Scobie has the video. He describes it as M and C “having a chat” and then the camera pans out and you realize that C is talking to the president’s wife and Meghan is just self-consciously pretending to be part of the convo. It’s hilarious.
Aquaman reveals first look at the exotic Fisherman King
In this scene, King Orm (Patrick Wilson, not shown) has gone to the Fisherman King (played by Djimon Hounsou, that guy with the trident — and more on that in a minute) to enlist his help to declare war on the ocean-polluting surface world. There’s also the Fisherman Queen (Natalia Safran) and Princess (Sophia Forrest) on the left, and a royal guard on the right. Though you can’t tell in this shot, all of them have tails instead of legs.
“After the fall of Atlantis, some of the kingdoms evolved and some devolved,” explains producer Peter Safran. “This is one that evolved. This is a kingdom that’s primarily artistic and cerebral, with poets and philosophers.”
When asked if her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the film includes her bisexuality, Gadot gives an open-minded answer. “In the movie, she falls in love with a man. But to be honest, Wonder Woman is all about love. She doesn’t pay too much attention to gender, and that is what is so special about her. She sees people as equal. Because of that, she can fall in love with a woman. It is not something we explored but maybe in the future, who knows?”
So, okay. I don’t wanna be a traitor to my generation and all, but I don’t get how guys dress today. I mean, c’mon, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants, and take their greasy hair—ew!—and cover it up with a backwards cap and, like, we’re expected to swoon? I don’t think so!
If all forty-nine Democrats and independents in the Senate vote against Kavanaugh as a bloc, he could still be confirmed. But even if it’s a hopeless gesture, it is vitally important that Democrats, their supporters, and anybody else who harbors a sense of fairness and history register a strong protest in the coming weeks and months.
So I hate to do the whole “Kate vs Diana” thing but a lot of people in this fandom hold Diana up as a perfect royal so I thought it would be interesting to compare the number of engagements they were doing in the year they gave birth to their second child.
The total number of engagements is obviously lower due to the fact they were pregnant, giving birth, and on maternity leave.
In 2015, the year of Princess Charlotte’s birth, the Duchess of Cambridge carried out 62engagements.
In 1984, the year of Prince Harry’s birth, Princess Diana carried out 52engagements (x)
In 2015, Prince William carried out 122 engagements. In 1984 Princes Charles carried out 93 engagements (x).
It’s up to you to decide what that means for you but it’s interesting to be able to compare the numbers. Thoughts?
Thought I’d bring this back given recent conversation
In the early 90s, a digital typeface designed in the 80s – but based on the letterforms used in a Roman column completed in 113 AD – became the go-to typeface for movie poster designers. (Reminder: everything is a remix.) It was used on posters for movies like The Bodyguard, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Children of Men, and Quiz Show. This Vox video details the rise of the Trajan typeface in movie poster design and why its not used that often by big movies anymore.
President Obama is heading to Africa this week for the first time since he left office. In preparation, he shared a recommended summer reading list that’s heavy on African authors. Here’s the full list:
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A true classic of world literature, this novel paints a picture of traditional society wrestling with the arrival of foreign influence, from Christian missionaries to British colonialism. A masterpiece that has inspired generations of writers in Nigeria, across Africa, and around the world.
A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong’o
A chronicle of the events leading up to Kenya’s independence, and a compelling story of how the transformative events of history weigh on individual lives and relationships.
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Mandela’s life was one of the epic stories of the 20th century. This definitive memoir traces the arc of his life from a small village, to his years as a revolutionary, to his long imprisonment, and ultimately his ascension to unifying President, leader, and global icon. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history – and then go out and change it.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
From one of the world’s great contemporary writers comes the story of two Nigerians making their way in the U.S. and the UK, raising universal questions of race and belonging, the overseas experience for the African diaspora, and the search for identity and a home.
The Return by Hisham Matar
A beautifully-written memoir that skillfully balances a graceful guide through Libya’s recent history with the author’s dogged quest to find his father who disappeared in Gaddafi’s prisons.
The World As It Is by Ben Rhodes
It’s true, Ben does not have African blood running through his veins. But few others so closely see the world through my eyes like he can. Ben’s one of the few who’ve been with me since that first presidential campaign. His memoir is one of the smartest reflections I’ve seen as to how we approached foreign policy, and one of the most compelling stories I’ve seen about what it’s actually like to serve the American people for eight years in the White House.
Each of us has a deep need to forgive and to be forgiven. After much reflection on the process of forgiveness, Tutu has seen that there are four important steps to healing: Admitting the wrong and acknowledging the harm; Telling one’s story and witnessing the anguish; Asking for forgiveness and granting forgiveness; and renewing or releasing the relationship. Forgiveness is hard work. Sometimes it even feels like an impossible task. But it is only through walking this fourfold path that Tutu says we can free ourselves of the endless and unyielding cycle of pain and retribution.
The graves of both tragic Prince Johns, located at
St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham.
On the left is Prince Alexander John, the sixth child and third son of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark. He was born prematurely on April 6th, 1871, and died the following day.
On the right is Prince John Charles Francis, the sixth child and fifth son of George V and Mary of Teck. John was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 4, and was sent to live at
Sandringham House
to be cared for by his nanny, Charlotte “Lala” Bill, and kept out of the public eye. He was also acknowledged to have had some form of learning disability, and possibly an intellectual disability as well. Some more recent researchers have theorized some of the young prince’s behaviours were consistent with a diagnosis of autism. He died at the age of 13, following a severe seizure.
I’ve loved learning more about John from @firstwindsor and seeing that the public perception of him as being hidden away and a shameful secret in his family is so inaccurate. It’s made me like that generation of royals a lot more to know that they were genuinely doing what they thought was best for a little boy who they loved with all their heart.
I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis jury on Thursday awarded nearly $4.7 billion in total damages to 22 women and their families after they claimed asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer in the first case against the company that focused on asbestos in the powder.
The jury announced the $4.14 billion award in punitive damages shortly after awarding $550 million in compensatory damages after a six-week trial in St. Louis Circuit Court.
Johnson & Johnson called the verdict the result of an unfair process that allowed the women to sue the company in Missouri despite most of them not living in the state and said it would appeal, as it has in previous cases that found for women who sued the company.
“Johnson & Johnson remains confident that its products do not contain asbestos and do not cause ovarian cancer and intends to pursue all available appellate remedies,” spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said.
Mark Lanier, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said in a statement that Johnson & Johnson had covered up evidence of asbestos in their products for more than 40 years.
Medical experts testified during the trial that asbestos, a known carcinogen, is intermingled with mineral talc, which is the primary ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products. The plaintiffs’ lawyers said asbestos fibers and talc particles were found in the ovarian tissues of many of the women.
“We hope this verdict will get the attention of the J&J board and that it will lead them to better inform the medical community and the public about the connection between asbestos, talc, and ovarian cancer,” Lanier said. “The company should pull talc from the market before causing further anguish, harm, and death from a terrible disease.”
During closing arguments on Wednesday, Lanier told the jurors this case was the first where jurors saw documents showing that Johnson & Johnson knew its products contained asbestos and didn’t warn consumers, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The company has been sued by more than 9,000 women who claim its talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer. Johnson & Johnson has consistently denied that its products can be linked to the cancer.
Goodrich said the verdict awarding all the women the same amount despite differences in their circumstances showed evidence in the case was overwhelmed by prejudice created when so many plaintiffs are allowed to sue the company in one lawsuit.
“Every verdict against Johnson & Johnson in this court that has gone through the appeals process has been reversed and the multiple errors present in this trial were worse than those in the prior trials which have been reversed,” she said.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said punitive damage awards are limited by state law to five times the amount of compensatory damages awarded and defense lawyers probably would file a motion to reduce the award.
Six of the 22 plaintiffs in the latest trial have died from ovarian cancer. Five plaintiffs were from Missouri, with others from states that include Arizona, New York, North Dakota, California, Georgia, the Carolinas and Texas.
One of the plaintiffs, Gail Ingham, 73, of O’Fallon, Missouri, told The Post-Dispatch that she was diagnosed with stage-3 ovarian cancer in 1985 and underwent chemotherapy treatments, surgeries and drug treatments for a year before being declared cancer free in the early 1990s.
Ingham, who used baby powder for decades, said she joined the lawsuit because women who use baby powder “need to know what’s in there. They need to know what’s going on. Women need to know because they’re putting it on their babies.”
“Many years before that, one of the boys came down with the pox. Maester Luwin said if he made it through the night, he’d live. But it would be a very long night. So I sat with him all through the darkness. Listened to his ragged little breaths. His coughing, his whimpering.”
“Mother of dragons, Daenerys thought. Mother of monsters. What have I unleashed upon the world? A queen I am, but my throne is made of burned bones, and it rests on quicksand. Without dragons, how could she hope to hold Meereen, much less win back Westeros? I am the blood of the dragon, she thought. If they are monsters, so am I.”
Archaeologists scanning a Mexican pyramid for damage following September’s devastating earthquake have uncovered traces of an ancient temple.
The temple is nestled inside the Teopanzolco pyramid in Morelos state, 70km (43 miles) south of Mexico City.
It is thought to date back to 1150 and to belong to the Tlahuica culture, one of the Aztec peoples living in central Mexico.
The structure is dedicated to Tláloc, the Aztec rain god.
Archaeologists say it would have measured 6m by 4m (20ft by 13ft). Among the temple’s remains they also found an incense burner and ceramic shards.
The discovery was made when scientists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) used a radar to check for structural damage to the Teopanzolco pyramid in Cuernavaca. Read more.
CAROLE’S SURROGACY MAFIA! haha. Anyway, unfortunately royal laws haven’t caught up with technology or society so I don’t believe there’s any law about whether a child born to a surrogate could be in the line of succession. I’m quite torn because royals go first and foremost off genetics so it would make me think that they could be in line but in the UK the surrogate is legally considered the mother of the child until she gives up parental rights which is essentially like the royals adopting their own child. And adopted kids can’t be in the line of succession. I don’t know about every other monarchy but I know in Norway surrogacy is illegal as it caused a scandal when MM went to India to look after twins born through surrogacy for a gay couple she’s friends with. I think it’s unfortunately a question without a clear answer. There are so many ways that monarchies haven’t caught up with modern society- there are no title systems for same sex couples for example- and this is one of them
House of Brat 