Month: December 2022

Ahhh, yes! The attack squirrel. Every home should have one, or at least, that’s what an Idaho man whose home was protected by his rescue-squirrel-turned-pet might think. Adam Pearl found Joey, his pet squirrel, in his yard, abandoned as a baby and unable to fend for himself. Pearl took him in and bottle-fed him until he was big enough to eat on his own.

The unique pairing continued for 10 months until a man looking to burglarize Pearl’s home got the surprise of a lifetime. He was attacked by the squirrel! The fluffy-tailed critter thwarted the man’s plan to rummage through Pearl’s belongings.

One can only imagine the confusion and terror of being attacked by something that would’ve gently eaten out of Snow White’s hands. The burglar was apparently after the homeowner’s guns and likely wasn’t expecting a squirrel to go, well, nuts on him. It gets even better though.

Joey got so squirrelly with the intruder that the scratches he left behind is what helped identify the guy to the police. Pearl told Idaho News 6 that while the police officer was questioning a suspect “she noticed he had scratches on his hands, so she asked him ‘sir, did you get that from a squirrel?'” According to Pearl, the suspect replied, “Yeah, the damn thing kept attacking me and wouldn’t stop until I left.”

Now, I didn’t know what the preferred special treat is for a squirrel, but according to Pearl it’s the candy Whoppers and Joey got a few extra after his bravery.

Since this story originally aired in 2017, Joey has been released into the wild and Pearl assumes he found a girlfriend and settled down. I like the image of a retired attack squirrel telling his grandchildren about the time he took down a human while they roll their eyes in disbelief. Wherever you are Joey, you sure left an impression on the world.

See the squirrel in question below:

The AIDS epidemic that began in the early ’80s cast a stigma on all men who have sex with men, regardless of their HIV status. The idea that gay and bisexual men were somehow dangerous to the general public because of a health crisis in their community added to the stigmatization that already came with being LGBTQ.

In 1983, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned all men who have sex with men from donating blood. This rule stood until 2015 when the FDA lifted the lifetime ban for gay and bisexual males and limited it to men who had homosexual sex within the past year.

In 2020, the FDA eased restrictions on men who have sex with men again, due to a blood shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The abstinence period was shortened from a year to three months.

u201cTerrific news. The ban on blood donation for gay and bisexual men is atrociously outdated, rooted in bigotry and stereotypes rather than science. Lifting it will increase the nation’s blood supply without putting anyone at risk. https://t.co/Nno83Cmk7qu201d

— Mark Joseph Stern (@Mark Joseph Stern)
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Now, the FDA looks to ease restrictions even further by eliminating bans based on sexuality and instead, focusing on individual risk through questionnaires. On November 30, the FDA released a statement saying it “will likely support a policy transition to individual risk-based donor screening questions for reducing the risk of HIV transmission.”

“The FDA remains committed to gathering the scientific data related to alternative donor deferral policies that maintain a high level of blood safety,” the statement continued. “We anticipate issuing updated draft guidance in the coming months.”

The FDA’s announcement came a day ahead of World AIDS Day. This year’s theme is “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.”

u201cThe FDA is considering easing its restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. KHN’s @celinegounder joins @CBSNews to discuss the likely change and why it’s being considered now.nnWatch the full interview: https://t.co/BlxuMnZIo1u201d

— Kaiser Health News (@Kaiser Health News)
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The statement was well-received by GLAAD, although the organization believes that the FDA has been behind the times on the issue for years.

“While today’s reports of an overdue move from the FDA is an important step, our community and leading medical experts will not stop advocating for the FDA to lift all restrictions against qualified LGBTQ blood donor candidates,” it said in a statement. “As LGBTQ leaders and medical experts have been saying for years: bans and restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men are rooted in stigma, not science. Giving one set of rules to some people, and another set of rules to others, based purely on identity, is blatant discrimination.”

An FDA official told The Wall Street Journal that under the new guidelines, potential donors would be asked if they had anal intercourse with a new sexual partner within the past three months. Those who answer no will be allowed to donate.

Earlier this year, France and Greece lifted their bans on men who have sex with men completely. Greece announced the ban in January and it was applauded by LGBTQ rights groups.

“Lifting this long-lasting ban on blood donation was the least this government had to do,” Irene Petropoulou, chairperson of OLKE, a nongovernmental organization that fights for LGBT+ rights, said, according to Greek Reporter “Of course, it is great news, and we hope the government will pay more attention to other discriminations in the healthcare system and education.”

France made its announcement in January as well.

“Starting on March 16, 2022, all French people, whatever their sexual orientation, will be able to donate blood,” Health Minister Olivier Véra said. “We are ending an inequality that is no longer justified,” he added.

Clearly the funny gene runs in the Sandler family. Comedy aficionado Adam Sandler just proved it after reading an insanely funny acceptance speech, which was allegedly written by his two teenage daughters— Sunny, 14, and Sadie, 16. It was such a savage roast, one is compelled to not doubt the claim.

The event was the prestigious Gotham Awards in New York, where Sandler was set to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award. Michelle Williams and the late Sidney Poitier were also honored, just to give you an idea as to how highbrow this event was.

But did that stop Sandler’s daughter from going all out? It did not. They were hilariously ruthless.

Sandler first explained that his daughters found it “rude” that he was “too f—king tired” to write his own speech, so they would offer their services. Of course, Sandler agreed, since it would be nice to see them “doing something other than watching YouTube or going to f—king Lululemon every f—king weekend.”

Reading the entire thing as his daughters requested—in the “goofy Southern accent you do all your dumb speeches in”—Sandler struggled not to split at the seams.

Full video is below, but the speech starts around the 6:39 mark:

He managed to gracefully thank the “well-dressed dignitaries, highly educated hipsters and various other plus-ones of the Gotham Awards,” but completely lost it after having to say, “It means a lot to him seeing how most of the awards on his trophy shelf are shaped like popcorn buckets, blimps or fake mini-Oscars that say ‘Father of the Year,’ which he sadly purchased himself while wandering in a self-pitying fog through the headshops of Times Square.” Wow. Shots fired!

Things only got more brutal as they reviewed “Daddy’s silly film career,” which apparently was formed by “two guiding principles: people in prison need movies too and TBS needs content.”

Though Sunny and Sadie were bummed to not be there at the awards, they informed the audience that they would be at home enjoying all the things they weren’t normally allowed to do, the most daring activity being to “laugh out loud at Ben Stiller movies.”

“The last time Daddy caught us chuckling away at the ‘Meet the Parents’ trilogy,” they teased, “he immediately stormed into the room he calls ‘The Screaming Room,’ which we just call the shower, and bellowed out the phrase, ‘Only the Sandman makes people laugh! F—k every other comedian!'”

Sandler finally dropped the accent after the speech was complete, but didn’t leave before thanking his wife, whom his daughter thinks is more deserving of a lifetime achievement award for “putting up with daddy and his crazy f—king mood swings all these years.” Sandler concurred.

Sandler’s daughters definitely inherited their father’s uncanny ability to be crass and delightfully charming all at the same time. Even if his movies aren’t your cup of tea, I think we can all agree this was a comedic masterpiece.

The Inside The NBA crew comprised of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Charles Barkley have all but mastered the sports studio show. Like any studio show, they provide insightful commentary on the league and where it’s going, but their comedy separates them from everything else on TV.

The show is just a good hang; it’s a reason to stay up way past midnight for no good reason. So much so that we listed the 10 funniest moments from Inside The NBA. Even comedian Bill Hader, who made his name on Saturday Day Night Live, thinks the show is a riot. Hader appeared on The Steam Room and revealed that other comedians who aren’t even basketball fans share clips of Ernie and the gang.

The Inside crew has a special familial quality to their comedy that makes you feel like you’re in someone else’s living room. They’re the group of kids that would never be allowed to sit next to each other in a classroom. Where else can you hear Shaq, one of the most famous people on the planet, argue that filling your gas tank when it goes to half a tank is cheaper in the long run than letting it go to empty?

It’s a special kind of comedy that can even make the professionals laugh too.

This past October, Drake announced an intimate show at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater in conjunction with a SiriusXM broadcast. It would mark Drake’s first-ever appearance at the Apollo. Originally scheduled for a date in November, the show was delayed following the death of Migos rapper Takeoff, who was a close friend of Drake’s.

In announcing rescheduled dates for December, he announced a second night as well. “The Apollo show has been moved to allow us to pay respect to our dear friend this weekend. We have added a second date for the fans,” he wrote at the time on his Instagram Story. But now, the show is being pushed out a second time. This time because of plain old “production delays.”

“These upcoming shows for SiriusXM are so incredibly special for us,” Drake, SiriusXM, and Sound 42 said in a joint statement as reported by Variety. “If you are going to play the world-famous Apollo Theater, it has to be a world-class production. We as a team have been working around the clock not just putting together a concert but an experience our fans deserve.”

So now the 1,500 capacity shows have been moved to January 21st and 22nd, 2023. Drake and 21 Savage’s joint album, Her Loss, came out on November 4th and these two shows at the Apollo were presumably a sort of album release. We’ll know exactly what the 6God has in store for these rare appearances come early next year.

Nearly a month after Takeoff was shot and killed at 810 Billiard and Bowling Alley in Houston on November 1, Houston police said that they have made an arrest in the case. The delay was due to a lack of evidence and witnesses, which stalled the investigation until today when they revealed that they had arrested the man they believe to be responsible for the shooting: Patrick Xavier Clark. The 33-year-old was taken into custody Thursday evening (December 1) on the east side of Houston without incident, according to ABC News.

The police emphasized that Takeoff was likely an innocent bystander of the shooting and not its intended target. Police say they were able to identify Clark using a “large volume” of video surveillance. “We had to sift through all of that and use physical evidence, and use shooting reconstruction, and confirm a lot of our ballistic evidence,” said a spokesman. “‘What weapons were involved?’ And through that, we were able to deduce that Patrick Clark is the legal shooter in the case. That’s why he’s being charged with murder.” Quavo’s assistant was also injured in the shooting, while another man was arrested for carrying a firearm, but police stressed he was not involved in the murder.

Incidentally, Clark was suspected in another shooting in 2018, when a customer at a nightclub opened fire inside. A 50-year-old man died, but a Harris County grand jury found there wasn’t enough evidence to indict Clark.

What a week it’s been for the Good Morning America audience and scandal watchers alike. Anchors Amy Robach And T.J. Holmes became the subject of reports (after some telling photos surfaced in the Daily Mail) that they’re not only an item but have been that way for a good chunk of the year. The story arrived on a particularly surprising note because, as far as everyone knew, they were happily married, but nope. The pair deactivated their social media accounts, and some resurfaced cringe reared its head. We also heard that T.J.’s wife, Marilee Fiebig, was blindsided by the news. Also a shock: Robach married Andrew Shue of Melrose Place fame.

As the controversy swirled, however, neither Robach nor Holmes missed a day of work. Additionally, PEOPLE relayed word that ABC apparently does not mind the scandal because it’s great for ratings. Will the pair face any disciplinary action behind the scenes, though? According to Entertainment Tonight, it ain’t happening:

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes won’t get in trouble at work for their romantic relationship. Two sources tell ET that the Good Morning America co-anchors will not face disciplinary action because they are two consenting co-workers, who are equals, in a relationship.

While no discipline is forthcoming for the pair, earlier this week a source told ET that their romance is the talk of the ABC offices. “There has still been no word from management addressing their relationship, but that’s all anyone can talk about around the office,” the source said. “When and if they will ever address the elephant in the room, it’s still unclear.”

Yep, these two are equals, so there’s no power imbalance, and they’re both into this relationship, so it makes sense that they’re no trouble at work. At home, however? Given that they new couple reportedly carried on for months while still maintaining their respective marriages, yeah, it’s a good thing that they did leave their partners before this went public. Yikes.

(Via Entertainment Tonight & PEOPLE)

Björk’s 10th album, Fossora, came out in September and the premier avant gardist said she made it for, “People who are making clubs in their living room.” But the song “Sorrowful Soil,” is anything but club music. It’s an enchanting homage to her mother that Björk says is her take on “funeral-music.”

Now in the new video, directed by Viðar Logi, Björk sings from atop an erupting volcano. The Icelandic volcano, Fagradalsfjall, on the Reykjanes peninsula, was dormant for 6,000 years until 2021. It’s an impactful place for Björk to sing the impassioned tune and the visuals are stunning.

Watch the video for “Sorrowful Soil” above and read a statement about the song from Björk below.

“sorrowful soil is a song i wrote from random improvisations .. i kinda thought i was writing another song but then when i edited it i threw away most of the stuff and this is what stood there staring at me.

for me, sorrowful soil and ancestress are the 2 songs on fossora written for my mother … ancestress is my take on funeral-music but sorrowful soil is written 2 years before and mirrors more that last chapter.

at the time i had been working with the fantastic hamrahlid choir and wanted to give them the piece they deserved , and with that intention unknowingly wrote what the conductor þorgerður ingólfsdóttir said was the most difficult piece they ever sang . it has 9 voices, not the usual 4 (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) which took the choir evenings of a whole summer to rehearse, i am so incredibly grateful to them for this sacrifice and you can hear all of it in the recording.

the lyric is an attempt for an eulogy and instead of the dry fact checking: place of birth , job, marriage , i wanted to celebrate the biological data like the fact that most girls are born with 400 eggs … and then in their lifetime they make 2-3 nests…

when my grandfather passed away there was a pamphlet at the hospital advising relatives how to talk to loved ones before they pass away. i loved how it went really generic and universal and said that all of them will give families to-do-lists (dry-cleaning and such).

but also ask if they did well.

the last part of the lyric is following this advice.”

The Dallas Mavericks recently signed Kemba Walker to a non-guaranteed deal to fill their need for a third ball handler after Jalen Brunson’s departure in the offseason. Walker played in just 37 games for the New York Knicks last season before he was traded to Detroit on draft night and subsequently waived by the Pistons during training camp. A lingering knee injury has limited the 4-time All-Star the last few seasons and played a role in Detroit waiving him before the season.

Walker is now healthy and ready to go for Dallas, but Mavericks GM Nico Harrison recently went on a local radio station to express caution about Walker’s knee. Via Mavs Moneyball:

“It’s not good,” Harrison said. “It’s not good at all. But he’s rehabbed it and it’s the best he’s felt in the last two years so, we’ll see how long that lasts.”
…
“Well, it hasn’t been good for a few years,” Harrison clarified. “Even last year, he had 30 point games on it. But it actually feels better now. The reality is, if you look at it, it’s not good, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play on it.”

Dallas doesn’t need Walker to return to his Charlotte form on a nightly basis. Luka Doncic covers all playmaking bases at nearly 37 minutes a game with Spencer Dinwiddie with pitching in where necessary. Still, it’s odd to hear a GM speak so candidly about a player’s health, even if it is the correct assessment.

Sitting at a disappointing 10-11, the Mavericks will take any kind of help to lessen the burden on Doncic. But when it comes to Walker, it sounds like the team knows his knee will be a huge hurdle to overcome.

Netflix has an unfortunate track record when it comes to shows that aren’t immediate hits. We all know that Stranger Things and Bridgerton will always bring in massive streams, but there are smaller shows with dedicated fanbases that don’t have the same amount of luck. The Midnight Club was one of those shows.

Based on a book of the same name, The Midnight Club was a horror series that focused on a group of teens living in hospice care. While bonding over their shared trauma and illnesses, the group started meeting at midnight every night to tell spooky stories while also unearthing some dark secrets about the house they live in. The club also came up with a pact: whoever dies first must try to reach out to the rest of them from beyond the grave. It was… dark stuff!

The show had some heavy moments and dealt with many unappealing topics, like, uh, kids dying of terminal illnesses, which could be one reason why it was not as big as some of Netflix’s bigger hits. But it also left some loose ends that were supposed to be addressed in the second season. Unfortunately, Netflix canceled the show before producer and co-creator Mike Flanagan could tie everything up. But Flanagan gave the fans something pretty unique instead.

In a lengthy Tumblr post, Flanagan confirmed that the show would not go on for another season, but he also updated fans on the plotlines that were meant to be explored in season two.

The first few episodes of season two would continue Amesh’s relationship with Natsuki while slowly succumbing to his glioblastoma. He would be eventually claimed by the Shadow, a representation of death, and a new patient would be brought into the series. Of course, their nighttime storytelling would still continue, with the same cast acting out their elaborate stories.

Not everyone would have a sad ending. Thanks to those great ’90s medical advancements, Spense’s HIV would no longer be terminal, and he would be allowed to leave the hospital. So there’s one good plot point that wouldn’t have viewers sobbing alone in the dark!

Other major reveals in Flanagan’s Tumblr post: the fact that Dr. Stanton was the daughter of a Pagan cult leader, hence all of the weird symbols shown throughout the house; and the thing where more of the group would eventually die, including Kevin, followed by Ilonka.

The big final reveal was going to be that the Shadow isn’t really death after all — it represented the unknown. Death itself is instead represented by the janitor that the kids all see before they die. So it could have had a semi-happy ending, maybe, kind of, had they been given the chance to actually make it happen!

Flanagan finished by saying, “Well, that’s it… that was what we had in mind. It’s a shame we won’t get to make it, but it would be a bigger shame if you guys simply had to live with the unanswered questions and the cliffhanger ending.” At least the story is now complete… unlike some other streaming shows.

You can read more of Flanagan’s post here.