Tokyo Incorporates Anime into Next Olympic Games
Tokyo is making big plans for the 2020 Olympic games as they will be the host country. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed up to the Olympic Finals dressed as Super Mario. Before his appearance, the Tokyo games showed a two-minute montage film about their plans for the next Olympics – incorporating anime and video game characters into the games. The video showed athletes participating in the games as iconic Japanese figures. After the video, here pops up Super Mario (AKA Shinzo Abe) on top of a Mario Warp Pipe like you see in the video games. Abe then catches a red ball kicked to him by soccer star Captain Tsubasa. Supposedly, the spectacle idea came about through a brainstorming session, and then they proceeded to ask the government’s permission to borrow the character for the show. (Source: USA Today)
Black Lives Matter MIA from Louisiana Flood Relief
Black Lives Matter is experiencing some heat after their lack of help in the Louisiana floods this past week. After their protests and lawsuits against the Baton Rouge police for “unlawful law arrests,” individuals are slamming them for not taking part in the Louisiana rescues and support. One video has gone viral with Louisiana resident, Jerry L. Washington, calling out the Black Lives Matter and Black Panthers. Washington is shown videoing himself in his car remarking with, “Because I ain’t seen one Black Panther boat or one Black Lives Matter boat. All I see is our own people from our own city saving us.” You can watch the video here. Black Lives Matter did promote a company on Facebook offering free family photos, since people have lost their own during the flood. This still hasn’t set right with victims, as they question why this is the most they have done. (Source: The Washington Times)
Facebook Creates App for High Schoolers
Facebook has launched Lifestage, an app aimed towards high schoolers. The idea is for high school students to learn more about their classmates. Once a school reaches more than 20 users, they are able to see one another’s profile. Instead of posting an autobiography, everything is in video format. The 19-year-old creator of the app, Michael Sayman, had a vision to bring the 2004 version of Facebook (think posting statuses about your feelings, music quotes and relationship details) back into 2016, but in a series of videos. Users are able to scroll through the feed and watch a multitude of videos to learn more about their fellow classmates. However, critics have taken to the app with its 2.5 star rating in the app store and the fact that only 8% of Facebook users are under the age of 21. Not to mention that privacy settings are not up to par. (Source:Tech Crunch, BBC)
