Month: November 2021

Sometimes a news report simply misses the mark. That appears to be the case with a CNN report from Brianna Keilar, who teamed up with correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro to deliver perplexing information. Keilar saw fit to tweet out a clip of this story as well, which really got the conversation rolling on social media. “A gallon of milk was $1.99. Now it’s $2.79. When you buy 12 gallons a week times four weeks, that’s a lot of money,” she tweeted. “@EvanMcS goes grocery shopping with the Stotlers and shows us how badly inflation is hitting the middle class.”

Hmm, that’s a confusing one. Presumably, this report meant to show how working class families are coping with inflation, but the particular example used was, well, off point. People had… questions. More specifically, people (regardless of party affiliation) wanted to know what this family could possibly be doing with 48 gallons of milk per month. Also, does anyone ever reasonably expect milk to only cost $1.99 per gallon (which hasn’t been the case in… over a decade? At least)?

And of course, the discourse would not be complete without a discussion of how much Joe Manchin’s Maserati must cost.

In response to the the fuss that this story caused, Keilar attempted to tweet about coupons with screenshots of milk from Walmart, and she continued but eventually gave up with a “never mind.”

Again, yes, a story simply misses the mark, but people will eventually forget about the milk controversy and pile onto something new.

Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield jumped on stage to help sing “Beautiful Strangers” with her partner Kevin Morby on one of his “Fall Mixer” tour stops with Hamilton Leithauser in San Francisco last Thursday. Since the first leg of her Saint Cloud tour wrapped up, she’s been afforded the time to make such appearances. But come early 2022, Crutchfield will be back on tour as Waxahatchee just announced a slew of North American tour dates in support of the simply gorgeous Saint Cloud.

The tour is set to kick off at Wilco’s January Sky Blue Sky Festival in Mexico which also features Kurt Vile & the Violators, Spoon and Pavement. Then in February, she’ll be supported by singer-songwriter Madi Diaz on over a dozen U.S. dates, before a few more stops, including a support slot of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Red Rocks in Colorado.

Tickets for the tour go on-sale 11/05 at 9AM EST here.

01/17 — Riviera Maya, MX @ Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky
02/04 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn #
0/05 — Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre #
02/06 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel #
02/07 — Richmond, VA @ The National #
02/09 — Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre #
02/10 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
02/14 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre #
02/15 — Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall #
02/18 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall #
02/19 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Fountain Street Church #
02/20 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
04/10 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
04/11 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
04/24 — Boulder, CO @ Bluebird Music Festival
05/03 — Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre (with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit)
06/21 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner

# = with Madi Diaz

Nearly six years after she released her record-breaking debut 25, Adele is just a couple of weeks away from releasing her fourth album 30. It’s a project that’s spearheaded by her “Easy On Me” single as she also confirmed the album will arrive on November 19. In addition to its release on digital platforms, vinyl orders of 30 will be available together with the album’s release later this month. According to a report from Variety, Adele had to turn in her album six months early so that her team could prepare the expected orders in time for the project’s release.

Variety notes that more than half a million vinyl pressings have already been made ahead of the release of Adele’s next album. She joins artists like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift that were forced to turn in their albums months early in order to prepare vinyl pressings in time for their projects’ release date. Taylor Swift will have a 4LP set available when Red (Taylor’s Version) arrives on November 12 and Ed Sheeran turned in his newly-released album, = in July in order to have vinyl pressings ready for its October 29 release date. Sheeran spoke about the difficulty behind getting his album’s vinyls prepared during an interview with Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O.

“Adele had basically booked out all the vinyl factories, so we had to get a slot and get our album in there,” he said according to Variety. “It was like me, Coldplay, Adele, Taylor, ABBA, Elton (John), all of us were trying to get our vinyls printed at the same time.” The publication adds that this left smaller artists and indie bands with nearly no space to insert their own vinyl requests. Many have been told that even if they gave their master recordings to a plant today, their record would not be pressed until August 2022.

This news comes after Adele revealed the tracklist for 30. The upcoming project stands at 15 songs and includes guest appearances from Erroll Garner and Chris Stapleton. She previously stated that Skepta and Tyler The Creator will make unconventional appearances on the album.

30 is out 11/19 on Columbia Records. Pre-order it here.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Subtitles and closed captions make it possible for deaf people to enjoy films and television shows—but what about little kids who can’t read yet, or whose reading isn’t fast enough to keep up with the captions? How does a deaf child fully appreciate a children’s movie if they can’t understand what any of the characters are saying and can’t read the captions?

Mariella Satow ran into that question when she was teaching herself American Sign Language.

According to the BBC, 17-year-old Satow wanted to watch TV shows with sign language interpretation to help her learn ASL, but found very few that included signing. At first, that was the problem she wanted to solve, but as she learned more about deaf children, she realized an app that included sign language interpretation for kids’ movies could also fill a gap in the deaf community.

“Me and my sister were avid movie watchers when we were younger, and I couldn’t imagine that not being a part of our childhood,” she told BBC’s Newsbeat.

Satow has dual citizenship in the U.S. and the U.K. and had been attending high school in England, but when she got stuck in New York during the summer of 2020 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, she used the pandemic downtime—and her $3000 savings from dog walking—to create an app. It took her a year to develop the technology, and with the help of the deaf community and ASL teachers, the SignUp app was born.

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SignUp is a free Google Chrome extension that provides sign language captioning over Disney+ videos. It puts a small box with a sign language interpreter in the corner of the screen while the movie plays—a surprisingly simple solution to the problem of kids not being able to hear or read captions.

“I think accessibility is so important, in general, and this seems like quite a basic need,” Satow told Sag Harbor Express. “So many comments have been, ‘I can’t believe this didn’t exist before,’ which is surprising, I thought, because it is so needed.”

Tesimonials on the SignUp website speak to how much this app means to deaf kids and their parents.

“We watched ‘Moana’ on Thursday night, with the SignUp interpreter on. My six-year-old daughter’s face was priceless. She LOVED it. She’s not reading yet, so captions don’t mean anything. It was the first time she’s had full access to a movie. Thank you thank you!!” — Karli H.

“SignUp is simply amazing. My son was born deaf and until recently, captions did nothing for him. He is only 8, so often captions are still way too fast. SignUp provides full access to movies he loves and now he loves them even more! We are so thrilled to finally have full access! This is true equality!” — Jarod Mills

“Thank you so much for developing SignUp! My daughter is Deaf, and can’t read, and this provides her with the ability to enjoy movies via her native language of ASL.” — Will B.

The brilliant story of Mariella Satow, Rugby School pupil, who has launched a Chrome extension that allows deaf children to enjoy sign language interpretation on Disney films @RugbySchool1567 nhttps://buff.ly/3hN4hFIu00a0pic.twitter.com/SXUEg3iyxz

— International School Magazine (@IntSchoolMag)
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“The most meaningful comments are when it’s the first time a child has had full access to a movie,” Satow told the BBC. “The numbers don’t really matter, it’s the messages.”

Right now, the app is only available for a handful of Disney+ videos. Satow thought the site was a good place to start to have the most impact for kids, but she now has requests to add hundreds more films to the app and is planning a British Sign Language version of the app.

“There are more than 300 sign languages used worldwide, so it’ll take a long time to get all of those versions out,” she said.

Here’s how to get the extension and use it to launch signing captions:

Satow has been sustaining SignUp as a free app with her dog-walking money, but the site has reached a point where more resources are needed for advertising and expanding to other platforms such as Netflix and Hulu. She launched a GoFundMe, which you can find here. (As of this writing, she had raised $3500 of the $10,000 she hopes to raise. Let’s support her and get that up a bit, shall we?)

Satow is surprised but thrilled with the reception SignUp has gotten.

“I’m glad I could fill the gap in the small way I can,” Satow told Sag Harbor Express. “I hope it sparks a movement of ASL captioning on everything.”

What an awesome example of seeing a need and taking the initiative to meet it. Well done, Ms. Satow.

Hughie Campbell, arguably more than anyone else, goes through a lot on The Boys. From the very first episode‘s opening moments, we witness his trauma, and it’s so visceral that one wonders how actor Jack Quaid was able to get through the scene without losing it. Because the sight of him covered in fake blood and holding a pair of disembodied hands is almost too much, and now, I cannot stop imagining him laughing his butt off while shooting the scene. Why? Because The Boys Twitter account has exposed Quaid as a guy who cannot keep it together while attempting to film very serious moments.

“Wow, @jackquaid92 takes his job WAY too seriously,” wrote the smarta** (hi!) who’s running The Boys account. From there, we’re treated to two minutes of takes where Erin Moriarty (as Annie January/Starlight) and Karl Urban (as Billy Butcher) as they try to get through the scene where Hughie’s supposedly unconscious and Butcher’s declaring, “Every morning, he slaters his bum with creamy Desitin.” The not-so-subtle implication, of course, is that Hughie’s got some adult diaper rash, and for the life of him, Quaid can’t get through this scene.

From there, the speculation can begin. Naturally, one can assume that the infamous “Whale” sequence, which left Hughie shell-shocked inside of a giant, bloody mammal carcass, probably took forever to complete. And let’s not get started on the “Herogasm” episode that’s forthcoming and can’t get here soon enough.

The Boys Season 3 should have a release date… soon? Fingers crossed.

Earl Watson, who played for 13 years in the NBA before becoming the Phoenix Suns head coach in 2016 for just over a season, was one of the main sources in ESPN’s detailed report in alleged racist and misogynistic behavior from Suns owner Robert Sarver.

The report has led to plenty of questions about the Suns organizational culture and sparked an NBA investigation into the matter, with some wondering if Sarver could be removed as owner similarly to Donald Sterling from the Clippers. Watson was one of 70 people interviewed for the story, but was among the few that were willing to speak on the record with their name attached.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening after the story’s publication, Watson appreciated those who came forward to speak out about Sarver and the culture in Phoenix, and said he will have more to say later but would prefer not to speak on it constantly.

“I am not interested in engaging in an ongoing battle of fact. Instead, I want to applaud the courage of the numerous players, executives, and staffers for fighting toxic environments of racial insensitivity, sexual harassment, and micro-aggressions with their truth. Basketball and 17 years in the NBA has allowed me financial privilege to speak my truth, but we can’t forget about those who must remain silent for fear of losing their jobs,” he continued. “While our fortitude assists with progress, there is still more work to be done in the name of equality, and I believe that one of the strengths of our league is its ongoing commitment to justice. This has been a traumatic experience, one that has affected my profoundly, and I am not willing to relive it every day. But I will not forget it, and I will address it more fulsomely at a point in the future when I feel ready.”

Watson was with the Suns organization as a coach from 2015-2017, first as an assistant and then as head coach. In an 2018 interview with Yahoo!, he said that his dismissal by the Suns was ‘bigger than basketball’, but the ESPN story is the first time Watson’s allegations against Sarver have been made public. Watson is now an assistant with the Toronto Raptors.

I feel like the phrase “bucket list” gets thrown around way too much these days. To the point where it almost loses its cachet. When everything is a bucket list experience is anything actually a bucket list experience?

But even in the world of seemingly endless “Insta-worthy” locations, some truly stand out. For me, Cloud Camp is absolutely one of those.

In simplest terms, Cloud Camp is a luxury adult summer camp. An oasis at above 9,200 ft of elevation, you truly feel as if you are sleeping in the clouds. If the clouds had five star dining, cedar hot tubs, and unlimited drinks, that is. And that’s just the beginning.

Let’s break down why this hotel should be on your bucket list.

Why It’s Awesome:

Cloud Camp is truly one of a kind. Situated over 3,000 ft above Colorado Springs in the Rocky Mountains, it is at once secluded and accessible. After checking in at the main Broadmoor property you are whisked away in an Escalade up 16 switchbacks (through the renowned Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and past the Will Rogers Shrine) on a private road to your home above the clouds.

The thing I love most about staying at Cloud Camp is that it truly is exclusive — the only people who can ever access the property are the guests and staff. It has the amenities of a five star resort with the charm of a mountain getaway. Just my style.

In House Food and Drink:

There aren’t any bars or restaurants at Cloud Camp per se, but the food and drink options are some of the most memorable parts of a stay. Cloud Camp is small and all inclusive — with five star dining and service at every meal. Breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks are at your leisure while the multi-course dinner is served at the dreamy long table in the grand lodge.

I was hesitant at first about the group dinner as a solo traveler, but it quickly became one of my favorite parts of the experience. It’s the perfect place to meet new interesting people (just remember the altitude and don’t get too sloshed, because you will be seeing them the next day).

Amenities/Activities:

• Hiking
• Horseshoes
• Pickleball
• Lawn Games
• Crafts
• Archery Instruction
• Disc Golf
• Hot Tubs
• Bird Watching
• Stargazing
• Board Games
• Mule Rides
• Social Hours

Room Types:

There are a variety of room types at Cloud Camp — from lodge rooms to cabins to the ultimate bucket list experience: the fire tower suite. I was lucky enough to snag the fire tower suite on my first visit to Cloud Camp and it was unequivocally the most amazing stay I have ever experienced. Situated 145 steps above the main lodge, the fire tower suite has a private cedar hot tub that is carved into the foundation, and boasts two levels of living space — the bedroom and bathroom on one level and an observation deck/office on the top. There are wraparound windows and decks that provide 360 views into the Rocky Mountains and down into Colorado Springs.

Best Things to Do/Eat/Drink Within a 10 Minute Walk:

Cloud Camp is literally on the top of a mountain only accessible by private shuttle, hiking, or mules. But while that may seem like it would limit your options, it’s actually the exact opposite. There are several hiking trails that originate from the main lodge area, two cedar hot tubs that overlook the mountain vistas, a pickleball court (the 2nd highest in elevation of its kind in the country), mule rides, hammocks, archery, yoga and even cooking classes and crafts.

Remember what I said about adult summer camp? It’s starting to ring true, right?

Before you arrive a concierge connects with you to create an itinerary of activities or you can book them when you arrive. You can also cancel them all and just relax in the crisp mountain air with a glass of wine. There is no pressure here, which makes everything that much sweeter.

Best Things to Do/Eat/Drink Within a $20 Cab Ride:

You can’t take a cab from Cloud Camp, but if you are staying multiple days you aren’t exactly stuck on the mountain. You can arrange shuttles down to Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor Resort to golf at one of their three world renowned courses, dine at one of the eighteen in house restaurants, enjoy the spa or one of the other wilderness excursions (including a zip line course, falconry program, and fly fishing).

You can also spend some time exploring some of the most beautiful scenery in the country down below the mountain. It is just minutes fromGarden of the Gods park, and the cog railway up Pikes Peak.

Bed Game:

I don’t know if it was waking up for sunrise at 9,200 ft or the bed itself I was waking up on — but I had some of my best nights of sleep ever at Cloud Camp. The Broadmoor is known for luxury — it is rated as the number one hotel in Colorado and the sixth best resort in the United States — and that is apparent even in the more rustic cabins at Cloud Camp.

There is an attention to detail that is unmatched and it definitely extends to the beds, pillows, and linens.

Score: 10/10

Sexiness Rating:

Cloud Camp is definitely sexy (especially the fire tower suite), but the overall vibe to me is definitely more relaxed. Despite my dream of adult summer camp there are occasionally families who book a cabin so it’s not some sort of hedonistic playground in the sky.

Score: 8/10

Instagrammability:

When I post photos of Cloud Camp on Instagram I’m always surprised by how many people have never seen or heard of it. Because it is basically an Instagrammers dream. Everywhere you look is another sweeping Rocky Mountain vista ready to take your breath away. From the hot tubs seemingly in the middle of nowhere at over 9,000 ft. to the free flowing wine on the terrace overlooking the city lights — its view after view after view.

Score: 10/10

Best Season to Visit:

Due to the elevation, Cloud Camp is open seasonally, generally April through November. I have only visited in the fall, and I have to recommend it. There are cooler temps and the aspens put on a beautiful show turning from green to gold. But at the extremely high elevation, there will always be weather-related surprises — so you do have to prepare for anything, especially in the shoulder seasons.

If I Had to Complain About One Thing:

It’s only open seasonally. I would love to visit in the winter after a fresh snow and warm up by the fire. It’s also fairly expensive, but you get a lot — lodging, transportation, activities, food and drinks (even tips!) — are all included on the bill. When you consider the cost for two people it is more than fair, but for one it could be a stretch.

Definitely a spot for a special occasion planned further in advance.

Book Here:

Cloud Camp is booking for next season here. It fills up fast so make your plans now.

Room Rate: $950-$1200/ night, all-inclusive.

Instagram Images Taken at Cloud Camp:

If you haven’t kept up with the latest QAnon shenanigans, well, no one could blame you. They’re a very active bunch, and it’s hard to keep up, but let’s talk about the latest mess. Earlier this week, those cultists gathered in downtown Dallas, where they were convinced that JFK Jr. (who died in a 1999 plane crash) was going to show up and proclaim himself a Trump follower and a VP candidate for the Trump-Kennedy 2024 ticket. I mean, sure. No one can talk any sense into anyone who actually believes that, but of course, JFK Jr. did not materialize on the scene.

Not to be deterred, the QAnon followers decided that JFK Jr. would instead surface at a Rolling Stones concert in Dallas. Well, that did not happen either, but they’re not giving up. Instead, they’ve hatched more theories as relayed by the Rolling Stone publication, and somehow, these thoughts are growing ever more outlandish. All of the Dealey Plaza-gathered crowd declared that they didn’t believe that NASA’s sent anyone to the moon, and then someone whipped out a claim that MyPillow guy Mike Lindell is truly JFK Jr. in disguise. No, really:

[M]ultiple attendees at the Dealey Plaza gathering described their beliefs that various dead celebrities were secretly alive, either in a form of witness protection or living out their lives in sophisticated disguises. “Mike Lindell is actually JFK Jr. in a mask,” said a man named Greg, who said he was a military veteran. “They’re extremely sophisticated.”

These people seem fixated on JFK Jr. in particular, given that they’ve been expecting him to show up since July 4, 2019. And then came a transcript from a followup Telegram chat, in which members speculated that the Stones’ decision to play (their very popular classic song) “Sympathy for the Devil” was a signal, since the lyrics include, “I shouted out, who killed the Kennedys?/ When after all, it was you and me.”

Hmm, that really makes you think… something. Then there’s speculation that Mick Jagger looked “healthy” because he and Richards were “using ‘adrenochrome’ to stay virile, building on years of conspiratorial speculation about their ability to stay healthy despite their lifetime of libertine antics and hard drug use.” And that’s somehow tied to the long-running QAnon theory that “is basically a reformed version of the century-old anti-semitic ‘blood libel’ theory.” In other words, they’ve launched a conspiracy theory that certain rock stars “harvest their essential body fluids” from children.

Yikes. How do these cultists have so much energy? Someone needs to make up a conspiracy theory about that.

(Via Rolling Stone)

When you take a deep breath, it’s good to know what you’re breathing in. If living in the wildfire West has taught me anything, it’s that you can’t always rely on your nose to know how clean the air is. On really bad Air Quality Index (AQI) days, we see and smell smoke, but the AQI can still be unhealthy even if the air seems clear.

A new ProPublica analysis of data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that some of us may be living in places with toxic air pollution from industrial chemicals and not know it. Air polluted with hazardous chemicals can cause various kinds of cancer, but until now it wasn’t simple to see what your own household risk was.

With ProPublica’s interactive, neighborhood-level map, now you can.

And you might want to—especially if you live in Texas, which apparently has a quarter of the 20 hot spots with the highest excess cancer risk. Nothing like getting rid of those pesky environmental regulations, eh?

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As explained in ProPublica’s article about the first-of-its-kind map:

“At the map’s intimate scale, it’s possible to see up close how a massive chemical plant near a high school in Port Neches, Texas, laces the air with benzene, an aromatic gas that can cause leukemia. Or how a manufacturing facility in New Castle, Delaware, for years blanketed a day care playground with ethylene oxide, a highly toxic chemical that can lead to lymphoma and breast cancer. Our analysis found that ethylene oxide is the biggest contributor to excess industrial cancer risk from air pollutants nationwide. Corporations across the United States, but especially in Texas and Louisiana, manufacture the colorless, odorless gas, which lingers in the air for months and is highly mutagenic, meaning it can alter DNA.”

Yeah. Not great.

Also not great is how people of color are more affected by toxic air pollution. ProPublica shared these statistics: “Census tracts where the majority of residents are people of color experience about 40% more cancer-causing industrial air pollution on average than tracts where the residents are mostly white. In predominantly Black census tracts, the estimated cancer risk from toxic air pollution is more than double that of majority-white tracts.”

After reviewing the map, Wayne Davis, an environmental scientist formerly with the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, told ProPublica, “The public is going to learn that EPA allows a hell of a lot of pollution to occur that the public does not think is occurring.”

Most people’s air is within a safe range, but there are certain hot spots near industrial plants where cancer risk is many times higher than what the EPA deems acceptable. The EPA examines air pollution from certain types of facilities and industries in isolation, not taking into consideration how hazardous air might compound in a cluster of hot spots and put the people living near them at much higher risk.

Matthew Tejada, director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, told ProPublica it would take “working back through 50 years of environmental regulation in the United States, and unpacking and untying a whole series of knots” to address these high-risk hot spots.

The whole ProPublica report, which you can find here, is worth a read. You can access the interactive map here. (Scroll down a bit to find the bar to enter your city, zip code or street address.)

Dogs are keen observers of the human condition. They can become very attuned to our daily behaviors and have the ability to recognize our facial expressions. A dog’s amazing sense of smell also gives them a unique window into our health and emotions.

A dog’s sense of smell is up to 10,000 times more sensitive than a human’s. That gives them the ability to notice if we are ill by recognizing the changes in our body chemistry. They can also tell if we’re depressed by noticing changes in our feel-good hormone levels.

That’s why dogs are known for nuzzling up to people when they feel down.

A pair of dogs in England’s ability to know when something was wrong with their owner may have saved his life.

A 71-year-old man was walking his two dogs, a golden retriever and a black labrador, on Saturday when he became unconscious and collapsed. The man and the dogs were hiking through Braithwaite How, a mountain summit in the Cockermouth to Newlands region in the northern part of the country.

Braithwaite How has an elevation of 564 feet.

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After their owner fell to the ground, the two dogs broke up into a rescue team. The black labrador ran down the trail and found a hiker who had walked past them a few minutes before. The labrador barked and motioned for the woman to follow it down the trail.

While one dog was out getting help, the loyal golden retriever stayed by the man’s side to protect him and keep him company. How’s that for teamwork?

When the woman found the man, the golden retriever was right by his side. She then called the emergency number, 999, for assistance.

The dispatcher summoned the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team who sent out a team of 12 people. By the time they arrived, the man had regained consciousness and felt well enough to walk down the hill into an awaiting ambulance. He was then taken to the hospital for further checks.

The rescue team had to be amazed that his dogs were able to coordinate a two-dog rescue plan to keep him safe. They thanked them for their bravery on Facebook.

“Many thanks to the passing walker and the amazing dogs,” the rescue team wrote.

The man who collapsed did a good job in picking the right dogs to accompany him on a hike. Labradors are known to be one of the smartest dog breeds and the golden retriever, among the most loyal.

The smart labrador knew to run and find another human to help and the loyal golden retriever stayed by his side the whole time.

Let’s hope that both dogs got a bowl full of treats when they got home that night because they are a wonderful example of why dogs are known as “man’s best friend.”