Month: September 2023

Wedded bliss?

Tory Lanez reportedly recently got married despite receiving a 10-year prison sentence in early August, eight months after being found guilty on three felony counts (assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence) in connection to allegations he shot Megan Thee Stallion in her feet in July 2020.

Los Angeles-based legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff obtained Lanez’s bail motion — an appeal hearing to be released on bail is scheduled for Thursday, September 14 — and she spotted an interesting change from past documents filed in the case, which Cuniff has been thoroughly covering from the beginning. Lanez has reportedly married Raina Chassagne, the mother of his six-year-old son, Kai.

“From his sentencing hearing engagement announcement to his bail motion wedding announcement, Tory Lanez’s relationship status has advanced rapidly in the last few weeks. His fiancée is now his wife, according to the motion,” Cuniff posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday, September 1.

Cuniff hosted a YouTube livestream on September 1 to break down the current state of Lanez’s case. The video’s description also touched on Lanez’s marital status, which can be read below:

“A hearing is scheduled Sept. 14 before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David V. Herriford, who on Aug. 8 rejected Lanez’s request for probation and alcoholism treatment and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, with credit for 305 days served.

A new lawyer filed a motion this week asking that 31-year-old Lanez be allowed to halt his prison sentence and instead ‘live locally in the Los Angeles area’ with his new wife and their six-year-old son.

The filing is the first time the mother of Lanez’s child has been deserved as his wife. Last filing she was his fiancée. A jailhouse wedding and marriage!”

On August 17, Cuniff shared Megan Thee Stallion’s full statement, previously read in court.

In part, Megan described her struggle to “be back in the same room with Tory once again” because she has “been tormented and terrorized in every degree” by him, including lying, defaming her character through music, and joking about her trauma “when I could have died that day.” Megan concluded her letter by saying, “Today I beg this court to send a message to every victim of violence and fully hold the defendant accountable for his criminal conduct. This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence. His crime warrants the full weight of the law.”

On Monday, September 4, Max will premiere a two-part documentary, Megan The Stallion Vs. Tory Lanez: Five Shots, much to the dismay of fans.

Watch Cuniff’s YouTube video above, or watch the documentary trailer below.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

How’s your Labor Day weekend going? Did you grill? Eat funnel cake? Did you relax before fall kicks in? If you live in the Northeast perhaps you saw a pushing-73-year-old rocker play a three hour show. Or did you rant on social media about the many criminal indictments you’ve racked up? If it was the latter, then you’re probably Donald Trump.

As per Raw Story, the former president took to his rinky dink (and possibly about to die) Twitter clone on Sunday night, offering yet another ominous threat to Democrats.

“The Crooked Joe Biden Campaign has thrown so many Indictments and lawsuits against me that Republicans are already thinking about what we are going to do to Biden and the Communists when it’s our turn,” Trump wrote. “They have started a whole new Banana Republic way of thinking about political campaigns. So cheap and dirty, but that’s where America is right now. Be careful what you wish for!”

It seems like Trump is suggesting Republicans will go “Banana Republic” on Democrats should they take back power. If so, then wouldn’t they be “cheap and dirty”? Honestly it doesn’t seem like the “hamberders” guy thought this through.

It’s not the first time Trump has vowed some vague yet ominous form of revenge. Last week he dropped a very similar post that also included the words “be careful what you wish for.” The guy should probably spend Labor Day relaxing, as he has a very, very busy handful of months ahead of him.

(Via Raw Story)

Lionel Messi completed his footballing resume by winning the World Cup with Argentina last December, but Messi’s legacy is still growing in multitudes since joining Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF in July.

His Inter Miami debut was the city’s main attraction, with stars such as LeBron James, Serena Williams, and Kim Kardashian in attendance. Days later, DJ Khaled’s son, Asahd, walked onto the pitch with Messi for the pre-match ceremony. (Of course, Khaled captured it all for Instagram.) So, it came as no surprise that A-listers flocked to BMO Stadium to witness Messi and Inter Miami take on LAFC on Sunday night, September 3 — his first-ever MLS game in Los Angeles.

Inter Miami topped LAFC 3-1, and Miami remains unbeaten (11-0) since adding Messi, but Messi was held scoreless. (He logged two assists, don’t worry.) In the 38th minute, a seemingly inevitable Messi goal was saved by John McCarthy, and Selena Gomez’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Gomez screen-grabbed her own viral video and posted it to her Instagram Story, writing, “Mood.”

In addition to Gomez, celebrities on hand included Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Leonardo DiCaprio (a popsicle was his plus-one), Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, Will Ferrell, Nas, Tyga, Edward Norton, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Owen Wilson, and Mario Lopez (as chronicled by MLS and Sports Illustrated).

See more clips below.

If you were to look at Megan Montgomery’s Instagram account, you’d see a beautiful, smiling woman in the prime of her life, her youth and fitness the envy of women the world over. You’d even see some photos of her with her husband (#datenight), with comments saying things like “Aww, gorgeous couple!”

But beneath her picture-perfect feed was the story of a woman in an abusive relationship with her husband—one that would start with his arrest shortly after they got married, and end 10 months later with him shooting her to death in a parking lot.

In a Facebook post, one of the people who was out with Megan the night of her murder detailed how her estranged husband had come to their table, put his hand on her neck and shoulder, and escorted her out of the building.

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She went with him willingly, but anyone familiar with abusive relationships knows that “willingly” is a subjective term. He had reportedly threatened mass violence before. Perhaps she was trying to protect the people she was with. Perhaps staying felt more dangerous to her than going with him.

The couple reportedly had a volatile relationship from the start, and at one point both had restraining orders against the other. Regardless, she was killed by the man who had claimed to love her, an ex-cop who had been arrested for domestic violence and had been bailed out multiple times prior to that evening.

Feminist News wrote the gist of Megan’s story on Facebook, sharing photos from the couple’s wedding to illustrate how invisible domestic violence can be to those outside of it. “THIS is the face of domestic violence,” they wrote.

But what was perhaps most striking about the post was the deluge of comments from women describing their own experiences with domestic violence. Comment after comment explaining how a partner always made them think the abuse was their fault, how restraining orders were repeatedly violated, how they were charmed and loved into questioning whether the verbal abuse or physical violence was really that bad. Story after story of how they didn’t see it coming, how slowly and insidiously it escalated, how terrifying it was to try to leave.

Those of us who have not been in abusive relationships don’t always understand why people don’t leave them. But the dynamics of abuse—the emotional manipulation, the gaslighting, the self-esteem destruction, the fear and shame—are well documented.

Unfortunately, those dynamics can prove deadly. Domestic violence murders have been on the rise in recent years, going up 19% between 2014 and 2017. And sadly, our justice system does not protect domestic violence survivors as well as it should.

Part of the challenge of prosecuting in domestic violence cases is that victims are not always willing to cooperate, either out of fear or shame or embarrassment, or unhealthy loyalty. According to some estimates, domestic violence victims recant their testimony up to 70% of the time. That’s why some are pushing for evidence-based prosecution without requiring victim testimony, much like we try murder cases.

But some, like University of Maryland law professor Leah Goodmark, argue that pushing for more law enforcement hasn’t proven to reduce domestic violence rates. Addressing issues of poverty, childhood trauma, attitudes toward gender equality, and other risk factors for domestic violence may be more effective by stopping violence before it starts.

While abuse happens to both men and women, women are more likely to be victims and much more likely to be murdered by a partner. Thankfully, there are many resources for domestic violence survivors to seek help, whether you’re trying to determine if your relationship is abusive or trying to figure out if, when, and how to leave. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (www.thehotline.org or call 1−800−799−7233) has a wealth of information on domestic violence and what to do about it. The website even has a live chat where you can get your questions answered and receive assistance making a safety plan for you and your family.

If you are afraid of your partner or other loved one, there’s something wrong. No one should live in fear of the people who are supposed to love them the most.

This article originally appeared on 12.16.19

When Michael Todd started his freshman year at MLK prep school in Memphis, Tennessee two years ago, he only had one outfit to wear to school. High school kids can be incredibly cruel and Michael was mocked for three weeks for wearing the same clothes every day.

“I really don’t have clothes at home,” he told KTVI. “My mom can’t buy clothes for me because I’m growing too fast.”

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Kristopher Graham, a football player at MLK Prep, thought the bullying had gone too far and wanted to do something to help. “When I saw people laugh at him and bully him, I felt like I needed to do something,” Kristopher said. He texted his friend Antwan Garrett asking for help.

The next day, Michael was taken out of third period and when he stepped out of the classroom he was approached by Kristopher and Antwan. He froze with nervousness when he saw the two football players stopped him by the lockers.

Football players give student clothes

“I want to apologize to you for laughing at you and I want to give you something to make it up,” Kristopher told Michael. The football players handed Michael a gift, bags full of shirts, shorts, and shoes.

Michael couldn’t believe the football players’ kindness.

“I’ve been bullied my entire life.” But getting the gift was “awesome,” he said according to USA Today. “The best day of my entire life, basically.”

Video of the gift exchange went viral and has been seen millions of times. A few weeks later, the three teenagers were invited to appear on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” where they were greeted by Will Smith who gave them $10,000 each.

Antwan plans to use the money for trade school to become a diesel engine mechanic and Kristopher wants to invest his portion.

Antwan helped Michael because he understood what he was going through.

“We weren’t expecting the video to go viral. We just wanted to make a change,” Antwan said according to Commercial Appeal. “I know how it feel not to have nothin’. I don’t have much, but it made me feel better by seeing somebody else have. I haven’t had like the best of life. Everybody struggles.”

“My life has changed from sleeping in a house without no lights. With what is going on the outside affected me in school,” Antwan added. “I didn’t want to be in school. I wanted to help Michael and make him happy and it made me happy.”

The good deed was also commemorated by the Memphis City Council who honored the teens with a resolution and a round of applause.

Kristopher and Antwan are wonderful examples of what can happen when teens are taught that they have a responsibility to one another. While countless kids mocked Michael for something well beyond his control, they saw his plight as an opportunity to drastically change his life by taking action.

Just imagine if everyone saw others’ misfortune as an opportunity to help instead of judge.

This article originally appeared on 07.10.21

People who decide not to have children are often unfairly judged by those who chose a different life path. People with children can be especially judgmental to women who’ve decided to opt out of motherhood.

“You will regret it!” is one of the most common phrases lobbed at those who choose to remain childless. Why do people think they’ll have such awful regrets? Because they often say they’ll wind up “lonely and sad” when they’re older.

They also say that life without children is without purpose and that when the childless get older they’ll have no one to take care of them. One of the most patronizing critiques thrown at childless women is that they will never “feel complete” unless they have a child.

However, a lot of these critiques say more about the person doling them out than the person who decides to remain childless. Maybe, just maybe, their life is fulfilling enough without having to reproduce. Maybe, just maybe, they can have a life full of purpose without caring for any offspring.

Maybe the question should be: What’s lacking in your life that you need a child to feel complete?

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Studies show that some people regret being childless when they get older, but they’re in the minority. An Australian researcher found that a quarter of child-free women came to regret the decision once they were past child-bearing age and began contemplating old age alone.

People revealed the reasons they’ve decided to be childless in an article by The Upshot. The top answers were the desire for more leisure time, the need to find a partner and the inability to afford child care. A big reason that many women decide not to have children is that motherhood feels like more of a choice these days, instead of a foregone conclusion as it was in previous decades.

Reddit user u/ADreamyNightOwl asked a “serious” question about being childless to the AskReddit subforum and received a lot of honest answers. They asked “People over 50 that chose to be childfree, do you regret your decision? Why or why not?”

The people who responded are overwhelmingly happy with their decision not to have children. A surprising number said they felt positive about their decision because they thought they’d be a lousy parent. Others said they were happy to have been able to enjoy more free time than their friends and family members who had kids.

Here are some of the best responses to the Askreddit question.

1. Never had any desire.

“I explain it to people like this – you know that feeling you get where you just can’t wait to teach your kid how to play baseball? or whatever it is you want to share with them? I don’t have that. Its basically a lack of parental instinct. Having children was never something I aspired to. My SO is the same way.

“Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against children. And I get really angry at people who harm them or mistreat them. I just never wanted my own.” — IBeTrippin

2. No desire. No regrets.

“Nope. It was never something I wanted. No regrets.” — BornaCrone

3. Mixed feelings.

“I have mixed feelings. I don’t care much for children and I think it would have been disastrous for us to have them. I was also able to retire at 52. Pretty sure that wouldn’t have happened with kids. So yeah, absolutely the right decision.
But I love my family and I do wonder what it would be like to have my own, to teach my child the things I know and not to be without someone who cares about me at the time of my death.

“But again, absolutely the right decision and at 55 I’m very happy NOT to have them. This is reinforced every time I’m exposed to other people’s kids.” — ProfessorOzone

4. They never visit.

“My wife worked at a nursing home for years. Imagine seeing for years that over 95% of old people never have family visit. Till they die and people want a piece of the pie. This when I learned that the whole ‘well who is gonna visit you or take care of you when you’re older’ line is complete bullshit. We decided to not have kids ever after that. Made great friends and saw the world. No regrets.” — joevilla1369

5. It wasn’t an option.

“I don’t necessarily regret not having them, but I regret the fact that I wasn’t in a healthy enough relationship where I felt I COULD have children. I regret not being stronger to leave the abuse earlier, if I had been stronger, I think maybe I could have had the choice at least. So yeah… I have regrets.” — MaerakiStudioMe

6. Grandkids are cooler.

“No. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to marry my husband. He had two sons from his first marriage and a vasectomy. He was worried because I was so young (comparatively, he’s 10 years older). I did think it over seriously and concluded that a life with him compared to a life without him but (perhaps!) with a baby I didn’t even have yet was what I wanted. It worked out for us, we’ve been together for 26 years. As a bonus I have 9 grandchildren. All the fun without the work of the raising!” — Zublor

7. I’d be a bad parent.

“Not one bit. I have never believed that I would be a good parent. I have a short temper, and while I don’t think I would have been physically abusive, my words and tone of voice would be harsh in a very similar way to my own father. I wasn’t happy growing up with that kind parent and I wouldn’t want to subject any child to that kind of parenting.” — Videoman7189

8. I’d rather be the cool aunt and uncle.

“No and I found a partner who feels the same. We are the cool aunt and uncle.” — laudinum

9. Loneliness is underrated.

“54 yrs.old. I’ve lived the past 30 years alone. Presently my dog and I are chillin’ in a nice hotel on a spur of the moment vacation. I’d maybe be a grandfather by now?! I can’t imagine what it would be like to have family. I picture a life lived more “normally” sometimes. All sunshine and roses, white picket fence, etc. but I realize real life isn’t like that. No I don’t regret being childfree or wifefree for that matter. My life can be boring at times but then I look back at all the drama that comes with relationships and think I’ve dodged a bullet. I spent 20 years trying to find a wife to start a family. Then I realized the clock had run out, so fuck it, all the money I’d saved for my future family would be spent on myself. Hmmmmm…what do I want to buy myself for Christmas?” — Hermits_Truth

10. No diaper changes and no regrets.

“Nope. I never had the urge to change diapers or lose sleep, free time and most of my earnings. Other people’s kids are great. Mostly because they are other people’s. When people ask ‘Who will take care of you when you’re old’ I tell them that when I’m 75 I will adopt a 40-year-old.” — fwubglubbel

11. Zero desire.

“I’m 55 (F) and never wanted children. I just don’t much like them, and 20+ years of motherhood sounded (and still sounds) like a prison sentence. Maternal af when it comes to cats and dogs, but small humans? No chance.

“And I’m very happy to be childless. Cannot imagine my life any other way.” — GrowlKitty

12. D.I.N.K.

“Dual income no kids = great lifestyle!” — EggOntheRun

13. Some regrets

“Over 50 and child free. My only regret is that my wife would have been a great mother, and sometimes I feel like I deprived her of that, even though we both agreed we didn’t want kids. Sometimes I wonder if I pushed her into that decision. She works with the elderly every day and sees a lot of lonely folks so it gets to her sometimes. I was always afraid I’d screw up the parenting thing, so I was never really interested in the idea. I’m a loner by nature though.” — Johnny-Virgil

This article originally appeared on 02.08.22

Over the long weekend, on September 1, Jimmy Buffett died at 76 years old. A statement on the “Margaritaville” singer’s website reported that he had been fighting Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years. Aside from music, Buffett was a successful author, with best-selling books on the New York Times‘ best-seller lists for both fiction and non-fiction. He was also an incredibly successful businessman: A few months ago, he landed on the Forbes billionaires list for the first time thanks to his Margaritaville restaurants, stores, and hotels.

Ultimately, though, the music was the bedrock of it all, and he stayed committed to delivering good times right until the end: On July 2, he showed up at the Sunset Cove café in Portsmouth, Rhode Island for an unannounced surprise performance, which saw him play, among other hits, “Margaritaville” for the final time.

As Rhode Island’s WJAR reports, Buffett’s band member Mac McAnally was scheduled to perform that day, and as Sunset Cove owner Mike MacFarlane tells it, “Mac got a hold of me and said, ‘Hey, Jimmy wants to come up and do a few songs. What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Let’s find a way to make it happen.’ It was just impromptu. Just wanted to get out of the house.”

Buffett was in Long Island at the time, so he flew up to Portsmouth and played a surprise 45-minute set.

MacFarlane noted Sunset Cove is currently working on commemorative T-shirts of the performance and proceeds from sales will go to charity.

The fact that beavers build dams is one of nature’s coolest features. Gathering and stacking tree branches, rocks, grass and mud across a river so they can build their homes underwater is a unique instinct among the animals—and a strong one.

Apparently, it’s so strong that beavers will build dams anywhere, including inside a human’s house using whatever items they can find.

A video shared by Dr. Holley Muraco, director of research at the Mississippi Aquarium, shows a female beaver named Sawyer busily gathering stuffed animals, blankets, Christmas decorations, wrapping paper and more to build a dam in a hallway, and it’s seriously the most delightful thing ever.

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Sawyer pauses once in a while to assess her work, which is adorable. And her ongoing struggle with SpongeBob SquarePants’ legs is a must-see.

If you’re concerned about seeing natural animal behavior like this in an unnatural habitat, don’t worry. Muraco explains that Sawyer spends most of her time outdoors with other beavers, but also likes to come in the house occasionally. More on Sawyer’s life story below, but first, behold her adorableness at work:

Sawyer is one of three orphaned beavers Muraco is rehabbing at her home with the help of Woodside Wildlife Rescue.

“Sawyer is one of a kind,” Muraco tells Upworthy. “Very opinionated and, as crazy as it sounds, intelligent. I raised Sawyer on a bottle in our home and then introduced her to Huck and Finn who are a bit older. All three were orphaned separately when their parents were killed. The three were sent to Woodside Wildlife to be raised as siblings.”

Sawyer, Huck and Finn. Perfection.

Muraco says Sawyer started building dams in her kennel as a tiny baby and then moved on to building bigger dams in the hallway. She lives outside with Huck and Finn, but she walks to Muraco’s back door when she wants to go inside to check on things and build a new dam.

Muraco says beavers are very social creatures and do better living in a group, but are also one of the most difficult animals to rehab. They have to spend up to two years with rehabbers, which is how long they would spend with their parents in the wild, and caring for them is challenging due to their complex and sensitive digestive needs. They are also prone to illness and there’s a lot that’s still unknown about vet care for them. Muraco says beavers are also considered a nuisance animal, especially in Mississippi, so it can be hard to find a safe place to release them.

In Muraco’s care, Sawyer, Huck and Finn get ample opportunities to practice instinctive behaviors, which is a vital element of rehabilitation. The ultimate goal is for them to return to the wild once they meet key milestones.

Raising beavers is a lot of work, but Muraco is dedicated to preparing these young ‘uns for life after rehab, both for their own good and for the environment. “Beavers are a keystone species and are often critical for healthy wetlands,” she explains. They are misunderstood creatures and are sometimes killed by people who simply see them as pests, which is one reason Muraco publicly shares her adventures with Sawyer, Huck and Finn.

“We are so excited that people are enjoying watching the beavers and falling in love with this unusual, quirky rodent,” she says.

If anyone wants to support these beaver rescue efforts, Muraco invites people to donate to Woodside Wildlife Rescue.

This article originally appeared on 01.13.23

To wrap up August, Kanye West and supposed wife Bianca Censori (the two apparently got “married” in a non-legally binding ceremony) took a boat ride in Venice, Italy. The problem with that seemingly innocent tourist activity, though, was, as paparazzi photos showed, that West’s butt was out. Now it appears Venezia Turismo Motoscafi, the company that rented the boat to West and Censori, didn’t love what happened and banned the two for life.

This is according to Daily Mail, who notes the company said in a statement, “On board, the driver had to keep a lookout for traffic and did not see these obscenities. If this had happened, he would have immediately disembarked and reported the transgressors to those in authority. In addition, there was a third person on board the taxi, who accompanied Mr. and Mrs. West, who obstructed the captain’s view to the stern in any case.”

The statement adds, “We completely dissociate ourselves from such acts and behaviour. Mr. West and his wife will certainly no longer be welcome on board our company’s boats.”

After the photos surfaced, it was reported that Kim Kardashian was “embarrassed and worried” for her ex-husband, although later reports indicated she’s not “concerned” about his antics unless it impacts their shared children.

Social media spats usually end in ugly words or blocking people—unless you’re Patton Oswalt.

Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt has made a name for himself off-screen as a blunt yet caring, compassionate human. His raw openness after his wife’s unexpected passing and his willingness to engage in conversations about depression and dadhood after her death has touched people’s hearts and opened people’s minds.

And once again on Twitter, Oswalt has proven that he is unquestionably one of the most kind-hearted dudes in Hollywood.

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Oswalt shared that a man who attacked him on Twitter needed help, then encouraged people to help him.

Twitter user Michael Beatty had replied to Oswalt’s response to one of Trump’s tweet with “I just realized why I was so happy you died in Blade Trinity!” and “And you shoot basketball ike [sic] the sawed off little man you are.”

Rather than let endless insults fly back and forth until someone finally gave up, as is Twitter tradition, Oswalt dug a bit deeper and came up with this gem:

— (@)

“Aw, man,” he wrote. “This dude just attacked me on Twitter and I joked back but then I looked at his timeline and he’s in a LOT of trouble health-wise. I’d be pissed off too. He’s been dealt some shitty cards — let’s deal him some good ones. Click and donate — just like I’m about to.”

Beatty, a Vietnam veteran, had shared a GoFundMe describing a recent, harrowing two-week hospitalization battling sepsis, a potentially fatal blood infection, and struggles in managing his diabetes throughout. When Oswalt saw the link, he shared it with his followers and encouraged people to donate to this man who’d had nothing but nasty things to say to him.

Oswalt donated $2000 himself toward the man’s $5000 goal. A mere few hours later, his followers pushed it over $12,000.

As of the writing of this article, the GoFundMe has raised almost $13,000. Beatty responded with a humble, sincere message for Oswalt:

— (@)

“Patton,” he wrote. “You have humbled me to the point where I can barely compose my words. You have caused me to take pause and reflect on how harmful words from my mouth could result in such an outpouring. Thank you for this and I will pass this on to my cousin who needs help. A cascade.”

Beatty followed that up with another tweet thanking everyone who donated:

— (@)

People have responded to Oswalt’s kindness and Beatty’s response with hope that such actions may change people’s hearts.

And Oswalt, always the jokester, responded to Beatty’s Tweet with sarcastic humor.

— (@)

Keep up the awesome humaning, Patton Oswalt. We need more of you in the world.

This article originally appeared on 01.24.19