At the beginning of The Woman in the Yard, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) is grieving. Dealing with the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy, shes frozen in bed, unwilling to get out from under the covers. Horror stories can often function this way, stifled by meditations on grief that can get stuck in a repetitive rut of sadness. But rather than becoming weighed down by that sorrow, The Woman in the Yard uses it as a guide. A compact 88-minute runtime, the single setting of an isolated farm in rural northern Georgia, and the choice to tell the story over the course of a single day and night all make up the foundation for an effective horror movie that thrives on constricting both its characters and its audience.The car accident that led to the death of her husband has also left Ramona with a severe leg injury and a slipping grasp on the needs of her teenage son Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and young daughter Annie (Estella Kahiha). So when an imposing figure draped in a black mourning veil suddenly appears within view of Ramonas front door and wont leave, its not so much a question of if the strangers appearance is related to the recent tragedy, but how. The Womans arrival is the latest in a growing list of problems that create a growing feeling of helplessness for Ramona: the wilting condolence flowers in the front room, the houses conspicuous lack of power, and the dead batteries in both the cell phone and the remaining working car. PlayTo its credit, The Woman in the Yard never strays too far from the gravitational pull of The Woman herself. This new looming visitor, whose sparse and cryptic threats are delivered from a chair plopped right in the grass near the homes winding driveway, is all it takes to sow uncertainty indoors. Ramona and Taylor butt heads over whether to handle this disturbance with a confrontation or hope that it simply goes away. Meanwhile, the ripple effects of the vacant seat at the dinner table even have Annie wondering how things would be better if only her dad could come back somehow. This is a tighter, more unforgiving horror story.There are some intriguing bits of visual trickery in the opening scenes, which is not exactly a surprise when it begins with a character saying I had the most amazing dream. But, somewhat atypically for a film set on a countryside farm, this is not a movie filled with lingering views of rolling landscapes or indulgent, sweeping looks at the past. The Woman herself is obscured not just by the veil over her head but the flares of sunlight that keep both Ramona and us from getting a good look at her. During this early stretch, this is a tighter, more unforgiving horror story that gets more unsettling the more thats withheld inside and around the edges of the frame.That focused approach delivers a back-to-basics success story for director Jaume Collet-Serra. Staying within a simple story of one womans struggle to protect whats left of her family allows him to reconnect with the strongest ideas and spirit of his early-career horror films (there are more than a few similarities here to 2009s Orphan) rather than his more recent and less acclaimed work, such as last years Netflix airport thriller Carry-On or 2022s Black Adam. After working in genres that often ask storytellers to stick to expectations, here he takes what could easily be a familiar tale of loss and uses those expectations to his own advantage.Sam Stefanaks script is an effective pairing to this simpler direction, revealing the details behind Ramonas recent tragedy without much unnecessary detail. Every element of her growing tension with her children everyday household disputes over who gets to drive the car or the quality of homework are all introduced in a way that theres little doubt what will become relevant in the final reckoning. Even if all those lines of dialogue prove to be more functional than they are about insight into these characters, the pace at which they arrive allows for some tender moments between mother and children that make it clear what this grieving family still stands to lose.Few actresses working today are better at holding the screen with silence and stillness.Much as this premise seems tailor-made for its directors instincts, it also has the ideal star to anchor the deeper emotional streaks. Few actresses working today are better at holding the screen with the silence and stillness that are some of Deadwylers greatest strengths as a performer. Many times only through her eyes, she shows Ramona perceiving the world through regret, anger, and an overwhelming need for normalcy. As Ramonas resolve begins to crumble, Deadwyler does the vital work of making sure that whether shes snapping at her kids, comforting them after an intense scare, or demanding that an intruder leave her property, this is all recognizably the same person. The Woman herself mostly hovers over the first half, but its not as if the story is waiting around until the mystery of her identity is solved. The Woman in the Yard works far better when its concerned with the familys reaction to whats happening outside rather than trying to get any specific answers. Its impressive how quickly and clearly it charts the way the Womans presence turns the family house into a cage. And without a working phone, the remote farm becomes a purely isolated zone, like something from the pre-industrial past. Collet-Serra makes effective use of subtle techniques, like a strategically placed mirror or a glimpse through a window. Sound is also a weapon here, with every movement of a knife, shutting of a drawer, or poke at a healing wound all delivered with an added layer of menace. The Woman in the Yard GalleryAs efficiently as Collet-Serra handles the setup, letting things exist in an unexplained gray area isnt exactly a strength (or even an interest) in his work. His sensibilities as a storyteller are too methodical and too meticulous for him to let ambiguity reign here. As it becomes clearer that the story is shifting from living in the unease of Ramona and her family toward a more physical confrontation, The Woman in the Yard does lose a little bit of the power of imagination. Despite some playful visual trickery as she breaks through the familys defenses, The Woman works better as a threat across a front yard than one thats within arms reach.Thats partly due to the fact that so many potential ideas for what The Woman might represent are floated that a reveal cant possibly live up to them all. Is she the manifestation of grief, as is so often the case with movies of this kind? (Parts of The Woman in the Yard play out like a decade-delayed answer to The Babadook.) Does she represent a kind of historical threat, more connected to the land this fixer-upper dream house sits on? Is she a stand-in for the financial and logistical problems that come from navigating the healthcare system after a tragic accident like Ramonas? The Woman in the Yard does work better when there is still hope that the answer wont come at the end of an explanatory monologue. The closer we get to a clear idea of who she truly is, the guardrails that give her power begin to fade away. At its best, though, The Woman in the Yard feels like the strongest installment of a modern anthology series, benefiting from the lived-in feel of a single place and a family struggling with the sorrow radiating from their surroundings. There is a clarity and urgency that leads to its tensest sequences, especially one in the family garage that helps set the last third in motion. While its less successful when it goes beyond this family and tries to tap into a more universal struggle, theres something admirable in what The Woman in the Yard is able to do within its own constraints. There will always be power in a story about people trying to make sense of the inexplicable happening right in front of them.

Pokemon TCG Pocket's recent expansion, Shining Revelry, just dropped this week. And while fans are enjoying the new line-up of shiny Pokemon cards in all the colors of the rainbow, there's one that's causing some division: a shiny Mewtwo ex card that's only available to players who pay $23 in real money.Here's what's going on: Mewtwo ex is a card that already exists in the game in several forms. It was added in the very first set, Genetic Apex, which has a "regular" version, an "immersive rare" version with Mewtwo bursting out of containment, and a "gold crown" version of Mewtwo against a gold background. All three versions have the exact same moves and power levels, so in a match, it doesn't matter which one you use. But they're all varying degrees of rare, so for those who want to "catch 'em all" so to speak, it's critical to track down all three.The Mewtwo ex in question here is another version of that same card, with the same effects. The difference is a cosmetic one: this Mewtwo ex is a "shiny", so it's green instead of pinkish, and has a different background. However, it also takes up a separate slot in your card collection in the new Shining Revelry expansion, meaning collectors need it if they want to 100% complete their collection.Here he is, in all his shiny glory:A screenshot of Pokemon TCG Pocket's new Mewtwo ex card.Unfortunately, the card is only available through one method: by paying $22.99 in real money for a shop bundle containing Poke Gold, a bunch of other Mewtwo-themed cosmetic items (like a coin, a playmat, etc), and the card itself. There's no other way to get it, not through packs or Wonder Pick or anything else.Some players are not reacting well to the news.Their frustration is understandable. Pokemon TCG Pocket has been out for several months now and has gone through four different expansions of varying sizes, as well as multiple events. While players who pay real money have up til now had certain advantages in terms of how fast they can grow their collections and other cosmetic rewards, this is the first time a card has been locked behind a gold bundle paywall. What's more, it's a bundle that's worth far more than the card by itself presumably would be, as it includes other items like currency.That said, some fans are rolling their eyes a bit at the controversy. Several have pointed out that the card is purely cosmetic - it doesn't do anything different from the other Mewtwo exes you can obtain, and if you don't toggle on a certain option in your settings, you can't even see it's missing from your collection. Others are pointing out that in the past, certain other promo cards have been locked behind having a Premium membership, which is itself a monthly paid subscription (albeit $12/mo, with other benefits).Probably the biggest concern from players, though, is the slippery slope of it all. If Pokemon TCG Pocket is willing to gate a Mewtwo ex this way, will it gate other cards? What if the game eventually starts locking brand new cards with new effects behind paywalls, effectively requiring players to pay money if they want that specific effect in their decks? Even though there's no sign of that happening just yet, some are still concerned that, with time, it may.IGN reached out to The Pokemon Company for comment on this change, the criticism, and the possibility of future cards being behind paywalls.Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

If youve been holding out hope that Apple might soon release a new mini version of the iPhone, its time to move on. Bloombergs Mark Gurman reports that Apple has no plans to release another iPhone mini device. During a Q&A with Bloomberg subscribers this week, Gurman was asked about the possibility of Apple releasing something similar to the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini. He responded: You know, well see what the market tells Apple. Right now theyre not working on anything. Theyre not working on a smaller iPhone right now. Theyve really shifted away. Theyre trying to make that, you know, roughly 6-inch display that is the base size, and theyre just trying to go bigger and bigger and bigger. And the bigger you go, the smaller the 6-inch phones feel.This doesnt come as a surprise. There were no previous indications that Apple was working on a new iPhone mini form factor. Nonetheless, theres a vocal (and I mean vocal) minority of iPhone users out there who want that size-class to return, so this report will crush some dreams. Apple introduced the iPhone 12 mini with a 5.4-inch screen in 2020 and followed it up with the iPhone 13 mini the following year. With the iPhone 14 lineup in 2022, however, Apple abandoned the mini form factor and replaced it with the iPhone 14 Plus. The iPhone 13 mini remained a product in Apples lineup as a lower-cost option until 2023 when it was discontinued once and for all.This year, the iPhone 16 Plus is expected to be replaced by the all-new, ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. It seems apparent that neither the mini nor Plus strategies panned out like Apple had hoped. Do you think Apple should make another iPhone mini device? Let us know in the comments. My favorite iPhone accessories: Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

In Egypt's Red Sea, a crew on a sightseeing submarine tour managed to escape when the vessel began sinking even though some of the tourists on board were not so lucky.As theBBC reports, authorities are questioning the crew of the Sindbad submarine after it foundered during a coral reef tour near the beach town of Hurghada in southeastern Egypt.Of the 45 passengers on board the vessel, six tourists including two children died during the sinking, and nine more were injured. When authorities came to rescue the sinking sub, 39 people and five crew members were saved, the report notes. Two of the tourists who died were a married couple of doctors, and their daughters, devastatingly, are in the hospital in critical condition.According to statements from Red Sea governor Amr Hanafy, the Sindbad's crew were all Egyptian and its passengers hailed from India, Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Somehow, only Russians died during the incident, and it remains unclear what happened.Unlike the Oceangate debacle from nearly two years ago, the Sindbad Submarines company seemingly had a strong reputation, and had been in operation in the Red Sea resort town for years. According to Hanafy, the sub was licensed and its head crew member had gotten all the right certificates to operate it which makes the tragic incident all the stranger.Tragically, this is not the first maritime tragedy to strike the Red Sea in recent months.In late November, the BBC notes, the "Sea Story" tourist yacht capsized with more than 40 people on board while sailing near the resort town of Marsa Alam located about 200 miles up the coast from Hurghada. As Dive Magazine noted, it took 36 hours to rescue the yacht's surviving passengers, and four bodies were pulled from the wrecked yacht. Seven are still missing, and presumed dead.Between the orca attacks and the headlines about ships and subs sinking, it's a wonder that anyone who doesn't have to is taking to the sea but then again, flying's not much better lately, either.More on seafaring: Dolphins Appear as Astronauts Splash Down in OceanShare This Article

Remember the potential "city killer" asteroid we were all freaking out about, 2024 YR4? Initially predicted with a small but unsettling chance of hitting our planet seven years from now, astronomers eventually ruled out that apocalyptic outcome once they were able to get better observations.But the saga's not over. 2024 YR4 will be back for another pass, Athabasca University astronomer Martin Connors writes in an and there'll be others like it.As Connors explains, YR4 exhibits what's known as "orbital resonance" with Jupiter, meaning that it moves at a multiple of the speed of the gas giant. While Jupiter takes roughly 12 years to orbit the Sun, asteroids like YR4 only take four, putting it in a 3:1 resonance.The upshot, in an "Armageddon" context, is that resonant asteroids close enough to cross Earth's orbit will have multiple attempts to hit the bullseye."Among asteroids, we must pay special attention to resonant ones, such as 2024 YR4, because eventually, they'll be back," Connors wrote.The 3:1 resonance with Jupiter is special, because for a century it appeared that there were no asteroids in the asteroid belt that exhibited this pattern, as well as at other seemingly arbitrary resonances like 5:2 and 7:3.Astronomers began to pull back the curtain on this phenomenon, dubbed Kirkwood gaps, in the 1970s. Any asteroids that ventured into these specific resonances, they determined, would either crash into an inner planet like Earth or be booted out by flying too close to them, giving the appearance of a "gap."As it turned out, the Kirkwood gaps weren't completely empty. A whole classification of asteroids called "Alindas" was recognized for objects in a 3:1 resonance with Jupiter, Connors wrote. They're named after the absolutely enormous asteroid 887 Alinda, first discovered in 1918. At roughly 2.5 miles across, 887 Alinda would cause an extinction-level catastrophe if it struck Earth. In January, it menaced us with its closest approach in one hundred years.Not all Alindas are aligned to cross paths with our planet, however. "A limiting factor is how tilted their orbits are: if they are quite tilted, they are not often at a 'height' matching Earth's, so are less likely to hit," Connors explained. "The bad news about that is that both Alinda and 2024 YR4 are very nearly in the plane of Earth's orbit, and are not tilted much, so are more likely to hit."Fortunately, it'll be a long, long while before Alinda will have a chance of nearing Earth not for another 1,000 years, according to Connors.As for 2024 YR4, it'll whiff its chance to take a city off the map in 2032. And after it does, it'll be nudged out of its Alinda orbit that is, its 3:1 resonance with Jupiter and 1:4 resonance with Earth by passing too closely. That means it won't be haunting us every four years anymore. But humiliation is often the stuff that forges a villain, and it'll still come back. Just not as often.More on asteroids: First-Ever Asteroid Mining Mission Loses Contact With EarthShare This Article

Were Loop Support! A forward-thinking staffing agency partnering with innovative companies that prioritize exceptional customer care and operational excellence. Our clients are redefining industries by combining compassion, strategy, and innovation.Were currently hiring for a Pre-Planning Sales Representative on behalf of our clienta contemporary funeral home serving families in Southern California. If you're someone who thrives in relationship-based sales and is passionate about helping others prepare for the future, we want to hear from you!This role is open to candidates worldwide, with the exception of the United States.What Youll Do:As a Pre-Planning Sales Representative, youll play a vital role in helping families plan for their future funeral and cremation needs with empathy and professionalism. Your core responsibilities will include:Proactively reaching out to prospective customers through outbound sales strategies.Educating families on the importance of pre-planning and guiding them through each step of the decision-making process.Building trust, rapport, and long-term relationships while confidently handling objections.Managing a structured sales pipeline and ensuring consistent follow-ups.Using a mix of calls, texts, and emails to engage leads and move them toward a decision.What Were Looking For:Were looking for motivated, compassionate, and persuasive sales professionals who thrive in an independent remote work environment. The ideal candidate will have:Sales experience.(Required) Relationship-based sales experience (real estate, insurance, wealth management, memberships) is a strong plus.A persuasive and confident communication style, with the ability to close deals. (Required)Fluency in English (spoken and written). (Required)Availability to work PST hours. (Required)A stable internet connection and a reliable computer setup. (Required)Strong organizational skills and self-motivation to manage a sales pipeline independently.A positive and professional attitude with a customer-first mindset.A quiet, distraction-free home office.Why Apply?Fully remote: Work from anywhere (outside the US).Competitive Compensation: Earn up to $20/hr: Includes base pay plus performance-based bonuses. Final rate depends on experience.Growth opportunity: Be part of a fast-growing, mission-driven team.Supportive leadership: Work alongside experienced professionals who are passionate about innovation and development.Next Steps How to ApplyIf youre ready to make a meaningful impact and grow your sales career, wed love to meet you!Click "Apply Now" to fill out our application form.You will then be asked to take a sales assessment!If qualified, youll be invited to move forward in the interview process.Help families plan with peace of mindapply today!

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March 28, 20254 min readCOVID Research Funding to Be Slashed, NIH Documents ShowStudies on COVID, climate change and South Africa are on the latest list of terminated grants by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, according to updated documents obtained by NatureBy Max Kozlov & Nature magazine Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (greenish brown) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (pink), isolated from a patient sample. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/FlickrThe US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have begun cancelling billions of dollars in funding for research related to COVID-19.COVID-19 research funds were issued for a limited purpose: to ameliorate the effects of the pandemic, according to an internal NIH document that Nature has obtained and that provides the agencys staff members with updated guidance on how to terminate these grants. Now that the pandemic is over, the grant funds are no longer necessary, the document states. It is not clear how many of these grants will be ended.The crackdown comes as the NIH, under US President Donald Trump, has halted nearly 400 grants in the past month. An earlier version of the documents, obtained by Nature on 5 March, directed staff to identify and potentially cancel projects on transgender populations; gender identity; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the scientific workforce; and environmental justice.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The NIH, which is the worlds largest public funder of biomedical research, has awarded grants to nearly 600 ongoing projects that include COVID in the title, worth nearly US$850 million. Together, these projects make up nearly 2% of the NIHs $47-billion budget. And the CDC plans to cancel $11.4 billion in funds for pandemic response, NBC News reports.SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has killed more than 7 million people globally, including more than 1.2 million in the United States, and continues to infect and kill people. Studying the virus, its mode of infection and the governments response to the pandemic is crucial to preventing the next one, say scientists.Among the terminations at the NIH is a $577-million programme to identify and develop antiviral drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and six other types of virus with pandemic potential.These terminations are clearly shortsightedwe desperately need new treatments against viruses, says Jason McLellan, a structural virologist at the University of Texas, Austin, whose project to develop broad-spectrum treatments that work against several types of virus was part of the programme and terminated on 24 March. To cancel the entire grant because a small portion involved SARS-CoV-2 is going to be dangerous for future pandemic preparedness.The NIH did not respond to Natures queries about the grant terminations or scientists concerns about them. Its parent organization, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told Nature that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.Updated guidanceThe updated documents that Nature obtained (see Supplementary Information below) were sent on 25 March to grants-management specialistsNIH staff members who oversee the business side of awarding funding. This document includes COVID-19 on a list of research activities that NIH no longer supports, in addition to research on China, DEI, transgender issues and vaccine hesitancy. The latest guidance also says that grants related to South Africa and climate change should be terminated.The document also outlines a new category of research that should be terminated: any project on a list sent by the NIH director or the HHS, which is currently helmed by long-time anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Such large-scale grant terminations are unprecedented; the agency typically cancels only a few dozen projects each year in response to serious concerns about research misconduct or fraudand does so only as a last resort, after taking other actions such as suspension.Grants-management specialists will be tasked with identifying and terminating projects, because the NIHs current leadership considers its scientific staff members too biased to make these determinations, says an NIH official who requested anonymity because they werent authorized to speak to the press.But some scientists fear that the guidance for NIH employees is too vague and that any research project associated with certain keywords could be on the chopping block without consideration of its merit. Theyve been taking a chainsaw to grants and not a surgical laser, says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, who studies SARS-CoV-2.Long COVIDUnder the new directive, its unclear whether the NIH plans to shut down long-COVID research, including its $1.6-billion RECOVER initiative, which aims to find the root causes and treatments for the disease. The Trump administration seems to be deprioritizing long COVID: this week, the HHS will close its Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, which coordinates the US governments response to the disease, according to e-mail correspondence that Nature has obtained.This is a real slap in the face of the many patients struggling with the long-term health effects of COVID infections, says Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.Kennedy has vowed to make America healthy again, in part by overhauling US health agencies to focus on chronic diseases. This wholesale crackdown on COVID research is not in the spirit of the campaign, Nuzzo says. We should be studying how infections cause some of the worst diseases that society endures, she says, adding that research has linked infection with a common herpesvirus called EpsteinBarr to the development of multiple sclerosis.Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, who studies immune responses in people with long COVID and other post-viral conditions, says: If we dont figure this out now with this pandemic, Im afraid we will be much less prepared for future pandemics.This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on March 26, 2025.

In ADs exploration of beautiful homes across the world, one common thread is a statement Moroccan rug anchoring the living spaces. Beni Rugs has specialized in this very same style since launching their brand of fair trade rugs in 2018each one a celebration of artisanal traditions in Morocco, where pieces are handwoven by local craftspeople.The blue and green TIM-0312 creates a neutral foundation for cognac leather office furniture.The COV-0702 drapes over a desk, onto the PRO-0220.The founders, Robert Wright and Tiberio Lobo-Navia, are especially interested in Moroccan rugs as canvases for storytelling and cultural representation. So when considering how they might approach a new collection, they searched for designers with the same ethos and eventually tapped Paris- and Marrakech-based Studio KO for the job, the architecture firm AD previously named the architecture firm everyone will be talking about for their design of the Muse Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech.PRO-0220 hangs as an office backdrop.As a firm, theyve become known for what weve called their sumptuous and minimalist style, which organically feature lots of Berber rugs in their interiors so they certainly understood the assignment here. With Beni, says Studio KOs Karl Fournier, we share a common love for Moroccos exceptional and vibrant craftsmanship. The fact that both of us are foreigners in an unfamiliar land has brought us closer together.LIN-0244 hangs above paper debris.ROMAIN LAPRADECEN-0124 is draped over a lacquered desk.ROMAIN LAPRADEThe collaboration, named Intersection, considers these Beni Ourain rugs as cultural recordings, or artifacts of a specific time and place, in the same way that spreadsheets or a weathered journal entry might convey meaning and cultural context within each individual page.The campaign for the collection depicts the rugs in a dilapidated officecpapers askew, cabinets ajaras if to show their permanence despite the passing of time. Fournier told AD the collection demonstrates the intersection, hence the name, of certain Western archetypes with traditional Moroccan craftsmanship. We wanted to illustrate the encounter between our two cultures and how they can communicate, how something utilitarian here can become an abstract pattern over there.