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☆ D'Arcy Carden reveals what it was like living with her 'Shotgun Wedding' co-star Jennifer Coolidge: She's 'America's sweetheart'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Esme Mazzeo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

D'Arcy Carden said Jennifer Coolidge is even "smarter and funnier" than people think. D'Arcy Carden attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards in Janurary 2023. Carden watched 'Die Hard' to prepare for her roleJennifer Lopez, D'Arcy Carden, and Cheech Marin in "Shotgun Wedding." "The Good Place" star D'Arcy Carden attends the 2019 Emmys in Los Angeles on Sunday. Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesShe described being the center of the "Shotgun Wedding" twist as "so fun" and "delicious."

☆ UK consumer spending fails to match inflation in December: surveys
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - British consumer spending in December lagged inflation, representing a sizeable fall in real-terms expenditure, despite contributions from Christmas shopping and the men's soccer World Cup, surveys showed on Tuesday. Separately, the British Retail Consortium said spending in store chains rose by 6.9% in annual terms in December - also representing a decline when adjusted for inflation. For 2022 as a whole, UK online retail sales fell 10.5% year-on-year - the first ever year of negative growth. Barclays also noted weak online retail sales. "The postal strikes hampered online retail due to fears of missing pre-Christmas delivery dates, while rising living costs caused more Brits to cancel their subscription services," Harwood said.

☆ Think You’ll Save Money With Dry January? Not at $17 for a Mocktail
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Charles Passy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When diners make their way to Esmé, a Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant known for its fanciful tasting menu, they have the option of pairing their food with an equally fanciful array of cocktails. The drinks range from one called Curried Corn, made with corn stock and an array of spices, to another dubbed Johnny Apple Tea, prepared with a black tea and something billed as “popcorn verjus”—essentially, grape juice flavored with caramelized popcorn.

☆ It’s Dry January. Would You Pay $17 for a Mocktail?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Charles Passy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ UK consumer spending fails to keep pace with inflation: surveys
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - British consumer spending ticked up last month at a rate that greatly lagged behind inflation, according to surveys on Tuesday that underscored the pressure on household budgets ahead of the Christmas holidays. Barclaycard said spending on its credit and debit cards rose 3.9% year-on-year in November, far behind the annual 11.1% increase in consumer prices in October that was the highest reading in 41 years. Some 94% of Britons surveyed by Barclaycard said they were concerned about the impact of soaring household energy bills on their personal finances. Many Brits intend to reduce festive spending on presents and parties in an effort to save money," said Esme Harwood, director at Barclaycard. However, sales growth remained far below current inflation, suggesting volumes continued to be down on last year," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - British businesses fear a gloomy Christmas ahead, as almost half of households plan to cut festive spending due to the soaring cost of living and sales are already falling sharply in inflation-adjusted terms. "Christmas will come later than last year for many and there may be more gloom than glitter as families focus on making ends meet, particularly as mortgage payments rise," BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said. The BRC's measure of like-for-like sales, which adjusts for changes in retailers' floor space, slowed to 1.2% in October from September's 1.8%. "The small rise in sales masked a much larger drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for," the BRC said. Britain's official retail sales data, which cover more shops than the BRC figures and is adjusted for inflation, showed sales volumes excluding fuel dropped 6.2% year-on-year in September.

☆ Rising tensions between 2 of NATO's biggest militaries are driving fears of the first war between alliance members
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Greece and Turkey have two of NATO's largest militaries and are in an important corner of Europe. Their tensions have escalated in recent years, stoking new fears about the first war within NATO. Greece's defense spending in 2022 was the highest in the alliance as a share of GDP. (NATO also calls for 20% of members' defense spending to go toward equipment purchases and upgrades.) Greece's defense minister said that "as long as there is a threat of territorial sovereignty, it renders futile any attempt at communication."

☆ Britons turn to electric blankets and candles as winter looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Market research released on Tuesday showed that grocery inflation hit another new record of 13.9% in September, deepening the cost-of-living crisis, while BRC-KPMG data showed people were investing in items to help them save cash. Nine out of 10 people surveyed by Barclaycard in Britain from Sept. 23-26 said they were concerned about household energy bills. Over half of those surveyed by Barclaycard said they were planning to cut down on discretionary spending so they can afford their energy bills this winter, with nights out most likely to be canned. Rival JD Wetherspoon's said last week that its sales had been boosted by young people drinking cocktails and spirits. Coffee and sandwich chain Pret A Manger said on Tuesday that it would raise staff pay for a second time this year.

☆ UK consumer spending lags far behind inflation, BRC and Barclaycard surveys show
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - British consumer spending grew last month at a rate that lagged behind inflation by a long way, according to surveys on Tuesday that underlined the risk of recession as the cost-of-living crisis rumbles on. Barclaycard said spending on its credit and debit cards rose 1.8% year-on-year in September, the weakest reading since February 2021 and far behind the annual 9.9% increase in consumer prices in August. Nine out of ten people surveyed by Barclaycard from Sept. 23-26 said they were concerned by rising household energy bills. "While UK retail sales grew in September, this represented another month of falling sales volumes given high levels of inflation," said Helen Dickinson, the BRC's chief executive. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Andy Bruce; editing by David MillikenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ These LGBTQ TikTokers have made the platform a treasure trove of queer content
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-06 | by ( Ellie Rudy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But the good news is, for those in need of a pick-me-up, the internet treasure trove that is TikTok has a seemingly endless supply of LGBTQ creators serving up fun and informative queer content. Here are 10 TikTokers to follow if you’re looking to brighten up the (literally) darker days ahead. Queer Chameleon on TikTok is an adorable pocket of the internet where cartoon chameleons, sporting various queer flags, talk about the gay experience. Some of the videos use other queer influencers’ audio, while others use original audio made by the artist behind the chameleons. Basically, if you’re looking for extra cute content that you’ll find super relatable, Queer Chameleon is the spot to go.

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