Latest news with #Latter-DaySaints
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Netflix series branded 'absolute masterpiece' as fans are left begging for more
Netflix viewers have been left completely gripped by a Western drama series set in the 1850s that has been labelled an 'absolute masterpiece' and one of the 'greatest of all time' Netflix has struck gold with a Western drama series that's being hailed as one of the all-time greats. The gripping show, American Primeval, which debuted on the streaming giant in 2025, takes audiences back to the tumultuous times of 1857. Spanning six episodes, it tells the tale of a mother on the lam and a band of Latter-Day Saints fighting for survival amidst the chaos of the Utah War. Starring GLOW's Betty Gilpin as Sara Rowell, a mother evading a murder accusation, the series sees her character enlisting the help of Isaac Reed, played by Taylor Kitsch, to escort her and her son Devin, portrayed by Preston Mota, to the safety of Crooks Springs. Although not directly based on a specific true event, American Primeval powerfully portrays the struggles faced by those living in that era. It draws inspiration from historical incidents like the Mountain Meadows Massacre, where Latter-Day Saint militia and Native American allies brutally killed about 120 members of the Baker-Fancher wagon train. The Netflix series doesn't shy away from brutality, featuring relentless gunfights, axe battles, and high-stakes confrontations. Alongside Gilpin and Kitsch, the cast includes Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, and Derek Hinkey. The show's grim and turbulent backdrop is captured in its synopsis: "Up is down, pain is everywhere, and innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear. Peace is the shrinking minority, and very few possess grace - even fewer know compassion. There's no safe haven in these wild lands, and only one goal matters: survival.", reports the Express. The series currently boasts an impressive 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes alongside an 8 out of 10 rating on IMDB. Peter Berg's American Primeval has sparked widespread acclaim across social media platforms, with numerous viewers hailing the production as an "absolute masterpiece". One enthusiastic fan declared: "@netflix American Primeval is a MASTERPIECE! ! ! I NEED MORE! Do they make it to California! ? ! ? ! ? What happens to Bridger! ? ! ? Does he go get the army ? ? PLEASE I NEED MORE." Another viewer passionately recommended the series, writing: "One of the best TV shows I will find this year, a great introductory to the year 2025. Such an amazing show! Brutal and realistic conflict, believable acting, great story and drama. If you're the kind of person who enjoys fantastic action, a rigorous story that grips not only your attention but your feelings as well, then give this a try. You won't be disappointed." A third admirer proclaimed: "American Primeval. Bravo! ! What an absolute masterpiece! ! Best thing I've watched in a very long time! ! Well done! ," whilst a fourth viewer agreed: "American Primeval gotta be one of the greatest short series I've ever seen on television had me gripped from start to finish." One fan, clearly enamoured with the series, gushed: "Just finished American Primeval, and I have to say-this series is absolutely phenomenal. From start to finish, it's an intense, gripping, and immersive journey into the brutal and unforgiving American frontier of the 1850s. The storytelling is raw and unflinching, making you feel like you've been transported back in time, facing the same dangers, hardships, and moral dilemmas as the characters." Another viewer concurred, praising: "By far the best historical drama show I have seen in years. This is one of those rare shows which immerses you in the midst of action and makes you feel what the main protagonist feels in the moment."
Forbes
17-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Crypto: Searching For Salvation Or Scams
A psychedelic vision of crypto spirituality, where meditation meets decentralization. CoinStructive, Inc. Deep in a coastal pocket of Montenegro, fog lingers over a makeshift village where the morning stillness is broken by the sound of meditative chants, laptop keystrokes, and the occasional impromptu DAO meeting. This is Zuzalu: an ephemeral, invite-only enclave dreamed up by Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin, equal parts tech incubator and techno-spiritual crypto commune. Attendees sip mushroom tea, debate the metaphysics of decentralization, and chart a new world, one block at a time. There are no signs, no sponsors, and no set agenda. There is just the conviction that something sacred is being built. Something more than money. But these crypto enclaves are not completely fringe. They are multiplying. From jungles in Central America to Latter-Day Saints compounds in Missouri, blockchain believers are gathering for what often resembles a cross between a startup retreat, a Burning Man temple camp, and a 1970s New Age awakening. Ayahuasca ceremonies or iconoclastic rituals are paired with token launches. Yoga flows into pitch decks. And enlightenment now comes with a whitepaper. This raises an uneasy question: is this the dawn of a new techno-spiritual order, or is it just a very well-branded scam? Crypto has always attracted zealots. Not just traders or developers, but those with a near-religious belief that code can liberate humanity from corruption, surveillance, and mediocrity. Add psychedelics, utopian architecture, and a distrust of fiat reality, and you do not just get a movement. You get a 'mission.' These retreats and micro-communities, Zuzalu included, present themselves not as vacations, but as experiments in post-nation-state living. Participants pay in ETH or stablecoins, sometimes via NFTs that act as passports. Workshops oscillate between talks on zk-rollups and quantum healing. Even Ethereum itself has spiritual roots. Vitalik once mused about 'ether' as the invisible medium for decentralized connection. To some, this is not metaphor, but gospel. Crypto believers sometimes call this 'the alignment era,' or 'crypto alignment,' where code, consciousness, and capital converge. It is seen as a transitory movement designed to outgrow the old world. While it is easy to dismiss these spaces as woo-woo playgrounds for the rich and bored, sometimes, they can be tools for exploitation. Take NovaTechFX, led by a woman who called herself 'Reverend CEO.' She blended Pentecostal-style sermons with promises of 3% weekly crypto returns. The SEC called it a Ponzi scheme. By the time it collapsed, nearly $1 billion was gone. These 'sermon' tapes still circulate on YouTube. Then there is INDXcoin, a Colorado-based 'Christian crypto' that raised $3.4 million from churchgoers. Investors were promised divine favor and a safe return. What they got was an illiquid token and a founder who claimed, under oath, that God told him to launch it. Cult, Scam, or Prototype for the Future? Nevertheless, not all of these communities are fraudulent. Zuzalu is, by most accounts, earnest—idealistic, even. It birthed spin-off projects focused on digital identity, biotech, and governance. Its residents speak in a blend of code and philosophy, quoting Satoshi and Foucault in the same breath. Even the psychedelic retreats, for all their cultish aesthetics, sometimes leave attendees with genuine breakthroughs of emotional clarity, entrepreneurial direction, or otherwise. Yet, there is a case to be made that these are just the messy early chapters of what could be a new civic structure. If a nation-state was built on borders and banks, maybe a post-state emerges from wallets and vibes. But when do we start labeling these collectives as cults? Do we consider the rituals? The charismatic founders? The token-gated access? Or the certainty of an unshakeable belief that this is the path to collective salvation, and everything else is FUD? At the edge of a Zu village, one attendee lights sage over a hardware wallet. Someone else codes a smart contract barefoot in the grass. A startup founder with a shamanic tattoo explains how DAOs will replace democracy, and then invites you to a cacao ceremony. Is this a scam? A new faith? Just a very weird off-site Web3 meet-up? Maybe it is salvation. Or maybe it is a grift. Maybe, like most things in Crypto, it is both.
