’ve told you about some of the alarming policies the liberal Democrats are pushing with their election scheme.
But I’m afraid to tell you there’s more….
All of these schemes are part of the liberal Democrats’ grand design to uproot America’s election system. Tomorrow, they will take their next step by voting for H.R. 1 in the House. They want to put the federal government’s bureaucracy to work, helping protect and re-elect the D.C. swamp.
Don’t let the liberals in Congress get away with this >>
They want to uproot the elections in order to take over our country. And they are lying to the American people about their bill.
Your vote matters. You can help us expose this this scheme for what it is with a gift to Heritage Action.
Thank you.
Tim Chapman
Executive Director
Heritage Action for America
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With March Madness just under a week away, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its March Madness Stats & Facts infographic as well as its report on 2019’s Best Cities for College Basketball Fans and accompanying videos to help get hoops lovers psyched for this magical time of year.
To find 2019’s top spots for NCAA hoops, WalletHub crunched the numbers on more than 280 cities using nine key metrics. They range from the number of teams per city and the winning percentage of each to stadium capacity and social-media engagement.
Best Cities for College Hoops Fans
Worst Cities for College Hoops Fans
1
Lawrence, KS
280
Bethlehem, PA
2
Durham, NC
281
Huntsville, AL
3
Los Angeles, CA
282
Cookeville, TN
4
East Lansing, MI
283
Jersey City, NJ
5
Chapel Hill, NC
284
Minneapolis, MN
6
Storrs, CT
285
Hackensack, NJ
7
Philadelphia, PA
287
Montgomery, AL
8
Lexington, KY
287
Daytona Beach, FL
9
Fayette, MS
288
Pocatello, ID
10
Loretto, PA
289
New Britain, CT
Best vs. Worst
To read the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit:
http://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-college-basketball/32944/
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In The Big Picture, Is Streaming
Bad News For Hollywood?
A Netflix Film’s Big Night At The Oscars Magnified
How Streaming Disrupts Modern-Media Consumption, Author Says
Streaming is taking America by storm – and it’s even taking home Oscars.
Nearly 60 percent of Americans have some form of streaming service, and over half of U.S. streamers subscribe to Netflix. As streaming dramatically changes the media habits of Americans, its disruption of an American tradition – Hollywood filmmaking and the Academy Awards – is making waves.
Iconic film director Steven Spielberg is pushing for a rule change that would prevent Netflix from duplicating the statues it got in February in next year’s Academy Awards. The Netflix film “Roma” took home three Oscars. To do that, it met existing Academy rules while simultaneously putting the movie out on its worldwide streaming platform.
Spielberg and others say the industry’s highest honors have always been a competition among studios that make movies for theatrical release.
“Most studios don’t have a platform that enables instantaneous, worldwide release,” says author Meredith Jordan, whose book, Below The Line: Anatomy of a Successful Movie, provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at the making of an A-list Hollywood film. “The issue isn’t whether Netflix can compete as a studio. It just needs to compete as a studio, without using the tools of its larger streaming business.”
Currently, Academy rules stipulate that a movie needs seven consecutive days in theatrical release in either New York or Los Angeles to qualify for award consideration. Spielberg reportedly seeks a change that would require a one-month theatrical release.
“It’s not unreasonable to think about streaming in the context of what happened when television went mass market,” Jordan said. “If this were 1975, ‘Roma’ would be a truly outstanding made-for-TV movie being put on one of the major networks while also going into theaters for a couple of weeks, and then qualifying for competition as a feature.
“The Academy periodically updates its rules to address cultural shifts, most recently in 2012,” she said. “This is one of those times.”
Jordan says streaming’s disruptive impact on Hollywood and modern media in general comes down to three main factors:
Building massive scale in subscribers and content. Netflix is rapidly approaching 150 million subscribers. Continually increasing capital allows Netflix to create tons of content. Last year, Netflix reportedly spent over $10 billion on new content. “They say ‘Roma’ cost $15 million to make and Netflix spent more than three times that advertising ‘Roma’ for the Oscars,” Jordan said. “Most studios use traditional marketing and distribution methods, and then later make additional advertising spends to promote a movie in contention.”
Luring big stars. “Netflix is playing a different game,” Jordan says. “It’s outbidding studios for top talent. While it doesn’t provide the back-end perks of traditional studio deals, Netflix replaces those with generous upfront payments.” In 2018, Netflix’s original films included starring roles by Will Smith, Sandra Bullock, and Jennifer Aniston.
Having distribution control. A subscriber-based business model at a relatively low fee has been a huge key to Netflix’s and other streamers’ success, providing what industry observes say is better customer value than TV or cable. “By owning the direct relationship between customer and content, Netflix and other subscription-based streamers have a big advantage over TV, which is predicated on advertising,” Jordan says. “That’s something studios don’t have. Netflix is making movies as a studio and then using its role as a platform to promote those efforts. That isn’t fair, at least not for the Oscars.”
“Streaming had already put most of the media incumbents – Hollywood, TV and cable – into a state of chaos,” Jordan says. “The Oscars – a very big stage – amplified that.”
About Meredith Jordan
Meredith Jordan (http://www.belowthelinebook.com) is the author of Below The Line: Anatomy of a Successful Movie. Jordan, who had the rare experience of being an embedded journalist for an entire Hollywood feature, chronicled the behind-the-scenes happenings in the making of Last Vegas. An award-winning reporter, Jordan worked for East Coast news organizations for 25 years, including Dow Jones & Co., Cox Communications and National Geographic.
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Our Green New Deal
By Samantha M., age 12, and Angelica Perkins, age 17
527 words
On Friday, February 22, 2019, Sunrise Bay Area, Youth Vs. Apocalypse and Earth Guardians Bay Area Crew gathered together for a rally held outside of Senator Feinstein's office in San Francisco in an attempt to persuade her to vote yes on the Green New Deal.
We attended the rally at Feinstein’s to show support and help in whatever ways we could as this movement is one that matters to us and our future-- we hadn’t planned to talk with Feinstein directly. In spite of this, when the opportunity presented itself YVA and Earth Guardians accepted gladly and were more than excited when we learned that we would actually be allowed into her office to speak to her personally. For us at least, this excitement turned quickly into fear as our peers and Senator Feinstein began to converse.
This fear was not because we felt that we were being “Taught a lesson” or “Told off”. It was because we could see ourselves talking to our future grandchildren about what breathable air used to be like. We could see workers in impoverished communities whose children’s lives depended on risking their own. We were afraid because, at that moment, we could see the world around us shrinking - becoming something small and unimportant, and with it so did we.
However, we only felt this way. As we sit here and write this piece, we know that we are not small and we are definitely not unimportant. Our words speak for all youth, as we demand a future. And that future will only be possible through the Green New Deal. Because as we advocate for the Green New Deal, we are also advocating for the future of our Earth and all of its inhabitants. A promised future. The future we deserve. Because the adults that decide our future, got theirs. So who are they to cancel ours?
We are not fighting for the Green New Deal because we are brainwashed youth or because we are being manipulated and used for political gain. We fight for the Green New Deal because we are in charge of our future, and know exactly what it means. It lies in our hands, only ours. It is our future, whether or not elected officials like that and the only way to protect what belongs to us is through bold and transformative action.
We cannot separate ourselves from all the animals, plants and all other life because we are all interconnected. We are all affected by the destructive aftermath of climate change. Just because we are human, it does not negate the fact that we are also in danger because of our actions. We are in also in danger from inequality and lack of economic opportunity. We can’t leave behind anyone.
That is why we believe in the Green New Deal, and we know what the Green New Deal is. We have read it and we understand it because we know exactly what we have to do to secure our future. Youth have a right to be in this conversation because in the long run, this is more than a debate. It is our life and future.
—30—
Samantha and Angelica write for PeaceVoice, are Oakland students and members of the youth-led climate justice group, Youth Vs. Apocalypse. To contact their adult advisor: carolyn@350bayarea.org
