you and to question what others say. If you are hungry to learn and care about what is actually true in the world, my MasterClass is for you."

Designed for anyone who wants to think critically and communicate more clearly and convincingly, Tyson's MasterClass will focus on strategies for thinking about and conveying scientific truths. Using a range of captivating examples, the class will give students a look inside Tyson's brilliant mind, offering tools that can be implemented when learning any number of scientific subjects. Tyson will touch on strategies for scientific thinking, including making predictions, identifying truths and biases, and approaching new information with healthy skepticism. In later lessons, he will focus on strategies for communication of objective truths, offering insights on giving presentations and sharing personal truths. From mastering a soundbite to framing their overall message, these strategies for communication will leave students feeling empowered to present their thoughts in day-to-day life.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (image courtesy of MasterClass)

• Tyson's MasterClass joins the 75+ classes taught by world-renowned instructors on culinary arts, photography, writing, performance, and much more. Each MasterClass has digestible video lessons sized to fit into any part of your day and cinematic visuals with close-up, hands-on demonstrations that make you feel one-on-one with the instructor. 

The Trailer:

• Now available exclusively at MasterClass.com, students can subscribe for unlimited access to all new and existing classes of 75+ instructors through the All-Access Pass. MasterClass categories include business, culinary arts, film & television, music & entertainment, photography, sports and more.

MasterClass's current roster of courses includes:

• Business: Howard Schultz (business leadership), Anna Wintour (creativity and leadership), Sara Blakely (self-made entrepreneurship), Bob Iger (strategy and leadership), Chris Voss (art of negotiation)
• Culinary Arts: Gordon Ramsay (cooking), Alice Waters (home cooking), Thomas Keller (cooking techniques), Wolfgang Puck (cooking), Dominique Ansel (French pastry), James Suckling (wine appreciation), Aaron Franklin (Texas BBQ), Massimo Bottura (Italian cooking)
• Film and Television: Werner Herzog (filmmaking), Martin Scorsese (filmmaking), Ron Howard (directing), Spike Lee (filmmaking), Mira Nair (independent filmmaking), Jodie Foster (filmmaking), Ken Burns (documentary filmmaking), Helen Mirren (acting), Samuel L. Jackson (acting), Judd Apatow (comedy), Aaron Sorkin (screenwriting), Shonda Rhimes (writing for television), Natalie Portman (acting), David Lynch (creativity and filmmaking)
• Lifestyle: Bobbi Brown (makeup and beauty)
• Music and Entertainment: Steve Martin (comedy), Christina Aguilera (singing), Usher (performance), Reba McEntire (country music), Herbie Hancock (jazz), Deadmau5 (music production), Armin van Buuren (dance music), Hans Zimmer (film scoring), Tom Morello (electric guitar), Carlos Santana (art and soul of guitar), Timbaland (producing and beatmaking), Penn & Teller (magic), Itzhak Perlman (violin), Danny Elfman (music for film)
• Writing: James Patterson (writing), David Mamet (dramatic writing), Judy Blume (writing), Malcolm Gladwell (writing), R.L. Stine (writing for young audiences), Margaret Atwood (creative writing), Dan Brown (writing thrillers), Neil Gaiman (storytelling), Billy Collins (poetry), David Baldacci (writing thrillers), Joyce Carol Oates (short story writing), David Sedaris (humor and personal essays)
• Photography: Annie Leibovitz (photography), Jimmy Chin (adventure photography)
• Design and Fashion: Frank Gehry (architecture), Diane von Furstenberg (how to build a fashion brand), Marc Jacobs (fashion design)
• Sports and Games: Serena Williams (tennis), Stephen Curry (shooting, ball-handling, and scoring), Garry Kasparov (chess), Daniel Negreanu (poker), Phil Ivey (poker strategy), Simone Biles (gymnastics), Misty Copeland (ballet)
• Politics and Society: Jane Goodall (conservation), Bob Woodward (investigative journalism), Karl Rove and David Axelrod (political campaign strategy), Paul Krugman (economics and society), Doris Kearns Goodwin (U.S. presidential history and leadership)
• Science and Technology: Chris Hadfield (space exploration), Will Wright (game design), Neil deGrasse Tyson (scientific thinking and communication)

SOURCE: MasterClass

Reuters Partners With Facebook Journalism Project To Help Newsrooms Around The World Spot Deepfakes And Manipulated Media

Reuters Partners With Facebook Journalism Project To Help Newsrooms Around The World Spot Deepfakes And Manipulated Media (image via LoupDargent.info)

Reuters, the world's largest multimedia news provider, announced today the launch of an e-learning course to help newsrooms around the world spot deepfakes and manipulated media, produced in partnership with the Facebook Journalism Project. 

'Identifying and Tackling Manipulated Media' aims to help newsrooms fully equip themselves to identify and reject manipulated video, pictures and audio to help fight the spread of misinformation.

The 'Identifying and Tackling Manipulated Media' course encompasses real world examples, hypothetical cases and insights into the evolving technology used to create and detect manipulated media. The course aims to combat these risks by teaching journalists about the various types of altered media including the growing threat of the 'deepfake' and the ways in which newsrooms can be better equipped to handle this type of misinformation in order to move forward with confidence to verify and publish genuine content from third-party sources. 

The spread of inaccurate and misleading information is a significant and growing global problem. It is a major challenge for journalists and a source of alarm for governments, institutions and individuals all over the world, as it has had an increasing impact on elections. Some of the most powerful and effective forms of misinformation are video and images, as they are highly shared on social media and can be understood by all. Staged events, recycled video, deceptive editing, tampering and the recent rise of AI-driven 'deepfakes' videos all pose a fundamental threat to an informed democracy.

This type of misinformation has become a major challenge for journalists who strive to determine facts surrounding complex and often emotionally-charged topics. Reuters has been at the forefront of addressing this growing threat, with a specialist team of editors dedicated to authentication of user generated content. The team frequently encounters media that has been taken out of context, mislabeled, edited, staged or manipulated with CGI, and has been leading the charge in raising awareness and educating journalists around the world.

Audiences, too, are aware of the growing risk: a recent Reuters Institute study found more than half (55%) of people around the world are concerned about their ability to separate what is real and fake on the internet. News organizations can play an important role in allaying their audiences' concerns by being able to identify manipulated or misleading media themselves.

"Organizations around the world are increasingly alarmed by the spread and impact of misinformation on society. It's become a major challenge for media organizations as they're bombarded with user-generated and other third-party content," said Jess April, Director Strategic Partnerships & Program Management, Reuters. "It's a threat we at Reuters encounter every day, and this new course puts that expertise into practice to educate journalists and newsroom about identifying manipulated media to help stop the spread of misinformation. Providing trusted news and intelligence to the world is at the heart of what we do and sharing our knowledge of this growing threat is critical to that mission."

"We need to work across industries to better identify and address manipulated media. Partnering with Reuters to launch this free e-learning course is an important step to help journalists spot this type of content so we can stop the spread of misinformation online," said Julia Bain, Facebook Integrity Partnerships.

• The 'Identifying and Tackling Manipulated Media' course is now available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, with more languages to launch in 2020. Click here to access it.

SOURCE: Reuters

Half of Americans Say Donald Trump Deserves Coal in His Stocking

Half of Americans Say Donald Trump Deserves Coal in His Stocking (image via LoupDargent.info)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and as carols are sung and eggnog is sipped, it's time to start thinking about what presents one might find under the tree. But some politicians should be nervous that they may find coal in their stocking instead. 

Half of Americans (49%) say President Donald Trump deserves coal in his stocking at Christmas and this includes almost one-quarter (22%) of Republicans, seven in ten (71%) Democrats and over half (54%) of Independents. This is from an online survey conducted by Regina Corso Consulting among 2,049 U.S. adults, 18 and older between December 10 and 12, 2019.

The leaders of Congress fare a little better. Over one-third of Americans (35%) say Speaker Nancy Pelosi deserves coal in her stocking and this includes almost two-thirds of Republicans (63%), over one in ten Democrats (13%) and over one-third of Independents (36%). 

Three in ten U.S. adults (29%) say Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell deserves coal including one-quarter of Republicans (24%) and one-third of Democrats (32%) and Independents (33%).

Looking at four of the top contenders for the Democratic nomination, three in ten Americans say former VP Joe Biden (31%) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (30%) deserve coal, almost three in ten (28%) say Senator Bernie Sanders does and one in five (21%) say Mayor Pete Buttigieg deserves coal. Just around one in ten Democrats say each of these deserves coal and one-third of Independents say VP Biden (33%) and Sen. Warren (33%) do while around one-quarter of Independents say Sen. Sanders (27%) and Mayor Pete (23%) deserve coal. Over one in ten Americans (15%) say none of these seven politicians deserves coal.

This goes hand in hand with the fact that four in five Americans (81%) say that politicians seem to have forgotten what the holiday season is all about. And, politics is causing change – almost one-quarter of Americans have taken people off their holiday giving lists because of their political views (23%) and have stopped sending holiday card to people because of their political views (22%).

SOURCE: Regina Corso Consulting

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What Boris Johnson's Government Needs To Do To Show It Is Serious On Climate Change

How green will Boris Johnson really be? (Vickie Flores/EPA)

Climate change had a higher profile in the UK election campaign than ever before, with parties competing hard over their offer to concerned voters. But this was a debate that the Conservatives – who won a landslide majority – largely stood back from. Their manifesto was light on detail compared to the other parties, and Boris Johnson chose not to take part in the first ever UK televised leaders’ debate on climate.

Conservative candidates were conspicuous by their absence in local climate hustings, too. Neither was climate mentioned in their legislative plan for the first hundred days.

The Conservative government did legislate for a net zero carbon emissions target back in June, following the advice of the Committee on Climate Change. And there was an explicit manifesto pledge to deliver on this target, with no signs of backtracking. In his speech to the party faithful on the morning of his election, Johnson declared his ambition to “make this country the cleanest, greenest on Earth, with the most far-reaching environmental programme”, adding:

And you the people of this country voted to be carbon-neutral in this election - you voted to be carbon-neutral by 2050. And we’ll do it.

But targets don’t reduce carbon. Policies do. And despite its much-admired Climate Change Act, the UK’s policy record lately has not been good. The Committee on Climate Change have repeatedly warned that the UK is off track to meet future commitments, a verdict shared by the independent Climate Action Tracker project, which assesses each country’s performance against the Paris Agreement. It rated the UK as “insufficient”, with policies compatible with a 3°C world – not the 1.5°C level that we desperately need.

If the new government is serious about its commitment, it will have to signal this soon, and with confidence. Steps that it could and should take straight away include:

• instigating a swift review of governance for net-zero, giving responsibility and resources to other government departments, and, crucially, to local areas, to deliver on carbon strategy
• prioritising climate and environmental protection in negotiations for a trading relationship with the European Union
• moving quickly to consult on a phase-out date for petrol and diesel vehicles, as promised in its manifesto
• removing the de facto ban on onshore wind energy, which the Committee on Climate Change advised needs to increase in capacity by 1GW a year
• confirming its opposition to fracking, and making its moratorium permanent
• pledging to formally consider the results of the national citizens’ assembly on climate change, Climate Assembly UK, due to report in 2020.

More fundamentally, the Conservatives need to develop a much clearer climate strategy. Despite a commitment to the emissions target, they do not yet have a confident story to tell about the way they will achieve it, and how that fits with their party’s philosophy and values. Back in July, 41 Conservative MPs proposed just such a story, arguing that “tackling the existential threat of environmental breakdown offers our divided country a new national project … this unifying mission can bring economic regeneration and natural restoration to all parts of the country”. But this debate has not yet managed to break through the hurly burly of Brexit.

The new government will need to be quick, and decisive. The upsurge in public concern on climate, and calls for radical action, show no signs of abating. The Green Party nearly doubled its share of the vote, though they still only have one MP to show for it.

After refusing to attend the country’s first ever televised climate debate, an ice sculpture was put in Boris Johnson’s place. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA)

Having spent the past couple of years making a general call to climate action, protesters are now likely to take aim at specific policies and projects, such as airport expansion and the new coal mines proposed in Cumbria and Northumberland, as well as the money that the UK continues to invest in fossil fuels, at home and abroad. They will be buoyed by their success in rendering toxic the sponsorship of the arts by fossil interests, and will focus relentlessly on removing the fossil fuel majors’ social license to operate.

And it’s not just protesters who could be thorns in the side of the new government. A sizeable green business lobby, including coalitions such as The Aldersgate Group and We Mean Business, will be calling for ambitious policy which supports the many businesses who want to be part of the transition to net zero. Though the Conservative manifesto promised funds for green technologies, the amounts are tiny compared to support for high-carbon infrastructure including roads, airports and oil and gas extraction, and these contradictions will provide constant tension.

Next year will show whether the Conservatives’ enthusiasm for carbon targets translates into an enthusiasm for climate policies. In late 2020, all eyes will be on the UK, as it hosts COP26, the most important international climate summit since Paris in 2015, in Glasgow. The government will want to tell world leaders a good story on domestic action. It still has time to write one.

About Today's Contributor:

Rebecca Willis, Research Fellow, Exeter University; Professor in Practice, Lancaster University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

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