Most Americans know by now that Joe Biden has worked hard to overcome a stutter he’s had his whole life. His story of success, living a life of public service as a senator, vice president and now president of the United States, has inspired many who struggle to get their words to come out the way they want them to.
A video of Biden talking to a little girl who stutters has gone viral on Twitter, with people praising the president for his kindness and decency. Rufus Gifford, who shared the video, wrote, “My amazing niece and goddaughter Avery has struggled with a stutter much of her life. She was just told by a guy who knows a little something about it that she can be anything she wants to in this world. A day she will never ever forget. Thank you sir.”
In the clip, Biden tells Avery, “That’s all you have to do, and it’ll go away, I promise. You just keep at it.”
“Thank you,” the girl says as she gives the president a hug.
My amazing niece and goddaughter Avery has struggled with a stutter much of her life.nnShe was just told by a guy who knows a little something about it that she can be anything she wants to in this world. nnA day she will never ever forget. nnThank you sir. pic.twitter.com/RDP5Y0FfTa
Biden then invites Avery and her family to the White House, which Avery is clearly thrilled about.
This is not the first time we’ve seen President Biden inspire a kid who stutters. During the 2020 presidential race, Joe Biden met a 13-year-old from New Hampshire on the campaign trail. Brayden Harrington struggled with a stutter and the two bonded over it when they met.
“Don’t let it define you,” Biden told him. “You are smart as hell.”
Brayden ended up writing and delivering a speech endorsing Biden at the Democratic National Convention and also recited a portion of a John F. Kennedy address for Biden’s presidential inauguration.
To go from worrying about stuttering to giving two speeches in front of millions in a matter of months is incredibly impressive. That’s the power of encouragement and inspiration.
“I’m just a regular kid, and in a short amount of time, Joe Biden made me more confident about something that’s bothered me my whole life,” Brayden said in his DNC speech. “Joe Biden cared.”
In 2015, when he was serving as vice president, Biden gave a speech on stuttering at the American Institute for Stuttering. He explained how, as a child, he would recite passages from Yeats and Emerson in the mirror and practice controlling his face and speech. He described how his mother encouraged him to not let his stutter define him. And he shared how having a stutter made him a more compassionate person.
“I learned so much from having to deal with stuttering,” he said. “It gave me insight into other people’s pain, other people’s suffering. It made me understand that everyone—everyone—has something they’re fighting to overcome, and sometimes trying to hide.”
Presidents have power and influence that goes far beyond politics. Thank you, President Biden, for showing others who stutter that their struggles don’t define them and that they definitely don’t have to hold them back.
Of the abuses Donald Trump heaped upon the American people over his four years in office, Melania’s Christmas decorations rank low on the totem pole. They were more of a punching bag than a cause for concern, an annual chance for people to do some therapeutic holiday dragging. There were the blood-red trees, which many thought looked suspiciously/unnervingly like The Handmaid’s Tale. Last year, her final stint, people were making jokes even before the tree was dragged into the White House.
So when the current First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, unveiled her perfectly adequate, more traditional decorations, which didn’t make people feel like they’d stumbled into an unhappy person’s darkest nightmare, there was much rejoicing.
First lady Dr. Jill Biden unveils this year’s theme for the White House Christmas decorations is “Gifts from the Heart,” which she says is inspired by “the acts of kindness and experiences that lifted our spirits this year.” https://t.co/33aOB8i4rApic.twitter.com/rIkaZeX0HZ
Trees in state dining room decorated with old photos of first families. Stockings on fireplace have names of Biden grandkids pic.twitter.com/pkFjrAPyhy
Dr. Biden, unlike Melania, really loves Christmas. She also wanted her maiden voyage decking the White House halls to reflect what she’s learned from the American people. The year’s theme is “Gifts From the Heart,” and she even went so far as to write a commemorative guidebook explaining her methodology.
“The things we hold sacred unite us and transcend distance, time, and even the constraints of a pandemic: faith, family, and friendship; a love of the arts, learning, and nature; gratitude, service, and community; unity and peace,” Biden wrote. “These are the gifts that tie together the heart strings of our lives. These are the gifts from the heart.”
So there are gingerbread houses, and photos of loved ones, and stockings above the fireplace, and it’s all very nice. But people are focusing more on the absence of Melania.
After four years, thanks to First Lady Jill Biden, a normal, happy Christmas returns to the White House. It’s the end of Melania Trump’s dark, dystopian Christmases of “I’m working my a** off on Christmas stuff. Who gives a f**k about Christmas?”. pic.twitter.com/t5NobsOeQS
BREAKING: Jill Biden brings back a “normal Christmas” by welcoming the official White House Christmas Tree after Melania Trump turned the White House into a “dark, dystopian” landscape & asked, “Who gives a f*ck about Christmas?” RT IF YOU’RE GLAD TO HAVE A REAL FIRST LADY AGAIN!
The Trump era was one of constant anxiety and unexpected, even inventively surreal destructions of norms. Joe Biden effectively ran on restoring order and sanity, and his wife is following suit. But if you’re fearing that one day, in a few years hence, Donald Trump could return, then Melania is probably right there with you.
The Golden State Warriors are off to a flying start in 2021-22, posting the NBA’s best record at 18-2 and dominating on both ends. With Stephen Curry operating at an MVP level and Draymond Green anchoring what has been the league’s top defense through 20 games, the Warriors are clearly giving off fun vibes again, and Golden State has a prime time showdown against the similarly hot Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. In advance of that high-profile tilt, Curry chatted with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports and, in the midst of a highly intriguing discussion, he explained why the Warriors not making the NBA’s Orlando Bubble in 2020 was his “lowest point” of a trying two-year period.
“Watching the bubble was the lowest point of those two years,” Curry told Haynes. “There was a part of me that felt it was nice to get refreshed, and a part of me really missed playing on that stage. That was the first time in seven years of not being in the playoffs. We know each player had their own experiences in the bubble, but I would have loved to have been there competing. I would say that was the lowest point in terms of my basketball experience because I felt so far away from it. This is what I love to do.”
Curry later said that he is “used to performing in certain times of the year,” and that likely contributed to some of it, especially as he watched his contemporaries vying for a title. From there, Curry said it was hard “because we know what it’s like to prepare for the playoffs and into a championship chase and how much fun that is,” and noted that was the “motivation (he) needed.”
It should be noted that it wasn’t as if the Warriors set the league ablaze in 2020-21, but Golden State did mount a much better performance and came on very strong down the stretch of the campaign. That may have set the stage for the “beautiful game” basketball that Steve Kerr’s team is exhibiting in the early going, and the Warriors might be even scarier in the near future if Klay Thompson can return at anything approaching pre-injury levels. It certainly makes sense that Curry generated motivation from not being in the Bubble environment, but this was a particularly interesting revelation in that the absence really seemed to hit him hard and also instill a renewed drive.
Though Mary J. Blige‘s last album, Strength Of A Woman, only came out four years ago, in 2017, she’s already ready to blow fans minds with a whole new record. That album might’ve had a Kanye verse, and Blige went on to get nominated and perform at The Oscars the following year, she’s still convinced that her new material is going throw fans for a loop. During a recent appearance on Tamron Hall, the legendary R&B star opened up about some of what she went through, a very public divorce included, that inspired this next project.
“Wait till you hear it, it’s gonna blow everybody’s mind,” Blige said. “And it’s because it’s something I had to do, and something I had to say when I was in my darkest, darkest moments in that life, to build myself up to this person that I can see and accept my nose, accept my eyes, accept my cheeks, accept all the things that I used to hate. When I wake up with no hair and makeup, I’m accepting that chick that goes to the bathroom and I like her. I hang out with myself a lot. I’m my own best friend.”
There is no gift more valuable than the gift of health, especially in this day and age. Giving those we love the tools to lead healthier lives, while bringing a little fun to the process, is what we call a win-win. Not only that, but the endorphins released can make them genuinely happier and not just on one day of the year.
Below you’ll find a list of gift picks — from dynamic training tech to state-of-the-art recovery modalities — that are perfect for the wellness and health-focused man in your life. They span all price ranges, because when you’re talking about a change of lifestyle, no amount is too small or big. Sure, companies can sometimes overpromise, but here they deliver and we’ll explain why. Each and every item has been properly road-tested by the crew here at Uproxx.
Check out the game-changing gear below. You might just decide to treat yourself to an item or two as you shop.
Men’s UA Tac Blackout 2.0 Gloves
Courtesy
Price: $23
The Company Line:
Built to keep you focused on the job, not your hands. They’re light, tough, and give you both the right protection and the right freedom of movement. Tech Touch print on thumbs and fingers allows you to use touch screen devices without taking your gloves off.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
For those looking to elevate their bodyweight training outdoors, these are a must-have. Not only do they provide warmth for the chillier days ahead, but they are also a great way to improve your grip for pull-ups and chin-ups. The gloves are durable enough to be used for grabbing onto anything for weight — like rocks or bars — and breathable enough to keep your hands cool.
The special fabric on the fingerprints allows you to find your next jam on Spotify without having to remove your handwear.
PowerBlocks are adjustable dumbbells that are simple to use. To change weights, remove the pin, select the rail with the corresponding weight chart, then insert the pin completely into the desired slot. That’s it, you’re ready to lift.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
Dumbbells have been in short supply over the past years, and for those living in apartments so is space. No matter what kind of room you are working with, a pair of these can go a long way in filling out any strength training at home. They have 16 different settings and come with up to 825 pounds of weight — ample for any person trying to up their game.
Onnit Brand Kettlebells are made with a high-quality, chip-resistant coating that’s strong enough to endure your most punishing workouts. Kettlebell training combines explosive strength with muscular endurance to provide an efficient and athletically optimized full-body workout.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
Based in Austin, Onnit first became known for its impressive social media presence, but for those in the know, they are also on the cutting-edge of physical performance. That is why some of the most impressive athletes in the world go to work out there, and their trainers are often called-on experts in their fields. Their gear is well-regarded in the industry, especially their kettlebells. The primate editions are the most recognized, but they have also had some huge collaborations with Marvel and Disney that are always quick to sell out.
Get a total body, low impact workout in, wherever you are. Complete with varying levels of short and long Looped Resistance Bands, a Door Anchor, and 2 Carabiners. the TB12 Full Body Band Kit combines everything you need to gear up for total body training.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
Resistance bands are an effective addition to any at-home gym roster. This set is top-notch, perfect for a full-body session or even as an added element to any free-weight routine. Not to mention that it is produced by the company of one of the most impressive athletes in the world. NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
The group also comes with a great bag that you can use to take it on the road when the hotel gym is lacking.
Oura translates your body signals and daily habits into actionable insights you can use to stay active and improve your overall health, and monitors your heart rate around the clock. Oura also helps you optimize your bedtime and provides insights to gradually improve your sleep.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
There are a lot of great fitness trackers on the market, but for those looking to keep their wrists free, Oura is the way to go. Not only does it provide you with all of the wellness insights that you could require but it is easy to forget that you are even wearing it. What you won’t want to forget is the information that will be at your beck and call on your phone, aiding your ability to live a healthy life.
The Hypervolt Go was designed to move with you. It gives you portable percussion massage in a perfectly light and powerfully small package so you can take it to the gym, on the road, and everywhere in between. Get the muscle relief you need so you can keep going. And then go again.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
The massage gun has become a fixture in modern-day recovery, but most of the units can be a little bulky or heavy to bring on the road. The beauty of these smaller pieces is that they can bring their deep muscle massaging relief wherever your active life takes you. They also come with Hyperice’s patented QuietGlide technology that keeps the process as relaxing as possible.
Recoup set out to create the most durable, longest-lasting cold massage roller solving the problems of ice cups, lacrosse balls and foam rollers. The ball is a little larger than a baseball, made from stainless steel and filled with nontoxic cooling gel. Recoup’s Cryosphere handle allows for the ball to free-roll for controlled recovery. On top of the handle is a rubber layer for optimal grip.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
The benefits of cryotherapy and cooling are well known, yet finding at-home ways to unlock them without using a bunch of melting ice and ice bags. In addition to the cold therapy, the sphere also makes for a useful massager. The ball is ready for use after just two hours spent in the freezer, which is more than can be said for most ice packs.
The piece is not only practical in that sense but also a pleasant respite after a hard session.
Lumen is the world’s first hand-held, portable device to accurately measure metabolism. Once available only to top athletes, in hospitals and clinics, metabolic testing is now available to everyone. Lumen is scientifically proven to meet the gold standard of metabolism measurement (RER) in multiple validation studies.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
This little item is a useful piece of technology that the majority of people in your life probably haven’t heard about yet. Getting metabolic data used to be a big undertaking, but the Lumen crew have endeavored to make it easily accessible to anyone. This piece helps you learn how you are burning fat and carbs based on a little breathe into their device. This information is delivered through your phone, so that you can use it to improve your eating habits and sleep patterns.
The Hydrow rowing machine combines design-forward beauty with innovative technology. Its electromagnetic, computer-controlled drag system creates the ultra-smooth feel of being on the water. Its patented, one-of-a-kind components separate Hydrow from the rest, putting it at the pinnacle of in-home fitness.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
Rowing is one of the most effective full-body workouts in the world and a great way to challenge your cardio with little impact on the body. For those who have been in a canoe on the river before, it is also quite fun and easy to develop a rhythm for those wishing to make a longer effort. This particular brand also has a variety of video content to partner with its machine’s 22-inch HD screen, so those at home can enjoy visual motivation.
Forget plates, barbells, and bands. Tonal uses a revolutionary dynamic weight system that adjusts to your every move, delivering personalized workouts to help you be your strongest self. Get detailed performance analytics that tracks your strength by body part to help you reach your goals faster.
Why They’re Great Gifts:
The cutting-edge electromagnetic technology has the ability to simulate up to 200 pounds of weight, 100 pounds for each arm. The unassuming and sleek design is perfect for those looking for an at-home solution that takes little space mounted on the wall, while also giving one hell of a workout.
As usual, there’s no one better at putting the most important things into words than Frank, so I’ll let his words speak on their own.
“In 2018 I believe it was I called V and asked him how it was possible to play hundreds of shows a year and do numerous fashion collections a year and be a father and a husband and return EVERYONE’s texts with enthusiasm and emojis and encouragement and seemingly with ease. I cannot remember how he responded verbatim but I’m sure it was quotable what ever he said… he was always quotable. But the gist of his response was that he was interested in living and living to the maximum extent of his level … which proved to be impossible today because he was BEYOND.
I’ll miss you. When Ryan went to his prom you got him some pieces from your new collection at LV and he was GEEKED. Couldn’t get him to take it off. When I went to Miami and you played a set on the beach in 2016 you played “White Ferrari” — a song with no drums or bass anywhere to be found lol — and started a sing a long. When I played you demos of shit I was working on or showed you Homer way before it was ready you put the battery in my back. When my brother passed I never said anything because it was way too much but he loved you and really looked up to you. He was going to fashion school and everything. He wanted to be a designer. My family was proud of you like you were our family. I know grief is love that you don’t get to express so this is an attempt at expressing it. Love you V. You’re a hero.”
Check out the post from the @blonded Instagram story below:
Kurt Sutter has created three hit shows over his career, and they all involve guns: The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, and the latter’s spin-off, Mayans M.C. He says they’ve all “had guns in almost every scene, but we never had an incident.” So while speaking to Deadline about inking a deal with Netflix to create The Abandons, a Western, he was inevitably asked about the tragic accidental shooting on the set of Rust, where star Alec Baldwin unwittingly fired a live round, wounding director Joel Souza and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. And Sutter had some thoughts.
Asked about the presence of live rounds, Sutter went off. “That’s idiocy,” he said. “That is people that who don’t give a f*ck and yeah, are using the weapons to shoot tin cans or shoot rats, and that behavior.” (He was alluding to reports that crew members had used the prop guns that later killed Hutchins for target practice during downtime.)
Sutter was even surprised to learn about how the incident happened. “The fact that it was live ammo never even entered my mind until it came out in the press,” he told Deadline. “I couldn’t even wrap my brain around the fact that there was live ammo, in the vicinity of a set, right? That’s just negligence, people not paying attention or not having people who know what the protocol is and aren’t checking. That creates the perfect storm.”
Sutter doesn’t know exactly what happened on set that day, and an investigation is still underway. But he has some theories:
“My sense, from listening to the information that’s coming in, the letting go of union crew, and bringing on non-union crew, that those safety protocols were not met. You didn’t have people that either knew about them or thought they were important, right? Because, experientially, they didn’t know. Now, whose fault is that? Is it the producer’s fault? Is it the director’s fault? I don’t know where the blame lands, but to me, that’s the hole, right?”
Elsewhere in the interview, Sutter says he’s fine with the industry switching entirely to rubber guns, saying “you can do so much with CG now” to make them look real on-screen. As for how his sets have avoided similar incidents, the short version is: by following protocol and not cutting corners:
“Whatever the potential danger is, you have to have those protocols around, and it always has to be about how do we keep everybody safe? Look, we’ve seen the tragedy that comes with, f*ck it, just get the shot. We see the tragedy of that attitude, time and time and time and time again. It’s great to get the shot, but it’s not about the shot. It’s about the filmmaking experience and about the production. Maybe I’m oversensitive to it because of the world I live in, and it is a violent world, but you have to be hyper-vigilant about putting that safety first, and that can never be the f*cking corner you cut.”
Due to lockdowns last year, lots of musicians got creative with ways to entertain at-home fans (and themselves) since they couldn’t go perform or tour. One such way was Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin combining forces for the “Hanukkah Session,” where they covered other songs from Jewish artists to celebrate the eight days of the Jewish holiday. Well, though 2021 is a little more open than 2020, looks like the pair are back it again.
Yesterday, they released a hilarious cover of Lisa Loeb’s iconic “Stay,” which alternated between shots of Grohl in a dress doing a full Loeb impression and a metal/hardcore take on the song. Surprisingly, the hardcore version of “Stay” really worked! Today, however, they’ve switched gears and are covering another iconic band, The Ramones. Doing one of the band’s best-known songs, the short but sweet “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Grohl and Kurstin offered up a faithful rendition with Grohl on drums and vocals, and Kurstin holding it down on both guitar and keyboard.
“Once upon a time, two nice Jewish boys from Queens named Jeffery Hyman and Thomas Erdelyi changed the world forever with their music….. as Joey and Tommy Ramone!” they captioned the straightforward cover on their Youtube page. Check it out above, and keep in mind six more covers will be heading your way before the end of Hanukkah.
If morbid (like, actually morbid) curiosity has you itching to watch a real-life version of Netflix’s hit series Squid Game, rest assured you’re not alone. In fact, at least 115 million others feel the same way as you — and better yet, they already have.
Uploaded on November 25, MrBeast’s Squid Game currently rests well over 115 million views and close to 10 million likes on YouTube. The 25-minute long video boasts itself as perfect “real life” version of Netflix’s hit series, with nearly every last game from the series’ immaculately recreated, the same number of contestants (456), and a massive cash prize of $456,000 up for grabs. While that last bit might be a bit less the show’s 45.6 billion, one of the other key differences between the show and MrBeast’s Squid Game is you don’t die if you lose, so it kind of evens out.
In the video, 456 contestants compete for the half-million-dollar prize, participating in five of the six games made famous by the hyper-violent South Korean drama and a new one created by MrBeast himself. Similar to the show, when a contestant loses the game, they are “eliminated,” though rather than death they face the wrath of a small device is under their shirt that pops and releases fake blood on their signature green tracksuit. However, don’t feel too bad for the losers — the famous YouTuber also shook things up by offering plenty of consolation prizes and even incentives for folks to quit the game early, doling out thousands at the end of nearly each mini-game.
While on the surface the whole project is quite the feat of production and undeniably pretty amazing, perhaps what’s even more impressive is that MrBeast and his team managed to create the entire video — sets and all — in around seven weeks. However, the video has also caused some discontent on the internet after various YouTube creators pointed the video’s quick turnaround, and praised MrBeast’s Squid Game as a glowing example of “the promise of the creator economy” with little regard as to how creating a television show and emulating it for a YouTube video are drastically different from one another.
.@MrBeast Squid Games video: 103M views in 4 days. It took 7 weeks to make.@netflix’s Squid Games series: 111M views in 30 days. It took 10 years (!!) to make.
More views, less time, fewer gatekeepers. That’s the promise of the creator economy. pic.twitter.com/SwDjjNgAqH
In point of fact, @MrBeast‘s video took ten years and seven days to make, at a cost of the budget for the Netflix show plus his own, requiring the combined labor of the entire cast and crew of the show plus everybody who worked on his video.
— Alexandra Erin, PhD, MD, EdD, JD (from UATX) (@AlexandraErin) November 29, 2021
So the promise of the creator economy is that you can spend 10 years of your life making something so that someone else can quickly parody it and get more views so that then someone else can claim the parody was more successful and took less work? Cool cool
Folks have also been quick to note how MrBeast’s recreation of Squid Game for entertainment value is pretty perverse considering the anti-capitalist message of the Netflix series and how it explicitly condemns people who idly watch folks struggle and mercilessly compete for money. However, this is merely the latest in a long string of MrBeast going above and beyond (and spending a hell of a lot of money) all for the sake of content, so it feels safe to say he might not feel quite the same about cash as Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk does. For those craving more Squid Game without the questionable morality, you’ll be pleased to know Hwang has confirmed a second season is on the way.
When you have a plum gig at a major news network and your brother, a big time politician, is involved in sexual misconduct scandals, there may be some conflicts of interest. Such is the case with Chris Cuomo, CNN anchor and brother of disgraced former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in August. Throughout his sibling’s scandal, Chris tried to keep schtum, eventually maintaining that he’d kept his personal and professional lives relatively separate. He claimed he’d been a mere sounding board, there “to listen and to offer my take.” But that’s not exactly true, according to a new report.
A new New York Times piece sifts through some newly released records, and they concluded that Chris Cuomo was very much a part of his brother’s defense team. Starting with the first accusation, from former aide Lindsey Boylan, they sought, as per NYT, to “manipulate the press, discredit his accusers and retain a grip on power that became less and less tenable.”
Chris, who argued “strenuously” against Andrew’s resignation, at least before the investigation concluded, even demanding taking on a bigger role. He reportedly saw himself as a “satellite” of his brother’s “more formal advisers.” He even phoned into strategy meetings, even as he was going on CNN and claiming he was keeping a relative distance from the scandal.
“At one point,” NYT reports, “he even ran down a secondhand tip that another woman accusing the governor of unwanted advances at a wedding was lying. (She was not.)”
He reportedly went further than that:
For example, when Ms. DeRosa was trying to keep tabs in early March on journalists working to uncover stories of harassment, she turned to Chris Cuomo for intelligence.
“On it,” Mr. Cuomo wrote back after one such request. A few days later, Ms. DeRosa wrote to the governor’s brother that she had heard Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker was “getting ready to move” a story. “Can u check your sources?”
He even reportedly used his investigative skills to dig up dirt:
And he used his contacts to try to aid the defense in other ways. After The New York Times reported in early March that the governor had made an unwanted advance on a young woman at a wedding, Chris Cuomo had texted Ms. DeRosa to say, “I have a lead on the wedding girl,” who he believed had been acting maliciously to damage the governor.
The lead turned out to be bunk, he told investigators.
CNN has so far not responded to NYT for comment on their employee’s alleged actions. But it’s worth noting that there’s one person who thought Chris Cuomo aiding his brother was sound journalistic practice: Tucker Carlson.
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