mind

The NI squad she has returned to is markedly different to the one she was last included in a year and a half ago, given the influx of younger players.

That was necessitated by the retirements of Marissa Callaghan, Rachel Furness and Rachel Dugdale.

The only centurion in the current panel, McFadden knew her biggest selling point for getting back into the squad at this later stage of her career was the experience she has, and she hopes to pass on wisdom gained from over 20 years of playing to the younger generation.

“That is what I was saying when I was pleading my case to Tanya. I’ve always got that [experience], even if I’m not fit, I will always do the best for Northern Ireland and our group,” she added.

“I hope I’ve helped them this week, especially Abi Sweetlove. She’s at the start of her career, she’s unbelievable centre-half, she’s the future and hopefully I’ll be able to help her along because I have done it many a time and someone helped me along, so I want to help them.”

So, up next for McFadden and NI is building on a positive second-half display in Ballymena as they go to Reykjavik on Tuesday aiming to overturn the two-goal deficit.

The odds are against Oxtoby’s side given they failed to have a shot on target in the first leg, but McFadden still thinks they have an opportunity if they go there confident.

“We need a little bit more belief. We were able to get in their final third a bit more second half and with the belief, we have a chance.

“If we score early, they’re the big fish with the pressure on and hopefully we get a performance again.”

Fifa president Gianni Infantino wants football to keep an “open mind” about when World Cups are played.

The tournament has traditionally been contested in the northern hemisphere’s summer months – though the 2022 competition, in Qatar, took place in December to avoid playing in the hottest conditions.

“We have summer and winter and in the world if you want to play at the same time everywhere you can play in March or in October,” said Infantino, who runs the sport’s world governing body.

“In December you cannot play in one part of the world and in July you cannot play in another part.

“We need to consider all these elements and let’s see how we can make it better for everyone.

“Maybe there are ways we can optimise the calendar. We are discussing. We have to have an open mind.”

The international match calendar is fixed until 2030, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting next year’s men’s World Cup in June and July.

Morocco, Portugal and Spain host the World Cup in 2030 – with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay holding matches to mark 100 years since the first World Cup was held in, and won by, Uruguay.

Saudi Arabia will host the tournament in 2034.

Meanwhile, Infantino also confirmed Fifa’s desire to further grow the Club World Cup.

The US hosted an expanded 32-team tournament during a major heatwave in the summer, with temperatures in New York reaching a record 39C in June.

This drew criticism from footballers and players’ unions, who raised issues over player welfare and the number of games adding to a packed calendar.

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango said in July the competition was devaluing football.

Chelsea beat Paris St-Germain in New York to claim the title.

Infantino, speaking at the European Football Clubs’ general assembly in Rome, said: “When the Champions League was created the first revenue was 40m (euros), now it is 4bn (euros). If the first Club World Cup generated 2bn (euros) in 30 years we should generate 200bn (euros).

“This has created revenues for the clubs. Now we work together to see how we can make it better, bigger and more impactful in collaboration with the clubs and stakeholders because it will benefit everyone.

“I’m biased but it was a huge success from every possible angle. We had 2.5m spectators in the stadiums. We had an average [attendance] of 40,000 and only the Premier League is doing better.

“There is interest in the entire world and we need the interest to boost the national leagues, the European and global competitions.”

Reddit (RDDT 0.79%) stock has been a big winner since its initial public offering (IPO). Since the day of its market debut in March 2024, the company’s share price has rocketed 606% higher as of this writing.

With such incredible gains across a relatively short period of time, it’s not unreasonable to wonder if Reddit stock has become overvalued — even with the stock seeing a recent valuation pullback. On the other hand, there are some good reasons to think that Reddit stock can continue marching higher.

Reddit is flashing very strong growth indicators

With revenue of $1.67 billion over the trailing 12-month period, Reddit has posted sales growth of roughly 49% across the period — but growth has actually been accelerating at an incredible pace recently. For example, the company’s sales increased 78% year over year in this year’s second quarter. Meanwhile, the business recorded a gross margin of roughly 90% over the TTM period.

Data by YCharts.

Even better, the company’s gross margin continues to climb higher. The strong improvements in sales and profitability largely stem from the company’s wins with licensing data from its social-media platform for the training of artificial intelligence (AI) models.

With very strong sales growth and stellar gross margins that have continued to trend higher in recent quarters, Reddit could have the makings of a long-term profit-generating machine. While the stock has already seen huge gains, history could eventually show that it was cheaply valued at current prices.

Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

SANTA BARBARA — “In this next song,” said Paul McCartney, “we’d like you to sing along.”

Oh, this was the one?

By an hour or so into his concert Friday night at the Santa Barbara Bowl — basically somebody’s backyard by the standards of the former Beatle — McCartney had already gotten the capacity crowd to join in on a bunch of all-timers including “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “Love Me Do,” “Jet,” “Getting Better,” “Lady Madonna,” “Let Me Roll It” and “Got to Get You Into My Life.”

But for Sir Paul, even (or especially) at age 83, there’s always a way to take an audience higher.

So as his keyboard player plunked out the song’s lovably lopsided lick, McCartney and his band cranked through a fast and jumpy rendition of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” that left nobody any choice but to hop up and holler about the sweet certainty of life’s going on.

A sellout pretty much as soon as it was announced, Friday’s show was a kind of warm-up gig ahead of the launch next week of the latest leg of McCartney’s Got Back world tour, which began criss-crossing the globe in 2022 and will resume Monday night in Palm Desert after a nine-month break.

On the road he’s playing arenas and stadiums, but this hillside amphitheater seats only 4,500 or so; to make the evening even more intimate, fans had to lock their phones in little pouches on the way into the venue. (The presence of several cameras swooping around on cranes suggested that McCartney was filming the concert for some unstated purpose.)

“That’s our wardrobe change of the evening,” he said at one point after taking off his jacket, and indeed this was a slightly trimmed-down version of the flashy multimedia production that he brought to SoFi Stadium three years ago. That night in 2022, he played three dozen tunes over two and a half hours; on Friday he did a dozen fewer — no “Maybe I’m Amazed,” no “Band on the Run” — in about an hour and 45 minutes.

The advantage of the smallness, of course, was that you could really hear what McCartney and his longtime backup band were doing up there: the folky campfire vocal harmonies in “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” the propulsive groove driving “Get Back,” the barely organized chaos of a downright raunchy “Helter Skelter.”

Then again, that assumes that tracking those details is why anybody turned up in Santa Barbara.

Though he dropped an album of new solo songs in 2020, McCartney has been pretty deep in nostalgia mode since the 2021 release of Peter Jackson’s widely adored “Get Back” docuseries. He’ll tend the machine this fall with a new book about his years with Wings and an expanded edition of the Beatles’ mid-’90s “Anthology” series; next year, a documentary about the Wings era is due from director Morgan Neville; in 2028, director Sam Mendes will unveil the four separate biopics he’s making about each Beatle, with Paul Mescal in the role of McCartney.

All that looking back can make it hard for even a devoted fan to take in the legend standing before them in the flesh; instead of overwriting memories with fresh information, the mind steeped in myth can train itself to do the opposite (especially when the owner of that mind has shelled out hundreds of bucks for a concert ticket).

Yet you have to hand it to McCartney, whose face bore a dusting of silvery stubble on Friday: As predetermined as this audience was to have a good time, he was tapped into the energy of a musician making minute-to-minute decisions.

He opened the show with a zesty take on the Beatles’ “Help!,” which experts on the internet say he hadn’t played in concert since 1990, then followed it up with one of his quirkiest solo tunes in the disco-punk “Coming Up,” which he juiced with a bit of Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn” theme.

After a flirty “Love Me Do,” he asked the women in the crowd to “gimme a Beatles scream,” then nodded approvingly at the sound. “Imagine trying to play through that,” he added.

“Jet” had a nasty swagger and “I’ve Got a Feeling” a sexy strut; “Live and Let Die,” meanwhile, was just as trashy as you’d hope.

McCartney told moving if familiar stories about meeting Jimi Hendrix and about his mother coming to him in the dream that inspired “Let It Be”; he also told one I’d never heard about screwing up a performance of “Blackbird” — “Lot of changes,” he said of the song’s complicated guitar part — in front of Meryl Streep. Because his wife Nancy was in the house, he said, he played “My Valentine,” a weepy piano ballad anyone but Nancy probably would’ve gladly exchanged for “Junior’s Farm” or “Drive My Car.”

But then what was that choice if not a commitment to the circumstances of the moment?

Many investors don’t give Impinj (PI 4.59%) a second look nowadays. It’s easy to gloss over this technology stock when you see a trailing price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 695 and a price-to-sales ratio (P/S) just below 15. The company’s RFID tagging technology may be crucial to inventory management and shipping services in this digital era, but that’s still a downright offensive valuation.

Yet analysts agree that Impinj’s stock is a solid buy, and their average price target is roughly in line with current share prices. How is that possible, when Impinj’s valuation could result in nosebleeds and acrophobia?

This chart can clarify the situation, and maybe even change your mind about Impinj’s lofty stock price:

PI Revenue (Quarterly) data by YCharts

Impinj’s sales and free cash flows are soaring right now — despite weak results in the company’s core target markets. Many retailers and shipping specialists are reporting soft or even negative revenue growth and sliding cash flows in this economy. Yet, Impinj is enjoying robust order growth and record-level gross margins right now.

And this looks like the start of a golden age for Impinj. Management set optimistic growth targets for the next quarter and next year, based on strong demand for RFID tags and data management systems.

What’s next for Impinj?

In other words, Impinj is breaking through to a new era of consistently positive earnings, for the simple reason that its main customers absolutely require tighter operations nowadays. Accurate and flexible unit-tracking tools are more valuable than ever.

And the incredibly high valuation ratios should subside as Impinj continues to tell this thrilling growth story. P/E ratios can look weird when a bottom-line improvement is passing by the breakeven level, as Impinj’s trailing earnings are doing now. Those headline-writing ratios should look a lot less scary in 2026 and beyond.

Cruise ships have plenty of entertainment for passengers but there’s one clever ‘blue mind effect’ that can be key to whether they feel calm while they’re on the ship

Cruise holidays offer up plenty of opportunities for rest and relaxation whether that’s sitting poolside on the top deck, unwinding in the spa or tucking into some delicious food. Then of course there are all of the thrilling destinations to be explored whether you’re sailing along the Mediterranean coast or going in search of winter sun in the Caribbean.

Most people tend to feel happier or more relaxed on a holiday, but according to industry insiders, cruise ships use a clever tactic to try and maximise that feeling of joy for passengers.

It all comes down to the ‘blue mind effect’. This theory suggests that if you’re close to water or immersed in water, it can encourage a meditative and relaxed state of mind, and therefore play a key role in your wellbeing. Of course cruise ships are surrounded by water, and according to experts, cruise lines use this to their advantage.

READ MORE: Disney’s new ship sailing in 2025 will have epic themed bars and new water rideREAD MORE: World’s ‘most beautiful cruise port’ is tucked away in city that’s UNESCO site

The insiders at Iglu Cruise explained: “Taking this into consideration, cruise ships are designed with as many positions to view the sea as possible. There are floor-to-ceiling windows in public areas offering uninterrupted views of the ocean, open decks to view the horizon and private balconies allowing passengers to have their own private “blue mind” sanctuary, and there’s nothing quite like falling asleep to the sound of the sea.”

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The ‘blue mind effect’ isn’t the only way a cruise can offer up useful ways to boost your mental wellbeing. Another perk of being at sea is that in the middle of the ocean, you’re unlikely to get good signal. While most lines do offer up Wi-Fi packages for those who want to stay connected, if you’re after a digital detox then a cruise can be the ideal opportunity to take one.

READ MORE: ‘I watched Disney’s new ship float out and it was more nail-biting than expected’

In fact, according to Iglu Cruise, “it’s been found that a “digital detox” can reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus, improve sleep, decrease FOMO (fear of missing out) and deepen relationship”. Their experts added: “This newfound freedom whilst onboard, encourages disconnection from devices and instead, engaging with the surroundings, embracing the present moment and enjoying precious time with loved ones. It’s also the perfect justification for not feeling obliged to respond to people right away.”

Of course while it’s lovely to have some R&R, some holidaymakers also like a bit of adventure on their holidays, so the fact that you can visit multiple destinations on one holiday can appeal. Then there’s the upping of the ante when it comes to onboard entertainment from rollercoasters at sea to West End-worthy shows, and epic waterparks. With an increasing demand for entertainment at sea, new ships are bigger than ever before – and experts predict that they could soon be the size of small cities.

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It was an experience that will long live with me for a number of reasons, as I broke my Ibiza virginity in style at the iconic Pacha nightclub, writes Jamie Roberts

The brand Pacha is a globally recognised name and rightly so. It is widely known as being the iconic, glamorous, and historic nightclub that helped create the legendary dance culture on Ibiza 52 years ago.

So when the opportunity to party VIP at the height of summer arose, I knew I had to take it. As a White Island virgin at the ripe age of 38, I wondered if my more “chilled” outlook on nights out these days would see me last the distance until the 6am curfew. Let’s face it, in recent years, that time of day for me is more likely to be the start of the working day rather than still sipping tequila alongside thousands of revellers.

But, I knew I had to throw myself into the legend that is Pacha in full force as Dutch DJ Mau P headlined his fantastic Baddest Behaviour residency. Unlike some of the party island veterans, this may well have turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. And it’s safe to say that from the outset, the labyrinth that is Pacha Ibiza dragged me fully into its core.

READ MORE: Pacha Ibiza’s newest resident Mau P on ‘iconic’ moment with huge DJREAD MORE: Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale’s romantic ‘make or break’ holiday after split

In the beginning, it was clear that the iconic spot isn’t just resting on its name and hoping legends of the past keep it afloat. In fact, as I was shown around at the start of the night, one passionate worker – who proudly shared he had been with the company for over 40 years – admitted his old office space is now an outdoor toilet as the space continues to evolve with the changes of society.

Explaining how Pacha is determined to keep moving with the times and add to the experience, he revealed that the smoking ban and the Covid pandemic made it a necessity to expand. This left the venue deciding to create further high-end boutique spots for its expectant revellers. But even as it grows, the space still gives off its unique vibes at every turn.

A special shout-out has to go out to the Paradiso rooftop bar. While anyone with a Pacha ticket can enter this area before midnight, it’s a welcome addition for those looking for a secluded pre-drink before hitting the dance floor until the early hours.

From walking through the Pacha Family outside spot, and also the Paradiso bar, it was noticeable that the venue was focusing on enhanced comfort with its open-top forest-like feel.

But once inside the venue, there were twists and turns that opened up new worlds thanks to an electronically tagged wristband. From the exclusive Ricardo’s room, to the special section floating above and behind the DJ booth to party the night away, the freedom to roam offered a lot more space. For those wanting to immerse themselves truly into the Pacha feel, you could also take to the main floor and embrace the busier vibe under the strobe lights and smoke cannons.

It’s clear the club takes pride in creating a buzz with its bolder than ever lighting displays and 360-degree immersive visuals. But despite all of the luxuries of the Pacha club and its impressive VIP, there was one thing throughout that surprised me – the apparent openness of smoking. As a non-smoker, this threw me back to my heavier partying days circa 2005 – just before the smoking ban came into play.

And while the smoking ban has created bougie outdoor elements, it seemed as though there may have been a much more relaxed take in certain private areas.

But is Pacha Ibiza VIP worth it? For this ageing dad-of-one, I’d definitely say yes – and I’m sure after taking it all in, it’s a benefit for those of all ages to fully experience one of the most iconic spots in the dance world.

As for the Ibiza Final Boss, long may he enjoy his newfound fame and VIP treatment. He is lucky enough to be living his best life this summer – something I would also certainly do if anyone was to film this ginger Mr Muscle character-of-old lookalike!

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Dutch Bros (BROS 6.46%) stock is finally getting some market love. It’s more than doubled in value over the past year, and it trades at a P/E ratio of 193. That’s expensive by almost any standard, but it’s not the only valuation ratio worth a look. The valuation could also be justified given the company’s growth prospects.

Here’s a deeper look.

High growth, high profits for Dutch Bros

With performance as good as Dutch Bros’ has been posting since it went public in 2021, it’s surprising that it’s taken the market this long to take notice. It reliably reports high sales growth, and profits continue to rise. In the 2025 second quarter, revenue increased 28% year over year, while net income rose from $22.2 million last year to $38.4 million this year.

However, there were reasons the market was concerned until recently. It didn’t report its first annual profit until 2023. In addition, investors were worried about its chances when same-store sales growth was low, even in negative territory for a short time, and most of the increase was coming from price hikes.

Dutch Bros has moved way past that now. Earnings per share (EPS) increased from $0.03 to $0.34 in 2024, and from $0.12 to $0.20 in the 2025 second quarter year over year. Same-store sales were up 6.1% in the quarter, with a 3.7% rise in transactions.

More importantly, analysts expect EPS to increase about 350% over the next three years.

Data by YCharts.

There’s a lot of expectation here. Dutch Bros has a huge growth runway in opening new stores, and net income is following. While there’s some growth built into Dutch Bros’ current price, the opportunity is enormous, which is why it commands a premium valuation. As for other valuation methods, the forward one-year P/E ratio is a more reasonable 74, and the price-to-sales ratio is a very reasonable 5.

Each morning before Cameron Brink pulls on her Sparks jersey, she scans a taped-up collage in her closet. Olympic rings, a WNBA All-Star crest, snapshots with her fiancé and a scatter of Etsy trinkets crowd the board.

The canvas is a handmade constellation of who Brink is and who she longs to be. Between magazine clippings and scribbled affirmations, Brink sees both the grand arc and the small vows that tether her: to show up as a teammate, a daughter and a partner.

“You have a choice every day to have a good outlook or a bad outlook,” said Brink, the Sparks’ starting forward. “I try to choose every day to be positive.”

That choice seemed to matter most when the future felt furthest away. The practice emerged in the thick of a 13-month recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Brink — the Stanford star and Sparks No. 2 draft pick — was forced to measure life in the tiniest ticks of progress after injuring her left knee a month into the 2024 season.

Sparks veteran Dearica Hamby recognized how rehab was grinding down the rookie. One afternoon, she invited Brink to her home, where the dining table was set with scissors, glue sticks, stacks of magazines and knickknacks.

“I’ve always been taught growing up that your mind is your biggest power,” Brink said. “So I’ve always been open to stuff like that. I heavily believe in manifesting what you want and powering a positive mindset.”

Hamby had been building vision boards for years and believed Brink could use the same practice — both as a pastime and as a mechanism to combat the doubts that surfaced during her lengthy and often lonely rehab.

“If she can visualize it, she can train her mind the opposite of her negative thoughts and feelings,” Hamby said. “When you see it, you can believe it. Your brain is constantly feeding itself. And if you have something in the back — those doubts — you need something to counter that.”

The board dearest to Brink wasn’t crowded with stats or accolades. She crafted what she calls her “wonderful life,” layering in snapshots of her fiancé, Ben Felter, and framed by symbols of family and team.

“You’re a product of your mind,” Brink said. “Everything in my life, I feel like I’ve fought and been intentional about.”

Fighting was what the year demanded. However inspiring the boards looked taped inside her closet, the reality was gradual and often merciless.

From the night she was carried off the court last June to the ovation that greeted her return in July, Brink’s progress unfolded in inches — from the day she could stand, to the day she could walk to the day she touched the hardwood again.

“It’s been such a journey,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “Cam’s mentality was just trying not to freak out. She was really focused on not being anxious about it.”

Brink came to practice with her game on a leash, her activity hemmed in by doctors’ timelines. While teammates scrimmaged, she studied sets from the sidelines.

Roberts praised her patient attitude as “great,” a skill Brink sharpened by the ritual of opening her closet and trusting the journey.

Kim Hollingdale, the Sparks’ psychotherapist, worked closely with Brink during her recovery. While bound by confidentiality, she spoke to how manifestation tools can anchor an athlete through the mental strain of long recovery.

“Being able to stay in touch with where we’re ultimately trying to get to can help on those days when it’s feeling crappy,” Hollingdale said. “Visualization helps us be like, ‘OK, look, we’re still heading to that vision. This is part of the journey.’ It gives purpose, direction and a little hope when you’re in the mud of recovery.”

That sense of purpose, she added, is about giving the brain something familiar to return to when progress stalls — a way for the mind to rehearse what the legs can’t.

For Brink, that meant keeping her game alive in pictures she ran through her head. Putbacks in the paint became reruns in her mind, and Hollingdale said the brain scarcely knows the difference: If it sees it vividly enough, the muscles prime themselves as if the movement truly happened.

What mattered wasn’t just mechanics. Tuning out noise became essential as Brink was cleared to return as a WNBA sophomore by calendar yet a rookie by experience. What could have been crushing pressure was dimmed by the vision boards — the “mental rehearsal,” as Hollingdale labeled it.

“I didn’t want to focus on stat lines or accolades coming back from injury,” Brink said. “I learned the importance of enjoying being out there, controlling what I can control, always having a good attitude — that’s what I reframed my mindset to be about.”

During Brink’s return against the Las Vegas Aces on July 29, she snared an offensive rebound and splashed a three-pointer within the first minute. And since, she has posted 5.9 points and four rebounds an outing, headlined by a 14-point performance through 11 minutes against Seattle.

Hollingdale tabbed Brink’s return a rarity. She often prepares athletes to weather the gauntlet of “firsts” — the first shot that clangs, the first whistle, the first crowd cheer — without expecting much beyond survival.

But upon Brink’s return, those firsts weren’t looming unknowns. They were rehearsed memories.

“That is a testament to her being able to manage herself, her emotions and her anxiety and all the stress and pressure,” Hollingdale said. “To come out and make a meaningful difference to your team straight away speaks to the ability to stay locked in and cut out the noise.”

By refusing to sprint through recovery, Hamby said Brink insulated herself from the pressure that shadows young stars. The vision boards, Hamby added, became a tangible expression of Brink’s decision to trust herself.

“She’s done it differently,” Hamby said. “For her, it’s more of a mental thing than a physical thing. She took her time, not listening to people tell her she should have been back sooner.”

When Brink shuts the closet door and heads to Crypto.com Arena for game day, she’s already spent the morning tracing the steps of the night.

On the next blank corner of her canvas?

“Being an All-Star and going to the Olympics,” she said.

Ferne McCann has been left ‘mind blown’ by breastfeeding rates in the UK as she continues to breastfeed her two-year-old daughter beyond what is considered the norm

Ferne McCann has been left ‘mind-blown’ by breastfeeding rates in the UK. The former TOWIE star, 35, has daughter Sunday, seven, with her ex Arthur Collins as well as two-year-old Finty with current partner Lorri Haines.

She has opted to keep breastfeeding her youngest, even though she is beyond the traditional age. The reality TV star decided to take action after discovering that UK has one of the ‘lowest’ rates of breastfeeding in the world, with many women choosing to feed their children via formula, having shared her own experience with it on social media with sets of candid images and received backlash from some followers, who she thinks may have believed she had the wrong ‘intentions’ with it all.

During an appearance on Wednesday’s This Morning, she told Andi Peters and Emma Willis: “Society, why people have such a problem with it, is breasts are over-sexualised and I think for other people, they found it very triggering because they felt that they had failed. It wasn’t to shame or to make anyone feel like they’d failed, and I had to make a decision. It’s such a small community, because the UK has the lowest rates of breastfeeding globally, which blows my mind.” It comes after Alex Jones fights back tears as her rarely-seen husband appears on The One Show.

READ MORE: Ferne McCann says her two daughters are going to be famous after psychic predictionREAD MORE: Ferne McCann defends breastfeeding daughter Finty, 2, in public as trolls say ‘it’s weird’

The former I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! contestant had opened up about how she wasn’t always feeling confident about breastfeeding herself, and how she had to find a new way to think about her breasts, and while she understands that some of her social media posts may appear ‘shocking’ to some, she is ‘proud’ of what she is doing to raise awareness and stamping out the stigmas.

She added: “I want to use my platform to show support because that’s the main reason that women don’t continue. It’s down to lack of education, and support, and confidence. I had to have that mindset shift when I began breastfeeding Sunday nearly eight years ago, and that relationship with my breasts.

“They then had to nurture my baby. You do have to dig deep, and find some confidence and that can be quite a daunting prospect. I think with every negative comment, there’s been 10 positive and that’s so hopeful. People want you to win.

“Community midwives want you to have a successful breastfeeding journey. It’s a really right network and everyone really praises I feel proud to share those visuals because, I get that it is shocking because the relationship that people have with breasts and so on, I feel proud, especially now that Finty is two, because it isn’t the norm. Bottle feeding is the norm.”

As it stands, in the UK, around 81% of mothers attempt breastfeeding immediately after birth but and just 1% are exclusively breastfed by the age of six months. Comparatively, a study in 2021, found that 56.7% of mothers in the US breastfed their babies beyond six months.

When it comes to the idea that Ferne is choosing to breastfeed her child beyond what is considered the normal period, she insisted that it was never intentional but that it all has to work on a case by case basis.

She added: “People are not used to saying a toddler or a pre-schooler breastfeeding. For me, I didn’t have a goal. With Sunday, it was different, and it was circumstances and I had to return back to work now I work from home, it’s more freeing. it’s more flexible for me.

“I didn’t plan to do it for two years. It’s so individual and it’s so relative. It’s our normal and I understand that it’s not everyone else’s but we’re just going with it.”

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Jennifer Aniston just came out with an unexpected, wistful comment about her “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry’s death: Part of her, she said, thinks it might be “better” for him that he died.

“We did everything we could when we could,” the “Morning Show” star said in an interview published Monday by Vanity Fair, talking about Perry’s friends’ attempts to help him when he was struggling with addiction. “But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight.”

Indeed, Perry discussed his friends’ efforts to help him in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” which recounted his decades-long struggles with substance abuse as well as his numerous recovery efforts.

“Although he asserts he was never high while filming ‘Friends,’ he’d often be sick or hungover,” former staff writer Christina Veta wrote in The Times’ review of the memoir. “Once, Perry passed out on the Central Perk couch and [co-star Matt] LeBlanc had to nudge him awake to say his line. Later, Aniston called him out for drinking again, telling him, ‘We can smell it.’”

Perry told Aniston, “I know I’m drinking too much, but I don’t exactly know what to do about it.”

“In nature, when a penguin is injured, the other penguins group around it and prop it up until it’s better,” he wrote in his memoir. “This is what my costars on Friends did for me. There were times on set when I was extremely hungover, and Jen and Courteney [Cox], being devoted to cardio as a cure-all, had a Lifecycle exercise bike installed backstage. In between rehearsals and takes, I’d head back there and ride that thing like the fires of hell were chasing me — anything to get my brain power back to normal. I was the injured penguin, but I was determined to not let these wonderful people, and this show, down.”

Aniston told Vanity Fair in the new interview, “looking solemn and out toward the ocean” as she spoke about Perry’s death, “As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”

Perry said in his memoir that amid all his drinking and drug use, he was never suicidal.

“In the back of my mind I always had some semblance of hope. But, if dying was a consequence of getting to take the quantity of drugs I needed, then death was something I was going to have to accept,” he wrote about the period after “Friends” ended.

“That’s how skewed my thinking had become — I was able to hold those two things in my mind at the same time: I don’t want to die, but if I have to in order to get sufficient drugs on board, then amen to oblivion.”

Almost exactly a year after the memoir came out, on Oct. 28, 2024, at 4 in the afternoon, Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. The drug ketamine would later emerge as his official cause of death, with drowning a contributing factor.

SAN FRANCISCO — Two days after she rattled San Francisco’s political scene by acknowledging an unexpected interest in running for Congress, Mayor Dianne Feinstein suddenly and unexpectedly Wednesday evening decided not to run.

“There are simply too many issues critical to the city that cannot be deferred by the distractions of a campaign or postponed until a new mayor can be found,” she said in a written statement.

Chief among those pending issues is the city budget, she said. But the list also includes the city’s homeless, its AIDS crisis, redevelopment projects and a new stadium for its baseball team, the Giants.

“I do not want to leave City Hall with my job incomplete,” she said. “. . . I love this city with my whole heart and I intend to remain as mayor and finish the job.”

Investment in Future

Feinstein’s political consultant, Clint Reilly, sees her decision as an investment in her future. She has expressed an interest in running for governor in 1990.

“She has always been real sensitive to the idea that the legacy of her mayoralty is going to reflect on everything she wants to do in the future,” he said.

Still, the decision not to run for Congress was surprising, if only for its suddenness. Executive Deputy Mayor Hadley Roff said Feinstein made up her mind at the close of business Wednesday and issued her statement an hour later.

Her announcement came only hours after two city supervisors, Harry Britt and Carol Ruth Silver, declared their candidacy for the 5th Congressional District, which was vacated by the Feb. 1 death of Democrat Sala Burton. Other candidates are Supervisor Bill Maher and Democratic activist Nancy Pelosi.

Seen as Front-Runner

Feinstein acknowledged only Monday that her supporters had convinced her to reconsider an earlier decision not to seek the congressional seat. As a proven vote-getter and skilled fund raiser, she immediately was seen as front-runner.

But her campaign would have hurt two political allies–Pelosi and Supervisor John Molinari, who hopes to succeed Feinstein as mayor. Had Feinstein resigned, the Board of Supervisors might have selected someone other than Molinari to fill out her term–and perhaps run again with an incumbent’s advantage in November.

A quick move to Congress–the special primary election is April 7, with a runoff, if needed, on June 2–also would impinge on her personal life, Reilly said. Feinstein is married to investor-adventurer Dick Blum.

“Cumulatively, it all made for a ‘no-go’ rather than a ‘go,’ ” Reilly said. “Also, after 10 years as mayor, she is looking forward to some time off.”

Alan Bergman, the decorated lyricist who over the course of seven decades penned songs including “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “The Way We Were,” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” with wife Marilyn Bergman, has died. He was 99.

Bergman died late Thursday evening in his home in Los Angeles, family spokesperson Ken Sunshine confirmed in a statement to The Times on Friday. The songwriter “suffered from respiratory issues” in recent months but remained steadfast in his songwriting “till the very end.”

A Brooklyn native, Bergman was best known for his collaborations with his wife, Marilyn, which spanned music, television and film. The husband and wife, after meeting through composer Lew Spence, married in 1958. Together, they penned music for a variety of high-profile acts including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, John Williams and Barbra Streisand, with the last eventually becoming the couple’s muse.

The Bergmans were three-time Oscar winners. The couple won their first Oscar in 1969 for the moody “Windmills of Your Mind,” featured in “The Thomas Crown Affair,” shared with French composer Michel Legrand. Their second and third Oscar wins stemmed from works with Streisand: the title song from “The Way We Were” in 1974 (shared with Marvin Hamlisch) and in 1984 for the score of “Yentl,” shared with Legrand.

The composers and their work were consistent contenders at the Oscars, with their contributions to films “The Happy Ending,” “Tootsie,” “Yes, Giorgio” and the 1995 remake of Billy Wilder‘s “Sabrina” also receiving nominations from the academy. On the small screen, the Bergmans left their personal touch on numerous TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s, providing the theme music for shows including “Good Times,” “Alice,” “In the Heat of the Night” and Norman Lear’s “Maude.”

In addition to Oscars, the Bergmans also won four Emmys, two Golden Globes and two Grammys, including the song of the year award for “The Way We Were.”

Alan Bergman, born Sept. 11, 1925 in Brooklyn, was a son of a salesman and knew from an early age that songwriting was his passion. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and pursued his graduate studies in music at UCLA. He briefly worked as a television director for Philadelphia station WCAU-TV but returned to Los Angeles to fully pursue songwriting, at the behest of mentor Johnny Mercer.

Alan and Marilyn Bergman are members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which awarded the duo its Johnny Mercer Award in 1997. They also received the Grammy Trustee Award for lifetime achievement, the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Music Publishers Assn. Lifetime Achievement Award and honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and the University of Massachusetts. In 2011, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill honored Bergman with a distinguished alumnus award.

Marilyn Bergman died in January 2022 of respiratory failure at 93. After her death, Alan continued working, most recently collaborating with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, who will record his nine songs co-written with Bergman later this year for an upcoming album.

Alan Bergman is survived by his daughter Julie Bergman and granddaughter Emily Sender. He will be laid to rest at a private graveside burial. Ruth Price’s Jazz Bakery announced earlier this month it would celebrate Bergman’s 100th birthday with a tribute concert at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage in September. The performance will go on as planned, The Times has learned.

The family ask that donations be made in Bergman’s name to the ASCAP Foundation Alan and Marilyn Bergman Lyric Award and the Johnny Mercer Foundation.

Times pop music critic Mikael Wood contributed to this report.

Snoop Dogg told us long ago that he’s got his mind on his money and his money on his mind.

Now he’s got his mind on using some of that money to become the latest American celebrity to invest in an English Football League team.

On Thursday, Welsh club Swansea City announced that the hip-hop legend, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, is joining its ownership group. It was not disclosed what percentage of the club is now owned by Snoop Dogg or how much he invested in the team.

The announcement came days after the “Gin & Juice” rapper helped reveal Swansea City’s uniforms for the upcoming season by posing in the new home jersey in a video posted to Instagram.

“My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City,” Snoop Dogg said in a statement released Thursday by Swansea City. “The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me. This is a proud, working class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me.

“I’m proud to be part of Swansea City. I am going to do all I can to help the club.”

Swansea City plays in the EFL Championship, the league’s second tier, which means Snoop Dogg’s team will be competing against the likes of Wrexham, which was famously purchased in 2020 by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, and Birmingham City, which boasts NFL legend Tom Brady as a minority owner.

Other famous Americans who own stakes in EFL teams include Lakers superstar LeBron James (Liverpool) and former NFL star J.J. Watt and his wife and former NWSL star Kealia Watt (Burnley).

Once a polarizing gangsta rapper and now a beloved pop culture icon, Snoop Dogg has expressed interest in owning a soccer team before. The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper told the Daily Record in 2012 that he wouldn’t mind purchasing a stake in a specific Scottish club.

“I see how passionate Celtic fans are about their team,” Snoop Dogg said, “and I could see myself making an investment if any of the board wanted to sell.”

He added: “The boxes at Celtic would never be the same once I have hosted a party there.”

Now Snopp Dogg is finally a club owner, and Swansea City is happy to have him.

“To borrow a phrase from Snoop’s back catalogue, this announcement is the next episode for Swansea City as we seek to create new opportunities to boost the club’s reach and profile,” the club said in a statement.

“Snoop’s colossal global fanbase and audience will certainly help us do that, and he has made clear to us throughout this process just how excited he is at the prospect of joining the club. … We expect his involvement to support us putting as competitive a team as possible out on the field.”

“The Institute,” a 2019 novel by Stephen King, Maine’s Master of the Macabre — or horror, I just said macabre for the alliteration — has become a miniseries with some major additions and minor emendations. Premiering Sunday on MGM+, it belongs to a popular genre in which superpowerful young’uns are gathered in some sort of academy, and more specifically to one in which children with extraordinary powers are weaponized by adults for … reasons. They always have reasons, those cruel adults.

The child at the center of the story is 14-year-old Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman, who shoulders a lot of dramatic weight), a genius with a mostly untapped ability to move things with his mind. (Classic power!) One night while Luke is asleep, people break into his house, and when he wakes in the morning in his bed, you know as well as I that what he’ll find outside his bedroom door is not the rest of his house — just like Patrick McGoohan in “The Prisoner,” one of several other works for the screen that may cross your mind as the show goes on. “Stranger Things,” “The Matrix,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Severance” are some others that came to my mind.

Luke is in the Institute, a drab complex, whose young inmates are identified either as “TK” (telekinetic) or “TP” (telepathic), or once in a blue moon, “PC” (precognitive). Just how Luke’s kidnappers fixed on him in the first place is something for you not to think about. But there he is, and because he is also a genius, his warders think he might be more than usually useful to them. Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker) runs the place; her cheery tone and promises of fun food and no bedtime does not hide from you, or from Luke, the fact that she is a liar. That she tells Luke he’s there as part of a project to “serve not just your country but the whole world” is not something to impress any kidnapped teenager.

Aiding and abetting Sigsby are sepulchral security head Stackhouse (Julian Richings), who at one point will speak the words “unjustly vilified term final solution”; Tony (Jason Diaz), an almost comically sadistic orderly; and Dr. Hendricks (Robert Joy), who has cooked up the pseudoscientific nonsense at the heart of the plan and puts Luke through a variety of upsetting “tests.” Housekeeper Maureen (Jane Luk) is nice, though — not to be completely trusted, necessarily, but nice.

Meanwhile, handsome Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes), a former policeman, decorated for an incident that left him bad about feeling decorated, hitchhikes into town — the town near the Institute, whatever it’s called — and gets himself a job with the local constabulary as its “nightknocker,” checking that businesses have locked their doors and the streets are trouble free. At the police station, he meets Officer Wendy Gullickson (Hannah Galway), which makes space for some light guy-gal vibing, while his nocturnal peregrinations will bring him into contact with Annie (Mary Walsh), a street person and conspiracy theorist, who does know an actual thing or two, and who will inspire Tim to poke around that place up on the hill with the guards and the barbed-wire fence. He may not be a cop anymore, but he is not, he says, “the kind of guy who can look the other way.”

At the mostly empty, sort of shabby Institute — like a student center that hasn’t been updated in 30 years, because what’s the point — Luke meets fellow inmates Kalisha (Simone Miller), who inexplicably kisses him upon first meeting, Iris (Birva Pandya), cool kid Nick (Fionn Laird), and later little Avery (Viggo Hanvelt), who may prove the most powerful of all.

The institute has a Front Hall and a Back Hall; at some point, kids from the former are transferred to the latter, which completes a “graduation” the staff mark with a cake and candles. (They’re told that after doing time in the Back Hall, they’ll be going home, which could not possibly be part of the plan.) The meaning of the column of smoke rising from one of the compound’s buildings should be immediately obvious.

Written by Benjamin Cavell (who co-wrote the 2020 adaptation of King’s “The Stand”) and directed by Jack Bender (King’s “Mr. Mercedes”), it drags at times and isn’t particularly interesting to look at, though there’s action and a few special effects toward the end, which, King being King, isn’t over until it’s over — and it never is. Parker is always good to watch, and her Mrs. Sigsby is given some material to make her seem human — if not quite to humanize her — but nothing regarding the Institute and its complicated plans and methods really makes any sense, even in King’s made-world.

Still, if you regard “The Institute” as a kind of YA novel about resistance and revolt, and a metaphor for the way young people have been sacrificed by the old to feed their agendas and wars, it has some legs.

Fine, I’ll say it. I need Superman. I’m craving a hero who stands for truth and justice whether he’s rescuing cats or reporting the news. Cheering for such idealism used to feel corny; all the cool, caped crusaders had ethical kinks. Even his recent movies have seemed a little embarrassed by the guy, scuffing him up with cynicism. I’m with the latest incarnation of Superman (David Corenswet) when he tells Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) that having a big heart is “the real punk rock.”

Director James Gunn’s antsy reboot skips past the origin story of infant Kal-El slamming into Kansas in an escape pod from Krypton. Instead, this “Superman” opens with Corenswet’s savior slamming into Earth again, this time after losing his first fight. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his bionic minions have batted Superman around Metropolis like a toy, forcing him to flee to his Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica with 14 broken bones and a busted bladder. The starkness of the white snow against his bright costume looks like a blank page asking: Who should Superman be today?

The Superman myth has always been a fable of collision: a near-perfect alien challenged to protect fragile, scared humans who struggle to accept that we’re not the bestest beings in the universe. Here, Kal-El’s parents (Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan) are heard insulting Earthlings outright — “The people there are simple and profoundly confused” — which, for the franchise, is actually going a little easy on humankind. Historically, we tend to let him down, going back to his surprisingly spiky movie debut in 1951’s “Superman and the Mole Men” (note the lack of a “versus”), in which George Reeves protected the outsiders of the title from a rural American mob. “Obviously, none of you can be trusted with guns, so I’m going to take them away from you,” he lectures the townsfolk, pretzeling their shotguns. “Stop acting like Nazi storm troopers!”

Gunn isn’t that punk rock. He’s pop punk; he wants to be liked by a mass audience. Having taken control of the DC Universe, he’s pivoted away from gloom to concoct a Superman who isn’t too sweet or too serious — frankly, he’s a little stupid. After a hasty resuscitation from his adorable dog Krypton and his robot butlers (voiced by Alan Tudyk, Pom Klementieff and Michael Rooker, among others), Superman races back into battle before he’s healed. He gets beaten senseless again.

Stupid is a smart idea for a 21st century reboot. Superman’s stymied do-gooder impulse feels right for an era where you can’t say “Save the whales” without some genius asking why you don’t care about plankton. The goal might have been to make him super naive. But Gunn doesn’t do sincerity, so this Superman comes off as obtuse and overwhelmed — which, even for a Julliard-trained actor like Corenswet, is pretty impossible to pull off with any personality. His dimples and blue eyes are empathetic. But he mostly just looks dazed.

This Superman is all impulsive energy, much like his unhousebroken puppy, who also wears a cape and tramples on things when he tries to help. They’re essentially the same species. Superman gets distracted midfight by his urgent need to protect a squirrel; Krypto spends one brouhaha looting a pet store. Superman’s reporter girlfriend of three months, Lois (a savvy and sensible Brosnahan, kitted in fabulous ‘70s-style threads), is well-aware of his dual identity and the flaws in his hasty reactions to injustice. She points out that physically threatening the thuggish president of fictional Boravia (Zlatko Buric) to stop invading weaker countries is technically torture. “People were going to die!” Superman sputters. Lois’ reticence about him mirrors our own vacillation with the DC Universe’s new direction: We need to see something more from this guy before we commit.

In this script, the lines of good and evil aren’t drawn in black and white or even gray — they’re a tangle of squiggles. There are no neat solutions, no shortcuts and there’s no way for Superman to defend himself when Hoult’s Luthor drums up a dubious sex scandal to accuse the Kryptonian of “grooming” humanity and hires an actual room of typing monkeys to ruin his online reputation. (You may remember that before Gunn was hired to oversee DC Studios, Walt Disney fired him from Marvel when a blogger behind Pizzagate unearthed the director’s old shock-jock jokes about pedophilia and 9/11. Clearly, that grievance is still on his mind.)

The plot is impatient but entertaining enough. The villainous billionaire Luthor, who Hoult plays like a beady techno-zealot, has several schemes up his fancy sleeve. One involves a tent city in the desert that hides a portal to an extrajudicial jail for his enemies, both interstellar and domestic. (He’s got green-skinned babies and a sobbing ex-girlfriend in there.) Gunn has sarcastically tried to make the place look cheery — Luthor’s henchmen are dressed in mismatched Hawaiian shirts — but the sequence might give you the shivers.

Gunn is known for wrangling groups of weirdos (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Suicide Squad”) into blockbuster action-comedies. His instincts are to spray everything with silly string and slap on a wacky soundtrack. Here, there’s actually a very good doom metal electronic score by John Murphy and David Fleming, but the movie stiffens up whenever it needs to get real. When we visit Clark Kent’s family farm, it’s touching to see his childhood bedroom. But his plainspoken Ma and Pa (Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince) have been made to talk so slowly they sound like they have brain injuries. It’s as though “Superman” isn’t sure how to be earnest without whacking us over the head with it.

The script is way more confident when Gunn gets to scribble in the margins, whisking in Milly Alcock’s party-hardy Supergirl for a fast and fun cameo. (She’ll have her own movie next summer.) Luthor’s main henchwoman, known only as the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), is constructed from skittering robotic cells that let her change form like a Swiss Army Knife, while his latest ditzy blonde girlfriend, Eve (a very funny Sara Sampaio), wriggles her way into becoming a memorable highlight. One of the film’s umpteenth kaiju fights introduces the corporate-sponsored Justice Gang, a trio of apathetic superheroes spearheaded by Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) with Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi). They dispatch a monster so gracelessly that Superman finally gets some sense knocked into him. “There’s got to be a better way to do this,” he groans.

The movie’s tone shape-shifts just as recklessly as an outer space inmate named Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) who can transform into explosive acid. Gunn is compelled to show us his entire vision for the DC Universe. But as he cuts from a slow-burning gag about a garage door opener to a legitimately brutal execution to a whizbang combat scene set to a song that whoops, “Fun fun fun!,” I just wished I was having more of it.

This isn’t quite the heart-soaring “Superman” I wanted. But these adventures wise him up enough that I’m curious to explore where the saga takes him next. Still, I left chewing over how comic book movies can be so popular and prescient, and yet people who’ve grown up rooting against characters like Lex Luthor cheer them on in the real world. Maybe Gunn can answer that in a sequel. Or maybe our stubborn myopia is what this Superman means when he says, “I screw up all the time but that is being human.”

National Public Radio journalist Felix Contreras, best known for chronicling Latino music in his podcast “Alt.Latino,” will be honored this year at the 38th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards.

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation named Contreras as a recipient of the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Award for journalism on Thursday, one of several honors bestowed on notable public figures for their accomplishments and cultural contributions to the Latino communities.

Past awardees at the Hispanic Heritage Awards include Bad Bunny, America Ferrera, Becky G, J Balvin and others; Contreras is one of the few journalists to receive the esteemed honor, one he says is hard for him to accept.

“We learn early on that [journalists] are not supposed to be the story,” explains Contreras in a phone call with The Times. “That’s the largest stumbling block as to why I’m having a difficult time accepting this accolade.”

Known among friends and colleagues as “Tío Felix,” a familial term of endearment, Contreras has been a dedicated reporter for close to 50 years. Born and raised in Sacramento, he began his journalistic career as a TV news photographer for the NBC affiliate station in Fresno until 1998, later transitioning to NBC News in Miami.

“My point has always been to tell our Latino stories through the news, good or bad,” he says.

Contreras began working for NPR in 2001 as a producer and reporter for the news arts desk. In 2010, he co-created the innovative “Alt.Latino” radio program and podcast alongside NPR’s current immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd. It was a way to fill the dearth of coverage of alternative Latino music — Spanish-language stations gave little airtime to alternative rock groups such as Los Fabulosos Cadillacs or Café Tacvba, says Contreras. Their first guest on the show was a young, then-burgeoning artist from Colombia named Juanes, who appeared just after releasing his debut album, “Fíjate Bien.”

At first, it was an uphill battle to get artists to recognize the podcast’s cultural significance. “ We had to beg people to send us their CDs,” Contreras admits.

Now in its 15th year, “Alt.Latino” has become a go-to hub for Latin music enthusiasts looking to learn more on the rise of musica mexicana, the rumblings of Latin jazz, the transformation of Latin rock and more.

“Independent artists, alternative artists, even some pop artists now consider ‘Alt.Latino’ and NPR as a viable source to get their artist seen or heard,” Contreras says.

To this day, Contreras continues in his role as co-host of “Alt.Latino,” now alongside Tiny Desk producer Anamaria Sayre, who says she cried when she heard Contreras was being recognized.

“ Felix created space for us in the music media landscape in where there wasn’t previously,” says Sayre, who has been working with Contreras since 2023. “He did it with no one telling him that what he was doing was valuable.”

The 38th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards will take place on Sept. 4 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.

AI cryptocurrencies are gaining steam this month, but experts point to MIND of Pepe ($MIND) for the biggest gains.

It’s generating massive attention because it taps into two of the hottest market narratives: Pepe and AI.

The project is currently running a presale, which has raised over $11 million so far. This gives investors an opportunity to buy from the ground floor, but it’ll end soon.

Per a recent social media post, the $MIND presale will end in just 1 day. $MIND will list on decentralized exchanges on 3 June at 2PM UTC.

With a strong use case, rising presale momentum, and the exchange launch nearing, it appears that everything is in place for $MIND to explode in the weeks ahead. But what’s the project all about? Let’s take a deeper look.

AI cryptos explode – powerful analytics app MIND of Pepe is next?

The crypto market has taken a light dip today, but AI cryptocurrencies are still well ahead. Leading the top gainers is DeXe with a 12% daily gain. This project enables developers to build advanced DAO ecosystems, with a main focus on governing community-owned AI agents.

Meanwhile, Virtuals Protocol has soared by 71% this month, while AI agent aixbt has gained 42%.

But it’s not just crypto based AI outfits that are making moves. The poster child of AI technology, Nvidia, made headlines this week for beating analysts earnings expectations with a whopping $44.1 billion in sales for Q1 of 2025.

Demand for AI is the highest it’s ever been – and MIND of Pepe is bringing the technology to the meme coin world. Packaged behind Pepe-themed branding, MIND of Pepe is building an AI agent that will identify trading opportunities for its community.

The agent has a public X account where it will round up crypto news, aggregate market data, and even respond to its audience’s replies. But that’s only the start.

It has one core goal: turn followers into loyal holders. The X account isn’t where you’ll find the most powerful data; the MIND of Pepe terminal is – and you must hold $MIND to get access.

The terminal will offer trading signals, deep technical analysis, risk-to-reward ratio analysis, and curated X posts. It’s a lucrative market edge for those who have access.

The agent can even launch its own cryptos based on market data and emerging trends; and $MIND holders get insider information before it posts about them on its public X account.

Users can also earn rewards through the project’s staking mechanism, which is live during the presale and currently offers a 210% APY. However, this will decrease as the staking pool grows.

In short, those seeking to maximize their gains must hold $MIND – and that translates to potential for serious token demand.

$MIND could surge as Trump posts Pepe meme

Just as Elon Musk announced his exit from the Department of Government Efficiency, (D.O.G.E), Donald Trump has sent shockwaves through meme coin circles by posting a Pepe meme on his social media platform Truth Social this week.

Could it be that Trump is considering a landmark Pepe buy? It wouldn’t be out of character. He launched his own meme coin $TRUMP in March, and Trump-backed World Liberty Financial just invested in BUILDon meme coin this week.

But either way, Trump’s Pepe meme has come at just the right time, with MIND of Pepe only days away from launching on exchanges. Leading media outlets are writing about Pepe right now, and that’s attracting new eyeballs to Pepe coin.

Yet with a lower valuation and market-beating utility, MIND of Pepe could prove the biggest beneficiary from Trump’s latest stunt.

Although it hasn’t been listed on exchanges yet, experts are already talking about huge gains. For example, an analyst from Cryptonews just made a jaw-dropping 500x prediction.

And remember, price appreciation isn’t the only way to earn from $MIND. There’s also massive staking rewards and trading opportunities.

It’s rare for a project with this much potential to be available so early in its life cycle.

Just 1 day until $MIND exchange listing

With over $11 million raised and experts making exciting predictions, it’s clear that all eyes are on MIND of Pepe right now – and that signals that big gains could be on the horizon.

However, with just one day left until the presale ends, those who have yet to buy must act quickly.

Follow MIND of Pepe on X or join its Telegram for updates. Alternatively, visit its website to buy and stake tokens.

Visit MIND of Pepe Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Formerly a Hyatt Regency, this expansive resort underwent a $64-million property-wide renovation in 2024 and rebranded to fall under the luxury Grand Hyatt umbrella. The rooms, villas and restaurants all saw a major facelift, as did the poolscape with new decorative archways, landscaping and seating. The showpiece is the HyTides water park, which is a holdover from the Regency days with a 450-foot lazy river and 30-foot dueling waterslides that overlook a whopping eight pools, including an adults-only sanctuary. One of my favorite new areas is a newly refreshed hideout for kiddos with a splash pad, a mini waterslide and a 1-foot-high wading pool. Forgot swim diapers or a flotation vest? The amenity stand at the pool provides them for free.

At many times, the pool area takes on a summer camp vibe with free group activities ranging from chalk art to bracelet making, fishing, tie-dye and bingo. On many Friday and Saturday evenings, outdoor movies are screened under the stars with s’mores kits available to purchase.

Pool chairs are plentiful, even in peak season, and wherever you sit, food and drinks are served poolside or available to purchase at a walk-up counter. I especially like bringing my kids here, not just for the ample places to splash around, but also for the outdoor game area, which comes with oversized Connect Four, cornhole, foosball, ping-pong and giant Jenga.

Just know that parking is not included and costs an extra $12. You can buy your pass on ResortPass, but unlike most other hotels in the area, the Grand Hyatt also sells them directly on its website, and you’ll save $4 per adult and $2 per child if you do so. Plus, in my experience, this hotel sells out fast on ResortPass, so you might have better luck if you purchase entry through the hotel, though weekends in high season are often blocked out.

Day pass: $50 through the hotel, $54 on ResortPass