Month: August 2023

Everyone loves a champion, especially when the winner represents the country we call home. Seeing a dedicated athlete standing on the tallest podium, a gold medal around their neck, the national anthem playing as the flag is raised—it’s enough to inspire a bit of patriotism in even the most hardened of hearts.

But the idea of a champion sharing that top podium with another country’s athlete is apparently a bridge too far for some, as American pole vaulter Katie Moon (formerly Katie Negeotte) found out at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Moon and Australian pole vaulter Nina Kennedy tied for gold at the competition, each clearing 4.9 meters and and then falling three times on their attempts at 4.95 meters. Rather than continue competing to see who would be the sole winner, both women opted to share the World Champion title.

For some, it was a lovely bit of mutual sportsmanship, but for others, it was an unwelcome concession. In a viral post on Facebook, Moon shared that some people had called her and Kennedy “cowards,” “shameful” and “pathetic” for their decision to share the win.

Though she didn’t owe anyone an explanation, Moon decided to offer one anyway.

---

“I know you can’t make everyone happy in this world, but in an effort to help people understand the sport that I love so much, I would like to explain my mentality in that moment,” she wrote. “The pole vault is not an endurance event. We have a short window of jumps. Once the fatigue sets in, it not only becomes more difficult, but dangerous. The sport has seen everything from athletes just landing funny with minor tweaks, to horrific accidents.”

Moon explained that a World Championship is more draining from an emotional standpoint than a regular competition, in addition to the obvious physical demand. She and Kennedy had vaulted for nearly four hours in 85-degree heat and were both exhausted.

“My step (the point where I jump off the ground into the takeoff) to vault safely has to be in almost the exact same spot every time, give or take a few inches,” she went on. “My last few jumps, that takeoff step was moving further and further out, giving us real data showing my fatigue even with adrenaline. To walk away healthy and with a gold medal, while celebrating with my friend that had jumped just as well, was a no-brainer. Part of the reason we’ve reached the highest level is by listening to our bodies, and knowing our limitations.”

To say that I’ve seen mixed…

This is such an important point and one that truly can’t be overemphasized. We saw similar negative reactions from people when Simone Biles got the “twisties” during her last Olympics. She knew her body, she knew something wasn’t right, and yet people still chastised her for not pushing herself to continue competing—as if she hadn’t already proven that she had the heart and soul of a champion time and time again.

Moon finished her explanation with no apology and no regrets: “We decided that in this particular moment, sharing glory was just as good as earning it outright. I understand that people want to see a clear winner. It is the exciting part of sport. But in this instance, it was without a doubt the right decision, and one that I will never regret. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a ‘win at all cost’ mindset to have a champion’s mentality.”

That line is worth repeating: “You do not need a ‘win at all cost’ mindset to have a champion’s mentality.”

It’s actually OK for there to be two gold medal winners, especially at the highest level of competition. We know these athletes are giving it their all. We know they’ve trained as much as they possibly can for a world championship competition. If two athletes show up with equal ability at the top of their sport, more power to them.

Moon’s defense of her decision to share the gold wasn’t necessary, but her explanation of the risks athletes take when they push themselves too far is a helpful one. Sports competitions are meant to celebrate excellence and make us all better for it, and if the person actually standing on the podium is happy about the outcome, it’s no one’s place to take that away from them. Thank you, Katie Moon, for the beautiful reminder.

Over the weekend, singer Adele went into full momma-bear mode when she came to the defense of a fan at her latest Las Vegas residency performance. Adele has a young son of her own (Angelo), so it was a glimpse into how protective she can be of those in harm’s way.

Those guardian skills will come in handy when Adele officially decides to expand her family. In a recently surfaced clip, Adele, while chatting with a supporter attending her Weekends With Adele show in Vegas, confessed that may happen sooner than people think. As the woman sought her help in choosing her unborn daughter’s name, Adele let slip, “I really want to be a mom again soon.”

Adele then revealed that she and her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul, have been considering it for a while. “I’ve actually been writing lists,” she said. “Every time I see a name that I like, I write it down in my phone.”

The woman revealed that she’s torn between two names, Parker and Spencer, to which she replied, “Well, I can’t say Parker because Rich [Paul] really likes that name. So, Spencer. I like Spencer. I also like Ray.”

Last year, during an appearance on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Adele told host Lauren Laverne, “I definitely would like a couple more kids. It would be wonderful if we can. If not, I’ve got Angelo. I just want to be happy. I love being a mom.”

Over the weekend, singer Adele went into full momma-bear mode when she came to the defense of a fan at her latest Las Vegas residency performance. Adele has a young son of her own (Angelo), so it was a glimpse into how protective she can be of those in harm’s way.

Those guardian skills will come in handy when Adele officially decides to expand her family. In a recently surfaced clip, Adele, while chatting with a supporter attending her Weekends With Adele show in Vegas, confessed that may happen sooner than people think. As the woman sought her help in choosing her unborn daughter’s name, Adele let slip, “I really want to be a mom again soon.”

Adele then revealed that she and her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul, have been considering it for a while. “I’ve actually been writing lists,” she said. “Every time I see a name that I like, I write it down in my phone.”

The woman revealed that she’s torn between two names, Parker and Spencer, to which she replied, “Well, I can’t say Parker because Rich [Paul] really likes that name. So, Spencer. I like Spencer. I also like Ray.”

Last year, during an appearance on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Adele told host Lauren Laverne, “I definitely would like a couple more kids. It would be wonderful if we can. If not, I’ve got Angelo. I just want to be happy. I love being a mom.”

Donald Trump’s historic mugshot earned lots of mockery. But for MAGA world it was a win. Sometimes cash-strapped fans even gave the allegedly wealthy former president millions of their hard-earned bucks. No one liked it more than Jesse Watters, the guy who now runs Tucker Carlson’s vacated 8pm slot on Fox News. After the image went live, Watters went a bit above and beyond in his praise. “He looks good,” he said. “And he looks hard.” Watters is so in the tank for the mugshot he even praised some Trump street art that was actually mocking him.

On his show Monday night, Watters had a segment about a new mural in Atlanta, Georgia, where Trump was arrested and booked. In the video showing the mural that aired, it hadn’t yet been completed. But Watters was sure it was done in genuflection.

“The mugshot’s up on the side of buildings in the inner city,” Watters told viewers. “The 2016 phenomenon’s happening all over again. Trump won the election because of a laser-light focus on the forgotten man. The bond was formed back then that could never be broken.”

What Watters didn’t know was that the Trump mugshot mural was not praise. It was mockery.

As per Fox 5 out of Atlanta, the mural was erected in the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark by popular muralist Chris Veal. Chris Veal is no fan of Donald Trump. Nor did he intend his latest work as praise, as Watters believed. Indeed, when the mural was completed, Veal had added a dialogue box bearing the words “M.A.G.A. My Ass Got Arrested.”

Still, Watters saw other reasons to believe Trump had gotten his 2016 mojo back, claiming the mugshot “has broadened his appeal to Black Americans.” Watters even said his garbage man told him he was buying a bunch of Trump mugshot t-shirts as Christmas presents. (It’s August.)

Perhaps folks like Watters are right that the mugshot will “backfire” by igniting his base. Or maybe it will backfire on Trump because more voters than not won’t want to put a possibly convicted criminal back in the White House. Who’s to say.

There have been plenty of over-the-top reactions to Donald Trump’s escalating legal woes. There’ve been calls for civil war, or at least, as per Kari Lake, a “fist fight.” Others, like his wife, have simply brushed it off. Others are simply cringe-inducing. Perhaps the biggest face-palm of a reaction to Trump being arrested and booked in Georgia last week, complete with a mugshot, came from the MAGA network One America News, who aired a rap video so embarrassing even staffers are appalled.

The video in question finds notoriously self-owning Trump rapper Forgiato Blow joining forces with OAN star Dan Bell for the song “Real America.” Over an epic two minutes, Blow raps things like, “If questioning the outcome of the election is a crime then give me life!” He does so, of course, while wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with Trump’s mugshot. At one point 83-year-old OAN owner Robert Herring shows up, bearing sunglasses and, for some reason, a flak jacket.

The Daily Beast spoke to some OAN staffers, and they didn’t like it much either. Some of them walked out during filming, which was done last minute, prompting those that stayed to simply roll with it.

But the reviews afterwards from the staff weren’t very fresh. Some of the vitriol was directed at the host that let it happen. “I need to leave OAN ASAP! I am sick and tired of Dan Ball’s antics, and so are so many others,” another OAN anchor told the Beast.

Others, including both current and former staffers, were so appalled by the “bizarre” video they said they were “officially taking OAN off my resume after watching this.”

But at least in terms of metrics, it was a success. In a statement Ball gushed, writing, “We’d like to thank all the American Patriots out there who downloaded the song ‘Real America’! Within the first 24 hours of the songs release we reached #11 on the Top 100 ITunes billboard charts in the Rap/Hip-Hop genre, all thanks to you! God Bless you.”

You can watch the video below, if you dare.

(Via The Daily Beast)

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

When dad and blogger Mike Julianelle compared a photo of himself to a photo from 10 years ago, he noticed a big difference.

Yes, he looked a little older — after all, a decade had gone by. But there was something else: a deep, deep look of utter exhaustion.

Life has a way of asking a lot of us. How we cope and manage the moments at work, our personal goals, the friendships, and our loved ones.

All these daily routines navigated that bring the best and ask the most. But what was that other thing which had changed over those 10 years?

---

Julianelle had two kids.

You’ve probably seen all sorts of before and after concepts on your social media feeds. If you missed this one, you’ll see why they all became a “thing.”

See on Instagram

When he posted the side-by-side comparison on Instagram, it was an instant hit. So he invited other parents to share their own “before and afters.”

The results were hilarious and oddly inspiring. They also revealed a bunch of important truths about what happens to you when you become a parent.

Like…

After kids, a blanket becomes your favorite outfit.

See on Instagram

You are frequently at risk of getting accidentally walloped in the nose.

See on Instagram

Your glasses become a favorite toy.

See on Instagram

So does your entire face, actually.

See on Instagram

When your baby decides to take a nap, thou shalt not move.

See on Instagram

Alcohol can go from an indulgence to a necessity.

See on Instagram

Did we mention you’ll be tired? Like really, really tired?

See on Instagram

Most days, doing your best is all you can really do.

See on Instagram

But, at the end of those days, it’ll all be worth it (at least, most of the time).

See on Instagram

The project went viral, with Julianelle receiving hundreds of submissions from other parents via Instagram.

While not everyone has been brave enough to publicly share their no-sleep, just-got-barfed-on selfies with him, Julianelle says the response has been hugely positive.

“I hope people take away a few laughs and a little solidarity,” he writes in an email. “Parenting is awesome but it also sucks and there shouldn’t be any shame in admitting that.”

And as the photos show, he’s absolutely right. Parenting is hard but rewarding work, at its best. It’s also exhausting, frustrating, frightening, and anxiety-inducing.

Julianelle sums it up perfectly in an interview with Huffington Post: “Kids are the worst best thing that’s ever happened to us. If we don’t laugh about the havoc they wreak we’d have to cry instead.”

You can see more hilarious before and afters over on the Got Toddlered Instagram account.

Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, may be a massive star, breaking streaming statistics and Guinness World Records. Unfortunately, his musical success hasn’t yet translated into his budding television career. According to Deadline, HBO has officially canceled his original series The Idol.

A spokesperson for the network released a statement regarding the decisions, saying, “The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response. After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers, have decided not to move forward with a second season. We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work.”

Before the show’s release, rumors surrounding it quickly turned many fans off. The Weeknd spoke out against the criticism and even clapped back at people online who shared negative opinions on the series. But, it was all in vain, as The Idol went on to earn the lowest rating on Rotten Tomatoes for any HBO series ever.

The Weeknd later opened up about the “bumpy journey” it took to arrive at the show’s finale. The series’ other featured actors, including Blackpink’s Jennie, Troye Sivan, and Lily-Rose Depp, have not yet released any public statements.

If the Pope thinks you’re “backwards,” you’re almost certainly doing something wrong. Granted, Pope Francis is a lot more open-minded than most predecessors. He’s on Instagram and he goes to record stores. He’s also slammed actual fake news — not the Trumpist variety but the nonsense he and his cronies spread. Now, in a new statement, he’s extending his vitriol to American conservative Catholics in general.

As per Associated Press, the Pope effectively picked a side in the ongoing American culture/political war, unloading on the nation’s conservatives while in Lisbon during a private meeting with Portuguese Jesuits. One of them told Francis that he’d recently had a sabbatical in the United States, during which he found many local Catholics criticizing his 10-year reign.

Francis shrugged them off, saying there’s “a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude” among many American Catholics, who he saw as “backward.” He made a distinction between conservative “backwardness” and believing in tradition, as he does, being the Pope.

“Doing this, you lose the true tradition and you turn to ideologies to have support. In other words, ideologies replace faith,” Francis said. “When you go backward, you make something closed off, disconnected from the roots of the church.”
He added, “I want to remind these people that backwardness is useless, and they must understand that there’s a correct evolution in the understanding of questions of faith and morals,”

It’s not the first time Francis has admonished American conservatives. When asked about rightwing attacks on his papacy, he’s said it’s an “honor” to be attacked by them.

(Via AP)

When Doja Cat returned from her brief musical hiatus with a new single, “Attention,” few could have expected the wave of controversies that would soon follow. For weeks, the public has criticized Doja for her rumored relationship with J Cyrus, her latest body art, and more. But even after losing over $250,000 followers on Instagram, she has no regrets. In fact, she recently revealed that she finally feels free to be her true self.

Despite this, Doja’s remaining fans’ concerns have continued to grow. Her newly announced single and her reported new tattoo aren’t helping to ease any of their anxiety. Following her previously shared track, “Paint The Town Red,” Doja is reportedly gearing up to drop her next single, titled “Demons,” soon. In the cover art for the song, Doja appears to be sporting black body paint from head to toe as she walks a ceiling.

After Doja shared images of her anatomical bat tattoo, fans called the piece demonic. Doja quickly clapped back with a history lesson before replying, “Your fear is not my problem.” To troll people who continued to criticize her, in her video for “Paint The Town Red,” she appeared side-by-side with the grim reaper. A screenshot captured by Saycheese showed another new tattoo, this one of a scythe behind her ear.

Fans immediately chimed in after the images were shared by the outlet. One wrote, “She needs to stop at this point.”

Another said, “She’s not even looking healthy, and she’s continuously making herself look more scarier.”

“Someone should check on her,” added another.

Doja Cat hasn’t spoken about her latest body modification, but with The Scarlet Tour starring her set to start soon, don’t be surprised if her extensive collection grows further.