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What do striking Hollywood writers want? A look at the demands

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

The 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike Tuesday after negotiations with Hollywood studios that began in March failed to result in an agreement. The guild has billed the issues behind the labor dispute as “an existential crisis." Writers say they're facing a host of new issues brought on by streaming and other recent technological shifts in the industry. Here's a look at the demands behind the first Hollywood strike in 15 years, as the industry braces for a long hiatus: INCREASED PAYThe guild is seeking higher compensation for writers across the board. Though there are more jobs available to WGA members than ever before because of the proliferation of streaming services, pay for most writers is down. Ten years ago, 33% of TV writers were paid the minimum rate. Now, according to the WGA, 49% are. Accounting for inflation, writer pay has declined 14% in the last five years. The median weekly writer-producer pay is down 23% over the last decade, with inflation ...

288 'digital drug lords' busted selling fentanyl online: Feds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Tuesday that nearly 300 people selling fake pills and other fentanyl products on the dark net have been busted."The drug traffickers are confident that operating anonymously on the dark web, they can operate outside the bounds of law," Garland said. "They are wrong."Garland said the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team had been working on various cases since the fall of 2021, ultimately arresting 288 people from Boca Raton, Florida, to Cerritos, California, in a federal operation called Operation SpecTor. In addition, eight foreign nations cooperated with the U.S. government to break up internet deals for drugs, some of the narcotics bought with cryptocurrency."The clear and direct message is that the FBI will never rest until we shine a light on the digital drug lords," Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate said at the press conference.Abbate noted his agency used undercover agents and acted on information from in...

Daria Maksimova: The Creative Mind Behind Branded Immersive Experiences

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

Daria Maksimova next to the Barbie Dreamhouse and fountain, World of Barbie.Imagine stepping into a world filled with vibrant colors, whimsical characters, and engaging stories that transport you to another realm. For Daria Maksimova, a renowned lead designer for immersive and interactive experiences, this is her everyday reality. With a decade-long career working alongside giants of the entertainment and consumer industry, Daria has designed large-scale (10,000+ sq. foot) experiences visited by hundreds of thousands across North America and many of them set in Los Angeles.This spring, Daria has hit yet another milestone with the opening of “World of Barbie,” an immersive and interactive touring experience in Santa Monica, California. As the lead designer, she has brought to life the iconic toy brand owned by Mattel just in time for the premiere of the Barbie film this summer.“I have always dreamt of a show that I designed to open in Santa Monica, and it feels natural for Worl...

Crafting Visuals for the Music World: Erick Cancela’s Impact on Music Videos

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

Music videos have become an essential component of modern music. From the early days of MTV to the current era of social media, music videos have been an effective way for artists to promote their music and showcase their creativity. However, crafting a visually stunning music video is no easy task. It requires a team of talented individuals who can turn someone’s creative vision into reality. Erick Guillermo Cancela Flores Verdad is one such individual who has significantly impacted the music video world as a Steadicam and camera operator.With just over a year of experience, Erick has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Soulja Boy, Blueface, and Redbull. Erick worked as the camera operator for the music video for Chuheejah’s song “Blue Racks,” featuring Blueface, which was directed by Daniel Curtis Lee. He notes that this was a big project to be a part of that was filmed in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Erick’s use of the camera and Steadicam ...

Gwendolyn Brooke Garcia Killed in Crash near 83rd Avenue [Tolleson, AZ]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

19-Year-Old Woman Killed in Vehicle Collision near Buckeye RoadTOLLESON, AZ (May 3, 2023) – Friday night, police responded to a two-vehicle collision that claimed the life of Gwendolyn Brooke Garcia.The incident occurred at around 9:00 p.m., April 28th, near 83rd Avenue and Buckeye Road.Upon investigation, the investigators have learned that 19-year-old Garcia was traveling westbound on Buckeye Road at high speed while a semi-truck was stopped at the intersection.Furthermore, Garcia failed to yield at the red light at struck the rear of the semi-truck. The vehicle of Garcia burst into flames where it was put down by fire deputies.Unfortunately, Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene as she was inside the fiery vehicle and the semi-truck driver did not obtain any injuries, per police report.At this time, it was unknown if Garcia was impaired and police are still investigating what caused the crash.Consequently, the deputies blocked the intersection during the duration of the i...

BeachLife for Foxies

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

BeachLife for Foxies: The Foxies play the BeachLife Festival this weekend, so we spoke to frontwoman Julia Lauren Bullock about what we can expect…For the newbie, tell us how the band got started…It’s funny, I actually started the band. It was gonna be a solo project. I started it in 2014 in Phoenix, AZ, and I wanted this resurgence of Joy Division, Blondie, Cyndi Lauper – I wanted all of these influences to come together and make this new kind of glitter punk sound. I started writing the first EP with my co writers at the time – Sean Silverman and Alex Silverman. I started realizing that I didn’t want to be solo, I wanted a band, because I always wanted to have that while performing and while writing music. Then after a couple of years in Phoenix, I got a chance to move to Nashville, and I met Jake [Ohlbaum] through the friend of a friend. Jake plays guitar for the Foxies. A year later, I found Rob [Bodley] who plays drums and builds all of our Ableton tracks in our liv...

Olympic gold medalist Tori Bowie dies at 32

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

By Pat Graham | Associated PressTori Bowie, the sprinter who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, has died. She was 32.Bowie shows off some of her metals after the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships in London in 2017. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images Archives)Bowie’s death was announced Wednesday by her management company and USA Track and Field. No cause of death was given.“USATF is deeply saddened by the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion,” USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel said in a statement. “A talented athlete, her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed,”Growing up in Sandhill, Mississippi, Bowie was coaxed into track as a teenager and quickly rose up the ranks as a sprinter and long jumper. She attended Southern Mississippi, where she swept the long jump NCAA championships at the indoor and outdoor events in 2011.Bowie turned in an electric perf...

Iconic Oakland office tower gets boost from key real estate lease

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

OAKLAND — A big workspace and creative office company has leased multiple floors in downtown Oakland’s iconic Tribune Tower building in a deal that’s poised to bolster the local economy and real estate market.Regus, the largest provider of flexible workspaces for tenants, has leased three floors in the Tribune Tower at 13th Street and Franklin Street in Oakland, according to Lee & Associates, a commercial real estate firm. The building is owned by Highbridge Equity Partners, Alameda County property records show.The rental deal, which provides a major boost to downtown Oakland’s office market, was arranged by brokers Cody Kollmann and Jeff Moeller of Lee & Associates San Francisco and by Joe McGlynn of Lee & Associates Oakland. Kollmann represented Regus in the deal while Moeller and McGlynn represented Highbridge.Regus, which is one of the brand names of Switzerland-based IWG, a provider of workspaces worldwide, signed a lease to occupy 17,600 squ...

Engineering a better salad for Silicon Valley

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

It’s late morning, and the salad orders are rolling in, keeping several kitchen staffers busy behind the Santa Clara walls where a large painted radish has sprouted. That’s the branding for The Good Salad, a takeout and catering concept so popular and so highly rated that it’s landed on Yelp’s list of the Bay Area’s top 100 places to eat.The culinary venture was launched in 2021 by founder-CEO Sanad Al Souz, an engineer who decided to jump into entrepreneurship after six years in tech. He brought his skill set — expertise in process, quality control and user experience — to the business and hired a chef to help create the menu of meal-size salads that feature regional produce, dressings made in-house and an astonishing 42 customizable ingredients.The Blazing Bird, with Halal Cajun chicken breast, is the top seller at The Good Salad kitchen, which offers meal-size salads for pickup and delivery. This example shows the addition of scallions an...

California craft beer: Fresh beer and the Freshtival

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:01 GMT

Fresh beer has a vibrancy and brightness that’s simply unmatched. “Fresh beer is like live music,”  Moonlight Brewing founder Brian Hunt once said. “Stale beer is like listening from the parking lot.”The best beer hits a sweet spot shortly after being brewed, allowed to ferment and mature to peak perfection. For some beers, that’s fresh off the tank, while others may take a little longer. When it’s ready, you just know. But that perfect window only lasts about three weeks, before the flavors begin to change.Of course, beer is made to remain tasty for as long as possible. Hops have preservative properties. Pasteurization can help extend the life of your beer and so does refrigeration. But even with modern brewing technology, a beer’s shelf life is finite. Your beer starts to degrade the moment it’s bottled, canned or kegged, even before it’s trucked to a distributor, who in turn delivers it to a bar, restaurant or market. Once it’s in your ha...