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Dallas-based non-profit organization Project Still I Rise aims to close the generational wealth gap amongst African Americans by gifting 500 students with Roth IRAs and stock as first-time shareholders through their signature financial education program. The program is multi-tiered: The Gift of Home Ownership, and The Gift of Stock, Tech, and Entrepreneurship (S|T|E). The goal behind the financial education program is to build a continuum from pre-K to high school in financial literacy.
“It’s clear that there is a gap in knowledge of basic financial principles related to saving, retirement, credit, taxes, banking fundamentals, and mortgages but there’s also this knowledge gap on stocks, bonds, risk, inflation, and interest rates that we wish to close, beginning at an early age, through education and exposure,” says Project Still I Rise’s Executive Director, Kevin Mondy, Sr. Financial management companies like Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab and E-Trade have provided support and assistance with onboarding, education, and investment strategies.
Through the PSIR Gift of Home Ownership tier of the program, parents and children from the age of four are gifted custodial Roth IRA accounts with the idea that upon maturity, these savings will springboard participants into home ownership — which is one proven tool for wealth-building. Comerica Bank, also headquartered in Dallas, TX, has been a major underwriter of this tier of the program by providing an investment of $25,000 to gift participants with IRA seed funding, books, and other financial tools. The cumulative investment of Comerica Bank in this program and related PSIR programs such as Books and Banking, totals over $45,000.
Through the Gift of Stock, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (S|T|E) tier of the program, middle and high school students will participate in an interactive 12-week cohort featuring Investopedia Stock Trading simulations, field trips, and hands-on mentorship provided by partners including the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta through their EMBODI program. The initial cohort kicked off on Sunday, February 28, 2023, with graduation on April 23, 2023, and the second cohort will be held in Summer 2023. Participants are given weekly copies of the Wall Street Journal as well as $1,000,000 to practice investing based on what they’ve learned in the cohort with hands-on experience through the tech platform, Investopedia.
S|T|E also hosted its 2023 Spring Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium on Friday, April 14, 2023, at Comerica Bank’s new Business HQ Center. At the Symposium, founders and business leaders shared their insight into how the pursuit of an entrepreneurial path is a viable way to financially invest back into our communities— building sustainable businesses that positively impact society. “We stimulate the development of our children’s mental and ethical growth through mentorship. Our program helps to not only lead youth towards the necessary financial resources but also build a supportive eco-system for youth entrepreneurship,” states PSIR Program Manager Marcus Robinson.
This news first appeared on blacknews.com.
Deadpool 3 finally got a release date — we can expect to see Ryan Reynolds in the red spandex once again on November 8, 2024. The fandom is super-excited about the upcoming film. We’ll finally get to see the Merc with a Mouth team up with Wolverine, and if it resembles their brief but comedic moments from the Deadpool video game, we’re all in for a treat. Expect nothing less than laughter-induced stomach pain.
The production of a third film, this time as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe under Disney, is scheduled to begin later this month (May 2023) in London, but apart from the Wolverine-Deadpool team-up, nothing much is known about the film. For a long time, fans even wondered who else has been cast; this was particularly true regarding the character of Vanessa Carlsyle, Wade Wilson/Deadpool’s fiancé, portrayed in the earlier film by Morena Baccarin. And for the longest time, fans wondered will Deadpool 3 gives the Merc with a Mouth a happy end with Vanessa.
Fortunately for the fandom, Morena Baccarin will reprise her role of Vanessa Carlsyle in the upcoming Deadpool 3, though it’s currently unknown just how much screen time she’ll get. Before her appearance in the movie was confirmed, the actor confirmed that she was in negotiations to reprise her role as Deadpool’s love interest. However, Disney drives a hard bargain, and while they did approach the actor about being in the film, there were some disagreements about the terms of her appearance.
In a week following her statement regarding negotiations with Disney and Marvel, Baccarin’s portrayal of Vanessa was confirmed, along with Stefan Kapičić’s voicing of Colossus. But wait, leading hard negotiations over a portrayal of a dead person, which basically reduces a role to a cameo, seems kind of pointless, right? After all, Vanessa was killed in the first 20 minutes of the second film, which basically set the entire plot of the movie in motion. And that right there is the key to Vanessa’s return.
Vanessa is the most important secondary character in the Deadpool franchise. You basically can’t have a Deadpool movie without her. You can most certainly try, but you’ll be losing the only plot device that makes Deadpool into what he is and what motivates him — at least in the films.
In the first movie, Wade makes a call to a shady recruiter after finding out he has cancer so that he can survive and be with Vanessa. Unfortunately, good fortune was not in Wade’s corner for this, and he ended up superpowered but deformed, like a crossover between Freddie Kruger and a topographical map of Utah, as it has been so eloquently described.
So, he went on a mission to find Ajax/Francis — portrayed by Ed Skrein — to find a re-re-cure and even save Vanessa from the villain himself. The couple got back together until the moment in which she was killed in the second film, sending Deadpool on a “suicidal” mission of trying to kill the one remaining guy he blamed for the death of his fiancé — himself.
However, the best part of all these frayed plotlines is that Vanessa isn’t really dead. In the end-credits scene of Deadpool 2, we see Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio fixing Cable’s time-traveling device, which Wade uses to go back in time and rescue Vanessa, much like Cable did for his family. He also took the liberty of “cleaning up” certain timelines, like killing the X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s iteration of Wade Wilson/Deadpool and killing Ryan Reynolds right after he finished the Green Lantern movie script. And then, there’s the Baby Hitler scene (we won’t go there).
So, if the upcoming film continues where the credits scene ended, it’s entirely possible that Vanessa is still alive and well in Deadpool 3 and that she’ll most likely influence Wade to embark on the upcoming adventure. Unfortunately, the details of the Wade/Wolverine upcoming but likely violent romp are unknown, except for the fact that Logan will be making an appearance — as teased in the end-credits scene — and that the duo is likely to have to take on a powerful villain together. But the extent of Vanessa’s role in the upcoming film still remains unknown.
She might be just a cameo, after all, or she might assume the role of the most important secondary character in the cinematic franchise, apart from Colossus. If the latter is true, there’s no reason why Vanessa and Deadpool couldn’t have a happy end (pun intended) in Deadpool 3. After all, Deadpool is a romantic comedy and feel good franchise despite the katana and bullet-fueled premise, so giving the two a happy ending as they ride or time travel into the sunset is pretty much aligned with the tone of the previous films. We’ll just have to wait for November of next year to find out.
Stranger Comics president and NIOBE creator, Sebastian A. Jones (THE UNTAMED), and filmmaker Prentice Penny (INSECURE, UNCORKED), are releasing NIOBE & DURA #2. For the first time ever, the reader, alongside Stranger’s iconic hero Niobe, will learn from shaman Dura how she created and saved the world of Asunda – a legacy Niobe will have to continue.
NIOBE & DURA takes place in the world of Asunda, where fairytales have depth of story with relatable characters and resonant themes. This tale honors Black women as creators of worlds, and the fierce relationships between elders and the young as they pass on history and culture to the next generation – who will carry on the tradition of being heroes. Stranger is launching this campaign on Mother’s Day weekend in honor of Dura creating the world.
The second issue, along with the first, plus Tales of Asunda #1-3, and Morka Moa launches May 13 on Kickstarter platform, where each issue will also contain exclusive Pathfinder 1e gaming material. The campaign also features the official Paizo Niobe module, minis made by Mythic and LARP swords by Calimacil! DAY 1 backers will receive a beautiful FREE EXCLUSIVE NIOBE & DURA COMIC by Jamaican artist, Sheldon Mitchell! Check it out here to not miss out:
The Kickstarter drops May 13 alongside STRANGERCON, an online event on @strangercomics YOUTUBE LIVE hosted by Jones, which will feature celebrity guests and rare exclusive comics where all attendees will receive a DE LA SOUL tribute homage of TALES OF ASUNDA #2. JOIN HERE:
Nerdist had the exclusive look at Tales of Asunda hitting shops: https://nerdist.com/article/tales-of-asunda-issue-1-stranger-comics-niobe-the-stranger-story-first-kill-sebastian-jones-available-for-preorder/
In 2021 the first issue was launched on Kickstarter platform and far surpassed its goal raising well over $100K. Penny, who has an overall deal with the Onyx Collective at Disney, met Jones while at HBO. Earlier this year they took their partnership to another level when they formed new comic company Payback Entertainment to be distributed via Stranger Comics.
Jones, who created the Black Elven franchise of Niobe when he introduced the character in the THE UNTAMED: A SINNER’S PRAYER more than a decade ago, had this to say about working with Penny and the series.
“I couldn’t be happier to have a partner in Prentice, as he’s always challenging and nurturing the human aspect of all our characters on a deeper frequency. These new tales will be great for our fans who already have an emotional connection to Niobe. I can’t wait for them to see what we have in store because it’s in this Niobe and Dura comic issue we finally share the truth of how our world came to be – and how that will affect not just Niobe but all of Asunda.”
Penny, who adds comic writer to his long resume with Niobe & Dura, had this so say about his first foray into the comic medium.
“When Seb told me about the story of Niobe & Dura, which was not just about a Black female hero but about a Black woman creating the world of Asunda, I knew I had to be a part of it, to shine a light on them with the depth of character they deserve. The comics set in Asunda are rich in culture, nuanced and poetic, and the characters are relatable on a profoundly human level. Fans of Asunda will find all of that in Niobe and Dura, but we’re also bringing them further into the world by pulling back the curtain on the mythology and the world’s origin, which also creates a jumping on point for new fans who haven’t discovered Niobe yet. Either way, everyone’s in for a treat.”
Jones added: “We have a saying that guides this franchise – With a world divided, who do you turn to? If this is the end, who will you be? Niobe is the hero who will bind nations. It is a lot to ask of anyone, but we need her now more than ever.”
NIOBE & DURA
A young Niobe is in the care of the great shaman Dura. They are fleeing the first undead, Vastar, Dura’s own brother returned from hell as the Devil’s horseman. He has just decimated the tribe that raised Niobe, and now Dura must teach Niobe who she can be all the while knowing WHAT she could become if she falls into Vastar’s hands. If Vastar does get to Niobe, Dura will have to make the ultimate choice.
Niobe is half-human, half-elven and direct heir to the thrones of both realms who are at war. But Niobe is also half-angel and half-demon. For within her lies the spirit of the Goddess and the Devil, and both will move heaven and hell to make her their champion. This is part of an ongoing saga where Niobe is destined to become the savior of the entire fantasy world of Asunda.
To stay connected:
Website: www.strangercomics.com
Socials: @strangercomics @paybackcomics
Before there was the classic animated series The Clone Wars, there was just simply Clone Wars. These days, everyone knows the seven-season, 133-episode series was peak Star Wars, introducing us to iconic characters like Ahsoka Tano. But five years earlier, in 2003, Lucasfilm had another animated show about the prequel-era conflict, animated by Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky. Although very short, about three minutes per episode, fans loved the over-the-top kinetic action. As the classic Clone Wars series approaches its 20th anniversary, its creator Genndy Tartakovsky took questions about the series from fans.
Taking questions from Twitter for Wired, Tartakovsky answered the most commonly asked question about Clone Wars. Just why were the episodes so darn short? Well, in the video below, he says George Lucas originally wanted them even shorter, just a minute long. Lucas had been burned letting others handle his baby on TV before. Does anyone remember the Star Wars Holiday Special? But Tartakovsky convinced him to go for a longer runtime. And we’re so glad he did.
In another question, a fan asked how Clone Wars pulled off the 3D animation. Now, Tartakovsky animated his series traditionally, 2D style. But there were some early CGI elements to it, like the ships. Other 2D Cartoon Network shows at the time like Justice League Unlimited also experimented with CGI vehicles. You can hear Tartokovsky talk about the challenges of pioneering 3D animation in Star Wars long before Ahsoka ever picked up a lightsaber down below:
We’d love for Genndy Tartakovsky to tackle another 2D Star Wars cartoon again. Can you imagine a Tartakovsky-style series featuring the original trilogy characters or The Mandalorian? Maybe for a future Star Wars: Visions it could happen. We can dream, right? In the meantime, the entire Clone Wars micro-series is on Disney+. Do yourself a favor and check them out. They may not be canon, but they’re incredible.
The post Original CLONE WARS Cartoon Director Explains Why It Was So Short appeared first on Nerdist.