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☆ HBO's 'The Last of Us' co-creator Craig Mazin on adapting the video game for hit series
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Teddy Farkas | Fahiemah Al-Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHBO's 'The Last of Us' co-creator Craig Mazin on adapting the video game for hit seriesCNBC's Carl Quintanilla sits down with 'The Last of Us' Craig Mazin – the showrunner, co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director behind the HBO hit-series. The two discuss the challenges of adapting a beloved video game into a primetime TV show and how Mazin's experience building HBO's Emmy-award winning 'Chernobyl' and passion for the game itself sparked a partnership with co-creator Neil Druckmann. They also discuss preparing the star-studded cast for their roles, developing content to appeal to both an existing fan base of gamers and new audiences alike, and why Mazin says he never creates for virality.

“It was gorgeous, and I was so not expecting it,” said Darion Lowenstein, 41, a video game consultant, who is gay. Though Bill’s role in the game is small, and his mention of being gay brief, it did not go unnoticed by LGBTQ gamers like Bonatsakis. Roughly 10% of gamers are LGBTQ, according to a 2020 survey by Nielsen. And for many of these queer gamers, Durkee said, video games are a lifeline. She said character customization in games such as “The Sims” and “World of Warcraft” can empower queer gamers to express their identity in ways that traditional media cannot.

☆ Tokyo court upholds not guilty verdict for ex-Tepco execs over Fukushima disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wrongful judgment" after the The Tokyo High Court upheld a not guilty verdict for former Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster, in front of the court in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a not guilty criminal verdict by a lower court that cleared former Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) (9501.T) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster. The ruling on Wednesday to uphold the not guilty verdict sits at odds with a separate civil case brought to the Tokyo court by Tepco shareholders, which found four former executives responsible for the 2011 nuclear disaster. Judges ordered the former executives to pay 13 trillion yen ($99.14 billion) in damages in the civil lawsuit. The court judged that the executives could have prevented the disaster if they had exercised due care.

The head of the United Nations atomic agency plans to visit Ukraine next week to deploy international inspectors at all of the war-torn country’s nuclear plants, significantly expanding the regulator’s presence after months of attacks on power stations and amid the threat of a renewed Russian offensive. The agency’s Director-General Rafael Grossi plans to station two or three inspectors at the South Ukraine, Rivne and Khmelnytskyi power plants, according to Ukrainian officials and Western diplomats. Power lines to the latter two plants were damaged in a Nov. 15 barrage of missile strikes that plunged both into crisis. Inspectors will also deploy to Chernobyl, the site of the world’s largest nuclear disaster in 1986, which was occupied for 36 days at the start of the war and where dangerous radioactive materials are still stored, the officials said.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The 2013 video game “The Last of Us” was a hit with critics and players thanks to a powerful narrative. Ten years later, that story is headed to television on HBO in what the industry hopes is a harbinger for artfully adapting video games to TV and film. The PlayStation game won numerous awards, including “Game of the Year” at the 17th Annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit (DICE), which honors video game industry professionals. The TV series has received glowing reviews from critics, garnering a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. "It shouldn’t be surprising that a drama based on a video game can have heart.

☆ Russian agents killed 3 men they said were saboteurs sent by Ukraine. A report says they were just gamers in costume.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian state media reported on an FSB operation targeting "pro-Ukrainian saboteurs." Per independent media, the men killed were roleplayers of the video game "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." The state media report appeared to misidentify videogame imagery as genuine militant symbols. A still from a Russian state media Russia-1 report, showing what it claims is a flag showing affiliation with a far-right Ukrainian party Russia-1/Smotrim.ruThe obscured wolf insignia above was attributed by Russia-1 to a fringe political party in Ukraine called Volya. A still from a Russian state media Russia-1 report, showing what it claims is military paraphernalia owned by the men killed.

☆ Margot Robbie says her 'Pirates of the Caribbean' spinoff was canceled by Disney
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The Oscar nominee said the “Pirates of the Caribbean” spinoff in which she was set to star has been canceled. Robbie said work had stopped on the planned “Pirates” film because Disney didn’t want to move forward with it, according to her Vanity Fair cover story. Robbie and Hodson were first attached to the project in June 2020, one of two planned “Pirates” films, the Hollywood Reporter said at the time. The film series’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed Robbie’s involvement as recently as May of this year. The original “Pirates” film series was loosely inspired by the Disney theme park ride of the same name and starred Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

☆ Russia's invasion of Ukraine has accelerated a nuclear renaissance. Europe's nuclear startups have raised a record $403 million in 2022.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Nuclear power has long been shunned by policymakers due to disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima. Rising energy costs caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have sparked a nuclear resurgence. For most, nuclear energy sparks memories of the large-scale disasters at Fukushima and Chernobyl. To generate energy via nuclear fusion, two atoms have to be combined – the same process that fuels the sun. Both are needed to fight climate change, according to Aneeqa Khan, a nuclear fusion research fellow at the Dalton Nuclear Institute.

As tensions over the nine-month-old war worsen, NBC News looks at what a dirty bomb actually is, the damage it can cause and whether it can render any military advantage. What is a dirty bomb? A dirty bomb, also known as a “radiological dispersion device,” is defined as a conventional weapon that has been augmented with a radioactive material. The psychological damage from deploying a dirty bomb in Ukraine would probably be far-reaching, according to Plant. The Russain defense minstry said Monday that Kyiv has the “scientific, technical and industrial potential” to create a dirty bomb.

Currency intervention is costly and could fail to influence the yen's value in the huge global foreign exchange market. Analysts say Japan may face difficulty winning backing for intervention unless volatility becomes highly excessive. Investors see solo action by Japan being far less effective than concerted intervention. Last month, Japanese authorities sold dollars and bought yen in a market intervention for the first time since 1998, spending 2.8 trillion yen ($19.2 billion) to slow a rapid slide in the yen that was considered a threat to the economy. read moreAs for dollar-buying, yen-selling intervention, Japan has stayed out of the market since 2011 when the devastating earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear disaster in Fukushima since Chernobyl.

☆ Explainer: What are the risks to Ukraine's nuclear reactors in war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

What nuclear material is at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, what are the risks and why are Russia and Ukraine fighting over it? The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235, which has a half-life of more than 700 million years. The biggest risk is from overheating nuclear fuel, which could happen if the power that drives the cooling systems was cut. Besides the reactors, there is also a dry spent fuel storage facility at the site for used nuclear fuel assemblies, and spent fuel pools at each reactor site that are used to cool down the used nuclear fuel. Special Russian military units guard the facility and Russian nuclear specialists are on site.

☆ The world is staring down a brutal winter of soaring energy prices, rolling blackouts, and freezing homes. But there's a clear solution to the crisis — if we aren't too scared to use it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Kartik Menon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Confronted with energy shortfalls into the colder months and years of potential energy uncertainty, one solution has gained traction around the globe: nuclear energy. Many nations, including the United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, and Japan, have begun or reconsidered massive sovereign investment into nuclear power. Reliable, low-cost, and carbon-free, nuclear energy allows these nations to arrest the economic decline from higher energy prices and make progress toward net-zero goals. Compared to other sources of energy, nuclear power is relatively safe — the number of deaths per terawatt hour produced is comparable to wind and solar energy. These are encouraging steps toward getting the West off of Russian energy and helping consumers weather the tough times ahead.

☆ Elon Musk says shutting down nuclear power plants is 'insane' for national security and 'anti-human'
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-27 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk called some environmentalists "anti-human" for shutting nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is back in the spotlight as energy insecurity grows after Russia invaded Ukraine. You should not only not shut down the nuclear power plants, but you should also reopen the ones that have already shut down. It is crazy to shut down nuclear power plants now, especially if you are in a place where there are no natural disasters." If there is no massive natural disaster risk, which Germany does not have, then there is really no danger with the nuclear power plants."

☆ Japanese support for a nuclear restart is at its highest since Fukushima disaster, says former IEA executive director
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-17 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In a first for Japan since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, public support for a nuclear restart is now at more than 60%, said a former executive director of the International Energy Agency, citing a possible energy shortage and a "very cold winter" as reasons. "Japanese public support's more than 60%, and it was the first time ever that support of nuclear power is starting to come over 50% after (the) Fukushima accident," said Nobuo Tanaka, now the chair of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in May that the country will take firm steps to restart idled nuclear power plants to stabilize energy supply and prices. In 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, which killed nearly 16,000 people and caused the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Though there have been reservations among the Japanese public over the use of nuclear energy, particularly when it comes to the issue of safety, Tanaka said the future of nuclear power is now safer, and stressed the importance of minimizing risk and maintaining "peaceful use."

☆ Ukrainian developers of an upcoming Microsoft game showed their makeshift offices and discussed joining the armed forces in a new video
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-15 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

2: Heart of Chernobyl" was highlighted during the Xbox Games Showcase Extended event on Tuesday. The game has been delayed to next year because the development company, GSC Game World, is based in Kyiv, Ukraine. GSC Game World"S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The developers shared an inspiring video diary with the Xbox Games Showcase Extended event on Tuesday about their lives during the war and how they've resumed development on the game. Some developers have stepped away from the game to join the Ukrainian armed forces and aid in the conflict with Russia.

☆ Elon Musk and Peter Thiel were both Silicon Valley outsiders until they joined forces to form PayPal. A new book reveals details of their tumultuous rise to the top.
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-23 | by ( Jonathan A. Knee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It is these stark differences in approach to business, management, and culture that make the story so engrossing. Thanks to a 2007 Fortune magazine cover story complete with a Godfather-esque photo, the "PayPal Mafia" have taken on unjustified mythic status in Silicon Valley. The Founders provides the tools needed to develop a more balanced view of Silicon Valley and its larger-than-life personalities. It also suggests which aspects of that era of Silicon Valley culture are worth preserving — or maybe even rediscovering. His most recent book is "The Platform Delusion: Who Wins and Who Loses in the Age of Tech Titans."

☆ В Украине конфисковано 1500 бутылок водки из Чернобыля. Их должны были доставить в Британию
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-08 | by ( ) nokta.md time to read: +2 min

Первые партии «крафтовой водки», изготовленной на основе яблок, выросших неподалеку от зоны отчуждения Чернобыльской АЭС, были конфискованы украинскими властями и доставлены в прокуратуру Киева. Джим Смит вместе с другими коллегами-учеными потратил годы на изучение зоны отчуждения Чернобыльской АЭС и прилегающей к ней территории, общей площадью 4 тыс. В рамках исследования группа ученых-энтузиастов начала выращивать рожь и другие культуры в зоне отчуждения, чтобы выяснить, насколько те безопасны для потребления. Исследователи считают, что это поможет местным фермерам выращивать и продавать свою продукцию — сейчас это незаконно, а земли в пределах зоны отчуждения официально считаются загрязненными. Яблони растут в поселки Народичи, прилегающем к зоне отчуждения.

Persons: Джим Смит, Смит Organizations: Чернобыльская АЭС, ВВС, Университет Портсмута Locations: Киев, Карпатах, Великобритания, годуПричиной, Народичи

☆ GALERIE FOTO/ 35 de ani de la cea mai mare catastrofă atomică din lume. Cum arată Cernobîl după dezastrul nuclear
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-26 | by ( ) www.zdg.md time to read: +4 min

Astăzi, 26 aprilie, se împlinesc 35 de ani de la cea mai mare catastrofă atomică din lume – explozia de la centrala Cernobîl. Motivul: o combinație fatală între un test nereușit și o echipă de specialiști fără experiență. Cum arată Cernobîl la 35 de ani de la explozieUn fotograf olandez a realizat o serie de fotografii în Ucraina, la Cernobîl, locul fostei centrale nucleare. Cadrele surprinse de fotograful Erwin Zwaan arată modul în care natura își revendică drepturile în orașul abandonat în urmă cu 35 de ani. Împreună cu el au fost condamnaţi alţi cinci subalterni, care au primit între 10 si 12 ani de detenţie.

Persons: Erwin Zwaan, Viktor Briuhanov, Împreună Organizations: Ruşii Locations: Cernobîl, Uniunii Sovietice, Europei, Americii de Nord, Ucraina, Belarus, Rusia, Europa Centrală, Ungariei, România, Grecia, Bulgaria, Turcia, Suedia, Kaluga, Tula, Orel, Belarusul, olandez, Profimedia

☆ 35 de ani de la explozia de la Cernobîl, cea mai mare catastrofă nucleară civilă. Cum arată acum zona de excludere
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-26 | by ( ) ziuadeazi.md time to read: +61 min

– THIS MONTH marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated. – THIS MONTH marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated. – THIS MONTH marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated. – THIS MONTH marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated. – THIS MONTH marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated.

☆ 35 de ani de la catastrofa de la Cernobâl; Dinspre Chișinău spre locul avariei au fost duși peste 3500 de lichidatori
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-26 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +5 min

Sursa foto: Igor Kostin35 de ani de la catastrofa de la Cernobâl; Dinspre Chișinău spre locul avariei au fost duși peste 3500 de lichidatoriAstăzi se împlinesc 35 de ani de la catastrofa de la Cernobâl, care s-a soldat cu mii de morţi şi a contaminat până la trei sferturi din continentul european. La 26 aprilie 1986 a explodat Reactorul 4 al centralei nucleare, iar multe zile după aceea, conducerea sovietică a păstrat tăcerea. Acoperişul reactorului, greu de o mie de tone, a fost aruncat în aer, iar un nor uriaş radioactiv a cuprins mare parte din Europa, inclusiv Moldova. Tchernobyl accident April 1986 - nuclear power station at Pripyat in the soviet union was the worst in the history of nuclear power generation the accident caused the the quick deaths of more than 30 people & 200 more contracted serious radiation sickness. On April 26, 1986, reactor N. 4 of the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, in the Ukrainian Soviet Republic blew up during a test of its emergency system, creating the worst nuclear accident in history.

☆ Ce îi unește pe moldovenii din diasporă în afara perioadelor electorale — Moldova.org
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-13 | by ( Natalia Graur | Nata Albot | ) www.moldova.org time to read: +6 min

Tot în această perioadă am început să-mi pun tot felul de întrebări despre identitate și naționalitate și dacă mă simt eu diasporă. Totuși, ce înseamnă diaspora în afara perioadelor electorale (care sunt tot mai scurte în Moldova)? Mă simțeam diasporă atunci când am fost la vot și am stat la coadă. De Sânziene – ziua iei – sper să port ia mea.”Anatol Graur, SpaniaAnatol Graur„Nu mă simt parte din diasporă pentru că nici nu știu ce-i unește pe moldovenii de peste hotare, în afara faptului că sunt peste hotare. Mă simt diasporă atunci când cineva mă întreabă de unde sunt.

Persons: Diana Bartosiak, Polonia Diana, Paști, Anna Partas, Germania Anna Partas, Irina, Mark Stam, Elena Boguș, Oman Elena Boguș, Anna, Maria, Britanie Anna, Maria Racu, Diana Cazacu, Norvegia Diana Cazacu, Moldovei, Anatol Graur, Spania Anatol Graur, Ghenadie Popescu Locations: Londra, Moldova, Cernobîl, Europa, America de Sud, Polonia, Germania, Qatar, n.a, Oman, Chișinău, Maria Racu, Norvegia, Oslo, Moldovei, Spania, Mordor

☆ Ucraina vrea să înscrie Cernobîl în patrimoniul mondial UNESCO
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-13 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +5 min

Ucraina doreşte să includă zona de excludere Cernobîl, în care se află oraşul Pripiat din nord-vestul ţării, cu imobilele şi spaţiile sale de joacă abandonate, în patrimoniul mondial UNESCO. Ideea înscrierii zonei de excludere Cernobîl în patrimoniul UNESCO a fost propusă de noul ministru ucrainean al Culturii, Oleksandr Tkacenko, numit în această funcţie în urmă cu şase luni, după o îndelungată carieră în industria de televiziune. „Este unul dintre teritoriile cele mai emblematice ale Ucrainei” şi trebuie să fie „conservat pentru omenire”, a subliniat oficialul ucrainean. Anul trecut, succesul mondial al miniseriei TV "Chernobyl", produsă de postul american HBO, a determinat apariţia unei noi generaţii de vizitatori, mari amatori de selfie-uri. Situl ucrainean ar putea să atragă chiar şi un milion de turişti pe an, a declarat, entuziasmat, Aleksandr Tkacenko.

Persons: Franţa, Deşi, Chernobîl, Aleksandr Tkacenko Organizations: UNESCO, Agerpres, american HBO, Ministerul Culturii Locations: Ucraina, Pripiat, ţării, Kiev, Educaţie, Ucrainei, Taj Mahal, India, Stonehenge, Saint, Michel, Luxemburgului, Cernobîl, U.R.S.S, american

☆ Ucraina vrea să înscrie Cernobâl în patrimoniul mondial UNESCO; Zona nu va mai putea fi locuită cel puțin 24.000 de ani
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-13 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +4 min

„Din păcate, acest loc nu are un statut oficial”, a continuat el, care speră că această iniţiativă ar fi de ajutor „pentru dezvoltarea de infrastructuri turistice”. Ideea înscrierii zonei de excludere Cernobîl în patrimoniul UNESCO a fost propusă de noul ministru ucrainean al Culturii, Oleksandr Tkacenko, numit în această funcţie în urmă cu şase luni, după o îndelungată carieră în industria de televiziune. „Este unul dintre teritoriile cele mai emblematice ale Ucrainei” şi trebuie să fie „conservat pentru omenire”, a subliniat oficialul ucrainean. Situl ucrainean ar putea să atragă chiar şi un milion de turişti pe an, a declarat, entuziasmat, Aleksandr Tkacenko. Ministrul ucrainean spune că acum „a sosit momentul” să facem acest lucru.

Persons: Franţa, Deşi, Chernobîl, Aleksandr Tkacenko Organizations: UNESCO, Agerpres, american HBO, Ministerul Culturii Locations: Kiev, Educaţie, Ucrainei, Taj Mahal, India, Stonehenge, Saint, Michel, Luxemburgului, Cernobîl, U.R.S.S, Ucraina, american

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