Want to wow the little girl in your life? With this awesome L.O.L Surprise! Bigger Surprise gift set you’ll do just that. You can check it out here.
L.O.L dolls have become the must-have toy for girls aged 5-12. With lots of different dolls to collect, what’s great about the range is that you never know which dolls you’re getting until you unwrap them.
This great kit features limited edition dolls and one limited edition pet. So, you won’t find them anywhere else. Here, we’ll look at why this gift set is dubbed one of the best gifts of the year.
The main stand-out feature of the set is that it comes with a staggering 60+ surprises. You won’t find these surprises anywhere else, making it a great kit for avid L.O.L Surprise collectors.
There are dolls, a pet, accessories and even a spy game to keep your child entertained. Each kit follows a “missing pet” story, where your child needs to find secret clues with a spy glass to reveal the names of secret agents who are looking for their pet. So, it’s far more than just a simple collectible toy.
Limited edition dolls you won’t find anywhere else
The fact you can’t get the L.O.L Surprise dolls anywhere else is a major plus point. She will love having dolls and pets that none of her friends have got. As mentioned above, it also means if she already has a huge collection of the dolls, there’s no risk she’ll find one which she already owns.
So much fun to unpack
Even unpacking this gift set is a fun experience. If you’re familiar with the L.O.L Surprise dolls, you’ll know you need to unwrap them in order to see which dolls are inside. For a young girl, this can be really exciting. So, the fact she has over 60 surprises to unpack makes this one of the best gift sets you can give for Christmas or a birthday. Watch her face light up as she unpacks surprise after surprise.
Comes with a great carry purse
Worried about where you’re going to store all of the dolls and accessories in the set? Don’t panic! One of the bigger surprises is a totally cute pink carry purse to keep everything in. So, you won’t need to worry about losing them, or worse, standing on them!
If you’re looking for a gift that’s going to keep her entertained for hours and which has the ultimate excitement factor, this L.O.L Surprise! Bigger Surprise with over 60 awesome surprises is sure to be a winner. Considering how many things are included in the set, it comes at a great affordable cost too which you can find here.
Give your child their very own adorable companion with this fab Lil’ Gleemerz Doll. Known as Amiglow, this fully interactive cute doll comes with a light-up tail and has tons of personality.
You can purchase this popular Blue doll alone or collect all of the different colors for a truly magical light show experience! They are in the Top 100 best selling toys and games on Amazon for 2018.
This Amiglow Lil’ Gleemerz Doll may be small, but she comes with a huge range of reactions. Her stand-out feature is the beautiful light-up tail, which glows with the colors of the rainbow when activated. This feature alone would be enough to please any child, but it doesn’t stop there!
The eyes of the doll also light up, and she makes a lot of quirky sounds and phrases. Your child can interact with Amiglow via sound or touch, and they’ll have hours of fun playing with their new companion.
Comes with 3 unique modes
There are 3 different modes to choose from including light party, games and hangout. The game mode is awesome, allowing your child to play numerous games with the doll’s tail. They include Tail Tennis, Stop on the Spot and Catch the Kiss.
Hangout mode is where you’ll discover most of the doll’s reactions. Simply squeeze her tail or pat her on the head and hear her respond in different ways including purring, growling and saying funny phrases.
Light party mode lets your child clap or play music for Amiglow to follow along to. As the beat strikes, her tail will flash along, creating a fab light party experience. You can even customize the lighting so that it flashes specific colors.
Collect the set for enhanced interaction
What’s great about Lil’ Gleemerz dolls is that you can collect them all for enhanced interaction. The dolls will interact with one another and each features its own unique reactions. Even just adding one more doll to the collection adds hours of additional entertainment.
They’re also all as adorable as each other and come in different color variations.
Great to store away
When these cute dolls aren’t in use, they can be stored in a unique and fun way. Their little paws can be used to hang the dolls from numerous items including boxes or even your laptop screen. So, when your child isn’t interacting with them, they can use the doll as an adorable companion.
You really do need to see this interactive doll in person to see just how cute she is. Amiglow is one of five unique Lil Gleemerz, sold in a beautiful blue color. You can guarantee your child will fall in love with this interactive companion and the great thing is, it comes at a great affordable price which you can find here.
Fingerlings HUGS toys have become extremely popular, and when you see Bella you’ll understand why! This adorable pink monkey isn’t just your average cuddly toy, instead she’s fully interactive.
Each of the Fingerlings HUGS toys is created to be affectionate, fun and lovable. So, don’t be surprised if your child quickly becomes attached to this lush baby monkey!
Bella isn’t just your average soft cuddly toy; she’s specifically designed with affection in mind. From her long huggable arms, to her huge personality, your child will love having this faithful companion by their side.
She doesn’t just do hugs either. Simply hold her up to your lips for a kiss. The longer you hold her against the lips, the longer the kiss lasts. You’ll also find the size of this toy is pretty impressive. She’s big enough to give great hugs!
Supersized reactions keep the kids entertained
Bella’s reactions, like all of the Fingerlings HUGS toys, are super-sized. She makes a lot of noise, including sounds your kid will find hilarious. She burps, toots and laughs hysterically; especially if you engage in a tickle fight!
Throw Bella into the air and hear her get super-excited or swing her around and turn her upside down for even more laughter. You may not exactly love the constant noise, but when you hear your child laughing along, it makes it all worthwhile.
Plenty of awesome reactions for hours of fun
This awesome interactive toy has so many different reactions. There’s even a talk-back feature where your child can press Bella’s ear while talking, then let go and listen as Bella repeats what she’s heard. She doesn’t just repeat it back in a normal way either. Being a typical monkey, she’ll play the voice back in many funny ways.
Your child is sure to have hours of fun with this exciting, lovable companion. If you do get fed up of the noises, you can switch her off, but don’t be surprised if your child has something to say about that!
As an additional bonus, Bella comes with batteries included. So, you won’t need to worry about the dreaded “batteries not included” trap after the toy has been unwrapped.
Another great benefit of this toy is that it is suitable for children aged 36 months and above. So, Bella could easily grow with your child, providing them with a great childhood companion.
Overall, if you’re looking for a soft, cuddly toy that your child can interact with, Bella is a great choice. She’s easy to operate and you’ll find plenty of great informative videos on YouTube, showing you how to work each feature. Even young children will soon get the hang of how she works. They’ve just gone on sale again here.
Introducing the incredibly cute PIKMI POPS Giant Flips Cinnabun the Bunny! This ultra-soft, cuddly toy is sure to become your child’s favorite companion.
The reversible plush comes with the softest, cutest long floppy ears. There are surprises inside too, including two smaller reversible scented plushies.
The PIKMI POPS Flips range is super-soft and offers a 2-in-1 collectible toy. In its original form, the plush toy looks like a cute, colorful fluffy tree. Reverse it however and Cinnabun the Bunny will be revealed. This round, soft bunny comes with adorable floppy ears and the cutest facial expression.
Compared to the Jumbo standard PIKMI POPS toys, this one is huge! So, don’t be surprised if your child decides to take this cuddly toy everywhere with her.
Incredible surprises await inside
Of course, you aren’t just getting Cinnabun the Bunny. Inside, you’ll find 8 different surprise items. These include 1 or 2 additional reversible flip PIKMI POPS in standard size. These smaller variations also come with a distinct smell. The scent of these toys is pretty strong, with some smelling just like cotton candy and others featuring a strawberry scent.
The smaller toys can also be carried around and connected to things such as a smartphone or keys. It’s worth noting too, that if you do find the scent of the smaller toys a little too overpowering, they can be left to sit somewhere for a while and the smell will start to fade.
As well as additional cuddly toys, you’ll also find a range of small accessories included. These surprises range from stick-on tattoos to bag tags. They’re not super-impressive, but many children love these types of gifts and will have lots of fun using them. It’s also the excitement of discovering the surprises that makes them so great too.
A great collectible for kids who love to own the latest toys
If your child loves receiving the latest toys, PIKMI POPS Giant Flips are the perfect gift. They’re definitely the latest fad that kids are going wild for.
As well as Cinnabun the Bunny, there are other designs to be collected too. Add Eddie the Dog and Kessie the Cat to complete the collection. Plus, the other designs also feature 8 surprises too. So, she’ll have lots of new cuddly companions to love and care for.
It can be tough choosing between the hundreds of cuddly toys on the market. However, the PIKMI POPS Giant Flips collection is considered one of the best and is very much on-trend right now. So, if you’re looking for a gift that’s going to get her excited and keep her happy for months, this is definitely a great choice to consider. You can get a killer deal here for the holidays.
All young girls love to get creative, so why not treat her to this awesome Cool Maker KumiKreator friendship bracelet maker?
Designed to be extremely easy to use, this fun kit is suitable for kids aged 8 and over. It is inspired by the Japanese technique used to braid beads and cords, yet unlike the traditional practice, this is really simple for your child to use.
Create up to 10 unique bracelets
The Cool Maker KumiKreator Friendship Bracelet Maker enables you to create up to 10 different bracelets. There are an incredible 88 spools of thread included in the kit, giving your child so many different customizable options. You can also choose whether to create 8 or 12 strand bracelets.
To give your child a little inspiration, there’s a design booklet included too. This will show them how to create different types of bracelets.
Quick and simple to use
This kit is by far one of the simplest on the market. All your child needs to do is load the machine up with their chosen spools of thread, spin it and watch it develop in front of their very eyes.
There won’t be any knots to worry about, and as it is quick and simple to use, your child won’t get frustrated trying to create the bracelets. The only challenge they’ll face is deciding what style of bracelet to create.
Enabling her to accessorize any outfit
While the kit is designed to create friendship bracelets, your child can also make bracelets just for them. They can stack them, wrap them or share them. This means, they could potentially create bracelets to customize their outfits. This makes it an especially great gift for the budding fashionista.
She’ll have hours of fun coming up with her own designs, and when she’s done, she can show them off to all her friends. What’s great about this set, is it’s cheaper for your child to make their own bracelets than it would to buy them pre-made. So, you could also save yourself a lot of money in the long-term.
Refill kits are available
While the kit allows you to create 10 bracelets, the fun doesn’t stop there. There are plenty of great refill kits available, including a larger range of different colors.
The initial kit comes with just 5 different colors. So, investing in the refill thread packs enables you to build up your child’s color collection, giving them the opportunity to create even more dazzling designs.
This Cool Maker KumiKreator Friendship Bracelet Maker is a fantastic gift for your daughter, granddaughter or niece. If she’s the creative type, she’s sure to love and appreciate this gift set. Once you’ve seen it in action, you may even enjoy trying it out! You can get your best deal on this here.
Searching for the perfect gift for a 7 to 10-year-old girl?
These days, there are literally hundreds of different gifts to choose from. No matter what she’s into and how much you have to spend, there’s sure to be a huge range of gifts to match it.
Investing in toys which get your child away from a screen is also going to benefit their health. Kids today spend a lot of time either in front of a television or a tablet.
While technology can obviously be important for their development, it can also be detrimental if it’s used too frequently. So, buying toys which encourage imaginative play, and which encourage creativity, are a fab idea.
To help narrow down your search, here you’ll discover 5 of the best toys for girls 7 to 10 years old.
If there’s one toy most 7 to 10 year old girls are obsessed with these days, it’s L.O.L dolls. These cute little dolls are highly collectible and provide hours of fun. However, buying the dolls individually can prove to be really expensive. That’s where gift sets such as this L.O.L Surprise kit, come in useful.
It comes with two limited edition Surprise L.O.L dolls, each featuring seven great surprises. There’s also a Surprise limited edition L.O.L pet included which also comes with seven different surprises. That’s not all either. In fact, the entire set comes with over 60 surprises that she’s sure to love.
One of the bigger surprises to be unwrapped is the purse carrying case which stores all of the dolls and accessories. Perhaps the best feature of this gift however, is that it comes with an “eye spy series”. She will need to look for clues throughout the series to discover the names of secret agents who are looking for their missing pets. It’s everything a little girl loves so your money will be well spent with this gift. You can find your best deal here for this gift.
The adorable Lil’ Gleemerz doll has been named one of the top 100 toys & games on Amazon for 2018 and it isn’t hard to see why. Featuring large puppy-dog style eyes and a cute bushy tail, this interactive toy is sure to become your child’s best friend.
It has more than 100 different reactions for her to discover. Just some of them include purring, growling and saying funny phrases. They can even play games with their child companion and put on dazzling light-up shows.
Controlling it is easy too. Simply press the nose to choose between three different modes including hangout, game or light party. Check it out here.
Fingerlings Hugs Bella lush baby monkey pet wowwee for young girls gifts
Fingerlings Hugs hottest young girl holiday gifts
Fingerlings Hugs plush monkey toy arms open hot gifts girls
Fingerlings HUGS – Bella (Pink)- Advanced Interactive lush Baby Monkey Pet – By WowWee
Cuddly toys are always a winner with young girls and there’s lots of different ones to choose from. However, if you’re looking for the best cuddly toy on the market, this Fingerlings HUGS Bella toy is highly recommended.
This isn’t just your average cuddly toy, it’s interactive. Each of the HUGS characters are designed with maximum fun and entertainment in mind. Their super-sized reactions make every minute fun, from burping and tooting to laughing hysterically, your child is sure to love this adorable companion.
The arms of HUGS are extra-long, allowing for great cuddles. You can also have hours of fun using the mimic feature. Simply press Bella’s left ear as you talk, then when you let go, she will repeat what you’ve just said in a variety of funny ways. This toy is sure to become a firm favorite with the little lady in your life. Find your best deal on this Hugs here.
Searching for the perfect gift for a girl aged 8 or over? This Cool Make KumiKreator bracelet maker is a fab choice.
It’s one of the easiest bracelet making kits to use, creating stylish friendship bracelets in a matter of minutes. Each kit can create up to 10 bracelets and it comes with a stylish carry case to store everything in.
With an incredible 88 spools of thread included, the design options are practically endless. Your child and their friend will be able to create distinctive, personalized bracelets not found anywhere else.
If she loves all things cute and cuddly, she’s going to love Cinnamon the Bunny! Part of the popular PIKMI POPS Giant Flips collection, this large plush toy is perfect for cuddling.
However, it doesn’t just feature Cinnamon the Bunny. Your child will also find eight different surprise items inside. One or two of these will be exclusive, scented medium PIKMI POPS. Unlike the larger toy, these can be carried around everywhere.
Ideal for girls aged 5 and over, these adorable toys are super-soft and extra cuddly. The larger bunny doesn’t have a scent, but the smaller ones smell just like cotton candy. There are three main designs to choose from, but Cinnamon does tend to be the most popular. You can get a great deal on the PIKMI Pops here.
So, there you have it – 5 of the best toys for girls aged 7 to 10. Whether she loves to get creative or she enjoys cute, cuddly toys, there is something on the list to suit every little girl.
Do you approach the holiday season with a Norman Rockwell vision that never seems to pan out? Aren’t holidays supposed to be a time for peace and joy? When did the Christmas season go from being a time of gratitude to a time of stress and dread?
Here are a few reasons why the holidays are stressful and how to cope.
Expectations
In the old days, Christmas meant that kids got a few pieces of candy in their stocking and maybe a single toy that they’d been wishing for. The focus was on a single day when family got together to feast on delicious food and enjoy each other’s company. But slowly, over generations, Christmas has become an unattainable, larger-than-life idea of excess consumerism and not a lot of quality bonding.
If you’re balking at the list of overpriced, cheaply constructed toys on the kids’ holiday list this year, thinking you’ll never be able to handle the explosion of holiday parties and all the obligatory shoulds that go along with them… then maybe it’s time to tone down your to-do list and instead focus on what really matters. Each other!
Guilt
Even if people still say “Money can’t buy happiness,” they still try like heck to make the opposite true, at Christmas time more than any other time of year. Probably the biggest reason why we try to outdo ourselves with gift-giving for our families each Christmas is that we’re trying to overcompensate for something that we can never get back: lost quality time.
This is the information age, a time when technology drives our every action, and it can make people bonkers not to mention take us away from what’s really important – being 100% present and available to the people who matter most, like our children and our partners.
Somewhere, buried deep in our psyches, is this feeling of perpetual guilt at all we aren’t able to give to those who mean most, because we’re busy, distracted, grumpy and trying to be everything to everyone all the time. So to make up for this, we search for the ultimate retail Christmas gifts for family. And actually, if we just did the opposite, which is lower our expectations to something reasonable, a Christmas miracle might actually occur. We’d get what we really want for Christmas: quality time and connection.
Over-indulgence
December is a month-long celebration, with one party after another. Drinks flow, rich and fattening food is plentiful, and we find ourselves engaging in the act of Christmas cookie cramming just to get rid of the stressed-out, crappy feeling that’s leftover from trying to herd the entire family into the mom-van and battling holiday traffic in lousy weather so we could show up in our holiday-best for yet another merry mixer.
You may wonder how to possibly avoid over-eating, drinking too much, partaking in too many sweets, and generally feeling the after-effects of the constant sugar high and crash that is the entire month of December. The key is in the planning.
Having a stockpile of healthy snacks on hand will keep you from careening into the DD drive through after a frustrating and draining retail shopping experience. Think trail mix with nuts and dried fruits, a bag with sliced apples and chunks of cheese. If you plan to hit the road with the kids in tow, pack a family food bag with healthy foods so you won’t skip lunch and then make a bad choice later.
Self-care is taking care of yourself, and we know how important that is because if you don’t look after yourself, then how can you take care of others? Yes, it sounds super simple, but how often do we actually really take of ourselves?
It is absolutely necessary for your self-preservation, and that means nourishing your body, taking care of your needs, be they personal, physical, medical, mental, or spiritual. When it comes to treating yourself with some real treats, it makes you feel good, uplifted, and good for the body and soul. Plus, we all deserve a treat from time to time.
Self-care is also important because it means you are maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself, inducing positive feelings of self-confidence and self-esteem. We have all heard people say of someone “they have let themselves go”. That doesn’t mean they’ve become so comfortable with themselves they just let it “all hang out”. What it actually means is that the person has lost their self-esteem, their self-confidence, and they are in desperate need of some love, attention, and pampering. Whether they get it from themselves or someone else doesn’t matter. It’s just matters that they get it!
Maybe you yourself have been sitting in your office and have had a busy week at work. You are attending meetings that require a lot of preparation, and when you look at your calendar, it’s just jam packed with stuff you have to take care of. These could be things you need to do, places you need to be; people you need to please.
But the big question is – How are you going to make the time and space to do it all? Sometimes you wonder if you shouldn’t slow down a bit of work, you cancel a few of your own activities, you cancel a few engagements with some of your friends and you even skip a few meals. And to keep up with the fast pace of living, it will often be that there is just no time at all to take care of your own self-care needs. You simply put that on the back burner. It makes no difference how indulgent you think the word, ‘self-care’ sounds, it is absolutely crucial for your wellbeing.
Think about the airplane warning – announcing that when an emergency happens and the masks drop from the ceiling, to first help yourself with your mask and then
help others to put on their masks. That makes perfect sense. If you didn’t grab that mask for yourself first, everyone else, including you. would be up a creek without a paddle.
Here’s why you shouldn’t neglect self-care:
You need to know your worth:
That is why self-care is so important in order to maintain healthy relationships with yourself – healthy foods, physical exercises; these are vital if you are to stay positive and to build your own confidence and self-esteem. You need to remind yourself and others that your person has needs too, and they are important.
You need to maintain a healthy work-life balance:
Some people count being a workaholic as something that is a virtue, but when you overwork and act like you are walking on a tightrope, full of stress and exhaustion that can eventually lead to you being less productive, disorganized, and emotionally unable to communicate properly with others, then it is not a virtue at all. If you love your job with a passion and it makes you feel wonderful and fulfilled, then yes, maybe being a workaholic in that sense can be even beneficial. But don’t let a hectic lifestyle where you never think about your needs rob you of your health and fill you with anxiousness, depression, insomnia and eventually all kinds of diseases.
Manage your stress:
A little bit of stress can be healthy and keep your brain active and your body awake and anticipated, but when it becomes full of stress and anxiety on an ongoing basis, you need to take note and cut back. You need to think of your own needs, like taking breaks and learning how to boost your energy and confidence levels with excellent management of your stress with healthy food, healthy lifestyle, and healthy exercises.
Start living and stop just existing:
Remember that life is such a precious gift; make every day count, spoiling yourself with some of the wonderful experiences that come from nature and Life itself. Read a book, start a hobby, bake something for the old age home, volunteer – these are all self-care activities that give you a purpose in life and give you a new reason for getting up in the morning.
Get your health physically right:
Last, but not least by far – because if you fail to take care of your body and its health and needs, you are going to find your mental health will suffer – which means you need to eat healthfully and mindfully. You have to get your sleep, you have to ‘enjoy’ life and you have to exercise so that you can be of benefit to others and lead a meaningful life.
That means staying calm and pampering yourself and those you love with self-care ideas to propel you into the New Year full of health, peace, love, happiness, zest, and promise! These self-care fit ideas can certainly perk anyone up because they can often speak to the inward needs.
This is a fantastic serum, lightweight and highly effective, and small enough to carry around in your bag. It contains bakuchiol which is a plant-based product but is an alternative to using retinol but without sometimes the skin irritations and sensitivity that can often come with using retinol. And it’s suitable for all skin types as well as being non-comedogenic which means it won’t block the skin pores.
No need to clutter your bag with soaps, cleaners, and creams when you can just toss in your H20 cleansing stick. It comes infused with pearl extract and healing coconut oil to nourish dry skin, gliding onto your face and sinking deep in – all you do is wet your face and massage it over your face in circular movements, and there’s no spilling out in your bag.
If your feet always feel and look dry and cracked, and they have calluses, you can’t do without this terra-cotta foot scrubber. This will help to keep your feet looking smooth and cared for, no matter what outdoor activities and tough wear and tear you inflict on them. Oprah Magazine rates it as “the best” as far as cleansing, exfoliating and smoothing the skin goes, and it’s so easy to hold as you work your way around your feet. Because it’s hand-formed and been kiln-fired and sun-dried, it will last longer than other pumice stones do.
It’s sometimes so awkward packing in an ironing board and iron when traveling but now comes Conair with a fabric steamer that eliminates all that. All you do is plug it in and in a matter of 75 seconds; you can literally steam out the wrinkles in your clothes. This particular one is 30% hotter than others as well, killing bed bugs and dust mites too.
It’s got flexible arms, and it can last for as long as 10 hours just by charging up once. It comes with 3 different modes of LED lighting – spotlight, spot wide and wide angle. It only weighs 3 ounces, making it easy to take wherever you go. You can hang it around your neck or twist it around anything you need it for. You won’t want to go without this for camping, hiking; in fact for anything.
Saving you so much time, this cutting board folds out flat to chop vegetables but also folds up to form a kind of chute, easily disposing waste at the one end or if you want to rinse off food, you can use the strainer end. It’s also coated with a non-slip edge so food doesn’t slide over the counter while you are working.
Sometimes when there are a lot of you for breakfast, preparing eggs and pancakes can be pretty messy and exhausting. These flexible rings are the solution because they create a seal to make perfect circles of pancakes and eggs. They’re made from heat-resistant silicone, so they’re pretty safe to use and they don’t scratch and stick to pans either.
If you are one who travels a lot and likes to stay well-groomed wherever you go, this razor from Sphynx is essential. You just spray water onto your skin with the built-in spritzer, and lather with the pre-shave bar that is included. So convenient for at work, or at the gym, in a backpack – and there are refill packs once things start running out.
With this fantastic pillow, you need never toss and turn, trying to find the cool sides. The Snuggle-‘Pedic pillow is hypoallergenic, and it even adjusts to all the positions you take in, conforming to your neck for extra comfort – no need to be constantly fluffing out. I have had two of these pillows for over three years now and they are still in amazing shape. I used to buy new pillows every 7-8 months as they would deflate, and I could never get them back to usable shape so I took a chance with these Bamboo pillows and it’s been the best purchase ever. Seriously, as they form to your head or your legs if you use them between your knees and stick to that. You can also squish it back into its original shape if you want to use it somewhere else. Definitely, a must have gift.
If you have trouble sleeping you will love the White Noise machine. Here you get offered 6 different natural sounds that you will find so helpful in helping you to fall asleep faster, leaving you more energized and ready for whatever the day brings. There’s a handy timer, too, so that it will switch off at the right time.
Some claim they work better than sponges or loofahs. It makes sense seeing as each cloth is made from exfoliating nylon. They are ideal for people who want to achieve a deep cleanse without going overboard on the soap. It’s excellent for helping to rid your skin of dead skin, leaving your skin smooth and glowing.
When your legs and feet ache and swell at the end of a long day, compression socks will come to the rescue. They relieve swelling and provide varicose vein swelling relief, focusing on the foot, the heel and the calf areas. They cut moisture too, so your feet stay nice and dry all the time when wearing them.
Got a party to attend and you need to get rid of a pimple fast?! Get this acne patch with hydrocolloid which draws out the impurities, reducing the size of a pimple quickly and speeds up the healing. What’s wonderful it contains no harsh chemicals, so it’s safe for all skin types.
Made from pure Himalayan salt, you will get help with respiratory wellness and coughing relief. This gift comes in a very helpful travel-size salt inhaler, with the salt included – ideal for traveling, which you will want to have with you for years on end. People have been known to say how it opens up the airways, giving natural relief.
When you put this LuLuLun face mask on to your face, the results are soft, supple and moisturized skin. These masks fit perfectly on to your skin offering nourishment to your entire face with their infusions of Lipidure for lasting results.
100% French Lavender body
scrub $36
Bring a luxuriating spa for yourself or for someone you care about because of this 100% pure French Lavender Body Scrub. It’s got plant oils, plenty of vitamins and antioxidants to make it the perfect companion for a soak in the tub, and its free from any impure substances. If you really want this product and it is unavailable, you won’t be disappointed with the 100% Pure French Lavender whipped body butter. $26.
These throws are absolutely super soft and they are 100% acrylic, offering you nothing short of softness, warmth, and luxury, let alone beauty to your home.
Slippers for nights in –Chilote Adult Wool Slippers $110.95.
You can’t get cozier slippers than these Chilote slippers, which mold to the feet of whoever wears them, for sheer comfort. Crafted with only natural materials, you will wish you could wear them to work!
For holiday times, you won’t want to go anywhere without this candle with its highly fragranced aromas to make you want to linger longer. It has a natural wooden wick, that makes it sound like a gently crackling fire and this fragranced jar candle can last you for a good 180 hours.
After an exhausting day, whether it is your couch, your bed, your favorite chair, this knitted blanket from Hygge Lifestyle is the ultimate in comfort, a sheer timeless gift that will stay decorating anyone’s home for years on end.
It’s is all about sheer relaxation and unwinding during the holidays, and what better way than in such a trendy selection of apparel from Pact Apparel, made from 100% certified organic cotton. Offering plenty of comfort and coziness, you can ease your way into the holidays, or weekends, or evenings wherever you are on holiday. Totally fashionable and fun.
These are fantastic inhalers and a way to take essential oils with you when you are on the go. Naturally, no one can carry a diffuser around all the time, but a small aromatherapy inhaler will fit in your bag. Usually, a cotton pad comes with the inhaler which is placed inside, with about 15 drops of essential oils on. You can choose whichever essential oils you want to suit your need, whether it is to lift your spirits, to relax or to offer you immune support. For instance, lavender, clary, and sage will help you to sleep and orange and rosemary can help you to focus.
Most of us have seen those necklaces where you are able to carry your favorite essential oil in, but there are not many where you can actually infuse the jewelry you are wearing with some of your favorite essential oil. This very stylish lava stone necklace in a triangular shape is made from natural lava, making it porous, and allowing you to apply essential oils for the aromatherapy benefits throughout your day. They are ideal for someone needing some TLC.
Self-care is a foundation to build on
This is true, because when we practice self-care on ourselves, it stands us in good stead to better help others, making a positive impact on the world. Here are more self-care ideas that will benefit you, and also the people you love and care for:
Books
Books are just the ideal choice for anyone who is into self-help and self-care. It makes no difference whether your thing is fiction, or natural health, or something spiritual, there’s a book that will meet any need or inspire wonderful ideas. Even audiobooks are ideal for when people who just don’t ‘have the time’ to read.
Courses and classes
Those that want to live their best life and love adventure and finding out about new things will love a self-care class to nourish their soul. There are cookery and music classes, there are art classes and all sort of courses or classes that will help you make the best of yourself, and the situations you find yourself in.
Take care!
Actually, self-care has become one of the real buzzwords of today, but it’s because it has become so important. Heaps of people, and particularly women, spend a lot of their time supporting and helping other people in their families that they often don’t have the time or energy to focus on themselves, and particularly what their body needs, which is so important. Take time to be kind to yourself so that you can serve those whom you love best, not forgetting yourself because that means taking back your power.
Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook have done it once again, but his use of words is what keeps him being able to say he didn’t lie to Congress. Zuckerberg said that Facebook doesn’t sell users data, but he failed to say that they give it away freely to some very large companies who have profited from users data, including private messages.
More than likely, people will continue using Facebook, and that’s exactly what Zuckerberg is expecting.
Facebook gave some companies more extensive access to users’ personal data than it has previously revealed, letting them read private messages or see the names of friends without consent, according to a New York Times report.
The newspaper on Wednesday detailed special arrangements between Facebook and companies such as Microsoft, Netflix, and Spotify, in the latest revelations on how the social network shares user data.
Here are highlights from the report.
THE DEALS:
Facebook shared data with more than 150 companies — not only tech businesses but automakers and media organizations — through apps on its platform even if users disabled sharing. Apps from many of these “integration partners” never even showed up in user application settings, with the company considering them an extension of its own network. The deals dated back as far as 2010 and were all active in 2017, with some still in effect this year.
PRIVATE MESSAGES:
Spotify, Netflix and the Royal Bank of Canada were able to read, write and delete Facebook users’ private messages, and to see everyone on a message thread. Spotify could look at messages of more than 70 million users a month and still lets users share music through Facebook Messenger while Netflix and the Canadian bank have turned off features that incorporated message access.
FRIENDS:
Facebook let Microsoft’s Bing search engine see the names of “virtually all Facebook users’ friends without consent,” the paper said. Microsoft officials said Bing was using the data to build Facebook user profiles on Microsoft servers, but the company has since deleted the data. Yahoo had the ability to show Facebook users’ news feeds, including posts by their friends, on its home page. The search company eliminated the feature in 2012 but still had access last year to data for nearly 100,000 people a month.
RUSSIA:
Facebook designated a Russian search site, Yandex, as a partner, giving it access to unique user IDs as recently as 2017 after it stopped sharing them with other applications because of privacy risks.
SOURCES:
The New York Times says it obtained more than 270 pages of Facebook documents and interviewed more than 60 people, including many former Facebook employees.
What Facebook Had To Say About This Report:
Today, we’re facing questions about whether Facebook gave large tech companies access to people’s information and, if so, why we did this.
To put it simply, this work was about helping people do two things. First, people could access their Facebook accounts or specific Facebook features on devices and platforms built by other companies like Apple, Amazon, Blackberry and Yahoo. These are known as integration partners. Second, people could have more social experiences – like seeing recommendations from their Facebook friends – on other popular apps and websites, like Netflix, The New York Times, Pandora and Spotify.
To be clear: none of these partnerships or features gave companies access to information without people’s permission, nor did they violate our 2012 settlement with the FTC.
How did people use these features?
People used these features in many different ways, including through:
Apps that allowed people to access their Facebook account on their Windows Phone device
Notifications about their activity on Facebook that they could turn on while they were using Safari or other browsers
“Social hubs” that consolidated their feeds across Facebook, Twitter, and other services
Messaging integrations that allowed people to recommend things like songs from Spotify to friends
Search results in Bing and elsewhere based on public information their friends shared
Tools that helped them find friends on Facebook by uploading their contacts from email providers like Yahoo
We’ve been public about these features and partnerships over the years because we wanted people to actually use them – and many people did. They were discussed, reviewed, and scrutinized by a wide variety of journalists and privacy advocates.
But most of these features are now gone. We shut down instant personalization, which powered Bing’s features, in 2014 and we wound down our partnerships with device and platform companies months ago, following an announcement in April. Still, we recognize that we’ve needed tighter management over how partners and developers can access information using our APIs. We’re already in the process of reviewing all our APIs and the partners who can access them.
Who are these integration partners and why did Facebook work with them?
People want to use Facebook features on a variety of devices and products, many of which we don’t support ourselves. This was particularly true early in our history, before Android and iOS became the predominant ways people use the internet on their phones. Text-only and feature phones were widely popular. Across the industry, companies like Facebook partnered with other companies to build integrations. Take the Blackberry Hub app as an example. People using Blackberry devices could log into Facebook using this feature, allowing them to see the same Facebook News Feed they would see if they logged in from a desktop computer. The data we provided allowed the person to access their own account on Blackberry. Blackberry couldn’t use any of the information for its own purposes.
Facebook has had similar integration partnerships over the years with Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo and other companies, which were overseen by our partnerships and product teams. These partners built many kinds of integrations, including mobile versions of Facebook and social feed hubs, which aggregated feeds from Facebook and other companies. We’ve shut down nearly all of these partnerships over the past several months, except with Amazon and Apple, which people continue to find useful and which are covered by active contracts; Tobii, an integration that enables people with ALS to access Facebook; and browser notifications for people who use Alibaba, Mozilla and Opera.
Does this mean these companies got access to my Facebook information if I didn’t authorize it?
Our integration partners had to get authorization from people. You would have had to sign in with your Facebook account to use the integration offered by Apple, Amazon or another integration partner.
What was instant personalization and how did it work?
Instant personalization is a product we offered with select partners from 2010 to 2014 that involved public information on Facebook, and it’s different from the types of partnerships we’ve described above. With instant personalization, people could link their Facebook account with other services like Rotten Tomatoes or Yelp to see public information their friends shared. When searching on Bing for articles about an upcoming trip to Europe, you could get results based on what your friends had shared publicly. People could turn off instant personalization at any time.
Did partners get access to messages?
Yes. But people had to explicitly sign in to Facebook first to use a partner’s messaging feature. Take Spotify for example. After signing in to your Facebook account in Spotify’s desktop app, you could then send and receive messages without ever leaving the app. Our API provided partners with access to the person’s messages in order to power this type of feature.
Why did some partners have access to data as late as 2017, even after instant personalization was shut down?
Instant personalization only involved public information, and we have no evidence that data was used or misused after the program was shut down. However, we shouldn’t have left the APIs in place after we shut down instant personalization. We’ve taken a number of steps this year to limit developers’ access to people’s Facebook information, and as part of that ongoing effort, we’re in the midst of reviewing all our APIs and the partners who can access them. This is important work that builds on our existing systems that track APIs and control who can access to them.
After watching the previous week’s Supernatural episode at a Supernatural convention with some fellow fangirls, I missed this week’s entirely due to family obligations and watched it on the CW app on my phone a few days later once everyone had gone to bed. A very different experience, to say the least! That also meant I was somewhat spoiled thanks to a few twitter forays in the interim, which always makes my viewing experience muted. It’s hard to say how much more I would have liked this episode if I was 100% unspoiled, but I don’t think it would have been night and day.
The THEN segment was about ten minutes long, which usually means there’s going to be way too much going on in the upcoming episode. Uh oh.
But then I hear “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” one of my favorites, and there’s lots of pretty Christmas décor, so that’s nice….and then, in true Supernatural fashion, broken things and lots of blood and a hapless guy screaming “No please no!” One of the crazy-toothed werewolf guys (in a Santa hat) confronts him and grabs him by the throat. Cut to mistletoe above them, so werewolf guy leans in for a kiss – and snaps the guy’s neck. Ah, Supernatural.
I enjoyed that irreverent beginning – nice touches by writer Robert Berens.
Even if I hadn’t been spoiled, it wouldn’t have been a shock to see Michael in a new vessel in the next scene – this one a beautiful woman. Michael sure has good taste in vessels! I thought Felisha Terrell did a good job of channeling Michael’s low key but confident mannerisms. I was happy to see Melanie (Andrea Drepaul) return, and I was also spoiled for the return of D J Qualls as Garth, so no surprises yet for me.
Michael recognizes Garth too, since he was in Dean’s head. Garth says he’s still a friend to Dean, though he has a family now which means he has to be on the winning side. Hmmm. Not sure I believe you Garth, but hopefully Michael does.
After the opening wings, we return to the bunker. Jack eats cookie crisp cereal in the middle of the night and tells Castiel not to tell Dad – I mean, Sam — which I find endearing. Cas reassures Jack that of course he’s having trouble sleeping, since he was just brought back to life.
Cas: We’ve all been there. Sort of a rite of passage around here.
Me: He’s not wrong.
Sometimes watching a show that’s been on the air fourteen years is an unusual experience, because a lot of really odd things have happened to the main characters – repeatedly. I kinda like that they acknowledge it outright, so thanks for that Robert Berens.
Jack wants to know why Sam and Dean can’t know about the deal Cas made, but Cas says he doesn’t want them to have that burden. Besides, he reasons, this hunting life they live is a lot of things, but happy is rarely one of them, so maybe he’ll be safe for a long time.
Again, he’s not wrong.
Meanwhile, my suspicions about Garth are proved right – he’s checking in with Sam. Sam feels guilty already, worried that Garth will have to drink Michael’s super-charged blood since he’s undercover – and Sam’s the one who pulled him out of retirement. Dean does a little exposition to make sure viewers understand what’s going on (yes yes we’re following) and tries to reassure Sam, since they have some intel and possibly some weapons too.
Dean: I like our odds.
Me: Oh no, don’t say that, never say that…
I didn’t realize at the time that this was the only scene we’d get with just Sam and Dean, and it was a tiny one at that.
Gif: sensitivehandsomeactionman
Sam and Dean join Cas and Jack for a skype call with Ketch, sounding very posh indeed, much to Jack’s amusement and Sam and Dean’s annoyance. He got the magic archangel-catching egg, then apparently dropped the egg, and… then put the egg in the mail. Priority mail though, so no worries. What could go wrong?
David Haydn-Jones is very good at comedy, and his apologetic shrug and “Sorry chaps” made me smile. So did Dean’s facepalm and exasperated expression, because Jensen Ackles is very good at comedy too. In fact, they all are, luckily for us.
Back at Michael headquarters overlooking the soon-to-be-doomed Kansas City, second-in-command Melanie reassures Garth that he can safely (sort of) drink the supercharged archangel blood potion, which of course he’s trying to avoid doing.
Melanie: Don’t worry, only about one in 7 volunteers explodes.
Garth tries not to swallow (snicker), but Michael makes sure he does. Garth seems okay, and he pointedly does not tell Sam what he’s done when he calls to report in. That can’t be good. Michael, Garth tells Sam, is after Dark Kaia, determined to destroy her spear, and he has an army of turned monsters ready to eat up Kansas City – on Christmas!
Dean: All nogged up, waiting for Santa – Merry Freakin’ Christmas!
Dean Winchester really does have a way with words.
For once, the Winchesters have a few aces up their sleeve – the egg, which they plan to steal from the postal facility where it got snagged (don’t you hate when that happens right at the holidays?), some bespelled cuffs that may hold Michael, and Kaia’s spear still in play too. Of course, just when the Winchesters think they have a few aces is when all hell tends to break loose.
Unfortunately, that means Sam and Dean splitting up, which always makes me unhappy and happens every other second on the show these days. Sam and Jack go to the post office and Dean and Cas head for the deserted warehouse to find the spear and Michael’s monsters.
Cas notes that Dean seems happy (which strikes me as not exactly the correct emotion, but this is Cas after all). Dean says he’s fired up, because when was the last time they had a no strings attached win?
Of course, Cas knows there are strings attached, so ouch.
Dean tells Cas something I’ve been really wanting him to say out loud, and especially to tell Sam – that he thought he understood what it meant to be possessed, but really he didn’t. He has always had sympathy for Sam, and in fact his hatred for Lucifer is fueled by his rage that the possession was agonizing for his brother, but he didn’t have empathy – because he didn’t know how devastating it is to be powerless against it, to have to watch your body do things you loathe, to be traumatized and used and entirely helpless and impotent. Now he does.
And now? All he wants is to kill Michael for that violation.
I’m glad Dean got to say that, and I was glad that he opened up to Sam in a previous episode and described what his own possession and violation was like, and Sam was clearly empathic and moved by it. But Sam also needs to hear that Dean understands now how unspeakably horrific Sam’s possession was. Cas was, of course, possessed too, but Sam’s experience and Castiel’s experience being possessed by Lucifer were very different. Cas has said that he was asleep most of the time, so while in retrospect he is, of course, feeling a similar sense of impotence and rage, it wasn’t the extended trauma that Sam’s possession was – or the constant being drowned and suffocated sensation that Dean’s was. I’m glad Dean told Cas, but please Show, can he tell his brother who really needs to hear it?
They find the warehouse empty, though it looks like Kaia has been there.
Meanwhile, Sam lets Jack try his hand at lock picking since he’s eager to prove himself and be useful. Jack is adorably proud of himself when he succeeds and gets a ‘nice work’ from Dad Sam. He even manages a “happy holidays” as they leave, as the place is amusingly and incongruously decorated for Christmas. Incongruous because there’s nothing light and cheery about this episode!
Just as Sam notices a shady looking black van and gets suspicious, he gets whacked on the back of the head while some shady guys grab Jack. Poor Sam, one more concussion!
And then – here’s Michael!
Michael: Hey Sam, happy holidays.
(Michael is developing more and more personality as the season goes on, it seems).
He tosses Sam into a van (more concussion), but I love Sam’s bravery here as he rushes the archangel to try to save Jack even as he must know it’s fruitless and could be his own death sentence. I love me some fierce and fearless and protective Sam – but alas, Michael destroys the egg and knocks Sam out. One possible weapon gone.
Dean keeps calling Sam’s phone and getting no answer, and now he’s upset. (See, Dean? Stop splitting up, for godsakes!) Of course, Michael was in fact not fooled by Garth, and yes Dean, this is, in fact, a setup. Kaia is there in the warehouse though, and this time Dean asks her for the spear instead of trying to forcibly take it from her.
He tells her the truth, that Michael has his family, and he’s going to torture them just like he tortured Dean. Just like he tortured Kaia. And Dean can’t stand for that to happen.
Dean: So if you’re not going to give it to me, kill me.
I think he means it, and Cas looks ready to jump out of his skin, but Dean stands his ground, the tip of the spear at his chest. And Kaia agrees. She says that all she wants is to go back to the Bad Place. There are monsters here chasing her too, and at least there she understood how to deal with that. She wants Jack to send her back – because she too has people she is bound to protect.
Kaia hands Dean the spear….
And Dean’s phone rings.
Sam: He’s got Jack.
They all head to Kansas City, Sam from one direction and Dean and Cas from the other. (I’m not sure why they didn’t bring Kaia with them, since she’s got as much beef with Michael as they do. And why was Kaia not caught by Michael before now? Hmm). For that matter, why didn’t they call Mary and Bobby and whoever else for backup? They have all these AU hunters around, but they go after the Big Bad alone, just the four of them?
Cas says what Dean is clearly thinking too: Sam, don’t you go in there alone.
Me: Uh oh.
Meanwhile, Michael tells a bound Jack his plan, to turn all of Kansas City into his loyal monsters. When Jack says “I hate you,” Michael comes back with “Jack, we’re family, we’re the only kin each of us has left in this world.”
Interesting commentary on family, a core theme of this show.
Jack: You’re not family.
Michael is convinced, however, that in time – over eons – Jack’s loyalty to the Winchesters, to Cas, to humans, will fade. I’m not entirely sure why Michael wants to convince Jack to be on his side. I get that if Jack’s powers come back, he would be a threat, so Michael would want to either kill him or keep him close, but recruit him? Hmm.
Jack: Sam, Dean, and Castiel – they’ll come for me.
Michael just smiles.
Felisha makes it look very scary.
Outside, the turned vampire and werewolf prepare for the takeover, but they haven’t counted on Sam Winchester – who did not listen to Castiel’s very good advice and arrives well before Dean and Cas.
Whack, he beheads the vamp.
Love me some Sam Fucking Winchester!
He didn’t even stay out of the building, in fact – he goes right in and beheads Melanie in the elevator. RIP Melanie!
Sam frees Jack, and oh dear, that was way too easy!
Sure enough, Garth finds them and uh oh, that can’t be right, why is Garth still alive and kicking when we know that Michael caught him on the phone with Sam…. And it isn’t. Garth clearly tries to fight it, but he eventually succumbs to the monster potion he ingested and attacks them.
“He’s in my head, Sam, he won’t let me stop,” Garth sobs as he rushes Sam. “I’m sorry!”
Sam, because he’s Sam, tries to talk Garth out of it, and gets beat up in the process. Jack also leaps in and tries to help. Eventually Sam knocks Garth out, and they put him in the trunk just as Dean and Cas arrive.
Dean (sarcastic): Thanks for waiting for us.
Me: Yeah, Sam!
Dean’s feeling confident now because he has the spear – cue some Ackles improv juggling the spear in the parking lot where they meet up and almost whacking Sam in the head with it. (Stunt wizard Rob Hayter confirmed that was “all Jensen” – and that he’s a very quick study, but we already knew that, didn’t we?)
Meanwhile, Cas heals Jack (hey, some of his powers are back! I am forever confused as to whether Cas has powers or doesn’t, since it seems at the whim of whoever is writing the particular episode)
Dean: Impossible odds, feels like home.
Ode to Joy then starts to play because this is a) a Christmas themed episode and b) apparently an homage to “Die Hard.” The foursome walk slowly and dramatically across the parking lot ala “Reservoir Dogs”. I have to say, that didn’t entirely work for me. First, that dramatic slow-mo walk has already been used to good effect in the Tarantino-esque episode, and second, with the super dramatic music and the super dramatic slow-mo it was just….too dramatic! I couldn’t quite take it seriously, yet it felt like we were supposed to take it seriously. Maybe cool it on the film homage sequences, Show. Maybe it’s one of those things you can’t over use if you want it to be effective.
It also looked really odd to have Dean and Cas in the front instead of Sam and Dean, who are usually – pretty much always – the ones leading. Was that a ship offering? I honestly don’t know, but it struck me as odd and threw me out of that scene even more.
We’re now in the final five minutes and I know something dramatic is going to happen, but luckily I wasn’t sure exactly what that was going to be. They all know that Michael will be able to sense Castiel, and that’s what happens first, Cas going in ahead and trying to attack with what I’m assuming is an archangel blade? Misha Collins gets to do some fight scene sequences, trench coat flying as he spars with Michael. Michael, of course, beats the crap out of him, dragging him into the penthouse apartment that has a beautiful view of the impending havoc. Cas has had his share of being beaten and bloodied this season, that’s for sure.
Next, he dispatches Sam and Jack, though I am once again impressed with Sam Winchester’s bravery. Finally, Dean attacks with Kaia’s spear. Ackles is a lot more adept at wielding the spear now than he was in the garage, but Michael soon overpowers Dean, lifting him up off the ground and choking him.
Michael: I’m so glad you could make it tonight. I know you hate me, Dean, but just remember – you let me in. And now you get to see it, everything your mistake made possible. All the bloodshed, all the death, all on you.
Oh no, poor Dean, way to stoke his guilt!
But Michael didn’t count on Sam, who reaches the spear and calls out for his brother.
Sam: Dean!
That means we get a lovely moment of Winchesters working in sync as Sam tosses the spear to Dean (I take these little moments when I can get them).
He grabs the spear and gashes Michael, then backs him up menacingly.
Jack: Kill him!
Dean hesitates, his time as Michael flashing before his eyes.
Then the new vessel falls over, and… Dean cracks the spear in two and slowly turns around, blue eyes glowing.
Sam: No.
Michael (menacingly): Yeah.
He goes on, taunting Sam.
Michael: When I gave up Dean, you didn’t think to question, to ask why?
All of fandom: YES WE DID, WE HAD A LOT OF THEORIES!
Michael: Dean was resisting me. He was too attached to you. To all of you. He wouldn’t stop squirming, to get out, to get back.
Unfortunately, as most of us suspected, Michael left a crack – a way to get back in.
Cas: Why wait?
Michael: To break him. To crush and disappoint him completely. So he’ll be nice and quiet this time. Buried. And he is. He’s gone.
Michael points out that he now has a whole army out there.
Michael: Ready. For this.
Thanos-esque snap and the screen goes black.
I wasn’t bowled over by the ending since it’s more or less what I expected. I figured that Michael left some sort of portal behind so he could both spy when he wanted to, and so he could get back in. I am a little confused about what Michael said though. What has he done to break and crush Dean in the time since he left? If he’d been in his head tormenting him more, or if we’d seen more aftermath of Dean’s possession trauma, that would have made more sense. After talking with the cast and the showrunner and writers at Comic-Con, I was very hopeful that we’d get to see a lot of the psychological effects of Dean’s possession and see him struggle with some PTSD. If he had, then what Michael said would make perfect sense – but we haven’t really seen that, much to my disappointment. There was that one scene where Dean opened up to Sam and told him what it was like, like being constantly drowned, but that was it. Other than that, Dean has seemed to be coping well enough – well enough that his own mother up and left because I’m assuming she didn’t think Dean was having any post-trauma issues.
So what is Michael referring to, that he thinks will keep Dean quiet this time? Is it just that Dean got his hopes up with finding some of the weapons that might have worked, only to be crushed? Was that supposed to crush him? Not the Dean Winchester I know, Michael!
It almost seems like a more horrible thing to do to Sam and Cas and Jack – they all thought they had Dean back for good and then whoosh, he was taken from them again. (They are clearly more trusting – or optimistic – than fandom).
Sam looks pretty devastated, and I appreciate Jared Padalecki’s acting here. I know Sam and Dean still care about each other, but I need to SEE it. They spend less time together this season onscreen, so their relationship doesn’t feel like the compelling emotional focus that drew me into the show and has kept me here for fourteen seasons. Sometimes it’s only one of the actors’ expressions that gives me a clue that the emotional focus that was always there still exists, even if it’s disappointingly under the surface some of the time.
Caps by kayb625
I actually forgot that this was the mid-season finale until the very end – it didn’t feel like it, didn’t feel like there had been enough of a lead up to build the tension and angst and anticipation. I think that’s partly because it’s a shorter season, but mostly because a fair number of this season’s episodes haven’t hooked me in the way I’m accustomed to with this show. This was a solid episode with little canon fail and good acting all around, but it didn’t leave me holding my breath and exclaiming that I can’t stand to have to wait through the mid-season mini hellatus. I complain about that, but I secretly love it – and miss it.
The last scene was the strongest in the episode, partly because Jensen Ackles absolutely slayed as Michael. I almost wish they didn’t do the glowing blue eyes thing, because it is crystal clear the moment that Dean becomes Michael. We don’t need to see the glowy eyes. Ackles can change so many subtle nonverbal and verbal characteristics that you can SEE the transformation, which is truly incredible.
It looks like when we do come back from the break, Sam and Cas will be inside Dean’s head trying to rescue him. I don’t want to get too hopeful, but that sounds pretty intriguing, so I’m looking forward to that episode. (Also, I think I’ve read way too many interesting would-never-be-canon fan fics about what either Sam or Cas would find in Dean’s head, depending on what you ship or if you ship… it won’t be any of those, but I wonder what it will be!)
So, here’s a cautiously optimistic wish for the second half of Season 14 to hook me back in with those emotional arcs that have kept me watching for all these years. In order to do that, I need at least some focus on Sam and Dean’s relationship, because that has always been the heart of what the show is about. (Mr. Berens, I know you can do that, because you co-wrote one of my favorite episodes of all time, Red Meat). It’s fine to show me their relationships with others important to them too, but I need that central relationship between the brothers to anchor the show and make me care about what happens to the Winchesters, and by extension, to the others they care about. It’s that relationship that makes this show unique and compelling, and if I don’t get to see it at all, the emotional pull goes with it.
Fingers crossed.
See you in the New Year for Supernatural 1410 on January 17, 2019!
When you’re caught telling over 6,000 lies in just three years times, it’s hard for someone like President Donald Trump to keep his ‘facts’ straight. As Bob Mueller’s Russia investigation has closed in along with the Southern District of New York, Trump has been spinning out contradictions and outright lies faster than ever.
He insists that payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal during the 2016 campaign were “private transactions” and that any crime committed would be the fault of his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, not him. That’s a change from what the president said before. Trump previously had denied knowledge of payments and dismissed any hint of a crime.
In the special counsel’s probe into contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign, Trump tried to cast doubt on whether his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had lied to the FBI. Flynn, in fact, pleaded guilty to doing just that.
Over the past week, Trump also made a flurry of false or unsupported statements about immigration. He said, with no evidence, that migrants are plagued with disease. He asserted that Mexico has in effect agreed to pay for his border wall, even as he threatens a partial government shutdown if Congress doesn’t approve billions of dollars to build it. He twisted federal statistics to claim the recent arrest of 10 terrorists who don’t exist.
Here’s a closer look at his claims:
MICHAEL COHEN
TRUMP: “Remember, Michael Cohen only became a ‘Rat’ after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started. They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY’S OFFICE!” — tweet Sunday.
THE FACTS: It was not a break-in. The FBI executed a search warrant obtained from a judge in conducting the raid and seizing records on a variety of matters, among them a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels by Trump’s lawyer, Cohen. The application for the warrant was approved high in the Justice Department.
Former FBI director James Comey tweeted in response Sunday that Trump is “lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge.”
MICHAEL COHEN GOES ROGUE
TRUMP: “I never directed him to do anything wrong. Whatever he did, he did on his own.” — interview Thursday with Fox News.
TRUMP: “I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law … many campaign finance lawyers have strongly stated that I did nothing wrong concerning campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance.” — tweets Thursday.
TRUMP: “So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,…which it was not (but even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE, like Obama’s – but it was done correctly by a lawyer and there would not even be a fine. Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me). Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced.” — tweets Dec. 10.
THE FACTS: Whatever the truth, his account is evolving. Trump’s description of the payments as a “simple private transaction” — which he couples with his insistence that “did nothing wrong” with respect to campaign finance laws — is not how he explained it just a few months ago.
In April, Trump issued a blanket denial that he knew anything about reports of $130,000 in hush-money paid to Daniels, saying reporters would “have to ask Michael Cohen.” A month later, he then acknowledged the payments as a “private contract.” Trump is now saying if something criminal happened, it would be solely Cohen’s fault as his former attorney.
Both Cohen and American Media Inc., the company that owns the National Enquirer tabloid, say they made hush-money payments to Daniels and McDougal for the purpose of helping Trump’s 2016 White House bid, a campaign finance violation. Both women alleged they had extramarital affairs with Trump, which the White House denies. Federal prosecutors say the payments were made at Trump’s direction.
For the payments themselves to be a crime rather than a civil infraction, prosecutors would need to show that Trump knew that what he was doing was wrong when he directed Cohen to pay the women and that he did so with the goal of benefiting his campaign.
It’s unclear what federal prosecutors in New York will decide to do if they conclude that there is evidence that Trump himself committed a crime. In the meantime, Trump’s changing version of the truth is running head-on into facts agreed to by prosecutors.
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION
TRUMP: “Wow, 19,000 Texts between Lisa Page and her lover, Peter S of the FBI, in charge of the Russia Hoax, were just reported as being wiped clean and gone. Such a big story that will never be covered by the Fake News. Witch Hunt!” — tweet Saturday.
THE FACTS: The Justice Department’s watchdog, in a report released Thursday, found no evidence the FBI intentionally destroyed text messages of former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who were involved in the Hillary Clinton email investigation when they worked for the bureau.
The inspector general faulted an FBI-wide software failure that has resulted in large portions of FBI text messages not being archived.
The report examined a gap in messages from December 2016 through May 2017 from the phones of Strzok and Page. The FBI ultimately managed to recover thousands of the messages.
Some congressional Republicans had suggested the messages were intentionally deleted. The inspector general report said there was no evidence Strzok and Page circumvented protocol. Strzok was removed from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation after anti-Trump texts were discovered. He has since been fired. Page resigned.
MICHAEL FLYNN LIE
TRUMP: “Well the FBI said Michael Flynn, a general and a great person, they said he didn’t lie. And Mueller said: ‘Well, maybe he did.’ And now they’re all having a big dispute, so I think it’s a great thing that the judge is looking into that situation. It’s an honor for a lot of terrific people.” — remarks Thursday.
THE FACTS: That’s not what the FBI said. And Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, has agreed that he lied to the FBI. He pleaded guilty to it and is to be sentenced this week — the first White House official punished as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing Russia investigation.
The idea that Flynn didn’t lie to the FBI picked up steam after Republicans on the House intelligence committee issued a report this year that said ex-FBI director James Comey, in a private briefing, told lawmakers that agents who interviewed Flynn “discerned no physical indications of deception” and saw “nothing that indicated to them that he knew he was lying to them.” But Comey called that description “garble” in a private interview with House lawmakers this month.
Comey, in essence, said Flynn was a good liar, having a “natural conversation” with agents, “answered fully their questions, didn’t avoid. That notwithstanding, they concluded he was lying.”
As for Trump’s comment that the judge is looking into the matter, it’s true U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has asked for documents related to the agents who interviewed Flynn. It’s not clear from Sullivan’s order whether he considers there to be a dispute to resolve or if he just wants to see the underlying documents as he decides Flynn’s sentence.
BORDER SECURITY
TRUMP: “The Democrats policy of Child Seperation (sic) on the Border during the Obama Administration was far worse than the way we handle it now. Remember the 2014 picture of children in cages – the Obama years.” — tweet Sunday.
THE FACTS: Democratic President Barack Obama did not have a separation policy. The Trump administration didn’t, explicitly, either, but that was the effect of his zero-tolerance policy, which meant that anyone caught crossing the border illegally was to be criminally prosecuted, even those with few or no previous offenses.
The policy meant adults were taken to court for criminal proceedings and their children were separated. In most cases, if the charge took longer than 72 hours to process, which is the longest time that children can be held by Customs and Border Protection, children were sent into the care of the Health and Human Services Department. Zero tolerance remains in effect, but Trump signed an executive order June 20 that stopped separations.
Trump also misrepresents 2014 photos of children in holding cells. They did not involve family separation.
The photos, taken by media outlets during the Obama administration, showed children who came to the border without their parents and were being housed at a Customs and Border Protection center in Nogales, Arizona. The photos were identified as such but wrongly described online as illustrating imprisonment under Trump.
PEOPLE POURING IN THROUGH BORDER
TRUMP: “People with tremendous medical difficulty and medical problems are pouring in, and in many — in many cases it’s contagious. They’re pouring into our country. We have to have border security.” — statement in Oval Office meeting Tuesday with Democratic leaders, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer.
THE FACTS: Trump provided no evidence that people coming into the country, including the caravan at the U.S.-Mexico border, are carrying contagious diseases at a higher rate than the U.S. population. Medical screening is part of the process for vetting people who seek asylum.
A study published this month by the UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health called scares about contagion one of the most pervasive myths about migrants. The study found no evidence that migrants pose a significant public health risk to countries such as the U.S. that have good health systems. In fact, migrants themselves face health threats from arduous journeys, violence along the way, or overcrowding in shelters or camps, the Lancet commission said. While some may come from regions where certain diseases are common, the report noted that international tourism and movement of animals spread illness, too.
As for the caravan and other migrants from the south, World Bank statistics show Mexico and Central America vaccinate most children against measles, sometimes at a bit higher rate than the U.S. Along the border between Mexico and California, public health departments have long had a system in place to watch for signs of outbreaks of a variety of illnesses, whether they’re immigration-related or not.
SOUTHERN BORDER
TRUMP: “Our Southern Border is now Secure and will remain that way.” — tweet Tuesday.
TRUMP: “We need border security. People are pouring into our country, including terrorists. We have terrorists. But we caught 10 terrorists. These are over the last very short period of time — 10. These are very serious people.” — statement in Oval Office meeting.
THE FACTS: Trump contradicted himself, declaring the border secure and insecure on the same day. And Trump is wrong about the government recently catching 10 terrorists.
His statement is a mangling of federal statistics showing that U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped an average of seven to 10 people a day in the 2017 budget year who were denied entry to the U.S. because they were on a watch list. That average applied to all points of entry, and overwhelmingly from airports, and was not specific to the southern border. The standard for placing someone on the list is reasonable suspicion, a lower bar than the probable cause needed to arrest someone for an alleged crime. The statistics do not show how many might have been arrested or charged with anything.
In any event, Trump rendered a daily average as 10 recently captured terrorists in the flesh.
As for border security, U.S. arrests on the Mexican border jumped 78 percent in November from a year earlier to the highest level in Trump’s presidency. Increased arrests indicate that more people are trying to cross the border illegally.
JOBS JOBS JOBS
PELOSI: “We came at a place to say, ‘How do we meet the needs of American people who have needs?’ The economy has — people are losing their jobs.” — Oval Office meeting.
TRUMP: “Well, we have the lowest unemployment that we’ve had in 50 years.” — Oval Office meeting.
THE FACTS: Trump is correct about jobs.
There may always be some layoffs even if the economy is strong. General Motors, for instance, said last month it would cut as many as 14,000 workers in North America in a restructuring aimed at generating cash to spend on innovation, even though U.S. auto sales are near historic highs.
But the U.S. economy has now added jobs for a record 98 straight months, dating to October 2010, during the Obama administration.
The Labor Department reported the unemployment rate in November stayed at 3.7 percent, a five-decade low, for the third straight month.
The job gains are pushing down unemployment rates to historically low levels for a variety of groups. The unemployment rate for men aged 20 and above fell last month to 3.3 percent, the lowest in 18 years. The rate for Americans with just high school diplomas dropped to 3.5 percent, the lowest since December 2000. The African-American jobless rate declined to 5.9 percent, matching May’s figure as the lowest on record.
That’s making it more challenging for businesses to find the workers they need. Employers have posted 7 million open jobs, outnumbering the ranks of the unemployed, which fell last month to just under 6 million.
THE WALL
TRUMP: “I often stated, ‘One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.’ This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!” — tweet Thursday.
THE FACTS: This is a face-saving statement to mask the fact that Mexico refused to pay for a U.S. border wall, Trump gave up trying to make it do so, and U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for it.
In essence, Trump is arguing that new terms of trade with Mexico will increase economic growth in the U.S. and produce more tax revenue. That’s what everyone hopes trade agreements will do. As part of that, he hopes for a lower trade deficit with Mexico. Neither outcome is assured.
The deal negotiated with Mexico and Canada is an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement he railed against, not a transformative pact. The three countries will continue trading in an environment of mainly low or no tariffs, with improvements here and there for all three partners. There is no credible way for Trump to forecast additional growth covering costs that are being charged to U.S. taxpayers if the wall is built. Trade balances depend on too many factors — consumer tastes, exchange rates, overall economic performance, and the choices of thousands of companies among them — and some are well outside any government’s control.
Trump specifically promised in the campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall. That is not the same as trying to reduce the U.S. trade deficit, which is about the exchange of goods and services among private entities rather than payments between governments. Nor is a trade deficit necessarily a penalty on consumers. It is the result of consumers buying things made in another country.
He wants some $25 billion from Congress for wall construction over five years and promises a partial government shutdown if he does not get a $5 billion or so portion in the next week. Congress may or may not give him that. If it does, it will not be because lawmakers expect a refund to the treasury in future years from extra growth produced by a trade deal.
THE WALL HAS BEEN BUILT
TRUMP: “Tremendous amounts of wall have already been built.” — statement in meeting Tuesday with Pelosi and Schumer.
TRUMP: “People do not yet realize how much of the Wall, including really effective renovation, has already been built.” ″We have already built large new sections & fully renovated others, making them like new.” — tweets.
THE FACTS: Tremendous portions of the wall have not been built. Yes, some barrier renovation has happened, but little wall construction has been completed under Trump.
Congress allocated roughly $1.4 billion in the spring — a bit more than 5 percent of what Trump wanted — for border security and specified that the money was not to be used for construction of the prototype wall sections that stand near San Diego. Instead, the money is to strengthen or replace existing fencing with more secure fencing.
Altogether, Trump promised in the campaign that he’d build a 1,000-mile (1,600 kilometer-) wall, as high as 40 feet or 12 meters (and have Mexico pay for it, which isn’t happening). If some 650 miles (1,050 km) of existing fencing are considered in the equation, that leaves him with about 350 miles (560 km) of wall to build.
As The Washington Postcreates a new lying category for President Donald Trump after his 6K lies, the week has seen more fake news sprout up on social media including Illinois taxing residents for moving and a listeria outbreak.
Here are the real facts behind these fake news stories that captured the minds of social media users the past week.
Iran $150 Billion For Nothing
CLAIM:“The Democrats and President Obama gave Iran 150 Billion Dollars and got nothing, but they can’t give 5 Billion Dollars for National Security and a Wall?”
THE FACTS: There was no $150 billion payout from the U.S. Treasury to Iran, according to a fact check. The erroneous claim, which is circulating widely on social media, was made in a tweet Wednesday by President Donald Trump after a contentious meeting with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer about funding for a border wall. Trump has made the Iran claim before. A fact check published April 24, 2018, found that the money Trump refers to represents Iranian assets held abroad that were frozen until a deal was reached in 2015 to curb Iran’s nuclear program and ease sanctions. Tehran was then allowed access to its funds. Trump is seeking $5 billion in an upcoming spending bill to put toward construction of a wall along the U.S. southern border. Democrats have voiced opposition to spending more than $1.6 billion for border security.
Illinois Taxes Departing Residents
THE CLAIM:“Illinois Leaders Propose Tax on Departing Residents”
THE FACTS: Posts circulating on Facebook wrongly state that incoming Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker held a press conference with Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton to announce a plan to tax residents, making $100,000 a year or more, who relocate to another state. Pritzker did not propose such a tax and has not held a press conference with the state’s top Democratic legislative leaders since being elected. The false post said plans were announced for a “departing taxpayer fee,” which would either assess a 50 percent tax on a year’s income or a 1 percent tax on property owned by those leaving. Some social media users gave a press conference date of Nov. 13. The governor did not hold a press conference that day, according to news release archives on his campaign website. Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh confirmed to media outlets that Pritzker has not proposed a “departing taxpayer fee.”
No Kneeling
THE CLAIM: “DO NOT post memes about how terrible it is to kneel during the national anthem when your dear leader cannot even put his hand over his heart during WWII VETERAN George HW Bush’s funeral!”
THE FACTS: The statement is circulating on social media with a photo that shows Trump standing with his arms to his sides as Bush’s casket is carried to the front of the National Cathedral. The photo was taken after he had lowered his hand. Multiple pictures show Trump with his hand over his heart as Bush’s casket passed his pew, both as it was brought in and as it was taken out. Guidelines for military funerals state that military personnel not in uniform should hold their right hand over their heart at any time the casket is being moved. The practice is commonly observed by civilians in attendance as a mark of respect for the service and sacrifice of the deceased. Bush was a naval aviator and World War II hero.
Justin Trudeau Installs UN Flag At Canadian Border
THE CLAIM:“Trudeau installs UN flag at border crossing as the Liberal leader prepares to cede control of our borders to the UN.”
Why is the UN Flag flying high at the Peace Bridge? Why is the #Trudeau Government against controlled immigration, Freedom of Speech&liberties. Why does he not respect Canadian Values? Why does he want to destroy our sovereignty & this GREAT NATION🇨🇦? #NoGlobalCompact#cndpolipic.twitter.com/fH7Tv0Cc12
THE FACTS: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not install a U.N. flag on the Peace Bridge, as a photo caption states in a post circulating on Facebook and Twitter; and there are no plans by the government to give the U.N. power over the country’s borders. Social media users began sharing the photo on Monday as Canada, along with more than 150 countries, adopted the non-binding Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The agreement is part of an effort to help countries deal with mass migration comprehensively and has led to false claims online, including that the pact would take away Canada’s sovereignty. Ron Rienas, general manager of the Peace Bridge Authority, said the U.N. flag has flown from the bridge for more than 40 years.
Nationwide Listeria
THE CLAIM: “Nationwide Listeria Outbreak Affects Vegetables From Walmart, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, and MORE!”
THE FACTS: No nationwide listeria outbreaks involving vegetables have been reported in December by either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The false report, circulating under the guise of a public service announcement, states that listeria contamination was found in vegetables sold in popular supermarkets across the country and “could potentially affect millions of Americans.” The information used to support the claim is from an Oct. 22, 2017, Miami Herald story about a “listeria-inspired” recall of products by Mann Packing.
