The Galapagos First Cruise Ship

While Celebrity has been gliding through the wildlife-rich archipelago sitting roughly 600 miles from the coast of Ecuador since 2004 with its Xpedition ship, the spacious Flora will debut as the largest vessel in the destination.

Celebrity Cruises is putting the final touches on Celebrity Flora, the first ship in the world built to sail to the Galapagos.

Flora found design inspiration in the sleek, modern look of Edge, which joined the Celebrity fleet in 2018. Notably, Flora adopted Edge’s Infinite Veranda, which means that in a number of the cabins, the balcony is incorporated into the interior: the press of a button allows you to open a window and transform it into an indoor-outdoor space.

BG Studio did the ship design and Ecuador native Adriana Hoyos infused a sense of place with the interiors and furniture. The designer, who splits her time between Ecuador and Miami, added sustainable, local elements like sculptural birdcage chairs to the penthouse suites, marina and the Discovery Lounge, which is the ship’s main gathering hub.

Flora’s aim is to get you out there experiencing the Galapagos. One way to do that is to take part in the world’s first glamping-at-sea offering. For an upcharge, you can reserve Flora’s teak-slatted pair of cabanas on the top deck for an evening. One cabana comes with a double bed, and the other holds a lounging and dining area.

The two daily excursions will be more accommodating to young and elderly passengers along with those with mobility issues. A marina lowers from the back of the ship and allows you to easily walk onto the custom-designed tenders. This makes the notoriously cumbersome process on other ships seamless here. The marina also will be equipped with lockers and showers.

Aboard the ship itself, there is a stargazing platform, a one-treatment-room spa, an outdoor Jacuzzi and plunge pool, a research lab helmed by the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and an observatory with 180-degree views. Planned activities include a silent disco, movie nights, live guitar performances, and wine and Ecuadorean chocolate tastings.

Why Is Alexis Texas Being Introduced To Our Hip-Hop Generation

Can someone pause for a second and let me know why Alexis Texas is being mentioned in the hip-hop industry? It is extremely rare to hear a rapper say “I’m fuckin' on pornstars” or something of the sort.

Rappers these days will talk about having sex with anyone. They rap about fucking models, foreign women, random hoes, YOUR bitch, and even in Future’s case, a district attorney.

Alexis Texas is an American pornographic actress, director, and featured dancer, so why is the hip-hop community talking about her? Are we sure this is what we want to teach our kids?

Just think of how many teens will google Alexis Texas name! This is not what I want my kids to learn through music. Just saying!

Hip Hop Is The New Disco

Remember in the 70's Era you had three types of music that was popular at the time was soul, funk and disco. Disco is more glitz and glamour style as what you see in today's hip hop world like Migo's for example, they the hip hop trio of today's currant rap that started the Migo flow from underground to rasing on the charts until now you hearing rappers even some known rappers is like rapping the same style.

So when people ask what do i think of today's hip hop like DMC from Run-DMC said he see's it as the new disco which is totally facts when you see the structure in between the two great eras.

Why Is Everyone Mad Kim Jong Un Stepped Out In Style?

I feel Kim, if they can do it, so can I. I loved how Kim stepped out Presidential. 

Kim is often seen attending high profile events in the limousines, including his two previous summits with Donald Trump in Vietnam below. For some reason the cars are banned under UN sanctions. However, Kim had a Mercedes Maybach S600 Pullman Guard and a Mercedes Maybach S62 waiting for him as he arrived at Vladivostok Station.

Company that produces luxury limos used by Kim Jong-un have no idea how he got them.

Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, told Business Insider in a statement that it has "no idea" how its limos wound up in North Korea as the firm does not do direct business with the hermit nation.

The North Korean leader traveled around Vladivostok in what is believed to be an armored Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard limousine. Little is known about Kim's limo, though it looks to be from the W221 generation, sold from 2008 to 2013, and features white leather upholstery.

Although Daimler admitted that it has no control over the actions of third-party or second-hand dealers, it's likely through those channels that North Korea obtained the vehicles. Photos of the North Korean Mercedes limos first surfaced in 2014. The vehicles are estimated to have been worth well over $1 million each at the time of purchase.

The Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard limo features armored protection, a twin-turbocharged V12 engine, and a $1.57 million price tag.

Will Tekashi 6ix9ine Be Released This Year?

Things are looking really good for rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine as another member from his gang pleads guilty. Police say the gang have carried out acts of murder, robbery and narcotics trafficking in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Although 6ix9ine faces life, if all member plead guilty, he may have the chance to be free in September or early 2020.

He admitted that he helped the gang kill someone to “maintain or increase my own standing in Nine Trey” and claimed that the gang engaged in “shooting at people, robbing people and, at times, drug trafficking.”

Tekashi 6ix9ine struck a witness protection deal if he revealed further criminal information: "The plea deal also says ‘it is understood that the defendant’s cooperation is likely to reveal the activities of individuals and that witness protection may be required at a later date."

Back in November, his lawyer previously attempted to get bail for Hernandez – set at $1 million and to include house arrest and surrendering his passport – but the judge denied it, saying the rapper may still be a danger to the community even if the conditions were met.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 2020 and he would have faced a mandatory minimum 47-year sentence if he had not cooperated with federal officials. 6ix9ine has publicly identified himself as a member of a violent New York gang, Nine Trey Bloods.

In 2015, Tekashi 6ix9ine was sentenced to probation when he pleaded guilty for his involvement in a sexually explicit video of a 13-year-old girl. Under his plea deal, 6ix9ine was told he must obtain his GED, refrain from posting sexually explicit or violent images of women or children to social media.

6ix9ine faces a maximum sentence of life in prison unless all members plead guilty to their case.

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The First ADHD Medical Device For Children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that it has permitted marketing for the first medical device to treat ADHD. As diagnosis rates of ADHD among children skyrocket, a new medical device for the treatment of the disorder could soon be hitting the market.

Called the Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) System, the prescription-only device is for children ages 7 to 12 who are not currently taking ADHD prescription medication.

Diagnosis rates for ADHD have risen 30% in 8 years. "This new device offers a safe, non-drug option for treatment of ADHD in pediatric patients through the use of mild nerve stimulation, a first of its kind.”

ADHD, a common and growing disorder that begins in childhood, includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and very high levels of activity. Symptoms of ADHD must be long-lasting, impair the person's functioning and cause the person to fall behind normal development for his or her age.

The device should not be used for children under 7 years old, the FDA says, or among patients with an active implantable peacemaker, active implantable neurostimulators or body-worn devices such as insulin pumps.

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Do You Really Believe R. Kelly Is Broke?

Personally, I don't believe R&B singer R. Kelly is broke. If I was under so much pressure and knew I was guilty, I would take my money out of banks just as soon as it hits the media. It would be hidden among other people and family members. Why else would someone he don't know would bail him out of jail willingly?

Last month, R. Kelly attempted to dodge the $161,000 he owes in child support, which landed him in a cell at the Cook County jail for three nights. Amid the release of Surviving R. Kelly, the Chicago singer was also sued by his landlord for failing to pay his rent, prompting his creditor to seize his accounts. As a result, recent court documents show that one of the singer's bank accounts is currently sitting in the negatives.

The filings obtained by the outlet show that the singer's bank account with Wintrust Bank is at negative $13. Although R. Kelly has two other bank accounts with Bank of America, $150,000 was seized from him as part of the court order, leaving the singer with just $625. The landlord is still owed $50,000, which the company is asking Sony to handle.

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Let's think outside the box for a minute. This is R. Kelly we are talking about here. This man has had more hits than anyone I know in the music business. That's like saying all of his album barely sold or only went gold.

Take a second to breathe, then let me know the truth after everyone figure things out. This is a big mess.

Kim Kardashian Says That She's Going Back To School

Sources reveal Kim Kardashian has officially set her sights on becoming a legitimate attorney. Following her success in lobbying Donald Trump to pardon Chris Young and Alice Marie Johnson from their lengthy prison sentences.

Kim Kardashian explained that her advocacy for Young and Johnson helped spark her newfound passion, while recalling that the experience instilled a desire to learn more about the criminal justice system.

Of course, it should be noted that Kim Kardashian's father was the decorated attorney Robert Kardashian, who once gained national recognition for representing O.J. Simpson during his 1995 murder trial.

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Oprah Winfrey Donates $2 Million

Oprah issued a statement where she spoke about donating to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Flamboyants Arts Fund, which gives all the money back to Puerto Rico, where Miranda is from.

Oprah said “I was so moved by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s commitment to bring ‘Hamilton’ to Puerto Rico and support the community that served him growing up that I wanted to join in the revitalization efforts of an island so rich in culture, beauty and heritage. The needs of Puerto Rico and our fellow American citizens following the tragic hurricanes are still very real.”

The aftermath of Hurricane Maria—the storm that hit Puerto Rico hard in 2017, is still widespread. Many citizens are suffering through lack of power, food shortages, and more. Now, a report has surfaced noting Oprah Winfrey has donated 2 million dollars to PR’s Hurricane Relief Fund.

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The $500,000 Dollar Watch

The diamond jewelry manufacturer, a division of Aaron Shum Jewelry of Hong Kong, introduced a watch at Baselworld last week set with 15,858 diamonds totaling 50.01 carats and valued at $500,000. It was inducted into the Guinness World Records.

The watch is inspired by the peony, known as the king of flowers in Asian culture, and it is set with a combination of white and champagne colored diamonds. It symbolizes nobility, honor and wealth. “Mudan” is Chinese for peony.

As an artist, Ahluwalia specializes in 3D paintings of diamonds, showing the facets and reflections of a round-brilliant cut viewed from the top, or table, side of the diamond.

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Why Is Smoking Marijuana More Dangerous Than Drinking Beer?

Lets forget about this being a topic! Why is beer in every store used as big money profits, while marijuana is pushing to fight for something legal. Drinking beer is far more dangerous in various ways than smoking weed.

Drinking beer has holidays such as St. Patrick's Day, and Octoberfest. Marijuana comes with 4/20. In my observation, drinking beer has caused more bar fights, drunk driving deaths, and abuse on children. smoking marijuana seems to calm the nerves and open a third eye for some.

See Also: News On CBD Oil

The question of whether alcohol or marijuana is worse for health is being debated once again. Each substance has different effects on the body.

In 2017, it was rated that more than 30,000 Americans died from alcohol-induced causes in 2014. There have been zero documented deaths from marijuana use. Drinking beer is more harmful for the brain than using marijuana.

Since When Did Smoking Marijuana Start Causing Health Problems

Every since loud, and Government produced Marijuana hit the streets, it has become a epidemic like Crack. I was born in the early 80's and we have never had a problem with Marijuana until now.

Recently: Marijuana ER Visits Spike

Researchers reported that emergency departments across the state saw a sharp spike in marijuana-related visits after recreational use of pot products was made legal.

I'm not trying to say that this is something that's being pushed by a higher power, but people need to open there eyes up.

While nearly 11 percent of emergency visits were attributable to edible marijuana, only 0.32 percent of total marijuana sales in the state were for edible products. Emergency department visits for psychiatric events and cardiovascular symptoms were more likely to be due to edible marijuana than inhaled marijuana.

They said that the slower rate of absorption of THC in edible products compared with inhalable products makes it harder for users of edible cannabis to gauge the doses required to get the desired high.

Future research into the effects of marijuana should focus on THC and cannabinoid content, how it's taken, doses consumed, sex, age, body mass index, and the medical conditions for which it might be prescribed.

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South Africa Rated The Most Unhealthiest Place To Live

Countries most people consider to be idyllic, such as Saint Lucia and Barbados, ranked poorly, which comes down to poor diet and lack of exercise.

The ranking is based on 10 measures: healthy life expectancy, blood pressure, blood glucose (diabetes risk), obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, inactivity (too little exercise), and government spending on healthcare.

South Africa was ranked the most unhealthy country on earth, while Canada came out on top as the most healthy country.

The latest statistics from the World Health Organisation show that South Africans have a 26% probability of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease between ages 30 and 70. 

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Should The United States Trust The Taliban Again?

Given the circumstance, how do we reach a deal with the opposition we took out of power. Or is this the result of a war that should have never taken place?

U.S. envoy: United States, Taliban reach draft agreement in peace talks

The United States and the Taliban have reached a draft agreement on counter-terrorism assurances and troop withdrawal in a step toward ending the 17-year-long war. But how when the Taliban was once labeled terrors of war themselves.

Taliban would promise not to allow al-Qaida or any terror group to use Afghanistan as a base of operations in exchange for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Khalilzad said the Taliban and "other Afghans, including the government," will begin intra-Afghan negotiations on a political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire after the draft agreements concerning withdrawal time-line and effective counter-terrorism measures are finalized.

Round Up In Celebrity Lifestyles

R. Kelly Breaks His Silence

Oprah Is Being Attacked By Michael Jackson Fans

Kevin Hart Says He's Not Doing The Academy Awards

Did Soulja Boy Kill Music

If Biggie and Tupac Were Still Alive

Could Charlamagne Tha God Be A Sex Offender

Who Discovered the Most Rappers

Take a look at some of the lifestyles our black celebrities are living today.

When Music Was Fun

There was once a time in my life when music was the best thing happening to me. Having my songs played on the radio, meeting new people everyday, and just having the opportunity to greet other musicians.

Music does some astonishingly unique things to the brain. Not only does it help relieve stress, it also helps you to get that chip off your shoulders. We’ve probably all had experience with putting a good song on before we go out for the evening to get in a good mood.

There are lots of differences in the precise implementation of music between different cultures. There’s a huge variety of the genres and types of music. But there are certain principles that stay true no matter what.

Music was my day and night. Not only did I do it for a hobby, I even made a living off running studios. Music seems to sit at the intersection between mathematical laws of the universe and human creativity.

Man Makes Millions Buying From Walmart and Selling on Amazon

This shows how you can make money any kind of way is willing to put the time into it. Ryan Grant, a 30-year-old entrepreneur whose company notched over $6 million in sales last year, in part by buying items at his local Walmart and reselling them on Amazon.

“My initial goal with this was just to replace the income that I was making from my accounting job, which at the time that I quit was $50,000 a year,” he said on Yahoo Finance’s live show YFi PM. “This has definitely exceeded what I thought possible and it has definitely exceeded my initial goals.”

“At the very beginning it was just me doing this out of half of a duplex that I was owner-occupying so there was product literally in every room of the house,” he said.

When he started making just as much through his side hustle as he was from his accounting day job, he decided to quit in 2013.

“It’s turned into a lot more than that today,” he said. “We’re still doing the retail arbitrage where we’re buying in retail stores and it’s expanded into buying from manufacturers and distributors of existing brands as well but it really all began with retail arbitrage.”

Source

Now, Grant has moved his flipping operation to a 3,800-square-foot office with a staff of about 10 employees helping ship in bulk to Amazon. Selling through Amazon’s “Fulfilled by Amazon” program means individual orders are processed by Amazon out of their own warehouses, sparing Grant and his team the pain of shipping each individual order. He’s also started to branch out into selling on eBay and Jet, as well as his own e-commerce sites rather than relying solely on Amazon.

That said, sales continue to grow — from about $3.5 million in 2017 to $6.1 million in 2018. Despite the sales increase, Grant has dialed back his own annual salary to around $60,000 to instead opt to reinvest profits into the business. While that seems low, Grant said he’s only spending about 15 hours a week on the project as his staff handles day-to-day logistics, and is free to travel and work remotely.

Could Charlamagne Tha God Be A Sex Offender?

“R Kelly had the best celebrity sex tape of all time,” Charlamagne tweeted in 2010, along with a series of other dubious and disturbing tweets addressing Kelly’s predilection for underage girls.

One of the biggest criticisms of the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary was its inclusion of radio personality, Charlamagne Tha God, who in his past has also been accused of sexual assault. To complicate matters even further, old tweets recently resurfaced in which “The Breakfast Club” host appears to be supporting R. Kelly and his sex tape with a minor.

“The most important criticism I’ve gotten is having Charlamagne, who is a radio personality in New York City, on to talk about R. Kelly when he himself was accused about 10, 15 years ago of sexual assault. So, that criticism is one that I have to look at,” said hampton on the radio show “The Takeaway.”

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“We definitely limited the amount of time that he got,” hampton added. “He was so clear and so forceful in his condemnation of R. Kelly. If I could have interviewed him after the story broke about his sexual assault allegations in his own past, I would have asked him to reckon with his own past on camera. But I wish that I had not included him in this documentary.”

Should The Student Who Wore A Confederate Flag Attire Be Suspended?

How do you feel about the student who was recently suspended for wearing a Confederate flag attire to school? Do you think it was right for him to get suspended? Lets take a look at the situation.

A student at Fayetteville High School in Fayetteville, Ark., has been suspended for wearing — and refusing to remove — a Confederate flag-themed shirt and face paint in support of a pro-flag movement called #HistoryNotHate.

Several students showed up to school in apparel featuring the controversial flag and were told by the administration to remove it, but one did not comply and received an out-of-school suspension.

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Now the teens say they are upset with the way school officials are handling the situation, and they defend their right to dress in Confederate flag themes.

“None of us are racist. None of us are doing it for hate,” “It’s Southern pride, and we’re not gonna take it off for anyone. This is our flag. It’s Arkansas. This is the South.”

But school officials say they aren’t taking a political stance and are not trying to impede anyone’s rights as an American. Instead, they’re trying to keep the peace, they say. “We’re not trying to trample on their First Amendment rights.”

But one teen believed that the confrontation between students and authorities got heated. Fayetteville High School student Morrigan White told local news station KNWA that he painted the Confederate flag all over his peers’ hands and faces, “wherever they wanted it,” and that during their lunch period, they were approached by police, the principal, the vice principal as well as school deans, “and they were all telling us we either had to wash it off or go home.”

But the students refused, and Starnes was the one to speak up. “I told him I wasn’t going to take it off,” he said to KNWA. “So then I went to the office, had a discussion and then the head principal ended up calling me racist,” he says.

According to the school district’s rules, “attire that disrupts the educational process or otherwise interferes with the rights or opportunities of others to learn or teach [is considered improper and unacceptable].” Dostal says the Confederate flag falls into that category and “can cause a substantially disruptive environment for some of our students.” He says that by banning the flag on campus, he’s keeping all students safe.

EXCLUSIVE: Students at Fayetteville High School wore confederate flags in support of #historynothate. I met up with the students who share why they're upset with how the administrators are handling the situation. Tonight at 9 on @Fox24News & 10 on @KNWAnews pic.twitter.com/6zXWQ7bcri

— Katie Davila (@KatieeDavila) January 23, 2019

Does Twerking Empower Women?

For some women, doing a Twerk dance makes them feel good about themselves. Some women just do it because they think it's apart of their culture.

Twerking is a type of dance originating as part of the bounce music scene of New Orleans in the late 1980s. Individually-performed, chiefly but not exclusively by women, dancers move throwing or thrusting their hips back or shaking their buttocks, often in a low squatting stance.

Twerking strengthens muscles in just about every part of your body! Not only do you sculpt, tone and grow your badonkadonk, your thighs become super strong, your hip flexibility increases and more than anything, boosts your confidence.

The twerking craze quickly swept the social media world, and it's showing very little signs of slowing down.

In Recent News:

After firing back at Tomi Lahren, the “Money” rapper aimed her social media ire at Daily Caller video columnist Stephanie Hamill on Tuesday. The conservative reporter singled out Cardi — who has been making headlines for her anti-Trump views recently — claiming her sexualized music videos, like the one for “Twerk,” don’t empower women.

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Cardi B has made it clear she’s fed up with the government shutdown, using her platform to criticize President Trump and his administration. And she’s not going to shut up anytime soon.

So I guess the big question is Twerking and is it healthy. I guess you can say in so many ways it is all in how you carry yourself.