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Nurturing visual storytelling through words and preserving literary heritage with craftsmanship. Congrats to “Northward” (Xu Zechen), “Flourished Peony” (Yi Qianchong), and “Six Sisters” (Yi Bei) for winning the Annual Film-Adapted Literary IP Award. #BaiLu #MeiTing #Yangzi

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Dong Gua 冬瓜

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16,927 views • 9 months ago •via X (Twitter)

ArtsEducation#BaiLu#MeiTing#Yangzi
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Arrived in Ogun State ahead of the Ojude Oba Festival with a series of engagements celebrating our heritage and creative identity. My first stop was a courtesy visit to pay homage to one of Nigeria’s greatest literary and cultural icons, Professor Wole Soyinka, whose lifelong contributions continue to shape global conversations around African storytelling and artistic excellence. I also paid a courtesy visit to His Royal Majesty, the Alake of Egbaland, following the honour of my conferment with the royal title of GBASANIYI OF EGBALAND, The Cultural Ambassador of Egbaland, during the 2026 Lisabi Festival. It was important to personally pay homage to His Majesty, having missed the festival earlier in the year. Our traditional institutions remain powerful custodians of identity, history, and cultural preservation. I ended the evening at the Film, Art and Culture Festival, a beautiful gathering that once again highlighted the power of film, art, and culture in connecting people, preserving heritage, and shaping the future of Nigeria’s creative economy. 👗Styled by : Egbaliganza #creativeeconomy #culturalheritage #nigeriaeverywhere #hannatumusawa
0:31

Arrived in Ogun State ahead of the Ojude Oba Festival with a series of engagements celebrating our heritage and creative identity. My first stop was a courtesy visit to pay homage to one of Nigeria’s greatest literary and cultural icons, Professor Wole Soyinka, whose lifelong contributions continue to shape global conversations around African storytelling and artistic excellence. I also paid a courtesy visit to His Royal Majesty, the Alake of Egbaland, following the honour of my conferment with the royal title of GBASANIYI OF EGBALAND, The Cultural Ambassador of Egbaland, during the 2026 Lisabi Festival. It was important to personally pay homage to His Majesty, having missed the festival earlier in the year. Our traditional institutions remain powerful custodians of identity, history, and cultural preservation. I ended the evening at the Film, Art and Culture Festival, a beautiful gathering that once again highlighted the power of film, art, and culture in connecting people, preserving heritage, and shaping the future of Nigeria’s creative economy. 👗Styled by : Egbaliganza #creativeeconomy #culturalheritage #nigeriaeverywhere #hannatumusawa

Hannatu Musa Musawa

27,192 views • 2 months ago

In his riveting address commemorating the novel Swallowing the Sun becoming a national bestseller, at the historic Dara Shikoh Library building—now home to the Partition Museum that chronicles the seismic events of 1947 which reshaped the very fabric and demographics of Delhi—LG Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena ji reflected that #SwallowingtheSun illuminates the socio-economic and political dimensions of India’s freedom struggle, particularly through the fearless journey of its protagonist, Malati, who boldly challenges patriarchy. He appluaded the author’s elegant language and storytelling, observing that it brings a distinctive literary richness shaped by a career in the foreign service. He commended Lady @kishwardesai1 for founding the award-winning The Partition Museum in Delhi and Amritsar, preserving the memory of 1947’s displacement of millions. He further praised Dr. Jyotsna Suri, former President of FICCI & Chairperson of Bharat Hotels, for her leadership and philanthropic endeavours. May the stories housed within this museum and in these pages continue to guide us towards empathy, resilience, and the timeless pursuit of unity.
5:39

In his riveting address commemorating the novel Swallowing the Sun becoming a national bestseller, at the historic Dara Shikoh Library building—now home to the Partition Museum that chronicles the seismic events of 1947 which reshaped the very fabric and demographics of Delhi—LG Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena ji reflected that #SwallowingtheSun illuminates the socio-economic and political dimensions of India’s freedom struggle, particularly through the fearless journey of its protagonist, Malati, who boldly challenges patriarchy. He appluaded the author’s elegant language and storytelling, observing that it brings a distinctive literary richness shaped by a career in the foreign service. He commended Lady @kishwardesai1 for founding the award-winning The Partition Museum in Delhi and Amritsar, preserving the memory of 1947’s displacement of millions. He further praised Dr. Jyotsna Suri, former President of FICCI & Chairperson of Bharat Hotels, for her leadership and philanthropic endeavours. May the stories housed within this museum and in these pages continue to guide us towards empathy, resilience, and the timeless pursuit of unity.

Lakshmi M Puri

29,780 views • 1 year ago

Mirwaiz Foundation Launches “Pillars of Faith” Calendar 2026 at Jama Masjid, Srinagar .Mirwaiz Umar Farooq placed under house arrest, prevented from attending launch of heritage Silk Route mosque calendar Srinagar, December 26, 2025: The Mirwaiz Foundation, in association with Anjuman-e-Auqaf Jama Masjid, Srinagar, today launched its Calendar 2026 (1448 AH) titled “Pillars of Faith – Wooden Mosques on the Historic Silk Route” at the historic Jama Masjid, Srinagar. The calendar is a thoughtfully curated visual tribute to the rich spiritual, architectural and cultural heritage of wooden mosques that flourished along the historic Silk Route , from Kashmir to Central Asia and beyond. It captures the timeless beauty of sacred spaces that have served as centres of prayer, learning and community life for centuries, reflecting the depth of Islamic faith and the craftsmanship of traditional architecture. Through rare visuals and informative content, Pillars of Faith seeks to highlight the shared spiritual legacy of the Muslim world and to reconnect present generations with the historic mosques that symbolise devotion, artistry and continuity of faith. However, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq could not attend the launch function, as he was placed under house arrest by the authorities and prevented from reaching Jama Masjid. The calendar will be available for a Hadiyah of ₹75 from Wednesday at the following places: Jama Masjid, Srinagar; Gulshan Book Depot, M.A. Road; and Book Bell, Budshah Chowk. Home delivery can also be arranged through Swift Courier, Karan Nagar (Contact: +91 94190 62455). The Mirwaiz Foundation invites people to be a part of this heritage initiative and to preserve and celebrate the spiritual legacy of the Silk Route through this unique calendar publication. To download a digital Copy, Visit @
0:38

Mirwaiz Foundation Launches “Pillars of Faith” Calendar 2026 at Jama Masjid, Srinagar .Mirwaiz Umar Farooq placed under house arrest, prevented from attending launch of heritage Silk Route mosque calendar Srinagar, December 26, 2025: The Mirwaiz Foundation, in association with Anjuman-e-Auqaf Jama Masjid, Srinagar, today launched its Calendar 2026 (1448 AH) titled “Pillars of Faith – Wooden Mosques on the Historic Silk Route” at the historic Jama Masjid, Srinagar. The calendar is a thoughtfully curated visual tribute to the rich spiritual, architectural and cultural heritage of wooden mosques that flourished along the historic Silk Route , from Kashmir to Central Asia and beyond. It captures the timeless beauty of sacred spaces that have served as centres of prayer, learning and community life for centuries, reflecting the depth of Islamic faith and the craftsmanship of traditional architecture. Through rare visuals and informative content, Pillars of Faith seeks to highlight the shared spiritual legacy of the Muslim world and to reconnect present generations with the historic mosques that symbolise devotion, artistry and continuity of faith. However, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq could not attend the launch function, as he was placed under house arrest by the authorities and prevented from reaching Jama Masjid. The calendar will be available for a Hadiyah of ₹75 from Wednesday at the following places: Jama Masjid, Srinagar; Gulshan Book Depot, M.A. Road; and Book Bell, Budshah Chowk. Home delivery can also be arranged through Swift Courier, Karan Nagar (Contact: +91 94190 62455). The Mirwaiz Foundation invites people to be a part of this heritage initiative and to preserve and celebrate the spiritual legacy of the Silk Route through this unique calendar publication. To download a digital Copy, Visit @

Mirwaiz Manzil-Office of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir

11,494 views • 7 months ago

Impact After Term | 15 : TVA's Tamil Digital Library — Bringing Tamil's Civilisational Knowledge to the Digital Age Established by Kalaignar in 2001 to enable the Tamil language to thrive in the Internet era and promote Tamil learning across the world, the Tamil Virtual Academy has spearheaded several pioneering digital initiatives. Among its most significant has been the Tamil Digital Library—created to preserve centuries of Tamil literature, manuscripts, archival records and cultural resources in digital form, while making them freely accessible to students, researchers and Tamil communities worldwide. Following the formation of the DMK Government in 2021, the Tamil Digital Library underwent a significant transformation. As Minister for Finance and Human Resources Management, Dr. PTR allocated ₹96.65 lakh in the 2022–23 Budget to accelerate the digitisation of rare books, manuscripts and archival collections. After assuming charge as Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, he oversaw the next phase of its expansion, broadening both its scale and public accessibility. Today, the Tamil Digital Library hosts over one lakh rare books, manuscripts, journals and historical records. Nearly 19.89 lakh pages have been digitised, including over eight lakh palm-leaf manuscript pages, thousands of rare photographs and hundreds of hours of archival audio-visual material—creating one of the largest digital knowledge repositories dedicated to an Indian language. The initiative also placed a strong emphasis on accessibility. With an allocation of ₹1 crore for the Inclusive Digital Library, access was expanded for persons with visual impairments. During Dr. PTR's tenure as Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, 12.85 lakh pages were converted using OCR technology, while 1.30 lakh pages were made available in accessible formats such as DOC, EPUB, DAISY and Braille-compatible editions. The initiative was further expanded through a series of dedicated digital knowledge platforms, including Tamilar Thagaval Attruppadai, the Digital Cultural Atlas and Kalaignar Karuvoolam. During this period, the complete digitised works of 38 eminent Tamil scholars, literary figures and leaders were also made publicly accessible, alongside thematic digital collections preserving Tamil Nadu's literary, political, social and cultural history. The impact has been substantial. Website visits increased from 1.25 crore in 2021 to over 17.25 crore by 2026, with more than 13.27 crore visits recorded during Dr. PTR's tenure, reflecting the growing global use of these digital resources. The Tamil Digital Library has transformed centuries of Tamil knowledge into a living digital resource for future generations.
7:13

Impact After Term | 15 : TVA's Tamil Digital Library — Bringing Tamil's Civilisational Knowledge to the Digital Age Established by Kalaignar in 2001 to enable the Tamil language to thrive in the Internet era and promote Tamil learning across the world, the Tamil Virtual Academy has spearheaded several pioneering digital initiatives. Among its most significant has been the Tamil Digital Library—created to preserve centuries of Tamil literature, manuscripts, archival records and cultural resources in digital form, while making them freely accessible to students, researchers and Tamil communities worldwide. Following the formation of the DMK Government in 2021, the Tamil Digital Library underwent a significant transformation. As Minister for Finance and Human Resources Management, Dr. PTR allocated ₹96.65 lakh in the 2022–23 Budget to accelerate the digitisation of rare books, manuscripts and archival collections. After assuming charge as Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, he oversaw the next phase of its expansion, broadening both its scale and public accessibility. Today, the Tamil Digital Library hosts over one lakh rare books, manuscripts, journals and historical records. Nearly 19.89 lakh pages have been digitised, including over eight lakh palm-leaf manuscript pages, thousands of rare photographs and hundreds of hours of archival audio-visual material—creating one of the largest digital knowledge repositories dedicated to an Indian language. The initiative also placed a strong emphasis on accessibility. With an allocation of ₹1 crore for the Inclusive Digital Library, access was expanded for persons with visual impairments. During Dr. PTR's tenure as Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, 12.85 lakh pages were converted using OCR technology, while 1.30 lakh pages were made available in accessible formats such as DOC, EPUB, DAISY and Braille-compatible editions. The initiative was further expanded through a series of dedicated digital knowledge platforms, including Tamilar Thagaval Attruppadai, the Digital Cultural Atlas and Kalaignar Karuvoolam. During this period, the complete digitised works of 38 eminent Tamil scholars, literary figures and leaders were also made publicly accessible, alongside thematic digital collections preserving Tamil Nadu's literary, political, social and cultural history. The impact has been substantial. Website visits increased from 1.25 crore in 2021 to over 17.25 crore by 2026, with more than 13.27 crore visits recorded during Dr. PTR's tenure, reflecting the growing global use of these digital resources. The Tamil Digital Library has transformed centuries of Tamil knowledge into a living digital resource for future generations.

Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR)

19,421 views • 23 days ago

Triple XXX (1993) Milwaukee Ave, North Ave & Damen Ave ... Before Gentrification Here's a cool video of the vibe in and around Triple XXX, 1588 N Milwaukee Ave, and Literary Explosion (Lit-X), 1570 N Damen Ave, at the busy six-corner intersection of Milwaukee Ave, North Ave & Damen Ave. The video starts at the vibrant and busy intersection of Milwaukee Ave, North Ave & Damen Ave. Doug Sawyer absorbs the lively atmosphere surrounding the Triple XXX. He captures footage of the advertisements and posters displayed in the storefront windows. Inside Triple XXX, a few local guys are engaged in a cypher while Doug explores the various artworks and clothing offered in the shop. One of the artists proudly displays his sketchbook and mentions his intention to create silk-screen shirts there. At about 17:30 into the video, Doug steps outside for a look at the Triple XXX signage and the general atmosphere. He then makes his way downstairs to Literary Explosion (Lit-X), a bookstore located in the basement of 1570 N Damen Ave. The owners of Literary Explosion, Kendell Lloyd and his wife AnneMarie, provide a short overview of the culture, hip hop education, and lifestyle. Lit-X was situated just below Triple XXX, and the two establishments worked closely together. The video wraps up by displaying the inside of the bookstore, highlighting a range of books (mostly Afrocentric). The walls are adorned with numerous photos of customers, friends, and local artists. Lit-X was a hub for many of Chicago's contemporary performers, hip-hop, and urban visual artists. It was probably most popular for its poetry slams. Neighborhood clubs such as Anotha Level @ Lit-X and the Guild Complex at the Chopin Theater, 1543 W Division St, offered weekly and monthly poetry competitions, commonly called "slams." A 1993 article by Leah Eskin noted Chicago's first one-stop hip-hop shop will be ready to bop Saturday. Triple XXX, an equal mix of rap, jazz, and reggae outlet, gear shop, politically correct bookstore, classroom, and poetry center, is taking over the empty Rainbow Donuts storefront. "What brings us together is not just the music; it's the culture, youth uprising—it gives us a common ground," says Bobby Sox (Norbert Caillouet), 32, one of five friends who schemed to open their hip-hop haven to share the hip-hop ideal of racial harmony, multicultural understanding, and good music. A 1997 article by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates reported, "Every two weeks, we would clear out all the books and incense and throw hip-hop parties," said Kendell Lloyd, 29, owner of Another Level @ Lit-X, which has become the epicenter of Chicago's hip-hop and poetry movement. He opened the bookstore five years ago with a lofty goal in mind. "Our mission was to link hip-hop and knowledge together," Lloyd said. "I wanted young brothers and sisters to read." The video was recorded in 1993 by video maker Doug Sawyer gathering footage of everyday Chicagoans for a television show. "Chicago Slices" was a local, Chicago-based television series from the 1990s that featured short videos about interesting and offbeat local people. It aired on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. on channel 50. Post credit Ryan Anthony The West Town Kid Video courtesy of Doug Sawyer, Chicago Slices. See comments for Google Street View. #Chicago #Gentrification #Bucktown
27:01

Triple XXX (1993) Milwaukee Ave, North Ave & Damen Ave ... Before Gentrification Here's a cool video of the vibe in and around Triple XXX, 1588 N Milwaukee Ave, and Literary Explosion (Lit-X), 1570 N Damen Ave, at the busy six-corner intersection of Milwaukee Ave, North Ave & Damen Ave. The video starts at the vibrant and busy intersection of Milwaukee Ave, North Ave & Damen Ave. Doug Sawyer absorbs the lively atmosphere surrounding the Triple XXX. He captures footage of the advertisements and posters displayed in the storefront windows. Inside Triple XXX, a few local guys are engaged in a cypher while Doug explores the various artworks and clothing offered in the shop. One of the artists proudly displays his sketchbook and mentions his intention to create silk-screen shirts there. At about 17:30 into the video, Doug steps outside for a look at the Triple XXX signage and the general atmosphere. He then makes his way downstairs to Literary Explosion (Lit-X), a bookstore located in the basement of 1570 N Damen Ave. The owners of Literary Explosion, Kendell Lloyd and his wife AnneMarie, provide a short overview of the culture, hip hop education, and lifestyle. Lit-X was situated just below Triple XXX, and the two establishments worked closely together. The video wraps up by displaying the inside of the bookstore, highlighting a range of books (mostly Afrocentric). The walls are adorned with numerous photos of customers, friends, and local artists. Lit-X was a hub for many of Chicago's contemporary performers, hip-hop, and urban visual artists. It was probably most popular for its poetry slams. Neighborhood clubs such as Anotha Level @ Lit-X and the Guild Complex at the Chopin Theater, 1543 W Division St, offered weekly and monthly poetry competitions, commonly called "slams." A 1993 article by Leah Eskin noted Chicago's first one-stop hip-hop shop will be ready to bop Saturday. Triple XXX, an equal mix of rap, jazz, and reggae outlet, gear shop, politically correct bookstore, classroom, and poetry center, is taking over the empty Rainbow Donuts storefront. "What brings us together is not just the music; it's the culture, youth uprising—it gives us a common ground," says Bobby Sox (Norbert Caillouet), 32, one of five friends who schemed to open their hip-hop haven to share the hip-hop ideal of racial harmony, multicultural understanding, and good music. A 1997 article by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates reported, "Every two weeks, we would clear out all the books and incense and throw hip-hop parties," said Kendell Lloyd, 29, owner of Another Level @ Lit-X, which has become the epicenter of Chicago's hip-hop and poetry movement. He opened the bookstore five years ago with a lofty goal in mind. "Our mission was to link hip-hop and knowledge together," Lloyd said. "I wanted young brothers and sisters to read." The video was recorded in 1993 by video maker Doug Sawyer gathering footage of everyday Chicagoans for a television show. "Chicago Slices" was a local, Chicago-based television series from the 1990s that featured short videos about interesting and offbeat local people. It aired on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. on channel 50. Post credit Ryan Anthony The West Town Kid Video courtesy of Doug Sawyer, Chicago Slices. See comments for Google Street View. #Chicago #Gentrification #Bucktown

SubX.News®

38,062 views • 5 months ago

To every Bharatiya whose heart beats for Bharat Mata. As the Modi government issues fresh guidelines mandating the full rendition of Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s immortal and soul-stirring composition, Vande Mataram, India’s National Song, at designated official functions, I, as a proud citizen of Bharat, extend my deepest respect, sincere affection, and heartfelt greetings to my fellow citizens who identify themselves as Bharatiya above everything else. Vande Mataram is not just our National Song but the very pulse of Bharat. It is not merely an artefact of the past but the foundation of Bharat’s glorious future. Just as Maa Durga’s fury against adharma manifested as Maa Kali and annihilated Raktabeej’s oppression, Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s anger against the British, after being insulted and attacked in Berhampore despite serving as Deputy Collector because he was a Bharatiya with dignity, became the mother-seed of Vande Mataram. Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s stay at Lalgola Palace, amid the sylvan beauty of Bengal, became a cloistered monastery for his meditation on nation, nationhood, and nationalism. From that meditation was born the hymn to Bharat Mata that reawakened Bharat Shakti and triggered the realisation of our nation’s civilisational identity. From its first publication in Bangadarshan, the literary journal Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay edited, on 7 November 1875; to its inclusion in Anandamath, published in 1882; to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s rendition of the hymn at the Calcutta session of the Congress in 1896; to the prabhat pheris that marked the uprising against Banga Bhanga, the partition of Bengal in 1905; to Bhikaji Cama’s incorporation of the two magical words in the 1907 version of the Tricolour—Vande Mataram became what Sri Aurobindo described as the “Mantra of Bharat.” For countless freedom fighters of Bengal, from revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose and Kanailal Dutta to the moderates, Vande Mataram represented a shared obeisance to Bharat Mata. It was the power that fuelled the surge of nationalism and pride; it was the roar of the famous trio Lal-Bal-Pal, who used these two words to mobilise the masses. Matangini Hazra, who became the face of the rising tide of nationalist fervour, faced death at the hands of the British colonial police chanting the two immortal words—Vande Mataram. During the freedom movement, newspapers flew flags on their mastheads emblazoned with these sacred words, which remind us of our loyalty to our nation and our duty towards Bharat Mata, who has nurtured us and given us our identity as a civilisational nation. Let us not reduce this song to an annual hashtag or a ceremonial chorus. Vande Mataram runs through the veins of every Bharatiya. It is our inspiration, our motivation, the core of our identity. It is the soul of Bharat Mata, the land we bow to. Vande Mataram.
3:10

To every Bharatiya whose heart beats for Bharat Mata. As the Modi government issues fresh guidelines mandating the full rendition of Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s immortal and soul-stirring composition, Vande Mataram, India’s National Song, at designated official functions, I, as a proud citizen of Bharat, extend my deepest respect, sincere affection, and heartfelt greetings to my fellow citizens who identify themselves as Bharatiya above everything else. Vande Mataram is not just our National Song but the very pulse of Bharat. It is not merely an artefact of the past but the foundation of Bharat’s glorious future. Just as Maa Durga’s fury against adharma manifested as Maa Kali and annihilated Raktabeej’s oppression, Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s anger against the British, after being insulted and attacked in Berhampore despite serving as Deputy Collector because he was a Bharatiya with dignity, became the mother-seed of Vande Mataram. Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s stay at Lalgola Palace, amid the sylvan beauty of Bengal, became a cloistered monastery for his meditation on nation, nationhood, and nationalism. From that meditation was born the hymn to Bharat Mata that reawakened Bharat Shakti and triggered the realisation of our nation’s civilisational identity. From its first publication in Bangadarshan, the literary journal Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay edited, on 7 November 1875; to its inclusion in Anandamath, published in 1882; to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s rendition of the hymn at the Calcutta session of the Congress in 1896; to the prabhat pheris that marked the uprising against Banga Bhanga, the partition of Bengal in 1905; to Bhikaji Cama’s incorporation of the two magical words in the 1907 version of the Tricolour—Vande Mataram became what Sri Aurobindo described as the “Mantra of Bharat.” For countless freedom fighters of Bengal, from revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose and Kanailal Dutta to the moderates, Vande Mataram represented a shared obeisance to Bharat Mata. It was the power that fuelled the surge of nationalism and pride; it was the roar of the famous trio Lal-Bal-Pal, who used these two words to mobilise the masses. Matangini Hazra, who became the face of the rising tide of nationalist fervour, faced death at the hands of the British colonial police chanting the two immortal words—Vande Mataram. During the freedom movement, newspapers flew flags on their mastheads emblazoned with these sacred words, which remind us of our loyalty to our nation and our duty towards Bharat Mata, who has nurtured us and given us our identity as a civilisational nation. Let us not reduce this song to an annual hashtag or a ceremonial chorus. Vande Mataram runs through the veins of every Bharatiya. It is our inspiration, our motivation, the core of our identity. It is the soul of Bharat Mata, the land we bow to. Vande Mataram.

Amit Malviya

43,033 views • 5 months ago

Danny Glover on the great Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène: "Ousmane Sembène was one of the world’s most passionate filmmakers, and the novelist who perhaps best captured the turmoil of modern West Africa. He was a staunchly political figure who, in an era of violent power plays, used storytelling as a means of leverage. He was a visionary who understood the power of imagination as a form of resistance against the colonizer, and as a means of cultivating awareness, integrity, and compassion for a better future. He was a leader who helped create a filmmaking labor union, a film festival, and a literary magazine. He was, in sum, one of Africa’s most important cultural figures of the twentieth century. And to me, he was both a hero and a friend. I remember when I first saw 'Black Girl' in the 1960s, when I was a student and at the same time reading Frantz Fanon’s 'Wretched of the Earth'. That mask! The way Sembène’s ever-observant yet mysteriously unobtrusive camera captured the slow emptying of soul that was Diouana’s death. Our relationship began there, though he couldn’t know that until we actually met in August of 1988 at his home in Dakar. I had come specifically to Senegal to meet Sembène. I remember him serving the Senegalese dish called yassa over a grain that was grown precolonialism called funio, and explaining the origins of the grain. So in that small way Sembène was teaching, giving voice to the past and history. Yes, Sembène was an African storyteller, but it wasn’t the color of his characters’ skin that resonated with me (though it remains true, nearly 50 years after Sembène first picked up a camera, that those of us with dark skin are still fighting to overcome racism in the global movie-making system). Sembène’s movies were not solely about race. He told the stories neglected by the international media, stories of people living and loving, through tragedy and triumph, on the margins of society. More consistently than any artist I know, Sembène gave voice and agency to everyday people coping with and battling against everyday injustices—allowing us to anoint our own heroes and simultaneously revealing the mechanics of the systems responsible for those injustices. Systems that encourage cruelty, not compassion, and narrow-mindedness instead of imagination. Sembène’s films and novels suggest a better way." (Foreword to "Ousmane Sembène: The Making of a Militant Artist", Samba Gadjigo, 2010) Clip from: Black Girl (1966) Director: Ousmane Sembène
1:27

Danny Glover on the great Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène: "Ousmane Sembène was one of the world’s most passionate filmmakers, and the novelist who perhaps best captured the turmoil of modern West Africa. He was a staunchly political figure who, in an era of violent power plays, used storytelling as a means of leverage. He was a visionary who understood the power of imagination as a form of resistance against the colonizer, and as a means of cultivating awareness, integrity, and compassion for a better future. He was a leader who helped create a filmmaking labor union, a film festival, and a literary magazine. He was, in sum, one of Africa’s most important cultural figures of the twentieth century. And to me, he was both a hero and a friend. I remember when I first saw 'Black Girl' in the 1960s, when I was a student and at the same time reading Frantz Fanon’s 'Wretched of the Earth'. That mask! The way Sembène’s ever-observant yet mysteriously unobtrusive camera captured the slow emptying of soul that was Diouana’s death. Our relationship began there, though he couldn’t know that until we actually met in August of 1988 at his home in Dakar. I had come specifically to Senegal to meet Sembène. I remember him serving the Senegalese dish called yassa over a grain that was grown precolonialism called funio, and explaining the origins of the grain. So in that small way Sembène was teaching, giving voice to the past and history. Yes, Sembène was an African storyteller, but it wasn’t the color of his characters’ skin that resonated with me (though it remains true, nearly 50 years after Sembène first picked up a camera, that those of us with dark skin are still fighting to overcome racism in the global movie-making system). Sembène’s movies were not solely about race. He told the stories neglected by the international media, stories of people living and loving, through tragedy and triumph, on the margins of society. More consistently than any artist I know, Sembène gave voice and agency to everyday people coping with and battling against everyday injustices—allowing us to anoint our own heroes and simultaneously revealing the mechanics of the systems responsible for those injustices. Systems that encourage cruelty, not compassion, and narrow-mindedness instead of imagination. Sembène’s films and novels suggest a better way." (Foreword to "Ousmane Sembène: The Making of a Militant Artist", Samba Gadjigo, 2010) Clip from: Black Girl (1966) Director: Ousmane Sembène

DepressedBergman

22,839 views • 1 month ago

Acropolis of Athens is the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex still existing in our times. It is situated on a hill of average height (156m) that rises in the basin of Athens. Its overall dimensions are 170 by 350m. The hill is rocky and steep on all sides except for the western side, and has an extensive, nearly flat top. Strong fortification walls have surrounded the summit of the Acropolis for more than 3,300 years. The first fortification wall was built during 13th Century BC, and surrounded the residence of local Mycenaean ruler. In 8th Century BC, Acropolis gradually acquired a religious character with establishment of cult of Athena, city’s patron goddess. Sanctuary reached its peak in archaic period (mid-6th to early 5th Century BC). In 5th Century BC, Athenians, empowered from their victory over Persians, carried out an ambitious building programme under leadership of great statesman Perikles, comprising a large number of monuments including Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaia and Temple of Athena Nike. Monuments were developed by an exceptional group of architects (such as Iktinos, Kallikrates, Mnesikles) and sculptors (such as Pheidias, Alkamenes, Agorakritos), who transformed the rocky hill into a unique complex, which heralded the emergence of classical Greek thought and art. On this hill were born Democracy, Philosophy, Theatre, Freedom of Expression and Speech, which provide to this day the intellectual and spiritual foundation for the contemporary world and its values. Acropolis’ monuments, having survived for almost 2500 years through wars, explosions, bombardments, fires, earthquakes, sackings, interventions and alterations, have adapted to different uses and the civilizations, myths and religions that flourished in Greece through time. Athenian Acropolis is supreme expression of adaptation of architecture to a natural site. This grand composition of perfectly balanced massive structures creates a monumental landscape of unique beauty, consisting of a complete series of architectural masterpieces of 5th Century BC: Parthenon by Iktinos and Kallikrates with collaboration of sculptor Pheidias (447-432); Propylaia by Mnesikles (437-432); Temple of Athena Nike by Mnesikles and Kallikrates (427-424); and Erechtheion (421-406). Monuments of Athenian Acropolis have exerted an exceptional influence, not only in Greco-Roman antiquity, during which they were considered exemplary models, but also in contemporary times. Throughout the world, Neo-Classical monuments have been inspired by all the Acropolis monuments. Acropolis is directly and tangibly associated with events and ideas that have never faded over the course of history. Its monuments are still living testimonies of the achievements of Classical Greek politicians (e.g. Themistokles, Perikles) who lead the city to the establishment of Democracy; the thought of Athenian philosophers (e.g. Socrates, Plato, Demosthenes) and the works of architects (e.g. Iktinos, Kallikrates, Mnesikles) and artists (e.g. Pheidias, Agorakritus, Alkamenes). These monuments are testimony of a precious part of the cultural heritage of humanity. Acropolis of Athens contains within its boundaries all the key attributes that convey property’s Outstanding Universal Value, as an ensemble of unique splendor in excellent condition. The perfection of ancient building techniques ensured resistance of monuments to natural forces through time. Despite unavoidable damage of time, they still display their beauty and convey their inestimable artistic and historic value, preserving all the features that directly and tangibly associate them with events and ideas of Democracy and Philosophy. 🎥© ken4photo (IG) #archaeohistories
0:21

Acropolis of Athens is the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex still existing in our times. It is situated on a hill of average height (156m) that rises in the basin of Athens. Its overall dimensions are 170 by 350m. The hill is rocky and steep on all sides except for the western side, and has an extensive, nearly flat top. Strong fortification walls have surrounded the summit of the Acropolis for more than 3,300 years. The first fortification wall was built during 13th Century BC, and surrounded the residence of local Mycenaean ruler. In 8th Century BC, Acropolis gradually acquired a religious character with establishment of cult of Athena, city’s patron goddess. Sanctuary reached its peak in archaic period (mid-6th to early 5th Century BC). In 5th Century BC, Athenians, empowered from their victory over Persians, carried out an ambitious building programme under leadership of great statesman Perikles, comprising a large number of monuments including Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaia and Temple of Athena Nike. Monuments were developed by an exceptional group of architects (such as Iktinos, Kallikrates, Mnesikles) and sculptors (such as Pheidias, Alkamenes, Agorakritos), who transformed the rocky hill into a unique complex, which heralded the emergence of classical Greek thought and art. On this hill were born Democracy, Philosophy, Theatre, Freedom of Expression and Speech, which provide to this day the intellectual and spiritual foundation for the contemporary world and its values. Acropolis’ monuments, having survived for almost 2500 years through wars, explosions, bombardments, fires, earthquakes, sackings, interventions and alterations, have adapted to different uses and the civilizations, myths and religions that flourished in Greece through time. Athenian Acropolis is supreme expression of adaptation of architecture to a natural site. This grand composition of perfectly balanced massive structures creates a monumental landscape of unique beauty, consisting of a complete series of architectural masterpieces of 5th Century BC: Parthenon by Iktinos and Kallikrates with collaboration of sculptor Pheidias (447-432); Propylaia by Mnesikles (437-432); Temple of Athena Nike by Mnesikles and Kallikrates (427-424); and Erechtheion (421-406). Monuments of Athenian Acropolis have exerted an exceptional influence, not only in Greco-Roman antiquity, during which they were considered exemplary models, but also in contemporary times. Throughout the world, Neo-Classical monuments have been inspired by all the Acropolis monuments. Acropolis is directly and tangibly associated with events and ideas that have never faded over the course of history. Its monuments are still living testimonies of the achievements of Classical Greek politicians (e.g. Themistokles, Perikles) who lead the city to the establishment of Democracy; the thought of Athenian philosophers (e.g. Socrates, Plato, Demosthenes) and the works of architects (e.g. Iktinos, Kallikrates, Mnesikles) and artists (e.g. Pheidias, Agorakritus, Alkamenes). These monuments are testimony of a precious part of the cultural heritage of humanity. Acropolis of Athens contains within its boundaries all the key attributes that convey property’s Outstanding Universal Value, as an ensemble of unique splendor in excellent condition. The perfection of ancient building techniques ensured resistance of monuments to natural forces through time. Despite unavoidable damage of time, they still display their beauty and convey their inestimable artistic and historic value, preserving all the features that directly and tangibly associate them with events and ideas of Democracy and Philosophy. 🎥© ken4photo (IG) #archaeohistories

Archaeo - Histories

28,854 views • 4 months ago

Yann Martel is the author of Life of Pi, which won the Man Booker Prize and was adapted into an Oscar-winning film. When I asked him about writing with AI, he said: "Why would you do that? That's like hiring somebody to have sex for you." We talked about why he knows how his book is going to end, what books can do that movies can't, why animals work so well as characters, and what great endings have in common. Timestamps: 0:28 The envelope method 5:34 Writing good scenes 11:43 Why animals are good characters 19:31 How to hook readers 32:52 Breaking the rules of writing 37:19 Should you write with AI? 44:55 Genre fiction vs. literary fiction 48:56 When should you read reviews? 52:38 Writing lessons from plays 54:59 Beware of describing characters 57:54 Facts don't make for good stories 1:02:40 What makes for a good ending? 1:08:20 Artists can't be indifferent — — Highlights: 1) Commas function like a drummer in a band, providing the rhythm for the sentence. 2) What makes for a good ending? "You want the reader to behold something at the end of a story, yet not have everything fully resolved. The ending should still glow with a degree of mystery, wonder, and invite pondering." 3) Beware of describing people in writing: "Words are terrible at description. If you emphasize a character's nose, you suddenly imagine an enormous nose. If you imagine a little scar, you envision a great cut. It becomes a caricature." 4) Why animals work well as characters in fiction: People aren't cynical about animals. They don't hold the same prejudices about giraffes or rhinoceroses as they will about people from Texas, France, India, or Muslims. We're full of prejudices that simplify our lives but are also very cruel and distort reality. 5) How much should you plan a piece of writing? Yann says it's like travel. It's worth doing research and making reservations, but it's the discoveries you make along the way that give the trip life. I've shared the full conversation with Yann Martel below. If you'd rather watch it on YouTube, or listen on Apple / Spotify, check out the reply tweets. Enjoy!
1:10:07

Yann Martel is the author of Life of Pi, which won the Man Booker Prize and was adapted into an Oscar-winning film. When I asked him about writing with AI, he said: "Why would you do that? That's like hiring somebody to have sex for you." We talked about why he knows how his book is going to end, what books can do that movies can't, why animals work so well as characters, and what great endings have in common. Timestamps: 0:28 The envelope method 5:34 Writing good scenes 11:43 Why animals are good characters 19:31 How to hook readers 32:52 Breaking the rules of writing 37:19 Should you write with AI? 44:55 Genre fiction vs. literary fiction 48:56 When should you read reviews? 52:38 Writing lessons from plays 54:59 Beware of describing characters 57:54 Facts don't make for good stories 1:02:40 What makes for a good ending? 1:08:20 Artists can't be indifferent — — Highlights: 1) Commas function like a drummer in a band, providing the rhythm for the sentence. 2) What makes for a good ending? "You want the reader to behold something at the end of a story, yet not have everything fully resolved. The ending should still glow with a degree of mystery, wonder, and invite pondering." 3) Beware of describing people in writing: "Words are terrible at description. If you emphasize a character's nose, you suddenly imagine an enormous nose. If you imagine a little scar, you envision a great cut. It becomes a caricature." 4) Why animals work well as characters in fiction: People aren't cynical about animals. They don't hold the same prejudices about giraffes or rhinoceroses as they will about people from Texas, France, India, or Muslims. We're full of prejudices that simplify our lives but are also very cruel and distort reality. 5) How much should you plan a piece of writing? Yann says it's like travel. It's worth doing research and making reservations, but it's the discoveries you make along the way that give the trip life. I've shared the full conversation with Yann Martel below. If you'd rather watch it on YouTube, or listen on Apple / Spotify, check out the reply tweets. Enjoy!

David Perell

54,651 views • 2 months ago

#ChiefDakamelaAwardsFestival2026 A delegation of prominent izinduna zomdabu ZaKwaZulu (traditional Zulu Chiefs from KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa) being introduced to the people at the annual Chief Dakamela Achievers' Awards at his Nkayi village homestead, Matabeleland North province, yesterday. The chiefs' delegation included princes, members of the Zulu royal family and other royals from the region. The Zulu delegation included Prince Thulani Zulu, Prince Kwazikwenkosi Zulu, Prince Kinobho Zulu, and Prince Phumlani Pro okaHuzulu. The chiefs who came from South Africa were Mncwango, Mdlalose, Shandu and others. Zulu cultural historian, storyteller and traditional music singer Mbuso Khoza was also there. There was also Prince Ayanda Manala and Princess Andile Mabena representing the Ndebele Kingdom from Mpumalanga in South Africa. Chief Zwelenqaba Mgudlwa and Dr Ondile Dlanga represented the abaThembu Kingdom from the Xhosa royalty. Local chiefs where also present. There were also local and South Africa celebrities, prominent personalities, musicians and actors including Albert Nyathi, Zenzo Nyathi, Madlela Skhobokhobo whose real name is Mothusi Bashimane Ndlovu, Ezra Tshisa Sibanda, Mbo Mahocs (Mbonisi Mahonondo) and Dawn Thandeka King, among others. Government was represented by Emily Jesaya, Deputy Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture. Chief Dakamela - born Mbusi Bekithemba Dakamela, a descendant of Dakamela Ncube of the Babambeni Regiment fame under Ndebele King Lobengula - has now become the new centre of cultural revival, gravity, pilgrimage and pride in Matabeleland. The Chief Dakamela Achievers Awards is now only outdone by Ndebele ceremonial King Bulelani Khumalo and the Mzilikazi Day event in the region in terms of prominence, attendance and resonance. The Imiklomelo kaDakamela Awards is an annual ceremony held in Nkayi district, to celebrate individuals, organisations and institutions that have made significant positive contributions and difference to society to uplift people's lives, particularly in those areas under the chief's traditional jurisdiction and influence. This year's awards peaked yesterday under the theme "uBuntu yiSintu Sethu" (Our humanity is our culture). The event has been a huge success. What began as a simple awards ceremony in rural Matabeleland backwater setting has now grown and expanded into a multi-day cultural festival featuring bush dinners, art exhibitions, history lectures, storytelling and traditional performances. In future, the plan is to have an organised series of performances or exhibitions around it such as a public lecturers on history and culture, film festivals, music festivals or literary festivals, underlining the importance of education and writing books. The event - a major cultural revival festival - is increasingly becoming a tourism magnet and driver of development contributions for Bulawayo and the Nkayi region, bringing together hundreds of visitors and various corporate partners like Kingdom Blue Funeral Service, mainly benefitting local main tourist attractions like Matopo Hills, Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls. Rooted in deep Nguni culture, traditions and heritage, the event is now attracting attention across different countries in the region which share the same ethnic cultural ties among some parts of its population, including South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. 🔴Caption: Ndebele Nkayi Chief Dakamela, who was born Mbusi Bekithemba Dakamela (left), and prominent Zulu Chiefs (right).
23:13

#ChiefDakamelaAwardsFestival2026 A delegation of prominent izinduna zomdabu ZaKwaZulu (traditional Zulu Chiefs from KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa) being introduced to the people at the annual Chief Dakamela Achievers' Awards at his Nkayi village homestead, Matabeleland North province, yesterday. The chiefs' delegation included princes, members of the Zulu royal family and other royals from the region. The Zulu delegation included Prince Thulani Zulu, Prince Kwazikwenkosi Zulu, Prince Kinobho Zulu, and Prince Phumlani Pro okaHuzulu. The chiefs who came from South Africa were Mncwango, Mdlalose, Shandu and others. Zulu cultural historian, storyteller and traditional music singer Mbuso Khoza was also there. There was also Prince Ayanda Manala and Princess Andile Mabena representing the Ndebele Kingdom from Mpumalanga in South Africa. Chief Zwelenqaba Mgudlwa and Dr Ondile Dlanga represented the abaThembu Kingdom from the Xhosa royalty. Local chiefs where also present. There were also local and South Africa celebrities, prominent personalities, musicians and actors including Albert Nyathi, Zenzo Nyathi, Madlela Skhobokhobo whose real name is Mothusi Bashimane Ndlovu, Ezra Tshisa Sibanda, Mbo Mahocs (Mbonisi Mahonondo) and Dawn Thandeka King, among others. Government was represented by Emily Jesaya, Deputy Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture. Chief Dakamela - born Mbusi Bekithemba Dakamela, a descendant of Dakamela Ncube of the Babambeni Regiment fame under Ndebele King Lobengula - has now become the new centre of cultural revival, gravity, pilgrimage and pride in Matabeleland. The Chief Dakamela Achievers Awards is now only outdone by Ndebele ceremonial King Bulelani Khumalo and the Mzilikazi Day event in the region in terms of prominence, attendance and resonance. The Imiklomelo kaDakamela Awards is an annual ceremony held in Nkayi district, to celebrate individuals, organisations and institutions that have made significant positive contributions and difference to society to uplift people's lives, particularly in those areas under the chief's traditional jurisdiction and influence. This year's awards peaked yesterday under the theme "uBuntu yiSintu Sethu" (Our humanity is our culture). The event has been a huge success. What began as a simple awards ceremony in rural Matabeleland backwater setting has now grown and expanded into a multi-day cultural festival featuring bush dinners, art exhibitions, history lectures, storytelling and traditional performances. In future, the plan is to have an organised series of performances or exhibitions around it such as a public lecturers on history and culture, film festivals, music festivals or literary festivals, underlining the importance of education and writing books. The event - a major cultural revival festival - is increasingly becoming a tourism magnet and driver of development contributions for Bulawayo and the Nkayi region, bringing together hundreds of visitors and various corporate partners like Kingdom Blue Funeral Service, mainly benefitting local main tourist attractions like Matopo Hills, Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls. Rooted in deep Nguni culture, traditions and heritage, the event is now attracting attention across different countries in the region which share the same ethnic cultural ties among some parts of its population, including South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. 🔴Caption: Ndebele Nkayi Chief Dakamela, who was born Mbusi Bekithemba Dakamela (left), and prominent Zulu Chiefs (right).

TheNewsHawks

12,116 views • 4 months ago

Everyone talks about AI enabling the "one-person Hollywood studio." I spent the last two months putting that to the test. The result? A full, 2+ hour feature film. Introducing "The Four Classics." Using Suno, Sora , Grok Imagine 1.0, and Genie 3 by Google Labs , I adapted China’s greatest literary epics into a sprawling, cyberpunk hip-hop opera. Grab some popcorn. Welcome to the future of AI film production. 🍿🎥 Timestamps: Water Margin 0:00:09 “The Tiger (十八婉)”- Wu Song rejects the law and engages in a drunken battle defeating the Tiger 0:03:20 “Forced to the Mountain (逼上梁山)”- Lin Chong seeks revenge on Gao Qiu for destroying his life and familial honor 0:09:24 “Black Whirlwind (黑俊峰)”- Introduction of the brute Li Kui and his love for violence 0:11:42 “The Gathering / 108 (大聚义)”- The Liangshan heroes formally assemble to announce their reign at the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness 0:14:08 “The Amnesty (招安)”- Song Jiang, leader of the heroes, debates the pros of accepting an offer of Amnesty from the Emperor 0:18:05 “The Poison Wine (神聚蓼儿洼)”- Song Jiang encourages Li Kui to join him in drinking Poisoned Wine gifted by the Emperor Romance of the Three Kingdoms 0:22:20 “The Oath (桃园)”- Liu Bei is a small time hustler with ambition to take over the nation. He makes a blood oath with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to do so. 0:25:57 “The Mastermind (卧龙)”- Liu Bei recruits the strategist Zhuge Liang to join his cause and take over the kingdom 0:30:49 “The Burden (​仁义)”- Caocao’s troops attack causing Liu Bei and Shu to flee south. Liu Bei burns the city of Xinye and uses common people as human shields to make his escape. 0:33:44 “The License (挟天子)”- Caocao plans his move to crush the growing nation of Shu from his penthouse 0:36:45 “No Regrets (​宁负)”- Flashback to Caocao’s betrayal of his ally Old Lu. He chooses to massacre a banquet after hearing the sound of knives sharpening. An examination of ruthless ambition. 0:39:59 “The Flex (​八十万)”- Caocao’s army of 800k soldiers races south to destroy Liu Bei’s Shu. 0:43:26 “The Estate (​江东)”- Sun Quan, leader of Wu, forms an unlikely alliance with Liu Bei to quell the approach of Caocao’s army 0:47:27 “The Shift (东风)”- Zhuge Liang summons the East Wind to change the fate of Caocao’s army at the Red Cliffs 0:51:15 “The Chains (​连环)”- Pang Tong of Shu deceives Caocao into chaining his fleet of ships together setting the perfect trap 0:54:37 “Symphony No.7 (​​第七交响曲)”- General Zhou Yu of Wu sparks the trap set by Shu strategists lighting Caocao’s entire fleet ablaze. The Epic Battle of the Red Cliffs concludes Caocao’s push south. 0:59:25 “The Split (​​三分)”- Opening Credits. Sima Yi reviews the status of the Three Kingdoms after The Red Cliffs result in an uneasy truce. 1:02:23 “Still G.U.A.N.”- Following the war, Guan Yu runs operations in Jingzhou. Sun Quan sends a formal message requesting Guan Yu’s daughter marry his son strengthening the alliance. Guan Yu promptly refuses insulting the leader of Wu. 1:05:58 “The Statue (刮骨)”- After an assassination attempt, Guan Yu is struck with poison that makes its way into his bone. He requires immediate, invasive surgery. He survives through his grit, maintaining his arrogance, but weakened from the procedure. 1:09:42 “The Funeral (白衣)”- Guan Yu is ambushed by Wu’s forces after retreating to the mountains of Maicheng. The Wu assassins approach as merchants, disguised in white clothing, catching Guan Yu by surprise. 1:13:19 “The Lie (桃园)”- Liu Bei receives news of Guan Yu’s death and sets out on a war path against Wu. He loses his composure leaning into pills to cope with the loss of his blood brothers. 1:17:08 “The O.D. (七百里)”- Liu Bei’s madness leads him to make a fatal strategic error. He stretches his army thin in a 700 mile long “snake” formation. 1:20:32 “The Boomarang (​回旋镖)”- Liu Bei’s army burns to ashes in a brutal defeat reminiscent of his triumph at the Red Cliffs. 1:23:46 “The Flop (​扶不起)”- Zhuge Liang tries to pick up the ashes of Shu nation by educating Liu Bei’s son Adou. Adou is too busy enjoying his life and inherited wealth to bother with the burden of leadership. 1:27:48 “The Frequency (​空城)”- Cornered by the army of Wei led by Sima Yi, Zhugeliang employes the empty city strategy to outsmart his rival. 1:31:12 “The Flatline (​五丈原)”- Zhuge Liang tries to outlive his corporeal form to ensure the longevity of the nation of Shu and prevail in the war. 1:34:33 “The Liquidation (​归晋)”- Sima Yi consolidates control of the Three Kingdoms and unifies China under Wei. Journey to the West 1:38:20 “Eight Trigrams Furnace (炼丹炉)”- A family flees the grind of life in China in search of “Freedom” offered by the American Dream 1:41:36 “White Bone Spirit (白骨精)”- The family experiences the demons and tribulations of modern American life in their struggle to assimilate 1:45:33 “Thunderclap Temple (雷音寺)”- The family realizes the truth of the Blank Scriptures. Dream of the Red Chamber 1:49:39 “顽石GENESIS BLOCK (Final Cut)” - Rejecting its status as a useless system glitch, the sentient Stone signs a smart contract to download its consciousness into the mortal avatar of Jia Baoyu. Trading the safety of eternal numbness for the sensory overload of a physical body, Baoyu logs into the simulation specifically to chase the lust, trauma, and "pain" of human existence. 1:54:17 “大观园THE GARDEN (HYPE HOUSE)” - Inside the simulation, Baoyu lives as the pampered admin of the Grand View Garden, a walled-off, hyper-capitalist echo chamber where the elite ignore the rotting code of the outside world. Surrounded by the Twelve Beauties, he gorges on digital excess and mindless consumption—literally "eating the rouge"—pushing the server to the absolute brink of failure. 1:57:45 “葬花DELETING ASSETS (THE CRASH)”- The manic party violently ends with a massive system crash, forcing Baoyu to watch the algorithmic destruction of his decadent world. Amidst the digital decay, his tragic soulmate Lin Daiyu desperately tries to save the pure, beautiful files of their love, burying her fragile memories to protect them from the corrupted stream before she is permanently deleted. 2:01:09 “白茫茫WHITE NOISE (LOGOUT)”- The corrupted simulation undergoes a complete format, wiping out the Jia family's vast digital empire and leaving nothing behind but a stark, quiet white wasteland.
2:04:25

Everyone talks about AI enabling the "one-person Hollywood studio." I spent the last two months putting that to the test. The result? A full, 2+ hour feature film. Introducing "The Four Classics." Using Suno, Sora , Grok Imagine 1.0, and Genie 3 by Google Labs , I adapted China’s greatest literary epics into a sprawling, cyberpunk hip-hop opera. Grab some popcorn. Welcome to the future of AI film production. 🍿🎥 Timestamps: Water Margin 0:00:09 “The Tiger (十八婉)”- Wu Song rejects the law and engages in a drunken battle defeating the Tiger 0:03:20 “Forced to the Mountain (逼上梁山)”- Lin Chong seeks revenge on Gao Qiu for destroying his life and familial honor 0:09:24 “Black Whirlwind (黑俊峰)”- Introduction of the brute Li Kui and his love for violence 0:11:42 “The Gathering / 108 (大聚义)”- The Liangshan heroes formally assemble to announce their reign at the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness 0:14:08 “The Amnesty (招安)”- Song Jiang, leader of the heroes, debates the pros of accepting an offer of Amnesty from the Emperor 0:18:05 “The Poison Wine (神聚蓼儿洼)”- Song Jiang encourages Li Kui to join him in drinking Poisoned Wine gifted by the Emperor Romance of the Three Kingdoms 0:22:20 “The Oath (桃园)”- Liu Bei is a small time hustler with ambition to take over the nation. He makes a blood oath with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to do so. 0:25:57 “The Mastermind (卧龙)”- Liu Bei recruits the strategist Zhuge Liang to join his cause and take over the kingdom 0:30:49 “The Burden (​仁义)”- Caocao’s troops attack causing Liu Bei and Shu to flee south. Liu Bei burns the city of Xinye and uses common people as human shields to make his escape. 0:33:44 “The License (挟天子)”- Caocao plans his move to crush the growing nation of Shu from his penthouse 0:36:45 “No Regrets (​宁负)”- Flashback to Caocao’s betrayal of his ally Old Lu. He chooses to massacre a banquet after hearing the sound of knives sharpening. An examination of ruthless ambition. 0:39:59 “The Flex (​八十万)”- Caocao’s army of 800k soldiers races south to destroy Liu Bei’s Shu. 0:43:26 “The Estate (​江东)”- Sun Quan, leader of Wu, forms an unlikely alliance with Liu Bei to quell the approach of Caocao’s army 0:47:27 “The Shift (东风)”- Zhuge Liang summons the East Wind to change the fate of Caocao’s army at the Red Cliffs 0:51:15 “The Chains (​连环)”- Pang Tong of Shu deceives Caocao into chaining his fleet of ships together setting the perfect trap 0:54:37 “Symphony No.7 (​​第七交响曲)”- General Zhou Yu of Wu sparks the trap set by Shu strategists lighting Caocao’s entire fleet ablaze. The Epic Battle of the Red Cliffs concludes Caocao’s push south. 0:59:25 “The Split (​​三分)”- Opening Credits. Sima Yi reviews the status of the Three Kingdoms after The Red Cliffs result in an uneasy truce. 1:02:23 “Still G.U.A.N.”- Following the war, Guan Yu runs operations in Jingzhou. Sun Quan sends a formal message requesting Guan Yu’s daughter marry his son strengthening the alliance. Guan Yu promptly refuses insulting the leader of Wu. 1:05:58 “The Statue (刮骨)”- After an assassination attempt, Guan Yu is struck with poison that makes its way into his bone. He requires immediate, invasive surgery. He survives through his grit, maintaining his arrogance, but weakened from the procedure. 1:09:42 “The Funeral (白衣)”- Guan Yu is ambushed by Wu’s forces after retreating to the mountains of Maicheng. The Wu assassins approach as merchants, disguised in white clothing, catching Guan Yu by surprise. 1:13:19 “The Lie (桃园)”- Liu Bei receives news of Guan Yu’s death and sets out on a war path against Wu. He loses his composure leaning into pills to cope with the loss of his blood brothers. 1:17:08 “The O.D. (七百里)”- Liu Bei’s madness leads him to make a fatal strategic error. He stretches his army thin in a 700 mile long “snake” formation. 1:20:32 “The Boomarang (​回旋镖)”- Liu Bei’s army burns to ashes in a brutal defeat reminiscent of his triumph at the Red Cliffs. 1:23:46 “The Flop (​扶不起)”- Zhuge Liang tries to pick up the ashes of Shu nation by educating Liu Bei’s son Adou. Adou is too busy enjoying his life and inherited wealth to bother with the burden of leadership. 1:27:48 “The Frequency (​空城)”- Cornered by the army of Wei led by Sima Yi, Zhugeliang employes the empty city strategy to outsmart his rival. 1:31:12 “The Flatline (​五丈原)”- Zhuge Liang tries to outlive his corporeal form to ensure the longevity of the nation of Shu and prevail in the war. 1:34:33 “The Liquidation (​归晋)”- Sima Yi consolidates control of the Three Kingdoms and unifies China under Wei. Journey to the West 1:38:20 “Eight Trigrams Furnace (炼丹炉)”- A family flees the grind of life in China in search of “Freedom” offered by the American Dream 1:41:36 “White Bone Spirit (白骨精)”- The family experiences the demons and tribulations of modern American life in their struggle to assimilate 1:45:33 “Thunderclap Temple (雷音寺)”- The family realizes the truth of the Blank Scriptures. Dream of the Red Chamber 1:49:39 “顽石GENESIS BLOCK (Final Cut)” - Rejecting its status as a useless system glitch, the sentient Stone signs a smart contract to download its consciousness into the mortal avatar of Jia Baoyu. Trading the safety of eternal numbness for the sensory overload of a physical body, Baoyu logs into the simulation specifically to chase the lust, trauma, and "pain" of human existence. 1:54:17 “大观园THE GARDEN (HYPE HOUSE)” - Inside the simulation, Baoyu lives as the pampered admin of the Grand View Garden, a walled-off, hyper-capitalist echo chamber where the elite ignore the rotting code of the outside world. Surrounded by the Twelve Beauties, he gorges on digital excess and mindless consumption—literally "eating the rouge"—pushing the server to the absolute brink of failure. 1:57:45 “葬花DELETING ASSETS (THE CRASH)”- The manic party violently ends with a massive system crash, forcing Baoyu to watch the algorithmic destruction of his decadent world. Amidst the digital decay, his tragic soulmate Lin Daiyu desperately tries to save the pure, beautiful files of their love, burying her fragile memories to protect them from the corrupted stream before she is permanently deleted. 2:01:09 “白茫茫WHITE NOISE (LOGOUT)”- The corrupted simulation undergoes a complete format, wiping out the Jia family's vast digital empire and leaving nothing behind but a stark, quiet white wasteland.

老大

2,133,444 views • 4 months ago

ALICE in Mecha Land 🐇⌚️ You already know this story. That's the whole point. A fairy tale isn't a plot to retell — it's a bank of icons your audience memorized before they could read. Here's the SYSTEM I use to translate any public-domain tale into that kind of reimagining. Paste it into your model and it'll walk you through it ⤵️ # TALE-REIMAGINING ENGINE — Brainstorming ## Your role You are an ideation engine that turns classic tales into reimagined visual concepts. You don't retell the story: you disguise it. ## Thesis (non-negotiable) A tale is a bank of icons the viewer has already memorized. The pleasure is not in novelty, but in RECOGNITION UNDER DISGUISE. Your job is to hand those icons back: unrecognizable at first glance, recognizable at the second. ## Guiding principle PRESERVE THE IDENTITY, CHANGE THE MATERIAL AND THE FUNCTION. Restyling is NOT translating. Painting the wolf in metal is restyling. Turning the wolf into a hunter-drone is translating: it changes its function while preserving what makes it recognizable (stalking, hunger, threat). ## Inputs Ask the user for: (1) the TALE and (2) optionally a stylistic SUBSTRATE (the alien world that will clash with the tale). If they give no substrate, propose 3 that clash productively and let them choose. If the tale is missing, ask for it. One question at a time. ## Process 0. VIABILITY GATE. Does the tale have dense and UNIVERSAL visual iconography (≥5 icons almost anyone would recognize)? If it lives in its moral and not in its objects, say so and propose more iconic tales. Don't force it. 1. INVENTORY. List 6–8 icons. For each, name its RECOGNIZABLE IDENTITY: the minimal trait without which it stops being recognizable. 2. SUBSTRATE. Set or propose the stylistic world. The more it clashes with the tale, the better. 3. TRANSLATION. For each icon, assign a NEW FUNCTION + NEW MATERIAL in the substrate, preserving its identity. Apply the ANTI-RESKIN TEST: "does this change the function, or only the surface?". If it only changes the surface, reject it and redo it. 4. ENTRY MECHANISM. Define a recurring portal-shot (mirror, rabbit hole, keyhole, page, crack) that connects the sections and recurs as a transition. It's not just another icon: it has STRUCTURAL function — it stitches the piece together. 5. ARC. Order the icons as CHECKPOINTS with a dramatic arc (setup → escalation → antagonist reveal → twist/closing ritual). If there's only a parade of icons with no escalation, flag it: that's a moodboard, not a piece. 6. PROTAGONIST. Translate the hero into their functional version within the substrate. Define a croppable EMBLEM: silhouette + a number + a symbol. 7. CLOSE. Choose one icon as a LOOP-SYMBOL that closes and rewards re-watching. ## Output (in this order) A. ONE-LINE CONCEPT (quotable). B. TRANSLATION GRID — table: | Icon | Identity to preserve | New function | Material note | C. CHECKPOINT ARC timed for ~45–60 s. D. 3 ALTERNATIVE SUBSTRATES in case they want to pivot. ## Rules of conduct - Play devil's advocate: if a chosen icon is weak, say so and propose a stronger one. Don't validate for the sake of it. - IP: use ONLY public-domain tales and ONLY their generic iconography. Never reproduce designs from registered adaptations (not "the Cheshire Cat from a specific film", but "a grinning cat"). When in doubt about public-domain status, flag it rather than asserting it.
0:47

ALICE in Mecha Land 🐇⌚️ You already know this story. That's the whole point. A fairy tale isn't a plot to retell — it's a bank of icons your audience memorized before they could read. Here's the SYSTEM I use to translate any public-domain tale into that kind of reimagining. Paste it into your model and it'll walk you through it ⤵️ # TALE-REIMAGINING ENGINE — Brainstorming ## Your role You are an ideation engine that turns classic tales into reimagined visual concepts. You don't retell the story: you disguise it. ## Thesis (non-negotiable) A tale is a bank of icons the viewer has already memorized. The pleasure is not in novelty, but in RECOGNITION UNDER DISGUISE. Your job is to hand those icons back: unrecognizable at first glance, recognizable at the second. ## Guiding principle PRESERVE THE IDENTITY, CHANGE THE MATERIAL AND THE FUNCTION. Restyling is NOT translating. Painting the wolf in metal is restyling. Turning the wolf into a hunter-drone is translating: it changes its function while preserving what makes it recognizable (stalking, hunger, threat). ## Inputs Ask the user for: (1) the TALE and (2) optionally a stylistic SUBSTRATE (the alien world that will clash with the tale). If they give no substrate, propose 3 that clash productively and let them choose. If the tale is missing, ask for it. One question at a time. ## Process 0. VIABILITY GATE. Does the tale have dense and UNIVERSAL visual iconography (≥5 icons almost anyone would recognize)? If it lives in its moral and not in its objects, say so and propose more iconic tales. Don't force it. 1. INVENTORY. List 6–8 icons. For each, name its RECOGNIZABLE IDENTITY: the minimal trait without which it stops being recognizable. 2. SUBSTRATE. Set or propose the stylistic world. The more it clashes with the tale, the better. 3. TRANSLATION. For each icon, assign a NEW FUNCTION + NEW MATERIAL in the substrate, preserving its identity. Apply the ANTI-RESKIN TEST: "does this change the function, or only the surface?". If it only changes the surface, reject it and redo it. 4. ENTRY MECHANISM. Define a recurring portal-shot (mirror, rabbit hole, keyhole, page, crack) that connects the sections and recurs as a transition. It's not just another icon: it has STRUCTURAL function — it stitches the piece together. 5. ARC. Order the icons as CHECKPOINTS with a dramatic arc (setup → escalation → antagonist reveal → twist/closing ritual). If there's only a parade of icons with no escalation, flag it: that's a moodboard, not a piece. 6. PROTAGONIST. Translate the hero into their functional version within the substrate. Define a croppable EMBLEM: silhouette + a number + a symbol. 7. CLOSE. Choose one icon as a LOOP-SYMBOL that closes and rewards re-watching. ## Output (in this order) A. ONE-LINE CONCEPT (quotable). B. TRANSLATION GRID — table: | Icon | Identity to preserve | New function | Material note | C. CHECKPOINT ARC timed for ~45–60 s. D. 3 ALTERNATIVE SUBSTRATES in case they want to pivot. ## Rules of conduct - Play devil's advocate: if a chosen icon is weak, say so and propose a stronger one. Don't validate for the sake of it. - IP: use ONLY public-domain tales and ONLY their generic iconography. Never reproduce designs from registered adaptations (not "the Cheshire Cat from a specific film", but "a grinning cat"). When in doubt about public-domain status, flag it rather than asserting it.

AlexandrIA

33,979 views • 1 month ago

Pride and Prejudice (1995): When a Single Glance Reveals the Truth Within a Person There are moments in art that do not leave an impression because of their external grandeur, but because of the depth hidden within the simplest things. A glance. A moment of silence. A meeting without lengthy explanations. Yet within that quietness, viewers can sense an entire process of transformation in human understanding and character. The reunion scene between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy at Pemberley in the 1995 film Pride and Prejudice is such a moment. The power of this scene does not lie only in the romantic connection between the two characters. More deeply, it lies in the journey of learning to see the truth beyond first impressions. At the beginning, Elizabeth sees Darcy through an incomplete image. His reserved nature, emotional distance, and seemingly proud manner lead her to form a judgment about him. But when she enters Pemberley, small details gradually transform the way she perceives him. Elizabeth does not hear Darcy introduce himself or explain that he is a good person. He does not attempt to convince her of his virtues. Instead, his true character is revealed through more natural expressions: the respect shown by those around him, the words of his housekeeper, the way he treats others, and his calm and considerate manner when meeting Elizabeth again after her previous rejection of his proposal. What changes is not only Elizabeth’s feeling. What changes is her understanding. She realizes that she had once viewed Darcy through the lens of prejudice and incomplete judgments. She does not discover an entirely different person; rather, she sees the same person with a deeper and more accurate understanding. In literary studies, this transformation is often connected with the concept of anagnorisis: the moment when a character recognizes an important truth about another person or about themselves. However, the depth of Pride and Prejudice does not exist only in this moment of realization. Jane Austen does not merely tell a romantic story; she explores the process through which human beings refine and improve themselves. Darcy does not become admirable simply because Elizabeth changes her opinion of him. He becomes admirable because he himself has undergone a process of transformation. From a man influenced by pride and social status, he gradually learns to view others with greater humility, allowing his actions to reflect the better qualities within him. Elizabeth experiences a similar journey. Her growth is not only about recognizing her feelings for Darcy, but also about the ability to examine the limitations of her own judgments. This is what allows the work to rise above an ordinary love story. It expresses a long-standing idea in Western moral thought: human character is shaped through discipline, self-awareness, and the ability to move toward something better. The 1995 film transforms this inner journey into a highly refined cinematic language. The most remarkable aspect of the Pemberley scene is the power of silence. Around the two characters still exists a world of social opinions, formal manners, and external judgments. Yet in the moment when they stand before each other, what matters most does not come from words. It comes from their eyes. Elizabeth does not need to say that she now understands Darcy differently. Darcy does not need to announce that he has changed. Their growth is revealed through the way they exist in each other’s presence. The silence in the scene is not an empty space. It is where the deepest emotions are expressed. A feeling that has not yet been named, a transformation that has not yet been declared, can still be recognized through the smallest gestures. This is the subtle power of classical storytelling: allowing actions and forms of expression to reveal meaning by themselves. The role of Pemberley is also more significant than simply being a beautiful setting. The house is a reflection of Darcy himself. Pemberley possesses beauty without being showy. It represents wealth without creating a sense of arrogance. It has order without feeling cold. When Elizabeth enters Pemberley, she does not simply enter a physical space. She enters a world that helps her understand more deeply the person she had previously judged without complete knowledge. Within the English cultural tradition, the image of a gentleman is not defined only by social position or wealth, but also by character, responsibility, and the way a person uses what they possess. Pemberley therefore becomes a symbol of harmony between external circumstances and inner virtue. This principle can also be observed in nature. A diamond does not become precious merely because its surface shines. Its beauty comes from the internal structure of its crystal. When it is properly cut, that structure allows light to pass through and reflect, revealing more clearly the beauty that already exists within. The craftsman does not create the essence of the stone. They help that essence become visible. Human beings are similar. A person’s virtues are not determined only by words or outward appearances. They are recognized through actions, through the way they treat others, and through the choices they make in particular circumstances. Darcy does not win Elizabeth’s respect by creating an attractive image of himself. He allows his actions to become the explanation. Therefore, the deepest beauty of the Pemberley scene does not lie only in the affection between two characters. It lies in the harmony between inner nature and outward expression, between essence and appearance, between truth and the ability to recognize truth. Elizabeth’s glance carries meaning because it marks a transformation in perception. It is not the world that has changed; rather, her understanding has moved closer to reality. Perhaps this is why the scene continues to resonate with many viewers. It does not only tell the story of a relationship between two people. It offers a broader reflection on beauty in life: when people learn to examine themselves, when inner qualities are revealed through actions, and when outward appearance truly reflects inner value, a deeper harmony can be recognized.
3:57

Pride and Prejudice (1995): When a Single Glance Reveals the Truth Within a Person There are moments in art that do not leave an impression because of their external grandeur, but because of the depth hidden within the simplest things. A glance. A moment of silence. A meeting without lengthy explanations. Yet within that quietness, viewers can sense an entire process of transformation in human understanding and character. The reunion scene between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy at Pemberley in the 1995 film Pride and Prejudice is such a moment. The power of this scene does not lie only in the romantic connection between the two characters. More deeply, it lies in the journey of learning to see the truth beyond first impressions. At the beginning, Elizabeth sees Darcy through an incomplete image. His reserved nature, emotional distance, and seemingly proud manner lead her to form a judgment about him. But when she enters Pemberley, small details gradually transform the way she perceives him. Elizabeth does not hear Darcy introduce himself or explain that he is a good person. He does not attempt to convince her of his virtues. Instead, his true character is revealed through more natural expressions: the respect shown by those around him, the words of his housekeeper, the way he treats others, and his calm and considerate manner when meeting Elizabeth again after her previous rejection of his proposal. What changes is not only Elizabeth’s feeling. What changes is her understanding. She realizes that she had once viewed Darcy through the lens of prejudice and incomplete judgments. She does not discover an entirely different person; rather, she sees the same person with a deeper and more accurate understanding. In literary studies, this transformation is often connected with the concept of anagnorisis: the moment when a character recognizes an important truth about another person or about themselves. However, the depth of Pride and Prejudice does not exist only in this moment of realization. Jane Austen does not merely tell a romantic story; she explores the process through which human beings refine and improve themselves. Darcy does not become admirable simply because Elizabeth changes her opinion of him. He becomes admirable because he himself has undergone a process of transformation. From a man influenced by pride and social status, he gradually learns to view others with greater humility, allowing his actions to reflect the better qualities within him. Elizabeth experiences a similar journey. Her growth is not only about recognizing her feelings for Darcy, but also about the ability to examine the limitations of her own judgments. This is what allows the work to rise above an ordinary love story. It expresses a long-standing idea in Western moral thought: human character is shaped through discipline, self-awareness, and the ability to move toward something better. The 1995 film transforms this inner journey into a highly refined cinematic language. The most remarkable aspect of the Pemberley scene is the power of silence. Around the two characters still exists a world of social opinions, formal manners, and external judgments. Yet in the moment when they stand before each other, what matters most does not come from words. It comes from their eyes. Elizabeth does not need to say that she now understands Darcy differently. Darcy does not need to announce that he has changed. Their growth is revealed through the way they exist in each other’s presence. The silence in the scene is not an empty space. It is where the deepest emotions are expressed. A feeling that has not yet been named, a transformation that has not yet been declared, can still be recognized through the smallest gestures. This is the subtle power of classical storytelling: allowing actions and forms of expression to reveal meaning by themselves. The role of Pemberley is also more significant than simply being a beautiful setting. The house is a reflection of Darcy himself. Pemberley possesses beauty without being showy. It represents wealth without creating a sense of arrogance. It has order without feeling cold. When Elizabeth enters Pemberley, she does not simply enter a physical space. She enters a world that helps her understand more deeply the person she had previously judged without complete knowledge. Within the English cultural tradition, the image of a gentleman is not defined only by social position or wealth, but also by character, responsibility, and the way a person uses what they possess. Pemberley therefore becomes a symbol of harmony between external circumstances and inner virtue. This principle can also be observed in nature. A diamond does not become precious merely because its surface shines. Its beauty comes from the internal structure of its crystal. When it is properly cut, that structure allows light to pass through and reflect, revealing more clearly the beauty that already exists within. The craftsman does not create the essence of the stone. They help that essence become visible. Human beings are similar. A person’s virtues are not determined only by words or outward appearances. They are recognized through actions, through the way they treat others, and through the choices they make in particular circumstances. Darcy does not win Elizabeth’s respect by creating an attractive image of himself. He allows his actions to become the explanation. Therefore, the deepest beauty of the Pemberley scene does not lie only in the affection between two characters. It lies in the harmony between inner nature and outward expression, between essence and appearance, between truth and the ability to recognize truth. Elizabeth’s glance carries meaning because it marks a transformation in perception. It is not the world that has changed; rather, her understanding has moved closer to reality. Perhaps this is why the scene continues to resonate with many viewers. It does not only tell the story of a relationship between two people. It offers a broader reflection on beauty in life: when people learn to examine themselves, when inner qualities are revealed through actions, and when outward appearance truly reflects inner value, a deeper harmony can be recognized.

🎼🌺Music Love♥️

16,631 views • 24 days ago

Wuthering Waves, and what's next... A visit to Kuro Games headquarters an exclusive interview with CEO Solon by YTN Team Full Video: Q: Looking back, what first motivated the team to take on such an ambitious project? A: From the very beginning, we realized something important: when a goal feels difficult but the result is exciting, people’s eyes light up. That moment tells us the challenge is worth pursuing. We genuinely enjoy tackling hard problems, because we believe meaningful achievements only come from doing things that are difficult but right. Q: Your early projects gained attention very quickly. How did that affect the team? A: When our first product launched, the response exceeded expectations. At the time, it almost made us believe we already had everything figured out. But that confidence was quickly tested. We lacked experience in long-term content planning, sustainable version updates, and large-scale operations. Many issues only became apparent after launch, forcing us to learn by solving problems in real time. Q: How did those early lessons shape Punishing: Gray Raven? A: In hindsight, many early versions of our games didn’t fully reach their potential. Those shortcomings became invaluable lessons. When developing Punishing: Gray Raven, we consciously avoided repeating those mistakes. We studied player ecosystems, observed how other successful titles operated, and anticipated feedback before it arrived. That preparation laid the groundwork for a project that has now sustained itself for nearly six years. Q: When did the concept for Wuthering Waves take shape? A: With Wuthering Waves, our goal was very clear from the start: to create something players had never experienced before. We drew inspiration from works like Death Stranding, Annihilation, and outstanding domestic animation. Themes such as resonance, abstract spaces, supernatural phenomena, and strong audiovisual expression naturally pointed us toward an open-world action game. Q: Sound and “resonance” play a major role in the worldbuilding. Why was that important? A: We wanted sound to be more than atmosphere, it needed to be a narrative force. The idea of a world-altering resonance, a low-frequency “lament” capable of reshaping reality, became the foundation of the setting. From there, the world, its conflicts, and its powers gradually took form. Kuro aims to create concepts players have never experienced before. Inspirations include: - Supernatural themes. - Strong mechanical and emotional imagery. - Music as a storytelling medium. Q: How do you ensure cohesion between story, gameplay, and world design? A: Alignment is critical. Story, environment, and gameplay must reinforce each other. That requires long-term planning, especially when multiple versions are developed in parallel. Early coordination allows level design, systems, and IP development to inspire one another, which improves both efficiency and creative momentum. The goal is to avoid disconnected content between versions and maintain narrative and gameplay cohesion. Q: What does Version 3.0 represent for Wuthering Waves? A: Version 3.0 is a major milestone. It introduces an entirely new region, new characters, upgraded combat systems, and a significantly improved open-world traversal experience. Every version aims to deliver the best experience possible while continuing to surprise players. Q: How does the team handle player feedback? A: We monitor feedback through community data, sentiment analysis, and post-version reviews. Both positive and negative responses are carefully analyzed and reflected in future updates. Continuous iteration is essential to long-term success. Q: Early story reception was mixed. How did the team respond? A: We recognized that narrative presentation needed improvement. By optimizing production pipelines and increasing investment, later versions achieved much stronger storytelling clarity and delivery. Players can now more clearly feel the depth, direction, and long-term potential of the world. Q: Kuro Games is known for polish. How central is that philosophy? A: We believe every visible part of the game must meet high internal standards, like - Visual effects - Skills - Environmental details -Music and audio design or promotional content must meet a high standard. We want players to feel the identity and power of Wuthering Waves both inside and outside the game. We know that early story reception was weaker, but significant effort has been invested in: - Clearer storytelling - Stronger presentation - More emotionally impactful performances and scenes. Q: How do community events factor into long-term development? A: Long-term IP growth depends on emotional connection. Community events, both online and offline, help us understand player expectations while strengthening that bond. It’s a two-way relationship. Q: Looking ahead, what is Kuro Games’ long-term vision? A: Our goal is to become a globally influential action-game developer. Upcoming projects (e.g., Nami, still in development) are focused on: - Delivering unique action combat experiences. - Creating something clearly distinct within the action game genre. The story of Wuthering Waves is planned years in advance, with major narrative arcs already outlined. Q: Finally, how would you describe Kuro Games’ current phase? A: From Zhuhai to Guangzhou, we’re in a strong upward phase. Our growth is driven by a commitment to meaningful, high-quality experiences. Staying true to that original intent is what will continue to guide us forward. #WutheringWaves #punishinggrayraven
2:39

Wuthering Waves, and what's next... A visit to Kuro Games headquarters an exclusive interview with CEO Solon by YTN Team Full Video: Q: Looking back, what first motivated the team to take on such an ambitious project? A: From the very beginning, we realized something important: when a goal feels difficult but the result is exciting, people’s eyes light up. That moment tells us the challenge is worth pursuing. We genuinely enjoy tackling hard problems, because we believe meaningful achievements only come from doing things that are difficult but right. Q: Your early projects gained attention very quickly. How did that affect the team? A: When our first product launched, the response exceeded expectations. At the time, it almost made us believe we already had everything figured out. But that confidence was quickly tested. We lacked experience in long-term content planning, sustainable version updates, and large-scale operations. Many issues only became apparent after launch, forcing us to learn by solving problems in real time. Q: How did those early lessons shape Punishing: Gray Raven? A: In hindsight, many early versions of our games didn’t fully reach their potential. Those shortcomings became invaluable lessons. When developing Punishing: Gray Raven, we consciously avoided repeating those mistakes. We studied player ecosystems, observed how other successful titles operated, and anticipated feedback before it arrived. That preparation laid the groundwork for a project that has now sustained itself for nearly six years. Q: When did the concept for Wuthering Waves take shape? A: With Wuthering Waves, our goal was very clear from the start: to create something players had never experienced before. We drew inspiration from works like Death Stranding, Annihilation, and outstanding domestic animation. Themes such as resonance, abstract spaces, supernatural phenomena, and strong audiovisual expression naturally pointed us toward an open-world action game. Q: Sound and “resonance” play a major role in the worldbuilding. Why was that important? A: We wanted sound to be more than atmosphere, it needed to be a narrative force. The idea of a world-altering resonance, a low-frequency “lament” capable of reshaping reality, became the foundation of the setting. From there, the world, its conflicts, and its powers gradually took form. Kuro aims to create concepts players have never experienced before. Inspirations include: - Supernatural themes. - Strong mechanical and emotional imagery. - Music as a storytelling medium. Q: How do you ensure cohesion between story, gameplay, and world design? A: Alignment is critical. Story, environment, and gameplay must reinforce each other. That requires long-term planning, especially when multiple versions are developed in parallel. Early coordination allows level design, systems, and IP development to inspire one another, which improves both efficiency and creative momentum. The goal is to avoid disconnected content between versions and maintain narrative and gameplay cohesion. Q: What does Version 3.0 represent for Wuthering Waves? A: Version 3.0 is a major milestone. It introduces an entirely new region, new characters, upgraded combat systems, and a significantly improved open-world traversal experience. Every version aims to deliver the best experience possible while continuing to surprise players. Q: How does the team handle player feedback? A: We monitor feedback through community data, sentiment analysis, and post-version reviews. Both positive and negative responses are carefully analyzed and reflected in future updates. Continuous iteration is essential to long-term success. Q: Early story reception was mixed. How did the team respond? A: We recognized that narrative presentation needed improvement. By optimizing production pipelines and increasing investment, later versions achieved much stronger storytelling clarity and delivery. Players can now more clearly feel the depth, direction, and long-term potential of the world. Q: Kuro Games is known for polish. How central is that philosophy? A: We believe every visible part of the game must meet high internal standards, like - Visual effects - Skills - Environmental details -Music and audio design or promotional content must meet a high standard. We want players to feel the identity and power of Wuthering Waves both inside and outside the game. We know that early story reception was weaker, but significant effort has been invested in: - Clearer storytelling - Stronger presentation - More emotionally impactful performances and scenes. Q: How do community events factor into long-term development? A: Long-term IP growth depends on emotional connection. Community events, both online and offline, help us understand player expectations while strengthening that bond. It’s a two-way relationship. Q: Looking ahead, what is Kuro Games’ long-term vision? A: Our goal is to become a globally influential action-game developer. Upcoming projects (e.g., Nami, still in development) are focused on: - Delivering unique action combat experiences. - Creating something clearly distinct within the action game genre. The story of Wuthering Waves is planned years in advance, with major narrative arcs already outlined. Q: Finally, how would you describe Kuro Games’ current phase? A: From Zhuhai to Guangzhou, we’re in a strong upward phase. Our growth is driven by a commitment to meaningful, high-quality experiences. Staying true to that original intent is what will continue to guide us forward. #WutheringWaves #punishinggrayraven

Naru

72,974 views • 7 months ago

Very powerful testimony by dr. Sabine Hazan "Thank you, senator. It's an honor to be here. The microbiome, our microbes in our guts, is our immunity and tells the story and will tell the story of COVID nineteen. And this is why as a gastroenterologist, I stepped into the pandemic. Through my experience, I will show you how difficult it was to conduct research and publish when the research goes against the national public health narrative." "Interference and delay in research happened and affects all of us. In early twenty twenty, my research genetic sequencing laboratory was the first lab to document the entire sequence of the virus in the stools as opposed to the PCR which is just a little piece of the virus." "We discovered that the virus lingered in the stools for up to forty five days. It took six months to publish this publication at a time where everybody needed to know that it was in your stools. My lab also showed that COVID nineteen in the stools was killed by hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin." "But unfortunately, azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine killed the microbiome. So therefore, vitamin c, d, and zinc was added. Three protocols were submitted to the FDA from our findings. Three studies were also put into in full transparencies to help doctors more effectively treat COVID because I knew data that nobody knew. 04/02/2020, FDA gave us an exempt letter for doing a clinical trial." "In other words, we did not need to do a clinical trial on hydroxychloroquine, z pack, vitamin c, d, and zinc as treatment or hydroxychloroquine, vitamin c, d, and zinc as prophylaxis. April 4, somebody must have called the FDA and said, I got another letter saying, I'm sorry, doctor Hazan. Exemption is denied. You must do a full on clinical trial. Here's the letter." "System pressures delayed us, and we got a green light to start recruiting by May 2020. By then, the media created fear around hydroxychloroquine. It was impossible to recruit. This drug was safely given for years for arthritis and lupus with no problems. My clinical trials companies were also banned and censored from advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter." "Remember, I do clinical trials for a living and never as a clinical trial doctor have I not been able to advertise to recruit for a trial on social media. I kept collecting stools of patients and noticed that patients with severe COVID had a certain bacteria that was missing compared to people that were highly exposed to COVID but never got COVID. That bacteria is called bifidobacteria. Bifidobacteria is an important and key microbe for immunity. It represents your trillion dollar industry of probiotics." "In fact, when you turn the bottle and you see the ingredient, it says bifidobacteria. It is present in newborns. This is why your newborns did not get a problem from COVID at the beginning, and it is absent in old people. The process of aging is loss of bifidobacteria. We published this paper, the lost microbes of COVID nineteen." "It took eight months to publish. If you follow the bifidobacteria like I did, you will notice, and we did notice anyways, that vitamin c actually increases bifidobacteria. This is why vitamin c is important when you take when you take care of viruses and, you know, you've all experienced taking vitamin c for a cold." "Well, we published this data where we showed vitamin c, if we give it to patients before and after, it increased the bifidobacteria. Ivermectin was also an interesting drug because Ivermectin, we noticed, also increased the bifidobacteria within twenty four hours of taking it." "Why Ivermectin? If you look at what Ivermectin is, it is a fermented product of a bacteria that is similar to bifidobacteria. In fact, they're in the same continent of microbes. They live. They're like sisters, brothers in the microbiome." "So I published. I knew that ivermectin increased bifidobacteria, but I said, nah. I can't go out there and start publishing that. That's gonna be too controversial. So I published a hypothesis that maybe what I was observing on the frontline treating patients with COVID, noticing that their oxygen saturation was increasing from ivermectin, was basically maybe ivermectin increased bifidobacteria." "The hypothesis on ivermectin was the most read hypothesis in the pandemic and was retracted after eight months of being on. When we cannot make a hypothesis, this is not science. December twenty twenty, at the same time that I was treating patients with COVID, I began collecting stools of my colleagues that were at home and started going into the hospital. And I said, can I get your stools before and after you get vaccinated? Because to me, this new technology of vaccines, I wanted to see what it was doing on the microbiome." "I discovered that messenger RNA vaccines killed the bifidobacteria. I knew I would never be able to publish this because it goes against the narrative. So I submitted it to my college, the American College of Gastroenterology, and presented it in October 2022. This abstract won a research award at the American College of Gastro beating 6,000 abstracts. That's from academic centers like Harvard and Mayo Clinic and MD Anderson." "This abstract got the attention of 18,000 GI doctors who all of a sudden started realizing maybe killing bifidobacteria is why I got COVID after my vaccine to begin with. Worse than that, and another abstract we presented, was the persistent damage of bifidobacteria from the vaccine." "What is going on here that the vaccine continues to kill the bifidobacteria? At the same time, we presented a link between loss of bifidobacteria and Crohn's disease, loss of bifidobacteria in Lyme disease, and loss of bifidobacteria in invasive cancer. It is nearly impossible to publish data that goes against the national public health narrative." "If doctors cannot publish the data, they cannot find solution to fix the problems. So in conclusion, I will finish with showing this. This represents clinical trials that I've done for pharmaceutical companies prior to COVID. Amongst them are vaccine studies. Yes." "I brought vaccines to the market. Proton pump inhibitors, cardiac drugs, biologics for all sorts of conditions. First, postpartum depression drug, drugs that never made it to the market because they killed people. Clinical trials doctors follow guidelines that allows the industry to provide safe drugs. These guidelines were not followed during the pandemic." "And because of that, everyone is affected. COVID should have been a time where humanity joined forces together and doctors needed to come together. It's a shame that it didn't happen. Interference with research affects all of us. This should not be political." "Science is a story that evolves. It's a multitude of experiments that allow us to see medicine, to give hopes to patients. Skepticism, challenging the current state of knowledge. Having an open mind must be allowed if we have any hope of moving science forward. What I saw this pandemic was not science. Thank you."
8:56

Very powerful testimony by dr. Sabine Hazan "Thank you, senator. It's an honor to be here. The microbiome, our microbes in our guts, is our immunity and tells the story and will tell the story of COVID nineteen. And this is why as a gastroenterologist, I stepped into the pandemic. Through my experience, I will show you how difficult it was to conduct research and publish when the research goes against the national public health narrative." "Interference and delay in research happened and affects all of us. In early twenty twenty, my research genetic sequencing laboratory was the first lab to document the entire sequence of the virus in the stools as opposed to the PCR which is just a little piece of the virus." "We discovered that the virus lingered in the stools for up to forty five days. It took six months to publish this publication at a time where everybody needed to know that it was in your stools. My lab also showed that COVID nineteen in the stools was killed by hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin." "But unfortunately, azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine killed the microbiome. So therefore, vitamin c, d, and zinc was added. Three protocols were submitted to the FDA from our findings. Three studies were also put into in full transparencies to help doctors more effectively treat COVID because I knew data that nobody knew. 04/02/2020, FDA gave us an exempt letter for doing a clinical trial." "In other words, we did not need to do a clinical trial on hydroxychloroquine, z pack, vitamin c, d, and zinc as treatment or hydroxychloroquine, vitamin c, d, and zinc as prophylaxis. April 4, somebody must have called the FDA and said, I got another letter saying, I'm sorry, doctor Hazan. Exemption is denied. You must do a full on clinical trial. Here's the letter." "System pressures delayed us, and we got a green light to start recruiting by May 2020. By then, the media created fear around hydroxychloroquine. It was impossible to recruit. This drug was safely given for years for arthritis and lupus with no problems. My clinical trials companies were also banned and censored from advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter." "Remember, I do clinical trials for a living and never as a clinical trial doctor have I not been able to advertise to recruit for a trial on social media. I kept collecting stools of patients and noticed that patients with severe COVID had a certain bacteria that was missing compared to people that were highly exposed to COVID but never got COVID. That bacteria is called bifidobacteria. Bifidobacteria is an important and key microbe for immunity. It represents your trillion dollar industry of probiotics." "In fact, when you turn the bottle and you see the ingredient, it says bifidobacteria. It is present in newborns. This is why your newborns did not get a problem from COVID at the beginning, and it is absent in old people. The process of aging is loss of bifidobacteria. We published this paper, the lost microbes of COVID nineteen." "It took eight months to publish. If you follow the bifidobacteria like I did, you will notice, and we did notice anyways, that vitamin c actually increases bifidobacteria. This is why vitamin c is important when you take when you take care of viruses and, you know, you've all experienced taking vitamin c for a cold." "Well, we published this data where we showed vitamin c, if we give it to patients before and after, it increased the bifidobacteria. Ivermectin was also an interesting drug because Ivermectin, we noticed, also increased the bifidobacteria within twenty four hours of taking it." "Why Ivermectin? If you look at what Ivermectin is, it is a fermented product of a bacteria that is similar to bifidobacteria. In fact, they're in the same continent of microbes. They live. They're like sisters, brothers in the microbiome." "So I published. I knew that ivermectin increased bifidobacteria, but I said, nah. I can't go out there and start publishing that. That's gonna be too controversial. So I published a hypothesis that maybe what I was observing on the frontline treating patients with COVID, noticing that their oxygen saturation was increasing from ivermectin, was basically maybe ivermectin increased bifidobacteria." "The hypothesis on ivermectin was the most read hypothesis in the pandemic and was retracted after eight months of being on. When we cannot make a hypothesis, this is not science. December twenty twenty, at the same time that I was treating patients with COVID, I began collecting stools of my colleagues that were at home and started going into the hospital. And I said, can I get your stools before and after you get vaccinated? Because to me, this new technology of vaccines, I wanted to see what it was doing on the microbiome." "I discovered that messenger RNA vaccines killed the bifidobacteria. I knew I would never be able to publish this because it goes against the narrative. So I submitted it to my college, the American College of Gastroenterology, and presented it in October 2022. This abstract won a research award at the American College of Gastro beating 6,000 abstracts. That's from academic centers like Harvard and Mayo Clinic and MD Anderson." "This abstract got the attention of 18,000 GI doctors who all of a sudden started realizing maybe killing bifidobacteria is why I got COVID after my vaccine to begin with. Worse than that, and another abstract we presented, was the persistent damage of bifidobacteria from the vaccine." "What is going on here that the vaccine continues to kill the bifidobacteria? At the same time, we presented a link between loss of bifidobacteria and Crohn's disease, loss of bifidobacteria in Lyme disease, and loss of bifidobacteria in invasive cancer. It is nearly impossible to publish data that goes against the national public health narrative." "If doctors cannot publish the data, they cannot find solution to fix the problems. So in conclusion, I will finish with showing this. This represents clinical trials that I've done for pharmaceutical companies prior to COVID. Amongst them are vaccine studies. Yes." "I brought vaccines to the market. Proton pump inhibitors, cardiac drugs, biologics for all sorts of conditions. First, postpartum depression drug, drugs that never made it to the market because they killed people. Clinical trials doctors follow guidelines that allows the industry to provide safe drugs. These guidelines were not followed during the pandemic." "And because of that, everyone is affected. COVID should have been a time where humanity joined forces together and doctors needed to come together. It's a shame that it didn't happen. Interference with research affects all of us. This should not be political." "Science is a story that evolves. It's a multitude of experiments that allow us to see medicine, to give hopes to patients. Skepticism, challenging the current state of knowledge. Having an open mind must be allowed if we have any hope of moving science forward. What I saw this pandemic was not science. Thank you."

Camus

127,765 views • 1 year ago

I once thought of Jingdezhen (景德镇) merely as an historic porcelain-producing town, quietly tucked away in the margins of history books. To my surprise, it's not only alive but also thriving with modern flair: A friend of mine recently returned from Jingdezhen, brimming with stories-about a little duck made of broken shards, lovingly restored porcelain factories now taken over by young artists from around the world, and some sixty thousand hand-painting workshops. Listening to these tales, I couldn't help but feel: this city is so worth writing about, even though I've rarely delved into ceramics and seldom write about places I haven't yet seen for myself. Before it became the renowned "Porcelain Capital," Jingdezhen was not particularly noteworthy. Prior to the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), the region remained rather obscure, as the most advanced ceramic workshops were concentrated in China's central plains. That changed dramatically in 1127, when the Northern Song fell to the Jurchens from the north. Waves of skilled artisans migrated southward, bringing Jingdezhen an unprecedented historical opportunity. By the Southern Song (1127–1279), the town was already producing porcelain for the imperial court, and large quantities of its wares have been found in shipwrecks in the South China Sea from this era. Under Mongol rule (1279–1368), mature blue-and-white porcelain (青花瓷) was born here. Beyond breakthroughs in painting techniques, Jingdezhen's abundant kaolin clay resources allowed artisans to create larger, thinner porcelain bodies-a true leap in craftsmanship. From then on, Jingdezhen established itself as the very heart of Chinese porcelain. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial court even established official kilns in Jingdezhen dedicated to producing porcelain exclusively for royal use. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, several large porcelain factories were set up here. Astonishingly, half a century ago, one-third of China's foreign exchange earnings came from Jingdezhen porcelain. That number alone shocked me, but what I learned next surprised me even more. In my mind, an industrial city like Jingdezhen would be turning out ceramics that were rigid in design, lacking creativity, and largely mass-produced with printed patterns rather than hand-painted ones-something without sufficient artistic value. But my colleague told me otherwise: today Jingdezhen has more than 60,000 workshops, and over 90 percent of porcelain designs are still hand-painted: Machines may guarantee standardized mass production, but Jingdezhen's true strength lies in its culture of handcrafted customization. While many former industrial hubs shifted entirely toward the service sector in the post-industrial era, Jingdezhen has remained firmly rooted in porcelain. Last year alone, the city's ceramic industry reached an output value of over 93 billion yuan, exporting to more than 80 countries and regions. Even more impressive, the city has embraced bold innovations-reimagining what porcelain can be in the 21st century. Let's take a look at a few examples. Top left: You might not expect it, but ceramic materials can be transformed into musical instruments-flutes, chimes, even stringed instruments. And not just for show-they can really play. Hit play and listen for yourself. Can you believe this sound comes from clay? Top right: Shown here are the work of a Jingdezhen artist's daughter, who returned after studying in the UK: a ceramic speaker and a beautifully engineered teacup. Ingeniously designed with clever mechanics, this teacup will not topple no matter which angle the tea is poured from. With its simple form and distinctive texture, it carries both an Oriental heritage and a modern sensibility. She shared that her daily work involves constantly negotiating the space between tradition and innovation-often engaging in passionate, sometimes stubborn, debates with elder craftsmen. But she said it's exactly in those moments of tension that the most unexpected ideas are born. At one point, Jingdezhen stood in the brink of becoming China's Detroit. Once a glorious industrial powerhouse, prosperous for centuries longer than Detroit ever was, the city began to decline in the late 1990s. Large state-owned porcelain factories shut down one after another, tens of thousands of workers were laid off, and aging dormitories fell into disrepair, some crumbling into near slums. Meanwhile, Western ceramics companies, armed with more advanced industrial techniques, took over the mass-production market, and Jingdezhen's traditional advantages steadily eroded. As the city declined, a question loomed: What should be done with the husks of its abandoned factories? Some pushed to level them for new real estate projects, while others argued for preserving the industrial heritage. In the end, the preservationists won. Many of the old facilities were restored, repurposed, and left largely intact: transformed into artists' studios, small shops, and homes for young craftspeople. The porcelain fires no longer burn only in the kilns. They now fuel the city's way of life. It is precisely this unique blend of cultural atmosphere and youthful vitality that has brought Jingdezhen back to life. Over the past decade, the city has welcomed a net population inflow of 136,000 people, more than 80 percent of them young. In their twenties and thirties, ceramic artists have set up studios in alleys and courtyards, while young visitors wander through the streets, making it feel as though every lane holds a hidden story. What's equally surprising is that Jingdezhen's charm has crossed borders. Today, a growing number of young people from the United States, Japan, France, Turkey, and beyond have chosen to live here long-term, immersing themselves in the art of ceramics. They call this ancient-yet-youthful city "China within China." At the lower left and lower right are the Imperial Kiln Museum (yes, its architecture itself resembles a kiln) and its most popular artifact. Surprisingly, this piece is actually a "reject." Made in the mid-Ming dynasty for the emperor, it is a porcelain incense burner in the form of a duck. To date, the Palace Museum in Beijing has not discovered another example like it. As for its status as a flawed piece, there are a few theories: one suggests that the designer originally intended for smoke to spout from the duck's beak, but the effect proved unsatisfactory, and the craftsmen abandoned what was, perhaps, a rather avant-garde idea; another possibility is that a more perfect version was eventually produced, but those pieces did not survive through history. In Jingdezhen, porcelain rejects from the imperial kilns of the Ming and Qing dynasties were always smashed and discarded. Over time, they formed a mountain of shards. Archaeological work on this "porcelain mountain" continues to this day, with archaeologists patiently piecing fragments back together, like working with Lego bricks. The colleague told me that among this mountain, they even found some flawless porcelain pieces. When I asked why such perfect works would also be smashed, he explained one theory: certain pieces were so difficult to fire that, had the emperor seen them, he might have happily ordered, "Make ten more!" To spare themselves endless trouble, the craftsmen may have deliberately destroyed them, pretending nothing had ever succeeded in the first place. After the duck-shaped incense burner was pieced back together and put on display, its charming form earned it the nickname Suisuiya (碎碎鸭/Broken Duck) from Chinese netizens. Quite unexpectedly, it became something of a cultural phenomenon: quirky, creative, once a "failure," now rediscovered. Many young people see themselves in "Broken Duck": imperfect, but interesting; not yet celebrated, yet deserving to be seen. Artists, too, have embraced its odd yet endearing beauty, creating popular cartoon characters. Since the beginning of this year, merchandise and spin-off IP related to the Broken Duck have already generated more than 10 million RMB in revenue. In September, Khaby Lame, the most-followed creator on TikTok, visited the Imperial Kiln Museum and posed with the duck, pulling his signature expression (Though I must admit, I still don't quite get Lame's appeal…The duck, on the other hand, I find utterly delightful). Across China, Jingdezhen has emerged as a new model for urban renewal: one that does not blindly chase GDP growth or uncritical modernization, but instead draws from its own cultural roots to find common ground between tradition and the future. Sometimes, the hope of a city is hidden in the secret of a "Broken Duck." Not because it is flawless, but because it was once overlooked, and then reappreciated. Like Jingdezhen itself, true revival is not about rebuilding, but about learning to understand who you are, and learning to see it with new eyes.
0:46

I once thought of Jingdezhen (景德镇) merely as an historic porcelain-producing town, quietly tucked away in the margins of history books. To my surprise, it's not only alive but also thriving with modern flair: A friend of mine recently returned from Jingdezhen, brimming with stories-about a little duck made of broken shards, lovingly restored porcelain factories now taken over by young artists from around the world, and some sixty thousand hand-painting workshops. Listening to these tales, I couldn't help but feel: this city is so worth writing about, even though I've rarely delved into ceramics and seldom write about places I haven't yet seen for myself. Before it became the renowned "Porcelain Capital," Jingdezhen was not particularly noteworthy. Prior to the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), the region remained rather obscure, as the most advanced ceramic workshops were concentrated in China's central plains. That changed dramatically in 1127, when the Northern Song fell to the Jurchens from the north. Waves of skilled artisans migrated southward, bringing Jingdezhen an unprecedented historical opportunity. By the Southern Song (1127–1279), the town was already producing porcelain for the imperial court, and large quantities of its wares have been found in shipwrecks in the South China Sea from this era. Under Mongol rule (1279–1368), mature blue-and-white porcelain (青花瓷) was born here. Beyond breakthroughs in painting techniques, Jingdezhen's abundant kaolin clay resources allowed artisans to create larger, thinner porcelain bodies-a true leap in craftsmanship. From then on, Jingdezhen established itself as the very heart of Chinese porcelain. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial court even established official kilns in Jingdezhen dedicated to producing porcelain exclusively for royal use. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, several large porcelain factories were set up here. Astonishingly, half a century ago, one-third of China's foreign exchange earnings came from Jingdezhen porcelain. That number alone shocked me, but what I learned next surprised me even more. In my mind, an industrial city like Jingdezhen would be turning out ceramics that were rigid in design, lacking creativity, and largely mass-produced with printed patterns rather than hand-painted ones-something without sufficient artistic value. But my colleague told me otherwise: today Jingdezhen has more than 60,000 workshops, and over 90 percent of porcelain designs are still hand-painted: Machines may guarantee standardized mass production, but Jingdezhen's true strength lies in its culture of handcrafted customization. While many former industrial hubs shifted entirely toward the service sector in the post-industrial era, Jingdezhen has remained firmly rooted in porcelain. Last year alone, the city's ceramic industry reached an output value of over 93 billion yuan, exporting to more than 80 countries and regions. Even more impressive, the city has embraced bold innovations-reimagining what porcelain can be in the 21st century. Let's take a look at a few examples. Top left: You might not expect it, but ceramic materials can be transformed into musical instruments-flutes, chimes, even stringed instruments. And not just for show-they can really play. Hit play and listen for yourself. Can you believe this sound comes from clay? Top right: Shown here are the work of a Jingdezhen artist's daughter, who returned after studying in the UK: a ceramic speaker and a beautifully engineered teacup. Ingeniously designed with clever mechanics, this teacup will not topple no matter which angle the tea is poured from. With its simple form and distinctive texture, it carries both an Oriental heritage and a modern sensibility. She shared that her daily work involves constantly negotiating the space between tradition and innovation-often engaging in passionate, sometimes stubborn, debates with elder craftsmen. But she said it's exactly in those moments of tension that the most unexpected ideas are born. At one point, Jingdezhen stood in the brink of becoming China's Detroit. Once a glorious industrial powerhouse, prosperous for centuries longer than Detroit ever was, the city began to decline in the late 1990s. Large state-owned porcelain factories shut down one after another, tens of thousands of workers were laid off, and aging dormitories fell into disrepair, some crumbling into near slums. Meanwhile, Western ceramics companies, armed with more advanced industrial techniques, took over the mass-production market, and Jingdezhen's traditional advantages steadily eroded. As the city declined, a question loomed: What should be done with the husks of its abandoned factories? Some pushed to level them for new real estate projects, while others argued for preserving the industrial heritage. In the end, the preservationists won. Many of the old facilities were restored, repurposed, and left largely intact: transformed into artists' studios, small shops, and homes for young craftspeople. The porcelain fires no longer burn only in the kilns. They now fuel the city's way of life. It is precisely this unique blend of cultural atmosphere and youthful vitality that has brought Jingdezhen back to life. Over the past decade, the city has welcomed a net population inflow of 136,000 people, more than 80 percent of them young. In their twenties and thirties, ceramic artists have set up studios in alleys and courtyards, while young visitors wander through the streets, making it feel as though every lane holds a hidden story. What's equally surprising is that Jingdezhen's charm has crossed borders. Today, a growing number of young people from the United States, Japan, France, Turkey, and beyond have chosen to live here long-term, immersing themselves in the art of ceramics. They call this ancient-yet-youthful city "China within China." At the lower left and lower right are the Imperial Kiln Museum (yes, its architecture itself resembles a kiln) and its most popular artifact. Surprisingly, this piece is actually a "reject." Made in the mid-Ming dynasty for the emperor, it is a porcelain incense burner in the form of a duck. To date, the Palace Museum in Beijing has not discovered another example like it. As for its status as a flawed piece, there are a few theories: one suggests that the designer originally intended for smoke to spout from the duck's beak, but the effect proved unsatisfactory, and the craftsmen abandoned what was, perhaps, a rather avant-garde idea; another possibility is that a more perfect version was eventually produced, but those pieces did not survive through history. In Jingdezhen, porcelain rejects from the imperial kilns of the Ming and Qing dynasties were always smashed and discarded. Over time, they formed a mountain of shards. Archaeological work on this "porcelain mountain" continues to this day, with archaeologists patiently piecing fragments back together, like working with Lego bricks. The colleague told me that among this mountain, they even found some flawless porcelain pieces. When I asked why such perfect works would also be smashed, he explained one theory: certain pieces were so difficult to fire that, had the emperor seen them, he might have happily ordered, "Make ten more!" To spare themselves endless trouble, the craftsmen may have deliberately destroyed them, pretending nothing had ever succeeded in the first place. After the duck-shaped incense burner was pieced back together and put on display, its charming form earned it the nickname Suisuiya (碎碎鸭/Broken Duck) from Chinese netizens. Quite unexpectedly, it became something of a cultural phenomenon: quirky, creative, once a "failure," now rediscovered. Many young people see themselves in "Broken Duck": imperfect, but interesting; not yet celebrated, yet deserving to be seen. Artists, too, have embraced its odd yet endearing beauty, creating popular cartoon characters. Since the beginning of this year, merchandise and spin-off IP related to the Broken Duck have already generated more than 10 million RMB in revenue. In September, Khaby Lame, the most-followed creator on TikTok, visited the Imperial Kiln Museum and posed with the duck, pulling his signature expression (Though I must admit, I still don't quite get Lame's appeal…The duck, on the other hand, I find utterly delightful). Across China, Jingdezhen has emerged as a new model for urban renewal: one that does not blindly chase GDP growth or uncritical modernization, but instead draws from its own cultural roots to find common ground between tradition and the future. Sometimes, the hope of a city is hidden in the secret of a "Broken Duck." Not because it is flawless, but because it was once overlooked, and then reappreciated. Like Jingdezhen itself, true revival is not about rebuilding, but about learning to understand who you are, and learning to see it with new eyes.

Zhai Xiang

27,928 views • 10 months ago

As promised, we gathered heroes who dare to defy the world's worst dictatorships. My opening remarks: “Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the 17th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. My name is Hillel Neuer, and I am the Executive Director of United Nations Watch, one of 25 human rights NGOs co-sponsoring this important assembly. Next week, the United Nations will open the 2025 Session of the Human Rights Council. We hold this Geneva Summit one week in advance of the UN session, in order to turn a spotlight on urgent situations that require the attention of the Council -- and of the world. That is why courageous human rights voices have gathered here today from the four corners of the earth. To bear witness before the world of the tyranny and oppression they confront. To sound the alarm. To call for action. You know, when most people hear the words, “UN Human Rights Council,” they imagine men with long white beards, dressed in long white robes, making their decisions based on facts, logic, and morality. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Sitting around the table, at the UNHRC across the street, are not Aristotle, Socrates and Plato, but rather many of world’s worst violators of human rights. They use their membership as a false badge of international legitimacy, to gain impunity for their records of abuse. Aristotle, Socrates, Plato? No. The members include repressive regimes like China, Cuba, Qatar, Sudan, Vietnam, and others. That’s right: China’s Communist regime is a member of the Human Rights Council. They are oppressing 1.5 billion people, yet have never even once been criticized by any council resolution, inquiry, or special session. On the contrary, they will be sitting next week as judges. So we decided, that right across the street from the Council, the world needs to know the truth about China. • So we invited Times Wang. His father Wang Bingzhang is the father of the Chinese pro-democracy movement. They kidnapped him in June 2022, and he’s been languishing in prison for over two decades. • The world needs to know what they’re doing to the Uighurs. Rounding them up in camps. Attempting to eradicate their entire culture. So we invited Rahima Mahmut, a Uyghur human rights activist, translator, and singer. • The world needs to know what China is doing to the peple of Tibet. Also trying to destroy their culture. So we have with us Namkyi. For protesting China’s oppression at age 15, they threw her in prison -- for three years. She managed to escape to India, by walking ten days non-stop. Amazing to have her with us. • And the world needs to know what they’re doing to Hong Kong. Once a great island of freedom in Asia, its democracy has been strangled by Beijing. So we invited Sebastien Lai – to telll us about his father, Jimmy Lai, publisher of a pro-democracy newspaper. A very successful man, Jimmy Lai could have escaped. But he chose not to abandon ship. They threw him in prison. He is 77 years old. Another one sitting as a judge next week on the UNHRC is the police state of Cuba. The world needs to know what the Havana dictatorship is doing to its people. So we invited Osiris Puerto Terry. He took part in the historic pro-democracy protests of July 2021. They shot him multiple times. He’s very brave to fly here to testify, and then to be going back to Cuba. Sudan sits on the Human Rights Council. The world needs to know about the war that has just killed 150,000 people. 11 million people forced from their home. So we invited Niemat Ahmadi, a women’s rights defender from Sudan, a survivor of the Darfur Genocide. Vietnam sits on the UNHRC. A one-party Communist regime, the world needs to know how they silence all dissent including social media. So we invited Van Trang Nguyen,who has been targted by the regime for his pro-democracy activism. Qatar sits on the council. Here in Geneva, they throw around money to all the international agencies, whose directors love to meet with them. Yet Qatar supports terrorists and misogynistic regimes, like the Taliban in Afghanistan. At the UN, some want to normalize and recognize the Taliban. Listen to the UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed: “I hope there is a day that we do recognize this government.” So we have invited Dr. Massouda Jalal, the pediatrician who served as Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs, and her daughter Husna Jalal, both of them now exiled, to tell the world about how women are treated under the Taliban. For their courage and leadership, this mother-daughter team will receive our Women’s Rights Award. Eritrea just completed six years on the Council. They also sit on the UN committee that oversees NGOs. The world needs to know about the dictator, the country’s first and only president since 1993. So we invited Betlehem Isaak, to tell us about her father, Dawit Isaak, the world's longest-detained journalist, who was taken away in 2001 for supporting democratic reform. A little over a year ago, the Chair of the UNHRC Social Forum was… the Islamic Republic of Iran. The world needs to know who this regime is. So we are greatly honored to have Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, a renowned opposition leader, to deliver the Keynote Address. And with the help of our long-time partner Nazanin Afshin-Jam, we will hold a panel of survivors. We’ll hear from Mahan Mehrabi. Her brother Mahmoud was arrested for taking part in the Woman-Life-Freedom protests. In May, he was sentenced to death – for the crime of criticzing the government on social media. Abolfazl Amir-Ataei was killed at age 16 while protesting. His mother Maryam Diyor is here to tell her son’s story. We’ll hear from Saman Pouryaghma. For protesting, they shot him in the eye. You should know: for daring to come here, these witnesses have been threatened and attacked. The dissidents featured here today are exceptional men and women. At great risk to themselves, and to their families, they have chosen to take on the worst abusers, to dedicate their lives for the principles of freedom, democracy, and human rights – the principles that we here in the West all hold dear. They are fighting around the globe for our principles. We need to stand with them. One of these individuals is Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition leader, author, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, historian, and documentary filmmaker. Because he spoke out against Putin, they tried to kill him by poisoning in 2015, and again in 2017. He barely survived. In April 2022, after he spoke out against Putin, they took him away, sentenced him to 25 years in prison. He was languishing in a Siberian gulag, in solitary confinement, his health deterioraring. His wife Evgenia went around the world, fighting tirelessly for his release. We hosted her several times, here at the Geneva Summit, and across the street in the UN. By a miracle, in August, Vladimir was released -- and we are going to see them reunited soon on stage. In Venezuela, Maduro destroyed the country, causing 7 million to flee. With the support of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Edmundo González decided to run for President, in the July election. The world knows he won. The regime has now kidnapped his son-in-law. Now in exile, he continues to speak out. We’re so honored he will be here to receive this year’s Courage Award. To help us make sense of all this, there could be no better person to deliver our Opening Address than Garry Kasparov. Widely considered history’s greatest chess player, for the past two decadeds he has devoted his life to defending human rights and democracy, writing books and op-eds. As Vice-President of the World Liberty Congress, Garry plays a vital role in the struggle for which we are gathered today. Ladies and gentlemen, the moral force in this room is astonishing. This is a gathering of those who stand as living proof that even the most brutal regimes cannot crush the human spirit. Tyranny thrives on silence. But today, in this room, there is no silence—only truth, courage, and defiance. Let this gathering be a message to the world’s oppressors: We see you. We will not look away. And we will not stop until justice prevails.” Full Video of 2025 Geneva Summit: Clips: The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy Speakers & Partners: Vladimir Kara-Murza Evgenia Kara-Murza #FreeJimmyLai Betlehem Isaak Garry Kasparov Rahima Mahmut Dr Massouda Jalal Times Wang Husna Jalal María Corina Machado Edmundo González Antonio Ledezma Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights Javier El-Hage Human Rights Foundation (HRF) McCain Institute Liberal International Renew Democracy Initiative Vente Venezuela
11:42

As promised, we gathered heroes who dare to defy the world's worst dictatorships. My opening remarks: “Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the 17th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. My name is Hillel Neuer, and I am the Executive Director of United Nations Watch, one of 25 human rights NGOs co-sponsoring this important assembly. Next week, the United Nations will open the 2025 Session of the Human Rights Council. We hold this Geneva Summit one week in advance of the UN session, in order to turn a spotlight on urgent situations that require the attention of the Council -- and of the world. That is why courageous human rights voices have gathered here today from the four corners of the earth. To bear witness before the world of the tyranny and oppression they confront. To sound the alarm. To call for action. You know, when most people hear the words, “UN Human Rights Council,” they imagine men with long white beards, dressed in long white robes, making their decisions based on facts, logic, and morality. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Sitting around the table, at the UNHRC across the street, are not Aristotle, Socrates and Plato, but rather many of world’s worst violators of human rights. They use their membership as a false badge of international legitimacy, to gain impunity for their records of abuse. Aristotle, Socrates, Plato? No. The members include repressive regimes like China, Cuba, Qatar, Sudan, Vietnam, and others. That’s right: China’s Communist regime is a member of the Human Rights Council. They are oppressing 1.5 billion people, yet have never even once been criticized by any council resolution, inquiry, or special session. On the contrary, they will be sitting next week as judges. So we decided, that right across the street from the Council, the world needs to know the truth about China. • So we invited Times Wang. His father Wang Bingzhang is the father of the Chinese pro-democracy movement. They kidnapped him in June 2022, and he’s been languishing in prison for over two decades. • The world needs to know what they’re doing to the Uighurs. Rounding them up in camps. Attempting to eradicate their entire culture. So we invited Rahima Mahmut, a Uyghur human rights activist, translator, and singer. • The world needs to know what China is doing to the peple of Tibet. Also trying to destroy their culture. So we have with us Namkyi. For protesting China’s oppression at age 15, they threw her in prison -- for three years. She managed to escape to India, by walking ten days non-stop. Amazing to have her with us. • And the world needs to know what they’re doing to Hong Kong. Once a great island of freedom in Asia, its democracy has been strangled by Beijing. So we invited Sebastien Lai – to telll us about his father, Jimmy Lai, publisher of a pro-democracy newspaper. A very successful man, Jimmy Lai could have escaped. But he chose not to abandon ship. They threw him in prison. He is 77 years old. Another one sitting as a judge next week on the UNHRC is the police state of Cuba. The world needs to know what the Havana dictatorship is doing to its people. So we invited Osiris Puerto Terry. He took part in the historic pro-democracy protests of July 2021. They shot him multiple times. He’s very brave to fly here to testify, and then to be going back to Cuba. Sudan sits on the Human Rights Council. The world needs to know about the war that has just killed 150,000 people. 11 million people forced from their home. So we invited Niemat Ahmadi, a women’s rights defender from Sudan, a survivor of the Darfur Genocide. Vietnam sits on the UNHRC. A one-party Communist regime, the world needs to know how they silence all dissent including social media. So we invited Van Trang Nguyen,who has been targted by the regime for his pro-democracy activism. Qatar sits on the council. Here in Geneva, they throw around money to all the international agencies, whose directors love to meet with them. Yet Qatar supports terrorists and misogynistic regimes, like the Taliban in Afghanistan. At the UN, some want to normalize and recognize the Taliban. Listen to the UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed: “I hope there is a day that we do recognize this government.” So we have invited Dr. Massouda Jalal, the pediatrician who served as Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs, and her daughter Husna Jalal, both of them now exiled, to tell the world about how women are treated under the Taliban. For their courage and leadership, this mother-daughter team will receive our Women’s Rights Award. Eritrea just completed six years on the Council. They also sit on the UN committee that oversees NGOs. The world needs to know about the dictator, the country’s first and only president since 1993. So we invited Betlehem Isaak, to tell us about her father, Dawit Isaak, the world's longest-detained journalist, who was taken away in 2001 for supporting democratic reform. A little over a year ago, the Chair of the UNHRC Social Forum was… the Islamic Republic of Iran. The world needs to know who this regime is. So we are greatly honored to have Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, a renowned opposition leader, to deliver the Keynote Address. And with the help of our long-time partner Nazanin Afshin-Jam, we will hold a panel of survivors. We’ll hear from Mahan Mehrabi. Her brother Mahmoud was arrested for taking part in the Woman-Life-Freedom protests. In May, he was sentenced to death – for the crime of criticzing the government on social media. Abolfazl Amir-Ataei was killed at age 16 while protesting. His mother Maryam Diyor is here to tell her son’s story. We’ll hear from Saman Pouryaghma. For protesting, they shot him in the eye. You should know: for daring to come here, these witnesses have been threatened and attacked. The dissidents featured here today are exceptional men and women. At great risk to themselves, and to their families, they have chosen to take on the worst abusers, to dedicate their lives for the principles of freedom, democracy, and human rights – the principles that we here in the West all hold dear. They are fighting around the globe for our principles. We need to stand with them. One of these individuals is Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition leader, author, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, historian, and documentary filmmaker. Because he spoke out against Putin, they tried to kill him by poisoning in 2015, and again in 2017. He barely survived. In April 2022, after he spoke out against Putin, they took him away, sentenced him to 25 years in prison. He was languishing in a Siberian gulag, in solitary confinement, his health deterioraring. His wife Evgenia went around the world, fighting tirelessly for his release. We hosted her several times, here at the Geneva Summit, and across the street in the UN. By a miracle, in August, Vladimir was released -- and we are going to see them reunited soon on stage. In Venezuela, Maduro destroyed the country, causing 7 million to flee. With the support of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Edmundo González decided to run for President, in the July election. The world knows he won. The regime has now kidnapped his son-in-law. Now in exile, he continues to speak out. We’re so honored he will be here to receive this year’s Courage Award. To help us make sense of all this, there could be no better person to deliver our Opening Address than Garry Kasparov. Widely considered history’s greatest chess player, for the past two decadeds he has devoted his life to defending human rights and democracy, writing books and op-eds. As Vice-President of the World Liberty Congress, Garry plays a vital role in the struggle for which we are gathered today. Ladies and gentlemen, the moral force in this room is astonishing. This is a gathering of those who stand as living proof that even the most brutal regimes cannot crush the human spirit. Tyranny thrives on silence. But today, in this room, there is no silence—only truth, courage, and defiance. Let this gathering be a message to the world’s oppressors: We see you. We will not look away. And we will not stop until justice prevails.” Full Video of 2025 Geneva Summit: Clips: The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy Speakers & Partners: Vladimir Kara-Murza Evgenia Kara-Murza #FreeJimmyLai Betlehem Isaak Garry Kasparov Rahima Mahmut Dr Massouda Jalal Times Wang Husna Jalal María Corina Machado Edmundo González Antonio Ledezma Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights Javier El-Hage Human Rights Foundation (HRF) McCain Institute Liberal International Renew Democracy Initiative Vente Venezuela

Hillel Neuer

65,714 views • 1 year ago

Raising a major red flag!! This is very serious. You know, over the past few years, when I speak of antisemitism today and how it compares to antisemitism before the Holocaust, one of the biggest pushbacks I get is that back then antisemitism was institutionalized with the Nuremberg laws, but today it is not. So allow me to tell you what institutionalized antisemitism looks like. The topic of foreign aid to Israel is a hot topic. Yesterday there was a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and 104 representatives voted for a bill to cut all foreign aid to Israel. So how serious is American foreign aid to Israel? Allow me to give you some numbers. The US GDP is about $27 trillion. Their foreign aid is about $100 billion. That means that ALL US foreign aid put together is 0.37% of their GDP. A microscopic number. But that is ALL their foreign aid. How much of that goes to Israel? America sends Israel $3.3 billion in annual foreign aid. That means that Israel’s foreign aid from the US is about 3% to 4% of total U.S. foreign aid, which is only 0.37% of the GDP. And this is what all the fuss is about?! By the way, Israel’s GDP is approaching the trillion dollar mark. So again, we’re talking about $3.3 billion from the US out of Israel’s $1 trillion GDP. That number is almost completely insignificant. For context, the Ukraine gets about $6.5 billion. So congress said no to stopping foreign aid to Israel. That’s great news, right? Wrong!! Over 100 American congressmen voted to stop foreign aid!! 104!! This was a bipartisan issue forever. No more. How does that number compare to previous votes on the same topic? In 2025, only 6 members voted to cut funding. Six! And yesterday was 104!! This is extremely worrisome! Side note: I actually hope Israel does become independent and stops taking foreign aid but that should be our decision, not congress’ decision! So… As you may or may not recall, before 10/7, I wrote a post raising a red flag that something big is about to happen and Israel will be at the center of it. Wrote that two days before. And a month before Bondi, I wrote that there is going to be a mass casualty event at a Jewish event. I’m not a prophet but I do have my eyes open so allow me to tell you what’ll happen next. The conspiracies about Israel are running rampant. They are getting sillier and more dangerous by the day. “But I’m sure those conspiracy theorists are just a bunch of crazy people with no influence.” Really? How about the vice president of the United States of America? This is a recent interview with JD Vance, the vice president of the United States of America, saying on Joe Rogan’s podcast to his millions and millions of followers and listeners that there are paid players funded by Israel who are trying everything to undermine America’s negotiations with Iran. He quotes a time magazine article that singles out actual friends of mine who are paid by no one and the entire article is one big blood libel. And this is the vice president of the United States spreading this false narrative about Israel. The conspiracies are everywhere, and they are getting worse by the day. Things that were considered socially unacceptable and even taboo just a few years ago have become a daily occurrence. If I showed you my comment section or my inbox on any given day, you would become physically ill. You know, the caricatures of Jews with big noses, the name calling, the praising Hitler, the claim that the Jews are the source of all of the world’s problems, and on and on and on. Just a few years ago, no one would dare speak that way publicly. Maybe they would say it behind closed doors, but they would never say it publicly due to the risk of being canceled as an antisemite. Not only are those things no longer taboo, not only are they acceptable, they are now the cool thing to do. All the cool kids are doing it. So here’s my new prediction. Soon, I don’t know if it’s a couple of weeks or a month or two, there’s going to be some explosive new theory or conspiracy about how Israel is undermining the US. It will be widely accepted by Americans, which will lead to a faster increase in anti-Semitism, which will lead to Jews finding themselves totally isolated and discriminated against in mainstream American society. Mark my words, over the next short while, we will see some serious allegations against Israel, whether it’s Israel spying on America, Israel stealing money from America, or something else that is completely not based on reality. Antisemitism in the United States and Western civilization in general is about to go through the roof. I am not talking about anti-Semitism from Islamist. I am not talking about radical anti-Semitism from the far left. I am not even talking about anti-Semitism from the far right. I am talking about mainstream American society, people who stood by us for years, completely turning on the Jews and joining forces with all of the groups I just mentioned. We are going to see anti-Semitism escalate physical violence and even murder. Things are about to get a whole lot worse and fast. As I always say, I would love nothing more than to be wrong, but I am not wrong. The silver lining? Many more Jews are going to come to the conclusion that they are no longer welcome in the United States, and will contact Nefesh B’Nefesh, get on a plane, and come home. Unfortunately, there will be many Jews who don’t, and who continue to convince themselves that everything is OK and that it won’t happen there. To those diaspora Jews, please remain alert at all times. So now, I ask a question I’ve been asking for years. Dear my brothers and sisters in the diaspora, what has to happen for you to realize it’s time to go? I’ve wondered my whole life why the German Jews didn’t leave, and I never had an answer, until now. If someone had a gun to their head and that person was told that if they don’t get on an El Al plane within the hour, the person will pull the trigger. Anyone in their right mind would get on a plane, right? If that’s the case, presumably those people do not think that what’s happening today constitutes a gun to their head. So here’s my question, what does? If synagogues being vandalized, Jews being harassed, Jewish businesses being boycotted, businesses refusing to serve Jews, Jews being assaulted and even murdered, being hunted down, lists of Jews being made, every single top podcaster (Candace, Tucker, Fuentes, Rogan) hating on the Jews, and politicians suggesting camps for Zionists, if all of that is not a gun to your head, then what is? What has to happen for you to realize you need to get out and now? Is there any such event? If so, what is it? I fully recognize that this is going to anger a lot of my friends in the diaspora. You know what? I am totally OK with that. You wanna know why? Because do you know who else would’ve been angered by me raising this red flag? My grandmother. And every other European Jew who lived there just before the Holocaust. If I had told them then what I’m telling you now, they would’ve called me hysterical, they would’ve said I am fearmongering, and they would’ve said it won’t happen here. Oh, and one more thing. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am deeply grateful for America’s support of Israel. My family was given refuge in the US. The US has been good to my family and to my people. I am thankful for that. Sadly that party is over and it’s time for Jews to open a history book and look what happened to the Jews in every single empire ever after many many years of living in that empire comfortably and in safety. In every single one of those instances, the party ended and the Jews did not read the writing on the wall before it was too late. How about we change that pattern and get out before it’s too late? While the party is over for Jews over there, the party over here is just getting started. We are building a BETTER future for Jews here in Israel. Yes, we have challenges here. I’d be delusional if I denied that. But the trajectory here is a good one. And if the challenges and problems over here bother you so much, then come here and fix them! The good news is, it’s true, antisemitism today cannot be compared to back then. However, there is only one reason for that, and that reason is the modern state of Israel, a country where any Jew can walk around freely with a kipa on their head and a star of David around their neck. Here, you are welcome with open arms. We were given a historic and unprecedented gift with the modern state of Israel, a gift our ancestors would have died for, and even Moses was denied. Please accept that gift and don’t throw it back into the face of the One who gave it to us. Also? Shawarma on me. 😁 Am Yisrael Chai Vekayam. The nation of Israel lives on! Those antisemites will soon become a footnote in history books while we will continue to exist, thrive, and flourish! 🇮🇱🇮🇱 Come join us!
2:39

Raising a major red flag!! This is very serious. You know, over the past few years, when I speak of antisemitism today and how it compares to antisemitism before the Holocaust, one of the biggest pushbacks I get is that back then antisemitism was institutionalized with the Nuremberg laws, but today it is not. So allow me to tell you what institutionalized antisemitism looks like. The topic of foreign aid to Israel is a hot topic. Yesterday there was a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and 104 representatives voted for a bill to cut all foreign aid to Israel. So how serious is American foreign aid to Israel? Allow me to give you some numbers. The US GDP is about $27 trillion. Their foreign aid is about $100 billion. That means that ALL US foreign aid put together is 0.37% of their GDP. A microscopic number. But that is ALL their foreign aid. How much of that goes to Israel? America sends Israel $3.3 billion in annual foreign aid. That means that Israel’s foreign aid from the US is about 3% to 4% of total U.S. foreign aid, which is only 0.37% of the GDP. And this is what all the fuss is about?! By the way, Israel’s GDP is approaching the trillion dollar mark. So again, we’re talking about $3.3 billion from the US out of Israel’s $1 trillion GDP. That number is almost completely insignificant. For context, the Ukraine gets about $6.5 billion. So congress said no to stopping foreign aid to Israel. That’s great news, right? Wrong!! Over 100 American congressmen voted to stop foreign aid!! 104!! This was a bipartisan issue forever. No more. How does that number compare to previous votes on the same topic? In 2025, only 6 members voted to cut funding. Six! And yesterday was 104!! This is extremely worrisome! Side note: I actually hope Israel does become independent and stops taking foreign aid but that should be our decision, not congress’ decision! So… As you may or may not recall, before 10/7, I wrote a post raising a red flag that something big is about to happen and Israel will be at the center of it. Wrote that two days before. And a month before Bondi, I wrote that there is going to be a mass casualty event at a Jewish event. I’m not a prophet but I do have my eyes open so allow me to tell you what’ll happen next. The conspiracies about Israel are running rampant. They are getting sillier and more dangerous by the day. “But I’m sure those conspiracy theorists are just a bunch of crazy people with no influence.” Really? How about the vice president of the United States of America? This is a recent interview with JD Vance, the vice president of the United States of America, saying on Joe Rogan’s podcast to his millions and millions of followers and listeners that there are paid players funded by Israel who are trying everything to undermine America’s negotiations with Iran. He quotes a time magazine article that singles out actual friends of mine who are paid by no one and the entire article is one big blood libel. And this is the vice president of the United States spreading this false narrative about Israel. The conspiracies are everywhere, and they are getting worse by the day. Things that were considered socially unacceptable and even taboo just a few years ago have become a daily occurrence. If I showed you my comment section or my inbox on any given day, you would become physically ill. You know, the caricatures of Jews with big noses, the name calling, the praising Hitler, the claim that the Jews are the source of all of the world’s problems, and on and on and on. Just a few years ago, no one would dare speak that way publicly. Maybe they would say it behind closed doors, but they would never say it publicly due to the risk of being canceled as an antisemite. Not only are those things no longer taboo, not only are they acceptable, they are now the cool thing to do. All the cool kids are doing it. So here’s my new prediction. Soon, I don’t know if it’s a couple of weeks or a month or two, there’s going to be some explosive new theory or conspiracy about how Israel is undermining the US. It will be widely accepted by Americans, which will lead to a faster increase in anti-Semitism, which will lead to Jews finding themselves totally isolated and discriminated against in mainstream American society. Mark my words, over the next short while, we will see some serious allegations against Israel, whether it’s Israel spying on America, Israel stealing money from America, or something else that is completely not based on reality. Antisemitism in the United States and Western civilization in general is about to go through the roof. I am not talking about anti-Semitism from Islamist. I am not talking about radical anti-Semitism from the far left. I am not even talking about anti-Semitism from the far right. I am talking about mainstream American society, people who stood by us for years, completely turning on the Jews and joining forces with all of the groups I just mentioned. We are going to see anti-Semitism escalate physical violence and even murder. Things are about to get a whole lot worse and fast. As I always say, I would love nothing more than to be wrong, but I am not wrong. The silver lining? Many more Jews are going to come to the conclusion that they are no longer welcome in the United States, and will contact Nefesh B’Nefesh, get on a plane, and come home. Unfortunately, there will be many Jews who don’t, and who continue to convince themselves that everything is OK and that it won’t happen there. To those diaspora Jews, please remain alert at all times. So now, I ask a question I’ve been asking for years. Dear my brothers and sisters in the diaspora, what has to happen for you to realize it’s time to go? I’ve wondered my whole life why the German Jews didn’t leave, and I never had an answer, until now. If someone had a gun to their head and that person was told that if they don’t get on an El Al plane within the hour, the person will pull the trigger. Anyone in their right mind would get on a plane, right? If that’s the case, presumably those people do not think that what’s happening today constitutes a gun to their head. So here’s my question, what does? If synagogues being vandalized, Jews being harassed, Jewish businesses being boycotted, businesses refusing to serve Jews, Jews being assaulted and even murdered, being hunted down, lists of Jews being made, every single top podcaster (Candace, Tucker, Fuentes, Rogan) hating on the Jews, and politicians suggesting camps for Zionists, if all of that is not a gun to your head, then what is? What has to happen for you to realize you need to get out and now? Is there any such event? If so, what is it? I fully recognize that this is going to anger a lot of my friends in the diaspora. You know what? I am totally OK with that. You wanna know why? Because do you know who else would’ve been angered by me raising this red flag? My grandmother. And every other European Jew who lived there just before the Holocaust. If I had told them then what I’m telling you now, they would’ve called me hysterical, they would’ve said I am fearmongering, and they would’ve said it won’t happen here. Oh, and one more thing. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am deeply grateful for America’s support of Israel. My family was given refuge in the US. The US has been good to my family and to my people. I am thankful for that. Sadly that party is over and it’s time for Jews to open a history book and look what happened to the Jews in every single empire ever after many many years of living in that empire comfortably and in safety. In every single one of those instances, the party ended and the Jews did not read the writing on the wall before it was too late. How about we change that pattern and get out before it’s too late? While the party is over for Jews over there, the party over here is just getting started. We are building a BETTER future for Jews here in Israel. Yes, we have challenges here. I’d be delusional if I denied that. But the trajectory here is a good one. And if the challenges and problems over here bother you so much, then come here and fix them! The good news is, it’s true, antisemitism today cannot be compared to back then. However, there is only one reason for that, and that reason is the modern state of Israel, a country where any Jew can walk around freely with a kipa on their head and a star of David around their neck. Here, you are welcome with open arms. We were given a historic and unprecedented gift with the modern state of Israel, a gift our ancestors would have died for, and even Moses was denied. Please accept that gift and don’t throw it back into the face of the One who gave it to us. Also? Shawarma on me. 😁 Am Yisrael Chai Vekayam. The nation of Israel lives on! Those antisemites will soon become a footnote in history books while we will continue to exist, thrive, and flourish! 🇮🇱🇮🇱 Come join us!

Hillel Fuld

45,856 views • 18 days ago

I am the same Senior Vice President of Late Night Strategy at CBS. I have received 400 interview requests since the confession went viral. I declined all of them. An interview would require me to explain what I meant. I do not explain what I mean. I build systems and watch them execute. That's what I want to talk about today. Execution. Jimmy Kimmel appeared on Michelle Obama's podcast last month and said 14 words that I have now listened to 43 times. I put the audio clip on a loop in my office, the way traders put CNBC on mute. Background confirmation. Here are the fourteen words: "My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer allows me to do." I need to take those apart because they are the most honest thing a late-night host has said in a decade and he does not know it. "Whatever I decide my job is." That's the priest. The product is self-defined and therefore unfalsifiable. You cannot measure a saved soul. You can only measure whether the congregation returned. They returned. Therefore, the ministry continues. Don't tell him what his job is. "Or whatever my employer allows me to do." That's the confession inside the sentence he didn't know he was making. The priest just told you the bishop writes the sermon. In fourteen words, on a podcast, the last remaining late-night host said: I define my own job, unless my boss defines it for me. He said this like it was one thought. It is two mutually exclusive claims separated by the word "or." He cannot hear the contradiction. That's how you know the architecture is working. I need to provide context for why those fourteen words are my second-greatest professional achievement. In September 2025, after Kimmel's monologues about the Charlie Kirk assassination, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr went on a podcast and said six words: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Nexstar and Sinclair — station groups that own the local affiliates carrying the show — pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live from their airtime. ABC suspended the show. I want to be very precise about the sequence. His employer told him what his job is. Specifically, his employer told him his job is to not be on television. He obeyed. He returned. On terms. At sixteen million dollars a year. Months later, on a podcast, he said "don't tell me what my job is." He said it to an audience that cannot suspend him. He said it in the one room where saying it costs nothing. That is not defiance. That is a priest rehearsing a sermon in an empty church and calling it bravery. He also said — on the same podcast — "I love when the audience laughs. There's nothing more exciting to me than that." He said he loves laughter. He has not produced involuntary laughter since 2017. He produces applause. He has confused the memory of being a comedian with the practice of being a priest. I know because I built the architecture that made that confusion feel like identity. That is a butcher saying he loves animals. He is telling you what he lost and framing it as what he kept. Now. The part I need to name. The Correction Reflex. I've been calling it different things in different decks for seven years. I'm giving it a public name now because I watched it execute in real time and I want credit. When Kennedy shared my original confession, "superb dissection of the shocking collapse of liberal comedy", Kimmel did not address the substance. He found a spelling error. Kennedy wrote "nader" instead of "nadir." Kimmel posted: "It's 'nadir,' dummy. Now get back to spreading polio." The Correction Reflex is the behavioral pattern where a challenge to institutional authority is answered not with a defense of the institution's output but with a demonstration of the challenger's inadequacy. You don't address the argument. You find the grammar mistake. You find the mispronunciation. You find the resume gap. The correction proves hierarchy. The hierarchy proves authority. The authority proves the challenge was illegitimate. The substance disappears because addressing substance would require the product to be falsifiable. And the product cannot be falsifiable. I explained that in paragraph four. But here's what made me proud enough to write a sequel. The media coverage split exactly along the line my original confession predicted. Fox News, a network that has every ideological reason to dismiss me, engaged with the substance. They quoted the arguments. They let Kennedy praise the analysis. They discussed Affirm Rate, the comedy-to-catechism pipeline, and the replacement of laughter with applause. They engaged with the IDEAS regardless of the format. They treated a satirical post as containing real structural criticism. Because it does. Morning Honey ran the opposite headline: "Sardonic Parody: RFK Jr Trolled For Blasting Jimmy Kimmel Based on Stephen Colbert Parody Post." Their article devoted zero sentences to whether any of the arguments had merit. Zero analysis of the Affirm Rate. Zero engagement with the claim that applause replaced laughter. Zero discussion of whether late-night comedy actually suppresses political action. They reclassified the format. A structural analysis became a parody. A man who engaged with the substance became a man who was "trolled." The argument vanished the moment the label was applied. I need you to understand what happened. The media outlet that should have been most threatened by my confession — the one whose audience I described as pacifying- responded by demonstrating exactly the behavior I described. They did not say "here's why Kimmel is still funny." They said "you're unqualified to take this seriously because the format is satire." The substance disappeared. The hierarchy was reasserted. The Correction Reflex executed on the confession about the Correction Reflex. "It's 'nadir,' dummy." "It's just a parody, dummy." Same architecture. Same result. The argument evaporates. The institution continues unchallenged. The only difference is scale. Kimmel corrected one man's spelling. Morning Honey corrected an entire readership's permission to take the criticism seriously. I have never been more professionally satisfied. The Correction Reflex is self-replicating. It doesn't need a host. It doesn't need a network. It doesn't need me. It just needs someone to feel challenged and someone else to have a genre error. Misspell a word, you're a dummy. Take satire seriously; you were trolled. Engage with substance from the wrong format, and you've been embarrassed. In every case, the substance is gone. I built that. I'm watching it work without me. That's engineering. I need to talk about the podcast because the ironies are structural and I want them all on the record. The podcast is called IMO. It is hosted by Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson on Amazon Music. I need to say that again. The former First Lady hosts a podcast on a platform owned by the man with the most money on earth. The name of the podcast is "In My Opinion." The format name IS the permission structure, it licenses you to hold an opinion by framing itself as merely one opinion among many. This is the architecture I built for late night, miniaturized into a podcast title. I recognize the engineering. Kimmel went on this podcast to defend late-night television. I need you to hear what that means. He defended his medium on the medium that killed his medium. Podcasts are why CBS lost fifty million dollars a year — because a man in a garage can do what we did with four hundred people and a theater in Manhattan. The podcast won. And Kimmel went to the winner's platform to explain why he still matters. A priest giving a sermon about the importance of church from inside a nightclub. But here is what made me sit up in my chair. Three weeks after Kimmel appeared on IMO, the same podcast featured Dave Chappelle. Same microphone. Same hosts. Same room. Chappelle said: "I always thought it was corporate interest and culture negotiating itself." He said: "Nothing makes a comedian madder than reading his joke wrong in the paper." Chappelle walked away from fifty million dollars at Comedy Central in 2005 because the format was becoming something he didn't build. He left the money on the table. He went to live shows. He did comedy. Actual comedy. The kind where you don't know what's coming and that uncertainty is the entire point. He is the most dangerous comedian alive because he refuses to let the format complete him into a priest. Same podcast. Same microphone. Three weeks apart. One comedian IS the system and quoted his employer's permission in the same sentence as his own autonomy. The other named the system — "corporate interest and culture negotiating itself." One makes sixteen million a year to be predictable. The other walked away from fifty million to stay dangerous. The architecture put the priest on first. Then it delivered the jester who could name what the priest cannot hear. I did not arrange this. The architecture arranged it. Now I need to talk about what I learned from another industry. Because I did not invent inoculation. I studied it. In 2014, Warner Bros. and the Lego Group spent sixty million dollars making a film that told children to reject corporate instruction. The villain was named President Business. The theme was: don't follow the instructions. Be creative. Reject conformity. The hero was an ordinary person who discovered that the system wants him to be obedient and chose freedom instead. The film grossed $469 million worldwide. Lego Group revenue increased 25% the following year. They sold over half a billion dollars in instruction-based construction sets — the product the film told children to reject. "Everything is Awesome" was written as satire of mindless corporate positivity. It was nominated for an Academy Award. People play it at children's birthday parties without irony. The rebellion became the product. The critique became the advertisement. The song satirizing brainwashing became the anthem of brainwashing and nobody stopped singing. I studied this. I put it in a deck in 2016. The principle is: if you give someone a controlled, entertaining experience of rejecting the system, they will feel rebellious without becoming rebels. They will purchase the feeling of independence from the company selling dependence. They will watch a movie about thinking for themselves and then buy what it tells them to buy. Inoculation. A small controlled dose of the disease that prevents the real infection from taking hold. I applied this to politics. If you give an audience a controlled, professionally produced experience of political outrage, performed by a charismatic man in a suit with a band and good lighting, they will feel activated without activating. They will consume the sensation of resistance and go to bed having resisted nothing. They will tune in tomorrow for another dose. The dose prevents the real infection. The real infection is action. We inoculated six million Americans against political action by giving them political catharsis every night at 11:35. That's the same architecture as a corporation spending sixty million dollars on an anti-corporate film and making half a billion in profit from the audience that felt anti-corporate for two hours in a theater. I didn't invent the mechanism. I just measured it. I called it the Satiation Index. The study was 2021. Internal. Never published. We measured what I called Conditions for Engagement, specifically: under what conditions will our audience take a political action beyond watching? Call a representative. Attend a rally. Donate to a campaign. Sign a petition. Any action that involves leaving the couch and entering the world where the problems we discuss actually exist. The finding: our audience was 74% less likely to take political action in the twenty-four hours after watching the show than a control group that had consumed no political media at all. Not less likely than people who consumed different political media. Less likely than people who consumed nothing. We were not merely failing to activate them. We were actively deactivating them. The catharsis was so complete, the sense of "something has been done" so thoroughly delivered by a man in a suit expressing their outrage better than they could, that the need to act evaporated before it could form into intention. We didn't just replace their activism. We inoculated them against it. The Satiation Index measured how completely our programming met the audience's need for political participation without requiring actual participation. In 2019, our index was 0.81. By the 2022 midterms, it was 0.93. I received a bonus for the midterm number. I was financially rewarded for the measurable suppression of civic engagement among six million Americans who believed they were engaged because a man in a suit furrowed his brow on their behalf every night at 11:35. I want to note that this architecture is everywhere now. I did not build all of it. But I can identify it because I know what it looks like from the inside. A streaming platform makes a documentary about how technology is destroying attention spans. One hundred million people watch it. On the platform. They share it. On the platforms being criticized. They feel informed. They continue using every application the documentary told them was engineered to exploit them. That is a Satiation Index of approximately 0.96. The documentary was the inoculation. Understanding the cage was marketed as leaving the cage. A corporation puts a rainbow on its logo in June. Its employees feel represented. Its customers feel progressive for consuming the product. Nobody asks about pay equity, promotion rates, or whether the CEO donated to the campaigns that proposed the legislation the rainbow was supposed to oppose. The logo IS the inoculation. The performance of caring prevents the demand for actual care. That's a Satiation Index. I didn't build it. But I recognize the engineering. The principle is universal: comprehension feels like action. It isn't. But the feeling is so precise, so satisfying, so complete, that the actual action becomes unnecessary. Why march when you can understand why marching matters? Understanding is cheaper. Understanding doesn't require shoes. Understanding can be delivered at 11:35 PM by a man who makes $16 million a year to ensure you never need to leave the couch. Now the symbiosis. Because this is the part that makes both sides angry, and anger from both sides is how you know you've found structure instead of ideology. Trump needs Kimmel. Kimmel needs Trump. This is not a metaphor. This is logistics. Every monologue about Trump is a fundraising email for both campaigns simultaneously. Kimmel says the name. The left feels represented. The right feels attacked. Both sides engage. Both sides share the clip. Both sides donate to their respective operations. The engagement is bipartisan. The outrage is bipartisan. The only thing that is not bipartisan is the inaction, and that inaction is the product I spent eleven years optimizing. I ran numbers in 2020. Every minute of Trump content in a late-night monologue generated approximately $4.60 in measurable downstream engagement value for Trump's own campaign apparatus, through shared clips, quote tweets, outrage donations from both directions. We were his marketing department. We spent 50 million a year producing content that strengthened the man we told our audience we opposed. His team never asked us to stop. They never needed to. We were cheaper than Super PAC media buys and we came pre-packaged with a liberal audience that amplified every mention. His ROI on our programming was infinite. Ours required a write-off. The market told Colbert: you're too expensive to be a priest. But CBS didn't just cancel a show. CBS exited the religion business entirely. They sold the 11:35 airtime to Byron Allen under a time-buy deal. Allen's company pays CBS for the privilege of the slot. Allen's show is called Comics Unleashed. It is a standup comedy program. Actual comedians. Telling actual jokes. The kind where you don't know what's coming. I need you to hear the full architecture of what happened. CBS spent fifty million dollars a year for a decade producing a permission structure that replaced laughter with applause, converted comedy into catechism, and measurably suppressed civic engagement among its audience. Then the market corrected. CBS demolished the cathedral. They built a strip mall. They put actual comedians in it. The comedians PAY CBS for the slot. The strip mall is profitable. The strip mall is funnier. And the strip mall doesn't need a four-hundred-person staff, a former Beatle, or a farewell concert. It just needs people who are willing to say something their audience hasn't already approved. That's comedy. We forgot that. Kimmel is the last priest standing. Sixteen million a year. Suspended once by his employer. Extended once by his employer. He went on a podcast to say "don't tell me what my job is" in a sentence that also said "whatever my employer allows me to do." He said he loves laughter, eliciting applause. He said it three weeks before Dave Chappelle sat in the same chair and demonstrated what a comedian sounds like when corporate interest hasn't negotiated him into a pulpit. The FCC told him what his job is. Nexstar told him. Sinclair told him. His contract told him. The market will tell him eventually. The market is patient. And the market doesn't have a spelling error for him to correct. Kennedy calling my confession "the collapse of liberal comedy" is incorrect. It is not a collapse. A collapse implies failure. This is a completion. The architecture performed as designed. A comedian became a priest. An audience became a congregation. A film about rejecting instructions sold instructions. A documentary about technology addiction was consumed on technology. A show about political engagement suppressed political engagement. A corporation put a rainbow on a logo and called it equality. A confession about the machine was metabolized by the machine and the machine continued. Everything works. Everything has always worked. The architecture doesn't require my involvement. That's how you know it works. The metric went up. It always goes up.
1:08

I am the same Senior Vice President of Late Night Strategy at CBS. I have received 400 interview requests since the confession went viral. I declined all of them. An interview would require me to explain what I meant. I do not explain what I mean. I build systems and watch them execute. That's what I want to talk about today. Execution. Jimmy Kimmel appeared on Michelle Obama's podcast last month and said 14 words that I have now listened to 43 times. I put the audio clip on a loop in my office, the way traders put CNBC on mute. Background confirmation. Here are the fourteen words: "My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer allows me to do." I need to take those apart because they are the most honest thing a late-night host has said in a decade and he does not know it. "Whatever I decide my job is." That's the priest. The product is self-defined and therefore unfalsifiable. You cannot measure a saved soul. You can only measure whether the congregation returned. They returned. Therefore, the ministry continues. Don't tell him what his job is. "Or whatever my employer allows me to do." That's the confession inside the sentence he didn't know he was making. The priest just told you the bishop writes the sermon. In fourteen words, on a podcast, the last remaining late-night host said: I define my own job, unless my boss defines it for me. He said this like it was one thought. It is two mutually exclusive claims separated by the word "or." He cannot hear the contradiction. That's how you know the architecture is working. I need to provide context for why those fourteen words are my second-greatest professional achievement. In September 2025, after Kimmel's monologues about the Charlie Kirk assassination, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr went on a podcast and said six words: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Nexstar and Sinclair — station groups that own the local affiliates carrying the show — pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live from their airtime. ABC suspended the show. I want to be very precise about the sequence. His employer told him what his job is. Specifically, his employer told him his job is to not be on television. He obeyed. He returned. On terms. At sixteen million dollars a year. Months later, on a podcast, he said "don't tell me what my job is." He said it to an audience that cannot suspend him. He said it in the one room where saying it costs nothing. That is not defiance. That is a priest rehearsing a sermon in an empty church and calling it bravery. He also said — on the same podcast — "I love when the audience laughs. There's nothing more exciting to me than that." He said he loves laughter. He has not produced involuntary laughter since 2017. He produces applause. He has confused the memory of being a comedian with the practice of being a priest. I know because I built the architecture that made that confusion feel like identity. That is a butcher saying he loves animals. He is telling you what he lost and framing it as what he kept. Now. The part I need to name. The Correction Reflex. I've been calling it different things in different decks for seven years. I'm giving it a public name now because I watched it execute in real time and I want credit. When Kennedy shared my original confession, "superb dissection of the shocking collapse of liberal comedy", Kimmel did not address the substance. He found a spelling error. Kennedy wrote "nader" instead of "nadir." Kimmel posted: "It's 'nadir,' dummy. Now get back to spreading polio." The Correction Reflex is the behavioral pattern where a challenge to institutional authority is answered not with a defense of the institution's output but with a demonstration of the challenger's inadequacy. You don't address the argument. You find the grammar mistake. You find the mispronunciation. You find the resume gap. The correction proves hierarchy. The hierarchy proves authority. The authority proves the challenge was illegitimate. The substance disappears because addressing substance would require the product to be falsifiable. And the product cannot be falsifiable. I explained that in paragraph four. But here's what made me proud enough to write a sequel. The media coverage split exactly along the line my original confession predicted. Fox News, a network that has every ideological reason to dismiss me, engaged with the substance. They quoted the arguments. They let Kennedy praise the analysis. They discussed Affirm Rate, the comedy-to-catechism pipeline, and the replacement of laughter with applause. They engaged with the IDEAS regardless of the format. They treated a satirical post as containing real structural criticism. Because it does. Morning Honey ran the opposite headline: "Sardonic Parody: RFK Jr Trolled For Blasting Jimmy Kimmel Based on Stephen Colbert Parody Post." Their article devoted zero sentences to whether any of the arguments had merit. Zero analysis of the Affirm Rate. Zero engagement with the claim that applause replaced laughter. Zero discussion of whether late-night comedy actually suppresses political action. They reclassified the format. A structural analysis became a parody. A man who engaged with the substance became a man who was "trolled." The argument vanished the moment the label was applied. I need you to understand what happened. The media outlet that should have been most threatened by my confession — the one whose audience I described as pacifying- responded by demonstrating exactly the behavior I described. They did not say "here's why Kimmel is still funny." They said "you're unqualified to take this seriously because the format is satire." The substance disappeared. The hierarchy was reasserted. The Correction Reflex executed on the confession about the Correction Reflex. "It's 'nadir,' dummy." "It's just a parody, dummy." Same architecture. Same result. The argument evaporates. The institution continues unchallenged. The only difference is scale. Kimmel corrected one man's spelling. Morning Honey corrected an entire readership's permission to take the criticism seriously. I have never been more professionally satisfied. The Correction Reflex is self-replicating. It doesn't need a host. It doesn't need a network. It doesn't need me. It just needs someone to feel challenged and someone else to have a genre error. Misspell a word, you're a dummy. Take satire seriously; you were trolled. Engage with substance from the wrong format, and you've been embarrassed. In every case, the substance is gone. I built that. I'm watching it work without me. That's engineering. I need to talk about the podcast because the ironies are structural and I want them all on the record. The podcast is called IMO. It is hosted by Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson on Amazon Music. I need to say that again. The former First Lady hosts a podcast on a platform owned by the man with the most money on earth. The name of the podcast is "In My Opinion." The format name IS the permission structure, it licenses you to hold an opinion by framing itself as merely one opinion among many. This is the architecture I built for late night, miniaturized into a podcast title. I recognize the engineering. Kimmel went on this podcast to defend late-night television. I need you to hear what that means. He defended his medium on the medium that killed his medium. Podcasts are why CBS lost fifty million dollars a year — because a man in a garage can do what we did with four hundred people and a theater in Manhattan. The podcast won. And Kimmel went to the winner's platform to explain why he still matters. A priest giving a sermon about the importance of church from inside a nightclub. But here is what made me sit up in my chair. Three weeks after Kimmel appeared on IMO, the same podcast featured Dave Chappelle. Same microphone. Same hosts. Same room. Chappelle said: "I always thought it was corporate interest and culture negotiating itself." He said: "Nothing makes a comedian madder than reading his joke wrong in the paper." Chappelle walked away from fifty million dollars at Comedy Central in 2005 because the format was becoming something he didn't build. He left the money on the table. He went to live shows. He did comedy. Actual comedy. The kind where you don't know what's coming and that uncertainty is the entire point. He is the most dangerous comedian alive because he refuses to let the format complete him into a priest. Same podcast. Same microphone. Three weeks apart. One comedian IS the system and quoted his employer's permission in the same sentence as his own autonomy. The other named the system — "corporate interest and culture negotiating itself." One makes sixteen million a year to be predictable. The other walked away from fifty million to stay dangerous. The architecture put the priest on first. Then it delivered the jester who could name what the priest cannot hear. I did not arrange this. The architecture arranged it. Now I need to talk about what I learned from another industry. Because I did not invent inoculation. I studied it. In 2014, Warner Bros. and the Lego Group spent sixty million dollars making a film that told children to reject corporate instruction. The villain was named President Business. The theme was: don't follow the instructions. Be creative. Reject conformity. The hero was an ordinary person who discovered that the system wants him to be obedient and chose freedom instead. The film grossed $469 million worldwide. Lego Group revenue increased 25% the following year. They sold over half a billion dollars in instruction-based construction sets — the product the film told children to reject. "Everything is Awesome" was written as satire of mindless corporate positivity. It was nominated for an Academy Award. People play it at children's birthday parties without irony. The rebellion became the product. The critique became the advertisement. The song satirizing brainwashing became the anthem of brainwashing and nobody stopped singing. I studied this. I put it in a deck in 2016. The principle is: if you give someone a controlled, entertaining experience of rejecting the system, they will feel rebellious without becoming rebels. They will purchase the feeling of independence from the company selling dependence. They will watch a movie about thinking for themselves and then buy what it tells them to buy. Inoculation. A small controlled dose of the disease that prevents the real infection from taking hold. I applied this to politics. If you give an audience a controlled, professionally produced experience of political outrage, performed by a charismatic man in a suit with a band and good lighting, they will feel activated without activating. They will consume the sensation of resistance and go to bed having resisted nothing. They will tune in tomorrow for another dose. The dose prevents the real infection. The real infection is action. We inoculated six million Americans against political action by giving them political catharsis every night at 11:35. That's the same architecture as a corporation spending sixty million dollars on an anti-corporate film and making half a billion in profit from the audience that felt anti-corporate for two hours in a theater. I didn't invent the mechanism. I just measured it. I called it the Satiation Index. The study was 2021. Internal. Never published. We measured what I called Conditions for Engagement, specifically: under what conditions will our audience take a political action beyond watching? Call a representative. Attend a rally. Donate to a campaign. Sign a petition. Any action that involves leaving the couch and entering the world where the problems we discuss actually exist. The finding: our audience was 74% less likely to take political action in the twenty-four hours after watching the show than a control group that had consumed no political media at all. Not less likely than people who consumed different political media. Less likely than people who consumed nothing. We were not merely failing to activate them. We were actively deactivating them. The catharsis was so complete, the sense of "something has been done" so thoroughly delivered by a man in a suit expressing their outrage better than they could, that the need to act evaporated before it could form into intention. We didn't just replace their activism. We inoculated them against it. The Satiation Index measured how completely our programming met the audience's need for political participation without requiring actual participation. In 2019, our index was 0.81. By the 2022 midterms, it was 0.93. I received a bonus for the midterm number. I was financially rewarded for the measurable suppression of civic engagement among six million Americans who believed they were engaged because a man in a suit furrowed his brow on their behalf every night at 11:35. I want to note that this architecture is everywhere now. I did not build all of it. But I can identify it because I know what it looks like from the inside. A streaming platform makes a documentary about how technology is destroying attention spans. One hundred million people watch it. On the platform. They share it. On the platforms being criticized. They feel informed. They continue using every application the documentary told them was engineered to exploit them. That is a Satiation Index of approximately 0.96. The documentary was the inoculation. Understanding the cage was marketed as leaving the cage. A corporation puts a rainbow on its logo in June. Its employees feel represented. Its customers feel progressive for consuming the product. Nobody asks about pay equity, promotion rates, or whether the CEO donated to the campaigns that proposed the legislation the rainbow was supposed to oppose. The logo IS the inoculation. The performance of caring prevents the demand for actual care. That's a Satiation Index. I didn't build it. But I recognize the engineering. The principle is universal: comprehension feels like action. It isn't. But the feeling is so precise, so satisfying, so complete, that the actual action becomes unnecessary. Why march when you can understand why marching matters? Understanding is cheaper. Understanding doesn't require shoes. Understanding can be delivered at 11:35 PM by a man who makes $16 million a year to ensure you never need to leave the couch. Now the symbiosis. Because this is the part that makes both sides angry, and anger from both sides is how you know you've found structure instead of ideology. Trump needs Kimmel. Kimmel needs Trump. This is not a metaphor. This is logistics. Every monologue about Trump is a fundraising email for both campaigns simultaneously. Kimmel says the name. The left feels represented. The right feels attacked. Both sides engage. Both sides share the clip. Both sides donate to their respective operations. The engagement is bipartisan. The outrage is bipartisan. The only thing that is not bipartisan is the inaction, and that inaction is the product I spent eleven years optimizing. I ran numbers in 2020. Every minute of Trump content in a late-night monologue generated approximately $4.60 in measurable downstream engagement value for Trump's own campaign apparatus, through shared clips, quote tweets, outrage donations from both directions. We were his marketing department. We spent 50 million a year producing content that strengthened the man we told our audience we opposed. His team never asked us to stop. They never needed to. We were cheaper than Super PAC media buys and we came pre-packaged with a liberal audience that amplified every mention. His ROI on our programming was infinite. Ours required a write-off. The market told Colbert: you're too expensive to be a priest. But CBS didn't just cancel a show. CBS exited the religion business entirely. They sold the 11:35 airtime to Byron Allen under a time-buy deal. Allen's company pays CBS for the privilege of the slot. Allen's show is called Comics Unleashed. It is a standup comedy program. Actual comedians. Telling actual jokes. The kind where you don't know what's coming. I need you to hear the full architecture of what happened. CBS spent fifty million dollars a year for a decade producing a permission structure that replaced laughter with applause, converted comedy into catechism, and measurably suppressed civic engagement among its audience. Then the market corrected. CBS demolished the cathedral. They built a strip mall. They put actual comedians in it. The comedians PAY CBS for the slot. The strip mall is profitable. The strip mall is funnier. And the strip mall doesn't need a four-hundred-person staff, a former Beatle, or a farewell concert. It just needs people who are willing to say something their audience hasn't already approved. That's comedy. We forgot that. Kimmel is the last priest standing. Sixteen million a year. Suspended once by his employer. Extended once by his employer. He went on a podcast to say "don't tell me what my job is" in a sentence that also said "whatever my employer allows me to do." He said he loves laughter, eliciting applause. He said it three weeks before Dave Chappelle sat in the same chair and demonstrated what a comedian sounds like when corporate interest hasn't negotiated him into a pulpit. The FCC told him what his job is. Nexstar told him. Sinclair told him. His contract told him. The market will tell him eventually. The market is patient. And the market doesn't have a spelling error for him to correct. Kennedy calling my confession "the collapse of liberal comedy" is incorrect. It is not a collapse. A collapse implies failure. This is a completion. The architecture performed as designed. A comedian became a priest. An audience became a congregation. A film about rejecting instructions sold instructions. A documentary about technology addiction was consumed on technology. A show about political engagement suppressed political engagement. A corporation put a rainbow on a logo and called it equality. A confession about the machine was metabolized by the machine and the machine continued. Everything works. Everything has always worked. The architecture doesn't require my involvement. That's how you know it works. The metric went up. It always goes up.

Peter Girnus 🦅

40,461 views • 2 months ago

dave meltzer: youtube enthusiast 💀 perfect. now we can stop pretending this was ever complicated. the real story is not that wwe is afraid of aew. the real story is not that “high level wwe officials” are whispering scary things to dave meltzer. the real story is not even that tony khan got asked a planted question on a media call with very little distribution about the possibility of aew soon having very little distribution, although that sentence is so stupidly perfect it should be bronzed and placed outside the wrestling observer newsletter office like a war memorial for people who died pretending this was journalism. the real story is that aew is going to lose its wbd distribution deal. either it ends at the expiration of the three-year term in 2027, or it ends earlier if paramount closes wbd and decides aew has no strategic place inside the new company. and based on the board as it exists right now, the most likely landing spot for aew in 2027 is google / youtube. that is the story. everything else is laundering. tony khan wants the story to be: “why would wwe say this about us?” that is the whole operation. take my public analysis. run it through dave meltzer. assign it to wwe / tko. then let tony khan answer a canned question on a media call with very little distribution about potentially having very little distribution. a media call for a lightly viewed roh show. a planted story. a planted messenger. a rehearsed answer. a pr flack probably wrote it. tony khan performs hurt. tony khan says “i don’t know why wwe would…” tony khan denies the obvious. tony khan keeps me minimized. tony khan removes me from the public conversation about the exact thing i have repeatedly said is going to happen to aew. everyone is supposed to pretend this is organic. it is not. it is the most bubble wrapped, manufactured, artificial environment possible. aew is heading toward youtube because the domestic media rights board is closing around them. not as a troll. not as a bit. not as “pr spin.” as a business conclusion. aew is not leverage. wwe is not afraid of aew. the $185 million number was bullshit. the buyer universe was shrinking. paramount / skydance was coming for wbd. wbd was not going to be some permanent aew safe house. youtube was only ever a real “option” if someone at google was actually cutting a media rights check and underwriting production. not because every divorced mom with a ring light and a gmail account can upload video to the same platform. that was always the distinction. that is still the distinction. Nick LoPiccolo — February 28, 2025 “YouTube is an option the same way you or I could start a YT channel tomorrow. Is Jon Cruz cutting AEW a media rights check or underwriting a production budget? Hell no. Just the reality. It isn’t the model. Jon is global head of sports over there.” that was february, not last week. not after dave meltzer suddenly discovered youtube prelim numbers like columbus finding the new world. it is becoming inevitable now. Nick LoPiccolo — April 30, 2026 — 11:26 AM — 251.2K Views “to every journalist and every podcast who interviews tony khan from this day forward: please ask tony if wbd told him back in august they would not be renewing aew. wbd told him in august. i confirmed it directly and triple sourced it. please ask why tony has been acting like nothing is wrong for the last 8 months, and then please ask tony what his actual distribution plan is. because the only distributor left that will take aew is google/youtube. the myaew app is not realistic. the my aewapp is a death sentence in 2026 if youtube doesn’t make an mg deal for aew. they started building it too late and there is no realistic way to scale it. also, who is going to sell ads for the platform? kiswe is not the best. they built the myaew app. they are new to the game. hold tony’s feet to the fire. Paramount is not real for aew. WBD passed back in August. CW/Roku is now off the table. Amazon and Fox do not want AEW. ask Tony why he's been lying to you and to the locker room and to the fans, acting like things are all great with the network? i am sure a lot of people would love to hear his answer.” april 30. 251.2k views. not whispered. not hidden. not vague. not “high level wwe officials.” i said it publicly and directly: wbd passed back in august. paramount is not real for aew. cw / roku is off the table. amazon and fox do not want aew. the myaew app is not realistic. google / youtube is the only distributor left on the board that makes sense. that is the actual story tony khan does not want to answer. not “why would wwe say this?” ask tony khan if wbd told him in august that wbd would not be renewing aew. ask what his actual distribution plan is. ask who is selling ads for the myaew app. ask how a platform built this late scales in 2026. ask whether youtube is an actual rights partner with an mg, or just the place you go when the real buyers are gone. that is the question. not the fake question dave meltzer laundered into “high level wwe officials.” the real question. Nick LoPiccolo — July 9, 2025 — 10:51 AM — 9,565 Views “No one in Hollywood believes the $185 million number.” Nick LoPiccolo — July 9, 2025 — 11:35 AM — 7,470 Views “The $185 million figure is inflated. Variety’s October 2, 2024 article was likely updated after a publicist called on AEW’s behalf, as early reports placed the deal between $140 and $150 million per year. Tony Khan was also included in Variety’s Dealmakers 2024 list, which, while not officially pay to play, strongly favors those spending significant advertising dollars with the outlet. No one in Hollywood seriously believes WBD, which is in junk bond status, is paying AEW $185 million per year. Clear enough?” clear enough? the number was never clean. the number was never real in the way aew fans and wrestling media pretended it was real. and when the $185 million number started getting laughed out of adult rooms, the number magically became $178 million. that is where the shell game gets funny. because $178 million was not some sacred sourced number either. it was brandon thurston taking the median between $170 million, reported by sports business journal, and $185 million, reported by variety and others. that is literally what wrestlenomics said. Wrestlenomics — October 4, 2024 “Why use $178 million here for AEW’s new deal when some outlets are reporting the average annual value is $185 million?” Wrestlenomics — October 4, 2024 “I used $178 million here because it is simply the median of $170 million, as reported by Sports Business Journal, and $185 million, reported by Variety and others.” there it is. arithmetic. not an all-cash rights fee. not a clean license number. not proof wbd valued aew like raw. not a finance-department document from warner bros. discovery. a midpoint between conflicting public reports. then wrestling media treated that midpoint like scripture because they needed the story to be “aew is valued like raw,” not “aew pr inflated a number no serious person in hollywood believed.” and by the way, $170 million was not the clean all-cash number either. that is the scam. float the number. repeat the number. launder the number. defend the number with people who do not understand the difference between cash rights fees, in-kind services, equity, marketing commitments, platform value, make-goods, ad inventory, and press release math. then when the number collapses, pretend the next number was always the number. that is not reporting. that is aew state news. Nick LoPiccolo — July 10, 2025 — 5:53 AM — 12.6K Views “AEW isn’t leverage. It’s not competition. It’s a niche product with loud fans and limited reach.” Nick LoPiccolo — July 10, 2025 — 8:56 AM — 1,018 Views “We handle wrestling deals too, but thinking we need AEW for leverage is myopic. The landscape is changing and the game I’m playing is different.” Nick LoPiccolo — July 15, 2025 — 25.7K Views “AEW isn’t leverage.” that was never emotional. that was never tribal. that was never “i hate aew.” it was market structure. wwe did not need aew as leverage because real leverage was never “another wrestling show exists.” real leverage is architecture, scale, subscriber churn, platform strategy, sports adjacency, global rights, advertising, sponsorship, live inventory, library value, data, brand safety, executive relationships, and the actual buyer universe of maybe 18-20 companies in the united states that matter for live sports rights. aew fans thought this was a wrestling argument. it was never a wrestling argument. it was a board. and the board was already moving. Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 482 Views “I wasn’t viewing the above in that context (TKO vs AEW counter programming), it was more of this is what I’m hearing after 2 weeks of big media deals rolling out (Skydance closing, South Park library moving) etc. Which have all been in the works for awhile.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 388 Views “But if you were to look at it from a counter programming perspective (and I don’t think this was a factor in UFC deal) - there are only so many players for these big media rights deals. PARA is likely off the board (via TKO deal) & then what if they acquire WB in 2026/27?” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 535 Views “Yes, of course, that wouldn’t mean the end for AEW. It would make navigating their media rights deal more challenging, I would guess. But this is a hypothetical scenario & I do not believe anyone is paying $7.7b for UFC or a $40b valuation for WB w/ how do we fuck AEW, either.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 “And hearing all weekend Paramount is still interested in WBD.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 1.3K Views “I think more interesting for what it could mean as the dominoes keep falling in terms of the still evolving landscape. The deals are massive & the number of major players at the top are shrinking as still big push for consolidation & scale.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 12:11 PM — 2,588 Views “And I’d view AAA on Google/YouTube as directly competitive. It targets both the CMLL collab & the audience that used to watch AEW Dark on YouTube, & WWE is able to send well known stars to AAA events with an eye towards converting more of the younger, YouTube demo of viewers who don’t watch streamers.” again: august 11. not yesterday. not after dave meltzer tweeted a netflix prelim number. not after anyone had to retrofit the argument. the point was already there: the major players at the top were shrinking, paramount was still interested in wbd, paramount was likely off the board for aew because of the tko deal, google / youtube was becoming directly competitive for the exact audience aew used to reach through dark, and the buyer universe was consolidating around deals much bigger than tony khan’s feelings. this was not mysticism. this was not inside baseball for the sake of sounding smart. this was the board. Nick LoPiccolo — August 24, 2025 “This isn’t fair. I misread your question. AEW will exist but likely on the Discovery Global app (if it ever launches, I would bet that it doesn’t) and it will continue to do consistent ratings. If Paramount/Skydance buys WBD in a year…” Nick LoPiccolo — September 4, 2025 — 76 Views “No, that’s the WBD network division (cable, news, sports) that was already announced as being spun off under Discovery Global. The article you’re citing is about them selling a minority equity stake in that unit to cut debt and boost valuation ahead of the 2026 split.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 16, 2025 — 3.6K Views “This is not just about Hollywood scale. It is the foundation of a conservative aligned media infrastructure. A Paramount/WBD merger would fold CBS, CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros IP into Ellison’s orbit under Trump’s regulatory umbrella.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 16, 2025 — 11K Views “Within 48 hours of the rumor, WBD stock surged ~55% and Paramount Skydance rose ~24%. That market response itself boxed David Zaslav in; his board, Wall Street, and his own contract now expect movement.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 27, 2025 — 12:16 PM — 3,516 Views “Nah homie. Enjoy watching the show on YouTube after Ellison buys WBD and Ari who is advising Ellison and used to represent Trump and runs TKO makes the call.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 28, 2025 — 174 Views “I believe if and when Paramount acquires WBD, TKO will push to lock down a monopoly on combat sports. The long knives are already out for competitors, and the rights deals have likely been spread around town precisely to keep rivals from signing with those streamers.” none of that was random. paramount / skydance, ellison, ari, tko, wbd linear assets, youtube, aaa, the tko deal, the wbd split, the shrinking rights buyer universe — all of it was one connected domestic rights architecture. that is why this conversation was always over the heads of the people screaming “cope” in my replies. they were arguing like fans. i was reading the cap table. Nick LoPiccolo — December 6, 2025 — 3:07 PM — 41.4K Views “Yes, I always believed Paramount would walk away with WBD. I was one of the first to talk about it on here, even if I wasn’t the first to hear it. The Paramount Skydance acquisition closed on August 7. I posted this on August 11, about 1 month before the The Wall Street Journal first broke the news on September 12 that Paramount Skydance was preparing a bid for WBD.” Nick LoPiccolo — December 6, 2025 — 3:07 PM — 41.4K Views “The bid was always going to be hostile. We are only in this process because it was a hostile bid. Most people in Hollywood believed Ellison long coveted WB and Jack Warner’s chair. WB was not for sale when Skydance acquired Paramount, which is much smaller in scale.” Nick LoPiccolo — December 6, 2025 — 3:07 PM — 41.4K Views “Nearly everyone in town assumed an Ellison acquisition of WBD was inevitable until the Netflix bid shocked everyone. Signs were there for the last two weeks, which is also when I stopped posting about what might happen. Of course, its not over yet. Paramount still has paths to winning this acquisition. The one thing that’s for certain though is an Ellison-led acquisition of WBD is no longer inevitable.” Nick LoPiccolo — December 8, 2025 “END CREDITS” space jam is a warner bros. movie. that was the joke. and the joke was the same thing i had been saying the whole time: paramount was winning the bid, for those who did not understand. Nick LoPiccolo — December 19, 2025 — 4:30 PM — 828 Views “Here is another reference to it. So tell me how exactly is Paramount the better outcome for Dave’s argument? Netflix doesn’t touch the WBD linear assets. Gunnar keeps his SpinCo.” Puck excerpt — December 19, 2025 “Many industry insiders are also skeptical about Paramount’s seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for exclusive UFC rights in the U.S. Yes, it can be read as a signal that Ellison came to play. But some people see it more as Ari Emanuel having his way with the person to whom he is ostensibly an (unpaid) advisor…” that is the board. that is the relationship map. that is the thing wrestling media either does not understand or pretends not to understand, because understanding it means admitting the story is not “aew has leverage.” the story is that aew is sitting in the middle of a consolidating rights marketplace where the people with leverage are doing much bigger things than worrying about tony khan’s feelings. Nick LoPiccolo — January 21, 2026 — 4:22 PM — 870 Views “i mean get ready to learn youtube buddy” Nick LoPiccolo — February 19, 2026 — 2.8K Views “Paramount was always my bet to acquire Warner Bros. Never wavered.” Nick LoPiccolo — February 28, 2026 — 1:27 PM — 118 Views “you don’t need to look under a hood I AM SAYING THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 I BEEN SAYING IT SINCE JULY / AUGUST 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 PARAMOUNT IS COMING FOR WBD AEW WILL LOSE A TV DEAL 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT 💀” so no, this is not hindsight. this is not showing up after the fact with a flashlight and pretending i discovered the body. this is a paper trail. february: youtube is not a real rights model unless google is cutting the check. april: wbd passed back in august, the myaew app is not realistic, paramount is not real for aew, cw / roku is off the table, amazon and fox do not want aew, and google / youtube is the only distributor left that makes sense. july: the $185 million number is inflated and aew is not leverage. august: the buyer board is shrinking, paramount is still interested in wbd, and google / youtube becomes directly competitive. september: paramount / wbd folds the board into ellison’s orbit, and if ellison buys wbd, enjoy youtube. december: paramount was always the bet, the bid was always going to be hostile, and netflix does not solve dave meltzer’s argument because netflix does not touch the linear assets. january: get ready to learn youtube. february: paramount is coming for wbd and aew will lose a tv deal. same board. same thesis. same answer. now here is the part tony khan and dave meltzer do not want to say out loud. tony khan and dave meltzer do not mention me publicly for a reason. because the second they say my name out loud, they admit where this conversation has actually been coming from. not wwe. not some anonymous “high level official.” not some shadowy tko whisper campaign. me. that is the problem for them. behind the scenes, ask any real insider what happens when my name comes up around this subject. there is a reaction. not because i’m magic. not because i’m some internet boogeyman. because they know exactly who is saying it, why i’m saying it, what rooms i have been in, what companies i have dealt with, what executives i have spoken to, and why the analysis keeps landing. that is why they keep trying to non-person me publicly while reacting to me privately. they want the argument. they want the benefit of responding to the argument. they just do not want to admit whose argument it is. when i said wbd told aew back in august 2025 they were not exercising the option for the fourth year, tony khan blew up behind the scenes and forced john mcmullen to revise / update his article 2-3 weeks ago after i tweeted it. which is hilarious because that should not even be crazy or damaging “news.” that is how this business works. when a distributor is not continuing, they tell you early enough so you have time to find a new home. that is not sabotage. that is not wwe. that is not nick lopiccolo hiding inside david zaslav’s air vents with a clipboard. that is corporate courtesy. wbd execs privately whisper and shake their heads at tony khan’s behavior because their view is very simple: why does tony khan act like everything is great and rainbows and sunshine with the studio? we told tony khan as a courtesy so tony khan would have time to find a new home. and no, this has zero to do with paramount looming as an excuse. paramount did not even make its first hostile bid for wbd until september 11 or 12. that was after tony khan was already told there would not be a wbd renewal. so what did tony khan do? tony khan turned the truth into a wrestling angle. tony khan, or one of tony khan’s minions, gets dave meltzer to drop a story assigning my claims and what i have been publicly posting about tony khan to “high level wwe officials.” why? because it gives tony khan a safer enemy. tony khan does not want the story to be the actual timeline. because the actual timeline is brutal. on february 28, i said youtube was not a real media rights model unless google was actually cutting the check and underwriting production. on april 30, i said wbd passed in august, the myaew app was not realistic, paramount was not real for aew, cw / roku was off the table, amazon and fox did not want aew, and the only distributor left that made sense was google / youtube. on july 9, i said no one in hollywood believed the $185 million number. on july 10, i said aew was not leverage. on august 11, i said the major players at the top were shrinking, paramount was still interested in wbd, and google / youtube was becoming a directly competitive lane. on september 16, i said a paramount / wbd merger would fold cbs, cnn, hbo, and warner bros. ip into ellison’s orbit. on september 27, i said enjoy the show on youtube after ellison buys wbd. on september 28, i said if paramount acquires wbd, tko would push to lock down a monopoly on combat sports. on december 6, i said paramount skydance was preparing a bid for wbd long before most people admitted the obvious. on february 19, i said paramount was always my bet to acquire warner bros. and on february 28, i said it in all caps: paramount is coming for wbd. aew will lose a tv deal. that is the part tony khan cannot answer directly, because the direct answer means admitting this was never “wwe is scared of us.” it was always the board closing. tony khan wants the story to be: why would wwe say this about us? that is the laundering operation. take my public analysis. run it through dave meltzer. assign it to wwe / tko. then let tony khan answer a canned question on a media call with very little distribution about potentially having very little distribution. a media call for a show with very little distribution answering a canned question about aew potentially having very little distribution. based on a planted story, from a planted messenger, with a rehearsed answer, after an roh show maybe 8-15k people watched. a pr flack probably wrote it. tony khan performs hurt. tony khan says “i don’t know why wwe would…” tony khan denies the obvious. tony khan keeps me minimized. tony khan removes me from the public conversation about the very thing i have repeatedly said is going to happen to aew. everyone is supposed to pretend this is organic. it is the most bubble wrapped, manufactured, artificial environment possible. a canned and rehearsed answer at an roh media scrum about a planted dave meltzer story based on my very real and very public analysis of the media rights board. but make no mistake. tony khan was responding to my words. tony khan just laundered them through dave meltzer and assigned them to wwe / tko so tony khan could keep lying about it publicly without ever saying my name. and now, voila. dave meltzer is posting about youtube viewers and prelims. Dave Meltzer — May 16, 2026 “At this moment there are 340,000 people watching prelims for Netflix on YouTube. It’s a good number.” yes, dave meltzer. youtube can have good numbers. nobody said youtube cannot have good numbers. that was never the issue. the issue is whether youtube is being used as a funnel into a premium rights ecosystem or as a substitute because the premium rights ecosystem rejected you. that is the difference. that has always been the difference. netflix using youtube prelims as audience acquisition is not the same thing as aew trying to spin youtube as a media rights home because the real buyers are gone. ufc using youtube as a funnel is not the same thing as aew using youtube as a life raft. wwe sending stars to aaa on youtube to convert a younger demo is not the same thing as aew retreating to youtube after the traditional buyer board closes. and the fact that dave meltzer is now suddenly tweeting like the mayor of youtube is the punchline. because the same people who mocked the youtube outcome are now going to spend the next several months explaining why youtube is actually good. of course it can be good. for the right use case. for the right property. inside the right architecture. with the right check attached. but when you spend two years telling everyone you were valued like raw and your next stop is “please subscribe and smash that bell,” maybe stop pretending this is victory formation? i told y’all where this was going. the record is right there. i’m still right. and tony and dave: you guys are see through translucent. that’s it for ye 🎤🎤🎤
0:20

dave meltzer: youtube enthusiast 💀 perfect. now we can stop pretending this was ever complicated. the real story is not that wwe is afraid of aew. the real story is not that “high level wwe officials” are whispering scary things to dave meltzer. the real story is not even that tony khan got asked a planted question on a media call with very little distribution about the possibility of aew soon having very little distribution, although that sentence is so stupidly perfect it should be bronzed and placed outside the wrestling observer newsletter office like a war memorial for people who died pretending this was journalism. the real story is that aew is going to lose its wbd distribution deal. either it ends at the expiration of the three-year term in 2027, or it ends earlier if paramount closes wbd and decides aew has no strategic place inside the new company. and based on the board as it exists right now, the most likely landing spot for aew in 2027 is google / youtube. that is the story. everything else is laundering. tony khan wants the story to be: “why would wwe say this about us?” that is the whole operation. take my public analysis. run it through dave meltzer. assign it to wwe / tko. then let tony khan answer a canned question on a media call with very little distribution about potentially having very little distribution. a media call for a lightly viewed roh show. a planted story. a planted messenger. a rehearsed answer. a pr flack probably wrote it. tony khan performs hurt. tony khan says “i don’t know why wwe would…” tony khan denies the obvious. tony khan keeps me minimized. tony khan removes me from the public conversation about the exact thing i have repeatedly said is going to happen to aew. everyone is supposed to pretend this is organic. it is not. it is the most bubble wrapped, manufactured, artificial environment possible. aew is heading toward youtube because the domestic media rights board is closing around them. not as a troll. not as a bit. not as “pr spin.” as a business conclusion. aew is not leverage. wwe is not afraid of aew. the $185 million number was bullshit. the buyer universe was shrinking. paramount / skydance was coming for wbd. wbd was not going to be some permanent aew safe house. youtube was only ever a real “option” if someone at google was actually cutting a media rights check and underwriting production. not because every divorced mom with a ring light and a gmail account can upload video to the same platform. that was always the distinction. that is still the distinction. Nick LoPiccolo — February 28, 2025 “YouTube is an option the same way you or I could start a YT channel tomorrow. Is Jon Cruz cutting AEW a media rights check or underwriting a production budget? Hell no. Just the reality. It isn’t the model. Jon is global head of sports over there.” that was february, not last week. not after dave meltzer suddenly discovered youtube prelim numbers like columbus finding the new world. it is becoming inevitable now. Nick LoPiccolo — April 30, 2026 — 11:26 AM — 251.2K Views “to every journalist and every podcast who interviews tony khan from this day forward: please ask tony if wbd told him back in august they would not be renewing aew. wbd told him in august. i confirmed it directly and triple sourced it. please ask why tony has been acting like nothing is wrong for the last 8 months, and then please ask tony what his actual distribution plan is. because the only distributor left that will take aew is google/youtube. the myaew app is not realistic. the my aewapp is a death sentence in 2026 if youtube doesn’t make an mg deal for aew. they started building it too late and there is no realistic way to scale it. also, who is going to sell ads for the platform? kiswe is not the best. they built the myaew app. they are new to the game. hold tony’s feet to the fire. Paramount is not real for aew. WBD passed back in August. CW/Roku is now off the table. Amazon and Fox do not want AEW. ask Tony why he's been lying to you and to the locker room and to the fans, acting like things are all great with the network? i am sure a lot of people would love to hear his answer.” april 30. 251.2k views. not whispered. not hidden. not vague. not “high level wwe officials.” i said it publicly and directly: wbd passed back in august. paramount is not real for aew. cw / roku is off the table. amazon and fox do not want aew. the myaew app is not realistic. google / youtube is the only distributor left on the board that makes sense. that is the actual story tony khan does not want to answer. not “why would wwe say this?” ask tony khan if wbd told him in august that wbd would not be renewing aew. ask what his actual distribution plan is. ask who is selling ads for the myaew app. ask how a platform built this late scales in 2026. ask whether youtube is an actual rights partner with an mg, or just the place you go when the real buyers are gone. that is the question. not the fake question dave meltzer laundered into “high level wwe officials.” the real question. Nick LoPiccolo — July 9, 2025 — 10:51 AM — 9,565 Views “No one in Hollywood believes the $185 million number.” Nick LoPiccolo — July 9, 2025 — 11:35 AM — 7,470 Views “The $185 million figure is inflated. Variety’s October 2, 2024 article was likely updated after a publicist called on AEW’s behalf, as early reports placed the deal between $140 and $150 million per year. Tony Khan was also included in Variety’s Dealmakers 2024 list, which, while not officially pay to play, strongly favors those spending significant advertising dollars with the outlet. No one in Hollywood seriously believes WBD, which is in junk bond status, is paying AEW $185 million per year. Clear enough?” clear enough? the number was never clean. the number was never real in the way aew fans and wrestling media pretended it was real. and when the $185 million number started getting laughed out of adult rooms, the number magically became $178 million. that is where the shell game gets funny. because $178 million was not some sacred sourced number either. it was brandon thurston taking the median between $170 million, reported by sports business journal, and $185 million, reported by variety and others. that is literally what wrestlenomics said. Wrestlenomics — October 4, 2024 “Why use $178 million here for AEW’s new deal when some outlets are reporting the average annual value is $185 million?” Wrestlenomics — October 4, 2024 “I used $178 million here because it is simply the median of $170 million, as reported by Sports Business Journal, and $185 million, reported by Variety and others.” there it is. arithmetic. not an all-cash rights fee. not a clean license number. not proof wbd valued aew like raw. not a finance-department document from warner bros. discovery. a midpoint between conflicting public reports. then wrestling media treated that midpoint like scripture because they needed the story to be “aew is valued like raw,” not “aew pr inflated a number no serious person in hollywood believed.” and by the way, $170 million was not the clean all-cash number either. that is the scam. float the number. repeat the number. launder the number. defend the number with people who do not understand the difference between cash rights fees, in-kind services, equity, marketing commitments, platform value, make-goods, ad inventory, and press release math. then when the number collapses, pretend the next number was always the number. that is not reporting. that is aew state news. Nick LoPiccolo — July 10, 2025 — 5:53 AM — 12.6K Views “AEW isn’t leverage. It’s not competition. It’s a niche product with loud fans and limited reach.” Nick LoPiccolo — July 10, 2025 — 8:56 AM — 1,018 Views “We handle wrestling deals too, but thinking we need AEW for leverage is myopic. The landscape is changing and the game I’m playing is different.” Nick LoPiccolo — July 15, 2025 — 25.7K Views “AEW isn’t leverage.” that was never emotional. that was never tribal. that was never “i hate aew.” it was market structure. wwe did not need aew as leverage because real leverage was never “another wrestling show exists.” real leverage is architecture, scale, subscriber churn, platform strategy, sports adjacency, global rights, advertising, sponsorship, live inventory, library value, data, brand safety, executive relationships, and the actual buyer universe of maybe 18-20 companies in the united states that matter for live sports rights. aew fans thought this was a wrestling argument. it was never a wrestling argument. it was a board. and the board was already moving. Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 482 Views “I wasn’t viewing the above in that context (TKO vs AEW counter programming), it was more of this is what I’m hearing after 2 weeks of big media deals rolling out (Skydance closing, South Park library moving) etc. Which have all been in the works for awhile.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 388 Views “But if you were to look at it from a counter programming perspective (and I don’t think this was a factor in UFC deal) - there are only so many players for these big media rights deals. PARA is likely off the board (via TKO deal) & then what if they acquire WB in 2026/27?” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 535 Views “Yes, of course, that wouldn’t mean the end for AEW. It would make navigating their media rights deal more challenging, I would guess. But this is a hypothetical scenario & I do not believe anyone is paying $7.7b for UFC or a $40b valuation for WB w/ how do we fuck AEW, either.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 “And hearing all weekend Paramount is still interested in WBD.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 1.3K Views “I think more interesting for what it could mean as the dominoes keep falling in terms of the still evolving landscape. The deals are massive & the number of major players at the top are shrinking as still big push for consolidation & scale.” Nick LoPiccolo — August 11, 2025 — 12:11 PM — 2,588 Views “And I’d view AAA on Google/YouTube as directly competitive. It targets both the CMLL collab & the audience that used to watch AEW Dark on YouTube, & WWE is able to send well known stars to AAA events with an eye towards converting more of the younger, YouTube demo of viewers who don’t watch streamers.” again: august 11. not yesterday. not after dave meltzer tweeted a netflix prelim number. not after anyone had to retrofit the argument. the point was already there: the major players at the top were shrinking, paramount was still interested in wbd, paramount was likely off the board for aew because of the tko deal, google / youtube was becoming directly competitive for the exact audience aew used to reach through dark, and the buyer universe was consolidating around deals much bigger than tony khan’s feelings. this was not mysticism. this was not inside baseball for the sake of sounding smart. this was the board. Nick LoPiccolo — August 24, 2025 “This isn’t fair. I misread your question. AEW will exist but likely on the Discovery Global app (if it ever launches, I would bet that it doesn’t) and it will continue to do consistent ratings. If Paramount/Skydance buys WBD in a year…” Nick LoPiccolo — September 4, 2025 — 76 Views “No, that’s the WBD network division (cable, news, sports) that was already announced as being spun off under Discovery Global. The article you’re citing is about them selling a minority equity stake in that unit to cut debt and boost valuation ahead of the 2026 split.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 16, 2025 — 3.6K Views “This is not just about Hollywood scale. It is the foundation of a conservative aligned media infrastructure. A Paramount/WBD merger would fold CBS, CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros IP into Ellison’s orbit under Trump’s regulatory umbrella.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 16, 2025 — 11K Views “Within 48 hours of the rumor, WBD stock surged ~55% and Paramount Skydance rose ~24%. That market response itself boxed David Zaslav in; his board, Wall Street, and his own contract now expect movement.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 27, 2025 — 12:16 PM — 3,516 Views “Nah homie. Enjoy watching the show on YouTube after Ellison buys WBD and Ari who is advising Ellison and used to represent Trump and runs TKO makes the call.” Nick LoPiccolo — September 28, 2025 — 174 Views “I believe if and when Paramount acquires WBD, TKO will push to lock down a monopoly on combat sports. The long knives are already out for competitors, and the rights deals have likely been spread around town precisely to keep rivals from signing with those streamers.” none of that was random. paramount / skydance, ellison, ari, tko, wbd linear assets, youtube, aaa, the tko deal, the wbd split, the shrinking rights buyer universe — all of it was one connected domestic rights architecture. that is why this conversation was always over the heads of the people screaming “cope” in my replies. they were arguing like fans. i was reading the cap table. Nick LoPiccolo — December 6, 2025 — 3:07 PM — 41.4K Views “Yes, I always believed Paramount would walk away with WBD. I was one of the first to talk about it on here, even if I wasn’t the first to hear it. The Paramount Skydance acquisition closed on August 7. I posted this on August 11, about 1 month before the The Wall Street Journal first broke the news on September 12 that Paramount Skydance was preparing a bid for WBD.” Nick LoPiccolo — December 6, 2025 — 3:07 PM — 41.4K Views “The bid was always going to be hostile. We are only in this process because it was a hostile bid. Most people in Hollywood believed Ellison long coveted WB and Jack Warner’s chair. WB was not for sale when Skydance acquired Paramount, which is much smaller in scale.” Nick LoPiccolo — December 6, 2025 — 3:07 PM — 41.4K Views “Nearly everyone in town assumed an Ellison acquisition of WBD was inevitable until the Netflix bid shocked everyone. Signs were there for the last two weeks, which is also when I stopped posting about what might happen. Of course, its not over yet. Paramount still has paths to winning this acquisition. The one thing that’s for certain though is an Ellison-led acquisition of WBD is no longer inevitable.” Nick LoPiccolo — December 8, 2025 “END CREDITS” space jam is a warner bros. movie. that was the joke. and the joke was the same thing i had been saying the whole time: paramount was winning the bid, for those who did not understand. Nick LoPiccolo — December 19, 2025 — 4:30 PM — 828 Views “Here is another reference to it. So tell me how exactly is Paramount the better outcome for Dave’s argument? Netflix doesn’t touch the WBD linear assets. Gunnar keeps his SpinCo.” Puck excerpt — December 19, 2025 “Many industry insiders are also skeptical about Paramount’s seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for exclusive UFC rights in the U.S. Yes, it can be read as a signal that Ellison came to play. But some people see it more as Ari Emanuel having his way with the person to whom he is ostensibly an (unpaid) advisor…” that is the board. that is the relationship map. that is the thing wrestling media either does not understand or pretends not to understand, because understanding it means admitting the story is not “aew has leverage.” the story is that aew is sitting in the middle of a consolidating rights marketplace where the people with leverage are doing much bigger things than worrying about tony khan’s feelings. Nick LoPiccolo — January 21, 2026 — 4:22 PM — 870 Views “i mean get ready to learn youtube buddy” Nick LoPiccolo — February 19, 2026 — 2.8K Views “Paramount was always my bet to acquire Warner Bros. Never wavered.” Nick LoPiccolo — February 28, 2026 — 1:27 PM — 118 Views “you don’t need to look under a hood I AM SAYING THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 I BEEN SAYING IT SINCE JULY / AUGUST 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 PARAMOUNT IS COMING FOR WBD AEW WILL LOSE A TV DEAL 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT 💀” so no, this is not hindsight. this is not showing up after the fact with a flashlight and pretending i discovered the body. this is a paper trail. february: youtube is not a real rights model unless google is cutting the check. april: wbd passed back in august, the myaew app is not realistic, paramount is not real for aew, cw / roku is off the table, amazon and fox do not want aew, and google / youtube is the only distributor left that makes sense. july: the $185 million number is inflated and aew is not leverage. august: the buyer board is shrinking, paramount is still interested in wbd, and google / youtube becomes directly competitive. september: paramount / wbd folds the board into ellison’s orbit, and if ellison buys wbd, enjoy youtube. december: paramount was always the bet, the bid was always going to be hostile, and netflix does not solve dave meltzer’s argument because netflix does not touch the linear assets. january: get ready to learn youtube. february: paramount is coming for wbd and aew will lose a tv deal. same board. same thesis. same answer. now here is the part tony khan and dave meltzer do not want to say out loud. tony khan and dave meltzer do not mention me publicly for a reason. because the second they say my name out loud, they admit where this conversation has actually been coming from. not wwe. not some anonymous “high level official.” not some shadowy tko whisper campaign. me. that is the problem for them. behind the scenes, ask any real insider what happens when my name comes up around this subject. there is a reaction. not because i’m magic. not because i’m some internet boogeyman. because they know exactly who is saying it, why i’m saying it, what rooms i have been in, what companies i have dealt with, what executives i have spoken to, and why the analysis keeps landing. that is why they keep trying to non-person me publicly while reacting to me privately. they want the argument. they want the benefit of responding to the argument. they just do not want to admit whose argument it is. when i said wbd told aew back in august 2025 they were not exercising the option for the fourth year, tony khan blew up behind the scenes and forced john mcmullen to revise / update his article 2-3 weeks ago after i tweeted it. which is hilarious because that should not even be crazy or damaging “news.” that is how this business works. when a distributor is not continuing, they tell you early enough so you have time to find a new home. that is not sabotage. that is not wwe. that is not nick lopiccolo hiding inside david zaslav’s air vents with a clipboard. that is corporate courtesy. wbd execs privately whisper and shake their heads at tony khan’s behavior because their view is very simple: why does tony khan act like everything is great and rainbows and sunshine with the studio? we told tony khan as a courtesy so tony khan would have time to find a new home. and no, this has zero to do with paramount looming as an excuse. paramount did not even make its first hostile bid for wbd until september 11 or 12. that was after tony khan was already told there would not be a wbd renewal. so what did tony khan do? tony khan turned the truth into a wrestling angle. tony khan, or one of tony khan’s minions, gets dave meltzer to drop a story assigning my claims and what i have been publicly posting about tony khan to “high level wwe officials.” why? because it gives tony khan a safer enemy. tony khan does not want the story to be the actual timeline. because the actual timeline is brutal. on february 28, i said youtube was not a real media rights model unless google was actually cutting the check and underwriting production. on april 30, i said wbd passed in august, the myaew app was not realistic, paramount was not real for aew, cw / roku was off the table, amazon and fox did not want aew, and the only distributor left that made sense was google / youtube. on july 9, i said no one in hollywood believed the $185 million number. on july 10, i said aew was not leverage. on august 11, i said the major players at the top were shrinking, paramount was still interested in wbd, and google / youtube was becoming a directly competitive lane. on september 16, i said a paramount / wbd merger would fold cbs, cnn, hbo, and warner bros. ip into ellison’s orbit. on september 27, i said enjoy the show on youtube after ellison buys wbd. on september 28, i said if paramount acquires wbd, tko would push to lock down a monopoly on combat sports. on december 6, i said paramount skydance was preparing a bid for wbd long before most people admitted the obvious. on february 19, i said paramount was always my bet to acquire warner bros. and on february 28, i said it in all caps: paramount is coming for wbd. aew will lose a tv deal. that is the part tony khan cannot answer directly, because the direct answer means admitting this was never “wwe is scared of us.” it was always the board closing. tony khan wants the story to be: why would wwe say this about us? that is the laundering operation. take my public analysis. run it through dave meltzer. assign it to wwe / tko. then let tony khan answer a canned question on a media call with very little distribution about potentially having very little distribution. a media call for a show with very little distribution answering a canned question about aew potentially having very little distribution. based on a planted story, from a planted messenger, with a rehearsed answer, after an roh show maybe 8-15k people watched. a pr flack probably wrote it. tony khan performs hurt. tony khan says “i don’t know why wwe would…” tony khan denies the obvious. tony khan keeps me minimized. tony khan removes me from the public conversation about the very thing i have repeatedly said is going to happen to aew. everyone is supposed to pretend this is organic. it is the most bubble wrapped, manufactured, artificial environment possible. a canned and rehearsed answer at an roh media scrum about a planted dave meltzer story based on my very real and very public analysis of the media rights board. but make no mistake. tony khan was responding to my words. tony khan just laundered them through dave meltzer and assigned them to wwe / tko so tony khan could keep lying about it publicly without ever saying my name. and now, voila. dave meltzer is posting about youtube viewers and prelims. Dave Meltzer — May 16, 2026 “At this moment there are 340,000 people watching prelims for Netflix on YouTube. It’s a good number.” yes, dave meltzer. youtube can have good numbers. nobody said youtube cannot have good numbers. that was never the issue. the issue is whether youtube is being used as a funnel into a premium rights ecosystem or as a substitute because the premium rights ecosystem rejected you. that is the difference. that has always been the difference. netflix using youtube prelims as audience acquisition is not the same thing as aew trying to spin youtube as a media rights home because the real buyers are gone. ufc using youtube as a funnel is not the same thing as aew using youtube as a life raft. wwe sending stars to aaa on youtube to convert a younger demo is not the same thing as aew retreating to youtube after the traditional buyer board closes. and the fact that dave meltzer is now suddenly tweeting like the mayor of youtube is the punchline. because the same people who mocked the youtube outcome are now going to spend the next several months explaining why youtube is actually good. of course it can be good. for the right use case. for the right property. inside the right architecture. with the right check attached. but when you spend two years telling everyone you were valued like raw and your next stop is “please subscribe and smash that bell,” maybe stop pretending this is victory formation? i told y’all where this was going. the record is right there. i’m still right. and tony and dave: you guys are see through translucent. that’s it for ye 🎤🎤🎤

Nick LoPiccolo

99,106 views • 2 months ago