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Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it -Charles R. Swindoll

Thursday 28 April 2016

4 Undie Styles Everyone Should Have

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If your underwear drawer only consists of your one favorite style (or you've just never put too much thought into what styles and fabrics fill up your panty collection), try checking out all the different underwear pieces you should own, according to the experts. That's right — I've sourced four specific categories of underwear (divvied up by the different activities you do while wearing them), and come up with 12 awesome styles to fit anyone's preference.
If you're a loungewear lover, it's time to update your drawers with pieces that specifically focus on breathability and comfort while you're sleeping. But if you're often found breaking a sweat, switch it up to styles specifically created for sporting beneath activewear. (If you're looking for underwear that stands up to your sprints, check out the pair of high cut runner-specific undies, which give your legs plenty of running room, sans chafing). Even if your particular undies concern is more a question of "Is my panty line showing?" you better believe there's a style for that, too. They'll keep your outfit looking on point, and you'll no longer have panty lines poking through your tights- and leggings-heavy outfits. So without further ado, ahead are the four undies categories that could benefit from a little style update — and why.

For Sleeping: Comfortable Undies in Breathable Fabrics

The experts at PopSugar suggest that "wearing tight underwear or a pair of polyester panties can lock in moisture and lead to yeast infections," so it's best to stick to cotton undies overnight while you sleep. Cotton allows for air circulation, which is important when you're sporting your undies for longer periods of time.

Non-Binding Cotton Boyshorts

Hanes Invisible Premium Cotton-Blend Boyshorts (Sizes S-2X), $17-$29, Amazon

These cotton-blend boyshorts have a flexible elastic waist that won't dig in, as well as comfortable leg bands that make sure they won't ride up, causing you discomfort during the night. Bonus: These come in a pack of six with a variety of cute colors and prints — but you can pick your preference from six different pattern and style options.

Ultra-Soft, Breathable Cheeksters With Cooling Technology

Adidas Women's Climacool Cheekster Underwear (Sizes XS-L), $10-$12, Amazon

When you sleep, you want a comfortable panty that has a full shape and an ultra-soft material that won't ride up while you snooze. The breathability in this lightweight Climacool underwear also helps you feel fresh when waking up, which might not happen if you're sporting constricting panties that retain heat. Bonus: This pair is tagless for added comfort. Plus, one user said that these cheeksters are so comfortable, you won't even notice you're wearing them.

Waster-Resistant, Leak-Proof Undies

Leak Proof Control Briefs 3 Pack, $16, Amazon

Waking up to small leaks and stains on your clothes or sheets is the worst, so wearing leak-proof underwear to bed can help you sleep a lot sounder — knowing you've got everything in check. The lining in these comfort stretch panties is water resistant, keeping moisture from leaking into unwanted places, and they're breathable and hypoallergenic to keep your downstairs clean and irritation-free while you sleep. Plus, Joelle Barron, a contributor for Romper, tried leak-proof underwear for a week and "freaking loved them." Bonus: This set come in a pack of three cute colors and prints.

For Working Out: Moisture-Wicking Fabrics That Don't Chafe

According to a study done on the subject, synthetic, sweat-wicking fabrics are better for keeping you comfortable while working out than their traditional cotton counterparts. The study said women were particularly receptive when it came to thermoregulatory benefits, so it's time to get serious about your undies set for sweating.

Antimicrobial Sport Thong Fights Bacteria

ExOfficio Give-n-Go Sport Mesh Thong (Sizes XS-XL), $10-$22, Amazon
It's no secret that undies can become not-so-pleasant after an active day of mowing the lawn or taking nieces and nephews to the park in the warm weather. This active thong has an antimicrobial treatment in the fabric that reduces odor and keeps you feeling great. Plus, the mesh fabric is breathable and quick drying to keep you cool. One user gives this panty five stars for being "the most comfortable thong she's ever worn."

Breathable, Quick-Drying Brief

Champion Women's Absolute Brief (Sizes S-L), $7-$10, Amazon

Dr. Nicole E. Williams of the Gynecology Institute of Chicago told Elle.com to steer clear of sheer, lace, or silky underwear at the gym. She said, "when you exercise in non-breathable underwear like that, your vagina suffocates," which easily causes yeast infections. This machine-washable workout brief features Champion's unique vapor technology that evaporates moisture asap. With stay-put edges, they'll remain in place until the end of your workout class — and they're totally breathable with targeted ventilation (you can even snag the style in purple or pink, too!).

Moisture-Wicking, Seamless Panty

Balanced Tech Seamless Bikini Panties 3 Pack (Sizes S-XL), $14, Amazon

Before you head to your next spinning class, make sure to have a selection of seamless underwear on deck. Sandra Lee, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, told Womens Health, "if your underwear is old, the elastic becomes exposed and can potentially give you a rash." These three pairs of active underwear are anti-odor, breathable, and feature vital moisture control to keep you dry when working up a sweat. Bonus: These panties are machine washable, and you can choose your favorite three-pack from seven different color ways.

High-Cut Running Underwear

ASICS Stride Brief (Sizes XXS-S), $24-$36, Amazon

For runners who are looking for underwear that gives them the most comfortable and simple leg movements, this workout panty with a high cut is made specifically for your strides. This pair also offers a soft fit and aerodynamic flat seam stitching. One user loves them so much, that she buys them for everyday wear.

For Underneath Tight Clothes: No-Line Fabrics

When it comes to fighting a recurring VPL (visible panty line), there are plenty of nifty clothing hacks to employ. Cosmpolitan, for one, suggests sporting thicker fabrics on top, to minimize lines underneath. If you're not looking for a complete clothing overhaul though, it's worth it to check out the laser-cut fabrics and lacy alternatives to defined underwear lines.

Silky, Invisible Laser Cut Panty

Calvin Klein Printed Invisibles Thong Panty (Sizes S-L), $9-$12, Amazon

This printed pair of silky panties are laser cut and barely there, so they're completely no-show under your tightest outfits. They're also tagless and lightweight, so you'll be both confident and comfortable in your hot new party dress. Bonus: These undies are machine washable, and you can pick your favorite pattern and color from four different options.

No-VPL Lace Thong

Hanky Panky Original Thong (One Size, One Size Plus, One Size Fits Most), $20-$22, Amazon

A comfortable lace thong that promises no VPLs sounds too good to be true — but with this pair, you'll be wanting to wear a thong under everything. One size 18 reviewer said they love this pair, as it doesn't dig in at the wrong places or ride up after wearing them all day. Think wearing thongs is bad for your downstairs area? Dr. Jill M. Rabin, an Associate Professor of Women's Health told Huffington Post that unless you have a "predisposition to getting infections," there aren't "really any dangers" to wearing thongs.

For Everyday Wear: Versatile, Multifunctional Styles & Fabrics

When it comes to finding the right undies for your everyday wear, think of the clothing styles and silhouettes you wear most often first. According to Alicia Vardo, an intimate apparel examiner, one of the most important areas to focus on is the crotch. She told Examiner.com, "The crotch of the panty should fit just right against your body. It shouldn't bunch up in the back or the front and should be snug." Think of the underwear styles that often get you this result, and go from there!

Full Coverage, Mid-Rise Boyshorts

Victoria's Secret Everyday Boyshort Panty (Sizes M-L), $18, Amazon

These boyshort undies by Victoria's Secret were created with everyday wear in mind. They have a full coverage, mid-rise fit, and they're crafted from an ultra-smooth stretchy material. They'll look and feel good underneath your denim, dresses, or short shorts, and the back even features a cute ruche detail.

Classic, Machine Washable Cotton Brief

Calvin Klein 3 Pack Radiant Cotton Bikini Panty (Sizes S-L), $25-$30, Amazon

A lingerie expert told Refinery29, “Briefs can be absolutely gorgeous and, unless you're trying to hide panty lines, are great for every day.” This three-pack of machine washable cotton briefs by Calvin Klein features the classic logo comfort waistband in a different variety of colors, plus a smooth fabric that's ready for all-day wear. One user gives this pair top ratings for being a high quality cotton panty that never causes wedgies (#important).

Comfortable & Classic High-Waisted Panties

Bali Women's Cool Cotton Skamp (Sizes M-3XL), $4-$25, Amazon

If you prefer high-waisted fits to lower or mid-rise pants and denim (same here!), then it's time for you to snag yourself a pair of comfortable panties with a high waist. They'll make a world of difference and feel way more balanced underneath your favorite high-waisted shorts or skinnies. These ones have a tag-free design for added comfort, and the cool cotton fabric is breathable and moisture-wicking. One user bought this pair after her doctor recommended wearing cotton undies (because they're better for your v-region) and loves the fit, even under tightly fitting jeans.
Bustle may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from Bustle's editorial and sales departments.

7 Things That Happen To Your Mind After You Have A Baby

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If you've had a baby or have friends who've recently popped out a bundle of screaming, pooping joy, you may be familiar with "mommy brain" — a phenomenon wherein pregnant women and new mothers experience drastic losses of memory and overall brain fog in the months leading up to and following childbirth. The folk wisdom is that motherhood turns the brain into a pile of mashed banana for a few months, before it bounces back to its old self. The realities of pregnancy's and motherhood's affects on the brain, however, are far more complicated than that — and recent research indicates that pregnancy reshapes our brains in ways more far-reaching and permanent than we'd ever thought before. The good news? A lot of these alterations are, frankly, kind of awesome.
Why does having a baby change our brains? We're still figuring that out — but many of the changes appear to be due to the massive hormonal changes that occur in our bodies when we carry a child. Some of the brain changes have also clearly developed in order to help mothers cope and bond with their new children.
The idea that a mother's brain endures a few months of bizarre fogginess (which, in reality, is probably due to sleep deprivation rather than hormones) and then "snaps back" to its previous pre-baby incarnation is as unrealistic as all those celebrity mothers claiming they lost 50 pounds of pregnancy weight by just chanting and lifting baby bottles out of the fridge. But rather than bemoaning the way motherhood changes our brains, we should be celebrating.
So new moms, welcome to your new post-pregnancy brain. It's actually seriously cool.

1. Your Brain Literally Becomes Bigger

People who believe that old line about motherhood making women become flaky can go get bent. It turns out that, in reality, the amount of gray matter in a woman's brain increases a small amount after she gives birth. She'll see particular growth in areas that will be of use during motherhood (which we'll get to later), but the general result is a definite increase in size.

2. You're More Prone To Obsessive Behavior

The parts of the brain that regulate patterns and decision-making are a few of the areas that get a gray-matter boost after birth. Why? Most likely because it helps women regularly monitor and care for their kid. This boost also results in an increased likelihood of obsessive behaviors: 11 percent of postpartum women surveyed in a 2013 study reported feeling obsessive about certain things, like cleaning surfaces, checking their baby's breathing, and worrying about hurting them.

3. You Can Better Cope With Stress

The amygdala is the part of the brain linked to both pleasure and fear — and it not only grows significantly in size after a woman gives birth; it stays enlarged for the rest of her life. A big amygdala doesn't make you paranoid, though — rather, the amygdala plays a key role in how the body emotionally responds to huge stresses, like trauma (or, say, suddenly being responsible for a tiny human being). Having a bigger amygdala helps women cope with the huge pressures of raising a child, as well as bond with them emotionally.
It's not universal, though: A study found that the biggest change in amygdala size happened in women who seriously bonded with their babies and couldn't stop gushing about them.

4. You're High On Love

There's a very real scientific reason why mothers don't just abandon their babies on the side of a mountain every time they manage to somehow poo on the ceiling. Childbirth intensely sensitizes the dopamine network of the brain, which is the system that produces feelings of love and happiness. It's formally called the "maternal dopaminergic reward system" (if you want to get catchy). A 2015 discussion in The Atlantic revealed that an MRI scan of the brain of a mother bonding with her infant looks a lot like the MRI scan of someone who is falling in love: Both events trigger your brain to release the same shower of feel-good chemicals that basically tint everything rosy.

5. You Have A Sharper Sense Of Smell

This is just weird. Part of the "neurogenesis," or stimulation of new cells, that occurs in the brains of women who've just given birth is focused exclusively on one thing: developing a truly superior sense of smell. The process seems to be kick-started by the arrival of prolactin, a hormone related to a woman's ability to express milk. Scientists think this might be because women have always needed to be able to distinguish and delight in their own baby's particular smell — especially in the past, when babies were more likely to be raised in communal groups.

6. You Have Better Memory And Spatial Awareness

If you've had kids, you can officially tackle that complex 3-D modeling project with confidence — because having a child improves the brain's plasticity, increasing memory and spatial awareness. It's because the postpartum brain's hippocampus — which creates our memory — gets a boost in gray matter. So, far from inducing brain fog, having a baby actually strengthens women's cognitive capacity and ability to retain information in their brain.

7. You're At Increased Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

The brain changes that happen to mothers aren't all good news, though. The increased flow of hormones, particularly estrogen, that occurs during pregnancy might make mothers more vulnerable to degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's later in life. Motherhood might help fight some brain-related degeneration, however. We aren't exactly sure about why, what warning signals it sets off, or how we can prevent it — but scientists are on the case.
But overall, the ways motherhood rewires your brain are awesome. So don't worry about the baby fog believers — instead, stay busy enjoying your new superpowers (okay, maybe having a keen sense of smell isn't always a superpower...like when there's a dirty diaper around)

Manage Your Money Wisely with the Jars System

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Chinese New Year reminds people very well of how rich they are. One of the best traits of Chinese people is their ability to save and accumulate wealth from small pennies. Do you want to try something new to save up?
The jar system of saving has been tested by many. If you want to make a difference in your money management skill, then you need to try this jar system. This method was popularized here in the Philippines through an interview of a local beauty queen. She gave an advice by sharing how she personally manages her finances and how she can still save for the future. This beauty queen is no other than Miriam Quiambao:
The 6-jar money management system was originally published in T. Hary Eker’s book, entitled Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. The following is the condensed version of how to save with this jar system:
To start, you have to divide your income according to different purposes as soon as you receive this income (from any source). Then, place each share into different jars. You can use mason jars, empty water bottles, or some old tumblers. Any container will do!
Please note that you should start with the amount of your income with all the taxes removed. However, ensure that no expense has been deducted yet.

JAR 1: The Necessity Account Jar

The first jar serves as the necessity jar. It covers all your basic expenses, such as rent, bills, food, and transportation. All the expenses that you need for the activities of daily living should be accounted here. According to the jar system, you should allocate 55% of your earnings to this jar.

JAR 2: The Play Account Jar

The second jar may become your favorite because this jar covers the play expenses, that is, the purchases that you do not usually make. Examples of the purchases covered under this account are spa treatment, movie night out, dining out, or anything that you enjoy. The main purpose of this jar is to give you joy in this stressful life. Note that you should allocate only 10% of your income on this jar. You need to spend it wisely and moderately.

JAR 3: The Financial Freedom Account

This jar is named as The Financial Freedom Account because it is your ticket for such freedom. The money that you will allocate in this jar should never be spent because you will use this money to invest, so that you will have passive income streams. You should allocate 10% of your earnings on this jar. The only time that you will spend the money from this account is when you have become financially free. Spend only the returns of your investment and not the principal itself. Financial freedom is your main goal before you hit your retirement. The earlier you attain this freedom, the better.

JAR 4: The Education Account

The fourth jar is meant for your personal growth through education. Money that will be placed in this jar should be used to purchase CDs and books and to attend seminars or anything that has an educational value that gives you additional knowledge. The examples for such are not limited to having postgraduate degrees. You can always learn a musical instrument, take cooking lessons, learn jujitsu, and the list goes on. Always remember that you are the most valuable asset that you have. There is no other great way to use your money but to use it for the betterment of yourself. Note that you should allocate only 10% of your income on this jar.

JAR 5: The Long-Term Savings for Spending Account

The money in this fifth jar is meant for large purchases in the future. You need to allocate 10% of your earnings for this jar. You can use the money on this jar for vacations abroad, to buy real estate, for your contingency fund, or for your children’s education. Anything planned for the future falls under this category. You may have more than one long-term savings for spending account, but you should divide the allocated 10% for this jar to the number of jars that will fall under this category.

JAR 6: The Give Account

The last but not the least is the jar that contains the money that you will give to others. Some call this as the charity jar because they allocate the money in this jar for their chosen charity. The money kept in this jar is used for giving your family or friends some presents on birthdays, holidays, or any other special occasion. You can also share the contents of this jar to those who are less fortunate. You should allocate 5% of your earnings for this account.

Conclusion

To wrap it up, the jar system is a guide to help you allocate and set your priorities straight. This will help you to be systematic and will prevent you from overspending. Through the JAR system, you will gradually see the importance of planning, saving, and investing. This will eventually help you out to attain your main goal, which is to attain financial freedom, and to enjoy life more in the future without hesitations.

Tuesday 26 April 2016

Antisocial personality disorder

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Antisocial personality disorder (also known as dissocial personality disorder, psychopathy, and sociopathy) is a personality disorder, characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for, or violation of, the rights of others. An impoverished moral sense or conscience is often apparent, as well as a history of crime, legal problems, and/or impulsive and aggressive behavior.[1]
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is the name of the disorder as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). Dissocial personality disorder is the name of a similar or equivalent concept defined in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), where it states that the diagnosis includes antisocial personality disorder. Both manuals have similar but not identical criteria for diagnosing the disorder.[2] Both have also stated that their diagnoses have been referred to, or include what is referred to, as psychopathy or sociopathy, but distinctions have been made between the conceptualizations of antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy, with many researchers arguing that psychopathy is a disorder that overlaps with but is distinguishable from ASPD.The following conditions commonly coexist with ASPD:[23]
When combined with alcoholism, people may show frontal function deficits on neuropsychological tests greater than those associated with each condition.

Brief psychotic disorder

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Brief psychotic disorder is a period of psychosis whose duration is generally shorter, non-recurring, and not caused by another condition.
The disorder is characterized by a sudden onset of psychotic symptoms, which may include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior, or catatonic behavior. The symptoms must not be caused by schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder or mania in bipolar disorder. They must also not be caused by a drug (such as amphetamines) or medical condition (such as a brain tumor). The term bouffée délirante describes an acute nonaffective and nonschizophrenic psychotic disorder, which is largely similar to DSM-III-R and DSM-IV brief psychotic and schizophreniform disorders.[1]
Symptoms generally last at least a day, but not more than a month, and there is an eventual return to full baseline functioning. It may occur in response to a significant stressor in one's life, or in other situations where a stressor is not apparent, including in the weeks following birth. In diagnosis, a careful distinction is considered for culturally appropriate behaviors, such as religious beliefs and activities. It is believed to be connected to or synonymous with a variety of culture-specific phenomena such as latah, koro, and amok.[2]
There are three forms of brief psychotic disorder: 1. Brief psychotic disorder with a stressor, such as a trauma or death in the family. 2. Brief psychotic disorder without a stressor, there is no obvious stressor. 3. Brief psychotic disorder with postpartum onset. Usually occurs about four weeks after giving birth.

Frequency

The exact incidence and prevalence of brief psychotic disorder is not known, but it is generally considered uncommon.[3] Internationally, it occurs twice as often in women than men, and even more often in women in the United States. It typically occurs in the late 30s and early 40s.[2] The exact cause of brief psychotic disorder is not known. One theory suggests a genetic link, because the disorder is more common in people who have family members with mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Another theory suggests that the disorder is caused by poor coping skills, as a defense against or escape from a particularly frightening or stressful situation. These factors may create a vulnerability to develop brief psychotic disorder. In most cases, the disorder is triggered by a major stress or traumatic event. Childbirth may trigger the disorder in some women.[4] Approximately 1 in 10,000 women experience brief psychotic disorder shortly after childbirth.[5]

Monday 25 April 2016

11 Gay Book Characters Turned Straight for the Movie Version

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Adapted screenplays may follow books very closely, or may be completely different. When characters are gay or lesbian - or have had some significant same-sex experiences - screenwriters sometimes sidestep those facets of their stories entirely when it comes to the big screen.

1. Corporal Fife, The Thin Red Line

The third chapter in James Jones' World War II novel, originally published in 1962, depicts a green-behind-the ears Corporal Fife bunking in a shelter tent next to Private Bead, a fellow member of Charlie Company, during a rainy night. (The two are played by Adrien Brody and Nick Stahl, respectively, in Terrence Malick's 1998 film adaptation.) It's a pretty in-depth exploration of one of the realities of war that American mothers and housewives at the time maybe didn't want to face: Their men had needs.
Jones writes:
What could a guy do? Nothing, that was what ... Unless guys helped each other out now and then. It was either that, or find yourself a queer cook or baker someplace, or it was nothing. Guys could help each other out, Bead supposed.
“Well, what do you say?” he said cheerfully. “Shall we help each other out?” I’ll do it to you if you’ll do it to me.”
Bead, finding that he was not rebuffed, now became more confident in his voice and in his salesmanship. Apparently it made no difference to him and did not worry him that he was suggesting something homosexual ... As he started to crawl over to Fife’s side of the little tent he stopped and said: “I just dont want you to think I’m no queer, or nothing like that.”
“Well, dont you get the idea I am, either,” Fife had answered.

2. Justin McLeod, The Man Without a Face


Photo courtesy of Giant Bomb
The title character in Mel Gibson's directorial debut, also played by Gibson, was originally gay in Isabelle Holland's 1972 novel. "The fact that the (McLeod) character was gay was prohibitive in selling the book," Holland's book agent Lisa Callamaro told the Los Angeles Times in 1993.

3. Pussy Galore, Goldfinger


Photo courtesy of The Times UK
Ian Fleming's seventh 007 book has Pussy Galore running an outfit of lesbian cat burglars. In the third James Bond film of the same name, actress Honor Blackman's Bond girl has a far more suppressed sexual orientation. (Her character's hair is also switched from brunette to blonde.) Although in both the novel and the movie, Bond has no issue proving his own heterosexuality by forcing himself on her in a barn. Fleming's novel suggests his super spy holds enough sexual prowess to make any gay woman hop the fence.

4. Don Birnam, The Lost Weekend


Photo courtesy of Watch the Academies)
Billy Wilder's character study of Don Birnam, a failed writer turned alcoholic, swept the Academy Awards in 1946, winning Best Picture, Director (Wilder), Actor (Ray Milland) and Screenplay (Wilder, Charles Brackett). But author Charles Jackson didn't connect the boozing to a losing career in publishing. In his ranty novel, Birnam tormented himself over memories from his adolescence.
Excerpted from "Part Two: The Wife" in Jackson's novel:
When, at what time, had he deliberately ignored the responsibility and opportunity that beckoned him? Oh, he could put his finger on a dozen such moments ... Some were more revealing than others; one he would never forget.
What went on between them in the carriage-sheds back of the Presbyterian Church, several afternoons a week, in the backseat of an abandoned carriage that hadn’t been used for years—used for anything but this …

5.  Paul Varjak, Breakfast at Tiffany's


Photo courtesy of The Skinny Stiletto
Screenwriter George Axelrod updated Truman Capote's WWII-Era novella to fit into 1961 Manhattan. "Nothing really happened in the book," the scribe has been widely quoted. "All we had was this glorious girl—a perfect part for Audrie Hepburn. What we had to do was devise a story, get a central romantic relationship, and make the hero a red-blooded heterosexual."
George Peppard's leading man in Blake Edwards' silver screen classic was hardly the same love interest on celluloid as he was in Capote's text. In section 16 of the novella, Holly Golightly (played by Audrey Hepburn on film) referred to him as a "Maude"—which was understood in the gay underworld at the time as slang for male prostitute.

6. Rorschach, Watchmen


Photo courtesy of Hero Complex
Writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons' archetypical Batman character had a soft spot for his partner in crime, Nite Owl, although it was never explicit (it is, however, the subject of much fan speculation). In the movie version, there simply was no time for the love that dare not speak its name, even though it was only whispered in the comics at best.

7. Ruth Jamison, Fried Green Tomatoes


Photo courtesy of hubpages
Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe has a pretty clear-cut intimate relationship defined between Ruth and Idgie. The 1991 movie? Zilch. Flagg's screenplay has Ruth (Mary-Louise Parker) hung up on the deceased Buddy Threadgoode (Chris O'Donnell).

8. Ben, Ben-Hur


Photo courtesy of Home Theater Forum
As far as his Hollywood career went, Gore Vidal had a reputation for taking liberties with original source material. When it came to the chariot epic starring Charlton Heston, the historian made an exact effort at finding a romantic connection in Lew Wallace's 1880 manuscript between the title character and his friend Messala (Stephen Boyd in the 1959 film). According to a letter Vidal received from Heston, he and director William Wyler roundly rejected the loose interpretation from Lew Wallace's 1880 manuscript. Ben stayed as straight as they could make him in a sandal drama.

9. Brick Pollitt, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof


Photo courtesy of Cinema Nostalgia
Another Hollywood alcoholic inexplicably drowned in his own sorrows. Brick (Paul Newman) grieves the loss of his friend Skipper, who committed suicide, and won't sleep with his wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor). He just drinks whiskey on the rocks and leaves Maggie to wonder how she's "gone through this horrible transformation." But Tennessee Williams's play remains ambiguous, pushing its audience to raise questions about Brick's sexuality.

10. Celie Johnson, The Color Purple


Photo courtesy the Telegraph
Steven Spielberg's 1985 Oscar bait let Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) and Shug (Margaret Avery) steal a smooch which Goldberg characterized as "about love and tenderness ... It has nothing to do with lesbianism. It has to do with, her eyes are opened, now she understands." Alice Walker's epistolary novel takes the pair way further than a kiss.

11. Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln


Photo courtesy of Slate
This one's a bit of a stretch, but biographer Carl Sandburg famously wrote in 1926 that the 16th president had "a streak of lavender, and spots soft as May violets" in specific reference to the connection between Lincoln and his roommate Joshua Speed. The details of the Illinois boys' relationship have been highly contested for years, although Lincoln screenwriter Tony Kushner stated in an interview that, after the six years he spent working on the script for Steven Spielberg, "there is some reason to speculate that Lincoln might have been bisexual or gay."
Kushner left that part out. "I find it difficult to believe that Lincoln was [with] anybody," during that time, Kushner said, because the president was likely "ground to a pulp by the war and by the pressures of his job."

The Brains of Anxious People May Perceive the World Differently

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A new study shows that people with generalized anxiety disorder unconsciously label harmless things as threats, which may serve to further their anxiety. These findings were published last week in the journal Current Biology.
Psychologists recognize several forms of clinical anxiety. The most common is generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, in which people frequently feel very worried or anxious even when it seems like there’s nothing to worry about. Some studies have suggested that anxiety disorders may stem from a process called overgeneralization.
In overgeneralization, the brain lumps both safe and unsafe things together and labels them all unsafe. For this reason, the researchers also call this the “better safe than sorry” approach. Our brains naturally pay more attention to negative or threatening information in our environments. If anxious people perceive more threats in the world around them, it would make a lot of sense for them to be worried.
To find out if overgeneralization was involved, researchers recruited 28 people diagnosed with GAD and 16 people without anxiety and brought them into the lab. The experiment had two parts: training and testing. In the training section, study participants learned to differentiate between three different sounds. Each sound was tied to a different outcome; pressing a key could lead to winning money (the “positive” tone), losing money (the “negative” tone), or nothing (the “neutral” tone).
In the second phase of the experiment, researchers played 15 different sounds for the participants and asked them to press a key when they heard a sound they recognized from the training phase. If they guessed right, they’d win money, but if they guessed wrong, the researchers would take some of their money back.
Because of the risk of losing money, the best strategy for everyone would be a conservative one—not pressing the button much at all based on the assumption that most of the tones were new. But anxious participants were trigger-happy, believing they’d heard many of the unfamiliar tones before. The experience of winning and losing money in training had made a strong emotional impression on them, which led them to overgeneralize new information as relevant.
The researchers also administered brain scans during the testing phase. They found notable differences between anxious and non-anxious brains. While they were focused on parsing new information, anxious people showed more activation in several parts of the brain, including the amygdala, a region associated with fear and worry.
"We show that in patients with anxiety, emotional experience induces plasticity in brain circuits that lasts after the experience is over," senior co-author Rony Paz said in a press release. "Such plastic changes occur in primary circuits that later mediate the response to new stimuli, resulting in an inability to discriminate between the originally experienced stimulus and a new similar stimulus. Therefore, anxiety patients respond emotionally to such new stimuli as well, resulting in anxiety even in apparently irrelevant new situations. Importantly, they cannot control this, as it is a perceptual inability to discriminate."
Paz noted that in dangerous circumstances, the hyper-vigilance associated with anxiety might be a good thing. The problem is that most circumstances aren’t dangerous. "Anxiety traits can be completely normal, and even beneficial evolutionarily," he says. "Yet an emotional event, even minor sometimes, can induce brain changes that might lead to full-blown anxiety.

Movies That Were Supposed to Be Sequels to Other Movies

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1. THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015)

Quentin Tarantino originally conceived of The Hateful Eight as a sequel to his Django Unchained (2012). But as he began writing, the filmmaker realized that something didn’t feel right about having Django in the middle of the new story. Tarantino felt that Django was too much of a good guy to be part of the deadly situation at the center of The Hateful Eight. "There should be no moral center. I thought it should be a room of bad guys, and you can't trust a word anybody says," Tarantino said during a Q&A at the Alamo Drafthouse in 2015.
“At the time it was called ‘Django in White Hell,’” Tarantino told David Poland. “And it was basically just, you know—so I started writing—and it was basically just the stagecoach stuff, you know, all the stuff that we have in the story of the stagecoach, instead of Major Warren it was Django. And I was working on that and I hadn’t got to Minnie’s Haberdashery yet, hadn’t figured out who the other people would be there, just kind of, just setting this mystery into place.”

2. DIE HARD (1988)

Die Hard is based on Roderick Thorp’s 1979 novel, Nothing Lasts Forever. Which is a sequel to his 1966 novel, The Detective, which was adapted into a film starring Frank Sinatra in 1968. When Die Hard was being developed, 20th Century Fox offered the lead role to Sinatra, who wasn’t interested in reprising the part.
“A good bar bet if you want to make some cash is to ask someone: ‘Who was the first actor to play John McClane and in what movie?’ They will say: ‘Bruce Willis in Die Hard' and you say: ‘No! Frank Sinatra in The Detective!’ and then run out before you get beat up,” Die Hard screenwriter Steven E. de Souza told the Bristol Bad Film Club in 2015. “Interestingly, 20th Century Fox had to contractually offer Bruce Willis’s part in Die Hard to Frank Sinatra because it was a sequel to the original book! Fortunately for Bruce, he said: ‘I’m too old and too rich to act any more.’”

3. PREDATOR (1987)

After Rocky Balboa defeated Ivan Drago and brought together the United States and Russia at the end of Rocky IV, there was a joke in Hollywood that Rocky was running out of people to box and would have to fight a space alien if there was ever a Rocky V. Screenwriters Jim and John Thomas took the joke seriously and started to write the script for Predator, which was originally titled Hunter. Producer Joel Silver really liked the story and picked it up for 20th Century Fox in 1985. Instead of casting Sylvester Stallone in the leading role, Silver cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer after working with him on Commando a few years earlier.

4. COLOMBIANA (2011)

With the success of 1994’s Léon: The Professional, director Luc Besson and his protégé Olivier Megaton tried to make a sequel called Mathilda. After years of running into roadblocks—including Natalie Portman’s rise to stardom and Besson’s rocky relationship with Gaumont Film Company, which owns the rights to The Professional—Besson and Megaton turned their script for Mathilda into Colombiana instead.
"Ten years ago we decided to make Mathilda, which was the Professional sequel, but we couldn’t do it because of the evolution of a lot of things," said Megaton. “Luc tried to do this movie again and again—he proposed it to me 12 years ago. But when we decided to change the script and to make another movie with a revenge story like Mathilda, he had to give up everything about Mathilda."

5. NIGHTHAWKS (1981)

During the late 1970s, screenwriter David Shaber wrote The French Connection III after the success of the first two feature films for 20th Century Fox. However, Gene Hackman refused to reprise the role of Popeye Doyle, so the project moved to Universal Pictures and Shaber rewrote the script into Nighthawks, with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams in the main roles.
Fun Fact: The character Popeye Doyle would eventually reappear in a movie, but this time on the small screen. Ed O’Neill played the character in Popeye Doyle, a made-for-TV movie that aired on NBC in 1986.

6. SOLACE (2015)

After the success of Se7en in 1995, New Line Cinema wanted to make a sequel and acquired a script called Solace from Ocean’s Eleven writer Ted Griffin in 2002. With the hope of making a sequel called Ei8ht, the story featured a psychic who helps the FBI find a known serial killer. New Line wanted to change the psychic character to Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman’s character from Se7en), but Se7en director David Fincher was less than enthusiastic about the idea of a sequel.
“I would be less interested in that than I would in having cigarettes put out in my eyes,” the director said during an advanced screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Lincoln Center in New York City in 2008. “I keep trying to get out from under my own shadow.” He later added, “I don’t want to do the same sh*t over and over.”
In 2013, New Line Cinema continued with the project without Fincher, but made Solace under its original title and characters instead.

7. SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL (1997)

Before Die Hard with a Vengeance hit theaters during the summer of 1995, 20th Century Fox was interested in turning a spec script called Troubleshooter from writer James Haggin into Die Hard 3. If made, the film would’ve followed John McClane aboard a Caribbean cruise ship with terrorists taking over the luxury ocean liner. Fox scrapped the idea when they learned that Steven Seagal’s Under Siege, which had a very similar story, was in production at Warner Bros. for release in 1992. However, in 1997, Fox reworked Troubleshooter into Speed 2: Cruise Control with Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) and new love interest Alex Shaw (Jason Patric) on board the cruise ship instead. Keanu Reeves was offered $12 million to reprise his role, but said no.

8. MINORITY REPORT (2002)

Originally, Minority Report was developed as a sequel to Total Recall, both of which were based on short stories by Philip K. Dick. When Total Recall became a box office hit in 1990, TriStar Pictures wanted a sequel, so they looked to combine Total Recall with Minority Report and tasked novelist Jon Cohen with adapting the screenplay in 1997. The would-be sequel would’ve seen the precogs from Minority Report changed into the mutants from Total Recall, as they helped Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Douglas Quaid stop crime before it happened on the Red Planet.
However, production company Carolco Pictures, which owned the rights to Total Recall and Minority Report, went out of business, so the sequel project fell to 20th Century Fox where Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise later picked it up for release in 2002. 

9. CYBORG (1989)

During the late 1980s, Cannon Films planned to make a sequel for Masters of the Universe and a live-action Spider-Man movie at the same time. However, the movie studio ran into financial problems because Masters of the Universe was a box office bomb and had to cancel its deals with Mattel and Marvel, who owned He-Man and Spider-Man, respectively. Unfortunately, Cannon had already spent $2 million in pre-production, so the movie studio decided to rework the projects into a new film called Cyborg to make up for the loss. A script was written in one weekend and Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast in the lead role of Gibson Rickenbacker.
“That's part of the Cannon experience—we couldn't shoot these because the check bounced for the rights,” Cyborg director Albert Pyun told io9. “First it was Spider-Man, and then they couldn't bring themselves to tell us they'd also bounced the same check for Mattel [for He-Man]. It was kind of good, though. I was relieved—both Marvel and Mattel were very difficult to deal with, and they just did not want to cooperate.

Sunday 24 April 2016

Catatonia

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Catatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874 by Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum, in Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein[1] (Catatonia or Tension Insanity).
In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition catatonia is not recognized as a separate disorder, but is associated with psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia (catatonic type), bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental disorders, narcolepsy, as well as drug abuse or overdose (or both). It may also be seen in many medical disorders including infections (such as encephalitis), autoimmune disorders, focal neurologic lesions (including strokes), metabolic disturbances, alcohol withdrawal[2] and abrupt or overly rapid benzodiazepine withdrawal.[3][4][5]
It can be an adverse reaction to prescribed medication. It bears similarity to conditions such as encephalitis lethargica and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. There are a variety of treatments available; benzodiazepines are a first-line treatment strategy. Electro-convulsive therapy is also sometimes used. There is growing evidence for the effectiveness of NMDA antagonists for benzodiazepine resistant catatonia.[6] Antipsychotics are sometimes employed but require caution as they can worsen symptoms and have serious adverse effects.[7]

Treatment

Initial treatment is aimed at providing symptomatic relief. Benzodiazepines are the first line of treatment, and high doses are often required. A test dose of 1–2 mg of intramuscular lorazepam will often result in marked improvement within half an hour. In France, zolpidem has also been used in diagnosis, and response may occur within the same time period. Ultimately the underlying cause needs to be treated.[7]
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for catatonia. Antipsychotics should be used with care as they can worsen catatonia and are the cause of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a dangerous condition that can mimic catatonia and requires immediate discontinuation of the antipsychotic.[7]
Excessive glutamate activity is believed to be involved in catatonia; when first-line treatment options fail, NMDA antagonists such as amantadine or memantine are used. Amantadine may have an increased incidence of tolerance with prolonged use and can cause psychosis, due to its additional effects on the dopamine system. Memantine has a more targeted pharmacological profile for the glutamate system, reduced incidence of psychosis and may therefore be preferred for individuals who cannot tolerate amantadine. Topiramate is another treatment option for resistant catatonia; it produces its therapeutic effects by producing glutamate antagonism via modulation of AMPA receptors.[13]

Binge eating disorder

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Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by binge eating without subsequent purging episodes. The disorder was first described in 1959 by psychiatrist and researcher Albert Stunkard as "night eating syndrome" (NES). The term "binge eating " was coined to describe the same binging-type eating behavior but without the exclusive nocturnal component.[1] Binge eating is one of the most prevalent eating disorders among adults,[2] though there tends to be less media coverage and research about the disorder in comparison to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Previously considered a topic for further research exploration, binge eating disorder was included in the eating disorders section of the DSM-5 in 2013.[3]
BED is present in 0.8% of male U.S. adults and 1.6% of female U.S. adults in a given year.[3]

Signs and symptoms

The following are DSM-5 criteria that must be present to make a diagnosis of binge eating disorder. Studies have confirmed the high predictive value of these criteria for diagnosing BED.[4]
"A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
  1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
  2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:
  1. Eating much more rapidly than normal.
  2. Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
  3. Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
  4. Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
  5. Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa."[5]
Binge eating is a core symptom of binge eating disorder; however, not everyone who binge eats has binge eating disorder.[6] An individual may occasionally binge eat without experiencing many of the negative physical, psychological, or social effects of binge eating disorder. This example may be considered an eating problem (or not), rather than a disorder.

Causes

Before binge eating disorder received its own category in the DSM-5 in 2013, there was resistance to give binge eating disorder the status of a full-fledged eating disorder because many perceived binge eating disorder to be the cause of individual choices.[7] More research is needed to uncover the causes of binge eating disorder. Previous research has focused on the relationship between body image and eating disorders, and concludes that disordered eating might be linked to rigid dieting practices.[citation needed][8] In the majority of cases of anorexia, extreme and inflexible restriction of dietary intake leads at some point to the development of binge eating, weight regain, bulimia nervosa, or a mixed form of eating disorder not otherwise specified. Binge eating may begin when individuals recover from an adoption of rigid eating habits. When under a strict diet that mimics the effects of starvation, the body may be preparing for a new type of behavior pattern, one that consumes a large amount of food in a relatively short period of time.
However, other research suggests that binge eating disorder can also be caused by environmental factors and the impact of traumatic events. One study showed that women with binge eating disorder experienced more adverse life events in the year prior to the onset of the development of the disorder, and that binge eating disorder was positively associated with how frequently negative events occur.[9] Additionally, the research found that individuals who had binge eating disorder were more likely to have experienced physical abuse, perceived risk of physical abuse, stress, and body criticism.[9][9] Other risk factors may include childhood obesity, critical comments about weight, low self-esteem, depression, and physical or sexual abuse in childhood.[10] A few studies have suggested that there could be a genetic component to binge eating disorder,[2] though other studies have shown more ambiguous results. Studies have shown that binge eating tends to run in families and a twin study by Bulik, Sullivan, and Kendler has shown a, "moderate heritability for binge eating" at 41 percent.[11] More research must be done before any firm conclusions can be drawn regarding the heritability of binge eating disorder. Studies have also shown that eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia reduce coping abilities, which makes it more likely for those suffering to turn to binge eating as a coping strategy.[12]
A correlation between dietary restraint and the occurrence of binge eating has been shown in some research.[6] While binge eaters are often believed to be lacking in self-control, the root of such behavior might instead be linked to rigid dieting practices. The relationship between strict dieting and binge eating is characterized by a vicious circle. Binge eating is more likely to occur after dieting, and vice versa. Several forms of dieting include delay in eating (e.g., not eating during the day), restriction of overall calorie intake (e.g., setting calorie limit to 1,000 calories per day), and avoidance of certain types of food (e.g., "forbidden" food, such as sugar, carbohydrates, etc.) [13][14] Strict and extreme dieting differs from ordinary dieting. Some evidence suggests the effectiveness of moderate calorie restriction in decreasing binge eating episodes among overweight individuals with binge eating disorder, at least in the short-term.[15][16]

Asperger syndrome

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Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Aspergers, is a developmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.[1] It is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and differs from other disorders by relatively normal language and intelligence.[2] Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and unusual use of language are common.[3][4] Symptoms usually begin before two years old and can last for a person's entire life.[1]
The exact cause of Asperger's is unknown.[1] While there is likely a genetic basis, it has not been determined conclusively.[3][5] Environmental factors are also believed to play a role.[1] Brain imaging has not identified a common underlying problem.[3] The diagnosis of Asperger's was removed in the 2013 fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and people with these symptoms are now included within the autism spectrum disorder along with autism and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.[1][6] It remains within the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) as of 2015.[2]
There is no single treatment, and the effectiveness of particular interventions is supported by only limited data.[3] Treatment is aimed at improving poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and physical clumsiness.[7] Efforts may include social skills training, cognitive behavioral therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, parenting training, and medications for associated problems such as depression or anxiety.[7] Most children improve as they grow up, but social and communication difficulties may persist.[8] Some researchers and people on the autism spectrum have advocated a shift in attitudes toward the view that autism spectrum disorder is a difference, rather than a disease that must be treated or cured.[9][10]
In 2013, Asperger's was estimated to affect 31 million people globally.[11] The syndrome is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication, had limited understanding of others' feelings, and were physically clumsy.[12] The modern conception of Asperger syndrome came into existence in 1981 and went through a period of popularization.[13][14][15] It became a standardized diagnosis in the early 1990s.[16] Many questions and controversies remain about aspects of the disorder.[8] There is doubt about whether it is distinct from high-functioning autism (HFA).[17] Partly because of this, the percentage of people affected is not firmly established.[3]