Editorial: Tales of Terror
A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. In this edition of Trends of Terror, film critic Steve Hutchison reviews 58 horror and horror-adjacent movies with big plot twists sorted from best to worst. How many have you seen?
The Mali Empire emerged in the early 13th century, rising from the remnants of the Ghana Empire and the consolidation of the Malinke people under a visionary leader, Sundiata Keita. The region that would become Mali was already a center of commerce, culture, and political organization, benefiting from its strategic position along the trans-Saharan trade routes. However, it was the collapse of Ghana and the subsequent struggle for power that allowed Mali to emerge as a dominant force in West Africa. The Ghana Empire, which had once controlled vast gold reserves and major trade routes, began to decline due to internal conflicts, overexpansion, and pressure from external forces such as the Almoravid invasions. As Ghana weakened, many of its vassal states and ethnic groups, including the Malinke people, sought independence and new opportunities for leadership. The Malinke, a subgroup of the Mande-speaking people, inhabited the area along the upper Niger River and had long engaged in trade and farming. Their political organization had been fragmented, but under Sundiata Keita, they would come together to form a unified and powerful state. Sundiata Keita’s rise to power is deeply rooted in legend and oral tradition, preserved in the Epic of Sundiata. According to the narrative, Sundiata was born into the Keita royal family but faced exile due to political rivalries. During this time, the Sosso Kingdom, under the rule of Sumanguru Kanté, expanded its influence and sought to dominate the Malinke. Sundiata, gathering allies among different clans and neighboring groups, returned from exile to lead a coalition against Sumanguru at the Battle of Kirina around 1235. His victory in this decisive conflict not only ended Sosso rule but also laid the foundation for the Mali Empire.Ver libro
The following is the audio track for Don't Be a Sucker, a 1943 anti-fascism propaganda film financed and produced by the United States Army Signal Corps, and shot at the Warners studio. The film stars Paul Lukas, Felix Bressart, Bob Bailey, Kurt Kreuger, and narrated by Lloyd Nolan. It follows a young American Freemason taken in by the message of a soap-box orator who asserts that all good jobs in the country are being taken by minorities, domestic and foreign. He then falls into a conversation with a refugee professor who tells him of the pattern of events that brought Hitler to power in Germany and how Germany's anti-democratic groups split the country into helpless minorities, each hating the other. The professor concludes by pointing out that America is composed of many minorities, but all are united as Americans. The film was re-issued in 1946 following the end of World War II.Ver libro
Over 125 years after her introduction, the Wicked Witch of the West remains an icon of popular culture. Known by many names, she consistently defies expectations and wields her power unapologetically. At the heart of her everlasting appeal is her embodiment of feminist ideals that resonate today. In The Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon, Lona Bailey explores the radical feministic undertones of one of the most enduring characters in popular culture. This book traces her transformation over the past century, highlighting how she has evolved through countless adaptations from The Wizard of Oz to the film adaptation of Wicked while maintaining her core identity as a powerful, defiant figure. To understand why the Witch remains captivating more than a century after her creation, Bailey delves into the radical feminism underlying her character and examines how she has been reinterpreted since her debut. From the suffrage movement to the fight for reproductive rights, and from the #MeToo movement to ongoing battles against gender stereotypes, the Witch symbolizes the struggles and triumphs women face. By exploring the Witch's feminist evolution, listeners will gain insight into why her character continues to resonate with generations of women.Ver libro
In my thirty-five years as a private music instructor, the question I'm asked the most by parents is: "How can I get my child to practice?" And, in this crazy-busy time, it gets asked even more! In this discussion, I will give you answers to this question, as well as a heap of advice on helping your young musician/singer/dancer become the very best s/he can be! Put these strategies to use and you will be helping your child maintain an endeavor that will last a lifetime and provide joy, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment along the way!Ver libro
Design offers so much more than an aesthetically pleasing logo or banner, a beautification add-on after the heavy lifting. In Reimagining Design, Kevin Bethune shows how design provides a unique angle on problem-solving—how it can be leveraged strategically to cultivate innovation and anchor multidisciplinary teamwork. As he does so, he describes his journey as a Black professional through corporate America, revealing the power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity. In Bethune's account, diversity, equity, and inclusion emerge as a recurring theme. He shows how, as we leverage design for innovation, we also need to consider the broader ecological implications of our decisions and acknowledge the threads of systemic injustice in order to realize positive change. His book is for anyone who has felt like the "other"—and also for allies who want to encourage anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-ageist behaviors in the workplace. Design transformation takes leadership—leaders who do not act as gatekeepers but, with agility and nimbleness, build teams that mirror the marketplace. Design in harmony with other disciplines can be incredibly powerful; multidisciplinary team collaboration is the foundation of future innovation. With insight and compassion, Bethune provides a framework for bringing this about.Ver libro
In Ray Kurzweil's New York Times bestseller The Singularity is Near, the futurist and entrepreneur describes the Singularity, a likely future utterly different than anything we can imagine. The Singularity is triggered by the tremendous growth of human and computing intelligence that is an almost inevitable outcome of Moore's Law. Since the book's publication, the coming of the Singularity is now eagerly anticipated by many of the leading thinkers in Silicon Valley, from PayPal mastermind Peter Thiel to Google co-founder Larry Page. The formation of the Singularity University, and the huge popularity of the Singularity website kurzweilai.com, speak to the importance of this intellectual movement. But what about the average person? How will the Singularity affect our daily lives—our jobs, our families, and our wealth? Singularity Rising: Surviving and Thriving in a Smarter, Richer, and More Dangerous World focuses on the implications of a future society faced with an abundance of human and artificial intelligence. James D. Miller, an economics professor and popular speaker on the Singularity, reveals how natural selection has been increasing human intelligence over the past few thousand years and speculates on how intelligence enhancements will shape civilization over the next forty years. Miller considers several possible scenarios in this coming singularity: A merger of man and machine making society fantastically wealthy and nearly immortal Competition with billions of cheap AIs drive human wages to almost nothing while making investors rich Businesses rethink investment decisions to take into account an expected future period of intense creative destruction Inequality drops worldwide as technologies mitigate the cognitive cost of living in impoverished environments Drugs designed to fight Alzheimer's disease and keep soldiers alert on battlefields have the fortunate side effect of increasing all of their users' IQs, which, in turn, adds a percentage points to worldwide economic growth Singularity Rising offers predictions about the economic implications for a future of widely expanding intelligence and practical career and investment advice on flourishing on the way to the Singularity.Ver libro
