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RPG Cast – Episode 532: “Meowls”

Anna Marie is finally back (and a little loopy on painkillers). There’s ample fawning for Mass Effect in our Now Playing, as Kelley chooses an unusual romantic encounter! Arguments break out over March and April’s packed release schedule, but a truce is eventually reached.




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RPG Cast – Episode 535: “Hand-Washing Song”

We’re all cooped up, but that doesn’t mean the video game news stops! Well, it actually was a little slimmer this week, but Anna Marie, Chris, Jonathan, Kelley, and Peter still have plenty of games to discuss. We also have an impromptu hand-washing sing-along?




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RPG Cast – Episode 536: “When We Get Back to Work We’re Building a Box Fort”

Guest star Sam Watcher joins us, and that means this week's podcast is officially explicit! Between the occasion cuss bomb, we discuss Animal Crossing and Chris' poor decision making, Alex's dive into Persona 5 Royal, and exactly why Kelley needs to finish FF7: Crisis Core in the near future. Anna Marie and Peter round out the 'cast crew this week as we dive into the weekly headlines along with your feedback.




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RPG Cast – Episode 540: “Dooting While I Was Muting”

Alex, Josh, Kelley, and Peter join hosts Chris and Anna Marie for a lively show, but be warned: CONTAINS PERSONA 5 ROYAL AND FINAL FANTASY 7 REMAKE SPOILERS in the Now Playing section. Beyond that, the panel discusses news of the day, including the bizarre Cooking Mama drama. Hey, that rhymes!




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Ray of hope as Scots armed forces veterans wait two years for a mental health plan

ARMED forces veterans are facing a threat from an enemy they cannot see.




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VE Day 75: Memories unite lockdown Scotland

AT 3PM today, May 8th 2020, hundreds of lone pipers across the UK, including one at the top of Ben Nevis, will play a tune specially composed to remember May 8th 1945.




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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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Ducklings spotted jumping off fifth floor balcony in Glasgow

A family of ducklings were spotted jumping off a flat in Glasgow as they left their nest for the first time.




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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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Nicola Sturgeon "considering" relaxation of lockdown exercise restrictions

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the Scottish Government is looking into expanding the current guidance about exercise during the lockdown.




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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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Nostalgic News: ‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles was released 50 years ago

Bailey Williams reflects on the final Beatles album.






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Splashing out in Paris: Balenciaga floods venue for fashion show

Waters lap perilously close to audience as grand capes and latex trench coats are modelled

How to make the fashion industry engage with the climate crisis? Flood the venue, and submerge the front row.

Arriving at the Balenciaga show in Paris on Sunday morning, the audience found themselves entering at the periphery of what looked like a sports stadium, with banks of flip-up plastic seats around a central oval. In pitch blackness, it was hard to tell exactly, but attendants were on hand with torches, and strict instructions not to proceed beyond the third row.

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Stella McCartney goes wild to drive home animal-free message

Paris show features wildlife costumes to emphasise the label’s planet-friendly ethos

The singer Janelle Monáe and actor Shailene Woodley were in the front row, but two rabbits, a fox, a horse, two cows and a crocodile stole the show. People in lifesize animal costumes, of the kind more usually seen at theme park parades than at Paris fashion week, joined models for the finale of Stella McCartney’s show, swinging their new-season handbags and posing for the cameras.

The optics were fun, but the message was serious – that there are animals on almost every catwalk, it’s just that they are usually dead. The half-moon shoulder bag carried jauntily by a brown cow here was made from a vegan alternative to leather, while other bags were created from second-life plastic.

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Down the rabbit hole: why is 'Matrix dressing' so on trend?

From tiny sunglasses to leather coats, the film’s costume designer Kym Barrett writes about why the film’s look feels so relevant in our uncertain world

  • Read more from the spring/summer 2020 edition of The Fashion, our biannual style supplement

I never thought The Matrix would have the impact it has had on fashion. But from long leather coats to so-called “Matrix-style” sunglasses, the costumes I designed in the 90s continue to have influence to this day.

Part of the reason they are still in the ether is because they were so iconic. The silhouettes, for instance, had to be instantly recognisable so that viewers could tell who each character was, even in the dark. All of the costumes are fairly immune to period, which is what makes them relatable, even now.

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Would you wear clothes made from rubbish?

Goodbye mainstream fashion and hello menswear made of table linen, the founder of new publication TRASHmag thinks the future of style lies in the bin

  • Read more from the spring/summer 2020 edition of The Fashion, our biannual style supplement

What will the fashion industry look like in a decade? If I had my way, it would have reinvented its approach to ‘waste’, mass-produced fashion would no longer exist and we would value clothes for how they are made, not by whom. I believe this is possible: last year, I launched TRASHMag - a magazine focusing on designers and artists producing ethical work. The nine young innovators here are part of that cohort. From the milliner growing plant-based biomaterials to the designer collaging old trainers, their ideas are blueprints for a fashion future that doesn’t cost the earth.

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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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Wednesday Addams plaits and Jurassic Park chic: 14 style lessons

From haute gardening hats, to nettles dresses and sexy necklines, here are the trends that are coming for you for this spring/summer

  • Read more from the spring/summer 2020 edition of The Fashion, our biannual style supplement

Afraid of looking like a dunce when it comes to your fashion knowledge? We’ve created a cheat sheet for the new season.

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'It's a great look': jewellery follows clothing into genderless fashion

Zayn Malik and Virgil Abloh are among male celebrities decking out their ears, necks and wrists

There was a time when wearing a boyband-style dogtag was seen as the peak of male adornment, but now men are increasingly embracing jewellery, stacking rings and bracelets and adorning ears with multiple gems.

This week, the former One Direction singer Zayn Malik was announced as the face of the unisex jewellery label Martyre. Virgil Abloh, a weather vane for fashion’s direction of travel, this week launched more office supplies-inspired jewellery – paperclip bracelets, earrings and necklaces decorated with colourful diamonds – and was pictured wearing one of the collection’s bejewelled necklaces.

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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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So merch for all that: how Bernie Sanders became politics’ least likely style icon

Never has one man in inexpensive rumpled suits been so loved by the style set - but Sanders’ clothes signal an authenticity other politicians can only dream of

Of all the things we’ll miss about Bernie Sanders, now that he has dropped out of the Democratic race, his style should be the least of it. Not only because his politics are so right on – this is the man who believes in free education and Medicare for all and who has had many Americans, who until recently felt disenfranchised by mainstream politics, feeling activated by it. But also because his clothes are so seemingly unremarkable.

He wears crumpled suits that look borrowed from a slightly larger man and creased shirts with straight-lace striped ties. The inconspicuousness of his geography teacher shoes are matched only by his inoffensive navy round-neck jumpers.

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How to wear a biker jacket | Priya Elan

Thanks to Marlon Brando, this practical garment turned into the epitome of rebel streetwear before becoming a style staple

Physically, I’m about as robust as Stick Man. I’m weak enough to have seriously considered that my five-year-old is now physically stronger than me. When I hear “core”, all I think of is Andrea and her Irish singing siblings. So the idea of wearing a very heavy jacket like this sturdy biker one, gives me pause for thought. It will, I realise, force a rethink of how I move, and how I walk.

But I’m being open-minded about the style, because the biker jacket has come a long way. It was created by Irving Schott in 1928, in conjunction with Harley-Davidson, with a specific function in mind (belt buckles placed in certain places to protect you from the wind while riding; zippers for easy access). Marlon Brando’s jacket in The Wild One was from this range. Brando helped move it to the mainstream, and since then it’s been loved by wrong ’uns, rebels, greasers and Ramones.

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DIY fashion: designers' tips on what to make from home

From a patchwork quilt to a crisp-packet necklace, learn new skills with the help of some top British designers

Creative director and star of Netflix’s Next in Fashion, Daniel W Fletcher has plenty to get on with while in social isolation, designing a collection for Fiorucci as well as one for his own brand. In his down time, he is taking up a DIY challenge to make a patchwork quilt based on a dress he made during the filming of Next in Fashion, using other designers’ leftover scraps. The design – inspired by concerns over the melting polar ice caps – is an arctic landscape.

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Fast fashion speeding toward environmental disaster, report warns

Study highlights industry failures and calls for shift in consumer attitudes

The fashion industry needs to fundamentally change in order to mitigate the environmental impact of fast fashion, experts have said.

Clothes rental, better recycling processes, pollution control technology and the innovative use of offcuts are among measures that could help, they said.

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John Lewis and Mother of Pearl mark Earth Day with joint fashion line

Sustainable fashion collaboration featuring only biodegradable fabrics will be sold online

John Lewis and the fashion brand Mother of Pearl have chosen Earth Day for the launch of their sustainable fashion collaboration, specifically for its geopolitical symbolism.

Earth Day, which celebrates its 50th anniversary on 22 April, seemed an appropriate day to launch a collection bringing rigorous standards of ethical design to mass market fashion. A launch date that pays homage to the planet rather than the artificial seasons of fashion, and dovetails with the concept of timeless, seasonless clothes designed for wardrobe longevity.

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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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Blueprint to protect the mental health of frontline medical workers

Researchers have developed a set of recommendations to manage the mental health of frontline medical workers during viral outbreaks, such as COVID-19.




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'Terrible twos' not inevitable: With engaged parenting, happy babies can become happy toddlers

Parents should not feel pressured to make their young children undertake structured learning or achieve specific tasks, particularly during lockdown. A new study of children under the age of two has found that parents who take a more flexible approach to their child's learning can - for children who were easy babies - minimize behavioral problems during toddlerhood.




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Towards antibodies against COVID-19

Researchers have announced the isolation and characterization of a unique antibody that can bind to the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). The team has established that the antibody binds to a conserved epitope on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.




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New computational method unravels single-cell data from multiple people

A new computational method for assigning the donor in single cell RNA sequencing experiments provides an accurate way to unravel data from a mixture of people. The Souporcell method could help study how genetic variants in different people affect which genes are expressed during infection or response to drugs, and help research into transplants, personalized medicine and malaria.




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Tiny devices promise new horizon for security screening and medical imaging

Miniature devices that could be developed into safe, high-resolution imaging technology, with uses such as helping doctors identify potentially deadly cancers and treat them early, have been created.




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Sewage poses potential COVID-19 transmission risk, experts warn

Environmental biologists have warned that the potential spread of COVID-19 via sewage 'must not be neglected' in the battle to protect human health.




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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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Safely relaxing social distancing comes down to numbers

Your house number could be the key to the safe relaxation of COVID-19-related restrictions if governments follow a new exit strategy, which proposes the use of an 'odds-and-evens' approach to allowing people to head back to work and enjoy other activities after weeks of lockdown.




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Cholesterol lowering drugs linked to improved gut bacteria composition in obese people

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.




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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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Most critically ill patients with COVID-19 survive with standard treatment, study reveals

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.




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For better migraine treatment, try adding some downward dogs

Adding yoga to your regularly prescribed migraine treatment may be better than medication alone, according to a new study. The new research suggests yoga may help people with migraines have headaches that happen less often, don't last as long and are less painful.




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Novel way to treat snakebite

Scientists demonstrate a completely new way of treating snakebites. The team have shown that the repurposing of an existing medicine, commonly used to treat mercury poisoning, is an effective oral therapy for the treatment of certain hemotoxic snakebites.




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Police stop fewer black drivers at night when a 'veil of darkness' obscures their race

After analyzing 95 million traffic stop records, filed by officers with 21 state patrol agencies and 35 municipal police forces from 2011 to 2018, researchers concluded that 'police stops and search decisions suffer from persistent racial bias.'




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Middle age may be much more stressful now than in the '90s

A new study found that life may be more stressful now than it was in the 1990s, especially for people between the ages of 45 and 64.




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Sleep difficulties linked to altered brain development in infants who later develop autism

New research finds that sleep problems in a baby's first 12 months may not only precede an autism diagnosis, but also may be associated with altered growth trajectory in a key part of the brain, the hippocampus.




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Clay layers and distant pumping trigger arsenic contamination in Bangladesh groundwater

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.