Saturday, May 2

Blog

Kat Torres went from model, social media influencer to human trafficker
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
World News

Kat Torres went from model, social media influencer to human trafficker

Kat Torres, a Brazillian model and social media influencer, was convicted of human trafficking. Photo: Instagram Katiuscia "Kat" Torres's first steps to stardom and then infamy were ho-hum - just another Brazilian model moving to America in search of a brighter spotlight. She aimed to act in Hollywood, but quickly found notoriety as a social media influencer in New York. Her impeccably staged images of a wealthy, successful life beamed through Instagram to more than a million followers. But far from appearing as a shallow persona fixed on the physical world, Torres positioned herself as a spiritual guide, hypnotist, self-help author and life coach who regularly consumed ayahuasca, a psychedelic with a reputation for triggering inner healing but also violence and abuse. Torres "started g...
Read More
A recruiter’s tips for getting a job
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Business

A recruiter’s tips for getting a job

Job seekers should not be afraid to use AI to beef up their resumes if they are struggling to find work, a recruitment expert says. Photo: CORBIS Job seekers should not be afraid to use AI to beef up their resumes if they are struggling to find work, a recruitment expert says. With unemployment up, it can be a tough market out there if you're looking for a job. The latest figures put the unemployment rate up to 4.3 percent for the March quarter, from 4 percent on the previous quarter. Job ad numbers from Seek released last week showed a drop of 8 percent in June and 35 percent down year on year. "At the moment, it is quite a competitive labour market and we're seeing that from the Seek data in all regions across New Zealand," Leah Lambart, who runs career counselling service ReLaunch Me...
Read More
Explaining the most viral Kamala Harris memes, from coconut trees to ‘Momala’ and Veep
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
World News

Explaining the most viral Kamala Harris memes, from coconut trees to ‘Momala’ and Veep

By Jessica Riga, ABC News Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo: AFP / Jeff Kowalsky You've likely seen the news that Joe Biden has pulled out of his re-election bid for the White House and has instead thrown his support behind Kamala Harris to be the next US president. You might have also seen a bunch of memes about coconut trees, phrases like "unburdened" and "the context in which you live", and clips from a comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. And while it can be hard to keep up with US politics, keeping up with internet jokes can be harder. So get comfy, find some shade under a coconut tree, and let us explain what it all means. The coconut tree meme This is the meme of the moment, and the one that is gaining the most traction with actual, real-life Democratic senators. It s...
Read More
Westpac cuts home loan interest rates – again
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Business

Westpac cuts home loan interest rates – again

Westpac says it has reduced its advertised special home loan rates across all terms by between 0.1 and 0.4 percent since the start of July. Photo: 123rf Westpac is lowering its home loan interest rates for the second time this month. The bank says it now has the lowest rates for three and four year terms of the five major banks. Westpac's special fixed home loan rate for a one year term is now 6.85 percent with no change to its six month term. Its standard rate for one year is 7.45 percent and 7.09 for two years. The bank is also decreasing a range of term deposit rates by between 0.1 and 0.3 percent. Westpac NZ spokesperson Sarah Hearn said wholesale rates had fallen and the bank was passing that on to its customers. "This will be welcome news for customers due to re-fix their home loa...
Read More
Pilot only survivor of fatal Nepal plane crash
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
World News

Pilot only survivor of fatal Nepal plane crash

By Annabelle Liang Rescuers work at the site after a Saurya Airlines' plane crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on 24 July, 2024. Photo: AFP At least 18 people were killed after a plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal's capital of Kathmandu on Wednesday. The pilot, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital, is the only survivor of the fatal accident. Some 19 people were on the Saurya Airlines test flight, including technical staff members of the airline and two crew members. The plane was headed to Pokhara, a popular tourism destination. Videos posted online showed the plane being enveloped in fire and smoke. Fire engines and ambulances were rushed to the spot after the incident. The incident happened at around 11.1...
Read More
Hulu Period Drama With Amazing Cast Gets Better With Every Watch
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Science

Hulu Period Drama With Amazing Cast Gets Better With Every Watch

Hilly refuses to use the same bathroom as “the help,” Elizabeth speaks about her maid as if she’s not there, the pay is drastically unfair, and in the background of it all, dissent is breaking out across the country over the civil rights of Black people. Skeeter pitches a book idea to a publisher in New York, Elaine Stein (Mary Steenburgen), who tells Skeeter that she must have actual stories from maids, or it’s just a disconnected piece written by a white woman.  The Help reveals Skeeter’s struggle to love her dying mother, Charlotte (Allison Janney), who is wildly out of touch and old fashioned, to remain friends with the women from her childhood, and stand by what she believes in while giving voice to Minny, Aibileen, and their fellow housemaids. And Stone pulls off these scenes brill...
Read More
Your kneecap shape can signal osteoarthritis risk: Study
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Health

Your kneecap shape can signal osteoarthritis risk: Study

The shape of a person`s kneecap may indicate their risk of developing osteoarthritis - a common and debilitating joint disease, suggested a study.  Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) in Australia focussed on potential differences in kneecap shape between men and women, given that women with knee osteoarthritis often experience more severe symptoms. The team made use of CT scans to analyse the kneecaps of healthy individuals and patients awaiting knee replacement surgery. They employed advanced image analysis techniques to create 3D models of the kneecaps and measured the surfaces’ shapes. While the study “did not find distinct differences in kneecap shapes between sexes, it revealed that individuals with osteoarthritis exhibited more pronounced variations in knee...
Read More
Netflix Dark Comedy Series With Offensive Name Outshines Original Comic
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Science

Netflix Dark Comedy Series With Offensive Name Outshines Original Comic

Alyssa, meanwhile, is keen to run away from her abusive household and chooses James to go with her. He agrees, intending to kill her later, and just like that, The End of the F-ing World becomes a road trip in addition to a rom-com. On their journey, James and Alyssa blackmail a pest, squat in an author’s mansion, and murder a horrible criminal. Now, does it sound romantic? I kid, but the The End of the F-ing World is actually a poignant account of two outcasts finally finding acceptance in each other’s arms. Despite starting the series with explicit plans to murder Alyssa, by the end of the story, you will be rooting for James. That’s how impressive the writing on the series is. Source link
Read More
Netflix Horror Comedy Turns Art Into Murder
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Science

Netflix Horror Comedy Turns Art Into Murder

Along with his cohorts Josephine and Rhodora, Morf digs into the personal background of this artist, whose name is Vetril Dease, and learns that he was once committed to a psychiatric hospital after murdering his own abusive father. While inside, Dease is said to have received disturbing experiments by the hospital staff, using him as a guinea pig for their untested human trials. As Velvet Buzzsaw continues, Dease’s work seems to be cursed, as transport trucks loaded with his paintings mysteriously catch fire, gallery patrons begin to hallucinate, and the friendships of the art critics involved in bringing his work to life start falling apart. Source link
Read More
Violent R-Rated Horror Thriller On Peacock Is One Of The Year’s Gems
24Jul By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Science

Violent R-Rated Horror Thriller On Peacock Is One Of The Year’s Gems

Aside from their offerings to the slasher franchise, Radio Silence has largely stayed involved in the horror genre, having previously worked on movies including V/H/S, Southbound, and Devil’s Due. Their real breakthrough came in 2019 with the Samara Weaving and Adam Brody-led film Ready or Not which fully fleshed out the comedic and meta leanings that have served them well in all of their other projects. Abigail is no different with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments piled on top of jump scares and complete gross-out situations.  At the box office, Abigail feasted on a successful run, earning $42.4 million against its $28 million production budget. For the most part, audiences and critics embraced the latest Universal Monsters flick, putting it up there with the success of Leigh Whannell’s ...
Read More