Month: August 2020

I’ll say this up front so that there’s zero confusion: Child sex trafficking is real, it’s heinous, and it’s been going on for a long time. Everyone who buys or sells a child or partakes in harming a child in any way should be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law. There is no place in civil society for people who sexually abuse children or who profit off of the abuse of children. Full stop. No question.

But we have careened into some twisted waters in our social discourse around child sex trafficking, to the point where the real issue of is being conflated with outrageous conspiracy theories that deflect from the real work being done to save children, put innocent people in harm’s way, and interfere with the integrity of our elections.

I wrote about this issue recently and was met with accusations of being paid off by powerful pedophiles (ugh, seriously?), a flood of people saying “No, you’re wrong!” while offering zero evidence, and a bunch of YouTube and Facebook videos that people seem to think are credible sources. I got fake screenshots of supposed Wikileaks emails that aren’t actually on Wikileaks when you search for them. I got people who only listen to fringe outlets that have no oversight or accountability claiming that my well-cited, real news sources were a part of the whole conspiracy. All of that stuff I could ignore. Whackadoodles are gonna whackadoodle no matter how many facts you throw at them.

But I also got a few people sharing a list of nearly 100 politicians and other powerful people who have been convicted of child sex crimes. That was different, because it was factual.

---

There have been dozens of politicians who have been convicted of sex crimes involving children, and the list itself was accurate. (One particularly viral version of the list linked the people with Ghislaine Maxwell—that part is false, but the crimes are real.) Politifact, in a fact-check of the Facebook post, even put together a Google doc with a news story corroborating each one on the list.

However, that list is not evidence of some sort of global cabal of evil, pedophilic overlords who are engaged in coordinated rituals of child sacrifice and child sex trafficking.

When you see a list of name after name and crime after crime, it’s easy to think “Wow, this is insane! So any politicians and powerful people are involved in this stuff!” It looks like a huge number. You have to scroll and scroll to get through all of those names and headlines. But let’s put our ability to reason to good use here.

That list —which includes around 60 politicians and 30 people adjacent to politics—includes elected officials at the local level all the way up to the federal government. And as far as I can see, based on the news stories, the convictions take place as far back as 1983. So we’re talking about 60 politicians over a span of 35+ years.

Do you know how many elected officials serve in the United States at any given time? Around 520,000. And over 35+ years, the total number individuals serving in those positions would actually be double or triple that number (or more) due to turnover (different people get elected, people retire, terms run out, etc.) But let’s just go with a nice, round, safely conservative 520,000.

60 out of 520,000 is 0.012%. That’s twelve-thousandths of a percent.

Of course, there are people who never get caught, much less convicted. So let’s say there were twice as many politician pedophile abusers as actually get caught. That would still only be 0.024%.

But let’s say it’s way bigger than that. Let’s say that there are actually ten times more pedophile politicians than the number who have been caught. Even then, that would be 0.12% at most. Twelve-hundredths of a percent.

Considering the estimates for pedophilia (depending on what ages are included) range from 1% to 5%, it doesn’t appear that politicians are any more likely than anyone in the general population to be pedophiles.

And how about those 30 who were not elected officials at all, but activists, donors, celebrities, and more? The list included people like Harvey Weinstein (who was a slimy sexual predator, but no evidence of being a pedophile), director Roman Polanski, Jared Fogle the Subway guy, radio host Ben Ward, some anti-abortion activists, a few political aides, a campaign chairman, a Christian Coalition leader, a pastor, and others.

If you take the categories those other people belong to—political aides and activists, celebrities, Christian leaders, etc. who are politically active—and add up all of the well-known people who fit those categories, what percent are these 30 people do you suppose? My guess is a tiny fraction, similar to the politicians.

There is no doubt that there are powerful people who abuse children. There is no doubt that there are famous people who abuse children. There is no doubt that there are people at every strata of society who abuse children. And though most sexual abuse is perpetrated by friends and family of the abused, there are definitely organized child trafficking operations. There are also legitimate questions about the extent to which individuals in Jeffrey Epstein’s social sphere were involved with his own well-documented sexual escapades with young teenage girls.

But none of that equals a secret Satanic child sex trafficking ring involving ritual child sacrifice among America’s most powerful politicians and celebrities using “pizza” as a code word for children. (And yes, I’ve searched the Wikileaks emails and read the pizza references. It’s literally just people talking about eating pizza, like all of us do.) The idea that high-profile people with full-time jobs who live their lives with a spotlight shined on them are spending their limited spare time running underground child abuse rings and using official email channels to secretly discuss pedophilic torture is just ludicrous on its face.

Yet the conspiracy theorists say, “Connect the dots!” But that’s exactly the problem. Anyone can connect disconnected dots to create whatever picture they want. That’s how we ended up with constellations named after animals and mythical gods, despite not really looking anything like the things they are named after. Conspiracy theories are like constellations—loosely constructed connections, blanks filled in with imaginary lines, and shapes that require you to ignore everything that interferes with the picture you’re trying to paint.

For instance, the sheer number of people who would have to be “in on” something like the Pizzagate theory makes it mind-bogglingly impossible. Let’s start just with the media element. I know that the QAnon people have convinced their followers that “the media” can’t be trusted, but the media is not one monolithic thing. “All mainstream media outlets are owned by four giant corporations!” I’ve been told. Well, no, that’s not actually true. But lets pretend that it is. The nature of corporations in a capitalist system is competition, right? So those media corporations would be in competition with each other, each one vying to break big news first. If there truly were news legs to something like Pizzagate, don’t you think one of them would have picked it up by now?

How about the politicians who pay investigators good money for opposition research so they can smear each other all the time over every little thing? Wouldn’t those in opposition to those who are supposedly part of this Satanic child sex trafficking cult be turning them in to the authorities if there were truth to it? Why, after four years, is all the Pizzagate “evidence” still confined to internet chatrooms and random YouTube videos and Twitter posts?

And how about law enforcement? Surely after four years, and with all the evidence people claim exists, law enforcement would be taking action against these people. And yet the Washington DC Metro Police Department has called Pizzagate “a fictitious online conspiracy theory.” Are they in on it too?

So people actually believe that huge numbers of politicians, celebrities, the media, corporations that own the media, and law enforcement are all part of some big web of conspiracy to traffick and hurt children? This, despite the fact that the many organizations that have been battling actual child sex trafficking for years and years have yet to endorse any of these outrageous theories?

This post by a woman who founded an organization that specializes in child welfare within the entertainment industry thoroughly addresses the vast majority of the false info floating around out there, differentiating between the nuggets of truth (which area always present in a conspiracy theory) and the many falsehoods. Politically-motivated individuals and groups are working overtime to get people sharing this garbage, so we have to counter it by spreading real, verified information far and wide as much as possible.

Child sex trafficking is an important issue, but it’s not new and it’s not what the Pizzagate and other theories describe. Getting attention on the issue is important, but not at the expense of truth. Kooky conspiracy theories pull vital resources and energy away from the real work being done to battle it and do real harm to people whose names get caught up in the web of it all. (Read this account by the man who owns Comet Ping Pong, the basementless pizza parlor where the Pizzagate sex trafficking ring was supposedly being run out of its basement.) This stuff is not harmless and it needs to be called out for the garbage it is.

Forrest Galante will never forget the first time he ever saw a shark in person. “I was 7 or 8 years old and was snorkeling with my grandfather,” the outdoor adventure TV personality told Upworthy. “We were in Mozambique where I grew up and I was holding my grandfather’s hand underwater as he guided me. It was a small reef shark. What seemed like this huge animal appeared out of nowhere, racing through the darkness and suddenly I was looking into its beautiful eyes. I was in awe but I also think I grabbed my granddad’s hand just a little bit tighter.”

25 years later, Galante, is a world-renowned conversation activist who hosts the Extinct or Alive program on Animal Planet. He has interacted with some of the planet’s most intriguing and intimidating creatures but it’s hard to think of a living creature that has more powerfully captured our collective imagination than sharks.

This year, Galante is hosting his schedule special as part of the legendary Shark Week series. In tonight’s episode, Galante travels to the northeast coast of South Africa, the “Land of the Lost Sharks,” where he looks to find the Pondicherry, a species of shark believed to have gone extinct decades ago.

---

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

On exploring the remove Maldives beach, where it’s believed most wildlife there has never interacted with humans:

“It’s phenomenal. It’s like getting into a time capsule. Must as I love Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, the sharks there see divers 10 times a day. Here, you’re seeing what the ocean was like hundreds of years ago. Before there was plastic floating on it. You really experience this feeling that anything can happen.”

On being part of the Shark Week legacy:

“It’s fantastic. The series is literally the same age as I am, 32. I have grown up with Shark Week. It’s something I’ve tuned in for literally my entire life. It’s kind of the Super Bowl of wildlife shows on television. Although I’d argue it’s much bigger than the Super Bowl because we’re talking about creatures who are literally older than trees themselves and are now being pushed to the brink of extinction.”

With most people stuck at home and looking for content that transports their imaginations out of the living room, what’s different about Shark Week this year?

“This style of entertainment is arguably more important than ever. It allows people who are stuck on their couch to participate in and promote conservation. It’s also harder than ever. I was supposed to be in 14 counties this year and instead, I’ve been to 2. I think a common misconception is that the coronavirus has been entirely beneficial for wildlife. In reality, it’s a double-edged sword. In some cases, wildlife is thriving. On the flip side, with governments being shut down and nobody able to enforce anti-poaching, we’re seeing a massive uptick. In Peru, you can go to a wet market to buy a yellow-footed tortoise to “cure” coronavirus. So, I think part of what’s important about Shark Week this year, beyond entertainment, is reminding people of how precious this environment is.”

What’s different to you about sharks vs. other wildlife you’ve interacted with?

“Life is incredible. Whether it’s a snail under a rock or a tiger shark swimming at you. We’re bipedal creatures meant to be on land. You have a lot of control there, you’re in a comfort zone. When you’re in the water, you’re living in an alien world. You’re in their habitat. It’s a three-dimensional space where we don’t belong. Sharks always bring a thrill to working with them. They’re an apex predator, they’ve been around a long time. At the same time, they’re disappearing. They’ve been targeted at an incredibly alarming rate.”

Everyone talks about the negative impact “Jaws” had on people’s attitudes toward sharks. With things like Shark Week, have you seen any positive changes in people’s perception of sharks?

“20 years ago, the perception was if you got in the water with a shark the thought was you’re going to die. Now, there’s a cool factor. On places like Instagram, there are bragging rights to working with the animals, going in the water with them. The common understanding has completely shifted. All these people having beautiful, stunning interactions with these creatures. Fear will only lead to destruction. Sharks aren’t meant to be feared, they’re just to be respected.”

The Phoenix Suns have been the NBA Bubble’s best team thus far, getting of to a scorching 6-0 start and entered Tuesday’s must-win (as they all have been for Phoenix) against the Sixers as the last unbeaten team in the seeding round.

It’s been a full month in the bubble for the Suns and the rest of the league, and that’s a long time to be away from your loved ones. To help give the Suns a little taste of home and give the starting five a nice, heartwarming surprise, the Suns had each of their families record their starter introduction and played the videos in the arena to the delight of the players.

It’s a great touch from the organization to try and add that little connectivity back to home and let players see their loved ones, even if just for a moment, before the game. You could see the excitement — and confusion — of the players as they realized what was happening. Deandre Ayton’s face when he was trying to place the voice of his sister was terrific, and Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson’s excitement to see their families was absolutely adorable.

As the bubble season wears on, one of the tasks of teams will be to find ways to keep players feeling right emotionally, and this was a terrific gesture from the Suns. LeBron James was even impressed by the Suns doing this for their players.

XXL‘s annually anticipated list of hip-hop Freshmen has hit the ‘net and as usual, garnered a tremendous response as those in the know celebrated their emerging faves and everyone else groused about being out of the loop. Of course, along with those reactions, the list also brought an inevitable third response: Fans expressing disappointment that their own favorite artists didn’t quite make the cut.

Of course, with only 12 spots to go around — a number that has fluctuated throughout the years but hasn’t strayed too much in either direction — someone you like is bound to get left off the final list. This year’s list, consisting of 24kGoldn, Baby Keem, Calboy, Chika, Fivio Foreign, Jack Harlow, Lil Keed, Lil TJay, Mulatto, NLE Choppa, Polo G, and Rod Wave, has the distinction of being about as close to perfect as these things have ever been, with no evidence of the “political” addition.

All of these artists definitely deserve to be here, and as we find out over the next few weeks which artists turned down spots or missed the availability window, it’s important to congratulate everyone who did make it for their accomplishment and acknowledge the hard work and luck it takes to get this far. Sometimes it’s just a matter of timing, as some artists big moments came just after the list was finalized.

That said, it’s always fun to play “What If?” with the list, especially because so many artists could qualify for a spot. However, let’s call the below seven artists something like a shortlist of names to watch for next year’s installment of the Freshman Class. Just because they missed out this year doesn’t mean they don’t deserve your attention now — and who knows? Maybe next year, you’ll be seeing these names on the big stage and thinking, “Hey, I know them!”

D Smoke

The inaugural winner of Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, D Smoke is much more than just a reality competition TV star. The Inglewood-bred teacher-turned-rapper comes from a musical family that includes TDE singer SiR and put out two projects since the show aired that proved his win was no fluke and he has plenty of soul. Since then, he’s appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk and performed at the BET Awards, so it’s only a matter of time until he’s as widely known as the judges whose respect he earned.

Deanté Hitchcock

Following in the footsteps of fellow ATLiens like Gunna, JID, Lil Yachty, and now Mulatto, Deanté definitely deserves a place on the list after breaking the surface with his standout major label debut Better earlier this year. Hitchcock was one of 100 or so artists invited to the Atlanta recording sessions for Dreamville’s Revenge Of The Dreamers III. He’s also closely associated with Spillage Village, the crew consisting of Dreamville Peach State locals like JID and Earthgang, and Better proved that he can carry a full-length project with poetry and poignancy.

Don Toliver

It looks like it takes a tad bit more than a Travis Scott co-sign to make the Freshman Class. After appearing on Travis’ fan-favorite third studio album Astroworld in 2018, Toliver followed up with his Donny Womack mixtape in 2018 and debut studio album, Heaven Or Hell, this year. Maybe putting out his mixtape on the same day as his label boss’ monster hit album caused him to get overshadowed a bit, but with “No Idea” and “After Party” gaining popularity on TikTok, this Cactus Jack signee can probably expect way more attention by this time next year.

Guapdad 4000

The Bitcoin Batman was one of the standout artists to guest on Revenge Of The Dreamers III, stealing the show on songs like “Don’t Hit Me Right Now”, “Wells Fargo”, and “Costa Rica.” Toward the end of 2019, he released his debut studio album Dior Deposits, holding his own alongside the likes of 6lack on “Prada Process” and Chance The Rapper on “Gucci Pajamas.” Over the course of 2020, he displayed his unparalleled work ethic with the RonaRaps series and Falcon Fridays, and he’s constantly teasing new music with features from everybody’s favorite rappers. There’s no doubt he’ll be able to finnam his way onto next year’s Freshman list.

Flo Milli

In a case of bad timing, Flo Milli’s debut album Ho, Why Is You Here? landed at the end of July, long after the Freshman Class issue was being written up and edited. Of course, there’s no way the editors had any clue that she would parlay the TikTok success of her viral singles “Beef FloMix” and “In The Party” into such a massive reception that saw her being quoted by everyone from City Girls to Janelle Monae. Her quirky relatability and ferocious sense of humor have made her the heir apparent to the “next big female rap star” seat formerly occupied by Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Mulatto, and Rico Nasty.

Jucee Froot

As another Memphis product, Jucee Froot‘s in good company in vying for a Freshman roster slot. The difference between her and Key Glock or NLE Choppa is that she’s received even higher profile looks than they have, securing a spot on the Insecure soundtrack and sounding off on the Birds Of Prey album. With women emerging so powerfully in hip-hop these days, Jucee’s going to have a lot of very powerful voices rooting for her. Along with co-signs from her city’s godfather, Juicy J, and everyone’s favorite punk-rap rabble rouser, Rico Nasty, Jucee’s also got the bars to stick for a good long while.

Key Glock

Don’t count Key Glock out. While he may have fallen short this time around, he’s also built a back catalog of fan-favorites to call on when the time comes, dropping the joint mixtape Dum And Dummer with his mentor Young Dolph last year, then following up with not one, but two mixtapes in 2020: Yellow Tape and Son Of A Gun. With each project, his buzz grows louder and at the rate he’s releasing them, it won’t be too long before that buzz is an undeniable cacophony of fans demanding placement in the next Freshman Class — or that he outright bypass it altogether.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California was announced as Joe Biden’s running mate for the 2020 presidential election on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman and first person of Indian descent ever to be tapped as the vice presidential nominee by a major party.

“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate,” the former-Vice President tweeted. “Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau [Biden’s son who passed away in 2015]. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”

There was much rejoicing for the historic selection, including in the Maya Rudolph household, because it means she has a steady gig until at least November. And maybe four years after that. The Big Mouth star has portrayed Harris multiple times on SNL, including the season 45 premiere, earning praise from the senator. “That girl being played by @MayaRudolph on @nbcsnl? That girl was me,” Harris tweeted. And now “that girl” is going to see herself a lot on SNL (either in studio or virtually).

Congratulations to Kamala, Maya, Paul Thomas Anderson, and everyone really.

(Via CNBC)

On Tuesday afternoon, the Big Ten announced it was postponing its football season to hopefully be played in the spring. It was the culmination of weeks of back-and-forth that has seen players call for the creation of a players association and uniform guidelines and safety protocols, while university presidents, medical experts, and lawyers seemingly reaching the conclusion that there’s little room for football without taking on a tremendous risk.

Later in the afternoon, word emerged from the Pac-12 that they would be following suit in putting an end to the dream of fall football and pushing it back to (hopefully) the spring. On top of football, the Pac-12 will also halt all fall and winter sports through the end of the calendar year, re-evaluating the situation closer to January.

This was the expected result, as the two conferences had long been tied together as the two teams looking most skeptically on a season, and once the Big Ten announced its decision the Pac-12 swiftly came to the same conclusion. Now all eyes shift to the Big 12, ACC, and SEC, the latter two have been pretty vehement about playing football this fall. There are risks on all sides of the equation and like so much with the current situation in the world, there’s not a perfect answer. Still, given the emerging research connecting COVID-19 to heart problems like myocarditis and the unknowns of long-term impacts, the Big Ten and Pac-12 decided that it was not worth the liability to have football this season.

On the other side, as Clemson star QB Trevor Lawrence and others have pointed out, the regular testing and having football as the reward for good behavior and following protocols is something that would likely keep many players in line. However, the issue lies in the fact that once students are on campus, all it takes is one player going to a party or not following social distancing or mask protocols on campus to potentially bring it into the locker room between tests (given that while three days a week is robust, it cannot catch everything), which figure to be some of the closest confines of allowed indoor space on campuses, for it to potentially infect much of the team and bring those risks of severe symptoms or post-COVID recovery health problems into play. This was something Larry Scott noted in the Pac-12 release.

Scott noted that while the Conference’s detailed plan to keep student-athletes safe was working in accordance with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee guidelines and state and local government orders, the situation was becoming more challenging: “Unlike professional sports, college sports cannot operate in a bubble,” he said. “Our athletic programs are a part of broader campuses in communities where in many cases the prevalence of COVID-19 is significant. We will continue to monitor the situation and when conditions change we will be ready to explore all options to play the impacted sports in the new calendar year.”

“We know that this is a difficult day for our student-athletes, and our hearts go out to them and their families,” added Scott. “We have made clear that all of their scholarships will be guaranteed, and that as a Conference we are strongly encouraging the NCAA to grant them an additional year of eligibility.”

Without a bubble, we’ve seen how team sports are at risk with what’s happened in Major League Baseball with the Cardinals and Marlins, and the current student-athlete model figures to shut down the opportunity to create an athletics bubble, as it would indicate they’re somehow different from other students. The result is a system unwilling to change facing a situation that requires adaptation, and as such they continue kicking the can and hoping, eventually, football as it is can return.

For years, Will Smith refused to entertain the thought of a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot, revival, spin-off, whatever you want to call it. His official line is that it would happen “when hell freezes over.” However, the mega-star actor/rapper/producer abruptly changed his tune back in October 2019 when he announced that a new series is in the works, and that day has finally come, but with a twist.

While the original Fresh Prince was a half-hour NBC sitcom with memorable dramatic moments peppered in, this new reboot will be an hour-long drama simply titled Bel-Air. The project has been in the works ever since Smith saw the viral YouTube video of the same name and immediately teamed up with its creator Morgan Cooper to hash out a full series based on his more serious approach to the beloved sitcom. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

Bel-Air is described as an hourlong dramatic retelling of the beloved ’90s sitcom that leans into the original premise of Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases of what it means to be a Black man in America today, while still delivering the swagger and fun nods to the original show.

Despite the fact that HBO Max is currently the home for the original Fresh Prince episodes, there’s no guarantee that it will be the home for Bel-Air. Smith’s production company Westbrook Studios shopped the series to Peacock and Netflix who, along with HBO Max, have all entered bids to land the unusual reboot that will no doubt draw in long-time Fresh Prince fans. Of course, the biggest question is how do you make the Carlton Dance full of even more dramatic tension, and the answer is you don’t. It’s impossible.

You can watch the original Bel-Air video below:

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

There may not be a more highly-anticipated Xbox release on the horizon than Halo Infinite, the latest chapter in the beloved Halo series. Fans have been waiting since 2015, when Halo 5: Guardians hit shelves, for the latest release in the Master Chief saga, but unfortunately for those hoping to fire up their Xboxes before the calendar turns to 2021 and play the game, they’ll have to wait a little while longer.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Halo Infinite studio head Chris Lee announced that the COVID-19 pandemic will force the game to be put on the shelves until some time in 2021. No specific release date has been given.

The game has been development for years, with a trailer hitting Twitter back in 2018. The belief was that the game would drop sometime in the final quarter of 2020 — gameplay was unveiled during a recent Xbox Series X showcase, while news also came out that multiplayer will be free-to-play when it comes out on the Series X. However, as Lee indicated in his statement, it appears that the game needs some final polish before it is made available to games, saying “the extra time will let us finish the critical work necessary to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever at the quality we know our fans expect.”

Congratulations! If you clicked on this article you are officially old, because there probably isn’t a single person born after the year 2000 who even remembers what a VHS tape is, let alone a Blockbuster Video. Once you stop panicking, get ready for another shock because while Blockbuster closed almost all of its stores across the country between 2013 and 2014, one store stood standing. The last remaining Blockbuster, which is located in Bend Oregon, somehow managed to survive the conversion from VHS to DVD to BluRay to streaming services, and a global pandemic.

To celebrate its indomitible spirit (thank Bend’s home rental market and inconsistent fiberoptic infrastructure, which combine to create a consistent need for DVDs), the owners of Bend’s Blockbuster are offering residents of Deschutes County the chance to live every ’90s kid’s dream and stay a night in the video store.

“Our BLOCKBUSTER store is open because of the incredible local community in Bend and we’ve been grateful to have the support of those beyond our town as the coronavirus has impacted our business,” writes store manager Sandi Harding in the property’s listing.

For the Airbnb listing — which will consist of three one-night stays from September 18-20 and accommodates four — the store’s main floor space has been converted into a makeshift living room, complete with a big television, pillows, bean bag chairs, a fold-out couch, and shelves stocked with an assortment of movies as well as a break room full of NERDS, Raisinettes, and popcorn. The listing also includes all of the essentials you’ve come to expect from any good Airbnb listing, like WiFi, central A/C, free parking, as well as some of the more modern accommodations like face coverings, disinfectant wipes, and an “endless” supply of hand sanitizer.

Harding also assures guests that between each stay the store will be cleaned in accordance with Airbnb’s Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, which itself is informed by recommendations from the CDC. Even with the safety measures in place, we don’t blame Harding from limiting this listing to local residents only for now. Who knows, if all goes the store may open to outsiders for future travel once the pandemic is behind us and we can actually begin safely traveling again.

Residents of Oregon’s Deschutes County will be able to try their luck at scooping up a listing beginning on August 17th, at 1 pm sharp at the property’s listing.

Lil Yachty has managed to stay more than active since the pandemic began. Not only did the rapper successfully implore fans to follow through on some head-turning dares on Instagram, but Yachty also dropped the third and final installment of his Lil Boat album series. The record boasted big-name features from the likes of Drake, Young Thug, and, of course, Future. Now, Yachty has tapped Future to collaborate on a lively video for their track “Pardon Me.”

The “Pardon Me” video doesn’t deviate too far from Yachty’s other Lil Boat 3 visuals. Filmed to look like a VHS-era montage, the visual follows both of the rappers as they embark on a series of antics with their crew. “Pardon me, I just went crazy on a freak / Pardon me, I cook that bon appétit / Pardon me, I bought Chanel for ten G’s,” Future raps.

In other Yacthy news, the rapper recently vented his frustration over a VMA nomination snub even though his “Oprah’s Bank Account” video garnered well over 20 million YouTube views. “VMAs is dumb wack for that sh*t,” he said, adding: “N****s don’t be giving me no f*ckin’ respect.”

Watch the “Pardon Me” video above.

Lil Boat 3 is out now via Quality Control. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.