HOLLYWOOD

Kevin Spacey denies assault allegations

Disgraced Hollywood star Kevin spacey has denied sexually assaulting actor Anthony Rapp when he was underage. met at an acting class.

spacey, 61, asserted that he wants C.D.’s anonymity to be removed.

Rapp claimed in 2017 that spacey made unwanted sexual advances towards him after inviting him to a party when he was just 14. In new court documents, spacey has insisted that Rapp was not even present at the particular party, reports femalefirst. co.uk.

In a response to verified complaint,

attracted to his new film for its absurd quality and underlying dark edges.

nonetheless makes a good faith attempt to

spacey’s lawyer wrote: “Defendant admits the right to amend this Answer as deemed

he was in the audience for a production of ‘Precious sons’ in approximately the late 1980s in which Plaintiff Rapp was a cast member.”

“Defendant admits he briefly met Plaintiff Rapp on a few occasions at most, but Defendant’s interactions with him were peripheral and limited... Defendant denies he invited Plaintiff Rapp to any party at his home... Defendant denies Plaintiff Rapp attended any alleged party at Defendant’s home... Defendant denies that ing alleged by Plaintiff Rapp occurred,” added the lawyer.

spacey also denied similar claims made by another individual, identified as C.D, who alleged he was raped at the age of 14 when he visited spacey’s home after they

According to OK! magazine, his lawyer wrote: “(Spacey) objects to Plaintiff C.D.’s use of a pseudonym and failure to disclose his identity, even to (spacey). Despite this improper withholding of his identity, and (spacey’s) resulting inability to fully investigate and address the allegations, (spacey) answer the allegations in the Complaint.”

“By providing this Answer, (spacey) in no way suggests he has not been, and does not continue to be, prejudiced by Plaintiff C.D.’s anonymity. (spacey) reserves the alleged incident or any other wrongdo-

necessary or appropriate, including once Plaintiff C.D.’s identity is disclosed,” his lawyer stated.

spacey was accused of assault by several men in 2017, and was dropped from the “House Of Cards” show after allegations surfaced.

He has mostly kept a low profile since the slew of sexual assault claims emerged, alremoved from the completed film “All The Money In The World”, which was re-shot with actor Christopher Plummer in his

role.Source: IANS

Mel Gibson fell in love with absurdity of ‘Fatman’

dark side, the story has a “warm beating heart” .

Actor Mel Gibson says he was

“I was charmed by the script. It does have a dark side to it and an absurdity. It definitely travels into the absurd, but

ways having denied the claims. He was also

good heart in it,” said Gibson, according to a contactmusic.com report.

“At the centre of it, it’s kind of got a warm beating heart, which is kind of nice. It just charmed me when I read it and it’ s straightforward in its oddness and its simplicity,” the actor told HeyUGuys.

Gibson also shared that he enjoyed working with co-star Marianne JeanBaptiste. He said that she helped keep the spirits high on the set by baking cookies for the cast.

“She’s very warm and she imbued all the qualities of warmth and motherhood and love that Mrs Claus should have. And she was a good cook, she made cookies and so... I think it really worked great,” he said. Source: IANS Katie Holmes opens up about her new film

Actress Katie Holmes has spoken of what attracted

I think underlying all of it, it has a lot of

her to the script of her upcoming romantic drama, ‘The secret: Dare To Dream’ .

Directed by veteran Andy Tennant, the film revolves around the story of a hardworking young widow (played by Holmes), who is struggling to raise three children on her own, and how her life changes when she meets Bray Johnson (Josh Lucas). The film based on Rhonda Byrne’s 2006 self-help book, The secret.

“This project felt like such a great opportunity because the book means so much to so many people. I think that Andy crafted a beautiful story that fulfils the themes of the book, but the characters are also very much alive on their own,” Holmes said.

The cast also features Celia Weston and Jerry O’Connell.Connell shared how he reacted when he got the offer to be a part of the project. “When I first heard that they were doing a ‘secret’ movie, I was like, I read that book! I practice those principles! And so then I actually secreted getting the role in this movie… and BOOM, here I am. It works,” he said.

Source: IANS

With the current Covid-19 situation, the age-old phrase ‘Health is Wealth’, has become a rising priority for most of us.

As the fitness industry has shifted from outdoor to virtual platforms, people started working out of the comfort of their home. Thanks to the digital world, we have a choice to customise and personalise our workout routine as per our preference. While fitness enthusiasts can create their own fitness routine by combining a variety of HIIT exercises with functional training or yoga asanas, it requires a lot of intrinsic motivation to follow a set routine.

Dhara Tanna, Senior Vice President, Fitternity lists down some lesser-heard exercises to break free from a monotonous workout routine: Seal Walk Plank has always been

Creating a home workout plan with niche exercises

the go-to exercise, but try bringing a variation to the regular plank - Seal Walk, (a plank replicating the moving of a seal) It works on shoulders muscles, rectus abdominis, triceps, and spinal erectors. Process: Start by being in a pushup position and raise your core on the support of your hands and knees. Slowly lift and move one hand about a foot ahead and then repeat the same movement with the other hand. Dead Bug

Break out of unlimited crunches and try this Dead Bug exercise that works well on your core but also protects the spine and prevents lower back pain! Process: Start by laying on your back on a padded/yoga mat. Raise your knees facing towards the ceiling and feet flat on the ground, while the arms rest over your head. Lift both your legs at a 90-degree angle from the ground, with knees in the air pointing to the ceiling and legs parallel to the ground. Bring your arms close to the ears and lift your hands so your elbows are above your shoulders with your fists facing in toward each other. Exhale as you slowly lower your right arm and left leg until they’re just above the floor. While inhaling, bring them back to the starting position. Repeat this movement with your left arm and right leg.

Glute Bridge Abduction

A great variation on the mat for your lower body - Glute Bridge Abduction. While performing the glute bridge abductions, you not only work on your glutes, but also your spine. If you want to up your workout, try doing it with a band. Process:Begin by laying on your back with knees bent and palms at your sides on the ground. Bring glutes towards the ceiling with legs touching each other and squeeze glutes at the top. Separate your legs while they’re still in the air (abduction) and bring them back together while they are still in the air. Return both legs back down to the ground, as you complete one repetition of this exercise. Banded Overhead Tricep Press

As the name suggests, this exercise is performed using a resistance band and works towards toning the triceps. Process: ace one end of the band on the ground and step on it, while stretching the other end over your head as you keep your arm close to your ear. Slowly bend your elbow so that the hand that is raised above your head, moves back towards your shoulders. Raise back your hand over your head and stretch it as you complete one repetition. Beginners can start by performing 8-12 repetitions of this exercise.

Lying Straight Arm Banded Pull Down

Another innovative workout on the mat puts your lats, upper back, chest, and core on fire! Process: Find yourself an anchor which is closer to the ground and attach your resistance bands to it. Grip the band in each hand and lie down on the floor facing the ceiling. Raise your arms to eye level until the bands begin to stretch and continue this movement so that your hands travel all the way down to your hips. Keep up with the momentum and return back to your starting position by controlling the resistance.

While the gyms and fitness centres have begun to re-open and many people are resuming working out at physical centres, the alternate way to working out at home can still be fun especially with unique and lesser-known exercises like these. To do it right, it is advisable to first master your form under guidance from experts virtually via online classes.

By: Puja Gupta

The festive season is here and for many of us this year is about entertaining at home, in small groups. If you are hosting a celebratory soiree, wine is an integral part of it. Master of Wine, Sonal Holland, helps you demonstrate the best wine etiquette with these simple tips.

Tip 1: As a host, there is always one general rule to follow, which helps you never go wrong. Be generous with the wine you serve. Nothing is better than building great memories over a bottle of wine, so ensure you choose wisely and well.

Tip 2: The festive season is a great time to experiment, when hosting intimate gatherings! We all have our tried and tested wines that we go back to, but why not expand your guest’ s palettes by serving as many styles of wine as possible? When hosting a wine party at home, try to create an assortment of different bottles of wine, your guests can choose from. The beauty of wines is about enjoying the diversity of its various styles and discovering new tastes.

Learning wine etiquette

Tip 3: It’s important to invest in good quality stemware to serve wine. It’ s a fact that the taste of even the most ordinary wines is enhanced when served in proper glasses. Choose clear stemware with no design or cuts. Ensure the glass has a lovely, steady base, a stem to hold the glass with, a broad base at the bottom of the bowl, and narrow rims. Keep it simple yet highquality, and you will never go wrong.

Tip 4: When hosting an evening at home, chances are that some of your guests will arrive with gifts of their own, many times, a bottle of wine. It becomes your duty to ask your guests if they would like you to open their bottle and serve the wine to the guests - often, wine-loving guests make a lot of effort to choose and bring a good quality bottle of wine to a party, and would therefore appreciate you and the rest of the guests, trying what they have brought. At other times, some guests are simply recycling bottles of wine they don’t want for themselves, so may not be comfortable with you opening their bottles at the party. Either way, it’s important that you ask them first, to let them decide if their bottle should be opened at the party or saved for later.

Tip 5: As a host, especially one who loves wines, it is absolutely fine for you to take the stage so to speak, to tell your guests a little about the wines you ’ve chosen for the evening, and why. The only tip is: know when to stop. A few amusing, informational anecdotes about the bottles chosen are charming; anything more and you stand to lose your audience! By: Puja Gupta

5 common myths about diabetes Online platforms for consulting doctors witnessed an increase of 1200 percent in the number of diabetes queries since last year. This was followed by people seeking medical help for diabetes, especially after the disease came under the spotlight since the COVID-19 outbreak.

While diabetes is becoming a global health issue, it is vital to know the details as it comes with lot of myths. On ‘World Diabetes Day’, Diabetologist at Practo, an online platform to consult doctors bursts six common myths about diabetes.

1. Only older people get diabetes

Earlier, diabetes occurring in children and youngsters was considered to be type 1 (juvenile/ insulin dependent) diabetes.

Nowadays, an unhealthy lifestyles is causing many youngsters to develop the more common variety of type 2 diabetes. Today, it is not uncommon for teenagers or people in their 20s and 30s to be detected as being type 2 diabetic.

2. Diabetes medicines should not be taken for long as they damage kidneys

Many people stop their diabetes medicines once their blood reports are normal, fearing damage by long term usage of medicines.

The truth is that stopping medicines will again cause the blood sugar level to rise and an uncontrolled blood sugar may damage not only the kidneys, but also eyes, nerves, heart, liver in the long run. 3. Fasting and twohour post lunch reports are within limits, I needn’t worry

Your sugar level at other times of the day or on other days may not be within limits. Hence, you need to do a blood test called as HbA1c every 3 months which will tell you if you are well controlled in general over the past 3 months.

Apart from that, lipid profile, kidney function tests, liver function tests, eye examination, feet examination should be done at least once a year or in some cases, more frequently, to detect any complications of diabetes at an early stage

4. Diabetes affects only those who eat more sugar

Unfortunately, all Indians have a risk of developing type 2 diabetes (we are genetically more prone). However, it is not only the sugar intake but also, an unhealthy lifestyle that decides whether you will develop diabetes or not. This includes irregular meal and sleep timings, over intake of fast food/ oily food leading to weight gain, lack of adequate exercise. For all the mothers out there, a chubby child is not a healthy child!

5. A special diet is required for diabetics

This may be true in certain special cases as decided by your doctor. However, most diabetics need to follow a healthy dietary and lifestyle pattern which should be followed even by nondiabetics.

What is more important is to have small frequent meals rather than 3 heavy meals, increasing fibre intake in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables, avoiding processed food (tinned/ready to eat meals/ bakery foods), increasing water intake, ensuring adequate sleep and having a brisk walk for 30-40 minutes daily with appropriate footwear.Crash diets should not be attempted as they will do more harm than good. Source: IANs

a girl in a Whirl

Continued issue (Part 44)

“Look at the aunty! She has a small car but a steering wheel of a truck.”, bhaji commented sarcastically on the lady.

We burst out laughing again, and we laughed our heads off. Baljit’s mom laughed so hard that she began coughing. I quickly gave her a bottle of water. She could control her cough only with great efforts.

“It’s no good to make fun of old people, honey. Soon I’ll reach her age. Then you will also make fun of me.”, Baljit’s mom said.

“Mom, brand name cars and assembled ones are way different from each other.”, bhaji replied. We again laughed, but very controlled.

It was a beautiful journey from Surrey to Whistler. On one side, we had Columbia Mountains from which the roads were cut. On the other side, we had lovely view of Pacific Ocean. The roads were wonderfully clean, beautiful and smooth. It took us about three hours to reach Whistler.

“O’ my god! This really looks like a paradise.”, Meenu commented on the beauty of the place. All of us agreed with her.

Amrit and Meenu looked very happy. I was glad to see them happy.

“Bhaji, you have shown us the real paradise.”, I said to bhaji.

“Bhabi ji, there is a lot more to see in Canada. People forget to enjoy this paradise indulging in making more and more money only.”, bhaji replied.

“Shall we have lunch before going to the mountain peaks by cable cars, gondolas?”, didi asked us, and all agreed. We spread bed sheets on the grassy lawn by the stream. It was hard to express the weather and surrounding beauty in words. We had brought a variety of home cooked dishes. We had lunch, and bhaji entertained us with his humorous comments on almost everyone and everything he saw around. Then we packed our stuff, threw the garbage in a garbage bin and put the necessary things back in our truck.

“O’ god! How awesome it is all around here!”, Meenu commented while going up by a cable car. I was also seeing this area first time. The beauty of Peak-to-Peak area was also unique. We had a lot of fun there. I had no idea that Canada could be so beautiful.

We reached Surrey at about 8 P.M. Bhaji took us for dinner to a south Indian restaurant. We had a great time that day.

Bhaji said he wanted Meenu to work in his truckingcompany office. So, she started going there to help them. My father-in-law and I were to see an immigration lawyer to appeal in Baljit’s refusal case.

Continued in next edition

myrw rog Aqy iemiqhwn

Continued issue (Part 44)

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Continude in next issue

PROF AVTAR SINGH VIRDI

Sia reacts to backlash over autism portrayal in her directorial film

Singer Sia has reacted to criticism she is facing over the portrayal of autism in her upcoming directorial film, Music, and asked people to watch the film before jumping to conclusions.

started after the trailer of the film ‘Music’ was unveiled. People expressed anger for her using the term “special abilities” instead of “disabled” for people with autism, and casting a nonautistic actor in the lead role of her directorial debut.

“This is totally unacceptable and there are no excuses. You should know better than to allow able-bodied & neurotypical to represent the disabled community. It’s incredibly offensive as is the infantalisation of the character. Sickened. And not even captioned. Don’t release this,” one user wrote on Twitter.

Sia responded by writing: “I actually tried working with a beautiful young girl non-verbal on the spectrum and she found it unpleasant and stressful. So that’s why I cast Maddie.”

She was referring to actressdancer Maddie Ziegler who essays the title role in the film.

In another tweet, she said: “Casting someone at (the charcruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community. … I did try. It felt more compassionate to use Maddie. That was my call.”

Irish actress Bronagh Waugh did not seem too convinced. “Hi Sia, can I ask why you didn’t cast a disabled actor for this part? It’s pretty offensive the way character. People with disabilities are not broken and don’t need fixing. Many of my friends have different disabilities,” Waugh tweeted.

Sia responded: “I agree. I’ ve never referred to music as disabled. Special abilities is what someone at her level of functioning was cruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community.”

In a separate tweet, Sia wrote: “The movie is both a love letter to caregivers and to the autism community. I have my own unique view of the community, and felt it is underrepresented and compelled to make it. If that makes me a shit I’m a shit, but my intentions are awesome.”

She was angry at the early criticism that she got for the film, and at one point shared: “Why don’t you watch my film before you judge it? FURY.”

A user commented: “Did you do any research or consult the community at all? It’ s very condescending to say it would be cruel to consult a disabled actor.”

To this, Sia replied: “Duh. I spent three f**king years researching, I think that’s why I’m so f**king bummed.”

Sia also pointed out that she had “cast 13 neuroatypical people, three trans folk” as “doctors, nurses and singers,” adding that it was “sad nobody’s even seen the dang movie. My heart has always been in the right place. I had two people on the spectrum advising me at all times” .

One user wrote: “Several autistic actors, myself included... We all said we could have acted in it on short notice. These excuses are just that - excuses, The fact of the matter is zero effort was made to include anyone who is actually autistic.”

To this, Sia said: “Maybe you’re just a bad actor.”

“Music” is slated to release in February next year.

The backlash against Sia

acter’s) level of functioning was

you ’ve chosen to portray this

I’ve always said, and casting

Source: IANs

Exploring outdoors in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, a large city in Pennsylvania, USA, is home to one of the largest urban park systems in the nation, with over 100 parks, squares, and recreation sites totaling over 10,000 acres. The green spaces both in the city and in surrounding areas present ample opportunities for visitors to spend time exploring outside, while also not venturing far from the heart of the city.

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau lists a few key parks, historic sites, and other outdoor experiences to seek out during your visit to Philadelphia.

Fairmount Park

Totaling over 2,000 acres when combined, Philadelphia’s East and West Fairmount Park offers visitors an abundance of biking, walking, and hiking trails as well as recreation fields to explore. The park system is also home to several museums and attractions (Philadelphia Zoo, Please Touch Museum), six historic mansions, a music venue (Mann Center for the Performing Arts), and horticultural center. Kelly Drive -- named after John B. Kelly, Jr., the brother of actress and Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly -- and MLK Jr. Drive run parallel to one another on the banks of the Schuylkill River, each with their own set of paths and picnic areas.

TIP: sections of MLK Jr. Drive are closed to auto traffic Saturdays and Sundays in April through October.

Don’t miss the iconic Boathouse Row that caps the park’s eastern end (best viewed from along MLK Jr. Drive) and the beautiful grounds of the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden adjacent to the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center.

Schuylkill River Trail

Winding its way through Philadelphia along the Schuylkill River, the Schuylkill River Trail serves as a recreation trail with paved lanes for biking, running, or walking, including a 2,000-foot-long Boardwalk that hovers over the river near the city’s Rittenhouse neighborhood. The trail extends from South Philadelphia through Fairmount Park along Kelly Drive. In total, the trail is 120 miles long and extends to Frackville, PA.

Parks and Squares

In William Penn’s original plan for the city of Philadelphia, he envisioned five squares stationed evenly throughout the city’s grid-like system of streets. Originally intended to help prevent the spread of fires from building to building, now four of these squares e Rittenhouse, Franklin, Washington, and Logan e serve as recreation and community spaces, each with their own unique features. The fifth square, Centre Square, is where you will now find Philadelphia’s historic City Hall e the largest municipal building in the United States e and accompanying Dilworth Park, which transforms into an outdoor ice rink and holiday market each winter. Wissahickon Valley Park

Originally considered part of Fairmount Park, the 1,800-acre Wissahickon Valley Park follows the Wissahickon Creek as it winds through northwest Philadelphia. The wooded park is home to 50 miles worth of trails, a quaint tavern and event space (Valley Green Inn), and Historic Rittenhouse Town.

Countryside of Philadelphia

A short drive west from Philadelphia will bring you to either Valley Forge or Brandywine Valley. Both of these countryside destinations offer a green escape from the historic and downtown settings of Center City. In Valley Forge, visitors can explore the over 3,400 acres of Valley Forge National Historical Park -- once home to General George Washington’s encampment during the Revolutionary War -- or any number of biking trails throughout Montgomery County. Alternatively, in Brandywine Valley, visitors can find the renowned Longwood Gardens -- a sprawling botanical garden complete with lush conservatories and beautiful fountains.

Heading north from Philadelphia, you can visit the Andalusia Historic House, Gardens and Arboretum - the ancestral home of the Biddle family- in nearby Bucks County. By: Puja Gupta

Experts suggest care of COVID+ mothers and their newborns

Many COVID-19 infected with the virus. positive pregnant women experi- Best way to keep the baby safe ence mild symp- in the ongoing pandemic is to toms of cold or flu. However, practise social distancing as it pregnant women who are older, will limit the risk of infection overweight or have pre-existing to newborn. Babies should only medical conditions like hyper- live with the family members tension and diabetes seem to who are asymptomatic. If any develop severe diseases. family member has symptoms

The primary reason con- he or she should be isolated sidered for the transmission from the baby. Only take the of sARs-COV-2 to neonates is baby out in the case of major through respiratory droplets need like check-ups as it will during the postnatal period help in preventing the infection when they are exposed to their to a large extent. mothers or caregivers with or is a suspected of COVID then COVID infection, according to said Dr sakshi Goel Dr sakshi Goel Chakraborty, Chakraborty, “As per the latConsultant Obstetrics & Gyne- est guidelines issued by WHO, a cology, Madhukar Rainbow COVID positive mother should Children’s Hospital, Delhi. do the following things: Hands should be cleaned using soap

There is no conclusive evidence and water especially before to prove that the virus could be Chakraborty, “COVID-19 posi- touched by the mother should and after touching the baby. All transferred from a COVID-19 tive mothers should be taught to be cleaned. Also, one should the surfaces which have been positive mother to her foetus or practice skin-to-skin/kangaroo always wear a medical mask, touched by the mother should baby after the delivery. Dr Goel mother care with good respira- while physically contacting be cleaned using a sanitizer further added: “For babies born tory hygiene. This helps to es- with the baby.” at regular intervals. A mother to women with COVID 19, the over- tablish exclusive breastfeeding who has been coughing and all outcomes are positive. Accord- and helps the baby to develop Though the virus has not been must breastfeed should clean ing to a study, only 2-5 per cent faster and healthier. Moth- detected in breast milk of COVher chest with soap and water. of infants get infected through ers should take care of their ID positive mothers and there is There is no need to clean it COVID-19 positive mothers.” personal hygiene as well, like no evidence of virus transmitevery time before feeding but at washing hands before touch- ting through it, therefore, there regular intervals.”

According to Dr sakshi Goel ing the baby. All the surfaces is a lower risk of babies getting By: Puja Gupta