Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal posed for photographers at the Cannes Film Festival promoting their film 'Strange Way of Life', a new Pedro Almodóvar Western. Johnny Depp also made an appearance, saying that he had 'no further need for Hollywood', whilst promoting his film 'Jeanne du Barry', which he stars in opposite Maïwenn. Director Steve McQueen premiered his four-hour documentary 'Occupied City', which he collaborated on with his wife. And the film 'Monster', from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, was showcased with appearances from Hollywood stars like Hawke, Gemma Chan, Sara Sampaio, and Viola Davis.
Researchers have found that a drug called semaglutide can halve obesity rates among teenagers aged 12 to 18. The adolescents in the US trial were given the drug on a weekly basis along with lifestyle counselling for 16 months. Nearly half of the 134 teenagers were found to have their weight reduced to below the level of obesity as a result of the drug, surpassing other non-surgical methods. Almost 75% of those given the drug saw a significant enough change in weight to move into a new weight category such as moving from the most severe obesity category to a lesser stage.
A man who killed eight people and injured 18 others in a truck attack on a Manhattan bike path in October 2017 has been given eight consecutive life sentences and another 260 years in prison. Sayfullo Saipov was sentenced after being found guilty by a jury in March, which rejected the death penalty. Among those killed were five tourists from Argentina, two Americans and a Belgian woman. Relating to Saipov’s statement in court that his victims’ tears were less significant than those of the wider Islamic community, Judge Vernon S Broderick said: “Your self-perceived sense of jihad… led you to this day”.
A six-year-old girl who was abducted six years ago from Illinois has been found after someone recognised her on Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries reboot. Kayla Unbehaun was found in North Carolina after an unidentified store owner recognised her from the Netflix show, according to reports. The incident highlights a trend that sees documentarians highlighting cold cases and enabling fresh evidence to be uncovered. The original Unsolved Mysteries show helped solve 260 cases before it was rebooted by Netflix. Other examples include Michael Peterson's case in The Staircase, the West Memphis Three case in Paradise Lost, and the release of Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam from prison, both prisoners having been accused of murdering Malcolm X.
A new clinical trial has demonstrated that an appetite suppressant drug has helped teenagers drop weight. Those participating in the study were no longer classed as obese 68 weeks after receiving the injection, compared to a placebo group, which saw only 12% of members drop out of the overweight category. The drug, semaglutide, averages 40 pounds of weight loss, according to the research that was published in a journal entitled Obesity. Despite reporting some side effects like nausea and vomiting, Dr Aaron Kelly, from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis said the drug could be "transformative," adding that it should be taken as part of a long-term treatment plan. He went on to compare its use to the long-term use of medication and treatment of high blood pressure, claiming that high blood pressure treatment is used for life, and obesity should receive the same treatment, where effective.
German forester Peter Wohlleben has published a new book entitled The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us If We Let Them. The work contains chapters on climate change and its effect on forests as well as discussions on how trees change their behaviour over time as a hedge against harsh, future conditions. The book has been criticised, however, for Wohlleben's “sentimental” language and his lack of clarity when discussing policy solutions to climate change. The book has been published worldwide in multiple languages.
Professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau has spoken to The Telegraph of his journey to health after he was warned to abandon his "Incredible Bulk" experiment or risk his career and potentially his life. The golfer gained almost three stone in weight before making changes to his approach and diet, which included an aversion to vegetables. As well as contributing to his miserable form, the approach led to serious health concerns, such as internal inflammation and gut biome measurements that caused medics to recommend a change of diet. DeChambeau has now embraced eating greens and fresh fruit again, and has found a chef who can make it all palatable.
Anti-abortion campaigners and pro-life religious groups are moving to the forefront of the battle over abortion, hoping that the new wave of laws in Republican states will trump state laws. Activists who sway legal opinions warn that any effort to retreat from national abortion restrictions would be a serious mistake, and Kellyanne Conway believes a 15-week limit on abortion is an effective way to put Democrats on defense on the issue. Two-thirds of Americans say they oppose the decision to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, and despite abortion restrictions becoming more prevalent, the pro-choice lobby is seen as powerful and a key issue for many voters in the Democratic party. Trump, as a candidate, has not yet given his opinion on where he will draw the line on federal legislation concerning abortion since the Supreme Court ruling overturning the right to an abortion.
Workaholism can be just as or even more devastating than alcoholism on other family members, according to psychotherapist Bryan E. Robinson. Workaholics tend to direct partners to plan the home, family and social schedules to suit them, leaving spouses feeling alone and unable to rely on the mental health system due to a lack of help offered to families. Robinson suggests family members refrain from putting their lives on hold for their workaholic family member, by sticking to their plans and attending family events alone if the workaholic cancels.
Pedro Pascal has been praised for his acting by his co-star Ethan Hawke as the duo promoted their new film, the gay, Western short Strange Way of Life, at Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the film sees Pascal's character Silva visit Hawke's Sheriff Jake after 20 years apart, sparking conflict over the idea of revisiting the past. The half-hour production was the second film in English for Almodóvar and premiered at Cannes this week. It is set for release on 26 May.
Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz has revealed she suffered a miscarriage in the past. Speaking on the News Agents podcast, Weisz said the show Dead Ringers had faced a negative reaction to scenes depicting childbirth and baby loss. A mother of two, Weisz did not give further details about the miscarriage, but said it was all part of a "female experience of being alive". She also called out US anti-abortion activists who support the death penalty, saying: "At the beginning of life, a woman has no choice. How do you rationalise that?”
Oscar Lynch tells his story of growing up and living with haemophilia, a disorder where one of the blood-clotting proteins doesn’t work or is missing. He had bleeds into his knees, elbows, ankles and nose that lasted all day and night, and suffered up to 30 haemophilia-related bleeds every year. By the time he was diagnosed at 18 months old, his mother had lost two sons in infancy to haemophilia; brothers he would never meet. At that time, there was no treatment in Ireland for haemophilia. Then came the horror of the contaminated blood scandal when 4,689 people with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses in the 1970s and 80s through the use of contaminated clotting factors. Lynch was fortunate to escape HIV, but many members of his group were not. In 2019, Lynch volunteered to be part of the clinical trial for the new gene therapy Hemgenix, which works by injecting factor IX, packed inside a virus, into the blood by infusion. Today, he is cured, though nobody knows how long the gene therapy will last.
Kyo Maclear, the Toronto-based author of multiple children’s books, two novels and a memoir, has explored the meaning of family, identity and heritage in her new book, Unearthing. Three months after the death of her father, celebrated foreign correspondent Michael Maclear, Maclear discovered her DNA did not match his, prompting her to examine her own and mother's histories in a meditation on secrets and stories, race and lineage, grief and grace. She used the notion of gardens and the backdrop of the natural world to muse on the subtleties of the passages of time. The non-linear structure of the book reflects the minuscule changes in seasonal landscapes, the beauty of all things, passive and active, and celebrates “permeability”.
Pema Tseden is a Tibetan filmmaker whose work is focused on Tibetan landscapes and stories. His seven feature films are in the Tibetan language and feature primarily amateur Tibetan actors. His work has helped to reshape outsiders' impressions of Tibet as a mysterious land of splendour or a place of barbarous peasants. Instead, Tseden’s films show modernity coming into collision with ancient tradition in that landscape. He has been able to get round issues of censorship with exceptional subtlety; for instance, the Chinese presence in Tibet is almost invisible in his films, with just one shop sign or TV news bulletin here or there. Themes that might touch on national directives - such as the need to have an ID card or the one-child policy - are present in his films but with no open criticism. Tseden’s stories often explore Buddhist teachings on compassion, life, death and time, asking especially how far compassion should go.
The Catholic Church has used psychometric testing since 2005 to assess those applying to become priests, to ensure they are able to survive a life of service and celibacy. Psychometric tests reveal whether applicants have keen senses of perception, strong survivor instincts, an attention to detail, extreme curiosity, a logical mind, and are motivated and driven. However, the tests also help detect whether an applicant has paranoid thinking, depression, social withdrawal and behaviour that is unusual or psychotic. The early Church recognised that a life of celibate solitude and prayer could test even the sturdiest mental constitutions.
The latest adaptation of Judy Blume's coming-of-age novel "Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret" has been hailed as a "sweet coming-of-age story" that espouses an "innocent adolescence that modern teenagers will never have a chance to experience". Released in 1970, the novel covered issues such as bullying, religion and puberty, and was considered a must-read for young girls. However in the latest cinematic version, Margaret is portrayed as a chipper 11-year-old who worries more about her breast size than cyberbullying. The movie features a classic 1970s aesthetic with "oversized collars and the brown-on-brown colour schemes". Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, the film stars actors including Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates.
Russian soldiers fighting on the front line in Ukraine are suffering, and with rising casualty rates, Putin is paying a high price for his decision to invade. The Russian Army moved into the Crimea in February 2014, and fighting began with Ukrainian forces in the Donbas that April. The casual factors that Putin has been successful in hiding until now are becoming readily apparent, and a peace recessions looks like it would probably result in Putin's forced military collapse. It is thought that the reasons Putin would not want a ceasefire are that it would confirm the values of the international order, which he loathes, and second, would make it difficult for him to expand his military objectives in fighting in Syria, where he supports President Assad.
Award-winning photographer Fredrik Lerneryd has produced a series of photographs released by The Independent, depicting mothers and their children suffering from extreme hunger and malnutrition-induced sickness in the midst of a drought crisis in Southern Somalia. According to the UN in February this year, almost 8.25 million people in the region – almost half the population – require immediate lifesaving aid and protection, whilst a report by Somalia Government’s Minister of Health estimated 43,000 excess deaths due to the ongoing drought. The charity Oxfam warns that climate-induced drought has left 36 million people in East Africa, covering Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan, facing severe hunger. 85,000 people in South Sudan and Somalia are said to be on the brink of famine. Oxfam has called on the G7 to take “life-saving action” over famine in East Africa, ahead of the summit scheduled for Friday. It has claimed that “world leaders are failing to live up to their commitments”.
From Renaissance ideals to Ebenezer Howard's Garden City, architects and urban planners have created some of the most famous cities with specific ideals in mind. The author mentions an 8th century Kyoto, which had a grid system modeled from China's Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an), long before Manhattan existed; a scaled-down version was made of Nara, the capital before it; the city had temples, shrines, and delicate gardens to the city's backdrop of mountains. 15-minute cities were polarizing in the UK due to their association with low-traffic neighborhoods; Blooming with parks, temples and huge statues, Ramesses II's Pi-Ramesses, was built on the banks of a now-dry branch of the Nile, but was little more than a lost city buried under Egyptian fields for 3,000 years. In the wake of Europe's Black Death, Renaissance idealists harked back to Roman and Greek settlements, developing the concept of the Ideal City. Architects such as Maverick Filarete named his pioneering, star-shaped prototype the Sforzinda. Lastly, urban planner Ebenezer Howard sought a way for normal working-class families to escape the city, leading to garden cities such as Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City that influenced the capital cities of New Delhi and Canberra.
CFL in the blood of Hamilton Tiger-Cats coaches Milanovich, Reinebold
CBC
23-05-18 15:42
Scott Milanovich, former head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, has returned to the CFL, this time as senior assistant coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. His appointment marks Milanovich’s fifth stint in Canada. He has previously worked as Montreal Alouettes quarterback coach, where he won Grey Cup rings in 2009-2010, as well as offensive coordinator under head coach Marc Trestman. His career saw him move from being head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars to returning to the CFL in Edmonton under the same guise, prior to resigning to pursue NFL opportunities. Milanovich is joined at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by veteran special-teams coordinator Jeff Reinebold, who has been with six different teams and, like Milanovich, has worked with the Lions and Hamilton more than once.
