SUMMARY

INTEL UNVEILS $88B CHIPMAKING

EXPANSION PLAN FOR EUROPE 08
TIRED OF WAITING FOR DRIVERLESS
VEHICLES? HEAD TO A FARM 22
IPAD AIR: THE POWER OF THE M1
PROCESSOR & 5G CONNECTION 42
WAR CENSORSHIP EXPOSES PUTIN’S
LEAKY INTERNET CONTROLS 80
 FORD RAMPING UP ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN EUROPE 16

HACKED US COMPANIES TO FACE NEW REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 32

AMAZON TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEAR TRANSIT STOPS 74

HOUSE DEMS SEEK PROBE OF USPS PLAN FOR NEW MAIL TRUCK FLEET 94

CNN+ STREAMS START MARCH 29; MSNBC TO STREAM PROGRAMMING 104

DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT BALLOONED IN 2021: MPA REPORT 112

EU REGULATORS CLEAR AMAZON’S $8.45 BILLION PURCHASE OF MGM 118

IRISH REGULATOR FINES FACEBOOK FOR PRIVACY LAW VIOLATIONS 122

WAR IN UKRAINE DISRUPTS KEY SUPPLY CHAINS - AND LIVES 126

JULIAN ASSANGE DENIED PERMISSION TO APPEAL BY UK’S TOP COURT 134

IN ‘THE ADAM PROJECT,’ A BLOCKBUSTER THERAPY SESSION 156

US ASTRONAUT TO RIDE RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT HOME DURING TENSIONS 178

BARCELONA STADIUM BECOMES SPOTIFY CAMP NOU UNDER SPONSORSHIP 188

IN AMERICA, A FEW DAYS IN MARCH 2020 ECHO TWO YEARS LATER 194

BIG BATCH OF SOLAR ENERGY PROJECTS APPROVED IN VIRGINIA 204

MUSIC 140
MOVIES & TV SHOWS 148
TOP 10 ALBUMS 168
TOP 10 MUSIC VIDEOS 170
TOP 10 TV SHOWS 172
TOP 10 BOOKS 174
TOP 10 SONGS 176
INTEL UNVEILS
$88B CHIPMAKING
EXPANSION PLAN
FOR EUROPE

U.S. chipmaker Intel unveiled plans this week

to invest up to 80 billion euros ($88 billion)
across Europe as part of an ambitious expansion
aimed at evening out imbalances in the global
semiconductor industry that have led to big
chip shortages.
CEO Pat Gelsinger said Intel was investing the
money over the next decade “along the entire
semiconductor value chain.”
The company plans to spend tens of billions
of dollars setting up or expanding chip
production sites and establishing research and

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development or design centers in Germany,
Ireland, France and Italy.

“Why are we doing this? Because the world has an

insatiable demand for semiconductors, or chips,”
Gelsinger said in a webcast.
Intel said it’s bringing its most advanced
technology to Europe to address the need for a
“more balanced and resilient” semiconductor
supply chain.
European Union leaders last month announced
a $47 billion “Chips Act” to help the continent
become a major semiconductor producer and
curb its dependency on Asian markets for the
tiny components, which act as the electronic
brains for everything from cars to smartphones
and game consoles.

Demand for chips has surged as the global

economy bounced back from the COVID-19
pandemic, but supply hasn’t kept up because
of bottlenecks.

European Commission President Ursula von der

Leyen hailed the announcement as the first major
achievement under the EU Chips Act.

“I’m sure it will pave the way for more companies

to follow suit,” said von der Leyen, who wants the
EU to double its share of global chip production to
20% by 2030.
The first phase of Santa Clara, California-based
Intel’s investment plans include 17 billion euros
to beef up its European production capacity with
a leading-edge semiconductor fab “mega-site” in
Magdeburg, Germany. The site will include two
semiconductor factories, or fabs, that will make
chips with Intel’s most advanced technology. If
the European Commission gives approval, it’s

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expected to break ground next year and come
online by 2027, creating 3,000 high tech jobs.

Germany’s economy minister, Robert

Habeck, welcomed the news, saying it would
boost “Europe’s digital sovereignty.” The new
facility will receive financial support from
the German government.
The plans also call for 12 billion more euros
of investment to expand Intel’s existing site
in Leixlip, Ireland, by doubling manufacturing
space and expanding its new foundry services
business, which builds chips designed by other
firms. That will bring the company’s total Irish
investment to more than 30 billion euros.

Intel says it’s also in talks with Italy “to enable

a state-of-the-art back-end manufacturing
facility” that would involve potential
investment of up to 4.5 billion euros and create
thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

There are also plans for a research and

development hub and a foundry design center
in France, expanded lab space in Poland and
a partnership with local researchers for an
advanced computing lab in Spain.
Intel, the world’s No. 2 semiconductor maker
according to technology research and advisory
firm Gartner, is also expanding in the U.S. with a
$20 billion factory in Ohio.

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 FORD RAMPING
UP ELECTRIC
VEHICLES IN
EUROPE

Ford says it will have three new electric

passenger vehicles and four new electric
commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024, part
of the automaker’s continued push to grow its
presence in the EV market.

Ford Motor Co. said that it plans to sell more than

600,000 electric vehicles in the Europe by 2026. It
anticipates producing 1.2 million electric vehicles
in Cologne, Germany over six years.

Ford will start production of an all-new electric

passenger vehicle, a medium-sized crossover, in
Cologne next year. A second electric vehicle will
be added to the Cologne production line-up in
2024. An electric version of the Ford Puma will be
made in Craiova, Romania beginning in 2024.

For commercial vehicles, the Transit will include

four new electric models – the Transit Custom
one-tonne van and Tourneo Custom multi-
purpose vehicle in 2023, and the smaller, next

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generation Transit Courier van and Tourneo
Courier multi-purpose vehicle in 2024.
“I am delighted to see the pace of change in
Europe – challenging our entire industry to build
better, cleaner and more digital vehicles,” Ford
President and CEO Jim Farley said in a statement.
“Ford is all-in and moving fast to meet the
demand in Europe and around the globe.”

Earlier this month Ford announced that it

was splitting its electric vehicle and internal
combustion operations into two individual
businesses. Ford Blue will focus on traditional
combustion engines and Ford Model e will
develop electric vehicles. The Detroit company
now expects that half of its vehicles will be electric
by 2030.

Ford is looking to sell more than 2 million electric

vehicles worldwide by 2026.

18
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22
 TIRED OF
WAITING FOR
DRIVERLESS
VEHICLES?
HEAD TO
A FARM

For years Americans have been told

autonomous technology was improving and
that driverless vehicles were just around
the corner.

Finally they’re here, but to catch a glimpse of

them, you’ll need to go to a farm rather than
look along city streets.
Beginning this fall, green 14-ton tractors that can
plow day or night with no one sitting in the cab,
or even watching nearby, will come off the John
Deere factory assembly line in Waterloo, Iowa,
harkening the age of autonomous farming.

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The development follows more than a
decade-long effort by the world’s largest
farm equipment manufacturer, and marks a
milestone for automation advocates, who for
years have been explaining why driverless cars
aren’t quite ready for prime time.

“I’m glad to see they’re coming out and will

stimulate the other technologies,” said Raj
Rajkumar, a professor at Carnegie Mellon
University and an expert in autonomous cars.

Deere isn’t saying yet how much the

autonomous tractors will cost but the new
technology will be added onto tractors that sell
for about $500,000, said Ben Haber, a company
spokesman. The company plans to operate the
autonomous tractors on 10 to 50 farms by this
fall before significantly increasing the number
in following years.
For the past decade, the supposedly imminent
debut of autonomous vehicles on city streets
and freeways has been repeatedly pushed off as
companies struggled to guarantee their safety.

But, Rajkumar notes, tractors have it easier

because they don’t need to contend with
other vehicles, pedestrians or the complexities
of an urban scene. Tractors can make use of
consistent GPS data, unlike cars that can lose
contact traveling through tunnels or amid
tall buildings.

Or as Joel Dawson, a Deere production director,

put it, “You aren’t going to see a crosswalk in
most cornfields in Iowa or Nebraska.”
Modern tractors already have GPS guides
that handle steering and turning to ensure
optimum plowing, seeding and harvesting.
They also use real-time streams of data to make

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 changes if needed because of soil conditions,
the amount of fertilizer applied or other factors.

The autonomous tractor will now let farmers

hook up a plow behind a tractor, start the
machine with a swipe of a smart phone and
then leave it to rumble up and down a field on
its own.
The driverless tractors are equipped with six
pairs of cameras that work like human eyes and
can provide a 360-degree image. When filtered
through computer algorithms, the tractor is
able to determine where it is in the field and
will abruptly stop if there is anything unfamiliar
in its path.

Farmers often grow crops on different parcels

of land that are miles apart, so while the tractor
plows in one field a farmer can work at another,
drive into town for supplies or spend time
with their families at home. Given that less
than 2% of Americans work on farms and rural
populations have dwindled for decades, the
autonomous tractors also are expected to help
with chronic labor shortages.

The shift to ever-more sophisticated tractors is

part of a movement that emphasizes planting,
fertilizing and harvesting during narrow
windows of time when conditions are perfect.
If new technology can help farmers complete a
job when soil and air temperatures are just right
ahead of approaching wet weather, for example,
it can mean more plentiful crops months later.
“If I don’t get this field tilled today and it rains
tonight, that could mean we don’t get the field
planted for another week and that has real cost
implications in a lot of operations,” said Ryan
Berman, who works on agricultural technology
Image: Patrick T. Fallon
27
issues at Iowa State University. “If you can
move an extra 80 or 100 acres into that optimal
window, that can be worth thousands of
dollars every year, probably tens of thousands.

Still, the tractor won’t be for everyone.

Ed Anderson, director of research for the Iowa
Soybean Association, cited the substantial cost,
and noted that some farmers prefer hands-on
work rather than overseeing operations
via a smartphone.

Another industry giant, CNH Industrial, also

is developing autonomous capabilities for
its Case and New Holland tractors, and other
companies are exploring using numerous
smaller autonomous machines to handle other
farm work.

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HACKED US
COMPANIES
TO FACE NEW
REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS

Companies critical to U.S. national interests will

now have to report when they’re hacked or
they pay ransomware, according to new rules
approved by Congress.
The rules are part of a broader effort by the
Biden administration and Congress to shore
up the nation’s cyberdefenses after a series of
high-profile digital espionage campaigns and
disruptive ransomware attacks. The reporting
will give the federal government much greater
visibility into hacking efforts that target private
companies, which often have skipped going to
the FBI or other agencies for help.

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“It’s clear we must take bold action to improve
our online defenses,” Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan
Democrat who leads the Senate Homeland
Security and Government Affairs Committee and
wrote the legislation, said in a statement.
The reporting requirement legislation was
approved by the House and the Senate last
week and is expected to be signed into law by
President Joe Biden soon. It requires any entity
that’s considered part of the nation’s critical
infrastructure, which includes the finance,
transportation and energy sectors, to report any
“substantial cyber incident” to the government
within three days and any ransomware payment
made within 24 hours.
Ransomware attacks, in which criminals hack
targets and hold their data hostage through
encryption until ransoms have been paid, have
flourished in recent years. Attacks last year on
the world’s largest meat-packing company and
the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline — which led to
days of gas station shortages on the East Coast
— have underscored how gangs of extortionist
hackers can disrupt the economy and put lives
and livelihoods at risk.
State hackers from Russia and China have had
continued success hacking into and spying
on U.S. targets, including critical infrastructure
targets. The most notable was Russia’s
SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign, which
was discovered at the end of 2020.
Experts and government officials worry that
Russia’s war in Ukraine has increased the
threat of cyberattacks against U.S. targets, by
either state or proxy actors. Many ransomware
operators live and work in Russia.

35
“As our nation rightly supports Ukraine
during Russia’s illegal unjustifiable assault,
I am concerned the threat of Russian cyber
and ransomware attacks against U.S. critical
infrastructure will increase,” said Sen. Rob
Portman, a Republican from Ohio.

The legislation designates the Department

of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency as the lead
agency to receive notices of hacks and
ransomware payments. That caused concern
at the FBI, which had openly campaigned
for tweaks to the bill in an unusually public
disagreement over legislation endorsed overall
by the White House.

“We want one call to be a call to us all,” FBI

Director Christopher Wray said last week at a
cyber event at the University of Kansas. “What’s
needed is not a whole bunch of different
reporting but real-time access by all the people
who need to have it to the same report. So
that’s what we’re talking about — not multiple
reporting chains but multiple access, multiple
contemporaneous action, to the information.”

The FBI also has expressed concern that liability

protections that would cover companies that
report a breach to CISA would not extend
to reporting a breach to the FBI, an issue the
bureau believes could unnecessarily complicate
law enforcement efforts to respond to hacks and
to aid victims.
Lawmakers who helped write the bill have
pushed back against the FBI, saying the bureau’s
concerns about being notified of hacks and
liability concerns were adequately addressed in
the final version of it.

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The new rules also empower CISA to subpoena
companies that fail to report hacks or
ransomware payments, and those that fail to
comply with a subpoena could be referred to
the Justice Department for investigation.

39
 iPad Air
The power of the M1 processor
& 5G connection

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At Apple’s Peek Performance event, held
virtually this March, the company lifted the lid
on its next-generation iPad Air, bringing some of
the high-spec features from the iPad Pro to the
consumer-focused tablet. The direct-from-Mac
M1 chip and super-fast5G connectivity make the
latest iPad Air even more of a compelling offer
for students, families, and professionals.

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A FIFTH-GENERATION DEVICE
On November 1, 2013, Apple introduced the
iPad Air to the world, designed to serve as a
premium version of the iPad. Fast-forward nine
years, and the iPad Air is now one of the most
important products in Apple’s line-up, serving
as a more cost-effective version of the iPad Pro,
and giving consumers and professionals the
tablet they need for modern life. At its March
event, Apple lifted the lid on the fifth generation
of the device, with Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior

48
vice president of Worldwide Marketing, making
the use cases for the new tablet clear. “Whether
it’s a college student taking elaborate notes, a
content creator working on their latest project,
or a gamer playing graphics-intensive titles,
users love iPad Air for its amazing performance
and versatility in such a portable design.” With
millions sold around the world, Greg is right:
the iPad Air is the people’s iPad, a real favorite
amongst consumers.

Although the design of the new iPad Air remains

49
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relatively unchanged from its predecessor,
minus a new colorway, the real magic comes
from within. Apple has added the M1 chip to the
iPad Air, first introduced to the MacBook Air and
Mac mini last year, to offer a “giant performance
boost to even the most demanding apps and
workflows.” Apple similarly added the M1 chip
to the iPad Pro last year, giving professionals
more power for their tasks like video and photo
editing on the go. Some may argue that the iPad
is overpowered, with more processing power
than it can actively use, but it’s hard to complain
about a faster chip when it’s included in a refresh
without a price increase. Although the M1 was
designed with the Mac in mind, it seamlessly
integrates with iPadOS and offers incredible
power efficiency and all-day battery life. Apple
says that the 8-core CPU offers up to 60% better
performance, and the 8-core GPU offers two
times faster graphics performance compared
to the previous iPad Air. What’s more, a 16-
core Neural Engine offers advanced machine
learning (ML) functions, making the Air ideal for
editing multiple streams of 4K video and playing
graphics-intensive games. Whatever you want to
do on an iPad, the new iPad Air offers the power
you’ll need.
Also new on the iPad Air is an Ultra Wide 12MP
front camera, and Apple has introduced Center
Stage to the iPad Air for the first time. The
technology allows the camera to automatically
pan, keeping the user in focus and view as
they move around the room. When others
join, the camera will automatically detect
them and zoom in or out to include them in
a conversation. The stunning new 12MP Wide
camera on the back of iPad Air allows users

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to take quality photos and 4K video as well as
scan documents and benefit from immersive
AR experiences. Granted, few people buy an
iPad for its camera, but it’s a welcome addition
and makes the device even more versatile and
attractive for everyday users looking for an
alternative to a laptop or a companion to their
iPhone. At $599, it’s hard to resist this device.
Apple is on a mission to transition its entire
product fleet over to 5G, and as well as
introducing the new iPhone SE with 5G, the new
iPad Air supports Ultra-Fast 5G and Advanced
Connectivity for the first time. The optional
cellular upgrade to the iPad Air allows users
to enjoy faster wireless connectivity on the
go, with Apple claiming it’s possible to reach
speeds of 3.5Gbps in good conditions. The
iPad Air uses eSIM and offers Wi-Fi 6 support,
giving users more flexibility whether they’re
FaceTiming friends, accessing work files on the
go, or watching a movie over SharePlay. Apple’s
bolstered connectivity on the device across
the board: as well as 5G, the USB-C charging
port is now up to 2x faster than the previous
generation, offering data transfer at up to
10Gbps. The port, which is more versatile than
Lighting, connects the iPad Air to endless USB-C
accessories, from cameras and external storage
to displays, making it a viable alternative to a
laptop for work on the go.

THE FEATURES YOU LOVE, REFINED

Though there’s no doubting that this year’s iPad
Air refresh was a more subdued affair, the truth
is that the previous generation was such a leap
forward that even marginal changes would
have been welcomed. Indeed, the iPad Air has

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been lauded for its thin, light design, and the
new model comes in a stunning array of colors,
like space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and a
stunning new blue. With a 10.9-inch Liquid
Retina display, the iPad Air offers 3.8 million
pixels, 500 nits of brightness, a P3 wide color
gamut, and an anti-reflective screen. Touch ID is
cleverly built into the top button to reduce the
costs associated with Face ID, and the model
supports the second-generation Apple Pencil,
ideal for drawing and writing. The new model is
also compatible with Magic Keyboard and Smart
Keyboard Folio, again giving the Air an edge
over the cheaper iPad, and allowing it to double-
up as a laptop on the go.

The iPad Air is made even better with iPadOS

15, and there’s no doubting that the upcoming
iPadOS 16 release will further refine the device
and offer more tools. Apple’s made some serious
tweaks and improvements to the iPad over the
years, and iPadOS has helped to separate the
iPhone and iPad experience. Multitasking, for

60
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example, has never been easier thanks to Split
View and Slide Over, whilst Quick Note helps
you get ideas down quickly. It’s also possible
to watch movies and videos with friends via
SharePlay, and a whole host of machine learning
features like Live Text keep you focused and
productive at all times. Apple has also confirmed
that iPadOS 15.4 will finally introduce the long-
awaited Universal Control feature, allowing users
to work with a single mouse and keyboard and
move between Mac and iPad. Available from just
$599 in the United States for the base model,
and $749 for the cellular version, the new iPad
Air makes sense for users in the market for a new
tablet. You can also buy an Apple Pencil for $119,
and a Smart Keyboard Folio for as little as $159.

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MAKING THE SWITCH TO iPAD
In today’s hybrid world, where people work
in coffee shops and living rooms, the iPad Air
now makes sense as a viable alternative to
a MacBook - or, at least, a companion that’s
worth considering. Indeed, the iPad is in many
ways more convenient and powerful today
than MacBooks, especially if you’re using it
to watch movies, make notes and annotate
work for school, and draw and edit videos and
photographs. Thanks to its stunning display and
partnered with the Apple Pencil, the iPad Air is
an essential tool for productivity and learning.

Perhaps one of the biggest questions you

may have about the new iPad Air is whether
it’s worth spending a few hundred bucks
more on the iPad Pro, which also features the
M1 chip. They both feature an industrial flat-
edged design with M1, 5G, and Liquid Retina
displays, as well as 12mp front-facing cameras
and 4K video recording - but where do they
differ? The $200 difference will get you Face ID
rather than Touch ID, an 11-inch or 12.9-inch
display, and four speakers rather than two
on the iPad Air. Where the Air models can be
specced up to 265GB of storage, the iPad Pro
can be customized up to 2TB of space, ideal
for professionals. Other than that, the devices
are incredibly similar - and for most, the Air will
suffice. It’s likely an iPad Pro refresh is coming
with an improved M chip, perhaps M1 Max.

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The latest refresh to the iPad Air gives consumers
even more of a reason to make the leap to
Apple - or upgrade their outdated tablet. With
the M1 chip, 5G connectivity, and iPadOS, the
new Air model is a great tool for work and for
play, and what you do with it is up to you.

70
71
AMAZON
TO BUILD
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING NEAR
TRANSIT STOPS

Amazon said it will spend more than $120

million to build affordable-housing units close
to transit stations near Seattle and Washington,
D.C, the latest example of a tech company trying
to address the affordable housing crisis critics
say the industry has exacerbated.
Amazon said it is working with Sound Transit
and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority to construct a total of 1,060 homes
near four public transit sites. The Washington
state sites are in SeaTac and Bellevue. The other
sites are Maryland in the cities of New Carrollton
and College Park.

74
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Amazon is building out another corporate hub in
Arlington, Virginia, and is expanding operations in
Bellevue, near its Seattle headquarters.
“We know that our investment in these
areas brings many economic opportunities
for residents in the region, but we also
acknowledge that this growth needs to benefit
everyone in the community,” Catherine Buell,
director of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund,
said in a statement.

That funding comes from a commitment

Amazon made in January 2021 to launch its
Housing Equity Fund, a $2 billion initiative to
preserve and create 20,000 affordable homes.

Microsoft has said it will spend at least $750

million toward affordable housing in the Seattle
area following years of complaints that the tech
boom had worsened the problem as salaries in
the sector and housing prices escalated.

77
WAR
CENSORSHIP
EXPOSES
PUTIN’S LEAKY
INTERNET
CONTROLS

Long before waging war on Ukraine, President

Vladimir Putin was working to make Russia’s
internet a powerful tool of surveillance and social
control akin to China’s so-called Great Firewall.
So when Western tech companies began cutting
ties with Russia following its invasion, Russian
investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov was
alarmed. He’d spent years exposing Russian
censorship and feared that well-intentioned
efforts to aid Ukraine would instead help Putin
isolate Russians from the free flow of information,
aiding the Kremlin’s propaganda war.

80
Image: Jon Elswick
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“Look, guys the only space the Russians have
to talk about Ukraine. and what is going on in
Russia. is Facebook,” Soldatov, now exiled in
London. wrote on Facebook in the war’s first
week. “You cannot just, like, kill our access.”
Facebook didn’t, although the Kremlin soon
picked up that baton, throttling both Facebook
and Twitter so badly they are effectively
unreachable on the Russian internet. Putin has
also blocked access to both Western media and
independent news sites in the country, and a
new law criminalizes spreading information that
contradicts the government’s line. The Kremlin
said it would also restrict access to Instagram.

Yet the Kremlin’s latest censorship efforts have

also revealed serious shortcomings in the
government’s bigger plans to straightjacket the
internet. Any Russian with a modicum of tech
smarts can circumvent Kremlin efforts to starve
Russians of fact.

That puts providers of internet bandwidth and

associated services sympathetic to Ukraine’s
plight in a tough spot. On one side, they face
public pressure to punish the Russian state and
economic reasons to limit services at a time when
bills might well go unpaid. On the other, they’re
wary of helping stifle a free flow of information
that can counter Kremlin disinformation — for
instance, the state’s claim that Russia’s military is
heroically “liberating” Ukraine from fascists.

Amazon Web Services, a major provider of cloud

computing services, continues to operate in
Russia, although it says it’s not taking on any
new customers. Both Cloudflare, which helps
shield websites from denial-of-service attacks
and malware, and Akamai, which boosts site

83
performance by putting internet content closer
to its audience, also continue to serve their
Russian customers, with exceptions including
cutting off state-owned companies and firms
under sanctions.
Microsoft, by contrast, hasn’t said whether
it will halt its cloud services in the country,
although it has suspended all new sales of
products and services.

U.S.-based Cogent, which provides a major

“backbone” for internet traffic, has cut direct
connections inside Russia but left open the
pipes through subsidiaries of Russian network
providers at exchanges physically outside the
country. Another major U.S. backbone provider,
Lumen, has done the same.

“We have no desire to cut off Russian

individuals and think that an open internet
is critical to the world,” Cogent CEO Dave
Schaeffer said in an interview. Direct
connections to servers inside Russia, he said,
could potentially “be used for offensive cyber
efforts by the Russian government.”

Schaeffer said the decision didn’t reflect “financial

considerations,” although he acknowledged that
the ruble’s sharp drop, which makes imported
goods and services more expensive in Russia,
could make it difficult to collect customer
payments. Meanwhile, he said, Cogent is
providing Ukrainian customers free service
during the conflict.
Schaeffer said these moves might impair internet
video in Russia but will leave plenty of bandwidth
for smaller files.

Other major backbone providers in Europe and

Asia also continue to serve Russia, a net importer
Image: Matthew Horwood
84
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of bandwidth, said Doug Madory, director of
internet analysis for the network management
firm Kentik. He has noted no appreciable drop in
connectivity from outside providers.

Cloudflare continues to operate four data centers

in Russia even though Russian authorities
ordered government websites to drop foreign-
owned hosting providers. In a March 7 blog post
the company said it had determined “Russia
needs more Internet access, not less.”

Under a 2019 “sovereign internet” law, Russia

is supposed to be able to operate its internet
independent of the rest of the world. In practice,
that has brought Russia closer to the kind of
intensive internet monitoring and control
practiced by China and Iran.

Its telecommunications oversight agency,

Rozkomnadzor, successfully tested the system
at scale a year ago when it throttled access
to Twitter. It uses hundreds of so-called
middleboxes — router-like devices run and
remotely controlled by bureaucrats that can
block individual websites and services —
installed by law at all internet providers
inside Russia.

But the system, which also lets the FSB security

service spy on Russian citizens, is a relative sieve
compared to China’s Great Firewall. Andrew
Sullivan, president of the nonprofit Internet
Society, said there’s no evidence it has the ability
to successfully disconnect Russia from the
wider internet.

“Walling off a country’s internet is complicated,

culturally, economically and technologically. And
it becomes far more complicated with a country
like Russia, whose internet, unlike China’s, was not

86
Image: Dado Ruvic
87
originally built out with government control in
mind,” he said.
“When it comes to censorship, the only ones who
can really do it are the Chinese,” said Serge Droze,
a senior security engineer at Swiss-based Proton
Technologies, which offers software for creating
“virtual private networks,” or VPNs, a principal tool
for circumventing state censorship.

ProtonVPN, which Droze says has been inventive

in finding ways to circumvent Russian blocking,
reports clocking ten times as many daily signups
than before the war. VPN services tracked by
researchers at Top10VPN.com found Facebook
and Twitter downloads surging eight times
higher than average. Its research found the
Kremlin to have blocked more than 270 news
and financial sites since the invasion, including
BBC News and Voice of America’s Russian-
language services.

Russia’s elites are believed to be big VPN users. No

one expects them to disconnect.

Russian authorities are also having some success

blocking the privacy-protecting Tor browser,
which like VPNs lets users visit content at
special ”.onion” sites on the so-called dark web,
researchers say. Twitter just created a Tor site;
other outlets such as The New York Times also
have them.
The Kremlin has not, however, blocked the
popular Telegram messaging app. It’s an
important conduit for Ukrainian government
ministries and also for Meduza, the Latvia-
based independent Russian-language news
organization whose website is blocked in Russia.
Meduza has 1 million followers on Telegram.

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One reason may be that Telegram is also a vital
conduit for Kremlin propagandists, analysts say.
Additionally, Telegram does not feature default
end-to-end encryption, which renders messages
unreadable by the company and outsiders, as the
popular U.S.-based messaging apps Signal and
WhatsApp do. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook’s
parent, Meta. Telegram does offer users fully
encrypted “private chats,” although users have to
make sure to activate them.

After the invasion, Signal founder Moxie

Marlinspike tweeted a reminder that sensitive
communication on insecure apps can literally
be a matter of life and death in war. A Signal
spokesman would not share user numbers, but
WhatsApp has an estimated 63 million users
in Russia.

Being able to access outside websites and apps

vital to staying informed depend, however, on
foreign-based VPN services that Russians say
they are having trouble paying for since Visa and
Mastercard cut off their country.

91
94
 HOUSE DEMS
SEEK PROBE
OF USPS PLAN
FOR NEW MAIL
TRUCK FLEET

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee

are seeking an investigation into a U.S. Postal
Service plan to replace its aging mail trucks with
mostly gasoline-powered vehicles.

The plan largely ignores White House calls to

replenish the mail-service fleet with electric
vehicles and has drawn sharp criticism from the
Biden administration, Democratic lawmakers
and environmentalists, who say it falls far
short of President Joe Biden’s goals to address
climate change.
In a letter this week, Democrats on the oversight
panel asked the agency’s inspector general to
investigate whether the Postal Service complied
with the National Environmental Policy Act and

95
other laws when awarding a 10-year contract to
Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense to supply up
to 165,000 new mail trucks.
Only 10% of the initial order will be for EVs; the
remaining 90% will use traditional gasoline-
powered engines.

The Environmental Protection Agency, the

White House Council on Environmental Quality
and “numerous environmental stakeholders”
have raised concerns that the Postal Service
did not meet its NEPA obligations in issuing the
contract, the lawmakers said in a letter to Tammy
Whitcomb, the Postal Service inspector general.

“Given the substantial public interest in this

acquisition and the significant deficiencies” in
the environmental analysis identified by EPA
and the White House, “it is critical that Congress
understand whether the Postal Service properly
met its statutory environmental obligations,” the
lawmakers wrote.
The letter is signed by five Democratic
lawmakers, including Rep. Carolyn Maloney of
New York, the panel’s chair, and Gerry Connolly
of Virginia, chairman of a subcommittee on
government operations.

The lawmakers said they strongly support

purchase of electric vehicles for the Postal
Service fleet, saying it would “significantly cut
emissions and position the Postal Service as an
environmental leader” in the U.S.
A spokeswoman said the inspector general’s
office received the letter and was reviewing it.
The Postal Service awarded Oshkosh Defense a
contract worth up to $11 billion over 10 years to
replace its 230,000-vehicle fleet. The company

96
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98
has said it will make the Next Generation
Delivery Vehicles at a reconfigured warehouse in
South Carolina, creating 1,000 new jobs.
The Postal Service said last month that it
believes it has met all its obligations and is
moving forward despite widespread criticism.

The agency “carefully reviewed and

incorporated feedback” from EPA and the
White House regarding the new contract and
believes “there is no legal or other basis to
delay the (vehicle-replacement) program, said
spokeswoman Kim Frum.
The new contract will deliver 5,000 electric
vehicles beginning in 2023 and “provides
significant environmental benefits through the
introduction of safer and more environmentally
friendly vehicles, Frum said. Flexibility built into
the contract allows for more electric vehicles
“should additional funding become available,
she added.

In their letter, lawmakers cited a host of

concerns raised by EPA, including allegations
that the contract was awarded before the
environmental review was completed, and that
the Postal Service omitted important data on
climate change and other issues in completing
the review.

The USPS review “underestimates greenhouse

gas emissions” of the new fleet, “fails to consider
more environmentally protective feasible
alternatives and inadequately considers impacts
on communities with environmental justice
concerns, the EPA said in a Feb. 2 letter.

The EPA called the proposal “a crucial lost

opportunity to more rapidly reduce the carbon

99
footprint of one of the largest government fleets
in the world. The mail-service fleet comprises
more than 230,000 vehicles, nearly one-third of
the federal government’s overall fleet.

The new vehicles are greener than current

models, which have been in use for three
decades or more, but most will be powered
by gasoline.

An electrified fleet would save about 135

million gallons of fuel per year, said Adrian
Martinez, an attorney for the environmental
group Earthjustice who has urged the Biden
administration to force the Postal Service to
suspend or delay the contract and develop a
more eco-friendly plan.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Republican

donor and ally of former President Donald
Trump, has said the 10% EV production is the
best the Postal Service can do, given its “dire
financial condition.” An additional $3.3 billion
would be needed convert the entire USPS fleet
to battery-powered electrics, DeJoy said.

The Postal Service decision conflicts with Biden’s

goal to convert all of the federal government’s
vehicles to zero-emissions models by 2035.
The Postal Service is controlled by a board of
governors and does not take orders from the
president. Biden has nominated two people
to serve on the board, but they have not been
confirmed, leaving the panel under control of a
Republican chairman, Roman Martinez.

100
101
CNN+
STREAMS
START
MARCH 29;
MSNBC TO
STREAM
PROGRAMMING

104
105
106
The CNN+ paid streaming service will debut
March 29 with programming headlined by
network stars like Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer
and Jake Tapper, along with poached personalities
Audie Cornish, Kasie Hunt and Chris Wallace.
Customers will be charged $5.99 a month or
$59.99 to get the service, with a special deal for
charter subscribers.

CNN’s announcement comes a day after MSNBC

said that it will offer much of its television
lineup on a time-delayed basis on the Peacock
Premium streaming service, which is available
for $4.99 a month.

Fox News’ Fox Nation service has been operating

since 2018, and recently inked actor Kevin
Costner to narrate a documentary series on the
Yellowstone national park.

News outlets known mostly for television are

making some of their most aggressive moves
in streaming these days, betting on its growing
importance. While broadcast networks ABC,
CBS and NBC News each offer breaking news-
oriented streaming services for free, the cable
outlets CNN, Fox News and MSNBC will all have
products behind pay walls.

CNN+ is a particular priority for that company,

and many in the industry are watching to see
if its momentum will be stalled by the recent
ouster of network chief Jeff Zucker.

Some of its fare will feel familiar, like a

traditional daily newscast anchored by Blitzer
and a newsletter-like morning look at the
day’s top stories hosted by Kate Bolduan.
Elsewhere, familiar personalities will stretch
a little: Cooper will do a show that offers

107
parenting advice, while Tapper interviews
newsmaking authors.
Wallace, who left Fox News in December, will do
a daily interview show, “Who’s Talking to Chris
Wallace?” Hunt, formerly of NBC News, will anchor
a daily political show. Former NPR personality
Cornish will do a weekly interview show, “20
Questions with Audie Cornish.”

Jemele Hill, Don Lemon, Christiane Amanpour,

business expert Scott Galloway and former
basketball star Rex Chapman will have programs.
CNN+ will also make several original series and
films available on demand.

MSNBC said that in early spring that Peacock will

offer some fare, like “Morning Joe” and programs
hosted by Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Joy Reid
and Chris Hayes available on a time-delayed
basis on Peacock Premium. The evening shows
will stream the next day, while “Morning Joe” has
a six-hour delay.

Not every MSNBC show is included; Rachel

Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell’s programs are
not, for example.

Upcoming new programs hosted by Symone

Sanders and Katie Phang will stream and be on TV.
MSNBC said it will have a variety of streaming-only
offerings, including upcoming specials hosted by
Maddow, Hayes, Trymaine Lee and Nicolle Wallace.

108
109
DIGITAL
ENTERTAINMENT
BALLOONED
IN 2021: MPA
REPORT

Before the pandemic, the theatrical and digital

markets for entertainment were roughly similar
in size. Last year, however, digital revenue
was more than three times that of global box
office, according to a new report by the Motion
Picture Association.
The MPA’s annual study of theatrical and
home entertainment, published this week,
crystalized just how much streaming has come
to dominate the media landscape. In 2021,
the digital market accounted for 72% of the
combined theatrical and home market. In 2019,
digital accounted for $45.5 billion worldwide;
last year it ballooned to $71.9 billion.

112
113
Streaming services have led the boom. In 2021,
streaming subscriptions rose to 1.3 billion
globally, a 14% increase from the year before. In
the United States, subscriptions grew at a similar
pace to 353.2 million. According to Nielsen,
the Pixar film “Luca” on Disney+ was the most
watched movie of 2021, with more than 10.5
billion minutes streamed.
The digital surge came at the same time the
pandemic battered the theatrical business. While
worldwide box office last year nearly doubled
that of 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the
$21.3 billion theatrical market, amid sporadic
theater closures and widespread delays, was
roughly half of what it had been before the
arrival of COVID-19.
In 2019, box office accounted for $42.3 billion in
sales. With steady business returning to movie
theaters in much of the world this year, analysts
forecast that the theatrical recovery could reach
around 80% of what it typically has. Meanwhile,
physical sales (most notably DVDs and Blu-rays)
have been gradually declining for years. Last
year, physical media fell to $6.5 billion, or about
half what it was in 2018 and a fraction of their
record highs.

But however the media pie is divided, the

combined entertainment market in 2021
was practically the same as it was before the
pandemic, totaling $99.7 billion. That was
actually higher than the $98.1 billion of 2019.
Consumer spending — $328.2 billion last year,
including cable subscriptions — also matched
2019’s numbers.

Still, the MPA data captured many of the shifts

accelerated by the pandemic. In both 2020

114
115
and 2021, 179 original films were exclusive to
streaming services compared to 113 in 2019.
Viewing movies online grew in 2021 by 15%
versus a year earlier.

Other facets of moviemaking stayed stubbornly

the same, according to USC Annenberg’s
Inclusion Initiative. In a report released this
week, researchers found that in the 100
highest-grossing films of 2021, 41% featured
female leads or co-leads (compared to 51%
of the U.S. population) and 32% of leads were
from a historically excluded race or ethnicity)
compared to 40% of the U.S. population).

While those rates are substantially higher than

when USC researchers began tracking in 2007,
they suggested the industry’s belated and
gradual shift to more diverse representation
on screen is still falling short of reflecting
American audiences.

“While the industry reckons with the fallout

of the pandemic and the evolving theatrical
market, decision-makers must be wary that
the progress they have made can stagnate or
even reverse,” said Stacy L. Smith, director of the
Inclusion Initiative, in a statement.

116
117
EU REGULATORS
CLEAR AMAZON’S
$8.45 BILLION
PURCHASE
OF MGM

European regulators cleared Amazon’s purchase

of Hollywood studio MGM, saying the deal
doesn’t raise any competition concerns.

The online shopping giant said last year that it

was buying MGM in a $8.45 billion deal aimed
at bulking up its video streaming service with
more content to watch.

The European Commission said its investigation

found the deal “would not significantly reduce
competition” in European markets, including
for movie and TV production, wholesale
supply of TV channels and retail supply
of “audiovisual services.”

The commission, the European Union’s executive

arm, and its top competition watchdog said

118
119
120
MGM’s content can’t be considered “must-
have” and it’s “not among the top production
studios,” despite holding the rights to successful
franchises including James Bond.

Known for its roaring lion logo, MGM is one of

the oldest studios in Hollywood but its star has
faded considerably over the years.
It still has a vast library, with famous characters
such as Rocky, RoboCop and Pink Panther, which
Amazon has said it would use to create new
movies and shows.

121
IRISH
REGULATOR
FINES
FACEBOOK FOR
PRIVACY LAW
VIOLATIONS

122
123
Ireland’s privacy watchdog has fined
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, 17 million
euros, or about $19 million, for violating
Europe’s privacy law.

The regulator, the Data Protection Commission,

has been investigating how Meta Platforms
Inc. complied with the requirements of the law,
known as General Data Protection Regulation,
in how it handled personal data in twelve
data breach notifications between June and
December 2018.

The agency said that it found that Meta didn’t

have the right measures in place to show it
could protect EU users’ data.

“This fine is about record keeping practices

from 2018 that we have since updated, not
a failure to protect people’s information,” the
company said in an emailed statement. “We
take our obligations under the GDPR seriously,
and will carefully consider this decision as our
processes continue to evolve.”
Under GDPR, the Irish regulator leads
cross-border data privacy cases for big
tech companies that have their European
headquarters in Dublin. It has investigated
Meta for a number of data and privacy
issues and fined the company’s WhatsApp
communications service 225 million euros,
or $267 million at the time, in September, for
another GDPR violation.

124
125
WAR IN
UKRAINE
DISRUPTS
KEY SUPPLY
CHAINS -
AND LIVES

It can be hard to measure the ways that Russia’s

war in Ukraine has disrupted the global supply
of parts and raw materials needed to complete a
variety of products – from cars to computer chips.
But cutting off one of those supply links brought
a “depressing feeling” to Andrey Bibik, head of
the Interpipe steel plant in Dnipro, Ukraine. He
spent the first hours of the war winding down
his bustling 24-hour operation and sending
almost everyone home.

“It’s empty and lonely. You don’t hear a sound.

You see everything is frozen,” he said.

126
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128
Getting Interpipe’s steel transmission pipes to
Texas oil companies and its railway wheels to
European high-speed train operators has been
put on hold. Hundreds of the plant’s roughly
10,000 employees have joined the fight against
Russia. Others have fled; a remaining skeleton
crew runs its canteens and makes spikey metal
obstacles to block Russian tanks and convoys.
Its bomb shelters house dozens of local families
at night.

“It was a hard choice to stop production. We

had plenty of orders, a lot of customers awaiting
our material. But if you have to choose between
safety, and possible profits, I think the answer
is obvious,” said Bibik, who’s worked at the
company for nearly two decades. “The most
important thing we have is life and we really
need to take care of the people we love.”

Similar production halts have spread across

other industries in Ukraine, motivated not just
by safety concerns but also because the war
and mass exodus of refugees have closed off
roads and railways to commercial freight traffic.
Some of Interpipe’s finished products bound for
overseas export are now stalled at the Black Sea
port of Odesa.

Ukraine accounts for only about 0.3% of the

world’s exports, while Russia’s share is about 1.9%,
according to a report by the Dutch bank ING.
Still, some industries doing business with these
nations are starting to feel the war’s impact.
For Russia, a key producer of energy, steel and
raw metals such as nickel, copper, platinum and
palladium — many of which are important to
the auto industry — the supply concerns are
tied to punishing Western economic sanctions

129
and Russia’s moves to retaliate against them. For
Ukraine, the war itself is cutting off supplies.
“We want to give priority to the refugees,
people trying to move out of the war zone,
and humanitarian and military convoys,” said
Interpipe’s Houston-based chairman and former
CEO Fadi Hraibi.
The disruption of another Ukrainian industry
— the making of wiring harnesses used in cars
— is already hurting European automakers.
Ukraine has more than 30 automotive plants,
most of them centered near the western border
with Poland and other European neighbors,
according to a government agency that
promotes foreign investment.

German parts supplier Leoni said production

has been interrupted at its two western Ukraine
plants in Styri and Kolomyja and that it’s looking
for temporary alternatives. “We are aware that
this situation is currently affecting not only
Leoni, but the entire industry,” said spokesperson
Gregor le Claire.

Ukraine is also among the world’s largest

suppliers of neon, a gas used in lasers that help
etch integrated circuits onto computer chips. That
worries auto industry executives, who fear that
tight neon supplies could worsen a global chip
shortage that has already forced production cuts
and made vehicles scarce worldwide.
Interpipe has five factories in Ukraine, all
located in the industrial hub of Dnipro and
its surrounding oblast, or region, which holds
a strategic position on the Dnieper River
southeast of the capital, Kyiv.

130
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132
Until Russian airstrikes began targeting Dnipro
last week, the country’s fourth-largest city had
been mostly quiet — except for occasional
air raid sirens — in the two weeks after Russia
invaded the country. But executives at Interpipe
made a quick decision on Feb. 24 to shut down
all of its facilities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the
invasion before dawn and by lunchtime, plant
operations were wound down, Bibik said. That
evening, he watched the last five workers get
shuttled off to the suburb where they live. All of
Interpipe’s workers are still being paid, Bibik and
Hraibi said.

Interpipe’s customers in the energy and rail

industries typically order their pipes, wheels and
other products months in advance, but Hraibi
said the disruptions will cause shortages and
lead some to look for alternatives. For some
wheel customers, such a Saudi Arabian railway
operator, Interpipe is the sole supplier, he said.
Two of the company’s chief steel industry rivals,
OMK and Evraz, are in Russia and he hopes
customers will avoid them.

“I don’t know if our business will survive,” he

said. “We do all that’s necessary to support the
people, to keep our employees, to be able to
restart in a month or two or three, whenever
things get back to — at least closer to — normal.
But in reality, nobody can predict what’s going
to happen.”

133
JULIAN ASSANGE
DENIED
PERMISSION TO
APPEAL BY UK’S
TOP COURT

Britain’s top court this week refused WikiLeaks

founder Julian Assange permission to appeal
against a decision to extradite him to the U.S. to
face spying charges.

The court said it refused because the case “didn’t

raise an arguable point of law.”
Assange, 50, has sought for years to avoid a
trial in the U.S. on a series of charges related
to WikiLeaks’ publication of a huge trove of
classified documents more than a decade ago.
The case is now expected to be formally sent
to British Home Secretary Priti Patel, who will
decide whether to grant the extradition.

A British district court judge had initially rejected

a U.S. extradition request on the grounds that
Assange was likely to kill himself if held under
harsh U.S. prison conditions. U.S. authorities later

134
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136
provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder
wouldn’t face the severe treatment that his
lawyers said would put his physical and mental
health at risk.

In December, the High Court overturned the

lower court’s decision, saying that the U.S.
promises were enough to guarantee that
Assange would be treated humanely.

Monday’s news narrows Assange’s options, but

his defense team may still seek to take his case
to the European Court of Human Rights. Nick
Vamos, the former head of extradition at the
Crown Prosecution Service, said Assange’s lawyers
can also seek to challenge other points that he
had lost in the original district court decision.

Barry Pollack, Assange’s U.S.-based lawyer, said

that it was “extremely disappointing” that Britain’s
Supreme Court is unwilling to hear the appeal.

“Mr. Assange will continue the legal process

fighting his extradition to the United States to
face criminal charges for publishing truthful and
newsworthy information,” he said.
Assange’s British lawyers, Birnberg Peirce
Solicitors, said they can make submissions to
the Home Secretary within the next four weeks,
ahead of her making any decision.
American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully
helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea
Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and
military files that WikiLeaks later published,
putting lives at risk.

But supporters and lawyers for Assange

argue that he was acting as a journalist and
is entitled to First Amendment protections of
freedom of speech for publishing documents

137
that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq
and Afghanistan. They argue that his case is
politically motivated.
If convicted, Assange’s lawyers say he could
face up to 175 years in jail in the U.S., though
American authorities have said the sentence was
likely to be much lower than that.
Assange has been held at Britain’s high-security
Belmarsh Prison in London since 2019, when he
was arrested for skipping bail during a separate
legal battle. Before that, he spent seven years
inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to
avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations
of rape and sexual assault.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations

in November 2019 because so much time
had elapsed.

Assange’s partner Stella Moris, who has two

young children with him, said they have been
given permission to marry in prison later
this month.

138
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140
Music Bryan Adams - So Happy It Hurts
 So Happy It Hurts
Bryan Adams

Rock legend Bryan Adams’ new studio album

is his first since the start of the COVID-19
pandemic, and it shows. The thematic thread
running through the entire record is that of
euphoria as the world gradually returns to pre-
Genre: Rock
Number of Songs: 12 lockdown life and Adams prepares to hit the
Price: $9.99 road again.

FIVE FACTS:
1.“The pandemic and lockdown really
brought home the truth that spontaneity can
be taken away,” Adams revealed in a press
release about the album.
2. He added that the new album’s first single –
the title track – is “about freedom, autonomy,
spontaneity and the thrill of the open road.”
3. According to Adams, “Never Gonna Rain”
– another single from the album – is about
“someone who keeps on expecting the
best, even in the face of the worst”.
4. Meanwhile, the album as a whole “touches
on many of the ephemeral things in life that
are really the secret to happiness and, most
importantly, human connection.”
5. Adams’ previous studio album, Shine a
Light, was released in 2019.

141
 Bryan Adams - On The Road

142
143
IMPERA
Ghost

Tobias Forge – the frontman of Ghost – has

revealed to Apple Music that “the rise and
fall of empires” is the theme of the Swedish
rockers’ fifth studio album, IMPERA. One
early spark of inspiration for this theme
Genre: Metal
emerged from Forge seeing a book about Number of Songs: 12
empires in a Seattle bookstore. Price: $7.99

FIVE FACTS:
1. “I saw this book called The Rule of Empires,”
Forge recalled about the 2014 incident.
2. He added: “I’ve always been quite
interested in history and politics, but you
don’t need to be an expert to know that
every empire eventually ends.”
3. Ghost’s previous studio album, 2018’s
Prequelle, focused on the (as it turned out,
prescient) theme of the bubonic plague.
4. “I felt like those two subjects represented
two completely different threats of
annihilation,” Forge reflected.
5. Forge said that one of the new album’s
songs, “Twenties”, has “this cheer about the
twenties, saying that it will lead to an even
more hopeful thirties – but 1900s-style.”

Ghost - Hunter’s Moon (Official Music Video)

144
145
146
Ghost - Call Me Little Sunshine (Official Music Video)

147
 &TV Shows CYRANO | Official Trailer | MGM Studios

148
 Cyrano
In love with the beautiful orphan
Roxanne (Haley Bennett) but lacking
the confidence to woo her, wordsmith
Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage)
decides to write love letters for soldier
Christian de Neuvillette (Kelvin Harrison
Jr.) to pass off as his own for Roxanne.

FIVE FACTS:
by Joe Wright 1. In real life, Bennett is romantically involved
Genre: Musicals
Released: 2022 with the film’s director, Joe Wright.
Price: $19.99
2. However, this is the first time Bennett has
appeared in a Joe Wright film.
3. Dinklage had previously portrayed
the character of Cyrano on stage before
appearing in this film.
4. Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a real-
life French writer in the 17th century.
5. Although Edmond Rostand wrote about
Cyrano’s life in 1897, it was in a highly
fictionalized manner that has inspired many
subsequent versions of the story.

Rotten Tomatoes

85
%
149
150
“It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect” - Peter Dinklage On
Finding The Confidence To Sing In “Cyrano”

151
Nightmare Alley
(2021)
In the San Fernando Valley of 1973, 15-year-
old child actor Gary Valentine (Cooper
Hoffman) meets photographer’s assistant
Alana Kane (Alana Haim), marking the start
of a relationship that sees the two of them
eventually become a romantic couple.

FIVE FACTS:
1. Rather than a remake of the 1947 film by Guillermo del Toro
Nightmare Alley, the 2021 movie is actually a Genre: Thriller
Released: 2021
re-adaptation of the original William Lindsay Price: $14.99
Gresham novel.
2. Although Leonardo DiCaprio was originally
chosen for the lead role, he left the project
after failing to reach a financial agreement.
3. According to Cooper, the lie detector scene
was the last one filmed before production
was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Jenkins has claimed that, when production
shut down, he had only one scene left to film.
5. During the break in filming, Rooney
Mara – who plays Molly – gave birth to her
first child, having been pregnant when
filming began.

Rotten Tomatoes

80 %
152
NIGHTMARE ALLEY | Official Trailer
Searchlight Pictures

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Cate Blanchett talks new movie ‘Nightmare Alley’ l
GMA

155
IN ‘THE ADAM
PROJECT,’ A
BLOCKBUSTER
THERAPY
SESSION

156
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158
Pathos and action are found in equal parts in “
The Adam Project,” the latest attempt by Netflix
to create the kind of throwback blockbuster that
you might have paid to see in movie theaters.

Starring Ryan Reynolds as a time traveling

pilot and directed by Shawn Levy, the movie
takes the old cliche about what you’d tell your
younger self and adds PG-13 snark, space
action, “Guardians of the Galaxy” energy, a
megalomaniac businesswoman, a dead father
and a lost love to the mix. And it’s pretty
satisfying popcorn fare with some genuinely
affecting beats. All that’s missing is some
Harry Chapin.

This is a project that has been around for

a decade — at one point Tom Cruise was
attached. But it languished in development and
rewrites (there are four screenwriters credited
and Jonathan Tropper is the last to have touched
it) until Netflix acquired it and in less than two
years it’s a finished product.

In “The Adam Project,” we’re introduced to

a 40-something Adam (Reynolds) in the
middle of a space chase. He’s quick-witted and
unflappable, so it’s supposed to be jarring to cut
back to see middle school Adam (Walker Scobell
in his debut) as the little guy with the big mouth
who is prone to getting in fights and losing.
Adam and his mom (Jennifer Garner) are
hanging on by a thread in the year after they lost
his dad (Mark Ruffalo) in an accident. But before
things get too real, adult Adam shows up in the
past at their house and breaks all the known
time travel rules when he accidentally runs into
young Adam. This is a movie universe in which
“Back to the Future 2” exists.

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 The Adam Project | Official Trailer | Netflix

160
161
Adult Adam isn’t there for young Adam, he
just needs to treat his wound before going to
look for his wife (Zoe Saldaña). The older self
is dismissive, the younger one is desperate
to know when he’ll start getting ripped and
having luck with girls. Reynolds and Scobell are
a good match.
And of course adult Adam is on a journey
to make peace with his younger self and his
parents — Mom takes five minutes at a bar (it’s
a good scene) and Dad takes the rest of the
film. This is ultimately a film about boys and
their dads.

Levy is a director who has found a successful

lane in studio-made crowd pleasers like “Date
Night,”“Night at the Museum” and “Free Guy,”
which also starred Reynolds. While they might
not be the kind of things that are taught
in film school, they do have their place as
uncynical, nostalgic and rewatchable popcorn
fare (even Amblin-esque, if we must) with just
enough heart to make you feel like you haven’t
consumed junk food.

But nostalgia can be a tricky game for people

outside of the dominant group and “The Adam
Project” filmmakers could benefit from a little
post-game introspection about the fact that
they’ve made a loving film about family and
forgiveness and made the villain a highly
successful businesswoman (Catherine Keener)
whose origin story stems from her bitterness
about having no husband or children because
she devoted her life to work.
Keener looks like she’s having enough fun
among the special effects and a de-aged version
of herself. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that

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 The Adam Project | Official Teaser | Netflix

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166
we’ve somehow gone back to another staple of
1980s films that should have stayed in the past:
When single, childless career women were the
threats to marriages and domesticity. This, I’m
certain, is not part of the retro vibe they were
going for but unfortunately they did.

Levy has said he wants his films to have ideas

in them, and while there’s some nice ones in
“The Adam Project,” the existence of Keener’s
character signals that ladies better find time for
kids and mates before it’s too late.

In other words, “The Adam Project” should have

taken a note from one of its own lessons: The
only way to save the future is to reconcile with
the past.

“The Adam Project,” a Netflix release, is rated PG-

13 by the Motion Picture Association of America
for “Language, violence, action and suggestive
references.” Running time: 106 minutes. Two and
a half stars out of four.

MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material

may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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168
 ENCANTO
Lin-ManueL Miranda, GerMaine Franco & encanto Lin-ManueL...

IMPERA
Ghost

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

For KinG & countrY

7220
LiL durK

THE BRAVE
toM MacdonaLd & adaM caLhoun

TANA TALK 4
BennY the Butcher

SING 2
Various artists

LION
eLeVation Worship

I NEVER DIE
(G)i-dLe

DANGEROUS: THE DOUBLE ALBUM

MorGan WaLLen

169
170
 SWEETEST PIE
MeGan thee staLLion & dua Lipa

SCARS IN HEAVEN
castinG croWns

CHAI TEA WITH HEIDI

WeddinGcaKe, snoop doGG & heidi KLuM

BAM BAM (FEAT. ED SHEERAN)

caMiLa caBeLLo

LION (FEAT. CHRIS BROWN ... )

eLeVation Worship

IN JESUS NAME (GOD OF POSSIBLE)

KatY nichoLe

EASY ON ME
adeLe

FREAKY DEAKY
tYGa & doja cat

SHIVERS
ed sheeran

THIS IS HOW I THANK THE LORD

Mosaic Msc

171
172
 REUNION, PT. 3
the reaL houseWiVes oF saLt LaKe citY

SNATCH GAME
rupauL’s draG race

THE LUCKY ONES

the WaLKinG dead

APPLES AND ORANGES

the reaL houseWiVes oF oranGe countY

FRIDAY NIGHT BITES

top cheF

LEGACY
GreY’s anatoMY

REAL CRIME
the rooKie

BROMANCE BREAKUP
the reaL houseWiVes oF neW jerseY

THERE’S NO FEAR IN LOVE

90 daY Fiance: BeFore the 90 daYs

GUILT
BLue BLoods

173
174
 RUN, ROSE, RUN
jaMes patterson & doLLY parton

SHADOWS REEL
c. j. Box

IT ENDS WITH US
coLLeen hooVer

THE PARIS APARTMENT

LucY FoLeY

GRACE
MeGan o’Brien

THE GOLDEN COUPLE

Greer hendricKs & sarah peKKanen

THE WAR OF TWO QUEENS

jenniFer L. arMentrout

THE MOVING FINGER

aGatha christie

VERITY
coLLeen hooVer

THE CLUB
eLLerY LLoYd

175
176
 ‘TIL YOU CAN’T
codY johnson

THINKING WITH MY DICK

KeVin Gates

COLD HEART
eLton john & dua Lipa

SWEETEST PIE
MeGan thee staLLion & dua Lipa

HANDSOMER
russ

WE DON’T TALK ABOUT BRUNO

caroLina Gaitán - La Gaita, Mauro castiLLo, adassa...

BONES
iMaGine draGons

AA
WaLKer haYes

BIG ENERGY
Latto

BAM BAM
caMiLa caBeLLo

177
US ASTRONAUT
TO RIDE RUSSIAN
SPACECRAFT
HOME DURING
TENSIONS

US astronaut Mark Vande Hei has made it

through nearly a year in space, but faces what
could be his trickiest assignment yet: riding a
Russian capsule back to Earth in the midst of
deepening tensions between the countries.

NASA insists Vande Hei’s homecoming plans at

the end of the month remain unchanged, even
as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in
canceled launches, broken contracts and an
escalating war of words by the Russian Space
Agency’s hardline leader. Many worry Dmitry
Rogozin is putting decades of a peaceful off-the-
planet partnership at risk, most notably at the
International Space Station.
Vande Hei — who on Tuesday breaks the US
single spaceflight record of 340 days — is due to
leave with two Russians aboard a Soyuz capsule

178
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180
for a touchdown in Kazakhstan on March 30. The
astronaut will have logged 355 days in space
by then, setting a new U.S. record. The world
record of 438 continuous days in space belongs
to Russia.
Retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, America’s
record-holder until Tuesday, is among those
sparring with Rogozin, a longtime ally of
Vladimir Putin. Enraged by what’s going on in
Ukraine, Kelly has returned his Russian medal
for space exploration to the Russian Embassy
in Washington.

Despite the deadly conflict down here, Kelly

believes the two sides “can hold it together” up
in space.

“We need an example set that two countries that

historically have not been on the most friendly
of terms, can still work somewhere peacefully.
And that somewhere is the International Space
Station. That’s why we need to fight to keep it,”
Kelly told.

NASA wants to keep the space station running

until 2030, as do the European, Japanese and
Canadian space agencies, while the Russians
have not committed beyond the original end
date of 2024 or so.

The U.S. and Russia are the prime operators of

the orbiting outpost, permanently occupied
for 21 years. Until SpaceX started launching
astronauts in 2020, Americans regularly hitched
rides on Russian Soyuz capsules for tens of
millions of dollars per seat. The U.S. and Russian
space agencies are still working on a long-term
barter system in which a Russian would launch
on a SpaceX capsule beginning this fall and an
American would fly up on the Soyuz. That would

181
help ensure a U.S. and Russian station presence
at all times.
Vande Hei, 55, a retired Army colonel, moved
into the space station last April, launching on a
Soyuz from Kazakhstan with Pyotr Dubrov and
another Russian. He and Dubrov stayed twice
as long as usual to accommodate a Russian film
crew that visited in October.

As the situation 260 miles (420 kilometers)

below intensified last month, Vande Hei
acknowledged he was avoiding conversations
about Ukraine with Dubrov and Anton
Shkaplerov, their Russian commander. Three
more Russians will blast off from Kazakhstan to
replace them.

“We haven’t talked about that too much. I’m not

sure we really want to go there,” Vande Hei told a
TV interviewer in mid-February.

Space station operations continue as always —

in orbit and on Earth, according to NASA.

“It would be a sad day for international

operations if we can’t continue to peacefully
operate in space,” said NASA’s human spaceflight
chief Kathy Lueders, who noted it would be
“very difficult” to go it alone.

To mark Tuesday’s milestone, NASA turned to

Twitter to gather questions for video-recorded
responses, and some asked whether Vande Hei
might switch to an American ride home. SpaceX
is taking three wealthy businessmen and their
ex-astronaut escort to the space station at the
end of March for a brief visit. Then in mid-April,
SpaceX will deliver four astronauts for NASA
before bringing back four who have been on
board since November.

182
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184
NASA’s space station program manager Joel
Montalbano, during a press briefing Monday, said
Russia’s space agency has confirmed that they’re
ready to bring all three back — Vande Hei and
the two Russians. A NASA plane and small team
will be on hand in Kazakhstan, as usual, to whisk
Vande Hei back home to Houston.
Former NASA astronaut Heidemarie
Stefanyshyn-Piper, whose father was born in
Ukraine, concedes it’s a difficult situation.

“We’re sanctioning Russia. Companies are

pulling out of doing business in Russia. But
then yet you still have the U.S. government —
the space agency — doing business with the
Russians,” she said. “You can’t push a button and
separate the two” sides of the space station.

Besides threatening to pull out of the space

station and drop it on the U.S., Europe or
elsewhere, Rogozin had the flags of other
countries covered on a Soyuz rocket awaiting
liftoff with internet satellites earlier this month.
The launch was called off, after the customer,
London-based OneWeb, refused his demands
that the satellites not be used for military
purposes and the British government halt its
financial backing.
The European Space Agency also is reeling.
After missing a 2020 launch deadline for its Mars
rover — a joint European-Russian effort — the
project was on track for a September liftoff
from Kazakhstan. Now it’s most likely off until
2024, the next opportunity for Earth and Mars
to be properly aligned. And Russia has pulled
its staff out of the French-run launch site in
South America, suspending Soyuz launches of
European satellites.

185
All this comes on top of the Russian
government’s antisatellite missile test in
November that added countless pieces of junk
to the debris already encircling Earth and put
the space station’s four Americans, two Russians
and one German on alert for days.

Jeffrey Manber, now with the private Voyager

Space company, helped forge U.S. and Russian
ties back in the mid-1990s, with the first piece
of the space station launching in 1998. He
sees the outpost as “one of the final holdouts
of collaboration” between the two countries.
But, he added, “there is no going back if
the partnership is ended and the result is a
premature ending of the ISS program.”

Regardless of how things play out at the space

station, John Logsdon, professor emeritus at
George Washington University, expects it will
mark the end of large-scale space cooperation
between Russia and the West.
“Russia has been moving toward China
already, and the current situation will probably
accelerate that move,” he said.

While Vande Hei has been silent on Twitter, Kelly

and others have gone into overdrive, taking
offense at Rogozin’s threats.
Elon Musk’s private SpaceX took a swipe at
Rogozin after he said Russia would stop supplying
rocket engines to U.S. companies — Northrop
Grumman and United Launch Alliance — adding
they could use broomsticks to get to orbit.

At a launch last week, a SpaceX official

responded: “Time to let the American
broomstick fly and hear the sounds of freedom.”

186
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188
 BARCELONA
STADIUM
BECOMES
SPOTIFY CAMP
NOU UNDER
SPONSORSHIP

Barcelona is teaming up with Spotify — and

changing its stadium name — to ease some of
the financial struggles that hindered the Spanish
club recently.

Barcelona’s stadium will be called Spotify Camp

Nou after the club announced a “long-term
partnership” with the audio-streaming company
this week.
The agreement includes sponsorship of the main
shirt and title rights for the stadium, which will
have a sponsor name linked to it for the first time
beginning in July.

The Spotify brand will appear on the front of both

men’s and women’s team shirts for four seasons

189
190
beginning in 2022-23. The Swedish company will
also sponsor the training shirts for three seasons.
The club did not say when the title rights for the
stadium will end.

“Spotify and FC Barcelona will be working

together to create opportunities for the iconic
shirt to become a space that can celebrate artists
from across the world,” the club said. “The vision
for the partnership is to create a new platform
to help artists interact with FC Barcelona’s global
community of fans.”

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the

partnership will help bring the club closer to its
fans “through unique experiences, combining
two activities such as entertainment and football,
making it possible for us to connect with new
audiences around the world.”

The deal making Spotify the club’s main partner

has been signed by the board of directors but is
subject to ratification by delegate members
in April.
Financial details were not disclosed by the club
but Spanish media said the agreement was worth
about 60 million euros ($65 million) to 70 million
euros ($76 million) per season.

Spotify will replace Japanese online retailing

company Rakuten, which paid 55 million euros
($60 million) for the first four seasons with
the club before extending it for another, for
reportedly 30 million euros ($32 million). The
Rakuten contract was set to expire at the end of
this season.
The Spotify announcement came a day after the
Spanish league said Barcelona would head into
the next transfer window more than 144 million
euros ($157 million) over its spending limit.

191
The Spotify deal will help the club reduce that
deficit and significantly improve its spending
power as the league’s salary caps are largely
based on revenues, costs and debts.

The negotiation with Spotify had been ongoing

for some time, and Ferran Reverter resigned
as Barcelona’s CEO last month reportedly over
disagreements within the club about the new
deal, though the club and Reverter said he left
“for personal and family reasons.”

Barcelona has been slowly restructuring its

finances after amassing huge debts because
of the coronavirus pandemic and poor
management by previous administrators. The
club couldn’t keep Lionel Messi after last season
because of its financial struggles.

Barcelona is back in the second tier of European

soccer after nearly two decades contending
among the elite in the Champions League.

Xavi Hernández’s team has been playing well

recently after a tough start to the season and is
back to third place in the Spanish league after
being near mid-table early on.

Spotify was recently involved in a controversy

over content by comedian Joe Rogan, who has
millions of devoted fans but angered some
people who found his comments offensive.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek last year said a bid to buy
Arsenal was rejected by the Kroenke family, which
owns the London-based Premier League club.

192
193
194
IN AMERICA, A
FEW DAYS IN
MARCH 2020
ECHO TWO
YEARS LATER

195
The conversations went like this: It will be just
a few days. It can be kept at bay. There will be
some inconvenience, sure, but the world will
merely be paused — just a short break, out of
an abundance of caution, and certainly not any
kind of major grinding to a halt. Certainly not for
two years.
Certainly not for hundreds of thousands of
Americans who were among us at that moment
in mid-March 2020 — who lived through the
beginning, watched it, worried about it (or didn’t),
and who, plain and simple, aren’t here anymore.

“Just a temporary moment of time,” the man

who was then president of the United States
insisted. Just a few days. Just a few weeks. Just a
few months. Just a few years.

The fact is that on March 12, 2020, no one really

knew how it would play out. How could they?

Flattening the curve — such a novel term then,

such a frozen moment of a phrase today —
seemed genuinely possible two years ago this
weekend, when Major League Baseball’s spring
training games trickled to an end with their
season suddenly postponed, when universities
told students to stay away, when Congress —
astonishingly — began to talk about whether it
would be able to work from home.

“We would recommend that there not be

large crowds,” the nation’s top infectious
disease researcher told Congress two years
ago Friday, presaging two years of arguments
over that exact statement. His name was
Anthony Fauci, and he would become one of
Pandemic America’s most polarizing figures,
caught between provable science and
charges of alarmism and incompetence and

196
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malevolence, even occasionally from the former
president himself.
And for a while, there weren’t large crowds.
Except when there were.
For weeks in those early days, Americans
in many corners of the republic all but shut
down. Faces disappeared as masks went
up against the invisible adversary — if you
could actually obtain them. Hand sanitizer
was squirted so liberally that some distilleries
pivoted from whiskey to alcohol antiseptics.
People discussed ventilator shortages over
family meals. Zoom became, for the nation,
a household word; suddenly your colleagues
were arrayed on a screen in front of you
like personalized, workaday “Brady Bunch”
opening credits.

All these things were new once.

In the weeks that followed, as the scope of

things revealed itself gradually, there were
questions we knew to ask, and questions
we didn’t.

The ones we knew to ask: How does it spread,

and how easily? Can we keep it out? Can I even
go outside safely? Should I wash my groceries?
Will there be a vaccine, and if so, how quickly?
The ones we didn’t: How to combat the
extreme mountains of mis- and disinformation
surrounding the virus and the vaccines that
emerged from the scientific community
astonishingly quickly? How to manage the
anger, and the national division, that poured
from the political arena into the protracted
virus discussion and burned in conversational
trash fires across the land? How to navigate the

199
emotional rubble of an entire generation of kids
whose lives and educations would be upended?
Those questions are the ones that, right now,
don’t seem outdated. They seem fresh and
immediate, and they remain largely unanswered
today — a time when it can be difficult to
summon memories of the beginning of this
thing because of all that’s happened since, and
all that’s still happening.
The American memory is a strange beast. The
nation, which is younger than most societies
on the planet, loves to trumpet its storyline
of action but has long had trouble reckoning
with or even acknowledging its history —
whether it be racial or military, gender or
economic. Pandemic history, even in the two
years since those days in March 2020, is hardly
an exception.

Do you remember those moments when people

were talking about working together, when
daily life was thrown off its axis enough that
Americans were, for a time, a bit gentler with
each other? When the word “COVID” was barely
used yet, and everyone was just talking about
the coronavirus?

“If we avoid each other and listen to the

scientists, maybe in a few weeks it will be better,”
Koloud “Kay” Tarapolsi of Redmond, Washington,
on March 11, 2020. Exactly two years later, this
week, she said of those early days: “I just wish we
would have taken it more seriously.”

And now: More than 6 million souls lost across

the world. In the United States, nearly a million
dead — and the polarization that was already
poking at the fabric of American society
redeployed into pandemic anger, setting masked

200
201
202
neighbor against unmasked one, creating a fertile
petri dish to grow as-yet undiscovered brands of
mistrust and misconception.
The thing about history is this: Sometimes we
talk about “now” as if it were the culmination of
all that came before — the actual destination of
everything. What we often fail to consider is that
“now” is just another junction along the track,
another waystation en route to the next thing
and the next and the next.

That goes for the “now” of March 2020, yes.

But it also applies to the “now” of March 2022
as well. Looking back on the uniquely strange
and bedeviling year of 2020 is useful — you try
to learn from what came before — but it also
affords the chance to think about something
else: Two years later, how will we look at right
now? How will we take the measure of what
we are doing two years after it all began? It this
thing anywhere near done? And what happens
when it is?
“Who are we after this? Who are we after dealing
with this situation that we’ve never dealt with
before?” Hilary Fussell Sisco, a professor at
Quinnipiac University who studies how people
communicate in troubled moments, said
precisely two years ago Saturday. “You find out
who you are when a crisis hits.”

Have we?

203
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 BIG BATCH OF
SOLAR ENERGY
PROJECTS
APPROVED IN
VIRGINIA

Dominion Energy has received regulatory

approval in Virginia for a series of solar projects
expected to generate enough power to light up
250,000 homes.

Dominion estimates the projects will also

generate more than $880 million in economic
benefits across Virginia and support nearly
4,200 jobs.
The State Corporation Commission approved
the plan Tuesday. Dominion said the projects
will result in a monthly rate increase of about
$1.13 for the average residential customer.

Collectively, the projects will generate nearly

1,000 megawatts of electricity — that’s more

205
than the average coal plant in the company’s
portfolio. For comparison sake, Dominion’s
nuclear-powered North Anna station generates
about 1,800 megawatts.

The expansion includes 15 Dominion Energy

Virginia projects, supplemented by power
purchase agreements from third parties.
Dominion spokesman Aaron Ruby said
Dominion’s own projects account for about 75%
of the generating power.

The largest individual projects include the

150-megawatt Walnut Solar project in King and
Queen County and the 100-megawatt Dulles
Solar project in Loudoun County.

Ruby said the projects approved by the SCC

are the second annual batch of projects
contemplated under the 2020 Virginia Clean
Economy Act, and that projects of a similar scale
will be submitted by Dominion each year over
the next 15 years.
The law calls for 16,100 megawatts in solar or
wind energy projects to be in place or under
way by 2035.

206
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