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Maria Mellor

Marilyn Manson Injured in Stage Performance

Rock star Marilyn Manson was struck by a stage prop towards the end of his New York concert on Saturday September 30. The rest of the show was cancelled as the artist was taken to hospital.

Videos of the incident appear to show the singer attempt to grab hold of one of the props: a metal structure with two large guns. As he seemed to climb it, the prop toppled over on top of him. Security guards rushed onto the stage to lift it off him.

The extent of Marilyn Manson’s injuries has not yet been verified, however, some audience members have said that he appeared to be knocked out by his fall. Others speculate that he suffered a leg injury. Reports on social media say that he lay on stage for approximately 15 minutes before he was taken away on a stretcher.

Nine dates of Marilyn Manson’s tour have subsequently been cancelled while he recovers from his injury.

In a statement, the star’s publicist said: “Marilyn Manson is being forced to cancel several of his October dates on his forthcoming US tour.

“On Saturday night, the legendary performer suffered an injury on stage towards the end of his set at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom causing him to cut the show short.

“He was treated for the injury at a local hospital and will be recuperating at home in Los Angeles.”

Marilyn Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, is not the first artist to be injured on stage whilst performing. In 2015 Enrique Inglesias cut his hand on a drone as he attempted to use its camera to give the audience a better view of the stage. He sliced several fingers and fractured his hand, but kept performing. Vocalist Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine broke her foot when she jumped off the stage at the Coachella music festival in California.

Marilyn Manson had performed three dates of his three-month-long tour at the time of the incident. It is unknown whether more dates will be cancelled.

Manson’s publicist added, “The shows from Boston, October 2 through Houston, October 14 will be rescheduled for a later date. Manson hopes to return to the stage soon, more details on upcoming shows to follow.”

Dozens Killed in Las Vegas Shooting

America mourns for lives lost in the Las Vegas shooting—the deadliest mass-shooting in American history. A 64-year-old man opened fire on a crowd at a music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday, killing 58 people and injuring over 527 more.

Steven Paddock, the gunman, reportedly had a stockpile of weaponry in his hotel room at the Mandalay Hotel, with at least 17 guns found. Additionally, authorities found 18 firearms, explosives and several thousands of rounds of ammunition at his home in Mesquite, Nevada.

Officials investigating the Las Vegas shooting say Paddock broke the hotel window with a hammer in order to shoot from his room on the 32rd floor. He shot at the crowd of people at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival across the street.

The first shots were fired at 10:08pm on October 1, and gunfire continued intermittently over the next 10 minutes. At 11:58pm, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) confirmed that the suspect was down—he was found in the hotel room having shot himself before police entered.

There has been much debate as to whether or not this was an act of terrorism—Nevada state law simply states that terrorism is “Any act that involves the use of violence intended to cause great bodily harm or death to the general population.” However, at a federal level, US law states that terrorist acts are designed to coerce or intimidate civilians or the government. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation by police.

Trump responded to the attack by congratulating the police response time to the Las Vegas shooting. He said: “I do have to say, how quickly the police department was able to get in was really very much of a miracle. They’ve done an amazing job.

“I want to thank the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and all of the first responders for their courageous efforts, and for helping to save the lives of so many. The speed with which they acted is miraculous and prevented further loss of life.

“To have found the shooter so quickly after the first shots were fired is something for which we will always be thankful and grateful. It shows what true professionalism is all about.”

Celebrities such as Julianne Moore and Ariana Grande tweeted their condolences to the families of Las Vegas shooting victims and took the opportunity to call for reform in gun control. Trump hinted that there could soon be talks about the current laws surrounding the second amendment.

He said: “We’ll be talking about gun laws as time goes on.”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told a different story at the press briefing on Monday. She said: “There’s a time and place for a political debate, but now is the time to unite as a country. There is currently an open and on-going law enforcement investigation. A motive is yet to be determined. And it would be premature for us to discuss policy when we don’t fully know all the facts, or what took place last night.”

The investigation into the Las Vegas shooting is still underway as police search for people reported missing after the attack. It has not yet been confirmed if all 58 victims died from gunshot wounds.

Apple Releases New Products

The $999 iPhone X marks Apple’s 10th anniversary

Apple has unveiled the next step in their technology as well as the most expensive iPhone to date. The announcement marks a new era in smartphone software as the company look ahead to the next decade of progress. Also set to be released are the next Apple Watch, which will have cellular connectivity, and the Apple TV which will support 4K HDR video.

Here’s a breakdown of the new products and their features.

iPhones
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, like the pairs of regular and large phones that came before them, have almost the same features except for the size. Apple have improved the camera, installed a more powerful memory chip and made the casing more durable. Both have wireless charging and improved augmented reality capabilities. The differences between the two iPhone 8’s lie in their cameras: while both have a 12MP wide angle camera, the iPhone 8 Plus has an additional telephoto camera allowing for better zooming and an improved portrait mode.

The iPhone X holds its appeal in the fact that it’s unlike any of the iPhones that came before it. The Apple strapline that accompanies the announcement is: “Say hello to the future.”

Apple added: “Our vision has always been to create an iPhone that is entirely screen.”
The home button is gone—now users will navigate with gestures. Swipe up to go to the home screen, or swipe down from the top to access the new-and-improved control center. This also means that touch ID is no more. The fingerprint scanner has been replaced by a fancy face-recognition. The front camera is able to recognize your face, meaning that you can unlock it just by simply looking at it.

The phone itself is made from surgical-grade stainless steel and glass, making it water and dust resistant.

For the past few years, the latest iPhone averaged at around $650-$700, with the better model costing you extra. While the iPhone X presents the biggest overhaul to date, it is also the most expensive. A brand new one will cost you $999.

Apple Watch
The new Apple Watch is the first in the line to be able to run independently from the iPhone. It can make calls, send messages and access online apps such as Whatsapp. The new operating system claims to be 70 percent faster than its predecessor. There is also the new addition of Apple Music—you can use the new Apple Watch like you would an iPod. This news comes just months after Apple pulled all their iPods except the iPod Touch from production.

Apple TV 4K
The 5th generation Apple TV will support both 4K Ultra-HD and HDR streaming. This means you can watch selected Netflix, Amazon Video and iTunes videos in incredibly high definition with improved color and picture quality. Customers who have already bought HD films from iTunes will be upgraded to the 4K versions for free. Apple 4K will include Dolby Vision—a technology that has only recently been made available on select televisions so far.

iOS
Many Apple users groan at the announcement of a new iOS, but the changes are guaranteed to bring excitement.

To accompany the “Do Not Disturb” night feature, users can now enable a “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode. This means the phone will automatically silence notifications if it senses that it’s going above a certain speed.

Additionally, there are new camera modes and filters. The “live” feature will now let you loop and bounce the mini-recordings, letting you have the clip playing over and over or back and forth.

The phone’s screenshot capabilities have also been given an update and you can now edit screenshots right after taking them. A tiny version of the image you have captured will appear in the corner of the screen for a few seconds that you can tap on in order to crop or annotate it. What’s more is that there will be a “screen record” feature allowing you to take a video of your screen.

The new iOS will be available for users with an iPhone 5S or newer from September 19.

The three new phones, a new watch and the latest Apple TV are set to go on sale over the next few months. Apple’s stock value took a minor hit after the announcement, falling by 0.4 percent, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how many people will be lining up outside Apple stores when the release days come.

Did Hurricane Irma Happen Because of Climate Change?

With a second huge hurricane hitting America in under a month, climate change is on everyone’s lips. Trump has famously denounced climate change as a “hoax”, however, the unprecedented nature of these natural disasters is hard to go unnoticed. Were Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma man-made?

Hurricane season happens at this time of year when the Atlantic Ocean is at its warmest, right after a summer of hot weather. Warm, moist air rises from the surface of the ocean, and as it does, it condenses and leaves an area of low air pressure below that is quickly filled by more air. This shifting of air causes high-speed winds that spiral fast, creating a low pressure center—otherwise known as the ‘eye’ of a hurricane. The faster the winds blow, the lower the air pressure is in the center, causing the storm to feed itself and become stronger. A tropical storm has winds that reach at least 39mph, and it is upgraded to hurricane status when the winds reach 74mph and above.

Hurricane Harvey developed near the Caribbean, while Hurricane Irma developed near the Cape Verde Islands in the central Atlantic Ocean. Both have been record-breaking storms. Hurricane Harvey was defined as the most major hurricane to make landfall in the US in 12 years. It was compared to Hurricane Katrina; thankfully not in casualties, but rather in economic costs. Experts have named it the most costly natural disaster in US history as it caused an unprecedented rainfall in Texas.

Hurricane Irma was hot on the heels of Harvey, and has been defined as the eastern-most Atlantic hurricane of this strength on record, second most powerful of its kind when it comes to sustained wind speeds, and longest Category 5 hurricane since records began. These incredible statistics have not gone unnoticed, with many claiming that climate change is at fault.

Climate change is said to cause ocean water to become warmer and to cause sea levels to rise. As hurricanes are created by warm, moist air, it’s clear to see why people make the link—warmer, moist air means a more fertile environment for a storm to begin.

This is the first time the US has been hit by two Category 4 storms in the same year. As climate change causes rising sea levels as the ice caps melt, coastal flooding was not only more likely to happen, but also exacerbated.

“Unfortunately, the physicality is very clear: Hurricanes get their destructive energy from the warmth of the ocean, and the region’s water temperatures are super elevated,” said Anders Levermann, a climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

He added: “Burning coal, oil and gas warms our planet and that way supplies energy for the build-up of ever more powerful tropical storms.”

Climate change deniers have their arguments too. Hurricanes occur naturally—it’s in their nature. Just because climate change may contribute to natural disasters, it may not mean that these things wouldn’t have happened without it. There have been many disastrous hurricanes in the past. The famous Labour Day hurricane that had wind speeds equal to Irma occurred in 1935. A hurricane in Cuba is the longest Category 5 on record, lasting 78 hours, and it happened back in 1932.

Nevertheless the level of damage can be considered to be so much worse for the simple fact that the areas that were hit are much more built-up than they have been previously. Man-made factors undeniably contribute to the severity of a storm.

The fact of the matter is, while you can’t directly attribute these natural disasters to climate change, it did make them more likely to occur. It seems that the majority of popular media agrees that climate change is at fault, even though it’s still a touchy subject with politicians under the Trump administration. Even the Pope has criticised climate change deniers, a category into which the president himself falls.

Read more: Hurricane Harvey Hits America

Remembering 9/11: 16 Years Later

America mourns today—the 16th anniversary of 9/11. The tragedy was a defining moment in US history and has been remembered annually at ceremonies at the three sites hit by hijacked planes: the Pentagon, Ground Zero and the rural field near Shanksville.

In 2001 nearly 3,000 people died as a direct result of 9/11 including 415 fire fighters and law enforcement officers. It was the worst terrorist attack the USA has ever seen.
Approximately 18,000 people have been estimated to have developed illnesses as a result of the toxic dust.

Four planes were hijacked by 19 terrorists who flew them into each of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. It is thought that the fourth plane was aiming for Washington DC, but passengers wrestled to take back control before the plane crashed into the Shanksville field. The 265 people on the planes perished with no survivors.

16 years after 9/11, the effects of the attack are still being felt. The remains of the victims are still being identified, with only 1,641 people found so far. The most recent identification was made on August 7 2017. Construction is still underway on the World Trade Center site with three more office towers currently being built one block east of where the original towers stood.

Plans were announced spring 2017 for a memorial to commemorate the 9/11 rescue and recovery workers including those who died as a result of being exposed to smoke and toxic dust at Ground Zero. Additionally, a monument is under construction at the Shanksville memorial to honor the 33 passengers and seven crewmembers who died on flight 93.

A thousand survivors, family members, rescuers and officials gathered for the ceremony at the World Trade Center. It began with a moment of silence and the tolling of bells. As is customary, the names of the people killed in the attack were read out. The New York ceremony has been kept apolitical since 2011 as a mark of respect, meaning politicians are not permitted to make speeches or read names.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump observed a moment of silence on the South Lawn of the White House. They later visited the Pentagon, where 125 workers lost their lives in the 9/11 attack.

Every year two beams of light shine through the night where the two towers once stood. The tall beams can be seen from across the city. On Twitter, #NeverForget was trending as the country hopes to never see anything like 9/11 happen again.

Why Taylor Swift’s Trial is a Win for the World

The $1 victory is worth more so much more.

In today’s world it seems like Taylor Swift can’t even lift a finger without making international news. There are scandals, social media clear-outs and album announcements that make the media explode. The woman is at the very top of the A-list and that’s why when a lawsuit against her went to trial everyone waited with baited breath to see what would happen.

Here are the facts: at a 2013 pre-show meet and greet, local radio DJ David Mueller was accused of grabbing Taylor Swift’s butt. Mueller was fired from his job following the accusation and decided to sue Swift for $3million, claiming that it damaged his reputation and resulted in his wrongful termination. She counter-sued him for just $1 claiming assault and battery. After a weeklong trial, Mueller’s case was thrown out and Swift won her symbolic $1.

This win was not just a personal victory for Taylor Swift—court cases have a tendency to set precedence for future cases and public opinion. Mueller’s termination, humiliation and loss in the trial may stop others from following in his footsteps. Taylor Swift’s strength during the trial and victory may help others to stand up for themselves knowing that sexual assault is not their fault.

She stayed strong on the witness stand. Her responses to Mueller’s attorney’s questions have been praised pretty much all-round. He asked Swift how she felt when Mueller lost his job because of the incident four years ago. She responded: “I am not going to allow you or your client to make me feel like it is any way my fault because it isn’t.”

Swift added after the trial: “I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”

Swift’s lawyer Doug Baldridge said in a statement: “By returning a verdict on Ms. Swift’s counterclaim for a single symbolic dollar, the value of which is immeasurable to all women in this situation…You will tell every woman…that no means no.”

After the trial in Denver was over, Taylor Swift jetted out quickly to prepare for the announcement of her new album. Her first single Look What You Made Me Do is about revenge and becoming ‘harder’ and ‘stronger’ in the face of adversity. Could the song be in any way related to the recent trial?

Who knows! However after the release of her music video, fans noticed that there is a moment when Taylor Swift is lying in a bathtub full of jewels, and next to her lies a single dollar bill. It’s clarity and the fact it is so out of place shows that there is at least a subtle hint to these recent events.

Read our review of Look What You Made Me Do on College News.

Ron Pope Releases Seventh Studio Album

Ron Pope recently released a new album to raving reviews all round. The acoustic, folksy music was release independently via his own record label, Brooklyn Basement Records. Having had his music featured on the TV shows The Vampire Diaries, 90210 and So You Think You Can Dance, he has become one of the top grossing independent acts in his field.

While making the album, Ron Pope filmed a series of YouTube videos called Getting to Work with topics ranging from his writing process and influences to his hopes for the album’s release.

The 10-track album is heavily influenced by Pope’s life. He balances big country numbers, like Bad for Your Health with slower, sweet songs like the title track, Work.

The musician spoke about the first track of the album in one of his videos. He said: “Bad for Your Health is influenced by my really sad, miserable spring break experience where nothing went right and I ended up with my friend Chris just sitting on the side of the road drinking natural light, you know, from a thirty-case of canned beers, just saying, ‘What did we do wrong?’”

Rolling Stone Country called the Americana artist one of the “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know” while Uncut called Ron Pope “Atlanta’s answer to The Boss”. Earlier in 2017 he paid tribute to Aretha Franklin at Carnegie Hall, alongside the likes of Kenny Loggins and CeeLo Green, where he sang her 1967 hit Baby I Love You.

Ron Pope starts his tour at the end of September with two nights in New York.

RON POPE LIVE
September 28 & 29 /// New York, NY /// Irving Plaza
September 30 /// Syracuse, NY /// Wescott Theater
October 1 /// Toronto, ON /// Opera House
October 4 /// Portland, ME /// Port City Music Hall
October 5 /// Uncasville, CT /// Wolf Den @ Mohegan Sun
October 6 /// Boston, MA /// Paradise Rock Club
October 7 /// Asbury Park, NJ /// Stone Pony
October 8 /// Philadelphia, PA /// Trocadero
October 10 /// Washington, DC /// 9:30 Club
October 12 /// Knoxville, TN /// Bijou Theatre
October 13 /// Nashville, TN /// Cannery Ballroom
October 14 /// Atlanta, GA /// Buckhead Theatre
October 16 /// Cincinnati, OH /// Bogart’s
October 17 /// Detroit, MI /// The Majestic
October 19 /// Milwaukee, WI /// Turner Hall Ballroom
October 20 /// Minneapolis, MN /// First Ave
October 21 /// Chicago, IL /// Park West
October 22 /// Indianapolis, IN /// Deluxe
October 28 /// Stockholm, SE /// Fryshuset (Klubben)
October 29 /// Oslo, NO /// Parkteatret
October 30 /// Copenhagen, DK /// DR Koncerthuset
October 31 /// Hamburg, DE /// Terrace Hill
November 1 /// Amsterdam, NL /// Bitterzoet
November 2 /// Cologne, DE /// Artheater
November 3 /// Munich, DE /// Ampere
November 5 /// London, UK /// The Garage
November 6 /// Manchester, UK /// Academy 3

Review: Taylor Swift ‘Look What You Made Me Do’

Taylor Swift dropped her new song and it is on fire

“I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now… ‘cause she’s dead!” proclaims Taylor Swift’s new song—and boy, is it right.

The single Look What You Made Me Do was released at 12:01am EST on Friday August 25. A lyric video with a noir feel to it accompanied the track on YouTube and  is a good representation of what the song is trying to say: don’t mess with Taylor, because she’s an all-new badass.

The syncopated beat has been borrowed from Right Said Fred’s I’m Too Sexy (1992) which works in a weird kind of way—the reference is subtle enough that you don’t immediately notice it, but evokes the memory of the number one song enough to make Swift’s single a guaranteed hit.

It’s hard, purposefully edgy and more on the electro side of pop than her usual pop-princess act. She’s ditched the rise-above-it attitude of Shake It Off (2014) and has gotten down and dirty in her revenge fantasy. Still, as the title suggests, it’s not her fault—someone else made her do it.

Like a lot of Swift’s songs, there’s a certain mystery as to whom the song is about.

“I don’t like your little games
Don’t like your tilted stage
The role you made me play
Of the fool, no, I don’t like you”

Swift has had a fair few alleged altercations in the past few months. Katy Perry released her single earlier this year, Swish Swish, which—on numerous occasions—Perry herself has said is directed at Swift. It can’t be just a coincidence that Perry’s music video came out the day before Look What You Made Me Do.

Other people are looking to Kanye West—his and Swift’s long-standing feud has been a subject of public chatter for years. The bridge of the song shows a woman on the phone in the lyric video and Swift speaking with a phone voice effect, perhaps referencing the call between the two that was recorded without Swift’s consent.

The one thing that’s for sure, is that Swift has been using a lot of snake images alongside the single. She teased her fans with clips of what looked like a coiled snake on her Instagram and Twitter accounts prior to announcing her new album, and the lyric video shows a kaleidoscope of snakes biting their own tails.

The most shocking part about this new release is the step away from Swift’s classic good-girl image. Even with the more vengeful tracks on her last album—Bad Blood (2014) and Blank Space (2014)—she sticks to her stance of the innocent victim, but in this new song she sings about getting “harder” and that “nobody trusts [her]”.

This ‘new Taylor’ is just a new reboot in a long line of people trying to strip themselves of their innocent image. Think Miley Cyrus, Bella Thorne, Justin Beiber, etc: they start young and at some point find themselves in need of a change. Having released her first album at the age of 16, this remodelling was inevitable.

7 Tips for Navigating a New Campus

Whether you’re starting college for the first time or doing a semester abroad, navigating a new campus can be a scary thing. It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll get lost once or twice, and you’ll definitely be spending the first few days walking around with a map glued to your face. We’ve compiled a list of seven things you can do to make your life on a new campus easier.

1. Find your base
Start small and learn to recognize the places where you will be spending the most time at your new college: your accommodation and the main buildings you will be studying in. Find the easiest route between them and stick to it—don’t try any fancy shortcuts that could get you lost! Do your research in advance to see the basic direction you’re going in and make sure you have access to a map when you’re on your way to help you navigate.

2. Know your emergency points
Whether it’s finding a book you desperately need for an assignment or getting medical help, you never know when an emergency could come up. It’s good to get to know sooner rather than later where you’ll need to go in a broad spectrum of emergencies: campus security, your nearest library and the local hospital.

3. Get to know the area
Once you’ve established the basic route you need to follow through campus, you can start exploring in your spare time. Begin by walking around in your free time along the main roads or paths, discovering what shops, restaurants and buildings are around. You could find your new favorite bookshop or a coffee shop where you’ll be getting your morning caffeine fix for your time at your new college.

4. Make a friend
It will be very useful to you if you can find a buddy who already knows the area. Join societies and clubs, and try to find someone who is in the year above you or who has lived in town for a while. They will be able to show you their favorite places and let you expand your circle so you can get to know more of the campus. Who knows—one day it could be you showing the newbies around!

5. Public transport
This can be a tricky one in a new city, but it is important to get to know what transport services are available to you. Is there a campus bus? Where are the bike racks? Learn the numbers of the buses that stop by your accommodation, and memorize the number of a taxi company in case of emergency.

6. Take pictures
The best thing you can do when starting out at a new campus is to take pictures of everything important—the buildings, the bus numbers—everything we’ve mentioned above. Take screenshots of maps on your phone just in case you can’t access the Internet. If you have these resources to hand at all times, you will be able to refer to them if worst comes to worst and show them to a passer by to ask for directions.

7. Get app-happy
In today’s world there is an app for everything. Just search for what you want on the App Store or Google Play, like “food delivery”, “taxi” or even the name of your college. For example, 13 campuses across the country have access to an app called Food Bot where you can get free food, and Yale has an app called Fast Track which shows you how crowded each dining area is in real time. Do a little research to see what is available for you at your new campus.

Got any tips for new students arriving at a new campus? Let College News know!

Further reading: Mental Health Awareness in School

Meningitis: Know the Symptoms

College students are at risk of meningitis

It’s back to school time soon and whether you are going for your first year in college, or returning for a new term, you need to make sure you know the symptoms of this deadly disease. Meningitis is very common amongst college students due to their close proximity—especially in residence halls.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial infection is the main cause of meningitis that students need to worry about.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 600-1000 people contract meningococcal disease in the US each year. 10 to 15 percent of those who get the disease die and one in five people who survive are left with permanent disabilities such as brain damage, hearing loss, loss of kidney function or limb amputation.

Symptoms may include:
– Fever
– Headache
– Stiffness in the neck
– Sensitivity to light
– Confusion
– Unconsciousness
– Rash

The early stages of meningitis can feel similar to the flu, however experts recommend that if you have a bad fever combined with a severe headache you should seek immediate medical advice. If symptoms get worse or someone you know falls unconscious, call 911 or visit the emergency room.

In some cases a rash can also accompany the disease. This rash will not disappear under pressure, so you can take an at-home test to see whether or not it is a sign of meningitis. Press a transparent glass against the red spot—if it does not disappear it could be a sign of meningitis. However, don’t wait for a rash to appear in order to seek medical attention—not everyone gets this symptom.

Meningitis can be avoided with the right vaccination: there are serogroups A, C, W, Y and B, and to be safe it’s good to get protected against all of them. The CDC recommends that anyone under 25 attending college should receive the vaccination—especially those who live in congregate housing such as residence halls and Greek houses.

Meningitis B occurs in 40 percent of adolescents and young adults in the United States yet a vaccine was not introduced until 2014, so make sure you talk to your healthcare provider about getting full coverage.

It is important to avoid sharing eating utensils, make up and cigarettes. Although another person may not have any symptoms, 24 percent of young adults in the United States are carriers of the disease.

Further reading: Are you eye healthy?