When Richard Simmons died unexpectedly on July 13, the day after his 76th birthday, the world lost a bright light. Richard devoted his life to helping others be healthy, active, and proud of their accomplishments. For more than 30 years, he was a fixture in the health and wellness community before retreating to a private life in February 2014. In the months prior to his death, Richard remerged on social media, sharing his unique brand of upbeat and encouraging messages. After his death, his brother, Lenny Simmons, posted on Richard’s Facebook page asking that we not be sad about his brother’s death. Rather, “I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives. He truly cared about people. He called, wrote, and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help. So don’t be sad. Celebrate his life!” Richard’s Family Held A Celebratory Mass in His Honor On October 5, Lenny delivered a beautiful eulogy for his brother during a memorial mass at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Lenny loved his brother deeply and said Richard’s faith led him to an incredible career. “Richard Simmons finally knew what God wanted him to do. He wanted Richard to help people, motivate people, encourage people to get healthy and lose weight, get fit, and have fun doing it,” Lenny said. His success wasn’t just measured in pounds lost, but in lives changed. Millions of people have sweat with Richard as he cheered them on in his signature exercise clothes. Lenny made sure to let us all know that Richard’s work didn’t end when he died. “I want to let you all in on a little secret: Richard is wearing his tank top and shorts underneath his clothes just in case God’s final plan for him is to get all the angels and saints in Heaven into shape. Richard Simmons will forever be ‘Sweating with the Holies.'” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Richard Simmons’ Brother Shares Heartbreaking But Beautiful Eulogy At Celebration Of Life Ceremony appeared first on InspireMore.

Now this is how you celebrate an upset win

'let me just stop you right there'

The sun has been one of the most enduring symbols in rock music, representing everything from hope and renewal to sorrow and loss. Its presence in rock songs spans decades and genres, allowing artists to tap into its literal and metaphorical meanings. Whether it’s a sign of optimism breaking through dark times or a reflection on the inevitable passage of time, the sun has provided a powerful backdrop for musicians to explore a variety of emotional landscapes. This list of 10 Best Rock Songs About the Sun highlights tracks that use the sun in unique and creative ways. From the The post 10 Best Rock Songs With The Word ‘Sun’ In The Title appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In a Sunday interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, former First Lady Melania Trump revealed the challenges she faced post-White House, highlighting how her political affiliations led to punitive measures from various service providers, including her bank and an email service provider. This issue casts a light on the increasing trend of “debanking” and “deplatforming”—a form of censorship that has seen individuals and entities cut off from essential financial and communication services for non-criminal reasons. Related: Bank of America Accused of Political Debanking “You know, this pushback from so many areas of your life that you never saw before, but suddenly the powers that be wanted to cancel you,” stated Bartiromo, probing into the unexpected hurdles encountered by Trump. Melania Trump detailed several instances of this cancellation, noting, “the bank suddenly informed me they will not be able to do business with me anymore.” Moreover, she described how an “email distribution service provider just rapidly terminated my agreement.” These cancellations, according to Trump, were due to her political beliefs and affiliations, revealing a troubling trend of service denial as a political weapon. This has not only affected Trump but also extended its impact to philanthropic efforts. She recounted an incident involving a university that initially accepted her donations for foster students’ scholarships but later reneged upon realizing her involvement. “They didn’t want to do business with me because of political affiliation, my political beliefs,” Trump said, pointing out the real victims of this decision—”children from the foster community.” Related: Mailchimp purges more high-profile users The phenomenon of debanking is increasingly recognized as a tool of exclusion and censorship, impacting individuals and organizations worldwide. While traditionally associated with financial crimes or risk management, it is now frequently weaponized against those a provider believes have controversial or unpopular political views. This growing form of censorship raises significant concerns about the neutrality of service providers and the broader implications for free speech and political engagement in a highly polarized era. Despite facing significant setbacks, Trump remains optimistic about changing attitudes towards this suppressive trend. “I think some people got the courage and they said, like, they see it, what’s going on. They are not afraid to speak, but it’s still going on,” she acknowledged, showing a mix of resistance and ongoing challenges. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Melania Trump Reveals She Was Debanked and Banned From Her Business Email Provider appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. “Illegal drugs” is a very well-defined category in the EU. “Hate speech,” on the other hand, is not. Yet, the bloc is lumping these together as it builds another case for putting even more pressure on major social platforms and demands more data from them. The EU is doing this via the censorship law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), and is this time targeting YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok. In the tone and nature of the demands, the EU puts them in two groups here: two companies from the US, and one from China. Previously, the EU launched DSA non-compliance proceedings against TikTok, AliExpress, but also Meta’s Instagram and Facebook. The EU Commission this week announced that the “request for information” pertains to these tech platforms’ (algorithmic)recommendations, specifically, their design and functioning. These companies are reminded that the DSA obligates them to “adequately mitigate risks stemming from their recommender systems” – and here we go into the usual list, starting with how recommendations might influence users’ mental health, risks to the electoral process, endanger minors, all the way to what the EU says is illegal content – “such as promoting illegal drugs and hate speech.” Here, the demand is also to explain what is being done to “mitigate” the harm, as the EU chooses to understand it. This last demand is addressed to YouTube and Snapchat, which must give the EU “detailed” information regarding algorithmic parameters that decide what is recommended to users. The emphasis of the pressure being put on TikTok is a little different. Brussels wants to know what the video platform is doing to stop manipulation of elections, media, etc. – again, in terms of the recommendations system. An EU Commission press release said the deadline to provide this information is November 15, and warns the three companies they might – depending on how the EU likes the answers – become subject to proceedings under the DSA. The Commission wasted no opportunity to remind YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok that one of the DSA articles means possible fines if they respond to a request for information (RFI) in a manner that is “incorrect, incomplete, or misleading.” Cheerleaders of EU policies on these matters hope that something of the sort will take root in the US as well, despite the fact that “hate speech,” for example, is not criminalized there. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post EU Uses Digital Services Act to Probe YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat Algorithms for Censorship Compliance appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. It’s one of the “commandments” of global organizations like the UN, and the World Bank, to name but two, and also those less official ones like the WEF and the Gates Foundation: the digital ID. And in the US, lawmakers have for years been struggling with the concept, heavily criticized by rights advocates for its ability to take mass surveillance to the next level. On the one hand, the lawmakers have (or are supposed to have) their existing laws and constitutional protections in mind, but on the other, new legislation is cropping up both from Democrats and Republicans that signals a more or less slow creep towards the ultimate digital ID goal. At the state level, the push is mostly focused on mobile driver’s licenses. But the proponents of the schemes – who insist that the unprecedented centralization of personal information will provide for more trust and security – want things to start moving faster at the federal level, too. One of the main cheerleaders here is Congressman Bill Foster, a Democrat. In September, he reintroduced a bill that, if adopted, would produce something called, the Improving Digital Identity Act. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. That, in turn, would set up an Improving Digital Identity Task Force, which would operate as part of the president’s Executive Office, whose main task would be getting rid of physical credentials in favor of digital ones. Meanwhile, the act wants the government to look into all the ways it could provide solutions for Americans to prove their identity on the internet. This isn’t the only legislative effort Foster has been involved in lately, particularly on the “reintroduction old proposals” front; in June, he and Congressman Clay Higgins, a Republican, worked together to make sure the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) submits a report to Congress informing its members “on its use of digital identities and their potential impact on homeland security.” That one has made its way through a relevant committee but is yet to clear the House. Like many of his digital ID-championing peers, Foster likes to talk about the promised positive side of things: less fraud and identity theft, and safer transactions. He even managed to work the “deepfakes menace” into the message, claiming that this is another thing a future, deeply controversial digital ID system would be able to take care of. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Digital ID Schemes Make Strides in Congress Despite Rights Advocate Opposition appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post SIM Locking and Corporate Control: How Phone Networks Keeps You Stranded in Crisis appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Macron Calls for End to Funding for Israeli Arms

Speaker Johnson Levels Harris-Biden Regime on Hurricane Helene Response: They've Been a 'Massive Failure'