Month: February 2024

Earlier this year, Taylor Swift was at the center of a couple of political conspiracy theories. One was that she was a PsyOp for the Pentagon. Another was that this year’s Super Bowl would be rigged in the Kansas City Chiefs’ favor, so Swift, who is dating Chiefs star Travis Kelce, could use the occasion to endorse President Joe Biden for re-election.

Are either of those true? It seems unlikely. Still, Biden himself took some time to address the latter.

It was all in good fun, of course. The POTUS was a guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers yesterday (February 26), and Meyers brought up the Swift stuff, making note of Biden’s comedic post-Super Bowl social post that read, “Just like we drew it up.” He then asked, “Can you confirm or deny that there is an active conspiracy between you and Ms. Swift?”

A straight-faced Biden, who threw his sunglasses on moments earlier while jokingly sharing his thoughts on the “Dark Brandon” meme of him, responded, “Where are you getting this information? It’s classified.” He added, “That’s classified information. But I will tell you, she did endorse me in 2020.”

Meyers then wondered, “You think it might come around again?” Biden again deadpanned, “I told you, it’s classified.”

The chat moved on from there, so check out the clip above.

Growing up nearly everyone knew of one house that didn’t allow people to wear shoes inside. It didn’t matter if you accidentally wore your socks with the hole in them, there were no exceptions–shoes off. For many folks it was just seen as a quirk for that particular family and there wasn’t much thought given into why they were adamant about enforcing the rule.

But it turns out that wearing shoes inside is more of a western culture thing than a global one, which makes Americans a minority in keeping outside shoes on while inside the house. It would seem that other countries may have had a bit more of an understanding on why it’s a bad idea to wear shoes inside.

Common sense tells us that wearing shoes inside means you’ll be sweeping and mopping more often than you’d like. Of course you track in dirt but there are apparently hundreds of bacteria and fungi that you’re tracking in that can cause your family to get sick.

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According to the Journal of Applied Microbiology 13 different studies supported the hypothesis that the bottoms of shoes carried infectious agents. “Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative species among other pathogens were documented on shoe bottoms in the health care setting, in the community and among food workers,” the journal says.

If you’re thinking spraying or wiping down your shoes with Lysol or Clorox will do the trick, think again. “A number of decontamination strategies have been studied of which none have been shown to be consistently successful at disinfecting shoe soles,” Journal of Applied Microbiology reports.

But you’ve been wearing shoes inside all this time, why do anything differently now? Well, you don’t have to become a no shoes inside household if it seems like too much of a hassle. Experts just want people to have the facts so they can make their own decisions on how best to keep their family healthy.

Dr. Nicole G. Freels, a podiatrist started discussing the importance of removing their shoes upon entering their home after watching a segment on the Today Show where they cultured an audience member’s flip flops. She told Southern Living, “They cultured out hundreds of different microbes, both bacterial and fungal! Ever since, I have been educating my patients on the potential risks of wearing the same shoes inside the house, and out.”

Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor and microbiologist at the University of Arizona conducted his own research in 2016. The professor swabbed a brand new pair of shoes he had only been wearing for two weeks only to find 440,000 units of bacteria with 27% of it being a deadly form of E. Coli. Yikes. There’s nothing quite like tracking Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a drug resistant extremely contagious intestinal bacteria and E. Coli into your house on a daily basis.

Makes you wonder if this is where those stomach viruses come from that seem to tear through households on repeat during certain months of the year. Honestly, knowing that our shoes track in so much stuff may make you want to figure out a way to get around by levitation. Someone should get on that discovery, quickly.

In the end, wearing shoes inside is still a personal choice even if it may make the experts hair stand on end. But if after reading all about it makes you want to boil your shoes and scrub your floors for hours, you can toss a shoe rack next to your door as a reminder. You can also buy disposable booties that fit over your shoes to keep the bacteria off your floors and in the trash where it belongs.

After an impressive five-night run at Dublin’s 3Arena, fans around the world are counting down the days until Niall Horan comes to town. So far, the “Heaven” singer’s The Show: Live On Tour has had a stronghold in Europe. After the string of European shows, the extensive 67-date tour will head over to Australia.

But by May, US supporters will have their chance to see Horan live in action. While folks wait, the number one question is what songs are in Horan’s official setlist. Now, thanks to Irish concertgoers, the words is out. Continue below for the setlist so far (according to Setlist.fm), the remaining tour dates, and more.

Niall Horan’s ‘The Show: Live On Tour’ setlist

1. “Nice to Meet Ya”
2. “On a Night Like Tonight”
3. “On the Loose”
4. “Small Talk / Edge of Seventeen”
5. “The Show”
6. “Cross Your Mind”
7. “If You Leave Me”
8. “Black and White”
9. “Flicker”
10. “This Town”
11. “You Could Start a Cult”
12. “Heaven”
13. “Everywhere”
14. “Stockholm Syndrome” (One Direction song)
15. “Paper Houses”
16. “Meltdown”
17. “Mirrors”
18. “Still”

Encore:

19. “Save My Life”
20. “Slow Hands”

Niall Horan’s ‘The Show: Live On Tour’ dates

02/27 – Birmingham, UK @ Resorts World Arena
03/01 – London, UK @ OVO Arena Wembley
03/04 – Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff International Arena
03/05 – Manchester, UK @ AO Arena
03/07 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto Arena
03/08 – Paris, FR @ Zénith
03/11 – Berlin, DE @ Mercedes-Benz Arena
03/12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena
03/15 – Stockholm, SE @ Hovet Ice Hall
03/18 – Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena
03/20 – Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle
03/21 – Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum
03/23 – Madrid, ES @ WiZink Center
03/26 – Düsseldorf, DE @ PSD Bank Dome
03/27 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
04/26 – Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena
04/28 – Brisbane, Australia @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
05/01 – Sydney, Australia @ Quodos Bank Arena
05/03 – Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena
05/29 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Hard Rock Live
05/31 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
06/03 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
06/07 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
06/08 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
06/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts
06/14 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
06/15 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
06/18 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
06/19 – Bangor, ME @ Maine Savings Amphitheater
06/21 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
06/22 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
06/25 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
06/26 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
06/28 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
07/07 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
07/09 – Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
07/10 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
07/12 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
07/16 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
07/17 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
07/19 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
07/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
07/23 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
07/24 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
07/26 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/27 – Inglewood, CA @ The Kia Forum
07/30 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
07/31 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
08/23 – Dublin, IE @ Royal Hospital Kilmainham
08/27 – Manchester, UK @ Co-Op Live
08/28 – Leeds, UK @ First Direct Arena
08/30 – Newcastle, UK @ Utilita Arena
08/31 – Aberdeen, UK @ P&J Live
09/03 – London, UK @ The O2

Niall Horan’s ‘The Show: Live On Tour’ poster

If you ever cook with fresh garlic, you know what a challenge it can be to remove the cloves from the skin cleanly, especially if you’re starting with a full head.

There are various methods people use to peel garlic, with varying levels of success. Doing it by hand works, but will leave you with garlic-smelling fingertips for the better part of a day. Whacking the head on the counter helps separate the cloves from each other, but doesn’t help much with removing the skin.

Some people swear by vigorously shaking the skinned cloves around in a covered bowl or jarred lid, which can be surprisingly effective. Some smash the clove with the flat side of a knife to loosen it and then pull it off. Others utilize a rubber roller to de-skin the cloves.

But none of these methods come close to the satisfaction of watching someone perfectly peeling an entire head of garlic with a pair of tongs.

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A video shared by the TikTok channel Learn Green shows what appears to be a woman’s hands holding a large head of garlic in one hand and small metal tongs in the other, and within 30 seconds, the skin is separated from the cloves without any damage to the garlic, and it’s a thing of beauty.

Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be anything new social media can offer humanity, a video comes along that blows your mind and changes your life for the better. Watch:

@learngreen

Garlic Master 💚 #good #garlic

Garlic master, indeed. People in the comments clarified that the tongs appear to be fish bone tweezers, which are a bit like ice tongs, but sturdier. And the reactions to the video were pure internet gold:

“The way I want to go on the ultimate garlic peeling spree now, for absolutely no reason.”

“It takes me 2-3 business days to peel fresh garlic.”

“My flabbers have been gasted.”

“I am telling you I haven’t done a damn thing right in my entire life.”

“No thx, I’d rather cut each one individually, struggle, throwing half of it away away in the process and getting angry at myself by the end of it.”

Several people lamented that they’ve never known they had this wonder tool at their disposal.

“Are you telling me that I’ve had a garlic peeler in my drawer all these years and didn’t even know what to do with it until just now?”

“I have that set of tong things. I didn’t know it was for garlic.”

“You finally throw away that ‘useless’ thing in the kitchen drawer you had for years the day before you find out what it was for.”

Others sung the praises of “TikTok University.”

“I believe after so many of hours of TikTok we get college credits.”

“At the very least a masters degree in life skills.”

“I have learned more on TikTok than school.”

“I don’t know what other people’s feeds are like but I’m learning something every 6 minutes.”

And in case you’re wondering, this person is not the only garlic master with the tongs. There are other videos showing the same thing, and they are all just as mesmerizing.

@c_wondersoffarming

Garlic peeling! #satisfying #decompression #garlic #peeling #lifehack #tool

Seriously, this is what social media should be used for—succinctly sharing useful, helpful skills that actually add to our quality of life.

(Helpful tip for getting the most out of TikTok: Don’t scroll past garlic peeling videos if you want your feed to teach you valuable hacks like this. Game that algorithm in your favor.)

On Monday Jon Stewart made his third appearance since returning to The Daily Show. It hasn’t been an entirely warm welcome back. After his maiden appearance as a Monday-only guest host, he was accused of both-sides-ing Trump and Biden. He spent his second show partly attacking his critics, if not as blisteringly as he did the episode’s real target, his old nemesis Tucker Carlson. So for this third episode, Stewart chose a far chiller subject: the strife between Israel and Palestine.

We’re over five months into the conflict, which has claimed the lives of nearly 30,000 Palestinians, a large chunk of them children. Stewart spent his opening attempting to thread the needle between Israel and Hamas, both of whom want to see the other eradicated completely. Seeing no one else had any other ideas on how to end the horror, he decided to throw his hat in the ring.

“The status quo cycle of provocation and retribution is predicated on some idea that one of these groups is going to go away — and they are not,” Stewart said. He then laid out not one, not two, but three possible “solutions for peace,” in an attempt to create a “safe and free Israel and safe and free Palestine.”

What were they? The first was a small one. It looked at a camp in Maine where nearly a hundred Israeli and Palestinian kids learn to hang out, play games, and get along, in an attempt to “open young minds.” That one, Stewart jokingly admitted, “hasn’t been scaled up yet, and may take longer than we have — unless we bring the whole f*cking region to Maine.”

So what else did Stewart have? His second was “let’s just ask God,” he said. “He started this whole mess…He can tells us who is right. Is it the Jews? Is it the Muslims? Is it the Zoroastrians? If it’s the Scientologists, a lot of us are going to have egg on our faces.” Then again, God, as Stewart pointed out, hasn’t been much of a communicator for, well, “the last millenia.”

Stewart’s third solution was a little more serious:

“Israel stops bombing. Hamas releases the hostages. The Arab countries, who claim Palestine is their top priority, come in and form a demilitarized zone between Israel and a free Palestinian state. The Saudis, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Jordan — they all form, like, a NATO arrangement, guaranteeing safety for both sides.”

Stewart acknowledged they can’t call it NATO, so he suggested the Middle East Treaty Organization, or METO. “Let’s get this region METO’d,” Stewart joked.

He also admitted that this idea needs some work, but it’s “better than the clusterf*ck cycle we have now.”

You can watch Stewart’s latest Daily Show opener in the video above.

Sega Bodega’s eclectic approach to music has made him one of the most sought-after London producers. In 2022, Bodega traveled between Europe and the US for his international tour. With his forthcoming album slated to hit streaming platforms in April, Bodega could be gearing up to do it all again.

Bodega is back with a fresh new single to follow up his previous track, “Deer Teeth,” released in January. The latest offering, “Set Me Free, I’m An Animal,” is a therapeutic electronic record outlining the importance of autonomy.

“When you take your hands from the leash / Set me free, I’m an animal / Letting go of all that I could be / Set me free, I’m an animal / Sitting by the river for its last flow / Sit there tell me what you think that I know / Say you’ll fight for it,” sings Sega Bodega.

In the supporting visual, Bodega teams up with Claire & Rick Farin (of Actual Objects) to direct the provoking story. Similar to the song’s lyrics, the video shows Bodega navigating the storms of life in order to obtain true and unwavering freedom. Bodega spoke about the inspiration behind the track via a statement.

“‘Set Me Free, I’m an Animal’ explores intense feelings brought on by physical and emotional restraint,” he wrote.

Watch Sega Bodega’s official video for “Set Me Free, I’m An Animal” above.

The New York Knicks picked up a 113-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday evening and, on the surface, that isn’t a shocking result. After all, the Knicks are considerably better than the Pistons this season, and the game took place at Madison Square Garden. However, the contest was especially notable because of a wild end-of-game sequence that featured three turnovers, a complete scramble on both sides, and Knicks forward Josh Hart eventually converting the game-winning three-point play.

After the game, Pistons head coach Monty Williams took umbrage with one particular aspect of the officiating on the final, game-deciding play. It certainly appeared as if Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson was fouled by Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo near mid-court. In fact, a different camera angle drew even more attention to the no-call.

Williams opened what became a very brief press conference by simply asserting that the lack of a whistle on DiVincenzo was “the absolute worst call of the season.” He then continued for approximately one full minute before exiting without taking questions.

“Enough’s enough,” Williams said as part of his comments. “We’ve done it the right way. We’ve called the league. We’ve sent in clips. We’re sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again. We had a chance to win the game, and the guy dove into Ausar’s legs. And there was a no-call. That’s an abomination. You cannot miss that in an NBA game. Period.”

Williams ended his postgame address by saying “we want a fair game, and that was not fair.” Beyond the very real gripe in this moment, Williams is almost certainly bringing the baggage of a long season for Detroit, as the Pistons are 8-49 and on a six-game losing streak. Plus, he’s a veteran head coach that likely understands the value of passionately defending his team in a moment like this. Even beyond that, though, it is brutal to lose on a play like this, and Williams did not hold back his displeasure, to the point where he might be getting a tap on the shoulder from the league in the form of a fine.

The Eras Tour has Swifties down under, losing their minds. But Taylor Swift’s presence has attracted attention from far more than fans. Beginning on February 16, Swift kicked off the Australian wing of the critically acclaimed tour. Given that the performance run marked the “Karma” singer’s first time in the country since 2018, and celebrities like Katy Perry were in attendance, the paparazzi were eager to grab a few images of the star.

Unfortunately, it appears that one photographer got a little too close for comfort. According to TMZ, Taylor’s dad, Scott Kingsley Swift, is reportedly under investigation for allegedly being involved in an altercation with a working pap. The outlet reports that the New South Wales police are looking into Ben McDonald’s claims that Swift allegedly assaulted him on February 27 (NSW time) at Neutral Bay Wharf in Sydney.

In the video obtained by TMZ, two figures shove each other to make clear space as they navigate with umbrellas. The footage doesn’t identify either party clearly, as an umbrella covers the lenses. A representative for Taylor reached out to TMZ to provide a statement regarding the incident.

“Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water,” read the note.

The team provided an additional statement to Rolling Stone; they emphasized multiple individuals were vying to get closer to Taylor, causing an unsafe environment.

It’s not that FX tends to think small, but they do think grounded. Some recent shows include Reservation Dogs, about Indigenous teens in Oklahoma; The Bear, about Chicago restauranteurs; Justified: City Primeval, where U.S. Marshal Rylan Givens bounces around Detroit. With Shōgun, though, they’re going epic. It’s the latest small screen take on James Clavell’s 1975 doorstop, previously adapted for a much-watched 1980 miniseries (back when they called them that). It has the size and maybe also close to the violence of an HBO blockbuster, like Game of Thrones (to which it’s already been compared).

But when can one watch this fool thing?

The answer is: starting Tuesday, February 27. That’s when FX will drop its first two episodes. There are 10 in all, meaning the show will conclude by April 23.

Here’s how Uproxx previously described Shōgun’s plot:

The expansive story follows the outbreak of a 1600s civil war and also revolves around the accounts of an English ship captain, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), whose shop becomes marooned, which is the first step in him becoming pivotal in the conflict, particularly on the side of Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), whose rule has been dragged into chaos by an opposing Council of Regents (i.e., “vultures”). However, Blackthorne and Toranaga must rely upon a translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), who is no mere impartial party.

The first time American TV adapted Shōgun, it turned Richard Chamberlain — already a fixture of TV films, to say nothing of his beloved ‘60s show Dr. Kildare — into the king of miniseries. Three years later he’d star in the far trashier The Thorn Birds, playing a horny priest who struggles to love God more than the young woman he once hooked up with.

Will the same happen to Cosmo Jarvis? Or what about Hiroyuki Sanada, a regular of Hollywood blockbusters — in the last two years alone he was in Bullet Train and John Wick: Chapter 4 — finally getting a splashy co-lead role? You can start finding out very soon, when the show airs on FX and streams on both Hulu and Disney+.

In the meantime, you can watch the trailer for Shōgun below.

Even though humans are biologically hard-wired to form strong attachments to our parents, in many cases, these relationships become estranged as the children age. A recent poll found that nearly 1 in 4 adults are estranged from their families.

Six percent are estranged from their mothers and 26% have no contact with their fathers. It’s believed that these days, more children are comfortable distancing themselves from their parents because it’s good for their mental health.

“I think it relates to this new desire to have healthy relationships,” Rin Reczek, a sociology professor at the Ohio State University, said, according to The Hill. “There might be some cultural shifts around people being allowed to choose who is in your family. And that can include not choosing to have the person who raised you be in your family.”

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The interesting thing is that when a mother finds herself estranged from a child, they are more likely to blame a third party, such as another family member or a spouse, than themselves.

But, studies show that when an adult child chooses to no longer have contact with a parent, it’s directly related to how they were raised and is most likely due to abuse, poor parenting, or a lack of support.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Erin O’Regan (@thecalmmother)

Erin O’Regan, known as TheCalMother on Instagram, shared the cold, hard truth of this lesson for estranged parents in an Instagram post that inspired passionate responses.

“Hard parenting pill to swallow: How your kids treat you when they are no longer in need of food and shelter, is a direct reflection of how you made them feel when they needed you to survive.”

In other words, parents who enjoy a positive relationship with their adult children probably did a good job when their kids were young. So, even though their children don’t need them to get by, they’re still around because they value their relationship and think they are great parents.

It was about love, not about a quid-pro-quo relationship.

This wasn’t the greatest news to parents who don’t have a relationship with their adult children and some responded with very hard feelings. “I don’t agree and as a Mother, I’m tired of the blame. What would I tell my grown child? Toughen up Buttercup,” Mimi Davis responded. The world is a tough place. Stop blaming people.”

However, a mother on TikTok took the message to heart as it related to her relationship with her parents as well as her children. Crystal Allon, a trauma and addiction recovery coach, discussed how her current relationship with her kids caused her to reflect on what she missed as a parent.

@fiftiesrediscovery

#stitch with @6ftofPureBrownSugar #intergenerationaltrauma #healyourself #healyourshit #speakyourtruth #parenting #estrangedparents #adultchildren

“How my children treat me now is a direct reflection of how I treated them when they were younger and needed me. This is very hard for parents to come to terms with. I think a lot of parents go, ‘That’s not true,’ this is where the disconnect comes,” she said. “As my kids grew up and they started to distance themselves from me, I kind of went, ‘What’s happening here?’ I looked at myself and now that I’m looking back on my children’s childhood, I’m recognizing some stuff that I really missed the mark on.”

There are countless reasons why parents and their children become estranged when they get older, and according to research, a big one is emotionally distant parenting. While this may be hurtful to some parents who aren’t in close contact with their children. The lesson is positive for all parents out there who are close with their adult kids. If your children are still in your lives and you enjoy a close relationship, it’s a great indicator that you should be positive about the job you did as a parent.