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Harry Potter's Last Great Spoiler Is One Warner Bros. Will Do Anything To Protect
This is so much worse than house-elves — at least house-elves are fictional.
02.15.13
Health
Doctor explains how to do a simple physical test that can predict your longevity
People who fail are more likely to die in six years.
03.10.23
via Pexels
A woman sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat
Everyone wants to know how long they will live and there are many indicators that can show whether someone is thriving or on the decline. But people have yet to develop a magic formula to determine exactly how long someone should expect to live.
However, a doctor recently featured on the "Today" show says a straightforward test can reveal the likelihood that someone aged 51 to 80 will die in the near future.
NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar was on the "Today" show on March 8 and demonstrated how to perform the simple “sit to stand test” (aka sit-rising test or SRT) that can help determine the longevity of someone between 51 to 80.
The test is pretty simple. Go from standing to sitting cross-legged, and then go back to standing without using any parts of your body besides your legs and core to help you get up and down. The test measures multiple longevity factors, including heart health, balance, agility, core and leg strength and flexibility.
You begin the test with a score of 10 and subtract points on your way up and down for doing the following:
Hand used for support: -1 point
Knee used for support: -1 point
Forearm used for support: -1 point
One hand on knee or thigh: -1 point
Side of leg used for support: -1 point
A 2012 study published by the European Society of Cardiology found a correlation between the SRT score and how long people live. The study was conducted on 2002 people, 68% of whom were men, who performed the SRT test and were followed by researchers in the coming years. The study found that “Musculoskeletal fitness, as assessed by SRT, was a significant predictor of mortality in 51–80-year-old subjects.”
Those who scored in the lowest range, 0 to 3, had up to a 6 times greater chance of dying than those in the highest scores (8 to 10). About 40% of those in the 0 to 3 range died within 11 years of the study.
Azar distilled the study on "Today," saying: "The study found that the lower the score, you were seven times more likely to die in the next six years.”
"Eight points or higher is what you want," Azar said. "As we get older, we spend time talking cardiovascular health and aerobic fitness, but balance, flexibility and agility are also really important," she stressed.
One should note that the people who scored lowest on the test were the oldest, giving them an elevated risk of death.
Dr. Greg Hartley, Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist and associate professor at the University of Miami, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that we should take the study with a grain of salt. “Frailty, strength, muscle mass, physical performance—those things are all correlated to mortality, but I would caution everybody that correlation doesn’t mean causation,” he said.
And of course, the test doesn't take into account injuries or disabilities that may make doing the test impossible. But one of the study's authors says that the study is a call to take our mobility seriously.
“The more active we are the better we can accommodate stressors, the more likely we are to handle something bad that happens down the road,” Dr. Claudio Gil Araujo, told USA Today.
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Pop Culture
How Brendan Fraser once helped an entire VFX crew get paid after a studio went bankrupt
“Brendan Fraser is a righteous dude.”
03.14.23
Brendan Fraser in "Journey to the Center of the Earth"
After an epic Hollywood comeback—including a momentous Oscar win—could the well of heartwarming, inspiring Brendan Fraser stories run dry?
Of course not. It’s Brendan Fraser.
Granted, this anecdote is technically from 2007, but thanks to it recently being shared by FX artist Dave Rand, it’s like the world is now privy to a whole new layer of Fraser’s enduring kindness.
In a lengthy two-part Twitter post, Rand detailed how his special effects crew for “Journey to the Center of the Earth” had nearly been robbed of $1.3 million dollars worth of work.“In November 2007 our paychecks stopped,” he wrote. Meteor Studios, the company producing the film, had convinced Rand and his crew to complete their work on the handful of shots left, guaranteeing that they'd be compensated with overtime.
Then, the studio filed for bankruptcy. “As soon as we delivered the last shot, we were escorted out. It was two weeks before Christmas and we'd soon learn there was no money,” Rand said.
Rand had tried to share his plight with Hollywood news outlets, to no avail. Even Variety rejected him, saying “another visual effects company going bankrupt, however sad, is really not newsworthy at this time."Even trying to publish their own press release was met with threats.
Desperate, Rand attempted reaching out to Fraser, who was the star and a producer on the film. Or rather, he tried to contact Fraser’s “people.” According to Rand, “they said they'd tell him, they did not.”
Finally, thanks to gossip column Page Six, Fraser actually did see what was happening. And he immediately called Rand.“My phone rang as I was reading the piece, a 212 area code, I answered to thank the girl, but a man answered and he said. ‘Is this Dave Rand?’ I said ‘Yes,’” he wrote. "’This is Brendan Fraser, what the f**k is going on?’"
Rand continued, “He had no idea that artists were not paid on his movie. He listened intently, asked a lot of questions and promised he would call me regularly until this was solved.”
Fraser publicly campaigned for the artist, starting with a tell-all with The Post. Two years later, the crew got 80% of what they were owed.
Rand concluded with perhaps the world’s most accurate statement:
“Brendan Fraser is a righteous dude.”
#BrendanFraser is a righteous dude.
— Dave Rand (@daverandla) March 13, 2023
In November 2007 our paychecks stopped. I was the FX lead on #JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth for Meteor Studios in Montreal and was asked to convince my crew to stay and finish the picture with a guarantee we'd all get paid with overtime. We had… https://t.co/DmQUIEAkMQpic.twitter.com/1jegFlWECd
It’s all too often that artists do not get paid what they deserve for the work they do. That goes especially for those who work in crafts that aren’t exactly the center of attention. Fraser using his celebrity to offer these people some leverage in a dire situation is reason #132 why he’s seriously the coolest guy in Hollywood.
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Health
A simple 'test' can help identify potentially abusive partners early in a relationship.
This could save the life of you or someone you love.
03.12.23
Know the signs of a domestic abuser.
Most abusers don't start their relationships by hitting their partners. That's why early warning signs are vital to recognize.
I know two women who recently left abusive partners. Both men seemed sweet and likable—even gentle—each time I saw them. Both had some lovely qualities as people and even as partners. And both turned out to be controlling, increasingly abusive partners behind closed doors.
The thing about domestic violence is that most people don't enter into relationships with someone who abuses them from the get go. It's often like the analogy of the frog in boiling water. If you place a frog into a pot of boiling water, it'll jump right out. But if you put it in a cool pot and gradually increase the temperature, the frog won't recognize that it's being slowly cooked until it's too late.
Abuse usually comes on gradually, with plenty of opportunity to manipulate and forgive and justify the water getting warmer. That's why many stay in abusive relationships far longer than they should.
A domestic violence counselor suggests a simple test to help identify potential abusers early in a relationship.
Rob Andrews is a domestic violence counselor in Australia. He told ABC News that he advises people to use what he calls the "No Test" to identify potential red flags early on in a relationship.
"The No Test is basically to watch out for the way your partner responds the first time you change your mind or say no," Andrews said.
"While expressing disappointment is OK, it's not the same as annoyed. Annoyed is 'how dare you,' a sign of ownership or entitlement."
Ownership, entitlement, control—these are red flags that often lead to increasingly abusive behavior. And though women can definitely be abusers, the reality is that women are much more likely to be the victims of domestic violence and male abusers tend to be more dangerous to their partners.
"A lot of the women who will present to services will see themselves as part of the problem," Andrews said. "They'll ask themselves why they're always attracted to abusive men, blame themselves for not being assertive enough, blame themselves for pushing their partner's buttons, causing their anger."
"With the No Test, we're not trying to give women knowledge that they didn't already know," he said, "but when they see it in black and white in front of them like that, they realize they of course have the right to say no, that they aren't to blame."
Andrews describes our patriarchal history as "the nut of the problem."
Andrews said that some people erroneously tell women that they should just be more assertive with their partners, letting them know they won't stand for controlling or abusive behavior, but that's not always the best tack to take.
"Being assertive with a man who's threatening to bash you is not a very good idea," he said. "It almost comes from what I'd call 'deficit thinking,' that somehow these women need to be trained up so that the people won't abuse them. The only person who can stop the abuse is the person who is doing the abusing."
Andrews works with men who are struggling with their own behavior and want to change. He has them think about what kind of man they really want to be and work with them to align their behavior with that vision.
"I hear a lot of people saying how it's so hard for men now, it's all so confusing," he said. "It's very easy to be a man. Just be polite and respectful to people, it's not that difficult really."
"But in saying that," he added, "we are to some extent dealing with 2,000 years of history of women being a second-class citizen. That's the nut of the problem and we've got to keep chipping away at it."
This article originally appeared on 02.11.19
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Joy
Fred Meyer store got $50,000 for winning Powerball ticket and gave it all to a local food bank
The money will provide approximately 66,000 meals to the community.
03.14.23
A Fred Meyer store in Washington State passed its lottery bonus on to the Auburn Food Bank.
When someone wins a Powerball lottery jackpot, they aren't the only ones who get a cash prize. The store that sells the winning ticket also receives a cash bonus for selling the winning ticket. The amount of the reward varies depending on the state and the total amount of the lottery, but it can end up being a significant chunk of change.
On February 6, a Fred Meyer store in Auburn, Washington, sold the winning ticket for the $754.6 million Powerball jackpot—the fifth largest Powerball amount ever seen. As a bonus for selling the ticket, the Fred Meyer store received a check for $50,000.
But instead of pocketing the cash, the Kroger-owned store turned around and gave it to the Auburn Food Bank.
The donation was made in honor of the company's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste program, which includes a goal to donate 3 billion meals to local communities by 2025. According to the City of Auburn, that $50,000 will provide approximately 66,000 meals in the area.
Naturally, the food bank was grateful to the Fred Meyer store for the unexpected gift.
“Hunger and food insecurity are critical issues across the state and partnerships like this one with Fred Meyer and QFC aim to shrink the numbers of people facing food insecurity,” Debbie Christian, executive director of the Auburn Food Bank, told KING5 News.
Despite passing along the entirety of the lottery reward, employees of the Fred Meyer store will still benefit from the sale of the winning ticket, thanks to their generous company headquarters.
“It’s always good to give back and today everyone wins,” Fred Meyer President Todd Kammeyer said in a statement. “In addition to this donation, Fred Meyer is giving $10,000 to the store for our associates to celebrate."
As for the winner of the $754.6 million jackpot? Well, she has a fun story, too.
Becky Bell is a supply chain analyst for The Boeing Company, which just delivered its last 747 jumbo jet at the end of January. Bell has worked for the aircraft giant for 36 years and was planning to retire in June. When she saw that the Powerball estimate was $747 million while on a trip to the store with her daughter on February 5, she took it as a sign.
“That’s when it hit me…I had to buy one more ticket,” said Bell, according to a Washington Lottery press release.
That second ticket she bought was the sole winner of the jackpot, which ended up being over $7 million more than the estimated $747 million. But at first, she didn't know. When she scanned her ticket and it said it was a winner, all she knew was that she had won at least $600, "which was pretty exciting," she said. She'd never won more than $20 in her life.
Then she checked the numbers and realized she had all of them—the whole jackpot. She had to call her daughters, sisters and mom to double, triple and quadruple-check that she had the right numbers.
“The funny thing was my mom misheard me when I told her how much I won,” said Bell, who said she would help take care of her family members. “She said ‘Seven million…that’s great, honey. Everyone can have a million.’ Then I had to say, ‘No, mom, seven HUNDRED million dollars. Pretty soon, everyone was crying.”
After choosing to receive her winnings in one lump sum instead of gradual payments over 29 years, Bell will take home almost $309.5 million. She has moved her retirement date up to the end of March, staying on long enough to finish training her replacement at Boeing.
So much winning all around.
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Identity
Arnold Schwarzenegger uses his Nazi dad to explain the dangers of antisemitism in a chilling video
After a rise in antisemitism, Arnold needed to speak his truth.
03.13.23
Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks out against antisemitism.
Like a flame that never seems to get completely snuffed out, antisemitism is again on the rise in the United States. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says that the number of documented reports of harassment, vandalism and violence directed against Jewish people has risen to the highest level since it began recording these incidents in 1979.
The ADL says that antisemitic incidents have steadily increased since 2016.
The pain is felt among the Jewish community, of which 41% say that the status of Jews in the U.S. is less secure than it was the year before. Thirty-one percent agreed with the same statement in 2021.
This disturbing trend inspired actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to speak out. Interestingly, he didn’t direct his words at those who stand against hate but at those who may have "stumbled... into the wrong path."
In his speech, he tried to explain how being a bigot is a sign of weakness and failure to take responsibility for one’s life.
Schwarzenegger has first-hand knowledge of the pain of being an antisemite because his father, Gustav Schwarzenegger, was a Nazi who fought in World War II. The elder Schwarzenegger was a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), also known as the Storm Troopers or Brownshirts, and fought in some of the war's most brutal conflicts.
"I don't know the road that has brought you here, but I've seen enough people throw away their futures for hateful beliefs," he said in the video. "So I want to speak with you before you find your regrets at the end of that path."
The actor noted that when his father and many men like him returned from war, they were "broken men" who were "riddled with guilt."
"They felt like losers, not only because they lost the war, but also because they fell for horrible, loser ideology. They were lied to and misled into a path that ended in misery," Schwarzenegger continued. "...In the end, it didn't really matter why they joined [the Nazis]. They were all broken in the same way. That's the bottom line here."
Schwarzenegger was also moved to speak out because he had recently taken a trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where the Nazis killed 1.1 to 1.5 million people, mainly Jews. He was especially moved by seeing the possessions of those who died at the camp.
Shoes taken from prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp
via Superchilum/Wikimedia Commons
"The suitcases never claimed by the prisoners who were told to remember exactly where they'd left their belongings so they could retrieve them after they were finished with their showers...the gas chambers with scratches in the walls from the fingernails of people who tried to hold onto life...the crematorium, where the Nazis tried to erase all of their atrocities," Schwarzenegger recalled seeing.
At the end of his speech, Schwarzenegger reiterated his belief that people succumb to hatred due to personal weaknesses that can be overcome. "When you spend your life looking for scapegoats, you take away your own responsibility. You remove your own power. You steal your own strength," he said. "...You have to give up your war against everyone you hate...The war you really have to fight is the war against yourself."
But, he believes there’s still hope for people to overcome their bigotry.
"There's still time for you," he said. "Choose strength. Choose life. Conquer your mind."
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Celebrity
Brendan Fraser cements his comeback with an emotional Oscar win for best actor
"So this is what the multiverse looks like."
03.13.23
Brendan Fraser emotionally cements his comeback.
Brendan Fraser has become everyone's favorite comeback story after his long break from Hollywood, which he attributed to being blacklisted after his 2018 interview with GQ. In the interview, he revealed that he was sexually assaulted by the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk, though Berk denies the claims.
Fraser also experienced a lot of personal setbacks during his time away from Hollywood, including losing his mother, getting divorced and living with depression. But since the release of his recent hit, "The Whale," in which he plays a morbidly obese, gay father attempting to reconnect with his teenage daughter, it seems the awards keep coming and people can't get enough. Fraser's most recent win is the coveted Oscar for Best Actor, his first nomination with the Academy, and his speech was full of emotion and gratitude.
After thanking the Academy for the award, Fraser hopped right into pulling out all of the nautical stops.
“I’m grateful to Darren for throwing me a creative lifeline and hauling me aboard the good ship 'The Whale,'"Fraser said. “It was written by Samuel D. Hunter, who is our lighthouse.”
Fraser told NBC that had this role come earlier in his career, he wouldn't have had the life experience or heartache to play the character authentically. While some people took issue with him portraying a 600-pound man by wearing a fat suit in "The Whale," he continues to receive accolades for his acting in the film as evidenced by the multiple awards he has won this season.
The Oscar winner has been acting for 30 years, and while this role is more serious with a lot of depth, Fraser may be better known for his corky roles. Most people instantly recognize his big blue eyes from "George of the Jungle," "Encino Man" or "The Mummy." By all accounts, he was the shirtless poster child of the 90s, though he did start taking on more serious roles like "Crash" and "Gods and Monsters." But the film that won him an Oscar and seemed to solidify not only his comeback but his range as an actor is "The Whale."
While he kept the speech focused on the theme, his emotional reaction was echoed on the faces of others in the audience. It's clear he has a lot of cheerleaders, both in Hollywood and out.
Catch his entire acceptance speech below:
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