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RPGCast – Episode 408: “His name is Tidus”

A new year brings a new podcast. Well a new episode at least. No new releases though. It’s as though no one is ready for...




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RPGCast – Episode 444: “Because Aliens”

This week we discover that about 4000 horror RPGs are coming out in time for Halloween. We learn that Chris is once again bad at...




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RPGCast – Episode 464: “Just Like Snot!”

E3 is just around the corner, so everyone’s working on their backlogs before the new stuff gets announced. There are predictions, Pokémon, and vague Fallout...




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RPGCast – Episode 498: “Bi-Kirby-ous”

A party of four puts on our thinking hats, contemplating games we haven’t played – and which we should tackle in a packed April. Surprise...




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RPGCast – Episode 505: “We’ll Just Postpone It Every Week”

Anna Marie loses her mind as well as control of her mouth. Chris investigates the impacts of bringing Diet Coke into Mementos. Peter buys more games. Nathan finishes Final Fanatasy VIII just in time to start playing Final Fantasy VIII. And Kelley just tries to survive Bloodstained's framerate on the Switch.




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RPGCast – Episode 508: “I Need Waifus”

Fire Emblem Three Houses released this week and we're (almost) all playing it - but there's a bit of controversy afoot. Pascal talks about poor choices he's made in other games. And the news section is all twisty, tumbly, and turvy. Now back to our respective waifus, husbandos, and depressing games...sos.




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RPG Cast – Episode 519: “Sommersaulting Cat Buses”

Jonathan crashes the RPGCast this week because he heard that Chris, Anna Marie, Kelley, Peter, and Nathan were dissing on Tactics Ogre. We also discuss child care our Now Playing. But don't worry, while the news is slim, it's also pleasantly robust.




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RPG Cast – Episode 523: “He’s Big Enough for Both of Us to Pet”

We're all Pokécrazy this week, with Alex, Anna Marie, Chris, Kelley and Peter all discussing their Pokétales and where the series could go moving forward. Josh is the odd man out, but he's got interesting demos to share instead, so it's cool. Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a short show?!



  • News
  • Podcasts
  • RPG Cast
  • Pokémon Sword / Shield
  • Project Sakura Wars
  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
  • World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth
  • Yakuza 7

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RPG Cast – Episode 530: “Look, It Has Red XIII in It, Just Buy It”

Today we learned that Pokémon Home may rival Kingdom Hearts for difficult to understand stories. The Switch is finally getting some Outer Worlds love. And Anna Marie passes a kidney stone. Well not live on the show or anything. I'm just really tired of waiting for this stupid stoooooh...we're still recording? Um...enjoy the show everyone!



  • News
  • Podcasts
  • RPG Cast
  • Borderlands
  • Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
  • Final Fantasy IV
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake
  • Pokémon Sword / Shield
  • Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE
  • World of Warcraft

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RPG Cast – Episode 539: “Call Me Goku Because I’m About to Ride a Cloud”

Alex, Kelley, Nathan, and Peter have all descended into the slums of Midgar, so the Final Fantasy VII Remake dominates our Now Playing, but Anna Marie still manages to answer a question left over from last week about Persona 5 Royal. Our listeners recount their memories of the original FF7 and we even manage to squeak in some news of the week too.




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Coronavirus in Scotland: Testing strategy to be reviewed amid care worker reports

THE SCOTTISH Government is reviewing its Covid-19 testing strategy after the Deputy First Minster has been left “frustrated” by reports home care workers have been told to travel to the other side of Scotland for tests.




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Coronavirus: Scottish Government given 'insufficient time' to consider Westminster proposals

SCOTLAND’S Economy Secretary has penned a letter to the UK Government venting her frustration at being given “insufficient time” to consider workplace safety proposals.




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Coronavirus Live: Scottish death toll hits 1811 and FM says lockdown must stay in place

Keep up to date with all the latest coronavirus news from Glasgow, Scotland and beyond - LIVE




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Coronavirus in Scotland: People could be isolated before knowing if they are positive

PEOPLE who are not positive for Covid-19 could be told to isolate from their families before test results are issued as a precaution, Scotland’s national clinical director has warned.




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Greenock and Stockbridge: A tale of two Scotlands under coronavirus

ON one of those Greenock afternoons when rain and sun fight for the day’s naming rights a statistic becomes flesh and blood. At the side of a four-lane highway bearing the weight of the town’s rush-hour traffic a young wheelchair-user approaches.




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Coronavirus in Delhi: 338 नए मामले आए सामने, कुल संक्रमितों की संख्या बढ़कर 6318 हुई

दिल्ली समेत पूरे देश में आज लॉकडाउन के तीसरे चरण का पांंचवां दिन है। हालांकि दिल्ली में अब भी यह मामले कम होने का नाम नहीं ले रहे हैं। यहां पढ़ें दिनभर के अपडेट्स....




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Coronavirus in Delhi Live: 224 नए मामले आए सामने, कुल 6542 संक्रमित, अबतक 68 की मौत

दिल्ली में कोरोना वायरस के चलते हुए लॉकडाउन के तीसरे चरण का आज छठा दिन है। हालांकि अब भी दिल्ली में पॉजिटिव केसों की संख्या कम नहीं हो रही है।




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Walk the line: pinstripes are the business once again – in pictures

Paired with a T-shirt or even just a vest, the classic stripe returns for men this season. Take inspiration from these high-fashion looks riffing on the boardroom staple

  • Read more from the spring/summer 2020 edition of The Fashion, our biannual style supplement
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Cosmetic surgery conundrum: is it OK to speculate about Jared Kushner and Botox?

The ‘haunted doll’ look of Donald Trump’s son-in-law has attracted a lot of attention. When people comment on famous women and surgery there is often a backlash, but should the same apply here?

What has happened to Jared Kushner’s face?
Richard, by email

People get a little antsy about the subject of cosmetic surgery: they don’t like to be asked if they have had it, and public speculation over whether someone else has had it is generally considered to be de trop. I don’t really get this. Maybe it’s because I am 100% the world’s worst liar, but pretending to not see that someone’s face has completely changed is a form of magical thinking that is just beyond my capabilities.

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Locks down: buzzcuts become the coronavirus craze du jour

With barbers closed, actors and footballers have resorted to shaving off their hair - but experts warn it isn’t for everyone

With salons closed due to physical distancing guidelines, many men have resorted to cutting their hair at home. And instead of opting for a short back and sides, male celebrities have decided to just shave all their hair off.

Riz Ahmed, the Rogue One and Four Lions actor, has labelled it the #stayathome haircut, and Line of Duty actor Stephen Graham posted footage of his son clipping off his hair with the caption “lockdown locks!”

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'Lockdown has been a wakeup call for the industry': what next for fashion?

Coronavirus has brought fashion to a halt. To mark Earth Day, we asked sustainable fashion designers, writers and advocates what changes they would like to see

Over the past few years, sustainable fashion has been inching towards the mainstream. Now, given the pandemic crisis, discussion of how to create a more ethical and less environmentally damaging model for an industry that is responsible for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year is more relevant than ever.

With much of the usual churn on pause because of coronavirus and many of the cracks of the industry coming to the fore – not least in Bangladesh, where garment workers are facing destitution as big-name brands cancel their orders – some people in the industry are taking this hiatus as an opportunity to reassess fashion’s direction of travel.

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A round of applause: 10 fashion brands supporting the health services – in pictures

From Stay at Home T-shirts to NHS baseball caps, here’s a selection from small labels donating some or all of their profits to charities helping healthcare workers and the Covid-19 response

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Could hotel service robots help the hospitality industry after COVID-19?

A new research study, investigating how service robots in hotels could help redefine leadership and boost the hospitality industry, has taken on new significance in the light of the seismic impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on tourism and hospitality.




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Bat 'super immunity' may explain how bats carry coronaviruses, study finds

Researchers have uncovered how bats can carry the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus without getting sick -- research that could shed light on how coronaviruses make the jump to humans and other animals.




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Regularly attending religious services associated with lower risk of deaths of despair, study finds

People who attended religious services at least once a week were significantly less likely to die from 'deaths of despair,' including deaths related to suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol poisoning, according to new research.




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Focused ultrasound opening brain to previously impossible treatments

Focused ultrasound, the researchers hope, could revolutionize treatment for conditions from Alzheimer's to epilepsy to brain tumors -- and even help repair the devastating damage caused by stroke.




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Certain foods common in diets of US adults with inflammatory bowel disease

Foods, such as French fries, cheese, cookies, soda, and sports and energy drinks, are commonly found in the diets of United States adults with inflammatory bowel disease, according to a new study.




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Accumulation of gene mutations in chronic Graft-versus-host disease

Mutations in white blood cells can contribute to abnormal immune profile after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.




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Coronavirus forces Russia to hold slimmed down Victory Day in blow to Putin




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Japan's beloved manga assassin becomes the latest coronavirus fatality




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Philippines' coronavirus deaths breach 700




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Faces of the coronavirus pandemic: Remembering those who died

From a veteran fire chief to a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, over 71,000 people have died in the United States from the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.Those we've lost come from all backgrounds and walks of life and include the very people -- first responders and medical staff, who are working so diligently to stem the tide of the infection and care for the sick. Variously described as heroes, caring educators and loving family members, they will never be forgotten. ...





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Spain's coronavirus daily death tolls falls to 179 on Saturday




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Nearly 90 coronavirus cases reported at Polyus unit in Siberia




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Shunning virus lockdown, defiant Belarus stages Victory Day parade




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Czech Airlines to restart some flights after coronavirus grounding




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As Beijing gyms reopen, users are masked up and ready to shed pounds




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Portugal's low-income households struggle to survive pandemic




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Reuters US Domestic News Summary




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More than 1,000 queue for food in rich Geneva amid virus shutdown




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Arbery Video Was Leaked by a Lawyer Who Consulted With Suspects

For weeks after Ahmaud Arbery was killed while running down a road in coastal southern Georgia, there were few public developments in the case of a 25-year-old unarmed black man who was shot while being pursued by two white men with weapons in February.Then a graphic video of the shooting surfaced online, spurring widespread outrage.Within days, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had taken over the case. The video was criticized by celebrities and politicians alike, including President Donald Trump, who called the footage "very, very disturbing," and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who said Arbery had essentially been "lynched before our very eyes."And in a major turn, the authorities announced Thursday night that they had arrested two suspects in the case and charged them with murder and aggravated assault.The video -- which by Friday officials had described as "a very important piece" of evidence in moving forward with criminal charges -- was first posted by WGIG, a radio station in Brunswick, Georgia, which said it had obtained the footage from an anonymous source.But in a twist emblematic of the small-town politics that have defined the case, that source turned out to be a criminal defense lawyer in town who had informally consulted with the suspects.The lawyer, Alan Tucker, said in an interview Friday that the video had come from the cellphone of a man who had filmed the episode and that he later gave the footage to the radio station. Tucker's role was confirmed by Scott Ryfun, who oversees the station's programming.Asked why he had leaked the video, Tucker said he had wanted to dispel rumors that he said had fueled tension in the community. "It wasn't two men with a Confederate flag in the back of a truck going down the road and shooting a jogger in the back," Tucker said."It got the truth out there as to what you could see," he added. "My purpose was not to exonerate them or convict them."The video, taken from inside a vehicle, shows Arbery running when he comes upon a white truck, with one man standing next to its open driver's-side door and another in the bed of the pickup. Arbery runs around the truck and disappears briefly from view. Then the man standing outside the truck tussles with him, and three gunshots are heard.The authorities identified Travis McMichael, 34, as the person who shot Arbery. His father, Gregory McMichael, 64, a retired investigator at the local district attorney's office, was also charged.Before the charges were filed this week, two prosecutors had recused themselves from handling the case, citing professional ties to Gregory McMichael. Tucker, too, said he had been an acquaintance of McMichael's from their work in legal circles.Reports suggest Tucker had consulted with the McMichael family in some capacity during the investigation, although it is not clear to what extent. Reached by The Washington Post before his arrest Thursday, Gregory McMichael referred questions to Tucker.Tucker declined to comment on his conversations with the McMichaels on Friday, citing attorney-client privilege."I'm not going to tell you what I told them or what they told me," he said, using profanity to say that any conversations -- had they occurred, he said -- were none of the public's business.At times during the interview, a woman could be heard in the background whispering suggested answers to Tucker.By Friday afternoon, Tucker said that it had been decided that he would not be retained as the lawyer for either of the McMichaels, and it was unclear who was representing them.Tucker said he would not be representing anyone else involved in the case, as the authorities announced Friday that they were pursuing a number of leads, including investigating the man who took the video.The man, Roddie Bryan, lives in the neighborhood. He had shared the video with the police before sharing it with Tucker and was cooperating with the authorities, his lawyer, Kevin Gough, said in an interview Friday evening."Mr. Bryan has never tried to hide anything from anybody," Gough said. "If anybody wanted a copy of the video, he would give it to them."But he said the added attention, including the scrutiny from the authorities, had come as a shock to his client, a mechanic who had since lost his job and received threats. "The atmosphere down here is very volatile," Gough said. "People are in fear. That's all a result of the last few days."The latest developments in the case on Friday fell on Arbery's birthday, when he would have turned 26. Thousands of people commemorated the occasion by running 2.23 miles, a nod to Feb. 23, the date he was killed.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company





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FDA grants emergency use authorization to Quidel for first antigen test for COVID-19




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Sierra Leone's president accuses main opposition party of inciting violence




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Coronavirus live updates: FDA authorizes 1st rapid-result antigen test

The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 275,000 people worldwide. Over 3.9 million people across the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations' outbreaks.





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Expansion debate rumbles on amid hush over Britain’s biggest airports

To campaigners’ dismay, the UK’s biggest hubs, Heathrow and Gatwick, are pushing on with plans to increase capacity

Christine Taylor has lived her entire life in the shadow of London’s Heathrow airport, her childhood bedroom affording a view of one of its two runways. She grew up in Sipson, a village that can trace its history back more than 1,000 years, but now sits immediately north of Britain’s busiest airline hub.

Now living a mile to the east in Harlington, Taylor, 62, is experiencing a rare moment of quiet, thanks to the dramatic reduction in air traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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I watched 627 minutes of Adam Driver movies because what else am I going to do | Luke Buckmaster

SBS On Demand is streaming more than 10 hours of his features. Our isolated film critic took the bait and watched them all

Many terrible things are discussed in the maelstrom of mayhem and misery I call my inbox – terrible, terrible things, such as requests involving me needing to go somewhere, or speak to someone or do something.

But last Thursday afternoon a lovely email broke through like a ray of sunshine piercing grey clouds on a stormy day. It was an email from a publicist at SBS. The subject line read: “Binge 627 minutes of ADAM DRIVER for free.”

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Reports of the death of the film industry have been greatly exaggerated

Hollywood loves a good comeback, and post-coronavirus will be no exception, writes costume designer Kristin M Burke

  • Coronavirus and culture – a list of major cancellations
  • Coronavirus – latest updates
  • See all our coronavirus coverage
  • Many events have killed the film industry: the 1918 influenza epidemic, the second world war, the invention of television, the invention of VCRs, the invention of the internet, 9-11, strike after strike after strike. And yet, like a phoenix, it rises, every time stronger than before. The appetite for its product is insatiable especially in times of political trouble and uncertainty about the future. People want to escape. They want to be entertained.

    The way we make movies most certainly must change. In the best of circumstances, we are a crew of 75 people jammed into a room with very little ventilation, holding our breath until we hear “CUT”. We are in close contact with one another all day long. We never really thought about it before. All of that is about to change. Film sets usually function as big families, and moving forward, that family unit will take on a stronger, protective meaning. This is how we self-regulate in the post-pandemic era.

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    Gladiator at 20: how Ridley Scott's epic rejuvenated the historical blockbuster

    The Oscar-winning sword-and-sandals Russell Crowe vehicle refreshed old cliches, before ushering in a spate of copycats

    “Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?” the creepy pilot asks the small boy in Airplane!. To younger audiences, the joke no longer makes any sense. In Airplane!’s day, sword-and-sandals movies had become an outdated, unwittingly homoerotic joke. But then came Gladiator, and the joke was on us. Released 20 years ago this month, Ridley Scott’s Roman epic gave the old cliches a new lease of life. It was all here: Colosseum action! Rippling man-flesh! Tigers! But Gladiator had its cheesecake and ate it. It served up crowd-pleasing spectacle and airline-ad visuals but also solemn, Oscar-worthy drama (and, in retrospect, a fair degree of camp).

    Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips

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    Circus of Books review – tender doc about family life and gay porn

    An affectionate and absorbing documentary from film-maker Rachel Mason about her devout parents, who ran a famous adult bookstore in early-80s LA

    Here is a documentary with an absorbing and unexpectedly complicated story to tell, whose paradoxes and sadnesses are not entirely resolved by the end. Artist and film-maker Rachel Mason has created an affectionate portrait of her elderly parents, Karen and Barry, who in many ways are like one of the (fictional) old couples in When Harry Met Sally.

    Karen is a former journalist, devoutly Jewish, and Barry is a former special visual effects engineer who worked on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 and invented a modification for kidney dialysis machines. But they found themselves in a tough financial spot in the early 1980s and took over Circus of Books, a gay porn bookstore in Los Angeles that also sold movies called things like Confessions of a Two Dick Slut and Don’t Drop the Soap, and was one of Larry Flynt’s first distribution points. Under their shrewd management, the store boomed, opened another branch and became a well-known meeting place for LGBT people, while all the time, the Masons were a conventional family who kept their three children well away from the business. Karen movingly – and honestly – recounts how upset she was to discover that one of her sons was gay: the business and family life were that separate.

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    Dangerous Lies review – diverting yet dopey Netflix thriller

    A ridiculously titled film about a couple who stumble upon a stash of money is absurd and cliched but mostly entertaining

    One of the most surprising reveals of last October’s unprecedented Netflix data dump was the astounding popularity of cheap psycho-thriller Secret Obsession. While the streamer proudly touted new films from Alfonso Cuarón, Paul Greengrass and the Coens in the same period, it was a no-star, dim-plotted slab of schlock that netted more viewers, with an estimated 40m households eager to find out just how secret that obsession really was. Modelled after a Lifetime TV movie (with a Lifetime TV director at the helm), it was an important victory for Netflix because it revealed a substantial audience for tiny-budgeted thrillers with generic titles, a bracket they could easily fill at little expense.

    Related: The Half of It review – charming Netflix teen comedy takes on Cyrano

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