All posts tagged: reality

Councils prepare for the stark reality of falling rolls

Councils prepare for the stark reality of falling rolls

Published by skeptic

One in three councils expect more than a fifth of primary school places will be unfilled next year, throwing the falling rolls crisis into the spotlight once more. More town halls are also predicting major shortfalls in their secondaries, with one warning its problems have spawned from “affordability” issues rather than the birth rate. But as government officials prepare to tour more local authorities to work out how to counter the problem, leaders have lobbied for a national ombudsman to take charge of the strategy. Source link

The myth of a shared reality

The myth of a shared reality

Published by Jenni Sidey

Dan Carlin has spent decades explaining history’s collapses. Now he’s watching one happen in real time. In conversation with Kmele Foster, Carlin unpacks the state of societal collapse, the erosion of our nation’s shared truth, and the sharp comparison between the 80’s’ Xeroxed flyers on windshields and the present day flooding of information.  He explains why the Constitution was designed to prevent tyranny, not efficiency, how that tradeoff is finally being tested, and why Congress’s refusal to declare war for decades has altered the rules of executive power. This video The myth of a shared reality is featured on Big Think. Source link

The terrifying reality of being enslaved by the Roman army

The terrifying reality of being enslaved by the Roman army

Published by Jenni Sidey

One of the many millions of people captured by the Romans and sold into slavery was a man who died in Ravenna in the 1st century BC. He wrote his own story, on his own tombstone, so that everyone who saw it would know what he endured and what he survived.  Gaius Julius Mygdonius, Parthian in origin. Born a free man and captured as a boy, given away to Roman territory. When helpful fate made me a Roman citizen, I began to save for when I became 50 years old. Ever since my youth I have wanted to reach my old age. Now, stone, receive me willingly; with you I shall be released from my worries. Gaius Julius Mygdonius wasn’t the name he was given by his father, and it wasn’t the name he bore when the Romans captured him, nor was it the name he was called on his travels to Italy or during his life in slavery. At some point he became merely Mygdonius to his captors and his enslavers, which simply denotes …

Bill Maher issues reality check as Kevin Spacey says he feels ‘much more welcomed’ in Hollywood

Bill Maher issues reality check as Kevin Spacey says he feels ‘much more welcomed’ in Hollywood

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Kevin Spacey has said he feels “much more welcomed” in Hollywood nine years after sexual assault allegations derailed his career. The 66-year-old two-time Oscar winner, who was appearing as a guest on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, was asked by the host whether he remains in “show business jail” and responded that he feels “less in jail than I did.” Spacey was exiled from mainstream Hollywood in 2017 after multiple men accused him of sexual misconduct, which he has consistently denied. In 2017, actor Anthony Rapp became the first to accuse Spacey of sexually abusing him. He claimed the incident occurred in 1986 when Spacey would have been 26, while Rapp was 14. More than a dozen men subsequently accused Spacey of sexual misconduct, all of which he has either denied or insisted were consensual. Bill Maher told Kevin Spacey ‘there’s …

Kate Gosselin’s son Collin sends mom pointed warning ahead of tell-all memoir about reality TV childhood

Kate Gosselin’s son Collin sends mom pointed warning ahead of tell-all memoir about reality TV childhood

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star Collin Gosselin is sending a warning to his estranged mother, Kate, ahead of the release of his new memoir. Collin and his seven siblings — twins Mady and Cara, 25, and fellow sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Leah and Joel — had their upbringing documented on the TLC reality series, which premiered in 2007. The series followed the large family as parents Jon and Kate navigated their 2009 divorce and ultimately parted ways. Now 22, Collin recently announced his forthcoming tell-all memoir, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood. The book is slated for an October release. Just over a week after revealing his memoir’s cover, Collin shared a New York Post headline about …

‘Historic’ Ceasefire Deal Reached By Israel & Lebanon, But Fine Print Confirms Fragile Reality

‘Historic’ Ceasefire Deal Reached By Israel & Lebanon, But Fine Print Confirms Fragile Reality

Published by Jenni Sidey

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the new agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon, hosted in Washington on Friday, as a major blow to Iran. He has said Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon so long as Hezbollah does not disarm:  “I want to announce a great achievement for the State of Israel. The most important thing is that, first of all, Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon. This is a great achievement, and we will maintain it as long as Hezbollah does not disarm, as long as there is a danger to the State of Israel.” Mideast regional media is also calling the ‘trilateral framework agreement’ (given it was also signed by the US) as likely the most significant agreement between the two enemy countries in decades. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated at the signing ceremony that it was aimed at achieving “lasting peace and security”. The US top diplomat proclaimed, “Today is a good day in that we are happy to announce a framework agreement between the …

Meet the grown-up children of your favorite former child stars — including Brooke Shields’ reality star daughter

Meet the grown-up children of your favorite former child stars — including Brooke Shields’ reality star daughter

Published by Daniella Wilson

It’s hard to believe that child stars have grown so much since they were last learning lessons on screen in your favorite sitcoms, taking center stage in the ’80s or stealing the show with their singing skills. But what’s even harder to fathom is that these former child stars now have children of their own – many of whom have also grown up to forge their own massive careers! Read on to see what the now-grown children of your favorite child stars have been up to. © Corbis via Getty Images Lily-Rose Depp has followed her mother and father into a career on screen and with microphone in hand Lily-Rose Depp Vanessa Paradis started her career of pop superstardom at just eight years old, appearing on French talent show L’École des fans. She rose to fame on an international level six years later, with the song “Joe le Taxi.” In 1999, she welcomed daughter Lily-Rose with then-partner Johnny Depp. Lily-Rose has found acclaim as a singer and actress, starring in vampire thriller Nosferatu (2024), unsettling horror …

The Consumer Sentiment Disconnect From Economic Reality

The Consumer Sentiment Disconnect From Economic Reality

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index just printed 44.8 in May. That’s the worst reading since the survey began in 1952. That print was lower than in 2008 and the 1980 inflation panic. It was also worse than the COVID lockdowns, yet the S&P 500 continues to climb higher, Q1 corporate earnings posted 27% growth, and weekly jobless claims sit near cycle lows. That “disconnect” has sparked many statements on social media, such as: “GDP is growing at a healthy 2.7% in the US. GDP statistics in the US are clearly completely broken and no longer make any sense whatsoever.” – Philip Pilkington That statement sums up many of the concerns I have read as of late, and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment disconnect from economic reality demands an honest answer. Which set of data is wrong? I think the honest answer is both, and neither. Over the last three decades, I’ve learned that surveys and behavior often part ways, and the gap usually tells you more about the …

Real Life UFO Experts Say Spielberg Captures Reality In ‘Disclosure Day’

Real Life UFO Experts Say Spielberg Captures Reality In ‘Disclosure Day’

Published by Sam Flores

Above all else, Flowers says he appreciates how the film focuses on characters who try to blow the whistle on government knowledge. “I don’t know what the truth is, but I take the whistleblowers who have come forward to testify under oath in front of Congress seriously,” he says, adding that he hopes viewers take a message of hope and empathy from the film. “And the sense that the damage done from fear and secrecy is far worse than any short-term challenges we might face by having the courage to accept the truth.” For Paul Gutjahr, a professor at Indiana University Bloomington who studies American popular religion, Disclosure Day leaves no question that Spielberg is a “believer” in extraterrestrial life. But he also thinks the character of Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson), a former nun who left her convent after a crisis of faith, speaks to Spielberg’s ambitions beyond simply making the case for aliens. Gutjahr notes that the Catholic Church in particular has already made great strides in confronting how its theology might accommodate the …