December 17, 2015

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Today in Movie Culture: 'Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens' Edition

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for Star Wars movie culture:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally upon us! We’ve been devoting a week’s worth of movie culture roundups to the six previous live-action installments of the Star Wars Saga, and now we conclude today with focus on the brand new seventh installment (seventh episode), as the first showings of the sequel begin this evening.

See More Star Wars Movie Culture:

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
S
tar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Classic Trailer of the Day:

It’s been more than a year since we got our first look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens in trailer form. Watch that original teaser below.

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Honest Trailer of the Day:

Before the movie’s arrival, Honest Trailers was already on top of The Force Awakens, trying to temper expectations:

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Alternative Poster of the Day:

Unofficial posters for The Force Awakens have been designed by pro and amateur alike, and this one by artist Callum Parish is probably the most clever yet:

Movie Score Cover of the Day:

The cast of The Force Awakens, even Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, joined Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for a capella versions of different pieces of Star Wars music for The Tonight Show:

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Cosplay of the Day:

If there’s anything more adorable than BB-8, it might be little kids cosplaying as BB-8:

Movie Parody of the Day:

Quickly after the first teaser for The Force Awakens dropped, Darren Wallace produced this parody of a Disneyfied version:

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Fan Tribute Art of the Day:

Here’s another fan-made poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, by Laurie Greasley, that pays homage to the classic poster for Akira:

Movie Science of the Day:

Nerdist’s Kyle Hill explores the science of Kylo Ren‘s controversial tri-pronged crossguard-style lightsaber:

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Review of the Day:

The Onion’s satirical review of The Force Awakens by Peter K. Rosenthal takes aim at the problem of nostalgia when considering a new Star Wars movie:

Vintage Image of the Day:

Now this first look at the cast of The Force Awakens during a script read seems so long ago and far away:

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Winners And Losers Tucked Inside The Spending And Taxing Bills

Yes, this is a story about the budget — read on.

Yes, this is a story about the budget — read on. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

toggle caption Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

For years, critics have been fulminating while watching lawmakers take little or no action on crucial spending and taxing matters.

This week, at least, the “do-nothing Congress” label won’t stick.

On Thursday, the U.S. House approved a massive package of tax breaks worth $622 billion, voting 318-109. On Friday, the House will vote again, this time on a $1.1 trillion spending package.

Also on Friday, the Senate is expected to pass both the tax and spending packages. If all goes as planned, both measures will be shipped off to President Obama for his signature — and lawmakers will head home for the holidays.

Passage would accomplish two huge goals:

1. Fund the government through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

2. Extend or revive dozens of business and individual tax breaks — making some permanent.

Conservatives are unhappy with the spending bill, saying it’s too costly, while liberals are angry about the tax package, saying it sets the wrong priorities. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters “we have serious unease in our caucus.”

Despite such complaints, most lawmakers are expressing support, and business groups are pushing hard for final passage. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue said in a statement that “while far from perfect,” the tax breaks and spending priorities “will strengthen economic growth, create jobs, and enhance America’s competitiveness and security.”

The White House is on board because Republican leaders have kept the legislation free of “riders” dealing with hot-button issues like Planned Parenthood and Syrian refugees.

“The Administration appreciates the bipartisan effort to provide full-year appropriations legislation for FY 2016 largely free of new unrelated ideological riders,” the White House said in a statement.

Besides accomplishing the two major goals, the legislation provides help — or harm — to many industries. Here are a few of the business winners and losers.

Winners

  • Oil companies. Since 1975, Congress has prohibited the export of most domestic oil to reduce dependence upon foreign oil. But these days, the country is awash in oil, so companies have been arguing for an end to the export ban. They got their wish.
  • Medical-device makers. The legislation suspends an excise tax on medical devices for two years.
  • Meatpackers. The legislation repeals country-of-origin labeling requirements for meat. Meatpackers such as Tyson Foods Inc. oppose such labels, saying they unnecessarily complicate supply chains. Consumer advocates say they help shoppers make decisions about what they eat.

Losers

  • Wall Street. The financial services industry wanted Congress to erect roadblocks to keep the Obama administration from imposing new regulations on investment advisers. It didn’t get its wish.
  • Puerto Rico. The legislation did not include any direct debt relief for Puerto Rico, which is struggling to make payments on $72 billion in debt.
  • Horse meat lovers. The government defunds horse slaughter inspections by the USDA and prohibits establishment of new horse slaughterhouses.

Mixed

  • Sledders. Kids living in the Capitol Hill neighborhood defied police last year and slid down the snow on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The bill urges, but does not order, authorities to look the other way should sledders appear this year.

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Chelsea Coach Jose Mourinho Fired After Team's Losing Start

Just seven months after Chelsea won the Premier League title, coach Jose Mourinho has been fired.

Just seven months after Chelsea won the Premier League title, coach Jose Mourinho has been fired. Matt Dunham/AP hide caption

toggle caption Matt Dunham/AP

In May, Chelsea’s soccer club was riding high. It hoisted the English Premier League trophy and Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho was doused with celebratory champagne in the locker room.

But the bubbly has gone flat since then, along with the team’s performance. And on Thursday, after months of speculation about his leadership and the woeful performance of his team, Mourinho was finally fired.

Chelsea has won just four of 16 Premier League games this season and is rooted in the bottom half of the league with 22 games left in the season. Though the team did advance from a relatively weak group in prestigious Champions League play that pits top European teams against each other, the Chelsea bosses took action. Their move followed another loss in Premier League play on Monday.

Chelsea is dangerously close to being among the bottom three in the 20-team Premier League. If it finishes the season in one of those three spots, Chelsea would be “relegated” to the lower-division English Championship League for the 2016-17 season — a demotion that would cost it millions of dollars in lost revenue.

The club released the following statement Thursday:

“Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent. All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.

“His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.

“The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.

“The club’s focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential. There will be no further comment until a new appointment is made.”

Though a replacement has yet to be named, former interim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink of Holland is reportedly set to take over for the time being. Hiddink was previously “caretaker manager” for the club in 2009.

Chelsea owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, signed Mourinho to a four-year contract this summer. The coach’s departure is expected to cost 30 million euros, according to ESPN.

Mourinho is the fifth Premier League manager to be sacked this season, and arguably the most high-profile, at least since former Liverpool coach Brendan Rogers was fired and replaced with Jurgen Klopp in October. At the time, Mourinho — in a prescient interview with The Irish Times — said he dislikes what he said was a culture of untenable impatience surrounding English football.

“The culture of the vulture,” he said. “I’m not speaking about Jurgen, I’ve a good relationship with him and nothing will change that. I’m speaking about the circumstances that made Brendan [Rodgers] lose his job. I don’t like people being excited that a new manager is coming. I don’t like a player to say: ‘Now, we are going to give extra to prove to the new manager.’ Give to Brendan! Not to the new manager.

“I don’t like this at all. It’s part of my world I don’t like. My world is changing so much. It’s getting worse.”

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Department Of Veterans Affairs To Pay For Robotic Legs

ReWalk Robotics service engineer Tom Coulter (right) looks on as paralyzed Army veteran Gene Laureano walks using a ReWalk device on Wednesday in the Bronx, N.Y.

ReWalk Robotics service engineer Tom Coulter (right) looks on as paralyzed Army veteran Gene Laureano walks using a ReWalk device on Wednesday in the Bronx, N.Y. Mel Evans/AP hide caption

toggle caption Mel Evans/AP

Eligible veterans with spinal cord injuries may soon be able to walk again.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will now pay for robotic leg devices for eligible paralyzed veterans, VA officials tell The Associated Press.

Dr. Ann Spungen, who led VA research on the device, told AP that the announcement represents a major shift in policy:

“The research support and effort to provide eligible veterans with paralysis an exoskeleton for home use is a historic move on the part of the VA because it represents a paradigm shift in the approach to rehabilitation for persons with paralysis.”

Previously, the $77,000 cost of the device was prohibitively expensive for many injured veterans.

This video from ReWalk, the company that developed and manufactured the robotic legs, shows how its “wearable robotic exoskeleton” works:

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This video from ReWalk, the company producing the robotic legs, shows how they work.

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The system allows people to stand upright and walk, and uses “wearable brace support, a computer-based control system and motion sensors,” ReWalk says in a statement. The FDA approved the system in 2014 for home use.

ReWalk says that the VA’s decision means that veterans with spinal cord injuries can seek referral and evaluation at training centers around the country. Once an individual receives training, they’ll be considered for a personal unit to use outside the center.

“The policy outlines a sound process to educate, train and importantly, to provide individual veterans with a ReWalk Personal device so that they may walk at home and in the community,” says ReWalk CEO Larry Jasinski in the press release from the company. “We expect this landmark national policy will substantially improve the health and quality of life of many veterans in the years ahead.”

But for most paralyzed veterans, there are more than just financial obstacles. NPR’s Amy Held reported for our Newscast unit that the ReWalk “only works for certain paraplegics who meet height and weight requirements.” That’s only a fraction of the tens of thousands of paralyzed vets, she says.

A ReWalk representative tells Held that the company has so far determined that 45 paralyzed veterans meet the criteria for the device and have begun the process of seeking enrollment in the program.

AP spoke with Gene Laureano, a 53-year-old veteran who was part of a study on the robotic legs. Now, he’s eagerly waiting for a response on his application for the system—and describes how much it meant to him during the study.

” ‘The tears came down,’ said Laureano, who was left paralyzed five years ago after falling off a ladder. ‘I hadn’t spoken to somebody standing up in so long.’

” ‘I just kept remembering the doctor told me it was impossible for me to walk, and then I crossed that threshold from the impossible to the possible.’ “

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