LONDON -- Former US first lady Michelle Obama expressed confidence on Monday that the social progress made by having the first black couple in the White House could not be overturned. Without directly addressing her husband's successor, Donald Trump, Obama said change was "not a straight line" but the election of Barack Obama to the White House showed people were open to change. Earlier in the day she encouraged some London schoolgirls to ensure they played a role in tackling the "the bitterness, the nastiness that we see in politics" by never wasting their vote. Obama, 54, said she was surprised as anyone when her husband was elected the first black president, taking office in 2009 - especially because when "he was elected he looked like he was 12" - and hopes were high. "We mistakenly thought Barack Obama was going to erase hundreds of years of history in 8 years," Obama told a full house of 2,900 people at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall as part of a tour to promote her … [Read more...] about Michelle Obama confident progress can’t be stopped, urges girls to aim high
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The quirky habits you can’t help picking up living in Spain
Kissing people - even strangers Photo: Simon Blackley/Flickr Kissing as a form of greeting is an alien and often horrific concept for Anglos, who would much prefer a firm handshake or, even better, a head nod. After living in Spain, however, you’ll become accustomed to greeting total strangers in a much more intimate way than you ever imagined. Swooning over random kids Stay in Spain for any considerable length of time and before you know it, you´ll be swooning over random babies in cafes, restaurants and on the street. In Spain, children are treated like royalty and it’s not uncommon to see total strangers stop on the street to fuss over babies, pinching their cheeks and smothering them with kisses. It might be a good idea to tone it down when you go home though, or you might get a few funny looks. Eating late Photo: Swaminathan/Flickr Ok, everyone knows this one, but it is true. After living in Spain, the eating times in the UK, USA … [Read more...] about The quirky habits you can’t help picking up living in Spain
The scientific reason you can’t eat just one piece of Halloween candy
After nearly a week speckled with Halloween parties, spanning from last weekend through this weekend, chances are you’ve had your fair share of Halloween candy. Perhaps you’ve even given yourself a stomach ache unwrapping piece after piece — seemingly uncontrollably — like you did after a night of trick-or-treating during childhood. As it turns out, there’s a scientific reason that you can’t stop popping the bite-sized pieces, despite your better judgement, as TIME reports. While we know sugar is highly addictive, it’s not just the sugar that keeps your hand reaching for the candy dish.Your uncontrollable candy urges are due to the unstoppable union of sugar, fat and salt — the main ingredients of most candies. According to Rachele Pojednic, an assistant professor of nutrition at Simmons University, this trifecta “really revs up the hedonic eating system,” noting the phenomenon of eating for pleasure rather than physical need, … [Read more...] about The scientific reason you can’t eat just one piece of Halloween candy
Howie Carr: Judge can’t stop favoring bad guys
MONTAUK, N.Y. — Even after winter storms left East Coast harbors thick with ice, some of the country's top chefs and trendy restaurants were offering sushi-grade tuna supposedly pulled in fresh off the coast of New York.But it was just an illusion. No tuna was landing there. The fish had long since migrated to warmer waters. In a global industry plagued by fraud and deceit, conscientious consumers are increasingly paying top dollar for what they believe is local, sustainably caught seafood. But even in this fast-growing niche market, companies can hide behind murky supply chains that make it difficult to determine where any given fish comes from. That's where national distributor Sea To Table stepped in, guaranteeing its products were wild and directly traceable to a U.S. dock — and sometimes the very boat that brought it in.However, an Associated Press investigation found the company was linked to some of the same practices it vowed to fight. Preliminary DNA tests … [Read more...] about Howie Carr: Judge can’t stop favoring bad guys
Cannabis Flowers Are Legal in Italy. You Just Can’t Eat or Smoke Them.
Supported by Europe By ELISABETTA POVOLEDOAPRIL 21, 2018 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story ROME — For the past year, small jars of cannabis flowers have been flying off the shelves of Italian specialty shops: a phenomenon that’s described as a “green gold rush.”The hemp flowers — with names like K8, Chill Haus, Cannabismile White Pablo and Marley CBD — are sold under the tag “cannabis light” because their level of the psychoactive compound that makes people high is a tiny fraction of that typically found in cultivated marijuana.But there’s a catch. The aromatic hemp flowers must not be smoked or eaten. Seeds, should there be any, must not be cultivated. As the jars’ labels sternly specify, the products are for “technical use” only and “not for human consumption.” Instead, they are sold — as countless salesclerks will explain with a … [Read more...] about Cannabis Flowers Are Legal in Italy. You Just Can’t Eat or Smoke Them.