Khloe Kardashian’s Latest Instagram Shows How Much Pain She’s Going Through

maandag 30 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Ericka Sóuter 4 hours ago

The last few months have been filled with heartache for Khloe Kardashian. She has been dogged by reports of husband Lamar Odom's cheating (with more than one woman) and crack binges. Even the strongest marriages couldn't survive a nightmare like that. What's worse, she has gone through his misery with the world rabidly watching every single second of it. Well, Khloe let us all know what we can expect from her as this drama continues to unfold. In her most revealing and poignant Instagram post to date, she shared this ...

Those eight simple words tell it all. This was probably the best response Khloe could have ever given at this point. She won’t explain what happened to the world because she probably can’t even explain it to herself. No one gets married thinking that one day the romance will crash and burn in a haze of seedy headlines. Sure, she tied the knot with Lamar after only dating 30 days. Most people didn't think it would last four months, much less four years. For a period of time, she seemed to be the Kardashian sister with the fairy tale romance -- sweet guy, totally in love, etc.

We are understandably intrigued by her imploding marriage. After all, they have given us front row seats to their lives. But even she finally acknowledges that some things aren’t for the cameras. Now she needs to figure out what went wrong and come to terms with it in her own time. That could mean going through a divorce or trying to piece their marriage back together. However this ends, I hope she finds the answers she is looking for.

What do you think of Khloe's Instagram?

Images via khloekardashian/Instagram & Getty

Click the "Like" button below if you're Krazy for the Kardashians! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ericka Sóuter

is a veteran pop culture and celeb news writer. That experience boils down to two things: she knows way too much about the Kardashians and she dominates on Trivial Pursuit's arts and entertainment questions.

More
?

reacties | | Read More...

5 Things All Women Need to Know Before Going on a Diet

donderdag 26 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Emily Abbate 2 hours ago

Here on The Stir, I talk often about health and fitness. I've told you all about my 70-pound weight loss and got personal when I put some of the weight back on a few months back. I've dished about my running tips for newbies and have tackled some wacky workouts (stilettos, anyone?). With that said, I have a soft spot for people who ask me for workout and diet advice. Not because I'm some registered dietitian (I'm not), but because I've been there.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend who told me she's just starting a weight loss journey of her own, and it made me nostalgic. I remember feeling trapped in my own overweight body. I remember how jealous I was that so many of my friends swapped clothes while I was stuck in my size 16 jeans. I remember how HARD it was to skip over French fries (FYI: that doesn't get easier after weight loss).

With all this said, I had some advice for her. Thus I present you with the 5 things I wish someone told me before I began my weight loss journey.

1. You need to make smaller goals. If you don't, your ultimate goal will feel unobtainable. Like I mentioned, I dropped 70 pounds. That's a lot to visualize when you're still walking around carrying that weight. I made an effort to set smaller goals for myself, and reward myself when I obtained them. When I lost a chunk of my weight, I was on Weight Watchers, and I made sure that every time I hit a body weight percentage milestone, I rewarded myself with a manicure and pedicure.

2. There are leggings that prevent that chaffing thing down there: How I never knew these existed until AFTER I trained for my first two half marathons astounds me. Buy yourself a pair of GREAT workout pants. Screw it, buy three pairs. If you need suggestions, you can look at our workout bottom roundup.

3. If you cut things out entirely, you'll regret it: I guess some people can do this. I could not, and that's why Weight Watchers worked so well for me. I needed to be able to have that occasional piece of chocolate, that latte on a cold winter afternoon. Those sweet indulgences every once in a while made me feel normal, they made me happy, and they didn't stop my progress.

4. Exercise doesn't have to suck: I used to go to the gym back in college and dread that 45-minute chunk of time on the elliptical. I was convinced, though, that if I didn't do it, I wouldn't lose weight. Newsflash: there are a bazillion different ways to get active. Don't waste your time doing one that makes you unhappy. My best tip? Try getting in the pool if high-intensity workouts hurt your joints to reduce tension. It's a good way to ease in to being active for someone who hasn't exactly been a star athlete.

More from The Stir: 12 Sports Bras Face Our Intense Test: Which Ones Beat the Bounce? (PHOTOS)

5. Just because you're dieting doesn't mean you have to put your social life on pause: I get it. Going out with your friends is a massive temptation, and if you're dieting, you're probably worried about overeating or drinking too much. Just because you want to lose weight doesn't mean that you have to hide tucked away in your room, though. Be easy on yourself. If you're someone who feels awkward without a drink in your hand at a bar or dinner party, grab a seltzer. Want it to look like an alcoholic drink? Throw in a splash of cranberry juice or a lime. Socialize, have fun, and don't let your weight loss stop you from living your life.

Do you have any tips for someone starting a long-term diet?

?

reacties | | Read More...

10 Surprising Ways to Use Nutella That Will Have You Going Hazel-Nuts

zaterdag 21 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Adriana Velez 17 hours ago

I may be just a little bit obsessed with chocolate and hazelnut spreads like Nutella. It's totally justifiable, though. Chocolate! And hazelnuts! Together! One of the all-time greatest couples ever in the history of eating. Honestly, there are days when I think to myself, "Why aren't I eating more Nutella?" (Actually, I like this other chocolate-hazelnut spread because it's made with less sugar -- but unfortunately it's not as smooth.) Anyhoo! You've probably encountered plenty of Nutella recipes in your life, so we don't have to tell you about the crepes and the cakes and the ice creams. Here are 10 other Nutella ideas you may not have already heard about. Enjoy ...

1. S'mores. I invented this over the summer. Take an Oreo-type cookie and scrape out that white gunk. Spread with Nutella and add a few mini-marshmallows. Wrap in foil and either bake or grill for a few moments. Unwrap, eat, and die of deliciousness.

2. Easy cheesecake. Because you don't have time to turn on the oven, here's a no-bake nutella cheesecake recipe.

3. Pudding. Nutella pudding, get in my mouf. Now.

4. Fudge. This sea salt and Nutella fudge recipe is one of those things you didn't even know you wanted until you found out it exists.

5. Churros. This recipe for Nutella churros looks ingenious. If it's too much trouble for you, though, I suppose you could just buy some churros and dip them into Nutella.

6. Oatmeal. Your breakfast looks too healthy. Clearly you need to try this Nutella-pecan oatmeal recipe.

7. Rocky road. This Nutella rocky road tart recipe is a metaphor for life. Sometimes your life path is rocky and challenging ... but eat this and you'll be okay. Sorry, I was reaching for something more profound than that. But I got distracted.

8. Strawberries. You could dip strawberries into Nutella, just like you could dip just about anything. But if you have the patience, try stuffing strawberries with Nutella.

9. In a squeeze bottle. No, that doesn't exist yet. Nutella made a prototype but it didn't catch on because you'd end up with Nutella that can't be squeezed out. Obviously the solution to this problem is to cut the bottle in half and scrape it out with a knife. Anyway, you can make your own by washing out used ketchup bottle, or buy a squeeze bottle from a baking specialty store.

10. Straight-up. Open the jar. Take a spoon and eat the Nutella directly from the jar. When you're done, affix a label to the lid reading, "Mom's eat-directly-from-the-jar Nutella." Now you don't have to share. Okay, fine, you've probably already heard of this idea before. But the label idea is my original idea!

What do you like to do with Nutella?

Image via Emily Hildebrand/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

More
?

reacties | | Read More...

Khloe Kardashian’s Latest Selfie May Show She's Going to Let Lamar Off the Hook (PHOTO)

dinsdag 10 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Nicole Fabian-Weber 3 hours ago

I don't think I'd be out of line if I said Khloe Kardashian seems like a "look on the bright side" kind of person. She's managed to keep the sense of humor we all know and love while her marriage to Lamar seems to be falling apart in front of the entire world -- and that's one of the many reasons we heart her. That's no easy feat, and most wouldn't handle such a situation with the poise and grace Khloe has. But Khloe's latest caption on a selfie she posted to Instagram is making me a wee bit nervous. Alongside a gorgeous pic of herself, looking as calm and collected as ever, Khloe added the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" emoji monkeys.

While, in theory, that's a lovely way to go through life, I'm not so sure "see no evil" is a philosophy Khloe ought to be adopting right now.

The sad truth is, she needs to have her guard up. Hope for the best, but expect the worst. I think the entire world would love to see everything hunky-dory with Lamar and Khloe, but from the sounds of things, they have a long road ahead of them if anything is going to work out. For Khloe to turn a blind eye now would be foolish and detrimental.

On the other hand, maybe Khloe's "see no evil" caption has nothing to do with what's going on with Lamar. Maybe she just thought the monkeys were cute, and I'm reading way too much into it.

That's definitely a possibility. But stay strong, Khlo!

Do you think Khloe and Lamar will mend their relationship?

Image via Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Click the "Like" button below if you're Krazy for the Kardashians!
?

reacties | | Read More...

Facebook Spammers' Obscene Earnings Mean Annoying Ads Aren't Going Away

vrijdag 30 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Linda Sharps 3 hours ago

Have you ever clicked over to check your Facebook feed only to get slapped in the eyeballs with a giant screaming ad for ACAI BERRY DIET ENDR0RSED BY DR OZ!!11!!! Of course you have, because as hard as Facebook works to get rid of scams, hoaxes, and malware, they can't keep up with the slimy bastards that are infiltrating the site.

I've wondered more than once why spam doesn't just disappear -- at this point, doesn't it seem like most of us are savvy enough to recognize a request to "Click here for a free iPhone!!" as the phony offer it is? But according to the data recently shared with The Guardian by a team of Italian security researchers, Facebook spam is here to stay. Because -- I hope you're sitting down for this -- spammers who post bogus links to Facebook pages are earning about $200 million per year for their efforts.

$200. MILLION. Hell, I might consider going into the spam business for that kind of cash.

These security experts say that spammers typically use link-shortening services such as TinyURL and bit.ly to mask the true destination of the link, and Google is raking in some cash from these scam artists' services, because about 9 percent of the spam pages they studied were using Google AdSense. But the real money goes to the folks who are busy posting those ripoff links:

The spam posters get paid an average of $13 per post for pages that have around 30,000 fans, up to an average of $58 to post on pages with more than 100,000 fans. If we consider these two as extremes, the pages we analyzed generate 18,000 posts per day, times the revenue per post — ranging from $13 to $58 — 365 days per year.

The average in earnings studied was just over $200 million annually. Sleazy third parties are paying the spammers to post these links, and the spammers themselves say they provide a valuable service. According to one spammer who spoke with the research team via Skype,

Every day, I materialize funny and interesting content full of phrases and so forth that is shared and liked by thousands of users. Without the fan pages, Facebook would be an empty place. Tell me how many links do you see shared by your friends on your Timeline every day? You see: The answer is simple.

Some spammers are setting up fake fan pages and start selling links once they've built enough enough Likes for the page. Others use aggregate websites to sell their "black marketing" talents -- they're freelance spam-creators.

It's bad enough to know people are making so much cash from this site-sullying practice, but the competition for profits really makes folks sink to despicable levels. Example: the research team actually found somebody who was selling a page dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Boston terrorist attack for $1,000.

As for Facebook, they say protecting its users is a "top priority," and they have a number of systems in place to identify potentially harmful links:

In the meantime, we have been blocking people from clicking through the links and have reported the bad browser extensions to the appropriate parties. We believe only a small percentage of our users were affected by this issue, and we are currently working with them to ensure that they've removed the bad browser extension. We will keep improving our systems to ensure that people continue to have a safe experience on Facebook.

They can keep trying, but as long as spammers are being rewarded so handsomely for their enterprising content creation and crummy links, they'll keep coming back.

Did you have any idea Facebook spammers could make this much money per year?

Image via spanishalex/Flickr

Click the "Like" button below to get Linda Sharps's stories on Facebook. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Linda Sharps

lives in Eugene, Oregon with her family, where she works from home while wrangling two rambunctious boys. She always has a caffeinated beverage in hand and a LEGO embedded in her foot.

More
?

reacties | | Read More...