Not a fan of the traditional chocolate-filled advent calendar? Well then, this cheese-filled advent calendar may be just what you’re looking for.
Target will be selling its first ever cheese advent calendar in the US this year, containing 24 individually wrapped pieces of cheese, according to a press release issued by So Wrong It’s Nom, the food blog behind the calendar’s creation.
Previously, the calendar made waves in the UK, and following its massive success, the calendar is coming to the states. We could not be more grateful (no pun intended).
A cheese a day keeps the doctor away. Maybe?
Image: SO WRONG IT’S NOM
Cheese specialists and brands Jarlsberg, Applewood, Mexicana, and Ilchester helped put the calendar into production, after the idea was pitched by So Wrong It’s Nom, resulting in a beautiful medley of cheese.
The cheese included in the advent calendar are Jarlsberg, Applewood, Ilchester Mature Cheddar, Ilchester Red Leicester Cheese, and one limited edition flavor: Ilchester Wensleydale with cranberries. And I think it goes without saying that you’ll definitely need to refrigerate this.
If you’re starting to think that this seemingly luxe gift will be too pricey for you, you’ll be happy to learn that it’s a very affordable $20. But before you run out to pick up this beautiful cheesy gift, you should know that the calendar won’t hit Target’s shelves until November.
Oh, and if any family members are reading this, know that I would happily accept this as a gift any time of the year.
Al-Shabab still controls parts of Somalia’s south and central regions after being chased out of Mogadishu [File: AP]
A US military air strike against the al-Shabab group in Somalia has killed about 60 fighters, one of its deadliest in nearly a year, US military officials said.
The air strike, which was launched on Friday, occurred near the al-Shabab-controlled community of Harardere in Mudug province in the central part of the country, the US Africa Command announced on Tuesday.
According to its assessment no civilians were killed or wounded, the statement said.
It was the largest US air strike since a November 2017 attack, which killed about 100 al-Shabab fighters.
The US military has carried out more than two dozen air strikes, including drone strikes, this year against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab.
Somalia on Sunday marked the first anniversary of al-Shabab’s deadliest attack, a truck bombing in Mogadishu that killed well over 500 people.
A US Africa Command spokesperson said the air strike had no link to the anniversary.
The United States has increased its military presence in Somalia since early 2017 to about 500 personnel after President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations.
Al-Shabab continues to hold parts of the country’s south and central regions after being chased out of Mogadishu several years ago.
The group, estimated at several thousands of fighters, still carries out deadly attacks against high-profile targets such as hotels and checkpoints in the capital and other cities.
It also remains a threat in parts of neighboring Kenya.
The device, reportedly referred to internally as “Ripley,” will be optimized for Facebook’s burgeoning TV platform, Watch. The set-top box would let you stream Watch shows to your television, though it’s not clear if it would support content from other platforms.
In addition to streaming, the box would also be equipped with a camera similar to Facebook’s recently announced Portal speakers. Like Portal, Ripley would enable video calling.
It’s not clear when Facebook would launch such a product. Cheddar reports the company delayed its initial plans due to privacy concerns surrounding the company, but that Ripley could launch in the spring of 2019.
Facebook didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
A set-top box would be the second piece of non-Oculus hardware to come out of Facebook. It also demonstrates how invested the social network is in ensuring the success in its streaming service, Watch. The company has been investing steadily in new programming and features that it hopes will lure creators away from YouTube.
But it hasn’t been clear if Facebook has been very successful in directing its billions of users to view content on Watch. By creating a dedicated device for the service, it would no longer need to rely on people discovering its shows via its bloated app and website.
Adding a camera and video chat features, like those in Portal, could be a further draw for some people (provided they aren’t concerned about their privacy). Facebook launched Portal earlier this month, touting the in-home speaker as the ideal video chat accessory due to its intelligent camera that can “follow” you as you move around the room.
The speaker has since been criticized for not doing enough to address concerns about Facebook’s privacy policies and its use of data for ad targeting purposes. But releasing Ripley would show it’s still intent on embedding itself deeper into users’ lives and homes.
A nice karaoke night is a tried-and-true way to blow off some steam. The wonderful thing about karaoke? Anyone can do it. Even the primary skill you “need” to do karaoke — singing — is actually totally optional.
Turns out, you can even do karaoke if you are a bottle of syrup. What’s more, people will love it, which is what Jake Guthrie found out when he tweeted a video of an IHOP syrup bottle chorus “lip-syncing” (spout-syncing?) to “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Guthrie, who is a student at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, uploaded the video on October 7. Since then, it’s been viewed over 1.5 million times. Does this speak to the internet’s love for syrup? Its fondness for Queen? Its shockingly consistent ability to latch onto goofy, nonsensical content in an effort to stave off death?
Whatever! I’ll take it. In fact, I now believe that all syrup containers should do karaoke, which is lucky for me because syrup karaoke has become a bonafide genre.
Anyway, does anyone want to go to IHOP?
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The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on a network of businesses that provides financial support to a paramilitary force in Iran, which allegedly trains and deploys child soldiers to fight with the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The sanctions, announced in a statement on Tuesday, targets the group of at least 20 businesses and financial institutions known as the Bonyad Taavon Basij.
The Treasury said the network provides financial infrastructure to the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary group that works for the elite IRGC and sends child soldiers to Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Steven Mnuchin, Treasury secretary, said the international community must understand business dealings with the Bonyad Taavon Basij network has “real world humanitarian consequences”.
The Basij force was involved in “violent crackdowns and serious human rights abuses” inside Iran, the Treasury said, and recruited and trained fighters, including children as young as 12.
In addition to Iranians, the Basij force also recruited Afghan immigrants as well as Pakistani nationals, the statement said.
WATCH: US rejects Iran’s legal claim to recover $2bn in frozen assets (2:41)
The Basij, a paramilitary force formed soon after the 1979 revolution, is one of the Iranian regime’s primary enforcers of internal security with branches in every province and city of Iran, according to the Treasury.
The Bonyad Taavon Basij is said to provide social welfare services to the Basij, including housing and financial support, and manages economic activities by funding small companies.
“Bonyad Taavon Basij has expanded its reach into Iran’s economy by establishing several investment firms through its financial and investment offshoot Mehr Eqtesad Bank,” the Treasury statement said.
Both Basij groups were targeted by the new sanctions.
The sanctions were imposed on Bank Mellat, Mehr Eqtesad Bank, Mehr Eqtesad Iranian Investment Co and five other investment firms, the Treasury said.
Also targeted was Iran Tractor Manufacturing Co, the Middle East’s largest tractor manufacturer, and Esfahan’s Mobarakeh Steel Co, the largest steelmaker in the Middle East and North Africa region, the Treasury said.
The measures come two weeks before the US President Donald Trump’s administration reimposes some of the country’s harshest sanctions against Iran, focusing on Iran’s oil exports and financial sector.
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, the most endangered Democratic incumbent running for reelection in November, faces an uphill climb to win reelection. Republicans aiming to defeat her attacked her campaign for the letter Tuesday. | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File
The North Dakota Democrat’s campaign included names of women in an open letter criticizing her opponent, GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer.
North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp apologized Tuesday after her campaign erroneously included names of several women without their permission in an open letter from sexual assault survivors criticizing her Republican opponent, Rep. Kevin Cramer.
Her campaign ran an open letter to Cramer in a local newspaper criticizing recent comments he made about the #MeToo movement and sexual assault survivors. The ad was signed by more than 100 women. But a conservative blog on Tuesday posted Facebook comments from several women who said their names were included without their knowledge or permission, and Heitkamp acknowledged the mistake and apologized.
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“We recently discovered that several of the women’s names who were provided to us did not authorize their names to be shared or were not survivors of abuse,” Heitkamp said in a statement. “I deeply regret this mistake and we are in the process of issuing a retraction, personally apologizing to each of the people impacted by this and taking the necessary steps to ensure this never happens again.”
Heitkamp, the most vulnerable Democratic senator facing reelection this year, has been trailing by significant margins in recent public and private polls, and Republicans believe North Dakota is the likeliest Senate seat to flip in the midterms. Democrats do not discount the uphill battle she faces, but they argue that Heitkamp’s personal brand and the state’s small population give her an opportunity to close the gap over the next three weeks.
But Tuesday’s public misstep was a setback for Heitkamp’s efforts to keep the race competitive and focused on her and Cramer’s records.
The ad, which ran in the local newspaper, was an open letter attacking Cramer after he told the New York Times that women in his family “cannot understand this movement toward victimization. They are pioneers of the prairie. These are tough people whose grandparents were tough and great-grandparents were tough.”
“We are here to let you know that we have all suffered from domestic violence, sexual assault or rape — and that yes, we expect somebody to believe us when we say it. Because it happened,” the open letter to Cramer reads. “As North Dakotans who have experienced this absolute terror firsthand and survived these crimes — we are all prairie tough.”
The letter was signed by more than 100 women. But Say Anything, a conservative political blog in North Dakota, discovered Facebook posts from at least three women claiming they had not given the campaign permission to use their names, and were misidentified as sexual assault survivors.
“A lot of these people listed, including me, did not give anyone permission for our names to be posted. I don’t even support Heidi Heitkamp and I am not a domestic abuse survivor,” one woman wrote on Facebook, according to a screenshot posted by the blog.
“I NEVER gave my consent or permission, written or verbal, to be involved in anything like this: for, against, or personally affected,” another woman wrote in a Facebook comment.
Heitkamp voted against Justice Brett Kavanaugh last month, facing a barrage of attacks from Republicans who believe her opposition to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court seat doomed her campaign. But she received an influx of campaign donations following the vote, and Heitkamp has attempted to turn her opposition against Kavanaugh into a political positive. She has criticized Cramer for his remarks on the topic — he has made headlines multiple times for his rhetoric about the assault allegations — and cut a TV ad explaining her vote as one of political independence.
“You can say all these crazy things, but sometimes the crazy things you say and how you behave has real consequences here,” Heitkamp told POLITICO last week, talking about Cramer’s comments about sexual assault allegations.
But Michael McAdams, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called Heitkamp’s letter a “desperate” political maneuver in an email Tuesday.
“Eager to save her failing campaign, Heidi Heitkamp has stooped to a new low,” McAdams said.
This is Ode To…, a weekly column where we share the stuff we’re really into in hopes that you’ll be really into it, too.
It is my personal (and wildly biased) belief that black cats do not get the love or attention they deserve.
Black cats are sometimes dismissed at pet adoption agencies, according to the BBC, over concerns that they won’t photograph as well as other cats. But the black cats of Instagram are proof that this is simply not the case.
Stephen Lopez runs the crouchendcatclowder Instagram where he documents the life of his handsome black cats Mr. Bob and Miss Molly (and his tabby cat Alfie,) in London, England. He said in an email that black cats are wonderful and because they’re generally “underdogs” and they “tend to shine more to stand out and get attention.”
“Cats are not meant to be adopted for Instagram (says the guy with a cat Instagram account) so choosing a cat purely based on social media likes is horrendous!” said Lopez. “And, as with anything, lighting is key and once you get a good pic of a black cat, it looks amazing!”
ASPCA debunked the myth that black cats are rarely adopted with a 2016 study showing that about 31 percent of adopted cats are black. However, non-black cats still have the highest combined adoption rates. On average it takes 10 days longer for black cats to get adopted, according to the BBC. And now unfortunately, the desire to have a camera-ready pet could be to blame for lower black cat adoption rates.
“It’s [the need for a photogenic pet] become more serious now because people live their life on selfies,” Christine Bayka, owner of the cat adoption center the Moggery in Bristol told BBC. “Black cats are now less popular because they don’t show up well in pictures.”
I’ll shamefully admit that when my partner and I first decided to adopt a cat, we wanted a tabby or a calico. But as fate would have it, we fell in love with a black cat.
Since adopting our cat, I’ve become obsessed with a variety of black cats on Instagram and have become a total black cat convert. I mean, what’s cuter than a cat that resembles a tiny panther?
Need examples? I’d like to direct your attention to these photogenic cuties:
Mikita, a little black cat who hails from Chicago, Illinois has a brilliantly shiny coat and the teeniest mew I’ve ever heard.
His parents Andrea and Rich even have a website for Mikita where they share health tips and recommendations for cats.
Then there’s Black Cats IG, your number one spot for — as its name suggests — gorgeous photos of black cats.
Simon, the adventure cat is widely known for his love of hiking, swimming, and the general outdoors. But he’s also a brilliant little black cat with a sweet face and an even sweeter personality. His account’s worth checking out.
Tingeling is a black Scottish fold with a zany personality. He lives in Oslo, Norway with Tussetroll a golden shaded Persian, and together they hike, play with their cat nip toys, and lounge in cozy little boxes.
Tips for photographing black cats
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not hard to photograph a black cat. I do it all the time — too often, some have said.
If you’re wondering how to take the absolute best pictures of your black cat (or, dog!) the UK-based pet adoption agency RSPCA made this super easy guide to follow:
Now that you’re privy to all the love, affection, joy, and beauty that black cats have to offer, allow me to direct your attention to some great black cat rescues, Black Cat Holistic Rescue and Black Cat Rescue. You can volunteer, donate, and even adopt a black cat of your very own at either rescue.
You can also ring up your local animal shelter and offer up your services and donations to cats of all types.
Google is finally going on the record with its once-secret Project Dragonfly, a censorship-friendly search engine for the people of China.
Speaking at the Wired 25 Summit, Google CEO Sundar Pichai not only confirmed the existence of the project but also boasted about how well testing of the search engine was going.
“It turns out we’ll be able to serve well over 99 percent of the queries,” Pichai said of search results in the testing, pushing back on the controversy surrounding a product that must adhere to the Chinese-government’s strict censorship laws. The Google CEO went on to give an example of how beneficial the service will be for the Chinese people, pointing out that current Chinese search products can return “fake” info for a query like “cancer treatments.”
“There are many, many areas where we would provide information better than what’s available,” explained Pichai.
Pichai made it very clear that Google is going ahead with Project Dragonfly, saying the company is “compelled by our mission to provide information to everyone” and commenting on how China makes up roughly 20% of the world’s population.
It doesn’t look like there’s much room for employee pushback on Project Dragonfly either. When speaking on issues like Google’s choice not to renew its contract with the Department of Defense for its artificial intelligence work known as Project Maven, Pichai made it a priority to downplay the role of employee protest in the decision. “Throughout Google’s history, we’ve given our employees a lot of voice and say, but we don’t we don’t run the company by holding referendums,” declared Google’s CEO.
Google previously launched censored version of its search engine in China in 2006 before deciding that the censorship required to run the product was antithetical to the company’s values. Google pulled the service in 2010. Clearly, eight years later, the U.S.-based search giant feels very differently.
![Al-Shabab still controls parts of Somalia's south and central regions after being chased out of Mogadishu [File: AP]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2017/3/3/afb468d4a03548f1aeb222de6cd8a0c6_18.jpg "Somalia: US air strike 'kills 60 al-Shabab fighters'")
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