Dawn Butler

Your Horoscope This Week

Our energy may feel erratic on Monday, when messenger Mercury forms a square against innovative Uranus. Our ideas and words can get tangled as the planets of communication and unexpected changes clash against each other. On the bright side, we’ll feel extra creative. While we’ll have to be intentional about considering our thoughts before sharing them with others, we can also use this transit to think outside of the box.  On Tuesday, the Moon wanes into her 3rd quarter in Taurus. This transit can cause us to rush others — and ourselves. One way to tap into patience is to focus on listening to the emotions that come up during this transit; this will let us move forward with purpose. Power struggles may arise on Thursday, when warrior Mars creates a square against controlling Pluto. The confrontation between these planets can influence us to challenge authority figures or, conversely, we may feel challenged by others. It may feel unnatural, but we’ll find a happy medium during this movement by playing by the rules and avoiding burning bridges.  Starting Saturday, disruptive Uranus stations retrograde in Taurus, encouraging us to shift our focus towards creating internal change. We may feel frustrated with our progress, but if we focus on solidifying our values as the planet moves in reverse, we’ll be ready to put our best foot forward when Uranus stations direct again in Taurus early next year.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

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Melanie Sykes

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Vanessa Guillén Was One Of Many Soldiers To Be Brutalised & Killed At Fort Hood

Vanessa Guillén, a Fort Hood soldier who originally went missing in April and whose body was finally found in July, still hasn’t gotten justice. Despite detailed reports, including a confession from her alleged killer, Spc. Aaron Robinson, Guillén’s family has lost faith in the system that was supposed to protect their daughter. “From the start, we lost trust with them (the Army) from the very beginning,” said Mayra Guillén, Vanessa’s mother. “The story they gave us is completely… I don’t even know what the right word for it is, but no one believes that story.” But as it turns out, Vanessa Guillén was only the latest fatality to come out of Fort Hood. Fort Hood has one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, according to Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who visited the base this week and said that the army base is known for having a violent past. The United States Army post in Killeen, Texas has a troubling history of shooting rampages between 2009-2014. But as early as this past year, violence has continued across the base, with at least 7 soldiers who were stationed at Fort Hood having been found dead since March of 2020 alone. This includes Robinson, who took his own life after confessing to killing Guillén. Even in this past week, Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas, a 24-year-old soldier based at Fort Hood, was found after drowning near the Texas base. An investigation is still being conducted.In March, 20-year-old Shelby Tyler Jones’ died after suffering a gunshot wound in south Killeen near Fort Hood. Brandon Scott Rosecrans, a 27-year-old who joined the Army in 2018, was also found with a gunshot wound near Fort Hood in May, his car found burned nearby. Then, in June, another soldier, Gregory Scott Morales, was found dead in a field in Killeen, Texas, nearly 10 months after vanishing. Fort Hood released a statement that foul play is suspected. Morales was only 24 years old. Of the eight deaths this year, five so far have been publicly linked to foul play, according to the Army Times. When McCarthy visited this week, he said it’s clear that the Army should be taking better care of its soldiers. “We are getting an outside look to help us to get to those root causes and understand them so we can make those changes. We are going to put every resource and all of the energy we can in this entire institution behind fixing these problems,” McCarthy stated during a press conference. McCarthy also referenced Guillén’s death as a catalyst for the Army to focus on sexual harassment and assault in the military. Prior to her death, a survey given to 225 Fort Hood soldiers in June found that one-third of the women who responded had been sexually harassed. According to Guillén’s family, she had also shared allegations of sexual harassment with them prior to being murdered, but never reported out of fear. Fort Hood is now under a review, according to McCarthy, where officials will examine historical data of discrimination, harassment, and assault, and investigate the climate and culture that’s allowed for violence to take place. McCarthy himself has also already had conversations with soldiers based in Fort Hood to understand their experiences and the culture of the post, and conducted listening sessions to determine what the Army needs to change. With this kind of history, it’s unclear why this is just coming out now, and why serious action wasn’t taken as a preventable measure. Many cases of missing and killed soldiers had begun popping up long before Guillén, but they weren’t publicised or investigated in quite the same way. Still, McCarthy is determined to correct these injustices, despite a lack of faith in the current system — specifically the system governing Fort Hood.“Ultimately the results, findings, recommendations will fuel an implementation team chaired by the Undersecretary of the Army and the Vice Chief of Staff for the Army,” McCarthy said. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?150 FBI Agents To Investigate Crystal Rogers CasePolice Continue To Be Accused Of Sexual ViolenceAaron Glee Confesses To Killing Toyin Salau

Demi Lovato Just Revealed The Name Of Her New Song — With A Manicure

Just a few short weeks after Demi Lovato announced her engagement to Max Ehrich, the star has more big news: She’s about to drop new music. According to Lovato’s most recent Instagram Story, the “Anyone” singer is working on a brand-new song — the title of which she announced via manicure, showing off a squared deep French shape studded with multi-coloured butterfly nail art.“Guys, I’m writing a new song called butterfly rn,” Lovato captioned a closeup shot of her butterfly nail art shared to her Instagram Story. Following the low-key announcement, fans were quick to track down more details, only to discover that this isn’t the first time Lovato has used the winged insects to inspire song lyrics.“The first song @ddlovato wrote as a child was about butterflies,” one fan account posted. Lovato herself cosigned the report, reposting the fan account and adding, “And today I’m writing a new one about just one.” If you can’t recall a past Demi Lovato single about butterflies, that’s because it was written when the singer was just seven years old, and was never actually produced. In a 2013 TV interview on Katie Couric, Lovato revealed that the first song she ever wrote as a child was about a crush and that quintessential butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling — she even sang a few cords for the audience.As of now, all we know about the new track is that its subject is a single butterfly — and that Lovato is wearing symbolic nail art to match. We’re keeping a lookout for more breadcrumb clues ahead of the release. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?The Mismatched Manicure Trend Just Got An UpgradeMeghan Markle's Bridal Mani-Pedi Broke TraditionCharli & Dixie D'Amelio Launch Nail Polish Collab

With age, I've come to hate doing new things on holiday

Paddleboarding, for one, is just a bad back waiting to happen – and I'm not falling for it I have a disease that seems to afflict the old far worse than the young. It is neophobia – that is, a fear of trying new things – and it is most pronounced when I’m on holiday. I wasn’t always so dull. As a carefree youth, I soaked up fresh experiences, from kayaking to hip-hop karaoke. But with age – 36 years and counting – comes wisdom. I’ve tried many things, and found plenty that I like – certainly enough to fill a two-week break in the Med. There’s walking, cycling, food and wine, sitting by the pool and reading a good book. So why waste my precious time away from the office trying to expand my horizons further? I’ll only be disappointed. The world keeps inventing new things to rouse me from my torpor. I take one glance at people indulging in such activities and return to my novel. Take Segways. Why would you pay good money to bomb around town on what is essentially a mobility scooter? They are the transport equivalent of a bum bag: guaranteed to make you look like a fool. I watch tourists riding these devices and always sense regret. Then there is paddleboarding, the Segway of the seas, which seems mostly to involve hanging out with social media “influencers”, wearing a sarong, getting a sore back and losing your balance. If it has taken until the 21st century for the pastime to become popular, then it must be rubbish. My avoidance of the unfamiliar is starting to affect my choice of destination, too. I once harboured a desire to visit as many countries as possible and every holiday was about charting new territory. Now I keep returning to tried-and-tested options, such as Italy and Greece. Pretty soon it will be the same Greek island. Then the same timewarped village. Maybe the same apartment. What’s wrong with me? Neophobia has killed my explorer’s instinct. So is there a cure? Here’s an idea: I could try a new activity while simultaneously engaging in an old favourite. Drunk paddleboarding, perhaps? I’ll keep you posted.

PM visits Cheshire construction site

Why Puglia's palazzi hotels are perfect for a post-lockdown holiday

With its long summers and even longer coastlines, Puglia offers the perfect antidote to weeks of lockdown under Fair Albion’s grey skies. The many glitterati seduced by this area in recent years has transformed the once stout and sensible heel of Italy into a chic and sexy stiletto.

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