In the three years between seasons of Severance, some fans have obsessively analyzed the series for clues about what might be going on on the show. Some of the most popular theories focus on the Lumon Corporation that all of the shows main characters work for.In a recent video produced for Entertainment Weekly, the shows cast dove into some of the most popular theories, and in the process, they debunked one that has become incredibly common online. That theory suggests that the severance technology, which uses a chip to sever a persons work memories from the rest of their memories, is actually related to cloning technology.Recommended VideosThis sounds like what Lumon would be doing in a super boring version ofSeverance, star Adam Scott said. Patricia Arquette also added: You are very far off and wrong.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThat double de-bunking would seem to put the theory to bed, even though it would explain a lot of the strange things happening inside the company. Of course, its possible that Arquette and Scott are lying to throw fans off the scent, but we wont know until the show actually reveals some of what is going on.Scott added that, in the second season, the show would spend more time with the outie versions of the characters working in MDR.Now that we saw the MDR crews Outies walking into season 2, we suddenly have twice as many characters, which is an incredible opportunity because we have these unbelievable actors, he said. So now we get to see these other parts of their lives.The shows second season will debut on Apple TV+ on Jan. 17.Editors Recommendations

There have not been very many onscreen depictions of Vladimir Putin, perhaps in part because he is still Russias leader and so the story of his reign is not yet over. In a recent interview withDeadline, though, Jude Law revealed that hell be playing the Russian leader during the first part of his governing career in Olivier Assayass new film, The Wizard of the Kremlin.I say that hesitatingly because I havent really started work on it yet, Law explained. I mean, I have, but at the moment it looks like an Everest to climb, so Im in the foothills looking up thinking, Oh Christ, what have I said?'Recommended VideosLaw continued by saying that he often feels intimidated by roles early on: Thats often how I feel whilst I say yes. I was going, Oh God, how am I going to do this? But anyway, thats for me to sort out.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThe news that Law had been cast in the film was first announced in the spring of 2024, but there was no word on who he would play at the time. The film is an adaptation of Giuliano da Empolis novel of the same name and follows a young filmmaker who unexpectedly becomes an advisor to Putin as Putin rises through the ranks of the Russian government.In addition to Law, the film will also star Zach Galafanakis, Alicia Vikander, and Tom Sturridge. We have no word yet on when the film might be released, but based on Laws comments, it sounds like the film is still in fairly early stages.Editors Recommendations

NetflixTable of ContentsTable of ContentsSnowpiercer (2013)The Hunger Games (2012)Battle Royale (2000)The Platform (2019)Alice in Borderland (2020-present)Squid Game took the world by storm once again as the hit thriller series returned to Netflix with its second season in December. The story in this sequel season showed protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) taking part in the dreaded Squid Games again in his quest to end to the inhumane contest once and for all. Though Gi-hun may have had enough of this barbaric tournament, the shows massive amount of viewers on streaming has proven that people cant get enough of Squid Game.The shows third and final season will premiere on Netflix in 2025. Though some fans may be too anxious to wait for Squid Game 3, they can watch several other films and shows like it in the meantime. Such viewing choices feature comparable stories with death games, black humor, and/or themes of social and economic divide. While the world holds its breath for Squid Game 3, fans of the shows second season should check out these five films/TV shows.Recommended VideosCJ EntertainmentDirected by Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), this sci-fi blockbuster features a strange but epic battle on board a train carrying the last of humanity on an Earth frozen by a second Ice Age. Similar to Squid Game, Snowpiercer features a dark, satirical war of classes as the wealthy people in front of the train oppress the lower class in the back, leaving them to fight for their lives in their oppressive environment.RelatedWith an entertaining blend of bloody violence, quirky characters, and black comedy, Snowpiercer presents a thrilling and insightful tale about human nature and how far people are willing to go in order to survive.Watch SnowpiercerLionsgateAside from Squid Game, The Hunger Games is the most popular death game story in modern movie history. Many people know the brutal tale of Katniss Everdeen and how she and several other youths battle and kill each other for the amusement of those living in a dystopian future version of America.True to its premise, The Hunger Games features the kind of bleak and gruesome story found in Squid Game, featuring many deadly and inventive challenges that the characters must overcome on the battlefield. However, The Hunger Games also displays a unique sense of humor with the way it satirizes modern media, as the Capitol turns the slaughterfest into a glitzy, glamorous event akin to a Hollywood awards show.Watch The Hungers GamesToei CompanyBattle Royale set the template for stories like Squid Game or The Hunger Games to shock and enthrall audiences with its lethal competition. This Japanese film from director Kinji Fukasaku follows a group of high schoolers sent away to take part in an annual fight to the death, as required by their totalitarian government under threat of execution by an explosive collar.Shocking and controversial, this gory action film harkens back to A Clockwork Orange with its gratuitous violence and dark depiction of juvenile delinquents and how adults and their government mistreat them. Battle Royale is sure to get under viewers skin, just like Squid Game, but its social commentary and gripping narrative make it a must-see movie.Watch Battle Royale NetflixThis dystopian thriller follows inmates in a prison tower where they are only given one platform of food to share a day, only for the people at the top to eat all they can and leave too little for those below them. Like Squid Game, The Platform became a worldwide hit once it dropped onto Netflix, presenting a creative, dark satire of civilization and how people in different social classes fail to support each other.Despite its limited setting, the film presents a vast, spiraling odyssey through hell itself as the protagonists try to survive and send a message to those in charge. A sequel was released in 2024, and delivered more nightmarish scenarios for audiences to enjoy.Watch The Platform on Netflix.NetflixBased on the Japanese manga of the same name, Alice in Borderland follows a young man obsessed with video games and his friends when they are transported to an abandoned version of Tokyo, where they must compete in life-threatening games to survive.Offering up a wide variety of characters and plenty of danger and suspense, Alice in Borderland is guaranteed to hold viewers attention as it ventures through the worlds largest and deadliest escape room. Along with Squid Game, this Netflix-exclusive series has received considerable hype and praise, and it will also release its third season in 2025.Watch Alice in Borderland on Netflix.Editors Recommendations

Donald Trump's suggestion for increased NATO defense spending has divided European countries.Trump called for NATO members to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP.Many European NATO members have struggled to meet the current 2% defense spending goal.Donald Trump's suggestion that NATO members should allocate 5% of their GDP on defense has prompted mixed reactions in Europe.The president-elect floated the figure which is more than double the current target at a press conference on Tuesday."I think NATO should have 5%," he said. "They can all afford it, but they should be at 5%, not 2%."Currently, no alliance member spends 5% of GDP on defense.NATO estimates showed Poland was set to lead the alliance in defense spending as a percentage of GDP in 2024, with Warsaw investing more than 4% of its economic output on defense. Estonia and the US followed, spending 3.43% and 3.38% respectively.Trump's remarks sparked dismay among some European officials.Ralf Stegner, a member of Germany's Social Democratic Party, wrote in a Facebook post that Trump's comments were "delusional and truly insane.""Where are the resources supposed to come from to solve the real-world problems?" he said. "We have too much poverty, environmental destruction, civil wars, migration, and too few resources to combat this more actively."Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto cast doubt on the feasibility of Trump's proposal: "I don't think it will be five, which at this time would be impossible for almost all nations in the world," he said, per Italian news agency Ansa.But Crosetto added that he did expect the target to be raised above 2%.Italy was on track to spend 1.49% of GDP on defense in 2024, while Germany which is gearing up for a snap federal election in February was set for 2.12%.For nations closer to Russia and its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, increasing defense expenditure may not seem like such a bad idea, however.Warsaw has already signaled its support for Trump's demand, with the Polish defense minister telling the Financial Times that Poland "can be the transatlantic link between this challenge set by President Trump and its implementation in Europe."In Estonia, the shared border with Russia has led to heightened tensions and an increasing focus on defense.Reacting to Trump's comments, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Politico that it was the "message that Estonia has been advocating for years.""This is a clear signal to Putin that he should not dare to test NATO's nerves and that we are prepared for it," he said.At a Northern Group partners' meeting last year, Estonia's defense minister urged allies to increase spending to 2.5% to counter the threat of Russian aggression.Sweden, which has also increased defense spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, also backed the call for increased spending."There is a broad consensus in Sweden that we need to invest more in our defense," the country's foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said, per Politico. "US governments have long urged European countries to increase their defense spending and to bear more of their own defense costs. We share this view."Lithuania has also prioritized defense spending amid the growing Russian threat. Its president, Gitanas Nausda, recently called on European countries to "show more support for the US global agenda" by increasing their share of the defense burden.For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said Europe knows it must spend more on defense.During a trip to Warsaw in November, Rutte praised Poland for its defense spending efforts, saying it sent "a clear message not only to our adversaries but also to the United States. That Europe understands it must do more to ensure our shared security. And that starts with spending more and also fielding more capabilities."Nevertheless, analysts say Trump's 5% figure is unrealistic."Many European NATO countries are funding higher military spending through debt, cuts in other expenditure areas, and proposals to increase taxes," Nan Tian, a senior researcher and program director at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme, told Business Insider. "These existing increases would push military spending to a level about half of what Trump proposed of 5% of GDP, thus I don't think this is a realistic target.""5% of GDP level would be higher than the same countries spent at the height of the Cold War," Tian added.Ruther Deyermond, a senior lecturer at King's College London's Department of War Studies, went further, calling Trump's suggestion a "coercive tactic.""It looks as if the point of the 5% demand is for it to be unachievable - the intention seems to be that states will fail," Deyermond wrote on X. "It's a coercive tactic (pay up or your country gets it) that also signals that NATO is no longer a meaningful alliance."

Some fire hydrants ran dry in LA due to enormous water demand and infrastructure problems.President-elect Trump wrongly blamed a separate debate over water from northern California.Here's what you need to know about the water supply problems in Los Angeles.Some fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles ran dry this week after the wildfires overwhelmed the local water system.The problem unleashed a flurry of criticism, including from President-elect Donald Trump. He accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of refusing to sign a "water restoration declaration" that would have allowed water from northern California to flow into the areas burning in Los Angeles."He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn't work!), but didn't care about the people of California," Trump wrote on January 8 on his social media platform.But the reasons the water ran out were about local infrastructure, California officials and water policy experts told Business Insider. They also refuted the existence of a "water restoration declaration" and said Trump used the delta smelt as a scapegoat for a separate and much more complex debate over water allocations from a watershed in northern California.A spokesperson for Newsom called Trump's claims "pure fiction," and accused Trump of politicizing the disaster. A spokesperson forTrump's transition team pointed to a plan his administration developed in 2019 directing water to the Central Valley and Southern California. But a Newsom spokesperson and California water policy experts said that plan is unrelated to water in fire hydrants in Los Angeles.Newsom on Friday ordered an investigation into the cause of lost water supply and pressure in municipal systems. The order followed a report by the Los Angeles Times that a large reservoir in Pacific Palisades was empty and out of service as flames engulfed entire neighborhoods. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said it took the Santa Ynez Reservoir offline in February for repairs to meet safe drinking water regulations.How water from the reservoir might have helped firefighters tame the blazes remains unclear.Fire hydrants ran dry because of infrastructureJanisse Quiones, head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said urban water systems aren't designed to supply enough water to fight wildfires."We had crews trying to mitigate this, and they had to evacuate," Quiones said during a January 8 press conference. "We're fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging."Quiones said"Those tanks help with the pressure on the fire hydrants and the hills of Palisades," Quiones said during a press conference. She explained that without enough pressure in the system, more water couldn't be pumped uphill into the tanks from a network of underground pipes and aqueducts, leaving hydrants dry. Officials couldn't refill the tanks fast enough as flames engulfed entire neighborhoods.Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank that tracks water use and storage data in California, characterized the water supply problems as an "infrastructure bottleneck.""Water flows from the reservoirs into this very complicated network of pipes, pumps, and tanks that stretch all over LA. It's really like an electrical grid," Mount said. "Before the fire, the system was full, but then was drained."However, the Santa Ynez Reservoir which holds 117 million gallons of water was empty. Had the reservoir been operable, water pressure in the Palisades would have lasted longer, Martin Adams, the former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, told the Los Angeles Times. He added that while it would have helped, it wouldn't have saved the day.Newsom on January 8 said up to 140 additional water tender truckers were deployed to assist in fighting the Eaton and Palisades fires.At a January 9 briefing, LA Mayor Karen Bass said fire hydrants aren't constructed to handle such massive devastation. The water shortage was compounded by the fact that planes couldn't perform water drops from the air because of the high-speed Santa Ana winds."That was the reason that the devastation was so bad," Bass said. "The unprecedented wind, the strength of the wind, and the fact that the air support could not go."There isn't a water shortage in southern CaliforniaTrump accused Newsom of causing a water shortage around LA. But southern California has plenty of water, despite the issues with fire hydrants, sources told BI.Most reservoirs in southern California are full, Mount said. As of January 10 the Castaic Lake reservoir the largest State Water Project reservoir in Southern California was at 77% of its total capacity, per the California Department of Water Resources.Mount said this was due to two years of record rainfall and snowpack in the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range, which feeds many reservoirs that serve southern Californians.Mike McNutt, a spokesman for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District that serves 75,000 people in northwest LA including in Palisades told CalMatters on January 8 that the water supply was "looking pretty solid."What does the delta smelt have to do with this?A spokesperson for Newsom said Trump "conflated two entirely unrelated things: the conveyance of water to Southern California and supply from local storage." The spokesperson added that there was no "water restoration declaration."Mount agreed, as did Mark Gold, the Natural Resources Defense Council's water scarcity director and a board member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California."There is no connection between the delta smelt and the water challenges of fighting a fire in Southern California," Mount said.Mount said Trump may have been referring to a separate debate over how to allocate water exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where water in northern California flows into the San Francisco Bay to both agriculture and urban areas in the southern half of the state, including Los Angeles.In December, the Biden administration and California officials finalized a plan that aimed to strike a balance among farmers, urban residents, and depleted fish populations including the delta smelt, CalMatters reported. The new regulations replaced those finalized during Trump's first term, which werelitigated by Newsom's administration over concerns that the delta smelt, salmon, and steelhead trout would be pushed to extinction.While Los Angeles does import water from the Bay Delta through the State Water Project, Gold reiterated there are no shortages in southern California.The region also gets water from the eastern Sierra Nevada through the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Colorado River, and groundwater."The scapegoat for Trump has been the delta smelt because it's not exactly charismatic megafauna," Gold said, noting that endangered and threatened salmon, trout, and other fish are at risk.January 12, 2024: This story has been updated to reflect the news that the Santa Ynez Reservoir has been offline since February last year, though it's unclear what effect that had on firefighting efforts.Were you impacted by the Los Angeles fires and want to share your story? Email this reporter: Catherine Boudreau cboudreau@businessinsider.com

If you were going into next months Captain America: Brave New World hoping to see Anthony Mackie duke it out with Seth Rollins, the WWE wrestler said you should leave your expectations at the ticket buying app. In a recent interview with Chris Van Vilet, Rollins said he wouldnt appear in the film. Back in 2023, he was shown on set, leading fans to speculate he was playing a member of the Serpent Society. Marvel never formally confirmed his casting, and Rollins was vague about who hed have been. Uncertain about his NDA, all he could say was Brave New Worlds script went through a lot of rewrites and reshoots. [] Essentially my role got either repurposed or completely erased. He also auditioned to pop into another role, or a potential repurposing of his original part, but neither option panned out. I will unequivocally say I am not in the film, he continued. Rollins was actually very insistent on letting his fans down, and told Van Vilet he didnt want fansto think hes pulling an Andrew Garfield. I dont want those people to waste their time, and I dont want to misinform anybody. [] They ended up going in a different direction with it. Marvel knows theyve got a finished product that hopefully theyre happy with, and hopefully its successful. But [Brave New World] will be sans Seth Rollins. Marvel does a great job, it should be a good one.Outside of nixing Rollins part,Brave New Worlds troubled production has been fairly well-known. Its release date has been shuffled around a few times, and its production was paused once the Hollywood strikes started. After those ended, the film underwent multiple reshoots and rewrites, allegedly due to negative test screenings. Initial reports claimed three major sequences were cut in the reshoots, but Anthony Mackies since described them as just a few more scenes.This isnt the first Marvel movie to have its reshoots known, but its misfortunes (and the cultural background around Sabra, one of its key supporting characters) have hovered around the movie longer than normal. Well see how Captain America: Brave New Worldultimately fares when it hits theaters on Valentines Day. [via IGN] Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Amelia Tulum / Sordo Madaleno ArquitectosSave this picture! scar CaballeroHotelsTulum, MexicoArchitects: Sordo Madaleno ArquitectosAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:14185 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:scar CaballeroMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The residential project Amelia Tulum is part of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the Riviera Maya, located within Aldea Zam, a region that requires great awareness due to the presence of cenotes and jungle. The intention is for there to be no perceived difference with the natural environment, allowing the architecture to blend into the jungle, just as abandoned Mayan structures do.Save this picture!Save this picture!The concept of Amelia Tulum is born from respect for the natural conditions of the climate, topography, and native vegetation. The proposed construction seeks to have the least impact on the land, using a minimal footprint by elevating the structure above the ground, similar to how a stilt house coexists with its natural surroundings. This decision defined all the aesthetic characteristics of the complex.Save this picture!Throughout the plot, the first three sections house a select commercial program that coexists with the residential development, while the three upper levels intertwine in opposite directions, forming a checkerboard pattern that generates terraces in the intermediate open spaces.Save this picture!These open spaces become gardens, terraces, and patios as a result of the interrelationship of the volumes, and are designed to create specific natural atmospheres where nature takes over the architecture, making these common areas livable as if they were an extension of the private areas. At the same time, the great solar incidence is utilized and controlled through a play of shadows.Save this picture!The 38 apartments, ranging from 90 m to 150 m, feature terraces and bedrooms with independent access, and share the top level, which offers outdoor amenities such as a roof bar, hammocks, swimming pool, sun loungers, and grill.Save this picture!One of the biggest challenges of building in the tropical climate of Tulum is to reduce solar heat gain and maximize airflow to keep the building cool. Various passive systems, such as eaves with vegetation over the windows, protections with natural woven screens, and pergolas (using local wood known as jiles), provide the main sustainable feature of the complex.The landscape design gives prominence to native vegetation, which borders all the slabs of the building, occupies the interior corridors, and intertwines along the ground floor. Much of the existing flora will be protected during construction in a temporary nursery before being transplanted to integrate into the building.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The main structure is made of reinforced concrete combined with post-tensioned slab systems, while other materials and finishes use local artisanal techniques, which also promotes the incorporation of the local economy into the construction process. All interior surfaces are finished with chukum, a smooth cement-based coating made from the sap of a native tree; tzalam wood is used for its resistance to sun and humidity; and all the lattices are woven by local artisans with jiles, a type of wood that can be worked like fiber.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Tulum, MexicoLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officePublished on January 12, 2025Cite: "Amelia Tulum / Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos" [Amelia Tulum / Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos] 12 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025522/amelia-tulum-sordo-madaleno-arquitectos&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

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One Piece has some of the most unique designs for characters in all of anime. With strangely cartoonish body proportions, and staggering heights that push over 100 feet tall, characters appear with so many amazingly bizarre compositions. In many ways, this is one of the first things that sets One Piece apart from other series, acting as an initial way of sparking interest in the series.

Prior to the release of Amphoreus in Version 3.0, Honkai: Star Rail had already revealed eight new characters from this planet, who are inspired by various figures in Greek mythology. One of them is Anaxa, who's said to be a scholar who inquires about the prophecy of the gods. He is also a rumored playable character in a future Honkai: Star Rail update.