Latest news with #Allie
Time Out
19 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Catch classic movies under the greenhouse canopy at SAMA Garden
It's not quite the end of summer, but the heat has slackened just enough to entertain the idea of sitting outside – not to sweat, but to settle in. On August 1-3, SAMA Garden offers a three-night escape from the indoors, swapping streaming queues for open-air screens beneath a gently lit dome and a canopy of leaves. What's on offer is less about spectacle and more about atmosphere. A garden cinema, framed by soft lights and easy company, where you're welcome to bring a date, a friend or even your dog (they've thought of everything – there's a pet-friendly zone with ample space for snoots and tails). Each ticket, priced at B550, includes a film, a snack-and-drink bundle and access to what may be the most indulgent detail of the evening – a complimentary 15-minute massage, courtesy of Divana, available only for those who register via Line@SAMA Garden at least a day before. The screening schedule leans into comfort. No high-stakes thrillers, no sudden death. Just gently plotted narratives, a bit of romance, a touch of nostalgia and the occasional tear. Film schedule Friday August 1, 6:30pm - The Intern Ben, a retired widower full of life, signs up as a senior intern at a booming fashion startup founded by the ambitious Jules. He's not just there to learn the ropes, but soon becomes a quiet force of wisdom and warmth for everyone around him. Saturday August 2, 5:30pm - 10 Things I Hate About You Kat is a beautiful and intelligent girl, which means that not many men are interested in her. Unfortunately, her younger sister, Bianca, is forbidden from having a boyfriend before her. Therefore, a little plan is needed to help the older sister experience love for the first time. The path of Kat and the handsome young man Patrick finally crosses, but the question is, will she open her heart to him? Saturday August 2, 8.40pm - Cast Away Chuck, a fast-paced executive, finds himself stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. In solitude, with only a volleyball for company, he battles the rawest forces of nature – and his own mind. Sunday August 3, 7:30pm - Wonder Auggie, a boy born with facial differences, steps into school for the very first time. In a world full of stares and whispers, he navigates challenges, makes unexpected friendships, and teaches everyone around him a powerful lesson in compassion. Sunday August 3, 8:40pm - The Notebook Noah and Allie fall in love during the summer, but their romance is hindered by Allie's parents due to their different social status. At the same time, Noah has to serve in World War II. Afterward, Allie meets Hammond Jr., a wealthy young man, and she prepares to marry him. Will fate bring them back together?
Vox
13-07-2025
- Health
- Vox
Why doctors are finally taking IUD pain seriously
IUDs are becoming more popular. Now, can we make them less painful? Getty Images IUDs have been a promising breakthrough in birth control, offering both convenience and effectiveness, and their use has exploded over the past few decades. But that progress has often come with some (painful) trade-offs. Vox senior reporter Allie Volpe has been digging into why medicine has been slow to catch up to the pain that IUD insertions can cause and doctors' plans to make the process for more palatable for patients in the future. It is a big reproductive rights story, at a time when those rights are increasingly under threat. I sat down and chatted with Allie about it. Allie, are IUDs becoming more popular? What do people like about them? They're definitely more popular. Just over 6 million people, or 8.4 percent of contraceptive users between the ages of 15 and 49, use IUDs. It's actually the fourth most popular form of birth control. No. 1 is tubal ligation or, as people refer to it, getting your tubes tied. The pill is No. 2, condoms are No. 3, and IUDs are No. 4. That's a huge increase from the mid-'90s when just 1 percent of birth control users used IUDs. Today, Explained Understand the world with a daily explainer, plus the most compelling stories of the day. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. People really like the IUD. It's a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. Once you get past the act of placing it, you have it for anywhere from three to 10 years, depending on the type you have. Both do the same thing: They prevent the sperm and egg from meeting. A lot of people report less cramping on their periods, lighter periods, or even no periods in general. That's a huge draw for people who often have painful periods or endometriosis. It's a good way to treat those things. I think a lot of people have the perception of IUDs as a quick, painless insertion that's not really a big deal. Is that accurate? It depends on who you talk to, right? It is quick. It is all over within a matter of minutes unless you're getting anesthesia, which would make the process longer. And for some people, it's historically not been all that uncomfortable. But for others, it's really uncomfortable. Pain is very personal, and it's hard to pinpoint what pain actually is. Some people are like, 'Yup, didn't really feel it.' Others are like, 'I've had multiple children, and this is more painful than childbirth.' What we've been seeing over the last couple of years is those people coming on social media talking about their experiences with painful IUD insertions. Why do you think that misconception persists? Why do even doctors misunderstand the pain that their patients are going through? Women's pain in medicine has long been minimized. There's been reporting over the last couple of years about medical gaslighting, not just in gynecological procedures but across the board. Women will come in with a problem. And for decades, centuries, they've just been written off as being hysterical. Specifically, when it comes to IUDs, as more people got them, you started to hear more stories about these being very painful. It's a numbers game — more people get them, more people are going to have problems — but also a medical history game. You're writing about this now because things do seem to be changing. What's going on? One of the OB-GYNs I talked to said, 'I've been placing IUDs for like 37 years. It's not like I didn't mention that it would be painful, but I just tried not to bring it up. Because if a patient expects something's going to be painful, it's going to be more painful than they really thought.' These conversations about pain were not really happening until recently. Within the last year, the CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both released recommendations telling doctors to talk to their patients about pain management during IUD placement. Related Why gynecologists think IUDs are the best contraceptive For a while, there just wasn't really good research that pointed to methods that might help during this procedure because the pain can come at multiple points. But these groups are urging doctors to talk to their patients about not only taking ibuprofen to manage the pain after the procedure but also using topical creams or an anesthetic shot during the procedure to reduce discomfort. What questions should patients be asking their doctor? All of the OB-GYNs I talked to really stressed this: Talk to your doctor before your appointment. Because if you walk in the day of, there's not really a lot they can do. So, as you're making this appointment, discuss your concerns with your doctor. Tell them if you're concerned about pain or if you have any past history that might make this procedure more difficult for you. Ask, 'What can you offer me?' Ask as many questions as you want. If you don't feel satisfied with the options they have — like if you really want a paracervical block but your doctor doesn't offer it — ask if they have recommendations for another provider that will. Then start to talk through a plan with your provider. What medications will they give you pre-appointment? Some doctors now are giving people Xanax to chill out before the IUD insertion. They will probably often tell you to take ibuprofen beforehand. Ask what they will use during the procedure. Make sure you have that clear plan written out ahead of time.
Irish Examiner
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Book review: Distorted view of reality is a common theme
In Marni Appleton's short story Positive Vibes, Lia sees girls sitting at the tables outside the café where she works 'phones in hands, hunched over themselves as though they'd like to fold up flat and slip away entirely'. The scene encapsulates how technology dominates and diminishes the characters throughout Appleton's promising short story collection, I Hope You're Happy. On a school tour, girls ostracise a classmate by cropping her from a group photo so that 'only her arm remained, strung up in thin air like a dead thing'. A woman who becomes obsessed with a work colleague after a sexual encounter checks his Facebook page and Twitter feed every day to forge a sense of closeness with him. In the title story, Chloe intentionally doesn't block her estranged confidant Ana from her social media profiles because Chloe wants her posts to demonstrate that the dissolution of their friendship hasn't dented the vivacity of her life — and knows Ana is addicted to using the apps. The collection's 11 stories are mostly populated by millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Zers (born between 1997 and 2012). All Appleton's protagonists are female. The English author presents us with a glimpse of sexually fluid, uncertain, and hedonistic characters. Some snort cocaine off the back of their iPhones while others engage in threesomes. They're often in precarious employment, overwhelmed ('Doing nothing…no longer seemed an option'), and tentatively trying to negotiate the complications of strained relationships and rapidly-evolving social mores. They believe in manifesting and, perhaps inevitably, one of the book's epigraphs is from Taylor Swift ('Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first'). Appleton's writing has appeared in the Irish literary journal Banshee, among others. Shifting between the first and third person, her stories forensically dissect the subtle power dynamics of relationships and are frequently embossed with striking images. For instance, a teenager waiting outside a station sees her mother's white Toyota Prius among a cluster of black cabs as a 'swan in a huddle of ducklings'. That observation comes from the narrator, Allie, of Road Trip, a story that illuminates an important theme in the collection: Appleton's depiction of outsiders at the centre of her stories. In a frightening chronicle of neglect, Allie's irascible mother punishes Allie by shoving her out of a stationary car onto the side of the road and then drives away. 'No one is expecting me anywhere,' the narrator believes as she walks towards home. 'No one is expecting anything from me.' If the men in this collection are portrayed as, at best, virtue signallers and, at worst, perpetrators of coercive control, some of the female characters are equally adept at sabotaging one of their own. Female friends turn 'inward' to exclude a disloyal classmate for kissing the boyfriend of a group member before they deliver their misogynistic judgement on the betrayal: 'it's so much worse when a girl does it.' Body image is a recurring anxiety in the book and receives its most articulate expression in The Mirror Test. Melissa concedes she is always looking at herself in any available surface — a phone screen, a mirror, a train window — but doesn't recognise the person in the reflection. 'She is cruel and detached … It is true people hate her — that's the price she pays — but their envy, a weight, also lights her up.' The stories anatomise how technology and, particularly, social media distort its characters' view of themselves, but the collection also emphasises their culpability in this degradation. 'I know that anything I've lost,' one character suggests, 'has been given away freely.' Read More Book review: Do not put this book on hold
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Allie Schmidt looks back at Florida Panthers' record Stanley Cup evening, sharing behind-the-scenes family memories
Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt's wife, Allie Schmidt, gave a humorous and touching recount of the team's historic Stanley Cup night, which she attended despite being heavily pregnant. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now From juggling childcare to celebrating the victory, Allie gave fans a rare look into the daily life of a championship push. Florida Panthers' Nate Schmidt and wife Allie celebrate milestone win with glee, chaos, and priceless photo ops. Florida Panthers' Nate Schmidt and wife Allie celebrate milestone victory with joy and treasured photo ops The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup title this season, with Nate Schmidt starring in their playoff journey. For Allie, winning came with smiles, laughter, and photos she'll cherish for a lifetime. Even though she was pregnant in the final stages during the Stanley Cup Final, Allie Schmidt ensured that she was there for every moment—much thanks, she said, to her in-laws' timely assistance. 'And so, really trying to just lean into that, and just understand the specialness of it, too. Of being like, 'Okay, I don't care how pregnant I am, I'm going to everything, we're going to figure out a way,' thank God for my in-laws that week, and child care help. But it was, yeah, the most tired I think we've ever been,' she said. The pair attended the Panthers' after-championship party at the iconic Elbo Room, where Allie jokingly admitted she wasn't nearly as crazy as Nate Schmidt but otherwise reveled in the moment. 'Definitely a few drinks deep,' Allie laughed. 'Non-pregnant Allie is not quite at Nate's level, but definitely would have been having some fun.' Allie also remembered a time when she worried the night would fall into disarray. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'I was like, this is totally going to be a disaster," she explained. "And sure enough, it only took like 20 minutes and I had people sending me videos of Nate attempting to get in. He was not even that drunk walking in." Favorite memory from the ice: A championship photo worth framing For Allie Schmidt, the one photo of championship night that stands out from the rest is one strong image of Nate Schmidt cradling the Stanley Cup on the ice. 'We have one actually of Nate and I in the locker room, which is really fun. Harvey did go home, so we got to stay," she shared. The moment shared by the couple in the locker room, out of camera sight, made the moment even more intimate—a celebration of years of commitment, grit, and family backing. Also read: As the Florida Panthers' on-ice victories made the front pages, Allie Schmidt's lighthearted yet sincere report adds depth to the championship story. From managing pregnancy fatigue to sharing a long-awaited hug with her husband, her reportage reveals to us the intimate sacrifices and low-key joys that so often unfold off-stage. To the Schmidt family, the 2025 Stanley Cup wasn't just a franchise win — it was a milestone that was full of legacy, laughter, and love.
UPI
30-06-2025
- Science
- UPI
Blue Origin launches six tourists on 13th passenger flight
Blue Origin launched 6 more tourists into space and back on Sunday from Texas on its 13th flight. File Photo courtesy of Blue Origin June 30 (UPI) -- Blue Origin launched six more tourists into space and back on Sunday from Texas on its 13th passenger flight. The company's New Shepard rocket lifted off Sunday 10:39 a.m. EDT with Allie and Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno, Jr., Owolabi Salis and James Sitkn on board. The rocket's hydrogen-fueled BE-3 engine fired up for about two and a half minutes, boosting the spacecraft to high speeds. The capsule then broke off from the booster, allowing it to reach its highest point away from Earth, giving the passengers the chance to experience weightlessness. Throughout the flight the passengers were about to soak in the view of space as the ship climbed up to the internationally accepted boundary between Earth and space, the Karman Line. The capsule came back to earth and the booster returned back to the launch site. Carl Kuehner became the 70th of the Blue Origin astronauts, as well as the 750th person in history to reach space according to the Association of Space Explorers' Registry of Space Travelers. Blue Origin has launched 13 passenger flights since Jeff Bezos' flight in July 2021. The company has launched 74 passengers, four of them have flown twice. The cost to fly on the New Shepard has not yet been revealed.
