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Celebrating Arbor Day

Today on Friday the 26th of April, it is Arbor Day and if you’re a native to Nebraska you may already know what Arbor Day is and the history behind it. Although, for those who have yet to come across Arbor Day, we’ll be going through the historical significance of Arbor Day and why it is still conspicuously necessary today.

Arbor Day derives itself from the Latin word for tree, ‘Arbor’. In the year 1872, J.Sterling Morton from Nebraska City founded Arbor Day in response to the absence of trees in Nebraska and the first Arbor Day celebrated that year saw the plantation of approximately one million trees in Nebraska.

The yearly plantation of tress in Nebraska amassed attention throughout the United States and thus became a globally and nationally celebrated day in America for over a century. The importance of Arbor Day is paramount in today’s age of exceeding levels of pollution and concerning, global warming crisis. Our health is consequently at risk of respiratory conditions from asthma to cases of lung cancer in non-smokers, in there thousands. The International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) reported in 2010, that 230,000 deaths from lung cancer globally were the result of air pollution, with evidence to suggest pollution simultaneously increased the risk of bladder cancer.

Go green: how trees eradicate pollution

Trees ensure our air is clean and that we can breathe freely, via absorbing the rocketing levels of carbon dioxide emitted by our vehicles and other toxic pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ammonia. It takes four trees to remove the amount of pollution created from a 5000-mile drive, which for some is the just half of the mileage covered in a year.

According to a 2011 report by the US Forest Service, urban forests in Los Angeles comprising of trees and shrub canopies, which cover a quarter of the city were found to have reduced 1,976 tons of air pollution in the city. The benefits don’t stop there, as Los Angeles’ trees demonstrated cuts to annual residential energy costs by $10.2 million per year.

The costs saved in Los Angeles to our health and in our homes, is just a small taste of what we can achieve by continuing onwards the celebration of Arbor Day and planting more trees!

The ‘Time For Trees’ initiative

In order to counteract the global decline in our mental and physical health, due to air pollution, the Arbor Day Foundation has established a ‘Time For Trees’ campaign initiative. The impetus behind their campaign calls upon the plantation of trees; subsequently, they aspire to plant 100 million tress and work to inspire five million tree planters around the globe to fulfil their campaign’s mission.

The positive, global outcomes of the campaign are endless; listed in depth on the Time for Trees campaign page , the plantation benefits of 100 million trees include:

  • Absorbing 8 million tons of carbon – the equivalent of taking 6.2 million cars off the road for one year.
  • Filtering 7.1 billion cubic meters of water runoff, enough water to fill the water bottle of every person on Earth every day for five years.
  • Filtering 15,850 tons of microscopic airborne particulate matter out of the air, which could fill up nine Olympic-sized swimming pools.
  • Removing 578,000 tons of chemical air pollution from our atmosphere, enough gaseous pollution to fill 70,000 Goodyear®
  • Providing $32.9 Billion in total environmental benefits – the equivalent of the operating budget of Chicago for about 10 years.

Source: timefortrees.org/impact.cfm

In support of Arbor Day and every human’s fundamental right and existential necessity of being able to breathe safely in air free of toxins, donate today towards the Time for Trees initiative.

See Also:

Toxic Cloud in Shanghai: Air Pollution Reaches All Time High

Go Plastic Free With These Tips

Humans have Caused Wildlife Populations to Decline by 60 Percent

The Dos and Don’ts of College Interviews

Applying for college or university is stressful enough, without the added pressure of reviewing for exams and making sure you’re on track of coursework deadlines, which is why we have compiled a list of our dos and don’ts when it comes to preparing for your college interviews.

The Dos

  1. Tailor your interview research

While widely researching many universities and colleges during your application process is advised, when it comes to preparing for interviews, it is better to tailor your fact-finding mission. Tailoring your research will not only prepare you for the interview process, it will also give you better insight as to if a particular university is for you. Start by noting the classes you’re most interested in, and afterwards, record how specific elements of your prior experience or education tie into these subjects.

Moreover, be sure to make note of why you would like to study “X Course” at this particular university? The interview stage is about assessing your overall suitability both for the course you’re applying to and university.

  1. Practice makes perfect

Alongside measuring your compatibility with the course and college, the interview stage looks at your communication skills. Shed the waffle with a concise script of what you plan to say, either in bullet points or as a complete text.

To avoid ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ when it comes to responding to questions, go over the type of questions most commonly asked at interviews for your course. Even if these questions aren’t exactly the same ones that come up, you can still quickly modify your answer in your head to execute a well-delivered, fast response.

  1. Smile

The stress of seeing applicants come in and out, while in the waiting room might sky rocket your cortisol levels; however, it is essential you make yourself feel at ease. Just remember that the interviewer you’ll be seeing was once an applicant.

Also: try smiling while you speak. In a Ted Talk about body language, Ron Gutman highlights the benefits of smiling though citing the study by UC Berkeley and Wayne State University. Their study observed the width of smiles on yearbook photos and baseball cards featuring different MLB players. The results of the study concluded the wider the person’s smile had been, the longer and happier they had lived.

Don’t forget smiles are contagious, so shine a warm, beaming smile at your interviewer, and it’s likely that they will do the same, putting you both at ease.

Don’ts

  1. Do not be late

The difference between being late and early is the type of first impression you provide to your interviewer. If you feel travel may be an issue, pad your journey with plenty of time. Even consider booking a hotel close to the university or staying over at a nearby friend’s house if possible.

  1. Don’t sell yourself short in interviews

Smiling is a good place to start when it comes to expressing confidence and appearing more confident. Nonetheless, smiling alone won’t get you into college. Learning to ‘sell yourself’ is crucial, and don’t draw attention to your negative attributes or undermine any of your achievements. Especially when facing the frequently asked questions such as, “What is your greatest weakness?” or “What is a skill you could improve upon?”

At first glance, these types of questions imply the interviewer is asking you to address something you lack, when in fact these questions give you an opportunity to turn the question on its head. The lack can be transformed into a quality or an attribute you hold too much of. For example, you could interpret being too obsessive over detail, as the result of your need and strive for perfection.

End your interview with a strong handshake and an appreciative thank you. Good luck!

See Also:

College- Admissions Scandal Exposes Famous Parents

10 Things I wish I’d Known In College

 

How Can College Students Benefit from HerpAlert?

We all know how ubiquitous STD’s are, especially if you’re a college student. Nobody wants to be distracted by an STD diagnosis in the midst of studying for finals or writing a term paper, but ultimately your health should always come first. As a student, you have access to your school’s health center, where a number of nurse practitioners are available to treat whatever comes your way. However, not everyone feels comfortable going to a nurse to see if a sore on your lip or a bump on your groin is something more. For a variety of reasons that differ from person to person, we shy away from exposing ourselves to a stranger. Luckily, you can get checked out and treated from the privacy of your dorm room. All you need is a smartphone.

The Most Common Types of Sexually Transmitted Infections

The most common sexually transmitted infection that students across the country contract on college campuses is Chlamydia, and the second is HSV1 (oral herpes) and HSV2 (genital herpes). Chlamydia is one of the most diagnosed STI’s and also one of the most easily curable. In contrast, herpes is a virus, which lives in your body forever. Its symptoms can be so mild that you barely notice them. There are easily accessible antiviral medications, such as Valtrex, that treat and prevent herpes breakouts.

If you get a cold sore (oral herpes) in college, you should seek out a medical professional, but keep in mind, it’s not a life-changing diagnosis. It’s more common than you think. Roughly one out of every six Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 have herpes simplex virus, and most aren’t even aware of it! The virus spreads easily, and because symptoms can be so minor, students don’t realize if, or when, they’re contagious. If you’re sexually active, the odds of coming into contact with HSV1 or HSV2 are fairly decent.

Forget The STD Stigma With Online Guidance

Now, if you suspect you have herpes, you don’t need to worry about expensive doctor visits or prescription medication. Skip the line at the health center and forget about rehearsing the right things to say to a nurse, who has an infinite supply of pamphlets detailing how to practice safe sex. This is not to be mistaken as shrugging off the importance of using condoms and being honest with your partner or partners, but there’s an easier way.

With the rise of telemedicine, you can avoid the stress associated with any social stigma surrounding STDs and still have access to healthcare. If you suspect you might have a herpes related sore, visit www.HerpAlert.com and begin the physician diagnosis questionnaire. Say goodbye to making appointments, waiting rooms, and hospital garments with the easiest and fastest route to medical help at the tip of your fingers. Due to the nature of oral and genital herpes, time is of the essence. In order to minimize the outbreak and speed up the healing process, treatment should be started within 12 to 24 hours at the onset of symptoms.

The website will prompt you to upload photos of the area, describe your symptoms, and ask for medical history which is then reviewed by top-tier board-certified physicians. All your information goes through the website’s encrypted web servers, which are dedicated to securing every patient’s data. A doctor will get back to you within one to two hours of your submission, and if you’re positive for HSV, a prescription is called into your desired pharmacy so you can start treatment that day!

 

Founded by a leading dermatologist, our team is made up of top-tier doctors, across the country, who have a depth of experience diagnoses and treating a sexually transmitted diseases. Our mission is to remove the stigma associated with herpes by reducing outbreaks and making them as painless as possible. The moment you submit your photos for diagnosis, we get back to you quickly and immediately send a prescription to your local pharmacy. So you can stop the progression and get on with your life, whether that means finding Mr. Right, or Mr. Right Now.

Find out more at https://herpalert.com/ 

Urban Transportation Issues and Electric Mobility

Mobility alternatives to cars are fast growing, as cities and people realize there are problems associated with traveling in the city that need to be solved. These problems include dense slow traffic, road safety issues and pollution.

The dense traffic in cities could be much improved by using smaller vehicles like electric bikes, mopeds, and scooters, as they have greater throughput—the number of vehicles that can move through a space over a given amount of time—than cars.

People often travel short distances in cities, including travel of one-to-two miles, which is a bit too far to walk but too short to warrant driving a car. In crowded areas, where there are many pedestrians crossing the street, etc., cars can cause road safety issues. Not to mention, transportation is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

With these issues in mind, many cities are pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing the number of gas-powered cars on the road would greatly help this goal.

The Benefits of Small Electric Vehicles For Mobility

Small electric vehicles can be great alternatives to gas-emitting cars in the city. In addition to having greater throughput than cars, they can often provide faster short-distance rides than cars during peak traffic times in cities. Since they are electric, they help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also provide other soft benefits, such as providing a fun riding experience, exercise, and helping people feel more connected to their city.

Small electric vehicles, like electric bikes, can help a greater amount of people exercise. Riders can replace idle sitting in a car with riding a bike, and riders who may normally not feel fit enough to ride a bike their entire commute, or don’t want to sweat on the way to work, can take comfort in having the electric assist option.

Small vehicles can also help people feel more connected to their cities, as the riders can explore spots they’d normally miss while in a car, enjoy the feeling of being outdoors while riding, and be less isolated as they can see and interact with other people on the streets.

Coolpeds USA—Urban Electric Mobility Solutions

Coolpeds USA, a Shark Tank & CNBC featured company, has been dedicated to creating innovative and affordable electric mobility products for more than six years. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the Coolpeds team consists of passionate engineers and designers from UCLA, the Art Center, and Stanford University. Their goal is to improve people’s lives in the city and bring smiles to people’s faces while they’re on the go.

Coolpeds offer a variety of practical, affordable, and stylish electric mobility products—the Coolpeds iBike8, the Coolpeds E-Fixie, the Coolpeds eBloom Electric Scooter, and the innovative Coolpeds Briefcase Electric Scooter.

The Coolpeds iBike8 is foldable for easier carrying and storage, has a sturdy carbon steel frame, and has a powerful 250 watt hub motor that provides speeds up to 20 mph and a range of up to 20 miles per charge with pedal assist (range depends on weight, wind resistance, riding style, and flatness of road surface).

The Coolpeds E-Fixie combines the light-weight (39 pounds) and minimal style of a fixed gear bike with the power of electric assist, which provides speeds up to 20 mph and a range of up to 20 miles (with pedal assist).

The Coolpeds eBloom Electric Scooter provides a good alternative to a car in the city, as it has a longer range than most scooters and bikes while still being small enough to zip through traffic and require less parking space. It has a range of up to 60 miles and speeds up to 20-40 mph (depending on local regulations).

The patented Coolpeds Briefcase electric scooter is the world’s lightest electric scooter, weighing in at around 16 lbs. It can fold into a compact briefcase, which has multiple compartments, including a laptop compartment and a convenient USB charging port. It can also be used for travel as a carry-on in most airlines. It has a top speed of up to 10 mph and a range of up to 8 miles.

 

Coolpeds USA, a Shark Tank & CNBC featured company, has been dedicated to creating innovative and affordable green mobility products for more than 6 years.  The Coolpeds team consists of passionate engineers and designers from UCLA, the Art Center, and Stanford University. Our goal is to improve your city life and bring a smile to your face whenever you are on the go. 

To find out more visit https://www.coolpeds.us

Female-Led “Captain Marvel” is 2019’s Highest Grossing Film

Marvel’s first ever female-led film, Captain Marvel, has eclipsed its predecessors with wild success. The film is now the highest grossing film of the year with a box office turnover of $938 million, surpassing Thor, Batman vs. Superman and Spiderman Homecoming.

The film stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Benin, Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn.

Larson plays the role of Caroline Denvers, or Captain Marvel, a soldier from the Kree military unit and former US Air Force pilot. For the role, Larson underwent extensive training through different defense sports and received consultation from the first female pilot for the US Airforce, Jeannie M.Leavitt.

In an interview with Harpers Bazaar’s, Larson discussed her fondest memories from filming Captain Marvel, saying “I’ve been thinking a lot about pre-production and working with the stunt team. We worked for a couple hours every day, and the camaraderie we built together helped build trust and a safe space for me. Learning how to punch, kick, and do judo throws when I’ve never done anything like that before [teaches you] to trust the people you’re working with. Learning these new skills totally changed my brain and changed how I played the character, too.”

Intersectional feminist breakthrough

In addition to Marvel’s long-overdue casting of a female lead, Captain Marvel signals another development—one that resonates globally. The diversity of the film’s other main female characters across different ages and ethnicities point to a much-needed intersectional representation of women in film.

Lashana Lynch plays Maria Rambeau, one of Denver’s closet, sister-like friend, while Rambeau’s daughter Monica is played by child actress, Akira Akbar. Annette Benning plays Denver’s mentor during her pilot years in Los Angeles, and Gemma Chan acts as Minn-Erva, a Kree sniper.

Speaking to the Collider about Maria’s characterization as a black mother, Lynch said, “We’re flipping a black single mother idea on its head and being like, ‘So, she’s a fighter pilot and a black …’ ‘Yes!’ I’m so glad she’s a black single mother. She don’t need a husband and she doesn’t need a boyfriend and she doesn’t actually need many males in their life because she’s only got one male that’s probably the best one, that’s her father.”

Critics’ opinions

Captain Marvel has so far gotten good ratings, garnering a 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, including an audience score of 60 percent out of over 76, 000 ratings.

QBP Reviews highlighted the valuable female input provided by the film’s directors and writers, such as Anna Boyden, in being able to apply these subtle nuances to carefully illustrate how, “it feels to live under an oppressive thumb in every facet of life.”

Medium Popcorn labeled the film, “boring, generic, by-the-book,” and National Reviews suggested, “Captain Marvel gives political cartoons a bad name.”

For those seeking reassurance about contemplating whether to see the film, perhaps Film Frenzy’s Matt Brunson suggestion of ignoring “the imbecilic MRAs, frightened fanboys, and all other insecure man-babies shellacked in misogyny” can act as all the encouragement you need.

 

See also: Highlights from the 2019 Oscars

Sustainable Gems for Graduation Day

If a scene from the film Black Diamond comes to mind when you think about gems, you’ll be glad to know that this is not an image you need to associate with the pearl industry.

Most gemstones are non-renewable – the supply of gems like diamonds is finite and won’t be replaced in our lifetime, while many mining sites cause a lot of ecological damage.

But, the pearl industry is different.

Pearls: Nature’s Gems

Pearls are the only gems that are produced by living creatures; they are organic, created inside living mollusks. They’re also renewable – one mollusk can produce multiple pearls at a time and the mollusks themselves can also reproduce. It only takes a few years for pearls to form, in stark contrast with diamonds, which take between 1-3 billion years to be created.

Oysters are remarkably sensitive organisms, which makes it extremely important that the water and surrounding areas are clean and healthy, otherwise the pearls won’t grow. A pearl farmer who cares about the long-term health of his farming operation must use environmentally-responsible farming practices to produce high-quality pearls now, and for decades to come, unlike with other gemstones where the future of the environment is hardly a concern.

Formerly, pearls could only be found growing wild in nature, and they were extremely rare – only royalty and the extremely wealthy could afford them. But today, most pearls you can buy are cultured or produced on pearl farms of which about 95% are produced in China, which is also where our flagship product, Edison pearls are cultivated.

What Are Edison Pearls?

Edison Pearls are the brainchild of Zhan Weijian, president of Grace Pearls located in Zhuji, a town in the Zhejiang Province in east-central China. The first cultivated pearls were farmed successfully in 1916, admittedly of low quality, and over time the quality has improved tremendously and could even be compared to the quality of natural pearls. But Edison Pearls took the industry to a whole new level when they were introduced to the market in 2010.

What makes Edison pearls so unique is that these pearls are smooth with intense luster, they’re almost perfectly round, they come in sizes of up to ¾ of an inch and there are a wide range of different colors available such as: purple, pink, bronze, dark gold, and champagne.

When asked why he chose the name, Zhan Weijian said that “Thomas Edison, for all his intelligence, could not invent pearls or diamonds.”

The superior quality of Edison pearls put them in a class of their own. And what makes them even more remarkable is the fact that they are surprisingly affordable. Women throughout the world are now able to afford pearls of superior quality in any shape, size, and color they prefer.

Our Trade-In System: Recycle Your Old Jewelry

At Timeless Pearl, we’re committed to helping women look beautiful and feel confident with a wide range of charming jewelry designs that reflect her inner beauty and personal style.

We’re also committed to the environment and our impact in the community. We only partner with suppliers who follow sound sustainability practices in their pearl farming operations.

But we’re now taking our commitment even further. We’re introducing a new trade-in system where you can exchange your old pearl jewelry for something new and depending on the quality of the used jewelry, you can get up to 80% back on your purchase price.

It’s simple. You just complete the trade-in application form on our website to receive a return label, you’ll then post the old jewelry to us, and once we’ve inspected the jewelry, you’ll receive a cash back coupon via email which you can then use when making your next purchase.

Take a Stand on Graduation Day

We invite you to take a stand for women and the environment on your graduation day – and beyond. With over 400 different styles, you’re bound to find something to your liking.

Visit timelesspearl.com to make a statement on graduation day.

 

At Timeless Peal, we sincerely hope to make you 100% satisfied with your pearl jewerly purchase. Our mission is to make handcrafted luxury timeless pearl jewelry affordable to everyone, and at the same time promote environmental sustainability and our love of pearls.

Could Pete Buttigieg Become America’s First Gay President?

American Presidency candidate, Pete Buttigieg is now growing fast in popularity after wining rave reviews at CNN’s town hall on Sunday and reaching out to his city’s muslim constituents following the New Zealand attack.

His entrance on CNN, before the town hall appearance, was marked by a 1 percent rating on polls in New Hampshire and Iowa and an awkward query from the CNN’s host about the pronunciation of his last name, ‘Buttigieg’. In response to host, Jake Tapper’s question of whether his name was pronounced ‘BOOT-edge-edge’, the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, simply responded, “Back home, they just call me Mayor Pete.”

For his first televised experience, Buttigieg produced well-delivered and insightful responses to Tapper’s challenging questions which included, if he believed Pence would make a better president than Trump. His laconic, honest answer, “How would he allow himself to become the cheerleader for the porn star presidency? Is it that he stopped believing in scripture when he started believing Donald Trump?” had such calm execution, rather than sounding merely accusatory that it became Buttigieg’s most talked about highlight of the show across social media.

He continued, “His interpretation of scripture is pretty different than mine to begin with. My understanding of scripture is that it’s about protecting the stranger and the prisoner and the poor person and that idea. That’s what I get in the gospel when I’m at church and his has a lot more to do with sexuality.”

Counter-Terrorism Achievements

In addition to being Mayor of South Bend, Pete Buttigieg is a war veteran having served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was deployed in Afghanistan, for which he took seven months of unpaid leave from his Mayor position. His persistent efforts in counterterrorism have awarded him the Joint Service Commendation Medal. The medal is not the only praise Buttigieg has received; following the election of Donald Trump, President Obama featured Pete as one of the ‘gifted Democratic politicians’ he envisioned rising up through the party.

At his televised talk with CNN, Buttigieg informed the audience, “I have more years of government experience under my belt than the President. That’s a low bar. I know that. I also have had more years of executive government experience than the vice president. I get I’m the young guy in the conversation, but experience is what qualifies me to have a seat at this table.”

Too Young to Be President?

Not only would Buttigieg be the youngest president at age 39 years old, he would additionally be making history as America’s first gay president. After the land mark victory of the Obergefell Vs Hodges case authorising same-sex couples the right to marry, he informed a local newspaper in an inspiring opinion editorial, ‘I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay. It took years of struggle and growth for me to recognize that it’s just a fact of life, like having brown hair, and part of who I am.” His move to make the announcement was even more inspiring, as it was while he was pursuing his second term as mayor.

As promising as Pete Buttigieg sounds, there will always be some inevitable uncertainty about every candidate. A few have questioned, whether Buttigieg is too young for the post, especially having not held other senior senator or a governor posts where more political experience is required.

Regardless, perhaps Pete Buttigieg is the much needed, millennial intervention we are in need of to shape and transform our current legalizations.

Following his appearance on CNN, Pete Buttigieg’s fundraising campaign raised $600K in 24 hours.

See also:

Trump’s America: The Story So Far 

What You Need to Know from Yesterday’s State of the Union Address

Transgender Americans Will No Longer Be Allowed To Serve In The Military

Highlights-from-the-2019-Oscars-

Highlights from the 2019 Oscars

On Sunday February 24, everyone who is anyone in Hollywood attended the entertainment industry’s biggest and most dazzling night of the year: The Oscars.

For some, the dream of winning an iconic golden Academy Awards statuette came true. For everyone else, the 2019 Oscars would surely be remembered as a night of powerful speeches, captivating performances, overdue breakthroughs and multiple backlashes (we’re looking at you Kevin Hart).

Here are the night’s highlights.

The talk of the town

If you’re not familiar with Hollywood’s latest imaginary love triangle, it involves the undeniably compatible stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

Are the pair just friendship goals? Did Gaga leave fiancé Christian Carino because she’s secretly in love with Cooper? Why did Cooper’s girlfriend, model Irina Shayk, sit in-between the two at the awards ceremony? And, most importantly, did you see that steamy performance of Shallow?

Whatever fan-fic A Star Is Born enthusiasts are living, we’ve been team Gaga since her Just Dance days and we’re thrilled that she won Best Original Song on Sunday. 

Tweeted about by the President

 Spike Lee leapt into the arms of Samuel L Jackson as he was finally presented with his Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman. But it wasn’t the endearing bromance or the fact that Lee’s outfit paid tribute to his friend Prince that got viewers, and the President, talking.

“Do not turn the motherfucking clock on,” Lee said about the organizer’s 90-second time limit before using his acceptance speech to talk about how it is 400 years since “our ancestors were stolen from Mother Africa and bought to Jamestown, Virginia, enslaved”.

“The 2020 presidential election is around the corner. Let’s all mobilize. Let’s all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let’s do the right thing! You know I had to get that in there,” he urged.

On Monday, President Trump struck back at the film director, accusing him of delivering a “racist hit” on Twitter.

“Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts, etc.) than almost any other Pres!” Trump wrote.

Defying fashion norms

While there were certainly some magical outfits at this year’s Oscars, none were as unapologetically magnificent as Billy Porter’s. The Pose star worked the red carpet in a custom creation by designer Christian Siriano, which included a tailored tuxedo jacket overtop a velvet gown.

“This industry masquerades itself as inclusive, but actors are afraid to play, because if they show up as something outside of the status quo, they might be received as feminine, and, as a result, they won’t get that masculine job, that superhero job,” the star told Vogue about his outfit-choice.

Captioning a snap of the ensemble for Instagram, Porter added: “When you come to the Oscars, you must dress up.”

Making history

This year’s Oscars saw African Americans who work behind the scenes picking up awards for the first time in decades.

“Wow, this has been a long time coming,” said Ruth E Carter when she became the first African American woman to win for costume design for Black Panther.

Marvel may have made the first black superhero, but through costume design we turned him into an African king.”

Her colleague, Hannah Beachler also made history as the first African American woman to win for production design.

A film about periods

Period. End of Sentence covers the deep-rooted stigma attached to menstruation in a rural village in India, and it won the award for Best Short Documentary despite an anonymous male member of the Academy recently feeling the need to share his thoughts about the film.

“[I’m not going to vote for] Period. End of Sentence—it’s well done, but it’s about women getting their period, and I don’t think any man is voting for this film because it’s just icky for men,” he wrote in his ballot outlining his selections for the year’s awards ceremony. Boy bye.

The film’s director, Rayka Zehtabchi’s summed up our feelings pretty accurately in her acceptance speech.

“I’m not crying because I’m on my period, or anything. I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar!” She said.

Olivia Colman keeps it real

While she may not have been the favorite to take home the 2019 Best Actress award, British actress Olivia Colman reminded us all why she deserved the win with her down-to-earth acceptance speech.

“It’s genuinely quite stressful,” The Favourite star began, before adding: “This is hilarious. An Oscar. OK. I’d like to thank a lot of people, but if I forget people I’m going to find you later and give you a massive snog.”

The star told her children watching at home that “this is never going to happen again” before apologizing to fellow nominee Glenn Close.

“You’ve been my idol for so long and this is not how I wanted it to be,” she admitted.

Colman, who made her name in TV comedy prior to landing her award-winning role, had begun talking about how she had been a cleaner when she was told to wrap up her speech, leading her to promptly blow a raspberry at The Academy.

Lacking a host 

Without a single host (we’re still looking at you Kevin Hart), plenty of people who had something important to say were allotted time on stage during this year’s ceremony.

Immigration was a recurring theme, with Best Actor winner Rami Malek stating that he was a first-generation American. Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón thanked the academy for “recognizing a film centered around an indigenous woman, one of the 70 million domestic workers in the world without work rights. A character who has historically been relegated to the background in cinema.

“As artists, our job is to look where others don’t. This responsibility becomes much more important in times where we are being encouraged to look away,” he said.

There was also many a Trump reference on Sunday night, with Keegan-Michael Key descending from the ceiling with a Mary Poppins-style umbrella only to discard it in apparent mockery of the President.

Barbra Streisand praised BlacKkKlansman “because it was based on the truth, and truth is especially precious these days” and 79-year-old congressman John Lewis spoke of his experiences in the civil rights movement before introducing the nomination of Green Book for best picture.

Speaking of Streisand, we’ll just leave Richard E Grant’s precious reaction to the legend gracing the stage at the ceremony, here. The actor recently shared his “lifelong fandom” for the star, along with the sweet letter that he had penned for her at the age of 14.

Further reading: Why Beyoncé’s Shout Out to Meghan Matters

See Also:
The Met Gala’s Best and Worst Dressed Highlights 

 

Everything-you-want-to-know-about-Jennifer-Lawrence's-Engagement

Everything You Want to Know about Jennifer Lawrence’s Engagement

Jennifer Lawrence isn’t the kind of gal to rush onto Instagram and show off her flashy new diamond ring—one of the many reasons why we love her. However, this makes an in-depth Internet search for every single detail of her engagement an absolute necessity.

For those at the back: J. Law has a fiancé.

If you’re late to the search party, here’s what you need to know.

Who, why, how, when?

Following speculation on Tuesday night, after Lawrence was reportedly spotted out at Raoul’s in New York “rocking a massive ring on her finger”; her reps confirmed that she and Cooke Maroney are officially engaged.

In classic whirlwind romance fashion, the low-key couple started dating last summer and moved in together after just two months. Eight months in and it’s apparently official. Don’t worry, you can find snaps of the Oscar-winning actress’ mystery engagement ring here.

Spoiler: it’s stunningly modest, not “massive”.

Commit this name to memory

If you’re struggling to recall where you’ve heard the name Cooke Maroney before, that may be because you haven’t. Unlike Lawrence’s previous boyfriends—Chris Martin, Nicholas Hoult and Darren Aronofsky spring to mind—her latest and very much official beau isn’t famous.

Maroney, 34, studied art history at New York University and is now a director at Gladstone 64—the Gladstone Gallery’s Upper East Side Location. The gallery represents a number of high-profile artists, including Lena Dunham’s dad, Carroll Dunham.

Apparently, Maroney is a respected player in the industry, and a source told The Cut that he’s pretty chill but “goes to a lot of art-world parties.” Basically, you have permission to re-watch every episode of Gossip Girl in celebration.

Asking for a friend

Yes, he’s on Instagram, and yes, his account is private.

How did they meet? 

According to several reports, Lawrence’s non-celebrity best friend Laura Simpson introduced them last spring.

While we’re happy for the happy couple, we’re betting that their low-key relationship is indicative of a quiet wedding to come.

Further reading: Priyanka Chopra & Nick Jonas Are Married

We Need to Talk About Zac Efron’s Ted Bundy Movie

We Need to Talk About Zac Efron’s Ted Bundy Movie

If you haven’t already heard, Zac Efron is starring in a new and highly-anticipated Ted Bundy biopic called Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

For us true crime fanatics and OG High School Musical fans, this sounds unmissable, right? Well, that’s up for debate.

The movie is directed by Joe Berlinger, whose documentary series Conversations With A Killer: The Bundy Tapes recently fascinated and disturbed Netflix viewers. Having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile received mixed reviews, and those on Twitter are finding it much more difficult to agree about how Thursday’s trailer makes them feel.

With the film arriving in theatres later this year, here’s everything you need to know.

Ted Bundy who?

Ted Bundy is one of the country’s most infamous criminals—a serial killer who murdered, raped and assaulted numerous young women and girls as young as 12 in the 1970s. He was a necrophile, a kidnapper and confessed to 30 homicides after more than a decade of denials. His crimes took place on a huge scale and went unsolved for a long time, supposedly because Bundy was charismatic, educated and a genuinely liked member of society. He was executed for his crimes in 1989 after receiving three death sentences.

What’s the movie about?

In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Zac Efron plays Ted Bundy as told from the perspective of his long-term girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer. Played in the movie by British actress Lily Collins, Kloepfer used the pseudonym Liz Kendall to publish her memoirs, and this is the name used in the film. The movie follows Kloepfer’s seven-year relationship with the killer, instead of detailing the horrific acts of violence he committed.

Other casting choices include The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons, who portrays prosecutor Larry Simpson, and John Malkovich, who appears as judge Edward Cowart. Cowart famously called Bundy a “bright young man” and was known for being sympathetic towards the killer in court.

Kaya Scodelario, Haley Joel Osment and James Hetfield also appear in the movie. 

What’s being said?

Dramatizing real life events invites discussion about ethics, and in this case, some of Bundy’s victims and relatives are still living, making the conversation more significant.

While critics have commended Efron’s performance, many have been left unsettled by the movie’s general “glorification” and humanization of the serial killer and rapist.

A key issue here is the casting of Efron in the first place, with the argument being that it seems disturbing to associate a murderer of young women with a teenage heartthrob whose fans are mostly made up of young women themselves. On the other hand, in all references to Bundy at the time of his crimes, he is described as “charming”, “normal”, “attractive” or similar, and these traits undoubtedly played a part in making him an infamous monster.

In their review, The Playlist noted how the movie “can’t resist making Bundy look like a little bit of a rock star at times even though the movie purports to condemn him.”

This opinion has circulated in more ways than one, with many finding it hard to miss the upbeat “rock music” that appears in the trailer for the movie.

Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui shared the clip on Twitter, adding: “The romanticization of a serial killer is exactly why these sick f**** continue to do things like this to women. Notoriety. This is appalling.”

Many who caught the premiere of the movie at the Sundance Film Festival—for example, this writer from Cosmo—have promised that the trailer was not representative of the entire screening. “Never is there any doubt Bundy did what he was accused of.”

Amid the debate, is the voice of Kathy Kleiner Rubin, who survived an attack from Bundy in her sorority house at Florida State University in 1978.

Speaking with TMZ, she said: “I don’t have a problem with people looking at it, and as long as they understand that what they’re watching wasn’t a normal person. 

“I believe that in order to show him exactly the way he was, it’s not really glorifying him, but it’s showing him, and when they do say positive and wonderful things about him… that’s what they saw, that’s what Bundy wanted you to see.

“I think everyone should see it,” she concluded.

Serial killer’s are not hot

Perhaps proving that there is cause to worry is the vast number of people “swooning” over Bundy on social media.

Following Berlinger’s, Conversations With A Killer: The Bundy Tapes, viewers have been describing the murderer as “hot”, “attractive” and “a waste of a baby daddy”.

Netflix has had to step in to address the issue, tweeting: “I’ve seen a lot of talk about Ted Bundy’s alleged hotness and would like to gently remind everyone that there are literally THOUSANDS of hot men on the service—almost all of whom are not convicted serial murderers.” 

The comment comes after former Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley spoke out on a similar issue surrounding his new fictional Netflix show You, in which a serial killer uses social media to stalk and manipulate a young woman.

Badgley has replied to various tweets that express admiration and attraction for the character.

Further reading: Are Thrift Stores Really Getting More Donations Because of Marie Kondo?