List of All Articles with Tag 'lifestyle'

MILAN (AP) — Rain forced more than one fashion house to scramble for indoor locations in Milan and fashionistas to find a way to move about the gridlocked Italian city on Friday without the threat of a drenching.

McDonald’s Corp. is bumping up the fees it charges US and Canada franchisees to operate some restaurants. Owners

Parenting is hard enough when you only have one or two children. So imagine how tough it can be when you have six kids – which is the case for comedian and television producer Ashley Blaker. Blaker, who’s worked on shows including Little Britain and starred in the Radio 4 series 6.5 Children about his family, has six children aged between nine and 19, two of whom have autism and ADHD, and one, who’s adopted, with Down’s Syndrome. But despite the busy load, he’s keeping a smile on his face – although he wholeheartedly admits that family life for him and his wife Gemma, a headteacher, can be challenging, particularly in relation to caring for their 15-year-old daughter Zoe, who has the mental age of a four-year-old. “We’ve really worked hard to support each other, and to make our family work,” he says. “There have been many, many times that things go a bit wrong. We have so much to worry about, it’s actually often the small stuff that gets us. “Being a parent can put you in a vulnerable place, and it can be the very littlest thing that throws everything awry. When a child has a meltdown or the support you were expecting didn’t arrive or whatever, then it can throw a massive spanner in the works.” Blaker, 48, explains that his eldest son Adam, now 19, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD when he was three – he had speech delay and was completely non-verbal until age six, ate a very restricted diet, and “he was very hard to control, very wild – he had a lot of behaviour issues”, his dad shares. His third son Dylan, now 16, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at age six, and Blaker says both boys’ diagnoses benefitted the whole family. “It’s been a very, very helpful thing,” he explains. “My third son in particular has a very positive attitude towards his diagnosis – he loves having autism, and his diagnosis has allowed him to navigate his life in a more serene way.” The diagnoses have also helped the boys get extra support at school, and medication, and have definitely been a positive for Blaker and his wife as parents. “From our point of view as parents, it’s allowed us to go – ok, we’re not just inadequate parents,” says Blaker. “It would have been very easy to view ourselves as very bad parents, so getting that diagnosis was a very important and positive step towards being kinder to ourselves.” Despite the undeniable challenges of raising the four children they had at the time, the Blakers decided to adopt Zoe when she was two, when many couples may have shied away from adopting a child with Down’s syndrome. Why did they decide it was the right choice for them? It’s a question Blaker can’t really answer, admitting that he and his wife weren’t even considering adoption – but saw a local council advert about Zoe and answered it. It turned out to a life-changing decision both for her and for them, that they have absolutely no regrets. “She brings us unbelievable joy – she’s the greatest blessing in our life,” he says. “She’s in many ways the most impressive member of our family – probably because she’s the only one who shares none of my genes,” he jokes. “There are many challenges, but there’s such a wonderful innocence about her that sets her apart from most 15-year-old girls. She’s not on Snapchat, she’s not on the phone all night, she’s never made me take her to see Harry Styles in concert. She’s an absolute joy to be with – you can make her laugh incredibly easily, she’s the easiest audience in the world.” But despite the absolute joy Zoe and her brothers and younger sister bring to their parents, there’s no denying the Blakers’ family life is a long way from ‘normal’ – which is one of the reasons Blaker has just written a book about his unusual family, Normal Schmormal (HarperCollins, £16.99). “I really wanted to write the book that I wish I’d read 16 years ago, when my eldest son was diagnosed,” he says. “I read a lot around the subject at the time, and it was very depressing and worrying. I wanted to change the conversation a little bit on the subject of children with special needs, from being something depressing and worrying to something that’s positive, and makes our family who we are. Who wants to be normal anyway?” After Blaker finished writing the book, he was himself diagnosed as autistic with ADHD, at age 48. “Especially now I have my own diagnosis, I feel even more that it’s like: who wants to be normal anyway?” he says. “I’d lived with autistic sons over 18 years, but it was somehow only on writing about them and their hyper-fixations and sensory needs and social awkwardness that I thought I could have been writing about myself. “So I thought I’d like to at least find out – I think everyone, children included, has a desire to understand themselves, to know who they are, and explain certain aspects of their life.” So, how did his two autistic sons react when they learned their dad shared their conditions? “My eldest son was completely disinterested,” he says, “but my third son found it kind of funny. His exact words were, ‘I always knew there was something wrong with your semen’. But I do think that for both of them, it’s deepened our bond.” It’s impossible not to admire Blaker and his wife for their dedication to their family and the decisions they’ve made. Blaker concedes that he’s proud of himself – but “even prouder of my children”. He says being incredibly organised and having set routines – which he points out that kids, particularly those with special educational needs, love – has really helped the family over the years. But have he and Gemma ever had time for a break? In the past they’ve taken holidays without each other, leaving the other parent with the kids, just to get time away, he says. But he thinks taking a break is vital for carers, be they parents or otherwise, which is why he’s supporting Sense, the charity for people who are deafblind or have complex disabilities, with a new campaign highlighting the issue. The charity found 65% of carers are burnt-out or exhausted. “It’s really important to get a break, and it’s another reason why diagnoses can be crucial, because it opens up a wealth of help, like respite care,” says Blaker. “There’s a lot of help out there, but those things often need diagnoses. It’s like the magic key that opens everything up.” Ashley Blaker is supporting Sense’s new Give Carers a Break campaign. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Moschino celebrates 40 years of fashion with spectacular catwalk show From tailoring to florals: 5 key fashion trends to know for autumn/winter Cue the damson decor trend to snug up your space

Many baseball fans, especially older ones, originally fell in love with America’s pastime by listening to ballgames on AM radio

This week, a Truman Capote story from early in his career will be published for the first time

Canadian tourists, business travelers and even some former Indian citizens are rushing to change flights and inquire about

American Airlines Group Inc. joined a growing number of carriers around the globe that have discovered improperly certified

Designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons have achieved an unbearable lightness in a series of translucent chiffon dresses that gently cosseted the form, trailed by wispy strands of the finest organza

The soft drink company teased consumers with a giant contest offer. But could they really pay it out?

A woman is suing Starbucks for “false and deceptive practices” over claims that the coffee company’s iced, fruit-filled refresher beverage actually contains no fruit. Joan Kominis from Queens, New York, filed a complaint in August 2022 after learning that Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher contained no actual acai. Court documents filed in the southern district of New York claim that “unbeknownst to consumers, the Mango Dragon Fruit and Mango Dragon Fruit Lemonade Refreshers contain no mango, the Pineapple Passionfruit and Pineapple Passion Fruit Lemonade Refreshers contain no passionfruit, and the Strawberry Açaí and Strawberry Açaí Lemonade Refreshers contain no açaí.” Kominis and her co-plaintiff, Jason McAllister of California, are seeking damages in excess of $5m. Starbucks has since called the allegations “inaccurate” and “without merit”. On Tuesday 19 September, US District Judge John Cronan rejected Starbucks’ request to dismiss nine of the 11 claims in the class-action complaint because “a significant portion of reasonable consumers” would assume that the beverages in question would contain the fruit in their names. The plaintiffs have said the main ingredients in these beverages were water, grape juice concentrate, and sugar. They claim the refreshers “differ from other Starbucks products” in that the product doesn’t contain items in their name. “Starbucks’ hot chocolate contains cocoa, its matcha lattes contain matcha, and its honey mint tea contains honey and mint,” reads the complaint. While they noted that the refresher drinks do in fact contain freeze-dried pieces of strawberries, pineapple and dragon fruit, they claimed that Starbucks “does not affirmatively indicate anywhere which ingredients are and are not in the products.” Starbucks had said that the fruits mentioned in the refreshers titles are meant to “describe the flavours as opposed to the ingredients.” Judge Cronan disagreed, writing in his ruling: “Nothing before the Court indicates that ‘mango,’ ‘passionfruit,’ and ‘açaí’ are terms that typically are understood to represent a flavour without also representing that ingredient.” In Kominis’ original filing, she claimed that she was going to buy a Strawberry Açaí refresher specifically for the açaí benefits. The suit stated that açaí berries and juice “are known to provide benefits to heart health, cognitive function, and contain anti-cancerous properties.” “Had she known that the product did not contain açaí, she would not have purchased it, or would have paid significantly less for it,” the document read. Kominis said that she and other consumers bought these menu items and “paid a premium price” based on Starbucks’ naming of the refreshers, and would either not have purchased them or “paid significantly less for them” had they been aware they were missing one of the named fruits. “The allegations in the complaint are inaccurate and without merit,” a Starbucks spokesperson told Today. “We look forward to defending ourselves against these claims.” One claim of fraud and another for unjust enrichment were dismissed from the suit, but Starbucks will have to face the rest of the allegations. The Independent has contacted a spokesperson for Starbucks for comment. This is the second lawsuit an American food chain has faced in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Burger King was sued over claims that the company misled customers by making its Whopper burger appear larger on the menu than how it appears in reality. Read More Citing sustainability, Starbucks wants to overhaul its iconic cup. Will customers go along? Starbucks cheers ‘good progress’ in plan for 100 new UK shops Ed Sheeran serves up Pumpkin Spice Lattes to surprised Starbucks customers Courgette season is nearly over – here’s three ways to make the most of them Top international cuisines Brits are keen to try Subway enthusiasts stew over launch of first ever 3-inch sandwich

Designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons achieved an unbearable lightness in a series of translucent chiffon dresses that gently cosseted the form, trailed by wispy strands of chiffon

Celebrating ’40 years of love’, Moschino handed over the reins to four friends of the house for its spring/summer show at Milan Fashion Week. Fashion stylists Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Katie Grand, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson and Lucia Liu were invited to create 10 looks inspired by the works of founder Franco Moschino, who died in 1994. To mark the brand’s 40th anniversary, the collection was unveiled at a spectacular runway show split into four acts. Under the stewardship of creative director Jeremy Scott, Moschino has become known for bright, brash and whimsical designs. Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, 73, offered a more restrained take on the usual house codes, with the French stylist opening the show with a model clad in a white double-breasted two piece suit and black rollneck top. Injecting the sleek look with some Moschino glamour, she styled the suit with statement crystal jewellery and a head wrap dotted with chunky diamantes. What followed was the most wearable of the four ranges, featuring wide-leg blue jeans and chinos, navy blazers and knitwear, and a chic beige biker jacket. These were elevated staples, however, and they came with kooky accessories, such as heart-shaped handbags and a tiny micro bag worn as a necklace. Gabriella Karefa-Johnson pulled no punches with her first look, a gold chain skirt and cropped black leather biker jacket worn over a stripey black and white bikini and topped with a cowboy hat. Her 10 looks were a sensationally summery ode to the 1970s and 80s worn by a diverse cast of models who frolicked joyfully down the runway. Skirts ranged from mini (a colourful crochet number) to maxi (several high-waisted styles with ruffled ra-ra hems), teamed with corset tops and boxy blazers. A yellow and green tie-dyed denim skirt and top will no doubt appeal to Gen Z Moschino fans. Chinese stylist Lucia Liu was inspired by the Moschino founder’s painting and her range was all about ruffles. Opening with a pink tiered maxi skirt and a T-shirt printed with the slogan ‘Protect me from the fashion system’, the 10 looks featured lots of floaty chiffon, floral embroidery and cute little bow embellishments. Alongside puff-sleeved jackets, lace tights and diaphanous cargo trousers, Liu rounded off her range with a truly showstopping look. Worn by a Canadian model, the voluminous pink skirt was covered in giant bows and rosettes, teamed with a matching feather-trimmed jacket and vest top with an Italian slogan. The final act, from British stylist Katie Grand, was titled Gone With The Wind and promised ‘frequent nod(s) to irony’. It certainly delivered, with the first model striding out in a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘Loud luxury’, which he stripped off to reveal a tiny crop top and trunks printed with suggestive brushstrokes. A joyous rejection of the understated ‘quiet luxury’ trend that’s taken the fashion world by storm this year, Grand’s black and white range was more about making a statement than it was about selling clothes. Models in catsuits and tutus cavorted on the catwalk, engaging in something that looked like combative dance and generally having a whale of a time. They managed to get round the rectangular runway twice before sprinting off into the wings. A violinist appeared and began a solo performance of Gloria Gaynor’s I Am What I Am as she made her way down the catwalk. As the song morphed into Gaynor’s original version, the models reappeared in white slogan T-shirts and blue jeans, taking a final turn on the runway before the guest designers took their bow. The limited edition designs were made in partnership with the Elton John Aids Foundation. Honouring Franco Moschino’s work on HIV/Aids awareness during his lifetime, all proceeds from sales of the T-shirts will go to the charity. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live From tailoring to florals: 5 key fashion trends to know for autumn/winter Cue the damson decor trend to snug up your space Sex Education: What is it like to be a real-life Jean Milburn?