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'Me Before You' film ending raises hackles of disability advocates even though it's true to the bo
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Disability advocate groups are angry over the ending of new summer movie release "Me Before You," an adaptation of the Jojo Moyes novel of the same name, for its supposed "gross misrepresentation of the vast majority of disabled people." - photo by Chandra Johnson
Chandra Johnson
Deseret News
Published: Jun 8, 2016, 1:11 PM
Disability advocate groups are angry over the ending of new summer movie release "Me Before You," an adaptation of the Jojo Moyes novel of the same name, for its supposed "gross misrepresentation of the vast majority of disabled people."

Warning: Spoilers for 'Me Before You' book and movie abound.

In both Moyes' book, which has been on shelves since 2012, and the new film, one of the central characters, a quadriplegic man named Will, chooses to end his life even though he's fallen in love with the main character, Louisa.

Despite the fact that the book was published years ago with its controversial ending intact (the first line of the New York Times review of the book describes the book as being at the crossroads of a "sappy love story" and the right-to-die debate), disability advocacy groups have protested the film's premieres because of the ending and portrayal of disabled people.

The message of the film is that disability is tragedy and disabled people are better off dead, anti-assisted suicide and disability activist Ellen Clifford told BuzzFeed News. It comes from a dominant narrative carried by society and the mainstream media that says it is a terrible thing to be disabled.

Despite initial praise for the movie's trailer, many critics are also panning the film as stereotypical "inspiration porn" where disabled or chronically ill people are sacrificed as pure plot device.

"In far too many cases, non-disabled writers and filmmakers seem to have no qualms about reducing disabled characters to victims or sources of inspiration (referred to as inspiration porn)," Emily Ladau wrote in Salon. "The movies tagline is: 'Live Boldly. Live Well. Just Live.' Yet, Will does quite the opposite. The entire premise rests on the belief that life with a disability is not worth living."

The film, starring Emilia Clark and Sam Clarifin, is rated PG-13.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.