Is Mycelium the Connective Tissue of Nature's Global Communication Network?
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King Charles III Joins TIME 100 Most Influential People List 2023 As Beloved Mushroom Hunter
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King Charles III, awaiting his coronation as king of the United Kingdom on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey, was honored by TIME Magazine on their new TIME 100 Most Influential People 2023 list.
When the new annual list is released, the person chosen to write about the TIME 100 honoree, can be as interesting as the list itself.
The person introducing King Charles in the TIME 100 2023 issue is Edward Enninful, OBE, editor-in-chief of British Vogue and Vogue European editorial director. [OBE stands for Order of the British Empire.]
The high-achieving Enninful agrees that on the face of it, he grew up a young Black boy in Ladbroke Grove without understanding how intimately involved then Charles, Prince of Wales was with the Prince’s Trust. The charity had dramatic impact on the lives of Edward’s community, directed by the then Prince on many fronts.
Just as British Vogue’s EIC Edward Enninful seeks to humanize King Charles III in his commentary for the TIME 100, AOC was impacted by a story that broke last weekend by royal biographer Robert Jobson. As AOC drills deeply into the topic of mushrooms, mycelium, talking plants and future fabrics made of mushrooms and other natural materials, then Prince Charles pops up frequently in our research.
Mushrooms came to play a critical role in comforting King Charles in the final hours that would physically take his mother and Queen away from him.
Then Prince Charles returned to his estate at Birkhall for a walk in the woods, drawing emotional and psychological sustenance from the trees, the earth and the quiet sound of the River Muick. Charles made good use of himself, taking a wooden cane and a basket to forage for mushrooms along his walk.
Read MoreFrench Protesters Storm LVMH Paris Offices, Opposing Macron's Pension Reform
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The protests against French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension overhaul escalated Thursday as a crowd of men waving flares and banners stormed the headquarters of luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE.
The Wall Street Journal described the event [free AOC ink] as a moment in which the weekly protests “morphed into a populist rebuke of France’s establishment”.
The central issue is the intention of Macron’s government to raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64 by 2030. The French prime minister used his constitutional powers to take the action without a vote.
Representatives of LVMH said the protesters did not stay long, after forcing their way through the Avenue Montaigne entrance of the luxury group’s headquarters and taking an escalator to the reception area leading to LVMH corporate officers, including Bernard Arnault. There is no confirmation that Mr. Arnault was on the premises.
Read MoreAdut Akech Shares Brother Bior Akech in 'Rising Up' by Josh Olins for Vogue Australia April 2023
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Supermodel Adut Akech introduces fashion world to her brother Bior Akech, with three covers in the April 2023 issue of Vogue Australia. Christine Centenera styles the shoot with photography by Josh Olins [IG]./ Hair by Sophie Roberts; makeup by Kellie Stratton
Adut’s younger brother Bior, age 17, remains currently in Adelaide, Australia, where he is finishing school.
The word ‘supermodel’ is almost meaningless today, it is so bandied about with no clear understanding of what is means to be a supermodel.
Adut Akech is a supermodel with 1.8 M followers which is very high for a model — as opposed to a Kardashian or Bieber or Jenner. They are in their own league.
Read More400 Pharma and Biotech Companies Issue 'Scorching Condemnation' of Texas Mifepristone Ruling
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Scientists and senior executives from more than 400 pharmaceutical and biotech companies and also investment firms issued what the New York Times called a “scorching condemnation” of the ruling of Texas District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued late Friday, April 7th that invalidated the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.
Titled “In Support of FDA’s Authority to Regulate Medicines”, the letter excerpts shared on AOC read:
On Friday, April 7, a federal judge with no scientific training fundamentally undermined the bipartisan authority granted by Congress to the Food and Drug Administration to approve and regulate safe, effective medicines for every American.
District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a decision that overturns the 23-year old approval of mifepristone, the primary medicine used in abortion and miscarriage care, and which has been proven by decades of data to be safer than Tylenol, nearly all antibiotics and insulin.
The decision ignores decades of scientific evidence and legal precedent. Judge Kacsmaryk’s act of judicial interference has set a precedent for diminishing FDA’s authority over drug approvals, and in so doing, creates uncertainity for the entire biopharma industry . . .
As American citizens and interested parties, we are invited to add our names to the letter. Anne of Carversville has signed on to the simple Google doc. Texas District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s assault on science and a key federal institution deeply embedded in American life — the FDA — was even more chilling to me as an American citizen than the June 24, 2022 Dobbs decision that overturned the nearly five-decades-old Roe v Wade decision.
Read MoreAmerican Women Ensnared in Dueling US District Court Mifepristone Rulings
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On Sunday, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on CNN’s “State of the Union” said that not only is the Texas ruling unlawful, but it threatens the entire process of FDA drug approval.
“First and foremost, when you turn upside down the entire FDA approval process, you’re not talking about just mifepristone,” he said. “You’re talking about every kind of drug. You’re talking about our vaccines, you’re talking about insulin, you’re talking about the new Alzheimer’s drugs that may come on.”
Many exciting new drugs involve stem-cell research, and the Catholic Church already raised ethical objections to promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are manufactured using cells derived from human fetuses electively aborted decades ago.
Will the Catholic Church and MAGA crowd sue in Texas to take all drugs off the market derived from human fetus stem cells? Because the list of new drugs coming out of the COVID vaccine epidemic research is breathtaking. We’re talking cancer vaccines.
Meanwhile, the drug Mifeprex [Mifepristone] is so safe that deaths associated with taking Viagra are 10x the number associated with Mifepristone.
Read MorePasticceria Marchesi Inspires Prada Caffè Harrods London Until January 2024
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On the eve of its 200th anniversary, the spirit of Pasticceria Marchesi transformed as the Prada Caffè has popped into the main floor of Harrods in Knightsbridge, open until January 7, 2024.
Open from 9am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday, Prada Caffè is a full-fledged restaurant serving strong espresso accompanied by pistacchio fagottini and eggs Florentine with caviar for breakfast. Take heart — you can also enjoy yogurt and granola.
The Prada Group acquired control of Pasticceria Marchesi in 2014, nearly 200 years after its opening at Via Santa Maria alla Porta. Despite the change in ownership, the pastry shop continues to operate with the same passion for excellence at its original location, offering its fresh patisserie, signature chocolates, and classic Milanese Panettone.
Read MoreGuerlain #WomenforBees Project Led by Angelina Jolie in Yucatan for 2023
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The partnership between Guerlain and UNESCO launched in early 2020, with the training of beekeepers with more than 50 hives based in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Cambodia and China. The five-year project has a goal of training 88 beekeepers from 44 biospheres maintaining 4.400 beehives, after which the partnership can be renewed.
In 2023, the program expanded to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, in collaboration with the Fundación Selva Maya and Maroma, a Belmond Hotel.
To learn that the new LVMH Belmond Maroma Resort and Spa, re-opening August 3, 2023 is also a co-sponsor of the #WomenforBees project, gives Maroma a sense of purpose that has deep roots in ancient practices and traditions.
Reading Maroma’s IG description of its “place” is quite breathtaking and a tribute to LVMH’s approach to 21st century values in creating brand identity with real integrity and an embrace of ancient wisdom.
Maroma is a space of enchanting natural refinement, where ancient mysteries meet modern revelations. Our hotel is based on higher design—infinite and larger than the place itself. It was created originally by true believers of the Sacred Geometry, who aligned our white stucco buildings with the surrounding energy fields.
Understanding the respect that LVMH is giving to ancient wisdom and practices — writing about sacred geometry and the energy fields involved with the design of Maroma — had great impact on me, and I continue to process the many ways that LVMH is touching our lives in the world of luxury.
Read MoreCongressman Jamaal Bowman Tells Marjorie Taylor Green To Go Home
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Did you see New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman run MTG out of lower Manhattan Tuesday? It was epic, and AOC has the video.
It’s not pretty to watch, but AOC applauds Congressman Bowman for his contained confrontation and honesty with Greene.
Every word he said to MTG is true, and she high-tailed it out of Manhattan, didn’t she! The only reason she was in New York City today was to kiss Donald Trump’s butt, as his future vice-presidential running mate.
We are SICK of hate-mongering white supremacist Republicans running their hate-mongering mouths.
Read MoreIn Most Critical 2023 US Election Liberals, aka Democrats, Win Wisconsin Supreme Court by Wide Margin
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Anne of Carversville backed and helped fund the April 4, 2023 victory of Janet Protasiewicz over the uber-conservative, 2020 presidential election-overturning candidate Dan Kelly for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
With 69% of the vote in, the proud liberal has 56% of the vote vs 44% for Kelly. The race became the most expensive state Supreme Court race in US history. Protasiewicz, a judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, was elected for a 10-year term.
The new court will determine the fate of abortion rights, the most gerrymandered state political maps in America and a range of voting rights issues in the battleground state for two years, including the 2024 presidential election.
Kelly lost his seat on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court in 2020 to liberal Jill Karofsky after advising Republicans on legal efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential race through the use of “fake electors.” Democrats from across America sent groundbreaking sums of money to support Protasiewicz, who was relentless in her attacks against Kelly for trying to overturn the 2020 results.
Read MoreIs SHEIN the Biggest Polluter In Fashion? Stats Are Damning and Astonishing!
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Almost like a fashion space rocket, China-based Shein [pronounced she-in, not shine] now owns almost a third (28 per cent) of America’s fast fashion market.
Few sustainability warriors saw it coming. And for all the convos about young people being passionate eco-conscious caretakers of our planet, at least in America, they have given a big hug to Shein.
In 2021, the Shein app became the most downloaded with over 17.5 million downloads across the Google Play and Apple stores.
Read MorePat and Anna Cleveland Make Fashion Bliss in Harper's Bazaar Spain April 2023
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In the Harper’s Bazaar Spain April 2023 fashion story ‘Romper Barreras’ [‘Breaking Barriers’], Pat Cleveland and Anna Cleveland are styled by Inmaculada Jiménez in images by Vladimir Martí [IG] for ‘The Picasso’ issue.
A Model Icon’s Life Turned Inside Out in March 2019
In Spring 2019, legendary AfricanAmerican model Pat Cleveland was diagnosed with colon cancer. The then 68-year-old model icon rushed to the American Hospital in Paris, after walking the Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya show in very early March.
Resulting from the emergency surgery in Paris on March 23, Cleveland’s colon cancer was detected. Anna Cleveland, Pat’s daughter, who is also a model and performer, was living in Paris and able to care for her mother during the crisis.
4 Years Later, Pat Cleveland Is Thriving
In a miracle of miracles moment, Pat Cleveland is thriving four years out from her life-threatening medical event.
Colorectal cancer disproportionately affects the Black community, where the rates are the highest of any racial/ethnic group in the US. African Americans are about 20% more likely to get colorectal cancer and about 40% more likely to die from it than most other groups.
Read MoreCarolina Herrera Blush Fragrance and Karlie Kloss Celebrate Feminine Empowerment
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AOC has studied and promoted Karlie Kloss from her first steps into New York fashion world, because it was clear that she is a woman of principle and also a progressive activist at heart.
The folks at Carolina Herrera, now part of the Barcelona-based Puig Group of brands, were also drawn to Karlie, and not only because of her 6’2” stature and athletic/professional dancer training.
Karlie Kloss is the epitome of the classic Good Girl, updated for the 21st century. In fashion marketing, we toss around the term ‘boss lady’ with ease. Karlie Kloss helps define what a boss lady IS.
Read MoreCEO Roz Brewer's Walgreens Donated in 2022 to Red State AG's No Abortion Pills Letter Group
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Like this Twitter follower, I was also watching Ali Velshi on MSNBC Saturday, when he reported that Walgreens had donated money to the very Red State AGs group that sent Walgreens the onimous “don’t do it” letter about selling abortion pills in their stores.
Unlike Fox News, Ali Velshi is very particular about the words coming out of his mouth. While we don’t know the amount of money donated — and whether a similar amount was donated to a Blue State AGs group — I do not challenge the veracity of Velshi’s claim. He would not make it without the receipts.
This new revelation didn’t make me feel any better about Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer, a businesswoman we celebrated on her appointment to the Walgreens Boots Alliance corner office as the first Black woman CEO.
Read MoreCalifornia Cancels May 2023 Renewal of Walgreens Prison System Pharma Contract
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In the first step of an “exhaustive review” of all contracts between Walgreens and the state of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday that California will not renew a $54 million contract by which Walgreens delivers pharmacy services to inmates in California’s prison system. The contract was set to renew on May 1, 2023.
“This is an attempt to call the question ‘Which side are you on? Whose side are you on?” Newsom said in an interview with POLITICO ahead of the announcement. “Are you going to just cower in the face of bullies? Are you going to just roll over?”
When Walgreens, now led by former Starbucks COO Rosalind Brewer, stepped out solo over the weekend, saying that her pharmacies would abide by demand letters from red state attorneys generals that they agree not to sell mifepristone — even in red states where abortion is legal — AOC called the action a major mistake.
Anticipating severe backlash should have been a high priority for Brewer — especially when Walgreens was agreeing to anti-women demands going beyond what their state abortion laws now require.
Read MoreWhat If the Louis Vuitton Men's 'Crochet Leather Overshirt' Came With Its Own DNA Test?
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Technically-speaking, when Virgil Abloh’s parents came from Ghana and settled in Rockford, Ill. which is close to Chicago, he was conceived in what once was New France in North America.
The design of the Louis Vuitton ‘Crochet Leather Overshirt’ is hardly workwear in the style of the American West . . . or even coal miners in Appalachia. Those pretty crochet Louis Vuitton flowers and emblems would get real dusty damn fast.
To purchase the jacket will cost you $37,000 and it’s made to order, so you must contact your local LV to pursue the conversation.
OMG! What LV could do under Pharrell is to create the patches custom — with plenty of LVs, of course. But after purchasing a DNA test as part of the jacket, the wearer could learn his/her roots. Then a select number of patches could honor those roots.
Read MoreFive Women, Two Doctors Sue Texas SB8 Law, Seeking 'Medical Emergency' Definition
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Five women who were denied abortions in Texas have filed a lawsuit against the state. Two doctors are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit, believed to be the first action brought on behalf of women denied abortions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The plaintiffs, who are represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, say they were denied abortions under Texas state law SB8 despite medically-verified, significant risks to themselves and/or their severely impaired fetuses that made abortion a medical necessity.
‘Medical Emergency’ Must Be Defined
The lawsuit asks the court for clarity on what situations fall under the “medical emergency” exception in Texas’ abortion ban.
"With the threat of losing their medical licenses, fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and up to 99 years in prison lingering over their heads, it is no wonder that doctors and hospitals are turning patients away—even patients in medical emergencies," the suit reads.
At the time the SB8 law was written, groups such as the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists expressed grave concerns, arguing that the proposed law was too vague to provide physicians with assurances they would not face legal consequences for carrying out their maternal health, caregiver duties.
Read MoreHarvey Weinstein Jane Doe #1 Goes Public in LA After Guilty Rape Verdict
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Evgeniya Chernyshova, a former model and actor, has spoken publicly for the first time about her violent sexual assault by disgraced Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chernyshova spoke about her violent encounter with Weinstein in 2013 at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival and her decision to come forward at the urging of her daughter.
Chernyshova was the first witness called in Weinstein's Los Angeles trial last year 2022. Her testimony persuaded the jury to convict Weinstein on three charges of rape and sexual assault including forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and penetration by foreign object.
Read MoreKylie Jenner for Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2023 Eyewear Campaign Joins Kim's RTW Ads
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Following sister Kim Kardashian’s fantastic Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2023 campaign released last week, Kylie Jenner goes to bat for Dolce & Gabbana Eyewear in a new campaign lensed by Mert & Marcus [IG].
Jenner shared the campaign with her 280m IG followers. That’s called reach!
As for the Kardashian women being cheap, I’m sure that Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce have paid a premium price for their prior insults against the family. Given the full range of their business savvy, the Kardashian women know their worth.
It wouldn’t surprised me if Mama Bear Kris Jenner added a 3-5 years, 5-10% penalty to the contract, right before their disbelieving eyes.
Cuz that’s how the Kardashian women roll, and AOC admires them for their moxie.
Read MoreCould Walgreens Big Bow to Red States Demands on Abortion Pills Backfire? We Hope So!
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