No drumstick ice cream treats for us, at least in the near future. Nestlé has recalled its Drumstick ice cream after traces of listeria were found where the product is made. The affected products include the 16-count variety pack and the 24-count vanilla pack. No illnesses have been reported yet.
The ice cream was shipped nationally. For product codes and more information see the FDA's recall notice.
If you happen to have this ice cream, do not eat it. Throw it out or return it to the store where you purchased it. For more information, contact Nestlé consumer services at 800-681-1676 or email Nestleproductinquiry@casupport.com.
It's a boy for the Victoria's Secret model and her fiancé Hermann Nicoli. Swanepoel's photographer friend Jerome Duran spilled the beans on Instagram Friday, posting a picture taken during the first-time mom's pregnancy and welcoming her son Anacã to the world.
The following day, 27-year-old Swanepoel shared a sweet black and white photo of her newborn on her own Instagram account, revealing that Anacan (Anacã) was born Oct. 5.
According to the Daily Mail, Swanepoel has named her baby boy after a Brazilian word for "bird." It's believed that the model announced the name at her safari-themed baby shower back in August.
The gender of the baby is no surprise, either. Swanepoel shared a stunning Instagram picture in May of her growing baby bump with the caption: "my not so little boy."
Little Anacã isn't the first Victoria's Secret baby to be born in 2016. Swanepoel's fellow angel, Behati Prinsloo, welcomed her first child with singer Adam Levine last month — a baby girl they named Dusty Rose.
But did one of the show's actors already give it away?
Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie on the show, appeared at New York Comic Con this week, and as she delivered a speech about TWD, she became visibly choked up. Now, a lot of fans are speculating that she was so emotional because her character is about to be killed off by Negan, meaning she's leaving the cast.
"You all have been on such a huge journey with us," Cohan said as she started to cry. "Thank you for caring about our show and for getting mad when you don’t know things. This is larger than our lives; this is larger than our show. This is such a privilege. This is such a great thing."
There is still the possibility that, like in the comic book series, Negan is going to kill Glenn. It would account for Cohan's emotion — she and Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn, have spent a ton of time together playing the couple on screen. They must be close, so maybe she got choked up at the thought of losing a close friend on set.
Still, there's evidence supporting the fan theory that Maggie is Negan's victim. As fans have noticed, Cohan hasn't been seen much on set, and her Twitter account hasn't had many mentions of TWD, something that would be expected if she's going to die in the first few minutes of the premiere.
There's something about scented candles that just scream fall (and make life worth living again). And while we know that's totally something a basic bitch would say, we think appreciating life's basicness can make it a little more sweet. What we're trying to say is — if you love fall and all of its delicious scents and are sick of spending an arm and a leg at candle parties, you can learn to make the same yummy scented candles at home.
Where to begin? Start by following this easy tutorial to learn how to make your own candles. Then you can blend your favorite scents and colors to come up with your own one-of-a-kind candle concoctions. The best part? They're perfect for decorating your own home, and they make beautiful personalized gifts.
How to make scented candles
Supplies:
Wax flakes
Pre-waxed candle wicks
Containers for candles
Nontoxic crayon or candle color block
Essential oils
Glass container
Saucepan or pot
Skewers or chopsticks
Tape
Stove
Scissors
Directions:
Note: You’ll want to start off by cleaning your glass containers. Using regular dish soap will do the job; just make sure you dry them thoroughly when you’re done.
Step 1: Setting up your wicks
Image: Eileen Chow/SheKnows
To set up the candlewicks in your containers, you’ll want to lay the metal piece flat against the bottom. Then, use your chopsticks/skewers to hold up the wicks, and tape the ends of the chopsticks to keep everything in place.
Measure out the amount of candle wax flakes you’ll need for each of your containers. The rule of thumb is two times the amount of wax flakes to fill each container.
Step 3: Melting the wax
Image: Eileen Chow/SheKnows
Fill a saucepan with water to about the halfway mark. Place your measured amount of wax flakes in the glass container. Then place the glass container in the saucepan. Be sure the water level is low enough, so it won’t splash into the wax flakes when it starts to boil. Turn your stove on to medium-high, and use a metal spoon to stir occasionally.
This is an optional step. Your candles will come out a naturally milky white, but if you’d like to add a little color, you can use a nontoxic crayon or candle color block. I typically use 1/8-inch of red crayon per 16-ounces of wax flakes to get a soft pastel color. Want a brighter color? Use a little bit more, only adding color a bit at a time. Like food coloring, a small amount goes a long way. Simply melt your color along with your wax flakes. Warning: The color will look a lot brighter in the melted mixture but will turn a milky color as it cools.
Once all the wax is completely melted, remove the wax mixture from the stove. My rule of thumb is 10 drops of essential oil per 16 ounces of wax. It makes for a moderately scented candle. Use less or more depending on taste, and feel free to experiment and mix oils to create a scent of your own. Add the measured amount of essential oil to your wax mixture and give it a good stir to make sure it’s well mixed.
Step 6: Pouring the wax
Image: Eileen Chow/SheKnows
Make sure your containers are in a good location where they won’t need to be moved for a few hours. Then slowly pour your melted wax mixture into your containers.
Allow 3 to 4 hours for your candles to cool and solidify. It’s best to let them solidify at room temperature, so the cooling process is gradual. This prevents cracks in the wax.
Three Thursdays ago, I lied to my 5-year-old daughter about seeing a therapist for the last time. She was getting ready for bed, pulling her zebra-print nightgown over her head, when she asked why Daddy would be reading her a story that night — a hiccup in our usual routine.
“I have to go to the store,” I answered. I rested my gaze on a point on the wall somewhere above her head. It makes no difference that she's a kindergartner who believes her legs will one day morph into fins when the Great Mermaid Goddess up in the sky deems her worthy of discovering her true calling in life. When you lie to your child, you feel their little eyes burning truth rays through your skin.
"But it’s night out, Mom," she said. "What do you need to get? Can I come? Why can’t you go tomorrow?”
All valid questions — all questions I couldn’t answer because I wasn’t, of course, headed to Walmart to stock up on cans of tuna. I was going to see my therapist, just as I had been doing (on and off) since age 21 to prevent my head from commanding my body to lose weight just for the sport of it. As World Mental Health Day loomed in the distance, serving as the critical reminder we need to approach mental health issues without shame, I began to wonder whether I wasn't doing my daughter a huge disservice not owning my problems completely by being completely honest with her.
That night though, I muttered something senseless to my daughter and rushed out the door, feeling a weight grow heavy in my stomach. I knew it was only a matter of time before she would no longer accept my lies, but having children doesn’t automatically mean you become comfortable enough with your own truth to share it.
I developed an eating disorder when I was 12. At the time, my parents were deciding if they liked each other enough to stick it out, and I was beginning to equate power with toying with my body and subtracting calories from my daily diet. Losing weight was easy for me, and judging by the many TV commercials for Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and Suzanne Somers workout videos, I quickly learned this wasn't the case for everyone. I had zero control over anything in my life with the exception of molding my own pubescent body into whatever shape and form I chose. Since this was in the ‘90s, an era when Kate Moss and heroin chic were the stars of my imaginary mood board, their sinewy bodies, absent of most signs of womanly sexual development, were my ultimate goal.
Fast-forward 20 years. My daughter is just seven years younger than I was when I got hip to the “tricks” that those who suffer from EDs have committed to memory. Eat cereal in a cup, never a bowl. Drink lots of water every hour to fill up your stomach. Peppermint helps control your appetite. Before flushing food down the toilet, be sure to smear some of it on a plate so your parents will think you’ve eaten.
There’s a bottomless magician’s hat of tricks. They take up space in your head where great works of literature, political facts and all of your observations about nature and humankind should reside. And it sickens me to think my kindergartner, who lives for gymnastics, soccer and the color purple, could one day be robbed of both the joy and of the sadness that real life offers because of a preoccupation with body image. Living within the shell of an eating disorder is like starring in your own version of Memento. It can take years to learn how to begin living outside your head again, and it's so easy to forget. It’s a lesson you repeatedly have to learn each morning when you wake up.
I’ve remained the same healthy weight for 15 years now, but for me, therapy is a non-negotiable part of life. It’s one of the tools I need to explore those parts of my head that continue to think starving is success. Starving is my personal survival technique when confronting my own mortality and the enormity of a universe I don’t understand. Therapy is a lifeline to the rational world. Most important, now that I’m a mom with two little ones, it’s added insurance that I won’t pass my eating disorder on to my daughter — or son.
Between the last Thursday I lied to my daughter and the first Thursday I showed her that piece of myself I prefer to squirrel away, I thought a lot about what it means to hide your mental illness from your kids. I imagined her growing up and feeling anxious, depressed or empowered when she skipped meals, and then feeling alone and like there was no outlet to which she could turn. I could change that with just a few honest words. I could begin to show her that treating your mental wounds and preventing new ones is like going to the doctor when you’re sick; it’s like taking a daily Frozen multivitamin.
“Are you going to the store again?” she asked after dinner the following Thursday.
“No,” I said and looked straight into her dark blue eyes. “I’m going to therapy.”
“Physical therapy?” (Thanks, Doc McStuffins).
I explained how therapy was a place where you could talk to someone about things that make you sad, angry and even so happy you don't have words for them. “You can just call it therapy."
Her eyes widened. “Oh. Is it fun? It sounds fun.”
I want to tell her that, actually, it's the worst — the absolute worst. It can make you question your intentions and the motivations of those around you. There are nights when it leaves me kicking and screaming in my head and wanting so badly to hold colored veils over the people I thought I knew and the person I assumed I was. I want to explain how unfair but liberating it is to realize those veils have suddenly vanished and can never return.
But she's 5, and for now, I simply say, "Yes. It can be fun to learn about yourself."
This is how we start talking about ourselves to our kids and teaching them to accept themselves. It doesn’t require lengthy, meaningful confessions and platitudes about life while sitting around the kitchen table over cups of chamomile tea. It just takes self-acceptance and honesty on a Thursday evening. Little by little, I’ll teach my daughter everything about my eating disorder in the hopes that she will one day do everything in her power to choose a different path.
He started from the bottom, now he's here — and we still haven't figured out what this explosive Canadian rapper is all about. And it's not for lack of trying. Maybe it's because Drake seemed to get famous overnight, and his fans are scrambling to catch up on his success.
Drake's chart-topping hits continue to catch our ear year after year, but even his revealing rhymes don't answer the question: Who's the guy behind those dark and smoldery eyes?
In October 2016, Drake set the record for most AMA nominations. He raked in 13 noms — beating Michael Jackson's 11 nominations from 1984. Drake's nominated for Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Rap Artist and more. And if he wins just one award, it'll be his first AMA win ever.
2. Drake rose to fame as a Canadian TV star
Drake joined the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2001, when he was only 15 years old. He played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who had to use a wheelchair after being shot.
Drake is actually his middle name. And we get it — Aubrey Graham just isn't a great rapper name, TBH.
4. He's the biggest chart topper — for men
It's not just all talk and humble brags. As of August 2016, the indomitable Drake has spent 46 consecutive weeks on the top 10 singles chart, setting a new record for male artists. Before Drake broke the mold, The Weeknd was close behind at 45 consecutive weeks in 2015.
While many people remember the infamous fight between Chris Brown and Drake at a nightclub, not as many people remember the reason for the fight. "It's embarrassing, the amount of media coverage,” he said, according to the New York Daily News. “Two rappers fighting over the woman. He's not even a rapper, but still, it's the last way you want your name out there. It distracts from the music. But he's made me the enemy, and that's the way it's gonna stay, I guess."
When Drake spoke with GQ magazine in 2013 about his relationship with Rihanna, he said that he realized he'd never loved her.
"I had lunch the other day with someone I extremely look up to. I had lunch with Will Smith, and listening to him talk, it made me think I don't know what love is," he told GQ. "He said something profound. He said love is when you become one and you need that person. It's not about wanting any more — you need that person. Hearing that, I don't know if I've ever felt that way."
7. He's a good skater
Hailing from Canada, does this even come as a surprise? Drake's a triple threat in the music, acting and (maybe) dancing department, and now he can add ice-skating to his showbiz resume. One of Drake's sources confirmed that he took Rihanna ice-skating on a friendly type of date to help her work on her moves. Swoon.
And by weird, we mean weirdly wonderful. If it's not an internet tidal wave of playful haters poking fun at Drake's "Hotline Bling" dad dancing, it's hilarious fans who aspire to combine their love of rap with their love of baked goods. Just recently, a Drake-inspired foodie Instagram account surfaced, featuring adorable little cakes decorated with his song lyrics. (Because YOLO.)
Speaking of "Hotline Bling" (only the funniest meme fodder to hit the interwebs in 2015), Drake's viral dad dance may be an actual reflection of how he gets down in real life. MTV caught Drake awkwardly dancing to a courtside beat at the L.A. Clippers game that same year, and fans have witnessed plenty of his "unique" dance moves at his live shows.
10. He is Canadian
Drake was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1986 (and even played hockey as a child).
Canadian whiskey, Canadian rapper— surely you can see where this is heading. When Drake posted the first look at his new whiskey to his Instagram account, he was met with an overwhelming response. If all goes well, Drake's latest business venture, Virginia Black Whiskey, could be the new rap spirit of choice, though the word is still out on whether or not Drake's whiskey is actually Canadian.
13. He has appeared in children’s programs, including Ice Age: Continental Drift
Drake is not only still acting but he is doing some voice acting as well. He appeared in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, as Ethan, the young mammoth.
14. He started his rap career through a series of mixtapes
Drake began making mixtapes in 2006 and started gaining national attention. He was featured on BET and was supported by rappers Kanye West, Jay Z and Lil Wayne. He was finally signed to Universal Motown in 2009.
15. It runs in the family
Where did Drake get his ridiculous rap talent from? While he was raised by his single mother in Canada, his musical prowess might be all in the family. Drake's father, Dennis Graham, was a drummer who played with Jerry Lee Lewis, and Drake's uncle Larry Graham also played bass for Prince.
16. He has written songs for artists such as Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx
Drake has won numerous awards for his songwriting abilities. He wrote "Un-Thinkable" for Alicia Keys and co-wrote "Fall For Your Type" for Jamie Foxx.
Drake admitted back in 2010 that Nicki Minaj was his inspiration for "Un-Thinkable." He told MTV in 2010 about his crush.
"I've always really, actually, really had a crush on her, always really loved her, and she's always just looked at me as, like, her little brother," he said.
Drake was videotaped outside the Heat’s locker room after their victory in Game 7 of the NBA finals on June 20, 2013. The video shows Drake being denied access because he didn’t have a media pass.
19. He has a thing for gorgeous pools
Before he was a big deal, Drake spent a lot of time Googling epic residential pools and dreaming of his "someday" mansion when he made it big. Drake finally bought his first home in L.A. after becoming a multimillionaire. The home, worth $7.7 million, came with one of the same beautiful pools Drake had seen while Googling — with an 80-foot waterslide, flat-screen TVs in the grotto, elk statues and flame-spitting iron torches. Drake's property was aptly named "YOLO Estate."
As if you needed one more reason to dig on Drake beyond his mad music skills, he's known for taking time out of his busy schedule to give back. While this story only adds fuel to the ongoing Drake-and-Rihanna rumor mill, the pair posted a picture of themselves visiting a fan who had cancer (and was also a Drake superfan), following Drake's surprise cameo at Rihanna's concert in Miami.
According to Drake's No. 1 fan, Megan, the visit was the "best day of [her] life."
The Glee and 30 Rock star and his husband, Jason Landau, shared their new baby joy on Instagram on Friday, with adorable images of their newborn twins, daughter Willow and son Ethan.
Willow is an English baby girl name derived from the willow tree, which is believed to have magical powers. It's been a popular choice in literature throughout the years, from Shakespeare to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter. Other celeb parents who've chosen Willow include Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Michelle Monaghan and Pink. The name hit an all-time top spot on the U.S. baby name chart last year at No. 111, and is even more popular in other English-speaking countries, featuring in the top 50 in Scotland, New Zealand and Australia in 2015.
Ethan is a Hebrew name meaning "strong, firm" and is currently the 6th most popular baby boy name in the U.S. It's one of those classic names that still appeals as a modern choice, with famous bearers from history (revolutionary war hero Ethan Allen), literature (Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome) and the acting world (Ethan Hawke). Pop culture references include the wolf on Teen Wolf, Tom Cruise's character in the Mission Impossible movie series and the main character in the Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal video games. As well as being hugely popular in the U.S., Ethan also features in the top 25 baby boy name charts in England, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand.
Just over a year after marrying Formula One boss Christian Horner, 44-year-old Geri Halliwell has revealed her pregnancy. The former Spice Girls singer, who is already mom to 10-year-old daughter Bluebell from a previous relationship, shared a cryptic Instagram yesterday — a picture of a double rainbow with the caption, "It's a sign!"
She didn't leave fans speculating for too long though, and posted another image today, which left them in no doubt of her happy baby news. Alongside a sketch of a heavily pregnant woman are the words, "God Bless Mother Nature" (a line from Halliwell's single "It's Raining Men") with the hashtag #mamaspice.
Late last year, Halliwell admitted that she and Horner, who married in May 2015, would love a child together, and would even consider adoption. Horner already has a 3-year-old daughter from his ex-partner Beverley Allen.
In July, Halliwell and fellow Spice Girls Mel B and Emma Bunton announced that they planned to reunite without Mel C or Victoria Beckham under the name GEM. The threesome have allegedly confirmed a comeback gig at London's Hyde Park in July 2017 to celebrate 21 years of the Spice Girls, but who knows how Halliwell's announcement could affect their plans?
At 44, Halliwell is older than the average mom-to-be, but she's certainly not alone. Plenty of celebrity mamas — and regular ones — have given birth after 40. We wish Halliwell a happy, healthy pregnancy and look forward to the arrival of the new Spice baby!
There's one ingredient that can take your average cocktail from pretty delicious to next-level, and you've probably guessed that it's fresh herbs. Muddle 'em, mince 'em or garnish with 'em, but you're going to notice a huge difference when you use herbs to "freshen" up your favorite drink.
Next time you're at the market or store, don't forget to pick up some fresh and fragrant herbs that are in season. Your taste buds will thank you later.
Is there any flavor combo more summery than raspberry and lemon? Add fresh mint and prosecco, and you have the ideal cocktail for lounging by the pool.
Among all the racism, misogyny, bigotry, sexism and now two complete train wreck debate performances, it's hard to believe anyone out there is still supporting Donald Trump for president. Even in his own party, prominent politicians have been yanking their endorsements left and right since audio was released exposing Trump actually bragging about sexually assaulting women.
Plenty of major celebs have been anti-Trump throughout the race, and some of them got together to record a celebrity Get Out the Vote ad, including Robert De Niro. Only, what De Niro had to say about Trump was so ugly, it wasn't included in the video, and no one saw it — until today, when it leaked online.
The footage was released by Fox News, oddly enough. In the clip, De Niro calls Trump every name under the sun.
"He’s so blatantly stupid," De Niro says. "He’s a punk, he’s a dog, he’s a pig, he’s a con, a bullshit artist. A mutt who doesn’t know what he’s talking about, doesn’t do his homework, doesn’t care, thinks he’s gaming society, doesn’t pay his taxes."
What's especially poignant about De Niro's words is that they're some of the same things Trump's called women in the past: dogs and pigs.
De Niro continues, "He's an idiot. Colin Powell said it best: He's a national disaster. He's an embarrassment to this country. It makes me so angry that this country has gotten to this point that this fool, this bozo, has wound up where he has. He talks about how he wants to punch people in the face. Well, I'd like to punch him in the face."
"This is someone we want for president?" De Niro says. "I don't think so. What I care about is the direction of this country. What I'm very, very worried about is that it might go in the wrong direction with someone like Donald Trump."
What's all this fuss I hear about potty training? Parents talk about it like it's tough or something. Personally, after having three kids close together and successfully potty training them all, I found it to be life-enriching. I totally believe that if you can't see the beauty in the experience, you are not trying hard enough.
Just look at all the positives...
1. You now have new things to talk about with your partner
You have no idea how much you are going to talk about bowel movements, urine and dirty underwear until your children start potty training. Happily for you, that means no more staring at each other across the table in silence during dinner. Instead, you’ll regale each other with all the tales of triumph and despair. You will celebrate your kid’s first successful poop in a potty that's not at your house with the same enthusiasm that you once reserved for promotions and holidays.
2. You get to see new and amazing things
You thought you had seen it all, but after seeing your kid wipe for the first time, you realize the world truly is a place full of wonder and terror. Seriously, she could be the next Picasso.
Isn’t it better that your child finds out about hypocrisy at home instead of at some stranger’s house? We all reach our breaking point, when we can’t deal with potty training on a hectic day or we can no longer be a prisoner in our own homes. Your child will only be a little confused when you strap that diaper back on his bum after telling him 548 times he is a big boy now and he doesn’t need diapers anymore.
4. You get something new to complain about with your friends
The next time your friends ask you how you’re doing, you can add some fresh anecdotes to your roster of topics. Wiping butts and changing the sheets every morning? Congratulations — you have just unlocked a new level on the list of topics all moms can complain about together on play dates.
5. You now have a new accessory
The potty seat must travel with you wherever you go. Just to keep things exciting, you get to add one more thing to keep track of as you are trying to make it out the door on time. You are now sporting this year's latest model in potty-training gear along with your designer purse and diaper bag. Congratulations!
6. You get to try all the latest underwear styles
Having a hard time deciding between Captain America or dinosaur undies for your kid? Good news! This is your time to indulge your shopaholic side. Go ahead. Buy them both. You are going to need them. You will go through 2,000 pairs of undies in an afternoon, so stock up. Don't even try to fight it.
You can now show your children that everything does, in fact, have more than one use. Like those empty bottles in the recycling bin that can now be thrown into the car during long road trips just in case your son really has to go, but cannot wait until the next pit stop. Bonus: This also improves your child’s aim.
8. Deep-cleaning becomes your cardio
Chances are, you will need to deep-clean the prized oriental rug, the curtains and the grout in the bathroom. You are sure to work up a good sweat in the process. Everyone will be jealous of your girlish figure.
Lopez and Anthony split in 2011, and they pretty much had the most amicable divorce of all time. They're still great friends who support each other both personally and professionally, like when Lopez surprised Anthony during one of his concerts in August to sing "No Me Ames," a song they wrote and produced together back in the '90s. She later posted a photo on Instagram, calling Anthony "familia" even though they've been divorced for five years.
And they still combine their professional talents and create together, which is great for them but also for the rest of the world, because their music is fire.
First, they worked together on "No Me Ames." Since then, they've collabed on a whole bunch of singles, and Anthony had a huge hand in Lopez's 2007 Spanish album Como Ama una Mujer.
Now they're working together again on an entire album — Lopez's second Spanish album — which is being executive produced by Anthony and his recording company, Magnus Media. They'll reportedly be dropping their first single from the new album next month, and the full album is set for release sometime in 2017. We seriously can't wait.
"I am so excited and really looking forward to this new musical journey and to celebrate my Latin roots with Marc Anthony and the Sony/Magnus family," Lopez said about her latest venture with Anthony.
Some people don't want their ice cream mixed with politics. Me? I am not one of those people. Last week, Ben & Jerry's took a stand and announced their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. And they really went deep with it, posting a full statement on their site along with articles like "7 Ways We Know Systemic Racism is Real."
Systemic and institutionalized racism are the defining civil rights and social justice issues of our time. We’ve come to understand that to be silent about the violence and threats to the lives and well-being of Black people is to be complicit in that violence and those threats.
Sadly, now a lot of people are calling for a boycott of Ben & Jerry's. They think that brands should remain politically neutral, and that they shouldn't be forced to hear about a company's political beliefs (especially if they don't align with their own).
But as Ben & Jerry's points out in the statement on their website, silence is a political stance. If a company remains silent on a social justice issue because they don't want to upset their customers, then they are part of the problem — they are putting sales before civil rights.
Personally, I wish all companies were upfront about their political affiliations. That way, there would be less of a chance that I unwittingly support businesses that hold racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic or otherwise oppressive beliefs.
Instead of being worried about the backlash and choosing brand neutrality for the sake of protecting their sales, Ben & Jerry's is using their influence as a top brand to stand on the right side of history. So no, I will not be boycotting them, and yes, that does mean that I'm going to double down on my obsession with Ben & Jerry's vegan ice cream.
Or maybe, I could try a new flavor. As usual, the internet has not disappointed, and Twitter users have been more than eager to share their ideas for new ice cream flavors that gel with Ben & Jerry's politics.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thurgood Marshmellow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenAndJerrysNewFlavor?src=hash">#BenAndJerrysNewFlavor</a></p>— Kevin Of House Stark (@Self_Made_Allen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Self_Made_Allen/status/784409827376267264">October 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenAndJerrysNewFlavor?src=hash">#BenAndJerrysNewFlavor</a> Go Shawty It's Sherbet Day</p>— Kar L. Stine (@karyewest) <a href="https://twitter.com/karyewest/status/784432977086443520">October 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
A couple of weeks ago, Kardashian West was robbed at gunpoint by masked intruders who broke into the apartment where she was staying in Paris. They made off with close to $10 million in jewelry after tying up Kardashian West and leaving her in a bathtub.
Kardashian West was, understandably, super-shaken by the incident. Normally the queen of all social media, she's stayed off all her accounts since the robbery. Reports say she's focusing on taking extra measures to keep her family safe in the future, and that includes increasing her security presence.
Page Six reports that Kardashian West has met with a number of people, hoping to find the right mix of guards to add to her security detail. Those meetings reportedly included ex-Israeli army members, Secret Service agents and former CIA officials. TMZ reports that the new plan is for Kardashian West to have no fewer than two armed guards with her at all times.
Reports haven't shown yet whether the new security detail will include Kardashian West's longtime guard Pascal Duvier, whom she praised on Twitter after he took down a prankster who was attempting to assault her in Paris. At the time of the robbery, Duvier was at a nightclub with some of Kardashian West's sisters.
Kardashian West's mom, Kris Jenner, is also reportedly hiring more security for the rest of the famous family, including Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Suspects in the Paris robbery haven't been claimed, but police have reportedly recovered one of the jewelry pieces they stole and are analyzing it for DNA evidence.
Most of us have been following the presidential race with bated breath, because it’s obvious that this particular election has been replete with controversy and hotly debated topics. Last weekend's infamous sound clip, already referred to on social media as #TrumpTapes, reveals Donald Trump telling Billy Bush that in terms of his interaction with women, sometimes he just, “grabs them by the pussy.” This comment obviously caused a firestorm of horror, indignation, and discussion on virtually every news outlet and social media platform.
Now I could do the easy thing and offer an opinion on the political ramifications of this statement. But that’s not what this controversy is about for me. I’ve grown accustomed to the vitriol exchanged between both sides, and I’ve grown to expect the unexpected in this race thus far.
But this time, the controversy over Trump’s statement became very personal to me. And it wasn’t even his crude terminology. It wasn’t even about what implications a Trump presidency may or may not have on women, or our country. No — it what was I observed on social media following the revelation of his past words that haunts me.
On Twitter, I scrolled through countless tweets about the message that Trump’s apparent perception of women sends. And I also scrolled through tweets defending his words as “typical locker room” banter. But again, the message that hurt my heart was not political, or even about Trump personally.
I read a tweet by Kelly Oxford that requested that women share their experience about being molested and/or touched inappropriately to illustrate why Trump’s mindset is so harmful. And then I read the thousands of tweets that instantly poured in. Women of all ages, in all locations, shared how they were sexually groped – by a family friend, a relative, a doctor, or a stranger.
I read the ages that some of these women were at the time of the incidents as young as four, seven, and ten. I recalled experiencing the same: Having a doctor quickly thrust his hand down my shorts during a routine exam, or having a stranger grope my buttocks while passing by me in a crowd at a baseball game. All before I was 12 years old.
I didn’t think to tell anyone, and while they may not have scarred me permanently, I never forgot them. Neither did the thousands of women sharing their own stories today. And that's when this message became painfully personal.
As the mother of four daughters, this reality became instantly horrific and undeniable. We often worry about the possibility of rape, and try to teach our children how to handle potentially dangerous situations. Those incidents are indescribably tragic, but even a supposedly “lesser” incident such as a man deliberately touching a young girl’s chest as he passes her on the street still leaves its mark.
Of course there are political implications from this latest controversy. But what’s far more critical to me is the uncomfortable awareness that women are too often regarded merely as sex objects in our country, even at disturbingly young ages. It drove home the painful reality that regardless of who is president, I still need to teach my daughters not only about the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching, but also how to respond if they are touched. They need to know that inappropriate touching isn’t limited to the kind we always expect: behind closed doors. They are not to be silent, trapping an uncomfortable experience within their own mind and heart. They are not to assume that being touched inappropriately is simply an inevitable and expected aspect of being a woman in this world.
The reality is, there are so many good men out there that respect the boundaries of a woman’s or girl's body. I’m thankful for that, and want to steer clear of seemingly man-bashing an entire gender based on one man’s words. But there are also men that, whether due to sheer ignorance, selfishness, or evil intentions, assume that it is acceptable to touch women and girls in an uninvited sexual manner.
Yes, we can simplify this as a matter of Trump vs. Clinton, or Republicans vs. Democrats. But I believe that the issue is really much more vast than an election. Trump’s words disturbed me not simply because he revealed himself to perceive women in a degrading way, but also because based on what I have experienced and read from the multitudes of women today, too many men not only think this way, but act on it. That is the greatest tragedy that his words shed light on, and they're not, as Trump said at last night's debate, "just words."
And while we can argue over how his words will affect our vote, the essential issue at hand is to teach our children— girls and boys— to respect the physical boundaries of others.
New York Comic Con is upon us, and we've already been gifted with some pretty amazing trailers and highlights. Even if you aren't a comic book fan, you're gonna want to check out this stuff.
Here's all the exciting news and new releases we've seen come out of NYCC so far.
1. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter teaser trailer
Resident Evil Final Chapter trailer
Resident Evil Final Chapter trailer
Resident Evil fans got a look at Milla Jovovich once again kicking ass and taking names for the final movie in this popular franchise.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hits theaters January 2017.
2. New images from Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Valerian production stills
Valerian production stills
Audiences were delighted by the cast of Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets showing up at NYCC and were treated with the release of a brand-new movie poster.
The film, which stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, is scheduled to hit theaters summer 2017.
3. The Walking Dead panel with Chris Hardwick
Andrew Lincoln (who plays Rick) may not have made it to the panel, but he managed to get most of the cast to read out loud a hilarious speech. Watch the rest for more Season 7 talk.
It might be a stretch to call it a trailer, but Planet of the Apes fans were excited to get their first look at the next film. The snowy footage is extremely ominous.
5. The Golden Girls dolls are a real thing
Golden Girls dolls
Golden Girls dolls
There are tons of action figures revealed at every Comic Con, but NYCC 2016 was the year of The Golden Girls. If you've ever wanted your own Blanche Devereaux figurine, this is your year, baby.
Now we're just patiently waiting for a Sophia Petrillo wind-up toy.
NYCC-goers were lucky enough to get their hands on Netflix's Iron Fist prequel comic, according to Screen Crush. Fans were also excited to see that the poster for the upcoming show has a very classic look.
7. Death Race 2050 trailer
Death Race 2050 premiere
Death Race 2050 premiere
B movie lovers were elated to hear that the iconic Roger Corman would be debuting his newest film at NYCC. In honor of the reveal, the trailer for the film was also released on YouTube.
Death Race 2050 will be available for purchase on Jan. 17, 2017.
8. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers video game announced
Power Rangers
Power Rangers
Gamers and lovers of '90s nostalgia alike were pumped to hear that the Power Rangers are getting their own video game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
9. Legends of the Hidden Temple trailer
Legends of the Hidden Temple trailer
Legends of the Hidden Temple trailer
Kids of the '90s got even more love with the NYCC trailer debut of Nickelodeon's Legends of the Hidden Temple. The movie might not be as cool as the old game show was, but it looks pretty awesome.
10. Teen Wolf Season 6 trailer
Teen Wolf trailer
Teen Wolf trailer
Fans of the MTV series were happy to get a first look at Teen Wolf's last season.
Season 6 premieres Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 9/8c.
11. The original Batman, Adam West, makes an appearance
Adam West NYCC
Adam West NYCC
OG Batman star Adam West has been making appearances at NYCC to promote his new animated feature Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders.
"It's amazing when you say 'be back,' because it's like it never really went away," West told the Daily News of his iconic character. "Wherever I go, they love Batman, and, you know, consequently I learned to love Batman, because it gives people happy times. I guess I'm the funny Batman, which is OK to deliver the laughs."
12. A new The Walking Dead scene
The cast and producers of TWD dropped a three-minute sneak peek from Season 7, and it's pretty damn intense. It takes place right after Negan kills someone with his baseball bat, and Negan and Rick have a lengthy exchange. We still don't know who he kills, but we do know it's not Rick. Is it Maggie? Lauren Cohan has us thinking it is...
13. The Great Wall trailer No. 2
Official trailer No. 2 for The Great Wall was released, and it looks pretty good. You know, despite all the "whitewashing" complaints and backlash — something Damon isn't too happy about.
I have a busy work-at-home career, but everything grinds to a halt if one of my kids is sick or day care is closed. I always aspire to get the most important things done at the top of the day just in case something goes south, but often I get panicked, triaging my messages and getting distracted by everything that rolls down the pike. That’s why I was so interested in productivity expert Jocelyn Glei’s new book Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done. After I read the book, I spoke with her to ask her for extra tips on how your average work-from-home parent can become better at controlling their email instead of feeling that gnawing guilt and dread every time you see yet another email notification.
1. Become a batcher, not a reactor.
Does this sound like you? “Reactors are constantly nibbling on their email throughout the day, very notification driven, always multitasking,” says Glei, whereas batchers set aside specific designated times each day to read and respond to emails, then stopping and ignoring it once they’re done batching. Glei says that research has shown clearly that batching is a more “effective and relaxed” way of working. When are your ideal batch times? Glei recommends taking a weeklong “inbox audit” to take note of when your heaviest email times are. “I work in Los Angeles, but with a lot of people in New York, so I tend to wake up to a ton of email because people have been working for three hours,” Glei says. If you notice trends in email urgency, schedule two or three email batching appointments with yourself around those periods. In her book, Glei recommends using Inbox Pause in order to focus on what you’re responding to without getting distracted by new messages.
Despite the benefits of batching, many of us who work remotely can’t realistically disappear from email for long periods of time because it’s the way we remain in touch and prove we’re on the clock. Glei has advice on keeping up to speed with more pressing matters and not wasting too much time on the daily grind. In Gmail, she says, you can indicate which of your contacts are VIPs and set up your phone to receive push notifications when one of them emails you. She recommends adapting your VIPs frequently, per project. “When I was trying to get a book deal, my agent was a VIP, and now that my book is out, my publicist is a VIP.
3. Streamline SOS
For “SOS” messages (as in “same old shit”), Glei recommends using Gmail canned responses or the app Canned Text. Perhaps it’s just a quick “I will be there!” or a “Sorry, can’t make it” to fire off to your school’s parents’ association — whatever the message, you’ll save time not typing it out over and over.
4. Set up a fast filing system
For when you don’t have time to more thoroughly organize your email, Glei recommends setting up folders for a fast way to triage: “reply immediately,” “needs a reply but not immediately” and “optional.” Glei recommends the app EasilyDo for doing this easily via mobile, with handy options to unsubscribe or sort emails into piles like package tracking, receipts and travel-related messages.
5. Cleanse your mental palate after an email session
“It’s important to have a reboot ritual,” says Glei, in order to clear your mind of the email chatter before you move onto a more creative project. “It can be one minute breathing exercises, a walk around the block or a five-minute meditation,” she says, saying that whatever your post-email ritual is, it should be “like a little Zamboni for your mind.”
Shailene Woodley's arrest at a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site doesn't surprise me at all. I'm not surprised because I've been to Sacred Stone Camp. I've protested like Woodley has. And I've seen the brutal and intimidating police presence that is there to meet peaceful, prayerful protests at construction sites.
Woodley was broadcasting on Facebook Live when she was told she would be arrested for criminal trespassing.
"I don’t know if you guys just heard me, but I was walking back to my RV, which is right there, so we can go back to camp peacefully, and they grabbed me by my jacket, and they said that I wasn’t allowed to continue, and they had giant guns and batons, and they’re not letting me go," she said.
To someone who hasn't been to Sacred Stone, it may seem extreme that the police grabbed Woodley by her clothes and refused to let her go. But there, it's all too common to see police overstepping their bounds and actively trying to intimidate peaceful water protectors. A National Guard checkpoint blocks access to the camp from the north with a barricade and nearly a dozen guards armed with assault rifles. Police look for any excuse they can to isolate protesters and accuse them of whatever they can. As I was leaving camp one day, I was stopped for "speeding" while my cruise control was set at the speed limit; and as the officer ran my license and issued me a warning, two more police SUVs and five more officers arrived on scene. For speeding? I don't think so.
Woodley is one of nearly 100 protesters who have been arrested at protest sites near the Dakota Access Pipeline to date. Many of the arrests go unreported, so while it would be ideal that no one gets arrested, Woodley's arrest could actually be a great thing for the Native people who are protesting the pipeline's construction to protect their water and sacred sites.
Hopefully Woodley's arrest will bring more eyes to the situation at Sacred Stone. Native Americans and their allies are doing nothing more there than trying to protect their sacred, ancestral land — land that was stolen from them by white settlers and is now threatened with irreparable damage if an oil pipeline constructed there is ever to break, especially near the Missouri River, the primary water source for the Standing Rock Sioux.
Ask a mother if she's happy with her parenting, and you're not going to get a straight answer. No two days or two hours are the same. It's perfectly possible to swing from feeling like a parenting superhero to the worst mom ever within a few minutes.
So I always approach studies that make statements like, "mothers are overall less happy with parenting than fathers" with some amount of skepticism. How do you quantify happiness, for starters? According to a study recently published in the American Sociological Review by the University of Minnesota, Cornell University and the Minnesota Population Center, the gender gap in happiness has a lot to do with the type of tasks each parent is performing.
Using diary entries from over 12,000 U.S. parents from 2010, 2012 and 2013, the study found that mothers reported less happiness, more stress and greater fatigue in time with children than fathers did. This could be accounted for in several ways. Working mothers feel more conflict between family and work than working fathers do. Additionally, men have traditionally had less free time to spend with their kids outside of work, meaning they have greater leeway and less responsibility. Conversely, women are responsible for more of the day-to-day basic care and management tasks and spend a smaller share of their time with children on play.
It's hardly a surprise that parenting roles are different for mothers and fathers. A quick survey of my own parent friends echoed the findings of this study. "Straight after work, I have to make dinner and prepare lunches for the next day, while my husband spends an hour playing football with the kids in the garden," said one. "When my son wakes up in the night, he always comes to me, never his dad," said another. "So I'm exhausted every morning and feel like I'm chasing my tail for the rest of the day."
As a single mom, I'm coming at this from a slightly different perspective. When you're flying solo, you have to provide the fun and the hard work — and striking a balance can be tough. I wouldn't have it any other way, which is just as well because there is no other option, and that's the case for around 12 million single-parent families in the U.S. (over 80 percent of them headed by single moms.)
But for all moms, whether they are going it alone or as part of a team, there are ways to increase the fun quota. Ditch the laundry — or ask Dad to do it — and take the kids to the park. If we want parenting to be a fairer experience, we need to let go of the reins and pass some of the management to the other parent.
Some days — for all parents, however their families are made up — can feel like the longest, most tortuous days. But we all know that even those days go by in a flash and that one day, we'll say the same for our kids' childhoods. Will we look back and wish we'd taken more opportunities to have fun? That we'd at least tried to shake off those traditional gendered parenting roles and try something more equal? It's down to us.
That lovely thing called PMS is probably going to happen to you more than once. PMS affects almost 85 percent of women, and while no one's discovered a cure just yet, health experts insist that you can totally change your premenstrual experience by making some adjustments to what you eat.
Instead of reaching for the clichéd potato chips and chocolate in the days before your period -- as delicious as they may be -- five nourishing foods can balance your body and help you feel a whole lot better:
Image: SheKnows Design
When it comes down to it, the best way to prepare your body for its monthly visitor is to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet. Easier said than done, right?! Try integrating some of these period-friendly foods into your nutrition plan for a less painful time of the month.
According to Dr. Christine O'Connor of The Gynecology Center, leafy greens (think kale or Swiss chard) can benefit your body several ways during that time of the month. Not only are they rich in iron and B vitamins; their high fiber count also can help with digestive issues often associated with your menstrual cycle.
Instead of reaching for that bag of licorice come snack time, reach for a bag of nuts. "Foods that are rich in good fats or omega-3s (such as nuts) can be helpful and much more filling than the calories in junk foods," Dr. O'Connor said.
Another food to aid your period-related digestive problems is fruit. Stock up on your favorite fresh fruit before your flow begins to ensure a healthy digestive system.
Just like fruit, the fiber in whole grains can help you stay regular, especially during your period. Whole grains also include complex carbohydrates, which provide important vitamins and minerals.
Red meats
Red meat
Red meat
It's important to increase your iron intake during your period to make up for what's lost each month. "A diet high in iron helps avoid anemia and symptoms that can go along with it," said Dr. Sharon R. Thompson of Central Phoenix Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Women who eat red meat will be able to get sufficient iron from food." However, if you're not a meat-eater, Dr. Thompson recommends taking a supplement to maintain adequate iron stores.
Quick tip: In addition to a healthy diet, Alyssa Dweck, MD, recommends regular aerobic exercise, yoga, meditation and breathing exercises to help alleviate period symptoms.
As tempting as those freshly baked cookies are, it's best to resist your period-induced urges.
"Many women have the urge to snack on junk food and empty calories," Dr. O'Connor explained. "This ends up not being nutritionally filling, and can lead to an uncomfortable, bloated feeling."
In addition, Dr. O'Connor recommends steering clear of foods and beverages with high sodium content, which can also contribute to bloating.
Every woman is different
Dr. Thompson points out that it's important to keep in mind that every woman is different. "There can be a lot of variation among women in terms of how foods affect their symptoms," she said. "For example, some women may notice that decreased salt intake reduces bloating with menses, while for other women, this makes no significant difference. The same is true for mood symptoms, pain with menses, amount of menstrual flow, etc."
Originally published March 2012. Updated Oct. 2016.
