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Blake, Wm. For The Sexes, The Gates Of Paradise, object 9. 1793.

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Sony Pictures has announced a new “Karate Kid” movie, starring Ben Wang, known from the Disney+ series “American Born Chinese,” as the lead. This decision followed a global search with thousands of candidates.

Wang impressed with his martial arts skills and deep connection to the character during auditions. His fluency in Mandarin and skill in various martial arts forms played a key role in his selection.

Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio are set to reprise their iconic roles, bringing continuity to the franchise alongside the introduction of new talent.

The upcoming film, directed by Jonathan Entwistle with a script by Rob Lieber, will bring the storyline to the East Coast, focusing on a teen from China under the guidance of a wise mentor.

The movie is scheduled for release on December 13, 2024.

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Blake, Wm. Jerusalem The Emanation of The Giant Albion, object 96. 1821.

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NASA is advancing its Fission Surface Power Project, targeting a sustainable human presence on the Moon and potentially Mars, by developing a compact nuclear fission reactor for electricity generation.

In 2022, three companies received $5 million contracts from NASA to design small-scale nuclear fission reactors, including systems for power conversion and heat rejection, aiming for a decade-long operational capability on the lunar surface.

The project emphasizes the reactor’s independence from solar power, offering a reliable energy source throughout the 14.5-day-long lunar night.

Key specifications for the reactor include a six-ton weight limit and the capacity to generate 40 kilowatts of power, sufficient for powering habitats, rovers, and experiments, with a targeted autonomous operation span of 10 years.

NASA’s collaboration with terrestrial nuclear companies and space experts has created innovative solutions for remote activation, fuel types, and reactor configurations, moving towards a lunar demonstration in the early 2030s and potentially adapting the design for Mars exploration.

NASA’s program director: “A demonstration of a nuclear power source on the Moon is required to show that it is a safe, clean, reliable option.”

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Blake, Wm. Jerusalem The Emanation of The Giant Albion, object 6. 1832.

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Major U.S. employers like Walmart and Starbucks are now using an AI startup, Aware, to monitor employee messages on platforms such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. This approach helps companies understand employee sentiments in real time.

Aware’s technology is capable of detecting issues like bullying, harassment, and noncompliance without revealing individual identities, focusing instead on trends and sentiment analysis.

The AI analyzes billions of messages to provide insights into employee sentiment and risk factors, aiming to improve workplace safety and compliance.

An expert: “It results in a chilling effect on what people are saying in the workplace,” adding that the FTC, Justice Department, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have all expressed concerns on the matter, though they weren’t speaking specifically about Aware’s technology. “These are as much worker rights issues as they are privacy issues.” 

Co-founder of AI accountability nonprofit Humane Intelligence: “A lot of this becomes thought crime. This is treating people like inventory in a way I’ve not seen.”

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Blake, Wm. Christian Fears the Fire from the Mountain. 1804.

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Indonesian soccer player Septain Raharja died after being struck by lightning during a match at Siliwangi Stadium. The incident occurred while he was playing for FBI Subang in a friendly game.

The moment of the strike was captured on video, showing Raharja suddenly collapsing on the pitch. Teammates and staff quickly rushed to his aid.

Despite suffering severe burns and initially surviving the strike, Raharja was transported to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Following Raharja’s death, several teams and individuals, including star soccer player Cristian Gonzalez, paid tribute to him. A moment of silence was shared, and condolences were posted on his team’s Instagram.

This event marks the second instance of a soccer player being struck by lightning in Indonesia within a year, with a previous incident occurring during the Soeratin U-13 Cup. The player involved in the earlier incident survived.

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Blake, Wm. Christian Reading in His Book. 1824.

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A former finance minister of Greece said social media has removed any “separation between work and play” for Gen Z because everything they post online can be used against them by employers. 

Varoufakis: “If you are an upper-middle-class kid and you have aspirations for life, you know that every video you upload on TikTok, everything you write on Twitter, everything you put on Facebook is going to be thrown at you during a job interview.” 

“There’s no nice, clean separation between work and play anymore,” he says. “And that cannot leave that generation untouched. It really poisons their way of relating to one another because even [that] is going to become part of their CV.”

“They [Gen Z] get much older, much faster as a result of living in a social media world in which they are compelled to try to find an identity which in the end is not self-driven.” 

Experts recommend young people clean their social media profiles before entering the job market to avoid potential negative impacts on their employment opportunities.