kind

Dear Minneapolis:

We are sorry for what you are going through. We get it.

One day you’re living in a vibrant, multicultural city that, yeah, has its problems but is also pretty great. The next day, the president is calling you terrorists and insurrectionists and threatening to turn the U.S. military on you and your kids.

Been there.

First off, thanks for standing up for Lady Liberty. The old gal had a rough year in 2025, and 2026 isn’t promising to be any better. She needs all the friends she can get, and the Twin Cities folks are true blue. And I’m not talking Democrat or Republican, because we’re past that.

It’s come down to deciding what kind of American you are. The kind who believes in the Constitution, rule of law and due process, or the kind who believes in strongmen, rule of the rich and armed authorities who will disappear you if you make them mad, citizen or not.

Minneapolitans have proven they’re on the righteous side of that divide.

But here’s the thing — you’ve got to keep these protests peaceful. Being the entertainment capital of the world, we won’t deny that it’s riveting to watch video after video of ICE officers slipping on, well, ice like some klutzy Keystone Kops short. And the passion with which protesters are turning out, risking their own safety to protect strangers, is inspiring.

But don’t take the bait. Don’t cross the line. Don’t use physical violence, whether it’s throwing a water bottle or something more. President Trump threatened on Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act, just like he did in Los Angeles before sending in the National Guard using a lesser authority. Even that turned out to be legally problematic, but he did it anyway.

“Minnesota insurrection is a direct result of a FAILED governor and a TERRIBLE mayor encouraging violence against law enforcement,” Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche wrote on social media after Trump’s post. “It’s disgusting. Walz and Frey – I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It’s a promise.

Whatever means necessary.

This administration is salivating to invoke martial law. They bring it up every chance they get. Although the Insurrection Act has been used before — by President George H.W. Bush in Los Angeles in 1992 after the Rodney King beating — this is different.

Too many other guardrails of democracy have been demolished. Too much power has already been consolidated into the hands of one man.

If it happens, if the military is turned against citizens, a boundary will be broken that can’t be easily restored. We will likely then have military in streets of multiple American cities ahead of the November elections, which can only make this fragile turn at the ballot box more precarious.

Los Angeles in 2025 was the test case on how far Trump could go, and it seems it wasn’t far enough. Just like in Minneapolis, we had some folks who used violence — even though the vast majority of protesters were peaceful. Because Los Angeles is and has always been a city of activists — like Minneapolis — there were plenty of leaders willing and able to step forward and ensure that protesters policed themselves.

The result of that restraint was that at the end of the day, not even the so-called “journalists” of the right-wing propaganda machine could come up with enough shock-and-awe videos to convince the rest of America that the place was out of control.

Now the Trump machine is trying it with you, Minnesota. It’s not by chance that this trouble has landed on your doorstep. After the killing of George Floyd, Minneapolis showed it wasn’t afraid to show up for justice. No one ever doubted — Trump especially — that sending immigration full-force into your city would stir up trouble.

Gov. Tim Walz said it himself on Thursday in his own social media post.

“We can — we must — speak out loudly, urgently, but also peacefully. We cannot fan the flames of chaos. That’s what he wants,” he wrote.

But also, please keep filming, please keep fighting. Thursday was also Martin Luther King Jr.’s actual birthday. In 1959, King made a little-known appearance on Minneapolis TV.

“I’m of the opinion that it is possible for one to stand firmly and courageously against an evil system, and yet not use violence to stand up against it,” he said then.
“It is possible to love the individual who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does.”

Someone described Minneapolis the other day has having the inclusivity and quirkiness of San Francisco, but with the attitude of the Bronx — a fearsome combination.

Don’t let Trump exploit it.

In solidarity,
California

AS the train pulls in to Stourbridge Junction station, I wonder if I’m in Legoland by mistake.

The tiny shuttle carriage could carry four dozen people at a push — and with its goofy looks, it’s like something out of a cartoon.

But this Parry People Mover railcar is the only one of its kind in the world.

Its driver, David Hardwick, says: “We’ve had people come here specially to ride the train, from Japan, Australia, Africa.”

“From every continent except Antarctica,” adds his colleague Ross Bevan, whose website has provided information for hundreds of trainspotters since they began venturing here in 2009.

But it’s not just the train that is unique — it’s the line that it serves too.
I hop on board to discover more. And like the best things in life, it’s all over in a few minutes.

BEAR-Y COOL

English region ‘known for Winnie the Pooh’ named top place to travel in 2026

SANDS GREAT

Our 26 must-visit UK beaches for 2026 – including tropical-feel spots

The branch line that connects Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town in the West Midlands is less than one mile long — the shortest rail line in Britain, and one of the world’s shortest.

That’s why this dinky railcar, which uses a flywheel to generate energy from braking, was invented to serve it.

I see the rail yards and sidings as we pull out of Stourbridge Junction. A train peels off on the main line to Birmingham, and on the left is a housing estate down a slope.

In the distance, I can see an old church tower with a St George’s Cross fluttering on top.

The train rounds a curve and passes under a bridge — the drama is almost too much — before creeping into Stourbridge Town station.

After watching the little train depart (there’s just one service every ten minutes) I head to the high street to see what Stourbridge has to offer.

For centuries it was an important market town. After the Industrial Revolution exploded in the Black Country, the town became the world centre of glassmaking.

There are handsome historic buildings like King George VI College and the Victorian Gothic red brick Town Hall which has hosted many a live music event over the years.

One local street artist has recently painted huge murals of big Nineties home-town bands The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin on the sides of several buildings.

As I grab a lime and soda at the Cock & Bull, Wolverhampton’s Slade are blaring out from the speakers.

Then it’s time to head back on the tiny train to Stourbridge Junction.

The train, designed and built in the Midlands by inventor John Parry, almost hits 20mph on its three-minute journey.

Ahmad, who runs Cafe Presto on the platform, tells me to look out for George, the station cat — who is now world famous, with tens of thousands of followers on social media.

I track down the ginger Tom at the ticket office, where he’s getting his belly rubbed by staff members.

Even George has travelled on Britain’s shortest railway line — and they’ve even named the train after him.

Village in Northumberland is a haven for those who love the great outdoors, with its stunning coastline, soft sandy beach and a stand-out harbour

Tucked away on Northumberland’s stunning coastline lies a village brimming with attractions and boasting spectacular views throughout the year.

Boasting pristine sandy beaches and a tranquil shoreline teeming with wildlife, it’s little surprise that Beadnell continues to draw visitors. It’s the perfect spot for anyone wanting to embrace the outdoors during a peaceful weekend break.

The beloved Beadnell Bay serves as a paradise for coastal rambles and watersports enthusiasts, appealing to walkers and thrill-seekers in equal measure. Yet its most distinctive characteristic remains the west-facing harbour.

Standing as the sole west-facing harbour along England’s eastern seaboard, it continues to function as a working fishing port. Whilst fishermen haul in wild salmon and sea trout, which are subsequently served to diners in the village’s eateries, crowds gather to witness some of the area’s most breathtaking sunsets.

The “fantastic” location attracts countless sunset chasers, with one visitor documenting their experience on TripAdvisor. They revealed: “Stumbled upon this beach whilst searching for a place to watch the sunset, and so pleased we did. A large car park is available just the other side of the dunes, and a stroll along the beach saw us reach the Lime Kilns.”

“Information boards are up here and well worth reading up on. Followed on with a little stroll around the village. So peaceful. Walked back along the beach just as the sun was setting, with the boats silhouetted. Such a peaceful spot and well worth stopping off at.”

Another visitor wrote: “Before travelling to Beadnell, we were not aware that Beadnell Harbour is the only west-facing harbour on the East Coast. We were very interested to learn the history of the few remaining lime kilns that are located adjacent to the harbour. From here, visitors have a good view of Beadnell Bay and Beach. Definitely worth a visit!”.

The beach offers a wealth of watersports opportunities, from surfing to windsurfing and kitesurfing, with the bay’s reliable winds and manageable waves making it ideal for both novices and seasoned enthusiasts alike.

Stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking prove particularly favoured amongst locals and tourists. During periods of calmer conditions, wakeboarding and waterskiing become popular pastimes, whilst the village’s sailing club, which has been a cornerstone of the community for more than four decades, continues to thrive.

A review on TripAdvisor states: “The best beach in Northumberland! The car park is right next to the beach entrance and is free for the first hour. The dog-friendly beach is absolutely stunning and goes on for miles. It’s golden sand with no pebbles, has a small harbour at one end, and plenty of little nooks to shield from the wind.”

Fire replaces water as the elemental character in James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” It’s even weaponized by Varang (Oona Chaplin), the ruthless leader of the volcano-dwelling Ash People, in their war against the rest of the Na’vi tribes.

“After figuring out water in all its complexity in [‘The Way of Water’], we focused on fire,” Cameron said about his VFX Oscar front-runner. “Fire is very much the same — you have to be very observant of [this] in the world. This is where having an understanding of physics — which I do — helps, and this is where a lot of real-world photography and reference comes in handy.”

Creating more realistic-looking fire in CG required Cameron to apply his understanding of fuel and how it burns, including flow rates, the interaction of temperature gradients, the speed of an object that’s burning and the formation of carbon and soot.

In essence, fire became the centerpiece of every scene — and a character with its own escalating drama. That’s where the VFX wizards of Wētā FX in New Zealand came in. They developed Kora, a high-fidelity tool set for physics-based chemical combustion simulations. Kora increased the scale of fire while providing more artist-friendly controls. The film contains more than 1,000 digital fire FX shots, ranging from flaming arrows and flamethrowers to massive explosions and fire tornadoes.

“Physical fire is really hard to control, so we had to come up with how to bend the physics towards the direction that Jim was giving it,” said Wētā senior VFX supervisor Joe Letteri. “Because he was very specific where he wanted the fire, what kind of speed, rate, size, how much or how little energy. He very carefully crafted every component, guiding your eye across it.”

“Fire serves two roles,” added Eric Saindon, a VFX supervisor at Wētā. “There’s always a little bit of low fire going on during quiet moments, but then you get fire that becomes much more destructive whenever there’s an attack sequence.”

In the film’s best scene, where archvillain Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and Varang meet for the first time in her tent, fire takes on a more subtle, mysterious quality. She gives Quaritch a trippy “truth drug” to ascertain his real agenda, seductively playing with fire with her fingers like a sorceress. The scene turns surreal with camera distortion and zoom shots to convey his hallucinatory point of view.

Then Quaritch surprises her with his superpower: the truth. He proposes a partnership to provide his military weaponry so she can spread her fire across the world and he can rule as her co-equal. “In a strange way, they become the power couple from hell,” Cameron said. “He wins her over by sharing his vision.”

The physical properties of fire drove much of the visual effects work in “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

(20th Century Studios)

Meanwhile, the subtle flicker of fire with cool blues around the edges of the flame is like a magic trick. “She knows it’s about theater, so she presumably has some kind of a gel or makeup that’s on the tips of her fingers so that they just don’t burn away in the first few seconds,” Cameron continued. “She’s able to dip her fingers in some kind of inflammable oil and light them and have them burn like candles. Of course, in his mind, it’s all enhanced much more due to the hallucinogen.”

Cameron praised both actors in the scene, but singled out Chaplin’s performance for the force she brings to Varang’s shamanistic authority. “She understood how the character would manifest her power psychologically and how there was a flip in the scene, where the flow of power runs the other direction at a certain point.”

The director also commended Wētā’s facial capture animation team for achieving a new level of photorealism, thanks in large measure to more realistic muscle and skin movement. “The way Oona’s performance comes through so resoundingly in the character is a tribute to a lot of R&D, a lot of development in the facial pipeline. But I think it really demonstrates how the idea of CG as a kind of digital makeup really does work. What I’m proud about in that scene is that it’s a culmination of an almost 20-year journey in terms of getting exact verisimilitude in the facial representation of the characters as an extension of the actors’ work.”

“It was really fun showing Varang to Jim because he knew what he had in the performance,” added Dan Barrett, a senior animation supervisor at Wētā. “And he included Oona’s idiosyncrasies in the final animation. He was very respectful of the performance.”

In fact, Cameron argues, Chaplin’s performance as Varang is Oscar-worthy. “It may be counterintuitive, but I would argue that it’s a more pure form of acting,” he suggested. “Now, you may say that it’s cheating in terms of the cinematography in the sense that the cards are stacked in our favor because that perfect performance will always be there and will be repeatable as I do my different camera coverage. But it’s not cheating in terms of the acting.”

Cameron has recently been more proactive in demonstrating how the performance-capture process works to academy and SAG-AFTRA acting members so they can better understand it. “It was just us, working on capturing a scene, and I even wrote new scenes so it wasn’t a made-up dog-and-pony show. And they were blown away,” he added.