Features

WASHINGTON — Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, reinstated far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on the social media platform, a year after vowing never to let him return.

Jones, who claimed that a December 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that killed 20 children and six educators was a hoax, was banned from the platform — then still known as Twitter — in 2018 for violating its “abusive behaviour policy”.

He was also sued by families of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting and ordered by a judge in the case to pay up more than a billion dollars in damages last year.

Musk had himself promised never to let the Infowars host back on the social media platform, which he bought last year for $44 billion.

But following a poll Musk conducted on X asking whether Jones should be reinstated, to which some 2 million users responded, he flipped that decision.

“I vehemently disagree with what he said about Sandy Hook, but are we a platform that believes in freedom of speech or are we not?” the SpaceX founder said on X.

But Shannon Watts, founder of the group Moms Demand Action group which pushes for tighter gun laws, said that “defamation is not free speech”.

Musk’s decision comes the same week that the Sandy Hook families commemorate the 11th anniversary of the December 14 shooting, which Jones alleged was staged to allow the government to crack down on gun rights.

Jones’ followers harassed the bereaved families for years, accusing parents of murdered children of being “crisis actors” whose children had never existed.

It also came a week after Musk had responded to advertisers pulling out of X because of farright posts and hate speech.

Jones, who has a million followers on X, returned to the site with his first post retweeting Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxer facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania, in which he hailed Jones’ “triumphant return”.

HOLLYWOOD, United States — The landmark word has loomed over Tinseltown since before movies started talking, becoming a symbol of the entire film industry.

For the first time in decades, the Hollywood sign — at least a little bit of it — was illuminated to celebrate its 100th birthday.

The nine-letter sign is officially a centenarian but, as with many an aging grande dame in Hollywood, looks as fresh as ever.

Like the actors and actresses it looks down on, the sign has been in its fair share of films.

Directors who want to let their audience know a movie is set in Los Angeles have an easy establishing shot, while a film maker who wants to signify the destruction of America can set their special effects team loose on the sign.

It has also seen real life tragedy: British-born actress Peg Entwistle took her own life by plunging from the top of the letter H in 1932.

Hooray for... realtors? 

The sign, a must-see for any film buff or tourist visiting Los Angeles, initially read “HOLLYWOODLAND”, having been constructed in 1923 as an advertisement for an upscale real estate development.

During its first decade, it was routinely lit by thousands of bulbs, with “HOLLY”, “WOOD” and “LAND” illuminated in turn as a beacon of the desirable homes on offer below.

By the 1940s, the letters were looking a little ragged.

The Los Angeles Times reported vandals or windstorms had damaged the H, before locals decided they had had enough and asked the city to tear it down.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, recognising that they had a blockbuster trademark on their hands, stepped in and offered to fix it up.

But the last four letters had to go — the sign was to represent the whole town, not just a fashionable property patch, and by 1949, the newly restored sign simply read “HOLLYWOOD”.

Mr Nice Guy 

Three decades of baking sun and occasional storms took their toll on the 15 metre-high wooden letters.

Eventually, the first O reduced to a lower case “u” and the final O toppled down completely.

Enter one Alice Cooper — the chicken-bothering father of shock rock — who led a campaign to restore the sign to its former glory, donating $28,000.

Eight others, including actor Gene Autry, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and singer Andy Williams, kicked in the same, each sponsoring a letter.

(Cooper is the first O, Autry has the second L, Heffner got the Y and Williams snagged the W).

The replacement letters are a tad more compact, but made of steel, although they remain characteristically off-kilter.

The Hollywood Sign Trust said last year the repainting it carried out in time for the 100th anniversary used almost 1,500 litres of paint and primer.

Night’s lighting was purely symbolic, Hollywood Sign Trust Chairman Jeff Zarrinnam said, with just a little stretch of the second L cutting through the gloom.

Unlike most global landmarks, the Hollywood sign is not usually lit up at night, partially because of objections from people who live nearby.

But, said Zarrinnam, it might start shining again.

“What we are working on is a plan to hopefully light the sign on very special occasions,” he said.

“We have some very important sporting events that are coming to Los Angeles like the FIFA World Cup, we have the Olympics coming [in 2028] so those are the types of events that we would probably want to light the Hollywood sign in the future.”

PARIS — Ultra-processed foods (UPF) are commonly portrayed as a modern health scourge: A threat lurking on the shelves of every supermarket linked to obesity, heart disease, cancer and early death.

Researchers warning of their dangers have called for taxation and even bans of products which make up a huge proportion of the food eaten worldwide.

However, some nutrition experts have started to push back against such all-encompassing claims, saying the definition can be vague. They say more research is needed and that some ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, can actually be healthy.

The concept was first introduced in 2009 by Carlos Monteiro, a nutrition and health researcher at Brazil’s University of Sao Paulo.

His NOVA classification system for UPFs was unusual in nutrition because it ignored the level of nutrients such as fat, salt, sugar and carbohydrates in food.

Instead, it splits food into four groups, ranked by the level of processing involved in their creation. Everything in the fourth group is considered ultra-processed.

Monteiro said that UPFs “aren’t exactly foods”.

“They’re formulations of substances derived from foods,” he told AFP.

“They contain little or no whole foods and are typically enhanced with colourings, flavourings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives to make them palatable.”

Examples include crisps, ice cream, soft drinks and frozen pizza. But items not traditionally considered junk food are also included, such as non-dairy milks, baby formula and supermarket bread.

According to the NOVA scale, nearly 60 per cent of the calories eaten in the United States and UK are from UPFs.

‘Confused’ 

In recent years, dozens of studies have found that people who eat lots of UPFs have a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, asthma, depression and other illnesses.

But these studies have almost entirely been observational, which means they cannot show that UPFs directly cause these health problems.

Monteiro pointed to a US-based randomised-controlled trial, which is considered the gold standard of research.

For the 2019 trial, 20 people were fed either ultra-processed or unprocessed food for two weeks, then the opposite for the following two weeks.

The diets were matched for things like fat, sugar and overall calories. Those eating UPFs gained an average of nearly a kilogrammes, while those on the unprocessed diet lost the same amount.

However, there was no limit on how much the trial participants ate, including snacks. Those on the UPF diet ate much more food, and their weight gain roughly matched how many more calories they consumed, the researchers said.

Monteiro said the study showed how big companies make food “hyperpalatable” in a way that “leads to overconsumption and even poses risks of addiction”.

But one of the study’s co-authors, Ciaran Forde of Wageningen University in The Netherlands, rejected the idea that there is something unique about UPFs that makes them irresistible.

Forde, a critic of NOVA who has disclosed he worked for food giant Nestle nearly a decade ago, said it was not just the public who was “confused”.

In a French study published last year nearly 160 nutrition experts were asked to put 231 different foods into the four NOVA categories — they only unanimously agreed about four.

This potential for confusion was why US researchers brought in NOVA experts to help them develop a healthy diet in which 91 per cent of calories were from UPFs.

Their week-long menu scored 86/100 on the US Healthy Eating Index — far higher than the average American diet of 59/100.

Julie Hess, a nutritionist at the US Department of Agriculture who led the study, told AFP they sought out fruits and vegetables such as dried blueberries or canned beans deemed ultra-processed because of additives like preservatives.

“There may really be something here, but right now the scale puts gummy candies and sodas in the same category as oranges and raisins,” she said.

Both Hess and Forde pointed out that many people do not have the time or money to cook every meal from fresh ingredients.

“Taxing processed foods in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis will be regressive and is likely to affect the most vulnerable groups,” Forde said.

Robin May, the chief scientific adviser at the UK’s Food Standards Agency, earlier this year warned against a “knee-jerk reaction” that treats all UPFs the same, “when we clearly know that everything is not the same”.

Monteiro dismissed criticism of the NOVA scale.

“Those who profit from the sale of ultra-processed foods naturally dislike the NOVA classification and often sow doubts about its functioning,” he said.

He called for ultra-processed foods to be treated like tobacco, praising a recent ban on UPFs in schools in Rio de Janeiro.

So where does this debate leave people who simply want to have a healthy diet?

Hess felt that most people already know what food is good for them: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, some lean protein and low-fat dairy.

Even “some delicious, full-fat cheeses” are allowed sometimes, she added.

LOS ANGELES — “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” — the unlikely pair of films that dominated the box office and spawned countless Internet memes this summer — topped the newly revamped Golden Globes film nominations.

“Barbie” — a vivid feminist satire about the all-conquering line of plastic dolls — claimed nine nods, including best drama as well as acting nominations for stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

This year’s top-grossing movie, earning more than $1.4 billion globally, “Barbie” also scooped a whopping three best song nominations, and recognition for its writer-director Greta Gerwig.

“Oppenheimer”, Christopher Nolan’s critically adored drama about the inventor of the nuclear bomb, earned eight nominations, including best drama and best director.

Cast members including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr all received nods.

The two films — collectively dubbed “Barbenheimer” after their theatrical releases happened to fall on the same date — dominated the box office, and now have a strong start to Hollywood’s film awards season, which ends with the Oscars in March.

Other movies that proved popular with Globes voters were “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things”, both earning seven nominations, and “Past Lives” with five.

‘Exciting change’ 

Globes organisers will hope the “Barbenheimer” success can shift the focus away from the gala’s recent notoriety.

The Golden Globes have endured a rough few years, after a Los Angeles Times expose in 2021 showed that the awards’ voting body — the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) — had no Black members.

That revelation triggered the airing of a wide range of other long-simmering criticisms about the HFPA, including allegations of amateurism and corruption.

Earlier this year, the awards’ assets and trademarks were purchased and overhauled by a group of private investors including US billionaire Todd Boehly, and the HFPA was disbanded.

Hollywood-based former HFPA members have been banned from accepting gifts, and are now paid a salary to vote for their favourite films and shows, while more than 200 non-member (and unpaid) voters from around the world have been added to the Globes mix.

“This has been a year of exciting change for the Golden Globes,” said the group’s president Helen Hoehne, at Monday’s nominations announcement.

“Our voting body has grown to 300 members from 75 countries, making the Golden Globes the most culturally diverse major awards body.”

‘Box office’ 

Cedric The Entertainer and Wilmer Valderrama announced the Globes nominees on “CBS Mornings” in the pre-dawn hours in Los Angeles.

“I’m taking coffee orders, guys,” Cedric joked to the room of bleary-eyed journalists and Globes members.

One of the United States’ biggest national television networks, CBS has stepped in to become the new home of the Globes, after long-standing host NBC ended its deal to broadcast the event.

CBS bosses will be hoping for vastly improved ratings, after the 2023 Globes slumped to a new low of just 6.3 million viewers, even as other shows such as the Oscars recovered from pandemic viewership nadirs.

A new category for “best cinematic or box office achievement” was added, paving the way for nominations for popular films that would not usually earn critical recognition.

Among the nominees were Universal’s $1.3 billion-grossing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and Marvel superhero film “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”.

In another seeming bid to honour more household names, the number of nominees in each category has been increased.

A-listers such as Leonardo DiCaprio — the star of Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” — and Emma Stone for her turn in female Frankenstein-esque drama “Poor Things” scored nominations.

So did Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), Timothee Chalamet (“Wonka”), Natalie Portman (“May December”) and Bradley Cooper — as both actor and director of “Maestro”.

The Globes also honour the best in television.

“Succession” topped the drama section with nine nominations, while comedies “The Bear” and “Only Murders in the Building” led their section with five each.

The 81st Golden Globes ceremony will take place in Beverly Hills on January 7.

Undiluted, uncomplicated and unburdened by excess or frivolity, the ultra-lightweight Caterham Seven 485S is a distilled driving machine. First launched in 2013 as an export variant of the iconic and long-running Seven, the 485S subtly wears its engineering prowess under the skin and delivers direct, dynamic and super-car humbling thrills. With razor sharp reflexes and performance set to a crackling and barking open air soundtrack from its individual throttle-body engine and exposed side-mounted exhaust, the go-kart like Caterham is as raw, intimate and connected as driving gets.

Lightweight legacy

Still going strong a decade later, the Seven 485S remains Caterham’s fastest and powerful naturally-aspirated model, and a champion of petrol-powered purity, even as the small British sports car manufacturer prepare to soon launch its ambitious all-new electric-powered Project V model. The product of continuous development and incremental improvement since Caterham purchased production rights to the Seven from Lotus in 1973, the 485S’ styling, lightweight construction and uncomplicated design remain true to the 1957 original in spirit and engineering essence, if not exact specification.

No mere exercise in nostalgia and far beyond a legacy model, the current 485S’ lightweight recipe is instead that of a highly developed, honed and modernised ports car stripped down to its core characteristics. Built using a light space-frame chassis and aluminium body, it light and low form follows function, with near perfectly balanced front-mid engine and rear-drive weighting, and wide track, dictating its narrow rearwards cabin and long snouty bonnet, exposed suspension and side-mounted exhaust. The optional wide-body SV version meanwhile more comfortably accommodates larger occupants.

High-strung thrills

The Seven’s lightweight philosophy is self-perpetuating, where less weight allows for less complication and lighter and fewer components. With lightweight body and creature comforts limited to optional heater and carpets, the Seven also does without power steering assistance or brake servo-assistance, while modest 195/45R15 tyres provide necessary grip and low un-sprung weight. Weighing just 575kg, the road-oriented 485 “S” variant features some lightweight carbon-fiber body and cabin trim. The ‘S’ includes detachable reinforced leather doors, clip-on soft-top and a windscreen, while the track-focused “R” instead features a lighter wind deflector.

With revised cylinder head, high 13:1 compression and electronically-actuated individual throttle bodies, the rear-drive 485’s version of Caterham’s EU6-compliant Ford Duratec 2-litre 4-cylinder engine develops 237BHP at 8,500rpm and 152lb/ft at 6,300rpm. With over 412BHP per tonne on tap, and 3.4-second 0-97kmh acceleration, the 485’s performance rivals pricier and more complicated exotic supercars. Its dry sump oil system meanwhile provides continuous lubrication through hard driven high lateral g-force corners. Aggressively geared and with dated aerodynamics, the 485S tops out at 225km/h, but is nevertheless reassuringly stable at speed.

Fiery finesse

High-revving, high-strung and driven through a close-ratio 6-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip rear-differential, the 485S’ throaty growls coalesce to raspy barks and screaming wails — interspersed with crackles and pops on throttle lift — as it urgently rips through to its 8,500rpm redline, and is just a responsive winding down. With a precise short-throw gear lever and light intuitive clutch biting point, the 485S launches instinctively from standstill. Rewardingly revvy with peaky maximum torque and power, the featherweight 485S meanwhile eagerly and flexibly sprints away from low- and mid-range.

The 485S’ long-legged rev range allows swift and sweeping acceleration, and precise and nuanced throttle control to balance rear slip and grip when exiting a corner on throttle. The more road-oriented “S” version is fluid, fluent and forgiving over imperfect roads, with its low un-sprung weight, and inboard front, and De Dion rear, suspension. With finely-tuned suspension and light, forgiving tyres suited to its low weight, the 485S delivers an untiring ride, direct handling and taut body control to contrast and complement its crisp clarity and eager handling agility through switchbacks.

Alert and unassisted

Direct and distilled, the 485S is a highly connected drive with sharp reflexes, immediate responses and layers of chassis feel as it pounces through winding roads. Flat through corners, it nimbly but sure-footedly pounces out, with its limited-slip rear-differential distributing power to the wheel best able to use it. Its low weight allows for quick, well-weighted and precise 1.93-turn unassisted steering that is exacting, uncorrupted and nuanced for textured feel and feedback. Unassisted but highly effective brakes, meanwhile, require firm inputs, but deliver accurate pedal feel.

Viscerally raw yet sublimely attuned, the 485S connects man to machine like little else, and instills focused confidence and attentively self-responsibility with its exposed cabin and absence of electronic nannies. Spartan inside with a rollover bar for safety, one lowers into low-slung body-hugging seats, and sits upright and alert with ample legroom. Buckled into a race-style four-point harness, the 485S’ dash-mounted buttons, stubby gear lever and small steering wheel fall easy to hand and require small succinct inputs. It meanwhile also features thin-padded leather upholstery and limited storage under a button-down tonneau.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: 2-litre, in-line 4-cylinders
• Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC
• Bore x stroke: 83.1 x 87.5mm
• Compression ratio: 13:1
• Configuration: Front-mid engine, rear-wheel-drive
• Gearbox: 6-speed manual, limited-slip rear-differential
• Gear ratios: 1st 2.69:1; 2nd 2.01:1; 3rd 1.59:1; 4th 1:32; 5th 1.13:1; 6th 1:1
• Final drive: 3.64:1
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 237 (240) [176.5] @ 8,500rpm
• Specific power: approximately 118.5BHP/litre
• Power-to-weight ratio: 412BHP/tonne
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 152 (206) @ 6,300rpm
• Specific torque: approximately 76lb/ft/litre
• Torque-to-weight: 264lb/ft/tonne
• Redline: 8,500rpm
• 0-97km/h: 3.4-seconds
• Maximum speed: 225km/h
• Fuel capacity: 36-litres
• Length: 3,250mm
• Width: 1,685mm
• Height: 1,115mm
• Wheelbase: 2,305mm
• Track, F&R: 1,463mm
• Kerb weight: 575kg
• Steering: Rack & pinion
• Lock-to-lock: 1.93 turns
• Suspension F/R: Double wishbone / De Dion axle, adjustable anti-roll bars
• Chassis: Tubular space-frame
• Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs / discs
• Tyres: 195/45R15

By Hind Yousef

Clinical & Health Psychologist

In the intricate tapestry of human health, the interplay between physical and mental well-being is profound. One such intersection is the intricate relationship between diabetes and depression.

Both are formidable health challenges on their own, but the convergence of these conditions can create a distressing cycle that affects millions worldwide.

Exploring the deep-rooted connection between diabetes and depression is crucial in order to provide comprehensive care and support for those grappling with this challenging dual burden.

The link

Diabetes, characterised by high blood sugar levels, disrupts the body’s ability to regulate glucose effectively.

Depression, on the other hand, is a complex mental health disorder marked by persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest and a general sense of hopelessness. 

The connection between these seemingly distinct conditions goes beyond mere coincidence; there are biological, psychological and lifestyle factors that link them in a complex web.

The biological link between diabetes and depression lies in the intricate hormonal and neural pathways that govern both conditions. The chronic inflammation associated with diabetes can impact brain function and neurotransmitter activity, potentially contributing to the development of depression.

The psychological toll of managing diabetes — constant monitoring, dietary restrictions and potential complications —  can lead to heightened stress levels and, consequently, an increased risk of depression.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle factors also contribute to the convergence of diabetes and depression. Sedentary habits, unhealthy eating patterns and lack of physical activity can contribute to both conditions. The challenge of adhering to diabetes management routines might exacerbate feelings of frustration and distress, potentially leading to or worsening depression. Conversely, depression might hinder the motivation to engage in self-care activities, creating a detrimental cycle.

A vicious cycle

The relationship between diabetes and depression is often a vicious cycle. Diabetes can lead to an increased risk of developing depression due to the physiological and psychological burdens it places on individuals.

Simultaneously, depression can impact the

management of diabetes by compromising medication adherence, dietary choices and physical activity, thereby worsening blood sugar control. 

Recognising the interconnection between diabetes and depression is the first step towards providing holistic care.

Addressing both conditions simultaneously can significantly improve outcomes. Integrated treatment plans that incorporate medical interventions, psychological support and lifestyle modifications can break the cycle and empower individuals to manage their health more effectively.

Mental health support

Mental health support is crucial for individuals dealing with the dual challenges of diabetes and depression.

Counselling, therapy and support groups can provide a safe space to discuss emotional struggles, develop coping strategies, and foster a sense of belonging.

Healthcare providers play a pivotal role in identifying signs of depression in individuals with diabetes and ensuring timely interventions. Promoting healthy lifestyle changes is vital. 

Encouraging regular physical activity, balanced nutrition and stress-reduction techniques can help manage both conditions.

Education

Educating individuals about the intricate relationship between diabetes and depression can empower them to make informed choices to prioritise their mental and physical well-being.

The unfortunate connection between diabetes and depression highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to healthcare — one that addresses the intricate interplay between physical and mental health.

By recognising the factors that link these conditions and providing integrated care, we can work towards breaking the cycle and offering a brighter future for those affected.

Through education, awareness and empathy, we can bridge the gap between diabetes and depression, fostering a healthier, happier society for all.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

STOCKHOLM — Nobel Literature Prize laureate Jon Fosse on Thursday said that “writing can save lives”, as he reflected on the many suicides that featured in his writing.

“If my writing also can help to save the lives of others, nothing would make me happier,” the Norwegian playwright said in his Nobel lecture in Stockholm ahead of Sunday’s gala prize ceremony.

Fosse noted that there were more suicides in his works “than I like to think about”.

“I have been afraid that I, in this way, may have contributed to legitimising suicide,” Fosse said.

However, the author said that he had been deeply touched by congratulations following the announcement of his Nobel nod, where fans said his writing “had quite simply saved their lives”.

“In a sense I have always known that writing can save lives, perhaps it has even saved my own life,” Fosse said.

Announcing the prize in early October, the Swedish Academy said the 64-year-old was honoured “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”.

Sometimes compared to Samuel Beckett, another Nobel-winning playwright, Fosse’s work is minimalistic, relying on simple language that delivers its message through rhythm, melody and silence.

Fosse will receive his prize, which comes with a medal and a sum of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1 million), from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of scientist and inventor Alfred Nobel.

HAVANA — As one of the greatest living exponents of romantic bolero music, 82-year-old Migdalia Hechavarria was thrilled on Tuesday to hear that UNESCO has recognised it as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, calling the musical form “identity, emotion and poetry turned into song”.

There was little else for Hechavarria to do except break into song.

So she celebrated with an old bolero standard, “Me faltabas tu”.

“I sing it a cappella, I sing it with a tumba [drum], but always my bolero,” she tells AFP at her home, because “it is the music that makes you live.”

With a voice that delights, Hechavarria has taken bolero around the world, singing with such stars as Omara Portuondo and the late Celia Cruz, Elena Burke, Cesar Portillo and Ignacio Villa (Bola de Nieve).

“Bolero is a feeling. It’s a soft, sweet thing, for people to enjoy, for those who want to fall in love, to fall in love, for those who want to kiss, to kiss,” adds Hechavarría, who has been singing for 25 years at the Gato Tuerto, a bolero bastion in Havana.

UNESCO on Tuesday said bolero combines European poetic style with African rhythms and sentiments of native Americans, with songs passed down within families.

On an island with genres such as Cuban son and rumba, singers also live and breathe bolero — often on street corners for the enjoyment of passersby.

Drummer Pedro Luis Carrillo, 52, has been singing boleros on Havana’s seaside esplanade for 30 years, and still admits surprise that the “wonderful music” enthuses tourists.

Cuban and Mexican 

As a musical form, bolero was born in Santiago in south-eastern Cuba at the end of the 19th century, and later took root as well in all of Mexico.

The candidacy of bolero as intangible heritage of humanity was presented jointly by Cuba and Mexico, which called it “an indispensable element of the sentimental song of Latin America”.

In a popular bar in Mexico City, Jose Antonio Ferrari, 72 years old and half-a-century singing boleros, performs “Sabor a mí.”

“The bolero is the soundtrack that moves the sensations and the most intimate fibers of the human being,” he tells AFP.

In 1932 Consuelo Velazquez, known popularly as Consuelito, performed “Besame mucho”, a song about unrequited love later sung by such luminaries as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles.

The golden age of Mexican cinema was also key in the diffusion of the genre, with interpretations by the legendary Pedro Infante, while Cuban bolero singers like Benny More and Rita Montaner made their careers in Mexico.

‘As long as love exists’ 

The Mexicano singer Jose Jose, known as the nation’s romantic voice, played Alvaro Carrillo, author of the bolero classic “Sabor a mi”, in a movie of that name, and his compatriot composer Armando Manzanero played a key role in the albums of popular singer Luis Miguel that won two Grammys.

Since 1987, Cuba has organised the Golden Bolero Festival to promote the genre. In 2001, nearly 600 bolero singers from Cuba and abroad sang for 76 consecutive hours at the festival in what was billed as “the longest bolero in the world”.

Ferrari says that in Mexico, just as in Cuba, most bolero singers are over age 60 and must compete with lots of other musical styles in bars and cantinas.

Even so, he is confident that “as long as love and heartbreak exist, there will be beautiful things like the bolero”.

NEW YORK — With a prolific musical output, a remarkably bankable tour and a name that’s headline catnip, it’s no surprise that Time Magazine has declared 2023 the Year of Taylor Swift.

In its annual issue honouring a Person of the Year — a nearly century-old designation whose recipients include Volodymyr Zelensky, Martin Luther King Jr. and Greta Thunberg — the magazine called music’s reigning deity a “rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story”.

Nearly two decades into her career the 33-year-old’s star simply keeps rising: Swift is smashing industry records, and her conversation-commanding “Eras” tour is set to bring in an estimated $2 billion in revenue — and become the first tour to cross the symbolic $1-billion mark.

With hundreds of millions of social media followers and a staunchly loyal fan base, she can move any dial with the tiniest of efforts.

“Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light,” Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs wrote in a statement. “Much of what Swift accomplished in 2023 exists beyond measurement.”

“She mapped her journey and shared the results with the world: she committed to validating the dreams, feelings and experiences of people, especially women, who felt overlooked and regularly underestimated.”

By some estimates her sprawling empire is worth more than $1 billion, and the massive $92.8 million opening this fall of her tour-documenting film is but another jewel on the artist’s crown.

Advance ticket sales for the movie topped $100 million worldwide, theater operator AMC said, making it the best-selling feature-length concert film in history.

And Swift’s blossoming romance with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce has also brought the NFL a whole new wave of fans, as her hundreds of millions of social media followers track the couple’s every move.

It’s not new for Swift, who since her teenage years has seen her dating life broadcast to the world.

“There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once,” she said of the current frenzy around her game-day appearances.

“I’m just there to support Travis,” she continued. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”

‘Taylor’s Version’ 

After winning a mainstream audience for her introspective country songs, Swift went full pop for her fifth studio album, “1989”.

It was “an imperial phase”, she said in Time, a moment that saw her seemingly reach her zenith.

The years that followed grew increasingly taxing, she said, as the public grew weary of constant attention on her at a moment before US society had re-examined its hyperfixation on and criticism of young female celebrities.

Her media-hyped feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian didn’t help: “I had all the hyenas climb on and take their shots,” Swift says.

The difficult moment coincided with the satisfaction of her record deal with Scott Borchetta at Nashville’s Big Machine Records.

Swift decided it was time to move on and signed a major new deal with Universal that granted more agency and ownership of her own work.

But her relationship with Big Machine haunted her, as the sale of her catalog to a private equity firm triggered a massive dispute over musicians’ rights — and a bold new era of Swift’s career.

She publicly assailed Borchetta as well as her former manager Scooter Braun — who founded the rights holding company that acquired Swift’s catalog — as a “manipulative” bully who took advantage of her professionally when she was a fledgling star.

Her cunning next move was a huge risk that perhaps only an artist of her stature and wealth could take: Swift decided she would re-record her first six albums to own their rights, urging her fans to listen to “Taylor’s Version” instead of previous releases.

Swift has sweetened her re-records with previously unreleased tracks — like the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” — breaking records, delighting ardent fans and bringing new Swifties into the fold.

As she drops re-records, Swift has also released four albums of new work since 2019’s “Lover”, including last year’s “Midnights”, which is poised to earn her a fourth Album of the Year Grammy.

Doing so would see her surpass the likes of Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder as the winningest artist of the ceremony’s most prestigious prize.

“This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been,” Swift told Time. “Ultimately, we can convolute it all we want, or try to overcomplicate it, but there’s only one question.”

“Are you not entertained?”

LOS ANGELES — US actor Jamie Foxx made his first public appearance in Hollywood since suffering a mysterious medical emergency, telling an award show that he had not been able to even walk six months ago.

Making a surprise appearance at the Critics’ Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema and Television in Los Angeles Monday night, Foxx said he had “been through some things”.

“It’s crazy. I couldn’t do that six months ago, I couldn’t actually walk,” he told the audience.

“I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy, because it’s tough when you almost... when it’s almost over, when you see the tunnel,” Foxx added.

The Oscar-winner did not explain the nature of the illness, which occurred in April in the state of Georgia, where the 55-year-old was filming a Netflix movie.

But he joked: “I saw the tunnel, I didn’t see the light! It was hot in that tunnel too. I don’t know what was going on... ‘am I going to the right place?’ I see the devil going, ‘C’mon!’”

Foxx, an actor, comedian and Grammy-winning singer, won an Academy Award in 2005 for the Ray Charles musical biopic “Ray”.

Earlier this year he was filming “Back in Action”, co-starring Cameron Diaz, in Georgia.

In an Instagram message in July, Foxx told fans he had been “to hell and back”, and shared that his “road to recovery had some potholes as well”.

Monday’s award ceremony honoured Black, Latino and Asian American performers who have appeared in movies contending for prizes this year.

Foxx received the Vanguard Award for “The Burial”, a legal drama co-starring Tommy Lee Jones.

Other honorees on Monday night included America Ferrera (“Barbie”), Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”) and Colman Domingo (“The Colour Purple”.)