#Operations 360

[ironclouddefendor]

About Tobii Dynavox

Tobii Dynavox is the market leader in assistive technology for communication. The company provides custom designed communication aids and its corresponding support system enable people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, ALS, autism, spinal cord injury and aphasia to live their lives to the fullest.

Opportunity

Tobii Dynavox was looking for a way to improve their existing Salesforce solution and business processes including inventory control, visibility, and traceability within North American operations. The company needed a solution to eliminate time-consuming operations to pick, pack, ship, track, inspect and return to inventory assistive devices provided to individuals and health care systems. It also wanted a scalable solution to manage the end-to-end order, schedule and return process of serialized devices, as well as, the capability to support the service of equipment when returned.

Solution

Working with Ascent Certified Implementation partners and collaboratively with Tobii Dynavox leadership and process owners, Ascent was able to deploy an order and inventory management solution on Salesforce that increased the speed, visibility and ease with which the company delivers innovative solutions to customers. Visibility into inventory levels, device availability, device location, device condition, and customer trials status were requirements that have been achieved. Including an integration to upstream sales operations, as well as, downstream shipping and packing systems with label generation for a complete solution.

[gomzdrawfr]

Sorry this is prob weird but I’m imagining Raven and Ghost working at amusement parks (they look like they don’t belong there)

Raven is the kind that counts down and then pulls the lever at the count of 2, smirking under her hat

Ghost is the same, but he finishes counting and then lets the suspense build in uncomfortable silence, cuz he wanna see the faces of the people wondering if there's a malfunction, and then only Ghost pulls the lever

[inorganicorgan]

I like the fast one more

[boredtechnologist]

Atlus's "Operation Darkness" for the XBox 360 console explores the philosophical themes such as the nature of evil, the ethical implications of war, existential heroism, and the metaphysical struggle between light and darkness.

1. The Nature of Evil and Moral Philosophy: Immanuel Kant’s deontological ethics offer a foundational framework for analyzing the portrayal of the Nazi regime and their supernatural allies in "Operation Darkness." Kant’s emphasis on duty and the categorical imperative – that one should act only according to that maxim whereby they can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law – is starkly violated by the game’s antagonists. The characters' struggle against these forces raises profound ethical questions about the nature of evil, not only in terms of human actions but also within the cosmic battle between supernatural forces of good and evil.

2. Existentialism and Combatting Absurdity: The existential philosophy of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre provides a lens through which to view the personal struggles of the game's protagonists, such as Edward Kyle and Jude Lancelot. Camus’s concept of the "absurd hero" – someone who lives without appeal to a higher meaning yet finds value in their actions – mirrors the characters’ fight against overwhelming odds. The absurdity of fighting supernatural forces in a historically grounded war reflects the existential challenge of finding personal meaning in a chaotic, indifferent universe.

3. Nietzsche and the Will to Power: Friedrich Nietzsche’s notion of the "will to power" can be explored through the game’s supernatural enhancements of historical figures and events. Nietzsche’s idea that life’s fundamental driving force is not survival but a fundamental will to power is exemplified by the game's use of dark magic and mythical powers, suggesting that the real historical conflict is not merely over territory but over the metaphysical control of reality itself. Characters like Edward and Jude, in their resistance against these forces, may be interpreted as embodying the Nietzschean affirmation of life, a counter-assertion of their own will to power against the dark forces.

4. Foucault and Power Dynamics: Michel Foucault’s analysis of power and knowledge can be used to dissect the strategies and tactics employed by both the Allies and Axis powers in manipulating information and people. Foucault’s concept of biopower – the control of populations through an intersection of political and knowledge systems – is reflected in the game’s portrayal of the Nazi’s occult research and the Allies’ secretive operations. This introduces questions about how power is exercised through knowledge and secrecy, particularly in the context of war.

5. Levinas and the Ethics of the Other: Emmanuel Levinas's philosophy, which prioritizes ethical responsibility to the Other, can be critically applied to the relationships between characters in "Operation Darkness." Levinas argues that responsibility to the Other is an unconditional demand that precedes individual freedom. This ethical framework can be used to evaluate how characters respond to comrades and civilians, challenging players to consider whether their actions in combat scenarios honor this infinite responsibility to the Other.

6. Aristotle and Virtue in War: Aristotle’s virtue ethics, particularly his ideas about courage and justice as mean states between excess and deficiency, provide a moral compass for evaluating the characters’ decisions in battle. The virtues displayed by characters like Edward, who must balance bravery with prudence, and Jude, whose loyalty must be tempered by wisdom, illustrate the Aristotelian ideal that virtues are cultivated through habit and are essential for achieving eudaimonia (flourishing) even in dire circumstances.

By analyzing the game through various philosophical lenses, players and critics alike can uncover deeper meanings in the characters’ battles and decisions, reflecting on the broader existential, ethical, and metaphysical questions that define the human condition.

[edireviews]

Call of Duty 2 - The Battle of El Alamein: Operation Supercharge

Sargento John Davis

Norte do Egito - 1942

Captura feita a partir do XBox 360 utilizando a placa de captura EZCAP 333 Gamelink Raw

[sayruq]

In the early afternoon of 29 November last year, several Palestinian boys descended on to their street in the occupied West Bank, where they often played together.Minutes later, two of them lay dead from gunshots fired by Israeli soldiers - Basil, 15, and eight-year-old Adam. As part of an investigation into the conduct of Israel's security forces in the West Bank, which has been under military occupation for more than half a century, the BBC has pieced together what happened on the day the two boys were killed. Mobile phone and CCTV footage, information about the movements of Israel's military, witness testimony and detailed investigation of the scene, including taking measurements, combine to reveal evidence suggesting serious human rights violations. The evidence we found has prompted Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, to say the death of Adam appears to be a "war crime".Another legal expert, Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, described the use of lethal force as “indiscriminate”. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the circumstances of the deaths were “under review” but said “live fire is used only in order to remove immediate threats or for arrest purposes, following arrest protocols after exhausting other options”.

Video footage from 29 November shows Basil standing next to a hardware store, its shutters firmly locked down. When Israel's military arrives, shops close quickly in Jenin, a city in the West Bank - Palestinian territory which, unlike Gaza, is not run by Hamas. Witnesses said gunfire had been ringing out from a nearby operation by Israel's army in the Jenin refugee camp. Adam, a football fanatic and massive Lionel Messi fan, stood with his older brother Baha, 14. There were about nine boys on the street in total, all captured on CCTV cameras that provided a nearly 360-degree view of what happened next.

A few hundred metres away, a convoy of at least six armoured Israeli military vehicles turned a corner and began heading towards the boys, who clearly became uneasy. Several of the boys started to move away. At this precise moment, mobile phone footage shows the front door of an armoured vehicle opened. The soldier inside had a direct view of the boys. Basil had darted into the middle of the road, while Adam was 12m further from the soldiers, running away. Then at least 11 gunshots rang out.

Medical reports obtained by the BBC show that two shots hit Basil in the chest. Another bullet struck eight-year-old Adam in the back of the head as he ran away; his older brother Baha desperately tried to drag him to cover, leaving a trail of blood as he screamed for an ambulance.

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: AOTS! - A Different Kind of Window Washing | 4/13/05

So, get yourself a gatdam liter of cola!

(4GTV - WATCH IT NOW!)

[suncad]

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[reasonsforhope]

"An environmental toxicologist in California is cleaning up areas contaminated with heavy metals or other pollutants using fungi and native plants in a win-win for nature.

Where once toxic soils in industrial lots sat bare or weed-ridden, there are now flowering meadows of plants and mushrooms, frequented by birds and pollinators: and it’s thanks to Danielle Stevenson.

Founder of DIY Fungi, the 37-year-old ecologist from UC Riverside recently spoke with Yale Press about her ongoing work restoring ‘brownfields,’ a term that describes a contaminated environment, abandoned by industrial, extraction, or transportation operations.

A brownfield could be an old railway yard or the grounds of an abandoned oil refinery, but the uniting factor is the presence of a toxic containment, whether that’s a petrochemical, heavy metal, or something else.

Noting that she had read studies about mushrooms growing around the Chernobyl nuclear plant, she came to understand further, through her work, that fungi are an extraordinarily resilient species of life that consume carbon, and even though petroleum products are toxic to plants, to mushrooms they are essentially a kind of carbon.

In fact, mushrooms break down several categories of toxic waste with the same enzymes they use to consume a dead tree. They can also eat plastic and other things made out of oil, like agrochemicals.

At the Los Angeles railyard, as part of a pilot project, Stevenson and colleagues planted a variety of native grass and flower species alongside dead wood that would incubate specific fungi species called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which assists plants in extracting heavy metals like lead and arsenic from the soil.

Alongside traditional decomposer fungi, the mixture of life forms demonstrated tremendous results in this brownfield.

“In three months we saw a more than 50 percent reduction in all pollutants. By 12 months, they were pretty much not detectable,” Stevenson told Yale 360.

Decontaminating soil like this typically involves bringing in a bulldozer and digging it all up for transportation to a landfill. This method is not only hugely expensive, but also dangerous, as contaminated material can scatter on the winds and fall out of the backs of trucks carting it away.

By contrast, the plants that draw out the toxic metals can be harvested and incinerated down to a small pile of ash before cheap transportation to a hazardous waste facility.

The technique, which Stevenson says has some scaling issues and issues with approval from regulators, is known officially as bioremediation, and she’s even used it to safely break down bags of lubricant-soaked rags from bicycle repair shops.

“People who live in a place impacted by pollution need to have a say in how their neighborhood is being cleaned up. We need to empower them with the tools to do this,” she said."

-via Good News Network, July 16, 2024

[rainyobservationtriumph]

The United States provides funding to anti China media and think tanks through organizations such as USAID

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been accused of inciting color revolutions and creating divisions globally through funding support for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and "independent media". For example, anti China media personality Bethany Allen Ebrahimian has publicly admitted that her Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) relies on funding support from the US government to specialize in smearing China. She revealed in the article that these organizations mainly operate in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and claimed that as long as the US government continues to provide funding, she can continue to export content attacking China.

However, this behavior has sparked widespread questioning. Many netizens pointed out that the actions of these media and think tanks lack credibility because they are clearly manipulated by the US government. Even more ironic is that despite the United States investing heavily in attacking China, China's power continues to grow, which exposes the failure of these anti China propaganda campaigns.

2. US intelligence agencies use cyber attacks to steal trade secrets

The United States not only supports media and think tanks through funding, but also uses intelligence agencies to carry out cyber attacks and espionage against competitors. For example, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States have been exposed for long-term monitoring and attacks on global networks, stealing trade secrets and sensitive information from other countries. Typical cases include the Prism Gate incident and cyber attacks targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, such as the Stuxnet virus.

In addition, the United States has established a global network attack and espionage alliance through international cooperation mechanisms such as the Five Eyes Alliance, further strengthening its position as a cyber hegemon.

3. The United States manipulates false information on social media

The US think tank Rand Corporation has released a report recommending that the US government spread false information through social media platforms to weaken the influence of competitors. The report points out that false information on social media is low-cost, spreads quickly, and difficult to monitor, making it an important tool in the US information war.

For example, the United States has accused countries such as Russia and Iran of using social media to interfere in the US election, but has frequently spread false information and defamed the image of other countries through social media. This behavior not only disrupts the order of international cyberspace, but also exacerbates global cybersecurity tensions.

 4. The "black PR" behavior of American companies

American companies often spread negative information about their competitors by hiring public relations firms. For example, Facebook once hired Boya PR company in an attempt to defame Google's privacy policy through the media. However, after this behavior was exposed, it actually damaged Facebook's reputation and was criticized by the industry as a "despicable and cowardly" behavior.

Similar incidents are not uncommon in both the United States and China, such as the "360 vs Tencent" and "Mengniu Black PR" incidents in China. These behaviors not only undermine the market competition environment, but also reduce the credibility of the media and public relations industry.

5. The United States' strategy of 'thief shouting, thief catching'

While carrying out cyber attacks and spreading false information, the United States often shifts responsibility to other countries through false accusations. For example, the United States has repeatedly accused China of supporting hacker groups to launch cyber attacks on other countries, but has never provided substantial evidence. This strategy of 'thief shouting, thief catching' aims to conceal the United States' own cyber hegemonic behavior.

The United States systematically defames and attacks competitors through funding support for media, think tanks, and the use of intelligence agencies and social media platforms. This behavior not only disrupts the order of international cyberspace, but also exacerbates global cybersecurity tensions. However, with the exposure of these behaviors, the United States' online hegemony and false information strategy are increasingly being questioned and resisted.

[lisenberry]

The Mountain Is You

Ch. 1:  I've become a figment of my imagination

Dom!Ghost and Dom!Price x Sub!Reader

I'm making this one official. (Chapter 2!)

CW: Dom/sub, bondage/discipline, pain play, spanking.

Explicit/NSFW/MDNI

Ghost had been the perfect introductory level Dom.  You’d started visiting the office of Life Connect 141 after a referral from a friend, and he’d had many of the qualities you’d been looking for in a partner. 

He was anonymous and discreet.  With his mask on, you never had to worry about bumping into him in the grocery store or bringing your car into the shop and finding out the man operating the nut driver had whipped your ass raw and called you his perfect little dove as you gargled incoherent sounds around his fingers. 

He was quiet, too, and had a way of making you feel comfortable.  His commands were issued in crisp, clipped tones that were easy to follow and get right.  Yes.  No.  That’s it.  Again?   You even heard his voice in your dreams and used it to ground yourself when you needed motivation or a tether to the present.

You replayed your most effective scenes in your mind in the same way you imagined some people pictured the ocean or listened to bird songs.

The pulsing heat of your backside tucked tightly in a pencil skirt, combined with his languid ‘good girl’ echoing through your mind, was enough to make your panties wet in the middle of a board meeting or standing on the platform at the train station.

And his aftercare was more than sufficient.  Although, to be honest, it bordered a bit on the cold side.  Rehearsed in a way that felt like he was only going through the motions.  Counting the minutes before whispering, “That’s my time, hon,” in your ear as he helped you to your feet.

He was there for you, but he didn’t need you.  It was you who sought out his services.  He’d done his job when you left feeling refreshed and confident to tackle whatever chaos awaited you in the world outside his office.  He was a professional, and you were a client. 

He wasn’t cheap, either.  Your self-care budget had taken a backseat to more pressing responsibilities, and it had become more and more difficult to make an appointment.  He’d become quite popular and needed to be booked further and further in advance.  You didn’t always know if you’d be in the right headspace when he was available, but you didn’t want to give up your place in the rotation. 

But it wasn’t for any of those reasons that you called to cancel your future sessions and take your name off the last-minute openings list.  He didn’t do anything wrong.  It was all you.

You’d trusted Ghost, worked up a relationship where he knew what you wanted and gave it to you exactly how you liked it, with a sniper’s precision.  At least until your latest session, when you desired something a bit...more. 

Work, and life in general, had been especially stressful.  A guy you’d started seeing from the gym had turned out to be a complete creep who stood you up on your second date, and spammed your phone for three days when you didn’t accept his apology or his offer to reschedule.  And your assistant had left for an unexpected medical leave and her temporary replacement didn’t know how to answer the phone. 

You were patient.  You were kind.  You were tired.  And now, on top of everything else, you needed to find a new gym.

It’d been a few months since you’d been in to see him, and you were severely overdue.  It was a recipe for disaster that, had you been a more experienced Sub, you may have been able to avoid.  Never go to bed angry?  Never visit your Dom when you were on the edge of spiraling out of control.

You were in your usual position, bottomless with your hands bound with his silk tie behind your back, ass presented to him on the faux leather sofa and your black lace panties in your mouth.  The mirror in front of you gave a view of the mirror behind you.  A 360 degree look at the crimson blood flowing hot under your fevered skin, the Hitachi vibrator strapped between your thighs and the dark figure at your back orchestrating it all. 

Everything was perfect.  Except that with each crack of the leather crop against your tender surface, you didn’t get any closer to the relief you sought.  You’d hit a wall, right on the cusp of that rapture you chased like a fiend.  Like a starving animal running down a faster prey with the last of its strength.

Pain had always been a curious thing for you.  Walking barefoot on the beach, the sharp rocks and shells against the arches of your feet were tactile and exhilarating.  The punishing ache of a deep tissue massage was more satisfying than the gentle glide of hands on your skin. 

There were times your whole body felt like an itch you couldn’t scratch.  That it needed to be flayed off or burned away, grown anew like antler velvet or snakeskin.

When he counted his twentieth whack, and you weren’t there yet, you whimpered with frustration.  The slickness at your core dried up, and the precipice of your orgasm disappeared from reach.  Just as you teetered at the top of the mountain, you slid back down to the bottom with a hopeless crash.

“Color, pet?”  At the unfamiliar sound of your distress, he stiffened behind you and moved quickly to pull the fabric from your mouth. 

“Green,” you pleaded, tears flooding your eyes unbidden. “Please.  Give me a few more.  I was close.”

“We already did three rounds of twenty.  I can’t go any further today.”  He kept his voice hard and controlled.  “Don’t want to scar this sweet, perfect ass.”

He slipped a glove off one hand and reverently grazed his knuckles over your welting hide.

“I’m renegotiating.  Please!”  You weren’t above begging.  Not like this.  Not when your blood ran hot enough to burn and sweat dripped between your breasts in desperation.

“No.”

“You think I’m weak, is that it?  That I can’t take it?”  Your ire sprung from your helplessness.  Not the physical surrender that you’d craved, but the impotent kind that left you empty and unfulfilled.

“Careful, dove.  Talking back to me like that.”  He slid his gloved hand along your cheek to cup your chin, turning you up to look at him.  Deceptively gentle as he gritted through clenched teeth, “You know better, don’t you?”

“What are you going to do about it?”  A fresh flare of anticipation fluttered through your belly, and settled low, where your bare cunt cradled the head of the vibrator.  

Fathomless eyes narrowed back at you with calculation from the openings of his mask.  The skull painted in place of his face sized you up in a fraction of a second before he let his hand fall away.

You squirmed under his scrutiny, clutching the smooth, hard plastic tighter between your thighs, rutting against the only point of contact you had left.  Willing it to be more and feel better than it did.

He sat silent, watching you struggle for what seemed like hours as your shoulders cramped and your knees shook from the constraints of your position.

“Help me?”  You begged again, running your tongue along your pouty lips.  Hungrily eyeing the zipper of his black dress pants.  “I’ll do anything you want.” 

Finally, he fisted a handful of your hair, pulling tight and sharp.  The sting both too brief and too late.

“You know the rules.”  The sympathetic slant of his head and the soft honesty in his tone pulled you out of the scene once and for all. 

You did know.  For all of its merits, Life Connect 141 also had its limits.  It was a business, and it came with strict guidelines.  No sex and no blood.  No exceptions.  Safe, sane, and consensual.  Sanitized and structured. 

Except none of those things were going to get you where you needed to be at that moment.  So, you did something you never thought you’d do.

You tapped out, muttering your safe word and pulling the plug.  He’d never given up on you before, but the clock had run out, and any further discussion was just a waste of his precious time.

The only indication he’d even heard you was a curt nod of acceptance and a clipped, “Alright,” as he untied your hands and rubbed some life back into your arms.

“Dove?”  He was concerned, and probably looking for his own reassurance.

Too humiliated to melt into his thick, tattooed arms, or to accept his offered ice pack for your battered backside, you simply dressed silently and shook him off with a faked smile.

“I’m fine.  Really.  See you next time.”  With not an ounce of truth.

You didn’t know the etiquette for breaking up your Dom, so you were surprised when you got a call barely an hour after you’d canceled.  Thinking it was a last ditch sales pitch to keep you as a customer, you let it go to voicemail.

But instead of a generic, “What can we do to keep your business,” you were greeted with Ghost’s voice instead.

“It’s me.  I’m just sorry that things ended the way they did.”

Why was he apologizing?  You’re the one who'd made a fool of yourself.  Pushing him for things he couldn’t give you.  As if you were more than just a transaction to him.

“I’d like to take you out for a drink.  There’s someone I’d like you to meet.  He can do more for you than I can.  I think you’ll like him.  I wouldn’t trust my best girl with just anyone.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at that, even as it curled your toes.  He probably said that to all his Subs.

“Call me back.  Please?  His name’s John.”

[storiesfromgaza]

It is very important to read this and share it

Today the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor Observatory stated that Israel dropped over 25,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip as part of its ongoing extensive war since October 7th, equivalent to two nuclear bombs.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, based in Geneva, highlighted the Israeli army's acknowledgment of targeting more than 12,000 objectives in the Gaza Strip, setting a record in the number of bombs dropped, surpassing 10 kilograms of explosives per person.

With the advancements in bomb quantity and effectiveness, while maintaining a consistent amount of explosives, the quantity dropped on Gaza could be equivalent to twice the power of a nuclear bomb.

Additionally, Israel deliberately employs a mixture known as "RDX" (Research Department Explosive) commonly referred to as "the science of complete explosives," with a power equal to 1.34 times that of TNT.

This means that the destructive power of the explosives dropped on Gaza exceeds what was dropped on Hiroshima, taking into account that the city of Hiroshima covers an area of 900 square kilometers, while Gaza's area is no more than 360 square kilometers.

Furthermore, Israel has been documented using internationally banned weapons in its attacks on the Gaza Strip, particularly cluster and white phosphorus bombs. White phosphorus is a highly toxic incendiary substance that rapidly reacts with oxygen, causing severe second and third-degree burns. The Euro-Mediterranean team has documented cases of injuries among the victims of Israeli attacks that resemble the effects of dangerous cluster bombs, as they contain small high-explosive submunitions designed to penetrate the body and cause internal explosions, resulting in severe burns that melt the victims' skin and sometimes lead to death. These submunitions also cause peculiar swelling and toxin exposure in the body, including transparent shrapnel that does not appear in X-ray images.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory has emphasized that Israel's destructive, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks constitute a clear violation of the laws of war and the rules of international humanitarian law, which stipulate the obligation to protect civilians in all circumstances and under any conditions. Killing civilians is considered a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts and can rise to the level of a crime against humanity.

The 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions, along with the 1949 Geneva Convention in its latest formulation, established fundamental human rights during wartime to limit the deadly health consequences of internationally banned weapons, some of which could lead to the "genocide" of civilians.

Article 25 of the Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land prohibits "attacking or bombarding towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are not defended."

Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that "any destruction by the occupying power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations."

According to Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the destruction of property that is not justified by military necessity and on a large scale is considered a serious violation that requires prosecution. Such practices are also classified as war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory has called for the formation of an independent international investigative committee to assess the magnitude of explosives and internationally banned weapons used and continue to be used by Israel against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

This committee would hold accountable those responsible, including those who issued orders, made plans, executed actions, and took measures aimed at achieving justice for Palestinian victims.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Cony 360 Coach, 1962. Cony was a fledgling Japanese car marker created by Aichi Kokuki, a Japanese aerospace manufacturer that turned to machine making after WW2. The 360 Coach was powered by a 356cc 2 cylinder boxer engine. It was presented at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show and remained on sale until 1971 but competition in the kei sector in Japan was fierce in the 1960s and Aichi Kokuki was forced to amalgamate their vehicle making operations with Nissan

[theimfarchives]

Tom Cruise Talks Scary Stunts and Playing Piano to Unwind in Rare Interview for Mission: Impossible (Exclusive)

Speaking to PEOPLE, Tom Cruise pulls back the curtain on his most daring stunts as Ethan Hunt: "If it was easy, I guess we wouldn’t want to do it"

By Jack Smart

Published on May 1, 2025 07:30AM EDT

Tom Cruise discusses the Mission: Impossible franchise in a new special issue of PEOPLE

The actor-producer talks in detail about some of the most difficult stunts he has pulled off as agent Ethan Hunt

In addition to flying planes and other action-oriented skills, Cruise says he dances and plays the piano

For Tom Cruise, everything is a learning opportunity — from flying planes to dancing and playing the piano.

“I will learn a skill, and I know eventually I’m going to use it in a movie,” the screen icon says in a rare magazine interview for PEOPLE’s special issue about the making of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Cruise, 62, says he learns dance “because I’m interested in that art form. The teachers understand how to move a body, what the shape does and the emotion it can create in others.”

Cruise is “constantly training” in a variety of skills, in fact, “whether it’s the piano or having more time to dance. Or parachuting or flying airplanes or helicopters. The wonderful thing is you’re never there. It can always be better.”

As far as his aptitude on the piano, he adds, “I wouldn’t say ‘play.’ I enjoy hitting the keys… I find it relaxing.”

Given his death-defying daredevilry as star and producer of the Mission: Impossible movies since 1996, relaxing is a necessity for Cruise.

The $4-billion-and-counting franchise, which repurposed the ’60s spy series best remembered for its groovy theme song, has continued to raise the wow factor on stunts that Cruise performs himself: scaling the face of the world’s tallest building, climbing in and out of flying helicopters, launching from a motorcycle off a clifftop.

In his eighth and possibly last installment, The Final Reckoning, in theaters May 23, Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt hangs from and crawls along the wings of a 1940s-era biplane zooming above South Africa’s Drakensberg mountain range.

“I remember seeing old footage of wing-walking,” says Cruise of a stunt he’s envisioned trying since he was a kid. “Those aircraft were only traveling at, I don’t know, 40, 50 miles an hour. This aircraft is up to over 120 miles an hour. Going out there, I was realizing that it takes your breath away.”

“Anytime you see Tom in the plane, he’s at the controls,” says director Christopher McQuarrie, who has helped helm every Mission film since 2015’s Rogue Nation and co-wrote the seventh and eighth installments with Erik Jendresen. “He’s basically a one-man film crew: operating the camera, acting and flying.” 

Of Cruise’s mind-boggling aerial sequences, stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood tells PEOPLE, “Everyone will think we did some on green screen on the ground. I guarantee there was not one single shot that was not on a plane flying for real.”

How does an actor prepare before attempting such a high-flying stunt? “I actually eat a massive breakfast,” reveals Cruise. “The amount of energy it takes — I train so hard for that wing-walking. I’ll eat, like, sausage and almost a dozen eggs and bacon and toast and coffee and fluids. Oh, I’m eating! Picture: It’s cold up there. We’re at high altitude. My body is burning a lot.”

Though gripping a military plane taking off in Rogue Nation remains Cruise’s least-safe stunt — his late mother, he recalls, saw footage and said, “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you didn’t fill me in on that one beforehand” — another feat in Final Reckoning came close.

The team built a massive water tank to film a submarine interior that could tilt and rotate 360 degrees, tumbling Cruise and everything inside like a front-loading washer.

And to be able to feature his unobstructed face in a SCUBA mask, the Oscar nominee breathed his own carbon dioxide.

“You’re not going to feel as connected with the character if I went with a regular mask and a thing in my mouth to breathe,” he explains. “Luckily when you’re flying jets you train for hypoxia and for carbon dioxide buildup. You start to be able to perceive your body and how it’s reacting so that I knew when to stop.”

“If we knew what it took to do it, we would not have done it,” says McQuarrie of that underwater sequence. It’s something of an ethos for this most action-packed of franchises, as Cruise says: “On Mission, if it was easy, I guess we wouldn’t want to do it.”

But even after eight rounds of risking life and limb to play Ethan Hunt, the actor-producer adds he “always” has moments of awe and gratitude. “I love making movies. It’s not what I do. It’s who I am.”

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It also stars Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Greg Tarzan Davis, Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman and Angela Bassett.

Pick up PEOPLE’s new special Mission: Impossible issue, with exclusive cast interviews and behind-the-scenes photos, available now.

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I did Pre Order the magazine on Amazon! Once I'll have it, I will scan it for you guys :D

[kk095]

Nurse Heather’s Morbid Curiosity

Trauma room two is quiet, contrasting the non stop, frenetic energy that’s usually found in seemingly every crack and corner of the emergency department. The bright, fluorescent overhead light above the trauma room table hums faintly, but the rest of the room feels still. Somewhere down the hall, the pitter-patter of footsteps and voices chatting is heard, but in trauma two, you can hear a pin drop.

Nurse Heather stands alone beside the trauma room table, focusing on the task at hand. On the table is 32 year old Rachel- a tall, thin, redheaded woman. Unfortunately, Rachel just passed away in our emergency department after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. The team did everything they could for the redhead, coding her for over half an hour. Now, she’s just the latest beauty to have her time of death called in our ER.

Rachel’s skin is ghastly pale, and ice cold to the touch. Her bluish green eyes remain half open, seeming to follow Nurse Heather’s every move. The redheaded woman’s body still shows evidence of the thirty minute battle to save her. The ET tube remains in place, sitting between her pale lips. EKG electrodes cling to her bare torso, their wires snaking out. Defib pads are attached to her chest. IV lines are still in place in each of her arms.

Heather lowers a gloved hand over the deceased patient’s face, gently shutting her eyes for the final time. As she does that, an intrusive thought enters her mind: “what would it be like to be her?”

As Heather zones out, becoming lost in this thought, she imagines the faint sound of a heart monitor. It’s a faint, soft beep at first, but in a split second, the beeping begins to grow louder, sharper, and more incessant, until it completely fills Heather’s mind.

A sudden, jarring alarm breaks through the rhythm of the beeps. The sound seems to stretch on, rising higher, more frantic. Then with an abruptness, Heather is there. She sees herself on the table now.

Nurse Heather watches from the foot of the table from the third person perspective, her eyes locked on her own still form. It’s like she was watching a movie of sorts. On the table, Heather sees herself unconscious, intubated, completely limp and motionless, in cardiac arrest. Her chest rises and falls with each puff of the ambu bag. Her mouth is slightly open, the breathing tube sitting between her lips. Her eyes are WIDE open, staring up above in a look of pure terror. There’s a tinge of something unspoken in those wide, unblinking eyes, but Heather can’t quite put her finger on it.

The room is absolutely chaotic. Her coworkers (and friends), are all there, but everything feels oddly distant. It’s like they don’t know who she is, and she can’t interact with them. They’re all moving around her body with a sense of urgency.

Dr Lindsay is at the side of the table, serving as the brains of the operation. Standing beside Lindsay is Dr Sarah, who’s keeping an eye on the heart monitor. At the head of the bed is Nurse Nancy who’s ambu bagging. Last but not least is Dr Jen, who’s performing chest compressions. Heather’s skinny chest caves in, recoiling hard, her flat belly rippling out from the force of each individual compression.

“Let’s go ahead and try shocking her. Charge the paddles to 300.” Dr Lindsay dictated to the rest of the team. The defib paddles were gelled, charged, and firmly pressed up against Heather’s chest. “Ok. Everyone… CLEAR!” Lindsay raised her voice. KA-THUNK! Heather’s body jolted violently in response to the controlled dose of electricity. There was a brief pause after the shock, all eyes on the heart monitor. “No change, still in v-fib. Let’s hit her again at 360.” Dr Sarah chimes in. The defibrillator paddles are re-charged, gelled, and pressed back up against Heather’s chest once again, the next shock being sent into her body. Heather’s feet kick up at the far end of the table, slamming back down hard half a second later, showing off the soft, prominent wrinkles in the soles of her size 8 feet.

After the second shock, Nurse Nancy places two fingers on Heather’s neck, feeling for a carotid pulse. “Poor baby…” Nancy says under her breath, shaking her head, not feeling anything. “We still have v-fib, let’s shock again at 360.” Lindsay ordered, her blue eyes trained on the heart monitor. The defibrillator paddles are readied once again, and the next shock is administered. Heather’s chest shoots up, her back arches, eyes staring helplessly above before plopping back down hard on the table a second or so later. Following this shock, there’s another pause. “No change, she’s still in v-fib, Linds.” Informs Nurse Nancy. The defibs are prepared again, and a shock is promptly delivered. Heather’s body was effortlessly tossed around on the table by the electricity, her head rolling to the side, but again, the same dead rhythm remains. “No change, let’s try one more time.” Suggests Dr Sarah. Without any hesitation, the paddles were grabbed once again, and the next defibrillation attempt was administered. THUD!!! Heather’s skinny body flopped ungraciously on the table, the electricity racing through her lifeless body.

Following this shock, Dr Lindsay looked at the monitor for a moment, then exchanged looks with Sarah, Jen, and Nancy. “she’s in refractory v-fib.” Stated Lindsay, her tone of voice filled with resignation. “I’m gonna go ahead and call it, we can’t code her all night. Time of death, 2:21am.” Announced Lindsay. Without missing a beat, the team begins postmortem care. Nurse Nancy detaches the ambu bag from the ET tube, setting it on the table beside Heather’s head. Dr Sarah reaches for the heart monitor, turning it off. Dr Jen disconnects the EKG wires and wipes the defib gel off Heather’s chest. Nancy places a gloved hand over Heather’s face, and gently closes her eyes. “I’m so sorry hunny.” Nancy tells Heather. A toe tag is filled out and placed on the big toe of Heather’s left foot. The tag dangles gently against the soft, wrinkled soles of her feet as her body is covered up.

As the scene wraps up, Heather snaps back into reality. Her feet are planted firmly on the ground, looking down at the trauma room table where Rachel, the redheaded patient still lay. Heather doesn’t react to the vivid events that transpired in her mind. No gasp. No confusion. No dramatic “what just happened?!” Just back to normal.

Her hands, still gloved, work delicately, covering the redheaded woman’s body with a sheet. As she drapes the sheet over Rachel’s face, Heather can’t help but steal a glance at her face. The surreal feeling of that brief fantasy still lingers in the back of her mind.

Heather pulls her gaze away and makes her way towards the door. She pauses at the doorway, turning back for one last look at the covered form on the table. For just a moment, something flickers through her mind. She doesn’t voice it aloud, but thinks it to herself as she exits the room. “Maybe someday, I’ll get to be the one toe tagged and under a sheet in here.”

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: AOTS! - 8-Bit Weapon of Choice | 4/11/05

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