Iran Has Pivoted to Video. The classic US stereotype of attempted Iranian ideological indoctrination via chants of “Death to America” and such has been old hat for quite some time. As noted by the New York Times on Saturday, in the past few years Iranian pro- government propaganda efforts have increasingly taken the form of rap videos glorifying the country’s military, spread on sites like local You. Tube equivalent Apparat and apps like Telegram. The Times rounded up some of the most high- profile attempts to appeal to the nation’s youth by pairing Iranian rappers with sweeping shots of military personnel and CGI- infused battle scenes, some of which are pretty over- the- top.
They’re fascinating to watch, especially at a time when the current presidential administration has gone full hawk on Iran. They’re also more than a little uncomfortable, both because they show an oppressive government’s approach to a digitized era of propaganda and, if we’re being honest, they do kind of resemble pro- military media produced in places like the US. One video highlighted by the paper features Amir Tataloo, a musician with a “hard- partying, gangster- style reputation,” who extolled “our absolute right / to have an armed Persian gulf” while singing alongside naval personnel on the frigate Damavand.
The Simpsons fans may notice a strong “Yvan Eht Nioj” vibe.)Another video from last year, titled “We Will Resist,” cost $2. US fighter jets bombing a mosque by a sunny beach, flanked by newly constructed oil refineries. A battalion of Iranian youth carrying flags retaliate by charging towards the water, conjuring up a gigantic tidal wave which sinks the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Another released in 2. Seraj Cyberspace Organization, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Basij volunteer militia, shows Iranian- backed fighters in Syria taking the fight to ISIS insurgents flying the terror group’s infamous black flag.
The video features Hamid Zamani, who the Times noted was the mastermind behind the anti- imperialist song “USA.”“By Zaynab, we are the defenders of Damascus!” the singer croons as a sniper takes out an ISIS fighter in slow- motion. Husayn’s sister calls us to the Golden Shrine / How can the flames of death possibly set it ablaze?”Another Iranian propaganda effort highlighted by the Times was the 9.
CGI action film Battle of the Persian Gulf II, which stars an animated version of Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Suleimani annihilating US troops and naval forces.“The Americans threaten us, we want to say, ‘If you attack us, if you dare to do so, a rain of hot melted lead will be poured on you,” co- creator Farhad Azimi told the paper. The American aircraft carriers, vessels and warships will be sunk and converted into beautiful aquariums in the bed of the Persian Gulf.”So yeah, all this is unsettling. But again, lest Americans get too high on their horses about this, the US military- industrial complex, its marketing partners and Hollywood filmmakers have basically been doing higher- budget versions of the same thing for decades. One of the more obvious examples is the NFL, where flashy flyovers with high- tech military jets, troops marching with flags and even camouflage jersey sales have been a fixture for years, and the military has pumped tens of millions of dollars into patriotic displays at sports games. Others include the close relationship between the military and the video game industry, or its tight collaboration with the movie industry.
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Indications are strong President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking ways to back out of the US- Iran nuclear deal, per CNBC, which would set the stage for tensions to escalate rapidly—though with stakes a good bit realer than CGI tsunamis and bullet time. [New York Times]. The Prodigies Free Online.
Sponge. Bob Square. Pants - Wikipedia. Sponge. Bob Square. Pants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator. Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. The series chronicles the adventures and endeavors of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom.
The series' popularity has made it a media franchise, as well as the highest rated series to ever air on Nickelodeon, and the most distributed property of MTV Networks. As of 2. 01. 5, the media franchise has generated $1. Nickelodeon.[2]Many of the ideas for the series originated in an unpublished educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in 1.
He began developing Sponge. Bob Square. Pants into a television series in 1. Rocko's Modern Life, and turned to Tom Kenny, who had worked with him on that series, to voice the title character. Sponge. Bob was originally going to be named Sponge.
Boy, and the series was to be called Sponge. Boy Ahoy!, but both of these were changed, as the name was already trademarked. Nickelodeon held a preview for the series in the United States on May 1, 1. Kids' Choice Awards. The series officially premiered on July 1.
It has received worldwide critical acclaim since its premiere and gained enormous popularity by its second season. A feature film, The Sponge. Bob Square. Pants Movie, was released in theaters on November 1. February 6, 2. 01. On October 1. 5, 2. Whirly Brains". In May 2.
The series has won a variety of awards, including six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, two Emmy Awards, 1. Kids' Choice Awards, and two BAFTA Children's Awards. Despite its widespread popularity, the series has been involved in several public controversies, including one centered on speculation over Sponge. Bob's intended sexual orientation.
In 2. 01. 1, a newly described species of fungi, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was named after the cartoon's title character. Premise. Characters. The series revolves around its title character and his various friends. Sponge. Bob Square. Pants is an energetic and optimistic sea sponge (although his appearance more closely resembles a kitchen sponge) who lives in a submerged pineapple and loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab. He has a pet snail, Gary, who meows like a cat. Living two houses down from Sponge.
Bob is his best friend Patrick Star, a dim- witted yet friendly pink starfish who lives under a rock. Despite his mental setbacks, Patrick still sees himself as intelligent.[4]Squidward Tentacles is Sponge. Bob's next- door neighbor and co- worker at the Krusty Krab.[5] Squidward is an arrogant and ill- tempered octopus who lives in an Easter Island moai and dislikes his neighbors (especially Sponge. Bob) for their childlike behavior. He enjoys playing the clarinet and painting self- portraits, but hates his job as a cashier. Another close friend of Sponge. Bob is Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from Texas.[6] She is a scientist and an expert in karate.[7][8] She lives in an oak tree entrapped in a clear glass dome locked by an airtight, hand- turned seal.
When outside of her dwelling, she wears an astronaut- like suit because she cannot breathe underwater.[5]Mr. Krabs, a miserly crab obsessed with money, is the owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant and Sponge. Bob's boss.[5] Krabs has a teenage whale daughter named Pearl, whom he values equally with his riches. His rival, Plankton, is a small green copepod who owns a low- rank fast- food restaurant called the Chum Bucket, located across the street from the Krusty Krab.[1. Plankton spends most of his time planning to steal the secret recipe for Mr.
Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers, so as to gain the upper hand and put the Krusty Krab out of business.[1. The majority of Plankton's plans come from his intelligent yet sarcastic computer wife Karen, who is more competent and less conceited than him. When Sponge. Bob is not working at the Krusty Krab, he can often be found at Mrs. Puff's boating school (the underwater equivalent of a driver's education course).
Sponge. Bob is perpetually unable to pass Mrs. Puff's exams, which is why he almost always walks around town.[1. Other recurring characters appear throughout the series, such as the muscular lifeguard of Goo Lagoon, Larry the Lobster; a pirate specter known as the Flying Dutchman; and retired superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, who are idolized by Sponge. Bob and Patrick. Most double- length episodes of the show are hosted by a live action pirate named Patchy and his pet parrot Potty, whose segments are presented in a dual narrative with the animated stories.[1. Setting. Bikini Atoll, a coral reef in the Pacific Ocean.
Some have pinpointed this as the real- world location of Bikini Bottom. The series predominantly takes place in the benthic underwater city of Bikini Bottom which, according to some third- party sources, is located in the Pacific Ocean beneath the real- life coral reef known as Bikini Atoll.[1. In 2. 01. 5, Tom Kenny confirmed that the fictitious city was named after Bikini Atoll, but denied an Internet fan theory that connected the series' characters to actual nuclear testing that occurred in the atoll.[1. The citizens live in mostly aquatic- themed buildings and use "boatmobiles", amalgamations of cars and boats, as a mode of transportation.
Recurring establishments present in Bikini Bottom include two competing restaurants, the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket; Mrs. Puff's Boating School; and Shady Shoals Rest Home. Goo Lagoon, a popular beach hangout, is within the vicinity of the city, as is Jellyfish Fields.
When the crew began production on the pilot, they were tasked with designing the stock locations where "the show would return to again and again, and in which most of the action would take place, such as the Krusty Krab and Sponge. Bob's pineapple house".[1. The idea for the series was "to keep everything nautical", so the crew used a great amount of rope, wooden planks, ships' wheels, netting, anchors, boilerplates, and rivets in creating the show's setting. Bubbles filing up the screen is also a nautical technique used to transition from scene to scene.[1. The series features "sky flowers" as a main setting material.[1.
They first appeared in the pilot and have since become a common feature throughout the series.[1. When series background designer Kenny Pittenger was asked what they were, he answered, "They function as clouds in a way, but since the show takes place underwater, they aren't really clouds. Because of the tiki influence on the show, the background painters use a lot of pattern."[1.
Pittenger said that the sky flowers were meant to "evoke the look of a flower- print Hawaiian shirt".[1. Development. Early inspirations. Series creator Stephen Hillenburg first became fascinated with the ocean as a child. He also began developing his artistic abilities at a young age. Although these two interests would not overlap with each other for a long time—the idea of drawing fish seemed boring to him—Hillenburg pursued both during college, receiving a major in marine biology and a minor in art.
After graduating in 1. Ocean Institute, an organization in Dana Point, California, dedicated to educating the public about marine science and maritime history.[1.
While Hillenburg was there, his love of the ocean began to influence his artistry. He created a precursor to Sponge. Bob Square. Pants: a comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which was used by the institute to teach visiting students about the animal life of tide pools.[1.
The comic starred various anthropomorphic sea lifeforms, many of which would evolve into Sponge. Bob Square. Pants characters.
Hillenburg tried to get the comic professionally published, but none of the companies that he sent it to were interested.[1. Conception. While working as a staff artist at the Ocean Institute, Hillenburg entertained plans of eventually returning to college for a master's degree in art.