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Three days ago, the censoring of a six-second sequence in William Freidkins The French Connection was reported by Hollywood Elsewhere.

The gist of this nixing had to do with Gene Hackmans gritty cop character, Popeye Doyle, uttering the N-word. This was spotted on the Criterion Channel stream of Friedkins 1971 classic.

Well, apparently, the rights holders to the film are none other than Disney. Criterion had nothing to do with the censorship. It is presumed that the sequence was removed by Disney, which bought the films original owner, 20th Century Fox in March of 2019.

So the theory now is that Disney probably went in and censored it, but, you know, for your own good.

Disney routinely apologizes for its past problematic content, theyve even installed warning labels on older films. Hell, theme-park attractions have been cancelled by them. Nothing is out of bounds for the mouse house.

If Disney is the party responsible for vandalizing an American classic to protect adults from a racial slur in a 50-year-old, R-rated movie, then one would presume that they will eventually release a statement about this.

Heres the problem. For all the fan uproar this has caused, no trades have reported it. The fact remains that Disney owns the film and can do whatever the hell they want with it. Do I believe they will get pressured to reinstate the original cut of the film? No.

Why would anyone in the mainstream media actually call blasphemy on the nixing of the N-word, even if it was committed on an American classic?

Far less harmful words have been censored these last few months in classic books. Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Agatha Christie and Dr. Seuss have all been revised under the guise of a sensitivity review.

The reactionary times we live in are trying to negate whatever happened in the past. Instead of learning about it, and making sure the same mistakes dont happen again they are just trying to erase history.

My advice is simple: My recommendation to all of you is to buy as much physical media as possible (books, DVDs etc) before an inevitable purging of the classics becomes the norm.

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Disney Might Be To Blame for 'The French Connection' Censorship ... - Jordan Ruimy

L.L. Bean has just added a third shift at its factory in Brunswick, Maine, in an attempt to keep up with demand for its iconic boot.

Orders have quadrupled in the past few years as the boots have become more popular among a younger, more urban crowd.

The company says it saw the trend coming and tried to prepare, but orders outpaced projections. They expect to sell 450,000 pairs of boots in 2014.

People hoping to have the boots in time for Christmas are likely going to be disappointed. The bootsare back ordered through February and even March.

"I've been told it's a good problem to have but I"m disappointed that customers not getting what they want as quickly as they want," said Senior Manufacturing Manager Royce Haines.

Customers like, Mary Clifford, tried to order boots on line, but they were back ordered until January.

"I was very surprised this is what they are known for and at Christmas time you can't get them when you need them," said Clifford.

People who do have boots are trying to capitalize on the shortage and are selling them on Ebay at a much higher cost.

L.L. Bean says it has hired dozens of new boot makers, but it takes up to six months to train someone to make a boot.

The company has also spent a million dollars on new equipment to try and keep pace with demand.

Some customers are having luck at the retail stores. They have a separate inventory, and while sizes are limited, those stores have boots on the shelves.

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Maryland governor asks textbook publishers to resist censorship - NBC4 Washington

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Sometimes, what appears to be the most boring, can be the most rewarding. Look at the assortment of quantum computing stocks, which rely on quantum computing technology to solve complex calculations at ultra-high speeds.

Just last year, for example, a team of Australian researchers proved that near-error-free quantum computing is possible, which could help the world solve extremely complex problems in just seconds. When the errors are so rare, it becomes possible to detect them and correct them when they occur. This shows that it is possible to build quantum computers that have enough scale, and enough power, to handle meaningful computation, they found.

That may sound boring. But its also proven itself to be extremely profitable. Here are three quantum computing stocks I think are worth buying to play this trend.

Source: Shutterstock

The last time I mentioned quantum computing stocks to buy, IonQ(NYSE:IONQ) traded at $4.56 on March 13. Today, its up to $9.84 and still running. For one, its working with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to bring the 25 qubits IonQ Aria to the Amazon Braket, or the Amazon Web Service for quantum computing. This means Amazon can now work on developing software and services on IonQ computers more easily than before.

Also, in the first quarter of 2023, the company saw revenue of $4.3 million, which was well above the $2 million posted year over year. It also saw $4.1 million in new bookings in the quarter. While it did post a loss of $27.3 million, it does have $525.5 million in cash and investments to keep it afloat.

Source: Shutterstock

On March 13, I also mentioned an opportunity in quantum computing stocks to buy, the Defiance Quantum ETF (NYSEARCA:QTUM). At the time, it traded at $44.30. Now, its up to nearly $49 per share, and could see higher highs. With an expense ratio of 0.4%, the ETF provides exposure to companies at the forefront of cloud computing, quantum computing, machine learning, and other transformative computing technologies, at a relatively low cost.

Some of its top holdings includeWipro Ltd.(NYSE:WIT),Accenture PLC(NYSE:ACN),IBM(NYSE:IBM),Micron Technology(NASDAQ:MU),Nokia Corp.(NYSE:NOK), andON Semiconductor Corp.(NASDAQ:ON). If you were to buy each of these stocks individually, it would cost far more than the $49 price tag on the ETF.

Source: Poetra.RH / Shutterstock.com

Nvidia(NASDAQ:NVDA) was another top pick on March 13. At the time, the tech stock traded at just $229.65. Today, its up to about $400 a share and could see higher highs. This is all thanks to hype around artificial intelligence, explosive earnings, gaming, and quantum computing to name a few catalyst. Impressively, when it comes to quantum computing, NVDA may be a leader here, too.

Remember, NVDA releasedcuQuantum,a software development kit (SDK) of optimized libraries and tools for accelerating quantum computing workflows. Also, with NVIDIA Tensor Core GPUs, developers can use cuQuantum to speed up quantum circuit simulations based on state vector and tensor network methods by orders of magnitude, as noted by the company.And as noted byInvestorPlacecontributorJoel Baglole, Without Nvidias technology, much of the improvements of quantum computing, AI, and other areas of science wouldnt be possible.

On the date of publication, Ian Cooperdid not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to theInvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

Ian Cooper, a contributor to InvestorPlace.com, has been analyzing stocks and options for web-based advisories since 1999.

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3 Quantum Computing Stocks That Could Skyrocket in the Next 12 Months - InvestorPlace

I am rarely in favor of content censorship of any kind, but, like so many parents, I am deeply disturbed by the impact that a rudderless social media is having on our kids, specifically on their health. 

I was reminded about it yet again this week with the sudden run on TikTok of an ancient Chinese herb, berberine, which is found in a barberry, golden seal or even a rhododendron plant. Teens are calling it “nature’s Ozempic,” and promoting it on social media for weight loss, despite that its effect on losing weight is quite small. Don’t get me wrong, berberine does have powerful metabolic effects in terms of lowering blood sugar and cholesterol, but it also impacts the gut and can cause bloating, gas and constipation with unknown long-term effects, which is exactly why a physician should be involved, not self-appointed teen experts on TikTok.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is right to put out an advisory warning that social media has become a huge risk to the health of our youth, increasing during the social isolation brought on by the pandemic, but present even before. Murthy spoke to me on SiriusXM’s Doctor Radio Reports recently and talked about the negative impact of social media on the self-esteem of children and teens. 

Murthy said viewing thousands of images on social media causes teens to make dangerous comparisons to their own lives and images. He said this content is “driving social comparison at a time of adolescence when young people are going through a critical time of brain development, where they’re more susceptible to peer suggestion, per comparison and peer influence.” 

The idea of vulnerable groups turning to social media for “connectivity” makes sense. Unfortunately, it is a trap, often leading to further stigmatization and cyberbullying. 

A doctor like me can try to help by starting a conversation with parents and kids about social media and emphasizing the need for more personal interaction and media-free zones but it is unclear how much of an impact that will really make. The pull on our youth is strong. The social media culture is highly seductive and growing. Murthy noted that technology companies are “not transparent with the data they have about the health impact of their platforms on our kids,” meaning “we don’t even fully understand how bad some of these harms may be or which kids are most at risk.” 

The surgeon general believes that technology companies can design their platforms in ways that support the health and well-being of our kids. I think this goal is laudable but naïve. Social media sites will find a way to pay lip service to the idea without instituting fundamental change, even in the face of increasing regulations which Murthy is right to suggest. 

TikTok, for example, already has a health and wellness hub, but parading under that banner are many videos that mislead and misinform. I believe they will always find ways to infiltrate the brains of our youth, a backdoor that bypasses critical thinking, as Columbia psychiatrist Dr. Ryan Sultan said to me on Doctor Radio.

Don’t get me wrong, Murthy is absolutely right to compare the need for safety regulation for social media to what we already have in place for car seats or automobiles themselves. As a physician, I don’t think twice about the Food and Drug Administration demanding safety protocols for drug manufacturing and distribution, so why should social media be any different?  

As Murthy said to me, policymakers have “a critical role” to play. They must create standards to protect young people from being exposed to “violence and sexual content,” “harassment and bullying” and “the features on social media that seek to manipulate them into spending more and more and more time” on platforms. 

Again, a laudable goal. There is no doubt that the addictive impact of social media may rob our children of some of life’s key moments. And, for once, I have no problem with the idea of trying to restrict content much as the movie rating system kept me from seeing an X-rated movie when I was a kid. 

But the problem is that these kinds of regulations are no longer effective, as social media sites (and teens) will easily find ways around them. Still, every parent with a developing child in this country shares the surgeon general’s concern and we must force action, even if we know that action will have limited impact.

Marc Siegel, MD, is a professor of medicine and medical director of Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Health. He is a Fox News medical correspondent and author of the new book, “COVID; the Politics of Fear and the Power of Science.”

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Should the government censor social media for kids? - The Hill

SAN FRANCISCO, June 6, 2023 Haiqu, a startup building software to enhance the performance of quantum processors, today announced it has closed a $4 million financing round led by MaC Venture Capital with participation from Toyota Ventures, SOMA capital, u.ventures, SID Venture Partners, and Roosh Ventures. The round also included private contributions from Paul Holland, Alexi Kirilenko, and Gordy Holterman.

We are accelerating the timeline to practical quantum computing by developing novel software that can extract value out of clumsy near-term quantum hardware, enabling quantum applications that were previously impossible, said Richard Givhan, co-founder and CEO at Haiqu. We are proud to be backed by investors with remarkable deep-tech ecosystems and a track record of supporting the commercialization of breakthrough tech.

The investment will drive the companys research and development efforts and the establishment of strategic partnerships to bring their product to market.

MaC is thrilled to be supporting Haiqu through their next stage of growth, said Adrian Fenty, Managing General Partner at MaC Venture Capital. We firmly believe that the future of quantum computing will fundamentally change the way we are able to solve meaningful problems. We hold deep convictions that Richard and Mykola are uniquely positioned to tackle these issues in order to accelerate the timeline that will enable quantum to get to widespread commercial adoption.

Jim Adler, founder and general partner at Toyota Ventures, commented, Haiqu caught our attention with their optimization software that boosts quantum hardware to solve practical industry problems. We are so thrilled to support the Haiqu team as they tackle this challenging and exciting frontier.

The startup was formed and incubated in the fall of 2022 within the Creative Destruction Lab Quantum stream in Toronto by Richard Givhan (CEO), a Stanford alumus and former EIR at Mitsubishi Electric, and Mykola Maksymenko (CTO), formerly a researcher at the Max Planck Society and the Weizmann Institute of Science and head of R&D at global consultancy SoftServe Inc.

Haiqu addresses the foundational bottlenecks precluding the adoption of quantum applications: a limited number of qubits and the high noise sensitivity of near-term quantum processors. The startup develops platform-agnostic technology that extends quantum hardware capability by orders of magnitude and enables a broader set of practical use-cases in finance, chemistry, life sciences, mobility and other domains.

We leverage our expertise in quantum complexity, AI, and high-performance computing to create a product that we believe can streamline the entire industry, said Mykola Maksymenko, co-founder and CTO at Haiqu. With past experience in building and scaling deep tech R&D in large corporations, we appreciate the challenges of bringing a complex technology to market. We are eager to get our tech into the hands of users as soon as possible.

Having started as a remote collaboration of co-founders, Haiqu is growing globally via a distributed team spanning the United States, Ukraine, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland. Given the scarcity of quantum talent, this provides the startup access to some of the worlds leading talent pools in quantum and software engineering.

About Haiqu Inc.

Haiqu Inc. is a quantum computing software startup focused on developing enabling technology enhancing the performance of modern quantum hardware. Their software addresses the adoption bottlenecks precluding scalable quantum applications and enables a broader set of practical use-cases in finance, life sciences, mobility and other domains. For more information, please visit http://www.haiqu.ai.

Source: Haiqu

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Haiqu Raises $4M in Pre-Seed Funding to Boost Adoption of Near-Term Quantum Computing - HPCwire