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Canada Day Parade Cancelled in Montreal Due to Bureaucracy and Politics

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Canada Day Parade Cancelled in Montreal

The organizer of Montreal’s Canada Day parade has cancelled this year’s event, blaming bureaucratic red tape and politics. Nick Cowen the main Organizer of the Montreal Canada Day Parade issued a press release stating that he has had increasing difficulty in obtaining permissions and funds, as well as approval from government officials.

“Despite honoring all conditions set forth, Cowen said in his press release that he had been met with rules that change at the last minute and requests that make putting on the parade virtually impossible, An event that is meant to inspire unity has been thwarted because of division.”

Cowen claimed that in 2023, he was compelled to fill out the same documentation many times and completely restructure the event to satisfy Montreal city regulators. He also stated that he was directed to find 148 volunteers at the last minute, in order to ensure that at least one person stood by the procession cars’ tires.

“Imagine you are in traffic and need four people, one at each tire, to make sure no one runs under the wheel of a normal car,” he stated in an email.

Government Bureaucracy

He added that the federal government “requested that parts of the parade be removed entirely,” including the cake to be presented at the end of the march. “The parade’s budget was also reduced to 2013 levels in another devastating blow to this cherished event,” the author said.

The city of Montreal and the federal heritage agency did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

The parade has taken place since the late 1970s, however it was canceled between 2020 and 2022 due of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The news comes as organizers in some communities have rethought their celebrations in recent years due to rising security and insurance costs, as well as funding issues.

Cowen told The Canadian Press that, while COVID-19 contributed to the event’s cancellation, he was also trying to meet mounting costs as federal financing failed to keep up with inflation.

Other Canada Day celebrations will take place in Montreal on July 1, including the customary Old Port celebration with games, face painting, cupcakes, and music.

Canada Day in Montreal

In Montreal, Canada Day is a vibrant celebration that oozes enthusiasm and pride throughout the city. People dress in their finest patriotic garb, and the streets are filled with red and white.

Typically, the day begins with a massive parade through the city center, complete with colorful floats, marching bands, and cultural performers. Local parks are wonderful picnic spots since they host family-friendly activities such as face painting, games, and live music.

Streetside food trucks bordering the avenues serve a variety of Canadian foods, including poutine and maple sugar. Fireworks over the Old Port brighten the sky as the sun sets, creating a fantastic atmosphere.

Concerts and other activities continue throughout the evening, emphasizing local talent and fostering a sense of community. It’s a day of celebration, togetherness, and deep appreciation for Canada’s rich history.

Both locals and foreigners should attend this event because of Montreal’s unique fusion of French and English cultures, which adds a unique flavor to the celebrations.

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NBC To Use AI Version Of Announcer Al Michaels’ Voice For Olympics Recaps

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NBC is bringing a version of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels back to the Olympics this summer, but with an unexpected twist: his voice will be powered by artificial intelligence.

On Wednesday, NBC said that it will utilize AI software to reproduce Michaels’ voice to offer daily Summer Games summaries to users of its Peacock streaming platform. This marks a significant milestone in the application of AI by a major media firm.

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NBC | CTV Image

NBC To Use AI Version Of Announcer Al Michaels’ Voice For Olympics Recaps

The employment of an artificial intelligence voice for the Olympics comes at a time when technology has advanced dramatically, particularly in its ability to generate images, sounds, and text. This has sparked concerns in creative industries, such as journalism, regarding how artificial intelligence may—or should—be utilized.

A new tool, “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock,” will allow subscribers to create 10-minute highlights packages incorporating event updates, athlete back stories, and other related content based on their preferences.

The company stated that the highlights could be packaged in approximately 7 million distinct ways, based on 5,000 hours of live coverage in Paris, thereby making AI (artificial intelligence, not the guy) a far more efficient way to give individualized summaries.

“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” Michaels stated in a press statement. “Then I saw a demonstration of what they had in mind. I replied, ‘I’m in.'”

An NBC representative told CNN that Michaels is being rewarded for his participation.

A veteran broadcaster, Michaels is now the play-by-play sportscaster for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. He is well noted for his work on earlier Olympic Games broadcasts for NBC and ABC and for announcing the Miracle on Ice Game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

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NBC | Fox Image

NBC To Use AI Version Of Announcer Al Michaels’ Voice For Olympics Recaps

NBC stated that the AI system was trained using previous NBC broadcast audio from Michaels.

The business stated that a team of NBC Sports editors will evaluate all of the content, including audio and footage, to ensure that it is factually correct and that names are pronounced correctly.

Beginning July 27, the highlights tool will be available on Peacock in web browsers and iOS and iPad apps.

SOURCE – CNN

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Jamie Foxx Shares New Details About Health Crisis That Left Him ‘Gone For 20 Days’

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Jamie Foxx | CNN Image

Jamie Foxx has yet to publicly divulge the reason for his hospitalization last year, although he did share further facts during a videotaped encounter.

The Oscar-winning actor was hospitalized in April 2023 due to a health problem while filming the Netflix film “Back in Action” in Atlanta.

In a TikTok video posted this week, Foxx informs an unidentified group of people that he has a “bad headache” on April 11, 2023. He remembers asking his friend for an Advil, and then “I was gone for 20 days.”

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Jamie Foxx Shares New Details About Health Crisis That Left Him ‘Gone For 20 Days’

“I don’t remember anything,” he claimed in a video shot on June 29 in Phoenix.

Foxx went on to say in the video that he was told his sister and daughter took him to the doctor, who him a cortisone shot. Another doctor told him something was “going on up there,” as Foxx pointed to his head.

“I won’t say it on camera,” he remarked throughout the video.

The singer is known to be discreet about his personal life, and he disappeared from the spotlight at the time due to what his daughter Corinne Foxx described as a “medical complication” on social media.

In July 2023, the “Ray” star revealed that he chose not to reveal more information because he did not want the public “to see me like that.”

“I want you to see me laughing, having fun, partying, cracking jokes, or performing in a movie or television show. I didn’t want you to see me with tubes coming out of me and wondering if I was going to make it,” he said in a video posted on Instagram at the time, adding that he felt like he had gone “to hell and back.”

Foxx provided another health update on his verified social media accounts in August 2023.

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Jamie Foxx | Fox Image

Jamie Foxx Shares New Details About Health Crisis That Left Him ‘Gone For 20 Days’

“You are looking at a thankful man…” “I’m finally starting to feel like myself,” he wrote at the time. “The journey has been unexpectedly dark…” “But I can see the light.”

He added that he was “thankful to everyone who reached out and sent well wishes and prayers.”

According to IMDB, “Back in Action” is now in post-production.

SOURCE – CNN

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Hunter Biden Sues Fox News Over Explicit Images Featured In A Streaming Series

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NEW YORK — Hunter Biden filed a complaint accusing Fox News of illegally distributing sexual photographs of him as part of a streaming series.

The president’s son filed the complaint on Sunday in state court in Manhattan over photos from “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” which will premiere on Fox Nation in 2022. According to the lawsuit, the series included a “mock trial” of Hunter Biden on crimes he has not faced, as well as photos of Biden naked and engaging in sex acts.

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Hunter Biden | AP News Image

The lawsuit argues that the distribution of intimate photographs without his consent violated New York’s so-called revenge porn legislation.

“Fox published and disseminated these Intimate Images to its vast audience of millions as part of an entertainment program in order to humiliate, harass, annoy and alarm Mr. Biden and to tarnish his reputation,” the lawsuit states.

In an emailed statement, a Fox News representative termed it an “entirely politically motivated lawsuit” that was “devoid of merit.” According to the statement, Biden’s attorneys filed a letter demanding its removal from streaming sites in April 2024.

“The program was removed within days of the letter, out of prudence, because Hunter Biden is a public figure who has been investigated several times and is now a convicted felon. According to the emailed statement, Fox News has faithfully covered Mr. Biden’s newsworthy events by the First Amendment, and we look forward to defending our rights in court.

Hunter Biden was convicted last month of three felony charges stemming from the purchase of a revolver in 2018. Prosecutors claimed the president’s son lied on a mandated gun-buy form by claiming he was not unlawfully using or addicted to narcotics.

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Hunter Biden | AP News Image

According to the lawsuit, the series’ simulated trial included bribery claims and inappropriate financial relationships with foreign governments, which Hunter Biden has not faced.

The lawsuit demands compensatory and punitive damages, as well as an injunction forcing Fox to erase all copies of the obscene photographs.

The lawsuit says Fox did not completely remove promotional materials and that the program is still available on some third-party streaming sites.

SOURCE – (AP)

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