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The Science Presentation That Would've Kept Me Awake In High School
Here’s a science presentation that warrants a mic drop at the end. What I love here is how educators are thinking outside the box to get their students engaged.
10.18.13
Joy
'SNL' cast can't keep it together during a sketch where Ego Nwodim battles her steak dinner
Bowen Yang had to cover his face.
02.06.23
Pedro Pascal and Bowen Yang can't keep a straight face as Ego Nwodim tries to cut her steak.
Most episodes of “Saturday Night Live” are scheduled so the funnier bits go first and the riskier, oddball sketches appear towards the end, in case they have to be cut for time. But on the February 4 episode featuring host Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian,” “The Last of Us”), the final sketch, “Lisa from Temecula,” was probably the most memorable of the night.
That’s high praise because it was a strong episode, with a funny “Last of Us” parody featuring the Super Mario Brothers and a sketch where Pascal played a protective mother.
In “Lisa from Temecula,” Paul, played by Pascal, takes a few friends out for dinner, played by Punkie Johnson, newcomer Molly Kearney and breakout star Bowen Yang. The trouble comes when Johnson’s sister Lisa, played by Ego Nwodim, orders her steak “extra, extra well done.”
The sketch is a play on the notion that it’s a faux pas to order well-done steak, especially in a fancy restaurant. However, Lisa doesn’t care and won’t tolerate “one speck of red” on her steak.
The sketch is one of the rare moments on “SNL” where things are so funny that the cast breaks character. Pascal has difficulty getting through his lines and Yang has to cover his face because he can’t stop laughing. But Nwodim only has one small break in the scene and keeps it together as the sketch’s comedy core.
“Lisa from Temecula” got a lot of attention on social media and Nwodim later thanked the sketch’s writers Alex English, Gary Richardson and Michael Che.
\u201cwe have @alex3nglish + Gary Richardson and Che to thank for Lisa. love them 4Life.\u201d— Ego Nwodim (@Ego Nwodim) 1675645093
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Pop Culture
Billy Porter took a dance class taught by toddlers, and it was adorable
Best. Workout. Ever.
02.08.23
The Late Late Show with James Corden/Youtube
The instructors were ruthless.
If you’re not familiar with James Corden’s popular "Toddlerography" segment, you’re in for a treat.
As the name suggests, celebrity guests on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” take a dance class taught by kiddy instructors. Sure, the “students” are usually pretty seasoned performers, like Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, and Jason Derulo, but their experience doesn’t make learning the moves any less intense. Anyone who’s tried to keep pace with a toddler knows it’s a helluva workout.
Billy Porter was the latest guest invited to participate in this wholesome fitness trend, and he did not disappoint.
The acclaimed dancer was at first a tad cocky, ignoring Corden’s warnings that the instructors were “ruthless.” Then again, anyone who looks that good in a black, glittery tracksuit has the right to be.
“That’s cute, James, but I’ll be fine” quipped Porter, just before the first toddler rolled in.
Then, one by one, about a dozen more teeny tiny dancers came in to have Porter and Corden mimic their moves, all set to Harry Styles’ “As It Was.” In other words—it was the greatest dance class ever taught.
The clip ends showing Porter and Corden exhausted from their “intense” workout and rehydrating—Corden with a juice box, and Porter with a martini snuck into his bag.
Seriously, where do the rest of us sign up for this class? Watch the adorable clip below.
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Pop Culture
Keanu Reeves shocks a small-town pub by stopping in for a pint and taking photos with the staff
“So today we had a surprise visitor for lunch. What a lovely man he was, too."
02.07.23
Keanu Reeves in São Paulo, Brazil, 2019.
Keanu Reeves has a reputation as one of Hollywood’s nicest celebrities. Recently, he cheered up an 80-year-old fan who had a crush on him by calling her on the phone. He’s also bought an ice cream cone for a fan to give an autograph on the receipt and crashed a wedding to take photos with the bride and groom.
He’s also an incredible humanitarian who gave up a big chunk of his money from "The Matrix" to a cancer charity.
The “John Wick” star was his usual gracious self over the weekend when on Saturday, February 4, he and a friend walked into The Robin Hood pub in Tring, Hertfordshire, about 30 miles outside of London.
The employees at the pub in the picturesque, small market town with a population of 12,000, were shocked to see such a high-profile celebrity walk through its doors—especially one who is known for being such a humble, likable guy.
Pub staff posted a photo of chef Scott Valentine, 18, and “The Matrix” star on The Robin Hood’s Facebook page.
“So today we had a surprise visitor for lunch,” they shared. “What a lovely man he was too. Laura asked if he would be ok with taking photos with the kitchen lads. He marched into the kitchen shook their hands, and praised them for the food they had prepared. Suffice to say he made their days!!!”
According to the staff at the restaurant, Reeves ordered traditional English fare. "He came to the bar and ordered a beer (Seafarers Ale) and just walked over to the corner. He ordered fish and chips and Nat's shepherd's pie,” Laura Rolfe told The Mirror.
Valentine told the BBC he was scared to cook for such a big star. But Reeves was appreciative of the staff and liked the food.
"It was a bit worrying because I had to cook for him, but we took it out to him and he said thank you and was really nice," said Valentine. “He came into the kitchen, shook our hands and said the food was lovely."
The folks at The Robin Hood aren’t sure why Reeves was hanging out in Tring, but The Mirror speculated he was working on a Disney Plus docuseries about Formula 1.
Last year, it was announced that Reeves was producing a documentary about Jenson Button’s unlikely victory for Brawn GP in 2009. “Our story is about Honda withdrawing from F1 and Ross Brawn who had joined Honda a year and a half earlier,” Reeves said according to TalkSport.
“How did they race a world championship? It’s certainly a people story. It’s about passion,” Reeves added.
Whatever the reason that Reeves was in a small town pub, it’s great that everyone who met him came away with warm feelings about the man. Reeves clearly knows that by being a humble, nice guy to people, he can make someone else’s day and give them a great story to tell forever. Kudos to Reeves for using his fame to touch other people’s lives. With all the stories we’ve reported about him being cool to fans, it seems like he never lets anybody down.
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Health
The first pill to treat postpartum depression may be ready this year and it could be a game changer
It's in final approvals with the FDA.
02.08.23
via Freepik
A new mother struggling with postpartum depression.
We may be just months away from having the first-ever pill to help treat postpartum depression (PPD). The drug, called Zuranolone, was developed by Sage Therapeutics and Biogen, two companies out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The FDA has given the drug’s application priority review and the period ends on August 5, 2023.
Currently, there is only one FDA-approved medication for PPD, Zulresso, which is only available through a 60-hour, one-time infusion and can cost up to $35,000 per treatment.
If the medication is approved, it can also be used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).
What’s unique about the drug is that it is fast-acting. "We feel a tremendous responsibility to patients with MDD and PPD to deliver a potential new treatment option, which is so desperately needed. Most current approved therapies may take weeks or months to work. We are committed to advancing treatments that could help physicians and patients by addressing depression symptoms quickly," Dr. Laura Gault, chief medical officer at Sage Therapeutics Inc., said in a statement.
Zuranolone causes full remission of clinical depression within 45 days in 53% of women versus 30% who received the placebo, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry.
\u201cFDA works with @SageBiotech to develop treatment plan for postpartum #depression & major depressive disorder. The company has identified 3 potential pathways that could support a filing for zuranolone. Read more at https://t.co/FmxDGWMNi1 @miranabulsi123\n#postpartum #drug\u201d— Xtalks Webinars (@Xtalks Webinars) 1585074624
The new drug could be a godsend to the 500,000 women who suffer from PPD every year. In these women, what starts as a typical case of the “baby blues” can linger and become more intense and lead to an overwhelming loss of energy, irritability, inability to concentrate or make decisions and thoughts of harming themselves or their babies. It also severely inhibits their ability to care for their newborn child.
Symptoms of PPD can begin as early as during pregnancy and as late as a year after giving birth. In rare cases, it can develop into postpartum psychosis, an extreme mood disorder.
PPD is caused by the intense hormonal changes that happen within a woman’s body before and after giving birth. It can also result from numerous anxieties women feel after giving birth, such as the stress of being a “perfect mother,” the effect that pregnancy has on their bodies, being overtired and a lack of free time.
A happy, healthy mother and child.
via Pexels.
Zuranolone could also provide faster relief for people dealing with MDD. In 2020, over 14 million Americans were diagnosed with MDD, which creates a persistent feeling of sadness and a loss of interest in things they used to enjoy. It can also affect their ability to have happy, healthy relationships.
In rare situations, MDD can lead to suicidal ideation. Studies show that MDD accounts for up to 89% of all suicides.
If Zuranolone is approved, it will give doctors another vital tool in improving people’s mental health that can relieve debilitating depression in less time. It will also help countless babies that need extra care in their early days from a loving and healthy mother.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential support.
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Joy
North Carolina boy helps local bakery by selling them fresh eggs
"He is saving me some money and helping."
02.08.23
North Carolina boy helps local bakery by selling them fresh eggs.
You don't have to be a market analyst to know that the price of eggs has skyrocketed. If you're just an average person buying eggs for breakfast, it may seem ridiculous that egg prices are so high when it appears that the local Tractor supply always has baby chicks for sale.
But with an outbreak of avian flu infecting nearly 58 million birds while people move away from meat protein and consume more eggs, the price increase makes sense. It's painful to people's budgets, but it's how the market works, and families aren't the only ones feeling the pinch.
Small businesses that rely on eggs are also experiencing their budgets busting due to egg prices. Sweet Anna's Bakery in Dallas, North Carolina, already had to raise prices due to the cost of eggs and other ingredients, but owner Courtney Johnson discovered she had a connection. Fifth grader Rylen Robbins has 21 chickens that were producing too many eggs for his family to eat. (You see where this is going, right?)
The chickens produce 18 to 19 eggs a day according to Rylen, who was interviewed on Fox & Friends. That's a lot of eggs for one family, so Rylen's dad took to social media to unload them, which is how Johnson became aware of the surplus of eggs.
"He had posted that Rylen Robbins had some eggs, and egg prices just kept going up every week and I just couldn’t do it anymore, so I reached out and said, 'I will take as many as you can give me,’" Johnson told Fox & Friends.
Before long, the unlikely duo had become business associates. Rylen was able to sell Johnson eggs much cheaper than cartons of eggs from the store. Johnson revealed to Fox & Friends that she used to only pay $2.42 for five dozen eggs but now, "The highest I’ve seen [eggs] has been about $6 to $7 a dozen. They have started to come down, but he [Robbins] is cheaper at $3 a dozen."
That's a pretty significant jump in prices, and while the price of eggs is starting to fall, they're still expensive. The baker has tried finding other ways to cut costs so she doesn't have to keep raising prices on her baked goods. It's a business venture that just makes sense, even if the person she's doing business with is only 11 years old. But this isn't the first time Johnson and Rylen have crossed paths.
Turns out, Johnson has made birthday cakes and other baked goods for the Robbins family's parties in the past, so the business relationship is a little more personal. In a way, Rylen is helping the entire community by selling eggs to Sweet Anna's Bakery, because it helps keep costs down for everyone, not just the owner.
The entire story is so sweet and you can check it out for yourself below:
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Pop Culture
AMC just announced new movie ticket prices based on seat location and reviews are mixed
Would you pay more for prime seats?
02.07.23
AMC announced that it would be implementing a new three-tier ticketing system.
AMC Theaters, America’s largest movie theater chain, announced on Feb 6 that it will be adopting different ticket prices based on seat location.
Moviegoers will have three tiers to choose from based on sightline of the movie screen—Preferred Sightline, set in the middle at the highest price point, Value Sightline, set in the front of the auditorium at the lowest price, and Standard Sightline, which is basically everything else (including the back seats, which are perhaps the most commonly picked) set at the traditional cost of a ticket.
In other words…heartbreak will feel more expensive in a place like this…or less, depending on where you sit…
The company’s announcement was met with both criticism and approval. While some feel the move follows a well-established business model, others have found it to be taking away a valued aspect of the moviegoing experience.
“Lord of the Rings” actor Elijah Wood took to social media to condemn the decision, saying that it would negatively affect those with lower incomes.
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” Wood wrote. “This new initiative by AMC Theatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.”
The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) February 6, 2023
TV and film critic John Rocha was a bit more pointed in his statement, calling the new ticket pricing “classist.”
“Poor people, you sit in the poor section and you rich folks please move the velvet ropes around the middle section to find your seats,” he added.Still, according to Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and CMO of AMC Theaters, the new approach “closely aligns to that of many other entertainment venues, offering experienced-based pricing and another way for moviegoers to find value at the movies.” It's much like the model of paying more or less at a concert, sports game, or theaters showing plays, depending on where you sit.
“We know there are some moviegoers who prioritize their specific seat and others who prioritize value moviegoing. Sightline at AMC accommodates both sentiments to help ensure that our guests have more control over their experience so that every trip to an AMC is a great one,” he wrote in a statement.And yet, in the aftermath of COVID-19, it’s a risky move for an already shaky industry, some experts say. According to The Hollywood Reporter, box office numbers have made progress, but still pale in comparison to 2019, hitting $7.5 billion in 2021.
The outlet also shared that even certain Hollywood studio executives considered the pricing as potentially “too complicated” for customers. This is a precarious experiment as streaming services continue to be movie theaters' biggest competitor.
On the bright side: despite the divisive backlash that AMC’s price change caused, the great unifier in all this was the plethora of funny memes:
guessing Nicole Kidman’s revised AMC Theaters monologue verbiage pic.twitter.com/U7WdNSapds
— Katie Baker (@katiebcomedy) February 6, 2023
Me looking up at the Nicole Kidman ad because I can only afford the value seats https://t.co/2J4Jun2RMWpic.twitter.com/Tvt14qcca8
— Ol’ Oval Head Lookin Ass (@MoonManTI) February 6, 2023
When someone is in your reserved seat with AMC’s new ticket seat pricespic.twitter.com/J1d2iBHRjP
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) February 6, 2023
Me watching Barbie this summer at AMC https://t.co/GBdCBqMqJNpic.twitter.com/c6dHma6Ize
— soapy🧃 (@soapyhadid) February 6, 2023
Excluding members of AMC’s A-List membership, who will still be able to choose any seat at no additional charge, customers might have already seen this change. The new pricing structure has already begun rolling out across the country and will be implemented at all locations by the end of 2023.
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