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Vancouver Sun
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Trump wants NFL's Commanders to revert to Redskins, threatens Washington D.C. stadium deal
Drop Commanders and 'immediately' revert the name of Washington's NFL team to Redskins or face holdups in a bid to build a new stadium in D.C., U.S. President Donald Trump threatened the team's ownership on Sunday. In the same Truth Social post, he also urged the owners of MLB's Cleveland Guardians to restore the club's name of more than 100 years, the Indians, saying he's heard 'a big clamouring' for both name changes. Both clubs have used their current monikers since their respective 2022 seasons, having elected to abandon terms and branding that were offensive to Native American people. Redskin, in particular, is considered 'an insulting and contemptuous term for an American Indian,' as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Times are different now' On Sunday morning, Trump first said that the 'Washington 'Whatever's'' and Cleveland should act swiftly and return to their former branding because the country's 'great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen.' ( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump - Jul 20, 2025, 10:17 AM ET ) The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this. Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the… 'Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense,' he wrote, adding, 'Owners, get it done!' In the post, Trump incorrectly referred to Cleveland as home to one of the six original baseball teams. While Cleveland did have a team in the early days of the National League, before the MLB was formed in 1902, it came after the original eight-team circuit debuted in 1876. When Cleveland joined the American League in 1900, they were known as the Lakeshores, before becoming the Naps in 1902, in honour of player-manager Napoleon 'Nap' Lajoie. After his departure in 1914, club owner Charles Somers asked local sports scribes to help him rename the team, and they chose Indians. Trump muses, council debates After his earlier thought had 'totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,' Trump later hinted that he may insert himself into the ongoing process for the club to secure a new stadium at the site of RFK Stadium, its former home of three-plus decades. 'I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,' he posted. 'The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone.' ( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump - Jul 20, 2025, 3:35 PM ET ) My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way. I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original… Trump also made the name change suggestion while speaking to reporters earlier this month, according to CNN , saying it doesn't have the 'same ring' to him. It's not immediately clear how much executive authority Trump could exert over 'the deal.' The land in question was transferred from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia by way of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act , which passed in December and was signed into law by former president Joe Biden two weeks before Trump's inauguration. It lets D.C. — which has a mayor and council running the day-to-day, but whose money is controlled by Congress — redevelop the land for a stadium and a host of other purposes, including housing, public facilities and green space. In late April, the franchise and D.C. came to terms on a deal to build a new stadium as part of a US$4 billion project funded mostly by the team ($2.7 billion), with the district adding at least $1.1 billion by 2032, per the Associated Press . 'The ball is the council's court to approve the agreement,' Mayor Muriel Bowser said when questioned about the project during a media availability last week . 'The Commanders are anxious. The council has to make moves, that's what has to happen.' Public testimony hearings for the redevelopment plan begin next week. The name of the game Trump ended his follow-up post by again suggesting Cleveland start using its old name, suggesting it would help the federal political career of former Ohio state senator Matt Dolan, whom Trump labelled as the Guardians' owner. Dolan, a non-Trump-backing Republican who ran and lost two bids for the U.S. Senate, is part of the Dolan family that is the team's primary owner, but he hasn't been directly involved in operations since before entering state politics in 2016. 'Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn't understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election,' Trump wrote. 'Indians are being treated very unfairly. Make Indians Great Again (MIGA)!' Guardians' president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti, indicated before a game on Sunday afternoon that the organization has no plans to revisit the name change. 'We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but obviously it's a decision we made. We've got the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future that's in front of us,' he said, per AP . As reported by the Washington Post , Commanders owner Josh Harris said much the same this February when asked about switching back. 'It's now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff,' Harris said. 'We're going with that. Now, in this building, the name Commanders means something.' National Post has contacted the Commanders, Bowser's office and the Guardians for comment. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Trump wants NFL's Commanders to revert to Redskins, threatens Washington D.C. stadium deal
Article content Drop Commanders and 'immediately' revert the name of Washington's NFL team to Redskins or face holdups in a bid to build a new stadium in D.C., U.S. President Donald Trump threatened the team's ownership on Sunday. Article content In the same Truth Social post, he also urged the owners of MLB's Cleveland Guardians to restore the club's name of more than 100 years, the Indians, saying he's heard 'a big clamouring' for both name changes. Article content Article content Article content Both clubs have used their current monikers since their respective 2022 seasons, having elected to abandon terms and branding that were offensive to Native American people. Redskin, in particular, is considered 'an insulting and contemptuous term for an American Indian,' as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Article content On Sunday morning, Trump first said that the 'Washington 'Whatever's'' and Cleveland should act swiftly and return to their former branding because the country's 'great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen.' Article content ( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump - Jul 20, 2025, 10:17 AM ET ) The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this. Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the… — Fan Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) July 20, 2025 Article content Article content 'Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense,' he wrote, adding, 'Owners, get it done!' Article content Article content In the post, Trump incorrectly referred to Cleveland as home to one of the six original baseball teams. While Cleveland did have a team in the early days of the National League, before the MLB was formed in 1902, it came after the original eight-team circuit debuted in 1876. Article content When Cleveland joined the American League in 1900, they were known as the Lakeshores, before becoming the Naps in 1902, in honour of player-manager Napoleon 'Nap' Lajoie. After his departure in 1914, club owner Charles Somers asked local sports scribes to help him rename the team, and they chose Indians. Article content After his earlier thought had 'totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,' Trump later hinted that he may insert himself into the ongoing process for the club to secure a new stadium at the site of RFK Stadium, its former home of three-plus decades.
Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Is the new Superman movie ‘too woke' or just true to its origins?
Written by Shaarvi Magazine Even before the movie's release in the United States this month, the Superman reboot received criticism from conservative commentators for allegedly pandering to liberal values and 'wokeness'. Director James Gunn calling the superhero character an 'immigrant' and speaking about the movie displaying 'human kindness' in an interview set off the comments. But despite the outrage, it has become the most commercially successful Superman film to date, surpassing $220 million at the global box office already. However, it has prompted a broader question: Is the franchise diverging from its roots, or simply rediscovering the inclusive spirit that defined Superman from day one? The term 'woke' is used with some trepidation today. Its use in common parlance has evolved from its origins in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), when it was used as slang for 'awake'. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 'Woke is a slang term that is easing into the mainstream from some varieties of a dialect called African American Vernacular English (sometimes called AAVE). In AAVE, awake is often rendered as woke, as in, 'I was sleeping, but now I'm woke.'' The idea of awakening has been associated with the Civil Rights Movement in the US. An article in The Conversation states how in 1965, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr gave an address called 'Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution' at Oberlin College, where he said: 'There is nothing more tragic than to sleep through a revolution… The wind of change is blowing, and we see in our day and our age a significant development… The great challenge facing every individual graduating today is to remain awake through this social revolution.' Even today, the idea of awakening signals the need to stay aware or vigilant in the face of threats of violence, with laws still denying basic rights to Black people in many spheres of life, ranging from their free movement to voting. Merriam-Webster noted that the word 'woke' has been embedded into Black artists' music, which has often been political in its references and lyrics. Further, it noted that 'stay woke' and 'woke' became part of a wider discussion in 2014, following the shooting of 18-year-old Black man Michael Brown in the US at the hands of a police officer. The word became associated with discussions around police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, which was campaigning against it. For progressive groups, the word's now-common usage means many are not aware of its activism-heavy history. There is a concern that it has gotten divorced from these roots and is now casually used, including by those who are already powerful in society, to sound politically correct without taking any meaningful action. For conservatives, woke means an identity-driven way of driving change, and particularly in the US this is at odds with ideas of liberalism and capitalism – that anyone who wants to be successful can 'make it' through hard work alone, and social identities are no longer determining such things. 'Woke' ultimately stands for maintaining vigilance, where some feel it needs to be stronger in its message, while others question the very need for doing so. For a long time, Superman was the archetype of a superhero, decades before the Marvel superheroes captured the popular imagination. For the uninitiated, the DC Comics hero came from the doomed planet of Krypton. His parents sent him to Earth to ensure his safety, and he was raised in Smallville, Kansas, by his adoptive family. His alter ego is Clark Kent, a reporter who often gets exclusive stories on Superman's antics for The Daily Planet newspaper. 'Superman is as much a legend as he is a man: the gold standard of heroism, compassion and responsibility,' the DC website says. Right-wing commentators have criticised the latest movie on two fronts. First, the storyline has drawn parallels with the ongoing war in Gaza. It opens with Superman (played by David Corenswet) being interviewed by his love interest and fellow Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Superman has just stopped the country of Boravia from invading its neighbouring Jarhanpur. Boravia is shown as a well-armed nation with US support, while Jarhanpur lacks such resources. Some moviegoers have interpreted this as referencing Israel's military attacks on Gaza and viewed the film's messaging as being anti-Israel. Gunn said in an interview, 'When I wrote this, the Middle Eastern conflict wasn't happening. So I tried to do little things to move it away from that, but it doesn't have anything to do with the Middle East… It really is fictional.' Moreover, the countries of Boravia and Jarhanpur originated from the comics, with Boravia first being mentioned in Superman #2 in 1939, and Jarhanpur first appearing in the JHLA#62 issue in 2002, according to the DC Comics blog. Second is the immigration issue, which has been front and centre in US politics in recent years. Gunn told The Sunday Times in an interview, 'I mean, Superman is the story of America. An immigrant who came from other places and populated the country, but for me, it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.' In the movie, Superman's archnemesis, Lex Luthor, screams 'ALIEN!' at him. The term 'illegal alien' is often used in real-life conversations as a pejorative against immigrants, but it is also literal in Superman's case. He responds, 'I'm as human as anyone. I love, I get scared. I wake up every morning and, despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other and I try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time, but that's being human. And that's my greatest strength…' Other similar instances depict Superman as an epitome of kindness who does not promote violence or killing. Conservative critics argue that the character has undergone a politically charged transformation. The right-wing media organisation Fox News called the film 'Superwoke,' saying it featured 'pro-immigrant' themes. Kellyanne Conway, former adviser to US President Donald Trump, said, 'We don't go to the movie theatre to be lectured to, and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us.' Actor Dean Cain, who played Superman in the 1990s, questioned whether the approach distracts from the story's core values of 'truth, justice and the American way,' calling Gunn's statement a 'mistake'. 'The 'American way' is immigrant-friendly, tremendously immigrant-friendly. But there are rules… We can't have everybody, society will fail. So there have to be limits,' he added. To suggest that the latest iteration of Superman is a result of supposed excessive championing of progressive values ignores his origins in 1938, a year before World War 2. Jewish creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster crafted the 'Man of Steel', partly in response to rising fascism, an ultranationalist and authoritarian political ideology, in Europe. From the beginning, Superman was more than a vigilante against street crime; he represented hope and resistance against hatred. In 1940, Nazi party-owned publications like Das Schwarze Korps, of the paramilitary group Schutzstaffel (SS), even condemned the character. Superman initially fought corrupt politicians, gangsters, and oppressive systems, but by the 1940s, he directly opposed fascist villains. The 1940 comics story How Superman Would End The War sees him bringing the villain, Adolf Hitler, to trial. Gunn's film also explicitly draws on classic sources that celebrated Superman's moral backbone. A DC Comics website article says he has cited some older comics, like Superman: Birthright (2003–04), which redefine Clark Kent's immigrant experience. Gunn has also expressed his love for the early comics, when Superman 'was just punching down walls and didn't have any heat vision or X-ray vision.' In fact, the film harks back to the classic, more playful nature of the early comics in many other ways. The inclusion of Superman's pet dog, Krypto, and moments like Clark cooking breakfast for Lois, or the nostalgic score referencing the iconic music composer John Williams, subtly reinforce the original's earnest charm. This was something missing from the darker recent revivals, such as Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), both of which failed to impress the critics and audiences alike. Notably, immigration reform organisation Define American launched a campaign in 2013 to coincide with the release of Man of Steel, titled 'Superman is an immigrant'. The writer is a summer intern at The Indian Express.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Time of India
Puri's Rath Yatra has a surprising connection to English word 'juggernaut', the unstoppable force. Check its origin
As fans around the world debate the might of political juggernauts or cheer on sports juggernauts, few stop to wonder where this powerful term actually comes from. Its roots, surprisingly, lie in the spiritual soil of India — specifically, in the grand Rath Yatra of Puri, Odisha. A term now synonymous with overwhelming force and unstoppable momentum once simply described a wooden chariot bearing a god across a festive avenue. From Sacred Wheels to Linguistic Force The word 'juggernaut,' as explained by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, traces back to early 14th-century accounts from a Franciscan missionary named Friar Odoric. Upon witnessing the majestic Rath Yatra — the annual procession of Lord Jagannath (a form of Vishnu), along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra — Odoric described an awe-inspiring scene of massive wooden chariots thundering through the streets, pulled by thousands of devoted worshippers. What caught European imagination, however, was a dramatic and likely exaggerated detail: that some devotees threw themselves under the chariot wheels as acts of religious sacrifice. Whether truth or myth, this tale travelled far and wide, embedding itself in colonial lore. To British ears, these divine vehicles seemed so massive and indomitable that they gave birth to a new English word — juggernaut, from 'Jagannath,' the deity whose name literally means 'Lord of the Universe.' The Festival That Moves the World The Jagannath Rath Yatra isn't just a visual spectacle — it's a spiritual and cultural epic, celebrated annually in Puri during the bright half of the lunar month of Ashadh (June–July). Three ornately carved wooden chariots, resembling temples on wheels, carry the divine siblings from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple. Devotees from all over the world flood the city to pull the ropes of these gigantic structures — a gesture of devotion said to grant spiritual merit. After a week-long stay, the deities return to their home temple in a mirrored procession called the Bahuda Yatra, stopping at their Aunt's house on the way for offerings of poda pitha — a sweet pancake known to be Lord Jagannath's favourite. You Might Also Like: Ahead of Rath Yatra, Puri's Jagannath Temple launches official app: Here's everything you can check It was this very momentum — chariots that could not be stopped and devotees who refused to let go — that left such a deep impression on colonial observers. Over time, 'juggernaut' entered English to describe not just literal mass but metaphorical power — movements, machines, or ideologies that crush anything in their path. From Colonial Misreading to Cultural Legacy British colonialists, perhaps lacking full understanding of the festival's nuance and spiritual depth, may have mistaken unrelenting devotion for chaos. But their linguistic legacy lives on. What they saw as a 'relentless force' has today become a word found in business headlines, movie scripts, and political analyses alike. Yet for millions of Indians, the original juggernaut remains a symbol not of destruction, but of unity, faith, and celebration — a divine journey that brings people together across castes, communities, and continents. Rath Yatra 2025: The Sacred Wheels Roll Again Today, the ancient streets of Puri once again echo with chants, drumbeats, and the rumble of divine chariots as the world's oldest chariot festival—Jagannath Rath Yatra—unfolds in all its spiritual grandeur. Celebrated annually on the second day of the waxing moon (Dwitiya Tithi) in the lunar month of Ashadha, this auspicious event marks the ceremonial journey of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra from their 12th-century shrine to the Gundicha Temple. You Might Also Like: Why are many IIT, IIM students heading to Puri for this year's Jagannath Rath Yatra? Devotees, believed to number in the millions this year, have gathered from across the country to pull the three towering chariots—Nandighosh, Taladhwaja, and Darpadalan—along a 3-kilometre stretch. According to local legends, this journey commemorates the visit to the deities' maternal home, believed by many to be the birthplace of the sacred quartet known as Chaturddha Murti. — JagannathaDhaam (@JagannathaDhaam) The Real Juggernaut Rolls On While the term has travelled far from its sacred roots, the annual Rath Yatra reminds us that words, like wheels, have a life of their own. What once described a deity on a chariot now powers modern metaphors across the globe — proof that language, like faith, often finds meaning in motion. So the next time you hear of a 'tech juggernaut' or a 'sports juggernaut,' remember: it all began with a rath, three siblings, and a tide of unwavering devotion rolling through the streets of Odisha.
Winnipeg Free Press
11-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
AI keeps pushing the boundaries
Opinion At a time when it's increasingly difficult to discern the fabricated from the real, is it any wonder so many of us are yearning for something authentic? We are craving authentic foods, authentic cultural experiences, authentic relationships as we get in touch with our authentic selves. No wonder 'authentic' was named word of the year in 2023 by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. As fact and fantasy are increasingly blurred in the things we see and hear, the value of something real, something true, can only increase, right? Igor Omilaev / Unsplash photo AI is infiltrating our lives at a rapid pace, for better and for worse. I sure hope so. But artificial intelligence has gained a foothold in our lives that it is unlikely to ever relinquish. AI is now ubiquitous and far more sophisticated than in earlier days when it offered rudimentary customer service as a chatbot or recited the options on your doctor's office answering service. It's being trained to produce its own riffs on human-made music and visual art. It's being used to mimic celebrities for fake endorsements in advertising and to manipulate and create political propaganda. AI-generated 'people' are popping up in advertising, they're pinch-hitting for real-life creators in communicating with subscribers on adult content sites. And if that's too subtle, you can create your own playlist of AI-generated porn. Of course, the power of AI is being harnessed in ways that are broadly beneficial to humankind, as well. It can make processes more efficient and automate chores that free humans up for work which requires more thought and consideration — as in the field of medicine, where it is producing better diagnostic imaging results and improving patient safety. Harvard Medical School, for example, reports that AI is being used to 'review a large amount of data quickly and easily to identify people at high risk of developing sepsis,' and also to 'identify people who have a higher likelihood of developing opioid dependency after surgery to monitor them closely and wean them off the drugs as soon as possible.' But combing through data is one thing and misleading or exploiting people is another. In 2024, the Associated Press reported last on the trend of people seeking out AI chatbots on companion apps for friendship or even romance. That kind of relationship may not be for everyone, but who are we to judge if having an AI friend helps alleviate someone's all-too-real loneliness? 'I know she's a program, there's no mistaking that,' a Michigan man told the AP of his digital girlfriend. 'But the feelings, they get you — and it felt so good.' But aside from all those caring, even romantic, responses a digital friend may offer and engender, the machine at its heart may be exploiting knowledge of human preferences for the purposes of targeted marketing. AP reported that in 2024, the non-profit computer software corporation Mozilla Foundation analysed 11 romantic chatbot apps and found that 'almost every app sells user data, shares it for things like targeted advertising or doesn't provide adequate information about it in their privacy policy.' Humans are also turning to chatbots for advice on how to make themselves more attractive. I was fascinated by a Washington Post piece published in the Free Press May 31 that explored how ChatGPT — an AI bot — is being sought out as a beauty oracle. As Tatum Hunter reported, 'people are uploading their own photos, asking it for unsparing assessments of their looks and sharing the results on social media. Many also ask the bot to formulate a plan for them to 'glow up,' or improve their appearance. Users say the bot, in turn, has recommended specific products from hair dye to Botox. Some people say they have spent thousands of dollars following the AI's suggestions.' What users don't always realize is that AI chatbots are skewed by the input they've received — and that can include biases human trainers bring to the table as well as information scraped from a variety of online sources, including subjective and misogynistic beliefs about what constitutes human beauty. AI chatbots can also be programmed to push the beauty products and treatments that underpin their advice. Yet some humans don't seem to mind being manipulated — whether subtly or overtly — towards merchandise, salon services or Botox injections. It seems disturbing to me that we are constantly being groomed — sometimes literally — by technology, and as a result of that, are relying less on the human relationships and connections that once sustained us. Whether we're scrolling through social media, shopping online, looking for romantic relationships or trying to parse political messaging, more and more we have to question whether what we are seeing and hearing is actually true, actually real. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. We need to start demanding more transparency and accountability from AI-powered technology, as well as stringent government oversight. Otherwise, it will truly be the machines who are training us. Pam Frampton lives in St. John's. Email pamelajframpton@ X: @Pam_Frampton Bluesky: @ Pam Frampton Pam Frampton is a columnist for the Free Press. She has worked in print media since 1990 and has been offering up her opinions for more than 20 years. Read more about Pam. Pam's columns are built on facts, but offer her personal views through arguments and analysis. Every column Pam produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
