The 2020 Vice Presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris wasn’t quite as full of crosstalk as last week’s Trump-Biden non-meeting of the minds, but there were plenty of interruptions. And things got gross, starting with Pence’s grody eye and continuing with an unwanted visitor: an enormous fly. It didn’t help matters that Pence’s stark white hair (and obvious love of hairspray) made the perfect environment for this sucker to stand out for a global audience. And it felt like forever.
For several minutes, this fly simply hung out. It wouldn’t move. It appeared to be stuck. Was it enjoying itself? No one knows. People went absolutely nuts.
Stephen King noted it as a harbinger. Padma Lakshmi was aghast at how long the fly stayed put. And MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough swiftly tweeted, “The fly is the October Surprise. ~ @JonLemire”
Taylor Swift has been very vocal in her political stance against President Donald Trump over the past few months, calling him out multiple occasions while urging her fans to vote. Just a couple of weeks ago, Taylor shared a video message on National Voter Registration Day, stressing the importance of voting in the election, saying, “We need everyone, and it is more important than I can even possibly say.” Now the Folklore singer is back with another political message, one that finds her naming her pick for president: former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris.
Taylor explained her decision in a recent issue of V Magazine, as a part of the publication’s V Is For Vote campaign:
The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included. Everyone deserves a government that takes global health risks seriously and puts the lives of its people first. The only way we can begin to make things better is to choose leaders who are willing to face these issues and find ways to work through them.
I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.
Taylor — Thanks for your support and for speaking out at this crucial moment in our nation’s history.
Following her comments, Joe Biden’s Twitter account responded. “Taylor — Thanks for your support and for speaking out at this crucial moment in our nation’s history,” Biden said. “Election Day is right around the corner — are you ready for it?” That, of course, was a reference to her track “…Ready For It?,” off of her album Reputation.
You can read Taylor’s comments in the V Magazine issue here.
The 2020 Vice Presidential debate isn’t turning out to be a total crosstalk-filled disaster like last week’s Trump-Biden confrontation, but it’s not an entirely civil affair. It didn’t take long before Pence (who brought his grody pink eye to the event, which isn’t a great look during our current situation) felt perfectly free to interrupt Kamala multiple times.
Harris wasn’t having it, and she certainly pointed this out. The Democratic candidate (who’s officially the first Black female VP pick) struck back in the most appropriate way: by swiftly and firmly responding, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”
As many women will attest, this is indeed an ongoing issue in daily life, so it’s certainly refreshing to see a VP pick push back in front of a global audience. Before long, “I’m speaking” started trending hard in the Twitter sidebar. Even this guy noticed and agreed in his own stylish way.
This might be the only VP debate of the season, but it’s certainly more memorable than the Pence-Kaine meeting from 2016. And the cheers for Kamala continued.
The vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and his rival, Senator Kamala Harris, was almost certainly not going to be as electric as the previous week’s hot mess of showdown between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. And despite kicking off with questions about Trump and Pence’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, it has remained mostly calm and civil. In fact, the most shocking thing wasn’t so much anything that was said but how one of them looked. That is to say, a lot of people couldn’t stop staring at Pence’s curiously bloodshot eyes.
It was really mostly the left one, whose left side was very red and creepily engorged. What was it? Was it pink eye? Was it some nervous tic? He didn’t seem particularly sick, and he was articulate and clear-headed. But it sent Twitter into wild speculating.
Y’all if your kindergartener had pinkeye like this you’d keep them home from school. https://t.co/fnyMz24FXg
Is Mike Pence coming down with COVID symptoms live on this debate stage? I haven’t seen eyeballs this red on NBC since that time Bob Costas got pink eye at the Olympics.
If you were unable to get past Pence’s freaky eye, you may have missed him wanly trying to defend allowing over 200,000 Americans die from a rampaging pandemic, with no end in sight. But then again, perhaps Pence has to worry about his own health issues first.
Saturday Night Livehad a strong season opener, with host Chris Rock helping drive huge numbers to their first episode shot on the show’s iconic stage since the pandemic began. But they’re running into a snag with their follow-up. The 46th season’s second episode was to feature country singer Morgan Wallen as its musical guest. Unfortunately, they had to remove him a mere three days before airing after a news report from Tuscaloosa, AL revealed he’d spent the weekend at a maskless college party. Videos posted to TikTok and Twitter show the country singer drinking and making out with partygoers, visiting a bar, and sitting in the backseat of a fan’s car. As such, he’s exposed himself to a highly contagious disease and is would therefore break the show’s strict COVID codes by appearing.
Walle revealed the news in a video posted to Instagram, which he recorded from his New York City hotel room. He said that while he did not test positive for the coronavirus yet, he understands the decision. “My actions from this past weekend were pretty short-sighted, and have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams,” he said in the video.
“I respect the show’s decision because I know I put them in jeopardy, and I take ownership for this,” Wallen said. He added, “I’d like to apologize to SNL, to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities, and I let them down.” He also revealed he would take a step out to reflect:
I think I have some growing up to do. I think I lost myself a little bit. I tried to find joy in the wrong places and, I don’t know, it’s left me with less joy, so I’m going to try to work on that. I’m going to take a step back from the spotlight for a little while and go work on myself. I wish I could have made country music and my fans proud this Saturday, but I respect the decision once again.
Lastly, Wallen revealed that SNL chief Lorne Michaels told him over the phone that the show would “find another time to make this up.”
Last month, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87, following a long battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer. During her time as a Supreme Court judge, she fought long and hard for equality. In the weeks after her death, Ginsburg has been honored all across the entertainment world, with tributes pouring in from Saturday Night Live, Bon Iver, actress Felicity Jones, and more. Now, the late justice will be honored at an upcoming event sponsored by Demand Justice.
On October 12, well-known names from both the entertainment, culture, and political world will come together to celebrate Ginsburg at an event called Honor Her Wish. Headlined by musical names, including Phoebe Bridgers, Hayley Williams, Kesha, Margo Price, Jon Batiste, and Kathleen Hanna, the event is a response to the Republican Party’s decision to ignore Ginsburg’s dying wish and proceed with the process to confirm her replacement on the Court mere weeks prior to the November election.
Other names that will appear at the event include Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren, actress Sophia Bush, author Aminatou Sow, Shana Knizhnik, co-author of The Notorious RBG, and more.
To participate, guests must RSVP in advance at the Honor Her Wish website here.
Christopher Osburn has spent the past fifteen years in search of “the best” — or at least his very favorite — sips of whisk(e)y on earth. In the process, he’s enjoyed more whisk(e)y drams than his doctor would dare feel comfortable with, traveled to over 20 countries testing local spirits, and visited more than fifty distilleries worldwide.
From the outset, it should be noted that smoky whisk(e)ys aren’t for everyone. If you’re new to whisk(e)y, you might not want to dive headfirst into a bottle Bruichladdich, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, or one of the other peat-smoked scotches from Islay. But if you’re well-acquainted with scotch, bourbon, rye, and other whiskeys and you’ve been meaning to try some smoky offerings, now is the time. Fall weather is perfectly suited for the charred, campfire-ish, sometimes briny flavors of these expressions.
While you can always head to Scotland (figuratively) and grab a bottle of peated whiskies from one of the aforementioned distilleries, today we’re looking elsewhere for our smoky bottles. I cracked my tasting notebook again and decided to list my favorite six smoky whiskeys that don’t come from Scotland.
Normally, when we think of smoky whiskey, the flavor comes from peat smoking. But this 100% Hopi blue corn-based whiskey from Texas’ renowned Balcones doesn’t get its flavor from peat, it comes from smoking the distillate over Texas scrub oak before aging.
Tasting Notes:
The first scent you’ll notice when you nose this whiskey is that of Texas barbecue smoke itself. This evolves into toasted caramel, charred oak, and cinnamon. The first sip yields brown sugar, sweet cream, subtle spices, and even more wood smoke. The finish is long, warming, and filled with still more bonfire smokiness.
Bottom Line:
It’s called Brimstone for a reason. It’s super smoky and perfectly suited for slow sipping neat or on the rocks on a chilly evening.
This award-winning whiskey plays like an homage to the peat-smoked monsters of Scotland but made in a uniquely American way — which mellows the smoke for U.S. palates. They do this by using a blend of both peat-smoked malts as well as un-smoked malts. It’s then aged for three years. This creates a whiskey with a smoky, yet not overpowering flavor.
Tasting Notes:
This subtly smoky whiskey deserves a proper nosing. The first aromas that will swirl around your nostrils are those of charred oak, wood smoke, candied orange peel, and sweet caramel. The first sip delivers the flavors of a backyard barbecue paired with mint, vanilla, toasted almonds, and toffee. The finish is long, lingering, and ends with an added kick of light smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is a great gateway into the world of smoky whiskeys. The smoke presence is much more subtle than other peat-smoked offerings. It’s perfect in a whiskey-based cocktail or as a sipper on its own.
Like Balcones Brimstone, High West Campfire doesn’t attempt to hide what it is. This is literally a campfire in a bottle and that’s thanks to a blend of sweet bourbon, spicy rye, and peat-smoked scotch. The result is a complex, well-rounded whiskey that appeals to fans of all three styles.
Tasting Notes:
Before taking your first sip, give this whiskey a nice nosing. If you do, you’ll be met with hints of toasted oak, brown sugar, butterscotch, dried cherries, and a subtle whiff of smoke. The first sip offers up subtle Christmas spices, dried orange peel, caramelized sugar, and rich vanilla beans. The finish is long, warming, and filled with hints of peppery spice and a whole dose of wood smoke.
Bottom Line:
It would behoove you to imbibe a glass (or three) of this whiskey while you sit around an early fall campfire. It’s a literal alcoholic incarnation of the smoke from the fire.
We all know about peat-smoked scotch whiskies, but what about Irish whiskeys? Connemara is the only Irish peated single malt whiskey that we know of on the market. Its original offering was made to pay tribute to the 18th-century practice of smoking malted barley over peat fires. The result is a unique whiskey that possesses the patented sweetness Irish whiskeys are known for along with the smoked flavors of their Scottish counterparts.
Tasting Notes:
Breathe in the aromas of this whiskey and your senses will be filled with the astringent, briny smells of peat smoke paired with sweet caramel and dried fruits. The first sip will bring you charred oak, sweet cream, brown sugar, velvety honey, and rich wood smoke. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a mixture of butterscotch, cinnamon, and another waft of peat smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is a truly unique whiskey that should be enjoyed on neat or on the rocks with a single solitary ice cube. Anything else would diminish the hard work put into its creation.
When it comes to gateway smoky whiskies, it’s hard to beat Hakushu 12 (if you can afford it). This single malt whisky is known for its combination of subtle smoke and sweet vanilla and caramel notes. It gets its smoke from peat-smoked malted barley, similar to the style of Islay whiskies. But this expression manages to be both more subtle and more well-rounded than many of its Scottish brethren.
Tasting Notes:
This whisky needs to be nosed before it can be sipped. You’ll be met with hints of charred oak, butterscotch, toasted almonds, and sweet caramel. The first sip drops in with a nice kick of peat smoke along with dried fruits, subtle herbal undertones, and brown sugar. The finish is medium in length, warming, and ends with another quick hit of toasted marshmallows and a more campfirey sort of smoke.
Bottom Line:
If you get your hands on a bottle of Hakushu 12, chances are you spent a good deal of money on it. That means you should save this bottle for a special occasion and sip it in a dram surrounded by friends and family.
With a name like Colkegan, you might assume this is either an Irish whiskey or a scotch whisky. But this smoked whiskey is actually made in New Mexico by Santa Fe Spirits. Colkegan gets its smoky flavors from peat-smoked malted barley (sensing a trend here?) and is actually run by an Englishman intent on bringing scotch whisky techniques to the states.
Tasting Notes:
The first sniff of this whiskey provides hints of dried cherries, sweet honey, and subtle smoke. The first sip yields caramelized sugar, toasted vanilla beans, dried fruits, spicy cinnamon, and subtle barbecue flavor. The finish is long, warming, and full of hints of caramel, leather, and more pleasing wood smoke.
Bottom Line:
Drink this whiskey in the form of a nice dram (or three). You can add a few drops of water to open it up, but anything else is unnecessary.
The new academic year is well underway, with many (though not all) students across the country returning to in-person learning, albeit amidst a pandemic. Now Travis Scott wants to help out a few lucky college students, announcing on Twitter that he will cover the tuition of five students at an HBCU, or an historically black college and university.
AND I KNOW SCHOOL JUST STARTED AND I WANNA TAKE CARE OF 5 KIDS TUITION FOR THERE FIRST SEMESTER OF SCHOOL !!! WHY NOT!!!!!
“I KNOW SCHOOL JUST STARTED AND I WANNA TAKE CARE OF 5 KIDS TUITION FOR THERE FIRST SEMESTER OF SCHOOL,” he said, then clarifying that eligible students must attend an HBCU. Aside from it being a commendable move to provide help to students at historical Black institutes, Travis’ decision hits close to home. Both of his parents attended HBCUs, his mom an alum of Grambling State University and his dad one of Prairie View A&M University.
The move comes hours after Travis shared a remix of his No. 1 single “Franchise,” which features Future. That song arrived less than week after Travis, Young Thug, and MIA stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform the track. The song is also Travis’ second No. 1 single of the year, following his Fortnite-born track with Kid Cudi, “The Scotts,” which he released back in April.
If you frequent alcohol-centered message boards, Facebook groups, or even this very booze-heavy website, you might’ve seen mention of a “new” expression of tequila that is quickly gaining popularity in the states known as “Cristalino.” In truth, cristalino — which is a form of aged tequila that is further filtered to remove its golden color (with some flavor loss along the way) — has been popular in the Mexican spirits space for close to a decade now, ever since Don Julio launched the 70th-anniversary bottle Don Julio 70 in 2012. That expression was a first-of-its-kind filtered añejo dubbed an “añejo claro,” a designation that has since morphed into “cristalino,” according to Forbes.
If you’re a seasoned spirits sipper (especially if you love barrel-aged expressions), you might be wondering why in the hell anyone would want to filter añejo tequila to remove anything, let alone the beautiful amber hues and woody flavors that time spent in barrels imparts. That’s a fair point, shared by many a tequila connoisseur. It’s worth noting that cristalinos are not officially recognized by the Tequila Regulatory Council as an official category like your blancos, reposados, or traditional añejos — though the council does now have guidelines and standards in regards to filtered, aged tequilas. Also, some cristalinos actually add back flavor through agave syrup or other sweeteners, outing the style as not meant for true aficionados.
Does this mean, cristalino is just a catchy cash-grab and ought to be ignored?
Not exactly. They’re simply created for a certain type of drinker — newcomers who want a tequila with its harsh edges sanded down by both barrelling and a second filtration (many of these expressions are also bottled at a lower proof than their añejo counterparts). Speaking personally, I’ve enjoyed the silky smoothness of many of the cristalinos I’ve tasted. These are easily sippable expressions, perfect for someone just getting into taking tequila straight. They’re not going to be as vegetal as blancos, nor will they be as oaky-spicy as añejos. Instead, they exist as something of a tweener and, if you have the means and don’t crave a ton of agave taste, they make some beautiful margaritas.
Here are five picks (with tasting notes) for anyone looking for a bottle of cristalino to add to their bar cart.
1800 Cristalino
ABV: 40% Distillery: Casa Cuervo Average Price:$54.99
The Tequila:
Launched this year, 1800’s cristalino is first aged in American and French Oak barrels for 16 months before being finished in port wine casks for half a year and finally filtered into its cristalino state. The bottle design is the label’s simplest, featuring a crystalline bottle that glitters as light passes through it.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with warm notes of roasted agave, vanilla, and white chocolate. On the palate, the 1800 has a subtle fruity lift with flavors of cherry emeging before making way to a round vanilla-caramel finish with almost no lingering burn.
Bottom Line:
At almost $60 a bottle, 1800 Cristalino can’t be described as “cheap” or “budget-friendly,” but the bottle makes a great special occasion toasting tequila (for non-hardcore tequila drinkers) and plays nice slow sipped over rocks.
Herradura Ultra
ABV: 35-39% Distillery: Brown Forman Tequila Average Price:$42.99
The Tequila:
Herradura Ultra is made using blue weber agave hand-harvested by jimadores in the volcanic lowland regions of the Amatitián. The agave hearts are then roasted in traditional ovens for 26 hours and the distillate is barrel-aged in American White Oak for up to 49 months before being filtered. Why Herradura chooses to call this expression “Ultra” rather than Cristalino, we can’t say, but make no mistake — this is a cristalino.
Tasting Notes:
Subtle hints of sweet nectar and fresh coconut give way to a rich vanilla and honey finish that is greatly enhanced served over rock. Sipping straight will give you less of the expression’s brighter notes and more of the honeyed smoothness — we say open it up a little.
Bottom Line:
Herradura makes hands down one of the easiest drinking cristalinos on this list. In 2020 the brand scooped up several awards across the spirit tasting competitions, making it a great bottle to start with for first-time cristalino drinkers.
Hornitos Cristalino
ABV: 40% Distillery: Tequila Sauza Average Price:$29.99
The Tequila:
Made using triple-distilled añejo, Hornitos’ new cristalino expression is aged in American White oak casks before being carbon-filtered into a crystal clear state, delivering all the warmth and velvety tannins of an aged tequila with an ultra-smooth mouthfeel.
Tasting Notes:
Hornitos’ Cristalino has more intense flavors than the other tequilas on this list but still provides that silky vanilla finish that is so characteristic of cristalinos — with notes of sweet honey and some subtly bitter butterscotch that lingers on the palate between sips.
Bottom Line:
At just $30 a bottle, Hornitos Cristalino is a much more comfortable blind bottle buy without sacrificing the craft and luxury bottle design that comes standard with higher-priced bottles.
Penta Diamante Cristalino
ABV: 40% Distillery: Casa Tequilera de Arandas Average Price:$100
The Tequila:
Unlike the rest of the cristalinos on this list, Penta Diamante uses a reposado tequila and filters it through charcoal into a cristalino state (rather than an añejo). This expression looks very high-end vodka-ish in presentation and drinks that way too — ultra clean and smooth.
Tasting Notes:
Bursting with flavor, this vanilla forward expression has complex notes of caramel with a creamy-coffee middle that is finished by a bright citrus bite that fades pleasingly from the palate.
Bottom Line:
While Penta Diamante can be seen as a bit of an anomaly on this list since its the only Cristalino made from Reposado rather than Añejo tequila, it shows just how flexible and versatile the category of Cristalino can be and allows you to enjoy the spirit in a cocktail. If you can afford to make a cocktail with a $100 bottle of tequila, Penta Diamante is the way to go, it’ll transform your kitchen margarita into something that feels made for a VIP.
Don Julio 70
ABV: 40% Distillery: Tequila Don Julio Average Price:$54.99
The Tequila:
Closing out our list is the bottle that started it all, Don Julio 70. This expression is made with Don Julio’s añejo tequila which is aged for 18 months in oak barrels before being charcoal filtered — resulting in perhaps the smoothest expression out of the entire Don Julio core line.
Tasting Notes:
The intoxicating aroma of slow-roasted agave greets once you pop the cork on a bottle, making way for a vanilla forward expression with a supremely silky caramel, pepper, and oak finish.
Bottom Line:
If you’ve reached the end of this list unsure of which bottle is worthy of your first pick, you really can’t go wrong grabbing Don Julio 70. It is the bottle that started the cristalino craze to begin with.
Facebook has been criticized for many things, but one complaint that’s stuck above most of them is this: They’ve allowed a hotbed of disinformation about elections to fester, to the consternation of many. But now they’re springing into action. According to The New York Times, it’s going to indefinitely prohibit “all political and issue-based advertising,” in an attempt to take “more preventive measures to keep political candidates from using it to manipulate the election’s outcome and its aftermath.” One catch? The ban won’t go into place until Nov. 4, the day after the national election.
Facebook came under fire after it was revealed Russian operatives had used the service to spread disinformation during the 2016 election, perhaps even helping swing it Trump’s way. Since then co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg says he’s spent billions of dollars — more than the $5.1 billion they made in their first year as a private company, in 2012 — to “hire new employees for the company’s ‘integrity’ and security divisions, who identify and clamp down on interference.”
But it doesn’t appear they’re seeing much in the way of results, as per the Times:
Yet how successful the efforts have been are questionable. The company continues to find and take down foreign interference campaigns, including three Russian disinformation networks as recently as two weeks ago.
Domestic misinformation has also mushroomed, as Facebook has said it will not police speech from politicians and other leading figures for truthfulness. Mr. Zuckerberg, who supports unfettered speech, has not wavered from that position as Mr. Trump has posted falsehoods and misleading comments on the site.
Facebook has long resisted outright banning political ads, even after being called on by many to do so, making the ban a surprise, even if it won’t go into effect immediately. One thing they’ll be doing now is removing posts that call on people to engage in poll watching, namely “when those calls use militarized language or suggest that the goal is to intimidate, exert control, or display power over election officials or voters.” Trump himself at the first presidential debate asked his supporters to engage in poll watching, though he didn’t go into specifics. They’ve already been removing posts, some 120,000 of them, that have violated its policies on voter interference.
They’ll even go after You Know Who. “I want to underscore that we remove this content regardless of who posts it,” said Monica Bickert, the company’s head of global policy management. “That includes the president.”
The news comes one day after they went after another problem with their site, removing any group, page, and Instagram account that identified with the pro-Trump conspiracy movement QAnon. That, too, was something that was allowed to grow and fester over the years, with little regulation from Facebook top brass.
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