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Published by AFP Elon Musk pegged an anti-transgender video atop his Twitter page after saying on the platform that while some of it might be 'rude' it is allowed on the platform San Francisco (AFP) – Twitter’s head of trust and safety on Friday confirmed she had quit the company, her departure coming after owner Elon Musk endorsed an anti-transgender video shared on the platform. “I know there’s been a lot of speculation regarding what happened,” read a post on Ella Irwin’s Twitter account late Friday, a day after her resignation was reported in US media. “I did resign but this has been a once in a lifetime experience,” she added, without revealing any reason for suddenly leaving her job at Twitter. Irwin is the second head of trust and safety to quit Twitter since eccentric billionaire Musk bought the platform and reduced content moderation to essentially permit anything allowed by law. Since taking over Twitter in late October, Musk has repeatedly courted controversy, sacking most of its staff, readmitting banned accounts to the platform, suspending journalists and charging for previously free services. Musk said during a CNBC interview in May that he will continue to tweet his unfiltered thoughts even if it hurts his businesses. “I don’t care,” the billionaire said when asked what he thought of his controversial tweets making it harder to sell ads on Twitter or hurting the share price of Tesla, his electric vehicle manufacturing business. “I’ll say what I want to say and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it.” Irwin’s departure came as Twitter was under pressure by backers of an anti-transgender video called “What Is A Woman” who claimed Twitter went back on a deal to distribute the content free on the platform. Backers of the video contended the video was being suppressed at Twitter for not using people’s chosen pronouns when it came to gender identification. Musk said in a Twitter exchange with the conservative outlet behind the video that people had made a mistake and the video, while possibly “rude,” was not against the law. A post for the video reading “Every parent should watch this” was pegged to the top of Musk’s Twitter account as of late Friday. At least one other high level Twitter executive left after the incident, according to US media reports. The controversy comes just weeks before respected media and advertising executive Linda Yaccarino is to replace Musk as Twitter’s chief executive. Moves made by Musk have spooked advertisers, many of whom left the platform due to concerns over their products being associated with troubling content. Since Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, its value has plummeted with the return of far-right figures and loss of trust by users. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday signed a bill that bans transgender healthcare including puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, making Texas the largest of the 20 states to have outlawed gender-affirming care. Republican lawmakers across the country have promoted similar bills, saying they mistrust the consensus among major medical associations that endorse gender-affirming care as needed and even life-saving for trans youth after extensive evaluation. Texas, the second most-populous U.S. state, has an estimated 29,800 transgender youth aged 13 to 17, according to the Williams Institute of UCLA. The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have pledged to fight the law in court, as they have similar legislation in other states. “They (Texas lawmakers) are hellbent on joining the growing roster of states determined to jeopardize the health and lives of transgender youth, in direct opposition to the overwhelming body of scientific and medical evidence,” the ACLU said in a statement when the bill passed the legislature. The Texas law creates exceptions for minors who began treatment before June 1 or for those who attended 12 or more sessions of mental health counseling or psychotherapy for at least six months. But those patients “shall wean off the prescription drug over a period of time,” the law says. Backers of such laws say government must intervene against the wishes of parents and doctors because they fear it will cause irreparable harm and say children are incapable of acceding to such decisions. Groups including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose the legislation. Republicans introduced more than 500 bills affecting LGBTQ people in 2023, with more than 50 passing, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ rights group. Those numbers are up from 315 bills introduced and 29 passed in 2022. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) View the full article

Published by AlterNet The Target company’s capitulation to homophobes and transphobes is a testament to the dangers of relying on corporations to uphold social justice. Just days before the start of June, celebrated around the country and world as “Pride month,” Target corporation decided that proudly allying with the LGBTQIA+ community by selling Pride-themed merchandise was not worth the alienation of bigots. Facing rightwing violence and what it called “volatile circumstances,” the company pulled some of its rainbow-festooned products and moved pride-related displays to the back of stores in some locations. This… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story Business magnate Elon Musk has recently stirred controversy by sharing anti-trans content on his Twitter account. Known for his outspoken and often divisive social media presence, Musk’s posts have sparked heated debates and backlash from groups advocating for transgender rights. Musk came under fire from conservatives after Twitter reduced the distribution of a conservative film produced by The Daily Wire “that urges intolerance of trans people and opposes medical intervention for trans children,” according to Business Insider. The film by The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh had its visibility cut af… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A federal judge has ruled that Tennessee’s law restricting drag performances in public or where children were present was unconstitutional, striking a blow to efforts in U.S. states to regulate LGBTQ conduct. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in February had signed the bill passed by the state’s assembly that aimed to restrict drag performances, putting the state at the forefront of a Republican-led effort to limit drag in at least 15 states in recent months. U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump, ruled late on Friday that the law was “both unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad.” The First Amendment to the Constitution commands that laws infringing on freedom of speech must be narrow and well defined, Parker said in the 70-page ruling. “Simply put, no majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit — but not obscene — speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech,” Parker said in the ruling. Under the law, offenders could face fines and up to a year in prison and repeat offenders could have faced prison sentences of up to six years. Ahead of the 2024 elections, Republican lawmakers across the country have introduced more than 500 bills this year regulating the conduct of gay and transgender people, ranging from what can be taught in schools to bathroom use and medical care. At least 48 of those have passed, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group. Parker had temporarily blocked the law on March 31, just before it was set to go into effect, siding with Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based LGBTQ theater group that filed suit against the state. GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy group, praised Parker’s decision. “This ruling is a turning point and we will not go back,” GLAAD said in a release. “Every anti-LGBTQ elected official is on notice that these baseless laws will not stand and that our constitutional freedom of speech and expression protects everyone and propels our culture forward,” the group said. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Additional reporting by Eric Beech and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by DPA Participants of the Riga Pride parade with a huge rainbow flag through the city center. Alexander Welscher/dpa Thousands of people celebrated Pride on the streets of Riga on Saturday, only partially disrupted by isolated counter-protests. The mostly young participants of the “Riga Pride” parade waved rainbow flags and held signs demanding more tolerance and equal rights for lesbian, gay, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. The two-hour street parade with the slogan “We are all Latvia” was the highlight of the Riga Pride festival, which runs over several weeks. Being queer is often still taboo in the Baltic country, where same-sex marriage is not yet legal. The parade’s organizers estimated the number of participants at over 5,000. The colourful march through Riga’s city centre was secured by numerous police officers. Unlike at previous events, there were no notable incidents. “This was the most spectacular march Riga has seen so far,” co-organizer Kaspars Zalitis told Latvian radio. “Latvian society has become much more open and inclusive.” In this year’s Rainbow Europe ranking by the organization ILGA Europe, Latvia landed in 37th place. The legal status for LGBTQ people within the European Union was thus only worse for queer people in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. The Latvian LGBTQ community hopes that the recent election of Edgars Rinkēvičs as president will result in progress and more acceptance amongst society. Rinkēvičs came out as gay in 2014, but just like many of Latvia’s other top politicians, did not attend Saturday’s parade. Participants of the Riga Pride parade with a huge rainbow flag through the city center. Alexander Welscher/dpa View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Taylor Swift kicked off her first of three shows in Chicago on Friday, delivering a special speech for her LGBTQ fans. In a touching show of allyship and support for the “incredible individuals who are living authentically and beautifully,” the pop superstar — who’s currently in the middle of her sold-out “The Eras Tour” — took some time to celebrate Pride Month, telling LGBTQ Swifties that “this is a safe space for you.” “First things first, Happy Pride Month, everyone,” the singer said, referring to her LGBTQ fans as “the most stunning, beautiful, brilliant crowds of people who are living th… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Chick-fil-A is an American fast food brand beloved for its fried chicken sandwiches and milkshakes Washington (AFP) – The “Lord’s chicken” no more: US fast food chain Chick-fil-A — beloved among Americans for its sandwiches, nuggets and milkshakes — found itself on the receiving end of right-wing ire this week, accused of succumbing to “woke” ideology. After conservative customers realized the company employs a “diversity, equity and inclusion” representative, it has joined the ranks of other seemingly innocuous brands now facing calls for boycotts, such as mega supermarket Target and Bud Light beer. Until recently, conservatives had seen the restaurant as one of their own, with its website explaining that its locations are closed on Sundays so the Baptist founder “and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose.” And in 2012, it was progressives who spurned Chick-fil-A’s offerings for supporting anti-gay marriage efforts. But the tables have turned, as right-wing influencers complain on social media about a statement from its vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion who says the company is committed “to ensuring mutual respect, understanding and dignity everywhere we do business.” Though that position has already been filled for a few years, angry social media commentators seem to have only just noticed this week. “Disappointing. Et tu Chick-fil-A?” asked former Trump-era Justice Department official Jeff Clark on Twitter, quoting Julius Caesar’s realization in Latin that his friend Brutus was among his killers. And contributor to conservative organization Turning Point USA, Morgonn McMichael, accused the chain in a viral video of deciding to “bow down to the woke lords.” “Chick-fil-A you are no longer the Lord’s chicken. You’re actually the woke chicken, and I’m really upset about it as a Christian woman,” she says. McMichael and her friend then complain about having to visit a rival chain instead — even though they do not seem as enthused about the fried poultry options at the new place. McMichael later claimed the video “was only about 30 percent serious.” ‘Toxic’ Chick-fil-A is only the latest US company to take center stage in the “culture wars” — the often sudden and intense controversies over issues like LGBTQ rights, guns and education, many of which involve everyday aspects of American life. Giant supermarket chain Target last week announced it would remove some LGBTQ pride merchandise from its shelves after receiving intense backlash from conservative media personalities — and even facing threats against employees. The company had launched a line of items marking June’s LGBTQ Pride Month, including rainbow-adorned T-shirts, party decorations and cooking supplies. Earlier this year, it was iconic American beer Bud Light in the anti-woke spotlight, for partnering with a popular transgender social media influencer. Many social media users now say they’ve totally given up the brand, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, has vowed to never drink Bud Light again, loathe to support anything “woke” — a somewhat amorphous term used by conservatives to describe progressive cultural values. The slogan “Go woke, go broke” has circulated on social media to encourage such boycotts. “The goal is to make ‘pride’ toxic for brands,” conservative commentator Matt Walsh said on Twitter. “If they decide to shove this garbage in our face, they should know that they’ll pay a price. It won’t be worth whatever they think they’ll gain,” he added. “First Bud Light and now Target. Our campaign is making progress. Let’s keep it going. With the 2024 election campaign looming, the culture wars don’t seem poised to run out of steam any time soon, and their next targets may be just as unpredictable as their last. “If you would’ve told me a year ago that a meal of Chick-fil-A washed down by Bud Light would trigger the (conservatives) I would’ve asked what you were smoking,” independent journalist Aaron Rupar observed. View the full article

Published by The Philadelphia Inquirer Drag queens Brittany Lynn and Morgan Wells read Giraffes Can’t Dance, a book promoting self-acceptance, to children in front of Independence Hall in a new Pride Month public service announcement encouraging LGBTQ+ travelers to book a trip to the city. Visit Philadelphia unveiled the 30-second clip on Friday. Starting next week, the ad will air on CBS stations in the Philly and New York markets for the rest of the month. The $250,000 Pride Month campaign comes two decades after city tourism officials first reached out to gay and lesbian travelers nationwide with the “Get your history straight a… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Elliot Page says he was told by an A-list actor: “I’m going to f*** you to make you realise you aren’t gay.” The 36-year-old ‘Juno’ star – formerly known as Ellen Page and who came out as homosexual in February 2014 before his gender transition in December 2020 – said the incident happened after he first publicly opened up about his sexuality. He revealed in his new memoir ‘Pageboy’ the incident with the unnamed actor happened at a party in Los Angeles in 2014, and he said that as well as telling him: “I’m going to f*** you to make you realise you aren’t gay”, the actor also said: “You aren’t gay. That doesn’t exist. You are just afraid of men.” Elliot included the story in a chapter of his book called ‘Famous A–hole at Party’, in which he only refers to the actor as an “acquaintance”. He added in the book that when he ran into the actor again at a gym a few days after the exchange, they insisted: “I don’t have a problem with gay people, I swear.” The actor said he told him: “I think you might.” Elliot added to People he “purposely” did not name the actor, who will “hear about this and know it’s him”. He said: “These moments that we often, like, don’t talk about or we’re supposed to just brush off, when actually it’s very awful.” Elliot also reveals in his book he had a secret relationship with a closeted female co-star, referred to as ‘Ryan’ in the autobiography, as well as an alleged romance with Kate Mara, 40, while she was dating Max Minghella, 37. Kate and Max split in 2014 after four years of dating and she is now married to actor Jamie Bell, 37, with whom she shares two children. Elliot said in the book: “This was right after I’d come out as gay and it was a time of exploration and also heartbreak. “I think my relationship, or whatever you want to call it with Kate, very much encapsulates a certain dynamic that I consistently found myself in, which was falling for people that – I think a lot of us do this – who aren’t fully available. And the sort of safety in that and the highs and the lows and the serotonin bump, and then it goes away.” View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) Thousands of Israelis joined Jerusalem’s Pride parade on Thursday, a high-security event in the conservative city where critics of LGBTQ rights held a counter-demonstration nearby. It’s the first time that the annual event is being held under the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His government includes multiple cabinet members who have expressed homophobic views in the past. Participants painted their faces, waved rainbow flags and carried balloons. The march in the conservative city is always tense and tightly secured by police, and has been wracked by violence in t… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The World Bank’s new president Ajay Banga on Friday asked the lender’s 16,000 staff to “double down” on development and climate efforts as he seeks to accelerate the bank’s evolution to tackle the most pressing global problems. On his first day in the job, the former Mastercard CEO told staff in a memo seen by Reuters that he would seek to recruit each of them to work towards his vision “to create a world free from poverty on a livable planet.” “Making good on our ambition will require us to evolve to maximize resources and write a new playbook, to think creatively, take informed risks and forge new partnerships with civil society and multilateral institutions,” Banga wrote. He also said the bank needed to become more efficient, slashing the approval time for financing projects, which can now take up to three years. “The process is overly elaborate and subject to multiple review mechanisms that not only cost valuable years but erode staff ambition,” he said, adding to a “trust deficit” among developing countries. Banga on Thursday met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who urged him to “get the most out of the bank’s balance sheet” and mobilize more private capital, the Treasury said. Yellen last year began pressing the World Bank and other multilateral lenders to revamp their business models and dramatically scale up lending resources to address climate change, pandemics, food security and other global crises. This would move the development lenders beyond the country-specific project loans they have pursued for decades, though she has demanded they maintain their core mission to reduce poverty. In his memo, which incorporated his statement to the World Bank Executive Board during an April 1 job interview, Banga said annual investments of trillions of dollars were needed to arrest the forces of climate change and fragility, while building up human capital and fighting inequality in health, education, and financial access. “We are at a critical moment in the arc of humanity and the planet. The World Bank Group is being asked to lead the way, to double down on development and climate efforts and to deliver even more impact and results,” he said. He added this would require “all shoulders to the wheel,” and all of the World Bank’s divisions working together to deliver solutions needed by the world. Banga, 63, was elected to a five-year term as World Bank president by the lender’s board of governors in May. Nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden, the Indian-born finance and development expert was the sole contender for the job. CLIMATE DEMANDS He takes over from David Malpass, who came under criticism last year after remarks that raised questions about his personal views on global warming despite doubling the bank’s climate finance during his tenure to $32 billion last year. Climate and development groups welcomed Banga and began presenting demands, including that the bank fully withdraw from financing fossil fuel projects and take stronger action to cancel the debts of poor countries. Kevin Gallagher, director of Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center, said Banga will first need to restore staff morale at the bank and quickly implement balance sheet reforms to squeeze more lending from existing resources. “On his watch, the world has to deliver on the sustainable development goals and a big tranche of the Paris climate commitments. There’s just no way he can do it without a capital increase and a major increase in resources.” (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by David Holmes and Hugh Lawson) View the full article

Published by AFP A bill making its way through the California state legislature would mandate that internet giants pay news agencies monthly 'journalism usage fees' based on viewing of stories via their platforms San Francisco (AFP) – A proposed law requiring internet giants to pay for news stories moved forward in California on Friday, despite Facebook owner Meta threatening to pull news from its platform if it passes. The California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), which cleared the state assembly on Thursday and was in the hands of the state senate, would mandate that large online platforms pay a monthly “journalism usage fee” to news providers whose work appears on their services. The bill is designed to support local news organizations, which have been decimated in recent years as ad revenue bled away to Google and Facebook, both advertising behemoths. Meta spokesman Andy Stone on Friday told AFP that if the bill becomes law, Meta “will be forced to remove news from Facebook and Instagram rather than pay into a slush fund that primarily benefits big, out-of-state media companies.” The bill has to make its way through the state senate and be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom to become law. The CJPA is like other legislative texts pending across the globe. In Australia, Facebook in 2021 briefly blocked news articles over a similar law and Google threatened to pull its search engine from the country before they made deals to pay several media groups. In the European Union, tech giants can be asked to pay a copyright fee to publishers for links posted in search results or feeds. “The CJPA is riddled with holes, the biggest of which is that the bill primarily funds national media outlets that spread misinformation,” said Chamber of Progress chief executive Adam Kovacevich. “It’s sad the Assembly is passing the buck to the Senate rather than fixing the bill’s problems.” The chamber is a trade group with a list of partners that includes Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta. A study posted by the chamber concluded that “disinformation outlets” including Fox News would benefit most from the California law. The bill defines online platforms as those having at least 50 million monthly active users in the United States; a billion monthly users worldwide, or be valued at more than $550 billion based on its stock price. Money for reporters? Fees paid would be based on the number of views and news providers would be required to spend it on journalism and support staff, according to the text of the bill. Stone noted that the wording of the bill means revenue from the law would not have to be spent on reporters covering news. The California state assembly website indicated the bill was sent to a senate committee responsible for scheduling debates and votes on legislation, with no indication of when it would go to a vote. “Meta’s threat to take down news is undemocratic and unbecoming,” trade group News Media Alliance said in a posted statement. “We have seen this in their playbook before.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month slammed Meta after executives said it would block news for Canadian Facebook and Instagram users in response to the proposed law there. The Canada law builds on Australia’s New Media Bargaining Code, which was a world first, aimed at making Google and Meta pay for news content on their platforms. View the full article

Published by Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — The onePULSE Foundation is scaling down plans for a museum and memorial as it tries to move past losing control of the former nightclub property. Deborah Bowie, executive director of the foundation, said the organization has narrowed down a few options for a future memorial and is currently working toward converting the 47,000-square-foot industrial building it owns in Orlando’s SoDo neighborhood into a new museum. “The reality is, if the organization is committed to being a change maker in the space — meaning connecting people in the conversation to lead to change and setting … Read More View the full article

Published by AFP The sun lines up between rows of skyscrapers in Manhattan on the evening of May 30, 2023 New York (AFP) – Snapping pictures with cell phones, hundreds of New Yorkers and tourists gathered in the streets to watch the sun set in perfect alignment between rows of the skyscrapers for which the city is famous. Right on schedule at 8:12 pm on Tuesday evening, the flaming orange ball could be seen perfectly framed by Manhattan’s canyons of tall buildings on streets running east-west, such as 42nd Street, which runs through Times Square. This spectacle happens four times a year for two days, about three to four weeks before and after the summer and winter solstices. It has come to be known as “Manhattanhenge” after Stonehenge, the ancient monument in southern England where the sun also lines up perfectly during the solstices — the moments when the sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest point in the sky. “It’s a beautiful event. And it’s some totally New York moment to do,” said Jeanette Wolfson, a 47-year-old science teacher from Long Island who came into the city to take pictures for her students. She said she would remind them that “it’s not the sun actually setting. It is the Earth rotating out of the light into the darkness.” The event lures photographers with fancy lenses and regular New Yorkers and tourists who do not hesitate to stand in the streets for a few minutes, blocking traffic. Patrick Batchelder, a 59-year-old photographer, said that what matters is sharing the special moment with others. “The picture itself is not so important, just being around the crowd and seeing something unique in New York City,” he said. The city’s American Museum of Natural History recommends viewing the phenomenon from 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd or 57th streets to take in how “the city is framing the sunset”, as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson puts it. The next time it happens will be on July 12. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Dating Raven-Symoné isn’t easy! During on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast in late May, the 37-year-old revealed why she makes anyone she’s been romantically involved with sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement). “All of my relationships, especially — obviously — when I started dating, I had to get people to sign NDAs,” the actress, who is now married to Miranda Pearman-Maday, told Howie Mandel during their candid conversation. “It took me a while to wrap my head around it because it’s very impersonal, but someone in our position needs to do that.” mega The TV host then asked the star what made her decide to serve the papers in the first place. “Before the naughty times come,” she stated. “No, I’m serious — right before naughty time comes,” she added. “Welcome to being a celebrity in Hollywood nowadays. It’s true though nowadays, hashtags, real life, they change the dynamic of having an intimate relationship with somebody.” Candace Cameron Bure Spills She Felt ‘Pressured’ To Represent Conservatives On ‘The View’, Reveals She Still Suffers From ‘PTSD’ Raven-Symoné Believes She Was ‘Catfished’ When Joining ‘The View’ Anneliese Van Der Pol Claims ‘Racism’ Played a Part in Initial ‘That’s So Raven’ Casting The Disney Channel alum, who tied the knot in 2020, shared what it was like to ask Pearman-Maday to sign the legal documents. “We were in New York. We were in this outdoor French type of restaurant, and my mom had been bugging me,” she noted. “She was like, ‘You got to get it signed. I’m like, ‘She’s from the industry.’ And my mom was bugging me.” “I was really reluctant because I knew something was different about Miranda,” she added. Pearman-Maday immediately felt a spark the That’s So Raven alum, which is why she didn’t “understand” why she needed to fill out the paperwork in the first place. Ultimately, Pearman-Maday came around. “We both were like, ‘This takes away the genuineness of it all, but we also understood that we live in Hollywood.’ She knows who she is. So she did it,” she shared. @ravensymone/Instagram Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! These days, the singer is happier than ever with her lady. “Miranda, she talks differently,” she gushed. “She asks me questions like I’ve never been asked before but then has wonderful conversation to go with it after — no judgment. She has her own flaws that she’s allowing me to help her with and vice versa.” View the full article

Published by DPA Our memory of events during lockdown is on a similar level to prison inmates, according to new reseach showing that many who stayed at home during the pandemic struggle to recall the timing of events. Fabian Strauch/dpa Stay at home, “meet” on Zoom, no travel beyond 5km, no pub or cinema or football or school, hospital treatments cancelled or put back, holidays out of the question, flatten the curve. For many people, after a couple of weeks of the Covid lockdown routine, days merged as a fugue of repetitiveness and lethargy clouded minds and memories. Life went on though, and with it some attenuated versions of what otherwise would be remembered as big news: the last-ditch hammering out of a Brexit deal between Britain and the European Union, the blocking for months of the Suez Canal by a stricken container ship, the mushroom cloud explosion at a fertiliser factory in Beirut, to list a few headline-grabbers. But it turns out people struggle to recall the timing of such events, going by a survey carried out by Daria Pawlak and Arash Sahraie of the University of Aberdeen, the findings from which were published in May in the medical journal PLOS One. The respondents’ recollection of the timing of events that occurred in 2021, the year before the survey was carried out, was “just as inaccurate as for events that occurred three to four years earlier” and resembled a level of recall for “those previously reported for prison inmates.” “Accurate recollection of event timing requires ‘anchoring’ life events, such as birthday celebrations and vacations, which were lacking during Covid-19 lockdowns,” said Pawlak and Sahraie. “In other words, many participants had difficulty recalling the timing of events coinciding with Covid-19 lockdowns,” the team said, describing the findings as echoing previous research that showed how “the social isolation resulting from Covid-19 lockdowns significantly impacted people’s activities and emotions.” “Prior research has shown that the pandemic triggered distortions in people’s perception of time,” they added. While the restrictions were justified by governments as a means of slowing the spread of Covid-19, “little attention was paid to the consequences that pandemic related restrictions might have on the psychological well-being of individuals,” the team wrote. Participants were asked to complete “standard evaluations” in the survey, covering categories “related to mental health, including levels of boredom, depression, and resilience,” with those who “made more errors in event timing” at the same time “more likely to show greater levels of depression, anxiety, and physical mental demands during the pandemic,” the researchers explained. View the full article

Published by Radar Online @KourtniFaber/TikTok; Mega Disney came under fire this week from conservative critics after a male employee donned a dress and makeup, RadarOnline.com has learned. The uproar first started when a Disneyland employee, identified only as Nick, was featured in a TikTok video during one family’s visit to the Anaheim, California amusement park. @kourtnifaber A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep #disneyland #bibbidibobbidiboutique #corememory ♬ original sound – Kourtni “So, my name is Nick, I am one of the Fairy Godmother’s Apprentices,” the seemingly male employee, who was seen wearing blue and purple eyeshadow as well as a matching uniform dress, said. “I’m here to shop you around and make all your selections for the day,” the employee continued as he welcomed a young girl to the park’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Mega But while the TikTok video garnered more than seven million views, the clip also caused a backlash against Disney from a host of conservative critics who did not like that a seemingly male employee was wearing both makeup and a dress while working at the park. “A man in drag is not only bizarre and inappropriate but it takes guests out of the ‘show’ – the illusion is broken,” fumed one Twitter user. “Nothing matters but the agenda and your 4 yo is a pawn they are happy to mindflay.” Ex-‘General Hospital’ Star Ingo Rademacher Accuses Disney Of Refusing To Hand Over Internal Communications In Battle Over Vaccine Mandate Johnny Depp Set For ‘Pirates’ Return? Margot Robbie Reveals Disney Nixed Female-Led Spin-Off Megyn Kelly Blasts Disney For Letting ‘Wokesters’ Influence Decision To Close Splash Mountain Due To Ride’s Racial Undertones “What’s particularly interesting about this is how intentional it is. This is a dude with a mustache in a dress. Not a ‘trans’ person,” added conservative political commentator Dave Rubin. “Think how many real girls want that job at Disney and they gave it to him for a reason…” “This is disgusting and wrong,” tweeted Jenna Ellis, a lawyer who previously worked for former President Donald Trump. “I remember when the ‘Disney Look’ didn’t even let women wear certain nail polish colors. Now THIS?!” Mega Although Disney has not yet responded to the conservative backlash against their Anaheim amusement park, the company did announce last summer that – in an effort to encourage inclusivity – the “Fairy Godmother in Training” title would be ditched in favor of “Fair Godmother’s Apprentices.” The change was reportedly made to benefit Disneyland cast members who might not identify as female. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. Mega “This way, cast members that might not identify as female can still be part of the process to dress up and style the children without having to refer to themselves as a female Disney character,” Disney said in a statement in July 2022. The $160 billion entertainment corporation came under fire then, with many former Disney fans calling for boycotts of the company’s various amusement parks and movies. “May you never suffer the same destruction of your legacy that poor Walt has,” Red State editor Brandon Morse said at the time. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Andy Cohen is telling all of the behind-the-scenes secrets from the 2021 Keeping Up With the Kardashians reunion. While appearing on the Tuesday, May 30, episode of the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, the media mogul spilled the tea on the conversations he had with the famous family that never made it to air. mega “I will say that there was so much more — if there could ever be a director’s cut or my cut, I think people would be really surprised,” Cohen told Amanda Hirsch of the unseen footage from their sit down. “We had very frank conversations about plastic surgery.” “There was a moment where I was grilling Kim [Kardashian] and she was being really PC,” the Watch What Happens Live host explained. “She finally said, ‘Look we’re not going to use this but I’m going to tell you right now,’ and she gave it to me straight. It was something about her former friend or someone who was not apart of her circle.” Mega Teresa Giudice Claims Joe and Melissa Gorga Were the Ones Who Put Her in Jail During Explosive ‘RHONJ’ Reunion Trailer — Watch Andy Cohen Asks Online Trolls to Stop Hating on Tom Sandoval Despite ‘VPR’ Star’s ‘Asinine’ Affair: ‘He Didn’t Kill Anyone’ Teresa Giudice Backtracks After Accusing Caroline Manzo of Putting Her in Jail, Blames Melissa Gorga: ‘I Think You Did’ Cohen went on to say that The Kardashians stars have ownership of the footage and always have approval over the final cut — therefore, the videos will never see the light of day. Still, the Bravo boss did question the ladies during the special about the work they have or haven’t had. “Everyone says, ‘Oh, my gosh she’s had her third face transplant!’ But I’ve had one nose job — Dr. Raj Kanodia,” Khloé Kardashian said while shouting out her doctor. mega Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! “Everyone gets so upset, like why don’t I talk about it? No one’s ever asked me. You’re the first person in an interview [who’s] ever asked me about my nose,” the Good American co-founder told Cohen. “I’ve done, sure, injections – not really Botox. I’ve responded horribly to Botox.” “When the show first started, I was very secure, very secure,” she continued of why she changed her appearance. “Then, during the first couple seasons I became insecure because of the public opinions of myself. Then, I had a good run of being secure. Then, recently I’ve become now insecure again. So I guess it just goes up and down.” View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal prosecutors have a 2021 audio recording of former President Donald Trump acknowledging he kept a classified Pentagon document about a possible attack on Iran after leaving the White House, CNN reported on Wednesday. CNN did not listen to the recording but cited unidentified multiple sources describing it. Reuters was not able to confirm the report. The recording shows Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, understood he retained classified material after he left the White House in 2021, according to the cable television network. Trump’s remarks indicated he would like to share the information but was aware of the limitations on his ability to declassify documents after leaving office, two sources told CNN. A Trump representative did not immediately return a request for comment. Peter Carr, the spokesman for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office at the Justice Department, also did not immediately comment. Smith is investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents, as well as efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Kanishka Singh; editing by Tim Ahmann) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A former employee of Amazon.com’s Ring doorbell camera unit spied for months on female customers in 2017 with cameras placed in bedrooms and bathrooms, the Federal Trade Commission said in a court filing on Wednesday when it announced a $5.8 million settlement with the company over privacy violations. Amazon also agreed to pay $25 million to settle allegations it violated children’s privacy rights when it failed to delete Alexa recordings at the request of parents and kept them longer than necessary, according to a court filing in federal court in Seattle that outlined a separate settlement. The FTC settlements are the agency’s latest effort to hold Big Tech accountable for policies critics say place profits from data collection ahead of privacy. The FTC is also probing Amazon.com’s $1.7 billion deal to buy iRobot Corp, which was announced in August 2022 in Amazon’s latest push into smart home devices, and has a separate antitrust probe underway into Amazon. Amazon, which purchased Ring in April 2018, pledged to make some changes in its practices. “While we disagree with the FTC’s claims regarding both Alexa and Ring, and deny violating the law, these settlements put these matters behind us,” Amazon.com said in a statement. The FTC said Ring gave employees unrestricted access to customers’ sensitive video data: “As a result of this dangerously overbroad access and lax attitude toward privacy and security, employees and third-party contractors were able to view, download, and transfer customers’ sensitive video data.” In one instance in 2017, an employee of Ring viewed videos made by at least 81 female customers and Ring employees using Ring products. “Undetected by Ring, the employee continued spying for months,” the FTC said. A colleague noticed the misconduct and the employee was eventually terminated, the FTC complaint said. In May 2018, an employee gave information about a customer’s recordings to the person’s ex-husband without consent, the complaint said. In another instance, an employee was found to have given Ring devices to people and then watched their videos without their knowledge, the FTC said. As part of the FTC agreement with Ring, which expires after 20 years, Ring is required to disclose to customers how much access to their data the company and its contractors have. In February 2019, Ring changed its policies so that most Ring employees or contractors could only access a customer’s private video with that person’s consent. FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya told Reuters the settlements should send a message to tech companies that their need to collect data was not an excuse to break the law. “This is a very clear signal to them,” he said. The fines, totaling $30.8 million, represent a fraction of Amazon’s $3.2 billion first-quarter profit. In its complaint against Amazon.com filed in Washington state, the FTC said that it violated rules protecting children’s privacy and rules against deceiving consumers who used Alexa. For example, the FTC complaint says that Amazon told users it would delete voice transcripts and location information upon request, but then failed to do so. “The unlawfully retained voice recordings provided Amazon with a valuable database for training the Alexa algorithm to understand children, benefiting its bottom line at the expense of children’s privacy,” the FTC said. (Reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson; Editing by Anna Driver and Deepa Babington) View the full article

On Tuesday, Tan France, one of the stars of Netflix’s Queer Eye, announced that he had welcomed his second child with his husband, Rob France. France shared the news on his Instagram account, posting a photo of himself holding the newborn’s hand. He did not disclose the gender or name of the child but expressed his excitement and gratitude in the caption. This is the second child for France and his husband, who welcomed their first child, a son named Ismail, in 2019. The couple has been open about their experiences with surrogacy, and France has spoken publicly about the challenges and joys of fatherhood. Fans and supporters congratulated the couple on social media, sending well wishes and love to their growing family. France has been known for his fashion and style expertise on Queer Eye as well as partnering with Gigi Hadid on “Netflix’s Next in Fashion” a platform he’s leveraged to further advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and representation as well as his efforts to make the world look better in clothes. France shared the news on his Instagram account, posting a photo of himself holding the newborn’s hand. Congratulations to Tan France and his growing family! View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Neil Patrick Harris is looking forward to turning 50. The 49-year-old actor will celebrate his landmark birthday on June 15, and Neil insists that he’s excited about the next “chapter” in his life. He told PEOPLE: “I’m not going anywhere. To me, 50 is chapter two.” Neil co-produces his new Hulu series, ‘Drag Me to Dinner’, with his husband David Burtka, and the Hollywood star admits that he has actually enjoyed the experience of working behind the camera. Reflecting on the experience, Neil – who also co-hosts the series, which sees drag queens host themed dinner parties – said: “We’ve spent a lot of our lives as actors, so it’s nice that in this next chapter of our adult lives we get to be the painter and not just a colour on the palette. “[We] designed [the show] for people to appreciate these drag performers.” Neil shot to fame as a child actor, after being discovered at a drama summer camp. However, the ‘How I Met Your Mother’ star previously insisted that he’s never really been motivated by fame. Speaking to the Guardian newspaper in 2021, Neil explained: “I love process. I’ve always really been most excited about learning how things work. Fame is a bit of an ether fog and you can get overwhelmed by the treatment, as opposed to the work. “I loved being in an apartment building I’d never been in, in a town I’d never been in, and meeting people. I don’t think I was ever really caught up in the size of my dressing room or my salary or getting free sweaters from Adidas. When you get lost into that world, fame fleets, right?” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon starts her day with a spliff and cup of tea. The 26-year-old model added she has smoked marijuana since childhood, when she would sneak onto the roof of her Queen of Pop mum’s house to light up. She said in a cover interview for The Face magazine: when asked what the first thing she does when she wakes in the morning: “I make a London fog tea. (Earl Grey with vanilla and steamed milk.)” When she was told by the interviewer she actually looks at her phone first, Lourdes admitted: “Oh, well, yeah, I look at my phone! Obviously that’s what everyone does, and it’s such a bad habit. “OK, I look on my phone, I make my Earl Grey and I have my spliff.” She added about her childhood: “I would sneak up to the roof to smoke a spliff, but I wouldn’t sneak out.” But Lourdes insisted she wasn’t that rebellious, and when asked if she ever had a curfew, added: “There was no curfew to be had because there was no going out.” She said she did not start going out until her Cuban actor dad Carlos Leon, 56, “would let me go hang out with my friends sometimes on the weekends”. Lourdes added: “But I really wouldn’t consider that going out. I never went to a club until I was 19, 20 years old. I was in Michigan for a year, then I came back to New York, and that’s when I started to step out.” The model, who is a rising singer and last year released her debut EP ‘Go’ added one of her favourite artists is Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. She said about the 54-year-old: “There’s something about Thom Yorke that makes me go crazy, I just don’t understand it. “I’ve always felt this way, since I was young – he’s so beautifully scatter brained in a way where you’re like, ‘Where the f*** did that come from?’ “And then it all ends up making sense once the whole song is together. He literally will go from storytelling – writing about something very specific – to just using random words and sentences and stringing them together. I’m obsessed with him.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ben Platt has got engaged to his fiancé Noah Galvin for the second time. ‘The Book of Mormon’ star, 29, showed off a diamond engagement ring on his Instagram Story on Monday (29.05.23) after ‘The Real O’Neals’ sitcom actor Noah, also 29, first proposed to him in November. Displaying a sapphire ring that is similar to the one Ben gave Noah in 2022, he said: “He proposed back.” He also posted a photo of their dog holding a red rose in his mouth, alongside which Ben wrote: “I said yes.” Noah joked on Instagram about their dog, who Ben calls Georgie: “GEORGE DID THE ASKING.” The pair also celebrated the second engagement with a cake that said: “Gay marriage is cool.” Ben captioned a series of Instagram snaps in November initially announcing their engagement, which happened at a restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: “He agreed to hang out forever.” Noah added on his Instagram: “I said yeehaw and then cried for like 7 hours.” In one image, the couple were surrounded by a floral display adorned with candles. The pair have each played the lead role in the Broadway show ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, and after Ben stepped down from the part, Noah took over – sparking a friendship that lasted years before they became boyfriends during the Covid pandemic. Ben told Kelly Clarkson in an interview: “We were friends for five years, and right before the pandemic, we finally decided to really give it a shot. “We kind of skated around it for a long time.” The actor added in a chat with Out magazine he had finally found a partner “that I really love”. He said: “(Noah) has a really unique ability to help me to… be present where I am and to make the life that’s happening day to day too wonderful to not want to be on the ground for it.” View the full article