
Phoenix restaurants fail inspections, expired food and dirty meat cutter among health violations
It has been reported that La Locanda Italian Bistro, located at 3915 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, was subject to five violations
2023-11-23 19:53

White House says it wasn’t behind Pentagon decision to cancel drag shows
The White House said on Monday it wasn’t behind a Defense Department decision to cancel drag events at US military bases. Late last week, DoD announced that drag events, which have been performed at US military installations for decades, wouldn’t continue because they aren’t a “suitable use” of military resources. The Pentagon said in a statement that “certain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in nonfederal capacity.” Biden administration press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday at a press conference that the White House supports LGBTQ+ members of the military. “The Biden-Harris administration will celebrate LGBTQI plus service members’ contributions with pride across federal agencies, including at the Department of Defense,” she said. The Pentagon decision has already led to the cancellation of at least one planned drag show, a family-friendly event at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada featuring performer Coco Montrese, a former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The base has hosted drag events in 2021 and 2022, planned by the facility’s Pride committee. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Monday on CNN canceling the events was the “absolute right thing to do” and said drag events “were never part of DOD policy to begin with and they’re certainly not funded by federal funds.” Capitol Hill Republicans questioned Mr Milley and other military leaders in March at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in March, and have since raised inquiries about potential funds going to such events. US military members have performed in drag at bases since at least World War I, including during the famed USO shows of WWII, according to the New York Times “Ensuring our ranks reflect the diversity of the American people is essential to morale and cohesion,” the Modern Military Association of America, a nonprofit representing LGBTQ+ servicemembers, told the paper. “It affects recruiting and retention of service members who do not feel welcome due to their sexual and gender identities.” Across the country, Republican-led legislatures have passed laws targeting drag shows, and drag events have been the subject of armed threats, part of a wider wave of GOP attacks on LGBTQ+ people. Read More David Furnish hits out at Ron DeSantis for ‘diabolically anti-Christian’ policies against LGBTQ+ people The Independent Pride List 2023: The LGBT+ people making change happen Tennessee drag ban is struck down by federal judge: ‘Unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad’
2023-06-06 08:16

Study finds popular accessory actually likely makes ‘no difference’ to sleep quality or eye health
Special glasses marketed to filter out blue light likely do not make any difference to sleep quality or eye strain from computer use, according to a new review of studies. Blue-light blocking spectacles have been increasingly recommended, often by optometrists, since the early 2000s. Eye patients are frequently prescribed these lenses in many parts of the world with a range of marketing claims existing about their potential benefits. Some of these claims include that the special glasses may reduce eye strain associated with digital device use, improve sleep quality, and also protect the retina from light-induced damage. However, researchers, including those from the University of Melbourne in Australia, say there is “substantial debate” about whether blue-light filtering spectacle lenses have merit in ophthalmic practice. The research, published in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, assessed data from 17 clinical trials on the benefits offered by these glasses for improving visual performance, providing protection to the retina, and improving sleep quality. The review assessed data from individual studies from six countries, each including five to 156 participants, and the period of time over which the lenses were assessed ranging from less than one day to five weeks. Researchers found that there may be “no short-term advantages” with using blue-light filtering spectacle lenses to reduce visual fatigue associated with computer use, compared to non-blue-light filtering lenses. They say it is also currently unclear whether these lenses affect vision quality or sleep-related outcomes. The research review could also draw no conclusions about any potential effects on retinal health in the longer term. “People should be aware of these findings when deciding whether to purchase these spectacles,” study co-author Laura Downie said. “Our findings do not support the prescription of blue-light filtering lenses to the general population. These results are relevant to a broad range of stakeholders, including eye care professionals, patients, researchers and the broader community,” Dr Downie added. However, scientists said the quality and duration of the individual studies part of the review also needs to be considered. “High-quality, large clinical research studies with longer follow-up in more diverse populations are still required to ascertain more clearly the potential effects of blue-light filtering spectacle lenses on visual performance, sleep and eye health,” Sumeer Singh, another author of the study, said. The potential mechanisms by which these lenses might help with eye strain, sleep, and protecting the retina are also unclear, scientists say. “The amount of blue light our eyes receive from artificial sources, such as computer screens, is about a thousandth of what we get from natural daylight,” Dr Singh said. “Filtering out higher levels of blue light would require the lenses to have an obvious amber tint, which would have a substantial effect on colour perception,” he added. But the new research did not find any consistent reports of adverse side effects from using blue-light filtering lenses. Read More A bed bugs epidemic is sweeping the UK – this is why AI can predict Parkinson’s subtype with up to 95% accuracy, study suggests The return of schedules: How parents can make the most of back-to-school energy
2023-08-18 14:27

House GOP gears up to pick new speaker nominee amid crowded field
House Republicans will meet Tuesday morning to pick a new speaker nominee from a crowded field, though it remains unclear whether any candidate can lock down the 217 votes needed to ultimately win the gavel.
2023-10-24 17:22

X will allow political ads again and hire for safety and election teams ahead of 2024 elections
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, is hiring for its safety and elections teams ahead of the 2024 US presidential election and will again allow political ads for the first time since 2019.
2023-08-30 01:29

Why art historians are reframing 19th-century 'supermodel' Elizabeth Siddal
Elizabeth Siddal has been an elusive and tragic figure in art history. An exhibition at Tate Britain reintroduces the Pre-Raphaelite muse as an accomplished artist.
2023-05-09 03:20

Russian fighter jet flies dangerously close to US warplane over Syria
U.S. officials say that a Russian fighter jet flew very close to a U.S. surveillance aircraft over Syria, forcing it to go through the turbulent wake and putting the lives of the four American crew members in danger
2023-07-18 07:28

Tropical Storm Bret grows stronger as eastern Caribbean islands prepare for heavy flooding
Tropical Storm Bret is growing stronger as it takes aim at islands in the eastern Caribbean that are bracing for torrential rainfall, landslides and flooding
2023-06-22 07:59

UN waits for Russian answer as Black Sea grain deal deadline looms
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is still waiting for a response from Russian
2023-07-15 02:56

US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers
The US is announcing a series of indictments and sanctions against 14 people and 14 firms across China and Canada related to the import of fentanyl into the United States
2023-10-04 02:29

Aaron Rodgers strains calf during warmups, sits out first Jets practice open to media
Aaron Rodgers never made it past warmups in his first New York Jets practice in front of the media
2023-05-24 04:46

Ornithological society to rename dozens of birds — and stop naming them after people
Birds in North America will no longer be named after people
2023-11-02 07:59
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