Fans Are Not Excited About The New ‘Bachelorette’; FBI Drew Guns On Felicity Huffman At 6 AM

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March 13, 2019

Fans are not excited about the new ‘Bachelorette’

Tuesday night’s finale of The Bachelor may not have revealed if Colton Underwood lost his virginity to Cassie Randolph, but viewers did find out which of Colton’s exes is the next Bachelorette. Shortly after wishing Colton and Cassie well, Chris Harrison announced that Hannah Brown would be returning to the mansion as the next Bachelorette.

Hannah was ecstatic about the news.

“I’m just really so grateful and honored that people saw my heart and that I get to continue showing that and that somebody will hopefully share their heart with me,” she said.

Hannah added that she is ready to get engaged and has the blessing of her family, who she says “has been really supportive of me.”

While Hannah has the support of her family, Bachelor Nation is divided about her casting. Many fans took to Twitter to express both their support and concerns about the newest Bachelorette star.

While fans remain divided, Hannah’s ready to give love another shot — even giving out a first impression rose after meeting five of her contestants. While Luke S. tried to woo Hannah by telling her he’d be willing to go “down south” for her, Hannah ultimately chose Cam for his ability to rap and “pump up the jams.”

It took a nervous Hannah a few tries to pin the rose on Cam right, but luckily she still has a few weeks left to practice before heading to the mansion. If fan reactions are any indication, the next season of The Bachelorette is already off to an interesting start.

7 FBI agents showed up at Felicity Huffman’s home at 6 AM and drew their weapons

Felicity Huffman knew she was a target of the federal investigation into bribery in the college admissions process … but she had no idea 7 feds would show up at her door Tuesday morning with guns drawn.

Sources familiar with the arrest tell TMZ, 7 FBI agents showed up at Felicity’s Hollywood Hills home at 6 AM and drew their weapons as they ordered Felicity to come out and surrender.

We’re told Felicity, her husband William H. Macy and their 2 daughters were asleep when the agents ordered her out. Our sources say she knew the arrest was looming and would have gladly surrendered on her own, but the feds saw it differently.

An FBI source familiar with the arrest tells TMZ guns were drawn as a precaution. It’s always left to the agents’ discretion whether to draw a firearm during an arrest.

The agents took Huffman to a federal building where she was processed by federal marshals.As we reported, Huffman was indicted for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

The indictment claims Huffman made a charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter.

The indictment claims the daughter was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students and the paid proctor agreed to secretly correct her answers afterward.

The docs claim the girl got a 1420 score … approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Jennifer Lopez Just Shared Photos of A-Rod’s Proposal and They Will Make You Swoon

Jennifer Lopez just gave us what we’ve been waiting for: the scoop about how Alex Rodriguez recently proposed to the newly-engaged star.

On Tuesday, Lopez posted a gallery of picturesque images from their Bahamas getaway, where the former MLB athlete popped the million-dollar question and slipped a massive ring on that finger.

In the new images, Rodriguez gets down on one knee during what appears to be a sunset by the ocean. The first shot shows J.Lo clutching her hands over her mouth while wearing a flowy white, robe-like dress-that’s very bride-to-be. “3.9.19,” she captioned the image, while he shared a similar one and wrote, “Locking it down. #futuremrsrodriguez

Scroll through for more images where you see Lopez’s obvious answer-yes!-before she gives her new fiancé a kiss.

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More Americans Prefer To Travel Alone Because Why Not?

Maria Loreto

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March 13, 2019

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Self care seems to be the trend of 2019. A new study reveals that nearly 1 in every 4 Americans prefers to travel alone, considering it a prime opportunity for some “me time.”

OnePoll surveyed over 2,000 people and found that this mentality is on the rise, with 22 percent of participants reporting that they travel exclusively on their own, and 44 percent of them saying that traveling with others holds them back from doing their own thing.

A lot of the people surveyed believe that solo traveling opens more doors to them: 50 percent of participants reported that they’d be more likely to interact with locals if they were on their own, and 46 percent of them said that they’d also take the opportunity to be more spontaneous. 57 percent of participants also said that they’d be more likely to get out of their comfort zones if they were alone on their trips.

The survey concluded that people’s main concerns when it comes to traveling in groups is the fact that your companions would keep you from doing what you want to do (58 percent) or that they’d pressure you into doing something you’re not interested in doing (53 percent).

Despite all of this positive thinking regarding solo travel, Americans are still worried over the prospect of being alone in a foreign country. More than half, 52 percent, of respondents said that traveling alone is less safe and 49 percent of them said they’d also worry about feeling lonely.

Despite these surface insecurities, it looks like there will be a lot of solo traveling in the near future, with 44 percent of participants claiming they’d like to do it at some point.

Traveling is often romanticized in movies and stories as pivotal moments where people can grow, discover themselves and have spiritual experiences. It makes sense then that a lot of people would want to have some of that for themselves. Different studies have also documented this evolving perspective, reporting that millennials spend most of their resources in traveling, choosing this over more traditional paths like buying homes and investing money. But that’s also aided by the failing economy and the state of the world. Oh well. Let’s just get back to traveling.

Is It OK To Refer To The Queen As Your Royal Highness

Patricia Wallace

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March 13, 2019

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Is It OK To Refer To The Queen As Your Royal Highness

You probably think you’re abiding by royal etiquette when you refer to the queen as Her Royal Highness. It’s also a nice way to write about her when you’ve used the term “the queen” too many times. Is it ok to refer to the queen as your royal highness? No, the proper term is Her Majesty.

The queen’s full title is (takes a deep breath) “Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.”

She’s simply referred to as Her Majesty the Queen on the Royal Family’s official website.

If you ever find yourself getting ready to meet the queen, here’s how it should go down. After being presented to the Queen (nobody is ever “introduced,” they are “presented”), tradition calls for you to address her as “Your Majesty.” For example, “I’m pleased to meet you, Your Majesty.” After that, you want to use “Ma’am. ” So, if the Queen asks how you are, your reply should be something like: “I’m good, Ma’am.” However, you can also use “Your Majesty.”

Your Royal Highness is reserved for royal women of lesser status, like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.

Similarly, the proper way to address a king is “Your Majesty,” and thereafter as “Sir.”

Science: How Marijuana Works To Help Those With Multiple Sclerosis

Richard Faulk

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March 13, 2019

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Science: How Marijuana Works To Help Those With Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease in which the immune system attacks the fatty protein that protects our nerve cells. The exposed and damaged (i.e. “sclerotic”) nerves lose their ability to transmit signals, and this results in a wide array bad results, including numbness, dizziness, itching, and blurred vision. More than half of people who suffer from MS experience pain, muscle stiffness or spasticity, and cognitive impairment.

It’s those last three symptoms that have been most studied in relation to medical marijuana.

What’s the Good News? Cannabis eases spasticity and muscle stiffness.

In double-blind, placebo controlled trials, MS patients who use cannabis oil, synthetic THC, or an oral-spray blend of THC and CBD have reported feeling relief from muscle stiffness and spasms. At least one has shown a “highly significant” difference in spasticity between cannabis users and nonusers. Another quantified that difference as an almost twofold improvement.

What is felt, however, is not necessarily what can be proven. Despite patients reporting strong improvements, a European study from 2005 could only determine a “small treatment effect” by objective measures.

And there’s more:

The same studies found reduced pain and improved sleep.

What’s the Bad News? Weed can addle your brains.

In the past five years, the first studies to specifically examine the effect of cannabis on the mental clarity of MS patients have emerged. And they confirm that cannabis can worsen the cognitive problems caused by the disease. A small study from 2011 concluded that patients who treated their MS with “street cannabis” (how charmingly lurid!) experienced “significantly worse” mental functions, such as processing speed, memory, and executive functions. They were also twice as likely as nonusers to be cognitively impaired. An even smaller study from 2014 found similar results.

What Do the Pros Say?

In a 2014 overview of the medical literature, the American Academy o>on”>f Neurology (AAN) concluded that cannabis oil, synthetic THC, and THC-CBD blend oral spray are all “probably effective” to treat the “patient-reported” spasticity and pain of MS.As for smoked pot, there’s not yet enough evidence for the AAN to decide.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society supports access to medical marijuana and more research on potential benefits and harms of using the drug to treat MS.

Blockchain Technology Hopes To Keep CBD Honest

Alana Armstrong

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March 12, 2019

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Olympic silver medal skier, Devin Logan, is wrapping up a three-month suspension for using a cannabis-based product she says contained higher-than-allowed levels of the banned substance, THC.

Logan expressed her disappointment on social media, saying that she made a serious mistake that she regrets completely. She explains that she was using a CBD product that she trusted did not contain more than trace amounts of THC, a cannabinoid banned by most sports organizations, only to find out by USADA that, in fact, the tests came back positive.

The product Logan took was listed as having only trace amounts of THC — which is banned above certain thresholds by the World Anti-Doping Agency — but clearly contained more. This isn’t the first time an athlete has taken a product that had wrong information on the ingredients label — plenty of athletes have been disqualified because the nutritional supplements they used were laced with anabolic steroids — but Logan’s case appears to be the first-of-its-kind in the United States involving cannabidiol (CBD) drops.

As marijuana and marijuana-based products become more widely legalized and accepted, supplements using CBD are becoming more prevalent.

While athletes are allowed to use CBD, most sports organizations have banned THC and other cannabinoids found in cannabis; anyone taking CBD to manage pain and other symptoms is at risk of making the same mistake as Logan if they aren’t careful.

Now, instead of getting any mention on social media, the maker of the CBD oil that caused Logan’s THC-positive test and the subsequent ban is getting no love from the slopestyle star. And that’s a big deal for a company that can’t use conventional advertising — as is the way with cannabis — yet deigns to carve out a piece of the multi-billion dollar CBD industry. When it comes to cannabis, murky and misleading labels are a leading cause of brand death.

One company keeping the industry honest is doing so using blockchain technology. BlockStrain is a user-generated immutable ledger that collects, validates and stores all of the information about a product on a stable digital platform. Once entered, the data can’t be altered, only built upon, effectively eliminating the need for third-party trust organizations. BlockStrain CEO, Robert Galarza, says that while blockchain technology carries a bad rap as a cryptocurrency when it comes to protecting the integrity of data, it’s the best. BlockStrain registers and tracks data from the plant to the finished product so that customers have uncompromised information about what is in their cannabis-dosed product.

For instance, if you want to know the origins of a bottle of BlockStrain’s newest partner, AKESO CBD water, you just open the camera on your smartphone, scan the code and see for yourself. The data include real-time test results, certificates of authenticity, and any additional product information the producer would like to showcase.

In the cannabis market, Galarza is seeing labs being shopped for, not based on pricing but based on the results they can promise clients. With AKESO, they are combining high-end water with full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD and want to offer full disclosure of the contents of each bottle.

Galarza says that this is a great way for the “good players” of the industry to educate consumers about what’s in their product, or, what’s not in the product and why. Had Logan been afforded this level of honesty, she wouldn’t have been sidelined over the winter, but she takes full responsibility and hopes this will be the last case of accidental THC doping in sports.

Old Marijuana Edibles: To Eat or Not To Eat?

Mary Schumacher

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March 12, 2019

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Old Marijuana Edibles: To Eat or Not To Eat?

When stumbling upon a delicious, yet old AF cannabis-infused treat, you need to ask yourself one question: Is this still okay to eat?

It’s always exciting to find something you love and thought lost. Such is the case with edibles. But at what point do they become something you wish you never found in the first place? When stumbling upon a delicious, yet old AF cannabis-infused treat, you need to ask yourself one question: Is this still okay to eat?

Edibles differ from smoking in many ways, from when you get high to the duration of the high to the quality of the high. To simplify: it takes around an hour for an edible to kick in, it can last anywhere from four to 12 hours depending on potency, and the high itself is intense in its own way. Some people see minor tracers with edibles or feel utterly euphoric. Pay attention though — overdoing it on edibles can be a miserable, bedridden mess.

The basic rule is to treat edibles like any other food items. If it has dairy in it and has been left out for more than a few days, you’ll want to smell it before taking a chance and even that’s not foolproof.

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If it’s vegan and made with a stable oil like coconut, it’s more likely to still be good, though it may have gone a little stale.

The best thing to do with edibles when you get them is to put them in the refrigerator or freezer, depending on how many you have and how long you want them to keep. Generally, a dairy filled goodie will last around a week in the fridge, while you can keep many edibles for up to six months in the freezer.

Maybe even more than spoilage, however, you’re wondering about the potency of the edible and if it’s going to hold its mettle. The answer is a resounding yes. Some people even claim on social threads that the edibles they have get more potent the longer they go without being eaten.

Hard candies and gummies likely last the longest without refrigeration or freezing. The gummies might lose their chewiness over time, but they’re not likely to spoil. Hard candies are the edible to stock up on if you’re going on a trip where you can’t be smoking, but still want to be elevated.

For the most part, you’re just going to be using common sense with the aging edibles. If you see any mold? Toss it and get or make some more. If it’s stale? That’s you and your palate’s call.

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Remember to do the smell test if they’ve been sitting out and keep others preserved with the cold. Bon appetit!

Kentucky’s Medical Marijuana Would Be Tightly Regulated

Mike Adams

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March 12, 2019

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Kentucky’s Medical Marijuana Would Be Tightly Regulated

Although the question of whether to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky has not been given much consideration over the past several years, the issue, which is supported by Governor Matt Bevin, appears to be gaining some traction in the 2019 legislative process.

However, while bill would allow tens of thousands of patients to use marijuana for a variety of health conditions, the proposed program design might not be exactly what most patients were hoping for.

It was just last week that the House Judiciary Committee put its seal of approval on a bill (HB136) intended to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky. The measure, which was pushed through in a vote of 16-to-1, would give patients dealing with conditions ranging from chronic pain to Multiple Sclerosis the ability to purchase and use certain forms of herb from a dispensary for therapeutic use.

The only catch is the bill is designed to get the most medicinal benefits out of the drug as possible without paving the way for abuse.

For starters, smoking medical marijuana would not be permitted under the law. Lawmakers believe that if the plant is going to be used as medicine than it should look that way. Only cannabis products like pills and oils would be allowed under the bill. And those products would be restricted to 70 percent THC.

So, even though someone with a pain condition could qualify for participation in the state’s medical marijuana program, their use would be tightly regulated. Any registered patient that continues to use flower, smokable forms, would still be subject to arrest and prosecution.

Of course, it goes without saying that the program would not allow home cultivation of any kind. All of the cannabis would be grown and distributed by state-licensed cannabis companies.

To complicate matters further, the program would not be workforce friendly. It would give employers the right to discriminate against patients. The lawmakers responsible for the measure say it is only fair.

“If an employer chooses to have a drug free work zone, that is their privilege to do so,” said Representative Diane St. Onge. “Now, if they have not indicated that in their policy, and someone is hired and they’re an employee, and then there’s an incident that happens, the employee has recourse, in the sense that this was not something they were aware of from the beginning.”

Kentucky’s medical marijuana program would be set up very similar to how states like New York and Minnesota started out in the beginning. The only difference is Kentucky’s would allow patients with chronic pain to gain access right out of the gate. Statistics have shown that pain conditions are the real money makers in the medical marijuana business. So that might be the only aspect of the program that actually saves it from utter failure. Still, limiting medical marijuana products to only pills and oils has historically jacked up the cost of patient participation, and these types of program are not covered under any kind of health insurance. It is conceivable that some of the projected 60,000 patients would spend thousands of dollars per month to have this medicine.

The bill is now set to go before the full House for a vote.

Governor Bevin has indicated that he would sign the bill if it crosses his desk.

Gwyneth Paltrow Says Jeff Bezos Ghosted Her; J-Lo Not Bothered By Cheating Rumors

Naughty Gossip

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March 12, 2019

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Jennifer Lopez ‘heard the cheating rumors in the past & has never let it bother her’

Jennifer Lopez is turning the other cheek after Jose Canseco accused her new fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, of being unfaithful.

“She’s heard the cheating rumors in the past and has never let it bother her,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “She trusts him and his love. They are inseparable and together almost all of the time. Jose Canseco has an ax to grind, but she doesn’t hear the noise.”

Gwyneth Paltrow says Jeff Bezos ghosted her

While in conversation with CNN anchor Poppy Harlow at SXSW on Monday morning, the Goop creator revealed that the Amazon founder got in touch with her following a December Wall Street Journal article, only to leave her hanging.

“In the Wall Street Journal, they asked me about my mentors, like you have, and I said, ‘Oh sometimes I, like, cold call people,’ and they said, ‘Well has anyone not called you back?’ And I said, ‘Yes, Jeff Bezos,’” she told an audience at the Austin Convention Center.

“So after that came out, I got an email and the subject was ‘Jeff Bezos.’ And the sender was Jeff Bezos! The body of the email said, ‘Hi there Gwyneth, the Wall Street Journal told me you wanna talk to me.’ So, I wrote him back and then he wrote me and then I said, ‘I would die for the opportunity to sit down and ask you a bunch of questions’ … and he never wrote me back,” she explained.

The actress-turned-wellness guru continued, “He’s got a lot going on.”

“He’s, like, the only guy who never wrote you back,” Harlow, 36, said with a laugh.

Kim Kardashian to cover released prisoner rent

Thanks to Kim Kardashian West, one of the first inmates released after federal sentencing reforms won’t have to worry about rent for five years.

Matthew Charles told The Tennessean last week that he couldn’t find permanent housing since his Jan. 3 release, in part due to his criminal history.

But on Sunday, Charles announced that Kardashian West, an advocate for criminal justice reform, will be helping him out. He said she’s not doing it to get attention, but he just had to share it.

Convicted of a nonviolent drug offense in 1996, Charles received national attention because he was ordered back to prison in 2018, two years after his sentence was ruled unfair.

5 Ways You Can Play Matchmaker To Your Friends Without Being Annoying

Maria Loreto

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March 12, 2019

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Taking on the role of matchmaker can be fun and empowering, because who could bring two amazing friends together if not someone who rules the world?

Dates devised by friends and acquaintances have an added layer of seriousness to them that can’t be obtained from Tinder or Bumble, potentially putting you in an awkward position. What if the two people you introduce hate each other? What if they date and then one person ghosts the other? Is it all your fault? Probably.

Although taking on the mantle of matchmaker demands some kid gloves, the most important factor is that you keep a certain amount of distance. Here are five things you can to do make this process smoother and easier for everyone involved.

Get permission

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Don’t set up people who don’t want to be set up, no matter how charming and awesome they are or how cute you think they’d be as a couple. It’s important to respect your friends’ boundaries when it comes to dating, never being that pushy person who constantly asks single people why they’re single.

Make sure that they are similar people

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Similar lifestyles are important. This includes their age, interests, behaviors, and more. If two people enjoy regular workouts and are always looking to travel, then there’s two things right from the get go that they can talk about on their first date. Try to picture your friends together and imagine if they’d have fun together and if they’d laugh about the same things.

Figure out how you’re going to introduce them

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Talk to each friend individually and gauge their interest in meeting the “other” person. If you get a “thumbs up,” then give them each other’s contact information or make an intro via Facebook — whatever they prefer — and let them do their thing. If one party is interested and the other one isn’t, it could be a little awkward, but it’s also not the end of the world. Lie or be honest to them, you know your friend better we do.

Control your excitement

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The prospect of two of your close friends dating can be an exciting one, but it’s important for you to control yourself and not build things up too much; dating is hard enough already and you hyping things up will only add more pressure to the situation. Let your friends communicate on their own and get to know each other in their own way…and on their own time.

Support your friends no matter the outcome

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Your friends will still be your friends no matter the outcome, even if their date was the worst thing ever or if they fell madly in love. Offer support and laugh along with them, letting them know that it’s okay to have bad dates and that sometimes people aren’t a good fit for each other. If your matchmaking is successful then celebrate! And don’t let it get to your head.

Eating The Same Lunch Every Day Might Help You Cope With Stress

Maria Loreto

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March 12, 2019

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An abundance of options contributes to anxiety and overthinking, which can lead to different behaviors in some people. And that’s exactly why some people avoid being put in this position at all. While some choose to dress the same every day for the office, others willfully choose to eat the same meals for their days in the office.

The Atlantic interviewed some of these people, with one guy reporting that he’s had PB & J sandwiches for the majority of his lunches over a 25 year period. When asked why, he says that he really loves the sandwich and that it’s perfect ot eat at his desk because it’s not particularly messy.

People interviewed argue that the practice keeps them healthy, saves them money, time and stress. “I would be perfectly happy to eat the same Caesar salad or peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich every day,” says Chloe Cota, a computer engineer from New York City. She explains that keeping this routine reduces her “cognitive overhead,” freeing space in her mind for things that are more important to her than a varied diet. Cota got the idea from notorious tech geniuses Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, who wear the same clothes every day in order to get rid of the fatigue that comes with decision making.

Other people who repeat meals claim that this practice is especially useful when they have stressful and time consuming jobs, giving them complete control over one task.

Eating the same thing five times a week sounds particular and maybe a little boring, but there’s nothing wrong with it. Nutritionists said that it’s okay as long as the chosen meal is healthy and provides the necessary nutrients for a balanced diet.

If a varied diet isn’t a priority for you, you might give this idea a shot and spend your newly acquired time stressing about other things. Like dinner and snacks.

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