College students are still struggling with basic math. Professors blame the pandemic
U.S. colleges are searching for solutions as they see alarming numbers of students arrive with gaps in their math skills
2023-08-31 12:46
Travelers hoping to enjoy one last summer fling over Labor Day weekend should expect lots of company
If you're squeezing in one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend, expects lots of company
2023-08-31 12:24
Images of 'wonder and woe' in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition
A home-making mason bee, a motherly possum's midnight munchies and a macaque lying on a deer's back are just some of highly commended images from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
2023-08-31 07:27
West Point time capsule that appeared to contain nothing more than silt yields centuries-old coins
A nearly 200-year-old time capsule that appeared to yield little more than dust when it was opened at West Point contained hidden treasure after all
2023-08-31 06:55
France’s Pinault Nears $7 Billion Deal for Talent Agency CAA
French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault is close to a $7 billion deal to buy a majority stake in Creative
2023-08-31 06:54
Trader Joe’s issues sixth recall in less than six weeks
Trader Joe’s has recalled its sixth food item in five weeks. The latest food to make the list is the grocery store’s Texas Tamale Company gourmet black bean tamales, which were recalled on 22 August. According to Trader Joe’s website, the company was alerted by its supplier that tamales with a “best before date of 19 June 2025 and Lot code 17023 - sold only in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas stores - may contain undeclared milk”. This means that the presumed vegan items sold in those specific states may contain milk. “No illnesses have been reported to date, and all potentially affected products have been removed from sale,” Trader Joe’s announcement read. The recall warned consumers who did purchase the tamales not to eat them. Trader Joe’s “urged” buyers to either throw the tamales away or return them to the store where they will receive a full refund. Just a few days before this recall announcement from Trader Joe’s, another item was recalled. On 17 August, Trader Joe’s announced a recall of its multigrain crackers with sunflower and flax seeds. According to the announcement on its website, “products with Best If Used By dates between 1 March and 5 March 2024 may contain metal”. Similar to the tamales, no injuries were reported and all product that may have been affected was removed from sale and destroyed. Other recalled items include: Fully Cooked Falafel, Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk, Almond Cookies, and Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup. The falafel was recalled because it may have contained rocks, and the broccoli cheddar soup was pulled because it may have contained insects. The cookies were also recalled because they may have contained rocks. Customers with questions are encouraged to contact the store’s customer relations department or email Trader Joe’s via the product feedback section of its website. Some frequent Trader Joe’s shoppers have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to talk about their concerns with the increase in recalls. “I was gonna go to Trader Joe’s today and then I heard about all the recalls,” one tweet read. “The news media is just catching on to this, due to recent Trader Joe’s incidents that rose to the level of mass recalls. But it’s been an issue I’ve been noticing since the pandemic... Trader Joe’s has never been great at consistent quality control, it’s just noticeably worse,” another person pointed out on the platform. According to Trader Joe’s website, it doesn’t “take any chances when it comes to product safety and quality”. “We err on the side of caution and are proactive in addressing issues. We voluntarily take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing the product from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality,” the grocery store chain said. It continued: “We value information and clear communication. Should a recall become necessary, we waste no time in providing our customers details. Our recall-related communications go well beyond regulatory requirements: we share news through in-store signs, on our website, and through email alerts.” The Independent has contacted Trader Joe’s for comment. Read More Trader Joe’s recalls two types of cookies over concerns they may contain rocks Nestlé recalls Toll House cookie dough Jennifer Aniston’s ‘go-to’ collagen supplement recalled Woman explains why she excluded her maid-of-honour from the bachelorette party Woman named Barbie Oppenheimer encounters difficulties amid Barbenheimer craze The Golden Bachelor: Who are the 22 senior women competing for Gerry Turner’s heart?
2023-08-31 06:22
Resurfaced Karl Lagerfeld quote sparks backlash after Chanel unveils food-less diner
A Chanel pop-up “diner” without any food has raised eyebrows, as many people have called attention to designer Karl Lagerfeld’s controversial comments about diet culture. This week, it was announced that the French fashion label would be opening an old-school diner in Brooklyn, New York, to celebrate the launch of its Chance Eau Fraîche perfume. What was once the Wythe Diner, located at 225 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, will be renamed the Lucky Chance Diner from 8 to 10 September. But don’t expect any diner food staples to be served at the pop-up restaurant. Instead, the immersive experience will include small, Chanel-branded treats and refreshments. As news surfaced that Chanel’s Lucky Chance Diner will not be serving classic American diner cuisine, like burgers and fries, many people were quick to note that the food-less menu would most likely receive a stamp of approval from Chanel’s late creative director, who had his own controversial opinions about food. In an Instagram post shared by popular fashion watchdog Diet Prada, the account resurfaced an infamous quote once uttered by Lagerfeld himself. “I never touch sugar, cheese, bread,” the German designer said. “I only like what I’m allowed to like. I’m beyond temptation. There is no weakness.” “When I see tons of food in the studio, for us and for everybody, for me it’s as if this stuff was made out of plastic,” he said. “The idea doesn’t even enter my mind that a human being could put that into their mouth. I’m like the animals in the forest. They don’t touch what they cannot eat.” Unsurprisingly, many people took issue with Lagerfeld’s past comments, and found it very fitting that Chanel would open a pop-up diner without actual diner food. “No sugar, bread or cheese? What a sad existence,” commented one Instagram user under Diet Prada’s post. “That quote is berserk,” another person said. “Thinking about the menu and all of a sudden I’m not hungry,” a third user wrote. This isn’t the first time Lagerfeld has been deemed problematic, notably for his fatphobic and body-shaming comments and controversial opinions about the MeToo Movement, migrants and LGBTQ rights. For example, when he was asked in 2012 whether he had a responsibility to hire size-inclusive models, the German designer said: “There are less than one per cent of anorexic girls. But there are zero in France, I don’t know in England - over 30 per cent of girls [are] big, big, overweight. And that is much more dangerous and very bad for the health. So I think today, with the junk food in front of TV, it’s something dangerous for the health of the girl. The models are skinny, but they’re not that skinny. All the new girls are not that skinny.” Although Lagerfeld claimed that he would “never touch sugar,” many people pointed to the 2001 “Karl Lagerfeld Diet” - which saw the designer lose more than 90 pounds as a result of a personalised diet plan created by Dr Jean-Claude Houdret. In his diet, Lagerfeld reportedly drank 10 cans of Diet Coke a day. “I drink Diet Coke from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed,” Lagerfeld said, according to Women’s Wear Daily. “I can even drink it in the middle of the night and I can sleep. I don’t drink coffee, I don’t drink tea, I drink nothing else.” Despite his controversial opinions about food, Lagerfeld famously transformed the Grand Palais in Paris, France, into a supermarket for Chanel’s 2014 autumn/winter Paris Fashion Week runway show. The shelves were stocked with faux Chanel-branded products, with everything from “Jambon Cambon” ham to camellia-festooned rubber gloves. At Chanel’s Lucky Chance Diner, patrons can go on a “personalised scent discovery” to explore the brand’s new fragrance free of charge. The pink-and-green themed space will feature Chanel’s recognisable round perfume bottles on every surface, along with matching dining booths, countertop seating, napkin holders, clocks and other paraphernalia bearing its signature logo. Customers will also be able to participate in interactive activities, such as selfies with a life-sized bottle of Chance perfume and a fragrance window to purchase Chanel perfumes. The Lucky Chance Diner is open to the public for three days, from 11am to 7pm, beginning 8 September. Chanel is offering limited 30-minute reservations here, but walk-ins are also welcome. Read More Chanel is opening a beauty-themed pop-up ‘diner’ with no burgers or French fries Karl Lagerfeld’s most memorable quotes about fashion, celebrities and body diversity Should I give up Diet Coke? With aspartame under suspicion, an addict speaks
2023-08-31 03:57
77 Delightful Victorian Slang Terms You Should Be Using
We don’t know how these Victorian slang terms ever fell out of fashion, but we propose bringing them back, as soon as possible.
2023-08-31 01:45
Fashion icon Iris Apfel celebrates 102nd birthday in style: ‘As beautiful as ever’
Style icon Iris Apfel has celebrated turning 102 years old in true “Barbiecore” fashion. Apfel reached the milestone age on Wednesday 29 August. In honour of her birthday, the fashion designer shared a pink-filled photo of herself to Instagram, with Kool & The Gang’s "Celebration” playing in the background. “102 today… who would’ve thought!!” she captioned the post, which featured animated pink balloons flying over her head. In the image, Apfel posed in her eccentric New York City apartment, complete with a white porcelain dog statue and a gold accent table. She was dressed in head-to-toe pink, along with her signature oversized, black round eyeglasses. Apfel wore a large, baby pink cape à la fellow icon André Leon Talley, and layered, chunky necklaces and bangles. She finished the look with salmon-coloured trousers, floral socks, and hot pink ballet flats with a bow. In the comments, many fans and famous friends rushed to wish the 102-year-old interior designer a happy birthday. “HBD, Iris!!!” wrote none other than the official Instagram account for Barbie. “You make 102 look fabulous!” said one fan. Another follower commented: “As beautiful as ever!” “Forever an icon,” a third person said, while someone else wrote: “What an achievement!” On Tuesday, Apfel also celebrated her birthday with an intimate dinner at Tutto il Giorno in the Hamptons, New York, where she was joined by designer Donna Karan, model Christie Brinkley, and Brinkley’s daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. The model shared a series of photos and videos with the fashion legend to Instagram in honour of her birthday. “Happy Birthday to Iris! She’s 102 and she’s got more style than me and you!” Brinkley captioned her poem-like birthday tribute. “She’s the queen of fashion who gets better every year, and today’s her birthday, did you hear? She’s got her trademark glasses and a wardrobe of fun and we wish her every happiness under the sun. “She’s smart and savvy and extremely witty and she wants everyone to know that individuality is always pretty, that we should all be ourselves, one of a kind,” Brinkley wrote. “Good advice like that’s hard to find. So thank you Iris for all you do, to say to people, ‘You do you!’ (Like you do so well!). Happy Birthday Iris! We LOVE YOU!” Apfel was born in 1921 in Queens, New York, to a father whose family owned a glass and mirror business, and a mother who owned a fashion boutique. Along with her late husband, Carl Apfel, she launched the textile firm Old World Weavers in 1950, which ran until they retired in 1992. Throughout her career, she took on restoration projects in the White House for nine US presidents. In 2005, she showcased her large collection of clothing and accessories in an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, titled “Rara Avis (Rare Bird): The Irreverent Iris Apfel”. Her decades-long career in fashion and design became the subject of a 2015 documentary, simply called Iris. In 2019, she signed a modelling contract with global agency IMG at age 97. In an interview with Today following her 100th birthday, Apfel spoke candidly about her age and revealed why she’ll never retire. “Oh, I love to work. It’s fun because I enjoy it,” she said. “And then I can help people. I can give employment. People tell me I inspire them. So many good things come out of it.” “I think retiring at any age is a fate worse than death,” she continued. “Just because a number comes up doesn’t mean you have to stop.” Despite turning 100 at the time, Apfel explained that she didn’t see her age as a reason to “change” her lifestyle or career “overnight”. “I didn’t change overnight because the number changed,” she said. “I want to keep on working and doing different projects.” Instead, her motto at work is to “just do what [she]” feels and to do what she feels in her heart, rather than “verbalising” it. “I just feel it. If it feels right here,” she said, pointing at her heart. Read More 100-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel reveals why she’ll never retire: ‘A fate worse than death’ Style icon Iris Apfel signs modelling contract with IMG, aged 97 Social media's 70-up 'grandfluencers' debunking aging myths Staggering environmental advantages of buying second-hand clothes revealed Why do we crave brand new clothes and how can we resist the urge to buy them? Chanel is opening a beauty-themed pop-up ‘diner’ with no burgers or French fries
2023-08-31 01:15
Orsted’s $2.3 Billion Charge Exposes US Offshore Wind Woes
Orsted A/S’s potential $2.3 billion impairment on its US projects is just the latest in a string of
2023-08-31 00:24
Spain has condemned inappropriate World Cup kiss. Can it now reckon with sexism in soccer?
Spain has spoken loudly through its government, political parties, soccer clubs, players and ordinary citizens to condemn the kiss of a player by the head of its soccer federation that sullied its Women’s World Cup victory
2023-08-31 00:22
Prince Harry says in a new Netflix series he lacked support when he returned home from Afghanistan
Britain’s Prince Harry says he didn’t have the support he needed when he returned home from combat in Afghanistan
2023-08-30 23:54