Updated: 7:52p.m.

Three members of the Sixers organization have tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced Thursday.

The team released the following statement:

The Philadelphia 76ers, in consultation with medical experts and the NBA, received the recommendation that certain individuals from the organization, including players, coaches and specific basketball operations support staff, be tested for COVID-19. The tests were secured and processed privately.

Threeindividuals have received positive test results for COVID-19. All other tests results are currently negative. We have reported this information to state and local health authorities as required.

Pursuant to CDC guidelines, the individuals are in self-isolation and will be monitored closely by medical professionals.

The health of our players, staff, fans and community is paramount, and we continue to be guided by medical experts at this time.

We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the public health and medical communities for their tireless efforts during these challenging times, as well as to our fans and partners for their support.

A team official told NBC Sports Philadelphia last Thursday that players, coaches and select support staff had been advised to start a temporary self-quarantine.

NBA team facilities will reportedly be closed to players and stuff beginning Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic, while players wont be allowed to travel outside of North America.

In addition to the three members of the Sixers organization, the Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert andDonovan Mitchell, the Pistons' Christian Wood, Kevin Durant and three other Nets players, the Celtics' Marcus Smart,and a member of the Nuggets organization have tested positive for the coronavirus. Two Lakers players have also tested positive,according toShams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The 2019-20 regular season was suspended last Wednesday night minutes after the Sixers win over the Pistons at Wells Fargo Center.

We have great leadership in the NBA, GM Elton Brand Brand said at the time. Its important that the fans, players, coaching staff, our staff here at the Sixers remain healthy. Were doing everything we can. We believe in the leadership of the league.

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Were all probably going to remember where we were and what we were doing last Wednesday night, when the NBA season stopped minutes after the Sixers beat the Pistons at Wells Fargo Center.

Center Kyle OQuinn shared his experience in a piece in The Players Tribune, recalling how he received the news that the 2019-20 regular season was suspended.

We hadjustfinished playing when the decision came down, OQuinn writes. "This coronavirus is a little more serious than we thought, someone on our staff said as we walked off the court. Well give you a call later tonight and let you know the details. When guys started showering, the p.r. people and [Elton Brand] came in and [were] like, Uhh, we have an update now. The seasons cancelled.

While the season isnt cancelled, OQuinn, his teammates and fans have nobasketball to keep them occupied because of the coronavirus pandemic. Three members of the Sixers organization have tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced Thursday. In the NBA, the Utah Jazzs Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the Pistons Christian Wood, the Celtics Marcus Smart, Kevin Durant and three other Nets players, and a member of the Nuggets organization have also tested positive.

OQuinn explained that hes been directed to stay in Philadelphia for the time being.

Just for the safety of my family, I stayed with the team, he writes. The team said theyll direct us on the moves we can make as they know more. So I wish I could run home to my family, but I cant.

As the league waits and determines what might be next, OQuinn said hes become a professional YouTube watcher. Hes been watching some of his own highlightsincluding when his 15-seeded Norfolk State team upset No. 2 Missouri in the 2012 NCAA Tournament cooking, doing yoga and reading. OQuinn has asked himself what hed do if basketball was permanently taken away.

Its a new level of self-awareness, he writes.

Hes also thought about what things might look like if the season does resume, as well as how hed feel if it doesnt.

Were we forming a championship team, or would we have fallen short?Thats the biggest cliff-hanger for me if the season doesnt come back and theres a chance Ill never know. It felt like we had really turned a corner and were getting everyone back healthy. Damn. Maybe its better not to think about it. But Ihaveto think about it because that was our goal in the preseason, right?

OQuinn ends the piece with a message separate from basketball.

At the end of the day, none of that matters anymore, he writes. It starts with one person at a time. Talk to your kids, and let them know the importance of hygiene. Just take care of one person at a time, one household at a time, and hopefully, well get through this together.

Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.

The Allen Iverson Experience was captivating regardless of the medium live on television, in the newspaper the next morning, hearing from teachers about the West Coast game that went past your bed time.

But it was best in person, no question.

I was there on Feb. 12, 2005, when Iverson scored a career-high 60 points in a Sixers win over the Magic. The victory improved them to 25-26 in a season that would ultimately end with a first-round loss to the Pistons, but those are the kind of boring details you have to look up years later.

It was all about Iverson, as it tended to be during those years. I remember, as a 10-year-old kid,trying to do the math throughout the night of how many points he was on pace for. As Iverson kept flying down the floor with the baggy shorts of that era flapping around his knees, bouncing off big bodies and knocking down free throws, I had to keep recalibrating.

The subplots and opposing players and emotions from when I was around that age have stuck with me. During the 2002-03 playoffs, I was fascinated by the Hornets gargantuan Robert Tractor Traylor and the Pistons lanky Tayshaun Prince. I watched Ben Wallace take free throws hours before tip-off and attempted to decipher how an All-Star could be so poor at one part of the game.

The Sixers lost Game 6 of their second-round series against the Pistons in overtime in that 2002-03 season. Iverson couldnt get a shot off at the end of regulation, Chauncey Billups was clutch in OT, and I got a good-natured speech from a random fan as we walked out of the arena. He said what I'd just witnessed being so close, building hope, failing at the decisive moment was what I should expect as a Philly sports fan.

I dont remember the exact words, but the gist of it was memorable. It felt like Id shown a willingness to suffer and deserved the truth, and that was oddly comforting believe me, the guy was actually very kind. I was hooked on the idea of being thereas much as I could, whatever the circumstances.

Heading into that 2005 game vs. the Magic, I wondered how Jameer Nelson would fare against Iverson. This was Nelsons second game back in Philadelphia after four decorated years at St. Joes, and though I understood he was a rookie and a bench player Orlando started Steve Francis, who scored 32 points I was excited about the minutes when Iverson and Nelson would match up.

With all due respect to Nelson, who finished with 10 points and eight assists, he ended the night as just another guy who tried very hard to stop Iverson and couldnt.

Consulting the box score and highlights now, I could give you more detailed analysis. Only six of Iversons 60 points came from three-point territory. A 23-year-old Kyle Korver made the Sixers only two other threes and was establishing himself as an elite specialist and draft-night steal. Korver, Andre Iguodala and Dwight Howard are the only players from that game still currently active in the NBA.

Sixers head coach Jim OBrien used just three bench players Willie Green (now an assistant coach with the Suns), Aaron McKie (Temple head coach) and Marc Jackson (NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst). Its interesting to see how much the NBA has changed in 15 years, and to track the paths of everyone who was part of the game.

Thats all secondary, though. There was a single-mindedness to the whole night that was thrilling, and its the thing Im least likely to forget. Everyone staring up at the big screen after a free throw to track Iversons pointtotal, everyone wanting him to have the ball in his hands and knowing he would, everyone grateful they were there and unconcerned with the game, the season and life outside of sports.

Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.

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3 members of Sixers organization test positive for coronavirus - NBC Sports Philadelphia

In what might be considered a golden age of content, the true crime genre stands out as one that is consistently captivating audiences in every dark corner of the cultural landscape.

A harrowing, vivid story like Dirty John, can go from the pages of a newspaper, to a podcast, to a scripted dramatic TV series. It seems like there is a new look at the Ted Bundy story every six months. And dozens of podcasts, with names like Serial, Crime Junkie and True Crime Garage pepper the top-rated lists.

With so much to choose from, we asked critics, editors and audio producers at The New York Times to give their all-time favorites.

When somebody first recommended The Adversary to me, I recoiled. The story of how a French doctor named Jean-Claude Romand murdered his wife, their two young children and his parents sounded like something I never wanted to hear of, much less consider at length. But like all of Emmanuel Carrres books, this one loops in on itself and is fueled by a relentless self-awareness. He illuminates his awful subject matter with a kind of stunned lucidity, peeling back layer upon layer of Romands deceptions without trying to make him sound more intriguing or less self-pitying than he is. Writing a book like this is like navigating a thicket made entirely of trip wires, but whenever you fear that Carrre might get voyeuristic, or indulgent, or pretentious or maudlin, he surprises you.

I like true crime documentaries best when theyre about more than the crimes, and boy, was that true of the six-hour Netflix series Wild Wild Country. Yes, the story of the clash between the followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the locals of the rural Oregon area where the Rajneeshees built a settlement had guns, poison and attempted assassination. But it was also a remarkable character study of a culture clash between insiders and outsiders, and between very different conceptions of community and liberty.

One of the books I most admire in the genre is Robert Kolkers Lost Girls (the basis for the new movie starring Amy Ryan). Its a case that has baffled investigators for almost a decade: the discovery of the bodies of five slain women in a secluded oceanfront community in Long Island. All of them were sex workers, and many of their disappearances had been treated cavalierly by police. Kolker recreates the lives of these women, and their families in all their richness and struggle with meticulous research, sensitivity and deep humanity.

When I was growing up in Minnesota in the 1980s and 90s, a boy close to my age named Jacob Wetterling went missing in a nearby town. That story became major national news that changed the conversation on stranger danger.

Its a pretty sensational and titillating story, so when the podcast In the Dark started to cover it, there was the strong chance that the show would do what others did: dramatize the worst moments of these peoples life for entertainment. But then I listened to it, and I immediately realized that, instead of voyeurism, this team of amazing reporters was asking important questions of the people in power, and helping us understand the systems that keep those people from accountability.

While a lot of true crime focuses on the tragedy and victimhood, In the Dark punches up. In the first season, it questions why sheriffs have little accountability, and how to understand a clearance rate and good police work. In the second, the team did staggering reporting over nearly a year and asked important questions about the authority and bias of a district attorney. That reporting led to a decision by the United States Supreme Court, and changed a community.

I love a book called People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up, by Richard Lloyd Parry, a foreign correspondent who lived in Japan for many years. His examination of the disappearance and murder of a young English woman a British Airways flight attendant-turned-hostess is a deep, detailed dive into Japanese culture as well as an absolutely harrowing true crime story.

The 1970s might be the golden age of Hollywood true crime movies, and its hard to pick just one. Or maybe its easy, since one of the decades best movies deals with what might be its most consequential crime: the Watergate break-in. So even though some pedants might argue that its really a newspaper picture, Ill insist on All the Presidents Men.

With The Executioners Song, Norman Mailer seemed to cram all of America into this sprawling book about the life and death of the murderer Gary Gilmore. He became internationally famous after he demanded that the state of Utah, where he killed two people, put him to death. The book, which won a Pulitzer Prize, is awesome in its sweep, power and (for Mailer) plain-spoken humanity.

I tend to say Im allergic to true crime podcasts despite their ubiquity and my love of the medium because they so often center on violence against women. And while I can proudly rattle off a laundry list of true crime podcasts that have nothing to do with murder (Drilled, Odd Ball and The Dropout are at top of mind), I find it telling that the only true crime podcast I recommend without caveat to all listeners is Bear Brook from New Hampshire Public Radio. Yes, the subject is lethal violence against women. Yet this locally made show unfolds in a tender way that doesnt come across as objectifying, and manages to build the twists and turns in a way that doesnt feel exploitative. I usually fatigue of true crime podcasts after two episodes, but I couldnt turn this one off until I had binged it all.

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True Crime Favorites From New York Times Critics and Staff - The New York Times

Theres no sports on right now, which means you can devote much of your TV watching time to the home renovating splendors of HGTV. While HGTV shows all pretty much have the same premise someone renovates a home or someone buys a home they are not all created equal. Some are far, far superior and others force you to actually turn off the TV and pick up a damn book.

Before we really get into which ones are good and which ones will fill you with rage for the entire human race, a few notes on the rankings. One, yes, Im aware none of these shows are totally truthful, but that doesnt really factor into the rankings. What matters is the semblance of veracity, not what is actually real. Two, the rankings are a mixed bag of home improvement shows and home buying shows, even though theyre totally different viewing experiences. Lastly, shows are judged on a mix of how engaging the hosts are, the quality of the design work (where applicable) and the likeability of the home owners/buyers.

With that in mind, heres a ranking of HGTVs most popular shows, from Fixer Upper to House Hunters International.

Premise: Tarek and Christina flip homes in southern California Grade: F + Theres something gross about watching people pick apart foreclosed homes in Southern California and then flip them to make a personal monetary killing. Flip or Flop has always been too stressful for me to enjoy and focuses too much on the real estate market to be a real escape. Plus, the chemistry between Christina and Tarek always felt forced, even before their divorce. Now its just a grating experience in watching two people who barely tolerate each other try to salvage their business.

Premise: People look for tiny homes Grade: D+ This is the HGTV version of having a friend suddenly announce, Oh, by the way, Im vegan now.

One of the worst, most aggravating HGTV shows to air, only because of how unlikable the home buyers are. Most of these tiny homes are little marvels of design, but every single episode has at least one person saying, Umm, it feels a little tight in here, which immediately leads to me wanting to throw something at the TV.

The real issue with the Tiny House shows is not just that the buyers come off as insufferably smug, as if giving up square footage makes them morally superior, but that the show lacks enough self-awareness to realize that low-income families all over America have lived in tiny houses forever, simply by necessity.

Premise: Chip and Joanna Gains renovate homes in Waco, Texas Grade: D+ It pains me to give Fixer Upper an F, but Ive turned on the show and turned badly. I, like everyone else, used to love Chip and Jo. But theyve hit peak fame, and nothing makes people more insufferable than seeing their faces all over your local Target. The homes that Chip and Jo have done are undeniably beautiful, everything shiplapped to rustic, farmhouse perfection, but, now, the ubiquity of that perfection is suffocating.

When it first aired, Fixer Upper was a bit of fresh air in the HGTV landscape. Chip and Jo were undeniably charming on camera, and their obvious chemistry is what launched them to Martha Stewart levels of stardom. The entire thing has grown far, far too big, and their cultural influence is far above what it should be.

HGTV is no longer making new episodes of Fixer Upper, but even watching the old ones leaves a sour taste in my mouth now. Everything is too perfect for Chip and Jo. Their marriage is constantly perfect, their kids are always adorable, the farm house is always bathed in a golden glow, their neighbors are always friendly and never racist! It is pure artifice, from top to bottom, but trussed up to look working class and real.

Premise: Fixing up rundown historic buildings in Michigan and Minnesota Grade: C+ Sometimes I think Nicole Curtis cares too much about saving old windows. Just let it go, girl.

Premise: Mother and daughter rehab old houses Grade: C Every single new HGTV show has the same formula with a few slight variations. Its always some kind of family duo, fixing up some junker that probably shouldve just been torn down. The formula has different success rates, depending on the chemistry of the family members and Good Bones is among the better ones. The hosts are charming and personable, but the premise of whether or not someone is actually going to buy the house feels incredibly stilted. Ive never once watched an episode where they didnt actually buy the house! Design wise, its better than One of a Kind, but nowhere near as good as Property Brothers or Home Town.

Premise: Finding the perfect beach home Grade: B Dreaming about living at the beach is a favorite hobby of mine, until I remember that most ocean front properties will be underwater in a couple of decades because climate change is real. Also, the bargain portion of this title is misleading. Most of these people are paying over $300K for spaces without an ocean front view. The appeal of this show, of course, is mentally tallying up for your income and seeing if you, too, could afford to just ditch your home and job and live in a cramped condo that overlooks a parking lot.

Premise: Jonathan and Drew buy and fix up a home Grade: A There are a few Property Brothers shows now, and Jonathan and Drew have also become personalities in their own rights but have somehow managed to avoid falling into the overexposure trap like Chip and Joanna Gains. There are a lot of spin-offs, but Property Brothers: Forever Home seems to be the newest iteration. This is the exact right amount of charming host to flustered couple ratio for an HGTV show. Jonathan and Drew are capable, smart and, most importantly handsome and charming. Plus, the interiors that Jonathan (or is it Drew?) executes are always stunning.

Premise:Perspective home buyers search for the perfect house Grade: A The OG of HGTV shows, and it cant be beat. What other show invites you into the lives of domestic couples and practically begs you to rip apart their relationships? You can always tell how long a marriage is going to last by how a couple handles home shopping together. House Hunters isnt just a great HGTV show, it is one of the best and longest running reality TV shows ever. Every episode isnt just a peak into someones life but also a chance to pass judgement on all the life choices that lead them to this very particular moment. They have how many kinds? They want a pool? In upstate New York? Their budget is how much?! Of course theyre home schooling their kids! Plus, if you live in a big city where youve been priced out of the real estate market, its always nice to see you can get a single-family, three bedroom, two bath ranch somewhere in middle America for way less than your monthly rent.

Premise: People move overseas and shop for homes Grade: A+ House Hunters International is pinnacle TV viewing and hands-down the best HGTV show. The perfect mix of fabulous real estate agents (looking at you lady in Paris and dude in England), enough scenic beauty to indulge wanderlust, and compelling, but sometimes enraging home buyers. Not only can you get a glimpse of the rental market in foreign countries, but you can also sit back and judge every single American moving to Europe and complaining about how small everything is. Truly, its a gift.

Originally posted here:
HGTV shows graded and ranked, from 'Fixer Upper' to 'House Hunters International' - For The Win

Puri: In support to the Prime Ministers Janta Curfew request to be observed on 22nd March, 2020, International Sand Artist & Sand Animator Shri Manas Kumar Sahoo has created a sand animated video.

Corona Virus has been declared a pandemic and has been spreading rapidly day by day. Inorder to stop this deadly pandemic to spread further many awareness messages are being made viral. The only way to do so is Self Awareness and Self Realisation about the consequences of being affected by the Virus. One of these initiatives include the Janta Curfew which our beloved Prime Minister has requested to observe on 22nd March,2020 from morning 7 am to 9pm in the night. So let us get united and avoid going out for a day which can help stop the virus to spread & protect ourselves. Shri Manas extends his full support to this Janta Curfew through his Sand Animation and is trying his best to create awareness among people. Shri Manas requests one & all including the people from other countries as well to support this as far as possible for its success. In his Sand Animated clip he has depicted how the busiest roads & the much crowded tourist places & monuments have been seen abandoned nowadays because of this pandemic. He has given a very important message in it. The message says Support Janta Curfew, Save Self.. To create this it took him 3 long hrs.

Shri Manas on behalf of our Prime Minister requests all to extend their full support for this initiative and make it a grand success. Stay Home, Stay Healthy.

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Illustrious sand artist Manas Sahoo makes a sand animation urging people to support PM Modi's call by staying home during #JantaCurfew on March 22 -...

It turns out millennials are the worst generation after all. By now, we should all be well aware that social distancing is crucial if we wish to end the coronavirus pandemic anytime soon. Many of us have responded accordingly if not already forced to close by state mandate, bars, restaurants, and other employers have determined nipping the virus in the bud outweighs the financial cost of shutting down their businesses. Events and shows have been canceled around the world, and most schools are closed through the semester. No one is thrilled about it, but there is one group that seems to be handling the disruptions to their lives with less decorum than others: millennials.

May as well enjoy it before everything gets shut down, one spring breaker told Fox News on Tuesday. Thousands of young people in Florida continued to party this week, ignoring social distancing guidelines and warnings from public health experts. If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, Im not gonna let it stop me from partying, one spring breaker from Ohio told Reuters. Were just out here having a good time. Whatever happens, happens.

A company called Student Travel Services, specializing in helping students party over spring break, posted a photo on Instagram of a packed booze cruise on Tuesday with the caption, Our last booze cruise was yesterday. The Blackbeards Revenge Cruise took such good care of our travelers, no one had to walk the plank! LOL, right?

Those who have decided to follow directions to self-isolate are acting as though they are going through some kind of personal crisis. If you are healthy, have a steady income, and are not a parent, Im afraid I have very little sympathy for the fact you have to stay home for a few weeks. I mean, really. You will live.

Nonetheless, just two days in, I witnessed numerous posts online from people complaining of having symptoms of cabin fever. You guys know thats not a legit condition, right? You would think that we could escape the narcissism for a moment during such challenging times, but instead were seeing endless whining and overdramatic posts about the how hard it is to stay home, on top of the fact that numerous young people are simply refusing to stay away from large crowds and social gatherings.

Unfortunately, the reactions of the twenty- and thirty-somethings were not particularly shocking. The most fragile generations have managed to turn a global health and economic crisis into an opportunity for online attention-seeking. Millennials have talked ad nauseum about their mental and emotional fragility, as if somehow thats more important than the thousands of deaths due to coronavirus. One Facebook user complained that statements like our forefathers were asked to go to war, we are asked to stay on the couch feel like an attack to those with mental illnesses or other difficulties that exacerbate the problems we will all have with self-isolation, adding that self-isolation could be a dangerous situation for these people. On Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Vancouver (where I live) went mostly into lockdown, I saw people complaining online about agitation and depression due to social distancing. Im sorry, but did you think this was going to be fun? Stopping life as we know it is hard on everyone, but were all practicing social distancing because its the right thing to do.

31-year-old actress Vanessa Hudgens complained about Coachella shutting down on Instagram, griping, Till July sounds like a bunch of bullshit. Im sorry, but like, its a virus, I get it. I respect it. But at the same time, like, even if everybody gets it, like, yeah, people are gonna die. Which is terrible, but like, inevitable?

Another young woman tweeted:

Do you know what really sucks? I turn 30 in a week. For the first time in my life I was going to have a great birthdaya big birthday is one thing you cant have another time. A wedding? You can reschedule. A gig? Theyll put it back six months. A trip? You can visit that place another time. I turn 30 once, and after having rubbish birthdays for a long time instead this one was going to be good now everything is closed, people are socially distancing, I cant go out for a drink or food or to the cinema, or even cook myself a nice meal. My offices are closed and everyone has to work from home indefinitely so I dont even get to see people. At all.

Coachella! Birthday parties! Cabin fever! Its almost as though the most self-proclaimed oppressed generation of all time has never experienced any kind of hardship whatsoever.

Meanwhile, the hashtag, #BoomerRemover trended online. Thats right: the fact that older people are more vulnerable to dying from coronavirus was turned into a joke by the young and healthy.

The cruelty and lack of self-awareness was astounding. Even worse was the hypocrisy.

Millennials have long demanded that older generations listen to the youth, claiming it is the olds who destroyed the planet and ruined their futures and then failed to take the proper actions to change the tide. Yet now, in a time of urgency, the same youth who attempted to ok, boomer their elders into irrelevancy are ignoring potentially life-saving measures because they are personally inconvenient.

Because the younger generations are unlikely to die from coronavirus, the prospect of staying at home and losing out on fun or income is seen as a punishment rather than a duty. On some level, I get it. When I was in my twenties, I had trouble being alone too. Tis the plight of the insecure, idle mind. I am a highly social person and am not happy about having to cancel events and plans, but I understand its something I need to do in order to contribute to ensuring this pandemic is as short lived as possible. Its not going to be easy for any of us certainly it will be inconvenient but we are doing it because we are able to think beyond ourselves and our selfish desires or preferences. Many people are losing their businesses and livelihoods due to this pandemic others are losing their lives. I do not wish to hear about your canceled birthday party or your cabin fever as though it is a serious matter.

By now, we should all be aware that we can kill this thing if we all collectively isolate for a few weeks. If you arent sick, you can still go outside and walk your dog. You can still pick up take out. You can run to the store for essentials. You just cant go to festivals, hang out at the bar, throw a birthday party, or go to the gym. You will have to cancel your vacation. Its not the end of the world yet. But we need to make some sacrifices. And, for once, whether or not this makes you feel depressed and agitated really doesnt matter. OK, kids?

Meghan Murphy is a writer in Vancouver, BC. Her website is Feminist Current.

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Millennials will be the death of us - The Spectator USA

It is in times of crisis that the value of unity is measured. The old motto "union is strength" can be applied to anyone and anywhere. Currently, it does not seem to be a very well respected principle. The European Union shows great difficulty, almost an incapacity, to act on world, regional or even state emergencies.

This is the same European Union that, according to its founding fathers, should be leading social and political unity. Instead today, it is at the mercy of social fractures and political dominant positions. What is happening within its borders is clear.

Unfortunately, many European states, especially Italy, are experiencing one of the most dangerous crises of this century, COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently declared the coronavirus a "pandemic," which means that the virus has spread over the entire world population. Although Europe is the main basin of the infection, the EU is reluctant to take any common stance. The scientific curve by virologists shows that the virus's trend is spreading from Italy to other EU states. No common measures, and not even a diktat, have come from Brussels. Rome found itself managing the crisis on its own. Although European institutions have come together several times to study the case, declaring solidarity with Italy, the resolutions have been merely confined to offices.

As of today, no financial aid or medical equipment has been allocated to the Italians. There are meetings likely going on in Brussels, but no coordinated action has materialized yet. As a matter of fact, Italy is in a phase of economic recession as every effort is indeed directed toward saving human lives. Commercial activities are halted. This is not just a national emergency but also a European one. The economic downturn is rippling through Europe, but why have no common economic measures been adopted? Why have no joint actions aimed at concrete policies been applied? Union means community and solidarity. Indeed, it is a paradox that Italy benefits from the aid coming from China, as a result of bilateral agreements. Among other things, coronavirus is testing European cohesiveness and unity beside its capacity of vision.

There is an urgent issue that touches everyone, and it is knocking at the door of Greece. Thousands of refugees are looking for shelter, while the Greek authorities are constantly repelling them. An EU representative spoke about "Greece as the shield of Europe." The EU was not born to be a shield but was founded on the values of dialogue, openness, coexistence, solidarity, exchange and the protection of human dignity. The main threat is, therefore, the total absence of self-awareness, the constant lack of responsibility and the incapacity to develop any concrete response based on their own principles.

The major European debates today focus on economic growth, without a real evaluation of incentives and maneuvers needed to restart the economy. Above all, there is not a single voice talking about health care costs and migration. We pretend to not to see, but these are the cards we have to play. As important as the domestic game is, equally critical is the regional chessboard, from the Middle East to North Africa, where the European presence is almost absent and their approach is confused, a victim of its very opposing national interests.

Joint action is needed more than ever, and that means keeping open the dialogue with key players such as Turkey, the first bulwark for European security. When it comes to the 2016 refugee deal, Brussels has not taken any concrete steps to assume its own responsibility in the agreement. In other words, Europe is living in limbo, in an uncertain condition, where decisions are rarely made and the spirit of the block is fluctuating according to convenience.

The revitalization of the European spirit is thus a sine qua non for coping with today's challenges against the vacuum of internal bankruptcy.

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Inaction toward coronavirus, refugees leading to EU's internal bankruptcy - Daily Sabah

X-Ray Robot #1 Written and Illustrated by Michael Allred Colored by Laura Allred Lettered by Nate Piekos Dark Horse Comics

I had a plan for what I was going to review originally, but its been a hell of a week. I imagine when I say that, most people reading this a nodding. Hell of a week. And I could go on and on and on explaining why it was a hell of a week to me, but you already know, because even if there are different details to my hell of a week than your hell of a week, the events that helped create those details are all the same. So whats the point?

Its with that experience that I noticed, by accident, Michael Allreds new book X-Ray Robot #1. All it took was one look and I said to myself, Thats exactly what I need at the end of this hell of a week. I mean, if you had asked me prior to seeing this comic what wouldve made a nice ending to my week, what would have picked up my mood and helped me step away, just for a little, tiny moment, from the confusing nightmare of the reality outside my house, there is a chance that I mightve answered, Maybe something about a robot, maybe with an x-ray aspect. I might have. We dont know that I wouldnt.

But Im fine to admit that X-Ray Robot #1 is more likely the thing I needed that I didnt know I needed. Michael Allred apparently knew I needed it, though.

The last thing I read by Allred was his surprisingly enjoyable Dick Tracy series, and that was probably the first thing Ive read by him in years. It was nice to see he still had his touch, and so when I saw that he had turned his attention to a goofy science fiction superhero-ish kind of concept, that seemed like a good bet.

In X-Ray Robot #1, Allred introduces readers to a team of research scientists who are sort of doing robotics research, but its evolved into something more complicated involving space and dimensional stuff that is very sophisticated and hard for a simple guy like me to understand. The important thing is that the brilliant and handsome Dr. Max Wilding understands it.

But there are still surprises in store for Dr. Max Wilding, and a mishap in the experiment brings scientific victories but also many curious and confusing results that are mind-bending and absurd, and poised to set up more than one goofy, incredible, exciting circumstance that Dr. Max Wilding has to contend with.

X-Ray Robot has the trappings of a late-era Steve Ditko comic say Shade the Changing Man or Machine Man but is obviously more self-aware than anything Ditko wouldve have done. But one of Allreds strengths is that he never lets the self-awareness seize control of the sincere oddness of his concepts and execution, so X-Ray Robot manages to remain in tune with that Ditko comparison in a genuine way.

Thank you, X-Ray Robot, for saving me from this hell of a week. Heres hoping you manage to save others from their hell of a week as well.

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INDIE VIEW: X-RAY ROBOT #1 is exactly the comic we need at the end of a hell of a week - Comics Beat

The four-time Oscar nominee teased another "Before" trilogy sequel, opened up about parenting, jealousy,and more in a new interview.

Celebrities are doing what they can to keep themselves busy while social distancing, for better or for worse. Seth Rogen is livetweeting Cats, Debbie Allen is giving dance classes over Instagram, Justin Bieber is perfecting his TikTok moves in Canada, and Ethan Hawke is self-quarantining with his dogs in upstate New York while getting introspective about his career.

Ethan spoke to Indiewire for a wide-reaching fireside-like Instagram live chat yesterday afternoon, and his dogs Georgia and Jett could not care less.

"They are not hip to indie film.... I tried to show them White Fang to see if they'd respond, but.. [shakes head no]"

Even though 1991's White Fang is memorably a Disney movie, and not an indie, this is still some funny dad humour. Speaking of Big Dad Energy, at one point Ethan accidentally flipped his device's camera to show the quarantine supplies of the "friend's country house" he was staying in, which included a bunch of Campbell's Soup cans. Though, knowing how Ethan rolls, they could have easily been art pieces.

His overall attitude was best summed up by saying, "I've never invited anybody into my house on Instagram before, but hey, what the hell!"

If nothing else, his Instagram live proved what we all feel to be true: To love Ethan Hawkeis to eyeroll at Ethan Hawke. And I mean that with great affection. For all of his appreciation of his craft, and his body of work, he often veers into pretentious territory when citing his influences. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but he did tell Indiewire's Eric Kohn that he is trying to get his younger kids (he has two daughters with wife Ryan Hawke, and mentioned daughter Maya Hawke and son Levon Thurman Hawke are quarantining "with their mother," his ex, Uma Thurman) to watch Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin movies from the Criterion Collection. He also read out a passage of Shakespeare's "As You Like It," noting that he started memorizing certain excerpts in his college dropout days, before adding, "He wrote King Lear in quarantine, so if he can do it, so can you!"

This level of self-awareness is soothing in a way, especially in these times. Ethan also touched on fatherhood during Coronavirus, professional envy, and the possibility of another sequel to the Before... trilogy.Which would make it Before 4. Or B4-4. Who can't "Get Down"with that?

Speaking about parenting, Ethan said:

"I'm holed up at a friend's country house outside the city, my kid's school has been cancelled, the movie I was supposed to do was cancelled, on the plus side - on the positive side, I've probably been a better father in the past week than I have been in the past couple of years; everything we've been doing is making dinner, and washing dishes and washing clothes..."

His self-reflection did not end there, either. Ethan notes that he doesn't find the arts as therapeutic as others do, in part because it's his field, and also because of some light jealousy:

"... It didn't hit home for me [how serious the Coronavirus spread can be] until they cancelled the NBA season. I don't know, I, I'm a sports fan, it's the one thing - because I'm in the arts, a lot of people find the arts relaxing, I don't find the arts relaxing at all! It's something I do for work, and if somebody does a great performance, I'm just jealous... You know, I'm always thinking, 'Oh, I'd like to work with that person....' It's not relaxing. Watching LeBron James? It's relaxing for me... I like to watch him excel.... I like to watch what happens to this team, and that team... And when that got cancelled... even during September 11th, I got to watch the Yankees play the World Series! ... It rang a bell inside me that we're in some place that's completely new, and if I'm in that place at 49, I can't imagine what a 19-year-old is feeling."

Ethan did acknowledge the privilege of his celebrity, and said he "still experience[s] so much fear as an actor." That fear of getting it right translates to frustration, how he perceives most memorable parts, and his struggle with perfectionism.

"The truth is, I want my next role to be my signature role," said Ethan. "You know, like, my brain is always so forward-thinking. ... You always end up a little disappointed with everything that you do. A little bit. Nothing ever turns out quite as great as you thought it could have. For years, people always thought of me as the kid from Dead Poets Society, and then I was the Gen-X guy from Reality Bites, and then I was the cop from Training Day; to a certain group, it's Jesse from the Before trilogy, to certain people, recently, the priest from First Reformed, those have all been important roles in my career as far as when I talk to people, but for me, I don't think I've ever given myself to a role as I did with [his upcoming role in a Showtime series - his first TV regular gig] John Brown."

It's not like any bombshells were shared during this Instagram live, but it served as an endearing (to me) display of soul searching in a time of uncertainty. However you remember him best, even if it's as "that guy from The Purge," Ethan Hawke is still going to "Ethan Hawke" in these social distancing times. And that has to be reassuring and calming for those fans out there, whether they are "hip to indie film," or not.

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Ethan Hawke gets introspective about his career while self-distancing in New York with his dogs - LaineyGossip

Masters Of The Universe is a hot land for Mattel because the early 80s, and the franchise keeps popping up in one form or another, to the day.

With a recently declared animated Netflix reboot show and a possible live-action movie in the works, it seems He-Man is not quite ready for the dust-bin of the background just yet.

Now were taking a look at the 5 smartest characters at the He-Man world, and we are ranking them out of brilliant, to genius-level! Time to take another journey back to Eternia!

Thats not entirely accurate, nor fair, although Orko is a bumbling buffoon. Orko is smartly lacking in self-awareness. This Trollan magician was exceptionally proficient however, the loss of a magic amulet prevented him from controlling his powers on Eternia, in which the laws of nature differ.

Intellectual or although not as educated as to the others on this listing, Orko was to foil a few of Skeletors plans, even going so far as to beat him in a battle of magic in the comic book collection.

Man-At-Arms adopted daughter Teela bears ill-temperament of a young kid and all of the rashness, but she is also an accomplished fighter and a master tactician to boot.

Also Read: Masters of The Universe Release Date, Cast, Plot and Everyhing Fans should know

This could have something related to her lineage, given shes the girl of the Sorceress of Grayskull.

Teela might not be a fountain of knowledge as a result of her childhood, but her quick wits, keen wisdom and common sense make up for this though she finds herself getting into trouble!

The fellow is named General, a master fighter, military tactician and Duncan in the Royal guard of Eternia. Hes one of just three who understand He-Man and Battle Cats identities, and his heritage with the Sorceress is complex and deep.

As a skilled inventor, Man-At-Arms is a technical genius. This intellectual art puts him a cut above many of his contemporaries while demonstrating how valuable he is to the team of heroes that the residents in Grayskull.

This thespian used his abilities to live in a universe that had shunned him, due to his distinctive ability to switch between three faces at will.

After escaping the will of Beast-Man to turn him into one of the henchmen of Skeletor, Man-E-Faces was welcomed into the Royal Court of Eternia to pursue his dream of acting.

Also Read: Heres Every Detail You Need To Know Regarding Black Mirror Season 6

Also Read: Rick and Morty plot hole: Fans uncover huge error with Rick and Morty's house

The 2002 reboot attracted his character, Though he does not feature in the 1980s TV series. Here, buffs were received by Man-E-Faces based on which face he took at any given moment.

Specifically, his robot face would provide a boost in prowess, even so much as to make him a boxing champion to him.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, although the primary hero himself may resemble a man lacking in grey matter.

He-Man is an enthusiast who would like to use his superhuman strength for functions. Hes also a calculated warrior who understands the significance of taking a step back and assessing a situation.

This has allowed one to avoid conflicts with seemingly dangerous threats, instead of using diplomacy and compromise to win daily.

He-Man also uses his intelligence to prevent occurring threats from harming others, such as volcanoes and lava flows. He-Man will constantly use his skills of perception and logic to overcome any issue, rather whenever possible.

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He-Man and Masters of The Universe: 5 Smartest Heroes Ranked - Honk News

By regular practice of Bhavana or Buddhist meditation, one could go beyond everyday consciousness to a deeper level of consciousness or a deep state of mental calm which leads one to a state of awakening to realities of life, to self-understanding and the ultimate meaning of life. According to the teachings of the Buddha, Bhavana is the key to understanding your true nature or discovering who you truly are. It helps one to develop ones understanding of oneself that comes from a clear view of reality. Buddhist meditation is not a means of escaping reality. It enables one to discover who you really are. In other words, meditation helps one to unmask the causes of ones stress, discontentment, and suffering and to dispel ones mental confusion. Deep meditation helps one to develop emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and empathy necessary for successful relationships to face interpersonal challenges and eventually to experience true happiness.

Samatha and Vipassana are the two common types of Bhavana or Buddhist meditation practices or methods of mental development that help to raise human consciousness to a higher level, bringing ones mind to a state of equilibrium. Samatha is the development of tranquility and Vipassana is the development of insight. Samatha aims only at concentration whereby the individual is constantly conscious of one object and this concentration is directed along a single channel of one-pointedness until serene mental tranquility is reached. It is noteworthy that this form of mental development does not bring about an understanding of reality, nor of its cause and effect. It brings only tranquility. One can begin with Samatha or the development of mental tranquility and after having achieved concentration, one can proceed to vipassana or the development of insight or wisdom.

Vipassana meditation practice purifies the mind to enable it to gain insight. Insight means wisdom which enables one to see that mental states and matter are impermanent or transitory, unsatisfactory or suffering, and non-self or impersonal. Vipassana is the realization of the three signs of being- anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering), and anatta (non-self), by direct insight at a deeper level of awareness at an intuitional plane where it is experienced as a psychological fact

SELF AWARENESS

Complete self-awareness is possible only by those who have advanced in the development of their minds through regular meditation. Such a mind can have a clear perception of what you, in fact, is mistakenly considering as yourself. According to Buddhism, there is no permanent soul or self. An individual is subject to constant change, as the elements or skandhas that constitute the individual or what we identify as me, or self is a combination of five constantly changing skandhas. A person may be compared to a river, which retains an identity, though the drops of water that make it up are different from one moment to the next. There is no one, no soul or self sitting inside me, as we think there is. Anatta or no permanent self is at the core of the teachings of the Buddha.

In other words, what we identify as self is a combination of five skandhas or aggregates, namely:

1. rupa or the body or the manifest form of the four elements earth, air, fire & water; 2. vedana or sensations or feelings; 3. sangna or perceptions of sense objects; 4. sankaras or mental formations; 5. vinnana or consciousness or awareness of the other mental aggregates.

These five skandhas sum up the whole of an individuals mental and physical existence. They are impermanent, constantly changing, transient processes that function continuously on an ongoing basis and we cling on to these processes considering them as self. In other words, the tendency is us to consider the skandhas as self and to cling on to the illusion of a permanent self. Identifying themselves with their transient personal characteristics such as thoughts, feelings, volitions, and consciousness with the notion of permanence, people cling on to these transient skandhas. Such attachment brings about craving, greed and associated fear, hatred, jealousy and prejudice resulting in stress and suffering. In order to find deep abiding peace and serenity, we need to learn to let go of any attachment to or habit of fixating on to a self-identity.

If we really want to get rid of suffering, completely and totally, then clinging to the illusion of a permanent self must be dropped. Letting go of ones attachments is not an easy task. In order to be free of attachments and thereby free of suffering one must realize the non-existence of this illusion of self. This calls for wisdom or a higher degree of mental development or a deeper level of consciousness available when you focus your mind in meditation. In other words, such a mind can be developed by those who have advanced in the development of their minds through regular meditation.

Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denying the existence of a separate soul or self. According to the teachings of the Buddha, the idea of a soul or self is an imaginary false belief which has no corresponding reality. It produces harmful thoughts of me and mine. The self is not a rigid, unchanging entity but a living evolving organism. It is an ever-growing changing bundle of attributes or characteristics, forming our character and personality. All defilements like greed, hatred, and ill-will, etc., have their root in the wrong notion of a soul or self. The hindrance caused by defilements like greed, hatred, etc., is eliminated by the realization of the doctrine of no soul. The Buddha teaches that, what we call ego, self, soul, personality, etc., are merely conventional terms not referring to any real independent entity. And he teaches that there is only to be found this psycho-physical process of existence changing from moment to moment. Without understanding the ego-lessness of existence, it is not possible to gain a real understanding of the Buddha-word; and it is not possible without it, to realize that goal of emancipation and deliverance of mind proclaimed by the Buddha.

According to Buddhist teachings, what we regard as self or ego or soul are miscomprehensions arising from lack of knowledge of absolute truth about these so-called entities. In reality self is but a very rapid continuity of birth and decay of mental states and matter. Insight has as its function, the destruction of all hidden defilements, cravings and wrong views. The insight will enlighten us to the true nature of mental states and matter or in other words that mental states and matter are not lasting, they bring about suffering. Mental fetters bind us tightly to dukkha or suffering. These fetters are mind defilements namely, greed, hatred and delusion (loba dosa moha), along with their many offshoots such as anger, malice, jealousy, stinginess, hypocrisy, obstinacy, conceit, arrogance, vanity and heedlessness.

THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

Self-purification is a prerequisite for the removal of these defilements. The work of self-purification is to be undertaken by treading the Noble Eightfold Path, with its three divisions of virtue, concentration and wisdom (seela, samadhi, panna). Each of these divisions of the Eightfold Path is intended to remove the defilements at successively subtler levels. It is only when these defilements have been completely uprooted by direct insight into the true nature of phenomena through deep meditation practice, that dukkha can be completely removed and Nibbana or the highest happiness, peace freedom and security is attained right in this very life. The Buddha points out that real happiness, peace, freedom, and security must be attained by overcoming these mental defilements. The training in samadhi or concentration aims at eliminating the active eruption of the defilements into our thought processes. Panna or wisdom helps to eradicate defilements at the fundamental level. It is only when these defilements have been completely uprooted by wisdom or by direct insight into the true nature of phenomena, that ignorance is completely removed, and one reaches the state of highest happiness, peace, freedom, and security right in this very life.

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AWAKENING TO REALITIES OF LIFE - Lankaweb