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Coronavirus spares China’s armed forces but disrupts PLA modernisation plans

China’s military may have been spared any coronavirus infections, but the global health crisis has slowed the progress of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plan to transform the People’s Liberation Army into a modern fighting force capable of long-range power-projecting operations, experts say.According to China’s defence ministry, the world’s largest armed force – with about 2.3 million personnel – has had zero confirmed cases of Covid-19. In contrast, the US and Russian militaries, ranked second…




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US imposes fresh visa restrictions on Chinese journalists as media once again finds itself a target

The United States has tightened visa rules for Chinese journalists as the tit-for-tat war on the media between the two sides escalated.The rules, which will take effect on Monday, limit visas for Chinese passport holders to 90 days with the option for an extension, the US Department for Homeland Security said on Friday.Journalists with passports from Hong Kong or Macau will not be affected.“The department is issuing this rule to address the actions of the PRC [People’s Republic of China]…




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Covid-19 responses increasing vulnerability of the disabled

Many individuals with disabilities have been hard hit due to loss of income.




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Enforced Disappearances, Arbitrary Detentions, Hate Speech & Attacks on Civilians – ICC Report on Libya

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday highlighted crimes against humanity and grave mismanagement of the law in Libya during a release of their latest report on the North African nation.  Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, said enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, hate speech, and severe maltreatment of detainees remains a massive concern in […]

The post Enforced Disappearances, Arbitrary Detentions, Hate Speech & Attacks on Civilians – ICC Report on Libya appeared first on Inter Press Service.




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Now is the worst time to cut World Health Organisation funding

After a disaster there is a search for someone to blame but reckless vengeance can be as bad as the original calamity.




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A disaster waiting to happen or a bold, evidence-based response? In Sweden, it depends who you ask

As winter fades and spring breaks over Sweden, a high-stakes experiment in self-responsibility is underway.




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Senator Faisal Javed mother's death condoled APNS also expresses grief

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani Friday condoled the passing away of the mother of Senator Faisal Javed, who is also chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and...

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PPP, medical bodies demand end to privatisation of healthcare facilities

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan People’s Party and the representatives of medical organisations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have demanded an end to the privatisation of healthcare facilities in the province...

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Disasters put people on the move, for better or for worse -- by Kayly Ober

Disaster-related displacement is often negative, but can result in more resilient communities under the right circumstances. This can include better management of remittances sent to family members in the disaster zone.




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Why Southeast Asia shouldn’t worry about “brain drain” -- by Elisabetta Gentile

Here’s why the perception that skilled migration damages the source country is wrong.




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Tại sao Đông Nam Á không nên lo lắng về việc “chảy máu chất xám” -- by Elisabetta Gentile

Bài viết giải thích tại sao nhận thức cho rằng sự di cư của lao động có kỹ năng nghề làm tổn hại nguồn lực quốc gia là sai lầm.




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Five disaster resilience lessons we can learn from India -- by Dr. Archana Patankar

India is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to disasters and it has a lot to share when it comes to preparing for them.




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A surprising lifeline for workers, companies and communities after disasters -- by Yasuyuki Todo

Global supply chains link the welfare of disaster-hit companies and their surrounding communities to a network of corporations that have an economic incentive to help them bounce back. 




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The proliferation of FTDs: free trade disagreements -- by Jayant Menon

Simmering trade disputes are decreasing the beneficial effects of free trade and could in the long-term damage the rules-based order upon which global commerce is based.




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Microfinance can be a powerful force in disaster recovery -- by Mayumi Ozaki

The cost of disasters far outweighs the resources available for recovery. Microfinance could be one way to fill the funding gap.  




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How can we help the millions displaced each year by disasters? -- by Steven Goldfinch, Rebekah Beatrice Ramsay

Governments in the region need to invest more in prevention and response to the long-term impacts of disaster displacement.




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U.S. Stars 'Borrow' Legs of Black Pink Member Lisa in Internet Meme

A meme based on an image from a video clip of Lisa, a member of K-pop girl group Black Pink, has gone viral among global celebrities on Twitter. Lisa uploaded the 1 minute, 20 second video, which shows her performing a sexy dance routine, on her personal YouTube channel on April 20. Hollywood celebr...




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Grant Agreement (Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund) for Grant 0697-FIJ: Tropical Cyclone Harold Emergency Response Project

Grant agreements outline the terms of an agreement for a grant. This document dated 7 May 2020 is provided for the ADB project 54229-001 in Fiji.




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Azərbaycan və Asiya İnkişaf Bankı (1999-2019): 20 illik tərəfdaşlıq

Bu nəşrdə Azərbaycanda şaxələndirilmiş, inklyuziv və dayanıqlı artım naminə Asiya İnkişaf Bankı (AİB) və Azərbaycan Hökuməti arasında əməkdaşlığın və birgə səylərin xülasəsi təqdim edilir.




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ADBI-ICHARM Policy Dialogue on Water-Related Disaster Resilience Under Climate Change

This policy dialogue session on water-related disaster resilience with various public scientific agencies, ministries and Senior public works department officials from Japan and developing countries in Asia.




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Climate Change and Disasters: Protecting Townships in Bhutan

A major focus of the Phuentsholing Township Development Project is to provide a safer space in which the town can grow by helping develop a new urban center with raised ground levels in an area sheltered by the embankments.




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Loan No. 3430-IND: Visakhapatnam – Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Program - Project 1 [VCICDP-APIIC/01]




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Loan No. 3430-IND: Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Program - Project 1 [VCICDP/APTransco/01/2017]




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AI could solve baffling three-body problem that stumped Isaac Newton

The three-body problem has vexed mathematicians and physicists for 300 years, but AI can find solutions far faster than any other method anyone has come up with




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Climate change means nearly all glaciers in the Alps may disappear

A study of what will happen to glaciers in the Alps under various climate scenarios suggests they will almost completely disappear if we keep pumping out carbon dioxide




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U.S. tightens visa rules for Chinese journalists amid coronavirus tensions

The United States issued a new rule on Friday tightening visa guidelines for Chinese journalists, saying it was in response to the treatment of U.S. journalists in China, a shift that comes amid tensions between the two nations over the coronavirus global pandemic.




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The stunning east Asian city that dates to the dawn of civilisation

The mysterious Liangzhu civilisation was a neolithic "Venice of the East", rivalling ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia with its engineering marvels




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Optimism can avert climate disaster, say duo who brokered Paris deal

Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac led the 2015 Paris climate negotiations. They tell us why they’re hopeful for the future, and explain how fighting climate change is “the most exciting experiment in history”




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The stunning east Asian city that dates to the dawn of civilisation

The mysterious Liangzhu civilisation was a neolithic "Venice of the East", rivalling ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia with its engineering marvels




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Preemies' Increased Survival Comes With No Rise in Disabilities: Study

Title: Preemies' Increased Survival Comes With No Rise in Disabilities: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2013 12:00:00 AM




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Even Routine Housework May Help Stave Off Disability

Title: Even Routine Housework May Help Stave Off Disability
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2014 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2014 12:00:00 AM




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Bystander CPR Not Only Saves Lives, It Lessens Disability: Study

Title: Bystander CPR Not Only Saves Lives, It Lessens Disability: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 5/4/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/5/2017 12:00:00 AM




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Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa)

Title: Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa)
Category: Medications
Created: 4/20/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/20/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Menopause May Someday Disappear as Women Postpone Pregnancy: Study

Title: Menopause May Someday Disappear as Women Postpone Pregnancy: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 4/24/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Many Seniors Leave Hospital With New Disabilities

Title: Many Seniors Leave Hospital With New Disabilities
Category: Health News
Created: 3/2/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/3/2020 12:00:00 AM




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The Min System Disassembles FtsZ Foci and Inhibits Polar Peptidoglycan Remodeling in Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT

A microfluidic system coupled with fluorescence microscopy is a powerful approach for quantitative analysis of bacterial growth. Here, we measure parameters of growth and dynamic localization of the cell division initiation protein FtsZ in Bacillus subtilis. Consistent with previous reports, we found that after division, FtsZ rings remain at the cell poles, and polar FtsZ ring disassembly coincides with rapid Z-ring accumulation at the midcell. In cells mutated for minD, however, the polar FtsZ rings persist indefinitely, suggesting that the primary function of the Min system is in Z-ring disassembly. The inability to recycle FtsZ monomers in the minD mutant results in the simultaneous maintenance of multiple Z-rings that are restricted by competition for newly synthesized FtsZ. Although the parameters of FtsZ dynamics change in the minD mutant, the overall cell division time remains the same, albeit with elongated cells necessary to accumulate a critical threshold amount of FtsZ for promoting medial division. Finally, the minD mutant characteristically produces minicells composed of polar peptidoglycan shown to be inert for remodeling in the wild type. Polar peptidoglycan, however, loses its inert character in the minD mutant, suggesting that the Min system not only is important for recycling FtsZ but also may have a secondary role in the spatiotemporal regulation of peptidoglycan remodeling.

IMPORTANCE Many bacteria grow and divide by binary fission in which a mother cell divides into two identical daughter cells. To produce two equally sized daughters, the division machinery, guided by FtsZ, must dynamically localize to the midcell each cell cycle. Here, we quantitatively analyzed FtsZ dynamics during growth and found that the Min system of Bacillus subtilis is essential to disassemble FtsZ rings after division. Moreover, a failure to efficiently recycle FtsZ results in an increase in cell size. Finally, we show that the Min system has an additional role in inhibiting cell wall turnover and contributes to the "inert" property of cell walls at the poles.




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Cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy, hearing loss, and intellectual disability due to AIFM1 mutation

Objective

To describe the clinical and molecular genetic findings in a family segregating a novel mutation in the AIFM1 gene on the X chromosome.

Methods

We studied the clinical features and performed brain MRI scans, nerve conduction studies, audiometry, cognitive testing, and clinical exome sequencing (CES) in the proband, his mother, and maternal uncle. We used in silico tools, X chromosome inactivation assessment, and Western blot analysis to predict the consequences of an AIFM1 variant identified by CES and demonstrate its pathogenicity.

Results

The proband and his maternal uncle presented with childhood-onset nonprogressive cerebellar ataxia, hearing loss, intellectual disability (ID), peripheral neuropathy, and mood and behavioral disorder. The proband's mother had mild cerebellar ataxia, ID, and mood and behavior disorder, but no neuropathy or hearing loss. The 3 subjects shared a variant (c.1195G>A; p.Gly399Ser) in exon 12 of the AIFM1 gene, which is not reported in the exome/genome sequence databases, affecting a critical amino acid for protein function involved in NAD(H) binding and predicted to be pathogenic with very high probability by variant analysis programs. X chromosome inactivation was highly skewed in the proband's mother. The mutation did not cause quantitative changes in protein abundance.

Conclusions

Our report extends the molecular and phenotypic spectrum of AIFM1 mutations. Specific findings include limited progression of neurologic abnormalities after the first decade and the coexistence of mood and behavior disorder. This family also shows the confounding effect on the phenotype of nongenetic factors, such as alcohol and drug use and side effects of medication.




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Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities as Organ Transplantation Recipients

The demand for transplantable solid organs far exceeds the supply of deceased donor organs. Patient selection criteria are determined by individual transplant programs; given the scarcity of solid organs for transplant, allocation to those most likely to benefit takes into consideration both medical and psychosocial factors. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities have historically been excluded as potential recipients of organ transplants. When a transplant is likely to provide significant health benefits, denying a transplant to otherwise eligible children with disabilities may constitute illegal and unjustified discrimination. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities should not be excluded from the potential pool of recipients and should be referred for evaluation as recipients of solid organ transplants.




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Global Disability Burdens of Diabetes-Related Lower-Extremity Complications in 1990 and 2016

OBJECTIVE

No study has reported global disability burden estimates for individual diabetes-related lower-extremity complications (DRLECs). The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study presents a robust opportunity to address this gap.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

GBD 2016 data, including prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs), for the DRLECs of diabetic neuropathy, foot ulcer, and amputation with and without prosthesis were used. The GBD estimated prevalence using data from systematic reviews and DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool. YLDs were estimated as the product of prevalence estimates and disability weights for each DRLEC. We reported global and sex-, age-, region-, and country-specific estimates for each DRLEC for 1990 and 2016.

RESULTS

In 2016, an estimated 131 million people (1.8% of the global population) had DRLECs. An estimated 16.8 million YLDs (2.1% global YLDs) were caused by DRLECs, including 12.9 million (95% uncertainty interval 8.30–18.8) from neuropathy only, 2.5 million (1.7–3.6) from foot ulcers, 1.1 million (0.7–1.4) from amputation without prosthesis, and 0.4 million (0.3–0.5) from amputation with prosthesis. Age-standardized YLD rates of all DRLECs increased by between 14.6% and 31.0% from 1990 estimates. Male-to-female YLD ratios ranged from 0.96 for neuropathy only to 1.93 for foot ulcers. The 50- to 69-year-old age-group accounted for 47.8% of all YLDs from DRLECs.

CONCLUSIONS

These first-ever global estimates suggest that DRLECs are a large and growing contributor to the disability burden worldwide and disproportionately affect males and middle- to older-aged populations. These findings should facilitate policy makers worldwide to target strategies at populations disproportionately affected by DRLECs.




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"Take Me To Your Leader": An Electrophysiological Appraisal of the Role of Hub Cells in Pancreatic Islets

The coordinated electrical activity of β-cells within the pancreatic islet drives oscillatory insulin secretion. A recent hypothesis postulates that specially equipped "hub" or "leader" cells within the β-cell network drive islet oscillations and that electrically silencing or optically ablating these cells suppresses coordinated electrical activity (and thus insulin secretion) in the rest of the islet. In this Perspective, we discuss this hypothesis in relation to established principles of electrophysiological theory. We conclude that whereas electrical coupling between β-cells is sufficient for the propagation of excitation across the islet, there is no obvious electrophysiological mechanism that explains how hyperpolarizing a hub cell results in widespread inhibition of islet electrical activity and disruption of their coordination. Thus, intraislet diffusible factors should perhaps be considered as an alternate mechanism.




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The Antifungal Drug Isavuconazole Is both Amebicidal and Cysticidal against Acanthamoeba castellanii [Experimental Therapeutics]

Current treatments for Acanthamoeba keratitis rely on a combination of chlorhexidine gluconate, propamidine isethionate, and polyhexamethylene biguanide. These disinfectants are nonspecific and inherently toxic, which limits their effectiveness. Furthermore, in 10% of cases, recurrent infection ensues due to the difficulty in killing both trophozoites and double-walled cysts. Therefore, development of efficient, safe, and target-specific drugs which are capable of preventing recurrent Acanthamoeba infection is a critical unmet need for averting blindness. Since both trophozoites and cysts contain specific sets of membrane sterols, we hypothesized that antifungal drugs targeting sterol 14-demethylase (CYP51), known as conazoles, would have deleterious effects on A. castellanii trophozoites and cysts. To test this hypothesis, we first performed a systematic screen of the FDA-approved conazoles against A. castellanii trophozoites using a bioluminescence-based viability assay adapted and optimized for Acanthamoeba. The most potent drugs were then evaluated against cysts. Isavuconazole and posaconazole demonstrated low nanomolar potency against trophozoites of three clinical strains of A. castellanii. Furthermore, isavuconazole killed trophozoites within 24 h and suppressed excystment of preformed Acanthamoeba cysts into trophozoites. The rapid action of isavuconazole was also evident from the morphological changes at nanomolar drug concentrations causing rounding of trophozoites within 24 h of exposure. Given that isavuconazole has an excellent safety profile, is well tolerated in humans, and blocks A. castellanii excystation, this opens an opportunity for the cost-effective repurposing of isavuconazole for the treatment of primary and recurring Acanthamoeba keratitis.




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Is Asia prepared for the challenges that come with rapid urbanisation?

It all boils down to how resilient the region is, says an urban planner and designer based in Manila.




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E-scooters are a disaster for cities – but we must embrace them

Electric scooters are a nightmare. Rented by the minute, they clog up pavements and are an ungainly eyesore, but we still need them, says Donna Lu




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AI lets you be Albert Einstein or the Mona Lisa on all your Zoom calls

An AI-powered application lets you create real-time deepfakes during video calls, making you appear to be speaking as anyone from Albert Einstein to the Mona Lisa




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Biden Would Be a Disaster for Michigan

Michigan can and will recover from the devastating COVID-19 pandemic - but not if Joe Biden wins the presidential election this November. The former vice president's radical policy platform is destined to sabotage America's second economic comeback, dooming the Great Lakes State to a bleak future of perpetual economic stagnation.




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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.

Continue reading...




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‘Of course I smoked marijuana!’ Elliott Gould on stardom, Streisand and Elvis Presley

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 Ali

The 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...




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Gwyneth Paltrow said starring in Shallow Hal was a 'disaster' – here’s why she is right

The actor said wearing a fat suit for the 2001 movie taught her what it is like to be humiliated as an obese person. Why are TV and film characters so rarely treated with dignity and respect?

‘Disaster” is how Gwyneth Paltrow has summed up her role in the 2001 film Shallow Hal, which will surprise few people who have actually seen it. Jack Black plays Hal, a man so shallow he has to be hypnotised in order to date a fat woman, who, through his boggled eyes, he sees as a very thin woman.

The nastiness of Shallow Hal, which has long appalled critics and fans alike, was front and centre in the trailer, where Hal’s friend attempts to “rescue” him from speaking to a fat woman, Rosemary, who is, in fact, willowy Paltrow dressed in a fat suit. But because he cannot see what she looks like, he falls for her “inner beauty”. It is an uncomfortable mix – a film that pretends to preach body acceptance while simultaneously inviting laughter at bodies that don’t fit into jeans size six and under. Take the scene where she is called a “rhino”, or the one where she cannonballs into a swimming pool causing a tidal wave. The message built into the script’s DNA is simple: fat is funny; it is OK to laugh at fat people.

Continue reading...




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California Gov. Newsom Endorses Biden, Despite Attempts to Avoid Partisan Politics

"I just couldn't be more proud of you and the prospect of your presidency," Newsom told Biden Friday during a campaign event.




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Obama Slams Dropping of Michael Flynn Case, Calls White House COVID-19 Response 'Absolute Chaotic Disaster': Report

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.