Dallas County Republicans will return to machine ballot counting during the next March primary. They aimed to do a hand count for election day ballots, but could not find enough workers or volunteers to make it happen.
In a Facebook post on the party’s page, Chair Lt. Col. Allen West announced that they will no longer pursue a hand recount and will instead contract with the county government to count by machine. In short, they could not recruit the 3,000 workers and volunteers they needed.
“We are currently tapped out at approximately 1,300–1,500 individuals for hand counting. With only 63 days until the election, that number is woefully short of what is required. The greatest risk would be to continue without having trained, qualified, and ready counters, which would place our election judges in an untenable legal position,” wrote chair West.
The Dallas GOP was going to be the largest organization in the country to try this effort. This ends an experiment the state party was watching to possibly expand statewide in the years ahead, according to Texas GOP Chair Abraham George.
“So this is an opportunity for us to learn what mistakes we make, if we make any, and also to see if it is possible, how much it’s going to cost us at the end of the day, you know, who can do it, and how many volunteers we need,” Chair George said in a recent interview for NBC DFW’s Sunday public affairs show, Lone Star Politics.
“I think when you elect clowns, you should expect circuses,” said Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder in an interview. He argued the hand-count effort was a fool’s errand to begin with.
“We’re going to use modern technology because it is the year 2025, and that’s how we will operate. We will have an efficient election to the best of our ability, and Republicans are trying to stand in our way of doing that,” said Scudder.
Early voting begins February 17th.
Great Job Phil Prazan & the Team @ NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth for sharing this story.
In all the improbabilities of the 2025 mayoral race, the role played by Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa ranks near the very top. Even his name is an echo from the 1970s, the punch line to a joke about red berets and old-school accents, a ghost from a formerly dangerous, broken city. This year’s election […]
Great Job Kim Phillips-Fein & the Team @ Jacobin Source link for sharing this story.
DALLAS – (WBAP/KLIF) -Luxury retailer giant Saks Global is reported headed toward bankruptcy; a move that will affect Neiman Marcus stores in Dallas and nationwide.
Saks Global is reported as missing a $100 million payment in late December, on $2.7 million in debt it took on to acquire Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores.. The merger coincided with a growing slump in demand for luxury goods.
Company brands include Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks 5th Avenue and Saks Off 55th. Reports assert Saks Global has been late on vendor payments, leaving stores short on some brands customers rely on. Revenues for the quarter ending August second were down 13 percent.
Saks Global, enacting several rounds of layoffs this year.
(Copyright, All Rights Reserved, WBAP/KLIF)
Great Job & the Team @ News Talk WBAP-AM for sharing this story.
Unless if you’re really in the know about nascent platforms, you probably didn’t know what Mastodon was until Elon Muskbought Twitter and renamed it X. In the initial aftermath of the acquisition, as users fretted over what direction Twitter would take, millions of users hopped over to Mastodon, a fellow microblogging site. As time went on, users would also try out Bluesky, or Instagram’s Threads app — but because Mastodon was founded in 2016, it had years to develop its own identity as more than just an alternate Twitter.
What is Mastodon?
Mastodon was founded in 2016 by German software developer Eugen Rochko. Unlike Twitter, Facebook, Reddit or any other popular social media site, Mastodon is a nonprofit, meaning that, ideally, its goal is to benefit the public, rather than shareholders.
Mastodon might look like a Twitter clone at first glance, but the underlying system behind the microblogging platform is far more complex. The service is decentralized (no, not in a blockchain way), describing itself as a “federated network which operates in a similar way to email.”
When you first create your account, you choose a server — similar to how you choose to open an email account on Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo or wherever — which generates your profile’s address. So, for example, if you sign up for Mastodon via the climate justice server, then your address will be @[your username]@climatejustice.social. But no matter which server you sign up with, you will be able to communicate with users from any other server, just like how Gmail users email Hotmail users and vice versa. However, some servers might have blocked other servers (perhaps if it’s an unsavory group), which would mean you can’t communicate with anyone from the blocked server.
The Mastodon lingo
Mastodon users generally refer to individual communities as “instances” or servers. These Mastodon servers can be run by individuals, groups or organizations that each have their own set of rules regarding how users can sign up, as well as their own moderation policies. Some servers let anyone join, while others are invite-only or require approval by an admin. For example, a server for professional scientists asks applicants to include a link to their research to demonstrate that they are, indeed, professionals.
Choosing which server to register your account with might seem stressful, but it’s possible to move your account later, so don’t worry. Plus, you can follow people regardless of which server they’re on.
You may also hear Mastodon described as part of the “Fediverse,” or an interconnected web of various social media services. You know how having a Twitter account doesn’t mean you can use that account on Instagram? Through the Fediverse, your single Mastodon account also grants you access to other decentralized social networks, if that interests you.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco | October 13-15, 2026
You may ocassionally see Mastodon’s equivalent of tweets being referred to as “toots,” but this is fading out of favor (since it’s kind of silly!). Many people are just calling them “posts” these days, but “toot” is often found referenced in older third-party clients.
Mastodon supports a number of Twitter conventions like replies, retweets, favorites, bookmarks and hashtags. For a while, Mastodon made an intentional choice not to make a quote tweet-like feature, since it can encourage dogpiling criticism, but the platform relented and rolled out that feature in 2025.
In addition, Mastodon lists work slightly differently from Twitter as you can only add people to a list if you’re already following them. And Direct messages on Mastodon are just @username posts, not private messages coming to a DM inbox — just remember to change the visibility settings if you want that message to stay between the two of you.
Anyone can download, modify and install Mastodon on their own server — plus, the developers of the platform don’t own the copyright.
That doesn’t mean that you can grab Mastodon’s code without acknowledging the source, though. Former President Donald Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, initially launched with Mastodon code and passed it off as if it were original software. Mastodon did not take kindly to that.
How do you create a Mastodon account?
When you arrive on the Mastodon website, you can click a button called “create account,” which directs you to a page listing servers to choose from. You can filter these by various factors, like region, language, topic, sign-up speed and more. There, find a server that piques your interest and join — if it’s a server that requires you to be approved, you might need to wait a bit. From there, you can start finding people to follow, regardless of whether they’re registered via your same server.
In effort to minimize confusion on new users picking a server, Mastodon made changes amid the “Twitter exodus” so that it would easier to create an account. Now, when you go to sign up, it will give an easy option to create an account on mastodon.social instead of choosing a server.
How do you decide which Mastodon server to join?
Mastodon’s website has helpful resources — but it’s still a bit overwhelming and challenging to find a home base that aligns with your interests. Ask friends who are already on Mastodon if they have suggestions! Or just join somewhere random, because you can always change your server affiliation later once you get into the swing of things.
Can you talk to people on other Mastodon servers besides your own?
Yes, you can follow people outside of your local server and reply to their posts. However, when you want to follow someone on a different server, you have to enter their username in the search box on your server to find them first, then follow them. You can’t just go to their profile and click the follow button as you would on Twitter.
What’s the difference between the Home, Local and Federated timelines?
Your Home timeline shows you posts from people that you follow, similar to Twitter. The Local timeline shows posts from all users in your server, while the Federated timeline shows you all public posts from users that people in your server follow. (Hint: You can turn on “Slow Mode” in Preferences –> Appearance to hide timeline updates behind a click if things are coming at you too fast!)
What is Mastodon’s moderation policy?
Individual server admins set their own moderation policies, so you should read the policy on the server you choose to ensure it matches up with your values.
What are the drawbacks of Mastodon when compared with Twitter/X?
Mastodon’s user base is a fraction of a percentage of the size of Twitter’s user base. It’s also far less intuitive to navigate, since it hasn’t been designed for a massive global audience like Twitter. That could change in time as more developers join the project in the wake of the Twitter takeover.
What are the benefits of Mastodon compared with Twitter/X?
Well, for one thing, Mastodon is not owned by Elon Musk… however, it’s going to be difficult in the near-term for Mastodon to replicate the same “watercooler of the world” vibe that Twitter was defined by. Some users might prefer Mastodon to X, though, as it’s more customizable by nature. Unlike X, individual communities have different content guidelines, which provide a variety of different user experiences. And while the user base on Mastodon is smaller, this can lead to more personal and direct conversations, at times, compared with tweeting into the void, so to speak.
Is Mastodon safer than Twitter?
Mastodon is what you make of it. Due to its decentralized nature, if you are looking for a more controlled online experience, you can join a server with stricter guardrails against harassment. Some Mastodon features are also built with mitigating harassment in mind. For example, you can only search by hashtag, not by words that appear in a toot. So if you want your post to be discoverable, you can tag it — if you’d rather limit the audience, no one can find your tweet about the Red Sox by simply searching “red sox” if you haven’t tagged it.
However, a text-based search can surface the posts you’ve written, favorited, boosted or have been mentioned in, which can be useful.
Can I post images and video?
As noted above, Mastodon supports many Twitter conventions, but its support for media is more limited. Where Twitter supports a variety of media and other data appended to tweets, including its audio-only social “Spaces,” plus photos, video, GIFs, polls, precise location and experimental “Status” tags, Mastodon simply supports images, videos, audio and polls.
You can add up to four images to a post, up to eight megabytes in size. Video and audio can be any length, but with a file size limit of 40 megabytes.
Can I post privately to friends?
Mastodon offers the ability to set your post’s privacy at the time of writing. Posts can be set to be public to be visible by all; unlisted to make them public but opted out of discovery features; only visible to your followers; or only visible to those users you’ve mentioned.
Can I get verified on Mastodon?
No. There’s no universal verification system like on Twitter. Some servers may vet their user sign-ups and you can self-verify, in a way, by adding links to your Mastodon profile that have a specific attribute (rel=”me”) in order to prove you are who you say you are.
Some servers are having fun with the idea of verification in a less-than-official fashion. For example, the mstdn.social server lets you add blue-and-white checkmarks and other emoji to your display name if you’d like, which make you look verified, even though these don’t mean anything. (Sort of like Twitter’s new verification system! But for free!)
As of summer 2025, Mastodon has under one million monthly active users, and around 10 million registered users — this is to say, Mastodon is much smaller than X which had an estimated 132 million daily active users. Still, not all social networks are created equal, and you might find that you prefer tooting about TTRPGs in a dedicated server, as opposed to tweeting into a realm of madness. Or, you might find that this decentralized system is confusing, and you’ll just ride out the Muskening on X, or switch to Bluesky, Threads, or something else entirely. Choose your own adventure!
I’m not sure I want to leave X. Can I cross-post from X to Mastodon?
Yes, this is possible by way of third-party tools. These require you to authorize your account with Twitter and Mastodon and set up parameters. We’ve had success with Moa Party, which allows you to get specific as to which tweets or retweets are cross-posted. But other tools are available, including Mastodon Twitter Crossposter, which is also available here on GitHub.
Can I find my Twitter friends on Mastodon?
Yes, this is also possible with third-party tools. We’ve seen many Mastodon users trying out tools like Fedifinder, Twitodon and Debirdify, for example.
Does Mastodon work with Bluesky and Threads?
It’s a no for Bluesky — not unless Bluesky chooses to adopt the ActivityPub protocol Mastodon uses. But Bluesky is not planning to integrate with ActivityPub, having decided to build its own networking protocol. There is some skepticism among the developer and open source community about whether or not Bluesky’s decision to go its own way is really about its own protocol’s advantages or if it’s more about producing a spec it could eventually control.
There are many existing protocols for decentralizing discourse, including ActivityPub, SSB, Matrix, & RSS. Each of these are successful in their own right, but none of them fully met the goals we had for a network that enables global long-term public conversations at scale.
The latest viral phrase, “Tendernism,” has turned melt-in-your-mouth barbecue into a full-blown sound bite, and now TikTok sensation Keith Lee is caught all up in it.
The viral food critic decided to visit the infamous “Unc” known as pitmaster Walter “Mr. Tendernism” Johnson at Destination Smoke House, expecting a feel-good moment much like other viral clips of the elderly man checking the tenderness of any BBQ meat at the restaurant to show how it falls right off the bone.
Instead, Lee ran into an unexpected roadblock, leaving fans stunned that his generosity was not openly welcomed.
TikTok food critic Keith Lee says his visit to the viral Destination Smokehouse did not go as planned. (Photos: @keith_lee125/TikTok; Destination Smokehouse/Instagram)
In one of his recent videos, Lee attempted an act of kindness, as he often does in viral content shared on his social media platforms.
A Dec. 29 video documented Lee’s visit to the newly famous barbecue restaurant in Murietta, California. Known for smoked ribs and brisket cooked to an almost unreal level of tenderness, the hot spot has gone viral for meat that nearly melts on contact and pulls apart effortlessly in clips that rack up millions of views.
Toward the beginning of Lee’s video, he is sitting in his car with a bag full of food and says, “My whole mission today is to see, in my opinion, is the food actually tendernism or do I just love watching Unc. Let’s find out together.”
The 29-year-old entrepreneur shared that he and his family spent $129.77 on beef ribs, oxtails, brisket, yams, mac and cheese, cole slaw, two orders of texas toast and four sides of BBQ sauce. According to his family, who reported the news back to Lee, not only was the food ready in 10 minutes, but the customer service was overall good.
As for the Unc, Lee confirmed that he was present later in the video but he was unable to make contact like he intended. “Unc was walking around with four different security guards, which I fully understand because people probably bombarding him nonstop,” Lee said over a clip of him having a discussion with a woman at the front desk.
Out of all the food, He rated the oxtails the highest, giving it a 9.7 out of 10. The brisket and beef ribs were rated between a 6 and a 7.5. Finally, the yams were given an 8 but as for the mac and cheese, Lee said he was “not a fan of that at all.”
“For me the standout is absolutely the oxtail, but past the oxtail the standout is Unc.”
Explaining why, Lee added, “Not only in my opinion is it extremely hard to get people engaged like that, to show your true personality, to be yourself, no matter how fast things take off in this space. I don’t think he intended for it to go the way it’s going. I think he just wanted to show his love for food and his love of what it is that he doing.”
Despite his kind gesture of “personally taking” money from his own bank, he admitted he was turned down.
After walking out of the restaurant, Lee continued in the video, “So, update: We cannot get to Unc. Security say it was over with for today. They say that he was filming something. I believe he was filming a podcast. We had $5,000 in cash — or $4,000 in cash — we was gon’ give him in hand. Uh, they didn’t take it.”
But Lee didn’t let the moment get him down, instead he turned it into a positive, adding, “So we not only gon’ take this money and feed some people, but we just gone do what we feel like we supposed to do in the community with it.”
A few fans reacting to Lee’s video said, “I just KNOW Unc finna cuss some people out when he see this video,” and “Unc’s entourage blocking his blessings.”
Another person made a suggestion saying, “Unc needs better people around him that are aware of the social media world.”
Destination Smokehouse grew out of a family coffee shop in Hemet, California, which owner Nick Yepremian turned into a restaurant in 2020. During COVID, he teamed up with pitmaster Walter Johnson, aka “Mr. Tendernism,” whose gumbo and ultra-tender barbecue ideas helped propel the spot to viral fame. Yepremian has said Johnson gave him not just a signature cooking style, but crucial life perspective from an elder he deeply respects.
“Walter is a huge part of my confidence to continue in the restaurant business,” said Yepremian in a YouTube video about the restaurants origin story. “He is a huge part of learning how to be a better man more than anything.”
While the restaurant’s rise has been rooted in mentorship, respect, and community, Lee’s visit was meant to extend that same spirit of generosity. But the moment took an unexpected turn, echoing a familiar pattern for the food critic.
It wasn’t the first time Lee’s generosity sparked complications. In early 2024, a $4,000 tip he left at a Dallas food truck led to backlash after the owner failed to distribute the money as instructed, prompting a apology after public pressure.
And that unfortunate incident hasn’t stopped Lee from continuing to give back to various communities around the country. His kind gestures and highly loved content recently led him to win the first ever Creator of the Year award at the TikTok awards earlier this month.
Great Job J. Jones & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
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The Rule of 72 is a formula to predict how long it will take to double your investment portfolio, and demonstrates the power of compound growth. While it’s a useful guide for calculating how long it will take your money to double give a certain annual rate of return, it’s a general guideline — not a promise.
The key to growing your wealth is to consistently save and contribute to your investment accounts.
How the rule works
Divide 72 by your expected rate of return to estimate how many years it will take for your money to double. For instance, if the expected rate of return is 6%, the calculation would look like this:
72 / 6 = 12
Therefore, it would take 12 years to double your portfolio if you average a 6% return per year. However, you may be able to estimate an even higher rate of return depending on your investment vehicle. If you average an 8% return per year, you will double your money faster:
72 / 8 = 9
Jumping from a 6% annualized return to an 8% annualized return allows you to double your money three years faster.
Compound interest is the interest you earn on interest — and though compounding can start slowly, it becomes more powerful as your portfolio grows.
Say $1,000 grows at an annual rate of 7%. After one year, you’d have $1,070. Then, the 7% interest grows on $1,070. After the second year, you’d have $1,145.
You can reinvest dividends and interest payments so that they compound.
Despite compound growth, fees can eat away at your portfolio. Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) come with expense ratios, or the cost of someone managing your account. While many ETFs that follow market benchmarks like the S&P 500 and have expense ratios below 0.10%, some actively managed funds have expense ratios of 1% or even higher. That can significantly hurt your returns.
If your ETF produces an annualized 8% return and has a 1% expense ratio, you only end up with a 7% return. Instead of doubling your money in nine years, the lower 7% return results in you doubling your money in 10 years.
Taxes can also weigh on returns if your fund distributes cash that is treated as ordinary income. Because of this, you may want to pick an index fund with a low expense ratio and cash distributions that are not treated as ordinary income.
You can use the 72 rule to gauge how long it will take for your portfolio to double using a fund’s historical returns to predict future annualized returns — though keep in mind that past returns don’t guarantee future ones. Having an estimate for how long it will take to double your money can help with your retirement goal planning.
Great Job & the Team @ Money.com Source link for sharing this story.
Jacob Rodriguez and Texas Tech’s high-priced defense delivered opportunity after opportunity, disrupting the Oregon Ducks’ dominant offense to put the Red Raiders in position to seize control of a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game.
But the offense never did.
Facing its stiffest test of the season, Texas Tech’s offense couldn’t match the urgency or execution of its defense, and the No. 4 Red Raiders’ impressive 2025 run ended in a 23-0 loss to No. 5 Oregon in the Orange Bowl on Thursday.
It was a sobering finish for a program on the rise — one that won 12 games this season en route to its first Big 12 Conference title and CFP berth.
The Red Raiders were hoping for so much more.
“We knew what we were able to accomplish,” said standout linebacker David Bailey, the national sacks leader with 14 1/2, including one on Thursday. ”The Big 12 championship wasn’t really the goal. We knew we could go further. We’ve got a lot of talent on this team. We’ve got a lot of pieces on this team. We expected a different outcome.”
The Red Raiders spent big this season to build a foundation capable of reaching this moment, but Thursday’s dud showed that Texas Tech doesn’t yet have the same firepower or polish of a program like Oregon, which played with the exact poise needed to win games on college football’s biggest stage.
The Red Raiders were rarely tested during the regular season, winning all 12 of their games by 20-plus points with the 54th-ranked strength of schedule, per ESPN’s College Football Power Index.
Texas Tech became just the third team in the history of the College Football Playoff to be held scoreless. Ohio State, which saw its title defense end Wednesday night against Miami, was shut out by Clemson in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. And Alabama blanked Michigan State 38-0 in the 2015 Cotton Bowl. Both were semifinals.
Still, Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire believes his team will be back.
“One thing I told them, and I truly believe it,” McGuire said, “When you do something that nobody’s ever done. … The standard is set. That’s where you start building something really special. This is going to hurt for a long time. I know these guys are hurting right now but can’t be more proud of my football team.”
The Red Raiders managed just 88 total yards in the first half, with two turnovers and just three first downs at halftime.
The sluggish first half was the worst for the Red Raiders this season and the first time they’ve been shut out in the first half of a game since 2021. They were the fourth team to be held scoreless in the first half of this year’s playoff.
On3 has reported Texas Tech’s NIL total to be about $28 million. That’s in addition to the revenue share of $20.5 million now allowed by the NCAA under the House settlement, and that total spending ranks second in the country behind Texas.
That money helped transform Tech into one of the nation’s top defenses, while matching the school record for wins.
“We’ll be back for sure,” said junior tight end Terrance Carter, who added he plans to return to Tech next year. “All we did was just set the standard for the next groups to come in. I don’t see us changing anything.”
Texas Tech entered Thursday ranked second nationally in points per game (42.5) but managed nothing on offense. The Red Raiders turned the ball over four times, were stopped on fourth downs two other times and had four three-and-outs.
Quarterback Behren Morton never appeared settled, completing 18 of 32 passes for just 137 yards. The senior was stripped by Oregon linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei early in the third quarter deep in Red Raider territory, and the Ducks scored their first touchdown of the game on the next play.
After Tech’s defense came up with an interception later in the third, Morton threw another interception, this time in the end zone to Ducks standout defensive back Brandon Finney Jr.
With a reported multimillion dollar roster and a billionaire booster, Texas Tech has the tools in place to be a formidable program in the future — it just needs to wait a little longer for that to happen.
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here.
It’s January 1, and the self-help corners of the internet tell me I’m supposed to wake up as a matcha-drinking, Pilates-doing goddess of discipline. Except I don’t like matcha, my gym leggings are in hibernation, and my discipline is nowhere to be found. Outside, winter has the nerve to continue.
“As you stride into the first week of the year full of good intentions, you may notice a sinking sensation: The vibes are just … off,” Isle McElroy wrote in 2024. And for many of us, they are—every year. In late November, winter can feel charming: Thanksgiving offers coziness and pie and the suggestion that cold weather is just a backdrop to togetherness. December doubles down—lights, parties, rituals designed to make the early sunsets feel intentional. Then comes New Year’s Eve, one last bit of glitter.
And then: January. A month so unadorned, it almost feels punitive. If December is champagne, January is the headache.
It’s tempting to surrender to the slump—to assume that the dullness is inevitable. But some writers throughout history have treated this month not as dead air but as an invitation: a moment when the world gets quiet enough that you can hear your own thoughts again. Henry David Thoreau’s New Year’s Day journal entries, published in The Atlantic in 1885, articulate how winter can sharpen a person’s senses. “The rude pioneer work of the world has been done by the most devoted worshipers of beauty,” he wrote. “In winter is their campaign … They are elastic under the heaviest burden, under the extremest physical suffering.” Even the landscape rewarded anyone who bothered to notice: Frozen branches became “fat, icy herbage”; weeds turned into “jewels.” “In this clear air and bright sunlight, the ice-covered trees have a new beauty,” he journaled in 1853.
Other writers in the archive seemed to recognize that same hidden momentum. In 1877, the poet Helen Hunt Jackson argued that winter is where fortitude gathers. “O Winter!,” she writes, “June could not hire / Her roses to forego the strength they learn / In sleeping on thy breast.” What looks like nothing happening is often everything happening, just beneath the surface.
Three years later, in her “New Year Song,” Celia Thaxter didn’t ask the month to transform her—she simply welcomed it.
Die and depart, Old Year, old sorrow! Welcome, O morning air of health and strength! O glad New Year, bring us new hope to-morrow, With blossom, leaf, and fruitage bright at length.
Her January is a reminder that a new year can begin quietly and still begin well.
Recently, one writer observed that winter’s malaise can be a story we tell ourselves. Maggie Mertens noted in 2023 that although being sad in the wintertime is a “prevailing narrative” in American life, the data resist that frame: National depression rates across the year remain “flat as a pancake,” one researcher told her. Winter can be hard, but the belief that everyone is sadder during the season may simply be folklore passed off as fact. Taylor Kay Phillips argues that the secret to loving winter is to “first accept it, then enjoy it.” Beautiful things are possible “because of the freezing temperatures and the precipitation and the wind, not in spite of them,” she writes: “Snow days require snow. Cute gloves need cold hands.” Winter, she insists, is “its own rich, wonderful destination,” not an ordeal to endure en route to spring.
Which brings us back to our muted stretch of January. If you stop asking it to be December 2.0 and let it be what it is, the month stops feeling like the aftertaste of the holidays and starts to take on its own flavor. “When reality clashes with expectations, perhaps we should change our expectations,” McElroy wrote. Accept that old habits won’t melt away overnight, or by mid-January, or maybe even by March. Accept that the month will be cold and plainspoken.
January may still feel like a hangover. But a hangover isn’t just the end of the night. It’s the body recalibrating after excess. Let the month be quiet. Let it be simple. The doldrums may still knock—but if you meet the month on its own terms, they don’t have to linger.
Great Job Rafaela Jinich & the Team @ The Atlantic Source link for sharing this story.
On December 7, 2025, TheBeyondWoman stepped into the Jamaica Pegasus for the flagship staging of Suga Lifestyle’s Christmas Connection, and one thing was clear from the start — this wasn’t just a holiday pop-up. It was a movement dressed in Christmas lights, powered by culture, connection, and the kind of creative energy you can’t replicate online. Patrons showed up in droves on December 6 and 7 at The Jamaica Pegasus, filling the space with excitement and intention. They were greeted by an eclectic lineup of award-winning, forward-thinking artisans who brought innovation, passion, and craftsmanship to every booth.
And the tastings? Legendary.
Patrons were treated to the kind of flavours that stir nostalgia and spark conversation. AU Trading’s handmade Sorrel Liqueur—crafted from a cherished family recipe—was the highlight for many, rich with the warm familiarity of Christmas sorrel, elevated into a smooth, spirited indulgence that felt like tradition poured into a glass.
Not far behind, bold heat lovers crowded around CrEATe & Co.’s fiery Scotch Bonnet Sauce, generously drizzled over sizzling sausages. It was the kind of spice that doesn’t just hit the tongue—it wakes up the senses and leaves you reaching for more. Nations Choice delivered their signature glazed ham, tender and well-seasoned, reminding everyone why Jamaican holiday tables are undefeated. And of course, JABLUM Coffee held court as the crowd’s reigning favourite—aromatic, full-bodied, and unmistakably Jamaican in every sip.
The event also became a launchpad for rising founders and fresh ideas. Likkle Bliss Ltd., stepping into her first vendor spotlight, captured hearts (and stomachs) with her soft, perfectly spiced cinnamon rolls, selling out long before the curtains closed. Meanwhile, Roar I Organics from the hills of Gutters, St. Elizabeth, made a powerful debut, introducing cold-pressed green juices, herbal teas, tonics, and natural cleansers—each one rooted in holistic wellness and crafted from the island’s abundant natural ingredients. It was more than a marketplace moment—it was proof that innovation, culture, and purpose can coexist beautifully when founders lead with passion and authenticity.
What made this coverage extra special for TheBeyondWoman was the presence of our Community Ambassador, Mikhayla Brown, who attended on December 7. Mikhayla didn’t just observe — she engaged. She had the unique opportunity to speak directly with the entrepreneurs, hear their stories, and capture their passion for building brands that serve both community and culture. She also connected with local authors, wellness founders, and lifestyle entrepreneurs, learning firsthand what drives them, what challenges shaped them, and what keeps them committed to showing up, even in a world that constantly pushes digital convenience over real-world value.
TheBeyondWoman’s coverage with Community Ambassador, Mikhayla Brown
Uncle Neiles
Khentish Designs
Chloe’s Plants
Roaring Roy’s Organics
Victoria Tasty
Hofficial Clothing
Smith’s Rum Cream
Adding to the family-friendly appeal, children experienced a magical Kids Interactive Village by Bear Tingz Jamaica, where little ones played in the snow with Santa on the terrace. The event also hosted a Toy Drive and Yoga for Charity, both filled to capacity, reflecting a deeper purpose beyond commerce — one rooted in giving back.
Suga Lifestyle CEO Gabrielle Burgess shared sincere gratitude for the community that supported the toy drive and filled the terrace for Yoga for Charity. This staging went beyond celebration and into relief, mobilizing six major project donations after Hurricane Melissa displaced families from Western parishes to Kingston.With support from Suga Lifestyle, the Prudential Foundation, and partners including National Bakery and Ayrton Distributors Ltd., nearly 100 residents each at the Marie Atkins Night Shelter, Golden Age Homes, and Cluster F in Vineyard Town received food, drinks, toiletries, clothing, and medical supplies.Toys from the drive will bring Christmas joy to children at the Mervis Braham Child Care Facility and the Pringle Home, reminding us that impact matters just as much as exposure.
This event proved Suga Lifestyle isn’t just championing creatives — it’s championing community. And that’s the real connection.
Burgess added, “As recovery continues, we thank everyone who supported Christmas Connection, B A S E at Janga’s, and our relief mission. Jamaica Together. Sprinkle Christmas cheer. We shall rise again.” Her appreciation for community and creatives continues to set the brand apart.
Christmas Connection proved something powerful: Jamaica’s creative economy isn’t slowing down. It’s evolving, expanding, and creating spaces where artisans don’t just sell — they connect, impact, and remind us why local matters. This event wasn’t just a showcase. It was proof of opportunity, resilience, cultural pride, and the undeniable force of Jamaica’s founders who are building the future of the region’s creative industry, one event at a time.
And trust me — if you missed this staging, keep your eyes open. Suga Lifestyle isn’t done, and neither are we.
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Great Job TBWM & the Team @ THEBEYONDWOMAN Source link for sharing this story.
