The Community Run for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre in Vancouver is happening this Sunday, December 9 starting at 9am at Olympic Village Square. Last year, $5,000 was raised to provide warm meals for women and children. Everyone is welcome – bring your kids, your strollers, your neighbours, y…

Avengers: Infinity War grossed over $2 billion worldwide. It was an enormous hit and Marvel fans were traumatized by all of the deaths of beloved characters. But… of course it won’t stay that way. The deaths, I mean. Everyone knew that the “survivors” of Infinity War would fight back and that of course certain characters would have to survive, because those actors have contracts for multiple films and/or their franchises are just getting started (coughChadwickBosemancough). So, behold, the first trailer for… what is this being called? Infinity War II? Avengers 4? The trailer calls it Avengers: Endgame, but is that the final title? Here’s the trailer:

Tagline: “Part of the journey is the end.” This is definitely, 100% Robert Downey Jr’s last Marvel outing, right? His contract is finally up and Marvel is sick of paying him the most. The rumor was that this is Chris Evans’ last Captain America outing too, but in the past few months, he’s sounded more open to possibly returning to the role. I don’t know how that will shake out for this film though.

Also: Marvel had previously saved May 3rd as the release date, but this trailer says it will be released in April 2019. So… fans will get to see it earlier, good.

Photos courtesy of Marvel.

Dear Gossips,

Best read on the internet this week? For me nothing come close to the piece Allen Iverson wrote about Allen Iverson in The Players’ Tribune published yesterday. I read it the first time, sent it to almost everyone I know, read it a second time, then woke up this morning and read it…

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An awesome blender that will help you get healthy for the new year

I have had a Vitamix for about six years. It works almost as well as when I got it. It can definitely help you get more vegetables and fiber into your diet. About three to four times a week, I have a smoothie made with a large bunch of rinsed kale, 1/2 a frozen banana and some frozen mixed fruit with stevia. I like it smooth so I add a lot of water and save half for the next day. (Here’s a video on how to make a green smoothie with it. I can’t ever get anyone else to drink this in my house, but I think it tastes fine.) The Vitamix is so powerful that you can make and actually heat up soup in it. It can also make iced treats. This is not an average blender and you will not regret this purchase. I got mine refurbished from Vitamix’s site so look into that if you’re interested. This is new and is a real bargain at $299. It’s over 30% off, and would make an excellent gift.

A device that lets you video chat, listen to music and watch shows

My son’s dad bought us an Echo Show to keep in touch and he also bought them for both sets of grandparents. It’s so easy to video chat and the image quality is very clear. It can also play music, news and podcasts. You just say “Alexa play 70s music” or name an artist. Plus you can watch shows on Amazon Prime or Hulu (not YouTube though, Amazon and YouTube broke up). I was surprised how easy the setup was. I wasn’t sure I was going to keep it plugged in all the time as it freaks me out, but so far it’s been very convenient to get spied on in my living room.

A vacuum to clean up after your pets

I have owned this Bissell PowerGlide Pet vacuum for about five years and it still works great. It’s not a Dyson, but it also doesn’t come with that type of price tag. It works on carpets and hardwood and will pick up a surprising amount of dirt and hair. (Honestly I do not have a dog or cat though.) This doesn’t take filters or bags, is easy to empty and comes with a permanent filter that is also easy to clean. Most reviewers love it and say that it’s strong and picks up a lot of dirt and hair. I never have a problem pushing it, but some reviews say it can be a little heavy so it wouldn’t make a good gift for an elderly person.

A bamboo riser for your monitor that also holds your stuff

This is a present I’m buying myself! I have problems with neck pain so I read about ergonomics months ago and one of the recommendations was to raise your monitor. I put a shoebox under mine and it’s worn and sagging now so this looks perfect. Reviewers say it looks classy, helps you organize your desk, and stands up to wear. Plus you can fit stuff under it to free up space. I’m sold. Ooh there’s one designed so you can stand up too. Nope I want to sit for now. (I also sit on an exercise ball and put my feet on another shoebox.)

A roller that soothes your muscles and works out knots

Bedhead, who used to work with us, recommended this to me and I’ve used it for years. She’s a runner (I used to be) and now I’m into Zumba and don’t stretch enough after workouts. I have had to go to physical therapy for my neck and back and the work the therapist does isn’t much different from using this device. If you’d like to know how to use it, or have a foam roller already and need a program, Jessica Smith has a great video for it. Like the tens unit I love and recommend, the only issue is that you have to remember you have it and make sure you use it.

Succulents make great gifts that people actually want

My family and friends are not big on gifting but small plants are always welcome. I am buying these succulents for my desk and to give away. These seem to have some of the highest ratings among the succulents available through Prime, with reviewers saying that they arrive healthy. You can replant them with little pots from the Dollar Tree or buy pots on Amazon. That way, it’s a personal gift from you that you don’t have to be too crafty to make. These owl pots are adorable.

Catch bugs and spiders without touching them

Yes this looks stupid but once you have one you’ll wonder why you ever smooshed bugs like a plebe. The Bugzooka bug catcher vacuum is a manual vacuum tube that sucks bugs in a chamber. You pump it, suck the insect in, and then you can let it die a slow death or humanely release it outside. I live in the south and found this when researching how to trap stink bugs. It’s a little harder to catch fast bugs like flies, but it’s definitely possible. I once caught a spider and a fly within a couple hours of each other and then evilly watched the spider trap the fly inside this. I still tell that story. This would make a great gift and once my friends see how well it works they want one too.

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Stock photos credit pixabay and tookapic via Pexels

Angelina Jolie speaks! And she’s not speaking about divorce or legal shenanigans. Angelina spoke to Marie Claire on behalf of the initiative she created with former UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. The PSVI initiative is UK-based, and it’s a multifaceted focus, everything from retraining peacekeepers and militaries about sexual violence, and advocating on behalf of funding more programs for survivors and a lot more. You can read the Marie Claire piece here. Some highlights:

On why the stigma against survivors of sexual violence still exists: “Sexual violence in conflict is still a taboo subject. Female and male survivors, and children born of this rape, are often treated as if they are the ones who have done something wrong. They are rejected and stigmatized, while their attackers go unpunished. That’s what has to change, and breaking the taboo is part of that.”

On why she uses her influence to shed light on this issue: “Our partners in this effort are victims speaking out, local NGOs and governments from around the world as well as militaries. We have to solve this comprehensively. We need to go to the heart of where there are abuses and make changes, and press for new practices and accountability. To take one example, 37 countries still exempt perpetrators of rape from prosecution if they are either married to their victims, or agree to marry them afterwards. Over 60 countries don’t include male survivors within the scope of their sexual violence legislation. So we have to change laws as well as attitudes.”

On how she speaks to her children about sexual violence: “I don’t just speak to my daughters. I speak to them with their brothers. That is maybe the first most important distinction. This is not just a problem for women, and the solution is working with women and men. And girls and boys. Not only are men and boys also victims of these crimes, but those who are perpetrating these crimes need to have other men remind them what it really is to be a man. A man with a healthy relationship to women. And all societies need to be clear about not tolerating this behavior.”

[From Marie Claire]

I’m often shocked by how a celebrity saying obvious, common-sense things – “the solution is working with women and men” or “we have to change laws as well as attitudes” – will often become huge news, or be seen as some major stance. I admire Angelina so much for what she’s doing, because while it is common sense, people still need to hear it and be reminded of it, because (as she said) there are still laws on the books in dozens of countries which refuse to punish rapists. There are still societies around the world which punish victims. There are still people in every single country who think that rape and sexual violence is a minor “women’s issue” and not a human rights issue.

Photos courtesy of ANDREW PARSONS / I-IMAGES FOR PSVI, sent from promotional Marie Claire email.

Yeah, we’re still talking about Elizabeth Warren’s DNA, apparently. #ButHerDNA is the new #ButHerEmails. Back when Senator Warren first ran for her first term, her opponent (Scott Brown) made it a “campaign issue” that Warren had told some anecdotal stories about how she likely had Native American ancestry. That really is how it started – as a Republican smear on a popular Democrat and academic. Then Professor Warren had never applied to be part of any tribe, she wasn’t going around, claiming to know the Native American experience first-hand. She merely talked about some of her family stories. And for that, the Republicans waged a racist campaign in which they made “Tomahawk” chants and gestures outside her rallies. Years later, Donald Trump would embrace the racist campaign Scott Brown began – Trump dubbed her “Pocahontas” and he used the name as a pejorative.

Well, back in October, Senator Warren began to really step up and get her house in order in preparation for a presidential run. She wanted to address the Native American ancestry stories head on, so she… took a DNA test. The test proved that she had Native American ancestry six to ten generations back, which would indicate that some of her family lore is true – there was a Native American great-great grandmother somewhere. Warren addressed the DNA test and her “family stories” with an excellently produced video. The video featured her relatives, and information about her DNA testing. At no point did Senator Warren claim that she was a full-blooded Native American, or a member of a tribe, or looking into membership in a tribe. She was merely trying to take the air out of racist attacks against her, much like Barack Obama finally giving in and releasing his long-form birth certificate.

The reaction to Warren’s video and DNA test was… puzzling. Native American groups were up in arms that she would claim to be Native American, liberals were like “I’m not so sure about this?” and Donald Trump said he didn’t even believe the DNA test and he wanted to “test her personally.” There still seemed to be a lot of shenanigans and racism, and I really didn’t understand why. I still don’t understand why. But apparently, it’s not been established by the political intelligentsia that Warren-taking-the-DNA-test was a Bad Idea. The New York Times did a story about it this week (Nate Silver makes a good point):

There’s something very (Hillary) Clinton-esque about the Warren DNA test story and the way the press is handling it.
—Yeah she showed poor judgement.
—But it’s a minor story treated like a major crisis.
—Probably a proxy for other concerns (and/or biases).https://t.co/9uRhvnWgET

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) December 6, 2018

The New York Times’ story is about how Senator Warren is questioning whether she should have even taken the DNA test:

Two months after Elizabeth Warren released the results of a DNA test to show that there is “strong evidence” of her Native American ancestry, the Massachusetts senator is reportedly starting to question whether promoting the in-depth racial analysis of politicians was a good idea.

Publicly, the senator hasn’t admitted to having any regrets. In private, however, that may not be the case: “Advisers close to Ms. Warren say she has privately expressed concern that she may have damaged her relationships to Native American groups and her own standing with progressive activists, particularly those who are racial minorities,” the New York Times reports.

And indeed she has. Many have criticized Warren’s decision, saying the DNA test not only played directly in to Donald Trump’s attacks on her (the president has repeatedly referred to her as “Pocahontas”), but also that it was exactly the kind of genetic testing has been used to subjugate native and minority communities in the United States for centuries. Native communities and groups also condemned the test, with Cherokee Nation secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. writing in a statement after Warren’s revelation that she has Cherokee ancestry, “A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship,” and “using a DNA test to lay claim to to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong.”

In an interview following her release of the test, though, Warren was asked whether she regretted her decision and she said, “I put it out there. It’s on the internet for anybody to see. People can make of it what they will. I’m going to continue fighting on the issues that brought me to Washington.” The senator is reportedly planning to announce her 2020 presidential bid in the coming weeks, and her advisers strongly suspect she will be forced to revisit the issue, so … we have that to look forward to.

[From The Cut]

I understand that Native American communities aren’t here for Professor Becky to adopt their struggle just because she’s 6% Cherokee or whatever. But I’m begging all people to please use logic: Senator Warren never claimed to be a member of any tribe. She never attempted to become a member of any tribe. All she did was repeat some family stories, and she was called a liar and she was smeared with a hateful, racist campaign, and as it turns out…her family stories were true. Maybe I’m completely naive about this, but what the everloving f–k, you guys? How is Sen. Warren’s DNA test somehow a “negative” against her presidential run??

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

It’s Friday, December 7th, and I’m bracing myself for yet another weekend full of royal drama. It seemed to start over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, two weeks ago exactly. Suddenly there were a million leaks about how the Duchess of Sussex was a terrible diva who made Kate cry and bitched out Kate’s staff and was just so angry and horrible. Last weekend was full of drama too. So will this weekend have a dozen more anti-Meghan leaks, or did the two-week smear campaign serve its purpose? I honestly don’t know. We’ll see.

For now, I’m just catching up some royal stories that fell through the cracks this week, all of them about the Duchess of Cambridge. Did you know that Kate took Charlotte on a special mother-daughter outing in London?

Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte took part in a beloved Christmas tradition: attending a performance of The Nutcracker! The royal mother-daughter duo left the boys of the family – Prince William, 5-year-old Prince George and 7-month-old Prince Louis – at home and got an early sneak peek of the Royal Opera House’s take on the classic ballet, attending a pre-rehearsal performance last week.

Both the Royal Opera House and Kate’s office at Kensington Palace had no comment when reached by PEOPLE. Earlier this year, William revealed that dancing is Charlotte’s favorite hobby. “My daughter Charlotte loves dancing,” he proudly told attendees at a Commonwealth Day reception.

[From People]

William also said, a few months back, that Prince George loves to dance too. I wonder if George would have liked to see the ballerinas as well? But this is just a nice mother-daughter outing. And this might have been the same outing where Kate and Charlotte had to stop into a pub with their protection officers so that Charlotte could use the lavatory. That happened at the The Phoenix in South London.

And when William and Kate were in Cyprus for the RAF Christmas party, William told people not to eat pizza on the couch, and Kate chimed in, to William, “You’re a nightmare with that!” William always sounds so boorish in Kate’s stories.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Poor Shauna Sexton got so many Instagram followers from dating Ben Affleck for a few weeks before he went to rehab that she can now earn that sponcon money if she’s so inclined. I’m also sure that she’s raised her profile enough to book more modeling gigs, especially judging from some of the (NSFW) pics she’s been posting. The way she tells it, being with Ben Affleck was awful though and it’s a relief that they’re no longer together. Only she didn’t go on the record with her comments, a “source” talked to US Magazine.

Dating an A-lister wasn’t all that amazing for Shauna Sexton. During the Playboy model’s two-month fling with Ben Affleck, the 46-year-old Oscar winner’s mood was “always up and down,” a source reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. “Sometimes he [wanted] to go out, drink and get girls, and other times [he was] completely sober and going to church.”

The tumultuous relationship left Sexton, 22, “really scarred” when they called it quits in October (just days after he completed a stint in rehab for alcoholism), says the insider. When they broke up “it was almost a relief for her. She was happy to get away from it.”

[From text and video on US Weekly]

I’m sure Ben runs hot and cold, that’s what alcoholic narcissists do, but I doubt that it was her idea to split. She’d just posted video and photos of him to Instagram, from their trip to Montana where Ben usually goes with his family. I am pretty sure he dumped her through the press. That said, it’s kind of admirable that she waited almost two months to say anything about it, and that the only quotes she’s giving are these minor ones. Yes it’s kind of telling that she’s “really scarred,” but she’s not saying what he did exactly, just how she was affected. Plus she waited until she could get some more press out of it. Remember how the nanny way overplayed her hand and ended up looking ridiculous? Shauna is playing the long game. I want to see her on some kind of reality show or with another high profile guy now. Look how cute she is! She’s also really thirsty, she could definitely do reality TV.

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A post shared by Shauna Sexton (@shaunasexton_) on Nov 16, 2018 at 11:52am PST

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.. a life without them.. is like a life, with no sun.. If ur a bird.. I’m a bird…#scissorsisters #deep

A post shared by Shauna Sexton (@shaunasexton_) on Dec 2, 2018 at 11:47am PST

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It’s the little things in life, like chasing sunsets with this boy. strenuousselfies#

A post shared by Shauna Sexton (@shaunasexton_) on Oct 16, 2018 at 11:38am PDT

Photos via Instagram

Here’s something to keep your eye on today: Donald Trump seemed to get some bad news last night, and it haunted him. He’s currently rage-tweeting like a mad man, spouting conspiracies and trying to trigger his radicalized MAGA terrorists. Last night, he started with this:

FAKE NEWS – THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

And hours later, CNN’s headquarters in New York had to be evacuated because of a significant bomb threat. I absolutely believe that when they find the person responsible, he’ll be another MAGA-hat-wearing radicalized terrorist. As for this morning’s hissy fit, here’s a taste:

Robert Mueller and Leakin’ Lyin’ James Comey are Best Friends, just one of many Mueller Conflicts of Interest. And bye the way, wasn’t the woman in charge of prosecuting Jerome Corsi (who I do not know) in charge of “legal” at the corrupt Clinton Foundation? A total Witch Hunt…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

….Will Robert Mueller’s big time conflicts of interest be listed at the top of his Republicans only Report. Will Andrew Weissman’s horrible and vicious prosecutorial past be listed in the Report. He wrongly destroyed people’s lives, took down great companies, only to be……..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

…..overturned, 9-0, in the United States Supreme Court. Doing same thing to people now. Will all of the substantial & many contributions made by the 17 Angry Democrats to the Campaign of Crooked Hillary be listed in top of Report. Will the people that worked for the Clinton….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

….Foundation be listed at the top of the Report? Will the scathing document written about Lyin’ James Comey, by the man in charge of the case, Rod Rosenstein (who also signed the FISA Warrant), be a big part of the Report? Isn’t Rod therefore totally conflicted? Will all of….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

…the lying and leaking by the people doing the Report, & also Bruce Ohr (and his lovely wife Molly), Comey, Brennan, Clapper, & all of the many fired people of the FBI, be listed in the Report? Will the corruption within the DNC & Clinton Campaign be exposed?..And so much more!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

Considering the multi-tweet rant, my prediction is that Don Trump Jr. is being arrested or indicted today. Something big is happening, beyond what is already on the books: Robert Mueller and New York prosecutors detail Michael Cohen’s cooperation in court, Mueller also outlines why Paul Manafort’s plea deal was canceled, and James Comey is due in a closed-door committee sessions on the Hill.

Half-dozen current and former W.H. officials tell The Atlantic that the Trump admin has no plans in place for responding to the final Mueller report—save for expecting a Twitter spree.

“It’s like, ‘Jesus, take the wheel,'” one source said, “but scarier.”https://t.co/TTzBco0yNd

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 7, 2018

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

George and Amal Clooney have been in New York for a few days. I thought they had an apartment in New York, but I guess not, because now that I’m thinking about it, they’ve been coming in and out of the Four Seasons all year. And because New York is New York, of course the paparazzi stake out the Four Seasons, which is how we got these amazing photos of Amal Clooney with a twin in each arm.

For whatever record, this is not the first time the Clooney Babies have ever been photographed – there are several sets of grainy, blurry photos out there of the twins, and there are even a handful of better quality pics. But this feels like the first time we’ve really seen their faces up-close. And OMG. These kids just look like they have so much personality. Ella is a little beauty, and she seems to take after her mom, looks-wise, from what we can see. I imagine she’ll have really dark hair too, although in these photos, she looks rather fair. But Alexander – who I call Sascha Clooney – is an absolute dead ringer for George. OH MY GOD this child’s face. Sometimes, a baby or toddler will just have the grumpiest old man face ever, and so it is with Sascha. I bet he grows up to be super-handsome like George though.

I can’t believe Ella and Sascha are already a year and a half. Wow. And my favorite detail about these photos isn’t Sascha’s grim disgust – it’s the fact that Amal and George made sure both babies got the same teddy bear. ONE BEAR EACH.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.