If you're a serious hunter, there's no need to call in the big dogs. These 10 little dog breeds aren't all bark — they're super athletic hunters, too.
1. Beagle
Beagle
Beagle
This little pup is such a great hunter he made our list of top 15 hunting dogs overall. While they typically hunt smaller game like rabbits, they're also adept at finding larger targets, too.
These little guys pack a powerful punch when it comes to mousing and chasing away raccoons, says jackrussell.net. Bred to kill small predators and rodents, they're a valuable ally for the rodent-repulsed and may even kill the snakes rodents attract.
Brave, self-assured and more confident than Adam Levine at a Victoria's Secret fashion show, these little nuggets are the strong, silent type. They were brought to Australia back in the day to hunt snakes and rats, according to terrificpets.com
He may be small, but he's no lapdog. The German Hunting Terrier has energy to spare and will retrieve anything he's big enough to carry. They need a ton of exercise, otherwise they can get a little hard to manage, according to dogbreedinfo.com.
Cocker Spaniels may look like little froufrou dogs, but these little sweeties aren't all bows and sweaters. They were originally bred to hunt the extremely challenging Eurasian Woodcock (which is actually where "cocker" came from) and hunt any bird with ease, according to Gun Dog.
They may look like a wiener, but the Dachshund doesn't play around when it comes to badgers (or any other burrowing animal, for that matter). The North American Teckel Club has even coined the Dachshund "one of the most useful hunting breeds."
They're tiny, but this pup is a serious hunter and is good for retrieving grouse, squirrel, raccoon, ermine, fox and marten, according to primitivedogs.com. They are also great at herding and watching, and are often used in search and rescue missions.
Agile and sure-footed, the Norwegian Lundehund is a Spitz-style dog originally bred to hunt a small bird called a puffin, according to the American Kennel Club. They can maneuver well in tight spots and have incredible range of motion. They make wonderful bird dogs and even better pets.
Us Weekly reports that Warner, the former star of Bravo's Work Out, was arrested Friday, Feb. 24 and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence and hit and run. Police told the site that she was arrested around 5:45 p.m.
"She was arrested and the investigation is ongoing, and the case will be presented to the district attorney’s office upon completion of the investigation," a detective with the West Hollywood Police Department told Us Weekly. "She is not in custody at this time."
TMZ reported more details on the incident, saying that Warner crashed her car into a pole. The site also says that when law enforcement arrived to the scene of the crash, Warner backed her car into a police car, nearly hitting a deputy in the process.
Sources close to Warner told TMZ that she wasn't drunk when the incident occurred — they say she went to lunch and only had a single martini, but then went home and took an Ambien. According to friends, that's the last thing Warner remembers — when she woke up, she was in the hospital and had no memory of the crash or her arrest. Friends told TMZ she was "sleep driving," and that when she was taken into custody, she wasn't wearing pants.
Warner, who worked as a fitness guru on her Bravo show, admitted to partying amid a sort of breakdown when she turned 40.
"I didn’t like doing the type of TV that I was doing which made me uncomfortable and uneasy," she wrote on her website at the time. "I had succeeded in many ways but always had very tumultuous relationship, which caused me quite a lot of misery. Shortly thereafter, I sold my clinic and gym and found myself wondering what’s next?... I felt a bit lost and started partying a lot. It felt like I was taking a few steps backwards in life and I started making bad decisions."
I have a confession to make. I've been fighting it, but it's time to come clean. After three Bachelor franchise seasons of being Nick Viall's biggest fan, it's over. I cannot stand him. He is horrible. I finally see what everyone else saw before. No one tell my stepmom, because she'll never let me live it down.
Through Andi's season, I loved Nick. I rooted for him. Even during that awful "After the Final Rose" moment when he called her out on live TV for the sexy time they had, I made excuses for him. "He's just heartbroken and made an impulsive bad decision!" I cried through my wine.
During Caitlyn's season, I was delighted to see him return. I thought the immediate hate he got from all the other guys was pretty unfair — after all, he just wanted the chance to get to know a girl he liked, just like all of them. He and Caitlyn had explosive chemistry, and sometimes that leads to things like sex because they are humans and that's normal. I didn't think Nick did anything wrong, unlike basically all of the rest of Bachelor Nation. I was a lone woman crying "Team Nick!" in a sea of haters.
On Bachelor In Paradise, Nick redeemed himself in the hearts of many. I called almost immediately that he was on the show to become relevant again, that he was being groomed to be our next Bachelor. And the fact that he was on his best behavior only reinforced my predictions. I breathed a sigh of relief as America began to see the Nick that I had always loved, as he gained favor and as he was crowned Bachelor. I knew his time to shine had come.
And then. And. Then. Nick, who had been the leading man of my heart for so many years, was finally the leading man of Monday nights on ABC. He deserved it. He had put in the work and earned that spot. And he was such a giant, embarrassing flop.
I've been defending Nick all season, but it's time for even me to give up on this one. He's been wishy washy and noncommittal week after week after week. He's sent women home after great dates with no explanation. He manufactured drama by having an awkwardly staged sit-down with Andi. He let Corinne make it to the final four (some of my fellow SheKnows writers atually liked her – this I will never understand). Nick wasn't in this for a wife. He was in this because he quit his software sales job to be a model before he realized he's a decade too old and he needed a backup plan, stat.
And look! It worked! Nick Viall is back on reality TV, and making that all-too-familiar transition from Bachelor Nation to Dancing With the Stars. He's guaranteed a paycheck and like, one more month of relevance. Except Nick failed to take an important factor into account: Viewer votes play a part on the success of DWTS contestants, and he already blew his shot at being America's sweetheart. He came back from villain-hood, just to slowly and noncommittally sink back into its depths. Nick, who overcame all the odds, succumbed to them again, and even his former No. 1 fan won't defend him anymore.
Making exercise a priority — no matter how busy you are — is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. But if you find that 60-minute classes or extended trips to the gym just don't fit into your schedule, don't worry. It's officially time to ditch the all-or-nothing approach to fitness — 10-minute workouts really can make a difference.
According to 2013 research from Boston University, as long as you accumulate a total of 150 minutes of exercise each week, it doesn't matter how long each of your workout sessions is. Even by squeezing in five minutes here or 10 minutes there, all those active minutes add up, along with their health-related benefits, such as smaller waistlines and lower cholesterol. And when you combine those findings with the growing body of research that indicates short, intense bouts of training can confer the same aerobic benefits as long, steady-state training sessions, you're basically getting permission from the powers that be (i.e., exercise physiologists like myself) to develop a workout schedule that works for you, even if it bucks conventional thinking.
So the next time you're short on time, but you still want to break a sweat, try this 10-minute routine I put together for you. You can try it any time, anywhere, and it's guaranteed to raise your heart rate while targeting all your major muscle groups. All you need is a timer, and if you want to make the strength-training exercises harder, you can grab a set of dumbbells too.
The workout: Perform each exercise for 45 seconds followed by a 15-second rest. Complete the five-exercise circuit twice without rest between rounds.
Nothing unusual here, just the same ol' exercise you used to do in elementary school PE class. Stand tall, your feet together, your arms at your sides. In a single motion, jump up in the air as you swing your arms out to the sides, then over your head as you simultaneously spread your legs wide. Land softly on the balls of your feet, then immediately hop back into the air as you reverse the movements and bring your arms and legs back to the starting position. Continue for the full 45 seconds.
Renegade pushups
Image: Gabriela Arellano/SheKnows
Start in a standard pushup position (like a high plank) or a modified pushup position with your knees on the floor. Check to make sure your palms are directly under your shoulders, but slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart, and that your back is flat — your butt isn't pointing up toward the ceiling. Bend your elbows back at a 45-degree angle as you slowly lower your chest toward the floor. Just before your chest touches down, press through your palms and return to the starting position. From here, shift your weight to your left palm and lift your right hand from the ground. Squeeze your right shoulder blade in toward your spine, bend your elbow and draw your palm to your chest, really focusing on using the muscles of your back to pull your hand upward. Reverse the movement, placing your right hand back on the ground, then shift your weight to your right palm and repeat on the left side. Once you've performed this rowing movement to both sides, continue the exercise by performing another pushup, following the full sequence for the 45-second interval.
Note: To make the exercise more challenging, perform the row with a pair of dumbbells. Simply set up in your pushup position as usual, but grip a dumbbell with each hand. When you perform the row, draw a dumbbell, instead of an empty hand, to your chest.
Skaters
Image: Gabriela Arellano/SheKnows
Skaters offer a quick burst of cardio that simultaneously challenges power and agility while working your abductors and adductors (inner and outer thighs). Stand tall, your feet roughly hip-distance apart, your knees slightly bent, with your weight shifted slightly onto the balls of your feet. Hop your right foot a few feet out to the right, keeping your weight on the ball of your foot with your knee bent as you swing your left foot behind your right foot at an angle. Touch your left foot lightly to the floor (or don't touch it down at all), and immediately hop your left foot several feet to the left, landing with your knee bent and your weight on the ball of your foot as you swing your right foot behind your left foot at an angle. Continue hopping back and forth laterally for the full 45 seconds, as if you were a speedskater.
Note: If hopping is too challenging or doesn't feel comfortable, reduce the intensity and step it out instead of hopping. But as you cross one foot behind the other, bend both knees and reach your opposite hand toward your front foot. This will make it more challenging than a basic side-to-side lateral step.
Squat to lunge combo
Image: Gabriela Arellano/SheKnows
To really fire up the major muscles of your lower body, you can't go wrong with a squat-lunge combo. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, your toes pointing forward. Keeping your torso upright and tall, press your hips back and bend your knees, lowering yourself into a squat. Make sure at the bottom of the squat your knees are aligned with your toes and your weight is in your heels. Press back to standing.
Once standing, shift your weight to your left leg and step your right leg backward a couple of feet. Again, with your torso straight and tall, bend both knees and lower your back knee toward the ground, keeping your weight in your front heel. Just before your knee touches down, press back to standing. Repeat on the opposite side. Once you've performed a lunge to each side, continue the exercise by performing another squat, following this sequence for the entire interval.
The last exercise in the circuit features a burst of cardio that also helps develop core strength and shoulder stability. Start in a high plank position on the ground, your palms under your shoulders, your legs extended behind you. Make sure your body forms a straight line from head to heels with your core tight. Draw one knee toward your chest and plant the ball of this foot on the ground. In a fluid motion, jump both feet up into the air and switch their positions, landing "softly" on the balls of your feet. Immediately hop both feet back into the air, again switching their positions. Continue for the full 45 seconds.
Note: If the hopping action becomes too challenging, simply step one foot forward, return to the high plank position, then alternate legs, stepping the opposite foot forward before returning it again.
If there’s one thing beauty lovers know (and, who are we kidding — beauty lovers know approximately everything), it’s that there are huge (like, Grand Canyon-levels huge) discrepancies between American beauty products and foreign beauty products — specifically, the vast number of ingredients allowed in U.S. formulations compared to the incredibly restricted formulations of beauty products overseas. And when it comes to cosmetic ingredients here, quality is definitely not favored over quantity, especially when we know that Americans are currently slathering thousands of chemicals onto their bodies every single day that are totally and completely unregulated. Yup.
Of course, when compared to the U.S., it may seem like other countries have gone a little overboard in their regulations. The European Union, for example, has banned or restricted over 1,300 chemicals, many of which would never even appear in beauty products (jet fuel, anyone?), but even still, the U.S. has only banned 11. It’s not that the U.S. is slacking off per se, but unless a cosmetic contains an ingredient classified as a drug by the FDA, the product doesn’t need FDA approval before hitting the market. It’s up to the manufacturer to determine a product’s safety (which sounds as sketchy as it is).
Image: Imaxtree
What it really boils down to is a straight-up difference in strategy. The EU is more into taking preventative measures, so even though not every ingredient banned or restricted is necessarily harmful, the EU requires more information on ingredient safety before clearing them for use. The U.S., however, prefers to ban ingredients only when there’s enough scientific evidence to deem it necessary. Think of it like a helicopter mom (the EU) versus the mom who doesn’t open the screen door for anything less than a broken limb (the U.S.).
And this is why the following seven hotly disputed ingredients are probably sitting in your makeup bag — or on your face — right now, despite having spurred a ton of (somewhat unsubstantiated) controversy over the years. But don’t freak out; we went to the experts to find out just how harmful these ingredients are and whether or not they’re worth avoiding. But just in case you’re not into taking chances, or if you’re just feeling very European, we also found a ton of safe and equally awesome product alternatives to help you avoid the unknown without compromising your beauty routine.
1. THE ACCUSED: PETROLATUM
TYPICALLY FOUND IN: Skin care products, makeup, shampoo, conditioner, shaving products
Petrolatum — also known as petroleum jelly — is the Grand Poobah of moisturizers and is classified by the FDA as a skin protectant. “Petrolatum is completely insoluble in water, so once it’s applied to dry or irritated skin, it forms a seal that locks in the skin’s natural moisture while also sealing out air, allowing the skin to heal faster,” says cosmetic chemist Joseph J. Cincotta, Ph.D.
But because the gel is derived from petroleum (crude oil), it runs the risk of containing trace levels of the cancer-causing agents found in crude oil, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, he notes. The thing is, you’re not actually slathering crude oil on your face, and only the highest-refined grades are allowed in cosmetics.
“Petroleum has a reputation for being dangerous due to a misunderstanding of the EU classification of toxicity,” says Al-Nisa Ward, cosmetic chemist and founder of Cosmetic Science Innovations in New Jersey, explaining that all grades of petroleum in the EU — from cosmetic to industrial kinds — fall under the same chemical registry number, giving people the misconception that petrolatum is carcinogenic. But in reality, the EU is totally cool with cosmetic-grade petrolatum being used in beauty products, so it makes sense why the FDA has also deemed petrolatum as safe and harmless for daily use in American beauty products.
Even though there’s no need to break up with your go-to lip balm or hand cream, you can still find natural alternatives that are, without a doubt, safe, like Avalon Organics Nourishing Lip Balm (contains essential oils and beeswax to protect your moisture barrier), Bite Beauty Multistick (uses sugarcane-derived squalane to hydrate skin) or Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream (formulated with organic shea butter to reduce moisture loss).
Image: Imaxtree
2. THE ACCUSED: PARABENS
TYPICALLY FOUND IN: Face and body cleansers, moisturizers, shampoo, conditioner
Parabens are a common preservative used in a bevy of cosmetics to help prevent bacteria, fungi and yeast growth, which ultimately extends a product’s shelf life, says Ward, noting that parabens are almost always found in water-based products like cleansers and lotions because they discourage the growth of microbes.
Although parabens are generally used in products at concentrations of 0.3 percent or less, according to Health Canada, many organizations have voiced concern over whether or not cumulative exposure can eventually cause hormone disruption and reproductive toxicity, says Ward, which has led to the banning of certain parabens in the EU, Southeast Asia and the Philippines. But because there’s currently no information that definitively shows that parabens mess with human health, the FDA considers them safe to use in U.S. beauty products.
Ultimately, ditching parabens for greener pastures (get it?) is totally up to you, though we will say that we truly love these paraben-free alternatives: Original & Mineral Shampoo and Conditioner (uses phenoxyethanol as a preservative — it is derived from natural sources, and bonus, doesn’t release formaldehyde), Yes to Carrots Daily Facial Moisturizer (uses the preservative phenethyl alcohol, which is known for its antimicrobial properties) and Kiss My Face Body Lotion (uses sodium benzoate as its main preservative).
3. THE ACCUSED: HYDROQUINONE
TYPICALLY FOUND IN: Face and body cleansers, facial moisturizers, skin-lightening creams
Hydroquinone is pretty much the most famous skin-lightening ingredient on the market. Not only does it does it break up the melanin in your skin to fade age spots, dark spots, sun spots, and every other spot as soon as you dab it on, but it also starts working within just a few months. Sounds cool, right?
Eh, not so fast. “Some initial studies of hydroquinone deemed it was a potential carcinogen — meaning it may cause cancer — and may be cytotoxic — which means toxic to living cells,” says Cincotta, though there are no reputable studies that can definitively prove this. As a precaution, though, the ingredient has been banned from cosmetics in the EU and is restricted in Canadian beauty products. The FDA, however, continues to monitor its use, and recommended in 2006 that additional studies be conducted before making a final determination for its regulation. Still, for now, the FDA believes hydroquinone is safe to use as prescribed. “In the U.S., topical treatments in up to 2 percent doses can be sold over-the-counter, and up to 4 percent can be prescribed by a doctor,” says Cincotta.
So long as you follow the directions on the label, there’s no real need to fret. But if you want to make the switch, you can still fade dark spots with Meladerm for Hyperpigmentation (uses natural extracts from mulberry, licorice and bearberry plants to lighten skin within two weeks), SkinBright Skin Brightener (uses alpha-arbutin and kojic acid to decrease melanin production and gradually lighten skin) or Revitol Skin Brightening Cream (uses arbutin, an antioxidant extracted from the bearberry plant, to effectively fade skin discoloration).
Image: Getty Images
4. THE ACCUSED: FORMALDEHYDE
TYPICALLY FOUND IN: Skin cleansers, hair-smoothing treatments, hair gel, nail polish
Even if you’re not quite sure what formaldehyde is, you’ve probably heard it being touted as an incredibly dangerous beauty ingredient found in hair-straightening treatments. And though it can definitely be harmful (it’s a known carcinogen, according to the Environmental Working Group), it’s not just hanging around in your beauty products or even in your hair treatments, says Kelly A. Dobos, cosmetics technical manager at Sun Chemical in Ohio.
Because formaldehyde is a gas, it’s not technically found in any of your hair treatments or cosmetics — it’s just the byproduct of a bunch of ingredients and preservatives mixing together to slowly produce trace levels of formaldehyde in a given product. And though research suggests that beauty products can release small amounts of formaldehyde into the air after they’ve been applied, the levels would be far below what’s considered hazardous according to the American Cancer Society. “The levels of formaldehyde in beauty products are lower than what naturally occurs in fruits, like apples and pears,” says Dobos.
To be safe, formaldehyde has been banned from use in Japan and Sweden, while the EU and Canada enforce concentration restrictions. The FDA, though, doesn’t restrict the amount of formaldehyde used in cosmetics (since, technically, pure formaldehyde isn’t even used in cosmetics); however, an American ingredient safety panel has voluntarily issued guidelines saying that no more than 0.2 percent formaldehyde should be allowed in beauty products, which is the lowest possible amount that still has an effective anti-microbial effect.
Whether you decide to stick with your current cosmetics or not, you can still try these formaldehyde-free hair and skin alternatives: Farmacy Skin Savior Kit (the entire line uses natural preservatives, such as phenoxyethanol and citric acid), Bumble and Bumble Straight Blow Dry (uses phenoxyethanol, a natural preservative that doesn’t release formaldehyde) and Yuni Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleansing Foam (uses sodium benzoate and citric acid as preservatives).
Image: Imaxtree
5. THE ACCUSED: PHTHALATES
TYPICALLY FOUND IN: Skin cleansers, hairsprays, nail polish, scented products
Phthalates are commonly used as fixatives in fragrances to make scents last longer and as flexible plasticizers in nail polish and hairsprays to keep nail polish from cracking and hair from morphing into cement. So, you know, all seemingly excellent things.
However, studies have suggested that phthalates may disrupt how your hormones operate (which, among other things, can cause problems for your immune system and reproductive functions) and possibly lead to cancer, which is why EU has decided to heavily restrict them. But because most of the research on phthalates has been done on either animals or in vitro, the FDA still hasn’t issued a firm, final stance on the family of ingredients, though it asserts that it’s still continuing to follow the issue.
“Even though the science isn’t conclusive, the use of phthalates in the cosmetic industry has dramatically declined due to negative consumer perceptions,” says Dobos, giving us some extra hope — or maybe fear? — to cling to. For safer swaps, try Verb Ghost Hairspray (uses copolymers to set hair), Pacifica Beauty Spray Perfume (uses its own blend of natural oils like grapefruit and orange for fragrance) and Zoya Nail Polish (uses acetyl tributyl citrate as its plasticizer of choice).
6. THE ACCUSED: OXYBENZONE
TYPICALLY FOUND IN: Sunscreen, skin care products, nail polish
Primarily found in sunscreens, oxybenzone (also known as benzophenone-3) helps prevent sunburns by absorbing both UVA and UVB radiation, says Jim Hammer, cosmetic chemist and president of Mix Solutions in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. You might also find it hanging around your SPF-infused cosmetics or nail polishes since it’s frequently used to protect products from deteriorating or fading in the sun.
When it comes to safety, though, oxybenzone is a bit of a tricky outlier. Although it’s been linked to hormonal disruption and skin cancer, most of the research has been conducted in vitro or on rats fed very high concentrations of oxybenzone — way higher than anything you’d ever find in cosmetics — so the jury’s still out on how it may truly affect human health, especially in low doses.
Thankfully, even though the research is inconclusive, precautions have been put in place: The U.S. and EU currently restrict concentrations of 6 percent or less in sunscreens and 0.5 percent or less in other types of cosmetic products according to the Personal Care Products Council. Additionally, the EU also requires that any product with more than 0.5 percent oxybenzone be clearly labeled as such.
TYPICALLY FOUND IN: Anti-aging products, sunscreens, moisturizers, foundations, acne products
If you’ve ever had zits or wrinkles, you’ve probably encountered retinyl palmitate before. Retinyl palmitate is a type of retinoid (a vitamin A derivative) that increases cell turnover to restore elasticity, decrease wrinkles and dark spots and also improve the texture and look of damaged hair. Kind of a miracle ingredient, right?
Sort of. Though retinyl palmitate is often found in sunscreens, the EWG suggests that it may (ironically) speed up the development of cancerous skin tumors when exposed to the sun. However, this claim was made based on one study on rats, not humans, that used plain vitamin A cream rather than a sunscreen containing vitamin A, so, again — not the most reliable data. The FDA, Norwegian and German health agencies have also raised concerns that applying any form of vitamin A (like retinol) to your skin while pregnant could potentially prove toxic to a developing fetus, but, like many of the ingredients on this list, it’s a judgment call.
Until more conclusive studies are done on humans, the Skin Cancer Foundation has issued a statement saying retinyl palmitate is not a concern, says cosmetic chemist and blogger Randy Schueller. But if you’re already concerned, try Nature’s Gate Aqua Block Sunscreen (uses zinc oxide), Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Deep Pore Scrub (uses salicylic acid to battle acne) and RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-up (uses tocopherol for its anti-aging properties).
Whether or not you subscribe to the notion that every risky-seeming ingredient is actually harmful, you can still totally avoid these seven ingredients without hugely destroying your current beauty routine. But just like most things in life, sometimes it’s better to just do your thing until told otherwise. And based on the sheer number of murky rat-based studies, it looks like we still have a few more years (or decades) until science course-corrects us. So until then, you do you, OK?
The Oscars' yearly "In Memorium" segment is a touching tribute to the celebrities we've lost since the last ceremony. This year, though, the segment was missing someone who should have been included: Alexis Arquette.
Arquette, a trans woman and activist with 70 acting credits to her name, was noticeably missing from the reel of celebs who have passed in the last year, and her sister, actress Patricia Arquette, is speaking out about it.
"Her career was cut short, not by her passing, but by her decision to live her truth and her life as a transgender woman," Patricia said in a new interview with Vanity Fair. "Despite the fact that there are few parts for trans actors, she refused to play roles that were demeaning or stereotypical. She was a vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people."
She continued, "We’re living in a time right now where trans kids can’t even go to the bathroom in schools and they’re diminished in society. It’s really unfortunate that the Oscars decided they couldn’t show a trans person who was such an important person in this community. Because—trans kids—it could have meant a lot to them."
While the Academy hasn't responded specifically to Alexis Arquette's omission, her photo is included in a gallery on the Oscars' website, along with Garry Shandling and Robert Vaughn, who were both also left out of the televised reel.
Despite the snub, Patricia Arquette did commend the Academy for awarding the Best Picture Oscar to Moonlight, a film that highlighted the bigotry gay kids still face, or "This beautiful story about a gay kid in America in a world that doesn’t accept gay people," as Arquette described it to Vanity Fair.
Well, here we are. A new day, a new Kanye West song foisted onto the masses. However, West hasn't gone through the incredible hassle of crafting a new song. Instead, West released the 17-minute Yeezy Season 5 soundtrack, titled "Bed Yeezy Season 5." The song played on a loop during his recent New York Fashion Week show; now, West is letting us soak up all 17 minutes for maximum aural effect — but you have to set up a Getty Images slideshow and press "forward" to really re-create what it was like to see the show live. If that's your thing.
Let's burst the bubble of excitement: The song's a bit of a snooze. It's...fine? It is by no means in the realm of "groundbreaking Yeezy." Instead, "Bed Yeezy" is boilerplate Yeezy, the same old-same old Yeezy, the "let turn on our lava lamps while we make out on my mom's couch" Yeezy. This is the song you put on when you're in college and experimenting with your musical boundaries. It's Yeezy-lite.
Kanye West 17-Minute Song
Kanye West 17-Minute Song
In fact, to actually give you the best reaction to "Bed Yeezy," I think the only way to express these emotions is to show you how my face and body contorted for the 17 minutes I was listening. I have a really strong feeling that your face and body will contort in a similar fashion.
Who would want to hear "Bed Yeezy" while they have a kale and coconut face mask spread on their face in a dimly-lit room in the trendy part of town? Not me.
The latest Trader Joe's recall is like something out of a horror movie. The health food giant is recalling three different varieties of applesauce because they may contain broken glass. Kinda terrifying, especially because applesauce is something so many babies and kids eat! Yikes. Granted, the glass probably made its way into the applesauce in the factory where the jars are filled during an assembly line accident, but it still gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Luckily, Trader Joe's already removed the products that may contain glass from shelves, but if you have a jar of the following three products in your fridge or pantry, get rid of them now:
Trader Joe's First Crush Unsweetened Gravenstein Apple Sauce, Barcode #00015905, Best Before Aug. 8, 2018
Trader Joe's Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce, Barcode# 00194877, Best Before Oct. 6, 2018
Trader Joe's All Natural Unsweetened Apple Sauce, Barcode #00014359, Best Before Dec. 16, 2018
You can also bring any of the recalled products to your nearest Trader Joe's for a full refund or contact the company at 629-599-3817 for more information.
Yesterday, senior White House advisor Kellyanne Conway put her feet up on a couch in the Oval Office, someone took a picture of it, and then millions of people around the country went insane about it.
Kellyanne Conway Feet on Couch
Kellyanne Conway Feet on Couch
Here's what seemed to happen: President Trump welcomed the leaders of black colleges and universities into the Oval Office, and the 50-year-old Kellyanne took a picture of them with her phone. Moments later, the AFP news agency snapped a photo of Conway on the couch, looking at the pic she just snapped, feet (and shoes) on the couch, while sitting on top of her legs. When the picture was posted on Twitter, there was some outrage, mostly from the left:
Kellyanne mad tweet 1
Kellyanne mad tweet 1
Kellyanne mad tweet 2
Kellyanne mad tweet 2
Sure. I agree that a person shouldn't put their shoes on the couch in the Oval Office. Especially not during an official event, in which you are welcoming guests into the space to honor them. In fact, you shouldn't ever put your shoes on any coach, or even a futon if we're being real, because shoes are dirty and couches/futons are expensive and don't you have any manners? Did you grow up in a barn?
But here's the thing: if we are going to freak out about something that Kellyanne Conway did, we have a veritable buffet of things to choose from, so let's fill out plates carefully. Do we want to waste plate space on a shoes-on-the-couch faux pas, or do we want to focus on things she does that spread lies, harm our democracy, and make a joke out of the executive branch of our government?
One of the reasons that the left has had trouble fighting back against the Trump administration is because there are two different types of outrage happening at once: outrage related to the actual political actions that Trump is taking (see the Muslim ban, for starters, or his rollback of rights for trans students) and outrage related to how ridiculous Trump and his posse can be (did you hear that he puts ketchup on his steak - how is that not grounds for impeachment?).
Honestly, the second type of outrage is more fun. Getting upset of Trump's funny haircut or Conways's feet on furniture more easily lends itself to memes and jokes and one-liners and amazing photoshops. It's also much more tangible–we can see Conway's shoes on the couch and we know that is wrong.
Kellyanne couch gif
Kellyanne couch gif
On the other hand, getting social media outraged about the actual political actions of the Trump administration isn't as fun and it certainly isn't as viral. Really, it's kind of depressing and even overwhelming. Not to mention that it's a lot more complicated. When we hear that trans kids are going to be less safe at school now, or that new policies are targeting people based on their religion, it's hard to even know what to do or say. We know it's not normal and not right, but how do we take concrete action? Do we just tweet, "This is not normal!" dozens of times a day? When someone's feet are on the couch, we know exactly what to say: get your feet off the couch!
When you feel helpless to act, it's easy to just start ridiculing people across the board, and to focus on things like appearance and manners. It's also easy to paint people as 100 percent evil. Like of course Conway would put her shoes on that nice couch, because she's a monster! But let's do a thought experiment here: if Michelle Obama had had her shoes all over that couch a few months, what would have happened? I'm going to guess that the right would have had a field day (with a good number of sexist and racist statements) while the left would argue that the First Lady was just being comfortable and casual–I mean, come on, she was just taking a picture! People are too formal these days! I put my shoes on the couch all the time, for I am only human!
Kellyanne Conway is also human. She happens to be a human who not only sometimes puts her feet on the couch, but also a human who, I believe, is adversely affecting our democracy. When I go to the Conway Outrage Buffet, this is what's going on my plate:
She repeatedly lies about things that Donald Trump has said or done.
When we focus on shoes on couches, we lose focus. When we become outraged about feet on furniture, we get dismissed as snowflakes. When we don't treat the opposition fairly, and don't defend them when they should be defended, we start acting a hell of a lot like the people we oppose. I know you want to say, But they do it to us all the time! but what would your mother say to that? She'd say, "Just because they do it doesn't make it right." And she'd also say, "and get your damn feet off the couch."
It was just announced that Cumberbatch scored the lead spot in Sky Atlantic's upcoming miniseries, Melrose, based on the classic Edward St Aubyn novels, playing aristocratic playboy Patrick Melrose. And the best part of this news? When Cumberbatch did a Reddit AMA all the way back in 2013 and was asked what his dream role would be, he said playing Patrick Melrose. Even to someone who decidedly doesn't care about Benedict Cumberbatch, that's really cute, fam.
Melrose is rich and "outrageously funny," according to Radio Times. The character turns to substance abuse to deal with childhood memories of being abused by his father, as well as his mother's silence about the whole ordeal. It doesn't sound exactly uplifting, but allegedly has comedic elements? So far, the series is set for five episodes, each of which will take part at a different part of Melrose's life, from the South of France in the '60s to New York City in the '80s to Britain in the early 2000s.
Cumberbatch has a pretty rabid following of fans, so needless to say, they took over Twitter with their excitement when news hit that their fave actor had landed a new role.
Twitter reacts to Benedict Cumberbatch's new TV show 1
Twitter reacts to Benedict Cumberbatch's new TV show 1
Twitter reacts to Benedict Cumberbatch's new TV show 2
Twitter reacts to Benedict Cumberbatch's new TV show 2
Melrose doesn't have a premiere date, but it'll play on Showtime and is set to start filming this summer.
It appears that the reunion of one of our favorite TV shows isn't happening, and it's beyond sad. During an interview on Today, Kudrow nixed the idea of a Friends reunion. When asked by co-host Savannah Guthrie if she thought the group would ever get back together, Kudrow replied, "Me, personally? No." However, Kudrow did admit that the whole group "convened, privately, for dinner and it was great."
Did you see that? She just flat-out killed our hopes and dreams that life still had some surprises left in it, like a Friends reunion so we'd all have something exciting to watch in the near future. What gives, Kudrow? Why can't you guys have a Friends reunion? Why wouldn't you want to clear your schedules for this massively important event?
I'll begrudgingly admit it makes sense that a reunion wouldn't happen. Despite having reunited previously, each individual cast member is off doing their own thing and tending to their own careers. While Jennifer Aniston is arguably the most recognizable Friends cast member now and has the biggest career, the rest of the cast is experiencing mini-career renaissances. Matt LeBlanc is still on TV with shows Episodes and Man with a Plan. David Schwimmer was in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. And Kudrow? Kudrow's been popping up everywhere, from The Girl on the Train last year to the upcoming animated film The Boss Baby.
So I guess it's not all bad, right? I mean, I'm still not fond of the idea of having to live in a world where a Friends reunion won't happen, but I guess seeing each of the cast members do their thing in other projects is a pretty good alternative.
Just last week, supermodel Bianca Balti was named Sports Illustrated's Rookie of the Year — but there's really not anything "rookie" about her. Starting her climb to the top of the modeling industry at 20 years old, it's taken Balti 12 years to become a household name, but she has a lot more to offer than lustworthy abs (seriously, I'd die for those) and a long résumé with a bunch of high-profile brands and names.
We chatted with Balti to go a bit beyond the bikini and get to know the brain behind the beauty.
SheKnows: Bianca! Thanks so much for talking to us. We really want to help our readers get to know you better... the official SI Rookie of the Year! Tell us a little bit about yourself, your culture and your upbringing.
Bianca Balti: Wow, that’s a lot. I’ll start with my upbringing. I was born in Lodi, a lovely town in the countryside of Italy. Very close by to the city, but it still is a town... I loved it, you know, I have a great family, I have a big family, a lot of cousins. I grew up having the childhood of everybody’s dreams, you know? (Laughs) And then, when I was a teenager, I decided I was angry with everybody, I rebelled. I moved to Milan for University and a new chapter of my life that started when I was 20. And I started to be a model, and then everything changed. My whole family made me feel stuck in this little town in Italy, and now I’m all over the world, you know? So everybody’s always so curious when I go back for Christmas, they’re like, "Oh, where have you been, what have you done?!" And I do realize I have a life of dreams.
SK:You said you went to university — what were you interested in pursuing when you went to University?
BB: Well, I’ve always been very creative, so I went to University to study graphic design, which was very in line with what my family wanted me to do. But actually, when I started — you know, I moved to Milan, and my modeling career started, so I didn’t really go for University much.
SK: If you had to change careers now, would you still want to go into graphic design? Is that still something that interests you?
BB: No, but for sure something creative. Just not graphic design.
SK: What are some other hobbies or interests that you do have?
BB: Well, my No. 1 hobby and interest is being a mom. It’s something that makes me passionate, you know? I love babies. I could take care of them for all the days of my life and I’d be happy. It is for sure passion No. 1. And passion No. 2 has to do with creating — I have plans for the future that have realized themselves, but I’m not going to share them. It’s just creativity, you know?
Bianca Balti shares pic with her baby
Bianca Balti shares pic with her baby
SK: OK. Plans for the future that you won’t share — that’s quite a teaser there.
BB: But you know what? As soon as you talk about something that hasn’t happened yet, it’s bad luck. So I’m not going to say that.
SK: I get it. You don't want to jinx yourself. Are there any causes or movements that you’re passionate about?
BB: Well, you know, I’m very passionate about every cause, I would say. Sometimes too passionate. I learn to be kind of balanced, because when I was a teenager and in my early 20s, I would get very involved with political issues and stuff like that. And now, I still have an opinion on everything, but I try to balance staying informed and having a positive attitude. Because I feel like having a positive attitude in life is going to change the world. If we could all have a good attitude, we could really make a change. What I do also is collaborate with U.N. Refugee Agency. Last year, I sold all my clothes, all my shoes — you have no idea how much stuff I had. And I made almost €30,000 for Syrian refugees in Jordan. It is something I really care about and try to stay focused on.
SK: That's really amazing. I agree with keeping a positive attitude and focusing on doing good. Now, changing gears — I want to talk about the different experiences you’ve had in your modeling career. What are some of the differences you’ve experienced working in Europe and working in America?
BB: Well, first of all, I’m Italian, and you don’t really work that much in Italy. It’s very different — the European way of working and the American way of working. There are two sides for each of them. In Italy, or France, we take it very slow. For example, we would have a lunch break of an hour or more. Just sitting down at the table, chitchatting. In America, it’s like, “Grab your sandwich, we’re ready to shoot in 10 minutes.” But at the same time, everything works so much better in America. It’s more efficient, so it’s easier to bring the results home faster. It’s nice because, as a model, you really get to work everywhere in the world. You get a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
SK: What was your first experience going to a casting call in America? Do you remember?
BB: Oh, my goodness. I don’t remember, but I probably removed it from my mind. Those first memories of my modeling career are not my favorite. At the beginning, it was tough. I was very lucky, my career took off very quickly, but still. All the memories I have about first casting in general — they’re not nice. Just because there’s so many girls, so much competition. I don’t blame those casting directors, they see so many girls and they can’t be nice to everybody. But you don’t feel like a person, you feel like a number.
SK: You have had such a successful career already. I mean, there are so many huge milestones you’ve achieved in your 12-year career so far. I imagine it must get tough sometimes, though. Have you ever had self-doubts about your body or your appearance while trying to go through this journey?
BB: Oh, yes, all the time. You know, I don’t walk around thinking, “Oh, I’m so amazing. I look so hot.” I feel like I’m just a woman like every woman. We have our doubts, which is better, because I always prefer to stay humble about everything. The hardest time was when I had my second baby two years ago, just because I was so happy about everything that was happening in my life. This baby was a dream come true, and then I gave birth, and I felt so beautiful, but then my agencies were like, “Yeah, we have a shooting in a month, but I don’t think you’re ready.” And I said, “Why? What are you talking about?” And it was just like a reality call, like, “Oh, shit. Maybe I do need to lose some weight.” So I just got back into it, exercised a lot, and made it so that I could go back into the modeling career. But it was hard. It was hard work.
SK: We saw on your Instagram that you went to a Women’s March, which being a women’s site, we loved. What did you march for?
BB: Well, I marched because it’s amazing for me to be around so many people, not only women but people, that believe in something better and believe in making the world a better place. I went there to share this moment with a lot of people that I love, and just seeing tons of different people that seem like my kind of people. But I went also with my baby girl, because I do feel it’s a historical moment where it’s important to send a message that in 2017, it shouldn’t be doing these. Women should have the same rights and respect and paychecks and everything, you know, they’re human beings. For me, it was not only about the rights of women, but the rights of every human being. Every religion you are, every ethnicity you are, every sex you are, if you’re gay or straight. You should be considered as equal as anybody else. That’s super-simple, but apparently we have to still march for it.
Bianca Balti at Women's March
Bianca Balti at Women's March
SK: It’s a simple message, but it’s an important one. The media right now is kind of under fire a little bit for diversity and not showing women of all colors and shapes and sizes. What’s your take on that? Do you think there’s enough diversity in the media or do you think we need more?
BB: Well, it might sound a little egocentric, but I am 32-years-old, and diversity is working for me. I see a lot of change. You can’t deny the revolution that is happening about body sizes. With social media and everything, everyone can get their voice out more. It puts a lot of pressure on the industry to do, give more spaces to different ethnicities or ages or sizes. I do feel like the change is happening. It might have just started, but I believe it’s not going to end. It’s just the beginning.
SK: What do you feel is most beautiful about diversity and showing different women from different walks of life?
BB: It’s beautiful because it is. I think every little girl — like me, when I was a little girl, and I was watching magazines — I had dreams of one day becoming one of those girls. But not even that. It breaks my heart to imagine a little black or Asian girl not seeing herself. I don’t even want to imagine being a mother and having to answer questions like, “Why doesn’t anyone have my afro hair?” or something like that. It’s just not fair. The media should be a mirror of society, and the world is diverse. So I mean, why shouldn’t the fashion industry be diverse? It’s just so simple. To me it’s ABC, you know? It should not even be explained. It should just be the way it is.
SK: Well, thank you so much, and congratulations on being Rookie of the Year!
The greatest tragedy of the Kennedy family was not the deaths of John or Robert — it was the horrific fate of their sister Rosemary.
Take a minute to mentally prepare yourself for what you're about to read, because it's disturbing as hell.
Ready?
The odds were stacked against Rosemary literally from birth. According to Kate Clifford Larson's book Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, when her mother, Rose, went into labor on Sept. 13, 1918, the nurse on duty tried to stall her progress by forcing her knees closed because the doctor was with other patients and the nurse didn't want to deliver the baby herself, even though she was trained to do so. The baby was forced to remain in the birth canal for two hours, causing a critical loss of oxygen.
Rosemary suffered developmental delays as a child, which did not fit in with her father, Joe Kennedy's, vision for the perfect American family. After private tutors failed to yield the intellectual results he desired, Rosemary was shuttled off to a series of boarding schools. Letters from this period reveal a young girl desperate to please her father — in one she wrote, "I would do anything to make you so happy." And she was forced to endure experimental injections meant to curb hormone imbalances her father believed were causing her mood swings.
Rosemary was by all accounts a sociable, happy girl, even making a stunning debut at Buckingham Palace while her father was the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. But a sudden move back home to the U.S. from her British boarding school caused a massive regression in her intellectual development and she began acting out. Fearful of a scandal that could prove disastrous to Joe's dreams of a family political dynasty, and without telling his wife, he arranged a procedure that even the American Medical Association had already warned against: a prefrontal lobotomy.
The 1941 surgery was perfunctory and brutal. A surgeon drilled two holes in her head and scraped away at brain tissue while a psychologist asked a still-conscious Rosemary to sing songs and recite stories until she became incoherent, then finally silent. Once vivacious and charming, if a bit behind her peers, she was left with the mental capacity of a toddler, her entire left side nearly paralyzed.
Rosemary was shuttled off to a care home in New York State, and Joe continued to lie to his wife and other children about what happened to her. His story? That a doctor informed him the best thing for Rosemary was to be institutionalized with absolutely no contact with anyone. And for 20 years, that's exactly what happened — no one knew where she was and could not even visit her.
Several years later, she was moved to a different facility, this one in Wisconsin, when it was discovered she was being sexually abused. For those keeping track at home, that's one severe brain injury at birth, a lobotomy, loss of speech, trapped in her own body and sex abuse.
It wasn't until Joe was incapacitated himself by a massive stroke and the bills stopped getting paid that Rose finally discovered what happened to her oldest daughter.
When Rose visited after a 20 year separation, it was not a happy reunion. In her book The Missing Kennedy, author Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff wrote that when Rose opened her arms to embrace her daughter, Rosemary "beat her mother's chest with her fists shrieking with a primordial 'AAAARRRCK!'" She recognized the fact that her family had abandoned her for the previous two decades.
From then on, until her 2005 death, Rosemary spent more and more time with her family, although her brothers John and Robert never did visit her before their deaths and the relationship with her mother remained tense.
Rosemary died at her nursing home in 2005 with her four surviving siblings by her side.
The tragedy that befell Rosemary was partially due to the times in which she lived — children with special needs were hidden away then, especially by upper-class and Catholic families who saw their presence as shameful — and partially due to her father's unbridled ambition for a political dynasty. While her story was greatly overshadowed by the lives and deaths of her brothers, it's a dire warning to women who dare stand in the way of a man's ambition — even if, like Rosemary, they were never given any choice in the matter.
"We're all human. And we all just want a chance: a chance at life, a chance in education, a chance at a future, really. And at CLF, our mission is to impact as many lives as possible, but it starts with just one. Just one.
"As I stare out into this beautiful room, I see optimism, I see hope, I see the future. I know that each and every one of you has the opportunity to help someone else. All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return. To me, that is a humanitarian.
"People make it seem way too hard, man. The truth is, and what I want the little girl watching those commercials to know, is you don't have to be rich to be a humanitarian. You don't have to be rich to help somebody. You don't gotta be famous. You don't even have to be college-educated. I mean, I wish I was, I'm not saying, you know… [Crowd laughs] Especially today. [Laughs] It's true, I might come back, but all right. [Crowd cheers]
"But it starts with your neighbor, the person right next to you, the person sitting next to you in class, the kid down the block in your neighborhood... you just do whatever you can to help in any way that you can. And today, I want to challenge each of you to make a commitment to help one person, one organization, one situation that touches your heart. My grandmother always used to say, "If you've got a dollar, there's plenty to share.'"
Who needs to cry for Rihanna's lack of Grammy love when she is getting an award so prestigious, it puts the former to shame? I'm certainly not crying; I'm cheering.
Rihanna will receive the Harvard Humanitarian Award on Feb. 28 at the top-notch American university. Seriously, Anti may have been snubbed by the Grammys (I'm still pretty annoyed about it), but this is a hell of an award and well-deserved too. Rihanna's humanitarian and charity work is extensive and long-running. It's exciting to see her get recognized for her efforts.
Rihanna Humanitarian Announcement
Rihanna Humanitarian Announcement
While some of us may be curious to see what Rihanna wears or does during the special evening in her honor, it's important to recognize why she is there. If you're a die-hard Rihanna fan, then you may have an sense of Rihanna's charity work. But to the casual fan, you may not have pegged Rihanna as a woman deeply enmeshed in the charity world. From the announcement on the Harvard website, we can get an insight into her work and why exactly she is being honored. "Rihanna has charitably built a state-of-the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados."
The statement goes on to emphasize the nature of Rihanna's important work even further. "She has also created the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program [named for her grandmother and grandfather] for students attending college in the U.S. from Caribbean countries, and supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, a multiyear campaign that will provide children with access to education in over 60 developing countries, giving priority to girls and those affected by lack of access to education in the world today."
Basically, Rihanna is no slouch at all, and we'd all do well to recognize her more frequently, not for the songs she churns out that top the charts, but the work that she does to help make this world a better place. Perhaps it is indicative of Rihanna's softer side that she doesn't seek to broadcast her work for personal gain, though. She has dedicated a part of her life not to cultivating her fame but to making the lives of children, especially young girls, that much better through high-quality health care and education. Could there be any kind of work more noble than that?
Yes, St. Patrick's Day has kinda become an amateur drinking celebration, but those of us who love to honor the Irish roots of the holiday know it's really all about the food — and a great bangers and mash recipe is key.
This dish is easy to pull off, and family and friends will love the extra Irish twist. Spoiler alert: It's Guinness!
To a large pot, add the peeled potatoes, fill with water, and boil over high heat.
Once the potatoes are fork tender, remove them from the heat, and drain.
Add in 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 the milk. Stir to combine while mashing the potatoes. Add in more milk until you reach the desired consistency. Cover to keep warm.
While your potatoes are cooking, add the sausages to a large skillet filled with 1 cup of water. Boil the sausages over medium-high heat until fully cooked. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan just to help crisp the skins of the sausages. Remove the sausages from the pan, and cover with foil to keep them warm.
To the same pan you used to cook your sausages, set over medium heat, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted, whisk in the flour until it's melted and smooth.
Slowly pour in the Guinness and beef stock while whisking continually. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt and pepper.
Boil slightly, until the gravy starts to thicken.
Add in the sausages to rewarm them, and serve with mashed potatoes.
When I had kids, I realized I needed to develop an entirely new friend group: mom friends. Mom friends are hard to come by, especially ones who are good for more than a quick chat at school pickup. Forming adult friendships is already challenging, but finding someone who you like and whose kid gets along with yours? Brutal. Meeting Amy (not her name) was like being handed the holiday gift I’d really hoped for but hadn’t dared to ask about because it seemed like too much to request. Amy was funny, down-to-earth, well-read and frank in her opinions and views (which were plentiful). She enjoyed a glass of wine, ate food other than salad and was a fan of the well-placed F-bomb. I was in mom-love.
The best part of all this was that her son, Robert (also not his name) and mine were friends and it was a regular mini-bro-fest. They loved LEGOs and Star Wars and LEGO Star Wars. They spent hours running around outside; when it snowed, Robert came over and they belly-flopped on their plastic sleds and went down the hill behind our house until it started to get dark. They were in the same class at school and played together at recess. They went to each other’s birthday parties. We went on joint family expeditions to gather pumpkins and exchanged holiday cards.
It seemed like kismet. We liked the same movies, the same books. Our husbands even got along. Suddenly, I had someone I could call and casually invite over to dinner, tell her she could bring a salad and we had an impromptu party. The adults could sit and talk, largely uninterrupted, as the kids played together downstairs or in the backyard. Mom friendship rocked.
I realized at some point, however, that my son had stopped asking if Robert could come to play; when I asked if he wanted to have him over, he shrugged. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but he didn’t say anything else about it, so I hoped it was a phase. Amy and I were still good, and kids sometimes favor one friend over another and then change again. It wasn’t until he started actively resisting time with Robert that I knew something was up.
After some prodding, my son eventually spilled the beans: Robert was bigger, Robert was older, and Robert was using those advantages to pressure him into doing what he wanted. What he wanted was ending up with my son bruised, physically or emotionally — sometimes both. There were the times Robert demanded that they play the game he wanted. There was the party when my son came home crying because Robert had pushed him out of the group and not let him play with the others. But it was the time that Amy said Robert had grabbed my son around the neck while they were “playing” and excused it as “boys being boys” that I realized how bad it had become, how often I was telling my son to get along, to be flexible. I felt like the world’s most selfish (and least observant) mom for not catching it sooner, but of course I stopped encouraging any interaction between the kids. The question still on the table, however, was… where did that leave things with Amy?
I enjoyed hanging out with her. I loved being able to talk to her. But I knew perfectly well that if I zeroed in on what was going on between the kids, if I put it all on the table with her, the friendship was kaput. I wanted to be able to stay friends. But loyalty to my son was more important, and I was sure that she would feel the same way about Robert. I don’t know which of us stopped reaching out first, but the calls and texts got less and less frequent. Gosh, we were both always so busy. The boys couldn’t play together, and apparently, neither could we. There’s no painless way to break up with a friend, but ultimately, I chose for it to be my pain rather than my son’s.
Thinking of adding a pup-sized bundle of joy to your family? You might want to brush up on your puppy knowledge. On the surface, they seem simple: They poop, they pee, they eat and they love. But there's actually a lot more to these squishy little cuddle monsters.
To help you better appreciate (and care for) your new puppy, we've pulled together 10 little-known-but-totally-true facts.
There are 70,000 puppies and kittens born in the U.S. every day, according to the Humane Society Animal League for Life. Considering there's only about 10,000 humans born in the U.S. per year, you can give each newborn baby at least one puppy as a birthday gift!
Like humans, puppies are born without teeth. However, they can't hear, see or smell, either. Puppies don't open their eyes or begin to hear until they're 1 to 2 weeks old, according to the VCA, and they can't smell until about three weeks post birth. Until then, it's very important for the mini-puppies to stay close to mom and their siblings to eat and grow properly.
Not much is different between human newborns and puppies when it comes to sleeping habits. The average human newborn sleeps 16 hours in a 24 hour time period, whereas puppies get around 15 to 20 hours of shut-eye, according to the American Kennel Cub.
When a puppy is first born, 90 percent of their life is spent sleeping while the other 10 percent is spent eating. Sounds like the life of a puppy is pretty awesome and relaxing! Since a lot of important development and growth happens for the pup during this time, it is important that they get their rest.
They may start out with no smell at all, but at 3 weeks old, puppies start to turn into pretty amazing sniffers: A dog's sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times more powerful than us lowly humans, according to PBS.
"Let's suppose they're just 10,000 times better," says James Walker, former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University, told PBS. "If you make the analogy to vision, what you and I can see at a third of a mile, a dog could see more than 3,000 miles away and still see as well."
When a puppy is about 6 to 12 weeks old, they need to eat four small portions of food a day to meet nutritional demands, according to the AKC. Since they were born to nurse (and graze as they feel necessary), you will need to teach them the proper portion control to avoid gorging his little tummy.
Puppies grow pretty fast and it takes them a bit of time to get used to their body. Just like when a human is trying to walk, puppies can be a bit clumsy. A bit more common in larger breeds due to their long legs and big paws, puppies are quite the clumsy creatures when they trot alongside you.
Puppies are in the womb (and born) with a litter. They love to be surrounded by other animals and humans. When they are left alone, they get lonely! Some chase their tails and some look for trouble. When your pup is young, make sure to spend a lot of time with the little guy and put him in sociable situations to ease his transition into being a pet.
Just like babies, puppies teeth grow when they are chewing. Needing to exercise their new chompers, a lot of puppies will chew anything in site. Don't discipline for chewing, just train them on what's OK to chew (such as their own chew toys and ropes) and what's not (like your favorite Jimmy Choo pumps).
Even though they may not act like it, a puppy is considered an adult when they are between 9 to 15 months old (depending on size and breed), according to pedigree.com.
On top of everything else, many women who have undergone chemotherapy after a breast cancer diagnosis may find themselves gaining weight. On average, a woman will gain 10 to 12 pounds and may have to exercise more than she did (prior to the diagnosis) in order to maintain a healthy weight.
Doctors have found there are a variety of factors at play for the added pounds, including a slower metabolism as a result of chemotherapy. But regardless of the reasons why some women gain weight, the point remains: Weight gain and inactivity are both harmful to women battling and recovering from breast cancer.
And now, new research focuses on the exact role physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight play in reducing the risk of cancer recurrence and death.
"Of all lifestyle factors, physical activity has the most robust effect on breast cancer outcomes," writes Dr. Ellen Warner, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, with coauthor Julia Hamer. "Weight gain of more than 10% body weight after a breast cancer diagnosis increases breast cancer mortality and all-cause mortality.”
So why exercise? Well, the review authors found it can reduce a breast cancer recurrence by 40 percent. And as an added bonus, exercise has also been shown to help the depression, fatigue, lymphedema (swelling in the arm caused by removing lymph nodes) and stress that might accompany diagnosis and treatment.
This is great news for women who are ready to incorporate lifestyle changes to help in the fight against breast cancer. And getting started is easier than one might think. Walking outside or on a treadmill, participating in a low-impact cardio/strength training class, swimming, cycling and bodyweight exercises that can be done at home are all great ways to meet the recommended guidelines for exercise.
And as far as how much and how often? Researchers suggest that women engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, five days a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week and participate in two to three sessions of strength training each week.
Along with AARP cards and new medications, colonoscopies are typically what we associate with a 50th birthday; in fact, the American Cancer Society currently recommends that individuals with average risk should begin receiving colorectal cancer screenings at age 50. However, the latest research shows that these current measures might be a bit off.
In a study published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers discovered a slight, yet foreboding trend: CRC diagnoses are on the decline in the country as a whole, but are slowly on the rise for individuals under 50. For women specifically, this trend could put something else at risk: the success of a pregnancy.
Gina Neri, colon cancer survivor and mother of three, shared her story with SheKnows, and tells us why we need to rethink the colonoscopy.
Neri was healthy. She was mother of two at the time working as a successful lawyer in New York City. She did not have a history of cancer in her family, and at 39 years old, the idea of a CRC screening had never crossed her mind.
Then one day out of the blue, she began to experience some rectal bleeding. While this simply could have been related to the delivery of her second child 18 months earlier, Neri decided to play it safe and went to her primary care doctor. What began as a simple examination began a whirlwind of a journey.
A gastroenterologist evaluated Neri’s bleeding as a precaution. After several tests, Neri received the news that she was pregnant with her third child. But at a time normally filled with celebration, Neri also faced a different diagnosis: She had colon cancer, and the tumor was located directly behind her uterus.
“I just couldn’t believe it could happen, especially to me,” Neri told SheKnows.
Suddenly, everything was put in question — especially the future of her baby on the way. This diagnosis typically warrants immediate surgery, and most doctors and specialists recommended that she terminate the pregnancy. Neri had a life-altering decision to make, but she wasn't prepared to lose the baby.
After some research, she found a removal procedure using the da Vinci System, a minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery. This option, which allows for a 3-D HD view of the inside of the body, provides surgeons with the vision and accuracy to safely remove a tumor without harming the baby. In comparison to open surgery, the da Vinci System also helps patients experience less blood loss and reduces the odds of complications, which can become life-threatening during pregnancy.
During the ninth week of her pregnancy, Neri underwent the surgery. When she woke up, she was able to hear her daughter’s heartbeat for the first time. The procedure had been a success, and Neri carried her third child to term. She and her husband chose to name their daughter Gianna Hope after Italian pediatrician St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who refused to abort her child even with the knowledge that continuing the pregnancy with uterine cancer might kill her, and it did.
Recognizing the tendency of Gen Xers and millennials to overlook the importance of a colonoscopy until later in life, Neri, now just 41, is starting a foundation called “Gianna’s Hope” to defy this clearly out-of-date norm.
Gianna’s Hope is aiming to work with advocacy organizations to raise awareness of this type of cancer in younger men and women and to lower the recommended age for CRC screenings. More specifically, her goal is to support and give faith to pregnant women dealing with the diagnosis of colon cancer.
“It doesn’t make sense to wait for age 50 to begin to screen for CRC,” Neri said. “Waiting for some could be a death sentence.”
And she’s right. While life expectancies are longer and science continues to advance, we cannot expect all of our health problems to be solved for us. We must take our health into our own hands rather than waiting for symptoms that might not come. It might not just be our lives on the line.
If you usually only eat fish at restaurants, the prospect of cooking with it at home can feel kind of daunting. But fish doesn't have to be reserved for those fancy-pants meals out. It's surprisingly easy to add fish to meals you already love, giving them extra flavor, protein and healthy fats that you might be missing out on.
Ready to take the plunge? These are the easiest ways to start adding fish to your diet.
So many people default to baked or sautéed chicken when they're trying to come up with a healthy, protein-rich dinner, but fish works just as well in these situations (and cooks up faster too!). Plus, adding variety to your meals (like skipping the boneless, skinless chicken a few times a week) ensures that you're not missing out on any important nutrients.
Looking for easy meal ideas? Try Dijon-apricot-glazed salmon, pan-fried halibut with lemon-yogurt sauce or shrimp simply sautéed with garlic and butter, all of which take less than 20 minutes to cook up. Serve alongside your favorite veggies and a whole grain, and you've got yourself a flavorful, quick and healthy meal.
2. Jazz up your salads
We all know salads are an easy way to up your intake of veggies, but if you don't add protein to your leafy greens, you're going to be hungry before long. And what's the point of sticking with healthier eating if you still wind up hungry after your meal?
Instead, bulk up your salads with lean protein in the form of fish. Steamed or sautéed shrimp and leftover fish from the night before can all give your salad more heft. If you want to make it really easy, you can buy a premade salad or add a pouch of StarKist® Salmon Creations® Lemon Dill on top of some salad greens to give it that extra something that will keep you going all afternoon.
3. Add it to casseroles
Casseroles can be a lifesaver when you lead a busy life, but they can also be kind of, well, boring. That's why you should think about livening up your favorite casseroles — especially creamy dishes that tend to taste bland — with fish.
Quick-cooking peeled, deveined shrimp is great with baked pastas; shellfish, like mussels and clams, can be added to rice-based casseroles in the last few minutes of cooking. Wake up one of your go-to casseroles with the addition of something with flavor, like a StarKist® Tuna Creations® Lemon Pepper pouch, or create something new, like this spring lemon tuna risotto.
Ground beef tacos from a box might be what most of us mean when we say we're making tacos at home, but you can make yours healthier and more interesting by adding fish to the equation. Season your fish, whether it's white fish fillets, shrimp, scallops or salmon, with taco seasoning. Sauté until cooked through, then add to a tortilla with shredded cabbage, salsa and crumbled queso fresco. Fish tacos are so fresh and tasty compared to the heavy beef tacos so many of us grew up on, and they don't take any longer to cook.
Want to make things extra decadent? Fill your tacos with fish sticks or a fillet for a meal that'll make you feel like you're dining on a sunny beach somewhere ready to hit the waves.
5. Doll up your dips
If you love to entertain, chances are you serve chips and dip on a fairly regular basis. Fish can help take your party snacks to the next level, and the extra protein gives you an excuse to have "just one more" bite. Try adding cooked chopped clams to onion dip, lump crab meat to spinach and artichoke dip, and chopped shrimp to fresh salsa or whip up a batch of salmon cream cheese dip to serve with bagel chips. It's totally normal to eat that for breakfast, right?
You don’t need to fear cooking with fish! It can add flavor to your favorite dishes and liven up classic recipes to give you new ways to eat healthier meals that still taste delish. Whether you opt for a quick sauté, a pouch of tuna or salmon, or frozen filets, fish is the easiest way to add a new element of flavor to your meals.
