Latest news with #Schrader
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Lies and immortality
Director: Paul Schrader Cast: Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, Victoria Hill, Michael Imperioli Rating: (M) ★★★+ REVIEWED BY AMASIO JUTEL Oh, Canada (Apple, Neon, Prime) is the sentimental retrospective of a late-career auteur exploring his legacy. Dying of cancer, renowned documentarian Leonard Fife (Richard Gere) records his final interview. Schrader's multi-timeline, multi-stylistic (between aspect ratios, colour palettes, and its inherent fictional documentarian quality) approach recalls and distorts memory, a thematic tie to ageing physicalised in Gere's vastly vulnerable performance. Adept pacing and editing curate the revelation of key details, changing Leo's story, jumping through time to re-explore his relationships and repressed memories — Schrader turning to the work of Susan Sontag to illuminate legacy, memory, and truth. Leo, now teaching, unpacks Sontag's theory, quoting, "After the event has ended, the picture will still exist, conferring on the event a kind of immortality". Leo shows his students the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of the "Saigon Execution", which immortalises its subjects. His wife Emma (Uma Thurman) disputes this point, arguing the Viet Cong captain shot in the photograph will forever be dying. This is the thesis of the film. Ageing, memory, and media — living forever and dying forever, on the screen and through the screen, as Schrader is and forever will be. Leo, the documentarian whose photographic reality has mythologised his life, fictionalising it alongside, and maybe through, his media. Oh, Canada is a profound film with the sincerity and senility of a great film-maker in a vast conversation with his legacy.
Time Business News
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time Business News
Ride in Style: The Ultimate Guide to Tire LED Valve Caps
In the world of automotive accessories, there's a growing demand for customization that not only enhances style but also boosts visibility and safety. One of the trendiest and most practical upgrades you can make to your vehicle is adding tire LED valve caps. These small yet powerful gadgets are transforming the way we look at nighttime driving—literally. Whether you're a car enthusiast, a cyclist looking to stay visible at night, or someone who simply loves tech-savvy enhancements, light up tire valve caps are worth exploring. In this blog, we'll dive into everything you need to know about them: how they work, the benefits, installation tips, and which ones might be right for your ride. Tire LED valve caps are small attachments that screw onto your vehicle's tire valve stems. But they're not just decorative caps—they're equipped with built-in LED lights that illuminate when your wheels spin. The result? A glowing ring of light that adds flair, visibility, and a modern edge to your car, bike, or motorcycle. The lights are motion-activated, meaning they turn on when the vehicle is in motion and automatically switch off when stationary. Many options on the market are also water-resistant and weatherproof, ensuring durability during rain, snow, or dust storms. You might be wondering: why bother with light up tire valve caps when there are so many automotive accessories out there? Here's why they're gaining popularity among drivers of all kinds: Safety is the number one reason drivers are turning to tire LED valve caps. Whether you're riding a bicycle in low-light conditions or cruising down a highway at night, extra visibility can make a big difference in preventing accidents. Unlike major upgrades like underglow kits or neon lights, these valve caps are easy to install and affordable. You don't need any special tools or wiring—just screw them on and you're ready to roll. Let's face it—these lights look cool. They add a futuristic glow to your wheels and make your vehicle stand out. Ideal for car shows, night rides, or just showing off your ride around town. Most light up tire valve caps are designed to fit standard Schrader valves, making them compatible with almost all cars, motorcycles, and bicycles. These caps are powered by small button-cell batteries and contain motion-sensing technology. Here's a breakdown of the key components: LED Light Bulbs: High-efficiency LEDs that emit a bright, colorful glow. High-efficiency LEDs that emit a bright, colorful glow. Motion Sensors: Detect movement and activate the light as soon as the wheels spin. Detect movement and activate the light as soon as the wheels spin. Battery Unit: Usually runs on LR1130 or AG10 batteries with a long life span. Usually runs on LR1130 or AG10 batteries with a long life span. Casing: The exterior is usually made from aluminum alloy or durable plastic, designed to resist water and dust. Most models offer different color options like blue, red, green, and multi-color (RGB) modes, giving you the freedom to customize your look. Installing tire LED valve caps is incredibly simple and can be done in less than five minutes. Here's a step-by-step guide: Remove Old Valve Caps Unscrew your current tire valve caps and keep them in a safe place (just in case). Check Batteries Most LED valve caps come with pre-installed batteries, but make sure they're properly seated and facing the correct direction. Screw On the New Caps Gently screw the light up tire valve caps onto your valve stems. Make sure they are snug but not over-tightened. Test Drive Give your vehicle a small push or drive a short distance to activate the motion sensor and see the lights in action. Secure Them If you're worried about theft, consider purchasing locking valve caps or security sleeves. To ensure your LED valve caps continue to shine bright and work properly, follow these maintenance tips: Battery Replacement : Keep spare batteries on hand and replace them every 3-6 months depending on usage. : Keep spare batteries on hand and replace them every 3-6 months depending on usage. Check for Water Damage : While most are water-resistant, avoid submerging them. Wipe off excess moisture after heavy rain. : While most are water-resistant, avoid submerging them. Wipe off excess moisture after heavy rain. Secure Fit : Regularly check to ensure they haven't loosened from vibration or impacts. : Regularly check to ensure they haven't loosened from vibration or impacts. Avoid High-Pressure Washes: Car washes with high-pressure water jets can damage sensitive electronic parts. Not all tire LED valve caps are created equal. Here are some factors to consider when shopping for the right set: Look for high-lumen output LEDs if visibility is your top priority. This is especially important for cyclists or motorcyclists riding at night. Some models offer single-color lights, while others feature RGB lighting with rotating colors. Choose the style that fits your personality and vehicle. Check customer reviews and product descriptions to ensure the caps are waterproof and made of high-quality materials like aluminum alloy. Look for brands that advertise long battery life and come with extra batteries in the package. Stick with reputable brands that provide warranties or return policies in case of defective products. LED valve caps aren't just for aesthetics—they have practical applications for different users: Perfect for those who want a unique modification that turns heads without breaking the bank. Great for enhancing visibility on roads, especially in dim lighting or urban areas with heavy traffic. An excellent way to combine safety and style while riding through the night. Use light up tire valve caps for parades, car meets, or promotional events to add that wow factor. Let's bust a few myths: Myth 1: They drain the car battery. Fact: LED valve caps use their own small battery and do not connect to your vehicle's power system. Myth 2: They're illegal. Fact: In most regions, they are legal as long as the lights don't interfere with brake or signal lights. Always check local laws to be sure. Myth 3: They fall off easily. Fact: If properly installed and maintained, quality LED valve caps stay secure—even at highway speeds. Absolutely. Tire LED valve caps are a simple, affordable, and eye-catching upgrade that combines safety with style. Whether you're customizing your car, upgrading your night ride on a bike, or just looking for something fun and functional, these gadgets deliver. Not only do they make your vehicle look cooler, but they also serve as an added safety feature during nighttime driving. So go ahead—let your wheels shine and make every ride a little brighter with a set of light up tire valve caps. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Called it a godsend': Senior care device turns your TV into an AI powered caregiver
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Alleviating loneliness among the senior community — that's what ONSCREEN, a senior care device that turns your TV into an AI-powered caregiver, aims to do. The company is partnering with the New York State Office for the Aging and the Association on Aging in New York to give out free devices to qualified applicants. 'We're a very rural area, we're upstate NY, a couple of miles from the Canadian border, the winter is very long, especially this one,' said Susan Schrader the program director at the Community Health Center of the North Country, 'we're finding seniors that are incredibly lonely, and have no way to get out of their house.' Schrader's been working with seniors for 25 years and says ONSCREEN devices have been a huge help for giving the folks she helps stay connected with family —and keeping them healthy with medication reminders. 'We've had one person that kept forgetting his medications and after he had it a couple of weeks, he came back into the health center and actually called it a godsend,' she said But the main attraction with the device is Joy — an AI companion for older adults. Schrader says that users already love her company. She says they installed a few devices in mid-March and already one user has accessed Joy 79 times. ONSCREEN Founder and CEO Costin Tuculescu lives the user experience – his mother uses the device. 'Joy checks in with her every single day, talking about the garden. Joy knows about the garden way more than I do, and she even gives my mom advice.' The company launched during COVID to help older adults stay connected. 'A lot of our customers were really family caregivers buying the product for their elderly parents in their late 70s early 80s,so that they can easily see each other,' said Tuculescu. With the company's partnership with the NYSOFA and the Association on Aging in New York to give out free devices, Tuculescu hopes this leads to more pilots, and therefore more evidence that keeping people connected will keep them healthier. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Khaleej Times
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
'Taxi Driver' writer accused of sexual harassment and assault
The writer behind Robert De Niro classics Raging Bull and Taxi Driver is being sued by his former assistant for sexual harassment and assault. Paul Schrader has been accused by the unnamed 26-year-old of grabbing and kissing her while they were at the Cannes Film Festival last year. A lawsuit filed in New York last week says after she escaped his clutches, the woman — given the pseudonym Jane Doe in the suit — was summoned to his hotel room three days later where Schrader exposed himself. "Since Defendant Schrader's brutal attack on Ms. Doe... and his countless other acts of sexual harassment, she has suffered, inter alia, nightmares, extreme anxiety, and trauma, and has withdrawn almost completely from her former life," the suit says. The legal filing claims Schrader, 78, fired his assistant in September. "Two days later, in full acknowledgment of his unlawful and predatory behaviour, he wrote in an email to her...'If I have become a Harvey Weinstein in your mind then of course you have no choice but to put me in the rear view mirror,'" the lawsuit says. Weinstein, 73, was the Hollywood power player whose decades-long sexual predation sparked the "Me Too" movement, leading to convictions that are under appeal. The former Miramax co-founder is serving a 16-year prison sentence in California after rape convictions in New York were overturned in 2024. Jane Doe's suit says Schrader initially agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement over the allegations, but later backed out. The motion seeks to enforce the terms of the agreement and demands reimbursement for legal fees and costs. Schrader's lawyer, Philip Kessler, said on Monday that they would contest the lawsuit. He said Schrader had not signed an agreement, which meant it was null and void. "He reflected on paying as much money as the agreement required him to pay, had he signed it, and he reached the conclusion that it was not in his interest to do that," Kessler said. Kessler said the underlying harassment allegations "are seriously inaccurate, very misleading and fundamentally untrue",. "He kissed her twice in almost three and a half years and... it was only at the time of the second kiss that she indicated displeasure, and he never attempted to kiss her again," Kessler added. "He will also say that he never attempted to have sex with her, and he will also say that he never exposed himself to her." Schrader was in Cannes to promote his film Oh, Canada, starring Richard Gere, Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paul Schrader Responds to Sexual Assault Allegation In Open Letter: ‘I Have Nothing to Hide About My Conduct'
Paul Schrader has written a letter to his friends and associates responding to sexual assault allegations posed by his 26-year-old former assistant, claiming her accusations couldn't be 'further from the truth.' On April 3, Schrader's former assistant, identified as Jane Doe, alleged in a legal filing that the 'Taxi Driver' screenwriter had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. One alleged incident occurred shortly after last year's 'Oh, Canada' premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where she claims Schrader exposed his penis to her in his hotel room. She also claimed that Schrader's lawyer agreed on a monetary settlement after the alleged abuse, but after some 'soul searching,' he pulled out of the deal. The Jane Doe's lawyers then filed a motion in New York state court to enforce the settlement and recoup litigation expenses. More from Variety Paul Schrader Accused of Sexually Harassing Assistant and Reneging on Settlement Paul Schrader Says He Asked ChatGPT for Film Ideas and They Were All 'Original' and 'Fleshed Out': 'Why Should Writers Sit Around for Months' When 'AI Can Provide One in Seconds?' 'Oh, Canada' Trailer: Jacob Elordi Plays Young Richard Gere and Dodges the Vietnam War Draft in Paul Schrader's Cannes Favorite Schrader has since responded to the claims in a letter sent Monday. In it, he writes that it's 'important' for the masses to 'hear from me directly about the subject' to get his side of the accusations, which he claims to be 'false and misleading.' The letter reads, 'Out of the blue, in the fall of last year, a lawyer I had never heard of, representing my former assistant, sent me a letter demanding that I pay my former assistant millions of dollars or she would go public with sensational, false and misleading accusations about our relationship and my conduct via a lawsuit.' He explains that he felt 'legally entitled' to back out of a settlement, which he claims 'would not be effective unless both Plaintiff and I signed it.' Schrader then goes on to detail the most 'physically 'intimate' experiences' he shared with his former assistant, claiming they shared 'two kisses on the lips.' He stressed that they 'never had sex in any form.' 'The first kiss was in December 2023 in a New York bar after we had both been drinking. She continued working actively with me thereafter. She did not indicate to me that she had been troubled by the kiss, much less that she preferred to change or end our relationship,' Schrader wrote. 'The second kiss took place in May 2024 at Cannes where she had accompanied me for the premiere of my most recent film. Once again, after we had been drinking together, I kissed her. This time she indicated displeasure. I never attempted to kiss her again and I also apologized. Even after Cannes, Plaintiff expressed emphatically her desire to continue to work, dine and travel with me.' Schrader ends his letter by saying he understands he will be 'presumed guilty' in the 'current climate' surrounding sexual assault in Hollywood, but remains confident the court would 'see the truth' if he goes to trial. 'I have nothing to hide about my conduct — and that includes my decision not to yield to the pressure of my former assistant's threat to make her sensational allegations public, a threat that she and her lawyers have now executed,' Schrader wrote. 'If this case ever makes it to trial, I will be honest with the judge and jury who I am confident will see the truth.' Read the full letter below. You may have read that my former assistant filed a lawsuit making some allegations about me. I am writing because you are important to me and I want you to hear from me directly about this subject. Out of the blue, in the fall of last year, a lawyer I had never heard of, representing my former assistant, sent me a letter demanding that I pay my former assistant millions of dollars or she would go public with sensational, false and misleading accusations about our relationship and my conduct via a lawsuit. I understood that the mere assertion of such accusations would be damaging and hurtful. As a result, I nearly committed to settling the claims by paying a small fraction of the amount that had been initially demanded to avoid the hurt and harm that the publicity surrounding a lawsuit with these kinds of false and misleading accusations would cause, to say nothing of the cost of litigation. Upon reflection, I changed my mind, which I believe I was legally entitled to do, and declined to sign the written settlement agreement the lawyers had prepared. I refused to bow to the coercion created by what I regard as unwarranted and opportunistic claims and resolved to defend myself. Plaintiff has now filed suit, apparently hoping against hope for a quick money grab. She hasn't sued for sexual harassment; she has sued to enforce against me the settlement agreement I declined to sign—even though the agreement says clearly that it would not be effective unless both Plaintiff and I signed it. Although her lawsuit is for breach of the settlement agreement draft, it gratuitously includes some of the sensational, false, and misleading accusations that were contained in her demand letter. I am not a mind reader, but I believe that the accusations were included as a tactic—to bully me into writing a check. If that is their plan, it will not succeed. The lawsuit labors to create a false impression about my character and my interactions with her. It also rewrites history, in a desperate attempt to transform our relationship of more than three years, which consisted of Plaintiff's diligent work and very willing non-sexual companionship, into something unwelcome, coercive and odious to her. Nothing could be further from the truth. To be absolutely clear: I never had sex in any form with Plaintiff. Nor did I ever attempt such a thing—period. I never exposed myself to Plaintiff—at any time. Our most physically 'intimate' experiences together consisted of two kisses on the lips, which occurred months apart. We also often kissed one another on the cheek in gestures of greeting and farewell. The first kiss was in December 2023 in a New York bar after we had both been drinking. She continued working actively with me thereafter. She did not indicate to me that she had been troubled by the kiss, much less that she preferred to change or end our relationship. She even co-wrote a script with me after this kiss. The second kiss took place in May 2024 at Cannes where she had accompanied me for the premiere of my most recent film. Once again, after we had been drinking together, I kissed her. This time she indicated displeasure. I never attempted to kiss her again and I also apologized. Even after Cannes, Plaintiff expressed emphatically her desire to continue to work, dine and travel with me. She also expressed her desire to work with me on my next film, which was scheduled for production last fall. Finally, she participated in an interview and voluntarily made personal social media posts in which she chose to praise me. Plaintiff was my Production Assistant from June 2021 until September 2024. During our more than three years of work together, she eagerly accompanied me to numerous work and social events as my guest. These events included small, private dinners with prominent celebrities in the entertainment industry. We also dined together in restaurants, drank together in bars, visited museums, and attended concerts, plays and film festivals. She never expressed any reluctance to attend these events or to join me in these one-on-one activities. If she was unhappy to participate in these activities, she didn't show or mention it. On the contrary, she repeatedly expressed to me enthusiasm about her participation. Her lawsuit tries to paint a very different picture—one that isn't true. It is more than a little revealing that, throughout her employment, Plaintiff chose on her own to make flattering social media remarks about me, emphasizing her belief in my talent and her delight in my mentorship. I think it is at least as revealing that a number of her social media posts have been deleted since she engaged counsel and asserted her claims. The deletions include her reference to me as 'my man'. In the summer of 2024, having completed my most recent film, I had no need for a full-time assistant. Plaintiff was living in Arizona then, caring for her ailing grandfather, who subsequently passed away. Rather than eliminating her position, I reduced her compensation by approximately 50% even though she was not doing much work for me. I hoped that she would return to full-time work in the not-too-distant future when my next contemplated film project would create a need for an assistant. I also emphasized to her that if she was ready to move on in her career, she should do so and would have my unqualified encouragement. Within a few months of this reduction in pay, I heard for the first time about the grievances detailed in the demand letter, which have been partially published in the lawsuit papers. I understand that in the current climate a defendant accused of sexual harassment is often presumed guilty in the court of public opinion without the fairness of due process– unless and until the defendant proves his or her innocence. But that presumption is not always true. It is not true in this case. I have nothing to hide about my conduct— and that includes my decision not to yield to the pressure of my former assistant's threat to make her sensational allegations public, a threat that she and her lawyers have now executed. If this case ever makes it to trial, I will be honest with the judge and jury who I am confident will see the truth. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
