The recent film release, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” by Marielle Heller, is based on the Esquire magazine article, “Can you say..Hero?” that award-winning journalist Tom Junod wrote in 1998 about Fred Rogers. Rogers is an American TV personality who spoke to children and advocated empathy, understanding and reconciliation. …
your ad hereUber Reports More Than 3,000 Sexual Assaults in US in 2018
Uber, as part of a long-anticipated safety report, revealed that more than 3,000 sexual assaults were reported during its U.S. rides in 2018.That figure includes 235 rapes across the company’s 1.3 billion rides last year. The ride-hailing company noted that drivers and riders were both attacked and that some assaults …
your ad herePopularity of Black Churches in London Keeps Growing
The largest concentration of black African churches outside of Africa can be found in South London. Each week, about 20,000 people attend one of the mostly Pentecostal churches in the city. Reporter Marthe van der Wolf has more from London. …
your ad hereJerry Garcia’s Alligator Guitar up for Auction in LA
A battered Fender Stratocaster played by the late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia could fetch up to $400,000 at an auction in Los Angeles next week.The guitar, nicknamed Alligator because of the distinctive green alligator sticker on the front, was played by Garcia on the Grateful Dead’s 1972 European tour …
your ad hereWhen Did You Last See an African Video Game Hero?
What’s wrong with being a plucky hero running from demon monkeys or a glamorous model in dress up games? Players too often get sucked into worlds full of violence and unhealthy body images, according to Jay Shapiro, co-founder of Kenya-based Usiku Games.The Canadian entrepreneur hopes to shake up the games …
your ad hereEmotion-sensing Robot Heads to Space Station to Help Astronauts
An intelligent robot equipped with emotion-sensing voice detectors was headed to the International Space Station after launching from Florida on Thursday, becoming the latest artificial intelligence-powered astronaut workmate in orbit.The Crew Interactive Mobile Companion 2, or CIMON 2, is a spherical droid with microphones, cameras and a slew of software …
your ad here‘Cranky Uncle’ Game Offers a Vaccination Against Climate Disinformation
When it comes to climate change, deciding what facts you can trust and what’s fake news can be a challenge, particularly in an era of sophisticated misinformation campaigns and complex scientific data.But an ally is at hand: ‘Cranky Uncle,’ a gruff cartoon character and denier of climate change facts who, …
your ad here‘Mighty Mice’ Possible Key to Maintaining Muscle Mass
Scientists launched genetically modified mice into space December 5 as part of a study to find ways to help maintain the health of astronauts in space They have twice the muscle mass of their “ordinary” counterparts. As VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports, the research could provide insight into muscular degeneration in …
your ad hereWHO Decries ‘Collective Failure’ as Measles Kills 140,000
Measles infected nearly 10 million people in 2018 and killed 140,000, mostly children, as devastating outbreaks of the viral disease hit every region of the world, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.In figures described by its director general as “an outrage,” the WHO said most of last year’s measles …
your ad hereKenya’s World Heritage Town Worries Development Will Dilute Culture
Kenya’s island of Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is under threat, activists say. Authorities are constructing major projects on the mainland, including a port and an oil pipeline. They also hope to build the region’s first coal-fired power plant. While the infrastructure is likely to boost the local economy, some …
your ad herePhone-in-Cheek: Spike Seen in Cellphone-Linked Face Injuries
Add facial cuts, bruises and fractures to the risks from cellphones and carelessly using them. That’s according to a study published Thursday that found a spike in U.S. emergency room treatment for these mostly minor injuries. The research was led by a facial plastic surgeon whose …
your ad hereNew Biogen Data Showed no Major Safety Issues for its Alzheimer’s Drug
Biogen Inc on Thursday presented new data on its experimental Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab that eased concerns raised by some experts but still left many questions unanswered as the company made its case about why it plans to seek U.S. approval after declaring the drug a failure in March.Experts had been …
your ad hereUN Climate Talks Aim to Pave Way for Global Carbon Market
On a cold afternoon in late November, Jan Gerrit Otterpohl eyes the chimneys of Berlin’s Heizkraftwerk Mitte, a state-of-the-art power plant that supplies the city with heat and electricity. It’s not the billowing steam he’s interested in, but the largely invisible carbon dioxide that the power station exhales as it …
your ad hereApple Buys First-ever Carbon-free Aluminum From Alcoa-Rio Tinto Venture
Apple Inc on Thursday said it has bought the first-ever commercial batch of carbon-free aluminum from a joint venture between two of the world’s biggest aluminum suppliers.The metal is being made by Elysis, a Montreal-based joint venture of Alcoa Corp and Rio Tinto announced last year with $144 million in …
your ad hereCameroon Launches Vaccination Campaign to Contain Measles Outbreak
Cameroon has organized a national vaccination campaign to stop a measles outbreak that has infected more than 3,000 people, especially children, this year. The most-affected area is the central African state’s northern border with Nigeria and Chad, where 17 children have died this month. Health officials believe many more people …
your ad hereChina’s Huawei Sues to Allow Rural Carriers to Buy its Equipment
Chinese telecom giant Huawei has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court to throw out a Trump administration rule that bans phone carriers in rural areas from using money from an $8.5 billion government fund to purchase Huawei’s equipment.The lawsuit says the Federal Communications Commission acted improperly when it …
your ad here‘It’s Bittersweet’: Leia has Key Role As ‘Star Wars’ Wraps Skywalker Saga
The highly anticipated final chapter in the Skywalker film saga will feature a significant role for Princess Leia, the beloved “Star Wars” character played by late actress Carrie Fisher.Writer and director J.J. Abrams said he had enough unused footage of Fisher from the filming of 2015 movie “The Force Awakens” …
your ad hereImmersive Movie Technology Gets US Debut with New ‘Jumanji’ Adventure
Moviegoers have been offered rolling seats, 3D glasses and even rain and smells in recent years as theater chains seek to fill seats.Now comes an immersive experience that gets its U.S. launch in Los Angeles next week. It features laser projection and giant LED panels that line each side of …
your ad hereSamoa’s Capital Deserted as Teams Battle Measles Door to Door
Samoa’s main streets were eerily quiet Thursday as the government stepped up efforts to curb a measles epidemic that has killed 62 people.The government told most public and private workers to stay home Thursday and Friday and shut down roads to nonessential vehicles as teams began going door-to-door to administer …
your ad hereHong Kong Lives with Tear Gas, Worries About Its Effects
By day, the small commercial kitchen in a Hong Kong industrial building produces snacks. At night, it turns into a secret laboratory assembling a kit for pro-democracy protesters seeking to detox after repeated exposure to tear gas.Volunteers seated around a kitchen island sort and pack multicolored pills into small resealable …
your ad hereSundance Sets One of its Most Diverse Lineups
A documentary on Taylor Swift will kick off the next Sundance Film Festival, where new films including the Will Ferrell-Julia Louis Dreyfus remake of the Swedish film “Force Majeure” and Benh Zeitlin’s long-awaited follow-up to “Beasts of the Southern Wild” are set to premiere.Programmers for the preeminent showcase for independent …
your ad hereFirst Results From NASA Solar Probe Surprise
NASA’s sun-skimming spacecraft, the Parker Solar Probe, is surprising scientists with its unprecedented close views of our star. Scientists released the first results from the mission Wednesday. They observed bursts of energetic particles never seen before on such a small scale as well as switchback-like reversals in the out-flowing solar magnetic …
your ad hereRussian Anti-doping Chief Calls for Reform of Athletics Federation
Russia’s anti-doping chief has called for the dismissal of all national team athletics coaches and the creation of an international working group to help lift the suspension against the country’s athletics federation, a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed.Russia’s athletics federation has been suspended since 2015 over a World …
your ad hereMuch Anticipated Star Wars-based Ride Debuts at Disney World
The resistance is rising.”Rise of the Resistance,” the highly anticipated Star Wars-based ride at Walt Disney World is debuting Thursday, three months after a land opened at the theme park resort based on the galaxy far, far away.The ride’s story-line follows a band of rebels fighting the First Order and …
your ad hereTenor Domingo Blames Accusations on Cultural Differences
Placido Domingo has sought to blame the allegations of sexual harassment against him on cultural differences between countries, adding that there are places nowadays where “one can’t say anything to a woman.”In an interview published Wednesday in Spanish leading daily El Pais, the Madrid-born tenor said “here (in Spain) it’s …
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