A Delicious History of Red Velvet Cake
From what makes red velvet cake red (and velvet, for that matter) to its highly dubious origin story, here’s what you need to know about this delicious dessert.
2023-06-01 03:24
Vogue editor Anna Wintour announces Vogue World 2023 is coming to London
It seems that London will finally be given its own version of New York City’s famed Met Gala with Vogue World 2023. On 31 May, Vogue announced the second annual Vogue World extravaganza will arrive in London on 14 September. The fashion and culture spectacular will feature appearances from Stormzy and Michaela Coel, as well as dramatic performances and a runway show to kick off the start of London Fashion Week. The one-evening event will pay tribute to British culture, as all ticket sales will go towards benefiting performing arts organisations throughout London – including the National Theatre, Royal Opera House and Rambert dance company. The show comes after the inaugural Vogue World took place in New York City’s Meatpacking District last year, where A-listers like Serena Williams and Lil Nas X gathered for a street fair and star-studded fashion show. This year’s Vogue World London will be centered around a theatrical production at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, conceived by English director and producer Stephen Daldry. As for the Vogue World 2023 fashion show, the London event will highlight autumn/winter 2023 collections from both emerging British designers and household names. “Our editors have spent so much time at fashion shows over the years, around the world, that we thought, ‘Why not put together one of our own – one that tells a story about the cultural moment we’re in, but through the lens of fashion?’” said Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in a press release. “New York did that brilliantly well, and now we will be doing it again in London to show our support for the arts,” she continued. “The arts are under threat in the UK and Vogue World will be a timely reminder of how important they are, how vital a part of our lives, and how much they need our support.” Meanwhile, British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful added: “British Vogue has been championing fashion, culture, and the magical point where the two intersect for 107 years. Now, we’re bringing its pages to life with the help of industry-leading talents in order to support the full spectrum of the creative arts in London. I can’t wait for everyone to join us at Theatre Royal Drury Lane for a night to remember.” On Instagram, Vogue shared several promotional photos and videos for Vogue World 2023 featuring Naomi Campbell, Victoria Beckham, Sir Ian McKellan, and London’s mayor Sadiq Khan. Anna Wintour will oversee Vogue World 2023, much like she did at this year’s Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The annual fashion red carpet event also raises funds for the museum’s Costume Institute. This year’s Met Gala theme paid tribute to Wintour’s longtime friend and collaborator, Karl Lagerfeld. “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” aimed to “examine the life” of the late designer’s fashion legacy as celebrities were asked to arrive in their best Lagerfeld-inspired looks. Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Campbell, and Jennifer Lopez all walked the red carpet in line with the theme, which instructed guests “to wear an archival look from one of the labels Lagerfeld led”. Others took more creative liberties in their Met Gala looks, like Doja Cat and Jared Leto who were dressed as Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette. Tickets for Vogue World 2023 will go on sale to the general public on Friday 2 June at 10am BST/5am ET. The London event will also be livestreamed on all Vogue sites globally. Read More Anna Wintour and Met curator reveal rule breaks that would lead to celebrities being uninvited from gala Met Gala 2023: Best dressed stars on the red carpet, from Kim Kardashian to Anne Hathaway The 2023 Met Gala has been criticised as ‘so boring’ that a cockroach became a highlight Dame Esther Rantzen faces stage four lung cancer: key facts about the disease Dua Lipa reveals how she bonded with designer Donatella Versace Banging brunch recipes worth getting out of bed for
2023-06-01 03:17
Bud Light Sales Slump Has AB InBev Eyeing Worst Month Since 2020
Anheuser-Busch InBev NV is set for its worst month since the start of the pandemic as the backlash
2023-06-01 02:50
13 Big Changes We Want in MacOS 14
Apple will almost certainly announce the next version of macOS at its annual Worldwide Developers
2023-06-01 02:48
Bunge, Viterra merger would create global agriculture trading giant
By Karl Plume A merger of U.S. grains merchant Bunge Ltd with rival Viterra would grow the combined
2023-06-01 02:24
Yeezy shoes are back on sale — months after Adidas cut ties with Kanye West
Some of Adidas’ remaining Yeezy shoes are back on sale — months after the German sportswear company cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West
2023-06-01 02:20
Bacardi Nears a Deal to Buy Ilegal Mezcal
Bacardi Ltd., the spirits maker best known for its rum, is nearing a deal to acquire Ilegal Mezcal
2023-06-01 01:26
The Best Apps and Tools to Help Kids Organize Schoolwork
Most families have aspirations of starting a new school year organized and prepared for academic
2023-06-01 00:58
Lap(top) of Luxury: MSI's Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Will Make Engine-Heads Drool
TAIPEI—MSI's high-end gaming hardware is getting a true luxury-automotive twist in a new collaboration with
2023-06-01 00:58
Anti-poverty groups and progressives blast work requirements for aid to poor Americans in debt ceiling deal
An agreement to raise the debt ceiling would expand the age bracket for eligibility for food assistance, adding a punitive and unnecessary barrier for poor Americans with only negligible savings for the federal government, advocacy groups have warned. Most Americans with low or no incomes who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) must comply with certain work requirements to be eligible to receive funds to help pay for groceries. But under a deal struck between President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, adults up to age 54 would be required to show proof of work. Republican lawmakers have pushed for years to expand those work requirements, but anti-poverty advocacy groups and progressives have argued that adding any such limitations to critical aid will only deepen hunger and poverty in the US, pointing to Congress’ own research showing that work requirements don’t appear to have any measurable effect on employment. “SNAP is a symptom of shortcomings in the economy,” Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research & Action Center, said in a statement. “Cutting off food for people unless they document sufficient hours of work does not improve their chances to secure family-sustaining wages, but does increase their food hardship.” In simple terms, a congressional vote to raise the debt ceiling would allow the US Department of Treasury to continue borrowing money to pay the country’s bills. But Republican lawmakers have leveraged the often routine though critical vote process to advance their agenda, as the nation stares down an imminent deadline that risks putting the US in default. “While we all recognize the catastrophic impact of a default, we are deeply disappointed that this deal includes cuts that further harm people experiencing hunger and poverty,” said Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign. “As a whole, the punitive and ineffective SNAP changes included in this bill will save the US very little money,” she added. “They will also do nothing to remove barriers to make employment more attainable or available for those they impact. Nor are they based on evidence or experience. Instead, they are born from and rely on pervasive myths and misperceptions about SNAP and the people who benefit from the program and stand only to restrict food assistance for some Americans.” Republicans hold a fragile majority in the House of Representatives, where Mr McCarthy is relying on a slim margin of support from a far-right caucus that argues the cuts don’t go far enough. Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers – frustrated with the GOP’s “hostage crisis” process for negotiating a debt deal – strenuously object to stiffening work requirements and cuts to aid programs on which millions of Americans rely. Democratic US Rep Pramila Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, will not support the debt plan, pointing to members who are “deeply, deeply concerned” about the proposals and the way in which Republicans threatened to steer the US into default to get GOP concessions. On a call with reporters on 30 May, Ms Jayapal compared Republicans’ threats on the debt limit to the party’s attempts to undermine the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. “We cannot have these constitutional obligations, including the very clear mandate to pay the country’s debts, as well as of course to ratify an election of a president that was voted upon by the democratic process ... taken hostage,” she said. The Biden administration has touted some new proposals in the deal as a victory: Military veterans, young people who have aged out of foster care, and people experiencing homelessness would be exempt from the SNAP work requirements. But “burdensome reporting requirements and bureaucratic red tape leave little confidence that this will outweigh the harmful expansion of these requirements for others in this category,” Ms Davis said in a statement. The nation’s largest food assistance program supported more than 42 million people in February, according to the latest data from the US Department of Agriculture. More than 65 per cent of SNAP recipients are in families with children, 36 per cent are in families with members who are older or disabled adults, and 41 per cent are in families that work, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. SNAP requires “able-bodied adults” without dependents to work or join job training programs for at least 80 hours a month to receive more than three months of benefits over three years. “SNAP’s primary objective is to help people put food on the table; any attempt to turn it into an employment program – particularly when extensive research shows that work requirements actually make it much harder, not easier, for people to find and keep jobs – runs contrary to the program’s mission and intent,” said Eric Mitchell, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger. “In a time when food insecurity is rising and food prices remain high, we should be expanding our nation’s social safety net, not restricting it,” he added. The maximum monthly SNAP benefit for an individual is $281, “which makes the 80-hour work program route effectively the same as a job that pays $3.51 per hour,” or less than half the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25, People Policy Project’s Matt Bruenig noted. Progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups have also lambasted the debt deal for tying the fate of federal programmes for some of the poorest Americans to a politically volatile debate. What happens for someone over 50 years old who is unable to work and is cut off from assistance? How can they navigate a difficult labour market rife with age discrimination? Anti-poverty advocates and critics of so-called “means-testing” structures around receiving government aid have argued that adding additional burdens for work requirements underscores their futility. “We shouldn’t be playing politics with programs that help Americans meet their basic needs,” Ms Davis said. Anti-hunger groups have also objected to other changes to other assistance programs for lower-income-earning Americans, including changes to a federal cash assistance program that House Republicans had previously threatened with drastic cuts. “Hungry people cannot wait – but now they will need to wait even longer,” Mr Garcia said. “Our leaders should be creating pathways to progress, not pulling out the rug from those trying to get back on their feet.” Read More Debt ceiling vote – live: AOC, Boebert and Gaetz join growing opposition as Biden-McCarthy deal faces full House vote today What’s in the cliffhanger deal struck by Biden and McCarthy to raise the debt limit? House Republican majority cut by one after shock resignation of congressman
2023-06-01 00:48
Sleeping with your bedroom door closed is not a good idea according to experts
You might want to start leaving your door open at night, if new advice from sleep experts is anything to go by. New guidance might just change people’s choices when it comes to sleeping habits as we approach the warmer summer weather. While purchasing a fan is recommended for keeping cool when it comes to hotter temperatures, opening doors can do a lot when it comes to air circulation at night. “Surprisingly, only 60 per cent of adults sleep with their door closed meaning that 40 per cent sleep with their door open,” says Rex Isap, CEO and sleep expert at Happy Beds. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Explaining the implications of leaving doors open, Isep added [via Ideal Home]: “Firstly, a study found that those who slept with the bedroom door open reported a better and longer night’s sleep than those who slept with the door close. The reasoning behind this is that leaving the door open helped regulate the temperature in the room by making the temperature slightly lower, averaging 19 degrees Celsius.” Isap added: “Given that between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius is the ideal bedroom temperature, this naturally makes it easier for a person to fall asleep. It also makes it the ideal thing for a person to do if they suffer from night sweats, are going through menopause, or are generally overheating from the hot weather.” It’s not just a case of improving air flow and better maintaining temperatures either, as Sammy Margo at Dreams claims that leaving doors open also connects sleepers with the rest of their house and improves natural light in the mornings. Margo said: “Sleeping with an open door can also create a sense of openness and connection to the rest of your living space. It can alleviate feelings of isolation or confinement and promote a more positive and harmonious atmosphere in your home. It also opens the bedroom up to natural light from other areas of the house which can help in the morning!” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-01 00:45
IKEA stores owner Ingka buys warehouse software firm Made4Net
LONDON The largest owner of IKEA stores has acquired supply chain software firm Made4Net as the Swedish furniture
2023-05-31 23:49