Warning: contains spoilers forThe Mirror and the Lightepisode three.Henrys love is a dangerous thing. The protection it brings is equalled only by the threat that comes with its removal. Wolsey learned that. So did Anne Boleyn. Jane Seymour was beginning to learn it before pregnancy granted her this reprieve. And now Cromwell feels it in a queasily tense episode that shows the walls closing in on him.Having taken a princely punt on Cromwell and created him a lord in defiance of the English nobility, Henry is now in a difficult position. To save face in public, he needs to stand by his man, but Cromwells ability to wave a magic wand over the kings problems is waning. Indeed, Cromwellisone of the kings problems. Noble Catholic families the Poles and the Courtneys are gunning for the Lord Chancellor and his Reformation. Theyve spread rumours to put a target on Cromwells back, in the hope of taking out Henry at the same time and restoring England to Rome.Modern audiences know how it ends for Cromwell, and increasingly inWolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, so might he. We were greeted by a sorry sight (though one that, like every shot in this beautifully composed drama, looked like a painting you could hang in a gallery) at the start of an episode in which Cromwell didnt just suffer political, but also personal pain.Like Henrys, Cromwells sleep was also being troubled by his conscience. Bereft in bed, he replayed Dorotheas untrue accusation of disloyalty to her father Wolsey (who no longer appears to him), and later, was visited by nightmares of Anne Boleyns ladies presenting him with her bloody head. Cromwell knows the lies he told to avenge Wolsey and bring Anne to the scaffold, and now, as someone who loves the Gospel, theyre plaguing him. Its one reason he stumbled over calling himself an honourable man to his son Gregory, and changed to a man of [his] word.Read more The scene at Gregory and Bess wedding was more heartbreak for Cromwell. His humiliated son (secrets never stay secret among this gossip-obsessed lot) bitterly implored his father to stay away from the wife he now knows only accepted him by default, having first thought that shed won a far greater prize. Marriage to wealthy Lord Cromwell, the second most powerful man in England, rumoured as a match for the kings daughter, and whose heirs the king said would follow him onto the throne if he decreed it? Bess would have won the marriage lottery. No wonder she was snippy when she learned shed be Thomas daughter and not his wife.Before they died along with his wife of the sweating sickness, the Lord Chancellor did once have daughters. And now he does again in Bess, and in Jenneke from Antwerp, a character invented by Hilary Mantel to stand in for the illegitimate daughter Cromwell was rumoured to have had but of whose existence theres no evidence. That soap opera-style cliffhanger gave Mark Rylance his first Doof Doof closer inThe Mirror and the Light fitting for such an eventful episode.From the Lincolnshire uprising to the fall of York, Defiance was packed with incident, and with themes that proved depressingly relevant to our times. Misinformation abounded. The rich used the poor to do their violent bidding, manipulating the people through lies and fear. They may well scare their kids with tales of Cromwell in the north, theyve probably been told hes coming to eat their pet cats. As Cromwell asked Dorothea last episode, how do you oppose a fixed opinion thats held on to regardless of evidence or reason? How also, do you reply to bad faith rumours invented to sow disorder, and enemies who invent bogeymen to suit their own agenda?If Cromwell couldnt find an answer, sadly, there cant be much hope for the rest of us. This character is a masterful operator, and watching him at work is still a pleasure, if a bittersweet one in the knowledge of whats to come. Cromwells quick tongue and quicker mind are enviable, even if his perilous position at court is increasingly not. The air of amused tolerance he affects when dealing with schemers like rabble-rousing Chapuys and the Portuguese ambassador is ultra enjoyable, as is his keen way with a threat. The way he left Chapuys, mouth gaping like a drowning fish, with the promise of retaliation should his boss Emperor Charles V follow through with the put-Pole-on-the-throne plan, was to be savoured.Less so were the nauseating moments when circumstances swirled beyond Cromwells control and the king turned on him. Frustrated, furious, and settling the blame for Englands unrest on Cromwells shoulders, Damian Lewis wasterrifyingin this episode. His mercurial temper was underlined with the reappearance of Patch/Sexton the fool. Like Henrys daughter Mary, Sexton had been returned to court after banishment (hed insulted Anne Boleyn before it was cool). Its hard to say which is scarier, Henry smiling at you or screaming at you. Neither one is safe.Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light continues on Sunday December 1.

When it comes to Christmas, we tend to shy away from trends around here at Country Living, and most designers agree. We dont believe inor celebratetrends, says designers Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke of Madcap Cottage. Jason notes, Its all about being timeless and looking to the past to reinterpret the present and future.With that in mind, we still believe that your home and its decor is an ever-evolving expression of who you are and what you value. And, theres simply no better, or more joyful, season to flex that expression than Christmas.So whether youre pining for nostalgia, looking for a fresh take on a tree topper, or just looking for affirmation that its not crazy to put a Christmas tree in your kitchen(!), youve come to the right place. With the help of our favorite designers and style experts, weve identified five of the biggest country-friendly Christmas decor trends this year that you can easily incorporate into your own holiday decor. Remember, more really is merrier.These Holiday Decorating Ideas Never Go Out of Style:1. Ribbons and Bows GaloreRachel Whiting, Styling by Marie NicholsNothing is more quintessentially Christmas than ribbon, but thanks to fresh interpretations bows are feeling decidedly now as evidenced by these pretty and playful powerhouses finding their way into our tabletop decor, Christmas card designs and back into our hair.It is absolutely The Year of the Bow, according to textile designer Heather Taylor of Heather Taylor Home. People have really embraced the sweetness and femininity of the trend.The beauty of the bow is the range of scaleyou can go oversize and use a large bow as a tree topper or in place of a wreath, or you can go with take a more diminutive approach and add smaller-scale bows to literally anythingcandlesticks, gooseneck sconces, stems of a champagne coupes, the stem of a rosemary topiary (you get the picture). Bows work especially well on trees as a soft foil to more classic round Christmas balls.David TsayIn lieu of ornaments, the Heather Taylor decked out the tree in her California cabin with simple gingham ribbon bows for a homespun feeling.For a fresher, more modern look, try playing with proportions by making smaller loops and letting your tails extend a few inches longer. Also, save the satin for your Christmas presents and instead try a velvet ribbon with frayed edges.RELATED: The Best Christmas Tree Ribbon Decorating Ideas For the Prettiest Tree Ever2. Non-Traditional Color PalettesKaitlin Green, Design by Emily HendersonEvery designer we spoke to offered a different take on a holiday color palette, but according to designer Emily Henderson the most important rule is that there are no rules. Use whatever colors make you the happiest, she encourages. This year I really leaned into blues and maroons in addition to green and a little red.I love the cozy nostalgia of red and green, says Heather, but were always playing with a mix of color to make the holidays feel fresh. This year Im obsessed with combining burgundy and pink.The good news for red and green traditionalist is that simply adding an unexpected pattern can also breathe new life into your existing Christmas decor. We are mad for traditional red-and-green hues but with an unexpected floral-patterned twist, said Jason. Our classic Cottage Grove fabric pattern, for example, captures a timeless floral in a rich geranium red hue paired with cool green shades that plays beautifully at Christmas. 3. Homespun Paper AccentsCourtesy of Audrey GelmanAs beautiful as gilded garland and glitzy baubles can be, theres nothing quite like a home thats decked out with happily humble, handcrafted holiday decor. And this year, the homespun holiday muse of choice is paper. Whether its a mantel draped in paper chain garlands, windows peppered with hand-snipped snowflakes, or Christmas crackers atop your holiday place settings, the simplicity and warmth of these handmade trimmings cant be beat.Becky Luigart-Stayner, styling by Matthew GleasonA blue-and-green paper chain garland adorns s a whimsical Christmas tree in Landon McAfees Tennessee home.Theres something very British about paper chains, says Audrey Gelman, founder of The Six Bells. Paper chains became popular in England during the Victorian era, when they were made from scraps of items such as newspapers and songbooks. These days, leftover craft paper or wallpaper scraps are a nice way to repurpose what you already have. I also like that theyre inexpensive and a fun art project with kids, says Audrey. So, if you too dream of a Little Women Christmas, grab a pair of good scissors, turn on Hallmark Channel and make some handcrafted memories. RELATED: Charming Christmas Decorations to Transform Your Home Into a Winter Wonderland4. A Nod to NostalgiaDylan ChandlerThe desire to have a merry meander down memory lane is strong during the holidays, and so is the pull to personalize your Christmas decor with meaningful family heirlooms and vintage items. Besides, nothing store-bought can ever rival the hand-me-down charm of beloved vintage collectibles. We love using our grandmothers plates upon the Christmas dinner table, says John. Few holiday rituals are as steeped in tradition as hanging ornaments on the family Christmas tree. I like to think of a Christmas tree as a scrapbook and each year we choose a few new ornaments that describe that year, Emily says. Christine Carney, Director of Design for Blackberry Farm Design, thought of another fun way to nestle in nostalgia when she created a tree at High Hampton, a mountain resort in Cashiers, North Carolina, that she filled with small framed photos of previous guests, family, and friends of the property. Some of the people on the tree have been returning guests for many years, and it is so special to include them in our holiday decorations, she says. So save those homemade ornaments and kitschy keepsakes and dont let anyone tell you that theres not room for just-one-more vintage shiny bright.RELATED: Heres How Much Your Favorite Vintage Christmas Decorations Are Worth Today5. Trees are Branching OutGordon BeallGone are the days of the singular, focal-point tree in the house. This year, every room in the house is calling for its own touch of tannenbaum. Audrey says a little mini tree in their upstairs bath is a must, while Heather makes sure the dining room gets holiday cheer. Last year I decorated it [small tree] with homemade pine cone and [dried] orange slice garlands. The result was very cozy and personal, she says.Christmas trees in kids rooms have been growing in popularity for years, but why should the little ones have all the fun. We adore a Christmas tree in our bedroom, says Jason. Why not? Its like falling asleep in a fairyland. Pure magic.Country Living Senior Homes & Style Editor, Anna Logan also shares that kitchen Christmas trees will be everywhere this year. Kitchens are becoming more and more personal, and I see that continuing with holiday decor, she says. As primary trees have moved towards feeling like a perfectly imperfect mishmash of traditional ornaments and homemade touches, these smaller Christmas trees offer the perfect opportunity to unify your display around a theme. RELATED: The Best Small Christmas Tree Ideas With Big Holiday SpiritMore Holiday Decorating Ideas:Maribeth B JonesDesign DirectorMaribeth B Jones is the Design Director of Country Living where she creates seasonal content full of warmth and playfulness. When shes not wrangling chickens for a cover shoot you can find her collecting vintage oil portraits or flipping pancakes in her sunny, yellow kitchen with her two chatty daughters.

Moving can be stressful, especially if your current home has been sitting on the market for too long and you're worried that you may have to sell at a loss. The current market conditions present unique challenges that can heighten these concerns. Certain cities and towns in the U.S. have struggling seller's markets right now due to factors like population size, median income, and the number of available properties. To see where these areas are mainly concentrated across the country, Premier Online Marketing conducted a recent analysis using Realtor.com's "for sale" data from over 900 metropolitan areas. They reported on the median days homes remain on the market and the median listing price for each location."A slower pace enables a more measured approach, allowing buyers to find a property that truly aligns with their needs and budget," Michael Shaug, CEO and founder ofPremier Online Marketing, said. "However, this slower market can also come with drawbacks. A sluggish pace might indicate a lack of job opportunities or desirable amenities in the area, potentially hindering future resale value." Below, we've broken down the top ten U.S. metropolitan areas where it's the hardest to sell a home right now. (You'll find that two states stand out in particular.)Related StoriesKey West, FloridaPeter Unger//Getty ImagesOf the cities on this list, the tourist destination Key West has the highest median number of days on the market at 105 days. Towns in Florida currently account for 36 percent of all locations that are struggling to sell properties. However, Key West is likely so high because they have a fairly high cost of living, which is reflected in the median home price of $1.27 million. In a town with a population of around 25,500, out of 1,346 home listings, only eight saw price increases while 224 experienced price reductions.Rockport, TexasJacob Boomsma//Getty ImagesThis coastal town comes at a close second with a median number of 104 days on the market. The average household income is 29 percent below the national average, and the median listing price comes in at $425,000. The analysis looked at 622 listings in Rockport, and 128 of those experienced price reductions. Related StoryPort Lavaca, Texas and Forrest City, Arkansaspeeterv//Getty ImagesPort Lavaca, TXPort Lavaca and Forrest City are tied for third in their median number of days on the market with 103, right under Rockport. From 2010 to 2020, Port Lavaca's population slowly shrunk and is now around 11,212 people, and their median property price is $353,725 (approximately $213 per square foot). Forrest City has a population of 12,490 but a much lower median property price at $139,250, or $83 per square foot. It is about 61 percent cheaper than Port Lavaca.Naples-Marco Island, FloridaBarry Winiker//Getty ImagesIn fourth place, you'll find Naples-Marco Island with a median listing period of 100 days. This metropolitan area has a population of around 375,760 people, and their average listing price is $749,999 with the median price per square foot approximately totaling $417. With over 5,600 listings analyzed on the market, 17.5 percent of them experienced price reductions in an attempt to sell quickly.Rio Grande City-Roma, Texas and Bay City, TexasLacrecia Robinson / 500px//Getty ImagesRio Grande City, TXAnother tie, the Rio Grande City-Roma metropolitan area and Bay City of Texas had a median listing time of 99 days to sell. Rio Grande City-Roma is about 44 percent cheaper than Bay City, with a median listing price of $230,000 out of the 98 available listings, or approximately $132.11 per square foot. Bay City has a median listing price of $325,000 out of 284 listings, which costs $190.50 per square foot. Rio Grande City has a population of about 15,311, Roma's population is about 11,554, and Bay City's comes in at about 17,561.Related StoryDeRidder, LouisianaThis small town with a population of just under 10,000 comes in second to last with a median listing period of 96 days. The average listing price is $259,900.Punta Gorda, Florida and Sweetwater, TexasWiltser//Getty ImagesPunta Gorda, FLRounding out the final ten metropolitan areas are Punta Gorda, Florida, and Sweetwater, Texas, both tied for median days on the market at 95. Sweetwater is much cheaper than Punta Gorda when looking at the median listing price, coming in at $174,450 and Sweetwater with $397,000. The Florida city has a population of about 20,227 people, and the Texas town has 10,285.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple has reportedly postponed a high number of iOS 19 features for a later iOS 19.4 release, meaning we potentially wont get our hands on them until spring 2026.This isnt out of the ordinary, and were already seeing Apple run this playbook with Apple Intelligence and iOS 18, with the revamped Siri not being available until iOS 18.4 next spring, despite being announced at WWDC24 alongside all of the other iOS 18 features.Gurman did not clarify what features have necessarily been delayed, but he did clarify that the features delayed are beyond just the new LLM Siri that he reported on last week:Im told that a larger-than-usual number of features scheduled for iOS 19 (beyond the new Siri) are already postponed until spring 2026 (when iOS 19.4 debuts).As a refresher, Apple is reportedly working on a new LLM Siri for iOS 19, which will handle tasks in a way thats closer to ChatGPT and Googles Gemini. However, it wont be out until a couple months before the unveiling of iOS 20. (Feel old yet?)Apple is expected to unveil iOS 19 at their annual developers conference, WWDC, in early June 2025. Afterwards, the first public version will ship to customers in September alongside the new release of the iPhone 17 models, which is expected to include an all new form factor the iPhone 17 Air.What are you most looking forward to in iOS 19? Let us know in the comments.Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

According to Mark Gurmans latest Power On newsletter, Apple has no meaningful plans to refresh AirPods Max after the introduction of the USB-C model earlier this year. If you were waiting for a bigger refresh with a newer chip, improved noise cancellation, or anything else youre out of luck.Apple introduced AirPods Max in December 2020 at the high price of $549, and left them unchanged for nearly four years. We later got a USB-C version in September 2024, with some refreshed colors, but that was it. No upgrade to the H2 chip, no adaptive audio, or anything substantial.According to Gurman, AirPods Max at their $549 price tag arent quite worth Apples time:The headphones arent a hot enough seller to justify pouring money into development, but theyre also not a big enough flop to kill them outright. If youve ever been to an upscale gym in Los Angeles or New York, you can see these $550 headphones have a market even with the high price and outdated technology.Gurman believes that Apple will keep AirPods Max around in their current form for the foreseeable future, so it might be a couple years before we see a truly updated model.Obviously, it would make sense for Apple to cut the price of AirPods Max if they wanted it to sell better, but Apple doesnt have much of an incentive to do so.Hopefully, AirPods Max dont wither away on Apples website for the next four years like the first pair did, but its sounding like thatll be the case.What do you think of AirPods Max in their current form? Let us know in the comments.Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

"Intelligence gives power. So whos going to control that power?"Fringe TheoryOne of the world's leading AI pioneers is warning not only that the increasingly powerful technology could harm the world, but that the people in charge of it may be equally dangerous.In an interview withCNBC, computer science luminary Yoshua Bengio said that members of an elite tech "fringe" want AI to replace humans.The head of the University of Montreal's Institute for Learning Algorithms, Bengiowas among the public signatories of the "Right to Warn" open letter penned by leading AI researchers at OpenAI who claim they're being silenced about the technology's dangers. Along with famed experts Yann LeCun and Geoffrey Hinton, he's sometimes referred to as one of the "Godfathers of AI.""Intelligence gives power. So whos going to control that power?" the preeminent machine learning expert told the outlet during the One Young World Summit in Montreal."There are people who might want to abuse that power, and there are people who might be happy to see humanity replaced by machines," Bengio claimed. "I mean, its a fringe, but these people can have a lot of power, and they can do it unless we put the right guardrails right now."Money TalksBecause AI systems cost billions of dollars to build, the deep learning expert noted, the financial power aspect can't be ignored."Very few organizations and very few countries will be able to do it," the University of Montreal AI lab leader said. "Thats already the case.""Theres going to be a concentration of power: economic power, which can be bad for markets; political power, which could be bad for democracy; and military power, which could be bad for the geopolitical stability of our planet," he continued.Currently, experts disagree on whether artificial general intelligence, or human-level AI, can be reached and when it might happen. If it happens before global policy catches up, Bengio suggests, we're in trouble."If its five years, were not ready," he concluded, "because we dont have methods to make sure that these systems will not harm people or will not turn against people."While far from the first AI expert to offer warnings about the dangers of AI, Bengio has unusual gravitas; after all, he helped create it.More on AGI warnings: AI Bros Terrified Singularity Will Hit While Trump Is PresidentShare This Article

Image by Getty / FuturismDevelopmentsDanish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has launched its mega-popular weight loss drug Wegovy in China and it's charging just a tiny fraction of what the blockbuster drug costs in the US.As the Wall Street Journal reports, the drug will first be issued at a public hospital in Shanghai this week for the price of $193 per one-month supply. That's a staggering discount over the almost $1,350 American customers are shelling out for the exact same thing.And that's despite the drug not being covered by China's national health insurance program.The news highlights just how broken the pharmaceutical industry is in the US, with companies brazenly ripping off the American people for decades now, simply because they can get away with it. With a fractured commercial health insurance system, perverse incentives for drug makers, and no comprehensive price controls in place, pharmaceuticals often sell the exact same prescription drugs with a hefty markup in the US compared to abroad.During a Senate hearing earlier this year, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders tore into Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jrgensen over the issue, calling out the company for "corporate greed.""Novo Nordisk has developed game-changing drugs which, if made affordable, can save the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year and significantly improve the quality of life of millions more," Sanders thundered. "If not made affordable, Americans throughout this country will needlessly die and suffer."Wegovy was first approved by Chinese regulators in June. Researchers have noted that overweight and obesity have become a serious public health problem in the nation, particularly among children. Almost every third child in China was deemed overweight back in 2022, and signs point toward the trend accelerating in the coming years. And more than half of Chinese adults are now overweight or obese, according to a 2021 study.Now that glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1) drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic both of which contain the same active ingredient called semaglutide have shot up in popularity, the nation may have an effective solution on its hands.Scientists have found that beyond allowing patients to shed weight, semaglutide seems to have other strikingly positive effects, such as treating arthritis, cutting heart disease, and seemingly even making developing Alzheimer's less likely.And most attractive of all, it's far more accessible from a price point perspective in China. Even taking lower average incomes into account, the cost of the drug is several times cheaper than what it's being sold for in the US.Even in Canada, the drug is being sold for just under $300 for a month's supply, less than a third of the US price.That kind of prohibitive pricing could prove a major problem in the US. The country has a long track record of struggling with obesity; according to the Centers for Disease Control, around 40 percent of US adults are currently obese.But getting access to a potentially life-saving drug like Wegovy may prove a lot harder, particularly due to insurance reasons. At a whopping $1,350, the injections are out of reach for many Americans.More on weight loss drugs: Mounjaro Appears to Be Extremely Effective at Preventing DiabetesShare This Article

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