Musk’s X is the biggest purveyor of disinformation, EU official says
Social network X, formerly known as Twitter, is the biggest source of fake news according to a top EU official. X is “the platform with the largest ratio of mis- or disinformation posts,” European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said. She urged the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, to comply with the bloc’s laws aimed at combating disinformation. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, released a study of six online platforms in Poland, Slovakia and Spain that found Twitter had the highest prevalence of disinformation and biggest ratio of disinformation actors.
2023-09-27 06:23
New York judge blocks retail marijuana licensing, a major blow to state's fledgling program
A New York judge has blocked the state's retail marijuana program from issuing or processing dispensary licenses
2023-08-19 06:29
Why is PewDiePie taking break from YouTube again? 'I'm very, very, very excited'
Earlier in January 2022, PewDiePie took his first break from YouTube
2023-06-30 14:17
Alexander Zverev stops play to demand fan's removal from the US Open arena over Hitler slur
Alexander Zverev's girlfriend Sophia Thomalla is currently in New York to cheer on her beau at the US Open and might have witnessed the incident
2023-09-05 20:45
How tall is Alex Murdaugh? Convicted South Carolina attorney is too tall to have shot his wife and son, expert says
Disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted in a significant trial of killing his wife and youngest son
2023-09-05 18:20
Sudan war uproots 2.5 million, UN says, as bodies line Darfur streets
Bodies have lined the streets in Sudan's western Darfur region as the UN said Tuesday that more than two months of fighting have forced over 2...
2023-06-21 01:52
Woman bullied over skin blistering disorder writing books to stop other children ‘feeling like freaks’
A woman who was born with a rare inherited skin blistering disorder which caused her to get “bullied” and feel “like a freak” throughout her childhood and teenage years, as well as forcing her onto a soft food diet of “bananas and custard” for weeks at a time, now writes inclusive children’s books with a focus on disability to encourage “other children to grow up with confidence”. Vie Portland, a 52-year-old confidence coach, author and speaker from Winchester, was born with epidermolysis bullosa simplex generalised intermediate but was not formally diagnosed with the skin condition until she was 28. According to the NHS, epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare inherited skin disorder that causes the skin to become very fragile, and any trauma or friction to the skin can cause painful blisters. Vie is yet to find a treatment that helps her condition, and her feet are regularly covered with huge internal blisters which feel like she has “stones under (her) skin.” Her condition even means that she cannot eat “anything acidic or too peppery” and often spends weeks eating “just bananas and custard”. She has also developed thoracic outlet syndrome, chronic bursitis, and often has spasms, because of walking with a limp to try to ease the pain. Now, Vie writes inclusive children’s books to raise awareness about living with a disability, because she grew up “afraid that there was no one else like (her)”, and hopes to write a book about someone with her condition next. Vie told PA Real Life: “So it feels like I’ve got stones under my skin all the time on my feet and it doesn’t matter how much you try to explain that to someone people just don’t get it. “Even things like if I meet friends for a drink in a lovely pub garden – I’ll be in agony because of walking on gravel and it takes so much energy out of me. “I can’t eat anything acidic or too peppery – sometimes I have to eat just bananas and custard for weeks.” Vie was born with the skin condition, saying: “I was born with no skin on my bottom and had some skin missing on my left foot. “The charity that works with people that have EB wasn’t around then – I spoke to someone recently from Debra, the charity, and they said if you looked at all the people on a double-decker bus, you’d expect to find at least one person with psoriasis. “But, you’d have to wait for over 700 buses before you met someone with EB.” As a child, Vie regularly had huge blisters all over her feet and the back of her heels. She explained: “I remember wearing jelly shoes one summer, and heat and friction are two of my triggers. “Throughout the day, blisters grew around the rubber shoes and I had to have the pair of shoes cut off my feet – it was excruciating.” When Vie was a teenager, she was very self-conscious of her condition, she explained: “I was in constant pain, and I struggled with all shoes and walking anywhere. “We’re always told not to pop blisters, but when you have EB they tell you to pop them because they get so big. “I didn’t know that at the time and it was just so painful. “People were noticing how I walk and I was embarrassed to show my feet – I didn’t have a normal childhood because of this. “Even something as simple as opening a bottle makes several layers of skin come off and cause me to have raw skin all over my hands, I was told this was weird by other people.” Doctors were baffled by Vie’s condition, over the years, she was told she had different types of eczema and even that she was allergic to her own sweat. But, at age 28, she was diagnosed with EB by a dermatologist in London. She said: “I just grew up believing that it was my fault and I was afraid that there was no one else like me.” “It all just made sense. “They even took pictures of my feet for a medical journal because it was so rare.” After getting her diagnosis, Vie began researching the charity DEBRA, which specialises in EB. She said: “I started finding out that there were people like me – it was amazing, growing up, I was bullied and felt like a freak.” Since then, Vie has sadly not been able to find a treatment that helps her condition. “There’s no cure for EB but things have moved on a lot over the past 20 years,” she said. “We have special types of dressings and creams which can help alleviate the pain.” On top of this, because Vie has been walking “unusually” for most of her life, she has developed thoracic outlet syndrome, chronic bursitis, and often has spasms. Vie said: “It can be frustrating at times because it just feels like no one will ever understand what it is like. “For most people, blisters are a bit painful, but it’s all right, but for me, it’s one of the worst pains in the world.” Now, Vie is focussing on raising awareness about living with a disability, and has recently written two inclusive children’s books called ‘Where Are We Going?’ and ‘Who Am I?’. She said: “I want other children to grow up with confidence and not to feel like a freak like me. “Children aren’t born with prejudice and I think it’s really important to teach them about all of our amazing cultures and worlds. “In my books, I don’t explicitly say the character is disabled until the discussion questions at the end – I want the character to be accepted and not defined by their disability. “I think people have more in common with each other than things that are different, and that’s a beautiful thing. “I’m hoping to write a book about someone with my condition – that’s my next plan.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fraser Franks undergoing heart surgery – four years after ‘hidden’ condition cut short football career 4 viral TikTok make-up trends you’ll actually want to try Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: What are the warning signs that your child might have cancer?
2023-09-01 21:23
Video of Jaguar Wright's bombshell 'questions' about Diddy resurface as Cassie Ventura allegations stir storm
Amid allegations against Diddy, an old video of Jaguar Wright resurfaces, sparking speculation about eerie connections to past events
2023-11-17 16:27
Angelina Jolie's children tell her to settle custody battle with Brad Pitt as source reveals 'the war is far from over'
'The children are fine with Brad (Pitt). With maybe the exception of Maddox, they all actually like him,' the source revealed
2023-06-17 06:57
Exploring truth behind X user's bold claim of MrBeast garnering over 1B subscribers on YouTube
The post from the user of the X platform included a video of MrBeast celebrating surpassing one billion subscribers on YouTube
2023-09-04 13:19
'Don't vote for him': Internet wants 'DWTS' contestant Harry Jowsey fired from show over past homophobic remarks
Internet demanded the firing of 'Dancing With the Stars' contestant Harry Jowsey from the show over his past homophobic remarks
2023-11-09 12:54
Six Triple Eight: The battalion of black women erased from history
The members of the 6888th battalion are beginning to get recognition almost 80 years on.
2023-07-05 08:57
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