newyorkpost--2020-12-07--NYC COVID-19 cases linked to Burning Man-style Tulum festival

A Burning Man-style festival in Mexico turned into a coronavirus super-spreader event — with several attendees bringing COVID-19 back with them to New York City , according to a report on Monday .
Private COVID-19 testing company Checkmate Health Strategies said that over half of its recent positive cases in the Big Apple were directly tied to the Art With Me event in Tulum , The Daily Beast reported .
“ I would say that 60-70 percent of my positives in the last couple weeks in New York City have been a direct result of either people coming back from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been directly exposed to someone who attended Art With Me , ” said founder Eleonora Walczak .
The four-day festival — which involves art workshops and group meditations by day and raging partying by night — took place as planned from Nov. 11 and 15 in COVID-ravaged Mexico .
Though organizers issued recommendations to curb the spread of the virus , a number of guests and performers told the Daily Beast there was virtually no mask-wearing or social distancing .
“ I have nothing good to say about this event , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fest .
“ All I will say is that there was not one mask and I got more sick than I ever did in my entire life after that party.
” Videos obtained by the outlet showed hundreds of maskless people writhing around to electronic music in what appeared to be a tent .
“ The way that they ’ re jam-packed on the dance floor—it ’ s very dangerous during this time , ” said Anna Yeung-Cheung , a microbiologist at Manhattanville College .
An administrator at the Hospital de Tulum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bash were admitted with COVID-19 , almost all tourists from North America and South American countries , including Chile and Argentina .
Walczak , of the testing company , said that events such as this one should at a minimum implement a testing strategy .
“ I understand the psychological component of wanting to socialize , ” she said , “ but what I do find grossly negligent and highly irresponsible is , individuals who have enough money to attend these events have the appropriate tools to screen properly , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is what ’ s really troublesome.
” Art With Me didn ’ t comment to The Daily Beast .

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A Burning Man-style festival in Mexico turned into a coronavirus superspreader event — with several attendees bringing COVID-19 back with them to New York City, according to a report on Monday.
Private COVID-19 testing company Checkmate Health Strategies said over half of its recent positive cases in the Big Apple were directly tied to the Art With Me event in Tulum, the Daily Beast reported.
“I would say that 60 to 70 percent of my positives in the last couple weeks in New York City have been a direct result of either people coming back from Art With Me — or who have been directly exposed to someone who attended Art With Me,” said founder Eleonora Walczak.
The four-day festival — which involves art workshops and group meditations by day and raging partying by night — took place as planned from Nov. 11 to 15 in COVID-ravaged Mexico.
Though organizers issued recommendations to curb the spread of the virus, a number of guests and performers told the Daily Beast there was virtually no mask-wearing or social distancing.
Facebook
“I have nothing good to say about this event,” said a woman who got COVID-19 after attending the fest.
“All I will say is that there was not one mask and I got more sick than I ever did in my entire life after that party.”
Videos obtained by the outlet showed hundreds of maskless people writhing around to electronic music in what appeared to be a tent.
“The way that they’re jam-packed on the dance floor — it’s very dangerous during this time,” said Anna Yeung-Cheung, a microbiologist at Manhattanville College.
An administrator at the Hospital de Tulum said “multiple people” who attended the bash were admitted with COVID-19, almost all tourists from North America and South American countries, including Chile and Argentina.
Walczak, of the testing company, said events such as this one should at a minimum implement a testing strategy.
“I understand the psychological component of wanting to socialize,” she said, “but what I do find grossly negligent and highly irresponsible is, individuals who have enough money to attend these events have the appropriate tools to screen properly, and the fact that they’re not screening is what’s really troublesome.”
Art With Me didn’t comment to the Daily Beast.


newyorkpost--2020-12-07--By bending to teachers union, de Blasio repeatedly fails NY schoolchildren

Since New York City first went into lockdown in March , ...

Mayor de Blasio’s decision to reopen the schools to preschool and elementary kids this week is a welcome first step on the road to normalcy. But it follows a series of avoidable missteps — namely, the mayor’s needless concessions to the United Federation of Teachers.
Combine Hizzoner’s foolish solicitude for the union with understandable but uninformed fear on the part of teachers and some parents, and an unfortunate theme emerges: Children suffered grievously owing to the irresponsibility of adults upon whom they rely.
The UFT’s demands have left kids dependent on a damaging patchwork of remote instruction, which began in the 2019-20 year and continued into this year. Meanwhile, many of the city’s charter, private and religious schools mounted effective remote instruction last spring and used the summer months to sharpen their online-education infrastructure and/or design safe procedures for in-person re-opening.
Their successes testify to what can be accomplished when schools are unfettered by union contracts. For public schools to move beyond the herky-jerky approach of the last six months and emulate private-sector progress, the mayor needs to start doing the opposite of what his instincts command.
He needs to truly lead, rather than mediate between competing demands — even if that means disappointing those he views as allies.
Despite evidence of the safety of schools, the teachers union threatened to strike in early September. The move was apparently driven by the union’s social-justice caucus, a minority with a hard-left agenda. New York state’s Taylor Law, prohibits public unions from striking, and the enforcement penalties are stiff: Striking employees lose two days’ pay for every day they strike, and their union loses the right to have membership dues deducted directly from their members’ paychecks.
Knowing this — and given the fact that the UFT has not actually waged a strike since 1975 — the mayor could have easily stood up to the union. Instead, he offered concessions that resulted in the same outcome as a strike: closed schools.
Had he been thinking strategically, he could have put the pending back pay due to teachers from a 2013 agreement and raises from a 2017 agreement on the table, to temper excessive union demands. He didn’t, saddling the city’s taxpayers with greater costs in October.
Oh, he also promised to not lay off any teachers through June 2021. What did he get in return? Nothing.
And unions got to shutter schools at a viral-positivity threshold of 3 percent, well below the 5 percent threshold recommended by even the World Health Organization. As a result, schools did close in November, despite a positive test rate of 0.0028 in schools. The real fears of teachers notwithstanding, these closings lack a scientific basis.
Experience continues to drive that point home: Schools haven’t been vectors for the spread of the infection in Europe. Nor have they been in private and religious schools that have been open in New York. Nor in suburban public schools. Nor the city’s own schools. Some parents, too, are driven by fear that runs counter to the facts.
The late August poll commissioned by Education Trust-NY indicated that black parents in the city school system were much less likely (34 percent) to send their children into school buildings for instruction than were white parents (84 percent). Across all races, 85 percent of those parents who said they wouldn’t send their children into schools cited fear of their child contracting the coronavirus; an equal number cited the fear that their child would pass the virus on to an elderly family member.
But again, we know that children are at a minuscule risk from the virus and transmit it at a lower rate than adults. Even as vaccines begin to come online, simply opening the schools won’t be enough. State and city educational leaders will need to make clear to parents that school attendance is mandatory under state law, and that there will be consequences if students aren’t at school.
Unfortunately, the city school system has been sending the wrong message on this front since March by failing to collect and report student attendance data and essentially ending the practice of student assessment.
It is time for the city to get serious about delivering the necessary education to all its students. Failing to do so will produce real and measurable negative impacts on students’ current and future well-being — including their health.
Ray Domanico is director of education policy at the Manhattan Institute.


newyorkpost--2020-12-07--COVID-19 hit the working class hardest — just when it was finally doing better

Just when it seemed some of the most disheartening trends in the US economy were finally beginning to reverse , COVID arrived to entrench them .
The pandemic has been a neutron bomb targeted at the prospects of lower-income working people .
They had finally begun to benefit from the recovery from the Great Recession when the virus ravaged industries that disproportionately employ them .
Wars and depressions often reduce economic inequality .
Not the pandemic .
The Washington Post has called the resulting economic damage “ the most unequal recession in modern US history.
” As the paper puts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at their job , the more likely they were to lose it.
” The pandemic has hammered the services industry , especially restaurants , hotels and places of entertainment , all of which don ’ t pay high wages and tend to employ women and minorities .
It has cut a swathe through small business .
It has slammed workers who can ’ t retreat to home offices to do their work via Zoom calls .
In short , it has taken all the tendencies of our knowledge economy that benefit the better-educated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more pronounced , amid a public-health crisis that has also hit the most vulnerable the hardest .
Survey data have shown that affluent people have been socially distancing more , and why not ?
It ’ s easier for them .
According to a Gallup survey earlier this year , 71 percent of people in the top income quintile said they were working from home , whereas 45 percent of people in the bottom quintile stayed at home and were unable to work .
A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs impossible to perform from home tend to be “ less educated , of lower income , have fewer liquid assets relative to income and are more likely renters.
” Workers in such jobs were more likely to become unemployed , and non-college-educated workers experienced a four-point-larger drop in employment than college-educated workers .
Jobs at the top have bounced back since the spring , and affluent people might have more wealth than ever , given the increase in home values and the frothy stock market .
The story is different farther down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post analysis , Hispanic Americans experienced the sharpest loss in employment with the onset of the pandemic .
The young were particularly hard hit ; 20 percent of those aged 20 to 24 lost their jobs .
Mothers with children aged 6 to 12 , called upon to fill the gaps created by school closings , have been particularly slow to re-enter the labor market .
Similarly , mom-and-pop businesses have fared poorly .
A survey by Alignable , a small-business social network , found nearly 50 percent of small businesses say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to stay in business , with travel businesses and gyms and beauty salons at particular risk .
The pandemic has torn apart what the long recovery since the Great Recession had slowly , too slowly , built .
Since 2010 , a lion ’ s share of new jobs were created in the services industry , which has been trashed by the virus .
In 2019 , black employment had hit record levels .
It plummeted last spring , and black men have recovered less than half of their pre-pandemic employment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stymied , with the labor-force participation rate the lowest it ’ s been in about 50 years .
Mass vaccination next year should take the edge off this economic dislocation , but it ’ s easier to destroy than create .
The Federal Reserve estimates that employment won ’ t fully bounce back until 2023 .
What is to be done ?
Policy makers need to realize that when they promulgate lockdown restrictions , they are usually asking the people with the least economic margin for error to sacrifice the most .
Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to cushion the blow of a natural disaster that has immiserated many millions of people through no fault of their own .
And the incoming Biden administration ideally would realize that fashionable causes like climate change need to take a backseat to the pursuit of full economic recovery .
The economic pain isn ’ t the worst that the pandemic has wrought , but it can ’ t be ignored .

Just when it seemed some of the most disheartening trends in the US economy were finally beginning to reverse, COVID arrived to entrench them.
The pandemic has been a neutron bomb targeted at the prospects of lower-income working people.
They had finally begun to benefit from the recovery from the Great Recession when the virus ravaged industries that disproportionately employ them. Wars and depressions often reduce economic inequality. Not the pandemic. The Washington Post has called the resulting economic damage “the most unequal recession in modern US history.”
As the paper puts it, “the less workers earned at their job, the more likely they were to lose it.” The pandemic has hammered the services industry, especially restaurants, hotels and places of entertainment, all of which don’t pay high wages and tend to employ women and minorities.
It has cut a swathe through small business. It has slammed workers who can’t retreat to home offices to do their work via Zoom calls. In short, it has taken all the tendencies of our knowledge economy that benefit the better-educated and disadvantage non-college-educated workers and made them more pronounced, amid a public-health crisis that has also hit the most vulnerable the hardest.
Survey data have shown that affluent people have been socially distancing more, and why not? It’s easier for them. According to a Gallup survey earlier this year, 71 percent of people in the top income quintile said they were working from home, whereas 45 percent of people in the bottom quintile stayed at home and were unable to work.
A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper published last May found that workers in high-proximity jobs impossible to perform from home tend to be “less educated, of lower income, have fewer liquid assets relative to income and are more likely renters.”
Workers in such jobs were more likely to become unemployed, and non-college-educated workers experienced a four-point-larger drop in employment than college-educated workers. Jobs at the top have bounced back since the spring, and affluent people might have more wealth than ever, given the increase in home values and the frothy stock market.
The story is different farther down the income scale. According to the Washington Post analysis, Hispanic Americans experienced the sharpest loss in employment with the onset of the pandemic. The young were particularly hard hit; 20 percent of those aged 20 to 24 lost their jobs. Mothers with children aged 6 to 12, called upon to fill the gaps created by school closings, have been particularly slow to re-enter the labor market. Similarly, mom-and-pop businesses have fared poorly.
A survey by Alignable, a small-business social network, found nearly 50 percent of small businesses say they are generating less revenue than they need to stay in business, with travel businesses and gyms and beauty salons at particular risk. The pandemic has torn apart what the long recovery since the Great Recession had slowly, too slowly, built.
Since 2010, a lion’s share of new jobs were created in the services industry, which has been trashed by the virus. In 2019, black employment had hit record levels. It plummeted last spring, and black men have recovered less than half of their pre-pandemic employment. Positive trends in labor-force participation have been stymied, with the labor-force participation rate the lowest it’s been in about 50 years.
Mass vaccination next year should take the edge off this economic dislocation, but it’s easier to destroy than create. The Federal Reserve estimates that employment won’t fully bounce back until 2023.
What is to be done?
Policy makers need to realize that when they promulgate lockdown restrictions, they are usually asking the people with the least economic margin for error to sacrifice the most. Congress needs to pass a new stimulus bill, to cushion the blow of a natural disaster that has immiserated many millions of people through no fault of their own.
And the incoming Biden administration ideally would realize that fashionable causes like climate change need to take a backseat to the pursuit of full economic recovery. The economic pain isn’t the worst that the pandemic has wrought, but it can’t be ignored.
Twitter: @RichLowry


newyorkpost--2020-12-07--Matthew McConaughey: A Hollywood star who actually thinks for himself

It ’ s nice to see that some Hollywood A-listers refuse to be mindless mouthpieces for whackadoodle leftism .
Last week on Russell Brand ’ s podcast “ Under the Skin , ” Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey called out the hypocrisy of more than a few of his peers for insulting those who doubt this year ’ s election results .
Brand , a star in his own right , noted that elite liberals tend to unequivocally condemn “ ordinary working people ” who support Trump .
McConaughey agreed , adding that many on the left automatically “ condescend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 percent.
” He pointed out how nearly the entire industry was in denial over President Trump ’ s win four years ago , but the same folks now mock Americans who have mirror-image reactions now .
He also hit Hollywood ’ s efforts to get people to vote .
Celebrities encourage everyone to head to the polls — but then add that there ’ s only one right way to vote , negating the opinions of half the country .
McConaughey calls for an “ aggressively centric ” attitude that respects both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more likely to be targeted as an evil heretic .

It’s nice to see that some Hollywood A-listers refuse to be mindless mouthpieces for whackadoodle leftism.
Last week on Russell Brand’s podcast “Under the Skin,” Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey called out the hypocrisy of more than a few of his peers for insulting those who doubt this year’s election results.
Brand, a star in his own right, noted that elite liberals tend to unequivocally condemn “ordinary working people” who support Trump.
McConaughey agreed, adding that many on the left automatically “condescend, patronize and are arrogant towards the other 50 percent.” He pointed out how nearly the entire industry was in denial over President Trump’s win four years ago, but the same folks now mock Americans who have mirror-image reactions now.
He also hit Hollywood’s efforts to get people to vote. Celebrities encourage everyone to head to the polls — but then add that there’s only one right way to vote, negating the opinions of half the country.
McConaughey calls for an “aggressively centric” attitude that respects both sides. Sadly, he’s more likely to be targeted as an evil heretic.


newyorkpost--2020-12-07--NY’s job-killers trying to ‘preserve’ industrial wasteland in Flushing

Heedless of the dire economic perils the city faces in the wake of the pandemic , New York ’ s anti-development zealots are now looking to kill the rezoning of the barren Flushing waterfront for residential housing and job creation .
Having killed the Amazon headquarters in Long Island City and the Industry City rezoning in Brooklyn , the ideologues and special interests think they own the city .
Both the Queens and Brooklyn project sites remain fallow .
The Flushing project has the approval of the City Planning Commission and the local community board .
It consists of 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with affordable housing set-asides — nearly 900 hotel rooms and 700,000 square feet of commercial space .
That would replace .
.
.
a U-Haul storage facility and parking lots .
Will a tiny but vocal group of anti-development activists stop it ?
“ When the voices of only a narrow group are looked at , you ’ re going to continue to see things like Flushing , Industry City and Amazon fall apart , ” Carlo Scissura , president of the New York Building Congress , told The Post .
Yet City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lefty activists who have become a force in elections , say they ’ re “ deeply concerned ” about the developers ’ plans .
That ’ s been enough to repeatedly postpone a key council committee vote on the project .
And new Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told The Post : “ The challenge with this project as it stands is that this is not a project that is going to help communities grow .
We have to have economic growth that works for everyone.
” What kind of growth works for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their way , it will be the death of New York .
There ’ s nothing progressive or woke about killing working-class housing and jobs .

Heedless of the dire economic perils the city faces in the wake of the pandemic, New York’s anti-development zealots are now looking to kill the rezoning of the barren Flushing waterfront for residential housing and job creation.
Having killed the Amazon headquarters in Long Island City and the Industry City rezoning in Brooklyn, the ideologues and special interests think they own the city.
Both the Queens and Brooklyn project sites remain fallow.
The Flushing project has the approval of the City Planning Commission and the local community board. It consists of 13 high-rise apartment towers offering 1,700 units — with affordable housing set-asides — nearly 900 hotel rooms and 700,000 square feet of commercial space. That would replace . . . a U-Haul storage facility and parking lots.
Will a tiny but vocal group of anti-development activists stop it? “When the voices of only a narrow group are looked at, you’re going to continue to see things like Flushing, Industry City and Amazon fall apart,” Carlo Scissura, president of the New York Building Congress, told The Post.
Yet City Council members, wary of crossing the lefty activists who have become a force in elections, say they’re “deeply concerned” about the developers’ plans. That’s been enough to repeatedly postpone a key council committee vote on the project.
And new Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told The Post: “The challenge with this project as it stands is that this is not a project that is going to help communities grow. We have to have economic growth that works for everyone.” What kind of growth works for everyone?
If anti-development forces keep getting their way, it will be the death of New York. There’s nothing progressive or woke about killing working-class housing and jobs.


newyorkpost--2020-12-07--House to pass defense bill without Big Tech proviso despite Trump veto threat

The House of Representatives is poised to pass a $ 740 billion defense bill on Tuesday despite President Trump ’ s veto threat , but it ’ s unclear if enough Republicans will break with the president to override his veto .
Trump threatened to veto the bill last week because it does not repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act , a liability shield for Internet platforms that host third-party content , including social media companies .
Trump says companies like Twitter and Facebook should lose protection because they are politically biased publishers and not neutral forums .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would rename 10 military bases that honor Confederate leaders , such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina .
The vote on the National Defense Authorization Act will be a test of Trump ’ s lame-duck influence over Republicans in Congress as some conservatives urge them to break ranks and vote for the bill .
Among those thumbing their nose at Trump is Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry , the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee .
“ I ’ m hoping for a strong vote tomorrow .
I think the stronger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having to deal with a veto later , ” Thornberry said Monday “ I ’ m hopeful that a strong vote can persuade the White House that there ’ s a better approach to that issue so you ’ re not punishing the troops for something that is totally unrelated , ” Thornberry said .
Two-thirds support in both chambers of Congress is required to override a veto , meaning a substantial number of Republicans would have to support the bill .
If the bill passes the House by a large margin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) will decide if it gets a vote .
Similar versions of the legislation previously passed the House and Senate this year , but the differences were reconciled in the current version .
Some Senate Republicans , including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Josh Hawley of Missouri , support repealing Section 230 within the defense bill .
Both senators cite Twitter and Facebook censoring The Post ’ s reporting in October on President-elect Joe Biden ’ s apparent links to his Hunter ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Biden , also support revising or repealing Section 230 .
But Sen. James Inhofe ( R-Okla. ) , the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee , opposes undoing the delicate deal that ’ s currently in place .
“ It ’ s unfortunate that Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle disagree with the need for a full repeal — but , because of that , it is impossible to add a repeal of Section 230 to the defense authorization bill , ” Inhofe said last week .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the first time in 60 years , we would not have an NDAA , ” he said .
“ Without an NDAA , our troops would not get flight pay .
They wouldn ’ t get hazard pay or any other specialty pay that requires annual authorization for our service members overseas get what they need .
”

The House of Representatives is poised to pass a $740 billion defense bill on Tuesday despite President Trump’s veto threat, but it’s unclear if enough Republicans will break with the president to override his veto.
Trump threatened to veto the bill last week because it does not repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a liability shield for Internet platforms that host third-party content, including social media companies.
Trump says companies like Twitter and Facebook should lose protection because they are politically biased publishers and not neutral forums.
Trump also opposes provisions in the bill that would rename 10 military bases that honor Confederate leaders, such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
The vote on the National Defense Authorization Act will be a test of Trump’s lame-duck influence over Republicans in Congress as some conservatives urge them to break ranks and vote for the bill.
Among those thumbing their nose at Trump is Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.
“I’m hoping for a strong vote tomorrow. I think the stronger the vote, the less chance of having to deal with a veto later,” Thornberry said Monday
“I’m hopeful that a strong vote can persuade the White House that there’s a better approach to that issue so you’re not punishing the troops for something that is totally unrelated,” Thornberry said.
Two-thirds support in both chambers of Congress is required to override a veto, meaning a substantial number of Republicans would have to support the bill.
If the bill passes the House by a large margin, it still must pass the Republican-held Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will decide if it gets a vote.
Similar versions of the legislation previously passed the House and Senate this year, but the differences were reconciled in the current version.
Some Senate Republicans, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Josh Hawley of Missouri, support repealing Section 230 within the defense bill. Both senators cite Twitter and Facebook censoring The Post’s reporting in October on President-elect Joe Biden’s apparent links to his son Hunter’s overseas business dealings.
Many Democrats, including Biden, also support revising or repealing Section 230.
But Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, opposes undoing the delicate deal that’s currently in place.
“It’s unfortunate that Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle disagree with the need for a full repeal — but, because of that, it is impossible to add a repeal of Section 230 to the defense authorization bill,” Inhofe said last week.
“The only other option would mean that for the first time in 60 years, we would not have an NDAA,” he said. “Without an NDAA, our troops would not get flight pay. They wouldn’t get hazard pay or any other specialty pay that requires annual authorization for our service members overseas get what they need.”


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--Christopher Nolan Rips Warner Bros.’ Plan to Send 2021 Films to HBO Max: “The Worst Streaming Servic

Christopher Nolan Rips Warner Bros.’ Plan to Send 2021 Films to HBO Max: “The Worst Streaming Service”

Don ’ t expect The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan to sign up for HBO Max any time soon .
On Monday evening , Nolan unloaded on WarnerMedia for smashing its theatrical window by sending Warner Bros. ’ entire 2021 movie slate directly to HBO Max .
The prolific director insisted that HBO Max is “ the worst streaming service , ” and he warned that filmmakers will no longer want to work with Warners in the wake of its industry-shattering decision .
“ Some of our industry ’ s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service , ” said Nolan in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter .
“ Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker ’ s work out everywhere , both in theaters and in the home , and they are dismantling it as we speak , ” he continued .
“ They don ’ t even understand what they ’ re losing .
Their decision makes no economic sense , and even the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the difference between disruption and dysfunction.
” Nolan also told ET Online that WarnerMedia ’ s decision to debut films on HBO Max and in theaters concurrently is “ very , very , very , very messy.
” Added the director , “ A real bait and switch .
Yeah , it ’ s sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who , these guys have given a lot for these projects .
They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bros. ’ December 3 announcement , Hollywood insiders have spoken anonymously with news outlet to voice their disappointment — “ Warners has made a grave mistake , ” a top talent agent told THR — but Nolan is the first industry heavyweight to publicly condemn the streaming push .
The intensity of Nolan ’ s statement immediately ignited a firestorm on Twitter , where critics , reporters , and casual fans discussed his all-out opposition to HBO Max with glee .
“ Nolan is hilariously wrong about HBO Max , which has by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streamer , ” tweeted Rolling Stone TV critic Alan Sepinwall .
“ Some folks may be missing Nolan ’ s point , ” added THR ’ s Kim Masters , author of the original piece with Nolan ’ s statement .
“ He is saying this jeopardizes the entire economic structure of the movie business ” Regardless of Nolan ’ s ( or anyone else ’ s ) opposition , it ’ s unlikely that Warner Bros. will reverse the decision .
Plus , with the debut of Mortal Kombat , Warner Bros. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month away , it seems that the train has already left the station .

Don’t expect The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan to sign up for HBO Max any time soon. On Monday evening, Nolan unloaded on WarnerMedia for smashing its theatrical window by sending Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 movie slate directly to HBO Max. The prolific director insisted that HBO Max is “the worst streaming service,” and he warned that filmmakers will no longer want to work with Warners in the wake of its industry-shattering decision.
“Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service,” said Nolan in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak,” he continued. “They don’t even understand what they’re losing. Their decision makes no economic sense, and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction.”
Nolan also told ET Online that WarnerMedia’s decision to debut films on HBO Max and in theaters concurrently is “very, very, very, very messy.” Added the director, “A real bait and switch. Yeah, it’s sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who, these guys have given a lot for these projects. They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their work.”
In the days since Warner Bros.’ December 3 announcement, Hollywood insiders have spoken anonymously with news outlet to voice their disappointment — “Warners has made a grave mistake,” a top talent agent told THR — but Nolan is the first industry heavyweight to publicly condemn the streaming push.
The intensity of Nolan’s statement immediately ignited a firestorm on Twitter, where critics, reporters, and casual fans discussed his all-out opposition to HBO Max with glee. “Nolan is hilariously wrong about HBO Max, which has by far the best movie library of any streamer,” tweeted Rolling Stone TV critic Alan Sepinwall. “Some folks may be missing Nolan’s point,” added THR’s Kim Masters, author of the original piece with Nolan’s statement. “He is saying this jeopardizes the entire economic structure of the movie business”
Regardless of Nolan’s (or anyone else’s) opposition, it’s unlikely that Warner Bros. will reverse the decision. Plus, with the debut of Mortal Kombat, Warner Bros.’ first 2021 film, just one month away, it seems that the train has already left the station.


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--Enter FOX Bet’s special Tuesday contest for a free chance to win $25,000

There ’ s nowhere to go but up .
This is my fourth weekly entry in the FOX Bet Super 6 contest , typically held during FOX ’ s Thursday night games but this week pegged to the Tuesday nighter between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens on the network .
Enter the special NFL Tuesday Challenge contest on the FOX Super 6 app for free and you can win this week ’ s $ 25,000 jackpot !
Download now at foxsuper6.com !
In Week 10 , I got two of the contest questions correct in the Indianapolis Colts-Tennessee Titans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to being right on two more .
In Week 11 , I got only one right in the Arizona Cardinals-Seattle Seahawks matchup but again was just a few yards away from hitting on potentially another two or three .
On Thanksgiving week , I was a total turkey .
Zippo , and not even close in the Washington Football Team at the Dallas Cowboys .
There are two ways to approach a contest such as this .
One is to simply wing it .
The other , which I ’ ve been doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play on probability .
Last week ’ s whitewash notwithstanding , I stuck with that method for Cowboys-Ravens .
So here we go with the six contest questions … 1 .
What will be the last scoring play of the 1st half ?
Field goal again was the clear winner in this category in Week 12 , as 10 games saw a kick be the last scoring play of the first half .
There were three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns .
In the four weeks I ’ ve charted this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 37 times out of 68 ( 54.4 percent ) .
This game features two of the best long-range kickers in NFL history .
Baltimore ’ s Justin Tucker is 10 of 11 from 40+ yards this season with a long of 55 .
Dallas ’ Greg Zuerlein is 1 of 4 from 50+ yards but that make was a 59-yarder , plus he ’ s 9 of 9 from 40-49 yards .
Game flow typically sets up for a long field goal at the end of the first half and you can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But to me , Tucker is the absolute best and I ’ ll go with him .
2 .
How will the first TD of the 3rd quarter be scored ?
This was the strangest category when logging all of the games from last week .
From the list above , the winner league-wide would have been “ e ) Any other TD/No TD ” — and by a wide margin .
Seven games saw no touchdowns scored in the third quarter — including the Cowboys-Washington and Ravens-Steelers games — and in three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a defensive return .
Just crazy .
For this game , though , I ’ m thinking more mainstream .
Both teams can break a deep pass with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb for Dallas and Marquise “ Hollywood ” Brown for Baltimore .
If Mark Andrews gets cleared from the COVID list , he is a good in-close option with six TD receptions on the season .
3 .
How many total rushing yards will there be by both teams ?
This is the first time for this category in the four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last week , nine of the games saw less than 240 total rushing yards and four saw 271+ yards .
To pick one of the other ranges is to really try to thread a needle .
Looking at this matchup statistically the teams combine to rush for 269.4 yards and allow an average of 268 yards per game .
If those numbers hold , we ’ re just a few yards from the open-ended high total .
Figuring the Ravens will have some of their top runners back from the COVID list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m landing .
4 .
How many different players will score a TD in the game ?
This is a very tough one to tackle .
I lost in the Titans-Colts contest when six different players scored the six touchdowns , and I was figuring Derrick Henry would get two .
In last week ’ s Cowboys-Washington contest , Antonio Gibson stymied me when he hogged the glory and scored three times .
So I ’ m going to try to attack it via my game handicap .
I ’ ve already mentioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yards , which keep the clock running .
This might be a game that sees only four or five touchdowns , so I ’ ll go with four total touchdown scorers ( which also was the winner in Week 12 with seven hits in the 16 games ) .
5 .
Which team will have the most receiving yards and how many ?
Carrying that game handicap a bit further , though I picked a Ravens passing touchdown for the first score of the third quarter , I don ’ t see a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side in this matchup .
I figure the Cowboys probably will be behind and should throw more so I ’ ll give it to them .
In Week 12 , 11 of the 16 games saw the team with more receiving yards come in at less than 275 .
6. Who will win and by how many points ?
My selection in The Post ’ s Bettor ’ s Guide for this game was Cowboys +8.5 .
Given some of the scenarios I ’ ve laid out , I ’ m going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run the table on all six categories .
I ’ m going with Ravens 26 , Cowboys 20 .

There’s nowhere to go but up.
This is my fourth weekly entry in the FOX Bet Super 6 contest, typically held during FOX’s Thursday night games but this week pegged to the Tuesday nighter between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens on the network.
Enter the special NFL Tuesday Challenge contest on the FOX Super 6 app for free and you can win this week’s $25,000 jackpot! Download now at foxsuper6.com!
In Week 10, I got two of the contest questions correct in the Indianapolis Colts-Tennessee Titans game but was oh, so close to being right on two more. In Week 11, I got only one right in the Arizona Cardinals-Seattle Seahawks matchup but again was just a few yards away from hitting on potentially another two or three. On Thanksgiving week, I was a total turkey. Zippo, and not even close in the Washington Football Team at the Dallas Cowboys.
There are two ways to approach a contest such as this. One is to simply wing it. The other, which I’ve been doing, is to research recent outcomes and play on probability. Last week’s whitewash notwithstanding, I stuck with that method for Cowboys-Ravens.
So here we go with the six contest questions …
1. What will be the last scoring play of the 1st half?
a) Cowboys TD
b) Cowboys FG
c) Ravens TD
d) Ravens FG
e) Any other score/No score
Field goal again was the clear winner in this category in Week 12, as 10 games saw a kick be the last scoring play of the first half. There were three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. In the four weeks I’ve charted this, it’s been a field goal 37 times out of 68 (54.4 percent). This game features two of the best long-range kickers in NFL history. Baltimore’s Justin Tucker is 10 of 11 from 40+ yards this season with a long of 55. Dallas’ Greg Zuerlein is 1 of 4 from 50+ yards but that make was a 59-yarder, plus he’s 9 of 9 from 40-49 yards. Game flow typically sets up for a long field goal at the end of the first half and you can’t go wrong with either guy. But to me, Tucker is the absolute best and I’ll go with him.
2. How will the first TD of the 3rd quarter be scored?
a) Cowboys passing
b) Cowboys rushing
c) Ravens passing
d) Ravens rushing
e) Any other TD/No TD
This was the strangest category when logging all of the games from last week. From the list above, the winner league-wide would have been “e) Any other TD/No TD” — and by a wide margin. Seven games saw no touchdowns scored in the third quarter — including the Cowboys-Washington and Ravens-Steelers games — and in three more, the first touchdown came on a defensive return. Just crazy. For this game, though, I’m thinking more mainstream. Both teams can break a deep pass with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb for Dallas and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown for Baltimore. If Mark Andrews gets cleared from the COVID list, he is a good in-close option with six TD receptions on the season.
Lamar Jackson Getty Images
3. How many total rushing yards will there be by both teams?
a) Less than 240 yards
b) 240-255 yards
c) 256-260 yards
d) 261-265 yards
e) 266-270 yards
f) 271+ yards
This is the first time for this category in the four weeks I’ve played the contest. Last week, nine of the games saw less than 240 total rushing yards and four saw 271+ yards. To pick one of the other ranges is to really try to thread a needle. Looking at this matchup statistically the teams combine to rush for 269.4 yards and allow an average of 268 yards per game. If those numbers hold, we’re just a few yards from the open-ended high total. Figuring the Ravens will have some of their top runners back from the COVID list, that’s where I’m landing.
4. How many different players will score a TD in the game?
a) 0-2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) 6
f) 7+
This is a very tough one to tackle. I lost in the Titans-Colts contest when six different players scored the six touchdowns, and I was figuring Derrick Henry would get two. In last week’s Cowboys-Washington contest, Antonio Gibson stymied me when he hogged the glory and scored three times. So I’m going to try to attack it via my game handicap. I’ve already mentioned two excellent kickers and lots of rushing yards, which keep the clock running. This might be a game that sees only four or five touchdowns, so I’ll go with four total touchdown scorers (which also was the winner in Week 12 with seven hits in the 16 games).
5. Which team will have the most receiving yards and how many?
Cowboys:
a) 0 to 275
b) 276 to 285
c) 286 to 295
d) 296 to 305
e) 306 to 315
f) 316+
Ravens:
a) 0 to 275
b) 276 to 285
c) 286 to 295
d) 296 to 305
e) 306 to 315
f) 316+
Carrying that game handicap a bit further, though I picked a Ravens passing touchdown for the first score of the third quarter, I don’t see a lot of wholesale passing yards on either side in this matchup. I figure the Cowboys probably will be behind and should throw more so I’ll give it to them. In Week 12, 11 of the 16 games saw the team with more receiving yards come in at less than 275.
6. Who will win and by how many points?
Cowboys:
a) 1 to 2
b) 3 to 4
c) 5 to 6
d) 7 to 9
e) 10 to 14
f) 15+
Ravens:
a) 1 to 2
b) 3 to 4
c) 5 to 6
d) 7 to 9
e) 10 to 14
f) 15+
My selection in The Post’s Bettor’s Guide for this game was Cowboys +8.5. Given some of the scenarios I’ve laid out, I’m going to project a score that can help me run the table on all six categories. I’m going with Ravens 26, Cowboys 20.


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--Riz Ahmed On The Challenge Of “Turning Off Your Brain And Counting On Your Body” In Order To Master

Riz Ahmed On The Challenge Of “Turning Off Your Brain And Counting On Your Body” In Order To Master Drumming In ‘Sound Of Metal’

Some actors excel at making their craft seem effortless , but with Riz Ahmed ’ s performance in the Darius Marder ’ s debut film Sound of Metal , you can see all the work .
He ’ s metamorphosed physically , with a shock of bleached-blonde hair and muscles bulked up by months of hardcore percussion lessons .
Mastering the drum set was a major piece of the process for becoming Ruben , a metalhead with a sense of hearing quickly vacating his ears and taking his fragile wellness with it .
The other big undertaking involved getting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skill Ahmed developed along with his character .
Even so , none of this feels showy for its own sake , grounded as it is in an honest , lived-in vulnerability .
When actors try to articulate the platonic ideal of their profession , of putting in the labor to inhabit another person ’ s vantage point , they ’ re talking about what Ahmed does here .
He ’ s not De Niro , not yet , but this is his Raging Bull .
It ’ s the high point in Ahmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illustrious body of work that suggests even steeper peaks to come .
The British-Pakistani multi-hyphenate — he ’ s known to some as Riz MC , a dextrous-tongued rapper — first broke through as an actor by making terrorism funny and empathetic in the daring satire Four Lions , then gained overseas fame with key appearances in Nightcrawler , Rogue One , and Venom .
A pair of memorable small-screen turns in The Night Of and Girls cemented his reputation as an uppermost-tier talent , and it only takes a few minutes ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his profession seriously but not himself , a rare combination of traits making for ambitious yet grounded artists .
Ahmed took a moment while in the middle of shooting the upcoming sci-fi thriller Invasion to chat with Decider about all things Sound of Metal , from the dangers of slump-shouldered drumming to the root of emotional honesty .
( That still left time for a burning inquiry concerning Twista ’ s verse on “ Slow Jamz.
” ) DECIDER : You ’ ve spoken a bit about your studies for the drumming scenes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over a course of months .
What were some of the physical challenges of that period ?
A buddy of mine ’ s a metal drummer , he gets these horrible blisters .
RIZ AHMED : Blisters and callouses like you wouldn ’ t believe , but the big thing was posture .
You look at certain drummers , you see how easy it is to destroy your back by hunching over the drums all day , smashing them as hard as you can .
You ’ re pedaling on two bass drums @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all goes back to your core , which is what your posture hits the hardest .
Real workout on the arms as well .
The trick there is not to drum with your arms or shoulders or even hands , but with your wrists .
It ’ s a very physical endeavor altogether .
You can ’ t think your way through playing the drums .
You can ’ t lock into the rhythm by thinking about it for a long time .
You can only give yourself over , and let the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that sense , it ’ s like acting .
You go in with plans and strategies , they ’ re all going to come unstuck .
You can ’ t think in the moment , and you have to rely on a wisdom in your body , and surrender to it .
Great exercise in turning off the brain and counting on the body .
Is it difficult , acting in that instinctual way ?
You have to remain in character the whole time , and I know that when I play piano @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever make the concentrating-face I make when I play piano .
It ’ s funny you ’ d say that , because I remember the day before we shot the big gig in front of a real crowd and a real club in Boston — which I loved , being able to use those skills — he ’ d always shot over my shoulder , looking onto the drums .
That day , for the first time , they shot it head on .
And I realized I was doing a crazy thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it from side to side in time with the music .
It was a personal metronome , keeping me in sync , but it looked completely bizarre .
The faces you make while playing drums require a whole other level of consideration and awareness .
There ’ s been lots of talk about your learning drumming and sign language , but what about your preparations with costar Olivia Cooke ?
Your characters share a very intimate chemistry , how ’ d you get close to one another ?
We bonded very quickly in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were dealing with , where neither of us knew much about this genre of music , we couldn ’ t play the instruments we were expected to play , we were both British playing American , so we clicked on a few levels .
The panic of knowing that we had to play this gig , do these rehearsals , the task brought us together quite naturally .
We didn ’ t spend a tremendous time sitting down and plotting out our backstories .
We did some of that , but mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You don ’ t talk about how close you should be , you share experiences that make that closeness happen .
The other thing that helped was the condition that Darius had set up on the shoot himself , where there ’ s an almost observational style to it .
We ’ d only do each scene once or twice , a few takes , because we were shooting on film .
We also shot chronologically , so we were living through the movie together .
All of it immersed us in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a film set with trailers ; we ’ d go and hang out in the RV .
We ’ d share our days the way we shared our scenes .
We lived inside the film .
Did you approach this as a narrative about addiction and recovery ?
There ’ s a literal drug component , but Ruben also seems dependent on his own self-destructive behavior .
One hundred percent , that was my way in to the story .
It ’ ll mean different things to individual viewers , but in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about ?
It ’ s about control , the illusion of control , and the loss of control .
He papers over a wound , which is something everyone knows firsthand .
Sometimes it ’ s so hard to sit with our pain and ourself and our sense of self-worth , that we seek intoxicating or overwhelming sensations that eventually consume us , whether that ’ s drugs or music as self-harm or a romantic relationship .
That feeling comes on like adrenaline , and it ’ s easy to swap out what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sober for as long as he ’ s been with Lou .
Add the workaholic side , and it ’ s clear he ’ s trading one vice for another .
A big part of the film is about what happens when these crutches are taken away from us .
We ’ re forced to take a look at what lies beneath addiction , because there ’ s always a void that we ’ re running from .
You can only go through it .
This film takes an unexpected detour to France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When you were first reading the script , what ’ d you make of its structure , which isn ’ t as neat as the typical Hollywood model ?
I loved that aspect , the same thing I loved about The Place Beyond the Pines as well .
It ’ s like three different movies , fused together .
That always throws me , in movies , when you ’ re immersed in a world and then it transforms .
We start with Ruben , in the band and playing shows , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community , and then we ’ re suddenly in Paris looking inward .
There ’ s something satisfying about bringing an audience somewhere else and counting on them to follow you .
It all shares an emotional through-line , so it feels connected instead of disjointed , but the shape of the film keeps shifting .
I love that Darius makes these bold choices with his writing , while everything remaining so grounded and realistic .
The Place Beyond the Pines feels like this grand trilogy , all contained in one movie .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating Ruben ?
Did you look to any other films in this tradition of gritty character portraits ?
I looked at Henry Rollins from Black Flag , really interesting guy .
I spent a low of time with Shawn/Sean , the drummer from the band Surfbort .
He was sort of a mentor to me , so kind to share his story and his history with addiction , what the drums mean to him , how he came to play .
I spoke to a lot of drummers , and found that music @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It creates a space for healing , other as well as yourselves .
Working on Sound of Metal consolidated a certain view I have on what we do as actors , people working on films .
It ’ s about putting a name to the pain that made you , because once you ’ ve identified it , healing begins , which you can also bring to more people than just yourself .
Talking to the drummers brought some things deep inside me right to the surface .
Had to name the pain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I never think about characters other actors have played .
I approach every role as a real person , so it makes more sense to me to think about them in relation to real people .
One other thing : I ’ ve been trying to master the Twista verse from “ Slow Jamz ” since I was a teenager , and you blew through it on Girls like it was nothing .
What ’ s the secret to getting that flow down ?
It starts with years spent as a kid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s all that ’ ll fit in your head .
The first bars I ever committed to memory were from D.O.C.
’ s Portrait of a Masterpiece .
Plus , I ’ m from the U.K. , so I have an unfair advantage .
We ’ re all raised on jungle and drum-n-bass music , 180 beats per minute , so we grow up with faster flows .
It ’ s a little like how the world ’ s best marathon runners are Kenyan because they can train at high altitudes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ intothecrevassse ) is a film and television critic living in Brooklyn .
In addition to Decider , his work has also appeared in the New York Times , the Guardian , Rolling Stone , Vanity Fair , Newsweek , Nylon , Vulture , The A.V .
Club , Vox , and plenty of other semi-reputable publications .
His favorite film is Boogie Nights .

Some actors excel at making their craft seem effortless, but with Riz Ahmed’s performance in the Darius Marder’s debut film Sound of Metal, you can see all the work. He’s metamorphosed physically, with a shock of bleached-blonde hair and muscles bulked up by months of hardcore percussion lessons. Mastering the drum set was a major piece of the process for becoming Ruben, a metalhead with a sense of hearing quickly vacating his ears and taking his fragile wellness with it. The other big undertaking involved getting a feel for the sign language, a skill Ahmed developed along with his character. Even so, none of this feels showy for its own sake, grounded as it is in an honest, lived-in vulnerability. When actors try to articulate the platonic ideal of their profession, of putting in the labor to inhabit another person’s vantage point, they’re talking about what Ahmed does here. He’s not De Niro, not yet, but this is his Raging Bull.
It’s the high point in Ahmed’s career thus far, an illustrious body of work that suggests even steeper peaks to come. The British-Pakistani multi-hyphenate — he’s known to some as Riz MC, a dextrous-tongued rapper — first broke through as an actor by making terrorism funny and empathetic in the daring satire Four Lions, then gained overseas fame with key appearances in Nightcrawler, Rogue One, and Venom. A pair of memorable small-screen turns in The Night Of and Girls cemented his reputation as an uppermost-tier talent, and it only takes a few minutes’ conversation to realize why. He takes his profession seriously but not himself, a rare combination of traits making for ambitious yet grounded artists.
Ahmed took a moment while in the middle of shooting the upcoming sci-fi thriller Invasion to chat with Decider about all things Sound of Metal, from the dangers of slump-shouldered drumming to the root of emotional honesty. (That still left time for a burning inquiry concerning Twista’s verse on “Slow Jamz.”)
DECIDER: You’ve spoken a bit about your studies for the drumming scenes in the film, lots of lessons over a course of months. What were some of the physical challenges of that period? A buddy of mine’s a metal drummer, he gets these horrible blisters.
RIZ AHMED: Blisters and callouses like you wouldn’t believe, but the big thing was posture. You look at certain drummers, you see how easy it is to destroy your back by hunching over the drums all day, smashing them as hard as you can. You’re pedaling on two bass drums, constantly pumping your legs. It all goes back to your core, which is what your posture hits the hardest. Real workout on the arms as well. The trick there is not to drum with your arms or shoulders or even hands, but with your wrists. It’s a very physical endeavor altogether. You can’t think your way through playing the drums. You can’t lock into the rhythm by thinking about it for a long time. You can only give yourself over, and let the drums play you a bit. In that sense, it’s like acting. You go in with plans and strategies, they’re all going to come unstuck. You can’t think in the moment, and you have to rely on a wisdom in your body, and surrender to it. Great exercise in turning off the brain and counting on the body.
Is it difficult, acting in that instinctual way? You have to remain in character the whole time, and I know that when I play piano, for example, I can only ever make the concentrating-face I make when I play piano.
It’s funny you’d say that, because I remember the day before we shot the big gig in front of a real crowd and a real club in Boston — which I loved, being able to use those skills — he’d always shot over my shoulder, looking onto the drums. That day, for the first time, they shot it head on. And I realized I was doing a crazy thing with my jaw, kind of wiggling it from side to side in time with the music. It was a personal metronome, keeping me in sync, but it looked completely bizarre. The faces you make while playing drums require a whole other level of consideration and awareness.
There’s been lots of talk about your learning drumming and sign language, but what about your preparations with costar Olivia Cooke? Your characters share a very intimate chemistry, how’d you get close to one another?
We bonded very quickly in part due to the similarities of what we were dealing with, where neither of us knew much about this genre of music, we couldn’t play the instruments we were expected to play, we were both British playing American, so we clicked on a few levels. The panic of knowing that we had to play this gig, do these rehearsals, the task brought us together quite naturally. We didn’t spend a tremendous time sitting down and plotting out our backstories. We did some of that, but mostly, we bonded by doing things together. You don’t talk about how close you should be, you share experiences that make that closeness happen. The other thing that helped was the condition that Darius had set up on the shoot himself, where there’s an almost observational style to it. We’d only do each scene once or twice, a few takes, because we were shooting on film. We also shot chronologically, so we were living through the movie together. All of it immersed us in the space. This wasn’t a film set with trailers; we’d go and hang out in the RV. We’d share our days the way we shared our scenes. We lived inside the film.
Did you approach this as a narrative about addiction and recovery? There’s a literal drug component, but Ruben also seems dependent on his own self-destructive behavior.
One hundred percent, that was my way in to the story. It’ll mean different things to individual viewers, but in a big picture sense, what is addiction about? It’s about control, the illusion of control, and the loss of control. He papers over a wound, which is something everyone knows firsthand. Sometimes it’s so hard to sit with our pain and ourself and our sense of self-worth, that we seek intoxicating or overwhelming sensations that eventually consume us, whether that’s drugs or music as self-harm or a romantic relationship. That feeling comes on like adrenaline, and it’s easy to swap out what causes it. Ruben’s been sober for as long as he’s been with Lou. Add the workaholic side, and it’s clear he’s trading one vice for another. A big part of the film is about what happens when these crutches are taken away from us. We’re forced to take a look at what lies beneath addiction, because there’s always a void that we’re running from. You can only go through it.
This film takes an unexpected detour to France near the end of the second act. When you were first reading the script, what’d you make of its structure, which isn’t as neat as the typical Hollywood model?
I loved that aspect, the same thing I loved about The Place Beyond the Pines as well. It’s like three different movies, fused together. That always throws me, in movies, when you’re immersed in a world and then it transforms. We start with Ruben, in the band and playing shows, then you’re in the deaf community, and then we’re suddenly in Paris looking inward. There’s something satisfying about bringing an audience somewhere else and counting on them to follow you. It all shares an emotional through-line, so it feels connected instead of disjointed, but the shape of the film keeps shifting. I love that Darius makes these bold choices with his writing, while everything remaining so grounded and realistic. The Place Beyond the Pines feels like this grand trilogy, all contained in one movie.
From where did you draw inspiration while creating Ruben? Did you look to any other films in this tradition of gritty character portraits?
I looked at Henry Rollins from Black Flag, really interesting guy. I spent a low of time with Shawn/Sean, the drummer from the band Surfbort. He was sort of a mentor to me, so kind to share his story and his history with addiction, what the drums mean to him, how he came to play. I spoke to a lot of drummers, and found that music can help to metabolize a pain. It creates a space for healing, other as well as yourselves. Working on Sound of Metal consolidated a certain view I have on what we do as actors, people working on films. It’s about putting a name to the pain that made you, because once you’ve identified it, healing begins, which you can also bring to more people than just yourself. Talking to the drummers brought some things deep inside me right to the surface. Had to name the pain.
But in terms of reference points, I never think about characters other actors have played. I approach every role as a real person, so it makes more sense to me to think about them in relation to real people.
One other thing: I’ve been trying to master the Twista verse from “Slow Jamz” since I was a teenager, and you blew through it on Girls like it was nothing. What’s the secret to getting that flow down?
It starts with years spent as a kid, just memorizing rap lyrics until that’s all that’ll fit in your head. The first bars I ever committed to memory were from D.O.C.’s Portrait of a Masterpiece. Plus, I’m from the U.K., so I have an unfair advantage. We’re all raised on jungle and drum-n-bass music, 180 beats per minute, so we grow up with faster flows. It’s a little like how the world’s best marathon runners are Kenyan because they can train at high altitudes. Same deal.
Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevassse) is a film and television critic living in Brooklyn. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Nylon, Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vox, and plenty of other semi-reputable publications. His favorite film is Boogie Nights.
Watch Sound of Metal on Amazon Prime


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--Suspect in Tom Brady’s mansion break-in was once charged with stealing memorabilia

The homeless man accused of breaking into Tom Brady ‘ s Massachusetts mansion — allegedly laying on a couch in the basement — was previously busted for stealing a $ 10,000 jersey signed by the quarterback .
Zanini Cineus , 34 , was arrested 6 a.m. Monday after “ multiple alarms were activated ” in the Boston-area mansion the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star shares with wife Gisele Bündchen , police said .
He was seen on security cameras sitting in the basement — and arresting officers found him “ laying on the couch in the middle of the room , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police .
Brady — whom the force called “ our forever New England Patriot ” — and his former-supermodel wife were in Florida at the time .
Cineus wore a Patriots jersey to his arraignment Monday , where was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony , larceny and trespassing , the Boston Herald said .
He pleaded not guilty .
Police said he also had “ several active warrants ” — including an arrest last year where Cineus was charged with stealing a jersey signed by the star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Fame .
He was allegedly caught wearing a jacket over the shirt , which was valued at around $ 10,000 — even though it had never been worn in a game , officials said at the time .
He had been given stay-away orders from Gillette Stadium , but returned to Patriot Place just days later where he was arrested for trespassing , the Herald noted .
Citing those prior charges , Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Amanda Mullaney asked the judge for $ 5,000 cash bail and a stay-away order from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outlet said .
He was held in custody pending an evaluation Tuesday into his mental competency to stand trial , the paper said .
“ There are some significant mental health issues that have come to the forefront , ” Cineus ’ s attorney , Marc Brofsky , said during Monday ’ s arraignment .
Brady and Bündchen still own the 12,112-square-foot mansion on 5 acres , but are trying to sell it .
They dropped the price from $ 39.5 million to $ 33.9 million in October , the Herald reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cineus features a “ recreation room , ” gym and spa , the paper said .

The homeless man accused of breaking into Tom Brady‘s Massachusetts mansion — allegedly laying on a couch in the basement — was previously busted for stealing a $10,000 jersey signed by the quarterback.
Zanini Cineus, 34, was arrested 6 a.m. Monday after “multiple alarms were activated” in the Boston-area mansion the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star shares with wife Gisele Bündchen, police said.
He was seen on security cameras sitting in the basement — and arresting officers found him “laying on the couch in the middle of the room,” according to a statement by Brookline police.
Brady — whom the force called “our forever New England Patriot” — and his former-supermodel wife were in Florida at the time.
Cineus wore a Patriots jersey to his arraignment Monday, where was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, larceny and trespassing, the Boston Herald said. He pleaded not guilty.
Police said he also had “several active warrants” — including an arrest last year where Cineus was charged with stealing a jersey signed by the star quarterback from the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady AP
He was allegedly caught wearing a jacket over the shirt, which was valued at around $10,000 — even though it had never been worn in a game, officials said at the time.
He had been given stay-away orders from Gillette Stadium, but returned to Patriot Place just days later where he was arrested for trespassing, the Herald noted.
Citing those prior charges, Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Amanda Mullaney asked the judge for $5,000 cash bail and a stay-away order from the Brady residence, including GPS monitoring, the outlet said.
He was held in custody pending an evaluation Tuesday into his mental competency to stand trial, the paper said.
“There are some significant mental health issues that have come to the forefront,” Cineus’s attorney, Marc Brofsky, said during Monday’s arraignment.
Brady and Bündchen still own the 12,112-square-foot mansion on 5 acres, but are trying to sell it. They dropped the price from $39.5 million to $33.9 million in October, the Herald reported.
The basement where cops allegedly discovered Cineus features a “recreation room,” gym and spa, the paper said.
With Post Wires


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--Tesla to sell up to $5 billion in stock amid massive rally

Tesla announced plans Tuesday to sell up to $ 5 billion worth of stock in the electric-car maker ’ s latest bid to capitalize on a dizzying rally in its share price .
In a securities filing , Tesla said it will sell the stock “ from time to time ” in “ at-the-market offerings , ” so investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices .
Major Wall Street banks including Goldman Sachs , Citigroup , Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley will act as sales agents for Tesla ’ s third stock offering this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent Tesla ’ s shares down about 0.9 percent in premarket trading to $ 636.00 as of 7:40 a.m. following a 7.1 percent rally on Monday .
Tesla ’ s stock price has soared about 35 percent since it announced its last $ 5 billion share offering on Sept. 1 , on the heels of a five-for-one stock split that had sparked a massive rally in the shares .
The Elon Musk-led company also rolled out a February offering that aimed to raise more than $ 2.3 billion .
The Silicon Valley giant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impending addition to the S & P 500 , which will reportedly require big investment funds that track the benchmark index ’ s performance to buy about $ 73 billion worth of Tesla shares .
Tesla ’ s latest offering will be worth less than 1 percent of its market value , which stood at more than $ 608 billion at Monday ’ s closing bell .

Tesla announced plans Tuesday to sell up to $5 billion worth of stock in the electric-car maker’s latest bid to capitalize on a dizzying rally in its share price.
In a securities filing, Tesla said it will sell the stock “from time to time” in “at-the-market offerings,” so investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.
Major Wall Street banks including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley will act as sales agents for Tesla’s third stock offering this year, the company said.
The news sent Tesla’s shares down about 0.9 percent in premarket trading to $636.00 as of 7:40 a.m. following a 7.1 percent rally on Monday.
Tesla’s stock price has soared about 35 percent since it announced its last $5 billion share offering on Sept. 1, on the heels of a five-for-one stock split that had sparked a massive rally in the shares. The Elon Musk-led company also rolled out a February offering that aimed to raise more than $2.3 billion.
The Silicon Valley giant has gotten a recent boost from its impending addition to the S&P 500, which will reportedly require big investment funds that track the benchmark index’s performance to buy about $73 billion worth of Tesla shares.
Tesla’s latest offering will be worth less than 1 percent of its market value, which stood at more than $608 billion at Monday’s closing bell.


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--These underdogs made plenty of bettors miserable on Sunday

Week 13 in the NFL provided another wild week of betting , and another in which underdogs were barking .
’ Dogs were 7-5 on Sunday , with four outright wins .
Unders also cashed at a high clip , going 8-4 .
The biggest game for most sportsbooks was the Giants ( +11 ) beating the Seattle Seahawks outright 17-12 .
Not only did the Giants cash as +475 underdogs for the select few that bet them to win , the outright win killed many moneyline parlays and teasers that were alive heading into Sunday night .
Over 80 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Seahawks -11 at William Hill US sportsbooks .
William Hill head of trading Nick Bogdanovich told VSiN that the Giants winning outright was the biggest win of the day for the book .
“ The Giants winning outright was pretty big for us due to the amount of money that was wagered on the Seattle moneyline , ” Thomas Gable , sportsbook director at The Borgata in New Jersey , said .
“ It was the biggest decision of the late games.
” “ It was a big teaser weekend with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Seahawks ” Station Casinos sportsbook director Chuck Esposito told VSiN .
“ The Giants ’ outright win knocked down a lot of teaser liability.
” In the early games , bettors were burned by the Tennessee Titans ( -4 ) , who lost 41-35 to the Cleveland Browns , and the Las Vegas Raiders ( -7.5 ) , despite the Raiders ’ miraculous last-minute 31-28 win .
The Browns-Titans game was the biggest win of the early games at The Borgata , in part because of one wager : A $ 150,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ odds .
The Browns-Titans game was also the most-bet early game at BetMGM sportsbooks , including a losing $ 125,000 wager on the Titans -4 .
There was also one losing seven-point teaser involving the Titans , as one BetMGM bettor wagered $ 175,000 on the Titans +3 and Miami Dolphins -3 .
The Dolphins won ( and covered ) 19-7 against the Cincinnati Bengals , but the Titans did not .
In the Jets-Raiders game , the vast majority of money on the spread and moneyline was on the Raiders at -7.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 84 percent of the bets and a staggering 89 percent of the money was on Las Vegas -7.5 .
It was the most-bet game of the early window at BetRivers sportsbooks , and included one lucky bettor who won a $ 240,000 wager on the Jets +7.5 ( -120 ) at BetMGM .
One bettor who wasn ’ t so lucky placed a $ 25 bet at FanDuel Sportsbook on Sept. 8 on the Jets ’ first win of the season coming against the Raiders in Week 13 at 250-1 odds .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the Jets were victorious on Sunday .
The majority of bettors did well on the Green Bay Packers ( -8.5 ) winning 30-16 over the Philadelphia Eagles , the Indianapolis Colts ( -3 ) beating the Houston Texans 26-20 , the New Orleans Saints ( -3 ) defeating the Atlanta Falcons 21-16 and the Los Angeles Rams ( -3 ) winning 38-28 over the Arizona Cardinals .
Sportsbooks VSiN spoke with all reported a winning NFL Sunday , which was helped further by the Denver Broncos ( +13 ) covering against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The majority of bets and money at most books was on the Chiefs covering the big number .
At PointsBet , 95 percent of the money was also on the Over 51.5 , which did not come through for bettors .

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Week 13 in the NFL provided another wild week of betting, and another in which underdogs were barking. ’Dogs were 7-5 on Sunday, with four outright wins. Unders also cashed at a high clip, going 8-4.
The biggest game for most sportsbooks was the Giants (+11) beating the Seattle Seahawks outright 17-12. Not only did the Giants cash as +475 underdogs for the select few that bet them to win, the outright win killed many moneyline parlays and teasers that were alive heading into Sunday night. Over 80 percent of the spread money was on the Seahawks -11 at William Hill US sportsbooks. William Hill head of trading Nick Bogdanovich told VSiN that the Giants winning outright was the biggest win of the day for the book.
“The Giants winning outright was pretty big for us due to the amount of money that was wagered on the Seattle moneyline,” Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in New Jersey, said. “It was the biggest decision of the late games.”
“It was a big teaser weekend with the Dolphins, Saints, Raiders, Packers and Seahawks” Station Casinos sportsbook director Chuck Esposito told VSiN. “The Giants’ outright win knocked down a lot of teaser liability.”
In the early games, bettors were burned by the Tennessee Titans (-4), who lost 41-35 to the Cleveland Browns, and the Las Vegas Raiders (-7.5), despite the Raiders’ miraculous last-minute 31-28 win. The Browns-Titans game was the biggest win of the early games at The Borgata, in part because of one wager: A $150,000 moneyline bet on the Titans at -205 odds. The Browns-Titans game was also the most-bet early game at BetMGM sportsbooks, including a losing $125,000 wager on the Titans -4.
There was also one losing seven-point teaser involving the Titans, as one BetMGM bettor wagered $175,000 on the Titans +3 and Miami Dolphins -3. The Dolphins won (and covered) 19-7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Titans did not.
Sam Darnold walks off the field following Sunday’s brutal last-second loss to the Raiders. N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg
In the Jets-Raiders game, the vast majority of money on the spread and moneyline was on the Raiders at -7.5 or higher. At PointsBet sportsbooks, 84 percent of the bets and a staggering 89 percent of the money was on Las Vegas -7.5. It was the most-bet game of the early window at BetRivers sportsbooks, and included one lucky bettor who won a $240,000 wager on the Jets +7.5 (-120) at BetMGM.
One bettor who wasn’t so lucky placed a $25 bet at FanDuel Sportsbook on Sept. 8 on the Jets’ first win of the season coming against the Raiders in Week 13 at 250-1 odds. The bet would’ve won $6,250 if the Jets were victorious on Sunday.
The majority of bettors did well on the Green Bay Packers (-8.5) winning 30-16 over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Indianapolis Colts (-3) beating the Houston Texans 26-20, the New Orleans Saints (-3) defeating the Atlanta Falcons 21-16 and the Los Angeles Rams (-3) winning 38-28 over the Arizona Cardinals.
Sportsbooks VSiN spoke with all reported a winning NFL Sunday, which was helped further by the Denver Broncos (+13) covering against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 22-16 loss. The majority of bets and money at most books was on the Chiefs covering the big number. At PointsBet, 95 percent of the money was also on the Over 51.5, which did not come through for bettors.


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--FDA to release detailed data on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

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The Food and Drug Administration is reportedly expected to release detailed data about Pfizer ’ s coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday as regulators consider whether to clear it for emergency use .
The data will give the public an in-depth look at how well the vaccine works before the FDA ’ s vaccine committee meets Thursday to consider Pfizer ’ s application for an emergency use authorization , which could pave the way for high-risk Americans to be inoculated by the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The FDA plans to publish two analyses of the experimental shot ’ s effectiveness and safety , according to paper : One prepared by the agency ’ s own scientists and another from Pfizer and its German partner company , BioNTech .
The datasets are expected to include breakdowns of the vaccine ’ s performance among different ethnic groups , age groups and other demographics , the Journal reported .
The FDA has reportedly said those so-called subgroup analyses will help ease the concerns of Americans who are hesitant to take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month that showed the vaccine was 95 percent effective in a late-stage clinical trial involving more than 40,000 people .
While the Manhattan-based drugmaker has said no serious side effects have emerged from the study , Tuesday ’ s analyses may include more detailed information about the safety data Pfizer had to gather from about 19,000 participants , according to the Journal .
The FDA ’ s vaccine advisory committee is slated to discuss Pfizer ’ s shot as the COVID-19 pandemic rages through a deadly new phase in the US .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country over the last seven days and the nationwide infection count is approaching 15 million , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
The FDA could formally grant Pfizer an emergency use authorization within days if the committee gives the vaccine a positive recommendation , the Journal reported .
The vaccine panel is scheduled to discuss Moderna ’ s COVID-19 vaccine at a separate meeting on Dec. 17 .
The Massachusetts biotech firm applied for an emergency use authorization last week after finding the shot was 94.1 percent effective in a clinical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BioNTech did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment early Tuesday .

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Pfizer’s experimental coronavirus vaccine is highly effective and poses no safety risks that would prevent it from being cleared for emergency use, Food and Drug Administration scientists said Tuesday.
FDA staffers detailed their findings in a 53-page report ahead of a Thursday meeting at which the agency’s vaccine advisory committee will consider Pfizer’s application for an emergency use authorization, which could pave the way for millions of high-risk Americans to be inoculated by the end of the year.
The FDA analysis of data from Pfizer’s large-scale clinical trial involving roughly 44,000 people affirmed the Manhattan-based drugmaker’s finding that the shot was 95 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 infection after two doses. The scientists also found the vaccine was similarly effective regardless of the recipient’s age, gender, race or ethnicity and among people with underlying medical issues that put them at risk for severe coronavirus infections.
While no serious safety concerns emerged from the data submitted by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, the FDA noted that people who took the vaccine reported common side effects including headaches, muscle pain, chills, fatigue and pain at the injection site.
A medical staffer prepares to administer a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Getty Images
But there isn’t yet enough data to prove whether the shot can prevent vaccinated people from carrying and spreading the virus or whether it can ward off asymptomatic infections, the FDA said. The agency also couldn’t say how well the vaccine works in kids younger than 16 or whether it can prevent long-term health effects of COVID-19.
“Demonstrated high efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 may translate to overall prevention of transmission in populations with high enough vaccine uptake,” the FDA scientists wrote. However, they added, “asymptomatic cases in combination with reduced mask-wearing and social distancing could result in significant continued transmission.”
Despite the limitations, the data offered the public an in-depth look at how well the Pfizer jab works before Thursday’s highly anticipated meeting of the FDA’s vaccine advisory panel. The agency could formally grant Pfizer an emergency use authorization within days if the committee gives the vaccine a positive recommendation, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The meeting will come as the COVID-19 pandemic rages through a deadly new phase in the US. The virus killed more than 15,600 people across the country over the last seven days and the nationwide infection count is approaching 15 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The FDA also released Pfizer and BioNTech’s own 92-page analysis of the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety. The companies became the first to seek emergency approval for a coronavirus shot in the US last month, and the UK began administering their vaccine to British patients on Tuesday.
“In response to the current global health crisis, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine … development has ensured the highest compliance and quality standards while progressing expeditiously to address this urgent and unmet medical need,” the drugmakers wrote in their report.
The FDA vaccine panel is scheduled to discuss Moderna’s COVID-19 shot at a separate meeting on Dec. 17. The Massachusetts biotech firm applied for an emergency use authorization last week after finding the shot was 94.1 percent effective in a clinical trial.


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--Mount Everest is now officially nearly 30 feet taller

The highest point on Earth got a bit higher Tuesday — with a new agreed measurement for Mount Everest making the summit almost 30 feet higher than when it was first calculated 164 years ago .
The mountain ’ s height has been the subject of furious debate ever since 1856 when a British team first calculated it as being 29,002 feet .
But China and Nepal , the nations the mountain borders , both agreed to a new measurement after separate calculations — announcing Tuesday that it is officially 29,031.7 feet tall .
That is 13 feet higher than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago — a discrepancy blamed on the fact China only determined the rock height of the summit and didn ’ t include the snow and ice on the peak .
It is also 2.8 feet higher than Nepal ’ s last calculations , which used the Survey of India estimate in 1954 that included snow .
“ This is a milestone in mountaineering history which will finally end the debate over the height and now the world will have one number , ” said Santa Bir Lama , president of the Nepal Mountaineering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used , Everest has always been the world ’ s highest peak , with second place going to Mount K2 at just 28,244 feet tall .
The new measurement came after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Nepal last year and decided that they should agree on a height .
Nepal had already installed GPS and satellite equipment that year , and a survey team from China then conducted measurements in the spring of 2020 while expeditions were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The agreed height was announced Tuesday by Chinese Foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pradeep Gyawali , as they simultaneously pressed buttons to reveal the new height on a screen .

The highest point on Earth got a bit higher Tuesday — with a new agreed measurement for Mount Everest making the summit almost 30 feet higher than when it was first calculated 164 years ago.
The mountain’s height has been the subject of furious debate ever since 1856 when a British team first calculated it as 29,002 feet.
But China and Nepal, the nations the mountain borders, both agreed to a new measurement after separate calculations — announcing Tuesday that it is officially 29,031.7 feet tall.
That is 13 feet higher than China’s last calculation 15 years ago — a discrepancy blamed on the fact that China only determined the rock height of the summit and didn’t include the snow and ice on the peak.
It is also 2.8 feet higher than Nepal’s last calculations, which used the Survey of India estimate in 1954 that included snow.
“This is a milestone in mountaineering history which will finally end the debate over the height and now the world will have one number,” said Santa Bir Lama, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
A bird flies with Mount Everest seen in the background. AP
But no matter what measurement is used, Everest has always been the world’s highest peak, with second place going to Mount K2, some 900 miles away, at just 28,244 feet tall.
The new measurement came after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Nepal last year and decided that they should agree on a height.
Nepal had already installed GPS and satellite equipment that year, and a survey team from China then conducted measurements in the spring of 2020 while expeditions were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The agreed height was announced Tuesday by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Nepalese counterpart, Pradeep Gyawali, as they simultaneously pressed buttons to reveal the new height on a screen.
With Post wires


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--Mark David Chapman and the assassination of John Lennon

Forty years after the Beatle 's death , his photographer friend Bob ...

Previously, close insiders recalled John Lennon’s last days in New York City — filled with ifs and buts that, they say, might have prevented his death. One of the chilling moments was meeting the fan who, hours later, would murder him.
Mark David Chapman was no stranger to mad missions. In the fall of 1980 — right around the time of the presidential election — he flew from his home in Honolulu to Manhattan. Snooping around various events, Travis Bickle-style, he considered trying to assassinate Ronald Reagan or Jimmy Carter but left town with the mission unaccomplished.
Returning on Dec. 6, with some 14 hours of Beatles recordings, a .38 Special handgun and hollow-point bullets, he knew exactly what he was going to do: assassinate John Lennon.
Although he was a longtime fan, Chapman felt disenchanted by Lennon’s conspicuous wealth. “Chapman thought he had sold out,” Dave Wedge, co-author of the new book “The Last Days of John Lennon” (Little, Brown and Company), told The Post. “He thought Lennon was a fraud.”
Chapman checked into an Upper West Side YMCA before moving to a Sheraton hotel in Midtown. Over two days, he had random encounters with Robert Goulet at an art gallery (the actor grudgingly posed for a photograph) and James Taylor near the exit of the West 72nd Street subway station. Chapman buttonholed the singer near the top of the staircase. Sweating and with eyes dilated, “Chapman said, ‘I’m a musician just like you. I have something to get to John Lennon. Can you help me?’ ” according to “Last Days” co-author Casey Sherman.
Taylor broke away and began walking east on 72nd Street. Chapman followed at a distance. After passing the Dakota, according to Sherman, “Taylor turned around to see if Chapman was still behind him. But Chapman had given up the chase. He planted himself in front of the Dakota and was mumbling to himself.”
This incident took place on Dec. 8, 1980. Later that afternoon, Chapman did get to see Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, in front of the Dakota, where they lived. He proffered a copy of their just-released “Double Fantasy” album and a Bic pen. Lennon signed the cover with its romantic Kishin Shinoyama photo of him and Ono touching lips.
When the couple returned home from a recording studio at 10:50 in the evening, Chapman was, once again, in front of the Dakota.
Yoko Ono leaving the hospital after her husband, John Lennon, had been shot. NY Daily News via Getty Images
Lennon and Ono emerged from their limo. Lennon and Chapman briefly locked eyes. As Lennon turned away, Chapman assumed a combat position and shot at his onetime idol. Four hollow-point bullets hit their target. Ono screamed. Lennon stumbled toward the Dakota lobby, crashed through the front door and collapsed.
According to “Last Days,” doorman Jose Perdomo knocked the gun out of Chapman’s hand. The killer then stood calmly and read his paperback copy of “The Catcher in the Rye.”
In his room at the nearby Langham hotel, as per Sherman, “James Taylor heard gunfire. He was on the phone with a friend and he said, ‘Somebody’s just been shot.’ ”
NYPD officer Peter Cullen and his partner Steve Spiro were parked near 72nd Street and Broadway, out on robbery detail, when their police radio crackled with details about “shots fired.”
Responding to the call, Cullen told his partner, “Take it easy. It could have been fireworks.”
As they neared the Dakota, however, it was clearly something else. “I asked Jose, ‘What’s going on?’ ” Cullen told The Post. “Perdomo pointed to Chapman and said, ‘This guy just shot Lennon!’ ”
Cullen went inside to investigate. He saw Spiro pressing Chapman against the wall and shouted out, “Cuff ’im!”
In the lobby, recalled Cullen, “I saw Lennon laying face down with blood coming out of his mouth.”
As other cops arrived and a crowd formed outside the Dakota, Lennon was carried out by two officers and placed in the backseat of a squad car. There was no time to wait for an ambulance. They rushed him to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center on West 59th Street.
Cullen and Spiro took Chapman to the 20th Precinct on West 82nd Street. “He was docile,” recalled Cullen. “He apologized to us for ruining our night. I turned around and said to him, ‘You’ve got to be f - - king kidding me. You’re worried about our night? Do you know what you just did to your life?’ We read him his rights more than once.”
Ono was driven to the hospital by two other cops, Tony Palma and Herb Frauenberger. “She was in a state of shock,” Frauenberger told The Post. “She asked if John would be alright. I told her, ‘He’s going to the best hospital in New York City.’ That was true. And the trauma unit was ready for John when we arrived.”
Lennon was placed on a gurney and wheeled into a trauma room. Barbara Kammerer, an ER nurse on duty, described the patient as “a young, well-muscled man with gunshot wounds. We cut off his clothes and cracked his chest.”
Mark David Chapman Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images
Dr. David Halleran, a third-year resident at the time, attempted resuscitation. He had his hand inside the patient’s chest and tried pumping his heart. “I could not get any vitals,” said Halleran. “Halfway through, though, somebody said, ‘This looks like John Lennon.’ I said that it can’t be. Then, Richard Marks, the general surgeon, came in. He and his wife passed the Dakota. He saw Yoko in the back of a cop car and followed her here. Dick said, ‘It’s John Lennon.’ We continued to work on him and never got the pulse back. After 45 minutes, we called it.”
Meanwhile, Alan Weiss, a producer with the local ABC news affiliate, was coincidentally in the ER as well, having just been involved in a motorcycle accident. He spied the proceedings and placed a call to his assigning editor. Details on Lennon’s shooting and subsequent death rose up the food chain before landing in the broadcast booth of “Monday Night Football,” which was eating into the 11 p.m. newscast.
A verbal tussle ensued between Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford: Cosell wanted to break the news; Gifford said, “Bulls - - t, we’re not. . .” Cosell prevailed, informing the country about an “unspeakable tragedy.”
Simultaneously, a Muzak version of The Beatles’ “All My Loving” chillingly played on the hospital sound system. Weiss heard a woman behind closed doors scream, “No, no! Oh, no. . .” Suddenly, Weiss recalled, Ono “walk[ed] right past me, alongside David Geffen,” the music executive whose eponymous label had just released the couple’s “Double Fantasy” album.
Ono went out a side door. ER nurse Deartra Sato, who attended to Lennon, did not have that luxury. “I walked onto Ninth Avenue and it was completely shut down by people playing John Lennon’s music and lighting candles,” she said. “Some idiot shouted to me, ‘I’ll give you $500 for your bloody pants.’ Of course I refused. I went home and washed them.”
Meanwhile, at the 20th Precinct, Chapman acknowledged being the shooter. As Cullen recalled, “He said to me: ‘I’ve been tracking [Lennon] for a while. I have a big person inside of me and a little person. The big person had been winning up until tonight. But now the little person won.’ ”
Questioning went on for eight hours before Chapman was brought to NY County Criminal Court downtown. He left the police station via a side door while a decoy went through the front: “We were afraid somebody would take a poke at him,” Cullen said. A judge remanded Chapman to Bellevue Hospital for psychiatric evaluation. “He tried to withdraw his [admission of guilt], but the judge would not allow it,” Cullen added.
According to co-author Wedge, that did not stop the killer’s lawyer from wanting to go to trial. “But Chapman had a change of heart. He pleaded guilty. An observant Christian who never got over Lennon’s claim that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus, Chapman told the court: ‘It is my decision and God’s decision.’ ”
Unmoved, the judge sentenced Chapman to 20 years to life. He continues to serve his sentence at Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo.


newyorkpost--2020-12-08--38 years ago today: ‘Darth Vader’ threatens Washington Monument blowup

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On Dec. 8, 1982, a man wearing a blue jumpsuit — and a Darth Vader-esque bubble helmet — held Washington, DC, hostage in this wild story from the New York Post archives.
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