Huawei has come under fire from countries throughout the West, with allegations the telecommunications equipment company engages in spying for the Chinese government. The United States, Britain, Australia and Germany have expressed concern in some cases, and gone as far as to ban the company in others.
In spite of Huawei’s reputation, at least one major country is undeterred: Brazil. Bloomberg is reporting that the Chinese government is confident Huawei will be chosen to build out Brazil’s 5G mobile network.
“I am confident in terms of the cooperation between China and Brazil over 5G technology”, China’s Ambassador to Brasilia Yang Wanming told Bloomberg in response to emailed questions. He added that Brazil “will take into account its own development interest” when analyzing Huawei’s bid.
Yang also indicated that Brazil has remained objective and had not been moved by what he described as the United States’ campaign of “bad faith and defamation.”
Nonetheless, if China’s assessment is correct, and Huawei is chosen, it could ratchet up tension between the U.S. and Brazil. The U.S. has been warning allies of the dangers of relying on Huawei and has already informed Brazil it may downgrade security cooperation if Huawei is chosen.
Telecom companies in other countries have already been sounding the warning regarding the added cost and time that will be incurred building 5G networks without Huawei’s equipment. Countries, especially ones with limited options, will no doubt be watching closely to see who blinks in this game of 5G brinksmanship.
The International Business Times (IBT) is reporting that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has filed suit against Google claiming the tech giant misleads consumers about how it collects and uses their data.
The ACCC claims Google used “highly sensitive and valuable personal information” without properly informing consumers and giving them the opportunity to make a choice. According to the ACCC, Google used misleading on-screen prompts and labels regarding what information was being collected. The tech giant claimed that customers’ data would only be used for personal purposes and to make sure Google’s services worked properly when, in fact, the collected was used elsewhere.
According to the complaint, between 2017 and 2018, users who did not turn off the “location history” and “web & app activity” settings had their data collected and used.
ACCC chairman Adam Sims said: “We’re also alleging that some of the behaviour is continuing. We want declarations that the current behaviour should not continue.”
Mr. Sims said the ACCC was seeking “significant penalties,” as well as an admission from Google that its behavior was “inappropriate.” The case will likely be watched closely by similar agencies around the world, as Google and Facebook are already under scrutiny for their handling of consumer data.
Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction, has responded to a tweeted invitation from hip=hop artist Tyler the Creator to collaborate with him musically.
Tyler the Creator, whose real name is Tyler Okonma, tweeted to Zayn Malik:
“I have beautiful instrumentals and you have a voice. Let’s figure this out, y guy. Epic album cuts, tho no radio singles.”
Within two days, Malik took Tyler up on his offer.
“Sounds sick, Bro. Let’s do some shit!”
Perhaps Zayn Malik has not communicated with his management or other advisors about this collaboration. Or perhaps he has not heard that Tyler the Creator has a reputation for misogyny and encouraging violence toward women that has preceded him to such a degree that he has been barred from entering Australia.
HI @zaynmalik I HAVE BEAUTIFUL INSTRUMENTALS AND YOU HAVE A VOICE LETS FIGURE THIS OUT MY GUY . EPIC ALBUM CUTS THO NO RADIO SINGLES
Last month, Tyler the Creator tweeted to his followers that Coralie Alison, the Director of Operations at Collective Shout, had managed to convince the Australian government to deny Tyler a visa due to his lyrics and other activities that glorify violence against women.
A spokesperson from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in Australia said that while “the Australian Government supports freedom of speech… the exercise of this freedom involves a responsibility to avoid vilification of, inciting discord in, or representing a danger to, the Australian community.”
“In cases where a person is assessed as representing a risk that they may vilify or incite discord, or otherwise represent a danger to the Australian community, a person may be refused a visa.”
Zayn Malik may find himself running afoul of fans in Australia who have read about the beef between Tyler the Creator and Collective Shout. The organization fought to have the hip-hop artist barred from the country, building a case against him that appears to have convinced the Australian government that he is not someone they want visiting.
Tyler the Creator has received widespread media attention over the span of his career for misogynistic hate speech against women, as well as homophobia. He is renowned for his songs advocating rape and extreme violence against women, including murder, genital mutilation, stuffing them into car boots, trapping them in his basement, raping their corpses and burying their bodies.
A characteristic feature of his songs is retribution against women who he perceives have wronged him. For example, he sings about strangling and chopping up women who reject his sexual advances and raping their corpses.
The group listed several examples of Tyler’s lyrics, which seem a far cry from the safe radio-friendly material of One Direction.
“Raquel treat me like my father like a f*ckin’ stranger, She still don’t know I made Sarah to strangle her, Not put her in danger and chop her up in the back of a Wrangler, All because she said no to homecoming.’”
“You’ll be down in earth quicker if you diss me tonight, I just wanna drag your lifeless body to the forest, And fornicate with it but that’s because I’m in love with you…c*nt.”
“F*ck Mary in her ass.. ha-ha.. yo, I tell her it’s my house, give her a tour, In my basement, and keep that bitch locked up in my storage, Rape her and record it, then edit it with more sh*t”
“You already know you’re dead, Ironic cause your lipstick is red, of course, I stuff you in the trunk”
“You call this sh*t rape but I think that rape’s fun, I just got one request, stop breathin”
“I wanna tie her body up and throw her in my basement, Keep her there, so nobody can wonder where her face went, (Tyler, what you doin’?) Shut the f*ck up, You gon’ f*ckin’ love me bitch, Sh*t, I don’t give a f*ck, your family lookin’ for you, wish ’em good luck, Bitch, you tried to play me like a dummy, Now you stuck up in my motherf*ckin’ basement all bloody, And I’m f*ckin’ your dead body, your coochie all cummy, Lookin’ in your dead eyes, what the f*ck you want from me?”
Collective Shout summarized that Tyler the Creator posed a threat to women in Australia and should be barred. Zayn Malik has made no comment on these statements. Nor has he responded to a video that Collective Shout has spread around of a live performance in which Tyler the Creator viciously berated one of their activists, which they say led to death threats against her.
“We draw your attention to a previous Collective Shout campaign in June 2013 calling on the former Minister to revoke Tyler’s visa. As a result of our actions, Talitha Stone, a young activist who led our campaign, was subjected to multiple rape and death threats from Tyler’s fans, with the artist himself inciting violence against her on twitter and at his Sydney (all-ages) concert, where a young woman was also raped.”
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp have probably gotten more press than they wanted during their time in Australia. The pair went there because Depp is working on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The film production company was offered a $20 million tax incentive to shot the fifth installment of the Pirates franchise there.
As you may recall, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp caught some flak for smuggling in their two dogs, Pistol and Boo, against Australian regulations.
Australian Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce caught some camera time when he said, “There is a process if you want to bring animals: you get the permits, they go into quarantine and then you can have them. If we start letting movie stars even though they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice to come into our nation, then why don’t we just break the laws for everybody? It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.”
A Dept. of Agriculture spokesperson in Australia added, “The Department of Agriculture is the Australian Government authority that manages animal imports to protect people’s health as well as animal and plant health. Any animal which is imported without meeting Australia’s import conditions will be ordered into quarantine and will either be exported or euthanized.”
Rather than see their dogs euthanized, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp sent them back home to the U.S. When asked for a comment about the situation, Heard replied, “I have a feeling we’re going to avoid the land Down Under from now on, just as much as we can, thanks to certain politicians there. I don’t know, I guess everybody goes for their 15 minutes, including some government officials.”
Even though the dogs were sent back home, a crime was allegedly committed under Australian law — two crimes, actually: illegal importation and false documentation.
Amber Heard can apply to have a sentence determined in her absence. Australian law does allow for a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $75,000 fine for the illegal importation charge against her, and a maximum one year in prison and $7,500 fine for false documentation.
Amber Heard could be facing up to 11 years in prison: She's been charged with illegally smuggling her dogs into Australia. #enews
Jetpets is a company that transports pets internationally. A spokesperson for that company commented about Australia’s lengthy and strident clearance program for pets like Amber Heard’s.
“Australian houses have very few diseases (such as rabies) so our live animal import regulations are very strict. There are many tests and vaccines that must be done on certain dates during the seven months by a government vet. Australia require pets to apply for import permits, secure quarantine space and stay in quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in Australia prior to being released in to the community.”
Amber Heard faces jail time in Australia? Guess they finally sat down as a nation and watched "Magic Mike XXL"
Amber Heard was charged this week and must appear in Australian court on September 7th on charges that she and Johnny Depp “smuggled” their two yorkies, Pistol and Boo, into the country.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp avoided the ten-day quarantine and other stringent laws involving bringing animals into Australia by flying them in on a private plane.
However, the piper must be paid and Amber Heard must answer for their actions. The penalty for smuggling animals is a maximum of 10 years behind bars, and a fine of $75,000.
According to Australia’s agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, even movie stars have to obey the laws.
A photo posted by Amber Heard (@amberheard_official) on
He said, “There is a process, you get the permits, they go into quarantine, then you can have them. If we start letting movie stars, even though they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice, to come into our nation, why don’t we just break the laws for everybody?”
He added, “It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.”
A photo posted by Amber Heard (@amberheard_official) on
Amber Heard was unimpressed with the fact that she, also, must obey laws like the rest of us peasants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jvt3-p1U2c
Amber Heard said in an interview last month with an Australian news channel, “I have a feeling we’re going to avoid the land Down Under from now on, just as much as we can, thanks to certain politicians there,” the actress said. “I don’t know, I guess everyone tries to go for their 15 minutes, including some government officials.”
Co-hosts of the news show were a bit put off by Amber Heard’s comments.
“That’s a bit disappointing,” Samantha Armytage said after the interview. “She should be more respectful of our quarantine laws.”
Co-host David Koch concurred, saying, “Hollywood types. They think they’re a bit above the law.”
What do you think of Amber Heard’s flippant attitude toward breaking Australia’s animal smuggling laws?
Amber Heard has been summoned to court over the debacle involving Johnny Depp’s dogs.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp were in trouble for ignoring Australia’s strict animal quarantine laws. They were in Australia because Depp is filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment.
At the time, Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said, “It’s time Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.”
Pistol and Boo did indeed bugger off a few days later.
However, a later Senate hearing was told that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard could be sentenced up to 10 years in jail, or they could be forced to pay a fine of up to $265,000 if they were found guilty of illegally importing the dogs.
A photo posted by Amber Heard (@amberheard_official) on
It continued, “The CDPP’s action follows an incident where a bio-security officer attended a Gold Coast property in April and found two dogs alleged to be illegally imported. All animals entering Australia must have an import permit, and have undergone relevant testing and health checks signed off by a government veterinarian from the exporting country to ensure pests and diseases from overseas are not brought here.”
Amber Heard was not thrilled at all to be entangled in the fiasco.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jvt3-p1U2c
What do you think about Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s Australian snafu?
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard headed to The Gold Coast in Australia last month on a private jet. They are there because Depp is working on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The film production company was offered a $20 million tax incentive to shot the fifth installment of the Pirates franchise there.
But now Johnny Depp and Amber Heard may be up a creek. According to Australian authorities, the couple brought their two dogs with them. The mutts are called Pistol and Boo. And the problem is that you can’t bring a pet into Australia without a lengthy process.
Australian Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce said, “There is a process if you want to bring animals: you get the permits, they go into quarantine and then you can have them.”
According to this chap, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard did not properly clear their dogs. Then came this sexually ambiguous statement:
“If we start letting movie stars even though they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice to come into our nation, then why don’t we just break the laws for everybody?”
Then came this diplomatic statement:
“It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.”
According to a Dept. of Agriculture spokesperson in Australia, getting those two dogs in takes a lot of red tape.
“The Department of Agriculture is the Australian Government authority that manages animal imports to protect people’s health as well as animal and plant health. Any animal which is imported without meeting Australia’s import conditions will be ordered into quarantine and will either be exported or euthanized.”
So, the dogs could be deported, or they could be put down. The rep wouldn’t say which.
“The department is unable to comment on an individual’s imports or personal circumstances, regardless of whether that person is a public figure.”
Jetpets is a company that transports pets internationally. A spokesperson for that company commented about Australia’s lengthy ans strident clearance program for pets.
“Australian houses have very few diseases (such as rabies) so our live animal import regulations are very strict. There are many tests and vaccines that must be done on certain dates during the seven months by a government vet. Australia require pets to apply for import permits, secure quarantine space and stay in quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in Australia prior to being released in to the community.”
Netflix is going to cost a little more in Australia.
Treasurer Joe Hockey has confirmedreports that the new budget will include a plan to charge a 10 percent Goods and Services Tax on online services based outside of the country.
According to Hockey, this GST extension wouldn’t apply to products that cost under $1000 imported into Australia. That’s because the Treasurer agrees with a 2009 Productivity Commission report which said that would cost more to enforce than it would make in tax revenue. Hockey said in a press conference that the Government would go to tech companies and ask them to hike their prices by 10 per cent and send that extra revenue to the Government in the form of a tax.
“What we’re doing is going to digital providers overseas and saying ‘can you apply the GST to the products you provide into Australia?’. They [the tech companies] are agreeable to it. It’s not their profits [being taxed]. It’s a tax collected and they remit it back to the country where that [consumption tax] occurs,” said Hockey.
Netflix went live in Australia and New Zealand back in March.
“It is not fair to taxpayers, or to retailers or their many employees, to exempt overseas online retailers from the GST even if some consumers are enjoying the ride,” said Hockey.
Netflix is currently cheaper than Australia-based competitors, Hockey argues due to not having to incorporate a GST into their price points. According to him, this will level the playing field.
Netflix has been vocal about its plans for world domination, saying it hopes to be in 200 countries by 2017.
“Our international expansion strategy over the last few years has been to expand as fast as we can while staying profitable on a global basis. Progress has been so strong that we now believe we can complete our global expansion over the next two years, while staying profitable, which is earlier than we expected. We then intend to generate material global profits from 2017 onwards,” said Hastings at a recent earnings call.
Australia and New Zealand is a big push for Netflix, which most recently moved into Cuba. That was pretty much seen as a symbolic gesture, considering the country’s internet access struggles. The company plans to launch in Japan this fall.
We’ve known Netflix was readying its launch in Australia and New Zealand with March in mind, and today the company has announced a specific date.
Netflix will land in Australia and New Zealand on March 24.
“Many Aussies and Kiwis have heard a lot about Netflix over the years, and we’re excited they’ll get to experience our unique blend of Netflix original content, local series and films, and popular movies and TV shows from around the world, all for a low monthly price,” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.
“Netflix will be available on all major Australian broadband operators. Customers of iiNet, the nation’s second-largest DSL Internet provider, will be able to enjoy hours of entertainment, including all three seasons of the political drama House of Cards, family thriller Bloodline and other movies and TV shows from the Netflix catalogue, with no fear of the usage counting against home data caps, under the first un-metering agreement announced with a major broadband provider in Australia,” says Netflix.
“Our international expansion strategy over the last few years has been to expand as fast as we can while staying profitable on a global basis. Progress has been so strong that we now believe we can complete our global expansion over the next two years, while staying profitable, which is earlier than we expected. We then intend to generate material global profits from 2017 onwards,” said Hastings at a recent earnings call.
Netflix most recently moved into Cuba, which was seen as a not much more than a symbolic gesture, considering the country’s internet access struggles. The company plans to launch in Japan this fall.
Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, The Water Diviner, made a huge splash in its native Australia.
In fact, Russell Crowe’s film won the Best Picture prize at the Aussies’ version of the Academy Awards.
But, when will audiences in the US have the pleasure of seeing Russell Crowe’s beautiful film?
In the spring, hopefully, because Russell Crowe made an amazing-looking movie.
Check it out:
According to the movie’s website, Russell Crowe’s The Water Diviner “is an epic adventure set four years after the devastating battle of Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. Australian farmer Connor (Russell Crowe) travels to Istanbul to discover the fate of his sons, reported missing in the action, where he forges a relationship with the beautiful Turkish woman (Olga Kurylenko) who owns the hotel in which he stays.”
It continues, “Holding on to hope, and with the help of a Turkish Officer, Connor embarks on a journey across the country to find the truth about the fate of his sons.”
What a great story! Russell Crowe is off to a great start as a director.
Russell Crowe has starred in a ton of great films over the years like The Gladiator and The Cinderella Man, and more recently, Man of Steele and Noah.
But, if this first directorial effort is any indication of what we can expect, then I hope Russell Crowe continues to direct films!
What do you think of the trailer and premise of The Water Diviner?
ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com is a new site that does exactly what it says it does. If you have an enemy, and you want to show them your hate in the most passive-aggressive way imaginable, the good folks at ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com will package up a bunch of glitter and send it their way.
And you know glitter. It’s going to get everywhere.
“We’ve had enough so here’s the deal: there’s someone in your life right now who you fucking hate. Whether it be your shitty neighbour, a family member or that bitch Amy down the road who thinks it’s cool to invite you to High Tea but not provide any weed,” says the site.
“So pay us money, provide an address anywhere in the world & we’ll send them so much glitter in an envelope that they’ll be finding that shit everywhere for weeks. We’ll also include a note telling the person exactly why they’re receiving this terrible gift. Hint: the glitter will be mixed in with the note thus increasing maximum spillage.”
The service costs $9.99AUD (a little over $8 USD) from anywhere in the world. As of right now, buying has been temporarily suspended while they work through their current orders. They’re backlogged. Apparently people have “a sick fascination with shipping people glitter.”
Ok, what about the most important question – is this really a real thing? Really?
“Yes, you fucking idiot. We spent too much time, money & resources putting this shit hole of a website up to not get paid for it,” they say.
If you’re unfortunate enough to receive this horrible, horrible parcel – you’ll be in good (?) company. Past Glitter bomb victims include Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Dan Savage, Joe Lieberman, and Lindsay Lohan. Those were public and were not part of this site’s service – but they all took a blast of glitter to the face for one reason or another. And if you find yourself in that unfortunate situation, you’ll probably feel some solidarity … with Newt Gingrich.
Wow, this is even more diabolical than I originally thought.
Back in July, Google launched an algorithm update that shook up local search results in the U.S. While Google never gave it an official name like Panda or Penguin that we’re aware of, Search Engine Land started calling it the “Pigeon” update, and that’s what people in the industry have, for the most part, adopted for it.
That update has now reportedly started rolling out to other countries including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Back in July when the update launched, people noticed missing 7 packs in some types of local results, and Google confirmed the update, saying that it “ties deeper into their web search capabilities, including the hundreds of ranking signals they use in web search, along with search reatures such as Knowledge Graph, spelling correction, synonyms, and more.”
The update was also said to improve distance and location parameters.
Search Engine Land is now reporting that the update has significantly affected local businesses in the new regions, and points out that Google is, once again, making major algorithm changes around the holidays, which it had pretty much stopped doing until recently.
As we’ve talked about in the past, Google updates around the holidays can deliver major blows to businesses at the most important sales time of the year. Now, not only are they rolling this update out, they’ve been slowly rolling out a new version of Penguin.
X-Men: Days of Future Past star Michael Fassbender is reportedly dating his The Light Between Oceans co-star Alicia Vikander.
The two had filmed parts of The Light Between Oceans in Australia. Fassbender, 37, was photographed with the 26-year-old Swedish actress at Bondi Beach in Sydney. German-born Fassbender went surfing, and then joined Vikander on shore for a meal.
The Light Between Oceans is based on the 2013 novel by M.L. Stedman, and is set for release in 2015.
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne (Fassbender) returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel (Vikander). Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. The couple keeps the baby, and name her Lucy.
When they eventually go to the mainland, they discover that a woman (played by Rachel Weisz) has been searching for her lost husband and child.
Netflix announced that it will launch in Australia and New Zealand in March. The launch has been anticipated for a long time, but in recent weeks, we’ve seen talk of its inevitability ramp up. Now it’s official.
Netflix said in its announcement:
Internet-connected users in Australia and New Zealand will be able to subscribe to Netflix and instantly watch a curated selection of popular movies and TV shows in high-definition or even 4K where available. At launch, the premium and unique Netflix offering will include such original series as Marco Polo, BoJack Horseman and, among many kids titles, DreamWorks Animations All Hail King Julien.
Netflix, available on hundreds of Internet-connected devices, will also be home to the critically acclaimed documentaries Virunga and Mission Blue, and stand-up comedy specials Uganda Be Kidding Me, Live, from Chelsea Handler and Jim Jefferiess BARE, among many others. The Netflix ANZ selection will expand in 2015 to include highly anticipated original series family thriller Bloodline starring Ben Mendelsohn, Kyle Chandler, Sissy Spacek, Linda Cardellini and Sam Shepard; the gripping Super Hero tale Marvels Daredevil featuring Charlie Cox, Rosario Dawson, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson and Vincent D’Onofrio; Sense8, a new globe-spanning thriller series from the creators of The Matrix trilogy and Babylon 5, and, from the creator of Friends, Grace and Frankie with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.
While Netflix will be available across a variety of devices in the countries as it is everywhere else, prices are still yet to be determined. People in Australia and New Zealand who wish to sign up for the service when it launches can sign up for updates at Netflix.com.
Kim Kardashian, who recently tried to “break the internet” with her nude photos for Paper magazine, has landed in Melbourne. The celebrity is in Australia to launch her new perfume, Fleur Fatale, which will launch in Australia next month. Kardashian was spotted on November 16 at a private room in Bondi restaurant Icebergs. She is now in Melbourne to attend a VIP party. Kardashian arrived on a Qantas flight from Sydney wearing a strapless dress, stilettos, and a kaftan jacket.
She was whisked away by her escorts to her hotel in Yarra. Kardashian won’t be cooped up in her hotel room though. The star is expected to visit her favorite fashion hotspots in the city. The reality TV star, who is married to hip-hop superstar Kanye West, recently gave birth to their daughter North, who is now 17 months old. Her family didn’t join her on her trip to Australia.
A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on
In an interview with the Herald Sun, Kim talked about how global fame affected her personal life. In the interview she said, “I live my life in front of the world and it has offered amazing opportunities to my family and me. But along with all the media attention, comes stress and hardships on the people that I love.”
Kardashian will be heading out to India next to appear on the reality show Bigg Boss, a sort of Indian take on the show Big Brother.
A recent op-ed piece in the Washington Postasked, “Why is Kim Kardashian so famous?” The star’s grasp of social media pretty much made it possible for the star to build her own empire centered on her being a celebrity. The Paper profile on Kim Kardashian said as much. “Social media has created a new kind of fame, and Kardashian is its paragon. It is a fame whose hallmark is agreeable omnipresence, which resembles a kind of evenly spread absence, soothing, tranquil and unobjectionable,” Amanda Fortini wrote in the profile.
Christmas lights are a time-honored tradition that illustrate the decadence of the holiday season and can often help brighten up otherwise dreary winter days. It may come as a shock to some Americans, then, to learn that an Australian holds the record for largest Christmas lights display.
Last November David Richards of Canberra, Australia reclaimed the world record for most lights on a residential property with a 502,165-light display of holiday cheer. Before that the record had been held by a 346,283-light display in LaGrangeville, New York.
This year Richards is set to improve upon his record. According to a Canberra Timesreport, he and a team of workers are currently setting up six and a half tons of LED lights in Canberra’s Petrie Plaza. The display’s construction has also taken 22 tons of steel and more than 68 miles of string lights.
Richards told the newspaper that the construction has been “challenging” and “much larger” than he originally anticipated. He also stated that he has had to quickly learn event management skills to coordinate the build.
The equipment and labor for building the project have all come from business donations. Massive cranes have been donated for use on the project and Richards stated that he has had electricians working daily on the project for weeks.
As in previous years, Richards’ display will be used to raise money for SIDS and Kids, a charity dedicated to promoting research into sudden infant death syndrome. According to Guinness World Records, Richards’ first record-breaking display in 2011 raised more than $78,000 for the charity. The charity told The Canberra Times that it will field around 250 volunteers to collect donations this year and that it expects to raise at least $200,000 from the display, which opens on November 28.
It looks like Netflix is readying its push into the land down under.
Australian news site Mumbrella is reporting that Netflix has tapped both a creative and a social media marketing agency to help the company’s move to the country.
And the campaign could be a big one. From Mumbrella:
It is thought the service will launch a multi-million dollar marketing blitz when it does enter the market, worth upwards of $20m. However, that could be as late as the second half of next year as it looks to tie-up content rights for local programs.
Netflix hasn’t confirmed the move into Australia, but its execs have hinted at it in the past. Last month, Ted Sarandos said that Australia and New Zealand were “very attractive territories that are English-speaking and love US content”.
Netflix is expected to land in at least Australia some time next year.
And you better believe that this has the networks scurrying.
“When it comes to an Australian subscription service to rival Netflix the networks couldn’t strike a deal and decided to go it alone – a decision they may regret down the track. Instead of working together they’ve looked for partners elsewhere. Ten is reportedly considering a deal with Foxtel while Seven is looking to Quickflix, Optus or perhaps even Foxtel’s Presto. Nine is the only commercial network to put its cards on the table – teaming up with Fairfax (publisher of this news site) to offer the Netflix-style StreamCo.”
And StreamCO has just receive a rebranding – and it’s now called “Stan”. Stan, which is expected to launch in early 2015, will cost about $10 a month and has already gained exclusive rights to Breaking Bad and the upcoming Better Call Saul.
In protest of the repeal of an interim rule requiring people with facial coverings such as burqas to be seated separately from the public galleries, one Australian protester wore a Ku Klux Klan hood in Parliament. The protester was accompanied by a man wearing a motorcycle helmet and another man wearing a niqab, and all three men attempted to enter the Australian Parliament House on Monday, October 27.
Presiding officers of Parliament made a rule on October 2 for people wearing facial coverings to sit in a separate area usually reserved for schoolchildren and required all visitors to temporarily remove their garments at the entrance. The rule was intended to keep protesters dressed in concealing garments from entering Parliament. However, after harsh criticism of the rule, it was repealed starting on Monday.
The protesters, identified as Sergio Redegalli, Nick Folkes and Victor Waterson, said that they were part of a group called “Faceless” and were opposed to the wearing of the burqa in public places. They also strongly believed that the “polictical ideology” of Islam was “contrary” to Australian beliefs.
Police reportedly stopped the protestors as they made their way from the Old Parliament House to the Parliament House forecourt. The protestors were told that the Klu Klux hood and motorcycle helmet would have to be taken off, but the person wearing the niqab was allowed to keep it on. In the end, all three men were screened as part of normal procedures and emerged without their facial coverings.
Since the facial coverings brought by the protesters were apparently considered as “protest paraphernalia,” the Department of Parliamentary Services required removal of the coverings. This was reportedly in accordance with a longstanding policy that protest paraphernalia was only allowed in authorized assembly areas but not in other areas of Parliament.
The Australian Christian Lobby’s Queensland director, Wendy Francis, said that the protest was hurtful to Muslim women in the country and that it was “distressing” to see a Klu Klux Klan outfit in Parliament. “To identify that [the KKK] with a Muslim woman is extremely confronting and hurtful,” said Francis.
When looking for an outfit as part of an anti-Muslim protest at the Australian Parliament House, one man opted for a Klu Klux Klan uniform. He was (of course) indignant that he and his fellow protesters were subjected to a search while hijab-wearing Muslim women were not.
The protest was in response to the partial revocation of a partial burqa ban by Australia’s legislature.
What’s interesting is that of the many face-concealing costumes this man could have worn, he opted for the Klu Klux Klan outfit. He chose to wear something attached to a lengthy legacy of hate, fear, and prejudice.
Perhaps, given the subject, his choice was more or less fitting.
The Klu Klux Klan is an American group that is dedicated to the preservation of America. White America.
So any group that is suspicious of and distrustful of minorities and sees their advances as a constant threat would likely appreciate the message of the KKK.
And this is why America needs to stop pretending that nobody sees its racism or is unaware of the LONG history of bigotry in this country.
The Klu Klux Klan isn’t the only symbol of inequality to travel.
The Hawley & Hazel Chemical Company sold a toothpaste named “Darkie” throughout Asia for a number of years. The box featured the grinning image of a white man in blackface. After much protest, “Darkie” became “Darlie” in 1989. It’s been noted that the new name is descriptive term for black people in China.
Blackface is a very real problem throughout Asia, much to the chagrin of much-offended travelers who happen to be black:
A variation of the always controversial Confederate flag was seen flying high at a Russian separatist movement. Why this flag? Mikhail Pavliv, credited with designing the flag for the “People’s Republic of Donetsk”, said that he stumbled across the flag online.
This is a flag that has been associated with American Southern pride and a desire to separate one’s self from tyrannical control.
What can Americans do about the ease at which hate groups abroad adopt shameful symbols of intolerance and ignorance? Unfortunately, not too much.
However, it SHOULD encourage all Americans to be more vocal about putting an end to racial prejudice and how persons who act out of hatred and ignorance represent themselves, and not America.
Today’s the day for Apple fanatics. Those who chose not to pre-order the new iPhones are have been standing in lines across the world for hours – oftentimes overnight – just to get their hands on the coveted devices on launch day.
In Perth, a man named Jack Cooksey was the first person in the city to buy one. And when interviewed about it on live television, Jack got nervous. Jack got clumsy. And Jack dropped his brand new iPhone on the ground.
Oh shit indeed!
Luckily for Jack, it appears the phone survived.
“As soon as I knew I’d dropped it I thought someone was going to make a meme or something out of this but I didn’t expect it to go as big as it’s gone I mean, it’s in the UK now,” he told Australia’s 9NEWS.
Sorry man. When you spend the whole night waiting to buy a phone and subsequently drop said phone on the sidewalk, well, you’re going to make the internet rounds.
