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Drake Reportedly Bought a TV Show to Star In It

Jonathan Antonio
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Drake Reportedly Bought a TV Show to Star In It

Undoubtedly, Drake is one of the most famous hip-hop artists of our time. His latest album ‘More Life’ was streamed over a million times in a matter of days and set the record for wanted for the most streamed albums in his musical career. But Drake did not start off as a rapper. Drake began his career while working on the hit Toronto film TV series ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation.’ Now, the rapper may be headed back to set.

The hit British drama series top boy went off the air in 2013. The show ran for two seasons on Channel 4. However, according to reports, Drake brought the rights to the show in 2016. But the rapper is not interested in making money off the TV series it appears as though Drake will have an on-screen role in the reboot.

Ashley Walters, who plays the drug dealer on the show, told the Mirror, “We met up to start talking about the show, and we are working out a role for him. He loves acting, of course, he wanted a part. He’s going to be really hands on and is getting stuck into it.”

Drake’s venture into acting should not come as a surprise. He recently appeared on a podcast and expressed interest in rebooting his acting career.

 “I think after I release More Life, which is this playlist I’m working on and finish this tour, I think I’m going to really start to position myself in the acting world and, hopefully, take some great roles.”

While there is no official word on what type of character Drake will play, considering the violence and gritty nature of the top boy series, it will be a far cry from his lighthearted skits he portrayed on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

However, Drake is not the only rapper expected to join the cast of top boy reboot. Rapper Skepta is also supposed to have a role, making a top boy and international hip-hop influenced series.

‘America’s Next Top Model’ Will No Longer Have an Age Limit

Jonathan Antonio
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‘America’s Next Top Model’ Will No Longer Have an Age Limit

We think of modeling it is easy to think about young girls from Russia between the ages of 17 to 21. Casting young models has been the formula for over 20 seasons of the hit modeling reality-competition TV series, America’s Next Top Model. But one particular model is trying to make a drastic change to the show.

Just days after Tyra Banks took over America’s Next Top model from the runway model, fashion icon, producer, designer and TV industry superstar is already making changes to show’s casting call. On Saturday, Tyra Banks announced via Twitter that casting for the 24 cycle of America’s Next Top Model will consider applicants of all ages. The age requirement change is something that has never been done before. In fact, the limit had previously set at 25 years or younger.

“There have been 23 cycles of America’s Next Top Model,” Banks told her followers, “and every single cycle we say you have to be 27 years or younger. You know what I hear all the time? ‘Tyra, come on. Why have an age limit?’ So you know what? I’m taking that age limit off.’”

So if you’re an aspiring model, here’s your chance to star in the next season of America’s next top model.

Tyra Banks previously hosted America’s next top model for several seasons and even served as the show’s executive producer. Earlier this month Tyra Banks revealed that she would be taking over Rita Ora’s hosting duties. It is important to note,  Banks walked out of hosting the show when the series moved to VH1 last year after running for several seasons on the CW network.

Teen Arrested After Streaming Rape on Facebook Live

Jonathan Antonio
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Teen Arrested After Streaming Rape on Facebook Live

Last November, Facebook added a new feature to their social network the new feature allowed users to donate money to charities that they enjoy using.

But since then Facebook has caught themselves in the middle of a bitter controversy. The social networking platform has now become a place where users can share not only the best parts of their life but also the most tragic. For example, earlier this year a mother was arrested for allegedly taping her two-year-old to a wall and then sharing it on Facebook live. Users were so appalled by what they saw they quickly reported the police. Authorities later arrested the women.

While this story is terrifying enough, earlier this year several teens were arrested for allegedly kidnapping and torturing a teenager and then broadcasting it live on Facebook.

Now another I, the AP reports. The alleged rape was captured and watched by over 40 people who did not even reported to authorities. According to Chicago police, the police department is now investigating, and authorities plan to arrest more individuals involved with the incident. Police have said the attacks included five or six men and the boy involved in sexual assault was “one of the offenders in the video.”

Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson is expected to deliver more details on what transpired on Facebook live. However, the juvenile suspect now faces felony charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault manufacturer, child pornography, and dissemination of child pornography.

Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi explained police were not aware of the attack that occurred last March. It was not until the girl’s mother approached Chicago’s police superintendent Johnson after he was leaving the police station and showed him the video. Johnson explained that he was upset and shocked by the fact that 40 viewers saw the video and did not call authorities.

Since the video, the family has left the Chicago neighborhood after the family has received threats and people ringing their doorbell looking for the young girl.

The End of Internet Privacy is Near

Reginald Edward
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The End of Internet Privacy is Near

The Democratic party is now urging President Trump to veto a bill that will allow internet providers the opportunity to sell information about their customer’s web browsing history, the AP reports.

Senate minority leader Charles Schumer and several Senate Democrats have signed an open letter calling on Trump to “tell us whose side he’s really on.” Schumer goes on to say that the new resolution if signed by Trump, will hurt Americans and consumers “will be stripped of critical privacy protections in a New York minute.”

Last October, the Federal Communications Commission issued a rule that allowed consumers to dictate how much information their internet providers can share. But many argued that the law would limit innovation in the industry. One of the rules, which has not taken effect yet, would require Internet providers such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon to obtain explicit consent before selling their customer’s web browsing history, app usage data, and other personal information to third-parties and advertisers.

Last Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted to kill those set of privacy regulations. Republicans voted for the repeal, and most Democrats voted against it. The resolution was passed by the Senate on a 50-48 vote last Thursday and still needs to be signed by the President before becoming law.

While many Democrats and Americans are against the potential policy change, AT&T and Comcast publicly addressed the privacy concern. “There has been a lot of misleading talk about how the congressional action this week to overturn the regulatory overreach of the former FCC regulation will now permit us to sell sensitive customer data without consumers’ knowledge or consent. This is just not true,” wrote Gerard Lewis, Comcast senior vice president.

Ultimately, rules treated data as a property belonging to the consumer. But, with this new piece of regulation, your internet browsing data no longer belongs to you but, belongs to the company that allows you to surf the internet. Consequently, Internet Service Providers can sell your private information without your consent. The bill will also make it harder for the Federal Communications Commission to pursue policies similar to this one in the future.

‘Boss Baby’ Beats ‘Ghost in the Shell’ in the Box Office After Whitewashing Controversy

Jonathan Antonio
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‘Boss Baby’ Beats ‘Ghost in the Shell’ in the Box Office After Whitewashing Controversy

The animated comedy Boss Baby has beat Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Scarlett Johansson’s Ghost in the Shell in the box office. Early estimates released on Sunday shows DreamWorks animation took home $49 million. The movie featured Alec Baldwin and narrowly dethroned Disney’s two-week box office hit movie. The live-action Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson took in $48 million in its third weekend.

Ghost in the Shell backlash

Ghost in the Shell
PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA – FEBRUARY 15, 2017: Ghost in the Shell movie poster. This movie is about a cyborg policewoman attempts to bring down a nefarious computer hacker. (Faiz Zaki / Shutterstock.com)

Meanwhile, Paramount’s Ghost in the Shell could not compete with the baby. The sci-fi remake of the hit Japanese anime opened with only $19 million, which is a bad start for a movie that cost $110 million to make. However, it is important to note that the feature film ran into a lot of controversy after producers cast Scarlett Johansson. Many fans called the casting decision another instance of whitewashing in Hollywood. In fact, days before the release of the movie the Asian American media group bashed the film.

“Apparently, in Hollywood, Japanese people can’t play Japanese people anymore,” MANAA President Robert Chan said in a report to the press. “There’s no reason why either Motoku or Hideo could not have been portrayed by Japanese or Asian actors instead of Scarlett Johansson and Michael Pitt. We don’t even get to see what they looked like in their original human identities — a further whitewash.”

Scarlett Johansson - Ghost in the Shell Box Office
NEW YORK – MARCH 29: Scarlett Johansson is seen in Midtown on March 29, 2017, in New York City. (Liam Goodner / Shutterstock.com)

In response to the backlash, Scarlett Johansson argued that the character she is playing is “identity-less.”

“I think this character is living a very unique experience, in that she is a human brain in an entirely machinate body,” Johansson said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” last this week. “She’s essentially identity-less. … I would never attempt to play a person of a different race, obviously.”

But, the backlash started way before the movie went into production. In fact, a Screen Crush report argued that producers reportedly wanted to hire a special effects company to make Johansson look less white.

Samsung Announces Their New Phone – Meet Samsung S8

Jonathan Antonio
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Samsung Announces Their New Phone – Meet Samsung S8

Samsung’s latest phone is finally here. After spending months cleaning up the chaos left after the company’s Galaxy Note 7 controversy, the company is planning for a reboot.

On Wednesday, Samsung revealed their latest phones, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus.

Design

The Galaxy S8 is currently one of the most aesthetically pleasing phones you can buy. The curved display nearly covers around the entire front of the phone. Samsung calls their new face the Infinity Display.

Samsung’s Bixby

Another major feature the Galaxy S8 offers is Bixby, Samsung’s digital assistant that promises to control everything on your phone with your voice. Currently, Bixby, which starts with a dedicated button on the side of the phone is only limited to Samsung’s apps and functions on the phone. Bixby can also use the camera to identify objects and search the internet for information regarding that object.

Bixby also comes with a new home panel that resides to the left of the phone’s main screen. This menu panel contains information relevant to you, which is similar to Google’s Google Now feature that currently exists in Android phones.

Samsung plans to allow for third-party developers enable Bixby in their Android apps and start incorporating features from Viv, the artificial-intelligence company created by the creators of Siri, which Samsung purchased in 2016. It is early to declare if Bixby is a better feature than Apple’s Siri feature.

Another new feature included in the Samsung S8 and the S8 plus is the fingerprint sensor. The sensor was embedded in the home button found in previous Galaxy phones. Now the fingerprint sensor is found on the back of the device adjacent next to the camera. The fingerprint sensor can be used to unlock the device and secure folders.

Samsung also includes a front-facing camera which includes built-in face detection that can be programmed to unlock your phone when you look at the camera.

Samsung can be used a portable desktop computer

Another cool trick the Galaxy S8 can do is become a personal desktop computer. The phone can connect to a monitor, keyboard and a mouse and function as a lightweight desktop computer running on Android Operating software. The dock is called DeX and will be sold separately. however, at this time, Samsung has not announced a price for the product.

The biggest question is whether or not the Samsung S8 will explode.

Samsung announced earlier this year that it would use a new design of safety checks for all of their future devices. While there is no guarantee, we will not know for sure until the product is available for the public.

Canadian Government Plans to Legalize Marijuana by July 2018

Brent Edward
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Canadian Government Plans to Legalize Marijuana by July 2018

While the United States is slowly legalizing marijuana nationwide, Canada will announce legislation next month that will legalize marijuana in Canada by July 1, 2018.

CBC reported that the bill to decriminalize weed will go into effect on July 1, 2017, and will allow men and women 18 and older to purchase marijuana and keep up to four plants in their household. Also, Canadian provinces will have an option to increase the minimum age if they decide too.

However, marijuana will remain a federal crime until proper regulations are legislated. Former Justice Minister Anne McLellan, who helped push the bill, explained to Foreign Policy what to expect over the course of 2017: “Until we have a framework to control and regulate marijuana, the current laws apply.”

Ultimately, the Canadian federal government will overlook the supply and license producers of weed, but provinces will regulate the distribution, sale, and prices of the plant.

Marijuana Canada
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA – MAY 11, 2016: Mark Emery’s Cannabis Culture store is one of the many vendors in the area that sells marijuana and various related items.

In case you did not know, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was able to gain the youth vote after promising the legalization of weed.

This news comes after recent research examining how legalized marijuana impacted teens and children. Researchers at the University of California Davis School of Medicine and Columbia University’s Depart of Psychiatry studied marijuana legalization last year and reported the results last December. Researchers found cannabis use among eighth and 10th graders in Washington increased by 2 and 4 percent, respectively. But, in Washington, the perceived harmfulness of pot decreased by 16.1 percent among 10th graders.

Expect to hear your coworkers, friends and family members calling for the move to Canada over the next few months. Especially considering how synthetic marijuana is viewed as a “public health concern.”

Elon Musk Reportedly Launches a Company that Plans to Connect Your Brain to a Computer

Jonathan Antonio
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Elon Musk Reportedly Launches a Company that Plans to Connect Your Brain to a Computer

Elon Musk has reportedly launched a new company whose entire mission is focusing on creating technology that can link human brains with computers.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the new business is called Neuralink. The company was developing “neural lace” technology would allow for people to communicate with machines without touching a computer. The company was registered as a medical-research company last summer in California.

What is Neural lace?

Neural lace was first coined by science fiction author Iain M. Banks. The idea is relatively simple: a device that allows people to interact with machines just by using their brains. How does it work? Currently, people envision a mesh that surrounds your brain and is a wireless brain-computer platform. But, it is also believed that the mesh can be programmed to release certain chemicals that allow for people to have a change of thought.

Recent neural lace research

Two years ago, scientists who focus on nanotechnology published a paper in Nature Nanotechnology. The device was an ultra-thin mesh that can merge into the brain and create an interface that connects a machine with biology. The device was called “mesh electronics,” and the device is so thin it can be injected with a needle. Researchers have tested the device on mice and these test subjects survived the mesh electronic implantation. Researchers argue that the injectable brain mesh can cure brain disorders such as Parkinson’s and even enhance the human brain.

The future of neural lace

It is important to note that this is not the first time Musk discussed neural lace technology. During the 2016 Vox Media’s Code Conference in 2016, Musk said the technology would allow humans connect with machines.

“The solution that seems maybe the best is to have an AI layer,” Musk said at the Vox Code Conference. “A third, digital layer that could work symbiotically.”

But, Musk is not alone. Facebook is working on developing similar technology through a secretive hardware division called Building 8. The group is reportedly developing a noninvasive brain to computer technology that would allow people to communicate without a physical interface.

Can Republicans Fix Health Insurance?

Brent Edward
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Can Republicans Fix Health Insurance?

It has been almost a “battle cry” for Republicans to say “repeal and replace” Obamacare.  Republicans also argue the ACA, Affordable Care Act, is and will crash under its weight.

The Republican Party has done all that it could do to restrict funding to the ACA, Affordable Care Act.

The recently Republican proposed AHCA, American Health Care Act, would have reduced the budget deficit by $337 billion over the next ten years. But it will also increase the number of uninsured American by approximately 24 million by 2026, according to the CBO, Congressional Budget Office, report. The most vulnerable groups in our society would be at risk (low-income, the elderly, women, etc.).

The ACHA as proposed would have gutted Medicaid. Medicaid has offered low-income people health coverage since 1965. It seemed only a natural outcome to expand Medicaid through the ACA to help more women and families, that were previously uninsured. Approximately 32 states, plus DC, did exactly that, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The Republican ACHA plan would have halted Medicaid expansion in 2020, reducing spending for the program and implementing per capita caps. The CBO estimates it would have been $880 billion less in spending for Medicaid.

Another part of the ACHA was to defund Planned Parenthood by approximately $234 million over the next ten years. In 2014 the Planned Parenthood centers served about 2.4 million patients, according to their website. Covering a host of health issues: screening for breast and cervical cancer; testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases or STI’s; pap tests; birth control counseling and services; and sexuality education. 

The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funds from covering abortion care, with a few exceptions: some cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the woman is in danger. If the ACHA had passed, it would have pushed abortion out of reach for millions of women.

One Senator that lead the charge for helping the ACA to “crash under its own weight” is Senator Marco Rubio (R- FL). He and others spent two years trying to undermine a key financing mechanism to the ACA as it stands as the law of the land. RISK CORRIDORS is where the government had a pool of money from the more successful carriers to offset the losses that some insurance companies experienced as they participated in the Market Exchanges. He and others inserted a provision into the 2014 spending budget that restricted the federal government money from supporting the Risk Corridors. 

According to a past statement from Dawn H. Bonder, CEO of Health Republic of Oregon, an insurance co-op at the time “Risk Corridors have become a political football.” The Health Republic of Oregon is now closed, but it was doing well as they grew their membership but could not sustain the co-op without the aid of federal money from the Risk Corridors through the ACA. Many of the non-profit insurance cooperatives that formed to participate in the ACA have now failed for the same reason.

This concept of the ACA collapsing under its weight is sort of like the idea of Social Security collapsing under its weight. For example, President George W. Bush “borrowed” $1.37 trillion from Social Security.

United Airlines Goes Viral For Not Allowing Passengers to Board with Leggings

Reginald Edward
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0
United Airlines Goes Viral For Not Allowing Passengers to Board with Leggings

If something awful, questionable, or upsetting happens in the age of social media, it can quickly go viral. The latest backlash that has gone viral today on the internet had a lot to do with pants and airplanes.

The story centers around two girls and United Airlines’ decision to kick passengers off of a flight over their attire.

Several people tweeted their surprise and concern over an incident where to United passengers were barred from their Minneapolis-bound flight over their leggings.

How did United defend the issue? The airline explained the company has the right to refuse service to customers’ they believe are dress inappropriately.

United Airlines response did not sit over well with people on Twitter.

What is considered inappropriate is largely subjective and is difficult to explain in a set of rules and regulations. Anyone that has gone a flight has seen a wide array of outfits, especially considering how strenuous it can be to walk through airplane security. The issue quickly caught the attention of celebrities including Sarah Silverman, Patricia Arquette and Chrissy Teigen.

United took to Twitter to stress that they have the right to refuse a customer’s service over what they believe is inappropriate for travel. While the company is correct for having a set of standards, it leaves open a pandora’s box of what is and what is not acceptable for travel. Now the airline is forced to addressed the issue of clothing before every passenger boards a flight.

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