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<ul class="summary-list"><li>After their relationships ended due to pandemic stress, some moms say <keyword id="11910745" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="parenting" source="Orion">parenting</keyword> got much easier.</li><li>Without partners, they say, expectations are clearer and self-care is more attainable.</li></ul>When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Chelsey Wiley never expected that her marriage to her high-school sweetheart would implode. But endless hours spent in quarantine made it clear the couple wasn't seeing eye to eye on parenting.Wiley, the mother of a 7-year-old and 3-year-old twins, said she tries to parent from a place of emotional awareness. But it became clear that her then-husband operated from a top-down, "my house, my rules" mindset. As the summer of 2020 wore on, Wiley said the couple began to feel more like two lonely roommates than connected partners. By October 2020, they had "emotionally separated," and by the following fall, they were no longer sharing a home. Before her separation, Wiley "was horrified about parenting alone," she said. Partnered for her entire adult life, she worried about single-handedly meeting the household demands of dirty dishes, meal preparation, laundry, and homework help. But when she and her daughters moved into their own home, Wiley found that co-parenting with her ex was, in fact, easier. She could set clear rules and expectations, which resulted in fewer messes, more efficiently completed household tasks and, delightfully, more sleep. "Every week is different, but the fact that I have this freedom is something married parents never seem to have," she said.<div type="image" title="A key hook with two hooks holding a mother and daughters masks, keys and hand sanitizer. The last hook is noticeably empty." height="900" width="1200" msid="92828740" hostid="261" sizebytes="30540"></div><h2>'I knew that it was time for us to go'</h2>Hard data on how the pandemic has affected US <keyword id="12050317" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="divorce" source="Orion">divorce</keyword> rates remains to be seen, with courts only recently operating at full capacity. But the variety of pandemic-related <a href="https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-good-and-bad-news-about-marriage-in-the-time-of-covid">stressors</a> on marriages <a href="https://www.umass.edu/news/article/pandemic-stress-has-varying-impacts">has been undeniable</a>, including financial stress due to job losses, additional childcare burdens, and inescapable "together time." Marriages or relationships that may have already been struggling are crumbling at even faster rates, <a href="https://brickelandassociates.com/">Robyn E. Brickel</a>, a therapist in Alexandria, Virginia, told Insider. "Some couples are showing up for therapy and realizing that the work they are now engaging in is long overdue." Household labor is often at the center of couples' conflicts. "The pandemic has either heightened the divide in the division of labor between partners, or it's forced them to redivide tasks to cope with the constant changes," said <a href="https://www.annturner.com/">Ann N. Turner,</a> a therapist in Washington, DC. "Mothers are particularly exhausted, because they tend to do the lion's share anyway and the pandemic has just made it worse." Before the pandemic, Sarah Elwood was accustomed to the logistical and relational gymnastics of co-parenting. When she and her former partner divorced several years earlier, they'd agreed to put the interests and comfort of their two daughters, 5 and 3, first. But after months in lockdown, her relationship with her second partner, the father of her 2-year-old son, began to deteriorate. Sarah noticed that his relationship with their son was markedly different than with her daughters from her previous relationship, and she could see the toll on her children's well-being. "I knew that it was time for us to go, because the environment just wasn't healthy with us all together anymore," said Elwood, who lives in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. "We had tried to make it work, but it just wasn't." Elwood now has two co-parenting relationships with former partners to navigate, yet things feel much easier, she told Insider. Gone are the days of scorekeeping on who did which household task and the accompanying resentment. When she recently had to undergo a COVID-19 quarantine, her daughters' father dropped off groceries for her, while her son's father took over full-time care of their son and brought by a plate of cookies. As the child of a "very nasty divorce" between her own parents, Elwood said she feels lucky to be modeling respectful adult relationships for her kids."Because we're not in a relationship anymore, we each have the freedom to say no," Elwood explained. "When we do say yes, it's genuine generosity." <div type="image" title="A mother holds her baby. The baby's hat takes the shape of the mother's mask." height="900" width="1200" msid="92828744" hostid="261" sizebytes="29666"></div><h2>The newfound freedom of single parenting can cause guilt for some moms</h2>For some moms, the newfound freedom has been so profound that it's creating its own unique flavor of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_guilt">guilt</a>. Co-parenting essentially provides them with planned breaks from their children, which can feel like a mothering "cheat" that their still-partnered peers don't get. "I love not having to 'ask permission' to do something, and I feel sorry for those people that do, while at the same time feeling totally elitist I don't have to confirm with some second party before I make plans," Wiley said.In her conversations with still-partnered parents, "I felt a lot of guilt," Elwood said. "I felt like it was wrong of me to express when I was having a hard time, because I did get a break."Moms who are relishing their time off from parenting should try not to feel guilty, Turner said. After all, "the flip side is when you do have your kids, it's just you, and you don't have the other parent as a backup for rides, dealing with sick kids, etc." Turner encourages clients to use time away from their kids "to recharge and do things for their physical and mental health, so that they'll be a better parent for their kids when they get them back."Elwood said she's tried to embrace that approach, focusing her alone time on doing things she loves, like reading, watching TV, and going on dates. "I'm more accepting that everyone has different difficulties," she said. "My struggle wasn't any less valid." Not all mothers struggle with guilt. Becka Roversi, who lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, separated from her now-former husband at the start of lockdown. She says the experience has reignited her spark with someone else — herself. "I definitely feel like I've gained 'Becka' back, because I have the time to just be me and not 'Mummy' 24/7," said Roversi, who has Sundays through Tuesdays off from parenting. "I wouldn't say I feel guilty for that, as the five days I have the kids are solely on me, and it's exhausting. I appreciate the downtime, and it makes me a better parent when they are around."<div type="image" title="A key hook with two hooks holding a mother and daughters masks, keys and hand sanitizer. The last hook is noticeably empty." height="900" width="1200" msid="92828746" hostid="261" sizebytes="49132"></div><h2>Co-parenting isn't always easy, but it can be worth the trade-offs</h2>Even though co-parenting can offer parents a breather during their "off time," all three mothers interviewed by Insider agreed that the arrangement is far from perfect. Even in an amicable co-parenting situation, there's a hefty price for part-time freedom, from fielding extensive one-on-one homework attention to lengthy pre-bedtime routines. There's also the undeniable financial impact of breaking one household into two. "Money was a huge worry for me, and I totally can understand why many women stay with their husbands because of that factor," Roversi said. "However, I find that, whilst I have less money, I'm in charge of it solely, so I can manage it." On balance, Wiley said, she wouldn't trade her divorced parenting life for the world. She said she's never felt more in touch with her approach to motherhood, or to herself. "I raise emotional girls, from a place of emotion," Wiley said. "Being able to do that without compromise makes our relationships better."

Moms who went through COVID breakups say solo parenting is much easier. For some, it feels like a 'cheat.'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Before Roe v. Wade, a nationwide network of <keyword id="14002030" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="clergy" source="Orion">clergy</keyword> helped women seeking <keyword id="11901426" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="abortion" source="Orion">abortion</keyword> care.</li><li>Similar networks are being revitalized by religious leaders in a post-Roe world.</li></ul>Every two weeks, a group of 20 people board a flight in Dallas, Texas, escorted by a member of the clergy.They head to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a day trip to a clinic, where each person receives personalized reproductive care. The group organizing and fundraising for the trips includes Christian ministers and Jewish rabbis, united in the common goal of getting people the care they need.The people on the trips qualify by being below a certain income level. Some have never been on an airplane before. Most have jobs. Some are college students. Almost all have children.Most get surgical abortions on the trip. At the end of the long day, they all fly home."The resources they have to get access to what I consider a fundamental right, to terminate a pregnancy and control their bodies, is limited by their position in society, which is why this whole thing is a war on the poor," Daniel Kanter, the senior minister and CEO of the <a href="https://www.dallasuu.org/staff/daniel-kanter/">First Unitarian Church of Dallas</a>, told Insider.Kanter organizes the trips along with other clergy members. Five years ago he helped found a <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2021/09/19/how-a-group-of-faith-leaders-in-dallas-created-a-rotating-chaplaincy-at-an-abortion-clinic/">multi-faith chaplaincy team</a>, made up of Christian and Jewish clergy, to provide counseling to women at an abortion clinic in Dallas. But things changed last year when Texas passed an especially punitive law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy."SB8 changed almost everything about the chaplaincy," Kanter said. "Our patient load went from 100 patients a day to 30 patients a day, and 15 weren't eligible for an abortion procedure because they were more than 6 weeks pregnant. So we pivoted to a travel program."With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, more and more faith leaders are working on ways to help people access the care they need. More models like Kanter's are popping up or in the works, as a network of religious leaders that helped women get abortions before Roe is being revitalized.<div type="image" title="A 33-year-old mother of three from central Texas is escorted down the hall by clinic administrator Kathaleen Pittman prior to getting an abortion." height="5555" width="7407" msid="91857709" hostid="261"></div><h2>Religious leaders helped women get abortions before Roe</h2>The <a href="https://rcrc.org/timeline/">Clergy Consultation Service</a> was founded in 1967, six years before Roe, at a time when many states banned abortions. Rev. Finley Schaef, a Methodist minister in Manhattan, co-founded the group after a mother sought his help in obtaining an abortion for her teenage daughter.The CCS grew to include more than 1,000 clergy members across 38 states. They helped about half a million people obtain safe abortions between 1967 to 1973, according to Katey Zeh, a reverend and CEO of the <a href="https://rcrc.org/">Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice</a>, a group that grew out of the CCS."It's so central to our faith to care for people, so it's no surprise that clergy were part of the group helping people get abortion care," Zeh told Insider.When the CCS was formed, many Christian and Jewish traditions supported abortion rights, she said: "People understood that it was important — that people should not be dying from unsafe abortion."Zeh said clergy today are simply continuing the work on reproductive rights that religious leaders have been doing for decades. She acknowledged the perception that people of faith, particularly Christians, are widely opposed to abortion, but said it's inaccurate.<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/">Polling</a> suggests most members of Christian and Jewish traditions, Muslims, and even Catholics support the right to an abortion."It's just that there's a very vocal group of what we call white Christian nationalists that have made this the central issue of their political platform and they have used and weaponized <keyword id="11910613" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christianity" source="Orion">Christianity</keyword>, in particular, to make it seem like this is just an obvious thing, that if you are a Christian then you must be anti-abortion," Zeh said.<div type="image" title="Anti-abortion activists Allen Siders, center, and Pastor Keith Dalton, of the Church at Jackson, call out at speakers during an abortion rights rally in Jackson, Mississippi, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021." height="3237" width="4317" msid="91857711" hostid="261"></div>She added that the message has been repeated so much people believe it, even though it's not statistically true for many Christian traditions. Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and evangelicals are generally more anti-abortion than other denominations, but Zeh said they're not the full picture."Our voices are drowned out by a very fringe belief," she said of Christians who support abortion rights.<h2>Networks are popping up from Minnesota to Ohio</h2>Ruth MacKenzie, a minister in residence at Kanter's church in Dallas, is one of the chaplains that has accompanied folks on the New Mexico day trips."Traveling with those women from Dallas to New Mexico, I was just so saddened and angered at what we are putting women through," she told Insider. "All of those women were doing a very intimate and hard thing all by themselves."The days could last over 13 hours. The people seeking care walk into a room of strangers and undergo medical procedures without their loved ones by their side, but MacKenzie said she was struck by how the women supported each other.MacKenzie is moving back to Minnesota next month and is coordinating with other clergy members to recreate some of what Kanter's group is doing. Unlike Texas, Minnesota is unlikely to outlaw abortion and will likely become a destination for abortion seekers, especially from North Dakota and South Dakota, neighboring states that had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trigger-law-states-failed-to-plan-for-end-of-roe-v-wade-2022-5">"trigger laws"</a> in place."We will be like New Mexico is for Texas," MacKenzie said, adding that she's working with ministers in Minnesota to figure out how they can best support abortion clinics and people traveling to them from out of state.Others are navigating a post-Roe world by offering counseling and education on reproductive rights to religious communities. "The opposition likes to paint it as they have the market cornered on morality," Elaina Ramsey, the executive director of <a href="https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/">Faith Choice Ohio</a>, told Insider.<div type="image" title="Man holding a cross up to his chest." height="5504" width="7338" msid="91857713" hostid="261"></div>With a focus on education, advocacy, and counseling, the group provides resources and training for people of faith and clergy to learn about, discuss, and advocate for reproductive rights and justice.Faith Choice Ohio also launched a faith-based abortion fund to help abortion seekers travel out of state for care. The fund helps pay for travel and other costs, like care packages or childcare, in addition to providing the seekers with clergy counseling. "This is a deep part of the moral commitment that faith traditions have to serve their neighbors and show up in times of crisis and beyond," Ramsey said, though she acknowledged there can be a mistrust of religious groups doing this work."That, I completely understand because the opposition to abortion care often comes from religious zealots, people who claim a faith tradition but do not speak for me as a Christian," she said.They often hear stories about how meaningful it is for people of faith to see religious leaders supporting reproductive rights and simply assuring them they do not think they are going to hell if they have an abortion."That's why I do this work. I want to reclaim this from all the anti-abortion people, the way that they've weaponized faith and <keyword id="11925126" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="religion" source="Orion">religion</keyword>," she said. "We're here to say that it doesn't have to be that way."Have a <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> tip or story to share? Contact this reporter at <a href="mailto:kvlamis@insider.com?inline-read-more">kvlamis@insider.com</a>.

A Texas minister helps fly dozens of women to New Mexico every month to get abortions. He's one of many religious leaders coordinating abortion care with Roe v. Wade overturned.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An incomplete skeleton of the dinosaur <keyword id="13993192" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="deinonychus" source="Orion">deinonychus</keyword> sold at <keyword id="12620798" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christies" source="Orion">Christie's</keyword> for $12.4 million.</li><li>Two paleontologists said the sale represents an "alarming trend" in inflated prices on fossils.</li></ul>Some millionaires buy yachts, others buy Rolexes. Some buy <keyword id="12373553" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dinosaurs" source="Orion">dinosaurs</keyword>.Christie's auction house sold a specimen of the dinosaur <a href="https://www.christies.com/en/auction/the-raptor-29852/overview">deinonychus</a>, nicknamed "Hector," for $12.4 million late on Thursday. The sale price was more than doubling the estimated price that was placed on the lot.Deinonychus was a carnivorous raptor that walked the Earth around 110 million years ago, with scythe-like claws on its feet. It served as the inspiration behind the velociraptors in Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park." Real-life velociraptors were just over 1.5 feet tall.Two paleontologists told Insider that the auction of Hector is the latest installment in a deeply worrying trend where private buyers snap up dinosaur fossils at exorbitant prices, effectively pricing researchers and museums out of the market.The huge price tag on Hector was especially shocking given the fact the skeleton is far from complete. Christie's said Hector comprises 126 fossil bones and the rest of him is a reconstructed cast.Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, told Insider he estimates that about half of Hector's original bones are present."Deranged prices like these for dinosaur skeletons, even incomplete ones like this, will all but eliminate museums, research, and education. It's totally unsustainable for our field," Brusatte added.He added the problem of fossil price inflation has gotten "ridiculously worse."Hector isn't the first blockbuster dinosaur to fetch a huge price tag at Christie's. In 2020, the auction house sold a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/t-rex-named-stan-auctioned-christies-nearly-32-million-2020-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named "Stan" to an unknown buyer for $32 million</a>."$12.4 million for a significantly smaller and less complete dinosaur indicates an alarming trend upwards," Thomas Carr, an associate professor at Carthage College, told Insider.Brusatte and Carr agreed that Hector is a fossil of huge importance, as even with a lot of bones missing it is potentially one of the best and most complete fossils of deinonychus ever found."The loss of one good skeleton of Deinonychus is quite damaging to <keyword id="11896083" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="science" source="Orion">science</keyword> because there aren't many fossils of that dinosaur at all," Carr said.Both paleontologists said because fossils like Stan and Hector go to private bidders, there's little to no transparency around who owns them.Stan is slated to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/stan-the-t-rex-found-worlds-most-expensive-fossil-finds-home-in-a-new-museum&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1652800974284462&amp;usg=AOvVaw3vIxRBMNpLrUHlXqcp-0Mo">appear at a new museum in Abu Dhabi</a>, although Carr and Brusatte both said it is still unclear who exactly owns the fossil.At one point, it was speculated that <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-rock-mysterious-t-rex-skull-31-million-auction-rumors-2022-1">Stan had been bought by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson</a>. Johnson later <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-rock-not-mystery-buyer-t-rex-skeleton-32-million-2022-1">debunked the rumor</a> and explained he owned a cast of Stan's skull rather than the actual fossil.<div type="image" title="A T.rex skeleton named &quot;Stan&quot; on display at Christie's." height="2602" width="3470" msid="91705866" hostid="261"></div>"If I was the proud owner of the real STAN, I sure as hell wouldn't keep him in my office," Johnson said in an Instagram post. "I'd keep him in a museum, so the world could enjoy, study and learn from him."According to Brusatte, private owners of dinosaur fossils don't usually share The Rock's approach to <keyword id="11954587" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="paleontology" source="Orion">paleontology</keyword>."Most of the time these fossils literally disappear into the collection of some nameless uber-rich person," Brusatte said.Carr said the gold rush for privately owned dinosaur skeletons has already impacted his work, giving the example that roughly half the sample size of <keyword id="13993193" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="t-rex" source="Orion">T. Rex</keyword> specimens has been walled off by private purchases."That's about 50 specimens that I can't include in my research because the commercial trade will sell fossils to anyone who can afford extortion-level prices," he said.Less than 20% of privately collected T. Rex fossils have made it back into a museum, he added. Brusatte said he's not ideologically opposed to people privately owning fossils."Collecting these kinds of fossils are what got me into paleontology. Finding my own fossils as a teenager was intoxicating. I wouldn't want to take that magic, that opportunity away from anybody," he said."What I object to specifically is these dinosaurs becoming commodities that are now selling at such insanely high prices that only a handful of the very richest people in the world can afford them," he said.Christie's did not respond when contacted by Insider for this article.

A dinosaur skeleton that was only half-real sold at Christie's for $12 million. Paleontologists say it's part of a huge inflation problem driven by invisible, ultra-rich buyers.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NFTs have become a hot commodity in <keyword id="11895191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hollywood" source="Orion">Hollywood</keyword>.</li><li>Major <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> players from Bob Iger to Reese Witherspoon to Warner Bros. Discovery are jumping in.</li></ul>NFTs are ready for their Hollywood close-up. The blockchain-based digital assets — <keyword id="11919795" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nft" source="Orion">NFT</keyword> stands for non-fungible token — are a hot commodity in the entertainment industry, where everyone from former Disney CEO Bob Iger to Fox Entertainment to actors Reese Witherspoon and Mila Kunis are staking claim to the tech. On a recent episode of "The Tonight Show," Paris Hilton and host Jimmy Fallon fawned over their respective <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/bored-ape-yacht-club-top-selling-nft-sales-cryptopunks-meebits-2022-3">Bored Apes NFTs</a>. But a lot of people inside and outside of show business are still wrapping their minds around the tech, which has garnered skepticism, not to mention comparisons to the dot-com boom-and-bust.In their most common current form, NFTs function much like digital trading cards or art — unique collectibles that can be acquired and sold. But there are many other applications for the tech, some of which Hollywood is just beginning to explore, including utility NFTs that act as a subscription or a ticket to an event. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nft-meaning?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a unique digital asset built on blockchain technology</a>While some see the ascendance of the tech as a fad, others are loath to miss out on a potential new revenue stream, and the entertainment industry's heaviest hitters are minting and buying NFTs of their own. <h2>Hollywood players from Disney ex-CEO Bob Iger to Reese Witherspoon are laying claim to NFTs</h2>Witherspoon's <keyword id="11894119" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="media" source="Orion">media</keyword> company Hello Sunshine has inked NFT deals to develop TV and film projects, while "Law &amp; Order" mega-producer Dick Wolf has teamed up with Curio to release interactive storytelling project "Wolf Society." The Hollywood mogul who's lent the most credibility to the digital asset is Iger, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/disney-ceo-bob-iger-metaverse-nft-startup-genies-web3-rihanna-2022-3">who invested in and joined the board of Genies</a>, a company that makes digital wearable NFTs. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nft-hollywood-blockchain-studios-producers-creatives-audiences-entertainment-2022-2?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about Disney ex-CEO Bob Iger joining the board of NFT maker Genies, and check out 8 more companies working to drive the future of the digital assets in entertainment</a>Creators and companies are capitalizing on NFTs in various ways. Fox Entertainment released 10,000 "Miss Masky" NFTs tied to its hit reality show "The Masked Singer" in the hopes that fans of the singing competition will collect, buy, and trade other "Masked Singer" NFTs on the Eluvio platform (which Fox has invested in). Rupert Murdoch's broadcaster Fox was one of the quicker legacy media companies to move into the space with its Blockchain Creative Labs NFT studio. The studio's CEO, Scott Greenberg, who also heads Fox animation studio Bento Box, told Insider he believes NFTs will become a revenue-driving business for Hollywood and not just a market for speculative assets. Fox also has a $100 million creators' fund for NFTs.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hollywood-nft-masked-singer-dick-wolf-reese-witherspoon-crypto-2021-12?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about insiders' predictions for how Hollywood can maximize NFTs in 2022, from character and IP development to subscription marketing</a>But just about every media conglomerate and startup is getting in on the action now. Warner Bros. sold out of 100,000 "Matrix Resurrections"-inspired NFTs, and NFT platform OneOf, backed by legendary producer Quincy Jones, auctioned off an NFT of the previously never-heard demo of a Whitney Houson song for almost $1 million. Paramount Global (fka ViacomCBS) — the parent company of MTV, Nickelodeon and CBS — is working with NFT startup RECUR to create its own NFT marketplace. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/spongebob-south-park-star-trek-nft-viacomcbs-recur-partnership-2021-10?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about ViacomCBS' move into the NFT market with possible SpongeBob, Star Trek, and South Park digital tokens</a> What the future of Hollywood's NFT marketplace holds isn't crystal clear, but early adopters are bullish. <h2>Early NFT adopters in entertainment see revenue opportunities ahead</h2>Blockchain Creative Labs' Greenberg sees the NFT market expanding beyond digital collectibles, while former Fox exec Rich Battista, a Curio investor and adviser, predicts that Hollywood will begin to create IP that is "native to the NFT world."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-nft-trends-to-watch-in-entertainment-in-2022-according-to-8-experts-2021-12?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about the 5 biggest NFT trends to watch for in entertainment</a>Actor and producer Kunis, for instance, has invested in NFT animated series "The Gimmicks" through her blockchain entertainment company, Sixth Wall. The studio behind the series, Toonstar, is able to quickly animate weekly episodes that allow "Gimmicks" NFT holders to vote on the direction of the show's storyline. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/toonstar-mila-kunis-gimmicks-animated-nft-series-blockchain-2022-3?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Check out the pitch deck that got Mila Kunis to invest in an NFT animated series and blockchain fan community where NFT holders can vote on storylines</a>And there are entire entertainment companies being erected on a crypto and <keyword id="12461337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="web3" source="Orion">Web3</keyword> foundation, such as Mad Realities, which has raised $6 million in a round led by Paradigm that also includes investments from Bumble's Selby Drummond, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/index-ventures-vc-firm-funding-rounds-for-startups-2021-8">Rex Woodbury of Index Ventures</a>, cofounders of the Friends With Benefits DAO, and 11:11 Media — Paris Hilton's media company. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-web3-nft-entertainment-company-raised-6-million-investment-vc-2022-4">Read more about Mad Realities, an NFT-meets-reality-TV entertainment company</a> The allure of allowing industry outsiders to participate in Hollywood's creative process is one factor driving this new business model. For instance, former co-CEO of MGM and Spyglass Entertainment co-founder Roger Birnbaum partnered with AOL scion Mark Kimsey to debut a studio that also allows NFT holders "a deep level of access to various stages of film and television production — from the creative process to development, writing, casting, marketing and distribution," according to their new company Electromagnetic Productions. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-mgm-ceo-birnbaum-kimsey-launch-studio-electromagnetic-nft-2022-2?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about former MGM chief Roger Birnbaum and AOL scion Mark Kimsey launching a new Hollywood studio that offers NFT holders a role in production</a><h2>'Even the most traditional Hollywood company is not going to ignore the massive winds of change'</h2>Expect more players to jump into the NFT pool in the coming months and years. "Even the most traditional Hollywood company is not going to ignore the massive winds of change that are going to start blowing through," former UTA chief innovation officer Brent Weinstein told Insider. Weinstein, who's now chief development officer at Candle Media — founded by former Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs — is positioned to capitalize on that intersection of legacy media and new modes of storytelling and distribution. "Do I expect the most traditional companies to be leading in this space?" said Weinstein. "Probably not, but I think the smartest of them will take advantage."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hollywood-metaverse-web3-2022-predictions-uta-cio-brent-weinstein-2021-12?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about former UTA digital exec and current Candle Media exec Brent Weinstein's thoughts on Hollywood's move into the metaverse</a>

How NFTs are changing the entertainment industry

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13369363" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="luxembourg" source="Orion">Luxembourg</keyword>'s Grand Duchess joined the royal family when she married the Grand Duke in 1981. </li><li>HRH told Insider that she paved the way for other royal outsiders, such as Kate Middleton.</li></ul>"For me, it was a big no-no... I just didn't think that I could fall in love with a Crown Prince," Maria Teresa, HRH Grand Duchess of Luxembourg tells me over a Zoom call from her private office. "In the back of my mind, I was thinking to myself that this could be a very problematic situation, so it wasn't something I was expecting or hoping for. It just fell on me," she said. HRH was referencing her first encounter with her now-husband, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The Grand Duke — whose title is equivalent to king — was heir to the throne when the couple were first introduced by their parents in the late 1970s.<div type="image" title="grand duke and duchess luxembourg" height="2097" width="3000" msid="90382830" hostid="261"></div>Unlike most royal consorts in Europe at the time, the Grand Duchess didn't come from a royal background. She was born in Havana, Cuba to parents José Antonio Mestre and Maria Teresa Batista-Falla de Mestre in 1956, and the family moved <a href="https://monarchie.lu/en/grand-ducal-family/hrh-grand-duchess#childhood">to New York</a> in 1960, according to the Grand Ducal website.She grew up with a passion for humanitarian work, which led her to pursue a degree in political sciences in 1980. The following year, she married the Grand Duke, and her life became dedicated to supporting the Luxembourg monarchy through royal and charitable engagements. <h2>The Grand Duchess says she helped pave the way for Kate Middleton and other royal outsiders</h2>Luxembourg is one of <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-royal-families">12 monarchies</a> still active in Europe today, World Population Review reports, and it is the only Grand Duchy — a country headed by a Grand Duke or Duchess — according to Maria Teresa. HRH uses her title, which she says is equivalent to Queen consort, in supporting a number of charities, particularly women's rights organizations. She is currently focused on <a href="https://monarchie.lu/en/grand-ducal-family/hrh-grand-duchess#her-commitment-to-womens-rights">supporting victims of rape and sexual abuse</a>."I'm in such a privileged position, that if I don't take up the most difficult causes, I wonder who is going to give them visibility?" the Grand Duchess said. She also represents Luxembourg on overseas visits. She has traveled to the UK on a number of occasions, and said she plans to return for Prince Philip's memorial service on March 29."The Queen is an extraordinary person who I admire deeply," she tells me. "We're all cousins, you know that? There is a great fraternity between us."HRH said she feels particularly "protective" of the Duchess of Cambridge, who she described as "absolutely charming, mature, and very natural." She said these traits are admirable in someone who faces the "tremendous pressure" of public life.<div type="image" title="kate middleton luxembourg royals" height="3742" width="4990" msid="90382831" hostid="261"></div>"And remember, I was one of the first ones to marry into a royal family without being born into a royal family. Before me, there was Queen Sonja of Norway and Queen Silvia of Sweden, and then my husband and I," she said."And so, I'm protective of this young generation and I think that we three were the first ones to open the doors to them to be able to make these choices," the Grand Duchess added.Queen Sonja was considered a "commoner" before she <a href="https://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/norway/royal-wedding-rewind-king-harald-and-queen-sonja-of-norway-147484/">married Norway's King Harald in 1968</a>, according to Royal Central. The publication reports that she gained the approval of the monarch at the time, King Olav, after Harald vowed to never marry if he could not marry Sonja. The couple's daughter, <a href="https://www.insider.com/princess-martha-louise-sexism-norwegian-monarchy-queen-2020-12">Princess Märtha Louise, previously told Insider</a> that her mother "wasn't even accepted in the building" when she first arrived at the royal household. According to Märtha Louise, palace officials wouldn't allow Sonja to have an office, and they questioned her request to have her own staff.Queen Silvia married King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 1976 after meeting at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where she was working at the time, Royal Central reports. The king <a href="https://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/sweden/before-they-were-royal-the-life-of-queen-silvia-of-sweden-105470/">waited to propose</a> to Silvia until his accession to the throne so that he wouldn't have to seek approval to marry a non-royal, according to another report by the same publication.It's now common for non-royals to be accepted into <keyword id="12062566" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-families" source="Orion">royal families</keyword> in Europe. <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-love-story-anniversary-2017-4">Middleton met Prince William</a> in 2001 at university in Scotland. The future duchess accompanied William to a number of royal family events before the pair tied the knot in 2011. And former actress Meghan Markle, who <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-harry-meghan-markle-relationship-timeline">met Prince Harry through a mutual friend</a> in 2016, moved to the UK to be with him shortly before their wedding in 2018."It's true that it's a very privileged life," the Grand Duchess tells me. "But it is also a life of sacrifice and a life of service and maybe one doesn't always know how much that is true."

The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was one of the first outsiders to marry royalty. Now, she feels 'protective' of the younger generation who followed her lead.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Parents who cosleep say they still have a lot of <keyword id="11899146" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sex" source="Orion">sex</keyword> — sometimes, up to five or six times a week.</li><li>Experts say that's OK with infants, who won't be too affected by what they see.</li></ul>Cosleeping was never part of the plan. I'd read <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/138/5/e20162938/60309/SIDS-and-Other-Sleep-Related-Infant-Deaths-Updated">the American Academy of Pediatrics' warnings that you should never sleep with a baby</a> because of the increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. So when my son came home from the hospital, we had a second room ready to go for him.Concern for his safety wasn't the only reason. I didn't want a <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/parenting/halo-bassinest-swivel-sleeper-essentia-review">new baby</a> making my sex life more complicated than I assumed it already would be.But just two days after coming home from the hospital, I was up yet again doing my best to calm a screaming baby at 3 a.m. My husband called out, "Laura, just bring him into the bed."So I did. And six months later, he's still there. What's perhaps more surprising than my quick switch to bed-sharing is that it hasn't been the <a href="https://www.insider.com/study-shows-that-having-a-new-baby-can-hurt-parents-sex-life-2016-6">sex killer</a> I assumed it would be. Frankly, my husband and I have a lot of sex, averaging at least five or six times a week — often more — despite sharing our bed with an infant.Some amount of sex is to be expected, as evidenced by the fact that many families who cosleep end up having more than one child. And a 2021 review study published in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5118/2/4/32">Sexes</a> indicated bed-sharing didn't have a significant negative effect on "family functioning," including sex between partners.<div type="image" title="Mother and baby in bed" height="3195" width="4260" msid="89570003" hostid="261"></div>Of course, it's natural to have questions about the logistics and safety of bed-sharing, to say nothing of having sex while bed-sharing. But plenty of parents do both — and plenty of experts say it's safe for all involved, provided certain guidelines are followed."It's very common for parents to have sex in the same room as their <keyword id="12011531" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="babies" source="Orion">babies</keyword> and younger children," said Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist and the director of <a href="http://comprehendthemind.com/">Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services in New York</a>. "If they believe their children will remain asleep, they're not doing any harm. Ultimately, it's up to the parents to decide." <h2>Some experts believe bed-sharing — and sex while bed-sharing — can be safe</h2>While the AAP's position on bed-sharing is well-known, it's not shared by all clinicians or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parenting-tips-new-parentes-2019-3">parents</a>. When <a href="https://cosleeping.nd.edu/safe-co-sleeping-guidelines/">safe sleep practices</a> are followed — ensuring the infant is placed on their back on a firm, clean surface, with their head uncovered — bed-sharing can be protective from SIDS, rather than dangerous, said <a href="https://cosleeping.nd.edu/mckenna-biography/">James McKenna</a>, the director of the University of Notre Dame's Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory and a leading authority on mother-infant cosleeping in relation to breastfeeding and SIDS.And while many people in the US have been conditioned to assume parents should never expose even very young children to sex, this line of thinking isn't based on science, McKenna said. (The AAP and other pediatric medical organizations have no stated opinion on having sex with a young child in the room.)"I have never come across any credible evidence whatsoever that when referring to parents whose relationships with each other and with their children are psychologically healthy, harmful effects of having sex in close proximity have been documented," McKenna said.<div type="image" title="Parents in bed with a sleeping toddler." height="1414" width="1885" msid="89570004" hostid="261"></div>"If, in some way, infants are psychologically or physically damaged by being in the room or context of their parents making love, which is, in fact, the context within which human infant sleep evolved, I think we humans would know it," McKenna added. "Parents would know it."McKenna added that privacy is not an option for most parents around the world, who don't have the luxury of separate bedrooms."My ethnographic experience and knowledge from empirical anthropological studies tells me that parents mostly do figure out ways to make their lovemaking as discrete and private as is possible, while baby sleeps nearby," he said.<h2>With an infant, there's not much to worry about</h2>Exhaustion, physical changes, and just not "feeling it" are certainly all factors that may make sex harder after the arrival of a baby — not to mention that it's generally suggested (though not a hard-and-fast "rule") that women should wait four to six weeks after giving birth before engaging in penetrative sex. But cosleeping and bed-sharing aren't factors that slow all new parents down. "Sex is pretty infrequent right now, with postpartum hormones and generally just being tired and touched out. It's hard to get in the mood," Breanna Root, who cosleeps with her 5-month-old, said.But when it does feel doable, she and her partner keep the bed to themselves and move the baby to a safe spot to play. "We usually set the baby up in his play area so we know he's safe, and we can have about 10 minutes for a quickie," she said. "Long gone are the days of slow foreplay. These days it's a much more frenzied and fast-paced experience, which, honestly, I haven't minded." <div type="image" title="Parents lie together in bed as a child peeks out from under the covers" height="1468" width="1958" msid="89570005" hostid="261"></div>Having sex with your infant in bed with you or nearby — even within eyeshot — isn't going to do any damage, experts told Insider. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09658211.2021.1918174">Research indicates</a> that adults' earliest memories typically take place between 2 and 3 years old; while infants can form memories, they usually don't have context for or knowledge of what they're seeing or hearing.C. Roettges, a mother of three children under 5, coslept with each of her kids until they turned 1. She is blunt about her decision: "At one point, I almost had three babies under 3. It doesn't take a genius to figure out I was banging with kids around."Roettges isn't actively trying to expose her kids to sexual activity, she said. But she wants to maintain her relationship with her husband in a way that works for everyone, even if it means putting the baby on the floor while they have sex.She doesn't understand why people are so uptight about the issue."So you'll have sex while pregnant but not with your bodies covered near your kids?" she said. "You created these people and bathe them and shower with them and swim with them and eat their spit and let them chew on your boobs, but sex is off-limits in their proximity?" <h2>How old is too old for sex in front of kids? </h2>Once kids get a little older, the guidelines for what's "appropriate" get murkier."The age guidelines vary by parent and family, as not everyone shares the same views on sexual activity," Hafeez said.The cognitive awareness of an individual child also plays a role. Roettges said she felt comfortable continuing to have sex with her kids nearby until they were each about 3 years old (her youngest is just under 2). At that point, a combination of the children's light sleeping and greater awareness called for more planning. "They wake up so much. You don't want to risk waking them," she said. "Our 3-year-old has busted in, but she doesn't get it. She's still so small that when we tell her we're cuddling, it makes sense to her."McKenna recommended using "good, old-fashioned common sense" for knowing when a child is too old to be around sexual activity."This translates to respect for the sensitivities of a particular child's cognitive age and understanding, along with being willing to be creative and inventive as to knowing when (and where) it might be more comfortable (and appropriate) for all," he said.He added that parents might want to make sexual encounters more private "when they have a sense that it might confuse or frighten their older infant or cognitively active child."<div type="image" title="Two parents' feet and a child's feet peek out from under the covers in bed" height="1409" width="1879" msid="89570006" hostid="261"></div>The choice of sex act matters, too. If what you're doing with your partner doesn't raise any concerns for how your child might react or respond if they woke up or were to see you, then you're likely OK. If it does, plan for how you will respond if your child does "catch you in the act," Hafeez said.Roettges' explanation of "I'm cuddling with your dad," is a good option for a toddler, but she said it wouldn't work for her 5-year-old."She can't just lay on top of us anymore, so if she sees that, she's like, 'There is no way mom wants you to be on top of her — what is happening here?'" she said.<h2>Beyond toddlerhood, it's time to set more boundaries and seek alternate sex spots</h2>While exposure to sex and sexuality remains a parent's decision even as a child reaches <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-preschool-consultants-experts-know-get-child-accepted-2021-4">preschool or school age</a>, the increased cognitive awareness of older children is typically the point at which most cosleeping parents start drawing a line. Witnessing parents having sex at this age has the potential to be scary for a child, especially if they think they're seeing something violent or aggressive. "Even if they don't understand the concept of intercourse, if they witness it, it could appear to them as if one partner is attempting to physically harm the other," Hafeez said. By electing to leave a sleeping child in your bed to engage in sex in another location, you're reducing the risk of getting "caught in the act," Hafeez added.<div type="image" title="A child wakes up his sleeping parents in bed" height="1253" width="1671" msid="89570008" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://sextoycollective.com/sarah-melancon/">Sarah Melancon</a>, a sociologist and sexologist who is the sexuality and relationships expert for Sex Toy Collective, shares a bed with her 5- and 2-year-old sons. Once the kids are asleep, she and her husband retreat to a home office with a futon, where they "hang out, watching movies or YouTube videos.""This often turns into sex, and we fold the futon down so we have more room," she said. "Our kids never get out of bed, so it's not an issue." Melancon and her husband have also found windows to have sex while the kids are awake."Some mornings, I go upstairs to 'talk to daddy for a few minutes,' while the kids watch TV or play with their iPads," she said. "The 'sneaking around' aspect makes it fun, even though we only have five to 10 minutes."<a href="https://www.the-travel-fam.com/">Beth McCarter</a>, a cosleeping parent of a 5- and a 3-year-old, said she had to get creative about locations for sex."I'm very careful that they don't see or hear anything inappropriate," she said. "That means day sex and shower sex are our bread and butter. But honestly, our favorite is car sex after a date. It reminds us of when we first started dating in high school."<h2>Getting on the same page with your partner is important</h2>Regardless of your position on cosleeping or bed-sharing, it's important that you and your partner are on the same page about what is or isn't permissible when it comes to physical affection or sex around your children — and how you'll react if a child accidentally sees more than they should. "It's good for children to see you and your partner be affectionate with one another," Melancon said. "General touching, hugs, and reasonable kissing show your children how much you care about one another and teach them how to express it with their future partners."It's also important not to make sex seem like something dirty or shameful."Create an open dialogue about sex, nudity, and gender," Hafeez said. "Doing so doesn't mean that one literally has to have an 'open-door' nudist policy in the home. Use your best judgment and ask yourself how you felt growing up about how your parents conducted themselves."And if you do get caught in the act, don't panic. "If children do catch you, ask them to close the door, then get dressed and go talk to them," Melancon said. "What you say depends on their age — older children may know what you were doing, but younger ones may not." <div type="image" title="A man and woman sleep in bed with feet intertwined" height="1412" width="1883" msid="89570010" hostid="261"></div>"For older children, it's important to give them space to express their feelings. This will help them understand that sex is normal and natural. Ignoring it can create a sense of secrecy and shame," Melancon added. "For younger children, it may be helpful to explain that you were 'playing' in a way that 'grown-ups sometimes play when they love each other very much.' Make it clear that you were doing something good but also that it's for adults only." <h2>Making the call for when to make sex more private</h2>It would be nice if there were hard-and-fast "rules" for parents, based on science, to help me make the call for when to stop having sex in close proximity to my child. But I'm heeding the experts' advice to trust my common sense, and here in my house, awareness and communication are helping us along. Every day, my husband and I pay attention to how our son's cognition appears to be growing. We want him to see us cuddling and hugging and kissing. We want him to feel comfortable in the bed with us. But we also don't want him to be worried or scared unnecessarily. So these days, we're being more cautious. We're sneaking inside for a "break" when the nanny has him outside. We're waiting until he's sound asleep before turning up the heat in the bed. And we're always careful to remain fully covered, so he doesn't see anything explicit."Obviously, as parents, you don't wish to upset your kids and, therefore, try your best to keep them from witnessing something they won't completely understand," Hafeez said. "However, at the end of the day, as long as you and your partner agree on what's seen as appropriate and set the proper boundaries, it should be OK."

The secret sex lives of cosleeping parents

2022 in illustrations

America's leaders are old and getting older. And across Congress, the judiciary, and the executive branch, government is becoming less and less reflective of the youthful society it represents. "Red, White, and Gray" explores the costs, benefits, and dangers of life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age, where issues of profound importance to the nation's youth and future — technology, civil rights, energy, the environment — are largely in the hands of those whose primes have passed. <h2>When government grows old</h2>Investigating the price that's paid when aged leaders lead a youthful nation.<h2>Read more from 'Red, White, and Gray'</h2>Learn how the decisions of the United States' gerontocracy affect all Americans.<h4>Credits:</h4><h6>Reporters: C. Ryan Barber, Camila DeChalus, John L. Dorman, Kayla Gallagher, Nicole Gaudiano, Brent D. Griffiths, Madison Hall, Hanna Kang, Jake Lahut, Kimberly Leonard, Bryan Metzger, Elvina Nawaguna, Grace Panetta, Eliza Relman, Warren Rojas, Oma Seddiq Project editor: Dave Levinthal Data editor: Walt Hickey Story editors: Darren Samuelsohn, Rhea Mahbubani, Taylor Berman, Rebecca Harrington, Sam Fellman Design, development, and art: Skye Gould, Jenny Chang-Rodriguez, Taylor Tyson, Annie Fu, Kazi Awal, Shayanne Gal, Tien Le, Vicky Leta, Rebecca Zisser, Rachel Mendelson, Marianne Ayala, Tyler Le, Anna Kim Video: Havovi Cooper, Sima Sadykhov Distribution and communications: Tanita Gaither, Amanda Howard, Victoria Gracie, Tyler Murphy, Rachael Lupton Copy editors: Kevin Kaplan, Nick Siwek, Emma LeGault, Jonann Brady</h6>

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