23 minute read
Forced to Bypass Cinemas, ‘Trolls World Tour’ Celebrates Harmony, Diversity and Hope
Lebanon Under Lockdown
by: Elie Fawaz
The current coronavirus lockdown measures in Lebanon have resulted in a national economic downturn, which has been getting worse day by day. The Lebanese government has failed to implement plans, which would ease the economic and social plight of the Lebanese people. Meanwhile amidst this crisis, Mohamed Ali Younis, one of the leaders of Hezbollah who was in charge of its secret agents, was murdered under mysterious circumstances. This murder further exposed the weakness of the Hezbollah controlled state apparatus, and more importantly it showed why Hezbollah is unable to offer Lebanon salvation from its woes. Up until this moment, we do not know the perpetrators of the murder, however some “security sources” have stated that three cars were chasing the vehicle that Yonis was in and the men who were pursuing opened fire on Younis and his friend who was with him in the car. While Younis lost his life, his friend survived the attack. Some people have associated the murder with that of Joseph El Hayak who was one of the aides of Amer El Fakhoury (one of the overseers of the Khiam Detention Centres). El Hayak, who was murdered two weeks ago, was a prisoner of the Lebanese state. However, he was eventually released due to US sanction threats against Lebanon should it continue to keep US citizens imprisoned, and El Hayak had American citizenship. Another theory states that the Israeli Mossad secret service murdered Younis due to his ties with Hezbollah secret agents, and due to an alleged theory, which stated that he was close to discovering a secret network in Lebanon working for the Israeli state. Hezbollah’s media agencies only published obituaries for Younis without providing any details behind his murder. Setting aside the theories behind his murder, there are two basic observations that need to be made with regards to the place of murder and the way it was conducted. First and foremost, the setting of the murder is considered to be one of Hezbollah’s most tightly controlled areas, and one of its most secure havens. Second, whoever conducted the operation knew of Younis’s work, operations and movements. To any observer this can mean one thing, Hezbollah’s security capabilities, contrary to what it likes to portray to the world, is collapsing at an alarming rate. Another important observation to consider was that Mohamed Ali Younis was murdered while conducting a security operation on Lebanese territory; an operation that the Lebanese state had no knowledge of, therefore this incident was out of the state’s control. The only reason why Lebanese security forces are present on the ground is so that they can look good for the media and the public. The state will also only conduct a mock investigation due to the fact that it has no knowledge of Yonis’s operation and its goals. As such, the state lacks the information that would enable it to get to the bottom of the murder; indeed Hezbollah is the only entity in Lebanon, which can solve the mystery of the assassination and the reasons behind it. This event mirrors the drone incident from a few months back when a drone exploded in Southern Lebanon, the location of Hezbollah’s headquarters. Instantly after the explosion, Hezbollah arrived at the scene and collected all the debris. When state security forces came to conduct its own investigations, they had discovered that Hezbollah had left nothing for them to investigate. Hezbollah then claimed that Israel was attacking the Southern Lebanese suburb and the explosion was a result of a self-defence operation from Hezbollah to thwart said attack. Ever since the murder of Prime Minister Rafik El Hariri, Hezbollah started to slowly penetrate the multiple power centres that make up the Lebanese government. As a result, Hezbollah would become one of the ruling powers in Lebanon, and eventually it would supersede the rest of the power centres. The extent of Hezbollah’s supremacy was displayed when its political opponents, namely the security forces, and the Future Movement decided to join the group’s ruling coalition and accept Aoun as the new President of the country. On this day, it was said that Hezbollah is a regional problem that Lebanon cannot deal with, so if you can’t beat them join them. This is a scandalous reality that some politicians and opinion writers are trying to cover up; they do this by arguing that Lebanon’s political apparatus has a complex sectarian peculiarity. But, such flimsy arguments are no longer fooling anyone, especially international observers, who are anxiously watching the events unfold in Lebanon. Jamil Jabiq, the former Health Minister and pro-Hezbollah government official, once rejected an aid package worth 150 million US dollars. The reason for this rejection was because the organization donating the package placed the condition that neither Hezbollah nor its institutions could utilize any of the money donated. This shows that world organizations and international corporations are no longer comfortable with making deals with Hezbollah, especially since the US has placed the group in its list of designated terror organizations. As such, any dealings with Hezbollah would put corporations at risk of receiving sanctions from the US government. Nevertheless, Lebanon is in desperate need monetary aid. However, few countries are willing to give Lebanon such aid because of the current economic crisis, which has resulted, from the Coronavirus pandemic and because of Hezbollah’s grip on the Lebanese government. As a result, Lebanon might remain on lockdown as long as Hezbollah is still on top of the ruling state apparatus.
A Weekly Political News Magazine Issue 1796- April - 17/04/2020
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Should You Take a Vitamin B 12 Supplement ?
You May Need a Little or a Lot of B12, But it›s Worth Investigating
by Harvard Health Letter Annie Oakley, the larger-than-life sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill›s Wild West Show, was cut down by an invisible foe: a deadly form of anaemia caused by a lack of vitamin B12. Back in Annie›s day, we didn›t know B12 existed or that deficiency could lead to dangerous consequences (for Annie, it was death in 1926). It wasn›t until later in the 20th century that scientists discovered B12 and how to use it as a treatment. Today, B12 supplements are available at every drugstore and supermarket. They›re promoted for warding off deadly anaemia as well as neuropathy, memory loss, depression, and more. Should you consider taking them? AN ESSENTIAL VITAMIN B12 (also known as cobalamin) is essential for keeping your brain and nerves healthy and for making DNA and red blood cells. B12 also helps lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked (in high levels) to dementia, heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. We typically get B12 through diet. Rich sources include beef, liver, clams, poultry, fish, fortified cereals, eggs, cheese, yogurt, milk, and fortified plant milks (like soy, almond, or
rice milks). For us to digest B12, we first have to shake it loose from these foods. Stomach acid helps do that. The freed-up vitamin then binds to a protein (intrinsic factor, produced by cells in the stomach lining) and makes its way to the small intestine, where it›s absorbed into the bloodstream.
B12 DEFICIENCY An estimated %3.2 of adults ages 50 or older have very low B12 levels, and up to %20 may have borderline deficiency. Aging is often the cause. «We tend to produce less stomach acid as we get older. That makes it harder to extract B12 from food,» says Dr. Meir Stampfer, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Other causes of B12 deficiency include • taking heartburn medications that suppress stomach acid • eating a diet that does not include animal products • weight loss surgery • autoimmune diseases that attack the stomach lining or gastrointestinal tract. How can you tell if you›re low in B12? «The first signs of deficiency can be present but so subtle that they are not
recognized,» Dr. Stampfer says. For example, you may have muscle weakness that you chalk up to other causes. Symptoms of full-blown B12 deficiency include • balance problems • depression • extreme fatigue or muscle weakness • memory loss or confusion • numbness or tingling in the hands and legs (due to nerve damage) • anemia.
SHOULD YOU GET CHECKED? Checking B12 levels in the blood is not routine, but it may be a good idea in our older years. «I usually check patients starting
at age 65. After that, I›ll check every three or four years,» says Dr. Suzanne Salamon, associate chief of gerontology at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Blood tests look for markers of anemia, low levels of B12, and high levels of homocysteine and methylmalonic acid (MMA). «MMA is the best indicator of deficiency,» Dr. Stampfer says.
TREATMENT Treating B12 deficiency could be as simple as eating more B-12rich foods or avoiding heartburn medication. Or you may need a B12 supplement. «I may recommend an overthe-counter B12 pill of 1,000 micrograms daily if B12 is borderline low or MMA is borderline high. After the level is back to the normal range, I will often decrease the dosage,» Dr. Salamon says.
If you take a B12 pill, Dr. Stampfer recommends taking the natural form (methylcobalamin), not the synthetic form (cyanocobalamin). «Studies suggest cyanocobalamin may impair kidney function in people with borderline kidney problems, so it›s better to stay on the safe side,» he says.
What if you have reduced stomach acid? «In supplement form, B12 isn›t bound to the food, so you don›t need stomach acid to extract it,» Dr. Stampfer notes.
Annie Oakley suffered from a rare condition called pernicious anaemia. In this condition, people don›t make enough intrinsic factor and therefore have great trouble absorbing any B12 from the intestine. For people with this problem, B12 pills may not work, and injections of B12 may be required.
Is a supplement warranted if you›re not deficient? «It surely is if you don›t eat animal products,» Dr. Stampfer says, «and it›s a good idea for all older individuals. Deficiency can be prevented at a very low cost and low hassle by taking a multivitamin with the average daily recommended amount of 2.8 micrograms of B12.»
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Forced to Bypass Cinemas, ‘Trolls World Tour’ Celebrates Harmony, Diversity and Hope
Animated Film Becomes First Feature to Skip a Cinema Release Amidst Pandemic
by Tracy Brown
The first studio feature to completely bypass the theatrical window during this time of pandemic-related stay-at-home orders, “Trolls World Tour” invaded homes as an experiment in premium VOD.
“I am focusing on the real big positive of it: the joy of being able to share it with so many people all at once,” director Walt Dohrn told the Los Angeles Times during a recent phone interview. “Because the movie is designed to make you feel good. The comedy and the music and the colors and art direction, it’s all designed for the audience to have a good time.”
Now tasked with bringing cheer to unexpectedly gloomy times, the DreamWorks Animation sequel follows Queen Poppy and her peppy band of Pop Trolls as they discover their kingdom is just one of many in a world filled with different kinds of Trolls. Each Troll land represents a different genre of music, including techno, funk, rock, classical and country.
Anna Kendrick at the «Trolls World Tour» Press Conference at DreamWorks Animation on February 2020 ,04 in Glendale, California. (Photo by Vera Anderson/WireImage)
times, the Trolls lived in harmony until they became intolerant of each other’s music,” and it’s exactly the kind of world-building premise you’d expect from a sequel. As producer Gina Shay explains, “(It’s) kind of like when you’re in the car with your family, and everybody wants to listen to something different. And then they decided to all put on their headphones and go their separate ways and create their own lands that were in isolation.”
As Poppy meets these other Trolls during her musical adventure, she learns that what her father told her is not quite the full story, and her journey leads her to discover what it takes to become a better leader and a better friend.
In addition to introducing new factions and expanding the brightly colored, textured, fibrous landscape introduced in the original film, diversity and inclusivity are among the relatable themes the filmmakers had in mind. At the same time, “Trolls World Tour” remains grounded in a strong female lead.
“We kind of see this as a coming-of-age film for (Poppy),” said Dohrn. “So her growth as a character and specifically as a leader allowed us to kind of find what our narrative arc was — the kind of overarching thematic elements, and how it relates to her personally. Now that she’s become the Queen of Trolls, what kind of lesson would a newly appointed leader learn?”
“Poppy is Queen Poppy now, not Princess Poppy. She’s in a position of leadership and she’s figuring out how to do that,” said Anna Kendrick, who voices the diminutive pink monarch. “Her character journey is really about listening to other people and taking into account other people’s feelings and other people’s experiences.”
For Poppy, learning to listen is about being open to ideas and input from others during their journey as well as being able to properly communicate with her friends. But she’s not the only Troll that has a thing or two to learn about listening to others.
Queen Barb, voiced by Rachel Bloom, is a Rock Troll with major plans to unify all the Trolls under one banner by turning them all into rock zombies by using the six magic strings possessed by the separate main tribes.
“We really tried to run a parallel with our protagonists and antagonists,” said Dohrn. “Early on we decided there’s a lot of similarities between Poppy and Queen Barb that might not be obvious on the external side, but when you get down to it, they shared their faults and
their passion.”
“The Queen of Rock is bringing out a rock apocalypse on the world. She wants everyone to listen to her music,” said Shay of Barb’s world tour to wipe out all other music. “They both have similar intentions. It’s just that Barb is going about it the wrong way.”
While Queen Barb is especially vocal about hating pop music, Poppy herself rejects the idea of sad music and insists cheery pop is better.
“We really wanted to create a movie where there weren’t really any villains, but we still needed conflict,” said Dohrn. “We felt like, even though we didn’t want to vilify rock, that rock was an appropriate antagonist … traditionally the music can be pretty aggressive. Their attitudes can be aggressive, the lyrics are a little aggressive. I don’t think they would deny that, the rock folk.”
The different genres — K-pop, reggaeton and smooth jazz are also among those that briefly appear — emerge as more than just different sonic stylings in the film. They are different identities.
According to the filmmakers, George Clinton, who voices King Quincy of the Funk Trolls, and UCLA professor Darnell Hunt were among those consulted to help toe the line between appreciation and appropriation in how some of these genres are represented.
“The movie talks about the necessity of the authenticity of an experience of a genre and the cultural identity associated with that and celebrating the differences,” said Dohrn. “I think that’s ultimately what the film is about.”
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updated to fit our times. “When I was growing up, the message was, ‘We might be different, but don’t worry, we’re all the same,’” said Kendrick. “I’m really happy that the way that we’re teaching the next generation of kids is really more about (how) we’re all different and that’s great. “We don’t have to be the same. We don’t have to constantly be looking for the things that make us the same in order to relate to people. We can just go ‘You’re totally different and that rocks.’”
Music is uniquely suited to engage with this inclusive message because it can be presented through harmonies and mashups whereas other metaphors can become too
abstract. The filmmakers found it also allows for a more creative delivery.
“If you just focus on the music, it didn’t feel like we were having to get on a soapbox with this message,” said Dohrn. “It’s an important theme and important message, but we didn’t want to feel like that’s what (‘Trolls World Tour’ is) all about.… Even though it’s got all this stuff running underneath it, it’s designed to be a lot of fun.”
And that’s one reason why Kendrick also accentuates the positives of the unprecedented circumstances around “Trolls World Tour’s” release.
“I think it’s as weird as literally everything else in the world. Nothing else is normal, so this isn’t normal either,” said Kendrick. “When I found out that they were going to … put it on-demand so that people could have the movies come to them, so to speak, that just made me really, really happy because I know that a lot of people will be in isolation with young kids. And it’s great that there will be something new for them to watch as well.”
Poppy and Branch (voiced by Anna
Kendrick and Justin Timberlake) are back in the movie ‹Trolls World
Tour.› (DreamWorks
Animation/TNS)
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Majalla – London Andrew Mark Cuomo was born on Dec. 1957 ,6, and is the second child of Mario Cuomo and Matilda Raffa Cuomo. He grew up in Queens, where his grandparents ran a small grocery store after emigrating from Salerno, Italy, in the 1920s. He three children -- Mariah, Cara, and Michaela -- with Kerry Kennedy. He was married to Kennedy, the daughter of late U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, from 1990 to 2005; and was in a relationship with TV chef Sandra Lee from 2005 to 2019. Cuomo graduated from Fordham University in the Bronx in 1979 and got his law degree from Albany Law School in 1982. After college, he worked as the campaign manager for his father Mario Cuomo, who served as governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994; the younger Cuomo headed the Transition Committee for his father’s first term and served as an advisor to the Governor taking a salary of 1$ a year. “Mario Cuomo instilled in him the belief that government was the vehicle to make change and do justice,” his biography says. According to the Rolling Stone, his father was considered “one of the great political orators of his generation, an intellectual whose bookshelves contained works by Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, and Teilhard de Chardin.” Cuomo then served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for the final three years of former President Bill Clinton›s administration. He was an assistant secretary in the department earlier in Clinton›s time in office. Cuomo made his first run for the New York governorship in 2002 but withdrew from the race after making a controversial comment about then-Governor George Pataki›s lack of leadership following the terrorist attacks of September 2001 ,11. It was perceived as a major gaffe for the Democratic hopeful, and Cuomo dropped out of the public eye for a few years to work in real estate. He then returned to the spotlight as New York›s attorney general in 2006. In 2010, he was elected governor of New York and has been reelected twice. As governor, Cuomo he passed some of the strictest gun control laws in the U.S.; introduced, oversaw paid family leave; an increase in the minimum wage; legalization of medical marijuana; the creation of the United States Climate Alliance, a group of states that agreed to follow the Paris Climate Accords in fighting climate change, and passed a new tax code that raises taxes for the wealthy and lowered taxes for the middle class. But Cuomo managed to upset a lot of people in New York. “He perturbed the left (by his deals with state Senate Republicans), the right (by supporting a slew of liberal initiatives) and even clean government folks,” according to CNN. Cuomo’s favorable ratings in New York were near their all-time low earlier this year, after serving nine years in office. But following the confirmation of the first coronavirus patient in New York on March 2020 ,1, he surfaced the national spotlight as the number of confirmed patients exploded in the coming weeks, turning New York into the center of the pandemic. One poll reckons %87 of New Yorkers like the way Cuomo›s handled the coronavirus crisis. The New York Post has dubbed it «Cuomentum». He has even recieved support from past critics, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican who ran against Cuomo in 2018. “It’s uncharted waters, and he’s providing the leadership necessary in what is a very trying time for us all,” Molinaro told the Wall Street Journal. His daily televised news conferences have become appointment-to-view. US television networks have carried them in full, almost unheard of for a state governor, and it›s reported the White House changed the time of their daily television briefings to avoid colliding with him on air. Meanwhile, Cuomo hasn’t been afraid to clash with President Donald Trump. Although the governor has praised the President and the efforts of the federal government, tensions have been rising between the two. In one news conference last month, Cuomo attacked the White House for its failure to address the dire shortage of medical supplies in New York. Cuomo harshly has also criticised the president on several morning news shows. He took issue with the president›s claim of «total authority» over the states, which Cuomo — and legal experts — said is unconstitutional. Cuomo vowed to challenge in court any presidential order to reopen the state against his will. Cuomo has won so much praise that many have said he should consider a run for President. His name was floated as a potential 2020 candidate before the race got underway but across a bunch of state and national polls, the most frequent share Cuomo got was %0, and he averaged just %0.4. Though Cuomo has vociferously denied harboring presidential ambitions, it is telling that speculation about a future Cuomo run for the White House is now one of the hottest topics in US politics.
by Alia Mansour
A few days ago, Russian police seized a truck loaded with 200 thousand US dollars worth of drugs at a rural town near Damascus. The truck originated from Lebanon and could be traced back to a Hezbollah leader. News of this seizure went unnoticed in Lebanon and Syria. In reality, drug dealing is one of Hezbollah’s primary sources of income and the group’s reliance on drug dealing has grown in recent years. This is mainly due to the fact that the group is attempting to ease its financial dependence on Tehran, which has been suffering from the various international sanctions placed on it. The Special Operations Division of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), recently started investigating Hezbollah’s drug activities. According to their investigations, the group’s illicit drug operations have been funding its terror plots for the past 30 years. The group used to also deal in cocaine, and its primary supplier of the substance was the Colombian drug cartel Oficina de Envigado. Hezbollah’s drug and money laundering operations started in the 1990s. Imad Mughniyeh launched said operations as a source of funding in addition to the money the group received from Iran. The operations have now expanded beyond Lebanese borders, as the group’s drug activities have reached both Americas, Europe, Australia and a number of Arab countries such as Jordan, Morroco and others. A few years ago, the American DEA led “Project Cassandra” which was meant to undercut Hezbollah funding from illicit drug trading. The project involved intelligence agencies from seven countries, among them were that of France, Belgium, Germany and Italy. The project managed to arrest a number of Hezbollah members who were involved in smuggling and dealing millions of dollars worth of drugs to fund the group’s militant operations. The group is also involved in drug trafficking in Mexico, and has a number of drug partners who are officials in Venezuala. The group is also involved in smuggling drugs from Colomubia into the US, West Africa, the Middle East and Europe. In addition to drug trafficking and money laundering, Hezbollah has always carried out terrorist operations both within and beyond Lebanon. Kuwait was its first international victim. In1983 Hezbollah carried out a number of terrorist attacks with the Iraqi Dawa Party. This series of bombings targeted vital installations such as the Kuwait International Airport, a major oil refinery, and both the US and French embassies, respectively. Additionally, both groups also worked together to hijack a Kuwaiti commercial plane. In Kuwait, what became known as the “Abdali Cell”, a Kuwaiti terrorist cell supported by the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran, was accumulating weapons in order to carry out security operations inside Kuwait, but the Kuwaiti security authorities arrested the cell members before they managed to carry out any operation. One also mustn’t forget the 1996 attack on Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah trained the perpetrators of the attack, who smuggled weapons from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia and exploded a tank loaded with explosives at the Khobar housing complex. In 2015, Saudi Arabia managed to arrest Ahmed Ibrahim Al Mughassil a Saudi man who was wanted in connection to the 1996 attack. In addition to drug trafficking, money laundering, and terrorist operations, Hezbollah also participates in military opeartions beyong Lebanese borders and it does so without consulting the Lebanese government. Hezbollah militias are involved in a multitude of conflicts around the Middle East. They are fighting in Syria alongside the Bashar Al Asssad regime, they have joined forces with the Houthis in Yemen and they are helping pro-Iranian Iraqi forces in policing Iraq. Hezbollah is also accused of assasinating a number of politicians and officials in Lebanon, including late Prime Minister Rafik El Harriri. The International Criminal Court’s decision regarding the assasination is just around the corner. After years of remaining the most powerful group in Lebanon, it now stands to become the only ruling power in the country. This especially true under the current government of President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab. Now President Aoun is asking the international community for monetary aid, as if the current Hezbollah controlled government will use the funds to rebuild Lebanon. The international community will no longer fall for these tricks, and the people of Lebanon will no longer tolerate a government which has not been granted the legitimacy to rule.
