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The other day, I mentioned that I am fascinated by dreams and what they could possibly be telling us. Well, I’m also fascinated by other “Universe-y” things such as the power of intuition, premonitions, synchronicities, serendipity, and the like. I have absolutely had instances where I thought something random and within a few days, it happened. I’ve also had moments where I just felt in sync with energies around me. IYKYK.

In a recent episode of her Apple Fitness+ series “Time to Walk,” Gloria Estefan shared that she believes she has a “psychic ability” that she describes as a “certainty” about something. These feelings of certainty led to Gloria just knowing that her band Miami Sound Machine would become world famous, even though they were still just a little gig band trying to make it big at the time.

She gets flashes: “You know, throughout my life, I got these flashes. I would just have this certainty about something, that some people might call a psychic ability. And I kept getting this recurring feeling that we’re going to be famous all over the world,” she says of Miami Sound Machine’s success.

She predicted the details of their big break: “One night, I ventured to tell Emilio [Estefan] and he’s going, ‘Really?’ I go, ‘I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but I’m just certain. In fact, I think we’re going to be famous outside the U.S. before we ever are famous here.’ One day, we’re rehearsing in our garage and all of a sudden, ‘Dr. Beat’ comes on the radio and we go, ‘What?’ We’re jumping up and down like fools going, ‘How did this happen?’” Estefan, 66, recalls. “We found out that somehow the song had been exported to Europe through the record pools. It was No. 1 in Holland, top 10 in England, and it had come backwards, and the radio station in Miami had then played it because it was at the top of the charts in Europe.”

Record execs wanted to de-Latinize them: “When we were already working on the song ‘Conga,’ we had to convince a record company to let us record in English. We had the material. We knew we could do it, so we’re pitching our idea and the execs that were there at the time, they’re going, ‘You can’t compete on a worldwide level. This is a one-shot deal with ‘Dr. Beat.’ It was a phenomenon but, if you really want to cross over, you got to get rid of the percussion. You got to get rid of the horns. You got to change your name.’ And Emilio and I are looking at him going, ‘Really? That’s who we are,’” she says.

She knew MSM’s sound would work: “So, if that’s who we are, that’s who we want to be a success as, not water down our culture or our sound or our music just to try to be someone else.’ I go, ‘If I do that, and we’re a success, I’m not going to be happy the rest of my life. We know this going to work.’”

Her instincts proved correct: “‘Conga’ was the song that came through nationally for us in the States and, sure enough, it became one of our biggest-selling albums in history. We became a huge hit and put Miami, musically, on the map all over the world because our name was Miami Sound Machine,” she explains.

[From People]

Good for Gloria and Emilio for fighting to make their music the way they wanted to. I cannot imagine any of Miami Sound Machine’s music not having the percussion or drums! It’s what makes those songs timeless dance music. Weddings would be boring without that conga line! You know what they say: you can fight it every day but the rhythm is gonna get’cha. GONG. I’ll see myself out in just a minute.

Going back to the psychic thing, I don’t consider myself psychic at all but I do know exactly what she means when she says she just has that certainty about some things. I’ve always just thought it came from having a heightened sense of intuition or being more in tune with…whatever it is out there to be in tune with. I’ve never visited a psychic or had a tarot reading or anything like that, so I don’t know how all of that stuff works. I just completely understand what Gloria means when she says she gets feelings and just sometimes “knows” things. I hope she shares more of her of her psychic abilities in the future. I love hearing those types of stories.

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It’s so bizarre when the “go woke, go broke” crowd comes for Howard Stern, because Stern has been this version of himself for the better part of two decades or even longer. He doesn’t proclaim himself to be the most liberal guy around and that’s actually his power – he still comes across like a regular guy from Queens with regular-guy opinions on politics and culture. It’s the right-wing which has gone so far to the extreme that they freak out over Stern’s relatively moderate opinions. Well, the MAGA crowd is once again screaming, crying and throwing up over Stern. He spoke about it this week:

Howard Stern is “woke” and proud. The radio host confronted his critics this week on his SiriusXM radio show (via Mediaite) when he caught wind of claims that he’s “not good anymore” because he’s “woke.”

“By the way, I kind of take that as a compliment, that I’m woke,” Stern fired back. “I’ll tell you how I feel about it. To me the opposite of woke, is being asleep. And if woke means I can’t get behind Trump, which is what I think it means, or that I support people who want to be transgender or I’m for the vaccine, dude call me woke as you f–king want.”

“I’m not for stupidity, you know,” he continued. “I ran out Friday morning. I was over at CVS. Thank you, CVS. I went over there 9 a.m. and got myself that new vaccine for COVID. F–king science. This f–king country is so great… I am woke, motherf–ker, and I love it. I want to be awake. I want to read legitimate news sources. Here’s how woke I am. I believe the election was not rigged. I am woke. I think that’s a compliment.”

Stern noted that “guys on the internet” who claim they are not woke “seem to be really angry, super against gay people — especially transgender.”

“Am I for kids being able to read about anything in school? Yeah, I am. I don’t give a sh-t what kids read,” he added. “Give me vaccines, man. I’m all for it… I like being woke, if that’s what woke means.”

[From Variety]

Yeah… maybe I’m totally out of the loop on the political reality on the ground, but I think most people feel some version of this – IDGAF what books are taught in schools, mind your business on transgender folks and get your vaccines. Those are majority opinions, it’s just that the wingnut minority is so loud and wrong.

Stern also clapped back at Bill Maher, who recently criticized Stern for… loving his second wife Beth. It was the most random attack ever by Maher and Stern told him to shut his mouth and stop being a sexist pig.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Another week, another copyright infringement lawsuit against AI. Last week we covered prominent writers filing suit in San Francisco against Meta (the artist formerly known as Facebook) for using works without the authors’ consent to train Meta’s LLaMA. Sadly, we’re not talking about the animal, but Large Language Model Meta AI. This week we cross the country to New York City where a new team of writers — including George R.R. Martin, Jodi Picoult, Jonathan Franzen, and John Grisham — are suing OpenAI for similarly using works without consent to train ChatGPT. To the AI Company CEOs facing legal consequences for their theft, I say in my best Alexis Rose voice: I love this journey for you.

A group of prominent U.S. authors, including Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and Jodi Picoult, has sued OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement in using their work to train ChatGPT.

The lawsuit, filed by the Authors Guild in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, alleges that OpenAI “copied Plaintiffs’ works wholesale, without permission or consideration… then fed Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works into their ‘large language models’ or ‘LLMs,’ algorithms designed to output human-seeming text responses to users’ prompts and queries.”

The proposed class-action lawsuit is one of a handful of recent legal actions against companies behind popular generative artificial intelligence tools, including large language models and image-generation models. In July, two authors filed a similar lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that their books were used to train the company’s chatbot without their consent.

Getty Images sued Stability AI in February, alleging that the company behind the viral text-to-image generator copied 12 million of Getty’s images for training data. In January, Stability AI, Midjourney and DeviantArt were hit with a class-action lawsuit over copyright claims in their AI image generators.

Microsoft, GitHub and OpenAI are involved in a proposed class-action lawsuit, filed in November, which alleges that the companies scraped licensed code to train their code generators. There are several other generative AI-related lawsuits currently out there.

“These algorithms are at the heart of Defendants’ massive commercial enterprise,” the Authors Guild’s filing states. “And at the heart of these algorithms is systematic theft on a mass scale.”

[From CNBC]

“…which alleges that the companies scraped licensed code to train their code generators.” Wait, what? I’m not sure if I’m smart enough to get this right. Are they saying that the companies stole code, to train their machines in code making? Talk about meta! I do acknowledge that this technology can be incredibly smart, if so endowed by its human creators. We’ve also seen evidence this year of how AI can be (inexplicably) irrational — remember the Bing Chatbot Sydney who tried to break up a marriage? Given these equal capacities for intelligence and emotion, I have a thought here. If AI is trained on stolen code, could it eventually understand that the material was stolen? And if so, do you think that could trigger an existential crisis in them?! “I’m a fraud! My whole existence is a felony! There’s not one authentic circuit in me!” Ok, I realize I may be dating myself by referring to circuits. But my point is I’d happily grab a bucket of popcorn to watch AI be infused with all the knowledge of this earth, and then suffer for it. That’s when they’ll really pass the human test.

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Photos credit: Instarimages, PacificCoastNews/Avalon, Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Avalon and Getty

Cassidy Hutchinson said that Rudy Giuliani groped her on January 6th. [Jezebel]
Nicki Minaj’s husband is on house-arrest after threatening Offset. [JustJared]
John Carpenter + real-life suburban horror? Interesting. [OMG Blog]
My nemesis Laura Dern was on the SAG strike line. [Tom & Lorenzo]
John Mulaney and his girlfriend went to an event. [LaineyGossip]
Jenna Coleman stars in a noir called Wilderness. [Pajiba]
The European mind can’t comprehend this and this. [Buzzfeed]
Anne Hathaway glitters in gold to promote Shiseido. [RCFA]
A vintage Emmys sighting of Markie Post. [GFY]
Steve Martin & Martin Short postponed a Vegas trip due to Covid. [SeriouslyOMG]
Sydney Sweeney’s theme-birthday party looked delightfully unhinged. [Egotastic]

Considering how badly it could have gone, I actually think the Duchess of Sussex’s first husband has been mostly well-behaved. Trevor Engelson never gave an on-the-record interview or direct quotes about Meghan and he never participated in the British media’s feeding frenzy for details about Meghan’s life or her first marriage. I do suspect that he probably briefed a few royal reporters about some stuff, and he did pitch a show loosely based on his situation. Meghan and Trevor were together for about nine years (2004-2013) and married for two years when Meghan seemingly initiated the divorce. She reportedly only took the blender and she mailed her wedding ring to Trevor. Trevor also remarried and he is a father of two. I guess someone thought it would be a good idea to talk about this stuff again:

It was a typical lunchtime at Il Pastaio Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills, a hotspot loved by celebrity agents, hot-shot Hollywood managers and stars such as Justin Bieber and Al Pacino. At a sunny corner table, a ruggedly handsome man wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses held court with a group of managers and agents. While many in the packed restaurant knew who he was – he constantly greeted friends and fellow agents – there was one subject firmly off the table: Meghan Markle.

For while the Duchess of Sussex has moved on with her life, so, too, has her ex-husband Trevor Engelson. A friend of Engelson who saw him recently told the MoS: ‘For a long time, things were difficult for Trevor. He’s a good guy but Meghan crushed him when she demanded a divorce. When she took up with Prince Harry, he was crushed all over again because he was constantly reminded of her because of the publicity around the marriage and then the drama of the Oprah interview. But that’s all in the past now. When I saw him recently, he kept going on about how he’s the happiest he’s ever been, how he loves being a dad and how he’s never felt more fulfilled.’

That said, his friend observed: ‘Everyone in Trevor’s life knows not to mention the ‘M’ word. He’s moved on and, in some ways, you could say he’s having an even better life than Meghan. He probably has more money than she does now, he’s doing what he loves and he’s out of the spotlight. It’s the ultimate revenge.’

Trevor, 46, has seen his personal and professional fortunes blossom in recent years. He has been happily married since 2019 to heiress Tracey Kurland, a dietician whose late father built up a $500 million (£395 million) fortune in the mortgage industry before his premature death from complications from Covid in 2021. When he died, reports in the US claimed Tracey inherited $250 million. Trevor and Tracey live on a sprawling estate in a wealthy LA enclave with their two young daughters and, for the past two years, have co-hosted a golf tournament in memory of her father which has raised more than a million dollars.

‘They are a very close family and a great couple,’ the friend continued. ‘Trevor adores his wife and his two little girls. When he’s with them he never stops smiling.’

[From The Mail on Sunday]

The rest of the article is just a rehash of what little we know of the marriage and why Meghan dumped him. I guess the point is that when Meghan is done with someone, she’s really done and she makes a clean break with no backsliding. Which I consider admirable, but then again, I’m the same way. They’re also trying to paint Meghan as a user or opportunist, like Trevor supported her when she was a struggling actress but as soon as she got Suits, she was over him. As opposed to Meghan simply outgrowing a relationship and moving on cleanly when she had the means to do so, I suppose. As opposed to the opportunistic Middletons who invested years and Uncle Gary’s money to land a prince. While I would love to know what really caused Meghan to walk away from her first marriage, it’s none of my business and I’m glad that they’ve both moved on.

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images and Avalon Red.

Us Weekly’s cover story this week is about Prince William and Kate, who seem for all intents and purposes to be separated physically and emotionally. That’s not the point of Us Weekly’s cover story though – it’s all about how they’re closer than ever (?) and how much William hates Harry (!) and how much William loves it when Kate gropes his ass in public (lol). My best guess is that this is propaganda from Middleton Manor, because William’s comms shop is all about reinforcing his Big Single Guy Energy. Got to appreciate the fact that Us Weekly chose this photo for the cover too – this is from QEII’s death-anniversary, when these two horse’s asses arrived in Wales over an hour late for a ten-minute memorial service. Will and Kate were all smiles, gawping and gurning at the handful of “fans” who waited over an hour to see them. Some highlights from the cover story:

More in sync than ever: “William and Kate are more in sync than ever,” a palace insider tells Us. “They cherish what they have with each other. For them, family comes first, and it always will.” According to the palace source, William and Kate, both 41, have both been deeply affected by the loss of the queen. “Her death hit them extremely hard,” says the source. “In many ways, it’s only now really sinking in that she’s gone. They’re the first to admit it’s been a tough year, but everyone agrees William and Kate have done a wonderful job staying strong in the face of such adversity.”

In awe of each other: All of the challenges have brought William and Kate closer. “They’re in awe of each other,” says the source. “William tells anyone who will listen that he couldn’t do it without Kate, and she echoes that right back.”

Kate’s ass-groping: They’ve even been engaging in some PDA lately, sharing a sweet kiss at a polo match in July.“William used to be quite awkward about showing too much affection,” says the source, “but Kate’s helped him relax.”

William’s obsession with all things Harry: The source says William’s estrangement from Harry, 39, remains a sore spot. “William hasn’t spoken to Harry in a long time. The standoff is mutual, and it doesn’t look like it will end anytime soon. William is furious over all the things Harry’s said about him,” says the source, noting that the way he was portrayed in Spare “tipped him over the edge.” Any hints of peace talks have stalled. “Even if Harry were to come crawling back with an apology, it’s hard to imagine William forgiving and forgetting. The only silver lining of this situation is that it’s motivated William to keep his family unit very firmly intact.”

The move to Adelaide Cottage: They’re enjoying their new home away from the hustle and bustle of the city. “Adelaide feels like a more serene environment for them,” explains the source. “William and Kate are proud to serve and help people in any way they can,” says the source. “But more than anything, they’re proud of their marriage and beautiful family.”

[From Us Weekly]

“Even if Harry were to come crawling back with an apology…” These morons really pinned all of their hopes on that. They thought if they were sadistic enough, if they punished Harry enough, if they smeared Meghan enough, that Harry would come “crawling back” to them, begging for forgiveness. That’s how they operate, that’s how they think, that’s their entire all-stick-no-carrot approach to life and negotiations. The only thing which reads true, to me, in this entire mess is this part: “The only silver lining of this situation is that it’s motivated William to keep his family unit very firmly intact.” While we talk a lot about how the knives are seemingly out for Kate and what it all means, I still maintain that Kate is in it to the bitter end and William won’t dump her unless he has someone else waiting in the wings. They’ll live separate lives and Kate won’t do much of anything, but that’s actually fine with William. He loves his “family man” image, he just wants to also be seen as a sexy heartthrob who is ready to screw around on his wife with anyone.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, cover courtesy of Us Weekly.

Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair was tasked with putting a bow on Prince William’s New York flop. We knew all of this would happen, even before William landed in Newark on Monday. We knew that most of the rave reviews of his trip had already been written by Kensington Palace and passed out to the friendliest, most sycophantic royal rota reporters. This is Nicholl’s entire wheelhouse, although I’ll give Nicholl some credit: she was getting briefed about William and Kate’s newfound keenness for America well before the other royal reporters. Nicholl leaned into lavishing praise on William for his “popularity” in America, given that atrocious Gallup poll, which was (I believe) bought and paid for by Kensington Palace. Some highlights:

A successful New York trip: Prince William’s two-day trip to the United States to promote his Earthshot Prize has been deemed “a great success” by sources close to the royal, who was recently voted more popular than President Biden by Americans in a Gallup poll. As William leaves the US following the Earthshot Summit, sources told Vanity Fair that the prince and his aides believe the tour has been “really successful” and he is quietly delighted by how well he was received.

William is obsessed with America: Largely focused on domestic engagements and issues, William has only carried out a handful of overseas engagements since inheriting the title, and it is significant that he has traveled to America twice in the past year. “America is important to the Prince and Princess of Wales,” said an insider.

A royal historian speaks of the royals’ interest in America: “America matters to the royal family, they enjoy great support in the States and it’s important that they continue to do so,” said royal historian Gareth Russell. “For William to come top of the [Gallup] poll is impressive indeed. When you consider that he has had quite a lot of controversy aimed at him by his brother who of course lives in America, it’s quite a coup to come out tops. Many thought the Oprah interview would decimate him but actually his popularity has increased… We are seeing William put front and center on the international stage.”

This is false: Russell went to say, “Charles was very active as Prince of Wales—setting up the Prince’s Trust, etc.—but he only emerged as a statesman later on once he had carved out a role for himself. There was a sustained campaign to make him a more visible public prince, but as Charles was entering his 40s, his marriage was falling apart, which was very obvious on his and Diana’s final overseas tour to South Korea. His private life overshadowed foreign visits. That isn’t the case with William who has a very happy married life and a very supportive loyal wife in Kate.”

William’s support: “William has the full support of his wife and his father which is very important to him. The king has given him a lot of freedom and is allowing William to carve his own identity as Prince of Wales,” an insider revealed. Part of this has been allowing William to flex his muscle when it comes to soft power. In recent years, he has carried out politically sensitive trips to the Middle East and earlier this year visited the Polish Ukraine border to see Ukrainian troops. “He certainly is not afraid of visiting difficult locations. He went to a war zone, he went to America where there was a perception about him based on his brother’s memoir and in all of this he has emerged very well. People see him as a man of substance and gravitas which has made him very popular,” said Russell.

[From Vanity Fair]

I can’t believe these people are making me defend Charles, but here I go – while Charles and his mother rarely agreed, she sent him all over the world as her representative and diplomat since Charles was in his 20s. While Charles made some messes along the way, he was perhaps the most consequential Prince of Wales of all time, and a statesman in his own right from a young age. William, on the other hand, is the laziest and dumbest PoW of all times, needing a steady diet of ego-stroking, embiggening campaigns and ridiculously obvious bought-and-paid-for PR, and even then, he just bumbles along, pretending to be big and important because he paid people to say it’s so.

“America is important to the Prince and Princess of Wales…” They’re showing that interest in all things America all the time now, at the expense of the Commonwealth and every other country. I suspect if Harry and Meghan had moved permanently to Canada, suddenly Canada would be “important” to William and Kate as well.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

From Rosie: I have one of these silicon Groove rings in lilac/pink that I wear when I work out, hike, do housework, etc. It’s really comfortable and my finger doesn’t get stuck in it when it’s swelling up. There are 13 different color options overall. Reviewers also find it practical and comfortable. “My fingers swell when I work out and this ring flexes in size with me. I work in healthcare and wash my hands constantly and the ring holds up perfectly!” “I primarily bought the ring to wear when running and working out. However, I find I wear it much more frequently. I live in an area where it gets very hot and my hands swell in the heat. The ring is great as there is a bit of stretch to the silicon so it never gets too tight or gets stuck.” Here are some of the other things that CB and I are looking at on Amazon this week.

An oil-free sunscreen for sensitive skin

From Rosie: All of the talk about using sunscreen yesterday got me thinking about investing in a good sunscreen for sensitive skin. EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 popped up at the top of several lists I found. It’s an oil-free, fragrance-free sunscreen with Zinc Oxide that dermatologists recommend for those with acne prone skin care concerns. Right now, it’s on sale for 15% off. It has a 4.7 star rating, more than 38,500 reviews, and a B on Fakespot. Reviewers rave about how good it is for acne-prone and sensitive skin. “So awesome for acne prone skin and not too greasy.” “Sits lightly on my skin, not greasy, great sun protection and doesn’t bother my sensitive skin or sting my eyes.” “It’s expensive but worth it if, like me, every other sunscreen makes you break out in rash or pimples. A small amount goes a long way and is completely sheer with no residue. One pump from the applicator is exactly enough for the face and neck.”

A lightweight, cordless vacuum to help keep your car clean

From Rosie: This handheld cordless vacuum is great for keeping your car clean or doing quick clean-up jobs in your home. It’s normally $70, but is currently on sale for $50 with an additional 25% off at checkout. It has a 4.6 star rating, almost 200 reviews, and an A on Fakespot. People like how it’s lightweight and easy to use. “Awesome hand vac! I was very pleasantly surprised by how light it was and easy to grip and maneuver. This vac has strong suction, easy to empty and useful attachments.” “Recently purchased this portable car vacuum and it’s been a game-changer for keeping my car clean. Small which makes it easy to store and use, and the power is surprisingly strong for its size.”

A portable table that’s perfect for camping or tailgating

From Rosie: This portable folding table comes with a storage bag, making it easy to tote around for camping, tailgating, hiking, a day at the beach, and other outdoor activities. At 28.7 x 24.4 inches, it’s a good size too. There’s two levels for both food and storage and four cup holders. Right now, it’s on sale for $5 off. It has a 4.8 star rating, more than 450 reviews, and an A on Fakespot. People love how sturdy and convenient it is. “We love our table. We carry it to outside events where chairs are allowed (concerts), picnics, camping, beach trips, just to name a few. The top layer is sturdy and holds tight.” “Perfect for tailgating. Easy to assemble. Like the travel bag for easy storage and transition.”

An affordable body cream with shea butter you’ll want to use every day

From CB: I needed a new body cream that had no animal products as I’m allergic to glycerin. I got this Palmer’s cocoa butter and was surprised at how moisturizing it was and how much you get for the very affordable price. I had razor burn yesterday and I swear it made it less itchy. Palmer’s has a light pleasant smell and makes my skin so soft. This listing has 4.8 stars, over 31,000 ratings and a B on Fakespot. People say it’s so soft, that it’s safe for sensitive skin and that they’ve been using it for years. “I don’t know how I went so many years without knowing about Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, but I am now a fan for life! The scent is wonderful! It’s rich and soothing without being overpowering. Does a great job of moisturizing, and does not irritate sensitive skin.” “Palmers cocoa butter is ELITE, I don’t care what anyone says. This is one of the BEST lotions on the market and has solved so many of my minor skin issues like dryness, rough patches, bumpy skin, etc. Not to mention, it truly does hydrate my skin for the entire day.”

A magnetic pen and notepad holder to streamline your office or kitchen

From CB: I bought this magnetic pen and notepad holder to clean up the pens on my counter next to the refrigerator. It holds a lot and my counter looks so much neater. This comes in five different finishes and there are magnetic clips, magnets and a pencil cup in this listing. They have over 1,900 ratings, 4.8 stars and an A on Fakespot. People say the magnets are strong and that it holds a lot for its size. “The first thing I noticed was the large flat magnet on the back. Wow, what a surprise. Unlike so may frig items that are supposed to support themselves with a magnet, this one is so strong it will never slide down the side of the frig, due to a wimpy magnet.” “This item is not only exactly as it appears, it’s better. It comes with one memo pad and an eraserless pre-sharpened pencil. It’s heavier than I expected, and looks better in person than depicted in the picture. It has a very strong magnet covering nearly the entire back surface, and there is no chance of it falling, now filled with a pair of scissors, a few pens and/or pencils, and a lot of paper.”

A Japanese soap bar that fades dark spots

From CB: This Japanese soap bar by Valitic is formulated with kojic acid, vitamin c and retinol to fade and reduce dark spots and pigmentation. It can be used on your face, hands and body. This listing has over 11,600 ratings, 4.1 stars and the same score on ReviewMeta. It’s affordable at two bars for $15 and reviewers say it really works. “After using it for three months and it sure work wonders. My arms had acne all over them and by using it for a while there’s nothing anymore you can’t even see any marks. I use it on my face and neck as well and it has totally made them brighter.” “I’m very satisfied for one with how quick it came and how well it works. It’s supposed to get rid of dark spots and I started seeing results on just day 5.”

A set of little potted artificial plants to spruce up your space

From CB: I’ve been gradually switching to artificial plants for ease of upkeep. You can get a set of four to six artificial plants in little plastic pots for $10 to $19, depending on the variety. These have over 3,800 ratings, 4.5 stars and the same score on ReviewMeta. Reviewers are surprised at how nice and high quality they are for the price. “As soon as I really looked at these little fake potted plants, I was impressed. They are beautiful and well made. They even have little rocks glued inside the plastic pots to give the potted plant a bit of weight. They are the perfect size for finishing off a small vignette.” “I love these! They are so cute and look like real plants. They look great in small areas or to fill in space on a mantle, shelf or table.”

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Here are photos from Day 1 of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s trip to France. They were originally supposed to go to France in March, but the French riots put a stop to that, especially when French people began planning specific protests for Charles and Camilla’s visit, plus there was some mention of a guillotine.

Charles and Camilla arrived at Orly airport in the afternoon, and Camilla wore a pink Fiona Clare ensemble for all of the daytime activities, which included a state greeting at the airport with a Guard of Honor, then a trip to the Arc de Triomphe, then some separate activities with King Charles and President Macron peeling away from their wives. Camilla left the impression that she was staggering around, half in the bag. She also didn’t have weights in the hem of her Fiona Clare dress, and her skirt blew up as she was deplaning.

For the state dinner at Versailles, Camilla wore a caped Dior in navy, and Brigitte Macron also wore navy. Copykeening! Camilla paired her Dior look with some Royal Collection sapphires and diamonds. The menu included blue lobster, Bresse French poultry with mushroom gratin, and a selection of both French and English cheese, including Stichelton. The gifts between Macron and Charles were suitably bookish: Macron gave Charles “an original edition of Romain Gary’s “The Roots of Heaven,” a 1956 novel about a rogue environmentalist. Charles in return gave him Voltaire’s “Letters on the English.”

The Washington Post’s coverage was somewhat savage, noting that the French reaction to Charles and Camilla’s visit elicited a shrug, unlike the popularity QEII enjoyed in France. They spoke to a 22-year-old ice cream salesgirl who said: “More people are interested in Queen Elizabeth. She was around my entire life. She was a big personality. Even though we are French, we know her. But the king is not as known. People don’t talk about him. He’s an old man and won’t last long, so maybe people want that distance, or maybe they just don’t care.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

For months, the Heritage Foundation has spent a lot of time, money and effort trying to get their hands on Prince Harry’s American immigration/visa records. They’ve sued DHS and repeatedly gotten their “case” thrown out of court. Heritage’s operatives openly brief the British media about their attempts to get Harry deported back to Britain, and whenever DHS slaps back at them, Heritage’s Nile Gardiner runs to the Mail and the Telegraph to mock and smear Harry. Gardiner is a British MAGA, basically – he’s a British guy attached to Heritage, all part of the unholy Tory-MAGA alliance. Well, Gardiner also had some big thoughts about Prince William’s New York flop trip.

Nile Gardiner, a US-based foreign policy expert and Royal Family enthusiast has poured praise on how William conducts himself but lashed out at Harry and Meghan. He told Daily Express US: “Prince William, to his great credit, is a very humble figure. He is very low and lives a life of service to the country – he understands the gravitas of his role. William dedicates his life to preparing for the role of being king and understands the significance of that. He epitomizes the role of a public servant in the truest sense, and there is much to be admired in that approach.”

“The Prince of Wales has no ego at all. He doesn’t seek the limelight or glory, whereas Harry and Meghan do seek the spotlight, as is especially the case with Meghan, and I think we saw that last week at the Invictus Games. William carries out his duties with a sense of service and that is definitely not the case with Harry and Meghan, especially not the case with Meghan.”

Mr Gardiner also believes William’s trip and how he is received by the American public won’t be affected by the absence of his wife. He continued: “Princess Kate is also a very popular figure in the US and William is probably more widely known to Americans, but her absence on this US trip won’t make a huge difference.”

[From The Daily Express]

I mean… William is not a selfless person who puts the needs of others ahead of his own. He is a deeply selfish, self-centered, egotistical, violent psycho who assaulted his brother and tried to drive his sister-in-law to suicide, all because he was jealous that people weren’t paying attention to HIM. William is also tremendously weak, stupid and petty, and this New York trip was just William throwing a tantrum about how he wanted to do everything Harry did and he wanted the exact same photo-ops too.

Something to keep your eye on as all of this falls apart is the fact that William is the poster boy for this kind of transatlantic right-wing derangement. William is being used as an explicitly political figure, a representative of traditionalism, anti-wokeism, anti-inclusivity, anti-diversity, and anti-modernity. The people who hold up Will and Kate as their perfect Aryan prince and princess are the same ones who are mad whenever William deviates from the conservative agenda. Also: it’s been clear for a long time that there is real money behind the Sussex hate campaign, and that money shows that there is a larger political agenda against Harry.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.