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AstraZeneca admits to Covid vaccine's deadly side effect

<p>AstraZeneca has admitted that their Covid vaccine carries a very rare but deadly side effect, as "dozens" of class-action lawsuits pile up. </p> <p>The UK pharmaceutical giant could be facing damages of up to $38 million, as lawyers representing complainants whose loved ones who were injured or killed from the jab called the vaccine "defective". </p> <p>Those who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine could be susceptible to a rare and potentially blood clotting disorder called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS, in which patients suffer from blood clots as well as a low blood platelet count. </p> <p>While the side effect is rare, recent research from RMIT University and Monash University found Australia’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout likely prevented the death of 17,760 people aged over 50 in New South Wales between August 2021 and July 2022, with some researchers suggesting that AstraZeneca alone helped saved as many as six million lives worldwide, according to the <a title="nypost.com" href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/29/world-news/astrazeneca-cops-to-rare-deadly-side-effect-of-covid-jab-as-lawsuits-mount/"><em>New York Post</em>.</a></p> <p>AstraZeneca, which is contesting the claims, acknowledged in a February legal document that its vaccine can “in very rare cases,” cause the clotting condition, while also acknowledging that the potential complication was listed as a side effect of the vaccine since its release.</p> <p>So far, 51 cases have been filed in London’s High Court, estimated to be worth around $190 million (GBP100 million) total, according to the UK newspaper<a title="www.telegraph.co.uk" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/28/astrazeneca-admits-covid-vaccine-causes-rare-side-effect/"> <em>The Telegraph</em></a>.</p> <p>However, thanks to a deal struck between AstraZeneca and the UK government during the worst of the pandemic, the drugmaker has been pre-emptively indemnified against future lawsuits – which means any successful claims for payouts will be born by taxpayers.</p> <p>One of the claimants is father-of-two Jamie Scott, who was left with a permanent brain injury after suffering a clot following receiving the vaccine in April 2021. </p> <p>His wife, Kate, told <a title="www.telegraph.co.uk" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/28/astrazeneca-admits-covid-vaccine-causes-rare-side-effect/"><em>The Telegraph</em> </a>she’s hopeful the company’s admission will accelerate the outcome of their case.</p> <p>“We need an apology, fair compensation for our family and other families who have been affected. We have the truth on our side, and we are not going to give up.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Legal

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Four myths about the financial side of divorce

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-hitchings-388514">Emma Hitchings</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-bristol-1211">University of Bristol</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gillian-douglas-1428314">Gillian Douglas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kings-college-london-1196">King's College London</a></em></p> <p>It’s no wonder many people think divorce involves going to court, huge legal fees and decades of spousal payments, considering these are the cases that dominate our headlines. However, the kinds of divorce cases reported in the news involve the very rich, and are far removed from the reality for most couples.</p> <p>The Law Commission of England and Wales, the body responsible for law reform, <a href="https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/financial-remedies-on-divorce/">recently announced a review</a> of the law of finances on divorce, with a scoping report due in September 2024. Review of this law is much needed, given the legislation governing how couples in England and Wales sort out their financial affairs upon marriage breakdown mainly dates back to the 1970s (the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/18">Matrimonial Causes Act 1973</a>).</p> <p>The problem is that key politicians <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2023-03-08/debates/3AB3D708-24E5-4FF2-8481-05EFA27E2593/DivorceFinancialProvision">who have been calling for change</a> still rely on the issues raised in these <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2018-05-11/debates/89A33706-7DCD-4FA0-AE0D-B06E11FAF264/Divorce(FinancialProvision)Bill(HL)">exceptional, “big money” divorce cases</a>.</p> <p>We need to correct the misleading narrative about divorce if reform is to address the needs of the 110,000 couples <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022">who get divorced in England and Wales each year</a>. Although there is limited research about this issue, we do know enough to challenge the following myths.</p> <h2>1. Spouses are often forced to fund costly legal battles</h2> <p>Family courts grant divorces and the fee is currently £593. However, it is not mandatory for a divorcing couple to get an additional order regarding their finances, and there is no need for expensive court hearings.</p> <p>In fact, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022">fewer than 40%</a> of those divorcing each year do so. While there is no authoritative data on average legal costs incurred in these cases, it seems that, for many couples, the costs of sorting out their financial arrangements need not be high because the courts are not involved.</p> <p>And even those couples who do use the courts for their financial matters overwhelmingly settle rather than fight their case, which limits their legal costs. Only <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022">13% of financial orders</a> made in a divorce are actually decided by a judge after contested litigation. The rest are consent orders: orders finalised by the judge on terms that have already been agreed by the divorcing couple.</p> <h2>2. Everything is split 50/50</h2> <p>The law does not lay down a principle of equal sharing of the marital assets on divorce. However, the courts <a href="https://www.lawteacher.net/cases/miller-v-miller-mcfarlane-v-mcfarlane.php">do accept this is a desirable goal</a> if this can be done while meeting both parties’ needs – and those of their children.</p> <p>Research suggests that, rather than rigidly applying a 50/50 split, couples focus on their needs first and <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/financial-remedies-on-divorce-the-need-for-evidence-based-reform">particularly those of their children</a>. This can result in an unequal split of the value of the main asset most couples have – the former marital home.</p> <h2>3. Men have to pay lifelong maintenance</h2> <p>Some news media object to the current law as they claim it allows an ex-wife to be supported <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5965629/Surveyor-marriage-ended-16-years-ago-WINS-Supreme-Court-battle.html">for the rest of her life</a> by her former husband (or vice versa). The argument is that this casts ex-wives as dependants who cannot look after themselves, and prevents husbands from moving on after their divorce.</p> <p>In reality, lifelong maintenance is rare, and even limited ongoing financial support is uncommon. The most recent data found that only 16% of court orders involved any kind of ongoing spousal support – of which, two-thirds were for a fixed term. Nearly all such orders involved <a href="http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/briefing%20paper%20Jun%202018%20FINAL.pdf">dependant children</a>, with the order terminating when the youngest child reaches a certain age or stage of education.</p> <h2>4. London is the divorce capital of the world</h2> <p>Some news media <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/feb/24/divorce-rich-husband-london-english-law">report</a> that the courts’ endorsement of the principle of equal sharing has led to some wives, married to oligarchs, sheikhs and tycoons, seeking divorce through an English court due to its “generous” treatment of them. For example in 2021, a High Court judge ordered Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the emir of Dubai, to pay a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-london-divorce-capital-world-for-mega-rich-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">£554 million divorce settlement</a> to his former wife, Princess Haya.</p> <p>By their nature, these cases are atypical – that’s why they make headlines. But why should the fact that English law takes spousal equality seriously be a matter for regret? The 1970s legislation aimed to ensure the non-financial contributions of spouses, such as home-making and caring, should be recognised. Judges have been clear <a href="https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/3-503-7596?transitionType=Default&amp;contextData=(sc.Default)&amp;firstPage=true">it is discriminatory to assume</a> the breadwinner spouse is making a greater contribution to the relationship and should keep a larger part of the wealth than the other who takes on the role of carer. Surely this is an enlightened position.</p> <p>That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t update the law, though. Working patterns have changed but women still earn, on average, <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/genderpaygapintheuk/2022#:%7E:text=Image%20.csv%20.xls-,The%20gender%20pay%20gap%20has%20been%20declining%20slowly%20over%20time,up%20from%207.7%25%20in%202021.">less than men</a>. They are still more likely to assume the bulk of <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/familiesandthelabourmarketengland/2021">child care</a>, <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/familiesandthelabourmarketengland/2021">work part-time </a>, and, in consequence, have <a href="https://adviser.scottishwidows.co.uk/assets/literature/docs/women-retirement-report-2022-press-release.pdf">smaller pensions compared with men</a>.</p> <p>The result is that, far from being treated generously, women still come out of divorce <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/handle/2123/26207/Fisher_2018_AJFL_Final.pdf?sequence=1">financially worse off than men</a>.</p> <p>But there is still so much we don’t know about how divorced couples divide their assets. Since the norm is for couples to stay out of the courts, there is no official record of how the majority of the divorcing population arranges their finances. That’s why <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/emma-hitchings">one of us</a> (Emma) is leading the Fair Shares Study, expected to publish in autumn 2023. This will provide the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/law/fair-shares-project/">first nationally representative picture</a> of couples’ finances on divorce.</p> <p>We need a law that meets the needs of all divorcing couples rather than the few wealthy exceptions, and a major corrective to the myths that abound in this area of family law.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202975/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-hitchings-388514">Emma Hitchings</a>, Professor of Family Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-bristol-1211">University of Bristol</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gillian-douglas-1428314">Gillian Douglas</a>, Professor Emerita of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kings-college-london-1196">King's College London</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-myths-about-the-financial-side-of-divorce-202975">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Banksy mural on the side of dilapidated farmhouse destroyed

<p dir="ltr">A dilapidated farmhouse, with a Banksy mural on its side, has been demolished in the seaside town of Herne Bay in Kent, England.</p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork, called <em>Morning is Broken</em>, features a young boy with a cat at his side opening corrugated iron curtains and staring at the world outside. </p> <p dir="ltr">The farmhouse was built in 1529, and was approved for demolition in late 2022, before anyone realised the importance of the mural. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We had no idea it was a Banksy. It made me feel sick realising it was a Banksy—we were gutted,” contractor George Caudwell told <em><a href="https://www.kentonline.co.uk/herne-bay/news/banksy-confirms-new-artwork-but-its-already-been-torn-dow-283771/">KentOnline</a></em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We started demolishing it yesterday. The landowner watched us do it and didn’t know either.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Banksy shared news of the demolition on his Instagram with a series of pictures, posting a photo of the destruction, simply writing over the image, “Morning is broken.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">One person who has a personal connection with the farmhouse left a comment for the elusive street artist, writing, “This was my grandma's farm house before it was left to ruins, I spent so many happy hours in the house and at the farm, this was even done on the room I used to sleep in with the farm cat.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you so much for this Mr Banksy, my grandparents would have been very proud ❤️”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The demolition comes just weeks after another Banksy artwork in the UK town of Margate was destroyed. </p> <p dir="ltr">The artist took up the theme of domestic violence against women in a piece titled <em>Valentine’s Day Mascara</em>, depicting a 1950s housewife with a missing tooth and a black eye as she packs a male body into a real-life freezer chest.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Art

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The Dark Side of the Moon at 50: how Marx, trauma and compassion all influenced Pink Floyd’s masterpiece

<p><em>Dixi et salvavi animam meam.</em></p> <p>This Latin phrase – I have spoken and saved my soul – sits at the end of Karl Marx’s <a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/">Critique of the Gotha Programme</a>. </p> <p>Written in 1875, this text imagines a communist society that will come about “after the enslaving of the individual to the division of labour, and thereby also the antithesis between mental and physical labour has vanished”. </p> <p>Only then, Marx argues, “can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be completely transcended and society inscribe on its banners: from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs!”</p> <p>Roger Waters – bassist, lyricist and conceptual mastermind behind Pink Floyd’s 1973 album <em>The Dark Side of the Moon</em>, released 50 years ago today – knows Marx’s Critique. Indeed, he quotes it when discussing the record with music journalist John Harris. </p> <p>“Making <em>The Dark Side of the Moon</em>, we were all trying to do as much as we possibly could,” Waters <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/301401">told</a> Harris.</p> <p>"It was a very communal thing. What’s that old Marxist maxim? ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.’ That’s sort of the way the band worked at that point."</p> <p>Assertions about solidarity, cooperation and shared “unity of purpose” – as Waters says – situate <em>Dark Side</em> in the context of Pink Floyd’s <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/pink-floyd-roger-waters-david-gilmour-feud/">notoriously fractious</a> recording career and helps us understand the album’s enduring appeal.</p> <h2>Shine on you crazy diamond</h2> <p>Pink Floyd formed in London in 1965. Led by the charismatic songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist Syd Barrett, the group established itself as a leader in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_underground">London underground music scene</a>. They released their debut album <em>The Piper at the Gates of Dawn</em> in 1967.</p> <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_Machine">Soft Machine</a> member Kevin Ayers <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/pink-floyds-the-piper-at-the-gates-of-dawn-9781441185174/">described</a> <em>The Piper at the Gates of Dawn</em> as “something magical, but it was in Syd Barrett”. </p> <p>Not long after the record’s release, Barrett suffered a catastrophic, LSD-induced breakdown. In response, the band recruited David Gilmour on guitar and recorded a second album, <em>A Saucerful of Secrets</em>, as a five-piece in 1968. Around this time, the increasingly unstable Barrett was unceremoniously ousted by the rest of the band. </p> <p>After Barrett left, says Ayers, “Pink Floyd became something else totally”. </p> <p>There are different versions of Pink Floyd. The recordings released after Barrett left the band in 1968 bear little resemblance to the first. </p> <p><em>Dark Side</em> sounds nothing like the whimsical Piper. But it is obvious the record is in large part preoccupied with the loss of Barrett.</p> <p>This preoccupation comes to the fore in the album’s penultimate track.</p> <p><em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1OOQP1-wOE&amp;ab_channel=HDPinkFloyd">Brain Damage</a></em>, written and sung by Waters, references Barrett’s adolescence (“Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs”), alludes to his illness (“And if the dam breaks open many years too soon”), and acknowledges his leaving the group (“And if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes; I’ll see you on the dark side of the Moon”). </p> <p>Drummer Nick Mason confirms the group didn’t want to lose Barrett.</p> <p>In his <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/265734.Inside_Out">autobiography</a>, he writes, "He was our songwriter, singer, guitarist, and – although you might not have known from our less than sympathetic treatment of him – he was our friend."</p> <h2>If the dam breaks open many years too soon</h2> <p>What we hear on <em>The Dark Side of the Moon</em> is a band dealing with trauma. </p> <p>In this sense, Dark Side represents the start of a reckoning with the past – a process that culminated with the band’s next record, 1975’s elegiac <em><a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/wish-you-were-here-pink-floyd-seminal-ode-to-the-tragic-life-of-syd-barrett/">Wish You Were Here</a></em>.</p> <p>Culmination is a useful term when it comes to <em>Dark Side</em> more generally. On this record, all the avant-garde techniques and tendencies the band had toyed with in the post-Barrett period – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concr%C3%A8te">musique concrète</a>, sonic manipulation, extended improvisation, analogue tape manipulation – come together to spectacular effect. </p> <p><em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kcet4aPpQ">Money</a> –</em> with its anti-capitalist lyrics penned by Waters (“Money, it’s a crime; share it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pie”), odd time signature, and handmade tape-loops mimicking the sounds of cash tills, bags of coins being dropped from great height and bank notes being torn up – is one of the stranger hit singles in pop music history. </p> <p>Be that as it may, Money and the album from which it is taken, of which <a href="https://www.pinkfloyd.com/tdsotm50/">more than 50 million copies</a> have been sold, continue to resonate with listeners worldwide, five decades on from its initial release.</p> <h2>The enormous risk of being truly banal</h2> <p>“I made a conscious effort when I was writing the lyrics for <em>Dark Side of the Moon</em> to take the enormous risk of being truly banal about a lot of it,” Waters told John Harris, “in order that the ideas should be expressed as simply and plainly as possible.”</p> <p>On this point, <a href="https://www.loudersound.com/news/david-gilmour-says-its-pretty-unlikely-he-and-roger-waters-will-resolve-pink-floyd-feud">if nothing else</a>, David Gilmour agrees. He told Harris, "There was definitely a feeling that the words were going to be very clear and specific. That was a leap forward. Things would mean what they meant. That was a distinct step away from what we had done before."</p> <p>Mortality, insanity, conflict, affluence, poverty and, in another nod to Marx, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx%27s_theory_of_alienation">alienation</a> are some of the themes presented on the record. The need – and this brings us full circle – for compassion, if not outright solidarity, is another. </p> <p>This is an album about the importance of understanding, as Waters <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/301401">insists, "T</a>he potential that human beings have for recognising each other’s humanity and responding to it, with empathy rather than antipathy."</p> <p>Given the sorry state of the world in 2023, about which Roger Waters has many <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64580688">contentious</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/feb/07/pink-floyd-lyricist-calls-roger-waters-an-antisemite-and-putin-apologist">problematic</a> things to say, I wager Pink Floyd’s masterwork will continue to resonate with listeners for a while yet.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-at-50-how-marx-trauma-and-compassion-all-influenced-pink-floyds-masterpiece-198400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Kate Middleton flexes her competitive side against Prince William

<p>Prince William and Kate Middleton have gone head to head in a seemingly friendly competition as the royal couple attended a spin class in South Wales. </p> <p>The Prince and Princess of Wales took each other on in a 45-second spin class sprint at the Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Centre in Port Talbot, with Kate leaving her husband in the metaphorical dust. </p> <p>Much to her surprise, the princess took out the title in the "Tour de Aberavon" and was handed a little gold cup, which she looked at proudly.</p> <p>Kate's win was made even more impressive as she competed while wearing a black-and-white houndstooth-print skirt, which was paired with Gianvito Rossi suede boots with a 10-centimetre heel.</p> <p>For the competition, Prince William was dressed in a navy suit and suede lace-up shoes for the series of engagements the couple made on the trip ahead of St David's Day – a day celebrating the nation's patron saint.</p> <p>The virtual race was themed to be an uphill ride through the Italian mountains, as Prince William told others in the room, "Sorry for ruining your spin class." </p> <p>As he climbed on the stationary bike, the royal realised his wife's shoes, pointing out, "You have got high heels on".</p> <p>Kate agreed, saying, "Not sure I am dressed for this."</p> <p>However, once on her bike the mum-of-three was seen adjusting the gears, asking as she laughed, "Can I make it harder?" </p> <p>Kate was visibly catching her breath at the end of the race, while Prince William gasped for air.</p> <p> </p> <p>"Talk to you in a minute," he joked to the class.</p> <p>The competitive dad-of-three, who has regularly been spotted cycling with his kids near their Norfolk home, had everyone laughing soon after.</p> <p>"I think I tore my pants!" he said.</p> <p>The couple visited the fitness centre to hear about how the facility was helping the local community with mental health through exercise.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Take a walk on the wild side with the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards

<p>The People’s Choice Award winners of the 2022 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards have been revealed, featuring stunning images of some of the world’s most majestic creatures. </p> <p>Competition for the coveted People’s Choice Award was fierce, with over 39,000 images submitted for consideration. 25 pictures were shortlisted from there, and a staggering 60,466 votes were received to crown the winner: German photographer Sascha Fonseca. </p> <p>Sascha’s image, titled “World of the snow leopard”, presents a snow leopard at sunset in Ladakh in northern India, with a breathtaking snow-covered mountain range backdrop. </p> <p>“Thick snow blankets the ground, but the big cat’s dense coat and furry footpads keep it warm,” the image was captioned. “Sascha captured this image during a three-year bait-free camera-trap project high up in the Indian Himalayas. He has always been fascinated by snow leopards, not only because of their incredible stealth but also because of their remote environment, making them one of the most difficult large cats to photograph in the wild.”</p> <p>The winning images, selected for their “artistic composition, technical innovation, and truthful interpretation of the natural world”, boast not only a winner, but four other highly commended finalists as well. </p> <p>"This year’s record number of votes illustrates how wildlife photography can engage and inspire audiences with the wonder of nature,” said Director of the Natural History Museum Douglas Gurr.</p> <p>The other finalist feature a leopard with some unexpected cargo titled “Holding on” by Igor Altuna, a moment of “Fox affection” in the snow by Brittany Crossman, a polar bear basking in the sun “Among the flowers” by Martin Gregus, and a magnificent “Portrait of Olobor” the lion by Maasai Mara. </p> <p>The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, produced by the Natural History Museum, provides amateur and professional photographers from around the world with a global platform for their work. 2022 marked the 58th year of competition, and the 59th is currently being judged, with the 2023 winners to be announced in October. </p> <p><em>All image credits: Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards</em></p>

International Travel

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New photos show human side of Queen’s famed guards

<p dir="ltr">Rare, recently released photos have shown a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the Queen’s guards in between lengthy shifts standing watch during her lying-in-state.</p> <p dir="ltr">The guards, known for their bearskin hats and stoic expressions, were guarding the Queen’s coffin around the clock in the lead-up to her funeral on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, recent photos shared by the UK Ministry of Defence show a more human side to them, with shots of them resting between shifts with their shoes and jackets off, napping and lounging in the parliament building, and dressing each other.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e6a25eb5-7fff-7832-5ec6-4fd74261dd21"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“The UK Armed Forces are continuing to honour their Commander-in-Chief of 70 years, Her Majesty The Queen,” the Ministry captioned the photos.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The UK Armed Forces are continuing to honour their Commander-in-Chief of 70 years, Her Majesty The Queen, as they stand vigil alongside The King's Body Guard. <a href="https://t.co/1iJi4xGGbJ">pic.twitter.com/1iJi4xGGbJ</a></p> <p>— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1571454159404109830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Members of His Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, the Royal Company of Archers and the Yeomen of the Guard guarded the Queen’s coffin during vigils and her funeral and switched places every 20 minutes during her lying-in-state.</p> <p dir="ltr">The new photos come after footage shared earlier this week captured the moment a member of the Royal Guard collapsed near the Queen’s coffin in front of mourners, falling face forward towards the stone floor and bracing himself at the last second.</p> <p dir="ltr">During Her Majesty’s funeral, Lance Sergeant Wordsworth of the First Battalion Coldstream Guards described the preparations made for the service, involving days of standing guard and rehearsals.</p> <p dir="ltr">"For the funeral of Her Majesty, I am involved in doing the street lining. We're also lining the route to St George's Chapel for when the Queen comes down," he said to the Ministry of Defence.</p> <p dir="ltr">"On Wednesday, September 14, I was part of the Guard of Honour at Buckingham Palace when the coffin was received, and then when Her Majesty left to be taken in the procession to Westminster Hall.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Obviously this has been planned for, and you can see how many people are with us, how it is trying to get them working in unison, but as a battalion. This is our bread and butter."</p> <p dir="ltr">The soldier added that it was an immense honour to take part in the late monarch’s funeral and a defining moment in any guard member’s career.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This is one of the biggest occasions, as sad as it may be, you're not going to define anything more in your army career than starting as a Queen's guard and probably finishing as a King's guard."</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-22e7cbaa-7fff-64cb-7607-ab8754f397a0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @DefenceHQ (Twitter)</em></p>

Body

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Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe portraits expose the darker side of the 60s

<p>“If you remember the ‘60s, you weren’t really there”. This <a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/07/remember-1960s/">famous quip</a> says much about our rose-tinted nostalgia for the decade. The fun-loving hedonism of Woodstock and Beatlemania may be etched into cultural memory, but Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe portraits reveal a darker side to the swinging 60s that turns our nostalgia on its head.</p> <p>Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Monroe portrait <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/21/arts/design/christies-andy-warhol-marilyn-monroe.html">Shot Sage Blue Marilyn</a>, due to go on sale at Christie’s in May, is expected to fetch record-breaking bids of $200 million (£153 million), making it the most expensive 20th century artwork ever auctioned. Nearly 60 years after they were first created, Warhol’s portraits of the ill-fated Hollywood star continue to fascinate us.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/21/arts/design/christies-andy-warhol-marilyn-monroe.html">Alex Rotter</a>, Christie’s chairman for 20th and 21st century art, Warhol’s Marilyn is “the absolute pinnacle of American Pop and the promise of the American dream, encapsulating optimism, fragility, celebrity and iconography all at once”. </p> <p>Hollywood stars were great sources of inspiration for the <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pop-art">Pop art</a> movement. Monroe was a recurring motif, not only in the work of Warhol but in the work of his contemporaries, including James Rosenquist’s <a href="https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/james-rosenquist-marilyn-monroe-i-1962/">Marilyn Monroe, I</a> and Pauline Boty’s <a href="https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/11953/colour-her-gone">Colour Her Gone</a> and <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/boty-the-only-blonde-in-the-world-t07496">The Only Blonde in the World</a>.</p> <h2>Mourning Marilyn</h2> <p>Born Norma Jeane Mortenson but renamed Marilyn Monroe by 20th Century Fox, the actress went on to become one of the most illustrious stars of Hollywood history, famed for her roles in classic films like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/">Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/">Some Like It Hot</a>. She epitomised the glitzy world of consumerism and celebrity that Pop artists thought was emblematic of 1950s and 1960s American culture.</p> <p>While Rotter’s statement may be true to some extent, there is also a sinister edge to the Marilyns because many were produced in the months following her unexpected death in 1962.</p> <p>On the surface, the works may look like a tribute to a much-loved icon, but themes of death, decay and even violence lurk within these canvases. Clues can often be found in the production techniques. One of the collection’s most famous pieces, <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/warhol-marilyn-diptych-t03093">Marilyn Diptych</a>, uses flaws from the silkscreen process to create the effect of a decaying portrait. Warhol’s <a href="https://news.masterworksfineart.com/2019/11/26/andy-warhols-shot-marilyns">The Shot Marilyns</a> consists of four canvases shot through the forehead with a single bullet. In this, the creation of Warhol’s art is as important as the artwork itself.</p> <h2>Death and Disaster</h2> <p>At a glance, the surface level glamour of Warhol’s Marilyn immortalises the actress as a blonde bombshell of Hollywood’s bygone era. It is easy to forget the tragedy behind the image, yet part of our enduring fascination with Marilyn Monroe is her tragedy. </p> <p>Her mental health struggles, her tempestuous personal life and the mystery surrounding her death have been well documented in countless biographies, films and television shows, including Netflix’s documentary <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19034332/">The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes</a> and upcoming biopic <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655389/">Blonde</a>. She epitomises the familiar narrative of the tragic icon that is doomed to keep repeating itself – something that Warhol understood all too well after surviving a shooting by <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/who-was-valerie-solanas-andy-warhol-1202689740/">Valerie Solanas</a> in 1968. </p> <p>The death at the heart of Warhol’s Marilyns is not just rooted in grief but is also a reflection of the wider cultural landscape. The 1960s was a remarkably dark period in 20th century American history. A brief look at the context in which Warhol was producing these images reveals a decade plagued by a series of traumatic events.</p> <p><a href="https://www.life.com/">Life Magazine</a> published violent photographs of the Vietnam War. Television broadcasts exposed shocking police brutality during civil rights marches. America was shaken by the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Footage of JFK’s death captured by bystander Abraham Zapruder was repeatedly broadcast on television. Celebrated Hollywood stars were dying young and in tragic circumstances, from Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland to Jayne Mansfield and Sharon Tate.</p> <p>This image of the 1960s is echoed by the postmodern theorist <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/466541">Fredric Jameson</a>, who describes the decade as a “virtual nightmare” and a “historical and countercultural bad trip”. Stars like Monroe were not as flawless as they may appear in Warhol’s portraits, but were “notorious cases of burnout and self-destruction”.</p> <p>Warhol understood this more than anyone. His <a href="https://publicdelivery.org/andy-warhol-death-disaster/#:%7E:text=Andy%20Warhol%20created%20a%20series,repetition%20to%20communicate%20his%20ideas.">Death and Disaster</a> series explores the spectacle of death in America and affirms the 1960s as a time of anxiety, terror and crisis. The series consists of a vast collection of silkscreened photographs of real-life disasters including car crashes, suicides and executions taken from newspapers and police archives. Famous deaths are also a central theme of the series, including portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy – all of whom are associated with significant deaths or near-death experiences.</p> <p>Death and Disaster came about in 1962 when Warhol’s collaborator <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Andy_Warhol/-sotEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=Maybe+everything+isn%27t+always+so+fabulous+in+America.+It%E2%80%99s+time+for+some+death.+This+is+what%E2%80%99s+really+happening.&amp;pg=PT32&amp;printsec=frontcover">Henry Geldzahler</a> suggested that the artist should stop producing “affirmation of life” and instead explore the dark side of American culture, "Maybe everything isn’t always so fabulous in America. It’s time for some death. This is what’s really happening."</p> <p>He handed Warhol a copy of the New York Daily News, which led to the first disaster painting <a href="https://artimage.org.uk/6123/andy-warhol/129-die-in-jet--plane-crash---1962">129 Die in Jet!</a>.</p> <p>The recent hype around the auctioning of the Marilyn portrait reveals as much about our time as it does about our nostalgia for the 1960s. We choose to remember the decade in all its glorious technicolour, but uncovering its darker moments provides room for reconsideration. Perhaps Warhol’s Marilyn is not just a symbol of the swinging 60s, but an artefact from a time that was as turbulent and uncertain as our own.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/andy-warhols-marilyn-monroe-portraits-expose-the-darker-side-of-the-60s-181213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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One side-splitting moment made crowd lose it at Shane Warne’s memorial

<p dir="ltr">Amid feelings of joy and teary despair, there was one moment at Shane Warne’s memorial service that saw the crowd erupt with laughter, per <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/moment-that-made-the-crowd-lose-it-at-shane-warnes-memorial/news-story/ae03125ea937033e231e46399634d7c9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">A panel of Warnie’s good friends - including former St Kilda player Aaron Hamill - were asked about his fashion choices, including the Peaky Blinders inspired hats he had been wearing in recent years.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hamill explained how the late cricketer’s love of old school hats led to him making an unusual request.</p> <p dir="ltr">“[Shane] said, ‘I’ve got this great idea’, as he always did,” Hamill recalled.</p> <p dir="ltr">Warne decided to email the producers of Peaky Blinders, which follows a family of gangsters in 1900s England, to say that he was a keen fan of the show and ask if he could be on it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So he did that and he rang me back and said, ‘I got the email back’,” Hamill continued. “I said, ‘Please, read it out to me’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“‘Dear Shane, thanks very much. We love your enthusiasm, but unfortunately porcelain veneers weren’t around in Birmingham in 1931. But we love your support. Thank you very much.’”</p> <p dir="ltr">With many fans likely picturing Warne’s great big smile in their minds, they burst out laughing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But that’s what he was like,” Hamill said. “He was ambitious. He was driven. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The panel, hosted by Andy Lee, attracted the most laughs the whole night, which saw more than 55,000 gather at the MCG while a billion people watched it from around the world.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He would be gobsmacked by this,” footy great Sam Newman said of the memorial while he appeared on the panel alongside cricketer Dimitri Mascarenhas, and comedian and actor Glenn Robbins.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ll tell you what, I’m finding it hard to get over, the United Nations are a part of this.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought, ‘that is extraordinary. He’s actually infiltrated the United Nations and they are here. That is staggering.’”</p> <p dir="ltr">A United Nations representative spoke earlier in the service of Warne’s involvement with a wildlife conservation initiative called The Lion’s Share. They also announced a new “Shane Warne conservation grant” to “memorialise his service and catalyse more action”.</p> <p dir="ltr">As much as there were laughs during the night, there were also plenty of tears and spine-tingling moments.</p> <p dir="ltr">MC Eddie McGuire read out a letter written by Warne’s brother Jason 30 years ago, in which he predicted the legacy Warne would leave behind.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Now is the time to put everything, and I mean everything, into it and make it work for you,” the letter said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So, come on, make some more sacrifices and give people the opportunity in 20 years’ time to say ‘Remember Shane Warne. We’ll never get another leggie like him. He was the best spinner Australia ever had’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Warne’s three children - Summer, Jackson and Brooke - also spoke about their love for their dad and how much they missed him, and fans could be seen wiping away tears.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It has been exactly 26 days since you went to heaven and I miss you more than anything in the whole world,” Summer said, as the first of the three to speak to the crowd.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that you won’t be able to walk me down the aisle on my special day. You’re not going to meet your grandchildren that you’re going to have someday, but instead you will be someone I will tell my kids about and how much of an amazing father you were to me. How good of a grandfather you would have made and how they would have loved and adored you just like I do.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1558e40b-7fff-61aa-8645-7862786f29e5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The tears were later replaced by cheers as the siblings unveiled the Shane Warne Stand for the first time.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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West Side Story actress snubbed from Oscars

<p><em>West Side Story</em> actress Rachel Zegler claims she was not invited to the 2022 Oscars, despite the film receiving seven nominations. </p> <p>When a fan commented on Rachel's Instagram expressing their excitement over seeing the actress's Academy Award outfit, the breakout actress replied, “I’m not invited, so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel.”</p> <p>Rachel's followers immediately jumped to her defence with messages of shock and surprise, considering the film she is starring in received a Best Picture nomination. </p> <p>“Breaks my heart. You were the best part of that movie. Surely Steven Spielberg could do something about this,” one fan wrote, referencing the film’s legendary director, who is also nominated.</p> <p>“Step up to the mic? How’s the leading actress of a movie that’s up for seven Academy Awards not invited? How does that make any sense?” another commented.</p> <p>After the influx of confused comments, 20-year-old Rachel said she didn't understand the snub either, but she would still be cheering on the musical from home. </p> <p>“IDK y’all I have tried it all but it doesn’t seem to be happening,” she wrote in a second comment. “I will root for <em>West Side Story</em> from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did three years ago.”</p> <p>The young actress has already won a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Maria Vasquez this award season, stumping movie fans even more. </p> <p>Despite the outrage, she also thanked her fans for their shock over the apparent snub, saying, “I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that’s how it goes sometimes, I guess.” </p> <p>“I’m disappointed, too. But that’s OK. So proud of our movie.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

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Woman reports bizarre side effect of Covid jab

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After receiving her booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a Sydney woman has given it credit for an unusual side effect - removing two persistent warts on her hands.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Erin Riley </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-mrna-vaccine-credited-with-removing-warts-in-weird-booster-side-effect/QOCD7UJGXU25S6K5D4A2ELRXTE/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">shared</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> her medical discovery on Twitter, two weeks after receiving an mRNA Covid vaccine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have had two warts on my hands for the last 5 years,” she wrote. “Tried wart off- they kept coming back. But in the two weeks since I had my booster shot (my first mRNA vaccine as my first two were AZ), they have disappeared completely.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As in, you can’t even tell they were there.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I have had two warts on my hands for the last 5 years. Tried wart off- they kept coming back. But in the two weeks since I had my booster shot (my first mRMA vaccine as my first two were AZ), they have disappeared completely. As in, you can’t even tell they were there.</p> — Erin Riley (@erinrileyau) <a href="https://twitter.com/erinrileyau/status/1480094264994402308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several people have since commented on Ms Riley’s tweet with their own, similar experiences, including some who noticed effects after receiving just their first dose. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I just checked and yes a wart I’ve had on my finger for at least 20 yrs is gone. Not even a mark,” one person shared.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“OH MY GOD I just checked and one on my toe is significantly smaller?! It’s been there maybe 15 years,” another wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Others have shared experiences of disappearing corns and moles.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“OK so this is weird but had a mole just above my eyebrow that (has) been developing very slowly, now it’s almost gone … so that’s unexpected. Not a wart but a mole,” they wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although most warts are harmless, viral warts are generally caused by one of the 150 different strains of the human papillomaviruses (HPV).</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">OH MY GOD I just checked and one on my toe is significantly smaller?! It’s been there maybe 15 years. 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯</p> — Isobel Roe (@isobelroe) <a href="https://twitter.com/isobelroe/status/1480119614335963137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A study from the </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jdv.17771?casa_token=un9AON3sN5wAAAAA%3AZd0_bHa49HTkAV2PGy23u1I-04yMSxYDG02FjPAWiF_miSXv2E8096OHbaVqy_fyy-CTRIbYOzdEShwv" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has reported on the effect of COVID-19 vaccines and viral warts, though the effect is yet to be well-established.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The researchers cited a potential explanation that could involve activation of a person’s immune response after getting the jab. However, they said more research is needed to confirm the link.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team also noted that the effect was interesting, as other vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella have also been used to treat viral warts. They added that though warts can disappear “spontaneously”, a similar effect has been seen in some patients who received the HPV vaccine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unlike the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - which uses weakened viral material to trigger an immune response - mRNA vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer use messenger RNA (mRNA) to trigger the response.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mRNAin the vaccine teaches your immune system how to make the S protein found in the COVID-19 virus, allowing your body to create antibodies specifically to fight the virus which can protect you from future infection.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Body

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From Chicago to West Side Story, how to successfully adapt a musical from stage to screen

<p>The second half of 2021 is proving to be a peak time for movie musical-goers, with the release of critically acclaimed In the Heights, disastrously received Dear Evan Hansen, and Steven Spielberg’s hotly anticipated West Side Story.</p> <p>These films lead to reflection on one of the stranger sub-genres of film history — the musical stage-to-screen adaptation. To film a stage show (as in the recent professionally shot films of Hamilton and Come from Away), or merely to create bigger stage sets in a studio (there are many examples of this, from Guys and Dolls to The Producers) is not truly to adapt a musical to film.</p> <p>Instead, adaptors should use the tools unique to film to re-interpret the musical in this different medium.</p> <p>To help us through the vicissitudes of adaptation, here is an idiosyncratic list of a few DOs and DON’Ts.</p> <h2>DO use real locations creatively</h2> <p>Location shooting is a frequent tool used to enhance the realism of film musicals, but placing the un-realism of song and dance in a real place can backfire and create an uncanny valley. Locations are best used in a super-realistic way.</p> <p>A successful recent example of this is In the Heights. Director Jon Chu and his production team shot much of the film in Washington Heights in Manhattan, but in a way that the neighbourhood seems a natural place for music-making: very careful lighting, colour-timing, and the occasional unobtrusive effects shot lift the story out of the mundane.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437093/original/file-20211213-21-hr5jsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437093/original/file-20211213-21-hr5jsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">In The Heights (2021) is a love letter to the Washington Heights area of NYC.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></p> <p>In the number When the Sun Goes Down, lovers Benny and Nina begin singing naturalistically on a fire escape, but then a set on hydraulics, green screen, and “magic hour” lighting come together to enable a gravity-defying dance across the rooftops and walls of the apartment buildings.</p> <p>See also: Fiddler on the Roof, Jesus Christ Superstar, On the Town</p> <h2>DON’T ghettoise all of the musical numbers to a stark dreamland covered in artistic scaffolding</h2> <p>Counter to the previous guideline about using real locations for musical numbers, some film musicals go too far in the opposite direction.</p> <p>Two musicals directed by Rob Marshall, Chicago and Nine, puzzlingly use the same solution to try and hedge their bets: the dialogue scenes happen in realistic locations (1920s Chicago and 1960s Rome, respectively) but the musical numbers are relegated to their characters’ internal fantasies, which in both cases means studio-like settings that allow for dancers to be placed in aesthetically pleasing formations.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437098/original/file-20211213-27-qhe4i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437098/original/file-20211213-27-qhe4i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Chicago (2002), features musical numbers entirely set within the character’s internal fantasies.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></p> <p>This strategy gets the filmmakers out of having to bridge the gap between speech time and music time, but the narrative innovations of both shows are smoothed out on screen. That makes for a less interesting filmgoing experience.</p> <p>The exception that proves the rule here is Cabaret, in which director Bob Fosse removed all of the “book” songs and kept only those performed in the titular cabaret.</p> <p>Through innovative intercutting and montage the cabaret songs pervade the whole texture of the film, however, resulting in one of the most “musical” of all musicals.</p> <h2>DO fix problems with the dramatic unfolding of the source material</h2> <p>Show Boat was the first stage musical to attempt a truly epic form, covering twenty years of story time and locations all along the Mississippi River.</p> <p>In 1927, stage mechanics had not caught up with librettist Oscar Hammerstein II and composer Jerome Kern’s ambitions, and the musical, brilliant and groundbreaking as it was, suffered from overlength and a dramatically clumsy second act. The production team fixed these issues in the 1936 film version, as the technologies of montage, dissolve, and cross-cutting that were possible on film allowed for a more effective unfolding of time and place.</p> <p>The 1965 film version of The Sound of Music similarly fixes problems in the stage version; another epic musical, the stage version feels hemmed-in and stifled.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437103/original/file-20211213-21-1maqjdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437103/original/file-20211213-21-1maqjdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">The Sound of Music (1965) uses film techniques and editing to improve on a ‘stifled’ stage musical.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></p> <p>It is allowed to breathe on film, and the songs are moved around to better reflect what they are actually about (My Favourite Things on stage is sung by the Mother Abbess to cheer up Maria before she leaves the convent!)</p> <p>See also: Hair, Hairspray, Tick Tick Boom</p> <h2>DON’T adapt a musical to film that didn’t work on stage</h2> <p>Poor Alan Jay Lerner. After the extraordinary success of the film version of My Fair Lady, Lerner attempted film adaptations of three of his other musicals that had been less successful on stage.</p> <p>Camelot, which had a healthy run on Broadway because of its star actors (Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, and Robert Goulet), its Oliver Smith production designs, and a few excellent songs, rather more than for its unconvincing storyline and structure, was a natural for screen adaptation. But non-singer stars (Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, and Franco Nero), unconvincing plot revisions, and dull direction by Joshua Logan caused it to be an inert behemoth on screen.</p> <p>Lerner tried again with Paint Your Wagon in 1969, based on a much earlier stage musical that had been only mildly successful with a few hit songs (notably They Call the Wind Maria). But once more, non-singer stars (Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg), unconvincing plot revisions, and dull direction by (again!) Joshua Logan resulted in yet another inert behemoth.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437105/original/file-20211213-27-1dca0r1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437105/original/file-20211213-27-1dca0r1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Paint Your Wagon (1969) is generally acknowledged as a poor example of a film musical, and a stage musical.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></p> <p>Third time was not a charm, with On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. This time the stars were singers: Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand. Unfortunately, their talents were hidden by another poorly revised screenplay and, unlike the other two films, this one could have used more of everything, especially music.</p> <p>Writing this has made me realise that successful stage-to-screen adaptations are quite rare. For every Cabaret there are two Annies and a Man of La Mancha. Spielberg’s new West Side Story will be the first musical he has directed in his long career, and musical-lovers everywhere are optimistic that he will do this classic musical justice.</p> <p>I merely hope that the only scaffolding to be found is on the fire escapes of 1950s Manhattan!<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169946/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-camp-1280180">Gregory Camp</a>, Senior Lecturer, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305">University of Auckland</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-chicago-to-west-side-story-how-to-successfully-adapt-a-musical-from-stage-to-screen-169946">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: 20th Century Studios</em></p>

Movies

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From Chicago to West Side Story, how to successfully adapt a musical from stage to screen

<p>The second half of 2021 is proving to be a peak time for movie musical-goers, with the release of critically acclaimed <em>In the Heights</em>, disastrously received <em>Dear Evan Hansen</em>, and Steven Spielberg’s hotly anticipated <em>West Side Story</em>.</p> <p>These films lead to reflection on one of the stranger sub-genres of film history — the musical stage-to-screen adaptation. To film a stage show (as in the recent professionally shot films of <em>Hamilton</em> and <em>Come from Away</em>), or merely to create bigger stage sets in a studio (there are many examples of this, from <em>Guys and Dolls</em> to <em>The Producers</em>) is not truly to adapt a musical to film.</p> <p>Instead, adaptors should use the tools unique to film to re-interpret the musical in this different medium.</p> <p>To help us through the vicissitudes of adaptation, here is an idiosyncratic list of a few DOs and DON’Ts.</p> <p><strong>DO use real locations creatively</strong></p> <p>Location shooting is a frequent tool used to enhance the realism of film musicals, but placing the un-realism of song and dance in a real place can backfire and create an uncanny valley. Locations are best used in a super-realistic way.</p> <p>A successful recent example of this is <em>In the Heights</em>. Director Jon Chu and his production team shot much of the film in Washington Heights in Manhattan, but in a way that the neighbourhood seems a natural place for music-making: very careful lighting, colour-timing, and the occasional unobtrusive effects shot lift the story out of the mundane.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437093/original/file-20211213-21-hr5jsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437093/original/file-20211213-21-hr5jsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <em><span class="caption">In The Heights (2021) is a love letter to the Washington Heights area of NYC.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></em></p> <p>In the number <em>When the Sun Goes Down</em>, lovers Benny and Nina begin singing naturalistically on a fire escape, but then a set on hydraulics, green screen, and “magic hour” lighting come together to enable a gravity-defying dance across the rooftops and walls of the apartment buildings.</p> <p>See also: <em>Fiddler on the Roof, Jesus Christ Superstar, On the Town</em></p> <p><strong>DON’T ghettoise all of the musical numbers to a stark dreamland covered in artistic scaffolding</strong></p> <p>Counter to the previous guideline about using real locations for musical numbers, some film musicals go too far in the opposite direction.</p> <p>Two musicals directed by Rob Marshall, <em>Chicago</em> and <em>Nine</em>, puzzlingly use the same solution to try and hedge their bets: the dialogue scenes happen in realistic locations (1920s Chicago and 1960s Rome, respectively) but the musical numbers are relegated to their characters’ internal fantasies, which in both cases means studio-like settings that allow for dancers to be placed in aesthetically pleasing formations.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437098/original/file-20211213-27-qhe4i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437098/original/file-20211213-27-qhe4i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <em><span class="caption">Chicago (2002), features musical numbers entirely set within the character’s internal fantasies.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></em></p> <p>This strategy gets the filmmakers out of having to bridge the gap between speech time and music time, but the narrative innovations of both shows are smoothed out on screen. That makes for a less interesting filmgoing experience.</p> <p>The exception that proves the rule here is <em>Cabaret</em>, in which director Bob Fosse removed all of the “book” songs and kept only those performed in the titular cabaret.</p> <p>Through innovative intercutting and montage the cabaret songs pervade the whole texture of the film, however, resulting in one of the most “musical” of all musicals.</p> <p><strong>DO fix problems with the dramatic unfolding of the source material</strong></p> <p><em>Show Boat</em> was the first stage musical to attempt a truly epic form, covering twenty years of story time and locations all along the Mississippi River.</p> <p>In 1927, stage mechanics had not caught up with librettist Oscar Hammerstein II and composer Jerome Kern’s ambitions, and the musical, brilliant and groundbreaking as it was, suffered from overlength and a dramatically clumsy second act. The production team fixed these issues in the 1936 film version, as the technologies of montage, dissolve, and cross-cutting that were possible on film allowed for a more effective unfolding of time and place.</p> <p>The 1965 film version of <em>The Sound of Music</em> similarly fixes problems in the stage version; another epic musical, the stage version feels hemmed-in and stifled.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437103/original/file-20211213-21-1maqjdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437103/original/file-20211213-21-1maqjdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <em><span class="caption">The Sound of Music (1965) uses film techniques and editing to improve on a ‘stifled’ stage musical.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></em></p> <p>It is allowed to breathe on film, and the songs are moved around to better reflect what they are actually about (<em>My Favourite Things</em> on stage is sung by the Mother Abbess to cheer up Maria before she leaves the convent!)</p> <p>See also:<em> Hair, Hairspray, Tick Tick Boom</em></p> <p><strong>DON’T adapt a musical to film that didn’t work on stage</strong></p> <p>Poor Alan Jay Lerner. After the extraordinary success of the film version of <em>My Fair Lady</em>, Lerner attempted film adaptations of three of his other musicals that had been less successful on stage.</p> <p><em>Camelot</em>, which had a healthy run on Broadway because of its star actors (Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, and Robert Goulet), its Oliver Smith production designs, and a few excellent songs, rather more than for its unconvincing storyline and structure, was a natural for screen adaptation. But non-singer stars (Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, and Franco Nero), unconvincing plot revisions, and dull direction by Joshua Logan caused it to be an inert behemoth on screen.</p> <p>Lerner tried again with <em>Paint Your Wagon</em> in 1969, based on a much earlier stage musical that had been only mildly successful with a few hit songs (notably <em>They Call the Wind Maria</em>). But once more, non-singer stars (Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg), unconvincing plot revisions, and dull direction by (again!) Joshua Logan resulted in yet another inert behemoth.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437105/original/file-20211213-27-1dca0r1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437105/original/file-20211213-27-1dca0r1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a><em> <span class="caption">Paint Your Wagon (1969) is generally acknowledged as a poor example of a film musical, and a stage musical.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMDB</span></span></em></p> <p>Third time was not a charm, with <em>On a Clear Day You Can See Forever</em>. This time the stars were singers: Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand. Unfortunately, their talents were hidden by another poorly revised screenplay and, unlike the other two films, this one could have used more of everything, especially music.</p> <p>Writing this has made me realise that successful stage-to-screen adaptations are quite rare. For every <em>Cabaret</em> there are two <em>Annies</em> and a <em>Man of La Mancha</em>. Spielberg’s new <em>West Side Story</em> will be the first musical he has directed in his long career, and musical-lovers everywhere are optimistic that he will do this classic musical justice.</p> <p>I merely hope that the only scaffolding to be found is on the fire escapes of 1950s Manhattan!<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169946/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-camp-1280180" target="_blank">Gregory Camp</a>, Senior Lecturer, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305" target="_blank">University of Auckland</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/from-chicago-to-west-side-story-how-to-successfully-adapt-a-musical-from-stage-to-screen-169946" target="_blank">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: <span class="attribution"><span class="source">20th Century Studios</span></span></em></p>

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COVID-19 often comes with a side of “brain fog”

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new study has found that a large number of people infected with COVID-19 have suffered from poorer memory and shorter attention spans months after recovering.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers from New York’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai studied over 700 patients who tested positive to COVID-19, asking them to complete several tasks several months after they were first infected.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tasks tested their cognitive function using “well-validated neuropsychological measures”, including their attention, working memory, memory recall and processing speed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team found a “relatively high” number of patients who experienced cognitive impairment after contracting the virus.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They reported that 133 patients’ brains were slower, 118 had shorter attention spans, and 170-178 had “slipperier” memories. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patients who were hospitalised were also more likely to have impaired attention spans, and memory encoding and recall, in comparison to a group of participants who were outpatients and had a less severe reaction to being infected with COVID-19.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The researchers said that the findings were consistent with early reports of ‘brain fog’ among COVID-19 patients.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The association of COVID-19 with executive function raises key questions regarding patients’ long-term treatment,” the researchers wrote in the study, published in </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785388" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">JAMA Network Open</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With a high number of patients experiencing these symptoms, the team proposed that future work could study the underlying mechanisms causing these symptoms to occur, as well as ways for patients to rehabilitate and recover.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our findings suggest that a substantial proportion of patients may experience cognitive problems several months after COVID-19, which can contribute to significant functional disability,” Dr Jacqueline Becker, a clinical neuropsychologist and first author of the study, told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over60</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Patients who are concerned should speak to their primary care physicians and perhaps request a referral to a neuropsychologist. It will be important to monitor any changes over time, as well as to rule out other potentially reversible causes that may be contributing to their cognitive dysfunction.”  </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Mind

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Two countries pause Moderna rollout for youths over rare side effects

<p>Sweden and Denmark have said they will pause the use of Modern’s COVID-19 vaccine for younger age groups after reports of possible rare side effects, such as myocarditis.</p> <p>The Swedish Health Agency said on Wednesday it would pause using the shot for those born in 1991 and later, as data points to an increase in myocarditis and pericarditis among youths and young adults who have been vaccinated.</p> <p>Those conditions involve inflammation of the heart or its lining.</p> <p>“The connection is especially clear when it comes to Modern’s vaccine Spikevax, especially after the second dose,” the healthy agency said in a statement, adding the risk of being affected was very small.</p> <p>Denmark said that, while it was already using the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine as the main option for those aged 12-17 years, it had decided to pause giving the Moderna vaccine to those under 18 as a “precautionary principle”.</p> <p>“In the preliminary data….there is a suspicion of an increased risk of heart inflammation, when vaccinated with Moderna,” The Danish Health Authority said in a statement.</p> <p>It referred to data from an as yet unpublished Nordic study, which would now be sent to European Medicines Agency (EMA) for further assessment. Final data was expected within a month, it added.</p> <p>Sweden and Denmark said they now recommend the Comirnaty vaccine, from Pfizer/Biontech instead.</p> <p>Norway already recommends the Pfizer vaccine to minors and said on Wednesday that it was reiterating this, underlining that the rare side effects could happen particularly for boys and young men, mainly after receiving a second dose.</p> <p>“Men under 30 should also consider choosing Cominarty when they get vaccinated,” Geir Bukholm, head of infection control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said in a statement.</p> <p>A Finnish health official said that Finland expected to publish a decision on Thursday.</p>

Caring

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Let's look at the lighter side of lockdown

<p>Some parts of Australia and many countries around the world are in some stage of lockdown because of COVID-19 right now so it could be time to look at the humorous side of lockdown. </p> <p>For a start, pets certainly do well during lockdown. Their owners are home much more and they get to go for lots of regular walks.</p> <p>Canadian comedian, Chantal Desjardins, was getting a bit bored when she was in isolation with her fiancé during the first lockdown in 2020.</p> <p>She was at home with her pets in Montreal so she decided to use an app on her phone and have some fun with Cooper, her 7-week-old mini-bernedoodle.</p> <p>After drinking a few wines, Desjardins said: “Before I knew it, I had an entire corona song written from a dog’s perspective.”</p> <p>She posted a video of Cooper singing Gloria Gaynor’s anthem <em>I Will Survive</em> in a high-pitched voice but with the lyrics updated to reflect the current situation. It’s all about Cooper having a good time in lockdown because his owners are home a lot more – a situation reflected around many parts the globe right now.</p> <p>The video has now been viewed by half a million people and shared many times.</p> <p>As Cooper sings: “We played fetch for seven hours in the backyard in the sun. I don’t know what a pandemic is, but it sure is good for me!”</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i97VF8XeBQ4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Here’s another classic to take a look at. This is Julie Andrews and the <em>Sound of Music Covid 19</em> song.</strong></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MMBh-eo3tvE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>And to voice what many of us are feeling with Coronavirus returning this year after we thought it would have gone away by now, here's <em>My Corona</em> Part 2 (One Year Later) – A Chris Mann Vaccine Parody.</strong></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0ZvkZ14_HA0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em>Photo: YouTube</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Baby suffers horrifying side effects from steroid cream

<p>A mum has been left horrified after her baby doubled in size and grew hair on her face from a steroid cream she was given to treat dry skin.</p> <p>The parents sought medical treatment for the five-month-old girl after she ballooned to 11 kilograms.</p> <p>Doctors ran a number of tests after the young girl was rushed to the hospital in China to find out exactly what was causing the weight gain.</p> <p>Medics said they were taken aback when the parents revealed the only food she was consuming was her mother's breast milk, which was tested and found to be normal.</p> <p>The problem was becoming increasingly worse a month later, despite doctors asking the parents to reduce the child's food intake.</p> <p>She had swelled to double her size and grown dark hair on her forehead and cheeks.</p> <p>After another visit to the hospital, the baby was taken to a specialist unit where a nurse noted that four other babies had been suffering from the same symptoms.</p> <p>When the mother was asked if she had applied any creams on her daughter, she responded with "Yifulin", the cream she had been using to treat her daughter's dry skin.</p> <p>After examining the product, they realised it contained 30mg of clobetasol propionate, which doctors say should only be used for a short amount of time.</p> <p>The five-month-old was using the product for a minimum of two months before the side effects began to take place.</p> <p>The lotion has since been removed from shelves in China after other parents came forward to complain about its side effects.</p> <p>According to the doctors treating the baby girl will be difficult and the hair growth may take several years to fall out.</p>

Caring

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Mother’s warning after dangerous COVID side-effect

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>British doctors are scratching their heads after a seven-year-old boy battles a rare disease in the ICU which is linked to the boy's COVID-19 diagnosis.</p> <p>Logan Walsh contracted COVID-19 alongside his mother, but medical workers believed the pair had recovered from the disease six weeks ago.</p> <p>Doctors were immediately concerned as Logan's organs started to fail, his skin blistered and he developed heart murmurs, which are symptoms of Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PIMS-TS).</p> <p>PIMS-TS is a rare and life-threatening condition that doctors believe was brought forward from COVID-19.</p> <p>It's not the first time doctors saw children develop this syndrome after catching COVID-19 and Logan's mother is urging for health experts to be more aware of this dangerous side-effect.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839310/blisters-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a9f396f1e5eb499f9b14f379f4d0c7da" /></p> <p>“The doctors told me they were seeing children and teenagers who had already had COVID-19, showing no symptoms when they had it and then coming in later, just like Logan,” she said.</p> <p>“They go on all the time about how this pandemic only affects the elderly and often say it doesn‘t seem to affect children.”</p> <p>“When this first began happening (to Logan), not all doctors were able to recognise it, and the link in the condition to COVID-19 is only just starting to be taken seriously.”</p> <p>Thankfully, Logan is recovering after a stay in the ICU where he was given steroids. He was sent to rehabilitation to relearn how to walk.</p> <p>“As his joints and muscles had swollen, Logan now requires physio to help with rehabilitation, and to walk again,” Ms Walsh said.</p> <p>“Thankfully, the initial treatment eventually got his condition under control.</p> <p>“Logan is recovering slowly, and made it home on Christmas Day.”</p> <p><em>Photo credits: Facebook</em></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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