List of All Articles with Tag 'lifestyle'

The daughter of King James VI and I was Electress Palatine of the Rhine and Queen of Bohemia, and through her grandson, the founder of a new British ruling dynasty.

Angelina Jolie announced a new fashion venture Wednesday

A 29-year-old woman was in for a rude awakening when she asked the internet if her mother was in the wrong for refusing to babysit her newborn for free. “Am I the a**hole if my mom refused to help me take care of my baby while I go back to work?” u/erika_urrrika asked the popular Reddit forum. In her post, the new mother wrote that both she and her partner work full-time and cannot afford to have one parent stay home with their baby. The Redditor explained that their jobs don’t allow them to work from home, and they wanted to avoid spending money on childcare. In addition to being the breadwinner of the household, she is also saving money to pay off credit card debt and move to a bigger apartment. However, the grandmother refused to look after her grandchild for free, noting that she was “too old” and had “already raised her kids”. “Mind you, my mom is 64, has been a homemaker/stay-at-home-mom since 1992, and hasn’t been part of the workforce since then,” the daughter wrote. “She also added that if I really wanted this baby, then maybe I should have thought about staying home like she did to take care of it while my partner goes to work and provides for us like a ‘traditional’ family, and that if she any my dad were able to work it out, so can we.” When the Reddit user detailed her financial situation to her mother, she asked to be compensated $20 an hour for each hour she looks after her grandchild, including late fees for pickup. “So, am I the a**hole for wanting my mom, who again is at home all day long (trust me, she does not do anything besides watch TV and cook meals), to take care of my baby for free while me and my partner try to fix our finances?” she asked. In the comments, many Reddit users called the daughter “entitled” for expecting her mother to take care of her child for free. “Sorry to be blunt and rude but maybe don’t have a child if you can’t afford to take care of them,” replied one person. “And if your plan was always to go back to work you should have discussed that during the pregnancy with your mom.” “Your mother is under no obligation to babysit for you,” another user said. “Why are you having a child you don’t seem to know what to do with? And why have you not worked all this out before now?” A third person wrote: “Your mom is in no way obligated to care for YOUR BABY. It’s generous of her to be willing to do it for pay, and you have the gall to be mad she won’t do it for free? She is entitled to spend her life and free time however the hell she wants. It’s not her fault you’re in debt and decided to have a baby you can’t afford. The only thing she may have done wrong at some point along the line is raise you to be this horribly entitled.” “You chose to have a child, not your mother. Your mother isn’t a free babysitter,” another said. “She is right, she raised her children. Her babysitting on occasion would be kind and appreciated but you sound entitled thinking you are owed childcare.” One person simply commented, “You’re not the a**hole for wanting her too. But you’re the a**hole for expecting her to.” According to Sittercity, the average hourly rate of babysitters in the US in 2023 is $18.50 per hour, while the average hourly rate of nannies who “typically work on a full-time or set schedule basis” is $20 an hour. This isn’t the first time a babysitter has caused a stir on Reddit. Recently, a woman sparked a debate after revealing that she asked a family who cancelled on her babysitting services last minute to pay her half of the $840 she planned to charge them. The babysitter told Reddit’s AITA forum that she usually charges a “flat rate of $100 a night” while babysitting overnight. “Overall, the price for those three days was going to be $840,” she said. But when she received a text from the parents cancelling her babysitting services, she explained that she was “out three days pay”. In response to the last-minute cancellation, she asked the customer for $480, the “minimum [she’d] make at work in those three days”. She said the mother declined the request and said she was being “ridiculous”. While the babysitter noted that she and the family didn’t have a contract, “which in hindsight was stupid” and that “legally they don’t have to pay” her, she still felt that the right thing for the family to do was pay her. Read More Woman questions whether it was ‘selfish’ to refuse boyfriend’s request for $5,000 loan Babysitter asks family to pay half of $840 bill after they cancelled last minute People divided over whether you should switch tables in a restaurant if seated next to a crying baby Woman questions whether it was wrong to refuse boyfriend’s request for $5,000 loan Women urged to check blood pressure – here’s what you need to know Denise Welch remembers ‘losing sense of reality’ while facing post-natal depression

As we now know, artificial intelligence has a mind of its own – and now it's dictating what the 'ideal body type' is. A recent study by The Bulimia Project asked AI software Dall-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney to design what social media would consider the perfect man and woman. Inevitably, the results were largely "unrealistic" and couldn't be more distorted if they tried. And it goes without saying, the so-called "perfect" person does not exist. When it came to women, the AI images swayed towards blonde hair, brown eyes and olive skin. AI-generated men, however, had a bias towards brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The string of images soon went viral across social media, and it didn't take long for users to chime in on AI's "problematic" take, with one writing: "The male look is actually very unhealthy." Another joked: "So, AI is basically a 14-year-old boy with no friends?" A third added: "So I need to look like I'm made of wax?" Many more slammed the software's racial bias, with the vast majority being Caucasian. "How is AI already racist?" One person asked while another said: "So the AI is also racist. I am shocked." The Bulimia Project said: "Considering that social media uses algorithms based on which content gets the most lingering eyes, it's easy to guess why AI's renderings would come out more sexualised. "But we can only assume that the reason AI came up with so many oddly shaped versions of the physiques it found on social media is that these platforms promote unrealistic body types, to begin with." 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.

Fans of Dame Helen Mirren were left stunned after the actor debuted her bright blue hair at the Cannes Film Festival. The Oscar-winning actress, 77, arrived on the red carpet on the opening day of the 76th annual event on Tuesday (16 May). Mirren wore her hair in a messy updo highlighted with varying shades of blue and turquoise. She paired the look with a floor-length periwinkle gown, which featured folds around the waistline and an elaborate bustle in the back. The actor also carried a black fan with #WorthIt written on it in a nod to her partnership with L’Oreal Paris. Fans have been praising Mirren for experimenting with her hairstyle. “When I go grey I too shall match my hair to my outfit,” wrote one person on Twitter. Canadian fashion expert Lisa Tant wrote: “Helen Mirren turns the blue haired old lady stereotype on its head.” Mirren’s vibrant hair colour was not her first at the international film festival. In 2019 she attended with a shorter cut that was swooped back and dyed pink. She previously told US outlet People magazine that she had been inspired to make the changes after watching reality TV. “I was watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model and there was this little English girl on it,” she said. “She had bright pink hair and she looked so great.” With additional reporting from PA. Read More Vanessa Feltz blasts Ann Widdecombe over 40p cheese sandwich remark Denise Welch recalls losing ‘sense of reality’ from post-natal depression: ‘The most terrifying thing’ Fans aghast after Kanye West’s ‘wife’ Bianca Censori wears cross-shaped body tape Helen Mirren debuts blue hair look on opening day of Cannes Fans aghast after Kanye West’s ‘wife’ Bianca Censori wears cross-shaped body tape Italian designer launches scathing attack on Shein over ‘stolen ideas’

Homeowners may be reconsidering their remodeling plans this year because of the economy’s recent turbulence, but planning and prioritizing can help you accomplish projects with confidence

Gumbo is a Louisiana institution. Fusing together flavours from the state’s Creole and Cajun heritage, it’s traditionally a deeply-flavoured stew. After exploring southern Louisiana, this is Gordon Ramsay’s version of a traditional gumbo… Chicken andouille gumbo with rice Serves: 8 Ingredients: For the braised chicken: 4 boneless, skin-on chicken breasts 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs, thighs attached 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2½ tsp kosher salt, divided 2 tbsp grapeseed oil 4 garlic cloves, crushed 3 celery stalks, diced 2 yellow onions, diced 8 cups chicken stock 3 sprigs thyme 3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped 1 lemon, cut in half, seeds removed For the gumbo base: 227g andouille sausage, cut into 1.3cm-thick slices 108g unsalted butter 125g all-purpose flour 2 celery stalks, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 red bell pepper, finely diced 1 green bell pepper, finely diced 1 yellow onion, finely diced 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tbsp hot sauce For the rice: 341g white rice 946ml water 2 sprigs thyme, picked 2 tsp kosher salt Method: 1. Make the braised chicken: Season the chicken with the pepper and two teaspoons of the salt. In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, sear the chicken on all sides until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, and work in batches if necessary. 2. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the garlic, celery, and onions. Cook in the chicken fat until the vegetables begin to caramelise. Season with the remaining salt. 3. Add the chicken back to the pot and cover with the chicken stock. Add the thyme, scallions, and lemon halves and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking on a low heat until the chicken is tender and can easily be pulled apart, about one hour. 4. Remove the chicken from the stock and shred the meat from the bones. Cover the chicken and refrigerate until ready to use. Strain and reserve the chicken stock and discard the vegetables and thyme. 5. Make the gumbo base: In another large pot over a medium heat, add the andouille sausage and cook until the fat has rendered and the sausage has crisped. 6. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage from the pot and set aside on a paper towel–lined plate. 7. To the fat in the pot, add the butter. Once the butter is completely melted, add the flour and mix until a thick paste forms to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring constantly until the roux has turned a very deep brown, about 30 to 45 minutes. 8. Add the celery, garlic, bell peppers, and onion. Continue cooking until the vegetables are softened, about five minutes. Season with the salt, cayenne, and black pepper. 9. Add the reserved chicken stock and the hot sauce and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking on low until the gumbo base has thickened, about 30 minutes. 10. Make the rice: In a medium pot over a medium heat, add the rice, water, thyme and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until all the moisture has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork just before serving. 11. Add the pulled chicken and andouille sausage to the gumbo and serve with the rice. Recipe from ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted: A Culinary Adventure With 60 Recipes From Around The Globe’ (National Geographic, £25). Read More Three meat-free dishes to try this National Vegetarian Week How to make TikTok’s viral whole roasted cauliflower Gordon Ramsay: ‘I’m going off the beaten track to become a better cook’ Gordon Ramsay’s coffee-spiced pork shoulder recipe What is coronation chicken? The story of the royal recipe and how to make it Healthy lemony smoked salmon pasta that takes zero effort

An early sign of dementia in people is poor sleep, which can in turn hasten cognitive decline. The same applies to aging dogs, according to new research. The study is the first to use sleep lab techniques such as an electroencephalogram (EEG) on dogs.

Planning a major vacation can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task, so it's perhaps no surprise that travelers often call in reinforcements for help.

A German football club famed for its progressive politics and social activism has become the first to speak

One stop on Gordon Ramsay’s culinary journey around the world was Puerto Rico, where he discovered this recipe for coffee-spiced pork shoulder. It’s accompanied by yuca – the root of the native cassava plant, which was an important ingredient for the indigenous Taino community. Coffee-spiced pork shoulder with sweet potato and yuca Serves: 4 Ingredients: For the coffee-spiced pork shoulder: 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp sweet paprika 1 tbsp kosher salt 1 tbsp finely ground coffee 1 tbsp granulated sugar ¼ tsp chili flakes, or more to taste 2 tsp annotto seeds, finely ground (if you can’t find annatto seeds, you can substitute with 2 tsp achiote paste) ½ boneless pork shoulder (about 1.3kg) Extra-virgin olive oil For the sweet potato and yuca: 1 red onion, diced into 1.3cm pieces 1 star anise 3 garlic cloves, crushed Kosher salt 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1.3cm pieces 1 yuca, peeled and diced into 1.3cm pieces 1 cup dark rum 3-4 cups chicken stock Method: 1. Prepare the pork shoulder: In a small bowl, combine the cumin, paprika, salt, coffee, sugar, chili flakes, and annatto. 2. Season the pork shoulder with the rub, rubbing it in with your hands to coat evenly. Set the pork shoulder aside to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. 3. Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat and drizzle the pork with olive oil. Place the pork shoulder in the pot and sear on all sides until caramelised and golden brown. Remove the pork from the pot and set aside. 4. Make the sweet potato and yuca: To the pot, add the onion, star anise, and garlic. Season with salt. Cook until all the ingredients begin to caramelise and the anise is aromatic, about seven to 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato and yuca and saute for five minutes longer, until they start to brown. Add the rum to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release all of the brown bits. Simmer until the rum is reduced by half. 5. Finish the pork shoulder: Return the pork to the pot and pour in the chicken stock, making sure the stock comes halfway up the side of the pork, adding more liquid if needed. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about two hours or until the pork easily breaks apart with a fork. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon. 6. Once the pork is tender, remove it from the pot and set it on a large plate or cutting board. Pull the pork into large pieces using two forks. 7. Reduce the cooking liquid that remains in the pot by half until slightly thickened. 8. To serve, plate the pork and vegetables on a serving platter and drizzle cooking liquid over top. Recipe from ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted: A Culinary Adventure With 60 Recipes From Around The Globe’ (National Geographic, £25). Read More Three meat-free dishes to try this National Vegetarian Week How to make TikTok’s viral whole roasted cauliflower Gordon Ramsay: ‘I’m going off the beaten track to become a better cook’ What is coronation chicken? The story of the royal recipe and how to make it Healthy lemony smoked salmon pasta that takes zero effort Easy coronation chicken pie recipe chosen by Mary Berry

An former vegan whose hair started to fall out in chunks has claimed that eating meat “saved her life”. Kai-Lee Worsley, who is originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, became vegan aftermoving to Santa Ana, California, in 2018. After moving in with a group of vegans, she learnt about factory farming, which is controversial due to the cramped and stressful conditions endured by livestock. She was then convinced to try veganism herself. “What convinced me is the way animals were treated. I didn’t know how animals were treated in factory farms. I didn’t know factory farms existed,” she said. Kai-Lee stopped eating all products derived from animals and started eating protein-rich vegetables, such as beans and legumes. She also used supplements to counter the lack of proteins found in meat. But six months into her new diet, she started to feel unwell. Her hair started to fall out, her fingernails became brittle and she found it difficult to stand up. “I was extremely tired all the time. I couldn’t form coherent thoughts,” she said. “I would just lie in bed multiple times a week and I would spend all day in bed if I could. “My nails were breaking all the time. My hair was falling out. I have thin hair anyway but my hair was just coming out in chunks.” Kai-Lee stuck to the diet until June 2019 when her symptoms became too intense to ignore. Less than a year after becoming vegan, Kai-Lee started eating meat again and has credited it with “literally [saving] my life”. ”Now I eat basically the same thing as when I was a vegan except I have steak three times a week. I’ve swapped meat substitutes for meat. It has literally saved my life,” she said. Despite feeling the benefits of eating meat, Kai-Lee morally struggled to abandon her vegan diet. Kai-Lee said: “I really thought veganism was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I even saw myself as an activist. “After I ate meat, I saw myself as a fraud. I even had a V tattoo in my ear, which stood for vegan. I was at that point when I was so indoctrinated that it was really hard to go back. “I didn’t tell anyone at the beginning. I was worried what they would think about me.” She concluded: “I think when you’re so indoctrinated in something it’s really hard to back away, but I’m glad that I was able to do it in time.” Read More Janey Godley shares heartbreaking cancer update Gaining weight before 30 raises cancer risk decades later Teacher, 25, rushed to hospital with stomach ache diagnosed with terminal cancer Pensioner, 85, shares the simple switch that’s helped him to do 650,000 press-ups How to check if you have skin cancer: Symptoms and signs to look out 6 mouth cancer symptoms everyone should know