Latest news with #UncleBen
Wales Online
7 days ago
- Health
- Wales Online
'I've started eating 70p dish for weight loss and it's a total game-changer'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info I've always prided myself on maintaining a relatively healthy diet. Granted, I do have a penchant for sweets and chocolate, but my daily meals are generally not overly indulgent, unless I'm dining out. However, despite my balanced eating habits, I confess there's a bit of extra weight I'd like to shed for the sake of my health and wellbeing. It's nothing drastic, but losing a stone would certainly boost my energy levels - something greatly needed when keeping up with an energetic toddler nearing his third birthday. Given that my diet is already quite wholesome, I was somewhat stumped as to how to create a calorie deficit to aid the weight loss. As a full-time working mum, finding time for extensive exercise can be challenging, and reducing portion sizes leaves me feeling unsatisfied and grumpy. Therefore, I needed to devise a strategy to cut calories without drastically altering my current diet. Feeling unsure of where to start, I sought advice from everyone's virtual confidant – ChatGPT – hoping it could provide some insight into how I might lose a stone. ChatGPT offered several meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that would help me consume fewer calories (approximately 1,400 – 1,600 per day) while still feeling satiated, thus increasing the likelihood of sticking to the plan. (Image: Samantha Bartlett) I must admit, one of its recommendations was a complete game-changer. For breakfast, the plan proposed options such as Greek yoghurt with berries and granola, scrambled eggs with spinach and mushroom on wholegrain toast, and overnight oats with chia seeds, almond milk and strawberries. Lunchtime meal ideas encompassed a grilled chicken salad with a wholemeal pita, a turkey breast wrap, and a tuna salad. However, it was an evening meal suggestion that truly revolutionised my eating habits. The recommendation of cauliflower rice paired with stir-fried chicken, vegetables and light soy sauce has been a game-changer for me. Initially, I had doubts about its taste, but after trying it with the suggested dish, chilli con carne, and other rice-based meals, I can confirm it's absolutely scrumptious. (Image: Samantha Bartlett) Moreover, it's good value for money as I purchase a frozen 4-pack of cauliflower rice from Tesco for £2.75, which works out at 70p per portion. It's also simple to prepare and packed with vitamins. After consuming regular rice, I often feel somewhat lethargic, particularly in the evenings, but I've discovered that substituting it with cauliflower is gentler on my digestion and doesn't leave me feeling bloated. In terms of maintaining a calorie deficit, it's also fantastic as it contains just 30 calories per serving, compared to the 175 calories in Uncle Ben's Mexican Rice, which I used to consume regularly. I haven't been making the swap for long, so I don't believe it's had a significant impact on weight loss yet. However, I can envisage that if I adhere to the plan, it certainly would, given you're saving around 150 calories per portion of each meal. Given it's such an easy substitution, I'd definitely endorse it if you're aiming to slim down a bit or even if you're simply trying to incorporate more vegetables and vitamins into your diet. You can thank me later!
Mint
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Race in Trump's America: One step forward and two steps back
On the afternoon of 25 May 2020, George Floyd was choked to death on a Minneapolis street by a police officer. The brutal act, captured on video by a teenager, sparked a wave of multiracial protests for social justice and police reform. It also became a flashpoint in US politics and culture, ushering in a brief and backlash-ready period that galvanized millions to push for racial progress. Caucasians began to have rare and overdue conversations about the status of African-Americans. Companies complied with the new zeitgeist and dropped racially stereotypical brand names like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, made bandages for other complexions and expanded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. California formed a task force to study reparations. Buildings, schools and roads were renamed. Statues came down. Also Read: Trump's trade agenda: About US jobs or global supremacy? This was peak 'woke,' an old term that gained widespread usage around the protests. Five years later, 72% of Americans say the period of 'racial reckoning' didn't lead to changes that improved the lives of African-Americans, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Not only that, framing America's intractable social problems around race is increasingly politically risky. President Donald Trump is back in office—and now lecturing the leader of South Africa about reverse apartheid and 'White genocide.' Some conservatives are calling on him to pardon Derek Chauvin, sentenced to 21 years in prison for violating Floyd's civil rights. Many DEI initiatives have been renamed or eliminated and polls show a drop in support for diversity initiatives, especially among Republican voters. The nation's only African-American governor, Maryland's Wes Moore, just vetoed a bill to study reparations. The 'Black Lives Matter' (BLM) movement has stalled, as has the police reform sought by activists. Perhaps nothing captures this more than DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's decision to dismantle Black Lives Matter Plaza, a site that had been a locus for activists and something of a rebuke to Trump in his first term. Also Read: DEI defence: How to promote diversity and prevent a backlash During the height of the protests, 67% of US adults expressed support for BLM, according to the Pew Research Center, including 60% of Caucasian Americans and 86% of African-Americans. Now that figure stands at 52%, with 45% of Caucasians and 76% of African-Americans expressing support for BLM. The numbers underscore the political fault lines around race and the remedies to address racial inequality. They also show a concerted and successful effort by conservatives to malign the activists and the aims associated with the movement—in part using weapons handed to them in the form of unpopular slogans ('defund the police") and a handful of unruly protests like those in Portland, Oregon. In the BLM era, some Caucasian voters, particularly college-educated ones, shifted to the left on a broad array of social issues, helping the Democratic ticket in 2020. Now, the post-BLM or post-woke era sees Republicans with an advantage, helping Trump win a second term by suggesting activists went too far, even as it's hard for most Americans to point to any lasting good that came out of the 2020 movement for racial progress. Some 87% of US adults say the relationship between African-American people and police officers is either about the same or worse in the five years since Floyd's death. Only 11% say that relationship has gotten better. The most striking dip is among Democrats, who in September 2020 had high hopes for African-American progress, with 70% expecting changes a result of the protests. Now, five years later, that figure is 34% according to Pew. The Justice Department last Wednesday dropped consent decrees with Minneapolis and Louisville, rolling back federal oversight of several police departments and shifting the focus away from racial discrimination. Also Read: Caution: Attacks on DEI in the US threaten to cement glass ceilings The BLM protests were among the biggest and most multiracial the country has ever seen. Powered by covid lockdowns and pent-up frustration over several instances of violence against African-American people, sometimes caught on camera, the demonstrations seemed to augur in something more permanent. Yet, concerted efforts by conservatives to demonize protestors and suggest the goals of the activists amounted to reverse racism or blanket attacks on the police worked, with Trump returning to office in 2025 and advancing Caucasian identity politics. In the wake of Trump's re-election, some African-Americans, who have been at the forefront of fights for a more equal America, have decided to march no more, instead leaving the fight to others. The lack of engagement has consequences for Democrats particularly, but more broadly for the cause of racial equality, which remains a worthy goal. ©Bloomberg The author is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion.
Bloomberg
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
The Racial Reckoning That Wasn't
On the afternoon of May 25, 2020, George Floyd was choked to death on a Minneapolis street by a police officer. That brutal act, captured on video by a teenager on a trip to the corner store, sparked a wave of multiracial protests for social justice and police reform. It also became a flashpoint in US politics and culture, ushering in a brief and backlash-ready period that galvanized millions to push for racial progress. White people began to have rare and overdue conversations about the status of Black Americans. Companies complied with the new zeitgeist and dropped Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben as brand names, made bandages for Black and brown skin and expanded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. California formed a task force to study reparations. Buildings, schools and roads were renamed. Statues came down. This was peak woke, an old term that gained widespread usage around the protests.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spider-Noir: What Are Nicolas Cage's Spider-Man's Powers? Explained
Are you curious about Spider-Man Noir's powers and abilities? Fans recently got their first look at Nicolas Cage suited up as the dark, gritty web-slinger for the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series. Set to debut sometime in 2026, it will feature a struggling private investigator tackling his past while being the only superhero in 1930s New York City. Since the first glimpse debut, many have become intrigued to dive into the origins and powers of this Marvel character. So, here are the details. As per the comics, Cage's Spider-Man powers are as follows: superhuman strength, reflexes, agility, speed, organic 'webbing' projection, spider-sense, wall-crawling, and detective skills. Cage's Spider-Man delivers a darker take on the classic web-slinger. While their origins share similarities, they come from different eras and differ in key powers. Cage's Spider-Man was raised by Aunt May and Uncle Ben and was bitten by a spider-like god. After losing his uncle, he decided to leverage his newly found powers to fight for justice. This particular superhero was born and raised during the Great Depression in the 1930s, per the comics. He also contributed to fighting Nazism and fascism across the world. Like the traditional Spider-Man, this version has superhuman abilities that help him confront threats. On top of that, Spider-Man Noir leverages his acrobatic abilities to move easily across the rooftops. He also uses his detective skills to investigate crimes and learn more about their origins to eliminate them entirely. His outer appearance is a combination of superhero and detective persona as he sports a black mask, gloves, and trench coat while also carrying a pistol. The traditional web-head generally utilises mechanical web shooters; however, Spider-Noir has organic webs, which he shoots from his wrists just like Tobey Maguire's web slinger. Additionally, the web-head's darker version occasionally makes use of pistols and can accurately shoot the target. Most of the other powers, like spider-senses and superhuman abilities, are similar to that of its other counterpart.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
10 Times ‘SNL' Cast Members Just Couldn't Keep It Together
It's rumored that 'Saturday Night Live' creator Lorne Michaels hates it when the show's sketch comedians break character on air. Fortunately, that hasn't stopped it from happening countless times over the NBC series' 50-year history. Everyone from Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig to Kate McKinnon and even Will Ferrell have all stumbled into their own moments of out-of-character laughter. In honor of 'SNL's' 50th anniversary special this Sunday, here are 10 of the best times that the show's cast couldn't keep it together. The funniest moment of 'Uncle Ben,' a 2020 sketch about a group of Black brand figures like Aunt Jemima (Maya Rudolph) being fired after being deemed culturally insensitive, is born out of a seemingly unscripted moment. Having already cracked up himself, Dave Chappelle decided to turn his sights on cast member Pete Davidson, who appears in 'Uncle Ben' as Count Chocula. 'I'm not even Black,' Chocula argues when the prospect of also being retired comes up. 'I'm made entirely of chocolate!' 'Likely story,' Chappelle's deep-voiced take on Allstate spokesman Dennis Haysbert replies. 'Look at those big chocolatey lips behind them fangs. Big old fat lips.' Turning to look directly at the camera, Chappelle then urges, 'Seriously. America, look at Pete Davidson's lips.' The moment not only shatters the sketch's already thin fourth wall, but also makes Davidson start laughing so hard he has to spit out his Chocula fangs. Bill Hader broke a lot during his 'SNL' tenure. He may be best known for the many times he did so as 'Weekend Update' correspondent Stefon, whose physical mannerisms were dictated by Hader's desire to cover up his own out-of-character giggles. However, no sketch Hader ever participated in made his face contort so hilariously from his own, desperate attempt to hold in his laughter like 'The Californians: Stuart Has Cancer' did. A soap opera parody, the sketch stars Hader as a blonde Californian with a mullet whose affair with a similarly blonde Californian woman (Kristen Wiig) lands them both in trouble when her husband (Fred Armisen) gets home early. Adopting the silliest twists on surfer-bro accents imaginable, Hader, Wiig and Armisen spend most of the sketch arguing while also giving — as only true Angelenos could — overly convoluted directions of where they've been and where each other should go. Hader breaks early in the sketch and does his best (i.e., not very well) to hold in his laughter as Armisen's upset husband tells him, 'I said go home! Get back on San Vicente, take it to the 10, then switch to the 405-N and let it dump you out onto Mulholland where you belong!' By the time Armisen is done, Hader is completely gone. One of the most iconic sketches in 'SNL' history also features one of its best and, frankly, most understandable breaks. The late Chris Farley's debut as Matt Foley, an amped-up motivational speaker who tries to steer those he's paid to advise away from ending up in a 'van down by the river' like him, is electrifying and star-making. The sketch isn't just propelled by Farley's over-the-top, manic energy, though, but also the uncontrollable giggles of David Spade. Farley, as playful an instigator as 'SNL' has ever seen, immediately zeroes in on Spade's crumbling performance and doubles down on, well, everything. That night's 'SNL' host Christina Applegate also breaks character throughout the sketch as the other teen being lectured to by Farley's Matt Foley. She does a better job, however, of hiding her giggles than Spade, who receives the full brunt of Farley's comedic force. Farley shouts in Spade's ear and even goes so far as to pick his fellow 'SNL' cast member up and shake him. By the end of it all, Spade looks kind of like a giggling kid, and who could blame him? 'Debbie Downer: Disney World' is a simple sketch undone by a ludicrous sound effect and one unfortunate flub. The sketch focuses on a family's visit to Disney World as it is slowly ruined by Debbie Downer (Rachel Dratch), a pessimist who responds to everyone's excited, celebratory remarks with horrifyingly sad facts. Dratch and the sketch's other performers (Jimmy Fallon, Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz and host Lindsay Lohan) did not know that each of Debbie's lines would be accompanied by a 'wah-wah' sound effect, and it immediately begins to produce giggles among the cast. When an already struggling Dratch then flubs a line by referring to North Korea's media industry first as 'sensitive' instead of the scripted 'secretive,' the sketch goes past the point of no-return. Dratch has a hard time holding herself together for the remainder of it, and her sketch mates all giggle themselves into different states of disarray throughout the ensuing minutes. It's a train-wreck — one in which Sanz wipes the tears of laughter from his face with fake Disney waffles. Few 'SNL' cast members have proven to be as adept at making their co-stars break as Kate McKinnon. That skill is on full display in 'Close Encounter,' a sketch about a pair of government agents (Aidy Bryant and Bobby Moynihan) tasked with interviewing three survivors (Cecily Strong, Ryan Gosling and McKinnon) of two wildly different alien abductions. The sketch takes its main turn when McKinnon reveals that her abduction was more like a perverse act of sexual deviance on her alien captors' parts than the peaceful interspecies meeting Strong and Gosling's hippie survivors experienced. Every detail McKinnon's cigarette-smoking redneck reveals is more appalling than the last. As funny as McKinnon's scripted lines are, though, they almost pale in comparison to the comedic effect of each cut back to Moynihan and Bryant, the latter of whom just becomes more and more of a giggling mess by the end of 'Close Encounter.' Bryant wasn't a habitual breaker, but there were moments when certain sketches were simply too ridiculous even for her. 'Close Encounter' was one of those, as it was for many who watched it. Nine years later, it serves just as much as an example of McKinnon's knack for comedic timing and delivery as a relatable moment of fourth-wall-breaking laughter on Bryant's part. Breaks weren't as common in the early years of 'Saturday Night Live' as they are now, but even comedic legends like Gilda Radner and John Belushi broke character from time to time during their respective tenures on the show. One of the best instances of this comes at the end of 'The Farbers Meet the Coneheads.' The sketch focuses on a married couple (Belushi and Radner) who invite over their new conehead neighbors (Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman), unaware that the aliens are not, in fact, humans. Plenty of lovably stupid jokes ensue, but the sketch's best moment arguably comes at the very end. Frightened out of their wits by the Farbers' new hairdryer, the three coneheads make their loud escape from their neighbors' home by literally leaping through their living room's glass window. While Aykroyd and Newman dive easily through the window, though, Curtin flubs the gag a bit by tripping on the set's window table. The mistake immediately breaks Radner, who hunches over and proceeds to recite the sketch's final lines through obvious laughs right alongside an equally giggling, flabbergasted Belushi. 'The Love-ahs with Barbara and Dave' features one of the more legendary cast breaks of its 'SNL' era. Chronic giggler Jimmy Fallon leads the sketch as Dave, a normal guy whose trip to his hotel's hot tub is complicated by its other occupants, Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch's eccentric, perpetually horny 'love-ahs' Roger and Virginia Klarvin. The duo tell Dave in excruciating detail about their sexual exploits before trying to set him up with Barbara Hernandez (host Drew Barrymore), a mutual friend. Fallon starts to lose his composure early due to Ferrell secretly poking him under the water, and he's followed shortly by everyone else in the sketch. Dratch breaks for the first time when she and Ferrell start to share a plate of lamb shanks in the hot tub — an absurd bit that prompts her to burst into a fit of giggles. Ferrell cracks up moments later when, whilst recounting a spiritual experience, he's forced to say, 'Somewhere in the distance, we heard the pounding of native drums.' The usually stone-faced Ferrell immediately breaks into an out-of-character grin. By the time the sketch is over, he, Fallon, Dratch and Barrymore all look like they're barely holding themselves together. During her time on 'Saturday Night Live,' Kate McKinnon didn't crack up nearly as much or often as she made her fellow performers break. The 'SNL' titan couldn't contain her laughter, however, in 'Apple Picking Ad.' She and Aidy Bryant star in the sketch as a pair of middle-aged sisters whose apple-picking farm in 'the part of New York state that has confederate flags' gets mixed reviews from its customers and tries to appeal to as many people as possible by also offering a petting zoo with depressed animals and 'pears in theory,' 'cherries in theory,' 'strawberries in theory' and 'penis gourds.' It doesn't take much for both Bryant and McKinnon, who are clearly reading from cue cards in the sketch, to break. When 'SNL' cuts back from yet another customer's confused, disappointed review of the farm, both Bryant and McKinnon are visibly laughing to themselves. The latter has to pause multiple times before saying her next line, which comes out in high-pitched gasps in between her laughs. It's an infectiously funny moment in a sketch that, like many of 'SNL's' best, gradually builds its humor through mundane, strange details until you just can't help but laugh. McKinnon certainly did. Kristen Wiig starts to break early in 'Super Showcase Spokesmodels,' a 'Price is Right' spoof about a pair of incompetent spokesmodels (Wiig and Maya Rudolph) who struggle to present the night's biggest prizes. While she clearly tries to cover up some of her initial laughs, Wiig completely loses her composure when she and Rudolph are forced to unpack a raw chicken, which Rudolph tickles in a brilliant bit of improvisation. Wiig can't even make it through all of her lines about the chicken in a moment of helplessness that forces co-star Bill Hader to also break character as the sketch's game show host. Rudolph fares better than Wiig, but even she breaks when Wiig nearly hits her with a golf cart at the end of the sketch, and she's overcome by a full-blown laugh when Wiig then crashes through a nearby standee. It's a gloriously messy end to a chaotic sketch, and Rudolph and Wiig's respective giggle breaks are prime examples of what can happen when two 'SNL' cast members aren't just undone by the show's writing, but by each other's comedic choices. Heidi Gardner isn't an easy 'SNL' cast member to break. She doesn't give up an unplanned laugh easy. That's what makes 'Beavis and Butt-Head' so special. It's an endearingly dumb sketch about a conversation with a leading scientist (Kenan Thompson) about AI that gets interrupted by two audience members (Mikey Day and Ryan Gosling) who look strikingly like Beavis and Butt-Head. That concept alone feels like a perfect 'SNL' idea, but what makes the sketch even more memorable is the spot-on prosthetics applied to Gosling and Day and the well-timed cuts that perfectly punctuate each of the sketch's visual jokes. After forcing Gosling's Beavis lookalike to move out of the eyeline of Thompson's AI expert, Gardner's news anchor is asked to make his seat replacement, Day's Butt-Head doppelgänger, move as well. When she turns around to do so, Gardner breaks into a full-throated laugh at the sight of Day. It's an immediate impact — one that makes you wonder whether the 'SNL' crew prevented Gardner from seeing Day in his full Butt-Head makeup beforehand. She has to repeatedly look away from the camera to cover up her laughter, and she can barely make it through her next scripted lines. It's a lightning-in-a-bottle moment that, like a few others on this list, better emphasizes the joy and humorous spirit with which 'SNL' is made than perhaps any other could. The post 10 Times 'SNL' Cast Members Just Couldn't Keep It Together appeared first on TheWrap.
