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The third season of Stranger Things doesn’t premiere until July 4, but one company is already helping bring fans to the Upside Down: Polaroid Originals has announced a Stranger Things edition of its […]

The post Polaroid Launches ‘Stranger Things’ Edition Camera (And It’s ‘Upside Down’) appeared first on Geek.com.

Yesterday, the employees of Los Angeles-based Riot Games organized a walkout to protest the company’s stance on forced arbitration, as Kotaku reported with live updates.

All of this is the fallout of allegations of a sexist and often hostile work environment from dozens of employees revealed in an investigation last year, also from Kotaku, and since late last year, five current and former Riot Games employees have filed lawsuits against the company, claiming that Riot violated the California Equal Pay Act. In response to those lawsuits, Riot filed a motion to block two of them, because the employees signed arbitration agreements, which waived their rights to a jury trial against the company.

After this, a number of employees started to plan a walkout. In trying to quell the fury, Riot stated that it would give new employees the ability to opt out of forced arbitration for harassment suits, and they were also considering extending that option to current employees “as soon as current litigation is resolved.”

That was seen as not even close to good enough for many current employees.

“I reported and he got promoted” #RiotWalkout pic.twitter.com/ShWB9IulYN

— Upcomer (@Upcomer) May 6, 2019

“I think having executives get up for two hours and do the classic, roundabout series of denials helped other Rioters wake up to the fact that this is actually happening here,” one employee reportedly told Kotaku. “The impression most Rioters got is that [the executives] do care about it, a bit. They care about being publicly humiliated.”

As expected, not all Riot workers agreed with the walkout. Kotaku spoke to a source that shared the sentiment that some employees felt like they could not express opinions that dissented from those of frustrated employees walking out. “Maybe ten percent of us will walk out,” one source told them while discussing a group of dissenting coworkers.

Considering this is one of the first walkouts of this nature in the gaming world, it’s no doubt an important moment not only for the employees there, but for other workers in any company that feel frustrated with the way it handles sexual harassment, assault, and any other unethical practices. Sadly, many know that participating in this will also put a scarlet letter of sorts on their back.

One current Riot employee announced that she was quitting in two weeks, while making a speech: “I’m quitting because I don’t want to see people who were protected by people in high places in Riot.”

I am participating in the #riotwalkout today. It should not be legal to force workers into arbitration when they suffer sexual harassment– or any other discrimination, really. It’s already not legal in several states. I’d like my company to be on the cutting edge of this issue!!

— Laura Michet (@lmichet) May 6, 2019

Only time will tell the results of this protest, but the world watched and showed its support for the cause.

If you want to voice your support and solidarity with Riot workers, use the hashtag#Riotwalkout

— Game Workers Unite (@GameWorkers) May 6, 2019

History being written & the future being changed. I applaud the #riotwalkout today, & those taking risks to gain a collective seat at the table that defines their workplace. It shows with emphasis that our industry can not go back to ignoring the workers. https://t.co/eNNDgKWgWt

— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) May 6, 2019

Thank you to these brave workers, and thanks to Kotaku for making sure that we were all aware of this important moment in gaming history.

(via Kotaku, image: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for BAFTA Los Angeles)

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—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Diana Ross had a not-so-pleasant experience at the airport over the weekend. The legendary singer revealed in a series of tweets Sunday that she felt “violated” by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer while she was flying out of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Ross, who performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Saturday, said the experience was so bad that it made her “want to cry.”

Let me be clear , Not the peiple or Delta BUT TSA , was over the top !!
Makes me want to cry !!!

— Ms. Ross (@DianaRoss) May 5, 2019

Its not what was done but how , I am feeling violated - I still feel her hands between my legs , front and back ( saying to me it her job ,) WOW!!really mixed emotions I always like to see the good things but not feeling good right now

— Ms. Ross (@DianaRoss) May 5, 2019

In another tweet, the 75-year-old icon wrote, “on one hand I’m treated like royalty in New Orleans and at the airport I was treated like s—t.”

A TSA spokesperson released a statement in response to the incident, saying they have reviewed surveillance footage of Ross’ pat-down search and found that the agents involved “followed all protocols,” reports Entertainment Tonight.

“TSA is committed to ensuring all travelers are treated with respect and courtesy. TSA is aware of concerns presented by Diana Ross about her screening experience at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport this morning. Initial review of CCTV indicates that the officers involved with Ms. Ross’s screening correctly followed all protocols, however, TSA will continue to investigate the matter further. We encourage Ms. Ross to reach out to TSA so we can further explain our procedures, designed to protect travelers from a persistent threat.”

Ross is one of several famed black women who has called out the TSA in recent years. In December 2016, political commentator and media personality Angela Rye shared a video on Twitter of TSA giving her a pat-down. Rye, who appeared to get emotional in the video, said she was humiliated by the procedure. Likewise, Solange Knowles tweeted back in 2012 about enduring a TSA hair search through her curly mane. The “Don’t Touch My Hair” singer quipped that the search was an example of “Discrim-FRO-nation.”

TSA Hair Bias

Earlier this year, a report by ProPublica revealed that many black women who have been subjected to hair pat-downs have felt singled out. A survey conducted in March by the publication found that a majority of travelers who’ve experienced hair searches were women of color. Many described the searches as intrusive and disrespectful.

Some TSA agents, however, insist that they’re not racially-profiling women of color for additional security searches. Rather, the TSA full-body machines may be biased against black women’s hair textures and styles. “With black females, the scanner alarms more because they have thicker hair; many times they have braids or dreadlocks,” an unnamed TSA officer who works at a Texas airport told ProPublica. “Maybe, down the line, they will be redesigning the technology, so it can tell apart what’s a real threat and what is not. But, for now, we officers have to do what the machine can’t.”

TSA said in a statement that they are “reviewing additional options for the screening of hair.”

The post Diana Ross Had A ‘Flying While Black’ Moment appeared first on Black Enterprise.

Detective Pikachu comes out May 10, 2019 and it almost feels weird to be excited about a live action adaptation of a video game. Yet every trailer shows a wonderfully realized world of pocket monsters and every day that passes, the young six year old version of me becomes more and more giddy at the prospect. It certainly helped that we got to talk with the (human) face of the film, Justice Smith a.k.a. Tim Goodman.

Black Nerd Problems: A lot of us at Black Nerd Problems were introduced to you as Books in Netflix’s The Get Down and later in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as Franklin Webb. How excited are you to introduce yourself as Tim Goodman to the rest of the world?

Justice: I’m very excited. I was this huge pokemon fan myself and to be a part of something like this, that means so much to so many people. It’s a childhood dream come true you know? It’s great, man. It’s great.

BNP: What was your first Pokemon game?

Justice: Pokemon Gold for GameBoy Color. But I also had Pokemon Crystal, Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Snap for N64.

BNP: What does the franchise mean to you after being cast?

Justice: It meant a lot to me as a kid. It had such a huge impact on me. And after being cast, I learned so much more about Pokemon than I ever thought. And going in, I already knew a lot. I watched the anime, played the games, all that good stuff. But yeah, it’s incredible.

BNP: What were some of the challenges of filming Detective Pikachu, given the wide range of set pieces and the CGI you had to work with.

Justice: Yeah, I think it’s difficult to act with something that’s not there. I had some practice with that in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but that was a little different because all I had to do was run away screaming. In this, I had to actually talk and react to Pokemon. But Rob Letterman, our director, made me feel as comfortable as he could. He made sure where in the room the pokemon were at all times and he did everything in his power to make it feel real.

BNP: How about the banter with Ryan Reynolds?

Justice: Ryan is hilarious. He’s so funny, and just as funny off camera as he is on camera. He’s also incredibly kind and sincere, which I appreciate.

BNP: Historically, with films based on video games, there tends to be apprehension surrounding it. Why do you think Detective Pikachu has resonated with the fanbase?

Justice: We took a lot of time and we took a lot of care about how we represented this universe. We had Pokemon experts on set every single day. The Pokemon Company was there every single day. I’m such a big fan as well. I wanted to make sure that we honoring the fans, honoring the universe, and telling a story that relatable and human that anyone could enjoy regardless of your Pokemon knowledge. I think when you try to tell a good story, an honest story, that will work regardless of the genre.

BNP: So, bit of a switch, if you were a gym leader, what would Pokemon type be and what would be your signature Pokemon?

Justice: Probably Psychic…. or Ghost. And Gengar. Love Gengar.

BNP: Where do you see the franchise going in the future? It’s generated a lot of positive buzz and lots of potential avenues to go down with the buddy cop angles and the wider universe in general.

Justice: It would be cool to explore the buddy cop dynamic even more, and I just want to see more Pokemon. We have 807. We have a lot of content to mine from. And although, there’s a lot in the movie, we can’t fit all of the time. If there is a sequel, I would love for the fans to see more realized in three dimensions.

BNP: Anything you want to add to maybe convince people on the fence to take the leap?

Justice: Yeah, I think if you’re a fan of Pokemon, I think you’ll be satisfied, I hope you’ll be satisfied. I know I’m satisfied. I know I’m biased because I’m in the movie, but the movie really makes all your wildest dreams come true. It”s exactly how kids growing up wanted to see. They wanted to see humans interact side by side with Pokemon as real life creatures. And if you don’t know anything about Pokemon, it’s a good story. I think there’s no hurt in given the movie a chance even if it’s just to see what the movie is about.

Pokémon fans, be sure to catch Justice Smith in Detective Pikachu opening May 10th, 2019!

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The post An Unbridled Enthusiasm: Talking with Detective Pikachu’s Justice Smith appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.