
Apple iPhone 15 vs. Google Pixel 7: Android and iOS Do Battle
The Apple iPhone and the Google Pixel line share a similar ideology. Each company is
2023-09-15 00:56

Dunkin’ fans appalled by amount of sugar in Ice Spice’s Munchkins Drink: ‘This should be illegal’
Dunkin’ Donuts has launched a new drink collaboration with rapper Ice Spice, but its recipe has raised some eyebrows among coffee lovers. The Bronx-born rapper - who recently won Best New Artist at the 2023 MTV VMAs - debuted a brand new drink with America’s favourite coffee company on Wednesday 13 September. Dubbed the “Ice Spice Munchkins Drink”, the cold beverage blends frozen coffee with pumpkin cake Munchkins, Dunkin’s famous bite-sized doughnut holes. The drink is then topped with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. This is also the first time a Dunkin’ bakery item has made its way into a drink, in what the brand has called “a collaboration you never knew you needed”. While the Boston-based coffee company is excited about the new pumpkin-flavoured drink just in time for fall, it seems that many Dunkin’ aficionados are taken aback by the contents of the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink. In a post shared to X - formerly known as Twitter - popular account Pop Crave shared an image of the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink official recipe. The quantity of coffee syrup and liquid cane sugar varies with size. A small contains four pumps of liquid cane sugar and two pumps of coffee syrup, while the largest offering contains four pumps of coffee and eight pumps of cane sugar. For a large size drink, four Munchkins, which are each 4g of sugar, are blended into the drink, followed by three spins of caramel drizzle in the cup, whipped cream, and then three spins of caramel drizzle again. It’s fitting that Dunkin’ has collaborated with Ice Spice for its new drink, considering it literally consists of both ice and pumpkin spice. The drink is also named after Ice Spice’s fan base, who call themselves Munchkins after her 2022 song, “Munch (Feelin’ U)”. However, some people took issue with the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink recipe for its lack of, well, coffee. “Where is the coffee?” asked one user on X. “Is there any actual coffee in this drink LMFAOO,” said someone else. “This should be illegal idk,” another wrote. Others were also confused how the baristas at Dunkin’ were able to combine Munchkin doughnut holes in a frozen drink. “MUNCHKINS in a beverage?! There’s just, so many things wrong with this,” one person said. “Wait, I’m a little confused… are there Munchkins IN the coffee????????” another shared. Some people simply couldn’t read the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink recipe without being concerned by the sugar content. According to the Dunkin’ website, a medium Ice Spice Munchkins Drink at Dunkin’ is 830 calories, which is reportedly equal to three and a half glazed doughnuts. A large, on the other hand, is 1,080 calories and equal to four and a half glazed doughnuts. “As the child of a nutritionist I am positively terrified by this,” said one user, while another said: “This gonna send me into a sugar coma,” To announce its newest drink collaboration, Dunkin’s official brand ambassador Ben Affleck teamed up with Ice Spice for a new commercial that aired during the 2023 MTV VMAs on Tuesday 12 September. In the ad, the Boston native sat down in an office with the “Barbie World” rapper to brainstorm names for her new Dunkin’ drink. Ice Spice mentioned that she calls her fans "munchkins”, leading to the introduction of the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink. “I’ve always been a Dunkin’ girl!” Ice Spice said in a press release. “Collaborating with Dunkin’ and Ben Affleck on this spot was a dream. The drink has a fun twist, a little something in the name for my fans, too. I can’t wait for everyone to try it.” The Independent has contacted Dunkin’ for comment. Read More Taylor Swift and Ice Spice react with shock to NSYNC reunion at 2023 MTV VMAs ‘I’m a real actor, this is an art form’: Ben Affleck mistaken for another star in new Dunkin’ Donuts advert Ben Affleck reveals his go-to Dunkin’ order after Super Bowl commercial cameo Leave Rick Stein alone – it’s totally reasonable to charge £2 for mayo and ketchup London’s best new restaurants from the past 12 months ‘A step backwards’: Tea enthusiasts stew over 60-second PG Tips teabag
2023-09-15 00:50

A Swiftie’s Fashion Guide & What To Wear To The Eras Tour Movie
When Taylor Swift played her last 2023 US tour date at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on August 9, I could feel everyone around me breathe a collective sigh of relief. That’s because all my fellow Swifties and I have done since the tour kicked off earlier this year is talk about it nonstop. Sorry not sorry, but when Taylor Swift tours, it’s more than a big deal. It’s my birthday, Halloween, and New Year’s all rolled into one. So when Taylor took her final stateside bow and prepared to embark on her international tour dates (much, much further from my own time zone), I felt an acute loss. Anyone who has live-streamed the concert each night from some fellow fan’s shaky iPhone, if only to catch what the night’s secret songs will be, understands my plight. There’s been something magical about this tour. Perhaps it’s Swift’s sheer stamina at performing the over-three-hour show, which ranges 44 songs from 10 albums (sometimes even in the pouring rain!), or maybe it’s the inside jokes formed not only among fans but with Taylor herself.
2023-09-14 23:56

Luxury Cruise Ship Gets Unstuck After Four Days in Greenland’s Arctic
The luxury cruise ship that ran aground in a remote Arctic area of Greenland and had been stuck
2023-09-14 23:21

Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro's next book is a collection of lyrics written for singer Stacey Kent
Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s next book will be one for music lovers
2023-09-14 22:26

5 of Kanye West's most bizarre public outings
Kanye 'Ye' West has gone viral across social media timelines in recent weeks following his random outings, outfits and outbursts. West and his rumoured wife Bianca Censori, have travelled across Italy during summer – and certainly weren't short of controversy. Throughout the trip, the rapper who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, donned an all-black attire complete with a hood wrapped around his head. He also ditched shoes and was often spotted simply wearing socks. From boat bans to crashing random weddings, here are West's most random public sightings: Venice boat ban A handful of moments from the well-documented trip caused backlash online – especially from locals who shunned some outfits as "offensive". One in particular stood out for all of the wrong reasons. The rapper was spotted on a water taxi with his bare bottom exposed to onlookers. Censori seemingly rested her head on his lap. Boat company, Venezia Turismo Motoscafi, has since revealed the couple will "no longer be welcome" on any of their boats. In a statement, the company said staff were "completely unaware" West had dropped his pants, as they were focusing on water traffic. "The driver had to keep a lookout for traffic and did not see these obscenities," they said. "If this had happened, he would have immediately disembarked and reported the transgressors to those in authority." They also went on to call out a "third person on board the taxi" who "obstructed the captain’s view" towards the back of the boat. A source for the Venice Police told the Daily Mail : "There are standards of public decorum that have to be followed by tourists and locals alike and any breaches are severely punished. The images of West with his trousers down while in a taxi as he and his partner crossed the lagoon were seen all over the globe." Trip to local Odeon cinema in Ireland Back in 2014, West and his then-wife Kim Kardashian shocked locals when they were spotted leaving an Odeon cinema in Portlaoise, Co Laois. The pair had just tied the knot in a lavish Italian wedding before heading over to Ireland where they watched X-Men: Days of Future Past. Pillowgate Another moment that turned heads on West's Italian getaway was Censori's purple pillow, which doubled up as an accessory. The shots shared online show Censori in a sheer, nude bra and leggings with a purple pillow covering her chest. West sported an all-black outfit with no shoes. The photos shared to X/Twitter were soon met with confusion from fellow users, with one writing: "How completely ridiculous these people are. Put on some clothes and then you won’t have to take a hotel room cushion out sightseeing with you - and you even get your arms free! Novel concept." Wedding crasher In a bizarre turn of events, the rapper reportedly crashed a random wedding. Viral footage shows the man believed to be the rapper at a church in Italy as he posed for photos with the newlyweds. The groom is heard telling 'West' that he lives in Atlanta. It is unclear when the video was taken, though West and Censori have spent several weeks travelling the country. @rap What would y’all do if #KanyeWest randomly pulled up to your wedding⁉️? Via: @Dean #RapTV #Kanye #yeezy #ye #yeezus #kanyewestlover911 Marilyn Manson hosting West's Sunday Service One of West's famed Sunday Services baffled fans after he invited Marilyn Manson to join his Sunday Service on Halloween – despite his affiliation with Satanism and once being made a minister in the Church of Satan. Images from the 2021 event show attendants dressed in head-to-toe white, some of whom wearing masks. The heavy metal artist bowed his head during the prayer and was seen touching foreheads with West. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.
2023-09-14 21:57

Largest US newspaper chain is hiring Taylor Swift and Beyoncé reporters, drawing interest and ire
Gannett, the United States’ biggest newspaper chain, posted two unusual job listings to its site
2023-09-14 21:47

An Airbnb, Vrbo or other rental host ghosted you. Now what?
Sometimes hosts offering to rent their vacation home, RV or car through peer-to-peer sharing sites don’t show up at the time they promised to exchange keys
2023-09-14 21:26

Otherworldly images show beauty of oceans in photo competition
The awe-inspiring entries to the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023 contest have been released.
2023-09-14 20:17

See plus-size model Ashley Graham stun in Old Hollywood-inspired Harris Reed LFW show
Plus-size model Ashley Graham took to the runway in a glamorous corset for the Harris Reed show. The show marked the informal start of London Fashion Week – officially running from September 15-19. Graham donned a black gown with a shimmering gold corset and a sweeping shawl, as part of the 10 look show. This isn’t the first time Reed has worked with Graham, 35, having dressed her in a sculptural pale pink and black gown for the 2023 Met Gala. Reed’s catwalks are typically dramatic – previous shows have had performances from actor Florence Pugh and singer Sam Smith – and this season was no different. Entitled ‘Duet’, the collection was inspired by Old Hollywood styles, mixing together masculinity and feminity. Designs on the catwalk used deadstock black velvet and white duchess satin with pops of gold, and played around with exaggerated proportions. One of the standout looks of the show was a black and white evening gown with statement shoulders and a revealing low cut-out at the back – which could have been inspired by the low-slung ‘bumster’ trousers popularised by Alexander McQueen in the Nineties. The largely monochrome nature of the collection was punctuated by metallic accents, with silver and pearl half-moon breast cups on one look, showcasing Reed’s partnership with London-based jewellery brand Missoma. The show was accompanied by vocals from Cosima, a Peckham-born singer-songwriter who wore an off-the-shoulder black and white gown to perform. Watching front row at the Tate Modern in London were activist and model Monroe Bergdorf, Game Of Thrones actress Maisie Williams and Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran. The show was inspired by Virginia Woolf’s 1928 historical novel Orlando, often seen as one of the earliest representations of trans identity in English language literature. Reed cited the quote: “Different though the sexes are, they intermix. In every human being a vacillation from one sex to the other takes place, and often it is only the clothes that keep the male or female likeness, while underneath the sex is the very opposite of what is above.” Backstage, Reed expressed the need for LGBTQ+ representation. “It’s more important today than ever, because we are seeing so much more hate on the streets. I think it’s getting rapidly more aggressive and more unsafe to be queer and queer presenting in the city,” the Evening Standard reported him as saying. “Casting trans and non-binary individuals in my show potentially runs the risk of turning off some of my Middle Eastern and Asian clients. “As a designer, I walk a very fine balance of not offending too many people to equal sales and build my brand, but I still need to stand behind my messaging.” Reed’s designs are often concerned with gender fluidity and theatricality, both at his eponymous label and in his role as creative director of French fashion house Nina Ricci. In January 2024 he will publish his first book, called Fluid: A Fashion Revolution. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football legend Michael Owen: My four kids all have opinions about my fashion choices How homeowners are creating pet-specific stylish spaces Sex Education season 4: How vintage finds help characters get their unique style
2023-09-14 19:57

Leave Rick Stein alone, Padstow penny pinchers – it’s totally reasonable to charge £2 for mayo and ketchup
First, they came for our energy bills. Now, they’re waging war on our beloved fish and chips. When will the tyranny end? Probably not any time soon and certainly not in Padstow, where Rick Stein has decided to add a £2 surcharge for extras like gravy, curry sauce and aioli at his fish and chippy. Apparently even celebrity can’t protect you from “food inflation, energy costs and rising wages”. Naturally, all hell broke loose among Padstow punters, who were outraged at the additional cost to their already £20 order. “I’ve always felt that there’s something of the night about him,” one decried. “Let’s boycott it,” exclaimed another. Let me add an unpopular opinion to the opprobrium. Back off, penny pinchers. Ketchup doesn’t come for free just because you decided to dine at Stein’s. It’s a product like any other, and it comes with a price. Why should Stein, or any other restaurant, have to pay it? As a restaurant critic, I’m aware that dinner is getting quite dear. But my advice for anyone complaining about prices is: have some perspective. My initial thoughts on hearing the news from Padstow were twofold. Firstly, if you don’t want to pay upwards of £20 for fish and chips, why don’t you just… go somewhere else? Stein’s is hardly the only joint in town. It’s also not the highest rated so if you are splashing the cash, splash it elsewhere. Secondly, what do people expect? Prices are going up in every aspect of our lives. Restauranteurs aren’t immune to that – they face exactly the same problems we do, if not more. The only thing alarming about the news is that even a brand as big as Rick Stein’s is struggling to survive. For a sachet of Heinz mayonnaise, sure, Stein should probably suck it up (though I imagine that, too, costs more these days). But is it so far-fetched to charge for condiments that are made in house, on the day, with quality ingredients, by trained chefs? Yes, Stein could just plonk it onto his already extortionate prices (£16.95 for cod and chips? You must be joking), but I imagine you might have a thing or two to say about that as well. At least he’s giving you the choice of paying for condiments at all. If you replicated the recipe at home, I’d be surprised if you could get the ingredients for under £2 in the supermarket. That perspective should extend to the impact our changing climate has had on fishing. We’re catching far fewer fish, which has driven up the price of a catch by 11 per cent in the last year. Politics also plays a role, where tariffs on Russia, which previously supplied 40 per cent of white fish in the UK, have forced fishermen to cast their nets elsewhere. The cost of vegetable oil has also gone up by 80p per litre. Given the fish and chip industry uses somewhere in the region 100,000 tons of the stuff, that’s an enormous cost for restaurants to shoulder. Even potatoes are heading upwards of £400 per ton due to increased fertiliser costs and the impact of last year’s hot summer. Then there’s the energy crisis – businesses don’t enjoy a price cap. You can see what I’m getting at. It’s a perfect storm. While arguments that a business as big as Stein’s should be able to absorb the costs somewhere in the empire are totally fair, the news reflects the struggle of all restaurants to reconcile spiralling costs with diner expectations. Earlier this year, Mandy Yin, owner of London laksa bar Sambal Shiok, responded to complaints from diners that prices were too high with a detailed breakdown of how much it costs to produce a single dish. From a portion of their £13 fried chicken, the business only makes 30p. This whole debacle also reminds me of a conversation I had recently with Charlie Bigham, a household name mainly for his boujie “ready meals” (he despises the term). When I asked him to justify why his fish pie now costs around £10 for two people, he gave me the usual spiel about rising costs etcetera, then asked: but why are we so obsessed with paying less and less for food? If we care about the quality of the produce, the impact on the environment and fair pay for the people that work in the industry, shouldn’t we be prepared to pay a bit more? For those lucky enough to be in the contingent that can afford fish and chips, £2 curry sauce might not be the hill to die on. Don’t get me wrong: I think it’s outrageous. But I don’t blame the restaurants. Next time you’re in Padstow, a little understanding, perspective and kindness would go a long way. Read More London’s best new restaurants: From Spanish-Welsh fusion at Mountain to British kitsch at 20 Berkeley The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?
2023-09-14 19:52

Tyra Banks returns to modelling for Karen Millen
Tyra Banks is modelling again, this time for Karen Millen.
2023-09-14 19:29