Victoria Fox's Blog, page 203

Kindle Unlimited Membership Explained: Is It Worth It?

Kindle Unlimited is available on Kindle e-readers and any smart device that supports the Kindle app. Subscribers get unlimited access to more than a million ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines in the Kindle store for $11.99 per month. Once signed up, you can borrow and read as many Kindle ebooks as you want from the available catalog of titles and keep them for as long as you like. You’re only allowed to have 20 books on the go at any given time though, so if you want to rent a 21st, you’ll have to give one back. Magazines don’t count toward that limit.

It’s important to note that Kindle Unlimited is a separate benefit to Amazon Prime, and is not included with Prime membership. As if that wasn’t complicated enough, Amazon is also happy to sell you a subscription to Audible, its audiobook subsidiary, starting at $7.95 per month.

Audible Premium Plus is more expensive at $14.95 per month, and includes free access to titles in the Audible Plus library, discounts on selected best-sellers, and a credit system where subscribers can claim one free title a month (Prime members also get two free titles when they subscribe to Audible Premium Plus). Whereas Kindle Unlimited includes books and magazines, Audible is a strictly audio-only service, but there is some overlap between the content available with both subscriptions.

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SAP invests directly in three AI startups: Cohere, Anthropic and Aleph Alpha

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German enterprise software giant SAP is putting skin into the AI game.

The company today announced it has directly invested in three AI startups: Cohere, Anthropic (maker of the Claude 2 LLM service) and Aleph Alpha.

While the company did not specify a dollar amount of its investments, a spokesperson told VentureBeat that “they are a signal of SAP’s commitment to offering valuable generative AI scenarios built into our portfolio of business applications, which are used every day by the world’s leading
brands. As we continue to innovate, we are committed to using the best, responsible AI technology and tools in the market.”

The news follows a more precise dollar investment from SAP backed Sapphire Ventures, which announced a staggering $1 billion commitment to gen AI startups last week.

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Why SAP needs to be a leader in enterprise AI

SAP is the third largest software company in the world in terms of annual revenue, behind only Microsoft and Oracle, and the largest outside of the U.S. Its enterprise resource planning software (ERP) — the stack that knits together a company’s supply chain and operational applications — is used by such notable brands as oil megacorp ExxonMobil and drug maker Novartis. One of its more recognizable apps is the travel and business expense filing software Concur.

SAP says it already has 26,000 customers around the world using its existing SAP Business AI, which predated the investment announcement, showing the appetite for these types of services.

As such, applying generative AI to it could have a tremendous impact for businesses and their customers around the globe. In fact, while VentureBeat does not offer investment advice, Bank of America analyst Frederic Boulan named SAP one of the top 10 stocks to invest in for generative AI gains, citing the fact that “huge quantities of data about a company’s operations are held within a company’s ERP system which makes the software vital in any generative AI integration.”

In other words: SAP already has a treasure trove of data from all of its many global customers, and should it decide to offer gen AI services to those customers in conjunction with or through existing SAP offerings, it stands to reason that SAP could make a huge impact on both the customer side and its own bottom line.

SAP customers begin AI pilots ‘immediately’

“Pilots and proof of concepts (PoCs) are underway with customers so any customer who is interested can get started immediately with SAP,” SAP’s spokesperson told VentureBeat in an emailed statement.

As for why SAP chose these three gen AI startups to invest in over any others: “All three companies – Aleph Alpha (Germany), Anthropic (U.S.) and Cohere (Canada) are each recognized for industry leadership, innovation, and a unique vision for advancing AI and the potential to transform industries. And with our overarching approach to foster an open ecosystem of Business AI, we believe that SAP should give customers choice and are proud to invest in each of them.”

VentureBeat’s mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.

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‘Barbie’ Review: Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in Doll Comedy From Greta Gerwig That Delivers the Fun but Fudges the Politics

There isn’t exactly a God in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (unless you count Helen Mirren’s omniscient narrator), but the director does experiment with creation myths. Barbieland, a parallel universe populated by iterations of the Mattel doll, is her sandbox. The toy conglomerate’s vast archive, a trove of successful products, middling ideas and discontinued merch, are the tools. 

Gerwig delights in the richness and weirdness of her material in this clever send-up of Barbie dolls and their fraught legacy. It’s impressive how much the director, known for her shrewd and narratively precise dramas, has fit into a corporate movie. Barbie is driven by jokes — sometimes laugh-out-loud, always chuckle-worthy — that poke light fun at Mattel, prod the ridiculousness of the doll’s lore and gesture at the contradictions of our sexist society. 

Related Stories Barbie

The Bottom Line A tricky balancing act of corporate fealty and subversion.

Release date: Friday, July 21
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell
Director: Greta Gerwig
Screenwriters: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
Rated PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

With Gerwig, the pleasure is always in the details. Her Barbieland — thanks to Sarah Greenwood’s production design and Jacqueline Durran’s costuming — is a pink fever dream. A phantasmagoria of magenta and blush soundtracked by funky compositions by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, bubblegum anthems from Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. Plastic trees and identical two-story Barbie dream homes line each avenue of this manufactured oceanside locale. Engineless vehicles roam the road but flying is the preferred mode of transportation. Think about it: Have you ever seen a Barbie take the stairs?  

An army of Kens patrol the land’s pristine beaches. The chiseled dolls can’t rescue a drowning person or save anyone for that matter, but they do stand around and look pretty. Barbies do the real work: She is the president and all the members of the Supreme Court. She is a doctor and a physicist. She has won every Nobel prize and probably cured cancer. Barbieland is feminist utopia as inversion of our patriarchal reality. Voiceover commentary by Mirren add to its storybook quality.

That Barbieland isn’t structurally different from our world isn’t surprising. The representational doll has become an extension of political fantasy, an exercise in decade-dependent what-ifs. Barbie went to space, could vote and owned property long before many human women could. Her look has changed too, shifting to mirror society’s beauty politics. 

Gerwig populates her pink vista with a range of Barbies played by a formidable and starry cast: Issa Rae, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp and Hari Nef are a few of the faces in the film. But the protagonist of this wily and fun comedy is Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), the blonde-haired, blue-eyed manifestation of Ruth Handler’s imagination. Her Ken counterpart is played with impressive heart and humor by Ryan Gosling (with Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir and John Cena among the film’s other assorted Kens). The pair are a version of Eve and Adam, if Eve were God’s favorite and Adam acknowledged as the liability he was. 

Their fall is not as righteous but just as dramatic. When Barbie finds her perfect life suddenly hobbled by existential thoughts, she seeks answers from Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), a doll whose traumatic history (she was played with “too hard”) has turned her into the kingdom’s sage. On the outcast Barbie’s advice, Stereotypical Barbie, with an all-too-eager Ken in tow, heads to real-world Los Angeles to find her little girl. The relationship between Barbies and their human owners is tenuously outlined, so it’s best not to think too deeply about how it all works. 

California shatters Barbie’s sense of self and bolsters Ken’s. Faced with how the patriarchy has shaped the realities of the human world, Barbie realizes that she and her fellow dolls might not be as inspirational as they believed.

Greta slips in au courant commentary through Barbie’s encounters with real people: the all-male executive suite of Mattel (which includes Will Ferrell playing CEO); Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), a teenager whose disdain for Mattel’s dolls is only outmatched by her hatred of fascism; and Sasha’s mother Gloria (a brilliant America Ferrera), a Mattel secretary with an indiscriminate love of the toy.

Those worried that the film would uncritically pedestal Handler’s invention have little to fear. Barbie lives up to its early tagline: “If you love Barbie…if you hate Barbie, this movie’s for you.”

Fulfilling this mission comes at a cost, though. There’s a tension between Gerwig’s effort to keep Barbie fun and to texture her source material with the emotional dexterity of her previous projects. After an unplanned detour separates her from Ken, Barbie makes her way back home ready to restore perfection to her routine. But her homecoming is a dour one; Barbie returns to see that Ken, armed with his newfound knowledge of the patriarchy, has transformed Barbieland.

The film largely avoids treading familiar ground (I’m thinking specifically of Life-Size, Disney’s early-aughts attempt at the doll-interacting-with-human thing) or becoming what it mocks because of Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s smart screenplay, which sprinkles winking jokes throughout. The moments that aren’t just laughing at and with the crowd, however, are shoved into long, important monologues that, with each recitation, dull the impact of their message. The gestures feel politically hollow because the reality is that a film with this mandate just can’t do it all.

In some ways, Barbie builds on themes Gerwig explored in Lady Bird and Little Women. The film wrestles with the twisting journey of self-definition and the mercurial relationships between mothers and daughters. It’s fraught with the questions that plague artists and women trapped in a category-obsessed society.

The tension between Barbie as object and subject can be felt especially through Robbie’s performance. Barbie’s increased consciousness plays across the actress’ expressive eyes, which become steadily weighted by the forces of the human world. Her physical presence tells us something, too: Robbie moves mechanically in Barbieland because she’s a toy, but who’s to say she’s any less rigid in the real world?

However smartly done Gerwig’s Barbie is, an ominousness haunts the entire exercise. The director has successfully etched her signature into and drawn deeper themes out of a rigid framework, but the sacrifices to the story are clear. The muddied politics and flat emotional landing of Barbie are signs that the picture ultimately serves a brand.

This wouldn’t be as concerning if the future of films weren’t blighted by Mattel’s franchise ambitions. After all, we can’t get all our humanist lessons from corporate toymakers.

Full credits

Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production companies: Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, NB/GG Pictures, Mattel
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Dua Lipa, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Helen Mirren, John Cena, Michael Cera
Director: Greta Gerwig
Screenwriters: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
Producers: David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Robbie Brenner
Executive producers: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Ynon Kreiz, Richard Dickson, Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich, Cate Adams
Director of photography: Rodrigo Prieto
Production designer: Sarah Greenwood
Costume designer: Jacqueline Durran
Music: Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Editor: Nick Houy
Casting: Allison Jones, Lucy Bevan
Rated PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

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‘Welcome to Sex’ children’s book causes chaos on retailers’ shelves

Australian department store chain Big W has confirmed staff in its stores have been abused, forcing the retail giant to move a controversial sex book to online sales only.

The “graphic” sex book written for children as young as eight has received intense criticism after it attracted nationwide attention this week for its discussion of mature themes.

“Welcome to Sex: Your no-silly-questions guide to sexuality, pleasure and figuring it out” was hotly condemned in a viral video from podcast host Chris “Primod” Issa, who claimed it was “grooming our children, exposing them to sexually explicit and highly inappropriate material”.

On Tuesday evening, a Big W spokesperson told news.com.au it will stop selling the book in physical stores after “multiple incidents of abuse” aimed at staff.

“BIG W will continue to sell the parenting book, ‘Welcome to Sex’ as part of our Parenting range,” the spokesperson said.

Conservative podcaster Chris Primod uploaded a viral video claiming the book “Welcome to Sex” by Yumi Stynes and Dr Melissa Kang was ‘grooming’ children.theprimrod/Instagram

Primod continued to say the book was ‘exposing them [children] to highly inappropriate material’. theprimrod/Instagram

“We know there has been a wide range of views about the book, however it’s disappointing that there have been multiple incidents of abuse directed at our store team members in the past 24 hours.

“To keep our team and customers safe, the book will be available to customers online only from later today.”

Dr. Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes’ $16 book, released in May, has angered some parents so intensely, they have threatened to boycott the department stores until its removed from sale.

While Big W has doubled down on the book, arguing it’s “educational, age-appropriate and inclusive”, critics have gone so far as to describe it “pornographic” and demand it be pulled.

Big W argues the book is “educational” while others are calling it “pornographic.”theprimrod/Instagram

The book is now only available online for customer and retail worker safety.

Rachael Wong, chief executive of Women’s Forum Australia, told 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live on Tuesday she “felt physically ill at the thought of children reading it”, describing it a “graphic sex guide for children.”

Wong was further disturbed that Stynes, in an earlier Instagram post, said while the book was suitable for ages 10 to 15, she would be “happy with a mature and smart 8-yo having a flick through”.

She also took issue with the language around consent used in the book, which highlights the legal age as either 16 or 17 and suggests that “if the age difference is small, the law might take this into account.”

Wong accused the authors of mentioning the legal age just to avoid “getting in trouble because the book is basically a sex manual for kids.”

Rachael Wong said she felt “physically ill” at the thought of children reading this book. rachaelwongaus/Instagram

“But then they sort of say, ‘if you’re a certain age and someone’s not too much older than you … you could get away with it,” she told listeners.

“The fact that a particular comment about the age of consent is couched in this book which explains all these sorts of sexually explicit activities is really just, ‘oh we might cover up that bit’ but at the end of the day we are promoting sexual activity for children,” she said.

Fordham took issue with the book warning young readers to crop their faces out if they decided to send explicit photos, arguing: “shouldn’t the advice be ‘don’t take the photos and don’t send them on?’”

Wong argued the book appeared to be attempting to “safeguard” itself but was really “doing the exact opposite because it’s promoting the behaviors and then saying, ‘if you do it in a way that’s careful and can protect your privacy, it’s going to be fine’. When it’s absolutely not going to be fine.

“It’s just so, so disturbing. My friend’s son who is 11 years old, he thinks that kissing is gross and most children his age feel similarly,” she added.

Wong calls the book a “sex manual for kids.”theprimrod/Instagram

“They have this natural awkwardness around sexual things, a natural aversion, which is a protective mechanism and material like this is an attempt to destroy that.”

Following the program airing, listeners took to Twitter to criticize Fordham over his choice of guest, describing Wong as a “right-wing anti-trans campaigner” and Issa, the man behind the video, as an “anti-vax conspiracist and men’s rights activist.”

The Twitter account, Alternate Media Watchers, said the segment was “disgraceful.”

Twitter users criticized Fordham and Wong, calling Wong a “right-wing anti-trans campaigner” and Fordham an “anti-vax conspiracist and men’s right activist.”theprimrod/Instagram

“This morning platforming a right wing anti-trans campaigner about child sex education & a litany of moral panic from callers about a book providing comprehensive sexual education material which is proven to reduce the likelihood of child sexual abuse,” its tweet read.

An additional tweet slammed the radio program for playing Issa’s video, which contained the accusation there was an “LGBT+ agenda coming after kids”, and tagging him in social media posts of the segment.

Fordham closed the segment with the demand for Big W and Target to “get this book out of your stores.”

Some parents are welcoming the book as a resource for their children. iStockphoto/Getty Images

Despite a wave of negative feedback, many parents have welcomed the book and said they were eager to introduce it to their children.

“Will be adding this to the resource pile, strongly believe I’m talk early, talk often & openly approach,” a follower of Stynes said of the book.

“This is great! My daughter is six but I’ll get your book anyway. I’m curious to read it,” another said.

“Congratulations! This is incredible. As a teacher, I am very much looking forward to purchasing this for book to have a look through & recommend to parents,” someone else wrote.

Both authors have been contacted by news.com.au for comment.

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Why some people are mosquito magnets — and how to avoid the pesky bugs

It’s summertime and you know what that means: the dreaded mosquitoes are out to play.

If you’ve ever wondered why it seems like you’re the only person at the outdoor party getting bit by the pesky creatures, you’re not alone.

A new YouTube video by the American Chemical Society in its “Reactions” series explores how chemicals on people’s skin make them mosquito magnets.

A study published in the journal Cell in October 2022 found that people with higher levels of carboxylic acids — a type of fatty acid — on their skin are more attractive to mosquitoes.

“The researchers had participants wear fashion-forward nylon stockings on their arms to collect their sebum and then set up a chamber where aedes aegypti (yellow fever) mosquitoes could choose between differently scented nylons,” noted “Reactions” host Alex Dainis, who earned a Ph.D. in genetics from Stanford University.

Mosquitoes are attracted to your skin scent, according to a new video from the American Chemical Society.Getty Images

Alex Dainis explained why mosquitoes are drawn to some people more than others. @ACSReactions/YouTube

“And the choice was strong,” Dainis continued. “Those of us who are mosquito magnets, we really, truly are magnetic to them because they chose our scent way more than others.”

Dainis explained that the study considered the differences between “strong attractors,” people who tend to get bitten more, and “weak attractors,” people who don’t feel their wrath nearly as much.

“Researchers found that there were several different carboxylic acids that showed up more on the skin of strong attractors than the weak attractors,” she said. “Specifically, the strong attractors produced significantly higher levels of three carboxylic acids.”

The three carboxylic acids are pentadecanoic, heptadecanoic and nonadecanoic acids.

Ten other unidentified compounds in the same class of chemicals were identified on the skin of strong attractors as well.

Mosquitoes can be attracted to the chemicals on your skin. @ACSReactions/YouTube

“Those of us who are mosquito magnets, we really, truly are magnetic to them because they chose our scent way more than others,” Dainis said in the video clip. Getty Images/iStockphoto

According to Science Direct, pentadecanoic and heptadecanoic acid levels are tied to intake of dairy fat.

Nonadecanoic acid, meanwhile, is a fatty acid commonly found in fat and vegetable oils, per Cayman Chemical.

Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky, a dermatologist in Mississippi, seconded Dainis’ points, telling The Post, “The type and volume of a particular bacteria on the skin can increase the chance of mosquito bites.”

She referenced a study published in December 2011 in the journal PLOS ONE.

“One study found that those individuals who were more attractive to the mosquitoes had a significantly higher abundance of a particular bacteria, but lower diversity of bacteria overall, on their skin,” Zubritsky, who goes by @dermguru on TikTok, noted to The Post on Tuesday.

Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky, a dermatologist in Mississippi, seconded Dainis’ assertions.Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

“The type and volume of a particular bacteria on the skin can increase the chance of mosquito bites,” Zubritsky told The Post. @ACSReactions/YouTube

The American Chemical Society video also includes information from a study published in May in the journal Current Biology.

This research found butyric, isobutyric and isovaleric acids are among the most mosquito-friendly acids.

Dainis pointed out that one study participant’s body odor was found to have a large amount of eucalyptol — a main component of the more commonly known eucalyptus oil — which made them unattractive to mosquitoes.

Foods like rosemary, sage, cardamom and sweet basil contain eucalyptol, according to the Telegraph. The ingredient is also present in certain kinds of toothpaste and mouthwash.

“This is just one person, so it’s just a hypothesis, but could eucalyptol in diets help keep mosquitoes away? Maybe,” Dainis mused.

Having a large amount of eucalyptol on your body may divert mosquitoes. @ACSReactions/YouTube

Dainis is not exactly sure if having eucalyptus in your diet can really make a difference. @ACSReactions/YouTube

In addition to skin scents, there are a handful of other reasons why some people are more likely to get the itchy bites than others.

“Those who exercise more frequently, for example, produce more sweat, which contains things like lactic and uric acid, which is more attractive to the mosquitoes,” Zubritsky told The Post. “It also depends on one’s skin microbiome — some people have different types or levels of bacteria on the skin, which can attract more mosquitoes.”

She continued: “Mosquitoes are also attracted to carbon dioxide, so those who expel more air and breathe harder (think those who have a larger BMI) are at risk. Other risk factors include pregnancy, genetics and blood type (Type O is more likely to attract bites).”

Pregnancy can also be another factor in why mosquitoes bite. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Sometimes mosquito bites are simply unavoidable, but the good news is there are a few things in your control.

Zubritsky recommends wearing a bug repellent that contains 20% to 30% DEET or picaridin.

She suggests covering exposed areas with long sleeves and pants. Tucking in your shirt also provides extra protection.

If mosquitoes still manage to find you this summer, the dermatologist advises quick fixes to help ease that itch.

“For bug bites, I find the most effective treatment is an over-the-counter topical steroid like hydrocortisone or taking an oral antihistamine such as Zyrtec, Benadryl or Claritin,” Zubritsky told The Post.

“I also recommend an anti-itch cream containing menthol or pramoxine, like Sarna lotion or CeraVe anti-itch.”

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I got naked with Madonna in college — and have the pics to tell the tale

Before Madonna was vogueing across the world, she was a 19-year-old dance student at the University of Michigan.

For the first time, her ballet classmate and fling Peter Kentes, now 72, is sharing his story about his relationship with the “flirty” global icon — which even included a naked shower together.

He is also revealing rarely-before-seen, intimate images and video of her from their college days — circa 1978 — as she currently battles a shocking health crisis that delayed her much-anticipated world tour.

The photos are a far cry from the superstar image she built over her four-decade career, with her latest feat — a self-congratulatory tour nodding to her body of work, aptly called “Celebration” — disrupted by a bacterial infection and hospitalization last month.

In pictures obtained by The Post, the pre-fame Madonna poses for Kentes’ camera in a red and yellow floral print dress with white crew socks and pink ballet flats.

Kentes, who still teaches dance at the university, was a 28-year-old graduate student at the time and had cast Madonna in his thesis performance.

Madonna at age 19, photographed by Peter Kentes.Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes was an instructor at the University of Michigan where Madonna was studying dance. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes told The Post on Tuesday that he took pictures of each dancer included in his piece outside against a brick wall.

In one of the images, Madonna playfully bends over, exposing her blue underwear to the sky.

“She was very willing to be photographed,” Kentes told The Post. “She was very open and very trusting. I thought the results were great and have always thought those shots were really exceptional.

“Madonna danced in front of the audience as those photographs were projected on the wall behind her during the performance,” he added.

Kentes pictured in the 1970s.Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

While Kentes and Madonna were friends, he also found the soon-to-be-rising star’s “energy” and “very outspoken” ways to be quite attractive.

“She was a workaholic with intense physical energy,” he recalled.

“Instead of just sitting around, she’d be doing things like pushups, working on her body, stretching and so forth,” he claimed. “She seemed more like she was there for the dancing and less for the academics, although she was a very good student.”

These rare pictures of Madonna were taken in the late 1970s. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes claimed he and Madonna shared a few romantic kisses.Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes added that Madge was very flirtatious with “most everyone” — but said the two connected on another level.

“I think the fact that we’re both sort of different — and she was a little different — made us sort of attracted to each other,” he explained.

“Her sort of brashness, you know, I just found that quite endlessly entertaining, and it didn’t really put me off like it did with some of the other older dancers.”

The Post has contacted representatives for Madonna for comment.

Kentes claimed Madonna was always “brash.”Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes made Madonna an astrological chart that predicted her successful career. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes also claimed that he and the future “Express Yourself” superstar shared a few romantic moments.

“We were not lovers — we did take a shower together,” he confessed. “And we did kiss.”

He admitted that he “would’ve taken it further,” and while a long-term relationship was “appealing,” Kentes knew it wouldn’t last.

“I thought, ‘Her ego is always going to be first and what I do will be second,’ and that’s not what I wanted,” stated Kentes, who also went dancing at nightclubs with her and other dance students.

Still, the duo had lots of fun together, as exhibited in one of Kentes’ anecdotes.

“We performed together as a touring company doing liturgical dances,” he told The Post.

“We were rehearsing for a performance in this large church. And she said, ‘Peter, what’s your address?’ So I told her but wondered why she’d want that.

He still has a valentine he says he received from Madonna. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes had no doubt Madonna would be successful in the entertainment industry. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

“A week later, I started getting calls from the church because she had filled out one of those guest forms in my name. So I was getting calls about joining the church.

“It was funny stuff like that, you know?” Kentes laughed. “She’s a jokester and trickster. She’s very entertaining and fun to be around.”

Kentes said he hasn’t spoken to Madonna since driving her to the airport in 1979 when she booked a one-way ticket to New York City to try and make it in showbiz.

Kentes also shared a video of Madonna dancing. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Madonna was a freshman looking to move to New York and become a star. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

However, he and Madonna both kept in contact with their former ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn.

Before Flynn died in 1990, he apparently told Kentes about the Material Girl: “She hasn’t changed a bit. She’s still our Madonna.”

“I took his word on it,” Kentes told The Post.

Kentes is pictured in 2014. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Madonna is recovering from a bacterial infection. Instagram/@madonna

Madonna recently postponed the United States leg of her highly anticipated “Celebration” tour as she continues to recover from her recent unexpected health crisis.

The “Express Yourself” singer told European fans she’d be back onstage come October, and she is currently still scheduled to bring the show to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Dec. 13 and 14.

Despite the extensive disruption, Kentes has faith that his former flame will keep her promises.

Kentes revealed that he and Madonna once took a nude shower together. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

Kentes knew he and Madonna couldn’t have a long-term romantic relationship because of her “ego.”Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

The “Like a Prayer” singer showed off her early dance moves in college. Peter Kentes/Coleman-Rayner

“She’ll conquer the health issue and make sure she puts on the tour,” he said. “She’s the kind of person that is most herself when she’s performing on stage, so she’s got to get back on stage.

“I think she’ll do everything she can to do it. She’ll make a comeback.”

And when the US tour dates are rescheduled, Kentes said he plans on attending a show.

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Military recruit considers resignation after being forced to shower with trans women with full male genitalia: report

 An 18-year-old military recruit forced to shower with biological males as part of the Biden administration’s transgender policies is complaining about being placed in an “extremely uncomfortable position.” 

The report was first raised at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday. The girl is afraid to speak out of fear it will harm her career, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told Fox News Digital in an interview. Her options were slim and included resigning from her early-career position. 

It was believed raising the matter in a complaint could have harmful impacts on the new recruit’s military career. 

According to Rounds, the military recruit, 18, is complaining about being forced to sleep in between “two individuals who were supposedly changing from male to female.” The girl also has to shower with the individuals and reported significant distress about the matter. The individuals housed with the 18-year-old had initiated chemical interventions to change genders, but without having reassignment surgery, their genitalia were fully intact. 

Rounds said heard about the matter from the attorney general of the South Dakota National Guard. 

“He had contacted our office very concerned about the information he had received from the recruit,” Rounds said. “The respect that this young recruit should have received and the privacy that she should have had, she was being deprived of.” 

The Pentagon released a statement to Fox News Digital, which said, “DoD policy is that all Service members must be treated with dignity and respect. We would encourage any troop who’s feeling uncomfortable or has concerns about privacy in shared spaces to work through their chain of command. Commanders may employ reasonable accommodations to respect the privacy interests of Service members.”

A new female military recruit complains after being forced to shower with transgender women who had not had reassignment surgery, according to Sen. Rounds.Getty Images/iStockphoto

As for the girl’s recourse for the discomforting living situation, the senator said “her options were not good.”

“She could have basically resigned or stepped away. She could have started over again. But nonetheless, it was an extremely uncomfortable position. And I think this is one of the reasons why we’re not meeting our recruitment goals now,” he said. 

When asked whether other women in the military may be experiencing similar discomforting scenarios due to the transgender policies in place, Sen. Rounds pointed to the Biden administration’s failure to meet recruitment goals. 

The “recruitment crisis” is partially due to Biden’s “woke agenda that we now see coming down by executive order,” Rounds said.

“This seems to be a direct correlation between when the President of the United States issued the executive order making these changes and directing the Department of Defense to integrate… individuals who were transgender and how they should be perceived within the military,” he said. 

“Most of the focus [under the Biden administration] is on the transgender individuals, not on the individuals who are working with them.” 

President Biden reversed the Trump-era ban on transgender people serving in the military when he first took office. The Biden administration, at the time, stressed that the U.S. military “thrives” when it is composed of diverse Americans who can “meet the rigorous standards for military service,” and added that “an inclusive military strengthens our national security.”

“President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a bar to military service, and that America’s strength is found in its diversity,” the White House said. “This question of how to enable all qualified Americans to serve in the military is easily answered by recognizing our core values.”

Under the definitions that Biden’s Department of Defense was using of what a woman vis-à-vis housing, etc., transgender individuals may be housed in female facilities even without genital surgery.

There are growing concerns about the U.S. military falling behind its recruitment goals. This year the Army is expected to end up 15,000 recruits short of its 65,000 goal. U.S. military chiefs continue to express concern that if recruiting numbers don’t improve the U.S. will not be able to face the next Great Power threat, or deal with two conflicts at the same time; Russia and China.

President Biden speaks at a pride event at the White House, which faced criticism after videos surfaced of topless transgender activists on the White House lawn.Nathan Howard/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

As for the next steps, Rounds will be speaking with the nominee to replace Chairman of the Join Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Charles Q. Brown. 

“I talked to Gen. Brown… it was the first time that he had heard of this incident as well,” he said. 

“I’ve already received a phone call from General Brown. He wants to discuss specifically this case. He wants more information. And I will take that call this next week from him, and we’ll see which direction he is recommending should he be confirmed as the chief of staff for the Department of Defense,” he said.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Liz Friden and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.  

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New Pixel 8 Pro leak suggests the series won’t see a huge leap in performance

New leaks have surfaced revealing what may be the specs for Google’s upcoming flagship smartphone; the Pixel 8 Pro.

This information comes from industry insider Yogesh Brar on Twitter. According to Brar, the device will sport a 6.7-inch Quad HD Plus LTPO (low-temperature Polycrystalline oxide) OLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The triple camera system will consist of a 50MP main lens, 64MP ultra-wide, and a 48MP telephoto option for up-close photography. The main camera will also have OIS (optical image stabilization) for keeping the imagery steady and sharp. The selfie camera is set to host an 11MP lens. Powering everything is a 4,950mAh battery supporting fast charging up to 27W.

The internal hardware is rather interesting. Under the hood, the Pixel 8 Pro will reportedly run on the Google Tensor G3 SoC (system on a chip) alongside a Titan chip to protect sensitive information. The RAM is capped at 12GB. There will be two storage options at launch: 128GB and 256GB. The screen is said to host an ultrasonic fingerprint reader. 

There’s even a mention of a temperature sensor adding further validity to a leak from May which stated the Pixel 8 Pro will have a built-in thermometer below the rear camera. We do question if such a feature warrants inclusion. It’s not the worst idea in the world, but is it something that people want on their phones? It seems to be a tech better suited for smartwatches, in our opinion.  

Mostly a rehash

If any of this sounds familiar to you, that’s because these specs are very familiar to what you find on the Pixel 7 Pro. The older device has the same LTPO OLED screen, meaning the rumored Pixel 8 Pro could also output a resolution of 3,120 x 1,440 pixels. Memory is the same. Storage options are the same. The Pixel 7 Pro even has an in-screen fingerprint reader (although it’s an optical sensor and not ultrasonic).

There are a few upgrades, of course, with the addition of the Tensor G3 chip being the most notable. There is some hype surrounding the new SoC as it could introduce a big boost in gaming performance. Ultra-wide and up-close photographs taken by a Pixel 8 Pro may look even better thanks to the improved lenses. Plus the upcoming flagship phone potentially has a slightly bigger battery meaning it’ll probably last a bit longer.

Analysis: Keeping it modest

Regarding the leak, we’re of two minds. On one hand, Google is repackaging an admittedly great smartphone while fixing a couple of things. Macros Focus on the Pixel 7 Pro didn’t amaze us nor did the battery life. But the company is possibly granting mostly everything on our Pixel 8 wish list. We would like to know if the software support will go beyond five years.

On the other hand, it may disappoint current Pixel owners hoping for a major upgrade or interested people looking for a reason to jump ship. It seems like Google is choosing to play it safe with its next-gen mobile device over knocking the socks off people.

As with any leak, take everything you see with a grain of salt. Things could change at the last minute. Hopefully, Google decides to do more than simply roll out a modestly upgraded Pixel 7 Pro and does something to wow us. Either way, we’ll know for sure when the Pixel 8 Pro probably releases later this year. The launch date is expected to be sometime in October.

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David Tennant Says Good Omens 2 Has ‘Two Supernaturals And A Baby’ Vibe [Exclusive]

It’s no secret that “Good Omens” fans have widely interpreted Crowley and Aziraphale’s centuries-long friendship as romantic, and the new season seems to be leaning into that with a cheeky heart-shaped-wings poster and a moment in the trailer that features Aziraphale getting flustered when asked if he had someone special in his life. When the season opens, though, it sounds like the pair is just beginning to explore what the world looks like when they don’t have to pretend to be enemies. “I mean Crowley’s living in the back of his car, which isn’t ideal,” Tennant says, “but they’re bumping along, and they can spend time together with less of the threat of being told off for it.”

Sheen calls the sudden appearance of Gabriel “a brilliant device,” noting that his appearance is certainly disruptive to Crowley and Aziraphale, who he says “are like a married couple, even though they’re a very odd couple, they do complement each other in all kinds of ways.” Tennant calls their scenario something akin to “two supernaturals and a baby,” a play on words from the ’80s comedy “Three Men And A Baby.” In that film, three bachelors find themselves in comical disarray when a baby shows up on their doorstep. For Crowley and Aziraphale, it seems like the last thing they would expect. “They suddenly have this person who’s dependent on them,” Sheen says. “It was a brilliant idea to have Gabriel suddenly show up with apparently no memory of who he is and to have them have to look after him and deal with him.”

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Valerie Bertinelli responds to critic who said she’s had Botox: ‘You’re trying to shame me’

Valerie Bertinelli is responding to a social media user who commented on her appearance.

In videos shared to Instagram and TikTok on Sunday, a social media user wrote, “The Botox looks great.” Bertinelli did not take that as a nice comment and dedicated a video to share her experience getting Botox.

“I know you didn’t mean that as a compliment, but let’s talk about it, shall we?” Bertinelli began the candid video. “I have tried Botox.” 

She continued, “I’m going to try to find a picture of why I hated it.” Bertinelli proceeded to pull up a photo of her from six years ago.

HOW VALERIE BERTINELLI RECLAIMED HER LIFE AFTER ‘WICKED’ DIVORCE: ‘I’M FREE’

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“As you can see from that picture, it doesn’t look like me,” she continued. “It sort of like changed the shape of my eyebrows. And what I thought it was going to do was help me with my genetically puffy eyes. They’ve always annoyed me. I’ve always wanted those deep-set eyes. Don’t have ’em. Never going to get ’em. So, just live with it.”

Valerie Bertinelli responded to a TikTok user who commented on her appearance. (John Lamparski)

The Food Network star added that she hasn’t consumed alcohol “basically this whole year,” because she thought it was making her eyes puffy. “I still have puffy eyes,” Bertinelli clarified.

The “Hot in Cleveland” actress then got into the whole purpose behind her making a video to reply to a single comment.

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“This is why I wanted to talk about your comment,” Bertinelli said. “Because you’re trying to shame me, and you’re a woman. Like, what made you go out of your way to try to shame me? And I’m not the first person to try to be shamed on TikTok or Instagram or any place. 

“So, we’re women. We have to stick together, OK? Don’t shame somebody if they want to do something, anything, to make themselves feel better as they go out into this insane, flippin’ crazy world, OK?”

Valerie Bertinelli made a TikTok video, responding to the comment and said, “What made you go out of your way to try to shame me?” (Nathan Congleton/NBC)

She continued, “Some people can do Botox, it looks amazing on them. I am not one of them, unfortunately, or I would’ve kept doing it. But thankfully, it faded. I couldn’t wait for it to fade.”

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Bertinelli added that in her TikTok video, she was using a filter that blurred her skin a bit. Removing the filter, she said, “It kind of softens everything, including my undereye circles. I get good sleep, I get bad sleep.”

Valerie Bertinelli admitted that she has tried Botox in the past but didn’t like how it changed her appearance. (Getty Images)

She said that she has taken to supplements, including magnesium and melatonin, to help promote a good night’s rest. Despite sleeping well the night before her video, Bertinelli still said that she woke up with dark circles under her eyes.

“Genetics!” Bertinelli explained. “So, let’s not shame people. We’re all in this together!” 

In the caption of her post, Bertinelli also emphasized to not “shame the commentor”: “Let’s all just talk about it and BE KIND.”

Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.

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