Month: August 2023

Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign has been such a non-starter that it’s easy to forget about another thing that’s going terribly for him: his bizarre war with The Walt Disney Company. For the last year-and-a-half, the Florida governor has been trying to use the powers of his office to punish his state’s biggest employer, all because they didn’t like some of his bigoted policies. But now, in an unexpected twist — that arrives as his run for president appears to be toast — he’s claiming he’s over all that now.

As per Mediaite, DeSantis did a new sit-down with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan. During their chat, DeSantis did what he hasn’t done in a long time: sing the praises of Disney.

“Look, my wife and I, we got married at Walt Disney World. And so it’s not like we’re opposed,” DeSantis said, adding that he and his team have “appreciated working with them over the years.” His advice, though, would be to “go back to what you did well,” which presumably not making movies with the the acknowledgment that LGBTQIA+ people exist.

As it stands, though, Disney and DeSantis are not getting along well, to put it mildly. Indeed, Disney is suing the state of Florida over DeSantis’ antics. Asked about that, DeSantis asserted that he’s “basically moved on” from a feud he’s kept going since spring 2022.

DeSantis even argued that “they’re going to lose that lawsuit. He then advised them to “drop” it, which definitely doesn’t sound like someone who’s had a string of bad luck begging for a much-needed win.

The presidential hopeful then went back to extoling the virtues of Florida, after months of screwing over taxpayers with an ill-advised fight over gay rights:

This is a great place to do business. Your competitors all do very well here, Universal, SeaWorld. They have not had the same special privileges as you have. So all we want to do is treat everybody the same, and let’s move forward. I’m totally fine with that. But I’m not fine with giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else.

Will it work? Will Disney and DeSantis patch things up and pretend this tussle never happened? After all, it sounds like DeSantis will soon have a lot more time to spend time being a governor.

(Via Mediaite)

Brand new footage for Loki Season 2 just popped up in an unusual place: A McDonald’s commercial. Although, in a way, it does fit with the reality-breaking premise of the hit Marvel series.

The Loki footage appears at the end of the spot for McDonald’s new As Featured In Meal, “a collection of fan-favorite menu items that have made iconic appearances throughout film, television and music.” The scene features Loki (Tom Hiddleston) stumbling across Sylvia (Sophia Di Martino) as she works the register of an ’80s McDonald’s. Clearly, she doesn’t recognize the God of Mischief even after their fateful journey during Season 1.

Mobius (Owen Wilson) is also along for the ride as he shares a milkshake with a Time Variance Authority prisoner played by Rafael Casal. Granted, the scene is very short, but it does offer a glimpse at the multiverse weirdness that Loki fans can expect to see when Season 2 arrives in a little over a month.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Loki Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.

Loki Season 2 premieres October 6 on Disney+.

Five months have passed since the Dallas Cowboys officially released Ezekiel Elliott near the start of NFL free agency. The veteran running back signed a massive, six-year contract in 2019 but, since then, Elliott’s production has dwindled and it was not a surprise when Dallas elected to move on in a decision that saved the franchise money. Still, Elliott was highly productive in a Dallas uniform, rushing for 8,262 yards and 68 touchdowns across seven seasons, and rumblings have percolated that the now 28-year-old could land elsewhere on the eve of the 2023 season.

On Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Elliott will indeed find a new landing spot in the form of a one-year deal with the New England Patriots worth up to $6 million.

Shortly after, Adam Schefter of ESPN outlined the compensation structure for Elliott’s contract, noting a $3 million base salary.

Elliott, who was the No. 4 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, will join forces with Rhamondre Stevenson in New England’s backfield. It will be interesting to see how the two backs are deployed, as Stevenson generated well over 1,400 yards from scrimmage during the 2022 season. At this point, Elliott’s primary value seems to come in pass protection and short-yardage situations, while Stevenson is far more explosive. New England does add intriguing depth with this move, though, and it provides insurance that wasn’t necessarily present behind Stevenson prior to Elliott’s arrival.

Praia do Taboão, Paredes de Coura, Portugal will once again host the Vodafone Paredes de Coura Festival, one of the most popular summer music festivals in Portugal. The festival takes place this Wednesday, August 16 – Saturday, August 19, with a bill featuring Black Midi, Snail Mail, The Walkmen, and Wilco. Other artists featured on the lineup include Domi & JD Beck, Dry Cleaning, Jessie Ware, Kenny Beats, Little Simz, Lorde, Loyle Carner, Snail Mail, Sudan Archives, Yo La Tengo, and Yung Lean.

You can see the set times for this year’s festival, which features two stages and four days of music, below. The Yorn Stage is described by the fest’s organizers as one of the novelties of the edition marking 30 years of Paredes de Coura Festival” and “A stage full of fresh musical talent of various styles.” Meanwhile, the campsite will feature a whole market so those onsite don’t miss a thing. You can find the full list of set times below, and get more information here.

The Paredes de Coura Festival is just one of the many festivals taking place this weekend, including Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium with Boygenius, Billie Eilish, Ethel Cain, Florence & The Machine, Steve Lacy, and more, and All Points East in the UK with Stormzy, Sampha, and Kehlani.

Last November, Upworthy published a popular story about Chloe Sexton, a mother who went viral on TikTok for a video she made explaining “daddy privilege” or the idea that fathers are applauded for doing things that mothers are supposed to do.

“In my opinion, ‘daddy privilege’ is that subtle upper hand men sidestep into as parents that allows them to gain praise for simply…being a parent,” she said. “You fed the baby? What a great dad! You held the baby while mommy bathed? So considerate of you! You picked up something for dinner? What would your family do without you?! It’s all the little ways mothers do exactly what the world expects of them without a second thought and then watch fathers get praised for simply showing up.”

Sadly, the post resonated with a lot of mothers, because it’s true. Expectations for fathers are so low that men are commended for handling basic parenting tasks. But if a mother falls short of perfection, she faces harsh criticism.

Mary Catherine Starr, a mother living in Cape Cod who owns a design studio and teaches yoga, is getting a lot of love on Instagram for her cartoon series that perfectly explains daddy privilege.

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In “An Illustrated Guide to the Double Standards of Parenting,” Starr shares this concept by showing that when a man comes home with fast food for his kids he’s the “fun dad.” But if a mom comes back with a bag from McDonald’s she is seen as a “lazy mom.”

In the comics, the same double standards apply whether it’s how they handle technology or parent at the park.

(Note: Click the arrow on the right-hand side of the image to see the slideshow.)

See on Instagram

Starr was quick to point out in the comments that the target of her comics isn’t fathers, but society at large. “This is not a dig at dads, it’s a dig at our society—a society that applauds dads for handling the most basic of parenting duties + expects nothing short of perfection from mothers (or even worse, shames them for every decision and/or move they make!),” she wrote.

The comics resonated with a lot of women.

“This hit a nerve with so many women! I was a single mom living in an apartment,” an Instagram user named Saturdayfarm wrote in the comments. “Next door – a single dad. Neighbors felt so bad for him that they helped him with his laundry, brought over food, and babysat. For nothing. I just shakily carried on somehow. And I had so much less money and opportunities.”

“This is exactly part of the why I feel like being ‘just’ a mom isn’t as valuable. Being so run of the mill. But if my husband has the baby in a sling, the toddler in the pram and is out walking the dog, he’s superman for letting me have one hour for zoom work,” rebecca_lee-close_yoga wrote.

A father who understands his privilege completely supports Starr’s message.

“It actually annoys me when I get those types of comments / ‘compliments’ knowing it’s totally a double standard,” JonaJooey wrote.

Starr’s comics and Sexton’s TikTok videos won’t stop the double standards when it comes to parenting, but they do a great job at holding a mirror up to the problem. Where do we go from here? We can start by having greater expectations for fathers and holding them up to a higher standard. Then, we should take the energy we put into praising dads for doing the bare minimum and heap it on mothers who thanklessly go about the most important job in the world.

This story originally appeared on 02.01.22

It seems like only yesterday a millennial was a college kid that baby boomers chided for being entitled and Gen Xers thought were way too sincere and needed to learn how to take a joke. Today, the oldest millennials, those born around 1980, have hit their 40s and have lived long enough to have some serious regrets.

They also have enough experience to take some pride in decisions that, in hindsight, were the right moves.

The good news is that at 40 there is still plenty of time to learn from our successes and failures to set ourselves up for a great second half of life. These lessons are also valuable to the Gen Zers coming up who can avoid the pitfalls of the older generation.

A Reddit user who has since deleted their profile asked millennials nearing 40 “what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?” and they received more than 2,200 responses. The biggest regrets these millennials have are being flippant about their health and not saving enough money when they were younger.

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They also realized that the carefree days of youth are fleeting and impossible to get back. So they should have spent less time working and more time enjoying themselves. Many also lamented that they should have taken their education more seriously in their 20s so they have more opportunities now.

The responses to this thread are bittersweet. It’s tough hearing people come to grips with their regrets but the realizations are also opportunities to grow. Hopefully, some younger people will read this thread and take the advice to heart.

Here are 21 of the most powerful responses to the question: “Millennials of Reddit now nearing your 40s, what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?”

1.

“Not taking care of my hearing, not even 35 and going deaf.” — Kusanagi8811

2.

“Not getting healthy earlier.” — zombiearchivist

3.

“Staying too long at a job in my 20s, just because it was safe and easy. When I finally got the motivation to leave, ended up with an almost 50% pay boost.” — Hrekires

4. 

“Thinking that I could and should put myself on the back burner for anything and anyone else.” — lenalilly227

5.

“Smoking and not dealing with my shit the right way.” — Allenrw3

6.

“Pining after the wrong person.” — runikepisteme

7.

“I turned 40 this year and just started liking who I am. Why the fuck did it take 40 years for self acceptance?” — guscallee

8.

“Take care of your fucking back. Lift with your knees. Sure it’s rad when you grab a fridge by yourself and lift it in the back of a moving truck unaided, but one day that shit is going to have consequences that won’t just magically go away by resting and “taking it easy” for a week.” — GuyTallman

9.

“I wish I spent more time with my dad while I had the chance.” — CharlieChooper

10.

“I’m 37. I absolutely could have taken better care of my body, but I’m in relatively good health. I’m starting to realize how important it is to maintain my health. I do also think I drank far too much in my 20 and early 30’s. I’m trying to rectify that now, but it’s hard. So that I guess.” — dartastic

11.

“I’m not sure if people have experienced the same but when I entered my 30s I became convinced I was rapidly running out of time. Rather than using that as motivation I let it paralyze me with indecision because I “couldn’t afford to make the wrong choice.” Consequently, I’m now 39 and, though I’ve had great things happen in my 30s, I regret spending so much time worrying and so little time committing to a course of action.” — tomwaste

12.

“Work to live, don’t live to work. You have half your working life after you turn 40 but only 20-25 years to really live it up before the responsibilities become heavy and your joints start to ache. Live life. Really LIVE it. Experience as much you can. Every sensation, sight, sound, touch. Be open. Be brave. Live your first few decades in the fast lane. You have the rest of your life to take it easy, when you have no choice.” — MrDundee666

13.

“I should have paid more attention to my parents telling me to save money and less attention when they were teaching me about purity culture.” — Arkie_MTB

14.

“If I could tell my 18 year old self one thing, it would be to save 10% of every paycheck I ever got.” — PutAForkInHim

15.

“Thinking that I have time to do everything I want only to find myself loosing time, and the endless energy I used to have in order to purse them.” — ezZiioFTW

16.

“Not wearing sunscreen.” — blueboxreddress

17.

“Not recognizing the importance of work/life balance earlier in life. My late teens, all 20’s, and early 30’s were spent pulling 60-100+hr weeks because I thought it was what was required to succeed. How wrong I was. Others stabbed me in the back and reaped the reward.

1.) Putting work first for too long. Work is my #1 priority during work hours now. After quitting time, I don’t think about it (much) anymore. I don’t vent to my wife or friends about it anymore either.

2.) Investing more into fast cars than solid long-term investments. Sure, it was fun, but I could have made bookoos more had I put that towards less-fun investments.

3.) Not using PTO and just waiting for the payout. All those years, missed. I’m in my mid 30’s and I didn’t actually have a real vacation until 3 years ago.

4.) Not realizing that “the good guy” often loses. Just because you’re morally justified doesn’t mean you’re going to win. Just because there’s a number to call doesn’t mean anyone will actually help you. Just because “law” exists, doesn’t mean people follow it, enforce it, or create justice. The world is dog eat dog and cynicism can be healthy in moderate doses.” — [Deleted]

18.

“When you get out of college, keep your friends. No matter how hard it is. Hold on to them.” — mpssss22

19.

“I imagine these are kinda universal:

• Not getting fit and healthy
• Assuming I’d be offered proper guidance on how to achieve my goals
• Assuming higher education would help me achieve my goals
• Spending far too long caring what people think
• Not taking risks that might better my life when I was younger and had nothing to lose
• Staying in relationships too long after they were clearly done.” — katapultperson

20.

“Always ask for more pay. Starting, yearly, before leaving, whatever. Get that money.” — SensibleReply

21.

“Spending too much time in front of a screen and not enough enjoying life.” — BellaPadella

This article originally appeared on 4.20.22

As Aaron Taylor-Johnson prepares to appear in a spat of high-profile roles including Kraven the Hunter, The Fall Guy, and Nosferatu, the actor is opening up about his early blockbuster days.

In the early-to-mid 2000’s, Taylor-Johnson was seemingly everywhere. He wowed audiences in the adaptation of the Mark Miller comic Kick-Ass, played the male lead in the Godzilla reboot, and even joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Age of Ultron. There was just one small problem: Taylor-Johnson didn’t want to be a blockbuster star. He mostly just wanted to stay home with his kids.

Via Esquire:

“All those things lined up for me. But I didn’t really care for them.” He was getting offers to do more of that stuff for more money. He was up for roles “that nobody knows about—big, huge franchises that were in play.” But by then he and Sam had two small children. The decision not to keep going down that blockbuster road wasn’t hard. “I wanted, purely, to be with my babies,” he says. “I didn’t want to be taken away from them. I battled with what that would be like.”

The actor also got a little more blunt about his early blockbuster days. “I also slightly didn’t give a f*ck.”

Obviously, Taylor-Johnson’s opinion has changed. He’s now starring in the upcoming Kraven the Hunter. Although, once again, he’s candid about that experience.

“I mean, quite honestly, I thought I’d actually been done with these sorts of movies,” he told Esquire before later revealing that this time he’s ready to jump back into the blockbuster world. “You can’t step into this role, you can’t step into what this franchise is, with a f*cking half-assed, Let’s see how it goes attitude. You have to be mentally prepared for what could come with that. I think I’m secure in my life now to know that I’m happy to deal with that.”

Kraven the Hunter stalks into theaters on August 30, 2024.

(Via Esquire)

The Cabaret Vert Festival is one of the largest music festivals in France, and takes place at Charleville-Mézières August 17-20. This year’s festival is headlined by Calvin Harris, Black Eyed Peas, The Chemical Brothers, Cypress Hill, and Juliette Armanet, and spans genres from EDM to soul music. Stateside readers may recognize such names as 070 Shake, Kenny Beats, Clipping., Foushée, KennyHoopla, Ashnikko, Yungblud, and R.A.P Ferreira, among others performing across five days and five stages. The set times were previously released by the festival, but if you’re planning to travel — or already in France for the festival — here they are to help you plan your trip. You can also see the times on the official app.

Black Eyed Peas were added to the lineup after an original headliner, French rapper Lomepal, was accused of rape earlier this month. The festival announced the cancellation in a statement last week in order to “make the best possible decision for our community, our partners, our volunteers, and our entire teams.” You can read the full statement — translated by Google — below.

We have learned, at the same time, all of you, that the artist Lomepal, scheduled for Thursday, August 17, 2023 at Cabaret Vert, was targeted by a preliminary investigation, opened by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office following a complaint filed in 2020.

The Green Cabaret believes that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle. As such, it is up to the Justice first to do its job independently.

Nevertheless, the Green Cabaret cannot remain indifferent to the emotions that this complaint arouses, in accordance with its values.

In this context, we sought to make the best possible decision for our community, our partners, our volunteers and our entire teams.

The priority is to allow Justice to do its job. In this anticipation, the festival organization estimates that a time of retreat and silence is necessary. That’s why we decided to cancel his appearance at Cabaret Vert.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dad Patrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.

The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.

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“I got an email a few days ago from my 9-year-old son’s teacher that he had done a ‘prank’ to a fellow classmate and it ended up embarrassing the classmate and hurt his feelings,” the video begins.

At this point, Forseth doesn’t split hairs. “I don’t care who you are, that’s bullying,” he said. “If you do something to somebody that you know has the potential end result of them being embarrassed in front of a class or hurt—you’re bullying.”

So, Forseth and Lincoln sat down for a long talk (a talk, not a lecture) about appropriate punishment and how it would have felt to be on the receiving end of such a prank.

From there, Forseth told his son that he would decide how to make things right, making it a masterclass in taking true accountability.

“I demanded nothing out of him. I demanded no apology, I demanded no apology to the teacher,” he continued, adding, “I told him that we have the opportunity to go back and make things right. We can’t take things back, but we can try to correct things and look for forgiveness.”

@thehalfdeaddad Replying to @sunshinyday1227 And then it’s my kid 🤦‍♂️😡 #endbullyingnow #talktoyourkidsmore #dadlifebestlife #singledadsover40 #teachyourchildren #ReadySetLift ♬ Get You The Moon – Kina

So what did Lincoln do? He went back to his school and actually talked to the other boy he pranked. After learning that they shared a love of Pokémon, he then went home to retrieve two of his favorite Pokémon cards as a peace offering, complete with a freshly cleaned case.

Lincoln would end up sharing with his dad that the other boy was so moved by the gesture that he would end up hugging him.

“I just want to encourage all parents to talk to your kids,” Forseth concluded. “Let’s try to avoid just the swat on the butt [and] send them to their room. Doesn’t teach them anything.”

In Forseth’s opinion, kids get far more insight by figuring out how to resolve a problem themselves. “That’s what they’re actually going to face in the real world once they move out of our nests.”

He certainly has a point. A slap on the wrist followed by being marched down somewhere to say, “I’m sorry,” only further humiliates kids most of the time. With this gentler approach, kids are taught the intrinsic value of making amends after wrongdoing, not to mention the power of their own autonomy. Imagine that—blips in judgment can end up being major character-building moments.

Kudos to this dad and his very smart parenting strategy.

This article originally appeared on 3.24.23

A local reporter at Hometown Life shared a unique and heartfelt story on March 16 about a mother struggling to find shoes that fit her 14-year-old son. The story resonated with parents everywhere; now, her son is getting the help he desperately needs. It’s a wonderful example of people helping a family that thought they had nowhere to turn.

When Eric Kilburn Jr. was born, his mother, Rebecca’s OBGYN, told her that he had the “biggest feet I’ve ever seen in my life. Do not go out and buy baby shoes because they’re not gonna fit,’” Rebecca told Today.com. Fourteen years later, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that fit the 6’10” freshman—he needs a size 23.

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The teen’s height doesn’t stem from a gland issue; he comes from a family of tall people. Both his parents are over 6 feet tall.

Eric plays football for Goodrich High School in Goodrich, Michigan, but doesn’t wear cleats, which led to a sprained ankle. He also suffers from ingrown toenails that are so severe he’s had two nails on his biggest toes permanently removed.

Last year, the family was lucky enough to stumble upon five pairs of size 21 shoes at a Nike outlet store. It was discovered they were made especially for Tacko Fall, the NBA player with some of the most enormous feet in the game. To put things in perspective, Shaquille O’Neal wears a size 22.

However, Eric soon grew out of those as well. The family was left with one more option: have orthopedic shoes made for Eric at the cost of $1,500 with no guarantee he won’t quickly grow out of those as well.

After his mother’s heartfelt plea to Hometown Life, the family got much-needed help from multiple companies, including Under Armour and PUMA, who are sending representatives to Michigan to measure his feet for custom shoes.

CAT has reached out to make him a custom pair of boots. Eric hasn’t had any boots to wear for the past five Michigan winters.

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Kara Pattison started a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of the family to help them purchase custom shoes for “the rest of the time Eric has these feet.” It has raised nearly $20,000 for the family in just over a week.

“The success of this fundraiser is well beyond what was ever expected,” Pattison wrote on the site on March 18. “The Kilburns plan to open a bank account dedicated to Eric’s future footwear and some specialized sports equipment. He can use this to get a helmet that fits for football along with pads. They will also look into a football and track jersey for him.”

The sense of relief felt by Rebecca, Eric and the rest of the Kilburn family must be incredible. It has to be frustrating to be unable to provide your child with something as basic as footwear.

“It’s been overwhelming,” Rebecca told Hometown Life. “I have been this puddle of emotions, all of them good…It’s the coolest thing to be able to say we did it! He has shoes! I am not usually a crier, but I have been in a constant state of happy tears…We are so grateful.”

This article originally appeared on 03.23.23