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☆ Law & Order SVU's Maurice Compte: Boundaries between good and bad can be 'blurry'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Arturo Conde | Arturo Conde Is An Editor | A Bilingual Freelance Journalist. He Writes For La Opinión A Coruña | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Police dramas often define a clear line between good and bad. But Cuban American actor Maurice Compte, who plays Captain Mike Duarte on the 24th season of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” says the policemen and gang members he grew up with make that line more blurry in real life. The actor told NBC News that he knew both policemen and gang members — some of whom he said were in the Latin Kings. Beyond the imaginary TV line that divides characters into good and bad, there's a more complicated reality that drives both sides to belong to a community, he said. “At its best, I understood why they were doing it,” Compte said, referring to the gang members that he knew from his neighborhood.

☆ Elon Musk teases release of the 'Fauci Files,' following his previous scathing criticism of the medical expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said the next Twitter Files release would include information about Anthony Fauci. Musk targeted the doctor and scientist in December by tweeting: "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci." Musk targeted Fauci in early December when he tweeted: "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci." Meanwhile, journalists appointed by Musk have been discussing several controversies arising from what are known as the Twitter Files. But the Twitter CEO and some freelance journalists are annoyed that the Twitter Files haven't received more support from the press.

☆ Elon Musk slams 'corporate journalism' over its response to the Twitter Files: 'Why is it rushing to defend the state instead of the people?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk accused "corporate journalism" of failing to side with the people over the Twitter Files. Musk retweeted a Substack article that criticized CNN for a report that denied his accusations. Musk added: "Why is corporate journalism rushing to defend the state instead of the people?" FBI agents then sent emails to Twitter staff suggesting certain accounts be banned for spreading misinformation about issues such as election integrity, per the Twitter Files. But Musk and some freelance journalists are annoyed that the Twitter Files haven't received more support from the press.

☆ I tried out Meta's $1,500 virtual reality headset to attend a meeting in the metaverse. The tech was undeniably cool, but after 20 minutes I was relieved to take it off.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I was invited to try Meta's $1,500 virtual reality headset at its Kings Cross office in London. I used the device to attend a meeting in Horizon Workrooms — Meta's collaborative work tool in VR. The device gives users access to Horizon Worlds, a social universe in Meta's metaverse. Breakout rooms in Meta's Horizon Workrooms. Gaskell pointed out that VR "doesn't address" some of the primary concerns about remote work including proximity bias and networking.

Family members amble through the front door with more gifts, so the kids form a gift-opening assembly line that starts from youngest to oldest. Oh, the gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts! I can’t control what others give my kids, but I can control our understanding of material objects and values. Often, on these boisterous multigenerational family holiday celebrations, the conversation inevitably turns toward nostalgia. “Remember when even buying bones was a special treat for our family?” my mom says with eyes twinkling.

Diego Calva as Manny Torres with Brad Pitt as Jack Conrad in "Babylon." Scott Garfield / Paramount PicturesCalva as Manny Torres with Margot Robbie as Nellie LaRoy in "Babylon." Scott Garfield / Paramount Pictures“For Manny, movies are like the door for a bigger universe, for a bigger opportunity,” he said. Calva as Manny Torres in "Babylon." Looking back at the history of silent film, Calva pointed out the contradiction of how talking movies also silenced the voices of people in the industry.

☆ Struggling to afford heating bills, Britons turn to 'warm banks' to keep out the cold
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jeevan Ravindran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 52-year-old, who works as a healthcare assistant in Britain's National Health Service (NHS), is among those who are turning to 'warm banks' - designated spaces where people can go if they cannot afford to turn on their heating at home. When they get cold, Obomese said, they wrap up in their coats or sit on the sofa with blankets. CHRISTMAS STRUGGLES"It's really hard to see them like 'but mummy, I'm cold, I'm cold,'" Obomese said, speaking during a cold snap that led to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. Even though warm banks are providing a refuge for those otherwise trapped in cold homes, library manager Amy Jackson says there is still a stigma attached to using them. She added that it was "such a shame that warm banks actually have to exist in this day and age," and that the service was being used by a wide range of people, including people sleeping rough.

As the new network comedy "Lopez vs. Lopez" airs its midseason episode Friday, Afro Latina actor Selenis Leyva said she's excited about a TV series that wants to change the way Americans see Latinos. “Specifically during these times, we’re always talking about Latino representation.”“Lopez vs. Lopez,” which airs on NBC (NBC News and NBC are part of NBCUniversal), focuses on the generational tension between Mayan Lopez and her estranged father George Lopez — who's also her father in real life. “That connects with a lot of people.”Matt Shively, Selenis Leyva, Brice Gonzalez and Mayan Lopez in "Lopez vs. She believes that “Lopez vs. Lopez” will do the same for other Latinos in TV and film. It feels like I’m representing a group of people that you don’t necessarily see in roles like this.”The midseason episode will feature cameos from the original cast of the "George Lopez" show.

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter bans several prominent journalists without explanation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Twitter on Thursday evening banned the accounts of several high-profile journalists from top news organizations without explanation, apparently marking a significant attempt by new owner Elon Musk to wield his unilateral authority over the platform. Neither Musk nor Twitter responded to a request for comment Thursday evening, and the platform did not explain precisely why the journalists were exiled from the platform. It also called into serious question Musk’s supposed commitment to free speech. We hope that all of the journalists’ accounts are reinstated and that Twitter provides a satisfying explanation for this action.”“Elon says he is a free speech champion and he is banning journalists for exercising free speech,” Harwell told CNN on Thursday. Several of the journalists banned Thursday had covered the ban of the @ElonJet account, and highlighted the irony of Musk’s self-purported mission to advance free speech.

What is it with Elon Musk and pronouns? The implication that respecting someone’s pronouns is somehow an imposition that could potentially result in ostracizing is also wildly off base. And if you can’t even accept something as basic as someone’s pronouns and identity, you’re making it pretty clear that you do not support their civil rights and liberties. The implication that respecting someone’s pronouns is somehow an imposition that could potentially result in ostracizing is also wildly off base. At the end of the day, it costs nothing to respect someone’s pronouns.

This is one of the reasons why Derbez is telling the story of a fictional resort using both English and Spanish. “I was always criticizing movies where I was seeing 007 (referring to the character James Bond) in Brazil and everyone speaks in English,” Derbez, who's also an executive producer of the show, said in an interview with NBC News. And that’s not the way it is.”The same goes for many TV shows being filmed in Mexico, Derbez said, which also show characters speaking only in English. He wants “Acapulco” to stand out by depicting the multilingual reality that he sees and lives in both countries. Episode nine of season two releases Friday on Apple TV+.

☆ I Got Popular on TikTok by Doxxing People With Their Permission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Adrienne Matei | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Kristen, 32, a Chicago-based server best known for her TikTok account, @NotKahnJunior. Kristen uses her TikTok account to "consensually dox" users and reveal their birthdays using just social media. I get a lot of comments that say, "There's no way you can find me because I don't have any information about myself on my TikTok. I'm just the TikTok birthday woman, you know? I don't know if more people want to be anonymous.

☆ China's 'social credit' system ranks citizens and punishes them with throttled internet speeds and flight bans if the Communist Party deems them untrustworthy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Katie Canales | Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Since China doesn't have a central social credit system, many local government agencies have been experimenting with what the system could look like. But the plan is for the social credit system to eventually be mandatory and unified across the nation, with each person given their own unique code used to measure their social credit score in real-time, per Wired. In fact, a national social credit system is currently being proposed. Companies will also be at risk if China passes on its Establishment of the Social Credit System law. Citizens with good social credit can also get discounts on energy bills, rent things without deposits, and get better interest rates at banks.

For Latin Grammy-winning singer Camila Cabello, tapping into "the most authentic version of yourself" is crucial for breaking into the music scene as a new artist. Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello and Blake Shelton on "The Voice." Cabello had her big break on "The X Factor," another singing competition, a decade ago, when she was just 15. It includes bilingual songs and Latin music influences that speak to Cabello's Hispanic roots. Camila Cabello on "The Voice."

A gunman opened fire at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Saturday night, killing five people and injuring 19 others. The shooting at Club Q is a tragic yet predictable outcome of demonizing LGBTQ people and using children as political pawns. Run by Chaya Raichik, Libs of TikTok has targeted LGBTQ people, drag events and Pride celebrations across the country. In addition to Boebert and Libs of TikTok, political leaders like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Florida Gov. We deserve to go to gay bars and drag shows or walk down the street without being attacked or harassed, or killed.

On Sunday the globe’s gaze will turn to the controversial hosts of this year’s soccer World Cup, Qatar. (The Qatar body responsible for putting on the 2022 World Cup has strongly denied these claims.) According to official Qatari figures, 38 migrant workers have died while working on official World Cup projects. An investigation by The Guardian, however, estimates up to 6,500 migrant worker deaths since the World Cup was awarded to the Gulf country, though it’s not clear what their exact relation to World Cup infrastructure was. But the people of the Middle East shouldn’t be punished by having the World Cup tournament withdrawn for the failures of their governments.

☆ Twitter is the world’s digital public square. What happens if it dies?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It is much more than simply a social media website. World leaders use Twitter to communicate, journalists use Twitter to newsgather, dissidents in repressive countries use Twitter to organize, celebrities and major brands use Twitter to make important announcements, and the public uses Twitter to often monitor all of it in real-time. “Twitter vs not Twitter isn’t a simple binary, particularly not for news journalism. And, of course, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others are options. A US senator, for instance, expressed to CNN Thursday night — via Twitter direct messages — that they would miss the platform.

☆ John Leguizamo says food is a 'bait and a lure' in 'The Menu' horror-comedy movie
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Arturo Conde | Arturo Conde Is An Editor | A Bilingual Freelance Journalist. He Writes For La Opinión A Coruña | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The new horror-comedy “The Menu,” uses that allure to trap privileged diners at a high-end banquet, the actor John Leguizamo said in an interview with NBC News. “I loved the clever writing, the beautiful poetry about food, and then obviously the beautiful execution of the food,” he said. Beyond these ruling class stereotypes, however, Leguizamo said he’s proud that “The Menu” puts the spotlight on Latino actors in a different way. Outside of the film, food is nurturing and empowering, Leguizamo said. Lately Leguizamo has been busy traveling across the country and doing a deep dive into the culture — including the iconic foods and restaurants — of several U.S. cities as part of his upcoming documentary series, "Leguizamo Does America."

K9s for Warriors, an organization that has rescued over 1,500 dogs from shelters and trained them as service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, matched Romero with Puppy — an Australian shepherd — in June. His wife, Brenda, who is a nurse practitioner in psychiatry, encouraged him to apply for a service dog. So far, O’Haire said, research based on participants from K9s for Warriors is showing that veterans with service dogs are struggling significantly less. And for those who are employed, there’s five times less absenteeism from work due to health.”But getting a service dog for veterans with PTSD is still a challenge. “The waitlist for service dogs on average tends to be two years.

Black Panther fans nationwide will head to movie theaters this weekend for the much-awaited sequel and tribute to the iconic African superhero that had been embodied by the late Chadwick Boseman. But for many Latinos who want to see their own superhero epics on the silver screen, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is a milestone that features Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta, who is now poised to break into mainstream pop culture. The first Black Panther movie was a groundbreaking blockbuster in 2018 that not only focused primarily on Black characters, but also proved that mainstream audiences wanted to see more diversity in film. “Black Panther” grossed almost $1.35 billion worldwide, with 52% of that box office (just over $700 million) earned in the U.S. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” pits both kingdoms — Wakanda and Talokan — against each other as the outside world plots to tap into their exclusive reserves of vibranium.

As a teen, I remember watching “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston host “Saturday Night Live” back in 2004. In the interview, Aniston divulged that all of the speculation was “really hard,” yet that in the midst of it, she kept trying to get pregnant. If you follow any IVF or childless-not-by-choice communities on social media, you’ll see that people stop trying for different reasons. Whatever the cause, none of us need a reminder that we could’ve just “tried harder.”The comments asserting that Aniston should have adopted after IVF didn’t work are equally obnoxious. It’s too late to undo the damage Aniston experienced, but it is still possible to spare the next childless woman the same treatment.

“I think listening is maybe the most difficult thing to do when someone has a legitimate issue with somebody.”“Lopez vs. Lopez,” which premieres Friday on NBC, fictionalizes the real-life relationship between Lopez and his daughter, Mayan. Lopez said that he spent some time estranged from his daughter, but that they started reconciling at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. He credited writer and producer Debby Wolfe with the idea for creating “Lopez vs. Lopez” after seeing Mayan’s TikToks about their father-daughter relationship. While younger generations of Americans today may share more things in common with their parents than previous generations, Lopez said, Latinos still face big gaps when it comes to being recognized culturally as equals. Reflecting on the legacy Latinos and others can leave, Lopez said unity is crucial.

The setting for the second season of “White Lotus,” which premieres on HBO on Sunday, has shifted from a lavish five-star hotel nestled on a pristine beach in Hawaii to a luxury resort in the foothills of Sicily. What hasn’t changed is that the staff members working at the hotels are more relatable than the guests. Reboots of “Gossip Girl” and “The Kardashians” met similar fates as they failed to reach the heights of their originals. As most of us belong to the 99%, shows that scrutinize the top percentile are that much more delectable. “White Lotus” is one of the shows that manages to navigate both successfully, showcasing trust-fund babies who self-implode without the viewer feeling sorry for them.

Although it is clearly a historic achievement, we should not be fooled into thinking this is a milestone for the U.K.’s minority communities. Sunak, and the ruling Conservative Party he now heads, have been no champions of minority communities like mine. Sunak pointed to his pride in being an immigrant in such a country of opportunity in an early campaign video. Yet it is people of color who make up much of the working-class population that Sunak avoids associating with. Although politicians like Sunak come from immigrant communities, their policies have been to those communities’ detriment.

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Police in the British city of Manchester are investigating an incident involving a protester who appeared to have been pulled inside the grounds of the Chinese consulate and beaten, after a demonstration against Chinese President Xi Jinping. Police on the scene eventually stepped through the gate and pulled the man out. "Greater Manchester Police are aware of an incident that took place at around 3pm on Sunday 16 October 2022 at the Chinese Consulate in Manchester," a police spokesperson told Reuters in a written response. There was no immediate reply to Reuters requests for comment from the Chinese consulate in Manchester and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. The man who was beaten, who Leung said is known by the first name, Bob, had cuts to his face afterwards, Leung said.

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