Store

Nov. 5 (UPI) — The French government said it would begin action against online retailer Shein on Wednesday, just hours after the company opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Paris.

An outcry erupted last weekend after it was discovered that Shein was selling sex dolls that look like children, but on Tuesday, the company announced it was banning all sex dolls from the site.

On Wednesday, the government issued a statement saying: “On the instructions of the Prime Minister [Sébastien Lecornu], the government is initiating the procedure to suspend Shein for the time necessary for the platform to demonstrate to the public authorities that all of its content is finally in compliance with our laws and regulations.”

The store, which is the first Shein store in the world, also opened to chaos, as shoppers lined up to get in and protesters shouted at them, “Shame!”

Andreia Chavent, a worker at BHV Marais, said many employees were upset by the opening of Shein in Paris.

“We are directly concerned by how people work, what the conditions are like and how the clothes are made, even if it’s not in France,” Chavent, a member of the CFDT, France’s largest union, told The New York Times.

Shein has seen criticism over the way workers are treated in the Chinese factories that sell on the site.

The sex dolls controversy made things worse, Chavent added.

But not everyone is against the store.

“When I saw that Shein was coming to France, I said, ‘Yay!’ Because it still takes 20 weeks” for clothing from the site to arrive, Philippe Hamard, 27, told The Times.

He said that he doesn’t buy from Shein often because of “environmental issues and all that.” But said “I still buy from time to time for fun.”

On the sex doll controversy, he said, “I think there are a lot of controversies at the moment. But people will forget about it.”

Shein has plans to open seven stores in other cities in France.

Shein and AliExpress are also facing investigation in France over the dissemination of pornographic content to children, the prosecutor’s office told the BBC.

The Paris Office des Mineurs will handle the cases. The office oversees the protection of minors.

AliExpress said the adult listings violated its policies and were removed once the company learned of them.

“Sellers found to violate or trying to circumvent these requirements will be penalized in accordance with our rules,” AliExpress said in a statement, the BBC reported.

In this podcast, Motley Fool contributors Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss:

• ChatGPT gets apps.
• App opportunities.
• A trillion-dollar question for ChatGPT.

To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool’s free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you’re ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy.

A full transcript is below.

This podcast was recorded on Oct. 08, 2025.

Travis Hoium: Is artificial intelligence in need of an app store? Motley Fool Money starts now. Welcome to Motley Fool Money. I’m Travis Hoium. I’m joined by Lou Whiteman and Rachel Warren. We’ve got to get to the big news of the week. We’ve got a couple of days to process this, that is OpenAI introducing apps. They have tried some of these things before, plug-ins, custom GPTs to varying levels of success, but obviously they’re going in a different direction now. But this was I thought a really interesting announcement because the vision here is a lot bigger than just being an AI tool. It’s being the operating system of your life, if you will. There are companies involved who are willingly building apps, companies like Zillow, Expedia, Booking.com. Rachel, what are you taking away from this and what should investors know about OpenAI’s move into apps? It’s not quite an app store, but they are making apps.

Rachel Warren: Yeah, it’s interesting. I think you can see how a lot of the efforts that they have leveraged in the past maybe have led them to this point. I want to talk a little bit about how this app store works and why I also do think this could be really different from what we’ve seen in OpenAI in the past. Their app store, is this new platform, it’s integrated directly within ChatGPT, and it basically allows users to interact with third party apps using conversation natural language. For instance, you could ask ChatGPT to create a playlist with Spotify or find houses for sale with Zillow and then those apps are activated from directly within the ChatGPT conversation. Instead of having to leave the chat to use another service, those apps run directly in the thread. I think the idea is to simplify the user experience. At launch they’re partnering with some really big companies, with Spotify, Booking.com owned by Booking Holdings, Expedia, Zillow, Figma which is newly public, as well as private companies like Canva. I think it’s interesting to note, their past attempts like plugins that you alluded to. These had been limited text-based access. They were really rigid invite-only systems for developers. The chat interface was really cumbersome. Importantly, monetization wasn’t really a core feature there. Now, these new apps, I think, are very much designed to be a funnel toward monetization where OpenAI could make money from more of a revenue sharing model. It’s really interesting to see what they’re doing with this.

Travis Hoium: Lou, is this the way that we’re going to be using AI in the future? The vision here I think is, look on an iPhone or something or another smartphone. You’re going to download apps and then you’re going to actually interact with the app. You’re not really calling them from something like Siri, but this is taking that to the next level and going, hey, Zillow why don’t you just build for this AI chatbot and we’ll just call your information. Is that the way that we’re going to go in the future?

Lou Whiteman: Maybe. I will say this, if it works as good as the demo, it’s gold. But I’ve learned I think we’ve all learned not to just buy the demo. What I worry about here is there’s a garbage in garbage out problem, I think, because AI isn’t actually smart, it’s just trained on data. Just to pick on one, Zillow, their walkability score is the biggest, I shouldn’t call it garbage so I’ll just call it sub-par. [LAUGHTER] You can’t actually know whether or not a house, you can walk around it from the walkability score. In the example of give me a house that I can walk you to restaurants from, if it’s based on the Zillow walkability score, I think it’s going to be sub-human responses. I think there’s a trillion of these problems to be worked out. I think there’s all sorts of questions that we can get to later about Walled Gardens versus everybody there and how you make this work. To me, I want to get excited. It looks really good on paper, but I wonder if this is one of these things that’s always going to look better on paper than it is in real world execution.

Travis Hoium: According to some interviews by Sam Altman in the past couple of days, the vision here is bigger, and it will all make sense in a few months. Maybe we need to hold a little bit on what the full vision is. But I think what was interesting with these apps and one of the reasons that this is pertinent to us as investors, I think it’s from a disruption angle. If you think about the biggest disruptions are moving to a different technology paradigm, so the PC. You have opportunity and disruption, the Internet opportunity disruption, mobile devices, same thing. If ChatGPT becomes the way that we interact with technology, now you don’t have Zillow as an aggregator. You don’t have booking.com as an aggregator. You have ChatGPT in the power position. Altman even said, we could have just who had gone out and called all the information that Zillow was calling, but we wanted to work with these partners like he’s being some philanthropist with the technology. But this is, I think, a risk for a company is if you’re losing that direct customer relationship and you’re giving it to ChatGPT, is this a good thing, even if you’re partnering with the leading AI company today, Lou?

Lou Whiteman: There’s so much here, so much unpacked. For one, the big thing is, before we even get into the brands, it’s privacy. OpenAI has a ton of data. Can OpenAI just ring off my wanting to book a trip without telling every other partner they have? Hey, Lou is going to be in Toronto next week. Why don’t you sell him stuff, things like that. There’s all sorts of just on that layer. I like only Expedia knowing if I’m going to Toronto. But the bigger thing here, this whole idea of the OpenAI as the new Windows. Windows became Windows because it worked with everything. That was it, whatever you wanted to build, you could do. There’s a chicken and the egg problem here. You need customers, you need a ton of customers to attract every retailer to come on board or every website to come on board, but you need retailers to lure the customers. In theory, yes, there is a perfect world here where it’s just I go to my OpenAI, and that’s all I ever need. But how we get there is a bear.

Travis Hoium: Yeah, Rachel, this does seem like an area where it’s possible for disruption if this vision works. But it’s pretty unclear exactly how this is going to play out, given the massive size of this vision, not only from a technology standpoint but also from a financial standpoint.

Rachel Warren: Yeah, I want to stress that I think there’s room for multiple winners here. You know, I don’t think OpenAI comes in, and then that standard business model from some of these flagship players just goes out the window. As you noted, it’s very early days. We’re still waiting to see how exactly is OpenAI going to monetize this? Are consumers going to adopt this at a broad scale. But I do think it is interesting to look at the Bear thesis for a minute. Who could face disruption here if this type of platform ecosystem really takes off? Obviously the most significant disruption, which is what you alluded to, would be companies whose core business is providing a user interface for specific tasks. You could think about how Apple, Alphabet Google, Microsoft, which obviously control their respective ecosystems could face market threats. Of course, there’s other companies you think of the Adobes and sales forces of the world. They’re already experiencing some market skepticism amid the AI revolution. Then there’s the traditional search engine business, which of course is dominated by Google. Could that be disrupted? OpenAI’s approach has been to collapse the search to convert process. That could allow in this new app store, users to interact with services directly within ChatGPT. You could even think about how companies like Uber or DoorDash, who have really built their value on having users interact with their specific app to book a service could face some threats, but I don’t think the actual reality is going to be this bleak. Honestly, I think more likely than not, if this new use case for AI succeeds, we’ll probably see consumers adopt it as one other tool in their vast toolkit in the digital age. I don’t think strong companies with robust competitive advantages are going anywhere. If anything, maybe they can use this type of tool to play to their strengths if they execute it right.

Travis Hoium: We’re going to talk about that potential widening the funnel in just a moment. You’re listening to Motley Fool Money.

Widening the funnel for some of these applications. Some that were announced as apps that are coming soon, Peloton, DoorDash, Target, it is possible that ChatGPT allows more customers to interact with these applications than they had previously. If you’re not somebody who has downloaded the Peloton app and signed up for Peloton, you don’t have access to that. Same thing with Target. Maybe you don’t shop at Target, but maybe just having a conversation with ChatGPT is a good way for them to broaden out and get more customers. Is that possible that some of these applications, at least, are going to see this as a way to bring more customers to them? It’s an opportunity instead of a threat, Rachel, because I think there’s always two sides to the coin here, and one of the things we’re going to talk about in a minute is how in the world does ChatGPT make money? Well, if you have a business that makes money and your problem is customer acquisition, maybe ChatGPT answers this for you.

Rachel Warren: Yeah, I do think it could widen the funnel. I also think an important point to make is, you see all of these major companies that are onboarding in the very early launch of this app store. I don’t think these companies would be coming to the table with OpenAI if they thought this was just going to cannibalize their business. I think they see this as an opportunity.

Travis Hoium: That’s usually the way that disruption works, to be fair. [LAUGHTER] As you see it, Disney sold their content to Netflix and basically armed the rebels.

Rachel Warren: To play the bull case here, I do think that a lot of these companies and others might view this integration into the OpenAI app ecosystem as an opportunity to widen their user funnel. The thing is, AI can commoditize very basic functions, but I think these companies are thinking that they can leverage OpenAI’s platform to maybe deliver more integrated, personalized, or even efficient experiences that would draw users back to their core services and data. You can actually take Zillow as an example, which Lou was talking about earlier. Say a user uses ChatGPT to find homes near a certain location. Let’s say they want to get the estimate valuations. They want to view the 3D virtual tours. They want to connect with a Zillow premier agent. They have to then go back to that app ecosystem. That could make them more of a gateway to some of that high value data. That’s just one example. I do think there could be a competitive opportunity for companies that play this right. I just think it’s too soon to know for sure what this is going to look like. I think it’s also fair to say to your point, Travis, there might be companies that are onboarding to this because they fear getting left behind. That’s also potentially a factor at play.

Lou Whiteman: Two thoughts here. For one, the idea of, so I’m not a Peloton customer. I maybe put in something in OpenAI, how can I get in shape? Then, am I going to get spammed with Peloton? [OVERLAPPING] I keep going back to this because this all just rings as something that sounds so much better on stage than it does in execution. I’ll give you another example of this. Who is the gatekeeper here? Booking and Expedia are both partners right now. If I want to fly to Minnesota, who gets that business? Who decides that? Is that a competitive auction thing? Because if it is, and it gets expensive, [OVERLAPPING].

Travis Hoium: As it works right now, you would have to specifically call booking.com. [OVERLAPPING]

Lou Whiteman: But if you do that, you’re not broadening the funnel. I’m already a relationship. If DoorDash and Instacart are both in this system, and one day, I say, I need milk. How does that work? There’s a lot of ways that, yes, in theory, if they can work all of this out, it is intriguing. But there’s all sorts of, I keep thinking of that meme where it’s like, step 1, do this. Step 2, 3, and 4 is blank, and step 5 is profit. There’s a lot of blanks in that middle right now as far as figuring out the economics here, who gets paid what and how it all works out. I get the vision, I just keep coming back to these execution things and wondering.

Travis Hoium: Well, that’s a question I think we should dive into a little bit is is this a TenX improvement? The concept for a lot of disruptions and moving people from what they’re doing today to doing something else is that it has to be 10 times better. If you go back to the advent of the PC. You’re moving from doing math, for example, on paper to doing it on a computer, way easier. The Internet, now suddenly the encyclopedias that we had at home you can just find all that information online. Mobile devices, now that all that information is just in your pocket. All these are easily TenX improvements. Is going to one app, and this is where maybe we’ll find out more about what the hardware future for OpenAI looks like over the next couple of months. But I do think that is a question, Lou is this the improvement in our lives that is going to necessitate us actually adopting OpenAI as our do everything application instead of the way that we’re doing things today.

Lou Whiteman: Yeah, and another point on this. If we get into retail in a second, we can do more. But look, most shopping is not as exciting as what these presentations would say. Most shopping is, I need a gallon of milk, I need something. It’s not I want to explore new fashion trends. I don’t know if that we need a killer app for all of this. I see the use case, I see the concept, the execution, it’s just the actual day to day implementation for us normies. I don’t know how you get there.

Travis Hoium: Let’s talk about one of those dark horses, Rachel. I thought it was interesting that Target was listed as one of their apps that’s coming soon. Every one of these other companies is a tech company. I guess all trails would be maybe not quite as much of a tech company. But there you have a retailer that’s struggling in the big box retail space. Maybe this is a way to attract some new customers. Could there be some dark horses here where you extend the long term? We’ve gone, especially in retail, I think that’s maybe the best example is that Amazon has sucked all the oxygen in the room because you choose to go to the Amazon app. Well, Amazon, guess what? They don’t want to be on ChatGPT and be disaggregated. Does that present an opportunity for companies that can, like you said earlier, go, hey, I’m not only not going to be left behind, but I’m going to take advantage of this because I don’t have the same digital footprint as a company like Amazon.

Rachel Warren: I do think there’s an opportunity there for companies like Target that are worth the classic brick and mortar that also have a strong online presence and others. But I think a lot of the utility of this goes back to how useful it is to the consumer. I think the core idea here is that if you are, say, shopping, you’re on ChatGPT rather than having to go and open up a series of different apps to find the things you want. You can tell ChatGPT to open up a specific app and search for the thing that you want within that user interface. I do think that’s something that is compelling to a consumer, particularly those of us who are on our phones, on our devices a lot. For Target’s part, as you mentioned, they’ve had a very rough few years, particularly coming out of the pandemic, as well as a host of other issues that have been very specific to them and they have also been, I think, very much adopting a lot of different AI tools into their overall business. They already use generative AI, for example, to improve a lot of their product display pages on their website. They had last year introduced a proprietary generative AI chatbot for store employees called Store Companion. I do think they could use some of that standoff attitude that Amazon has leveraged in the past and instead really focus on key areas where they can build competitive differentiation. I do think that could provide a seamless, more personalized experience. Does this save a company like Target from some of its current woes? No, but does it provide perhaps a more unified ecosystem that gets more eyeballs to its platform from users? I think that’s possible.

Lou Whiteman: I don’t want to pick on Target here because I enjoy Target, but Target is a destination for pragmatists, not for dreamers. I don’t know, back to my other point, Target is where you go when you need dog food or toilet paper or something. I don’t know if I need an AI customized experience for that. I’m not sure I’m ever going to be like, I’m hunting for some nice gift from my wife.

Rachel Warren: Some of us ladies are at Target dreaming as we walk through the aisles, Lou. You have no idea [LAUGHTER].

Lou Whiteman: Maybe so, but I don’t know. I like their curbside drop off and delivery. I think they’ve done good things. I keep going back to this, and I hate to be such a wet blanket, but it feels like a solution in search of a problem for Target here.

Travis Hoium: We’ll see out to see how this plays out and as this vision rolls out, especially with potentially new devices, maybe that will change the game. Next, we’re going to ask the trillion dollar question, and that is how in the world does OpenAI and all of their partners pay for this? You’re listening to Motley Fool Money.

Welcome back to Motley Fool Money. Look, here’s the trillion dollar question for OpenAI. We are through all their partners, spending somewhere around $1 trillion, probably more than that at this point. How are they going to pay for all this, are these apps going to be part of that solution? If you squint, you can see a monetization strategy, but it’s not really clear yet, Lou. Is this going to be the key to the future of OpenAI becoming that company that can pay for tens of billions of dollars of compute each year.

Lou Whiteman: Travis, let’s be clear here. Sam Altman says he’s focused on the customer experience and not monetization. Obviously, yeah, but come on. I do think back to a point you made about, is this a leap step forward or incremental? How do you turn this into a big moneymaker, if it is incremental? I come back to the chicken and the egg question. If you want to make money off of the consumer signing up for premium OpenAI, you darn well better have a lot of retailers, a lot of partners. But how do you get those retailers of partners if you don’t have a lot of people signed up. There is experimentation, maybe there’s losses. That’s why you focus on the customer experience now. Are we headed to Walled Gardens? Am I really going to want to use this if I can get Target but not?

Travis Hoium: It seems like that’s what OpenAI wants to build, even though they’re saying that’s not what they want to build.

Lou Whiteman: Right, well, by default. I think OpenAI would like to be so present everywhere that every retailer just has to be on it the way every retailer is. But right now I can get a Google search and see the world. Until maybe there is just a specialized thing like, I want to use Booking, and I know Booking is on here, and I like the interaction, so I will opt in that way, but that’s not the way to riches. I think there’s again, if this becomes an open field where everything’s involved like Google, I don’t know if OpenAI has the advantage there. I don’t know if commoditization is their friend and if it becomes harder to charge on the back end, so that’s, I think, why they would like just partners opting in. But I think that just makes it harder to get consumer adoption. I think it’s really, really hard to make this pay off in a big way. It could be a side feature, but this is not a core business here for the way they’re spending.

Travis Hoium: What do you think, Rachel? Is this the preview of how is the going to make money? Is it big enough?

Rachel Warren: I think it’s way too early to say. I think, honestly, OpenAI is trying to figure out their monetization strategy at this point. I think that’s fairly obvious. If you think about some of their most advanced models, like Sora. The huge challenge there, training and running those models, that requires enormous investment in computing, power, data centers, and now you have the new app store and the goal seeming is to take a commission on sales from commerce queries, rather than maybe relying on that traditional ad system. I saw one report that suggested there could be something like a 2% affiliate fee in the works, and then you’ve got, of course, this very high investment Sora product, and they’re reportedly moving toward a tiered subscription model.

Travis Hoium: Now, a 2% affiliate fee sounds like a lot. But if you look at how much companies spend [OVERLAPPING] on things like Meta ads. It’s significantly more than that. The customer acquistion cost can be 20, 30% of a purchase price.

Rachel Warren: That’s where you look at all this and you dig beneath the surface a bit, and it’s still really unclear how much of a revenue producing venture are these new initiatives going to be, much less driving the company toward profitability. Obviously, the most significant and immediate source of revenue is likely to be enterprise partnerships, and they do continue to raise massive funding rounds. I think they’re working on their monetization strategy, and they’re seeing what sticks. I think that’s really important to take away from all these recent announcements that we’ve been seeing.

Lou Whiteman: I think one filter to just as you look at all this, remember, OpenAI needs this more than their rivals. Meta has that fire hose of revenue coming in to fund this. Alphabet has Google funding this. OpenAI is the one here as an official nonprofit that, A, they aren’t subject to the same SEC rules, so they can do more of the Silicon Valley fake until you make it. I don’t mean that as against them, I think, as they should.

Travis Hoium: But it worked.

Lou Whiteman: Right, and that should be their strategy, but also they need to be saying, look at us, look at what we’re doing. It’s a neat vision of the future. I don’t think it’s a slam dunk they get there, as I look at this, it looks like a company that is wish casting as much as they are implementing. Part of wish casting is, like you said, Travis, see what happens and stick with what works.

Travis Hoium: I have heard you said that they have to keep spending because if they fall behind, they’re done. They have to keep up with the Alphabets, the Metas, everybody that’s investing tens of billions of dollars, so that’s why this vision keeps getting bigger. Maybe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we will see. As always, people on the program may have interest in the stocks they talk about, and the Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against, so don’t buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. All personal finance content follows the Motley Fool’s editorial standards and is not approved by advertisers. Advertisements are sponsored content provided for informational purposes only. To see our full advertising disclosure, please check out our show notes. For Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren, Dan Boyd, behind the glass, and our entire Motley Fool team, I’m Travis Hoium. Thanks for listening to Motley Fool Money. We’ll see you here tomorrow.

To live in Los Angeles is to be a seeker. There are those who come to the city in search of the limelight and affluence. There are others who crave temperate weather and long for accessible beaches. The list goes on. Some of these desires are easily satisfied, while others are left unfulfilled or forgotten. But for those born and raised in this atypical metropolis, like Shirley Kurata, the search is never-ending.

The costume designer tells me the key to loving this city is to never stop venturing around. We sit in the shaded back patio of Virgil Normal, a 21st century lifestyle shop she owns with her husband, Charlie Staunton. She wears a vibrant pink getup — a vintage top and Issey Miyake pants — complete with small pleats and optimal for the unavoidable August heat wave. Her signature pair of black circular glasses sits perfectly on the bridge of her nose. It’s a style of eyewear she owns in several colors.

“I always tell people, L.A. is like going to a flea market. There’s some digging to do, but you’ll definitely find some gems,” says the stylist and costume designer, as she’s regularly on the lookout for up-and-coming creative hubs and eye-catching storefronts. “It won’t be handed to you. You have to dig.”

In one way or another, “digging” has marked Kurata’s creative livelihood. Whether she’s conjuring wardrobes for the big screen, like in the Oscar-winning “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” or styling musicians like Billie Eilish, Florence and the Machine and ASAP Rocky for photo shoots and music videos, the hunt for the perfect look keeps her on her toes.

Over the summer, Kurata spent a lot of time inside the Costco-size Western Costume Co., pulling looks for Vogue World, the magazine’s annual traveling runway extravaganza. This year, the fashion spectacle is centered around Hollywood and will take place at Paramount Pictures Studios in late October. She is one of the eight costume designers asked to present at the event — others include Colleen Atwood of “Edward Scissorhands,” Ruth E. Carter of “Black Panther” and Arianne Phillips of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Kurata will be styling background performers and taking inspiration from the invited costume designers.

Shirley wears vintage hat, Meals Clothing top, shirt and dress, We Love Colors tights, Opening Ceremony x Robert Clergerie shoes and l.a. Eyeworks sunglasses.

“[Vogue] wanted someone that is a stylist and costume designer who has worked both in fashion and film. Because a lot of costume designers work primarily in TV and film, they don’t do the fashion styling for editorial shoots,” says Kurata. “I’m coming on and working with what other costume designers have done.”

Since her start in the business, Kurata has gained acclaim for her ability to infuse daring prints and vibrant color into the narrative worlds she deals with. Her maximalist sense of experimentation took center stage in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and earned her an Academy Award nomination for costume design. From a bejeweled Elvis jumpsuit to a look made entirely of neon green tassels meant to resemble an amoeba, her vision was avant-garde, playful and undeniably multidimensional.

When Kurata isn’t on set or in the troves of a costume house, she’s likely tending to Virgil Normal. Housed in a former moped shop, the Virgil Village store offers a selection of novelty items and streetwear treasures, curated by both Kurata and Staunton. Though Staunton jokes that he’s constantly seeking her approval when sourcing inventory: “If it’s not cool enough for her, it doesn’t come in.”

The couple first met at the Rose Bowl Flea Market through mutual friends. At first sight, Staunton recalls being enthralled by her perpetually “cool” demeanor. Early in their relationship, he even floated the idea of starting a clothing line together, just to “knock off her closet.”

Shirley wears Leeann Huang t-shirt, skirt and shoes, We Love Colors tights and l.a. Eyeworks glasses here and in photos below.

“She’s like a peacock. It’s not like she’s trying to get attention. But she has her own vision and doesn’t really care what’s going on. She knows what’s cool,” says Staunton, who cites Kurata as the biggest “inspiration” for the store.

Inside the quaint red brick building, blue L.A. hats are embroidered to read “Larry David,” acrylic shelves are packed with Snoopy figurines (for display only), trays of l.a. Eyeworks frames fill the tables and each clothing tag is a different elaborate doodle illustrated by Staunton. He adds that everything in the store is meant to have a “rabbit hole” effect, where shoppers can give in to their curiosities.

“We wanted a place where like-minded people could come here and have it be a space to hang out. They don’t have to buy anything,” says Kurata. The attached patio is complete with a mural of a man floating in space, pipe in hand, and the coolers are still filled with chilled beers and sparkling waters from their most recent get-together. She tells me about how many times they’ve allowed musicians and artists to transform this peaceful outdoor space into a lively venue.

“Having that connection with a community of creatives in the city is essential. Having that sort of human interaction is really good for your soul, and for your creativity,” she shares. “Having this store has been one of the most fulfilling things that I’ve done, and it’s not like we’re not making a ton of money off it.”

From the cactus out front, which Kurata and Staunton planted themselves, to grabbing lunch at the taqueria down the street, she explains cultivating a space like this and being an active part of the neighborhood has made her into a more “enriched person.” Kurata, who is of Japanese descent, brings up the lesser known history of East Hollywood. In the early 1900s, the neighborhood, then called J-Flats, was where a sizable group of Japanese immigrants settled. It was once a bustling community with Japanese boarding houses that offered affordable rent and home-cooked meals. Today, only one of these properties is operating.

“Having that connection with a community of creatives in the city is essential. Having that sort of human interaction is really good for your soul, and for your creativity,”

For Kurata, being a part of this legacy means trimming the nearby overgrown vegetation to keep the sidewalks clear and running over to the locally owned convenience store when Virgil Normal needs supplies, instead of immediately turning to Amazon. She pours everything she learned from being raised in this city back into the store, and in turn, its surroundings.

Kurata was born and raised in Monterey Park, a region in the San Gabriel Valley with a primarily Asian population. The neighborhood is a small, homey stretch of land, known for its dining culture, hilly roads and suburban feeling (but not-so-suburban location). These days, she’ll often find herself in the area, as her mother and sister still live there. Together, they enjoy many of the surrounding dim sum-style restaurants.

Even from a young age, she was encouraged to treat the entire city as her stomping grounds. She attended elementary school in the Arts District, which she describes as quieter and “more industrial than it is today.” She also spent a lot of her childhood in Little Tokyo, shopping for Japanese magazines (where she found a lot of her early inspiration), playing in the arcade and grocery shopping with her family.

Shirley wears Leeann Huang lenticular dress and shoes, Mary Quant tights and l.a. Eyeworks sunglasses.

For high school, she decided to branch out even further, making the trek to an all-girls Catholic school in La Cañada Flintridge. “It was the first time where I felt like an outsider,” Kurata says, as she had only previously attended predominantly Asian schools. She laughs a little about being one of the rare “Japanese Catholics.”

“When you’re raised in something, you go along with it because your parents tell you, and it’s part of your education,” Kurata says. Her religious upbringing began to reach a point where she wasn’t connecting with it anymore. “Having that sort of awakening is good for you. I was able to look at myself, early in life, and realize that I don’t think this is for me.”

Her senior year, she discovered vintage stores. (She always knew that she had an affinity for clothing of the past, as she gravitated toward hand-me-down Barbies from the ’60s.) Her coming-of-age style consisted of layering skirts with other oversize pieces — and everything was baggy, “because it was the ’80s.” With this ignited passion for vintage and thrifting, Kurata began to mix items spanning across decades into one look.

“All the colors, the prints, the variety. It just seemed more fun. I would mix a ’60s dress with a jacket from the ’70s and maybe something from the ’40s,” says Kurata. It’s a practice that has remained a major part of her creative Rolodex.

Her lifelong interest in fashion led her to get a summer job at American Rag Cie on La Brea Avenue. At the time, the high-end store primarily sold a mix of well-curated timeless pieces, sourced from all over the world. It was the first time she encountered the full range of L.A.’s fashion scene. She worked alongside Christophe Loiron of Mister Freedom and other “rockabilly and edgier, slightly goth” kinds of people.

“Living abroad is such an important way of broadening your mind, being exposed to other cultures and even learning another language. It helps you grow as a person. It’s the best thing I ever did.”

“Time moved really slowly in that place. But just the creativity that I was around, from both the people who worked there and shopped there, was great exposure,” says Kurata, who recalls seeing faces like Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp browsing the selection and Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington trying on jeans.

Kurata continued her L.A. expedition to Cal State Long Beach, where she began her art degree. It wasn’t long before Studio Berçot, a now-closed fashion school in Paris known for its avant-garde curriculum, started calling her name.

“Living abroad is such an important way of broadening your mind, being exposed to other cultures and even learning another language. It helps you grow as a person,” says Kurata. “It’s the best thing I ever did.”

Her Parisian studies lasted around three years and it was the closest she had ever gotten to high fashion. Sometimes, she would be able to see runway shows by selling magazines inside the venue or volunteering to work backstage. Other times, she relied on well-intentioned shenanigans. She used to pass around and reuse an invitation within her group of friends. She once snuck in through a large, unattended hole in a fence. In one instance, she simply charged at the entrance when it began to rain. All things she did in the name of fashion.

“I would just do what I could to see as many shows as possible. All of the excitement is hard to explain. When I worked backstage, there’s this labor of love that’s put towards the show. It’s this contagious energy that you could feel when the models start coming,” says Kurata, who saw everything from Jean Paul Gaultier to John Galliano and Yves Saint Laurent. When she was backstage for a Vivienne Westwood show, she recollects seeing this “shorter model, and thinking, ‘Oh, she’s so tiny,’ and then realizing that it was Kate Moss who was still fairly new at that point.”

“We wanted a place where like-minded people could come here and have it be a space to hang out. Having this store has been one of the most fulfilling things that I’ve done.”

Staying in France was intriguing to a young Kurata, but the struggles of visas and paperwork deterred her. She instead returned to L.A., freshly inspired, and completed her bachelor’s degree in art (to her parents’ satisfaction). She didn’t plan to get into costume design, Kurata explains. But when it became clear that designing her own line would require moving to somewhere like New York or back to Europe, she realized, “Maybe fashion is not the world I want to get into; maybe it’s costumes.”

“I felt comfortable with that decision,” shares Kurata. “I do love film, so it was just a transition I made. It was still connected [to everything that I wanted to do].”

Without the aid of social media, she sent letters to costume designers, hoping to get mentored, and started working on low-budget jobs. She quickly fell in love with how much the job changed day-to-day. On occasion, there are 12-hour days that can be “miserable,” but her next job might be entirely different. One day she’s styling the seasonal campaigns for her longtime friends Kate and Laura Mulleavy, owners of Rodarte, and the next she could be styling for the cover of W Magazine, where a larger-than-life Jennifer Coolidge stomps through a miniature city in a neon polka-dot coat.

Whenever Kurata takes on a project, Staunton says she “just doesn’t stop.” Sometimes, he’ll wake up at 3 in the morning and she’s emailing people in Europe, attempting to hunt down a rare vintage piece. Her passion is the kind that simultaneously consumes and fuels her.

“There’s a lot of times [with her work] where I’m like, ‘That’s just straight out of Shirley’s closet.’ It’s not like she has to compromise. It’s something she would wear herself. She doesn’t have to follow trends,” explains Staunton. “People seek her out, because she has such a unique vision.”

“I always tell people, L.A. is like going to a flea market. There’s some digging to do, but you’ll definitely find some gems.”

Kurata thinks of herself as “someone who gets bored easily.” It’s a quality that’s reflected in her eclectic style, busy travel schedule, Virgil Normal’s constantly changing selection and even the common feeling she gets when she’s sick of all of her clothes. It’s a good thing being bored and being in Los Angeles don’t go hand in hand.

I ask Kurata a somewhat daunting question for a born-and-bred Angeleno.

“Do you think you could ever see yourself calling another place home?”

She lets out a deep sigh and tells me it’s not something she’s closed off to. Though, she takes a moment to reflect on how everyone came together to provide support during the Palisades and Eaton fires earlier this year. Or how good it feels when they have events at Virgil Normal, to be surrounded by a diverse group of creative minds “who don’t judge.” She even thinks about how she currently lives in a Franklin Hills house, a neighborhood she never thought she would be able to afford.

Time and time again, Kurata and this sprawling city-state have looked out for each other. From the way she speaks of different areas with such an intrinsic care, to showcasing her unique creative eye in Tinseltown, L.A. has made her into a permanent seeker. Whether she chooses to stay in Franklin Hills for the rest of her life or packs up everything tomorrow, she’ll always keep an eye out for hidden gems — just like at the flea market.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today.

VIRGO

AUG 24 – SEPT 22

🔵 Read our horoscopes live blog for the latest readings

Familiar work patterns are fine – but this week you need more, and Pluto is there to provide it. 

You have the ideas, and the courage, to break with tradition and suggest some new ways forward. 

Do use this while it’s hot. 

As for love, all the values a couple share can be tested, but come through tougher. 

Single?  Your soulmate could rock a role in the world of finance.  

AUTUMN LOVE FORECAST: What does Venus have in store for Virgo over the next three months?

OCTOBER: Maybe two people are not operating on the same system of values – this could threaten long-term bliss.

This is your month to get this reviewed, and revised. 

It’s important to Virgo that morals are in line. 

Single? You may see the same face once a week all October – then suddenly click.  

NOVEMBER: Experimenting with love-talk can open up a whole new side of passion – this is a great month to start, with Venus softening and spicing up your communication sector.   

DECEMBER: An instant feeling of safety and security around someone is your strongest sign of love compatibility in December – this bond is worth pursuing, even if there are obstacles in the way. 

A family Christmas celebration can lead to two new members

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died last March but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you this week.

Sign up for the Mystic Meg newsletter.

Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

LEO

JULY 23 – AUG 23

🔵 Read our horoscopes live blog for the latest readings

1

You’re ready to break long-standing bonds and make some fresh new ones – at home, at work and in love.

This can mean a total overhaul of feelings, to make more space for your own needs.

Pluto’s positive power is strong to support you in this.

A super-sensitive moon makes this a week of flashes of insight – do tune in to these.

Your learning style is updating, too.

AUTUMN LOVE FORECAST

What does Venus have in store for Leo over the next three months?

OCTOBER

Talk, talk – then talk some more.

This is your month to eliminate guesswork from love, set up clear new boundaries for both partners.

If you’re single, a voice that instantly intrigues you, even on a recording, can be your passion hot pick.

NOVEMBER

Staying in, and cuddling up, may be a million miles from the social scene you adore, but it’s so worthwhile in November.

Two people can reconnect, and realise both want more from the future.

DECEMBER

Now the fun can start – surprise gifts and celebration gestures are just one aspect of this pro-active passion month.

For single Leos, saying yes to every invite is the key to meeting someone special – so is a hand-made card, or display of creative work.

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.

IF your heart races at the thrill of a massive bargain, prepare yourself. 

Shoppers are in a frenzy over a chain of retail outlets where you can snag Amazon customer returns and overstock for an unbelievable fraction of the price. 

2

TikTok user ‘meganmariac’ posted a video of her haul from one of these locations, often referred to as a Trade Outlet. 

Her video, which showed aisles filled with discounted goods, quickly racked up 180,000 views in less than 24 hours. 

Meganmariac explained that she was initially on the hunt for a few personal bits, but the sheer volume of discounted goods – especially in the kids’ and tech sections – was impossible to ignore. 

A toy originally priced at £30 was just £5, while an iPad case (RRP around £20) was a ludicrous £3. 

You can find entire sections dedicated to children’s books, games, and paint-by-numbers sets for as little as £2, making these stores an absolute cheat code for Christmas and birthday gifting.

She also grabbed a £45 wireless camera for just £5, and a fancy smartwatch that would normally cost around £90 was only £20. 

Even health and beauty items, like a box of Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid serums retailing for around £33, were down to a mere £6. 

Her ultimate haul of an iPad case, a screen protector, and some adorable croc charms came to roughly a tenner.

The Golden Rule

If you’re expecting a curated retail experience, think again.

“It’s really overwhelming. It’s so busy here,” Meganmariac admitted.

This is the liquidation zone: the home of customer returns, minor packaging damage, and overstock. 

Many of the best items are still sealed in plain brown delivery boxes, which means shoppers have to check the tiny labels to be sure of what the item is. 

Where to find them?

While there are many places that sell liquidation stock, the specific “Trade Outlet” chain meganmariac visited has become famous for its Amazon-heavy returns. 

2

If you’re based in the North West of England, you’re strategically placed for a bargain dash.

The chain has several locations, including major sites near Chester Gates (often situated opposite a Costco), Liverpool, and Trafford Park.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today.

Sign up for the Mystic Meg newsletter.

Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

TAURUS

APRIL 21 – MAY 21

🔵 Read our horoscopes live blog for the latest readings

1

A shining new work role has your name on it – even if you assume otherwise.

So let your skills show, every day in every way, even if you don’t think anyone is watching.

In love?

A secret-keeping moon could create tension, so monitor this closely.

Single?

A “T” name you may have discounted too soon, does deserve more scrutiny.

Luck circles family teams.

DESTINY DAYS

Tuesday, take regular breaks to focus and breathe.

Friday is adding-up day – look through bills.

On Sunday, one public word conveys a private message.

Horoscope traits

What does your star sign mean for you?

Aries – The best and worst characteristics of the head of the zodiac
Aquarius – The traits you need to know for the air sign
Capricorn – What does this star sign mean for your personality?
Cancer – The key traits for the sign include a keen love of food
Gemini – The traits to be aware of for the sign with a symbol of twins
Leo – The best and worst characteristics of the fire sign
Libra – What does the seventh star sign mean for your personality?
Pisces – The key traits for the sign include an interest in the arts
Sagittarius – The traits you need to know for the fire sign
Scorpio – What does this star sign mean for your personality?
Taurus – The best and worst characteristics of the earth sign
Virgo – The key traits for the sign include loyalty and kindness

LUCKY LINKS

The second from top name on a list of six.

Music linked to South America.

Football fan items.

DOUBLE “M” MASTERY

Mars and Mercury travel together till the end of October, and the Taurus benefit is the ability to be stronger, both in what you do and what you say, create positive outcomes – and end a time of going along with a situation because you were too scared to hurt someone else’s feelings.

It’s far more honest, and positive, for everyone to tell the truth, even if this isn’t always easy to hear.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by cash or work options, you can zoom in on the one for you.

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.

The technology giant Apple has confirmed the removal of ICEBlock, a crowdsourcing app that collects sightings of US immigration officers, and similar software from its App Store, following pressure from the administration of United States President Donald Trump.

As of Friday, ICEBlock was no longer available on the App Store, where users can download software.

“We just received a message from Apple’s App Review that #ICEBlock has been removed from the App Store due to ‘objectionable content’,” the app’s social media team said in a post on the platform BlueSky. “The only thing we can imagine is this is due to pressure from the Trump Admin. We have responded and we’ll fight this!”

The move marks a rare instance of an app being taken down due to demands from the US government, raising concerns about pressure on private companies and limits to free speech.

ICEBlock is a free iPhone-only app that allows users to anonymously report and track Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.

It was developed in April in response to President Trump’s hardline immigration agenda and the recent increase in ICE arrests.

ICE has been a central part of Trump’s push for mass deportation since he took office for a second term. Its agents have regularly raided workplaces, homes and courthouses to arrest migrants, and rights advocates say free speech and due process are often being infringed upon in the government’s deportation drive.

Apple’s decision to remove the ICEBlock app from its platform has also shed light on the growing ties between major tech firms and the Trump administration. Many companies, including the iPhone maker, have sought to avoid clashes with a White House that has not been shy about issuing threats — particularly around tariffs — against specific firms.

“Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store,” Apple said in an emailed statement.

Fox Business first reported the app’s removal on Thursday, citing a statement from US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said the Department of Justice contacted Apple and that the company complied with its request to pull the app.

“ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed,” Bondi told Fox Business.

Joshua Aaron, the Texas-based creator of ICEBlock, disputed that characterisation and criticised Apple’s decision.

“I am incredibly disappointed by Apple’s actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” Aaron told the Reuters news agency.

David Greene, the civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights group, said the move underscored a pattern of government overreach.

“It is not surprising — they have been threatening this for a while and we do expect to see more of this and other blatantly unconstitutional actions going forward,” Greene told Al Jazeera.

The Trump administration has shown “little to no regard” for the rule of law, Greene explained, pointing out that the app’s activities are protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution, which enshrines the right to free speech.

He also argued that the public should know how its government is operating, particularly when it comes to sensitive issues like immigration. But, Greene added, the Trump administration has “never sincerely cared about the free flow of information”.

“Publishing truthful information about matters of public interest is worthy of the highest level of First Amendment protection, and the operations of government, and the identities of who the operators are, is certainly a matter of high public interest,” Greene said.

‘Watch out’

Bondi, however, has previously argued that Aaron is “not protected” under the Constitution and that they are looking at prosecuting him, warning him to “watch out”.

Civilian surveillance of federal immigration agents has become more assertive in recent months, as activists try to protect their communities from aggressive enforcement by ICE agents.

Since Trump returned to office, ICE has ramped up its enforcement efforts, and a bill passed in July has assured the agency of $75bn in new funding through 2029.

The agency has also arrested visa holders and permanent US residents targeted by the Trump administration over pro-Palestinian advocacy.

In one high-profile case, Mahmoud Khalil, a US resident of Palestinian origin, was arrested after serving as a spokesperson for the antiwar protests at Columbia University, a move that rights groups condemned as intimidation.

While Khalil was released from detention in June, he continues to face deportation proceedings. In September, an immigration judge in Louisiana ordered his deportation, though Khalil has 30 days to appeal.

Legal experts have said that civilian surveillance of ICE is largely protected under the US Constitution, as long as observers do not try to obstruct law enforcement activities.

Apple removed more than 1,700 apps from its App Store in 2024 in response to government demands, but the vast majority of those requests — more than 1,300 — came from China.

Russia filed the second-highest number of demands, at 171, followed by South Korea with 79.

Over the last three years, the US was typically not among the countries where apps were removed due to government demands, according to company transparency reports.

A majority of Apple’s iPhones are manufactured in China, making the company particularly sensitive to tariff policies.

In recent months, the White House has floated potential taxes on the import of chips used in Apple devices like iPhones and Mac computers.

Apple removes thousands of apps from its app store every year, including more than 82,500 in 2024, for other reasons, including design-related issues, fraud or intellectual property infringement. Apple shares were down fractionally on Friday.

WASHINGTON  — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide if licensed guns owners have a right to carry their weapons at public places, including parks, beaches and stores.

At issue are laws in California, Hawaii and three other states that generally prohibit carrying guns on private or public property.

Three years ago, Supreme Court ruled that law-abiding gun owners had a 2nd Amendment right to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon when they leave home.

But the justices left open the question of whether states and cities could prohibit the carrying of guns in “sensitive locations,” and if so, where.

In response, California enacted a strict law that forbids gun owners from carrying their firearm in most public or private places that are open to the public unless the owner posted a sign permitting such weapons.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down that provision last year as going too far, but it upheld most of a Hawaii law that restricted the carrying of guns at public places and most private businesses that are open to the public.

Gun-rights advocates appealed to the Supreme Court and urged the justices to rule that such restrictions on carrying concealed weapons violate the 2nd Amendment.

The court agreed to hear the case early next year.

Trump administration lawyers urged the justices to strike down the Hawaii law.

It “functions as a near-complete ban on public carry. A person carrying a handgun for self-defense commits a crime by entering a mall, a gas station, a convenience store, a supermarket, a restaurant, a coffee shop, or even a parking lot,” said Solicitor General D. John Sauer.

Gun-control advocates said Hawaii had enacted a “common sense law that prohibits carrying firearms on others’ private property open to the public.”

“The 9th Circuit was absolutely right to say it’s constitutional to prohibit guns on private property unless the owner says they want guns there,” said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment Litigation, at Everytown Law. “This law respects people’s right to be safe on their own property, and we urge the Supreme Court to uphold it.”

It was a particularly busy Thursday morning for the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach.

The area, which is home to an array of independently owned businesses and small restaurants, both of which boast unique facades from storefront to storefront, saw hundreds of eager fans start lining up outside its doors as early as 8 a.m.

Many crowded around one store in particular: Fingerprints Music, which only recently began to call Bixby Knolls its home — in April — after a roughly 15-year residency in downtown Long Beach. As crowd control barricades began springing up and artist security personnel lingered outside the famed vinyl record shop, passersby and neighbors alike began to ponder what could be going on.

It was simple: Cardi B.

The “Bodak Yellow” singer managed to squeeze in a meet-and-greet event at the store to commemorate last week’s release of her sophomore album, “Am I the Drama?” A link to tickets dropped on Fingerprints Music’s website on Sept. 9, which fans barely gave a chance to breathe.

“I follow her on Instagram — I have hard notifications on every platform — so, as soon as the video went up, I rushed to the website and bought it,” said Gerardo Torres of Gardena. “I was probably one of the first few [to buy tickets], less than five minutes after she announced it I already had mine.”

Arlene Heaton, left, of Kern County and Gerardo Torres of Gardena hold a Cardi B flag.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Torres stood near the front of the line, which he joined around 10:30 a.m. Next to him was Arlene Heaton of Rosamond, who had just driven three hours from the Kern County community to arrive at the same time. The two met in line and quickly became friends — she donning a rhinestone-studded ensemble and he draping a flag depicting Cardi B around his shoulders.

“If she would’ve been three hours away, I would have been there as well!” Torres added.

“It took about 10 minutes [to sell out],” Heaton said. “I love the album and I just had to get the CD… I wanted to support her and I came all the way from Rosamond to see this happen — history, this is history.”

Though the event was scheduled for a 2 p.m. start, it wasn’t until 2:30 that Cardi arrived on the scene. A few fans trickled out from behind the store, rejoicing that they’d seen her arrive.

Moments later, security formed a human barrier around the entrance, and Cardi stepped out of the store with a megaphone. Whatever she said was rendered unintelligible among the thunderous cheers of fans who surged forward, putting her entourage to the test.

“I do music myself, I’m not a fan of many, but her? Oh, my God, there was no way. I got up at like 8 in the morning; I set my alarm for 6:30,” said Curshawn Watts, who called herself the “Queen of Compton.” “I was out here! I didn’t care how early I had to be here — I had to be here!” Watts said.

Curshawn Watts, a rapper who calls herself the “Queen of Compton,” holds a CD of Cardi B’s “Am I the Drama?” at Thursday’s meet-and-greet in Long Beach.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

She’d been waiting since 10 a.m. and said the heat didn’t bother her: “It’s worth it all, baby!” she declared.

As fans made their way into the store, they were greeted by the sound of tracks from Cardi’s new album playing on the store speakers. “Am I the Drama?” vinyl records and CDs filled out the shelves, and portraits of Cardi stood above them.

Nestled in the back corner behind a black curtain sat the woman herself, visibly pregnant, in brown snakeskin heels, denim shorts, and adorning various gold statement pieces. She had confirmed in a CBS interview last week that she and NFL star Stefon Diggs were expecting a child.

An estimated 1,200 fans arrived on the blistering day in Long Beach, though only 800 were able to secure a guest list spot to see the 32-year-old hip-hop artist. Others assembled nearby, hoping for a chance to merely lay eyes on her or, perhaps, to get lucky enough to join the meet-and-greet.

Indeed, Fingerprints Music and Cardi B accommodated around 200 to 300 more people toward the tail end of the event from among those who didn’t make the list. The event lasted until well after 5 p.m.

By that time, the somewhat chaotic nature of the meet-and-greet’s afternoon heights had settled down. Street vendors no longer camped outside, artists wrapped up their pieces for sale, and the weather began to cool.

Cardi B prepares to take a photo with a fan at the meet-and-greet.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“We don’t usually do that, but everyone seemed pretty chill,” said Rand Foster, owner of Fingerprints Music. “For somebody at that caliber to be that open was really refreshing.”

Cardi B even stayed overtime to do a surprise signing of an exclusive alternate cover of her album. Four photos from a courtroom appearance she made in August embellish that variant.

Foster said he considered Thursday’s event, the largest the store has held since moving to its new location, to be a resounding success. He noted that when the store was downtown, the store once hosted an Ozzy Osbourne meet-and-greet that had a roughly 2,300-person turnout.

At its location in Bixby Knolls, the store is still feeling out its neighborhood. Foster said not only did the event bring extra traffic to other businesses, but he “didn’t hear any neighbors put out by it.”

Cardi B could have easily opted for a location more central to Los Angeles, such as Amoeba Music, so many fans were surprised and happy to see Long Beach get some love.

One man, who called himself Mr. Boug’e and sported a uniquely curled beard, said it came down to Long Beach being “dope.”

Mr. Boug’e holds up two vinyl record variants of Cardi B’s latest album, “Am I the Drama?”

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“I call it Strong Beach,” he joked. “She got love everywhere — it don’t matter. It can be in an alley… or Alaska; they gon’ love her.”

Foster, whose shop has a long-standing relationship with its Hollywood peers at Amoeba, said the decision by Cardi B’s team to hold her meet-and-greet in Long Beach probably also came down to logistics.

“Anybody who is doing this kind of event and doing it with an eye towards longevity has to be respectful to the neighbors,” he explained. “Our line got about six blocks long; I think that would be tough on Hollywood Boulevard.”

Consumer staples retail may seem like an unexciting business. Still, certain superior retail business models have gone on to generate massive market returns. Such was the case with Walmart (WMT -1.20%), which went on to become a 100-bagger stock over a 40-year period between 1972 and 2012.

These stocks look inevitable in retrospect, but who would have thought that a low-margin general store started in rural Arkansas would go on to become the international juggernaut Walmart is today?

For young investors looking for the next big thing in an unassuming package, this convenience store company bears striking similarities to Walmart at this stage.

Casey’s General Stores: small towns, blockbuster returns

Casey’s General Stores (CASY 0.65%) was founded in 1959 in Ankeny, Iowa, and went public in 1983. Despite operating across the Midwest for 65 years, Casey’s has still expanded only within the middle of the country, from North Dakota and Texas in the West to Ohio and Florida in the East, counting 2,895 total stores as of the end of July.

That may sound like a lot, but Casey’s are typically scattered about small towns, with two-thirds of their stores in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents.

Despite its small-town flavor, Casey’s has had a remarkable run as a public company. Since the beginning of 1990, Casey’s stock has appreciated 289 times over, including dividends, compared with just a 37 times total return for the S&P 500 Index. That’s nearly 8 times relative outperformance!

CASY Total Return Level data by YCharts.

How did this small-town convenience store, which doesn’t exactly display tech-like growth, generate such returns?

Casey’s winning business model

Casey’s didn’t invent the gas station, the convenience store, or the quick-service food market. However, it appears Casey’s has figured out how to do all three well in one convenient locality — and to do it efficiently.

The big differentiator is fresh food — specifically, pizza. It may come as a surprise to some, especially those living on the coasts, that Casey’s is the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States. Casey’s began offering fresh pizza in 1984, then took those learnings to expand its fresh food offerings. Casey’s now offers prepared food for all dayparts, along with groceries and other general merchandise, including even Casey’s own private label brands.

Those sales are much higher-margin than gasoline, making Casey’s a highly profitable business compared with peers. “Inside the store” sales accounted for 27% of total revenues and 63% of total gross profits, respectively, during the last quarter.

Convenience store operators aren’t typically experts in fresh food, but Casey’s ability to sell fresh food well gives it a lot of advantages. It can offer gasoline at highly competitive prices due to higher-margin inside sales, while lower gasoline prices increase traffic.

Casey’s has also vertically integrated its operations, owning all three of its major distribution centers and 60% of its fuel delivery tankers, which streamlines costs. Casey’s then invests those savings in leading technology, rewards, and data, which further increase frequency.

While not revolutionary, Casey’s found an advantage in delivering fresh food in a convenience store format, then maximized productivity by doubling down on the advantages that model brings. That has resulted in 6.7% operating margins over the past 12 months — pretty good for convenience retail that sells low-margin gasoline — and a 17.1% return on equity, which is also impressive for a store that sells a lot of low-margin gas.

Image source: Getty Images.

Is it too late to buy, though?

Some might look at Casey’s returns and think they’ve missed the boat. And it’s true that a 290 times return probably isn’t in the cards for those who buy now.

However, you can still earn above-average returns on a stock that has already gone up a lot. In 1994, investing legend Peter Lynch noted that investors could have waited until 10 years after Walmart’s initial public offering (IPO) to buy the stock and still made 35 times one’s money. While it wasn’t the 500 times returns you got when buying at the IPO, that’s still a really great return — and, of course, Walmart has continued to appreciate a lot since 1994.

Meanwhile, it does appear that Casey’s still has a strong runway to grow, even in the Midwest. In its recent investor presentation, management noted that within 500 miles of Casey’s three existing distribution centers, 75% of towns with between 500 and 20,000 residents don’t yet have a Casey’s General Store.

The overall convenience store industry also remains fairly fragmented, with the 10 largest convenience store brands making up 63% of the industry and the remaining 37% dispersed over 500 other owners. That means scaled leaders like Casey’s can pick up market share by buying smaller stores in proven locations and converting them, which Casey’s has been doing.

Time is the friend of the wonderful business

Casey’s stock certainly isn’t cheap, trading at 36 times earnings. However, Warren Buffett once said, “Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre.” For those with a long-term perspective, one can do worse than picking up Casey’s shares today. At a market cap of just over $20 billion, Casey’s still has the potential to grow many times over.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today.

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TAURUS

APRIL 21 – MAY 21

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You have all the Venus tricks up your love-sleeve to surprise partners with everything from extra pleasure to unexpected proposals.

While your work chart benefits from the sun’s optimism, helping you see past obstacles with grace and generosity.

You can operate so well, even in tough circumstances.

The new moon points to new starts in a family, no matter what.

DESTINY DAYS

Turn back time at work on Tuesday—step back into your old shoes.

Calculate numbers carefully on Wednesday.

Find a way to say “sorry” on Friday.

Horoscope traits

What does your star sign mean for you?

Aries – The best and worst characteristics of the head of the zodiac
Aquarius – The traits you need to know for the air sign
Capricorn – What does this star sign mean for your personality?
Cancer – The key traits for the sign include a keen love of food
Gemini – The traits to be aware of for the sign with a symbol of twins
Leo – The best and worst characteristics of the fire sign
Libra – What does the seventh star sign mean for your personality?
Pisces – The key traits for the sign include an interest in the arts
Sagittarius – The traits you need to know for the fire sign
Scorpio – What does this star sign mean for your personality?
Taurus – The best and worst characteristics of the earth sign
Virgo – The key traits for the sign include loyalty and kindness

LUCKY LINKS

A family who run a business together.

Numbers that link to your own birth date.

A building with a set of very ornate gates.

TAURUS PEACE DAY

On this International Day of Peace, what does true peace mean for you?

You may be tempted to shut yourself away from the world and stay in a bubble of comfort and safety.

This may seem peaceful on the surface, but deep down you do need human connection.

Be more choosy about who and what you allow into your inner sanctum to calm your mind and heart.

Enjoy luxury that doesn’t break the bank, like scented candles and warm baths, and do choose your political and personal battles carefully.

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.

M&S has introduced a major shakeup to is store shelves which is exciting news for shoppers.

This is ideal for anyone wanting to try out some different lunch options during their weeks.

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There are new sandwiches, wraps and bagels from the major retailer’s Foodhalls which are available now.

It is an entirely new section to the Marks and Spencer food aisle for people to try.

The shelves have been labelled NEW in the fridge section of grocery stores, with ‘PICK ME! I’ve just arrived’ signs attached.

Among the top picks for this month from the new selection includes a Chicken Tikka Sandwich which is “back by popular demand”.

This sandwich is described to have “creamy” spiced and marinated roast chicken breast inside some “soft malted” onion seed bread.

There is also spinach, tikka sauce and a “cooling” yoghurt raita, so the sandwich is “generously filled and packed with flavour”.

It is priced at £4 from the popular grocer, and is a limited edition.

Another addition is a similar seeded tortilla wrap version, which is a Butter Chicken Wrap that has been added to the new collection.

It is a “summer edit” of the retailer’s food hall that “combines succulent British chicken breast with a luxuriously creamy butter chicken sauce accompanied by crispy spinach, tangy pickled red onion and crunchy cabbage.”

There are also a few new bagels that have been introduced, including a New York style Pastrami bagel and classic smoked salmon bagel.

The American deli-inspired one has been called the “Ruben bagel” which has layers of beef pastrami, pickles, mustard and cream cheese.

Finally, there is the “Katsu Sando” which is going for £5 from M&S.

The Katsu Sando is also part of the “summer edit” described to have panko breaded chicken, katsu curry spiced mayo, pickled cabbage and coriander inside.

As M&S have stated: “The Katsu Sando makes a mouthwatering lunch that’s sweet, spicy and satisfying.”

There is also a honey soy ketchup sauce added to the sandwiches flavour, that is contained within some soft brioche-style bread.

These latest “lunch sensations” can be found at M&S Foodhalls now, and are just some of the store’s top picks for the month.

The news of this updated lunch range from M&S comes after the popular retailer also released a new version of its iconic Colin the Caterpillar Cake.

To mark the much-loved dessert’s 35th birthday, The Sun’s Clemmie Moodie got to have an exclusive first try of the new Arctic Colin.

Arctic Colin went on sale at M&S stores just last week, after two years in the making.

HISTORY OF M&S

M&S was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds.

The first official Marks and Spencer store opened in Manchester in 1901.

Throughout the 1920s, M&SA gre rapidly, opening more and more stores across the country.

The retailer made its reputation in the early 20th century by selling only British-made products.

It began textile sales in 1926 and started selling food from 1931.

The St Michael trademark was introduced in 1928 as a guarantee of quality and value.

This was initially used only for a small range of textiles but was extended over the years to cover all goods sold by M&S.

M&S introduced its first in-store cafe in 1935 in the Leeds store.

It provided cheap, hygienic, and nutritious mass catering.

By 1942, M&S opened 82 cafes across its estate.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, M&S had 234 stores.

By 1945, over 100 of these had been damaged by bombs, and 16 had been completely destroyed.

BY 1960, M&S pioneered in the sale of fresh poultry following the invention of the cold-chain process.

In the 1970s and 1980s, M&S pushed into international markets including the US, Canada and France. 

In 1979, M&S introduced the Chicken Kiev to its food halls across the UK.

In 1992, Percy Pigs were launched.

The Autograph range of clothing was introduced in 2000, and the St Michael brand was slowly phased out.

In 2019, the group announced 110 store closures as part of its plans, affecting several longstanding high-street shops.

In September 2020, M&S partnered with Ocado to allow for home delivery of the chain’s full food range.

M&S has recently announced new stores and is freshening up a swathe of others in a boost for shoppers.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today. 

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 – FEB 18

🔵 Read our horoscopes live blog for the latest readings

Settling for a smaller cash sum, or less respect, than you deserve may have felt the only answer – until this week.

You have new staying power to revisit a deal or relationship and correct the balance.

Meanwhile Mercury mentors you to express even the most complicated feelings in simple terms, and love, at any stage, can be the winner.

The moon highlights five-digit numbers.

DESTINY DAYS  Early-morning calls or meetings have extra impact all week.  

Thursday is your day for fitness pledges.

Find great bargains, plus something “P” recently lost, on Saturday.

LUCKY LINKS  Your oldest relative.  A picture of a famous “R” lead singer. Gold-flecked fabric.

I CHING INSIGHT  The symbol REVOLUTION shows your personal
wheel of fortune is spinning now and bringing new opportunities and potential progress your way. 

Even if you don’t feel quite ready, you should embrace invitations and initiatives that take you on to a new path, whether this is career, home life, love – or maybe all three.

Instead of aiming for perfect, and trying to avoid mistakes, you have the energy  to grow and learn, and adjust as you go. 

Someone you know casually in your  career sphere can move to the heart of your emotional future.

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died last March but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today.

Sign up for the Mystic Meg newsletter.

Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

LEO

JULY 23 – AUG 23

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With Venus now firmly by your side and at your back, you have the courage of your love convictions – and can make a major change.

While the moon guides you to make the best of a cash situation, instead of letting it beat you.

New income streams can link to a special skill you’ve had since childhood – but never really valued before.

A journey towards “S” is so good for you.

DESTINY DAYS

Mix up your timetable on Monday, make space for fun.

Stick to a health promise on Thursday.

Be wise to weekend temptations.

MAKE THIS THE WEEK YOU…

Be less stubborn about saying sorry.

Allow yourself time off from chores.

Step back from someone else’s squabble.

URANUS SEXTILE NEPTUNE

This rare connection of power planets last happened in 1966 – and sets up two years of joy, generosity and genius thinking.

What does this mean for Leo?

The next two years are all about breaking boundaries that have always held you back – in what you think, how you behave, who you allow yourself to love.

When true freedom comes knocking, you will recognise it, and welcome it.

Time spent abroad, living and working alongside people you admire, can also reshape your future.

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today. 

SCORPIO

OCT 24 – NOV 22

🔵 Read our horoscopes live blog for the latest readings

Accepting that maybe you’ve been rushing a health question is your cue to sit back, relax and really look at where you want to go next. 

Your chart buzzes with potential – the kind that sees what others can do before they realise themselves. 

So talent-spotting can be one way to pay happiness forwards.

Love flies high as Venus climbs to the top of your chart.  

DESTINY DAYS: Be first to make “C” contact on Wednesday.  

Say yes to a challenging offer on Friday.  See a friend’s true needs at the weekend.

MAKE THIS THE WEEK YOU… Map out new career plans — small steps, but moving forward.  

Practice deep, slow breathing.  Find it in yourself to forgive a friend. 

URANUS SEXTILE NEPTUNE: This rare connection of power planets last happened in 1966 – and sets up two years of joy, generosity and genius thinking. 

What does this mean for Scorpio? You start to see that true health is not just physical, but mental – and seek out ways to keep your emotions and mind in prime condition. 

If you have struggled to quit a long-time habit, this can happen almost effortlessly. 

You truly believe you can and will change, and this powers a very different future.   

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.

AN ex-cricket star married to a Thai woman who tragically died in a Waitrose aged just 46 has paid tribute to his “loving” wife.

Duncan Pauline, 64, said he and his wife Wiyada were looking forward to retiring to her home country before her sudden death on Wednesday.

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They had already bought a retirement home and planned to leave the UK in a couple of years, however Duncan will now have to return alone with Wiyada’s ashes.

Wiyada, who was known as ‘Lek’ to her friends – which means small in Thai – collapsed while shopping at the Waitrose in Esher High Street, Surrey.

Duncan told The Sun: “I’m absolutely devastated. She went out to Waitrose at about 5.15pm and then I got a call from one of her friends.

“I went up there expecting she’d had a knock on the head but not that she was dead.

“When I got there the police told me she had passed away.

“She had a cloth over her head and she looked very peaceful when they pulled the cloth off her head.

“She was only 46, it’s a shock that she could go so young. We’ve been married for 22 years and we were due to retire in a couple of years.

“She wanted to go back home to Thailand. We even bought a house in Thailand for our retirement.

“The sad thing is she won’t get to do that now.”

Duncan, head coach at Esher Cricket Club, said he will now have to take the ashes of his wife, who was a Buddhist, back to her family in Thailand.

Holding back his tears, he said: “That won’t be easy.

“I was the one who should have died, not her. I’m a lot older than her and I smoke and drink. I didn’t even think about her going first.”

Duncan said he and his wife had shared 22 brilliant years together.

SHE SAVED MY LIFE

She once saved his life when he ended up in Kingston Hospital with a life-threatening “flesh-eating” condition.

“I got an infection in my foot from a flesh-eating thing in 2014,” he said.

“They had to cut off my leg. I went into a coma and the doctors wanted to turn off the life-support machine.

“She pleaded with them to give me one more day. And during that last day, things started to work again in my body.

“I came out of a coma and I lived. If she hadn’t pleaded with the doctors to give me one more day I would have died.”

Wiyada helped care for Duncan, who now uses a wheelchair, after he lost his leg.

The pair lived together at Esher Cricket Club, where Wiyada would cook Thai food for members.

Paying tribute to his wife, Duncan, a former Surrey County Cricket Club player, said: “She was an all-round good person. Everyone loved her. She will be enormously missed.

“We hardly ever argued – even though we worked together all day.

“She loved cooking for people and she loved the cricket club. We have 750 kids here at the club and she really had fun with them.

“She was a giver. She was always happy and she was such a loving, generous and kind person. She had a tremendous smile.”

Duncan does not know the cause of his wife’s death.

Emergency crews had rushed to the supermarket in Esher, Surrey, at around 6pm on Wednesday after receiving calls of a “concern for safety” at the store.

Both the high street in the town and the Waitrose itself were closed as medics tried to save her life.

Tragically, despite their best efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time of the incident, Surrey Police issued an update to those in the area, saying: “We are currently on scene following a call to a concern for safety in Esher shortly after 6pm this evening (August 20).

“Waitrose on the high street has been closed, and there is a significant emergency services presence in the area as we deal with this incident.”

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: “Officers were called to Waitrose on Esher High Street shortly after 6pm yesterday evening (August 20) by the South East Coast Ambulance Service, who were responding to a medical emergency at the location.

“Despite the best efforts of paramedics, a woman in her 40s died at the scene.

“Her next of kin have been informed. There was a significant emergency services presence in the area, including police, South East Coast Ambulance Service, and the Air Ambulance Charity Kent, Surrey, Sussex.

“Waitrose was closed to allow emergency services to carry out their work, but has since reopened.”

A Waitrose spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with our customer’s family and loved ones.

“Our Partners acted quickly and offered support while the emergency teams arrived.

“We’re now making sure everyone is supported.”

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POUNDLAND has shut another location in a “surprise move” after leaving it off the recently published list of store closures.

One of the popular budget retailer’s Birmingham branches has ceased trading for good.

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This comes after Poundland confirmed the locations of 48 store closures earlier this week.

The discount giant is currently undergoing major restructuring plans which include the shuttering of a whopping 68 shops by mid-October.

Among those to be closed in Birmingham were the Kings Heath and Sheldon branches on August 24, as well as the Erdington store on August 31.

However, the prominent Selly Oak Battery Retail Park was not featured on the list, but has since permanently closed down.

Shoppers were alerted to the news with signs on the shopfront reading “sorry, this store is now closed.”

Birmingham isn’t the only area facing Poundland closures, as 12 more stores across the UK are set to cease trading this week.

Ahead of the closures, a huge 75% off sale is well underway.

The Sun reported that the bargain retailer is preparing to close locations in Newcastle, Salford, Canterbury and Coventry, among many others by the end of this week.

As it stands, Poundland operates 800 stores nationwide, but the company hopes to significantly reduce this number to between 650 and 700.

The closures come as Polish owner Pepco Group sold Poundland to a US investment firm Gordon Brothers for £1 after a downturn in trading.

Pepco Group has owned the retail chain since 2016.

The retailer was put up for auction in March, with Homebase owner Hilco then reported among the bidders.

Major restructuring plans have since followed which include the string of store closures, and an £80million cash injection.

This restructuring will also facilitate the closure of its frozen and digital distribution centre in Darton, South Yorkshire, later this year.

The firm plans to shut its national distribution centre in Bilston, West Midlands by early 2026 as well.

Poundland will also stop selling products online and focus on expanding its womenswear and seasonal ranges.

On the closures, Darren MacDonald, retail director at Poundland, said: “While our anticipated network of around 650-700 stores remains sizeable, it is of course, sincerely regrettable that we’re closing a number of stores to allow us to get us back on track.

“We entirely understand how disappointing it will be for customers when a store nearby closes, but we look forward to continuing to welcome them to one of our other locations.

“Work is underway to with colleagues through a formal consultation process in stores scheduled to close, exploring any suitable alternative roles.”

Full list of Poundland August closures:

The following Poundland stores closed permanently on August 17:

• Bedford
• Bidston Moss
• Broxburn
• Craigavon
• Dartmouth
• East Dulwich
• Falmouth
• Hull St Andrews
• Newtonabbey
• Perth
• Poole
• Sunderland
• Stafford
• Thornaby
• Worcester

An additional 12 locations will shut on August 24:

• Brigg
• Canterbury
• Coventry
• Newcastle
• Kings Heath
• Peterborough
• Peterlee
• Rainham
• Salford
• Sheldon
• Wells
• Whitechapel

Finally, on August 31, the following branches will also close:

• Blackburn
• Cookstown
• Erdington
• Kimberley Kimberley Shopping Centre, Nottingham
• Horsham
• Hull Holderness
• Kettering
• Omagh
• Shepherds Bush
• Southport
• Taunton

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégé Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today.

VIRGO

AUG 24 – SEPT 22

🔵 Read our horoscopes live blog for the latest readings

You are the sign to watch, and to wonder at, this week – as power planets drive your own sign. 

You have an unspoken but unmistakable something special thanks to the sun, alongside the new optimism of the new moon. 

So even long-running situations can be revised, in your favour. 

A group that may have taken you for granted wakes up to your true potential.

DESTINY DAYS: Slow things down, and focus on calm, controlled breathing on Monday. 

Make a to do list on Tuesday – above all, make sure it is achievable.  Re-start a work journey on Thursday.

LUCKY LINKS: A TV or radio show that always gets you singing along. 

The friend who tells the silliest jokes.  A display of seven pictures.

NEW MOON NEW START: Set aside any stale ideas you may have of who you are, what you need, and where you’re going – as this week the new moon, with your input, can totally rewrite the lot. 

You’ll end the week with a set of goals that may be less obvious, but are a lot more unique and interesting. 

Only you really know “you”, and now you are ready to prove this, to yourself and others.  Number “1” marks your lucky dip.

Fabulous is the home of horoscopes, with weekly updates on what’s in store for your star sign as well as daily predictions.

You can also use our series of guides to find out everything from which star sign to hook up with for the steamiest sex to what it’s like to live your life totally by your horoscope.