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These may be the oldest olive trees in the world

Jeffrey Bailey — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 10:23:40 +0000

Olive trees are common in northern Lebanon, but in the village of Bshaaleh a handful look downright old. Their branches grow in wildly unpredictable directions, and the trees’ gray, gnarled trunks are pierced with holes and crevices large enough to hide a sleeping child. Many people believe that these sentinel trees are thousands of years old. They are known as “Noah trees” because of some people’s belief that the trees are the source of the olive branch carried by the dove back to Noah’s ark.

Scientists have now established a specific age for several Bshaaleh (also spelled Bchaaleh) trees and found that most are around 500 years old. But one, a colossus about 15 feet in diameter, is more than 1,100 years old. That is the oldest olive tree in the world, the team reported last month in the journal Dendrochronologia.

Not many other large olive trees have been reliably dated, despite the cultural, spiritual and economic importance of such trees in places like the Mediterranean. Scientifically determining the age of olive trees is a challenge, says J. Julio Camarero, a dendrochronologist at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology in Zaragoza, Spain, who led the study of the Bshaaleh trees. That’s because these trees often don’t have regular growth rings, he said. “The rings are not easy to see.”

Most tree species form annual growth rings. Researchers can count the number of rings in wood samples extracted from living specimens and accurately determine the age of a tree. This practice has spawned an entire subfield of scientific research known as dendrochronology. For example, studies based largely on analyzing tree rings have shed light on the timing of the Vikings’ arrival in what is now Newfoundland, and the craftsmanship of Antonio Stradivari, the Italian craftsman known for his stringed instruments.

But olive trees – which scientists have previously shown can live for hundreds of years – often have irregular or even missing annual rings. In addition, older olive trees may exhibit multiple trunks, hollowed interiors and other growth defects that make it difficult to determine their age. Even professional tree ring scientists have difficulty with olive trees: a previous study found that when different tree ring laboratories received samples of wood from the same olive trees, the laboratories reported tree ring numbers that varied by no less than a factor of three.

Given the difficulties associated with counting the rings of olive trees, researchers have tried this infer the ages of olive trees based on their diameters. Such age estimates can be uncertain, however, as soil fertility, climatic conditions and other factors can affect a tree’s growth. “Size is not the same as age,” said Dr. Camarero.

As a result, olive trees are generally under-researched, says Peter M. Brown, director of Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research, who was not involved in the new research. “No one has paid much attention to olives because of the difficulty in conducting proficiency testing with them.”

In 2018, several colleagues of Dr. Camarero to Bshaaleh, about 80 kilometers north of Beirut. With the permission of the village leaders, the researchers cut wood samples from eleven olive trees. The team would not count tree rings, so there was no need to continuously take a sample of wood, from the center of each tree to the bark. Instead, the researchers planned to use carbon-14 dating to assess the oldest wood from each tree.

But even collecting just the inner — and believed to be oldest — wood from the trees was a challenge, said Ramzi Touchan, an environmental scientist at the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, who led the sampling effort. In many cases, the centers of the trees had rotted away over time. “You can’t see the center,” Dr. Touchan said. In other cases, the trees were multi-stemmed and it was unclear where the oldest wood was located. Despite all the uncertainty, Dr. Touchan: “I wasn’t optimistic.”

Back at the University of Arizona, researchers extracted the carbon from each of the roughly half-centimeter samples. By comparing the relative abundance of two isotopes of carbon – carbon-12 and radioactive carbon-14 – the team concluded how much time had passed since that wood formed. Dr. Camarero and his collaborators obtained reliable age estimates for four trees: three were probably between 500 and 700 years old, and one was about 1,100 years old.

Those ages make sense, says Concepción Muñoz Díez, an agricultural engineer at the University of Cordoba in Spain, who was not involved in the study.

But it’s important to consider that Bshaaleh’s olive trees may have grown by attaching part of a tree to an existing root system, said Dr. Muñoz Díez.

“They don’t know if the trees have been grafted.”

The researchers may have accidentally collected wood from that older rootstock, said Dr. Muñoz Díez, a possibility considering that a grafted tree can grow a mixture of both rootstock and cultivar wood. In such a case, the established ages would be an overestimate, she said.

Although Dr. Camarero and his team couldn’t rule out the possibility that the trees had been grafted, he said the opposite conclusion could also be drawn: The ages he and his team recovered could also be an underestimate if the samples came from the cultivar wood. .

Whatever their actual age, the olive trees are living treasures for the people of Bshaaleh.

“They represent the cultural heritage of the residents of Bshaaleh and serve as a source of pride and a symbol of local identity,” said Rachid Geagea, owner and caretaker of one of the trees and former mayor of Bshaaleh.

Every fall, he said, village residents gather near the trees to harvest that year’s fruit. By hand or with devices that resemble fluttering rakes, the villagers collect hundreds of kilos of green- and purple-tinged olives. Some of that fruit is saved to be eaten, and some is pressed into oil.

People are sometimes disappointed when trees don’t turn out to be as old as expected, says Mauro Bernabei, a dendrochronologist at Italy’s National Research Council who was not involved in the study. “It’s almost automatic that when you see these kinds of majestic trees, you say they are millennial.”

But assigning an age to a tree doesn’t change its value, said Dr. Muñoz Díez. “For those of us who already know, cherish and love them, age is a small detail.”

Rachelle Alwan contributed reporting from Beirut, Lebanon.

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Eva Longoria dazzles in a sexy nude corset and a sequinned suit while Lili Reinhart opts for an olive satin dress as they join Danielle Brooks at the 17th Annual Women in Film Oscar Nominees Party

Sabir Ansary — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 09:07:32 +0000

Eva Longoria looked incredible as she led the stars at the 17th Annual Women in Film Oscar Nominees Party on Friday.

At the event held at Catch Steak in Los Angeles, the Desperate Housewives star, 48, showed off her chic sense of style in a tan bustier teamed with high-rise, black trousers and a satin belt.

Over her stylish and sexy ensemble, she wore a blazer with sequined lapels over her shoulders.

The Flamin’ Hot director — who is joining the cast of Only Murders in the Building for season four — completed her look with pair of pointy pumps.

She was joined by Lili Reinhart, 27, and Danielle Brooks, 34, as they led the stars on the red carpet.

She styled her brunette tresses in voluminous, bouncy curls and donned a pair of diamond-encrusted hoop earrings to match the sparkling details in her outfit.

For makeup, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine vet donned a flattering look featuring full lashes, peach-toned blush and a warm caramel brown lip gloss.

On the red carpet, Longoria posed with her former co-star on her sitcom Telenovela.

Diana-Maria Riva, 54, looked dazzling in a royal blue, satin jumpsuit with a strapless style top and glittering platform heels.

Longoria also posed with legendary songwriter Diane Warren both on the red carpet and inside the event.

Reinhart looked stunning as she posed on the red carpet in an eye-catching, monochromatic green outfit.

The Riverdale alum donned an olive green bustier layered over a silk button-down.

She modeled a flowing, floor-sweeping green skirt with loose suspender straps.

The actress looked effortlessly chic with her usually long blonde hair styled in a dark, slicked back hairstyle and opted for a smoky eye and a bubblegum pink pout.

Over her stylish and sexy ensemble, she wore a blazer with sequined lapels over her shoulders

The Flamin’ Hot director — who is joining the cast of Only Murders in the Building for season four — completed her look with pair of pointy pumps. She styled her brunette tresses in voluminous, bouncy curls and donned a pair of diamond-encrusted hoop earrings to match the sparkling details in her outfit

For makeup, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine vet donned a flattering look featuring full lashes, peach-toned blush and a warm caramel brown lip gloss

On the red carpet, Longoria posed with her former co-star on her sitcom Telenovela. Diana-Maria Riva, 54, looked dazzling in a royal blue, satin jumpsuit with a strapless style top and glittering platform heels

She also posed with legendary songwriter Diane Warren on the red carpet

The pair also posed for a snap inside of the event, where they were seen sharing a sweet hug

The Riverdale alum donned an olive green bustier layered over a silk button-down. She modeled a flowing, floor-sweeping green skirt with loose suspender straps

The actress looked effortlessly chic with her usually long blonde hair styled in a dark, slicked back hairstyle and opted for a smoky eye and a bubblegum pink pout

Kelly Rowland was also spotted at the event when she was departing the star-studded bash with her husband Tim Weatherspoon. The Destiny’s Child singer looked fabulous in a sexy black gown and a cozy fleece trench coat

Brooks looked glamorous in an edgy-chic dress featuring a wrapped blazer style top and a midi skirt tied together with lace-up details and silver grommets.

The Color Purple sported a pair of clear sandals with shimmering rhinestone straps.

She accessorized with a metallic statement necklace as well as a flower brooch to celebrate her nomination.

Kelly Rowland was also spotted at the event when she was departing the star-studded bash with her husband Tim Weatherspoon.

The Destiny’s Child singer looked fabulous in a sexy black gown and a cozy fleece trench coat.

Brittany Snow, 38, looked stunning at the bash in a black gown covered in shimmering metallic beads.

The X star sported strappy heels and completed her look with a slicked back bun.

Dylan Mulvaney, 27, put on an elegant display in a Tiffany blue chiffon cape dress.

The social media personality paired the stunning garment with metallic strappy heels and a silver shoulder bag.

She styled her platinum blonde waves in a half-up and half-down look and wore pale blue eyeshadow to match her dress.

Brittany Snow, 38, looked stunning at the bash in a black gown covered in shimmering metallic beads. The X star sported strappy heels and completed her look with a slicked back bun. Dylan Mulvaney, 27, put on an elegant display in a Tiffany blue chiffon cape dress. The social media personality paired the stunning garment with metallic strappy heels and a silver shoulder bag

Nicky Hilton Rothschild also attended the bash in a stylish ensemble. She wore a semi-sheer, tan sweater with a snakeskin knee-length skirt and burgundy, patent leather pumps

Her mother Kathy Hilton was also seen at the party although the pair did not pose together on the red carpet. The reality star looked dazzling in a navy blue satin blouse teamed with a chic, black blazer and a sparkling, pleated midi skirt. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum was also joined by her former co-star Garcelle Beauvais — who put on a bold display as she rocked a head-to-toe leopard-printed outfit

Nicky Hilton Rothschild also attended the bash in a stylish ensemble.

She wore a semi-sheer, tan sweater with a snakeskin knee-length skirt and burgundy, patent leather pumps.

She threw up her silky blonde tresses into a half-up bun and accessorized with dainty gold jewelry.

Her mother Kathy Hilton was also seen at the party although the pair did not pose together on the red carpet.

The reality star looked dazzling in a navy blue satin blouse teamed with a chic, black blazer and a sparkling, pleated midi skirt.

She paired her all-black look with velvet heels with bedazzled star and moon details, which also matched her sparkling statement jewelry.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum was also joined by her former co-star Garcelle Beauvais — who put on a bold display as she rocked a head-to-toe leopard-printed outfit.

Celine Song looked effortlessly chic in an oversize black trench coat layered over a classic white button-down and baggy trousers. Diane Warren looked incredible in a black turtleneck with glittering red lipstick kiss designs, which matched her bold sneakers

Jane Seymour looked red hot in a strapless minidress layered with a satin waterfall-style skirt and matching pumps. The Harry Wild actress was a bombshell with her light brunette tresses in a silky blowout hairstyle

Kate Flannery put on an elegant display for the party and modeled a deep purple dress layered with a matching black, short-sleeved blazer. The Office star sported brown suede pumps and rocked a hot pink lip

On the red carpet, Flannery was seen posing with Betsy Brandt — who oped for a polkadot, all-black ensemble for the star-studded bash. The Breaking Bad star carried a sparkling clutch purse and sported pointed-toe Mary Jane heels

The Breaking Bad star carried a sparkling clutch purse and sported pointed-toe Mary Jane heels

She layered a blazer over a mock-neck gown and completed her look with a woven, gold handbag and matching heels.

Celine Song looked effortlessly chic in an oversize black trench coat layered over a classic white button-down and baggy trousers.

The writer-director of Past Lives completed her look with a pair of chunky, patent leather dress shoes and wore a white flower brooch as well.

Diane Warren looked incredible in a black turtleneck with glittering red lipstick kiss designs, which matched her bold sneakers.

The Fire Inside songwriter paired the top with a pinstriped blazer and dark skinny jeans as well as a flower brooch to celebrate her nomination.

Jane Seymour looked red hot in a strapless minidress layered with a satin waterfall-style skirt and matching pumps.

The Harry Wild actress was a bombshell with her light brunette tresses in a silky blowout hairstyle.

Kate Flannery put on an elegant display for the party and modeled a deep purple dress layered with a matching black, short-sleeved blazer.

Jameela Jamil looked fabulous in a figure-hugging blue dress with a corset-style bodice. The Good Place actress matched the black details in her dress with a pair of pointy pumps and completed her look with a dark magenta lip

Selenis Levya looked fabulous in a sheeny, animal print dress. The Orange Is the New Black actress paired it with black heels and a chic handbag

The Office star sported brown suede pumps and rocked a hot pink lip.

On the red carpet, Flannery was seen posing with Betsy Brandt — who oped for a polkadot, all-black ensemble for the star-studded bash.

The Breaking Bad star carried a sparkling clutch purse and sported pointed-toe Mary Jane heels.

Jameela Jamil looked fabulous in a figure-hugging blue dress with a corset-style bodice.

The Good Place actress matched the black details in her dress with a pair of pointy pumps and completed her look with a dark magenta lip.

Selenis Levya looked fabulous in a sheeny, animal print dress. The Orange Is the New Black actress paired it with black heels and a chic handbag.

Sherry Cola looked elegant and chic in a tan trench blazer and wide-leg trousers.

The Joy Ride actress teamed her suit with a sheer beige turtleneck top and pointed-toe boots.

Sherry Cola looked elegant and chic in a tan trench blazer and wide-leg trousers. The Joy Ride actress teamed her suit with a sheer beige turtleneck top and pointed-toe boots

Frankenstein star Kathryn Newton looked dazzling in warm gold, sequined gown paired with a matching satin blazer coat and platform heels

Gigi Gorgeous lived up to her name as she stunned in a figure-hugging, metallic silver gown with a unique cutout around the bust. Caitlin Reilly donned an oversize, black blazer with a belt around the waist as well as a pair of cream trousers and strappy heels

Rachael Harris looked effortlessly stylish at the bash in a strapless, button-down and black gown as well as matching specs

Amanda de Cadenet looked stunning in a sheer leopard-printed top layered with a velvet bra and teamed with a leather, zip-up midi skirt. Robbie Brenner opted for the same trendy pattern as she modeled a glamorous dress with voluminous short sleeves. The Mattel Films president also wore a flower brooch to celebrate Barbie’s nomination

Frankenstein star Kathryn Newton looked dazzling in warm gold, sequined gown paired with a matching satin blazer coat and platform heels.

Gigi Gorgeous, the YouTube star, lived up to her name as she stunned in a figure-hugging, metallic silver gown with a unique cutout around the bust.

Caitlin Reilly donned an oversize, black blazer with a belt around the waist as well as a pair of cream trousers and strappy heels.

Rachael Harris looked effortlessly stylish at the bash in a strapless, button-down and black gown as well as matching specs.

Amanda de Cadenet looked stunning in a sheer leopard-printed top layered with a velvet bra and teamed with a leather, zip-up midi skirt.

Robbie Brenner opted for the same trendy pattern as she modeled a glamorous dress with voluminous short sleeves.

The Mattel Films president also wore a flower brooch to celebrate Barbie’s nomination.

Zoe Lister-Jones and Sammi Cohen were a stylish pair in matching all-black and satin ensembles.

Zoe Lister-Jones and Sammi Cohen were a stylish pair in matching all-black and satin ensembles

C.J. Perry looked mesmerizing in an oversize, black trench coat layered over a sexy little business ensemble.

Underneath the outerwear, the professional wrestler donned a white button-down and black micro shorts.

Alex Meneses, who also starred in Longoria’s Telenovela, was a dazzling sight to behold in a chocolate brown, sequined and sleeveless gown.

Laura Karpman put on a bold display in bright colors and mixed patterns as the Oscar-nominated composer turned up in the most eccentric outfit of the night.

She wore a colorful cozy cardigan with a tie around the waist layered over patterned bellbottom pants and a sky blue polo top.

Lake Bell showed off her toned physique in a figure-hugging, light gold minidress with long sleeves.

She paired the garment with a cream-colored clutch and nude heels.

Mayan Lopez looked glamorous in a fully sequined, all-black suit featuring a blazer layered over a bustier and matching shorts.

C.J. Perry looked mesmerizing in an oversize, black trench coat layered over a sexy little business ensemble. Underneath the outerwear, the professional wrestler donned a white button-down and black,micro shorts. Alex Meneses, who also starred in Longoria’s Telenovela, was a dazzling sight to behold in a chocolate brown, sequined and sleeveless gown

Laura Karpman put on a bold display in bright colors and mixed patterns as the Oscar-nominated composer turned up in the most eccentric outfit of the night. She wore a colorful cozy cardigan with a tie around the waist layered over patterned bellbottom pants and a sky blue polo top

Lake Bell showed off her toned physique in a figure-hugging, light gold minidress with long sleeves. She paired the garment with a cream-colored clutch and nude heels. Mayan Lopez looked glamorous in a fully sequined, all-black suit featuring a blazer layered over a bustier and matching shorts

Abigail Spencer was radiant in a form-fitting cream gown teamed with shiny black pumps and a woven bucket bag. The Suits star styled her raven black tresses in soft beach waves and wore a bold, red lip for a fun pop of color

Jacqueline West was seen wearing a sling but still looked incredible as she modeled a chic, navy blue and satin ensemble. The Oscar-nominated costume designer for Dune layered her sheeny trench with her stylish jumpsuit and sported a pair of chunky sneakers

Abigail Spencer was radiant in a form-fitting cream gown teamed with shiny black pumps and a woven bucket bag.

The Suits star styled her raven black tresses in soft beach waves and wore a bold, red lip for a fun pop of color.

Jacqueline West was seen wearing a sling but still looked incredible as she modeled a chic, navy blue and satin ensemble.

The Oscar-nominated costume designer for Dune layered her sheeny trench with her stylish jumpsuit and sported a pair of chunky sneakers.

Keegan-Michael Key joined his wife Elle Key at the event in a dapper suit.

He posed alongside the film producer, who wore a stunning quilted coat covered in purple flowers as her statement piece to go with her otherwise all-black ensemble.

Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon, who are Oscar-nominated for producing Past Lives, wore matching red and black outfits.

Raney Aronson-Rath and Michelle Mizner looked radiant as they wore matching all-black, elegant outfits.

Keegan-Michael Key joined his wife Elle Key at the event in a dapper suit. He posed alongside the film producer, who wore a stunning quilted coat covered in purple flowers as her statement piece to go with her otherwise all-black ensemble

Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon, who are Oscar-nominated for producing Past Lives, wore matching red and black outfits

Raney Aronson-Rath and Michelle Mizner looked radiant as they wore matching all-black, elegant outfits

Aronson-Rath also posed for a photo on the red carpet with the glamorous Gladys Murphy and the stunning Nazenet Habtezghi

Wendi McLendon-Covey put on a stylish display in a black blazer with a huge flower detail, which was layered over a satin, scoop-neck blouse and matching capri-style trousers. Zelda Williams looked oh-so-chic in a cream, polkadot blouse paired with checkered, high-waisted and wide-leg trousers

Aronson-Rath also posed for a photo on the red carpet with the glamorous Gladys Murphy and the stunning Nazenet Habtezghi.

Wendi McLendon-Covey put on a stylish display in a black blazer with a huge flower detail, which was layered over a satin, scoop-neck blouse and matching capri-style trousers.

Zelda Williams looked oh-so-chic in a cream, polkadot blouse paired with checkered, high-waisted and wide-leg trousers.

Sharon Lawrence put on a glamorous display in a muted orange blazer and a matching, sheer pleated skirt.

She wore a bronze belt to cinch in her waist and teamed it with matching heels and a taupe leather purse.

Holland Roden looked glamorous in a low-cut black midi dress with floral details along the bodice.

Sharon Lawrence put on a glamorous display in a muted orange blazer and a matching, sheer pleated skirt. She wore a bronze belt to cinch in her waist and teamed it with matching heels and a taupe leather purse

Holland Roden looked glamorous in a low-cut black midi dress with floral details along the bodice. She teamed the dress with a unique, cylindrical handbag and silver strappy heels. Jamie Chung was mesmerizing in a black, velvet gown featuring diamond-style waist cutouts and a mock-neck style top

Cara Jade Myers looked elegant and chic in a blazer wrap dress with sheer tights and Mary Jane heels

Jeffrey Wright looked sharp in a pinstriped suit worn over a black turtleneck top and teamed with shiny oxford shoes

She teamed the dress with a unique, cylindrical handbag and silver strappy heels.

Jamie Chung was mesmerizing in a black, velvet gown featuring diamond-style waist cutouts and a mock-neck style top

Cara Jade Myers looked elegant and chic in a blazer wrap dress with sheer tights and Mary Jane heels.

Jeffrey Wright looked sharp in a pinstriped suit worn over a black turtleneck top and teamed with shiny oxford shoes.

The event, which celebrates the women, nonbinary and trans people nominated at the Academy Awards, coincided with International Women’s Day on March 8.

The post Eva Longoria dazzles in a sexy nude corset and a sequinned suit while Lili Reinhart opts for an olive satin dress as they join Danielle Brooks at the 17th Annual Women in Film Oscar Nominees Party appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

This Olive & June x Colleen Hoover collaboration is for the BookTokers

Sabir Ansary — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:46:48 +0000

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Nothing is better than relaxing with a good book. And if you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover, you’ve probably done a lot of that with the best-selling author’s various releases. You know what would be a great fit for a great story? A fresh new set of nails! Olive & June and Colleen Hoover have come together for the spring collab, with a range of nail products that will look great on you while you have a new paperback in your hands.

The most viral author on TikTok is a fan of DIY manis, and Olive & June herself has collaborated with CoHo to come up with a brand new collection based on her novels. You can choose from eight new nail polish colors and twenty new press-ons to create the perfect at-home manicure with these new releases.

Grab the Olive & June x Colleen Hoover collection at Olijf & Juni!

The new paint shades include beautiful colors such as the shimmering, striking magenta Lily Blooms, bright pink Diner Date, pastel green Corrigan and glossy transparent blue Same Day Next Year. Each polish costs just $9, with a link to one of Hoover’s novels that fans will no doubt want to snap up.

Grab the Olive & June x Colleen Hoover collection at Olijf & Juni!

More of a girly push-on nail? The Olive & June x Colleen Hoover collection includes a wide range of fun designs for you to get started with, from the Tiny Heart Tattoo short squoval nails to the Blooming Lily short round nails. There is even a nice, sunny yellow almond-shaped set with beautiful daisies. Our favorite might be the whimsical Spinning Pinwheel look.

Grab the Olive & June x Colleen Hoover collection at Olijf & Juni!

No matter which CoHo book you like most or what kind of nail polish you want to decorate your nails with, there’s something for everyone with this drop. Some designs are also almost sold out or already out of stock, so if these nails are for you, you’ll want to act quickly. Make sure you grab your favorites before BookTok buys up the rest!

The post This Olive & June x Colleen Hoover collaboration is for the BookTokers appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

Get Egg-Cited for Spring With the 5 Best Olive & June Nail Kits

Sabir Ansary — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 12:05:14 +0000

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Whenever there’s a holiday or other special event coming up, one of the first and easiest things you can prep is your nails. You don’t have to be an expert at painting them or even able to “color inside the lines” either, because press-on nails exist. And thank goodness they do, because without them so many of Us might not have cute nails all the time! One of the most important times to want to rock adorable nails is the spring, namely Easter, and we can’t wait to try on some new nail designs! But instead of painting it all ourselves, we’re going to rock Olive & June press-ons and fun nail stickers!

Olive & June has several fun and adorable designs that are absolutely perfect for Easter and spring vibes. If you’re the type of person who hates going to the salon but wants to have cute nails for the season, we’ve got you. We’ve selected five of the best Olive & June nail kits that’ll make you egg-cited for spring and like you’re hoppin’ down the bunny trail. Give them a look below!

5 of the Best Spring Olive & June Nail Kits

1. Flower Power: Adorn your nails with flowers and butterflies with these adorable nail stickers and some of your own nude polish— just $8!

Olive & June

2. Hopping Cute: Add bunnies, carrots, and eggs to your nails for a taste of early Easter with these fun stickers — just $8!

Olive & June

3. Egg-zactly: Go on an Easter egg hunt with these fun painted egg stickers all over your nails — just $8!

Olive & June

4. Cheerful Chicks: Add some fuzzy little chicks to your look with these press-on nails— just $10!

Olive & June

5. Shiny Hoppy Bunnies: These press-ons are pearlescent with the tiniest little bunnies on them — just $10!

Olive & June

The post Get Egg-Cited for Spring With the 5 Best Olive & June Nail Kits appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

Prince Harry has 'zero per cent chance' of returning to the royal fold despite the Duke of Sussex's olive branch – with palace sources saying William 'wouldn't allow' his brother to return

Albert Elence — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 23:20:25 +0000

Prince Harry has no chance of rejoining the royal family despite flying to Britain following the king's cancer diagnosis, palace sources have claimed.

Prince William has told friends he will block any attempt by his brother to return and will be the one to take on more responsibility if necessary.

It follows reports that the Duke of Sussex – who stepped down as a senior royal in 2020 – would be willing to return to The Firm following his father's diagnosis.

Prince Harry and King Charles are said to have had 'warm discussions' during his short visit to Britain last week.

But a palace source told it The mirror there is 'no chance' of Prince Harry returning as his brother would not allow it because he believes his brother and Meghan 'cannot be trusted'.

Prince Harry has no chance of rejoining the royal family despite flying to Britain after the king's cancer diagnosis, palace sources claim

King Charles III leaves the London Clinic on January 29 with Queen Camilla at his side

Prince William has told friends he will block any attempt by his brother to return and will be the one to take on more responsibility if necessary

The source told the newspaper: 'It is absolutely and categorically clear that he (William) would not allow Harry to return.

“The chance of Harry coming back in any capacity is zero percent.”

Harry, 39, reportedly told friends he would return to Britain to help with royal duties while his father undergoes cancer treatment.

But in a new claim on Saturday evening, royal insiders said the Duke of Sussex was 'blocked' from having a heart-to-heart with the king by Palace aides, who feared 'they would never get rid of him' come'.

'Harry came to his father expecting to go to Sandringham. But instead he was asked to be at Clarence House and given a limited time of 30 minutes,” the source said The sun on Sunday.

'The fear was that if he went to Sandringham they would never get rid of him.'

It comes after Harry suggested in a TV interview with Good Morning America that his father's illness could have a “reuniting effect” on the family.

Prince Harry, who stepped down as a working royal with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, in 2020, is a state adviser but is not expected to take on any royal duties while he recovers.

He suggested the king's illness could lead to a reconciliation with his father in an interview with a US breakfast show.

Harry also said 'I love my family' and that he was 'grateful' to be able to spend time with his father when he flew back to Britain last week.

The Duke's whirlwind visit to see Charles for about 45 minutes led to speculation that the brothers, estranged since the Duke stepped down as working royals, could be on the verge of rebuilding their relationship.

The interview, which aired on Good Morning America, suggested that a family illness could have a “reuniting effect.”

A palace source told The Mirror that there is 'no chance' of Prince Harry returning as his brother would not allow it

Prince Harry and King Charles are said to have had 'warm conversations' during his short visit to Britain

During a tour of the winter sports city of Whistler, where the 2025 Invictus Games will take place in addition to Vancouver, Prince Harry was interviewed by Will Reeve

Harry was asked 'is that possible in this case?' to which he replied that he was sure.

Buckingham Palace has not provided any details about Charles' cancer and Harry declined to reveal any information when asked about his 'view' on the king's health. He replied 'that remains between me and him'.

But he said he would visit his father in the future: 'I have other trips planned that would take me around Britain or back to Britain, so I will pop in and see my family as much as I can. '

There was no meeting between the Duke and his brother, the Prince of Wales, last Tuesday after Harry spent time with Charles at Clarence House.

The rift in the royal brothers' bond can be traced back to the early days of Harry's relationship with wife Meghan, when his then fiancée fell out with the Princess of Wales in the run-up to their wedding.

Since stepping down as working royals in 2020 and moving to California, the Sussexes have leveled accusations and grievances against the monarchy and members of the royal family, which have also soured relations.

The Duke and his wife Meghan are in Canada hosting a number of events with Invictus participants to mark another year to go before Harry's Invictus Games, for injured and ill veterans and service members, are held in the country.

They are followed by a film crew led by Will Reeve, the son of late Superman star Christopher Reeve, who interviewed Harry in the winter sports city of Whistler, where the 2025 Invictus Games will take place in addition to Vancouver.

Speaking to Reeve, Harry said: 'Look, I love my family.

“The fact that I was able to get on a plane and visit him and spend time with him, I'm grateful for that.”

The Duke was asked about his life in America, something he described as 'amazing', and whether he had considered becoming a US citizen, with the royal saying he was 'considering it'.

Harry added: “American citizenship is a thought that crosses my mind, but certainly not something that is a high priority for me at the moment.”

When asked how he was 'processing' what was going on with his family in Britain, the royal replied: 'I have my own family, as do all of us. My family and my life in California is what it is.”

Meghan and Harry are raising their two children, Prince Archie, aged four, and two-year-old Princess Lilibet, in California's famed enclave of Montecito.

The Duke said: 'The children are doing great, the children are growing like all children very, very quickly. They both have an incredible sense of humor. They make us laugh and keep us grounded every day, just like most kids do.

“I'm just very grateful to be a father.”

During the interview, footage was shown of Harry attempting skeleton bobsleigh, one of the winter sports being introduced for the first time at the Invictus Games next year.

Harry said organizing the biennial Games, or the events that are still a year away, was his '…annual solution to be with this community and laugh, have fun – no matter what country they come from, the banter is the same.

“I get a lot of energy just from being around these guys.”

MailOnline has contacted representatives of Prince Harry and Buckingham Palace for comment.

The post Prince Harry has 'zero per cent chance' of returning to the royal fold despite the Duke of Sussex's olive branch – with palace sources saying William 'wouldn't allow' his brother to return appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

No olive branches yet: Prince Harry and William have no plans to meet while Duke is in the UK visiting King Charles after monarch’s cancer diagnosis

Sabir Ansary — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 17:14:54 +0000

Prince Harry and William have no plans to meet while the Duke of Sussex is in the UK visiting King Charles following the monarch’s shock cancer diagnosis.

Harry, who boarded the 11-hour flight hours after his father revealed he was ill, flew from America to London alone, leaving Meghan, Archie and Lilibet back at their California home.

The Duke of Sussex’s transatlantic dash had raised hopes his return to Britain will be used to heal wounds with King Charles and a chance to reach out to his brother Prince William amid their on-going feud.

But Palace sources have said there are no plans for a meeting between Harry and William while the Duke of Sussex is in London, scuppering hopes of a potential olive branch between the royal brothers.

It’s believed the Prince of Wales, 41, is remaining focused on tending to his wife Kate, who is recovering from her abdominal surgery and is taking extended leave from public duties until after Easter.

William is due to return to public work tomorrow, carrying out an investiture at Windsor Castle in the morning before later attending a gala for the London Air Ambulance Service in the evening.

Sources close to Harry, 39, said he would welcome the chance to meet with his brother, with an insider adding: ‘The Duke’s primary reason to travel to the UK is to visit his father. If the opportunity were to arise to see the Prince of Wales then the Duke would have gladly accepted it.’

Prince Harry is pictured arriving at Clarence House to meet the King today

Prince Harry arriving at Clarence House this afternoon to meet his father King Charles

King Charles and Queen Camilla leave Clarence House, the day after it was announced he has been diagnosed with cancer

Prince Harry arrived at Clarence House earlier this afternoon where he had a ‘brief meeting’ with his father hours after touching down at Heathrow.

Harry was spotted in the back of a Range Rover that drove in a large convoy through the gates of Clarence House, where Charles, 75, is resting following treatment earlier today for an unspecified cancer.

It is not known if Harry will remain in central London or stay at Windsor, most likely at Frogmore Cottage – which he and Meghan vacated last June.

King Charles is resting at Clarence House ahead of treatment, with Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi seen leaving after a visit this morning.

Experts have said that they hope that Harry’s trip to Britain is the ‘sign of a truce’ and that ‘good news’ of a heal in the rift in the Royal Family could come from the ‘bad news’ about the King’s health.

Harry left LAX for London last night to be with his father. Charles had called him personally to tell him the devastating news and the Duke of Sussex has immediately jumped on a plane so he could be in the UK later today.

A luxury Range Rover believed to be carrying the British royal was seen arriving at LAX’s VIP terminal last night and he boarded the earliest flight so he could be in London by lunchtime on Tuesday.

Harry was accompanied by police security despite his ongoing row with the Home Office.

Daily Mail Diary editor Richard Eden tweeted today: ‘After his 5,000-mile flight from Los Angeles, #PrinceHarry is understood to have had a brief meeting with #KingCharles before His Majesty departed for his Norfolk retreat, Sandringham. It will be interesting to see how long Harry stays in this country.’

Earlier, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: ‘I’m sure Harry will put aside the past right now for this serious issue. The Royal family – including the Sussexes – it’s so important that everyone is pulling in the right direction’.

Kristina Kyriacou, the King’s former press secretary, said today: ‘Charles adores Harry. He didn’t want any of this estrangement. If out of bad news, some good news comes and Harry and the King and the Queen and his brother are reunited – how wonderful.’

However, there are no plans for him to meet with his brother Prince William

Prince Harry flew to London after King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was made public. Meghan and the children are staying at home

Harry is believed to have been in this Range Rover as it was swept from Heathrow under police guard this afternoon

In Spare, Harry had revealed that Charles had urged his warring sons: ‘Please boys, don’t make my final years a misery.’

And his trip could be motivated by that plea.

He flew into London’s Heathrow Airport on a scheduled British Airways flight from Los Angeles.

The Prince -who travelled on the overnight 11 hour flight without his wife Meghan – was met off the plane.

A black Range Rover parked at the VIP. Windsor Suite left to drive to another part of the airport to collect Harry.

The Range Rover escorted by two police cars,

Harry’s car had arrived at the VIP suite adjacent to Terminal Five two hours ahead of his arrival at 12.35pm on BA280.

Despite his in going row with the Home Office over police protection during visits to the UK with his family a police car followed him out.

Harry is expected to travel to Clarence House to meet with King

King Charles and Queen Camilla at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, on Sunday

Frogmore Cottage (pictured) which was formerly the home of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. He may stay there or in a hotel

The King spent last night at home in London after beginning out-patient cancer treatment – as family and friends revealed that the monarch remains ‘hugely positive’ following his bombshell diagnosis. But he may miss public duties for a number of months, it has been claimed.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said today that he was ‘shocked and sad’ to hear about the King’s cancer diagnosis but revealed: ‘Thankfully this has been caught early’.

KING’S CANCER DIAGNOSIS: THE ROYAL FAMILY’S RECENT HEALTH SCARES

The King’s cancer diagnosis is the latest shock health news to hit the royal family.

– Tuesday January 16

Kate, 42, is secretly admitted to the London Clinic and undergoes abdominal surgery.

– Wednesday January 17

2pm – Kensington Palace announces the princess’ operation and says she will remain in the private hospital for 10-14 days.

She is not expected to return to duties until after Easter, taking up to three months to recover.

The Prince of Wales steps back from his official duties temporarily to care of his wife and children.

The exact nature of Kate’s condition is kept private, but it is not cancerous and Kensington Palace says the planned procedure was successful.

3.25pm – Buckingham Palace announces the King, 75, is to have treatment for a benign enlarged prostate and will be admitted to hospital in a few days.

A source later says the princess is ‘doing well’.

– Thursday January 18

The Prince of Wales spends time at his wife’s bedside, driving himself away from the back entrance during the low-key, private visit.

The Queen says the King is ‘fine’ and ‘looking forward to getting back to work’ during a visit to the Aberdeen Art Gallery.

– Friday January 19

The King flies back from Scotland with the Queen and heads to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk to rest ahead of the procedure.

– Sunday January 21

It is announced that the King’s former sister-in-law, Sarah, Duchess of York, has malignant melanoma, a form skin cancer.

It is less than a year since the duchess, 64, was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

– Monday January 22

The Queen tells 86-year-old well-wisher Jessie Jackson that the King is ‘fine’, and thanks her for asking, while she carries out engagements in Swindon.

Sarah, Duchess of York, meanwhile, describes her shock at having skin cancer but says she is in ‘good spirits’ and ‘grateful for the many messages of love and support’, in a post on Instagram.

– Tuesday January 23

Kate’s hospital stay passes the one-week mark.

Camilla urges the King to take it easy. An insider told The Sun: ‘The Queen has told him he needs to slow down a bit.’

– Thursday January 25

The King carried out behind the scenes official duties, meeting academics from Cambridge University at Sandringham House.

The King arrives back in London from Norfolk ready for his treatment.

– Friday January 26

The King, with the Queen at his side, is admitted to the London Clinic for treatment for an enlarged prostate and also visits the Princess of Wales, who is recovering in the same hospital.

– Monday January 29

The King is discharged from hospital and waves at well-wishers. Kate leaves the clinic the same day to continue her recovery at home.

– Wednesday January 31

Camilla says the King is ‘getting on, doing his best’ as she opened a Maggie’s cancer support centre at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

– Sunday February 4

The King and Queen attend church in Sandringham, with Charles waving at well-wishers.

– Monday February 5

Kensington Palace confirms the Prince of Wales is returning to official duties this week, beginning with an investiture.

6pm – Buckingham Palace announces the King has a form of cancer – but not prostate cancer – and has started treatment as an outpatient.

He will not carry out public-facing duties, but will carry on with behind the scenes state business and official papers.

– Tuesday February 6

Prince Harry lands in the UK to see his father

Harry landed in the UK at lunchtime but it is not known if he will see his brother Prince William or the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from serious abdominal surgery at their home in the grounds of Winsor Castle. But experts have said they hope that the Duke of Sussex’s last-minute trip could finally bring Harry, Charles and William closer together.

Last time the Prince flew to the UK was in September, for the Well Child Awards, where he stayed in a hotel. Meghan missed the UK altogether, meeting him in Germany for the Invictus Games.

It is understood the Duke asked if he could stay at Windsor Castle to allow him to visit his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s place of rest, but permission was denied.

Harry usually travels with his own private security team, after being stripped of his right to automatic police protection when he left the Royal family in 2020.

The King contacted both the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales personally to tell them of his cancer diagnosis before it was announced by Buckingham Palace.

A source close to Harry said that he had immediately decided to come to the UK to be by his father’s side. Experts have claimed that Harry’s dash to Britain ‘indicates the seriousness’ of the King’s condition.

Announcing that Prince Harry will come and see his father, the Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said: ‘The duke did speak with his father about his diagnosis. He will be traveling to UK to see His Majesty in the coming days.’

Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun: ‘I’m sure Harry will put aside the past right now for this serious issue. The Royal family – including the Sussexes – it’s so important that everyone is pulling in the right direction’.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said she hoped that King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis ‘will bring a reconciliation’ with Prince Harry.

Harry estranged brother William is also in close contact with his father but neither brother has made a public statement yet. The heir to the throne, who returns to public duties this week after helping to settle his wife, the Princess of Wales, at home as she recovers from abdominal surgery.

He may also undertake some duties on behalf of his father, in addition to his own diary of engagements, while the King undergoes treatment.

As the King’s cancer shocked Britain, the Commonwealth and the world, it also emerged:

Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that doctors discovered the cancer during a medical procedure for an enlarged prostate. Sources have suggested that the cancer is in a different part of the King’s body but was discovered during the surgery last week.

Prince Harry was last in the UK over the summer, when he attended an event for a children’s charity. However, he did not meet with the Royal family during that visit before heading to Germany for his Invictus Games where he met up with Meghan.

The Duke of Sussex attended his father’s coronation last May, but left London just hours after the ceremony to return to Montecito.

Harry is believed to be in contact with his father but sources have claimed that there has been no rapprochement with William, who is said to have been left upset by the Sussexes’ attacks on the Royal Family since Megxit.

Harry’s visit will raise hopes that there could be some thawing in the relations, which have been rocky since he and Meghan emigrated in 2020.

King Charles’ cancer diagnosis has shocked the world.

The 75-year-old monarch has returned to London from Sandringham to begin treatment immediately.

It is not connected with his recent surgery and is not prostate cancer, but medics spotted it when he underwent his medical procedure for an enlarged prostate.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: ‘During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.

‘His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.

‘The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.

‘His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.’

The palace said the King ‘looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible’, but it is not yet known whether it will affect his attendance at events such as those marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June.

It is understood he will continue to receive red boxes and process state documents during treatment and there are no plans to appoint Counsellors of State.

A palace spokesman said: ‘Regrettably, a number of the King’s forthcoming public engagements will have to be rearranged or postponed.

‘His Majesty would like to apologise to all those who may be disappointed or inconvenienced as a consequence.’

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are seen leaving Clarence House on Tuesday morning

Experts hope that the diagnosis will bring some kind of reconciliation between Harry and his father and brother

It is understood details of the King’s diary are still being worked on and it is not yet known when a full programme of engagements will begin.

Reacting to the news, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: ‘Wishing His Majesty a full and speedy recovery.

‘I have no doubt he’ll be back to full strength in no time and I know the whole country will be wishing him well.’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: ‘On behalf of the Labour Party, I wish His Majesty all the very best for his recovery.

‘We look forward to seeing him back to swift full health.’

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told MPs: ‘I know the whole House will wish to join me in expressing our sympathies with His Majesty the King following the news announcement this evening.

‘Our thoughts are, of course, with His Majesty and his family, and we’d all wish to send him our very best wishes for the successful treatment and a speedy recovery.’

The diagnosis is also likely to be professionally devastating for Charles, who was the longest-serving heir to the throne in British history before he became King on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on September 8 2022.

Since then he has hit the ground running with three state visits overseas, hosting two incoming state visits to the UK and undertaking hundreds of public engagements each year, taking on a punishing official workload well into his 70s.

Aides have said he has relished the challenge and is hugely enjoying his royal role.

The King’s diagnosis will pose serious questions for the working of the monarchy, with fewer working members of the royal family and the Princess of Wales out of action due to what has only been described as ‘abdominal surgery’ until after Easter.

The Prince of Wales, who is heir to the throne, had cleared his diary to be by his wife’s side and keep life as normal as possible for their three children.

Kensington Palace announced earlier today, however, that he would resume public duties this week by conducting an investiture on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, followed by a gala fundraising event for the London Air Ambulance in the evening.

While Queen Elizabeth suffered episodic periods of ill-health over the years and underwent surgery on a number of occasions, including on her knee and cataracts, there was no major health crisis of this magnitude until the very last months of her historic 70-year reign.

That, however, would have a serious knock-on effect on the family life of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

They moved to Windsor 18-months ago in order to allow their children to enjoy a more carefree childhood, outside of the royal bubble, until absolutely necessary.

Prince George, ten, who is second in line to the throne, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis all attend a local school. Lambrook, and have settled in well at their new home, Adelaide Cottage.

William and Kate’s team are still based at Kensington Palace in London, their official residence, and travel up to Windsor for meetings.

Questions will inevitably be asked how practicable it will be for them to do so now.

The monarch, 75, received treatment for an enlarged prostate last week, spending three nights at the London Clinic private hospital

When he was discharged from hospital last Monday, the King appeared steady on his feet as he walked out of the London Clinic in Marylebone with Queen Camilla by his side

The King has largely enjoyed very good health throughout his life, apart from suffering from a cripplingly bad back.

The first sign that anything was amiss with his health came on January 17 when Buckingham Palace made a surprise announcement that the King had ‘sought treatment’ for an enlarged prostate.

The palace added that His Majesty’s condition was ‘benign’ and that he would attend hospital the following week for a corrective procedure.

They said he was personally keen to share details of his diagnosis to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get themselves check.

The NHS subsequently reported an encouraging spike in people seeking more information on their website.

His Majesty, who was in Scotland at the time, travelled back down to Sandringham afterwards and then on to London the night before his surgery.

He was admitted to The London Clinic in Marylebone, central London, on January 26 with his wife, Queen Camilla, by his side.

Buckingham Palace said he wanted to thank everyone for their good wishes and was delighted to learn that his diagnosis was having a positive impact on public health awareness.

He was finally released on Monday last week after three nights in hospital and said to be ‘doing well’.

He initially resided at Clarence House, his London residence, in order to be close to his doctors, before returning to Sandringham with his wife.

Queen Camilla has continued to undertake public engagements, telling members of the l public that her husband was ‘doing fine’ and looking forwards to getting back to work.

Last Tuesday she told well-wishers he was ‘getting on’ and ‘doing his best’, adding: ‘Thank goodness!’

One in every three men over the age of 50 will have symptoms of an enlarged prostate, which include needing to visit the toilet more frequently, with more urgency, and difficulty emptying the bladder.

An enlarged prostate, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, does not usually pose a serious threat to health, and it is not cancer.

But patients may need to have several tests for the condition to rule out the possibility they have another illness with similar symptoms, such as prostate cancer.

Surgery is usually only recommended for moderate to severe symptoms that have not responded to medicine.

Mark Drakeford , the First Minister of Wales, wished the King a ‘full and swift recovery’ following his cancer diagnosis.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: ‘I’m saddened to hear the news that HM King Charles III is facing further health challenges.

‘My thoughts and those of people across Wales will be with him and his family this evening.

‘I send my very best wishes as he starts treatment for a full and swift recovery.

‘Gwellhad buan.’

Northern Ireland’s new First Minister Michelle O’Neill, who as leader of Sinn Fein is a republican, wished the King a full and speedy recovery.

‘I am very sorry to hear of King Charles’ illness and I want to wish him well for his treatment, and a full and speedy recovery,’ she posted on X.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said after the shocking news today: ‘I am saddened to have heard about His Majesty The King’s diagnosis.

‘I know that the Jewish communities of Great Britain and the Commonwealth will join me in wishing him a Refuah Sheleima – a complete and swift recovery.’

The 75-year-old monarch left the London Clinic last monday with Queen Camilla by his side

The King was visited by Queen Camilla four times when he was in hospital

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins wrote on X: ‘My thoughts are with King Charles and the whole Royal Family.

‘His decision to share his diagnosis to assist public understanding for all those affected by cancer is commendable.

‘Wishing His Majesty the very best and look forward to seeing him resume his public duties.’

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, who received treatment for kidney cancer in 2021, said: ‘One in two of us will develop cancer during our lives, but millions more are affected when someone they love is diagnosed with cancer.

‘Sending best wishes to His Majesty for his treatment and to his family as they support him throughout.’

The post No olive branches yet: Prince Harry and William have no plans to meet while Duke is in the UK visiting King Charles after monarch’s cancer diagnosis appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

I spent most of my teenage years using olive oil to get a tan…at 45 I was diagnosed with the same skin cancer that Fergie now has

Sabir Ansary — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 14:46:52 +0000

I was lying in bed reading when my eyes were drawn to a small mole on the back of my left calf. Something was wrong, even if it wasn't big.

I had never noticed this mole before. If you looked closely, there was a black spot in it, as if a small amount of black ink had been dripped onto a brown spot.

This was ten years ago, when at age 45 I was busy embracing middle age. With more than a dozen best-selling novels to my name, I was married for the second time and had four children between the ages of 11 and 14, and two stepchildren at home. Then I went to a doctor and her diagnosis of malignant melanoma changed everything.

Last week the Duchess of York, 64, expressed her shock at being diagnosed with the same thing, and I understand how much she is reeling.

The duchess's cancerous birthmark was discovered while she was undergoing reconstructive surgery after breast cancer. But I think I might not have found mine if a friend hadn't given me CDs by a blues singer named Eva Cassidy.

Last week the Duchess of York expressed her shock at being diagnosed with melanoma, and I understand how much she is reeling

Like most of us over 50, my risk of developing skin cancer was not increased by my childhood, writes JANE GREEN

I was surprised that I had never heard of this woman with the voice of an angel. I soon discovered her sad story. Eva Cassidy had a birthmark on her back removed at the age of 30. It was melanoma, but, she was told, melanoma in situ, meaning the disease had not spread.

Three years later she was in the hospital again, this time with hip pain. They discovered that her original melanoma had spread and was now in her shoulder and lungs. Eva died shortly afterwards, in 1996, at the age of 33.

I got those CDs the day I saw my birthmark. If my head hadn't been full of Eva Cassidy's story, I doubt I would have felt like there was something wrong with the birthmark on the back of my leg.

Like most of us over 50, my risk of developing skin cancer was not increased by my childhood. I grew up when sunny days were scarce in London, which meant we were unaware of the risks. On the rare occasions when the sun was strong enough to produce a tan, there was no sunscreen; I even used olive oil and an aluminum foil pad for browning.

During the summer holidays with my parents in Spain, Portugal and France, among others, little was taken. We were of the generation where children were sent out to find a friend and play in the pool for hours while the parents relaxed with a book.

After breakfast or lunch we were not allowed to go into the pool for an hour because of the possibility of 'cramps', which we were told could cause us to drown. So there we sat, my brother and I, under the full glare of the sun, without sunscreen, counting the minutes until we could dive back into the pool. By the end of the first day my fair skin had invariably turned a bright scarlet red, occasionally blistering my shoulders and back. This meant swimming for a few days in a T-shirt and then playing in the sun again. Still without sunscreen.

If only we had known that even one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence doubles the risk of skin cancer.

If only we had known that my uncle would eventually die of melanoma, and that one in ten people diagnosed have a close family member with the disease.

I remember the photos in the newspapers of Sarah Ferguson on a lounge chair, roasting her alabaster skin under a hot Mediterranean sun. I'm sure she knew as little as the rest of us.

I believe I might not have found mine if a friend hadn't given me CDs by a blues singer named Eva Cassidy

I was always afraid of cancer, but skin cancer was something I never thought about.

After I found the mole on my leg, I went to my dermatologist, who examined it with a magnifying glass. Her usual light-hearted attitude changed and she became serious when she told me she was going to remove it and send it for a biopsy.

I was on the train returning from a meeting in New York when she called. “It's skin cancer,” she said. 'Malignant melanoma.'

I remained calm, but the world around me slowed down. I thought I was listening, but later realized I hadn't heard a word after she said “melanoma.” Melanoma is the rarest skin cancer and the deadliest. Melanocytes are the cells in our skin that make a brown pigment called melanin. These are the cells that are activated when we sunbathe and tan. Melanoma occurs when those melanocytes grow out of control.

Despite accounting for only one percent of skin cancer cases, melanoma causes 80% of skin cancer deaths. And the incidence is increasing: it is the fastest growing cancer in the world. Mortality rates depend on the stage at which the disease is detected – early enough the cure rate can be 100 percent – and there are now immunotherapy treatments that can dramatically change the outcome for people diagnosed with stage IV, which was once always fatal.

But it is still a deadly cancer that requires real vigilance. My own melanoma was caught early, but not quite early enough. It had mitosis, meaning it had already begun to divide and multiply and had already spread to the deep layers of the skin. It meant not only having a chicken breast-sized piece of my calf removed under general anesthesia, leaving me with a six-inch scar, but a sentinel lymph node biopsy in the groin to check it hadn't spread.

The wait was endless. First the waiting for the operation, and then the waiting for the results. No matter how optimistic you are, no matter how much you want to believe that you are doing well, the word cancer is loaded.

As I waited, I became aware of my own mortality. The world became brighter and more beautiful. Sarah Ferguson is surrounded by her family, and I too found myself staring at my loved ones, especially my children, as I swallowed them, just in case.

There were times when I was scared. Whenever I found myself in a pit of doom, I immediately thought of three things I could be grateful for. It helped. It kept me focused on the positive and the good.

No matter how powerful and strong we feel in life, cancer immediately makes us powerless. It's terrifying to be at his mercy and not know the outcome. The only choice I had was acceptance: I would take whatever steps the doctors told me to do, while praying for the willingness to accept whatever outcome.

During the summer holidays with my parents in Spain, Portugal and France, among others, little was taken

In the melanoma world, the ABCDEs are crucial. Anyone who has ever been sunburned, who has used UV tanning beds, who has a history of melanoma in the family, or who simply has a number of moles should check themselves and know what to look for:

A stands for asymmetry: One half of a mole or mole does not match the other.

B is for border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched or blurred.

C stands for Color: The color is not the same everywhere and can contain different shades of brown or black, sometimes with pink, red, white or blue spots.

D stands for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters in diameter (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can be smaller.

E is for Evolve: The mole changes size, shape or color.

My surgery was successful and I received the results after the lymph node biopsy results. Ten years later I am cancer free.

I have my entire body's skin checked every six months, but now that I've reached the 10-year mark, I can postpone that to a year.

I don't sunbathe anymore. I spend about 20 minutes in the sun every day without sunscreen because vitamin D is essential and few of us get enough, but if you see me with a tan, I guarantee it's from a bottle.

Know your body, know your moles. Pay attention to changes and use a sunscreen with a high factor. For a cancer this deadly, we all need to check our skin regularly.

It's bad luck that she was diagnosed with melanoma so soon after being diagnosed with breast cancer, but the Duchess of York can take comfort in the fact that it was detected early.

Let's hope she's back on her feet, with SPF50 and a hat, by the time the spring sun arrives.

The post I spent most of my teenage years using olive oil to get a tan…at 45 I was diagnosed with the same skin cancer that Fergie now has appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

The magic of olive oil, fish and other healthy fats

Albert Elence — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 10:54:37 +0000

This is day 5 of Well's Mediterranean Diet Week. Start at it starts here.

The Mediterranean diet is not like other diets. For starters, it's more of an eating style than a strict regimen. And adopting it doesn't entail many of the sacrifices people associate with healthy eating.

For example, compared to other healthy diets, the Mediterranean diet is relatively high in fat. Federal health officials recommend that 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories come from fat — while that number could be around 30 to 40 percent in the Mediterranean diet.

Yet in clinical trials, people who followed the Mediterranean diet had lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who followed a low-fat diet.

That's probably because the Mediterranean diet emphasizes heart-healthy fats from sources like olive oil, fish, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. And it contains less saturated fat than the typical American diet, as it discourages butter, red and processed meats and includes only moderate amounts of cheese, yogurt, poultry and eggs.

Researchers believe that olive oil, the preferred fat source in the Mediterranean diet, may be one of the major contributors to the health benefits. It is rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent damage to your cells and blood vessels.

In a 2022 study of more than 90,000 American adults over 28 years, those who consumed at least half a tablespoon of olive oil every day were significantly less likely to die from cancer or cardiovascular, neurodegenerative or respiratory diseases than those who rarely or never consumed it.

Fish also plays a prominent role in the Mediterranean diet, especially fatty varieties such as salmon, tuna, anchovies and sardines. These are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve blood cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation and blood pressure. Most Mediterranean dietary guidelines recommend at least two servings of fish per week.

But let's not give olive oil and fish all the credit. Whole grains, nuts, seeds and olives also contribute to the healthy fats in the diet. And although they are not native to the Mediterranean region, avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats and are often included in modern versions of the diet. Below we offer ideas for incorporating these foods, along with some, into your routine recipes our colleagues from NYT Cooking have selected.

What to keep on hand

Earlier this week we stocked up on whole grains, nuts and seeds. Here are a few more items to add healthy fats to your meals:

Extra virgin olive oil (our colleagues at Wirecutter have shared their favorite supermarket brands in this guide)
Avocados
Canned (or canned) fish such as tuna, salmon, anchovies, and sardines
Fresh or frozen fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and cod

How to cook with healthy fats

For each day of our Mediterranean Diet series, we and our colleagues at NYT Cooking have selected a few recipes that contain the ingredients we're highlighting. This isn't meant to be a one-day meal plan, but rather inspiration for how you can incorporate more of these healthy foods into your week.

For breakfast you can spread some avocado on whole wheat toast and drizzle a dash of olive oil over it. In this recipe from Julia Moskin and Giles RussellOptional garnishes like fresh herbs, pickled red onions and pumpkin or sesame seeds take avocado toast to the next level.

Craig Claiborne's classic tuna salad sandwich is a quick, budget-friendly lunch option – but if you're looking for something more 'intense and bold', try Ali Slagle's sardine salad on a whole-wheat bagel, over greens, or between two slices of whole-wheat toast. Anchovies are also a flavorful addition to salad dressing, as in David Tanis' vibrant version Radicchio anchovy salad.

For dinner, try Alison Roman's slow roasted citrus salmon with herb salad (ready in 35 minutes) or Mark Bittman's grilled tuna with herbs and olives (finished in 20). And let's not forget canned and jarred fish. Sohla El-Waylly's sardine paste puttanesca Good use is made of canned anchovies and sardines.

I've long been a purist when it comes to baking with butter, but I'm now experimenting with using olive oil in desserts, like Samantha Seneviratne's elegant lemon scent. olive oil cake. A slice of that moist beauty, perhaps topped with fresh fruit, is the perfect way to end a week of good food.

The post The magic of olive oil, fish and other healthy fats appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

Gen Z calls vanilla ice cream and olive oil a 'divine combination' and it's even getting celebrity support – so, should YOU try it?

Sabir Ansary — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:32:10 +0000

By Alanah Khosla for Mailonline

Published: 05:07 EST, January 16, 2024 | Updated: 05:12 EST, January 16, 2024

Olive oil is traditionally drizzled over salads, served with fresh bread or poured over pasta, but millennials and Generation Z foodies are changing the tradition.

Instead of topping their ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles, they now dip their dessert in olive oil and call it a “divine combination.”

The combination may sound niche, but with thousands of views on TikTok – not to mention celebrity endorsements – the trend is quickly gaining momentum, meaning it could soon pop up at your local gelateria.

The olive oil and ice cream combination can also be topped with additional toppings, including honey and sea salt, further blurring the line between sweet and savory.

And even pop icon Dua Lipa has given the strange combination her approval.

GG, from Great Britain, took to TikTok to share her thoughts on the trendy ice cream combination: vanilla ice cream with olive oil and sea salt

Speaking to Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ Greg James, the English Albanian pop star, 28, said she likes both chocolate ice cream and Italian gelato, before revealing: 'I get vanilla ice cream and I put olive oil on it , and sea salt.'

And she's on her way to turning the unusual topping into a cult product, saying: “So many people I've shown it to, I've turned to the dark side.”

Like most things the Houdini singer does, millions of people have already done it, and many have taken to TikTok to document their reactions as they tried the unique combination.

A food-based content creator, GG, from Britain, took to the platform to share her thoughts on vanilla ice cream with sea salt flakes.

Olive oil, sea salt and ice impressed one content creator during a reaction video on TikTok. The West Yorkshire-based user who goes by @whitworthssugar on TikTok regularly takes to the platform to share her thoughts on new dessert trends

Dua Lipa told BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James that she hated both chocolate ice cream and Italian gelato before revealing: 'I get vanilla ice cream and I put olive oil on it, and sea salt'

She said: 'It's definitely not bad… it gives a plain vanilla ice cream that little bit extra.'

But GG concluded that the combination was too high in calories to continue eating.

Elsewhere, a West Yorkshire user who goes by the name @whitworthssugar on TikTok took to the platform to try out the dessert after Dua Lipa mentioned it on the radio.

After she combined the ingredients and tried the food, it's safe to say she looked impressed.

She said: 'Dua Lipa was on BBC Radio 1 yesterday and shared her favorite ice cream flavour: vanilla, olive oil and sea salt. So we had to try it and omg it's delicious! A must try.'

Fans of the combination took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts on the flavor

Elsewhere, some have shared their thoughts on X, formerly known as Twitter, with one saying: 'Vanilla ice cream + extra virgin olive oil + salt = divine combination.'

A second added: 'The girls are right. The combination of vanilla ice cream + olive oil + salt is indeed eating '.

A third wrote: 'Ice, olive oil and salt. I've never tasted anything better.'

A fourth said: 'The combination of ice cream, olive oil and salt is unbeatable[en].'

The post Gen Z calls vanilla ice cream and olive oil a 'divine combination' and it's even getting celebrity support – so, should YOU try it? appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

The Meme King of Longevity Now Wants to Sell You Olive Oil

Sabir Ansary — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 17:17:46 +0000

“Ready, on three,” Jamie Love said to the group of hikers as they huddled for a photo. “One, two, three …”

“Don’t die!” they shouted in unison.

The dozen or so strangers were gathered at the foot of Temescal Canyon Trail along the Pacific coast in Los Angeles on a cool Saturday morning in mid-December. Several of them, including Ms. Love, 38, who had organized the outing, wore black T-shirts with the bold white text, “DON’T DIE.”

The hikers had come together with a shared goal: to extend their life spans through diet, sleep, exercise and whatever technologies might come along.

Not present was the spiritual leader of the gathering, the internet celebrity and centimillionaire tech founder turned longevity guru Bryan Johnson. In the past year, Mr. Johnson has arguably taken the lead in the race among Silicon Valley rich guys going to extremes in a quest to live forever. (Move over, Messrs. Bezos, Zuckerberg and Thiel.) Now he’s turning that longevity mission — and the online infamy he has earned because of it — into a lifestyle business, selling supplements and prepackaged meals to less-rich people who would also like to live for a very long time. The hike, one of more than 30 “Don’t Die Meet-Ups” around the world that day, was a cross between community-building and a guerrilla marketing tactic.

Mr. Johnson’s deal, in a nutshell: In 2021, he began spending $2 million a year, by his own account, to measure every aspect of his body, from lipid levels to urination speed to brain plaque, with the goal of reversing his aging process. He called it Project Blueprint.

Every day, between 7 and 11 a.m., he eats the same three vegan meals: “Nutty Pudding” (a blend of nuts, seeds, berries and pomegranate juice), “Super Veggie” (black lentils topped with broccoli and cauliflower) and a third, rotating dish consisting of vegetables, roots and nuts. He exercises for an hour every morning and takes up to 111 pills a day. (His pharyngeal muscles may be the strongest of all.)

Mr. Johnson claims that his regimen (or “protocol,” as he calls it) has already slowed his speed of aging, giving him, at 46, the maximum heart rate of a 37-year-old, the gum inflammation of a 17-year-old and the facial wrinkles of a 10-year-old, according to his website. He publicizes his test results so anyone can see images of his bowels or learn the duration of his nighttime erections. His “biological age,” he claimed until recently, is 42.5, according to one measurement of changes in DNA over time known as an epigenetic clock. In other words, he has spent about three years shaving off — maybe — a little more than three years.

If the original goal of Project Blueprint was to perfect his health, Mr. Johnson now describes it as preparing humanity to thrive in a world dominated by artificial intelligence. Thus the new slogan: “Don’t Die.”

In an interview, Mr. Johnson said he didn’t care what present-day people thought of him. “I’m more interested in what people of the 25th century think of me,” he said. “The majority of opinions now represent the past.”

Mr. Johnson has an almost Trumpian ability to stay in the news. Since 2020, he has been the subject of five articles on Bloomberg documenting his quixotic pursuits: the brain-reading helmet developed by his company Kernel; his bid to become, as he has put it elsewhere, the “most measured person in human history”; his decision to receive blood plasma from his 17-year-old son and pass his own along to his 70-year-old father; and a recent round of experimental gene therapy in Honduras. In September, Time photographed Mr. Johnson in his private gym, naked but for a carefully positioned kettlebell — an instant meme. The New York Post has gleefully followed his every move, running more than a dozen articles on Mr. Johnson in the past year, including three about his penis.

On social media, where he has more than 700,000 combined followers on X and Instagram, he knows how to trawl for attention. He lists his stringent requirements for a romantic partner (8:30 p.m. bedtime, “no small talk,” “must give plasma”) and compares himself to religious figures (“Jesus fed bread and alcohol, impairing and aging/I will feed you nutrients that awake and create life”). His flat manner and uncanny looks have drawn comparisons to “American Psycho”’s Patrick Bateman, a “‘Lord of the Rings’ elf,” a vampire and a “jacked cyborg.” One podcaster called him “blood daddy.” He likes to pose in crop tops.

Now, Mr. Johnson said, after three years of self-experimentation — which he called “Phase 1” of Blueprint — he’s ready for “Phase 2”: helping others replicate his process. Late last year, he began selling Blueprint-branded olive oil. This month, more products, including powdered vegetables and pill supplements, became available on his website. In conjunction with the rollout, Mr. Johnson announced a “self-experimentation study” in which participants can pay for a starter pack of Blueprint products, as well as bloodwork and other tests to track their results. The 2,500 slots filled up within 24 hours.

To his fans, who fly across the country to meet him and haunt Blueprint message boards online, this moment is an exciting opportunity to spread the Johnson gospel. Some Blueprint advocates are even building businesses of their own around his ideas. To his detractors, it’s a cynical attempt to monetize his popularity. Or, worse: They call it pseudoscience that could harm the health of his followers.

The business is only one piece of the larger vision, Mr. Johnson insisted. If we can algorithmically orient the human body toward the single goal of not dying, then, he said, we can somehow extrapolate that process to the planet itself. “Climate change is an alignment problem,” he said. “Replace my body with planet Earth.”

So, in the meantime, why is he selling olive oil? And why are people buying it?

A Business, or a Cult?

Mr. Johnson grew up Mormon in Utah. Between college and business school, he worked for a credit card processing company selling services to businesses. His sales trick was to offer potential clients $100 for three minutes of their time. If they didn’t sign up for his plan, they could keep the money. He quickly became the company’s top salesperson.

In 2007, he founded his own payment processing company, Braintree, which acquired the startup Venmo and, in 2013, was itself acquired by eBay for $800 million.

A year later, Mr. Johnson got divorced and split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “You’re born a baby again, having to answer these really important questions that don’t have any answers,” he said.

When I asked Mr. Johnson if he was building a religion, he said yes. “Belief systems have proven to be stronger than countries, or companies, or anything else,” for helping humans reach goals, he said. “Every religion has been trying to offer a solution to ‘Don’t die’ — that’s the product they’ve generated,” he added.

In conversations about Blueprint, it’s hard to avoid the word cult. Mr. Johnson himself likes to joke: “Is this some sick and twisted cult trying to get me to go to bed on time?”

Jeff Tang, who recently started a Blueprint-based meal prep company in the San Francisco area, said a lot of businesses “feel like cults at the beginning,” citing WeWork as an example.

Mr. Johnson’s acolytes fall into two general categories: the health and wellness seekers, and the tech crowd, which in recent years has become preoccupied with longevity.

Many Blueprint-curious attendees at the Los Angeles hike said they cared less about maximizing their life span than their “health span,” or healthy years. Some found the predictability of Mr. Johnson’s plan appealing.

“Self-control and discipline — he just takes it out of the equation,” said Sirish Pulusani, 40, who works at a longevity-based health clinic. He wore an Oura ring, a Whoop bracelet and an Apple Watch — all of which track bodily metrics.

Theresa Cowan, 36, said she wanted to eat natural food like Mr. Johnson’s, which she believes could have healing properties, as opposed to fast food, which “is creating death to our cells.” Ms. Cowan, who has worked as an actress and singer, brought her children Makayla and Samuel, 8 and 5, on the hike. She said she and Makayla planned to adopt the Blueprint protocol and make videos about it. (“You’d want to particularly cautious about this for anyone under 18,” said Dr. George Kuchel, a professor of medicine at University of Connecticut who studies aging.)

Ms. Cowan added that she didn’t give her children vaccines or antibiotics. “I live my life against the grain,” she said.

A number of meet-up participants shared stories of trauma, often health-related. Mr. Pulusani grew up with a severe case of eczema. Ms. Cowan’s husband has a tumor in his bladder, and she hopes to persuade him to adopt the Blueprint way of life in order to heal, she said.

Four hundred miles up the coast, about 50 people — mostly young, mostly men — gathered on the same day for a Blueprint hike starting at Rockaway Beach south of San Francisco. It was a tech-y group: A former employee of Elon Musk’s brain implant company, Neuralink, was there, as were a handful of founders from Y Combinator, the start-up incubator. (One person who couldn’t make it threw himself a Blueprint-themed birthday party in San Francisco the next night, with olive oil shots and blood bags full of passion fruit tea.) Mr. Tang, the organizer, carried along a cardboard cutout of Mr. Johnson’s famous kettlebell photo.

Before the group set off, Mr. Tang gathered everyone on a grassy patch and posed a series of icebreaker questions, including whether they’d want to live forever. About half the attendees said yes.

The Scientific Community Has Concerns

Mr. Johnson occupies an odd place in the field of longevity research, which has attracted a surge of investment in recent years. If there’s a spectrum between scientific rigor and pure marketing, many experts argue Mr. Johnson is on the promotional end.

Dr. Nir Barzilai, a professor of medicine and genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and scientific director of the American Federation for Aging Research, has spent years studying healthy seniors he calls “super-agers” and has identified several genetic markers associated with longevity. He said he appreciated Mr. Johnson’s bringing attention to the longevity field.

“But is he contributing to it in a scientific way?” Dr. Barzilai asked. “The answer is no.”

For starters, he said, Mr. Johnson’s methodology is far from the one accepted by the scientific community for a century: clinical studies with large groups of people, some with treatment and others with a placebo, ideally double-blind. (What Mr. Johnson described to me as his new “clinical trial” is … not that.) And Mr. Johnson, to date, has experimented only on himself.

“Even if it works with him — which I don’t think it does — this unique person has unique genetics that probably are not applicable to a population,” Dr. Barzilai said.

Dr. Barzilai also questioned Mr. Johnson’s decision to adopt so many different interventions at once, making it impossible to determine cause and effect — not to mention creating a risk of harmful interactions among treatments.

According to Dr. Barzilai, Mr. Johnson sometimes conflates markers of health, like lung capacity, with markers of aging. “The fact that he’s doing better at things he’s trained for doesn’t make the rest of his body younger,” he said. Similarly, other markers that Mr. Johnson measures may correlate with age but haven’t been shown to cause aging or de-aging.

Dr. Barzilai was not particularly impressed with Mr. Johnson’s results, either. He himself is taking only metformin, a diabetes drug whose life-extending potential he has studied, and doing intermittent fasting, which has been shown to improve the life span of mice but not humans. But when Dr. Barzilai, 68, met Mr. Johnson at a conference in 2023, they took a blood test and got similar results: “We were both about three years younger than our age,” he said.

Experts are also skeptical of Mr. Johnson’s supplements regimen. Valter Longo, professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the University of Southern California, said taking a large amount of supplements risked adverse interactions.

“Some supplements may give you the nutrients you’re missing, but a lot, particularly in high doses, are likely to interfere with normal physiology and eventually do more damage than good,” he said.

Andrew Steele, a biologist and an author who writes about longevity, said there was no evidence that Mr. Johnson’s products would help people live longer. “None of them has slam-dunk human data saying this supplement or additive will improve life span,” he said.

A University at Buffalo dietitian, Danielle Meyer, said Mr. Johnson’s diet would be hard for many women to adopt. (Blueprint’s female chief marketing officer followed the full regimen for 90 days but has since switched to a less intense routine.) “Our life stages have different needs,” Ms. Meyer said. “Women of childbearing age, menopause — all these factors make it more complicated in females than in males.”

She also questioned the sustainability of the Blueprint program, pointing to research showing that rigid diets are difficult to maintain. (Mr. Johnson restricts his daily calories to 2,250, rather than the 3,000 that his body mass and exercise regime suggest he needs.)

Mr. Johnson acknowledges that it can be hard to tease apart the variables in his regimen, and that the changes he’s measuring with biomarkers have not been proved to cause aging or reverse it. But he dismisses experts who criticize him, calling them the “longevity mafia.”

Achieving scientific consensus is slow, he said: “You’ll die before you get that.”

An Ugly Legal Battle

In December, Mr. Johnson posted a video on YouTube titled “My Ex-Fiancée Sued Me for $9,000,000,” in which he responded to a lawsuit that the actress Taryn Southern had filed after they separated in 2019. In a 2021 complaint, Ms. Southern claimed that Mr. Johnson had withheld money he owed her for work, and that after their breakup — after Ms. Southern was diagnosed with cancer — Mr. Johnson had failed to follow through on a promise to pay her rent and expenses for a year. Ms. Southern sought at least $1 million in damages.

Mr. Johnson denied all accusations and contested the lawsuit. An arbitrator decided that Ms. Southern was bound by a separation agreement she previously signed, in which she forfeited her right to sue Mr. Johnson. The arbitrator ultimately ordered Ms. Southern to pay Mr. Johnson’s legal fees.

In his YouTube video, Mr. Johnson framed the lawsuit as a shakedown — Ms. Southern’s lawyers had originally sought $9 million in a letter — and an example of “the dark underground accusation economy.” (Ms. Southern, who is bound by a nondisclosure clause in the separation agreement, declined to comment.)

A December article in Vanity Fair highlighted Ms. Southern’s side of the story. After she got cancer, Mr. Johnson called her a “bad deal” and a “net negative,” according to the complaint. Ms. Southern’s account portrays Mr. Johnson as emotionally manipulating her and dangling the prospect of stock options in one of his companies to pressure her into signing the separation agreement.

Mr. Johnson dismisses the Vanity Fair piece and critical threads about his behavior on X as “one-sided,” as they rely on Ms. Southern’s version of events. In an interview, he said that the anecdotes in the lawsuit were “entirely fabricated.” So far, he has declined to respond to Ms. Southern’s specific claims, arguing that it wouldn’t change people’s minds.

When I asked about the perception that he was controlling, Mr. Johnson told me that after his previous marriage had ended messily, he had insisted on having Ms. Southern — who also worked for his companies — sign agreements stipulating the terms of their arrangement for the sake of clarity.

“It had nothing to do with control, and everything to do with relationship hygiene,” Mr. Johnson said.

Blueprinters I spoke with said the case had not changed their opinion of Mr. Johnson. “I just scrolled right by it,” Ms. Love said. “It’s not something I want to put into my consciousness.”

The Blueprint Stack

Mr. Johnson calls his new bundle of products the “Blueprint Stack” — a coding reference that, like “protocol,” evokes the metaphor of human body as computer and life as algorithm.

Offerings include powdered versions of Nutty Pudding and Super Veggie, cocoa powder, and a dried mixture of nuts and blueberries. He is also selling a “Longevity Blend Micronutrient Drink Mix (Blood Orange Flavor),” which includes the supplement creatine and the New Age-favorite shrub ashwagandha, plus four different pill products, which altogether represent a simplified version of his 100-plus pill regimen. As a wink to his skeptics, he plans to rebrand his olive oil as “Snake Oil.”

The current basic package costs $333 a month, but that covers only about 400 calories a day. Mr. Johnson said he planned to offer enough products to account for a person’s entire daily calorie intake for less than $1,000 a month. (Adults typically need between 1,600 and 3,000 calories a day.)

“We’re trying to compete for the most nutritious food program in history,” he said. “Like, so good that it’s not crazy to say the U.N. should be using this.” Mr. Johnson is also talking to two companies — one providing a gene therapy, another that offers stem cells from young bone marrow — about arranging a discount for Blueprinters. “The idea is to create the Costco of the health and wellness industry,” he said.

Mr. Johnson puts the recipes for his meals on his website, so anyone can cook them — and sell them. After the hike in Los Angeles, the group gathered around a picnic table, where Adrien Cohen, 32, who recently founded a Blueprint-based meal prep start-up, distributed containers of Nutty Pudding and Super Veggie.

Mr. Tang, whose previous project was organizing “T-parties” where men gathered to measure their testosterone levels, said his meal prep company was serving 1,000 Blueprint meals a week in the San Francisco area. He said he planned to pivot away from the Blueprint branding, but for now it’s a “signaling banner for people who want to improve their health.”

Mr. Johnson said he was delighted that others were building their own businesses around Blueprint. However, he has trademarked the Blueprint name and said he might eventually try to work out licensing agreements with the other companies using it.

He declined to comment on his current net worth but said he was less focused on making money than expanding the reach of Blueprint. “This is not a money grab,” he said. (Mr. Johnson said that the business’s revenues so far total several millions of dollars, a claim that could not be verified.)

But, he said, he’s reaching the limit of experiments he can perform on himself. Hence the new “clinical trial,” in which volunteers will consume Blueprint products for three months and then get tested to measure the results. (Participants have to pay for the testing themselves, which amounts to $800 or $1,600, depending on the extent of testing.) There’s no control group, it’s short term, participants consume 67 different therapies at once, and they’re on the “honor system” to eat the Blueprint package and otherwise maintain their base-line diets.

Mr. Steele said that it’s unlikely the new study will yield useful data. “It will be impossible to know how much of any observed effect is real, or just the placebo effect,” he said.

Mr. Johnson concedes that the design is not that of a clinical trial that the mainstream scientific community will accept. “Will this trial end up being reputable? We’ll see,” he said.

The post The Meme King of Longevity Now Wants to Sell You Olive Oil appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

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Gen Z calls vanilla ice cream and olive oil a 'divine combination' and it's even getting celebrity support – so, should YOU try it?

Share or comment on this article: Gen Z calls vanilla ice cream and olive oil a 'divine combination' and it's even getting celebrity endorsements – so, should YOU try it?

The Meme King of Longevity Now Wants to Sell You Olive Oil

A Business, or a Cult?

The Scientific Community Has Concerns

An Ugly Legal Battle

The Blueprint Stack