Month: March 2023

This week Tucker Carlson dusted off an old favorite of his: downplaying the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. This time he had 40,000 hours of security footage in his mitts, and he did what everyone knew he did, namely cherry-pick the most boring segments from it to make the outlandish claim that the violent attempt to overturn democracy was a mostly peaceful affair populated by mere “sightseers.” He’s doing it out of love for Trump, right? Wrong, at least if you go by some newly publicized texts he exchanged with a staffer two days before that fateful day.

“We are very very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait,” Carlson texted an unknown Fox News employee. “I hate him passionately,” he soon confessed, adding that he “blew up at [ex-Trump staffer] Peter Navarro today in frustration. I actually like Peter. But I can’t handle much more of this.”

Wow, Tucker sure seems pretty exasperated, huh? It’s almost as though he wants to go back to the old days, when he wore a bow-tie on the air and got shredded by Jon Stewart, who all but ended his tenure at CNN. (That’s right, Tucker Carlson was once on CNN. Crazy to think.)

The leaked texts are the latest treasure trove from Dominion’s pricey lawsuit against Fox News, which claims — with lots of evidence — that the network’s brass and stars knew all the 2020 voter fraud nonsense they were peddling was bull.

Does Tucker still hate Trump “passionately”? Is it all a schtick to Hoover up fame and money and a sense of power? It sure seems like it. As it happens, him admitting in private that he despises the big guy jibes interestingly with comments he said about non-far right media some two months prior: “Reporters hate Trump with an all-consuming mania. They hate him so intensely that at times it’s been amusing to watch.”

It’s almost as though Republicans like Tucker often trade in projection: accusing others of the very thing of which they’re guilty.

Tucker’s latest Jan. 6 segments have drawn ire from not only Democrats and families of officers who died as a result of the Capitol riot. Even Republicans and his own network have torn it asunder. Meanwhile the guy who gave him the footage, Kevin McCarthy, is simply claiming he hasn’t seen what he did with his dubious gift.

(Via The Hill)

Manchester Orchestra are going all-in with The Valley Of Vision, their forthcoming album, which arrives with a virtual reality short film. First, they unleashed the lead single and opener “Capital Karma.” Now they’re back with “The Way,” the second track on the LP.

“The Way” is a mystical experience right off the bat. Against a haunting ambiance, frontman Andy Hull‘s voice is a guiding force as he recollects some emotional wreckage: “I think I’m losing my mind / Fear became the fentanyl / Hungry like the animal / I’ve been sleeping in,” he sings. Despite the darkness and eerie texture, Hull reaches for hope as he repeats the line, “Let me start again,” grasping for redemption.

The forthcoming short film that accompanies the song was directed by Isaac Deitz. He said in a statement, “Experiencing the film in its intended 180-degree, 3D VR format feels like downloading a dream into your head,” he explained. “Each symbol represents a different experience nested in our internal worlds; it’s up to you whether you want to just enjoy them, or try to interpret what the dream means.”

Listen to “The Way” above.

The Valley Of Vision is out 3/10 via Loma Vista Recordings. Pre-order it here.

NCT 127 kicked off 2023 by reissuing their album 2 Baddies as a deluxe edition called Ay-Yo. Now, the other NCT group NCT Dream are back with The Dream Show2, their first headlining tour in the United States, which takes place this spring.

The tour is a short run, beginning on April 5 and ending on April 21. It hits the east coast with cities like Newark in New Jersey and Atlanta in Georgia, as well as the west coast with Los Angeles in California and Seattle in Washington.

Unfortunately, it looks like member Haechan won’t be joining. It was announced in January that he would be taking a step back from the group. “Recently, Haechan had experienced abnormal conditions,” a statement explained, “such as heart palpitations, chest tightness, and more, so he went to the hospital with his manager and got a consultation and examination where he received the medical advice that treatment and rest are required. As Haechan’s health recovery is the most important, he will not participate in scheduled activities for the time being and plans to recover his health while resting.”

Check out the full tour dates below.

04/05 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
04/07 — Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
04/09 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
04/12 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
04/14 — Dallas, TX @Texas Trust CU Theatre
04/18 — Los Angeles, CA @ Honda Center
04/21 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Find ticket information here.

The quest to determine the top club in CONCACAF is on. The 2023 CONCACAF Champions League kicked off on Thursday with three fixtures, all of which involve teams from MLS traveling south. The evening kicked off with Austin FC traveling to Haiti to play Violette, while it will end with Orlando City SC taking on Mexican side Tigres UANL.

In between those games, the defending MLS Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Union went to El Salvador, where Alianza were waiting for them in the Estadio Cuscatlán. It was a tense game, and during the second half, a little bit of levity got added to the festivities when a dang dog ran onto the pitch.

If you look right up near the corner flag at the 67:47 mark, you can see the dog emerge and start running around. John Strong and Stu Holden of Fox Sports both delighted in the game getting postponed for this extremely good boy, and they especially enjoyed when the dog made a beeline for the ball and picked it up with its mouth. A stadium worker with a huge smile on his face came out and got the dog out of there so the game could resume.

And now, I will end this post with several bad puns: Robert Lewandogski, Diego Maradoga, Kevin De Beagle, Harry Cane Corso. Thank you.

Draymond Green has rarely been one to hide his emotions on the court. That passion has often worked in the Golden State Warriors’ favor, as they’ve won four championships in eight seasons, thanks in part to Green’s play and boisterous leadership. Sometimes, though, it doesn’t benefit them. Late in the first half of Tuesday’s game between Golden State and the Oklahoma City Thunder, that proved to be the case.

Green flashed to the free-throw line, but neither Jordan Poole nor Klay Thompson passed him the ball in a timely manner. As a result, Green stopped calling for a pass and turned his back away from Thompson, clearly frustrated by the outcome. Yet just as Green did that, Thompson sent a pass toward Green, though the damage was already done. The ball sailed past Green and into Lu Dort’s arms, which ignited a fast break for the Thunder. However, Oklahoma City couldn’t immediately convert that chance, missing three different layups and coming up empty on the possession.

The whole sequence is rather amusing. Thompson finding Green right as Green heads the other way, Green walking toward the sideline, Oklahoma City botching the fast break, all of it is art. Basketball is beautiful and humorous. Thank you, folks.

The biggest free agent in the NFL is still technically on the market. The Baltimore Ravens and starting quarterback Lamar Jackson were unable to come to terms on a new, long-term contract ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s franchise tag deadline, but there’s a catch: the Ravens put the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, which means he is still allowed to negotiate a deal with other teams and, if Baltimore does not match it, the team will receiver two first-round picks as compensation.

The problem Jackson is facing, however, is that NFL teams don’t seem to be interested in him. In the aftermath of the former NFL MVP becoming attainable, numerous teams began letting it know that they don’t plan on pursuing him, even though most of them have major question marks at quarterback.

Jackson is known to be asking for a lot of guaranteed money — he reportedly wants a guaranteed deal like the $230 million contract Deshaun Watson got from the Cleveland Browns, a deal which was specifically cited by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti as something that will “make negotiations harder with others.” All of this has raised eyebrows among NFL players, with one — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd — straight up accusing Baltimore of “sabotaging” its franchise player.

Clark throwing out collusion is quite the allegation, and apparently, the NFLPA is keeping an eye out to see how things develop.

In 2021, Chicago quartet Ratboys followed up their third studio album Printer’s Devil with the record Happy Birthday. Since then, they’ve contributed to some compilations, with one including a cover of Kacey Musgraves.

The band is back today with the sprawling 8-and-a-half-minute epic “Black Earth, WI.” It’s a mellow song with striking imagery: “Oh, I was hypnotized / Caught up in the northern lights / Driving around in circles,” Steiner sings. The guitars are laid-back but mesmeric, contributing to this dreamy scene.

“We recorded ‘Black Earth, WI’ live off the floor in Seattle last year at the amazing Hall of Justice and it was our first time recording straight to tape,” Julia Steiner said in a statement. “We had to be conscious of how many takes we could fit onto a reel, but lucky for us, take two was the one.”

In our 2020 interview with the Bernie Sanders-approved group, they discussed their evolving sound. “We played, like, 150 shows in the States,” guitarist Dave Sagan said. “We just had become very comfortable with being a loud band. I think a lot of what happened on those tours was we were paired with bands that had a lot of energy and personality, and we had to take it upon ourselves to match that in different ways.”

Watch the video for “Black Earth, WI” above.

Every parent has been there.

The sink is overflowing with dishes. Legos cover the entire floor, piercing your foot every time you take a step. And you suddenly realize that you’ve made the kids chicken nuggets and mac n’ cheese five nights in a row.

Every parent has moments where it all seems to be spinning out of control.

---

But this isn’t momentary chaos. It doesn’t mean everything is unraveling. Turns out this might just be a normal part of parenting.

Mom and blogger Danielle Silverstein made an “admission” on Facebook: “I really AM a hot-mess mom.”

The post, on her page called Where the Eff is My Handbook?, detailed a seemingly never-ending list of the ways in which her household is in utter shambles.

“Never once have I thought to myself, ‘OMG, I think I’m actually tackling this whole parenthood thing,'” she wrote.

She continued:

“I am that mom who doesn’t do dishes at night before I go to bed. I do dishes when I get around to doing dishes.

I’m that mom who grabs her kids’ clothes out of the dryer in the morning because nothing is folded and put away.

I’m that mom who forgets to send in forms and gets calls reminding me that, yes, I need to send in those forms.

I’m that mom who forgets to RSVP and gets a last minute text asking if my kid is coming to the party.

I’m that mom who packs a crazy, one-food-group lunch because I haven’t gotten around to going food shopping.

I’m that mom who lets her kids have endless screen time sometimes (ok, more than sometimes) just because I don’t feel like fighting and need to get a few things done.”

You can read the entire hilarious and all-too-familiar post below:

Ok, full disclosure: I really AM a hot-mess mom.I am consistently five steps behind where I should be in the world of…
Posted by Where The Eff Is My Handbook on Thursday, January 25, 2018

Near the end of the now super-viral post, Silverstein reaches an important realization.

“Do I think I’m a good mom? Yeah, I really do. But I don’t have it all together by any stretch of the imagination,” she writes. “And that’s ok, I’m realizing.”

Because, despite the overflowing sink and the overdue paperwork, raising happy, healthy kids is what it’s really all about:

“I’m also that mom whose kids are safe.

I’m also that mom whose kids are, for the most part, happy.

I’m also that mom whose home has lots of love and laughter.

I’m also that mom who cheers on her kids and is their biggest fan.

I’m also that mom who is constantly working to show her kids they are accepted no matter what.

I’m also that mom who takes her kids to do cool stuff and have great experiences.

I’m also that mom who loves being a mom.”

The post has racked up thousands of shares and comments from other parents who want to say, “YES! THANK YOU!”

The truth is that it’s never been harder to be a parent. All the usual stuff is still there — the dirty diapers, the tantrums, the picky eaters — but in the age of social media, when every other parent seems to be totally nailing it, the pressure to be “perfect” has never been higher.

Silverstein says enough is enough.

“We don’t deserve to feel down on ourselves,” she writes in a Facebook message. “We deserve to feel celebrated. Our job is damn hard.”

(That’s not an excuse to not try, never feed your kids a single vegetable, or let them get away with whatever they want! But if you have some off-days, you’re forgiven.)

We need less carefully filtered Instagrams and more brutal honesty. Silverstein’s post was a much-needed rallying cry for moms she calls “hot messes,” but in reality are just overworked and under-appreciated.

So let’s all raise a glass (or a haphazardly washed sippy cup) to all the parents out there barely holding it together. This one’s for you.

This article originally appeared on 01.31.18

I found a hidden gem on the Internet this week: NPR has a Soundcloud set of “binaural soundscapes.” Strap on your headphones — it’s going to be a surreal ride.Important note: If you have hearing loss, this may not work well for you.

Maybe you don’t know what a binaural recording is.

Basically, the deal is, you have two ears.

They are the width of your head apart. And there’s a big lumpy meatball in the middle. So your ears hear different things. Then your brain processes these two distinct streams of information and uses them to position stuff in space. Standard stereo recording often uses a couple of mics, but it’s not trying to position them in a way that mimics your ears.

---

Recording artists have started building these crazy microphone setups that imitate the position and direction of your real ears.

Then they take them around the world. The results are astounding. You really can feel the birds singing as they move through space, or people passing you on the street.

It’s like a window into other landscapes. It makes the world feel so close and small and familiar.

Here are a few of my favorites.

(Oh, and this doesn’t work with regular speakers. Use your headphones.)

First stop: A regular day on a street in Tibet.

(Close your eyes. Trust.)

Wasn’t that just amazing?

Next up, a stop in the Ecuadorean rain forest to hear the song of the orapendula. (It’s a bird. I looked it up.)

I could listen to that all night.

Let’s wrap up with a visit to Dzanga Bai, a clearing in the Central African Republic, where elephants gather as evening closes in.

For more magical journeys, check out the rest of NPR’s Binaural Soundscapes.

This article originally appeared on 01.05.15

Wow. I never thought about how rare this is before, but many people literally can go their whole lives without experiencing the vastness of space and their own smallness.

It used to be something that everyone saw any evening when they walked out their door.

It used to be that when you looked up at the night sky, you would see deep into the farthest reaches of space and time, but now…

Nope.

---

Not anymore. We’re lighting up our cities like never before.

Over 99% of Americans in the continental U.S. live in areas that are considered light polluted.

Most of them have no idea what the night sky is even supposed to look like.

Looking up at the night sky helps us remember how tiny we are. The sight of the Milky Way stretching out into the deep distance has inspired philosophy, science, and poetry for literally all of human history. Until really recently.

Luckily, something as simple as flipping a switch can instantly end light pollution. Even using different kinds of lights can help.

Here’s how Los Angeles decreased its light pollution by switching to LEDs.

Are you scared of total darkness?

This article originally appeared on 02.12.15