co Cholesterol lowering drugs linked to improved gut bacteria composition in obese people By www.sciencedaily.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 13:36:39 EDT Obese Europeans who are treated with cholesterol lowering drugs have not only lower values of blood LDL cholesterol and markers of inflammation but in addition a more healthy gut bacteria profile than those obese who are not prescribed statins. Full Article
co Certain foods common in diets of US adults with inflammatory bowel disease By www.sciencedaily.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:21:50 EDT 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. Full Article
co Most critically ill patients with COVID-19 survive with standard treatment, study reveals By www.sciencedaily.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:21:52 EDT Clinicians from two hospitals in Boston report that the majority of even the sickest patients with COVID-19 -- those who require ventilators in intensive care units -- get better when they receive existing guideline-supported treatment for respiratory failure. Full Article
co Position statement addresses difficult issue: allocating scare resources in COVID-19 era By www.sciencedaily.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:22:01 EDT The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on societies worldwide, given the pandemic's rapid, often deadly spread. In health care, the pandemic has raised the pressing question of how society should allocate scarce resources during a crisis. Full Article
co Outpatient COVID-19 clues By www.sciencedaily.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:22:19 EDT A new report offers insights that can help clinicians distinguish between patients with COVID-19 infections and those with other conditions that may mimic COVID-19 symptoms. Full Article
co Clay layers and distant pumping trigger arsenic contamination in Bangladesh groundwater By www.sciencedaily.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 09:47:49 EDT To avoid arsenic contamination, many Bangladeshi households access water via private wells drilled to 300 feet or less, beneath impermeable clay layers. Such clay layers have been thought to protect groundwater in the underlying aquifers from the downward flow of contaminants. However, a new study suggests that such clay layers do not always protect against arsenic, and could even be a source of contamination in some wells. Full Article
co Survey: Half of Americans concerned about new moms, babies being in public amid COVID-19 By www.sciencedaily.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 10:24:28 EDT A new national U.S. survey finds that nearly 80 percent of respondents would be concerned about themselves or an expectant mother in their life in the midst of the current COVID-19 outbreak, with almost half expressing fear of going to a scheduled prenatal appointment. Full Article
co Coronavirus forces Russia to hold slimmed down Victory Day in blow to Putin By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 01:00:00 -0400 Full Article
co Japan's beloved manga assassin becomes the latest coronavirus fatality By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 03:06:26 -0400 Full Article
co Dear fellow motherless daughters: Here's how I've learned to cope on Mother's Day By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 04:00:00 -0400 Marisa Bardach Ramel is co-author of “The Goodbye Diaries: A Mother-Daughter Memoir,” written with her mother Sally Bardach. As Mother’s Day approaches, I long to sit beside you, pour you some tea and talk about all the things. Full Article
co Rights group says Saudi Arabia is holding a senior prince incommunicado since March By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 04:32:33 -0400 Full Article
co Philippines' coronavirus deaths breach 700 By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 04:35:50 -0400 Full Article
co Faces of the coronavirus pandemic: Remembering those who died By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 05:00:00 -0400 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. ... Full Article
co EU Commission calls for state guarantees for vouchers for cancelled travel By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 05:00:04 -0400 Full Article
co Spain's coronavirus daily death tolls falls to 179 on Saturday By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 05:15:01 -0400 Full Article
co Britain to quarantine incoming travellers for 14-days -Times report By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 05:28:09 -0400 Full Article
co Nearly 90 coronavirus cases reported at Polyus unit in Siberia By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 05:32:17 -0400 Full Article
co Grocery store employee working during COVID-19 crisis: 'I'm going to say my prayers' By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 06:00:25 -0400 When his alarm goes off at 3:30 a.m., 54-year-old Jeff Reid knows it's time to begin his day and prepare for an eight-hour shift on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. As a grocery store worker, Reid never imagined he'd find himself in this position. Every day before his 5 a.m. shift, Reid prepares his morning essentials -- 1,000 milligrams of the powdered vitamin supplement Emergen-C and his morning prayers. Full Article
co Czech Airlines to restart some flights after coronavirus grounding By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 06:11:59 -0400 Full Article
co Portugal's low-income households struggle to survive pandemic By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 07:40:14 -0400 Full Article
co ‘Every stone will be uncovered’: how Georgia officials failed the Ahmaud Arbery case By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 08:03:41 -0400 Systemic flaws within Glynn county’s district attorney offices led to a lack of action against the men involved in this ‘modern lynching’In the days and weeks after Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed, multiple Glynn county law enforcement officials failed to thoroughly investigate his death and, in one case, refused to allow police officers to make arrests, the Guardian has learned.Arbery, 25, was jogging through the neighborhood just outside Brunswick, Georgia, on 23 February when he was shot dead by two white men. Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were charged with murder and aggravated assault on Thursday evening, after graphic video footage of the killing was released publicly and sparked national outrage.Lawyers for Arbery’s family have called the killing a “modern lynching” and decried the lack of action in the case prior to the release of the video, pointing to racial inequalities in the criminal justice system.In the police report, Gregory McMichael claimed Arbery “violently attacked” his son, who shot Arbery in self defense.Jackie Johnson, the Glynn county district attorney, refused to allow police officers who responded to arrest the two men, Glynn county commissioner Peter Murphy told the Guardian in a phone call on Friday.The police department was put in touch with one of Johnson’s assistant district attorneys after the shooting, but Johnson made the decision not to charge the father and son, the former having worked in her office for more than 20 years, Murphy said.“The police at the scene went to her, saying they were ready to arrest both of them,” Allen Booker, the Glynn county district 5 commissioner, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. “These were the police at the scene who had done the investigation. She shut them down to protect her friend McMichael.”Days later, Johnson recused herself. Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. By 27 February, George Barnhill, the Waycross judicial district attorney, and the second of three DAs on the case, took over. Less than 24 hours after seeing the video and evidence compiled by the police, Murphy said, Barnhill decided to not charge the McMichaels.“And so within 24 hours the Glynn county police had been told by two separate DA offices not to make any arrests,” Murphy said. “And obviously, they want to assume no responsibility for their actions.”On 2 April, Barnhill sent an email to law enforcement authorities saying the 25-year-old Arbery had an “apparent aggressive nature” and that his family were “not strangers to the local criminal justice system”.“Arbery’s mental health records & prior convictions help explain his apparent aggressive nature and his possible thought pattern to attack an armed man,” Barnhill said in the email, which was first reported by the New York Times.“What it appears is he was purposely trying to assault the character of the victim and there’s just no reason why,” said Chris Stewart, one of the lawyers representing Arbery’s family.The family have pointed to the McMichaels’ connection to local law enforcement both at the district attorney’s office and police department as evidence of systemic flaws and roadblocks in their search for justice. It was only after the video of Arbery’s death was released this week that the third DA’s office requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) get involved.On Friday, GBI director Vic Reynolds told reporters he could not “answer what another agency did or didn’t see” in the first two months of the investigation.“But I can tell you that based on our involvement in this case and considering the fact we hit the ground running Wednesday morning and within 36 hours we had secured warrants for two individuals for felony murder, I think that speaks volumes for itself.”In a 7 April email sent to the office of Georgia attorney general Chris Carr, Barnhill recused himself because his son worked on a case involving Arbery while working in Johnson’s office.Lee Merritt, one of the lawyers who represents Arbery’s family, said Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, found the connection between Barnhill’s son and her own on Facebook and brought it to the attention of his office.“She followed the links. That’s exactly how it happened,” he said to the Guardian on Friday by phone.According to a police report filed 23 February, Gregory and Travis McMichael grabbed their weapons, a .357 Magnum revolver and a shotgun, jumped into a truck and followed Arbery as he ran.In the email to Carr from early April, Barnhill references a “decent cell phone video of the entire shooting incident”, an apparent reference to the one leaked this week.Reynolds said on Friday that the investigation into the shooting, the video and the person who filmed it, would continue.“Every stone will be uncovered,” Reynolds said. Full Article
co Taking on COVID-19, South Africa Goes After Cigarettes and Booze, Too By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 10:37:18 -0400 JOHANNESBURG -- The dealer had a stash, but the young woman wasn't getting through the door without an introduction. That's where her friend, already a trusted customer, came in. And even then there were complications.The woman wanted Stuyvesants. The dealer had Courtleighs. But in a South Africa where the sale of cigarettes is newly illegal, quibblers risk nicotine fits.She took the Courtleighs and high-tailed it out of there."I feel like I'm buying cocaine," said the woman, 29, who asked not to be named for fear of being fined or arrested.In late March, in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the South African government banned the sale of tobacco and alcohol as part of a broad lockdown -- one of the strictest anywhere. But even as the government has begun rolling back the lockdown, the bans remain in effect.A government minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, cited "COVID-19 reasons" for maintaining the ban.Dlamini-Zuma, a doctor who served as health minister in the 1990s and is now cooperative governance minister, said that "besides the effects itself on the person's lungs," there were concerns that smoking could promote coronavirus infection."The way sometimes tobacco is shared does not allow for social distancing," she said, "but actually encourages the spread of the virus."Defending the ban of alcohol sales amid cries of protest from the liquor industry, President Cyril Ramaphosa said alcohol was "a hindrance to the fight against coronavirus.""There are proven links between the sale and consumption of alcohol and violent crime, motor vehicle accidents and other medical emergencies at a time when all public and private resources should be preparing to receive and treat vast numbers of COVID-19 patients," the president said in a statement.The government has also cited the risk of domestic violence in households where families are isolated at home.Perhaps not surprisingly, an underground market in both cigarettes and alcohol quickly sprung up.Like bootleg markets everywhere, it relies on word-of-mouth, as the 29-year-old woman who settled for the Courtleighs soon learned.She made her purchase in a suburb of Vereeniging, a city south of Johannesburg, where dealers are said to sell only to buyers referred by someone they know. And they sell only from their homes to avoid driving around with large quantities of cigarettes, since if they were to be caught at one of the dozens of police roadblocks set up around the country, they could be arrested on the spot.Instead, the smoker carries the risk -- and the cost. A pack of 20 cigarettes now goes for upward of 150 rand (about $8), three times the old legal price. Underground alcohol prices have also skyrocketed. A bottle of low-end vodka that usually sells for 120 rand ($6) now sells for at least 400 rand ($21).South Africa lifted its nationwide lockdown on May 1 but is continuing to implement strict social distancing and face mask rules. Already under siege from HIV, the country has around 8,200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and has reported about 160 deaths.The country had implemented one of the world's most stringent lockdowns after recording its first coronavirus-related death in March. In addition to banning the sale of cigarettes and alcohol, the regulations banned jogging and dog-walking, and shuttered parks.Before the lockdown, with a ban looming, some smokers stocked up on cartons of cigarettes. But when the ban on cigarettes was extended beyond May 1, things for smokers began to grow tense.Now it's a matter of who you know. The cafe owner willing to slip a box under a container of milk, perhaps, or a supermarket cashier willing to steal and resell cigarettes languishing in the storeroom.In one Pretoria township where everyone knows everyone -- including the police -- few dare sell cigarettes from their homes. Instead, dealers hide among young men milling around on the neighborhood corner.A 23-year-old smoker said that when he saw a group of four men sharing a cigarette, he approached them to find out where they had found the contraband. They just so happened to be selling, they told him.Desperate after a failed attempt to quit smoking, he said, he paid 160 rand for his favorite brand and "ran home," where he took a photograph of the sealed pack, planning to share it on WhatsApp with envious fellow smokers.But when he opened the pack, a cloud of sawdust choked him. There was not a cigarette to be found.Smokers say they are finding fake cigarettes in sealed boxes that look exactly like legitimate brands. And those who are desperate enough are buying unknown brands that have appeared during the lockdown, with names like Pineapple and Chestel, and are notorious for inducing immediate coughing.The tobacco industry has not taken kindly to the government's new policy.The ban has fueled an underground cigarette trade that was thriving even before the lockdown. By some estimates, it made up more than 30% of the market, depriving the above-ground tobacco industry of profit and the government of tax revenue.Now both industry and government are losing even more.The country's largest cigarette manufacturer, British American Tobacco South Africa, at one point threatened legal action if the government did not drop its ban, but Wednesday changed course. "We have taken the decision not to pursue legal action at this stage," it said in a statement, "but, instead, to pursue further discussions with government."The company said, "We are convinced that by working together we can find a better solution that works for all South Africans and removes the threat of criminal sanction from 11 million tobacco consumers in the country."The ban on cigarettes and alcohol has set off a debate on civil liberties in a country with one of the world's most liberal constitutions. While South Africa was an early adopter of public smoking regulations, many see the bans as a symbol of government overreach.Though its coronavirus policies may have succeeded in keeping the outbreak in check, some are calling the government hypocritical. Junk food remains readily available. And officials strictly limited outdoor exercise during the lockdown.In a country increasingly struggling with diabetes and obesity, such inconsistencies undercut the government's argument that it is guarding the public's health, said one South African constitutional law expert, Pierre De Vos."In the long term, if the government overreaches and it wants to continue imposing these limits when the threat has subsided, I think the courts will invalidate this," he said.Still, the ban may have yielded at least one former smoker: the man who bought the box of sawdust."I cannot just go around losing money like that," he said. "I just said to myself, 'Nah, man, it's not worth it. I'll stay home and eat sweets, as that's what's legal now.'"This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company Full Article
co Arbery Video Was Leaked by a Lawyer Who Consulted With Suspects By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 10:45:26 -0400 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 Full Article
co FDA grants emergency use authorization to Quidel for first antigen test for COVID-19 By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 11:01:00 -0400 Full Article
co Brazil's Supreme Court throws out rules that limit gay men donating blood By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 11:01:01 -0400 Full Article
co Coronavirus live updates: FDA authorizes 1st rapid-result antigen test By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 11:27:00 -0400 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. Full Article
co If we want better conditions for Amazon staff we need to be patient… By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-09T15:00:03Z The tech giant has often been accused of mistreating workers, but our desire for instant gratification is part of the problemTim Bray resigned as an Amazon vice-president last week. “Who he?” I hear you say. And why is this news significant? Answers: first, Bray is an ubergeek who’s an alumnus of many of the outfits in tech’s hall of fame (including DEC, Sun Microsystems, the OED project at the University of Waterloo, Google’s Android team and, eventually, Amazon Web Services); and second, he resigned on an issue of principle – something as rare as hen’s teeth in the tech industry.In his blog, he wrote: “I quit in dismay at Amazon firing whistleblowers who were making noise about warehouse employees frightened of Covid-19.” It was an expensive decision. Bray said the decision to resign would probably cost him more than a million dollars in salary and shares, and that he regretted leaving a job he enjoyed, working with good colleagues. “So I’m pretty blue.” Continue reading... Full Article Amazon Trade unions US unions E-commerce Internet Technology US news
co Love isn't all you need: French ministers rule out easing travel rules for couples By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-09T15:33:05Z MP called for love to be added to list of permitted reasons for long-distance journeysCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCouples separated by France’s strict coronavirus rules will remain lovelorn after ministers ruled out a proposed change to the law extending the country’s state of health emergency.The “lovers’ amendment”, as it was called, was proposed by an MP during a debate on the legislation in the lower house the national assembly. Continue reading... Full Article France Coronavirus outbreak Europe World news
co UK coastguard urges people to stay home after increase in calls By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-09T15:16:18Z Meanwhile police in London say they’re ‘losing the battle’ as people gather in parks despite coronavirus clockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coastguard has urged the public not to ignore the government’s stay-at-home message after recording its highest number of distress calls in a single day since the lockdown began.The rescue service said it dealt with 97 incidents on Friday, more than half the daily average over the previous month. Continue reading... Full Article Coronavirus outbreak UK news
co Can Taika Waititi revive the cosmic sweep of classic Star Wars? By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-07T11:57:05Z Excellent film-maker that he is, Watiti seems to fit the Marvel blueprint far more easily than he does Star Wars’ more venerable, old-school templateWhen entertainment reporters play Hollywood roulette, the practice of attaching directors and stars to forthcoming movies based on little more than rumour, their little white balls nearly always seem to land on Taika Waititi’s number. If you’ve been keeping a close eye on this column over the past year, you’ve probably spotted the white-hot Kiwi director being touted for a remake of Flash Gordon and the next Deadpool movie among other projects, neither of which have yet come to fruition.Waititi’s next film, according to reports this week, will be a Star Wars episode. Will he end up making it to the first day of production on this one? The chances seem better, as Disney has officially confirmed the appointment via the space saga’s official website, with 1917 co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns helping deliver a script. But this is Star Wars we are talking about – Colin Trevorrow, Josh Trank, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, David Benioff and DB Weiss are among the numerous film-makers who have cheerily signed up to try to bring back the glory days of the long-running series in recent times, only to ultimately fall foul of Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy’s merciless Force choke. Continue reading... Full Article Star Wars Science fiction and fantasy films Culture Film Taika Waititi JJ Abrams
co ‘Of course I smoked marijuana!’ Elliott Gould on stardom, Streisand and Elvis Presley By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-04-20T05:00:03Z The star of M*A*S*H, The Long Goodbye – and more recently, Friends – talks about drugs, his fiery marriage to Barbra Streisand and getting his best reviews from Groucho Marx and Muhammad AliThe best review ever received by Elliott Gould – renowned actor and star of M*A*S*H and The Long Goodbye; not to mention, Ross and Monica’s dad on Friends – was from Groucho Marx. The two of them had become close in the comedian’s latter years – so close, Gould says, “he used to let me shave him”. One day Marx asked Gould to change a lightbulb in his bedroom. Gould took off his shoes, stood on the bed and replaced the broken bulb. Marx told him: “That was the best acting I’ve ever seen you do.”Gould, now 81, has been telling the story for decades – but it is clear even in our pixelated video call that it still delights him. “Isn’t that great?” he says, his distinctive nasal, New York baritone now deepened with age. As we speak he is sitting at a computer at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, relaxed in a blue hoodie, with a seemingly bottomless mug of coffee before him. In isolation on either side of the Atlantic, neither of us has anywhere to be. And after more than half a century in Hollywood, in which he went from leading man to exile and, eventually, fixture – Gould could fill days, not just hours, with his stories. Even without his eight-year marriage to Barbra Streisand. Continue reading... Full Article Film Culture Friends Barbra Streisand Television & radio
co Tender and honest, Tigertail is a beacon of hope in today's tide of anti-Asian bigotry | Georgina Quach By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-04-15T09:24:22Z Alan Yang’s film about the lack of understanding between generations strikes a chord, and is so relevant as coronavirus racism spreadsRead all the Lockdown watch films hereThe best arts and entertainment during self-isolationInflamed by President Trump’s casual phrase “Chinese virus”, anti-Asian sentiment is erupting all over the world. As a British-Vietnamese person who has been spat on because of the colour of her skin, the film Tigertail is a glimmer of hope – a way of showing the truth, and connecting Asian communities at a time when panic and misinformation serve to break us apart. Alan Yang’s multi-generational love story Tigertail weaves in Yang’s cultural self-discovery and features memories of Taiwan, as experienced by the protagonist Pin-Jui. Weighted against the present tide of anti-Asian bigotry, this tender story about honesty and lost love is more relevant than ever.“American culture has been negligent in portraying Asian-American people as fully realised human beings,” Yang told the Deadline podcast. Yang, who worked on Parks and Recreation before co-creating Master of None, recalled the trepidation he felt in the early days of his career, in a cultural landscape where east Asians were rarely represented, or stereotyped as hardworking automatons. Yang said he had felt restricted to using only white characters in his early pilots, fearing that all-Asian or Asian-American scripts would never be accepted. But this was before the film successes of Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell and Parasite brought real Asian faces to mainstream culture. Continue reading... Full Article Film World cinema Taiwan Drama films Race World news Culture Asia Pacific Coronavirus outbreak Donald Trump US news Vietnam
co Gladiator at 20: how Ridley Scott's epic rejuvenated the historical blockbuster By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-04T08:00:15Z 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 Continue reading... Full Article Gladiator Film Culture
co The Half of It review – charming Netflix teen comedy takes on Cyrano By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-04-30T06:15:13Z A talented trio of young actors enliven a familiar yet engaging tale of a queer love triangle at high schoolThere’s a satisfying ease to Netflix high school comedy The Half of It, a charming twist on the Cyrano de Bergerac formula that deserves slightly more attention than most of the streamer’s other made-to-order sleepover pics. A teen market that had been underserved by studios has now been exhaustively cornered by the company but often without much care or inventiveness, a conveyor belt of content that prioritises quantity over quality. It’s refreshing then to see a film such as this emerge from the same production line, slickly ticking all the same boxes but with a noticeable uplift in enthusiasm, grafting its own identity on to the boilerplate format. Related: Never Have I Ever review – Netflix teen series slowly finds its voice Continue reading... Full Article Comedy films Comedy Culture Film Netflix Romance films
co 'First petri dish': Sundance film festival may have been Covid-19 incubator By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-07T11:21:49Z The Hollywood Reporter says numerous attendees returned from the late-January festival with coronavirus symptomsA new report suggests that January’s Sundance film festival, the annual gathering of cinephiles in Park City, Utah, may have been a key early hub for coronavirus in the US. The article, in the Hollywood Reporter, cites numerous attendees who experienced Covid-19-like symptoms either during or immediately after the festival. None were believed to have been tested for the disease.Sundance this year attracted about 120,000 people to the small mountain resort, to watch films and party in confined spaces. The snowy conditions that make Park City perfect for skiing mean that socialising indoors is common, as are some flu-like symptoms as a result of the low temperature and high altitude. Continue reading... Full Article Sundance 2020 Film Culture Sundance film festival Festivals Utah US news World news Coronavirus outbreak Film industry Business
co Streaming: the joy of romcoms By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-09T07:00:50Z Elizabeth Sankey’s fine documentary on the genre, premiering on Mubi, could be the perfect spark for your own romantic comedy love-inRomantic comedies are a perennially undervalued genre: even very fine ones are often described as “guilty pleasures”. That’s always a nonsense term, given that no pleasure is without value or grace – least of all these days. Under lockdown, don’t you find yourself more inclined towards romantic comedies both great and mediocre, to sink yourself in the familiar warmth of stories driven by love and tenderness, where everything tends to turn out fine?Mubi has thus chosen an opportune moment to premiere Romantic Comedy, a spry, affectionate documentary by musician turned film-maker Elizabeth Sankey that gives this maligned genre its due. A short, accessible film essay that did the festival rounds last year, it cuts to the heart of why romcoms have to work harder to be taken seriously – hint: they tend to prioritise the female viewer – and unpicks their history of flawed gender politics and heteronormative bias. But it’s a loving exercise, overlaid with droll personal commentary, and one that will have you jotting down a playlist of films to watch right after. Continue reading... Full Article Romance films Film Culture
co Sayles confident of making Vikings By www.winnipegfreepress.com Published On :: Mon, 4 May 2020 06:11:54 CDT More than 55 million viewers tuned into last week’s three-day NFL Draft and you better believe Marcus Sayles was one of them. He saw the Minnesota Vikings draft three cornerbacks in ... Full Article
co Ice busy signing draft selections to contracts By www.winnipegfreepress.com Published On :: Mon, 4 May 2020 20:52:57 CDT It’s that time of the year in the WHL. News of player signings are a daily occurrence and the Winnipeg Ice’s management team has been busy. On Monday, the club announced ... Full Article
co Fore, score and 18 holes ago... By www.winnipegfreepress.com Published On :: Mon, 4 May 2020 18:03:03 CDT Mark Twain once described golf as "a good walk spoiled." With all due respect, the father of American literature likely would have had a much different take had he joined me ... Full Article
co Washington Capitals investigating Brendan Leipsic's 'unacceptable and offensive comments' By www.winnipegfreepress.com Published On :: Thu, 7 May 2020 09:33:42 CDT Screenshots showing repugnant and insulting remarks — some misogynistic, some racist, others hinting at drug use and sexual conquests — from a private group chat between several hockey players, including ... Full Article
co White House Misled Public, Buried CDC Reopening Guidelines and is Now Preparing for Second Coronavirus Wave By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 21:55:05 -0400 The White House is making "contingency plans" for a second wave of coronavirus after emails reportedly contradict their claims that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to safely reopen the economy were set aside because medical experts did not approve of them. Full Article
co Coronavirus Hits U.S. Secret Service Staff with 11 Active Cases, 23 Recoveries and 60 in Quarantine By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 04:42:49 -0400 The service, which protects political leaders including the president, said in March there was only one case, but new documents show that the disease is more widespread than believed. Full Article
co Obama Slams Dropping of Michael Flynn Case, Calls White House COVID-19 Response 'Absolute Chaotic Disaster': Report By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 07:02:27 -0400 Audio of a private conversation shows the 44th president's unvarnished views about the former national security adviser's case and the White House's COVID-19 response. Full Article
co Putin Says Russians are 'Invincible' in Speech During Coronavirus-Hit Victory Day Ceremony By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 08:11:05 -0400 The president appeared outside the Kremlin walls to praise the Soviet effort in what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Full Article
co Germany, On Cusp of Reopening, Scrambles to Contain Fresh Coronavirus Outbreaks By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 09:25:21 -0400 Out of 200 employees tested at a German meat processing plant, 151 tested positive Thursday for coronavirus, triggering an "emergency mechanism" to delay the easing of social distancing restrictions. Full Article
co Andre Harrell, Founder of Uptown Records, Dies at 59 and Music Industry Pays Tribute By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 09:50:54 -0400 Harrell had been working as an executive producer on a TV miniseries about Uptown Records with BET. Full Article
co Ousted Scientist Tears Up While Ripping Trump Coronavirus Response: 'We Could've Done Something And We Didn't' By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 10:30:32 -0400 Trump administration whistleblower Rick Bright teared up while ripping the Trump's response to the coronavirus: "We could've done something and we didn't." Full Article
co Britney Spears Updates Glory Album Cover to Celebrate 2016 Record Hitting #1 on iTunes By www.newsweek.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 11:44:54 -0400 Some fans think the new album art was released in anticipation of a rumored platinum edition of Glory. Full Article
co Volunteers Are Collecting Tablets for COVID-19 Patients So They Don’t Have to Suffer Alone By time.com Published On :: Fri, 24 Apr 2020 15:23:56 +0000 Groups across the country are putting tablets in the hands of COVID patients so their families can see them, sometimes for the last time Full Article Uncategorized COVID-19 UnitedWeRise20Monthly
co Scammers Could Be After Your Stimulus Check. Here’s How to Avoid Them By time.com Published On :: Mon, 27 Apr 2020 16:10:37 +0000 There's been a spike in scam calls, emails and texts Full Article Uncategorized COVID-19