Entertainment

Schwarzenegger recovering after getting pacemaker

Published

1 month ago

March 26, 2024

nipuni

Arnold Schwarzenegger is in recovery after undergoing a surgical procedure to get a pacemaker.

On Monday’s episode of his Arnold’s Pump Club podcast, the 76-year-old shared that he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted.

“I have some personal news to share. Last Monday, I had surgery for a pacemaker and became a little bit more of a machine,” he announced.

Despite admitting that opening up about his health so publicly “goes against so much of my upbringing in Austria,” he said he wanted to be transparent given so many have shared with him their own heart health stories and by sharing his story it gives “them courage and hope to deal with their own” and “it only feels right to talk about this.”

“First of all, I want you to know I’m doing great! I had my surgery on Monday, and by Friday, I was already at a big environmental event with my friend and fellow fitness crusader Jane Fonda,” he continued, praising Fonda as someone who is “healthy” and “looks fantastic.”

“Nobody would ever have thought I started the week with a surgery. I want to thank my whole team at the Cleveland Clinic. All of the doctors and nurses took amazing care of me and made the surgery as painless as possible,” he added.

The surgery was prompted by some scar tissue from Schwarzenegger’s previous procedures, he said, which made his heartbeat irregular and he went to get a full check-up every year. “That’s life with a genetic heart issue. But you won’t hear me complaining,” he said.

Schwarzenegger credited his being “diligent and staying in touch with my doctors and listening to them” for him being in the healthy condition he’s in today. He then shared that his mom did not get the valve replacement surgery and died in 1998.

“I had my valves replaced for the first time in 1997, which required open heart surgery. They told me both valves would last 12 to 15 years,” he reflected. He then went in for surgery to get both replaced again in 2018 and 2020. After his surgeries, he said he would check in “all of the time” with his doctors to share his heart rate information from home and that they would advise when a pacemaker was needed.

After going in for a normal checkup at the beginning of March when headed to the Arnold Sports Festival, Schwarzenegger said doctors did “a full series of tests” to monitor his heart. He said that “all the extra work your heart does” from having an irregular heartbeat “wears you out.” He added, “If could be honest with you I struggled with those 16-hour days at the Arnold Sports Festival.”

Schwarzenegger’s doctor later told him that based on his results, he needed to get the pacemaker, especially given he was going to film season two of FUBAR. “Monday I went under and got my new machine part installed,” he said.

“I can’t do my serious training in the gym for a while, but I will be 100 percent ready for FUBAR next month,” he shared.

“I could have kept it a secret. But I know that we have more than 750,000 subscribers now on the daily newsletter. … I know a lot of you are probably dealing with your own health challenges and I want you to know you aren’t alone,” he said. “And if you’re putting something off out of fear, I hope I inspire you to listen to your doctors and take care of yourself.”

(hollywoodreporter.com)

Entertainment

TikTok faces US ban as bill set to be signed by Biden

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2024

editor

The US Senate has approved a controversial landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America.

It gives TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, nine months to sell its stake or the app will be blocked in the United States.

The bill will now be handed over to US President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign it into law as soon as it reaches his desk.

ByteDance has told the BBC that it did not have an immediate response to the move. Previously the firm said it would oppose any attempt to force it to sell TikTok.

If the US is successful in forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok any deal would still need approval from Chinese officials but Beijing has vowed to oppose any such move. Analysts say the process could take years.

The measure was passed as part of a package of four bills which also included military aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other US partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

It had widespread support from lawmakers, with 79 Senators voting for it and 18 against.

“For years we’ve allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously short-sighted,” said Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.

“A new law is going to require its Chinese owner to sell the app. This is a good move for America,” he added.

Fears that data about millions of Americans could land in China’s hands have driven Congressional efforts to split TikTok from the Beijing-based company.

Last week, the social media company said the bill would “trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy, annually.”

TikTok has said ByteDance “is not an agent of China or any other country”. And ByteDance insists it is not a Chinese firm, pointing to the global investment firms that own 60% of it.

Its chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, said last month the company will continue to do all it can including exercising its “legal rights” to protect the platform.

Mr Shou was grilled by Congress twice in less than a year, and downplayed the app’s connection – and his personal links – to Chinese authorities.

The social media platform made efforts to rally support against the potential ban, including a major lobbying campaign.

It also encouraged TikTok users and creators to express their opposition to the bill.

University of Richmond law professor, Carl Tobias told the BBC that a prolonged legal battle is likely to follow and that “could take about two years”.

He also said if a buyer for ByteDance’s stake is not found within the nine-month period, it could delay any action against TikTok in the US further.

(BBC News)

Entertainment

“Ambiguous: A Painfully Honest Depiction of the Story of Our Lives”

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

editor

“Ambiguous: A Painfully Honest Depiction of the Story of Our Lives” is an exhibition by Rajitha Rupasinghe in collaboration with the Colombo Think Tank, it will be held on the 28th of April 2024 from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm in front of the National Art Gallery, combo 07.

The exhibition will discuss the spatial aspect of artworks, the affordability of space, and the unspoken background stories and drives behind artworks.

Rajitha Rupasinghe was trained as an architect from the University of Moratuwa and holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture. His enthusiasm for art history and cultural theory was restrengthened by the postgraduate Institute of Archeology, the University of Kelaniya, and the Colombo Think Tank. His work is closely related to historical and cultural criticism of art and architecture.

Entertainment

Nelum Pokuna to be decked with ‘Colours of Love’

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

editor

‘Navage Gee : Colours of Love’, a musical extravaganza featuring beloved tunes of prominent music director and composer Navarathna Gamage, will be held this weekend at the Nelum Pokuna auditorium, Colombo.

The show, organized by the Old Boys’ Association of Nalanda College, will be held on both April 20 and April 21 at 6.30pm.

The musical evening will feature the work of Navarathna Gamage spanning across 03 decades and 42 well known singers in the country.

Tickets : Sumudu : 071 798 9189 / Kasun 071 968 765

Online:

April 20:

April 21: