Carroll school officials remove 5 more books from library shelves, bringing total to 26 this year

Arts & Culture, Books

Carroll County’s public school system announced that it has removed five more books from school libraries, bringing the county’s banned book total to 26.“A Clash of Kings,” by George R.R. Martin, “House of Sky and Breath,” by Sarah J. Maas, “Tricks,” by Ellen Hopkins, “Let’s Talk About It,” by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan, and “Storm and Fury,” by Jennifer Armentrout were removed from Carroll County school library shelves after the most recent round of evaluations by the system’s Reconsideration Committee, according to an email Wednesday from school officials.The Meridian 1974 version of “The Holy Bible,” “Oryx and Crake,” by Margaret Atwood, “Lighter than my Shadow,” by Katie Green, “A Stolen Life,” by Jaycee Dugard, “All The Things We Do In The Dark,” by Saundra Mitchell, “The Haters,” by Jesse Andrews and “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick, were retained.The committee retained “Lucky,” by Alice Sebold, but students will need parental permission to check out the book, after an appeal to the superintendent.The committee has been evaluating 61 requests for removal since last August. Public schools communications coordinator Brenda Bowers said on average two books per year were directed to the Reconsideration Committee for review in the past. Most of the current removal requests have come from the Carroll County chapter of the conservative group Moms for Liberty.The system’s Reconsideration Committee is tasked with making book-removal decisions. It includes a nonvoting chair, two school media specialists, two school-based administrators, one teacher and three parents. Three high school students are also included when the committee reviews books previously deemed appropriate for high schoolers. All members are appointed by the superintendent.Books banned or retained by the Carroll County reconsideration process cannot be re-evaluated for school use for three years after the initial request for reconsideration, according to CCPS policy. Any decision to remove a book is final, but a decision to retain a book can be appealed to the superintendent within 10 days of receiving a decision.Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Nicholas Shockney acts as Superintendent Cynthia McCabe’s designee when reviewing books that were appealed to the superintendent. Shockney said he reads each of those books and renders his decisions in accordance with the school system’s Policy IIAA, which governs the selection, evaluation and adoption of instructional materials, including supplemental instructional materials like library books.The Carroll County Board of Education unanimously voted Jan. 10 to update Policy IIAA, banning all library books and instructional materials that include “sexually explicit” content from public schools. The updated policy defines sexually explicit content as “unambiguously describing, depicting, showing, or writing about sex or sex acts in a detailed or graphic manner.”The Maryland State Board of Education on July 23 denied a parent’s appeal of Policy IIAA, but expressed concerns about how the policy could be used to violate the First Amendment rights of students, according to state appeal documents.Have a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at [email protected].

Data science examined: AI and data in detail

Science and Health

image: ©WANAN YOSSINGKUM | iStock Dr Clare Walsh, Director of Education at the Institute of Analytics, highlights data science in a discussion that also includes comments on artificial intelligence (AI) Near the end of 2024, decision intelligence is recognised across industries, with 98% of employers now seeking digital and data skills amongst graduates (1), whatever…

James Webb Space Telescope spots 1st ‘Einstein zig-zag’ — here’s why scientists are thrilled

Science and Health

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered the first “Einstein zig-zag,” an image of one quasar repeated six times in a single image. The arrangement was created thanks to an effect first proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915 called “gravitational lensing,” and it could help scientists avert a crisis in cosmology.This system, designated J1721+8842, is comprised of a quasar — which is an extremely luminous galactic core — lensed by two widely separated, but perfectly aligned, galaxies. Not only is this sighting incredibly rare, marking a fascinating example of a curious spacetime-bending phenomenon introduced in Albert Einstein’s magnum opus theory of gravity, general relativity, but the J1721+8842 zig-zag also has a power that standard gravitational lenses don’t.The first Einstein zig-zag seen by humanity could help scientists tackle two of cosmology’s greatest mysteries. The first mystery concerns is the nature of dark energy, or the force driving the accelerating expansion of the universe that accounts for around 70% of the cosmic energy and matter budget, and the second has to do with a disparity scientists find when measuring the value of the speed of the universe’s expansion: the Hubble constant.”I am thrilled, not only because this is a fascinating natural phenomenon but also because this system is incredibly promising for measuring cosmological parameters,” Martin Millon, discovery team member and a Stanford University cosmologist, told Space.com. “This lens system offers the potential to place stringent constraints on both the Hubble constant and the dark energy equation of state, something that is generally not possible”What is a gravitational lens anyway?General relativity states that objects with mass cause a curvature in the very fabric of space and time, united as a single entity called “spacetime.”  The greater the mass of an object, the greater the “dent” it causes in spacetime. As gravity arises from this curvature, the more mass an object has, the larger its gravitational influence.

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Gravitational lensing occurs when light from a background source travels past a massive lensing body on its way to Earth, and therefore follows the resulting curvature in space, causing its own path to curve. The light from this background source thus takes different paths around a gravitational lens, approaching the lensing mass at varying distances being curved in different amounts. This means this light from the same background source can arrive at different times to the same telescope.As a result, a single background light-emitting body can appear at multiple places in a single image. These objects can form arrangements like Einstein rings, Einstein crosses, and, in this currently unique case, an Einstein zig-zag.A diagram shows how the curvature of spacetime leads to gravitational lensing. (Image credit: NASA, ESA & L. Calçada)The JWST wasn’t actually the first telescope to spot J1721+8842. The lensed quasar, which is more specifically composed of brightly glowing gas and dust around a feeding supermassive black hole, was spotted by Cameron Lemon in 2017 using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) located at Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii.At first, the quasar appeared to be lensed just four times. However, the sensitivity of the JWST has revealed that two galaxies are actually lensing this distant quasar six times, with the more distant galaxy in this arrangement also being lensed by the closer galaxy.”Typically, gravitational lenses created by a single galaxy form either two or four images of the background source, depending on the alignment. In this case, there is an exceptional alignment between two galaxies and a background quasar, forming a rare six-image configuration,” “We called it an ‘Einstein zigzag’ because the optical path of two of the multiple images passes by the first galaxy on one side before being deflected by the second galaxy on the other side. This optical path creates a zigzag pattern between the two galaxies.”Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!J1721+8842 as seen as part of the Pan-STARRS project in 2017 appearing to consist of just four instances of a lensed quasar. (Image credit: Pan-STARRS/ Lemon (2017))Research lead author and EPFL Laboratory of Astrophysics scientist Frédéric Dux told Space.com that this is the first time that scientists have found such a perfect alignment between three different bodies that create a gravitational lens.”Typically, a gravitational lens would involve only two objects, say a galaxy acting as a lens, and another galaxy behind, acting as a source, whose light is bent by the foreground one,” Dux said.  “Of course, there are many instances of lensing occurring due to multiple galaxies at once, such as in galaxy cluster lenses. In those cases, the effects of the different deflectors are combined in a weak way. You wouldn’t find a single galaxy acting as a perfect lens on its own. The alignment just isn’t good enough.”That isn’t the case with J1721+8842, though. The closest galaxy in this lens is so distant its light has been traveling to Earth for 2.3 billion years, while light from the more distant galaxy has been traveling to us for 10 billion years. Yet, despite the vast distance between these two galaxies, Dux said they provide an alignment so good that they both act to detect light from a quasar source located around 11 billion light-years away, while the foreground galaxy also acts to lens light from the intermediate galaxy.”This is rare. We expect that one in 50,000 lensed quasars would have such a configuration … and we only know of about 300 lensed quasars in total, so we were very lucky to find this one!” Dux said. “We might not find another one for a long time, if ever.”Einstein zig-zag could address a cosmological crisisDux explained that the team is already working on updated models of J1721+8842 to measure the Hubble constant.”Most lensed quasars can be used for this purpose, but the fact that this one has two different lenses makes the lensing model a lot better constrained, and the uncertainty in the Hubble constant value will be smaller,” Dux said. “This is very interesting in a time when cosmology is in a potential crisis due to what we call the Hubble tension.”The Hubble tension arises from the fact that measuring the Hubble constant in the very early universe and extrapolating the evolution of this value forward through 13.8 billion years of cosmic history (using the best cosmological model) should lead to the same value that astronomers measure when they observe the local universe and thus measure the Hubble constant at its current age. However, there is a strong disparity between the two results.”There could be measurement errors in either, so before declaring a definite crisis, we need to keep hunting for potential errors and refining our measurements,” Dux said.By reducing the uncertainties in these measurements, this Einstein zig-zag lens could bring the arrived-at value and the observed value of the Hubble constant closer together.An image of J1721+8842 with the six appearances of the background quasar indicated with letters A to F. (Image credit: Dux, et al, 2017)”Additionally, this lens can also be used simultaneously to constrain the equation of the state of dark energy of the universe,” Dux said. “This is very interesting as this quantity, and the Hubble constant, are typically degenerate, meaning we can ‘move both knobs’ in different directions and still fit the observational data well. With this system, we might be able to break this degeneracy.”That would allow for both values to be determined simultaneously using J1721+8842, something generally not possible. The researcher added that this is something presently in progress, but much theoretical work and technical infrastructure development are needed before the team can measure the two values they want to examine in a “safe” way, avoiding potential biases and errors.”J1721+8842 has other applications, such as studying the more distant lensing galaxy,”  Dux said. “Because it acts both as a lens and as a light source, appearing as the distorted red arc, we can precisely infer its mass. We also have a beautiful spectrum from the JWST observation to study this galaxy’s star formation history and the clumpiness of its matter. This is the first real chance to answer such questions for a galaxy this far away.”Related Stories:Although the JWST was integral in discovering the true nature of J1721+8842 as an Einstein zig-zag, it may not be the best instrument for hunting for more of these elusive arrangements.”The JWST provides crazily deep observations for small patches of the sky. For the discovery of more Einstein zig-zags, we need to survey the entire sky,” Dux said. “Gaia and sky surveys, such as Pan-STARRS, Euclid, or the future Vera Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), are the right tools for this search.”We will keep looking for lensed quasars! We expect to find many more with the Vera Rubin LSST and the Euclid mission. Whether we stumble across another zigzag will be a matter of luck.”The team’s research is available in pre-print on the paper repository arXiv.

US$65 Billion Needed Annually to Shield Coastal and Marine Tourism from Climate Crisis, WTTC Report Finds

Travel

Baku, Azerbaijan – Addressing world leaders during Ocean Action Day at COP29 in Baku today, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) called for urgent climate investment in coastal and marine tourism to protect it from escalating climate risks.
To achieve necessary mitigation, WTTC says that coastal and marine tourism will require annual investments of $30 billion for direct emissions reduction, with total needs reaching as high as $65 billion when including climate adaptation efforts.
Developed in collaboration with Iberostar Group and Oxford Economics, the soon to be released report Climate and Ocean: Quantifying Coastal and Marine Tourism and Protecting Destinations underscores the dual need for climate action and resilience-building.
In 2023, coastal and marine tourism directly generated US$1.5 trillion and supported 52 million jobs globally. It also accounted for approximately 50% of all tourists’ spending globally, generating $820 billion in direct tax revenue.
Despite its economic importance, the environmental footprint from coastal and marine tourism calls for rapid mitigation and adaptation measures.The report highlights that coastal and marine tourism directly contributed 0.8% of global GHG emissions in 2023, equating to 390 million tonnes of CO₂.
Coastal destinations worldwide, especially those in vulnerable regions, face mounting threats from climate change, including rising sea levels, extreme weather, and coastal erosion.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Pacific coastal areas in particular, are under severe strain, with rising climate-related displacement and economic losses posing urgent challenges.
This makes clear that investments in climate action are not just essential but urgent.
This report was developed to support the Coastal Tourism Breakthrough under the leadership of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, and the UN High Level Climate Champions, which, since COP22 in 2016, have been instrumental in mobilising non-state actors to advance the Paris Agreement’s objectives.
The Ocean Breakthroughs are transformative pathways covering five key ocean sectors: Marine Conservation, Shipping, Ocean Renewable Energy, Aquatic Food and Coastal Tourism. Accelerated action and investments in these sectors could deliver a reduction in GHG emissions of up to 35% and contribute to a resilient, nature-positive and net-zero future by 2050.
Julia Simpson, President & CEO WTTC, said: Coastal and marine tourism is a lifeline for millions globally, generating US$1.5 trillion to the world’s economy. But it’s on the frontline of climate change.
Protecting our coast and marine life isn’t just an environmental necessity; it’s a social imperative. Our report quantifies the scale of the challenge. Reducing the environmental impact of coastal and marine tourism could cost US$ 65 billion every year.
Given the economic and social value of coastal tourism we are calling on governments, development organisations and Travel & Tourism businesses to act now to safeguard these vital natural resources.
Gloria Fluxa, Vice-Chairman and Chief Sustainability Officer for Iberostar Group and Chair of WTTC’s Sustainability Committee, said: It is never too late to act. To safeguard our industry, its people, and the ecosystems we rely on, we must focus on mitigating our operations, transforming supply chains, and investing in nature with nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. Decarbonization and adaptation are essential investments to building a resilient, nature-positive tourism model.
We support the Ocean and Climate Platform’s call for bold investments in coastal resilience. The Coastal Tourism Breakthrough under the Marrakesh Partnership offers a clear roadmap to cut emissions by up to 35%. Now is the time for decisive action to ensure our destinations thrive for generations.
Loreley Picourt, Executive Director of the Ocean and Climate Platform said: These findings were developed in support of the Coastal Tourism Breakthrough, one of the five pillars of the Ocean Breakthroughs developed under the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action to deliver for Climate, Nature and People.
Since COP22 in 2016, the Marrakech Partnership has been instrumental in bringing civil society together to drive ambition towards achieving the Paris Agreement’s objectives. The Ocean Breakthroughs, which cover Marine Conservation, Shipping, Ocean Renewable Energy, Aquatic Food, and Coastal Tourism, highlight where accelerated action and investment could yield up to a 35% reduction in global GHG emissions. Together, they offer a powerful blueprint toward a resilient, nature-positive, net-zero future by 2050.
The report highlights climate solutions which are proving to have a positive impact, such as Visit Scotland, which has invested heavily in renewable energy and low-carbon infrastructure to cut emissions.
In Thailand, the Mangrove Action Project in Nai Nang shows how mangrove restoration can protect coastlines and build resilience.WTTC urges governments, businesses, and communities to unite to protect coastal and marine tourism destinations.
With dedicated investment in mitigation and adaptation, these unique regions can continue to thrive economically while preserving their natural beauty for future generations.
To read the report in full, please visit WTTC Research Hub.

Women in science – Alison O’Neill at YPrime on thinking out loud and…

Science and Health

She brings her global experience across multiple therapeutic areas to her current role leading operations at YPrime. In this position, Alison oversees project management and all teams responsible for the quality of project delivery – she ensures the excellence of services provided to sponsors, sites, and patients.Could you give us an overview of your work?As the chief operating officer of YPrime, my job is to lead the teams that deliver projects for our customers. We have two platforms, an eCOA platform and an IRT platform. And once we are awarded a project by a customer – usually a sponsor or CRO – my team handles the project delivery. We configure the system for the particular protocol requirements. We launch that system. We then work through the maintenance phase, liaising with the sponsor team to ensure that the system continues to meet their expectations and to make sure it’s functioning appropriately and that they receive any support, data, reports, etcetera that they need.A lot of the people who report through me are project managers, but in addition, we have support services which include our customer-facing help desk, data management, and data services. There are more than 200 people on the operations team. We provide global coverage. There isn’t anywhere you can’t use our eCOA or IRT product. We have staff supporting them round the clock based predominantly in the US and the UK.We also work with a group of people who manage warehouses for us because we also provide devices for our eCOA projects for our sites and patients to use. Some prefer not to use provisioned devices and instead employ a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) method, using their own handhelds.When did you realize you were interested in science – as a young child, teen, or older?I don’t think I ever realized I was NOT interested in science. If you like, it’s in my genes. My father was a research chemist who, for most of his working life, conducted research into novel antibacterials and antivirals. My mother is a pharmacist who ran her own business.Science was always what I was going to do. I started my professional life as a bench chemist and worked for a large pharmaceutical company. I realized pretty quickly that whilst I enjoyed that at the time, I didn’t feel scientific enough to make chemistry my whole career, so I looked to find alternative careers in the pharmaceutical industry and the one I fell into happened to be clinical research.So, I suppose you could say I ended up in clinical research by accident because of my scientific background. I’ve progressed through the ranks from being a CRA to a project manager to running operations groups and ultimately to being the Chief Operating Officer of a software delivery company.Could you describe your personal journey bringing us to where you are now?Some people with careers in clinical research are here because they have had big moments in their lives, such as a personal experience with a disease or the loss of a loved one, that made them stop and think, ‘this is what I’m meant to do’. My experience, however, was more of a natural progression. And while I am in a leadership position today, I don’t consider myself ambitious.Everybody makes their own opportunities, but I don’t remember sitting down and thinking, ‘where do I want to be in three years or five years or 10 years?’ I have had several situations where people many decades younger than me have come to me and said, ‘Ali, how can you help? How can I get to where you are?’ And I find that really difficult because I never had such a plan myself. I never sat down and thought, ‘what do I need to do to get to where I want to go?’ So, it’s quite thought-provoking for me when people ask me this. I always tell them to make sure they do not ignore or dismiss any opportunities presented to them.That said, I’ve always strived to do my best in every role and to try to understand the wider picture, which undoubtedly has led to me taking a great deal of interest in my managers’ challenges and activities – I guess that has set me up as a natural successor for their roles.What challenges did you face – as a woman or otherwise – along the way and what is the most valuable lesson you have learned?The first thing to say is that I don’t believe that my challenges were because I’m female. Let’s look at my background. I was brought up in the UK and lived there until 20 years ago. The head of state was female, and for much of my life, the Prime Minister of the UK was a powerful woman.My mother was a scientist who ran her own business. I was not brought up to think that being a woman puts you at a disadvantage—probably the other way around.However, I can certainly speak to valuable lessons learned. One important lesson is to keep a very open mind and develop the art of being curious. Make sure you listen to every side of every story and learn from the people you work with. Even if you don’t like something about them or the way they work, you can learn from them. You can learn what you don’t want to be like. You can learn how you don’t want to interact with people or portray yourself. Don’t dismiss anything as a learning opportunity.Another valuable lesson I learned early in my management career was that I was a better leader when I couldn’t do my team member’s job. With roles I knew well, I’d just say, ‘do this,’ and they’d say, ‘hey, thanks Ali,’ and do it. But when the same issue arose later, they’d be back asking again because I hadn’t taught them the why or how. Contrast that with managing, say, a biostatistician. I’d have to ask them to walk me through options and pros and cons. We’d decide together, and they’d learn about decision-making. I ultimately applied this approach even when I knew the job and the next course of action. This meant I sometimes had to pinch my leg or bite my tongue to keep from blurting out, but the team member would learn!What ignites your passion in your current role?What I’m passionate about isn’t specific to my current role – it’s something I’ve been keen on throughout my career. I’m genuinely enthusiastic about mentoring, developing, and training people. Whether it’s someone on my team or someone seeking guidance, I take great pleasure in supporting their growth. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching people progress in their roles, especially those I’ve worked with early in their careers. Seeing them take on more senior positions and truly come into their own – that’s what really motivates me.What is your current work ethos or style?I don’t know whether I’m the best person to answer that or whether you should ask the people who report to me or have reported to me in the past! I would like to say I’m collaborative. Whether you report to me, whether I report to you or whether you are one of my peers, I’m collaborative. I like to think out loud and brainstorm, and I believe that if you get the right people together, you can always solve an issue. There’s no issue in our professional lives that can’t be solved just by talking to the right people, getting the right experience in the room, on the phone, on video calls, or whatever it is. With true brainstorming, you ignore whether or not something is actually possible. You ignore today’s reality and you work through what could be in an ideal world. And that, I think, is where the best solutions come from.Could you share some advice for young women starting to develop an interest in science or wanting to pursue a career like yours?My advice is for anyone interested in science, not just women. Do what really interests you – don’t do what other people think you should do if it doesn’t inspire you. Stay curious and open to all sorts of opportunities. I’d strongly recommend getting hands-on experience or shadowing someone in a role that’s intriguing to you. Schools are quite helpful with this today. You know, sometimes work experience is just as useful for figuring out what you don’t want as what you do. Pursue what you enjoy, be open and flexible, and the right experiences will come to you!

After the shock: Kingsolver and Everett win at hope-filled 75th National Book Awards

Arts & Culture, Books

Barbara Kingsolver and Percival Everett have been announced winners at the 75th National Book Awards (NBA), held in New York—but it was a year when, beneath the glitter, the shock and fear of recent weeks came back to the fore. With chaos knocking at the door, the job of the NBA seemed to be to provide rallying cries, consolation, hope and community, but also the challenges and discomforts of truth. The election, climate change, racism, refugees, Gaza and even Taiwan—all had their moment. Or two or three.
“Hard times are coming when we’ll want the voices of those who can battle and come together to stand up for books”, said Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation, the organisation that sponsors the awards and uses the benefit money to go inside schools, libraries and even public housing estates to spread the word about the power of books to change lives.
Percival Everett, who won the fiction prize to resounding acclaim for James (Doubleday), admitted that “the last two weeks, I’ve been feeling pretty low, and am still pretty low. As I look out at the excitement about the book, it gives me some hope,” but quickly added that “hope is no substitute for strategy”.
Jason De Léon, winner of the non-fiction award for Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling (Viking), declared: “I will not accept this dystopian American future of all this garbage the incoming administration wants to propagate and profit from. Let’s all go read some banned books!”
Poetry winner Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, author of Something About Living (University of Akron Press), whose father was born in Palestine, insisted: “I don’t want to console, I want us to be uncomfortable, to demand any administration we pay for should stop funding genocide.”
Young people’s literature winner Shifa Saltagi Safadi, whose verse tale, Kareem Between (Putnam Books for Young Readers), concerns a middle-school Muslim American boy, wanted to fight “the dehumanisation” of Muslims by writing a story “where we’re the heroes”. Translated literature winner, Taiwan Travelogue (Graywolf), by Yang Shuang-zi, translated from Mandarin by Lin King, was in part, Yang said, “a recognition for the place we come from, Taiwan”.
Prior to the event, controversy erupted about the choice of W Paul Coates (father of Ta-Nehisi Coates and a former Black Panther) as winner of the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. The award acted as recognition for his work founding and running Black Classics Press and BCP Digital Printing, specialising in “republishing obscure and significant works by and about people of African descent”. Two articles had accused some BCP books of having racist, antisemitic, homophobic content. The NBA stood by its choice, and Coates, receiving his award from Walter Mosley, spoke of his mission “making Black narratives known”, curating “radical and less popular voices” and being “supported by my community since 1972”.
However, it was Kingsolver’s acceptance speech for the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters that contained a passion to match the red of her dress.
The self-described “country girl from Kentucky in the disguise of a sparkly dress” said: “I have written through crises; administrations rose and fell; I’ve seen total eclipses. I know when all goes dark, the sun is still up there… Writers have to ask the big, scary, uncomfortable questions for the people who really need us. We’re at our best when we’re disrupters, when we rattle self-absorption, when we lure people into letting go of themselves so they can look into the soul of another. That empathy is our salvation. We are still each other’s only hope, as James Baldwin said… Truth and love have been struck down so many times… but truth is like the sun behind the eclipse. It’s still there, and love stays alive if you tend it… Our job is to invent a better ending. There are so many of us to do it. We are not erased. We are still here, like the sun behind the eclipse.” 

Chito Roño helms Quantum Films’ 20th-year offering ‘Espantaho’

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Nathalie Tomada – The Philippine StarNovember 22, 2024 | 12:00am

Master horror storyteller Chito Roño initially didn’t want to venture into horror again, but there’s a compelling reason why he’s returning to the genre with the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2024 entry “Espantaho,” produced by Quantum Films.

Direk Chito, whose last horror film was “Ang mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan,” admitted that he’s been getting script offers, including for submission to this year’s 50th MMFF, and “lahat sila gusto horror ang gawin ko.”

He said that he’s been vocal about wanting to do drama. “Nakalimutan na nila na meron akong ‘Private Show,’ ‘Olongapo,’ ‘Dekada 70,’ ‘Yamashita,’ ‘Bata, Bata… Paano ka Ginawa?’ lahat yun. Ang naalala nila ‘Feng Shui’ (laughs),” he said, referring to his now-iconic horror movie, during an intimate media interview, including The STAR.

When asked what type of film he would prefer to do instead of horror, he said, “Gusto ko musical, charing! Pero nagawa ko na rin yun (‘Emir’). I really want to do drama. Or horror comedy, but more of a comedy. Natatakot ka, sisigaw ka pero matutuwa ang mga tao.”

However, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to direct Espantaho, primarily because it was his own brainchild.

“Idea ko yung project,” he shared. “Gusto ko naman siya, wala naman pumilit sa akin.”

Based on the synopsis, “Espantaho” tells the story of Monet (Judy Ann Santos) and her mother Rosa (Lorna Tolentino) who are mourning over the death of the family patriarch Pabling (Emil Sandoval). The harvest from Pabling’s rice land helped them survive all these years, but when a drought came, Monet had to put up a small business, buying and selling antiques.

After the burial, Pabling’s legal wife Adele (Chanda Romero) arrives with her children Roy (Mon Confiado) and Andie (Janice de Belen) to claim the land property. But as arrangements are being made during the nine days of pasiyam, dark secrets and a malevolent plot unravel. Monet and Rosa must confront past traumas and a supernatural evil to save their family.

‘Espantaho’ tells the story of Monet (Judy Ann Santos, left) and her mother Rosa (Lorna Tolentino), who are mourning over the death of the family patriarch Pabling. During the nine days of pasiyam, dark secrets and a malevolent plot start to unravel. Photo shows the lead stars with co-actor Mon Confiado.
QUANTUM FILMS

According to direk Chito, the concept for the film stemmed from his own fascination with antiques.

“I’m into antiques, but may takot talaga ako sa antiques kasi baka mamaya may dalang mumu sa banga. If there’s an antique with a very long history, takot talaga ako. I have things at my house which I bought pero ang lalim ng pag-aaral ko bago ko siya kinuha,” he said.

“That’s where the idea came from. It’s like, consciously, you have this fear that something might be coming with the item. I don’t know if you have that same thinking or feeling that when you buy something na may pinanggalingan na ‘di maganda, mapupunta din sayo yung malas.”

But that’s as much as he’s willing to reveal about the plot. “O nga pala, shut up na tayo,” he quipped, drawing laughter.

The film boasts a powerhouse cast led by Judy Ann and Lorna.

Direk Chito explained, “Matagal na kami magkaibigan ni Juday. She wasn’t married yet. She was just a teenage star. I’ve always promised that I will give her a project, but palagi kaming ‘di natutuloy — ewan ko ba. So now, I told her — I call her ‘Curacha’ — Curacha, gusto mo ba itong pelikula ko? Padala ko yung script. I sent it to her and she liked it.”

“She’s more mature and a lot different now,” he said of Judy Ann, whom he last worked with during her pre-“Esperanza” series days. “She’s very cooperative. She’s very professional. She comes in early. If the call time is 12 noon, she’ll be there at 10 a.m. All of them actually.”

The veteran filmmaker said of the rest of the cast, “They’re my friends. Lalo na si LT (Lorna Tolentino), we’ve done many projects together since ‘Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara,’ etc. My task was to make her a different character. It’s always a pleasant experience kapag ka-trabaho ko sila. There’s familiarity and better communication. And you already know the capacity of the actor.

“Same with Janice. I was able to work with Janice since Gabby Concepcion days. I was able to work with Chanda Romero in ‘Olongapo.’ Actually, she was the one who reminded me (laughs).”

He confessed to being weary of the horror genre. “Nagawa ko na halos lahat. Ay, nagawa ko na yan sa ‘Feng Shui,’ ay nagawa ko na yan sa ‘Sukob,’ pagod na ako,” he admitted candidly.

Despite that, he’s determined to offer something fresh with “Espantaho” because he’s not a fan of “repetition.”

“It’s very hard to compare (it with my past works). I always have this… how would I do it differently? Because I’ve done it several times already. Kailangan ibahin ko naman. Okay, may scene na nanakot. I try harder to come up with something new,” he said.

“Hindi ako mahilig sa umuulit eh. So, I try something new in filming some horror scenes so that there will be something unique in this picture. We try to do it differently every time. No (I don’t watch other films), for me, it comes organic, it comes with the script. It has to be not far from where we are.”

Produced by lawyer Joji Alonso’s Quantum Films for its 20th anniversary, with Cineko Productions and Judy Ann’s Purple Bunny Productions, “Espantaho” also stars JC Santos, Mon Confiado, Nico Antonio, Donna Cariaga, Kian Ko, Archi Adamos with Eugene Domingo and Tommy Abuel in very special roles. It opens on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, as part of the 10 MMFF entries.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo Pen Kids Book Inspired by Being Grandparents: ‘Our Dream on Steroids!’  (Exclusive)

Arts & Culture, Books

Musicians Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are best known as the Grammy-winning collaborators and couple of over 40 years, but now, they’re co-authors too.PEOPLE can exclusively share the cover of My Grandma and Grandpa Rock!, the debut picture book by Benatar, 71, and Giraldo, 68. The book, which features illustrations by Tiffany Everett, will be published by Sourcebooks in fall 2025.The book, per its publisher, is an ode to the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Its lyrical story highlights how grandparents can “rock” in a variety of ways — through singing, dancing or just being themselves.

‘My Grandma and Grandpa Rock!’ by Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
Sourcebooks

For the couple, who are proud parents to daughters Haley, 39, and Hana, 30, and grandparents to Stevie, 6, Lola, 4, and Cash, 2, the book is also a personal one.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“Everything they said about having grandchildren is true,” Benatar and Giraldo tell PEOPLE. “When we met in 1979, having children was one of our dreams. We were blessed with two beautiful daughters and now have three darling grandchildren ― our dream on steroids!”

“Our grandbabies know that we are musicians and songwriters,” they continue. “They’ve seen our live concerts and watch our videos. To them, we’re simply grandma and papa.”

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo in 2023.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty

The book also celebrates all grandparents and the variety of backgrounds they come from.

“We believe diversity is a superpower!” say Benatar and Giraldo. “We love that My Grandma and Grandpa Rock! embodies that ideal.”Benatar and Giraldo have been professional collaborators for over 40 years. Since the couple married in 1982, Giraldo has served as Benatar’s lead guitarist and together, they’re four-time Grammy winners, with 36 million albums sold worldwide. Benatar and Giraldo were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Benatar and Giraldo also aspire to share a meaningful message with readers through their new book.

“We hope grandparents and grandchildren everywhere will see themselves in the pages of this book and love reading it as much as we loved writing it,” they say.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. My Grandma and Grandpa Rock! will be published on Sept. 9, 2025 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.