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Time is running out for the leap second

Abolition would see 'official' time unmoored from the Sun.




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RPGCast – Episode 351: “E3 2015: Fallout Sheltered Life”

XSEED and Natsume make up. Chris rubs his sore feet. Emmanuel’s ear drums get blown out by a Shenmue fan. Alex is STILL posting stories....




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RPGCast – Episode 428: “Not Talkin’ ‘Bout The Underwear”

Magikarp manages to keep swimming up the current of news for another week. But Fire Emblem, River City, and Pyre show up as stops along...




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RPGCast – Episode 429: “Diablo II Out The Wazoo”

As we gear up for E3, we get hyped about the latest games. That’s right, we’ve got some hot impressions on Harvester and Diablo II....




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RPGCast – Episode 487: “FIGHT IT OUT”

This week's cast has Pascal and Johnathan discussing their holiday gameplay time as well as whether Octopath Traveler is worth a second look. Also, Chris gets really frustrated about Atelier games and Anna Marie gets really frustrated with Chris.




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RPGCast – Episode 496: “Painful Sneeze Out Of Ten”

We’re joined by a new staffer (Peter) this week for a HUGE cast! We set off a KEMCO alert with massively overpriced DLC, we’re accidentally...




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RPG Cast – Episode 534: “Dr. Thunder Fallout”

We missed you all last week, but we’re back with a bunch of hot topics, including the FF7R demo, Dragon Quest of the Stars, and which alien Kelley got busy with in Mass Effect. Anna Marie gets really confused about review scores, and we can’t really decide when a Millennial starts and a Gen-X ends. Of course, none of that matters because Animal Crossing is almost here!




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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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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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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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Outpatient COVID-19 clues

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.




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Survey: Half of Americans concerned about new moms, babies being in public amid COVID-19

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.




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Taking on COVID-19, South Africa Goes After Cigarettes and Booze, Too

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





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Brazil's Supreme Court throws out rules that limit gay men donating blood




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Love isn't all you need: French ministers rule out easing travel rules for couples

MP called for love to be added to list of permitted reasons for long-distance journeys

Couples 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.

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It's about time film began representing the lesbian gaze

In Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, we finally steer away from seeing intimacy through the male gaze

The portrayal of lesbians in mainstream cinema tends to involve prosthetic vaginas and gratuitous sex scenes; so Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire comes as a breath of fresh air. It is the story of the burgeoning relationship between two young women – emancipated artist Marianne (Noémie Merlant), who is commissioned to paint a portrait of sexually repressed Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), leading to a heated romance.

On paper, it looks like the classic lesbian cinematic narrative – there is a buildup of tension, they finally kiss, and then their possibility of a future together seems doomed. However, what makes Portrait of a Lady on Fire different is its heightened self-awareness. The film is constructed with lesbian representation in mind through careful interrogation of the lesbian gaze. There is a lot of looking. Marianne looks at Héloïse because she has to secretly paint her, and Héloïse looks at Marianne out of curiosity. Eventually, there is a shift in the way they start looking at each other – out of desire.

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Trump mocks Oscar win for Parasite: 'What the hell was that about?' – video

Donald Trump takes a jab at the South Korean film Parasite, best picture at this year's Oscars, telling supporters in Colorado that the US has 'enough problems with South Korea', and: ‘Can we get Gone With the Wind back?’ He also dismisses Brad Pitt, who – during his Oscars speech said his 45-second slot was more than John Bolton received at the US president's Senate impeachment trial. Trump calls the actor a 'little wise guy'

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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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Germany, On Cusp of Reopening, Scrambles to Contain Fresh Coronavirus Outbreaks

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.




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Bill Maher Says Republicans 'Don't Care' About Tara Reade's Biden Allegations, Challenges Timing of Sexual Assault Claims

Bill Maher said Republicans "don't care" about Tara Reade's sexual assault allegations, saying such claims are simply used as a "unilateral weapon" against Democrats.




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I’m Gaming My Way Through Quarantine — and That’s Nothing to Feel Guilty About

Video games can fill the productivity and social void in this unusual time




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Working Out at Home? Here’s the Smartest Exercise Gear You Can Use

From yoga apps to an intelligent jumprope




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Epic Games launches Fortnite on the Google Play Store and they’re not happy about it

Epic Games is finally settling its feud — kind of — with Google and putting Fortnite onto the Google Play Store, but the studio sounds pretty pissed about it. When Fortnite launched on mobile in 2018, Epic Games very notably sidestepped the Google Play Store and pushed users to download the title directly from their […]




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7 VCs talk about today’s esports opportunities

Even before the COVID-19 shutdown, venture funding rounds and total deal volume of VC funding for esports were down noticeably from the year prior. The space received a lot of attention in 2017 and 2018 as leagues formed, teams raised money and surging popularity fostered a whole ecosystem of new companies. Last year featured some […]




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Tijuana coronavirus death rate soars after hospital outbreaks

The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Mexico's best-known border city, Tijuana, has soared and the COVID-19 mortality rate is twice the national average, the health ministry says, after medical staff quickly fell ill as the outbreak rampaged through hospital wards.




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As Trump returns to the road, some Democrats want to bust Biden out of his basement

While President Donald Trump traveled to the battleground state of Arizona this week, his Democratic opponent for the White House, Joe Biden, campaigned from his basement as he has done throughout the coronavirus pandemic.




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Coronavirus outbreak: Eight flights from several countries to fly back stranded Indians today

New Dlehi, May 09: Several Indians, who are stranded in at least seven countries due to coronavirus outbreak, is all set to fly back to their home country on Saturday in special flights under Vande Bharat Mission. According to officials,





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Coronavirus outbreak: Tamil Nadu residents stranded in foreign countries return

Chennai, May 09: About 359 people arrived in Tamil Nadu early on Saturday from Dubai in two Air India flights as part of the government's Vande Bharat Mission to bring home Indian nationals stranded in various countries. Among the passengers





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PNB Staff Test Positive for COVID-19? Video Taken Out of Context

Loni SDM clarified that four employees have tested positive for coronavirus and not all of them, as claimed.





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You could be spreading the coronavirus without realising you’ve got it

People with covid-19 appear to be most contagious 15 hours before their symptoms start, and many people may not even go on to develop noticeable symptoms




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New York City’s coronavirus outbreak is already overwhelming hospitals

New York City is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the US and hospitals are already struggling to treat everyone with covid-19, though the outbreak may not peak for three weeks




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The hunt for patient zero: Where did the coronavirus outbreak start?

Growing evidence suggests the covid-19 outbreak may not have started at Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Market in December after all. Finding its origins may help us stop it happening again




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Coronavirus will play out very differently in world's poorest nations

Cases of covid-19 have been slow to appear in developing economies, but now they are ramping up. Slums and refugee camps could be particularly vulnerable




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The past can help us deal with the pandemic’s mental health fallout

Lessons learned from natural disasters and the military can help guide our responses to help people's mental health during the covid-19 pandemic




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Coronavirus: What does evidence say about schools reopening?

Many studies suggest coronavirus has low transmission rates among children, but there are still risks to reopening schools that were closed due to social distancing policies




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What four coronaviruses from history can tell us about covid-19

Four coronaviruses cause around a quarter of all common colds, but each was probably deadly when it first made the leap to humans. We can learn a lot from what happened next




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Brain cells reach out to each other through miniature cages

Mouse neurons trapped inside cages grow long appendages to connect to each other. Trapping the cells allows us to precisely control their growth




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New Zealand is close to wiping out covid-19 - can it return to normal?

New Zealand is on track to eliminate covid-19 altogether, but keeping the virus out for good will be a challenge, and the economic impacts are likely to hurt




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Haaland urged to make Liverpool move as former coach questions Man Utd & Real Madrid for missing out

Alf Ingve Berntsen, who worked with the teenage striker at Byrne FK, believes a heavyweight European outfit should already have signed the Norwegian





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Hamilton gets empty feeling thinking about F1 without fans

F1 remains hopeful that the season can start in early July with a double header at the Austrian Grand Prix, and that 15-18 of the 22 scheduled races can yet be completed. “It’s going to be very empty," Hamilton said Saturday, evoking the subdued atmosphere of pre-season testing in Spain. “For us it’s going to be like a test day, probably even worse than a test day in a sense," the Mercedes driver said.





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Trump says his administration is talking to Republican senators about work visa issue

President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration is talking to Republican senators about work visa issues, amid the coronavirus outbreak that has wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy.




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In video interview, Biden's accuser says he should drop out of White House race

The woman who alleges presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 said in a video interview on Thursday that he should withdraw from the White House race.




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As Trump returns to the road, some Democrats want to bust Biden out of his basement

While President Donald Trump traveled to the battleground state of Arizona this week, his Democratic opponent for the White House, Joe Biden, campaigned from his basement as he has done throughout the coronavirus pandemic.




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Tijuana coronavirus death rate soars after hospital outbreaks

The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Mexico's best-known border city, Tijuana, has soared and the COVID-19 mortality rate is twice the national average, the health ministry says, after medical staff quickly fell ill as the outbreak rampaged through hospital wards.




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Kenya and Uganda hit by power blackout, electricity back in most of Kenya

Kenya and Uganda were hit by power blackouts on Saturday, and Kenya Power said the outage on its grid was caused by a fault on a high voltage line but that it had restored supply to most parts of the country.




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Insect Experts Say People Should Calm Down About the Threat of ‘Murder Hornets’

They say the hornet “hype" reminds them of the “killer bees” scare of the 1970s




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Nicki Minaj jokes about pregnancy speculation

Nicki wed Kenneth Petty last year.