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Dr. Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Dr. Strange'

Dr. Strange might find himself in multiple universes, but probably not in Saudi Arabia.

Marvel’s follow-up to their 2016 hit starring Benedict Cumberbatch is set to introduce a new character named America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez. In addition to being able to punch holes through the multiverse (nifty power), America is openly gay in the comics and will be represented similarly in the film.

The Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia, which regards homosexuality as a capital offense, has asked Disney to cut “LGBTQ references” before screening. Egypt and Kuwait have already prohibited the movie.

Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification, told the Guardian that the cuts would amount to “barely 12 seconds” and include America referring to her “two moms,” but noted even that arguably-minute portion of the film would be “very tough to pass” according to the kingdom’s standards.

So far, Disney has refused the request. And it doesn’t look like they’re backing down.


Though the movie has not been officially banned, it would not be the first Marvel film to be stripped from Saudi Arabia’s theaters. In November 2021, “The Eternals” was not released and was removed from websites due to portraying a same-sex couple. The two married characters, Phastos (Brian Henry) and Ben (Haaz Sleiman) share a kiss. And only one month later, Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” suffered the same fate for having a nonbinary character.

Disney has received an increasing amount of attention (both in the form of praise and criticism) for its role in LGBTQ advocacy.



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On the one hand, the franchise offers an ever increasing amount of representation not only for the LGBTQ community, but for other marginalized, underrepresented groups. On the other hand, fans have also expressed feelings of betrayal over the company previously donating money to Republicans who supported Florida's so-called “Don’t Say Gay.” Some Pixar employees also came forward claiming the majority of inclusive scenes featured in the animated film “Turning Red” had been cut by studio executives.

So, is Disney’s refusal to cut these scenes from "Dr. Strange 2" simply pandering in order to maintain some kind of “woke” image? The film’s lead doesn’t seem to think so. In a press tour for the movie, Cumberbatch shared how the “expected disappointment“ of the ban further emphasized the necessity for inclusion.

“We’ve come to know from those repressive regimes that their lack of tolerance is exclusionary to people who deserve to be not only included, but celebrated for who they are and made to feel part of a society and a culture and not punished for their sexuality,” he said. “It feels truly out of step with everything that we’ve experienced as a species, let alone where we’re at globally more as a culture, but frankly, it’s just even more reason why this isn’t tokenism to include an LGBTQ+ community member."

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” promises a journey across alternate realities while confronting power foes. Hopefully by Disney maintaining its stance, we will get closer to our very own reality where there is more tolerance and compassion.

via Chewy

Adorable Dexter and his new chew toy. Thanks Chewy Claus.

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Every holiday season, millions of kids send letters asking for everything from a new bike to a pony. Some even make altruistic requests such as peace on Earth or helping struggling families around the holidays.

But wouldn’t the holiday season be even more magical if our pets had their wishes granted, too? That’s why Chewy Claus is stepping up to spread holiday cheer to America’s pets.

Does your dog dream of a month’s supply of treats or chew toys? Would your cat love a new tree complete with a stylish condo? How about giving your betta fish some fresh decor that’ll really tie its tank together?

Or do your pets need something more than mere creature comforts such as life-saving surgery?

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Pink sings "Hopelessly Devoted to You."

Pop royalty Pink paid a heartwarming tribute to fellow music icon Olivia Newton-John at the 2022 American Music Awards, which aired this past Sunday, Nov. 20.

Newton-John, who led a lustrous career—including winning 10 AMAs herself—as well as a life dedicated to philanthropy, died of breast cancer at the age of 73 in August of this year. Though Newton-John had a wide variety of beloved hits throughout the years, Pink chose to sing arguably one of her biggest hits of all time, “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
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Innovation is awesome, right? I mean, it gave us the internet!

However, there is always a price to pay for modernization, and in this case, it’s in the form of digital eye strain, a group of vision problems that can pop up after as little as two hours of looking at a screen. Some of the symptoms are tired and/or dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and neck and shoulder pain1. Ouch!

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A man putting up Christmas lights on his house.

People can take a lot of heat from their neighbors if they start putting up holiday decorations too early. It’s a bit of a holiday faux pas to put up Christmas lights until after you’ve digested your Thanksgiving turkey, but some folks are so full of Christmas spirit, they just can’t resist.

If that's you, the good news is that you now have an excuse for putting up decorations before anyone else on your block. (Not that you needed one in the first place.) According to science, decorating for the holidays early makes you happier. Who can argue with that?

Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown told Unilad that the good feelings stem from a sense of nostalgia. “Although there could be a number of symptomatic reasons why someone would want to obsessively put up decorations early, most commonly for nostalgic reasons either to relive the magic or to compensate for past neglect,” he said.

“In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate to things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of childhood,” McKeown continued.

Psychologist Deborah Serani told Today that changing the scenery inside and outside our homes is a great way to get a quick hit of feel-good hormones.

"It does create that neurological shift that can produce happiness," she said. "I think anything that takes us out of our normal habituation, the normal day in, day out ... signals our senses, and then our senses measure if it's pleasing or not.

"Christmas decorating will spike dopamine, a feel-good hormone," Serani added.

Putting up holiday decorations also sends an excellent message to our neighbors. A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that people who decorate for the holidays are seen by their neighbors as more sociable.

The study found that people who decorate for the holidays are perceived as “friendly and cohesive” and that the added holiday cheer can change people’s perceptions of their neighbors. People believe that their unsociable neighbors are actually more social if they put up decorations. The study concluded that “residents can use their home's exterior to communicate attachment and possibly to integrate themselves into a neighborhood's social activities.”

So decorating your home for the holidays will not only make your family happier but make your neighbors’ as well. Looks like a win-win here.

YouGov conducted a survey to find out when most people feel it's appropriate to start decorating for the holidays. A poll of 2,748 U.S. adults who celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa found that 27% put their winter holiday decorations up before Thanksgiving, while 69% wait until after Thanksgiving. The most common time was the day after Thanksgiving when 25% of people started decorating for the winter holidays.

But what about those bah-humbug neighbors who will judge you if you start decorating too early? Serani says that they may have some bad memories from childhood associated with the holidays so their disdain may have nothing to do with you at all.

Science

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When Kucheza raised his little hand and Mahale realized he was there, everyone felt her joy.

Kucheza was born by emergency C-section and had to be separated from mama Mahale for two days.

Thanks to our close evolutionary proximity and Jane Goodall's years of field research, humans have an intense fascination with chimpanzees. They are clearly not us, yet they are clearly similar to us in many ways, and a viral video from Sedgwick County Zoo beautifully highlights that connection.

Mahale is a 28-year-old chimpanzee who recently gave birth to a baby at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas. According to KSAT News, her labor stalled, which necessitated an emergency C-section. As a result, Mahale and her baby were separated for two days while she started her recovery and her baby received oxygen.

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Bill Burns dressed as Walt Disney gets a hug from Mickey Mouse.

Dapper Day is an unofficial themed day at Disneyland where people come to enjoy the magic in style. The day is celebrated by park guests twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, by dressing up in vintage clothing reminiscent of when the park opened in 1955.

On November 6, one guest at the park’s cosplay outfit was so convincing that cast members at the park did a double-take. Bill Burns and his wife Jane dressed up as Walt and Lillian Disney and Bill looked so much like Uncle Walt that he caused a stir among park employees.

Bill later told Good Morning America that park employees were saying, “Walt is in the park” when he arrived. For many, it must have been like seeing a ghost, because Bill has an uncanny resemblance to Disney with his mustache and period-perfect suit.

A magical moment was caught on camera when Bill, as Walt, was seen interacting with a cast member dressed as Mickey Mouse. "Mickey stops and literally is staring," Bill told Good Morning America. "And then Mickey snapped out of it and you saw the hug. And that hug was a long hug as hugs go for the characters. It was extremely genuine. The cast member was stunned."

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