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The vile and immoral smearing of Jamal Khashoggi

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On Friday morning, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough framed it best: “I guess if people want to ask how low the far right — the sleaze merchants — can go, this is a pretty good place to start. This is a pretty good case study.”

The stunned Morning Joe panel were discussing a Washington Post story about a “whisper campaign” to smear Jamal Khashoggi. You read that right. The journalist — allegedly tortured and murdered inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul this month — is now getting killed a second time.

There are no words in the English language to describe this wickedness.

As the Post reported: “In recent days, a cadre of conservative House Republicans allied with Trump has been privately exchanging articles from right-wing outlets that fuel suspicion of Khashoggi, highlighting his association with the Muslim Brotherhood in his youth and raising conspiratorial questions about his work decades ago as an embedded reporter covering Osama bin Laden.”

Right. I can only pray the sleaze merchants now engaged in this posthumous character assassination never lose a loved one the way Khashoggi was snatched from the living. According to reports based on Turkish intelligence, Khashoggi had his fingers cut off while he was alive. He was dismembered with a bone saw and sliced into pieces by a team of Saudi mercenaries who listened to music on earpods while engaged in state-sanctioned savagery right out of the Middle Ages.

This was a snuff film set inside a dreary government venue.

Khashoggi, a gentle soul who went into self-imposed exile in Virginia after calling for reform in the Kingdom, was slaughtered like an animal as his fiancée waited on the street, her dreams crushed by totalitarian malevolence.

He entered a foreign embassy to obtain paperwork for marriage.

Minutes later, he was allegedly killed by those who believed they could silence a critic by spilling his blood with diplomatic impunity.

And that’s really where this story should start and end.

You’d think a premeditated, cold-blooded murder might transcend partisan gamesmanship. You’d think a crime so universally horrific — an attack that draws a clear line between good and evil, civilization and barbarism, humanity and depravity — might unite those in the West, regardless of ideology.

Even if we disagree on immigration, health care, international trade, the deficit and Elizabeth Warren’s DNA, surely we can agree that killing someone is repugnant. In the old days, murder transcended politics. I’m happy to spar over climate change or legalized drugs. Homicide requires no debate.

But, no. Instead of seeing this for what it is, the sleaze merchants on the right are trying to turn it into something it never was. Khashoggi was not a “terrorist sympathizer” any more than The Rock is a ballerina. Khashoggi covered bin Laden years ago as a journalist. His complicated, teenage relationship with his religion was ultimately rendered null and void by a rush of Enlightenment ideals.

To slander him after he was savagely murdered is to stray so far beyond the intersection of morality and decency, it disqualifies you as human. To rationalize his killing is to reveal you have no heart, no soul and no lateral intelligence.

He was fighting for the kind of values — press freedom, social equality, separation of church and state, the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness — that once defined America. And this is where a grim irony kicks into fifth gear.

At a rally on Thursday night, Donald Trump proved, once again, why he is the greatest threat to his presidency. As the world recoiled in horror over the killing of columnist Khashoggi, the U.S. president praised Republican congressman Greg Gianforte, who assaulted a reporter last year.

This is like extolling the virtues of atomic energy seconds after Hiroshima.

”Any guy who can do a body slam,” Trump told the whooping crowd in Montana, pantomiming the wrestling move, “He’s my guy! »

Across the planet, dictators raised an eyebrow and cracked their knuckles.

To be clear, I’m not saying Trump has Khashoggi’s blood on his hands. But at the very least, his disdain for the media may well have convinced Saudi rulers they could body slam a critic into oblivion and not pay a price.

Trump’s appalling attacks on the press have emboldened far less democratic leaders. And this age of us-versus-them has spawned a craven, morally bankrupt band of sewer rats that will blindly support their chosen leader, even if that means casting false aspersions on a murder victim.

“Forget politics,” said MSNBC’s Willie Geist on Friday’s Morning Joe. “On a purely human level, if you’re a part of this smear campaign, think about what you’re saying … You’re saying that a man who went into a consulate to get a marriage license and left in pieces in a bag after he was tortured and murdered, he’s the bad guy? That’s what you’re saying … It’s pathetic.”

It is also a pretty good case study in how far the far right has fallen.

Vinay Menon is the Star’s pop culture columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @vinaymenon

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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