Latest news with #Doomsday
Scotsman
3 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
I knew turning 50 would be tough, but I didn't expect it to be so strange
lizavetta - I'm heading towards the half century mark Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... You know you've hit a certain vintage, when the only good thing people can say about your age is that you should be grateful to be alive. At the turn of 50, nobody ever says that you're heading into your 'best decade yet', like they did when you entered your twenties and flirty thirties. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Instead, they tell you, well, suck it up, because what's the alternative? You get cards that say 'Congratulations, you're not dead yet'. I am into the last three weeks of my forties, and the swift approach to this milestone is weird because of that, and for many other reasons. Half a century. How did that even happen? I don't know, but life seems to be speeding up, like the credits at the end of Jurassic Park. Still, it's not all bad. When I turned 40, I was gutted. I dreaded it, for some reason. It was like some horrible countdown to Doomsday. I don't really feel like that, ten years later. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Instead of quivering in a corner, I'm surprisingly sanguine. I'm not sure if I'm in denial or delusional, but part of me feels like I'm going to own this decade. It makes some sense, as my forties were mainly grim, thanks to lockdown, grief and other life challenges, so it feels as if I'm on an upward trajectory of sorts, even though I should be careening down the other side of the hill. I'm not even that bothered that society certainly doesn't value 'women of a certain age' and that by sharing my number I'm probably plunging my stock even further into the doldrums. Read it and weep, people. Count the well-earned rings on my gnarly tree trunk. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Indeed, while men at 50 enter their silver fox era, when their accumulated knowledge is prized, the opposite is true for women. I am now considered a nickel hedgehog. Still, I've not got any more time to waste on worrying about stupid societal failings that I can't change. At least I'm glad that some of the pressures of being in one's prime have eased off. You're not in the limbo of wondering if you should be starting a family, furthering your career, writing a book, travelling more or just arriving at some preordained stage of achievement. There were too many decisions to make, twenty years ago, which just made me feel overwhelmed and gave me total life paralysis. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's easier to be mindful now. There's more acceptance that you can't do everything. Also, there's an understanding that you have total control over making the decisions that you DO make - because doing nothing is also a decision of sorts - right for you. I'm also pleased that I'm not as bothered by my current wrinkle quota than I thought I'd be. I do remember, when my mum was my age - she had us relatively late in life - thinking that I couldn't wait to have lines, like she had, because they were gorgeous. Maybe I've managed to retain that sense. Also, I was never much of a looker, so I don't feel too worried about the middle-aged invisibility thing. I could always float along the street in my own opaque bubble. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, I'm less keen on the dangly komodo dragon wattle under my chin that wiggles when I'm angry. It seemed to appear overnight and I'm thinking of adopting a nattily-tied silk scarf. At least nature cleverly also provides you with floaters and diminished long vision, so you can be oblivious to your newly acquired physical defects. She also seems to have given me an unexpected dose of misguided self confidence. I don't know where it came from but, suddenly, I stopped being nervous about walking into a room full of people. So, the approaching spectre of 50 doesn't seem that bad, though I suppose it can be the age when your chickens start coming home to roost. That's exemplified by the fact that I'll soon be getting my NHS bowel cancer pack through the post, and an appointment for a mammogram. Yipee. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I'm not faring, healthwise, too bad so far, though I do own one of those weekly pillbox containers, so I'm not a pristine specimen by any means. However, I am probably feeling physically stronger than I've ever been. In fact, I tried one of these new fangled scanning machines at the gym the other day. It measures your body fat and muscle percentages, as well as your overall BMI and even cellular integrity, whatever the heck that means. It said I was 34 years old, and I was floating on air for the rest of the day. However, I know that, because of my vigorous regimen, I pay the price by having the joints of a 95-year-old. And the ligaments. They don't tell you that those start to splinter, like the timbers of an old ship. I have discovered that my Achilles heel is my Achilles heels. Still, 34. I'll take that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The other thing I'm grateful for, when it comes to turning this age now, is that I'm living in a time when you can pretty much wear what you want. There are no rules. When my mum was 50, she was heavily into the wool midi skirt and blouse combo that used to be a prerequisite in middle age. Us Generation Xers would never thole that. I'll continue to wear what I want, as a confidently ancient nickel hedgehog,
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
I'm already broken: Pedro Pascal on grief, mother's suicide, dog that saved his life
Pedro Pascal is a new phenomenon in world cinema, which is both a surprising and heartening thing. Unfortunate too, if you consider that it took him so long to become the audience's favourite. He opened up on his newfound popularity, growing up in an immigrant family, the struggle in the industry, his mother's suicide, being bullied as a 'strange' kid, and so much more, in an interview with Vanity 50, is now working on the new 'Avengers' movie - 'Doomsday', and he was on his way to visit Robert Downey Jr. when the interview took place. An equal parts emotional and pragmatic person, Pascal, revealed that his mother died by suicide when he was still 24, doing his bit to kick off an acting career in Los told the interviewer that his idea of living and enduring the hardships of those days was simply to ask, 'You think not getting a job can break me? You can't break me, I'm already broken.' Recently seen in the romantic drama 'Materialists', Pascal shared how his mother's untimely death broke something in him, and he returned what the article described as a "hollowed man".It was due to the efforts of his best friend, actor Sarah Paulson, who referred his work to the co-creator of 'Games of Thrones', David Benioff, that Pascal eventually landed the iconic role of Oberyn Martell in the series. There was still a lot to do in his career, but things changed after that. In fact, it was his performance in 'GoT' that then led him to three seasons on the DEA drama 'Narcos', eventually leading him to 'The Last of Us' and then, more. advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pedro Pascal he/him (@pascalispunk)While discussing his "angels" who fed him and looked after him when he was still in his 30s searching for work in the industry, Pascal also recalled the death of his beloved dog Gretta. He shared that Gretta was his only supporter when he was struggling after the death of his died of old age when he had just received his big break in 'GoT'. He said in the interview, "I think about how poor I was when I had Gretta. I think about when I had double shifts and I couldn't find anybody to let her out, and we were living in this s***hole apartment in Red Hook, and I think about the bougie life she would be leading with me now as opposed to then and I grieve, I really do."He added, "She saved my life, that dog, because she gave me someone to go home to."Pascal opened up on his difficult childhood while living in California. He said he was just nine months old when his family fled the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship and moved to San Antonio, Texas. His mother was still finishing her studies in child psychology, while his father was a fertility actor recalled how his life was as a teenager when his family shifted to a rather influential neighbourhood in Orange County. He described it as the place where "all the palm trees are the same height."For Pascal, going to middle school was especially a harrowing experience because he was bullied for "being a weird, sensitive kid. For being an attention-hungry kid. For being in love with the movies and theatre and art."The actor revealed that he was just 16 when he took acid, and called his mother to check in and let her know that he was going to stay out that night. However, when his mother told him that she was planning for a family movie night, he left to be with her, and "sat mute and paralysed, tripping in the back seat as they drove to see John Sayles's 'City of Hope'.""I was having a really hard time when I was 18, 19, 20. I was struggling really badly with insomnia. I was reading James Baldwin and watching movies like 'Once Were Warriors' and 'Muriel's Wedding'. I just was like an open wound to the reality of life," he loves that he's being adored all across the globe right now. He is aware of the mass popularity that he's gained now, at 50, and how everybody keeps saying that he should have been discovered like this many years like anyone else in their 50s, Pascal also has a formula. He told the magazine, "Stepping into my 40s, I felt adult and empowered. Fifty felt more vulnerable - much more vulnerable. More so, more so. What a silly thing for a 50-year-old man to have all this attention! This is such shadow-voice s**t, you know what I mean?"While he didn't indulge the questions about his role in Marvel's 'Avengers: Doomsday', he expressed that he was delighted to be doing his "homework" with Downey Jr. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pedro Pascal he/him (@pascalispunk)But, Pascal, being the realist that he is, is not unaware of all kinds of reaction to his casting in the film. He said, "I'm more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I've ever done. 'He's too old. He's not right. He needs to shave.'"But, working with the Iron Man of the universe does help. Pascal talked about his pre-shoot workshops with Downey Jr. "He's just so immediately generous and inviting that you feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent," he actor is busy being the apple of everyone's eye right now. And also doing some fabulous work on the way.- Ends
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Robert Downey Jr's faith in entertainment industry reaffirmed after Marvel co-star's rise to fame
Robert Downey Jr. says Pedro Pascal's "slow trajectory" to becoming a "household name" has reaffirmed his "faith" in the entertainment industry. The acting heavyweights have grown close after shooting forthcoming Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday, and Downey Jr. is delighted to see Pascal is on a "wildly hot streak" after a gradual rise to fame. He told Vanity Fair magazine: "Pascal's slow trajectory to becoming a household name who is on a wildly hot streak kind of reaffirms my faith in our industry." Pascal's breakout role came in 2014 when he portrayed Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, and he went on to play Javier Pena in Netflix crime show Narcos. More recently, Pascal told how he heads to Downey Jr.'s house for Avengers cast "homework" days ahead of starring in Doomsday, in which he will play Reed Richards/ Mister Fantastic, and he praised his pal as "so immediately generous and inviting". Speaking about Downey Jr. - who will play Victor von Doom/ Doctor Doom in the 2026 movie - the 50-year-old actor said: "He's just so immediately generous and inviting that you feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent." Vanessa Kirby will also appear in Avengers: Doomsday, as Sue Storm/ Invisible Woman, and she has found Pascal to be someone you can "trust". She explained to the publication: "He doesn't have much armour, so he shows himself to you straight away, and you trust that person because he's revealing himself to you in this very brave way." Pascal previously came under fire from some following a clip of him placing a hand on his Fantastic Four: First Steps co-star Kirby at a Comic-Con panel. However, the 37-year-old actress has insisted it was a "lovely gesture", and she was "very glad" to give his hand a squeeze in return. She said: "What happened is we were both incredibly nervous going out in front of thousands of people who love this comic. "He wanted me to know that we were in this together, and I found it a lovely gesture and was very glad to squeeze his hand back."
NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Inside look at the U.S. Air Force 'Doomsday' plane
Flight trackers caught one of the U.S. Air Force's $223 million "Doomsday" aircraft arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, around the time when President Trump was weighing whether to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. NBC News' Gadi Schwartz explains how the plane operates in case of a national emergency.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why was the Doomsday Plane flying over the U.S last week — are fears of an attack on U.S soil imminent?
A 'Doomsday' plane caused alarm as it flew across the United States this week, sparking concerns about rising tensions with Iran . This raised fears of impending conflict. The Boeing E-4B 'Nightwatch,' also known as the ' Doomsday plane ,' is a special airborne command post that flew from Louisiana to Maryland as tensions between Israel and Iran grew. According to FlightAware, the plane departed Tuesday at 10:37 a.m. from the area around Window Rock, Arizona, on its way to the Louisiana base, as quoted in a report by the Daily Mail. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Business Sneaker Loved by CEOs and NFL Stars Wolf & Shepherd Shop Now Undo What is a 'Doomsday Plane'? According to a Daily Mail report, doomsday planes have three decks, including a command room, conference room, briefing room, teamwork area, communications room, and a designated rest area with eighteen bunks. The aircraft were intended to fly for a full week without landing, but they have continued to fly and function for up to 35.4 hours in a single session. Live Events Concerns about heightened presidential security were raised by the flight amid escalating Middle East tensions. ALSO READ: Doomsday Plane spotted in D.C. — what is it and who's behind the mysterious aircraft? Are fears of an attack on U.S. soil imminent? While speculation grew, the Air Force quickly clarified that it was a routine mission and not a sign of an impending attack. The Air Force stated, however, that the flight was a planned mission that had nothing to do with the events in the Middle East at the time, as per a report by the Daily Mail. What role could the Doomsday Plane play in a crisis? In an emergency, the Doomsday plane serves as a flying command post for key officials and is designed to coordinate military operations and withstand a nuclear attack. It can also refuel while in the air. They can withstand cyberattacks, electromagnetic effects, and nuclear blasts because they have thermal and nuclear shielding. They are also capable of firing retaliatory missiles. Besides carrying specialized equipment, the aircraft can support analysts and strategists while in flight and communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world. Iranian President Khamenei stated that Iran would "stand firm against an imposed war, just as it will stand firm against an imposed peace." Khamenei declared that Israel's campaign was a "huge mistake" and that it would be "punished." Donald Trump will put pressure on Tehran to engage in negotiations as he decides in the next two weeks whether the US will intervene in the Israel-Iran air war. FAQs Why did the Doomsday Plane fly? According to the Air Force, the mission was routine and pre-planned, with no connection to Middle Eastern tensions. What can the Doomsday Plane do? It can be used as an airborne command post during a crisis, and it has special equipment that allows it to operate even after a nuclear strike.
