#the line saudi arabia documentary

[business77]

How to Reimagine Universities for the AI Era

I've been a faculty member at several different universities since 2009 and have lectured far longer than that. I care about these institutions. They're part of the American heritage, and in many cases, they're a gift to the world. But we live in fast-changing times, and universities do not change fast. I'm worried about our colleges. How do we reimagine universities in the Era of AI?

I have some ideas about this, and if you're currently associated with a college, you will hate them.

To begin with, my thesis is that in the AI Era, universities will fail (and are already failing) to prepare students for many careers. Change isn't just knocking; it's kicking down the door, raiding your fridge, and redecorating your living room. There has to be a radical reimagining of the university education that matches the radical disruption of our times.

First, let's get a few things off the table. If a student attends college for the social aspects or to spend a few years maturing, today's university system is fine. If a student attends for a purely academic pursuit without any thought of employment, they will thrive in the system we have today.

But I assume most students attend college to launch a career. And that's where the problems begin.

I'll break down the problems one by one before offering some solutions.

Organization

I've talked to many leading authorities in the tech space — people right in the middle of AI development in Silicon Valley. And I've asked them, "How would you prepare young people for a career with the amount of disruption occurring?" Without exception, the answer is, "I don't know."

This presents an existential problem because universities are generally organized by career choice: engineering, teaching, art, journalism, etc. But if nobody knows what future careers look like, how can you organize based on jobs that won't exist as they do today? Except forestry. That might be safe for awhile. But you get my point. Many job categories are rapidly evolving and fluid right now (especially marketing).

The future of education isn't about preparing for a specific job. It's about preparing for anything and everything. It's about teaching students to surf the waves of change rather than trying to build sandcastles on a beach that's shifting before our eyes.

Speed

A university professor friend of mine recently lamented that it has taken two years to get a new class approved. The glacial pace of change at universities is legendary and … stupid. The bureaucratic lunacy of universities is so well-known that I don't have to explain further why this culture is a death sentence in an AI world.

Economics

Universities are proud of their park-like campuses and ancient limestone buildings bolted to the center of the earth. While taking selfies in front of Old Main might enchant the alumni, the fact is, you can get a superior education today without that legacy overhead.

If you had to bet on disruptive innovation coming from somebody in a co-working space versus a person who has to spend part of their time fundraising for the Psychology Building renovation … well, it's not even a race.

The economics for students is even worse. The average four-year education in the U.S. is $160,000 (tuition only). Why does every major need to be completed in four years? Well, somebody has to pay for those limestone buildings. If you step back and look at it, it's a ridiculous model. No matter the major or career aspiration, it's four years. Huh?

Any new vision for universities must include significant cost and time reductions enabled by technology.

Faculty

The purpose of the university faculty has been to dispense information. However, universities are no longer the gatekeepers of information. When information is free and abundant, colleges have to reinvent themselves in the context of a new job to be done — eternal relevance. This is a radical idea, but in my estimation, it is the key to the future of colleges.

And the tenure system … don't get me started. Let's just say there is almost no incentive for tenured faculty to change and stay current. The stories of lazy, irrelevant faculty I could tell you are shocking, but I won't embarrass anyone.

At this point, I think all of my university friends could use a photo of a puppy.

[chussyracing]

what has been happening in the world of motorsports?

to start with the most concerning and serious point: there has been a complaint to the FIA Compliance Officer and Ethics Committee when Ben Sulayem came out to say they won't be stepping into the allegations of Horner's workplace misconduct because they didn't receive any official complaints, another one came in a few days after (with a warning that media will get the information next) and apparently the victim handed in her own official complaint (as a reminder this comes after reports of Sulayem being investigated for trying to influence the race result and a circuit confirmation last year and allegedly also asking Max Verstappen to publicly support Horner)

Ben Sulayem has also been cleared off the allegations (both over the Saudi Arabia 2023 results overrule and Las Vegas GP intervence)

Guanyu will have his own short documentary called The First One (probably about being the first Chinese driver on the F1 grid)

Alex posted his own merch line, debuting on his app first

Williams will run Alex, Logan and Lia Block (and even James Vowles) at Goodwill - first time in an F1 car for both Lia and James

Pierre made a new investment decision, he now has shares in French football team FC Versailles (in a similar move that the US investors made for Alpine)

there are rumours of Aramco trying to take over Aston Martin and get both Max and Adrian Newey in the team (the source is Formulauno tho)

F1 won't switch to 16 inches tyres like was originally planned for 2026 regulations (they will keep using 18 inches ones but their shape and sizing will be a bit different)

Monaco this year will feature a special floating platform

Este was at some sort of F1 podcast and he mentioned that he raced in F3 against Max and won the title, but it was Max who got a seat in F1 despite finishing p3 (and apparently that made a lot of Max fans angry)

Mercedes are still battling the lack of correspondence between sim and track data, the rumours say they might try some experiments in Australia and potentially push back some scheduled upgrades until they collect more data

GB4 will fund an F1 Academy seat for the highest placed female driver in the series

Guenther Steiner became an F1 columnist (among other things he mentioned he would hire Ollie Bearman and that he should have left Haas much sooner)

Barcelona's circuit invested 50m euros to try to keep them on the race calendar beyond 2026 when Madrid joins

there are rumours that if Max really goes to Mercedes, Toto Wolff has a deal with James Vowles to take Kimi Antonelli in the team

Riccardo Adami said he is ready to be Lewis' race engineer in Ferrari in 2025 (which is not really a piece of news but a lot of people expected Bono to follow Lewis - which despite the anti-poaching clause - can still happen at some point)

Carlos will meet FIA doctors and complete cockpit escaping test on Thursday to see if he is fit to drive in Australia after his surgery, but Ferrari claimed he is ready to race

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber will be called Kick Sauber this week due to Australian policy

Felipe Drugovich signed with LMP2 team but will also keep the Aston Martin reserve driver role

Simone Resta will join Mercedes after being let go off from Haas where he was on loan from Ferrari

Enrico Sampo will also join them as a Head of Performance Software Applications, and it is understood they hope he could help with correlation issues between sim data and on track data (although he will only start in the new position in 2025)

Nikita Mazepin appealed against the sanctions from European Union (because of ties to Russian government), the Court of Justice lifted the sanctions

Lewis posted about Palestine and rightfully calls for immediate and permanent ceasefire

Williams partnered with Sungood as official eyewear partner (after they already have a sponsorship deal with McLaren)

from fan's point of view:

Charles went surfing in Melbourne, and then he went karting

Lewis changed his Instagram icon

it was Mike Krack's birthday yesterday, sorry I missed it king!

(also a fun fact: it was also Prince Albert II.'s 66th birthday a few days ago)

Ollie was asked about Le Mans and said he would take Lewis and Charles and if they don't win, it is his own fault

Oscar was a face of last Esquire issue

apparently there are rumours of George being engaged (how do people come up with stuff like this. no idea.)

Daniel showed a special helmet design for his gp

there is apparently a whole google doc with updated drivers locations??? get help

Alex and Oscar have been the latest hosts on Beyond The Grid episodes

racing results:

Formula E was back on this past weekend with Sam Bird winning for the first time in FE, Mitch Evans in p2 (after getting overtaken on last lap), and Oliver Rowland in p3

[darkmaga-returns]

For all the hype, Saudi Arabia is on verge of the most colossal building project flop in history. They have already scaled the project from 100 miles down to 1.5 miles. They are building the city with contract workers imported from from African nations, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and India and who are routinely abused. Over eight years, 21,000 workers have died. ⁃ Patrick Wood, TN Editor.

A brave female reporter has gone undercover to reveal the dangerous and deadly working conditions inside Saudi Arabia.

More than 21,000 workers have died in just eight years since Mohammed bin Salman launched his Saudi Vision 2030 project, according to shocking new statistics.

Staff have complained of feeling like “trapped slaves” and “beggars” in the country.

Serious allegations of missed payments, working illegal hours and a number of clear human rights violations have all been made.

Terrified workers and the heartbroken family members of workers who have died since moving to Saudi have revealed the horrors they’ve faced in recent years in ITV’s latest expose.

Dubbed “Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia” the documentary speaks on the deadly issues experienced firsthand for many.

It goes inside the illegal practices and terrible violations many say are being committed each day under the guise of constructing some of the world’s priciest building projects.

The divisive ruler of the Kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been at the forefront of trying to develop the oil state into a global tourism hub.

He has splashed trillions to create his Saudi Vision 2030 project which features complexes sch as the flagship NEOM which includes fantasy ideas such as The Line.

Despite the luxury plans for the ambitious builds human rights groups have expressed many concerns over the massive construction plans.

With fears that migrant labour will be exploited and many locals would be displaced.

Saudi Arabia has also been hit with serious allegations claiming a significant number of migrants working in construction have disappeared.

Emerging reports allege that as many as 100,000 migrant workers have gone missing during the construction of NEOM.

New figures from ITV have also revealed that 21,000 foreign workers from India, Bangladesh and Nepal have all died since Vision 2030 was launched.

Nepal’s Foreign Employment Board suggests that over 650 Nepalese worker’s deaths are still unexplained.

In the documentary an undercover journalist named Noura speaks with workers from The Line about the toll its taken on people.

The futuristic 100-mile car-free city with a million residents is currently under construction deep in the Saudi desert.

One worker revealed in the documentary that he is often made to work 16-hour days helping to build a high-speed train tunnel for The Line.

Over just one seven-day week the worker says he can do upwards of 84 hours.

Saudi law strictly states that no one should do more than 60 hours a week.

The worker revealed: “We’re made to work extremely hard. There is little time to rest.

“We get tired. We suffer from anxiety day and night. Saudi doesn’t care much for citizens from other countries.

“We are treated like beggars.”

[orangerosebush]

From the link: "A new documentary, Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia, has revealed the total amount of worker deaths related to Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Vision 2030, a multitrillion dollar program which includes NEOM and the Line.

According to the exposé by ITV, more than 21,000 Indian, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese workers have died in Saudi Arabia since 2017 working on various aspects of Saudi Vision 2030. And according to The Hindustan Times, reports show that more than 100,000 people have “disappeared” during NEOM’s construction.

Workers also say that, under current working conditions, they are “trapped slaves” and “beggars.” There’s also been reports of wage theft, illegal working hours, and human rights abuses. More than 20,000 Indigenous people were also forcefully removed from the region to make way for NEOM.

One of those Australian executives, Wayne Borg, was accused of making several racist comments about laborers. After three workers died from a falling pipe, a wall collapse, and the mishandling of explosives, Borg said over obtained audio: “A whole bunch of people die so we’ve got to have a meeting on a Sunday night.”

Borg also said South Asian laborers working on NEOM were “fucking morons” so “that is why white people are at the top of the pecking order.” He also said Gulf women were “tranvestites.”

Later, in May, AN reported that plans from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration were revealed that showed a speculative train line connecting NEOM and a new city built atop Gaza, Palestine.

Some architecture offices like Mecanoo, Morphosis, Coop Himmelb(l)au, and Adjaye Associates have resigned from NEOM after human rights abuses came to light, but most have not.

According to reporting from Dezeen and The Architects’ Journal last summer, BIG, Zaha Hadid Architects, and OMA are still on the project. And so is UNStudio, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Gensler, Mark Foster Gage, HOK, Studio Fuksas, Oyler Wu Collaborative, Tom Wiscombe Architecture, and others."

21,000 labourers confirmed dead. Over 100,000 missing or unaccounted for/trafficked in building this thing.

[moko1590m]

2024年11月01日 12時00分 サウジアラビアに巨大な鏡張り空間を作る計画などで2万人以上が死亡していたことが明らかに サウジアラビアのムハンマド・ビン・サルマン皇太子が進めるインフラ強化計画「サウジ・ビジョン2030」をめぐり、携わった労働者のうち2万1000人が死亡していることや、労働者が1日16時間も働かされているなどいくつかの情報が暴露されました。 21,000 laborers killed working on Saudi Vision 2030, documentary shows https://www.archpaper.com/2024/10/documentary-reveals-21000-workers-killed-saudi-vision-2030-neom/ 21,000 workers dead in 8 years of Mohammed bin Salman's ‘Saudi vision 2030’: Report | World News - Hindustan Times https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/21000-workers-dead-in-8-years-of-mohammed-bin-salmans-saudi-vision-2030-report-101730127065962.html Saudi Arabia: Neom workers speak of '16-hour work days' in ITV undercover film | Middle East Eye https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/neom-line-workers-long-hours-accidents-anxiety サルマン皇太子はインフラや経済の強化を図るサウジ・ビジョン2030に数百兆円規模のお金を費やしていて、スマートシティ建設計画「NEOM」や、NEOMの一環として建設される巨大都市「THE LINE」の構築などを推し進めています。 全長170km・高さ500mの鏡張り巨大空間に900万人を詰め込む未来都市計画「THE LINE」をサウジアラビア皇太子が発表 - GIGAZINE イギリスのテレビ局ITVによると、サルマン皇太子の一連の計画に関連し、労働環境が過酷であることや、多くの労働者が死亡または失踪していることなどがわかったといいます。 ITVによると、2017年以降にサウジ・ビジョン2030に携わった労働者の死亡者数は2万1000人以上でした。死亡者の中にはインド人やバングラデシュ人、ネパール人が含まれており、鉄パイプの落下や壁の崩壊、爆薬の誤操作などで亡くなったとのことですが、ネパールの外国人雇用委員会は「650人以上のネパール人労働者の死因は依然として原因不明である」と報告しています。また、10万人以上の労働者が失踪しました。 さらに、労働環境も過酷であることが指摘されています。現場に潜入した記者にとある労働者が語ったところによると、サウジアラビアの法律では1週間当たりの労働時間は最大60時間と定められているにもかかわらず、「THE LINE」のトンネルで1日16時間働かされていて、1週間の労働時間は84時間以上に達しているとのこと。���時間の勤務に加え、自宅から現場への移動に片道3時間のバスに乗らなければならず、通勤時間は労働時間に含まれないため給料も出ないそうです。この労働者は「睡眠時間は約4時間になる」と語ったといいます。 このほか、一部で給料未払いの状態が10カ月も続いていることや、幹部級職員が「南アジアの労働者はクソ馬鹿で、だからこそ白人が序列のトップにいる」「湾岸諸国の女性は男装で興奮する性的倒錯者(トランスヴェスタイト)である」など差別発言を繰り返していたことなども伝えられています。 また、建設地域に何世紀も住んでいた2万人以上の先住民族を強制的に立ち退かせたという指摘もあります。元諜報員が語ったところによると、サウジアラビアの治安当局者は2020年初め、立ち退きに抵抗した住民を殺害するよう命じられたとのことで、後にイギリスの人権団体は「部族の少なくとも47人が退去を拒否したとして逮捕または拘留され、そのうち5人が死刑判決を受けた」との調査結果を報告しています。 なお、サウジ・ビジョン2030は着々と進行しており、直近ではNEOMの一環として設計された高級リゾート「シンダラ」が招待者限定で段階的にオープンしています。ここにはプールやゴルフコースなどが設置され、厳選された裕福なゲストに新時代の観光体験を提供しているとのことです。 ◆フォーラム開設中 本記事に関連するフォーラムをGIGAZINE公式Discordサーバーに設置しました。誰でも自由に書き込めるので、どしどしコメントしてください！Discordアカウントを持っていない場合は、アカウント作成手順解説記事を参考にアカウントを作成してみてください！ • Discord | "サウジアラビアの巨大鏡張り都市計画「THE LINE」は計画通りに完成すると思う？" | GIGAZINE(ギガジン) https://discord.com/channels/1037961069903216680/1301836148469006386 この記事のタイトルとURLをコピーする ・関連記事 サウジアラビアに建造中のメガシティ「THE LINE」をドローンで空撮 - GIGAZINE 国際オリンピック委員会が初の「オリンピックeスポーツゲーム」を2025年にサウジアラビアで開催すると発表、今後12年間定期的に開催されるeスポーツのオリンピック - GIGAZINE 「国への反対意見をSNSに投稿した」「民族衣装を身に付けなかった」として���ウジアラビアの女性活動家がテロ容疑で11年の有罪判決を受ける - GIGAZINE サウジアラビアの石油マネーが「eスポーツ」を狙う理由とそのリスクとは？ - GIGAZINE ・関連コンテンツ 全長170km・高さ500mの鏡張り巨大空間に900万人を詰め込む未来都市計画「THE LINE」をサウジアラビア皇太子が発表 東南アジアでは数十万人がオンライン詐欺師として人身売買されている 世界一の高さ1000メートル超えの「Kingdom Tower」建造へ 仕事を失った男性が鉄仮面を着けて抗議 iPhone製造工場従業員寮の「150人以上が食中毒で入院」「1部屋に30人が詰め込まれる」など劣悪な環境が報告される 5000年前の共同墓地から「社会階層のないコミュニティ」が存在した痕跡が見つかる 「自宅にトイレがない」という理由で逮捕されました サウジアラビアに建造中のメガシティ「THE LINE」をドローンで空撮 > 欧州委員会が中国通販サービスのTemuを「違法製品の販売や中毒性のあるサービス設計」などの疑いで正式な調査を開始 2024年11月01日 12時00分00秒 in 無料メンバー, Posted by log1p_kr You can read the machine translated English article here.

サウジアラビアに巨大な鏡張り空間を作る計画などで2万人以上が死亡していたことが明らかに - GIGAZINE

[paulrennie]

My Kind of Genius • Lord Norman Foster • Renault Swindon • 1982

The recent issue of the Renault Owners' Club magazine had a slightly off-piste article about the Renault parts distribution centre, located in Swindon and built in 1982. It was designed by Norman Foster, and is an important step in the development of high-tech architecture during that time.

The article made me think again about what Foster was trying to do then, and what he has achieved since.

It's absolutely no co-incidence that Foster's building is located in Swindon. The town is positioned about half-way between London and Bristol, in the corridor described by IK Brunel's, Great Western Railway. Brunel had conceptualised his railway as both an engineering and business development, and as an expression of the accelerated feeling of technological development . Brunel projected a seamless continuation of this axis towards New York, by steamship, and thence across the US... Although Brunel's larger idea remained mostly unrealised, it provided a start from which the later development of Heathrow airport, the M4 corridor, freight distribution and out-of-town industrial zones were all aligned. Today, the TFLs Elizabeth Line, and the Acton Corridor, with the Old Oak Common campus development are each parts of what has become Brunel's Great Southern City, from Felixstowe to Bristol...and with Swindon at its centre.

In the 1960s, Cedric Price reconceptualised the linear city as the think-belt, and with inter-action centres at its nodes along the network's spine. Will Alsop later proposed a northern version of this that became the loose template for the Northern Powerhouse.

The architecture of infinite extension imagined by Brunel was expressed, in Victorian times, by the iron and glass structures of Joseph Paxton and the Crystal Palace. It was this kit-of-parts that inspired Foster and his high-tech colleagues to use 20C computing and materials to do more with less and to build lighter, bigger, higher and longer.

When you look closely at Foster's Renault building it is a canopy that can be extended, through the kit-of-parts, addition of modules. Each module comprises a steel frame held in tension and with a light skin roof, and with a skylight panel in the centre. The standard module is 24m sq. The Swindon structure comprises some 40 odd modules over an irregular 20 000 m2 of warehouse space. The volume of space beneath the canopy is vast and may be configured in whatever way is required. The expression of thinking through materials is even extended to the colour of the structure, which is painted the famous Renault yellow.

The lightweight PVC roof covering allows for a relative lightness of internal support structure, and of the exterior facing walls which are not load bearing.

Once I started thinking of canopies, I realised that they form a very significant part of Norman Foster's career, including the many enclosures of courtyard spaces that followed that of the British Museum. I also started thinking about tents and self-supporting geodesic structures...it's all beautifully connected; from Paxton to Buckminster Fuller and Prouvé.

The engineering and sculptural calculus required for these new scales of structure were pioneered by Arups, especially by Peter Rice and Ted Happold. The Foster association with the greatest engineering minds has been a constant throughout.

My own interest in Renault comes from my appreciation of the R4 as an expression of low-tech simplicity, economy and practicality in mass-market car design. The car is an exemplar of how a design brief can be taken to its logical end-point, and without compromise. Those same characteristics apply to Foster's Renault building and across his long and very distinguished career.

The BBC iplayer has a number of historic architectural documentaries listed, as parts of the Building Sights series.

Brunel's linear city concept is being proposed in its updated 21C iteration across Saudi Arabia. It's called The Line...

And you can see pictures of our R4 and van, here

[eraofai]

NEOM: The AI Megacity (Humanity is Doomed) | Era Of AI

NEOM: The AI Megacity (Humanity is Doomed) | Era Of AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a42uMN9n6UU Embark on a journey through NEOM, the futuristic city of Saudi Arabia, and unravel the ethical dilemmas it presents. Is it a utopia or dystopia in the making? What are its potential impacts on human rights, the environment, and the economy? Explore these pressing questions and more as we uncover if NEOM is a paradise or an emerging prison. There are concerns about where the data being used to source the AI comes from and how biased it will be given the inequality and reliance on Islamic law. There are also concerns about a lack of privacy due to constant monitoring. Essentially similar to China's surveillance state except much easier to execute because everyone will be confined to a housing structure called The Line. Video Title: NEOM: The AI Megacity (Humanity is Doomed) This video is about the Ethical Dilemmas Of NEOM. But It also covers the following topics: Future City Of Saudi Arabia What Is NEOM Why NEOM Is Controversial 🔔Subscribe now and unveil AI's Secrets: Mind-blowing documentaries, AI basics, and the dark side of the Era Of AI: https://www.youtube.com/@eraofai ✅ Stay Connected With Us. 👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eraofai_/ 👉Twitter: https://twitter.com/EraOfAI_ ✅ For Business Inquiries: the.official.ai.era@gmail.com ============================= ✅ Recommended Playlists 👉Misuse Of AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4u6dT8rEmI&list=PLBt-e9ZQij0JyUQMrdYv-zcrFJIpwv0WP 👉The dangers of Al https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umUWm6wEQFQ&list=PLBt-e9ZQij0K9h-yzQ4QWqHquL7udUqR- ✅ Other Videos You Might Be Interested In Watching: 👉OpenAI Being Sued By Australian Government [The End Of AI] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1cY2XFGLlw 👉AI's Conspiracy To End Humanity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVojA-XNY3U 👉How AIs Internet Breach Will Enslave Humanity | Dark Side of Artificial Intelligence @eraofai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaqtkTS6OVM 👉 AI Just Stole Your Voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umUWm6wEQFQ ============================= ✅ About the Era Of AI Welcome to the Era Of AI, where the future unfolds before your eyes! Discover the fascinating world of artificial intelligence as we delve into its basics, unveil eye-opening documentaries, and explore the intriguing realms of AI's darker side. Join us on a journey where we unravel powerful AI tools such as ChatGPT, Lambda, Midjourney, and Elevenlabs. Stay at the forefront of AI advancements and witness how this technology reshapes humanity. For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: the.official.ai.era@gmail.com 🔔Era Of AI: Unravel the mysteries of AI tools and their impact on humanity. Subscribe today: https://www.youtube.com/@eraofai. ================================= #NEOM #ethicaldilemmas #futuresaudi #NEOMcontroversy #humanrightsNEOM #environmentalimpact Disclaimer: We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of watching any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research. Copyright Notice: This video and my YouTube channel contain dialog, music, and images that are the property of the Era Of AI. You are authorized to share the video link and channel and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to my Youtube Channel is provided. © Era Of AI via Era Of AI https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWH2xwUJEti2ujI60DEEMDw May 19, 2023 at 11:09PM

[brexiiton]

Sundance's Powerful Blacklisted Film Bound for Australia

ABHI PARASHER, APRIL 29 2023

Meg Smaker's striking documentary, Jihad Rehab, obtained a degree of festival success that is permitted to perhaps one or two high-calibre films a year.

The film premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and had a future on the esteemed line-ups of the Toronto International Film Festival and South by Southwest. For all intents and purposes, Jihad Rehab was on track for a golden festival run.

"As soon as Sundance announced the film, the attacks on the film started," Smaker recalls. "It all started with this group of six filmmakers who had made assumptions about the film without knowing what it was about."

Jihad Rehab, renamed The UnRedacted, follows a group of men trained by al-Qaeda who are transferred from Guantanamo and sent to the world's first rehabilitation centre for "terrorists" located in Saudi Arabia.

Smaker follows three Yemeni men over a few years of sit-down interviews and unprecedented access to their rehabilitation process. The years of footage, condensed into a nearly two-hour documentary, reveals the humanity and reality of people often relegated to the term 'savages'.

"The narrative around the war on terror was that these people are psychopaths from a religion of violence. If you are making decisions based on those beliefs, then you begin fighting a problem you don't understand and that makes things way worse."

One key line from The UnRedacted encapsulates the film's purpose. "They ask me how did you go to Iraq? How did you go to jihad? How did you bomb? But no one ever asks me why," says Nadir, one of the Yemeni men interviewed in the film.

Nadir's words speak to the necessity of Smaker's documentary. "The what is done. You can't undo the what. But if you understand the why, you will be able to better address the problem moving forward," she says.

The narrative surrounding the film following Sundance's announcement was far from enthusiastic. Criticism of The UnRedacted ranged from accusations of Saudi propaganda to the controversy of a white filmmaker at the helm. Unfortunately, many of the people behind these criticisms were found to have not watched the film and most disregarded Smaker's own experience.

"I lived in Yemen for five years and Saudi for three years." As a former firefighter, Smaker spent her time in Yemen training Yemenis in modern firefighting techniques.

The film premiered at Sundance in 2022, which due to COVID, was virtual. "Because the film premiered virtually at Sundance, followed by it being media blacklisted, not a lot of people got to watch it. So, the framing around the film was the only reference people had," explains Smaker. "The best defence of the film is to actually watch it because it will show people that all the criticism is actually the opposite to what the film is about."

The defence of the film was thwarted when South by Southwest disinvited the film and Toronto International Film Festival revoked its initial offer to consider The UnRedacted. Perhaps the most significant setback surfaced when The UnRedacted's key financial backer, Abigail Disney, renounced her support of the film. Her disapproval seems to have come after the backlash, rather than a result of the film itself. After a screening, Disney sent Smaker a glowing review.

However, it was Sundance's apology that was the last straw. "Once Sundance apologised not once, but twice, it pretty much killed the film," Smaker recalls. "The only reason we are able to get the film out is because of a grassroots campaign from strangers."

The grassroots campaign was formalised as a GoFundMe from Smaker, which to date has amassed $766,876. The funds have helped Smaker self-distribute the film. The traction was further driven by key investigative articles in The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Los Angeles Times.

"After those pieces were published, a lot of people reached out to me offering help. The GoFundMe allows more people to see it and every time we have a screening, we are able to gain more supporters. I think that is because people are desperate to have the nuanced and complex discussion that this film start."

The UnRedacted recently sold out in New Zealand and will be making its way to Australian screens soon, with the first screening on 30 April at Kino Cinemas. A Q&A with Smaker will follow all screenings.

[back-and-totheleft]

‘America Should Look to Itself Before They Start Criticizing Other People’

As jury president of the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Oliver Stone is taking his role seriously. He sees the festival as an opportunity to explore the cinema being made in a region of the world he views as being misunderstood: “It’s a chance to really dip into the very fascinating Asian and African cinema. There’s a lot of big changes going on. You know, there’s a whole new world and they’re learning how to use film to tell their stories.”

Stone alluded to these changes in his remarks at the opening ceremony: “You see the changes that are coming here, the reforms. I think people who judge too harshly should come and visit this place and see for themselves.” It was a remark that was bound to cause controversy among critics of the Kingdom’s human rights record. But Stone is unrepentant. “I meant what I said,” the “Platoon” and “JFK” director made clear. “Human rights, Jesus Christ! […] America should look to itself with Julian Assange before they start criticizing other people. Because that’s the worst case I’ve heard. […] America has certainly got a long list of crimes. I don’t think they should be pointing any fingers at anybody.” Stone cites the Iraq War as a particularly egregious example of heavy-handed American intervention.

He continues: “Now they’re arguing about women in Iran? What about here? They’re making tremendous reforms for women. They can’t mention that? You know, all they mention is a murder several years ago. There’s a lot of murders that go on in their country. What they’re doing to Assange is, in some ways, worse than cutting up somebody. It’s killing them slowly. Right. Okay. Enough said.”

The “murder several years ago” is a reference to the killing by Saudi government agents of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi-American dissident, in 2018.

Returning to film, Stone talks about how he finds the new cinema inspiring. “Certainly, it gives me cause to say I miss my career. I should come back and make 10 more films. I feel horrible. I want to make some of these different stories, but I have maybe one film left. You know, I’m 76 now, right? So yeah. The new movies have gotten in so many ways more sophisticated, better shot. These young kids, young people, have the benefit of seeing everything we did. So naturally, there’s improvements and changes. The question is: what’s changing in the environment? Is there a content change? And are the younger generation more cynical? You know, these are questions that are valid. So yeah, it certainly renews the fountain of desire. But you can’t make films that easily anymore. The film business is kind of horrible, right? It’s never been in worse shape.”

Could “JFK” be made today? Stone insists: “Not even close. You had to have some guts. I mean, a lot of filmmakers will tell you that but it’s true. You did need a lot of guts to make that and Warner Bros. did take a lot of hits on it. We got a lot of establishment criticism. But Terry Semel and Bob Daly, they stuck with it. They said it’s a good movie. What the fuck?”

Stone says he does have a feature lined up but would rather not talk about it. “I may not be able to pull it off. In the last few years. I’ve had setbacks. I was able to do two documentaries. Very complicated ones. This last one was on nuclear energy. Have you seen it?”

“Nuclear” argues for the massive promotion of nuclear energy as the solution to halt global warming. It is a subject Stone feels passionate about. He is also working on the second volume of his memoir “Chasing the Light.” One of the strengths of the extraordinary first volume is Stone’s willingness to admit when he has been wrong in the past, rather than expand only on his successes. “That was the point. Failure was also a learning process. A tremendous amount of failure. And in the movie business, it’s the same thing for me. People hear about the successes but they don’t hear about the failures.”

-John Bleasdale, "America Should Look to Itself Before They Start Criticizing Other People," Variety, Dec 3 2022 [x]

[gikairan]

News outlets are doing reports on the weird Neom project and like... I know theres going to be an incredibly interesting documentary about this project when it inevitably fails

But I bet it'll never happen until the Saudi crown prince dies u_u.

[fangirlthings7]

BANGTAN SONYOENDAN 

BTS SHOWS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

A beginner's guide to the fandom. Get to know BTS on a deeper level with their performances, guestings and variety/reality shows starting from their debut up to present. I myself is new to the fandom. So, I did some research myself and also with the help of my ARMY friends on what I should watch so I can relate to them. I hope this can help you get to know them as well. Let's take this beautiful journey together! - From your fellow baby ARMY Borahae! 보라해!

2013

061313 BTS DEBUT

Sukira/Kiss The Radio 130629 Sukira/Kiss The Radio 131005 (A/N: Their radio guestings is also a must. Date is in year/month/date format.) After School Club Episode 24 Rookie King: Channel BTS (8 Episodes)

2014

American Hustle Life (8 Episodes) (A/N: You should watch this first in reference on their other guestings because they mentioned it there. MUST WATCH!!! LOL.) Sukira/Kiss The Radio 140301 True Color Radio 140614 Volume Up 140912 BTS on Beatles Code 3D 140401 BTS on Weekly Idol 140430 MNet 4 Things Show 140513 (A/N: The legendary hidden cam of RM.) After School Club Episode 46 After School Club Episode 95 A Song For You 3 Episode 12 BTS at Yinyuetai (3 Episodes)  (A/N: Personal favorite. I like how they were treated and welcomed in China.) A Little Dangerous Chuseok Hope Delivery at Love Food Bank Go! BTS (A/N: Their first Kcon in LA. Actual performances are on Youtube, KCON 2014. Jungkook's "International Playboy" line can be seen here.) BTS Festa 2014 (1st Anniv) BTS Now in Thailand Seasons Greetings 2015 Skool Luv Affair DVD Showcase Memories of 2014 (A/N: Includes ARMY 1st Muster, other overseas fan meetings and BTS Live Trilogy II: The Red Bullet)

2015

True Color Radio 150307 Sukira/Kiss The Radio 150505 Changnim's Gayo Plaza 150510 Kim Sungjoo Music Plaza 150521 Love Game Radio 150629 Sukira/Kiss The Radio 150702 Changnim's Gayo Plaza 151220 Hello Counselor (RM&V) After School Club Episode 158 Weekly Idol 150617 After School Club Episode 191 Weekly Idol 151216 BTS on Idol Show My Pet Clinic ( Jimin, V, JHope) BTS: Bokbulbok (5 Episodes) (A/N: This is only short, like 10 mins. per episode. It's available on V Live if you want to watch it with better quality and subs.) BTS Gayo Season 1 (9 Episodes) (A/N: This one is also available on V Live. Episodes are also about 10-20 mins. only. You can finish it right away.) Run  BTS! (Episodes 1-10) (A/N: First season aired 2015 so I added it up here. Season 2 was aired later on 2017. This is also on V Live.) BTS Now 2 (Europe and America) Summer Package 2015 in Kota Kinabalu BTS Festa 2015 (2nd Anniv) BTS Undercover Mission: Volume 2 (A/N: BTS Japan Official Fan Meeting like Jap version of Muster.) BTS Wake Up: Open Your Eyes (1st Japan Tour) BTS LIVE HYYH ON STAGE BTS LIVE HYYH ON STAGE JAPAN EDITION At YOKOHAMA ARENA Seasons Greetings 2016 Memories of 2015 (A/N: I suggest to always watch this last because it's long. This one consists of 4 disc. Includes BTS Live Trilogy I: BTS Begins)

2016

Cultwo Show 160512 Cultwo Show 161013 (A/N: This is where fans sent in messages of encounters/seeing BTS in random places. BTS also shared their conception dreams.) Running Man Episode 300 (7vs300) The Boss Is Watching 160202 Star Show 360° 161107 Celebrity Bromance (V&Minjae) (A/N: You can watch it on V Live or Youtube) Celebrity Bromance (Jungkook&Minwoo) (A/N: Jungkook doll. "House was smaller but had more memories." uwu) King of Mask Singer Episode 72 (Jungkook) BTS Now 3 Chicago Bon Voyage Season 1 (Northern Europe) Summer Package in Dubai BTS Festa 2016 (Youtube) BTS Festa Birthday Party (VLive) BTS 3rd Muster ARMY.Zip+ BTS Japan Official Fan Meeting: Reaching You BTS Live HYYH Epilogue on Stage BTS Live HYYH Epiloge Japan Edition (Kayo Nenka on Stage: Epilogue) Seasons Greetings 2017 (A/N: If you're looking for the clip where JK is fighting with a chicken. You can find it here. You're welcome.) Memories of 2016

2017

Cultwo Show 170921 Law of Jungle in Kota Manado (Jin) King of Masked Singer Episode 93 (Jimin) Hello Counselor (Jin&Jimin) Let's Eat Dinner Together Episode 50 (Jin&JK) New Yang Nam Show Episode 1 Idol Party Ep. 11 Please Take Care of my Refrigerator (Jin&Jimin) Knowing Brothers Epidode 94 BTS Gayo Season 2 Bon Voyage Season 2 (Hawaii) Summer Package in Palawan Run BTS! Season 2 BTS Festa 2017 (Youtube) BTS Festa Home Party (VLive) The Wings Tour in Seoul BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour - Japan Edition BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour -  In Japan Special Edition at Kyocera Dome Seasons Greetings 2018 Memories of 2017

2018

Summer Package in Saipan Bon Voyage Season 3 (Malta) BTS Festa 2018 (Youtube) BTS Festa (VLive) BTS 4th Muster Happy Ever After BTS Japan Official Fan Meeting Volume 4: Happy Ever After Wings Finale (VLive/Weverse) Burn The Stage Burn The Stage Documentary Seasons Greetings 2019 Memories of 2018

2019

Run BTS Season 3 (Episode 57 - Present) Bon Voyage Season 4 (New Zealand) Summer Package in Korea BTS Festa (Youtube) 5th Muster in Korea: Magic Shop 5th Muster in Japan: Magic Shop Love Yourself Tour in Seoul (DVD) Love Yourself Tour New York (Citifield) Love Yourself Tour Europe Love Yourself - Japan Edition Love Yourself: Speak Yourself in Wembley (VLive/Weverse) Love Yourself: Speak Yourself in Saudi Arabia (VLive/Weverse) Love Yourself The Final in Seoul (VLive/Weverse) Love Yourself: Speak Yourself in Sao Paolo Love Yourself: Speak Yourself - Japan Edition Bring the Soul Bring the Soul Documentary Seasons Greetings 2020 Memories of 2019

2020

I-Land Episode 7 Winter Package in Helsinki BTS In The Soop Bangbang Con The Live BTS Festa 2020 (Youtube) Map of the Soul: ON:E Break the Silence Break the Silence Documentary Seasons Greetings 2021

2021

Winter Package in Korea Excluding V Lives and Youtube channel contents. I suggest you also watch their performances at award shows.  

[theculturedmarxist]

Bryan Fogel’s “The Dissident” was too hot to handle.

The documentary about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist and political activist who was allegedly killed in 2018 on the orders of the Saudi Royal Family, was one of the hottest films at last year’s Sundance. It had glowing reviews, a ripped from the headlines subject, and a big-name director in Fogel, fresh off the Oscar-winning “Icarus,” a penetrating look at Russian doping that got the country banned from the Olympics.

And yet, Netflix, which had previously released “Icarus,” and other streaming services such as Apple and Amazon steered clear of “The Dissident.” Without any interested buyers, the film languished until last fall. That’s when Briarcliff Entertainment, an obscure distributor run by former Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg, announced it would release the movie on-demand.

Fogel thinks the subject matter was too explosive for bigger companies, which have financial ties to Saudi Arabia or are looking to access the country’s massive population of well-to-do consumers. Using interviews with Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz, as well as friends and fellow activists, Fogel creates a damning portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s apparent involvement in brutally silencing the writer and thinker and the country’s crackdown on free speech. Thanks to previously unreleased audio recordings, “The Dissident” draws a direct line between Khashoggi’s assassination at the Saudi embassy in Turkey and the Saudi government’s anger over his outspoken criticism of the country’s human rights abuses and mismanagement.

“The Dissident” is currently available on-demand, but its rather muted release isn’t the way Fogel had dreamed of provoking a larger conversation around Khashoggi’s murder. He spoke to Variety about the difficulty of making “The Dissident” and then getting it seen and why he thinks his new movie had the major streamers running scared.

Why did you want to make “The Dissident”?

After the success of “Icarus,” I felt a great burden and social responsibility to make a worthy follow-up. I was looking for a story regarding human rights, regarding freedom of speech, freedom of press, journalism. I also wanted a story that had real world implications that could create real world change through social action or political action.

As the investigation into the murder of Jamal unfolded, my ears perked up and I immediately started reading more about this man. I hadn’t heard of him, but I found out how trusted and regarded he was as a voice on the Middle East. He was also being presented in many media circles as a terrorist sympathizer or member of the Muslim Brotherhood or a friend of Bin Laden. This was not true. He was a moderate, who was fighting for free speech for his country and believed women should have rights. He believed Mohammed Bin Salman’s policies were putting the country on the wrong direction.

Was it difficult to get his friends and fiancee and family to speak to you?

It was very very difficult. This is where the accolades and recognition of “Icarus” and the Academy Award really changed the conversation. In those weeks following his death every journalist was after Hatice. As I approached her and other people, they were able to see my prior work. Hatice invited me about a month after his murder to come and meet with her in Istanbul. I didn’t bring a film crew. I spent the next five weeks there just building trust. It was a harrowing time in her life and I just kept explaining that I was not there for a day or a week or a month. I told her: if we do this, we’re going to go on this journey together. I promised that if she let me into her life, I was going to protect Jamal.

At the Sundance premiere, you challenged distributors to “…not be fearful and give this the global release that this deserves.” How did that turn out?

[Netflix CEO] Reed Hastings was there that day and so was Hillary Clinton. We had a standing ovation. People were wiping tears from their eyes as Hatice took the stage. It was the same scene at each one of our screenings. We were blessed with incredible reviews from all of the trades. In any normal circumstance, you’d think of course this film is going to be acquired and distributed. And yet not only was it not acquired and distributed, there was universal silence. Not a single offer. Not for one dollar or not 12 million dollars, which was what was paid for another documentary title at the festival. Nothing. It was literally as if nobody knew me. It was that startling and that shocking.

Six months later Tom Ortenberg and Briarcliff Entertainment stepped forward and said, hey we want to distribute this film. That’s wonderful. People will be able to rent this film on-demand. But what I wanted was for this film to be streaming into 200 million households around the world. I wanted people to have easy access to it. Instead we pieced together global distribution here and there.

Will this have a chilling effect on movies that want to tackle these kinds of controversial subjects?

This is a depressing and eye-opening moment that any filmmaker that wishes to tell a story like this needs to pay attention to. These global media conglomerates are aiding and abetting and silencing films that take on subject matter like this despite the fact their audiences want content like this. I was told that “Icarus” has had somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 million views. I don’t know if that’s accurate, but I know it was substantial. The decision not to acquire “The Dissident” had nothing to do with its critical reviews, had nothing to do with a global audience’s appetite to watch a docu-thriller, but had everything to do with business interests and politics and, who knows, perhaps pressure from the Saudi government. Netflix did remove Hasan Minhaj’s episode of “Patriot Act” [at the Saudi government’s request] in 2019 and defended that decision by saying, “we’re not a truth to power company. We’re an entertainment company.” It has been a struggle to get this film into the world and to shine a light on the human rights abuses that are happening in that kingdom. These companies, that have chosen not to distribute this film, in my opinion, are complicit.

Have you had conversations with these companies about why they didn’t want to release “The Dissident”? If so what has been their response?

It has been to not respond.

Is this about money? Are they wary of angering the Saudi Royal Family because they have money from Saudi Arabia or want to access their market?

My guess is both. Decisions are being made that it’s better to keep our doors open to Saudi business and Saudi money than it is to do anything to anger the kingdom. Netflix released a statement regarding Black Lives Matter that is in direct contrast to their statement regarding Hasan Minahaj. One stands behind truth to power and the other says we’re not a truth to power company, so it appears they are a truth to power company when it is convenient. But when their business doesn’t align with that or it might impact their subscriber growth, they’re not. The same can be said for all the streaming companies. In the film, there’s Jeff Bezos on the stage with Hatice. Jamal worked for Jeff Bezos [at the Washington Post, which Bezos owns]. So the same can be said of Amazon. I don’t want to point a finger at anyone because it’s all of them. This is a situation where business, subscriber growth, investment was more important than human rights. There’s got to be greater accountability. Not just on a business level, but on a political level. Trump vetoed the desire of both the House and the Senate to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for this crime. He continued to sell them weapons. He’s trying to get the Justice Department to grant Mohammed Bin Salman immunity from prosecution.

Would you still work for Netflix or the other streamers who declined to release “The Dissident”?

Listen, this is my career. This is my work. I’m sure that I will have other projects that might not take on subject matter like this and are not at odds with their business interests. When those projects come along, I will be glad to work with any of these companies. Look, I love Netflix. I really, really do. I’m so grateful to them because without Netflix, “Icarus” would not have become what it became. I’m not insulted by this. I’m not personally offended. I don’t view anything that is happening as personal. I just view it as business. I can understand it on a business level. I don’t agree with it, but I get it. I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.

What message do you want viewers will take away from the film?

There’s a hashtag #JusticeForJamal and the question has to become what does justice mean? We know that Mohammed Bin Salman will not stand trial for this murder. We know that the henchmen he sent are unlikely to truly stand trial. We have to look to the future. So what I hope people will take from the film is knowledge, because knowledge is power. Just like “Icarus” or “Blackfish” or “The Cove,” I hope this film has the ability to change hearts and minds. As more and more people come to “The Dissident,” I hope there’s a call to action. I hope that takes place on social media or through writing letters to congressmen or senators. The first thing I hope is people will spread the word. The second thing is I hope they will use the power of free speech that we have in this country and are so blessed to have to change the narrative. The Arab Spring happened because of Twitter, the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements took hold because of social media. We’ve seen that through combined action, change can come.

Disclosure: SRMG, a Saudi publishing and media company which is publicly traded, remains a minority investor in PMC, Variety’s parent company.

[badbookreviewclub]

Empress Theresa, Chapters 21-28. IT’S FINALLY OVER.

Disclaimer: If you haven’t read the previous review, you can find it here (chapters 11-20). This will contain spoilers. 

Well, the ending is finally here and holy fuck this book went off the rails. I only have one reaction to the ending of it and that’s just what the fuck. Just… What The Fuck Norman whatever the fuck you were on when you wrote the end of this book must have been some powerful shit because holy fuck. Let’s just get started and maybe you’ll see what I mean. These chapters are also completely nonsensical in how they’re put together and just so much information is shoved into them that it can get confusing. I’ll do my best to keep it clear. Chapter 21 The boat that was driven into the Exxon Maria was deemed as a terrorist attack because “the world know that this had been a terrorist bombing” (pg 321). They know this because a bunch of explosives had been smuggled onto the boat beforehand by Middle Eastern terrorists (because Norman is convinced there are no other kind of terrorists) and they drove it straight into the Exxon Maria to try and get back at Theresa for her oil mining operation. So how does Theresa retaliate? She drops the price of oil down to ten dollars a barrel. Thinking that OPEC (which I guess Norman still thinks is a terrorist organization. It’s not) is going to retaliate, Theresa has her parents moved to a safe place (West Point), and tells Prime Minister Scherzer that they have to evacuate the Israeli people now. He tells her that it will take 36 hours to start the evacuation. To remind Saudi Arabia of their deal (because there was a deal apparently in Theresa’s mind, even though there was absolutely no deals made, just an offer put on the table) Theresa raises a mountain in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert. 

When the Israeli people start to cross evacuate via the landbridge to Crete because as it turns out, no, the island isn’t ready yet, Theresa parts the fucking sea to make giant water walls that terrorists and missiles can’t get through. Moses parting the Red Sea moment, anyone? Because of this, Prime Minister Scherzer calls Theresa the ‘Right Hand of God’. Theresa also decides that it’s time for her to head home, so the Ambassador of the United States to England asks if she would ride home on the Ronald Reagan (the same ship that led took her to the plane she was supposed to be blown up on) to give the ship her honor back. Theresa disagrees, but Steve says that Theresa should play (American) football with the navy of the Ronald Reagan against the Army (I think Norman means foot soldiers specifically). Theresa does agree eventually. 

Someone attempts to do the same drop that Theresa did when she was almost blown up and of course, rather than dissuading them, Theresa gives him tips on how he might survive. Unsurprisingly, he fucking dies. All Theresa does is say “oh whoopsy-doopsy, he fell into still water, not wavy water like I did. Must be why. Sorry that you’re dead bro. Nobody should do that again.” Chapter 22 

Theresa heads back to the United States, but in the process, HAL puts everyone in the plane into a deep sleep, including the piolets and every electronic. Somehow though, the Autopilot still works, so that’s lucky for Theresa I guess. Bitch learns how to fly a plane in under four hours. She lands it after causing millions of dollars worth of damages to the windows of buildings after flying just a little too low to them and as such that causes a lot of injuries, but she doesn’t get in trouble for that because she’s just too sweet and innocent for that. 

Chapter 23 

Am I moving really fast through this? I feel like I am. Though I will say, it’s definitely because I want to be done with this book as fast as I possibly can it’s so fucking dumb. I hate this book so much. I have never met a book that has baffled me as much as this one but absolutely fueled my anger to no end. Anyways… Theresa arrives at West Point (where her parents are) and going to the ranch house that was built specifically for her and her family. The football game takes place, and surprisingly, Theresa and the Navy lose to the Army. 48-36. I don’t know American football very well, despite living in the United States, so if anyone could tell me how good this is I would really appreciate it. 

We learn that her island is producing 3 million barrels of oil a day and by the next year is predicted to be producing 15 million barrels a day, so Theresa is rich as fuck and is going to have a monopoly on oil (what a wonderful capitalist she is). Because all the oil tycoons are worried she’s going to monopolize (she is) and then raise the price drastically, they put her into a two-year deal (bc that’s long enough) saying that the price can’t go above ten dollars a barrel. Theresa agrees without hesitation. 

It’s suggested to Theresa that she should monopolize the manufacturing industry as well, but she turns that down because it could “start a global trade war” (pg 370). 

Theresa, while being a jerk and ignoring everybody when she goes out into public because how could she possibly be expected to meet or even wave or smile at people, finally gives in and talks to 10 North Korean men (via a translator) who have brought her a PBS Documentary to show her the conditions of North Korea. Theresa watches it and is so moved that she comes down and tells the men that she’ll save their families. So essentially, this one PBS Documentary has convinced Theresa to declare war on North Korea’s government. 

Because the North Korean’s wouldn’t listen to her because she holds no power, Theresa joins the army (not really because she never ever ever ever sees combat, but she gets the titles that come with it). 

Chapter 25

Theresa gets her uniform. She specifically requests to have the male uniform because the female one doesn’t look powerful enough. She also gets men’s shoes instead of women’s shoes because the women’s would look stupid with the men’s uniform, I guess. Theresa also insists on wearing her hair down because nobody is going to say jack shit to her about it. Because Theresa got the uniform we learn that Steve has a uniform kink. “Steve thought I looked awful cute in my little uniform.  “‘Hon, you never looked better. It turns me on’” (pg 389). 

Now Norman, I thought this book didn’t have sexual content? Yet here we are, learning about Steve’s fetishes. I’m not going to fetish shame anyone, and more power to you Steve for being open with your sexuality, though I just wanted to point out that Norman specifically said this wouldn’t happen (just like the swearing). 

Anyways, Theresa goes to a meeting at the White House where she immediately becomes a five-star general, the first person after Omar Bradley died. Now I may be wrong, but Omar Bradley was a World War II veteran (a senior officer) and was Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff and oversaw policymaking during the Korean War. The only thing Theresa has (realistically) done up until this point is kill off most of the population, if not all of the population. 

Theresa came up with the idea earlier on that the only way to liberate North Korea is to destroy their weaponry in a certain mile radius and then take over as their dictator for the time being until things could get set up. In a really complicated matter, Theresa sets up a plan wherein ten-miles around Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, all weapons, planes, bombs, missiles, and helicopters will be destroyed. She works with the South Korean government in order to achieve this with HAL and so they can invade safely. 

But, duN DUN DUN! because all the weapons are destroyed, the government orders unarmed citizens and soldiers and other personnel to attack as soon as they see Theresa and the army. Because there’s 5 million of them, the South Korean army knows that they’ll be easily overwhelmed. Theresa’s solution? Take a Japanese island and move it a bit closer to North and South Korea, and then break North and South Korea away from China and move it closer to the Japanese Island. This way the Japanese Island can build a bridge over and then teach North Korea about a new government. And it fucking works. 

They invade Pyongyang after doing this and the South Korean army basically liters the city with pictures of Theresa’s face and a promise that she’s going to save and liberate them all. They drop all these pictures and promises with an airplane to hopefully quell the people’s worries. There’s a big crowd of North Koreans who are basically lining a gigantic boulevard and the South Korean’s are surrounding the tanks and Theresa, prepared to shoot anyone who gets rowdy or gets too close. Theresa tells them their leaders have left them on a complete fucking bluff, and the South Korean general who has been working with her confirms that they fled to China. Theresa is so relieved by this she almost starts crying, and then the North Korean’s start cheering and wailing and are basically so so so so so happy that Theresa is their new leader. 

And Theresa’s big speech as the new leader? She reads the first couple of paragraphs from the Declaration of Independence. And it’s a smash hit and her greatest success ever. She gives it to a translator so that the North Korean people can understand and just… “Nobody could translate such elegant language on the fly and maintain its beauty. I anticipated that. I’d given the translator the English text the day before and she worked all night at it. When I finished speaking she read what I’d said in Korean with all the emotions and nuances only a Korea could express. My speech or rather the translator’s rendition of it was a spectacular success. The crowd cheered their hearts out. Witnesses said President Stinson cried when I gave the speech. This event, broadcast to the whole world, was called by greatest achievement” (pg 418). And yes, I meant to write ‘a Korea’. That’s how it’s written in the fucking book. But the Declaration of Independence wasn’t written by Theresa and yet somehow it’s ‘her’ speech. And it’s a smashing success because fuck you. Chapter 26

Theresa sets up the South Korean government in North Korea because she can’t be fucked to actually lead it, but comes back when she needs to. In this chapter, Theresa gets really into biology and teaching HAL about biology. She also gets really into archaeology and discovers a bunch of really old Jewish scrolls but nobody can have them. They can look but only she can have them. She also finds Joan of the Arc’s remains because why the fuck not. 

Theresa also makes a mountain in the middle of Lake Michigan without consequence. This is all so they can have the Winter Olympics because I guess Mountain = Snow despite the fact that it’s summer the entire year.

Oh yeah, and Theresa recognizes that she could have thousands of lives with teaching HAL biology and learning how to do surgeries that could save lives that couldn’t otherwise be done. But she decides this is a terrible idea because she’ll end up in court if something goes wrong. 

“‘I can immobilize them like this [basically just holding their body together in a temporarily immortalized, unaging, undying stated] while the surgeon operates and saves thousands of lives.’ (Theresa) “‘And get yourself thousands of lawsuits when things go wrong. Hell the families will hope something goes wrong so they can go after your money’ (Steve) “‘You’re right. I’d spend the rest of my life in courtrooms. It’s a shame. Greed keeps me from saving lives’”  (pg 423).

The only greed keeping you from saving lives is your own. How fucking selfish of you to believe that people want their loved ones to die just so they can get some money. There are horrible people out there in the world like that, there’s no denying it, but the majority of people aren’t. You recognize you could save lives, but you chose not to because you don’t want to go to court if something goes wrong. You’re a fucking villain, Theresa. 

Because of this, I really don’t feel bad when Theresa gets hit by a car, breaks her back, and loses the ability to walk. Getting hit by the car was apparently a terrorist attack that was carefully planned because they wanted to hit Theresa. Because everything just has to be a fucking terrorist attack. But this is why Norman had Theresa suddenly pick up an interest in biology that was never ever even hinted at before. It’s so Theresa can start working on a plan to fix her back so she can walk again. And so she can figure out a way to be immortal. You’re supposed to feel bad for Theresa, but I honestly don’t.

Chapter 27 

More HAL’s show up because when Theresa was about to be blown up and she jumped from the plane, HAL divided itself into 420 other HAL’s. Now all these HAL’s are merging with people. Because Theresa doesn’t want to not be special anymore, she puts the entire world into a deep sleep under the pretense that all of these people could be another Adolf Hitler and she needs to take care of it and stop that before it happens. You know, so the logical explanation, because she can’t just put on HAL into a deep sleep, is to put the entire world into a deep sleep regardless of the consequences. Doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of surgery or you’re in the ICU. It doesn’t matter if you’re about to die or something is happening. We’re just going to put everyone into a deep sleep because Theresa can’t be fucked to figure out a solution right now.

Chapter 28

600 years have passed and everyone starts to wake up. Everyone thinks Theresa is dead but she shows up with Steve and 420 (nice) children. All these children are geniuses and specialize in something and have the equivalent of like 10 college degrees. So in the past 600 years (where nobody aged, not even Theresa and Steve) the world has advanced massively because of the children and Steve and Theresa. 

Theresa also kept the children as 10-year-olds rather than letting them age. “I’d kept them in a pre-puberty state so they wouldn’t fool around with each other” (pg 464). It’s not like they’re siblings and look like mini replicas of you and your husband. It’s not like you should discourage incest among them because incest isn’t a good thing and can mess with someone’s psyche because it’s damaging a familial relationship by intertwining it with a sexual relationship. Not at all.

But these children, as it would turn out, don’t have a HAL. Theresa and Steve just had like 420 (nice) children I guess. No, Theresa just absorbed all of the other HAL’s and will absorb any other HAL that shows up on earth. And that’s the end of the fucking book. This shit show of a book is finally over. I hated it so much and I’m glad to finally be done with it. 

-8/10 stars. Get fucked Norman Boutin. Your book is stupid as shit and I hate it. 

[darkmaga-returns]

A documentary released last month explored the latest updates on The Line project in Neom.  Rumours say it has been scaled back from 105 miles to 1.5 miles. And a documentary aired on Sunday revealed that more than 21,000 workers have died in just eight years since the project was launched.

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