International films were represented in all four Oscars acting categories for the first time, reflecting an Academy Awards that is increasingly looking beyond Hollywood.
There are a lot of ways to incur a fine in the National Football League. You might complain about the referees too much, like Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, or do a “shooting a gun” motion in your touchdown celebration, like Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. In more serious cases, you might get into a fight on the field or headbutt someone in a heated moment. The infractions vary from mild rudeness to actual assault. But in this year’s NFL playoffs, one player stands out from the rest, because he hasn’t done anything wrong at all. The only offense Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is guilty of is speaking up for Palestinians in Gaza, and for that, he was fined $11,593 and threatened with ejection from a critical playoff game. It’s just the latest indignity from a multibillion-dollar sports league that wants its athletes to shut up, fall in line, and not do or say anything that might impact the flow of money—even when people are dying.
Expertise comes with training, experience and accreditation. And expert consensus is the best guide modern democracies have for making decisions about complicated challenges.