North Americans will buy and carve about 70 million pumpkins this Halloween. These days, farmers are discovering that nothing sells faster than pumpkins that are warty, twisted or oddly colored. As our more experienced trick-or-treaters know, that wasn’t always the case. For at least 50 years, industry experts say pumpkin breeders tried hard to get rid of imperfections – like warts, disfigured stem handles, or deep ribs. That’s because ugly pumpkins didn’t sell as well as perfect, round, orange ones. In fact, the ugly ones were usually sold off cheaply to make pumpkin pies. Now, the opposite’s true. Where pumpkin seeds typically sell for about $25 a pound, today’s farmers willingly pay up to $200 for a pound of seeds that are likely to turn out warty and weird. That’s because a single ugly pumpkin can sell for $50 or more, and the uglier the better!
Experts say the ugly pumpkin trend is a reflection of how commercial Halloween’s become. Demand is so strong that Martha Stewart has talked about carving ugly pumpkins on her TV show. It’s also inspired farmers to bring back some rare pumpkin breeds that were common a century ago – like blue-green pumpkins from Australia, or an extremely warty gourd known as the “Knucklehead.” In fact, industry experts say warts are the one trait customers ask for the most when they buy pumpkins for carving, but a lot of people are still squeamish about eating pumpkins with warts. That’s also true of the pumpkin’s distant cousin, the squash. In case you’re worried: Those lumpy or warty pumpkins and squash are perfectly safe to eat and taste no different than smooth, perfect pumpkins.
Now, here’s how you can get an extra edge during your interview. These insider secrets come from hiring expert Tina Hamilton.
Pretend your interview starts in the WAITING ROOM! We’ve talked before about how some hiring managers rely on their receptionist to help choose the perfect candidate. Companies may also plant a waiting room “spy” – an employee who’ll pretend to be waiting too, while the boss intentionally keeps you cooling your heels for up to an hour! They’re looking to see how you’ll react to stressful situations. So, experts say the best way to impress any potential spy is to sit quietly reviewing your résumé, or reading something related to your industry.
Beware of the Gossip Trap. During an interview, some managers will intentionally say something negative about one of your former colleagues, just to see how you’ll respond. It’s their way of singling out office gossips. So, resist the urge to jump in and agree with them. Instead, experts recommend saying something like: “Actually, I never noticed that about so-and-so while I worked with her.”
Clean your car. It’s not unusual for employers to send someone out to the parking lot to glance at your car while you’re inside being interviewed. Why? Because employers view your car an extension of you! So, if your car looks cluttered, unwashed and sloppy – with junk-food wrappers on the floor – managers will assume you’ll bring those same sloppy qualities to your job.
Ask questions. Surveys show that job candidates who ask questions about a company are more likely to get the job. That’s because you’ll appear more enthusiastic about the position, compared to people who only talk about themselves! So, ask something like: “What’s the one thing your company is looking to improve or tackle, and how will this position fit in with that need?” Then, after the interviewer describes their needs, follow up with: “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can do all that.”
Couples: I have great news if you met your partner online!
First, a new study says you’ll have a happier, longer-lasting relationship, compared to couples who met face to face. And it gets better if you’re married because the same study shows that your marriage is less likely to end in divorce, compared to married couples who first met in person. That’s the surprising conclusion of research from the University of Chicago. They tracked more than 19-thousand married people for almost a decade.
So why are couples who meet “virtually” happier than couples who meet face-to-face? Psychologists say it has to do with the fact that we’re generally more willing to open up and be ‘real’ online. Because even though online daters may lie about their height or weight – they’re online because they want to be in a relationship. So going into it, you already know that the other person is looking for the same thing you are.
Plus, online dating allows you to see someone’s hobbies and interests right off the bat – and even filter out people who don’t have your same views. And that’s key – since having things in common is huge factor in relationship satisfaction.
Also, people who meet online disclose more about themselves in emails, messages and phone calls BEFORE they even start dating. And that “opening up” helps couples bond. But it’s not all bad news for couples who meet each other in person. Because this study found that where you meet can also make a big difference in how happy your relationship turns out to be.
For example: Couples who meet through school, work or church tend to be happier than couples who meet through friends or at bars. Again, it’s because couples who meet through school or church already know they have something in common.
You know a lack of sleep can lead to everything from overeating – to anger. Well, here are 3 simple things that can help you fall asleep and stay asleep:
Your dog. Sure, they may crowd the bed – but according to the Mayo Clinic, dog owners who allowed their dog to sleep with them had improved sleep quality – because they felt safer and more secure.
Another way to sleep better: Have some pillow talk with your significant other. A study found that people were more likely to have restorative deep sleep when they felt cared for by their partners. So a little bonding before bed goes a long way for a better night’s sleep
The third way to sleep better at night: Don’t nap during the day. University of Pennsylvania researchers found that when people were chronically under-slept – and took naps during the day – they slept worse at night. And sleeping during the day – when you can’t sleep at night – perpetuates the cycle.
So, if you have a hard time sleeping at night, hold off until bedtime and your sleep drive will be higher.
Congrats are in order to Queens star Eve. The 42-year-old rapper-actress has announced she is expecting her first baby with husband Maximillion Cooper.
“Can you believe it @mrgumball3000 we finally get to tell everyone!!!!!,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a couple of photos of her cradling her baby bump. “You all know how long we’v been waiting for this blessing!!! We get to meet our lil human February 2022.”
Her hubby also reposted her photos, along with the sweet message, “Very excited to share this news… we have a lil human on the way.”
This is the first child for Eve with her husband, Maximillion. She is also stepmom to Cooper’s four teenage children from his previous marriage — Lotus, 19, Jagger, 17, Cash, 15, and Mini, 13.
Former Journey frontman Steve Perry has released his take on the yuletide classic “Winter Wonderland” in advance of his recently announced first-ever holiday album, The Season, which is due out on November 5.
Perry’s soulful and sexy rendition of “Winter Wonderland” boasts a very different arrangement than the one we’re all familiar with.
“‘Winter Wonderland’ is one of my favorite tracks on The Season,” Steve says in a statement. “I have always felt a close love for Motown’s music and how it shaped my early school years. This track is a homage to that.”
Perry’s version of the song is available now in digital formats, and a visualizer video that brings The Season‘s Christmas-themed cover art to life has debuted on Steve’s official YouTube channel.
“Winter Wonderland” is the second advance track that Perry has released from the album, following his rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The Season is the follow up to 2018’s Traces, which marked the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s return to music after 24 years.
You can pre-orderThe Season now in multiple formats, including CD, digital, streaming and vinyl. Various limited-edition colored-vinyl versions of the record can be purchased at Perry’s official online store, Target and Barnes & Noble.
Here’s the full track list of The Season:
“The Christmas Song”
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
“Auld Lang Syne”
“Winter Wonderland”
“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”
“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
“Silver Bells”
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
(NEW YORK) — At 21 years old, Texas college student Madi said she was not ready to be a mother.
She was about 10 weeks along when she found out she was pregnant and decided she wanted to have an abortion.
But due to the new Texas law that effectively bans abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, Madi’s personal choice turned into an arduous journey, traveling hundreds of miles and crossing state lines for the procedure.
“I’m drowning,” said Madi, who asked to only be identified by her first name. “That’s the best word to describe it, drowning.”
On Sept. 1, the most restrictive abortion law in the country went into effect. Senate Bill 8 bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected and before some women know they are pregnant. Nearly a month later, Madi traveled more than 400 miles to the only abortion clinic left in Mississippi.
She says her story reveals the lengths some women face to have a choice.
“I am a senior in college. I just turned 21 and I would say I’m a pretty typical college kid,” Madi told ABC News. “I am 13 weeks pregnant right now and I’m not in a place to have a baby.”
Madi said she was in a committed relationship and on birth control so her pregnancy was unexpected. She didn’t experience any early pregnancy signs until the nine-week mark, which at the time seemed like the typical stress of being a senior and starting a new semester.
“I had been not sleeping and not eating and nauseous for a few weeks,” said Madi. “So I took one test and it came out a clear plus sign from the beginning. And I was devastated.”
Up until that point, she had been living her life normally, she said.
“I was still living my life as regular and as carefree of a college kid as I could be,” said Madi.
After several positive pregnancy tests, Madi booked an appointment at a Planned Parenthood in Texas.
She said the clinician told her she was measuring 10-and-a-half weeks into her pregnancy — past the mark at which she could still receive the procedure in Texas.
“I just cried. I was heartbroken and terrified,” said Madi. “I immediately knew that any chance I had of being able to have this procedure done in Texas was gone.”
She immediately knew that she wanted to exercise her federal right to choose, despite the new Texas law.
“There aren’t any laws on the books in any state regulating men’s bodies. It’s sexist, it’s unequal and it’s wrong,” said Madi. “My body is not their property.
Madi said she began to research nearby clinics across state lines. She said she called more than 30 clinics, looking for the earliest open appointment.
“I started researching with the materials that Planned Parenthood gave me and looked into Louisiana and Louisiana’s booked out three weeks,” said Madi. “I called Alabama, and Kansas, and Oklahoma, and Vegas, and Georgia.”
The earliest appointment Madi could find in Mississippi was more than 400 miles away.
Jackson Women’s Health is Mississippi’s last abortion clinic and the center of a potentially historic Supreme Court case that could possibly overturn Roe V. Wade.
Clinic director Shannon Brewer has been working at Jackson Women’s Health for two decades. She said the new Texas law isn’t deterring people from getting an abortion, only pushing them to travel out of state for the procedure.
“We’ve been even busier, because now we’re seeing even a lot more patients from Texas,” said Brewer. “We’ve almost doubled our capacity. Our phones are ringing non-stop because of this.”
Madi said it was with the help of her parents that she was able to get the procedure. Her mother, who asked not to reveal her name, said she wasn’t angry at Madi for her situation.
“I’m angry with Governor Abbott,” said Madi’s mother. “I’m angry that men have decided this is what’s best for women.”
Madi and her family had to make two separate trips to Mississippi in order to secure her appointment. Madi said she was grateful for the support through such an emotionally difficult time.
“There were so many emotions going on at once that it was a blur. The anxiety was still there. The frustration was still there. And I think honestly just the fear of the unknown,” said Madi.
“I had to keep in mind that I was doing this for me. This is my future on the line. It’s my body on the line. And it’s a lot to take in,” she added.
ABC News followed Madi on the day of the procedure.
Madi said the staff at Jackson Women’s Health helped put her mind at ease.
Her nurse walked Madi through what would happen during the procedure.
Prior to starting, she explained that Madi would first receive medication and then be asked to wait an hour-and-a-half to let her body prepare for the procedure. While she waited, she said her decision did not waiver.
“It’s my body and it’s my choice,” said Madi at the time. “I don’t think it’s right for people to try and convince others when it’s not their life that’s about to change.”
Madi said she wanted to publicly share her deeply intimate moment to break the stigma around a taboo topic.
“No one talks about this process,” said Madi. “I’m glad that I’m able to kind of shine a light and give people a little bit of that sense of control back that I feel like I’ve been lacking in this process.”
She said that the patient before her helped let her know that she wasn’t alone.
“Waiting for my turn to go into the room was so heavy because you’re sitting there knowing that there’s a girl in there before you,” said Madi. “Watching her come out and seeing that thumbs up from her, that she was doing OK after it, that put a little bit of ease on my nerves.”
During the procedure, Madi said she appreciated that she was able to ask questions and that the clinicians talked her through each step. After the procedure was over, Madi fell into her mother’s arms crying.
“We got in the car, got buckled, and we started making our way to the airport. Got on the flight and I finally slept,” said Madi.
By the time she got home, she learned of a stunning legal development.
On the same day as her procedure, a federal court blocked Texas’ Senate Bill 8 — the law that had forced Madi to go to Mississippi for her procedure in the first place.
But 48 hours later, a federal appeals court allowed the ban to resume while the U.S. Department of Justice appealed the decision.
“To think that this could all, like, be overturned again and it goes back into place …. really scares me,” said Madi when she heard the news.
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday to reject the Justice Department’s decision and let the Texas statue remain in effect amid the ongoing legal challenge. But, following that decision, the Department of Justice announced it plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court for a ruling to temporarily block the restrictive abortion law.
As the decision likely moves toward the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas law has become a rallying cry for anti-abortion rights advocates.
Anti-abortion activist Heather Gardner is the executive director of the Central Texas Coalition for Life. Gardner said she has spent a decade training “sidewalk advocates” to pray outside abortion facilities across the country.
Gardner said she acknowledges that some Texans will find ways around the law.
“We’re very well aware that women will go to other states to have abortions,” said Gardner. “We want women to not have to feel so desperate they have to do that.”
Yet Lila Rose, the president of Live Action, said that Senate Bill 8 is still a historic win for the anti-abortion movement.
“It is the most, most legal protection in effect right now across the country for human lives,” said Rose. “I think that Texas law should be an inspiration to other states because they found an enforcement mechanism that allows the lifesaving law to remain in effect.”
Rose added she hopes the Texas law reframes the narrative around abortion.
“Our societal approach to pregnancy and motherhood and seeing that pre-born child as a threat or a risk or an enemy as opposed to a precious member of the human family,” said Rose. “This is exactly what we should be focusing on, as opposed to promoting the death and destruction of children in the womb.”
While the country remains focused on Texas, Brewer said she will continue to fight to keep the doors of her clinic open in Mississippi.
“I just feel good that they’re able to come here. It’s like, as tired as we are sometimes … every day that I get to wake up and [help women], I’m OK,” said Brewer.
While she recovers from her procedure, Madi said she’s sharing her story because she recognizes many women won’t have same emotional and financial support that she had through the process.
“There were so many unneeded obstacles that I managed to get over but many women won’t,” said Madi. “I feel like this entire process of everything has happened for a reason. Everything happens in life for a reason and it’s my chance to speak on it.”
Madi said her story is meant to empower other women in her situation to fight back.
“My biggest thing is making sure that other women know that they’re not alone. If Texas is gonna make this difficult, make it difficult for Texas,” she said. “Don’t go silently and if they need inspiration, I hope I can be that for them.”
During a recent interview with The New Yorker, Paul McCartney took a dig at The Rolling Stones when asked whether he thought The Beatles were a better band than their British Invasion counterparts, and apparently Mick Jagger was paying attention.
As previously reported, McCartney commented to The New Yorker, “I’m not sure I should say it, but they’re a blues cover band, that’s sort of what the Stones are…I think [The Beatles’] net was cast a bit wider than theirs.”
Keeping that in mind, footage has emerged from The Rolling Stones’ Los Angeles-area concert Thursday night at SoFi Stadium that shows Jagger playfully making reference to McCartney’s insult while chatting with the audience between songs.
In the clip from the show, shared by The Daily Mail‘s website, Jagger listed some of the celebrities who were in the audience, including Megan Fox, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lady Gaga. He then joked, “Paul McCartney is here. He’s gonna join us in a blues cover later on.”
McCartney made similar comments about The Beatles being better and more diverse than The Rolling Stones in an April 2020 radio interview, while also declaring that he loved The Stones.
Jagger was asked about McCartney’s 2020 comments that same month while chatting with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, and he called Sir Paul a “sweetheart” and that insisted that there was “obviously no competition” between their two bands.
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. regulators are considering revising the rules for COVID-19 vaccines to allow people to opt for a different type of shot for their booster than what they originally received, a move that would enable people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to receive the Moderna or Pfizer dose as their next shot.
Likewise, a person who got the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine might be able to boost with J&J or the other mRNA shot.
No decision has been made, and it’s not clear how soon mixed doses could happen.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration would need to amend its authorizations of the three vaccines available to Americans, and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention would have to endorse the idea.
But in a meeting Friday with independent advisers, senior government officials suggested they were open to the idea.
“It does seem like there’s some consensus that this is an important option for people to have,” said Dr. Peter Marks, a senior FDA official who oversees vaccine regulation.
Amanda Cohn, a senior adviser for vaccines at CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said having “allowable language” from the FDA would be helpful from a public health perspective. One concern, she said, are the 15 million people who have received the J&J shot but either might not have access to a second dose or are concerned about the risk of rare but serious blood clots that the vaccine poses to women of childbearing age.
“If there’s not any allowable language in the FDA factsheets or EUA authorization, then those individuals are left behind,” she said.
While Marks said providing regulator flexibility was possible, he asked the advisory panel to weigh in on what data might be needed to make such a decision. He didn’t offer a timetable and suggested he would be interested in collecting more real-world data first.
“We don’t know from the short studies what the longer-term effects of mix and match will be. And we just don’t have those data,” he told the advisory panel.
Early results from a recent study by the National Institutes of Health found that boosting with a different shot than what was received the first time around appears to be safe and effective. What’s more is that the study found J&J recipients wound up with higher antibody levels if they were boosted with Moderna or Pfizer.
The ability to mix vaccine brands also could be of interest to male teens and young adults, who are more likely to experience heart inflammation following a shot of Moderna or Pfizer. While treatable and typically mild, there have been reports of hospitalization among that population.
Cohn said there do not appear to be any safety concerns with mixing booster doses of any type.
“I think the safety data that has been presented today is very supportive, especially in light of the culmination of the millions of doses of these products that we’ve seen given and the safety evidence from all of those vaccines,” she said.
Dr. Ofer Levy of Boston Children’s Hospital, a panel member, said the government should be ready to move forward quickly to allow for mixed boosters.
“In the real world, all these kinds of combinations or extra boosters are already happening,” he said.
In honor of its 50th anniversary, Queen will be celebrated on the fourth and latest installment of ABC’s Singalong franchise, which will air November 4 at 8 p.m.
Hosted by Emmy-winning actor and singer Darren Criss, The Queen Family Singalong will feature various well-known music artists and other celebs performing hits by the iconic British band, including Adam Lambert, who currently serves as Queen’s frontman.
Lambert will be singing “The Show Must Go On” on the special. Other stars who will be performing on the special include Fall Out Boy, former Alice Cooper guitarist Orianthi, country singer Jimmie Allen, Miss Piggy, singer and reality star JoJo Siwa, OneRepublic and vocal group Pentatonix.
Previous installments of ABC’s Singalong specials have focused on Disney music, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the Queen-themed show also will feature the casts of the Broadway productions of Disney’s The Lion King and Aladdin, who’ll team up to perform a group rendition of “Don’t Stop Me Now.”
Here’s a list of confirmed performances on the special, with more to be announced soon:
Adam Lambert –- “The Show Must Go On”
Derek Hough featuring Alexander Jean -– “Another One Bites the Dust”
Fall Out Boy -– “Under Pressure”
Jimmie Allen featuring Miss Piggy -– “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
JoJo Siwa and Orianthi -– “We Will Rock You”
OneRepublic -– “We Are the Champions”
Pentatonix –- “Somebody to Love”
The casts of Disney’s The Lion King and Aladdin — “Don’t Stop Me Now”
