The new show As We See It, debuting today on Amazon Prime Video, is very personal for creator Jason Katims, the guy behind Parenthood and Friday Night Lights.
The series is about three adults with Autism, and the various challenges they face trying to navigate work and love and life — a situation, Katims tells ABC Audio, that his own son experienced not too long ago.
“I have a son on the spectrum, and a few years ago, he was just getting to that age of being a young adult,” he explains. “And I realized, well, you know, there’s a lot that you see about and hear and read about children on the spectrum, less so about what the experience is really like for an adult on the spectrum. So it was a subject matter that was very personal to me that I was learning about. And that’s always a good thing to write about.”
Likewise, Katims, made sure the actors — Rick Glassman, Albert Rutecki and Sue Ann Pien — had a personal connection with the subject matter, which he accomplished by “casting the three leads who all identified themselves as being on the spectrum” so they could “make it feel as real and authentic as possible.”
“By making those choices,” he says, “not only is it real and authentic, but it’s also incredibly delightful to watch.”
And just like his other shows, As We See It will make you laugh and make you cry, a track record that Katims sometimes finds a little “weird.”
“I don’t know what I feel about it. I think that, though, the thing that nobody ever talks about is in order to have your emotions available to cry, you have to first laugh.”
The news was confirmed in a statement on the rocker and actor’s Facebook page.
“Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side,” the statement reads. “Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours.”
The post notes Meat Loaf’s “amazing career,” which spanned six decades. Meat Loaf, birth name Michael Lee Aday, sold 100 million album sales worldwide and starred in over 65 movies including Fight Club, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Wayne’s World. His 1977 album Bat Out of Hell is one of the top selling albums of all time and he scored a number one hit with 1993’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”
The statement continues, “We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man…From his heart to your souls…don’t ever stop rocking!
What’s behind the pounds we pack on every winter? Well, the fact of the matter is, we’re primed to LOSE weight in winter. According to research from Harvard Medical School, when we’re cold, our bodies use a significant amount of energy trying to warm us up. It’s process called “thermogenesis” – and it burns fat and boosts metabolism in a way similar to exercise.
But in winter, we do everything possible NOT to feel chilly.
We stay inside our heated homes and hibernate. But that means our activity levels are a lot lower – so we end up burning fewer calories each day than our bodies are used to. There’s also a psychological component to it. Cleveland Clinic psychologist Dr. Susan Albers says, we also reach for comfort foods – which tend to be hot, like mac-n-cheese… because they literally warm our insides and make us feel warm emotionally.
So now that we know why we gain weight in winter, what can we do about it?
First, seek warming comfort in things other than food. Try putting on a robe or socks that have been warmed in the dryer.
Dr. Albers also suggests maintaining a steady sleep schedule. When you’re well-slept, it reduces your hunger hormones.
And pick an online exercise class to try. Even a 10-minute workout at home can boost metabolism and your mood.
In what may be the best news ever: Scientists have proven that chocolate and coffee make us smarter! That’s according to a joint study from the National Institute on Aging and Johns Hopkins University. The scientists discovered that methylxanthines – a class of chemicals found in coffee and dark chocolate, and tea to a lesser extent – promote sustained cognitive performance. Translation: They can help us think better! They also protect our neurons in a way that staves off diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even brain cancer. The same study also discovered that a chemical released when your brain processes caffeine can make the effects of coffee, chocolate and tea even better! Translation: caffeine makes your brain more flexible and resilient.
So, if you want to keep your brain healthy today, and in the future, you should be consuming coffee, chocolateandtea!
How much? Well, studies have shown that the ideal daily dosage of coffee is about six cups. If that sounds like too much coffee, you can replace a cup or two with an ounce of dark chocolate. And even if you drink your coffee with cream and sugar, you’ll still get the brain-boost, regardless.
The things you already love to do come with some serious health perks…
Like knitting, crocheting, and ceramics. Kathleen Hall is the CEO of the Stress Institute in Atlanta… and she says, repetitive activities trigger our relaxation response. And what makes knitting, crocheting, and ceramics even better is that they require what physiologists call “two-handed, bilateral, cross-body hand motions.” To put that simply: They force us to use both hands simultaneously. And that takes a lot of brainpower – so you have less mental energy to stress out. In fact, knitting is so effective at reducing anxiety, it’s being used as a treatment for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Another activity with great health benefits is cooking. According to the Johns Hopkins, people who regularly cook meals, eat about 130 fewer calories daily than those who don’t. And home cooked meals also tend to have fewer carbohydrates and less sugar.
If your passion is gardening: Studies show it helps alleviate symptoms of depression. The Norwegian University of Life Sciences conducted a study in which people who had been diagnosed with depression spent six hours a week growing flowers and vegetables. After three months, the participants had measurable improvements in their symptoms. And even three months AFTER the gardening program ENDED, their moods continued to improve!
(LOS ANGELES) — Amazon has expanded in many ways throughout the years, and now the e-commerce giant is launching a brick-and-mortar clothing store.
The company announced Thursday that its Amazon Style fashion retail space will open later this year at The Americana at Brand shopping mall in Los Angeles.
The new concept will offer a selection of apparel, shoes and accessories. The items will have QR codes providing information from sizing to customer ratings, the company said.
With the Amazon Shopping app users can also send items to a fitting room where they can use a touch screen to look through more options as well as request more sizes or styles to be delivered directly to their room, according to Amazon.
While Amazon has not revealed which specific brands will be featured, it said customers will have the option to browse emerging designers across hundreds of its top brands.
“Shoppers will find great looks at a broad range of prices, including trend-inspired pieces at affordable price points and sought-after styles that will become wardrobe staples,” Amazon Style managing director Simonia Vasen wrote in the company’s blog. “With Amazon’s vast fulfillment center network, the selection at Amazon Style will be frequently updated so customers can discover new items each time they visit.”
The clothing store isn’t Amazon’s first foray into a physical fashion store, the retail conglomerate has opened physical grocery stores, book stores, and in 2017, it bought Whole Foods Market.
In 2021, Amazon launched a hair salon in London for augmented reality hair consultations.
An exact date for Amazon Style’s store opening has yet to be announced, but the company said it will be inviting a select group of customers to experience the store “soon” in its announcement.
(NEW YORK) — While the benefits of exercise are becoming increasingly well known, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that more than one-fifth of Americans remain physically inactive.
In the study, being physically inactive meant no physical activity at all over the past month — anything from running to gardening.
“Getting enough physical activity could prevent 1 in 10 premature deaths,” Dr. Ruth Peterson, director of CDC’s Division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity, said in prepared remarks. “Too many people are missing out on the health benefits of physical activity such as improved sleep, reduced blood pressure and anxiety, lowered risk for heart disease, several cancers and dementia.”
The CDC specifically warned about higher rates of inactivity in the South compared with the rest of the country. Meanwhile, more than 29% of Hispanic, African American and Native American adults were inactive compared to 23% of non-Hispanic white adults.
But doctors said that for many Americans, getting more active isn’t as simple as it sounds.
“What this map shows us is that there are disparities, but we have to be better about tailoring our strategies to different populations,” said Dr. Alok Patel, an ABC News special correspondent and a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford Children’s Health.
“It’s important that any message we send is met with equity, inclusiveness and relatability, so that individuals can understand how to adopt and integrate practices into their own unique lives,” Patel added. “Even a walk in the neighborhood can be sufficient, but not everyone has access to safe environments. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a teenage patient tell me there’s no park within a mile of where they live.”
This is partly why experts including Patel emphasize that public health and community-based programs need to be individually tailored. Language barriers and cultural beliefs play an integral role as well. Early education though school-based programs and community-based research used to shape public health initiatives can prove especially critical.
And, Patel said, programs able to “listen” to their communities are at the crux of improving health literacy: “It’s not a one-size fits all solution.”
Nitya Rajeshuni, M.D., M.S., a pediatrics resident at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, is a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.
(WASHINGTON) — Cybercriminals could use altered Quick Response (QR) codes to steal personal and financial information of unsuspecting customers, the FBI warns.
QR codes are all around us these days, and they’re used for everything from restaurant orders to donations. During the pandemic, many restaurants began using QR codes in place of paper menus.
How it works: A code is scanned via a phone camera app, and the user is then redirected to the relevant website.
Troubles can arise, the FBI says, in cases where the codes have been altered. Unwitting users can be directed to malicious sites that prompt them to enter their financial and login information or expose them to malware.
“While QR codes have been around for a very long time, certainly in recent years, they’ve gained more widespread use,” Dave Ring, section chief of the FBI’s Cyber Division told ABC News. “Part of that is with the pandemic and a drive toward being as contactless as possible, QR codes give people the opportunity to just use their phone camera and scan a QR code.”
Police in San Antonio, Texas, warned that fake QR codes were found on parking meters throughout the city. “People attempting to pay for parking … may have been directed to a fraudulent website and submitted payment to a fraudulent vendor,” a tweet from the department said.
Ring said the San Antonio scam was the “perfect example” of people exploiting a simple, daily exercise, and the FBI warned that criminals could be taking advantage of people through other similar tactics.
“A cybercriminal can swap out a completely innocuous legitimate QR code for one that directs people to a malicious site, and that malicious site may prompt someone to click a link and could potentially download malware onto their device,” Ring said.
The redirect can also take users to what appears to be a banking website but is actually fraudulent, he added.
“Malicious QR codes may also contain embedded malware, allowing a criminal to gain access to the victim’s mobile device and steal the victim’s location as well as personal and financial information,” the FBI bulletin said. “The cybercriminal can leverage the stolen financial information to withdraw funds from victim accounts.”
To avoid any trouble, the agency urges people to use caution by checking the URL of the code, and when entering financial and other personal information.
“Just always practice caution when you’re looking at putting in any login information, personal information or financial information when you navigate from a QR code or from any link that you that you don’t know for sure is where you’re trying to go,” Ring said.
(WASHINGTON) — Several state lawmakers are looking to expand abortion access this legislative session while a challenge to Roe v. Wade is before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Two bills out of Maryland and Washington aim to increase the pool of abortion providers operating in the states, which will likely see an increased demand for the service should the conservative-leaning high court overturn or limit Roe in the coming months through its decision on the Mississippi case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
Washington state Sen. Emily Randall, the majority whip for the Senate Democratic Caucus, is the lead sponsor of a bill under consideration this session that would expand abortion providers recognized under state law to include physician assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners, in addition to physicians.
“Abortion providers in Washington are rapidly preparing for the increase in women and people … who will drive hundreds of miles to Washington’s borders from our neighbors in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, depending on what type of ban the Supreme Court institutes,” Randall said during a media briefing Thursday with the State Innovation Exchange, a strategy center that supports state legislators nationwide in advancing progressive policies. “That’s why this policy is more important than ever.”
Democratic Maryland Del. Ariana Kelly, a former executive director at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, also plans to introduce legislation this session that would expand abortion access in the state by allowing qualified health care providers such as midwives and nurse practitioners to provide abortions and increase access to training for abortion providers. The so-called Abortion Care Access Act would also ensure Medicaid covers abortion procedures and eliminate copays and deductibles on abortion care.
“What we want to do is address what we see as a critical provider shortage and also affordability issues,” Kelly said during Thursday’s briefing, held two days before the 49th anniversary of Roe. “As we’re seeing an increased wait time for appointments, we can recognize that there’s a shortage of providers. In today’s climate, six months from now, I think we’re only going to see this getting worse.”
Kelly said that two-thirds of Maryland counties do not have abortion providers, particularly in rural areas, while the state is also seeing increased demand — including from patients flying in from Texas in the wake of a state ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. Helping Maryland residents access abortion care “more efficiently and effectively” may also help providers care for those coming from out of state, Kelly said.
Georgia Democratic state Rep. Park Cannon said she plans to introduce a resolution next week that addresses abortion access in the state, including for women of color, while a law that would ban abortion as early as six weeks in the state is being challenged in court.
“We need to resolve measures that say that Georgia has a strong commitment to the protection of reproductive health, rights and justice, which of course includes the right to safe and legal abortion care, but also the right to make reproductive decisions on your own,” Cannon said during the briefing.
Other states moving to protect abortion rights while the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to uphold the Mississippi abortion ban include New Jersey, which last week enacted a bill that codifies the right to an abortion into state law.
The Vermont state legislature is also considering Prop 5, an amendment that would enshrine “reproductive autonomy,” including abortion, in the state constitution. If ultimately passed, the proposal could go before voters in November.
Meanwhile, states looking to restrict abortion rights include Florida, where state legislators are considering a bill that, like the Mississippi law before the Supreme Court, would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Washington state Republicans have also introduced legislation this session that would roll back abortion access, including a bill that would make providing medical abortion methods a felony.
Additionally, voters in Kansas and Kentucky are expected to decide this year whether to amend their state constitutions to say there is no right to an abortion.
Last year, 108 abortion restrictions were enacted in 19 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research organization. That’s the highest total in any year since 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion with its decision in Roe v Wade, the organization said.
After hearing arguments last month over the Mississippi law, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared inclined to scale back abortion rights. A decision on the case is expected by the end of the court’s term in June.
Should the court overturn Roe, leaving the right to an abortion decided on a state-by-state basis, 26 states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion, according to a report published in October by the Guttmacher Institute.
(MANITOBA, Canada) — Four people, including two adults, a teen and an infant, have been found frozen to death about 40 feet from the U.S.-Canada border while being smuggled into North Dakota, according to U.S. and Canadian authorities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and law enforcement officers with the Department of Homeland Security performed a traffic stop Jan. 19 on a 15-passenger van about 1 mile from the border when they found two undocumented Indian nationals from Canada inside, according to the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Less than a quarter mile away from the border, law enforcement encountered and apprehended five additional undocumented Indian nationals that walked across the U.S. border from Manitoba, Canada, according to the RCMP.
One of the travelers who was taken into custody was carrying a backpack containing children’s items, such as clothes, diapers and toys, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He told authorities he was carrying the backpack for a family that was traveling with their group but got separated from them as they traveled to the border during the night.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, coordinating with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, began a search on both sides of the border for additional travelers when they found the bodies of four individuals on the Canadian side of the border in Manitoba.
The adult male, adult female, teen male and infant were found “frozen,” according to Canadian authorities, and are believed to have died due to exposure.
The DOJ said, according to the group of travelers, the border crossing took an estimated 11 hours. Two of the travelers were transported to a hospital with serious injuries, the DOJ said.
The low temperature in Emerson, Manitoba, which is at the U.S.-Canada border, dipped to minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday.
Steve Shand, 47, a U.S. citizen from Florida who was driving the van, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol and charged with one count of knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien had come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law, having transported and moved or having attempted to transport and move such aliens, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Shand made his first court appearance Thursday and is due back in court on Jan. 24. He is currently being held in custody in Grand Forks County in North Dakota.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine cause of death of the victims. The four travelers who died have not yet been identified.
The Mounted Police said it plans to continue searching for any additional people who may have been illegally crossing the border.
