Franchise building is big business in the film world today‚ with studios seeking ever-more creative ways to connect fan-favorite characters across as many films as possible. While this has made Marvel the undisputed champion of the big screen for the past decade and a half‚ things don’t always go as planned. There are perhaps as […] The post 10 Canceled Franchise Movies Made into Something Else appeared first on Listverse.

Navy SEAL deployments are often long and grueling‚ and leaving school-age children behind only adds to the challenge‚ especially if the children are struggling in school.  If a father is “getting ready to go on mission‚ and there’s Timmy failing in second grade‚ that’s all he’s going to think about‚” says Gretchen McIntosh‚ the executive director of SEALKIDS.  And for the mothers at home with a husband deployed and a child struggling academically‚ McIntosh says‚ Mom is often “stressed out” by the task of meeting the needs of a “child at home that has a learning disability.”  Out of seeing an immense need for additional educational support for many Navy SEAL families‚ the organization SEALKIDS was born.  “SEALKIDS steps in so that Dad can concentrate on his mission ahead‚ because we’re handling the mission at home‚” McIntosh explains.  SEALKIDS not only connects families to tutors and other education resources in their area‚ but also raises funds to help the families pay for those additional resources.  SEALKIDS is active in 17 states and is serving 390 kids this year‚ with a focus on helping children with learning disabilities.  McIntosh joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” during National School Choice Week to share the stories of the families the organization has helped and to explain how it hopes to expand its work to serve even more SEAL families.  Listen to the podcast below:  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post On a Mission to Serve Navy SEALs’ Kids With Learning Disabilities appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Professor of Design and Innovation Lars Holmquist from Nottingham Trent University believes that people are increasingly interpreting their interactions with computers as real social relationships. Psychological research confirms that chatbots like ChatGPT draw people into artificial social connections. Experts warn that the phenomenon could lead people to abandon traditional religion in favor of technology-based beliefs. ““The results of generative AI are very open for interpretation‚ so people can read anything into them. Psychologists have historically proven that humans interpret their interactions with computers like real social relationships‚” says Holmquist. “It is very possible that artificial intelligence will become a source of higher meaning for people‚ like religious texts.” Already today we see examples of this trend. Robot priests‚ such as the robot Mindar in Kyoto‚ Japan‚ give sermons in temples. In 2015‚ technologist Anthony Levandowski founded Way of the Future with the goal of creating a super AI bot for worship. Transhumanists predict a future where artificial intelligence can resurrect humans as god-like beings. Some believe that large language models like ChatGPT are becoming conscious or it will happen in the near future. Google software engineer Blake Lemoine‚ lost his job after claims that Google’s LaMDA chatbot was self-aware. Holmquist emphasizes that so far the role of artificial intelligence has largely been limited to helping religious organizations and churches‚ just as commercial companies use AI to interact with customers. “I haven’t heard of software object worship‚ but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens in the future.” – Holmquist added. The post Techno-religion: People will soon worship artificial intelligence appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Welcome back to our new column: a weekly behind-the-scenes peek at what our team has been reading‚ learning and discussing. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world. Cropped out Paying farmers not to farm: that’s the seemingly counterintuitive idea behind a story Executive Editor Will Doig shared from Modern Farmer. It digs into the pros and cons of the US’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)‚ which asks producers to voluntarily stop farming on environmentally vulnerable land. In 2023‚ agricultural producers and landowners were paid a total of $1.77 billion through the program.  Technicians collect vegetation from a native prairie to compare with vegetation from a Conservation Reserve Program site. Credit: US Department of Agriculture Though the CRP dates back to 1985‚ it may only become more necessary as time goes on. “Given the water situation‚ I’ve been wondering if a large-scale drawdown in farming across the American West — and how the government manages that — will become one of the defining issues of the next few decades‚” Will says. Build better Building a skyscraper is no easy task. But is it that much harder to build one that’s fully reliant on electricity and burns zero fossil fuels? As Fast Company reports‚ according to the team in New York City that’s done just that: not really.  What intrigues Editorial Director Rebecca Worby about this story is that “the problem-solving involved seems simple and smart‚” she says. “It’s mostly about finding ways to make the building more efficient (like better insulation and triple-glazed windows) so it needs less energy to begin with.” What else we’re reading Decades after Europe‚ turning blades send first commercial offshore wind power onto US grid — shared by Will Doig from AP News HPV vaccine stops women in Scotland from getting cervical cancer‚ study finds — shared by Audience Engagement Manager Mariel Lozada from STV A huge battery has replaced Hawaii’s last coal plant — shared by Rebecca Worby from Canary Media Elsewhere in our channels… This week‚ we were pleased to see that a mention in the 1440 newsletter brought lots of new readers to Geetanjali Krishna’s RTBC story about “water ATMs” and the rural entrepreneurs who operate them. Thanks‚ 1440! The post What We’re Reading: Skyscrapers Go Electric‚ ‘Uncropping’ Farmland and More appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

January 24‚ 2024

Every once in a while‚ you get to see the contempt that the Acela Media has for regular people- for voters who live normal lives and who might not think like them. Such was the case when NBC’s Garrett Haake interviewed a voter at the Trump victory party in New Hampshire. Watch as Haake browbeats an elderly woman on the economy‚ and on the facts surrounding the 2024 presidential election‚ during NBC News Now's coverage of the New Hampshire primary: GARRETT HAAKE: How do you convince your friends and neighbors‚ the people you know‚ who might have voted for Nikki Haley or might have voted for Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020 who are very skeptical about kind of getting back on the Trump train? What do you say then to convince them this is the way to go?  BRIDGET TREPSA: Well‚ you know what it is‚ they don't know the facts. They listen to the fake news out there‚ you know. I know you're in the news‚ but they listen to the fake news‚ and that’s what they’re going by. They don't know the real- what's really going on.  HAAKE: Humor me. What are the fake facts? Try me. Try me. Seriously.  TREPSA: Like that- that he’s going to be a dictator‚ he’s going to do this‚ you know. It's all- it’s all a lot of baloney. He's going to take care of this country. Look where we are today and where we were four- four years ago.  HAAKE: What does taking care of this country look Like? Is there some specific issue where you feel like he gets and nobody else does?  TREPSA: People can go to the grocery store‚ and prices was- gas what‚ $1.87‚ four years- look at it today. You know‚ a lot of people are really suffering‚ they’re hurting‚ they don't have the money. Going out‚ looking for three jobs‚ never mind two.  HAAKE: Prices are going back down‚ the economy- all the economic numbers are kind of going in Joe Biden's direction right now. If the economy improves substantially before November‚ does any of that change your view about where we are as a country?  TREPSA: No. It’s not- Biden is not the one improving it‚ it’ll be Trump that’s going to improve it.  It is always fascinating to watch the media act as‚ in this case‚ Joe Biden’s praetorian guard‚ compelled to defend his job performance from everyday citizens- in this case‚ an elderly woman from New Hampshire.  The interview started innocuously enough‚ but it’s the “try me” that indicated the adversarial nature of the exchange. That part of the exchange seemed to betray contempt for what Mrs. Trepsa believed were the facts of the election. As she laid out the suffering of everyday individuals‚ Haake coughed up a fact check which then pivoted into a favorable question on Joe Biden. But more than that‚ it was an attempt to secure an electoral flip-flop from the diehard Trump voter and‚ ultimately‚ an attempt to try to make her look dumb.  This contempt was further on display in subsequent questions on the legal challenges faced by President Trump. One always suspects that the Acela Media are contemptuous of their viewers and everyday voters. It is always something else to watch that contempt in real time.  

During its coverage of the New Hampshire primary‚ NBC News Now seized upon the opportunity to smear Libs of Tik Tok founder Chaya Raichik as being linked to “school bomb threats”. The vehicle was a report on Raichik’s appointment as an adviser to the Oklahoma Education Department’s Library Media Advisory Committee.  Watch the video brief that ran between news segments‚ and which laid out the incendiary claim: CAPTIONS:  Libs of TikTik creator accused of inspiring school bomb threats named to state library board Chaya Raichik‚ who runs the inflammatory Libs of Tik Tok social media account‚ was named an adviser to an Oklahoma State Department of Education’s library committee.  NBC News seems to be quite mad that Raichik‚ known among other things for exposing the woke mind virus within our school system‚ now has a role wherein she can provide oversight for an entire state’s library content.  Per the published report: A far-right influencer who was accused of instigating bomb threats against a school library in Tulsa‚ Oklahoma‚ last year has been named an adviser to a state library committee‚ the head of the state Education Department announced Tuesday. Chaya Raichik‚ who runs the incendiary Libs of TikTok social media accounts and is not an Oklahoma resident‚ was appointed to the Education Department’s Library Media Advisory Committee. Far-right! Incendiary! It seems pretty clear here that the object of this article is to stoke hysteria. Despite the emphasis on bomb threats‚ the report admits that none of them turned out to be credible. So why even mention the bomb threats? In order to smear an individual whose work has brought accountability to school districts pushing a woke agenda aimed at sexualizing grade school children.  Raichik did not respond to a set of questions. The Libs of TikTok account replied to a request for comment on X with a compilation of drawings seemingly from young adult novels that depict sexual encounters and asked: “Do you think this is appropriate for kids in school?” The article never does answer Raichik’s question‚ which is an admission in and of itself that is worth keeping in mind. That particular question is consistent with the mission of Libs of TikTok: to hold a mirror up to the left. And in lashing out at Raichik‚ they make clear that they do not like what they see reflected back to them.  

In the last installment of One Piece‚ tension was at its peak as Saturn confronted Dr. Vegapunk about Kuma's unexpected survival after the Revolutionary Army's rescue mission. A fierce battle unfolded‚ leaving Saturn enraged and Kuma on his knees‚ but not before the revelation of a shocking truth. Dr. Vegapunk‚ bewildered by Kuma's presence‚ hinted at the Buccaneers' mysterious power.

In an awesome chapter of My Hero Academia the previous week‚ Deku's clever moves clashed with Tomura's threat‚ delivering excitement and anticipation for what's next. The intensity soared as Deku faced the formidable Tomura Shigaraki. Employing a strategic blend of Blackwhip and Fa Jin‚ Deku unleashed a colossal Delaware Smash‚ temporarily halting Tomura's destructive Decay. The deadly dance of danger continued as Deku cleverly used Smokescreen and Blackchains‚ catching Tomura off guard and delivering a powerful blow.

Tue Jan 23‚ 2024 - 8:41 pm EST TORONTO (LifeSiteNews) – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White tore to pieces a member of the Canadian legacy media over the weekend by defending his…