Edwin adjusted his headset and gripped the game controller in both hands. He swallowed hard. The man had good reason to be nervous. He was about to enter a virtual environment tailor-made to get his heart pumping way more than any action-packed video game: a coffee shop full of people.Determined to overcome his persistent fear that other people want to hurt him, Edwin had enrolled in a study of a new virtual reality therapy. The research aimed to help people with paranoia become more comfortable in public places. In this program, described in March in the Lancet Psychiatry, Edwin could visit a store or board a crowded bus.Virtual strangers can be scary, just like real people. Edwin, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, often found simple errands like grocery shopping overwhelming and exhausting.But facing simulated crowds came with perks. At a nearby computer sat clinical psychologist Roos Pot-Kolder of VU University Amsterdam. She could customize the number of avatars … [Read more...] about Virtual reality therapy has real-life benefits for some mental disorders
Eating disorder movies
Movie review: Radner’s star still shines in ‘Love Gilda’
By Tom Long Special to The Detroit News Published 6:28 PM EDT Sep 20, 2018 Talk about a brief, shining light that lingers on. Gilda Radner was never a movie star – she made some movies, but they were neither all that successful nor memorable. She was never the star of a primetime television show or a comic who toured the country performing for adoring audiences. Truth be told, she was on fire for about five years, 1975-1980. But man, what she accomplished in those five years. As the new documentary “Love, Gilda” makes clear, Radner's stretch as one of the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players on “Saturday Night Live” influenced countless comics who've followed in the decades since, likely including comics who don't even know who she was. Her fearless use of physicality, her ability to draw on her own neuroses and the characters that she'd met in life, and her sheer enthusiasm for unladylike silliness opened doors that can't be closed. Looking at … [Read more...] about Movie review: Radner’s star still shines in ‘Love Gilda’
How Pro-Eating Disorder Posts Evade Filters on Social Media
For almost as long as the internet has existed, so too have pro-eating disorder communities: blogs, groups, forums, and social media profiles where users share stories and photos related to disordered eating and body image. Some members simply want a judgment-free place to express their feelings about a complicated illness, but others promote more dangerous behavior, like encouraging extreme diets or dissuading people from getting help. And as with other kinds of harmful content on the internet, platforms hosting pro-ED communities have long struggled with how to moderate them. In 2001, Yahoo removed more than 100 pro-ED sites from its servers, saying they violated its terms of service. A decade later, a HuffPost exposé about teenage girls creating “thinspiration” blogs on Tumblr prompted that site and others to ban explicitly pro-ED communities. New research published last month in the peer-reviewed journal New Media & Society highlights how pro-ED groups continue … [Read more...] about How Pro-Eating Disorder Posts Evade Filters on Social Media
Amy Schumer’s ‘I Feel Pretty’ Slammed By Reviewers
The story of a chubby woman who bumps her head, wakes up to see herself as a perfect supermodel, and goes on to live the super-awesome life of a supermodel in her still-chubby body, sounds an awful lot like one of those body swap comedies that were so popular a hundred years ago. The problem with this one is that it stars Amy Schumer. The other problem is that two-thirds of reviewers hate it, either because they find it dumb or not quite woke enough.No one can argue that Amy Schumer is not a talented comedienne. The problem is that she is politically polarizing, self-righteous, and much more concerned with teaching us a finger-waving lesson than simply giving us a two-hour vacation from the world with a few chuckles. As a result, no one really likes Amy Schumer. She is unlikable. Even those who agree with her pious politicking find her unlikable. They might not say so — but trust me, they do. Goodwill is crucial to enjoying a commercial movie career, and after enjoying a big hit … [Read more...] about Amy Schumer’s ‘I Feel Pretty’ Slammed By Reviewers
YouTube failed to take down hardcore porn videos with MILLIONS of views
YOUTUBE is filled with hardcore pornographic videos that have racked up millions of views. The Sun uncovered dozens of smutty tapes on the video-sharing site, despite YouTube's firm rules forbidding porn. One video featuring explicit sex scenes had racked up an incredible 24.8million views. The clip had been uploaded to YouTube in March 2015, but hadn't been taken down. Another video uploaded in the same month had 11million views. We found explicit videos that featured full intercourse, oral sex and even rape scenes – none of which were censored. The Google-owned video site claims that it takes down sexual content. Its nudity and sexual content policy reads: "YouTube is not for pornography or sexually explicit content. "If this describes your video, even if it's a video of yourself, don't post it on YouTube. "If a video is intended to be sexually provocative, it is less likely to be acceptable for YouTube. "Sexually explicit content like pornography is not allowed." One prison … [Read more...] about YouTube failed to take down hardcore porn videos with MILLIONS of views