Month: March 2024

The Madness has officially begun, as conference tournaments saw a number of surprising outcomes that had teams on the bubble sweating profusely on Selection Sunday.

NC State and Oregon winning the ACC and Pac-12 tournaments were the biggest chaos agents, as they swiped automatic bids in two of the power conferences and forced the tournament committee to significantly rearrange the bracket. Ultimately, the committee landed on the 68 teams that would be making it to the Big Dance later this week, starting with the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio and then continuing on into the first round starting on Thursday and Friday.

A printable version of the bracket is available here.

FIRST FOUR

10. Boise State
10. Colorado

16. Montana State
16. Grambling State

10. Virginia
10. Colorado State

16. Howard
16. Wagner

EAST

1. UCONN
16. Stetson

8. Florida Atlantic
9. Northwestern

5. San Diego State
12. UAB

4. Auburn
13. Yale

6. BYU
11. Duquesne

3. Illinois
14. Morehead State

7. Washington State
10. Drake

2. Iowa State
15. South Dakota State

SOUTH

1. Houston
16. Longwood

8. Nebraska
9. Texas A&M

5. Wisconsin
12. James Madison

4. Duke
13. Vermont

6. Texas Tech
11. NC State

3. Kentucky
14. Oakland

7. Florida
10. Boise State/Colorado

2. Marquette
15. Western Kentucky

MIDWEST

1. Purdue
16. Montana State/Grambling State

8. Utah State
9. TCU

5. Gonzaga
12. McNeese

4. Kansas
13. Samford

6. South Carolina
11. Oregon

3. Creighton
14. Akron

7. Texas
10. Virginia/Colorado State

2. Tennessee
15. St. Peter’s

WEST

1. North Carolina
16. Howard/Wagner

8. Mississippi State
9. Michigan State

5. St. Mary’s
12. Grand Canyon

4. Alabama
13. Charleston

6. Clemson
11. New Mexico

3. Baylor
14. Colgate

7. Dayton
10. Nevada

2. Arizona
15. Long Beach State

Kyrie Irving has quite the catalogue of completely insane shots over the course of his NBA career, and on Sunday afternoon, he might have had his most impressive make yet. With things tied up in a Western Conference showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets, Irving hit a shot at the buzzer to give Dallas a much-needed 107-105 win.

But it wasn’t just a pull-up from three, or a crazy layup, or anything else we’ve come to expect out of Irving. Instead, it was a completely ridiculous running lefty hook from midrange despite a contest from Nikola Jokic.

Like many of us, Luka Doncic was in a state of total shock after the shot went in.

Doncic played a big part in even getting Dallas to this point. With less than 30 seconds remaining and the game tied at 102, Jamal Murray pulled up from deep to give Denver the lead.

On the ensuing inbound, Doncic was able to answer the bell, as he managed to get open for an excellent look from behind the top of the 3-point line.

The Mavs were able to stop Murray from hitting a game-winner on the next possession, which gave Dallas a chance to get a walk-off winner. And fortunately for them, Irving was able to make it happen.

Ariana Grande does it again. The “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” singer’s latest album, Eternal Sunshine, is a certified hit, according to the music charts. Today (March 17), Billboard released its metric for the week ending on March 14.

Grande’s Eternal Sunshine is the no. 1 album, setting a new milestone for the singer. Six of her seven full-length studio albums have secured the coveted slot (2013’s Your Truly, 2014’s My Everything, 2018’s Sweetener, 2019’s Thank U, Next, and 2020’s Positions). But the record-setting doesn’t stop there.

Based on Luminate’s findings, Eternal Sunshine had the largest first-week sales of the year (dethroning Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s Vultures 1), with 227,000 equivalent album units earned in the US. The other metrics include track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Eternal Sunshine‘s SEA units comprise 148,000 (equaling 194.92 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs). The album sales for Eternal Sunshine is listed at 77,000 units. Lastly, the TEA units for Eternal Sunshine came in at 2,000.

Upon its release, users online began to speculate about the project’s true meaning. Many assumed it was Grande’s response to her rumored relationship with Ethan Slater. However, on March 9, Grande slammed the theory with a message in her Instagram stories.

“I just wanted to say, anyone that is sending a hateful message to the people in my life based on your interpretation of this album,” she wrote. “It is not supporting me and is absolutely doing the polar opposite of what I would ever encourage. [This] is also entirely misinterpreting the intention behind the music,” she wrote. “I ask that you please do not. It is not how to support me. It is the opposite.”

The Miami Heat came into Sunday a game behind the Indiana Pacers for the all-important 6-seed in the Eastern Conference standings, as they figure to be in a race to the end of the season to avoid the Play-In Tournament and secure a guaranteed playoff berth. Miami was in Detroit to face the Pistons, which gave them what figured to be a good path to getting a win and pulling closer to even with the Pacers, but in the closing seconds they found themselves tied and in a bit of trouble.

Detroit had the ball with the shot clock turned off, which for most teams would mean they’d work the clock down to take the last shot (or close to it) and ensure the worst thing that happened to them was overtime. However, the Pistons are 12-55 for a reason and so instead of doing that, Cade Cunningham pulled up for a contested three with 10 seconds on the clock and missed, allowing Miami to get the rebound with plenty of time to push it up the floor and get their own look at a win.

Terry Rozier got swarmed once he reached the top of the key, as Detroit wisely tried to keep him from getting a clean look, leaving Bam Adebayo in the trailer position open. Given Adebayo is an 18.8 percent shooter from three this year, that figured to be the right choice, but the DPOY candidate rose up and buried a deep three to give Miami a win in regulation.

The win helps Miami keep pace with Indiana in the 6-seed race, as they’re now just a half-game back of Indiana (tied in the loss column). While you wouldn’t draw it up to need a buzzer-beater to win in Detroit, it was certainly an exciting finish and quite the shot by Adebayo from a spot we don’t often see him shoot from.

Donald Trump has always portrayed himself as a wealthy, smart businessman. He even used to play one on TV and in movies. But what if it’s all been an act? What if his fortune is tiny? It certainly seems that way. A recent New York Times report claimed he was cutting back on his beloved rallies so as to save cash. But at least he has some swanky properties, right? Not so fast, says someone who knows his business intimately.

Per Newsweek, Michael Cohen — the former president’s former attorney, who’s come out aggressively against him over the years — talked about his old client’s finances on his podcast Mea Culpa, especially in the wake of his recent numerous legal woes. That includes the $83.3 million he owes E. Jean Carroll, whom he has repeatedly been found liable of defaming. Last week Trump even posted a whopping $91.6 million bond as part of his appeal.

“I think we are going to see him lose everything, he’s already lost his mind and most of his money,” Cohen said. “Millions and millions in legal fees alone. I mean his properties are all leveraged and just moments after the predator in chief put up the bond to appeal the E. Jean Carroll defamation judgment.”

So does Trump even own Mar-a-Lago? What about his flagship Trump Tower on 5th Avenue on Manhattan? Or the many other buildings with his name plastered on them? Were they not purchased with capital but through a labyrinthine series of loans? Could the Republicans’ candidate for president actually have no cash? If so, nice work as always, GOP.

(Via Newsweek)

Gordon Ramsay is not exactly known for being nice.

Or patient.

Or nurturing.

On his competition show “Hell’s Kitchen,” he belittles cooks who can’t keep up. If people come to him with their problems, he berates them. If someone is struggling to get something right in the kitchen, he curses them out.

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His whole TV persona is based on being the world’s worst boss.

Ramsay went on Reddit and allowed users to ask him any question they wanted.

So when a fellow cook asked him a sincere, deeply personal question about what to do when you’ve hit a roadblock in your career, you could probably guess what was coming.

Indeed, I thought the guy was making a terrible mistake pouring his heart out to a chef as notoriously tough as Ramsay:

“My hopes and dreams are nowhere to be found as I scale and portion salmon after salmon, shelling pods after pods of broad beans.
…
Sometimes I look out the tiny window and I can see people walking around the streets, enjoying the sunlight, while I’m here, questioning my dedication to this art as I rotate stock in the cool room, getting frost bitten, but the fear of the chef stops me from stepping outside to warm up.
…
The closest thing to feeling any kind of joy I get is those rare moments when I walk through the dining room near the end of service to get some coffee for everyone, and there will be a few diners left, idly sampling those little petite fours that we’ve painstakingly ensured are all perfectly round, identical, and just plain delicious. Then, one of them will stop the conversation they’re having with their company, look up from their food and say, ‘Thank you, chef. This is delicious,’ and making the previous 14-hours of sweat and tears kind of worthwhile.

My question is, how did you deal with it? How the fuck did you deal with all the bullshit, Gordon?”

But the way Ramsay responded? Totally amazing. And completely unexpected.

Turns out, real-life Gordon Ramsay? He actually can be a really kind, big-hearted dude.

He’s sympathetic to the guy. Not just because he’s a good person. But because he’s been there.

Working in restaurants is a tough, tough business. As of 2012, the average salary for cooks was less than $23,000/year. And those who are just starting out often have to work unglamorous, tedious jobs that no one else wants to do. Ramsay didn’t have fancy culinary school training. He rose up through the ranks putting in long hours for low pay in kitchens all over the world. That’s why he gets it.

Which brings up another point.

Diet Dieting GIF by Bobbi DeCarlo – Find & Share on GIPHY

When we go out to eat, we, as a culture, tend to behave … how should I put this?

Let’s go with “not like perfect angels.”

Of course, no one likes getting the wrong order. Or waiting a really long time for a meal. Or eating something that doesn’t taste the way you expect it to.

But it’s important to remember that the people behind the food, like Ramsay’s anonymous letter-writer, might be working 14-hour days. Or might be a recent immigrant who speaks limited English, trying to support a family thousands of miles away. And possibly making very little money. And sure, they screw up sometimes. But we all screw up at our jobs sometimes.

Because they, like the rest of us, are human beings.

Which is why saying…

“Thank you, chef. This is delicious.”

Could mean everything to someone.

This article originally appeared on 04.22.15

When I was 7, my dad told me a riddle.

“A man and his son are driving in their car when they are hit by a tractor-trailer.

Photo via iStock.

(We were driving at the time, so of course this was the riddle he decided to tell.)

The father dies instantly.

The son is badly injured. Paramedics rush him to the hospital.

Photo via iStock.

As he is being wheeled into the operating room, the surgeon takes one look the boy and says:

‘I can’t operate on him. He’s my son.’

How is that possible?!”

Without missing a beat, I answered:

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“The doctor is his mom!”

My dad first heard the riddle when he was a child in the ’60s.

Back then, most women didn’t work outside of the home.

Few of those who did had college degrees, much less professional degrees.

Female doctors were few and far between.

Back then, it was a hard riddle. A very hard riddle.

By 1993, when I first heard it, the notion that women could be highly skilled, highly trained professionals wasn’t so absurd.

To me, it was normal.

I knew women who were lawyers. Bankers. Politicians. My own doctor was a woman.

To be sure, women still faced challenges and discrimination in the workplace. And even 20 years later, they still do.

But at its core, the riddle is about how a family can work. And that had changed. Long-overdue progress had rendered the big, sexist assumption that underpinned the whole thing moot.

A very hard riddle was suddenly not a riddle at all.

I never forgot it.

Now, I’m 30 — almost as old as my dad was he first told me that riddle.

I don’t have kids, but I mentor a child through a volunteer program.

Once a week, we get together and hang out for an hour. We play ping pong, do science experiments, and write songs. Neither of us like to go outside.

It’s a good match.

One day, we decided to try to stump each other with riddles.

He rattled off about five or six.

I could only remember one: The one about the man, his son, and the surgeon.

I thought it would be silly to tell it.

I was sure that, if it was easy in 1993, it would be even easier in 2014. Kind of ridiculous, even.

But a part of me was curious.

It had been 21 years — almost as long as it had been between when my dad first heard the riddle and when he shared it with me.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy.

Maybe I was missing something obvious, making my own flawed assumptions about how a family could work.

Maybe the world had changed in ways that would be second nature to a 13-year-old but not to me.

So I began:

“A man and his son are driving in their car, when they are hit by a tractor-trailer. The father dies instantly. The son is badly injured and is rushed to the hospital by paramedics. As he is being wheeled into the operating room, the surgeon takes one look at the boy and says:

‘I can’t operate on him. He’s my son.’

How is that possible?!”

Without missing a beat, he answered: “it’s his other dad”

Times change. Progress isn’t perfect. But no matter what shape a family takes, at the end of the day, #LoveWins.

This article was written by Eric March and originally appeared on 06.21.16

Most abusers don’t start their relationships by hitting their partners. That’s why early warning signs are vital to recognize.

I know two women who recently left abusive partners. Both men seemed sweet and likable—even gentle—each time I saw them. Both had some lovely qualities as people and even as partners. And both turned out to be controlling, increasingly abusive partners behind closed doors.

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The thing about domestic violence is that most people don’t enter into relationships with someone who abuses them from the get go. It’s often like the analogy of the frog in boiling water. If you place a frog into a pot of boiling water, it’ll jump right out. But if you put it in a cool pot and gradually increase the temperature, the frog won’t recognize that it’s being slowly cooked until it’s too late.

Abuse usually comes on gradually, with plenty of opportunity to manipulate and forgive and justify the water getting warmer. That’s why many stay in abusive relationships far longer than they should.

A domestic violence counselor suggests a simple test to help identify potential abusers early in a relationship.

Rob Andrews is a domestic violence counselor in Australia. He told ABC News that he advises people to use what he calls the “No Test” to identify potential red flags early on in a relationship.

“The No Test is basically to watch out for the way your partner responds the first time you change your mind or say no,” Andrews said.

“While expressing disappointment is OK, it’s not the same as annoyed. Annoyed is ‘how dare you,’ a sign of ownership or entitlement.”

Ownership, entitlement, control—these are red flags that often lead to increasingly abusive behavior. And though women can definitely be abusers, the reality is that women are much more likely to be the victims of domestic violence and male abusers tend to be more dangerous to their partners.

“A lot of the women who will present to services will see themselves as part of the problem,” Andrews said. “They’ll ask themselves why they’re always attracted to abusive men, blame themselves for not being assertive enough, blame themselves for pushing their partner’s buttons, causing their anger.”

“With the No Test, we’re not trying to give women knowledge that they didn’t already know,” he said, “but when they see it in black and white in front of them like that, they realize they of course have the right to say no, that they aren’t to blame.”

Andrews describes our patriarchal history as “the nut of the problem.”

Andrews said that some people erroneously tell women that they should just be more assertive with their partners, letting them know they won’t stand for controlling or abusive behavior, but that’s not always the best tack to take.

“Being assertive with a man who’s threatening to bash you is not a very good idea,” he said. “It almost comes from what I’d call ‘deficit thinking,’ that somehow these women need to be trained up so that the people won’t abuse them. The only person who can stop the abuse is the person who is doing the abusing.”

Andrews works with men who are struggling with their own behavior and want to change. He has them think about what kind of man they really want to be and work with them to align their behavior with that vision.

“I hear a lot of people saying how it’s so hard for men now, it’s all so confusing,” he said. “It’s very easy to be a man. Just be polite and respectful to people, it’s not that difficult really.”

“But in saying that,” he added, “we are to some extent dealing with 2,000 years of history of women being a second-class citizen. That’s the nut of the problem and we’ve got to keep chipping away at it.”

This article originally appeared on 02.11.19

There is one request that unites all women and girls no matter their political affiliation or socioeconomic status, and that’s telling them to smile when they’re just minding their business. Think of it like a fairly universal “don’t” when interacting with women, unless you’re a photographer hired to take their photo.

A mom on TikTok found herself reaping the consequences of telling her 9-year-old daughter to smile when she was rehearsing a performance for her school. To say her daughter was not amused would be an understatement. The mom, whose TikTok name is Anniesgotabun, shared a video before and after her daughter’s performance.

The caption of the video read “mistakes were made” complete with the facepalm emoji and the hastag #parentingfail. In the first part of the video you can clearly see her daughter going through the motions of the musical production looking unenthusiastic. The mom explains her error via text overlay explaining “my daughter had her final rehearsal for the school musical yesterday.”

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The video cuts to the mom with text that read, “Afterward, I regrettably said the one thing that no female *ever* wants to hear. ‘Try to smile more.’’’ The result was interesting to say the least and it certainly made the mom rethink her well-meaning advice. During the actual show, the little girl made sure her point was made by staring directly in her mother’s eyes the entire time … smiling.

You may be thinking, well then the advice worked and it did, if her plan was to have her daughter look like the Joker while staring deep into her soul the entire performance. Because that’s exactly what happened and the internet cannot unsee it and the parents of the other children on stage are probably wondering whose child that was.

Check out the funny video below and for the love of everything you cherish, please remember this mom’s mistake should you ever get the urge to tell a woman or girl to smile.

@anniesgotabun

Mistakes were made 🤦🏼‍♀️ #parentingfail

This article originally appeared on 12.24.22

TikTokker Brielle Asero, 21, a recent college graduate, went viral on TikTok in October for her emotional reaction to the first day at a 9-to-5 job. The video, which received 3.4 million views, captured the public’s attention because it was like a cultural Rorschach test.

Some who saw the video thought that Asero came off as entitled and exemplified the younger generation’s lack of work ethic. In contrast, others sympathized with the young woman who is just beginning to understand how hard it is to find work-life balance in modern-day America.

“I’m so upset,” she says in the video. “I get on the train at 7:30 a.m., and I don’t get home until 6:15 p.m. [at the] earliest. I don’t have time to do anything!” Asero said in a video.

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“I don’t have the time to do anything,” she continued. “I want to shower, eat my dinner, and go to sleep. I don’t have the time or energy to cook my dinner either. I don’t have energy to work out, like, that’s out of the window. I’m so upset, oh my god.”

@brielleybelly123

im also getting sick leave me alone im emotional ok i feel 12 and im scared of not having time to live

On December 16, Asero gave an update on her professional life, and sadly, things aren’t going too well. After just 2 months on the job, she was laid off. It had taken her 5 months to find the job and she had recently relocated to New York City to be near the office.

“I worked for a startup, and they didn’t have the workload or the bandwidth they needed to train me and to give me work to do,” she said. Being laid off during the holidays makes Asero’s situation even more difficult because most employers are closed for business in late December and early January.

Asero had some stern words for those who would blame her for losing her job.

“I know that I’m a hard worker, and my boss literally said that I’m one of the smartest people he’s ever had working under him, and he knows that I’m going to land on my feet, and he will give me a great referral to anybody, so don’t start,” she warned.

@brielleybelly123

can someone tell me im going to be okay !!!! feels like the world is ending i need a job immediatley i am feeling so lost rn like i moved for this…!?

“I have done everything I possibly could have, and it’s still not enough,” she said. To supplement her income while looking for her next big break, Asero says she will look for work as a server or nanny.

Even though Asero took a lot of criticism for crying after her first day at work, the comments on the new video were overwhelmingly positive and supportive. There were also a lot of people who shared how they had recently been laid off, too.

“Just want to note that there’s no shame in taking a service job while you’re still looking. You’re going to be okay, you got this,” Baby bel wrote. “It happened to me, seems like ur life is ending, but I promise it’s just getting started. You’ll laugh about it at some point,” Rachie added.

This article originally appeared on 12.22.23