Illustrative. Membersof GU F.R.E.E. protesting on campus. Photo: GU F.R.E.E. / Facebook.

Following dramatically different outcomes of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) votes attwo California schools on last week, campus antisemitism and Israel advocacy experts spoke withThe Algemeinerto break down the anatomy of a BDS campus campaign.

With the University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) coming back with zero votes cast in favor of BDS, and California State University-Long Beach seeing 15 student representatives vote yes for the anti-Israel motion,Tammi Rossman-Benjamin founder of the campus watchdog AMCHA Initiative said there is a complicated calculus involved in each BDS push.

To her, the unanimous and unequivocal opposition to BDS of all of a campuss Jewish student organizations is a crucial factor inheading off the efforts of anti-Zionists.

May 15, 2017 2:07 pm

Weve seen a definite increase in the tactic of Jew splitting, where BDS activists find organizations like Jewish Voice for Peaceto run interference for them when they are accused of antisemitism, Rossman-Benjamin explained. So I think that when faced with an issue like BDS, we have to have the moral clarity to state that there is a red line and when you cross over it, the Jews will be standing on the other side, united, saying, No.

Rossman-Benjamin pointed to the letter of unified opposition produced at UCSB and signed by the campuss eight mainstream Jewish organizations as an element that was missing from the CSULB campaign against divestment.

In the letter, the groups including the campuss Hillel, Chabad, and the AEPi fraternity and sorority stated [w]e represent the broad consensus of Jewish opinion at UCSB, and they uniformly reject[ed] this one sided, counterproductive, and incredibly hurtful BDS resolution.

Anti-Zionism is highly dependent on making sure it is seen as separated from antisemitism, said Rossman-Benjamin, adding that her organization has tracked a trend in which BDS activists at a given campus will often host an explanatory antisemitism program often co-hosted with fringe Jewish groups in the days leading up to a divestment vote,to signal to people that they arent antisemites.

But if you want to see how the Jewish world really understands BDS, take a look at the people who signed a [2011] letter condemning the movement, Rossman-Benjamin said, referring to an international Stop BDS effortwhich gathered signatures from nearly 100representatives ofOrthodox, Conservative and Reform groups, Jewish fraternities and sororities and Israel advocacy organizations.

David Brog executive director of the Maccabee Task Force, a group formed in 2015 to combat demonization of Israel on campus said much of the success and failure of BDS at acampus can be attributed to what stage of pro-Israel activism students are at when the campaign is first launched.

[Zionist students at] UCSB last year realized that they shouldnt let student government rest in the hands of anti-Israel students, so they ran and won, and they got pro-Israel representatives on student government, he said.

Brog added that UCSBsHillel center has offered non-Jewish student leaders the opportunity to go on an educational mission to Israel, called a Fact Finders tour, an experience he said leaves many resistant to the BDS narrative.

CSULB, Brog noted, has devoted pro-Israel students who are eager to turn aroundthe environment that allowed BDS to pass, but they are earlierin that process of educating and changing the campus.

Meanwhile, Max Samarov the director of research and campus strategy for the StandWithUs education group said the different outcomes come down largely to a significant difference in campus demographics.

By percentage, UCSB has one of the largest Jewish populations in the UC system, and for years and years and years it has had a strong pro-Israel community, Samarov pointed out. CSULB has a strong pro-Israel presence but not nearly the same numbers.

Samarov said there have been situations where schools with small Jewish pops come together and defeat resolutions, but that the odds are harder to overcome.

According to Samarov, CSULB also contendedwith a very intense campaign of outside pressure, and what started as a debate between Long Beach students, was influenced by external, off-campus groups.

All this came together to create an atmosphere of overwhelming support for BDS and of intimidation [for those against it], he said.

Read more:
The Anatomy of a BDS Campus Campaign - Algemeiner

Where to Stream

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that its onevery single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, were taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY:May 15,2006

PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE:Greys Anatomy, Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response / Losing My Religion (Season 2, Episodes 26/27) [Stream on Netflix]

WHY ITS IMPORTANT:ThatGreys Anatomy premiered on ABC in the same season thatLostandDesperate Housewives did sometimes gets lost, becauseGreys premiered at mid-season. And late mid-season at that. Airing only 9 episodes before the end of season 1,Greys Anatomy didnt really have time to become an addictive ratings sensation. That came in season 2.

The second season ofGreys Anatomy did everything a smart primetime soap should. It cranked up the intrigue on its central romantic drama, adding Kate Walsh to the cast as McDreamys wife. Set half of its cast up to be hopelessly in love with the other half. Its medical cases got more fraught and high-pressure. This was the season with the celebrated post-Super Bowl episode, with Christina Ricci and Kyle Chandler and an explosive device inside a patient. It was also the season that introduced Denny Duquette as a patient in need of a heart transplant. As played by current TV mainstay Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Denny was a sweetheart of a patient. One of those gregarious sorts who gives his doctors a hard time with a sparkle in his eye. He was a character tailor made for Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) to fall in love with.

Depending on your perspective, Denny was the best thing to ever happen to Izzie on the show or else the worst. Similarly, the events of the season 2 two-part finale are eitherGreys Anatomyat its best or its most frustrating. (Of course some, like yours truly, might say both.)Greys always walked that tightrope between utter exasperation at its central characters, doctors who refused to stop being led around by their idiot hearts. The show always put on a good face about showing the consequences to these actions and the responsible doctors who stuck up for the responsible course of action. But time and again, Shonda Rhimes came down on the side of crazy, stupid love, and whatever it took to arrive at it. Obviously, Izzie was going to cut Dennys LVAD wire, sending him into critical heart failure, all so he could move up to the top of the transplant list. A risky, insane gambit that in any real-world setting would have cost her her medical license and probably put her in jail. OnGreys, though, that all onlyalmost happens. But that would come the following season. For now, Izzy cuts the wire, Denny gets his heart transplant, and while Izzie might get fired, she at least will end up with the love of her life. Right?

Dennys death was the kind of icy stab to the heart that would become/had already become a Greys Anatomyhallmark:the possibility of ultimate happiness followed swiftly by total disaster, scored by a Snow Patrol song that just by virtue of its presence here became a hit. That it came in the middle of a hospital-wide prom thrown to cheer up a cancer patient (guest star Tessa Thompson) makes it perhaps the mostGreys moment of all. Adolescent notions of love butting up against the cruel mercilessness of nature.

Where to streamGrey's Anatomy

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Today in TV History: 'Grey's Anatomy' Ended Its Second Season with a Dead Denny - Decider

Welcome to the Anatomy of a Goal, where each week we dissect one goal (or near goal) from Columbus Crew SCs previous match.

For Match 12 of the 2017 MLS Season, we take a look at Justin Merams 91st minute hat-trick earning goal that put Crew SC up 3-2 as part of the win over Montreal Impact on Saturday.

Heres a look at the finish from the Crew SC winger.

The Black & Gold got off to a hot start, with Meram scoring a brace in the first half. Despite that hot start, Columbus ceded much of the possession to Montreal and looked to be in for yet another second half collapse.

Its tempting to call this goal a breakaway goal but I prefer to call it a transition goal. While Meram does dribble more than 50 yards by himself, Crew SC still have to break down the Impacts defense in order to bag the game winner.

Merams finish begins in the above image. Wil Trapp has just broken up a typical Ignacio Piatti cut in from the left side, placing the ball at the feet of Crew SC right back Hector Jimenez. Niko Hansen is just behind the play providing a safety valve for this tackled ball. Meram, shifting to the center of the field after Federico Higuains 74th minute substitution, is unmarked but in the vicinity of, the incredibly tired, Chris Duvall.

After Trapp tackled the ball into the path of Jimenez, he directs the fullback to the wide open Hansen, much like he directed Jonathan Mensah to an open Higuain against New England. Meram is still in the center of the field and Duvall has made his move to mark the winger. Ive highlighted Duvall not to suggest that he isnt match fit enough to compete into the 90th minute of a match, but instead to show just how much Meram has left in the tank. As youll see in the following images, Meram, who has played all but seven minutes of three matches in eight days, will pick up the ball and totally outrun Duvall.

As Hansen brings the ball up the field, he immediately has two options. He can either continue forward and try to beat Patrice Bernier; or make a simple pass to the wide open Meram. Duvall, still highlighted, is more or less level with Meram.

As Bernier closes in, Hansen opts for the simple pass to Meram. The winger has acres of space, and Ola Kamara, ahead of him but does have Duvall closing in from his left.

As soon as Hansen passes the ball to Meram, he continues his run at pace around Bernier, opening himself for another pass. Meram begins his move to his attacking half, and is nearly marked by Duvall. However, this is as close as the defender will get to Meram.

The above video shows just how badly, and easily, Meram is able to outpace Duvall. Duvall carried a relatively heavy offensive load in this match, but Meram is playing his third match in eight days, having been subbed out only once during this congested period. Despite the workload, Meram blazes away from Duvall like its his first run of the match.

After Meram outruns Duvall he has two legitimate options: a pass to Hansen, running at full pace downfield or continue to dribble at Montreal center-back Kyle Fisher until Fisher commits to defending Meram.

Kamara is highlighted with Laurent Ciman near the middle of the image. Though Kamara is not in a position to receive a pass, his run occupies Ciman and open a lane for Meram.

Meram opts to continue his run, forcing Fisher to commit. As Fisher shields Merams left, the attacker can either make a simple pass to an open Hansen, or a more difficult pass to Kamara, who has a better angle on goal.

I want to highlight Fishers shield of Merams left in the above image and sequence. At first glance, I was confused by Fishers decision to shield Merams weaker foot. While Meram has finished with his left foot more often this season, he still heavily prefers to shoot and pass with his right foot.

However, on second (and tenth) watch, I think Fisher makes the correct decision here. By shielding Merams left, Fisher gives up Merams stronger foot to force him right, creating a more difficult shooting angle or forcing a pass to Hansen, who has a much worse angle on goal than Meram would.

Fisher knows that Ciman is on his left, covering Kamara, and must assume that Ciman or a trailing player will shift over to cover Meram if the Crew SC hat-trick-hero makes a pass to Hansen. No trailing Montreal player would recover in time, leaving the two Impact center backs to cover three Crew SC attackers.

Meram makes his pass to Hansen as Fisher shifts over to attempt to cut off any passing or crossing angle. Now, Hansen will have two options. He can either attempt a shot at a difficult angle or pass back to Meram. Duvall, back frame, will not reach Meram in time.

Hansen makes the correct decision to pass the ball back to Meram, but must make a difficult pass back across his body. As Hansen successfully puts the ball back into the path of Meram, the Crew SC No. 9 must make a quick decision: with Ciman bearing down on his goal side and Duvall finally approaching from the back will he take a shot on goal; or play Kamara?

Meram, feeling the Mothers Day magic from his moms goal request, decides to be Crew SCs hero and fires a one-timer toward the back post...

...and buries the winner. Notice the highlighted Kamara. Even as the ball is going into the goal, he is frustrated that Meram hasnt passed him the ball...but dont worry, Kamara didnt stay mad for long.

Findings:

1. Justin Meram had an incredible match, and somehow found the legs to run the full length of the field in the 91st minute of his third game in eight days.

2. Niko Hansen made every correct decision during this play. As soon as he made his entry pass to Meram, he blazed by Patrice Bernier. He also made the difficult cross-body pass back to Meram for the game-clinching goal.

3. Montreals center backs tried to close out the Crew SC attack, but stopping three attackers, two of which were substitutes, requires a bit of luck. The Impact had no luck on this play.

Extra-time:

Because this weeks goal was relatively straightforward, I wanted to highlight one portion of one more goal from Crew SCs win over Montreal. Specifically, I want to show how Adam Jahns movement created an open lane for Justin Merams first goal.

All in all Jahn had a relatively forgettable match, and might have been at fault on Montreals equalizer, but his movement in the video above drew Ciman away from Meram, and opened a huge lane for Meram to smash in the opener.

Jahn starts out on Merams right, just in front of Kekuta Manneh. As Jahn sees Manneh run behind him, he darts in front of Ciman, forcing Fisher to either follow Jahn, leaving Manneh in on goal, or to stay with Manneh, giving Meram a lane ahead. Fisher opts to stay with Manneh, and as Jahn crosses in front of Ciman, the center backs movement is slowed just enough to give Meram an open shot on goal after rebounding his own pass.

See the original post here:
Anatomy of a Goal: Meram's Mother's Day Miracle - Massive Report - Massive Report

Giacomo Gianniotti just finished his 50th episode acting in one of TVs most durable hits, Greys Anatomy: a heady position for a young Canadian actor. He's inclined to thank marijuana for getting him to this stage in life.

I guess Im really happy for pot, says the actor, smiling, during a Skype chat. Because if I hadnt smoked it . . . I wouldnt have gone to Toronto and stepped into the me that I was meant to be.

Gianniotti, 27, has been a regular on Greys, now in its 13th season, playing Dr. Andrew DeLuca since 2015. You may have caught him on the big screen in last years Stephen Hopkins film Race; hes also enjoyed stints on shows including Reign, Selfie and Murdoch Mysteries.

And it all began, he supposes, in Grade 9 in Parry Sound, when he was caught smoking marijuana. He was kicked out of school and moved to Toronto to live with his dad, where he attended Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts.

In high school, he recalls, he would break into the Kraft Canada headquarters parking lot in North York with his buddies.

Wed have coffee and cigarettes and just talk, says Gianniotti. (There) was this beautiful view of the Don Valley Parkway.

Sometime after Cardinal Carter, he enrolled in Humber Colleges theatre program, during which time he set up shop with some pals in Parkdale in a horrible apartment with cockroaches. It was a far cry from his childhood back in Parry Sound (everybody left their doors open, you shared food with your neighbours, he recalls), but Toronto is where his acting career began.

Before long, though, he was looking south. Greys Anatomy was in its early years when Gianniotti was in high school. The girls at his school watched, but hed never seen it. Fast forward, a bunch of years later . . . I sent a tape out for this Greys Anatomy character.

Four months went by and he hadnt heard back. Gianniotti had begun to feel frustrated with the small pool of acting options in Toronto and he decided to move to Los Angeles.

Driving across America with two Toronto friends who were helping him relocate, he got a call from his agent, telling him that Greys Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes a huge figure in the TV industry wanted to meet with him when he arrived in L.A.

The three men were in Albuquerque and Gianniotti told his friends to take over driving for the rest of the way. In the back of the car he studied his script. When he arrived in L.A., he met with Rhimes and her team a few days later, he had the part.

Joining the show was at first overwhelming.

It was a lot of people, a lot of personalities . . . its hard to get quiet, says Gianniotti.

And quiet is important for the actor, who calls himself really shy and really introverted. He uses his headphones to block out some of the noise on set and he has guitars in his trailer, which he plays to unwind.

But hes found a kindred spirit in actor Martin Henderson, who plays Ellen Pompeos new love interest, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Nathan Riggs.

Hes from New Zealand and Im from Canada, and weve just drawn a lot of parallels of being mountain men and liking the outdoors, Gianniotti says of his off-set friend.

Getting used to new environments is nothing novel to the blue-eyed Italian-Canadian, who was born in Rome to an Italian father and a Canadian mother, and moved to this country when he was around 5 years old. But he had a lot to learn, it emerged, about one of the staples of his new job: simulating surgery.

Theres just so much protocol in the OR, he says, recalling that one medical producer was especially exasperated with him that first day.

Shes like, If a doctor saw you, they would be like, faker! he says with a laugh. And we dont want that, so my first surgery every two seconds, she was like Cut! Giacomo! What are you your hands are no! oh my God!

It was a little bit of a learning curve and (the other actors were) laughing at me, he chuckles. Because they had all been there themselves and were remembering it.

His character was most recently at the centre of a dramatic, violent encounter with Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), which almost sent the latter (a fan-favourite character) to jail. Gianniotti is excited for fans to see the season finale, which he describes as huge and wild and big-budget, but laments that theres just so many amazing things (about it) and I cannot tell you any of them!

The eventfulness of the deathless Greys is probably one key to its success; the show gained teen viewers last year while staying in the top 10 among TV watchers aged 18 to 34 for the sixth year running, according to ABC. Gianniotti cant comment yet on whether hell be back on the show next season; his own contract is managed yearly and he hasnt received it yet.

How has his life been changed by the gig?

I didnt have much growing up. Im so grateful for what I have now and its kind of ridiculous, to be honest, he admits.

But the actor often talking with his hands during the interview or absent-mindedly stroking his beard doesnt see the point in spending money on material effects.

I dont buy fancy things . . . I have, like, three pairs of jeans, he says.

But he can make a difference for those who are struggling; his platform allows him to call out to fans and quickly raise money for the causes he believes in. Recently hes put a lot of his heart into working with an L.A. charity for homeless youth called My Friends Place.

Its such a massive problem. Literally everywhere you look (in Los Angeles you see a homeless person) . . . and its usually a kid.

He misses Toronto for example, snow, the lakeshore, and getting macaroons and coffee at Queen Wests Nadge before strolling through Trinity Bellwoods. In fact, he returned to town in April to direct a music video for those friends who helped him move to L.A. years ago.

Hes also started his own production company and recently wrote a song, which he tells fans to expect in the next couple of months. He has broader ambitions for his acting career, too, declaring hes dying, dying, dying to explore war films.

Until that offer arrives, I ask him how he has time for it all. Not a lot of sleep, he quips.

Greys Anatomys Season 13 finale airs Thursday, May 18 at 7 p.m. on CTV.

Go here to read the rest:
Giacomo Gianniotti's wayward youth helped bring Canadian to Grey's Anatomy - Toronto Star

I am so happy so many people saw it and were affected in some way by it, actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson says about her recent arc on Greys Anatomy as patient Diane Pierce and mother to the character Dr. Maggie Pierce played by main cast member Kelly McCreary. It touches us on such a human level because thematically what it dealt with and how it dealt with [it], so many of us are going through or have gone through or have been touched by it, Richardson Jackson explains in her interview with Gold Derby (watch the exclusive video above) before adding, This cancer epidemic in the world is the scourge of our existence.

Billed simply as LaTanya Richardson for most of her career, she now uses LaTanya Richardson Jackson as her stage name, alluding to her marriage to Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson, which is at 36 years and counting. Despite sharing a profession, the couple has not appeared on screen together since the film Mother and Child in 2009. Richardson Jackson explains, We used to work together all the time when we were younger, when we were really going up and we were sort of at the same level. But since his star rose so high and he became a supernova, we have not found ourselves able to work together. She laments about the last time that they shared a set, He had such a huge trailer and so many amenities that were not afforded to me. I said, Oh well, I guess we wont be doing this again because I cant take it. But I think in the future, I would love to do a play with him.

Crediting theater as her first love, Richardson Jackson enjoyed the first major nomination of her career in 2014 when she was nominated at the Tony Awards for her lead role in the A Raisin in the Sun play revival on Broadway. Thats written on the rsum of my soul, she gushes, noting, That really came out of left field because I was replacing [aging Tony winner and Oscar nominee Diahann Carroll] during a very deep rehearsal period that was so quick that [the premiere was only two months after being cast] that it never would have crossed my mind. Everybody who does theater though [] Tonys thats bigger to us than any Oscar.

For the Emmys this year, Richardson Jackson has submitted her third and final Greys Anatomy performance for Best Drama Guest Actress consideration the episode Be Still, My Soul directed by starEllen Pompeo in her directorial debut. Although her character ultimately succumbs to the cancer, Richardson Jackson believes that theres hope for Diane to return in some incarnation for a future season. She elaborates, I think that theres a lot there to be mined. I just keep trying to insert myself into it again because I had such a great time there and I was very sad to have to die and leave. Richardson Jackson even admits to being a fan of the show from the very beginning, which made her casting in the 13th season that much sweeter.

Be sure to make your Emmy predictions. Weigh in now with your picks so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our Emmy odds.You can keep changing your predictions until just before nominees are announced on July 13. Join in the fierce debate over the 2017 Emmys taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our TV forums. And visit our home page for the latest in entertainment news.

Related: Ellen Pompeo directs Greys Anatomy episode about mommy issues

Related: Watch our many interviews with 2017 Emmy contenders

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LaTanya Richardson Jackson ('Grey's Anatomy'): Cancer 'touches us on such a human level' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO] - Goldderby

by World Entertainment News Network

Incredible images have revealed the anatomy of a wave after one brave photographer risked life and limb to slip under the waves and capture them from behind as they broke. (Don Hurzeler/mediadrumworld.com/WENN)

Incredible images have revealed the anatomy of a wave after one brave photographer risked life and limb to slip under the waves and capture them from behind as they broke.

The stunning underwater shots show violent vortices venting from the collapsing tube of a breaking wave, and the backside of a breaking wave, which can either look like a mirror or act as a window when the wave is very thin.

Other amazing pictures show the more traditional view of a breaking wave as the camera points down the tube while surfers and swimmers are pictured trying to ride or avoid the waves.

The spectacular snaps were taken at Kua Bay, Hawaii by author and photographer Don Hurzeler, 70, from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, who explained just how dangerous this type of photography can be.

I've been run over by surfers on boards, swept by currents onto the rocks, said Hurzeler.

Ive had run-ins with large sharks, had the camera and housing bounce off the sand so hard it broke everything, hurt my back repeatedly by being pounded into the sand and had to stop taking photos to rescue visitors to our island who had ventured out into the wrong spot at the wrong time.

Ive nearly bit through my tongue, broke ribs, toes, fingers, have been in surf so large I did not think I would ever make it back to the beach and have stepped on spiny sea urchins, sharp coral, sharp rocks and jellyfish, he added.

I have been run into by sizable turtles who got caught up in a wave - those shells turn out to be quite sharp when they run into you - and scared out of my mind by a 600-pound endangered monk seal that swam right under me just before sunup the other day. Other than that, no problems.

To take the photos Hurzeler swims out with his camera in one hand and swims in place, or stands if in shallow water, as a wave approaches.

He tries to duck down and slip under the oncoming wave. If hes not successful he gets dragged over the top of the wave, slammed into the sand or coral and then dragged underwater like a "rag doll in a spin cycle of a washer."

Shooting photos of the backside or underneath of a breaking wave allows me to share a sight that few people get to see directly, he said.

I feel that the images range from beautiful textures, shapes and colors to otherworldly captures.

The shot of a wave breaking is familiar to virtually everyone. An underwater shot of several vortices venting from the collapsing tube of a breaking wave is of a process most people never even knew exists.

And the shots of the underwater backside of the tube as it is breaking can range from nearly a mirror to a colorful textured cylinder.

Read more from the original source:
PHOTOS: Anatomy of a wave - WJLA

The last full week of the 2016-17 TV season means a slew of season finales.

NCIS, TVs most-watched drama, closes its 14th season at 8 p.m. Tuesday on CBS. The story sends Gibbs (Mark Harmon), the newly married McGee (Sean Murray) and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) off to Paraguay to hunt for a missing Navy SEAL.

Greys Anatomy wraps up its 13th season with the hospital in jeopardy. A trailer for the episode Ring of Fire, at 8 p.m. Thursday on ABC, resembles The Towering Inferno. The last episode suggested that Dr. Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton) is no longer with us after trying to stop a madman. We applaud her courage, but her methods were ill-advised.

Scandal closes its sixth season with two hours at 9 p.m. Thursday on ABC. President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) ends his presidency with a series of changes, and Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) prepares to become the first female president. Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) works furiously to ensure the president-elects safety.

The Blacklist wraps up its fourth season with two hours at 9 p.m. Thursday on NBC.

Modern Family finishes its eighth season with the high-school graduations of Manny and Luke at 9 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.

Designated Survivor closes its first season with Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) trying to stop another attack by the terrorists. The White House drama airs at 10 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.

More finales

Monday: Man With a Plan and Scorpion on ABC, Quantico on ABC.

Tuesday: NCIS: New Orleans on CBS, Chicago Fire on NBC, The Middle, American Housewife, Fresh Off the Boat on ABC.

Wednesday: Blindspot and Chicago P.D. on NBC.

Thursday: Supernatural on The CW.

Friday: Undercover Boss on CBS, The Toy Box on ABC.

Reality series: Dancing With the Stars and The Voice deliver their semifinals at 8 p.m. Monday. The final four couples each deliver two routines on DWTS before the field is reduced to the final three on ABC. The Voice delivers this weeks results at 8 p.m. Tuesday on NBC. Both high-rated series wrap up their seasons May 23.

Survivor continues its 34th season at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS. The finale will play out over three hours on May 24, the final night of the TV season.

More highlights

Antiques Roadshow starts its three episodes filmed last summer in Orlando at 8 p.m. Monday on PBS. The other episodes screen May 22 and 29.

If you enjoy colorized Lucy Ricardo, youre getting a new I Love Lucy special at 9 p.m. Friday on CBS. The episodes feature a singing-and-dancing Van Johnson (to How About You?) and a merry-making Harpo Marx.

Robert De Niro reminds you why hes considered one of the worlds greatest actors with a devastating performance as disgraced financier Bernie Madoff in The Wizard of Lies at 8 p.m. Saturday on HBO.

If youre not hearing enough politics, CNN offers a town hall with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at 9 p.m. Monday. A town hall debate between Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Gov. John Kasich, D-Ohio, follows at 9 p.m. Tuesday on CNN.

Saturday Night Live could turn those events into a skit for its season finale at 11:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC. Dwayne Johnson will host, and Katy Perry will be the musical guest. Ive got a hunch well hear Perrys "Chained to the Rhythm." And why not? Its a great song.

hboedeker@orlandosentinel.com

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'NCIS,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'SNL' end seasons - Orlando Sentinel - Orlando Sentinel

Photo Credit: Astrelok / Shutterstock.com

Reports involving Official US Enemies, especially North Korea, grow more distorted and scarier with each re-telling in the media. This is a distortion process honed by our media over the decades of US imperial saber-rattling and military build-up since the 1950s.

What begins as a hyper-qualified, even sober analysis, is laundered through initial reports and subsequent reports and more reports and finds its way on the airwaves of Fox News, ultimately morphing into a whole new media creature, rounded up to the scariest interpretation of facts with each link in the media chain and ending with an almost apocalyptic fervor.

One recent such example was so egregious and naked it bears special mention. What started out as an exercise in idle speculation by an obscure geopolitical research firm, within a week, morphed into a major story featured on Fusion, the LA Times, and Fox News.

Small Virginia-based security contractor Strategic Sentinel noticed that on Google Earth some islands had emerged off the coast of North Korea and decided to speculate as to what their purposes was in a May 1st article in The Diplomata respected foreign policy magazine focusing on Asia-Pacific affairs. One of those purposes, of course, was military. The piece hedged a lot but effectively ran with the premise that the islands North Korea was building were largely to house missiles and for sinister military application.

Theres only one problem: The basis of the whole story was overreaching at best and bunk at worst. Long-time North Korea observer 38North laid out, in detail four days later why the story didnt add up:

On May 1, 2017, The Diplomat published an article by Damen Cook based on a report by Strategic Sentinel, which purported to show that the North Koreans had constructed several military facilities on small islands surrounding the city of Sohae. The methodology and conclusions in this report, however, demonstrate a lack of understanding of both North Koreas military infrastructure and recent history.

In the Strategic Sentinel analysis, they suggested that a series of islands near Sohae (which is not a city) are being used for ballistic missiles (BM), anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), or surface-to-air-missiles (SAM); however, there is no credible evidence to support this claim. In fact, there is ample evidence to refute it...

As best as can be determined, it seems [Strategic Sentinel] looked at a few Google Earth satellite images (but forgot to look at the Landsat imagery) and drew conclusions based on pre-existing expectations.

The report would go on, playing down and refuting many of Cooks core claims. The entirety of which should be read.

Ryan Barenklau, Cooks partner at Strategic Sentinel, disagrees with 38Norths reading of events, telling AlterNet, he didnt find the debunking by to be fair.

I feel as if the piece has too much emotion from the writer and that the piece was a knee jerk reaction, Barenklau told AlterNet in an email. If you read the original article, you will see that we completely agree that these islands may only be for agriculture and never will be used for military purposes.

This debunking by 38Northregardless of what one thinks of its meritswas too little too late. The Diplomat added a 142-word update further qualifying their claims after being contacted by analysts from 38North (but before 38North published their rebuttal three days later). This would have little effect, North Koreas Mysterious Nuke Islands of Doom were too tempting to pass up and the media was off to the races:

Fusion: North Korea Is Building Mysterious New Islands In The Yellow Sea

LA Times: North Korea is building mysterious artificial islands that would be perfect for missile launches

The Independent:North Korea 'building mysterious artificial islands' apparently equipped with military installations

Daily Mail: North Korea 'is copying China and creating artificial islands to use as military bases

The Express: North Korea's man-made islands being primed for nuclear attacks, expert warns

Fox News: North Korea's mystery islands: Man-made keys could be new nuclear launch sites

To further hype the threat, Fox News turned to reliable North Korea fear-monger Gordon Chang--whose carved out quite a career rounding up to the most dire assessment of North Koreas actions. He fed Fox News the expected red state red meat, complete with a gratuitous book plug:

While their purpose is unknown, suspicions are high that the islands could be used to launch missiles. Those speculations are not far off the mark, according to Gordon Chang, author of Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World.

North Korea is never up to any good, Chang said in an emailed statement to Fox News. The new facilities, whatever their purpose, will be used for evil deeds, mischief, or troublemaking of some sort.

My sense is that the facilities on the new islands will be used for missile launches of some kind, especially because they are near Sohae.

In less than a week, an analysis that began as qualified speculationeven if overreachingmorphed into a full blown media panic. Grainy, decontextualized Google Earth images were enough to justify bold claims about a sinister Bond Villain-like plot to menace East Asia.

I do not like the way the media has been reporting this article, Strategic Sentinels Ryan Barenklau told AlterNet. The original purpose of this article was to examine islands that were being built up by DPRK and theorize if they could be used for military purposes, how would DPRK go about doing that. I definitely disagree with how Fox News has taken the article.

Strategic Sentinel did, however lend quotes the LA Times article that while more qualified than Fox News, was so only in degree not substance. One problem is that government contractors writing reports and providing quotes for respected publications like The Times is that these analyses often double as marketing efforts. Indeed, the LA Times story is currently Strategic Sentinels pinned tweet. And don't let their .org url fool you, Strategic Sentinel is a pro-profit defense contractor thatwhile currently without any--is more than open federal government contracts.

When it comes to marketing. I would definitely like to think that these articles show potential clients what we are capable of doing, Strategic Sentinels Ryan Barenklau told AlterNet. Any marketing that we do get from the pieces I am happy with, but I personally make it my mission not to hype anything. I do not want my company to be known as partisan or having ulterior agendas.

Nevertheless, here we are. The average media consumer isnt going to follow the links and parse all the nuance. 60% of Americans get their news from headlinesand North Korea Building Islands for Bombs is all theyre going to come away with it. This is consistent with what well call the North Korea Law of Journalism, which states that the editorial standards are inversely proportional to a country's Enemy Status as it relates to the U.S. State Department.

Because North Korea is seenfairly or notas the baddies, journalists can always round up to the most speculative, ungenerous reading of their actions and get away with it. There is no pro-North Korean public relations firm thatll call up the editor at The Diplomat or LA Times. No AIPAC like Israel has, no US government PR rep like the CIA does, no Gulf-funded think tank to run spin for the Qataris. Given these conditions, any story about North Korea can spread without challenge, because, frankly whos going to object?

One common rejoinder to this line of criticism is that North Korea, by its very nature, is difficult to report on and so more leaps must be taken. But this begs the question. There is no law of nature saying reporters have to idly speculate on the internal affairs of North Korea, especially given the way in which that speculation will be weaponized by a rightwing media perpetually eager for war. Those operating in the space should factor this in, and do their best not to feed the media beast, lest a bogus North Korea story spread unchecked with their names all over it.

Adam Johnson is a contributing analyst at FAIR and contributing writer for AlterNet. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJohnsonNYC.

Read the original:
The Anatomy of a Bogus North Korea Story - AlterNet

Grey's Anatomy confirmed many of our suspicions tonight, but it still managed to shock us pretty seriously.

First, let's talk about that ending. Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton) was held hostage by a psychotic rapist patient after thinking he just wanted to be reunited with the love of his life, instead of the woman he had been trying to rape when she caused the car they were in to go off of a cliff.

He planned to set a small fire to get the emergency doors open, but instead, Edwardsset him on fire, which also lit up anoxygen tank and caused a huge explosion.

Maybe, possibly, Stephanie could survive, but it's not looking likely. That was a pretty big explosion, andHinton isreportedly leaving the show. Still, we're not ready to watch another one of these doctors die!

ABC

Elsewhere, Owen (Kevin McKidd) found out that his sister Megan is somehow still alive, and Alex (Justin Chambers) encountered Jo's husband (played by guest star Matthew Morrison) at a conference and first imagined beating him up and then telling him to stay away, but decided against both as he played out each scenario's unhappy ending in his head. Instead, he just watched asevil Will Schuster stole his cab, but we can't imagine he's gone for good at this point considering the strange way he locked in on Alex's face as he drove away.

In slightly better news, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Riggs (Martin Henderson) continued to get closer, though Mer is struggling with letting him stay over with her kids in the house.

Next week's finale looks extra intense with the hospital on fire, and as Kelly McCreary told us, "Everyone is in danger."

Remember how happy and not devastating last year's finale was? Those were some good times.

How are you feeling? Do you think Stephanie is dead? Sound off in the comments!

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

E! Online - Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows!

Continue reading here:
Grey's Anatomy Might Have Just Killed Off [Spoiler] - E! Online

The other day someone called me a Bro-Witch online and mentioned that there were at least twenty other Bro-Witches out there in the universe. Now I have no idea what exactly at Bro-Witch is and who my Bro-Witching Brothers are, but apparently they are out there. Of course Bro-Witch was meant as an insult, and I took it that way, but after a little thought I decided that the title was absolutely hilarious.

According to the Urban Dictionary a bro is defined as:

An alpha male idiot. This is the derogatory sense of the word (common usage in the western US): white, 16-25 years old, inarticulate, belligerent, talks about nothing but chicks and beer, drives a jacked up truck thats plastered with stickers, has rich dad that owns a dealership or construction business and constantly tells this to chicks at parties, is into extreme sports that might be fun to do but are uncool to claim (wakeboarding, dirt biking, lacrosse), identifies excessively with brand names, spends a female amount of money on clothes and obsesses over his appearance to a degree that is not socially acceptable for a heterosexual male.

Sadly (though I guess I should probably be relieved) I live up to very little of that other than being white. Im way too old to fit the classic definition of a bro, hell I could most certainly be a Bro-Dad if Id ever had kids. I do talk incessantly about my wife, but Im allergic to beer. Now cider and whisky come up a lot in conversation, but only with people who care about such things. I dont feel as if Im all that belligerent, and while Im a pretty harsh critic of my own writing I do think I can share a coherent thought. My wife drives a Pontiac Vibe to work most days, while I tend to walk around everywhere I go or take the train.

I do have a couple of shirts with Gerald Gardner on them, and a few with Crowley too, so I guess I like the brand names! Another definition of bro I found online identified cargo shorts as a part of the bro uniform and Ill admit to being guilty on that end. After I finish writing this article Im going to get my hair done-take that as you will!

Since I was the one identified as a Bro-Witch I had to make my model sort of look like me. Which meant I couldnt give my Bro-Witch a beard or any tattoos but Im sure those exist on a few Bro-Witches in the wild. I think Im mostly making fun of myself in this article, so if you find yourself treading too closely to being a Bro-Witch, dont worry, so am I!

Anatomy of a Bro-Witch

1. Wears Horns on Their Head This is an absolute must because the Bro-Witch desperately wants to be identified as a Witch while out in the wild. The horns say I have a relationship with the Horned God and the Earth, and everyone should love me because of that. Traditional bros often wear hats, but the Bro-Witch turns that around and opts for the horns. Also horns allow the world to see the beautiful hair of the Bro-Witch.

2. A Pentacle or Other Form of Witch Necklace Just in case the horns dont say Witchcraft loudly enough, the obligatory necklace should do the trick. Most Bro-Witches go for the pentagram around their necks, but other versions are acceptable. Both hexagrams (Thelema) and the ten pointed star (found in some versions of the Anderson Feri tradition) say look at me Im a Witch dude! Bro-Witches who want to show their softer side may opt for a goddess symbol around their neck.

3. Skinny Arms The traditional bro often walks around shirtless and probably lifts weights, but not the Bro-Witch. The only heavy lifting Bro-Witches engage in are during cakes and ale, or perhaps when they get out the covens big sword to cast a circle. Underneath our Bro-Witches hoodie theres most likely some sort of tribal tattoo.

4. Designer Witchy Zip-Up Hoodie Brand identity is of utmost importance to the Bro-Witch, so he shows his love of Witchcraft by wearing a Robert Cochrane Traditional Shirtcraft hoodie. No Gucci or Michael Kors for the Witchiest of Bros, instead he wears his Craft allegiances on his sleeve. Other acceptable brands include Gerald Gardner Garb, Esbat Extraordinaire by Valiente, Hotfoot Jackson & Friends, and Sybils Stitches.

Note the Gerald Gardner Garb brand t-shirt on that Bro-Witch.

5. Cargo Shorts Todays Bro-Witch is always on the move, and ready to do ritual at the drop of a Witchs hat, so he carries around a portable collection of altar tools in the pockets of his cargo shorts. A Swiss Army knife makes for a great on the go athame, while his flask of whisky makes the perfect chalice. No candles and matches for the Bro-Witch, the mini-flashlight on his keyring does the job just fine. Loose change is the perfect symbolism for earth while a seashell and a pinecone represent the Lord & Lady.

Dont worry about ritual, hes got his Book of Shadows on a cellphone app all cued up and ready to go. Another app allows him to keep his best Witchcraft books on his phone too, perfect for when he needs to prove his Witchier Than Thouness to an outsider who doesnt get the Bro-Witch code.

Does the Bro-Witch wear underwear? Thats kind of a personal question, but sometimes youve got to get skyclad in a hurry so probably not!

6. Open Toed Sandals The Bro-Witch loves nature and wants to be out in it, but he doesnt want to be too close to it, which is why he wears sandals. The open toe allows him to feel the breeze over his toenails, but the soles of his sandals keep him from having to touch anything itchy or wet with his feet. Blessed be these sandals that have brought thee to the Old Ways! Indeed!

If you ever encounter a Bro-Witch in the wild and outside of a ritual circle, dont worry, most of them are pretty cool and just want to go about their Witchy work!

Continue reading here:
The Anatomy of a Bro-Witch - Patheos (blog)