Day: October 14, 2023

Oct 14

‘Blood for Dust’ puts Billings in as good a light as a crime thriller can

The first thing you see in “Blood for Dust” is the Billings Gazette office. The opening shot is just delicious, a blood-soaked and lovingly corny amuse-bouche for a blood-soaked and lovingly corny movie. It opens tight on a photo sitting on a desk. It’s a portrait of a white bread, cookie cutter family. There’s two young kids, a beautiful wife and a father in a Navy uniform. Then a gunshot rings out and the family portrait is splattered in blood. The camera slowly zooms out and a body is revealed to be sitting at the desk, shotgun at his feet. There’s brain matter smeared across the back of his head, and blood drips down the wall. The film crew for “Blood for Dust” sets up in Billings Gazette President Dave Worstell’s office at the Gazette. AMY LYNN NELSON, Billings Gazette And then something funny happens. A title card appears on screen: “Boise, Idaho: 1989.” Except, no it’s not. That’s the wall in Gazette publisher Dave Worstell’s office. Peer through the semi-closed blinds in the scene and maybe you can see my red Subaru in the parking lot. Right before the camera started rolling, the guy with half his head missing was just milling about in the lobby, trying (and failing) to blend in. They spent that whole day shooting in the Gazette office, with employees standing in as extras. People are also reading… But here’s the thing. For almost everyone in the world, that office is anonymous. It could be anywhere. You’d only recognize that office if you’re like me, and are there five — sometimes six — days a week. For everyone else who sees this movie, it’s just an office. That’s the experience of watching “Blood for Dust” — which I did Friday night as part of the Montana Film Festival at the Roxy Theatre Missoula, along with a sold out crowd and, confoundingly, a crying baby — if you’re from Billings. It’s like seeing a movie from both sides of the camera at once. Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington in “Blood for Dust.” Courtesy photo The indie thriller, which is still making the festival rounds after a premier at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival back in June. The Missoula date was its Montana premiere. And that’s fitting, since it was entirely shot in and around Billings last November and December. The script originally called for the film to be set in Texas, with the high plains of eastern Montana standing in for their counterparts on the Llano Estacado. But it’s hard to do a film shoot in Montana in the winter and pretend you’re anywhere else. Although “Blood for Dust” does have some issues with Montana geography. Both Baker and Grass Range are mentioned as stops on I-90, and one character says they’re headed to “Kally-spell.” The whole thing was shot in Billings and Laurel, with some exteriors around Red Lodge, but the script hops around Montana and the mountain west, with stops in Missoula and Great Falls. All of this, by the way, is fine. That’s what movies do. They’re not meant to be exact portraits of place. Rod Blackhurst, who directed and co-wrote “Blood for Dust” said as much in an intro that rolled before the Missoula showing. “Blood for Dust” Director Rod Blackhurst, left bottom, speaks with other members of the crew while filming in the Billings Gazette office. AMY LYNN NELSON, Billings Gazette “Please don’t hold (geographical inconsistencies) against us, we’re just doing some movie magic,” he said. And he’s right, because even if he isn’t totally sure where Dickinson, SD is, Blackhurst seems to have a handle on Montana. He doesn’t shoot the place like a painting, full of mountains and endless skies. It’s real. The snow that covers everything in “Blood for Dust” isn’t the newly fallen stuff. It’s old and windswept, trod over and mashed. The powder in the streets has been driven over so much that nobody bothered to plow it, and now it’s a compacted sort of ice. Plus, it’s fascinating to see a movie like this, where you can see the cracks. How many movies have I watched before that use the same location as different places and never noticed? The only reason I noticed this time is because said location is the Dude Rancher Lodge. You don’t want to see how the sausage gets made, they say, but sometimes you do. Especially if it’s pretty good sausage. Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington in “Blood for Dust.” Courtesy photo As it turns out, “Blood for Dust” is pretty good sausage. Blackhurt’s biggest credits are a pair of true crime documentary miniseries: “Amanda Knox” and “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise.” That makes sense, because this guy is an expert at capturing the casual horror of the every day, filled with cheap hotels, half-fabricated homes and empty offices. Other than a score that sounds like the “Psycho” theme being played by someone falling down a flight of stairs, “Blood for Dust” roars with the constant low hum of breaking down automobiles and the whir of machinery. The gunshots echo like thunderbolts. There have been literal depictions of hell that feel less demonic than the “Blood for Dust’s” strip club, a rotten place where you can get female attention, a hamburger, or involved in a drug running scheme. That’s what happens to Cliff (Scoot McNairy, one of the greatest character actors alive absolutely relishing a leading part), a traveling salesman stuck in a dead end job and a dead end life. He’s not a deadbeat, per se, he’s just the type of zombie that life turns many of us into. “Blood for Dust” is set in the early 1990s, but its themes feel pretty contemporary. Then again, those themes, about the crumbling American dream and the lengths desperate men go to to achieve it, would be as at home in 1923 as they are in 2023. Cliff is chowing down on his strip joint burger when he

Oct 14

‘Long Cold’: A Hidden Form of Chronic Sickness Has Just Been Identified

At least 10% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, have symptoms that last more than four weeks after the infection. With more than 770 million infections to date, this translates to tens of millions of people living with the long-term consequences of COVID, known as “long COVID”. More than 200 symptoms of long COVID have been studied, with some of the most common being fatigue, breathlessness and cognitive difficulties, such as memory problems or “brain fog”. The condition can be debilitating – many people have to reduce their working hours or are unable to work entirely. But COVID may not be alone in causing long-lasting symptoms. In a new paper, my colleagues and I report the findings of a study comparing long-term symptoms reported by people who experienced different types of acute respiratory infection. We asked more than 10,000 people to report on 16 symptoms commonly found in long COVID, such as fatigue, breathlessness, aches and pains, and dizziness. We then compared how common these symptoms were among three groups: people who had reported COVID, those who had reported another acute respiratory infection (but had tested negative for COVID), and those who had not reported either infection. We focused on long-term symptoms by only including people who had been infected more than four weeks earlier. We also took into account people’s general health before they were infected, and whether they had any existing respiratory conditions. Our study showed that all the symptoms considered were more common in people with previous COVID than in people with no infections, regardless of whether they reported long COVID. But this finding wasn’t unique to COVID. Almost all the symptoms we looked at were also more common in people with non-COVID respiratory infections than in those with no infection. In other words, our findings hinted towards the existence of a “long cold”: long-lasting health effects from other respiratory infections, such as colds, flu, or pneumonia, that are currently going unrecognised. Some of the most common symptoms of the long cold include coughing, stomach pain, and diarrhoea. These symptoms were reported an average of 11 weeks after the infection. While a severe initial infection seems to increase the risk of long-term symptoms, our research does not yet tell us why some people suffer extended symptoms while others do not. Important differences Importantly, we have no evidence that symptoms of the long cold have the same severity or duration as long COVID. In fact, we saw some important differences in the symptoms reported in the two groups, with those recovering from COVID more likely to experience light-headedness or dizziness and problems with taste and smell. These findings shine a light not only on the impact of long COVID on people’s lives, but also other respiratory infections. A lack of awareness, or even the lack of a common term, such as “long cold” or “long flu”, prevents both reporting and diagnosis of these conditions. And people who do report their long cold may still struggle to get a diagnosis, owing to the wide range of symptoms and lack of diagnostic tests. Long-lasting symptoms after respiratory infections are not a new phenomenon. Studies in survivors of two previous coronavirus outbreaks – the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) pandemic and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) outbreak – have found long-term impacts on lung function, quality of life and mental health. And some people hospitalised with influenza A have experienced respiratory and psychological problems at least two years after being discharged from hospital. But most of the research so far has focused on people with severe disease, often severe enough to be hospitalised. Little is known about the long-term effects respiratory infections might have among people whose acute disease episode is less severe. Long COVID has bucked this trend, being studied in people with all levels of severity of the initial infection. This is in large part due to strong patient advocacy, showing that it can affect even those with mild initial symptoms. In demanding recognition of their condition, people with long COVID have cast a much-needed spotlight on post-infection syndromes more generally. Now is the time to improve our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. Let’s not wait for another pandemic. Giulia Vivaldi, , Queen Mary University of London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Oct 14

What to know about cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) refers to a number of health conditions that affect the circulatory system, including the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries. CVD is now the most common cause of deathTrusted Source worldwide. However, there are many ways to reduce the risk of developing these conditions. There are also many treatment options available if do they occur. The treatment, symptoms, and prevention of the conditions that are part of CVD often overlap. CVD comprises many different types of condition. Some of these might develop at the same time or lead to other conditions or diseases within the group. Diseases and conditions that affect the heart include: angina, a type of chest pain that occurs due to decreased blood flow into the heart arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat or heart rhythm congenital heart disease, in which a problem with heart function or structure is present from birth coronary artery disease, which affects the arteries that feed the heart muscle heart attack, or a sudden blockage to the heart’s blood flow and oxygen supply heart failure, wherein the heart cannot contract or relax normally dilated cardiomyopathy, a type of heart failure, in which the heart gets larger and cannot pump blood efficiently hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle walls thicken and problems with relaxation of the muscle, blood flow, and electrical instability develop mitral regurgitation, in which blood leaks back through the mitral valve of the heart during contractions mitral valve prolapse, in which part of the mitral valve bulges into the left atrium of the heart while it contracts, causing mitral regurgitation pulmonary stenosis, in which a narrowing of the pulmonary artery reduces blood flow from the right ventricle (pumping chamber to the lungs) to the pulmonary artery (blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs) aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart valve that can cause blockage to blood flow leaving the heart atrial fibrillation, an irregular rhythm that can increase the risk of stroke rheumatic heart disease, a complication of strep throat that causes inflammation in the heart and which can affect the function of heart valves radiation heart disease, wherein radiation to the chest can lead to damage to the heart valves and blood vessels Vascular diseases affect the arteries, veins, or capillaries throughout the body and around the heart. They include: peripheral artery disease, which causes arteries to become narrow and reduces blood flow to the limbs aneurysm, a bulge or enlargement in an artery that can rupture and bleed atherosclerosis, in which plaque forms along the walls of blood vessels, narrowing them and restricting the flow of oxygen rich blood renal artery disease, which affects the flow of blood to and from the kidneys and can lead to high blood pressure Raynaud’s disease, which causes arteries to spasm and temporarily restrict blood flow peripheral venous disease, or general damage in the veins that transport blood from the feet and arms back to the heart, which causes leg swelling and varicose veins ischemic stroke, in which a blood clot moves to the brain and causes damage venous blood clots, which can break loose and become dangerous if they travel to the pulmonary artery blood clotting disorders, in which blood clots form too quickly or not quickly enough and lead to excessive bleeding or clotting Buerger’s disease, which leads to blood clots and inflammation, often in the legs, and which may result in gangrene It is possible to manage some health conditions within CVD by making lifestyle changes, but some conditions may be life threatening and require emergency surgery. Symptoms Symptoms will vary depending on the specific condition. Some conditions, such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension, may initially cause no symptoms at all. However, typical symptoms of an underlying cardiovascular issue include: pain or pressure in the chest, which may indicate angina pain or discomfort in the arms, left shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back shortness of breath nausea and fatigue lightheadedness or dizziness cold sweats Although these are the most common ones, CVD can cause symptoms anywhere in the body. Lifestyle tips People can take the following steps to prevent some of the conditions within CVD: Manage body weight: The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders advise that if a person loses 5–10%Trusted Source of their body weight, they may reduce their risk of developing CVD. Get regular exercise: The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend doing 150 minutesTrusted Source of moderate-to-intense physical activity every week. Follow a heart-healthy diet: Eating foods that contain polyunsaturated fats and omega-3, such as oily fish, alongside fruits and vegetables can support heart health and reduce the risk of CVD. Reducing the intake of processed food, salt, saturated fat, and added sugar has a similar effect. Quit smoking: Smoking is a key risk factor for almost all forms of CVD. Although quitting can be difficult, taking steps to do so can drastically reduce its damaging effects on the heart. Here, learn more about the benefits of exercise. HEALTHLINE NEWSLETTER Get our weekly Hear

Oct 14

Blood Hunt: Marvel’s Heroes Battle a Vampire Horde in New Crossover Event

Marvel Comics has officially announced Blood Hunt, an upcoming crossover event that sees a vampire horde descend upon the Marvel Universe. As revealed at New York Comic Con 2023, Blood Hunt launches next spring. The vampire-themed event comes from the team of Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia. Unsurprisingly, Blade appears to be a major player in this story. However, the Daywalker isn’t going into battle against the blood-sucking scourge alone. He is joined by the likes of Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Tigra, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, and Thor. Check out Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho’s promotional art for Blood Hunt — plus an official trailer for the upcoming event — below: What to expect from Marvel’s Blood Hunt event According to Marvel, Blood Hunt will “spill out into a host of tie-in issues in Marvel‘s hottest current series and see the launch of all-new limited series, one-shots, and redefining status quos. Brimming with unsurmountable stakes, this startling saga will drag the world into darkness as your favorite heroes struggle to ward off the vampire race’s cursed crusade of terror!” “We have vampires in our books all the time. There’s some bad blood there,” MacKay said of the event. “What happens if the shoe was on the foot. We’ve got the Avengers, Moon Knight‘s Midnight Mission, Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, and of course, Blade, and there’s going to be more vampires you can shake a stick at.” Blood Hunt launches in spring 2024 from Marvel Comics.

Oct 14

How an explosion on an oil tanker in Singapore sparked a lifelong blood donation journey for 2 men

GIVING BLOOD 300 TIMES Mr Thomasz, who is now retired, is among a small number of donors in Singapore who have given blood more than 300 times. While his first donation was during a time of great need, the hundreds of donations after were voluntary. He was also inspired by his father, who gave blood dozens of times. “I got to do my duty, I never thought of how much my blood can be used, for what purpose and for whom,” he said. He started making full blood donations – which can only be done once every three months – before moving on to apheresis donations, which can be done monthly. Apheresis is an automated process where machines draw blood from the donor, and extract the plasma, platelets or red cells, before returning the remaining components to the donor. It takes longer, with each donation taking 45 minutes to one-and-a-half hours. These days, Mr Thomasz meets friends or former colleagues and they go to the blood bank together to “do our duty”. He added: “Looking back, I think it has been a worthwhile journey. Giving back to society was a part of me … I could just give without any attachments. Mr Pang, who eventually came to know Mr Thomasz, said giving blood has become a habit. “I look at it this way … You give, they live. You don’t, they die. I mean, it sounds terribly unforgiving, but that’s the hard truth,” he said.

Oct 14

American Red Cross to host blood drive Oct. 31 in DePue

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at DePue High School, 204 Pleasant St. The Red Cross is experiencing a national blood shortage after fewer donors than needed gave blood over the summer, drawing down the national blood supply and reducing distributions of some of the most needed blood types to hospitals. Thousands of additional donations currently are needed to replenish the Red Cross blood supply. To schedule an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.

Oct 14

RCACP halts dog intakes after respiratory infection spreads through shelter

The Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection has put a hold on dog intakes due to an upper respiratory infection that has spread among dogs in the shelter. The shelter made the announcement on Facebook, noting that despite their best efforts, the virus has spread through its dog rooms. Have the morning’s biggest stories arrive in your inbox every day at noon “All of our time and efforts are currently being spent making sure our dogs are receiving the care they need and preventing the spread of the illness to any more dogs, including those out in the public,” RCACP said. The center said due to the infection, staff is all hands on deck, and as a result, may not be on top of phone calls and emails at this time. The shelter is seeking foster parents for a few of the available dogs for 7-14 days while they undergo treatment. RCACP said they are looking for foster homes with no other dogs in the home, due to the infection. Staff say the virus is not contagious to cats or people. For more information on fostering, click here or contact RCACP’s foster coordinator with any questions: [email protected].

Oct 14

NYCC 2023: Marvel unveils ‘Blood Hunt’ trailer

Press Release Marvel Comics has dished on their 2024 plans–don’t miss our Marvel: Next Big Thing panel recap–which included the big event “Blood Hunt” crafted by writer Jed MacKay with art by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia. “We have vampires in our books all the time, there’s some bad blood there,” MacKay said. “What happens if the shoe was on the other foot? We’ve got the Avengers, Moon Knight’s Midnight Mission, Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, and of course, Blade, and there’s going to be more vampires you can shake a stick at.” Watch the trailer below. Check out the promotional image by LEINIL FRANCIS YU & SUNNY GHO below. New York, NY— October 14, 2023 — Each year at New York Comic Con, the Marvel: Next Big Thing Panel delivers the most industry-shaking announcements of the weekend. Today was no exception with the reveal of Marvel’s next major crossover event—BLOOD HUNT! Vampires have always walked amongst the shadows of the Marvel Universe, but in Spring 2024, the long night arrives and these bloodsucking terrors will endure the spotlight like never before. The main event series will be brought to life by an A-team of Marvel talent: current Avengers scribe Jed MacKay and acclaimed X-Men artists Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia. In classic Marvel fashion, BLOOD HUNT will also spill out into a host of tie-in issues in Marvel’s hottest current series and see the launch of all-new limited series, one-shots, and redefining status quos. Brimming with unsurmountable stakes, this startling saga will drag the world into darkness as your favorite heroes struggle to ward off the vampire race’s cursed crusade of terror! Fans will have to wait with bated breath for more story details and information. In the meantime, sink your teeth into a special BLOOD HUNT trailer and a viciously visceral promotional image by Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho! “We have vampires in our books all the time, there’s some bad blood there,” MacKay said. “What happens if the shoe was on the other foot? We’ve got the Avengers, Moon Knight’s Midnight Mission, Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, and of course, Blade, and there’s going to be more vampires you can shake a stick at.” Stay tuned for a feast of exciting BLOOD HUNT announcements in the months ahead! For more information, visit Marvel.com. Join the AIPT Patreon Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as: ❌ Remove all ads on the website 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT 📗 Access to our monthly book club 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month 💥 And more! Sign up today Sign up for our newsletter

Oct 14

Blood drive held in honor of North East firefighter killed in the line of duty

The North East American Legion Post #105 hosted a blood drive with the Community Blood Bank this weekend to honor a fallen firefighter. Shawn Giles was a volunteer firefighter with Fuller Hose Company in North East. He was hit by a car while directing traffic on a call in late August. A Heart to Heart blood drive took place Saturday and many community members across the county came out in hopes of bringing good out of a tragedy. Donate blood this weekend in honor of North East firefighter Shawn Giles “We live in such a great town of North East, and also just Erie County as a whole coming together, again to support the American Legion, the Community Blood Bank, Fuller, in honor of Shawn and all the great stuff that they do. Shawn was a great person, always giving back, and it’s an honor to be here today to give in honor for Shawn,” said Eric Luke, commander, Erie County American Legion. If you were unable to come out, but still want donate in honor of Giles, you can do so this upcoming week. The blood bank posted on its Facebook page Saturday, “The overwhelming response has allowed us to turn next week into a ‘Gr8 Giver week’ in honor of Shawn Giles. Donate at the Erie Donor Center Monday-Saturday during this dedicated week.” Celebrate, honor breast cancer survivors at Sip N’ Style on Oct. 17 Don’t miss October’s incentive to donate blood. All donors who donate during October are automatically entered into a monthly drawing to win one of four $500 gift cards of their choice. Learn more on donating blood and upcoming events at fourhearts.org.