On Earth Day, climate activist Wynn Alan Bruce self-immolated in front of the Supreme Court to protest the inaction done regarding climate change. The media almost totally ignored Bruce’s death, with others calling the coverage “muted.”

On April 6, three scientists belonging to Scientist Rebellion handcuffed themselves to a JP Morgan Chase building in LA to protest the bank’s funding of fossil fuel projects, and at least 100 cops in riot gear removed them.

Recently, climate change protests have increased in number and attendance. With each new and dismal report, climate change grows in imminence. With consequences other than melting polar ice caps, climate change warrants immediate action as it affects everything.

Climate Change in Utah

Climate change in Utah can cause more than droughts and a higher fire hazard. We may see an increase in the likelihood of other natural hazards, such as avalanches, landslides and flooding. The physical health of many individuals is also at stake. A warming planet can induce higher rates of respiratory diseases, while high heat and low precipitation fosters the growth of allergens and can trigger respiratory illnesses.

Andrea Brunelle, Chair of the Department of Geography at the University of Utah, said that “as temperatures rise, and there’s these heat waves, people will just die from heat because they can’t cool themselves down.” Brunelle believes that global warming “is the most urgent problem that we need to deal with globally, right now.”

Utah’s economy isn’t safe either. The ski industry and the agricultural industry are already in danger, and mountain guides feel climate change’s effects in their workspace. A study from Nature Reviews Earth and Environment claims our mountain ranges could see little to no snow in 35 to 60 years, which could drastically curb the billion dollar ski industry. With the loss of snow comes the loss of potable water, and we already deal with the drought.

Mental Health

Aside from physical consequences of global warming, climate change can harm a person’s mental health. Climate grief (or ecological/environmental grief) describes the feelings of loss and sadness stemming from the state of the world, as well as the grief felt in relation to experienced or anticipated ecological losses. The high risk groups for this psychological reaction are young people, Indigenous communities and environmental scientists. Evidence colludes to climate change as a source of “increased behavioral and mood disorders, depression and anxiety, suicide ideation and suicide,” among other mental illnesses.

Opposite climate grief is “climate apathy,” a form of climate change denial suggesting that global warming doesn’t matter and prioritizes convenience over sustainability. In a study done by the European Social Survey, an “overwhelming majority” of participants accepted climate change as an issue and acknowledged that it started because of humans, but most didn’t care to change their behavior and had no strong concerns regarding the issue. Climate apathy can convince a population of the unimportance of global warming, posing a threat to those working towards alleviating the issue.

The People with Power

As a detrimental problem, climate change doesn’t matter to those who have resources to help reverse it. For example, Elon Musk claimed that climate change is “the biggest threat that humanity faces this century.” However, he turned down a climate change collaboration with Bill Gates because Gates allegedly “shorted” Tesla on half a billion dollars. He also “dismissed the idea of improving existing public transit,” which could improve air quality, accessibility and traffic safety.

Other powerful and wealthy people who make grand announcements about saving the planet continue to act shadily behind the scenes. Jeff Bezos pledged that he would commit $10 billion to combat climate change through grants, which is only 7% to 8% of his total income. Furthermore, the source of his wealth pursues oil companies and drives greenhouse gas emissions higher.

In theory, these so-called philanthropists invest money to foster change and support sustainability. But in practice, none of their efforts pan out. Average people can and should do what they can toward living more sustainably, but the real pressure lies with those who have resources to aid climate change, including corporations that inevitably cause a worsening environment.

Climate change hurts the world and its imminent dangers are felt throughout many different communities of people. Those who can help the planet should contribute to climate activism more than the average person. Brunelle said, “The way that [climate change has] been portrayed historically, as more of a debate, has been misleading to the general public, and it makes them feel like they get to have an opinion on it. They can decide to care or not, but it’s happening, whether they want to believe it or not.”

k.lien@dailyutahchronicle.com

@kaylahlien

The post Lien: Climate Change Won’t Go Away Without Our Help appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

Iqra Rafey/The Cougar

Universal health care is a human right that should be prioritized. 

As health care costs rise, about one in four Americans are avoiding going to the doctor because they cannot afford the costs of medical care. 

This is concerning. As the pandemic lingers, a country should prioritize keeping their citizens healthy. 

Although the after effects of COVID-19 are still undergoing study, scientists have reached a common conclusion regarding the long term effects of the disease. 

Many people report symptoms of fatigue, joint pain, anosmia, chest pain and sleeping issues even after recovering from the virus. Worst case scenarios include organ damage and blood vessel problems. 

The pandemic heightened the low-quality medical care in the U.S.  which cost the lives of a million people. 

President Joe Biden’s plan to provide health care to Americans includes lowering premiums, increasing the range of providers, lowering the medical debt of Americans and protecting Americans from low-quality coverage.  

However, a recent study has shown that the U.S. has one of the lowest rates of satisfaction among its citizens compared to other countries in the world. 

This low rate of satisfaction is attributed to the high waiting times, lack of choice in physicians, and the rising burnout rate of doctors across the country. 

All of this is to say that the health care system in the U.S. has a lot to work on before it can become a reliable system for its citizens.

There is not a single thing that can fix health care in one go which is why universal health care is difficult to accomplish. 

Although other countries have achieved universal health care, it has come at the cost of higher taxes, premiums and underpaid doctors. 

America has managed to secure these disadvantages even without universal health care. 

In order to provide universal health care to Americans, the government needs to eliminate low-quality care, provide a better environment for doctors and work on preventative measures to keep people healthy. 

If America is unable to address these issues, universal health care will not be achievable. 

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a journalism sophomore who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Universal health care in the US has a long way to go” was originally posted on The Cougar

Oakland organization uses campus land to grow crops, feed families

Thai Hill/Jame-Lee B/Courtesy

From left to right: ab banks, Delency Parham

Sitting at the corner of Virginia Street and Oxford Street on Northside is a half-acre of land that can change the country.

That is how Delency Parham describes the small plot of land that he and ab banks plan to use for growing crops to feed families in West Oakland.

“Like all of our programs, this farming program is an endeavor to take power away from the agricultural industry and put it into the hands of the community,” Parham said.

Parham and ab (who prefers to go by their lowercase first name) are central committee members of People’s Programs, an Oakland-based organization that gives aid and support to the local Black community. Their services are varied: Abbas Muntaqim, a co-chair of People’s Programs, said People’s Programs helps run bail support services, volunteer health clinics and food distribution services in West Oakland’s Black community.

According to ab and Parham, the land in Berkeley is being used to grow collards, lettuce, spinach and other crops that will be distributed biweekly to residents in Acorn, Lower Bottoms and Ghost Town.

ab said they first heard of the unused land from one of their colleagues. According to the colleague, half of this land was going unused, a fact that did not sit well with ab.

“In this climate where a lot of people are starving, for land to go unused is a crime against those who are hungry,” ab said.

Recruiting the assistance of campus’s Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center, People’s Programs received permission from the College of Natural Resources to use a half-acre of land to grow produce.

Muntaqim is also the co-founder and former assistant director of the Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center. He said that the center opened in 2017 as a result of a list of demands that Black UC Berkeley students published in the wake of the killing of Michael Brown in 2014.

“There was no space on campus for Black students.” said Muntaqim. “Just a tiny office where only five or six people fit in.”

According to Muntaqim, the center provides the campus’s Black community a space to study, host events and find assistance.

ab, also a campus alum, said they were introduced to the importance of food sovereignty while volunteering in New Orleans to help Hurricane Katrina victims.

Despite the hurricane having struck New Orleans years before, ab emphasized that the local community was still struggling with food insecurity. Seeking a more permanent solution to this problem, ab returned to the Bay Area with a desire to change how underprivileged communities access their groceries.

ab said their goal is to bring food sovereignty to West Oakland by not only growing these crops for families, but teaching them to grow and distribute some themselves.

According to ab, People’s Programs is focusing on neighborhoods in West Oakland, noting their alleged lack of access to clean, good-quality food. Despite this lack of food access, ab rejects the term “food deserts.”

“ ‘Food desert’ is a buzzword that I avoid because it doesn’t really shine a light on who’s responsible for not having food,” ab said. “The term ‘food sovereignty’ illustrates how even if there were a grocery store, it wouldn’t be local.”

Contact Lance Roberts at lroberts@dailycal.org, and follow him on Twitter at @lance_roberts.

The Daily Californian

Denny’s is Hiring 15,000 #Friendployees Who are Seeking Flexible Work Schedules in a Friend-Friendly Work Environment SPARTANBURG, S.C., May 19, 2022 – At Denny’s, everything is better together – pancakes and eggs, burgers and milkshakes, and besties at work. That’s why we’re inviting 7,500 people and their best friends to become #Friendployees at Denny’s restaurants […]

UH men’s golf senior Alexander Frances wrapped up NCAA Stockton Regional with a score of 217 (+1) and a tie for 44th. | Courtesy of UH athletics

The UH men’s golf team wrapped up its season at the NCAA Stockton Regional after a 12th-place finish with a team score of 867 (+3).

Senior Alexander Frances led the Cougars in the first round of play with the lowest score of par-72 to grab a tie for 30th.

Junior Marcus Wochner just missed out on par by one stroke and he played a score of 73 to start as he sat in a tie for 37th.

Junior Austyn Reily picked up a score of 74 in his first round to grab a tie for 48th.

Senior Braxton Watkins scored a 76 to take a tie for 61st.

Freshman Jacob Borow struggled early with an 81 to start his account at the regional alone in 75th as UH took a 13th-place position into the second day of action.

In the second round of play, Reily picked up the lowest score of all three rounds for the Cougars with a 69 to sit in a tie for 31st.

Borow improved his score by 11 strokes with a 2-under 70 to propel himself into a tie for 67th.

Frances took one more stroke for a 73 while Wochner played his best round of the tournament so far for a 74 to take ties for 45th and 53rd respectively.

Watkins needed one more stroke in his second round for a score of 77 as the Cougars headed into the final round with the team sitting in 12th place.

In the final round, Wochner’s best score of 70 and Frances’ par-72 locked them in a tie for 44th with a total score of 217 (+1).

Borow and Watkins each played a par-72 in their respective final rounds to finish with scores of 223 (+7) and 225 (+9) and take sole possession of 62nd and a tie for 65th on the leaderboards.

Reily’s 73 was the highest score for the Cougars in the final round, yet he finished with a total score of 216 (E) and finished highest on the leaderboard for the Cougars in a tie for 39th.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH men’s golf caps off season at NCAA Stockton Regional” was originally posted on The Cougar

Cal baseball smites New Mexico ahead of crucial Utah matchups

Theo Wyss-Flamm/Senior Staff

After getting swept by Stanford in Palo Alto two weeks ago, the Bears rebounded with a commanding sweep of New Mexico in Berkeley last week. Nothing could have taken the sting out of such a lopsided Big Series loss, but winning three straight against the Lobos by a combined score of 42-5 must have helped Cal’s offense take its mind off of its relatively poor outings against the Cardinal.

If nothing else, the New Mexico series presented the Bears with the opportunity to let out some frustration on a team that was nine games below .500 entering the series at Stu Gordon Stadium.

Behind a dominant pitching effort from Cal’s Steven Zobac, the Bears beat the Lobos 11-0 in the first game of the series Friday night. Zobac threw 90 pitches through seven scoreless innings to earn his third win of the season. Four different Bears earned two hits on the night, including standout junior first baseman Nathan Martorella.

Cal offense then unleashed itself Saturday night, tallying a season-high single-game run total in a 23-5 win. If the mercy rule were in effect, the game might have been over after the seventh inning when the Bears scored 9 runs off of five hits and four walks to extend their lead to 21-5.

As part of Cal Baseball’s Bark at the Park day, fans walked their dogs on the field before the game before witnessing another Bears pitching masterclass in an 8-0 win. Thanks to five different Cal pitchers who combined for the shutout on nine strikeouts and just four hits, the Bears earned their first sweep of the season and their first home series sweep since April 2019. Cal also tied its season high for doubles in a single game with six. Dom Souto and Dylan Beavers each had two doubles, while Martorella extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single in the sixth inning.

Cal’s final regular season series begins today at Stu Gordon Stadium. The Bears will play three games against Utah, a team with an almost identical conference and overall record to Cal’s. The Utes sit just one spot below the Bears in the conference standings, so the winner of the series will earn the final spot in the Pac-12 tournament as the No. 8 seed.

The two programs have had similar years. No. 8 Stanford also swept Utah recently, winning all three games against the Utes in Salt Lake City last week. But unlike Cal, Utah has had trouble stringing more than one win together since late April. Entering the Stanford series, the Utes had lost six straight. The series sweep to Stanford extended Utah’s losing streak to nine straight before earning a long overdue 12-7 win over rival Brigham Young on Tuesday, its first win in the month of May.

Utah will likely start one of its two go-to starting pitchers against Cal on Friday and in at least one of the next two games: redshirt senior right-hander Matthew Sox and freshman right-hander Cam Day. Sox and Day have both appeared in 13 games this season, both starting in all 13. Both have also struggled. Sox (5.33 earned run average) is 4-4 on the season, while Day (6.86 earned run average) has just one win and six losses.

If those two can somehow keep Cal’s gauntlet of hot-hitters at bay, 6’7” freshman wonderkid pitcher Micah Ashman and righthander Zac McCleve might very well put the Bears away. Through 23 appearances this season, Ashman boasts a 2.49 earned run average, the lowest on the team, and McCleve has four saves and the third-best earned run average on the team.

That said, seeing as the Bears have had very little trouble scoring through the majority of the second half of the season and the Utes’ most reliable pitchers are prone to allowing runs, bettors should bet the over in this series.

The three-game series, which will determine whether or not Cal makes the postseason, begins today at 6 p.m. at Evans Diamond in Berkeley.

William Cooke covers baseball. Contact him at wcooke@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

On the fifth night of his sold-out “Back in Business” tour, singer Ricky Montgomery swept the front row with high fives. As he sang his 2021 single “Talk to You,” he posed with items from the crowd: a teddy bear, a plush hat shaped like a shark, a handheld Pride flag.

The Loft had heated up — literally — by the time Montgomery walked onstage May 1. The 80-degree heat of the day lingered indoors that evening. The 650-capacity venue, at the top of two flights of concrete steps, was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with fans of the 29-year-old singer.

Replicated in hundreds of cell phone cameras, it was hard to believe Montgomery wasn’t a hologram — until his voice, undeniably tangible and clear, cut through the audience’s cries.

As he belted, Montgomery felt increasingly real onstage. During an emotional rendition of his song “Mr Loverman,” hundreds of cell phone flashlights lit up the venue, rendering the stage lights useless. 

“I just tried to write things that are cathartic for me, and I write with either the hope or the assumption that somebody else will also find it … emotionally purging for them, too,” he said. “And sometimes I’m just trolling, and I want to make something that sounds funny to me.”

Montgomery’s songwriting process is as playful as his shows. To write his song “Cars,” he played a version of “Exquisite Corpse” with a friend. In the original drawing game, each player sketches a part of a creature on a folded piece of paper without seeing what the other player has drawn.

“We applied that logic to sentence structure, and we came out with our song ‘Cars,’ which is just kind of an amalgamation of different random car-related sentence fragments,” he said.

He draws inspiration from musical exploration, and said that he has recently been listening to soul, electronic and 70s/80s punk music.

“I’m trying to find holes in music history that I haven’t explored yet and … see what inspires me there,” Montgomery said.

Courtesy of Angela Ricciardi.

If you search up Montgomery’s name on TikTok or Instagram, you’ll see views and followers in the millions and hundred-thousands. After music from his 2016 album “Montgomery Ricky” gained traction on social media in 2020, he signed with Warner Records — a move that has propelled his career forward but added pressure to produce more music quickly.

“I am in a bit of a growing pains moment because I got signed … when I didn’t really have any music ready,” Montgomery said.

Now, he’s working toward finishing his next project “as quickly as possible.”

Montgomery described his path to success as “rocky” because his songs “Mr Loverman” and “Line Without a Hook” went viral on TikTok in 2020, years after their initial release.

When Montgomery saw his engagement numbers beginning to rise, he began reacting to TikTok videos and continuing to post his music on social media.

Montgomery said his previous experience on social media platforms like Vine and Youtube prepared him for the sudden social media attention.

“I was really lucky that I knew how to continue to catalyze a moment,” he said. 

Now, Montgomery describes his relationship with his fans on social media as a “mutual, participatory, trolling marathon.”

“I try to be as odd as I can and kind of use it as a creative outlet in its own way, so I think the fans pick up on that and help me riff on different little ideas,” he said.

This relationship extends beyond TikTok videos, reactions and duets and carried over to the unique intimacy at his performance at The Loft.

Fans called out to Montgomery during lulls in his set, as he tuned his guitar or sipped from a plastic water bottle. He talked back, candid and grinning, or laughing at the slick of sweat on his guitar. 

In spite of the heat, or maybe because of it, the audience seemed bonded, like they were watching a mutual friend take the stage to play their favorite songs.

“It’s very gratifying now to see shows like the Atlanta show and … to see the entire audience singing along to those songs,” Montgomery said.

The post Ricky Montgomery wants to ‘Talk To You’: singer describes path to sold-out Atlanta show appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Denny’s is Hiring 15,000 #Friendployees Who are Seeking Flexible Work Schedules in a Friend-Friendly Work Environment

SPARTANBURG, S.C., May 19, 2022 – At Denny’s, everything is better together – pancakes and eggs, burgers and milkshakes, and besties at work. That’s why we’re inviting 7,500 people and their best friends to become #Friendployees at Denny’s restaurants nationwide. And, because we know that friends who work together stay together, applicants can enter for a chance to score “The Perfect Weekend Off” – an all-expense paid vacay for two to the U.S. destination of their choice.

“Denny’s is a company that values family and friends and we believe there is no better way to enjoy your day on – and off – than with your best friend,” said Gail Sharps Myers, Denny’s Chief People Officer. “One of the great things we always hear from our restaurant employees is how much they love our friend-friendly working environment and the flexibility of working at Denny’s. We’re excited to welcome 15,000 new employees to our restaurants and to celebrate the flexibility they’ll have with us, we’re offering #Friendployees who love to work and play together a chance to win ‘The Perfect Weekend Off’.”

For those applying for a gig at Denny’s and entering “The Perfect Weekend Off” sweepstakes, flexibility is our top priority. Applicants can visit their local Denny’s restaurant to complete a special “mattplication,” a perforated placemat that includes a short application with a QR code that links to the entry form. Or, they can visit Careers.dennys.com to complete a simple job application and the entry form for a chance to win. No matter how they decide to enter, applicants should be sure to share their first and last name and a valid email address and phone number on their application and entry form. There is a maximum of one entry per person and sweepstakes entrants can enter without completing an application.

The lucky winner of “The Perfect Weekend Off” will not only get a vacay – they’ll work for a friend-friendly brand that offers flexibility for time off with their bestie whenever they want, to do whatever they love – checking out a hoops game, going snowboarding or even hitting up the hottest music festival of the summer – it’s their choice! The prize includes a three-day/two-night trip with two round-trip domestic flights, hotel accommodations for two nights and spending money.

Apply today for a job at Denny’s that offers the ultimate flexibility in a friend-friendly environment and put your name in the hat “The Perfect Weekend Off” that runs now through June 17.

Abbreviated Sweepstakes Rules for “The Perfect Weekend Off”

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW OR REGULATION. Sweepstakes begins Thursday, May 19, 2022 at 6:30:01 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) and ends Friday, June 17, 2022 at 6:30:59 p.m. PT (“Sweepstakes Period”). To enter and for official rules and prize disclosure, click here. Sponsor: Denny’s Inc., TX Support Center, 2900 Ranch Trail, Irving, TX 75063.

In connection with any travel, CDC guidelines and the recommendations of health officials must be followed. In addition, guests should be aware of and comply with government guidelines regarding travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines before visiting any destination. Please note that any public location where people are present provides an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19, and Sponsor cannot guarantee that any person will not be exposed during a visit.

About Denny’s Corp. 
Denny’s Corporation is the franchisor and operator of one of America’s largest franchised full-service restaurant chains, based on the number of restaurants. As of March 30, 2022, Denny’s had 1,643 franchised, licensed, and company restaurants around the world including 153 restaurants in Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Philippines, New Zealand, Honduras, the United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Guam, Guatemala, El Salvador, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom. For further information on Denny’s, including news releases, please visit the Denny’s website at www.dennys.com or the brand’s social channel via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube.

Media Contact
Sara Soto
Brand Communications Specialist
O: 682.348.5018
ssoto@dennys.com

(123movies) Watch ‘Doctor Strange: 2’ (Free) online streaming At~home

Yes! This is Marvel Movies! Here’s options for downloading or watching Doctor Strange 2 streaming the full movie 2022 online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch the Benedict Cumberbatch movie at home.

Doctor Strange 2  is currently scheduled to premiere in the United States on May 6, 2022. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not currently streaming on Disney+ but will release on the platform.

Marvel films this year that dropped simultaneously on Disney+ and in theaters, Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness is currently only available to watch in theaters. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by the legendary Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange 2 is easily the most highly-anticipated MCU movie of Phase 4. The film’s script has been written by Jade Bartlett and Loki writer Michael Waldron.

The sequel looks as promising as ever, full of twists and turns into the mind-bending multiverse with Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Stephen Strange and Elizabeth Olsen‘s Wanda Maximoff at the helm of the wild ride. You’ll probably want to experience it on the biggest screen possible — but if you’ve got youngsters or prefer to stay at home to watch, we have an idea as to when this movie might air on Disney+.

How To Watch Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: Is It Online?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will release as a theatrical exclusive on May 6th which means there will be at least a 45-day window before audiences can view it online.

However, if the movie does well in theaters, that window could be even longer. For instance, Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Box Office success warranted a nearly 90-day exclusive theatrical run.

When Will Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Be On Disney+?

There is currently no set date for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ release on Disney+. However, both Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals were available to stream on the platform around 70 days after their theatrical debut.

Therefore, Doctor Strange 2 will likely arrive on Disney+ around 70 to 90 days after May 6th, depending on how well it does at the Box Office. This determines the best guess is Doctor Strange 2 will arrive on Disney+ sometime between July 15th and August 4th.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast

The following cast members have been confirmed for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Sinister Strange, Defender Strange, and Supreme Strange

• Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo
• Benedict Wong as Wong
• Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez
• Michael Stuhlbarg as Dr Nicodemus West
• Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer
• Sir Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Topo Wresniwiro as Hamir
• Maria Rambeau as Captain Marvel
• TBC as Captain Carter

Aside from the obvious return of Benedict Cumberbatch as the sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange, the big news from Comic-Con 2019 was that Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch will feature in the film.

Producer Kevin Feige revealed that her Disney+ streaming show WandaVision will link directly to the plot of Doctor Strange 2.

Both Cumberbatch and Olsen appear to be playing at least more than one variant of their characters.

The first trailer for the sequel has confirmed that Rachel McAdams will be reprising her role as Strange’s former partner Dr. Christine Palmer, alongside Xochitl Gomez as the new inter-dimensional heroine America Chavez.

Benedict Wong will also be back as Wong, Strange’s most trusted friend, and the new sorcerer supreme who helps protect the universe from magical threats.

What is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness about?

Doctor Stephen Strange will team up with Scarlet Witch to face multiple dangers as the multiverse breaks down. Scarlet Witch’s role in the film and her future beyond it has emerged in a huge Marvel leak.

As if Karl Mordo wasn’t bad enough to deal with, we have various monsters and villains appearing – including an evil Doctor Stephen Strange!

We doubt this will be easy.

According to a listing from Production Weekly, the plot will follow Dr. Stephen Strange as he continues his research on the Time Stone after the events of Avengers: Endgame before an old friend turned enemy shows up, messing with the plan and causing him “to unleash an unspeakable evil”.

While he was still attached as director, Scott Derrickson had revealed that the sequel would play up “the gothic [and] the horror” of Doctor Strange’s world, and speaking at the New York Film Academy, Marvel’s Kevin Feige explained that while the film won’t be strictly horror, “it’ll be a big MCU film with scary sequences in it”.

“I mean, there are horrifying sequences in Raiders [of the Lost Ark] that I was a little kid would [cover my eyes] when their faces melted… It’s fun to be scared in that way, and not a horrific, torturous way, but a way that is legitimately scary,” he added.

While Derrickson is no longer involved in the project, it doesn’t seem to have diverted completely from that original pitch, with co-star Elizabeth Olsen has recently described it as “bonkers”, and adding: “They’re definitely going for that horror show vibe.”

The Daily Californian

UC Board of Regents talks budget, financial aid, diversity in 2nd day of meetings

Joshua Jordan/File

The UC Berkeley Foundation, which is on track to surpass its $6 billion goal for the year, noted the top three uses of donations are support of students, academics and faculty.

The UC Board of Regents kicked off its second day of meetings Wednesday on UCLA’s campus to discuss topics concerning academic affairs, governance, equity and public engagement.

The day started with a full board meeting, which included a 30-minute public comment period. Stakeholders were given time to express concerns, either in person or remotely, on a variety of subjects including nurses’ contracts at UCLA, the UC system’s war-related investments and low admissions rates across several of the UC campuses.

Among the speakers was UC Berkeley senior, university affairs chair for the UC Student Association and campus Academic Affairs Vice President James Weichert, who spoke about academic burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We are at risk of losing so many students to burnout and to drop out if the UC doesn’t adapt its policies to promote a more healthy school life balance,” Weichert said during the meeting. “Our current path doesn’t promote academic excellence; it promotes academic exhaustion.” 

To finalize the first meeting of the day, the regents heard remarks from UC President Michael Drake, who spoke about the passing of former UC Santa Cruz chancellor and campus professor emeritus Karl Pister. Drake also spoke about maintaining comprehensive reproductive healthcare and abortion services for students in light of the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The Public Engagement and Development Committee met next to discuss philanthropic support, campus foundations and alumni engagement.

“Each of our campuses has an associated foundation that’s dedicated to the advancement of the campus and has a mission to promote philanthropy,” said Heather Kopeck, UC Office of the President director of development policy and advancement relations, during the meeting. “Campuses have really made concerted efforts to focus on student support.”

According to incoming chair and trustee of the UC Berkeley Foundation Board Bettina Duval, the UC Berkeley Foundation is focused on recruiting younger and more diverse trustees. Duval added that the foundation is on track to surpass its $6 billion goal for the year, and noted the top three categories for where donations go are student support, academic support and faculty support.

Patricia Nguyen, director of systemwide alumni engagement, introduced the alumni-focused discussion to the committee. Nguyen emphasized the importance of alumni, but also noted the potential for the UC system to better support the younger and more diverse alumni community.

“UC has an opportunity to approach alumni engagement differently, flexing our innovative and equity-minded spirit,” Nguyen said during the meeting. “Today’s presentation offers an invitation to think deeper and differently about how we engage our alumni and the role of our 10 alumni associations.”

Members of alumni associations from UC Santa Barbara, UCLA and UC San Diego agreed, noting the importance of building meaningful relationships with alumni and answering regent questions.

The committee ended with a brief update on state-governmental relations from Kieran Flaherty, associate vice president of UCOP State Governmental Relations, who emphasized strong state revenues and “aggressive” goals for education.

The Academic and Student Affairs Committee began its meeting by approving amendments to the UC system’s undergraduate financial aid policy.

Among the reforms included an emphasis on part-time work, rather than taking out loans, as a pathway for students to pay their cost of attendance.

“I applaud these efforts in attempting to make sure that students minimize their loan debt as they graduate, because it sets the students back in life,” said UC Regent Jose Hernandez during the meeting. “It was five years before I was able to plan for buying a house, plan for retirement, all these things because I wanted to get student debt out.”

Following the action items, the committee discussed its status report on the Advancing Faculty Diversity program, or AFD.

According to Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Programs at the Office of the President Susan Carlson, 33.6% of the AFD hires made since the program’s launch were members of underrepresented groups, compared to 18.7% of total hires. She noted that all of the AFD hires brought a “demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

The committee also discussed how the UC system could best support first-generation college students, who make up two-fifths of the total undergraduate population. 

John Matsui, the co-founder of the Biology Scholars Program, spoke on how the program avoids a “one-size-fits-all” approach on navigating UC Berkeley to encourage first-generation students to think differently about managing their success.

The meeting concluded with a review of the final report produced by the Mitigating COVID-19 Impacts on Faculty Working Group. The report proposed five recommendations for UC campuses to implement and sustain over the next five years to support faculty through challenges they have faced during the pandemic.

“I am really grateful that there’s been so much proactive work going into this,” said UC Regent Lark Park during the meeting. “I don’t think we thank our faculty enough for the heroism in trying to keep things together for students.”

During the Finance and Capital Strategies Committee meeting, the regents discussed projects and long range development plans for several UC campuses, the fiscal year 2022-23 UCOP budget and the UC system’s debt policy.

Among the approved projects includes the Ocean Road Housing Project at UC Santa Barbara. UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang said this project would add 540 “critically needed” for-rent and for-sale units to faculty and staff. UC Regent Richard Leib emphasized the need to put “conditions on the development regarding affordability” as negotiations continue.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary May presented the proposed Sacramento Ambulatory Surgery Center, or SASC, advocating that the development would address a shortage of operating surgery capacity.

“The project will meet four primary objectives for us: moving outpatient surgical cases from the main hospital to free up inpatient resources, enhancing ambulatory surgery capacity to accommodate existing demand and expected growth, enabling expansion of complex surgical lines and therapies and, finally, enhancing patient experience,” May said during the meeting.

David Lubarsky, vice chancellor of human health services and chief executive officer of UC Davis Health, said construction on the 262,000-square-foot center will begin in October and is scheduled to open in March 2025. According to Lubarsky, the center will consist of 12 major operating rooms, five minor procedure rooms, 60 prep recovery bays, a 23-hour stay unit and seven outpatient clinics.

For the Kresge College Non-Academic project at UC Santa Cruz, which seeks to upgrade and provide more campus housing, Chancellor Cynthia Larive requested from the regents an additional $28.5 million, which is 14% of the current project budget.

UC San Francisco Chancellor Sam Hawgood sought the regents’ approval for a new 875,000-square-foot hospital at the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center, the renovation of existing space and the demolition of the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute to make way for the new hospital. The budget for the new hospital and the renovations is over $4 billion.

“My hope … is that we find ways to even make a fraction of that investment in places like Merced or Riverside that desperately need the same kind of medical support,” said UC Regent Eloy Ortiz Oakley during the meeting.

Pradeep Khosla, chancellor at UC San Diego, provided updates on rental rates for the Pepper Canyon West Housing project, noting that its rates were 33% below market within a three-mile radius of campus and 25% below market for all neighborhoods.

UCOP’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2022-23 is $1.035 billion, a 2.9% increase from the previous year. This change is due to the systemwide program investments, in order to enhance the pension administration system and the Retirement Administration Service Center.

“This budget proposal is fiscally conservative and reflects the priorities of UCOP and the campuses,” said UC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rachael Nava during the meeting.

The regents rounded out the day with the Governance Committee addressing the future of in-person meetings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leib said it is important for certain people, particularly those making presentations, to be physically present at board meetings. He noted how presenting over Zoom can become “awkward” and make it difficult for the audience to interact or start discussions.

“People should be here unless they’re not central to the discussion,” Leib said during the meeting. “Sitting here, listening to people make full presentations and they’re doing it on Zoom, is just not the right way to go.”

While other regents agreed with Leib, UC Regent Jonathan Sures raised the question of what would happen in the case of another wave of COVID-19 cases. Drake responded and noted that any policy would take the pandemic into consideration.

Committee members then turned to the topic of attendance for regents and advisors. Leib said there should be an expectation for regents to attend meetings in person unless they had a clear medical excuse.

“If someone is just not interested in coming because of concerns of COVID but they’re not suffering from COVID or anything like that, it seems to me we should try to have people here,” Leib said during the meeting.

Anna Armstrong, Aditya Katewa, Aileen Wu, Vani Suresh and Zachary Khouri contributed to this story. 

Contact The Daily Californian News Staff at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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