New ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Borderlands 4’ games announced at leading show

New ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Borderlands 4’ games announced at leading show
“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” will be released on October 25. (X:@RavenSoftware)
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Updated 21 August 2024
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New ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Borderlands 4’ games announced at leading show

New ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Borderlands 4’ games announced at leading show

COLOGNE, Germany: The release dates for new episodes of the “Call of Duty” and “Borderlands” video games were announced Tuesday at the opening of the Gamescom showcase.

The announcements set the scene for the leading international video game show that opens to the public in Cologne on Thursday for four days and is expected to draw more than 350,000 visitors.

The launch of the Borderlands 4 game in 2025 was one of the surprises of the opening night show. The games producers promised that players would “blast their way through hordes of enemies” in the latest version of the game that was adapted for cinema this year.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” will be released on October 25. The latest in the series is set in the 1990s with a security team on a mission to target a senator and gain access to a top-secret site in Washington.

“Deadpool” film maker Tim Miller announced that his new “Secret Level” series based on several video games would be released on Amazon Prime in December. “It is our love letter to games,” he said.

Another industry veteran Peter Molyneux said his latest project would be “Masters of Albion.” Molyneux made Populous in 1989 and Black and White in 2001 but has been more low-key in recent years with several projects canceled.

Swedish firm Machinegames said that “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” will be released on December 9. First announced for Xbox, the game will also come out on Playstation 5 next year, the company said.
 


What We Are Reading Today: Art in a State of Siege

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Updated 07 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Art in a State of Siege

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Author: Joseph Leo Koerner

What do artworks look like in extreme cases of collective experience?

What signals do artists send when enemies are at the city walls and the rule of law breaks down, or when a tyrant suspends the law to attack from inside? Art in a State of Siege tells the story of three compelling images created in dangerous moments and the people who experienced them—from Philip II of Spain to Carl Schmitt—whose panicked gaze turned artworks into omens.

 


What We Are Reading Today: The Second Emancipation by Howard W. French

What We Are Reading Today: The Second Emancipation by Howard W. French
Updated 06 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: The Second Emancipation by Howard W. French

What We Are Reading Today: The Second Emancipation by Howard W. French

“The Second Emancipation,” a work of Odyssean dimension, recasts the liberation of post–World War II colonial Africa and the American civil rights struggle through the lens of Ghana’s revolutionary visionary Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972), who emerges as the most significant African leader of the twentieth century. 

In its dramatic depiction of a continent that once exuded the promise of a newly won freedom, this book offers a generational work that positions not only Africa but also the American civil rights movement at the forefront of modern-day history.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘California Amphibians and Reptiles’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘California Amphibians and Reptiles’
Updated 05 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘California Amphibians and Reptiles’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘California Amphibians and Reptiles’

Authors: Robert Hansen and Jackson D. Shedd

California is home to more than 200 species of reptiles and amphibians that can be found in an extraordinary array of habitats, from coastal temperate rainforests with giant redwoods to southeastern deserts offering dazzling wildflower displays each spring. 

“California Amphibians and Reptiles” covers every species and subspecies in this biodiverse region of the United States, with outstanding color photography and in-depth species accounts that draw on the latest findings on taxonomy and distribution.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Make Your Bed’

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Updated 04 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Make Your Bed’

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  • The author argues that discipline, resilience and hard work are essential for personal improvement and growth

Author: William H. McRaven

Published in 2017, “Make Your Bed: Small Things That Can Change Your Life … And Maybe The World” by retired US navy four-star admiral, William H. McRaven, is an exploration of discipline and self-control.

According to McRaven, attending diligently to simple daily tasks, such as making one’s bed in the morning, create a sense of discipline and accomplishment.

In addition, having a sense of order and purpose in life can help motivate one to push beyond initial goals.

The author argues that discipline, resilience and hard work are essential for personal improvement and growth.

In the book’s 10 chapters, McRaven outlines specific lessons which include the value of teamwork, perseverance, and the importance of facing adversity.

His style of writing is engaging and he emphasizes some of his own struggles and wins, while elaborating on how the principles he learned can be applied.

The book provides valuable insights that could inspire people to go and “make their bed” if they want to change their own lives, and maybe even the world.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Power of Cute’

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Updated 04 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Power of Cute’

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Author: SIMON MAY

Cuteness has taken the planet by storm. Global sensations Hello Kitty and Pokémon, the works of artists Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum and E.T.—all reflect its gathering power.

But what does “cute” mean, as a sensibility and style? Why is it so pervasive? Is it all infantile fluff, or is there something more uncanny and even menacing going on—in a lighthearted way? In “The Power of Cute,” Simon May provides nuanced and surprising answers.