challenge Archives - Good News!

CTA Foundation News

Austin Tang — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 17:05:17 +0000

By Steve Ewell ● Feb 19, 2025

Smart Brevity^® count: 2 mins…567 words

The CTA Foundation celebrated an incredible CES^® 2025, highlighting accessibility innovation and collaboration. From assistive devices to smart home solutions, CES showcased cutting-edge technologies empowering people of all abilities and reinforced the Foundation’s commitment to a more inclusive future.

Keep reading to learn about some exciting announcements we have to share:

Meet the CES 2025 Innovation Challenge Winners
Inside the CTA Foundation Accessibility Roundtable: Key Takeaways from CES
Startup Innovation Takes Center Stage in Eureka Park Pitch CompetitionStartup Innovation Takes Center Stage in Eureka Park Pitch Competition
And More!

As always, thanks for your support.

1. Innovation Challenge Highlighted Digital Healthcare Solutions

The CTA Foundation kicked off CES 2025 with the Innovation Challenge, focusing on improving digital healthcare access for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Finalists Eyedaptic, MapHabit, ONSCREEN, Inc., and VIF showcased their solutions on stage, with ONSCREEN, Inc. taking the top prize for its technology designed to empower individuals with IDD in managing their healthcare.

2. Bringing Leaders Together: Accessibility Roundtable and Reception

More than 120 attendees, including disability advocates, industry leaders, and innovators, gathered for the Accessibility Roundtable to discuss assistive devices, inclusive design, and accessible technology solutions.

Organized in collaboration with CTA’s Government Affairs, Technology & Standards teams, and the new Accessibility and AgeTech Working Group, the discussion set the tone for the week.
Later, the Accessibility & AgeTech Reception provided a valuable networking opportunity for advocates and industry professionals to continue conversations and explore collaborative solutions.

3. Startups Took Center Stage in the Eureka Park Pitch Competition

Nine startup finalists took the stage for the CTA Foundation Pitch Competition, presenting innovative AI-powered solutions that enhance health and accessibility.

MakeSense Technology won the Grand Prize for “The Vector,” an AI-powered navigation device for individuals with low vision.
Sign-Speak and Voinosis were recognized as runner-up and Audience Choice winners for their groundbreaking technologies.

4. Media and Funders Tours Showcased Accessibility Innovation

The CTA Foundation brought accessibility innovation to the spotlight at CES 2025 with two exclusive tours:

Accessibility Media Tour: Journalists met the winners of the Eureka Park Accessibility Contest — Blueberry Technology Inc., Lotus, MakeSense Technology, Sign-Speak, and Soliddd Corp.These companies showcased groundbreaking tech, ranging from real-time sign language translation to haptic navigation devices. The tour concluded with a final stop at Amazon’s CES exhibit, where attendees explored the company’s latest accessibility initiatives.
Funders Tour: Sponsors and supporters got a firsthand look at cutting-edge assistive technologies. This tour highlighted the impact of industry collaboration and investment in assistive tech, reinforcing the importance of continued support in driving innovation and inclusion.

5. #GivingTechDay Doubles Donations from Last Year!

Thank you to the individuals that shared #TechGives stories, and the 34 individuals who generated $15,200 in funding to turn #GivingTuesday into #GivingTechday for the CTA Foundation. We are humbled by your support and generosity and look forward to turning your charitable gift into accessibility for all ages in 2025!

6. Thank You to our 2024 Industry Partners

CTA Foundation would like to instead a warm thank you to those in the consumer technology industry who have directly supported our mission last year and help put accessibility at the forefront of CES.

Go deeper: Interested in joining our partners, participating in our Industry Partner Council, and championing accessibility and aging tech? Contact nzundel@ctafoundation.tech to learn more.

The post CTA Foundation News appeared first on Good News!.

Global Youth Rise to the Water Challenge: 2025 J.U.C. Awards Inspire Young Minds #JUCAwards2025

Austin Tang — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 13:57:59 +0000

[LMGlobal.Org – Media Release] The 2025 J.U.C. Media/Digital Art, Research, Writing & Innovation Awards, an international encouragement awards challenging high school students to address global water issues, has concluded with a strong showing of young talent. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the program has steadily grown, receiving 48 submissions from five countries in Burundi, India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Türkiye this year.

Link

“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.”
— Jacques Yves Cousteau

Inspired by the UN Water Action Decade (2018-2028) along with the UN 2023 Water Conference, young innovators, researchers, and artists from around the world submitted projects that highlight the importance of clean water and sustainable water management.The J.U.C. Awards, initiated in 2020, aims to foster the next generation of leaders. By providing a platform for young people to share their ideas and solutions, the program empowers them to make a positive impact on the world.

A Brief Introduction Of The 2025 J.U.C. Awards ~
Distinguished Evaluation Committee Of Experts:

Co-Chairs:
Ambassador Mr. Rodrigo A. Carazo of Costa Rica to the United Nations (2018-2022); Member, UN Human Rights Committee (Geneva)
Prof. Olcay Ünver, Arizona State University; Vice-Chair of UN-Water and Senior Water Advisor at UN FAO.
Members:
• Ambassador Mr. Yogendra Kumar of India (Retired) & Author of two books & Editor another
• Prof. Victor Lawrence, Director of the Center for Intelligent Networked Systems (iNetS), and former Associate Dean and Bachelor Chair Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology (New Jersey); Secretary General, LMGlobal.Org
• Prof. Günay Smith, Professor of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Southside Virginia Community College (Retired.); Adviser, LMGlobal.Org
• Dr. Dahlia Sabri, Chair, IWRA-Egypt Chapter
• Ms. Ilknur Boray, V.P. Ataturk Society of America & The Atatürk World Platform
• Ms. Bircan Ünver, M.A., Author and Project Director, LMGlobal.Org
Youth:
Mr. Ren Jie, Ph.D. Candidate (2029), School of Marxism, Environmental Politics and Ecological Civilization, Peking University

– Evaluation process will begin mid of January 2025.

Global Participation and Impact

The 2025 J.U.C. Awards received submissions from students at several schools and organizations around the world, including:
Darüşşafaka High School (Istanbul, Türkiye)
Whyteleafe Performing Arts Academy (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
The Institution of Green Engineers (IGEN) (Chennai, India)
Association of Young Leaders United for Sustainable Development (Burundi)

The program’s success is also due to the dedicated efforts of its student coordinators:
Ms. Duru Büyükbaşaran (Türkiye)
Ms. Rukhshana R.A. (India)
Mr. Lyonga Jewis (Cameroon)
Ms. Mimoza Irtem (Türkiye / U.S. – Outreach Coordinator)

The 2025 J.U.C. Awards will announce the winners around the World Water Day in March 2025. The winning projects will be recognized for their creativity, innovation, and potential to inspire positive change.

A Brief History of the J.U.C. Awards

The J.U.C. Media, Research, and Writing Awards were initiated in 2020 by the Light Millennium, a global humanitarian organization. The program was inspired by the legacy of John Unver Culkin and aims to empower young people to address global challenges through creative expression and critical thinking. By providing a platform for students to showcase their talents and ideas, the J.U.C. Awards fosters a new generation of global citizens committed to sustainable development.

“In Loving Memory of J.U.C.”; the 2025 J.U.C. Media, Research, Writing & Innovation Awards designed for international High School students by The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Organization (LMGlobal.Org, 2001, New York) With Tax-Exempt Status#501(c)3.

The submissions received based on the GUIDELINES of the 2025 J.U.C. Awards, which is available via the following link:
https://www.lmglobal.org/2024/03/14/call-to-high-school-students-for-entries-to-the-2025-j-u-c-awards-the-water-cycle-and-the-life-cycle-are-one/
Guidelines – Booklet#4

INTERACTIVE SESSION > Interview with Bircan Ünver on the Guidelines of the 2025 J.U.C. Awards | Conducted by Duru Büyükbaşaran

For more information, please visit: www.lmglobal.org
Contact: JUCAwards(at)lightmillennium.org

Hashtags: #lightmillennium, #LMGlobalOrg, #TheLightMillenniumTV, #HopeNeverFades, #JUCAwards2025, #JUCAwards, #WaterActionDecade, #WorldWaterDay2025, #WaterAction, #SDG6, #JUCAwardsEvaluationCommittee, #UNWithCivilSociety

• Special Thanks To: Ambassador Mr. Ramu Damodaran, Permanent Observer of the University For Peace to the United Nations.

The post Global Youth Rise to the Water Challenge: 2025 J.U.C. Awards Inspire Young Minds #JUCAwards2025 appeared first on Good News!.

Two Week Countdown! Best of the Best – “21st Century AI Hollywood – July 22nd – 24th

Austin Tang — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:57:38 +0000

Free to Attend – Register Now!

The AI Entertainment & Technology Summit

Monday, July 22 – Wednesday, July 24, 2024

A Virtual Event • Free to All Attendees • Registration Now Open

Click Here and View Online

First Look at Speakers

The Complete Agenda July 2024 Agenda

The Keynotes: Monday, July 22nd – Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Special Track for: Television Academy Emerging Media Peer Group Members

I. Track One: AI and Hollywood Production, Advertising, Virtual Production & Analytics

II. Track Two: AI and Video and the 21st Century Artist

III. Track Three: Virtual Humans and Robotics: The Summit on Synthetic Intelligence

IV. Track Four: AI and Music: The Challenge of Artists vs. Technology – Musicians – Science – Creativity

V. Track Five: AI – Deep Fakes, Bias Threats, Bias, Creative Rights & Regulation

VI: Track Six: AI Fashion, The Artist & Design: The Summit on Synthetic Intelligence

The Defining Event: The Future of Entertainment, Media & Technology

The Evening Keynote Roundtables

Monday, July 22nd, 2024

8:00 PM – 8:50 PM: Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

The AI & Entertainment Innovation Roundtable

While AI has been front and center in the entertainment and media industries for more than a decade, enabling on the one hand predictive and qualitative analytics and then serving as the backbone of major creative innovation in feature film, advertising, and the cloud on the other. But now, with the establishment of “Generative AI,” that process of innovation and disruption is unfolding at an accelerated and unprecedented rate. In this roundtable, we bring together executives from major entertainment and technology organizations who are at the forefront of that innovation transformation. We thank them for their time and very much look forward to their commentary.

Speakers:

Phil Wiser, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Paramount Global

Samira Panah Bakhtiar, General Manager, Media & Entertainment, Games and Sports, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Eliot Sakhartov, Business and Technology Strategist, Media and Entertainment, Microsoft

Michael Kaplan, Global Business Development. Generative AI, Media and Entertainment (M&E), NVIDIA

Seth Hallen, President, Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), Moderator

Session II:

AI, Cinematic, Apple Vision Pro/Spatial and Media Artists: The Next Level of Creativity

The artist, the creator, from Indie filmmakers to experimental visionaries, in this moment of tech innovation, are finding a new voice and a new universe of opportunity. With traditional entertainment platforms, from “Tent-Pole Extravaganzas” to Reality TV overload, the global audience is making clear its preference for new mediums and new technologies that deliver new and more innovative experiences. In this roundtable we will explore AI and Cinematic creation, XR innovation and we’re also pleased to welcome the creative team behind Apple Vision Pro’s breakthrough “Encounter Dinosaurs.” As artists quickly discover, AI, XR and Spatial technologies provide pallets of creative choices unknown to them prior to this amazing journey.

Speakers:

Robert Legato, Director, Tool, Legendary VFX, Titanic, The Lion King, Avatar

Kymber Lim, CEO & Producer, MAJYK Studios, “Prehistoric Dinosaurs Immersive Team”

Ed Ulbrich, VFX Pioneer, Chief Content Officer, Metaphysic

Robert Keyghobad, Producer, Remy H. Industries, “Encounter Dinosaurs Team”

Keith Soljacich, Head of Innovation, Publicis Media

Eric Levin, Chief Content Officer, Publicis Media U.S, Moderator

9:00 PM – 9:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

AI and Safety: Governance and Restraint vs. Industry Self-Regulation

AI didn’t arrive in the past 18 months. For nearly twenty years, AI has steadily become a technological societal force, serving as a backbone to the Medical Imaging community, directing traffic on the internet and regulating electrical power grids across the country and making possible self-driving cars. However, with the arrival of Generative AI and the anticipation of AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, and massive surge in technology investment and company valuations, there is deep concern that the exuberance of discovery will lead to an unwelcome future. We welcome this conversation.

Speakers:

Richard Kerris, General Manager, Media and Entertainment, NVIDIA

Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, United States Science Envoy, Artificial Intelligence, CEO and co-Founder, Humane Intelligence

Mary Hamilton, Managing Director, Technology Innovation, Americas, Accenture

Dan Hendrycks, Director, Center for AI Safety

Dr. Megan Ma, Associate Director, CodeX and Law, Science, Technology Program, Stanford Law School, Moderator

9:00 PM – 9:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session II:

The Hollywood Trajectory: The Generative AI Video Timeline: 2023 – 2024 – 2025 – 2026

How fast will AI take over Hollywood? That’s the question. After YouTube; After VFX and the Nightmare of Sequels, After Netflix, Amazon and cord cutting; Remember, Napster Killed the Music Industry!! What’s next? Is AI the Machine that’s going to “Eat Hollywood.” We are already beginning to understand the impact of AI on Screenwriting, AI and Virtual Charters and AI’s impact on VFX. Video Editing is clearly in the eye of the AI storm and the role of extras not to mention complicated backgrounds that will magically appear through the power of AI. In this session, we will speculate on the impact of AI on Hollywood and try to understand the impact and growth of “The AI Blob.” How soon will entire movies, TV shows and Ads being fully produced by a giant AI. 2026? 2028? What will Hollywood look like in 2030?

Speakers:

Paul Trillo, Artist, Writer, and Director

Andy Beach, CTO, Media & Entertainment Worldwide, Microsoft

Renard T. Jenkins, President, i2a2 LLC, President, SMPTE

Jen Hollingsworth, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Flawless AI

Phillip Fury, Immersive Technology Innovator and Advisor

Peter Csathy, Chairman, Creative Media, Moderator

The Evening Keynote Roundtables

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024

8:00 PM – 8:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

Brands & Agencies as Global Studios: The Medium is the Message

The Medium is the Message has truly outpaced the growth and influence of our traditional media powers. While the “Super Bowl” was indeed the most watched TV event of the year, the everyday reach of “Social Networks,” plus YouTube channels and others in “absolute numbers” far outstrip our traditional media system. One might conclude that in determining consumer reach and engagement, the creative combination of Global Brands, Global Agencies powered across the Social Networks, Websites and Mobile enablers, with the added possibilities of AI, XR, AR and Live Events create what we might consider as deployable Global Studios. Such Global Studios might be “Ad Hoc” or transitory, but they represent a paradigm shift. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that the consumer reach of this “Modern Media Plan” will consistently reach into the hundreds of Millions.

Speakers:

Valerie Madden, Creative Director of Marketing Innovation, Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video & NBC Universal Alum

Melissa Bolton-Klinger, Award Winning Director, former, Group Creative Director – Studios, Paramount

Adam Simon, SVP, Executive Director, IPG Media Labs

Shannon Pruitt, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Brand Performance Network (BxP)

Greg Kahn, President and CEO, GK Digital Ventures, Moderator

Session II:

AI and the Crisis of Creative Rights and Disinformation: Deep Fakes, Ethics and the Law

Even with the successful resolution of the Entertainment industry “Guilds” strike of 2023, there remains an ongoing fear that “artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to creative professions.” The core AI issue sparking debate in Hollywood is not only based on compensation and creative control production. Deep fake technology in particular has raised concern about potential harmful uses, such as political disinformation, revenge porn, and misuse of intellectual property. Concerns about disinformation are particularly high in an election year. At the same time, many “creatives” tout the game changing benefits this technology can bring to artistic and other endeavors, such as educational opportunities, enhanced freedom of expression and reduced barriers to entry. This panel will discuss these competing concerns and whether existing legal frameworks, such as right of publicity, copyright, and existing regulations, are sufficient to address this powerful technology.

Speakers:

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, SAG-AFTRA

Ellen L. Weintraub, Commissioner, Federal Election Commission

Ilke Demir, Sr. Staff Research Scientist, Intel Labs

Rob Rosenberg, former Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Showtime Networks

Lisa Oratz, Senior Counsel, Perkins Coie, Moderator

The Evening Keynote Roundtables

Wednesday, July 24th, 2024

8:00 PM – 8:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

A Meditation on Bad Hollywood: A Warning from the Creative Community – “Is the Future Synthetic Entertainment”

While the “Strikes” of 2023 may have been settled, with a well negotiated and robust consideration of all things AI, nevertheless, even with the AI guardrails in place, the feeling among creatives and for good reason, continues as the “unknown impact” of AI remains front and center in our industry and for the future of creativity and entertainment. Reflecting on this past year’s “Writers’ and SAG-AFTRA Strike,” Justine Bateman, was one among many in Hollywood expressing concern for our coming “Synthetic Entertainment Future.” To quote from her Newsweek article, Bateman was passionate and direct, “AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, but I refer to it as “Automatic Imitation.” And as Andy Weir, author of “The Martian,” has said, “before my life is over—my profession will effectively disappear.” In this session, we will continue the conversation concerning “All-Things AI,” the conversation that likely will never end.

Speakers:

Danielle Van Lier, former,Senior Assistant General Counsel, Contracts & Compliance, SAG-AFTRA, Moderator

Charlie Fink, Consultant, Forbes Columnist, “This Week in XR Podcast”

Marie Kelly, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists)

Bryn Mooser, CEO, XTR

Caleb Ward, CEO/Artist, Curious Refuge

Chris Regina, Chief Content Officer, TCL North America

9 – 9:50 PM Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

AI-Powered Business Models for Media and Entertainment: Opportunities and Investment Strategies

The market caps of Hollywood studios and the “Magnificent Seven” (Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla) are a stark tale of two cities. In 1994, the economic power of Hollywood and Tech were more or less equal. Today, the big tech 7 are worth $11.6 trillion, while the seven largest studios clock in under $400 billion— 3.45% the market value of their counterparts. AI represents a chance for M&E to harness tech to add revenue stream, decrease costs and force multiply efficiencies. This panel will present some specific examples how A&I can supercharge M&E ROI and growth.

Speakers:

Guy Gadney, CEO, Charisma.ai

Marcie Jastrow, Advisor, Shiba Inu

Virl Hill, Digital Media Leader, Former, Development & Strategy, Media & Entertainment, Microsoft

Matt Edelman, President and Chief Commercial Officer, Super League

Dan Goman, CEO, Ateliere Creative Technologies

Seth Shapiro, Two-time Emmy winner, Partner, Alpha Transform Holdings, Moderator

The Complete Conference Agenda (The Daytime Events)

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024

Noon – 12:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

Architects of AI and Entertainment: VFX/CGI – XR – AR – Film & Branding to Live Events

AI has been an evolving resource for Hollywood creatives for the past twenty years, going all the way back to “Jurassic Park” and “T2: Judgment Day.” You might call it a “Superpower.” AI in the hands of the “Architects of Hollywood” has been like giving a magic wand to a magician. From Feature Films, Live Experiences, Games and Advertising, the power to imagine has just been expanded exponentially. And an almost equal power has been given to the desktops of millions of the next generation of “Pixar and Walt Disney Imagineers” working at home worldwide.

Speakers:

Eric Shamlin, EVP Global Head of Entertainment, Media.Monks

Boo Wong, former, Director, Live Entertainment, Unity Technologies

Dave Clark, Award-Winning, Film Maker & Creative Director

Tyler Cohen, Creative Director, Experience, Tool

John Canning, Director Developer Relations – Creators, AMD, Moderator

Session II:

Session Hosted by SAG-AFTRA

The Clones Have Arrived! What You Need to Know

In the entertainment industry, technology should be the tool, not the star. In 2023, SAG-AFTRA and WGA battled AI in an historic dual-strike that resulted in groundbreaking protections. But the fight is far from over as Capitol Hill and state houses across the country grapple with what’s coming. What protections has SAG-AFTRA achieved in its collective bargaining agreements? What do existing state laws say? What is coming in the states? What is being proposed by the federal government?

Speakers:

Jessica Johnson, National Director of Entertainment Contracts, SAG-AFTRA

Douglas Mirell, Partner, Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP

Sue-Anne Morrow, National Director of Contract Strategic Initiatives & Podcasts, SAG-AFTRA

Dade Hayes, Business Editor, Deadline, Moderator

Session III:

Generative AI and Cinematic Hollywood: The Transformation of the Media Industry

While full AI video production hasn’t quite arrived, each week it seems that OpenAI debuts another generation of Sora and Pika one ups them with Audio software to lip-synch with the new video clips and another billion dollar investment is announced for a Virtual Humanoid company. And that was all in a three day stretch in March of 2024. And that’s not counting the Pro AI Music Generators from Google, Adobe and Meta and to paraphrase Stability AI’s CEO, “Emad Mostaque, “It has become possible to imagine an AI-generated new season of “Game of Thrones.” It with that thought in mind that we address the future of AI and Hollywood with our esteemed panel.

Speakers:

Ted Schilowitz, Visionary & Futurist, formerly Paramount Global & 20th Century Fox

Sasha Kasiuha, AI Innovator & Director, Madonna “The Celebration Tour”

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag, Co-Founder & CEO, Cuebric

Diana Williams, CEO & Co-founder, Kinetic Energy Entertainment

Leslie Shannon, Head of Ecosystem and Trend Scouting, Nokia, Moderator

1 PM – 1:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

As Johnny Rotten Might Say: AI Music – Bollocks Sí or Bollocks No?

Some say, AI is different. This technology may be black magic and maybe they’re right. But what about Sampling and Looping, Sequencers, Drum Machines and Beat Makers, Software synths and the Moog. How about the first time you became aware of the Wah Wah pedal? Does the music of Hendrix, Clapton or Zappa come to mind? The magical world of “Music and Technology” has enabled and enhanced the greatest of our popular musicians and producers for more than half a century. What is the role of the “Recorder Producer?” What about “The Wall of Sound?” What are the Beatles without George Martin, the master of “Audio Wizardry!” What would Johnny Rotten say about “Music and AI.” Let’s discuss.

Speakers:

Gerald Casale, Artist, Musician, founding Member, DEVO

Daniel Rowland, Music Producer, Head of Strategy, LANDR Audio

Jessica Powell, CEO, Audioshake

Dustin Blank, Head of Partnerships, ElevenLabs

Thomas Sachson, General Manager, Dropness LLC

Steve R. Masur, Partner, Raines Feldman Littrell LLP, Moderator

Session II:

Gen AI Cinema & Hollywood Video: A Director, Producer & Critic’s Roundtable

The entertainment industry has a new category of film to discuss and analyze, one that did not exist prior to 2023. It is almost remarkable that “Generative AI Cinema” is now a category of “Creativity” that we must begin to take seriously. All through the year 2022 AI Image Generators began to improve and in 2023 the images began to move. It would make Thomas Edison and Auguste and Louis Lumière proud. And the practitioners of “Gen AI Cinema,” the directors and technologists, today’s AI storytellers are creating amazing short films and video experiments. Our roundtable today will bring together a group of “Creatives” that are breaking the ground for what will surely be the “Hollywood of the 21^st Century.”

Speakers:

Quinn Halleck, Director, Tool (“Sigma_001”)

Katya Alexander, President, Pillars (AI Studio) & Freelance Indie Producer

Momo Wang, Animation & Creative Director, Illumination Entertainment

Jason Zada, founder, Secret Level

Max Einhorn, Gen AI Producer, Creator, “True Crime AI”, Moderator

Session III:

The High Profile AI Start-up – Searching for Unicorns

The names of the “High-Flying” AI Start-ups are now nearly as well-known as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon. There’s OpenAI, Anthropic, Inflection AI, Cohere, Mistral AI, Hugging Face, Scale AI and Databricks to name a few. And all of these AI names are valued in the Billions. And that doesn’t count the fifty other companies whose AI products we are now all using and purchasing. What does this mean for the future of tech investments, the coming IPOs and tech valuations in general. Is AI leading a boom in the technology marketplace, the economy as a whole. How many will be busts? What do all these potential “Unicorns” mean?

Speakers:

Kirthiga Reddy, Co-founder & CEO, Virtualness, Moderator

Tara Tan, Managing Partner, Strange Ventures

Sharad Devarajan, Adjunct Professor, Media & Technology, Columbia Business School

David Higley, Partner, Global Media & Technology Group, Perella Weinberg

Bobby Napiltonia, Innovative Silicon Valley Exec., Okera, Salesforce, Twilio, BEA

Session IV:

The Complexity of AI & Art – Imagination of the Human + Machine: Cinematic Arts – Media Arts – Fashion Design

What does it mean when an artificial intelligence can dream? What does it mean to create art fabricated by neural networks rather than solely human hands and hearts. What does our future hold? Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, is a magnificent and devastating portrait of grandeur and privilege of Europe of the 1700s and in equal measure, we can look to the magnificent treasure of Antoni Gaudi’s architecture of Barcelona, and both might be thought of as progenitors of the AI Art we aspire to today. While Generative AI art is like opening a door to a limitless supply of “Digital Art,” this new world of art by “Human and Machine” will be no less distinct and intriguing than any era of art which has come before.

Speakers:

Angus Kneale, Chief Creative, Preymaker (co-founder, The Mill)

Michael Olaye, EVP, Managing Director, Hero Digital

Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Banks Family Chair of AI and the Arts, University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute

Johannes Saam, Futurist/Creative Technologist, Framestore/atara.xyz

Annie Hanlon, Co-founder, Playbook PLBK, Moderator

2 PM – 2:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

The Digital Brand & Advertising Experience: AI + 3D + XR + Holography + Metaverse

The combination of visual and electronic platforms and digital creativity have completely transformed the role of global brands in public consciousness. Or perhaps it’s the other way around; global brands have exposed technology and creativity to the world. Either way, between AI, 3D, XR and Spatial Realities, a universe of magical experiences and creative environments are capturing the imagination of 100s of Millions of viewers on mobile, video as well as experiential platforms. We are reaching a next level; we may be breaking the “Creative Sound Barrier.”

Speakers:

Canaan Rubin, Immersive Content & Commerce Executive (Amazon; Prime Video; Jaunt; Iconic Engine)

Albert Thompson, Managing Director, Digital Innovation, Walton Isaacson

Jessica Berger, Senior Vice President, Innovation, Publicis Media

Fredrik Frizell, Founder, Buoy Studios

Clayton Weishaar, Creative Director, Wrld Space

Elizabeth Kiehner, Global Chief Growth Officer, Nortal, Moderator

Session II:

AI and Identity Theft – A Taylor Swift Law – The Deep Fake Dilemma

“Deep Fakes” are not only a theft of property rights and a concern of Musicians and Hollywood personalities, bad-actors are scheming new, inventive and technologically bizarre ways to invade our privacy, our computer data and ultimately our electronic wallets. This is not a false alarm. While a “Taylor Swift Law” is needed to protect the personage of a pop star, it may be even more important to secure the personal electronic rights of everyday citizens. Recently in Hong Kong, a “Deep Fake” scheme successfully defrauded an investment company of $25 Million in a fraudulent Zoom call with visual impersonators representing colleagues. That Zoom call might have been you and a “Deep Faked” family member.

Speakers:

Caroline Giegerich, Innovation Consultant, TEDx Speaker, Daily Marauder

Virginie Berger, Chief Business Development & Rights Officer, MatchTune

Remington Scott, Founder, CEO and Chief Architect, Hyperreal® Inc., VFX, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

Greg Young, Vice President for Cybersecurity, Trend Micro

Will Kreth, CEO, HAND (Human & Digital), Moderator

Session III:

Cinematic AI: A World of Tools and Technology

The operative word is “Creativity!” While AI may provide amazing tools to enhance, expand, accelerate and even, to use a troublesome notion, to “Synthesize” the creative process, at its core, Cinematic AI is about “Storytelling,” and at least for the moment, the human touch is very much “At the Controls” of assembling an artistic cinematic vision. While the creation of some musical tasks and even individual images can approach human level creativity, for the moment, “Storytelling” is a bit more complex. In this session, we will hear from creators and technologists who are at the forefront in the application of “Cinematic AI Tools.”

Speakers:

Evo Heyning, CEO, Realitycraft

Emily Golden, Head of Growth Marketing, Runway

Vova Ovsiienko, Business Development Executive, Respeecher

Russell Palmer, CEO & Co-Founder of CyberFilm AI

Joanna Popper, Former Chief Metaverse Officer, CAA, Moderator

Session IV:

The AI Start-Up Dream Team: Strategies for Success: Unique Founders, PhDs, Genius Advisors, Venture Board

What are the difference makers. Where are the forks in the road, the decisive decisions taken by the ultimate winners and the 80% of start-ups who drift off and ultimately fade away. Facebook was not the first, but was by far the greatest of the Social Networks to enter the fray. Since all serious start-ups have brilliant and determined founders, wise and experienced advisors and investors, what separates that one shooting star from the group? Sometimes changing the world begins at a corner store serving a niche market in the community, like being a quality bookstore in a mall of Superstores or a seaside shack serving an upscale boating community and the opportunity reveals itself. But often, targeting a narrow domain, an underserved market, a foundational technology serving a unique need will provide the pathway to success.

Speakers:

Curt Doty, Founder, RealmIQ, Moderator

DMA Anderson, Founder and CEO, Korgi

Jeremy Toeman, Founder and CEO, AugX Labs

Mitchell Posada, Co-Founder, 3TGTM

Huipin Zhang, CEO & Founder, Visla, Zoom Founding Team

3 PM – 3:50 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

Hollywood VFX Pros Discuss Virtual Humans & GenAI: Feature Film Perfection, Actor Longevity, Deep Fakes, & Impact of Generative AI

How good is the current state of Generative AI? Let’s hear first-hand from an All-Star Team of Hollywood VFX professionals. Hollywood has been using AI in film and video production for any number of years, but now the “Next Generation of GenAI” has arrived and it’s all over YouTube and Social Media. There are Virtual Human Influencers, Models, even Virtual Girlfriends. And what do they see coming down the road, in 2025 and 2026? And how will Generative AI be merged with the most powerful software in the VFX toolbox? This roundtable should be fun.

Speakers:

Akira Thompson, Group Creative Director, Creative Technology at PXP Studios, Publicis Groupe

Candice Alger, Executive Producer and Member of Advisory Board, Wild Capture

Sean Cushing, co-founder, Cantina Creative

Remington Scott, Founder, CEO and Chief Architect, Hyperreal® Inc., VFX, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

Lori H. Schwartz, Founder & CEO, StoryTech, Moderator

Session II:

The Digital Brand & Advertising Experience, Part II: AI + 3D + XR + Holography + Metaverse

Speakers:

Nigel Tierney, Executive Creative Director, Yahoo

Melissa Eccles, former, Head of West Coast, TikTok Creative Lab

Darlene Liebman, founder and CEO, Creative Humans

Elav Horwitz. EVP, Global Head of Applied Innovation, McCann Worldgroup

Nik Kleverov, Chief Creative Officer, Native Foreign

Mark Kapczynski, President, Storymill, Moderator

Session III:

Revolutionary Virtual Production: AI & Computer Vision in Modern Filmmaking

It’s almost impossible to exaggerate how much has changed in the past five or six years in the world of visual creativity and film production. What started out as an already impressive world of “Green Screens” and CGI has emerged as a universe of Gen AI video, prompted 3D images and full audio tracks, plus a vast war-chest of pre-visualization tools, all placed in the hands of our greatest storytellers. The industry is revolutionizing before our eyes. Filmmakers are transforming the ideation process, a world of AI and Virtual Production and in a matter of days, weeks and months, bringing it to life as a fully realized feature films, TV shows, advertisements and YouTube videos. In this session, we examine the phenomenon.

Speakers:

Joerg Bachmaier, CEO & Producer, Enter New Worlds, Moderator

Kathryn Brillhart, Cinematographer, Director, and Producer

Irad Eyal, CEO, Quickture

Tim Moore, CEO and Co-Founder, Vū Technologies

Eliot Mack, CEO, Lightcraft Technology

Jocelyn Wexler, Development Executive, Wild Sheep

Erik Barmack, Founder/CEO, Wild Sheep Content

Session IV:

Predictive Hollywood Analytics and Strategy: The Barbi vs. Oppenheimer Predictive Data Breakdown

William Goldman famously stated, “Nobody knows anything,” in describing the unpredictability and decision making in the film industry. Despite this assertion, a “Predictive Analytics” industry has emerged that underpins much of Hollywood decision making today. AI analytics are employed in script development, including character and thematic choices, deep dives into casting as well as audience preferences underpinning each option. While it is hard to say if the AI process was at the core of the massive success of “Barbi” or the award winning “Oppenheimer,” a breakdown of that development and production process would certainly make for an interesting discussion.

Speakers:

Tobias Queisser, Co-founder & CEO, Cinelytic

Kartik Hosanagar, CEO, Jumpcut, Co-Director, Wharton School AI & Analytics

Marc Karzen, CEO / Strategist, RelishMix, Moderator

Additional Speakers to be announced

4 PM – 4:40 PM – Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

The Best in Virtual Humans and Synths: Influencers, Performers & Companions

Call them Synths; call them Virtual Human Celebrities, influencers and performers going by names such as Audrey Hepburn Digital, Lil Miquela, Lu do Magalu, Barbi, Guggimon, Any Malu or Milla Sofia. According to her Instagram account, Lil Miquela is a half-Spanish, half-Brazilian 19 year old Robot living in LA with 2.6m followers. Lu do Magalu, another Brazilian influencer has 6.8M followers. She is used by Brazilian retailer, “Magazine Luiza” for various campaigns and has partnered with big brands, including Adidas, McDonald’s and Red Bull. There are AI Internet Girlfriend platforms named Replika, Candy AI and DreamGF and Virtual Singers and Performers are in the pipeline with the backing of major organizations. What are we to make of this phenomenon? “Barbi” afterall started out as a “Children’s Doll” over a half century ago and now as a “Movie Star” and “Virtual Human” has become a “Global Phenomenon.” With that in mind, perhaps the “Cultural Narrative” of “Synths” and “Virtual Humans as Celebrities” has yet to be decided.

Speakers:

Max Einhorn, Gen AI Producer, Creator, “True Crime AI”

Sally Slade, Lead XR Technical Artist, Genies

Sarah Parnicky, Innovation and Operations Director, Mawari

Eduardo Yeh, CEO, The Digital Audrey Hepburn Collection

Matthew Chavira, Business Development Manager, Hanson Robotics, “Sophia”

Isaac Bratzel, CEO, AvatarOS

Marc Scarpa, Co-Founder, DeFiance Media (Virtual Human News Anchors), Moderator

Session II:

AI Music Monetization: DeepMind’s Dreamtrack, The Grimes AI Strategy: Let’s Go 50-50%

There’s no way to slow down the explosion of AI created music. It’s here, it’s now and everyone, young and old have become AI Sound Engineers by the hundreds of thousands. So as the ocean of new music arrives, the idea of “AI Music & Monetization” has now become front and center. For example, Google’s DeepMind recently unveiled DreamTrack, an AI system allowing customizable music generation via text prompts. Their partnership with the music label EMI hints at future platforms streamlining rights-cleared AI music tailored to user taste. Such tools could enable independent musicians, creative agencies, and brands to license bespoke soundtracks on-demand. Along the same lines, the famous musician Grimes is exploring equally disruptive models, granting fans collective ownership in her AI-assisted compositions through NFTs and decentralization. It’s only the start, but with music AI software getting better and better, the market is ripe for legal monetization strategies to emerge.

Speakers:

Daouda Leonard, founder and CEO, CreateSafe

Anthony Ramirez, Partner, Technology Transactions Group, Morrison Foerster

Alex Mitchell, CEO, Boomy

Karen Allen, CEO & Co-Founder, Infinite Album

Joanna Popper, Former Chief Metaverse Officer, CAA, Moderator

Session III:

AI & the Creative Community – Representing the Interest of Actors – Writers – Producers – Guild Members

While the Hollywood strikes last year may now be old news, the concerns of the Guild membership, the writers and actors are far from settled. After all, creative concerns cannot always be resolved through arbitration and legal settlement. The underlying issues of Artificial Intelligence, from Deep Fakes, Virtual Humans and the ultimate ability of the AI to reason, think and author creative works is far from settled fact. Who among us can say what the future might hold. For those of you who have tried AI or perhaps have even become “Expert” in AI application, you are aware of the problems it may present. AI can as easily violate copyright of everything from image to story to voice as it can enhance the creativity of the most sophisticated artist. This our world to explore.

Speakers:

Chris McGuire, Comedy Showrunner: Martha & Snoop, The Soup, Comedy Central Roasts

Schuyler (Sky) M. Moore, Partner, Greenberg Glusker

Dan Neely, Co-Founder and CEO of Vermillio

Oz Krakowski, Chief Business Development Off

The post Two Week Countdown! Best of the Best – “21st Century AI Hollywood – July 22nd – 24th appeared first on Good News!.

GAY PRIDE PARADE 2024

Austin Tang — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 19:57:31 +0000

Listen to “New York Presbyterian Hospital joins the Gay Pride Parade, Dr. Cohall tells about their medical testing programs.” on Spreaker.

Listen to “Gay Pride Parade 2024, what an important event for those living” on Spreaker.

A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride. The events sometimes also serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage. Most occur annually throughout the Western world, while some take place every June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, which was a pivotal moment in modern LGBT social movements.^[1]^[2]^[3] The parades seek to create community and honor the history of the movement.^[1]^[4] In 1970, pride and protest marches were held in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco around the first anniversary of Stonewall.^[5] The events became annual and grew internationally.^[6]^[7]^[8] In 2019, New York and the world celebrated the largest international Pride celebration in history: Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019, produced by Heritage of Pride commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, with five million attending in Manhattan alone.^[9

The post GAY PRIDE PARADE 2024 appeared first on Good News!.

GoodNewsLetter: 3/22/23 World Water Day VIRTUAL Press Conference 12 Noon, 4/22 Earth & Water Day Times Square

Austin Tang — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 15:44:42 +0000

www.pausetheworldforpeace.org and www.goodnewsplanet.TV. Any media questions please call Paul at 212 647 1212.

Our Good News is that some special funders/sponsors have joined us and we will be sharing information with you on March 20 Special Newsletter. We still need …$25,000 for our Mother Earth ~ Earth & Water Day Times Square Event. We have a great corporate ROI opportunity for any ESG, CSR, DEI company or PSR (Personal Social Responsibility/Respect) for any person or philanthropist. UNIFY to broadcast, with 130 Million Facebook Reach Followers. 5 Hour LIVE World Wide Broadcast. Other Media to Broadcast as well.

SAVE THE DATE AND TIME: MOTHER EARTH – EARTH & WATER DAY TIMES SQUARE, Saturday April 22, 2023 11am to 4pm.

Here is our latest Sizzle Reel from our International Day of Peace Times Square Event on September 21, 2022. Our Mother Earth – Earth & Water Day April 22, will look exactly like this, same stage and crew, however the subject is Earth & Water Day. http://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2023/01/17/2022-peace-day-sizzle-reel/ Our website once again is: www.pausetheworldforpeace.org

Remember, “A Positive Attitude will take on all challenges.” We, hope that this is everyone’s motto for 2023, you can do it if you focus on your GOALS & PASSION. WE BELIEVE IN YOU. In addition, try to Flow like water & you will find your way through ANY ROCK.

WE ARE BLESSED.

“All we are is what we are with each other.” Zeal

With Respect. Love and May Peace Prevail on Earth, For Information

Contact:

Paul Sladkus,

Founder, Good News Corporation 501 C 3 212 647 1212

paul.sladkus@goodnewsbroadcast.com

and our Good News and Peace Worldwide Team who make our Peace

Day 9/21 and Good News happen.

www.pausetheworldforpeace.org, www.goodnewsplanet.com,

www.peacedayparty.org, www.goodnewsbroadcast.com,

www.9-21.org, www.momentofsilenceforpeace.org, www.we.net

(We the World, Rick Ulfic), www.unify.org

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: ALL WE ARE IS WHAT WE ARE WITH EACH OTHER. ZEAL

For more information contact:

Paul Sladkus, 212 647 1212

New York, NY, Montauk, NY

PS – SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS: Looking for a vacation rental, SHORT TERM, in Montauk, NY. Call Paul Sladkus. https://goodnewsplanet.com/montauk-manor-rental-suite-403-paul-sladkus/

call me. Paul 917 687 1790

The post GoodNewsLetter: 3/22/23 World Water Day VIRTUAL Press Conference 12 Noon, 4/22 Earth & Water Day Times Square appeared first on Good News!.

Thought for the day 03/07/2023

Austin Tang — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 02:56:49 +0000

SECRET OF MIND

When mind is weak,
Situation is a problem.
When mind is balanced,
Situation is challenge.
When mind is strong,
Situation becomes an opportunity.

Good Morning

The post Thought for the day 03/07/2023 appeared first on Good News!.

GoodNewsLetter: GREAT SUCCESS FOR PEACE on 9/21 Times Square & PEACE DAY CHALLENGE…

Austin Tang — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 22:57:30 +0000

http://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2022/09/23/international-day-of-peace-09-21-22-podcasts/

Also, it is available on our broadcast partner www.unify.org.

Our event went LIVE from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm with outstanding talent and speakers for Peace. We covered the theme of END RACISM and PEACE THRU WATER and LOVE ONE ANOTHER RIGHT NOW, right now.

PEACE DAY CHALLENGE – PASS THIS TO KEVIN (HOME ALONE!!) Two of our performers, McKenzi Brooke & Reif Harrison are TIKTOK Superstars 21 Million Social Media Followers and along with UNIFY and our Peace Day Party have created a PEACE DAY CHALLNGE…IT IS FANTASTIC AND WE ARE GOING TO WORK HARD FOR THE 8 BILLION PEOPLE LIVING ON MOTHER EARTH TO JOIN IT… here is the link, it already has 1.1 MILLION VIEWS AND 249,000 LIKES yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy for Peace Day Challenge

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRatTTbx/

View Post

NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who has participated in our International Day of Peace event previously tweeted to his community the following, “International Day of Peace reminds us each year of our commitment to upholding human rights and peacekeeping around the world. Our city is a beacon of hope and freedom in our country. Let’s stand united as New Yorkers and Americans in promoting peace not just today but every day.

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual & a Producer states, “Good News Corporation, our nonprofit was honored to work with our partners, WE.net and UNIFY. The talent on stage and virtually were extraordinarily filled with Peace and Love in their hearts. Go to www.pausetheworldforpeace.org to see the Run of Show. When you watch or listen to the Podcast of the 5 Hour Broadcast you will see the Power of Unity that was shared by ALL, including our production team. After the Moment/Minute of Silence for PEACE at 12 noon, requested virtually by Ringo Starr, along with bell ringing of FOWPAL, we ALL prayed that at 12:01 that PEACE PREVAILS ON EARTH for ALL FOREVER.

I want to thank Rick Ulfik and We, The World at WE.net for their Partnership on this final day celebrating 11 Days of Global Unity on September 21st the International Day of Peace.

Rick and I joined Jane Goodall, Marianne Williamson and Amnesty International to launch 11 Days of Global Unity back in 2004. And the beat goes on today! Thank you Rick. Much love to you and all at We, The World and WE.net.

Lastly, our Broadcast Partner shared with Good News Corporation the following: Unify The World, unify.org a global nonprofit was happy to be the broadcast partner for the Pause The World for Peace & Peace Day Party event with Paul Sladkus and the Good News Corporation. The event was incredible and full of amazing leaders in the peace movement that are helping the world and collectively we added 6800 peace day events and impact groups doing positive action for the world to our peace map. Continuing on into the future, we hope to bring many more thousands of groups and organizations and events together to continue to make the voice for world peace louder and stronger as humanity works together for peace on earth.”

Lastly, this is very expensive nonprofit show, please donate. You can receive an award for it…hugg-a-planets, trip to Montauk Manor all tax deductible, please go to: https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/

PEACE DAY RUN OF SHOW: 9/21 (As of September 122022 at 2PM)

Title: Peace Thru Water and END RACISM Go to www.unify.org/peace to watch the broadcast. Rebroadcast on www.pausetheworldforpeace.org TIMING MIGHT CHANGE

11am – 11:30 am Create Human Peace Sign Peace Train/Cat Stevens, Bruno Mars/ , One Love/Marley, Why Cant’s We be Friends/Jimmy Cliff, Mercy/ Marvin Gaye, What a Wonderful World/Louie Armstrong, Everyday People/Sly, Four Tops, MUSIC VIDEO

11:30am – 11:32 am – START THE BROADCAST – Opening Video, includes title card, Good News Corporation, inc. 21 seconds Video Opening, UNIFY 1.44 minute Opening ONE VIDEO SHOW OPENING

11:33 – 11:35 Reverend Paul Sladkus introduces the event to the TV Audience and the crowd in Times Square and Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Russell Daisey

Dr. Judy Kuriansky is a world renowned psychologist, author, TV and radio personality, Professor at Columbia University teachers college and a United Nations diplomatic tour de force advocating for mental health and well-being globally.

Russell Daisey is an internationally recognized pianist, singer and songwriter and who is performed for US presidents, international dignitaries, spiritual leaders on the world stages. He an Dr. Judy are a songwriting team whose global Anthems include Stand Up For Peace, Happy People Happy Planet, Every Woman Every Child, Honor Our Girls and Hope Is Alive.

11:36 am- 11:42 Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Russell Daisey speak for one minute say let’s go to the video Towers of Light ONE VIDEO TOWERS OF LIGHT

11:43 am – 11:44 am – Paul thanks Dr. Judy and Russell Daisey and introduces Chip Shelton PeaceTime Ensemble,

Chip Shelton PeaceTime Ensemble Jazz Music (Just back from a Kennedy Center Performance) Chip Shelton is a multi-instrumentalist with 11 critically- acclaimed releases, playing Celebratory, Feel-Good Jazz. Follow him at chipshelton.com.

11:45am – 11:51am – Chip Shelton PeaceTime Ensemble, Jazz Music ONE TRACK part one

11:52 am-11:54pm – Paul thanks Chip and introduces Michael Fitzpatrick (World Renown & Dalai Lama Opening Performer 23 years ). Paul, ANNOUNCES that right before 12 Noon we RING FOWPAL PEACE BELLS AND at Noon RINGO STARR VIRTUALLY SPEAKS FOR THE MINUTE OF PEACE.

Michael Fitzpatrick is the recipient of The Prince Charles Award for Music Excellence conferred by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales – now His Majesty King Charles III.

Michael has performed the Musical Keynotes to set the tone for Nobel Peace laureate His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s Public Talks & Teachings, around the world, for the past 25 years.

Sir George Martin, Producer of The Beatles, stated:

“I could not agree with Michael Fitzpatrick more: Music is the only thing

that can truly change the world.”

11:55am- 11:59:30 pm Michael Fitzpatrick LIVE PERFORMANCE of Invocation of the Earth

11:59:30 pm – 12 pm FOWPAL GONGS/BELL RINGING Dr. Hong

12 pm – 12:01 pm Virtual Ringo Starr, ONE VIDEO

12:02 pm – 12:12 pm My name is Reverend Paul Sladkus from Good News Corporation, my name is Miranda Clendening from UNIFY we Thank you Ringo for the Minute of Silence for Peace request and Let’s Pray that the 12 noon Minute becomes a Peaceful Minute Forever. Paul introduces

ADDRESS THE CROWD: Pastor Dr. Fernando Cabrera Senior Faith Advisor to the Mayor

Thank you Pastor Cabrera for sharing the Mayor’s Message, the Good News at this time the Mayor is Pausing & Tweeting & Taking a Photo for the Minute of Silence, as he has in the past.

FOWPAL, for ringing your Peace Bell today and around the world for many years. The Bell Ringing also represents our Heroes Thank You at 7pm every night during COVID. Paul introduces FOWPAL and their Ceremony of Ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love SAYS HELLO, JUDY, Dr. Hong for Five

minutes LIVE SPEAKING ONE VIDEO AT THE END OF CEREMONY

Paul: International Day of Peace, 11 Days of Global Unity, UNIFY. This is a TV SHOW with over 50 Virtual Video Peace Messages and LIVE ORIGINAL SONGS Peace Performers in Times Square Stage and Screen till 4:30pm.

International Day of Peace Days of Global Unity, We, The World and WE.net

I want to thank Rick Ulfik and We, The World at WE.net

for their Partnership on this final day celebrating 11 Days of Global Unity

on September 21st the International Day of Peace.

Rick and I joined Jane Goodall, Marianne Williamson

and Amnesty International to launch 11 Days of Global Unity back in 2004.

And the beat goes on today! Thank you Rick. Much love to you and all at

We, The World and WE.net

12:13 pm – 12:28pm Let’s here now from some of the UN Peace Messengers Michael Douglas, Dr. Jane Goodall, Leonardo DiCaprio and some youth from our next generation McKenziBrooke & Reif Harrison and Chuckie Armstrong II ONE VIDEO WITH EVERYONE 6.30, LIVE PERFORMANCE McKenziBrooke & Reif Harrison Paul introduces McKenzi and Reif (Arianna I need 2 sentence asap

1. McKenzi and Reif speak for about 20 second, introduces the Song 17 LIVE SPEAKING

2. 17 AUDIO TRACK

3. McKenzi brings up Max (who should be on the stage waiting) introduces the song Lemonade and LIVE SPEAKING

4. Lemonade Song and Without you ( EDIT IN 15 SECONDS BLACK FILL NO SOUND IN BETWEEN) AUDIO TRACK

5. McKenzi SPEAKS ABOUT PEACE CHALLENGE WITH UNIFY AND GOOD NEWS and introduces McKenzie Dance Mix LIVE SPEAKING

6. McKenzie Dance Mix AUDIO TRACK

7. McKenzie thanks everyone LIVE SPEAKING

12:14 pm – 12:16 pm Paul READS: We would like to thank our DONORS Heal Our World, Music 4 Climate Justice, Luvien: The Guardian Collective, Brian Lo, Alpha Coin/Alpha World, United Space, BLF Entertainment, Sarabeth, Playa Betty Restaurant, 5 Star Diamond Award, Operation Recovery and Hugg a Planets ALL who have helped to make this event possible. This event is also a BENEFIT for an Interfaith Outreach with the Ukrainian St. Voldymiere Church and The Actors Temple/UJA Ukrainian Relief, we.net, UNIFY, Salvation Army

Paul Introduces Katya Grineva, Katya “Liquid…dreamlike…” NYTimes Katya Grineva has concertized internationally and extensively in the United States, Europe, UK, South America, Mexico, Asia and Africa. She has performed more times than any other solo female pianist in the history of Carnegie Hall. A “noted exponent of Romantic repertoire (WNYC Radio),” Katya captures the heart of audiences with a rare combination of vulnerability, poignance and effortless virtuosity.

For more information, visit katyagrineva.com

12:29pm – 12:39pm Katya Grineva ONE VIDEO CLIP

12:40 pm – 12:41 pm Paul thanks Katya and Introduces Michele Bongiovanni Heal Our World and Music 4 Climate Justice

Michele Bongiovanni is the CEO and Founder of social impact company, HealRWorld, and their non-profit Music4ClimateJustice, global platform. Michele has been awarded a Peace Pole from the World Peace Prayer Society for her work with HealRWorld to support equity, inclusion and direct fairly priced capital to small businesses globally that are trying to make this world a better place.

12:42 pm – 12: 44 pm Heal Our World, Michele speaks then asks for the video ONE VIDEO

12:45 pm – 12:55 pm Michele Bongiovanni introduces Music 4 Climate Justice then asks for ONE VIDEO

12:56pm – 12:57 pm Michele introduces AY Young (Founder of Battery Tour and UN Young Global Leader) ONE VIDEO PROJECT 17 THEN WCCTW TRACK SONGS TO ONE TRACK

12:58 pm – 1:08 pm Michele introduces Guardians of the Forest Eric Markie ONE VIDEO

1:09pm – 1:11pm Paul thanks Michele, AY Young and Guardians of the Forest

PAUL READS: We would like to thank our Donors Heal Our World, Music 4 Climate Justice, Luvien: The Guardian Collective, Brian Lo, Alpha Coin/Alpha World, United Space, BLF Entertainment, Sarabeth, Playa Betty Restaurant, 5 Star Diamond Award, Operation Recovery, Hugg a Planet ALL who have helped to make this event possible. This event is also a benefit for an Interfaith Outreach with the Ukrainian St. Voldymiere Church and The Actors Temple/UJA Ukrainian Relief, we.net, UNIFY, Salvation Army.

Paul Introduces David Lynch Foundation, Harlem Globetrotters and Dr. Mahmet Oz

1:12 pm – 1:14 pm David Lynch Foundation, Harlem Globetrotters and Dr. Mahmet Oz ONE VIDEO WITH ALL THREE 1.48 sec.

1:15 pm – 1:16 pm Paul Introduces Brian Lo & B. Lansky

BRIAN LO, I just met, but he said I want to help anyway I can for Peace and he has. Brian’s Buddy, B. Lansky, created a wonderful performers wrote a special Peace Song for the 21^st. Brandon create BLF Entertainment

1:17 pm – 1:23 pm B. Lansky LIVE SPEAKING 1 SONG TO TRACK God it

1:24 pm – 1:25pm Paul thanks B. Lansky and introduces Paul McCartney, Paul Created this Segment some years ago, for Jeremy Giley and Peace One Day and he shares powerful thoughts about Peace

1:26 pm – 1:27 pm Paul McCartney ONE VIDEO 58 seconds

1:28 pm – 1:29 pm Paul thanks Paul McCartney and Peace One Day and introduces Al Smith

A One Man Band, known as a BAN KILLER, BUT HE IS A LOVING ,CARING GUY FOR PEACE AND HAS PERFORMED WITH US FOR YEARS.

1:30 pm – 1:35 pm Al Smith LIVE PERFOMANCE

1:36 pm – 1:38 pm Paul thanks Al and introduces our Water Segment and Pete Seeger, Sharon Benson Water Not Weapons at the Vigil for Peace & Ecology, Johnathan Granoff and the New York Friends of Clearwater Donna Stein, Ken Gale WBAI Guests SUBMERGE

1:39 pm – 1:43 pm Pete Seeger & Sharon Benson ONE VIDEO

1:44 pm – 1:47 pm New York Friends of Clearwater Donna Stein, Ken Gale WBAI Guests LIVE SPEAKING Paul introduces Johnathan

1:48 pm – 1:51 pm Johnathan Granoff, Global Security Institute

NUCLEAR LIVE SPEAKING

Jonathan Granoff, President Global Security Institute, Representative to United Nations of the World Summits of Nobel, Senior Advisor Committee on National Security American Bar Association International Law

1:52 pm – 1:53 pm Paul thanks Pete Seeger, Sharon Benson, Johnathan Granoff, Friends of Clearwater also gives a Shout Out to the Vigil for the International Day of Peace and Ecology for 20 Years, Reverend Susanna Bastiricca, James Cannings and also mention May Peace Prevail on Earth Peace Poles, Reverend Debra Muldow, Monica Willard This is our 20^th Anniversary, YAY and

Introduces Reid Stowe, thanks Joel Bluestein

Reid Stowe has been the Greatest Sailor every, he broke the World’s Record and our Good News Broadcast was his official Broadcaster for the 1, 152 Days at Sea… He love Water

1:54 pm – 1:57 pm Reid Stowe LIVE SPEAKING

1:58pm – 1:59 pm Paul thanks Reid and introduces Montauk Film Festival/Water, Ann Martin and Francine O’Keeffe

Montauk Film Festival as a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about our environment through inspiring stories of our collective humanity.

2:00 pm – 2:05 pm Montauk Film Festival/Water ONE VIDEO

2:06 pm – 2:08 pm Paul thanks Montauk Film Festival introduces Robert Forenza Hugg a Planet & Russell and Dr. Judy, HAPPY PEOPLE HAPPY PLANET SONG

Robert Forenza created Hugg of Planets for 40 years working to create a more peaceful world. If we want more Peace, Thank you Ghandi. Ocean Recovery is in the Dominican Republic helping with sanitation

2:09 pm – 2:20 pm Robert Forenza Hugg a Planet & HAPPY PEOPLE HAPPY PLANET SONG ONE TRACK

2: 21 pm – 2:22 pm Paul Thanks Robert, Russell, Dr. Judy and introduces Barat Foundation

THE Barat Foundation Our Mission: “Public Art by the Public”: Engaging youth and communities in the process of collaborative artistic creation, fostering peacemaking through the arts and promoting the civic ideals of inclusion, diversity, pride of place and the beautification of public space.

2:23 pm – 2: 26 pm Barat Foundation – Chandri Barat

LIVE SPEAKING ONE VIDEO

2: 28pm- 2:29 pm Paul Thanks Barat Foundation and introduces Peace Lights

2:30 pm – 2:33 pm Peace Lights Peter Rogina ONE VIDEO OF LIGHTS

2:34 pm – 2:36 pm Paul thanks Peter, Shout out to Lady Liberty

and introduces Indiggo Twins

2:37 pm – 2:45 pm Indiggo Twins LIVE PERFORMANCE WITH PIANO AND GUITAR FOR TWO SONGS, ONE TRACK FOR DANCING

2:46pm – 2:48pm Paul thanks Indigogo Twins. ADDITIONAL SPONSORS AND BENEFITS We would like to thank our Donors Heal Our World, Music 4 Climate Justice, Luvien: The Guardian Collective, Brian Lo, Alpha Coin/Alpha World, United Space, BLF Entertainment, Sarabeth, Playa Betty Restaurant, 5 Star Diamond Award, Operation Recovery, Hugg a Planet ALL who have helped to make this event possible. This event is also a benefit for an Interfaith Outreach with the Ukrainian St. Voldymiere Church and The Actors Temple/UJA Ukrainian Relief, we.net, UNIFY, Salvation Army.

Paul introduces Luvien: The Guardian Collective, Shelby Stone and shout out to Irina Kopanytsia Activist from the Ukraine and Entertainer Douglas Hardin

LUVIEN: The Guardian Collective. Presents a series of events in support of Peace, Children, and Environmental Compassion. Their mission is to provide humanitarian aid, medical relief, and safeguard the next generations well-being.

2:49pm – 2:56pm Luvien: The Guardian Collective Shelby Stone and shout out to Irina Kopanytsia Activist from the Ukraine and Entertainer Douglas Hardin ONE TRACK I PRAY

2:57pm – 2:58pm Paul thanks Luvien and introduces Oprah, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Stevie Wonder

2:59 pm – 3: 01pm – Oprah, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Stevie Wonder ONE VIDEO 1.04

3:02 pm – 3:04pm Paul Thanks Oprah, Deepak and Stevie Wonder and introduces Majid

3:05 pm – 3: 10 pm Majid LIVE PERFOMANCE ON VIOLIN PLUG IN DI

3:11 pm – 3:13 pm Paul thanks Majid and introduces Michele DellaFave Amazing Grace and Nahoku Dancing

Michelle was a singer and dancer on the Dean Martin TV series and has traveled with Bob Hope on 2 World Christmas Tours. Michelle’s background includes performing in musicals and plays. She has created one- woman shows and nightclubs performances. She has self-produced 5 cds and sings as a soloist for many UN events and at St Marks Church in the Bowery.

Nahoko Sugiyama – Dancer/Choreographer from Tokyo, Japan based in New York, she has danced at Lincoln Center, Untied Palace Theater, Merce Cunningham with Middle Eastern folklore and fusion dance

3:14 pm – 3:20pm – Michele DellaFave Amazing Grace and Nahoku Sugiyama Dancing ONE MUSIC TRACK AMAZING GRACE

3:21 pm – 3:23 pm – Paul thanks Michele DellaFave Amazing Grace and Nahoku Sugiyama and introduces Operation Warrior Shield

“And now, I’d like to introduce you to the work of an organization which takes PEACE very seriously. Especially INTERNAL peace. OPERATION WARRIOR SHIELD is a nonprofit organization focused on helping veterans, military and all first responders HEAL from TRAUMA they experience in the line of duty.

To say a few words about Operation Warrior Shield today, I’d like to welcome to the stage Operation Warrior Shield’s Goodwill Ambassador, Errol Rappaport.”

3:24pm – 3:28 pm Operation Warrior Shield Errol Rappaport LIVE SPEAKING

3:29 pm- 3:31 pm – Paul Thanks Operation Warrior Shield and introduces Peace Peddler

Machai St Rain is known as the Peace Peddler and has ridden her bicycle over 10,000 miles raising money for classrooms and medical care in Uganda. She is a volunteer on the Golden Rule Peace Boat which sails for Nuclear Abolition. She recently started the “Peace is Possible Peace Flag Community Project” which is a touring interactive exhibit to make the peace community more visible. She is a musician who has come to sing her original song for us called “Peace is Possible”

3:32pm – 3:37pm Peace Peddler LIVE PERFORMANCE 2 MIKES DOES NEED TO PLUG IN?

3:38 pm -3:45pm Paul thanks Peace Peddler and introduces Woodstock Forever and Heidi Little and Artie Paul talks about Woodstock

3:46pm – 3:51pm Woodstock Forever Sizzle Reel and Heidi Little/Artie Kornfeld SHOUT OUT/ Polly Forbes. Paul talk about Woodstock Forever: Peace, Love & HOPE. ONE VIDEO WOODSTOCK

3:52 pm – 3:53 pm LIVE SPEAKING PAUL SLADKUS SPEAKING MAJORS SONG. Lyrics: IF YOU AGREE VIOLENCE NOT THE WAY (STOP THE VIOLENCE @ HOME WORK SCHOOL AND PLAY)

IF YOU AGREE VIOLENCE NOT THE WAY (STOP THE VIOLENCE) RICH HOMELESS AND POOR SAY(STOP THE VIOLENCE)

STRAIGHT DISABLED ELDERLY AND THE GAY SAY(STOP THE VIOLENCE)

ALL TRANSGENDER SAY(STOP THE VIOLENCE)

IF YOU AGREE VIOLENCE NOT THE WAY STOP THE VIOLENCE @ HOME WORK SCHOOL AND PLAY (STOP THE VIOLENCE)

IF YOU AGREE VIOLENCE NOT THE WAY LET ME HEAR THE WHOLE WORLD SAY… VIOLENCE NOT THE WAY STOP THE VIOLENCE TODAY VIOLENCE IS NOT THE WAY STOP THE VIOLENCE AND SAY… PEACE TO YOU MY BROTHER MY SISTER VIOLENCE IS NOT THE WAY STOP THE VIOLENCE…

3:54pm – 3:58pm Paul introduces Georgia Fumanti

Giorgia Fumanti (born February 22, 1975) is an Italian soprano singer of operatic pop and crossover music based in Montreal, Canada since 2002. She is also a composer, producer and arranger. Her debut EMI album From My Heart reached the top 20 on the Billboard Crossover Chart.

3:59pm – 4:09pm Giorgia Fumanti, performs 3 Songs ONE AUDIO TRACK

4:10 pm – 4:12pm Paul Thanks Georgia and introduces Cheyenne Elliott performing for the first time her new song titled NYC then we go Virtually to the UN Shakira speaking and performing Imagine and then close the show with Cheyanne performing What the World Needs Now, Everyone Prepare to sing…

Cheyenne Elliott has had a series of R&B/Soul hits in her young career, and she recently embraced her love for country and Americana music as well. Cheyenne was born into a world of song. Her grandmother is five-time Grammy Award winner Dionne Warwick and her family includes the late Whitney Houston. She has been collaborating with some of the best singer/songwriters in Nashville including Billy Ray Cyrus and Eric Pasley. Cheyenne has appeared on the Fox TV show The Four, and has most recently with Brandy Clark, Rhett Miller (Old 97’s), Pete Francis (Dispatch), and Cabinet. She has lent her talents to numerous charitable causes including support for our military and veterans, various youth organizations, HIV/AIDS awareness, MS and Parkinson’s disease, and liver disease.

4: 13pm – 4:18pm Cheyenne Song Title NYC LIVE PERFORMANCE ONE TRACK

Paul Thanks Cheyenne introduces Shakira video

4:19pm – 4:25pm Shakira ONE VIDEO

Paul Thanks Shakira and introduce Dionne

4:26 pm – 4:28 pm Dionne Warwick What is Love? ONE VIDEO

4:29 pm – 4: 33pm Cheyenne What the World Needs Now (Say Hello, shout to Grandma Dionne) – LIVE PERFORANCE ONE TRACK… everyone sings….

4:34pm – 4:36pm Paul Thanks everyone, Miranda thanks UNIFY Audience and everyone. Note: LEAVE BROADCAST UP FOR MONTAGE AT THE END, HOLD ON THE STAGE FINAL SHOTS, SHOOT THE CROWD…END…

“All we are is what we are with each other.” Zeal

With Respect. Love and May Peace Prevail on Earth, For Information

Contact:

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual,

Founder, Good News Corporation 501 C 3 212 647 1212

paul.sladkus@goodnewsbroadcast.com

and our Good News and Peace Worldwide Team who make our Peace

Day 9/21 happen.

www.pausetheworldforpeace.org, www.goodnewsplanet.com,

www.peacedayparty.org, www.goodnewsbroadcast.com,

www.9-21.org, www.momentofsilenceforpeace.org, www.we.net

(We the World, Rick Ulfic), www.unify.org

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: ALL WE ARE IS WHAT WE ARE WITH EACH OTHER. ZEAL

For more information contact:

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual 212 647 1212

New York, NY, Montauk, NY

PS – SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS: Looking for a vacation rental, SHORT TERM, in Montauk, NY. Call Paul Sladkus. https://goodnewsplanet.com/montauk-

The post GoodNewsLetter: GREAT SUCCESS FOR PEACE on 9/21 Times Square & PEACE DAY CHALLENGE… appeared first on Good News!.

National Children’s Day – They deserve our best www.ConnectAll.online

Austin Tang — Thu, 12 May 2022 13:57:51 +0000

Listen to “National Children’s Day – They deserve our best Gwendolyn Downing” on Spreaker.

National Children’s Day in the USA is Sunday, June 12, 2022. Connect All and partners has a free virtual training on Friday, June 10, 2022. The theme and focus of the day is, “They Deserve Our Best: Doing our best to take care of ourselves, which includes, doing our best to take care of them.” Our lives are interconnected. We can’t do the best for ourselves, unless we are doing our best for every child, adolescent, young adult, and innocent; and we can’t do our best for them, unless we are doing out best to take care of ourselves. This training day both unpacks that, and gives the logical foundation, and the framework, to live it out.

www.connectall.online

Challenge around promotion: It has on the promo “For all who want to attend!”. The reasoning behind that is, what is going to be shared is for “general public” and those working in the fields; and for those working in the fields, it’s for all fields. Trying to find a simple way to bridge: for many people, when they see CEUs, and for some the language (since the description language must meet CEU standards), they think it’s not for them; if certified/licensed don’t see their CEU listed, they might not think it’s for them. However, there is also knowing, that we don’t have the resources, e.g., interpreters, for “All who want to attend!”.

The day includes:
Panel Presentation: The importance of each child and taking action: Panelists Kenneth Rogers, Jr., Marisol Acosta, and Shannon Crossbear, will share about cultural perspectives, trauma, resiliency, prevention, interdependence and interconnection.
Connect All Foundations training: This training provides the foundation for the Connect All approach, and includes the unique Five Through the Filter self-care framework. The Connect All approach: equips us individually to/try to do the best we can; equips us as a community to achieve our global needs; and is a measurable standard to hold ourselves and others accountable. The self-care framework synthesizes everything from addressing our basic needs, to our major issues from child abuse to the environment (which is child maltreatment), in a simple daily application. PDF of the workbook is provided. Trainer is Gwen Downing.
Registration and more information is on the Connect All website under the Events tab.

About Connect All:
Connect All is a global initiative based on goodness and logic – to address all that can be, for all life to have the most safety and hopeful possibilities. The Originator and Director is Gwendolyn Downing. Connect All received fiscal sponsorship from We, the World, December, 2021.
The Connect All approach:

Equips us individually to/try to do the best we can.

Equips us as a community to achieve our global needs.

Is a measurable standard to hold ourselves and others accountable.

The curriculum includes Five Through the Filter:

A self-care framework that synthesizes everything from addressing our basic needs, to our major issues from child abuse to the environment, in a simple daily application, each individual within functionality can do – adaptable across cultures and to age and functionality.

It came from Gwen’s two motivations:

I need the most safety and hopeful possibilities for myself, and for the individual I am attached to.

I both want to positively and don’t want to negatively, tell all innocents (people and other), “This is what I was doing this moment when you needed me.”

if anyone wants to support the training or initiative, there is a Donate link on the website, or they can text: ConnectAll to (202) 858-1233, and any amount will help.

#nationalchildren’sday #deserve #best #connectall #online #gwendolyndowning #crossbear #challenges #challenge #june12

The post National Children’s Day – They deserve our best www.ConnectAll.online appeared first on Good News!.

Thought For The Day…

Austin Tang — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 21:47:30 +0000

?
Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life. Never ask for a lighter rain, just pray to God for a better umbrella. – That is the attitude!
?
Life is not about finding the right person, but creating the right relationship. It’s not how we care in the beginning, but how much we care till the very end.
?
Some people always throw stones in your path. It depends on what you make with them; a Wall or a Bridge? – Remember you are the architect of your life.
?
Search for a good heart, but don’t search for a beautiful face, coz beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful.
?
It’s not important to hold all the good cards in life, but it’s important how well you play with the cards you hold.
?
Often when we lose all hope & think this is the end, remember God and pray, it’s just a bend, not the end.’ –
?
Have faith and have a successful life. One of the basic differences between God and humans is, God gives, gives and forgives. But the human gets, gets, gets and forgets. Be thankful in life…
?
If u think it is your alarm clock that woke you up this morning, try putting it beside a dead body and you will realise that it is the Grace of God that woke you up.
?
If you are reading this, remember that it is JUST BY THE GRACE OF God that we are alive…

The post Thought For The Day… appeared first on Good News!.

How to Map a Fly Brain in 20 Million Easy Steps

Austin Tang — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 16:20:59 +0000

By Emily Anthes

Published Oct. 26, 2021Updated Oct. 27, 2021

The brain of a fruit fly is the size of a poppy seed and about as easy to overlook.

“Most people, I think, don’t even think of the fly as having a brain,” said Vivek Jayaraman, a neuroscientist at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia. “But, of course, flies lead quite rich lives.”

Flies are capable of sophisticated behaviors, including navigating diverse landscapes, tussling with rivals and serenading potential mates. And their speck-size brains are tremendously complex, containing some 100,000 neurons andtens of millions of connections, or synapses, between them.

Since 2014, a team of scientists at Janelia, in collaboration with researchers at Google, have been mapping these neurons and synapses in an effort to create a comprehensive wiring diagram, also known as a connectome, of the fruit fly brain.

The work, which is continuing, is time-consuming and expensive, even with the help of state-of-the-art machine-learning algorithms. But the data they have released so far is stunning in its detail, composing an atlas of tens of thousands of gnarled neurons in many crucial areas of the fly brain.

And now, in an enormous new paper, being published on Tuesday in the journal eLife, neuroscientists are beginning to show what they can do with it.

By analyzing the connectome of just a small part of the fly brain — the central complex, which plays an important role in navigation — Dr. Jayaraman and his colleagues identified dozens of new neuron types and pinpointed neural circuits that appear to help flies make their way through the world. The work could ultimately help provide insight into how all kinds of animal brains, including our own, process a flood of sensory information and translate it into appropriate action.

It is also a proof of principle for the young field of modern connectomics, which was built on the promise that constructing detailed diagrams of the brain’s wiring would pay scientific dividends.

“It’s really extraordinary,” Dr. Clay Reid, a senior investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, said of the new paper. “I think anyone who looks at it will say connectomics is a tool that we need in neuroscience — full stop.”

Credit…Matt Staley, Janelia Research Campus

‘Your fly brain is cooked’

The only complete connectome in the animal kingdom belongs to the humble roundworm, C. elegans. The pioneering biologist Sydney Brenner, who would later go on to win a Nobel Prize, started the project in the 1960s. His small team spent years on it, using colored pens to trace all 302 neurons by hand.

“Brenner realized that to understand the nervous system you had to know its structure,” said Scott Emmons, a neuroscientist and geneticist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who later used digital techniques to create new C. elegans connectomes. “And that’s true across biology. Structure is so important.”

Brenner and his colleagues published their landmark paper, which clocked in at 340 pages, in 1986.

But the field of modern connectomics did not take off until the 2000s, when advances in imaging and computing finally made it feasible to map the connections in larger brains. In recent years, research teams around the world have started assembling connectomes of zebrafish, songbirds, mice, humans and more.

When the Janelia Research Campus opened in 2006, Gerald Rubin, its founding director, set his sights on the fruit fly. “I don’t want to offend any of my worm colleagues, but I think flies are the simplest brain that actually does interesting, complex behavior,” Dr. Rubin said.

Several different teams at Janelia have embarked on fly connectome projects in the years since, but the work that led to the new paper began in 2014, with the brain of a single, five-day-old female fruit fly.

Researchers cut the fly brain into slabs and then used a technique known as focused-ion beam scanning electron microscopy to image them, layer by painstaking layer. The microscope essentially functioned like a very tiny, very precise nail file, filing away an exceedingly thin layer of the brain, snapping a picture of the exposed tissue and then repeating the process until nothing remained.

“You’re simultaneously imaging and cutting off little slices of the fly brain, so they don’t exist after you’re done,” Dr. Jayaraman said. “So if you screw something up, you’re done. Your goose is cooked — or your fly brain is cooked.”

The team then used computer vision software to stitch the millions of resulting images back together into a single, three-dimensional volume and sent it off to Google. There, researchers used advanced machine-learning algorithms to identify each individual neuron and trace its twisting branches.

Finally, the Janelia team used additional computational tools to pinpoint the synapses, and human researchers proofread the computers’ work, correcting errors and refining the wiring diagrams.

Last year, the researchers published the connectome for what they called the “hemibrain,” a large portion of the central fly brain, which includes regions and structures that are crucial for sleep, learning and navigation.

The connectome, which is accessible free online, includes about 25,000 neurons and 20 million synapses, far more than the C. elegans connectome.

“It’s a dramatic scaling up,” said Cori Bargmann, a neuroscientist at the Rockefeller University in New York. “This is a tremendous step toward the goal of working out the connectivity of the brain.”

Welcome to orientation

Credit…FlyEM/Janelia Research Campus

Once the hemibrain connectome was ready, Dr. Jayaraman, an expert on the neuroscience of fly navigation, was eager to dive into the data on the central complex.

The brain region, which contains nearly 3,000 neurons and is present in all insects, helps flies build an internal model of their spatial relationship to the world and then select and execute behaviors appropriate for their circumstances, such as searching for food when they are hungry.

“You’re telling me you can give me the wiring diagram for something like this?” Dr. Jayaraman said. “This is better industrial espionage than you could get by getting insights into the Apple iPhone.”

He and his colleagues pored over the connectome data, studying how the region’s neural circuits were put together.

For instance, Hannah Haberkern, a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Jayaraman’s lab, analyzed the neurons that send sensory information to the ellipsoid body, a doughnut-shape structure that acts as the fly’s internal compass.

Dr. Haberkern found that neurons that are known to transmit information about the polarization of light — a global environmental cue that many animals use for navigation — made more connections to the compass neurons than did neurons that transmit information about other visual features and landmarks.

The neurons dedicated to polarization of light also connect to — and are capable of strongly inhibiting — brain cells that provide information about other navigational cues.

The researchers hypothesize that fly brains may be wired to prioritize information about the global environment when they are navigating — but also that these circuits are flexible, so that when such information is inadequate, they can pay more attention to local features of the landscape. “They have all these fallback strategies,” Dr. Haberkern said.

Fruit fly phone home

Other members of the research team identified specific neural pathways that seem well suited to helping the fly keep track of its head and body orientation, anticipate its future orientation and traveling direction, calculate its current orientation relative to another desired location and then move in that direction.

Imagine, for instance, that a hungry fly temporarily abandons a rotting banana to see whether it can rustle up something better. But after a (literally) fruitless few minutes of exploration, it wants to return to its previous meal.

The connectome data suggests that certain brain cells, technically known as PFL3 neurons, help the fly pull off this maneuver. These neurons receive two critical inputs: They get signals from neurons that track the direction the fly is facing as well as from neurons that may be keeping tabs on the direction of the banana.

After receiving those signals, the PFL3 neurons then send out their own message to a set of turning neurons that prompt the fly to veer off in the correct direction. Dinner is served, again.

“Being able to trace that activity through that circuit — from sensory back to motor through this complex intermediate circuit — is really amazing,” said Brad Hulse, a research scientist in Dr. Jayaraman’s lab who led this part of the analysis. The connectome, he added, “showed us a lot more than we thought it was going to.”

And the group’s paper — a draft of which includes 75 figures and stretches to 360 pages — is just the beginning.

“It just really provides this ground truth for exploring this brain region further,” said Stanley Heinze, an expert on insect neuroscience at Lund University in Sweden. “It’s just enormously impressive.”

And just plain enormous. “I wouldn’t really treat it as a paper but more as a book,” Dr. Heinze said.

In fact, the paper is so large that the preprint server bioRxiv initially declined to publish it, perhaps because the administrators — understandably — thought it actually was a book, Dr. Jayaraman said. (The server ultimately did post the study, after a few extra days of processing, he noted.)

The paper’s publication in the journal eLife “required some special permissions and back-and-forth with editorial staff,” Dr. Jayaraman added.

Fly-ing lessons

There are limitations to what a snapshot of a single brain at a single moment in time can reveal, and connectomes do not capture everything of interest in an animal brain. (Janelia’s hemibrain connectome omits glial cells, for instance, which perform all sorts of important tasks in the brain.)

Dr. Jayaraman and his colleagues stressed that they would not have been able to infer so much from the connectome if not for decades of prior research, by many other scientists, into fruit fly behavior and basic neuron physiology and function, as well as theoretical neuroscience work.

But the wiring diagrams can help researchers investigate existing theories and generate better hypotheses, figuring out what questions to ask and which experiments to conduct.

Credit…Peter Yeeles/Alamy

“Now what we’re really excited about is taking those ideas that the connectome inspired and going back to the microscope, going back to our electrodes and actually recording the brain and seeing if those ideas are true,” Dr. Hulse said.

Of course, one could — and some have — asked why a fruit fly’s brain circuitry matters.

“I get asked this at the holidays a lot,” Dr. Hulse said.

Flies are not mice or chimps or humans, but their brains perform some of the same basic tasks. Understanding the basic neural circuitry in an insect could provide important clues to how other animal brains approach similar problems, said David Van Essen, a neuroscientist at Washington University in St. Louis.

Gaining a deep understanding of the fly’s brain “also gives us insights that are very relevant to the understanding of mammalian, and even human, brains and behavior,” he said.

Creating connectomes of larger, more complex brains will be enormously challenging. The mouse brain contains roughly 70 million neurons, the human brain a whopping 86 billion.

The post How to Map a Fly Brain in 20 Million Easy Steps appeared first on Good News!.

challenge Archives - Good News!

CTA Foundation News

1. Innovation Challenge Highlighted Digital Healthcare Solutions

2. Bringing Leaders Together: Accessibility Roundtable and Reception

3. Startups Took Center Stage in the Eureka Park Pitch Competition

4. Media and Funders Tours Showcased Accessibility Innovation

5. #GivingTechDay Doubles Donations from Last Year!

6. Thank You to our 2024 Industry Partners

Global Youth Rise to the Water Challenge: 2025 J.U.C. Awards Inspire Young Minds #JUCAwards2025

“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau

A Brief Introduction Of The 2025 J.U.C. Awards ~ Distinguished Evaluation Committee Of Experts:

Global Participation and Impact

A Brief History of the J.U.C. Awards

Two Week Countdown! Best of the Best – “21st Century AI Hollywood – July 22nd – 24th

GAY PRIDE PARADE 2024

GoodNewsLetter: 3/22/23 World Water Day VIRTUAL Press Conference 12 Noon, 4/22 Earth & Water Day Times Square

Thought for the day 03/07/2023

GoodNewsLetter: GREAT SUCCESS FOR PEACE on 9/21 Times Square & PEACE DAY CHALLENGE…

National Children’s Day – They deserve our best www.ConnectAll.online

Thought For The Day…

How to Map a Fly Brain in 20 Million Easy Steps

‘Your fly brain is cooked’

Welcome to orientation

Fruit fly phone home

Fly-ing lessons

“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.”
— Jacques Yves Cousteau

A Brief Introduction Of The 2025 J.U.C. Awards ~
Distinguished Evaluation Committee Of Experts: